Week of April 14th to the 20th, 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.
King of Fighters XIII Battle Royale [ Saturday ] [ 4PM EDT | 1PM PDT ]
- Next Level hosts New York's first high stakes KoF XIII tournament. A KoF98 side tournament will also be held.
- Location, fees, rules, platforms payout, prizes and 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 Marvel Theory Ph.D., Karsticles!
What fighting games do you currently play, what are your all time favourites and why?
I currently play UMvC3, Skullgirls, and SSFIVAE. I find the first two much more enjoyable than the third. I think UMvC3 and Skullgirls are honestly the peak of the genre in terms of what they offer, matched only by Smash Melee. This is more due to the genre being stagnant, even mediocre, than the virtues of UMvC3 and Skullgirls. I could probably still enjoy MvC2, but MvC3 Vanilla was my first serious fighting game. I am hoping that Smash U will be as worthwhile as UMvC3 and Skullgirls, especially since UMvC3 is becoming less and less tolerable due to its netcode, which is my preferred way of playing. Anyone who doubts the ability for an online fighter to feel offline consistently needs to play Skullgirls.
Why? Well, I really like exploring games to bend them to their limits. In RPGs, I like to come up with the most BS-fun combinations I can, but I like for them to still take skill and thought. The Calculator class in FFT was an orgasmic discovery for me about 4 years ago. I would sit and look at every single stat of every enemy and foe on the screen to find the best common denominator for maximum destruction, but I wouldnt cheese the game by equipping an Absorb X Element item on everyone and nuking the whole map to heal and do damage. Thats the kind of fine line I have between BS-fun and just BS. The game no longer takes thought at that point. I also think Warframe is more fun than Vanquish.
What are your favorite mechanics from the current selection of fighting games and why? What are your least favorite and why?Why? Well, I really like exploring games to bend them to their limits. In RPGs, I like to come up with the most BS-fun combinations I can, but I like for them to still take skill and thought. The Calculator class in FFT was an orgasmic discovery for me about 4 years ago. I would sit and look at every single stat of every enemy and foe on the screen to find the best common denominator for maximum destruction, but I wouldnt cheese the game by equipping an Absorb X Element item on everyone and nuking the whole map to heal and do damage. Thats the kind of fine line I have between BS-fun and just BS. The game no longer takes thought at that point. I also think Warframe is more fun than Vanquish.
TACs are undoubtedly the worst, just because they are completely random and have devastating effects on the game. X-Factor is undesirable, but I dont find it entirely distasteful. There are better options, and I do think that team-based fighters benefit from a comeback factor of some kind, or an equalizer (solo assists, etc.). Long combos are also bad, just because it makes me daze out and become bored. If I wanted to sit and watch my opponent play, I would play a turn-based game.
My favorite mechanic is hard to describe as a mechanic, but it is the free forming combos Smash Bros. has. While I recognize that the high level players have broken the games down to a science of optimized attack strings at various damage percentages, whats there is really magical. A complete newbie can figure out so many ways to chain attacks together one after another to keep the combo going, and theres no A chains into B or you can 1-frame link LP into HP. Especially with the environments adding an effectively random element, you have to adjust on the fly a lot. I like having to think and analyze my options in fast-paced environments, so I prefer this kind of combo system over most others, which are just pure muscle memory once the hit confirmation occurs.
My second favorite mechanic is probably custom assists from Skullgirls. Wow! Any attack I want as an assist! That provides a lot of food for thought. I appreciate that, and I prefer it over forcing certain characters to have horrible assists for balance purposes. Third, obviously assists.
What got you into fighting games? Are there any other genre of games you play?My favorite mechanic is hard to describe as a mechanic, but it is the free forming combos Smash Bros. has. While I recognize that the high level players have broken the games down to a science of optimized attack strings at various damage percentages, whats there is really magical. A complete newbie can figure out so many ways to chain attacks together one after another to keep the combo going, and theres no A chains into B or you can 1-frame link LP into HP. Especially with the environments adding an effectively random element, you have to adjust on the fly a lot. I like having to think and analyze my options in fast-paced environments, so I prefer this kind of combo system over most others, which are just pure muscle memory once the hit confirmation occurs.
My second favorite mechanic is probably custom assists from Skullgirls. Wow! Any attack I want as an assist! That provides a lot of food for thought. I appreciate that, and I prefer it over forcing certain characters to have horrible assists for balance purposes. Third, obviously assists.
I have been playing fighting games as far back as I can think. I remember playing a TMNT fighter at some point, a Power Rangers fighter, and of course, Street Fighter II. I loved Street Fighter II, and I mained Ken. I loved to throw Hadokens, and my strategy was pretty much throw Hadoken, then Shoryuken if they jump. Which is also my present SSFIVAE strategy
Anyway! No one in my circle of friends could throw Hadokens with as much consistency as I could. They would all call me a spammer, and usually they would try to meet my fireballs with their own fireballs once they got annoyed by the strategy, but eventually they would mess up the qcf motion, and then they would ragequit. I only cared about winning and having fun doing it; I still play that way.
I kept playing fighters up to MvC2, which I thought was the pinnacle of the genre. I went to the arcades constantly, but completely sucked and was a spammer. My circle of friends was so bad that they thought Sentinel was a terrible character, but I picked him because I loved that he shot lasers just by pushing H. Then I took a long break from gaming in general, only getting back into things with the purchase of a Wii toward the end of college. I traded for an Xbox 360 at some point, and rented SFIV excited to see how the genre had progressed since I last played MvC2. I only played a few matches before quitting, because in my mind, assists were just the natural evolution of the genre, and SFIV was taking a step back. I won my only 3 matches online with Vanilla Sagat (TIGER TIGER TIGER), and then quit.
When MvC3 was announced, I followed it closely for the 6 months leading up to its release. During this period, Clockw0rk and Neo had their extraordinary FT15 set to send MvC2 off, and this was my first real taste of competitive gaming. I just had no idea the characters in MvC2 could move anything like that. A whole undiscovered world lay before me. With the months leading up to MvC3 I bought a stick and practiced Blackheart infinites on it for an hour a day. I did reasonably well online, despite being rather terrible at the game (Blackheart/Sentinel/CapCom). Then MvC3 came out, and I discovered that I really love the depth fighting games offer. I wish someone would have shown me earlier in life. Ive missed a lot.
Outside of fighting games, I mostly play action games and RPGs. Ive had to work more in my adult life, so Ive become choosier in what I play. I bought less than a dozen PS3 games the entirety of the last generation, and it was my primary system. I still have a backlog because I spend too much time on fighting games.
What is your favorite fighting game character and why?I kept playing fighters up to MvC2, which I thought was the pinnacle of the genre. I went to the arcades constantly, but completely sucked and was a spammer. My circle of friends was so bad that they thought Sentinel was a terrible character, but I picked him because I loved that he shot lasers just by pushing H. Then I took a long break from gaming in general, only getting back into things with the purchase of a Wii toward the end of college. I traded for an Xbox 360 at some point, and rented SFIV excited to see how the genre had progressed since I last played MvC2. I only played a few matches before quitting, because in my mind, assists were just the natural evolution of the genre, and SFIV was taking a step back. I won my only 3 matches online with Vanilla Sagat (TIGER TIGER TIGER), and then quit.
When MvC3 was announced, I followed it closely for the 6 months leading up to its release. During this period, Clockw0rk and Neo had their extraordinary FT15 set to send MvC2 off, and this was my first real taste of competitive gaming. I just had no idea the characters in MvC2 could move anything like that. A whole undiscovered world lay before me. With the months leading up to MvC3 I bought a stick and practiced Blackheart infinites on it for an hour a day. I did reasonably well online, despite being rather terrible at the game (Blackheart/Sentinel/CapCom). Then MvC3 came out, and I discovered that I really love the depth fighting games offer. I wish someone would have shown me earlier in life. Ive missed a lot.
Outside of fighting games, I mostly play action games and RPGs. Ive had to work more in my adult life, so Ive become choosier in what I play. I bought less than a dozen PS3 games the entirety of the last generation, and it was my primary system. I still have a backlog because I spend too much time on fighting games.
Dormammu! He is a work of aesthetic perfection, exactly tailored to my taste. I could not imagine a more perfect character than he. I like a few things in a character: a consistent demand for thoughtful play, strong zoning options, and high mobility. You almost never find all three, especially the second two, together in one character. Dormammu has Dark Spells that permanently meet the first requirement, he has the best zoning specials in the game, and he has both air dashes and teleports. He is fun to move with in general. I sincerely doubt another character will ever approach Dormammus perfection.
Describe your style of play, and how do you play (local, online, etc.).
I like characters that, in theory, win with perfect play every time. Dormammu is such a character; he should theoretically never lose if he is properly set up, and I enjoy perfecting that. I strongly prefer zoning characters zoning, not keepaway. I dont like a character who needs to run, but my fundamental mindset is spacing-oriented. Being close to an opponent is generally danger to me, so I like characters with big normal and space-controlling specials. If I have frame advantage, then cool, I will melee it up.
I pick characters about 80/20 on aesthetics and gameplay. Aesthetics are far more important than gameplay. I love demons, by which I mean a character filled with guiltless joy while performing immoral deeds. I find such characters inspiring and admirable. I do not simply like evil characters Wesker and Dr. Doom are lame, though I like their movesets. I just cant stick with them because they bother me aesthetically. I main Firebrand/Dormammu/Shuma-Gorath because Shuma-Gorath is the only demonic character in Marvel with a good assist, and I play Firebrand despite him primarily being a rushdown character.
What do you feel are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a player?I pick characters about 80/20 on aesthetics and gameplay. Aesthetics are far more important than gameplay. I love demons, by which I mean a character filled with guiltless joy while performing immoral deeds. I find such characters inspiring and admirable. I do not simply like evil characters Wesker and Dr. Doom are lame, though I like their movesets. I just cant stick with them because they bother me aesthetically. I main Firebrand/Dormammu/Shuma-Gorath because Shuma-Gorath is the only demonic character in Marvel with a good assist, and I play Firebrand despite him primarily being a rushdown character.
I dont actually know if I have any strengths. I tend to think of myself more as overcoming weaknesses, which are many: poor execution, a trial-and-error learner, impatient
I think that I tend to have good yomi, which is funny because I consider that the least admirable trait for a player to be good at. Most people who play me also say that my consistency is impressive; I might not do a lot of flashy stuff, but I dont fail at what I do often. Amidst that consistency, I often get urges to do random and unsafe things, which pays off frequently. I am creative, which is not valuable in all fighting games.
I cant keep track of teleporters for crap. I literally sit and try to find Dante sometimes even though he always teleports to the same goddamn place.
Best and worst moments in the your fighting game career?I think that I tend to have good yomi, which is funny because I consider that the least admirable trait for a player to be good at. Most people who play me also say that my consistency is impressive; I might not do a lot of flashy stuff, but I dont fail at what I do often. Amidst that consistency, I often get urges to do random and unsafe things, which pays off frequently. I am creative, which is not valuable in all fighting games.
I cant keep track of teleporters for crap. I literally sit and try to find Dante sometimes even though he always teleports to the same goddamn place.
Ive only had a few moments in my fighting game career, so Ill just talk about them. When I moved to Chicago a few years ago, I decided to get active in the scene. I went to a pub and played there one evening, but it was a small and cramped space that I didnt enjoy being in. It was hard to enjoy myself just because I had never played an offline match before (haha), so I actually dropped Purification x Chaotic Flame for a win. The matches were also FT1, which sucked even more. I almost beat their best player with my point Phoenix team, which was my main team at the time (Phoenix/Morrigan/Dormammu), so it wasnt all bad. The guys were hype just because they had never seen point Phoenix before.
I stopped for a while, and then I heard about Ignite Entertainment in Chicago through SRK? I forget. I went to Ignite, and I have to say that the group of guys there are a really fantastic group. I went most nights after I discovered the location, and I always felt the time was well-spent. Definitely a highlight of my fighting game career.
UFGT8 came and went while I was in Chicago, and unfortunately it was the weekend before all of my final papers were due no good. I was fortunate enough to go to UFGT9, and it was probably one of the best weekends of my life. I dont think I had a single displeasing experience there aside from having to sleep on the floor without blankets or pillows every night, which was less comfortable than I expected. The FGC is a seriously friendly group of people. I had folks sit down and teach me Injustice, Skullgirls, and Divekick at different times throughout the weekend. My highlight was probably sparring with Duckator in Skullgirls and getting destroyed over and over again; Ive never played someone of such skill before. I think the lowpoint overall was losing twice to Unknown due to stick issues. I got the first hit on him every time, but I dropped ABC combos and failed every unblockable (Firebrand/Dormammu/Shuma-Gorath). I didnt know that the sticks input reading was set to analog instead of dpad, and nothing was coming out the entire time. Hopefully I get a chance to redeem myself at some point.
What do you want from future fighting games?I stopped for a while, and then I heard about Ignite Entertainment in Chicago through SRK? I forget. I went to Ignite, and I have to say that the group of guys there are a really fantastic group. I went most nights after I discovered the location, and I always felt the time was well-spent. Definitely a highlight of my fighting game career.
UFGT8 came and went while I was in Chicago, and unfortunately it was the weekend before all of my final papers were due no good. I was fortunate enough to go to UFGT9, and it was probably one of the best weekends of my life. I dont think I had a single displeasing experience there aside from having to sleep on the floor without blankets or pillows every night, which was less comfortable than I expected. The FGC is a seriously friendly group of people. I had folks sit down and teach me Injustice, Skullgirls, and Divekick at different times throughout the weekend. My highlight was probably sparring with Duckator in Skullgirls and getting destroyed over and over again; Ive never played someone of such skill before. I think the lowpoint overall was losing twice to Unknown due to stick issues. I got the first hit on him every time, but I dropped ABC combos and failed every unblockable (Firebrand/Dormammu/Shuma-Gorath). I didnt know that the sticks input reading was set to analog instead of dpad, and nothing was coming out the entire time. Hopefully I get a chance to redeem myself at some point.
Extraordinary netcode. Make Skullgirls blush. More customization options. Custom assists, UMvC3s H&H mode as the main game, etc. Let me break everything. A sustained fighting game over time instead of isolated entries that require players to learn new mechanics. Give me a Capcom All-Stars with over 200 characters by the time I die. That puts a smile on my face.
Who should be on next week's GAF Player Spotlight?
Frantic; if not, ViewtifulJC.
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.
Melee It On Me [ 9PM EDT | 6PM PDT ]
- 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. P4:A is usually streamed on CounterAssaultTV until Top 3.
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.
- 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 weekly Skullgirls event hosted by members of the Skullgirls development team, often featuring preview builds of the game.
None at the moment.
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.
Additionally, if you want to really get involved, you may want to check out the various OTs for specific games:
Additionally, if you want to really get involved, you may want to check out the various OTs for specific games:
- BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
- Chaos Code
- Darkstalkers: Resurrection
- Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate and Core Fighters
- Divekick
- Gundam Extreme VS Full Boost
- Injustice: Gods Among Us
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle
- Killer Instinct
- The King of Fighters XIII
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins
- Mortal Kombat
- Persona 4: Arena
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
- Project M 3.0
- Skullgirls
- Soul Calibur V
- Street Fighter X Tekken v.2013
- Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition v.2012
- Tekken
- Tekken Revolution
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
- Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
- - -
If you have any suggestions for the OP, please do not hesitate to post in this thread or PM me to let me know.
