Category: Entertainment & Lifestyle

The new Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite & Beyond PC mod is officially in the hands of the masses now. This free mod for the Steam version of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite adds a slew of new goodies, including an overhauled visuals style, balance changes, and much more.

One thing Beyond also made changes to is MvCI’s final boss, Ultron Omega, who the head of this project Maximilian Dood believes is now one of the most difficult fighting game bosses ever made. Max recently issued a personal challenge to content creator Diaphone to see if he could actually defeat this boss, and Diaphone happily accepted the challenge. Here’s how it went down.

The challenge here consists of a couple of key components that make it extra difficult. For starters, Max prompted Diaphone to play arcade mode using one of Beyond’s new modes that sees the player control both of their team’s characters on screen at once while fighting teams of CPU opponents that are also both on the screen and fighting at the same time.

This adds a bit of chaos to an already fast-paced, crazy game, and when it comes to the big boss, it makes managing your fighters and knowing how and when to strike all the more difficult.

In addition to this, it appears that Ultron Omega is just a tougher boss in general, especially on the hardest difficulty. The challenge asks Diaphone to beat Ultron Omega in arcade mode with the two-fighter mode activated on the hardest difficulty, and at the time the challenge was issued only three other people were on record for having conquered this nearly impossible feat.

But as Diaphone says himself, he’s built different, and so he takes on this crazy challenge in one of his latest YouTube videos. We won’t spoil anything for you, but be sure to check out how Diaphone does in this incredibly difficult fighting game boss battle and how he goes about picking a team best suited for the mission in the video below.

Love it or hate it, Street Fighter 6 has the most thoughtful and considered meta game the franchise has ever seen. It’s not to say the game is balanced perfectly (whatever that even means) but rather that developers had tons of information over years of releasing games and getting feedback that they used to curate just about every attack and maneuver in the game.

In his latest video MC Mura puts Street Fighter 6’s approach to knockdowns and general offense under the microscope, then digs back through the hard lessons learned in both Street Fighter 4 and 5 to show us how Capcom got to where it currently is.

Rarely is a fighting game ever based more around defense than offense. While a keen tactician may appreciate the subtle nuances of two players goading one another into making a first move, audiences and greener players tend to want to watch and play through explosive action.

Given this general truth, fighting game developers are effectively tasked with making games that favor offense to the degree of being fun to watch and play, but are simultaneously balanced defensively so that a conspicuous amount of thought and strategy is still evident.

Mura presents Street Fighter 6’s knockdown meta in a nutshell, pointing out the various options both defenders and aggressors have following a sweep or a throw scenario. He then time travels back to the days of Street Fighter 4, where vortex and limited defensive options heavily influenced the direction of the franchise, to show the lessons developers learned during that time.

The changes made during late Street Fighter 4 carried over into Street Fighter 5, which brought with it its own issues. That same process of evolution stayed at work throughout SF5’s life and into Street Fighter 6, which has now been out in the wild for a full 18 months.

Mura’s breakdown offers viewers a stronger understanding of why SF6 exists as it does and just how meticulously-placed all pieces of the overall puzzle are. More evolution is, of course, needed, and informative videos detailing both the what and why of the current state of things stand to help us move through that evolution with maximal efficiency.

FLY|Punk made quite the milestone earlier this year when he came in first place during the Street Fighter 6 event at Evo 2024. Now more than ever, other players are going to be gunning for him by coming up with anti-Cammy tech.

Recently, Saishunkan|Nemo posted an interesting clip that showcases a specific trick that Rashid can do against Cammy. Funnily enough, he tagged Punk with an apology regarding the contents of the clip.

From mid screen, Rashid is easily able to push the opponent into the corner with a single combo. From here, Rashid then activates his level 2 super art, which is seen by many as being one of the best supers in the game.

However, Rashid momentarily crosses under Cammy while she’s airborne, resulting in the tornado being thrown the wrong way. While this might seem like a mistake, this is actually an intentional move being made.

Ultimately, Rashid ends up crossing Cammy once again, returning to the more favorable side of the corner. By this point, Rashid simply activates his Drive Impact against Cammy. It’s worth noting that Cammy was in Burnout at the very start of this sequence.

Cammy attempts to escape using her level 1 super art, but the tornado ends up putting a stop to this plan. Of course, it should be mentioned that this setup would only work against Cammy so long as she doesn’t have enough meter to use a level 2 super art or a level 3 super art (since those attacks transition into cutscenes upon hit).

With all the variables in place, Rashid has a terrifying checkmate scenario that can be used against Cammy as her own forward moving level 1 super art is made to work against her. Check it all out below:

Sorry @PunkDaGod pic.twitter.com/RVJODlreLk

— Nemo（ねも） (@GOOD_NEMO) December 23, 2024

In the world of fan art, where homage meets creativity, Rim Jims stands out with a distinctive style that breathes new life into the familiar faces of fighting game characters. Leaning on an approach that utilizes explosive color and an almost cinematic approach to line work, Rim Jims’ art does more than just capture these characters.

Iconic fighters like Juri, Morrigan, Psylocke, Baiken, and plenty of others across Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Darktalkers and more, are brought to life in all new ways via the gallery below.

Rim Jims’ is not afraid of color. The artist chooses a palette that’s not just vibrant but aggressively so, with hues that clash and complement in equal measure. This bold approach doesn’t just make the characters stand out; it imbues them with a kind of energy that’s palpable.

The purples and pinks, often seen against the stark contrast of skin tones, don’t just highlight the characters; they give them a larger-than-life presence, akin to the neon glow of a city at night. This is highlighted in both of the initial images that feature Marvel vs. Capcom 2’s Psylocke and Street Fighter’s Juri, respectively.

The line work in Rim Jim’s art is where the action truly comes alive. Each stroke seems to carry the weight of a blow, the tension of a stance. The characters aren’t just posed; they’re caught mid-movement. This dynamic quality to the art makes each piece feel like a snapshot from an intense match, where every moment is charged with potential.

What the artist does with character design is perhaps the most captivating. While staying true to the essence of the characters from their respective games, there’s an evident enhancement on top of their already over the top designs.

The use of lighting in Rim Jim’s work adds a layer of drama that’s almost theatrical. This isn’t just about making them look good; it’s about making them look like they’re in the midst of an intense battle, where beauty and brutality coexist.

Shadows play across the characters, not just to give them form but to suggest depth, to hint at the stories behind the fight. It’s this play of light and dark that gives Rim Jim’s characters a sense of three-dimensionality, making them leap off the canvas.

Check out our full selection in the gallery below, offer your thoughts and reactions in the comments, and then be sure to check out last week’s artist showcase featuring KittyMiya’s Tekken art.

Click images for larger versions

Christmas is right around the corner, and now is the perfect time to gift yourself and your friends the holiday joy of fighting games for cheap.

The Steam Winter Sale is now underway offering steep discounts across almost all the big fighting games including some that almost never drop in price.

The craziest deal probably goes to Mortal Kombat 1 because while the base game is dropped down to $20, the MK1 Khaos Reigns Collection is just under $30 now for all the content in the game.

If you’ve been waiting for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising to finally go on sale, no is your opportunity with the base game and Deluxe Editions now half off (though the DLC by itself doesn’t appear to be discounted).

The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite sales are still going on as well, so there’s more time to get in on the big Infinite & Beyond mod project release.

Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, Tekken 8, Dragon Ball FighterZ, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R and much of their respective DLCs are largely discounted too.

These sales are slated to last through December 2 at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST.

You can check out the best fighting games deals during the Steam Winter Sale below though prices and availability will differ between regions.

• BlazBlue: Central Fiction – $10.00
Capcom Fighting Bundle – $19.79

• Capcom Fighting Collection – $16.00

• Dead or Alive 6 – $9.00

• Dead or Alive 6 Deluxe Edition – $12.00

• Dragon Ball FighterZ – $9.60

• DBFZ DLC – 50-60% off

• DBFZ FighterZ Edition – $14.39

• DBFZ Legendary Edition – $39.60

• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising – $25.00

• GBVS Rising Deluxe Edition – $37.50

• Guilty Gear Strive – $20.00

• GGST Blazing Edition – $81.00

• GGST Season 3 Pass – $17.50

• Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 – $9.89

• Injustice 2 Legendary Edition – $6.00

• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R – $10.00

• JJBASBR Deluxe Edition – $19.60

• JJBASBR DLC – 30-50% off

• JJBASBR Ultimate Edition – $29.74

• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection – $40.00

• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – $8.00

• MvCI Deluxe Edition – $12.00

• Melty Blood Type Lumina – $20.00

• Mortal Kombat 1 – $20.00

• Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns Kollection – $29.70

• MK1 DLC Characters – 50% off

• MK1 Khaos Reigns DLC Bundle – $24.00

• MK1 Khaos Reigns Expansion – $20.00

• Mortal Kombat 11 – $5.00

• Mortal Kombat 11 – Ultimate $9.00

• Mortal Kombat XL – $6.00

• Persona 4 Arena Ultimax – $9.00

• Power Rangers Collector’s Edition – $7.50

• Power Rangers Super Edition – $12.52

• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid – $5.00

• Rivals of Aether 2 – $24.00

• Samurai Shodown Deluxe Pack – $16.03

• Samurai Shodown Kiwami Pack – $20.41

• Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection – $6.00

• Skullgirls + Season Pass – $14.83

• Skullgirls 2nd Encore – $2.50

• SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy Deluxe Pack – $9.00

• Soul Calibur 6 – $6.00

• Soul Calibur 6 Deluxe Edition – $14.39

• SC6 DLC – 50-70% off

• Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection – $9.89

• Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition – $10.00

• Street Fighter 6 – $30.00

• Street Fighter 6 Deluxe Edition – $42.50

• Street Fighter 6 Ultimate Edition – $52.50

• SF6 Year 1 Character Pass – $19.50

• Tekken 8 – $35.00

• Tekken 8 Deluxe Edition – $60.00

• Tekken 8 Ultimate Edition – $66.00

• Them’s Fightin’ Herds Deluxe Edition – $7.98

• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – $7.50

• Ultra Street Fighter 4 – $3.90

• Under Night In-Birth 2 – $25.00

• UNI2 Deluxe Edition – $42.00

• Your Only Move is Hustle – $3.50

A lot of people really were waiting for that physical edition it seems

While 2024 has been a pretty big year for fighting games all around, it appears there’s only a select few titles that stand a chance of going blow for blow with the Call of Duties, Maddens and Astrobots of the industry in terms of sales.

Circana (formerly the NPD Group) recently released their latest video game sales data charts that sees the return of some arcade classics and continued dominance of Dragon Ball action.

Thanks to Mat Piscatella, we can see all of the different sales charts for the United States in the month of November 2024.

The most interesting inclusion for all of us here also saw the largest leap out of the entire list for last month.

The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection apparently fell all the waydown to 87th place in terms of sales for October, but shot up 67 spots to just barely force its way back into the top 20.

Said giant boost was certainly due to the physical version of the crossover MvC compilation launching in November after the digital edition came first in September.

So it seems a lot of players were holding out for that disc / cartridge and bonus comic book.

November 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

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— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) December 18, 2024 at 8:00 AM

While the new chart is more good news for Marvel fans, it also shows how far the collection dropped after its initial month between the digital and physical releases.

The Marvel collection charted at 16th place in the U.S. in September, but then managed to fall all the way down to 87th in October — so it seems anyone who was remotely interested in the title either picked it up immediately or waited for the boxed copy.

Capcom has said the MvC collection was selling ‘exactly as planned’ after launch, however, the company has yet to release any hard numbers as to the number of copies out in the wild.

And despite charting for at least two months now, it’s looking very unlikely MvC will reach the top 20 ranks for the year as a whole, but that’s not really unexpected for a collection of arcade games that are at least 25 years old.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero continued its dominating push as the only other fighter on the ranks for November though it wasn’t quite as high as October.

Goku and the gang remained in the top 5 overall with Madden NFL 25 and two EA Sports titles pushing it down from the number two position it held in its launch month.

Sparking Zero already became the best-selling Dragon Ball game in the U.S. in that first month, so it’s continuing to increase its lead for anything that comes after it.

For PlayStation and Xbox specifically, Dragon Ball also landed at 5th place for both systems down from 2nd in October.

Year-to-Date Ending November 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

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— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) December 18, 2024 at 8:00 AM

Although Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1 all went on sale for Black Friday and other discounts in November too, none of them managed to claw their way back onto the monthly list like Marvel did, which is a bit more surprising.

As for the year-to-date sales for 2024 as a whole, Tekken 8 is still hanging onto its 16 place right behind Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth as a pretty encouraging sign though its cousin from the other side of Bandai Namco has far eclipsed it in America.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero stayed on as the fourth-best selling game in the U.S. this year still ahead of Madden and many others, which is pretty wild overall.

We’re very interested to see how the December charts shape up as well as what those end of year ranks are going to look like, but we’ll have to wait a few more weeks on that front before we get that juicy data.

After Marvel vs. Capcom got some time in the spotlight earlier this year, Capcom vs. SNK and other classic fighting games are next in line to make a bit of a comeback.

The previously announced Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is opening up pre-orders for the physical edition of the game along with the nice collectible that will come along with it.

PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch physical copies are now available to pre-purchase at retailers across the United States including Amazon, Target, Best Buy and GameStop.

Although an Xbox version of the collection was confirmed after the other two consoles, there’s no word yet if it will be releasing at the same time as the rest or if they’ll be getting a physical disc option too.

Interestingly, the upcoming Capcom collection will also actually be a bit cheaper than the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection despite technically offering slightly more content.

The launch retail price of the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is set at $39.99 USD while the other one just released at $49.99, however, you can find the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection on sale for the same price if not cheaper currently.

Said upcoming compilation comes with 8 classic games while MvC came with 7 total, and though there are two Capcom vs. SNK titles included, it may suggest that Marvel’s licensing is unsurprisingly more costly to use.

The Capcom Fighting Collection 2 includes Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, Power Stone, Power Stone 2, Project Justice and Plasma Sword.

Those who pre-order this physical edition on PS4 or Switch will receive a special Capcom vs. SNK mini comic book just like the Marvel collection’s bonus.

It may be limited to players in the United States, however, so make sure to check with your local retailers before jumping in there.

No release date has been announced beyond a 2025 launch window yet where the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is coming to PS4, Switch, Xbox and PC.

It’s been a good while since we’ve seen IBSG|Kakeru and his relentless JP in Street Fighter 6. He hasn’t qualified for Capcom Cup 11, but considering that he won $400,000 by coming in first place at Gamers8 2023, maybe he doesn’t even need to.

Regardless, it would appear that Kakeru’s JP is as dominant as ever. As seen on The FGC Place, Kakeru is still performing as either the number 1 or number 2 best JP according to the online leaderboards.

While JP is primarily focused on a long ranged playstyle in Street Fighter 6, Kakeru actually seems to excel at rushing down with the fighter. Rather than throwing projectiles all the time, Kakeru prefers to get in close and create opportunities with his setups.

In one video (back when Kakeru was ranked as the number 2 JP), Kakeru found himself going up against the second highest ranked Manon, Babaaaa. As such, Kakeru is able to show off his amazing footsies to keep Manon out for long periods of time.

After that, Kakeru (back at rank number 1) ends up facing off against the third strongest Luke, Hinao. Kakeru displays an amazing reaction time as he’s able to consistently Drive Parry Luke’s Sand Blast projectile, then Drive Rush forward to punish.

Overall, it’s a little disappointing that Kakeru hasn’t qualified for the Capcom Cup, but there’s always the possibility of him qualifying via the Last Chance Qualifier (assuming he even chooses to compete).

Check it all out below:

The term “worst” could mean a lot of different things when it comes to fighting game mechanics, and so before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we should clarify that Khanage’s excellent new video is talking about a comeback mechanic that’s incredibly ineffective at doing its job.

Where so many modern games erred on the side of giving losing characters too much of an unearned advantage (looking real hard at you, V-Trigger in Street Fighter 5) Street Fighter X Tekken’s Pandora Mode was an unfortunate flop.

Especially after all of Khanage’s detailed research, it’s not hard to see how developers could, in another universe wherein Street Fighter X Tekken were still being supported, tweak Pandora to make it more viable. Unfortunately, the myriad of other issues that plagued SFxT’s short lifespan ensured that will likely never happen.

For those who are unaware or need a refresher, losing SFxT players can make a last ditch try at victory by sacrificing one of their two characters and starting a ticking time bomb for the other.

The advantage, however, is that you garner improved stats for that short while as your remaining character hits harder, moves faster, and (after a buff) gains full meter.

The problem in a nutshell? Street Fighter X Tekken was a famously slow game, and putting yourself at odds with the clock (which is arguably Pandora’s chief effect) is a near surefire way to guarantee you won’t be making a comeback.

This one issue feels like it’s enough to make Pandora a bust, but the rabbit hole goes much deeper. Khanage explains his way through a number of additional reasons Pandora wound up with the title of worst comeback mechanic in the very worthwhile watch below.

We’re already in the 2024 holiday season. What better way to celebrate than to appreciate a holiday themed cosplay?

As such, we recently took notice of SauronP Cosplay’s Instagram page that features a number of her cosplays. It turns out that she once cosplayed as Cammy in a Christmas themed costume.

During the era of Street Fighter 5, Cammy was provided with a special holiday costume. While there are certainly similarities between the official outfit released by Capcom and this featured cosplay, SauronP’s take on the costume is a unique look for Cammy.

Overall, SauronP’s holiday Cammy mostly serves as a reworked version of how the character appears in Street Fighter 5 in her default attire. Instead of a green thong leotard, SauronP instead dons a red leotard.

SauronP has also replaced Cammy’s red beret with a Santa hat. The character’s straps and holsters now have more of a “sleigh bell” look to them.

It’s important to note that the firearm strapped to Cammy’s right thigh has been replaced by candy canes. It’s not as though Cammy ever pulled out a weapon during gameplay anyhow, so Cammy is just as capable of taking down her opponents with her close-quartered fighting style.

While Cammy’s boots are both black in the default appearance and SauronP’s depiction, the cosplay adds some fluff to the top of these boots. While it might not exactly be ideal for fighting, it’s easy to see that Cammy is in the festive spirit.

SauronP’s creation features a lot of uniqueness to anything Capcom has designed, but it’s still clear that this is intended to be Cammy. SauronP made sure to include Cammy’s iconic scar that’s always been present on her face.

Throughout the cosplay set, SauronP takes on a number of poses that really show off the work she’s put into the costume.

Of course, SauronP has also previously cosplayed as Cammy in her default appearance. We’ve made sure to also include shots of those.

Check it all out below: