Lab Zero's hardcore fighter Skullgirls is to add its first male fighter, named Big Band, after the fan-driven Indiegogo fundraiser crossed the $375,000 mark.

Whether you were a hardcore fighting fan, or a more casual gamer who simply liked the genre, 2012 was a good year for flying fists. Namco and Capcom were on fine form, with their supreme mashup serving up a union that fans had been hungering after for years, with Tecmo Koei and Reverge Labs also providing cracking tournament support. PSASBR and Anarchy Reigns gave us some high-octane brawler action this year. It's just a shame that Persona Arena didn't reach us in time, really.

NB. Click on the thumbnails for price comparisons and the game's title for the relevant review where available.

	Title	Description
	Anarchy Reigns	Now, admittedly, we don't normally do this. But with SEGA quite literally having no good reason whatsoever to have held Anarchy Reigns back, the fact it's out right at the start of the new year, and considering that we've played the import version which works perfectly and is fully localised we're sticking Platinum's brawler in our 2012 list. Utterly barmy, deliciously slick, furiously addictive, Platinum once again wiped the floor with all competitors to present a multiplayer brawler the likes of which we've not seen in many a year.
	Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale	Now, just because Matt and Brendan had an allergic reaction to this game doesn't necessarily mean it was bad. We've included it here in the list out of respect for our peers, who appear to have deemed it the second coming. There is certainly a chance that we might be fallible; after all, it can't be that bad, because lots of people apparently like it. Allegedly.
	Skullgirls	Reverge Labs knocked it out of the park with Skullgirls this year. It packed more profound balance, greater flexibility and smoother animations than most games thrice its price, and the developers wholeheartedly succeeded in their bid to craft one of the finest competition fighters in recent memory. No, it wasn't for the casual fighting fan, but if you played hard, and fought to win, this was probably your new favourite game.
	Street Fighter x Tekken	It's one of those mashups you dream about in the throes of a fever or a whisky-soaked haze...what if Tekken and Street Fighter came together?! Yet it happened, and it was awesome! Holding something for both casual fans and hardcore tournament fighters alike, SFxT proved to be an exceptional fighter...apart from that whole on-disc DLC mess.
	Tekken Tag Tournament 2	Boasting a truly packed roster, serving up a neat liytle tutorial in the form of the Combot and the Fight Lab, Tekken threw its doors wide open for TTT2. The fast-paced tag action was back, and now with online stat tracking you could make sure you were nudging ahead of your friends. Oh, and le's ot forget the largely free post-game content shall we?
	UFC Undisputed 3	Probably the definitive MMA game out there right now. Boasting improved presentation, ramped-up content offerings, greater accessibility, an awesome new Pride mode, and a revamped submission system, Yuke's made sure that this was the best in the series, and a triumphant title with which to say farewell, with the developers underlining why it might be a crying shame that the franchise now lies in EA's hands.

Yesterday, we learned that the development team behind phenomenal competition fighting game Skullgirls had been laid off from Reverge Labs back in June, and have now formed their own studio after a few months of unemployment. Lab Zero Games have told us that the split was neither "malicious or acrimonious," and that it was probably originally supposed to be a temporary cost-cutting measure.

The team behind phenomenal competition fighting game Skullgirls have formed a new studio - Lab Zero Games - after it emerges that they were all fired from Reverge Labs months ago.

• What: Skullgirls Pre-Order
• Where: Gamefly
• Current Price: £9.59
• Voucher Code: GFUKAUG2012
• Skullgirls Review

Skullgirls really is extraordinary: a fighting game made by some of the best fighting game designers and players in the world to be the ultimate competition game. Amazingly, they succeeded. Perfectly-balanced characters and a deep, responsive combo system (not to mention anti-infinite detection) makes this a perfectly level playing field - and a must-play for hardcore fighting game fans. More casual players, however, may be put off by a dearth of meaningful content.

The PC version will contain new features and tweaks when it releases this October, and Gamefly will save you a couple of quid with voucher code GFUKAUG2012.

Exquisite downloadable fighting game Skullgirls has finally released on the European PSN, but Reverge Labs aren't finished yet. US publisher Autumn Games confirms that Skullgirls will release on PC later this year, packed with new features that will eventually bleed into the console versions.

The PlayStation store has a couple of tasty treats for us today in the form of DOTA-inspired Awesomenauts and the delayed release of phenomenal fighter Skullgirls. They're both great choices, and well worth a look if you're a fan of either genre. Frobisher Says! is also now freely available to download on PS Vita, in case you didn't receive it as a pre-order bonus. And, to top things off, the original Max Payne has also made its PSN debut, weighing in at £7.99. More details and pricing info are available over on the EU PlayStation Blog.

There's also a big sale to celebrate the reveal of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, though the quality of the savings is a little hit and miss. Highlights include the original Twisted Metal at £2.39 and Fat Princess at a delicious £3.99, but beware that several of these titles are cheaper elsewhere. We've got more details below.

In other news, Sony has just announced that this evening's PSN maintenance won't affect online play or the marketplace. It's last-minute, but welcome all the same.

Reverge Labs' hardcore 2D fighter - Skullgirls - has surpassed expectations and smashed through the 50K sales barrier in just ten days. Touted long before release as a competition fighter that would be making the rounds on tournament circuits, Skullgirls is still awaiting release on the European PSN store, making the achievement even more impressive.

Well, it's here. The 2D fighting extravaganza of the year has arrived and Reverge have released a new trailer to celebrate the birthing of Skullgirls. Hit play to get a gander at the characters, the glorious animation, and some of the inventive combos, powers, and special attacks.

We'll have a review for you soon, but in the meantime put this new slice of action into your faces after the jump.

It's gone live in the States on PSN today (European/Oceanic versions coming in a few weeks), and Skullgirls will drop on XBLA worldwide tomorrow.

It'll cost $14.99/1200 Microsoft Points, and looks set to hit tournament circuits across the globe, with a tour of contests already set up by Autumn Games.

Autumn Games' colourful upcoming download fighter has received a new trailer, showing off some of the aspects of Skullgirls' Story Mode, which will offer a look at the eight playable characters across a range of 'what if' narratives exploring characterisation and backstory. You can check out Jon's hands-on Skullgirls preview here, you'll find the vid after the jump.

Two Characters Confirmed For DLC

Skullgirls, the ultimate competition fighting game from Reverge Labs, will feature a small range of perfectly balanced, bizarre and somewhat attractive characters when it launches early next year. Reverge have now revealed the latest addition to the roster: Valentine, a ninja nurse who attacks with medical equipment, bonesaws, defibrillators and... corpses. Charming. We've got some not at all sexy artwork after the break, and a hands-on preview that explains why you should be very excited about the ambitious project.

In other news, Reverge's Peter Bartholow has confirmed that characters Squigley and Umbrella will appear as post-launch DLC. [Shoryuken]

Reverge Labs have announced that upcoming fighter Skullgirls is to be delayed until early next year. 'We're strongly dedicated to quality and feel more time can be spent polishing the game,' said Reverge's Peter Bartholow in statement, 'so with Autumn Games' blessing we have decided to delay Skullgirls' launch until early 2012.'