After the recent reveal of the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass for Street Fighter 6, Capcom fans began asking what they always ask whenever this classic fighting game franchise makes a reappearance in another title: When is Capcom going to make another Darkstalkers game?

Curiously enough, the director of Street Fighter 6, Takayuki Nakayama, shed some light on this situation in an unexpected post on his personal Twitter/X account. On a thread in which he was disclosing his experiences while working on Otoranger (an old rhythmic game released on mobile devices back in 2013) he posted the fol?lowing tweet:

Here, Nakayama explained how he hoped to work on a fighting game that was not Street Fighter, but Capcom stopped the development of this mysterious title before he eventually joined the Otoranger team. While Nakayama didn't explicitly reveal what this fighting game was, his cryptic use of a bat emoji heavily implies that this was going to be a brand-new entry in the Darkstalkers series.

At first glance, this may not seem all that exciting, since this happened around 10 years ago. But it's important to keep in mind that - without taking ports and remasters into account - there hasn't been a new Darkstalkers game since 1997, more than 27 years ago. So a modern HD revival of this classic monster brawler made would have certainly breathed new life i??nto th??is forgotten franchise.

Darkstalkers fans are tired of waiting for a new entry

Naturally, Darkstalkers fans didn't take Nakayama's revelation very well, with many of them wondering what this scrapped project could have been like and if it could have prevented their beloved franchise from further fading into obscurity. Many others are still hoping that Capcom will attempt to develop another modern Darkstalkers game in the near future.

As over-the-top as some of these reactions may initially seem, they are completely justified. After all, the Darkstalkers franchise was one of the mainstays of the fighting game genre during its boom in popularity during the late 90s, and its iconic characters are still relevant due to their appearances in crossover games and collections, like Capcom Fighting Collection, Puzzle Fighter or the Marvel vs. Capcom series. H?owever, despite all these cameos and ports in other Capcom IPs, this beloved franchise is long ove?rdue for a completely new entry.

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Darkstalkers is a legenda??ry ?fighting game franchise that hasn't had a new entry in over 25 years, but it does live on in crossover games and downloadable content for other Capcom fighters. And the company's most recent foray into the genre, Street Fighter 6, is no exception.

Capc??om posted this brand-new tra??iler on its social media pages, which revealed the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass, a new battle pass that will arrive to Street Fighter 6 this October. Although it hasn't reve??aled a concrete release date yet.

The first thing that immediately stands out is the inclusion of Jon Talbain, the iconic werewolf character of the Darkstalkers series. However, this is not an actual playable character, but gear that the play??er's customizable Avatar can wear in order to look just like him. It has a surprising amount of detail, and it even comes with a new emote that lets the Avatar howl like a wolf.

That's not all, because the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass will also add other interesting content that references this iconic fighting game series, like a photo frame of Jedah, stickers of Morrigan, Lilith and Baby Bonnie Hood, 3 new music tracks, 3 new profile titles, a special effect for the challenger screen and even the addition of original The Night Warriors to the Classic Games collection.

When will Darkstalkers come back for real?

Fans had a relatively mixed response to the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass. While most Capcom fans are always glad to see this legendary fighting game series being referenced once again - especially when it's with a char??acter that is n?ot Morrigan Aensland - many other Street Fighter 6 players are disappointed that Jon Talbain was added as a mere cosmetic skin for the A??????????????????????????vatar and not for one of the many other famous characters in the game's roster. Other fans even went a step ahead and told Capcom that it should ????have added him as a fully playable character instead.

But the biggest takeaway of this battle pass is that fighting games fans really miss Darkstalkers. With its combination of classic horror movie monsters, wacky, Looney Toones-esque animations and solid fighting mechanics, these series became a mainstay of the genre during the 90s. However, Capcom hasn't released a new entry since 1997, except for a few remasters and collections. Public outcry regarding the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass proves that maybe it is time for the company to de?velop a brand-new game in this series.

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Season 2 of Street Fighter 6 has officially begun today with the addition of M. Bison as a new playable character. While Capcom has already unveiled who else will be joining the roster for the game's second year, including two SNK guest characters, today's update may have already?? teased a pair of potential fighters for the next batch of DLC: Vega and Balrog.

For context, Bison's inclusion also means there are new missions in Street Fighter 6's World Tour mode. One such mission tasks you with tracking down Vega and Balrog, who were among the highest ranking members of the criminal organization Shadaloo and worked directly under Bison. While the two don't appear in person, progressing the mission sees you receive text messages from both of them (as highlighted by the Fighting Game Anniversaries Twitter account).

As a reminder, Shadaloo fell apart during the events of Street Fighter 5 after Bison's death, but with the dictator seemingly back from the dead (albeit without his memories), everything points to the organisation reforming. As such, in their text messages, Vega and Ba??lrog? both express an interest in rejoining, though the latter suggests he'll only come back if he's offered enough money.

It's too soon to tell, but these could be read as hints that both characters will appear in Street Fighter 6 as future DLC. It would make sense considering these two have made regular appearances throughout the series since their debut in Street Fighter 2. Plus, they (along with Sagat) are the only characters from the original release of Street Fighter 2 that have yet to be made playable in Street Fighter 6.

I'm sure most fans wouldn't be opposed to their inclusion either, though I personally hope Capcom doesn't continue to rely on old faces for future DLC. So far, the only wholly original DLC character for Street Fighter 6 so far has been A.K.I, with season 2 consisting of two series veterans and two guest characters from the Fatal Fury games.?? That said, there are still plenty of fan favorit?es who remain absent that may take priority, such as Sakura and Sagat.

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Street Fighter 6 is undoubtedly a fantastic fighting game, and it's only going to get better thanks to its second line-up of DLC characters, which includes SNK guest stars Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui. However, there does remain one point of contention: the game's microtransa?ctions and monetization model. Yet despite the amount of complaints lobbied against them, it sounds like Capcom has no plans to adjust the microtransactions.

Recently, Kotaku got to speak with Street Fighter 6 director Takayuki Nakayama and producer Shuhei Matsumoto, and it asked them about the discontent surrounding the microtransactions. There is a lot of additional content in Street Fighter 6, such as customization items, that you can't just buy ?with real money. You have to first purchase the in-game Fighter Coins currency, and those are only available in specific bundles of 250, 610, 1,250, and 2??,750, meaning you'll often find yourself with some leftover coins once you've purchased the in-game items you want. On top of that, there are monthly $5/£4 battle passes and the DLC character passes which cost $30/£27, roughly half the price of the full game.

The point is, even after paying roughly $60/£50 on the game (possibly even more if you bought one of the special editions), Street Fighter 6 still strongly encourages you to spend more money on its DLC and cosmetics. The sheer amount of microtransactions and Capcom's pricing has been a sore spot since launch; I remember there being a lot of player outrage surrounding the prices of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover content, with all four costumes costing $15 a piece, making them collectively the same price as the base game. There was a similar backlash to the Outfit 3 DLC, which added new costumes for all 18 characters in the launch roster. The top comments underneath the announcement trailer on YouTube ar??e full of people complaining about how you have to spend over $100 to get all of them.

From the sound of things, though, enough people are happily (or perhaps begrudgingly) spending money on these microtransactions for Capcom not to consider making any adjustments to Street Fighter 6's monetization. When ??pressed on the matter by Kotaku, Nakayama and Matsumoto answered:

"I mean people seem to be very interested in purchasable content especially that associates with the actual characters in the Fighting Ground Mode. And we see a lot of interest towards that so it’s something that we will continue looking into and seeing if there’s any new stuff that we can just�but? in terms of the system it’s probably going to be as is."

Street Fighter 6 is hardly the only game to draw complaints for its microtransactions; Mortal Kombat 1, for example, angered players when it offered a new Fatality for $10. Unfortunately, it's been proven that microtransactions make game companies a lot of extra money. Sticking with the Mortal Kombat 1 example, publisher Warner Bros. revealed late last year that MK1's microtransactions contributed to "meaningful" growth in content revenue (via VG247). If Capcom's ever going to reconsider its approach to mo?netization, it requires enough people to not pay for them, but it doesn't look like that will ever happen any time soon.

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Two of Fatal Fury's finest are joining the roster for Year 2 of Street Fighter 6. Terry and Mai are heading to SF6, al??ongside series mainstays Elena and M.? Bison, as DLC fighters.

It's a pretty surprising move to see two SNK mainstays cross over into a mainline Street Fighter, especially this early in its DLC rollout. There are surely a few fighters left from Capcom's history to pull in. But in another way, this is the closest we can get to a new Capcom vs. SNK, so I'll take it.

