King of Fighters XIV Director Hasn’t Given Up on Garou: Mark of the Wolves Sequel

Although recent years have seen SNK Playmore focus on King of Fighters exclusively, the studio owns a number of properties that are still near and dear to fans’ hearts. One such title is Garou: Mark of the Wolves, the most recent installment of the Fatal Fury franchise. Fortunately, hope is not lost for a follow-up.

During his visit to the Seika Kyouen tournament in Tokyo, Japan, King of Fighters XIV director Yasuyuki Oda commented on the event’s main titles, one of which just happened to be Mark of the Wolves. “I think people here are thinking, ‘Hey what are you doing, aren’t you forgetting about Garou?’” Oda said after showing off the latest King of Fighters trailer. “I’m going to do something about it before I die (laughs), so please keep on supporting us.”

Garou: Mark of the Wolves occupies a unique position in the SNK universe. As a bit of a scrub on the subject, I was confused as to why folks would want a sequel to the older title with King of Fighters XIV on the way, so I reached out to Giby Zia, Chris “Hellpockets” Fields, Andres Velasco y Coll, and Mike Spragg for their input on the matter.

According to Zia, this is mostly due to the split in mechanics that occurred as the franchises went their separate ways. “Fatal Fury has always toyed around with different gameplay mechanics with each title, while King of Fighters has rarely gone off too far from the status quo,” he explained. “Mark of the Wolves adopted a more Street Fighter style of play and ditched some of the more notable mechanics, mainly plane switching.” Fatal Fury’s status as the original Street Fighter competitor also makes it a bit more important than King of Fighters in the eyes of players, and it almost feels as if the latter has gradually usurped the former’s throne over the years.

Velasco y Coll noted that things like Just Defend and certain canceling mechanics further set Fatal Fury apart from King of Fighters. “SNK games were always entrenched in a weird system that dictated how the game would be played and, in a way, King of Fighters has become both their identity and their vanilla offering,” he said. “I’m not surprised to see interest in a Garou, which would play very differently.”

While I spoke to them separately, all four mentioned that the outcry for a Mark of the Wolves sequel also comes from the fanbase’s focus on its consistent storyline, something that has gone by the wayside in King of Fighters. “I know story isn’t that big of an issue for many competitive gamers,” Zia continued, “but die hard SNK fans eat up story and seem to know every detail about the games and characters, much like how anime players know their games.”

Spragg, too, cited Fatal Fury’s more narrow, focused plot as a key element to its continued popularity. “We need closure. What happened to rock after Mark of the Wolves? Is geese alive in FF canon? What is Terry doing?” he explained.

Even though many regard the King of Fighters series as having some of the most fleshed out casts in the genre, I got the sense that even they don’t compare to the various Fatal Fury rosters from games past. “[King of Fighters] is kind of forced to include a certain amount of fan favorites to please people and have little space dedicated to brand new characters and additions from old games,” Fields said. This sentiment was also expressed by Spragg, who specifically mentioned wanting to see characters like Blue Mary, Duck King, Kim Dong Hwan, and Kim Jae Hoon, who have appeared in past King of Fighters releases but all but disappeared since.

With these details in mind, it’s easy to see why Oda’s mention of a possible Garou sequel has gained so much attention within the SNK community. As one of the key staff members during development of the original Mark of the Wolves, he is in a unique position to carry on its legacy in this modern era. Let’s hope he isn’t too burnt out on King of Fighters XIV to make accomplish this goal.

Source: Game Newton via MMCafe; huge thanks to everyone who contributed to this article!

Public Service Announcement: Northwest Majors 8’s Standard Registration Ends Tonight

While it may not always be feasible to register for a tournament early, doing so can save you a bit of cash if you’re able to plan ahead. Like many events, Northwest Majors is offering staggered pricing for this year’s installment depending on when you register, and the cost is set to rise tonight at midnight local time (3 AM EDT, 7 AM GMT).

Northwest Majors 8 features a greatly expanded lineup that includes titles like Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Tekken 7, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Killer Instinct, and more. There’s also a handful of side events if none of the official games interest you.

As of now, registration pricing is set at $40, with additional costs associated with each game you plan to play. After tonight, however, the general registration cost will jump to $55, a price that will last through April 23. And for all of you latecomers, on-site registration is set at $70. Attendees can also purchase a cheaper pass for $30 if they just plan to spectate or play casuals.

Northwest Majors 8 is scheduled for April 29 – May 1 in Des Moines, Washington. If you’re planning to attend, do yourself a favor and register now. More details can be found here.

Source: Northwest Majors

Mortal Kombat X Patch Adjusts Kombat Pack 2 Newcomers, Addresses Lingering Bugs

The folks at NetherRealm Studios dropped a surprise Mortal Kombat X update this morning on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This ver.1.13 patch brings with it a number of changes, both general and character-specific. As is often the case, the Kombat Pack 2 newcomers were the targets of many adjustments, especially Triborg, who saw frame data changed across every variation.

In addition to balance tweaking, the update also fixes a number of bugs, and certain parry X-Rays will no longer be broken by multiple attacks hitting at once. Check out the full list of changes below and let us know what you think.

Mortal Kombat X 03/29 Patch Notes

General Gameplay Fixes

  • There is no longer an addition frame of input delay when simulate online delay is on and should now better match online play
  • Removed several camera, sound, and particle glitches due to rollback
  • Removed several possible online desyncs
  • If a breaker is initiated while the attacker is below ground it will no longer animate faster than normal
  • Some knockdown reactions now longer reset the buffered combo damage scaling used by unavoidable off the ground situations
  • Fixed a bug which could cause controller configuration options to be reset for a round after a rollback in an online match
  • The timer in survivor koth now starts at 150 seconds
  • Corrected some brutalities which had some issues with rollback
  • Made some corrections to movelist frame data
  • Some hotfix changes from the previous patch are now being applied correctly
  • AI tweaks for the Kombat Pack 2 characters
  • Multiple attacks hitting on the same frame should no longer sometimes break though Sonya’s, Subzero’s, Triborg’s (Cyber Sub-Zero) X-Ray parry

