New SNK esports initiative to fund player travel for future events

A newly announced addition to SNK's esports program is aiming to help King of Fighters players make it out to more events around the world.

The "e-Sports Support Program for Top Players" will cover the costs of plane tickets to future tournaments for players who excel at events of the company's choosing. In 2019, SNK will offer support to the three players who achieve the top three placings in King of Fighters XIV at Evo Japan 2019.

According to SNK, the support will last for one year and each player will have a cap on the amount of monetary support they will receive, although that amount was not disclosed at this time. Players will also have the option to bring one addition player with them to events, but the additional cost will count against their overall spending cap. In addition, it's important to note that SNK clearly states only "flight ticket cost" will be covered, so other expenses like hotel, food and local travel will be covered by the players.

The SNK e-Sports Support Program for Top Players is open to all players from all regions, including those who are already sponsored by other teams, companies or organizations.

NESiCAxLive2 location test coming to U.S. Round 1 stores

Taito's updated content delivery system for arcades will soon be coming to the U.S. via Round 1.

The official Round 1 Twitter account has announced that NESiCAxLive2 will be location testing at 10 stores around the country, and that the service will feature Fighting EX Layer, King of Fighters XIV and SNK Heroines.

The stores getting the NESiCAxLive2 test are: Puente Hills Mall (SoCal), South Center Mall (Washington), Shops at South Town (Utah), Southwest Plaza (Colorado), Grapevine Mills (Texas), Fox Valley Mall (Illinois), Great Lakes Crossing (Michigan), Stonecrest Mall (Georgia), Broadway Mall (New York) and Maine Mall (Maine).

There is no information at this time as to how long the test will last or a time frame for a nationwide rollout of NESiCAxLive2 if it is successful.

SNK to gift players with Christmas patch for King of Fighters XIV

A new balance patch for the most recent King of Fighters game will arrive just in time for the holidays.

SNK has announced that a new update to KOF XIV will launch sometime on Dec. 25 in Japan. This means players in North America will most likely get the patch one calendar day earlier, on Dec. 24.

No details of the changes were made available at this time. King of Fighters XIV is currently available for PlayStation 4 and Steam.

New patch for King of Fighters XIV set for late December 2018

A new update will be coming to KOF XIV at the end of December.

The announcement was made during the King of Festival 2018 tournament, but what exactly that update entails was not made public at this time.

It will be interesting to see if more content will be added to KOF XIV or if this will be a final balance patch for the game as SNK diverts its full attention to other projects like Samurai Shodown. The game was last updated with tweaks to the massive 3.0 update that introduced Najd, Blue Mary, Heidern and Oswald to the game in April 2018.

The King of Fighters XIV is currently available for PlayStation 4 and Steam.

New arcade location test footage of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy from Aug. 18-19

With SNK's all-female tag team fighting game nearing its early September release date on home platforms, footage of the arcade version's second location test in Japan has appeared.

Fukuoka-based arcade G-Stage Nanakuma streamed hours worth of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. They were one of the four chosen places to be part of the Aug. 18-19 test. Despite the rough game capture, the stream archives did show how Japanese players were treating this game so far. You can find the videos after the jump.

Other locations from the test included Sapporo's MAXIM HERO, Tokyo's Taito Station Ikebukuro West and Kobe's Playground Magical. Location test participants received a special promotional card.

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will be available for Switch and PlayStation 4 on Sept. 7, 2018. The release date for the arcade version is to be determined but will be powered by Taito's NESiCAxLive 2 digital distribution arcade service.

Click to read more ...

Summer Steam sale brings discounts to many fighters until July 5

A new sale running through the beginning of July 2018 is bringing sizable price cuts to many popular FGC titles across publishers.

Games with dedicated pro tours such as Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Injustice 2 and Dragon Ball FighterZ are included as well as BlazBlue Central Fiction, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, Killer Instinct, Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code, King of Fighters XIV, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and more. The DLC for most of these fighters is also on sale under the current offer.

The Steam summer sale runs from June 21 to July 5, 2018, and includes plenty of titles across all genres. Readers can check out the full list of discounted games at Steam.

New patch coming to correct King of Fighters XIV update

SNK is readying a patch for KOF XIV version 3.00.

According to translations by Frionel, King of Fighters XIV version 3.01 will fix issues including the body distortion glitch from Robert's command throw and remove the ability for Blue Mary to activate Max Mode on f+B or b+B. There will also be some changes to fellow DLC characters Heidern and Oswald.

Players can find the official changes of the new patch on the Taito website, and translations of the changes can be found on Frionel's Twitter.

Patch notes released for King of Fighters XIV version 3.00

SNK has release the details of the character balance changes taking effect in the new version of KOF XIV.

The 31-page document includes changes for all 54 of the games characters, but while some combatants such as Vanessa received many changes, others like Luong got only one to three.

Readers can check out the complete list on the official SNK website. King of Fighters XIV version 3.00 is currently live, and the new DLC characters Blue Mary, Najd, Heidern and Oswald will be available on April 12, 2018.

Blue Mary, KOF XIV version 3.00 arrive on April 12, 2018

SNK has revealed the last of four new DLC characters coming to King of Fighters XIV as well the release date for those characters and the game's update. 

Blue Mary and her sambo-based fighting style will join Najd, Heidern and Oswald as new entrants to the title when version 3.00 becomes available on April 12. Version 3.00 will also include character balance adjustments, but SNK has currently not made those alterations public.

Readers can watch Mary's trailer after the jump. SNK has provided no details on the cost of the new characters, but previous DLC Rock, Yamazaki, Whip and Vanessa sold for $5.99 each or as a bundle for $19.99.

