Author: Lance "Tarnot" Hood

The folks at Vesper Arcade have been uploading challenge mode trials from various fighting games for a while now. The videos almost always come complete with handcams and are a great way for new players–or frustrated veterans–to figure out exactly how to complete certain combos when the game itself may not be the best at getting that information across.

Recently, Vesper Arcade finished uploading the final set of Expert Mode trials from Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha. You may remember this title for its unique characters like Skullomania and Doctrine Dark–who got a nod from the Ultra Street Fighter IV summer vacation costume pack–or for being more akin to a Rival Schools game than a Street Fighter game with its rough, polygonal fighters duking it out. Whatever it is that brings back the memories from this title, it’s hard to deny that the game stands out as a truly unique addition to the Street Fighter series.

The video below presents viewers with a character select screen; from there, you can click a character’s portrait to watch all of their trials from start to finish. We’re sure there are very few people out there still stuck on these trials, but it’s still a fun diversion from modern games.

Source: VesperArcade

Chun-Li combo videos almost always have leg loops upon leg loops, and that’s expected. It’s a sort of rite of passage for Chun combo makers to prove that they can perform on a level approaching that of Desk–who Barbin gives a nod in the video’s description. It’s easy to see the inspiration here.

Jon Barbin, however, offers a lot more than simple–and I use the word simple lightly, there’s nothing simple about them–leg loops. He brings some new things to the table, including Red Focus applications that are so much more stylish than simply going for an Ultra or dropping down for another fierce to cancel into Lightning Legs.

Plenty of these strings have little use in actual matches beyond being beautiful ways to close things out, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t entertaining. Check it out if you enjoy high-execution Ultra Street Fighter IV combos!

Source: Jon Barbin

What do you get when you assemble a team featuring an adamantium-infused mutant, a son of Sparda, and a master of the Dark Hadou? XusesGB likes to call it “Raging Demonic Claws,” and that feels rather fitting. You may have seen this team used by SomeBrownKid at The Fall Classic 2014 earlier this month, and it’s easy to see the potential in the composition.

In stark contrast to many combo videos, XusesGB aims to demonstrate combos for this team that not only deliver high damage, but are also relatively easy to perform. Xuses has included some Team Aerial Combo options as well, due to their belief that every team needs to have some tech involving the mechanic.

Can these combos help make this team more popular? Check out the video and let us know what you think.

Source: XusesGB

Chris Redfield is no doubt a meter-building machine in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but he’s also capable of cranking out some good damage without resorting to meter expenditure thanks to moves like his land mine and magnum shot.

He does, however, have problems with his approach. Luckily, this video from Jason “GCYoshi13″ Wang shows plenty of ways to use other characters to open up opponents and allow Chris to enter the fray from a raw tag before doing what he does best.

The combos all offer incredible damage output and show that Chris has more than enough time after all sorts of knockdowns to get in and keep the combo going. Toward the end of the first part, you’ll see a combo that allows Chris and Iron Fist to kill Magneto without using any meter, with the combo itself building almost three full bars.

Wang plans to release a third chapter to this video series, so stay tuned for more useful Chris techniques.

Source: GCYoshi13

Matt and Woolie, best known for their work as part of the Super Best Friends and their much-loved Fighterpedia series, have teamed up with Did You Know Gaming to bring even more lesser-known facts about the Killer Instinct franchise to light.

In this second episode, they discuss how much Rare had to cut back on the animations to make this arcade classic port over to the Super Nintendo. According to the duo, about 80% of the animations were removed from the game, which left only the most important frames of attacks to be seen.

The title’s Game Boy port understandably lost even more content in order to fit itself snugly into a handheld console that was even more dated than the SNES itself.

This installment also touches on the rumors that surrounded Killer Instinct 3 and all of the games that referenced the title throughout the years–there are a lot more than you think.

As always, there’s plenty more to learn in the video, so give a watch below and let us know your favorite Killer Instinct fact.

Did you miss the first batch of Killer Instinct trivia featuring Maximilian? Follow this link to check it out!

Source: Did You Know Gaming

The folks at Capcom Fighters recently released three more player spotlight interviews in their running series designed to help fans of fighting games learn a little more about the scene’s biggest names before Capcom Cup this December.

This batch boasts interviews with AVerMedia’s Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang, Ryan “Prodigal Son” Hart of Team Dignitas, and Pandora House’s Hooman “HooDaMan” Ghahremani. As in the past, these players discuss their fighting background, greatest achievements, most painful losses.

Perhaps the most inspiring segment of these interviews comes when GamerBee shows just how important “community” is within the fighting game community. He discusses at length his first trip to Evo back in 2010 when he made it to the top eight, which just so happened to be his ultimate goal. He goes on to reminisce about his return home to Taiwan when a large group of his friends and fellow players gathered to offer him a well-deserved warm welcome.

To learn more about these players, check out the videos below and provide your thoughts in the comments.

Miss the previous entries in this series? Follow the links below to find interviews with PIE|Smug, EG|K-Brad, LU|Alex Valle, and many more.

• Filipino Champ, BAS, EG|K-Brad
• PIE|Smug, CCG|Air, MOR|Rico Suave
• NuckleDu, AVM|Kelvin Jeon, LU|Alex Valle
• EG|Justin Wong, Snake Eyez, CCG|Air

Source: Capcom Pro Tour

Earlier this month, Sao Paulo was the site of the seventh Brazil Game Show. Among the activities at the hugely popular event was a series of Mortal Kombat exhibition matches featuring several notable players from the region, including Mcfly of Elite Tournament Chile and Brazil’s own Mr. Bruno.

Below, you’ll find embeds of several sets that prove the title is still alive and well, with a particularly strong following hailing from South America. Expect high levels of hype and a good mix of characters to keep things interesting.

Source: Elite Tournament Chile via Test Your Might

David Galarza recently donned his lab coat and hit the Danger Room with a team of doctors to devise the best way to dispatch enemy teams in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The results, which were recorded and can be found below, were incredibly successful.

Expect raw Gamma Charges from the Hulk and Team Hyper Combos confirmed into character kills; expect Doctor Strange palm loops and plenty of hidden missiles courtesy of Doctor Doom; but most of all, expect solid proof that knowledge is, in fact, power.

Be sure to stick around after the halfway point for some incredibly stylish combos as the other two Docs take center stage and show their combo potential when on point, as well as some bonus footage starring Rocket Raccoon.

Source: David Galarza

Archie Utama has been putting out Ibuki tech videos since the release of Ultra Street Fighter IV back in June. Most recently, he examined the practical uses of Raida’s extra juggle point, which was added in the update.

Today, he’s got a collection of Ibuki setups with slight variants depending on whether or not the defender decides to delay their wakeup. Many of these setups require incredibly tight timing, like delaying 3 frames before jumping, as an example, but that’s understandable since some of them are unblockables against certain hurtboxes.

Archie does offer some setups that are a bit easier to pull off, though, like the standard Ibuki safe jump off Neck Breaker–whiff back+MP before performing an angled j.HP–which works against 4-frame reversals. If the Ibuki player sees the delayed wakeup indicator during their back+MP, they can proceed as usual, but instead tossing a kunai in place of the j.HP.

And that’s the case for all of these examples. While many high-level Ibuki players have known about this approach to her okizeme game for a while, the information has never been compiled quite so well as it is here, nor has it been shown to work with so many setups.

Source: Archie Utama

Now that you’ve had a week to learn how to dish out damage with Maya in Killer Instinct, it’s time to brush up on some strategies important to taking any character to the next level: safe jump and meaty setups.

This video from Hughboyzilla covers everything you’ll need to know in order to keep opponents pinned down. There are safe jump options following sweeps, throws, and Tumble Kick enders, as well as a plethora of meaty setups, including a particularly nasty one that can turn a long-ranged knife toss into a full combo if it connects.

Fans of Maya should definitely check out the video below. And if you don’t main Maya but plan on fighting someone who does any time soon, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to brush up on these options yourself–just to be safe.

Source: Hughboyzilla