The Guilty Gear SlashSeries continues over at Japan’s Mikado arcade. As Japan’s REV 2 stars regularly face each other in the venue, American player and organizer Mike “ElvenShadow” Boczar traveled to the country, where he stayed for close to eight years. Of course, he couldn’t go about visiting his second homeland without making some stops at his favorite bars and arcades.
ElvenShadow’s Faust faces Ain’s Ky Kiske in a FT5 set. A bit of a grudge match, it’s fascinating to see this matchup played at high-level especially since it’s a very “random” zoning game. Also noteworthy are the REV 2 changes, such as Ky’s new normal move, which Ain already expertly utilizes to keep up pressure and gain a lot of Tension, and some of Faust’s new “Jackpot” items. We see a few of the latter during the matches. Anyone ordered a box of donuts? There’s also a serving of huge meteor.
Other than quick interviews with the players, ElvenShadow also fights 310’s innovative Venom. Again, English-speakers make sure to set your computer audio settings to right speaker only to hear MajinObama’s insightful English commentary.
Noel Vermillion has been a bit of an underdog in the BlazBlue series. Though there were some versions where she was comparatively stronger, the dominant characters in Central Fiction generally push her lower in the hierarchy.
Alizonius, who recently published a Noel combo video, has been a Tweeting a mini series of “match up” videos. Sometimes set to the X-Files theme, they humorously — but accurately — expose the weaknesses of the character.
What kind of effective tools does Noel have against Celica? Any? Anyone? Is character switch a legitimate advice then?
This is the third episode of "Noel MUs". Today we will step back and learn how to improve our footsies, utilizing our big hitboxes. pic.twitter.com/da4qcV6Z7v
This Tweeted video probably hits the hardest. Or it doesn’t. It just whiffs.
This is the fourth episode of "Noel MUs". Today we will learn the importance of using heat offensively, specifically to secure kills. pic.twitter.com/OHNzqpAxwP
To be fair, it’s possible to cancel into the Distortion Drive earlier to make this chain better, but that air Noel super is known to whiff like that sometimes.
This is the fifth episode of "Noel MUs". Today we will learn how to correctly use the invulnerability of our drive moves. pic.twitter.com/oK180Sqon5
If you’re in the United Kingdom or neighboring countries, this is the event to not miss out on. Mark your calendars for April 15th as that’s when one of the biggest, two-day European events, Hypespotting 6, is set to create hype worldwide.
What’s at stake? Combined, the prize pool exceeds £10,000. Here’s the Hypespotting 6 games lineup:
Street Fighter V
Tekken 7
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
The King of Fighters XIV
Killer Instinct
Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-
Mortal Kombat X
Side games, with community-requested events, include:
Friday the 15th: 20:00-22:00 – Registration Saturday: 8:00 AM- 2:00 PM – Registration 9:00 AM – Smash 4, Killer Instinct, King of Fighters XIV and Tekken 7 registration closes 9:30 AM – Tekken 7 Pools 10:00 AM – King of Fighters XIV registration closes 10:00 AM – Smash 4 and Killer Instinct Pools. 11:00 AM – Street Fighter V registration closes 12:00 PM – Street Fighter V Pools 2:00 PM – Guilty Gear Revelator and Mortal Kombat X registration closes 2:00 PM – Killer Instinct Finals (Top 8) 3:00 PM – Guilty Gear Revelator and Mortal Kombat X Pools 4:00 PM – Guilty Gear Revelator Pools 6:30 PM – Tekken 7 (Top 16->Top 8) 8:00 PM – Pub Quiz Sunday: 10:00 AM – Street Fighter V Top 32, Smash 4 Finals (Top 8) 12:00 PM – Guilty Gear Revelator Finals (Top 8) 1:00 PM – King of Fighters XIV Finals (Top 8) 2:00 PM – Mortal Kombat X Finals (Top 8) 4:00 PM – Street Fighter V Finals (Top 8) 6:00 PM – Tekken 7 Finals (Top 8)
Capcom will attend the event. Stay tuned to the Hypespotting 6 website for more information as the event draws closer, and make sure to tune in to the streams to catch the action across many fighting games.
Digital Foundry, an affiliate of Eurogamer.net, received unprecedented early access to Microsoft’s next console, named “Project Scorpio”–a similar deal to what Sony has done with the PS4 Pro. The site has run tests on the machine that involved seeing how well it handles intensive gaming and 4K conditions.
They claim that Scorpio is “ahead of schedule” and could be as soon as six months away from release, at best. Microsoft aims to raise the bar with an impressive, custom GPU set to appeal to developers aiming to push graphical and performance standards. The video goes through what’s inside the console and runs some footage and screenshots of a few games.
Here are comparative specs in a table, compiled by the website:
Project Scorpio is expected to release in Q4 2017. Killer Instinct, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, and the upcoming Tekken 7 are the biggest fighting game titles on the console. Perhaps there’s promise of bigger support for the FGC in the future with Project Scorpio, as Microsoft seeks to win back developers and revitalize its grasp on the console market.
Before the announcement of REV 2, everyone’s eyes were preemptively set on Baiken, Robo Ky, Zappa, and a host of other classic Guilty Gear characters. No one expected Chipp’s assistant, Answer, to step into the fray.
The Business Ninja’s moveset strongly revolves around setting up scrolls on the screen that he can cling to and dash from. This not only gives him lots of movement options but also expanded movement and mix-up options. The Answer Discord has been busy compiling an Answer guide. It’s a great starting point–that will also evolve over time, as the authors add more to it. But if you’re more of a visual learner or just want to check out Answer in action, scroll below.
Here’s also the move list for reference:
Here’s some high-level play between GGP|Kazunoko’s Answer and Machaboo’s Sin. Right off the bat, at 1:30, Kazunoko confirms into a great instant-air-dash combo (while Sin is on the ground). To see other matchups, Kazunoko also has footage against Baiken, Sol, and Ky as well as Souji’s Bedman.
So Answer can set scrolls on the screen to give him extra movement options. What kind of sick mix-ups can you do with him? (And can look forward to experiencing from Answer players?) Kazunoko provides the answers.
Here’s another way Answer can combo into a knockdown to then set up a cross-up on wake up. Should be useful against those who want to mash out a dragon punch or super reversals.
Four card combo which has Answer going around the screen like crazy.
Looks like players will have lots of fun with Answer’s mobility. The Business Ninja has plenty of tools to keep the opponents guessing, so the more creative you get, the bigger the payoff. All while taking business calls.
One of Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2’s new characters is Baiken, who’s actually the latest “classic” fighter from the X and XX installments. After a dominating streak in Accent Core +R, many fans have been eager to see how Arc System Works will implement a character with guard cancel moves in Xrd.
Let’s break down how she works with some footage. There’s already a plethora of matches, as well as a couple of general guides on how to perform combos.
The first video above is a good basic primer on what Baiken combos look like. From shorter midscreen routes to corner paths and then expansions with meter, this is a good visual guide to grasp the general idea. Her air finisher can be as simple as jump Slash followed up jump Dust, which results in a knockdown if the opponent wasn’t too high. A nice throwback to her older combos, Baiken’s Dust has a corner bounce on it. She can air dash in the corner after Dust to follow up with an extension or go straight into her Overdrive move.
Machaboo’s Baiken is great to watch–not just because he’s an extremely skilled Guilty Gear player, but also because he picked up Baiken’s combos very quickly. It’s easy to see a lot of the combos from the video could be performed in practical situations in matches. As usual, Silva’s channel is a great source for even more REV 2 footage.
ShinKensou offers a video analysis of Sharon’s Baiken. He goes through the matches in detail and pauses at certain moments to point out nuances in various situations.
This is only the beginning of what’s there to uncover with Baiken. The longer she’s out and the more people have access to her–soon, console users around the world–the more videos of surprising techniques we’ll see.
Yesterday, the Aksys Games fighting game Twitter account, All-Aksys, featured a “First Look at Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2” session. The nearly two-hour stream brought some gameplay from the upcoming title and showcased the newcomers, Answer and Baiken.
James Xie commentated the stream and provided useful, explanatory commentary during a series of round robin matches. At 1:05 hour, he answered a hotly debated question: “Will there be a demo?” It turns out REV 2, will, in fact, have a demo version available to players before the game’s release on May 26th.
-REVELATOR- offered a similar deal. Those who pre-ordered the title were able to download a demo on April 1st and April 5th, for the Japanese and English versions, respectively. It’s probably safe to assume that the REV 2 demo will come out sometime before the end of April, though there are no more details available now, other than the fact that it will only be for PlayStation 4 users.
What’s more complicated, however, is how those who opt to upgrade their copy of -REVELATOR- will be able to get their hands on the demo. There is no way to pre-order the DLC upgrade, currently. The company has not yet responded to the question via Twitter.
@AllAksys Would someone opting for a "digital upgrade" to REV 2 be able to get the demo? Assuming this is a pre-order bonus?
Did you know there’s a tower defense minigame in Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-? It plays every time someone selects “Jack-O’” in the character select screen.
Guilty Gear’s Halloween prankster brings out a little army of minions whenever she sets houses. Those houses level up and spew little magicians, knights, and spearmen. That’s not all in Jack-O’s arsenal, however. She has access to an organ that includes a few commands: calling back minions, engaging a projectile shield, powering up minions, and, well… blowing them up after three seconds for massive damage.
This video tutorial from GodPress shows how exactly to employ the detonation command in matches. Not only does this result in extremely powerful (but not flawless) pressure, but the damage tends to be enough to win the round. GodPress found a variety of mixups and strategies that can even counter Bursting.
Check out the Jack-O’ bomb setups video below; the informative graphics and notations make it particularly impressive to watch.
Super Steam Xrd Exhitbition League, which features two FT7 matches every week, continues this weekend with a new set of challengers. The PC league will include an exciting matchup between May and Chipp, which can get very explosive. That’s between BloodWolf and B.Z.B. The second set, between Grant’s Slayer and zenzen’s Ky, will be a good demonstration on how Ky establishes control, versus the Slayer player taking smart risks.
Here’s a breakdown on the new fighters duking it out this weekend, and a little on their background:
BloodWolf
On the match: “I am very excited for the set. I’m glad I was chosen for this event and given such a skilled opponent. I’ve played him a few times in the past and the matches were always extremely exciting and enjoyable. I hope we’re both able to play at 100% and make this event entertaining for those watching.”
On his opponent: “I think he’s an extremely skilled player, and a pretty nice guy when I’ve talked with him. In the times we’ve played, he was always on point with his confirms and made it very difficult to get a hit in. I’ll have to make sure I make my hits count.”
On his own playstyle: “My own style? I’m not sure. I’m pretty terrible at the self-assessment and classification thing. I guess I’d say I play through instinct. Maybe that’s not the right word. Ironically, I think a ton in the lab all day, and when I get home to play games, I do just that, I play. I just play a lot. Gameplay-wise, I chose May because of her dynamic options and combos from the summons. I get the most enjoyment out of confirming stuff based on ball position or a summoned dolphins, so I like to summon a lot. That’s not something I can do too freely in this matchup though. This is more like catching an angry wasp with….well, an anchor.”
B.Z.B.
On the match: “I personally feel like it’s slightly in May’s favor. Chipp can out-maneuver May, but May can take a lot more risks to even it up. She’s got a quick backdash and a very good jump arc to get away from my ground normal and pressure me from the air. Air-to-air is very risky to try to beat her normal preemptively. Solid neutral and not dropping oki opportunities is going to be key for me.”
On his opponent: “I met BloodWolf for the first time at Evo 2015! We’ve only played casuals at tournaments I’ve managed to make it out to, but we did get some recent matches online via Steam. He’s learned a lot since we last played! I’ll definitely need to step-up my gameplan to beat him.”
On his own playstyle: “I would say my playstyle is very momentum-based. Xrd was the first installment of Chipp that really normalized his combos, which let me focus more on learning his okizeme and playing the player rather than the matchup. My goal with Chipp is to frazzle you and capitalize on your mistakes.”
Grant
On the match: “When it comes to the character matchup, this is going to be a tough match. Ky is a very hard character for Slayer to fight due to how safely he can play neutral and establish an effective zoning game. When you pit him against Slayer, who has to take high risks in order to get started, he is very oppressive. Luckily, I often play against many talented Ky players, so I feel like I have a very good grasp on the matchup. I am confident that I can win this FT7.”
On his opponent: “I think that zenzen is a very undervalued player who is definitely a threat. As far as I know she only appeared on the radar quite recently and is starting to become well known in the US scene for her solid Ky play. I think that she definitely has the potential to become a bracket killer so I expect great things from her.”
On his own playstyle: “I think of myself to be a very aggressive and read-based player. I love getting in my opponent’s head at close range and using all of the tools at my disposal to instill fear. I do play very risky, so I enjoy characters that give me a good reward for taking such risks. Slayer is a perfect character for me since he excels at all of these things. Since I mostly play from the heart and focus on player vs. player interaction, I feel like I make decisions that other players wouldn’t think to make. This does get me into trouble from time to time, but I feel like my mentality is both the most fun for me, and I’ve managed to make it work for the most part. I still have much to learn until I can consider myself a top player, but I am confident that I’ll get there!”
zenzen
On the match: “I personally think that Ky has a distinct advantage in this matchup, due to Ky’s neutral game having consistent answers to Slayer’s options. For example, Ky’s 2D is a strong tool due to its fast startup and incredible amount of active frames. This can easily stuff two of Slayer’s main movement tools in his forward dash and Dandy Step, which both have invulnerability; forward dash in the later portion. Other useful tools in my arsenal include 2S, f.S, and Stun Edge YRC. IAD is also generally not a good option for Slayer to approach with, as Ky’s 6P and 2H will cleanly stuff any jump-in.
“However, not everything is sunshine and Greed Severs for Ky. Whiffing any Slash normal is dangerous, especially if Slayer used his forward dash or Dandy to go through it. This situation will almost always lead to a knockdown for Slayer, and that’s when he gets really scary. Once he has his pressure going, he has access to a lot of great tools. Many of his moves are plus on block, even if Instant Blocked, and can lead to deadly frame traps and even mixup if respected enough. 6K and It’s Late are throw invulnerable, so they can blow up mindless throw mash easily and go into high damage combos. Backdash cancel is also an annoyance, even if I’m on the offensive; Ky’s usually consistent okizeme options can be evaded by BDC jump and BDC Dandy YRC.
“Overall, the matchup is personally very fun to me. With Ky’s strong neutral, it can seem hopeless, but knowing that Slayer just needs one chance can be frightening, yet thrilling.”
On her opponent: “Grant is a player that I have a lot of respect for. I got to meet him at CEOtaku this past year, and I had a lot of great back and forth matches with him. I haven’t gotten many chances to play against him since, but I’m excited to play against his Slayer. I think he’ll come in with a good approach with the matchup as well, as he has two good Ky players in his area, Ukyo and Kizzercrate.”
On her own playstyle: “I like to play characters with strong normals and good neutral control, so I think Ky fits me like a glove. Despite that, I have a fairly aggressive playstyle. It used to be aggressive to the point where playing a character like Ky probably wouldn’t fit me well, but over the time I’ve been playing Guilty Gear (since Xrd release), I’ve calmed down and learned to play reactive when needed to. And reactive play is something that Ky excels in.
“As for my aggressive play, I try to be relentless in pressure, sometimes getting greedier than I should and getting blown up for it. I’m also not against utilizing hard reads often depending on the matchup; for example, I try to IB into Vapor Thrust a lot on defense if I’m playing against a character who has a lot of gaps in their offense. Despite how risky it can be, I find that it can help tame a player’s offense, giving me opportunities to get out of pressure later on without having to go to such an option.
“Perhaps that shows how inconsistent my play can be sometimes, but it’s what feels right to me!”
zenzen will be up first against Grant. After that FT7 finishes, BloodWolf will make his case against B.Z.B. This time, the league match will air on Sunday, April 2nd, 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT/4:00 PM PT on silva_hime’s Twitch channel. FaultyDefense and Voguekun are up to provide commentary.
The Wheel of Fate continues turning for the BlazBlue saga! Although typical for most of the games in the series, Arc System Works’ Toshimichi Mori stated there would be no “Extend” addition to BlazBlue: Central Fiction; however, it appears that BBCF may be getting the Extend treatment after all.
References to what appears to be an leaked (but early and incomplete) press release–containing the new logo for the game, and some information about some of the additional features–have appeared in a 4chan post, and also has been obtained by SRK. The information revealed has been corroborated by an anonymous Arc System Works employee.
According to the posts, BlazBlue: Central Fiction Extend contains several new major features and two new characters. To be introduced as either a standalone game or a DLC pack (similar to Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2), users can either upgrade their existing version or purchase a new digital copy.
Here’s what was listed:
New characters: Linhua, Kajun (see archive art, below)
A complete rebalancing of the cast, may introduce new combo routes
Brand new Story Mode episodes explore the alternate universe bridging Naoto Kurogane and Es. (Side stories include “The Creation of the Black Beast,” “The Clover House of Masks,” and “Kokonoe, Nine, and Jubei’s Family Time.”)
Revolution Reburning Mode: a beat em’ up mode, similar to the mobile game
New voice-over announcer DLC content: Kajun, Izanami
Linhua [left]; Kajun Faycott [right]
While there is no price confirmed yet, Central Fiction owners will be able to upgrade their game for less than the standalone release; again, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is a good indicator of what to expect in terms of pricing. The press release indicates an intended launch window of Q3 2017–likely shortly after Evolution 2017.
Stay tuned to SRK for more info on this title as it appears.
