Many Melee fans will be familiar with mirror matches. There’s a reason that the “Fox only, Final Destination” joke is so popular; it strikes a chord! What might not be so familiar however, is the Ice Climbers ditto. For a while there were only a few notable Ice Climbers players, and with only the likes of Fly Amanita, Chudat and Wobbles repping the character, there wasn’t much opportunity to see–or practice–the mirror match.
More players are flocking to Melee than ever before though, and we’re starting to see the Icies establish more of a presence in top 8s, though they’ve yet to win a major national tournament. Even so, the likes of DizzKidBoogie and Infinite Numbers have made waves recently and, now that it’s a match that you might see more often, Splyce’s resident Ice Climber, Nintendude, has put together a short tutorial that breaks down the dos and don’ts of the matchup.
One of the best parts of seeing two Ice Climber players going up against each other is the chaos going on with four characters causing havoc, and thanks to Nintendude it’s now a little easier to appreciate the skill in among the madness.
Rumors have been flying about the announcement of Injustice 2. In fact, we even reported on leaks suggesting that it was on the way. Today, NetherRealm flicked the switch and released the very first trailer for the game out into the world and it is glorious.
Injustice: Gods Among Us built a fascinating world that pitted some of DC’s most beloved characters against each other. Our first look at the sequel suggests that, if anything, it will be even more a brawl–after all, at least in the original Injustice everyone picked sides. It also gives us a first glimpse at new addition Supergirl alongside some returning favourites: Superman, The Flash, Batman, Aquaman and Nightwing–although that last might turn out to be Red Hood. There will be some new villains on offer too: Atrocitus and Gorilla Grodd will (almost certainly) be playable for the first time in the series.
Another interesting snippet from the trailer is the apparent ability to upgrade or enhance the costumes of characters. We see The Flash upgrading himself early on and, in the dying moments of the trailer the other combatants do much the same. In a post on the PlayStation blog that announces the game, NetherRealm explain that this part of an all new gear system, in which you can equip and upgrade your character however you choose:
The Gear System uses RPG-like mechanics to reward you with loot drops every time you play the game. With each loot drop, you will earn character-specific gear to outfit and power up your roster – changing not only the look of each character, but your fight strategy and your personal approach to every match.
We’ve already seen NetherRealm be inventive with the way they present characters in Mortal Kombat X with the variation system, which allowed you to choose from one of three different versions of the same character. Hopefully this new system will allow for similarly interesting decisions to make, although it does throw up some concerning implications for the competitive aspect of the game.
We’ll get our hands on it in 2017. Unfortunately, there is no more specific information than that. It will be coming to Xbox One and PS4, but there’s no mention of PC which, considering the problems with MKX’s PC port, is not particularly surprising.
Editor’s note: Some responses have been slightly altered for clarity.
In the UK’s Street Fighter scene, they’ve started adding ‘Lord’ to the front of Benjamin “Problem X” Simon’s name. It’s hard to argue that he hasn’t earned it either, with the slew of results that he has accumulated since the release of Street Fighter V. A string of consecutive wins at London’s Bracket Reset weekly earned him his title, and it was at Hypespotting 5, one of the first Capcom Pro Tour Premier Events, that “Lord Problem” stamped his mark, wrestling first place from the likes of Luffy and Valmaster with his Bison.
We caught up to him at The Beatdown, an event held in Capcom’s UK Headquarters that played host to some of the best Street Fighter V players that the United Kingdom has to offer. During the tournament he put on a show for the crowd, pushing his opponents to the limit with Alex and ultimately only falling short against HFUM|Hurricane’s Cammy. Fresh off his second place finish, he spoke to us about bringing the hype, leveling up, and how he thinks the scene in the UK stacks up against the rest of the world.
Keegan “Interrobang!?” Spindler: After a strong start, you had a couple of lackluster placements. Do you think there’s a particular reason behind that?
Benjamin “PXP|Problem X” Simon: My character switch. It’s always going to do that. You’ve got to relearn the matchups, relearn what you already knew and get comfortable in a tournament environment. You’ve got to start making the right decisions with that character. I’ll still be pressing the Bison buttons in the clutch moments, but that’s kind of been eradicated now. I’m getting to grips with Alex, learning his tools, how to utilize the parry. I think I’m definitely on the rise. Even at Bracket Reset, the last one or two that I went to, I didn’t do that well. But here, everyone who attends Bracket Reset and more were here, and I’ve obviously got a good placing here. So I think I’m getting more comfortable with Alex now, and I’m back on the rise.
KS: The general consensus seems to be that Alex and Bison are among the weaker cast members–do you agree?
BS: Well I like Bison, I like his demeanor, I like the way they made him really feel like a boss character in this game, but there are a couple of reasons that I switched to Alex. One, I don’t feel like Bison’s that strong in this game. Obviously I’m not picking top tier, but he’s just not strong at all, I don’t feel. Alex is more hype, and I like hype in the game. He’s got a parry, a command grab and yeah, I really like the character. I liked him in 3rd Strike. I didn’t play 3rd Strike a lot, but I liked the character and yeah, I like Alex a lot. I think he’s got the tools to win. He’s not the best at any one thing, but he’s viable.
KS: How did you handle the transition to V where C. Viper and Seth–your mains–weren’t present?
BS: Well I just liked Bison, so I instantly went for him, but now I do think that Alex suits my style a bit better. He’s got 50-50s and he’s fast-paced and hype, so I think that’s kind of the closest to the sort of momentum that Seth and C. Viper built in SFIV. Obviously you have your Kens and stuff, but I’ve never liked Ken. I’ve just never liked him. I like parries though; I like anything that brings hype. Anything that brings guessing and hype, I’m interested in. I just liked Bison because he’s this big boss character, he’s got this boss stature. But I really feel like Alex is the sort of character that fits with the way I want to play.
KS: Would you say that Winner Stays On, your home tournament if you like, has helped with that transition?
BS: Winner Stays On has been great. I really like the show, and I think that it has helped transition to a new game. Not only that, it’s really helped levelling up in general because you’re able to sit down in a controlled environment and play. Everyone that gets invited is at an adequate level, so you really don’t want to be that guy who can’t win a set–it pushes you to perform at your best. I really like it.
KS: How are you feeling about the balance of Street Fighter V at the moment?
BS: I wouldn’t say that there’s any character that’s not viable full stop. I mean, Bison’s pretty weak, F.A.N.G appears to be weak at the moment, but they can still get wins. I mean, I’ve won tournaments with Bison, Xian’s doing really well with F.A.N.G. I do think there’s some characters that are extremely strong though. Like, unnecessarily strong–like Chun-Li and R. Mika. I personally think that the game is really random, to a degree where anything can happen when both players have an equal understanding of the game and their characters.
Ken’s also very strong. If he’s not top 3… well, he’s probably top 3. Ryu and Necalli are strong, too. I think the game’s more linear than Street Fighter IV, definitely, and it might just be because it’s early days but there seems to be a lot more of a random factor, so characters like Ken, who have access to things like Dragon Punch and big Crush Counter combos, make for good tournament characters.
KS: How strong do you think the UK is in comparison to the international scene?
BS: I haven’t actually travelled out of Europe for Street Fighter V yet but from what I’ve seen from streams, for some characters we are definitely behind, but for other characters I feel that we’re a bit further ahead. We’re definitely behind on Dhalsims compared to the US, I think Dhalsims there are very strong, and there are a few more F.A.N.Gs over there as well. I feel we have a few more Chun-Lis, better Bisons so it’s really different characters being played overall. I mean, when Wil2Pac went over there to DreamHack Austin he came Top 8, so that’s really the only indication I have on how we’re stacking up against at least the Americans. At Stunfest we pretty much got destroyed by Japanese players, so I guess that hierarchy is still there, that order is still in place.
KS: Do you have plans to head out to America this year? Is there anyone in particular you’d really like to play over there?
BS: Well I play Packz a lot, who is a very strong Karin so I’d love to play Justin Wong because I believe I know the matchup. I think it would be interesting. I’m not saying I’m going to win–not saying anything–but I know what to do in that matchup, so it will be interesting. If I lose, I will have definitely learned something. In terms of the USA, I’m definitely looking to go there. I don’t know if I’m going to touch Evo yet because of the amount of time I’d have to take off of work. I’ve got the time off saved up, but I need it for hitting Capcom Pro Tour events as well. I’m planning to go to as many European CPT events as I can, so that’s where my time off will probably go. I’m planning to visit the states this year for sure though.
