Category: Videos

Whenever a legacy character comes to Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition there are certain players who folks expect to pick said character up again. This is true for the game’s latest batch of characters, especially since it involves the long awaited Sagat.

For Sagat, one of the players people are expecting to pick him up is none other than Red Bull’s Bonchan, who was known for using the character in Street Fighter IV, even taking him to 2nd place at Evo 2014. Now, LiangHuBBB has compiled a video featuring highlights of Bonchan using Sagat in online matches in Street Fighter V:Arcade Edition.

As the video below shows, Bonchan seems pretty much at home with this new version of his character. He’s doing well with him online, while demonstrating some techniques and traps that other prospective Sagat players should likely learn.

Source: LiangHuBBB

The classic Capcom vs. SNK 2 just refuses to die, largely in part thanks to the efforts of veteran players hosting tournaments for the game. One such tournament was the monthly CvS2 tournament at Club Sega Shinjuku.

The tournament, which took place this past weekend, featured a number of Japan’s top Capcom vs. SNK 2 players, including the legendary Ryo “d44BAS” Yoshida. Now, while the latter is still the most dominant force in the game, the rest of the players are no slouches either, showcasing how much the game’s meta has changed over the years.

For those interested in catching up with this tournament, d44BAS has now uploaded footage from it onto his YouTube channel. Take note that the video below is one long video covering the entire thing (and not individual match videos). That said, it’s still a treat for anyone who loves this game!

For anyone interested either watching or actually joining, the next Capcom vs. SNK 2 monthly singles tournament is scheduled for September 8.

Source: d44BAS

When the initial shock from the Shovel Knight trailer for Rivals of Aether wore off, more than a few questions lingered about how his single player roots translated to his battle style. Thanks to the latest character breakdown from Beefy Smash Doods, we have more insight on how the Blue Digger really works — and he’s wild.

No, you weren’t just imagining it — Shovel Knight really does have a shop system in RoA, making him, perhaps, one of the most unique character archetypes seen in a platform fighter in quite some time. Damaging opponents drops gems that you must collect, just like in his original platforming game. Knocking an opponent away gives you a choice — either pursue them further and edge guard, or quickly summon the shopkeeper and try and buy a new item.

Source: Beefy Smash Doods

Before Problem X won the Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition tournament at Evo 2018, he climbed the mountain of EGX 2017 with a 3-2 victory over Japanese Rashid pro Gachikun in grand finals. This was far from the only highlight match at this excellent tournament, so if you’re interested in seeing where the exceptional talent of the EU gets refined, EGX European Regional Final 2018 is where you’ll want to be (or, tune in, if you can’t make it to the UK)!

Held at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham U.K., this event has an interesting twist — it’s actually two tournaments spread over one weekend. First, there’s the EU Regional Open Tournament. Any player from any region can compete for a slice of the $15,000 prize pool, Global Ranking Points and EU Regional Ranking Points (limited to EU players only).

Afterwards, there’s the The EU Regional Finals Tournament. The Top 8 players on the EU Leaderboard (determined after the EU Regional Open Tournament has concluded) will compete for a separate $15,000 prize pool, and the winner will automatically qualify for the Capcom Cup 2018.

You can register for the 3-day event, and find out more information, here at smash.gg.

Source: Unequalled Media

While plenty of fighting game fans have dissected MvC:I’s visual aspects, sound and music designer Mike Thal takes a deeper look into the game’s use of audio.

Mike Thal’s YouTube channel is chock full of videos breaking down the sound design of various video game titles. While he praised the audio of 2013’s Killer Instinct, Mike held less optimistic views towards the newest installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. He first cited the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a contributing factor: noting the importance of the Infinity Stones in the game’s plot, as well as the absence of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, Marvel’s closer involvement in the game created major changes to the series — not all of which were well-received.

Mike begins his analysis by examining character themes, using Captain America’s theme as an example. While its Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 iteration was fast-paced, energetic, and representative of Cap’s American verve, his MvC:I theme marked a drastic change. If readers have watched any of the MCU films, they will note the similarity between Cap’s MvC:I theme and the MCU’s general music scoring. “The orchestral style is a pretty run-of-the-mill modern film score, which reflects the game’s focus on the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” Mike explains. “The tempo was also a little slower on this track, which doesn’t help sell the ‘fighting game’ aspect, in my opinion. While there’s a majestic-sounding melody to fit Captain America, I don’t feel it captures the excitement or action like his old theme.” Mike also notes that Marvel’s characters had no returning theme songs: instead, each superhero had a completely new theme written for them in MvC:I, derailing any sense of continuity from the previous games in terms of music. “Most of them are composed in a similarly straightforward, orchestral style,” Mike stated. “As a result, MvC:I’s soundtrack is pretty generic and, honestly, a little bland compared to other modern fighters.”

Another element of MvC:I’s sound design that struck Mike as odd occurrs in the timing of when music plays. In previous MvC titles, the theme of Player 2’s team would sound at the beginning of a match, reiterating the status of P2 as the “challenger.” Once a fighter was knocked out, the theme would end, and the challenger’s upcoming character theme would begin upon the next fight. While MvC:I’s song selection begins the same way, the character theme doesn’t end upon a knockout — instead, the song only changes once another character activates an Infinity Storm. “I think it would make more sense for each Infinity Stone to have its own theme,” Mike suggested. “Doing this would reiterate the power of these artifacts, their importance in the MCU, and their impact on the gameplay…. These power-ups are supposed to be giant, game-changing abilities, but the music doesn’t really reflect that. It doesn’t create an effective separation from between when an infinity Stone becomes active and when it isn’t, nor does it emphasize the might of the Infinity Stones.”

While he felt MvC:I’s music left much to be desired, Mike hailed MvC:I’s combat sounds as “pretty good,” holding that the announcer and voice actors delivered a solid performance for the tag-team fighter. One of his better-favored aspects came with the interaction of characters upon one of their teammates having low health, with their partner calling out words of support or advice. “This one choice serves two very effective purposes,” Mike states. “From an aesthetic standpoint, it helps push the idea that these characters are working together… from a gameplay standpoint, this is a helpful audio queue for the player. These voice clips serve as a notification and a reminder to the player that their character’s health is getting low.”

However, the characters’ voices didn’t sell the experience completely: Mike criticizes the constant calling out of characters’ Infinity Stones upon activating their Infinity Surge, citing the ensuing “Reality Stone!” as repetitive and like “nails on a chalkboard.” Mike cites this event as “audio fatigue,” an instance where hearing the same sound effect or voice clip repeatedly can frustrate or even put players on tilt. To rectify this, Mike suggested giving each Infinity Surge its own sound effect, while removing characters’ voice clips. “Through sheer sound design, players would discover what makes each Infinity Stone unique,” he states. He also noted that the game currently requires 42 audio files for the Infinity Surges — with his solution, that number would be reduced to 18-30 audio files.

Mike’s analysis centers on a desire to make the Infinity Stones their own character through sound design. By giving each Infinity Stone their own theme song, and each Infinity Surge its own set of sound effects, Mike’s plan would sufficiently serve to further emphasize the Stones’ importance in both the game’s plot and gameplay. Fans can watch the video in its entirety here, and get a deeper look into Mike’s examination of the latest installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

Source: Game Audio Analysis – Episode 7: Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite