Long Vo’s new artwork really compliments the Panthera’s design.
As we previously covered, Razer had a special Street Fighter V-themed Panthera fightstick planned for release in July. It missed the July mark by a little, but the new stick — featuring new Street Fighter Alpha 2-inspired Street Fighter V artwork by Long Vo, is now available to purchase on Razer’s website!
You can read all about the inspiration for the new artwork — and grab one of these sticks for yourself — over at Razer for $199.99 USD. Read our review of the Razer Panthera here.
Welcome to the Rollback: a frame-by-frame look back at our past week’s most notable news — and our favorite SRK articles — from July 28 to August 3, 2017!
The rumors are circulating… is Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Capcom’s “true” 30th anniversary release, or is there something more interesting not yet officially revealed? I would love arcade-perfect (but with online play) versions of 3rd Strike or the SFA series, so please Capcom: don’t let your fans down!
Cliffdog’s path demonstrates how rewarding involvement in the FGC can be if you dedicate yourself, and his outlook and approach to fighting games in general is inspiring! He’ll make you want to get back into the grind.
X-Kira’s latest datamining efforts have revealed material that makes the rumored “Super Street Fighter V” look like a reality to come, at least in function if not name. Promising additions to SFV — if they see the light of day.
EiC mushin_Z got the chance to chat with Daigo during this year’s Evo, and was able to ask The Beast about his manga, what he thinks about Season 2 of Street Fighter V and what Evo means to him as a FGC veteran.
Bandai Namco and Arc System Works will be at this year’s Gamescom, showing off a new build of Dragon Ball FighterZ. We expect to see Piccolo, Krillin and Future Trunks taking the stage, alongside some brand new mechanics and engine tweaks.
If you’re hankering for more information on ARIKA’s new fighting game, the developers will be showcasing the game on BeasTV next Tuesday. Fingers crossed for some Darun Mister and Skullomania gameplay!
Although I’m still not convinced by For Honor‘s esports ambitions, the game itself is very fun. I’m pleased to see continued support from Ubisoft, and hopeful for the future of the game.
MvC:I has had a somewhat lukewarm reaction from the FGC thus far, but if there is one person who has been consistently excited about the upcoming release, it’s Olaf Redland. In these notes, the enthusiasm is palpable, and they’re well worth a read.
Perfect to wear to Yoga practice, or your local SFV tournament.
Eighty Sixed has debuted a new Street Fighter V T-shirt, this time for fans of the mysterious Yoga master Dhalsim. The new design is appropriately titled “Mandala”:
To celebrate the new shirt’s arrival, Eighty Sixed presents this video to help get you in the Yoga frame of mind:
Seems Dhalsim even gets bored with Yoga asanas now and then, since he snuck some Tai Chi forms in there at the end! The cosplayer is Hex of Nein & Hex.
You can pick up the new Mandala T-shirt design from Eighty Sixed for $24.00 USD.
The challenge to the Super Smash Bros. Melee gods will take place at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.
While Red Bull has already announced their Smash Gods and Gatekeepers event — an opportunity for challengers to take on the “gods” of Super Smash Bros. Melee — they had not revealed the date and location, until now. Smash Gods and Gatekeepers will take place on September 2 & 3, 2017, at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Mortals, rejoice! It is time to answer the call. Today, Red Bull announced Red Bull Smash Gods and Gatekeepers, an all-new two-day Super Smash Bros. Melee major where fans have the opportunity to team up and compete with their favorite renowned Super Smash Bros. athletes.
To reiterate the event details from the earlier announcement: the two-day event features two formats, leading up to a final competition: a double-elimination tournament leading into Crew battles, that will culminate in “Judgement Day” — a battle captained by the Gods and Gatekeepers themselves: Cloud 9’s Joseph “Mango” Marquez, PG|Justin “Plup” McGrath, Counter Logic Gaming’s Zac “SFAT” Cordoni, VGBootCamp’s Daniel “ChuDat” Rodriguez, Justin “Wizzrobe” Hallett, Tempo Storm’s Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson, Echo Fox & MVG’s Jason “Mew2king” Zimmerman and Red Bull’s William “Leffen” Hjelte.
