World famous Japanese arcade “Mikado Arcade” knows what they do best: run a great tournament with strong players for a classic game. Today’s spotlight is on 1996’s Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle, which is the arcade re-balance of the legendary 3D fighter “Virtua Fighter 3”.
This particular tournament used a 2v2 team format, and you can watch the fast paced action here:
And if somehow that’s not enough VF3tb for you, there’s even more footage from the qualifying event ran prior to the tournament:
Mikado is one of the most active YouTube channels for high-level play of old school arcade fighters, so be sure to check them out. You can also try to catch them live on their UStream!
In the world of fighting games, when two characters hit each other at the same time, it’s called a “trade”. In a normal game, this usually resets the situation for both players as they scramble to take back control.
In the world of combo videos, though, “trades” are a flashy way to show off situational links and juggles not normally achievable through standard game-play. That’s the subject of Desk‘s new, highly orchestrated combo video. While you likely won’t win your local because of your Alex clothesline traded with Zangief’s V-Skill, it’s the sort of oddball hitbox interaction that makes this video so entertaining.
Gameplay isn’t all that’s offered in Desk’s combo videos, though. “Trade!” features a remix of the crunchy, funky synth tune “Panch” from Desk’s latest EP, titled funcy. Music is integral to the syncing and editing of Desk’s combo videos, and a good portion of the gravitational pull from “Trade!” is just listening to “Panch” for the first time. I realize we’re not a music review site, but the skill on display here goes so far beyond just an ordinary combo so I feel it deserves special mention.
With the Gamescom build’s new challengers completed, Maximilian made the journey down to the Bandai Namco Entertainment America offices to continue his Dragon Ball FighterZ character breakdowns for the initial six characters. Being the poster boy for the entire Dragon Ball series, where better to start than with Goku?
Unsurprisingly, Max feels that Goku is the “Shoto” of DBFZ, similarly to other simple-to-use, well-rounded fighting game protagonists such as Ryu, Ragna The Bloodedge, Sol Badguy and Yu Narukami, just to name a few. He even notes in regards to his moves that “it all looks really good and it looks absolutely awesome when you do so.”
He has decent range on his normals that make for easy combos, as well as a Hurricane Kick in the form of his Rapid Kick Rush. This flurry of kicks possesses great utility, by providing Goku with powerful corner carry and wallbounces to extend combos. His Dragon Flash Fist is a rush punch that looks similar to Azrael’s Gustav Buster from BlazBlue, that gives him access to a hard knockdown, or a teleport that brings him immediately back down in front of the opponent. Goku can combo into his Kamehamehas from his basic Ki blasts, and they can be angled in multiple directions, either diagonally up if grounded, or straight forward if airborne, by holding up or down.
Though he has a limited pool of specials, Max feels that Goku’s Supers are what make him truly unique. The Super Kamehameha can be angled similar to its normal counterpart, while the Instant Transmission Kamehameha will see the Saiyan teleport behind his opponents before throwing the energy in an upward arc, making it a perfect ender for air combos if you can spare the meter.
Finally, his Level 3 Meteor Smash sees Goku transform into Super Saiyan 3 before immediately teleporting behind his foe for a huge Kamehameha. It’s a great punishing tool but has enough startup to be reactable, with limited tracking as of the Gamescom build so aim carefully.
You can find Max’s previous character breakdowns below:
With the Gamescom build’s new challengers completed, Maximilian made the journey down to the Bandai Namco Entertainment America offices to continue his Dragon Ball FighterZ character breakdowns for the initial six characters. Being the poster boy for the entire Dragon Ball series, where better to start than with Goku?
Unsurprisingly, Max feels that Goku is the “Shoto” of DBFZ, similarly to other simple-to-use, well-rounded fighting game protagonists such as Ryu, Ragna The Bloodedge, Sol Badguy and Yu Narukami, just to name a few. He even notes in regards to his moves that “it all looks really good and it looks absolutely awesome when you do so.”
He has decent range on his normals that make for easy combos, as well as a Hurricane Kick in the form of his Rapid Kick Rush. This flurry of kicks possesses great utility, by providing Goku with powerful corner carry and wallbounces to extend combos. His Dragon Flash Fist is a rush punch that looks similar to Azrael’s Gustav Buster from BlazBlue, that gives him access to a hard knockdown, or a teleport that brings him immediately back down in front of the opponent. Goku can combo into his Kamehamehas from his basic Ki blasts, and they can be angled in multiple directions, either diagonally up if grounded, or straight forward if airborne, by holding up or down.
Though he has a limited pool of specials, Max feels that Goku’s Supers are what make him truly unique. The Super Kamehameha can be angled similar to its normal counterpart, while the Instant Transmission Kamehameha will see the Saiyan teleport behind his opponents before throwing the energy in an upward arc, making it a perfect ender for air combos if you can spare the meter.
Finally, his Level 3 Meteor Smash sees Goku transform into Super Saiyan 3 before immediately teleporting behind his foe for a huge Kamehameha. It’s a great punishing tool but has enough startup to be reactable, with limited tracking as of the Gamescom build so aim carefully.
You can find Max’s previous character breakdowns below:
Nearly four months of events and qualifiers lead to one epic finale! Today is the grand finals of the Injustice 2 Pro Series. Sixteen players representing the best of the best will face off for the crown and share of a $200,000 prize pool.
Injustice 2 Pro Series Grand Finals Bracket
FOX|SonicFox vs. FOX|Scar
PXP|A F0xyGrampa vs. Rogue|Slayer
ENX|Biohazard vs. PG|Hayatei
RNG|whiteBoi vs. Noble|iLuusions
Noble|Dragon vs. F3|D.R. Gross
NASR|Tekken Master vs. Circa|Forever King
FOX|Theo vs. Madzin
Noble|Semiij vs. BC|HoneyBee
The Pro Series represents the international portion of the Injustice 2 Championship Series. The top eight performing players at the Pro Series will qualify for the Championship Series, with the remaining eight spots claimed by the top two players each from the US, Europe and Latin America regionals series; and two last chance qualifiers.
Who will be the Pro Series champion? Who will qualify for the World Championship Series? Tune into the NetherRealm Twitch to find out!
It’s time for the next episode of the Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 exhibition series, Tension Pulse! We’re looking at a special show this time, as it’s the Pre-CEOtaku Special. Unlike usual, when we have four players battling each other, we’re going to have eight!
Boomcube (Slayer) vs. XAQshinor (Dizzy)
BxA|dotNova (Jack-O’) vs. Mr. Dolphin (May)
1UP|PepperySplash (Johnny) vs. Kami (Zato=1)
TheArm.exe (Ramlethal) vs. zenzen (Ky)
That’s a lot of matches! Boomcube against XAQshinor will be first. Let’s hear from some of the players to see what they have to say about their opponents and how confident they feel in the match-up. Some of them are returning players, so it’s interesting to see how they have changed since participating in the exhibition since last time.
Boomcube
On the match: “After watching Xaq’s footage and taking a full inventory of my own knowledge of the match-up, I feel like my only real path to victory is to abuse Slayer’s inherent buffoonery and whisper mispronunciations of Xaq’s handle into the mic. I am definitely nervous, and trying to prepare as much as I can. I think, at the very least, I’ll be able to put on a good show and exorcise some stream nerves at the same time.”
On his opponent: “I know he’s surrounded by an extremely active Gear scene, including some strong Slayers, and he has tournament results that prove he’s very solid. I have an assumption about how he’s going to play the match-up, and if I’m right, it’s going to be incredibly important that I don’t tilt.”
On his own play-style: “I like making bigger reads early on in a set using backdash cancel, instant air-dash, and forward dash pressure to gain early momentum. I feel like this can disrupt the opponent’s gameplan and force them into situations that reveal how they react to Slayer in general and will allow me more time to adjust as needed. I’m also perfectly content with making people deal with Slayer’s nonsense (dash through cross-up, Helter Skelter, IAD resets, BDC jump) until they prove they have an answer for it.
Or, more succinctly, trash.”
XAQshinor
On the match: “This should be an entertaining set. Slayer is a very volatile character and can end rounds in a heartbeat with one clean hit. At the same time, Dizzy has the lowest stun so the threat is amplified, I’m definitely going to try to keep those explosive situations to a minimum during our games. Slayer also has backdash cancel so it can be tough for you to pin him down sometimes. Dizzy has an easier time of this than other characters though so hopefully I can showcase this a bit. More likely than not, this set will be decided by the neutral.”
On his opponent: “I’ve played Boomcube online before so I know firsthand how deadly his Slayer can be. He’s a strong player and shouldn’t be taken likely. I expect him to surprise people with his strength. He’s definitely someone to keep an eye on in the future.”
On his growth since the last exhibition: “Since the last time I was featured in this steam league, Dizzy got some buffs. Some changes dealt with some important flaws with her design and allow her to play a lot more open-ended than before. She’s not as telegraphed, and she also received help with some of her conversions. I feel that many people don’t give her enough credit and I’m hoping that I can show some of what she is capable of this time around.”
BxA|dotNova
As a competitive player, what kind of value do you get from an exhibition like this?: “Being able to play people in a competitive setting is super valuable. Being broadcasted or having something on the line really brings the tension and adrenaline one would feel at any tournament. It’s hard to replicate those kinds of conditions on normal netplay when you’re winding down from work or just casually relaxing. The experience is always appreciated.”
On his opponent: “I’ve heard good things about Mr.Dolphin. I’ve only very briefly played him a few months back, so it’ll be good to have an opportunity to play him in an extended set. He’s a programmer like me so he also understands pain and suffering. I look forward to the May experience as the only consistent experience I really get is against TectalEastside. Playing against another play-style will definitely help me recognize weaknesses in my play.”
On his growth since the last time: “Since my last exhibition, I feel my situational awareness has improved and I’ve developed a lot more Burst-safe routes. I’ve definitely become more comfortable with extending pressure and combos with servants and recognizing unique situations that happen due to the character’s nature. Recently, I haven’t been focusing on FGs at all, but I’m sure this match and CEOtaku will help bring my focus back.”
Mr. Dolphin
On the match: “I think the Tension Pulse series is a really cool idea, you get to see some players you probably wouldn’t have heard of/watched before and it’s something fun to watch on the weekends.”
On his opponent: “I think dotNova is strong, I was a pretty big fan in his Potemkin days, we’ve played before and I enjoyed our matches. A lot of folks hate Jack-O’, but I actually really enjoy that match-up, the interactions with the houses and stuff add a fun sort of mini-game aspect to it where I gotta kill them or her. I’m definitely looking forward to playing against him.”
On his growth since the last time: “I’m not sure if I can tell how much I’ve grown since my last exhibition to be honest, I think my play-style has sort of stayed the same. I just kind of go with the flow.”
Catch the next episode of Tension Pulse live on Silva_hime’s Twitch channel on Sunday, September 17th. It’s more sets than usual, and we’re starting at 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CT/6:00 PM PT. HellaBrett and drunkthechicken are going to commentate this extended episode.
Looking to catch up on the last episode of Tension Pulse? Catch up on that below.
The official Japanese website for Dragon Ball FighterZ was recently updated, and something very interesting has appeared on the site’s home page. On the section of the site describing the game’s Battle System, a pair of new screenshots can be seen, showcasing Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta and Future Trunks battling Teen Gohan on a previously-unseen stage: the Sacred World of the Kais.
First appearing during the Majin Buu Saga, the Sacred World of the Kais is where Gohan ascended to his Mystic Form. This world would also play important roles throughout the remainder of the series, infamously serving as the backdrop for the final battle of the series, as Goku and Vegeta took on Kid Buu, with the fate of the entire world at stake.
Given that this arena is strongly tied to those two characters, this is perhaps an indication that we may see both of them announced for DBFZ in the future. Currently, we have Gohan on the roster, but in his Teen form seen during the Cell Games. Mystic Gohan would likely have a different variety of attacks, in addition to being stronger, older and more experience in battle. Likewise, the original, fat, Majin Buu is on the roster, but Kid Buu is extremely different both in terms of appearance and personality.
Though producer Tomoko Hiroki previously stated in an interview that the team wanted to avoid adding multiple forms of a character to the cast if possible, we’ve already seen exceptions made for the Super Saiyan Blue versions of Goku and Vegeta. Rather than just being straight palette swaps, SSB Goku and Vegeta are similar to Evil Ryu and Violent Ken in Street Fighter — they have the same normals but vastly augmented specials and Supers. You can see the screenshots of the stage below.
Would you like to see either of these characters, or even Shin, Kibitio, or their fused form Kabito Kai, join the playable cast of Dragon Ball FighterZ? What do you think of this new stage addition? Let us know in the comments below.
Dragon Ball FighterZ will be released in February 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam PC. You can see scans for the newest revealed characters, Yamcha, Tien and Android 21 here.
Recently, Unequalled Media’s Tyrant, Damascus and several other top UK fighting game players were invited to the Bandai Namco Entertainment European offices to get their hands on the Gamescom build of Dragon Ball FighterZ. While there, UM|Tyrant and GXC|Damacus decided to battle in a first-to-three set after taking a few hours to understand the game’s characters and mechanics.
In this match, the two players choose the teams of Vegeta, Goku, and Piccolo, and Future Trunks, Android 18, and Teen Gohan. Though the two didn’t have a ton of time with the game, they’re still two of the United Kingdom’s top fighting game players and provided a nice taste of high-level play for those looking for more footage before the closed beta begins this weekend. You can see the set in its entirety below!
Dragon Ball FighterZ will be released in February 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam PC.
In the latest episode of FGC Philosophy, Tavian “The Philocypher” Napier chats with Chicago’s Red Bull Proving Grounds winner (and fan of Street Fighter V‘s recent addition, Abigail) The_Cool_Kid93. In the near-forty-minute interview, they discuss a range of topics — including what it feels like to win, The_Cool_Kid93’s relationship with his new wife, and love for Street Fighter X Tekken. Watch the full interview below.
Capcom is no stranger to hosting launch parties for their fighting games, from the various “Fight Clubs” during the last console generation, to Street Fighter V‘s big launch event. Now, with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite‘s official launch coming in just a few days, Capcom has dropped the details for the game’s official launch event.
The Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite launch party will take place on the night of September 18, at the Folsom Street Foundry in San Francisco, CA. Players may recall this as the same place that Capcom held the launch party for Street Fighter V last year.
Doors to the event will open at 6:00 PM PT and the event itself will run until 10:oo PM PT. For those who wont be able attend the event, the official live stream will start at 6:30 PM PT and end at 9:00 PM PT.
In addition to this, executive producer Yoshinori Ono who will also be doing a signing session at the nearby Gamestop at 830 Market St. from 8:00 PM PT onward. Players can purchase their copy of the game early there so for Ono to sign.
