This is a guest blog by yogaboy from Super Turbo Revival. Be sure to check their page out for more Super Street Fighter II Turbo news!
Star Cup was a tournament that ran in Nagoya, Japan from 2006 to 2014, and now it’s back in 2019 for a special occasion: the 25th anniversary of its featured game, Super Street Fighter II Turbo. The exact date of the anniversary is Saturday, February 23 — although some video footage shows how the first beta versions of game actually arrived to the arcades in the USA around the end of March in 1994.
What makes Star Cup special is that it’s a singles tournament; traditionally in Japan, all of the Super Turbo majors are always team tournaments like the 3vs3 X-Mania (now renamed to X-EST) or the 5vs5 Kakerugo (formerly known as Gian Recital). Even though it’s a singles tournament, it still comes with a twist where players have to lock in which 3 different characters they are going to use beforehand. This year, they are allowing use of the same character 3 times, whereas in the past, competitors could only use the same one twice.
The last time Star Cup tournament took place was in 2014 for the 20th anniversary, and it had one of the best finals ever witnessed between the two best players in Japan, Otochun and MAO. We might see the same outcome this time as well. You can see the 2014 final here:
For the last two months, qualifiers have been running all around Japan to fill the final 16-player bracket for this Saturday. Well-known names like Mattsun, Yuuvega, and Murasaki are among those players. Details of the qualifiers:
Here are the results and videos of the qualifiers from last week plus all the details of the upcoming Star Cup tournament which starts on Friday at 7pm (PST time)https://t.co/j3vREIArSd
Retro gaming enthusiasts making use of the Brook Retro Board will soon have some new cable options to make their lives easier; Arcade Shock is offering pre-orders on new cables (for use with the Universal Modding Kit, which adds the multi-compatible port) to connect the board to the good ol’ Super Nintendo (Super Famicom), Nintendo GameCube, and TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) consoles.
The combination of the Retro Board, Universal Modding Kit, and the appropriate cable allows you to connect your modified fight stick to the retro console of your choice without the need of an additional converter. Head over to Arcade Shock’s pre-order page to grab your own!
Use an arcade stick — or a more comfortable pad — on these classic retro beasts.
Fans of retro gaming will want to take notice: the latest Brook converter allows you to connect a PlayStation 4/PlayStation 3/PC controller to either the classic Sega Genesis (a.k.a. Mega Drive) console, or NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 (a.k.a. PC Engine) alternative. There are a lot of great games on these platforms that would benefit from the arcade-quality controls offered by a good fight stick, so you’ll want to check out the pre-order at Arcade Shock if you’re interested!
The long wait is over. The Super Converter for the Sega Genesis (aka Mega Drive in Japan) is almost here, allowing you to use hundreds of quality PS3 and PS4 control pads or arcade sticks to relive the retro classic gaming.
Play thousands of games from the huge library this system has to offer, from the Streets of Rage series, Gunstar Heroes, Contra Hard Corps, Golden Axe and much more.
Additionally, for the first time, Brook added another system, NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 (aka PC Engine in Japan), which has it’s share of memorable retro games, Bonk’s Revenge, R-Type, Splatterhouse and many others.
Arcade Shock Worldwide Exclusive (outside of Japan)
PS3/4 to Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
PS3/4 to NEC TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine
XInput Compatible
Preset Button Configurations
Button Mapping
You can get this converter reserved for you for $49.95 USD. The converters are expected to ship sometime in May 2019.
Street Fighter has come a long way in thirty years, and it’s been a good year to look back and see where it came from.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is naturally in the center spotlight — and going into its fourth year, its shaky launch and a myriad of nagging issues continue to haunt it, leaving the community perpetually comparing it to its Ultra Street Fighter IV predecessor or waiting for Capcom to cut and run to some sort of Street Fighter VI, or both. But, after a tease at classic representation with Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers kicked off Capcom’s nod to Street Fighter’s 30th anniversary — and it started to look like the fans were the only ones to mark the occasion with a worthy tribute — Capcom brought us the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.
Regardless of any minor quibbles (not to mention that the 30th anniversary kind of got stretched over two years…), it can’t be denied that this multi-platform collection brought the near-entirety of Street Fighter’s arcade legacy to players all over again, and stands as a firm reminder of the series’ rich legacy of style, creativity, and great gameplay. Looking at these games now really does feel like walking through a museum of classic game design — and brings much of the current issues with SFV into even sharper relief, even as we can see how SFV still draws from the better aspects of these games.
Whether intentional or a happy coincidence, the perfect companion piece for the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection arrived a number of months prior to that compilation’s release: the massive art book UNDISPUTED STREET FIGHTER: A 30th ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE. While Capcom’s software bundle contains its own nice in-game museum that details many design aspects of those titles, Dynamite’s hardcover tribute — penned by Steve Hendershot — covers many more things that Capcom’s own collection overlooks, and brings that history all the way up to the series’ present state.
While many hardcore fans and collectors have undoubtedly grabbed this gorgeous book already; those that haven’t yet are missing out on what may be the most comprehensive look at both Street Fighter and how the fighting game community has grown and developed around it. The 300-page hardcover is chock-full of promotional and behind-scenes artwork. It progressively focuses on the game’s rise in the arcades and its explosion into pop culture and mainstream media and mechandise — from Final Fight and Hard Times through the game’s battle in arcades on both sides of the Pacific, to Street Fighter IV‘s big comeback and later Street Fighter V, all peppered with tidbits from designers, organizers, and players. Look for Daigo Umehara, John Choi, Justin Wong, James Chen, Seth Killian, Brolylegs, and many more, as the book explores both the game and the people that have played a part in its community.
As we move into a new year of Street Fighter in 2019, I think it’s important to look at where Street Fighter came from and remember that no matter where the series is going — for good or bad — it has a fantastic three decades behind it, and that foundation isn’t going away. Be it through Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection or FightCade, and community events and circuits like Super Turbo Revival, Jazzy Circuit, Cooperation Cup… there are so many ways to keep enjoying this series and the many different games in it. UNDISPUTED STREET FIGHTER: A 30th ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE helps remind us of this. Keep playing what you love, because after 30 years, there’s a lot of Street Fighter to go around.
UNDISPUTED STREET FIGHTER: A 30th ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE is available now from Amazon.com, in both regular hardcover, Deluxe, and digital Kindle editions.
His second V-Trigger can really kick Abigail into overdrive.
Abigail, as feared/reviled as he is in Street Fighter V, was arguably on the nerfing side of the recent round of balance changes. But Abigail expert THE COOL KID93 maintains that there’s plenty of gas left in this monster truck’s tank, and a lot of it lies behind the less-often seen V-Trigger II, Hybrid Charge. In the video below, COOL KID looks at ways this option may be potentially even scarier than the already-dreaded Max Power.
Enough USB ports to provide a fighting setup anywhere, anytime!
The Nintendo Switch has been gradually gathering fighting game titles since its launch, building on the slightly-oddball Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers and the excellent upgrade of Pokkén Tournament DX to include other great games like the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Pocket Rumble, Slice, Dice, and Rice, Blade Strangers, the fan-service festival SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy — and earlier this month, the jewel in Nintendo’s fighting crown: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With these and other titles, both new and downloadable classics, there is no question that the Switch has grown immensely as a platform for fighting game fans.
The Switch’s most obvious feature — its portability — is both a blessing and a hindrance for fighters: while it’s fantastic to be able to take your favorite fighting games on the go, the multiplayer options (most important to fighters, obviously) can be troublesome when the console sports only a single USB-C port. HORI offers a solution to this with their USB-loaded Multiport PlayStand accessory, and it’s a great gadget that makes the platform into an instant fighting game setup you can drop anywhere that there’s a flat surface.
The PlayStand solves the primary issue of connecting multiple controllers to the Switch while not using the dock: the lack of USB ports. This folding stand sports four USB ports — even more than the dock itself! This enables you to hook up USB-powered controllers at will — be they fight sticks, Pokkén pads, or probably the most important: the Nintendo GameCube controller adapter, opening up ports for those beloved GameCube controllers so integral to Smashing.
The Switch connects to the stand via a USB-C jack in the base of the stand, one that even has a bit of spring-loaded swivel to help get the console on and off easily while staying firmly connected during use. In addition to the four USB ports on the side of the stand, a port for an AC adapter is built-in (adapter not included), so you can play with or without the power connected. The stand has some rubber feet on the base to minimize sliding around, and is quite well-balanced and stable once the the console is attached. It can be adjusted to a range of viewing angles, too. While not in use, the stand folds up for easy transport, using a lock button on the hinge.
This stand is designed to provide the controller options that those extra USB ports allow while on the go — but it is not meant as a replacement for a dock, and you cannot connect the Switch to a monitor or television via the PlayStand. However: if you want to connect to the internet, you can still pop in a USB LAN adapter and use that instead of the much-reviled WiFi.
This is an example of HORI creating a product that serves a simple need for Switch players, and doing it well. This stand delivers what it promises: a good display stand paired with USB ports to give you the controller options needed for fighting games. For $39.99 USD, it’s a small investment for a lot of utility, so if you want to bring your fighting games outside and be able to drop a setup nearly anywhere to run some matches, this is a must-have. Look for it on Amazon, GameStop, or Arcade Shock.
Pros:
Easy to use and transport alongside the console itself.
Provides four USB ports when the Switch is connected.
Compatible with the GameCube controller adapter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
AC adapter can be also used to keep the Switch powered up during play.
Can be used with a wired internet adapter.
Cons:
Cannot be used as a full dock to connect the Switch to a monitor or television.
HORI provided Shoryuken with a sample Multiport PlayStand for the purpose of this review.
The original character themes from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior are timeless — and seem to transition into any number of musical styles very readily. The Consouls know this well: take a moment to enjoy these smooth vibes for the King of Muay Thai in this jazz cover of Sagat’s classic theme.
The Razer Panthera — the PlayStation 4 follow-up to the Razer Atrox — is already a very popular arcade stick, offering Sanwa Denshi components, opening case for easy access, and sporting some of the currently speediest inputs in retail fight sticks. Alongside a Kenny Omega-supported ad campaign, Razer has launched a new version of the Panthera this year: the Panthera Evo. This new model offers some significant improvements over the original Panthera, while losing some aspects of the original that may be missed by some players.
The Panthera Evo sports a slightly slimmer and lighter case than its predecessor, which is a small positive for transporting it, but it may prove too mobile on the lap for some of the more enthusiastic strong-handed players. The new thin grip pads on the base do work well to compensate. A major improvement to the case design in the Evo is the sloped front edge, which I personally found much more comfortable on the wrists than the boxy original Panthera (and Atrox) case.
This new controller is PlayStation 4 compatible (and PC compatible via XInput), but not PlayStation 3 compatible. Hopefully you won’t miss the little glowing Razer logo on the front, because along with the absence of that flourish, it’s immediately apparent that there are some even more dramatic design changes here. Most obviously, the Evo does not open and allow immediate access to the joystick and button components for replacement/modification. Instead, the Evo is designed to allow easy replacement of the panel artwork — a callback to the Mad Catz TE2 in the sense that you can swap the artwork out without removing the pushbuttons. However, the Evo corrects most of the problems I personally encountered with the TE2’s approach to this idea. I found the TE2 plexi to be too loose, and the risers that leveled the buttons to the panel surface left the buttons a shaky as well. On this stick, the top plexi is thick and solid, and the buttons are firmly held in place, risers included.
A rubber stopper can be popped out to allow the removal (or tightening, at need) of the joystick balltop. After that, removing six screws from the base and one tiny one next to the lever allows you to pop the plexi right off, and the stock razer artwork is on a loose sheet that comes right out afterward. This is an interesting system, as it really does allow new art to be swapped in and out at will. Razer already offers alternate panel art you can download and print yourself. I do find this to be an interesting choice, however — I personally would rather have easy access to the wiring and buttons, and this art-swapping mechanism puts the guts of the stick behind another six screws to awkwardly get the “true” upper panel open. Performing either of these operations will require you to use both standard-sized and fine-work screwdrivers. For those that want to get at the components, this seems to be a step backward in design, when you can get right to the insides of a TE2, original Panthera, Qanba Dragon, or Victrix’s new fightstick — or even get right into any HORI RAP model via only a mere six screws on the base.
