Will Street Fighter 5's latest patch give new characters a chance in the spotlight? Tournament results seem to say so
Like many members of the Street Fighter community, I had my fair share of reservations about the direction Capcom was taking SF5 with the latest Season 3.5 balance patch.
The idea of buffing Cammy and Menat while seemingly taking tools away from Ed and F.A.N.G didn't make a ton of sense, and it still doesn't. That said, tournament results have been showing a wealth of character variety in top eight and top 16 brackets.
While fighters like Cammy, Menat, Rashid and Abigail still have a strong presence, we're also seeing the likes fighters like R. Mika, Vega, Chun-Li, Ken and others start to pop up.
Keeping in mind it's still a little early, it does appear some new trends are beginning to emerge in the competitive Street Fighter 5 scene.
We've had three major events since the Season 3.5 patch went live, and I've collected the top 16 results for all of them in the image below. Check it out and then read on for speculation on why this is happening.
(I chose not to include the online CPT event because of the potential influence of lag and disconnects, though it did feature an Alex, Sakura, Vega and F.A.N.G in the top 16.)
Click images for larger versions
14 minute trailer released for BeasTV's upcoming '9road' film starring Kuroda and Eita
It's been a good six months since we first heard about BeasTV's "Project 9road" film starring Third Strike legend Kuroda, but we now have all new news on the matter in the form of a trailer.
The 14 minute trailer gives us much more information and insight than the first teaser, which only lasted three minutes and served mainly as an announcement for the project.
The world of 9road is certainly bleak, offering a near post apocalyptic atmospheric feel despite the presence of a full society.
Kuroda's abilities in Third Strike extended to just about every character on the roster, but he's best known for his play with Q, one the game's lowest tier fighters.
The story seems to revolve around the emergence of Q after a science lab explosion exposes a series of horrible experiments performed on humans.
Whether it be premise, technical execution, the acting skills of Kuroda and Eita or otherwise, we're interested in hearing your reactions to the new trailer, so please share them in the comments after you watch.
Who needs top tiers? Go1 breaks out his Yamcha, Krillin and Nappa to further prove he's the world's best Dragon Ball FighterZ player
It's easy to be the best Dragon Ball FighterZ player in the world when you have strong fighters like Cell, Vegeta and Adult Gohan on your team, but CO|Go1 is proving he's the real deal as he calls upon his third stringers.
XusesGB has captured some footage of the Japanese mastermind making quick work of opponents with the likes of Nappa, Krillin and Yamcha.
Before going any further I should specify, Yamcha is widely regarded as closer to the middle of the pack in terms of overall tier rankings, but he's definitely not on par with the game's best. Also, he's Yamcha. He's kind of low tier by default.
It's a bit refreshing to see teams that don't include the likes of Android 16, Vegeta and the other routine top tiers that we're so used to watching.
Not only is this a display of awesome skill, but also a chance for players who use these less competitive characters to take some notes and garner some inspiration. Wins all around.
Check out these three matches and let us know what you think of Go1's play with these lower tier heroes.
How good is Click Burgundy's fighting game art?
We've featured the work of Click Burgundy a few times before here on EventHubs, but the Japanese artist has been hard at work as of late, and things have only gotten better.
Today we're featuring a gallery comprised of characters from all over the fighting game realm.
Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ are all represented in Burgundy's strikingly soft signature style.
The artist's ability to capture the essence of these iconic characters while still putting their own touch on each and every one is top tier, and that balance is a big part of what makes these so captivating.
This may be best represented by the Cody image here, which sees the character with a somewhat small and tired face. Though not necessarily 100% true to the character as we know him, such a deviation from the norm doesn't feel like an issue for the piece.
Let us know which of these you liked best in the comments, and please tell us if you'd like to see even more from the artist in the future.
If Mortal Kombat 11 happens, which horror icons should make it in as guest characters?
With the very real possibility of a new Mortal Kombat game on the horizon, it's about become that time again... guest character speculation.
Surely there will be those who feel it's too early for such a discussion considering we haven't yet gotten an official announcement of the game itself and that it's probably a higher priority to talk legacy fighters once we do.
We're actually not talking guests from any and all reaches of pop culture, but instead focusing specifically on the horror genre of media. With Freddie Krueger, Jason Vorheese, Predator, Leatherface and Alien making their way into recent MK titles, this has been something NetherRealm studios has been very much about lately.
While I'm most certain we'll eventually see an original article on this subject from our resident horror fan, Dreamking, I'm turning to History Behind the Warrior's latest video.