Here's the rough schedule for Year 2 of Street Fighter 6's character rollout:

• M. Bison - Summer 2024
• Terry - Autumn 2024
• Mai - Winter 2025
• Elena - Spring 2025

They'll likely be available as either individual purchases, or one big bundle. Either way, you'll be able to check in on your friends and ask them, "Are you okay?" in Street Fighter 6 sometime this year.

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Capcom added Akuma to Street Fighter 6 on May 22 and, as part of the update, play?ers can challenge a special boss version of the character named SiRN Akuma. Aside from being extremely difficult to beat, SiRN Akuma boasts a few moves regular Akuma doesn't have access to??... or so you'd think, as fans have figured out how to unlock these moves for themselves.

Doing so requires a very specific input, although I've seen a couple of suggestions on how to perform it. As demonstrated by Twitter user DelilahFGC, you need to do Akuma's backwards taunt (the one where he sits on the ground) and then mash all three punch and kick buttons. However, a separate video by HiFight shows you don't need to mash; you just?? need to wait when Akuma's about to stand back up, ??and then input a down taunt. Either way, Akuma will pull out a rice ball and eat it, which fills his super meter and unlocks his boss moves.

These moves aren't brand-new to Street Fighter 6, but are commonly associated with Shin Akuma, which is essentially a souped up and stronger version of Akuma that usually appeared as a secret boss fight in previous games. These moves are the Double Zanku Hadoken (where he throws two fireballs mid-air), the Misogi (where he jum?ps into the air and slams down on his opponent), and the Kongou Kokuretsuzan (where he punches the ground to emit a giant purple wave of energy). That last one is perhaps one of Akuma's most iconic moves next to the Shun Goku Satsu, or Raging Demon as some call it.

I don't know how anyone was supposed to figure out they could do this, but this still a very cool secret Capcom kept hidden from everyone. However, I also have to question how players are expected to actually use these move??s in a real match. The whole animation for unlocking the moves takes roughly half a minute, so it requires your opponent to just stand there and let you do it. That's never going to happen if you're fighting an AI opponent (unless you've set the difficulty super low) and I can't see it happening in online matches against random opponents where everyone's playing to win. Unless there's some gentleman's agreement in place between players.

Even without these extra moves, though, Akuma has unsurprisingly proved incredibly fun to play as, and I'm curious to see whether he'll become a top-tier pick for competitive matches or not. His inclusion has also marked the end of Street Fighter 6's first season of DLC, leaving the future of the game looking rather nebulous. I'm sure Capcom will announ?ce a second season of characters in the near future; it's just a question of who will be included.

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The demonic aura around Street Fighter 6 is about to increase ten-fold because a date has been locked in for the arrival of Akuma. The intimidating series mainstay will touch down in Street Fighter 6 as DLC on May 22, 2024.

Those who want to see if they can still pull off a Raging Demon â€?which is a Level 3 Super Art in Street Fighter 6 —will need to purc??hase the premium DLC when it's available. You can also nab Akuma as part of the Year 1 Character Pass, or if you purchased the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition ve??rsions of the fighter. 

Watch as Akuma makes a not-so-subtle entran??ce in ??the gameplay trailer below. You'll also see his hellish Enma's Hollow stage and get a chance to sample a bunch of his devastating moves. 

I haven't been keeping up with my Street Fighter 6 skills every single day, but that trailer had me grumbling out a guttural "Messatsu" like I'm still back in my Street Fighter Alpha days. Speaking of which, it's been 30 years since Akuma first reared his head in Street Fighter II Turbo! His Outfi?t 2 style is a throwback to his deb?ut appearance. 

Along with Akuma, Street Fighter 6 will? be dropping some additional updates on May 22. All Year 1 characters will get access to Outfit 3, with additional colors launching for Year 1 Ultimate Pa?ss owners at the same time. The aforementioned Enma's Hollow stage will go live automatically for all Year 1 Ultimate Pass Owners, as well. There will also be a battle balance, with more details to be divulged as we get closer to launch. 

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Capcom has shared proper gameplay of Akuma, the final DLC fighter for Street Fighter 6's Year 1 Character Pass, and confirmed a release date too. However, this also means the future of Street Fighter 6's DLC is looki?ng nebulous, with no mention of a second season of fighters.

Let's focus on Akuma for now. Unsurprisingly, he looks great in gameplay, once again offering a more brutal take on Ryu's fighting style. He may look much older, with his formerly flaming red hair now a ghostly white (he does have a costume that reverts to him his original design), but he remains as vicious and unrelenting as ever. He even immediately attacks your custom character when you find him in Street Fighter 6's World Tour mode.

All of Akuma's classic moves are back, including the ability to warp from one side of the stage to the other and his iconic Shun Goku Satsu (also known as the Raging Demon) attack. While it functions identically to how it did in previous games, its visuals have been radically altered. Beforehand, the attack took place in pitch blackness, meaning you co??uldn't see what Akuma did to his opponent. Now, though, the screen goes black and white as he unleashes a relentless assault of blows before summoning what looks like a hu?ndred copies of him that all crash down on the opponent.

Akuma will be added to the game on May 22, with him available immediately for anyone who's already bought the Character Pass. A new stage called Enma's Hollow will arrive too, but only for those who own the Year 1 Ultimate Pass. Lastly, there'll be a major ba??lance patch on the same day that will introduce changes to every character in the game. Capcom will be sharing more details on that at a later date.

The inclusion of Akuma is undeniably exciting, but now fans are left to wonder what Capcom has planned next. Akuma serves as the last confirmed DLC character for Street Fighter 6, following the additions of Rashid, A.K.I., and Ed over the last 10 months. While there's nothing official, Cap??com likely has a second year of DLC planned that will add even more characters to the game; the real question is who they'll be.

It's honestly hard to predict since there's still a tremendous amount of fan-favorites still absent from Street Fighter 6, such as Sakura and Sagat, but Capcom could also introduce entirely new characters to the roster. With any luck, Capcom will have something to say about Street Fighter 6's future in time for the game's one year anniversary in June. If not then, then at the Evo 2024 USA event in Las Vegas, which will run from July 19 to July 21.

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Ahead of a report on its earnings for the 2024 fiscal year, Capcom has revised its earnings forecast thanks to strong sales across its catalog of games, in particular highlighting Dragon's Dogma 2.

In an April 25 press release, Capcom announced it had raised its net sales forecast for the 2024 fiscal year (which covers April 2023 through to March 2024) by 8.9%. It originally estimated it would make 140,000 million yen (tantamount to just under $900 million) in sales, but has now updated it to 152,400 million yen (about $979 ??million). As such, overall profits and shareholder earnings are all up too, which points to Capcom's 2024 fiscal year being more successful than it initially expected.

Capcom namedrops Dragon's Dogma 2 (which launched shortly before the end of the fiscal year in March) and Street Fighter 6 (which launched in June 2023) as contributing to this: "In addition to Street Fighter 6, the latest title in the Street Fighter series, being met with broad acclaim globally, Dragons Dogma 2 was released in the fourth quarter and has performed favorably." Although it doesn't mention exact figures, we already know from an April 2 press release that Dragon's Dogma 2 sold over 2.5 million units in less than two weeks despite all the controversy surrounding its day one microtransactions. As for Street Fighter 6, it crossed the three million sales milestone in January, but that number could very well have?? gone up in the la?st few months.

Although it doesn't provide any other specific examples, Capcom does add, "Sales grew for catalog titles consisting primarily of past titles from major series due to their steady popularity," suggesting the company's overall library has been selling well. Other Capcom games to have launched in the past 12 months include the dinosaur themed shooter Exoprimal (which recently added a Mega Man crossover), the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, and the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

We should see more concrete figures once Capcom publishes its full year earnings, which is scheduled to happen on May 9. Assuming things have gone as well as Capcom expects, this will mean the company will want an even better 2025 fiscal year. At the moment, its release schedule for the rest of 2024 is pretty minimal, consisting only of re-releases of the Monster Hunter Stories duology of RPGs in June and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a new action strategy IP. Its next major launch, though, is 2025's Monster Hunter Wilds, which should turn a ??very handsome profit for Capcom given the series' popularity.

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If you'??re looking for a new Cammy statue for your collection, Prime 1 Studios has you covered with its latest tease.

Prime 1 Studios is known for its truly breathtaking, almost terrifyingly realistic statues (seriously, this T-1000 would terrify me if it was in the corner of my apartment).

Prime 1 also makes a fair number of premium gaming statues, including simply gorgeous lines based on Bloodborne and Devil May Cry. It's also working ??hard on Street Fighter statues, including an upcoming Cammy statue, which the studio revealed?? a first look at on Twitter.

Cammy is the latest in a line that already includes Ryu, Akuma, and Chun-Li. The statue, which depicts Cammy in her modern Street Fighter 6 costume, is crazy gorgeous, though.

For the statue, Cammy is in her traditional victory pose, with her back turned and giving the viewer a steely gaze. The photos show off an incredible level of detail, from the texture of the jacket to the incredible fa?ce sculpt. The statue also gets a cameo from Cammy's cat, which makes perfect?? sense to anyone who knows just how much she loves her feline friends.

The Prime 1 Studios Cammy 1/4 scale statue doesn't yet have a price point or release date, or details on included accessories, though details should be announce??d soon. Looking at the other releases in the line, fans can likely expect multiple head portraits to be included--as well as a price upward?s of $1,000.

For fans looking for more, rest assured, Cammy is not the end of the line. Teases for statues of Marisa and Juri are already floating around on the Prime 1 website.

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The Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023 happened on March 17 and while awards were spread over a wide number of games, one game stole the show entirely, taking home five of the 17 awards â€?Final Fantasy XVI. 

The Famitsu Degeki Game Awards are voted for by readers and run by Famitsu and Game Dengeki. While the new Final Fantasy didn't get as much hardware at other shows like The Game Awards, it's clearly garnered some love in Japan. It to?ok home awards for Best Graphics, Best Music?, Best Voice Actor and Character for Clive, and Best RPG.

Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XIV took home the Best Online Game category, while The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took the top prize of GOTY.

??????????????????????????If you want to know who won what, or who just missed out, we’v??e got all the details.

Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023 winners and nominations

Game of the Year

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Armored Core VI  Fires of Rubicon

Street Fighter 6

Resident Evil 4

Final Fantasy XVI

Scenario

PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Final Fantasy XVI

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Graphics

Final Fantasy XVI

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Music

Final Fantasy XVI

Octopath Traveler II

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Voice Acting

Yuya Uchida (Clive Rosfield/Final Fantasy XVI)

Yasuyuki Kase (V.IV Rusty/Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon) 

Takaya Kuroda (Kazuma Kiryu/Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name)

Character

Clive Rosfield (Final Fantasy XVI)

Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

Iori Miyamoto (Fate/Samurai Remnant)

RPG

Final Fantasy XVI

Octopath Traveler II

Super Mario RPG

Action

Armored Core VI Fire of Rubicon

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Street Fighter 6

Action Adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Resident Evil 4

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man who Erased His Name

Indie

Sea of Stars

World of Fear

Exit 8

Esports

Street Figher 6

Apex Legends

VALORANT

Most Anticipated

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

MVC (Best Game Developer)

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Naoki Yoshida

Street Fighter 6

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

Game App

Honkai: Star Rail

Pokémon Sleep

Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator

Online Game

Final Fantasy XIV

Genshin Impact

Street Fighter 6

Rookie -

PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code

WILD HEARTS

Famitsu Dengeki Special Award

Hi-fi Rush & Baldur’s Gate 3

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Those who adore retro fighting and arcade games should check out this month's Capcom Humble Bundle. It provides 70 games, including Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Final Fight, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Darkstalkers: The Night Walkers, and many more Capcom titles.

For just $20, you'll gain many classic games from Capcom's back catalog and a 34% discount for Street Fighter 6 on the Humble Store. Most of the 70 games derive from the Capcom Arcade Stadium series, which ta?kes old-school arcade gems and ports them to mode??rn systems.

This Capcom Humble Bundle is providing Steam keys for those who buy it. If you just want the 34% Street Fighter 6 discount, you can donate the lowest amount at $2. Part of the proceeds go towards the Children's Miracle Network hospitals, which provide "32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada," according to its description on Humble Bundle.

If you're a Mega Man fan, you can also check out Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters and Mega Man: The Power Battle. Felicia even turns into the blue robot in the whacky Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, which is included.

You should know that the Capcom Humble Bundle runs out on February 29 if you decide to purchase it. Here's everyth??ing thi??s bundle includes:

• Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
• Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
• Ultra Street Fighter IV
• Capcom Arcade Stadium
• Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium

Those who want to step into the Destiny series should investigate the Destiny 2: The Story So Far bundle. It comes with all the expansion content for $40.

Since its inception in 2010, Humble Bundle claims it has raised over $253 million for charity. Hopefully, that continues with future bu??ndles.

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It's a big day for fighting game fans, as the Evo Championship Series has locked in its main stage selection for a new year. Eight games will be featured across three days on the main stage at Evo 2024, including the likes of Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Mortal Kombat 1, on July 19 through 21.

The news was announced today on a special stream, hosted by Vicious, Maj??inObama, and other members of the fighting game community. Though many games get played at Evo, either on stage or in side tournaments, or even in hotel lobbies and outside the venue, t??hese are the titles that will take the spotlight in this year's event:

• Tekken 8
• Street Fighter 6
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Guilty Gear Strive
• The King of Fighters XV
• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
• Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

The presence of Street Fighter 6 should be no surprise, given its record-breaking entrants from last year and incredible grand finals. Tekken 8 looks to carry forward the legacy of its series, and by all accounts it's doing well. It seems likely that these two will compete for the most entrants at this year's festivities in Las Vegas. Fellow newcomer Mortal Kombat 1 also shows up, carrying th??e NetherRealm torch in its Evo?? debut.

Guilty Gear Strive rounds out the expected giants, as the presumably largest 2D anime fighter around, and SNK gets an entrant in with The King of Fighters XV. Anime players get even more to play in Las Vegas, as Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising and Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes both secured slots.

The big draw for old fans and newcomers alike is the throwback game, an utter classic: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. This year's throwback game is one that means a lot to the history of fighting games, and Evo will be hosting a tournament celebrating the classic title. With how much reverenc??e there is for this one, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing who shows up for the next fight.

A new venue appears

There are more changes in store for Evo, includ??ing a new location. The West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center will now play host to Evo, and the show floor will be open all three days. Publisher booths, artist alley, and more will be open all three days, rather than just Friday or Saturday. The BYOC area will also apparently be larger than ever.

The Evo Showcase returns for panels and publisher news again too, as does the Evo Community Stage. Plus, the Evo ticket will now get you into both the arena and the general show floor, which is a nice shift. All eigh??t games will take place on the arena stage this year, so no more splitting it?? out.

Tickets go live at the Evo site, so you can find all the attendance info there if you want to show up live in-person. It's an overall fairly predictable lineup, but that's by no ??means a bad thing; fighting games are really good right now, and the mixture of new entries and familiar standards here should hopefully make for a stellar Evo 2024.

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Deck the halls, writ??e to Santa, and update yo?ur respective consoles before the traditional Christmas network outages. 'Tis the season, so we're wrapping up another year of gaming at Destructoid with 2023's best games, and that includes a heavy-hitting category of PlayStation nominees.

Destructoid's process is pretty simple, our very own Eric Van Allen explains as much in his Indie Nominees rundown. Games ?can only be nominated in one category, and our 'year' begins in December 2022 �December 2023 games don't make the cut.

Anyway, i??n the spirit of kicking another holiday hornet's nest??, here's our nominees for best PS4 / PS5 game of the year.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Insomniac's last Spider-Man game launched in 2018, thus kicking off this category's theme of "What year is it again?" �I had to double-check that after suggesting we just got one of these within the last couple of year???s.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the quintessential Sony recommendation for folks looking to buy the current-gen PlayStation. It's polished to a degree that remains beyond impressive and captivating, even to those not into the whole superhero scene. Miles Morales steals the show as a series favorite, and all of the usual staples like webslinging, New York neighborhoods, and, of course, Venom, return in a show of Spider-Man's best. It's one that really sold me on Spidey's direction going forward, and I certainly wasn't the only one.

Final Fantasy XVI

Though it just launched in June this year, Final Fantasy XVI was one of those games I was certain came out last year, but no, I'm just turning into dust. The hazy time-lapse is equal parts owed to the build-up and fanfare around another entry to the Final Fantasy series and how much of the year RPG lovers spent sequeste??red off with a screen.

In our review, Eric confirmed one of my biggest suspicions: Final Fantasy XVI is a Final Fantasy game. Perhaps it's not my favorite, but that's not much of a critique in a series full of titans that established and inspired developers for decades. Clive's journey is a flashy, Devil May Cry-inspired adventure fusing some of the best inspirations from the sights and sounds of FFXIV: Heavensward into a lengthy, single-player RPG.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

As a mech girly, I'm always rooting for any game with gargantuan robots and metal-on-metal sparkling firefights. Thankfully, this year didn't leave me wanting as Armored Core 6 debuted to critical praise, and that includes our own review where Destructoid's head honcho Chris Carter reassured longtime fans that "the spark of the series is still very much alive" in Fires of Rubicon.

