Capcom is getting ready to add a little Street Fighter V to Monster Hunter: World.
“In just a few weeks,” PS4 players who own Street Fighter V will get early access to a quest called “Down the Dark, Muddy Path.” Completing this quest (and taking the “SFV Tickets” you receive to the Smithy) will unlock a special Ryu armor set. Xbox One owners, and PS4 players who don’t also own Street Fighter V, will get the chance to unlock the Ryu armor set at a later date.
Monster Hunter: World players will also be able to unlock a Sakura armor set in a similar manner, but Capcom is currently keeping the details under wraps.
Check out the trailer above for a closer look at the Ryu armor set. And head over to the Capcom-Unity blog for more information about premium Ryu-themed Gestures and Chat Stamp Sets also coming to Monster Hunter: World.
NIS America and SNK revealed a new character for SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy this weekend during the first-ever Evo Japan event. Nakoruru first appeared in 1993’s Samurai Shodown, and you can see her in action in SNK Heroines in the trailer embedded above:
The divine spirit of nature, Nakoruru, makes her SNK Heroines debut! Originally appearing in arcade-favorite Samurai Shodown in 1993, this defender of nature most recently appeared as part of the Another World Team in 2016’s The King of Fighters XIV. With her lightning-quick attacks and loyal bird companion, Mamahama, she is looking to bring her brand of 18th century beatdown in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy!
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will be released this Summer for the PS4 and Switch.
Super Bowl LII is less than a week away, and EA Sports is back with its latest prediction for the “Big Game.”
According to the publisher’s Madden NFL 18 simulation, the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia will battle back-and-forth for control of the game. After a trio of touchdown passes from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, and Danny Amendola, the Patriots will head into the final minutes with a 24-20 lead. It looks like the “Golden Boy” will easily collect his sixth Super Bowl ring (and yet another MVP award), but not before a last-minute challenge from the Eagles:
This being the 4th quarter of the NFL’s biggest game, of course it’s Tom Brady’s time to shine. The soon-to-be MVP threw yet another touchdown pass to Danny Amendola, to put the Patriots back on top. After forcing an Eagles punt, the Pats were on their way to a grind-out-the-clock win when the fates intervened, and Eagles safety Malcom Jennings forced a strip fumble of New England running back Dion Lewis.
Capitalizing on the momentum the Eagles marched upfield, using masterful clock management to put themselves in position to dethrone the Patriots in dramatic fashion. As time expired Foles lofted a desperate pass to Jeffery, hoping the veteran could use his size and physicality to come down with the ball and send the city of Philadelphia into euphoria. However, Patriots defensive back Stefon Gilmore had other plans, and rose as the hero of the moment, knocking the ball away and sealing the Patriots sixth championship.
If this result seems familiar, it should. EA Sports’s Super Bowl LI simulation predicted similar heroics from Tom Brady last year, along with a Patriots victory, and an MVP award. In real life, the quarterback did not disappoint, securing the win for his team and the MVP award for himself.
Will this year’s Super Bowl prediction be as accurate? We’ll have to wait and see, so be sure to tune in to Super Bowl LII this Sunday, February 4, at 6:30 PM (Eastern Time).
Square Enix will release Secret of Mana for the PC, PS4, and Vita in a few weeks, but the developer might also bring the RPG remake to the Switch in the near future. Producer Masaru Oyamada recently sat down with IGN, and he confirmed the publisher has heard that fans want Secret of Mana on the Switch:
“When we originally started to develop this title, the Switch wasn’t announced at that time, and so we started developing for the PlayStation platforms,” Oyamada explained. “With that said, after announcing this, there has been quite a bit of demand for the Switch version. So, we are taking in that feedback, and if there is large demand for it we’d like to see what we can potentially do. But no plans as of yet.”
Oyamada was also asked about the possibility of a North American launch for the Secret of Mana Collection, which was released last year for the Switch in Japan. The Collection includes the original Secret of Mana, as well as Final Fantasy Adventure and Secret of Mana 2 (originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3). According to the developer, it would be difficult, but it’s something Square Enix is “continuously thinking about”:
When asked if about the possibility of Seiken Densetsu 3 getting localized for the west, Oyamada replied, “Of course, with the demand for Seiken Densetsu 3 we do want to kind of consider it.” However, if the studio were to take on such a task, there’d be some hurdles to overcome when localizing a game that was originally released in 1995 for the Super Famicom.
