King of Fighters XIV celebrates spring with Kula sundress on April 12

First announced at the end of the King of Fighters World Championship in February, Kula's sundress costume will be available for purchase on April 12, 2017.

SNK has released a short trailer for the outfit, so players can see it in action. 

Although no price has been announced for the DLC at this time, if SNK follows its current pattern of costume prices it will likely cost consumers $2.99. Readers can check out the trailer after the jump.

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Misfits add Angelic to roster of players

Armando "Angelic" Mejia has been added to Misfits as both a player and organizer.

Known most for his play in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mejia has twice gotten third place at Evolution—2013 and 2016—with many other high placings to his credit. He joins as the first traditional fighting game player on Misfits, which has players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Smash Bros. and more.

In a comment to ESPN Esports, Mejia said that in the past he was unable to reach his full potential as a player, but now "will show the world how dominant I can be in Marvel vs Capcom and bring my gameplay across the globe." He is also excited to team with Misfits in running events for the FGC.

Mejia has confirmed attendance at several major upcoming tournaments thanks to his new team.

Injustice 2 spotlights villians with Captain Cold, "Alliances" trailers

NetherRealm Studios and WB Games have delivered fans a new gameplay trailer for Captain Cold and another piece in the plot of Injustice 2.

A newcomer to Injustice, Captain Cold handles a freezing gun that offers him abilities to freeze his opponents or the ground like Sub-Zero. However, that is where the similarities end as Cold can also create walls and platforms, drop icicles from the sky and even create a cold field in the middle of the stage.

Meanwhile, "Shattered Alliances Part 4" delves more into the plot of the Society, as Gorilla Grodd and his associates seek to take over after the fall of the regime.

Both trailers can be found after the jump.

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Patch notes released for King of Fighters XIV version 2.0

In anticipation of the new patch being released on April 5, 2017, SNK has published the patch notes for version 2.0 of King of Fighters XIV.

The 24-page document includes changes for every character in the cast, including the introduction of different stamina values. Not all fighters received the same amount of tweaks, but weaker ones like Chang and Tung Fu Rue received numerous buffs while stronger characters like Leona and Kula received nerfs.

There are also several overall system changes to the game including normalization of character speed after Max Mode activation and alterations to when characters are throwable.

For the full list of changes, players can head over to the SNK website.

Burst League circuit announced to support King of Fighters XIV, Guilty Gear Xrd and BlazBlue communities

A collaboration between tournament website Smashgg and organizers across the United States has lead to the creation of the Burst League, a system ranking and rewarding top players across three games.

Starting retroactively with Frosty Fausting IX in January 2017, Burst League will track the top placings of Guilty Gear Xrd, BlazBlue Central Fiction and King of Fighters XIV and award them points. The point leader in each of the three games after East Coast Throwdown will be given a free trip with housing to CEOtaku 2017 in Orlando, Florida.

The ultimate goal behind the Burst League is the creation of an Anime FGC Invitational, which will take place sometime in 2017. 

For a full list of Burst League events and the point breakdown, readers can head over to Reddit. Those with questions about the league or who would like an event added to the league can contact Burst League or BearUNLV on Twitter.

Killer Instinct's Kilgore now available for purchase

The prototype robot with guns for arms is once again available to all owners of Killer Instinct.

Previously only available to those who made a $10 donation to the KI Community Fund, Kilgore's exclusivity period has ended and he can now be purchased separately for $4.99.

According to Iron Galaxy, the Community Fund was a huge success, raising $56,000 for future KI tournaments.

Those interested readers who still haven't unlocked Kilgore can check out the IG developer walkthrough after the jump to get more information on the fighter, or head over to Microsoft's marketplace to make a purchase.

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Super Desperation Radio episode 613 archive online

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

Grant and Pablo from Matcherino joined SDR to talk about the company and its crowdfunding opportunities. The two explained how the service works and how they view the company's ability to help fighting games.

