Anime-style fighting games have definitely carved a niche into the FGC, with a decent following on every title released, no matter how small. Touhou 15.5:The Antinomy of Common Flowers — a fighting game among a long line of doujin-based shooters — has been awaiting a release date for quite some time.
Today, we now have that release date set as October 15th. On top of that, we have a newly announced character joining the cast. Doremy Sweet — the ruler of the dream world — will be making her way into the game, as evidenced in the trailer below.
One of the interesting new mechanics added to Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is the fact that jumps have a small window of invulnerability against low attacks during their start up. This mechanic seems to have been added to help players deal with the oppressive offense that can be created in this game.
A side effect of this mechanic however is that it makes jumping out on wake up after a hard knockdown. This effectively weakens offense in one of the few traditional okizeme situations in a series where traditional okizeme is already pretty much nonexistent (thanks to fully invincible tech rolling).
In a new video however, TOOLASSISTED has broken down how players can still use properly timed meaty attacks to catch players trying to jump up on wake up.
Basically, any more that has its hitboxes out during the first four frames after wake up will catch the opponent. The same applies to throws. If the hitbox (or throw box) connects on the 5th frame, the attacks will be blocked (and throws will whiff).
Continuing our series of interviews from CEOtaku, Shoryuken grabbed the opportunity to speak to another Japanese player attending the event. Like Taka, Kedako has also been sponsored by the r/Kappa crowd. Kedako is famous for his signature character pick, May, and strong play in both Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and its predecessor Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R. Kedako is the Accent Core champion this year, and last year. In 2016, he also won the -REVELATOR- competition.
And yet there’s another service he’s done for the fighting game community at large; with the release of -REVELATOR-, he became something of a frame data guru for the anime community.
Thanks to Brett for helping translate the conversation at CEOtaku. The interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
Woocash: You triumphed at CEOtaku last year, and you did it this year again in Accent Core +R, how do you feel?
Kedako: I’m glad! First of all, I’m just glad. Last year, I went by myself. I was able to win both +R and REV 2, I was glad about that. This year, I got sponsored by r/Kappa. I feel like the results matter more. I do want to leave some good results, not just for myself. There’s a responsibility. I’m glad that I was able to get the win for +R.
Woocash: What was it like to fight Taka in the Grand Finals?
Kedako: We always meet in tournament, Taka and I. That match-up is pretty difficult for Anji. It’s very explosive, very volatile. Taka is always annoyed at bumping into me and having to play that match-up! I always try to put pressure on Taka to make it difficult for him to get out.
Woocash: How much do you practice +R? Do you play with a lot of regularity, or just before tournaments?
Kedako: Recently, I’ve been going to Mikado to play +R casuals the day before tournaments. Also, I practice on the airplane by using my Vita. But because I live in the Kansai region, I can’t go to Mikado often. There’s really not a scene for +R in Kansai. I just fly from my region to Mikado and stay there one night, in Tokyo, to practice +R. It sucks when I can’t do what I want to do, when I’m not well-practiced.
Woocash: I’ve heard that you research frame data. Can you talk about how you got into that and about your methodology?
Kedako: When Xrd first came out, [I realized that] May was completely different. I honestly felt pretty bored of the character; I wasn’t very interested in her. But I like Guilty Gear. The previous versions of Guilty Gear had all the frame data published in mooks [official books], but not Xrd. I took a break from focusing on May, and I started trying to figure out frame data. I dedicated that time to do my own research.
I do it all by eye. I record at 60 frames per second, and I look at it, frame by frame. That’s how I researched all this stuff.
[Kedako found out things like invincibility on YRC, start-up on YRC and RC, how long is Blitz, etc., according to Brett.]
Woocash: I was curious about your thoughts on tag games, like Dragon Ball FighterZ and BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Are you interested in them?
Kedako: Yeah, I played the closed beta of DBFZ, I’ll probably play BB Tag when I can. I have played a little of BlazBlue. DBFZ is a really responsive game in which it feels good to move around. Just playing it feels fun.
Woocash: What are your future plans? What’s the next event you’re going to?
Kedako: I definitely want to attend Evo 2018, if I can.
Woocash: What about some other US events, like NEC or Frosty Faustings?
Kedako: As far as the financial matters, I want to attend the biggest tournaments that I can, so for now, just planning on Evo.
Woocash: And if r/Kappa sponsors you again?
Kedako: I would like to, if I get sponsored again, but it’s hard for me to take days off. Generally, it’s not as much of a finance issue, but with work. It’s not a problem with my interest.
Woocash: Any closing thoughts?
Kedako: Unlike Japanese tournaments, the overall environment at international tournaments like CEOtaku is so different. Everyone is playing everything, having fun all the time, it’s really different from Japanese events. It’s a different experience from normal tournaments. Every time I go to one of these events, I get really motivated to go to more. I really like this kind of stuff. I want to go to more events like this.