KS: We’ve seen Infiltration, Justin Wong and, to a degree, you, dominate your respective regions. Why?
BS: Honestly I think some people are just faster learners than others. Character selection is also a factor; everyone was picking different characters when the game came out and then we started to decipher who is stronger. As it turns out, Ryu, Nash, they’re really strong characters. Karin is a really strong character. Bison wasn’t that strong, but I was winning with him and I think that comes down to tournament experience. In the UK now, obviously with the exception of Ryan Hart who’s not really attending UK events, I have the most tournament experience, so it comes down to that as well.
When you’re in tournament certain tactics are more viable than others and people have to calm down to find what works. For example, most of the players here today I will lose a lot to online, but that’s online. When you’re playing in tournament there’s certain things that you will or won’t do. So I think that experience is coming into play. Justin’s got years of experience, Infiltration has obviously been a part of the biggest and best tournaments, Tokido has been a high-level player for years and that’s what is proving important at the moment. I think that over time, we’ll see more people come to grips with the game and become threats, but I don’t think that the threats now will ever fall away. After all, they’re only gaining more experience. There might be more players that reach that level, but the likes of Justin and Infiltration will always stand a good chance.
KS: You’ve started your own team, Problem X Promotions. At the moment it’s just you and A F0xy Grampa. What are your plans going forward?
BS: Well I’m going to be looking for a Smash player. I mean, I’ve been taking my time with it because obviously I started it last year, so this year is the first full year of me being a team manager. I just want to see how everything goes with the one player before I take anyone else on board. It’s all going really well though, I’m really getting to grips with how everything should be, so I’m starting to get comfortable with looking at other games and representatives. At least Smash, I think, is the highlight going forward. Obviously F0xy is doing great, which is a great start.
KS: Do you have a dream character for the next set of the DLC?
BS: In the coming set I’m really happy about Urien. I think I’m going to be playing that character, it looks like he will bring the hype. Next year, well C. Viper was my main in IV, so I’d really like to see them bring her back. I’d love to see that sort of crazy momentum shift in this game. Her, or Sodom. I’d really want Sodom, I think he’s got a great design, he could be really fun.
KS: Is the whole 8 frames of lag thing a real problem or something the internet is overreacting to?
BS: I’ve been told that it’s a real thing. I haven’t really been affected though. Sometimes you feel like you’ve been affected–a moment where you’re sure that you threw out a Dragon Punch or whatever it is. How I see it is this: if there is eight frames of lag, everyone playing the game is affected in the same way. It’s not like it’s only player one, everyone is affected by it. I don’t think it’s all that big a deal–the people who are winning are winning consistently so it’s not a big deal. Just play the game.
Keeping your opponent off the stage is a key to success no matter your Super Smash Bros. game of choice, but when it comes to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the Beefy Smash Doods want to bring your attention to an unpopular option: The 2-Frame Punish.
Every time you grab the ledge in Smash 4 there are exactly two frames of vulnerability before invincibility comes into effect. Beefy Smash Doods break down when these frames occur, how to punish them, and what to do to make sure that you don’t fall afoul of a 2-Frame Punish yourself.
This might not be a revelation to everyone, but it’s definitely worth keeping in mind whenever you can get your opponent off stage. After all, it seems that two frames can make all the difference.
As Super Smash Bros. Melee’s 20th ranked player in the world, it might come as something of a surprise that Hugo “HugS” Gonzalez was a free agent. This is no longer the case, however, as the highest ranked solo-Samus on Melee It On Me’s Melee Rankings has been signed to represent Florida-based Dream Team.
Dream Team are best known for their high-level first-person shooter teams, but they have announced their intentions to branch out into the fighting game community and, as such, HugS will be the first Dream Team FGC representative.
This follows the recent news that Joey “Lucky” Aldama has become the first Smash Brothers player to represent Counter-Strike and Rocket League organization Selfless.
Lucky, the world number 12, was the highest ranked unsponsored player on the list and, now that HugS has also announced his sponsorship, 18 of the top 20 Melee players in the world have sponsorship deals. You’d have to imagine that it’s only a matter of time until Johnny “S2J” Kim joins the club, though the currently injured Aziz “Hax$” Al-Yami may have to wait a little longer.
Every Tuesday the cream of the crop from the UK Street Fighter scene meet at Capcom HQ to duke it out among themselves for the viewing pleasure of fans around the world. This Tuesday was no different, but this time they had the opportunity to get their hands on something new: Street Fighter V’s next DLC character, Ibuki.
In the footage below–nearly two and a half hours in total–Logan Sama and Capcom’s Matt Edwards break down what the character can do, and let some of Europe’s best Street Fighter 4 Ibuki mains, F-Word and Damascus, show off what she’s capable of in a succession of matches.
This is our first extended look at this iteration of Ibuki, and the session doesn’t disappoint. Not only are Ibuki’s abilities thoroughly explored for viewers, there are also plenty of entertaining matches to go along with the informative commentary.
Tekken 7 might not have made the leap from Japan–or to consoles–just yet, but that doesn’t mean that there’s a shortage of high-level play on offer. The folks at Bandai Namco are doing their part to encourage it too, with the Tekken 7 King of Iron Fist Tournament series, which sees the company bringing the game to tournaments across North America.
One of those tournaments was Combo Breaker, and heading into the weekend there was a lot of excitement about the event, thanks in part to an announcement by Hao “Circa|Anakin” Luu that he would be relinquishing his spot in the finals of the King of Iron Fist tournament in order to be eligible to compete at Combo Breaker. Winning the tournament would mean that he would once again qualify, and his announcement suggested that he was extremely confident that he would do just that.
Standing in his way were some of the best Tekken players from around the USA, along with SoCal Tekken elite Reepal “Rip” Parbhoo who was once again looking to qualify after coming in third at NorthWest Majors 8. Check out some of the best matches of the weekend below, or the full top 8 playlist on the Bandai Namco Fight Channel.
Over the last few years the Evolution Championship Series has proved itself a marquee event on the Super Smash Bros. calendar. Since Super Smash Bros. Melee returned to the Evo roster in 2013, signups have grown year after year. EVO 2013 may have been the biggest tournament of the Smash Bros. year with 709 entrants, but that pales in comparison to Evo 2015’s huge numbers of 1,926 entrants for Smash 4 and 1,869 entrants for Melee.
We already know that Evolution 2016 is breaking records left, right and center; after all, there are already more than 3000 entrants for Street Fighter V and over 1000 for Pokkén Tournament’s first appearance on the Evo roster. But those aren’t the only records being shattered, as news surfaced last night that yet another has been broken: Evo 2016 will be the biggest Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament of all time.
Evo has just broken yet another record! Super Smash Bros. for WiiU is officially the biggest smash tournament ever! https://t.co/4kBRLyj2OC
With a month of signups to go and at least 1,927 players already signed up, it looks like there is every chance that the 2,000 player barrier will be broken for the very first time.
Jab Resets are a devastating tool in Super Smash Bros. Melee that allow for guaranteed follow-ups as powerful as Rest. If a tech is missed in high level play, a Jab Reset is the result more often than not, so being able to deal with them is vital to maintaining a healthy stock.
To that end, Remix has put together a video about how Jab Resets function and how to go about making sure that you don’t pay with a stock for the crime of missing a tech. The breakdown is complete with information about when you can combat the possibility, and when you’re left with nothing to do but hope that the followup doesn’t kill you.
If you’re tired of being reset into Fox’s up smash, make sure to check out the video below or, if you’re wanting to incorporate more resets in your game, have a look at what sort of counter play you might be coming up against.
Devolver Digital, the publisher best known for Hotline Miami and Enter the Gungeon, have announced their first foray into the fighting genre with Absolver, the debut game from French studio Sloclap.
Details are relatively slim on the ground but, from the looks of the first trailer, Absolver combines an attractive sharp-edged visual style with fist-to-fist combat reminiscent of Tekken and Soulcalibur.
According to the official site, Absolver will be an online game that places you in the shoes of a young fighter who travels the world, learning all new styles of combat and keeping the peace. You’ll be able to customize your character’s fighting style along with their look, and team up with friends to engage in 1-on-1 or 3-on-3 battles. There’s set to be both PvE and PvP modes, so you can no doubt duke it out with friends and enemies alike.
At the moment, we’re not quite sure that this is going to be a fighting game in the traditional sense, but we’ve seen something like it before in Mortal Kombat: Deception’s Konquest mode. However it turns out, it definitely looks like Absolver is one to watch right now.
