The biggest and baddest tournament of them all happens this week. Ultra SFIV will be making it’s EVO premier as nearly 2,000 players descend upon Las Vegas to battle it out for the right to call themselves “the best in the world.” 

For those of you who won’t be there in person, fear not as you’ll be able to watch the action unfold on the Capcom Fighters channel starting tomorrow morning at 8am (PDT). The top 64 to top eight will also be happening later in the day on the official EVO channel starting at 6pm (PDT). 

You can also check out the official EVO channel earlier in the day to catch other fighters that may be going on at the same time and to watch UMVC3 pools on Saturday. 

I can’t wait til tomorrow. Let the games begin!!

Ready for EVO 2014 this weekend? Whether you’re training nonstop for the tournament or working hard to make sure your Friday is free, you should take a few minutes and take a look at this awesome collection of  Street Fighter II fan art, specifically created by Brazilian fans/artists !

This collaborative project was to gather 17 tribute art pieces from 17 different artists focusing on 17 individual characters… why the number 17, I don’t know, but it totally works and the end result is a varied selection of characters rendered in vastly different styles. Definitely hit up their Tumblr page to check the full list out.

Here are some of my favorites below (as well as the hilarious He-Man  Masters of the Universe crossover with Ken  Masters above):

You’ll also notice various references to Brazilian pop and internet culture throughout some of the pieces, so feel free to ask anything in the comments; I can talk all day about that stuff. 😉

via Capcom Unity Brasil

We’ve got a deep fondness for Bionic Commando around these parts, and we’ve already done throwbacks to the NES game , the remake of the NES game , and the 2009 gritty reboot . But today we want to look at the first-ever  portable Bionic Commando game, which came out on the Game Boy back in 1992.

Easily mistaken for an inferior port of the NES game, this version actually features a variety of innovations and exclusive content, plus a fun new art style. Join us on Twitch   at 4pm PT! 

If you’re a fighting game fan like myself, then there’s no doubt that you will be tuned into EVO this weekend. Did you know however, that if you purchase an EVO 2014 subscription ticket the proceeds go to a great cause? That’s right, EVO and the NYU Game Center have teamed up once again to provide the EVO Scholarship. 

To find out more information on how this scholarship works, you can head here and for more information on the NYU Game Center, go here . So why not subscribe this weekend? Not only will you get cool Evo exclusive emoticons, you’ll also be helping out someone in need.

Today I bring you another announcement regarding the Lost Planet 3 migration.

As previously mentioned , the migration of the online service for Lost Planet 3 (PC Version) is nearing completion, and a downloadable update is scheduled to go live on STEAM this Thursday, July 10 ^th at 1:00am PT. The migration to a new server will unfortunately reset MULTIPLAYER leaderboards and the CINEMATIC GALLERY. CAMPAIGN difficulty will also default to Normal difficulty.

Please note that Item Sphere related achievements for which the unlock conditions have already been met in the current save data, will be unlocked upon importing the save data to Steam Cloud and accessing the Item Sphere. Campaign related achievements, including those related to difficulty will need to be acquired by replaying through the campaign. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Info regarding the PS3 version

Please be aware that the Xbox 360 version of Lost Planet 3 will remain unaffected.

For those Lost Planet 3 users who already have Save Data and would like to take advantage of the Steam Cloud and Steam Achievements, please follow these instructions for importing Save Data to Steam Cloud.

1. Right click on Lost Planet 3 under the Steam Library.

2. Select properties.

3. Select SET LAUNCH OPTIONS from the GENERAL tab.

4. Enter the following line without quotes, and then select OK.

“ImportGS=YOURGAMESPYPROFILENAME.profile”*

5. Start Lost Planet 3.

6. Select MULTIPLAYER from the main menu.

7. Confirm that your data has been imported via RECORDS in the MULTIPLAYER menu, or the Progression Sphere in a game lobby.

8. Upon confirmation, select EXIT GAME.

9. Erase the line entered in Step 4.

Note, Steam Cloud data will continue to be overwritten by previous save data upon starting the game if this line is not erased.

10. Start Lost Planet 3.

* Step 4 line example and notes:

1. In an example in which the GameSpy profile name is “Capcom”, the line to be entered without quotes is “ImportGS=Capcom.profile”.

2. Please take care to enter all capital and lower case letters properly.

3. For those users who wish to confirm their GameSpy profile name, it can be found as a GameSpyProfileName.profile file in the following local address:

Documents\My Games\LostPlanetGame\LostPlanetGame\SaveData

Hey, Gregaman is streaming  Dead Rising 3 (PC) today , but I  have the giveaways!

Get tickets for today’s raffle for this limited edition  Dead Rising 2 t-shirt , made in collaboration with iam8bit for a live event! Again, it’s a rare item, so I only have ONE, and the size is small.

Back side

PS: Gregaman not included.

Tune into Twitch once again this Wednesday at 4pm PT for more live gameplay of  Dead Rising 3 for the PC. Last week we had our pal William on as a guest to show off how the game runs on a higher-end PC and field some of your technical questions. This week we’ll be taking a look at the  lower end, for those of you whose equipment may not be the latest and greatest. 

Don’t let that dissuade you from tuning in though–the game still looks and runs great! 

If you’ve got an Xbox 360 and enjoy ducks, devils, or punching a guy, you’ll want to be sure and check out the sale currently going on on Xbox LIVE!

DuckTales Remastered  – $14.99 | $5.09
Devil May Cry 4 – $19.99 | $4.99 
Street Fighter X Tekken – $39.99 | $9.99 

Such savings!

