Category: Fighting Games

Have you ever wanted to know more about the process of creating animations in Fighting Games? There’s more to it than just good art — animation is a separate discipline unto itself, and the concepts that go into its creation are fascinating.

Animation YouTuber Dan Root recently made a 15-minute glossary of some of these core concepts. While no substitute for the years of hard work needed to produce good animations, it’s an excellent overview of animation principles as they uniquely apply to the fighting game genre. If you have ever thought about jumping into animating your own fighting game (or just want to know why some animations work — and others don’t), this video is a great place to start.

Source: Dan Root

It’s time to take a closer look at the secondary protagonist of the Guilty Gear series, the lightning-wielding Ky Kiske. The white knight has a more elegant and refined approach to things than Sol Badguy, but nonetheless, is a similarly well-rounded fighter excellent for beginners and experts alike. Apolo Lousallier takes a look at Ky’s pros and cons in his latest video.

As usual, the video starts out covering Ky’s pokes and normal attacks, which are just as privileged as his royalty status. Ky can win a lot of poke wars, even if he won’t necessarily convert into a damaging combo. He’s difficult to approach from the air, as his 2HS anti-air can work against cross-ups, hits twice, and gives a big combo on counter hit. A meticulous Ky player can set up strong frame traps where mashing buttons ends up costing the opponent a lot of life.

Ky’s trademark attacks include a variety of projectiles which he can modify with Grinders. He can zone a lot of the cast with them, and he uses them to set up okizeme. The video doesn’t list too many cons, mentioning that Ky can lose if he doesn’t condition the opponent properly, so I would add that using his special moves unwisely can lead to quick death. Greed Sever (the overhead) is very unsafe on block, and good players will counter it properly; similarly, Stun Dipper (the slide) is also very unsafe. Generally, most Ky players wait until they have 50 meter to commit to the more risky moves, unless they are sure about their call.

Source: Apolo Loussalier

If you’ve ever played a Guilty Gear game before, surely you’ve seen its main character, Sol Badguy. But if you’ve never had a chance to try the game out, Sol is an excellent starting character who embodies the spirit of the game. Apolo Loussalier takes a closer look at the flagship character to examine his flaws and strengths in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2.

Sol remains a strong pick in this version, with tools that can match most situations. His normals are among the best in the game. His trademark 2D sweep low profiles not just projectiles, but many other pokes in the game. Similarly, his anti-air, 6P, is also a good ground counter-poke, allowing for a combo on counter-hit, since it wallbounces. His 5K kick isn’t as fast as it used to be in the glory days, but it’s still a quick anti-air.

He wouldn’t be Sol Badguy without his signature Gunflame, however. It’s great for setting up okizeme, especially in the corner, and Sol is great at trapping the enemy, leading into strong combos. He’s also versatile on the defense as he has multiple reversal options, among them the infamous Grand Viper. On the weaker side, Sol can get outzoned, and if he can’t properly condition the opponent, his offense can be countered somewhat easily.

Check it out below, and if you’re more curious about another character, watch this REV 2 Ramlethal overview.

Source: Apolo Loussalier

Master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man.

Nicalis has released the second to the last character trailer for Blade Strangers. This new video focuses on Master T Drakkhen, the practitioner of “Ultimate Manimal Arts” from Code of Princess EX.

As stated above, Master T practices the Ultimate Manimal Arts. This involves the use of animal spirits in battle (but not actually transforming into animals), which in game, seems to translate into a hard-hitting style reminiscent of various Chinese martials arts.

MASTER T Calls on the Beasts of Legend!!
From #CodeOfPrincessEX, the hulking practitioner of UMA (Ultimate Manimal Arts)!
Playable in #BladeStrangers on #NintendoSwitch #PS4 #Steam summer 2018! pic.twitter.com/sOp260dZck

— Nicalis, Inc. (@nicalis) May 24, 2018

After this, Solange remains as the only character to not yet get their own character trailer.

Blade Strangers hits PlayStation 4, PC, and Switch this Summer.

Source: Nicalis

In light of Ultra Street Fighter IV‘s inclusion in digital pre-orders of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I’ve decided to dedicate some time to examining the most slept-on online-capable Street Fighter title: Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode. Packaged as a free alternate version within the edition select of USFIV, Omega uses leftover game files, recycled taunts, and repurposed animations to completely change each character’s toolset; it’s essentially a completely new and unique Street Fighter title built within SFIV’s engine, with an entirely different balance philosophy than Ultra.

Omega was not popular at release due to some easy infinite combos — not to mention players’ interest in Ultra as a more serious, competitive game. I personally think Omega went woefully unexplored for being an extremely interesting venture, and I’m starting a series where I document each character’s Omega changes, and then show off some basic optimal combos.

This week’s subjects are Ken and Akuma. Akuma seems to be halfway between his USFIV and SFV versions. He has better versions of his target combos, as well as access to both his old and new EX air fireballs. Ken, on the other hand, is almost nothing like what was delivered in SFV, and is actually more similar to early versions of Street Fighter II, with a special move based on his crazy kicks and a throwback to his shippu jinrai kyaku super art from Street Fighter III. Yet spiritually, I expect players of both characters will feel right at home.

Click here for a playlist of all Street Fighter IV: Omega videos I’ve released thus far. I’ll add future videos to this playlist as I finish them.

I plan to go through the entire roster over time, so subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel if you don’t want to miss out!