Injustice: Gods Among Us stories
It's time to stop shaming online warriors and start teaching fighting games properly; plus Bonchan fibs, the Murderface has his own demon and more
Well that headline is the most social justice-y thing I think I've ever written and I'll be promptly taking a long shower after this, but there is some valid discussion to be had about the way fighting gamers view online warriors.
Catalyst and I further that conversation on the latest episode of the EventHubs Podcast and get to a myriad of other topics as well.
I expand more upon my recent article regarding the way fighting games widely fail to teach players true fundamentals and how that very well could be a significant reason why this genre fails to keep up with others in the eSports world.
FOX|Tokido is by far and away the most consistent Street Fighter 5 player this year, but it seems Mouz|ProblemX has his number as the reigning EVO champion has made quick work of the Murderface on multiple occasions now.
There are more than a few other topics we tackle, and you can find timestamps below if you want to jump around. Enjoy the 25th episode of the EH Podcast (thank you so much for supporting us thus far) and please drop your feedback in the comments after you give it a listen.
SonicFox busts out the rare Joker against Batman and donates $10,000 to his opponent: Injustice 2 Pro Series 2018 Grand Finals highlights
The 2018 competitive season for Injustice 2 came to a close yesterday with the Pro League Grand Finals event, and it was quite the ride to say the least.
A $100,000 prize pool was on the line, and the best NetherRealm fighting game players in the world gathered to compete for their slice of the pie.
FOX|SonicFox, Noble|Rewind, Scar, Noble|Semiij, Simplicity|Tweedy, PG|Hayatei and others came prepared to throw down though a familiar face using an unfamiliar fighter would take home the grand prize in the end.
The Joker was SonicFox's weapon of choice for his final matches, who rarely sees competitive play and is ranked 35th on our tier lists, against Rewind's Batman for the most fitting way to possibly end Injustice's pro circuit on — depending on when the next NRS fighter releases.
On a more human and feel good note, SonicFox announced after winning that he will be donating at least $10,000 of his winnings to Rewind to help pay for his father's ongoing medical treatment.
Enough of the talk though. Let's get to the action with Scar and Tweedy's losers side match which went down to the final game with both players' characters at low health. After a couple of key drops, Scar managed to freeze Tweedy's Starfire in place as he was flying at Supergirl with a great read / reaction to take the set.
Click images for animated versions
Injustice 2 Pro Series 2018 Grand Finals results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
The Injustice 2 Pro Series had its run this year as well, and now we're finally at the Grand Finals.
With $40,000 on the line for the grand prize, and a total prize pool of $100,000, this is definitely not one to miss since the competitors will be playing for keeps.
It will be played out in a 16-man double elimination bracket, so there are a lot of matches for your viewing pleasure today.
The players qualified for this prestigious event are Tweedy, FOX|SonicFox, BC|Biohazard, Noble|Rewind, Noble|Semiij, PG|Hayatei, DR Gross, BC|HoneyBee, DF|Grr, IrishMantis, Method|SylverRye, Scar, HappyPow, NASR|TekkenMaster, CLN|BasicS and HeeyGe0rge.
It's a one-day event, so you can expect all the action to be done today, and while a Tuesday tournament is a bit unorthodox, just keep the stream open the whole day and enjoy the show.
Streaming is being done at NetherRealm.
Body Count Fighting 8 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
Tonight, Body Count Fighting 8 is taking place as a special streamed event, presented by Machinima.
This will host a set of exhibition matches in Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition and Injustice 2.
The main attraction for the Street Fighter 5 sets is that they're doing a Next Level Battle Circuit versus Wednesday Night Fights style setup, meaning that it's basically a West Coast vs. East Coast event.
The headlining set will be Rise|Smug vs. BCF|Commander Jesse, so look forward to that one in particular.
Besides this, you can also expect to see CYG|Chris Tatarian, END|Shine, SB|JB, XSK Samurai, Idom, TS|Arturo Sanchez, Dankadillas, Pnoy, UYU|Kami, UYU|Lil Evil and several more, whereas Injustice 2 will feature Scar, Atai, DF|Grr, CLN|Whiteboi, Method|SylverRye and RLN|HeroKillerStain.
Streaming is being done at BC Fighting.
Canada Cup 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
The big one is finally upon us. One of the most noteworthy and hype-filled events in the entire FGC is taking place this weekend.
