Second Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite story trailer reveals new characters, Black Panther confirmed DLC, story demo out today

Update, 11:03 p.m. CDT: A new gameplay trailer has confirmed Doctor Strange, Nova, Dante, Arthur, Zero and Thanos as playable characters and shows the reality stone in action. Check it out after the jump.

A new trailer for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite debuted during the Sony press conference ahead of E3 2017 has revealed many new characters that may be playable in Capcom's upcoming fighter.

Dante, Arthur, Dr. Strange, Spencer, Gamora, Thanos, Grandmaster Meio, Zero, Nova and Black Panther all appear in the two-minute trailer but it remains to be seen if all or just some of them will playable. One that has been confirmed is Black Panther, who will serve as a DLC character alongside Sigma after the game's release.

The trailer also announced that a story demo of the game should be available starting on June 12, 2017, for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Readers can check out the new trailer after the jump.

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A brief history of Arika and its fighters by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 1

Part 1: Introduction and Street Fighter EX Plus (Alpha)

The recent reveal of a new fighting game from Street Fighter EX & Fighting Layer developer Arika drew a great deal of interest from the core scene, which is less surprising than it may seem at first glance. Though the EX series was widely derided by SF fans during the '90s, it has gained a lot of love and respect in recent years. A lot of this phenomenon is likely due to Arika’s anime-esque character designs and soundtracks, which play much better to '09ers than to Generation X. Fans weaned on Street Fighter II felt that Skullomania made a mockery of the series, but he has become a beloved character among the modern audience.  Hardcore SF players back in the day also hated EX's focus on extending combos with mechanics like super cancels, but that now seems quaint compared to today's anime fighters.

Though many online beg Capcom to add EX characters to modern Street Fighter, very few are familiar with these games at a competitive level. In these articles I aim to provide a high-level overview of Arika’s most well-known fighters: Street Fighter EX Plus (Alpha), Street Fighter EX2 Plus, Fighting Layer and Street Fighter EX3. I will also discuss the earlier revisions for EX1 & 2 and provide more historical context on the games' reception, along with some match videos to illustrate the various design concepts. These articles will assume a familiarity with competitive fighting-game terminology like "DPs" and "okizeme."

Note that there is one final Arika fighting game I won't cover here: 2005's Super Dragon Ball Z. It plays like a traditional fighter, but has many extra mechanics that make it less relevant to understanding Arika's new game. No decent match videos seem to exist, either.

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Disparate worlds to collide in upcoming Blade Strangers

Nicalis and Studio Saizensen are teaming up to present a new fighting game for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

Blade Strangers is said to combine the dynamic and speed of games like Street Fighter and Guilty Gear with the simple inputs Super Smash Bros.

Developer Studio Saizensen is best known to fighting game fans for its work on SEGA's Blade Arcus from Shining, but the upcoming title will feature characters from its Code of Princess and Umihara Kawase (Yumi's Odd Odyssey) games. Blade Strangers will also feature Cave Story's Curly Brace, with more characters to be announced in the future.

There is currently no release date for the game, but readers can watch footage of the title pulled from Twitch's livestream after the jump.

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ELeague Injustice 2 World Championship coming fall 2017

During the Twitch E3 Pre Pre Show, Ed Boon, Turner Sports esports VP Christina Alejandre and Zhi joined DJ Wheat to announce the Injustice 2 ELeague World Championship.

The event will represent the culmination of the Injustice 2 Championship Series, which includes the Pro Series, Gamestop Injustice 2 Hometown Heroes, Injustice 2 Path to Pro and Injustice 2 Liga Latina tournaments. Sixteen players from those events and an open qualifier will compete for a prize pool worth $250,00. 

ELeague will again be broadcast both on TBS and online once the league starts with the open qualifier on October 21, 2017. Readers can check out the series' trailer after the jump.

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Dragon Ball FighterZ officially announced, first trailer released

During Microsoft's press conference ahead of E3 2017, the company unveiled the trailer for the new Bandai Namco fighting game being developed by Arc System Works.

The short trailer for Dragon Ball Fighterz shows off the game's beautiful animation, cinematic qualities and even some gameplay. It appears that the three-versus-three format of the title will alow for assists, as multiple characters crowd the screen during the footage. The game will also feature many of the franchise's key characters, including Cell, Majin Buu, Gohan, Goku, Frieza and Vegeta.

Readers can check out the trailer, courtesy of IGN, after the jump.

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Japan's Mastercup marks a decade on Nov. 25, 2017

The five-on-five Tekken tournament will celebrate its ninth event and a decade of 3-D action when it comes to Tokyo Big Sight's TFT Hall in late November.

Mastercup 9 will take place at the same location as the Tokyo qualifier for The King of Iron Fist 2015 and Toushinsai 2016, a new bigger venue than in previous years for Mastercup. 

Starting with 39 teams at its first event in 2007, Mastercup has grown with every tournament since its inception, bringing in 187 teams totalling 935 players for Mastercup 8 in 2015.

Readers can head to the official Mastercup website for more information on the event, or check out the action from Mastercup 8 after the jump.

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Arc System Works developing Dragon Ball fighter for 2018

Bandai Namco will release "Dragon Ball Fighters," a 2.5-D fighting game based on the property and developed by Arc System Works, in 2018.

This news comes from a Japanese press release that was seemingly shared ahead of its official date of June 12, 2017. According to Gematsu, the game will feature a three-versus-three team battle system and the high-speed combat that is a hallmark of the Dragon Ball series.

The choice of 2.5-D was made because "it has a broader range of expression as they can shift camera angles and incorporate a lot of unique production not possible in 2D [sic] alone." The game is currently scheduled for release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms.

Readers can view the archived press release at Gematsu.

Tekken 7 version 1.02 looks to improve online playing experience

Bandai Namco has prepared and is rolling out a patch designed to improve the online matchmaking for players of Tekken 7.

The company has posted the details of the patch online, which have been translated for Avoiding the Puddle by Flying Wonkey. The update includes "online matchmaking improvements;" removal of player identification such as rank, character, title and wins from the player found window; and a voice chat toggle. Also, the match list feature has been temporary disabled in online mode.

The update also includes a gameplay change to Nina's ivory cutter move, which is likely designed to remove the infinite she had on Kuma. 

The patch is currently available for download in Japan, Europe and Australia, with U.S. release soon. Xbox One and PC will be receiving the patch as well, but there is currently no timeframe for delivery.

Four more characters join the fight in Senko no Ronde 2

The official Senko no Ronde 2 website has been updated with profiles and trailers of four new pilots.

Each pilot and their partner has a dedicated page with story profiles and a gameplay trailer. The character pairings—Henri Xia Xiaotien/Mieze Merckx; Cuilan/Sakurako Sanjo; Shinobu Sanjo/Philomena Pasquini; and Luco Worfel/Itsuka Gotoh—each represent one of the game's four factions. 

Readers can check out each of the trailers after the jump and head over to the official Senko no Ronde 2 website for the complete profiles.

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Mask on: Red Hood coming to Injustice 2 on June 13

DC's Jason Todd will unleash his brand of justice on opponents when he releases for premium pack owners of Injustice 2 on June 13.

During the Injustice Watchtower stream, NetherRealm Studios Community Specialist Tyler Lansdown confirmed that players who have purchased the the Deluxe or Ultimate editions of Injustice 2, or the Ultimate or Fighter packs, will get access to Red Hood on June 13. Everyone else will have to wait an additional week.

As shown during the stream, Red Hood has moves including a mine, a throwing star, a special dive and of course gunshots. NRS also revealed that new characters are banned for 30 days after release.

Readers can check out the original Red Hood trailer after the jump.

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Dissidia Final Fantasy NT announced for PlayStation 4

The arcade version of Square Enix's arena fighting game will be coming home in early 2018.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will keep all the trimmings of its arcade counterpart, such as the three-versus-three battles, but will also include new story elements, single player modes and new characters such as Noctis. According to the SE live stream reveal, "NT" in the home version means "various things, including 'New Tale,' 'New Trial,' and 'New Tournament.'

The game was originally developed by Team Ninja for Japanese arcades and first released in November of 2015. It includes more than 20 playable characters from the history of Final Fantasy along with summons and familiar attacks.

While the home version isn't due until 2018, Square Enix has already stated that there will be no crossplay between the editions, and that the arcade version will continue to get updates first. Readers can check out the game's trailer after the jump.

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Pokkén Tournament DX coming to Nintendo Switch on Sept. 22

During a Pokémon Direct presentation on June 6, Nintendo officially announced Pokkén Tournament DX, a game that will be coming to the Switch on Sept. 22, 2017.

 Pokkén DX will include all the characters that have been added to the arcade version of the title—Croagunk, Scizor, Empoleon and Darkrai—along with new pokémon Decidueye.

The new version will also include 3v3 team battles as well as the normal ranked online play and friends-only matches. Pokkén Tournament DX will join ARMS and Splatoon 2 in Nintendo's E3 exhibitions taking place on June 14, 2017.

Readers can check out the new trailer, with some footage of Decidueye, after the jump.

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Super Desperation Radio episode 620 archive online

The latest episode of Super Desperation Radio is now available for watching on Team Spooky's YouTube channel.

SDR returned after a one-week break for Memorial Day in the U.S. to talk about Combo Breaker and were joined by Alex Jebailey. Jebailey talked about his upcoming Community Effort Orlando and CEOtaku events in 2017, CEO's move to Daytona in 2018, taking risks with new events and working all the time. He also mentioned Kenny Omega's return to CEO and talked about good Lebanese food.

Super Desperation Radio is live every Monday at 6:30 p.m. PDT on Team Spooky, and will be archived at the TS YouTube channel. Classic episodes can still be found on the IPLAYWINNER YouTube.

Injustice 2's June update brings fixes, hints at upcoming DLC

Injustice 2's June update delivered more than fans were expecting when it went live on June 5.

In addition to fixing many bugs throughout the game and tweaking a few aspects of one or two characters, the game also temporarily changed the character select screen to reveal the silhouettes of all the upcoming downloadable characters before being reverted to its original appearance.

While not all of the DLC fighters could be identified, two distinct head shapes seem to indicate the inclusion of both Black Manta and Raiden to the game and a tiny fighter who did not even fit the whole character portrait looks to be The Atom.

While Red Hood is not part of the June update, the official Injustice 2 Twitter account assures fans that more news is coming soon. Readers who want to speculate on the upcoming fighters can check out a screenshot of the altered character select after the jump.

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Anakin signs with StreamMe

One of the stars of U.S. Tekken has found a new home as Hoa "Anakin" Luu has joined StreamMe.

Anakin has been one of the strongest players in the United States for years, winning many major tournaments across several iterations of Bandai Namco's fighter and placing highly in many more. Most recently, he won Wizard World Philadelphia 2017 and is coming off a 2016 that saw him win both Combo Breaker and CEO.

Luu will join Carl "Perfect Legend" White in representing the broadcasting platform.

"Joining StreamMe's efforts to revolutionize the broadcasting community as their brand ambassador is an incredible opportunity," Luu said in a statement on StreamMe's website. "I'm looking forward to sharing StreamMe's platform with my followers and the fighting game community at large as I compete this season."

Files relating to possible DLC found in Tekken 7

Modders working with the PC version of Tekken 7 have found files that may reveal some of the game's upcoming downloadable content.

According to Avoiding the Puddle, sounds files for Tekken Bowl have been found along with other files that seem to indicate swimsuit, Idolmaster and school uniform costumes will be coming to the game. Furthermore, there are also files pertaining to T7's guest characters, but not much is able to be gleaned from them other than the fact that the first guest character has assets that indicate both ground and air projectiles along with the ability to use meter.

It is important to note, however, that these files guarantee nothing, as games often release with files relating to incomplete or scrapped ideas. On the other hand, readers can feel free to speculate on the content coming in the game's first two DLC packs during the summer and winter of 2017.

'Execution Woes' takes on micro-dashing

Guilty Gear player and commentator Samifish's ongoing journal dedicated to improving his own execution in fighting games has now added an entry on micro-dashes.

While simple in theory—a micro-dash is just a small dash used to make moves combo when they otherwise would not—micro-dashes can be a tough concept for players to understand and execute properly.

Much like in his first entry, Samifish breaks his problem with a micro-dash combo into pieces and describes the thought process by which he tackles each issue individually until he is successful.

Readers can check out the article at Medium.

Aris explains picking a character in Tekken 7

Avoiding the Puddle's Aris recently answered a question of who new players should play in Tekken 7 with some choice words.

Instead of focusing strictly on tiers or character strength, Aris said players should find a character they like and stick with it. He said that the hardest part of playing Tekken will be learning to compete with players of higher skill so players should find a fighter they connect with most.

Aris also noted that in short sets like tournaments all characters have a chance to win and that tier lists often represent success in long sets. Readers can check out Aris' short explanation after the jump.

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Seiken Densetsu characters join Million Arthur: Arcana Blood

Lise and Hawkeye from Square-Enix's Seiken Densetsu franchise, also known as Mana, will be making an appearance in the company's upcoming fighting game.

Announced in January 2017, Million Arthur: Arcana Blood is a 2-D fighter developed by Square-Enix featuring "Support Knight" cards that act as assists. It is currently being developed for Taito's NESiCAxLive 2 platform with a target release date of fall 2017. 

The characters Lise and Hawkeye appear from Seiken Densetsu 3, a game that has never been officially released outside Japan.

The official Seiken Densetsu Twitter account has posted a short clip of Lise, which readers can check out below.

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Rev 2 league brings online Guilty Gear to Europe starting June 13

With the release of Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, a European league looks to bring the strongest players in the continent together with online play.

MechaGS and Dr_McN1njer will present the competition, which features 96 players broken up into 16 groups. Two players will advance out of each group to form top 32, and all matches from top 16 matches on will be streamed. 

The league will run every Tuesday and Thursday starting on June 13 at 7 p.m. British Summer Time (12 p.m. PDT, 2 p.m. EDT) with streaming on MechaGS' Twitch channel. For more information, readers can message Dr_McN1njer on Twitter.