Week of October 20th to October 26th, 2014.
Fighting Games Weekly is the weekly discussion thread for all things fighting games. News, events, streams, videos, players, drama, everything fighting game related.
Don't know what to watch right now? Check the FGCPros Twitch Group or Jaxel's Stream Viewer. If you want to watch multiple streams at once, you can use Jaxel's customizable multiviewer as well.
New to FGC-GAF is the FGC-GAF Index which lists the fighting games GAFers plays as a neat reference with some rough statistics to boot. To add yourself to the index, quote this post and use the survey link below. Please remember to save/bookmark the "Edit your response" link so you can edit your responses if/when you buy a game already on the list or a new game that releases in the future.
Last week's thread. An archive of previous FGW threads is available here.
Fighting Games Weekly is the weekly discussion thread for all things fighting games. News, events, streams, videos, players, drama, everything fighting game related.
Don't know what to watch right now? Check the FGCPros Twitch Group or Jaxel's Stream Viewer. If you want to watch multiple streams at once, you can use Jaxel's customizable multiviewer as well.
New to FGC-GAF is the FGC-GAF Index which lists the fighting games GAFers plays as a neat reference with some rough statistics to boot. To add yourself to the index, quote this post and use the survey link below. Please remember to save/bookmark the "Edit your response" link so you can edit your responses if/when you buy a game already on the list or a new game that releases in the future.
Last week's thread. An archive of previous FGW threads is available here.
Last week, on October 17, 2014, fighting game community member Terrance Moore, better known as "PushaTee88" passed away. Moore was a member of the Southern California Killer Instinct scene, and frequently participated in tournaments at Super Arcade. Our hearts go out to Moore's wife, children, friends and family who have to deal with this tragic loss.
Super Arcade has set up a YouCaring fundraising page to help out Moore's immediate family in these times, and if you wish to donate, you can do so through that page.
Capcom Pro Tour Asia Finals [ Schedule ] [ Saturday ] [ 3PM Singapore | 3AM EDT | 12AM PDT ]
- Game Start 2014 will host the Asia finals for the Pro Tour in Singapore, featuring a USFIV showcase and challenge with Ono and Daigo on Saturday, and the finals themselves on Sunday.
- This event continues through Sunday.
- More information is available here.
- Japan's elite Topanga League has it's final B League qualifier for USFIV.
- More information is available here.
Every week, FGW will spotlight one GAFer to get a better picture of their history with fighting games, their preferences, and much more. For this week's FGW Player Spotlight, we will be taking a closer look at our most synchronized member, !
What fighting games do you currently play, what is your all time favourite and why?
Right now I'm playing more UNIBEL than anything else. I didn't expect to like the game so much. It really does have more in common with Street Fighter than something like, say, BlazBlue. I still boot up USIV every now and then, but I've fallen out of love with the game honestly. Especially playing online with it.
My all time favorite? Jeez, what a difficult question. I've put in absurd number of hours into Soul Calibur II as a kid where my only local competition was usually my brother, and then there was the similarly dumb number of hours put into the Smash games with my friends, but I don't feel comfortable calling either of them my very favorite just because of nostalgia + time invested.
I guess I'll have to say Super Street Fighter IV, as in the vanilla version before all the updates, simply because it was the first game where I really began caring about learning how to properly play the game, to begin thinking during matches, and realized how deep fighting games could really be. And though most hated the slow pace "downback fighter" of plain old Super, I personally loved it! In retrospect, the relatively slow pace was pretty ideal for easing me into more competitive play.
What are your favorite mechanics from the current selection of fighting games and why? What are your least favorite and why?My all time favorite? Jeez, what a difficult question. I've put in absurd number of hours into Soul Calibur II as a kid where my only local competition was usually my brother, and then there was the similarly dumb number of hours put into the Smash games with my friends, but I don't feel comfortable calling either of them my very favorite just because of nostalgia + time invested.
I guess I'll have to say Super Street Fighter IV, as in the vanilla version before all the updates, simply because it was the first game where I really began caring about learning how to properly play the game, to begin thinking during matches, and realized how deep fighting games could really be. And though most hated the slow pace "downback fighter" of plain old Super, I personally loved it! In retrospect, the relatively slow pace was pretty ideal for easing me into more competitive play.
