After last year’s ELEAGUE Street Fighter V action, it’s time to rekindle the high-octane esports event for the Arcade Edition of the game. The esports organization is now announcing their Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition 2018 invitational, that pits high-level competitors against a high-stakes prize: $250,000, as well as fame and glory, of course.
We don’t know yet who the players are, but the event invites “24 best players from around the world,” so surely many of the prominent SFV competitors that we would expect will be invited. ELEAGUE is partnering up with Twitch and TBS to broadcast the action, starting on Friday, June 1st. Every Friday the matches will be aired on Twitch first, and then later broadcasted on TBS.
That’s not all, however. ELEAGUE’s new component invites fans, amateurs, and other pro competitors to take a stab at the event. The ELEAGUE x Battlefy: Street Fighter V Open uses the Battlefy platform to host online tournaments to determine two ultimate winners, who will receive a sponsored trip to Atlanta for the Grand Finals. The Battlefy Open involves two seasons over five consecutive weekends. An optional preseason event on April 14th and 15th will explain the platform in more detail.
In addition, there will be several variety shows on TBS, listed below under “Featured Shows”:
Stay tuned to Shoryuken as we learn more information about the event and the 24 competing players.
UYU, an esports team committed to building a strong fighting game player roster, is certainly growing as a force to be reckoned with. Last night, the organization made an announcement on Twitter regarding their latest pick: Kizzie Kay joins the fray as the latest fighting game competitor with team UYU.
Kizzie Kay is known for his prowess in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 as Sin Kiske, and in BlazBlue: Central Fiction as Jin Kisaragi, performing well at many majors around the country. Additionally, as UYU says, Kizzie Kay will join UYU|Jonathan M as a teammate in Dragon Ball FighterZ tournaments as well.
It's our honor to welcome one of the American Anime scene's greatest players @Kizzie_Kay310 to the UYU Family. He'll be representing us in Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, & most importantly perform the fusion dance w/ @cloud805 to form the UYU DBFZ Ultra Instinct Duo. #UYU#UYUForeverpic.twitter.com/atKDDLc5uY
Despite attention turning to BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, BlazBlue: Central Fiction isn’t done yet! The challenging 2D fighter still finds lots of appreciation at tournaments around the world. One player that has been standing out for a while in the United States is Fame96. The Atlanta, Georgia local made himself particularly known for his Susano’o play in Central Fiction, widely considered to be the best at the character — as well as among the most skilled BlazBlue players in the country. He has only been competing since 2014.
The recent Final Round 20 tournament gave Fame96 a real opportunity to showcase his talent as he faced international and local players. “I would always be amazed by how people in tournaments played,” Fame96 told Shoryuken. “And I finally found a game I would actually want to compete in — BlazBlue. Through PG|SKD and others’ guidance, my power in BlazBlue quickly raised to new heights.”
At the tournament, Fame96 faced many skilled opponents, including Japanese players Abegen and PONOS|Garireo. Having triumphed over Abegen in a fairly close set, he moved on to facing Garireo in an extremely tense Winners Finals set, which Fame96 narrowly won (see the video below). After that, Fame96 moved on to fight Garireo again in the Grand Finals. Catch up on the amazing action in the videos, and keep scrolling for our Q&A with the player.
Woocash: Walk us through the matches with Garireo.
Fame96: In Winners Finals, I was in peak condition. In my mind, I was brimming with excitement and anticipation to get to fight him again so soon after NEC. While I love the fact that I get to play him again, the sense of dread creeped up on my shoulder due to the fact that I have to play the Susano’o/Litchi match-up, which is easily one of his worst. In Winners Finals, I noticed there were cracks in his armor. He was making crucial mistakes and dropping game-winning combos that he usually doesn’t drop, so I took full advantage which allowed me to win.
In Grand Finals, I knew it was reasonable for me to win. I had six games to work with. I simply tried to do my best and push forward. By the time Garireo won the 2nd game, I noticed immediately that he downloaded me. I tried to adjust, but I was too far gone. My mental state was pretty much shot, and by the time I snapped myself out of it, it was already 5-0. His mistakes at this point were very minimal and very hard to take advantage of, so my situation was very bleak, making me lose hope.
Woocash: You play multiple games, how do you manage that?
Fame96: I generally try to give each game the amount of time I feel like I need to give it to keep myself polished and/or improve. In Central Fiction’s case, I have been playing so long and learned so much about the game that I don’t really need to practice that much anymore. I can generally pick up a controller and just play from there. Dragon Ball FighterZ, on the other hand, is a new game, and a rather stressful one at that. It requires a lot of you at all times, in my opinion, due to what the game gives you. So I often play it a lot to stay in shape. When SoulCalibur VI and Cross Tag Battle come out, I will definitely dedicate time to them. How much, however, will depend on how much I like the games.
Woocash: Which game is most important to you?
Fame96: BBCF is still the most important to me, but DBFZ is the current priority in terms of actively practicing.
Woocash: What are your thoughts on BBCF specifically? Do you feel the game has faded?
Fame96: This version of BBCF is definitely my favorite version of the game. I like the dynamic that Overdrive brings and since they buffed Instant Block meter gain and adjusted the more obnoxious tendencies of the higher-tier characters and Exceed Assault, I find it even more fun than CF 1.0. Whether or not the game fades will depend on how the community and tournament organizers treat the game alongside BBTAG when the latter comes out. If they don’t treat BBTAG as its own thing and make it take BBCF’s spot, BBCF’s future may become grim.
Woocash: What are your plans for the future? And would you ever consider becoming a sponsored player?
Fame96: Mostly going to be going to local stuff. I don’t really have the money to travel. I am very open to becoming a sponsored player. I would love to travel more and compete in the games that I love to play.
The ArcLive episodes from the Arc System Works America office have continued; while there wasn’t a reveal in the most recent one, we’ve got a fresh batch of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle gameplay with experienced anime players Jona and Brkr Dave.
D-Piddy hosts the show as usual, and starts things off by asking the two about their gaming resumes. Brkr Dave is most famous for his Arakune play, but he’s also a skilled Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] player, while Jona has mained Mai and Valkenhayn. Shortly after, they begin playing a build of the game that doesn’t yet have Aegis, Jubei, and Carmine (nor special introductions between certain characters, something many fans eagerly want to see). The two go through just about everyone in the cast. At first, they test out a lot of things, which will be good for advanced players to listen to; later on, they switch to some more serious battles.
Additionally, Jona has written up his BBTAG impressions, so you can check those out to read his specific thoughts on certain aspects of the game. Check out the footage below:
A new event for Nintendo competitors is on the horizon.
2GG — a California-based company that organizes and broadcasts Super Smash Bros. events — announced a new tournament for April called SwitchFest in Long Beach, CA.
Competitors can register for the following:
ARMS – Free Entry with $500 Prize Pool
Splatoon 2 – Free Entry with $500 Prize Pool
Pokkén Tournament DX – Free Entry with $500 Prize Pool
Though Switch games are obviously the focus of SwitchFest, there will also be a Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U side event. Early bird registration is available until April 6th, when the registration fee will go up to $40.00.
There will be Ladder events for each game as well, but you need to have your own Nintendo Switch to participate. Visit the SwitchFest smash.gg page for details about the event and to sign up.
BornFree continues to release his video interviews from Final Round 2018; this one captures a conversation with Nakkiel, shortly after he finished his initial Dragon Ball FighterZ pool at the events. Nakkiel — who hails from Seattle, Washington — plays multiple anime titles, but he has particularly became known for his play in Bandai Namco’s and Arc System Works’ latest fighter.
The conversation begins with the origin of Nakkiel’s tag, which comes from a song he used to listen to. He discovered Guilty Gear and then the forum site, Dustloop, and started to meet up with the fighting game community. They switch onto Dragon Ball FighterZ talk, which covers a number of topics; Nakkiel first encountered the game at Evolution 2017 but didn’t play it, and then got asked to present the game at PAX West in Seattle. He likes the neutral in the game, which he feels is a good synthesis of Marvel-style and air-dashers. He didn’t like the Vanish mechanic initially, but he has learned more about it since, and is planning on releasing some content about it.
The interview is much longer than usual ones, but it covers a lot of ground — including helpful advice and opinions about the upcoming DBFZ characters, Broly and Bardock. The latter parts dip into BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, and other video games Nakkiel likes to play.
