Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

Exceed Assault (originally named CrossXBattle) is an online exhibition series celebrating various BlazBlue: Central Fiction match-ups. In a first-to-10-set format, a team of the same characters battles another one. There’s also usually a special FT10 between two skilled players. We have footage of the latest Exceed Assault available for perusal.

We see some rather “rare” characters in these batches. First up was Team Bullet battling Team Naoto. At first, it seemed like Bullet had no chance. Naotos pulled ahead 3-0, obliterating the close-ranged grapplers. But over time, slowly but surely, Team Bullet started to pick up their game and catch the Naoto players off-guard. It was an incredibly close set that came down to the last deciding round.

Next up is Dolfy Valkenyahn versus Myoro Relius. The long set provides good study material for this rather rare match-up. Again, it’s a fairly close set, but one of them does emerge as more dominant. The commentators discuss the situations and share their insight during it.

Lastly, Team Susano’o fought Team Hazama. Susano’o is a newcomer to BBCF, and both characters are considered somewhat weak in 1.0. The challenge for Susano’o is unlocking special moves during combat with his Drive ability. It’s a tricky match-up thanks to Hazama’s good mobility.

View all the footage below, contained in a playlist.

Stay tuned, as we know that more episodes of Exceed Assault are coming. We’ve been hearing the next one is a husband-wife battle! Read more about how Exceed Assault started on Shoryuken.

Source: LogicHoleStudios

Rather than the typical singles tournament, a 2-on-2 or a 3-on-3 format is quite popular in Japan. Mikado, the premiere spot for regular Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 action, finds time to broadcast tournaments that aren’t quite as traditional. Over the past few weeks, the venue held a few special Saturday 3-on-3 tournaments.

This first set from July 29th includes:

00:00:59
Zenith(RV) Syun(BA) Teratai(DI)

00:00:59
Hossa(KU) Jain(KU) Tei(KU)

00:16:29
Hase(SL) Azesuke(MA) Syodai Kusoru(SO)

00:31:12
Hiraoka(KY) Teresa(JA) Takuya(FA)

00:42:45
Yoshiki(RV) Kubiwa(JC) Temuo(JO)

The highlights of these sets definitely include Hase’s Slayer and Azesuke’s May. There’s also a team entirely devoted to Kum Haehyun, so make sure to watch this one if you’re on the lookout for more REV 2 Kum footage.

The team tournament from August 5th included:

00:00:59
TY(SL) Toriniku(RA) Tollso(MI)

00:00:59
Hossa(KU) Chappu(CH) Meroso(ZA)

00:20:52
Ashihana(BE) Teruru(MA) Hanenama(FA)

00:34:24
Gonzaburo(FA) Hossa(KU) Taka(SL)

00:55:45
Yoshiki(RV) Shimonkin(AX) TKC(JA)

Definitely take a look for some Axl gameplay from Shimonkin here, and we also have two Fausts, Gonzaburo, and Hanenama.

This tournament from August 12th had some very strong players:

00:00:53
Azesuke(MA) Tsuchiya(MI) Hase(SL)

00:00:53
Hanenama(FA) Tomo(LE) Teresa(JA)

00:20:52
Ashihana(BE) Teruru(MA) Hanenama(FA)

00:15:50
Yusukechin(CH) Karinchu(JO) Hasegawa(IN)

00:15:50
Kude-kun(ZA) Otooto(IN) Migumigu(EL)

00:32:12
LOX(JA) Ain(KY) mamenii(SO)

00:47:14
RH(FA) Hisakata(DI) Dominon(ZA)

There’s a host of famous players in this one: Karinchu’s Johnny, Lox and Teresa’s Jam, Tomo’s Leo, Hase’s Slayer again, and more.

Make sure to stay tuned to Jonio’s channel for a constant source of top-notch Guilty Gear gameplay. Looking for something a little older? Also check out their great GGXX Accent Core Plus sets.

Source: Joniosan

Time to pull out your canes and tell the youngsters about how good gaming was back in the day… But wait! Are these brand new Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R sets from Mikado we’re seeing?! Why yes! If you’re new to Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and haven’t seen the game’s predecessor, or you’re yearning to look back at high-level gameplay of this gem again, you’re in for a good time.

The SlashSeries presents three first-to-ten matches between high-level players. First up, we have Hotta’s Justice versus Godolphin’s May. For those who aren’t acquainted, Justice is a reformed boss character who wasn’t tournament-legal in earlier releases of the game. A rather niche character, she can effectively zone with multiple, slow-traveling bombs on the screen. She also has excellent range on some normals but a big hurtbox. May seems even more like a bruiser in this version, with a running command grab and dizzying movement.

Next up is Kesuke’s Testament against Matsui’s Zappa. Neither character made it into Xrd yet, and both are incredibly powerful in this version. Zappa summons random ghosts that significantly alter his playstyle, while Testament zones with a variety of traps and poisons. These are definitely amazing to watch, especially while wishing to not face either of those characters, especially from such skilled players. That time out at 49:00, though!

Lastly, Hotta fights AGF’s Anji. Arguably and most likely the best Anji player, AGF still commands an extremely impressive Anji with all the tech. The FRCs, the burst baits, the combos with the air command grab, On, pressure with Shitsu (the butterfly), he has it all. He does many genius baits to punish Hotta for bursting to steal the rounds. Anji has to work to get in, and AGF does it all while looking like he’s playing a calm game of chess.

Source: Joniosan

Naoto, a brand new character to BlazBlue: Central Fiction, saw some usage in the casual and competitive scene — but maybe not as much as some of us would like. Since the BlazBlue 2.0 patch shook things up, certain characters received not only the buffs they needed, but also the tuning to their tools to open up entirely new combo paths. Naoto seems to be one of those characters.

There’s a multitude of Naoto adjustments: longer active frames on certain moves, bigger hurtboxes, several new gatlings, etc. His new combos give him opportunities to change direction with Phantom Pain. The video from Kamikaze below is an excellent primer of strong confirms that have a lot of hits and high damage. There are some really good examples from anti-air starters and counter hits.

Source: Jourdal via NicoNico