I gotta say, I'm a really big fan of Under Night in-Birth's GRD meter and how it influences individual play.
For those that don't know, the GRD guage is the thingamajig in the center of the screen between each players' regular super meter bars. GRD is important because every 17 seconds the players with the most GRD will be rewarded with "Vorpal", which is basically like a very very tame version of X-factor. In Vorpal your character does 10% more damage for as long as he stays in vorpal or he can sacrifice his vorpal state to do one of these:
- A roman cancel (called "chain shift") that also converts any GRD meter you currently have into regular super meter (1 full GRD box = 20 super meter)
- A guard cancel (which, outside of vorpal, normally uses up all you super meter and temporarily "crushes" your side of the GRD gauge so that you can't gain any GRD or gain access to vorpal)
So GRD and Vorpal are pretty important as you can see! Someone who can consistently get vorpal while on the offensive can quickly overwhelm the other guy if they're not paying attention, but on the other hand someone who can gain vorpal on the defensive suddenly has more options available to him and it becomes easier to mount a comeback.
Each player gains and loses GRD depending on certain actions: Aggressive actions that move you forward, like simply walking forward, will generate GRD for example while walking or dashing backwards will lose GRD (while simultaneously giving your opponent GRD). However, defensive actions like properly blocking attacks will also generate GRD (teching throws taking away GRD from the attacker). Someone can have great pressure and make you feel locked down in the corner, but if you're blocking and teching everything then you're going to be the one that ends up with vorpal. Which I think is rad. Only game I can think of which actively rewards good blocking with something other than not losing all your health.
So it becomes interesting how the constant struggle for GRD begins influencing the way people might normally play. For example, many times now I've held my ground or even moved forward aggressively in situations where in other games I would have normally preferred to backdash to create space. Against patient players I'm more reserved (or at least I should be) in my projectile and long range normals harassment because every blocked hit is actively giving them GRD and eventually vorpal which could massively bite me in the ass.
Other than that, I also think Skullgirls' custom assists and the game's version of the ratio system are pretty cool. I think together they allow people some nice flexibility in finding teams that really fit them and the way they want to play.
My least favorite huh. Is saying X-factor too cliche? I can't think of anything else. It's Level 2 & 3 specifically that bother me.
What got you into fighting games? Are there any other genre of games you play?For those that don't know, the GRD guage is the thingamajig in the center of the screen between each players' regular super meter bars. GRD is important because every 17 seconds the players with the most GRD will be rewarded with "Vorpal", which is basically like a very very tame version of X-factor. In Vorpal your character does 10% more damage for as long as he stays in vorpal or he can sacrifice his vorpal state to do one of these:
- A roman cancel (called "chain shift") that also converts any GRD meter you currently have into regular super meter (1 full GRD box = 20 super meter)
- A guard cancel (which, outside of vorpal, normally uses up all you super meter and temporarily "crushes" your side of the GRD gauge so that you can't gain any GRD or gain access to vorpal)
So GRD and Vorpal are pretty important as you can see! Someone who can consistently get vorpal while on the offensive can quickly overwhelm the other guy if they're not paying attention, but on the other hand someone who can gain vorpal on the defensive suddenly has more options available to him and it becomes easier to mount a comeback.
Each player gains and loses GRD depending on certain actions: Aggressive actions that move you forward, like simply walking forward, will generate GRD for example while walking or dashing backwards will lose GRD (while simultaneously giving your opponent GRD). However, defensive actions like properly blocking attacks will also generate GRD (teching throws taking away GRD from the attacker). Someone can have great pressure and make you feel locked down in the corner, but if you're blocking and teching everything then you're going to be the one that ends up with vorpal. Which I think is rad. Only game I can think of which actively rewards good blocking with something other than not losing all your health.
So it becomes interesting how the constant struggle for GRD begins influencing the way people might normally play. For example, many times now I've held my ground or even moved forward aggressively in situations where in other games I would have normally preferred to backdash to create space. Against patient players I'm more reserved (or at least I should be) in my projectile and long range normals harassment because every blocked hit is actively giving them GRD and eventually vorpal which could massively bite me in the ass.
Other than that, I also think Skullgirls' custom assists and the game's version of the ratio system are pretty cool. I think together they allow people some nice flexibility in finding teams that really fit them and the way they want to play.
My least favorite huh. Is saying X-factor too cliche? I can't think of anything else. It's Level 2 & 3 specifically that bother me.
Well, my brother did when I was younger because he needed someone to beat on, haha.
But the real answer is actually GAF's original Street Fighter IV threads, which I only lurked for a long time, and the tournament stream threads of 2010. It was actually a stick deal MarkMan posted in the EVO 2010 thread that pushed me over the edge. I bought the stick without owning any fighting games for the 360 yet lol
I remember the deal too! $50 off a TE round 1 with free ground shipping. Came with a cool little arcade stick keychain that had an allen key inside of it (that I used years later to dual mod it). Still own and use that stick! Thanks, MarkMan.
The guys in the old SSIV thread and gafranbats IRC channel really helped me out a lot. Thanks a lot, fellas.
Other than fighting games, I play all sorts of stuff. Shooters, platformers, puzzle games, action, RPG, etc. I'm pretty omnivorous in that sense. Only games I don't enjoy playing are sim sport games. I especially like rougelikes or rougelites or whatever the fuck people want to call them. Spelunky is my jam. It's the sort of game I can always come back to for a quick run through. Also been playing a lot of Destiny since my brother bribed me to play with my nephews while he's busy. It's a flawed game, but I enjoy messing around in it with family.
Here's a random confession: I've never finished a Mario game other than Thousand Year Door. Wait, no, I think I may have beaten Mario Sunshine too.
What is your favorite fighting game character and why?But the real answer is actually GAF's original Street Fighter IV threads, which I only lurked for a long time, and the tournament stream threads of 2010. It was actually a stick deal MarkMan posted in the EVO 2010 thread that pushed me over the edge. I bought the stick without owning any fighting games for the 360 yet lol
I remember the deal too! $50 off a TE round 1 with free ground shipping. Came with a cool little arcade stick keychain that had an allen key inside of it (that I used years later to dual mod it). Still own and use that stick! Thanks, MarkMan.
The guys in the old SSIV thread and gafranbats IRC channel really helped me out a lot. Thanks a lot, fellas.
Other than fighting games, I play all sorts of stuff. Shooters, platformers, puzzle games, action, RPG, etc. I'm pretty omnivorous in that sense. Only games I don't enjoy playing are sim sport games. I especially like rougelikes or rougelites or whatever the fuck people want to call them. Spelunky is my jam. It's the sort of game I can always come back to for a quick run through. Also been playing a lot of Destiny since my brother bribed me to play with my nephews while he's busy. It's a flawed game, but I enjoy messing around in it with family.
Here's a random confession: I've never finished a Mario game other than Thousand Year Door. Wait, no, I think I may have beaten Mario Sunshine too.
Peacock from Skullgirls without question. She is one of my favorite designs in video games. She is an insane, murderous, foul mouthed cartoon character come to life inspired by old American cartoons spanning from Steamboat Willie to Tex Avery's generation. And her attacks and movement make good use of that inspiration. What's there not to love?
Besides all that, she also plays like my most ideal character! Fill the screen with shit and annoy the other guy to death. God damn was playing the original Peacock/Double team so much fun. And fucked up. But still fun! I frauded my way to so many victories online with Double's stupid fully invincible butt slam assist. I even made my way to top 8 of a local tourney in Jersey without knowing a single god damn combo (to be fair to everyone that dealt with my bullshit, this wasn't too long after the game's release). RIP Team Kusoge
Honorary mentions to Dormammu whom I've never been able to play properly and Hilda from Under Night.
Describe your style of play, and how do you play (local, online, etc.).Besides all that, she also plays like my most ideal character! Fill the screen with shit and annoy the other guy to death. God damn was playing the original Peacock/Double team so much fun. And fucked up. But still fun! I frauded my way to so many victories online with Double's stupid fully invincible butt slam assist. I even made my way to top 8 of a local tourney in Jersey without knowing a single god damn combo (to be fair to everyone that dealt with my bullshit, this wasn't too long after the game's release). RIP Team Kusoge
Honorary mentions to Dormammu whom I've never been able to play properly and Hilda from Under Night.
It depends on the game, really. In the Soul Calibur games I always played Taki (and then Natsu) who is a pretty aggressive in-your-face kind of character. In Skullgirls I play a super lame runaway style team built around letting Peacock fill the screen with bullshit at her leisure. While I feel like my Rose play in Ultra is sort of a shitty mix. Normally, I think I end up leaning towards lamer play and I think my Rose reflects that. Maybe. I like characters that have good far reaching normals and projectiles. Which is probably why I think Hilda is fucking awesome.
What do you feel are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a player?
My biggest weakness is definitely my patience. How can I properly play a lame game with no patience? The answer is I don't! Which fucks me over. No patience on defense also fucks me over. Always trying to press a button, to jump, to backdash, to throw, when the correct answer is just fucking block. After that I'd say laziness (see: username) is my second biggest weakness and holds me back from improving.
My biggest strengths? I'm not sure actually. I like to think I'm pretty alright in the neutral game. I'm also not afraid to abuse cheap shit, which is pretty useful in the first few weeks of a game's life, haha
Best and worst moments in the your fighting game career?My biggest strengths? I'm not sure actually. I like to think I'm pretty alright in the neutral game. I'm also not afraid to abuse cheap shit, which is pretty useful in the first few weeks of a game's life, haha
"Career" is kind of awkward wording. I wouldn't say I've had any sort of career playing fighting games, really. That said, my worst moments playing fighting games are probably every time I've gone 0-2 in the locals I've entered. I played especially shit at a certain DTN qualifier. Or that one time Red Ranger danced all over my ass with Blanka.
Best moment is probably the brief time I convinced near all my friends to pick up SSIV. Good times. There was also that one time I sent LI Joe to losers because lol Peacock/Double. It was a tourney soon after launch at Next Level. There were like 6 people lol
What do you want from future fighting games?Best moment is probably the brief time I convinced near all my friends to pick up SSIV. Good times. There was also that one time I sent LI Joe to losers because lol Peacock/Double. It was a tourney soon after launch at Next Level. There were like 6 people lol
All the user friendly no-brainer features that Mike Z likes to champion becoming standard. Having to hold start for a few frames during a match before the game actually pauses for example. The little things like that. Individually they may not be a big deal, but all together I think they go a long way to making your time with a game more enjoyable.
I'd like to see someone not called Nintendo to further experiment with the Smash-style of fighter.
Stronger overall PC support.
Fucking Darkstalkers Skullgirls 2
More than anything I really want all the big famous devs to come up with completely new IP and go bonkers. I'd really love to see new experimental stuff that pushes the limit of what a "fighting game" is. I'm not holding my breath for it though.
There's more things, but my brain is feeling a bit fried.
Who should be on next week's GAF Player Spotlight?I'd like to see someone not called Nintendo to further experiment with the Smash-style of fighter.
Stronger overall PC support.
More than anything I really want all the big famous devs to come up with completely new IP and go bonkers. I'd really love to see new experimental stuff that pushes the limit of what a "fighting game" is. I'm not holding my breath for it though.
There's more things, but my brain is feeling a bit fried.
Code:
11/13 Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax (JP) (NA/EU: TBD)
11/21 Persona 4 Ultimax (EU)
11/21 Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (NA) (EU: 12/05, JP/AUS: 12/06)
12/04 Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- (JP) (NA: 12/16)
Q4 Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!! (EU)
Q4 BLADE ARCUS from Shining
Q4 Rise of Incarnates
Q4 Skullgirls Encore
Q4 Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm
SPRING Dead or Alive 5: LAST ROUND
04/15 Mortal Kombat X
2015 Dragon Ball Xenoverse
2015 Rivals of Aether
2015 Under Night In-Birth (NA/EU)
TBD Beast's Fury
TBD Next The King Of Fighters Title (tentative)
TBD Tekken 7
TBD Tekken X Street Fighter
TBD Yatagarasu: Legend of Raven
Super Desperation Radio [ 9:30PM EDT | 6:30 PDT ]
- Hellpockets and various other members of the KoF community discuss KoF and happenings in the FGC.
- Out of the ashes of Cross Counter Live rises a new discussion show from Gootecks and Mike Ross!
- Out of the ashes of The BOX Arena, comes the San Diego FGC's newest organized weekly for UMvC3.
- Weekly FGC show dedicated to match analysis, teaching, commentary, news, debates, and more! Hosted by UltraDavid and James Chen.