Day 1: a standard double elimination competition for participants to qualify as the Chosen: those who are ranked in the top 32 will be placed in a draft for the final 2 open slots in the Captains’ Crew. Those not chosen from the top 32 will play in a standalone Godforsaken Tournament.
Day 2: the final Judgement Day battles to see which Crew will be victorious, and crowned champions!
A new version of HORI’s latest design will be available soon!
The HORI Real Arcade Pro N Hayabusa is an updated version of the new RAP design HORI utilized for the RAP Tekken 7 Edition — featuring the HORI Hayabusa lever; Hayabusa matte-surfaced, short-throw pushbuttons in the Namco Noir button layout (instead of the Taito Vewlix layout, presently much more common on fightsticks); and an OPTIONS button cover to prevent accidental presses, alongside the other usual HORI RAP functions.
This model will be compatible with PlayStation 3 & 4, and PC via XInput. Pre-orders are live now at Arcade Shock; expect the fightsticks to ship out in mid-August 2017.
The number say it all — and provide some perspective on the reach of Evo this year!
12,000 attendees, 10,000 competitors, and a quarter of a million dollars on the line. It seems like this Evo thing is a pretty big deal! To provide a look at the level of success this year’s Evolution Fighting Championship achieved, this infographic has been released compiling a variety of event totals. Have a look!
A number of years ago, Cliff Rouzier’s desire to rise up and compete at Evo inspired a journey that would become the indie documentary Road to Evolution, released in February of this year. It is available to watch for free on YouTube right now; here’s the most recent trailer:
Cliffdog now streams on Twitch, and continues to compete in both Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros. titles. To see where his fighting spirit has taken him since the events of Road to Evolution, we caught up with him on the floor of Evo 2017. The resulting discussion can be read below; replies have been edited for clarity.
Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra: For the readers that don’t know you yet, please introduce yourself!
Cliff “Cliffdog” Rouzier: My name is Cliff, my tag is Cliffdog. I’ve been a huge fighting game enthusiast since I was about two years old, loved fighting games all my life; they’ve brought me closest to some of the best friends that I’ve ever had, or ever met. It’s just something that I’m super passionate about. I love the community and what they aspire to be. Fighting games as a whole: I love what they bring, I love the tenacity — I just love the drive, and I love the competition that fighting games provide for everybody, which is why I’m so drawn to them today.
mushin_Z: So, how many times have you been to Evo now?
Cliffdog: This will now be my fourth one. Started in 2012, attended the one in 2013, took about two years off, went back in 2016, and now I’m here for 2017.
mushin_Z: You were the subject of your cousin Jonathan’s documentary, Road to Evolution, about your drive to come and compete at Evo; tell us about what it was like to be in that film.
Cliffdog: Sure! So, in 2011, I saw an amazing match with Luffy, and I was so inspired by that. I felt that, with my age at that time, I was running out of time to enjoy such an event — something you put such blood, sweat, and tears into — that I thought it would be really cool if my cousin (who at the time was just getting out of film school) and I could collaborate together, and make a documentary on what I’m gonna do: someone that’s a “nobody,” that nobody really knows, what steps am I gonna take, what sacrifices am I gonna make, to try to make it out to Evo.
That being the drive, that setting the stage, we started doing it — and it didn’t work out that well [at first], because when we tried for Evo 2012, I was the only one that made it, so we couldn’t record anything! So the viewer didn’t get to see what happened.
mushin_Z: There was a little bit of a hole there…
Cliffdog: So, I was like, “f’ this,” let’s go for one last ride, one more time, let’s do it — but this time, I’ll make sure everything is in place, so that way there’s no excuses, no hiccups, and I’ll make sure everyone can make it. And you know, we did it, we made it happen — though we had a lot of problems with the TSA [related to the transport of camera equipment] — and it was a beautiful experience.
I guess to compare those two important years, from 2012 to 2014, I went from being by myself, not knowing anybody (I literally just went to the [first] event and came back home) to somebody that now, a year later, is fully integrated into the fighting game community, among many friends. And I think that really opened my eyes to even if you don’t know anybody, if you put in the time and effort and dedicate yourself to something you enjoy — as much as everybody else does — you’re gonna get a lot out of it.
mushin_Z: Nice. That film was essentially your first steps setting out on this path — to get into Evo, to compete at a higher level. Where has it led?
Cliffdog: I don’t even know where to start! [laughs] There’s just been so many opportunities, and I don’t know how to say thank you for each and every one. I’m so blessed that this year my flight was paid in full, and my Twitch followers even donated enough money to get my girlfriend to come with me. So I didn’t have to pay for a flight here… how does that happen?
I don’t know — maybe other streamers feel like it’s a common thing, but to me as a person — if you’re watching me, I’m just playing video games. I guess I’m entertaining you [as a viewer] enough that you want me to come to Evo, just to compete, because you believe in what I believe in. Even if you’ve seen my documentary or not, you must share the same passion as I do, and want me to have fun and succeed… That in itself, I think, speaks for itself: as long as you just do what you do, and you’re humble and you give to the community, they’re gonna give it back to you.
I’ve met a lot of amazing players, I’ve beaten a lot of amazing professional players in my time, which I never thought I could — I only dreamed about it. I got to work with LI Joe in his own event, East Coast Throwdown; I always saw him as an awesome person and a very humble guy… for him to just open his arms and say “Dude, I want you to help me out with this, no questions asked, I like you, and you’re an awesome dude”… wow. I guess there’s a “facade,” that all pro players are like this or that, and you can’t talk to them, and they’re on this higher pedestal. But at the end of the day, everyone’s a person, just like the person sitting next to you, they’re human beings and they want to converse just like anybody else. And if you take the time to just have a conversation with them, you’d be surprised what you get out of it in the end.
Again, I can’t say “thank you” enough for what’s been opened for me, and the opportunities given me, but my goal is always just to continue to give back to something that’s given me so much. It’s enabled me to fly around to different states, and different countries that I never thought I would go to. I’ve met amazing people that I’ve befriended, we’ve been able to travel together, and just enjoy unique experiences. That on its own, I’d say, is very special.
mushin_Z: So, when you first started out with the thought “I’m gonna go to Evo,” you didn’t think this was going to be the result?
Cliffdog: No, no way did I project that I’d be coming back to Evo again in 2017. But “the people” said otherwise, and here I am today. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think my drive would be so strong — I think in my heart, I always want to play; I always have the passion and always want to compete. But at a tournament level like this, it takes a lot of time, practice, and training to not go 0-2 in your bracket, and that’s where I think they play the biggest part — because they’re cheering me on. Even when I’m down, I lost and I don’t know what happened, I don’t know what to do, and I want to quit the game — even though, I never really want to — even with those thoughts in my mind, [my supporters] are the first to remind me why I should never stop.
I’ll give you the perfect example: I was on my way to the Red Bull party last night, and I already had it in my mind that after Evo I was just gonna take a break, just relax from fighting games and focus on other things. And there was somebody I saw that I haven’t seen, in, let’s just say over a year. He was so shocked to see me, and he was like, “Dude, I saw your documentary! Never stop playing fighting games. You have to keep playing!” And the way he said it, the way he looked at me, I was like “Dang, I can’t stop right now.” I can’t! People still want me to play. Clearly, this road is far from over. Even if I were to think about stopping, they would stop me from stopping! I can’t be thankful enough for that — there’s still people that want to help me get better than I am now.
mushin_Z: That’s awesome. So, let’s talk about the pro players — right now you’re playing Street Fighter V and Super Smash Bros. for WiiU…
Cliffdog: That’s right.
mushin_Z: Who are the players getting into the top eights that you look up to? That make you think, “I need to get to that level, I want to take them on.”
Cliffdog: Oh boy. You know what’s funny? The guys that are in the top eights, they’re not really my “targets” in terms of me wanting to beat them; I just wanna learn from them, so I can do what they do and enjoy the game as much as they do.
