Category: Fighting Games

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20+ fighting games are on Holiday Sale at the PlayStation Store

It’s the season to take out your wallets and toss them directly at your PlayStation. Sony knows this, and has started a huge sale on the PlayStation Store that ends on 12/18. Want to see what fighting games are on sale? We got ya, right here:

Source: PSN Store

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Northeast Championship 19 streaming live from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

While Capcom Cup is going doing down in Vegas, the 19th edition of the Northeast Championship (NEC) is going down in King of Prussia near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hosted by Big E Gaming. As to be expected from a Big E event, NEC 2018 will feature a massive list of games:

Tournament Games
  • ARMS
  • BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle
  • Capcom vs. SNK 2
  • Dead or Alive 5 Last Round
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ
  • Fighting EX Layer
  • Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2
  • Injustice 2
  • Killer Instinct
  • The King of Fighters XIV
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 2
  • Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
  • Mortal Kombat XL
  • Pokkén Tournament DX
  • SoulCalibur VI
  • Super Street Fighter II Turbo
  • Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
  • Street Fighter V Arcade Edition
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  • Tekken 7
  • Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st]
  • Windjammers

If you’re looking to catch the event live from home, five streams will be bringing you the action from the Valley Forge Casino Resort. You can find each of them below, as well as brackets on Smash.gg.

bifuteki

Watch live video from bifuteki on www.twitch.tv

FunkyP

Watch live video from FunkyP on www.twitch.tv

KPBLive

Watch live video from KPBLive on www.twitch.tv

Bros_Calamity

Watch live video from Bros_Calamity on www.twitch.tv

TSB_Blaze

Watch live video from tsb_blaze on www.twitch.tv

nec19-stream-schedule-friday

nec19-stream-schedule-saturday

nec19-stream-schedule-sunday

Sources: Big E Gaming, Smash.gg

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Arc System Works’s next fighting game is Granblue Fantasy Versus for PlayStation 4

Venture into the skies, where glory awaits!

At Granblue Fest 2018, Cygames and Arc System Works revealed their new fighting game – Granblue Fantasy Versus.

This new 2D fighting game is set in the world of Cygames’s hit Granblue Fantasy RPG franchise. The game is said to feature gameplay that’s made to tailor to both fans of the franchise, as well as fighting game players. As part of the announcement, a short trailer was shown. The trailer below shows some snippets of gameplay, as well as the game’s art style, which mashes Arc System Work’s trademark cel-shading with the more painterly art style of the Granblue franchise.

Alongside the announcement, the official website of the game was also opened revealing the identity of five of the games’s characters.

Gran is the honest to a fault hero who’s traveling to the Estalucia, the Island of the Astrals at the behest of his father. He’s accompanied by Vyrn, his flying lizard-like buddy, and Lyria the mysterious blue-haired girl who saved Gran’s life by linking it with her own.

Click to view slideshow.

Katalina is a former Imperial Knight who abandoned her post to protect Lyria.  When hearing of the experiments the Empire had planned for Lyria, she engineered the latter’s escape, helping begin her adventures with Gran. She has trouble with directions and cooking.

Click to view slideshow.

The diminutive Charolotta is the captain of the Holy Order of Lumiel Knights. While she possesses both the love of her subordinates and superb martial skills, she predictably has a childish side, shown by her love of the famed “Little Skyfarer’s Lunch” kids meal.

Click to view slideshow.

Lancelot on the other hand is the captain of the Order of White Dragons of Feendrache Kingdom. He’s a master swordsman who will willingly risks life should any threat arise to his beloved kingdom. (Also, he has trouble keeping his room clean.)

Click to view slideshow.

Ferry, the final character revealed for the game, is an Erune girl who once lived in the Mist-Shrouded Isle. She died while waiting for her sister’s return and returned as a spirit. Now, at Gran and Lyria’s behest, she searches for her (now grown-up) sister. In addition to the whip she wields, she can also summon her ghostly pets to bite at her opponent.

Click to view slideshow.

As for when Grandblue Fantasy Versus will launch on PlayStation 4? All we know is that it will arrive in 2019.

Granblue_Fantasy_Versus_logo

Source: Granblue Fantasy Versus

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Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is a Capcom Cup championship part of ZJZ’s prophecy?

If ZJZ weren’t as humble, he would’ve walked around Esports Arena saying, “I don’t even play this game!” But The King of Fighters specialist just showed up to Las Vegas, and mowed through the competition at the Last Chance Qualifier to find his way into the main bracket of Capcom Cup.

He was able to go beast mode on fellow hopefuls, but will he be able to do so against the elite of the game?

SFV Menat

Behold, the Future

If ZJZ was willing to change games to earn the big paydays, he’s off to a solid start. His Menat is an insane mixture of fundamentals, KOF-esque movement and defense, and combo abilities that really only compares to Sako. His play actually rivals one of his KOF rivals, Xiao Hai. He’s patient, but able to get so many stray hits that before you know it, half your health is gone. Even on those stray hits, he’s optimizing and finding ways to at least get an extra hit in for a combo.

One interesting aspect about his game is he’s the only Menat I’ve seen that feels comfortable playing from the corner. This is where he resided for so many rounds, that it was just insane. He wasn’t even really trying to use his V-Reversal to escape it, as one would expect, especially from a KOF player who is used to defensive rolls. He just simply took every bit of pressure and waited for an opportunity to make it his turn.

Master, I Really Did It!

But as if there was a doubt that he was for real after his top 8 at Tokyo Game Show, the LCQ just proved how good he truly is. While he had to claw his way through Losers after losing in pools to Samurai, he tore through the top 48 with relative ease. He even stopped off to get a salty runback on Samurai along the way.

But so often, he found himself playing through what were perceived to be bad match-ups by fellow Menat main Infiltration. While Infiltration switched to Juri to fight against Nemo’s Urien, ZJZ seemed to have no issues. He once again showed no issues against John Takeuchi’s Rashid, whereas Infiltration made the same switch at Evo Japan.

He got faced with so many different equations to solve during his run, including character unfamiliarity with Dankadillas going Blanka to throw him off in Grand Finals. While there were several issues in dealing with Blanka’s second V-Trigger, he finally caught on and began keeping his patience against it.

menat

Final Thoughts

I can honestly say that if Nemo had momentum going his way last year, ZJZ has it in spades. If there were fears of him being exhausted after this marathon run, bear this in mind. He plays KOF, a game with far longer games in a set. He also has to deal with so many factors within a match of said game. Trust me, he has the mental stamina to keep going.

With the run he had in Tokyo Game Show and now at LCQ, there’s a decent amount of certainty that he could at least make top 8. Of course Phenom could spoil his chances of doing this through Winners Bracket, but it’s not as though he wouldn’t at least have GamerBee around to prepare him for the Necalli match-up.

If you’re not expecting much out of him today at Capcom Cup, you’re about to get blown away.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster

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Evo Japan 2018 Catherine champion Edogawa takes on a new challenger in… Tokido?!

While America has been a virtual hotbed for high-level Catherine play, Japan still boasts a healthy scene for the game. With Catherine: Full Body on the way in 2019, Evo Japan 2018 champion Edogawa is most certainly looking to keep his title intact going into the new title.

He may have found a new rival in an unlikely place. On a recent video by Atlus Games showcasing the single player mode, fighting game legend Tokido sat down to play and learn from the champ himself, and test his mettle against him.

Source: atlustube

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rooflemonger’s 12 Days of DBFZ Tech-Mas celebrates the holiday season with samples of Dragon Ball FighterZ tech

Ring in the Holidays with the 12 Days of Tech-Mas!

In to celebrate the upcoming holidays and bring a little Christmas cheer to fans of Dragon Ball FighterZ, diligent content creator rooflemonger has begun a new video series he has dubbed “The 12 Days of DBFZ Tech-Mas,” where he will post a new video for 12 straight days, looking at various odd tidbits of tech he’s found in the game. These are shorter endeavors that are, “meant to be a bit more digestible” than some of his larger guides.

We’re already three days into the 12 Days; to start things off, for the first Day of Tech-Mas, rooflemonger brought us a corner pressure setup for the Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly that can beat a good amount of wake-up options, as well as air blocking by holding back.

For the second day of DBFZ Tech-Mas, rooflemonger took a look at a situational glitch with Fused Zamasu’s Divine Wrath Super. If the falling ball triggers a Destructive Finish upon slaying a filthy mortal, Zamasu will be able to tag in his partner by holding down the Assist button right as the word “DOWN” appears on-screen, which will cause a switch, as opposed to an Ultimate Z Change to the next Super. This glitch also appears to be exclusive to Fused Zamasu, as rooflemonger has not been able to replicate it with Frieza or Goku Black, despite them also having descending orb Supers in their Holy Light Grenade and Death Ball, respectively. This could certainly prove useful for recovering the divine Fusion’s blue health, though it can be a bit finicky to trigger.

Day 3 looks at mixup options for the sweet-toothed Android 21:

rooflemonger also noted that, though he has a few days already planned, he is more than willing to accept user submissions for the remaining Days of DBFZ Tech-Mas, so feel free to send him your ideas.

Source: rooflemonger

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Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Can Pikoro dominate a bracket stacked against him?

Getting in because of a drop out is not exactly the situation you want. But when Crossover couldn’t fulfill his duties as Latin American champion, runner-up Pikoro from Peru was able to step in to try his hand at Capcom Cup.

The Latin American regional champion — outside of 2014, which was also filled in due to visa issues — has done historically well at Capcom Cup. In 2015, Keoma made top 8. 2016 saw DR Ray upset Tokido in the first round. Last year saw Didimokof make a run into top 16. But given Pikoro came in off of Crossover’s drop out, will he be able keep the tradition alive?

bison

Dictating the Pace

One thing that Pikoro’s M. Bison does well is control the tempo of the match. When he comes out swinging, things get insane really fast. When he slows down, he forces you to slow down because his anti-air and air-to-airs are so on point. He plays a style of Bison that is so hard to pinpoint that it’s scary.

Further, he’s one of the only Bison players I’ve seen outside of Toronto’s Sin who has found ways to truly implement V-Trigger II at the highest levels. While you’ll mostly see Problem X utilizing V-Trigger I, to see a second V-Trigger on the table with this character is refreshing. And his setups are truly terrifying with it.

Never Failing

When you look at his tournament circuit schedule compared to everyone else, it’s incredibly paltry. He went to only five tournaments, all of them in Latin America. But of that five, not once did he miss the top 8. This is saying something. There is not a single player in Capcom Cup that never missed a top 8 in their season. While many have larger sample sizes — and certainly if Pikoro had attended more, it’s possible that he would’ve slipped a few times — it’s impressive to see that kind of success rate.

M Bison throw Street Fighter V

Feel the Burn

But if I were to place one thing on Pikoro, it would be his meter management. If you watch his matches, he burns through EX Bars almost as fast as he earns them. Whether he’s burning them on fireballs or Devil’s Reverses, they don’t last long. In instances where he needs them the most, they may not be there.

He’s also has a few patterns that may not be the most obvious — but they were apparent enough for Crossover, who did very well against the Peruvian in Regional Finals.

Another thing I could really say is much like what I’ve said in recent years regarding Latin players: they’re great in their region. But in a smaller region, it does not necessarily mean that they’re ready to take on the best. I eat my words with this every year between DR Ray and Didimokof, but when you can’t even win your regional final, it’s hard to believe you’ll beat the likes of Fujimura — whom Pikoro will be playing first.

Final Thoughts

Some people may have him as a sleeper pick, but I can’t see it. He could totally prove me wrong and actually best Fujimura, who hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the early season. It’s also possible that Fujimura will struggle against Bison, who is far less popular in Japan.

So let’s optimistically say that Pikoro goes 1-2 at least, but probably 2-2 at best.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster

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Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Can Pikoro dominate a bracket stacked against him?

Getting in because of a drop out is not exactly the situation you want. But when Crossover couldn’t fulfill his duties as Latin American champion, runner-up Pikoro from Peru was able to step in to try his hand at Capcom Cup.

The Latin American regional champion — outside of 2014, which was also filled in due to visa issues — has done historically well at Capcom Cup. In 2015, Keoma made top 8. 2016 saw DR Ray upset Tokido in the first round. Last year saw Didimokof make a run into top 16. But given Pikoro came in off of Crossover’s drop out, will he be able keep the tradition alive?

bison

Dictating the Pace

One thing that Pikoro’s M. Bison does well is control the tempo of the match. When he comes out swinging, things get insane really fast. When he slows down, he forces you to slow down because his anti-air and air-to-airs are so on point. He plays a style of Bison that is so hard to pinpoint that it’s scary.

Further, he’s one of the only Bison players I’ve seen outside of Toronto’s Sin who has found ways to truly implement V-Trigger II at the highest levels. While you’ll mostly see Problem X utilizing V-Trigger I, to see a second V-Trigger on the table with this character is refreshing. And his setups are truly terrifying with it.

Never Failing

When you look at his tournament circuit schedule compared to everyone else, it’s incredibly paltry. He went to only five tournaments, all of them in Latin America. But of that five, not once did he miss the top 8. This is saying something. There is not a single player in Capcom Cup that never missed a top 8 in their season. While many have larger sample sizes — and certainly if Pikoro had attended more, it’s possible that he would’ve slipped a few times — it’s impressive to see that kind of success rate.

M Bison throw Street Fighter V

Feel the Burn

But if I were to place one thing on Pikoro, it would be his meter management. If you watch his matches, he burns through EX Bars almost as fast as he earns them. Whether he’s burning them on fireballs or Devil’s Reverses, they don’t last long. In instances where he needs them the most, they may not be there.

He’s also has a few patterns that may not be the most obvious — but they were apparent enough for Crossover, who did very well against the Peruvian in Regional Finals.

Another thing I could really say is much like what I’ve said in recent years regarding Latin players: they’re great in their region. But in a smaller region, it does not necessarily mean that they’re ready to take on the best. I eat my words with this every year between DR Ray and Didimokof, but when you can’t even win your regional final, it’s hard to believe you’ll beat the likes of Fujimura — whom Pikoro will be playing first.

Final Thoughts

Some people may have him as a sleeper pick, but I can’t see it. He could totally prove me wrong and actually best Fujimura, who hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the early season. It’s also possible that Fujimura will struggle against Bison, who is far less popular in Japan.

So let’s optimistically say that Pikoro goes 1-2 at least, but probably 2-2 at best.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster

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Samurai Shodown characters appearing in Ubisoft’s Might and Magic Elemental Guardians mobile RPG

SNK and Ubisoft are arguably two companies who many would never expect to partner together. However, indeed they are in a new partnership that sees characters from the former’s Samurai Shodown franchise appearing in one of the latter’s mobile games.

Samurai Shodown’s Haohmaru, Ukyo, Nakoruru, and Rimururu are set to appear in Ubisoft’s Might and Magic Elemental Guardians. The latter is a mobile strategy RPG that’s part of the Might and Magic franchise.

The Samurai Shodown characters will arrive in Might and Magic Elemental Guardians starting from December 13. After this, players have one month to actually be able to obtain them in game before they leave. Players who do obtain them during this time will be able to play them indefinitely.

Sources: Ubisoft; SNK

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Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Chris T light up the brackets?

Chris Tatarian has taken on a major role of the lone wolf. He is now one of the last remaining Ken players still traveling the circuit outside of Canada’s CeroBlast. On top of that, he’s the one making the most moves on the circuit, earning as many points as he could.

It’s a good thing he did, because those points gave him just enough to find his way in via the North American slot. Now, will Chris be able to give Ken the most unlikely title at Capcom Cup?

sfv ken flaming feet win

On Fire

Chris T’s Ken is explosive. You almost have to play that way. Comparitively, CeroBlast is perfect evidence for the zany Ken play that people come to expect; he makes it work, and when he gets going, so does Chris.

But there is a certain method to the madness with Chris, as he has very stable play as well. He doesn’t just rely on gimmicks: but will go for them when need be. But when he has space to breathe, he actually makes the character look legitimate.

En Fuego

This was evidenced by a strong tournament year for him. Where he had struggled to put wins on the board before, he made it work this year. With two wins — both in Latin America — he proved he damn well has the chops to take wins.

Before you even begin to write-off Latin American wins, Chris performed at least one of these in a bracket that featured Caba, Justin Wong, and MenaRD, you can’t simply write him off. Further, the last one he won in Chile featured the Latin American representative Pikoro.

But if you want more evidence, just look at his third place at SoCal Regionals, against a top 8 that only features one player not currently in Capcom Cup — and Samurai is not one to sleep on, either.

Ken SFV

Stability Issues

But if there’s one thing that I worry about for Chris, it’s a big one: stability. This is a multi-faceted worry.

First off, Ken is a very unstable character. Sometimes things just roll your way, and sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, it’s just a bad ride. Ken mains try to fly in the face of this all the time, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Further Chris doesn’t really have an secondaries he’s likely to bring out. It was often thought that he may search for greener pastures like Momochi, but there’s been no evidence of that. He has went on record to say his goal is to be the best Ken. He may have accomplished that, but if his goal is to win Capcom Cup, Ken is not the best vehicle to do so.

But further, personal stability can also play a role in your performance. Right now, Chris has had a lot of stability issues personally, with Capcom Cup’s schedule itself being a major personal stumbling block for him. If starting at 10:00 AM is a major hurdle for him to overcome, one has to question his determination to take this.

This is not the only tournament you have to worry about early start times at. Evo notoriously has had 8:00 AM starting pools, so why all of a sudden Capcom Cup? I understand the brevity of playing for a six figure payday, but if it’s that important to you, you have a week to adjust your sleep schedule to be ready.

Final Thoughts

Chris Tatarian starts his 10:00 AM matches with Fuudo. He has done well against R. Mika in the past should Fuudo go that route. If he doesn’t, Chris has also done well against Birdie, historically.

But the biggest x-factor will be how mentally ready Chris is going into this. If he allows the start time — or anything else — to shake him, he’s going to fall early. If he is able to push himself past this, accept it, and play his best, then expect a top 16 run at the very least.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster