More Echo Fox cuts revealed as JDCR, Saint announce departure

The downsizing of Echo Fox is more broad than first thought, as the organization has also parted ways with its Tekken players Hyunjin "JDCR" Kim and Jinwoo "Saint" Choi.

In separate statements made on Twitter, JDCR and Saint both thanked Echo Fox for the almost two years they spent with the team.

In the time since Echo Fox signed the pair of players during early February 2017, JDCR and Saint have been a force in global competitive Tekken, winning or making a top-three placing at many events such as Evo and the Tekken World Tour finals.

In his statement, Saint said that he'll always remember being able to live his "pro-gamer dream" and that it has a been "a blessing I'll never forget."

South Korea's Green Arcade closes its doors

Core-A GamingOne of the top arcades for Tekken in South Korea is no more.

Green Game Land, known to many players simply as Green Arcade, has shuttered after several factors converged, causing the owner (known as "mom" to the patrons) to call it quits.

According to a post on the Tekken Reddit, the arcade's building was scheduled to be remodeled and thus the arcade would be closed for a time. Combined with the decreasing income due to the console and PC versions of Tekken 7 being more current than the arcade version, and the owner's advancing age, the decision was made to close the business for good.

Both Nin and Knee posted goodbyes to the arcade, with Knee saying that Korean arcades are ending.

For players outside South Korea, Green Arcade was a legendary location, where many of the best Tekken players regularly played and the level of competition was at its apex. The arcade even hosted the many trophies won by its players at events all around the world.

From this point on, however, the name Green Tekken will simply live on in Nin's social media handles.

Echo Fox announces realignment, releases teams, several FGC players

Citing a "strategic effort to best position our organization for the future," Echo Fox has dropped its Gears of War and Call of Duty teams as well as fighting game players Jivan "Theo" Karapetian, Victor "Punk" Woodley and Brad "Scar" Vaughn.

While the organization itself did not name the players, all three tweeted out their free agency, thanking Echo Fox for its support during their time with the team.

Scar had been a part of Echo Fox since the team's big-name aquisitions kicked off 2017, while Theo had spent almost a year and a half with the team and Punk just over six months.

Readers can check out the full statement about the situation from Echo Fox President Jared Jeffries on the organization's Twitter account.

New guide from YUYU teaches beginners the Tekken 7 basics

A new video from Core-A Gaming and UYU's YuYu has been released to help new players gain familiarity with Tekken 7, its systems and basic gameplay.

The tutorial, which runs roughly 17 and a half minutes, covers many basic concepts such the game's buttons and different heights of attack but also covers much deeper elements such as movement and punishment.

Readers can check out the video after the jump.

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Get on the mat: Bass, Tina and Mila join Dead or Alive 6

Three more returning fighters have been revealed as part of the cast of DOA6.

The pro wrestling father-daughter duo Bass and Tina Armstrong once again join the ranks of Dead or Alive, each bringing their unique wrestling styles to the character roster. They are joined by fellow combat sport participant Mila, who made her first appearance in DOA5 and uses mixed martial arts-inspired strikes and grappling.

Readers can check out the reveal trailer for all three characters after the jump. Dead or Alive 6 launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam on Feb. 15, 2019.

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Burning hatred: Inferno returns in Soul Calibur VI

The main villain of the Soul Calibur series returns as an unlockable boss in Soul Calibur VI.

Inferno fights with moves taken largely from Nightmare's arsenal in SCVI, but has some of his own unique attacks. According to Avoiding the Puddle,he is unlocked after beating the game's Chronicle of Souls mode. While usable in Versus Mode, Inferno is not playable in online matches.

Readers can check out Inferno's trailer after the jump. Soul Calibur VI releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on Oct. 19, 2018.

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Omen of Sorrow available for preorder on PS Store with discount

Omen of Sorrow, the horror-themed fighting coming to PlayStation 4 on November 6, 2018, is now available for preorder on the PlayStation Store with savings for those who buy the game ahead of its release date.

Omen of Sorrow will feature 12 characters based on "horror, myth and lore" and will feature online multiplayer powered by GGPO. The game will cost players $49.99 at release, but buyers can currently receive a 10 percent discount on the game if they preorder. In addition, those who have PlayStation Plus will get an additional 5 percent off, putting the game's cost at $42.49.

Regardless of whether players have PS Plus or not, all preordering users will receive an Omen of Sorrow theme for PS4.

ARIKA gives details on Steam, arcade versions of FEXL, future updates

In a post to the company's official Facebook page on Oct. 1, ARIKA's vice president Mihara Ichirou announced that the company is working on two new versions of Fighting EX Layer as well as an update for the PlayStation 4 iteration of the game.

The new versions will be the Steam and arcade ports of the game, with development made easier by the fact that the Taito arcade board and Steam use the same operating system. As there may be some tweaks to the Gougi system in those versions, the team has also undetaken preparing an update for the PS4 version of the game.

Mihara also said that although the PS4 version of the game has so far succeeded in the company's expectations, it was not a "jack-pot" and that ARIKA wants more success with the new versions of the game. While he noted that the PS4 release allowed them to release two extra characters at no cost, any future "development of any potential updates or new content is based on the sales of these upcoming versions." He further stated that given the costs, it will be impossible for the company to provide cross-play options for players when the new versions do release.

No possible release dates for the new versions of the game were made available at this time. Readers can check out ARIKA's Facebook page for the full statement.

Dead or Alive 6 coming to Japanese arcades

The newest iteration of Koei Tecmo's fighting game franchise will be coming to arcades, the company announced.

Dead or Alive 6 will be coming to arcades in Japan using the latest version of SEGA's ALL.Net system, but no details about a release date were revealed at this time.

Dead or Alive 6 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4, Steam and Xbox One on February 15, 2019.

Japanese mixed martial arts event to host Tekken 7 exhibition

Rizin Fighting Federation's fight card on Sept. 30, 2018, will feature three digital bouts between top Japanese and Korean Tekken players.

Rizin 13 will feature 12 normal MMA fights, but the seventh match (which doubles as the first intermission) will consist of three separate T7 matches: Chanel vs. Take, Qudans vs. Nobi and Knee vs. Noroma. 

This is not the first time Rizin has offered an event for Tekken players, holding a four-player tournament featuring Yuu, Nobi, Kari and Kagemaru as part of Rizin x Mastercup at the end of 2017.

In an Instagram post, Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara wondered whether this collaboration will be considered "revolutionary, or reckless" but also stated, "I do believe that there is a future in our sport with a collaboration with esports. Come join us in the experience that nobody in the world has never experienced."

Rizin 13 takes place on Sept. 30, 2018, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Readers interested in learning more about the event or watching Rizin 13 can head over to FITE.

Wrestling cruise to hold SFV tournament, winner battles Kenny Omega

An upcoming cruise event taking place at the end of October 2018 will offer attendees a chance to play against pro wrestling's Kenny Omega in Street Fighter V.

The Chris Jericho "Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager" will sail from Oct. 27-31 and feature pro wrestling, live music and comedy as it travels from Miami, Florida, to Nassau in the Bahamas. In addition, it will also be the site of the "Kenny Omega Invitational" Street Fighter V tournament, where players will compete for a chance to play New Japan Pro Wrestling's current IWGP champion in SFV.

Interested readers can check out the cruise's official website for more details on pricing, guests and entertainment.

Those hoping for an easier—and perhaps cheaper—shot at playing against Omega will have to hold out hope that his affiliation with Community Effort Orlando continues in 2019.

Back from the lab: NKI returns with a new video exploiting Super Turbo

One of the longtime U.S. combo and glitch video makers has returned from hiatus as NKI has released an eight-minute video detailing some of the weird hitboxes and other system pecularities of the game known in North America as Super Street Fighter II: Turbo.

NKI was one of a handful of players that helped resurrect ST in the early 2000s, compiling data from players all over the world and making videos breaking down theories about the different versions of the game.

NKI Volume XII never breaks the game's system, instead using macros, save states and an emulator to capture oddities that might only be found in a single frame of the game's action. As such, NKI has also compiled a transcipt of every situation in the video, explaining to viewers what exactly is happening and how those states were achieved.

Readers can check out the video below, and find all of NKI's previous videos on Preppy's website.

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Street Fighter V coming to Japanese arcades in 2019

Although the newest version of Street Fighter V is subtitled Arcade Edition, the game will only finally be making its debut in Japanese arcades next year.

Capcom released the information at the end of the Street Fighter V event at Tokyo Game Show 2018 with a short video, which not only showed off the game on a Taito Vewlix cabinet but also made sure to reveal that there will be USB ports for players to hook up their own pad or stick.

No more concrete information on the game's release is available at this time, but according to Eventhubs it will be based on the current console version and tests of the game will begin "the weekend of October 5th to October 7th in five locations — Taito Station Shinjuku South, Plaza Capcom Kichijouji, Nagoya Leisure Land, Sega Namba Avion Osaka and Round One Fukuoka."

With Japanese arcades getting the game, it would also stand to reason that the many Round One locations in the U.S. will be getting it as well, but for now nothing is assured.

Jump Force coming in February 2019, Yu Yu Hakusho joins the fight

More news about Bandai Namco's upcoming arena fighter has emerged during Tokyo Game Show 2018, including more characters coming to the battle and the game's release window.

Yu Yu Hakusho's protagonist Yusuke Urameshi and notable villain Toguro have been added to the roster, bringing the eighth Shonen Jump world into the game. In addition, four originals story characters—Director Glover, Navigator, Galena and Kane—, designed by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama have also been unveiled.

Jump Force will be coming home sometime in February 2019, and Bandai Namco detailed the North American special edition of the game, which will include a character diorama (featuring Luffy, Naruto and Goku) along with 3 art boards, a steelbook case and game. It will retail for $259.

Readers can check out the trailers for both the Yu YU Hakusho and recently revealed Hunter x Hunter characters below, as well as an additional vidoe for the original characters. Jump Force is schedule for release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

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Killua, Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter, Yugi Mutou join Jump Force

The roster of Jump Force is rapidly expanding as more characters and worlds join the fray.

Announced first on Sept. 14, Yugi Mutou of Yu-Gi-Oh! brings a whole new catalog of character possibilities as he fights with his Dark Magicians and Sky Dragon.

Meanwhile, the roster of Hunter x Hunter characters has expanded as Killua Zoldyck and Kurapika join the title.

Combined, Jump Force currently contains 18 playable characters and there is little doubt there will be many more to add to that list.

Jump Force is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC sometime in 2019.

Android 17 is the final season one Dragon Ball FighterZ character

The last DLC character in Dragon Ball FighterZ's first season of content has been revealed, and he was no surprise to most people following the game.

Android 17 was the last character that had been unearthed by datamining soon after the game's release but who had not been announced as DLC. He joins the cast in his Dragon Ball Super attire and brings his Barrier Explosion, End Game and Super Electric Strike attacks with him.

According to Ryokuta, Android 17 will be released at the end of September 2018 (presumably with Cooler) along with an update that will bring a new stage, Space Stadium, along with Halloween-themed lobby characters and stamps. Switch players will apparently have to wait until a later date to receive the new stage.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is currently available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC and releases for Nintendo Switch on Sept. 28, 2018, in North America.

En garde: Raphael joins Soul Calibur VI

The other character that accidentally debuted in late August, Raphael has been officially announced as part of the SCVI cast.

Raphael returns to Soul Calibur with his signature fencing style and much of his classic move set. His trailer shows off some new Brave Edge twists on classic moves as well as his Critical Edge.

Readers can check out Raphael's introductory video after the jump. Soul Calibur VI releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on Oct. 19, 2018.

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New Darkstalkers, Halloween costumes come to SFV on Sept. 25

Seven new costumes for Street Fighter V characters will be available to purchase at the end of September 2018.

STREET FIGHTER V FALL 2018 COSTUMES

First up are three new Darkstalkers skins that will join the group released in March 2018. This time around, Chun-Li becomes Morrigan, Ed becomes Dimitri and Menat gets her second outfit from the series in the form of Felicia. Each costume will cost players $3.99 separately, but Capcom is also offering all six Darkstalkers costumes together for the price of $14.99.

Additionally, the company is rolling out some of its annual Halloween costumes for SFV characters. This year, Abigail becomes a cyclops, Falke dresses as a shinigami, Guile gets zombified and Kolin dons the black apparel of a witch. As with the Darkstalkers costumes, each of these new costumes will cost players $3.99.

Her work is never done: Isabelle joins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The never-resting secretary of Animal Crossing is finally taking some much-deserved time off and entering the fray in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Announced during the Nintendo Direct on Sept. 13, Isabelle brings her cheery disposition and a host of unique attacks with her to Ultimate. Party poppers, a fishing rod, broom and even a bucket of water will help her clean up the competition.

Readers can check out Isabelle's trailer below. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 7, 2018.

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Arc System Works reveals more details about ArcRevo World Tour

Arc System Works has announced the guidelines of the ArcRevo World Tour, showing players how they can earn a spot at the ArcRevo World Finals in the U.S. in 2019.

These methods will affect all three games played during the world tour, including BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev2 and BlazBlue: Central Fiction.

The first way is straight forward: win one of the ArcRevo qualifiers. So far, 10 events—Evo, Frosty Faustings, CEO and Texas Showdown in the U.S.; Revolution, Brussels Challenge and Headstomper in Europe; ArcRevo Japan and Evo Japan; and South East Asia Major—have been named with Revolution on Sept. 28-30, 2018, being the first event on the tour.

The other ways is to earn points by placing in the top eight at ArcRevo qualifiers. At the end of the tour, the top point-earning player in each region—North and Latin America, Europe, Japan and Asia—will be invited to ArcRevo finals.

Between these two methods, 14 players will be invited, which leaves two spots undecided. It is currently unknown whether those last two spots are simply events that have not yet been announced, or if they will be determined in some other fashion.

For complete details of the tour's format, including the breakdown of points earned at each event, readers can check out the official Arc System Works website.