After such a lengthy stint between series releases, Armored Core's 2023 resurrection was certainly among the year's bigger surprises, but FromSoft more than delivered yet again. I've probably hit a fail state in Armored Core VI more times?? than all of the other games on this list combined, but I keep going back to it for more. That's more impressive when you conside??r there's a rhythm game below.

Street Fighter 6

There's a reason talk of a Capcom "Golden Age" keeps happening, and Street Fighter VI feels a bit symbolic of that. The classic fighter saw plenty of praise and held its own in a year packed with other Capcom darlings like Resident Evil 4 and Monster Hunter.

As a button-masher, it's one of the few fighting games I'm willing to revisit when the shine of "new release" wears off and my friends have moved on. Its sprawling roster, upcoming collaborations, and support from Capcom turn Street Fighter VI into a constant spectacle t?hat's just as much fun to ?bumble your way through as it is to watch on the big screens of EVO.

Theathrythm Final Bar Line

Ah, the bane of my existence, Theathrythm. I say that in the most loving way possible, as my endless Theathrythm ??replays on 3DS destroyed my handheld's buttons, and I figure the same is soon true for my PlayStation controllers.

That's a very roundabout way of saying Final Bar Line absolutely rules. While the bar (ha, bar, get it?) for spin-offs isn't very high, there's nothing about this latest entry that feels like a cheap afterthought. It's just as much proper rhythm game as it is impassioned love letter to Final Fantasy. All year long, I've lost nights to replaying a handful of tracks, desperately honing my skills to crank the difficulty up just a litt??le more. And even if that's not your cup of tea, its guided tributes to the past are still worth the time.

Alan Wake 2

As an editor, I'm obviously partial to the work my team does, but if we had a category for 'review of the year,' I'd throw Smangaliso Simelane's piece on Alan Wake 2 into the rin?g for the title without a second thought. In ?the 9/10 review, Smangaliso concluded:

"I can say that it’s one of my favorite titles in an extremely competitive year. Not only has it redefined what I believe ?video game narratives are capable of, but it also lef??t me invigorated to see how Remedy will innovate once again."

Sold �anyway, with how everyone talks about Alan Wake, I deeply regret not diving into the first one. Remedy's gorgeously dismal setting calls for me in many of the same ways Control initially did, using bold, striking pops of light and color for the initial hook. Then, it's suddenly 3 a.m. on a Monda?y, but I swear I only meant to play an hour or two.?

Octopath Traveler 2

It's 2023, but this looks like what I imagined games would as a little thing in the late '90s and early '00s. Octopath Traveler 2 squared up in a year full of other gorgeous pixel art games like Sea of Stars, but held its own as an RPG powered by industry vete??rans.

Even as someone just a few hours in with an end-of-the-year cram session, the second game seems to fix some of my pain points from the original Octopath Traveler, all while maintaining the art direction and music I adored. Of course, once again, my RPG-enthused coworker Eric Van Allen reviewed the classic throwback, noting: "It some??how has everything I’d want out of an RPG ins?pired by the old days, but moving forward into new ones too. "

What's next for Destructoid's GOTY?

For those of you curious as to where we'll land, check back on December 18 for our best of PlayStation winne??r. And with all of that said, here's our quick, bulleted nominees list to refresh you for discussions?:

Destructoid's Best PS4/PS5 Games of 2023:

• Spider-Man 2
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Armored Core 6
• Street Fighter 6
• Theathrythm Final Bar Line
• Alan Wake 2
• Octopath Traveler 2

The post Nominees for Destructo??id’s Best PS4/ PS5 game of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

In a surprise trailer dropped by the Street Fighter X (formerly Twitter) account, a crossover between Street Fighter 6 and Spy x Family Code: White is coming on January 9, 2024. The event serves as a promotion for the upcoming Spy x Family film, which ??will be released in Japanese theaters on Decemb?er 22, 2023.

Aside from collaboration activities coming to Street Fighter 6 early next year, not much information was shown in the trailer. The X post said that additio??nal information would be coming at a later date.

Street Fighter 6 is no stranger to collaborations. Since its release on June 2, 2023, the fighter has joined forces with several popular franchises including Baki and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While the Baki collaboration is relegated to fighter card aesthetics, the TMNT cross?over had full-fled?ged costumes for all four Turtles.

This is where things get a little conflicting. While it was exciting to get the turtles in SF6, they came at a heavy cost, namely 750 Fighter Coins (roughly $15) each. So to get all four Turtles, players would have to drop about $60; and that didn't include all of the extras like stickers and what-have-you. Adding insult to injury was that the Turtles weren't actually characters; they were costumes for the player's avatar. Compared to the Turtles' inclusion in Injustice 2, whose pack was only $9.99 and had them as individual characters, it's kind of a raw deal in SF6.

While I'm excited about the prospect of two franchises I greatly enjoy crossing over like this, I'm hesitant about how Capcom will implement it. Either we get a bland pack like Baki or we get?? overpriced content that isn't usable outside of Avatar Battles. Here's hoping I'm totally wrong and we get an Anya and Bond combo utilizing Psycho Power.

The post A Street Fighter 6 and Spy x Fami??ly collaboration is on the way appeared first on Destructoid.

Deadly moves are on the menu with Street Fighter 6 DLC character A.K.I., who launches on September 27. Capcom revealed the launch date along with a new gameplay trailer showing off her poisonous powers. 

A.K.I. certainly seems to fit her lethal theme nicely. From the eccentric dialogue to her serpentine movements, she looks like she's in it for the thrill of the kill. You can see her in action in the preview below. 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_871izU8Fpg

Mortal combat

A.K.I. takes inspiration from her master F.A.N.G., who we first met in Street Fighter V. Many of her moves are poison-centric, from the long-distance Serpent Leash to the poison puddle known as Orchid Spring. Her story reflects this, as well, with more insight available in World Tour mode. There you'll be able to help her track down herbal medicine in new location Tian Hong Yuan, while learning about her interest in the Shadaloo organization. If you also dig a deadly touch, you can add her moves to your custom avatar. Will you be able to slither l??ike a snake, too? Anythi?ng is possible if you believe in yourself. 

[caption id="attachment_400754" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Capcom[/caption]

A.K.I. will be available for Deluxe Edition, Ultimate Edition, and Year 1 Character Pass owners. Those who prefer to try before they buy can take A.K.I. for an hour-long spin with a Rental Fighter ticket, which you'll need a Fighting Pass to secure. 

A.K.I. was first announced alongside the first wave of Street Fighter 6 DLC characters back in April. Following the launch of Rashid in July, next up after A.K.I. will be Ed and Akuma at some point. 

The post Stre??et Fighter 6 DLC character A.K.I. dated and showcased in gameplay ??trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Evo is a major event for fighting game tournaments and news. This year, we've seen updates announced for some of the biggest games in the genre, including Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Mortal Kombat 1. There's even a brief teaser for SNK's next bout. Here's? a??ll the news at Evo 2023 you should know about.

[caption id="attachment_395265" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Capcom[/caption]

Street Fighter 6 x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

After a musical performance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song, Capcom announced a new crossover for Street Fighter 6. Starting August 8, there will be four skins for your custom characters based on the radical reptiles, piz??za-riffic emotes, new titles, stamps, mobile wallpaper, and camera frames. This bit of EVO 2023 news was one of the highlights of the show for me.

//youtu.be/TY-k6jYzXtg

A.K.I. joins the battle in Street Fighter 6

Capcom also teased its next Street Fighter 6 character, A.K.I. She looks twi?sted, and poisons your custom character in the trailer. No gameplay was shown, b??ut we do know she'll be available sometime this Fall.

[caption id="attachment_395269" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Mortal? Kombat YouT??ube channel[/caption]

Ashrah, Havik, and Reptile are in Mortal Kombat 1

Three new characters were announced in a stellar Mortal Kombat 1 trailer. You'll be able to play as Ashrah, Havik, and Reptile when the game arrives on September 19, 2023. Ashrah is a surprising choice, as she hasn't been in the series since the PS2 game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Regardless, she looks like she fits in with her brutal Fatality. Sareena is also coming back, but as a Kameo figh?ter this time around.

[caption id="attachment_395273" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via arcsystemw??o??rks YouTube channel[/caption]

Johnny returns in Guilty Gear Strive's Season Pass 3

Shirtless and ready to strike his foes, Johnny returns as the first character of Guilty Gear Strive's Season Pass 3. He swings his katana with a quickening pace, and also unleashes cards, even turning people into them and slashing them up when the opport??unity arises. He'll be available to play on ?August 24.

Season Pass 3 will include one more character in 2023 and an additional two in 2024. It wi??ll also come with two more stages, more color variants for your characters, and two extra colors for?? the Season 3 characters.

Arc System Works also confirmed that the game's reached 2.5 million players, making Guilty Gear Strive a huge success for the studio.

//youtu.be/cTyy0kgQ8Ug

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves hypes up the crowd

After The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown getting acclaim from fans and critics alike, the Fatal Fury series is returning with City of the Wolves. Not much was announced, but there was a little teaser by SNK, showcasing Terr??y and Rock Howard in the game. The graphics seem t?o be an upgrade too, with more visual details and improved lighting.

No?? release date has been given??, but SNK fittingly said it is "furiously in development."

[caption id="attachment_395281" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screensh?ot via SNK OFFICIAL YouTube channel[/c?aption]

The King of Fighters XV adds Najd and Duo Lon, and KOF XIII gets a re-release date

On August 8, Najd will be available as a DLC character in The King of Fighters XV. Duo Lon will th?en follow her sometime this Aut??umn, which starts on September 23 and ends on December 21.

Additionally, The King of Fighters XIII Global Match will hit PS4? and S?witch on November 16 with rollback netcode.

//youtu.be/30GpU_0A8Rg

Raven and Azucena join the Tekken 8 roster

Fan favorite character Raven and the coffee-obsessed newcomer Azucena are a part of the Tekken 8 roster. Raven is using his shadow skills that might remind you of Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu. Meanwhile, Azucena has an intriguing dodge feature with some tasty counters shown off in the trailer. Tekken 8 still has no release date attached.

[caption id="attachment_395287" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot v??ia RIot Games' YouTube channel[/caption]

League of Legends fighting game Project L adds Yasuo

The in-development 2v2 fighter Project L is adding the champion Yasuo into the mix. His move set includes a far-reaching sword and quick attacks in the air.?? He can also release tornados and wind walls against his opponents.

"He can outplay with mix-ups, he can go to the air for really technical combos, play defense with his wind wall, or honestly just win neutral with his huge normals," said lead champion designer Alex Jaffe. Sadly, no release date for Project L w??as announced amid all the news at Evo 2023.

//youtu.be/GYIOUxYBukw?t=354

Plankton is a new character in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2

The tiny Plankton from Bikini Bottom is joining the bout in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 in a mech. He has all sorts of weaponry to fight off the likes of Aang, ??Reptar, and Spongebob SquarePants. He, alongside Squidward, will be a part of the main roster when the game launches later this year.

//youtu.be/2Dc4F_fC0nc?t=42

Killer Instinct is getting a huge update

Cult-favorite Killer Instinct is getting a major update from Xbox Game Studios and Iron Galaxy for the first time in years. It will include better matchmaking, a balance update, and all-new 4K support on Xbox Series X|S. It will be coming this Fall. Now that Iron Galaxy and Xbox are working together on this, perhaps talk of a sequel could arise between the two companies after Rumbleverse's shutdown in February.

//youtu.be/m55Ju_OmSvU

Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes is bringing "Dramatic Stylish 2D Fighting Action" in 2024

After more than ten years and many versions, Under Night In-Birth is getting a sequel. It will be launching early n?ext? year for the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Sorry, Xbox fans. Additionally, there will be rollback netcode.

Arc System Works says there will be "completely redesigned visuals" and "even more playable characters to be added" down the line. The trailer's description also touts that there will be "new moves and new battle systems" that further evolve the battle in Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbI26Ehde3g

GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising gets a release date

The release date for the sequel Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is November 30, as announced at Evo. As the festive season begins, we'll be battling it out as Gran and other characters in a three-part story and a new mode called Grand Bruise. Additionally, there is crossplay and rollback netcode available in this new version of the game. Mor?e characters are available too, including Anila, Grimnir, Nier, and Siegfried.

//youtu.be/yKUH3zTNWMk

Maypul comes to Rivals 2

Finally, the fox-like combatant Maypul joins the Smash-like Rivals 2. She brings three different plants with her t?o the battle, including Lily, Terry, and Poppy. She'll also be the fastest character in the game. Maypul's combos look thrilling in the trailer itself. The game launches sometime next year.

That's it for Evo 2023 news cycle. Which fighting games are you most looking forward to next year, and will you be playing as Michelangelo in Street Fighter 6's avatar battles?

The post All the fighting game news from EVO 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Last night in Las Vegas, many eyes were on Street Fighter 6. The newly launched entry in Capcom's fighting game series held the final slot of Grand Finals day at Evo 2023. With record entrants and an already warm reception, it's easy to say expectations were high. Still, I don't think we could have expected the stellar grand finals Street Fighter 6 got.

Let's set the stage a bit, first. The Evolution Championship Series, or Evo, is one of the most storied and respected fighting game tournaments around. Alongside its massive attendance, Evo is also an open tournament, so anyone can put up the entrance money and fight. To win Evo is to, by extrapolation, beat everyone at Evo. And with Street Fighter 6 garnering an all-time record in entrants, there was no shortage of talent on display.

Going into Sunday's Top 6, many giants had already falle?n along the roadside. Former Evo and Capcom Cup champions littered the path to Sunday's stage in Mandalay Bay, with names like SonicFox, Dogura, Daigo, NuckleDu, GO1, Fuudo, and many more all eliminated.

The storylines for Sunday were all beautifully laid out. At the top stood Punk, an established competitor from Street Fighter V who was reportedly on a perfect streak through the bracket. Haitani bore the standard for Modern controls, utilizing the simplified control scheme to execute some brutal reactions with Chun-Li. AngryBird and Kakeru were also imposing threats, and even more heat lay down below in the loser's side of the double-elimination bracket. On one side, there was the legendary Tokido; the other, MenaRD, who took the top spot at CEO 2023 in Street Fighter 6. ??Essentially, by this point, there were no easy rounds.

Drive to win

The tone was set early with a nail-biter finish between AngryBird and Kakeru, as the former's Ken pressed to get in against the 'shmup-like projectiles of newcomer JP. This close battle led to a dominating first fight for Punk, taking a Winners Final berth 3-0 over Haitani. T??he Modern controls would soon fall to incredible play from MenaRD on Luke, and Tokido delivered a second Ken win over JP to advance forward.

At this point, the finals were already solid. But something shifted in the air, the moment MenaRD and Tokido took the stage. The pair decided to face off, seemingly recreating the Street Fighter Alpha 2 art, ahead of their Losers Semifinal bout.

//twitter.com/EVO/status/1688406396772261889

The atmosphere was electric from here on out. MenaRD unleashed Blanka, ?a sometimes-?oddball pick he'd found success with, while Tokido fought back with an aggressive and impressive Ken. Blanka-chan would win out, advancing MenaRD ahead to await the loser of AngryBird vs. Punk.

Punk's incredible run fi??nally met two obstacles; first in AngryBird's still-impressive Ken, and again in a narrow loss to MenaRD's Blanka. At this point, MenaRD was on an incredible run through the losers' side of the bracket, while AngryBird stood ready to face this challenger. Both had ?outlasted some of the tournament's heaviest hitters, and the trophy was within reach.

Grand Finals played out beautifully, highlighting the strengths that bore each player there. MenaRD showed not just skill, but versatility, swapping between Blanka and Luke. AngryBird stayed nimble and adaptive while finding narrow openings in the sp??ace. The heightened drama played up all through a reset of the?? bracket and, ultimately, a win for AngryBird.

//twitter.com/EVO/status/1688428324597686273

Two players, whose highest Evo placements prior to Sunday were just outside the hallowed Top 8, put on an incredible competition. AngryBird seized the win in stirring fashion. And it was hard not to take notice that this was only the first year of Street Fighter 6.

On to the next challenger

In most years, Evo Grand Finals are usually a treat. But I really don't think Street Fighter 6 could've? asked for a better first show??ing on the biggest stage in fighting games.

As I was watching the event unfold last night, our watch party kept remarking how different this felt from Street Fighter V. Its troubled launch put SFV off to a bad start, and though it would see support and updates, it never felt like it truly recovered, much less reach the heights of its predecessor. While we saw many great stories told on Street Fighter V's canvas, I d??on't feel like the game matched up to its real-life narrative h?ighs.

Last night, if anything, showed that Capcom might finally have a vehicle on its hands that can match its driver. The calculating decisions around Drive Gauge usage, the freedom for adaptation and reaction mid-series, and even some solid character variety—Ken as the only repeat main amongst the Top 6—all show Street Fighter 6 has sincere promise.

There's still a long road ahead. Every scene waxes and wanes, as countless other top-shelf games in the competitive space have shown. But it was really nice to close out Evo 2023 with some good-ass Street Fighter, full stop. And there looks to be many more battles ahead, on the path to Street Fighter 6's next top bracket at Evo.

You can catch the full VOD for Evo 2023's Grand Finals Sunday, including some fantastic Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and more, here.

The post Street Fighter 6 couldn’t have asked for a better Evo debut appeared first on Destructoid.

The best stages of fighting games transport us to an exciting arena. It could be a stunning wilderness, a?? ruckus crowd, or an ancient temple. What's most important is how they set the tone of the fight and if the intractable nature of the stage is well suited to a fighting game. Let's?? hear the roar of the crowd and get stuck in on what makes an exciting fighting game stage.

[caption id="attachment_394297" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Capcom[/caption]

The stunning setting from stages of fighting games

Arguably, the most important element is the graphics of each stage. There's always a balance between being too simple and too distracting. For example, I hate it when pro fighting game players always pick the plain white training stages during EVO or local meetups that take me out of the experience. On the other side of the coin, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate??'s Final Destination has way too much going in the ?background that keeps me off focus.

The best fighting game stages have enough flair to be entertaining but not too still to the point of boredom. Duomo di Sirio is one of my favorites from Tekken 7, for example. There's not a lot going on in the background, but there's an elegance to the European-inspired setting. There are sculptures in the backgro?und and illustrative architectural touches that make it stand out. As the battle continues, you can punch your foe off the balcony, giving a more dynamic feel to the fight. The stage's music is also exhilarating.

Bustling or serene, fighting game stages can fit different qualities

Additionally, the best stages show the environment's culture perfectly. Street Fighter 2's Shopping District depicts a bustling Chinese market. There's a cyclist rolling down beside the fight as a chicken flaps its wings inside a cage, a woman is washing her hands in a bowl, and meat is hung up by hooks. To give a more recent example, Street Fighter 6's Fete Foraine presents a stunning Parisian night. The Eiffel Tower is glowing in the background of a market filled ??with a clown, food stalls, and a spinning ride. There are also pe??ople enjoying their food on red and white cloth tables. Capcom does a great job of detailing its stages with all sorts of references and cultural reflections of each environment.

If you want a stage that's more serene, take a look at Genbu Temple, also in Street Fighter 6. It's not populated with onlookers to th??e fight, but the slight monochrom??atic styling of the stage next to the pink blossom trees is so striking. Awesome stages can take different forms.

[caption id="attachment_394294" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Cinematic stages

NetherRealm's recent fighting game output has provided interactive stages. They're cool because your environment presents a new layer of strategy to each bout. In Injustice: Gods Among Us, you're ab?le to bounce off a car's hood to get out of the corner or ride a motorcycle into your opponent in Wayne Manor. There's even the option to smash The Joker's face into the car. You can also launch your opponent out of the arena with an impressively detailed cinematic cutscene.

Meanwhile, Dragon Ball FighterZ impresses anime and fighting game fans alike with its thrilling animations that seem ripped straight from the show. One critical element of the st??ages in this game is how they can crumble around you. If you use a powerful ability, the environment is wiped out, adding believability to the intense cutscenes that play beforehand.

//open.spotify.com/trac?k/6WdFcnGJNgLO??eL4RBCU95l?si=5e500366ef3a46c8

The music

While some games focus more on the character themes nowadays, each stage's music is important in capturing excitement in a fanbase. While Jin and Heihachi are simp?ly fighting on a shallow ocean floor and nothing else, the "Infinite Azure" track is spectacular. The beats are addicting and maintain an intense tempo, but there remains a calm tranquil tone that's refreshing to listen to. It features a few surprises in the composition, like a heavier emphasis on the percussion mid-song. Without this music, it would be a dull yet beautiful stage to fight in.

Going back to Dragon Ball FighterZ, "West City" retains the upbeat yet heavy stakes of battle. The deep bass, strings-focused melody, and then the horns all make for an epic theme while you're fighting against the likes of Tien, Cell, and Goku. While the environments show an accurate recreation of West City from the anime, the music truly mak?es it a fantas?tic stage I go back to over and over again.

You cannot talk about great fighting game stage music without mentioning "Jazzy NYC" from Street Fighter III: Third Strike. The deeper cymbal section at the beginning represents a hip-hop energy as you enter New York City. The theme is lively and has you bobbing your head up and down. The jazzy saxophone-like MIDI has an amazing solo in the middle of the song that just exudes energy. It's one of, if not the, most popular stage theme in Street Fighter history. If the music is right, it wi??ll emphasize the stage's vibe perfectly.

What are your favorite fighting games stages?

There are so many fantastic fighting game stages out there. I personally have a soft spot for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale's novelty approach to mixing two games into one area, like God of War and Ratchet & Clank in Metropolis. There's also the majesty of Tekken 5's Moonlit Wilderness with its gorgeous moonlit sky and flowers that glow from its light; it has an epic theme with it, making this stage the ultimate package. What are your favor??ite fi??ghting game stages?

The post What makes an exciting fighting game stage? Let’s dive in appeared first on Destructoid.

The first three seasons will include Street Fighter 6 and Monster Hunter crossover collaborations

Capcom hosted a showcase all about their highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi team-based shooter. During the event, Capcom revealed its roadmap for the first three seasons of Exoprimal that includes upcoming content over the next few months. Perhaps the most exciting reveal is two separate crossover events with popular Capcom titles: Street Fighter 6 and Monster Hunter.

[caption id="attachment_391178" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Capcom/YouTube[/caption]

Months of content is already in the pipeline for Exoprimal

Season 1 will kick off two weeks after release, and Exoprimal will receive its first update with an all new PvE mode: Savage Gauntlet. This mode will rotate tough ?weekly missions giving players a chance to test out their best loadouts in end-game missions. Rounding out Season 1 is ten new Alpha variant exosuits wielding unique weapons. This update will release on?? August 16.

In mid-October, Season 2 will add new missions, the Ocean Platform map, and even more exosuits. Street Fighter fans should look forward to Season 2 as it will feature a SF6? crossover collaboration. As part of the crossover, we will ??get new exosuits based on Ryu and Guile.

Finally, Season 3 will drop early next year featuring even more exosuits, a new Neo Triceratops boss fight, and a Monster Hunter crossover event.  No precise details were provided for this crossover, but we can assume there will be some new giant monsters from the Monster Hunter universe for us to beat up on.

Those looking to save the world from dinosaurs can do so soon. Exoprimal releases on July 14 on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. PC and Xbox players can check out the game for free as part of Xbox Game Pass. The dinosaur-themed game w???ill launch with cross-platform functionality.

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Street Fighter 6's roster begins its expansion with a whirlwind

Capcom has announced that Rashid will be coming to Street Fighter 6 on July 24.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP0zYYpE5_o

Rashid is the first DLC addition to the game, and you can pick him up through the Year 1 Character Pass.?? If you got the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition, you'll already be set.

Additionally, a speci??al "Rashid Arrives!" Fighting pass will be added that has a Rental Fighter ticket, which will let you try out Rashid for an hour.

Rashid's Fighting Pass will also bring lots of other goodies such as gear for your avatar, a new emote, new music, a photo border, in-game cellphone wallpaper, stickers, and even title art. Everyone hated Street Fighter V for its absurd reliance on microtransactions, so players will be happy to learn that?? they can still ge??t some free rewards too.

//twitter.com/?StreetFight?er/status/1676124776765739009?s=20

The Turbulent Wind

He's a laid-back dude who's into all things tech and who uses the wind to gain mobility and create devastating attacks. Rashid first joined the franchise in the maligned Street Fighter V, so many of his workings have changed. The official Playstation blog teases that the new Rashid will remain an acces?sible fighter, but will feature various key differences, many of which with? an emphasis on mobility.

For example, he will now feature a special move called Arabian Cyclone. Rashid will perform a spinning kick that creates a small whirlwind. The kick can transition into abilities that existed as V-Skills in SFV, and his whirlwinds?? will all?ow Rashid to improve his neutral game and his combos.

He'll also have Arabian Skyhigh, a double-jump move that's apparently very likely to confuse opponents trying to predict his landing spot. Rashid looks like he'll be one of the more mobile characters in the game, as he'll also feature a move called Side Flip that players can combine with a Front Flip to put Rashid in the air again. Also, to complete his escape from his SFV roots, Rashid's V-Trigger I from ??the previous game has become his L?evel 2 Super, Ysaar.

More characters such as AKI, Ed, and Akuma will be joining the game on an un??disclosed date.

The post Rashid makes his Street Fighte??r 6 debut on July 24 appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot of people will be Street Fighting

The latest Street Fighter has been out for just shy of a month now, and it sure seems like it's caught on. The current number of Evo registrants seems to back up this popularity too, as the tournament organizer confirms Street Fighter 6 is breaking both franchise and all-??time Evo player count records.

Shared on social media, the Evolution Championship Series says Street Fighter 6 has officially broken both a franchise and all-time Evo record for competitor??s.

//twitter.com/EVO/status/1673466628636561408

Evo doesn't share how many players that is. But if we're judging by the previous record count of Street Fighter V at Evo 2016, that's over 5,000 registrants.

Sign-ups for Evo 2023 are still live for a little less than two weeks. Evo 2023 is set to run August 4 through ?6 i??n Las Vegas, NV.

Back in the saddle again

I have to admit, it's nice to see Street Fighter thriving like this. Sure, Street Fighter V delivered some pretty great sets over the years. But it always felt like SFV couldn't get out from under its launch state.

Meanwhile, Street Fighter 6 has been an absolute grand slam. As Moyse put it so well, Street Fighter 6 is "a title that radiates excellence." And the players have been showing up, too. Alongside the big Evo numbers, this last week's CEO—where MenaRD took the top spot with both Luke and Blanka—also tallied up a ton of entrants.

Safe to say that Street Fighter 6 has made its impact on the scene. I'm curious to see what these numbers look like moving forward, after the launch year luster wars off. But this year's Evo debut for SF6 promises to be a big one.

The post St??reet Fighte?r 6 breaks franchise and all-time Evo records for 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Blanka Ballin'

This past weekend saw Street Fighter 6 make arguably its biggest debut on the international platform to date, as players rolled up to the Daytona Beach Ocean Center for prestigious fighting game tournament CEO 2023 �Three straight d??ays of intense, hard-hitting, and uber-hype fighting action.

While there were plenty of excellent scrappers on deck, including Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear Strive, and The King of Fighters XV, most eyes were on Capcom's recent release, as CEO would offer one of the best opportunities yet to see how SF6 was progressing �both popularity wise and meta wise �on the big stage. When the doors opened, we got something of an answer, as just under 1,100 players showed out for the n??ewest fighter on the block. An incredible number, to say the least.

While one would think that this huge number of players would lead to incredibly cramped timings for brackets, especially in pools, CEO 2023 also made it very clear that SF6 is one of the fastest-playing titles in series history.Many sets, including those in the Top 24, flew by at lightning pace, adding further fuel to the recent arguments that SF6 should consider going Best of Five in a tournament capacity, rather than the traditional Best of Three. I'm sure Manon is well up for that change.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=981ptSRjrKw

As proceedings drew to an end on Sunday, MenaRD walked away as the 1 vs. 1000, with their Blanka defeating Nephew's Juri to become CEO 2023 Street Fighter 6 champion. The weekend gave pro-pundits and armchair quarterbacks plenty of opportunity to dissect the title in its honeymoon period, with concerns raised over? the Drive Rush mechanic, and a realization that the Feet Jokes are not funny anymore and are actually really fuckin' distracting.

But, more importantly than all of that, CEO 2023 was a sign of fine, fine health in the Fighting Game Community, with SF6 laying strong foundations for incoming fighters Mortal Kombat 1 and Tekken 8 to follow. Stalwart titles such as KoF XV, GG Strive, and DBFZ retain their popularity, while classics such as Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and even Def Jam: Fight for New York carried torches for their own passionate fanb?ase??s.

If you missed the action, then be sure to check out the stream recordings on CEOGaming Twitch.

The incredible number of SF6 entrants bodes well for the summer season and the FGC at large, and with a slew of fantastic fighters on the market right now, with promising new titles en route, 2024 is set to be an abso?lutely stellar year for fans of the digital punch-party??.

But the fe??et?? thing... It's time we all let it go. And yes, that includes me.

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Stars in their Eyes (and over their Heads)

One of the best elements of fighting games is how much their characters and worlds lend themselves to the creativity of the fan community, who adapt the games and lore to their own artistic projects and showcases �Case in point, this great cosplay video, which sees a handful of World Warriors gather together to celebrate the launch of Capcom's Street Fighter 6.

Directed by D Piddy, shot by Alive Alf, and starring a bevy of notable cosplayers, the cosplay video sees a host of Street Fighter 6 characters, squaring up in preparation for the new tournament. While the video mostly centers on poster boy Luke, (portrayed by Johnny Junkers), and a busy day in the life of a street fighter, we also get appearances from Chun-Li (Caytie Cosplay), Zangief (Bane Armstrong), Cammy (Vamplettes), and Kimberly (Jahara Jayde - No Pout).

D Piddy themselves also takes to the floor as t??he tonic-gushing vigilante??, Jamie.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjR_iqxgZbY

Luke's day is busy enough, but it's thrown into full chaos by the arrival of Juri Han (Jane Sin), which leads to a brief throwdown between pals. Additionally, Manon (Kitty Kaboom) does a spot of couture shopping, and even Sakura (Lucky Lai) pops her head up to remind Capcom she needs to be added as DLC. The whole shebang is backed by the official Street Fighter 6 theme song "Not on the Sidelines" by Rocco 808 & Randy Marx.

Check it out, a lot of wonderful, c??reative tal??ent on display.

You can keep up to speed on more of D Piddy's projects over on their official Twitter.

Street Fighter 6 is available now on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms. Be sure to check out our newly launched and ever-growing guide hub for hints and tips on all of the game’s main modes, as well as my thoughts on who needs to join the roster post-launch.

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Cblogs of 6/3 to 6/9/2023

-Taterchimp writes a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of the TRPG Triangle Strategy.

-Virtua Kazama bids farewell to Street Fighter V in welcoming the latest Street Fighter game.

-Lord Spencer continues his retrospective of the Mega Man series with this blog focusing on Mega Man X5.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Shining Force 2 and Blues and Ragtime music.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Shining Force and Folk music.

-Inquisitive Raven reveals his 2023 A??rt Comm??ission prices, take a look at his work.

-ChronoLynxx ??opens this week's T??GIF community forum for random discussions.

Thanks for the blogs this week, folks, and thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the recap. If you ??wanna join in on the HOT TAKE party, then head on over to the Cblogs section right now. Spill your thoughts on all matters gaming, and you will find yourself recapped on this here front page next week.

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Darkstalkers is Back, exactly as you remember it

Street Fighter 6 might have only just gotten out of the gate, but already the mod community is hard at work on bringing an array of fun 'n' silly new skins to the 18 World Warriors of Capcom's smash sequel. And we're absolutely getting off on the right foot, with these skins that turn poster boys Luke and Jamie in Darkstalkers' very own night slashers, Morrigan and Felicia.

As created by artist and modder Remy2FANG, the new skins bring the spirit of Darkstalkers to the Street Fighter 6 universe, just as we all wanted. Luke ditches his horrendous cuffed pants for the succubus' sultry ensemble, while Jamie shows off more than his usual amount of cheek as melee moggy Felicia.

They both look cute af, is what I'm saying.

//twitter.com??/Remy2FANG/status/1668445962791174144?s=20

The Street Fighter 6 skins are available over at the Nexus Mods hub, and represent just a sliver of the alt costumes that the talented mod community will no doubt be sending into battle over the coming years. Of course, it goes without saying that modding titles is a strictly unofficial deal, and players will want to make sure that the??y know exactly what they're doing before they go poking around in the game's source folders.

Every Street Fighter title since SFIV has found itself awash in awesome creations, often referencing characters and worlds from the gaming universe. It will be rad to see what these talented creators come up with next. Street Fighter 6 is available n?ow on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.

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Turning (Ghost) Tricks

The Summer Game Fest presentations are all but complete, but there are still several publishers preparing to do their own thang with their own live streams �And in just an hour from now, Capcom will open up the airways with?? its own Capcom Showcase presentation, filled with news and updates.

We already know that the veteran developer is preparing to show off several upcoming releases, including action RPG Dragon's Dogma 2, dinosaur battler Exoprimal, and the remastered spook-fest Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. In addition, we can perhaps expect post-launch news for the recently released Street Fighter 6, and perhaps an update on the "Separate Ways" DLC for smash hit Resident Evil 4. There's a lot of possibility,? so it should be a fun little strea?m.

The Capcom Showcase live stream kicks off at 15:00 PT / 18:00 ET / 23:00 BST. The stream won't even take up too much of your time, as it is expected to run a short 30 minutes. Check out the show for yourself in the embed below, ??and we'll be sure to bring you all of the news right here on ??Destructoid.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRiEUtXKozU

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So long to a troubled, but memorable iteration

_{[One of the community's most dedicated fighting game fans, Virtua Kazama, prepared a few words for the departure of Capcom's Street Fighter V, a game which will be remained for its notorious launch and divisive gameplay, but also for creating great tournament moments and, ultimately turning its fortunes around. - Moyse]}

Street Fighter V�where do I begin?

Seems just like yesterday when I wrote a blog about saying goodbye to SFIV, you came out with a rocky start. I remember back in 2016 while I was working at Best Buy that I got the game and p??layed it despite how barebones the game came out. The game didn’t have a proper story mode until a few months later and that wasn’t good either. For the casual players, they didn’t get enough content, but the competitive players got what they needed.

The main gameplay mechanic that was introduced in SFV was the V-System, which gave three skills to use: V-Skill, V-Trigger, and V-Reversal. All of them use the V-Meter, which is completely separate from the Super meter. The base roster gave us 16 characters, including the mainstays returning from SFIV (Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Zangief, M. Bison (Dictator), Vega (Claw), Dhalsim, and Cammy)??, brand new characters (Necalli, Rashid, F.A.N.G., a??nd Laura), and characters we haven’t seen in years (Birdie, Karin, R. Mika, and Charlie Nash).

A year before the release, us fans were able to try the game out through the beta, and yes: the beta would have some issues to work out in terms of online connectivity. But the gameplay did give us some concerns because it felt different compared to SFIV. For some, it was refreshing, because we didn’t have to deal with the Fo?cus Attacks and Ultras anymore, but for others, they weren’t too big a fan about the new gamep??lay itself.

It was a time when Street Fighter V went full speed on the eSports experience, having the game appear on tournaments on big networks like ESPN 2 and TBS for example. Yeah, EVO 2016 airing on ESPN 2?? was a huge deal and it was a time to show the world what the FGC is made of.

It also had the h?ighest number of entrants, with 5,000+ players at EVO 2016.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljUo??nlW402Q&list=PLtQAiM1Y5luzZFPzuERYfWu3RsXF5spdc

Looking back??, it was a mixed emotion. It had both the good with the FGC support, but it also had the bad with the casual fans that have be??en around since the beginning or newcomers who just want to have fun. I personally admit that I’ve lost my way as well since I thought that it was going to be the new wave for the future of fighting games and I was wrong. Casual players were left high and dry due to the lack of single-player content that it had when it first came out.

It wasn’t until 2018 that things were about to turn around with Arcade Edition. The game received major changes from brand new moves, a fixed online experience, a revamped training mode, brand new interface graphics, two brand new gameplay modes, a second V–Trigger that everyone can use, and more. The best part about it is that it was a free update for those who already own SFV, which made it easier for us because we didn’t want to buy an update unless we wanted to play the game on PC or another console. Then again, it was only released for the PS4 and PC, followed by an coin-op release one year later with Street Fighter V: Type Arcade.

I do recall a time when SFV: Arcade Edition was out, there was an issue with the online play since Capcom attempted to try Rollback Netcode for the first time, and then someone from Brazil was able to fix the netcode without issue. Online issues aside, SFV: Arcade Edition was a total improvement over the first iteration of SFV. But it would not be the end.

Two years later, we would see the release of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. This would include an option to select? a second V-Skill, as well as more balances and changes. ?Once Season 5 was released, we were later introduced to another gameplay change with the V-Shift ability, which would serve as a predecessor to a certain mechanic that would later be used in a future game which should be out sooner than later.

Even when COVID hit, the game still managed to survive without issue as well. Capcom Pro Tour was relegated to online tournaments until 2022 when the situation became better. The final Capcom Cup for SFV happened on February 19, 2023 with Capcom Cup XI where MenaRD represented the Dominican Republic and won the tournament. It was hype overall!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=maxQhSYcMwI

Let’s also take a look at how much the roster evolved. Season 1, we had a lot of returning characters such as Balrog, Guile, Ibuki, and Juri returning from SF4, while two characters that we haven’t seen in a long time, Alex and Urien from SFIII, made their triumphant return.

Season 2, we had one returning character in the form of Akuma (Gouki), the official debuts of Ed (who appeared in SFIV as part of Balrog’s ending), Zeku (who first appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 2 as an NPC) and Kolin (Gill’s assistant from SFIII), the official debut of Menat (who was introduced to this game), and we saw the addition of Abigail, who was a boss character in Final Fight. 

By the time Season 3 came out, we also saw more fan-favorite characters return such as Blanka, Cody, Sagat, and Sakura (all returning from SFIV), while we saw the official debut of Falke and G. Season 4 saw more returning characters such as E. Honda, Poison and Seth (returning from SF4), the epic return of Gill from SFIII, the debut of Kage (another alter-ego of Ryu), and the addition of Lucia from Final Fight 3.

Lastly, when Season 5 came out, we had the return of Dan and Rose (returning from SFIV), the debut of Eleven (who is a prototype of Twelve from SFIII), the epic return of Oro from SFIII, the addition of Akira from Rival Schools (complete with her brother Daigo), and the debut of Luke, who would later become the new protagonist for Street Fighter 6. Overall, we ended Champion Edition with 46 characters total!

As we say goodbye to Street Fighter V, we will remember the good times and the challenging times that it had. I admit that the game didn’t have a proper launch the way it was intended and that it could have been a lot better if it had more content at launch, but it did allow them to learn s??everal l?essons from the developer’s side such as listening to the feedback from both the casual and competitive communities.

Always ?re??member that you can never leave the casual fans who don’t play fighting games competitively behind. It took you two updates, but you managed to improve over time and, ultimately, survive it all.

Street Fighter 6�It’s now your time to shine!

_{You can follow Virtua Kazama for FGC news and gameplay over on Twitch.}

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Capcom Collab 1

As part of the Summer Game Fest 2023, Capcom has revealed a crossover between their upcoming Exoprimal and already game Street Fighter 6. This is in the form of just, like, robo-Ryu and cybo-Guile. In other words, Exoprimal X Street Fighter 6.

//youtu.be/J4ULvSYsmYc

All right then.

I test-drove Exoprimal a while back and came away with stories of butts.? I guess this is�more butts. But recognizable butts. I guess it could work, I’m just not real??ly seeing the value?

If you’re into piloting Ryu and Guile’s robot butts, then you’ll be able to do so this Fall in Street Fighter. In the meantime, Exoprimal itself is out on July 14, 2023.

The post Ryu and Guile are bringing their butts to Exoprim??al X ?Street Fighter 6 appeared first on Destructoid.

An impressive sight

A Street Fighter 6 treadmill streamer has impressed fighting game enthusiasts worldwide on social media. Twitter user @thatMarcWithaC uploaded video Monday of the streamer, known as TalesofMrE, playing SF6 online while walking on a treadmill ?with?? his fight stick.

The British streamer has straps around his shoulders to keep it in place as he walks forward. What makes this even more impressive is that TalesofMrE achieved a Perfect K.O. while playing Zangief in ??thi?s setup.

[caption id="attachment_384792" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via TalesofMrE's T??witch chann?el[/caption]

Playing with a Street Fighter 6 treadmill setup

With almost 1,000 followers on Twitch, TalesOfMrE took his treadmill setup online in pursuit of the prestigious Diamond rank. He said he "almost tripped" during his June 5 stream but the streamer still managed to defeat his opponent, accompa?nied by an evil laugh. While the wire of his fight stick looks hazardously close, Ta?lesofMrE notes that "the perspective of the camera makes it look a lot closer to [his] legs than in reality."

//twitter??.com/thatMarcWithaC/status/1665807673093242881

TalesofMrE eventually achieved Diamond rank, one of the highest ranks you can get in Street Fighter 6, sitting just under Master. Getting a decent workout and playing a superb Street Fighter experience sounds like a lot of fun. Still, s??ucceeding in fighting games at that level requires plenty of concentration and precision, making this f??eat even more impressive.

When not fighting it out online with bizarre control setups, TalesofMrE also works in the FGC as a c?ommunity manager at Square Enix!

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