The crew also talked about KOF XIV's upcoming DLC, Wrestlemania 33, Orochinagi closing down, Arika's new fighting game and ELeague.

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.

Catwoman gameplay trailer released, Injustice Watchtower to feature Flash, Bane and Captain Cold on April 5

NetherRealm Studios has revealed a standalone gameplay trailer for Catwoman, and looks to follow it up with more new information within the week.

Players already knew Catwoman was returning in Injustice 2, but her new trailer confirms that many of her moves from the original game remain intact. What is new, however, is her trait that now summons a helper cat to aid her in battle.

In other news, Ed Boon tweeted a preview of the April 5 NRS Watchtower stream, obviously hinting that the company would be revealing more about Bane, Captain Cold and the Flash.

Players can check out the Catwoman trailer after the jump. Injustice 2 releases on May 16, 2017.

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April Fools? New Arika trailer may not be a joke

[Update]: Kazunoko joined Arika in showing off the game, which is not yet named, at the company's event. The project is currently without sufficient funding and Arika is deciding whether it should try to finance the title through crowdfunding or find a publisher with the help of fan petition. Footage of the event can be found after the jump.

The original story follows below.

A new trailer from Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer developer Arika appeared to be a simple April Fools' Day joke, but there may be more reality to the project than first thought.

According to translation of a tweet from Arika vice president Ichirou Mihara, the game itself is real but the fact that the company hid all evidence of its creation was the joke. There is also an event scheduled by Arika for April 1 in which 30 individuals will be able to compete against Kazunoko in the game shown in the trailer.

All this information would seem to indicate a new game from the company, but nothing has been confirmed at this point. IPLAYWINNER will have more on this story as it develops. For now, players can check out Arika's teaser after the jump.

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Mad Catz files bankruptcy, closes its doors

Longtime peripheral maker Mad Catz has gone out of business amid financial woes.

According to Reuters, the company has filed chapter 7 bankruptcy, which means that MCZ will shutter and begin to liquidate its assets to pay creditors.

Mad Catz has been in financial trouble since its deal to co-publish Rock Band 4 and design the instruments as a means of stabilizing the company failed. The company incurred heavy layoffs in early 2016, and stock prices sharply dropped in January 2017.

The company was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange on March 23, 2017.

PC titles discounted as part of "Anime Weekend Sale"

Steam's third annual "Anime Weekend Sale" is offering deals on many fighting games and other titles through April 3, 2017.

Discounts range widely from game to game, but titles such as Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- are available for 30 percent off the retail price while older or more niche titles like Arcana Heart 3 Love Max!!!!! or Koihime Enbu offer greater discounts.

Interested players can check out the Steam landing page for all of the offers.

"It's Good to be Bad" as Scarecrow debuts for Injustice 2

The new Injustice 2 trailer has revealed Scarecrow as the latest addition to the game, while providing another look at Gorilla Grodd, Bane and Captain Cold.

Thw two-minute trailer doesn't provide a lot of gameplay footage, which is probably being reserved for NetherRealm character breakdown streams, but does show off the more cinematic aspects of each fighter including the super moves of Cold and Scarecrow.

Readers can check out the trailer after the jump. Injustice 2 arrives May 16, 2017.

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New update to accompany DLC characters for King of Fighters XIV

Four new potential characters is not all that April 5 will provide for King of Fighters players, as SNK's Twitter has also described a new update that will join Rock, Yamazaki, Whip and Vanessa.

Not only will the update include two new stages shown in the DLC trailers—Transcontinental Railroad and City Circuit—and new music, but also coming are balance changes and other improvements. 

There is no list of fixes or fighter tweaks at this time, but according to translations from Madman's Cafe the character changelog will be "quite a volume" and Free Match lobby searching will be improved. The update will also include recording and playback options for reversals in Training Mode.

Rock Howard smashes his way into King of Fighters XIV

The son of Geese Howard will make his first appearance in a main line KOF game as the fourth DLC fighter coming to KOF XIV.

Rock retains many of the moves players may remember from games like Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Capcom vs. SNK 2, but also seems to have new wrinkles in his game plan. Also coming to KOF XIV is the train stage seen in Fatal Fury 2 and Mark of the Wolves.

Rock will be available along with Whip, Yamazaki and Vanessa on April 5, 2017. Players can check out the trailer for Rock after the jump.

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BlazBlue Central Fiction discounted as part of PlayStation Plus

The digital versions of the most recent entry in the BlazBlue franchise are currently on sale for half of their original price.

Until April 3, PlayStation Plus users can pick up the PS3 and 4 versions of BBCF for just $24.99 and $29.99, respectively.

Central Fiction will be part of Evolution 2017 and Arc System Works recently announced a $10,000 pot bonus for it Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 at the event.

This is a great time to buy for any player who has been on the fence about picking up the title, or who was just waiting for a good sale to come along before purchasing.

Yasuyuki Oda discusses the history of Real Bout Fatal Fury

In honor of the release of Fatal Fury: Battle Archives vol. 2 for PlayStation 4 on March 27, 2017, SNK has collaborated with the PlayStation Blog to reveal interesting tidbits on the history of the titles.

In a small article, King of Fighters XIV director Yasuyuki Oda, who also served on the Real Bout games, talks about some of the weird history of the games. From a debug command remaining in Real Bout Fatal Fury to having to recall Real Bout Special due to Billy's jumping A having no hitbox, there are several eye-opening anecdotes that serve as a look inside the development of the series.

Fatal Fury: Battle Archives vol. 2 collects Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury and will be available on the PlayStation Store for $14.99.

Super Desperation Radio episode 612 archive online

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

It was a KOF-centric show as the cast talked about the Vanessa reveal and a possible leak for a fourth DLC character in King of Fighters XIV. The cast also discussed scene gatekeeping and how attitudes in the scene can affect a game's growth.

SDR also mentioned details on the console version of Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 and answered questions from the audience.

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.

Arc System Works unveils console features of Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2

The makers of Guilty Gear have released an outline of what players can expect when Rev 2 comes home in May 2017.

Starting with the game's story, Rev 2 will feature a recap of the previous events in Xrd so that new players can feel at home in the world of Guilty Gear. There will also be a free story update after the game has launched.

Online will also see changes, as Ranked games can now be rematched and competitors will be able to spectate Player matches already in progress. The lobby has also been visually updated for Rev 2.

Lastly, the game will feature a mode select that will allow players to switch between -Revelator- and Rev 2.

Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 comes home for PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles on May 26, 2017. Physical PS4 copies will come bundled with the Rev 2 soundtrack.

Capcom details update to Street Fighter V online, offers free PC beta

Capcom has heard the various complaints about Street Fighter V's online and offline experience and is readying an update in hopes of fixing many of the problems.

In a post on Capcom-Unity, the company has outlined a new update that will address many issues players have had with SFV since the game's release. Among the fixes will be a better friend management system, better stat-tracking, decreased loading times for Ranked and Casual matches, more improvements to the Rage Quit Penalty System and county/league-based rankings. A big offline change will be that Training Mode now saves user settings when they exit the mode.

These features will all be tested in an upcoming PC-only beta happening from March 28-April 3, 2017, and will also include the Season 2 balance changes. The beta will be free for new and existing PC users, with new CFN data created and then deleted at the end of the trial. Players can check out Capcom-Unity for the full list of updates.

"Shattered Alliances Part 3" marks the return of Black Adam

The third in a series of story trailers leading up to the release of Injustice 2 has revealed Black Adam as another playable character in the fighter.

While mostly focusing on the unfolding narrative of Injustice 2, the video does show a new stage for Black Adam along with a couple as-yet-unseen stage transitions.

Injustice 2 releases May 16, 2017. Readers can check out the trailer after the jump.

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