The components themselves are a mix: it uses the usual square-gated Sanwa Denshi JLF (pretty much the expectation on anything that isn’t HORI these days), but substitutes Razer’s own pushbuttons for the matching Sanwa buttons that were used on the original Panthera. Why? I dunno. They are basically the same button: these feel almost identical to Sanwa buttons, and only time will tell if they wear out faster or slower than the Sanwa equivalent. In terms of user experience, I noticed no difference, except they may be a little spongier than Sanwa. I used the italics because the difference so negligible that it may be imagined, or even occur within Sanwa’s own production variations. They are really close. Basically, if you like Sanwa sticks and buttons, you’ll be fine. If you don’t, you can still swap other parts in without too much difficulty, but it’s just a bit more of an operation getting in there than on competing fight sticks of this quality.
The easy-art-swap isn’t the only new feature on the Evo: it also corrects a glaring omission to the prior model: a headset jack. Razer goes a step further by adding volume controls to the controller itself, a very nice touch. It still includes the other button functions and PS4 touchpad of its predecessor, and the SHARE/OPTIONS buttons are still on the right side of the case (and there is still a lock switch, if desired). The cable compartment is a new addition; on the Panthera the cable was stored in the case itself, so something new was required. Unfortunately this stick loses the braided USB cable (I’m a fan of those), but has an interesting design that lets you brace the cable base outside of the spring-loaded compartment, or tuck it all inside for easier transport. It’s an unusual and intriguing approach, and effective enough.
In terms of performance, Razer has tested well for low latency in the original Panthera (that is, after a firmware update corrected its original sluggishness), and this model lives up to the legacy. I found it extremely responsive, and comfortable to play on in all respects. It’s a solid competitor, and Razer seems committed to keeping it that way.
Launching at the same cost as the original Panthera — $199.99 USD — the Evo offers a mixed bag of improved design alongside some changes in priorities. If you like to get inside your stick quickly and easily, then the original Panthera is still a better bet (and it is currently discounted). Otherwise: the improved comfort, the addition of headset compatibility, and ability to swap art out with no fuss make this a worthy — if in some areas, unusual — successor to the Panthera name. It is available now on the Razer Store.
Pros:
Compact and comfortable design.
Easy-to-switch (no adhesives) panel art system.
Sturdy mix of Sanwa Denshi and Razer components.
Headset jack with on-stick volume control.
Cons:
Access to joystick/pushbuttons for repair/replacement is awkward, and it cannot be opened without tools.
May be too light, and move around too much on the lap of rougher-handed players.
Not PlayStation 3 compatible.
Razer provided Shoryuken with a review model of the Panthera Evo fight stick.
How does Evil Ryu find his way back into the game after A Shadow Falls basically writes him out (as Ryu goes all Mu no Hado and such)? According to BornFree, it might look a little like this:
Keep an eye out for those glow-horns while you’re spending a night at the club. A longer edit is currently available for BornFree’s Patreon and Twitch subscribers; check the video description.
Welcome to the Rollback: a frame-by-frame look back at our past week’s most notable news — and our favorite SRK articles — from December 21 to December 27, 2018!
Something stinks on the intellectual property side for Dragon Ball FighterZ, potentially kneecapping the esports future of one of the best fighting games out there. However…
With their connection to the franchise and a litigious reputation, Toei was believed to be the culprit in the vanishing DBFZ events. It seems someone else is to blame.
Bafael continues to break down the individual character changes in the Season 4 balance patch for SFV, so you can stay on top of how the game has changed.
While it may appear that Capcom is backing off due to the bad press of their ill-conceived Sponsored Content, the mechanisms to deliver the content are still in the game, so don’t get your hopes up yet. More likely that new ads are on the way now that the CPT season is over.
Toei Animation states that they have nothing to do with blocking Dragon Ball FighterZ tournaments
