Category: Entertainment & Lifestyle

But they won’t actually be added to your balance until February, it seems

Scoring stuff for free in fighting games is always great, and it’s even better when it’s easy to get. Well, Capcom’s latest offering is both free and easy to get, and you can jump in game and fulfill the qualifications to get said offering right now.

As the headline says, you can earn yourself 2,000 Drive Tickets (which are usually free and awarded for completing challenges) in extremely easy fashion in Street Fighter 6, and you should definitely be sure to do so. The only real catch here is that these tickets apparently won’t be added to your balance until some time in February of next year.

“Earn 2000 Drive Tickets just by playing with any Year 1 or 2 character for a limited time!” wrote the official Street Fighter Twitter account. “You can even use a Rental Ticket to complete this event.”

That’s right, all you have to do is play as one of the Year 1 or Year 2 DLC characters in Street Fighter 6 in any of several different game modes and you will have successfully completed the mission here.

Street Fighter 6’s official website has more details on what modes you can play to get them and how to do it. Below are the abridged notes with the most important details for you to look over.

[Duration] Until 1/6 11:59 p.m. PST

[Requirement] Play any of the applicable modes with Rashid, A.K.I., Ed, Akuma, M. Bison or Terry.

※ Rewards can be earned even when playing with the characters via Rental Fighters.

※ Playing with any of the respective characters in the past will also fulfill the requirements.

Applicable modes and content

• Fighting Ground – Arcade

• Fighting Ground – Versus

• Fighting Ground – Training Mode

• Fighting Ground – Tutorials

• Fighting Ground – Character Guides

• Fighting Ground – Combo Trials

• Fighting Ground – Extreme Battle

• Fighting Ground – Ranked Match

• Fighting Ground – Casual Match

• Fighting Ground – Custom Rooms

• Battle Hub – Cabinet Match

• Battle Hub – V-Rival

[Reward] 2,000 Drive Tickets

※ Please note this amount won’t increase even when fulfilling the requirement with multiple characters.

※ The rewards are planned to be distributed in February. We will notify all players through the in-game NEWS.

Drive Tickets are an alternate form of in-game currency that are usually awarded to players for various things. Many items in Street Fighter 6’s shop can alternatively be purchased using Drive Tickets, while pretty much everything in the game can also be bought with Fighter Coins.

It’s worth noting that though some of Street Fighter 6’s content is currently on sale and listed at a discounted price, this only applies to purchasing those items with Fighter Coins. That being said, Drive Tickets can still get you quite a lot, such as music, New Challenger artwork, and more, so a quick and easy 2,000 is always welcome.

If you’d like to see whether or not you’ve actually completed this challenge and earned the 2,000 Drive Tickets, Capcom notes that you can head to the Rewards section from the in-game menu, then scroll over to “Kudos” and look at what’s listed for the current DLC characters.

There will be a list of the various modes and how many Kudos you’ve earned for each, and if any number other than 0 is listed under the aforementioned modes, then you’re all good.

You can find more information over on the official Street Fighter 6 website.

CEOtaku 2024 is back again and for 2024 it’ll be closing out the year and it’ll be happening in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

Notable players participating include FLY|Punk, SR|NuckleDu, Verix, FLY|Razzo, PAR|JoeCrush, R4R|KingReyJr, PAR|BigBlack, TNS|MFCR, RFL|RedIAmNot, TNS|Cheryo, PAR|ScrawtVermillion, Iago|Ryazo, PAR|Aarondamac, Kanme|Xerom, Kanme|Elsa, WASD|OmniDeag, BBB|Defiant, RFL|Zippy, Blitz|JurassicOri, CN|Seis Mx, Comité|Kaiser666, MDC|RocklandKyo, TxC|ElRosa, ROK|Paladin, Bloo, XEL|Hey I’m Majin, ShinobiKun904, NVR|EpicGabriel, Foo, Elyon, DATA|TectalEastside, Skeletal Minion and many more.

CEOtaku has almost 1,000 total entrants so there’ll be a lot of action going on for the many titles represented at the event. The ones with extra stakes in form of World Tour qualification are Guilty Gear Strive and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising which are both Gold events on the Arc World Tour circuit as well as King of Fighters 15 which is a qualifying event on the SNK World Championship circuit.

Leading the charge with almost 240 entrants is Guilty Gear Strive, followed closely by Street Fighter 6 at over 220 participants. Next in line, Tekken 8 sits at more than 180 players and then Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising landing at exactly 170 signups. Under Night In-Birth 2 [Sys:celes] also surpassed 100 competitors.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R and Melty Blood Type Lumina all exceeded 50 participants each and there will also be tournament play for King of Fighters 15, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Gundam Wing: Endless Duel, Idol Showdown, Skullgirls: 2nd Encore and Diesel Legacy.

Streaming is being done at CEO Gaming, Tampa Never Sleeps, Juicy Game Night and Tampa Never Sleeps 2.

Patch notes for Guilty Gear Strive version 1.43 have been released. This new update will be going live on December 23.

This patch is intended to tide players over until the second challenger of Season 4, Venom, joins the roster as DLC. Considering that 24 out of 29 characters received changes, this appears to be a fairly meaty update.

Universally, combos have been made more consistent as a number of fighters have had their hurtboxes adjusted to prevent instances of them falling out unexpectedly. These hurtbox adjustments have been applied to May, Zato, Nagoriyuki, I-No, Goldlewis, Bridget, Elphelt, and Dizzy.

Additionally, attacks that cause Guard Crush will now deal 25% chip damage across the board. However, it should be noted that this does not apply to any normal moves that don’t cause chip damage.

Individual adjustments have been made for Sol, Ky, May, Axl, Chipp, Potemkin, Faust, Millia, Ramlethal, Leo, Nagoriyuki, Giovanna, Anji, I-No, Goldlewis, Jack-O’, Baiken, Testament, Sin, Johnny, Elphelt, A.B.A, Slayer, and Queen Dizzy.

Needless to say, this appears to be a fairly substantial update, though not everyone is happy with the changes. Regardless, this is sure to shake up the meta in interesting ways until Venom joins the fight sometime in early 2025.

Check it all out below:

Click images for larger versions

Like every other returning character, Cammy’s attire in Street Fighter 6 has seen drastic changes. Rather than sporting a green, thong leotard, Cammy is now known to wear a sports bra, blue leather jacket, and some yoga pants.

It seems that Play Toy has opted to capture Cammy’s likeness in the form of an action figure. Looking through the images, the figurine does appear to be of a high quality.

Though the toy’s limbs can be moved, the manufacturers have done a good job of ensuring that her joints aren’t really discernible. Indeed, it almost feels like Cammy was ripped straight out of Street Fighter 6, though at one-sixth the scale.

Cammy’s leather jacket can actually be removed from the figurine itself. Owners of this toy can also switch out her hands and remove her choker. She even comes with a tiny cell phone so players can reenact the scene in which they first meet Cammy in the World Tour mode.

On the story page, Cammy is shown adopting a number of different poses. Funnily enough, it seems like the Cammy figurine is flexible enough to actually allow fans to make the character adopt her iconic stretching taunt seen in Street Fighter 6.

With this sort of quality, a steep price tag is pretty much par for the course. For a limited time, the action figure can be purchased for $199.33, which is 31% cheaper than its usual price of $288.89.

Check it all out below:

Click images for larger versions

M. Bison is one of Street Fighter 6’s most recently added DLC characters, and it didn’t take long after his release for players to realize that he tends to fall more on the simpler to play end of things. He isn’t a highly technical fighter to learn, and he generally has some fairly easy access to some of the best damage output in the game IF you can manage his Psycho Mines properly.

On top of his easier 2-touches, Bison also had/has Light Kick Scissor Kicks which are great for spacing and can be hard for players to punish properly. I say all of this to say that people quickly found that they dislike fighting against M. Bison in Street Fighter 6, and if you’re someone who feels similarly, then you are absolutely going to hate the clip we have here.

This footage comes from ChaosBreaker_ on Twitter, who fortunately, isn’t landing this in an actual match, but showing that it is certainly possible to do so in training mode.

The galaxy brain Bison strategy here follows a forward throw in the corner after a Psycho Mine has already been injected into the opponent. With this as the starting point, we see Bison dash in to attempt a meaty throw, to which the training dummy is set to jump forward to get out of trouble and the corner.

Because of the timing of the Psycho Mine, however, we see it explode while the opponent is midair, which allows the aggressor to pull off some truly slapstick, cartoon-level maneuvers to troll the opponent.

Due to how long the opponent stays in a juggle state after the mine explodes, the grounded Bison is able to raw Drive Rush forward to the other side of the opponent, raw Drive Rush again back to the other side, and then perform another raw Drive Rush and still catch the dummy in a full combo.

Before the mine blows up, the opponent has about 50% health left, and you already knew when you clicked on this article that the combo would ultimately end in level 3 super and a dead training dummy…

what you doing if someone hits you with this? pic.twitter.com/vSVwJvGi7e

— chaosbreaker (@ChaosBreaker_) December 18, 2024

Capcom recently re-released the entire early Marvel vs. Capcom franchise library in the highly-anticipated Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, and has since produced some insightful interviews with developers who have been along for ride for the majority of the last three decades.

Hiroyuki Nara is one such dev who recalls the challenges, breakthroughs, and unexpected twists of the franchise. At one point he discusses how, despite designing early MvC titles more as immediately satisfying party games than technical competitive endeavors, one entry set the stage for the franchise to shift into one of the fighting game community’s most beloved tournament staples.

About eight and a half minutes into the interview, Nara digs into his perspective on the competitive side of Marvel vs. Capcom. He admits that it was never supposed to be the kind of game that players sank countless hours into in order to tease out all the most effective and efficient plays.

The bright, colorful, and flashy appeal paired with gorgeously-animated Marvel and Capcom icons was instead meant to entice the attention of any and all who may be passing by. Mashing the buttons could still result in glorious super combos that felt satisfying.

“Back [before the time of Marvel vs. Capcom 2], the game didn’t feel as ‘competitive,’” says Nara. “It was more like a flashy, party-style game where anyone could pull off impressive moves with their favorite characters. It wasn’t designed for intense, serious competition.”

Of course, somewhere along the way Marvel vs. Capcom became a darling of more serious fighting game players. Earlier games, while still fun, are not usually part of tournament line ups. That’s not at all true for 2000’s Marvel vs. Capcom 2, one of the most iconic games in competitive FGC history, and there are a few reasons for that.

“By the time we got to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and it became a 3v3 game the series incorporated tag mechanics that introduced a level of strategy, adding a competitive edge,” explains Nara. “It created a kind of growth potential unique to this series. And, of course, gathering so many characters together is something only this series could pull off. It’s tough for the players, but it’s exciting for spectators. The characters constantly switch, and the action is flashy. But I never imagined it would turn into such a serious game,” he finishes.

You can see all of what Nara had to say about the competitive evolution of the MvC franchise and plenty more in the full video below.

Those who secured tickets to the Street Fighter League 2024 – US Finals next month are going to be in for several treats. Not only will they be able to witness live the epic conclusion of the latest season of the Street Fighter 6 team-based competition, but Capcom has just announced that two special playable demos will also be available for attendees to try out as well.

The official Street Fighter Twitter account shared a tweet today that reveals that both the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds will have playable demos on the show floor for people to get some time in ahead of their release.

“World Warriors, this will be a hunt to remember!” the official Street Fighter Twitter account began. “Two demos will be playable at the #SFLUS2024 finals in Los Angeles on January 18:

” #MHWilds (The Doshaguma Hunt from NYCC)

Capcom Fighting Collection 2″

While fans are undoubtedly excited to see the Street Fighter League – US finals play out on January 18, it’s the addition of the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 demo that is particularly tantalizing here.

World Warriors, this will be a hunt to remember!

Two demos will be playable at the #SFLUS2024 finals in Los Angeles on January 18:

#MHWilds (The Doshaguma Hunt from NYCC)
Capcom Fighting Collection 2

Get tickets now – pic.twitter.com/wo1l154wti

— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) December 19, 2024

Like the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection before it, the Capcom Fighting Collection sequel has promised to include several highly requested classic fighting games that are finally making a return to modern platforms with online play.

On that front, for years now fighting game fans have essentially wanted Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 (above most other games) to make a grand return on modern platforms with full online capabilities. MvC2 miraculously got that in the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, and now Capcom vs. SNK 2 will be granted the same miracle in the Capcom Fighting Collection 2.

This upcoming compilation of old school Capcom fighting games will come packaged with all of the following titles:

• Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro

• Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

• Capcom Fighting Evolution

• Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper

• Power Stone

• Power Stone 2

• Project Justice

• Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein

At this point in time, Capcom has not specified which games in the compilation will be playable in the SFL Finals demo. That said, considering the popularity of Capcom vs. SNK 2, there’s a good chance we’ll see it at the event, and in turn, pros will be able to get early hands-on with it to see how this latest port holds up.

Attendees will also be able to try out another highly anticipated Capcom title in Monster Hunter Worlds before its launch in February 2025. As Capcom noted, this will be the same demo that was seen at New York Comic-Con and will focus on the Doshaguma Hunt.

The Street Fighter League 2024 – US Finals will see the four winning teams from the group play battle it out in Los Angeles, California, and the winner will receive the title, as well as a shot at the World Finals in Tokyo.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing this it does appear that tickets for the finals are sold out.

Another fighter set for launch next year

Fans of the popular Hunter x Hunter series and fighting games are going to be happy to hear that the upcoming Versus-style title, Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact now has an updated official release window.

Publisher Bushiroad Games and developer Eighting made the announcement today in a press release and unveiled when we can expect to finally get our hands on the upcoming fighting game.

“The release date for the 2D fighting game ‘HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT,’ currently in development, has been set for summer 2025!” reads the press release (via Google Translate). “New information will be released on the official website and in the lead up to the release! Stay tuned for more updates!”

In addition to the exciting news about the game’s release window, it was also revealed that Nen Impact is slated to have another in-person playable demo coming up soon. Those in attendance at Jump Festa 2025 in Chiba, Japan, will be able to give the upcoming game a try from December 21 – 22.

Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact is a 3v3 team-based fighting game that closely takes inspiration from Capcom’s legendary Versus series of fighters. The battle system works similarly to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 with players having a point character that they control in battle and two additional squad mates that can act as assists until they are tagged into the fight.

Nen Impact was originally scheduled for a 2024 release, however, it was ultimately delayed so that the developers could add rollback netcode to its online play.

Despite having a more solidified release window now, Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact will not be seeing a launch in Australia due to its classification being refused by the Australian Classification Board. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.

Everything included in tomorrow’s launch being shown tonight

The big day is almost here. After a ton of work, money, and contributions by a lot of people, the major Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite mod is finally set for launch tomorrow.

Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite & Beyond is a labor of love spearheaded by popular content creator Maximilian that overhauls the game’s visuals, adds new balance changes, modes, and more. The crew behind the upcoming mod are holding a live stream for MvCIB right now (at the time of writing this) that aims to show off everything that will come included with the mod’s 1.0 release tomorrow.

As Maximilian explained in a tweet about the mod’s upcoming release, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite & Beyond was a project made largely for the love of the game. Nearly 40 people worked on this mod, and after over eight months of work it will finally be launching tomorrow — and it is completely free of charge.

In order to properly play this mod, you will need a copy of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite on Steam. Fortunately, the game is currently on sale for a massive discount of 80% off, so if you’re wanting to give MvCIB a whirl but don’t own the base game, now would be a perfect time to snag it.

Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite & Beyond’s largest and most important change comes in the form of the completely overhauled visuals. The original game’s graphics were not the best looking and not very well received by fans, so the team behind the mod created a comic book-looking visuals style that makes the game really pop and look more stylized like its predecessor Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

In addition to this, characters on the roster have received balance changes to further make the experience a fresh one. An early version of the balance update was released a while back for fans to try out before the rest of the mod was released, and tonight we’ll likely learn whether or not more changes were made since then.

The added goodies keep coming as MvCIB also has updated character artwork, new music in various places, new game modes including a 4-player tag team mode, and more.

You can catch the live stream from Maximilian below to get caught up on everything Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite and Beyond will come equipped with when you download it and install it tomorrow.