Category: News

Hardcore fans of the King of Iron Fist Tournament–with fairly deep pockets–will be interested to learn of First 4 Figures’ upcoming celebration of Tekken series mainstay, King. These detail laden statues stand 22 inches high (1/4 scale) and come in four different varieties, including exclusive and non-exclusive variants of King II’s appearances in Tekken 5 and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. 

Production will be limited to 750 pieces worldwide for the non-exclusive versions, while the exclusive versions (featuring the wrestling ring) are limited to 250 for Tekken 5’s King II and 150 for his Dark Resurrection colors. Either way, paying homage to this King will run you $374.99 to $439.99, depending on your choice of base. Pre-orders are open now for a late 2016 release, though a waitlist is currently in place.

Click to view slideshow.

As Tekken 7 continues to grab attention, displaying one of these will leave no doubt about how much you love this particular King of the Iron Fist. King not your style? Don’t worry, the folks at First 4 Figures are just getting started.

Source: First 4 Figures

Ever since SNK’s new 24-character playable build of the King of Fighters XIV was shown off a couple of weeks back, fans all over the world have been looking to see if the company would be bringing said build to an event near them.

Well, it seems that South Korean players are in luck, as said 24 character build of the game will be playable at next week’s PlayX4 show.

PlayX4 is one of the many annual video game trade shows in South Korea. With the King of Fighters being one of the more popular fighting game franchises in the country, it makes sense that the latest build of the game would make a playable appearance.

PlayX4 will take place at Halls 1 and 2 of the Kintex Exhibition Center in Goyang, South Korea from May 19 to May 22.

Source: Ruliweb via Gatoray

Lately, many players have expressed concern over Street Fighter V’s built-in input delay. The reported numbers currently floating around indicate that the PlayStation 4 version of the title packs as many as 8 extra frames of lag for all inputs.

Now it seems that some players may have stumbled into a way to reduce this delay. According to a report by Japanese arcade stick and capture card enthusiast Shiryl, you can reduce input delay by using legacy controllers–even PS4 arcade sticks set to PS3 mode. While no hard testing data exists, Shiryl and their team stated that they noticed this when trying to capture footage from the game. They initially discovered this about three months ago and state that this still exists in the game’s current build.

As for why this is the case, the current theory is that, since this only works on Street Fighter V (and not other games with legacy controller support), the game actually adds extra frames of delay for some unknown reason, but that the developers forgot to apply this to legacy controllers.

That said, they noted that there is one downside to this: legacy controllers can, in rare occasions, drop a player’s inputs. While this reduction in delay does still require further testing to be verified, those who own a legacy controller and are looking for any means possible to help mitigate their input delay may want to give it a try.

Source: Shiryl, via MadMan’s Café

A few months ago, it was announced that the organizers behind Kumite in Tennessee and Panda X Gaming would be joining forces to throw “the biggest fighting game tournament in Arkansas.” The fruit of this combined labor, Mid-South Championships, will be taking place September 10-11 at the Holiday Inn Little Rock Airport Conference Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The game lineup includes tournaments for Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat XL, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Project M, Killer Instinct, and Pokkén Tournament, with SFV, MKXL and Smash 4 each receiving a guaranteed $1,000 pot bonus.

Registration is currently live at this link. The venue fee is currently set at $30, but will go up to $40 on August 1st, with on-site registration setting you back $50. So if you’re interested in competing, don’t delay. To book a room at the $89 nightly rate, go here and use the group code “MSC.”

Streaming for the event will be provided by Panda X Gaming.

Source: Mid-South Championships Facebook Page, feature image courtesy of Mid-South Championships

Some of the Northeast’s top Street Fighter V players will face off in a special 5v5 tournament to help kick off Defend the North on July 29. Teams representing New York City and the surrounding area will compete in an 8-team, single-elimination bracket with a prize of $1,000 for the winning team. The event was announced via Facebook by Dwayne “D’Nyce” Buchanan, who named the captains of the eight participating teams.

Battle of the Boroughs was spawned in response to recent chatter within New York City’s Street Fighter V scene. Players debated whether low turnouts at Brooklyn’s Next Level Arcade and local tournaments like The Savage Land signaled a lack of drive within the community.

In an effort to draw more players out, the Hiero Group and Defend the North offered up a $700 pot bonus for the Next Level Battle Circuit v.11 on April 27, which managed to bring in 70 competitors. A week later, with no added bonus, just 20 players showed for NLBC v.12. However, Andy “CitiofBrass” Dumornay, lead organizer of Defend the North, doesn’t believe that lower tournament turnouts mean less active players; they’re just more spread out.

“There’s now a tournament every single day in New York City, they all have anywhere from 15 to 25 players who participate,” Dumornay said in an interview. “It shows that the scene is still there. Although we’re not all in one place, it’s still showing that there’s healthy growth.”

D’Nyce said the goal of Battle of the Boroughs is to provide a different type of competition, one where players would be encouraged to develop their local talent. Captains must announce their teams by May 31, meaning they will have two months to whip their players into shape before the exhibition. According to D’Nyce, at least one team’s members may already be set, and Queens captain Arturo Sanchez will choose his crew upon his return from Japan.

“I wanted to announce the captains of each area for whoever is interested in representing their areas and participating.” D’Nyce said in a phone interview. “All they’ve got to do is go to their local events, contact their captains and say ‘hey look, this is what I’ve got.”

A Friday night casual session held between NLBC v.11 and v.12 brought in some 60 players to Next Level, and not just for Street Fighter V. D’Nyce said many of those faces were new, signaling a need for more casual sessions, rather than tournaments. That night, the SFV players organized themselves into a special 20 on 20 team match. According to D’Nyce, the team dynamic changed the atmosphere.

“During the 20 v. 20 we were coaching each other, we were showing support, we were getting hype with every hit that connected,” he said. “I think it brings more excitement.”

Motivated to create a team event, D’Nyce contacted tournament organizers and top players individually, earning their support. Dumornay offered to house Battle of the Boroughs at Defend the North and match whatever prize D’Nyce was willing to offer for the event.

“I was looking for a venue or owners to partner with and Andy reached out to me,” D’Nyce said. “He asked me if I would like to host this at his event, and I’m really honored for him to reach out to me and give me the offer.”

The Long Island team helmed by “LI” Joe Carmelli is considered an early favorite, with heavy hitters like F3|alucarD and OG|Shine within the region. Those three players combined to take the top spots in the 12 player Senheisser Invitationalat Next Level on April 30. D’Nyce said he believed New Jersey to be the exhibition’s likely dark horse, having watched their local tournaments via 8WayRun.

Both D’Nyce and Dumornay said there is a possibility that Battle of the Boroughs could be expanded to 12 teams if there is more interest. Other potential teams could include Boston, Philadelphia, Maryland/DC/Virginia and Canada. Seeding for the exhibition will be randomly selected.

Defend the North, one of the Capcom Pro Tour’s ranking events, will take place July 29 to 31 in White Plains, N.Y. For more information, visit the tournament’s official website.

The Defend the North Captains are as followed:
Team Brooklyn: Henry Cen AKA Golden Cen
Team Bronx: Steven Delgado-Mendoza aka Coach Steve
Team Manhattan: Michael Mendoza aka IFC|Yipes
Team Queens: Arturo Sanchez aka TS|Sabin
Team Long Island: Joe Ciaramelli aka LI Joe
Team Upstate: Richard Melendez aka Rainbow Impact
Team New Jersey: William Sykes aka Shakugan
Team Connecticut: Jamal Crews aka FREEJ4Y

Source: Defend the North, Henry Cen, Facebook, Andy “CitiofBrass” Dumornay, Dwayne “D’Nyce” Buchanan. Image c/o Petey Hann

For the first time in Europe, VS Dojo and Stunfest are pleased to announce that the latest version of The King of Fighters XIV will be playable at this year’s Stunfest in Rennes, France. This particular playable build of KOF XIV will have 24 characters available, so players can really get to grips with the new cast and fighting engine of this latest installment of SNK’s trademark series.

Not only will the game be playable, but Stunfest are holding a special exhibition tournament for KOF XIV with some of the world’s best King of Fighters players coming to prove their worth in the new version. There will be other special activities for fans who come by the dedicated King of Fighters XIV areas at Stunfest, as well as the opportunity to win some special KOF goodies for those attending.