As we head into EVO weekend, odds are many of us are brushing up on our fighting skills and wondering, “hey what if I really sat down and tried to learn this stuff?”

Could this be the year you really hunker down and  learn about SF, and fighting games in general? Improve your game and try to understand why  certain moves and matchups work they way they do? SRK has posted a great (and free!) digital book by Patrick Miller that aims to make that process as easy as possible.

Head here for the book and to SRK for the author’s thoughts on why he made the book  and  why it’s so important to him. tl;dr version – fighting games are great, learn them, bring fresh players into the mix and make things even  more  exciting.

UPDATE: Our stream archive is now on YouTube !

Did you get your  Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS ? Want to play online with us?

Good news then: we’ll be live today at  3pm PT over at our  Twitch channel . You can also quest with us at  Room #123,123,123 – that should be easy to remember, right?

For those still on the fence about getting this title, check out:

5 awesome things about MHFU for iOS + pictures of my cat!

MHFU for iOS launch post + awesome review scores  

And here’s the stream archive:

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is available now on iOS devices and we wanted to highlight 5 awesome things about the title, including some new features implemented in this version!

1) FELYNE COMRADES

Until MHFU , solo hunters were truly on their own, but as the gameplay evolved and monsters got harder to defeat (especially in the new High Rank village quests), the development team added a key new feature that would persist with the series to present days: Felyne Comrades!

These little AI companions are not here to just look cute while you hunt monsters; they can be really helpful with proper training! The more they hunt, the stronger they get, and they’ll also accumulate points that you can trade for skills. With up to 3 skills per Felyne and a number of inherent traits, customization options are quite deep and worth looking into. I can’t even tell you how many times my life was saved by a trap set by Timothy, my Felyne Comrade.

2) NARGACUGA

Monster Hunter Freedom 2 introduced the Tigrex, a wyvern with a new body frame. It behaves entirely different from other monsters in the same category, and  MHFU takes that concept up a notch with the Nargacuga!

Instead of running places, the Nargacuga jumps around very quickly and occasionally in weird unpredictable patterns. It will toss some tail spikes at you from a distance, and even extend its tail with 360 spins or deadly tail slams just as you get closer. I think we can all agree it was a very interesting, fresh and welcome design to the already huge and diverse monster roster.

3) G RANK

Speaking of a monstrous roster, with the addition of G Rank quests, monsters, weapons, armor, everything about this game became significantly more varied and interesting. On top of the rad new monsters (Lavasioth, Ukanlos, etc.) returning monsters also learned brand new moves and attack patterns, totally psyching you out the first time you hunt them in G Rank… it’s okay, it happened to the best of us.

4) TARGET CAMERA LOCK-ON

Shifting gears a little bit, let’s talk about some awesome new things brought in by this particular version, MHFU for iOS. “But Yuri, didn’t the Target Camera debut in MH3U ?” you may ask. And you’re right, but this game actually adds a new mode to this function: a camera lock-on. You can now lock it to your target so you can worry about other things, like attacking, for example.

So before the purists start freaking out, let me tell you that this does not target your attacks for you! It just helps out by keeping the monster on screen at all times. Besides, you can take manual control at any time! Just swipe at the screen like you would normally do for camera control.

This feature is great for new players and it doesn’t get in the way of veterans. Win-win!

5) ONLINE MULTIPLAYER

Remember entry #3 on this list? Yeah, G Rank added a ton of new things, but it also ramped up the difficulty by a lot, so built-in online multiplayer is a welcome addition. Not to mention, Monster Hunter is always more fun with friends anyways 😉

I must say that even though this section has the shortest paragraphs, it is the most attractive feature of this particular version. Gone are the days of having to solo G Rank (or even High Rank) quests!

Closing thoughts

My Felyne Comrade: Lennon

Hey, these are just  my Top 5 MHFU iOS  features, but the game is out now, so get your copy and then share your favorite things about it in the comments!

The majestic Teostra returns… and he’s more explosive than ever before!

The Teostra has always been a very powerful monster, and with his time away since Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, he has learned a number of new tricks that make him even more terrifying! Most of his old attacks and abilities remained the same: the really wide and far-reaching flamethrower attack is still one his main moves; and he is still surrounded by extreme heat most of the time – burning any who approach him!

However, his explosive attacks received a few tweaks based on a new mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Previously, his main explosive attack was his area-of-effect move that spreads an explosive dust around him is largely the same. Now when he does his claw or tail swipes, he will also spread some dust that can catch onto you and explode seconds later, either on its own or when you get hit again. Yes, that is the same effect as Brachydios’ slime!

So just as little recap, the Teostra can: use flamethrower attacks, burn anyone in close proximity, spread devastating explosive dust, and afflict you with Blastblight (formerly known as Slimeblight). On top of all that, he also has a new super-nova style attack that will make short work of anyone caught off guard! Are you ready for this?

Early concept art of the Teostra

Well, here are some incentives to try and take this beast down, a look at his armor and some weapons:

Lance

Heavy Bowgun

It’s also worth noting all his weapons used to be Fire element, but are now mostly Blast (Slime)… but don’t worry, Brachydios is also back for MH4U , so now there’s a wider variety of explosive weapons.

Blademaster armor

Gunner armor

Find out more about other  MH4U monsters:

Next Friday we’ll be talking about a new monkey-looking monster that takes full advantage of MH4U’ s terrain. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will be released on the Nintendo 3DS early 2015.