The 2018 Video Game Awards live stream
The 2018 Video Game Awards will be streaming later today. This will be live at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.
Last year, we got the official unveiling of Soul Calibur 6 during this event. Fighting game fans might be in store for some more surprises this year.
There exists a clip of the president of Nintendo of America — Reggie Fils-Aimé — having a conversation with the host of the Video Game Awards — Geoff Keighley back at E3 2018. Specifically, the two talked about how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was scheduled to be released merely a day after the Video Game Awards ceremony and that Nintendo would need to do something special for the show.
More recently, Nintendo of America's Twitter account told fans to tune in to the Game Awards live stream that will broadcast tonight. Considering that the contents of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass is still unknown, many are suspecting that we may learn the identity of the first character of the post-launch roster — after the Piranha Plant.
Speculation is also leading fans to believe that it may finally be time for Netherrealm Studios to announce their big project too. While many of us were hoping for an announcement of Mortal Kombat 11 at E3 2018, NRS curiously remained silent when it came to revealing anything.
Hit the jump below to see the live stream.
Here's how to quickly unlock all characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; obtain the entire cast in just about three hours
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brings with it a whopping 74-character roster, (75 if you pre-ordered and got Piranha Plant) but you'll only start the game with a measly eight to choose from.
This is because Nintendo has decided to go the more traditional route of having their players play through the game to garner access to entire cast of fighters.
The process in and of itself is fairly streamlined, but getting to all 66 hidden characters is still going to take you some time. There are three methods to finding new brawlers, one of which is to simply play in Versus Mode for ten minutes. Doing so will activate a seemingly random hidden character fight, but to get everyone this way means 660 minutes... and who has time for that?
Luckily players have already discovered a bit of a cheat around this as you can essentially reset the 10 minute timer instantly after you do it for the first time.
If you'd like to get the full unlock experience then look no further than our complete Smash Ultimate unlock guide, which details three separate means of populating your character select screen.
You'll find a quick video tutorial of how to exactly perform the fast method, thanks to PolygonGuides, after the jump.
Does the fighting game community want more team events? Core-A gaming explores the psychology behind team play and why we actually really like it
Fighting games have long been a one on one style competition, but human nature is so attracted to the concept of team play that we've made countless efforts to approach fighters from a more group-oriented angle.
Indeed some recent titles such as Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition include fully fleshed out modes for this exact purpose, and even older titles like Mortal Kombat 3 took somewhat similar approaches.
What exactly is it that drives us toward team play, though? Core-A Gaming delves into this with their latest video titled "Sidenote: Why We Like Teams."
In it, Gerald breaks down a bit of the psychology behind our passion for group play. One of the more apparent takeaways is found in the blame game, as celebrations are heightened with company and salty losses are easier when shared.
There's obviously much more to it than that, all of which Core-A does a wonderful job expounding for us. Also, if you haven't heard about the Korean Women's Team Speed Skating Pursuit Event drama from this year's Winter Olympics, it's exceptionally intriguing.
Give the quick video a watch and then help us answer the question they pose at the end: do we want more fighting game team tournaments? Chime into the comments with your responses.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate review roundup: A game that truly earns its title with content, polish and fan service
Most of us won't be able to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate until tomorrow, but the review embargo has now lifted for Nintendo's biggest title of 2018 with scores that certainly do not disappoint.
The massive platforming fighting game currently sits at a Meta Critic reviewer score of 93 out of 100 which makes it the highest rated title to release on the Nintendo Switch this year tied with Undertale — though it doesn't quite match up to 2017's Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild which both sit at a 97.
Reviewers are nearly universally praising Smash Ultimate for its wealth and breadth of content available, changes made to the gameplay and use of single-player modes earning it nine perfect scores at the time of this article though the online modes have yet to be officially tested.
GameXplain, for example, enjoyed the sped up game speed, ability to turn off stage hazards and the nerfed stalling techniques like repeatedly dodging or grabbing ledges, but they did have a few complaints. The reviewer felt that it is harder to keep track of your character in four-player or larger matches more than any other game in the franchise, and the single-player offerings may not offer enough variety to keep players engaged long enough to complete everything.