I will say that, considering the aforementioned trend in MK games, it's all but expected that we'll get Michael Myers of the Halloween franchise should MK11 indeed come to fruition.
History Behind the Warrior brings up a point on that matter: most all guest horror characters had a film in development when they were put into MK, because cross promotion is a great business practice. In unrelated news, there's a new Halloween film slated for release this October.
Does Android 17 deserve a slot in the Dragon Ball FighterZ roster considering his role in Android 18's moveset?
If you've been paying attention to the rumors for Dragon Ball FighterZ, then you probably have a few good guesses on which characters will be playable thanks to DLC. With the recent reveal for Fused Zamasu, a great deal of credibility was added to the supposed leaks.
During the update that made Broly and Bardock available to the public, data files were discovered in the game's code that points to the development of the rest of the downloadable combatants. Apparently, one of the characters that the data points to is Android 17.
But why does Android 17 deserve a spot in the roster? Isn't he technically already in the game? He effectively serves as an assist-like attack for Android 18's moveset.
Considering the character's role during the Universe Survival Arc, this just doesn't do the character justice. Android 17 became extremely popular among fans during the arc's most memorable moments that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Some might argue that Android 17's character development during Dragon Ball Super was the best thing that happened in the anime. Let's take a closer look at the complexity of Android 17's personality traits.
SwitchFest early results, stream ft. Nairo, MKLeo, Tweek, Larry Lurr, VoiD, Abadango, Komorikiri, Cosmos, Samsora, Shuton, Raito, Falln and more
Update: This story has been updated with day 1 results.
SwitchFest will be taking place this weekend in Long Beach, California.
This isn't a game focused exclusively on fighting games, but in fact an event that is focused on a variety of Nintendo games being played in a competitive fashion.
At the event, there will be Super Smash Bros. 4 Singles and Doubles, and a lot of top players have taken the trip to participate.
The event will also feature both ARMS and Pokkén Tournament DX tournaments, so there's a lot to look forward to in the fighting game realm.
As for players attending, you can expect to see NRG|Nairo, FOX|MKLeo, P1|Tweek, MSF|Larry Lurr, CLG|VoiD, Abadango, 2GG|Komorikiri, Cosmos, Samsora, Shuton, Raito, Falln, DNG|Kameme and many more.
Streaming is being done at 2G Gaming and Nairo MK.
R. Mika trades with Cammy's critical art but Nadeshiko finishes the job - Saigon Cup 2018 Street Fighter 5 highlights
Saigon Cup 2018 has ended. This was a ranking event for the Capcom Pro Tour in he Asian region.
As a result of this, there was quite a bit of talent present at the Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition tournament. Players in attendance included FD|Fujimura, CYG|Fuudo, Fursan|Verloren, RB|Bonchan, Liquid|John Takeuchi, RZR|Xian, DNG|Itabashi Zangief, FD|Haitani, CYG|GamerBee, AB|Poongko, NASR|BigBird, Talon|HotDog29, UYU|OilKing, UYU|NL, and many more.
In other words, there were a number of interesting match ups and hype sequences that occurred. We got highlights to showcase in case you missed out on the action.
Fuudo's R. Mika really had NL's Cammy on the ropes. Fuudo only needed a couple more good hits to take a particular match.
After scoring a hard knockdown thanks to a crush counter, Fuudo cancelled into a V-Trigger. In order to escape the pressure, NL opted for a wake up critical art.
Unfortunately for NL, this ended up trading with R. Mika's jumping body splash. Nadeshiko was able to finish the job from there.
Click images for animated versions
Saigon Cup 2018 results ft. Fujimura, Fuudo, Verloren, Bonchan
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
Saigon Cup 2018 is taking place this weekend in Saigon, Vietnam.
It's a Ranking event in the Asian portion of the Capcom Pro Tour, so with points on the line, a lot of players are gathering.
Besides Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, the event will also feature tournament play in Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2.
There'll also be a 3v3 event in Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition the day before the regular tournament, so if Street Fighter 5 is what you're there for, you'll be covered both days.
Players attending include, but are not limited to, FD|Fujimura, CYG|Fuudo, Fursan|Verloren, RB|Bonchan, Liquid|John Takeuchi, Gachikun, RZR|Xian, DNG|Itabashi Zangief, FD|Haitani, CYG|GamerBee, UYU|Jeondding, AB|StormKubo, AB|Poongko, NASR|BigBird, Talon|HotDog29, Humanbomb, UYU|OilKing, UYU|NL, AB|Kichipa-mu, WP|Daikokugo, AB|Gunfight, IG|Jiewa and GW|Eita.
Streaming is being done at Saigon FGC and AisuKyubu.
If you thought Vega and Ed were amazing, you need to check out F.A.N.G's 'official trailer'
Recently, we saw fan made trailers for Vega and Ed that really highlighted their great strengths. These characters look so good that... they'd probably give Wimp Lo a run for his money.
It seems that this has started a trend of releasing fan made trailers for Street Fighter 5 fighters that many refer to as "low tier." Sai Sak has uploaded F.A.N.G's trailer.
Moves that are safe on block? Why would F.A.N.G need that?
The trailer even shows that some of F.A.N.G's attacks are unsafe on hit. It's a good thing that poison effect dissipates whenever F.A.N.G is hit!
Just like Ed and Vega, F.A.N.G's V-Reversal is shown to be pretty easy to punish. Good luck getting out of the corner with this combatant!
Check out the trailer that showcases many of the difficulties that F.A.N.G players go through after the jump.
If ArcSys were to give another anime the Dragon Ball FighterZ treatment, which one would you like to see?
One of the biggest headlines in the FGC throughout this last year has been Dragon Ball FighterZ ever since its reveal, the hopes and hype for it as we built up to its release, and the great success it has seen since we could finally get our hands on it.
Honestly, even if the game didn't appeal to you personally, it's hard to argue against that this was going to be a slam dunk of big proportions - First, you bring in Bandai Namco, one of the most successful fighting game publishers in the entire world with the Tekken and Soul Calibur franchises under their belt.
Then, you add Arc System Works to the mix, developers of serious pedigree with Guilty Gear, BlazBlue and Persona 4: Arena all being highly successful in their own right, and you combine their efforts for a Dragon Ball game, one of the biggest multimedia franchises in the entire world.
It's not like Arc System Works are strangers to adaptions, either. The aforementioned Persona 4: Arena was obviously an adaption of the highly popular RPG franchise, but they also made a fondly remembered (yet also hilariously broken) Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken fighting game back in 2005, as well as recent endeavors on the 3DS with both Dragon Ball and One Piece, including crossplay capability between the two.
So, with the company having such a storied history when it comes to adapting franchises, their most recent endeavor being to bring the world of RWBY to fighting game fans via their crossover title BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, the mind starts to wander when thinking of what other franchises they might be able to turn into gold if given the chance.
While it's hard to reach the fame and success of Dragon Ball, there are a lot of different manga series that have ended up being hugely successful not just in their native Japan, but on a worldwide scale as well. Some are obviously not very fit for a fighting game (Death Note FighterZ, any one?), but it's still commonplace for most popular series to have a strong battle element to them.
With that in mind, we decided to let you guys, our readers, have your voices be heard. We've compiled a poll with some of the biggest manga franchises in the world that Arc System Works could possibly make their next fighting game based on, and it's time for you guys to vote on them. For the poll itself and some more details about my reasoning for these choices, continue below.
Could Street Fighter 5 use a second Story Mode to help introduce new characters like G, Cody, Falke and Sagat?
When we first got wind of Arcade Edition back in October of last year, we saw a good handful of new locales as characters fought, trained and frolicked their way through the trailer.
This dropped at a time where the community was desperately looking for reassurance from Capcom that Street Fighter 5 was still being fully supported, and the resounding "yes" that came from the AE reveal was overwhelming.
In addition to a new Season of DLC characters, we were also promised a complete makeover for the game's HUD's, new moves and new single player modes, all of which were delivered upon.
Going back to those new locales, (which were further expanded upon in December when the DLC character reveal trailer was released at Capcom Cup) many of us saw the extensive attention to detail and character relation as hints at a new Story Mode.
Abigail in a toxic looking junkyard, Menat in a bustling city, Sakura and Blanka racing through an autumn forest, Rashid in a desert temple and Ryu and Akuma facing off inside of a waterfall? There was even more to it, but those sequences alone made for some enticing speculation.
Could the game use another Story Mode in addition to Season 1's "A Shadow Falls?" Here are a few of the referenced images to refresh your mind, then read on as we further unpack this concept.
Click images for larger versions
King of Fighters 14 3.01 patch tidies up odd visual bugs and unintended move interactions
The recent update for King of Fighters 14 brought with it some all new characters and balance changes much to the delight of fans everywhere. It also brought some bugs and unintentional happenings that required a quick fix.
SNK has done just that and released a secondary patch to clean a few moves up, specifically focusing on Robert, Oswald, King, Heidern and Blue Mary.
