Author: Corey "Missing Person" Lanier

The fighting game community is one of the most unique communities in competitive gaming, in that the community can keep older titles not only alive, but near the forefront of the spotlight. With games such as Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Vampire Savior, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Sailor Moon S still being played competitively — and Capcom adding pot bonuses for games tied to their Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection — this is only possible by community interest in these titles.

But how does this happen? Novriltataki, in his most recent video, postulates that the core system mechanics of older titles allow for varied styles of gameplay, which add to their appeal.

Source: novriltataki

“This battle is about to explode! FIGHT!”

GameSpot Versus is known for bringing out some of the best players in all of Japan for Capcom vs. SNK 2. This time around, they brought out an especially elite contender, as D44BAS made his way to the arcade for their monthly tournament.

The two time Evo champion faced off against 23 other gladiators in the month of April, as his legendary A-Groove Vega-Blanka-Bison team hasn’t lost a single step. Who will live and let die? Find out for yourself in the captured stream below!

Source: silentscope88

King’s Frankensteiner is a peculiar move with unique properties. Counting as an untechable throw when the opponent is standing, it can also count as a hit when they are grounded. But beyond that, there are a plethora of setups and follow-ups for this move that must be known in order to reach its full potential.

When used as a grab, there are many uses for King’s down 3+4 while his back is turned, and can lead to interesting okizeme setups. But even more useful are his tricks to corner carry, using this move as a way to set it up.

Source: J King

If you’ve ever played a fighting game where you simply got mauled, and felt like there was nothing you could do to turn the tide in your favor, you likely understand the existence of comeback mechanics in newer titles. While they remain a source of contention among the fighting game community, recent trends show they are here to stay.

In this episode of Exploring Fighting Games, Novriltataki discusses the varied mechanics across series, and which ones do the best at giving players more chances to turn the game around without making it feel like their opponent has wasted an entire game or round on aggression. They also discuss how they feel the mechanics should be addressed going forward.

Source: novriltataki

King’s Running Exploder is a crazy move in a myriad of ways. While it is an amazingly safe move — being +17 on point blank block and +24 on shallow block — its strange hitboxes help create some bizarre interactions.

These properties give it a wealth of usefulness, but the way it leaves King on the ground makes it difficult to force mixups with. J King‘s WR 3+4 tutorial below aims to help you unravel the mystery on how to use Running Exploder and make your King’s toolkit all the more stately.

Source: J King

When doling out damage in The King of Fighters XIV, sometimes you need the luck of the Irish. With Oswald, you get that in spades, and his damage goes hand-in-hand with some of the juggernauts of the title.

In this combo video, we witness some amazing meter usage, including doubling-up on Max Modes, and going all-in on level three supers. You can expect to see as many ideas on how to chip away at your opponent’s health bar as there are gambling puns in this preamble.

Source: Persona Entertainment

Lucky Chloe has been one of the most-popular low tier picks in Tekken 7. Her usage in competitive play has been relatively prevalent, with several strong players — including Korea’s Jeondding — playing her, so there must be some secret to her madness.

While these combos may be more on the impractical side, they show off some of the craziness that Chloe can pull off. While we see some wall-less and walled combos, we also see some amazing side-switches off of her Rage Drive, resulting in some stylish damage.

Source: The Nobodyz

GameSpot Versus is known for bringing out some of the best in the world for Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Many Super Turbo players across the planet make it one of their tourist destinations when visiting Japan, and the amazing play from their team events make it obvious as to why it could be construed as one.

This video shows more than enough high-level play, including some of the best players in Japan. Yaya’s Dictator and Komoda Blanka both make some amazing plays, and show why they’re ranked in the top echelons of their characters.

Source: Super Street Fighter II Turbo