It reportedly takes at least 15 hours to beat Smash Ultimate's World of Light Adventure Mode and upwards of 30 or more hours for those looking to explore everything. It may also take up to 10 hours to unlock every fighter through adventuring, Classic Mode and normal Smash matches.
We've gathered a number of the most notable reviews after the jump, and stay tuned to EventHubs for our own full review coming very soon. We also have pages available now ready for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's launch including a character unlocking guide, weight listings and fighter movement speeds.
Capcom has upgraded their character breakdowns for Street Fighter 5; here's a 10 minute lesson on G directly from Justin Wong
Certainly a candidate for the strongest newcomer in Season 3, G is an incredibly explosive character that can melt you down right quick if you don't know how to properly space and position yourself while playing against him.
Capcom continues their character breakdown series with the President of the World, but they've dug much deeper this time around and produced a full 10 minute video.
Not only do we get to see more nuance for the character on display, we also get none other than FOX|Justin Wong as our host. For those few unaware, Justin is perhaps the most celebrated fighting game player in American history, and is known for his ability to see character potential well before most anyone else.
Justin takes us through the basics and into the more intermediate points of interest with G, focusing on the specific uses and most efficient approaches for his normals, special attacks and movement options.
Whether you're learning to play G or you'd like to understand him better in order to have a fighting chance against the rush down monster, this video will most certainly help you take a few steps forward.
Check it out below, let us know what you learned and good luck in your future dealings with G. Be sure to keep out of his long reaching normal ranges, unless you're up in his face where he's at his weakest.
Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition adds Sponsored Content for new ways to earn Fight Money, will be free to play December 11–19
Capcom has been steadily supporting Street Fighter 5 since its release almost three years ago, and now more people than ever will get the chance to try out the game than ever before with some added "bonuses" too.
The developer / publisher announced today that Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition will be free to play during the week of Capcom Cup, December 11–19, on both PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam.
This free trial will include the original 16 character roster from launch plus all current modes like online and Arcade Mode. DLC characters Guile, Akuma and Sagat will be usable for free during this time, but they can only be used in Training, Challenges, Ranked, Casual Matches and Battle Lounges.
Sponsored Content will also be making its way to SF5 on December 11 as a new way to earn Fight Money in Ranked and Casual Matches by viewing ads in the game.
These ads will come in the form of costume decals which will be placed on characters as the released image shows Capcom Pro Tour logos on Ryu and Balrog's gloves plus during loading screens and on certain stages.
Currently, this Sponsored Content is only confirmed to give in-game "reminders" about the Capcom Pro Tour, costumes and bundles in SF5, so it is unknown whether third-party advertisers will also be present this month or beyond.
Click images for larger versions
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate day one update patch notes
A video game going 'gold' in the modern era does not mean that development has finished for the product as it did during the PlayStation 2 era and prior with updates and DLC content typically worked on until the title's official release and beyond.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate officially releases tomorrow, December 7, but its previously revealed 'day one patch' is now live to download on Nintendo Switch consoles with patch notes included.
The Version 1.10 update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate comes with a brand new hard difficulty for the game's World of Light adventure mode plus a number of other changes and additions to other modes.
Quickplay, Battle Arenas, spectating and more have been added to Ultimate's online modes for those who have a subscription for their Switch to play online. Global Smash Power rankings will also now be on display.
Various game balance adjustments and gameplay fixes are also listed in the patch notes, so a number of bugs shown off online by those who got their hands on the game early have possibly been addressed though they do not go in to specific detail for the update currently.
This update also includes more information about the Piranha Plant DLC character seemingly cementing his targeted February release plus how to redeem him and his Gold Points. You can check out the full patch notes for Super Smash Bros. day one Version 1.10 update below.
Click images for larger versions
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is almost here, and developers are celebrating its release with more special countdown artwork
It feels like it hasn't been that long since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was first teased during this Spring's Nintendo Direct stream, but now we're less than a day away from the massive title's official release on December 7.