Yes, that's right, it's time yet again for Canada Cup to occur, this time in its 2018 edition.
This is a massive event by all counts, and it's one of the last Capcom Pro Tour Premier events as well as the last Tekken World Tour event, though it's a Challenger event for that game. It's also a NeoGeo World Tour event for the King of Fighters titles present and features the Tournament of Legends for Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo. Also, let's not forget the massive international 5v5 tournament we see each year for the main Street Fighter game.
Besides Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition and Tekken 7, you can also look forward to tournament play in Super Smash Bros. 4, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Soul Calibur 6, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Sailor Moon S, Pokkén Tournament DX, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, King of Fighters 14, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Injustice 2 and King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest.
Players attending include FOX|SonicFox, FOX|Tokido, Liquid|Hungrybox, FD|Fujimura, Ghost|NuckleDu, CYG|Daigo, TSM|Leffen, FOX|Justin Wong, CYG|Fuudo, GGP|Kazunoko, Liquid|Nemo, Mouz|Problem X, CO|Dogura, Gachikun, DouyuTV|Xiao Hai, NVD|Phenom, NRG|HookGangGod, CYG|Chris Tatarian, FAV|Sako, Yamasa|Nobi, Ponos|Moke, CYG|GamerBee, EQNX|JoeyFury, FOX|Momochi, ALG|n0ne, EQNX|Dimeback, LostSoul, EMG|Mistake, BC|Mr. R, AB|StormKubo, Yamasa|Take, UYU|Fergus, ESE|Duck, 1UP|PepperySplash, PG|Speedkicks, FNATIC|Akainu, ESE|ANTi, Ally, NRG|Supernoon, Fiction, Shadow20z, AE|Pekos, W2W|Bladewise, Teemo, ESE|RunItBlack, EMG|Moky, Binchang, MnT|Trungy, Joonya20z, Abel Del Maestro, Ryan Ford and many, many more.
Streaming is being done at Capcom Fighters, Canada Cup Gaming, Canada Cup Gaming 2, Canada Cup Gaming 3 and Canada Cup Gaming 4.
Constantine, Penguin, Krypto the Superdog and others were looked at for Injustice 2 new concept art reveals
Injustice 2 already featured a number of unexpected or wild choices for their roster with characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Hellboy joining the fighter as DLC, but it now appears as though a number of other interesting DC heroes, villains and others didn't quite make the final cut.
Justin Murray is a freelance senior concept artist who worked with NetherRealm Studios on Injustice 2, and his ArtStation profile now shows off some awesome concept art for characters who never actually made it into the game's base roster or DLC.
The six characters shown off in the new art are Constantine, Krypto the Superdog, The Penguin, Bluebird, Detective Chimp — aka Bobo T. Chimpanzee — and Etrigan the Demon. This mixed cast of classic and more recent characters feature a grittier makeover in the art to match Injustice's aesthetics.
John Constantine, Etrigan and Detective Chimp actually had roles in the Injustice comic series once more magicial characters became involved in the plot, so it's unsurprising to see that they would be considered as playable fighters in Injustice 2 along with characters like Doctor Fate.
Krypto appears to be much more alien in appearance than his typical counterparts usually looking like more standard canines featuring what appear to be red wings instead of a cape, and more claws on his feet. The Superdog does technically exist in the Injustice world, but we've only seen him mentioned by Bizarro and in a vision of Superman's.
Perhaps we'll one day see these characters playable in Injustice 3, but until then we'll just have to look at this concept art and wonder what could have been. You can check out the designs in the gallery below and more details in Dynasty's video after the jump.
Click images for larger versions
East Coast Throwdown 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
East Coast Throwdown 2018 is taking place this weekend in New Jersey, U.S.A.
This is a Capcom Pro Tour Ranking event, in fact, it's the final offline Ranking Event of the season, with only a few Premiers, Regional Finals and one online CPT event left besides it.
Also, this is the Last Chance Qualifier for the Injustice 2 Pro Series this year, the finals of which are happening on November 13th, so this is a very important event to grab that final spot.
It's not just about Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition and Injustice 2, though. This event will also feature tournament play in Dragon Ball FighterZ, Soul Calibur 6, Tekken 7, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 2, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Fighting EX Layer, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers) and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.
Notable players participating include FOX|SonicFox, Ghost|NuckleDu, REC|Punk, NRG|HookGangGod, EG|NYChrisG, CYG|GamerBee, CYG|Chris Tatarian, FOX|Dekillsage, SB|JB, PG|Nakkiel, Toi, Idom and many, many more.
Streaming is being done at Team Spooky, NetherRealm, KPB Live, NYC Furby and TSB Blaze.
Update: Echo Fox cuts entire Tekken team along with Punk, Theo, Scar as their fighting game roster shrinks
10/11 Update: Top Tekken players JDCR and Saint announced today that they are also no longer with team Echo Fox. Both players are considered among the best Tekken 7 players in the world with Saint currently sitting at fourth place on the Tekken World Tour standings while JDCR is ranked fifth — they also came in placing first and second at EVO 2017. You can see their full statements on their release in the gallery below.
Update: Echo Fox has released a statement from President Jared Jeffries regarding their cuts made to their fighting game roster as well as the release of their Gears of War and Call of Duty teams stating the move was a strategic reorganization and refocusing of their current resources. You can check out their full statement in the gallery below.
Earlier: Team Echo Fox quickly broke onto the fighting game scene in the past couple of years snatching up a large part of the global talent with top players like FOX|Justin Wong, FOX|Tokido, FOX|SonicFox, FOX|Momochi and FOX|MkLeo joining their seemingly ever growing roster which is now seeing cuts being made to their fighting game team.
Punk, Theo and Scar all announced today that they and Echo Fox have parted ways meaning that some of the United States' strongest Street Fighter and Injustice competitors are once again free agents after Punk only joined the team less than seven months ago.
Victor "Punk" Woodley quickly rose to the top of the Street Fighter world for his exceptional Karin play in 2017 going from an online warrior to runner up at EVO that year though his sophomore year as a pro player has not been as smooth of a journey.
The Karin main gained everyone's attention after being picked up by Panda Global in 2017 and taking ELEAGUE that year for Street Fighter 5 over some of the stiffest competition the game had to offer. Punk seemed near unbeatable for a time, and after a bit of a slump to start off 2018, he appears to have corrected course having just won Thunderstruck this past weekend bringing him up to 25th on the Capcom Pro Tour standings.
Theo and Scar are no slouches in their games either with Theo making it to third place for Injustice 2 at EVO 2017 and Scar taking third in Mortal Kombat X at EVO 2016. Both players also made it to the final stage of the Injustice 2 Pro Series finals in 2017.
These changes will no undoubtedly shake up the professional side of the fighting game community and perhaps eSports as a whole since they have also reportedly released their entire Gears of War team and their League of Legends head coach.
Click images for larger versions
Photo credit: Stephanie Lindgren.
Black Manta's suit in the new Aquaman trailer looks like it was pulled right out of Injustice 2, see the costume up close at New York Comic-Con
With New York Comic-Con currently underway, Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for the upcoming Aquaman movie. The extended Aquaman trailer gives us a great glimpse at villain Black Manta in action, and his suit looks a lot like his Injustice 2 counterpart's.
Directed by James Wan, the Aquaman solo film stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman a.k.a Arthur Curry, Amber Heard (Mera), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (as Black Manta). This movie follows the events of DC Comics' Justice League (2017), and sees Aquaman caught in a battle between the people of Atlantis and surface dwellers who pose a threat to the oceans.
In the new Aquaman trailer, we are given a look at a variety of different scenes as Curry and Mera find themselves in Atlantis, as well as other locales. Late into the over five-minute-long Aquaman trailer, Warner Bros. brings out Black Manta with an impressive entrance.
Much like you'd expect, Black Manta quickly engages in battle with Aquaman, unleashing his arm blades and firing a giant laser from his eyes at his foe. It doesn't take long to see how similar Black Manta's suit is to the one we see in the DC Comics fighting title, Injustice 2.
New York Comic-Con attendees can check out the new Black Manta suit up close and personal on the show floor, and Twitter user Nate Brail shared a handful of photos that give us an even better look at it.
Both the Aquaman movie and the Injustice 2 Black Manta costumes go for a realistic look, and both remain true to the character's comic book design. The film's costume does have a couple of small differences, such as the hoses not connecting Black Manta's helmet to his pack and the armor being slightly more rounded, but with the right gear loadout in Injustice 2 you can likely bring the look even closer to the film.
Click images for larger versions
Fighting Fest 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
The Dominican Republic's hype fighting game event returns agin this year, with Fighting Fest happening in Santo Domingo.
This is a ranking event for the Capcom Pro Tour, meaning that points are on the line for Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition.
Besides this, a bunch of other games are being played as well.
You can expect tournament play for Super Smash Bros. 4, Mortal Kombat XL, Dragon ball FighterZ, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, King of Fighters 14, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.
Players attending include, but are not limited to, Rise|MenaRD, Rise|Caba, SB|DoomSnake, DR Ray, Crossover, Jochy, TDT|Pikoro, MJ|Gama and Tiger|Luiman20.
Streaming is being done at Quien Online RD, The Mikeysan, Top Siete Games, Dragon Ball FighterZ RD, Stryker DR and Mr Connor TV 1.
The Fall Classic 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
The Fall Classic 2018 is back again this year.
It's taking place in Raleigh, North Carolina, and will have a bunch of games played.
Tournament titles present at the event are Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Soul Calibur 5, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Injustice 2, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Pokkén Tournament DX and King of Fighters 14.
There are tons of players participating in each game, but a few notable names that you can expect to see are UGS|XCaliburBladez, Pokchop, W2W|KnowKami, ESE|Coach Steve, UGS|BBoyDragon... But of course also many more.
Streaming is being done at Bifuteki and Funky P.
Because of the multitude of games being played, you can expect to have Top 8s on almost all weekend, so stay tuned.
Ed Boon asks, 'What if the awesome Spider-Man game was made by NetherRealm? ;)' and Twitter goes wild
A bigger troll than even Capcom's Yoshinori Ono, NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon has prodded the internet yet again with one of his somewhat regular jokes that make us wonder what he may have up his sleeve.
A tweet yesterday from the big time fighting game developer has risen to "trending" status, even capturing the attention of Insomniac, the company that developed the new Spider-Man game on PlayStation 4.
Boon tweeted on Thursday "What if the awesome Spider-Man game was made by NetherRealm? ;)" along with a quick clip of Spider-Man gameplay footaged edited together with Mortal Kombat's x-ray special moves.
Not only is NRS responsible for the iconic Mortal Kombat franchise, they also make the Injustice franchise which deals with DC Comics superheroes and villains, as well as some special guest DLC characters.
The fighting game community has seen Spidey in quite a few fighting games over the years, and we do have to wonder how exactly the web slinger would fare as a special guest in an upcoming Mortal Kombat title.
In any case you can check out the clip and tweet right here. Feel free to sound off in the comments with your reactions to the idea of an NRS version of Spidey.
Click image for animated version
SoCal Regionals 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
The big shebang this weekend is SoCal Regionals 2018, taking place in Ontario, California.
This is a huge event by all counts, with the biggest part of it being that it is a Premier event for the Capcom Pro Tour, also a Premier event on the Injustice 2 Pro Tour and a Ranking event on the Tekken World Tour.
Besides these three major tours, the event will also be hosting tournaments for the yet-to-be-released Soul Calibur 6, Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Super Smash Bros. 4, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Pokkén Tournament DX and ARMS.
With Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition over 250 entrants, Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ close to 200 entrants and Super Smash Bros. 4 at around 150 entrants, there's going to be a ton of competition in every game present, for sure.
Notable players attending are too many to count, but among others, you can expect to see FOX|SonicFox, FD|Fujimura, FOX|JDCR, FOX|Tokido, CYG|Fuudo, FOXSaint, GGP|Kazunoko, CO|Dogura, UYU|OilKing, FAV|Sako, CYG|Daigo, EG|NYChrisG, FOX|Punk, FOX|Justin Wong, Jimmy J Tran, Reynald, Ghost|NuckleDu, Gachikun, Noble|Tweedy, PG|Nakkiel, FOX|Dekillsage, EQNX|JoeyFury, PG|Speedkicks, BC|ApologyMan, Noble|Semiij, EQNX|Dimeback, UYU|Cloud805, NRG|Supernoon, Shadow20z, NASR|TekkenMaster, PG|Hayatei, UYU|KizzieKay, MnT|Trungy, UYU|Princess Ling, Nisshin, Noble|Rewind, Pokchop, UYU|BeautifulDude and many more.
Streaming is being done at Capcom Fighters, LevelUp Live, LevelUp Live 2, NetherRealm, 2GGaming and SilentScope88.
Summer Jam 12 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
Summer Jam 12 is taking place this weekend in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
This is a Masters event for the Tekken World Tour, so there are almost 200 people showing up to compete in Tekken 7.
Besides that, it's also a Capcom Pro Tour Ranking event, with 130 people signed up for Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition.
There's also tournament play set for Dragon Ball FighterZ, a pre-release version of Soul Calibur 6, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Super Smash Bros. 4, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Fighting EX Layer, Injustice 2, Windjammers, Pokkén Tournament DX, ARMS, King of Fighters 14 and Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo.
Players set to attend include UYU|Jeondding, Ghost|NuckleDu, EG|NYChrisG, RB|Anakin, FOX|Justin Wong, PG|Speedkicks, FOX|Punk, EQNX|JoeFury, SperoGin, Shadow20z, AE|Pekos, SB|JB, EG|Ricki Ortiz, DG|KaneAndTrench, UYU|Princess Ling, EQNX|Dimeback, Walker|Furumizu, Walker|Kagemaru, W2W|Binchang, UYU|Yuyu and many, many more.
Streaming is being done at Tekken, Bifuteki, KPB Live, Funky P, TSB Blaze, Bros Calamity and Atari FGC.
Celtic Throwdown 2018 results
Update; This story has been updated with final results.
There's a double whammy as far as pro tours go this weekend, with Celtic Throwdown taking place in Dublin, Ireland.
This is a Ranking event for the Capcom Pro Tour and a Challenger event for the Tekken World Tour, meaning that both Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition and Tekken 7 will have points on the line.
There are over 100 entrants for Tekken 7 based on the bracket lists, and over 60 for Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, so a lot of matches are going to go down to reach the finals.
Besides this, the event will feature Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Super Smash Bros. 4, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Injustice 2.
Players attending include Mouz|Problem X, NVD|Phenom, RB|Luffy, UYU|Fergus, FNATIC|Shakz, Crazy|SuperAkouma, FNATIC|Akainu, DG|Asim, NVD|SaltyKid, Packz, 4G|DevilKazuya, NVD|Momi, Cobelcog, OL|VegaPatch, 4G|Rikimaru, exceL|Infexious, FH|SignorFarfalla, Method|Broski, DG|ThePhantom, Ixion and many more.
Streaming is being done at AsOneLive, Lythero, MsCupcakes and GrandMasterChallenge.
Ed Boon says Netherrealm Studios is working very hard to make their next title their 'best game yet'
Many of us — including myself — were expecting an announcement of Mortal Kombat 11 at this year's E3. This would've made sense based on Netherrealm Studios' track record of announcing Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles at E3 events after an elapsed amount of time.
Notably, Ed Boon had to confirm that the next iteration of Mortal Kombat was not going to be announced at E3 2018. When Ed Boon changed his avatar to be half of Scorpion and Batman's head, he specifically noted that Netherrealm Studios' next title was not going to be Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe 2.
Evidently, there was a lot of hype amongst the portion of the fighting game community that follows NRS games. In some ways, this did seem to imply that Netherrealm Studios' next game was at least in the planning stages.
Earlier today, Ed Boon confirmed that development is progressing on some unannounced game. Boon noted that he was in disbelief that it's been eight years since Netherrealm Studios was opened as it was founded around April-May 2010.
Boon stated that the team is not yet ready to start talking about the next project but we should rest assured that everyone is "working very hard to make it [their] best game yet!" This could offer a possible explanation as to why there was no announcement at E3 2018 as NRS might have access to a budget that is larger than any of their previous projects.
Curiously, an image was also attached to the Tweet. In the image, we can clearly see two motion capture actors doing work.
It is interesting to see that one of them is assuming what appears to be a fighting stance. We have no confirmation about the date in which this photo was taken.
Click images for larger versions
Injustice Pro Series event winners haven't been getting their prize winnings, Intersport lays out plan to rectify and avoid such issues in the future
The Injustice 2 Pro Series has been roaring along with its 2018 run for a good while now, and while we've seen multiple hype tournaments since the official kick off at Combo Breaker in May, there's been issue with prize payouts not reaching players' hands in a very prompt manner.
NetherRealm Studios is working with Intersport, an eSports brand-building company, to put on the Pro Series this year, and it seems as though the responsibility for getting cash prizes to event victors falls on Intersport.
After multiple players expressed delays in seeing their tournament winnings, Travis Hezel of the aforementioned company took to Twitter to put forth a statement acknowledging the issue as well as laying out their plan to rectify it.
