Category: News

Some time ago, we reported on early shots of what seemed to be alternate stages in Street Fighter V’s upcoming update. Now, we have some actual footage of those stages.

BornFree was at E3 where they were able to capture some footage of these stages in action. The biggest thing we can take away from these videos is the fact that we can clearly see that these alternate stages are selectable from the select screen. Prior to this, the only place where you could see these was in certain segments of the game’s story modes.

1/4 Night/day confirmed on stage select for 3 stages.#SF5@eventhubs @shoryukendotcom @Veloc1raptor #e3 #e32016 pic.twitter.com/iOuhZhWj1A

— BornFree @ E3 (@BornFreeTweets) June 14, 2016

2/4 Night/day confirmed on stage select for 3 stages.#SF5@eventhubs @shoryukendotcom @Veloc1raptor #e3 #e32016 pic.twitter.com/7ykXD3BiSy

— BornFree @ E3 (@BornFreeTweets) June 14, 2016

3/4 Night/day confirmed on stage select for 3 stages.#SF5@eventhubs @shoryukendotcom @Veloc1raptor #e3 #e32016 pic.twitter.com/hMvIm3QzF0

— BornFree @ E3 (@BornFreeTweets) June 14, 2016

4/4 Night/day confirmed for 3 stages. MYSTERIOUS COVE.#SF5@eventhubs @shoryukendotcom @Veloc1raptor #e3 #e32016 pic.twitter.com/RN2u0TDDN9

— BornFree @ E3 (@BornFreeTweets) June 14, 2016

Source: BornFree

With E3 in full swing, it’s easy to miss news that isn’t from the big show. One such bit of news that hit recently was regarding the Japanese release date for BlazBlue: Central Fiction’s home version.

While the North American console release is set for sometime in the winter, Japan will be getting the game in the fall. Specifically, BlazBlue: Central Fiction will launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in Japan on October 6.

This is great news for those who just want the game to play it competitively and don’t care for the story and other modes that need translating, especially since both PlayStation 3 and 4 are region free.

Source: Famitsu via Gematsu

Bandai Namco has released a brand new gameplay trailer for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 that focuses on the high speed action we can expect from the versus mode. This trailer shows off the canyon landscape many Dragon Ball fans are familiar with. The trailer pits Goku look-alike, Turles, against alternate timeline Future Gohan.

As you can see in the trailer, Xenoverse 2 is incredibly fast paced and looks great in motion. This is mainly thanks to the game being a title only for current generation consoles and PCs. The game is also running at 60 frames per second, which help to replicate the intensity Dragon Ball is known for.

Bandai Namco also gave us an idea of how large the hub city is going to be for Xenoverse 2. It is supposed to be able to handle 300 players online at once within a space that is seven times larger than Toki Toki City, the first game’s hub world.

The company also stated that the game will receive updates and post launch support for up to one year.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is being developed by Dimps and is being published by Namco Bandai. It is set to release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC by the end of 2016.

Source: Bandai Namco

Clocking in at nearly an hour, the folks behind The King of Fighters XIV have compiled a fantastic resource for eager KOF fans. Complete with English subtitles, we see many faces from behind the scenes: from the producer, to the art director, and even some of the voice actors. There’s a short-but-sweet interview about the development process, a sneak peek at the tournament organizer in the game’s storyline, and last but not least, tons of in-game footage of characters and their moves.

As you watch each character run around showcasing their abilities, subtitles provide their background story, insights into development, and tidbits about the soundtrack and composers. Amongst these twelve characters, we get a deeper look at five of the new characters.

Not only are we granted an extensive breakdown of each character in the training room, we get to see a set of exhibition matches from experienced KOF players Kyabetsu, Dune, and Picnic. The players were allowed some training time beforehand making for an informative and entertaining display of high-level play.

Source: AtlusUSA, with a tip from Patrick H.

In a surprise announcement on Twitter this morning, Pokkén Tournament has been added as an official event at DreamHack Summer 2016, just days before the event goes live. Though DreamHack has been supporting Pokkén Tournament in the states, it was never slated to be at the event in Jönköping, Sweden.

As of the time of this writing, the event has yet to be posted on DreamHack’s official webpage, and signups have not yet opened. There is no word on how or why the event suddenly got added, but it’ll be curious to see the turnout for a major event with only 4 days of notice.

DreamHack Summer 2016 will be held June 18-21 and includes competition in Mortal Kombat XL, Street Fighter V, Smash Bros. Melee, and more.

Sources: DreamHack

Just a short while ago, Ed Boon revealed on GameSpot’s E3 Live stage show that there will be a special “level-playing-field version” of Injustice 2 that will get rid of any Gear upgrades and modifications for tournament play. He explained that, in a setting where you want to reward skill, you don’t want “someone coming in with a level 50 Superman against a level one Batman” as it allows competitors to win based on their equipment, rather than their ability.

Hopefully, this will bridge the gap between the casual and competitive audiences for Injustice 2, as players can enjoy fighting online with their super-powered level 50 Gorilla Grodd while serious tournament players can compete without the worry of being beaten by a Supergirl who can take off an entire health bar with a single punch. There is no news on whether there will be a special online mode where Gear is also disabled so people can practice for tournaments, but we can hope Ed will announce this during the continuing coverage of Injustice 2 throughout the week.

Speaking of online, Ed also announced that, like Mortal Kombat XL, Injustice 2 will use their bespoke GGPO netcode in order to ensure that online play is as enjoyable as possible.

Sources: GameSpot

We already got a look at Ibuki’s Story Mode in Street Fighter V earlier today, and while Kanzuki Estate shindigs are nothing to scoff at, there’s something special to be said about fighting in its purest form: nothing but two pugilists pummeling each other with red-gloved punches.

While the below footage–brought to us from E3 courtesy of BornFree–doesn’t quite get to the point where gloved fists start flying, we do get to see the game’s famous boxer in his latest form. Based purely on this footage, it seems as though there’s a good deal of turmoil among the higher ranking members of Shadowloo.

2/3 #Balrog in story mode!#SFV #E3 #E32016@Veloc1raptor @eventhubs @shoryukendotcom pic.twitter.com/drVs3TRpAG

— BornFree @ E3 (@BornFreeTweets) June 14, 2016

3/3 #Balrog in story mode!#SFV #E3 #E32016@Veloc1raptor @eventhubs @shoryukendotcom pic.twitter.com/XOmuTYGvsn

— BornFree @ E3 (@BornFreeTweets) June 14, 2016

For more information on Balrog’s Street Fighter V appearance, including gameplay predictions, check out Venture Beat’s hands-on review.

Source: BornFree

Japanese Pokkén Tournament players have been enjoying a strong and exciting string of tournaments. Azazel, a dedicated trainer to the wildly unrepresented Machamp, has just recently come off a nail-biting 2nd place finish in FujiONE’s Pokkén invitational.

Suicune Master, the appropriately named South Flordia player, has been enjoying incredibly similar success here in the states. In addition to his strong showing at DreamHack Austin, Suicune Master suffered a narrow defeat to his fellow Floridian player Bim?. Mirroring Azazel, the loss came down to a last match situation–a situation made all the more painful by the fact that Suicune was on the verge of a comeback after a 3-0 bracket reset.

These two were clearly fated to play.

Outside of GO-1’s clinic at Final Round on the eve of game launch, Japanese players (who enjoyed a nearly year-long head start in arcades) have not really had the chance to play much against US players. This set is fascinating for a long list of reasons: it gives us a sneak peak at some of the top play we may see at Evo, it shows how much the gap between these two scenes has closed, and it gives us a case study into the rare, polarized matchup of Machamp vs. Suicune.

Zoning vs. Grappler is never easy in any game, but the Rock-Paper-Scissor system of Pokkén Tournament, combined with the varying phases, gives this matchup a unique flavor. Azazel shows significant matchup experience and optimized play here. If the quickly-adapting Suicune Master didn’t have it before, this extended set with the world’s best has certainly armed him with Machamp knowledge for the future.

Source: Suicune Master

This past Saturday, following 8 weeks of fierce competition on PSN, 16 of the best Mortal Kombat XL players on the planet descended upon Burbank, California. These players, representing four different regions, competed for the title of ESL MKX Pro League Season 3 Champion, as well as an unprecedented $200,000 prize pool–the largest in Mortal Kombat History! This was one of the largest MKXL events of the year, with many international challengers eager to prove their worth and show they belong against the strongest America and Canada had to offer.

1. cR|SonicFox (Brawler Cassie Cage, Acidic Alien)
2. PxP|A Foxy Grampa (Piercing Mileena)
3. cR|Dragon (Tarkatan Alien)
4. PG|Scar (Demolition Sonya, Smoke (Unit LK-7T2) Triborg)
5. Orbit|Hayatei (Ronin Takeda)
5. Noble|Raptor (Shirai Ryu Takeda)
7. PND|Madzin (Grandmaster Sub-Zero)
7. Jupe (Cutthroat Kano)

9. Sakr0n (Assassin Kitana, Royal Storm Kitana, Shaolin Kung Jin, Acidic Alien)
9. BEN|HeeyGeorge (Full Auto Jacqui Briggs, Shotgun Jacqui Briggs)
9. IrishMantis (Stunt Double Johnny Cage)
9. Noble|BeyondToxin (Mystic Ermac, Master Of Souls Ermac)
13. Crathen (Ninjutsu Scorpion)
13. VDV|St9rm (Shirai Ryu Takeda)
13. VDV|Boki (Shirai Ryu Takeda)
13. eLevate|Perfect Legend (Ninjutsu Scorpion, Buzz Saw Kung Lao, Displacer Raiden)

You can see all the matches from the event in its entirety, as well as player, match and regional features, on ESL’s YouTube channel. You can also catch the stream archives of the event, in full, at NetherRealm’s Twitch channel.

Sources: ESL, NetherRealm