A special social media campaign has been ongoing leading up to the game's release with fans and developers in Japan and around the world coming together for a countdown celebration.
Every day starting on the 10th day before Smash Ultimate's release, one or more game company's Twitter accounts have released special artwork relating to the fighters found within the game with a number and text for how many days until the title hits shelves.
We previously covered the countdown artwork for the first 5 days of the campaign — days 10–6 — where artists like famed Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts designer / director Tetsuya Nomura contributed original pieces alongside others from places like Sega.
Now, art for days five through one are now online featuring developers / companies for titles like Mega Man, Splatoon, Metal Gear, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon. Day three even included a new piece of Bayonetta artwork from Platinum Games' own Yusuke Hashimoto with Rodin peeking in from the side as an Assist Trophy for the title.
You can check out the fan countdown artwork under this hashtag on Twitter plus the official art and screens for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from the game makers below.
Click images for larger versions
These Kung Fury Sakura, Rainbow Menat and Spider-Woman Street Fighter 5 mods are on point
We've got some more beautiful work from both Khaldantar and The Jamk as we check out three new Street Fighter 5 mods.
Sakura assumes the role of Kung Fury, (if you haven't seen the movie then do yourself a favor and check it out as it's over the to hilarious) while Menat slides into her version of R. Mika's attire.
Both of these creations are thanks to Khaldantar while we see Laura transform in the web-slinging Spider-Woman courtesy of The Jamk.
You can check out some high definition stills of each of these in the gallery right here. We then have video footage of all three in action thanks to PC Best Mods after the jump.
Please chime in and let us know what you thought of each of these, which is your favorite of the bunch and why.
Click images for larger versions
What remain the most broken parts of Street Fighter 5 and how do we change them heading into Season 4?
Let's iron one thing out right from the get-go and clarify that we don't think R. Mika is broken in an overpowered sense of the term, but rather isn't very well-designed when you dig deeper into things.
Digging deeper is exactly what Catalyst and I do on this week's episode of the EventHubs Podcast, delving specifically into the more general aspects of Street Fighter 5 that still could use some tweaking as we transition into the game's fourth Season.
Capcom has already made commendable progress as they've nixed throw loops, anti-air jabs, regulated Crush Counters, decreased input lag, regulated V-Triggers and more over the last few years.
That established, we do think there are still a few rough edges that could be sanded down to make the SF5 experience, (which we're currently enjoying very much) even more enjoyable.
Plus the Tekken World Tour Finals knocked audiences off their feet with both amazing (low-tier character) gameplay and some wonderfully hype reveals. We actually get into a discussion about whether or not Tekken 7 is the most hype fighting game to watch at the moment.
Catalyst and I cover all of this and more on episode 28 of the EH Podcast, which awaits you below the jump. You can check out the timestamps included to see all the other topics we tackle.
What 2018 Video Game Awards announcements might fighting game fans be in store for?
The 2018 Video Game Awards will debut on December 6th — tomorrow. You'll want to tune in at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST.
Although this show has typically been about giving out awards for the games that have been released in the last year, many developers are starting to announce titles and content at this event. You can almost think of it as a miniature E3 presentation.
Last year, Bandai Namco gave us the announcement of Soul Calibur 6 at the 2017 Video Game Awards. Could we get a reveal of something that could top that?
Very recently, King of Fighters 15 was shown to be a work in progress title. It's unlikely there will be any gameplay shown as Yasuyuki Oda of SNK has stated that the title isn't even in the pre-production phase yet.
Notably, Capcom Cup will begin on December 14th so it's unlikely that we'll get the next Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition character at the Video Game Awards this year. Many theories have been flying around regarding the confetti at the Red Bull Conquest event. Still, there's reason to believe that Capcom is working on a new AAA title that will supposedly surprise everyone.
There are a lot of rumors going around about potential announcements at the 2018 Video Game Awards. Let's take a look at some of the possibilities that seem the most plausible.
With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC in mind, what does Nintendo's 2019 lineup currently look like, and how much do we actually know about it?
With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releasing this week, Nintendo are about to have yet another garguantuan launch on their latest hardware, the Nintendo Switch.
Of course, one of the subjects on the forefront of everyone's mind is just what characters we might see join the fray this time around as DLC.
I wrote a piece recently which detailed what Nintendo deciding the DLC rather than series director Masahiro Sakurai, as has traditionally been the case, could mean for the upcoming DLC in comparison to what we've previously seen in the game.
Of course, Sakurai still has final say on any roster decisions, but Nintendo are the ones making the character decisions and giving them to him, whereupon he can decide whether he thinks they'll be feasible as a playable character or not.
In that previous piece, I touch upon several subjects such as 3rd parties Nintendo are likely to want to strengthen their bonds even further with, Nintendo characters that they may want to push but Sakurai has previously overlooked, and more.
A key point, though, which this article will elaborate upon is which Nintendo projects are they interested in marketing for the upcoming year? There's a lot we don't know about, but let's take a look at what we do know, and compare this to previous years just to show how much is still unknown to us.
Amazing Dragon Ball FighterZ touch of death combo uses an unorthodox team to raise swag levels over 9,000
Dragon Ball FighterZ recently saw another major balance patch that shook things up once again. Characters such as Bardock and Android 16 saw big nerfs, while characters like Gotenks, Piccolo, and Beerus walked away with some noticeable improvements.
One of the best things to come of new balance changes for a team game such as Dragon Ball FighterZ is the experimentation and discovery of different character combinations. While we often see varied squads, most of the time there are key players on the roster that help make up the best team combinations in the game.
However, Twitter user gbsgbsgbs4 brings us something different, unorthodox, and totally awesome. Today we have an absolutely gnarly touch of death combo featuring a team consisting of Majin Buu, Gotenks, and Tien.
The combo begins with Majin Buu on point as he lands a side-switching sequence to get out of the corner with the help of Sparking Blast. Using Gotenks' assist — which holds the opponent in place momentarily and is very effective in combos — and Tien's assist to extend the combo, Buu is able to keep the opponent in his clutches until the assists recover and can be used again.
After further extension with the assists, Buu launches into a level 1 super and DHCs into Gotenks' ghost kamikaze super. The ghost keep the opponent in the air long enough for Gotenks to fire off another set, bring Tien in, and create a juggle with supers that is not only super impressive, but finishes the job and KOs the opponent.
As the creator of this combo notes in the tweet, this combo begins with three bars of meter. So if you find yourself playing a team of Majin Buu, Gotenks, and TIen, you've got three bars of meter, and you're cornered, be sure to hit them with this stylish touch of death combo and break the scouter with a swag level over 9,000!
Click image to view the clip
Ice Climbers desyncs and chain grabs have already been discovered in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate despite not being officially released yet
The Ice Climbers in the Super Smash Bros. series have always been a technically advanced set of characters. In return for the effort, the Ice Climbers have access to infinite combos that typically involve grabbing in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
It's clear that the development team for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate went out of their way to ensure that these infinite combos were not possible by forcing Nana to taunt whenever Popo successfully throws an opponent. In fact, Nana isn't even allowed to perform grabs.
While this has resulted in the Ice Climbers being top tier in both titles, they've never actually been the best in any game. This is mostly thanks to their poor neutral. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may be improving their neutral games as compensation.
Despite the fact that the game has yet to be officially released by Nintendo, some fans have already been able to play the game at their leisure. Advanced techniques like desyncing have been discovered for the icy duo.
While there is a rule where a fighter is unable to be grabbed a second time within 63 frames, desyncing can help keep the opponent in hit stun until that time has expired. MeowMix has uploaded a video that highlights the applications of this.
Notably though, this is the first Super Smash Bros. title that has the Ice Climbers included where patching is possible. There were a number of unintentional techniques that were essentially removed in game updates for Super Smash Bros. 4.
Click image for animated version
The PlayStation Classic reportedly references a number of games in its code which aren't playable including Street Fighter, Tony Hawk and Silent Hill
The PlayStation Classic released earlier this week to mediocre reception at best due to its performance and lack of selection for some, but the latter issue might have been much different if the system featured more of the games which were just discovered in its code.
