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Two perspectives on Garireo's amazing Evo 2014 comeback
Forget the World Cup, this weekend's most thrilling competitive drama took place at the Evo 2014 fighting game tournament. Specifically, in the BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma finals between Garireo and Dogura. Coming into the finals, Garireo was fighting out of the losers bracket, meaning he needed to win two straight best of five matches, while Dogura only needed to win one. Garireo barely squeaked by in the first match, winning 3 to 2. Garireo then lost his first two battles in the second match, leaving him moments from elimination, before he managed an impressive three-win streak to take home the championship. Above, you'll find footage of the finals in its entirety. Below, footage of Garireo and Dogura during the last battle. If you're allergic to people's dreams being crushed in undeniably spectacular fashion as a rabid crowd goes nuts in the background, you may want to skip the second clip. [Image: Arc System Works]
World's largest fighting game tournament, Evo 2014, begins today
Today marks the debut of the Evo 2014 fighting game tournament in Las Vegas, but those who didn't book airfare to the City of Sin won't be entirely left out thanks to a bevy of broadcast streams covering all the virtual fisticuffs. Eight top fighting games are officially represented at Evo 2014: Ultra Street Fighter 4, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, The King of Fighters 13 and Injustice: Gods Among Us. Capcom's official "Capcom Fighters" stream on Twitch has you covered for all the Ultra Street Fighter 4 matches, while Shoryuken offers two streams to cover the remaining games: SRKEvo1 and the similarly-titled SRKEvo2. The official Twitch streaming schedule offers a full rundown of what games will be shown. Today is a dominated by Ultra Street Fighter 4, Tekken and Injustice, but tomorrow features the more esoteric King of Fighters, Killer Instinct and BlazBlue tournaments. [Image: Capcom]
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma comes to Vita on June 24
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma started a new bout of 2D, combo-driven fighting on the PS3 last month. If you're more the type to fight in public, good news - Chrono Phantasma's wheel of fate will turn on Vita on June 24, according to a press release from Aksys Games. The Vita port hosts the full roster from the PS3 version of Chrono Phantasma, as well as a recap on what you might have forgotten from previous BlazBlue games Calamity Trigger and Continuum Shift. There's also extra story content involving a beach party and an "enhanced Abyss mode," though details regarding those changes have not been shared. [Image: Aksys Games]
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 joins EVO 2014 lineup
EVO fighting game tournament founder Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar appeared on a recent episode of iPlayWinner's The Fray, where he revealed that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 would appear at this year's tournament. As we reported in September, EVO 2014 is slated to take place in Las Vegas from July 11 to July 13. As with last year, EVO 2014 will be streamed via Twitch. Though it's not terribly surprising to see the fan-favorite Tekken Tag Tournament 2 join the tournament roster, it's far from the only draw at EVO 2014. Other games appearing at the event include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, King of Fighters 13 and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma. Alongside the addition of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Cuellar also revealed that publisher Bandai Namco has signed on as a sponsor for EVO 2014. [Image: Bandai Namco]
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma brings the fight to PS3 today
Better late than never, publisher Aksys has announced that BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is making its PlayStation 3 debut today. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is the latest hyperkinetic 2D fighter from developer Arc System Works, the same people behind the Guilty Gear series and Persona 4 Arena. In November, we reported that the game was slated to hit the PS3 on March 14, but that date came and went without any word on the fighter. Regardless, the game is now winging its way to retail locations, with a digital version scheduled to debut on the PlayStation Network come April 1. Those of you on the fence about picking up BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma should know that the initial print run of the game will feature additional content. Specifically, a new character named Yuuki Terumi who serves as the game's antagonist. If you miss your early bird chance to add Terumi to the BlazBlue roster, the character will go on sale as a standard DLC release on May 27. [Image: Aksys]
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma picks a fight on PS Vita this summer
The PS Vita port of fetching fighter BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma has been confirmed for North America. Last month, the game was reportedly a Japanese exclusive, but Aksys has officially announced the PS Vita version of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma will launch Stateside this summer; the PS3 game is due on March 14. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma on PS Vita will ship with an additional side-story revolving around a beach party, an "enhanced" Abyss mode - BlazBlue's procession of progressively more difficult opponents - and an abridged story catch-up for all PS Vita players new to the series. Unfortunately, the exact way in which Abyss is "enhanced" is not mentioned in the press release past the break. Two premium DLC characters will be available on both PS3 and PS Vita, as well as one more unlockable on-disc character. A limited edition version of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, exclusive to PS3, tosses in a behind-the-scenes Blu-ray, poster and other goodies for $80. [Image: Aksys]
EVO 2014 line-up announced, Super Smash Bros. Melee being discussed
Ultra Street Fighter 4 is one of six confirmed games for this year's Evolution Championship Series, but Super Smash Bros. Melee is a doubt. Event organizer Shoryuken revealed it's in "preliminary discussions" with Nintendo about featuring the GameCube brawler in the fighting game tournament, following the stir its inclusion caused last year. Melee was the eighth game to be included in last year's line-up, after it won a fan vote that raised $225,724 for breast cancer research. However, a few months after Nintendo moved to claim revenue on Let's Play videos featuring its games, the company requested Melee be removed from the EVO 2013 streaming line-up. The move was received with an immediate backlash, and Nintendo swiftly reversed its decision. The circumstances are different this time-around. For one, Melee is just another potential game in the line-up, not one voted for by fans with charity money behind it. Still, it'll be interesting to see which way Nintendo swings on approval this time, especially in the same year that a new Super Smash Bros. game is set to arrive on Wii U and 3DS. As for the rest, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Killer Instinct, and Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma join Ultra Street Fighter 4 as newbies to the championships, while King of Fighters 13 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 return from last year's selection. The event itself takes place on July 11-13 at the LVH Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but if you can't make it to Nevada you can always tune in on Twitch. [Image: Shoryuken]
Report: BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma coming to Vita, at least in Japan
Arc System Works' latest hyperkinetic fighter, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, is coming to Sony's Vita handheld as well as the PlayStation 3, according to Japan's Dengeki PlayStation magazine. The magazine's report (helpfully translated by Siliconera), claims that the handheld incarnation of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma will feature DLC cross-buy functionality with the PS3 game as well as the updates planned for the arcade version of the fighter. Siliconera also notes that "beach events" are being added to the game, though it's unclear what exactly they might entail. Lacking from the Siliconera report is any word on when BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma might hit the Vita. However, a Gematsu translation of the same Dengeki PlayStation article states that the game will make its Japanese debut on April 24, and that it will feature a price tag of 5,800 yen (about $58). No Western release dates have yet been revealed.
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma hits US on March 14, limited edition is $80
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma launches on March 14 in North America for PS3, and that limited edition costs $80. The "mysterious" item in the limited edition, exclusive to the US, is a reference poster with all playable characters and their moves, and the bundle includes a special features Blu-ray featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes things. The disc might include "some other unannounced goodies," North American publisher Aksys says. Chrono Phantasma includes five new, playable characters and two downloadable ones, and each old character has been rebalanced with new moves.
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma limited edition includes 'mysterious' item
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma will make its PlayStation 3 debut in two versions: The standard release, and the newly revealed limited edition, which offers players the game alongside a handful of bonuses. Included in the limited edition are a 40-page art book, an official soundtrack CD, a Nendoroid figure of Rachel Alucard, and a fourth item that Aksys describes as "mysterious" before prompting fans to "stay tuned." Without knowing what the last bonus is, the Nendoroid seems to be the highlight of this package. These small PVC action figures are very popular in Japan - most are modeled after fan-favorite anime, manga and video game characters - and though they haven't seen such success in the West, Nendoroids easily serve as adorably miniature home decorations. Aksys has yet to reveal official pricing or release date information for either BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma or its limited edition incarnation.
New BlazBlue game 'Chrono Phantasma' hits arcades this winter
The next game in the BlazBlue franchise is titled Chrono Phantasma, and is set to hit Japanese arcades beginning this winter. Chrono Phantasma features three new characters: Amane Nishiki, Bullet and Azrael.Amane uses her feminine wiles and ribbon-like robes to attack, Bullet takes the idea of "firepower" to a very real level, and Azrael appears to use his size and brute strength to his advantage, all visible in the above video. Chrono Phantasma includes updated and new backgrounds, music, and abilities for existing characters.The new BlazBlue will go on location test at Hey Arcade in Akihabara on August 6-12, if you needed an excuse to jump on a plane to Japan right now.
