Category: Fighting Games

Two of Japan’s best battle it out in this first-to-5 for Street Fighter V. Mago (playing as Karin) and HORI|Sako (maining Chun-Li) have faced each other many times before in the past, so it is interesting to see how high-tech their matches get in each player’s quest for victory. Many top players have expressed having trouble facing Chun-Li, but Mago seems to have an elevated understanding of the character and the Chun-Li/Karin Match-up. Sako, being a Karin player himself, reflects his opponent’s level of character knowledge and brings his own execution-heavy style to his character.

Check out the set and see which titan comes out on top:

Source: XusesGB

Capcom has made it clear that option selects and kara throws were something they were trying to keep out of Street Fighter V. Sometimes, these things slip through the cracks–and yet again, another one has been found.

Raf El has discovered an instance where Ibuki can increase her throw range via kara canceling various kicks, including standing roundhouse into her throw. While on the surface, the range increase doesn’t look like a lot, it actually moves her throw range into high-mid tier on the list of throws in the game.

What’s more is that Raf discovered that the standing roundhouse kara throw moves Ibuki slightly backward initially before moving her forward, allowing her to escape some throw attempts, before she unleashes her own grab.

Whether this tech will remain in the game on subsequent updates remains to be seen, but Raf also gives a nifty little bonus combo at the end that shouldn’t be lost if they decide to patch this kara throw out.

Source: Raf El

With the Switch launching in early 2017 and remasters for games like Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 all but confirmed, Smash fans have naturally been theorizing about an updated version of Smash 4 for the Switch. With a recent report suggesting that a Switch port is in development, as well as the Switch’s presence at Tokaigi 2017–which also hosts the NicoNico Smash 4 Championships–it’s fair to assume that a port is coming. As such, people are polishing their crystal balls and bringing out the tea leaves to predict what will be in this Switch version of Smash 4. In the spirit of healthy speculation, here is a sampling of our favorite possible additions–and some wishful thinking–as to what could be in a potential Smash 4 for the Switch.

A Unification of the Wii U and 3DS Versions

With the Switch inhabiting the space of both a portable and home console, it makes sense that a Smash 4 port for the system would bring together both the 3DS and Wii U versions into a single package. This means Smash Run, along with all of the 3DS stages and its trophies, would be available in one unified game. It doesn’t mean a whole lot for the competitive scene–besides adding Yoshi’s Island Brawl to the legal stage list–but it means a hell of a lot for those who are just looking to play more Smash Bros.

Some Old Faces and Places

Adding in missing characters like the Ice Climbers and Wolf seems to be one of the main expectations for the Smash Switch port. The 3DS version of Smash 4 is cited as the reason for the Ice Climbers’ rejection from the game’s roster, so the increased power of the Switch as a portable machine should mean that the mountain-climbing duo will return, right? I’m hopeful, but I wouldn’t go into this update of Smash 4 expecting it. By all accounts, Sakurai has moved onto his next project so I doubt he would have cut his break from Smash short just to update some old fighters. Even if he has done so, fighters like the Ice Climbers would little resemble their Brawl counterparts in Smash 4, where chaingrabs are outlawed and characters like Cloud exist.

If we are going to receive anything from older Smash games with this port, I feel more stages will be the most likely addition. Modders have already succeeded in bringing stages like Yoshi’s Story and Fountain of Dreams from Melee into Smash 4, so adding extra legacy stages should be no problem. A healthy mix of fun and competitive stages would be welcome, as long as infuriating stages like Icicle Mountain and Mushroomy Kingdom aren’t added.

Long Live the GameCube Controller

With Switch’s new “Joy-Con” modular controllers, there have been numerous mock-ups of special Joy-Con pieces, with different colours and button layouts for specific games. One that has been circulating is a GameCube-style Joy Con, where the two parts of the controller clip to either side of the Switch tablet or Joy-Con hub. Combine this with the two USB ports on the front of the Switch housing, and you have the ability for GameCube support to live on for this iteration of Smash.

The Gamecube adapter acted as a license to print money, so a GameCube-style Joy Con is only inevitable, especially when you consider the possibility of GameCube games finally coming to Virtual Console. Seeing as there are still tons of generation four GameCube controllers floating around–thanks to the release of Smash 4–it would be silly for Nintendo to not have a reason for newer players to buy up this surplus of controllers. If they brought out a new generation of GameCube controllers with improved triggers and control sticks, that would be even better.

Smash as an Esports Platform

During the initial Switch reveal, the final section showed Nintendo attempting to tap into the esports crowd, with shots of a stadium full of spectators watching a Splatoon tournament final. Nintendo has three franchises–Splatoon, Pokkén Tournament and Smash– that are positioned within the esports sphere, so the Switch is the perfect platform to make that push into competitive gaming. With Smash 4 already having a large install base and healthy tournament attendance, a Switch version allows Nintendo to get off the mark with a brand new console and a fresh strategy based on the data collected from the Wii U version.

However, this esports push would require a drastic change in how Nintendo communicates with the fighting game community, as well as a reformed balance policy–remember, there has never been any form of official patch notes for Smash 4. I believe Nintendo would have to establish some kind of community management/balance team, similar to what Iron Galaxy has done with Killer Instinct or what Capcom has with Street Fighter V, and actively hire knowledgeable members of the community to help Smash evolve. This version of Smash will probably be with us for a fair while, so I believe Nintendo will go the route of Street Fighter, where Smash 4 is simply added to with regular updates to keep it fresh.

With nearly 60 playable fighters, a Switch edition of Smash 4 needs to focus on rebalancing those characters who are stuck in the doldrums first, before adding new fighters just to keep the hype train rolling. Reworking characters like Mewtwo, Marth, Ike, Bowser, and DK has proved very successful in giving them distinct tools which allow them to compete at tournament level, when they had previously been consigned to low or mid-tier. At the moment the top tiers are in a stable position, with no one character dominating the upper echelons, so any future balance changes need to focus on giving the lower third of the roster meaningful buffs and even possible kit reworks.

Other things will need to be altered, like creating a Ranked Match system and improving Training Mode to keep competitive fans invested. It will be those players that will keep the game chugging along after the initial surge of sales. Smash 4 is already replete with modes, collectibles, and features for players who just want a fun party game to play, so extra competitive bells and whistles are needed to keep tournament players engaged. It’s almost the reverse of Street Fighter V: Smash has tons of single player features, but drastically needs more competitive options.

Nintendo could link up with tournament organizers as well, providing bulk buy discounts or even complimentary Switches to help run events. This would no doubt come into effect if a pro Smash 4 circuit ever materializes–but even so, openly working with tournament organizers would help make the transition period from Wii U to Switch easier. Nintendo has helped TOs in the past at events like Genesis and Apex, but I feel a public display of assistance to the tournament scene would do a lot to improve relations between the Big N and its competitive community.

Ultimately, a Smash port for the Switch needs to incite players with enough new features to force them to “switch” off the Wii U and onto the new system. If it could act as the single unifying Smash system, by having the best version of Smash 4 alongside the holy grail of a Melee HD, the Switch will be flying off shelves and into the hands of Smashers everywhere. Nintendo really has the opportunity to channel all of the fervor and passion for Smash with this new system, with a definitive version of Smash 4 for both casual and competitive players acting as a step towards a massive esports presence.

Additional Source: Source Gaming

With the game’s higher-than-average amount of input delay, whiff punishing is perceived by many to be rather hard to do in Street Fighter V; even with the delay’s reduction, many feel that it’s still something that takes a fair amount of timing and prediction to do.

In this new video, Tali demonstrates a way for players to practice whiff punishing in training mode. As the video below demonstrates, a good way to practice them is to set the training dummy to use the specific normal that is to be trained against out of block, then finding a block string with the proper spacing to set up the punish afterwards. This actually does mimic how players will tend to try to counter poke after a block string, allowing for the punish.

Source: TaliUSF4

This week is the final qualifier for the Capcom Pro Tour 2016 season. One more player will join the ranks of the 32 to compete at Capcom Cup in December. Thursday will be the last chance qualifier Fighter’s Spirit, while the Regional Finals itself will take place on Saturday.

In addition to the players above, some of Asia’s strongest players will be trying to grind their way through the last chance qualifier, including Evo 2016 champion (and already qualified) INFILTRATION,NL, xyzzy, Oil King, Poongko, Bonchan, Onuki, Verloren, Chris Wong, Abao and Chuan. Gllty from the US will also be trying her hand at qualifying.

Tune into the action live on Capcom Fighter’s Twitch channel.

Watch live video from CapcomFighters on www.twitch.tv

Schedule

Source: Capcom Pro Tour

PH|LPN, one of the FGC’s prominent Alex mains, recorded a session with Yahoo! Esports’ “Tech Hit,” where he breaks down the ins and outs of Alex’s V-Trigger in Street Fighter V. He shows the different ways that Rage Shift can be used in various match-ups, elaborating on the necessary spacing, timing, and frame data knowledge needed to come out victorious in each situation.

Every thing in the full ten minute video is very well explained by LPN and could be a great tool for anyone looking to level up their Alex play.

Source: Yahoo! Esports

Famous for reinventing Yoshi in Super Smash Bros. Melee and proving the dinosaur’s potential at tournament level, VGBootCamp’s aMSa has been fairly absent from the American tournament scene, with his last Stateside appearance being at Super Smash Con back in August. As such, people have been looking to Japanese tournament streams to see a glimpse of the red Yoshi in action.

At the recent Battle Gate Way 13, aMSa finally took first place, marking his fourth Japanese tournament win and his third general tournament victory since August 2015. His victory at BGW 13 saw him defeat other top Japanese Melee players like Shippu, Tapioka and S-Royal, as well as top Mexican Falco Yu, who has returned to Japan after spending the summer back home in Mexico.

If you are hankering to see more Japanese Melee, as well as more of aMSa’s amazing Yoshi, this highlight reel is definitely one to watch.

