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Ultra Street Fighter 4 trailer explains what makes it 'ultra'
What does it mean to be "ultra?" If it's new characters, new stages, new modes, new features and tweaked gameplay, then no one can accuse Ultra Street Fighter 4 of false advertising. If that's not ultra to you, well, you might want to steer clear when USF4 launches later this year. [Image: Capcom]
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]
Ultra Street Fighter 4 hits Japan's arcades on April 17
Capcom's thrice-updated one-on-one fighting game Ultra Street Fighter 4 will hit Japanese arcades later this month, Dengeki Online reports (via Siliconera). Ultra Street Fighter 4 includes five new characters (Elena, Rolento, Poison, Hugo, and the recently unveiled Decapre), bumping the playable roster up to 44 combatants. The game also features an array of fixes and balance tweaks, along with new mechanics like the invincibility-extending Red Focus attack and an optional Double Ultra mode. The arcade version of Ultra Street Fighter 4 will launch on April 17. Ports for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms are slated to arrive later this year at retail and as DLC for Super Street Fighter 4. [Image: Capcom]
Capcom reveals Decapre as fifth Ultra Street Fighter 4 newbie
Capcom's long-teased fifth new character for Ultra Street Fighter 4 is a real doll - one of M. Bison's Dolls. Decapre is part of the grinning archvillain's Doll guard, and she's essentially a physical clone of former Bison Doll and now MI6 operative Cammy. Unlike Cammy, Decapre sports a mask that hides a giant burn on her face, and she also uses claw techniques like one Senor Vega. According to the official blurb she offers "quick and elusive scramble moves as well as her psycho power infused attacks," while Capcom's Peter 'Combofiend' Rosas describes her moveset as "more offense than defense." "A lot of her basic attacks are the same [as Cammy's]," Rosas explained to IGN, "much like how a lot of Ryu's attacks are the same as Evil Ryu's, and a lot of Oni's attacks are the same as Akuma's. There are a lot of similarities there. But what really differentiates them are the Ultras, the usage of the special moves, and some of their combos." Decapre joins Rolento, Elena, Hugo, Poison, and the 39 returning combatants, and you'll be able to take them all for a spin in the summer. Capcom is releasing USF4 as an add-on for Super SF4 starting in June on Xbox 360 and PS3 (August on PC), but if you don't have Super SF4 you can join fight via an all-in-one package. That's due on all platforms in August. [Image: Capcom]
Ultra Street Fighter 4's Edition Select lets you nerf the nerfs
Ultra Street Fighter 4 includes a new Edition Select feature that allows players to choose between the various Street Fighter 4 versions of a character. If you want to play as Chun-Li, for example, you can select her build from a choice of the original 'vanilla' SF4, Super SF4, Super SF4 Arcade Edition, Super SF4 Arcade Edition ver. 2012, or the new Ultra SF4 version. All those versions over the years have brought tweaks a-plenty as Capcom implemented new features and tried to balance things up. Of course, some characters fell foul of those tweaks, and Sagat was one of the more infamous casualties. Now, players can bring Vanilla Sagat back from the dead to Tiger Uppercut some wrongs - or, if they so wish, they can face off the weakest SF4 characters in history against the strongest. With Edition Select, Ultra SF4 looks to be a journey through space, time, and nerfs. "Besides seeing matches that were never before possible, I'm also extremely excited to see what players with present day knowledge will be able to find out with the older versions of the characters," wrote Peter 'ComboFiend' Rosas on Capcom Unity. "I can only imagine how many times players have thought, 'If I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now, I would do so much damage.' Until a time machine is invented, this will have to suffice." Capcom is releasing Ultra Street Fighter 4as an add-on for Super SF4 and as a bundle that includes Ultra SF4, Super SF4, and all the released Super SF4 costumes. The downloadable add-on arrives on consoles in early June for $15, and on PC two months later. The bundle is also due in August, priced at $40 on consoles and $30 on PC. [Image: Capcom]
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]
Ultra Street Fighter 4 change log: new mechanics, character tweaks
There isn't a single character who won't undergo some tweaking in Ultra Street Fighter 4. Capcom posted a massive change log over on Capcom-Unity, revealing not only individual character balances, but also some more detail on how the new Red Focus attacks and Ultra Combo Doubles will work. Red Focus attacks, charged strikes that allow the user to absorb an infinite barrage of hits while they wind up and deliver a focused attack, are performed by hitting the light punch, medium punch and medium kick buttons all at the same time. Red Focus takes up two meters from a fighter's Super gauge, but you can also perform an EX version of that same move using three meters. Capcom also broke down the damage output for characters who choose to employ the Ultra Combo Double, which lets fighters go into a match having both of their character-specific Ultra Combo moves equipped; however, going this route sacrifices some of the potency. Zangief, Cammy, Fei Long, T.Hawk, Makoto, Hakan, Dhalsim, Rose, Akuma, E. Honda and Hugo will all do 60% of their usual damage when utilizing the Ultra Combo Double, while every other fighter in Ultra Street Fighter 4 will do 75 percent of their Ultra's usual damage. As for individual character changes, a lot of folks are having certain standing attacks and special moves sped up, while a few others like Chun Li and Evil Ryu will be given extra life in Ultra Street Fighter 4. For the full breakdown on character-specific changes, hit up Capcom-Unity.
