Category: News

During the same interview where he provided the first bit of Tekken x Street Fighter information we’ve received in some time, Bandai Namco Games’ Katsuhiro Harada touched on another title that’s seen little in the way of updates since it was first announced.

Pokkén Tournament represents a very interesting take on the hugely popular Pokémon franchise, allowing players to take direct control of the pocket monsters themselves in a fighting game environment. While The Pokémon Company is generally very controlling over how their property is used, mostly due to the series’ younger following, Harada mentioned to Korean website inven that they’ve been very open to his team’s ideas.

“Surprisingly, they weren’t as strict as I expected them to be with Pokkén,” he explained. “We sent The Pokémon Company twenty ideas and they allowed all of them barring one: I suggested that we have different Pokémon Trainers fight, and they immediately denied it.”

The interview also touched on the future of Pokkén should the first installment be popular. Though obviously a little too early to talk on such subjects, Harada did mention that the extensive amount of Pokémon now available in the franchise should make expanding the game a relatively easy feat.

Currently, only Lucario, Machamp, and Blaziken have been revealed as playable characters, all of which share very common characteristics. This new statement from Harada, coupled with earlier promises that Fighting-type Pokémon won’t take up the entire cast, opens up a ton of possibilities.

Pokkén Tournament is scheduled to release in arcades sometime next year.

Source: inven via Let’s Talk Nintendo and Avoiding the Puddle

After being officially announced in V-Jump, tag fighter JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven received a follow-up feature in another of Shuheisha’s Jump magazines. While still devoid of concrete gameplay information, it did confirm that Stardust Crusaders protagonist Noriaki Kakyoin will be appearing in upcoming title.

Unlike newcomers Diego Brando and Rudol Von Stroheim, Kakyoin has made appearances in the franchise’s two previous fighters, which may provide some hints as to how he will play in Eyes of Heaven. Backed up by Hierophant Green, this smooth operator typically has a variety of defensive and long-range attacks at his disposal, most notably the multi-hit Emerald Splash projectile.

Kakyoin grows a growing cast of returning characters that includes Jotaro Kujo, Josuke Higashikata (of Diamond is Unbreakable), and Caeser Zeppeli.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven is being developed by Bandai Namco Games, and will be playable at this weekend’s Jump Festa. The title will eventually arrive on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, though no release date has been announced at this point in time.

Source: Jump via kazu4281 and Gematsu

Earlier this year, rumors began to swirl about Tekken 7 heading to PC due to an appropriate listing discovered on Amazon UK. While it quickly disappeared from the online retailer, it was considered a sign that the port was at least in the realm of possibility.

During an interview with Korean website inven, Bandai Namco Games’ Katsuhiro Harada was asked to comment on this speculation. “We have not yet decided or confirmed platforms other than arcade since it is not done yet,” he answered. “We are considering a PC version for certain countries that prefer or need to play on PC.”

While he reiterated that a PC release is not confirmed, he did say further optimizations would need to be made to the title due to its use of Unreal Engine 4 so that a wide range of players could have an enjoyable experience.

Tekken 7 will launch in Japanese arcades in March.

Source: inven via Avoiding the Puddle

Some time ago, we reported that EXAMU was working on a new fighting game called Nitroplus Blasters: Heroines Infinite Duel. Developed in partnership with Nitroplus, the game features female characters from the visual novel publisher’s games battling it out as both playable and support characters.

For those curious about the new game, 4Gamer has posted new character art and screenshots of some of the playable heroines and their support fighters. These include Ein from Phantom of Inferno, Mora from Vampirdzhija Vjedogonia, Muramasa from Full Metal Daemon Muramasa, Ruili from Kikokugai: the Cyber Slayer, and Saya from Saya no Uta.

Ein

Mora

Muramasa

Ruili

Saya

Support characters that have been announced include Natsumi Aihara from Hello, World, Another Blood from Kishin Hishou Demonbane, Ishima Kaigen from Hanachirasu, Dragon from Dra†KoI, Franco Il Nero from Zoku Satsuriki no Django: Jigoku no Shoukinkubi, Spica from Star Mine Girl, and Miyuki Sone from Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi.

Natsumi Aihara

Another Blood

Ishima Kaigen

Dragon

Franco Il Nero

Spica

Miyuki Sone

Source: 4Gamer

With Street Fighter x Tekken long past launch and Bandai Namco Games preparing to release Tekken 7, details on the former’s complement have been incredibly scarce. After mentioning a change of thinking around the time Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles appeared on the scene, Katsuhiro Harada went on to say earlier this year that development on Tekken x Street Fighter was still ongoing.

The producer recently sat down with Korean website inven to discuss a fair amount of topics, and talk naturally turned towards his company’s longstanding work on the crossover title. “Tekken x Street Fighter’s base system is already finished,” Harada explained, “but we still have to finish Tekken 7 and its planned updates first.”

While it’s not much to go on, this is miles ahead of the details we are used to getting about this elusive fighter, which was first announced back in 2010.

With the release of Capcom’s Street Fighter V expected sometime in late 2015 or early 2016, Harada concluded that Bandai is currently planning a strategy to reveal Tekken x Street Fighter in a way that won’t conflict with other titles.

Source: inven, translations courtesy of Flying Wonkey

 

Fans of classic fighters, be warned: Marvel vs. Capcom Origins will be leaving PlayStation Network and Xbox Live later this month.

Developed by Iron Galaxy Studios, Origins bundles Marvel Super Heroes and the original Marvel vs. Capcom in one online-enabled package. Its removal is the latest in a long string of delistings that saw Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 disappear from digital platforms around this time last year.

(Phew, that’s a lot of Marvels.)

Origins is scheduled to drop from PlayStation Network on December 23 and Xbox Live on December 31. Both services currently offer the title for $14.99.

Source: Capcom-Unity via NeoGAF, tip via NightmareSteam

Another holiday season means another extensive sale on Steam’s video game catalog and, thanks to the growing number of fighters available for PC, our community is definitely benefiting from the promotion.

From competitive mainstays like Ultra Street Fighter IV and Injustice: Gods Among Us to indie darlings Skullgirls Encore and Divekick Addition Edition, there’s something here for everyone in the scene to enjoy.

We’ve compiled a complete list of discounts that are currently available, as well as when you can expect them to disappear. Please keep in mind that Steam sales usually drop even lower than where they originally begin, so it may be in your best interest to wait a bit to see where they land later.

• Ultra Street Fighter IV – $25.49 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Digital Upgrade – $12.74 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Arcade Edition Complete Costume Pack – $12.74 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Vacation Complete Costume Pack – $16.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Skullgirls Encore – $5.09 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Two-Pack – $8.49 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Four-Pack – $15.29 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Squigly – $1.69 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Big Band – $1.69 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Color Palette Bundle – $1.69 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition – $4.99 (Daily Deal, ends tomorrow)
• King of Fighters XIII Steam Edition – $20.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition – $9.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Divekick Addition Edition + – $3.39 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Two-Pack – $6.45 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Nidhogg – $7.49 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Lethal League – $11.19 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Two-Pack – $17.59 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
  • Four-Pack – $31.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger – $4.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Guilty Gear XX #Reload – $4.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)
• Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection – $3.99 (Holiday Sale, ends January 2)

We will be sure to update this list as better deals and/or other titles become available; keep checking back!

Source: Steam

It’s been a long road for Leo Whitefang since making his first appearance in a trailer earlier this year, but the beastly fighter is now playable in Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. But, unlike fellow newcomers Sin Kiske and Elphelt Valentine, players will need to drop some cash to add him to their game–¥800 (~$7 USD), to be exact.

As one of the three kings of Guilty Gear’s Allied Kingdom of Illyria and an old friend of Ky Kiske, Leo plays an important role in Xrd’s storyline. This prestige is reflected in his gameplay, wherein the monarch employs a variety of bombastic and heavy-hitting moves with his dual greatswords. Leo also utilizes a unique stance that grants him additional attacks and movement options, all while his back is turned to the opponent.

Famitsu recently released a couple of videos that provide a brief glimpse of Leo’s capabilities, which you’ll find below.

Leo will be available in North America on December 23.

Sources: PlayStation Network, Famitsu

Although it’s only 20% complete at this point in time, some more details recently came to light about Street Fighter V’s development. According to information released by Epic Games this morning, Capcom has licensed the studio’s latest iteration of their popular Unreal Engine to help bring the upcoming title to life.

“Our goal with the next generation of Street Fighter is to take our beloved fighting game franchise and bring it to our fans in the best way possible,” Capcom producer Bochan Kim explained in Epic’s announcement. “In order to fully deliver on that promise, we know we have to incorporate the latest and greatest technology available, which is why we partnered with Epic Games to power Street Fighter V using Unreal Engine 4.”

Taka Kawaski of Epic Game Japan reiterated this point, also mentioning that they are providing dedicated support to Capcom during the game’s creation.

The franchise’s previous entry, Street Fighter IV, was developed with a custom engine engineered by Dimps.

Street Fighter V isn’t the first fighting to utilize this technology, however. Bandai Namco Games’ Tekken 7 is also being built upon Unreal Engine 4’s foundation, a decision that has arguably paid dividends in improving the 3D fighter’s visual quality. Additionally, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and next year’s Mortal Kombat X employ Unreal Engine 3.

Street Fighter V will land on PlayStation 4 and PC at launch, though no concrete release date has been set.

Sources: Epic Games via Polygon and NeoGAF, Gamasutra