Pick up heavily discounted digital editions of two of best fighters currently available!
“TGI Black Friday,” according to the PlayStation Store: PSN has launched its own massive Black Friday Sale, and there’s some low-cost fighting games in the mix. Here’s a look at the PlayStation 4 selections:
Street Fighter V — $29.99 (from $59.99)
Street Fighter V Season Pass — $17.99 (from $29.99)
Street Fighter V (Deluxe Edition) — $44.99 (from $89.99)
PlayStation 3 versions of some titles are also on the list, as well as many other notable games for both platforms. PlayStation Plus users are eligible for an additional 10% off; the prices listed above are in USD–Canadian users will see different prices. This sale is active now, and runs until 8:00 AM PST, November 29th, 2016.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 may have just released in late October, but Bandai Namco just disclosed details surrounding additional content. There are two upcoming updates for the game, one that’s free and available to all, and another that is only accessible via purchase of the first DLC pack. Players can expect these new features to become available on December 20.
The free content includes new skills for SSGSS Goku and the professional assassin, Hit. Goku will receive the Awakened Skill Kaioken X10, and Hit will obtain his own Awakened Skill called Pure Progress.
This update will also include six new costumes for custom characters along with four additional attacks. Future Gohan, Bardock, Cooler, Android 16, and Whis will become additional teacher characters, allowing players to unlock 20 more iconic moves used by the mentors.
Perhaps the addition of new Awakened Skills to already existing characters foreshadows the inclusion of Goku Black’s Super Saiyan Rose form.
There is an abundance of additional content to be found in the title’s first DLC pack. Frost, a member of Frieza’s race, and the young Saiyan, Cabbe, (previously announced as Kyabe) are the two characters joining the time-hopping adventure. Hit will also join the ensemble of mentors, teaching players his set of killer moves. Players can expect to learn five new attacks total through the new DLC.
The First DLC pack is included within the game’s season pass, but can also be purchased separately. Those looking to read more in-depth about the upcoming content can check out Xenoverse 2’s official Facebook page. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
After originally missing the update, PC players are now able to get on Mortal Kombat XL. For those who’re interested in getting on NetherRealm’s latest Mortal Kombat now, here’s some great news: the PC version of the game is currently on sale at Newegg.
The digital download version of Mortal Kombat XL is currently on sale for only $23.99; this is a 40% discount over the game’s original $39.99 price.
the game in this package includes the new characters added to Kombat Pack 2: Alien, Leatherface, Triborg, and Bo Rai Cho. In addition to this, all the prior downloadable characters such as Goro, Predator, Jason Voorhees, Tremor, and Tanya are also included. Other items include exclusive skins, including the Samurai and Apocalypse skin packs.
Interested players should head on over to Newegg to check this deal out.
Wolverine-Master is known for his exploits of the Vs. series, and he definitely doesn’t fail with this display of combos. In the title, he describes these as “practical,” but not. While all of these could be done in the course of a match, they do have various timings on OTGs and assists–as well as unusual assist and character combinations–that may never see the light of day in competitive play.
Take a gander in particular at the impressive Strider TAC wall carry in the middle of this video. Actually, take a look at the entire video, because there’s bound to be something you have yet to see.
SNK’s The King of Fighters XIV has seen quite a lot of tournament play since its release. The latest iteration of the franchise has seen tournaments at multiple events, such as SEA Major, SoCal Regionals and Canada Cup, something bolstered by SNK’s own The King of Fighters XIV World Championship, of which the events have been qualifiers for. That said, it seems that SNK wants to grow this even further.
SNK has just announced their “King of Fighters XIV e-Sports Support Program.” The program in question allows tournament organizers to apply to SNK for additional support such as prize pool bonuses, as well as a possible World Championship qualifier slot. The only limitations are that the event should be an offline tournament taking place before August 31, 2017 (or January 29, 2017, for those who want to become World Championship qualifiers), and have a minimum of 20 participants.
Tournaments are part of what keeps the competitive scene alive for any game. As such, it’s nice to see SNK stepping up to give further support these tournaments and events.
XusesGB has just released the fourth volume of his comeback compilations. With the no-chip kill mechanics brought about in Street Fighter V, this has given us even more players returning from the brink of death with and winning by hanging on to their magic pixel.
If you learn anything from this video, you should learn to kill when you have the chance if you are ahead, and never give up if you are behind. Featured in this video are matches from notable players such as ImStillDaDaddy, Cobelcog, Poongko, Mago, and AiAi–both winning and losing.
A lot of crazy exchanges occur in fighting games, leading to many hilarious and memorable moments. A back-and-forth between players is expected, but sometimes one player just finds themselves in that magic sweet spot where everything they do turns up heads. We’ve rounded up some compilations of such moments in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, featuring situations that you just have to see to believe.
First up we have a collection of amazing comebacks. Comeback moments are a classic, appealing no matter what game they happen in.
We also have some Cloud Limit Break moments for you; when Cloud accesses Limit Break, he finds himself able to KO opponents with almost any of his special moves.
We also have some reverse edge-guarding moments, which are particularly enjoyable with so much of the advantage being given to the player not dangling offstage.
To finish off today’s compilation, we have some incredible PK Thunder applications.
Red Bull’s Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis has been known as the Zangief player premier across three version of Street Fighter this decade. But his life may not have hinted at his future success in esports. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles during the 90s, Lewis had to deal with violence and gang activity outside during his daily life. He took to video games to stay inside and away from trouble.
On the Red Bulletin Podcast, Snake Eyez opens up about his life before gaming, his choice of character, and his career in esports today. As someone who always likes to hear the stories of why people play, it’s amazing to hear his life story and how it translates into why he is the player he is today.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.
Latin America has long been under-represented in the FGC. You hardly hear a peep out of these guys–with the obvious exception of players like KaneBlueRiver–but Capcom is looking to change that, through supporting events going on in the area throughout the year. Shout-outs to them for doing that.
One player seeing the benefits of the newly found attention in the area is Ray “DR Ray” Rosario, of the Dominican Republic. I must admit that I’ve heard little of this guy due to the lack of attention shown to the Caribbean region, so I’ve had to do a great deal of research into his play before I’d written this article. What Latin American flair can Rosario bring into the competition?
Regional Champ
From what I can tell, GAM|DR Ray was not even remotely in the picture for Capcom Cup until the end of October. Having only participated in as many events as can be counted on one hand, there was no way that he was getting in on points alone. Coming into the Latin American Regional Finals, it was do-or-die for Ray, and he chose to do. To top that off, he had to defeat internationally tested Evil Geniuses pro Kenneth “K-Brad” Bradley to secure his spot. He did so with a flourish, beating him 3-1 in winners finals, and 3-0 in grand finals, putting to bed any doubt that he can compete at the highest level.
Clawing His Way Through
One of the best tools that DR Ray has available is his choice of character. Vega is as under-represented in high-level tournament results as Latin America is in the grand scheme of fighting games. But this does not mean Vega is not viable, and I believe that DR Ray’s play has proven just that.
DR Ray has established a style that is a beautiful blend of hyper-aggressive and hyper-patient. On one hand, he is unafraid to rush in and set up situations for mix-ups and frame traps. On the other hand, he is equally unafraid to back off, even refraining from pressing buttons if he feels like it is the right approach to the match at that point. Thanks to Vega’s ability to change stances to suit, he even has the right tools for whatever style he picks. Moreover, he understands his spacing very well, and can fish properly for counter hits and whiff punishes off of even the most minor opportunities. While this is more important for a Vega player than with most characters, DR Ray does this extraordinarily well–better than other Vegas such as M. Lizard or NVT|Flash.
What really sets DR Ray apart is his use of slides. Often you see Vegas use slides errantly as a means to get in, or even as a footsies tool. This is a highly punishable move and can lead to big damage and loss of position for Vega should the other player know how to punish it. DR Ray seems to realize this, as he was using–from what I could see–his slides much more conservatively, and finding good opportunities for whiff punishes off of them.
Adaptability
One of the things that I saw that impressed me the most about DR Ray is his adaptability. He adjusts his play properly on matchups and players that at first frustrate him, often mid set.
In the linked video, you see DR Ray at first struggling on approaching Dark’s Alex. It does not take him long to adjust from dashing in and getting poked back out to jumping in on an Alex who struggled with anti-airs. He is a quick learner, and this will work to his advantage at Anaheim.
We Require Experience
The thing that is going to cripple Rosario, however, is the amount of tournaments he has played, and with whom. He has only had five events that he has participated in, and only four events in the Street Fighter IV series. He has never won an event until the Latin America Regional Finals. Further, playing against other international players, he has lost miserably. Winning to K-Brad is great. Losing to HM|GO1 and EVB|Chris Tatarian does not bode well for him. If he is struggling with players on the cusp of qualification, it’s going to be a tough road in Anaheim.
Further, if he’s having a tough time with players who have not automatically qualified, then what happens when he gets paired up with players who have? When he faces a Tokido, EG|Momochi, or Qanba Douyu|Xiaohai, what happens then?
Final Thoughts
To me, DR Ray is like the Oscar nominee that is just happy to be nominated, but doesn’t expect to win. I’m sure he’s not thinking like that, and is looking to shock everyone with his play. He is playing a lesser-used character and has far less play for people to dissect on the internet. He is a dark horse for sure, and that could all work to his advantage.
Does he have a realistic shot of winning it all? Does he have a realistic shot in winning matches? It really depends on who he plays. He is going to be on the lower end of the seeding, so he has it up against him. I’m expecting him to go two and out. But let’s see what a few more events next season will do for him. Hopefully he gets out to travel more, because his Vega is exciting to watch.
For anyone that caught the event live, Capcom Pro Tour Asia Regional Finals gave us a load of hype matches. The grand finals ultimately came down to Mago, and MOV–two players who were already qualified, but wanted to put a punctuation mark on their seasons by qualifying directly.
Both are arguably the best players of their characters, and both were showing some amazing wherewithal in the match. While the results ended with Mago taking the set out of losers bracket, the match that brought him to victory was one of note–and one that should be the pace-setter for what Capcom Cup will shape up to be.
