Monthly Archives: June 2011

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.

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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.

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Classic Combo Challenge 04: Grapplers

Everyone knew this was coming sooner or later, right? There’s no way i could stop presenting combo challenges without featuring the Capcom vs SNK series at least once. CvS2 was the first game i ever recorded anything for, and it’s still my personal favorite combo playground.

The Capcom vs SNK series abides by the traditional Street Fighter convention of throw immunity during hit stun and block stun.

Challenge: In any CvS series game, combo three different throws using any character. (Capcom vs SNK engine titles include CvS1, CvSPro, CvS2, CvS2EO, and CFE.)

Obey standard meter limits. (If you plan on using more than the game’s default super meter maximum, make sure to disable infinite meter settings so we can see gauge levels rising and verify that you’re recharging enough extra meter during the combo.)

Hard Mode: Combo four or more unique throws without dizzying the opponent.

SF4 Seth Combo Development

Since i have almost no experience using Seth, and since quite a few people consider him their favorite combo character, i thought we’d try something different this time.

Instead of hunting down every existing SF4 Seth combovid myself, i’ll just let you guys tell me what you want me to try in his episode. As long as the idea sounds somewhat reasonable, i’ll give it a go. To keep this crazy exercise on track, please do me a favor and make sure your suggestions are based on concrete knowledge – either verified directly or seen in a video.

This process might work smoothly or it might not; it may save time or may waste time instead; it could be fun or it could suck – but it’s unexplored territory so it’s worth a shot.