December 2018 – Page 33

December 15, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Can Pikoro dominate a bracket stacked against him?

Getting in because of a drop out is not exactly the situation you want. But when Crossover couldn’t fulfill his duties as Latin American champion, runner-up Pikoro from Peru was able to step in to try his hand at Capcom Cup.

The Latin American regional champion — outside of 2014, which was also filled in due to visa issues — has done historically well at Capcom Cup. In 2015, Keoma made top 8. 2016 saw DR Ray upset Tokido in the first round. Last year saw Didimokof make a run into top 16. But given Pikoro came in off of Crossover’s drop out, will he be able keep the tradition alive?

Dictating the Pace

One thing that Pikoro’s M. Bison does well is control the tempo of the match. When he comes out swinging, things get insane really fast. When he slows down, he forces you to slow down because his anti-air and air-to-airs are so on point. He plays a style of Bison that is so hard to pinpoint that it’s scary.

Further, he’s one of the only Bison players I’ve seen outside of Toronto’s Sin who has found ways to truly implement V-Trigger II at the highest levels. While you’ll mostly see Problem X utilizing V-Trigger I, to see a second V-Trigger on the table with this character is refreshing. And his setups are truly terrifying with it.

Never Failing

When you look at his tournament circuit schedule compared to everyone else, it’s incredibly paltry. He went to only five tournaments, all of them in Latin America. But of that five, not once did he miss the top 8. This is saying something. There is not a single player in Capcom Cup that never missed a top 8 in their season. While many have larger sample sizes — and certainly if Pikoro had attended more, it’s possible that he would’ve slipped a few times — it’s impressive to see that kind of success rate.

Feel the Burn

But if I were to place one thing on Pikoro, it would be his meter management. If you watch his matches, he burns through EX Bars almost as fast as he earns them. Whether he’s burning them on fireballs or Devil’s Reverses, they don’t last long. In instances where he needs them the most, they may not be there.

He’s also has a few patterns that may not be the most obvious — but they were apparent enough for Crossover, who did very well against the Peruvian in Regional Finals.

Another thing I could really say is much like what I’ve said in recent years regarding Latin players: they’re great in their region. But in a smaller region, it does not necessarily mean that they’re ready to take on the best. I eat my words with this every year between DR Ray and Didimokof, but when you can’t even win your regional final, it’s hard to believe you’ll beat the likes of Fujimura — whom Pikoro will be playing first.

Final Thoughts

Some people may have him as a sleeper pick, but I can’t see it. He could totally prove me wrong and actually best Fujimura, who hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the early season. It’s also possible that Fujimura will struggle against Bison, who is far less popular in Japan.

So let’s optimistically say that Pikoro goes 1-2 at least, but probably 2-2 at best.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 15, 2018

Samurai Shodown characters appearing in Ubisoft’s Might and Magic Elemental Guardians mobile RPG

SNK and Ubisoft are arguably two companies who many would never expect to partner together. However, indeed they are in a new partnership that sees characters from the former’s Samurai Shodown franchise appearing in one of the latter’s mobile games.

Samurai Shodown’s Haohmaru, Ukyo, Nakoruru, and Rimururu are set to appear in Ubisoft’s Might and Magic Elemental Guardians. The latter is a mobile strategy RPG that’s part of the Might and Magic franchise.

The Samurai Shodown characters will arrive in Might and Magic Elemental Guardians starting from December 13. After this, players have one month to actually be able to obtain them in game before they leave. Players who do obtain them during this time will be able to play them indefinitely.

Sources: Ubisoft; SNK

December 15, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Chris T light up the brackets?

Chris Tatarian has taken on a major role of the lone wolf. He is now one of the last remaining Ken players still traveling the circuit outside of Canada’s CeroBlast. On top of that, he’s the one making the most moves on the circuit, earning as many points as he could.

It’s a good thing he did, because those points gave him just enough to find his way in via the North American slot. Now, will Chris be able to give Ken the most unlikely title at Capcom Cup?

On Fire

Chris T’s Ken is explosive. You almost have to play that way. Comparitively, CeroBlast is perfect evidence for the zany Ken play that people come to expect; he makes it work, and when he gets going, so does Chris.

But there is a certain method to the madness with Chris, as he has very stable play as well. He doesn’t just rely on gimmicks: but will go for them when need be. But when he has space to breathe, he actually makes the character look legitimate.

En Fuego

This was evidenced by a strong tournament year for him. Where he had struggled to put wins on the board before, he made it work this year. With two wins — both in Latin America — he proved he damn well has the chops to take wins.

Before you even begin to write-off Latin American wins, Chris performed at least one of these in a bracket that featured Caba, Justin Wong, and MenaRD, you can’t simply write him off. Further, the last one he won in Chile featured the Latin American representative Pikoro.

But if you want more evidence, just look at his third place at SoCal Regionals, against a top 8 that only features one player not currently in Capcom Cup — and Samurai is not one to sleep on, either.

Stability Issues

But if there’s one thing that I worry about for Chris, it’s a big one: stability. This is a multi-faceted worry.

First off, Ken is a very unstable character. Sometimes things just roll your way, and sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, it’s just a bad ride. Ken mains try to fly in the face of this all the time, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Further Chris doesn’t really have an secondaries he’s likely to bring out. It was often thought that he may search for greener pastures like Momochi, but there’s been no evidence of that. He has went on record to say his goal is to be the best Ken. He may have accomplished that, but if his goal is to win Capcom Cup, Ken is not the best vehicle to do so.

But further, personal stability can also play a role in your performance. Right now, Chris has had a lot of stability issues personally, with Capcom Cup’s schedule itself being a major personal stumbling block for him. If starting at 10:00 AM is a major hurdle for him to overcome, one has to question his determination to take this.

This is not the only tournament you have to worry about early start times at. Evo notoriously has had 8:00 AM starting pools, so why all of a sudden Capcom Cup? I understand the brevity of playing for a six figure payday, but if it’s that important to you, you have a week to adjust your sleep schedule to be ready.

Final Thoughts

Chris Tatarian starts his 10:00 AM matches with Fuudo. He has done well against R. Mika in the past should Fuudo go that route. If he doesn’t, Chris has also done well against Birdie, historically.

But the biggest x-factor will be how mentally ready Chris is going into this. If he allows the start time — or anything else — to shake him, he’s going to fall early. If he is able to push himself past this, accept it, and play his best, then expect a top 16 run at the very least.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Core-A Gaming interviews Tekken World Tour 2018 champion Rangchu

Few people have shocked the fighting game world more than Rangchu’s win with Panda at the Tekken World Tour finals. Having already made several top 8s at notable tournaments, he has carved himself an elite name in his favorite title.

Recently, Gerald Lee from Core-A Gaming sat down with Rangchu to discuss his championship run. They also discuss part of the reason why Rangchu has stuck with Panda, citing the long reach of the character, and her bad sidesteps working well with his own difficulty in sidestepping. He also talks about the competitive balance in Tekken, stating that he feels any character can win.

Source: Core-A Gaming

December 14, 2018

Bellator 213 Weigh-in Results: Title Fight Set; Carvalho, Kala Hose Heavy

The undefeated Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is set to defend her belt in her home state of Hawaii, fighting there for the first time in her career against Valerie Letourneau

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Nemo have a repeat performance?

Last year, Nemo had to fight tooth and nail to get into Capcom Cup. He did so by winning the last chance qualifier in stunning fashion against Infiltration. Then for good measure, he made it all the way to third place at Capcom Cup itself, capping off one of the most impressive runs in fighting game history.

With his berth clinched through the Asian Regional slot, will he replicate the same success as last year?

Destroy

Nothing that can be said about Nemo’s Urien hasn’t already been said. He has long been the originator of Urien tech, showing off stunning displays of Aegis Reflector usage, zoning, V-Skills, and beautiful hit confirms.

While Urien may have dropped slightly in the tiers since Season 2, Nemo has hardly slipped. It’s really hard to find an active Urien that has been complete of a player as Nemo has been. With players like Dogura focusing primarily on Dragon Ball FighterZ, and upcoming Urien mains like Sabour and Ryusei barely travelling, Nemo has been the most consistent, easily.

Not Winning

Much like last year, Nemo hasn’t won much. In fact, this is worse than last year; at least last year he had a second place under his belt at East Coast Throwdown. This year, the closest he got to such a placing is third at Tokyo Game Show.

While that in itself is admirable — a third at a tough Premier over second at a smaller Ranking event — it doesn’t mean that he’s capable of winning a tournament like Capcom Cup. Last year for me would’ve been the year he could’ve done it, given the tear he went on to win the LCQ just to make it in at all.

But he doesn’t even have a primer tournament such as this to give him the confidence that he might be able to win everything. This could be one of his sails without wind.

Clutch Factor

But it’s really hard to take away Nemo’s clutch factor. In so many sets in 2017 at Capcom Cup, he seemed to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. Going down two games to Didimokof and coming back to take the set, after Didimokof looked incredibly in control.

And this wasn’t the only set where this happened. Problem X also suffered the same 3-2 defeat at the hands of Nemo. When he wasn’t doing that, there were multiple 3-0 victories on his hands. So while many would fold under that level of mental exhaustion, Nemo seems to soar.

Final Thoughts

It’s not outside the realm of possibility that we could see Nemo in the top 8 once more. He still has all the tools, and is very good at adapting on the fly. I would say it’s harder because he doesn’t have the momentum to ride like he did last year, but that adrenaline rush doesn’t always guarantee a good performance.

Will he win it all? Most likely not. While he’s got a great clutch factor, riding that alone doesn’t always guarantee results either. He would literally have to play far less with his back to the wall to convince me he could do that. But given his results this year, he hasn’t.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

The King of Fighters XIV is free-to-play on Steam this weekend, 75% off till Dec. 17th

With a new major balance patch coming out this month, SNK has decided to try and draw people back to the Steam version of The King of Fighters XIV. Their latest entry in their flagship tag team fighter will be free-to-play over the weekend, ending on the 16th, and for sale until the 17th for a staggering 75% off. That’s just $15 USD to try out the latest polish from one of SNK’s most-beloved franchises!

If that sounds pretty good to you — and it should! — then you can pick up The King of Fighters XIV on Steam here.

Source: Steam

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Angry Bird knock over everyone’s tower of dreams?

Angry Bird shocked the world with his first tournament win. Most people take their first tournament at a local, feel elated, and then try to go higher. Angry Bird did it in the opposite way: win a major and go to the biggest tournament in the fighting game community off a subsequent win.

Will his second tournament win score him a six figure payday?

Split Personality

I could go on and start talking about Angry Bird’s Akuma. Rather, I want to talk about the fighter that got him to the dance, Zeku. Many have chided the character as not very good, and way too situational for anyone to use seriously. But many chided Gen in Street Fighter IV as such, only for Xian to take him to an Evo championship.

And this is what you see when Angry Bird uses Zeku. You see that specialist’s precision with the character, able to do the transformation changes mid-combo, and thinking ahead to the next setup he has to perform. He also does this while re-evaluating his defensive options and ranges that come with the transformations between Old and Young Zeku. He’s capable of doing this while his opponents are still reacting to the fact that he changed stances.

It’s something that you have to put a lot of mileage into the character to comprehend. So when you see Angry Bird’s usage of Zeku, you have to think that while he may be mid tier at best, he looks top tier in the right hands.

Split Wins

If the only thing you can chide him for is where his two tournament wins happened, it’s still a harder argument to compel people not to think he’s capable. Taking UFA over Problem X and Luffy makes you wonder. Yes, Problem X was definitely experimenting with G, and already safely within Capcom Cup to make him care too much. But the wins he accumulated, showing his ability to change between Akuma and Zeku when needed shows his mental acumen on how to approach individual matches with a fresh mind.

But then to turn around and do it again at EGX in the EU Regional Finals, with the same three European killers of Phenom, Problem X, and Luffy in the bracket? It’s hard to view Angry Bird as a fluke.

The Tale of the Characters

If I were to find a fault with Angry Bird, it’s that people know Akuma by now. Tokido’s made sure of that. If he hasn’t, there’s players like Samurai and Haitani who have done so. If he thinks he’s going to level people based on his Akuma, he may be wrong.

This may force him to play Zeku mainly within Capcom Cup. We know he’s good with him, but is he good enough to win at least five times to take Capcom Cup? This is the ultimate test, and it could very well be one he’s not up for yet.

Final Thoughts

He is the greenest rookie in this tournament. But he’s made enough heads turn for many people to call him their dark horse pick, including the likes of Fuudo.

While I put my money on Big Bird, I could’ve literally put it on the wrong bird. His Zeku is far better than anyone could’ve thought. Even GamerBee — who has RB to train with in Taiwan — struggled to find an answer for him. That character unfamiliarity could come into play in his first round with Tokido. If he survives his first test, then there’s no reason he can’t take the whole damn thing.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Sega introduces newcomers Yuma and Kirika in Blade Arcus Rebellion From Shining

As previously reported, Sega is adding new characters from Shining Resonance Refrain into their upcoming Blade Arcus Rebellion from Shining. Now, they’ve released some new info on exactly what Yuma and Kirika are doing in the game.

The legendary hero who used the power of the Shining Dragon to help save Alfheim, Yuma Illburn now finds himself in Blade Arcus’s alternate world of End Earth with more people looking for his power. At the moment he awakes in this world, a mysterious boy wielding the dark flames of the devil dragon appears before him.

Click to view slideshow.

Following Yuma is Kirika, the Diva Magica from the Elf tribe, who is has been searching for him ever since he disappeared from Alfheim. Finding a clue about his whereabouts, she jumps into this alternate world after him.

Click to view slideshow.

Blade Arcus Rebellion from Shining hits PlayStation 4 and Switch in Japan on March 14, 2019.

Source: 4Gamer; via Siliconera

December 14, 2018

Ashes of Creation Gameplay Update – Live Stream Replay

The Ashes of Creation team was on hand yesterday for a live stream event and has posted the replay on YouTube. “Glorious MMO Fans, we wanted to show you an update with some early Alpha gameplay from the MMORPG. Alpha One starts soon for Verra!! This footage is an early look at preparing for Alpha One, and has still some placeholder UI and the hybrid combat system has not been constructed yet. Enjoy this update on the development and we cannot wait to see you in game soon!”