Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

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Comparing Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite with Dragon Ball FighterZ; How do the producers feel about it?

Tag is definitely back in vogue in fighting games. By the end of next year, we’re going to have three major tag games to choose from: Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Whichever one you’re into, no doubt you’ve been comparing them in your mind.

Game Informer is continuing their Dragon Ball FighterZ coverage. This time, they’ve decided to see what the producers of two competing games think of one another.

“If I’m not mistaken, Infinite is designed with a two-on-two battle system, whereas our game features a three-on-three battle system. In that sense, the gameplay differs between the games. Heck, the release dates are different, too [laughs],” Tomoko Hiroki, producer of DBFZ, says. “In any case, I’m happy that our titles are each different in its own unique way. “Still, I have to admit, when I first saw Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite, I thought to myself, ‘Oh shoot!’ [laughs].”

Hiroki didn’t offer many thoughts on Infinite; she says that she hasn’t really had a chance to play it. The response on Capcom’s side has been pretty diplomatic.

“I haven’t played it yet, but the action in Dragon Ball FighterZ looks great,” said Michael Evans, a producer who is working on Infinite. “Personally, in the past, I haven’t put a lot of time into the anime fighters, but I’m looking forward to trying it out. All I can say is that it’s a great time to be alive for fighting-game fans!”

Sounds like neither side has done that much research into the competition, mostly sticking to their own work. Gotta appreciate that little “Oh shoot!” from Hiroki, however! Read the full interview over on Game Informer’s website.

Source: Game Informer

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Feast your eyes on official — and unofficial — BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle footage

Can’t Escape from Crossing Fate!

We’re finally seeing more footage from BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle! The zany crossover is now playable at New York Comic Con, and we’ve heard some Cross Tag Battle first impressions from players. Earlier today, the official Arc System Works uploaded a “Play Movie” that shows battles in high quality.

The matches showcase all seven available characters — Ragna, Jin, Hyde, Linne, Yu, Yosuke, and Ruby — while playing their themes in the background, including one from the RWBY soundtrack (it sounds fitting!). There’s a couple of interesting things to note: for instance, you can pre-select who goes first during the loading screen. You can also spot a “Reject” mechanic where a player pushes the assailant back, à la Marvel vs. Capcom.

My favorite moments are right at 3:00, when Jin, while having Resonance Blaze, cuts through both opponents with an Overdrive Ice Fang, dealing a whopping 7000 damage to the off-character. There’s also a cool interaction around 6:18 when Linne is about to hit Ragna with a super, but Hyde activates his own in response, narrowly saving Ragna with a clash.

There are also some unofficial videos floating around on Twitter:

Sources: Arc System Works;@UnsafeonHit; @_AetherStar

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First player impressions on BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle at New York Comic Con

The day has come for players to try out BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle for the first time. As announced at the Tokyo Game Show, a playable build of the game is available to try at NYCC. It’s in a very early stage, obviously, and there aren’t any more characters or surprises yet. But it is the first chance to get a taste of most of the mechanics in the game.

The build has Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Hyde, Linne, Jin, Ragna, and Ruby. Players attending the event have begun to share their impressions on Twitter. PG|SKD has done some write-ups, describing game controls.

  • There are five buttons: A, B, C, Assist, Tag
  • C is always an overhead, or 2C is a sweep
  • Special moves can be done with quarter circle motions (214/236). Supers are done by pressing two buttons at once. Performing Special moves with C costs meter as well.
  • It’s possible to keep an assisting character on the screen longer and to direct them to do attacks.
  • Throws are done with BC and they act similarly to throws in BlazBlue
  • Dragon Punches are done with AD (or A and Assist)

In part 2, SKD writes:

  • Resonance Blaze is sort of like X-Factor and Overdrive. It’s a comeback mechanic that’s available once the partner is knocked out. Resonance Blaze refills the meter quickly, makes supers stronger, and regenerates health.
  • There are auto-combos by pressing the A/B buttons repetitevely.
  • You can’t be thrown during blockstun, and also, when you press throw, the character will dash forward a bit to grab.

SKD and others have also tweeted a bunch of impressions and answered some questions:

Stay tuned to SRK as we learn more; also, check out the first video of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle gameplay.

