Super Desperation Radio Episode 403 Archive Online

The latest episode of Super Desperation Radio is now available for watching on IPLAYWINNER'S YouTube channel.

SDR looked to upcoming tournaments this week, talking both about the vague participation graph released for NorCal Regionals and speculating about where SoCal Regionals will end up taking place.

The NorCal versus SoCal UNIEL exhibition and the results of Arc Divide were also discussed, which lead into a conversation about the cost of tournament entry. The cast talked about free events as opposed to more traditional formats and what is best to help strengthen a scene.

Although Sanchez was absent from the show, Walkman read a prepared statement of his thoughts on Charlie in SF5, and the crew talked about other recent fighting game developments including the return of Clay Fighter.

Super Desperation Radio is live every Monday at 6:30 p.m. PST on Twitch and YouTube.

Tekken 7 Coming to Final Round 18

Mark "MarkMan" Julio has announced that Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray of Bandai Namco will be bringing the newest game in the Tekken series to Atlanta for Final Round.

Final Round has always been one of the biggest U.S. tournaments for the Tekken series, and this year's Final Round 18 will be the first chance for players in North America to play T7.

There is no information at this time as to whether this will be an updated version of the game currently being played in Japan, identical or something different altogether. Final Round 18 takes place March 20-22, 2015, in Atlanta.

Understanding the Tekken 7 Combo System by Avoiding the Puddle

Avoiding the Puddle's own Flying Wonkey has posted an explanation and breakdown of the changes that are coming to Tekken's combo system with its newest iteration. Wonkey explains, using videos and tweets from Japanese players, that the way most players perceived that combos would develop in the game—launcher, filler, new bound-type move, ender—actually can net players less damage than shorter, simple combos unless a wall or stage transition is present.

What this means for players is of course still being understood, but Wonkey posits that positioning and stage awareness may be more important than ever before in Tekken 7. And he is sure to point out that as T7 is still being updated all the time, these facts could change.

Japan Offering Rewards to TTT2 Players in Tekken 7

Avoiding the Puddle is reporting that the official Tekken Net website for Japan is now offering rewards to players who import their Tekken Tage Tournament 2 card data into the new site for Tekken 7. 

Players who import their data will have their TTT2 ranks transferred to the new game, be given 100,000 gold in Tekken 7 and also have any tournament-won titles added to their new T7 profile. They will also be given an exclusive lifebar customization featuring Tekken series stalwart Mokujin. The lifebars show the character and have a wooden theme.

Players have until March 17 to receive the awards by importing their data. There is no indication at this time as to whether this offer will be extended to other regions as they receive Tekken 7.

Super Desperation Radio Episode 402 Archive Online

The latest episode of Super Desperation Radio is now available for watching on IPLAYWINNER'S YouTube channel.

After a one-week holiday hiatus, Super Desperation Radio returned to cover a wealth of fighting game news. For starters, SDR talked about Winter Brawl and the several different blow-ups of the event, from trash talk on Twitter to getting swept in grudge matches.

Conversation then moved to the second Xrd location test and the unveiling of Tekken 7 in Japan, both of which will see a widespread release in March.

Lastly, the crew talked about Evo, the 2015 Capcom Pro Tour and increased payout structure. This lead into conversation about the game possibly being on PS4 for all events and the ever-rising costs of tournament play. With various barriers to entry coming hand-in-hand with bigger prize pools, what is next for fighting games? 

Super Desperation Radio is live every Monday at 6:30 p.m. PST on Twitch and YouTube.

Dream Cancel Cup Tournament Circuit Announced

Organizers at SNK-centric forum Dream Cancel have announced a tournament series designed to bring together the best players in their scene. The Dream Cancel Cup Tournament Circuit Series will involve certified events across the U.S., giving players ranking points that will earn them invitations to the first Dream Cancel Cup, taking place at Winter Showdown 3 in Colordao in 2016.

All events including the final will be open entry, but ranking points will determine which players earn "invitations" to the Dream Cancel Cup, a tournament featuring King of Fighters XIII, King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition and King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match. It is not known at this time if the invitations will grant any special benefits to the players.

In addition to normal certified tournaments, there will also be other ways for players to earn ranking points in the tournament series, including online events and even local tournaments that have been verified by Dream Cancel staff. For more details on the tournament series, head over to Dream Cancel. 

New KI Trailer Shows the Power of Aganos, Debuts New Character

Microsoft Studios and Iron Galaxy have released the debut trailer for Aganos, showcasing what the golem can do. A being constructed of rock, vines and armor, Aganos can turn into a boulder, summon walls of rock from the ground and seems to have armor on some if not all of his attacks.

Aganos. will release on Feb. 27 for owners of the Ultra Edition, while those with the Combo Breaker edition of Killer Instinct will have to wait until March 5.

However, Aganos was not the only character making an appearance in this new trailer. At the very end, a ghostly figure holding a bladed staff shambles in front of the camera before revealing a visage that contains eyes with no pupils and a mouth full of dagger-like teeth.

There is no other information on the character, but Microsoft Community Manager Mike Robles said she will be shown for the first time at PAX East, which takes place March 6-8, 2015.

Hit the jump for the trailer.

Click to read more ...

KOF's Yagami Teams Joins Metal Slug Defense

Metal Slug Defense is adding another set of King of Fighters characters to its roster. Continuing the celebration of KOF's 20th anniversary and promoting Defense's 20 million downloads, Iori Yagami and his team from KOF '96 are joining the battle.

The Yagami Team—Iori Yagami, Vice and Mature—is downloadable content and will cost users $4.27. The team is available now as part of the game's most recent update.

These characters join KOF's original Japan Team, who were also recently added to MSD.

First Pictures of Tekken 7 Boss Kazumi Online

Kazumi Mishima is making her first appearance in the Tekken series of games, but not her first appearance in the lore: she appeared in the Tekken animated movie (although unnamed in the film) and her name has appeared in one of Tekken 2's stages.

The mother of Kazuya Mishima, it becomes clear that she is the reason that both Kazuya and Jin have devil forms once players arrive to fight her as the last boss of Tekken 7.

Avoiding the Puddle has some of the first screenshots of Kazumi's devil form, complete with a white face, horns and wings that appear to be made of fire. It remains to be seen if Devil Kazumi will be a playable character in Tekken 7.

Capcom Details Pro Tour 2015, $500,000 in Prizes

Capcom has released details for this year's Pro Tour, and both the event and the prizes have gotten bigger.

The number of premier events for the year has increased to 16, with three regions—North America, Europe and Asia—all receiving four tournaments while four more Wild Card spots will try to round out global presence. In addition, the number of players at Capcom Cup will be increasing to 32 players for 2015, with the top 15 competitors on the point leaderboard invited as well as the winners of the premier events.

Most significantly, however, is the increase in the prize pool for the Capcom Pro Tour 2015. Half a million dollars will be at stake throughout the year, with $50,000 added to Evolution 2015 and $250,000 added to Capcom Cup.

For a list of the Capcom Premier Events, as well as the prize breakdowns for each tournament, hit the jump.

Click to read more ...

Guilty Gear Xrd 1.1 Second Location Test Changes Released

Arc System Works has released the list of changes it is implementing during the second location test of Guilty Gear Xrd version 1.1, happening Feb. 14-15 in Japan. 

The pdf contains both system changes as well as changes for every character in the Xrd cast. Changes new to the second location test have been highlighted in yellow or have added red text, while it seems that changes which have been reverted to their original properties have been struck out.

The document is again in Japanese, so players may have to find a secondary means of translation. And as this is a location test, none of these changes are final.

KOF's Japan Team Joins Metal Slug Defense

While Metal Slug Defense already features appearances by King of Fighters mainstays Ralf Jones, Clark Still and Leona Heidern, SNK Playmore is adding three more KOF characters to the game's roster.

In honor of KOF's 20th anniversary, the original Japan Team—Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon—has been added to the game as downloadable content. 

The Japan Team will cost users $4.99 and is available now as part of the game's most recent update.

CEO to Present "All Anime" Tournament in October 2015

Alex Jebailey is looking to make the dreams of AnimEVO a reality in October as he throws a tournament dedicated to all games that fall under the umbrella of "anime." Taking place in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 17-18, the event will offer nine titles:

• Guilty Gear Xrd
• Blazblue Chronophantasma 2.0
• Persona 4 Arena Ultimax 2.0
• Under Night In-Birth 
• Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX
• Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX
• Skullgirls
• Melty Blood
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R
  

Jebailey also said that more titles may be added in the future, and that the six games with the most entrants will have finals on Sunday with the remaining titles finishing on Saturday evening. For more information on the event, head over to the CEO website or directly message Jebailey on Twitter.

