Category: News

After a successful opening event in June, the folks at Level|Up Series are set to put on another prelude to this year’s SoCal Regionals event this month. Just announced, SoCal Regionals 2015: Prelude II will take place on August 29, packing a ridiculous amount of competition into the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California.

Continuing their tradition of including a wide array of games, Prelude II will feature tournaments for Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat X, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Killer Instinct, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX.

Registration is now open, so feel free to visit the official website for more details.

Source: Level|Up Series

Daigo makes a return to Guilty Gear? To fight Ogawa?! Sony is making that and more happen at TOSHIN-GEKITOTSU, a Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- event that pits professional gamers against the gods of Guilty Gear in a team battle to determine who is truly the best.

Previously announced to be taking part in Toshin-Gekitotsu are Daigo Umehara of Mad Catz, joining the pro gamer alliance team; and FAB and Nage, joining the Guilty Gear king team. Newly revealed are sako of HORI, Kazunoko of Zeveron, and Machaboo for the pro gamer team; and Ogawa and Susumu for the Guilty Gear king team.

In addition, the fight card for the event has been announced.

Battle 0 – ARCREVO 2015 representative vs. Evo 2015 representative*
Battle 1 – Susumu (Chipp Zanuff) vs. Machaboo (Ky Kiske)
Battle 2 – Nage (Faust) vs. Kazunoko (Sol Badguy)
Battle 3 – FAB (Potemkin) vs. sako (Zato-1)
Battle 4 – Ogawa (Zato-1) vs. Umehara (Sol Badguy)

*To be announced at a later time.

Sony has also released a promotional video for the occasion, with interviews with each player (in Japanese).

Joining each team are five more players who made their way through the online qualifier for two full teams of ten. Four qualifying players for each team are currently decided, with the final to be determined in the fifth online qualifier on August 9.

Toshin-Gekitotsu is set to go down on August 22 at nicofarre in Tokyo, Japan. You can find more information on the event through the official site.

Sources: Sony, Gamer

While PlayStation 4 owners have been spoiled with a plethora of arcade stick options, Xbox One owners have had no such luck. Fortunately, that’s about to change, as HORI has just announced their new Real Arcade Pro V Kai for Xbox One.

This stick shares a similar form factor to their previous RAP V4 Kai for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, featuring a larger cable compartment and slimmer overall chassis. As for the parts used, it comes equipped with HORI’s own Hayabusa lever and Kuro buttons.

The big difference between this new stick and other controllers for the Xbox One is that it is also fully backwards compatible with the Xbox 360. Additionally, the stick is fully compatible with Windows on PC, with full licensing and support from Microsoft.

The Hori Real Arcade Pro V Kai for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC will be available starting on September 1. Those interested can currently pre-order from Arcade Shock, with listings planned to appear on HORI USA and Amazon shortly.

The world’s most beautiful ninja is back in Street Fighter V! If you’ve seen the new trailer, you’ve probably noticed that Vega’s style has changed quite a bit from previous games in the series. He still has his trademark claw, but with his new techniques, including the ability to switch between armed and unarmed styles, this isn’t the same old rose. Japanese site Gamer has more info on the evolution of Spanish ninjutsu in Street Fighter V.

From Gamer:

Vega, The Rondo of Conflict Plucking the Strings

A fighter representing Spain and a high-ranking member of the evil organization Shadaloo. A narcissist that believes beauty is best.

Height: 186 cm
Weight: 84 kg
Occupation: One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Shadaloo
Likes: Beautiful things, himself, roses

Vega’s usage of his trademark claw is quite different from previous games. In Street Fighter V, Vega can fight from an advantage with his claw equipped using his longer reach, but if he receives too much damage to the claw, he is disarmed, just like in past games.

However, if he is disarmed even once he can no longer retrieve the claw. For that reason, he can frequently unequip the claw with the move Switching Claw to prevent disarming, as well as make use of Ground Izuna Drop, which can only be used while unarmed. This allows Vega to fight based on the situation like never before!

V-Trigger: Bloody Baiser Rouge (Bloody Kiss)

Vega tosses a rose at the opponent. If it hits, he rushes at them at very high speed and slices them to pieces. It has three versions based on whether Vega is standing, crouching or airborne, so watch the opponent’s movement and surprise them!

V-Skill: Matador Turn

Like the name suggests, Vega nimbly evades the opponent’s attack like a bullfighter. It has upper body invincibility, so you can use it to slip past moves likes projectiles. If you hold the button, Vega follows with a claw attack!

Special Move: Crimson Terror

Vega rams the opponent with a series of rolls and finishes with a heel drop. It has little recovery, so it’s useful for pressuring the opponent while chipping away at their life.

Special Move: Ground Izuna Drop

Vega grabs the opponent from behind, jumps off the wall and slams them into ground in this throw move that can only be used while unarmed. Vega still has his air Izuna Drop, so use each based on the situation.

Special Move: Switching Claw

Vega unequips his claw. If Vega takes a certain amount of damage while wearing the claw, he will be disarmed and cannot retrieve it, so keep in mind to frequently switch out while fighting!

Critical Art: Bloody Rain

Vega kicks the opponent in the air and delivers a finishing blow with all his might. Ending in a shower of rose petals, it’s a splendid move that just screams “Vega”!

Street Fighter V is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4 and PC in spring 2016.

Sources: Gamer, 4Gamer

At their press briefing at Gamescom 2015, Microsoft had some exciting news for Killer Instinct fans with not just one, but two major announcements for their flagship fighting game.

First up, Season 3 will be coming to both Xbox One and PC (Windows 10) next March. As was previously announced, both versions will be connected by cross-platform play, and content purchased for one will automatically transfer to the other. They also confirmed that all existing controllers will work on PC.

While that’s a big enough announcement, Microsoft had another surprise in store. Rash from Rare’s Battletoads franchise will be coming to Killer Instinct as its first guest character. Not only that, but he will be playable in-game later today as part of a beta test for players who own either Killer Instinct or Rare Replay on Xbox One.

For those interested in trying Rash out, Microsoft has put up a quick breakdown over on the official Killer Instinct community site. The beta will run from today all the way to September 8.

Sources: Microsoft, Ultra-Combo

By now, lucky fighting game fans have been able to get their hands on Rising Thunder through the indie title’s alpha test. Developed by Seth Killian and Radiant Entertainment, the studio headed by Evo organizers Tom and Tony Cannon, Rising Thunder is a fighter that aims to be accessible at all skill levels and shake up the way we look at the genre.

While opinions have been generally positive, the one thorn in Rising Thunder’s side has definitely been its online component. Issues have been raised over the last week concerning frequent disconnects during netplay, and the team has taken the first step towards correcting these problems with a patch released earlier today.

In addition to fixing bugs, this update also adds some new visual and audio effects, introduceds two new special move variants, and tweaks the existing roster a bit. The full list of changes can be found below.

The developers also mentioned on Twitter that this patch was accompanied by their largest wave of invites yet, so be sure to check your email if you’ve yet to receive an alpha code.

Source: Rising Thunder

After a bit of a delay, Skullgirls players on Xbox 360 can finally get their hands on the title’s latest (and last) downloadable character, Robo-Fortune. While originally planned to be a skin for the existing Ms. Fortune, this robotic remix brings an entirely unique playstyle to the game, with new animations and attacks setting her apart from the original.

Much like her predecessors, Robo-Fortune is free to download for the next three months. After that, her price will go up to $4.99, so do your best to grab her (even if you don’t own the game) and take advantage of Lab Zero’s generosity.

A quick preview of what Robo-Fortune is capable of can be found in the video below.

But this new character isn’t the only addition to Skullgirls Encore. The latest update also adjusts gameplay balance with a number of general and character-specific changes. Check out the full list here.

Sources: Skullgirls, Ninja

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of The Idolmaster, a fellow Bandai Namco property, various female members of the Tekken 7 cast will soon receive costumes based on those worn by the franchise’s pop stars. This should certainly come as no surprise due to Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada’s love of the simulation/rhythm series, proclaimed openly on occasion by wearing shirts depicting his favorite idol, Iori Minase.

The characters scheduled to have their wardrobes expanded in this update include Lucky Chloe (Miki Hoshii), Xiaoyu (Yayoi Takasuki), Alisa (Yukiho Hagiwara), Katarina (Takane Shijou), Asuka (Haruka Amami), Kazumi (Chihaya Kisaragi), Lili (Iori Minase), and Josie (Hibiki Ganaha). Unfortunately, the Paul Phoenix teaser at the beginning was only a joke, and he will not join in on the fun in either series.

For a close look at how the outfits look in Tekken 7, check out the trailer below. More details can be found here.

Source: Tekken Channel via Gematsu

With Gamescom 2015 now upon us, rabid Street Fighter fans are eagerly looking forward to getting their claws on any bit of new information about Street Fighter V.  Not one to disappoint, Capcom has just announced that veteran world warrior Vega will be playable in the upcoming title.

In this new trailer, we see the beautiful Spanish ninja sporting an updated look while still retaining his trademark mask and claw. Check it out below for our first bit of gameplay footage.

While Vega has been known to drop his claw during the heat of battle, this series veteran will be able to sheath it all on his own in Street Fighter V, opening up new options in his offensive arsenal. Additionally, he will no longer be able to pick it up if the opponent knocks it off, so learning how to play without it should be a much bigger deal.

Vega’s V-Skill, Matador Turn, gives him the ability to dodge an incoming attack and unleash his own optional follow-up.

Upon activating his Bloody Kiss V-Trigger, Vega gains access to a rose that, on hit, sees the Spaniard unleash a devastating series of attacks. While crouching, this attack turns into an anti-air, and it can even be done from the air, giving Vega a good combo extender or defensive ability depending on the situation.

Vega will be playable at Gamescom 2015, so stay tuned for more details and gameplay footage. For now, check out the gallery of images below and let us know what you think of his return.

Source: Capcom-Unity

During the recently concluded DEAD OR ALIVE Festival in Japan, Team NINJA took the time to make some new announcements concerning Dead or Alive 5 Last Round.

The biggest reveal is that the game will be getting some new content in 2016. Come spring of next year, Team NINJA will be adding one new character as well as a new stage to the game.

Whether or not the spring release window refers to the arcade or home console version is as of yet unknown. But judging from past experience, the arcade version will likely get the new character and stage first, with the home console versions getting them a few months afterwards.

Team NINJA also announced a bunch of themed costume packs based on collaborations with other companies. The first, due in September, is planned to feature costumes inspired by Nihon Falcom’s Legend of Heroes and Ys series.

Next up, November will bring with it new looks courtesy of Square Enix, featuring characters from the School Girl Strikers mobile card game.

The third pack, coming sometime this winter, is a collaboration with Tatsunoko Production, featuring costumes from the classic anime Yatterman and Hakushon Daimao. Fighting game fans may be familiar with these, as they previously appeared in Capcom’s Tastunoko vs. Capcom.

Team NINJA also hinted that Marie Rose’s limited edition Red Bull 5G costume, which was originally only released to DEAD OR ALIVE Festival attendees, may eventually be made available for purchase for those who weren’t at the event.

Source: DOA World, tip via NightmareSteam