Sources: PG|SKD; PAG|Grover; @_AetherStar

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Rumor: Monster Hunter and Black Panther were ready months before Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite’s release

It seems like the scandals surrounding the development of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite aren’t thinning out any time soon. This time, it’s concerning Capcom’s oft-questioned downloadable-content strategy. A YouTuber claims to have spoken to Capcom employees, and has compiled his brief but scathing investigation in a short clip.

Regarding details about the game’s development — according to Liam Robertson’s sources — some of the DLC planned for after the release was actually finished months before the game’s own release. Specifically, he mentions Monster Hunter and Black Panther, available October 17th alongside additional DLC fighter Sigma. But rather than release them with the game’s premier, Capcom made a decision to hold them back and sell at a later date as DLC.

What’s more, the video’s sources postulate a major reason for the game’s marred development: a low budget. The sources estimated that MvC:I‘s bank is about half of Street Fighter V’s DLC content — not even that of the base game. Seeing as many of the assets were recycled, the video mentions that nuggets like Chun-Li’s face were a result of poorly-optimized assets for the newer game.

While additional sources don’t corroborate this information yet, stay tuned to SRK as more news develops around this subject.

Source: Liam Robertson – Game History Guy

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Pick up on Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2’s Kum Haehyun’s secrets with this easy guide

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 characters, for the most part, aren’t that difficult to pick up at the start. The real problem begins after learning their basic moveset and combos. There’s so much character-specific tech out there, it’s hard to know where to go next. But if your goal has been to learn more about Kum Haehyun, you’re in luck.

Voguekun, a well-known Haehyun player in the United States, prepared a “Tech Grimoire,” which is a slightly advanced guide to the character’s techniques. Don’t be afraid, though. As long as you have a basic understanding of Haehyun’s moves — which are player-controllable projectiles, and several kick attacks — you’ll gain a lot from watching this. Voguekun explains the basic flow of okizeme and how to avoid mistakes in setplay. He also goes through confirming into the infamous Shiinken loop.

The video closes out with some very useful recommendations for using the projectiles in neutral, and how to deal with some specific characters — as well as an unblockable setup. Check it out below.

Source: Voguekun

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Koefficient introduces you to BlazBlue: Central Fiction’s mechanics with a beginner tutorial

BlazBlue: Central Fiction is a bit of a daunting game to pick up. It not only has large character cast, but there’s plenty of game mechanics that have been tacked on over the years. While the title does feature a robust tutorial — with hints for specific characters — sometimes it’s better to have someone talk to you through it, or you want to learn on the go. YouTuber Koefficient created a thorough video that unravels the Wheel of Time.

He starts out by explaining the gauges around the screen, particularly delving into the Burst Gauge, which is shared with the Overdrive mechanic. Related to it are Active Flow and Exceed Accel, which are an empowered state and a special move from Overdrive, respectively. After that, Koefficient explains Barrier and Crush Trigger, then goes into more basic mechanics, like throws and throw teching.

Have a friend who keeps getting Purple Thrown, or someone who’s been looking at BlazBlue, but not fully understanding it? The video might be just for them. If you’re looking for guides specifically for characters, look into videos from Level 482 Productions.

Source: Koefficient

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First in-game match footage of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle surfaces

Two days before the New York Comic Con, which begins October 5th, a tweet has shown up that should sate those eagerly awaiting BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. As we’ve only seen character reveals and the same trailer a few times so far, we can finally sink our teeth into some actual gameplay footage.

Tweeted by Rooster Teeth head animator Gray Martigan, the video clip (that’s over two minutes long) shows a battle between Ragna and RWBY’s Ruby against Jin and another Ruby. Check it out:

I’m certain some internet users will analyze the clip to the bone, but we at least have a good look at the gameplay flow in BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Cued to a song from the RWBY franchise, we see a lot of moves from Ruby. Jin and Ragna, of course, have a familiar moveset. The ladies call in the brothers for multiple assists, and we also see a very highly damaging tag combo from Ragna and Ruby. Finally, it looks like BlazBlue characters keep their Overdrive mechanic to get a fancy “Resonance Finish” (basically this game’s version of Distortion Finish).

What do you think of the footage? Let us know in the comments below. And if you happen to be there, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle will be playable at New York Comic Con.

