Are Raphael and Cervantes joining Soul Calibur VI?

[Update 9:16 p.m. CDT]: It looks like the photo is real, as footage of the characters in action has appeared online. Check out the video after the jump.

Two more classic Soul Calibur characters are joining the SC6 roster, if a new image leaked online is to be believed.

Avoiding the Puddle posted the image, which was apparently taken from a build that will be used at Melbourne Esports Open on Sept. 1-2, 2018. Raphael sports his classic non-vampire look while Cervantes appears much more undead than he did in earlier Soul Calibur appearances.

It's hard to be sure if this image is real, because both Raphael and Cervantes are characters expected to make the game's roster in one way or another. If the information is correct, however, players should expect an official announcement from Bandai Namco in the coming days, either during Melbourne or at PAX.

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Is Simon Belmont joining the cast of Smash Ultimate?

Nintendo has scheduled a special Nintendo Direct for Aug. 8, but it's possible the company may have let one piece of information slip before the big announcement.

On Nintendo's YouTube channel, many of the songs in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have been uploaded so that players can listen to the music using links from the game's official website.

One of those, a Galaga medley, temporarily had its name changed to "Bloody Tears/Monster Dance" before being reverted to its original name. Those two tracks are part of the soundtracks in Castlevania 1 and 2, respectively.

What this could mean is that Simon Belmont is finally joining Smash Bros. after years of fan request. However, at this point it's impossible to know for sure.

Fans will find out either way during the Nintendo Direct on Aug. 8 at 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT) as the company reveals more about the upcoming entry in the Smash Bros. series. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will release for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 7, 2018.

Is a second season of DLC on the way for Tekken 7?

According to a report from Avoiding the Puddle's Flying Wonkey, fans of Tekken 7 will be getting a new seaon of content in the future.

The news comes from a Japanese video game schedule website, which lists a new lower-price edition of T7 that will arrive in early September. The listing also reveals this version will come with a coupon discounting both season one and two DLC, which is of course weird because there is currently no publicly announced season two for the game.

There is currently no news as to whether Bandai Namco has plans to release this version in other countries or if it is a Japanese exclusive. Meanwhile, with Evo 2018 less than a month away, it is easy to speculate that perhaps Bandai Namco has a big surprise for Tekken players during Sunday Finals. For now, however, nothing is assured.

Dragon Ball FighterZ to be announced for Nintendo Switch?

A leaked image has lead to speculation that the newest Dragon Ball fighting game will be coming to Nintendo's console.

The image, first posted to 4Chan and later at ResetEra, contains a short list of titles purported to be shown at E3 2018 for the Switch. It lists DBFZ, Fortnite, Killer Queen Black and more as well as previously announced titles like Mario Tennis Aces and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.

While the image on its own means nothing, both Kotaku and Destructoid have separately posted belief in the veracity of the information, with Kotaku citing a source that said DBFZ was "planned for the system."

If true, it will be interesting to see how Dragon Ball FighterZ works on Nintendo's system and if the game's DLC offerings will be included as part of the package. Either way, it looks like an official statement will likely be on hold until E3 on June 12-14, 2018.

Bulma confirmed for Dragon Ball FighterZ?

[Update Oct. 31, 8:38 p.m. CDT]: According to PlayStation Europe, "Bulma was mistakenly listed as a playable character in Dragon Ball FighterZ," and the company has apologized for the mistake. 

While Dragon Ball fans are ready to get two new characters revealed for the upcoming DBFZ in the coming days, Sony may have already given another fighter's identity away.

In the listing for Dragon Ball FighterZ on the European PlayStation website, Bulma is listed as one of the playable characters alongside Goku, Frieza, Vegeta and Majin Buu.

While this alone confirms nothing, Bulma has been playable in many different Dragon Ball games over the years using gadgets and weapons to even the odds. Her inclusion would also continue the apparent decision of the developers to focus on mostly Dragon Ball Z characters in the base game. 

For now, however, players will have to wait for an official announcement before anything is known for sure.

Is StrongStyle coming back?

Northern California's Tekken-focused tournament series may be making a return after a layoff of more than three years.

During recent streams on the NorCal StrongStyle Twitch account, NCSS staff member and storied Tekken player Bronson Tran has talked to viewers about the possibility of an upcoming event, asking for their input. He has polled people on their Tekken 7 platform of choice, interest in side tournaments and even details about venue. 

Tran even responded to Twitter comments comparing StrongStyle to Halley's Comet by saying, "I hear it's coming back around orbit." The last StrongStyle was held in September 2014, and was preceded by StrongStyle 4 in January 2010.

While this is clearly no confirmation of anything, it does seem like the NCSS staff is preparing the community for an announcement of some kind. Tekken players will just have to wait and see if StrongStyle does indeed make its return. (Full disclosure: IPLAYWINNER partnered with NorCal StrongStyle to help produce its 2010 and 2014 events.)

Injustice 2 coming to PC?

NetherRealm Studios' newest fighter may not be a console-exclusive title for much longer.

According to VG24/7, listings for a PC version of the game have appeared on both Game Mania and Amazon France. While no news of a possible port has been publicly released, these European listings could be an indicator that the game is on the way. 

Players have wanted a PC version of Injustice 2 despite NRS' checkered past with the platform. The first Injustice game and both Mortal Kombat 9 and X suffered from issues on PC, with MKX receiving especially harsh criticism. However, after several corrections and a netplay update fixed MKX, perhaps players are willing to give NRS the benefit of the doubt for Injustice 2.

Android 17 confirmed for DBFZ by English voice actor?

The answer to an unrelated fan question may have just revealed the newest character in Dragon Ball FighterZ.

According to Twitter user MidshipGuitar, Android 17's English voice actor Chuck Huber was answering questions as Florida Supercon event when he was asked if he had done lines for a hopeful upcoming appearance in the Dragon Ball Super anime.

"I haven't done Dragon Ball Super, but I have done my lines for FighterZ," Huber responded. When told the character had not been officially announced for the game, Huber simply said "whoops."

While this news doesn't guarantee anything, it seems like a good bet that 17 will be unveiled at some point as a playable character in DBFZ. It also means that players will be getting English voice acting from the same cast as the anime, which has been a desire of many since the game was announced.

Those in the U.S. wanting to get their hands on Dragon Ball FighterZ will be able to sign up for the game's beta on Aug. 22, while players in Europe will get the chance on Aug. 22-26 at Gamescom where the game will be playable at the Bandai Namco booth.

Expanded Street Fighter Anniversary Collection on the way?

The game released to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Street Fighter franchise may be making a big return on the series' 30th.

On July 28, multiple outlets reported that German retailer CoolShop listed Street Fighter Anniversary Collection as coming for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While the listing has since been removed, it identified the game as the same title which featured Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Hyper Street Fighter II that was released for PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox in 2004.

However, according to Twitter user Shinkendo there is more to come than a simple rerelease. In multiple comments collected on NeoGAF, Shinkendo says the description was simply placeholder text and that the 30th anniversary collection will feature more games than the original collection.

With no official news at this time this is clearly all speculation, but it seems like there is reason to believe players will be getting some kind of Street Fighter compilation before SF's 30th anniversary has passed.

Leaked MvCI roster has 28 characters, leaves questions

A recent post on NeoGaf purports to reveal the entire base cast of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, only days ahead of what is surely to be a big week for Capcom at E3 2017.

The revealed sides are Ant-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Gamorra, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Nova, Rocket/Groot, Spider-Man, Thanos, Thor and Ultron for Marvel and Arthur, Chris, Chun-Li, Dante, Firebrand, Jedah, Monster Hunter, Morrigan, Nemesis, Ryu, Spencer, Strider Hiryu and X for Capcom. There is also one more unknown character for Capcom, and the list doesn't count Sigma as he is the game's first DLC character.

The list is interesting not only because of its size, which is more in line with the company's Tatsunoko vs. Capcom offering than Marvel vs. Capcom 2 or 3, but also because of some surprising inclusions. Nemesis returns from MvC3 over Jill and Wesker, both Arthur and Firebrand make a comeback and Monster Hunter will receive its first representative. 

It also throws possible leaks from the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite variant covers into disarray, as characters such as Deadpool, Black Panther are nowhere to be found. Venom, meanwhile, is at least planned for DLC.

As with all leaks, nothing is confirmed for now, but hopefully Capcom will put all the rumors to rest at E3.

Upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite variants reveal new characters?

A press release touting variant covers of Marvel comics may reveal some characters coming to the upcoming Versus title.

The covers will release in August as part of the company's push for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, and the 20 books receiving variants are revealing. While many of the titles are team-based books such as Avengers, Champions and Defenders which have any number of possible inclusions, solo comics like "Venom," "Black Panther" and "Thanos" seem definitive. Even "Spider-Man/Deadpool" looks to be more than a hint as to another character that will eventually be playable in MvCI.

While nothing is guaranteed, this hypothesis is further backed up by the variants going to other titles—"Hawkeye," "I Am Groot," "Rocket" and "The Mighty Captain Marvel"—dedicated to characters that have already been confirmed for the game. For now, however, this is merely speculation.

Injustice 2 DLC news 'coming soon,' Ed Boon dropping hints?

Players will soon get info on Injustice 2's upcoming downloadable content, and it's possible Ed Boon is already alluding to details about it.

Boon, creator of Mortal Kombat and a creative director at NetherRealm Studios, loves to make hints about upcoming content or surprises in his tweets and has created anticipation for news about the Injustice DLC with a tweet on May 2:

For those wondering or asking... Injustice 2 DLC info coming soon. We suspect you will like what you hear!

The tweet is accompanied by a image of late night talk show host Conan O'Brien and his co-host Andy Richter. Is Boon hinting at an addition of Conan the Barbarian, or possibly fellow redhead Starfire? Is he just messing with his fanbase? For now, it's too hard to tell.

Eight new characters leaked for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite?

Seven faces returning from Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and one new addition will join the upcoming game's cast according to a removed news post. 

French gaming website Jeuxvideo posted earlier today that Ultron, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Rocket Raccoon, Chun-Li, Strider and Chris Redfield would all be coming to MvCI before pulling the story. It has been preserved, however, via Google Cache.

Though this news has not been confirmed by Capcom, it comes as a user on NeoGaf has revealed that GameStop locations have received press materials for the game, which would line up with incoming information. It is currently unknown when this news was supposed to be announced and if more details will be coming with it during the official release.

Leak of Hori's Nintendo Switch peripherals reveals Real Arcade Pro stick

The Switch, Nintendo's newest console, will be getting peripheral and acessory support from Hori as revealed in a leak. The information also revealed an arcade stick from the Japanese manufacturer.

Documentation of Hori's upcoming Switch products showed a Real Arcade Pro stick. Judging by the lone concept picture, it looks like the Real Arcade Pro Hayabusa SW will be based on the modern RAP design found on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 models. The stick can be expected to also feature both the Hayabusa lever and pushbuttons. While we can see the eight button layout with a start button on the side, it's unknown on what special controls this stick has.

The document also reveals a price of €149.99 but offers no release date. There are currently no fighting games coming to the Switch as of this post. With the upcoming Nintendo Switch presentation on Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. PST, there is the possibility that we might see some fighters come to the platform.

Marvel vs. Capcom 4 to be announced at PSX2016?

Polygon is reporting that the next chapter in Capcom's storied Versus series will make its debut during PlayStation Experience on Dec. 3-4, 2016.

Players have hoped for another Marvel vs. Capcom game since the fighting game company ended support of MvC3, but very little information has been made available about the possibility of a new installment since Capcom's Marvel license ended in 2013.

Rumors of MvC4 renewed on Nov. 25 because of a NeoGAF thread regarding the game's announcement at PSX. With only a few days before the show, it will be interesting to see if the Marvel community is once again taken for a ride.

Siliconera Reports Four Characters Return in Street Fighter V

As Street Fighter V information has slowly been released by Capcom, multiple different character roster "spoilers" have been making their rounds across social media and gaming forums. None of these supposed lists have been backed up with more than hearsay, but they have gotten many players excited for the possibility their favorite Street Fighter characters from the past could end up in SFV.

Siliconera, however, is stepping forward to say it has inside information that Alex, Urien, R. Mika and Karin will all be returning in Street Fighter V. This anonymously sourced revelation comes with no other information at the moment, but the website is not treating this as rumor but as fact.

While it seems hard to believe that this report could be true, in June 2015 Siliconera used similarly anonymous sources to reveal the remake of Final Fantasy VII before E3 made it public.

RUMOR: Silver Surfer in Marvel vs Capcom 3?

This picture was taken from the Japanese article. Dr. Doom (left) and Super Skrull (right) were previously revealed, but Silver Surfer (middle) has not.Some interesting new details have surfaced about Marvel vs Capcom 3 in a recent Japanese magazine interview with the game's producer, Ryoto Niitsuma.  The article would appear to confirm that the Silver Surfer as one of the game's characters.  It also goes on to give a few other interesting details.  The image and the information comes from SRK poster Denjetsu. Thanks to Sel for pointing this out.

Here are the details Denjetsu supplied about the interview's contents:

• The article is basically a look at the history of the Fantastic Four and an interview with Ryota Niitsuma, where he discusses the influence of Fantastic Four within marvel vs capcom 3.
• Niitsuma runs through the playable Fantastic Four cast of Dr. Doom, Super Skrull, and he talks about Silver Surfer, who will be shown off later this month. There are no screenshots of him, just a little portrait thing along with the other two.
• Nothing new really about Dr.Doom, but Niitsuma said they've added a lot more attacks to Super Skrull since the last public build including several Invisible Woman techniques.
• Silver Surfer is very quick and has a unique playstyle. he is never standing on the ground. He is always hovering on his board. Niitsuma said that Silver Surfer is more of a character to be played by advanced players. He recommends Dr.Doom to Fantastic Four fans who are new to the vs series.
• Niitsuma said the Fantastic Four play a major role within the basic plotline of arcade mode, and that the final boss should be familiar to fans of fantastic four.

Keep in mind that this is rumor until confirmed. Anyone care to guess who the final boss could be if this turns out to be true?

RUMOR: TATSUMARVEL VS CAPCOM

So, over the weekend I received a tip that although Tatsunoko vs Capcom wont ever see the light of day in North America,  there is a possibility of the Tatsunoko cast being replaced with a Marvel cast and distributed in the states as a new Marvel vs Capcom game using the TvC engine. I'm usually not one for rumors but I personally would not be surprised to see this.

Why you ask? Aside from a head honcho at Marvel saying something a long the lines that he would love to see a new Marvel vs Capcom game and it could be coming sooner than we think, one should note that Mortal Kombat vs. DC has already sold close to 2 million copies world wide. At this point CAPCOM would be insane not to release a new versus game considering the amount of hype around both the Street Fighter and Marvel franchises. If a MK vs game can pull in those kind of numbers, a new MvC game should easily surpass that world wide, maybe even in North America alone.

Again, this is only a rumor but knowing CAPCOM, how much they like to extend the life of their franchises and gameplay systems and the current state of the gaming market, even if they haven't considered this option at this point, they should.

Street Fighter 4 Console Release Date Rumor

Capcom has previously announced that SF4 would appear on console in the "Winter" with no further specifics.  According to Kotaku, Capcom's Australian Distributor has February 27, 2009 listed as the release date for SF4 on Console in Australia.  This seems fairly believable, and fits into both the actual season of Winter and Capcom's fiscal 4th Quarter (Jan 1, 2009 to Mar 31, 2009).  Time will tell if this rumor has any substance to it.

MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2: ESRB RATED AND GOOD TO GO?

I've been holding off on mentioning anything about Marvel vs Capcom 2 coming to XBLA/PSN since it was pretty much a rumor..up until now.

A post on NeoGAF indicates that the ESRB has rated the game for XBOX360 and PS3, which means that unless it was a mistake (like the title leak on XBLA last week) the game should come out for both systems sometime soon. 

Whether or not these verisons wil be arcade perfect or playable online has yet to be seen.

Update on Monday, October 13, 2008 at 7:12AM by haunts

The picture included is from PartnerNet which is a developers only version of XBOX LIVE. Keep in mind it could be a photoshop but we're getting warmer!