Largely known for their headsets, Victrix is now releasing a full-fledged fight stick for its FGC competitors — with some impressive specs.
While most fighting game enthusiasts know Victrix for their Pro AF ANC headsets (as seen during the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour), the San Diego-based company is now unveiling their very first arcade stick: the Pro FS.
The Victrix Pro FS arcade stick comes installed with Sanwa’s Denshi buttons and JLF model joystick, with an easily accessible, spacious interior compartment for optimal maintenance and storage. These internal components are easily modified, and include fully customizable lighting and audio features, to boot.
Additionally, The Pro FS’s brushed metal surface is made of aircraft-grade aluminum, melded into a comfortable downward slope perfect for sitting on the knees during long sessions at a setup. Better yet, the FS’s joystick is fully detachable, lessening the stress of travel between venues and cramped flights. The stick likewise comes with a set of handles and a die-cast metal shoulder strap, making it one of the most easily transportable sticks on the current market.
You read more about our coverage of the in-development version of the stick at Evo 2018 in our article — and can now purchase the stick through Victrix’s website, along with the Pro AF headset, of course.
New Wave Toys are all about creating replicas of classic retro memorabilia, and they’ve just unleashed their latest project: a mini Street Fighter II arcade cabinet.
Their Street Fighter II: Champion Edition X RepliCade is now available for pre-order through the New Wave Toys website, and comes with a variety of features that includes a tiny, USB arcade stick for a two-player experience (which can be swapped out for other controllers of the player’s choice).
Officially licensed by Capcom, the 12-inch-tall cab comes with a rechargeable battery for extended use, a menu featuring dip switch settings that allow players adjust skill level, and even provides two iterations of Street Fighter for play: Street Fighter II: Champion Edition and Super Street Fighter II: Turbo.
Fans of the product can pre-order for a discounted price of $99.99, compared to the cab’s standard price point of $119.99. Pre-orders last throughout the month of February, and will be shipped out in summer of 2019.
Arlington’s Free Play Arcade is bringing arcade culture back to the modern FGC with four main events, four side tournaments, and authentic cabinet setups.
The fourth Spring Series is set to kick off at Free Play Arcade in Arlington, Texas, from April 12 – 14. These three days of competition will see eight events in total, all featuring classic games from the arcades’ golden age.
Main events include such titles as The King of Fighters XI with a $1,000 pot bonus, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 with a $1,000 pot bonus, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike with a $1,500 pot bonus — and finally, Super Street Fighter II Turbo with a whopping $10,000 pot bonus.
That’s not all: Free Play Arcade is also flying out five Japanese legends to take part in the competition… although the players in question have yet to be announced.
It is worth noting that the 3rd Strike tournament takes place on the recently-unveiled 20th anniversary Jazzy Circuit; for players participating in the series, this could be a prime opportunity to win a qualifying title and score some points!
Spring Series Four is the last in a series of satellite tournaments, with the first taking place at the hallowed grounds of NLBC on February 9, and the second throwing down at Don’s Arcade in Los Angeles on February 16.
Arlington isn’t just home to the Free Play Arcade, either. The city likewise unveiled its Esports Stadium in November of 2018, breathing life into Texas’s already bustling competitive gaming scene. Players looking to give the town a tour can register on the Spring Series’ website, or enter one of the two satellite tournaments for a chance at winning room and travel to the main event on April 12.
A tentative registration end date has been set for April 10.
Popular fighting game streamer and content creator Maximilian has addressed the issues surrounding Dragon Ball FighterZ’s current licensing debacle, hoping for a brighter future in light of Toei’s probable restrictions.
Max uploaded a video to YouTube on December 22 speaking out on the matter, noting that the game has been pulled from major tournaments such as DreamHack Atlanta and Anime Ascension, and is not making an appearance at the next Evo Japan. Max went on to speculate that developers ArcSys and publishers Bandai Namco were unlikely to have anything to do with the restrictions, citing Toei’s noted history of being “difficult to work with” as a likely culprit.
Despite the community’s concern during what Max called the “worst case scenario” for competitive players, he hopes for an eventual change of pace, calling back to Nintendo’s cease and desist order toward the Evolution Championship Series in 2013 in regards to Melee.
