Joe “LI Joe” Ciaramelli is set to get the era of Street Fighter V started right with an exclusive invitational later this month. Sixteen of New York’s strongest fighting game players will be competing for $500 with just a few days worth of practice, which should make for an exciting event.
The full list of competitors includes Team PIE’s Smug, Evil Geniuses’ K-Brad, Bifuteki’s Spab Rog, Tinshi, Javits, Flipside Tactics’ Alucard, Moons, Marvisto, Kreymore, Empire Arcadia’s Hiro, Flux, Kick-Punch-Block’s Manny Fuerte, DaFeetLee, Zeus, OG’s Shine, and Always Godlike’s Native Impact.
LI Joe’s invitational is scheduled for February 20. A live stream will be provided on Twitch.
Editor’s note: Reports differ on the exact day Street Fighter II was actually released, but we’re in that timeframe now so the sentiment still stands.
Due to the nature of our community, our relationships with fighting games are varied. You may be a godlike Guilty Gear player or a newcomer mashing out the magic series for the first time in Marvel, but one title, more than any other, can be looked upon as a sort of binding factor for the disparate portions of the scene.
Twenty-five years ago today, Street Fighter II launched in arcades. It was a different time. While the genre had already seen its foundation laid by other titles, Capcom’s sophomore effort in the world of Ryu and Ken proved to be the true beginning of traditional fighting game competition. If you were lucky, you stumbled upon the cabinet with a friend who already knew the ropes; many, however, were forced to experiment, slowly discovering a world of fireballs and uppercuts hidden beneath the surface.
It probably wouldn’t be a stretch to say every player has a history with Street Fighter II, whether it was when the game first released in 1991 or during the subsequent decade of updates, ports, and remixes. Seeing as I was barely two years old when the game initially popped up in arcades, my introduction would come some time later, first as a passing fancy on home consoles and then as a serious addiction later on. I can’t say I ever truly competed in Street Fighter II, but it still holds a special place in my heart, a sentiment that’s likely shared throughout the community.
And now, twenty-five years later, we look back on that time fondly. It was where we learned fundamentals, debated the legitimacy of throws, and pondered the physics of Dhalsim’s stretching limbs. A good player can earn what were once unimaginable levels of money this day and age, but there’s something special about the era of Street Fighter II that will never be replicated.
I’ve rambled enough. For more on Street Fighter II’s impact, be sure to revisit Polygon’s excellent retrospective from a few years back and head on over to Gamasutra to read up on their collection of thoughts on the game’s legacy from various members of the fighting game community.
Were you the best in your local arcade? Were you one of the fervent adherents that kept Super Turbo alive at Evo well into the 2000s? Or are you merely a casual admirer, happy to bask in the nostalgia of your older counterparts? Feel free to jump into the comments and let us know your history with Street Fighter II; if it’s special to you, we want to hear about it.
In honor of the recent Lunar New Year, Steam has discounted on a number of titles available through their service. As usual, there’s a good amount of fighting games here, with sales on BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, Skullgirls, and more.
Of particular note is the discount on the King of Fighters Triple Pack. The bundle, which includes King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition, King of Fighters 20002 Unlimited Match, and King of Fighters XIII, is currently only $6.99, a far fry from its regular $34.99 price point.
We’ve collected all of the markdowns in the table below. Let us know what you plan on picking up!
Although they only just completed their Fall 2015 at Genesis 3, The Melee Games’ are ready to pick back up in the spring for another season of Super Smash Bros. Melee competition.
The Melee Games, an series of intercollegiate crew battles, first began back in 2014. “I wanted to keep the new players coming, I wanted to introduce them to each other, and I wanted to bring some camaraderie and school pride into it,” organizer Matthew “MattDotZeb” Zaborowski explained to SSBM Tutorials. “I figured crew battles were the best way to do that. From there, we just kept adding things on.”
Like anything Smash related, the community immediately latched on, and Fall 2015 saw 179 schools from 25 states participate. After deciding the best teams of each region, division, and then conference, the Genesis 3 finals crowned their champion: the University of California Irvine, who defeated Georgia Tech in a nailbiter.
For their fifth outing, The Melee Games will be returning to state-level play, forgoing a national championship ahead of the dual Fall 2016-Spring 2017 season. But that doesn’t mean the competition will be any less intense!
If you’re interested in participating, be sure to visit Smash.gg to look up your college’s team or, if there isn’t one already, establish a squad of your own. Registration ends on February 14.
It seems as if one of Street Fighter V’s most requested features is the ability to use older arcade sticks in the PlayStation 4 release, but the developers have been rather quiet on the subject since first mentioning the possibility of using Lab Zero Games’ driver last year.
Back in December, Shoryuken reached out to associate producer Peter “Combofiend” Rosas to see if any notable progress had been made. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to provide any updates, stating that they were still evaluating the driver for use in Street Fighter V. This sentiment was mirrored by producer Yoshinori Ono in a recent interview.
“The current situation of working within Sony’s SDK and APIs is that we’re looking into it and how we can get sticks working across consoles…maybe not necessarily within the framework of those official APIs,” Ono told Red Bull. “We do hear fan feedback that they want to be able to use their existing sticks on PlayStation 4 and, while I can’t really say anything for sure at the moment, it’s something that people can definitely watch this space for in terms of future announcements as and when we’re able to reach potential solutions as a company.”
Capcom utilized Lab Zero’s driver, which allows for the use of legacy controllers on PlayStation 4, in the console’s Ultra Street Fighter IV rerelease.
Implementing this useful piece of code could remove one more barrier to entry for numerous community members. As fighting games make the move to the current generation of consoles, prices for simply playing have begun to rise, and eliminating the need for a brand new arcade stick would go a long way in securing future success.
Street Fighter V is set to launch for PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16.
Red Bull’s Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis and Razer’s Lee “Infiltration” Seon-woo have been invited to participate in this year’s Red Bull Kumite, an official announcement revealed this morning. As two of the strongest Street Fighter players in the world, their inclusion should do wonders for the events overall hype levels.
The two will join other high-level competitors like Twitch’s Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang, Evil Geniuses’ Justin Wong and Yusuke Momochi, r/Kappa’s Lee “Poongko” Chung-gon, Razer’s Kun Xian Ho, Alioune Camara, Ryota “Kazunoko” Inoue, and Keoma Moutsatsos Pacheco in Paris, France just two months after Street Fighter V’s release. Will strength in Street Fighter IV translate to this new release? Only time will tell.
Red Bull Kumite 2016 is scheduled for April 23-24. More details can be found here.
Hot on the heels of their latest screenshots, Bandai Namco Entertainment has dropped a brand new trailer for Tekken 7 Fated Retribution that covers some of the title’s updated gameplay mechanics.
Luckily, those of us who don’t speak Japanese have Avoiding the Puddle’s Flying Wonkey to thank for translations.
One of the biggest things the trailer provides is more footage of Street Fighter’s Akuma. This guest character brings an EX meter with him from his home franchise, opening up unique possibilities in his gameplay. Over the course of a match, Akuma will build meter for landing and taking hits, which he can then spend on powering up his special moves. Similar to Street Fighter IV, he can also FADC attacks to extend combos and unleash a devastating fireball super.
Just as a side note, you can check out the following GIFs in their original size by simply clicking through.
But that doesn’t mean he’ll have a distinct advantage against the Tekken regulars. The trailer shows that characters should be able to bypass or negate his fireballs by using certain attacks of their own. In some situations, a simple sidestep will do wonders in avoiding the projectile, even at close range.
As for changes to the rest of Fated Retribution, many of them revolve around the Rage mechanic. Characters will enter this souped up state earlier than in the previous iteration, indicated by the orange color near the bottom of the lifebar. Rage Attacks allow a fighter to spend their Rage for a buffed attack, usually resulting in added juggle potential, a crumple state, or, in the case of Paul Phoenix, some serious knockback.
And finally, Rage Arts are still in the game, with some characters receiving new additions to their arsenal. Akuma’s is, appropriately, the Raging Demon.
All in all, Tekken 7 Fated Retribution is looking to be a serious update to the original. Be on the look out for its launch in Japanese arcades sometime this year.
While most western fans have only been able to sit back and watch while their Japanese brothers and sisters grind away on BlazBlue: Central Fiction, folks in Southern California are lucky to have Round 1.
Located in City of Industry’s Puente Hills Mall, this entertainment center acquired a couple of NESiCA cabs last year, and now offers a number of games that were previously exclusive to Japan. As such, they’ve held a number of tournaments that are only possible in their neck of the woods, and are set to have another later this month.
Round 1 will play host to another BlazBlue: Central Fiction tournament on February 20. The only difference is that, this time around, the recent ‘Act2’ update will be in place. Sure, balance changes weren’t included, but the game does have a brand new playable character in Hades Izanami.
For those of you unable to make it out in person, Jyosua will be hosting a live stream for all the festivities, so be sure to tune in.
UPDATE – Bandai Namco dropped official screenshots shortly after this article first went live. The gallery below has been updated accordingly with images of Hwoarang, Paul, Steve, Devil Jin, and Alisa. Enjoy!
Our friends over at Avoiding the Puddle recently got their hands a small collection of Tekken 7 Fated Retribution screenshots depicting a few of the cast members in their new default outfits.
The off-screen images, apparently captured during a demonstration in Korea if the button prompts are anything to go by, feature an eyepatched Hwoarang, Paul Phoenix sporting a rather patriotic biker getup reminiscent of his previous appearances in the franchise, and a complete boxing outfit for Steve Fox.
