AnimEvo opens site, registration for 2017

AnimEvo has opened an official site for its series of tournaments at Evolution 2017, complete with rules and links for those interested in participating.

The site offers embedded links to the AnimEvo registration on Smashgg and the volunteer document, as well as providing tournament rules for all 16 titles currently part of the roster.

For any information not included on the site or other questions, players can message AnimEvo on Twitter. AnimEvo takes place on July 14-15, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Leaked MvCI roster has 28 characters, leaves questions

A recent post on NeoGaf purports to reveal the entire base cast of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, only days ahead of what is surely to be a big week for Capcom at E3 2017.

The revealed sides are Ant-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Gamorra, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Nova, Rocket/Groot, Spider-Man, Thanos, Thor and Ultron for Marvel and Arthur, Chris, Chun-Li, Dante, Firebrand, Jedah, Monster Hunter, Morrigan, Nemesis, Ryu, Spencer, Strider Hiryu and X for Capcom. There is also one more unknown character for Capcom, and the list doesn't count Sigma as he is the game's first DLC character.

The list is interesting not only because of its size, which is more in line with the company's Tatsunoko vs. Capcom offering than Marvel vs. Capcom 2 or 3, but also because of some surprising inclusions. Nemesis returns from MvC3 over Jill and Wesker, both Arthur and Firebrand make a comeback and Monster Hunter will receive its first representative. 

It also throws possible leaks from the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite variant covers into disarray, as characters such as Deadpool, Black Panther are nowhere to be found. Venom, meanwhile, is at least planned for DLC.

As with all leaks, nothing is confirmed for now, but hopefully Capcom will put all the rumors to rest at E3.

'Execution Woes' explores Guilty Gear's jump install mechanic

Guilty Gear player and commentator Sami "Samifish" Nash has started a new journal chronicling his attempts to get better at combos and advanced techniques in Xrd.

Traditionally a Ky player, Nash realized that he had never needed to learn how to properly perform a jump install, and discusses his thought and playing process while trying to complete one of Chipp's trials. Nash first defines what a jump install is—with the help of Dustloop—and then breaks the whole sequence down into pieces that it was easier for him to later put together in the full combo.

Nash's take is an interesting read for players new to Guilty Gear or just those wondering how other competitors look at system mechanics. Readers can find it on Medium.

Bronson Tran shares his thoughts on new characters to Tekken 7

A new video from Yahoo Esports offers a look at how one veteran player ranks all the brand-new additions to the character roster in Tekken 7.

Northern California's Bronson Tran is a player who is never short on words or opinions, even going to far as to commentate some of his own matches during the Tekken 7 tournament at NorCal Regionals 2017. 

In 13 minutes of footage from Yahoo, Bronson gives very short and concise opinions about most of the new characters coming to Tekken 7, pointing out their various faults or deficiencies. While he seems to not think many of them are very strong, he finds one or two worth suggesting to players looking for a new challenger in the Bandai Namco title.

Readers can check out the video after the jump.

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New videos show Sajam's "recipe" for learning Injustice 2

One of the stars of Cross Counter's newest show, "The Recipe," has created tutorials to help players better understand a competitive approach to the newest DC Comics fighting game.

Stephen "Sajam" Lyon has uploaded four videos in which he shows viewers how to identify basic strengths for any character in Injustice 2. Lyons discusses normals, combo strings and special moves, even stopping to cover command throws. The videos all run 10-15 minutes and feature Dr. Fate, Deadshot, Firestorm and Scarecrow.

Readers can check out the playlist after the jump.

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Street Fighter V update brings Ed, new CFN, balance changes May 30

After a monthlong delay, Street Fighter V's Season 2 balance changes will be joining Ed and the updated Capcom Fighters Network when they all release at the end of May.

Capcom originally announced the balance changes and CFN update separately, but later revealed that both were tied together along with the season's third additional character when the company delayed the Season 2 changes. Once Ed was revealed, he became part of a second test of the new CFN in early May.

Capcom also said that unrevealed content will be joining the update on May 30, and that more information about it will be available in the coming days. 

