Last year Red Bull celebrated the FGC by supporting many Street Fighter V events, one of the most prominent being the Red Bull Invitational Kumite. This event has already been confirmed to be making a return this year, which has many excited for its next run. Additional details for the event have just been announced, including 4 of the invited players.
The first four players to be included are going to be Echo Fox’s Tokido, Qanba Douyu’s Xiao Hai, PR Balrog and Razer’s RB. These players are guaranteed a spot in the final 16, with another 10 to-be-announced players. The final 2 “wildcard” slots will be open for the top two players in a pre-kumite tournament with 256 entrants. Only the cream of the crop will be allowed entry at this exclusive event.
The event itself will be held on the weekend of May 27-28, with the preliminary event to decide the final two players taking place on the 27th. Taking place at the Salle Wagram auditorium in Paris, it will be broadcast in multiple different languages to ensure everyone can enjoy the event.
Get your tickets for the event here when they go live on March 18th at 3;00 PM CET.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore is in the process of receiving its final update, which brought many tested beta changes to the retail copy of the game. These changes were paired with new animations, bug fixes, and quality-of-life changes, but the coveted Japanese dub is still on its way. The patch that adds those Japanese voices appears to be the definitive version of the game with no further changes, as this will also be the version on the physical releases that Limited Run Games is distributing, and Mike Zaimont is approaching the community about one final change he’d like to make to the game.
As he says in his community address, “Skullgirls is based on community-oriented game development,” and “We have one specific gameplay problem. We have one patch left, to add Japanese voices and fix lobby bugs.” The problem being discussed here specifically refers to teams of 3 characters being optimized to the point of having one-reset kill combos, like you see below:
For those who don’t know, damage ratios for 3v3 matches are boosted beyond their normal damage output, meaning they can do this with 3v3, but not 2v3 or 1v3. Though Mike goes on to say that “losing a character in two touches just becomes an overall downside of playing a trio, since trios can already lose a character in two (or even one) touch in 2v3 or 1v3,” he claims that these one-reset kill setups showcase a “symptom of Undizzy” that he’s never liked, which is getting a short chain into a high-damage ender:
Some of the solutions he’s listed, which players will be able to test for a maximum of 3 days–meaning if any bugs occur in the chosen changes, they will remain forever–include scaling non-super hits at max Undizzy to minimum damage, some character-specific changes to Cerebella, Beowulf, and Big Band, and changing the way combo stages work so a reset at max Undizzy allows less freedom. He’s also mentioned lowering the meter gain for the attacker to minimum while boosting it for the defender to maximum, which won’t fix the 3v3 kills but will make doing long combos into resets benefit the defender at every level.
The thread is leaning towards making some kind of change as opposed to doing nothing, with a lot of activity from big names and everyday community members alike. The problems listed are some of the biggest in the game’s current state, making matches lean to players who’ve counted their damage and have one reset that’ll close the match. Whether you like the game like that or hate it, having a focal issue and it’s solution discussed openly with the developers isn’t something you see every day in today’s fighting game landscape. Hopefully more companies learn from Skullgirls and Mike Z’s example to improve other modern fighters.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a fighting game that suffered very unfortunate circumstances in North America. Despite the game coming to the US back in 2010 and being lauded for its gameplay, you’d be forgiven if you said the earlier Top 8 at Frosty Faustings was the first time you’d ever seen it being played. The game’s Wii-exclusive release and unfamiliar characters really dug this game into a hole that it seemed to be unable to climb out of.
That being said, YouTuber jmcrofts has made a primer for those unfamiliar with the game, designed to prep you on the basic mechanics and gameplay. He covers how this pre-MVC3 era title plays, how it was perceived, and even how the game is going through a resurgence thanks to emulators. Again, with the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite taking heavy inspiration from TvC, now’s the time to go back into the archive to get the leg up on the competition.
King of Fighters fans have a lot to be excited about lately, between the announcement of KOF XIV’s inclusion on the EVO 2017 stage, and SNK regularly patching their latest fighter with costumes, balance updates and bug fixes… there’s a lot to occupy oneself with. Though this is the case, there are still a lot of people who enjoy KOF’s prior entry.
Uploader 8Sin-Am has made it his mission to wave the KOF XIII banner into the new year. He’s recorded and uploaded quite a lot of KOF XIII play and compilations, so browse his content below if you’ve got a hankering for last gen’s KOF!
There’s also some slightly older footage that’s been reuploaded from last year, but the play is just as fun to watch today.
The ninth Evo game has been announced as a vote-in title, with nine separate games clashing over who is taking that final slot. Ask yourself: What game has an old-school playstyle, combo breakers, team mechanics, and is well past due for a space on the Evo main stage? That’s right, Skullgirls! It would be a fantastic choice, and deserves a chance for a number of reasons, which I’ll break down for you here.
Skullgirls Has NEVER Been a Main Game at Evo
Seriously, how many other games that get played today–or that people choose not to play anymore–have been on that stage? There have been Skullgirls side tournaments since before the game was even released (Evo 2011), but the biggest encounter was in 2013. A donation drive was held for the 8th Evo title at the time, which at the end came down to Skullgirls and Super Smash Bros. Melee for the most donations. In the final moments Melee pulled ahead with about $94,000 to Skullgirls’ $78,000. There was even a bit with developer Mike Z talking about his thoughts on the donation race as a whole, which was very sincerely put (he shaved his head to raise money, if you were wondering):
In recognition of the overwhelming support Skullgirls put into the donation drive, it was announced that Skullgirls would be a supported side tournament, complete with a Top 8 stream, a pot bonus and a stage to compete on. This would have probably been well enough for Skullgirls players, but it was partly spoiled when–after being told there was only one slot available–Injustice: Gods Among Us was announced as the final Evo title. If you want more background on this donation drive you can check out this Twitter thread for a more complete story.
The following year at Evo 2014, Skullgirls was in attendance as a side tournament once again. Although Skullgirls got a mini-stage and a stream, scheduling conflicts ended up cutting what was supposed to be a Top 8 stream to a very late Top 4 stream. After this unfortunate mistreatment, the community found Combo Breaker, which we’ve previously talked about regarding its treatment of Skullgirls. SG players have largely been happy with Combo Breaker ever since.
With that, you’re all mostly caught up on where Skullgirls is as far as Evo is concerned. Is any of this enough to make you throw your money at Skullgirls’ donation drive? We aren’t quite done yet, so let’s slow down a bit and take a moment to first think about exactly what game we’re talking about here.
It’s a Great Product with Thoughtful Developers That Give Back to the FGC
Skullgirls came out in 2012 and has had five major updates, spread across essentially three sequels with Encore, 2nd Encore and 2nd Encore+. There have been bug fixes, quality of life changes, new characters, mechanic updates, new modes, and gameplay changes all packaged with great netplay. We’ve also gotten cosmetic updates in the form of new animations, new stages, voice packs, voiced story mode, Japanese voiceovers, and fifteen new colors for every character.
Not to mention that all of this was completely redeemable with your original purchase, which for PS3/Xbox 360/Steam era players was $15. Even assuming you missed out on redeeming all of these updates, no gameplay changes have ever been restricted to a new version, meaning no matter when you bought the game you can update to the latest gameplay for free.
All of these features for the base game are good business practices, but there’s more: there is even support for visually impaired fighting game players, helping ensure as many people as possible can enjoy the game. This devotion to ensuring everyone can play their game led Lab Zero to create the PS3 legacy drivers–allowing PS3 arcade sticks to function on PS4 consoles–which they ended up sharing with Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Street Fighter V, and The King of Fighters XIV. That’s half of the current Evo 2017 titles, by the way.
These drivers have also been distributed to Mortal Kombat X, Ultra Street Fighter IV, and even PSN ports like Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Last Blade 2, with Lab Zero actively petitioning companies to use the driver in upcoming fighting games. This willingness to give back to the community extends past just the drivers; the Skullgirls team even went so far as to give Skullgirls’ game engine to the Mane 6 team for “Them’s Fightin’ Herds,” which one day will have an entire community of players that can play their game thanks in part to Lab Zero.
Skullgirls Gives Players Freedom and Rewards Smart Play
We’ve recently talked at length about the team mechanics and custom assists, and how they helped carry this game competitively through the years. Other than this a lot of decisions are made to both accommodate newcomers and veterans, which can most plainly be seen in the tutorial and training modes.
As for the competitive side, there are universal defensive mechanics–like Pushblocking, Alpha Counters, Guard Canceling and Land Canceling–that allow smart players to deal with crazy offense. There are also input buffers in a lot of situations, which removes input barriers on techniques and playstyles that allow more players the chance to play and get better faster. Overall, a lot of freedom is given in how players wish to approach their characters, neutral, pressure, and setplay.
We can’t possibly fully breakdown all the gameplay here, but this helps outline what kind of game we’re talking about: one that highlights player choice and allows creative solutions to nearly any situation. You’d think with a game that treats their fans this well and allows such freedom, people would love it, right? Well, they do. Echo Fox|SonicFox has been one of the hottest names in the FGC in recent years–best known for his performance in Mortal Kombat and Injustice–and he adores Skullgirls.
Heading home now! I had so much fun this weekend with the SG community! I love you guys! See you at the next tourny soon!
If you follow SonicFox on Twitter, you’ll know this is nothing new. He posts about Skullgirls all the time, making it his mission to spread the game to as many people as he can. SonicFox isn’t the only top player who enjoys the game, with one example being Sonic’s teammate Echo Fox|Justin Wong.
Man Skullgirls is so good. I'm falling in love watching this Top 16 at @ComboBreakerFGC right now
There are a lot of players outside of the scene that have considered playing, but simply can’t devote the time to it in today’s landscape of sponsorship and big prize pools. Evo titles pull attention, leaving little room for “passion” fighters in many competitor’s schedule. Despite this unfortunate truth, there are players finding the game all the time, like BrokenTier’s Koogy.
There are a lot of people who think this game deserves Evo-level attention and a grand stage. I could go on and talk about player after player, people who enjoy the game, or people who recognize the effort and devotion of Skullgirls players, but any more would honestly be gratuitous. We have one last talking point.
The Community Is Fantastic and They Honestly Deserve More
Skullgirls has a great community filled with many helpful players that go out of their way to teach newcomers, with approachable top players who help intermediate players level up. The community is also very positive towards one another, with players often hugging it out and gathering for community dinners after even the most frustrating tournament matches. In addition to this positive and healthy environment the players create for themselves, they also fight hard to support events that host them.
Skullgirls has had a public calendar of all the events they have planned to attend over the past year, which we’ve talked about here before. As per this schedule players are coming back from this past weekend at Frosty Faustings, which enjoyed a $1000 pot bonus from Autumn Games–Skullgirls’ publisher–and now many are gearing up for Northwest Majors, which was very successful last year. The final event on the calendar SG players are getting prepped and hyped for is their biggest tournament of the year, Combo Breaker. Thanks to the way the community has come together and organized themselves, all of Skullgirls’ calendar tournaments have seen legitimate growth over the past three years.
The scene has been steadily growing since 2013, with turnouts increasing and pots getting larger. Continued growth five years after release is a rare quality for any fighting game. This growth is thanks to the developers Lab Zero, who work tirelessly on the game and provide a healthy developer-consumer relationship, and it’s also thanks to the blood, sweat, and tears of community members who don’t quit and keep pushing for their game through any hardship.
That being said, talking about which game deserves to be at Evo in the context of the donation drive feels unfair; every community deserves attention and respect, and talking about which deserves it more feels dismissive of the efforts we all put into our individual scenes. So, while I won’t say that Skullgirls deserves the ninth Evo spot more than any other game, I can confidently say that if we’re talking about a competitively viable fighting game that thinks about the players before anything else–with a community that works hard and fights tooth and nail for everything it gets–then it’s time to stop dangling carrots because: yes, they deserve a seat at the big boys’ table.
Vote for Skullgirls 2nd Encore on generosity.com here. Voting closes at 12:00 PM PST on February 8, 2017.
Super Smash Bros. as a series has a primary focus on providing a fun environment for new players, and seeks to be a game that anyone could enjoy. With the sheer size of the game and how much it’s sold over its lifetime, single-handedly selling consoles, it’s hard to argue that they didn’t succeed amazingly. While players have discovered a hidden depth in the game and thus explored it competitively, Smash’s strongest point is its ease of entry.
Here we have one of the simplest characters on the Smash Bros. roster, Kirby. While seemingly plain and straightforward, YouTuber RelaxAlex reveals that Kirby has a lot more going on than this outward simplicity. He covers all of Kirby’s attacks, hitstun, colors and movements and how they all directly correlate to past incarnations, and how Kirby was specifically designed to cater to new players through his attack moves. It’s an interesting bit of analysis, that’s well worth the watch.
Remember P4AU? It was all the rage for a while, but thanks to the latest patch unfortunately never coming to consoles, many people ended up dropping the game. While the game does see some occasional play–like when it was featured at CEOtaku–it’s largely fallen from the fanbase it once had.
Despite this, it’s not like the game is unplayable. One YouTuber, Persona Entertainment (as their namesake may suggest!) still enjoys kicking around P4AU. They’ve devoted their time to showing off some really cool stuff in this game. These videos feature Chie Satonaka and Shadow Labrys, with some high-damage kill combos.
Though a lot of attention has moved on to The King of Fighters XIV, the prior installment still has a lot of players who still enjoy it, and are still churning out content. Below we have some great compilations and combo videos featuring last generation’s King of Fighters title.
First up we got a Yuri combo video from Persona Entertainment. There are a lot of really damaging combos here, the majority of which kill from full health.
Next we have some videos from 8Sin-Am, the first of which is a hype compilation from various sets with several different characters.
We also have here some character specific compilations, featuring a lot of high level play for both Kyo and Billy.
Genesis 4 was a rather hot topic, in both the hype leading up to it, and the issues revolving around the accidental incorrect damage setting. That issue has been discussed at length by players and organizers alike, along with compensation being made for effected players, but Genesis 4 was certainly much more than an organizational misstep.
This highlight reel, put together by YouTuber GRTr4sh, showcases some of the most intense moments in the final moments of the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament. Salt from players, accidental inputs and intense back-and-forths are on full display, along with a brief reliving of the settings error.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore has recently been enjoying a second wind, with players’ longstanding dedication paying off with larger tournaments. One such tournament, Frosty Faustings IX, has been previously mentioned on the Skullgirls community’s tournament calendar as one of the events they were directly focused on. The result was a great tournament with a strong turnout.
Frosty was this past weekend, with the game being streamed and reuploaded by MeleeEveryday. If you missed out on this event, or maybe you just want to relive all the clutch comebacks and clean play, our friend Liam has compiled a YouTube playlist for easy viewing.