I don’t think I could name any names. I feel like they’re all great, in their own respective games. It’s nice to see the roundabout of different characters that can win, and it’s also amazing that all these great players are getting sponsored, too. I give ’em all kudos. But I don’t think there’s anybody that’s my “favorite” player, in that I look up to them, and I want to beat them. I appreciate them for who they are, and what they give back to me.
I guess when I was younger, I looked up to them more, and was like, “Man, I wanna be like that guy, I wanna do what he does!” But with access to YouTube, and forums, and everybody’s in Discord chatting and learning — everybody can be like that person now. Anybody can do what any of those guys are doing, so long as you put in the hard work and dedication. I think that’s something that slips people’s minds, and they beat themselves up too much — but just take the loss, get back up, and keep going. It doesn’t matter how hard you lost, how hard you got knocked down — if you can rise up from that, and can continue to keep fighting, you never lose. That’s how I see it.
Four more tournaments get a boost to their Pokkén prize pools, courtesy of Evo.
Because of the huge contribution to Make-a-Wish International from fans of Pokkén Tournament during the Evo 2017 Player’s Choice donation drive, it was declared that while Pokkén would not see the main stage at Evo 2017 (that spot went to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3), Evo would provide $10,000 in pot bonuses to other Pokkén events this year. The first recipient was NorCal Regionals. Now, the last four events that will receive a $1000 boost to their Pokkén Tournament pot have been named, and are as follows:
The Beast speaks on competing at Evo and the state of Street Fighter V.
With sponsorship deals with Red Bull, Twitch, Hyper X, and Cygames, a book about his history and fight game philosophy (The Will to Keep Winning), and a recently-translated manga that tells the stories of his rise to prominence in the Japanese arcade scene (Daigo the Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers!), Daigo Umehara is very embodiment of the professional fighting gamer. His fame precedes him, even while his competitive success had somewhat waned in Street Fighter V Season 2 (though the Abuget Cup 2017 results now suggest otherwise, see below).
I managed to get some time at Evo 2017 to ask some questions of The Beast — with the assistance of a translator — shortly before Street Fighter V‘s top 8 battled at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Replies have been edited for clarity.
Daigo Umehara at Evo 2017 (Photo courtesy of Chris Bahn)
Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra: OK, so this is Street Fighter V‘s second year at Evo; how would you say the competition has changed this year, as compared to the previous year?
Daigo “The Beast” Umehara: Hm. Well, I think it’s clear that the latest changes are character changes, and those characters that have been upgraded — made stronger — are the ones that are doing well in competitions.
mushin_Z: What has been your main focus in training to compete at Evo this year?
Daigo: I knew that there would be more Americans — out of all the nationalities, Americans would be the highest number among the competitors at Evo, so I chose characters that are commonly played by Americans, and focused on the match-up against them.
mushin_Z: You’ve seen more success playing Guile this year, after your switch from playing Ryu; do you feel Guile suits your own approach, your own style, in this game?
Daigo: To be honest, yes: I would like to see Ryu improved. And that’s not the case… But, I do like the playstyle I can showcase with Guile, so I’ve been enjoying playing Guile quite a bit.
mushin_Z: Excellent. So, you were knocked into losers bracket by Haitani. What are your thoughts on that particular match?
Daigo: [pauses to consider] I don’t know if I could have played differently. I don’t recall making any notable mistakes against Haitani in that match… but if I really think hard, maybe Haitani was aware of my tendencies and playstyle, so he knew how I was going to play.
mushin_Z: Now, Justin Wong took you out of the tournament entirely; same question: thoughts on that match?
Daigo: In Street Fighter V, we haven’t really played against each other, so most of the time I felt we were trying to “feel each other out”… And as a result, we had a great match, an exciting match — but this time, I didn’t succeed. Justin was ahead of my game. [Umehara ultimately made it to 17th in the final Evo 2017 SFV standings.]
Hx.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara vs. Echo Fox|Justin Wong in the top 32 of SFV at Evo 2017.
mushin_Z: Compared to last year, MOV is the only player in last year’s SFV top eight that is also in this year’s top eight. What does that say to you about the current state of competition in Street Fighter V?
Daigo: The climate of competition gets largely affected by character balance, rather than the playstyle or characteristics of the players. The faces of the top players we see in competition changes all the time, and it’s exciting to see new faces at the top, but I would like to see something different.
mushin_Z: Would you say that the changes between Season 1 and Season 2 were too drastic, and brought this about?
Daigo: Yes.
mushin_Z: So, what is number one on your Street Fighter V “wish list”? If you could change one thing about the game to suit your personal style, what would it be?
Daigo: Hm… It’s very difficult to pick one! The overall impression I get from this game: every competition, every match, tends to finish in the same style — no matter who is playing; whether they’re a veteran or a newcomer, skilled player or not, there’s no variation. And that’s, you know, not exciting. As a player it’s not fun, and I’m not sure if it’s not fun for viewers either; so, what I would like to see — if I could request anything — then I would like to see something to allow a wider range of strategy, more choices which players are allowed to make, so each player’s characteristics could shine in the game.
Daigo Umehara finishes a match against Montréal’s FluxWaveZ. (Photo courtesy of Chris Bahn)
mushin_Z: What’s your next stop on the Capcom Pro Tour?
Daigo: Earliest option I heard of — in two weeks I might go to Indonesia [Abuget Cup] at the end of July, or I’ll go to the Germany in the beginning of August [Fight Club NRW]. [Umehara indeed competed at Abuget Cup, and took his first #1 spot at a Capcom Pro Tour event this year!]
mushin_Z: Do you feel you have a strong chance to make it to #1 at Capcom Cup this year?
Daigo: Well, before I can speak about Capcom Cup, I need to qualify! I have a long way to get there. But my skill set is improving, and my game is getting better… I feel more confident than before. So, I’m looking forward to it — I would like to see myself up there, too.
mushin_Z: Any words about the English debut of the Daigo the Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers! manga?
Daigo: This manga covers my story, my arcade days, in my teens… day in, day out, I went to arcades. So, I’m curious to see how much of that — the atmosphere, the experiences we had at arcades, will be conveyed to the American audience, understanding that arcades were not as common as they were to Japanese players back then. I would like to see the passion we shared among ourselves back then conveyed to the new audience; that’s my wish.
mushin_Z: Very cool. In your own words, what does competing at Evo mean to you?
Daigo: Of course, Evo has evolved into the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, and has a long history of supporting players — and all that considered, I think most folks come here to compete because it’s big, and has that history. They think “I need to win at Evo,” even more than the CPT in general, I’ve seen so many like that around me.
But for me, Evo is different, and much more significant. It gave me a chance to be a pro gamer. Through my experiences fighting and competing at Evo, I was able to express myself to the audience outside of Japan, and people got to know me. So, Evo has a special place in my heart. Even if Evo hadn’t grown to this size and significance to fighting games, I would still come to Evo, no matter what. That’s how much Evo means to me.
mushin_Z: That’s awesome. Is there anything else you’d like to express to SRK readers about Street Fighter V or Evo?
Daigo: My loss yesterday makes me really feel the desire to make it into the top eight at Evo next year! For sure — I want to make it.
Edmonton’s longest-running fighting game tournament is back for another year.
Street Fighters in Western Canada will want to note the return of Alberta Beat Down, set to take place in Edmonton, AB on August 25-27, 2017. Canada Cup Gaming’s Lap Chi Duong is expected to be in attendance, as well as many other notable players from the Canadian FGC. The games featured this year are:
Shoryuken interview: Daigo Umehara on his manga, reaching for Capcom Cup, and the meaning of Evo
Season 3 of For Honor announced, introduces Highlander and Gladiator, rebalancing, and more
Learn more about how Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite actually plays with Olaf Redland’s detailed notes
First BlazBlue: Central Fiction 2.0 gameplay footage shows patch changes, Jubei matches
Evo 2017 “by the numbers” infographic displays totals for attendance, viewership, and more
mushin_Z: You’ve seen more success playing Guile this year, after your switch from playing Ryu; do you feel Guile suits your own approach, your own style, in this game?
mushin_Z: Any words about the English debut of the Daigo the Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers! manga?