Monthly Archives: July 2016

EVO 2016: Kanzuki Stage is banned!

sfv_kanzuki_beach_CLOSED

Over the weekend, the runners of EVO 2016, the biggest fighting game tournament in this part of the world, one of the most prestigious events a fighting game player could aspire to be a part of, dropped their official rules for the upcoming tournament. Most of the rules made sense to a lot of people for a variety of games. No disconnects, certain controllers, autofire buttons, these are all a no-go. No banned characters, but! Street Fighter V had something very interesting going on. Training Stage, and the new Kanzuki Beach stage are both banned! There’s been a lot of talk about this, and while I’m not a pro player by any stretch, I do love fighting games. I’ve been thinking about it all weekend. Training Stage at first, didn’t make a lot of sense. I do believe it’s a shorter stage as far as screen length goes, but it’s also boring. It’s a bland, uninspired stage with nothing going on in it.

Karin Beach Stage

Street Fighter V is still a very new game, and if players watch that boring-ass stage, they might be less likely to lure in new players. That’s my take on that stage anyway. However, Kanzuki Beach makes a lot of sense. Feet are easily submerged in the water, and as a result there are moves that cannot be seen or not seen easily right there. Chun-Li can virtually submerge there with one of her moves. Birdie’s banana peel or soda can can be hard to see if not invisible. Dhalsim’s yoga flame carpet is also hard to take notice of there. So that? I totally get. There are people who don’t see it as a big deal, but those aren’t people who are going to be competing for cash. Unless they are people that aren’t very skilled and want whatever little edge they can get over someone who put in more work than them. Should Capcom have put more thought into the stage and consider the pro circuit? No, I don’t think so. It’s not just about the pros. It’s a gorgeous stage, and they really went all out on it.

Pocket Gothic

Pocket Gothic is a free to play 3D mobile brawler developed by Fedeen Games for Android and has an upcoming iOS release date. In Pocket Gothic players can lead their chosen hero on an epic journey to restore light to a world that has been filled with darkness. With your champions by your side and your experience as a hero, nothing will be able to stand in your way in a world filled with cute, gothic visuals!

Features:

Varying Classes: Pocket Gothic has a class for you, no matter if you prefer close or ranged combat.

Chapters: Play through a singleplayer campaign composed of different chapters that will help you write the tale of how you saved the world.

Arena PvP: Fight in the Arena against other heroes, all of whom want to prove that they are the very best at what they do!

Guilds: Join up with a Guild to find other players you can team up with to make battles a breeze. How else will you be able to take down those strong World Bosses and earn some epic loot?

MOBA Legends

MOBA Legends is a free-to-play mobile MOBA developed by Kick9 for iOS and Android where a ruthless madman has gained control over all of the dimensions. Players will assume the roles of Legends and fight in the Arena in hopes of securing victory for their people. You won’t be entering the Arena alone either. You’ll have a full team to cooperate with, strategize with, execute attacks with, and ultimately achieve victory with. Will you be able to win salvation for your people?

Features:

PvP Maps: PvP matches can be fought in 1v1, 3v3, 5v5, and Ranked battles.

Legend Roles: Each character serves a particular role, whether it be a burst damage dealer, a tank, or sustained damage dealer.

Jungle: Head into the jungle and take down strong jungle monsters for bonus gold and buffs to strengthen your character.

Victory Paths: You can achieve victory by either reaching a high kill count before your enemy team or by destroying their base first.

Thea: The Awakening

Thea: The Awakening is a 3D fantasy strategy game developed by MuHa Games for PC and is available for purchase on Steam. In Thea: The Awakening players can explore a world steeped in Slavic myth where an immense force called The Darkness has engulfed the world. Not only is their an oppressive evil force, but there are no heroes in this world. There is only a group of starving survivors doing their very best to survive on a daily basis whose only hope in this world is you! Do you have the resolve to lead them to salvation?

Features:

Resource Management: Be it manpower or supplies you will need to manage all of your resources carefully if you want to help your followers survive.

Dynamic Events: Will you investigate a situation further, avoid it entirely, or something in between? Thea presents players with a potential of over 200 dynamic events on their journey.

Procedural Worlds: Worlds are procedurally generated and will provide players with unique experiences nearly every time they play.

Dynamic Endings: Based on your choices you can play through the game to one of multiple different endings.

Ember Strike

Ember Strike is a free-to-play 2D fantasy game developed by Reentry Games for iOS, Android, and it is available on Steam Early Access for PC. In Ember Strike players will go head-to-head against their opponents on the same game board, trying to make matches of 3 or more elements of the same type to fuel their team of monsters and execute special attacks against the enemy. Will you make matches of elements for your own monsters, steal moves and make matches to block your opponent for collecting their own elements, or set yourself up for some impressive match combos later on?

Features:

Lightning-fast Gameplay: Your finger or cursor will be flying across your screen as you try to make strategic matches of elements before your opponent in real-time matches!

Collect Monsters: Collect a vast array of monsters with special powers to form your team out of.

Mini-games: Fight your opponents with in-game mini-games that will make matches even faster paced and have you thinking at top speed.

Elemental Attributes: Every monster has been attributed an element that lines up to the elements you’ll be matching on the game board.

Spiral Cats Interview + Cosplay Extravaganza! [Anime Expo 2016]

Our very own DizzyPW was at Anime Expo this weekend, where he took the time to interview the Spiral Cats, a Korean Cosplay Team! He had the opportunity to talk to them about a variety of topics, which you can view <right here>! But fear not, loyal readers! We put him to work too! Dizzy spent his weekend gathering up the best, brightest, and most interesting cosplays he could possibly find, and I put them into gif format just for you guys! From Totoro to Shovel Knight, Ahri to Captain Falcon, Harley Quinn Spidey and Uncle Ben! We’ve got what you need for this hot Fourth of July weekend! Want to hear more from the Spiral Cats, and see some cosplay? Look no further!





Riders of Icarus Top 10 Visually Stunning Mount Countdown

After testing out the game in closed beta, Nexon hooked us up with a preview of their ten favorite ground mounts in Riders of Icarus, the newest monster capture focused fantasy MMORPG hitting the free to play market! Join us on this journey of some of the prettiest mounts out there!

10. Blackwind; Rarity Elite

From Keadin’s “The Great Horses”

Black Wind was one of many magnificent horses that rode in Gastra’s war a hundred years ago. When his rider fell in battle, they say the horse kept fighting until his own death.

Khabimists resurrected the beast with foul magic and bound him to Carleon Manor. Despite this, the steed might be swayed if he thought his old master had returned as well. With a convincing copy of his pedigree and a great deal of courage, he could be brought to heel.

9. Cold-Tusk (Frost Molar Poach); Rarity Elite

From “Brakarr Forest: A Traveler’s Guide”

Brakarr’s chieftain won his seat through the might of his mount, Cold-Tusk.

For the enterprising rider, this presents an interesting opportunity. Cold-Tusk is an unusual boar with an innate affinity for ice magic. The braghin hierarchy is largely determined by feats of daring and domination, and the chieftain’s victory over Cold-Tusk was his crowning achievement.

Younger braghins will often challenge their superiors to ritual combat. Those who succeed may claim the loser’s mount for their own. Should a human best the chieftain and claim Cold-Tusk, reason dictates that Cold-Tusk would be theirs by braghin tribal law.

8. Logash; Rarity Elite

From Graham Perth’s hunting log

Logash is, without a doubt, the most unique reindeer to be found in the ruins. Ominous tendrils of dark energy radiate from his body, setting him apart from the other ambermanes who graze nearby.

This energy acts as a lure, drawing his unwitting victims into his goring antlers. Logash has a taste for glowing sageweed. Of course, even if with the grass on hand, I’m wary of approaching him. The beast has a foul temper.

7. Trutan; Rarity Elite

From “The Highlands of Hakanas”

Few of the beasts in the highlands can match Trutan for sheer size or tenacity. This king of the forest should be approached with care.

Countless riders have tried to tame Trutan with no success. In fact, the only known man to have claimed the bear’s trust is King Ronfraine III himself! The king claims he fell from a steep cliff and accidentally landed on Trutan’s back. He rode the bear for an entire day before it finally let him go.

6. Leorid; Rarity Elite

Leorid ruled the lands around Matren for centuries. It was a not until the town was invaded by the great yeti Sinthan that his rule was challenged. Against their dark magic, Leorid was nothing more than a helpless animal, forced to flee for survival.

Leorid disappeared into the wilds, no longer a king among beasts. Now he wanders, aimless and cruel, still searching for glory. The only time this researcher has seen him pacified was when the dark mage Zepello appeared with a brilliant crystal. Whatever magic the crystal held, it could prove key to taming the wandering king.



5. Hoonbaba; Rarity Elite

From “Initiation into the Baba Order” The great one-eyed bull known as Hoonbaba is the true god of our people. The great christening in the dark of the Dawnbreak Woods binds us to him. Those who would approach the great bull god must first gain a scroll to ward against his dark energies, which we give to all who join our order. Those seeking membership are encouraged to seek out Brother Hecterson in Kellwoods.

4. Pluto; Rarity Elite

No record of existence found!

3. Taslan The Devourer; Rarity Elite

From “Brakarr Forest: A Traveler’s Guide”

A dark magic lurks in parts of Brakarr Forest and the great spider Taslan is proof.

And yet, in spite of these warnings, Taslan shows the potential to be a hardy mount. The spiders of Brakarr are enormous, dangerous, and best avoided entirely, and Taslan is the most dangerous. Some travelers have reported seeing figures in black interacting with her — vile Khabimists, most likely.

Given the Khabimists’ ability to walk among Taslan and her brood, it is speculated that their magic can tame the savage beast. An adventurer who obtained one of their Shadowbind Tomes might even make her their familiar.

2. Al Shai; Rarity Elite

No record of existence found!

1. Garme; Rarity Heroic

From an Onyx Order report
The Khabim Brotherhood’s latest creation is a monster called Garme. The beast always travels in the company of a young girl named Daveen. She commands Khabimist magic, and I suspect that she herself may be a homunculus made of that same magic.

Garme displays absolute loyalty to her. It seems to believe it is her ‘pet.’

However, I’ve smelled a strange perfume-like substance in locations where Daveen and Garme have been. If we could take the fragrance from Daveen and use it on a weakened Garme, we might be able to charm the monster into joining us.

What monsters await you in Riders of Icarus? Join and discover just how legendary a creature you can tame! Learn more about Riders of Icarus at their official site.