Our first look at what’s in store for Evo 2018 will be here soon…
While Evo Japan is fast approaching on the other side of the globe, Evo’s Mr. Wizard has been indicating for a little while that some news for 2018’s iteration of the original event was soon to be revealed… We now know that the reveal trailer for Evolution Championship Series 2018 is almost upon us:
Evo 2018 trailer goes LIVE this week! Who's excited? #Evo2018
Prepare for the arrival of the (former) Master of Bushinryu with this video guide.
Guy’s long-lost instructor on the path of Bushinryu will be gliding into Street Fighter Vvery soon. After breaking down what we can see of Zeku’s tools in the reveal trailer, VesperArcade returns for a meatier look at the arts of the shape-shifting ninja, now that we have access to additional footage from Capcom and the WSO preview stream, and more information — including his full movelist.
Check out VesperArcade’s prior exploration of Zeku’s abilities here! Zeku arrives in Street Fighter V on October 24th — alongside some new sports premium costumes.
Another indie fighter is on the way to vie for your attention.
PC fighting gamers looking for some fresh blood might want to have a look at an upcoming effort from Stun Games & Kiss Ltd., entitled Slashers: The Power Battle. The in-development 2D fighter is set to become available via Steam Early Access in early November.
The developers promise a weapons-based tactical fighting game that’s both technical and beginner-friendly, offering a “retro” vibe. Its four-button combat will feature 11 different characters, and Chaos Meter-powered finishers.
An earlier mobile version of the game appeared in 2015 on iOS and Android.
Interested in trying out Slashers: The Power Battle? Watch for it to go live on Steam Early Access on November 3, 2017. A trailer of the game in motion can be viewed there now.
A service that may open up some new streaming opportunities — especially for older titles.
If you like streaming fighting games, and are looking for a new option to stream older titles that only support local multiplayer, parsec might offer an answer. The (fairly new) platform allows users to connect and play such games online instead of locally, opening up some new possibilities in connecting between different players. The parsec developers claim that their networking protocols offer a low-latency connection to ensure smooth gameplay.
The video below demonstrates how to set up a parsec connection; basically one PC acts as a host, and allows another online user access to participate as a second player in the game in question. A WWE title is demonstrated, but the procedure would be the same for any fighting game — although your title would need to be PC-based, of course. Have a look to see if parsec is something that would add some variety to your streaming catalog. If you want to give it a try, you can download the application here.
Of course, for older arcade titles there already exists a well-tried online option: FightCade. Using parsec could expand the potential available library to include newer PC-based titles, however.
Getting creamed in casuals? Here’s how to build your training regimen to turn it around.
If you want to up your win ratio in any fighting game, choosing a dedicated approach to your training and sticking to it is a good strategy. There are a lot of ways to train and a lot of different approaches; in their first beginner guide, Sunfish-san describes how to use casual matches as a basis for a good training regimen by creating specific goals, and focusing on accomplishing each of those goals in your gameplay, bit by bit.
Check out the guide — “Sunfish-san, How Do I Win?” — for tips on choosing what aspects of your game you want to work on, choosing opponents to help you improve what you need to improve, and implementing your goals through practice and review. The guide’s advice is generalized to apply to any fighting game you’re interested in learning. This is only “Part 1,” so let Sunfish-san know what you think — and what you want to see more of in Part 2 — in the comments below.
Early August saw competitors clash in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat XL, and Injustice 2 (as part of the Injustice 2 Pro Series) in Vienna, Austria at viennality 2017! For those of us that couldn’t make it to the event, viennality offers this brief documentary video showcasing the FGC experience that was viennality 2017 — featuring interviews with event founders, organizers, and professional players. Check out out below.
You can also check out the full results of the tournament here.
Brian_F opens up about option selects, and playing for real Fight Money.
Well-known for his solid Balrog play in Street Fighter V, heavy-hitting Boxer main Brian_F took some time to answer some questions for an interview article with Fighter 101. They discuss his favorite games (which include Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker), compare the degree of execution needed between games like Street Fighter IV (which started Brian_F’s Street Fighter career) and older titles like Super Turbo and the Alpha series, and discuss aspects of his SFV Balrog play between annotated match highlights. They also chat about Brain_F’s fightstick preferences, and his outlook on the business aspects of competitive fighting games.
You can read the full interview here. And check out Brian_F’s setplay strategy against 3-frame jabs here!
Better-trained habits will benefit your overall game.
In playing a game that is as complex and fast-paced as a fighting game, the actions you perform can be categorized into two types: “robotic” actions, and “human” actions. The robotic refers to automatic processes — also called muscle memory — that need to be performed faster than you can typically think about, and are usually learned through repetition to become habit. The human component refers to the thinking elements of play — strategy, approach, and reading or training you opponent.
In the video below, BlaQ_NYC discusses these elements using Street Fighter V as an example, and offers some tips on how to train good “robotic” habits.
[Feature image: OverwatchReinhardt mod for SFV on PC]
Who will stand triumphant atop the Tower of Pride?
Red Bull isn’t slowing down any time soon when is comes to hosting Street Fighter V events; roughly a month after this weekend’s Red Bull Proving Grounds Fall Finals in Chicago and Red Bull: The Pit in Cologne, Red Bull Esports has another big event planned to take place in Shinagawa-ku, Minami-Oi, Tokyo: the Tower of Pride.
“The only thing we put on the line is our pride.” This Street Fighter V tournament will require competitors to collect as many coins as possible, to challenge the eight “Gatekeepers” for a chance to enter the final stage of the tournament. The eight Gatekeepers are:
Red Bull|Bonchan
Hx.Twitch.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara
Alienware|Nemo
Echo Fox|Tokido
GGP|Kazunoko
Qanba|Xiao Hai
DNG|Tachikawa
NASR|Big Bird
Head over to the official (Japanese) website for registration, schedule, rules and other details; you can also read a translation of the same on the Fugu Tabetai blog.
A hardcore Street Fighter V fight comes to Germany this weekend!
The Red Bull Proving Grounds Fall Season Finals aren’t the only fighting game action Red Bull is playing host to this weekend: across the pond in Cologne, Germany, Red Bull is set to run The Pit, a “hardcore” 3-on-3 clash of Street Fighter V pros, on October 21 and 22. From Red Bull Esports:
It’s loud. It’s rough. It’s Red Bull: The Pit. 30 years ago, Capcom released the legendary beat ‘em up Street Fighter and by now, it enjoys universal cult status. In celebration of that anniversary an event in a class of its own will be hosted: on October 21st and 22nd, 2017, the fighting game will be brought back to its roots. In an unparalleled 3v3 tournament with 32 [teams] overall… With renowned team captains like Luffy, will2pack and TKR, the best 16 teams out of 32 will fight for glory on Sunday, October 22nd. The event will go live at 11 AM with the doors to Bootshaus Cologne opening for the audience at 10 AM. Be there in time to soak up the Fight Club atmosphere or show your skills in some free plays! The viewers at home should go ahead and bookmark our livestream on Twitch!
The competitors won’t be on their own in The Pit, as the teams will consist of three players each. Whoever takes down all opposing players will win and advance to the next round. A combination of strength and tactical refinement are the keys to beating the European Street Fighter elite. Red Bull: The Pit will capture the unique and old school feel of Japanese arcades by bringing the once-off flair to life on lag-free esports screens by ZOWIE.
