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CultureTekken Director Challenges Virtua Fighter Team To Make Another Game
In the latest video for his personal YouTube channel, Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada spoke at length about this week’s release of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, sharing that he’s always viewed surpassing Sega’s foundational 3D fighting series as a personal goal. “There was an 11-year gap [between releases], but I’ve been thinking about [Virtua…
By Ian Walker -
CultureTekken 7’s Newest Fighter Is The Fictional Prime Minister Of Poland
The real prime minister of Poland, 53-year-old Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki, does not look like much of a fighter. Fictional Polish prime minister Lidia Sobieska, joining Tekken 7’s roster on March 23, seems a much more sensible choice. Teased seemingly forever and the subject of a recent Bandai Namco press mailing which included an official invitation…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureOdds and EndsSony Chose PlayStation’s First Office Location With Late-Night Drinks In Mind
When Sony Computer Entertainment first established its flagship PlayStation brand in 1993, its executives’ chief concern was making sure the company’s first offices were located in an area with late-night bars. At least that’s the story Ken Kutaragi, who’s widely known as father of the PlayStation, told Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada on the latter’s new…
By Ian Walker -
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CultureYakuza Creator Doesn’t Want Kiryu ‘Beating Up Women’ In Fighting Games
During a recent interview with Red Bull France, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi was asked about the common request for series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu to appear in a fighting game. Nagoshi is hesitant, he said, because he doesn’t want Kiryu fighting women. “We do get this request a lot,” Nagoshi told interviewer Grégory de Meyer, who…
By Ian Walker -
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CultureOdds and EndsStephen King Baffled By Tekken Jargon
I love horror novelist Stephen King. I love fighting games. But it seems those two flavors don’t go together all that well. It all started last night when a random Tekken player, as they are wont to do, hopped on Twitter to demand changes from the developers. I won’t bore you with the competitive implications…
By Ian Walker -
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CultureMarco Rubio Says Stop Spreading Rumors About Tekken Character Marshall Law
In this time of pandemic and national emergencies, disinformation is a serious problem. That’s why Marco Rubio, the senior United States senator from Florida, wants to make one thing clear during this ongoing crisis: You people need to shut up about Tekken character Marshall Law. “Please stop spreading stupid rumors about marshall law. COMPLETELY FALSE,”…
By Ian Walker -
CultureTekken 7 Finals Overtaken By Leroys At Evo Japan
Tekken 7 newcomer Leroy Smith is cool as hell, with a lovely dog companion to boot. He’s also very strong, so strong that almost every player in last weekend’s Evo Japan finals used him to get there. For many, this was the inevitable conclusion to a month of heated conversations concerning Leroy’s place in Tekken…
By Ian Walker -
CultureTekken-Style Health Bars Make Watching Taekwondo So Much Better
Martial arts competitions can be a little confusing to the untrained eye. The scoring systems simply favor landed hits, no matter how slight or imperceptible. During a recent exhibition, the Korea Taekwondo Association demonstrated a brand new piece of technology designed to make the sport more spectator-friendly, essentially turning competition into a real-world fighting game.…
By Ian Walker -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Year In Fighting Game Championships
Fighting games have never been as big or monetarily supported as they were in 2019. Every major fighting game franchise had a developer-backed tour leading into a major championship, many featuring some of the largest prize pools of all time. But if it’s never been easier to make a career out of playing fighting games,…
By Ian Walker -
CultureNew Tekken 7 Character’s Dog Sidekick Is Good And Pure
After previously being revealed at Evo back in August, Tekken 7 newcomer Leroy Smith is finally playable via an update released earlier in the week. This elderly Wing Chun master proved popular in the fighting game community before release thanks to his unique mixture of American and Chinese fashion, but now that he’s available, folks…
By Ian Walker -
CultureSurprise Character Pick Helps Japan Take Home First Tekken World Tour Championship
Over the weekend, the Tekken World Tour finals played out in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together some of the best Tekken 7 competitors in the world to fight for the year-end championship. While 2019 was filled with surprise performances from players outside of more visible regions like South Korea and Japan, it was players from those…
By Ian Walker