Paradise News

Category: Entertainment & Lifestyle

  • Street Fighter 6’s new rewards system is a bit of a grind for high-ranked players but a nightmare for completionists











    For only like the second time since launch, Street Fighter 6 added a brand new system for players to earn rewards through playing the game in Mai Shiranui’s update.






    Unlike the Fighting Pass that anyone can partake in, however, SF6’s additional batch of free items are geared only towards a much more exclusive part of the player base.









    Capcom not only brought in new Master rank tiers to the game with Mai, but also new things for those users with the highest ranks to strive towards getting with their best characters.


    There’s a new tab in the rewards section for Master Phase items that’ll refresh with every ranking reset.


    But it’s going to be a grind for those who are already even Master ranked now.


    From the way it was described before launch, the new MP items sounded as though you needed to earn 300 points for a couple of more generic prizes before getting into the individual character rewards, but that doesn’t exactly seem to be the case.





    Instead of earning points by winning matches like you normally would through Ranked mode, it seems the Master Phase tab only counts in games played.


    So that’s not 300 points you need, it’s 300 matches (not wins at least) with a Master-ranked character to get like a profile and a title.


    The most interesting part of the rewards are the new character colors included, but you have to complete the “All” items first with said 300 matches.


    Once you complete those 300 games in Master-rank, you can then earn game points towards those character costumes, but only seemingly for the character you’re using.




    And to get the pink / purple costume color, that’s 100 more matches with the character in Master.


    So that’s 400 matches to get one color it seems (though you may earn character points during the All category too), but only 100 more to get any afterward.


    Players are going to need to do a good bit of grinding to reach that point then, however, it’s something dedicated Master-ranked players are going to be doing anyway.


    That 400 may sound like a lot, but you’ve got a full ranked phase to get it done, which lasts three months.





    A serious Master player can probably have 100 games knocked out every two sessions or so if they’re really getting in there.


    So we don’t foresee people missing out on the character color they really want since they have until the end of April to do so.


    The potential problem arises when trying to do more, though.


    It certainly seems like it’s getting harder and harder to be a completionist in fighting games these days.


    Since there’s now 25 characters in SF6, that’s 2,500–2,800 ranked games to get all of the colors at least.


    But remember, you have to have all of those fighters in Master rank already.




    So yeah, it’s not going to be realistic to get all of the new Master colors.


    And Capcom clearly designed it that way for players to snatch up the colors for the characters they use the most.


    That’s not really a problem in and of itself, but it just shows the current landscape that you’re not supposed to set out to acquire everything.


    We’ve already seen that with the Outfit 3 selection and lack of a cheaper bundle for them, so very few people are going to spend over $100 on costumes in a single season.


    And these ones you can’t even buy, so the FOMO is more real here even with the three-month timer.


    There’s no telling if these colors will ever be available again or what happens when the time runs out and you’re just shy of getting one.


    Since they’re meant to reward Master-ranked players specifically, these colors and future rewards may not even be included in an all-in-one package like Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition set out to do.


    We’re very interested to see how the SF6 player base is going to react to these rewards as they come to understand more about how they work and once things reset again in May.


    It’s an intriguing choice at least for Capcom to give extra incentive to their most dedicated and best players, so that’s kinda cool in the least.


    Since they are planning to change how Fighting Passes work in Season 3 too, there’s nothing preventing them from tweaking how these Master rewards work in the future too and where we go from here.


    And you probably shouldn’t go grinding 3,000+ matches just for a few dozen colors.









    Source: Event Hubs

  • Over 20 years of fighting game history and 10,000 videos saved from deletion following major Japanese arcade closure











    This year hasn’t gotten off to a great start for arcade enthusiasts with the Brooklyn Games & Arcade on the verge of shutting down in March while a legendary Japanese game center closed its doors for good.






    The iconic a-cho amusement arcade in Kyoto shuttered completely at the end of January, and said closure was also threatening to take away more than 20 years of fighting game history along with it.