There are 20 different titles available on the mini retro system including Tekken 3 and Battle Arena Toshinden, but the PlayStation Classic's source code has reportedly already been extracted and posted online with some interesting findings lurking within.
References to 30 or more different titles not present in the final release were allegedly uncovered though it is unclear whether they may have once been intended to be included in the roster or if they were simply used to test the hardware before Sony looked into licensing as video game developer Frank Cifaldi suggests.
Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, Ehrgeiz, Silent Hill, Parasite Eve, Suikoden, Crash Bandicoot, Toy Story 2, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 among others are some of the games / files found within the PS Classic's code.
This discovery came after owners of the system were able to access the console's debug / settings menu by simply connecting a keyboard and hitting the escape key where certain options could be found which are not normally usable on the system like filters and multiple save states. PAL versions of games can even reportedly be switched to their NTSC releases this way including for Tekken 3 — though Digital Foundry believes Sony may have chosen those versions due to the hardware not being powerful enough to emulate certain titles smoothly.
The PlayStation Classic was also quickly found to have not used Sony's own in-house, proprietary emulation like on the PS3 or PSP, and it instead uses the unofficial open-sourced PCSX-Rearmed emulator like those found on PCs and smartphones / tablets. It's impossible to say whether any of these games were planned for the final release before hitting licensing roadblocks, but you can take a look at the reported full list of games found in the code below.
Click images for larger versions
Capcom is reportedly working on a new AAA title that will surprise everyone, but what could it be?
Capcom as a company has had one of the best years in its history in 2018 thanks to the massive success of Monster Hunter World and releases of other titles like the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and Mega Man 11.
2019 is also looking to get off to a strong start for the developer / publisher as both Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5 are shaping up to be big AAA titles releasing in the first quarter of the year, and it looks like they may have even more up their sleeve to shake things up once they are out.
Capcom senior producer Jun Takeuchi recently sat down for an interview with Famitsu magazine in Japan where he discusses how the RE Engine — powering titles like Resident Evil 7, RE2 and DMC5 — has evolved, the expansion of their AAA development resources and a surprising new title in the works.
"If we keep gradually increasing the size of our staff, I'm thinking that at some point maybe we might be able to handle four AAA titles at once," said Takeuchi via Famitsu and translated by Takuhi. "Also, in addition to that, we're currently working on a title that will make our fans think, 'wow, they're making that?'"
This language makes it appear that Capcom is currently working on three AAA-level games with Resident Evil and Devil May Cry making up two of them, but could the third be a new fighting game?
It's certainly very possible though Takeuchi is currently Head of Consumer Games Development Division 1 at Capcom where he has worked on series like Resident Evil, Onimusha and Lost Planet. He has worked on fighting games in the past with Street Fighter 2, but what are the most likely candidates for this mystery game?
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal at The Game Awards looking more likely as Nintendo of America tells fans to tune in
We're now less than two days away from the official launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on December 7, but fans may have something new to look forward to as early as tomorrow night.
Some rumors and speculation have been circulating the internet believing that Nintendo may reveal something new for Smash Ultimate at The Game Awards 2018, and now the developer / publisher themselves are putting some more logs on that fire.
Nintendo of America's Twitter account sent out a post this morning stating fans should make sure they tune in to The Game Awards at 5:30 p.m. PDT on December 6 before the launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
These rumblings of an announcement date all the way back to E3 2018 where Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé told The Game Award's host Geoff Keighley "we need to do something special on your show."
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Fighters Pass contains five additional characters for the game that have yet to be announced, so The Game Awards may give us a glimpse at the first one to come after Piranha Plant — which prominent Smash leaker Vergeben says should be Square-Enix related.
A number of other Game Awards related rumors / leaks have also been making their rounds through the internet this week with titles like Crash Team Racing and Dragon Age 4 possibly being revealed at the event. You can check out Nintendo's Tweet for yourself below to see if you have the same interpretation.
Click images for larger versions
| Name | Viewers |
| TSM_Daequan | 15,362 |
| ZeRo | 11,243 |
| dragonballfighterz | 7,681 |