Upload uppercuts to YouTube with Ultra Street Fighter 4
Ultra Street Fighter 4 is bringing direct YouTube uploading to the series, meaning players should be able to get thumbs up for their thumb-twiddling skills in no time. As revealed on Capcom Unity, the fighter re-release lets players select any match from their online log to upload in either low or high quality. It's unclear how this applies to Super Street Fighter 4, which USF4 can be bought as an add-on for - we've reached out to Capcom to clear that up. Video uploading is great and all, but we're still waiting for the download on the mystery fifth new fighter, a woman who apparently featured in a Street Fighter comic. Whoever she is - and she's clearly Persona 4's Chie because damn the clues that'd be awesome - she'll join fellow newbies Rolento, Poison, Hugo, Elena when USF4 arrives in the summer for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Vega, Chun Li figurines ready for pre-order from Tsume-Art
Ultra Street Fighter 4 will stoke the flames of rivalries in June, but perfecting frame-perfect combos isn't the only way to appreciate the newest entry to the Street Fighter series. Actually, you don't even need to have played SF4 to appreciate these - Tsume-Art's Chun Li and Vega figurines should work just fine for any Street Fighter fan. While Tsume-Art notes that fans should expect "full availability" of both figurines in the second quarter of 2014, you can put your quarter up to claim your place in line right now. Each figurine is 1/8 scale, leaving the tribute to Vega's wall-climbing tendencies at 35 centimeters and Chun Li's soaring kick at 28 centimeters. Both are sculpted from PVC and are available for preorder at €119.90 each ($162). They're pricey, no doubt, but both fighters make a great first impression. If we bought both, we could probably reenact the dozens of times Vega taunted us from the walls of SF2 ... right before he slaughtered us in midair.
Report: Ultra Street Fighter 4's fifth mystery character tied to comics
An undisclosed source has reportedly given Siliconera a hint about the fifth, mystery fighter to join the Ultra Street Fighter 4 cast. That hint: this character can be seen in one of the Street Fighter comic series. Quick, to the comic book store! Shoryuken speculates that the unannounced fighter could be Sarai Kurosawa, friend to series veteran Ibuki. She meets the criteria for hints dropped thus far and had a cameo appearance in Street Fighter X Tekken, which is where the previous four Ultra Street Fighter 4 cast additions most recently appeared. Still, nothing's certain yet, so anything at this point is really just a guess. Hopefully we'll know more before Ultra Street Fighter 4 beats us to a pulp in June.
