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[Fighting Games] Turns out character DLC is actually decided by junk food execs
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Registered User regular
Registered User regular
[This OP is a WIP]
There is a PA Fighting Games Discord server right here if you want to find other people to hang with.
Imagine you want to prove who is the best, but the last time you got into a fist fight you hurt your precious knuckles. Should that stop you? This is the 21st Century, for God's sake. Of course it shouldn't stop you.
Fighting games are a reflection of society. Of our core values. They're about a single person making it on his or her own. It's about our right to call someone out with a "1v1 me, scrub" and expect a result. This is what sets us above the animals.
That, and soup. You can't beat a good soup.
So You've Been Challenged to a Duel
It's bound to happen eventually, no matter how careful you are. I once unknowingly ordered the last chicken biryani at my local Indian place and had to play a ft10 against some middle-aged guy who just wanted to feed his family. I don't even blame him for throwing the gauntlet. It's something we'd all do. But that doesn't mean you back down, even when those kids start to pout up and sniffle as you walk away with your order.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" their sad cow eyes ask.
"Teach your father how to block a cross-up," you might say. Or you're feeling kind, so you lean in close and whisper a hint about that new setup you've been working on in training mode.
Better luck next time.
But maybe you're not at that point yet. Maybe this is your first duel. Well, if you're the one on the receiving end of the challenge, you get to choose the game. That's only fair. So maybe that's what you're interested in.
Choose Your Weapon
Fighting games are quite varied these days. Or as varied as you can get with two players controlling a single character at a time while they try to knock each other out. Still, variety is variety, and you should know what you're getting into.
What's hot at the moment? What's going to be hot soon? Let's take a look.
Ultra Street Fighter 5: Turbo Singleplayer Edition
Released early in 2016 to universal acclaim, Street Fighter 5 is notable for having the most active meme community in fighting games at the moment. Unfortunately, it's still early in the game's life, so most relevant memes are based on the early top-tier favourite, Rashid's Theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC5Ny1r7p8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYFfMNXd3g
What else does SF5 have to offer? Endless drama. Fighting over "secret" discord "tech," players begging for sponsorship, "USA is free." It's all there, all the time.
Other relevant facts:
Platforms: PS4, PC (on Steam), with crossplay between them.
Roster:
DLC:
The 2016 DLC characters are, in order: Alex, Guile, Boxer/Balrog, Ibuki, Juri, and Urien.
Want to learn more? Visit the SRK forum, where they have constant discussion about SF5, with in-depth subforums for each character. You can also look on Twitch for your favourite players to see if they're streaming. Daigo, Snake Eyez, and many other stream regularly.
Aside from schedules tournaments in the West, and whatever Daigo is doing with his cosplay stuff--
--there's also now an official Street Fighter Crash in Korea, with a few top-tier Japanese players on the Team Razer, and English commentary. Not good English commentary, but it's still English commentary.
You're probably better off just listening to the Korean commentators go nuts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIz12sXXesw
Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-
(That's right, it's JAM TIME.)
Does THAT MAN have you down? Don't fret, because there's a new Guilty Gear on the market. And it's so pretty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytOQKsoZeLw
The new expansion, -REVELATOR- is on its way. It brings with it more characters (brand new and returning), new story content, new online lobbies and options, and an all-new training mode with a tonne of interactive tutorials. Plus balance changes.
Currently in arcade location testing, -REVELATOR- is looking like the goofiest GG game yet. There are regular videos coming out from Japanese arcades of their top players going at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7mUpf_YeDE
Want to know more? Check out dustloop, the English forum for all things GG related, or just their handy wiki.
The King of Fighters XIV
The story of King of Fighters is a story of death and rebirth. King of Fighters XIV is deja vu for fans, as it marks the second resurrection of the franchise after it became relegated to pachinko hell.
In 2000, with arcades on the decline, SNK died its first death, filing for bankruptcy. A Korean company, Eolith, bought them out, and produced King of Fighters 2000 and 2001, which are generally considered the worst entries in the entire series by fans. After those disasters, things looked dire, but hope appeared. Reforming as a new company, Playmore, former SNK people got the money together to buy back their IPs. And that's how we got SNK-Playmore. As an apology to the fans, they released King of Fighters 2002, a Dream Match game like 98, which brought back old characters and systems. It's generally considered in the top 2 or 3 games in the franchise.
But the new company meant they had to slow down production a bit, so 2002's follow-up, 2003, was the final yearly release in the series. The next game was King of Fighters XI, which included a dynamic tag-team system for the first time, and began a new story line. King of Fighters XII followed years layer, with completely redrawn HD sprites. The work involved meant it had the smallest roster in the entire series, at 20 characters +2 for the console release, but they kept working and got XIII done. A very pretty game, it finished off the Ash saga started in 2003, but also looked like it would be the final King of Fighters. Again. Because SNK-Playmore was going the way of SNK, and they were back to making pachinko machines.
Yet it wouldn't die, and now we get King of Fighters XIV. After starting from scratch, SNK devs finally relented with the time-consuming and expensive sprite work.
It wasn't sustainable even when they had all their old workers on the job. If they wanted XIV to actually turn a profit and keep the series going, they had to switch to 3D.
The first trailers were pretty bad, but things have gotten better over time. Plus, they're going ganbusters with a 50-character roster that includes plenty of favourites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeB-4s1Cho4
If you want to learn more about King of Fighters, you can try Dreamcancel, the English hub for competitive play. Or watch the handy Dandy J tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r75Lz1Drp8g
Tekken 7
Believe it or not, Tekken 7 is in development. And it's got Akuma now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5nxtsmZW2s
Following up on the mediocre reception of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Namco once again wants to break into the West, this time with a strategic and popular guest character from Capcom. In standard ridiculous Tekken fashion, Akuma isn't merely a token addition to the roster, but is actually a key part of Tekken 7's story.
While Capcom decided to completely skip arcade testing for the first time ever with Street Fighter 5 and go straight for the full-priced early-access beta release, Tekken 7 is keeping it old school. Tekken 7: Fatal Retribution is still in arcade location testing (beta), so only Japanese and Korean players have access to it. You can find videos if you want to look. When will the console release come out? Who knows. Not before EVO, though.
Speaking of which (and not forgetting TekkenZaibatsu):
Mortal Kombat
As far as I'm concerned, this is all you need to know about Mortal Kombat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j-jAzzsV-s
Injustice 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX0WA6yIZ7I
Just in time to make Mortal Kombat X obsolete, NRS has announced Injustice 2. And they're having the common decency to not even bother with a PC release this time.
Also continuing the NRS ethos of listening to their competitive community, two of the first things announced about the game are an aggressive pre-order and DLC policy, and a microtransaction-heavy custom gear and loot system.
In Injustice 2, players can put on different armour pieces with bonus effects. Extra health, extra damage, damage reduction, faster resource gains, that sort of thing. Players earn new gear pieces via random drops after matches. What could be better for a competitive game than grinding random matches in the hopes of sucking out on a viable piece of rare loot? You might say something like "better netcode," but this is NRS.
At least the story mode might be fun, if you're down with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlRp__ZB0Zg
What if I'm the type who likes to watch?
A good question. And we don't judge.
With the Capcom Pro Tour in full swing, there are always Street Fighter 5 tournaments to watch. Local weeklies and ranbats get streamed, top Japanese players are showing their online play, and there are a solid string of majors leading up to EVO in July.
And EVO is what everyone cares about, right? And you don't even have to wait for the DVD anymore!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6cq3EsO0ZY
This year's tournament is breaking entry records across the board. And, yes, that's 3 different Nintendo games. Why? Because Mr. Wizard really likes fat wads of cash his Wii U.
Yes, "we sports now." etc.
While EVO is quickly becoming nothing more than a marketing tool (A Tekken 7 tournament on the main stage while 90% of the world has never played the game? Check.), that doesn't mean it's not full of hype. Expect some surprise announcements, too.
Will update with stream schedules and whatever once they're available.
What Else is There?
There's always more. Even while KOF XIV is in gestation, SNK has been sniping Capcom's Street Fighter staff in preparation for a renewed push on the market. Talks of more Samurai Shodown, possibly even more Mark of the Wolves, and--dare to dream--maybe even Last Blade? (That last one is just me hoping, but the others are real.)
As well, it's now only a matter of when, not if, for the announcement of the next Soulcalibur game. However, with Tekken 7 still lacking a console release date, I wouldn't start holding my breath until that's done and dusted. Still, some time in 2016 isn't a bad bet for at least a trailer.
There's more Mortal Kombat X stuff as well, but, frankly, after how they half-assed MK9, and their utter disdain for the PC customers with MKX, I find it hard to care about that series anymore.
Killer Instinct is going strong . . . ish. With a decent tutorial, and soon a full Windows 10 release, as well as a Halo guest character and a prime spot at EVO, it's honestly not the worst alternative right now.
There's Blazblue stuff going on, always new anime games, Skullgirls 2nd Encore got its Steam release, and it's Japanese release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPLkoy3LaBw
There's UNIEL and Dengeki Bunko, P4 Arena and Melty Blood, there's bound to be more Arcana Heart, and, of course Vanguard Princess and Yatagarasu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6cR5lMFLyM
Chances are, no matter what flavour you prefer, there's a fighting game out there for you.
There is a PA Fighting Games Discord server right here if you want to find other people to hang with.
Imagine you want to prove who is the best, but the last time you got into a fist fight you hurt your precious knuckles. Should that stop you? This is the 21st Century, for God's sake. Of course it shouldn't stop you.
Fighting games are a reflection of society. Of our core values. They're about a single person making it on his or her own. It's about our right to call someone out with a "1v1 me, scrub" and expect a result. This is what sets us above the animals.
That, and soup. You can't beat a good soup.
So You've Been Challenged to a Duel
It's bound to happen eventually, no matter how careful you are. I once unknowingly ordered the last chicken biryani at my local Indian place and had to play a ft10 against some middle-aged guy who just wanted to feed his family. I don't even blame him for throwing the gauntlet. It's something we'd all do. But that doesn't mean you back down, even when those kids start to pout up and sniffle as you walk away with your order.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" their sad cow eyes ask.
"Teach your father how to block a cross-up," you might say. Or you're feeling kind, so you lean in close and whisper a hint about that new setup you've been working on in training mode.
Better luck next time.
But maybe you're not at that point yet. Maybe this is your first duel. Well, if you're the one on the receiving end of the challenge, you get to choose the game. That's only fair. So maybe that's what you're interested in.
Choose Your Weapon
Fighting games are quite varied these days. Or as varied as you can get with two players controlling a single character at a time while they try to knock each other out. Still, variety is variety, and you should know what you're getting into.
What's hot at the moment? What's going to be hot soon? Let's take a look.
Ultra Street Fighter 5: Turbo Singleplayer Edition
Released early in 2016 to universal acclaim, Street Fighter 5 is notable for having the most active meme community in fighting games at the moment. Unfortunately, it's still early in the game's life, so most relevant memes are based on the early top-tier favourite, Rashid's Theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC5Ny1r7p8khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYFfMNXd3gWhat else does SF5 have to offer? Endless drama. Fighting over "secret" discord "tech," players begging for sponsorship, "USA is free." It's all there, all the time.
Other relevant facts:
Platforms: PS4, PC (on Steam), with crossplay between them.
Roster:
DLC:
The 2016 DLC characters are, in order: Alex, Guile, Boxer/Balrog, Ibuki, Juri, and Urien.
Want to learn more? Visit the SRK forum, where they have constant discussion about SF5, with in-depth subforums for each character. You can also look on Twitch for your favourite players to see if they're streaming. Daigo, Snake Eyez, and many other stream regularly.
Aside from schedules tournaments in the West, and whatever Daigo is doing with his cosplay stuff--
--there's also now an official Street Fighter Crash in Korea, with a few top-tier Japanese players on the Team Razer, and English commentary. Not good English commentary, but it's still English commentary.
You're probably better off just listening to the Korean commentators go nuts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIz12sXXeswGuilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-
(That's right, it's JAM TIME.)
Does THAT MAN have you down? Don't fret, because there's a new Guilty Gear on the market. And it's so pretty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytOQKsoZeLwThe new expansion, -REVELATOR- is on its way. It brings with it more characters (brand new and returning), new story content, new online lobbies and options, and an all-new training mode with a tonne of interactive tutorials. Plus balance changes.
Currently in arcade location testing, -REVELATOR- is looking like the goofiest GG game yet. There are regular videos coming out from Japanese arcades of their top players going at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7mUpf_YeDEWant to know more? Check out dustloop, the English forum for all things GG related, or just their handy wiki.
The King of Fighters XIV
The story of King of Fighters is a story of death and rebirth. King of Fighters XIV is deja vu for fans, as it marks the second resurrection of the franchise after it became relegated to pachinko hell.
In 2000, with arcades on the decline, SNK died its first death, filing for bankruptcy. A Korean company, Eolith, bought them out, and produced King of Fighters 2000 and 2001, which are generally considered the worst entries in the entire series by fans. After those disasters, things looked dire, but hope appeared. Reforming as a new company, Playmore, former SNK people got the money together to buy back their IPs. And that's how we got SNK-Playmore. As an apology to the fans, they released King of Fighters 2002, a Dream Match game like 98, which brought back old characters and systems. It's generally considered in the top 2 or 3 games in the franchise.
But the new company meant they had to slow down production a bit, so 2002's follow-up, 2003, was the final yearly release in the series. The next game was King of Fighters XI, which included a dynamic tag-team system for the first time, and began a new story line. King of Fighters XII followed years layer, with completely redrawn HD sprites. The work involved meant it had the smallest roster in the entire series, at 20 characters +2 for the console release, but they kept working and got XIII done. A very pretty game, it finished off the Ash saga started in 2003, but also looked like it would be the final King of Fighters. Again. Because SNK-Playmore was going the way of SNK, and they were back to making pachinko machines.
Yet it wouldn't die, and now we get King of Fighters XIV. After starting from scratch, SNK devs finally relented with the time-consuming and expensive sprite work.
In an interview with Fighters Front Line, Kukino replies that each character took 16~17 months to complete with a team of 10 different designers. Additionally, the sprites were personally checked by Nona for quality.
It wasn't sustainable even when they had all their old workers on the job. If they wanted XIV to actually turn a profit and keep the series going, they had to switch to 3D.
The first trailers were pretty bad, but things have gotten better over time. Plus, they're going ganbusters with a 50-character roster that includes plenty of favourites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeB-4s1Cho4If you want to learn more about King of Fighters, you can try Dreamcancel, the English hub for competitive play. Or watch the handy Dandy J tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r75Lz1Drp8gTekken 7
Believe it or not, Tekken 7 is in development. And it's got Akuma now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5nxtsmZW2sFollowing up on the mediocre reception of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Namco once again wants to break into the West, this time with a strategic and popular guest character from Capcom. In standard ridiculous Tekken fashion, Akuma isn't merely a token addition to the roster, but is actually a key part of Tekken 7's story.
While Capcom decided to completely skip arcade testing for the first time ever with Street Fighter 5 and go straight for the full-priced early-access beta release, Tekken 7 is keeping it old school. Tekken 7: Fatal Retribution is still in arcade location testing (beta), so only Japanese and Korean players have access to it. You can find videos if you want to look. When will the console release come out? Who knows. Not before EVO, though.
Speaking of which (and not forgetting TekkenZaibatsu):
Mortal Kombat
As far as I'm concerned, this is all you need to know about Mortal Kombat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j-jAzzsV-sInjustice 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX0WA6yIZ7IJust in time to make Mortal Kombat X obsolete, NRS has announced Injustice 2. And they're having the common decency to not even bother with a PC release this time.
Also continuing the NRS ethos of listening to their competitive community, two of the first things announced about the game are an aggressive pre-order and DLC policy, and a microtransaction-heavy custom gear and loot system.
In Injustice 2, players can put on different armour pieces with bonus effects. Extra health, extra damage, damage reduction, faster resource gains, that sort of thing. Players earn new gear pieces via random drops after matches. What could be better for a competitive game than grinding random matches in the hopes of sucking out on a viable piece of rare loot? You might say something like "better netcode," but this is NRS.
At least the story mode might be fun, if you're down with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlRp__ZB0ZgWhat if I'm the type who likes to watch?
A good question. And we don't judge.
With the Capcom Pro Tour in full swing, there are always Street Fighter 5 tournaments to watch. Local weeklies and ranbats get streamed, top Japanese players are showing their online play, and there are a solid string of majors leading up to EVO in July.
And EVO is what everyone cares about, right? And you don't even have to wait for the DVD anymore!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6cq3EsO0ZYThis year's tournament is breaking entry records across the board. And, yes, that's 3 different Nintendo games. Why? Because Mr. Wizard really likes fat wads of cash his Wii U.
Yes, "we sports now." etc.
While EVO is quickly becoming nothing more than a marketing tool (A Tekken 7 tournament on the main stage while 90% of the world has never played the game? Check.), that doesn't mean it's not full of hype. Expect some surprise announcements, too.
Will update with stream schedules and whatever once they're available.
What Else is There?
There's always more. Even while KOF XIV is in gestation, SNK has been sniping Capcom's Street Fighter staff in preparation for a renewed push on the market. Talks of more Samurai Shodown, possibly even more Mark of the Wolves, and--dare to dream--maybe even Last Blade? (That last one is just me hoping, but the others are real.)
As well, it's now only a matter of when, not if, for the announcement of the next Soulcalibur game. However, with Tekken 7 still lacking a console release date, I wouldn't start holding my breath until that's done and dusted. Still, some time in 2016 isn't a bad bet for at least a trailer.
There's more Mortal Kombat X stuff as well, but, frankly, after how they half-assed MK9, and their utter disdain for the PC customers with MKX, I find it hard to care about that series anymore.
Killer Instinct is going strong . . . ish. With a decent tutorial, and soon a full Windows 10 release, as well as a Halo guest character and a prime spot at EVO, it's honestly not the worst alternative right now.
There's Blazblue stuff going on, always new anime games, Skullgirls 2nd Encore got its Steam release, and it's Japanese release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPLkoy3LaBwThere's UNIEL and Dengeki Bunko, P4 Arena and Melty Blood, there's bound to be more Arcana Heart, and, of course Vanguard Princess and Yatagarasu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6cR5lMFLyMChances are, no matter what flavour you prefer, there's a fighting game out there for you.
Competitive Gaming and Writing Blog Updated in October: "Song (and Story) of the Day"
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
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Posts
EDIT: I want a good soup. Too much fast food lately.
Red Bull Kumite next week!
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
I think it's been this way for some years now, like since Street Fighter IV I'd guess. They stopped having tournaments for Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (they had HD remix a couple times) and that was a mainstay for a looooong time. Man, love that game. No fighting game will ever top that for me. Not a perfect game by any means, but a perfect example of simple to play, difficult to master.
It was always about favouritism before (Soulcalibur anyone? That first attempt at Smash?), and of course Capcom got the lion's share because SRK is a Capcom site. It's been a slow roll, but money is definitely what it's about now. Getting rid of Super Turbo is one thing--and they're still running side tourneys for that stuff--but stuff like SF x T, Tekken 7 getting on the main stage twice (!!) in a row, despite still not having a console release date, Pokken Tournament, etc.
Once Capcom and Namco realized they could get what they wanted if they just threw a little money around, everyone else has followed suit.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
And Guile screenshots: http://gamegeekz.eu/2016/04/18/sfv-guile-screenshots/
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
I'm surrounded by SFV hate from my casual gaming friends and I just don't get it. I've had tons of fun with V already
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
"I'm kinda pissed because this release is really buggy and feature-light."
becomes, "I heard V is really buggy and feature-light."
becomes, "I heard V sucks."
becomes "V sucks lol you haven't heard?"
Even though gameplay and balance are super tight, the launch roster is one of the best ever, and the engine is fast, well optimized, gorgeous.
Most of the people taking about pace and DLC play GG & Blazblue, so...yea. I'm not gonna argue the launch could have been smoother, and they have a point with Ken, but time debating them is time not fighting in streets so.
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
A question for KoF people. Is Tizoc considered mexican?
His name is Griffon Mask in Japan as far as I know.
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Show them grand finals from WCW 5.
This is a very fast game once you become familiar with it. I would say it is somewhat faster than Blazblue and comparable to the recent iterations of Gear Gear. You get two bad guesses and then you're dead, and there are no bursts or faultless guard to buy you time.
Jam is cool.
I'd be happy with Dizzy fully clothed.
This is Japan we're talking about though.
Still need my Zappa & Baiken...
Unclear. He hails from the "pro wrestling circuit."
I fight poorly, but still
I will fight you
I'd rather have Dr. Paradigm. Overture was shit, but story wise, it pulled GG out of the quagmire that was XX.
XX's story can be summarized as bounty hunters and every other character telling each other "get out of my way." Overture put the bounty hunters and assassins' ahem, "stories" to a close to focus more on the Gears. This is why I don't want to see the likes of Bridget and Jam again. They contribute nothing to the story but "get out of my way." If Jam has to come back I hope they give her personality traits other than "I want to fuck Ky and make all these fuckers get out of my way."
Holy shit, Guile.
"...only mights and maybes."
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Thats motw
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
I guess that makes this : D Day?
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Last Blade 2 is a very pretty game.
All I've been hearing about MB's steam release is that the netcode is garbage compared to the fan-translated emulators that everyone's been using for years already. Maybe they can improve it.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Competitive matches with the newest BB character.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
Looking forward to this in the next sfv patch.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream