Posts

Posted on

New King of Fighters XIV Version 1.10 Screenshots Hint at Just How Much the Game’s Graphics Are Improving

As you may already know, SNK announced that they would be adding graphical upgrades to King of Fighters XIV with update version 1.10. The update itself is set to be playable at the PlayStation Experience later this weekend.

To whet the appetites of those looking forward to the update, SNK has released a couple more teaser screenshots, showing Sylvie and Xanadu in the new build. You can see these screenshots below.

Click to view slideshow.

The great thing about these is that they’re similar to early promo that SNK put out early this year. This means that a direct comparison can be made, such as what Gatoray has done below.

Here, we can clearly see the updates to the game’s lighting system, most noticeably the improved self-shadowing on Sylvie and Xanadu. Additionally, there also seems to be changes to the way the engine handles transparent materials.

We’ll get to see more of KOFXIV’s graphical update at this weekend’s PlayStation Experience.

Sources: SNK; Gatoray

Posted on

No More Mutants? Rumored Marvel vs. Capcom 4 May Exclude X-Men Characters

Marvel licensing issues may knock all mutant characters out of the game at design level.

Even with the circulating “leaked” logo turning out as a fake, the rumors that Marvel vs. Capcom 4 is a real thing and will be revealed at the PlayStation Experience seem to be intensifying rather than dying down, getting a strong second wind from Polygon and GameSpot joining the chorus proclaiming the game’s existence. Significant of both of their reports, however, is the claim that a new Marvel vs. Capcom 4 would lean heavily on the Marvel Cinematic Universe for characters, and thus lose the characters that aren’t included in that licensing realm: namely the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

Loss of series mainstays such as Magneto and Wolverine–as well as popular newcomers to Marvel vs. Capcom 3 such as X-23, Phoenix, and Deadpool–would be a strong blow to many fans, even as the MCU could bring interesting new fighters in the form of Ant-Man, or Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, among others.

Maximilian took to his YouTube channel to discuss the implications to the fans–including himself–of the removal of the X-Men from the series:

Maximilian raises an interesting point that the most recent reissues of the Marvel vs. Capcom games included only the Marvel Super Heroes/MvC titles, and conspicuously not X-Men vs. Street Fighter–indicating that this separation may have been a long time coming already.

VesperArcade also discussed his thoughts on the potential mutant purge, and offers a lengthy video that lays out what the Marvel licensing landscape looks like right now, and what characters would thus be viable for a new MvC game if this reported removal is true:

Is a Marvel vs. Capcom 4 without mutants a dealbreaker for you? Until confirmation from Capcom, it’s still all just rumors.

Sources: VesperArcade; Maximilian Dood; GameSpot; Polygon