Kachitagari TV (JP) [ 9PM JST | 8AM EDT | 5AM PDT ]
- Bon-chan, Kazunoko and Fuudo's new show, focusing primarily on SSFIV AE ranked matches but is branching off into other games as well.
- NYC VF crew presents VF5:FS tournaments casuals out of The Next Level arcade in Brooklyn.
- New Jersey's largest weekly featuring UMvC3 and Injustice.
- JamessMK & DarKNaTaS host a raw and uncut weekly talk show discussing events in the FGC with various FGC personalities.
- Weekly FGC show dedicated to match analysis, teaching, commentary, news, debates, and more! Hosted by UltraDavid and James Chen.
- iPlaywinner hosts a weekly talk show featuring alpha stream monsters Harrison and Honzo Gonzo.
Game Spot Versus KoF Casuals (JP) [ 7PM JST | 6AM EDT | 3AM PDT ]
- KoF 1998UM, KoF 2002UM and KoF XIII C action from Japan.
- Description needed.
- NYC's biggest weekly at The Next Level Arcade in Brooklyn featuring SSFIV AE, UMvC3 and TTT2. If the Teamsp00ky link is not working, it is likely on the backup stream on Arturo's channel.
- Often, WonderChef will stream Injustice pools up until Top 4.
- SoCal's biggest weekly at Super Arcade in Walnut, featuring Injustice and SSFIV AE. Season details are available here.
HBTB Live [ 8PM EDT | 5PM PDT ]
- Hold Back To Block hosts a weekly roundtable discussion of various happenings in the FGC.
- A bi-weekly Smash podcast discussing recent events, news and issues in the Smash community, hosted by Scar, Prog, Cactuar and Sheridan.
- Galloping Ghost Arcade presents an Injustice weekly out of Chicago.
- A weekly FGC talk show hosted by iPlaywinner, featuring a varying, ensemble cast of prominent members of the fighting game community.
- Aris' new weekly show, discussing whatever he wants to! The format resembles old ATP podcasts.
- The UMvC3 and KoF XIII branch of Wednesday Night Fights also hosted at Super Arcade in Walnut, California.
The Smash Break Bi-Weekly [ 6PM EDT | 3PM PDT ]
- The Break hosts a new Melee bi-weekly to replace Rokunaya Bi-Weeklies which are ending.
- Arturo streams a BlazBlue and Guilty Gear bi-weekly out of Next Level arcade in Brooklyn.
- For those who know how to use Nico Live, also join the GODSGARDEN community page on Nico to know when Ura KaoTV! goes live.
- A bi-weekly Skullgirls event hosted by members of the Skullgirls development team, often featuring preview builds of the game.
Rebel Up [ 7PM EDT | 4PM PDT ]
- Super Arcade's anime bi-weekly, featuring GG, BB, P4A, SG, Gundam and older anime games as well.
GGPO VanBats [ 4PM EDT | 1PM PDT ]
- Weekly GGPO Vampire Savior ranbats streamed by GAFer Rotanibor.
- Level|Up and Team OXY partner up to create a new weekly for the SoCal Melee community, featuring doubles and singles.
On GAF we have various members that stream fighting games from time to time too. If you would like to add your channel to this thread, send me a PM.
Often, some fighting games can seem intimidating to players new and old. Below are a bunch of resources that may be of aid to new players, or handy as references.
- Learn How To Play Fighting Games Free eBook from Shoryuken is a fantastic primer for new players to the genre.
- Footsies Handbook is a guide to the potentially elusive, but integral part of doing well in any fighting game.
- NeoGAF's Arcade Stick Thread is the place to go for questions about anything arcade stick-related.
- Step Up Your Game is an editorial series by Justin Wong that covers a multitude of topics, notably focusing on strengthening your mental game and playing smarter instead of harder.
- Tips for first time competitors will help you straighten out those nerves and expectations when you head out to your first tournament.
- Domination 101 is almost a cult classic article in the FGC, which has Seth Killian telling us how he really feels about the idea of "cheapness" in fighting games.
- Team-building Guide by our very own Karsticles, which helps make it easier to approach team-building in MvC games, and games with similar synergistic elements.
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If you have any suggestions for the OP, please do not hesitate to post in this thread or (preferably) PM me to let me know.
