Category: Fighting Games

Classic worlds clash–is it a spectacle worth watching?

The Street Fighter series is no stranger to crossovers; be it with other fighting franchises, the world of classic anime in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, or the realm of comics books through the X-Men and Marvel Versus series. Comparatively, the G.I. Joe property has also crossed paths with others over the years–most notably and repeatedly the Transformers, and a few others since finding its current home with IDW.

Now, at the conclusion of IDW’s 6-issue limited series, you can read the complete comics crossover event that links these two universes together: Street Fighter X G.I. Joe, released on October 12 to comic and book retailers. On some levels, the ’80s and ’90s nostalgia of these two properties blends well–they’ve met before. But I’m admittedly (and unsurprisingly) a much bigger fan of the Street Fighter material involved here, while I still share the familiarity with G.I. Joe that comes with being a child of the 1980s. So, Street Fighter fans: is it worth your time and money? Spoilers follow!

The premise

M. Bison, now named as dictator of fictional nation of “Mriganka” has formed an alliance with the terrorist organization Cobra–specifically arms dealer Destro–to implement a portable, wearable Psycho Drive. To charge up said prototype, naturally a Street Fighter tournament is in order: in which the various characters from the worlds of both Street Fighter and G.I. Joe gather to face off, with their own ulterior plans and motives, of course.

The execution

The comic jumps right into the tournament in-progress, and focuses–to its benefit–on all-out action rather than the intrigue driving it. It’s worth noting that the “Street Fighter” material here is definitely more influenced by the Super Street Fighter IV setting: with C. Viper, Rufus, and Hakan featuring very prominently alongside the Street Fighter II classic characters. In an event like this, it’s natural that not all characters can be given the spotlight, on either side–so there’s a fair chance that your favorite Joe, Cobra agent or Street Fighter didn’t make the cut. Notable absences on the SF side include Sagat (or any of the Heavenly Kings, actually), Zangief, Juri, Ken (!), and the entirety of the Street Fighter III cast.

The comic follows a match-by-match format, until that naturally breaks down as best-laid plans go awry. I hate to admit that the Street Fighter comics from UDON have set a sort of “precedent” for me, certain expectations as to what a SF comic “feels” like–and this is not that. The writing and dialogue (by Aubrey Sitterson) is much better suited to the G.I. Joe tone, and while the SF characters are generally still on point, the feel is still quite different. Not bad, but different to be sure. Rufus features very prominently, and his–and Candy’s–antics do provide a few laughs to lighten the tone, which leans hard into an action-movie type of vibe.

Arguably, it moves too fast to provide much of a storyline, but the fight sequences–which is pretty much all we’re here for–are definitely a fun time: we get to see Rufus take on the Joe’s resident ninja Snake Eyes; Chun-Li taken off-guard by Zartan, disguised as Dan; Guile shoulder-drops a crocodile; and Jinx, apparently trained by Ryu, unleashing the Satsui no Hado. Oh, and Psycho Rufus: an enraged Rufus fueled by out-of-control Psycho Power. That is a thing that happens here, and it’s pretty amusing, actually.

The artwork by Emilio Laiso and Andrea Di Vito is definitely up to the task–while again not a look that lines up with what UDON’s artists make of the Street Fighter world and characters, it suits this book well and there’s some excellent panels and splash pages worthy of both franchises.

There are a few extras included in this collection: character profiles for the most prominently-involved Street Fighters in the book–certainly an aid to those readers more familiar with the G.I. Joe side of this adventure; a recap of the “off-camera” matches that preceded the comic (to explain away the absences of some favorite characters); and a wealth of excellent cover art, including a great retro pixel-art 2-page spread by Matt Waite.

Is it worth a read?

In conclusion: yes, but I can’t say it’s my favorite Street Fighter comic by any stretch. I have enjoyed UDON’s work and the assorted available SF-related manga much more. I venture that this is a comic that will appeal more to readers that follow G.I. Joe regularly, and have a passing interest in Street Fighter–rather than the other way around. It still does offer something for fans of either franchise, though–and, Psycho Rufus. Seriously.

Street Fighter X G.I. Joe
Written by Aubrey Sitterson, art by Emilio Laiso & Andrea Di Vito
Published by IDW, ISBN-13: 978-1631407444
Trade Paperback, $19.99 USD
Available now; multiple covers available.

Additional source: Comics Alliance

Freeze, slice, or crush the opposition as needed.

Living up to its Iron Fist pedigree, Pokkén Tournament has a fairly robust combo system; knowing your best links to dish out the damage will definitely help in this particular Pokémon arena. YouTubers Swillo & BimmyQuestion have recently uploaded two videos of bread-and-butters to assist your training as a Pokécombo Master–check them out below, and start practicing!

The first focuses on the speedy, ice-wielding critter Weavile:

Secondly: if you prefer the dark, brooding, psychic type, here’s some combos for Shadow Mewtwo.

Source: Swillo & BimmyQuestion

Put your hands together for Rocwell, as he has compiled a thorough guide for Street Fighter V’s Laura: detailing how to bully and mix-up opponents with her EX Thunderclap. Starting with basic combos off of each knockdown, Rocwell slowly builds up the options Laura has following an EX Clap, leading into some electrifying combos. For the majority of these setups, landing the reset following the second EX Clap will result in stun, so those struggling with Laura need to study up on what may be coming your way, using this video.

Rocwell also shows how mixing in normal dashes and Laura’s V-skill dash can cause opponents to panic, leaving them open to a throw or dropping their guard so you can lead into a combo. The oncoming threat of the EX Clap is so much that Laura players can get really creative with their pressure, so take inspiration from Rocwell’s guide and see what crazy things you can come up with.

Source: Rocwell

Cheap. Unfair. Broken. Unbalanced. Dishonest. We’ve all heard these types of phrases, and some of us may even use them. These phrases are all subjective, however; making one person’s sense of honor in their character choice mean nothing to another player. This, occasionally, leads to salt and name calling.

In Smash, there is a pretty large divide between the good characters and the rest. This mentality of certain characters being too good started heavily with Melee, but still persists a bit today. A player having difficulty may sooner declare his opponent’s character dishonest before improving. One such character is a long-time face in the Smash metagame, Fox.

The video below sees ZeRo delve into the meaning of the phrase “honest,” his interpretation of it, and whether or not Fox meets this subjective definition. He does this by looking into the character’s strengths and weaknesses to see what the counter play is, if there is one, to Fox McCloud.

Source: ZeRo

If there’s one new name that’s caught the eyes of many these past few weeks, it has to be Xyzzy. The Korean newcomer put on an amazing show with Birdie at both South East Asia Major’s main and amateur tournaments before doing it again at SoCal Regionals this past weekend.

That said, before this, Xyzzy was already dominating online, even making an appearance in top 8 of the online qualifiers for ESL’s Brooklyn Beatdown. More recently, he’s been on a tear through ranked where he now sits at #2 right behind Evil Geniuses’ Momochi.

For those wanting to see more of Xyzzy’s Birdie, RektScrub has put together a compilation of some of his matches online from the past few months. These include matches against other top players, including the angry one himself, Team Secret’s Poongko.

Source: RektScrub