EVO 2023 just ended it was an incredible weekend of games. Not only was this the debut EVO of Street Fighter 6, this was also the swansong for games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Tekken 7, meaning the pros who have mastered these games had one more chance to prove their the best at the greatest fighting game tournament. This year also marked the return of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 after a very long hiatus. Oh, and the finals for Melty Blood, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guilty Gear Strive were nothing to sneeze at either.

While I do love the matches, the other reason why I love watching EVO is that it’s generally the place where most fighting game developers show off what they have in store in the future. I will say upfront that this year’s batch of announcements were a little underwhelming. But at least there were a lot of them. So, let’s go through every reveal and give them a rating based on hype, shall we?

Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] is shown off to the public for the first time

Arc System Works started off EVO with the announcement that Under Night In-Birth will be getting another entry to the series with *takes a deep breath* Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes]. According to the trailer, this entry will be concluding the entire Hollow Night storyline.

Now, while I’m sure fans of the Under Night series are extremely giddy with this reveal, I’m not. Besides the Guilty Gear, I’m not exactly the biggest fan of their other anime fighters, including Under Night. It just blends in with their other anime fighting games like Melty Blood and BlazBlue. So, while I’m happy for longtime fans, I wasn’t particularly hyped up for this reveal.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Gran Blue Fantasy Rising reveals Nier

I’m glad that Gran Blue Fantasy is getting a pseudo sequel with Gran Blue Fantasy Rising. It’s a cool looking game that I feel got a lot of hype early on but the excitement just died out for one reason or another. Well, the game is still chugging along as, during EVO, Arc System Works showed up the latest character to be joining the game: Nier.

Now, I’m not much into Gran Blue Fantasy’s lore but I will say Nier looks like a really interesting character. She looks like a doll character, which may mean she’s going to be a really complex character to both use and deal with. While I probably won’t be playing as Nier, I do think she makes a nice addition.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Plankton joins the roster of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2

Remember the first Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and how it was almost immediately forgotten when Warner Bros. started promoting MultiVersus, another platform fighter you probably forgot was a thing? Well, it looks like the former is getting a sequel and will be getting Plankton, piloting a giant robot (for him), to join the fight.

For one thing, I didn’t even know Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 was even being made! So you can imagine my surprise that, not only were they making a sequel, but they were adding Plankton to the roster of playable characters. Still, it was a surprise met with a shrug and a meh because, if the first game didn’t leave a mark in my brain, why would I even care there was a sequel for it, let alone who’s going to be in it?

Rating: 3 out of 10

Pocket Bravery gets an official release date

2D sprite fighters are a rarity these days, let alone a fighting game that really wants to revel in a 16-bit retro look like Pocket Bravery does. Well, the game has been in development for years now and it looks like it’s almost ready as, not only will there be a closed beta test coming up in the next few week, Pocket Bravery, according to the trailer, will be made available on PC at the end of this month!

I will admit I was drawn in by the charming sprite work and how smooth everything moved. It does look like a full-fledged game as it will include a story mode, a really cool looking training more and even combo trials. However, I can’t really say how good it’ll play so I’ll be checking out what other players think of Pocket Bravery before I consider getting it. Still, the mere fact it piqued my interest means the trailer did its job.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Killer Instinct is getting a new update… five whole years after the last one

Iron Galaxy did a great job when they made a new Killer Instinct for a new generation… ten years ago! You would think by now they would be working on a sequel but it does look like they’re doing the next best thing. Somewhat. It was revealed during the Killer Instinct Invitational and panel that Iron Galaxy is working on a new balance patch for Killer Instinct as well as improving the matchmaking and upping the resolution for the Xbox Series X/S. That’s a significant update when you consider the game should’ve been dead and buried already!

Still, this is Killer Instinct and, for me, the time to get into the game has passed a long time ago. I will say watching matches is fun but a little to chaotic for me. I guess this is great news for the hardcore fans but I would rather have seen an announcement for a sequel. Maybe if the new update is well received and leads to new people discovering the game, it’ll happen. But, from my side of things, it’s a little too late for me.

Rating: 4 out of 10

King of Fighters XV has more details on who is joining the roster in the future

SNK made a bunch of announcements during EVO but let’s break them down individually as they came out. The first announcement was when Nadj will be playable in the King of Fighters XV. We already knew she was the next character but we didn’t know Duo Lon was entering the tournament.

Unfortunately, all we did get was a teaser and no gameplay was shown. I was okay with them not showing anything for Najd. But for Duo Lon, I expected at least a glimpse of what the guy can do! So, for me, this reveal feels like an epic fail.

Rating: 2 out of 10

King of Fighters XIII Global Match gets an official release date

When King of Fighters XIII was released, there was no denying it was a gorgeous game that played beautifully. It was also a game marred with a lot of issues, namely it having no story, making it a Dream Match. But the biggest problem King of Fighters XIII had was the horrible netcode. Well, it looks like SNK is going to be fixing it with King of Fighters XIII Global Match, which is slated to be released this coming November.

While this is good news for King of Fighters XIII fans, I do find some things odd with this technical remake of an old fighting game. For one, it’s only going to be available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch? I guess the game will work on PlayStation 5 as the system can play them. But I do find it weird there’s no PC version. It seems like a missed opportunity. I might be getting it as I do like the game but I’m not overly excited for it.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves gets a brilliant teaser trailer

The final reveal SNK had in their pocket for EVO was the big one. It was the first teaser trailer for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. We’re finally getting another Fatal Fury game after the last one, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, was released way back in 1999. While the teaser only gave us a peek at the art style, it did give us a lot more than you think.

Before we do get the close ups for Rock Howard and Terry Bogard, we get this map view of South Town with some people yelling out stuff. These are actually the fighters performing their Desperation Moves! This means longtime fans, such as myself, can already be sure that characters like Tizoc, Hotaru, Gato, B. Jenet and Mai are pretty much confirmed to be in City of the Wolves as you can hear them! I am disappointed that they didn’t really show any real gameplay but at least we get to see what the graphical engine looks like and it looks gorgeous!

Rating: 7 out of 10

Mortal Kombat 1 has a new trailer with Reptile, Ashrah and Havik

It does look like Mortal Kombat 1’s promo machine is running at full force. For the past couple of weeks, Ed Boon and NetherRealm Studios have been pumping out high quality trailers featuring the upcoming game’s story and, more importantly, new characters. They didn’t stop at EVO as the new trailer they showed off featured Reptile as well as Deception’s Ashrah and Havik.

Like all the previous Mortal Kombat 1 trailers, the one they showed off as EVO was crafted with a lot of care. Carefully edited to show off pieces of the story while also highlighting what each character’s gameplay will be like, this one got me hyped for not only Reptile but for Mortal Kombat Deception characters like Ashrah and Havik. And I don’t even like Mortal Kombat Deception!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Tekken 8 shows off the returning Raven

I always found it odd Blade became a part of the Tekken roster. Oh, sure. They can call him Raven, a ninja who works as an intelligence agent for the United Nations. But let’s face it; Raven is just the Tekken version of Blade. That’s not a bad thing. I just always thought it’s weird. Well, it looks like Blade Raven is returning in Tekken 8 after being absent in the seventh installment.

Like all of the previous Tekken 8 trailers, they did a good job of making Raven look like this cool and unstoppable combo machine. I do like all of the effects, like him splitting up into various bodies because we all know ninjas can do that, right? The only real issue I have is I never really liked playing as Raven so, while he does look cool, I don’t really care for the character all that much.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Tekken 8 shows off Acuzena, the first new character

Finally, Tekken finally showed off a new character! Look, I’m happy we’re getting a lot of fan favorites for the latest installment but I do want to see some newcomers. After all, we wouldn’t have gotten characters like Leroy Smith or Claudio if they just focused on older fighters. So, the first new character to be joining Tekken 8’s roster is Acuzena, a peruvian who likes coffee, apparently.

Now, I will say I really wish Namco Bandai put a little more work into Acuzena’s personality. The trailer makes it seem like all she wants to do is drink and promote her coffee. I hope there’s more to her than that! But I will say I’m really liking her fighting style as it seems she has several stances which will make her bob and weave to avoid attacks. This is a nice twist to the regular Tekken gameplay and, if they can nail it so it feels smooth and natural, Acuzena might become a fan favorite for intermediate and expert players who can read their opponents.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Johnny returns as the first Guilty Gear Strive Season 3 character

It looks like Guilty Gear Strive is still very healthy. It had the second most number of entrants at this year’s EVO so it only makes sense for Arc System Works to make a new season of DLC chracters for the game. The first character to be revealed for Guilty Gear Strive’s Season 3 is fan favorite Johnny.

Johnny is a fan favorite for a good reason: he’s just a cool fighter. He’s got a really cool design and his moves are super fun. The only problem I have with him is his in-game gimmick. In older Guilty Gear games, it deals with his coins. In Strive, it looks like he has a deck of cards now. I do think he’s going to be a nice entry but not very straightforward.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Guilty Gear Strive is getting more than just a balance update

Fighting game fans are all too familiar with balance patches. These are updates to a game to make things a little more fair. Some characters get buffs. Some get nerfs. Arc System Works isn’t just doing a balance patch for Guilty Gear Strive’s Season 3. It’s getting a whole lot of upgrades. Some characters will get new moves and new mechanics will be added to the core gamplay as well! This is really big!

Now, I can’t exactly say how well this will go. The new moves for some characters, like May being able to get off her dolphin after her Totsugeki might be a nightmare scenario for her opponent but should add to the game’s mental stack when it comes to matchups. Thankfully, the new mechanics, Wild Assault and Defensive Shield, should help balancing things out as well. Suffice to say, the next Season for Guilty Gear Strive is going to be insane!

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are joining the Street Fighter roster… kinda

This was an interesting way to reveal their new DLC costumes. Before the Street Fighter 6 finals, Capcom sent over their band to play a couple of songs, namely Luke and Jamie’s theme song. After that, they played the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song. That was weird but there was no way the Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo would join the Street Fighter roster, would they? Well, in a way, they are various Turtle stuff will be made available, including dressing up Ryu, Ken, Kimberly and Dee Jay as the Heroes in a Half Shell!

This is one of the most out of left field cross promotions I’ve ever seen Capcom do, much less in a Street Fighter game! And I love it! It’s about time Capcom allowed their franchises to do these kinds of silly stuff. My only problem is, as it’s DLC, you’re probably going to have to spend real money for all this ridiculousness. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong and they make this a Fighting Pass so you can unlock everything for free if you grind hard enough.

Rating: 9 out of 10

AKI shows up in Street Fighter 6’s World Tour

The final announcement of EVO deals with Street Fighter 6’s upcoming Season 1 DLC character, AKI. We all knew she was coming so it wasn’t a surprise to see her show up at EVO. What was surprising, for me at least, was how short her trailer was as it only showed her World Tour mode introduction.

This is basically just a teaser trailer as no gameplay was shown. And, honestly, that was the real let down. I really expected for Capcom to hype up AKI but I guess she’s not really ready for a full debut. At least the trailer does show what a crazy and oddball fighter she can potentially be. Still, without any gameplay, I can’t help but feel disappointed.

Rating: 6 out of 10

BONUS: A wild Ono-san appears and hints at Tekken X Street Fighter

We all remember the debacle that was Street Fighter X Tekken. Well, Bandai Namco was supposed to release their own version but it never materialized. Well, during the Tekken presentation, Yoshinori Ono, the former producer of Street Fighter X Tekken, went to confront Harada about this.

This is more of a troll moment but a really funny one. It’s nice that they had Ono-san fly all the way to EVO just to make this joke. Or is it?

Rating: 10 out of 10

What was your favorite reveal at EVO this year? Let me know in the comments section below!