“It worked itself out, and I can only hope that’s what happens now because I feel bad for Bandai Namco,” Max said of the matter. “They’ve put a lot of time into making Dragon Ball a big, competitive thing.”
Max likewise hopes for a change to the game’s overall composition for the upcoming announcement at Jump Festa 2019, calling for a big tweak to its superdash mechanic among predictions for new characters.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dragonball FighterZ will no longer be run at Anime Ascension. We’re sorry for the inconvenience/disappointment! Please stay tuned for future announcements. pic.twitter.com/lLsUxQKicx
Dragon Ball FighterZ has been at the center of controversy since its cancellation from DreamHack Atlanta in November of 2018. Since then, the game has been pulled from SoCal’s Anime Ascension tournament due to what organizers referred to as “unforeseen circumstances,” leaving players to cancel their flights and refund their registration fees.
With the game not making an appearance at the upcoming Evo Japan despite being a massively popular fighting game title, the FGC is at odds with Toei’s alleged licensing restrictions, calling for big changes to the company’s current agenda; although the reasons for why the game is being pulled from these esports events — and if it is indeed Toei responsible — are still unconfirmed.
He’s the President of the World with the power of Gaia: simply named G, the newest character in the Street Fighter universe was given an especially unique reveal at Evolution 2018, during which voice actor Christopher Smith took to the top 8 stage in full presidential regalia.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Smith said of the experience. “G’s speech was compiled from bits of his game dialogue, so it had to be delivered just right — and there were all the fans.”
Taking the top 8 stage
Smith used more than his voice to bring the prez to life: he even took on G’s physical appearance for the reveal, which came together backstage in the midst of Evolution’s top 8 brackets. “There were costume fittings to make sure everything looked right,” he explained. “Meanwhile, the makeup artist was constructing facial hairpieces and finding the best gold paint to create the tattoos… We watched the tournament on closed-circuit TV as I was fitted with the complete costume and the makeup was applied. All in all, it took over three hours. But the process was so much fun [that] the time really flew.”
Outfitted with a prosthetic beard, golden body paint, and a dashing top hat, Smith truly looked the part: and Street Fighter fans ate up the hype. “… they were so into it,” Smith recalled. “When I came out, I immediately felt their energy, and suddenly, any nerves vanished. We really were there together as one, celebrating this new character — and I was so thrilled to be a part of it. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave the stage. But I kinda had to.”
According to Smith, performing as G on stage was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that outshined his usual work as a voice actor. “Getting to actually embody G at Evo was mind-blowing,” he stated. “As voice actors, we spend so much time alone in a booth. We rarely even record with other voice actors. We work on so many projects in this fashion and we hardly ever get to experience the effect our creative choices have on the players. You can read reviews, or play the game yourself, but you don’t get the full impact until you’re among hundreds or thousands of players all enjoying the character you created. Then the reality hits that you’ve actually helped make something that people respond to and enjoy so much. Evo was that experience on steroids. I’ve been on panels where hundreds of players have wanted to talk about a character I voiced, but I’ve never experienced anything like coming out on stage as G in the arena at Evo. The energy and the excitement was absolutely staggering.”
Building the voice of the Earth’s president
Of course, the prez didn’t come together in the course of an evening – in fact, G’s voice was carefully compiled from a variety of American accents out of a hotel in New Zealand. “Oddly enough, I didn’t think I was going to be able to even audition for the character,” Smith admitted. “I was at a convention in New Zealand when the director contacted me. I said I was flattered to be asked, but I wouldn’t be able to get him a good sounding audition. I was very far away from my setup and wouldn’t be home for two weeks. But he was very persistent and said he was convinced I was the right person for the character, and would I please send him something, even if it wasn’t the best quality. He had directed me as Rufus for Street Fighter IV many years ago, so I trusted his judgement.”
Smith fashioned a makeshift setup out of his hotel room and used the microphone in his laptop to record the lines in question, delivering his best impression of 16th American President Abe Lincoln. “I made the hotel room as soundproof as possible and recorded the audition lines on my laptop,” he continued. “I sent them off and honestly didn’t think I’d hear back — but I did. I’d done my best to think of what Abe Lincoln might have sounded like. Obviously, there are no recordings of him to work from. So I put together an amalgamation of American dialects from Missouri, Arkansas, and a little bit of Carolina. I threw in a bit of Presidential cadence, and voilà! G’s voice voice came to life.”
Speaking of the Space Opera Symphony…
G isn’t the only Street Fighter character that Smith has given voice to: as mentioned above, Smith likewise voiced Rufus in Street Fighter IV — another American fighter, who gained popularity through use by top players. “Rufus and G are very different types of characters,” Smith laughed. “Both a lot of fun. Both have their own particular attitudes. But while G is much more, dare I say, Presidential, Rufus is just having a good ‘ol time.”
“When I came in to audition for SFIV, I did what any self-respecting actor does: I read for all the characters in the folder,” he continued. “I think there were 14 total. I tried to bring my own twist to each of the characters, and it turns out that my interpretation of Rufus was what they were looking for. A gruff, jolly kinda guy from an East Coast neighborhood. A guy with lots of swagger and a singular purpose: to bring down Ken Masters. He became notorious for his use of jiggle-physics, and at first I thought players were thinking of him as just a funny character. Then he got serious cred when world class players started playing as him… and winning! I must say I miss him and his skin-tight yellow jumpsuit. He looks good and he knows it.”
Fighting games vs. anime
While Smith has voiced an array of characters in various anime, he holds that giving life to fighting game characters requires a different technique altogether. “Voicing video is its own particular beast,” Smith explained. “It tends to be very different from voicing anime, because you’re rarely fitting words into mouths that already exist. In games, they match the animation to the dialogue you create. There’s more of a sense of freedom, because you’re free to use your own timing for each line. So, you can imbue the character with more of your own sensibilities, since you’re not matching lip flaps that someone else has already created.”
Although the medium allows him greater freedom, it isn’t an easier task: Smith explained that what he called “vocal stress” takes a pretty big toll on actors’ vocal chords. This isn’t news in the celebrated annals of fighting game history, as Akuma’s previous voice actor, Dave Mallow, left the part due to the strain. “The biggest challenge with fighting games in particular is the vocal stress,” Smith stated. “Because characters tend to be bombastic (at least the ones I do), you spend a lot of time yelling. G was at a pretty heightened pitch since he was always giving a very impassioned speech. Then you get to the fighting sounds. In a games like the Street Fighter series, there are lots of fighting/battle sounds… grunts and yells and such.”
“The only thing that doesn’t exist in Street Fighter are the grisly deaths,” he went on. “I’ve done many games where you are killed in a variety of gruesome ways. [The director will say], ‘Ok, for this line we need you to get stabbed, electrocuted, and lit on fire. Give four or five takes, about a minute each.’ I exaggerate, but only slightly. By the end of that, your voice needs a couple days to recover. And there are just some voices that naturally sit in a stressful place in your throat. Rufus, for example, was a lot of fun, but his placement was stressful. After four hours of his antics I was toast. So, I’d schedule his sessions for Fridays. That way I’d have the weekend to recover. Despite that, Rufus was such a fun character to do [that] I didn’t mind the vocal stress. Seeing him come to life in all his spandex jumpsuit glory was worth the exertion. I do miss the big guy.”
Let’s get it on!
Smith isn’t a noob to gaming, as he holds that his son’s avid engagement in the pastime and his own work in the industry has afforded him some insider knowledge on the space — as well as some funny stories. “When SFIV first came out, there was a tournament at a convention where I was a guest,” Smith said. “I walked through the gaming room with my son and saw two players in heated competition. One was playing as Rufus. I walked up and watched the game for a while, then during a lull in the action I said, ‘You know, I’m his voice.’ The Rufus player turned around, took one look at me and said, ‘Yeah, right,’ then went back to the game. That turned out to be the most common response I got. People would say, ‘You don’t look like him’, which I guess is a good thing.”
Smith is likewise grateful to the Street Fighter fanbase for their open embrace of both Rufus and G, and hopes to see Rufus make a return in the future. “I’m so grateful to Capcom, and my director Jonathan Klein, for giving me the chance to bring G to life,” he said. “It was an experience I’ll never forget. And thank you to the players and fans who have imbued G with the power he needs to truly become the champion he is. *wink* Presidential Power!”
G is currently available as one of the final characters of Street Fighter V’s Season 3 DLC pass, which can be purchased through the game’s Shop or directly on the PlayStation or Steam stores.
The most accessible fighting game of all time is finally getting a ranked mode — and it differs a bit from the current competitive fighting game meta.
Fantasy Strike developer Dave Sirlin took to YouTube to break down the mode, which acts quite differently from online matchmaking modes in other fighting games. Rather than setting up two players against each other for stand-alone matches, Fantasy Strike’s online environment acts much like a tournament, which Sirlin feels is “more exciting.” The tournaments will be eight-person competitions, with brackets that are made “on the fly” — without the need for an immediate opponent to face off against.
Familiar to fighting game players is the game’s ranking system, which places players in leagues of Bronze through Master. Fighters will engage with other players within their rank in tournaments, which will be three out of five games — meaning that players who win a total of three games will take the tournament. The mode utilizes Fantasy Strike’s Team Battle system, as well, allowing players to use a total of three characters against their opponents.
The tournaments’ point system works in a system of rewards and demerits. Players earn a star for every win, and lose a star for each game they lose. However, Diamond ranked players will not earn a star for taking the first round in a tournament — but they will lose a star for losing, though. Additionally, Master ranked players will have the star system thrown to the wind, and must face other Master league players without the reward of earning stars at all. While simplistic, the Fantasy Strike ranked experience makes sure to provide ample challenges for players looking to rise above the competition.
With this ranked system comes a slew of other updates to Fantasy Strike, including improvements to the game’s Training Mode, enhanced animations, and frame advantage indicators. Characters’ movements have been kicked up a notch: fighters now have a harder time throwing heavy opponents like Rook, while previously, they would fling him off without a hitch. In addition, new frame advantage indicators now give players data with every hit, delivering them visual cues as to their character’s recovery status. The color and size of sparks reveal if a player is plus or minus on a certain move in-game, giving an approximate indication as to how many frames they are ahead or behind.
Other visual and sound improvements were also made to the title, including features like characters’ eyes flashing purple when their super meter is full. Fantasy Strike is nearly a new game, now — and its online ranking system is ripe for the taking!
Korean publishers Kakao Games are releasing a new mobile RPG for Capcom fans.
Capcom Super League Online will feature characters from Capcom’s classic IPs, spanning from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to the Devil May Cry series.
While the game is as yet unreleased, promotional images from the title tease the possibility of it being a turn-based RPG, where players can form teams of Capcom’s characters to battle against enemies. Further speculation suggests that a gacha-style system will be put in place for players to unlock the characters, due to the sheer amount teased in the images. The title is set to feature a variety of mini-games, as well.
Characters teased for the game include Ryu, Cody Travers (Final Fight iteration), and even Sodom, as shown below.
While a release date has yet to be announced, the game is currently planned as a South Korean exclusive. However, players may pre-register for the title through Kakao Games’ website – provided they speak Korean!
For the first time ever, the SoulCalibur series is creating a character completely based on community feedback.
The game’s official account released the news in a tweet, which revealed that the character would be created through a series of polls via Straw Poll.
For the 1st time ever, we'll be creating an epic #SOULCALIBURVI warrior with the help of the community! After a series of polls, we'll put together the character & show them off in battle! Vote in our 1st poll for character race NOW @ https://t.co/bj13fLCJgf (ends 9/19 @ 9AM PDT) pic.twitter.com/ZdBXlOltNa
The community can vote on a collection of attributes for the character, the first of which is race. Available races include everything from humans, Winged Lost Souls, Shapeshifters, Colossi, and more. So far, it appears that the playerbase has expressed an overwhelming preference for Lizardmen, which sit at over 20% of total votes.
Revenants take precedence just under this choice, with 16% of votes, after which sits the Hidden Village Clan and Automatons.
The poll began at 9:00 AM PT on September 18, and will end at the same time on September 19. Fans can get a look at what the character will might look like through the tweet’s character selection screen, although other attributes have yet to be officially announced.
Along with the game’s Create-a-Soul feature and guest characters, SoulCalibur VI is looking to have a very colorful roster of fighters. SoulCalibur fans should keep their eyes peeled for another poll, which could very well take place tomorrow!
Capcom’s Beat ‘Em Up Bundle was revealed during September’s Nintendo Direct, and features seven classic games — most prominently Final Fight, but also Captain Commando and even King of Dragons.
Following the Bundle’s announcement, Capcom posted a guide to the genre on the Shadaloo C.R.I., companion website for Street Fighter V. The guide is headed by staff member Skill Smith Bug, and takes prospective players through a step-by-step tutorial of standard beat ‘em up mechanics.
The guide begins by explaining classic beat ‘em up terminology. Translated from Japanese, the so-named “Belt-Action” summary describes terms like “one set,” “mega crash,” and “grab and throw”. According to the guide, the “one set” refers to the genre’s basic attack, being a single button move that can be strung together to perform combos. “Mega crashes” appear to be special attacks that require a button press plus a directional input (much like fighting games). “Mega crashes” are especially useful for knocking opponents away from a player, and are abbreviated as “megakura.”
Finally, the “grab and throw” refers to the usual throwing attacks seen in beat ‘em ups. However, these moves are trickier than they seem — the guide warns players to follow through with the grab, as grabbing opponents alone won’t set the attack in motion. The guide states that not every beat ‘em up title features this mechanic, either.
The guide continues with a selection of strategies for optimal performance, urging players to watch their surroundings and not to stand directly in front of oncoming enemies.
The implementation of a beat ‘em up guide on the Street Fighter V website is a strange case, but not an unwelcome one — many Street Fighter fans are also enthusiasts of Capcom’s Final Fight, as well as the company’s various other titles in the genre. The Beat ‘Em Up Bundle‘s release could herald the arrival of a new generation of players who are looking to start cleaning up the streets of Metro City.
The Beat ‘Em Up Bundle will be available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 18th. It can be purchased for $19.99, and each game features online co-op. Be sure to study up before hitting the streets!
Capcom’s Beat ‘Em Up Bundle was revealed during September’s Nintendo Direct, and features seven classic games — most prominently Final Fight, but also Captain Commando and even King of Dragons.
Following the Bundle’s announcement, Capcom posted a guide to the genre on the Shadaloo C.R.I., companion website for Street Fighter V. The guide is headed by staff member Skill Smith Bug, and takes prospective players through a step-by-step tutorial of standard beat ‘em up mechanics.
The guide begins by explaining classic beat ‘em up terminology. Translated from Japanese, the so-named “Belt-Action” summary describes terms like “one set,” “mega crash,” and “grab and throw”. According to the guide, the “one set” refers to the genre’s basic attack, being a single button move that can be strung together to perform combos. “Mega crashes” appear to be special attacks that require a button press plus a directional input (much like fighting games). “Mega crashes” are especially useful for knocking opponents away from a player, and are abbreviated as “megakura.”
Finally, the “grab and throw” refers to the usual throwing attacks seen in beat ‘em ups. However, these moves are trickier than they seem — the guide warns players to follow through with the grab, as grabbing opponents alone won’t set the attack in motion. The guide states that not every beat ‘em up title features this mechanic, either.
The guide continues with a selection of strategies for optimal performance, urging players to watch their surroundings and not to stand directly in front of oncoming enemies.
The implementation of a beat ‘em up guide on the Street Fighter V website is a strange case, but not an unwelcome one — many Street Fighter fans are also enthusiasts of Capcom’s Final Fight, as well as the company’s various other titles in the genre. The Beat ‘Em Up Bundle‘s release could herald the arrival of a new generation of players who are looking to start cleaning up the streets of Metro City.
The Beat ‘Em Up Bundle will be available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 18th. It can be purchased for $19.99, and each game features online co-op. Be sure to study up before hitting the streets!