Source: @graymartigan

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Trouble blocking Slayer in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2? Let a Slayer player teach you

Slayer is a pretty scary opponent to face in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2. The teleporting vampire hits hard, and on top of that, he has a confusing moving pattern that can easily catch the victim off guard. Don’t carry a stake — rather than panic, study up a little so you know what to do against this match-up.

daymendou posted several videos on Twitter to guide players to better responses to Slayer. With each Tweet, he explains each situation so that you know how to counter his approach. He starts out by talking about possible follow-ups after the K version of Mappa (BDC stands for backdash cancel):

Here they are — that’s just one segment that daymendou covered. Don’t hesitate to ask him more questions on Twitter or follow him to stay updated on more tech that he might explain.

Source: daymendou

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Shoryuken interview: Dora_Bang talks about playing BlazBlue: Central Fiction

Left: PG|SKD. Center: PNS|Garireo. Right: r/Kappa|Dora_Bang.

CEOtaku 2017, a very important tournament for anime games in the United States, brought a good deal of international competition this time around. Thanks to an r/Kappa sponsorship, Dora_Bang made it to the tournament. For a Japanese player, he’s quite famous in the United States. Dora_Bang not only streams often — lately on Twitch — but he also makes helpful content, often in English. He’s known for his fun personality and a tendency for frequent money matching.

I caught up with Dora right after the BlazBlue: Central Fiction Grand Finals at CEOtaku 2017. Dora_Bang ended up second, right after PNS|Garireo.

Interview conducted through a translator provided by Aksys Games. Edited for clarity.

Woocash: Talk to us about the Grand Finals in BlazBlue.

Dora_Bang: During the Winners Finals, of course I beat Garireo with ease. But Garireo was in a sort of bad tempo, so it wasn’t his best condition. Even during Evo, Garireo made comebacks just like this. I really wanted to fight him on equal terms when he’s doing his very best. That’s what I want to do in the future too.

Woocash: Tell us more about some of the top 8 matches you were having.

Dora_Bang: One of the top 3 strongest players, other than me and Garireo, SKD. I really felt on edge there throughout the fight, I felt like I couldn’t aim for an Astral Finish or Distortion Finish. He’s really one of the best players among the top. In my first fight against Garireo, I was able to do all my combos correctly. But when he regained his composure, I was having trouble, I was missing my combos sometimes. It’s just that if I’m not fighting a great player, I won’t understand my own weaknesses. That really got to me in the middle of the fight when the reset happened.

When you corner Garireo, he’ll start doing wake-up throws [Dora means that instead of Dragon Punching, Garireo would start throwing Dora while getting up. Bang’s Drive can block and go through Dragon Punches.] I realized that sometimes I don’t think, and I just reflexively jump up-back and Barrier.

Woocash: Why do you think you lost to him?

Dora_Bang: One of the reasons I lost is because I wanted to see him after the reset. It’s not that I let him win, but it’s a mindset. I wanted to see how strong he would be after the reset. That’s something I learned today, too. This big money match, even though I lost it, I wanted to see what would happen. It’s a new mindset I’m looking at right now.

Woocash: You recently made a tier list of BlazBlue characters. Any new thoughts on it? Having played in the States here a bit, any new opinions?

Dora_Bang: I don’t feel there should be any new changes to the tier chart. I noticed that in the US, there aren’t many Arakune players. Since it’s a bit hard to tell with Arakune. So this time, I feel that the balance is really good, because you can’t tell who’s going to win just by looking at characters.

Woocash: Why do you like money-matching so much?

Dora_Bang: In a money match, you’re betting on something. It puts people on the line. They get more nervous and they show more fighting spirit. That’s why I like it, because it puts people on nerve. If you’re just playing casuals, you’re only fighting. You don’t know if the opponent is playing for fun or to improve. But in a money match, most people are going to be on edge. I think it’s good for players to grow.

Woocash: What in the United States has surprised you the most?

Dora_Bang: Game-wise, I’m surprised how strong SKD is. Also, I saw a lot of squirrels yesterday. I saw a lot of wildlife in Florida.

Woocash: How are you liking coming to the States? You’ve recently come to Evolution 2017 as well.

Dora_Bang: It’s super fun! Japanese people are a bit more shy or passive. In the US, people will come talk to you. That’s why I like to come more. The community is more talkative.

Woocash: Any other comments?

Dora_Bang: I stream on Twitch, so please watch it!

 

Garireo played Dora in an epic CEOtaku 2017 BlazBlue Grand Final. Also, check out the CEOtaku 2017 full results page.