Click to read more ...

AnimEvo 2018 lineup announced

AnimEvo has announced the 19 games that will be a part of its event during Evolution 2018.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code, Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[st], Gundam Versus, Hokuto no Ken, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Koihime Enbu, The King of Fighters XIV, Samurai Shodown V Special, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Blazblue: Central Fiction, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Puyopuyo Tetris, Catherine, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Arcana Heart 3 Love Max Six Stars!!!!!!, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, Vampire Savior and Yatagarasu Attack on Cataclysm will all be side tournaments run by the community in Las Vegas.

Registration is not currently open, but the staff behind AnimEvo has put out a call for game suggestions, as well as a call for volunteers that can be found on Google Documents.

For more information as it becomes available, players can check out the official AnimEvo website or message AnimEvo on Twitter. AnimEvo takes place on Aug. 3-5, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Najd shows off her mysterious powers in new King of Fighters XIV trailer

SNK has released a new gameplay trailer for the fan-designed Najd, who will be part of DLC coming to King of Fighters XIV in April 2018.

A college student by day, Najd uses her special powers to protect her fellow citizens at night. From the short trailer, it seems Najd has a counter of some kind as well as a fast-moving flying knee attack. She also has three different supers.

Readers can check out the trailer after the jump. Najd joins Heidern, Oswald and one still-unrevealed character as part of the second wave of KOF XIV downloadable content in April 2018.

Click to read more ...

Heidern reporting for duty in King of Fighters XIV

The leader of the Ikari Warriors will make his return to the KoF series in spring 2018.

Heidern will be one of four new characters, along with Oswald and Najd, that will be released in April 2018.

He returns to KoF as a playable character for the first time since King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match. He retains many of his classic normal and special attacks including Moon Slasher, Cross Cutter and even Backstabbing from 2002.

Readers can check out Heidern's trailer after the jump.

Click to read more ...

Pick a card: Oswald joins King of Fighters XIV

First teased by SNK in December 2017, Oswald will be coming to KOFXIV as an upcoming DLC character.

Oswald is a professional hitman who assaults opponents with playing cards. He has previously only appeared in King of Fighters XI as a playable character.

According to PlayStation Europe, Oswald will be one of four new DLC characters—along with original character Najd—coming to KOFXIV in April 2018.

Readers can check out his debut trailer after the jump, and those attending Evo Japan will get to try out Oswald during the event on Jan. 26-28, 2018.

Click to read more ...

SNK announces King of Fighters XIV 3.0, character reveal at Evo Japan

A new update is coming for The King of Fighters XIV, and players at Evo Japan will be the first to try out a new fighter coming to the game.

The new update, and a brand new inclusion to the title, will be playable at the SNK booth during the event. It is not clear at this time how expansive the update will be or who the new character is, but the inclusion of a playing card in the announcement image points to someone like Oswald.

If that is true that will make two new characters coming to KOF XIV. Also coming to the game will be the original character "Najd," who is the result from a design contest earlier in 2017.

Seven games announced for Evo Japan

Seven titles have been announced for the inaugural Evo Japan.

Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, King of Fighters XIV, Smash Bros. for Wii U, ARMS, BlazBlue Central Fiction and Street Fighter V round out the current roster of titles for the 2018 event. 

Evo Japan will be held on Jan. 26-28, 2018, at Akihabara UDX, which is close by Akihabara Station in Tokyo.

Readers can check out the new trailer after the jump.

Click to read more ...

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.

King of Fighters XIV coming to Steam

During a press event in China, SNK announced that The King of Fighters XIV will be coming to the Steam platform.

Twitter user Gatoray translated the information, saying that closed beta and pre-purchase information are currently being prepared.

There is no other information about the title, including release date or pricing, available at this time. The King of Fighters XIV was originally released on PlayStation 4 on August 23, 2016.

Angel tech guide lets players earn their wings in King of Fighters XIV

A new guide has been released to help spread more knowledge about Angel to the KOF XIV scene across the world.

Compiled and with many videos by Wauhti, the Twitter Moments page is a list of resources designed to improve Angel play. It includes links to Angel-specific Discord chat, safe jumps, combo routes and small tricks to help players develop a better overall game plan in KOF XIV.

Readers can check out the document on Twitter.

Tour character select with Combonauts' King of Fighters XIV videos

Combonauts is currently in the process of creating a combo exhibition for every character in King of Fighters XIV.

Each video runs from two to three minutes and features combos that range from practical to scenario-specific, just-for-show ideas. The footage is also marked with game version indicators so players will know when some combos may be invalid.

Currently, clips for 48 members of the cast have been created, with videos for Daimon, Vice, Angel, Mui Mui, Maxima and Clark still to come. Readers can check out the playlist after the jump.

Click to read more ...

King of Fighters XIV patch fixes bugs, adds balance changes

Version 2.01 has arrived for KOF XIV and while it includes corrections to many moves that acted improperly, it also comes with several tweaks to character performance.

For starters, a number of bugs in KOF XIV have been corrected, including an error that caused the backdash of several characters to have erratic hurtboxes, sometimes even evading lows on recovery. Another fix removed Rock Howard's ex command grab loop by removing the ability to grab characters out of the air.

Some characters, however, had tweaks to alter options in their gameplan. For example, Vanessa's ex parrying puncher now has less ability to extend combos, most likely in hopes of removing her stun combo; Sylvie Paula Paula's max Paula Experiment now does less damage and has less "follow-up options"; and Hein's jumping kick can now be cancelled into special moves.

For the full list of changes, players can head to SNK's official website.