Category: News

FGC commentator Paul Harrison explores the value of calming the mind before battle.

It’s been observed multiple times from Japanese players, particularly–and most famously–Daigo Umehara and Tokido, closing their eyes and breathing deeply and slowly right before a match, or between difficult games of a set. They’re bringing the principles of meditation to their game, and have spoken before on how it helps them focus during their fights.

In his article for The Daily Meditation, Paul Harrison explores how this means to increase awareness and maintain relaxation during stress has been adopted from traditional martial arts, and how–while it’s associated more with Asian players–he’s observed it working its way into the habits of Western players as well. Read the full article by Paul Harrison here.

Source: The Daily Meditation

A lot of new players are getting into King of Fighters with the series’ latest installment. In response to this sudden interest, dedicated fans have been hard at work crafting tutorials to help guide newcomers through the massive roster and find the characters that truly works for them.

Ra3bones is one such player, regularly putting out beginner guides for characters. He’s covered roughly half of the cast at this point, and most recently tackles Terry and Love Heart.

For his other works, feel free to check out his playlist with all of his guides to date.

Source: Ra3bones

Last weekend, Osaka’s irregular monthly tournament series, Mix Up Night, held its 34th event which marked the debut of Arc System Works’ latest title, Blazblue: Central Fiction as well as serving as the second tournament for King of Fighters XIV. Top players such as Dogura, N-O, KoujiKOG, Esuke, Suya, Koike, Matoi, Kogatan, Ito Sae, ABAO, SANGE TENCHO and SANWA|M’ all showed up to prove their skills in their respective titles.

Below we have the entirety of the BBCF Tournament, courtesy of Jourdal, and the Top 8 and Grand Finals of KOF XIV, brought to you by Gato Ray. You can also check out the entirety of the stream, which features more KOF matches, at the dedicated Mix Up Night Twitch channel.

Sources: Jourdal; Gato Ray; Mix Up Night

Mortal Kombat is no stranger to live action adaptations. The series received a big screen adaptation, simply called Mortal Kombat in 1995, which was later followed by a sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. More recently, the series got a short film called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, followed by a web series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

With Warner Bros. now owning the franchise however, it wasn’t long before talk of the series returning to film started happening. For some time now, James Wan, director of The Conjuring, Furious 7, and the upcoming Aquaman film has been set to produce a new Mortal Kombat live action feature. Now, it seems that the film may have gotten its director – Simon McQuoid.

McQuoid, an Australian film director is currently more known for his work on commercials, is currently in talks with to direct the new Mortal Kombat film for Warner’s sister company New Line Cinema. While he’s more known for his work in commercials, McQuoid has worked with video games before, having worked on high profile campaigns for PlayStation and Halo. In addition to this, he’s also won numerous awards in the field including a Grand Clio, a D&AD Pencil, and a GRANDY Award.

Source: Variety via io9

If you’re tired of playing random people over the Network Mode and can’t travel much to tournaments, an online Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- league might be your solution. A competitive online league is coming soon for the PS4/PS3 title to match up fighters in North America in team battles. Dubbed “Salty Circuit,” the league is a grassroots effort that’s actively developing, but the sign-ups for the first season are ending soon!

The rules to join this are as following: each team must have three North American members with one designated Team Captain; the tournament is character-locked, so you must stay with the same character through the season; two of the same characters can’t be on the team; and the players will have a week to schedule games with their matched opposing team in a 3v3 round robin, first-to-three. Participants then record the highest number of wins to moderators.

Since it’s an online tournament, not everyone’s connection experience will be perfect, so the rules state to report to moderators if the delay counter in game is eight frames or more. The organizers urge having a wired connection, and have translated an official port-forwarding guide to Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- from Arc System Works.

Sign-ups are open until midnight PST Friday, November 25th. Season 1 will last eight competitive weeks.

“Sign-ups are free, but we are always looking for volunteers to either help organize, record matches, or to join our media projects that will soon be underway,” said TSC|faultydefense, who established Salty Circuit and is one of the moderators. “We’re speaking with a few people about a website or a more official avenue of presenting everything, but we want to move forward for the players as soon as possible, most likely before these avenues are set up. Please support us as we attempt to grow through and after our first season.”

Looking to join or find out more? Follow this Discord invite to get started and ask one of the moderators.

Source: TSC|faultydefense (Twitter)

In BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Hades Izanami is a force to be reckoned with. Some of her scariest abilities include stopping time to freely damage her opponent, command throws, an intense air-to-ground mix-up thanks to a floating mechanic, and the infamous “ribcage,” which grants limited super armor.

Learning to defend against the monstrous Imperator is no small task, but Dora, famous for his Bang play in BlazBlue, made a new video where he shows a typical Izanami attack string and shows ways to get out of it. While Izanami activates her Drive, she can’t block, but she can fill in the gaps in her pressure with projectiles, firing at will.

Typically, many players try to Barrier Block her attacks and then jump out, but blocking the projectile brings them to the ground right away. Dora recommends letting yourself get hit by the projectiles to tech above as a different strategy to get out. Furthermore, he explains her 2A jab and points out that her standing C is a good moment to activate Overdrive.

Watch the clip over on Openrec.tv to learn from Dora. Unlike his other videos, he made this one in English with subtitles, so let’s show our support–Dora says he’s eager to make more BlazBlue content if people like it.

Source: Openrec.tv, tip from Spectro

This winter, the action over at one of Japan’s premiere arcades for competitive Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Mikado, is heating up for league action. Tenkaichi Budokai returns this year for a second coming, and it will be hosted on Joniosan’s Twitch stream. Thanks to information provided by MajinObama, we have a full guide regarding the event and descriptions of participating players and how viewers can get involved.

Unlike other leagues, which nowadays happen online, “Tenkaichi” (meaning “best on Earth,”) takes place offline in the arcade. The format for the league entails eight players who get split into two groups, who play round-robin FT10 sets with each other. The winner gets to go to the final round, while second and third place fighters get another chance to qualify.

Who’s going to enter? Three players are decided by a double-elimination tournament that will take place on December 10, 2016, at 2pm JST. Karinchu, who triumphed at the last Tenkaichi Budokai, gets a spot automatically. As for the four remaining players — that’s where fans get to come in, as a voting poll determines the rest of the competitors.

Ftg-reversal.net has a section on Tenkaichi Budokai, which lists the players to vote for. In order to vote, you must login with Twitter, which is done by clicking the button in the upper-right hand corner of the website. After that, return to the Tenkaichi Budokai page, select up to four players by clicking checkboxes, and click a large button at the end of the player list. You get to vote once a day until December 2nd.

Here’s a guide to all the candidates, written by MajinObama:

小川 (za) Ogawa

@ogawazato

Character: Zato-1

• ­Famous for his SBO Tougeki victories and your Evolution 2015 champ (and awkward yet hilarious celebrations), the infamous Ogawa will once again challenge the best in eastern Japan for the title of “Best Under Heaven.” Ogawa finished runner-up in last year’s event, and is eager to claim the throne this time around…

Ogawa vs Mocchi 2016 Tenkaichi Budoukai

 

サミット (ch) Samitto

@summit812

Character: Chipp

• One of the top Chipp players in Japan, Samitto is looking to make a statement, and add another accomplishment to complement his SBO Tougeki 2007, 2009, 2010 Top 8 finishes, as well as his GODSGARDEN 2015 championship.

Slash Series: Top Garen vs Samitto

 

310 (ve) Sato

@310_progressive

Character: Venom

• One of the strongest and hardest working Venoms in Japan, Sato is looking to enter the fray and impose his will on the league. Known for his strong labwork, he left a really deep impression on the foreign audience with his performance at Evolution 2016, almost singlehandedly removing the 2015 champion from the tournament.

310 vs Sato (EVO 2016 Pools)

THE RUNBACK (EVO 2016 Top 32)

 

ナゲ (fa) Nage

@nage_pink

Character: Faust

• Top 4 finalist from SBO Tougeki 2010, KSB 2015 and 2016; Evolution 2015 Runner up. Faust sage and one of the top players of the game. He faltered in the A league during last year’s event (losing to Mike [Jack-O] and Karinchu [Johnny]), and no doubt looks to improve on those results this year.

Nage vs Machabo- and Omito at KSB 2016

Nage vs Woshige Losers Finals EVO 2015

 

トゥーリオ (in) Tourio

@ino_tsukai

Character: I-No

• Fresh off of a Top 4 performance at Arc Revo 2016, Tourio is looking to cement himself as one of the premier I-no players in the world with a Tenkaichi Budokai performance.

Toushinsai Top 8 Tourio vs Haaken

 

ザディ (rv) Zadi

@SOorXTC

Character: Raven

• With Raven’s release, Zadi has exploded with awesome performances using this character. Qualifying for Toushinsai and setting Mikado weekly tournaments ablaze, his terrifying, dynamic playstyle that incorporates Raven’s tools in unique ways is sure to be fun to watch!

Zadi Matches from Mikado

 

FAB (po)

@gou4th_fab

Character: Potemkin

• No introduction necessary. A fan favorite and legend of the game, if you don’t know who this is, you don’t know fighting games. His accolades include top 8 finishes in SBO Tougeki 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, Arc Revo 2013, 2015 and 2016. He came in 3^rd in his group last year, and will no doubt look to add a win here to his list of achievements.

Danger Time

 

りおん (ky) Rion

@lionhiro

Character: Ky

• One of the strongest Ky players and one of the most consistent players of the game today. Rion’s tournament results speak for themselves: Evolution 2015 7^th, Evolution 2016 3^rd, GODSGARDEN 11 2^nd, and several other top 8 finishes at stacked events.

Evolution 2016 Top 8- Rion vs Kazunoko

 

あいん (ky) Ain

@ainman0107

Character: Ky

• Another one of the strongest Ky players, Ain’s balanced playstyle has earned him numerous accolades and strong praise in the arcade. Something he is looking to do is put more event titles under his belt, to accompany his GODSGARDEN #10 runner-up finish. As a player who is primarily arcade based, this event offers him a good opportunity for him to perform in his natural setting.

GODSGARDEN #10- Ain vs Tomo

 

中村 (mi) Nakamura

@nakamura_mi

Character: Millia

• Perhaps the finest Millia in eastern Japan, Nakamura has stunned players and fans alike with his awesome execution and aggressive playstyle. As one of the other players with a high degree of tournament placing consistency, he looks to impose his will on the Tenkaichi Budokai. His accomplishments include Tougeki SBO 2008 Top 4, and Top 4 finishes at KSB 2015, Evolution 2015, and Evolution 2016.

EVO 2016- Nakamura vs Ogawa

 

mike (jc)

@_suineko

Character: Jack-O

• Although he is famous for his Jam play in XX, for Xrd competitive play he uses Jack-O and Johnny. Famous for his numerous SBO Tougeki top 8 appearances across multiple titles (including Sengoku BasaraX, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Aquapazza, and FATE UNLIMITED/CODES), Mike has a history of being something of a crowd pleaser. Last year, using Jack-O, he fell in the A league to Koichi and Karinchu. He undoubtedly hopes to return this year and make a stronger run for the throne.

Tenkaichi Budokai A League- Nage vs Mike

 

かっこう (ra) Kakkou

@kakkou_K

Character: Ramlethal

• Kakkou is one of the few players to remain loyal to Ramlethal after her wings were clipped in Sign version 1.10. However, through his struggle he has grown into one of the premier players of the character. His high arcade rank and tournament entry record show a high degree of hunger. He wants to show the world what Ram is capable of against even the best players.

Kakkou Matches from Mikado

 

ふも (el) Fumo

@humo_ah

Character: Elphelt

• Fumo has emerged as one of the premier Elphelt players in Japan. Fumo’s name appears in high tournament placings across Gear and BB, from his XX days as a top ABA player, to his SBO Tougeki BB Championship with Arakune. After a disappointing performance at Evolution 2016, he is looking to make his mark and challenge his fellow Mikado regulars for the throne.

The Mikado Open Grand Final: Nakamura vs Fumo

 

押田撲滅委員会会長 (di) Kazuki aka “Oshida Extermination Chairman”

@cucumbergod

Character: Dizzy

• Kazuki is one of the classic Dizzy players from eastern Japan. With Dizzy’s recent addition to Xrd this year, you can see he has been hard at work in the arcade, quickly ascending the ranks as one of the top Dizzy players in Japan. It is his wish to destroy FAB in front of a live studio audience at Tenkaichi Budokai.

Kazuki Matches from Mikado

 

エン (sl) En

@en_turuou

Character: Slayer

• One of the top Slayer players in Japan, En wants to make a strong impression with this event. As a player that emphasizes thinking about match flow (not the restreamer), yomi (no, not david sirlin’s card game), and overall match strategy, he is a player viewers can expect to bring fireworks to the league. With a second place finish at SBO Tougeki 2008, and a top 8 finish at Arc Revo 2015, En has his sights set on Tenkaichi Budokai.

En matches from Mikado

The final match of SBO Tougeki 2008

 

あぜすけ (ma) Azesuke

@tukupin

Character: May

• Azesuke has been playing May in Guilty Gear since the release of GGX in 2000. He doesn’t have a detailed record of high tournament placings, but he is a strong, veteran of the game and wants to challenge the best in eastern Japan. He has been competing in Japanese national tournaments and events for over a decade. As one of the best May players at Mikado, look for him to turn heads!

Godsgarden 11: Azesuke vs Machabo-

 

ロイ (so) Roi

@Ume_MK2

Character: Sol

• One of the classic Sol players, Roi has been training to bring his Xrd performance to the level fans of his GGXX series play would expect. With 3 top 8 placings at SBO Tougeki tournaments from 2006 to 2010, Roi’s history is quite decorated. Although we haven’t seen much from him in Xrd series tournaments, he wants to make his mark on this league with a strong performance against the best in eastern Japan.

Roi Matches from Mikado

SBO Tougeki 2010 Top 4: Roi vs Shonen (Testament)

“Whether you are a Guilty Gear veteran or a casual fan, Tenkaichi Budokai will give spectators a riveting example of what makes fighting games special, and why the arcade scene is so irreplaceable,” MajinObama wrote.

Make sure to keep this guide handy as we race closer to the event. Vote on Ftg-reversal.net for your favorite players, and tune in to the action at www.twitch.tv/joniosan, for English and Japanese commentary provided by MajinObama and Jonio.

Sources: MajinObama; Joniosan