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Senko no Ronde 2 impressions: A shoot ’em up that’s also a fighting game

Have you ever dreamed of playing as the boss in a shoot ’em up, rather than the small-but-heroic ship? Wished that you were the one taking up most of the screen, against another player, who’s in their tiny vessel, doing their best to at least survive the barrage of attacks you’re unleashing? You have overpowered beams, bullet-hell-style waves that fill the screen, and whatever else the Boss Mode allows. This is just one aspect of Senko no Ronde 2, a hybrid shooter and fighting game that beamed over to the Western market recently.

senkonoronde2

The series originally hails from the Japanese arcades in 2005, succeeded by an Xbox 360 port called WarTech: Senko no Ronde. Senko no Ronde 2 is essentially a reboot of the series’ first title for proper release in the West. For the first time, the game’s extensive Story Mode is translated into English. Taking place far in the future, after Earth is no longer inhabitable, the game’s world involves warring government factions across the galaxy. When a terrorist unit strikes and steals a valuable weapon, it changes the balance of power. New combatants arise, but their motives aren’t entirely known.

That’s the gist of the story, which should satisfy anime/visual novel fans, but I didn’t have an opportunity to delve into that when I tried the game at CEOtaku. Rather than reading and listening to Japanese-voiced dialogue, I braved a somewhat complicated battle system and tried a variety of pilots and co-pilots with a goal of blasting my opposition into stardust.

Jumping into Versus Mode, a screen familiar to fighting game players greets the eyes. A row of faces displays available pilots. Pressing up or down changes the co-pilot, which mostly changes a cooldown ability of a pilot. Every character differs pretty significantly from one another by ship, main weapon and subweapon, Barrage attack, and Boss Mode. That last mechanic uses “stock” which is gained between rounds. Players can enter their Boss version at any time, which turns them into a giant ship for a limited duration, dependant on how much power meter they had. It also restores health. Playable either on arcade stick or gamepad, the controls are in-depth, but not too overwhelming.

senkonoronde1

Battles take place in round stages with a variety of backgrounds. The combat is mostly a dance of two shooting ships. A dash button allows swift strafing while pressing two buttons for standard attacks. Lev, the first character, has a relatively boring gatling gun and a jelly gun which leaves a damaging trail. His Boss Mode was more interesting; you can fire a wide spread of bullets to fill the screen, which I used to set up a narrower but much more damaging beam. I much more enjoyed Jasper, who mounts the Saiga. A ninja-like ship, Jasper’s subweapon places smoke clouds around the screen and four markers, up, down, left, and right, allowing him to teleport to either one. This lets him easily get close for melee attacks. I also resonated with Ranatus, who’s more of a typical zoner. Her weapons are either a wide spread of projectiles or a focused, damaging beam. Overall, there’s a lot of variety and some really creative subweapons — I saw some that trap the opponent and drain their power gauge, for example.

The battles are divided into traditional rounds, and as mentioned, there are a few uses of Boss Mode stocks. There’s a lot of strategy to them, since whenever you’re low on health or about to perish, you can utilize it to completely turn the tables. However, the opponent isn’t completely helpless. They can dodge the attacks until you run out of time, or worse, destroy the Boss by hitting its weak spot continuously. You have to build up meter to stay in Boss Mode long, or you can spend it alternatively on special Barrage attacks. The developers have told me that many proficient players eschew using Boss and prefer to use meter for those special attacks. Maybe they’re so good, they can avoid dying to any Boss in the game?

senkonoronde3

One difficulty I came across is that it’s definitely tough to tell what’s going on in the screen. While that’s natural for schmups, it’s a bit confusing from a fighting game perspective. The two genres clash a bit, as I’ve had problems understanding what I’m doing or what button does what, especially when going into melee. I’m sure the mechanics would be more apparent as time goes on, however, get used to seeing a screen filled with flashy, colorful objects. Nonetheless, this doesn’t subtract from Senko‘s strategic, frenetic personality.

There’s definitely a good depth to Senko. A variety of characters ensures there’s something for everyone, and there are more complex systems that I barely touched on in this post. If you like having more layers, there is plenty of strategy to explore. The Boss Mode brings a feeling of utter joy as your giant ship faces the tiny opponent — that’s definitely one of the main thrills for me and a unique selling point. If you’re wondering whether this is similar to any other fighting game, I would say the neutral game feels somewhat like ARMS if it were from a top-down perspective. Ultimately, I would encourage you to give Senko no Ronde 2 a chance.

Senko no Ronde 2 is now available on Steam and PlayStation 4. Check out the official website.

senko_no_ronde_2