Author: Zavian "mushin_Z" Sildra

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The SRK Rollback: Best of January 20-26, 2017

Welcome to the Rollback: a frame-by-frame look back at our past week’s most notable news–and our favorite SRK articles–from January 20 to 26, 2017!

Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra, Editor-in-Chief:

Frame 1:
ultra-street-fighter-ii-poster-2-cropThe Problems with Ultra Street Fighter II — From a Super Turbo Player’s Standpoint

While information is still scarce, this editorial lays out potential problems at design level that could put a big damper on the acceptance of Ultra Street Fighter II by the competitive community. It does seem like the Switch title is built with a casual audience in mind–which may yet result in a fun diversion, but deny a serious return of SFII to the tournament arena.

Frame 2:
UDON sf vs darkstalkers cvr 1 cropUDON’s Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers #1 Hits Stores in April 2017, with Multiple Variant Covers

As a longtime of UDON (including the noodles, actually), Street Fighter and Darkstalkers, I’m really looking forward to this crossover series; these fantastic covers are just another incentive to get to the comic shop and pick this series up as it releases throughout 2017.

Frame 3:
Super Turbo Chun HawkPatching or Adaptation? Adaptation Should Always Be the First Approach

Missing Person pulls no punches in calling out a mentality that seeks patching out in-game “problems” rather than looking for solutions in the existing game’s build. The Season 2 build of Street Fighter V seems to fit this model, and the overall FGC reaction to it might help fuel a wake-up to the idea that maybe if a character is proving too powerful, maybe it’s just because the metagame hasn’t found the way to shut them down yet.

Sam “Trilby” Foxall, Assistant Editor:

Frame 1:
gggrxrev2logoGuilty Gear Xrd REV 2: Baiken & Answer Movelists and Patch Notes from the First Location Test

Dedicated GG fans have helpfully translated Baiken and Answer’s movesets into English, as well as the important balance changes coming in REV 2. With REV 2 being on the Evo 2017 title-card, you better start studying up!

Frame 2:
tekken7Tekken 7 Will Be Released on June 2nd, 2017

Just in time for Evo, Bandai Namco have announced that Tekken 7 will be releasing a little later than anticipated on June 2nd. With some more time to polish everything up, expect Tekken 7 to be quite the package when it launches on console and PC.

Frame 3:
Robin Injustice 2NetherRealm Studios Releases Robin’s Trailer for Injustice 2

With its recent press push, NetherRealm have confirmed that the Boy Wonder will be joining the roster in Injustice 2. Based off the fifth Robin and son of Batman Damian Wayne, this brooding hero will slice opponents in half with his gnarly sword.

Keegan “Interrobang!?” Spindler, Features Editor:

Frame 1:
soulcaliburfightWhat Does Bandai Namco Need to Do to Reignite the SoulCalibur Series?

This is a topic close to my heart, and Woocash has done a wonderful job of breaking it down. The SoulCalibur series has been a personal favorite of mine for many years, and when you look at this article, it’s not hard to see why.

Frame 2:
dajuanPre-Genesis 4 Interview with Shroomed: Discussing Melee Character Choices, 2017 Goals, and More

Shroomed is one of those players that seem consistently on the brink of greatness, so it’s fascinating to get a bit of insight into his thought processes. He makes some particularly interesting statements about his own development, and how it might continue in the future.

Frame 3:
Marvel_Minds_KBrad_v_NotEnoughDamageMarvel Minds Returns with an In-Depth Look at Not Enough Damage vs. K-Brad at KIT 2017

This is my first encounter with Marvel Minds, and I’m just blown away by the quality of both the production and analysis here. This has allowed met to understand a great set of Marvel in a way that I had never been able to before, and is without a doubt one of the best pieces of Marvel content I have ever seen.

Extra Frame:
evo 2017 logoEvolution 2017 Games Revealed! 8 Games Locked In, Vote for the 9th!

Joey Cuellar took to Red Bull eSport’s Twitch channel in a special Reveal Show, and laid out what games we’ll be competing in this July in Las Vegas–minus the yet-undetermined ninth game, which is up to us to vote for through donations to Make-a-Wish International.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article and the selected posts are solely those of the writers, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

Posted on

The SRK Rollback: Best of January 20-26, 2017

Welcome to the Rollback: a frame-by-frame look back at our past week’s most notable news–and our favorite SRK articles–from January 20 to 26, 2017!

Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra, Editor-in-Chief:

Frame 1:
ultra-street-fighter-ii-poster-2-cropThe Problems with Ultra Street Fighter II — From a Super Turbo Player’s Standpoint

While information is still scarce, this editorial lays out potential problems at design level that could put a big damper on the acceptance of Ultra Street Fighter II by the competitive community. It does seem like the Switch title is built with a casual audience in mind–which may yet result in a fun diversion, but deny a serious return of SFII to the tournament arena.

Frame 2:
UDON sf vs darkstalkers cvr 1 cropUDON’s Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers #1 Hits Stores in April 2017, with Multiple Variant Covers

As a longtime of UDON (including the noodles, actually), Street Fighter and Darkstalkers, I’m really looking forward to this crossover series; these fantastic covers are just another incentive to get to the comic shop and pick this series up as it releases throughout 2017.

Frame 3:
Super Turbo Chun HawkPatching or Adaptation? Adaptation Should Always Be the First Approach

Missing Person pulls no punches in calling out a mentality that seeks patching out in-game “problems” rather than looking for solutions in the existing game’s build. The Season 2 build of Street Fighter V seems to fit this model, and the overall FGC reaction to it might help fuel a wake-up to the idea that maybe if a character is proving too powerful, maybe it’s just because the metagame hasn’t found the way to shut them down yet.

Sam “Trilby” Foxall, Assistant Editor:

Frame 1:
gggrxrev2logoGuilty Gear Xrd REV 2: Baiken & Answer Movelists and Patch Notes from the First Location Test

Dedicated GG fans have helpfully translated Baiken and Answer’s movesets into English, as well as the important balance changes coming in REV 2. With REV 2 being on the Evo 2017 title-card, you better start studying up!

Frame 2:
tekken7Tekken 7 Will Be Released on June 2nd, 2017

Just in time for Evo, Bandai Namco have announced that Tekken 7 will be releasing a little later than anticipated on June 2nd. With some more time to polish everything up, expect Tekken 7 to be quite the package when it launches on console and PC.

Frame 3:
Robin Injustice 2NetherRealm Studios Releases Robin’s Trailer for Injustice 2

With its recent press push, NetherRealm have confirmed that the Boy Wonder will be joining the roster in Injustice 2. Based off the fifth Robin and son of Batman Damian Wayne, this brooding hero will slice opponents in half with his gnarly sword.

Keegan “Interrobang!?” Spindler, Features Editor:

Frame 1:
soulcaliburfightWhat Does Bandai Namco Need to Do to Reignite the SoulCalibur Series?

This is a topic close to my heart, and Woocash has done a wonderful job of breaking it down. The SoulCalibur series has been a personal favorite of mine for many years, and when you look at this article, it’s not hard to see why.

Frame 2:
dajuanPre-Genesis 4 Interview with Shroomed: Discussing Melee Character Choices, 2017 Goals, and More

Shroomed is one of those players that seem consistently on the brink of greatness, so it’s fascinating to get a bit of insight into his thought processes. He makes some particularly interesting statements about his own development, and how it might continue in the future.

Frame 3:
Marvel_Minds_KBrad_v_NotEnoughDamageMarvel Minds Returns with an In-Depth Look at Not Enough Damage vs. K-Brad at KIT 2017

This is my first encounter with Marvel Minds, and I’m just blown away by the quality of both the production and analysis here. This has allowed met to understand a great set of Marvel in a way that I had never been able to before, and is without a doubt one of the best pieces of Marvel content I have ever seen.

Extra Frame:
evo 2017 logoEvolution 2017 Games Revealed! 8 Games Locked In, Vote for the 9th!

Joey Cuellar took to Red Bull eSport’s Twitch channel in a special Reveal Show, and laid out what games we’ll be competing in this July in Las Vegas–minus the yet-undetermined ninth game, which is up to us to vote for through donations to Make-a-Wish International.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article and the selected posts are solely those of the writers, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

Posted on

Street Fighter V Season 2 Patch Notes Corrected; Additional Patching Possible, Improvements to Online Play Promised

Capcom’s flagship fighter may see improvement in the next few months.

The Capcom-Unity blog has posted a list of corrections to the Street Fighter V Season 2 patch notes, and updated the full changelist. The fixes and omissions are as follows:

Changes not originally listed in the balance changelist:

  • Ibuki
    Bonshogeri – Knockback on Crush counter extended by 3F
  • Juri
    Crouching LP – Chain cancelling frames changed from 9F-10F ⇒ 10-11F
    Ryodansatsu – Air hitbox and total frames adjusted slightly
  • Birdie
    EX Bull Head – Changed recovery from 28F ⇒ 23F
  • Alex
    Power Drop – Changed attack startup from 5F ⇒ 6F

Changes that were incorrectly listed in the balance changelist:

  • Ken
    Incorrect: L Shoryuken (Normal/V-Trigger) – Removed throw invincibility
    Correct: L Shoryuken (Normal/V-Trigger) – Did not remove throw invincibility
  • Karin
    Incorrect: Standing MK – Slowed down timing of startup on V-Trigger cancel by 3F
    Correct: Standing MK – Slowed down timing of startup on V-Trigger cancel by 5F

Additionally, the blog entry states that Capcom is taking player feedback on the Season 2 changes into consideration for possible future adjustments–meaning we could still see some tweaking to the game before the Capcom Pro Tour 2017 season gets fully under way. Capcom also promises improvements to SFV’s online environment:

We’re also happy to announce that the team has been hard at work for several months to improve the network quality of CFN. We can’t share all of the details quite yet, but we are anticipating an update this Spring. We have more news to share on this in the coming months.

The Capcom Fighters Network improvements appear to be much-needed; complaints of the ongoing “0 LP” glitch, online lag, network instability, or an outright inability to login abound lately. The SFV servers were shut down for “emergency maintenance” for over four hours tonight, to address at least one of these issues:

Hopefully the network runs a little smoother now, and the promises of future fixes are indeed delivered on.

Sources: Capcom-Unity; SFV Server (Twitter)

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Class vs. Beauty: Karin’s Options against Vega’s V-Reversal in Street Fighter V

Show Vega the true beauty in victory with Kanzuki-ryu countermeasures to his V-Reversal.

They both love winning, and both have come to expect it; one just does it with more class. However, if Vega’s tricky V-Reversals are causing you trouble as a Karin player, the video guide below will help. It outlines Karin’s options to deal with both versions of Vega’s V-Reversal–they aren’t fully invincible, just throw-invincible, so if you read your opponent well you’ll still be in a good position to chase the matador down and pile on some hurt.

Source: ReikiKirei

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Keep Grabbing That Fight Money: Balrog’s Street Fighter V Season Two Buffs

He’s got some new dirty tricks to bring into the ring.

As befitting one of Shadaloo’s original Four Heavenly Kings, Balrog can really dish out some pain in Street Fighter V–a round can turn very suddenly with just one of his high-damage combos. And if you’re picking up this dirty boxer for the first time, Brian_F is a great reference for Balrog tech.

Brian_F has been taking some time to look at Balrog in Season Two, post-patch, and has recently uploaded these videos. The first examines Balrog’s particular buffs for the new season, while the second looks at the new combo/mixup opportunities gained by the ability to V-Skill-cancel ‘Rog’s EX Dash Straight earlier than before.

Source: Brian_F

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Take a Look Back at the Excitement of Evo 2016 in This Retrospective Video

Memories of hype past, to fuel the hype of the future!

Evolution 2017 is going full-steam ahead, now that the games have been announced (all but the final selection, which you vote for) and registration is open. In case you missed the live stream of the Evo 2017 Reveal Show that provided this information, you can now see the Evo 2016 retrospective video that preceded these announcements below. If you were there last year, relive the hype of the biggest fighting game tournament ever; if you weren’t, here’s a glimpse at what the fuss is about–and what to expect again come July 14-16, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Source: evo2kvids

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Justin Wong’s Ibuki Is on the Scene in These Street Fighter V Ranked Matches

Justin Wong tries out the perky kunoichi online in Street Fighter V.

Justin Wong–while hardly locked to a single character in competition–has become generally known as a Karin main in Street Fighter V. Now, shortly after joining his new sponsor Echo Fox, Wong seems to be two-timing Miss Kanzuki and trying out speedy ninja Ibuki in online Ranked matches instead. As usual, Wong’s play is entertaining to watch, as he demonstrates his increasing finesse with the kunai-slinging schoolgirl. Check out some online matches compiled in the video below.

Thanks to ralph for the tip.

Source: FGC Nation

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UDON’s Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers #1 Hits Stores in April 2017, with Multiple Variant Covers

Capcom’s two worlds will collide soon!

UDON’s next big Capcom comic event is almost upon us; as previously reported, February will see Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers #0 hit shelves. UDON Entertainment revealed today that the first true issue of the 8-issue series will roll out in April 2017, and will feature a number of variant covers, as usual!

UDON sf vs darkstalkers cvr 1

From UDON Entertainment:

Street Fighter VS. Darkstalkers #1 sports two standard covers. Series artist Edwin Huang provides the Wraparound Story cover (CVR A). Rob “Robaato” Porter illustrates the Midnight Bliss cover (CVR B), which features an array of fighters who have succumbed to Demitri’s gender-swapping power–in fact, issue #1-4’s CVR B will connect to form one massive four-part Midnight Bliss image!

Also available for Street Fighter VS. Darkstalkers #1 is a special Blank Sketch cover (CVR C) and two retailer incentive covers. The Movie Poster incentive cover (CVR D) by Joe Vriens pays tribute to a classic horror movie poster, while popular cover artist Stanley “Artgerm” Lau provides a Guest Artist incentive cover (CVR E) showcasing leading ladies Chun-Li and Morrigan.

UDON has also teamed up with some righteous retailers to produce epic retailer-exclusive variants! Focus Attack, the top-tier arcade parts e-commerce shop, will be selling an exclusive wraparound cover by Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz, that pays homage to a classic Capcom Secret File cover. It will be available in both full color and black-and-white line art versions at focusattack.com.

Meanwhile, Fried Pie Comics will be selling their own Street Fighter VS. Darkstalkers #1 exclusive cover by Jean-Baptiste Nanteau. This cover connects with Fried Pie’s exclusive cover for Street Fighter VS. Darkstalkers #0 to form a terrifying two-part image! Fried Pie variant covers are available through Books-A-Million and 2nd & Charles stores.

Don’t miss the action by pre-ordering your copies with the Diamond Distribution codes below! Both issues will be available via your local comic shop and comiXology.

UDON sf vs darkstalkers 0 alt cvr

STREET FIGHTER VS. DARKSTALKERS #0
32 pg, full color; $3.99; available February 2017
Diamond order codes:
DEC162023 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #0 CVR A (Story cover)
DEC162024 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #0 CVR B (Variant )
DEC162025 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #0 CVR C (Movie Poster Homage Incentive)

STREET FIGHTER VS. DARKSTALKERS #1
32 pg, full color; $3.99 (CVR A, B, D, E) $4.99 (CVR C); available April 2017
FEB172039 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #1 (OF 8) CVR A (Huang)
FEB172040 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #1 (OF 8) CVR B (Porter)
FEB172041 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #1 (OF 8) CVR C (Blank Sketch Cover)
FEB172042 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #1 (OF 8) CVR D (10-Copy Incentive)
FEB172043 STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #1 (OF 8) CVR E (20-Copy Incentive)

Source: UDON Entertainment

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Evo 2017: Mr. Wizard Talks to SRK about the Games That Made It, the Games That Didn’t, and Why

Mr. Wizard elaborates on the games that made the cut, and some that haven’t–at least not yet.

