P4A2 Margaret Impressions by Lord Knight

The last DLC character for the Japanese Persona 4 The Ultimax: Ultra Suplex Hold—to be released as Persona 4 Arena Ultimax in the U.S.—has released and Lord Knight has taken some time to break down Maragret according to her various normals and gameplay options.

LK points out important normal and special moves that may define Margaret's air and ground game, even giving a quick overview of his thoughts on the character. He also provides a link to a gatling chart for the character.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax launches in the U.S. on Sept. 30.

Arcana Heart 3: Love Max!!!!! Lacks Cross-Region Online Play

Bad news for U.S. gamers who hoped to be able to test their skills against Japanese players in AH3LM: the recently released U.S. version of the game does not allow for play against its Japanese counterpart. Players had noticed they were unable to match against the Japanese version of the game since Aksys's localization released, but had hoped it was only a glitch or other small problem.

Aksys, however, has since broke the bad news:

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Ed Boon Hinting at New MKX Character?

Ed Boon likes to be cryptic. In past Mortal Kombat games there have often been secrets to uncover based on riddles or visual hints with little explanation. As time has moved on, he has taken to using his Twitter account to tease fans with possible revelations for his newest games. And today is no different.

This morning, Boon tweeted a picture of an old World Championship Wrestling grappler with the accompanying text:

"Hmmm.... he reminds me of someone. pic.twitter.com/J7kSzYO07T"

The figure, Super Giant Ninja, was a send-up of Mortal Kombat's Scorpion, but with slightly muted attire so as not to breach the copyright then held by Midway. With Scorpion already confirmed for MKX, several posters on Twitter are suggesting Boon may be hinting at the return of Tremor, a ninja clad in brown who first appeared in Mortal Kombat: Special Forces and made a cameo in the expanded challenge tower in the Vita version of Mortal Kombat 9. Whether that is true or Boon is simply playing with his audience remains to be seen.

Super Desperation Radio Episode 329 Archive Online

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

SDR was full of talk about the announcements at Tokyo Game Show 2014, as the cast touched on many of the fighting game highlights.

There was discussion about Omega mode in Street Fighter IV, Tekken 7's new character Catalina and talk of SNKP lack of presence at the show. Mostly, however, there was in-depth discussion about the two new characters heading to Guilty Gear Xrd's console version, Sin and Elphelt, along with speculation about possible future characters.

SDR also talked about the ongoing grudge match series at Wednesday Night Fights and the upcoming StrongStyle 5 on Sept. 27-28.

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

Bandai Namco Reveals Catalina, More Details for Tekken 7

Avoiding the Puddle is reporting that during a Tekken 7 panel on the Mad Catz stream during Tokyo Game Show, Katsuhiro Harada discussed several details of the upcoming title including a new character named Catalina. The character, who will be a savate-style fighter from Latin America, was described as a loud-mouthed talker in the game and will also be one of several 'beginner-friendly' selections in T7.

Catalina will be playable at the October location tests for Tekken 7 in Japan and, according to Fighters Generation, so will an as-yet-unnamed new character that will "emphasize a brand new mechanic which the TEKKEN team hasn't tried before" but that may be familiar to 2-D fighting gamers. This character may show off one of the two new systems that Harada confirmed will be a part of Tekken 7.

Avoiding the Puddle has also created a short video talking about the Tekken 7 reveals, and what they may mean for the game. Check it out after the jump.

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Footage of Guilty Gear Xrd's Sin, Elphelt from TGS

Dengeki Online has uploaded two videos of Sin Kiske versus Elphelt from Tokyo Game Show 2014.

Different from the 4Gamer interview with developers at Arc System Works that introduced the two characters to the public, these two videos show what appear to be matches between players just trying the characters for the first time.

Along with the other footage, these videos should give players a better idea of how both Sin and Elphelt play. Hit the jump for the videos.

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Super Desperation Radio Episode 328 Archive Online

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

This week's SDR involved a heavily medicated Walkman ranting about fundraisers as a sinus infection held him firmly in its grip.  

Meanwhile, Hellpockets and Sanchez go went over the finer points of being a jackass as the crew discussed the Wednesday Night Fights grudge matches, the upcoming releases of KOF '98 UMFE and 2002 UM on Steam and Giby talked excitedly about the recent Wolves Tag Carnival tournament for Garou: Mark of the Wolves in Japan. 

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

New Trailers Reveal P4AU's Story, New Mechanics, Three Characters

Gematsu has uploaded a number of English trailers for the upcoming Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, scheduled to release in the U.S. on Sept. 30, 2014.

The first trailer sets the stage for P4AU by revealing the story of the title, which revolves around a red mist engulfing Inaba and several characters being captured. Another trailer reveals some of the game's new features including Shadow Mode, Skill Boost Supers and the S Hold System.

Lastly, there are also trailers for Adachi, Aigis and Marie so that now U.S. players can get more than a visual taste of what is to come from these characters if they haven't played the game yet. Check out the Story and new feature trailers after the jump, and head over to Gematsu's YouTube page for the rest of the videos.

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KOF 98 UM Final Edition and 2002 Unlimited Match Coming to Steam

Japanese site Gamer has published a list of upcoming titles from SNK Playmore. While there are several other titles to note, including releases of Metal Slugs X and 3, the big two titles that will interest fighting gamers are The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition and The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match on Steam. While KOF 2K2 UM has previously been released in the U.S., this will be the first time that KOF 98 UMFE is available stateside.

These releases will both come during the holiday season, with 98 UMFE dropping sometime in November and 2K2 UM coming sometime during December. No other details, such as those concerning online play, are available at this time.

Super Desperation Radio Episode 327 Archive Online

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

On the heels of West Coast Warzone, the SDR cast took a little time to talk about the event from a spectator's standpoint, then moved on to discussion of the newly named 37 | Reloaded tournament coming in November.

The guys then jumped into discussion about the new Guilty Gear Xrd character, Elphelt, before using that to sprindboard to other topics including the release of Metal Slug XX on Steam, the ability to play Steam's Guilty Gear #Reload online and video game novelizations.

Finally, the crew talked about what fighting game series they would revive if given the chance.

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

Super Desperation Radio Episode 326 Archive Online

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

It's a rare week when all members of Super Desperation Radio show up to the podcast (even in brief cameo form), but the Labor Day weekend in the U.S. allowed the stars to align just right for the broadcast.

The crew spent much of the show talking about Nintendo news, from the reveal of Shulk in Smash Bros. and other character-related rumors to the new Pokkén Tournament announcement and finally the New 3DS. There was also discussion about leaks in gaming and how they are viewed both from a developer standpoint and a journalist standpoint. 

Later in the show, the group talked about the release of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax in Japan and the immediate jumps to conclusions by many online about the game's future.

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

Shulk Joins the Cast of Super Smash Bros.

After supposed leaked screenshots revealed several new characters for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, Nintendo has confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles protagonist Shulk will indeed be making his debut in the upcoming titles. The announcement came as part of a Nintendo Direct presentation in the morning of Aug. 29.

Shulk's character page is located here, and readers can check out his trailer after the jump.

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Nintendo Unveils New Music for Super Smash Bros.

Nintendo has made several tracks for the upcoming Smash Bros. games available for players to hear on the official Smash website. These tracks include music from Mega Man 2, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Kirby's Dream Land, Nintendogs, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Pokémon X & Y.

In addition to these previews of the music in the upcoming game, Nintendo has also posted the complete list of composers whose works will be featured in the 3DS version of Smash Bros. The 40-person list, which also names each individual's major works, covers many different genres and eras of gaming and includes artists such as Kenji Ito and Hirokazu Tanaka.

The 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. releases on Oct. 3, 2014. The Wii U version of the game still has no concrete release date.

Pokkén Tournament Coming to Japanese Arcades in 2015

During a special presentation on Niconico today, Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company announced an unexpected collaboration titled Pokkén Tournament. Obviously taking cues from the SoulCalibur and Tekken series, Pokkén will be a 3-D Pokémon fighting game set to release in Japanese arcades in 2015. Both Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada and SoulCalibur's Masaaki Hoshino are working on the project.

According to Harada, the game is being designed for both fighting game veterans and new players alike to enjoy, and will not use the Tekken engine. Instead, Pokkén is being designed to focus on the action of combat with the fun of playing the game being the highest priority.

There has been no mention of if or when a console release of Pokkén Tournament is being planned. Check out the first trailer after the jump.

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Super Desperation Radio Episode 325 Archive Online

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

After what seems like months of rumors about a potential buyout, Twitch was acquired by Amazon and the cast talked at length about the surprising news and what it could mean for both companies in the future (it could just mean everybody gets Twitch Turbo along with their Amazon Prime subscription, nobody knows). 

Meanwhile, SNK Playmore registered a new Maximum Impact trademark, which lead to conversation about the failings of the older MI games as well as whether this new title is the game SNKP has been advertising jobs for, or if the company is possibly preparing two titles for the future.

The crew also took the closing minutes of the show to complain about Team Brokentier's recent fast food rankings, talking about restaurants that BT missed and creating their own top three lists.

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

Twitch Purchased by Amazon

After months of rumors, Twitch has finally announced its purchase, but not by Google as originally thought and reported. No, the video game streaming giant has been bought by Amazon. While the Wall Street Journal reported the supposed acquisition early on Aug. 25, Twitch's CEO Emmett Shear has put any doubt to rest:

Today, I’m pleased to announce we’ve been acquired by Amazon. We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We’re keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon’s support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch.

No details of the agreement have been made available at this time, but the WSJ is reporting that the deal will cost Amazon more than $1 billion. 

Videos: Chaos Code NSC 2.0 Beta Test Footage

Tenryo has uploaded all the footage he recorded during recent beta tests of Chaos Code -New Sign of Catastrophe- 2.0. The YouTube playlist, which contains 15 videos and more than 7 hours of footage, provides a thorough look into the new version of the title.

Tenryo also claims he has some of the only footage of brand new character Lupinus.

Check out the playlist after the jump.

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Super Desperation Radio Episode 324 Archive Online

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

It was a Super Desperation Radio episode full of value as the cast covered some of the recent events in gaming. They talked about the reopening of Super Arcade and the first large-scale UNIEL events to take place before the game's first SoCal major at West Coast Warzone in September.

The crew also discussed the oddity that is the upcoming release of Guilty Gear XX #Reload to Steam, and talked about the ongoing development of Skullgirls' Beowulf.

Lastly, SDR talked at length about the SFIV bug list and SuperFX's recent interview with Mike Z and Omni about it. 

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

Blade Arcus from Shining Adding Four New Characters

Sega's upcoming fighting game based on its Shining series of role-playing games is getting four new characters during its upcoming beta test. Roselinde and Fenrir will make an appearance from Shining Blade, while Melty and Isaac from Shining Hearts.

According to Gematsu, "Roselinde uses a 'power' battle style, and a lance and shield as weapons. Fenrir uses a 'rush-and-move battle style, and claws as a weapon. Melty uses a 'magic-and-throw' battle style, and a staff and her familiar Sorbet as weapons. Isaac uses an 'ancient weapons' battle style, but his actual weapon is unknown."

The new characters will join the six current Blade Arcus characters during testing at Club Sega Akihabara in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 22-24.

Guilty Gear XX #Reload Coming to Steam Sept. 5

In surprising news, digital distribution company Kiss Ltd., in conjunction with fellow U.K.-based Funbox Media, will be bringing Guilty Gear XX #Reload to Steam on Sept. 5, 2014. Kiss has previously published Guilty Gear Isuka on the platform.

There is no information on what features will or will not be available in the Steam release of #Reload at this time.

Guilty Gear XX #Reload has previously been released in the U.S. on the original Xbox and as part of the Xbox Originals service.