Character-Specific Fixes

  • Alien – Adjusted the collision of Towards+BK to no longer miss against some duck blocking characters
  • Alien – Away+BK is no longer high attack immune for during its active frames
  • Alien – Addressed an issue that was causing the opponents wakeup attacks to sometimes come out the wrong way after ending a combo in Tail Flip
  • Alien – Adjusted Tail Flip to address it sometimes missing against some characters if they were duck blocking
  • Alien (Acidic) – Can no longer win a round from poison damage
  • Alien (Acidic) – Acid Blood is now +1 on hit (down from +11)
  • Alien (Acidic) – Erosive Blood is now +8 on hit (down from +38)
  • Alien (Konjurer) – Fixed a bug that caused Facehugger to sometimes remove Kung Lao’s hat for the rest of a round
  • Alien (Tarkatan) – Reduced the meter gain on executing the Tarkatan Rush special moves
  • Alien (Tarkatan) – Adjusted Away+BP to reduce it missing against some characters if they were duck blocking
  • Alien (Tarkatan) – Straight Slice no longer builds meter on block
  • Alien (Tarkatan) – Added 5 recovery frames on delayed Straight Slice on block
  • Alien (Tarkatan) – Added 10 recovery frames on delayed Nail And Impale on block
  • Bo’ Rai Cho – Adjusted Towards+FK to no longer miss against some duck blocking characters
  • Bo’ Rai Cho – Reduced the stun length of Fart Cloud & Crop Duster by 39 frames
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Bartitsu) – Chaining Down+BK after a jump punch does the correct Bartitsu attack
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Bartitsu) – Adjusted the hit regions on Away+FK,FP+FK to hit more consistently after Away+FK hits from max range
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Dragon Breath) – Added 10 miss recovery frames to Ground Blaze and it now has 2 active frames (down from 5)
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Dragon Breath) – Doing Ground Fire or Ground Blaze while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Drunken Master) – Drinking no longer removes the full screen effects for Reptile’s (Nimble) Basilisk or Basilisk Runner and Jason’s (Relentless) Pursuit or Dark Pursuit
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Drunken Master) – Adjusted the hit regions on Away+FK,FP+FK to hit more consistently after Away+FK hits from max range
  • Bo’ Rai Cho (Drunken Master) – Doing Drink or Chug while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Ferra/Torr (Lackey) – Colossal Crush will now correctly combo from a hit
  • Jason – When Killing Machine is disabled after blocking an opponent’s X-Ray attack there will no longer be lingering effects and sounds
  • Jason (Relentless) – The opponent can no longer execute a run from a buffered command while Pursuit or Dark Pursuit was up
  • Jason (Unstoppable) – Having a round end on Kano’s (Commando) Low or High Kounter will no longer skip to slowdown sequence which was removing the player’s ability to not have Resurrection trigger
  • Johnny Cage – Tweaked the 2nd hit of Nutcracker to remove some instances where it could miss from a some duck blocking characters from a certain distance
  • Kano – Camera can no longer get out of sync if a rollback happened when Kano is hit out of the beginning of Black Dragon Ball
  • Kitana – Slightly increased the range of Down+FK
  • Kitana (Mournful) – Adjusted Glaive Return timing on hit to combo more consistently from mid screen to full screen
  • Kotal Kahn – Adjusted the hit region of FP,FP to hit a little more consistently
  • Leatherface – Towards+BP is now +8 on hit (down from 13)
  • Leatherface – Towards+FK is now +15 on hit (down from 20)
  • Leatherface – Towards+BK is now +5 on hit (down from 15)
  • Leatherface (Butcher) – Skull Smash & Skull Fracture now have 8 startup frames (up from 6)
  • Leatherface (Butcher) – BP,BP is now +11 on hit (down from 21)
  • Leatherface (Butcher) – Towards+BP is now +12 on hit (down from 22)
  • Leatherface (Killer) – Killing someone with Psycho Rush’s Meter Burn will no longer sometimes skip the Finish Him sequence
  • Liu Kang (Flame Fist) – Adjusted repel regions of Windmill Punch & Windmill Flurry so the last hit is harder to low profile on block removing his option to 2in1 cancel it on block
  • Quan Chi (Sorcerer) – Having the armor trigger from Dark Curse while in a stun reaction will no keep his blocking disabled
  • Quan Chi (Sorcerer) – Added code to Dark Curse to not add armor if he being juggled in a reaction. This is currently not active because it would likely be more detrimental in most cases
  • Sonya (Special Forces) – Fixed being able to 2in1 cancel Drone summon into Drone attack commands
  • Tanya – Adjusted BP,BK to hit duck blocking opponents more consistently
  • Tremor – Added 5 recovery frames to Rock Shower
  • Triborg – FP is now +12 on hit (down from 19)
  • Triborg – FP,FP is now +9 on hit (down from 19)
  • Triborg – FP,FP,FP is now +15 on hit (down from 17)
  • Triborg – Towards+FP is now +13 on hit (down from 20)
  • Triborg – BP is now +14 on hit (down from 19)
  • Triborg – Towards+FK is now +15 on hit (down from 20)
  • Triborg – BP,FP is now +17 on hit (down from 24)
  • Triborg – BP,FP,FK is now -1 on block (down from -6)
  • Triborg – FK is now +12 on hit (down from 29)
  • Triborg – Away+FK now has 15 startup frames (up from 11)
  • Triborg – Down+FK is now +12 on hit (down from 18)
  • Triborg – BK is now +12 on hit (down from 17)
  • Triborg (Cyber Sub-Zero) – Towards+BP will no longer sometimes be missing it’s hit regions when canceled into from a run
  • Triborg (Cyber Sub-Zero) – Ice Ball now has 26 startup frames (up from 21)
  • Triborg (Cyber Sub-Zero) – reduced the stun frames on Ice Ball by 13
  • Triborg (Cyber Sub-Zero) – doing Drone summon while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Triborg (Cyber Sub-Zero) – doing Dive Kick while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – Shrapnel-Port now has armor, does 5 more damage, and causes a different reaction on the 2nd hit
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – reduced the stun frames on Net & Advanced Net by 30
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – doing Bomb or Hover Bomb while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – Net and Advanced Net will now miss-fire out if a Bomb or Hover Bomb has hit in the same combo
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – Hover Bomb will now miss-fire after 3 Hover Bombs have hit in the same combo
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – Bomb will now miss-fire after 3 Bombs have hit in the same combo
  • Triborg (Cyrax) – adjusted BP,FP,BP to prevent all 4 hits from being forced to be blocked against some characters
  • Triborg (Smoke) – will no longer be invisible for some frames when 2in1 cancelling Away+BP,FP or Towards+BP,FP into some background interactions
  • Triborg (Smoke) – reduced the initial damage of Smoke Cloud & Smoke Bomb by 2 and increased the drop damage by 2
  • Triborg (Smoke) – doing Dissipate and Evaporate while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Triborg (Smoke) – Doing Fade-Port and Smoke-Port while in a combo adds some combo damage scaling
  • Triborg (Smoke) – Smoke Bomb is now +5 on block (down from +8)

Source: WB Games, tip via NightmareSteam

Learn More About Killer Instinct’s Upcoming Shadow Lords Mode

Killer Instinct Season 3 has officially launched, but this updated version of the game isn’t the only thing the folks at Iron Galaxy Studios have in store for players. In a new post on Ultra-Combo, the team discusses the upcoming Shadow Lords mode, which we saw teased in the launch trailer. In their words, Shadow Lords is “part ladder, part arcade mode, part story mode, and part roguelike, all rolled up into one unique experience.”

All of these elements combine to create a game mode where players recruit characters to use against Gargos before he takes over the world–pretty standard stuff, but how do roguelikes fit in? According to Iron Galaxy, Shadow Lords will include a crafting system, as well as items and elements which carry over through multiple runs. The exact nature of these items and effects remains unknown, but a comparison to the progression systems in Rogue Legacy or The Binding of Isaac may not be too far off.

We aren’t sure when Shadow Lords mode will be making its way to our Xbox Ones and PCs, but we do know it will be during Killer Instinct’s current season. For more information, you can follow the link below.

Source: Ultra-Combo

Street Fighter V Store Includes Alternate Costumes, Profile Themes, and More

Aside from new character Alex, tomorrow’s Street Fighter V update is also scheduled to add an early version of the in-game store. This will allow players to spend their hard earned fight money on a number of items.

But what exactly can be bought in the game’s store? Well, the folks over at r/streetfightermods have been hard at work pulling these details from the update data.

In the video below, they highlight a number of character-specific Fighter Profile themes, alternate costumes (including story mode, premium, and pre-order outfits) alternate colors, and what appears to be backgrounds for custom titles, all of which will supposedly be up for purchase when the store launches.

Apart from this future content, Street Fighter V recently received a challenge mode, expanded lobbies, balance changes, and more in a previous update. Players can expect to get their hands on Alex and the content detailed above starting tomorrow, March 30.

Source: Street Fighter V Mods via r/streetfightermods

Killer Instinct Season 3 Now Available on Xbox One, PC

After closing out last year strong with season two and an exciting World Cup event, Microsoft and Iron Galaxy Studios are ready to present a third chapter in Killer Instinct’s rebooted legacy. Like previous seasons, players can expect to receive new characters and skins alongside a variety of balance changes and visual upgrades.

At on the onset, Killer Instinct’s cast expands with guest and classic characters: Battletoads and Halo receive some representation thanks to Rash and the Arbiter, respectively, while Kim Wu and Tusk return from previous outings. Each character comes with a default and retro outfit, which can be customized with various accessories and colors to help players stand apart from their fellow competitors.

Down the line, season three will see the vampiric Mira and past antagonist Gargos join the party in April and May, with Gears of War’s General RAAM, another unannounced character, and additional modes set to launch over the summer.

Due to Killer Instinct’s incremental releases, there are a variety of packages players can purchase to catch up. These have been detailed below, along with content and pricing. Note that the PC version of the Supreme Edition bundle is $10 cheaper because it lacks the classic rereleases of its Xbox One counterpart.

Combo Breaker Includes 8 new fighters including Rash, Arbiter, Kim Wu and Tusk Xbox One: $19.99

Windows 10: $19.99

Ultra Edition Includes VIP double XP booster, 8 retro costumes, accessory sets, bonus retro color 7 for all Season 3 characters, and 18,000 KI Gold Xbox One: $39.99

Windows 10: $39.99

Supreme Edition Includes every fighter from Seasons 1, 2 and 3, all content from all 3 Ultra Editions including costumes, accessories, 18,000 KI Gold, VIP double XP boosters, bonus colors for Season 3 characters, Killer Instinct Classic and Killer Instinct 2 Classic for Xbox One Xbox One: $59.99

Windows 10: $49.99

Double Combo Includes all 17 Killer Instinct characters from Season 1 / 2 Xbox One: $29.99

Windows 10: $29.99

And finally, balance changes! Killer Instinct Season 3 includes a huge list of adjustments, updating both the core mechanics and characters in an effort to provide the most competitive release to date. You’ll find the full list of tweaks in the box below.

Killer Instinct Season 3 balance changes

This release will no doubt mark another resurgence in Killer Instinct competition, so don’t miss out if you plan to take part in tournaments over the coming months. If you’ve already had some time with the update, let us know what you think in the comments.

James DeGale to fight Rogelio Medina on April 30

 
IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) will defend his title against Mexico’s Rogelio Medina (36-6, 30 KOs) on April 30 at the DC Armory in Washington.
The Londoner had been expected to face mandatory challenger Jose Uzcategui, but the undefeated Venezuelan is now out of action with an illness and Medina become the new mandatory challenger.
Degale will be making his second world title defence against Medina, who has knocked out all of his last four opponents.
On the…

James DeGale to fight Rogelio Medina on April 30

 
IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) will defend his title against Mexico’s Rogelio Medina (36-6, 30 KOs) on April 30 at the DC Armory in Washington.
The Londoner had been expected to face mandatory challenger Jose Uzcategui, but the undefeated Venezuelan is now out of action with an illness and Medina become the new mandatory challenger.
Degale will be making his second world title defence against Medina, who has knocked out all of his last four opponents.
On the…

Fashion-Forward Tusk Dons Dapper Top Hat in Killer Instinct Season 3

When you’ve been around for a thousand years like Tusk, you’ve likely had time to do a little bit of everything, including accrue a truly impressive wardrobe. The folks at Iron Galaxy Studios recently gave those who tuned into their live stream a quick look at the duds they can expect to see Tusk wearing once Season 3 launches. Earlier today, they uploaded a full array of high-resolution images of these outfits for us to take our time and truly enjoy.

In addition to Tusk’s seriously sweet, loosely steampunk-inspired getup, the images offer a look at the recolor options available to both the modern and retro outfits. Check out the stills in the gallery below and let us know what you’ll be wearing while whacking enemies with your sword.

Click to view slideshow.

Killer Instinct Season 3 is set to launch on Xbox One and Windows 10 on March 29.

Source: Ultra-Combo

Killer Instinct Adds Mira in April, Gargos in May

Killer Instinct is set to swing into its third season of content tomorrow, adding four playable characters, upgrading the visuals, balancing the gameplay, and a whole lot more. As such, the developers dropped a hype launch trailer highlighting its release.

While much of the information detailed above has been known for some time, it does provide a few exciting extras. Vampiric newcomer Mira will join the game in April, while big bad Gargos returns in May. Two final fighters are expected to launch in both June and July.

The video also shares a brief glimpse of the new Shadow Lords mode, but details are still scarce. It appears to employ a sort of overworld map, where players can take part in missions involving the game’s various characters, but we’ll have to wait for official word to learn more.

Killer Instinct Season 3 launches for Xbox One and Windows 10 tomorrow, March 29.

Source: Xbox