Source: Smasha

Joe “MOV” Egami is a legend. Considered one of the best Chun-Li players in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, he abstained from playing Street Fighter IV, and the next competitive game we saw him in was Street Fighter X Tekken. Strong in that game, he is now bringing himself to his next modern title of choice: Street Fighter V.

Chun-Li is again strong in this title, thus MOV playing Street Fighter V is a match made in heaven. Now, with him being one of three Chun-Li players making his way to Capcom Cup–all by way of points–will he be the one to bring it home for the Fellowship of the Thigh?

“Now That’s Good Kung Fu.”

MOV is known for one thing, and one thing only–his Chun-Li. If you see him playing a game, it’s going to have Chun-Li on the roster and he will be using her. And by all intents and purposes, I would easily start an argument that–as he has been claimed to be in 3rd Strike–he is currently the best Chun-Li out there.

I know what you guys are thinking. There’s Go1, Ludovic, and Nuki all eyeing that title. If you argued any of these to me while reading this, I agree that it’s a tough argument to make. But just watching MOV’s Chun-Li brings back flashbacks of the strength he showed with the character in Street Fighter III.

There’s the Chun-Li that focuses solely on good footsies and spacing. There’s the Chun-Li that relies on pressure. There’s the Chun-Li that relies on proper execution and attaining maximum punishes. I think that MOV is the penultimate form of all these characteristics of Chun-Li. He and Nuki are the two that have been playing her throughout the course of multiple series. But my belief is that the game that MOV was forced to play, to be considered one of the strongest players in 3rd Strike, allows him to think more abstractly about his play than someone who is more known for their Chun-Li in Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

Despite losing this match, MOV shows what he is capable of. He is using the full capacity of Chun’s arsenal, and everything he is capable of is on display.

World’s Strongest Woman

MOV doesn’t rely on this alone, but Chun herself is really strong in this game. She is one of the most complained-about characters; with her impeccable spacing game, and really strong pressure game. While her damage potential is weaker than most of the top tier characters, she still is able to capitalize on her punishes with proper execution into really damaging combos.

On top that, her V-Trigger is one of the best in the game, allowing her even more damage potential off of her anti-airs and her hit confirms. Bar none, when a perennially strong player meshes with such a top tier character, magic is bound to happen. MOV is showing that he can take the World’s Strongest Woman to the highest of heights.

Never Put Baby in a Corner

One thing that MOV seems to thrive on his playing when his back is to the wall. Egami, from what I have witnessed, tends to start sets in the hole. When he is at a deficit in the set, that’s when the fire lights underneath him. For some, playing in do-or-die situations makes them perform with more sense of urgency, and their sense of awareness heightens. MOV seems to be that type of player.

In the video posted above, while MOV never seemed out of the match at any point, he wasn’t playing at his full potential early on. It was once ImStillDaDaddy was up two games to none that Egami began to pull out every stop. While others tend to buckle in this situation, feeling as though their opponent is in their head, MOV seems to take that moment to evict his opponent from his head and begins to go harder to the paint.

Breathing Room

While that tends to be the case, the more intense the moment, or the more important the event, MOV tends to let nerves get to him. It was duly noted that at Evolution 2016 in the top 8 of Street Fighter V that Egami was huffing canned oxygen to calm his nerves. Those nerves ultimately got the better of him, as he lost to both Fuudo in Winners Semi-Finals and was then subsequently eliminated by Go1 in the 5th place mirror.

If this was the first instance of his nerves getting the better him, it would be something that could be overlooked. However, this is not the only time he has done this. at Evolution 2013, MOV was also huffing canned oxygen during the top 8 for Street Fighter X Tekken. The same fate awaited him there. While some events, such as regional events and even Co-operation Cup for 3rd Strike do not phase him, high pressure events such as Evolution get the better of this player, and thus affect his performance and execution.

The Overpowered Principle

When something is regarded as overpowered in fighting games, I often scoff. Chun-Li has been regarded as that. However, it is not often that you see her win tournaments. This same thing was said of Sagat in vanilla Street Fighter IV. Yet you can barely find any example of Sagat winning events in the game. Does this make them truly overpowered?

I say: not really. We can all attest that Super Turbo Akuma is overpowered, and thus banned. People tend to exaggerate characters as overpowered where they are just simply strong. When players view these characters as strong, they tend to focus more on learning how to counter the match-up. When everyone is dissecting the match, it becomes harder for mains of these characters to succeed in the tournament setting. For this reason, Chun-Li players always face a harder battle in tournaments.

Final Thoughts

MOV is my favorite Chun to watch. When he is on, he is scary to everyone he plays against. The way he closes out matches is jaw-dropping, and shows a mastery of a character that simply leaves me spellbound.

When he is not on, he is shaky. Not even metaphorically shaky–literally shaky to the point that he needs oxygen to calm himself. He has done this at Evo, but now he’s en route to a bigger stage in Anaheim. Can he hold it together?

Maybe until he reaches top 8, but I’m afraid he will lose his nerve there, and that will be all she wrote.