“Looking at the classic version obviously we don’t have the same development environment, so it may be a little bit difficult to consider bringing [a localized version] over in the current condition,” Oyamada said. “We do want to kind of figure out if we can figure out a resolution. That’s something we’re continuously thinking about, but nothing we can say for sure.”
The Secret of Mana remake will be released on February 15.
Let’s get ready to rumble! Three new games will be available on retail shelves this week and they all involve a bit of rumbling.
First up is Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, a team-based brawler for the PS4 from Square Enix and Team Ninja. A spinoff/sequel to 2008’s Dissidia and 2011’s Dissidia 012, this new entry will bring together more than 20 classic Final Fantasy characters in 3v3 arena battles.
The MMA octagon is also something of an arena, and EA Sports is returning to the cage with EA Sports UFC 3, a new fighting sim for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. In addition to a revamped graphical presentation, EA Sports UFC 3 will feature a brand new Career Mode and Ultimate Team Mode.
Finally this week, a different kind of rumbling will be at the center of Railway Empire. Players will need to take control of a fleet of trains and lay a rail network that connects the coasts on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
That’s it for this week’s New Retail Releases report, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Microsoft is closing out the week with a big Xbox Games Store update and the launch of four new Xbox One games…
First up is Celeste, the new side-scrolling platformer from Matt Thorson. Unlike the multiplayer antics of his first game, TowerFall, Thorson has asked players to complete the jumps necessary to climb Celeste Mountain in his “super-tight, hand-crafted platformer.”
Also available to download today is Dragon Ball Fighter Z, a 2D fighting game set within the Dragon Ball universe. Developed by Arc System Works, Dragon Ball Fighter Z includes dozens of characters and an anime-like graphical style.
Massive battles are also at the center of Monster Hunter: World, which is also available to download today courtesy of Capcom. Players will be able to explore a brand new world by themselves or with up to three friends and fight it out with a diverse set of giant beasts.
Finally this week, Awesome Industries will launch the budget-priced Drift Zone, a racing game that’s all about drifting.
You can learn more about all of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break.
Another amazing indie is making its way to the Nintendo Switch. Tribute Games has announced they plan to release Flinthook, their roguelike platformer that stars a space pirate with a grappling hook, will “soon” be available for Nintendo’s newest console.
Tribute Games put together a new trailer for the announcement, and Limited Run Games has confirmed (via Twitter) they’ll release a special retail edition of Flinthook.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Flinthook’s Switch debut in the very near future.
Call of Duty: WWII players on the PS4 will be able to download the game’s first expansion, the Resistance DLC Pack, beginning next week. And yesterday, Activision and Sony unveiled a new trailer showcasing the add-on’s three new multiplayer maps at the PlayStation Blog.
Here’s a few details on what to expect from the Resistance DLC Pack when it launches on January 30:
Anthropoid – Based in Prague, Czechoslovakia, this map is inspired by Operation Anthropoid – the famous assassination attempt on a high-ranking German officer during World War II. This map features a center lane divided by a river, with long-flanking paths that can be used by snipers for ranged attacks.
Call of Duty: WWII – The Resistance
Occupation – In this remake of a classic Call of Duty map, players battle through the streets and shops of German-occupied Paris during WWII. Long side streets encourage mid-range combat, with nearby homes and storefronts lending defensive positions for ambush and recovery.
Valkyrie – Located in the Masurian Woods, East Prussia, this map was inspired by The Wolf’s Lair – Hitler’s Eastern-front headquarters during Operation Barbarossa – the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. This is a medium-sized map with gameplay focused around a dangerous center lane covered by multiple overwatch positions and mounted machine guns.
Call of Duty: WWII’s Resistance DLC Pack is also in the works for PC and Xbox One players, and it should be available to download sometime in late February/early March.
Microsoft is closing out the week with a big Xbox Games Store update and the launch of four new Xbox One games…
