Yosuke Hanamura, Linne join BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle

During a recent Arc System Works stream, the company revealed two new characters that will be part of the cast for its upcoming crossover fighter.

Yosuke Hanamura from Persona 4 Arena and Linne from Under Night In-Birth are joining the title that brings those two game franchises together with characters from BlazBlue and the anime series RWBY. Arc System Works also announced that more information on the game will be coming in October 2017.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is scheduled for release sometime in 2018. Readers can check out a new trailer for the game, highlighting the new characters, after the jump.

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Steam sale discounts Tekken 7, other Bandai Namco titles

The most recent edition of The King of Iron Fist Tournament and other games have been marked down as part of Steam's Bandai Namco Publisher Weekend sale, taking place Sept. 14-18, 2017.

Tekken 7 will cost players just $29.99 for the event, a savings of $20. Other series affected by the sale include Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Naruto Ninja Storm, several One Piece titles and more.

For the complete list of games affected, readers can head to the official Steam website.

Nightingale, Phantom Gundam coming to Gundam Versus on Sept. 26

Trailers have been released for the two DLC mobile suits coming to the Japanese version of Gundamn Versus at the end of September 2017.

Both the Nightingale and Phantom Gundam have been previously revealed, but now players can get a chance to see them in action before deciding if they want to add the mobile suits to their in-game collection. 

Both Gundams will cost players 650 yen (about $6). The trailers can be seen after the jump.

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Blade Strangers location test announced for Sept. 22-24 in Japan

The upcoming fighting-game collaboration between Nicalis and Studio Saizensen will have a public test at the end September 2017.

Blade Strangers will have five playable characters when it is available to play at Sega Akihabara Building No. 1: Solange and Master T. Drakkhen from Code of Princess; Curly Brace from Cave Story; and Umihara Kawase and Emiko from Umihara Kawase (known as Yumi's Odd Odyssey in the United States).

Blade Strangers is currently scheduled for a late 2017 release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC in regions outsiden of Japan.

Black Manta beginner combo guide by REO

Black Manta has been available to Injustice 2 players for less than 24 hours, but REO has a combo video ready for those interested in the damage that Aquaman's nemesis can deliver.

REO's two-and-a-half-minute video covers both metered and meterless combos, with many of them involving use of Manta's jetpack trait. There are even corner juggles and a few fancy anti-air juggles using Manta's uppercut.

Readers can check out the video after the jump, and find more Injustice 2 content on REO's YouTube.

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BlazBlue Central Fiction 2.0 coming to Steam on Sept. 14

The recent update to BlazBlue Central Fiction will be coming to Steam in the second week of September 2017.

The official BlazBlue Twitter account has confirmed that BBCF 2.0 will be coming to the platform on Sept. 14. Jubei will release along with the patch and will be sold separately for $7.99 in the United States.

BlazBlue Central Fiction 2.0 contains many balance changes for the cast of BBCF as well as new character Jubei. Translations of the various character alterations can be found at Google Docs.

Injustice 2 coming to PC?

NetherRealm Studios' newest fighter may not be a console-exclusive title for much longer.

According to VG24/7, listings for a PC version of the game have appeared on both Game Mania and Amazon France. While no news of a possible port has been publicly released, these European listings could be an indicator that the game is on the way. 

Players have wanted a PC version of Injustice 2 despite NRS' checkered past with the platform. The first Injustice game and both Mortal Kombat 9 and X suffered from issues on PC, with MKX receiving especially harsh criticism. However, after several corrections and a netplay update fixed MKX, perhaps players are willing to give NRS the benefit of the doubt for Injustice 2.

NuckleDu to donate Dreamhack prize to hurricane relief

Team Liquid's Du "NuckleDu" Dang has committed to helping fund efforts aiding those who have been affected by Hurricane Irma.

Dang tweeted that his entire winnings from Dreamhack Montreal—$4,700, according to Kotaku—will be given to relief efforts for the environmental disaster currently affecting the Carribbean and southeastern United States.

Dang's home state of Florida has already been hard hit by the storm, with evacuations and flooding across the southern part of the state. The state of Georgia has also ordered evacuations along its Atlantic coast.

Ultron Omega is the final boss of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite

Capcom has given Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite a fitting final boss for its arcade mode.

Ultron Omega is the final enemy in MvCI, joining Apocalypse, Onslaught, Abyss, Galactus and Yami as the final adversaries for games in the Vs. series. He is a continuation of a Vs. series tradition in that he is a hulking figure so big that only his head and arms are visible when the fight takes place. He is also a clever callback to the final form of Sigma from Mega Man X5.

Like the other bosses of the Vs. Series, Ultron Omega delivers ridiculous damage in his attacks. He also alternates between infinity stones throughout the fight.

Readers can check out footage of the battle, courtesy of the Resero Network, after the jump.

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Bandai Namco reveals new Kamen Rider: Climax Fighters trailer, info

Bandai Namco has released its first trailer for Kamen Rider: Climax Fighters along with details of the game that will be released in December 2017.

Climax Fighters will indeed be an arena-based fighter, supporting up to four players in either one-versus-one or two-versus-two gameplay formats. These players will compete either offline or in online play, a first for the Kamen Rider series of games. The stages will have terrain and obstacles like those seen in Gundam Vs.

Kamen Rider: Climax Fighters will be released both in Japan and Asia, and there will be a special Premium Sound R edition of the game featuring 38 songs from the various shows in the series.

For more details on the included songs and Riders, readers can check out the lists at Gematsu. Kamen Rider: Climax Fighters releases on Dec. 7, 2017. Footage of the game's new trailer can be seen after the jump.

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Injustice Watchtower reveals legendary gear, Black Manta details

The Injustice Watchtower broadcast on Sept. 8 showed off both new gear coming to the game and also revealed the gameplay details of Black Manta.

First up, NetherRealm revealed legendary gear, which will grant special abilities to characters that equip it. Bane's legendary gear, for example, will allow him to never deal with venom debuff but instead venom will drain his health. This gear will be obtained completing different multiverse events that have steep requirements for players.

Next, NRS clarified gameplay details on Black Manta. Manta has several long-range normal attacks and plenty of special tools to deal with his opponents. He has a short-range projectile in his manta beams, but can deal with full-screen pressure using a harpoon gun. Manta also uses shoulder rockets to help him juggle opponents and has a teleport uppercut like the cyborg ninjas in Mortal Kombat to surprise opponents.

Black Manta's character power is his jetpack, which uses fuel by holding down the trait button. It can also be used in bursts to try and hover above the stage.

Manta will be the first character available as part of Fighter Pack 2 on Sept. 12.

The full Black Manta breakdown, along with announcements from NRS and questions from fans, can be found on the NetherRealm Twitch archives.

ARMS version 3.0 to allow control customization

When the newest update for ARMS launches to the public, it will allow players to further personalize their playing experience.

Nintendo has announced that 3.0 will allow players to change the game's controls, remapping buttons and even adjusting motion control sensitivity. This is a welcome change for people who find the game's controls difficult or who opted out of purchasing ARMS because it lacked that adaptability.

The new option will roll out along with Lola Pop, a new stage and three new weapons sometime between Sept. 11-20, 2017.

SNK titles discounted on Steam until Sept. 10

Steam is currently running a big sale on its collection of SNK titles through the beginning of September 2017.

The company's most recent offering, King of Fighters XIV, is marked down to $34.95 and its collection of DLC characters now only costs players $9.99. SNK's other offerings, meanwhile, have all seen much bigger markdowns as players can purchase the KOF Triple Pack—KOF XIII Steam Edition, KOF '98 UMFE and KOF 2002 UM—for $10.49 and both Last Blade 2 and Garou: Mark of the Wolves are half off at $4.99.

There are also big deals on SNK's other titles, including the Metal Slug series, Twinkle Star Sprites and more. For the complete list of sales head over to the Steam website.

Nintendo rolls out details on Lola Pop

The Nintendo Treehouse Log has been updated explaining how Lola Pop's unique abilities will work when she is added to the ARMS roster.

Lola's inflated state is the character's blocking animation, and it grants her special abilities during a battle. While blocking the character can move forward or backward, execute a very fast dodge left or right and she jumps higher than normal.

Once in the air Lola has the ability to use what Treehouse calls a "bouncy block," where she inflates, fast-falls and bounces off the floor of the arena, making her the only character that can block while jumping. She can then continue to bounce until she tries to punch.

The Treehouse Log also explains the new weapons coming in the update with Lola Pop. The Funchuck acts like the Slapamander but with more startup and a stun; the Biffler is a three-shot weapon that blinds on hit; and the Clapback is a shield that reflects ARMS back at the opponent.

There is still no release date for the Lola Pop update to ARMS. For more details, readers can check out the Treehouse Log.

Time will not wait: Ultimecia joins Dissidia Final Fantasy arcade

The main antagonist of Final Fantasy VIII is coming to the arcade version of Dissidia Final Fantasy.

A powerful sorceress, Ultimecia possesses many ranged attacks and looks to be a character who prefers to fight from a distance instead of up close. She is the second new character being added to the arcade version of Dissidia in as many months, as Jecht joined the game's cast in August.

Ultimecia has also been confirmed for the upcoming PlayStation 4 game, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT.

Readers can check out Ultimecia's trailer after the jump.

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Bandai Namco teases Kamen Rider arena fighter?

A new Kamen Rider game is coming from Bandai Namco, and its perspective seems eerily similar to another popular combat franchise.

Kamen Rider: Climax Fighters is coming to PlayStation 4 in Japan on Dec. 7, 2017, and looks to feature arena combat in the vein of Bandai Namco's Gundam Vs. series of titles. This is not a sure bet, however, as previous games based on the popular super hero series have used similar gameplay for more Dynasty Warriors-esque action. 

Little in-game footage is shown in the game's teaser but multiple outlets are reporting that more information will be revealed in an upcoming stream of the game on Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. JST (4 a.m. PDT, 7 a.m. EDT). No stream links are available at this time, but they will be added to the game's website.

For now, readers can check out the game's teaser after the jump.

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Deity-based brawler Fight of Gods enters Early Access

A new game released on Steam pits religious pantheons against one another in familiar combat.

Fight of Gods is a 2-D fighting game that contains "gods, holy spirits and mythological characters from around the globe." Players will be able to play as Moses, Anubis, Jesus Christ, Odin, Buddha and more  to see whose power reigns supreme.

Fight of Gods is currently in Early Access, and the team at Digital Crafter is looking for suggestions on which gods to add in future updates.

Fight of Gods is on sale for $4.79 until Sept. 11, 2017. Readers can check out the trailer after the jump.

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Japanese Tekken team gains additional sponsors

The Japanese team Yamasa has added four more sponsors to its list of supporters.

The team, consisting of Daichi "Nobi" Nakayama, Kato "Yuu" Yuji and Takehiko "Take" Aoki, was originally sponsored solely by Yamasa, the company involved with creating pachislot games based on Tekken.

However, according to Avoiding the Puddle, the team has now added Japanese specialty PC company Level ∞; capture and streaming device maker AVerMedia; BenQ monitor brand Zowie; and gaming chair provider AKRacing as additional backers.

It's interesting to note this shows a continued growing interest by otherwise PC-focused companies into the traditionally console-focused fighting game community. Team Yamasa will be competing in Tokyo Tekken Masters, taking place on Sept. 3, 2017, in Tokyo, Japan.

BeautifulDude joins InTheSkies

One of the Tekken scene's biggest teams is making a foray into the world of airdashers by signing Julian "BeautifulDude" Franco.

Known most for his Zato-1 play in the Guilty Gear Xrd series, Franco has become a constant in the Southern California airdash scene with many top three placements in his history. Since 2016 he has also become a multigame performer, showing off strong performances in BlazBlue with Relius and picking up Tekken 7 with its release in June 2017.

"[Joining ITS is] an extremely exciting oppotunity, to say the least," Franco said in a statement to IPLAYWINNER. "I'm a bit nervous, but I'm eager to show what I can do with Zato and Relius! There'll be Dead Man's Hands for everyone!"

BeautifulDude will be representing ITS for the first time at SoCal Regionals 2017 on Sept. 22-24 in Anaheim, California.

More online improvements come to Tekken 7 in new update

A new patch has rolled out for Tekken 7, bringing with it more fixes for netplay and the support for upcoming DLC.

According to Tekken Project Leader Katsuhiro Harada, console version 1.05 seeks to further improve Tekken's online experience with "enhancement of Netcode & Enhanced packet loss measures." The game will also now migrate host when a tournament creator leaves so that the event does not immediately end. There are also bug fixes and changes to information shown on the leaderboard, as well as the groundwork for the Ultimate Tekken Bowl downloadable content. 

Harada said the team plans to update the game again in September, and that game balance may be addressed, but nothing is set at this time.