Don’t worry if you can’t get down to Stunfest to see all the action in person; there will be a dedicated KOF stream live from the event, providing fans with plenty of interviews, matches and information about the upcoming title.

Stunfest is set to take place May 20-22.

Source: Stunfest

It’s no secret that Evil Geniuses’ Justin Wong has been on an absolute tear with Street Fighter V’s Karin Kanzuki. With a 5th place finish at West Coast Warzone 5, a 7th place finish at Red Bull Kumite–where he defeated fellow Karin player Innova Keoma–and dominant victories at Nortwest Majors VIII and DreamHack Austin, the “Wazzler” is looking like arguably the best player in the United States at this point in the game’s life. He also currently sits at 2nd place in the Capcom Pro Tour standings, just 52 points away from tying the seemingly unstoppable RZR|Infiltration. He’s even unseated the Korean warrior on our own SRK World Rankings as well.

This recent string of “Perfect Victories” caused Jiyuna, who has been providing English commentary and translations for all of the DaigotheBeasTV streams, to Tweet out a document of anti-Karin tech compiled by The Beast himself last month. While the strategies here apply directly to Ryu’s perspective on the matchup, there’s still solid information here that any player can use, even if you don’t main the World Warrior.

Source: Jiyuna, IPLAYWINNER

Ahead of the proceedings next Friday, the organizers of Stunfest 2016 have released the tournament schedule for their event, listing all the various games that will be playable. Street Fighter V is the main source of competition, with Stunfest being a European Premier Event on the Capcom Pro Tour, but there are plenty of other fighting games that will be in attendance, too.

Friday sees the 2v2 event for Street Fighter V, as well as tournaments for Soul Calibur V, Capcom vs SNK 2, Hokuto No Ken, Breakers Revenge and even a special mystery games tournament. Saturday will start off pools for Street Fighter V, as well as brackets for Guilty Gear Xrd, Third Strike, King of Fighters XIII, Super Street Fighter 2X and everybody’s favorite Frisbee sports game, Windjammers. To finish off Stunfest, Top 8 of Street Fighter V will on Sunday, along with singles events for Super Smash Bros for Wii U, BlazBlue and Mortal Kombat X. If you are hungering for more teams action, there will also be 3v3 teams for Ultra Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter 2X.

The Beast himself, Mad Catz’ Daigo Umehara has announced that Stunfest 2016 will be his next tournament appearance, so if you wish to see the Ryu master in action, make sure to tune in. Along with Daigo, thanks to a recent tweet by UK commentator Logan-Sama, we have a list of all the Japanese players attending Stunfest. This includes (so far):

• Mago
• Momochi
• Tokido
• Daigo
• Bonchan
• Fuudo
• Haitani
• Kazunoko
• Dogura
• Eita
• Go1
• Bas

All the Street Fighter V action will be on the usual Capcom Fighters Twitch channel while Stunfest has yet to announce who is streaming the other tournaments. Stay tuned to their social media channels for more information. If you are planning to attend Stunfest, you can check out their English information page for all the details on travel and accommodation.

Stunfest is set to take place May 20-22 in Rennes, France.

Source: Stunfest, Daigo Umehara, WinnerStaysOn via Ryan Hart

Just over two months separate us from this year’s Evolution Championship Series, which is shaping up to be the largest Evo yet. But this massive event requires many skilled individuals in order to run smoothly; that’s where you come in. Volunteers interested in helping judge at this year’s event can now follow this link to sign up to do so.

Interested parties should possess a deep love for competitive gaming and be familiar with running double-elimination brackets. They should also note that judging for Evo is a volunteer position, and can be difficult work. That said, perks are available to those selected to assist with running the brackets. These perks include free food for the days on which scheduled judging occurs, an official Tournament Judge t-shirt for Evo 2016, and those who judge enough brackets will be given general admission (lower bowl) access to the Mandalay Bay Events Center for Sunday’s top 8 competition.

Judges are required to provide their own transportation and lodging. Those selected to judge will be contacted via email.

Evo 2016 is set to take place July 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. More details surrounding the event can be found here. For answers to any questions regarding volunteering to judge, please contact nothingxs@shoryuken.com.