Free update brings new Stages, Stage Fatalities, and Friendships on the same day.
NetherRealm Studios announced this morning that Mortal Kombat 11 will soon enter expansion territory with Aftermath, which includes a new cinematic story, three new fighters, and three additional skin packs.
Two of the additional characters are returning favorites, Fujin and Sheeva, and they’ve gotten the full MK11 makeover with new designs and toolkits. RoboCop joins the battle as the title’s next guest character and will bring new life to everyone’s dream matchup of Terminator v RoboCop.
The three new skin packs will be added to the game over time, but the rest of the content appears to be releasing on launch day.
We won’t go too deep into the additional story details featured in the trailer to leave the experience as unspoiled as possible, but know that you are in for the usual spectacle only NetherRealm can provide with new characters joining that were not featured in the original story mode.
Check out the trailer for yourself below and catch a glimpse of the new kontent heading to the game!
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath will be available as an upgrade for current owners of the game at $39.99. It will also be bundled with Kombat Pack 1 for $49.99 and if you haven’t purchased the game itself, you can snag the Kollection which includes MK11, Aftermath, and Kombat Pack 1 for $59.99.
Aftermath releases digitally on May 26 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia. A physical version of the Kollection will be available sometime in June in the Americas. Pre-ordering will give you access to the Eternal Klash Skin Pack featuring familiar looks for Scorpion, Sub Zero, and Frost.
You’ll come for the gorgeous anime aesthetic, but you will stay for the exceptional gameplay…and the anime aesthetic.
Before being announced at Granblue Fest 2018, I didn’t know a whole lot about Granblue Fantasy aside from its massively popular mobile RPG with incredible art. While there is a web version available, there isn’t an app available internationally, so it always seemed like a franchise I’d have to appreciate from afar. Thankfully Cygames and Arc System Works (and XSEED Games who published the title in NA) teamed up to create a stellar introduction to both the Granblue Fantasy franchise and the fighting game genre and will make anyone a fan of both.
There is a lot to say about Granblue Fantasy Versus and it deserves all of the praise it gets. The entire experience is tailored to be as accessible as possible with mechanics and modes built to truly teach new players the fundamentals needed to excel in not just GBVS, but in games throughout the genre.
There seems to be a negative stigma among some in the FGC around the word “Accessibility”, feeling like its an attack on their way of play. While groans can typically be found among that vocal group whenever a game implements mechanics like auto combos or simplified inputs, Granblue Fantasy Versus goes above and beyond the previous efforts of even Arc System Works themselves by giving players thoughtful tutorials and glossaries that help bridge the gap between the mashing newcomer and a player with intent.
Presentation:
Arc System Works has been refining their anime-perfect 3D models since Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and this shows in Grablue Fantasy Versus. The devs take the art style from the mobile game and breathe three-dimensional life into the characters and their world. Everything about this game is absolutely stunning. Even the Mode selection art is full of life and makes things much more exciting than simply being another bland list of things to do.
While the cast is rather small, 11 characters in the base game, each fighter is varied in terms of design and animation. There’s a character for everyone, ranging from the plucky fantasy shonen protagonist, Gran, to the stoic duty-driven lady knight, Katalina, to the pint-sized captain, Charlotta, and the wrestling power-house, Ladiva. The tropes are just about covered once you go through the main roster with five additional characters to be added over time.
Skybound Arts, this game’s Super Moves, are extravagant and larger than life, lasting just long enough to feel impressive every time they are used, but never too long to overstay their welcome. If you played Dragon Ball FighterZ and thought those Super Moves were cool, just wait until you play Granblue Fantasy Versus. Also, changing your character’s color changes the aesthetic of their attacks as well which is an insanely cool feature.
Oddly enough, textures can look a little rough up close but this is usually only during a few of the character intros whenever the camera is super zoomed in on a cape or something like that. Voice flaps are a tough match for the English dub, but that’s usually the case with 3D models, so you can’t knock GBVS too hard in that regard. It is a little weird how few frames there feels to be during character intros compared to how fluid the gameplay is, but you eventually get used to it.
The soundtrack to this game is awesome. Every character’s theme is unique and dynamic and some of the music in the game even has lyrics which is a pretty neat and unexpected touch. There are times throughout the game’s RPG mode where the dialogue can be a little hard to hear over this awesome music, even with the levels adjusted, so just be aware. Sound effects are also phenomenal, everything has the right punch to it making every hit that connects or elemental attack sound as good as it looks.
Voice acting is pretty great across the board, even if the script can prove to be downright ludicrous at times. I cannot thank the developers and publishers enough for including an English dub. Not only does this make the game more accessible to a new audience, but it also provides opportunities for more voice actors to bring these characters to life. So many anime games nowadays, unless they are Dragon Ball or Naruto, only offer Japanese dubs. My Hero Academia, which is the new hotness, doesn’t even have a dub for its video games, which should be a crime for how solid it is. This shows how much Cygames wants their series to succeed in the west. Their investment will not go unnoticed.
One interesting thing that happens when you play online is that your character speaks in the language you have set for your game. Which kind of makes it a bit of a surprise and gives you a little more insight into what kind of player it is that you are going up against on top of their character and color choices.
Gameplay:
By some miracle, Arc System Works is able to develop a new fighting game every year and make it completely unique to what came before while pushing the envelope in terms of presentation and accessibility.
Actions are split between five main inputs: Light (L), Medium (M), Heavy (H), Unique Attack (U), and Guard (G). Other actions like Skills and Overhead Attacks and Grabs can also be pressed by either a combination of the previous five inputs or on their own.
L, M, and H can each be pressed up to 3 times in succession to perform an auto combo. This is something that has become a bit of a staple in the genre and is certainly welcome for newer players. Auto combos will help you get into the action but to become truly capable, creating your own combos will be necessary.
Unique Attacks add extra layers to the gameplay with each character having their own additional actions that set themselves apart on top of their standard move list. This is similar to the Drive button in the BlazBlue series, another ArcSys franchise. Granblue Fantasy Versus doesn’t take that aspect quite as far though, BlazBlue characters tend to have their own meters and counters, so it isn’t as overwhelming.
For example, Gran’s (U) is a chargeable strike that gets more powerful the longer its held, and it can be canceled in case there is pressure from your opponent so you can charge up where you left off. Charlotta’s (U) is a parry, Lancelot’s (U) is an ice dash, and Percival’s is a ghostly attack that neutralizes your opponent. There is plenty of variety between the characters already with their regular move lists, but the (U)s make battles even more interesting.
A nice addition to the game is a dedicated Overhead Attack that can be initiated by a single button press. This helps players of all kinds with establishing mix-ups. (A combination of attacks to put pressure on a blocking opponent). You’ve got to be careful when using an Overhead Attack though because they are easily punishable if your opponent gets their timing just right. Still, this is a welcome addition for newcomers who are having a hard time hitting someone who is blocking down.
Anytime you use a Skill there is a cooldown period that is shown next to your character on their health bar. You have to wait until that cooldown is complete until you can use that skill again. Skills can also be activated through more traditional inputs like quarter circles and Z-motions on top of pressing the standalone Skill button and a simple direction like Up, Down, Left, or Right. Doing so will give you a technical bonus that will actually make the cooldown a bit faster.
Light and Medium Skills refill quite quickly but if you use a Heavy Skill, be prepared to not have access to that move for quite a bit longer. This includes all versions of that Skill, so be sure to think critically whenever you decide to go in for the Heavy Skill!
This is a really interesting take on EX moves because instead of managing your meter, you are managing your time. You can’t repeat the same Heavy Skills right after each other, making your execution even more essential, because if you miss, you won’t be able to use that Skill at all until the cooldown completes.
Guarding has a dedicated button in GBVS, but it can also be performed by pressing back or down-back. That being said, you can activate two additional defensive functions whenever G is held. By pressing G+Forward your character performs a short dash that dodges attacks. Pressing G+Back activates a dodge in place, quite similar to the one you would see in the Super Smash Bros. series.
You won’t find universal airdashes here though, making it a fairly slow-paced game for an anime fighter. This is a welcome change for sure since many anime fighters can be viewed as overly complex due to their array mobility options. That being said, Granblue Fantasy Versus does have a super jump similar to the Marvel vs Capcom series. I haven’t used it all too much in my time with the game, but I am sure pros out there have been utilizing it to extend combos or escape enemy attacks.
Offline:
Granblue Fantasy Versus is home to a variety of content for those looking to experience more than the traditional Versus Mode. The highlight of the game’s single-player offerings is the title’s RPG Mode which stands among the more familiar fighting game staples like Arcade Mode and Challenge Mode. There is also an incredibly detailed Glossary that will make anyone a scholar of the series’ lore and FGC terminology.
RPG Mode takes players across the sky world through a series of missions that transforms this traditional 2D fighter into a beat ’em up with RPG elements. For most of the battles, which are against waves of enemies like knights, goblins, and slimes, you can move right and left like your typical beat ’em up. While there isn’t the depth of moving up or down, there is jumping and ducking of course. You can also utilize your full move set which makes this a very cool application for fighting game engines.
Inputs can be a little wonky in RPG Mode though. There were plenty of times where I was trying to do a backward quarter-circle input and instead of attacking the intended enemy who was ahead of me, my character turned around and either locked onto something else or wasted my Skybound Art on nobody. This might be due to the fact that turning around isn’t really an option in most 2D fighting games. By implementing it, the expectation of performing a backward input needs to be altered because if you hold back for just a smidge too long you could change your direction entirely. Once you get used to that timing, the errors will become less frequent.
The overall plot of RPG Mode is kind of the standard fare you’d expect from a game where all of these characters who are supposedly friends in the main continuity, end up having to fight one another. Mind control/memory manipulation are key players here. A ton of names and terms are thrown at you throughout the story that you might not be familiar with if you are new to Granblue, so there is a button that brings up the Glossary whenever a highlighted word is used. I got a lot of BlazBlue vibes from the dialogue in RPG Mode, where I was able to keep up with what was going on for the most part, but I definitely felt lost in the details. The art direction, music, and gameplay are so great that I didn’t mind not being able to follow the entirety of the plot.
There are only a couple of cutscenes within RPG Mode which is a little disappointing, especially considering how great the game looks in action. While the models look great, they might as well have been static images for how rarely their movements provided any additional impact to the presentation. The few of cutscenes that do make an appearance in RPG Mode look great but make you wonder how the game could have looked if it had a more cinematic approach instead of the tired visual novel style. Also, be prepared for some long load times, especially on the standard PlayStation 4.
RPG Mode is a ton of fun though, especially with a friend! My wife and I played throughout the entirety of RPG Mode together, which was a nice change of pace where we could enjoy a fighting game together without having to be competitive. You can play co-op either locally or online through the Backup Request system. You can also choose to have an AI partner or no partner at all if you want some additional challenge.
The boss fights add fun spins to the gameplay. Even the battles against playable characters feel like more than just a regular versus match. Most battles are challenging enough to keep you entertained but not too hard if you are paying attention to your weapon’s level and element as well as your Support Skills. Even though you get some pretty unique Support Skills throughout RPG Mode, I stuck with the basic health recovery and damage boost the entire time. Others might find more success in the more nuanced abilities though!
The tone of the game completely changes at the final battle with Beelzebub, however, where the difficulty spikes seemingly out of nowhere. He’s not insanely cheap or difficult but his three phases will give you a run for your money. He does have pretty readable patterns that you’d expect from a Beat ‘Em Up boss and not an unbeatable AI like most fighting game bosses tend to have. Once you figure out his routine, the difficulty decreases quite a bit. I wouldn’t say that Beelzebub is too difficult, but the fact that the game is a breeze until this point makes the fight a little jarring. You will most likely get S Ranks on every mission without breaking a sweat, so newer players might have a hard time with him for a few attempts.
Whenever you complete the RPG Mode you can tackle its harder difficulty or you can head to the Tower of Babyl to take on a series of missions back to back while you climb higher and higher, getting greater spoils along the way.
Granblue Fantasy Versus doesn’t forget its gacha (i.e. simulated gambling) roots and it shows in RPG Mode. Summon Tickets can be used to unlock random weapons for RPG mode. These weapons all have a designated element on top of their base stats that are meant to make battles easier since every mission has an element attached to it. Think a super-effective chart kind of like the one found in Pokémon.
There is also a level-up system, an uncapping system, and a skill upgrade system available for each weapon, but to be completely honest you don’t really need to use these a whole lot to beat the story, on its base difficulty at least. Some of the weapons you acquire actually change what your weapon actually looks like in-game which is a very nice touch, but they are very far and few between. You can also get duplicates which is a real bummer.
The major downside to this system is that gacha doesn’t really have a purpose if you can’t pay actual money for it. It becomes a series of walls that block you from obtaining the aesthetic you want unless you grind enough to earn more summon tickets. Aesthetic weapons can be crafted through the Shop, but they require rare materials, making them difficult to obtain. I can’t complain too much though, because at least the weapon skins exist, which is hopefully one step closer to having different skins for characters in ArcSys games.
Arcade Mode is fairly typical having players go through a set number of battles until they reach their boss at the end. While it might not be breaking the mold, it is always nice to have. Some fighting games have launched without Arcade mode, and that’s always made the experience feel empty.
Challenge Mode is incredibly thoughtful and sets out with the goal of actually teaching you the mechanics of fighting games across the board. It teaches you the basics of movement, attacking, and blocking and slowly adds to these concepts and before you know it you are learning how to block mixups, punish whiffs, and input commands with intent. It builds the mindset necessary to succeed in fighting games, and that’s not something you generally see in even the most popular entries in the genre.
Challenge Mode continues to teach you after going through the basic mechanics, the game teaches you how to use your Skill moves, how to pull off combos, and how to combat certain matchups. Challenge mode is completely essential and even after playing through the entirety of RPG Mode there was still plenty to learn about Granblue Fantasy Versus and its mechanics. If you are having a hard time completing a challenge, just give it your best shot and even if you fail, Vyrn will give you tips on how to pass it.
The final standout of Granblue Fantasy Versus‘ offline modes doesn’t even have any gameplay, instead, it holds a library of information. There are pages upon pages of information in the Glossary about all of the characters, locations, and enemies in Granblue Fantasy Versus. On top of that, players new to fighting games can learn a breadth of terminology that ranges from common phrases like “combos” to more complex techniques like “fuzzy guarding”.
The game even teaches you about Numpad notation, which is something really valuable for those wanting to be a part of FGC conversation online. I only just recently started to feel comfortable reading it but once you do it really makes communicating about fighting games easier online. It would be nice to also have the addition to change the directional inputs in the command menu to feature Numpad notation as well, but explaining what it is at all is more than any other fighter in my memory has done.
Online:
To my surprise, as soon as I started Online Mode, I was greeted by a series of matches against computer-controlled characters that would decide where I would be placed online. I believe this process is meant to judge your skills ahead of time to place you with similarly seasoned opponents, but there wasn’t much explanation beforehand. After completing about six battles I was brought back to the main menu, without anything stating what rank I was placed in or why.
Still, this is an interesting premise I feel could help preemptively spread the talent pool to make your early battles closer to your own league. Nothing is more disheartening than hopping online after feeling like you have done pretty well in offline modes to get completely decimated by someone who technically has the same rank because everyone started at zero. After the placement matches, all of the online functionalities become available.
First up, is the Online lobby. If you’ve played previous ArcSys titles, the overall format of the online lobby will be familiar. Players control 3D avatars and can chat and compete against one another in a space with up to 64 players. The setup is adorable, with players aboard the skyship Grandcypher with dozens of virtual arcade cabinets for players to sit at to compete against a virtual rival. You can also customize your lobby avatar to be your favorite character in your preferred color palette as well.
Ranked Matches work as you would expect with players competing against one another in matches that count towards a global scoring system. You can queue up matches from Training Mode or Challenge Mode if you’d like to keep your skills sharp while you are waiting. While it makes sense that you would want to lock-in with a character beforehand, it really throws you off if you are in practice mode debating using a different character. It would be nice to have the option to keep the character used in practice mode in the future.
If you just want to play with a friend or a small group, Room Match is the way to go. Just create or join a room and you can have uninterrupted playtime with your buddies making it feel like they were there with you the way it was in the good old days.
Throughout my time in Online mode, regardless of connection, matches were a bit laggy. Sometimes a round would go without a hitch but more often than not, when the second round came, everything stuttered. I play with an ethernet connection and even with a solid link with my opponent, matches went from semi-smooth to unplayable. This is a real shame because the offline offerings are so strong. Hopefully, some updates will improve online play with time, but until then, expect some turbulence.
Launch Day DLC:
Prior to GBVS‘ North American release date, the game had 11 base characters. Two additional characters were added to the game on March 3, who were unlockable by purchasing additional DLC. By the time the game launched in North America, Granblue Fantasy Versus had been out for about a month in Japan. Even with this taken into consideration, adding two DLC characters in under 30 days will likely cause some controversy.
Beelzebub, RPG Mode’s final boss, while included in the Season Pass, is in fact unlockable upon the mode’s completion, which explains his smaller price tag. (Beelzebub costs $2.99 while other Season Pass characters cost $6.99) This definitely makes things look a bit better for GBVS, that is if you don’t take Narmaya into account. Narmaya also released on March 3, alongside Beelzebub, and has no alternative unlock method besides buying her either separately or as a part of the Season Pass.
The game’s first Season Pass costs $29.99, which is fairly steep, given it only comes with four additional characters. You do get more than just the characters, though. Purchasing any additional fighter or acquiring them from the Season Pass will grant you a lobby avatar, a Star Character Icon, a couple of additional quests, and a Serial Code for the Original ‘Granblue Fantasy’.
Through my time with the additional characters, I can confirm that they definitely are worthy additions to your roster, regardless of the timeliness of their inclusion to the game. Beelzebub reminds me of an even crazier, metal-winged Sephiroth, and Narmaya’s complex toolkit grants her a ton of options granted you take the time to learn her.
Conclusion:
I am blown away by Granblue Fantasy Versus. This is a game that could have been an easy cash grab designed for people who were already fans of the mobile RPG, but instead, it was expertly crafted to be the ultimate starting point for anyone who wants to become a better fighting game player. The tools it uses to teach players the proper competitive mindset have created the new golden standard for what should be expected in modern fighting games.
This will definitely be a game that I will play for the foreseeable future and with three more characters heading to the title before the end of April, and Evo 2020 drawing closer, you won’t want to miss being a part of what has the potential to grow into the next great fighting game franchise.
XSEED Games/Marvelous USA, Inc. provided Shoryuken with a review copy of the base version of Granblue Fantasy Versus. Played on a standard PlayStation 4.
McFarlane gives NetherRealm the keys to the Spawn kingdom for his appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
Mortal Kombat fans and Spawn fans alike have been filled with excitement since the character’s confirmation as a DLC fighter last May.
Being a fan of both franchises, I had to reach out to Spawn‘s creator himself, Todd McFarlane, to get his insight on the character’s interpretation in Mk11 as well as discuss his previous work in fighting games.
Austyn “Lazybones 2020” Roney: Mortal Kombat is one of the biggest titles in the fighting game community and whenever Spawn was announced for Mortal Kombat it was a huge deal for not only Mortal Kombat fans and for Spawn fans, but for me personally because I am both!
First, I wanted to congratulate you, Spawn is doing incredible right now, Spawn 300 was one of the best-selling comics in 2019, I have actually been collecting them since 300 came out. Starting there and going back while keeping up with the new releases.
Todd McFarlane: Oh, thank you, now you just have to procreate and have all of you guys buy up all of the comics. (laughs)
Lazybones2020: I just read 305 earlier, that was a really cool story, I am excited to see where it goes!
Back to Spawn in being in Mortal Kombat, back in 2015, you stated that NetherRealm could use Spawn for a couple of their games, but that offer was set within a certain window. With Spawn being in Mortal Kombat 11, was that window you mentioned earlier coming to a close?
McFarlane: Spawn being added to Mortal Kombat had nothing to do with any kind of window on my side. These kinds of things, where companies will call me up and ask me if they can use my character, will come up from time to time.
McFarlane: Well, none of us knew that would happen right? They had hundreds of other characters to pick between and they landed on Spawn and all I could say is, “cool, let’s do this!”
When these guys came to me and asked if they could use Spawn, I said the only requirements were that I need you to make him a really exciting character in your game, so that if nobody knows Spawn, they will go, this guy, he’s my favorite. I told them to make Spawn work in their game, play to what your audience likes. Make a cool video game character.
Take someone that we both know is the Intellectual Property “Spawn”, but literally do whatever it is that you want with him to make him fit your game. Don’t feel tied to the comics, or the show, or the movie. If that means you make up some new stuff to make him cool for your audience, then so be it.
Even if you tell someone to do whatever they want, they will take baby steps. At first, they showed me a few ideas and I would have to keep telling them, “Get crazier! Go bigger!”
I told these guys, look, I am not in my twenties anymore, I’m older, I’ve got thick skin, get creative! Eventually, the guys at NetherRealm got to the point where it all clicked. “Wow, we can really do anything!”
Lazybones2020: That is incredible, and it has to be a great opportunity for NetherRealm because it seems that with most guest characters, there are a lot of limitations in their interpretation. But with Spawn, it sounds like you are giving them free rein!
McFarlane: Being an artist, I know what it is like to feel boxed in, being told what you can and cannot do with the thing you are creating. I assume these people feel the exact same way. By giving them the freedom to create whatever character they want, that is when you get good results.
Instead of saying, here are the rules, I say, Spawn in this game is not a continuation of the one from the comics, this is a Spawn for people who like video games, and not just video games, but Mortal Kombat games. They need to think he is cool for who he is in the game. Make him fun, make him cool, with his abilities and his cape, which might not always be red with a push of a button!
Lazybones2020: That’s awesome! A really cool detail. With Spawn, he was in SoulCalibur II, and you also created the original character, Necrid for that game as well. What was it like working with Namco and how does that process differ from what it has been like with NetherRealm?
McFarlane: Namco wanted a lot more input during the development of SoulCalibur II. It was Greg Capullo, who was working on his book at the time, and I and they wanted a lot of drawings and input on what was going on with Spawn in that game.
With MK11 I haven’t voiced my opinion too much. I figured that if I sit back and told myself, let’s just see what they can do, they could pull off some really cool stuff. If I needed to, I could reel them back in, but that never happened. They have never disappointed me.
The only criticism that will come from me will be that they didn’t go far enough. Big corporate brands want to protect everything because they have so much money invested in these characters and things like that, but that really limits what you can do. So I said, go full boat.
Assume I just signed over the copyright to Spawn, show me what you would do with that freedom. From there they went on to create a character that they wanted to play.
Lazybones2020: I recently saw all of the Mortal Kombat toys that you and your team have been working on in stores and they look incredible the detail is fantastic.
McFarlane: The detail is theirs; it is all on them. I just take the detail that they give me. It is all their design; it belongs to them.
Lazybones2020: Which isn’t common with a lot of toys, they usually don’t go all-in on the details, but the toys at McFarlane, they don’t sacrifice a single thing.
McFarlane: I have a sense of pride when it comes to the quality of the products that we create. Going back to what we were talking about before, these toy companies that are publicly owned, they do everything to maximize their profit margins.
I don’t need to protect the brand of Spawn. To me, I see Spawn within a word cloud. I feel that if you polled 1000 people, they would all come back with two words that described the essence of the character. Those two words are cool and badass.
So, whenever we make something those two words are being applied to it, and we make sure the products we sell are as accurate as possible. It is okay if I lose some money by making a figure more detailed, because to me, at the end of the day we will sell more toys if they are of a higher quality! So, I’d end up making whatever investment I made back because I know that people want the properties they enjoy being well represented.
Lazybones2020: I saw an ad for the Spawn figure coming out in the MK11 line, and he looks awesome! That is the first look at the full design at Spawn. His cape was something we didn’t get with SoulCalibur, it had to become his ax.
So, just with the technical improvements, it is something that is really cool, and without going into too much detail, like you said his cape could change with a touch of a button, can we expect a lot from it in Mortal Kombat?
McFarlane: You know yeah, his cape is alive, you can take advantage of that, you’ve seen it do all sorts of things in the comic books. He has his weapons and all of his powers, there is a lot of opportunity with the character.
They did a good job of making sure that if you like the mystic part of Spawn, you can play him like that, if you like the weapons that he uses, you can play him like that, if you like fisticuffs, you can play him like that. You can do each of those things or all the above. They did a really good job of giving options.
Lazybones2020: And that’s how I view Spawn, he is the “All of the Above” character, he’s got it everything. I did notice though that he has a sword which is something you don’t see Spawn with too often, but you do see him with one at the end of Spawn 305, so it will be interesting to see some swordplay with Spawn in both Mortal Kombat and the comics.
Let’s say if you made an original character, like you made Necrid in SoulCalibur, in this Mortal Kombat universe, you were given that same opportunity, what kind of character would you create? What would be the McFarlane take on Mortal Kombat?
McFarlane: You know there are already so many characters in Mortal Kombat that they have made themselves, that I think I would rather reverse the role of some of these guys. I would be interested in taking the original ten who have been around for the longest and make them a bit different, not better, just different than what people are used to.
Lazybones2020: Going back to Injustice 2, they did a poll for who fans wanted to join the game that was a non-MK character, and Spawn lead the poll. It is great to see these things come full circle.
While it would have been nice to see Spawn in that game so he could interact with other comic book characters, the world of Mortal Kombat feels like a better fit. Especially given all that is possible in that series, the sky is the limit in terms of the action and the fatalities.
McFarlane: The one thing I think is super smart on their end, you know we are all in competition with everyone, but the thing they did that was super cool was the fatality. They went all-in on that whenever they first started and you know, either people were going to be offended or they were going to think it was super cool.
There are a ton of people like us who see those kinds of things and chuckle, you know it’s out there and it is kind of funny, but there are other people who really can’t grasp this concept. These are the people who don’t play video games so they couldn’t understand, and to me, this is offensive to us on a couple of different levels.
There is no documented science that proves that video games correlate to real-life violence. If there was, you know that whenever this conversation comes up, they would wave it in front of our faces, but it doesn’t, so they don’t.
Lazybones2020: It really stifles creativity if we let ourselves get too concerned about the potential of anything we make being used to justify whatever they have going on already in their own head.
McFarlane: People are capable of partaking in media and not being influenced to do terrible things. Kids know the difference between the ages of 5-7 that what they see on TV isn’t real. Whenever they are watching Looney Tunes, they know there isn’t a 6-foot tall rabbit that can talk, or you know a talking mouse named Mickey.
Somehow, somewhere down the line, when we all get older, people who are between 18 and 25, they all of a sudden become incapable of doing this. I don’t buy that, that’s not how people work.
Just say you don’t like the content. These things are no more harmful than the typical action movie. There are bad people out there sure, psychopaths, who do awful things, but we can’t let them control what we can create.
I fight on your side; I am a very vocal advocate of defending the content we enjoy.
Lazybones2020: I’ve been reading Spawn from the beginning since I started collecting with 300 and back when things were on a smaller scale, the stories in Spawn would talk about the darker things that do happen in the world. But Spawn as a character would try his best to put a stop to them, something we wish was possible in reality, for a powerful force to do the things we can’t.
McFarlane: In issue 29 of Spawn, there was a dad who was beating his kids. Spawn found out about this and knew he couldn’t just kill him; these kids couldn’t lose their dad. Spawn decides to tattoo the abuser instead, he tattooed “I beat my kids” all over his body.
Al thought that this would embarrass the father, put him on the right path, humble him to stop what he was doing, but instead, it makes him twice as angry. One day one of the kids ran for his dad’s gun to protect his brother, he shoots his dad, and he ends up dying anyway.
This was just one of those stories about how you can’t play God. Like Stan Lee said, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” Al Simmons is a completely flawed character, just trying to figure it out. To figure out how to deal with the circumstances he is in. It is way more interesting to see the flaws.
If you or I were just shot by lighting, we wouldn’t change just because we got powers. Austyn, you would just be a strong journalist. It wouldn’t make you any smarter or any better of a person.
What makes the story interesting is thinking, “Hey, how did Austyn get to now from who he was ten years ago?”
Not everybody is created equal, Al might succeed and become the greatest hero ever, or he might fail miserably.
Lazybones2020: How is the movie direction going? I have been reading your interviews each time there is a new development with the film and with the success of Joker, you were saying that it breathed new life into Rated R Superhero flicks. Without having to go too deep into it, what is going on with your movie?
McFarlane: Last week I got some discouraging news, we had an academy award-winning guy who was going to do the movie with us, but he fell off. We had people willing to fund the movie as long as we had this guy attached but schedules were conflicting, and things had to change. That’s how close we are to getting this thing off the ground.
Hollywood is a different place right now; they understand the value of what Spawn can bring to a reasonable budget. Joker lit the fire, up until now it felt like I was pushing up this bolder on my own, but now there are others joining me who know that these stories should be told.
I have very few demands for the movie. It has to be Rated R, there’s no debate around that. With the story I want to tell, my intent goes back to that Spawn Cloud. I am less concerned about what happens in the movie as long as Spawn is “cool” and “badass”. The last demand is that I am the director. That’s it. Everything else is up for conversation.
I just want to show that there are better and smarter ways to entertain an audience than what they are used to. So much more is possible once you open yourself to Rated R stories. But I can’t just do a cardboard version, I need the budget to do it. Just enough to make it the right way.
Lazybones2020: I am right there rooting for you and I hope that things move ahead smoothly.
Now before I forget, I’ve got to ask, who are your favorite characters in Mortal Kombat and SoulCalibur?
McFarlane: I’d have to say Scorpion. I know that’s not very original, Scorpion is everybody’s favorite, but I really like that guy.
In terms of SoulCalibur, you know, it has been such a long time, that I would have to say it was the character I worked on, Necrid. I think he came out really cool and gave the cast a little bit of a different flavor.
Lazybones2020: Thank you very much for your time and best of luck at Toyfair 2020! I am excited to see what comes from McFarlane Toys.
McFarlane: Oh, we are going to kill it! I know we are going to do awesome. After that, I am heading Final Kombat in Chicago where we are finally going to unveil Spawn! Keith David is going to be there; you aren’t going to want to miss it.
Unfortunately, by the time this interview was published, the public event for Final Kombat was canceled due to the coronavirus. The tournament will still be live-streamed, Sunday, March 8 so be sure to tune in for the first look at Spawn in MK11 and some great fights.
Spawn will be available in Mortal Kombat 11 on March 17 through the Kombat Pass or sold separately.
McFarlane gives NetherRealm the keys to the Spawn kingdom for his appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
Mortal Kombat fans and Spawn fans alike have been filled with excitement since the character’s confirmation as a DLC fighter last May.
Being a fan of both franchises, I had to reach out to Spawn‘s creator himself, Todd McFarlane, to get his insight on the character’s interpretation in Mk11 as well as discuss his previous work in fighting games.
Austyn “Lazybones 2020” Roney: Mortal Kombat is one of the biggest titles in the fighting game community and whenever Spawn was announced for Mortal Kombat it was a huge deal for not only Mortal Kombat fans and for Spawn fans, but for me personally because I am both!
First, I wanted to congratulate you, Spawn is doing incredible right now, Spawn 300 was one of the best-selling comics in 2019, I have actually been collecting them since 300 came out. Starting there and going back while keeping up with the new releases.
Todd McFarlane: Oh, thank you, now you just have to procreate and have all of you guys buy up all of the comics. (laughs)
Lazybones2020: I just read 305 earlier, that was a really cool story, I am excited to see where it goes!
Back to Spawn in being in Mortal Kombat, back in 2015, you stated that NetherRealm could use Spawn for a couple of their games, but that offer was set within a certain window. With Spawn being in Mortal Kombat 11, was that window you mentioned earlier coming to a close?
McFarlane: Spawn being added to Mortal Kombat had nothing to do with any kind of window on my side. These kinds of things, where companies will call me up and ask me if they can use my character, will come up from time to time.
McFarlane: Well, none of us knew that would happen right? They had hundreds of other characters to pick between and they landed on Spawn and all I could say is, “cool, let’s do this!”
When these guys came to me and asked if they could use Spawn, I said the only requirements were that I need you to make him a really exciting character in your game, so that if nobody knows Spawn, they will go, this guy, he’s my favorite. I told them to make Spawn work in their game, play to what your audience likes. Make a cool video game character.
Take someone that we both know is the Intellectual Property “Spawn”, but literally do whatever it is that you want with him to make him fit your game. Don’t feel tied to the comics, or the show, or the movie. If that means you make up some new stuff to make him cool for your audience, then so be it.
Even if you tell someone to do whatever they want, they will take baby steps. At first, they showed me a few ideas and I would have to keep telling them, “Get crazier! Go bigger!”
I told these guys, look, I am not in my twenties anymore, I’m older, I’ve got thick skin, get creative! Eventually, the guys at NetherRealm got to the point where it all clicked. “Wow, we can really do anything!”
Lazybones2020: That is incredible, and it has to be a great opportunity for NetherRealm because it seems that with most guest characters, there are a lot of limitations in their interpretation. But with Spawn, it sounds like you are giving them free rein!
McFarlane: Being an artist, I know what it is like to feel boxed in, being told what you can and cannot do with the thing you are creating. I assume these people feel the exact same way. By giving them the freedom to create whatever character they want, that is when you get good results.
Instead of saying, here are the rules, I say, Spawn in this game is not a continuation of the one from the comics, this is a Spawn for people who like video games, and not just video games, but Mortal Kombat games. They need to think he is cool for who he is in the game. Make him fun, make him cool, with his abilities and his cape, which might not always be red with a push of a button!
Lazybones2020: That’s awesome! A really cool detail. With Spawn, he was in SoulCalibur II, and you also created the original character, Necrid for that game as well. What was it like working with Namco and how does that process differ from what it has been like with NetherRealm?
McFarlane: Namco wanted a lot more input during the development of SoulCalibur II. It was Greg Capullo, who was working on his book at the time, and I and they wanted a lot of drawings and input on what was going on with Spawn in that game.
With MK11 I haven’t voiced my opinion too much. I figured that if I sit back and told myself, let’s just see what they can do, they could pull off some really cool stuff. If I needed to, I could reel them back in, but that never happened. They have never disappointed me.
The only criticism that will come from me will be that they didn’t go far enough. Big corporate brands want to protect everything because they have so much money invested in these characters and things like that, but that really limits what you can do. So I said, go full boat.
Assume I just signed over the copyright to Spawn, show me what you would do with that freedom. From there they went on to create a character that they wanted to play.
Lazybones2020: I recently saw all of the Mortal Kombat toys that you and your team have been working on in stores and they look incredible the detail is fantastic.
McFarlane: The detail is theirs; it is all on them. I just take the detail that they give me. It is all their design; it belongs to them.
Lazybones2020: Which isn’t common with a lot of toys, they usually don’t go all-in on the details, but the toys at McFarlane, they don’t sacrifice a single thing.
McFarlane: I have a sense of pride when it comes to the quality of the products that we create. Going back to what we were talking about before, these toy companies that are publicly owned, they do everything to maximize their profit margins.
I don’t need to protect the brand of Spawn. To me, I see Spawn within a word cloud. I feel that if you polled 1000 people, they would all come back with two words that described the essence of the character. Those two words are cool and badass.
So, whenever we make something those two words are being applied to it, and we make sure the products we sell are as accurate as possible. It is okay if I lose some money by making a figure more detailed, because to me, at the end of the day we will sell more toys if they are of a higher quality! So, I’d end up making whatever investment I made back because I know that people want the properties they enjoy being well represented.
Lazybones2020: I saw an ad for the Spawn figure coming out in the MK11 line, and he looks awesome! That is the first look at the full design at Spawn. His cape was something we didn’t get with SoulCalibur, it had to become his ax.
So, just with the technical improvements, it is something that is really cool, and without going into too much detail, like you said his cape could change with a touch of a button, can we expect a lot from it in Mortal Kombat?
McFarlane: You know yeah, his cape is alive, you can take advantage of that, you’ve seen it do all sorts of things in the comic books. He has his weapons and all of his powers, there is a lot of opportunity with the character.
They did a good job of making sure that if you like the mystic part of Spawn, you can play him like that, if you like the weapons that he uses, you can play him like that, if you like fisticuffs, you can play him like that. You can do each of those things or all the above. They did a really good job of giving options.
Lazybones2020: And that’s how I view Spawn, he is the “All of the Above” character, he’s got it everything. I did notice though that he has a sword which is something you don’t see Spawn with too often, but you do see him with one at the end of Spawn 305, so it will be interesting to see some swordplay with Spawn in both Mortal Kombat and the comics.
Let’s say if you made an original character, like you made Necrid in SoulCalibur, in this Mortal Kombat universe, you were given that same opportunity, what kind of character would you create? What would be the McFarlane take on Mortal Kombat?
McFarlane: You know there are already so many characters in Mortal Kombat that they have made themselves, that I think I would rather reverse the role of some of these guys. I would be interested in taking the original ten who have been around for the longest and make them a bit different, not better, just different than what people are used to.
Lazybones2020: Going back to Injustice 2, they did a poll for who fans wanted to join the game that was a non-MK character, and Spawn lead the poll. It is great to see these things come full circle.
While it would have been nice to see Spawn in that game so he could interact with other comic book characters, the world of Mortal Kombat feels like a better fit. Especially given all that is possible in that series, the sky is the limit in terms of the action and the fatalities.
McFarlane: The one thing I think is super smart on their end, you know we are all in competition with everyone, but the thing they did that was super cool was the fatality. They went all-in on that whenever they first started and you know, either people were going to be offended or they were going to think it was super cool.
There are a ton of people like us who see those kinds of things and chuckle, you know it’s out there and it is kind of funny, but there are other people who really can’t grasp this concept. These are the people who don’t play video games so they couldn’t understand, and to me, this is offensive to us on a couple of different levels.
There is no documented science that proves that video games correlate to real-life violence. If there was, you know that whenever this conversation comes up, they would wave it in front of our faces, but it doesn’t, so they don’t.
Lazybones2020: It really stifles creativity if we let ourselves get too concerned about the potential of anything we make being used to justify whatever they have going on already in their own head.
McFarlane: People are capable of partaking in media and not being influenced to do terrible things. Kids know the difference between the ages of 5-7 that what they see on TV isn’t real. Whenever they are watching Looney Tunes, they know there isn’t a 6-foot tall rabbit that can talk, or you know a talking mouse named Mickey.
Somehow, somewhere down the line, when we all get older, people who are between 18 and 25, they all of a sudden become incapable of doing this. I don’t buy that, that’s not how people work.
Just say you don’t like the content. These things are no more harmful than the typical action movie. There are bad people out there sure, psychopaths, who do awful things, but we can’t let them control what we can create.
I fight on your side; I am a very vocal advocate of defending the content we enjoy.
Lazybones2020: I’ve been reading Spawn from the beginning since I started collecting with 300 and back when things were on a smaller scale, the stories in Spawn would talk about the darker things that do happen in the world. But Spawn as a character would try his best to put a stop to them, something we wish was possible in reality, for a powerful force to do the things we can’t.
McFarlane: In issue 29 of Spawn, there was a dad who was beating his kids. Spawn found out about this and knew he couldn’t just kill him; these kids couldn’t lose their dad. Spawn decides to tattoo the abuser instead, he tattooed “I beat my kids” all over his body.
Al thought that this would embarrass the father, put him on the right path, humble him to stop what he was doing, but instead, it makes him twice as angry. One day one of the kids ran for his dad’s gun to protect his brother, he shoots his dad, and he ends up dying anyway.
This was just one of those stories about how you can’t play God. Like Stan Lee said, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” Al Simmons is a completely flawed character, just trying to figure it out. To figure out how to deal with the circumstances he is in. It is way more interesting to see the flaws.
If you or I were just shot by lighting, we wouldn’t change just because we got powers. Austyn, you would just be a strong journalist. It wouldn’t make you any smarter or any better of a person.
What makes the story interesting is thinking, “Hey, how did Austyn get to now from who he was ten years ago?”
Not everybody is created equal, Al might succeed and become the greatest hero ever, or he might fail miserably.
Lazybones2020: How is the movie direction going? I have been reading your interviews each time there is a new development with the film and with the success of Joker, you were saying that it breathed new life into Rated R Superhero flicks. Without having to go too deep into it, what is going on with your movie?
McFarlane: Last week I got some discouraging news, we had an academy award-winning guy who was going to do the movie with us, but he fell off. We had people willing to fund the movie as long as we had this guy attached but schedules were conflicting, and things had to change. That’s how close we are to getting this thing off the ground.
