
Week of February 17th to the 23rd, 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.

Winter Brawl VIII [ Thread ] [ Friday ] [ 8PM EDT | 5PM PDT ]
- The secondary stream will be handled by Bifuteki.
- The MK9 and Injustice stream will be handled by Kombat Network.
- The anime stream will be handled by Team St1ckbug.
- Big E's first major of 2014 is here, featuring a a large variety of fighting and non-fighting games.
- This event continues through Sunday.
- Location, rules, fees, schedule 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 soakrates!
What fighting games do you currently play, what are your all time favourites and why?
Currently I play VF5 Final Showdown and SoulCalibur 2 HD. I recently picked up Gundam EXVS Full Boost, and I play SSF4AE every now and then. My all-time favorites are Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, VF5:FS, SoulCalibur 1 and 2, Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Street Fighter 3: Third Strike.
What are your favorite mechanics from the current selection of fighting games and why? What are your least favorite and why?
It's somewhat polarizing among VF players, but I really like VF5 Final Showdown's side-turned situations. When a player is at the opponent's side, all moves give more frame advantage (or less disadvantage) and some can cause stuns on counter hit, leading to combos. I feel this adds a lot to the risk/reward in the game's movement system, since being hit while trying to evade can also have pretty dire consequences.
I also like the Burst system in ArcSys games.
Probably my least favorite is the so-called "reverse rage" feature in SoulCalibur V. For those who arent familiar with the game, when a player's health falls to 10% or lower, all of the opponent's moves that deal 20 damage or less only do half damage. Presumably this is to discourage players from spamming safe pokes in low-health situations, but not only does it not discourage that, it unnecessarily lengthens the round and is generally just a huge annoyance. I'm not a big fan of Killer Instinct-style combo breakers either, but I'm willing to see how that shakes out since the game is so new.
What got you into fighting games? Are there any other genre of games you play?I also like the Burst system in ArcSys games.
Probably my least favorite is the so-called "reverse rage" feature in SoulCalibur V. For those who arent familiar with the game, when a player's health falls to 10% or lower, all of the opponent's moves that deal 20 damage or less only do half damage. Presumably this is to discourage players from spamming safe pokes in low-health situations, but not only does it not discourage that, it unnecessarily lengthens the round and is generally just a huge annoyance. I'm not a big fan of Killer Instinct-style combo breakers either, but I'm willing to see how that shakes out since the game is so new.
I've been a fan of fighting games ever since I first played Street Fighter 2 in the arcade as a kid. I chose Ryu and my first CPU opponent was Dhalsim. I somehow eked out a win by pressing roundhouse and fierce a lot, then was promptly dusted by CPU Blanka. For the next decade or so, I was barely more than a scrub, since I lived in the middle of nowhere and had maybe one or two people to play. Then I moved to the Bay Area for school, discovered Third Strike at the SJSU campus arcade, and entered my first tournament, going two and out. Not long after, SoulCalibur 2 was released in arcades and the rest is history.
What is your favorite fighting game character and why?
Terry Bogard, particularly the "Mark of the Wolves" version. He's one of the best examples of simple but effective character design, and he has one of the coolest movesets AND some of the best character quotes in FG history.
Runners up:
- Maxi from SoulCalibur 2 because he was a ton of fun to use and because Maxi in general is a unique take on stance-based characters.
- Lei Fei from VF4 and 5 because gameplay-wise he's the best-designed stance character in any fighting game.
Describe your style of play, and how do you play (local, online, etc.).Runners up:
- Maxi from SoulCalibur 2 because he was a ton of fun to use and because Maxi in general is a unique take on stance-based characters.
- Lei Fei from VF4 and 5 because gameplay-wise he's the best-designed stance character in any fighting game.
My style of play could be described as a kind of lockdown, I suppose. In a nutshell, I try to make the opponent afraid to hit buttons so that I can run mid/low/throw mixups and basically overwhelm them with offense.
I play offline the majority of the time, but I sometimes play online if I'm feeling bored and there aren't any other options available. I expect to be playing Full Boost online a lot though.
What do you feel are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a player?I play offline the majority of the time, but I sometimes play online if I'm feeling bored and there aren't any other options available. I expect to be playing Full Boost online a lot though.
When I'm really focused and comfortable, I can utilize my play style pretty effectively and am pretty decent at making reads. I also have decent-to-solid execution when I hit my stride (though it should be pointed out that most of the games I play aren't very execution-heavy). My biggest weaknesses are that I can get frustrated easily, which causes me to fall into patterns, and I sometimes have a tough time adapting to different games, probably because I'm a little too attached to my preferred play style. Going from something like VF or SoulCalibur to games that have a lot of invincible moves, for instance, can be quite a jolt.
Best and worst moments in the your fighting game career?
I dont have what youd call an amazing tournament track record, but I did get top eight in VF5FS at SoCal Regionals 2013. I also once finished second at a SoulCalibur 3 arcade tournament that had some really strong players from my area. Even though I've done similarly well at other local tournaments, that one stands out to me for some reason.
My worst moment would be getting wrecked on stream by ShinyBrentford at Sega Cup 2013. Still feeling that one. I also went 1-2 in that tournament. Ugh.
What do you want from future fighting gamesMy worst moment would be getting wrecked on stream by ShinyBrentford at Sega Cup 2013. Still feeling that one. I also went 1-2 in that tournament. Ugh.
A lot of things, but probably chief among them is standardizing key training mode features. It's good to see that the inclusion of frame and hitbox data has precedent, but it needs to be the norm. Games should also include system and character tutorials whenever possible. I don't expect them to be extremely in-depth, but they should at least be able to give new players the tools and knowledge they need to get good without having to consult forums or wikis.
Who should be on next week's GAF Player Spotlight?
Kumubou, because VF needs more love around here and because ALL MUST BE CRUSHED NEATH THE STEEL JACKBOOTS OF OUR ANIME OVERLORDS.

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
- 8WayRun - Soul Calibur franchise community
- DOACentral - Dead or Alive franchise community
- Dream Cancel - King of Fighters franchise community and resource, more US-centric
- Dustloop - Forums/community for Arc System Works-developed games
- Eventhubs - Frequently updated news blog, resource and forums for all things fighting games
- FreeStepDodge - Dead or Alive franchise community
- Homing Cancel - Arcana Heart community
- iPlaywinner - Large fighting game news site and resource, and the home to Teamsp00ky and iPlaywinner
- Jet Upper - UK-centric news source and community
- Mayonaka Midnight - Persona 4 Arena community and resource
- Melty Bread - Melty Blood community
- Mizuumi - A resource for various "poverty" games
- Orochinagi - King of Fighters franchise community and resource, more EU-centric
- Reddit Fighters t- Reddit's own fighting game community subreddit
- Shoryuken - Mainly 2D, Capcom game centric hub, and probably one of, if not the largest FG community on the internet
- Skullheart - fan Skullgirls community and resource made official
- TekkenZaibatsu - Tekken franchise community
- Test Your Might - Mortal Kombat and Injustice community and resource
- UKFGC - UK-centric news source and community
- Smash Boards - The largest Smash Bros. Community
- VFDC - Virtua Fighter franchise community site
- - -
If you have any suggestions for the OP, please do not hesitate to post in this thread or PM me to let me know.