Category: News

When SoCal Regionals 2015 was forced to move to October instead of their original June dates, Level|Up Series announced that they would also be holding two Prelude tournaments in June and August. With the first rapidly approaching, online registration is now open to the public.

Prelude I is scheduled for June 6 at the University of California Irvine’s Student Center, featuring tournaments for Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and Mortal Kombat X.

Those interested in joining should head on over and register soon; due to the nature of the event, brackets will be capped at 128 entrants per game.

Meanwhile, the main SoCal Regionals 2015 tournament is tentatively scheduled for October 9, with the organizers looking to secure a spot at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California. Stay locked in to Shoryuken for more information is it crops up.

Source: SoCal Regionals

According to new details from Kotaku, there’s a good possibility that the last-generation versions of Mortal Kombat X have been pushed back yet again. This news comes courtesy of multiple GameStop employees, who reportedly had the unfortunate job of notifying customers that the previous summer launch window has been changed to fall.

Their statements are backed up by stealth changes to the game’s listings on the retailer’s website; the ubiquitous release date of December 31 has replaced the previous placeholder of June 2.

This news comes just a couple of months after the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 releases were officially delayed from appearing at the same time as their counterparts in April.

After a botched Steam launch, it’s entirely possible High Voltage Software, the third-party studio enlisted by NetherRealm Studios to handle development outside the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, have been scrambling to correct the same issues in other versions. Continued work on PC may have also drawn their attention away from the home platforms.

In any case, this is far from surprising. NetherRealm creative director Ed Boon made it very clear during the early days of Mortal Kombat X promotion that they had very little to do with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports so that they could focus their attention on the versions that have become the competitive standard.

We have reached out to High Voltage for more insight on this matter, and will update this article if we hear back.

Source: Kotaku via Polygon

Say what you want about Arc System Works, but they stay busy. New details from the developer have revealed they plan to release a follow-up to their hugely popular Guilty Gear Xrd subtitled -REVELATOR-. This upcoming installment is set to improve on the previous title with numerous balance adjustments and at least two new characters.

Two new characters?! Yep, you read that right. While one is still just a mysterious silhouette, the other should be a familiar face for longtime fans of the Guilty Gear franchise.

According to Famitsu, Jellyfish Pirate captain Johnny will make his playable debut in the Xrd series with REVELATOR. While few gameplay details have been provided, the images below show that he retains a few components of his fighting style from previous installments, namely the coin throws that contributed to his offensive options.

But wait, there’s more! REVELATOR will also introduce a brand new control scheme. Much like the alternate input options seen in the BlazBlue franchise, Stylish Mode will give players a chance to use simplified controls. While it won’t see any use in competitive play, this could be seen as a great way to acclimate newcomers to the game before throwing them into the deep end, so to speak.

Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- location tests are scheduled for the weekends of June 5 and 19 at arcades across Japan, so stay tuned for more details in the near future.

Source: Famitsu

If you’re looking to expand your library of PC fighting games, you definitely can’t go wrong with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, which just arrived on Steam. As a relatively old title, however, some of you may be going in blind, which is where a helpful round of tutorials come in.

Back around the time the Arc System Works title hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Novril and Carlos “Specs” Alexandre began recording an ambitious video series that they called Guilty Bits. The series, which is now complete, dedicated a single video to each of the game’s 25 characters covering general strategies, important moves, and character-specific oddities that make the characters who they are–like how to properly use negative edging when playing Eddie.

We featured the whole run of this series as the videos released, but the fact that Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R just made its way to Steam moments ago makes this the perfect time to revisit them. Whether you’re new to the series, new to this iteration of the game, or simply want a quick refresher on the more important aspects of your chosen character, these videos are a decent place to get started.

Below, we’ve embedded the first Guilty Bits episode, which features Eddie, but you can check out the full series by heading over to Novril’s channel.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R is now available on Steam for $13.49, a sale that will last until June 2 when the game returns to its normal $14.99 price.

Sources: Steam and Novril

In addition to unintended launch issues, Ultra Street Fighter IV may have also seen some stealth balancing on its way to PlayStation 4 according to gameplay footage shared by Versus Fighting TV’s Anis “Kahikusu” Hachemi.

As you can see in the video below, Decapre’s Scramble teleports have been dramatically slowed down, though less obvious is the fact that their range has also been shortened a bit.

At this point in time, it’s unknown if this is a side effect of the port’s overall issues or part of a much larger balance adjustment for the PlayStation 4 version. We have reached out to the developers for the final word, and will update should we hear back.

Source: Kahikusu

As I’m sure most of you know, Ultra Street Fighter IV is now available for PlayStation 4, courtesy of work by third-party studio Other Ocean Interactive. Unfortunately, it appears as if its launch has been less-than-stellar.

According to multiple reports from notable community members like Maximilian, Alex Valle, and Damien “Damdai” Dailidenas, the title is plagued with a variety of issues, including massive slowdown during menu navigation, random stuttering during gameplay, and input delay even in offline settings.

Ultra Street Fighter IV is the latest third-party port to experience a shaky launch. Mortal Kombat X, which was developed for PC by High Voltage Software, went through weeks of patching before becoming playable.

With the possibility of the PlayStation 4 port becoming the tournament standard at Capcom Pro Tour events, this rough start will definitely make the fighting game scene wary of embracing it immediately even if patches are released to rectify the current problems.

It’s also worth noting that Community Effort Orlando 2015, which has pledged to utilize the PlayStation 4 version, is rapidly approaching, not to mention Evo 2015 is set to be played on the current-generation console as well.

We are currently in the process of reaching out to the developers for their input on this matter, and will be sure to update this article should we hear back. Until then, feel free to let us know if you’ve experienced any problems with Ultra Street Fighter IV in the comments below.

Sources: Maximilian, Alex Valle, Damdai

The Xbox One is certainly not without its merits–Killer Instinct comes to mind–but when it comes to accessing the most complete catalog of current generation fighting titles while also preparing for future releases, Sony’s PlayStation 4 offers the most bang for your buck.

Capcom has already stated that the upcoming Street Fighter V will be exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and PC at the time of launch. Tack on Ultra Street Fighter IV’s recent addition to the Playstation Network, the upcoming release of Skullgirls 2nd Encore, and the (currently) PlayStation-exclusive Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and there are more than a couple of reasons for fighting fans to jump on the Sony bandwagon.

Those currently in the market for a PlayStation 4 will be pleased to know that Amazon recently began bundling the console with a free year of PlayStation Plus, a $50 value by itself. Sadly, the system’s $399.99 price point hasn’t changed, but a full year of free online fights is not to be ignored.

This free year of PlayStation Plus will only be available today and tomorrow, so act fast.

Source: Amazon via Destructoid

The stage of battle is set!

Players eagerly awaiting Ultra Street Fighter IV’s arrival on PlayStation 4 can now let out the breath they’ve been holding for months, because it’s now available on the PlayStation Network.

Featuring upgraded graphics, all currently available downloadable content, and even the removal of lag issues that plagued the PlayStation 3 release, this port might just be the best thing to tide fans over until the launch of Street Fighter V.

And those of you with older arcade sticks needn’t fear, because the game includes support for those peripherals as well, though some extra steps are necessary.

Source: PlayStation Network

The joystick lever is one of the most important parts of an arcade stick. The way a lever feels and moves can have a large impact on a player’s performance.

For years now, those players who have felt that the standard Sanwa JLF was too loose would gravitate towards Seimitsu’s LS-32 series of levers due to its tighter spring and smaller engage distance. Now, Seimitsu is releasing a new lever that has an even tighter feel – the LS-38-01-SC.

Coming exclusively to Arcade Shock, the LS-38-01-SC is based on the classic LS-32-01 form factor, but features a more rigid spring. This should be a boon for players looking for a lever that offers a tighter, more accurate feel than the standard Sanwa JLF or Hori Hayabusa commonly seen on today’s retail arcade sticks.

The LS-38-01-SC is currently available for $21.95 through Arcade Shock’s online store. Please note that they have a limited stock at the moment, so anyone interested in picking one of these up should do so soon.

Source: Arcade Shock

Thanks to Lab Zero Games’ driver, many fighting game players and arcade stick aficionados are able to quickly transition to the PlayStation 4 without purchasing an entirely new peripheral. Games such as Mortal Kombat X, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, and Ultra Street Fighter IV all allow players to use their old arcade sticks and gamepads from the PlayStation 3.

Now it seems that yet another game may be including this useful functionality. According to Gamespot, a Capcom representative has confirmed that they are looking into utilizing Lab Zero’s driver in Street Fighter V.

The driver in question allows any controller that identifies itself as a generic USB gamepad or joystick, such as Mad Catz’ popular line of FightPads and FightSticks, to work on the PlayStation 4.

With Street Fighter V also coming to the PC, adding support for older arcade sticks could help convince those who are on the fence to purchase the game on PlayStation 4. We’ll be sure to keep you informed as more concrete details become available.

Source: Gamespot, thanks to Maxman for the tip.