Hollywood is a different place right now; they understand the value of what Spawn can bring to a reasonable budget. Joker lit the fire, up until now it felt like I was pushing up this bolder on my own, but now there are others joining me who know that these stories should be told.
I have very few demands for the movie. It has to be Rated R, there’s no debate around that. With the story I want to tell, my intent goes back to that Spawn Cloud. I am less concerned about what happens in the movie as long as Spawn is “cool” and “badass”. The last demand is that I am the director. That’s it. Everything else is up for conversation.
I just want to show that there are better and smarter ways to entertain an audience than what they are used to. So much more is possible once you open yourself to Rated R stories. But I can’t just do a cardboard version, I need the budget to do it. Just enough to make it the right way.
Lazybones2020: I am right there rooting for you and I hope that things move ahead smoothly.
Now before I forget, I’ve got to ask, who are your favorite characters in Mortal Kombat and SoulCalibur?
McFarlane: I’d have to say Scorpion. I know that’s not very original, Scorpion is everybody’s favorite, but I really like that guy.
In terms of SoulCalibur, you know, it has been such a long time, that I would have to say it was the character I worked on, Necrid. I think he came out really cool and gave the cast a little bit of a different flavor.
Lazybones2020: Thank you very much for your time and best of luck at Toyfair 2020! I am excited to see what comes from McFarlane Toys.
McFarlane: Oh, we are going to kill it! I know we are going to do awesome. After that, I am heading Final Kombat in Chicago where we are finally going to unveil Spawn! Keith David is going to be there; you aren’t going to want to miss it.
Unfortunately, by the time this interview was published, the public event for Final Kombat was canceled due to the coronavirus. The tournament will still be live-streamed, Sunday, March 8 so be sure to tune in for the first look at Spawn in MK11 and some great fights.
Spawn will be available in Mortal Kombat 11 on March 17 through the Kombat Pass or sold separately.
Home to a variety of features while missing some arcade stick staples
Popular arcade stick manufacturer, Qanba, has a new offering for traveling players that can display tons of knick-knacks and hold a lot more than just your fight stick. While all of these extra functions are definitely nice, there are a couple of things that are missing from the Qanba Shield that would have made this the ultimate fight stick carrier.
That being said, if you are in the market for a fight stick bag that will get the job done and then some, you should definitely give this one a look.
Design:
The Qanba Shield has a very unique design, not just as a fight stick carrier, but as a backpack in general. The first thing that will probably grab your attention is the large see-through panel on the front of the backpack. At first glance, it might seem a little silly, but once you personalize it with pins and keychains, it truly becomes one of a kind.
I have a ton of pins that I’ve collected over the years, but I’ve never put them on anything due to the fear of losing them. There are few things that are worse than losing a pin or finding the lost pin but not the back to it, making it just a pointy metal picture. This panel allows you to customize your bag with your favorite trinkets without having to worry about them falling off. Even if they do, they will be safe and sound within the backpack.
Behind the clear panel, there is a mesh lining that makes it easy to place your pins and keychains on your bag without riddling it with holes. Even if you don’t have a collection of pins to attach, you could toss in a notebook, keys, or anything else you’d like quick access to.
You could honestly use the Qanba Shield as a regular backpack if you wanted to. It’s slick no matter what way you look at it and is made with premium materials that feel like they are built to last. Unless you knew this was a fight stick carrier ahead of time, it could definitely pass as a trendy alternative to the typical backpack brands.
Function:
Most fight stick carriers focus most of their attention on carrying your fight stick and not much else. This isn’t inherently bad but it would require you to bring another bag or limit how much you could carry when traveling to a tournament or a buddy’s house. The Qanba Shield aims to give you ample protection for your gaming accessories with all of the convenience you can expect from a higher-end backpack.
There are two front compartments, a water bottle holder (which will prove to be a lifesaver, especially in Vegas where water can be a scarce commodity), an internal pocket with an outlet for your charging cables, a laptop pocket, a compartment on one of the straps for quick access to essential items, and a MOLLE system exterior with room for plenty of other trinkets. There is also a suitcase sleeve that makes it easy to slide it over your rolling suitcase while traveling. The bottom of the bag also has shock protectors that should keep your items safe whenever you place it on the floor. In terms of traditional backpack use, the Shield almost has it all.
One thing I really wish this backpack had, which is something I wish every bag had, was a clip that connected the two shoulder straps together. It just brings the whole experience home for me and makes it feel more secure. Oddly enough, the older Qanba Aegis does have these clips, which makes me think that either someone in the dev team thought they weren’t necessary, or that there should still be some things that made the Aegis unique. Maybe it was done to cut costs for the many other features the Shield has over the Aegis. Alas, the world may never know.
This backpack was built for small to mid-size fight sticks, so anything ranging from the Qanba Drone to the Qanba Obsidian should fit with plenty of additional space for anything else you might that might give your arcade stick some extra protection, like a light jacket or some other filler.
While the Hori RAP N Hayabusa does fit in the Qanba Shield, it does feel like it is pushing the boundaries of the vertical space within the bag. The Victrix Pro FS fits just fine with its stick stowed away but it shifts a lot without anything to keep it in place. The shifting is especially prevalent with smaller Hitbox-style controllers. While I never felt that my stick wasn’t protected in the bag, the back and forth swaying of the cargo inside was a little off-putting while walking.
This is where something like an elastic strap like the one found in the Enhance Arcade Fight Stick Backpack would have really come in handy. Without this option, you are going to have to pack some padding of your own inside the arcade stick compartment, something like a light jacket should do the trick. The Ryu FS Street Traveler includes its own padding that you can customize to fit your stick, but nothing like that is done with the Qanba Shield.
From what I found perusing the web, Qanba has at one point manufactured Joystick Protectors, but I have only found them on a couple of sites and not directly from the manufacturer. If these became widely available, the lack of a joystick protector built-into the bag itself would be more passable, but seeing as how even the Qanba Aegis had one, it is a little weird that the Shield omits it.
I find the Qanba Shield to be very comfortable, even without the strap clip, and I am excited to go through all of my boxes to find the pins I’ve had stashed away but too afraid to lose. The possibilities for personalization are practically limitless. If you’ve got a pin, keychain, or button, there’s a place for it on the Shield.
There is definitely a lot going on with the Qanba Shield and you might not utilize every feature that it offers, but the fact that it can do so much means you getting a full-on utilitarian backpack design that will keep your fight stick safe wherever your battles take you.
For me, this outweighs the lack of a couple of more traditional fight stick features, but does it for you? Tell us what you think about the Qanba Shield below!
Pros:
Plenty of options for displaying your favorite pins, keychains, and other accessories.
Extra storage for laptops, chargers, water bottles, etc.
Suitcase sleeve makes it easier to use as a carry-on.
Cons:
Nothing to keep joystick in place, no additional padding.
No clasp for connecting the straps for a more secure fit.
Not a one-size-fits-all bag, comfortably fits 18-inch fight sticks.
Everything will change with new characters and gameplay mechanics!
Last weekend was huge for Dragon Ball FighterZ fans, with the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour 2019/2020 drawing to a close with CAG / GO1 being crowned as champion, we also got our first look at Season 3 gameplay changes and new character reveals!
At the end of Day 1 of the finals, we got an update from Dragon Ball FighterZ producer, Tomoko Hiroki, who announced some major gameplay additions coming in Season 3!
Z-Assist Select is going to be one of the biggest new features coming to Dragon Ball FighterZ, giving every character three assists to choose from! This is a massive gameplay change that will allow for a greater variety of team options, no longer locking characters out because their assists are less than ideal.
“Z Assist Select” is one example of new features & adjustments coming to #DBFZ. We’re also making adjustments that prevent one sided games and a specific feature that gives users a chance even with one character left!https://t.co/fotNCp3pkz#DBFZWTpic.twitter.com/Az9zZtOyxX
There will also be a new comeback mechanic coming to Dragon Ball FighterZ, something that should allow players to turn the tide after getting caught in a powerful attack or combo. Further details have yet to be announced.
Hiroki, also stated that as opposed to the title’s last season, Season 3 might see balance adjustments throughout the year as they become necessary. The method and frequency of updating are still up in the air, however. The UI has also been changed and players can expect a fresh new character select along with new modes set to be included in the big Season 3 update!
Last but certainly not least, after the Grand Finals with CAG / GO1 taking the victory, we got a look at the next fighters to join the roster! While Ultra Instinct Goku got the first appearance in the trailer, he will actually be releasing second-in-line of this five-character pass, which will be lead by the female-fusion-fighter, Kefla, who will arrive on February 26 if you are a Season 3 pass holder, or two days later, on February 28th if you plan to purchase your characters a-la-carte. No specific release date was set for Ultra Instinct Goku, but we do know he will be added sometime in “spring”.
Check out the Season 3 trailer below showcasing both new characters and a new Dramatic Finish between Goku, Frieza, and Jiren!
Season 3 and all of its new features and mechanics will be available to all players on February 26. Pricing for the Season 3 FighterZ Pass has yet to be announced. The Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour will return for another season as well and with all of these new changes, it will be sure to be THE season to pick up DBFZ if you have been inactive or on the fence about joining in the fun!
Stick around SRK for more Dragon Ball FighterZ news and content!
Last night during a special Evo broadcast featuring Joey Cuellar and Mike Ross, the main lineup for Evo 2020 was revealed with a lineup that is sure to surprise players and spectators alike!
Taking place on July 31-August 2, 2020, players will be able to compete in Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r], Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dragon Ball FighterZ, SoulCalibur VI, Samurai Shodown, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and Granblue Fantasy Versus joining as a new featured title.Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is a surprise addition that will consist of an 8 man tournament. Four players have already been invited to the tournament for being previous MvC2 Evo winners. The announced players are Justin Wong, IFC YipeS, Duc Do, and Sandford Kelly. The other four will be determined at a future date.
Evo 2020 is also an event for multiple tours for titles both on and off the main stage. The tournament is a Master Plus event in the Tekken World Tour 2020, a Platinum Event in the Arc World Tour 2020 for Granblue Fantasy Versus and even BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle which will be a featured title in the Community Evolution Championships, and an Edge Master Plus event for the SoulCalibur VI World Tour 2020.
Players will also be able to compete in the first preview Guilty Gear Strive tournament. This will be hosted on July 31 with more details to be announced once the tournament draws closer.
You can check out the complete Evo 2020 announcement broadcast below! (Just be sure to skip to about 15:17) You can register for Evo 2020 at Smash.gg. Registration closes on July 12 at 8:00 PM PDT.
Mortal Kombat 11 is surprisingly absent from the Evo 2020 lineup, which is sure to disappoint fans and players of the title. That being said, the date for the Final Kombat is set for March 8th, with attendees able to watch the final sixteen kombatants go head to head for the championship title.
Attendees will also be able to experience a first look at the Spawn DLC character trailer along with special appearances by Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, Keith David, the voice of Spawn for MK11 and the HBO animated series, as well as Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the voice of Shang Tsung in MK11, and Ed Boon, the Creative Director of NeatherRealm Studios and Co-Creator of Mortal Kombat. You can check out all the details at the Eventbrite listing here!
Be sure to check back as we embark on the road to Evo 2020!
There are quite a few gaming headsets out there, all with different features and form factors that can make it a little tough deciding which one is right for you. If you’re into fighting games, odds are you’ve heard of a company called, Victrix, that specializes in creating high-quality products that are designed with both style and substance in mind.
Victrix recently released its second audio-focused offering, the Victrix Pro AF. This follow-up to the Victrix Pro AF ANC is based on feedback from players and casters alike and is built with everything you need to have an incredible audio experience whether you are playing online with a team, against your rival, or simply listening to your latest playlist.
Design:
The Victrix Pro AF headset is one of the most visually striking pieces of auditory equipment I’ve ever seen. Of course, the Victrix purple accents make this headset look one of a kind, but it is more than that. This is a headset that’s built to last, and it is proud to show that through its stainless steel headband and exposed cables. The industrial look and feel are second to none, even the coiled cable makes a huge effect as it extends and retracts as you size the headset to fit just right.
There are measurements on the side as well that ensure your favorite fit. The sizing components slide up and down the headset as well, making a slight “Bat-ear” if you are on the smaller side, which is beyond cool. Speaking of cool, the Victrix Pro AF features a patent-pending cooling mechanism that allows you to lift your ear cushions through a lever for easier communication with the outside world while not missing out on your headset audio. This mechanic, in particular, was designed for players who need both clear game sound and the ability to communicate with their team members without having to shift their ear cushions off of one ear.
No unnecessary space is wasted. All of the utility buttons are right on the lefthand side of the headset, so you can adjust the volume and mute your mic without needing to grasp at a module on the cable. The cable, while we are talking about it, is thick and durable. It is a little stiff right out the box, but over time it relaxes to a more comfortable and fluid form.
The microphone is completely removable if you don’t plan on using voice chat and want to focus on in-game sounds or your favorite music. The headset comes with a dust plug you can use to keep the mic insert free of unwanted debris. If you’re like me and are on and off web-calls and chatting online with friends and foes alike, the mic is extremely flexible and can be positioned out of sight when not needed. You can also customize your mic with your included mic badge. The one I received says “Scrub!”, which I am sure is only referencing the woodland creatures and not people who lack in skill or experience.
The Victrix Pro AF is an incredibly stylish headset that, like everything else produced by Victrix, oozes class and sophistication. Based on design alone, the headset stands out among the competition, but what it accomplishes in conjunction with its unique appearance is what truly makes this product shine.
Function:
In order to maintain its lower price tag, the Victrix Pro AF doesn’t bring quite as many features as it’s more premium, older counterpart, the Victrix Pro AF ANC, like active noise canceling or the ability to adjust mic gain. Even without these capabilities, the Victrix Pro AF still provides the best in quality for its core functions.
Prior to reviewing the Victrix Pro AF, my daily audio driver has been my trusty Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones that I’ve used for nearly 10 years, becoming my golden standard. While the Victrix Pro AF might not be noise-canceling, you’d be hard-pressed to hear anything besides what’s coming from the headset in most typical situations.
I work in a very active space with multiple calls going on at the same time between me, my officemate, and our cubicle neighbors. Thanks to the high-quality 50mm speakers and sophisticated design of the headset, I am given incredible audio that feels essentially isolated from what’s happening in the world outside. Everything is crisp and detailed and no one sound is muddled by another.
The microphone is top-notch as well. According to Victrix, the mechanical mic filter design used on the Pro AF was originally created for the Cobra attack helicopter. What that means for the typical consumer, is that even in the loudest environments, you will sound crystal clear. As mentioned earlier, my officemate and I take calls all throughout the day, oftentimes simultaneously. Not once since switching to the Victrix Pro AF as my primary headset has anyone made a comment about how noisy the office was during a call. (But to be polite, I apologize anyway just in case.)
I’ve worn the Victrix Pro AF all throughout my eight-hour workdays and I am never uncomfortable with the warmth from the cushions or pressure from the headband. If I ever did needed a break, instead of wearing the headset around my neck or over one ear, I would utilize the handy dandy cooling mechanism levers that shift the ear cushions, creating a small opening between the cushions and the speakers. (This is also a nifty and simple way to remove the cushions if you ever need to replace them.)
Now you’re probably not just thinking about using the Victrix Pro AF at your office job, and that makes sense. That being said since I am at work most of the time, the experience I got by using the headset while working really showed just how versatile it is and the true value you get from it.
Of course, I also thoroughly tested the headset while gaming. I played Street Fighter for hours and conducted party chats on PlayStation 4 with extreme clarity and comfort. To mix things up a bit I played Halo 5 online and felt an astute awareness I didn’t have before with my previous gaming headsets. (Those being a variety of Turtle Beaches and the Polk Audio Striker Pro P1.) Everything works as it should, but it feels better than it ever has.
The on-ear controls made things simple. Instead of awkwardly reaching for a cable and tugging on the control box, I knew exactly where the button was to mute and un-mute my mic and where the dial was to adjust the volume. This is just another example of how Victrix listened to the input from players and casters about how to improve their headset experience.
Even though there are two separate versions sold, one for PlayStation 4 and one for Xbox One, the headset connects through a 3.5 mm jack making it compatible with an array of devices right out the box. It has been quite a few years since you needed to purchase an adapter for an Xbox One controller, (since 2015 in fact) but I feel that I have to mention that if you have an original XB1 controller you will need to purchase a proprietary accessory to get it to work with your device.
The Victrix Pro AF costs $179.99 and is definitely worth it based on the overall quality of the package. The core functions are on point and what it does differently, it does with well thought out intent. This is a headset that has adapted to the way people have used their headsets and instead of continuing the status quo, it optimizes the overall experience.
Whether you are in the market for your first gaming headset or your fiftieth, (hopefully not, that’s a lot of headsets, unless you are a collector, then who am I to judge), the Victrix Pro AF will deliver on all counts for a truly astounding experience. It is an investment that is well worth it thanks to its exceptional build quality and well-executed functions.
Pros:
Incredible sound quality with great range.
Crystal clear mic that captures only what it is supposed to.
Built to last with durable steel frame and replaceable components.
Cons:
It does not come with a carrying case nor is one purchasable on the store.
Difficult to wear on one ear, but the cooling mechanism does the job.
Still quite expensive without noise-canceling or mic gain adjustment.
The Victrix Pro AF can be purchased directly through Victrix’s website or through Amazon. There are technically two separate models of the Victrix Pro AF but either will work on either platform as long as you have a 3.5 mm jack for the headset.
It is important to note that many replacement items are for sale through the Victrix website. For this headset specifically, you can purchase a new microphone and replacement ear cushions at a relatively inexpensive cost. That’s just another benefit to making the investment in the Victrix Pro AF.
One of the strongest albeit underrated players coming out of the United Kingdom, Cygames Beast’s DC “Infexious” Coleman has been making waves in the Capcom Pro Tour since the Street Fighters IV days and now really coming into his own and taking names in Street Fighter V for the past three years.
Finishing in 4th place in the European standings and most recently, placing himself 2nd at Kumite, Infexious might have seemed to come out of nowhere for some who are new to the scene, but if you’ve followed him for a while, one can find out that his fighting game roots go a bit deeper.
I sat down with Infexious the day before Evo 2019 to talk about his surprising humble beginnings in the fighting game community as well as his life outside of it. He also goes into detail about what kept him from traveling more to compete in his early days, his competitive mindset, the UK fighting game scene, and his thoughts going into Capcom Cup 2019.
MB: First of all, I have been following your career since you first appeared on the CPT with Hugo in Ultra Street Fighter IV back in 2015. I just found out recently through the magic of YouTube that you’ve actually been playing competitively since Vanilla SF4 using Ryu, Sagat, and sometimes Akuma.
It seems like people are learning more and more about you lately but somehow you have been somewhat of an enigmatic player all this time. How long have you been playing fighting games?
Was Street Fighter IV your first competitive game and what drew you to it? Was there a specific moment or realization that made you decide to pursue a pro gaming career in competitive fighting games? If so what was it and why?
Infexious: Dead or Alive 4 got me started. Street Fighter IV was the game I started traveling for and diving into it. When I started playing Street Fighter IV, it was very different from Dead or Alive 4 since it was a 2D fighter. I never played 2D fighters competitively up to that point.
Applying frame data, spacing, pokes, and all types of things were quite tricky because to me, Dead or Alive is a rock-paper-scissor game, and Street Fighter seemed so much more complex than that. It was really interesting to get into…to put loads of times into understanding, learning it, reading loads of stuff online, and watching lots of videos.
I played a ton and I was beating people. I was winning a lot. Then I played players like Alioune from France. He was a guy who I just couldn’t beat like I would beat other people. I would play him for hours and hours.
All of that got me stronger again so I would play and play and I thought, You know what, I got to go to tournaments and see. I would go to my local tournaments and win those. Then I thought, I’ve got to travel out. I would go to London and play loads of people.
Whilst that was all going on, I was still doing the studying, but then as times developed and esports started to become a thing and there were opportunities because gaming was growing so fast, I thought, you know what, this is something that if I’ve been put my all into it. I could potentially do some great things in it. So I would give myself the opportunity when the stars aligned and things became available.
MB: What are some of your other hobbies and interests? Any other games you enjoy playing other than fighters?
Infexious: I used to play CVS2 when I was younger. I played the Tekken games when they first came out. Dead or Alive 4 was the first game that I played where I started to understand what frame data was–that there something deeper to fighting games than just doing special moves and pressing buttons. I’ve played a couple of shooters like Gears of War and Call of Duty, but never took them that seriously.
MB: What’s the meaning behind the “Infexious” handle?
Infexious: It’s a combination of my first and middle names. It’s shortened because people often butcher my first name.
MB: You have a very patient playstyle that seems to stem from your Hugo play in USF4. You are also very stoic with a stoneface look that rivals that of Momochi and Daigo from back in the day and you rarely, if ever, are fazed when you lose a game or a full set.
Was this level of patience self-taught or nurtured over time or have you always been like this?
Infexious: I think it actually stems from me observing how a lot of the top-level Japanese players played very early on in Street Fighter‘s lifespan when I first started to find out about tournaments and how long the series has been played at a competitive level.
So I watched those players and saw how focused they were, how calculated they were and the things that they were doing and so I thought that I need to implement this into how I play if I wanted to compete at a higher level.
MB: Who are some of your biggest rivals and gatekeepers in competition? Who or what do you see as your biggest obstacle at Evo 2019 and what’s your mindset and gameplan going into this tournament?
Infexious: There are many, many obstacles. This is one of the time periods where you really cannot underestimate anyone. There are top-level players who you know to look out for and then some of the dangerous players are the ones you don’t know who to look out for.
You don’t even know their name! (laughs) One of the great things about tournaments now is that you can see your path on Smash.gg as to who you may have to face.
Well when you come from Europe, the gatekeepers are the three kings of the region: Phenom, Problem X, and Luffy. They’ve been on top of the European scene for many years. So if you want to become one of the best players in Europe, you have to take on those three.
Luffy has been my demon for the past year. I’ve played Phenom and got the better of him a couple of times. Problem X as well….we played recently where he won one set, I won one set, and then he won one set. I’ve been able to compete with them, but they’re the main players that anybody should be focusing on in Europe if you want to compete at the top level.
On the world spectrum, you’ve got your Punks, the Tokidos, the Fujimuras, the Bonchans. There’s a whole host of different players, characters, and play styles that you’ve got to be ready for if you want to compete at a high level.
MB: What have been some of your biggest mental hurdles to improve on as a competitor? Was there a certain moment or match where a player mentally cracked you even if you don’t show it? What was your saltiest loss? You don’t seem fazed ever!
Infexious: I don’t know when the point was, but one hurdle that comes to mind is going into the losers bracket in a tournament and still playing to the best of your ability. When you go into the losers bracket, especially in this game, it can mentally shock you and take its toll. Being put in the losers bracket puts you at a significant disadvantage.
So being able to fight out of it is a hurdle. There have been times where I’ve been able to do that which I’m proud of. It’s an ongoing thing where you see some of the best players do it and climb out of it.
I try not to be (laughs). In the moment, I know that whatever happens, happens now, it’s time to review afterward. So there’s no point in getting emotional, getting thrown off-center during the match. Let it play out, apply what you prepared, and then after that, you go back and review and you see what was the right strategy and what were they doing in response. All the emotion comes out afterward when you sit down and review.
I’m very rarely salty after a loss. The one that sticks out in my mind was Evo 2018. I dropped a winning combo against Poongko’s Kolin last game and round and that’s how I got put into the losers bracket. That one was a bit frustrating, but it doesn’t play on me because I just think that happens. If you’re a competitor you will drop the winning combo.
Everyone is a human being. I just see it as part of the road, part of the journey. If you’re consistent in a tournament, those drops won’t even matter. The next tournament you’ll do well and the next one you’ll do well and maybe this one you got unfortunate. I just don’t dwell on it because it’s not going to make me better.
MB: Looking at your past results, you placed consistently in every tournament you’ve entered even though they are so few in number. What prevented you from traveling to other events outside of the UK and Europe earlier in your career?
Infexious: For years, I first studied for a law degree and that was back in 2008/2009 when Street Fighter IV was coming out. I then worked at a law firm for a few years. It wasn’t quite my thing so I went back to the university to get a teaching degree. So I was doing all of that alongside putting my all into gaming.
It was tough. They require a lot to get through those qualifications, but I managed to juggle both and still be able to compete at a good enough level to put my name out there.
MB: What is the competitive scene in the United Kingdom like now? Are you still able to get solid practice both offline and online? Who are some of your training partners other than your CYG teammates?
Infexious: It’s actually quite good. There are a lot of events situated in the south. I live in Manchester and a lot of the events are in London. So I don’t quite get the chance to go down and compete in as many as events as I’d like to.
But there is a thriving scene in the north where we have events starting around small scenes and sometimes people come together to compete there. In London, there are a lot of weekly events that go on so there’s a lot of competition.
I’m a strong advocate of online play. I’ve had an offline scene….back in the days of early Street Fighter IV, I used to go to my local and play in tournaments there. It was a good enough scene and it did improve my ability to compete in a tournament environment, but the vast majority of my experience, my knowledge, my skills have been acquired playing online.
Playing strong players online, grinding, playing battle lounges with a group of players…that has been the cornerstone of my development. If you train the right way and with the right opponents, online can be just as good as offline. Offline prepares you for tournaments. That’s the experience you can’t get online.
I play with Gunslinger and Hurricane. A lot of UK players play online. Thankfully, connections between certain regions in Europe are very stable. We get some good connections with people from France and anywhere in the UK.
MB: At the beginning of SFV, you were playing both Zangief and Necalli with great success. Now it seems you’re committed to maining Zeku and so far your tournament results in 2019 have not only been consistent, but it seems like you’re placing higher.
Why did you decide to switch to Zeku and which matchups do you think he’s the strongest and weakest in? Do you still keep Necalli or Zangief in your pocket just in case things don’t go well with Zeku?
Infexious: I’m slowly fazing Necalli out. I’ve played him in certain matchups where I felt a little bit more comfortable like F.A.N.G. and Dhalsim. Recently I’ve played Zeku for Dhalsim and so I’m learning a lot of the matches that I was comfortable with Necalli as Zeku. If you focus on one or two characters as Zeku and Necalli, it’s easier to learn matchups more intricately.
If you’ve got a whole host of characters, you have a benefit because you can change it up like a swiss army knife. The disadvantages are that you can’t know the matchups, the spacing, how people can respond to that character over thousands and thousands of games–that kind of instinct. You can’t have that with a big array of characters so I wanted to cut it down to just one or two characters.
At the start, I really enjoyed playing Zangief because it was a good transition from Hugo in USF4. As time went on, I understood a bit more about how this game worked. I realized that Zangief was in some ways he was fundamentally flawed in this game engine.
One of the main reasons is because since command grabs are five frames, has two active frames, and you’ve got variable wakeup on knockdowns–it’s extremely difficult to do a meaty command grab on someone in this game.
So if you play against a character like Dhalsim and they do a wakeup teleport which isn’t invincible to throws and you’re Zangief and you read that with a command grab, but you mistime it by a frame because you five frames to work with, he’s away from you even though you mad the right read! Things like that were frustrating to me.
I didn’t feel like I wasn’t able to make the correct reads consistently so I thought maybe that’s not the style that works for this game. In the old games you a had two-frame command grab where you could easily do meaty with it. So I thought I’m going to move away and play another character that has a command grab in Necalli. He’s a bit more mobile and doesn’t just rely on those hard read situations.
Thankfully that was a good choice and I saw some success with him as well.
MB: From what I’ve seen of your Zeku play, you tend to use old Zeku quite a bit. Does that pertain to particular matchups or certain players?
Infexious: When I first started using Zeku, I thought young Zeku was miles better than old. I would always play young and I basically learned young before I learned old. As time I went on, I started to understand the strengths of old Zeku and how to play the game–even after years and years of play you’re still learning new things–I realized old was a lot better than I thought. Using both old and young styles is the key to mastering Zeku and making him a top contender.
MB: Now with your new sponsorship under CYG, you will be able to travel a lot more and experience different parts of the world. With that said, where do you see yourself going say five years from now? What are some of your goals and aspirations both in your pro gamer career and your regular life?
Infexious: One of my main aspirations was to make sure I have a foundation, qualification, and a profession that would allow me to teach something that you can take around the world. I wanted to get something that would give me a foundation so that if I went and pursued a passion such as gaming which is what it has been for years and that doesn’t work out, I’ve always got that to fall back on.
Right now I’ve put that on the back burner and I’m focusing on my passion. Hopefully, I can win big tournaments, achieve big things, build a brand as the saying goes, and within five years be a member of the FGC that’s recognized as a great competitor. That’s my ultimate goal.
MB: You’re currently ranked 22nd on CPT Global Standings and second place in the European regional standings. What do you think it’s going to take for you to push through even further on in the CPT season to guarantee your spot in Capcom Cup 2019?
What do you feel you need to improve on in order to grow as a competitive threat to try and win it all? (Update: Now ranked 20th globally and finished in 4th in Europe).
Infexious: I think to get into Capcom Cup I need to maintain form. If I carry on the way that I am performing right now then I should be able to acquire enough points to get in and attend as many events as I can leading up to that. It’s been a good start so I think maintenance is one of the most important things to push myself to the point where I can start thinking about winning the whole thing.
I need to open up my game even further and open my knowledge of the top players. Now we’re getting into the realms where if you’re placing highly consistently, you’re going to be coming into contact with similar faces.
So you need to become aware of how these people play, what their tendencies are and how you can best exploit them to get the big wins out of it. Working on that is the next phase if I can keep up this type of momentum.
Breaking down the barriers to entry for the Taiwanese FGC.
A long-time veteran in the fighting game community, Cygames Beast’s Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang has been taking names and placing highly in fighting game competitions since he made his big top eight debut at Evolution 2010.
Even though he wasn’t able to qualify for Capcom Cup this year (finishing at 35th place in the global rankings), GamerBee will always be an established player to look out for in the brackets at any Street Fighter event he attends around the world.
I sat down with GamerBee the day before Evolution 2019 to discuss in length about various topics regarding Street Fighter V, the Capcom Pro Tour, and even reminisce a little about the Street Fighter IV days.
He also talks about his SFV character choices as well as his expanding his role as a member of the fighting game community by helping to organize tournaments and hopefully revitalize the scene in his homeland of Taiwan.
Marcos Blanco: It is great to be able to meet with you, I have been following your career since your first Evo in 2010.
What is your current view on Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition and the Capcom Pro Tour in general?
GamerBee: I think that Season 4 is a lot more solid. It doesn’t feel as unpredictable as it was before. I feel that the Capcom Pro Tour is the sexiest event in the fighting game industry. I really enjoy the way the CPT is handled right now. Even though it’s very difficult, it provides great opportunities for the FGC as a whole.
MB: Is there anything you think that can be improved about it?
GamerBee: Every individual player should be equal to enter a tournament, that is why there is a tournament every week or every month for the whole world. I don’t know if there is any better way to the point system, but it is giving an advantage to certain regions or to those with sponsors because you must enter a lot of tournaments to get enough points.
If you are just a non-pro player without a sponsor it’s difficult to qualify. Also compared to Europe or Asia, there are more tournaments in North America, so that is also a kind of advantage that those players have.
MB: How do you feel about your performance with Cammy so far in the CPT now that we are about halfway through the event? I know you use Necalli sometimes too. We know Cammy was weakened a little bit this season but that didn’t make you switch to another character like some other players have.
GamerBee: A lot of people are dropping Cammy. I try really hard to improve my skills to prove that I can make her effective in a different way. I am struggling right now because she has a tough time with top tier characters. To be honest, right now it’s hard. That being said, whenever she isn’t going up against a top tier character though, she is really strong.
I am thinking after Evo, if there is a balance change, I will study it, see if I should keep her as a main, or if I should change her out for another character.
MB: That leads me to my next question, with the three characters that were just announced. E. Honda, Poison, Lucia, based on the trailers what are your thoughts about them? What are your initial impressions?
GamerBee: I am actually very interested in these characters. First Lucia, then Honda. I want to try all three characters and I hope to find a character that has a lot of speed and can apply a lot of good pressure.
MB: Just from the trailer alone, it looks like Lucia might be that character, she seems very offensively focused!
GamerBee: Oh really? I will have to look more into her trailer!
MB: Were you surprised by Honda?
GamerBee: No! Of course not! We were all expecting Honda. (laughs)
MB: Did you know much about Lucia before her reveal trailer was released?
GamerBee: At first, I thought she was Cody’s girlfriend. He went to save his girlfriend in Final Fight, right?
MB: That was actually Jessica! Lucia is from Final Fight 3, she was a character from one of the console only sequels to Final Fight.
GamerBee: Oh! That’s why I didn’t know who she was!
MB: Right! I thought she was familiar at first. And then I remembered and thought, “Ah! That’s where she is from!”
GamerBee: It makes you wonder why they would choose such an obscure character and not someone everyone knows like Captain Commando. They could have even used Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa from the Capcom Alien vs Predator arcade game. I would be happy to see her in future DLC.
MB: That would have been awesome! We can still hold out hope for a couple of extra characters by the end of the year maybe!
Back to Necalli, when you use him, do you use him against certain players or certain characters that Cammy has issues with?
GamerBee: Yes. I am thinking of using Necalli against certain characters like Birdie, Zeku, or maybe Dictator. Cammy got nerfed with the V-Reversal. So when I’m in a corner and I have trouble getting out, with my V-Reversal I still take damage.
In those situations, Necalli has better health and better stun, so I have a greater opportunity to come back. Cammy might just die too fast, unfortunately.
MB: Yeah, she can be a little fragile. Are there any other characters you are interested in switching to?
GamerBee: If there is no balance change after Evo, I will probably switch to Karin. She is really easy to deal damage with. Compared to Ibuki, Akuma, or Rashid, Karin will be the easiest character to get a lot of results quickly. I think everyone is thinking the same thing.
MB: It’s definitely important to see what strategy is working for other players. Now let’s talk about Street Fighter IV!
You made your name with Adon. You basically maxed out that character’s potential when you used him when Street Fighter IV was in its prime. If Adon ever comes to SFV or a future title, what do you think he would play like or how would you want him to play?
GamerBee: I played him in SFIV because his air juggle kick gave me a lot of freedom. It made me feel that if I can master that move, I could do pressure offense at any time.
That’s also why I like to play Cammy. It isn’t easy to deal with her Dive Kick. Every block will be up plus, I like characters like that. If Adon comes out, I wish they could make it to where some moves are really hard to master, but if you can pull them off consistently, you will be rewarded well for it.
MB: I’d love to see you play Adon again. When I played you at Evo years ago, I’m sure you don’t remember, but you were my first round out of pools in the quarter-finals, and you robbed me in that first round! (laughs)
I was so close and then you came back and took the win! I was using Vega and that’s a really tough matchup.
GamerBee: Oh, that’s definitely not easy for Vega.
MB: What was your first Evo like by the way?
GamerBee: I played fighting games for 25 years and I never had the same experience in Asia. I never saw as many people in the audience watching a fighting game competition as when I qualified for the Top 8 in Evo.
I have to thank Shoryuken and Evo for this opportunity too. That is how I got sponsored by AVerMedia, my first sponsor. It gives me a lot of exposure too. Without this platform, I wouldn’t have a chance of making it big in my local tournaments.
All those experiences led me to organize my own community tournament.
MB: How has it been organizing the Taiwan Major?
GamerBee: I didn’t do it this year, but I had been organizing that tournament for about five or six years. It is growing extraordinarily well.
Ordinarily, every game’s community is separate. But the FGC is different because we can be together. There is no, “You play your game and I will play my game.” That’s something I learned from Evo.
I want to bring that same feeling to Taiwan. All of the players from different titles come together and share the hype and feed into different games. They learn their strategies and implement them into their own style of play.
And so far, it has been working tremendously. Every year, the Taiwan Major gets bigger and bigger. We get more viewers and more participants. It is a really wonderful feeling knowing I contributed to that.
MB: Is it tough to balance being a TO and a competitor?
GamerBee: It is super hard, that’s why I could not do it this year. It is too distracting and takes so much effort when you are trying to do both at the same time. Especially if you want it to grow every year. It drains a lot of time and energy if you want to do both, so I couldn’t this year.
You only have 24 hours in a day to allocate to everything and I would rather give 100% to one thing than 50% to two.
MB: Right, there’s only so much you can do in a day and it seems like you are doing everything you can!
What’s your mentality going into Evo 2019? What’s your gameplan? Who do you think is the biggest obstacle for you?
GamerBee: There are so many players and it is so random. I don’t worry about specific players because there is no knowing who you will face. I always focus on making myself the best I can be.
I try to focus, get enough sleep, and get enough training in between my matches. That’s what I do every Evo. This time there are even more competitors. I try my best to not get nervous. I am looking forward to seeing who will make it into the Top 8!
MB: Certainly! Its Evo, so anything can happen! For you personally, who do you think is your gatekeeper? It can be a character, not just a player.
GamerBee: I’d have to say my biggest issue is with Dictator, that’s why I am considering using Necalli in that matchup. I can perform better pressure on him. Cammy’s low jab is +0 on block now, and the dive kick is not as powerful as it used to be, so it is hard to put pressure on Dictator, you lose too much health. With Necalli on the other hand, every knockdown you have a chance to come back, even when you’re down to your last bit of health.
MB: When I played Vega in that matchup, it was a nightmare! He puts me in the corner, and there’s not much I can do.
What are your feelings about Street Fighter V overall?
GamerBee: I like the opportunities that Street Fighter V offers. More players have a chance to participate with the fight money and the Capcom Pro Tour, but the game design is a little rough from a Street Fighter IV player’s perspective.
In Street Fighter IV, your hard work pays off. You can practice and the matchups weren’t as important. But in Street Fighter V, you can get a bad matchup, or people do crazy things, and you just lose and there’s not much you can do.
That being said, some of these balances make sense for the viewers. If they don’t do updates for a while, it gets boring for the viewers, so these consistent updates keep people entertained.
MB: I feel like right now we are at peak Street Fighter V with Season 4. People are starting to max out these characters and we are starting to see a lot of the same characters in tournaments.
You don’t see a lot of Vega out there, he seems like a very offensive character but his defense leaves a bit to be desired.
GamerBee: Vega used to be a zoning character, but he doesn’t do enough damage that way in this game. You have to get in closer to your opponent to do any real damage.
MB: Right, you have to make some characters work in different ways than you are used to.
Outside of fighting games, what is the day in the life of Bruce like?
GamerBee: I do a lot of streaming. I work a ton with Twitch. I enjoy talking to my audience while I am streaming and I share a lot of things like IRL streaming. I like to stream when I am traveling and experiencing life.
MB: What is the scene like in Taiwan?
GamerBee: Every year we continue to grow and get more talented players. We do a lot of really good streaming in Taiwan and more people are noticing that the fighting game community is a lot of fun to join. We have a lot of players, but not enough new players.
Right now, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore don’t have a lot of young, strong players. America has Punk, Europe has Takamura, AngryBird, BigBird, and even Japan has new young players. We don’t have that same experience right now.
MB: Why do you think that is?
GamerBee: We can’t promise that the younger generation will have enough of a future in fighting games. Other games have more of a sponsorship opportunity. If you play fighting games, in five years you can get what you want, but if you really want to live off the game you play, you might have to play something else.
I am a little nervous about it. Because they have to make a sacrifice to join fighting games. I have been playing them for so long, since before there was such a thing as a pro gamer. I got lucky and got sponsored in Taiwan. Before that, I had never dreamt of becoming a pro player. It was just my passion, and I had a regular job.
I can’t give them training to become a successful fighting gamer. I can’t promise them that they can make it. I can tell them, if they want to get into competitive fighting games, I will support them, but it will be very hard.
MB: You’ve been playing for quite a while, right? Are there any other games you like to play?
GamerBee: Yeah! I have been playing fighting games since I was nine. I played so many fighting games growing up. I played every fighting game I could.
When I was young, like ten or twelve, I played a lot of action games. Then when I got older, I played RPGs. After that, I played a lot of AVG. After that, I started playing online games like Ultima Online or Warcraft. But besides that, at every age, I have always played fighting games. Half of the games I would play would be fighting games and the other half changed over the years.
MB: Anything you want your fans to know about you that they don’t know about you?
GamerBee: I want to create some new online content in the future, like something new on YouTube or more IRL streaming for traveling I have been doing. I would really like to make it happen.
I want to thank my sponsors, Cygames and AVerMedia so I can continue my professional fighting game career, and also thank my wife. She has been incredibly supportive. She’s been helping me with Taiwan Major too! I am a lucky man!