BornFree has also recently conducted interviews with GO1 and MenaRD.
If you’re hungry for the latest info on the upcoming Dragon Ball FighterZ characters, Broly and Bardock, we finally have some more concrete information regarding their playstyles. The Japanese magazine Famitsu published profiles on both characters, describing their backstories, and explaining some of their special and super attacks. FGC member and frequent translator HiagoXYZ wrote up a translation of the article.
Broly is described as a brawny fighter who uses his long-reach and super-armor moves to get close to the opponent. Then, he utilizes his grappling attacks to make quick work of the enemy. He can rush down even more easily thanks to an activatable barrier move that negates any projectile, as well as Level 1 super attacks. Broly’s own Level 1 super, Eraser Cannon, charges a ball of energy and launches it at the opponent.
As for his Level 3, it’s called Gigantic Meteor, and it comes down onto the ground from the air, increasing in size as it approaches the target.
Bardock — who is Goku’s father — is also a rushdown character, but brings a style that’s more balanced around power and speed. His special attacks revolve around closing the distance. His EX moves have extra effects, like teleporting right behind the victim. His Level 1 super is the Riot Javelin, which can be used in the air or ground and can also be aimed with directional inputs.
Bardock’s level 3 super, Revenger Assault, transforms him into a Super Saiyan and causes him to charge at the opponent while being invulnerable to attacks.
Nintendo is ramping up the Smash scene with a new invitational event. Top players — selected by the company — will travel to compete at the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 at this year’s E3 event in Los Angeles.
The company hasn’t disclosed many specifics, so we don’t know yet which players will be part of the bracket. The platform is also in question, as some of the player base prefers Super Smash Bros. Melee over the Wii U iteration. However, the Nintendo website states: “Join the party as players from around the world battle in this invitational tournament for bragging rights, for fun, and for glory on Nintendo Switch!” That seems like a clear indication that players will indeed compete on the recently-teased Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch. This happened before in 2014, when the company’s invitational tournament featured a then-unreleased-to-the-public Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U.
The tournament will be livestreamed on the Nintendo Twitch and YouTube channels on June 11th and 12th, alongside the Splatoon World Championships.
The Super #SmashBros Invitational 2018 and #Splatoon2 World Championship 2018 tournaments will take place in Los Angeles the week of #E32018! Watch the competition on Nintendo’s Twitch & YouTube channels when the tournaments are live-streamed 6/11 & 6/12. https://t.co/wz1pIT8ndUpic.twitter.com/3itUOH8rgH
BornFree had a great opportunity for a first-time interview with a rising star in the fighting game community. At Final Round, the FGC YouTuber caught up with none other than RISE|MenaRD, the Dominican Republic star who burst onto the world stage after a tremendous victory at Capcom Cup 2017.
The interview opens with the big question about that event, and how it changed MenaRD’s life. The victory dramatically changed his and his family’s financial situation, and helped him travel and compete more. MenaRD established a team called Santo Domingo Tigers, that seeks to elevate the profile of Dominican Republic esports competitors. Next, BornFree turns the conversation to thoughts about the balance of Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. MenaRD speaks up about Abigail — who, in his opinion, is not playing the same game as all the other characters. He outright says that Abigail shouldn’t be in the game.
The rest of the conversation covers which characters MenaRD likes to play, his relations with the community at large, and his training regimen.
“A new star is born!” exclaims the announcement trailer for the latest Dragon Ball product from Bandai Namco. They’re keeping the ball rolling with a brand new game for mobile platforms. Portable warriors will be able to enjoy brand new battles on the go in Dragon Ball Legends.
The iOS and Android title invites fans to participate in online battles around the world. The PvP-oriented title uses a card system; the trailer emphasizes that this makes the game simple to play as only one hand is needed. There aren’t many details as to how the battles actually play out, but the fights are accompanied by 3D HD visuals.
As for the story, it features a new adventure with Goku and other fan favorites, among them Piccolo, Pan, Nappa, and Frieza. What’s more, Akira Toriyama, the creator of the series, made an original character just for this game.
Check out the Dragon Ball Legends website to learn more, and to sign-up there to receive some in-game rewards, which are based on the number of people that pre-register (it doesn’t necessarily mean early access).
