Everyone has a fighting chance
Red Dead Remption 2 is a really good game, however it’s not perfect. But that doesn’t mean it can’t teach us something. Namely, that doesn’t mean it can’t teach MMOS something. There are a few things that TheHiveLeader thinks Read Dead Redemption 2 could teach the faltering genre, and help lead it to a better future. Let’s find out what they are!
LiangHuBBB is back with a special edition of their Funny & Cool Moments video series: Episode 110 goes through the entire year on 2018 and covers some of the best — and funniest — fighting game moments that they’ve seen in 2018.
The video below covers a lot of games — including those that are current for 2018, as well as a number of classics. Alongside moments from games like Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Tekken 7, and Fighting EX Layer, we have stuff from old stalwarts such as Street Fighter II, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and even Sailor Moon S. In a way, this video helps demonstrate the breadth of games that the community was playing this past year. Enjoy — and here’s to another great year coming in 2019!
Source: LiangHuBBB
Abigail, as feared/reviled as he is in Street Fighter V, was arguably on the nerfing side of the recent round of balance changes. But Abigail expert THE COOL KID93 maintains that there’s plenty of gas left in this monster truck’s tank, and a lot of it lies behind the less-often seen V-Trigger II, Hybrid Charge. In the video below, COOL KID looks at ways this option may be potentially even scarier than the already-dreaded Max Power.
Source: THE COOL KID93
The original character themes from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior are timeless — and seem to transition into any number of musical styles very readily. The Consouls know this well: take a moment to enjoy these smooth vibes for the King of Muay Thai in this jazz cover of Sagat’s classic theme.
Sagat’s theme lends itself well to this style — but maybe it’s the new theme that goes with everything? Compare Daniel Lindholm’s own take. And the Consouls have been doing this a while; check out some of their other fighting game covers here.
Source: The Consouls
The Razer Panthera — the PlayStation 4 follow-up to the Razer Atrox — is already a very popular arcade stick, offering Sanwa Denshi components, opening case for easy access, and sporting some of the currently speediest inputs in retail fight sticks. Alongside a Kenny Omega-supported ad campaign, Razer has launched a new version of the Panthera this year: the Panthera Evo. This new model offers some significant improvements over the original Panthera, while losing some aspects of the original that may be missed by some players.
The Panthera Evo sports a slightly slimmer and lighter case than its predecessor, which is a small positive for transporting it, but it may prove too mobile on the lap for some of the more enthusiastic strong-handed players. The new thin grip pads on the base do work well to compensate. A major improvement to the case design in the Evo is the sloped front edge, which I personally found much more comfortable on the wrists than the boxy original Panthera (and Atrox) case.
This new controller is PlayStation 4 compatible (and PC compatible via XInput), but not PlayStation 3 compatible. Hopefully you won’t miss the little glowing Razer logo on the front, because along with the absence of that flourish, it’s immediately apparent that there are some even more dramatic design changes here. Most obviously, the Evo does not open and allow immediate access to the joystick and button components for replacement/modification. Instead, the Evo is designed to allow easy replacement of the panel artwork — a callback to the Mad Catz TE2 in the sense that you can swap the artwork out without removing the pushbuttons. However, the Evo corrects most of the problems I personally encountered with the TE2’s approach to this idea. I found the TE2 plexi to be too loose, and the risers that leveled the buttons to the panel surface left the buttons a shaky as well. On this stick, the top plexi is thick and solid, and the buttons are firmly held in place, risers included.
A rubber stopper can be popped out to allow the removal (or tightening, at need) of the joystick balltop. After that, removing six screws from the base and one tiny one next to the lever allows you to pop the plexi right off, and the stock razer artwork is on a loose sheet that comes right out afterward. This is an interesting system, as it really does allow new art to be swapped in and out at will. Razer already offers alternate panel art you can download and print yourself. I do find this to be an interesting choice, however — I personally would rather have easy access to the wiring and buttons, and this art-swapping mechanism puts the guts of the stick behind another six screws to awkwardly get the “true” upper panel open. Performing either of these operations will require you to use both standard-sized and fine-work screwdrivers. For those that want to get at the components, this seems to be a step backward in design, when you can get right to the insides of a TE2, original Panthera, Qanba Dragon, or Victrix’s new fightstick — or even get right into any HORI RAP model via only a mere six screws on the base.
The components themselves are a mix: it uses the usual square-gated Sanwa Denshi JLF (pretty much the expectation on anything that isn’t HORI these days), but substitutes Razer’s own pushbuttons for the matching Sanwa buttons that were used on the original Panthera. Why? I dunno. They are basically the same button: these feel almost identical to Sanwa buttons, and only time will tell if they wear out faster or slower than the Sanwa equivalent. In terms of user experience, I noticed no difference, except they may be a little spongier than Sanwa. I used the italics because the difference so negligible that it may be imagined, or even occur within Sanwa’s own production variations. They are really close. Basically, if you like Sanwa sticks and buttons, you’ll be fine. If you don’t, you can still swap other parts in without too much difficulty, but it’s just a bit more of an operation getting in there than on competing fight sticks of this quality.
The easy-art-swap isn’t the only new feature on the Evo: it also corrects a glaring omission to the prior model: a headset jack. Razer goes a step further by adding volume controls to the controller itself, a very nice touch. It still includes the other button functions and PS4 touchpad of its predecessor, and the SHARE/OPTIONS buttons are still on the right side of the case (and there is still a lock switch, if desired). The cable compartment is a new addition; on the Panthera the cable was stored in the case itself, so something new was required. Unfortunately this stick loses the braided USB cable (I’m a fan of those), but has an interesting design that lets you brace the cable base outside of the spring-loaded compartment, or tuck it all inside for easier transport. It’s an unusual and intriguing approach, and effective enough.
In terms of performance, Razer has tested well for low latency in the original Panthera (that is, after a firmware update corrected its original sluggishness), and this model lives up to the legacy. I found it extremely responsive, and comfortable to play on in all respects. It’s a solid competitor, and Razer seems committed to keeping it that way.
Launching at the same cost as the original Panthera — $199.99 USD — the Evo offers a mixed bag of improved design alongside some changes in priorities. If you like to get inside your stick quickly and easily, then the original Panthera is still a better bet (and it is currently discounted). Otherwise: the improved comfort, the addition of headset compatibility, and ability to swap art out with no fuss make this a worthy — if in some areas, unusual — successor to the Panthera name. It is available now on the Razer Store.
Razer provided Shoryuken with a review model of the Panthera Evo fight stick.
With the recent patch to Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, the game’s balance has been shaken up again. As such, folks are now debating which characters got stronger post-patch.
In a new video, VesperArcade discusses which characters they think received the most buffs in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition‘s latest patch. Did your own favorites get blessed with buffs this season? Check out the video below to find out.
Source: VesperArcade
Following the conclusion of this year’s Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom has released Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s newest character, “Kage,” along with a balance patch to give each character some new bells and whistles. This patch changes every character and addresses some of the most common complaints about Season 3 and 3.5. By popular demand, I’m continuing my series on ShoryukenTube where I analyze the Season 4 patch notes and describe how the changes will affect each character’s combos and playstyle going forward. While it’s critical to know your own character’s balance adjustments, you also benefit from knowing your opponent’s options against you.
This time, I’ve made videos describing the most important changes for F.A.N.G, Alex, Guile, Ibuki, and Balrog:
If you missed my previous videos, check them out here:
And here’s the YouTube playlist for all characters so far, which I’ll update as I go.
I’ll be working my way through the roster in the same order as the in-game character list, so next time I hope to cover Juri, Urien, Akuma, Kolin, and Ed. Remember to subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel so you don’t miss out!
Tired of opponents pressing buttons against your Sakura in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition? With a little bit of conditioning and awareness, you can use this to your advantage thanks to the small gap on Sakura’s special cancel-able normals.
Any errant trade with a special-cancelled Hadouken allows Sakura to link into decent damage, as TheoryFighter demonstrates in his latest video. Some of these setups vary in practicality — but this is still an excellent demonstration of the trade threat both in the corner and midscreen.
Source: TheoryFighter
In their never-ending quest to cover the 16,000+ changes in Season 2 of Tekken 7, YouTubers That Blasted Salami have tackled two new characters in today’s uploads: Heihachi and Hwoarang!
These two share more in common than just the letter H — both offensively minded fighters received considerable buffs to their bully ability. Heihachi picked up better tracking on his EWGF, and Hwoarang picked up a new mid power crush with the ability to hit-confirm its two hits. That just scratches the surface, though: check out the video above to get the full details!
Source: That Blasted Salami
The Kasanova Podcast has covered multiple voice actors from the fighting game industry on their show, giving background to the creative side of our favorite genre. Now he’s peering into the mind of the players, starting with a massive interview with tourney pro and fellow podcaster Chris “Chris T” Tatarian.
In addition to sharing his background and outlook on life, an emotional Chris T. Ping-pongs through his highs and lows with Street Fighter V, focusing on his love of competing and his anger at the offensive-minded design. Love him or hate him, Chris T gives a wild — and honest — interview here.
Source: Mekel Kasanova