    Last month, we discussed the immenent deletion of all of a-cho’s YouTube content across multiple channels that equated to over 10,000 videos.


    An overwhelming majority of them are connected to fighting games and tournaments with footage dating back to at least 2002.


    The first a-cho Battle Movie channel was set to be deleted in just a few days on February 9 holding 2,500 videos alone, and it looked like it was really about to disappear up until this past week.


    A now former a-cho worker / manager posted about their deletion at the start of the year with chibax7jp claiming the removal was being done in case of video rights issues and the staff no longer having control over the content.




    “About the YouTube channel, a-cho will close and the staff responsible for managing the channel will no longer have any authority over it. In addition, the rights to manage video material that belongs to the manufacturer cannot be transferred to a third party. Please understand.”


    This confused many fighting game fans because decades-old videos of Street Fighter Alpha 3 and the like shouldn’t pose any problems and left the community scrambling for a solution or place to archive the probably 100,000+ hours of footage.


    There were no real updates about trying to save the channels from chibax7jp until the arcade had already closed, and luckily it seems to be some good news.





    “Announcement: YouTube channel “a-cho GAME” It has been decided that the operation of a-cho will be transferred to Daiichi Bussan Co., Ltd. Therefore, this channel will remain. Please continue to watch,” reads chibax7jp’s recent post.


    The same also goes for the a-cho Battle Movie channel as well, so they’ll both be under Daiichi Bussan that operated the arcade (and hopefully means they’re here to stay for good as an archive of a different era).


    Although they hadn’t posted regular videos in years, the Battle Movie page still streamed on the regular tournaments of Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Melty Blood, Chaos Breaker, and more until the arcade closed.


    Those a-cho pages also serve as a hub of classic fighting game history where almost any major game new or old has been featured as well as probably most big Japanese players at one point or another.




    Whether it be classic Street Fighter, Tekken, Dead or Alive, Melty Blood, Fist of the North Star, Guilty Gear, King of Fighters or even Jackie Chan: Fists of Fire, fans all around the world have continued watching and discovering these videos, events and matches.


    And hopefully it’ll stay that way for years to come.


    The arcade of a-cho itself may be gone, but it leaves behind a legacy that can never really be matched, especially when it comes to the content they’ve thankfully been able to preserve for decades in some cases.


    So let’s pour one out for a-cho one last time and relive some of their best moments together.




















    Source: Event Hubs

  • Goverment DEI Websites NUKED After LoTT Exposés

    Donald Trump promised that the moment he returned to the White House, he would begin the process of cleaning up not only the waste, fraud, and abuse that plagues government agencies, but he would also eliminate radical DEI and LGBTQ initiatives as well.

    And he’s already keeping that promise.

    In the last week, we have assisted in this effort by exposing government agencies that were still pushing woke nonsense on their websites. And we got results!

    First, we exposed National Weather Service DEI director Patricia Brown, highlighting that her page was still up despite Trump’s dismantling of DEI across the federal government. A few days after our report, Patricia’s page was deleted from the site.

    And that was just the first.

    We also shed light on the official Military Health website, which was still hosting a “Transgender & Gender -Diverse Health Care Services” page.

    Within days, the page was completely nuked.

    But it doesn’t stop there! we exposed the US Mint for selling a January 6th coin which described the event as a day when “a mob of insurrectionists forced its way into the U.S. Capitol,” even though not one person was charged with “insurrection.”

    Shortly after our exposé, the coin was removed from the US Mint website.

    For far too long, government agencies filled with unelected bureaucrats have forced woke ideologies down the throats of Americans. But not anymore.

    Thank God for President Trump. Trump is pushing this nonsense out of institutions and returning common sense to the country. We will continue to do our part and expose any agency that attempts to cling to destructive far-left ideologies.

    We the people will hold the government accountable!

    Have a great weekend

    -LoTT Team

    Source: Libs of TikTok

  • Daigo Umehara considers maining Mai Shiranui in Street Fighter 6











    Mai Shiranui is the latest character to join the Street Fighter 6 roster. Like other professional players within the community, BST|Daigo Umehara has been exploring the possibilities offered by Mai.






    In a recent video, Daigo appeared to be interested in potentially using Mai as his new main character. Initially, it was Mai’s fans that impressed Daigo the most, but as he learned more about the character, he became less sure of her potential.









    “She checks a lot of the boxes I like in a character,” said Daigo. “She’s got some tools, for sure… Wait, this character might be a viable option. At this rate, she’s on the table. Doesn’t she seem pretty strong?”


    However, this was before Daigo knew that Mai’s fireballs can be swatted away with simple strikes. From this, Daigo began to express a little doubt about Mai. He noted that she’ll probably struggle against fireballs since her fans can’t normally clash with them.


    “Oh, Mai’s projectile loses to strikes? Oh, okay. So it’s not really a projectile,” responded Daigo to his live chat. “I totally misunderstood… The fan loses to a fireball? Okay, then she’s going to have a hard time against fireballs.”


    Despite this, Daigo continued experimenting with some setups involving Mai’s fan “projectiles.” He seemed to still be overall impressed with Mai’s capabilities.


    “She looks really strong,” continued Daigo. “It’s not like when they released Terry, and it was like ‘What’s his selling point?’ Maybe I should actually play her for real. There aren’t many characters who seem this good at first glance.”


    Check it all out in the video below:









    Source: Event Hubs

  • Masahiro Sakurai’s reaction to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct announcement has everyone speculating…











    The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been unveiled. Although leaks and rumors have basically already revealed just about all there is to know about the upcoming hybrid console itself, Nintendo has managed to keep a pretty tight lid on its game library.






    As of right now, we only know for sure that Nintendo has the ninth entry of the Mario Kart series planned for the Switch 2. However, they also revealed that a dedicated Switch 2 Direct will be airing on April 2, 2025, which should reveal more games.









    It’s been about three weeks since Nintendo first officially revealed the Switch 2, but they recently reiterated on X their plans to host a Direct on April 2 for some reason. This has seemingly quashed any rumors of a Direct for the month of February.


    Even though nothing new was actually announced with this post, Masahiro Sakurai, the Super Smash Bros. series Director, had an interesting reaction to share. On the surface, it doesn’t amount to much as he simply just exclaims “Wow!” but many are speculating that there could be more to it.



    As pointed out on Reddit, Sakurai has apparently used this exact phrase during the “Battling with Sora” presentation for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It came immediately after Sora’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate trailer was revealed.


    While this could just be a coincidence, there are some other interesting factors to consider with this situation. At this moment, it seems highly probable that Sakurai is developing a new game for the Switch 2.


    Sakurai has apparently been working on a secret game project since April 2022. The game proposal for it was finished “at lightning speed” back in July 2021 while Sakurai was still juggling the Kazuya and Sora DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.


    “I’m sorry I can’t share more about this project, but assuming we’re able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later.” — Masahiro Sakurai


    Of course, Sakurai wasn’t ready to share too many details about this secret game project just yet. “I’m sorry I can’t share more about this project, but assuming we’re able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later,” stated Sakurai.


    Considering that Sakurai began working on this mysterious project back in April 2022, this upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025 will roughly mark the three-year anniversary of the development cycle of this unknown title.


    Could Sakurai’s secret game project get revealed during this Switch 2 focused Direct in April 2025? Many believe that this could be what Sakurai is hinting at with his post on X.


    While it feels highly likely that Sakurai’s next game intended for the Switch 2, it’s not entirely clear if it will be the next entry in the Super Smash Bros. series or something else entirely. Having said that, there are a number of signs that are pointing towards that possibility.


    As mentioned before, it’s only been revealed that a new Mario Kart title will be available on the Switch 2 at some point in the future. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is known to be the best-selling game on the Switch with 67.35 million units sold worldwide.


    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has held strong as the third best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch with 35.88 million unit sales. It’s reasonable to suspect that Nintendo might want to continue the tradition of releasing a new Super Smash Bros. entry for every mainline Nintendo console since the Nintendo 64 considering how successful the series has been for them.


    Curiously, Nintendo recently released patch 13.0.3 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which fixed an issue with the game’s online system. This wasn’t a recently discovered issue as it had actually been plaguing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate since it was released.


    Needless to say, this situation feels very similar to how Nintendo was able to release a new patch for Super Smash Bros. 4 that specifically aimed to nerf Bayonetta after all post-launch content had been released. We found out later that this was possible because development on the next Super Smash Bros. entry had already begun by that point.


    It was also interesting to see the final batch of Spirit Board events get released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This was done in celebration of Smash Ultimate’s fifth anniversary.


    Could history be repeating itself? Is Masahiro Sakurai already deep into the development of the next Super Smash Bros. entry for the Switch 2?


    It may not seem like much, but Sakurai’s response on X could be taken as a hint towards all of this. Sakurai himself knows just how much people pay attention whenever he says or does anything, so the speculation feels like it could be by Sakurai’s design.


    Ultimately though, we’ll have to wait until that Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct on April 2, 2025 to get to the truth of all of this.







    Source: Event Hubs

  • BlindWarriorSven goes through Mai Shiranui’s combo trials in Street Fighter 6











    Mai Shiranui and her compatibility patch have been released for Street Fighter 6. As the second SNK guest character to join the Street Fighter roster, Mai sports a unique playstyle with access to a variety of interesting moves.






    BlindWarriorSven recently released a video that has him going through Mai’s combo trials. Though BlindWarriorSven lost his sense of sight when he was very young, he’s still an accomplished Street Fighter player that’s more than capable of completing Mai’s beginner, intermediate, and advanced trials.









    Before BlindWarriorSven is able to attempt one of these trials, he must first play the demo. This gives him the opportunity to listen to the moves required of the player to advance to the next trial.


    Indeed, BlindWarriorSven is able to identify each attack based on the sounds that they generate, as well as the trial itself acknowledging when the player successfully combos into the correct moves. Evidently, Capcom has done a stellar job in terms of their sound design.


    BlindWarriorSven is even able to recognize when a move is striking as a Punish Counter. Of course, these situations can be observed based on the sounds the opponent makes upon getting hit.


    In total, there are seven beginner, nine intermediate, and six advanced combo trials to go through. As he attempts each trial, BlindWarriorSven explains how to perform each sequence.


    Check it all out in the video below:









    Source: Event Hubs

  • Mai Shiranui has another Easter egg taunt to keep your eyes on in Street Fighter 6 and it’s easy to do











    Pretty much ever since Akuma’s release, Capcom has been going kinda nuts putting special Easter eggs into the inputs of their DLC characters in Street Fighter 6.






    We already saw that Mai was no exception with her special explosive taunt that can actually do damage, but that’s not the only one she has.









    Instead of putting on a show for a move with 430 frames of startup (that’s just over 7 seconds), the Fatal Fury heroine has another Easter egg taunt to rile up the opponents.


    As pointed out by Treacherously, Mai will go out of her standard taunt pose into something different.



    She wraps her and around her tail in another nice bit of animation for the character while pointing her closed fan at the opponent with the poignant line:


    “Hey, what are you looking at? Up here.”


    At the very least, this appears to be a reference to her Capcom vs. SNK 2 portrait artwork where she strikes a similar pose though we wouldn’t be surprised to see it did come from an older King of Fighters game or something else first — so if there’s an earlier reference going on here, let us know in the comments.




    So how do you do the extra taunt?


    Just hold down the taunt button.


    That’s it.



    There’s no other special inputs needed like Shin Akuma while Mai’s explosive showcase is her back taunt.


    So it’s just another fun little Easter egg Capcom has put into this labor of love for the crossover, and we’re going to be talking a lot more about what else they’ve added to SF6 in a similar fashion soon.







    Source: Event Hubs

  • This stop-motion video of Wolverine vs. The Hulk using action figures has better choreography than most movies











    One of Marvel’s most famous and beloved characters Wolverine is typically one you would connect with the X-Men, but something most diehard fans are well aware of but casual outsiders may not know about him is that he actually debuted in the comics as an enemy to The Incredible Hulk all the way back in 1974.






    It didn’t take long after this initial appearance for him to become part of the X-Men roster, in fact he joined up with the mutant super hero team the very next year in 1975. So while it makes a lot of sense that most people identify him as a hero with the X-Men, it’s always been a very iconic battle in the Marvel Universe to have him pitted against The Hulk and that’s exactly what today’s video shows an adaptation of.









    Because of the Hulk’s immense strength and Wolverine’s resilience coupled with his regenerative healing factor, it becomes something of a “unstoppable force versus immovable object” situation, a feeling that is expertly captured in this piece of animation.


    Stop-motion animation may not be the first thing to come to mind when you’re thinking of fighting games, but after seeing this choreography in action it really brings the mind back to the old Marvel fighting games that Capcom graced us with throughout the ’90s and the early ’00s, especially since it’s specifically between Wolverine and The Hulk.


    While it’s obviously a fair bit different from any kind of animation or live-action fight sequence due to it being done entirely with action figures, the thought and effort put into the choreography, action sequences and even the sheer length of this video make it a must-see not only if you enjoy cool fight scenes but more importantly creative solutions to the limitations of such a format.


    Over at a Tiktok channel called Brickaway, the ambitious user decided to use an array of action figures to create an epic battle set piece through simply posing them, adding extra objects and effects (as well as a bunch of extra Deadpools toward the end) and taking pictures of it.


    It’s hard to even begin counting how many images must’ve been used to bring this whole video to life, which clocks in at more than three and a half minutes, but the end result is beyond impressive.


    Showcasing an epic clash between the two famous Marvel superheroes and their eventual battle against an army of Deadpools, it’s done in a way that honestly surpasses what we see in most comic book movies, despite their budgets regularly exceeding figures of 200 million dollars.


    If the end sequence didn’t already make it obvious enough that this project had been inspired by last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine film, the creator makes it very clear by stating in the video description “Giving you what Deadpool 3 unfortunately didn’t… Hope you enjoy as always”.


    As the channel seems focused specifically on content of this nature, we’re definitely looking forward to what Brickaway might deliver in the future after seeing this masterpiece.


    Take a look at the epic action sequence below and let us know what you think of this Marvel Comics battle brought to life.


    @brickaway Hulk Vs Wolverine Giving you what Deadpool 3 unfortunately didn’t… Hope you enjoy as always #foryou #fypツ #fypage #wolverine #incrediblehulk #deadpool #hulkvswolverine #loganhowlett #brucebanner #marvel #deadpoolandwolverine #wadewilsom #brownsuitwolverine #xmen #hulksmash #marvelrivals #hulkandwolverine #ladydeadpool #wolverinebrownsuit #redhulk #logan #marvelcinematicuniverse #theincrediblehulk #zombiedeadpool #avengers #mafex #shfiguarts #mezcotoyz #sentinel #marvellegends #amazingyamaguchi #cttoys #endgame #deadpool3 #ageofultron #markruffalo #hulkvswolverinefight #hughjackman #deadpoolcorps #wolverinexmen #figureposing #toyphotography #brickaway #deadpoolmovie #wolverineedit #marvelrivalstok #wolverinevsdeadpool #figtok #xyzcba ♬ original sound – gregorysmith5002







    Source: Event Hubs

  • Evo champion is not sold on Mai’s power level as the FGC shares early impressions of the flashy new Street Fighter 6 DLC character











    It’s now been a bit more than a full day since Mai Shiranui launched in Street Fighter 6 as the new hotness and DLC character, and now players are starting to see if she has the substance to match her style.






    Since this is the internet, Street Fighter and fighting game pros are sharing their early impressions and opinions on Mai’s power level out the gate here.









    We’ve been witnessing a bit of a split on how players are viewing the Fatal Fury kunoichi as she’s hitting the stage although no one is really out here saying Mai will be an S+ tier fighter just yet.


    In fact, current SF6 Evo champion FLY|Punk doesn’t seem to be much of a believer at all in her capabilities to reach those heights.


    After just a session or two, he’s declared Mai to have too many bad match ups that feel “awful” to consider her as such.




    We’d be curious to know what all of them are, but we’ll have to wait on some match up charts to get a fuller picture there.


    One of them, however, is most definitely Dhalsim since his long limbs can just punch right through Mai’s fans to punish her for trying to throw uncharged projectiles as shown by SYG|Garnet.



    Some of the most common things we’re seeing include how she may end up in the same boat as Jamie being a fighter who can be decent on her own, but needs that buffed state to really make her shine.


    And part of the potential problem with that is actually landing the level 1 Super to get her Flame Stocks since it feels pretty awkward to hit consistently outside of the corner or without using Overdrive Ryuuenbu to confirm.




    HDG|Pochoclo23 went from saying Mai is top tier upon release to changing course noting bad match ups again as well as character flaws.



    On the flipside, you’ve got the likes of SR|JAK putting her as an early solid character with good pokes and necessary tools, but again, those Flame Charges make her a lot more threatening.



    And then we have another former Evo champion from Marvel vs. Capcom in ChrisG taking Mai to the top of the Legend leaderboards upon her arrival and start of the new Master Phase and is picking her up as a new main.



    But some of that could be due to her propensity for throw and OD fan mixups.



    Overall, even though a chunk of these seem more mixed to negative, most people seem to be having fun with her, and that’s ultimately what’s most important.


    It’s also probably a good thing that a broken character didn’t release one month before Capcom Cup 11, but who knows, her time is still young here in SF6.


    And if you’re looking for a more in-depth overview as to what makes Mai good and where her weaknesses lie, we suggest checking out Rooflemonger’s Mai impressions video below too.


    Plus, let us know in the comments what you think about Mai so far in SF6.











    Source: Event Hubs

  • Sparking Zero continues pace of fastest-selling game in franchise by adding a couple million more copies to the pile











    It took 17 years to get a fully new entry in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, and the fans were more than ready for some action even beyond the release window.






    Bandai Namco recently revealed Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero reached a new sales milestone, continuing its pace as the fastest-selling game in Dragon Ball history (at least when it comes to consoles).









    The company revealed Sparking crossed 5 million copies sold worldwide.


    This is up from the 3 million the Dragon Ball arena fighter achieved just on launch day, which Bamco noted at the time as an outstanding performance.


    At that time, Sparking Zero was even able to take the title of best-selling Dragon Ball game in the United States ever after just a month.


    So it’s likely much of those additional 2 million copies came from over here too since Bamco stated before that 90% of Sparking’s initial sales came from the Americas and Europe.


    Sparking Zero also finished out 2024 as the fourth-best selling game of the year in the U.S. while Bamco’s other major new fighter Tekken 8 finished in 18th place despite the nearly eight-month head start.




    The new title’s sales pace is much faster than its predecessor in the fighting space though they aren’t within the same subgenre to really offer a perfect comparison.


    Dragon Ball FighterZ took over two years to reach 5 million sales where as Sparking Zero did so in like three or four months.


    The last we heard, FighterZ hit 10 million sales back in 2023 along with Xenoverse 2, so it’ll be interesting to see how quickly Sparking reaches that mark too and if it can do so in under a year.


    With this much success, Bamco is likely to continue supporting Sparking Zero for years to come like they did with FighterZ and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but maybe they’ll run out of characters to use by that point considering how large the starting roster was already.



    There will probably be at least some new transformations of Goku and Vegeta to pull from by then, and they’ll keep printing money too.









    Source: Event Hubs