Mystery female pugilist teased for Ultra Street Fighter 4 roster
When Rolento, Elena, Hugo and Poison headline the Ultra Street Fighter 4 cast, they'll be joined by a fifth, mystery combatant. We know nothing about this character, though thanks to producer Yoshinori Ono, we can at least now confirm her gender. During the recent Capcom Cup fighting game tournament, Ono fielded questions about the new combatants, quickly denying awesome possibilities like bosomy luchador R. Mika and Mike "Mayor of Earth" Haggar. Also posited was the idea that Retsu, the deadly assassin from the original Street Fighter make might a return - canonically the bald guy is pretty crucial to the Street Fighter storyline, despite missing nearly two decades of games - but all of these ideas were categorically denied by Ono. Instead the mischievious producer offers one single iota of information: The newest fighter will be of the distaff persuasion. This could be a new fighter, or it could be an old favorite - the series' roster has plenty of room for either - but it looks like we won't know more until Capcom decides to unofficially unveil its latest female pugilist.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 video breaks down new mechanics, modes
Apart from adding five new characters to the already stacked Street Fighter roster, Ultra Street Fighter 4 updates the program with some new gameplay mechanics. Red Focus attacks are perhaps the biggest change, allowing a character who is charging up a Focus attack to take multiple hits without interrupting their move. If an opponent unleashes an Ultra Combo, you can charge up a Red Focus attack and strike at the right time without suffering a ton of damage. In addition to Red Focus, fighters will also have new access to both of their Ultra Combos each match instead of having to choose one before each fight, if they so wish. Finally, online training is being added, as well as an online Elimination mode where multiple fighters can team up and take on another team. Ultra Street Fighter 4 launches in early June for PS3 and Xbox 360, while the PC version drops in August. The game can be acquired as a DLC add-on for Super Street Fighter 4 or its Arcade Edition update, or purchased as a standalone game at retail.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 introduces new challengers this summer
Ultra Street Fighter 4, the new wing of Capcom's palatial Street Fighter estate, is coming to consoles in early June. In a post over on the Capcom-Unity blog, it's revealed the add-on for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Super Street Fighter 4 will arrive in early June for $15, while the PC update will arrive two months later in August. The full digital bundle and retail versions – which include all of the released costumes and the base Super Street Fighter 4 game – will also come to consoles in August for $40, while Capcom is giving PC players the digital bundle for $30 in August since they have to wait longer for the new challengers. Capcom announced Ultra Street Fighter 4 at this year's EVO fighting game tournament. Ultra Street Fighter 4 introduces five new characters: Rolento, Poison, Hugo, Elena and one character that has yet to be revealed. Capcom has no plans to release Ultra Street Fighter 4 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 knocks out new Super, Ultra combos
Ultra Street Fighter 4 is going to solve a lot of disputes with more than just fightin' words in 2014, but in the meantime, Capcom Unity has highlighted a few videos that showcase new Ultra and Super combos. Poison, Hugo, Elena and Rolento (shown above) take turns pummeling foes in the clips, presumably for completely justifiable reasons. The four characters are new additions to the Street Fighter 4 series, but they've made various appearances in previous Street Fighter games and, with the exception of Elena, in the Final Fight series. All four appeared in Street Fighter X Tekken, but the fifth, yet-to-be-announced character joining the cast of Ultra will make their Street Fighter debut.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 arcade testing kicks off in two weeks
Ultra Street Fighter 4 is scheduled to hit arcades in the early part of 2014, but first the game needs to be tested. This is where Capcom hopes you come in. Starting on November 29, the company will be testing Ultra Street Fighter 4 at Super Arcade in Walnut, California. From December 6 through 8, players in Pennsylvania will find Ultra Street Fighter 4 at Big E Gaming in Essington. After those tests, it's strictly tournament appearances for the fighter: Ultra Street Fighter 4 hits the annual Capcom Cup tournament on December 14, then jumps the Pacific to appear at Singapore's Tough Cookie Gaming Café on December 20. Full location test details can be found on Capcom Unity. If you can't make it to any of these locations, the good news is that you probably won't miss much. Given the amount of anticipation for anything related to Capcom's most famous fighting franchise, it seems assured that as soon as the location tests start up, we'll see those fortunate enough to play the game flood the 'net with in-depth info on Ultra Street Fighter 4.
New dogs learn old tricks in Ultra Street Fighter 4
The Street Fighter 3 pugilists invading Ultra Street Fighter 4 won't be mere visual callbacks to the earlier game, they'll also come equipped with fan-favorite attacks. In a Capcom Unity blog post, producer Tomoaki Ayano details the returning fighters' signature attacks. Rolento leaps into the air before throwing knives, Poison whips a pink projectile, Hugo crushes opponents in his massive, Andre the Giant-inspired hands and Elena extends a leg to kick her foe's head off. If you've spent any amount of time with the later Street Fighter 3 iterations, these attacks will be immediately familiar, and it should please players to see them return in Ultra Street Fighter 4. As Ayano points out, the moves he outlines are subject to change over the next few months, but it seems unlikely that they'll entirely disappear. The attacks Ayano outlines are iconic in the minds of Street Fighter fans, and if there's one group Capcom would hate to upset, it's the virtual fighting community.
For the truth about Street Fighter 2, ask director Akira Nishitani
Akira Nishitani recently started a Twitter account, though instead of heavily-filtered brunch photos and duck-faced mirror portraits, the Street Fighter 2 director has been doling out little-known details on the seminal fighter's creation. For instance, did you know that the periodic red hadoukens in Street Fighter 2 were not glitches, but instead easter eggs that became wildly popular among fans? Or that each pugilist was originally supposed to feature positional damaging - kicking someone in the head would do more damage than kicking them in the leg - but that the feature was cut because the game just refused to recognize hitboxes properly? My favorite bit of trivia is the controversy over Chun Li's leggings. The development team was okay with Chun Li's borderline-equine thighs, but the tights covering them were a massive point of contention. According to Nishitani, they had to be redrawn from scratch three times before Capcom finally agreed to the outfit. More insider information on the creation of the world's most influential fighting game can be found on Akira Nishitani's Twitter account. If you don't read Japanese however, Eventhubs offers an extensive roundup.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 arrives April 2014, says Japanese arcade
Capcom's next iteration of Street Fighter 4 will make its debut in April of next year, assuming the claims of a Japanese arcade are to be believed. Located in the Kagoshima prefecture, Amusement Game Liberty is a largely typical Japanese arcade - not the sort of place in the habit of breaking gaming news. Yet, a recent tweet from the arcade claims that it will feature Ultra Street Fighter 4 as soon as April 2014. The tweet also notes that Capcom is charging arcade operators ¥30 (about $0.31) per play, which will likely force Amusement Game Liberty to charge players ¥100 (about $1) for each game. There is still no word on when Ultra Street Fighter 4 might see American shores, nor any official sources willing to corroborate the arcade's tweet. We contacted Capcom for more, and were told that the company was currently unwilling to attach a solid release date to the fighter.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 adds 'Ultra Combo Double' and 'Red Focus Attack' mechanics
Capcom's forthcoming flagship fighter update Ultra Street Fighter 4 will introduce two new gameplay mechanics, which add an additional layer of defensive and offensive utility to the game's existing stable of meters and gameplay systems. "Ultra Combo Double," the first new mechanic, allows players to select both of their character's Ultra Combos, rather than one or the other, as has been the case since the original Street Fighter 4. The price paid for this strategic advantage is that each Ultra Combo does less damage than it would under normal circumstances, trading raw power for the added utility of multiple Ultras. Classical, single-Ultra options are still available, of course. "Red Focus Attack," the other new addition, is a modified form of the game's existing Focus Attack system. Whereas regular Focus Attacks can absorb the damage from a single attack, Red Focus Attacks can absorb damage from multiple attacks, at the cost of Super Meter. Beyond the fact that Red Focus Attacks can still be dash cancelled, however, no further information was provided with regards to how a Red Focus Attack is executed, or how much meter the technique costs.
Ultra Street Fighter 4 on PC ditches GFWL for Steam
While Capcom offers Street Fighter 4 and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition through Steam already, players have to register a Games For Windows Live account on top of Steam for multiplayer. Capcom's Neidel "Haunts" Crisan says Ultra Street Fighter 4 will forgo GFWL entirely for Steam. Crisan tweeted the news earlier today, and so we followed up with Capcom. The company confirmed the news and added that Ultra Street Fighter 4 would be available on Steam and "other digital distribution partners" when it launches next year. Capcom also clarified it hasn't "made any announcements regarding our broader PC lineup." Ultra Street Fighter 4, due for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, was announced at this year's EVO fighting game tournament. As the latest re-issue of Street Fighter 4, this entry in Capcom's flagship fighting series adds five new characters in Elena, Rolento, Hugo, Poison and a fifth, unknown character who will make his/her fighting game debut.
