Category Archives: Impressions

If You Don’t Like SFxT, Play SF4

Capcom vs SNK 2 was released in August of 2001. Street Fighter IV hit consoles in February of 2009. Between 2001 and 2009, Capcom gave us Hyper Street Fighter 2, SVC Chaos, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, and various handheld ports such as Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max and Darkstalkers Chronicle.

None of these titles made a significant mark on the competitive scene. None of them really mattered. Yet somehow the fighting game community survived for almost a decade without a new release worth supporting in tournament play.

We steadfastly, stubbornly stuck by MvC2, SF3:3S, CvS2, and SSF2T – somehow managing to help grow Evo attendance numbers each and every year. That’s because one of the most remarkable things about the fighting game community is that when a new version of Street Fighter is bad, we know to play the old one instead. Pretty cool, right?

In retrospect, this approach was nothing short of miraculous. SFA2 and SFA3 got us through the disappointment of the SF3 series. MvC2 kept the community strong through the debacle that was CvS1, until CvS2 repaired most of the damage done by CvS1. Then SF3:3S started becoming good and carrying its own weight. And Super Turbo was there all along.

Then we were given nothing for eight years. It would’ve been so easy to become disillusioned and quit, but enough of us stuck together to define our hobby on our own terms. Let’s not lose that culture of self-reliance now. We don’t have to keep playing Street Fighter X Tekken or any new game if it doesn’t meet our standards.

Continue reading

Game Spotlight: Skullgirls

What is Skullgirls? If you haven’t heard, Skullgirls is a brand new 2D fighting game developed by Reverge Labs – a small but talented team in Marina Del Rey, California. The full game is available for download on both PSN and XBLA today.
Skullgirls logo
Skullgirls is also Mike Z’s love letter to Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. I’ll skip over the game’s charming aesthetics and storyline because they’ve been covered plenty. This is more about the remarkably elegant system mechanics you’ll discover as you learn to play.

Skullgirls is a truly hardcore fighting game which pulls no punches when it comes to offering challenging gameplay. Yet beneath the surface, it’s extremely clever about staying accessible and streamlining basics to minimize drudgery.

As you delve into exploring Skullgirls, you’ll notice that the smallest details feel like someone put genuine thought and effort into improving conventional designs. Air dashing, throw teching, input buffering, infinite avoidance, assist selection, and even 360 commands have been brilliantly implemented – with subtle innovations that you’ll be delighted to uncover.

In this day and age of developers dumbing down the genre to conceal that steep learning curve from new players, Reverge Labs has taken a huge risk by making a title for fighting game veterans – and i think the community should support them for it.

If you really want to play the game well, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty and learn all those scary things that make fighting games rewarding. The interactive tutorial will teach you the essentials as quickly as possible, but that won’t keep better players from putting you in frightening situations that only skill and experience can overcome. There’s no escaping that simple fact, but isn’t that what the genre is all about?

Evo2k11 Retrospective

Another year, another awesome Evo experience in the rear-view mirror. It was an incredibly fun event as always, but particularly draining and exhausting this time around. Two weeks have gone by since Evo2k11 wrapped up – and in all honesty, i’m still recovering.

Somehow i managed to catch some nasty cold/flu bug (aka Evola, as jchensor calls it) which has taken its sweet time burning through my system. Having three meals and an energy bar over a 96-hour period with under fifteen hours of sleep probably didn’t help matters.

I’m not proud of that rookie mistake, but there was a lot to take care of during Evo weekend and throughout the day after i drove home. In hindsight, it’s probably a minor miracle that both the DAMAGE exhibition v.one and Balrog: Behind the Glory premieres went off without a hitch. Huge thanks to everyone involved with those projects for actually making them happen; although hopefully we won’t have to cut it so close next time.

The tournament itself was amazing as usual. There were countless clutch moments, upsets, comebacks, and unbelievably creative gameplay tactics on display. The SSF4AE top 8 lineup was surprising, but every single one of those players proved they belong. How crazy is it that Yun didn’t make top 3 and that there was only one mirror match in the whole top 8 bracket?

Continue reading

How to Become a Popular Fighting Game Player

My recent mini-editorial on basic tournament etiquette errors generated more feedback than i would’ve anticipated. Apparently, top player conduct and popularity is kind of a hot topic.

Personally i think trying to get famous for playing video games is a waste of time – but if you believe it’s going to make you happy, good luck. With so many newcomers struggling to make a name for themselves, maybe it’s a good idea to outline a few straightforward pointers.

    Win Tournaments
Obviously the most direct route to recognition is winning major tournaments, especially nowadays with live streams drawing thousands of internet spectators. The higher the stakes, the more memorable the moment. There’s really no greater accomplishment than winning Evo or SBO, but any victory at any major national tournament will resonate.

    Play Fan-Favorite Characters and Rush Down
Nothing beats the credibility you gain for earning first place, but your play style can help your reputation too. Getting third place with a low-tier, rushdown character might increase your popularity more than getting second place with a top-tier, runaway character. When this happens, the reasons are obvious. Almost everyone prefers watching aggressive players over defensive players; and almost everyone likes rooting for underdogs against top tiers.

Continue reading

Basic Tournament Etiquette Fouls

Recently there’s been some discussion over why it’s considered okay for international players to taunt and counter-pick, while American players receive criticism for doing those things. The truth is, it has nothing to do with nationality.

The rules are simple: Taunting is bad. Picking counter-characters is allowed.

Someone like Tokido only gets away with showboating during major tournaments because he has a natural talent for stage comedy and winning over audiences. You have to admit that Tokido’s conduct indicates creative planning – not impulsive emotion. It’s always risky though. Instead of cheering him on, the crowd could just as easily turn against him. It’s a fine line.

I’ll never understand why certain unpopular players continue to take the risk of taunting, then resort to complaining when it backfires. It’s very easy to avoid that risk. All you have to do is stay classy. No one in the history of tournament play has ever been criticized for acting classy.

Continue reading