Super Desperation Radio Episode 401 Archive Online

The latest episode of Super Desperation Radio is now available for watching on IPLAYWINNER'S YouTube channel.

SDR started its fourth season talking about the recent Guilty Gear Xrd location test of version 1.1. Along with special guest Honzo Gonzo, the cast talked about both individual character changes and their opinions on system changes that have been implemented in this update.

The conversation then moved to NorCal Regionals, which recently opened registration for the event happening on April 3-5, 2015. With such a small list of "official" games, NCR generated conversation about what makes a main-stage game for tournaments.

Lastly, SDR briefly talked about the possibility of microtransactions in Mortal Kombat X, and what that could mean, until the topic ballooned into Walkman lamenting the downfall of video games in general.

Super Desperation Radio is live every Monday at 6:30 p.m. PST on Twitch and YouTube.

AnimEVO Apparel Now Available

A long-running joke in parts of the fighting game community, the idea of an airdasher-only tournament series named AnimEVO now has its own line of clothing.

Based on an image originally created by Kurushii, the AnimEVO logo can be added to shirts and hoodies at Spreadshirt. There is also one shirt dedicated to those who love Melty Blood.

The man behind this venture, Fatacon, has said that he will make no profit off the clothes but just asks "that you wear it at EVO!"

Guilty Gear Xrd Ky Kiske Tutorial by Shinobi!

Alabama's Shinobi! has uploaded a basic guide to playing Ky in Guilty Gear Xrd. Shinobi, who placed top 8 at Frosty Faustings VII, takes time to cover each part of the character, from talking about the use of special moves to going into more detail about neutral and wake-up setups.

The video runs about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and contains timestamps for each of the different parts of the tutorial.

Hit the jump for the video.

Click to read more ...

Guilty Gear Xrd 1.1 Changes Revealed

Arc System Works has released the list of changes it is implementing during the location test of Guilty Gear Xrd version 1.1, happening Feb. 4-5 in Japan. 

The pdf contains both system changes as well as changes for every character in the Xrd cast. That includes the formerly console-only characters Sin Kiske, Elphelt Valentine and Leo Whitefang.

The document is in Japanese, so many players will have to wait for others to translate the document or attempt to decipher the changes through automated means. And as this is a location test, none of these changes are final.

UPDATE: Shoryuken has posted a translation of the change list.

Super Desperation Radio Episode 346 Archive Online

The latest episode of Super Desperation Radio is now available for watching on IPLAYWINNER'S YouTube channel.

SDR focused on Super Smash Bros., talking about Apex 2015 and the unique circumstances surrounding the event and venue. The crew also took time to talk about the Smash scene and how it has developed over the years, as well as talking about the various money matches that occurred during Apex.

There was also talk about the new character announcements for Mortal Kombat X, and how the game has taken to including character-specific intros. This segued into a conversation about the lore in fighters and how games have changed in regards to acknowledging their own stories.

Super Desperation Radio is live every Monday at 6:30 p.m. PST on Twitch and YouTube.

KOF 2002 UM for Steam Releases Feb. 27, Pre-Purchase Discount

After several months of delay, the King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match is finally releasing on steam. According to the Steam website, KOF 2002 UM will be releasing on Feb. 27, 2015. This comes after the game was originally scheduled for a December 2014 release.

For those who purchase the game before release, a 20 percent discount is being offered. Normally buying KOF 2002 UM would cost $14.99, but for now the game will cost $11.99.

Saber, Others Join the Cast of Nitroplus Blasterz

Four new characters will be making appearances in Examu's upcoming game based on Nitroplus properties. Both Saber from Fate/Zero and Ethica Kibanohara from Tokyo Necro will be making an appearance as playable characters, while Super Sonico and Akane Tsunemori from Psycho Pass will be featured as assist characters.

Nitroplus Blasterz will give players control of one main character and two partner characters that will act as assists. The game is currently in development for arcade release in Japan in 2015.