Week of December 22nd to the 28th, 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.
There are currently no special events scheduled for this week. Check back later in the week to see if this changes!
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 the ki within us all, thehadou!
What fighting games do you currently play, what is your all time favourite and why?
Im currently playing Killer Instinct, Ultra Street Fighter IV, and failing at getting into Guilty Gear Xrd. Id like to get back to Mortal Kombat 9 thanks to my local scenes interest, but the aforementioned 3 titles are already stretching my limited time.
My favorite is probably Super SFIV. Im an o9er, make no bones about it, and when that iteration dropped I had the most time to grind. So its the right mix of familiarity and nostalgia. My love for charge characters helps that particular favoritism as well. Ill get my IQ scores ready in case people want to side-eye me on that.
What are your favorite mechanics from the current selection of fighting games and why? What are your least favorite and why?My favorite is probably Super SFIV. Im an o9er, make no bones about it, and when that iteration dropped I had the most time to grind. So its the right mix of familiarity and nostalgia. My love for charge characters helps that particular favoritism as well. Ill get my IQ scores ready in case people want to side-eye me on that.
I really enjoy Killer Instincts Combo Breaker system (even named an event after it). I also really enjoy Injustices meter burn system. Something about being able to make move selections in a reactionary way, even after initial input, appeals to me. Outside of that charge buffering in any title always gets me amped up.
I really dislike something like KOFs extremely rigid input system or any game where option selects take over conscious play. I think complicated inputs remove large portions of the community from competitive play without rewarding us with better matches. I tend to believe option selects detract from both the decision making process and the risk/reward of move-sets in a very negative way as well.
What got you into fighting games? Are there any other genre of games you play?I really dislike something like KOFs extremely rigid input system or any game where option selects take over conscious play. I think complicated inputs remove large portions of the community from competitive play without rewarding us with better matches. I tend to believe option selects detract from both the decision making process and the risk/reward of move-sets in a very negative way as well.
I got into fighters after a friend of mine discovered Mortal Kombat. His parents had gotten him the SEGA channel and he was extremely excited to share the violence hed found on it with me. For awhile getting an after-school call and biking over there to fail at Scorpion mirror matches was a daily activity.
I didnt seriously get into fighters until SFIV dropped. For most of my life my brother was the reigning champion at any game in my social circle. Be it Halo gun fights or Diablo PVP shenanigans, he was the final boss. When SFIV came out it wound up being the first game I could consistently beat him at. Most of my affinity for the series came from a determination to stay better than he was. I burned endless hours studying the game and grinding out match-ups. Years later my tourney results outshine his, but hes regularly beating me now. Life long sibling rivalry.
Outside of fighters I mostly play platformers and action-adventure games. Recently I picked up a Wii U and have been slowly working my through the Mario releases and Bayonetta.
What is your favorite fighting game character and why?I didnt seriously get into fighters until SFIV dropped. For most of my life my brother was the reigning champion at any game in my social circle. Be it Halo gun fights or Diablo PVP shenanigans, he was the final boss. When SFIV came out it wound up being the first game I could consistently beat him at. Most of my affinity for the series came from a determination to stay better than he was. I burned endless hours studying the game and grinding out match-ups. Years later my tourney results outshine his, but hes regularly beating me now. Life long sibling rivalry.
Outside of fighters I mostly play platformers and action-adventure games. Recently I picked up a Wii U and have been slowly working my through the Mario releases and Bayonetta.
I greatly enjoy Guile and Glacius. I tend to enjoy characters where a fundamental element of their game plan is frustrating the opponent. I dont want to defeat you with unrecognizable shenanigans or a fast paced barrage. I want to out think you. Have you recognize your defeat is coming, know you could do something about it, and still wind up KOd from me adapting to you faster than you adapted to me.
I fall on that sword a bit more than Id like nowadays, but before my patience fell apart it was an immensely satisfying way to play.
Describe your style of play, and how do you play (local, online, etc.).I fall on that sword a bit more than Id like nowadays, but before my patience fell apart it was an immensely satisfying way to play.
I think I hinted at this above. Im not the fancy type. I try to force out mind games and frustrate my opponents into making key mistakes repeatedly. I can flip into pressure mode when needed, but I prefer slow, methodical match-ups. If I can beat you pressing only 1 button Im going to. If you cant get around sonic booms Im going to chip your life away till you want to quit. If an opponent is too angry at that style Ill switch over to a character like Hugo and put the patience challenge back on me to avoid players hating the game though. That mental mix-up is fun to me anyways.
I tend to play SF mostly at tournaments anymore. Killer Instinct is my go-to online game, since players in my area are a rarity. I enjoy in-person play more than online though (mostly for sighs of defeat and civilized trash talking), so I dont prioritize getting online often.
What do you feel are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a player?I tend to play SF mostly at tournaments anymore. Killer Instinct is my go-to online game, since players in my area are a rarity. I enjoy in-person play more than online though (mostly for sighs of defeat and civilized trash talking), so I dont prioritize getting online often.
My biggest strengths are patience and a stubborn willingness to repeat calculated risks. My biggest weakness is that after a few successful calculated risks I have a penchant for going dumb. My greatest tournament flaw is stage nerves. Put me on camera and Im prone to failing at well-honed motions and forgetting even basic game mechanics (as demonstrated this year at EVO).
Best and worst moments in the your fighting game career?
My best in-game moment was winning my first regional tourney after nearly a year of taking 2nd and 3rd. It was nearly 2 AM but the adrenaline kick that night kept me awake well into the next day.
My worst moment was losing my top 16 match at EVO. I am now a firm believer that if I dont make top 8 Id rather lose in pools. Faltering just a match or two short of Sunday produces a truly damnable emotional response.
If you want my overall best moment(s), seeing players, spectators, and businesses appreciate my work at events has been uncanny. I recognize that its only tangentially related to the games at this point, and that Im not the most publicly active figure, but its become my main inspiration. I have FGC photos, plaques, & trinkets in my studio serving as a daily reminder to strive for more - because the grind can be rewarding.
What do you want from future fighting games?My worst moment was losing my top 16 match at EVO. I am now a firm believer that if I dont make top 8 Id rather lose in pools. Faltering just a match or two short of Sunday produces a truly damnable emotional response.
If you want my overall best moment(s), seeing players, spectators, and businesses appreciate my work at events has been uncanny. I recognize that its only tangentially related to the games at this point, and that Im not the most publicly active figure, but its become my main inspiration. I have FGC photos, plaques, & trinkets in my studio serving as a daily reminder to strive for more - because the grind can be rewarding.
Id like to see games incorporate more casual and community components. Long story modes that teach mechanics whilst also providing entertainment, in-game updates on important community events and players, and a refined focus on accessible, well developed characters instead of a 60 portrait deep character select screen. Above and beyond that Id like to see netcode as good or better than KIs across the board. A lot of games are doing this in bits and pieces, but it hasnt felt like anybody has really brought it home yet.
Who should be on next week's GAF Player Spotlight?
Can we go with That Dude John? His avatar makes me laugh.
Since Dahbomb strongly encourages pre-orders, what games do you plan to buy that have been officially announced?
Mortal Kombat X. Perhaps Overwatch. I tend not to pre-order titles in favor of seeing if they are broken on release. Still feeling the burn from the recent Halo collection.
Code:
WINTER The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
02/17 Dead or Alive 5: LAST ROUND (EU: 02/20)
04/15 Mortal Kombat X
2015 Dragon Ball Xenoverse
2015 Rivals of Aether
2015 Skullgirls Encore
2015 Under Night In-Birth (NA/EU)
TBD Beast's Fury
TBD Next The King Of Fighters Title (tentative)
TBD Rise of Incarnates
TBD Street Fighter V
TBD Tekken 7
TBD Tekken X Street Fighter
TBD Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm
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 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.
