Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

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Dragon Ball FighterZ producer Tomoko Hiroki answers questions on cooperating with Arc System Works

One of the hypest projects from Arc System Works right now is no longer part of the Guilty Gear or BlazBlue franchises — though both of those have their strong followings — but Dragon Ball FighterZ, announced seemingly out of nowhere, and now enjoying a limelight from its E3 showings. Take a break from watching the positively dizzying Dragon Ball FighterZ match footage, and read up on the latest interview with producer Tomoko Hiroki for some insight.

Game Informer asked the producer on approaching Arc System Works for producing the game; they worked together before on an older title, Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butōden for the Nintendo 3DS. Guilty Gear comes into question, especially being a fairly complex title, but Hiroki doesn’t look at Dragon Ball FighterZ as a watered-down GG to make it easier to newcomers; she wants to create something new that appeals to both avid fighting game fans and Dragon Ball franchise enthusiasts. Hiroki also understands that the game’s status as an esports title is highly dependent on the community. She teases that the future characters added to the game are going to be “more unique.”

Read up on the Q&A over at the Game Informer website.

Source: Game Informer

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Combo your opponent into submission with I-no’s new routes in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2’s recent release still has us learning new things about every character. While most received fairly subtle changes, many fighters have entirely new routes that vary depending on whom you’re comboing. If you’re looking to learn how to do the fancy REV 2 stuff with Guilty Gear’s guitar mistress I-no, look no further than these videos from I-no expert Mynus.

Mynus explains in the video description: “I-no in Rev 2 can now combo into her ground-based command throw, Shoudoku Method (SM). This is great for combo extensions and generates amazing meter gain. Tradeoffs are that it now no longer grabs.”

Generally, it looks like I-no combos into SM off of 6HS.

On Ramlethal:

On Bedman:

On Slayer:

On Faust:

On Sol:

You can also view the playlist of REV 2 I-no combos here. There’s a couple more characters included beyond the ones embedded in this article. Don’t forget to subscribe to Mynus for more I-no tech in the future.

If you’re a Sin Kiske main, don’t forget to check out our coverage of new REV 2 Sin combos.

Source: Mynus

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How long does it take to get good at fighting games? Novril’s video series answers

Here’s a question that your non-FGC friend might be asking you: how long exactly will it take me to get as good as you? When you’ve put in years of work on your fighting game resume, you may not even have a clear idea of how long would it take for a new person to “git gud.” Novriltataki, in his “Exploring Fighting Games” video-documentary series, tackles the query with a surprisingly straightforward answer.

“20 hours.” That sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Admittedly though, getting someone new to sit through a solid total of 20 hours learning a new game is quite a lot, actually. Novril (using mathematical graphs, no less) explains why that is. At first, one would improve significantly in those 20 hours, reaching a certain turning point where progress slows down. That first period is marked by some frustration and confusion as there’s a lot of new information to absorb. After that, however, the post-20-hour mark is easier and more enjoyable, as one can taste the finer nuances of the fighting game title.

Novril delves deeper into the specifics of how to divide and organize time to get the most out of learning a new fighting game. Check it out below:

Source: novriltataki

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The fighting game player database app, FGC Scouter, is now rebranded as AirdashDB

Some time ago, we wrote about FGC Scouter, an Android app that provides a listing of community members. The creator, AnBi, has now remade and renamed the app as AirdashDB. If you were ever curious for some intel on whom you might face in tournaments, this app will probably do the trick.

AirdashDB — as the name suggests — is currently focused on Guilty Gear Xrd, potentially expanding into other titles after CEOtaku. AirdashDB has a new look and UI, offering a search function and an alphabetical listing. Every player can have their main character(s), home state or country, and picture displayed. Additionally, the app can link to their Twitter handles, display what tournaments they participated it, important placements, and interesting tidbits.

While the app has been available on Google Play Store, AirdashDB is now available on the iOS store as well for Apple device owners. If you’d like your info to be in the app, or you want everyone to know what your catchphrase is, you can DM info to the AirdashDB Twitter account.

In related news, AnBi’s other app, GunFrame, which lists frame data for several games, now also includes Injustice 2. You can view that either on the web version or on your device of choice via Google Play or the iTunes Store.

Sources: AirdashDB (Google Play; iTunes); AnBi

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Sony stays vague about questions of cross-platform gaming

If titles like Rocket League can be played across multiple platforms, what’s stopping fighting games?

As per every E3, there’s a bit of a “console war” revival as the biggest corporations behind our platforms of choice get ready to wow us with glamorous trailers. While we each hold our own preferences, we’ve seen many more fighting games find communities on both consoles and PCs. Unfortunately, when it comes to online play, those servers are still blocked off by invisible walls.

One of the announcements at E3 regarded a Nintendo Switch port for Rocket League — a sort of racing-soccer hybrid competitive game — and Minecraft, the builder everyone and their younger siblings play. Not only are those titles are coming to Nintendo’s latest gizmo, but furthermore, gamers across Xbox One, PC, and mobile platforms can all join hands and enjoy the titles free of console-war boundaries.

An obvious omission from this list is Sony, which doesn’t have nearly as strong bonds with the PC market as the Microsoft-powered Windows, but the company never has been particularly opposed to porting. When Eurogamer pressed the question of cross-platform gaming to the creators of PlayStation, Global Sales and Marketing Head Jim Ryan tip-toed around the questions. While open to ideas and conversations, there are no such plans in motion.

It’s certainly not a profound philosophical stance we have against this. We’ve done it in the past. We’re always open to conversations with any developer or publisher who wants to talk about it. Unfortunately it’s a commercial discussion between ourselves and other stakeholders, and I’m not going to get into the detail of that on this particular instance.

When Eurogamer pressed on, Ryan explained that the PlayStation universe has to be curated across demographics, which can get complicated when you have younger Minecraft players in the mix. Traditionally, the company most worried about age-restricted content and interactions has been Nintendo.

“I don’t think anything is ever a done deal,” Ryan followed up. “Anybody who is dogmatic in that manner is typically a fool. That said, to my knowledge, there is no live conversation ongoing at the moment.”

Outside of Street Fighter V’s PS4/PC interaction, can we expect more cross-platform play for fighting games at some point? The more games from other genres that get that treatment, the more likely we will. Let’s hope Sony joins the crowd in making the effort to do so. In related news: a GameSpot interview has Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, expressing desire to co-exist and grow alongside Sony.

“We don’t have to see another company fail in order for us to succeed,” Spencer said.

Sources: Eurogamer.net; GameSpot

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Yahoo! Esports website shutting down due to AOL merger

There’s one power gaming websites are still vulnerable to: corporate direction and sponsorship. In a surprising letter published today, Yahoo! Esports — who covered not only fighting games, but also other big esports titles like League of Legends and Counter Strike: GO — announced its closure.

“Unfortunately, Yahoo Esports will no longer be updated after this Friday (June 16th),” writes Travis Gafford, Head of Esports Media at the site. “As Yahoo Sports becomes part of Oath, they are focusing on aligning with the new company strategy and are focused on growing the Yahoo Sports brand.”

An offshoot of many Yahoo! websites, the esport-dedicated site launched on March 2nd, 2016. SRK frequently linked back to their fighting game coverage, particularly Conversations and Fireballs segments, such as those with Fable|Kizzie Kay and CYG BST’s PR Balrog.

Verizon recently acquired Yahoo! for a $4.48 billion price tag. The company, alongside Huffington Post media sites, will be merged with AOL under a new company called Oath. According to Gafford, the “company strategy” leaves out the esports site in order to focus more on other assets.

Our team at Shoryuken would like to offer our gratitude to the staff at Yahoo! Esports, for their hard work in bringing more exposure to fighting games and esports at large. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Sources: Yahoo! Esports; Heavy

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ComboFiend’s video tutorial breaks down Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite’s controls and mechanics

We’re learning a lot about Marvel vs. Capcom’s cinematic, more-involving Story Mode, as well as who’s actually going to be in it, but what about the nitty-gritty details — the system mechanics and controls? This year’s E3 is rich in presentations, and Peter “ComboFiend” Rosas from Capcom is here to provide a quick but detailed rundown of what buttons we’ll use for Hyper Combos to smash the opposing duos.

Here’s the basic control scheme diagram provided in the video:

mvcicontrolscheme

New to Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite are:

  • Simple Commands
    • Execute an auto-combo by repeatedly pressing the light punch button; less damage but always works.
    • Pressing heavy punch and heavy kick together do an “Easy Hyper Combo” — one of the character’s supers.
  • Active Switch
    • Switch characters any time with one button.
    • Can also switch character while they’re attacked, to “Counter Switch.” Spends two bars.
  • Infinity Stone
    • Infinity Surge — a unique action different to each Stone.
    • Infinity Storm — trigger the full power of the Stone to completely change the battlefield in your favor.

Check out the detailed description and display of each mechanic in the video below:

In related news, the Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite Story Demo is now available for free on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Source: Capcom Channel

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Shoryuken talks to Fable|KidViper about Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 changes and metagame

Combo Breaker 2017 provided plenty of opportunities to catch up with some skilled players. Fable|Jason “KidViper” El-Srouji made a name for himself with his exceptional Johnny in Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, frequently winning tournaments and even beating the infamous CO|Dogura. His recent addition to a new esports team, as well as a growing interest in a new character, Baiken, made it a must-have interview on the spot at Combo Breaker.

KidViper speaks about Fable, learning Baiken in just under a month, and whom he considers a rising force in the increasingly visible competitive Guilty Gear scene.

Luke “Woocash” Siuty: Tell us a little about how the sponsorship with Fable came about.

Jason “KidViper” El-Srouji: They actually contacted me about three weeks before DreamHack, and we’ve been in talks this whole time. They got a little busy, I got a little busy. Bassem “Bear” Dahdouh [from smash.gg] put in a word for me, so that’s how they came in to me. DreamHack I feel also helped influence them to keep going through with the deal, that’s just how it went.

Woocash: Were you looking to get sponsored, was the proposition particularly attractive?

KidViper: It was definitely both, I definitely wanted to get sponsored again. Fable have what I’m looking for in a team. The big thing is communication. They’re always talking with us and their teammates. It’s very vocal compared to the last team I had. They definitely look out for us players, which is the most important thing for us players and me. And if I feel that you guys do that… that’s what it’s about for me.

Woocash: Can you talk a little about fighting Dogura? You fought both his Raven and his Sin.

KidViper: Going into that match, I didn’t even think I could get two games. I couldn’t make Frosty Faustings earlier in the year, during that time I was at home practicing certain concepts and strategies in case I ever run into Dogura.

I had never played him before that point [DreamHack] in tournament or casuals, so I had to do some things on the fly from what I practiced. Luckily everything went through, went pretty well. He’s super-adaptive, so not only was it was kind of a thrill to see how fast he adapted, but it was also refreshing to me because it meant that I can really see how my strategy works against him. It seems to have paid off really well.

About Sin, I’m pretty comfortable with Sin, I practiced a lot of with Fable|Kizzie Kay and FaultyDefense, and they have two varying styles, so Dogura’s kind of like a hybrid between them in terms of aggression and footsies. That match, as soon as he switched, I was like, I won, it’s over. It’s super comfortable for me.

Woocash: As REV 2 was approaching, and Baiken came out, what were you thinking? Were you eager to play the character?

KidViper: I was very interested in her. I thought, if she is fun, I’ll play her. Most of the time when I choose a character, they have to be fun for me. If I find something really cool or fun, then I’ll play them. Usually it isn’t about character strength. When I watch her, I was like, “yo, this is sick.” How parry works, and the parry really plays to my strengths in some aspects. I’ll definitely play her and Johnny together.

Woocash: Can you share any secrets on how you trained with Baiken? You only had a month, what was your regimen like?

KidViper: Most of my labbing was not particularly on the offensive side, it was more on the defensive end, and neutral. Baiken’s a character who gets stronger as you understand more situations and how to counteract them, so that was my primary focus. Learning how to Guard Cancel Azami is still my primary focus at the moment. Of course, it’s still all new, so I’m not really all too comfortable with it. There are situations that I understand and may be able to recognize, which has made me happy throughout this weekend, that I was able to implement. Offensively, it was pretty straightforward, so I didn’t really practice that.

Neutral was a little work because her buttons aren’t all-purpose. A lot of characters have buttons that can cover multiple options, but with Baiken, every tool she has has a specific purpose. Trying to get used to managing all of that and understanding when to use what was a little work, too. So those were my main focuses, defense and neutral.

Woocash: You’ve watched a lot of Guilty Gear play today [at Combo Breaker], we saw a good variety of characters and people. Who do you see in the FGC as an emerging force to be reckoned with?

KidViper: Well, Kizzie is already on his rise, he’s coming up. Also, daymendou. He’s also on the comeup in his rise. They’re both at this point up there already. Definitely those two. The other one is Hamad. I play with him all the time. I see things that people don’t always see. And finally, he started traveling, and he’s performing like the Hamad that I see all the time. I’m glad that it’s starting to show and hopefully people start seeing it, his strength.

Woocash: Care to comment on REV 2 balance so far?

KidViper: I think it’s OK. They added a few things to each character, changed some characters, but overall, the balance got smaller in terms of character strength disparity. From REV 1, it was pretty wide, the gaps in strength, but now it’s a lot smaller. Overall, most characters did not change in strength all too much. I think the S-tiers are still all the same, except for Millia, who dropped to A-tier. Sin, Johnny, Raven, Zato=1 are still top. Elphelt might have dropped to A as well. Chipp is A, I think. They’re right there, at that border.

As far as new characters, I think Baiken is high-tier in terms of strength, and I think Answer has room to grow substantially, but right now I think he’s high-mid.

Woocash: Plans in the upcoming months?

KidViper: I will definitely be at CEO and Evo. If I have enough time off, I will go to CEOtaku, because right now, these are definitely the three majors for anime for the rest of the year to look out for. When I’m not there, I plan on streaming more and practicing more, trying to prepare myself.

Woocash: Any other thoughts?

KidViper: Keep an eye out for this game. It’s starting to become pretty big, and the level is starting to become pretty high. A lot of matches are starting to truly show the development of the game in terms of how it’s going to play in the long run, since the balance wasn’t changed much. You’re really going to start some nice, high-level mindgames and adaptations, so it will be a lot of excitement to watch over the coming months and into Evo. Definitely look out for this game, please.

Read up on Combo Breaker 2017 results and in case you missed it, check out the Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 top 8 at the event.

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New Sin combos in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 show off stylish air confirms

It’s time for a spotlight on everyone’s favorite man-child, Sin Kiske. The ever-growing boy received some interesting fine-tuning in REV 2; the changes are subtle but they actually lead to a whole new array of combos. For instnace, jK has gained new properties, while jD knocks down. There’s also brand-new combos with air Beak Driver.

A recent Japanese video explores what’s new for Sin in REV 2. The majority covers confirms from jD, Sin’s main overhead attack. There’s new combo options on heavy characters, and Sin still has some form of an air-dash loop in certain situations. This is an excellent tutorial that also shows how to do new corner combos with air Beak Driver into knockdown. These combos probably aren’t as “basic” as the title suggests, but there are some easier ones.

Prefer the speedy assassin Millia instead? Check out our Millia REV 2 combo compilation.

Source: かぷちーのゲームチャンネル

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Welcome to the family: Pick up Tekken 7’s Kazuya with these combo guides

Tekken 7 can be a tough nut to crack, as the game’s multitude of match-ups and long combos provide quite a bit to study. If you’ve been eyeing the Mishima family and want to get better with Kazuya, we’ve got some combo videos to do just that.

legendaryMihawk opens up with a good primer on a wide breadth of Kazuya combos. They show off various starters, and include combos from counter-hits. Each one of them is showed twice, the second time in slow motion and with the required inputs shown on screen. The latter combos dive into wall sequences and Rage Art enders.

If you’re looking for a more basic, simple combo guide, World Warrior also has a video that’s got you covered.

Looking for another fighter instead? Check out a video that shows Tekken 7 Lars beginner combos.

Sources: legendaryMihawk; World Warrior