Recently, NetherRealm Studios announced that Mortal Kombat X was getting updated with GGPO-style rollback netcode. This is a huge win for the game and its fans, as the dynamic latency model currently used leads to a less-than-ideal online combat kombat experience. As far as I know, a complete overhaul of a game’s netcode this long after launch, at least in a fighting game, is unprecedented.
It may still be too early to lock any of this in, but it seems clear that something is going on at Nintendo in regards to its upcoming Nintendo NX platform. First, we heard that they had given out dev units to developers during the second half of last year. Then a report from Taiwan-based outlet Digitimes claimed that Nintendo was aiming to ship 20 million NX units by the end of the year. Most recently, Nomura Securities Analyst Junko Yamamura reports that the console will be revealed in June and out in the fall of 2016.
If we take all of this as is, it looks like Nintendo’s new console is coming this year. If so, what does that mean?
As part of a Street Fighter V panel at Evolution, Capcom revealed some interesting tidbits about the base roster, post-launch release of characters, as well as some info on balance patches. We now know that the game will launch with 16 characters, 4 of which are brand new. The first of those 4 new characters, Necalli, was revealed at Evo later that weekend. More characters will be gradually released over time, all of which can be earned for free by playing the game, or paid for with real money. Finally, all balance updates will be free and rolled out to everyone.
I saw that a few people got into training mode and one person actually got in a few matches, but it’s been a complete disaster so far. Most of my night was spent staring at a black screen. Infrequently I would get to the title screen, only for the game to say it was disconnected from the server and reverting back to the black screen.
This is an ongoing situation that I’m sure Capcom is frantically trying to fix. Thankfully, they’ve also announced that the beta will be extended to make up for lost time. For now though, I’m bitter that I bailed out on a party only to waste my time with this broken mess of a beta. Fingers crossed for us all that this is resolved soon!
The wait to dive into this Street Fighter V beta is almost over! Scheduled to open at 9PM EST today, I will be all over it. Besides taking it in for myself, I’ll try my best to capture video and impressions. Maybe even a combo video or two if the game allows for it?
If you’re interested in getting in the beta, I don’t think it’s too late. At the very least, you can pre-order the game through PSN and immediately download the beta client. Let the new era of butt-kicking begin!
At the Evolution Championship Series tournament, Capcom revealed the first original character for Street Fighter V. Named Necalli, which means battle in Aztec, he appears to be a very violent warrior with an almost animalistic approach to combat. So far, I’m thrilled with what Capcom has shown so far.
When I checked out the news yesterday morning, I wasn’t expecting Nintendo to drop the bombs that they did. In one fell swoop, they announced their intentions to move into the smartphone gaming space with DeNA, as well as an acknowledgement of their next home console. Thoughts? Continue reading
After a five year hiatus (if you don’t include the tangentially-related Rock Band Blitz), Harmonix is set to bring the franchise back with Rock Band 4. Poised for release later in 2015, Harmonix has stated that they want all our old instruments to be compatible, that they’re working on allowing players to transfer all of their old music to the new game and that they’ve come up with some ways to really freshen things up. Am I ready to rock out with plastic instruments again?
Having just finished Vol. 4 of the New 52 Wonder Woman series, the news of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Cliff Chiang ending their run on the series to be heartbreaking. This knowledge has been known since February, though I actually didn’t know about it until I went looking for the release date of the next edition.
First announced over a year ago, Yomi, is finally headed to the iPad on April 17th. This card game that aims to simulate the one-on-one fighting game experience is one of my favourites, though finding the opportunity to play my physical copy has proven difficult to say the least. While the game is set to come out at the cost of $9.99, which may be high for some, this is a steal compared to spending $100 for the physical set. Also, for an additional $9.99, you’ll get access to the 10 new characters that have yet to receive a boxed release.
In Third Person 