Category: News

Just in case a prominent showing in the story trailer or word from a producer directly involved with the project wasn’t enough for you, we now have further confirmation that both Mileena and Johnny Cage will be playable in Mortal Kombat X.

This latest round of information comes courtesy of the title’s listing on Amazon, which includes renders for the two characters (included above) and partial pieces of background information alongside other cast members like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Kotal Kahn.

So, yeah, it’s safe to say these veterans are part of the playable roster.

Mortal Kombat X is scheduled to launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on April 14.

Source: Amazon via Test Your Might

Some time ago, we reported that Sakura would be the next Street Fighter character to join Kotobukiya’s Bishouho figure line. Now, we finally have a chance to see how the eternal schoolgirl will look in sculpted form thanks to some images from Famitsu.

As with all Bishoujo figures, this one features a sculpt based on the artwork of artist Shunya Yamashita. First shown at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the artwork highlights Sakura in a dynamic, mid-jump pose as she cheers for victory.

Those interested in the figure will have to wait until August of this year when it goes on sale for ¥7,200 (~$59 USD). In the meantime, check out the images in the gallery below and let us know what you think.

Source: Famitsu

Back when the game first launched on consoles in 2009, Capcom partnered with Mad Catz to release official controllers for Street Fighter IV. This turned out to be a fruitful relationship, allowing the peripheral developer the opportunity to focus on high-end, professional arcade sticks and eventually sponsor a good number of top players from all over the world.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the two companies will be collaborating on Street Fighter V. It was recently announced that Mad Catz will be creating a new range of controllers, including updated FightPads for players that prefer them alongside the usual standard and Tournament Edition arcade sticks.

And that’s not all. As part of the partnership, Mad Catz has also become a premier sponsor for the Capcom Pro Tour, making them the exclusive controller provider for the next three years.

With this, it seems that Mad Catz’ relationship with the fighting game community will continue for years to come.

Source: Mad Catz

Like many other fighting game figures, Bandai Namco Games director Katsuhiro Harada frequently engages with fans on Twitter. While this connection to Tekken’s chief developer is awesome for the community, it can be an understandably frustrating task when you imagine the huge number of requests he must receive on a daily basis (especially if they’re less than polite).

It was a message like this that drove him to make a rather outrageous claim earlier today.

Upon being asked to include Lee Chaolan in Tekken 7, Harada jokingly stated that a future installment (set for release in 2020, apparently) will need to include at least 130 characters to satisfy the fanbase’s needs. Just as reference, the title with the largest cast is Tekken Tag Tournament 2 at 59 playable fighters.

That got me thinking–just how many characters has Bandai Namco actually introduced? Would it be able to meet this lofty goal? Luckily, finding this out proved to be rather easy.

Similar to other video games (as well as movies, television shows, etc.), the Tekken franchise has its very own version of Wikipedia, maintained and updated by folks who love its universe. According to this resource, a grand total of 107 people can be found throughout the series, taking into account alternate forms, background characters, and even fighters that have yet to be made playable, like the other candidates of the poll that saw narcoleptic vampire Eliza added to Tekken Revolution.

Though the total is probably off by a few cast members, that number leaves us with 23 spots to fill in this upcoming (and completely hypothetical) Tekken dream match. What’s two dozen new characters in a game that already includes over 100?

Sure, this is sort of a silly way to tackle this discussion, but it really drives home the fact that fighting game developers have an incredibly difficult time appeasing their fanbases whenever a new installment rolls around. While some could say this shows a bit of petulance on the part of the players, I like to think this is just a by-product of the amazing worlds the folks at Bandai Namco, Arc System Works, Capcom, NetherRealm Studios, Sega, and other studios have created over the years.

Let us know some of your most beloved characters from fighting game franchises past and present in the comments below.

Source: Katsuhiro Harada

In his latest blog post, Evolution 2013 champion Ho Kun Xian discusses his current slate of tournament appearances, which includes Red Bull Kumite, SXSW Gaming’s Fighters Invitational, Hypespotting 4, and Final Round 18. Apart from those, however, the Team Razer competitor teases his participation in an as of yet unannounced invitational.

The only details about this mystery event that we can glean from Xian’s post are that it features a “very strong” lineup and will take place some time after Hypespotting in April. Unfortunately, aside from these small tidbits, there isn’t much to speculate about.

With the incredible amount of invitationals cropping up over the past few months, it’s exciting to hear that there may be one more to add to the docket. What do you think this mysterious tournament has in store?

Keep locked onto Shoryuken’s front page for more as this story develops.

Source: Xian via NeoGAF, image courtesy of Red Bull

Another major tournament means another installment of Michael “TSC|IFC Yipes” Mendoza’s Curleh Mustache invitational series, which is scheduled to make an appearance at Final Round 18 later this month. This time around, however, the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 competition will forgo one-on-one matchups and return to the team-based Battle Royale format.

While team compositions have yet to be decided, Mendoza recently shared the regions to whom he has offered spots in the bracket. Frequent finalists like New York City, Northern California, and Southern California will of course make appearances, but Curleh Mustache Battle Royale 5 will also see squads from Atlanta, Florida, and Texas as well as teams representing Control Gaming and BROKENTIER.

With two more teams to be decided, not to mention the ambiguous lineups of those listed above, there’s still a ton to speculate regarding how this event will turn out. Feel free to let us know what you think of the chosen group and what individual players may make them up in the comments below.

Source: IFC Yipes

Even thirteen years and some months of life later, Super Smash Bros. Melee chugs along in the competitive circuit, experiencing dips and rise but continuing to be played at a point in its life where other games would have fallen by the wayside. It’s latest resurgence has perhaps been the most miraculous, as it saw the title played by 1,037 players at Apex 2015 earlier this year, making that event the largest tournament Melee has had since launch.

For a time, at least.

Earlier today, Evolution co-founder Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar announced that this year’s event has once again earned that illustrious title for itself, surpassing even the lofty heights set by the Smash community’s most important gathering. While an exact figure wasn’t stated, we do know that Melee reached 1,000 entrants just last month.

But that’s not all; newcomer Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is also doing exceedingly well as far as registration numbers are concerned, passing up the 1,000 player milestone alongside its older sibling and perennial favorite Ultra Street Fighter IV.

Evo 2015 is scheduled for July 17-19. More information is available through the official website.

Source: Joey Cuellar

Back when Ultra Street Fighter IV first launched, BradyGames released a rather comprehensive guide that included data on frame data, hitboxes, and more for the entire cast. Now, Prima Games is offering a digital download of this resource on their website, completely free of charge.

While much of the information is out of date due to a few post-release patches, this “bible” still serves as a great foundation for expanding your knowledge of the gameplay mechanics and character basics.

For a full look at what’s changed in Ultra Street Fighter IV since this guide was released, check out our previous report on the subject.

Source: Prima Games via r/StreetFighter

Are you a Dead or Alive fan who thinks the series could use more ninjas? Well, in you’re in luck, as a new batch of downloadable content set for release today will allow you to turn a handful of cast members into elusive warriors, at least aesthetically.

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round’s ninja costume pack (the second of its kind) bundles together alternate looks for Leifang, Helena, Momiji, Phase 4, Nyotengu, Jann Lee, Jacky, Bayman, Raidou, and Zack, which can be purchased separately for $1.99 USD apiece or altogether in one $14.99 USD package.

You’ll find a quick demonstration of these costumes in motion below.

Source: Dead or Alive via Siliconera