Looking to clean up odd visuals and strange move interactions, the change list isn't all that long but still very important in maintaining a general sense of respectability for the game.
One of the most notable bugs saw characters become weirdly distorted upon being hit by one of Robert's attacks.
The first change, "Robert's Ryuuren・Gen-ei Kyaku (including the EX version) are now displayed correctly," deals directly with this.
For those unsure of what this means exactly, here's a quick clip of what was happening when Robert landed this attack:
Click image for animated version
Nomination and voting rules detailed for Dragon Ball FighterZ's Summit of Power
Beyond the Summit will be holding their own invitational Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament in June with the Summit of Power that will give players the opportunity to take home part of the $10,000 prize pool.
16 of the best DBFZ players from around the world will come together in Los Angeles, California to duke it out and six of those slots are still up for grabs.
Eight players were directly invited to the event including the likes of FOX|SonicFox, CYG|Go1 and TSM|Leffen. NRG|HookGangGod and Reynald secured their spots by winning qualifiers earlier this month with one more slot available for the winner of Combo Breaker in May as a last chance qualifier.
The remaining five players will be decided by popular vote using Twitter from a selection of qualified players that have placed high in previous FighterZ tournaments.
Players can still opt in to be selected before the first voting period starts on April 30 at 12:00 pm PDT where people can vote via tweets on the Smash.gg page. The first period ends on May 7th at 2:00 pm PDT where the top 20 players will advance to the final voting stage.
You can check out the rules, qualifications and opted-in players after the jump as well as the players that have previously been confirmed.
The first 30 seconds of the latest 'WTF Moments' alone make the whole video worth it
Sometimes while playing Street Fighter 5, the goofiest oddities will rob us of sure victories and plummet our psyches into downward spirals of frustration and anger. It's super funny when it happens to someone else, though.
XusesGB has taken some time to round up a handful of clips of such happenings so that we can all have a good laugh and enjoy other people's unfortunate SF5 turnouts.
These are all nabbed from online play, so keep in mind these competitors are playing to win when each and every one of these sequences happen.
To get you going, here's a quick snippet of a very anti-climactic Critical Art fest involving Filipinoman and FantasThiccKolin.
I later saw the second bit, involving AB|Poongko and the troll-iest sequence of medium kicks ever, and then had to highlight that as well.
He rifles off no fewer than 19 standing knees with Akuma, and wins the match by doing so.
Click images for animated versions
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will have 31 tournament-viable characters by EVO 2018, here's each and every one of them
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle may not be available to the public yet, but that hasn't stopped it from capturing one of the highly sought after EVO line up slots this year.
Set to release in just over a month on May 31st, BBCTB is a hybrid clash of four anime style fighting games: BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY.
Half of the two on two game's eventual 40-character roster will be included upon release, while the other half will join the fight at later dates as downloadable content.
Developer Arc System Works has announced that 31 of the 40 fighters will be tournament legal at EVO 2018 in August. While Cross Tag Battle does include characters from four games, the distribution of fighters from each title is not even.
There will be 13 from BlazBlue, seven from Persona 4, seven from Under Night and then four from RWBY.
Click the thumbnail here to see ArcSys' full tweet as well as the image showing off each of the 31 characters along with the respective games they hail from:
Which characters are we hoping to see in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game? EventHubs staff share our picks for the upcoming brawler
Although we don't know much about it yet, we do know that there's a new Super Smash Bros. game coming for the Nintendo Switch.
As always when it comes to the Super Smash Bros. series, the part that's on everyone's mind is roster decisions. With such a grand crossover between beloved Nintendo franchises, and lately big gaming franchises in general, everyone wants to see their favorites make the cut.
There are already so many Nintendo All-Stars embedded in to the franchise that you might think there are barely room for any more, but in fact, there are some old flames that still haven't made it in
More importantly though, as Nintendo has been having a pretty good run with new games for the last few years as well, as evidenced by the announcement trailer showing the Inklings from Splatoon joining the fray.
So, with limitless options available, me and two of my colleagues - Steven "DreamKing" Chavez and Justin "AdaptiveTrigger" Gordon - decided to put our heads together for this collaboration article, where we pick two characters each that we're hoping to see in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game.
We employed a ground rule of no returning characters (so I won't be going on about Wolf again this time) as well as trying to keep our choices aimed at Nintendo characters, because although 3rd parties have become a big part of Smash Bros., the core is still centered heavily on Nintendo icons duking it out, so it felt like that's where our focus should lie.