Xrd exhibition league reinvented as "Tension Pulse" for Rev 2

The former "Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League" returns for Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 with a new name and a slightly different staff.

Starting on June 1, 2017, "Tension Pulse" will pit North American Xrd players against one another in online matches organized by Silva and zenzen. The events will still mostly be contested on the Steam version of Rev 2, but according to Silva some "exceptions might happen."

The first two matches for the reinvented league involve some mystery, as TSB|Blaze takes on an unrevealed Baiken player and Lord Knight challenges an unknown Answer. 

More information on the first sets will be available "later this week." Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 comes home to PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles on May 26, 2017. The Steam version follows on June 1. 

Super Desperation Radio episode 619 archive online

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

Tournament season is in full swing and SDR spent plenty of time talking about Evo Japan's Sai event and the many other tournaments that happened. Focus was put on KOF XIV competitions and the ongoing beta of Steam's edition of the game.

The cast also discussed the possible leak of Marvel characters in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the console characters in Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] and SEGA's news that it will be reviving some of its old franchises.

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.

Tekken 7 console characters coming to Fated Retribution this summer

The characters being added to the console version of Tekken 7 will also be included in an update for arcades.

At the end of EVO Japan's Sai tournament, Bandai Namco announced that Miguel, Lee, Kuma, Panda, Eddy and Eliza will all join the regular cast of Tekken 7: Fated Retribution in an update sometime in summer 2017.

This is welcome news after the arcade version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 never received the characters and stages that were added to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

Readers can check out the announcement, via Flying Wonkey, after the jump.

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Windjammers closed beta coming to PlayStation 4 on June 8

Data East's classic disc-throwing arcade sports title is coming to PlayStation 4, and players can sign up now for a chance to participate in the game's closed beta test.

Windjammers was first announced as a port to PS4 from developer DotEmu back in December 2016, and from June 8-12, 2017, the game will have a closed beta to test its online play and other features. Interested players can register on the game's official website in hopes of being selected.

For more information on the game and its upcoming beta, readers can check out the video featuring Windjammers champion Keikun and WWE's Austin Creed after the jump.

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King of Fighters XIV coming to Steam on June 15

The King of Fighters XIV will be coming to Steam on June 15, 2017, according to the game's listing on the platform.

This comes shortly after the game's Steam version was announced during a presentation in China on May 9.

Preorders for the title are currently eligible for a 20 percent discount, either for the standard version or a bundle including all the DLC characters. Those who preorder will also gain access to the game's closed beta test, which is currently ongoing.

Senko no Ronde 2 launches into battle on Sept. 7, 2017

The sequel to G.rev's fighter and shmup mash-up is coming to PlayStation 4 and Steam early in September.

The game has launched its official website, which offers more information on the game's story, profiles for the game's four revealed characters and details about upcoming events featuring SnR2. The site also includes specs on the upcoming PS4 version of the game, which will be available in standard, limited and digital versions on release.

Readers can check out some of the first in-game footage in the trailer after the jump. Other footage can be found on the character profile pages.

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Sajam, Tasty Steve to bring players 'The Recipe' on Cross Counter TV

During Wednesday Night Fights on May 17, Sajam and Tasty Steve announced their new show on Cross Counter TV: The Recipe.

Using the same format as Excellent Adventures featuring Gootecks and Mike Ross, the two Steves will venture into online play in games such as Guilty Gear Xrd, Killer Instinct, Injustice 2, the upcoming Tekken 7 and more. They will also open the couch up to guest appearances. 

The first four episodes of the show—featuring Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- and Killer Instinct—are currently available on Cross Counter now, and new episodes will be added every Thursday.

ARMS Direct details upcoming beta, free updates after release

Nintendo's ARMS presentation on May 17 not only included new characters, but also more details about the game before and after its release.

Before its release on June 16, 2017, ARMS will have two weekends where it will undergo a public beta test. Much in the vein of Splatoon's Global Testfire dates, ARMS Global Testpunch will take place on May 26-28 and June 2-4 in North America and allow players to both demo the game and check connection quality with other players.

And while the Testpunch will happen before ARMS is released, once the game comes out Nintendo has announced that the company will be adding stages, characters and arms all as free updates for players.

To get all the new information in video form, readers can check out Nintendo's presentation after the jump.

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Upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite variants reveal new characters?

A press release touting variant covers of Marvel comics may reveal some characters coming to the upcoming Versus title.

The covers will release in August as part of the company's push for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, and the 20 books receiving variants are revealing. While many of the titles are team-based books such as Avengers, Champions and Defenders which have any number of possible inclusions, solo comics like "Venom," "Black Panther" and "Thanos" seem definitive. Even "Spider-Man/Deadpool" looks to be more than a hint as to another character that will eventually be playable in MvCI.

While nothing is guaranteed, this hypothesis is further backed up by the variants going to other titles—"Hawkeye," "I Am Groot," "Rocket" and "The Mighty Captain Marvel"—dedicated to characters that have already been confirmed for the game. For now, however, this is merely speculation.

Three new characters leak ahead of ARMS Direct

Just hours before the ARMS Direct presentation by Nintendo on May 17, 2017, a leaked trailer and images revealed three new characters and a team versus mode.

The three new characters are Byte & Barq, Twintelle and Kid Cobra. Byte & Barq is a combination robot policeman and dog, which acts randomly as a third arm; Twintelle uses her hair to fight; and as his name implies Kid Cobra seems to slither like a serpent.

Also revealed was the game's 2v2 mode, in which players are tethered to one another as they fight in the arenas.

Readers can expect more on the characters, modes and more when Nintendo officially reveals the information. ARMS is scheduled for release on June 16, 2017. 

Erika Wagner is another console addition to the playable UNIST cast

There are now two new characters confirmed for the Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] console release.

Images from the new issue of Famitsu have confirmed that Erika Wagner will join Enkidu when the game makes its console debut on PlayStation 3, 4 and Vita on July 20, 2017. The pictures include screens of the character in-game.

According the Under Night wiki, Wagner fights with a sword and the ability to control fire.

The existence of a second console-exclusive character in UNIST was first uncovered in April, when an Amazon Japan product listing included the information.

[update 1:13 p.m. CDT] An earlier version of this story said the magazine was unidentified. IPLAYWINNER has since received confirmation the magazine is Famitsu.

"Road to King of Iron Fist" goes inside 2016's Tekken Tour, debuts May 16

A new documentary filmed during Bandai Namco's Tekken Tour will bring a closer look at the competitive side of Tekken to viewers on May 16.

"Road to King of Iron Fist" shows the journey of Tekken 7 players throughout months of competition leading up to and including the King of Iron Fist 2016 world finals in Tokyo, Japan.

The film was directed and produced by Esteban "The Besteban" Martinez in conjunction with Bandai Namco. According to Martinez, the documentary focuses on the "FGC-event side of the Tekken tour" and is "a great intro for non-Tekken fans."

"Road to King of Iron Fist" will debut on the official Tekken Twitch channel at 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) on May 16, 2017. The film will also be available to Amazon Prime users in the future.

Super Desperation Radio episode 618 archive online

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

BearUNLV joined the show to talk about his work at Smashgg along with his history in the fighting game community. From the Curleh Circuit to Burst League, Bear talked about how Smashgg is helping to give games a higher profile in the FGC and also making the tournament experience easier for players and organizers.

The show also discussed Fable's signing of Kizzie Kay, the upcoming releases of Injustice 2 and Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 and King of Fighters XIV coming to Steam.

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.

AnimEvo adds Hokuto no Ken to its 2017 lineup

AnimEvo has added legendary Arc System Works fighter Hokuto no Ken to its 2017 roster.

The game, which has become known for Toki instant kills and basketball combos, will be played using the arcade version of the game. 

HnK is the 16th game that will be run at AnimEvo at Evolution 2017 on July 14-16, 2017. It will be joining Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Ignition, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code, Gundam Extreme Vs Full Boost, Vampire Savior, Nitroplus Blasterz, Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe, Aquapazza, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Arcana Heart 3: Love Max!!!!!, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Koihime Enbu, Yatagarasu and Catherine.

For a recent look at Hokuto no Ken, readers can check out MajinObama's journal from Japan's 2017 HnK national championships.