The Last Blade 2 coming to PS4, Vita on May 24 with online play

At the PlayStation Experience in December 2015, SNK Playmore announced that The Last Blade 2 would be coming out for PS4 and Vita with online play, and now they have revealed that release date: May 24, 2016.

Not only will LB2 release with online play, the game will also support "cross play and cross save functionality between PS4 and PS Vita."

The game will retain its original aspect ratio, with art from the series bordering the gameplay. It will also launch with PS4 and Vita themes for players who purchase the game. For more information, check out the PlayStation Blog.

Hokuto no Ken, Garou & The Last Blade 2 tournaments coming to E-Sports Square in March

Game Newton will host two tournaments at Tokyo, Japan's premiere eSports center this coming March.

At E-Sports Square, both Garou -Mark of the Wolves- and The Last Blade 2 players will converge on March 19 for singles tournament Seika Kyouen. On March 20, the fifth edition of the Seikimatsu Butoukai series will bring many Hokuto no Ken players for a 3v3 team tournament.

Expect Game Newton to stream both events on their Twitch channel. You can check out the trailers, and footage from last year's Seikimatsu Butoukai 4, after the jump.

Click to read more ...

Lunar New Year Sale brings big discounts to SNK Playmore titles

SNK Playmore has announced a sale offering massive price cuts to its titles on Steam. The Lunar New Year Sale will take either 75 or 80 percent off the retail price of games in the King of Fighters and Metal Slug series.

Games included in the sale are The King of Fighters XIII Steam Edition, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition, Metal Slug, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3 and Metal Slug Defense. Metal Slug Defense's extra content is also on sale.

The sale runs until Feb. 12, 2016, at 10 a.m. PST.

SNKP Games Development is Starting from Scratch, Exec Says

Professor at Mad Man's Cafe has translated many of the key points from a recent Famitsu interview with SNK Playmore's chief of its gaming division, Yutaka Noguchi.

In the interview, Noguchi talks about SNKP's decision to leave the pachislot business and their plans for the gaming division going forward. He said that SNKP is basically starting over with new game development, as they have been away from it for some time.

Noguchi also talks about why SNKP chose PlayStation 4 as their main platform for development and where players may see SNKP characters pop up next. Readers can check out the overview at Mad Man's Cafe.

The Last Blade 2 Coming to PlayStation 4, Vita with Online Play

During PlayStation Experience, SNK Playmore announced that it will be releasing the weapon-based fighter The Last Blade 2 for both PS4 and Vita platforms.

Now, Sony's Lead Technical Producer for Third Party Productions John Sanders has confirmed that the game will indeed have online multiplayer:

Since a lot of folks have been asking - YES, The Last Blade 2 will have online and will also be PSTV compatible!

This is great news for fans of the late '90s SNK fighter, and while SNK Playmore has not had the best record with online play hopefully developer Code Mystics can create a good experience for players.

There is no timeframe for LB2's release at this time. 

Second King of Fighters XIV Teaser Trailer Released

The second trailer for SNK Playmore's King of Fighters XIV has made its way online and while it reveals some new information about the game, it will probably do little to calm possible fears about the game's visuals.

The trailer, which only lasts 30 seconds, shows what appears to be in-game footage of Kyo, Iori and returning KOF characters Chang and Leona.

The footage, however, also bears no HUD or interface for the game, making it look like the title is still a work in progress. Check out the teaser after the jump.

Click to read more ...

SNK Playmore Refocusing Business, Leaving Pachinko Behind

SNK Playmore has announced it will no longer be making pachislot machines, and is instead refocusing its business on game development and IP management.

In an official press release, SNKP said that moving forward the company will focus on mobile games and consumer games, mentioning Metal Slug Defense and the upcoming King of Fighters XIV as examples of each.

The company also said it holds globally recognized brands like Samurai Showdown, King of Fighters and Metal Slug, and will do more to monetize those brands going forward.

While this news certainly does not mean that fans should expect a torrent of new console titles in development from SNKP, this move will definitely give some players hope that the company is listening to its fans. 

King of Fighters 14 is Coming in 2016

During the Sony press conference at Tokyo Game Show 2015, a teaser trailer revelead that King of Fighters XIII will not be the last entry in the franchise's storied history.

King of Fighters XIV will seemingly take the route of the Maximum Impact games by transitioning into 3-D gameplay, but players will not know for sure until more is shown of the title.

King of Fighters XIV is scheduled for sometime in 2016. Check out the teaser after the jump.

Click to read more ...

KOF: Maximum Impact 2, The King of Fighters 2003 and Samurai Shodown V Available Now on Japanese PlayStation Store

Following the big multi-platform-wide sale, SNK Playmore added some more of its older PlayStation 2 games to the Japanese PlayStation Store.

KOF: Maximum Impact 2, also known as The King of Fighters 2006, and The King of Fighters 2003 are now available as PS2 Classics in the PS Store. In addition to KOFMI2's retitled name outside Japan, KOF2003 was released on PlayStation 2 in the West with the original version of The King of Fighters 2002.

Samurai Shodown V is also available as a PS2 Classic. This version is based on the original game, not the updated version Samurai Shodown V Special.

If you have access to a Japanese PlayStation Network account and currency to use, they are available now and are region free.

SNK Playmore Offering KOF Triple Pack on Steam

SNK Playmore has just announced a way for Steam users to pick up King of Fighters XIII, King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition and King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match all for one price. 

The King of Fighters Triple Pack will include all three titles bundled together for $34.99. While each of the games had been offered with various discounts in the past, this is a chance for players who were waiting to pick up all three KOF games at one time.

UPDATE: SNKP has said the Triple Pack will be "50% OFF during Steam's 48 hours limited sale from April 9th 10am PST!" 

Various SNK Fighters Now On Sale In Xbox Marketplace, Due April 13

Xbox 360 users can get their hands on multiple SNK games for a low price.

This week's Xbox Marketplace Spotlight Sale focuses on SNK games with a majority being fighting games. Samurai Shodown II, Samurai Shodown Sen, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match and The King of Fighters XIII are all 50% off their original listing price in the digital store.

These deals are valid for both Xbox Live Gold and Silver users, so anyone interested in getting any of these fighters should go buy them before April 13!

KOF's Psycho Soldiers Join Metal Slug Defense

The parade of King of Fighters characters making cameos in Metal Slug Defense continues as the original Psycho Soldier Team—Chin Gentsai, Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou—have been released as downloadable characters in SNK Playmore's strategy title.

The Psycho Soldiers cost $4.99 and are available as part of MSD's most recent update. Athena had been made available by herself in March 2015.

These characters join KOF 96's Yagami Team and the original Team Japan in SNKP's game for Android and iOS.

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. 

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.

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.