An additional shot of the character select screen offers small glimpses of other characters’ updated designs, and another shows that Akuma will be bringing an extra bit of Street Fighter with him in the form of a unique EX meter.
Although the Killer Instinct reboot has only been around for a couple of years, few players have dominated its competitive landscape as much as Jonathan “Rico Suave” Deleon. Since its release, Deleon has never placed outside of top eight at a high-level event, showing a mastery of the rebooted title’s mechanics and titles that surpasses many of his peers.
This past weekend, Deleon cemented that reputation with a victory at the inaugural Killer Instinct World Cup, besting veterans and newcomers alike in his first major appearance since becoming Evo 2015 champion. We recently caught up with Mr. Suave to gather some of his thoughts on the event, where his future lies, and more.
Some of the answers below have been edited for clarity and brevity.
You’re fresh off your win at the inaugural Killer Instinct World Cup. Explain to me some of the emotions you felt at the time.
Rico Suave: It’s hard to explain. Coming off an Evo Championship, I felt like the pressure was gone. It’s great to have people still consider me a serious competitor in this game.
Has that worn off at all or are you still pretty stoked?
RS: Without a doubt, I’m still feeling the love and support! It’s a little overwhelming at times, having every social media page of mine blowing up.
Lots of folks may know you mainly as a Street Fighter guy. What prompted the transition to Killer Instinct?
RS: Street Fighter was my first love, it’s the first fighting game I took serious. When Killer Instinct dropped, I really liked the game’s mechanics and how every character has a unique playstyle. When the announcer shouts “FIGHT!” it’s a constant mind game and I love it. I really enjoy stimulating my mind.
Do you feel as if your experiences in one game affects how you play the other? In what way do they complement each other, if at all?
RS: In my honest opinion, I do think it’s good to play different fighting games. They all bring different elements, kind of like Street Fighter being a bible of fundamentals. The more you get to experiment, the better. You get to look at things differently, depending on how the game is built.
Shadow Jago was your character of choice all the way up to winners finals, where you went with Omen against Rebelo’s TJ Combo. What prompted the switch?
RS: Shadow Jago at this point is my favorite character to play. He’s the most fun, and I have the liberty to be very creative with him. The reason I switched to Omen against Rebelo is because TJ Combo is the only character I got no matchup experience against. I don’t necessarily think Omen counters TJ Combo, but I do think he stops him from doing random and wild things from mid-screen really well. That’s Rebelo’s playstyle, you can never be sure what he’s going to do.
That was also your closest match of the tournament. You must have been pretty confident in your Omen?
RS: I was very confident with Omen. I hadn’t used him before the match against Rebelo, so I had to get in my groove with him.
In grand finals, you made another change by choosing Glacius against MyGod’s Sabrewulf. The commentators were of the opinion you did so to prove a point about the matchup. Mind expanding on that?
RS: I actually wanted to play Shadow Jago, but I had played him all day. I still believe Glacius has the upper hand against Sabrewulf. The Iceman will always be there, ready.
You’re relatively new to both Shadow Jago and Omen. Why do you think you were able to find success with them so soon?
RS: I was infatuated with Omen and Shadow Jago. I would always think of different things to try, no matter what I was doing. I would be at the gym and still be thinking about the possibilities with said characters.
You haven’t really participated in any major Killer Instinct events since Evo. Were you in the hyperbolic time chamber, taking time away from the game, or somewhere in the middle?
RS: After Evo, I really focused on enjoying some time off. I would play Killer Instinct every now and again. When time drew closer to the Killer Instinct World Cup, I spent time playing against certain character specialists.
Over the weekend, you had a chance to play around with some of the game’s upcoming content, most notably Kim Wu in the live exhibitions. Can you give us a short breakdown of her strengths and weakness from your perspective?
RS: Considering everything is subject to change, I will say in the build that we saw, she needs meter to have a real wakeup. It’s hard to build a level four ender without meter and her kick buttons don’t really have great range. On the other hand, her nunchaku have really good reach, her dragon ability is great for canceling unsafe moves, she has good pressure, and her jumping fierce punch has insane range. I really enjoyed playing Kim Wu, I can’t wait for Season 3.
With both the Killer Instinct World Cup and Evo championships under your belt, what’s your next goal?
RS: I want to keep improving. I want to stay consistent, I want to be the one who brought the game to a new level. With Street Fighter V around the corner, I want to stand out in that game as well. I want to be the greatest. Ever.
Killer Instinct’s third season will feature at least two guest characters. If you had to choose one fighter to make a surprise appearance, who would it be?
RS: I would love for Spawn to make an appearance in Killer Instinct. He looks a lot like me. He could use a little bit of coaching though.
Any parting words for the readers?
RS: I would like to thank everyone for their continued support, it means a lot to me. The Killer Instinct community may be small, but we have heart. Keep fighting.
You can follow Rico Suave on Twitter. Featured image c/o PTB Photo.