With Evo 2017’s main games revealed–all but the final game that is, to be yet determined by vote–the stage is set for an epic battle at the (air-conditioned, presumably) Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas’ searing July heat. I asked Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar some questions about the upcoming event–particularly regarding what titles made it to the main stage this year, and why.

evo 2017 logo

Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra: Was the decision to stay at Mandalay Bay–and consolidate the event there, rather than two separate venues again–made pretty much immediately after that spectacular arena Finals showing last year? Or were there other possible locations considered?

Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar: It was an immediate win for us to consolidate everything into Mandalay Bay in 2017. Ideally we would have used just one venue last year, but we weren’t able to book a space large enough for all our players. So last year was a bit of a scramble, but this year we think we’re incredibly happy with our space at Mandalay Bay.

mushin_Z: Street Fighter V topped a massive 5100 entrants in 2016. Are you confident SFV can break that record in 2017?

Mr. Wizard: Records are meant to be broken, so anything is possible! We have a lot of space this year, so accommodating tournaments that break records should be doable.

mushin_Z: Smash fans are likely thrilled, but not everyone is, surely–what justifies the inclusion of both Smash 4 and Melee once again?

Mr. Wizard: Having the 2nd and 3rd most entrants last year, with a very diverse cross-section of Smash players, says a lot. These are two dedicated communities and we see the value in bringing them both back. Smash is in fact a fighting game, and they deserve to be represented at Evo.

mushin_Z: Air-dashers might be surprised that both Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and BlazBlue: Central Fiction made it to the main stage this time, more likely expecting one to edge out the other. What made you decide to let them share the spotlight? Did the upcoming release of GG Xrd REV 2 make a big difference?

Mr. Wizard: We were all set to let BlazBlue have the spotlight this year, but then that surprise curveball of REV 2 getting announced a few days ago changes things up. We wanted to make sure that we could include both games this year, as we recognize that they have different communities for those games. Evo 2014’s BlazBlue Finals were epic, so we’re looking forward to seeing what players can do this year!

mushin_Z: Injustice 2 and Tekken 7 (especially) are releasing on console pretty close to the event date; do you think publishers are taking Evo strongly into account for their release schedules? Is Evo becoming the “Oscars” of fighting games?

Mr. Wizard: If they are, it’s an honor for them to do so. We don’t dictate release dates, but them reworking their schedule around ours is crazy! We are just a celebration of fighting games, so we want to give the big stage to as many awesome fighting games that are out there.

mushin_Z: Pokkén Tournament debuted last year, and is now out of the lineup–was it a hard game to cut? How strongly was it considered? And were Killer Instinct or Mortal Kombat X even in the running this year?

Mr. Wizard: Every fighting game is in the running and is considered every year. One of the key elements that we look at is if people are still playing it, and how often. Evo can only do so many tournaments every year, so that’s why we included all those titles in the vote so that we can make sure everyone has a shot at the final game.

evo 2017 vote

mushin_Z: Why make a return to 2013’s voting model to choose game #9?

Mr. Wizard: Giving back is one of the core values of Evo that we try to always do. We thought with so many games this year and a finite amount of time and space, we thought we would leave it up the community. The Evo 2013 vote was wildly successful, and we hope to recreate that magic again this year.

mushin_Z: Considering the Marvel hype from upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3’s reissue, do you think it’s the lead contender to be voted back into the #9 spot?

Mr. Wizard: We think it has an excellent shot at claiming the top spot. There are however 8 other games that could easily make it in. If you have ever thought about getting involved, now is the time! Lets raise money for kids with Make-a-Wish International.

mushin_Z: What game do you personally wish could’ve been included, but didn’t make the cut?

Mr. Wizard: Personally I would love to see ClayFighter make a return, but there is only so much I can do!

Evo 2017 takes place at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, July 14-16. Registration is open now.

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Eliza Brings Her Vampiric Powers to the Tekken 7 Roster in Her Official Reveal Trailer

A touch of darkness comes to Tekken 7–with Tekken Revolution’s Eliza.

Already revealed as a pre-order bonus for the console version of Tekken 7, Eliza got her official reveal tonight as part of the Evo 2017 Reveal Show. The sleepy vampire brings her dark powers and unholy thirst to the Iron Fist Tournament in her full reveal trailer, below!

Tekken 7’s home version is finally hitting PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 2, 2017.

Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment America