Olympic Gaming is back with another Ultra Street Fighter IV player spotlight, this time focusing on the masterful Rolento play of Pandora House’s LPN.
What you’re about to see encapsulates the essence of Rolento: a good hit-confirm followed by a difficult guessing situation on the part of the defender often results in a stun and the sort of damage lead from which opponents aren’t likely to recover. Pair this with the standard Rolento options of frantic rolling and Stinger chucking, and this highlight reel is just a lot of fun to watch.
As always, you can check out a brief text-based interview in the video’s description to learn more about the featured player.
As part of their annual press conference at E3 2015, Microsoft showcased their upcoming plans for fans in attendance as well as those watching online. While there were a ton of titles and projects discussed, one in particular should be rather exciting for Xbox One heads: the arrival of backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 titles.
Coming this holiday season, Xbox One’s native congruence with games from its predecessor will allow players to take advantage of brand new features available for the platform’s current lineup like screenshots and live broadcasting. And, fortunately, it won’t cost a dime.
At this point in time, the group of titles that are set to be compatible at launch is rather paltry and doesn’t include a single fighting game, but Microsoft is looking for input on what other releases you want to see made available in the future. Be sure to head on over to their official feedback forums to provide your thoughts.
As some of you may remember, the folks over at Project Soul opened up a special character popularity poll through Facebook, offering fans the opportunity to provide input on their favorite Soulcalibur characters. This survey was recently closed, and now we have a great look at who the 3D fighter’s community likes and dislikes throughout the extensive cast.
Unsurprisingly, the top three includes longstanding members of the roster Talim, Taki, and Mitsurugi. While the first two weren’t present in the most recent release, Soulcalibur V, it seems the favor they’ve garnered throughout the rest of the series remains strong among its fanbase, even if Taki appears to have been replaced by newcomer Natsu for the time being.
Continuing on, Ivy and Kilik round out the rest of the top five, though I’m entirely sure the latter wasn’t chosen for his return as a mimic character in Soulcalibur V. The next few spots are rather predictable, consisting of mainstays like Siegfried, Nightmare, and Yoshimitsu. That being said, there are a few pleasant reminders of relative newcomers like ringblade wielder Tira and fellow Soulcalibur III debutant Zasalamel.
Characters introduced in the fifth outing didn’t fare as well, however. Siblings Patroklos and Pyrrha, their alternate Alpha and Omega counterparts, and replacement fighters like Xiba and Leixia all fell within the bottom half of the rankings.
While none of this is confirmation of anyone’s inclusion or removal from the playable cast for the “huge” something currently being developed by Bandai Namco’s Soul team, it’s very possible they have used this voting as the groundwork for the next Soulcalibur installment.
Feel free to let us know how you voted as well as your thoughts on the full results in the comments below.
There’s a reason that characters hit with a focus crumple enter into an aerial state before they fall fully to the ground in Street Fighter IV. Not only does this make the timing on the next hit targeted at them slightly tighter than it would otherwise be, but it also prevents an endless chain of focus attacks from crumpling opponents ad nauseam.
Nintendo took this into account when they gave Ryu a version of this powerful attack to bring up against the cast of Smash, but there is a way around it in some situations.
Consecutive crumple attempts pop up opponents only if the focus attack isn’t held for its full duration, or if Ryu faces his opponent when the move’s animation finishes. This second condition can be finnicky and will occasionally allow for a handful of back-to-back crumples at specific damage ranges, but it’s inconsistent at best. If allowed to release on its own after reaching full capacity, and with Ryu’s back to his opponent (this part is key), Ryu can indefinitely crumple some characters; Charizard and Donkey Kong have been confirmed as potential victims.
Actually pulling this off in a match won’t be simple since Ryu has to be practically inside the hurtbox of his opponent when his first focus attack finishes, but once he gets going, the combo is essentially free. Check out the video below from Dezmu to get a feel for the sort of timing that this requires.
Source: Dezmu and a shoutout to KGA’s Lenny for sharing this.
While Mad Catz is currently pushing their updated Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2, there are still a lot of players out there who are fans of their older Tournament Edition design. For them, the manufacturer has some great news.
In a recent tweet, Mad Catz’ Mark “MarkMan” Julio revealed that they will be bringing back the Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition S+. When it came out back in 2010, the Tournament Edition S+ represented the first major upgrade to the original Tournament Edition arcade stick. The design featured smaller sidewings and new full size art, and came out just in time for Street Fighter IV’s first major update.
The new Tournament Edition S+ comes with the same thinner sides but ditches the full panel art in favor of the smaller art and bezel combination as seen in the original Tournament Edition stick. Additionally, the stick also features the anti-slip coating feature in later variants of the original Tournament Edition line.
The first batch of red Tournament Edition S+ arcade sticks will release for the Xbox 360, which is still currently the console of choice for games such as Ultra Street Fighter IV. That said, MarkMan has confirmed that versions for other consoles will eventually be released later on.
While Kotal Kahn’s Blood God and Sun God variations in Mortal Kombat X focus on unique buffing and defensive abilities, respectively, War God focuses on one thing and one thing only: bashing and ripping opponents apart with his Macuahuitl. This ancient Mesoamerican weapon combines the brute force of a club and the tremendous tearing abilities of obsidian blades to form a rather terrifying weapon, and Kotal uses it with great aplomb.
When used properly, a specific sequence of moves available in War God that includes Kotal’s Melahuac (114), EX Sword Toss, and a positive, whiffed air throw can results in some pretty hefty chip damage. Qwark28 showcases this technique in the video below.
Of course, there are ways to escape, most notably by armoring or backdashing a mistimed sword throw or even trading with Tonaltzintli (b122) after the air grab.
That being said, should War God Kotal Kahn happen to catch an opponent in the corner while they are low on meter, he’s capable of doling out upwards of 57% just through chip damage with this setup, which is nothing to scoff at.
Street Fighter’s Shoryuken is one of the most iconic attacks in the fighting genre, and perhaps gaming as a whole. No one could have known when the rising dragon fist first hit arcades back in 1987 that it would leave such a lasting impression on the world–well, except maybe Sagat.
Since its creation, the Shoryuken–or some variation thereof–has become the signature attack for a slew of characters in the Street Fighter universe, and has shown up in a host of other fighting titles as well. Guilty Gear’s Sol Badguy, King of Fighters’ Kula, and Smash’s Mario all sport a rising uppercut-style attack, and they’re just the first few characters that come to mind; there are plenty more fighters from across the genre who round out their arsenal with an uppercut of some variety or another.
Being so well-known, the move has also seen its share of the spotlight in various pop culture outlets over the years, but, strange as it may sound, Ryu wasn’t the first animated character to curl his fingers into a fist before slamming it into his opponent’s chin while leaping into the air.
In a 1935 episode of Popeye the Sailor Man titled “The Spinach Overture,” we see the man himself inhale a can of spinach and pound out an impressive number on a nearby piano (even using his feet and pipe to play) before spinning up to Brutus to deliver a blow that sends him flying across the room. All that’s missing is the yelling of the attack’s name as Popeye unleashes it.
It’s impossible to know whose idea it was to have Popeye deliver this style of attack, as the series employed a handful of animators, not all of whom were involved in each episode of the show. This particular episode credits Seymour Kneitel and Roland Crandall for bringing the sailor to life, so they could have had a hand in the creation of this attack, or it could have all come from the mind of series director Dave Fleischer. At any rate, Popeye seems to have beaten Ryu to the punch.
You’ll find the full Popeye episode below, cued up to the moment in question.
Source: James Flynn, special thanks to UncleSamPatriot for pointing this out to us.
Nintendo has just gone live with the first of their E3 2015 festivities, a Direct presentation dedicated entirely to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. The name of the game here is downloadable content, and it’s likely they will be discussing Lucas as well as officially revealing Ryu and Roy.
You’ll find the stream below. We will be updated this article with pertinent information, so stay tuned.
By now, it’s no secret that iconic Street Fighter protagonist Ryu will eventually be playable in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. An early release of data to servers in Japan have allowed diligent fans to mine information from the code, from the wandering warrior’s victory screen in single-player mode to the classic moves he will have at his disposal. That being said, the latest gameplay details to emerge from the industrious Smash community are sure to interest even the most diehard fans of traditional fighters.
First, the basic stuff. Ryu’s specials can either be performed with a single button press or by holding down the input, giving them added benefits like higher damage. However, if one were to perform the attack’s original Street Fighter motions, some truly glorious things can happen. For instance, using a quarter-circle to unleash a Hadoken will result in a stronger fireball, and Ryu will also float a bit longer if it’s used in mid-air as an homage to the Marvel vs. Capcom series. The developers even went as far as to include the Shakunetsu variant should players utilize a half-circle.
Shoryukens, on the other hand, gain invincibility with their original input, as well as a bit more damage and the removal of their landing recovery. Ryu players pulling off the traditional Tatsumaki motion will see the move’s strength, speed, and distance increased. And finally, fully-charged Focus Attacks cause the opponent to crumple, allowing for follow-up hits, and can be canceled with dashes just like in Street Fighter IV.
But the specials aren’t the only attacks to draw inspiration from the entirely different subset of fighters this guest character calls home. Ryu’s vast repertoire also includes a classic Donkey Kick by way of his side smash as well as a shield-shattering Collarbone Breaker.
Although their game is quite different from those they are emulating, the Smash developers have apparently done a fantastic job of giving Ryu just enough variety as to entice fans who have been playing him since Street Fighter debuted in 1987. Only time will tell if mastering these techniques leads to a more viable, competitive character, but for right now, it’s cool to see these traditional methods appear in another style of fighter.
Early, early, early this morning (seriously, it was like 2 AM where I live), dataminers were able to pull a variety of surprises from the latest Super Smash Bros. 4 patch due to its early arrival on servers in Japan, the most notable being playable versions of Street Fighter mainstay Ryu and Fire Emblem’s Roy. Over the past several hours, folks have continued to dig into the update, feverishly uncovering a number of new items that give us a closer look at what these two characters bring to the table.
While Roy appears rather similar to his Super Smash Bros. Melee incarnation (apart from some aesthetic improvements to set him apart from Marth), Ryu is an entirely different story. As depicted in the gallery below, the world warrior comes equipped with a number of obvious attacks, including his Hadoken, Shoryuken, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, as well as a flinch-resistant Focus Attack straight out of Street Fighter IV.
And, while it won’t ever be seen during competitive play, Ryu’s Final Smashes allow him to pull out the devastating Metsu Hadoken and Metsu Shoryuken on his opponents, demonstrated below.
A streamer by the name of crediar was recently able to implement data for Ryu, Roy, and Lucas into their game, so be sure to check out their ongoing broadcast and archived footage for a more detailed look at their respective movesets. And, if you’re still thirsty after all that, r/SmashBros has put together a fantastic thread compiling all of their findings thus far.