The Final Fight 2 Mad Gear Gang CFN character profiles continue: as Private Nakagawa continues to unveil Shadaloo’s collected information on Retsu’s notorious gang, who nearly staged a coup of Metro City.
Next up on the list is Atlas.
Private Nakagawa: “His trained body is his weapon. The whole town fears him for his violent attitude. He drinks right from the morning, and is a troublesome fellow, who immediately comes to hug you.” [In FF2, Atlas did a very annoying Bear Hug.]
Basic Info:
Name: Atlas
Height: 201cm
Weight: 120kg
Blood Type: 0
Birthday: June 22nd
Country of Origin: USA
Likes: Hot Women, Alcohol
Dislikes: Work
Private Nakagawa: “He played American Football at a university, and was a promising player. He also had interest in combat sports, and began to train in wrestling and sambo. Unfortunately, due to getting involved in a car accident, his professional sports career came to a halt. Nowadays, he indulges and drowns in alcohol and violence.”
Next, we move on to his partner, Jony:
Private Nakagawa: “A big guy who’s quick to take offense and lose his cool. Wow, scary! Haste makes waste!” [The Japanese expression 短期は損気 tanki wa sonki “Short temper is an inconvenience” is commonly translated this way — while not completely identical to the English one.]
Basic Info:
Name: Jony
Height: 204 cm
Weight: 128 kg
Blood type: unknown
Birthday: April 19
Country of Origin: USA
Likes: Tomato juice
Dislikes: Dark places
Private Nakagawa: “He gets along well with the town brute Atlas. He even wears the same accessories. He has a powerful palm strike [張り手 harite, the same basic sumō palm strike that Honda does as well, as his LP or MP.] and a characteristically threatening voice that he loudly uses to intimidate his opponents.”
Moving on, we take a look at Jack’s partner, Schot:
Private Nakagawa: “A man with a fired-up hairstyle. It’s incredibly mook-like!! One of those who go ‘yahoo!’ you know. [An evident reference to Fist of the North Star‘s standard mooks, perpetually grinning and screaming excitedly, and often sporting the same punk hairstyle.] …Oh, is he angry?”
Basic Info:
Name: Schot
Height: 182cm
Weight: 79kg
Blood Type: AB
Birthday: August 10th
Country of Origin: UK
Likes: Early Punk
Dislikes: Difficult Things
Private Nakagawa: “When he was young in his home country, he played in a punk band. The members went along well, and the band’s name was ‘Big B & Bullheads.’ Nowadays he has a job at a record shop specialized in punk. Also earns some pocket money working as an underling for a certain organization. He often causes trouble because of his attitude being prone to brawls.”
Finally, we move on to the last member of this incarnation of the Mad Gear Gang: Bull’s partner Elijah.
Private Nakagawa: “A man who serves as a smuggler for a criminal organization. Reports indicate that he’s tied to numerous organizations. It seems he’s able to be trusted, because he’s not only tight-lipped, but he also has a human side.”
Basic Info:
Name: Elijah
Height: 179cm
Weight: 82kg
Blood Type: B
Birthday: October 20th
Country of Origin: USA
Likes: His Mom, His Bass
Dislikes: Raw Fish
Private Nakagawa: “His silky hair was his trademark, but his favorite hair conditioner went off production, and he’s worrying because his hair is becoming a little dry. Triggered by a superhero movie he’s recently seen, he began dressing smartly and wearing a goatee and a moustache.He lives in the downtown area with his mother. The two constantly quarrel, but that’s proof they’re close.”
That’s it for all of the Mad Gear Gang members — but characters like the Genryusai family and the Skull Cross Gang of 1995’s Final Fight 3 still have yet to be covered, so we’ll likely dive back into the streets of Metro City in the weeks and months ahead. You can check out some of the other Mad Gear members here.
Special thanks to Midgardson for translations and footnotes.
Last month, Chung-gon “Poongko” Lee stated that he was sitting out on the remainder of the Capcom Pro Tour events this season, with the possibility that he wouldn’t return next season as well. While the circumstances surrounding these tweets aren’t fully known, Poongko isn’t out of the game just yet.
Recent tweets have shown that Poongko has rescinded his departure from the circuit, shown by his presence at TWFighter Major this weekend, where he achieved 25th place. He will also compete at Canada Cup at the end of October as well. His gamble-style and mixup-heavy Kolin has been a treat to watch, and hopefully these final tournaments will give Poongko the points he needs to compete at his year’s Capcom Cup.
I was not able to enter rest of CPTs this year but luckily I can now and I am going to CPT at Taiwan this week
This news will not be an issue for most players, but a select few could get burned. Based on the Street Fighter V: Arcade EditionJapanese webpage, the physical edition of the game will include codes to redeem for the Season 1 & 2 character DLC, rather than having it included on the disc.
Presuming this remains true when the game arrives in 2018, it’s not a real surprise: it makes some sense under a modern production/distribution standpoint to just pack in a “vanilla” copy of the game, and let the Arcade Edition upgrades get patched in when you launch it, and tying that content to a single CFN user. This has no bearing on new players picking up a digital copy in January, but it is something to watch out for if you’re a gamer that likes to pick up used games, as a resold copy of SFVAE would be no different than the basic original release of Street Fighter V, leaving a newcomer with a lot of DLC to catch up on. A potentially greater inconvenience: it will also prevent tournament organizers from swapping around up-to-date SFVAE discs, making it trickier to ensure each station has the full roster available at a given event.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition hits stores and arrives as a free upgrade to existing users on January 18, 2018.
That Blasted Salami has released the first episode in an assumed series dubbed Tekken 7 Essentials. The first episode is a breakdown of Russian Sambo master and military man Sergei Dragunov, a character who is regarded by many in the Tekken community as one of the series’ best.
The breakdown starts by pinpointing Dragunov’s core strengths and weaknesses, before graduating to more specific topics like the safety of certain attacks, counter hit properties, frame data for key moves and much more.
Check out Tekken 7 Essentials Episode 1 below to see what Dragunov is all about!
Classic fighting fans, here’s a chance to fill up your PC fighter collection.
Fans of SNK’s old-school library of fighting games — who like to play on PC — have a chance to grab some of SNK’s classic titles on GOG.com for a whopping 75% off this weekend. Head over to the SNK Fighter Pack page on GOG.com to check out the selection, each only $1.49 USD (down from $5.99)…
Art of Fighting 2
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2002
The Last Blade
Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown II
Samurai Shodown V Special
… or grab them all for $13.41 USD, down from $53.91. Discounts of up to 75% on other SNK arcade titles are also available in the SNK Action Pack and the SNK Arcade Pack, as well.
These discounts will last until 3:00 PM PT on October 9th.
This weekend is TWFighter Major 2017 in Taipei, Taiwan. One of the last remaining events in both the Capcom Pro Tour (as a Premier Event) and the Tekken World Tour (as a Master Event), this is one of the last chances for players of their respective games to earn points towards the leaderboards and landing a spot in each game’s global finals. On top of the Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 events are tournaments for Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and The King of Fighters XIV.
With the stakes as high as they are, and some large prize pools ($15,000 bonus for SFV and $10,000 for Tekken), expect to see some top quality competition from some of the best players in the world. Attendees include Tokido, Momochi, Kazunoko, Yukadon, Fuudo, Daigo Umehara, Mago, moke, Haitani, Bonchan, INFILTRATION, NL, XIaohai, Jiewa, Humanbomb, Tse4444, K-Brad, JDCR, SAINT, Knee, qudans, JEOdding, kkokkoma, Noroma, pekos, AK, Book and many many more.
If you’re looking for streams, the Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 singles events will be covered by Capcom Fighters and the official TEKKEN channel, respectively. TWFM will be providing two streams of its own for Mandarin viewers.
As we’re well into “Season 2” of BlazBlue: Central Fiction, it’s interesting to see how the gameplay landscape has shifted. While the game generally feels more fair for the majority of the cast, one player in particular has risen to the top. The arcade rankings show Ronitta’s Es as the currently highest-placing fighter.
Though the rankings aren’t a clear correlation to a “tier list,” you can see Ronitta’s dominance in the footage compilation from Jourdal below. Es has a very balanced moveset, great range for normals, and zoning that’s actually difficult to deal with for a lot of characters. Ronitta shows how to handle Izanami, Mai, Azrael and Nine in the matches below.
Curious about the list of top arcade players? Jourdal also uploaded a video showing the rankings and wrote our their names and characters:
1. Ronitta (ES) Tentei
2. Koike (LI) Tentei
3. Itou Sae (CR) Tentei
4. Fenrich (JI) Meiou
5. Masa (MA) Meiou
6. Daiwa (PL) Meiou
7. Isa (IN) Meiou
8. Konan (TS) Meiou
9. Uma No Hone (VK) Meiou
10. Naoto (NI) Meiou
11. ??? (AM) Meiou
12. Grandia (TG) Meiou
13. Esuke (CR) Meiou
14. N-O (RC) Kishin
15. ??? (PL) Kishin
16. Mokemoke (RE) Kishin
17. Fumi (NI) Kishin
18. Matoi (KO) Kishin
19. J Anson (HZ) Kishin
20. Fukku (Bang) Kishin
21. Kikuchiyo (LI) Kishin
22. Poropiccho (SU) Kishin
23. Makki @Lin Hime (RC) Kishin
24. Aosame (AR) Kishin
25. Takahiro/Kuresu (ES) Kishin
26. Rikutoe (IN) Kishin
27. Yutta (RG) Kishin
28. Watagashi (Es) Kishin
29. DISA (NI) Kishin
30. ??? (HI) Kishin
Be sure to keep an eye on Jourdal’s channel for more BlazBlue footage.
