Ken’s life is in ruins: BornFree’s latest skit addresses what Ken needs most in Season 4 of Street Fighter V

“Yeah, but this is a V-Skill walk, so…”

sfv-ken-intro-622-crop

Ken fans have rallied behind a singular point of contention on Ken in Street Fighter V since day one: what is up with that hair? That face…? And why won’t Capcom do anything about it?!

UYU|BornFree offers the scenario above for your consideration. How much can one fighter take, how much can one man lose, before he’s forced to jump ship and find a game that appreciates him? One ill-conceived sponsorship deal might be the last straw to push a Street Fighter over the edge — and into the world of edge-guarding.

Ken Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Source: BornFree


RELATED POSTS

BornFree interviews ChrisCCH, talks Red Bull Conquest’s format, the strength of G, and more

Street Fighter V pro Neon talks Kolin, handling nerves, and more in new interview with BornFree

THE COOL KID93 talks Abigail, Red Bull Conquest, and Street Fighter X Tekken in this interview with BornFree

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Caba prove Dominican domination at Capcom Cup?

RISE|Caba has had an interesting year this year. One of three Dominicans who qualified for Capcom Cup outright (with one of them having to withdraw due to visa issues), he has helped to prove that the burgeoning Latin and South American scenes have amazing players who are capable of competing with the best in the world.

Now the question is, in his first foray into Capcom Cup, will Caba become the second Dominican to win the biggest event of the year?

Sonic Speed

One of the strongest things about Caba’s gameplay is his control of the pace of the match. While you see a lot of aggression at times with NuckleDu’s Guile, and Daigo being on the other end of the spectrum playing far more patiently overall, Caba lies somewhere in the middle.

While both have had strong doses of success with their play, they often can be figured out easily and countered. This forces NuckleDu to rely on counter picks in order to keep alive in a match, and can actually see Daigo crumble more. Caba’s mixture of play allows him to stay solidly in control throughout the match, giving all players issues in dealing with him.

Guile

Strongest Year Yet

And this play has made Caba rise to the top. While he has done a great deal in his home region — three ranking event wins speak for themselves — his international play has proven the fact that he is just as solid as any other player on the Tour. Getting seventh at Evo was already a strong answer to the question of how good he truly is. But to further prove his point, his first two tournaments following Evo sent him to Asia, where he made top 8 in both TWFighter Major and Esports Festival Hong Kong: the former of which saw him finish third, losing only to the top 2 of Tokido and Sako.

Out of the tournaments he attended, he only finished outside of top 8 three times. This level of consistency is hard to pull off, especially when you’re just truly getting your feet wet in the international circuit. For Caba to do this shows that he is for real.

GuileCA

Final Thoughts

The problem that I worry about is how much would have to go right for him to take it all. For him to do this will require him to dodge some major killers early. Right out of his second match, should he defeat Xian, he’ll likely be required to take on another Ibuki in Fujimura: the best Ibuki in the game today. While he has to worry about Sako and Tokido far later, to even get there will require him to face a virtual murderer’s row of characters he’s struggled with in Ibuki and Menat before even get to those demons as a possible Winners Finals.

For me, I feel like he’s for real, and could easily dance his way through the bracket to top 8. All bets are off there. I’m sure Caba is on the grind and is probably one of the most hungry players to prove himself at the moment. He could very well give us all a surprise when he goes up against the players who have been the most problematic for him. But at face value, top 8 could very well be the furthest he goes.


CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster

This breakdown demonstrates how Geese is still a nightmare in Tekken 7 Season 2

Given his incredible damage potential and strong knowledge check game in Season 1, I’m not sure how many people wanted Geese to receive buffs in future installments of Tekken 7. That didn’t stop Namco, of course — Geese is every bit the nightmare he was before:

Though he took small damage nerfs on his Max Mode combos (and to his meter gain in general), Southtown’s big boss gained a world of versatility and additional safety as a trade-off. As he was one of season 1’s best characters, it’s not a bad trade at all, huh?

Source: That Blasted Salami


RELATED POSTS

Here’s a breakdown of Feng’s important changes in Tekken 7 Season 2

Open up new punishment options with Crouch Canceling in Tekken 7

Cower in fear of all of The Walking Dead references in Negan’s Tekken 7 reveal trailer

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is Big Bird big enough to take it?

Big Bird has come on strong in the past two years. Having given himself to traveling for the Capcom Pro Tour, he has truly proven himself a formidable foe. While last year may have seen him go 0-2 at Capcom Cup, this year his changes have put him in an even better position going into the biggest tournament of the year.

Now, will he find himself in a similar position as MenaRD: putting the Middle East on the map for fighting games for the first time since Latif won Evo in Guilty Gear XX AC?

A Wide Range of Characters

Last year was a whole lot of Ken, and Big Bird was one to walk to his own beat with Ken. While many have kept a mass amount of aggression, Big Bird was able to play a more patient game with the character, and make it work to the point that he was able to make it to the big dance. Of course, one of the worries I had last year was that he’d bring an untested Zeku — similar to his Guy in Street Fighter IV — into battle. He refrained, and while he brought out a fresh Rashid, it was not enough for him to bank a win at all.

2018 saw him retool, with his Rashid being brought more to the forefront. From Capcom Cup on, no tournament saw him without using Rashid, and it has paid off, despite the nerfs to the character. Big Bird has actually upped his aggression a hair, which has helped him to put players on edge when playing against him.

But 2018 has also saw him — much like his Emirati and aviary counterpart Angry Bird — bring out a Zeku to some results. People who have slept on this character will be shocked to find two possible competent Zekus that could find their way into the bracket to shake things up.

Wins Where It Counts

While Big Bird struggled to find wins across the circuit, there was one point where he finally shined. At Southeast Asia Major, he was finally able to cap off his hard work with a Premier win. But when you look at who he played against to win it, it shows how capable he is of taking a major at any point. For him to be able to beat the likes of Tokido in Grand Finals shows the capability he has when he gets on point. But then to also be able to take games off of the likes of Mago also shows that he is not just a one-off fluke, he’s simply been working to find his stride.

Final Thoughts

Big Bird is currently my dark horse pick to win. He has a good blend of characters he can utilize to make it really hard to peg him. Further, he has shown the capability to make serious runs through the bracket, no matter where he is.

Yes, he could run into trouble against Tokido: he only won 3-2, and could potentially face him in the second round. He could even run into troubles against Gachikun first round, regardless of whether he chooses to mirror him or not. But when you’ve seen Big Bird fully-focused, it’s a thing of beauty, and if he brings that focus he had in Singapore to Las Vegas, all bets are off.


CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster

Here are the finalized brackets for Capcom Cup 2018

After months of grueling competition, we’re finally here. In less than a week, the worlds best Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition players will face off at Capcom Cup 2018.

As part of this, Capcom have released the finalized bracket for Capcom Cup 2018, showing which players will be facing off during the first round of competition at the event.

The road to this wasn’t easy, and some players did face hurdles outside of the game that prevented them from attending. As previously reported, SonicBoxx’s Lenny “Crossover” Matos was not able to obtain a US visa in time to attend Capcom Cup. As such, Raptor E-Sports’s Gonzalo “Pikoro” Buleje, the runner-up in the Latin America Regional Finals, will be taking his place.

Regarding this, Capcom clarified their decision on Twitter.

With this, the only slot left to fill is that for the Last Chance Qualifier happening on December 14, the day before the event.

Capcom Cup 2018 takes place on December 15 to 16 at the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas in the Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, NV.

Source: Capcom Fighters

UYU signs Tekken 7 Evo 2018 Champion Sun-woong “LowHigh” Yoon

If you didn’t know who Sun-woong “LowHigh” Yoon was  before Evo 2018, you certainly did after his dominate Tekken 7 championship run. The Korean Shaheen/Law player kept that momentum going with a win at REV 2018 — two major championships would be a nice bookend for anyone’s year.

But LowHigh’s 2018 is ending with a new sponsorship, instead: he’ll be joining esports team UYU. With LowHigh’s addition, he joins notable players Jeondding, P. Ling, Yuyu, and 2017 Tekken World Tour Champion Qudans. With this stacked of a roster, UYU looks poised to be the #1 Tekken threat on the scene.

Source: UYU_GG

Mech Abigail, a Jin Saotome Crossover Costume for Ryu, and a myriad of costume DLC bundles are coming to Street Fighter V

The mech-invasion of Street Fighter V is not over!

Following the Mech costumes for Zangief, F.A.N.G, and Juri that have smashed their way through Extra Battle mode in Street Fighter V — Mech Juri is in her third week presently — another one is prepped to roll off the assembly line soon: Abigail will be the next fighter to get the Mech treatment, with his challenges starting as Juri’s end, on December 21.

sfv mech abigail costume

Following this Mech madness, another Crossover Costume is incoming, this time for Ryu: Jin Saotome from Cyberbots!

sfv ryu jin saotome cyberbots crossover costume extra battle

And there’s more: if you need to fill out some holes in your costume collection — or were holding out for a better price — a whopping 11 new DLC bundles are hitting the Shop, covering many past Premium costumes and stages. See the full list from Capcom-Unity below.


sfv ae costume bundles

Capcom Legends Bundle (6 costumes, $9.99) – Five of these costumes are currently undergoing their second run in Extra Battle Mode, but if you’d rather purchase these –  along with the Ingrid costume – this is your chance!

  • Karin Ingrid
  • Rashid Viewtiful Joe
  • Chun-Li June
  • Nash Captain Commando
  • Guile Forgotten Soldier
  • Cammy Fiona

2017 Holiday Costume Bundle (4 costumes, $5.99) – Last year’s Holiday costumes are on sale for a special price! Individually, they’ll now cost $2.99, but you can purchase all four in a bundle for even cheaper.

  • Holiday Alex
  • Holiday Cammy
  • Holiday Kolin
  • Holiday Menat

Story Costume Bundle (32 costumes, $19.99)

  • Story Costumes and colors for launch roster and Season 1-3
  • Note: Since Ryu and Chun-Li’s Story Costumes are already free, they are not included in this bundle

Stage Bundle (17 stages, $19.99)

  • Air Force Base
  • Shadaloo Base at Night
  • Mysterious Cove
  • High Roller Casino
  • Estate at Noon
  • Kanzuki Beach
  • Skies of Honor
  • Temple Hideout
  • Flamenco Tavern
  • Metro City Bay Area
  • Suzaku Castle
  • English Manor
  • Temple of Ascension
  •  Kasugano Residence
  • King’s Court

Professional Costume Bundle (10 costumes, $14.99)

  • Alex
  • R. Mika (2)
  • Chun-Li
  • Karin
  • Vega
  • Kolin
  • Menat
  • Zeku
  • Falke

Sports Costume Bundle (6 costumes, $9.99)

  • Ibuki
  • Karin
  • Kolin
  • Zangief
  • Rashid
  • Laura

School Costume Bundle (9 costumes, $14.99)

  • Ibuki
  • Ed
  • Cammy
  • Juri
  • Nash
  • R. Mika
  • Menat
  • Ryu
  • Chun-Li

2017 Halloween and Holiday Bundle (9 costumes, $9.99)

  • 2017 Halloween
    • Dhalsim
    • Birdie
    • F.A.N.G
    • M. Bison
    • Urien
  • 2017 Holiday
    • Alex
    • Cammy
    • Kolin
    • Menat

Nostalgia Costume Bundle (15 costumes, $19.99)

  • Karin
  • Cammy
  • Birdie
  • Chun-Li
  • Alex
  • Ibuki
  • Juri
  • Balrog
  • Akuma
  • Kolin
  • Zeku
  • Sakura
  • Blanka
  • Cody
  • Sagat

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Costume Bundle (4 costumes, $9.99)

  • Ibuki
  • Guile
  • Karin
  • M. Bison

Akiman Chun-Li Bundle (7 costumes, $14.99)

  • Covert Operations
  • Pajamas
  • Wedding
  • Vacation
  • Undercover Cop
  • Special Forces
  • Training

Source: Capcom-Unity


RELATED POSTS

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s upcoming patch will also re-balance Extra Battle mode

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will be free to play on December 11-18 on both PlayStation 4 and Steam, adding “Sponsored Content”

James Chen’s “Unchensored” explains the need for proximity normals in Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s upcoming patch will also re-balance Extra Battle mode

Alongside making the game free to try for a week and putting in “sponsored content”, Tuesday’s patch for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is set to add some balance changes to the game’s Extra Battle mode — according to the official Shadaloo CRI page. Capcom claims that they’ve analyzed the data from some of the fights in Extra Battle, and will be adjusting the difficulty and replayability of some of the missions going forward.

What exactly they’ll be adjusting has not been stated as of this time, however. That said, this could mean that some missions which feature opponents that give out large sums of fight money, while being easily beaten with certain special moves might be getting adjusted (Flash-Kicking Golden Shadaloo Soldiers to death, for example).

Source: Shadaloo CRI

NRS players Ketchup & Mustard examine the way gimmicks work in the Mortal Kombat series

With a new Mortal Kombat on the way, you may be looking to jump into playing a modern NRS game for the first time. Whether you’re brand new to the way the American studio does things, or just a player looking for a refresher, it’s important to understand how NRS tests your in-game knowledge. Or, put more simply: You need to know what a Mortal Kombat gimmick look like.

NRS commentators PNDK&M‘s latest videos tries to highlight this exact concept. Check out the video above for practical MKX examples of gimmicks that you can study right now in preparation for MK11.

Source: PNDK&M

MikeZ demonstrates game-breaking super flash glitch in SNES version of Street Fighter Alpha 2

Due to the hardware limitations of consoles many years ago, it was impossible to have arcade-perfect ports of fighting games. This was true in the Super Nintendo Era and extremely true of the Street Fighter Alpha 2 ports. These versions of the game were flawed in a variety of hilarious ways and Mike Z — Mr. Skullgirls developer himself — just put out an excellent video on one of its more bizarre glitches.

Check out the video above to see a super-flash glitch that breaks nearly every aspect of the game — meter, pushback, combos, and even the way the game functions beyond the round it was performed in. If you ever want a reminder for how good you have it in an era of immediate patching, this is it.

Source: MikeZWasTaken