The largest fighting game tournament series in the world begins this Friday! Thousands of people are attending to watch tournaments and hype moments, but what if you aren’t going to the event? Luckily, the official EVO Twitter account has detailed the entire stream schedule. Twitch is the home of EVO broadcasting so all the major tournaments will air on respective EVO channels. The final day of EVO will also be streamed on Twitter. Here’s the list of EVO Twitch channels:
EVO 2019 begins on August 2nd and ends on August 4th. We will keep you all updated on any fighting game related announcements from the event. What tournaments are you looking forward to at this year’s EVO? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!
Xbox Game Pass is arguably one of the best deals in gaming, and to add to its already huge library, it looks like we’re getting some fresh new titles beginning in August. Check out the titles and release dates below.
Ashes Cricket – 8/1
Ashes Cricket is the officially licensed video game of cricket’s greatest rivalry. Bringing all the fast paced action, big hits and skill that you see in the greatest cricket competition on earth, in both a more realistic and authentic way than ever before, you’ll be able to bathe your team in glory in the men’s and women’s 2017/2018 Ashes tours. Courtesy of Big Ant’s unique photogrammetry technology, Ashes Cricket presents official photorealistic likenesses for all of the Australian and English men’s and women’s teams – it will make you feel like you’re right there at the live game. Star Test players have been fully motion-captured and you can choose your own batting or bowling style to make your game your own. Big Ant’s most detailed and refined cricket engine to date allows for true 360-degree batting. No two players will play the game the same way!
Pandemic – 8/1
Humanity is on the brink of extinction. As members of an elite disease control team, you’re the only thing standing in the way of the four deadly diseases spreading across the world. You must travel the globe protecting cities, containing infections from spreading, and discovering the cure for each disease. The fate of humanity is in your hands! In solo or couch co-op mode, you will assemble a team of specialists to save humankind. Each member of the team has their own set of skills that you must use efficiently. Recruit the Medic to quickly treat diseases, discover a cure faster with the Scientist, or stop infections from spreading with the Quarantine Specialist. Each role opens new possibilities and syncs with the other roles to offer new strategies. Pick from seven available character roles to create your elite team.
Downwell – 8/1
Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots to protect him.
Jackbox Party Pack 2 – 8/8
The sequel to the party game phenomenon The Jackbox Party Pack, featuring FIVE fresh, rib-tickling party games! Your phones or tablets are your controllers – no big mess of expensive controllers needed. For up to 8 players plus an Audience of up to 10,000! It’s a game-night riot in a box… without the box!H
Space Hulk Tactics – 8/8
Space Hulk: Tactics is a faithful adaptation of the board game Space Hulk, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, bringing a unique twist to the cult classic formula. Engage in bloody battles through an immense Space Hulk – a twisted mass of asteroids, wrecked star ships, and debris – as either a squad of Terminator Space Marines or the deadly alien Genestealers. Which side will you choose?
Slay the Spire – 8/14
We fused card games and roguelikes together to make the best single player deckbuilder we could. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and Slay the Spire!
For those looking to get more content out of Monster Hunter World, it looks like you finally have an idea of when that arrives. The Iceborne expansion’s official Steam page is up, and now gives January 2020 as its official PC release window. It’s a long way away but should still have players very excited.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is an upcoming massive expansion to Monster Hunter. It will be offering a massive host of new changes to help freshen up the game. Those changes are new hunting mechanics, a new quest difficulty, an entirely new locale, and new monsters. With this, you can also expect a lot of new gear to help you take on this new area and its wildlife. This is an update that players in the community have been really excited to try their first glimpses at, and expectedly so.
Along with this DLC schedule, players can also expect several large content updates following its release. All of these will be free to the owners of Iceborne. Overall, there’s a lot to be excited for when it comes to the future of Monster Hunter. If you haven’t gotten yourself into the game and want something new, this could be just the thing for you. Monster Hunter: World is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC for $59.99.
PlayStation users are going to have a couple of games to sink their teeth into this month. PlayStation has announced on their official blog the two free PlayStation Plus games for the month of August! Those games are WipEout Omega Collection and Sniper Elite 4.
WipEout Omega Collection is a futuristic racing game developed and published by EPOS Gaming Studios. It’s formed as a collection of the previous two WipEout titles, WipEout HD and WipEout HD Fury. In the games, you take control of a realistic vehicle and must race through vast advanced landscapes to secure first place. This game forms a solid racer, as it’s raced its way to an 85 score on Metacritic.
Sniper Elite 4 on the other hand, is a tactical third-person shooter developed and published by Rebellion Developments. You take on the role of Karl Fairburne once again in order to stop a new Nazi super weapon from being developed. Fans of sniping and tactical games should be excited to hop into this game. Critics seem to agree, with the game at around an 80 from reviews.
PlayStation Plus seems to be bringing out the big guns with this month’s games, as Sniper Elite and WipEout are great for their genre. If you’d like to get into these games, they will be available from August 6th until September 2nd. Until then, make sure to pick up Detroit: Become Human and Horizon Chase Turbo from last month. Both games (especially Detroit) are really solid and are worth your time.
Ubisoft China has announced a new Rabbids game based around Ancient China, developed by Ubisoft Chengdu and inspired by Journey to the West. The game focuses around four-player multiplayer with party mini-games. As of now, an official English title or release date have not been given. Provided below is the announcement trailer by Gematsu:
For more information and screenshots, visit the official site. We will keep you all updated on Rabbids: Adventure Party as more news is provided. What are your thoughts on a Chinese based Rabbids game? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter! Stay tuned at Final Weapon for the latest gaming news and updates!
It’s been a month since Super Mario Maker 2 came out, and I’ve spent quite a lot of time building courses. Personally, the Game Style that is my favorite is Super Mario 3D World, as it offers the most unique and enjoyable experience for me. From the Koopa Troopa Car to Cat Mario , Super Mario Maker 2 undeniably has some unique parts to choose from. After a month of playing though, I’m really starting to want another Game Style. There are a few that could really work in Super Mario Maker 2, but one game stands out to me, Super Mario Odyssey.
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey was released on October 27th, 2017, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The game was developed and published by Nintendo. Super Mario Odyssey shied away from the linear gameplay of previous titles, and went back to the roots of the series following Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine with a sandbox style of gameplay. The game received many awards and universal acclaim. Super Mario Odyssey sold incredibly well, selling 14.44 Million units as of March 2019.
Cappy
After seeing how well Nintendo managed to implement Super Mario 3D World into the game, I really would love to see them do it with Super Mario Odyssey. Super Mario Odyssey is an incredible game that offers a uniqueness that no other Mario game does. The game introduced everyone to Cappy, Mario’s main ally in Super Mario Odyssey. In Super Mario Odyssey, Cappy has a wide range of abilities, from being thrown to even being used to capture enemies! Cappy can be thrown a wide variety of ways, which all can help benefit you when trying to defeat an enemy or obstacle. Let’s go over the main ways you can throw Cappy.
Straight throw – Basically you toss Cappy directly in front of you, the most simple throw
Circular throw – Here Mario tosses Cappy in a circle and he spins in a circle 6 times, gradually expanding the radius.
Upwards throw – This is a straight throw but directly upwards.
Homing throw – Here Mario can throw Cappy and control him for a short bit after, it does extend his range while using.
So where does all of this come into play in Super Mario Maker 2? The possibilities are endless. You can have jump off of Cappy to reach places that Mario couldn’t without him, which would add a whole new level to gameplay. Also, when the player is Small Mario (no power ups, one hit kills you), Mario could be without Cappy. Only getting a Super Mushroom would grant the player Cappy. These features with Cappy would allow for very challenging platforming sections in levels, and would give players much more creativity to make their courses unique. But that’s just the basics of Cappy. Next, let’s take a dive into enemies.
Enemies
Super Mario Odyssey has a wide variety of enemies. There are a ton of them in the game, and almost all of them are unique. Yes, you have your Goombas and Hammer Bros, but you also have Sherms(Tanks) and a T-Rex! All of the enemies kind of have their own theme tied to the Kingdom you are in too, which could add an interesting twist when picking a Course Theme. There are so many enemies who would make a perfect fit in Super Mario Maker 2, so I’ll list the ones I think have the most potential in no particular order. I will focus on the enemies that are exclusive to Super Mario Odyssey.
Magmato – The Magmato is from the Luncheon Kingdom, the food and chef based Kingdom inside Super Mario Odyssey. The Magmato is basically an angry tomato, that will roll towards the player until it touches them. The player can either jump on the Magmato or hit it with Cappy to defeat it. When it is defeated, the Magmato melts into a puddle of Magma, which is very dangerous unless you have captured a Lava Bubble. This could add for some very interesting platforming. You could be running up or down a slope with a Magmato behind you, or have a Magmato turn into a puddle on a blinking block.
Tropical Wiggler – The Tropical Wiggler is from the Lost Kingdom, the Kingdom where Mario gets deserted about midway through Super Mario Odyssey. The Tropical Wiggler is a stretching enemy, who will stretch their spike covered body then shrink once at a destination. The Tropical Wiggler’s head has a flower on it, and it is the only part of their body that doesn’t have a spike on it. Each other piece of their body has one sharp spike on it. They can go in any direction in Super Mario Odyssey, but with Super Mario Maker 2 being 2.5D, they would only go left or right. You could have a couple Tropical Wigglers going across a flat platform that you have to get across to beat the level. This would add some difficulty to the level unless the player had Cappy, which the creator has control over.
Sherms – The Sherms are primarily from the Wooded Kingdom, the forest Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey. They also show up in the Metro Kingdom, or New Donk City, the metropolitan city Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey. Sherms are tanks that will shoot projectiles at the player. The projectile travels in a straight line from where the Sherm shoots it, it is not a homing projectile. I could see you hiding the Sherm but having an opening for it to shoot, which could make it difficult to avoid the projectiles being shot.
Uproot – The Uproot are from the Wooded Kingdom, the forest Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey. The Uproot is a plant that can stretch its legs to a great height. It has a pot over its head, but that can be knocked off by jumping on it or throwing Cappy at it. THe Uproot could be an extremely cool and unique enemy with it being able to reach great heights. For example, you could have platforms in a similar fashion to Donkey Kong, and they could climb up at it at ease putting pressure on the player.
Stairface Ogre – The Stairface Ogre is from Bowser’s Kingdom, Bowser’s area in Super Mario Odyssey. Stairface Ogres are based on mythical creatures called Oni. They are creatures that have a stair shaped block, and they smash said block into the ground in front of them when a player is near them. The way to defeat them is to do a ground pound on their head before they bring the block back up. They could be very cool for putting pressure on the player. You could have the player trapped between two enemies with the space slowly shrinking, which would mean they have to hurry and defeat the Stairface Ogre before it squashes them.
These are just a few of the enemies that could be implemented into Super Mario Maker 2. Where it gets really unique, however, is when you add the Capture mechanic into the mix.
Capturing
Now for the most unique mechanic in Super Mario Odyssey – Capturing. This would give Super Mario Odyssey hands down the most unique Super Mario Maker 2 Game Style. For those who do not know, you can Capture your enemies in Super Mario Odyssey, which allows you to take control of them and use their abilities. There are a few enemies whose capture mechanics work better than others, so I’ll go into depth about them below.
Pokio – This is definitely one of the most unique enemies in Super Mario Odyssey. The Pokio is a bird, and it pokes using its beak. When Mario captures it, it gives the player the ability to stab the beak into a wall and propel themselves in any direction desired.
Uproot – The Uproot is a very unique vine like enemy from Super Mario Odyssey. It can stretch its vine like legs to reach great heights, which could be implemented in a very unique way in Super Mario Maker 2.
Also, all the enemies mentioned above such as the Sherms would work as well. The Capture mechanic would obviously work great with veteran enemies, like Goombas and Hammer Bros.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Super Mario Odyssey would be a fantastic addition as a Game Style in Super Mario Maker 2. There is so much potential with Odyssey as a Game Style, and this could add a whole other level to the game. If it were to get added to the game, it would definitely stand out above the rest. I could go on and on about the enemies and which ones should be added, but I won’t hold you for too long. Hopefully Super Mario Odyssey becomes a Game Style in Mario Maker 2 in the future!
Nintendo dropped a twenty-two minute video detailing Challenger Pack 2 and Version 4.0 this morning featuring Mr. Sakurai. Smash 4.0 and Hero will release tonight, July 30th. Here are all of the details:
Challenger Pack 2: The Hero from Dragon Quest
Hero has finally been revealed in depth! With a detailed look at his moveset, we now know everything about Hero! Hero, the protagonist from Dragon Quest, joins the battle! Hero is an extremely unique fighter, offering a balance of sword fighting and magic. Hero also has alts for 4 of the Heroes from popular Dragon Quest games. These include: The Luminary or Eleven from Dragon Quest XI, Eight from Dragon Quest VIII, Solo from Dragon Quest IV, and Erdrick from Dragon Quest III. Hero is fighter #72 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and he is the second of five DLC fighters in the Fighter’s Pass. Hero has a very unique moveset in Smash Ultimate, pulling many references from Dragon Quest. With the command menu, he has the most amount of moves of any fighter. Below we take an in depth look at all of Hero’s attacks!
For Hero’s Smash Attack, he uses his sword. Hero’s Smash Attacks have a chance for a Critical Hit. If this is triggered, an extra strong attack will happen. The look of the Critical Hits are actually based on the Critical Hits from some games in the Dragon Quest series!
The Hero is equipped with a shield, which will allow you to block projectiles. His forward tilt is a Shield Bash attack that can also be used to block or negate projectiles.
Neutral Special – Frizz-type spells
Frizz – A quick small fireball spell that is activated by tapping B.
Frizzle – A bigger fireball spell that is activated by holding B for just a bit.
Kafrizz – A giant fireball spell that is activated by holding B until Hero is fully charged.
Hero can cancel the charging of a Frizz-type spell by pressing Shield, and can resume charging of a Frizz-type spell again. You can store a full charge until you are ready to unleash it whenever you wish. However, if you do not have enough MP, nothing will happen when you try to use the attack. Spells cannot be used without MP.
Side Special – Zap-type spells
Zap – A quick shock to opponents, done with a quick tap.
Zapple – A big shock to opponents, has a pretty good reach too. Hold Side B down a little longer for a Zapple.
Kazap – A giant shock, Hero spins the lightning around him with his sword. Done by charging up Side B all the way.
All of these spells use your sword powered up with lightning.
Up Special – Woosh-type spells
Woosh – Performed by using a quick Up Special. Gets you to the height of about a double jump. Fairly small, this spell requires a little MP.
Swoosh – Peformed by charging the Up Special a little bit. Gets you much higher than the standard Woosh. The Swoosh provides a little bit more lateral movement.
Kaswoosh – Performed by fully charging the Up Special. Gets you incredibly high, and can help you recover even if you fall very far.
Woosh-type spells also allow you to blow enemies in the air. Their is a gust of wind, almost tornado looking under the area where the spell is performed. This can allow you to interfere with opponents.
Down Special – Command Selection
Hero’s Down Special makes a random list of commands appear in a pop up menu. Selecting a spell or a move will trigger it, taking the MP with it.
Oomph – Simply raises your attack power. Deals lots of damage with a full charged Smash Attack.
Psyche Up – Increases the power of your next attack. This differs from Oomph as the effect wears off after 1 use. The effect lasts until an opponent is hit, even if you miss.
Bounce – Reflects your opponent’s spells and projectiles. The spell seems to amplify the damage of the projectile once it is reflected.
Heal – Lets you reduce Hero’s damage percentage.
Flame Slash – Spreads damage in a very wide area in front of you.
Kacrackle Slash – Freezes opponents.
Acceleratle – Significantly increases Hero’s speed. Makes him very fast.
Kaboom – Sets up a mighty explosive spell.
Snooze – Puts opponents to sleep, so you can follow it up with a strong attack.
Hatchet Man – Delivers a Critical Hit when it connects.
Thwack – Can sometimes instantly KO an opponent. A higher damage percentage increases the chances of an instant KO.
Zoom – This spell allows you to recover to the stage from anywhere. You will hit your head if there is a ceiling.
Kaclang – When you cast this spell, you stay in place, becoming invincible for a limited time.
Metal Slash – One-hit KO a metal opponent.
Hocus Pocus – A spell with unpredictable effects, you never know what will happen. The effects that occur can be good or bad.
Magic Burst – This powerful attack uses up all of your MP. It deals massive damage while taking away all of your MP in the process. Damage will increase depending on the amount of MP left.
Kamikazee – A very powerful explosion that will result in self-destruction.
Command Selection can be cancelled by using the shield button. This allows you to try again to get another set of spells.
Final Smash – Gigaslash
Hero’s Final Smash calls upon all of the Dragon Quests protagonists to lend Hero their power for one very mighty blow. Hero’s Final Smash has a very high vertical range.
Now, let’s move on to the stage.
Stage – Yggdrasil’s Altar
This stage is based off of a location in Dragon Quest XI. In the stage, you travel across many various places in Erdrea, the place where Dragon Quest XI takes place. This is a traveling stage. As you reach different areas, platforms will appear. Slimes and Liquid Metal Slimes occupy the platform, and appear and disappear throughout the battle. Sometimes, a platform with a chest will appear. The chest will contain an item. However, there is always the chance that the chest is a mimic. You do not have to fight the mimic, but if you defeat it you will be granted an item.
Music
As always, this Challenger Pack contains select music tracks. Sakurai stated that he wanted there to be music from DQ XI, DQ VIII, DQ IV, and DQ III. He decided to give 2 music tracks to each, so each Hero in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has music from their game. The team elected to go with field and battle tunes. Below you can find the Dragon Quest music in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!
Adventure – DRAGON QUEST III
Fighting Spirits – DRAGON QUEST III
Battle for the Glory – DRAGON QUEST IV
Wagon Wheel’s March
War Cry
Marching through the Fields
The Hero Goes Forth with a Determination
Unflinchable Courage
Sakurai states that we won’t be able to listen to the famous prelude in the stage, but the very end of it will play on the Hero’s victory screen.
Purchase Bonuses
As a purchase bonus for Hero, you will receive the DLC Spirit Board for Dragon Quest, and Hero’s Classic Mode route.
Hero is available for all Fighter’s Pass owners right now, and those who do not own the Fighter’s Pass can buy Challenger Pack 2 for $5.99.
EA seem to be on track with their anticipated upcoming releases. The next Need for Speed and Plants vs. Zombies games are on track to release during this calendar year. More specifically, sometime within the October to December release window.
Need for Speed and PvZ are still on track to launch before the end of calendar 2019 according to EA, specifically between October to December. pic.twitter.com/qugKC4tQ8V
The news was first spotted by Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEx) when searching through EA’s Q1 Financial Results and Highlights. If you want to look at them yourself, you’re welcome to do so here. For those wanting the pertinent information, the above image shows the games we’ve gotten plus the upcoming for Q3. The games coming are NBA Live 20, Star Wars Jedi, PvZ, and Need for Speed. Three of those are for PC and consoles, with the consoles they release for likely to be revealed closer to launch.
The PvZ news doesn’t exactly come as a huge surprise, as we received information on the game coming last week. It’s definitely reassuring though to know it’s on track for this year though. Same with Need for Speed, as the last title for that franchise was all the way in 2017 with NFS Payback. Considering that only got around 60s from critics, fans are likely looking for a better title in the franchise anyways.
Are you excited for the next titles in these franchises? Let us know down in the comments!
We are about to arrive in a brand new month so that means we get a fresh new batch of Xbox One games for free via Games with Gold. All Xbox Gold members can take advantage of these titles every month along with weekly discounted games. Here is your August line-up for Games with Gold.
Gears of War 4:
A new saga begins for one of the most acclaimed video game franchises in history. After narrowly escaping an attack on their village, JD Fenix and his friends, Kait and Del, must rescue the ones they love and discover the source of a monstrous new enemy.
Forza Motorsport 6:
Forza Motorsport 6 is unrelenting action at simulation speed in the most beautiful and comprehensive racing game of this generation. Collect, customize, and race over 450 Forzavista™ cars, all with working cockpits and full damage. Compete in epic 24-player races across 26 world-famous locales. Master wet weather and night racing on your road to victory.
Torchlight:
Torchlight is an action-roleplaying game developed by the creators of popular games Diablo and FATE. Players will choose from among three character classes, and venture from the safety of the town of Torchlight into randomly generated dungeon levels, with a huge variety of creepy monsters, endless variations of loot to find, and quests to complete. Randomized levels and an ‘endless dungeon’ unlocked after completing the main game ensure a long-lived gameplay experience.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadows
Left as a foundling at the gates of the Brotherhood of Light convent they named him Gabriel and raised him as their own. Over the years he developed an unprecedented mastery of the fighting arts. Prone to dark moods he was deeply affected by the death of his one true love, Marie.He has now embarked on a quest at the request of the Elders of the Brotherhood to discover why the World is in chaos and within him lies a burning desire for revenge on those who took his beloved.
Atlus has just released another introduction trailer for Persona 5 The Royal, this time focusing on Morgana! The trailer starts off with Morgana and Sojiro walking into Cafe Leblanc. It appears that they walked back in the middle of a conversation about Morgana.
The trailer continues with Yusuke, and Ryuji complaining about how hot it is and Morgana exclaims that it was Ryuji’s idea to even go there in the first place! Afterwards, Morgana hints at an idea that just flashed in his head that would make Ann fall head over heels for him!
Continuing from that, we finally get a sneak peak at Morgana’s new Persona, Diego. This happens to be Zorro’s true name, following the trend of the cast’s new Persona being their “true” selves.
Afterwards, a brief conversation with Ann is shown which appears to be after Morgana shows a new Showtime skill. She isn’t impressed with it by the looks of it.
Finally, the last scene shows Joker and Morgana sitting on a bench. Morgana exclaims that life can be really rough at times while the screen fades to black. While this scene has no context, many are assuming the scene takes place after their encounter with Kasumi in a previous trailer!
Persona 5: The Royal is being developed and published by Atlus. It is an expansion of the original Persona 5 game for the Playstation 4. It features new gameplay mechanics, palaces, characters and story! It’s expected release date in Japan is October 31st, 2019. Stateside release is still to be decided but it’s expected to release in 2020.
WipEout Omega Collection is a futuristic racing game developed and published by EPOS Gaming Studios. It’s formed as a collection of the previous two WipEout titles, WipEout HD and WipEout HD Fury. In the games, you take control of a realistic vehicle and must race through vast advanced landscapes to secure first place. This game forms a solid racer, as it’s raced its way to an 85 score on Metacritic.
Sniper Elite 4 on the other hand, is a tactical third-person shooter developed and published by Rebellion Developments. You take on the role of Karl Fairburne once again in order to stop a new Nazi super weapon from being developed. Fans of sniping and tactical games should be excited to hop into this game. Critics seem to agree, with the game at around an 80 from reviews.
Enemies
