The folks behind Churning the Butter have just gone live with another installment of their weekly tournament series, taking over Folsom Street Foundry in San Francisco, California to host Street Fighter V for local players.
Tonight, you can expect to see competitors like pH|LPN, Graham Wolfe, pH|HooDaMan, Pavo, pH|Crackfiend, MC|GCYoshi13, bjUNCHAINED, El Cubano Loco, and Alex Myers, among others.
If you’re interested in seeing what the NorCal cats have up their sleeves, be sure to check out the stream below and show your support. You can also head on over to Twitch if you prefer to chat.
Want to check these tournaments out for yourself? Well, you’re in luck, because even if you missed out this week, Churning the Butter is held every Thursday at 8:00 PM PDT during ShowDown’s game night at Folsom Street Foundry.
No matter how you slice it, Pokkén Tournament is an odd (Psy)duck. Its combination of 3D arena combat and 2D fisticuffs puts a unique spin on the fighting game formula, not to mention the fact that Pokémon were previously confined to unofficial affairs like Type Wild. Where did this idea even originate?
In a recent interview with GameXplain, producer Katsuhiro Harada provides an interesting answer to that question. While it was easy to just assume Bandai Namco Entertainment, with their long history of fighting game development, approached The Pokémon Company with the concept, it was actually the other way around.
The story goes that the manager of Bandai Namco’s Taiko no Tatsujin property (known as Taiko: Drum Master in North America) approached Pokémon with the idea of collaborating on an entry in the popular rhythm franchise. President Tsunekazu Ishihara, however, had a different idea.
“[Tsunekazu Ishihara] came back and said that, [if he was going to work with Bandai Namco], he wanted to do a collaboration with Tekken. Even at the very beginning, he had the idea of naming it Pokkén,” Harada explained. “Of course, at the start, the concept was slightly different. But really, at the core, he wanted to [create] a new definition for fighting games that would be much more broadly appealing.”
For more of GameXplain’s interview, which also features input from Soulcalibur producer Masaaki Hoshino, check out the video below.
Another day, another Street Fighter V roundup. The community continues to inundate us with guides, tutorials, and combos, so let’s get right into it.
In a new video, jmcrofts explores the M. Bison matchup and what it is about the dictator that makes him such a powerful close range combatant. Checking him with pokes and learning when it’s “your turn” both play a big role in learning how to fight Bison, and the guide covers these topics in detail.
Bison isn’t the only target for this video series, and you can find similar footage for a handful of other characters by following this link.
In a recent Tweet, hameko demonstrates the power of Zangief’s V-Reversal. Not only can it help to stop pressure against the Red Cyclone, but it can also combo right into his Critical Art for massive punish damage.
Yesterday, LPN tweeted a devastating setup with Rainbow Mika. The video, uploaded by zeroaxion, demonstrates a way to set up an inescapable situation in the corner, assuming Mika has access to her V-Trigger an some bar. Those with reversals can use them to get out, but those without will be forced to eat some damage. It’s not a lot of damage, sure, but it’s still a troublesome setup.
Earlier this week, ReikiKirei brought us a set of tips teaching viewers how Karin can punish Ryu’s options. Today, they share a video from the other side, offering a look at how Ryu can put his parry to use when punishing jump-in attacks from opponents. Naturally, there are risks involved in such a tactic, but learning to apply it can add some demoralizing options do your Ryu game.
LiangHuBBB knows what the people want, and when prompted to put together a set of footage featuring Jyobin’s Ryu, they did it with a flourish. This collection of impressive plays entertains thanks to Jyobin’s fearlessness when it comes to pressing buttons and making hard reads. Be sure to check it out.
Next, RandomSelectTV takes a look at how to play Laura by offering a selection of powerful combo options, before moving on to how to punish some of the more annoying moves in the game, like Birdie’s Bull Revenger and Zangief’s standing fierce.
It’s one thing to see a video offering tips on how to deal with annoying tactics–things like mashed jabs, for example–but it’s another thing entirely to see a video where the creator jumps into a match and demonstrates. In this next video, JiBbo shows how anyone can put a stop to those favoring their faster attacks. If you’ve found yourself being knocked out of reset opportunities or pressure strings, be sure to give it a look.
As we like to do, we close things out today with a video on the silly side. C0ld sent us a brutal reminder of why you should be careful with your dragon punches in Street Fighter V. This situation lines up such that c0ld’s Crush Counter combo leaves them in prime position to score a stun, followed by a full-on victory thanks to the resulting damage.
Got some tactics of your own to show off? Send them our way! Your video could be in our next Street Fighter V community roundup!
At the beginning of last night’s Next Level Battle Circuit, official broadcaster Victor “Spooky” Fontanez had a special announcement concerning an upcoming installment of the weekly tournament series.
Due to the increase in viewership after Street Fighter V’s release, Spooky announced that he will be contributing all of the revenue he earned on Wednesday night, whether it was from advertisements, subscriptions, or outright donations, to the game’s pot on March 16. According to Next Level Arcade owner Henry Cen, this resulted in an increase of over $1,000, which should give players a bit more impetus to attend apart from getting some extra practice in before Final Round 19.
Next Level Battle Circuit is hosted in Brooklyn, New York every Wednesday night. If you want to check it out in person, be sure to head on over to Next Level Arcade’s official website for more details.
Ever since its reveal, one of the major complaints surrounding Pokkén Tournament is a supposed lack of depth. While its hard, competitive limits remain to be seen, a brand new demonstration from Nintendo UK shows the upcoming title certainly has combos on lock.
In the video below, a number of cast members show what they are capable of in this unique fighter. From Pikachu’s speedy strings to Gengar’s juggling prowess, there’s sure to be something here you’ll enjoy. They even mix in a bit of assistance from support Pokémon like Frogadier and Farfetch’d.
Of course, we’re sure to see more impressive footage (I can personally attest to Chandelure having much better combos) when Pokkén Tournament launches for Wii U on March 18, so stay tuned.
Sometimes, in the heat of battle, it’s easy to forget that some of the crazier things in a fighting game can be punished. Such is the case in Street Fighter V, where characters are capable of all sorts of shenanigans thanks to the game’s brand new V-Mechanics. Fortunately, Honzo Gonzo is here to show you where you’ve been going wrong.
If you’ve ever found yourself falling victim to a tricky V-Skill cancel from Ken or Nash’s deceptive overhead, these videos should be right up your alley. Just take note that, as with most things involving Honzo, some portions are NSFW.
(Full disclosure: I personally support Honzo on Patreon.)
There’s no arguing that Critical Reaction’s Dominique “Sonic Fox” McLean is currently the best Mortal Kombat X player in the world. With two ESL Pro League championships under his belt, not to mention a dominating performance at Evo 2015, all eyes are on this young player as we enter another year of competition, so much so that even the developers are giving him in-game props.
With the release of Mortal Kombat XL, the title was updated with a number of new characters, stages, and balance adjustments. One thing that might have been overlooked, however, is a handful of updated trophies and achievements, depending on whether you call PlayStation 4 or Xbox One home. One in particular, “Fox Finish,” pays homage to Sonic Fox and his proclivity towards closing out intense matches with Erron Black’s caltrops.
Win the match with your opponent stepping on Caltrops.
Winning a number of major tournaments is great, but being forever immortalized in a video game? That’s something else entirely.
Frame Trapped, the developers behind a number of useful Street Fighter IV modifications, are set to bring their talents to Street Fighter V. Their first efforts have focused on a real-time hitbox viewer, and an alpha version of their tool is currently available to the public.
To try it out for yourself, all you have to do is visit their official website, grab the installer, and enjoy. Please note that you will have to launch Steam as an Administrator for added privileges and have a PC capable of running both Street Fighter V and the hitbox program at the same time in order to take full advantage of its benefits.
In addition to their hitbox viewer, Frame Trapped is working on Street Fighter V versions of their Director and Combo Trainer tools, as well as a game-to-speech feature that will provide blind players with on-screen details.
As this is merely an alpha release, there are sure to be a number of aspects that need finetuning or fixing. For general questions and feedback, be sure to hit up developer Tom Piddock on Twitter. Bug reports, however, should be sent to their dedicated email address: frametrappedbugs@gmail.com.
While developer demonstrations are all well and good, the best way for fighting game creators to showcase new characters is to let high-level competitors in on the fun. Fortunately, Arc System Works did just that by inviting Japanese players Ogawa, FAB, Machaboo, Mocchi, Nage, and LOX to participate in a couple of insightful Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- exhibitions.
The videos below are split; the first highlights newcomers Kum Haehyun and Raven while the second allows the players to take control of their mains. As this is the first footage we’ve seen of the new duo apart from brief glimpses in a recent trailer, these videos should be invaluable for players looking to pick one or both up when -REVELATOR- drops later this year.
Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- launches for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on May 26 in Japan, June 7 in North America, and June 10 in Europe.
Mortal Kombat XL has been in the hands of console players for a full day now, and they’ve had more than enough time to pick apart characters new to the roster. Below, we’ve included a handful of tutorials and combo videos to get everyone started down the path of destruction with NetherRealm Studios’ latest offerings.
Sajam has already been hard at work putting together tutorials for newcomers Leatherface, Bo’ Rai Cho, and Alien. If you’ve seen Sajam’s character breakdowns in the past, you’ll know to expect high quality content in bite-sized chunks. If you’re considering slashing opponents with chainsaws, spitting acid, or regretting the amount you had to drink last night, be sure to check these out!
It’s no surprise that Hurtbox TV has sarted cranking out combo videos as well. Today, they’ve got videos exploring the stylings of both Triborg and Alien, taking an extensive look at each variation that these new fighters offer.
For a more in-depth look at how Triborg goes about getting his damage, look no further than this next batch of videos from EGP|Wonder Chef. We’ve included his combo breakdowns for the Smoke, Sektor, and Cyber Sub-Zero variations below.
If you’re looking to try out the hidden Triborg variation for yourself, you can do so by pressing up, up, triangle (or Y, depending on your console of choice) at the character select screen. More details on this selection process can be found here.
Wonder Chef also found a safe jump option for the frosty robot, allowing him to keep the pressure high against antsy opponents.
Of course, those aren’t the only folks giving the newcomers a shot. Nerobianco took some time to pick apart the Alien’s many variations and the damage output they offer, while SitverGold spent some quality time with the Cyber Sub-Zero variant of the cybernetic combatant.
And to close things out, how about some of those sick new stage fatalities? EGP|Wonder Chef was kind enough to grace the internet with full clips of these brutal finishes in action. The kraken of The Kove, the revamped, yet still oh-so-classic Pit’s spiked bottom, and the mercenaries who have no qualms with pumping hundreds of shots into those finished off in the Refugee Kamp all make an appearance below.
Do note, these are incredibly NSFW videos featuring the gruesome demise of a few terribly unlucky characters. Watch at your own risk.
