Category: News

When Dead or Alive 5 Last Round first launched on Steam a few months back, it did so without online play and a promise from Team NINJA that it would be implemented via patch within three months.

Well, those three months are reaching their end and the online patch is indeed almost upon us. To make sure that things run smoothly, Team NINJA is currently holding a netplay beta test from now until June 30.

Those interested in joining the beta on Steam can do so by following these steps:

1. With the game fully downloaded, right-click on “Dead or Alive 5 Last Round” in the Steam Library and select “Properties”.
2. Click on the “Header” tab and enter “DOA5LROnlineBetaBranch” as the access code. (A message will appear below if successful.) Select “onlinebeta” from the drop-down list.
3. Close the Properties window. You will know you have joined successfully when a “onlinebeta” is added to the game title in the library.
4. Run Dead or Alive 5 Last Round.

Please note that participation in the beta is limited to users in certain countries and regions; Team NINJA has yet to specify which. Any issues you encounter while using this early online mode can be reported to Team NINJA via this website.

If all goes well, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round’s online update should be released at the end of the beta period. That said, Team NINJA mentioned that this may be subject to change depending on what happens during testing. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if adjustments are made.

Source: Steam via Free Step Dodge

Although his character data is already present in Mortal Kombat X as of Monday’s update, it appears as if fans will have to wait until next month to truly get their hands on Predator.

Thanks to a new image released by NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon, we now know that this upcoming fighter, as well as a slew of additional costumes, will be available sometime in July. The screenshot in question shows how the iconic movie monster will appear in-game alongside Jax Briggs’ Carl Weathers skin.

We still have very little clues as to how Predator will play once it’s added to the game, but EventHubs recently reported the names of his three variations: Warrior, Hunter, and Hish-Qu-Ten. While the abilities of the first two are anyone’s guess, expanded universe materials may provide a few clues to the lattermost’s playstyle.

In John Shirley’s stand-alone novel Predator: Forever Midnight, Predators, generally known as the Yautja, are instead referred to as Hish-Qu-Ten. While similar to the species’ general representations, the Hish differ in that they possess a unique gland that pumps powerful hormones into their blood. When overstimulated, the abundance of these hormones can send the Hish into a rage that drives them to kill anything they can get their hands on, even other Predators.

With this in mind, it doesn’t take a great leap in thinking to believe the Predator will be capable of boosting its abilities in the Hish-Qu-Ten variation with this “kill rage,” whether that be through an increase in speed, damage, or some other attribute.

Still, this is all just speculation, so feel free to let us know what you think in the comments.

Sources: Ed Boon, EventHubs, Xenopedia

Over the years, we’ve featured a number of figures depicting characters from series like Street Fighter and…well, yeah, mostly Street Fighter, but today I came across one that definitely needs more attention.

Created by the folks at FREEing, this Ramlethal Valentine figure depicts the Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- villain doing what she does best: posing dramatically with her dual swords and toothed cloack, ready to decimate anyone who stands in her way. Oh yeah, and it sits at just over 8 inches tall, making this a pretty impressive piece.

Of course, high quality comes with an equally high price tag. This figure will set interested parties back ¥19,259 (~$156 USD), so you’ll need a decent amount of money to blow if you want to see this added to your collection.

FREEing’s Ramlethal Valentine figure is currently available for pre-order through online retailers such as AmiAmi, Play-Asia, and CDJapan, with a planned release date of January 2016.

Sources: FREEing, My Figure Collection, special thanks to NeoGAF’s Astarte for bringing this to our attention.

Growing by leaps and bounds since it first appeared on the scene in 2001, Community Effort Orlando is now a frontrunner in being considered on the same level as Evolution. By continually expanding their reach, organizer Alex Jebailey and his dedicated team (which includes Combo Breaker’s Rick Thiher) have improved their brand while also maintaining an atmosphere that puts the scene first.

That’s one of the reasons that, if you aren’t able to make the trip to Florida, you need to do your best to tune into Community Effort Orlando 2015’s streams this weekend. With an incredible lineup of games and some ridiculous talent in attendance, not to mention some of the biggest prize pools outside of Evo, this event will undoubtedly be one for the record books.

As a Capcom Pro Tour premier event, Community Effort Orlando will be beset by top Street Fighter talent this weekend, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only game to keep an eye on. Both Mortal Kombat X and Killer Instinct have seen immense pot bonuses provided by their respective developers, and the ever-thriving Smash community has seen fit to fill the brackets for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Melee, both of which top the participation list.

With so many players in attendance, we’ve gone ahead and broken down Community Effort Orlando’s most noteworthy players, divided by game and pool. While there’s a lot to take in here, we’ve surely missed a few competitors along the way, so feel free to let us know where we messed up.

With such a larger undertaking, one would pull together only the best broadcasters to share their excitement with the world, and Community Effort Orlando has done just that. In addition to their native CEO Gaming stream, the event will be aided by Capcom Fighters, Team Spooky, VGBootCamp, FunkyP, and Shin Tristan throughout the weekend, allowing those unable to attend a window to the festivities.

A pretty handy stream schedule graphic can be found here, but we’ve also gone ahead and converted those local times for those outside of the area. Check out the tables below and schedule accordingly!

To note, there are also a variety of team competitions and special events taking place on Friday. While a detailed schedule isn’t available, they are set to begin at 1 PM EDT, 10 PM PDT.

Capcom Fighters

Saturday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
USFIV Pools	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
USFIV Semifinals	7:00 PM	4:00 PM	11:00 PM

Sunday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
USFIV Top 8	7:00 PM	4:00 PM	11:00 PM

Team Spooky

Friday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
Divekick Top 8	5:00 PM	2:00 PM	9:00 PM

Saturday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
MKX Pools	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
TTT2 Top 8	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	7:00 PM
P4U2 Top 8	5:00 PM	2:00 PM	9:00 PM
UMvC3 Semifinals	7:00 PM	4:00 PM	11:00 PM
MKX Semifinals	9:00 PM	6:00 PM	1:00 AM (Sun.)

Sunday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
GGXrd Top 8	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
Killer Instinct Top 8	12:00 PM	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
UMvC3 Top 8	2:00 PM	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
MKX Top 8	4:30 PM	1:30 PM	8:30 PM

VGBootCamp

Saturday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
SSBM Pools	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
SSB4 Pools (VGBC2)	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
SSBM Semifinals	6:00 PM	3:00 PM	10:00 PM
SSB4 Semifinals	8:00 PM	5:00 PM	12:00 AM (Sun.)

Sunday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
SSBM Top 8	12:00 PM	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
SSB4 Top 8	2:30 PM	11:30 PM	6:30 PM

FunkyP

Saturday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
UMvC3 Pools	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
MKX Pools	2:00 PM	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
GGXrd Semifinals	7:00 PM	3:00 PM	11:00 PM

CEO Gaming

Saturday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
GGXrd Pools	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
P4U2 Pools	12:00 PM	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
GGXrd Pools	4:00 PM	1:00 PM	8:00 PM

Shin Tristan

Saturday

Event	EDT (Local)	PDT	GMT
Killer Instinct Pools	10:00 AM	7:00 AM	2:00 PM

In addition to the main tournaments, side tournaments have been organized for a variety of fan favorites, including BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING Climax, and Chaos Code, but it’s unclear at the moment if they will receive any stream time.

Phew, that’s a lot of information! And there’s a ton more if you happen go be visiting Orlando yourself. Community Effort Orlando has put out a rather extensive primer for folks attending in person, so do yourself a favor and read up.

This is sure to be a fantastic weekend of competition–don’t miss out!

Source: CEO Gaming

The latest round of PlayStation Plus offers in Japan has made it so that players can grab a copy of Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- for PlayStation 4 at the exceptionally low price of free.

Much like other regions, Japan’s version of PlayStation Plus comes with a number of stipulations, the most pertinent being that you need to have an active subscription in order to access your free games. This means that, yes, while you can sign up for a free trial and download Xrd without charge, you’ll need to maintain your account if you want to continue playing the title.

That being said, this is a great offer for folks who currently have a PlayStation Plus subscription on the Japanese PlayStation Network. Be sure to take advantage before it expires on July 7.

Source: PlayStation Blog, special thanks to NerdJosh for the heads-up.

The previously untitled follow-up to Sega’s Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX now has an actual name. The fighter, which pulls its roster from Dengeki Bunko’s visual novel imprint, will now be referred to as IGNITION, and the developers are planning to hold location tests for the newly-named title this weekend.

Players in Japan will be able to get their hands on IGNITION at three specific locations: Club Sega Akihabara and Club Sega Shinjuku in Tokyo, and Sega Namba Avion in Osaka. The announcement mentions the presence of new characters (most likely the representatives that were previously revealed), balance changes, and an entirely new gameplay system that some have speculated to be the ability to use two assists instead of one.

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION location tests are scheduled to run June 26-28, so keep an eye out for more information as the weekend approaches. Sega plans to release the sequel sometime this summer.

Source: Sega via Tsuntenshi

He’s a legend, one of the most successful fighting game players ever, the closest the genre has to a true international superstar, and now Mad Catz’ Daigo Umehara is the hero of a manga series.

Back in 2014, Daigo became the subject of a manga that chronicled his early years of competition and how they shaped him into the competitor he is today. Now, the second volume of the manga, titled Umehara: Fighting Gamers! 2, is scheduled to hit stores in Japan this Friday, June 26.

To help promote this follow-up, publisher Kadokawa has put out a brand new trailer showcasing what fans can expect to find within, namely the continuing story of Umehara’s rivalry with fellow fighting game god, Nuki.

For anyone interested in picking this up, the manga is available over on Amazon Japan, though you will obviously have to be fluent in the language to keep up.

Source: Kadokawa

Some time back, we reported that Sega was working to publish a sequel to BaseSon’s Shin Koihime Musou called Koihime Enbu. Now, the company has announced that the game will be hitting PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan this September.

Based on China’s popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, this fighting game series sees the major army figures reimagined as women.

Koihime Enbu will arrive on consoles in two distinct packages: a standard edition that costs ¥6,800 (~$55 USD) and a special first-print limited edition that comes with the game’s soundtrack for ¥8,800 yen (~$71 USD).

Originally set to launch on PlayStation 3 last February, the game’s release date quietly slipped past that without much fanfare. Now, with this announcement, any players interested in picking this game up have another date to look forward to.

For more details, be sure to visit Koihime Enbu’s official website.

Source: Gematsu

Team NINJA’s Dead or Alive 5 Last Round CORE FIGHTERS, the free-to-play version of Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round, has now been downloaded 3.5 million times. To celebrate this milestone, newcomer Rig will be free to download for all players from June 23 up to July 14.

But that’s not all. Due to the way the Xbox One version is handled–a paid update with four additional characters instead of a free trial–the title will be available at half-price during this same period.

If you’ve been interested in getting into Dead or Alive, this may be the perfect opportunity to do so. All pertinent details are included in the video below.

Source: Koei Tecmo

Even though the event is just around the corner, the folks behind Community Effort Orlando continue to make surprise announcements regarding this year’s tournament.

According to details released last night, both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will receive rather substantial increases to their prize pools courtesy of contributions from Twitch and Smashboards. The former is ready to supply an additional $2000 to each game while the latter has pitched in $1000 of their own, which, for those of you keeping track at home, amounts to a $3000 bonus for each game.

But the Smash scene isn’t the only one to benefit from outside influence. Ultra Street Fighter IV, Killer Instinct, and Mortal Kombat X have all seen massive pot bonuses of at least $10,000 courtesy of community initiatives by their respective developers.

Community Effort Orlando 2015 is scheduled for this weekend, June 26-28, in Orlando, Florida. Further details can be found on their official website.

Source: CEO Gaming