Killer Instinct stories
Combo Breaker 2019 results
Updates: This story has been updated with final results.
There's a giant fighting game event happening this weekend St. Charles, Illinois. Basically any fighting game you'd be interested in will be featured, and has a high number of entrants here.
For just a sampling of the talent present at this event, you can expect to see FOX|SonicFox, REC|Punk, Rohto|Tokido, Mouz|Problem X, RB|Gachikun, JDCR, Rangchu, ROX|Knee, CO|Go1, Teresa, Dragon, CYG|Fuudo, Victrix|Momochi, CYG|Daigo, UYU|LowHigh, EG|NYChrisG, NRG|HookGangGod, RB|Anakin, PG|MarlinPie, CO|Dogura, ROX|Chanel, LostSoul, Linkorz, UYU|Jeondding, BC|Tachikawa, NASR|AngryBird, BC|ApologyMan, BjornSonOfBear, 1UP|PepperySplash, KOA|Sandman, UYU|CherryBerryMango, DR Gross, END|Scar, AN|KizzieKay, Flux, DJT, Noble|Semiij, NASR|TekkenMaster, DF|Saiyne, AXL|Boom, Supernoon, SSNO|KojiKOG, Hotashi and CATPION|Deb but of course many, many more as well, because there are far too many huge players to name even a fraction.
Texas Showdown 2019 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
This weekend has a big event taking place in Houston, Texas and it's featuring a ton of different fighting games.
Some of the notable players set to attend include Mouz|Problem X, RB|Anakin, EG|NYChrisG, FOX|NuckleDu, NRG|HookGangGod, Teresa, LostSoul, CJ Truth, Rise|Smug, PG|MarlinPie, W2W|Toi, CoolKid93, 1UP|PepperySplash, END|Shine, BjornSonOfBear, TGS|CeroBlast, Supernoon, Tempo|Alex Myers, AN|KizzieKay, NG|Obscure, FOX|Dekillsage, EQNX|Brian_F, Denial|JB, Crescent|Doza, Terrence, WG|Abegen, EG|Ricki Ortiz, Rise|K-Brad, Danslip, TGS|ElChakotay and of course many more.
From M. Bison to Geese Howard, who are the 10 most intimidating and best villains in fighting game history?
Fighting game final bosses are among the most iconic and memorable among all genres of video games because they represent — especially in the arcade era — the highest mountain you had to climb over to reach the top against computer players that would do everything in their power, including breaking the game, to destroy you and force you to spend another quarter.
Many of them have a number of design choices in common. They have the color red worked into their primary or secondary color schemes, they want to control / destroy the world, or they may simply want to acquire the best of every fighting style via assimilation. There are a number of them that have stood the test of time amongst their peers, however — we don't exactly hear too many people clamoring about Azazel from Tekken 6 or Ultron Sigma.
Frosty Faustings XI results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
Frosty Faustings XI is taking place this weekend — or to be more specific, this Friday and Saturday — in Illinois.
This is a pretty huge event with more than 1200 entrants total, so the competition is going to be off the charts for several of the games present.
Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate both have over 200 entrants, while BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Soul Calibur 6, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition and the event's Mystery Tournament all have over 100 entrants each.
Besides these titles, you can also expect tournament play to be streamed for Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers), Windjammers, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Pokkén Tournament DX, King of Fighters 14, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code, Super Sailor Moon S, Fighting EX Layer, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Injustice 2, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Killer Instinct.
Players set to attend include NuckleDu, REC|Punk, NRG|HookGangGod, LostSoul, UYU|Cloud805, EG|NYChrisG, BC|LordKnight, 1UP|PepperySplash, PG|MarlinPie, Teresa, Disrupt|Shadow20z, BjornSonOfBear, FF|ElvenShadow, Jona, FOX|Dekillsage, TS|Arturo Sanchez, Mr. K, Hotashi, NRG|Supernoon, Brian_F, Disrupt|Joonya20z, BxA|Blaze, ITS|ShinBlade, ITS|Mak, UYU|BeautifulDude, Foo, JodyThaGreat and many, many more.
Streaming is being done at BG Callisto, Low Kick Tournaments, Team Spooky, Will English IV, rs Blackrose and Unrivaled Tournaments.
Kumite in Tennessee 2019 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
We've just barely entered the new year, and we already have a slew of events upon us.
Kumite in Tennessee is one of them, and as you'd expect, it's taking place in Tennessee — more specifically, Franklin, Tennessee.
With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Tekken 7 both having over 100 entrants, and Soul Calibur 6, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition all being above 50 entrants each, respectively, this is going to be a pretty loaded event.
The games being played besides the aforementioned five are BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Injustice 2, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat XL, King of Fighters 14, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Killer Instinct and Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2.
Some of the notable players attending include Lil Majin, Disrupt|Shadow20z, BC|Biohazard, CuddleCore, SB|JB, W2W|KnowKami, Neon, Pokchop, BC|HoneyBee, MnT|Trungy, SperoGin, KoDee, TS|Arturo Sanchez and of course many more beyond that.
Streaming is being done at Team Spooky, VG Boot Camp, NYC Furby, HXC Gaming Events and TNEA Live.
NEC 19 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
NEC 19 is taking place this weekend in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
This event is hosting a ton of different games, with the most entered one being Soul Calibur 6 at over 250 participants, meaning that stakes are going to be very high for everyone involved.
Besides this, the event will also be hosting tournaments for Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Dead or Alive 5: Last Round and Pokkén Tournament DX.
Some of the notable names showing up include FOX|SonicFox, Dragon, PAG|Grover, BxA|PartyWolf, Saiyne, Linkorz, UGS|XCaliburBladez, MrKwiggle, Flux, PG|MarlinPie, W2W|KnowKami, FSD|Rikuto and KPB|JDR, though there are obviously many more as well.
There are several other games not listed on the main stream schedule as well that may have side streams such as Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Killer Instinct and Injustice 2, so make sure to check around if those are being streamed separately if you're interested.
Streaming is being done at Bifuteki, Funky P, Bros Calamity, KPB Live and TSB Blaze.
Magion's art will pull you in and send your eyes for a wonderful ride
All we know about this artist is that their handle is "Magion" and they have some pretty great fighting game art.
The first image in our gallery here is very cartoon like in nature, but as you'll see immediately afterwards Magion is also very skilled over on the more realistic side of the spectrum.
Android 18's gaze captures us where we sit, and Vegeta's cotton candy swirl of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (did I get that right?) hair commands our attention before raining beams of energy send us down to the rest of the image.
The piece featuring a beaten down Chun-Li at the hands of Cammy not only tells us a captivating story but also showcases a wonderful grasp of visual depth as we start with the extreme close up of Chun's bracelet in the bottom right and the focus shifts gradually farther back as we move up and to the left.
Throw in a sketch of Akuma fighting Kratos from God of War and you have yourself an artist that can seemingly hit you from just about every artistic angle.
Give the gallery a look through here and let us know your thoughts. If you'd like to see more from the artist you can view their NSFW Deviant Art page.
Kumite in Texas / Low Tier City 6 results
Updated with final results: This story has been updated with the results from Kumite in Texas / Low Tier City 6.
This weekend, we're seeing two events kind of come together as one, as Kumite in Texas and Low Tier City 6 will be running their events together in the same area.
They still have their own titles and streams, but the venue seems to be shared and will be housing a ton of different fighting game players in various games.
Notable players attending for Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. 4, by far the biggest games at the event, include Liquid|Hungrybox, Alliance|Armada, C9|Mango, TSM|Leffen, Tweek, GRV|Dabuz, DIG|Lucky, ALG|n0ne, BSD|Elegant, DIG|HugS, EMG|Mistake, Balance|Syrox, Cosmos, CaptainZack, PG|Esam, Alliance|Android, Samsora, PG|MVD and many more.
That doesn't mean that those are the only games at the event, though. There will also be tournament play in Project M, Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Super Smash Bros. 64, Icons: Combat Arena, Rivals of Aether, Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat XL, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Killer Instinct and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
With Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. 4 being at over 300 and over 200 entrants respectively, though, that's where the brunt of the action will be happening.
Streaming is being done at Tourney Locator, Tourney Locator 2, YouTube Tourney Locator, PandaxGaming and PandaxGaming 2.
Damn... these 'reasons' why people don't play certain fighting games are brutal and really funny
Name any fighting game, any one that ever existed, and you've undoubtedly heard someone give their "reasons" for not playing it or why it's no good.
Whether it be too noob friendly or wasn't released on the right console, people love to complain about things in the fighting game community. All of us do it, whether we're willing to admit it or not. (Menat's standing heavy punch is cheap and totally unfair!)
Reddit user XXXCheckmate recently put together a graphic that lists some of the most common complaints about many of today's most popular fighting games. They're brutal, funny as hell, and a very accurate depiction of the stuff you'll come across online and in real life.
Street Fighter 5, Tekken 7, Injustice 2, Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, none of these games are safe from the ax, and they're all included here.
"Top 8 is all the same," "F U N C T I O N S," "half the roster is Goku," are among some of the classic complaints we see regularly. I also have to give it up for "no Testament, no invest-ament," because that's pretty darn good.
At the end of the day, it's all in good fun. Everyone is still going to play the games they love, despite the criticism. Unless it's that one Sailor Moon fighting game, then everyone is going to play it because it's perfect...
The weekend is almost here, so relax a little and read over these funny complaints to share a laugh with us.
Click images for larger versions
Sent in by TRAUMARADIO.
The original Killer Instinct didn't have throws because they were banned in some arcades during the early Street Fighter 2 era
It is no secret that back in the Street Fighter 2 days throws were considered "cheap." With a strong arcade presence and players all around the world trying to learn the ins and outs of what is considered the most legendary fighting game series to ever launch, competitors took some time to understand the meta and the proper way to play the game.
You've probably heard stories of players way back when complaining about being thrown in Street Fighter 2. Due to the damage output of a successful throw and some players' lack of knowledge of how to stop them, this core game mechanic was banned at many arcade establishments back in the early 1990s.
Arcade-goers could still physically pull off these maneuvers, and those that were brave enough to do so were often met with "cheap!" accusations or demands for a free hit/throw in return from the "victim." In more extreme cases, players who went for throws or won games with them would have to give up a quarter to their opponent, and there are even tales of real life altercations stemming from throws. No joke.
While "no-throws" wasn't the standard for every establishment, it was enforced at the historic Sunnyvale Golfland arcade in Northern California. This happens to be the arcade that Partner Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, Ken Lobb, and Design Director & eSports Lead for Killer Instinct, James Goddard, would frequent back during the Street Fighter 2 era.
During yesterday's Microsoft Studios Live show stream, Lobb and Goddard gave some insight into the current installment in the Killer instinct franchise. In the midst of their discussion, we were also given some backstory on how the two met and more interesting bits of KI history.
When talking about their Street Fighter 2 experience at the arcade together. Lobb shared a fun fact. Apparently, the original Killer Instinct title did not have a throw mechanic because of the perception of Street Fighter 2's throws and their ban at arcades.
Updated: Possible Killer Instinct Season 4 inbound? Microsoft Studios is holding a live steam next week that 'you'll want to tune into'
Updated 11:03 a.m. PDT, Mon. July 23, 2018: The Killer Instinct Twitter account has confirmed that no big announcements related to the game are slated for the live stream tomorrow. We also learned that Partner Creative Director at Microsoft Studios and creator of the Killer Instinct series Ken Lobb, as well as Design Director & eSports Lead for Killer Instinct, James "DJames" Goddard, will be guests on the show.
Earlier: Killer Instinct Season 3 saw its release back in March 2016. The Xbox One reboot of Rare's classic fighting franchise was well received in the fighting game community, and continues to have a dedicated competitive scene to this day.
Once the game's third season wrapped up, fans were left wanting more. But with a roster totaling 29 characters — with guests like Battletoads' Rash, Halo's Arbiter, and Gears of War's General RAAM even entering the battle — several new modes added, and all kinds of unlockable colors and accessories, it seemed as though it was time for developers Iron Galaxy and Microsoft Studios to move on.
It's been a while since we've heard of any new developments on the Killer Instinct front, however, the game's official Twitter account sent out an interesting tweet this week.
Apparently, Microsoft Studios will be holding a live stream on July 24th that is set to focus on Killer Instinct. The next episode of the Microsoft Studios Live show will feature KI and is expected to kick off at 12 p.m. PDT / 3 p.m. EDT that day.
"Hey KI fans, save the date and time: You'll want to tune into the next @MSStudiosBlog #MicrosoftStudiosLIVE Show on Tuesday July 24th at 12:00pm Pacific! This episode is all about your favorite fighting game and has some killer guests lined up!" the tweet reads.
The Microsoft Studios Live show is one where Microsoft games are showcased and we see discussions with these games' developers. Considering Killer Instinct has been on the market for over five years now, it's certainly interesting to see it as a feature on the show.
Click image to view the tweet
CEO 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
CEO 2018 is upon us, and there are a ton of games being played at the event.
With over 3000 people attending, there's barely any point in listing all the notable players you might see, but if you want a closer look at who's showing up, make sure to check our tournament preview from yesterday.
This is a Capcom Pro Tour Premier event for Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition at the Capcom Pro Tour, a Master event for the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour, a Master event for the Tekken World Tour and a Premier event for the Injustice 2 Pro Series.
Besides these games, the event will also be hosting Super Smash Bros. 4, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Killer Instinct, King of Fighters 14 and Capcom vs. SNK 2.
On top of this, the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be playable at the event, so there's likely to be ample gameplay from that extremely hyped game, and there will also be exhibition events for the upcoming Soul Calibur 6 and the recently released Fighting EX Layer.
Streaming is being done at Capcom Fighters, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Tekken, CEO Gaming, Team Spooky, VG Boot Camp, NetherRealm, Data FGC, Polarity GG and Villain904.
Over 3,000 attendees, 4 major tours represented, 14 tournament titles and more - here's what you can look forward to from CEO 2018 this weekend
This weekend, we'll all be able to tune in to CEO 2018, one fo the biggest fighting game events of the year, typically held annually in June.
Not only is it a Premier Event for the Capcom Pro Tour, Master Event for the Tekken World Tour and a Premier Event for the Injustice 2 Pro Series, but it'll also be the inaugural event of the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour, kicking off a competitive circuit for one of the most popular fighting games around.
Besides this, a bunch of other titles are also being played at the event, so let's take a look at what we've got to look forward to this weekend.
Faces, functions, on disc DLC and more, Curse Entertainment recounts the biggest fighting game faux pas over the last seven years
The fighting game community entered something of a golden age after 2009's release of Street Fighter 4 and a handful of subsequent successful titles, but it's been a real roller coaster of ups and downs since then.
There's no question that we've seen some incredible growth and development through franchises old and new, but one can only imagine where we could be if it weren't for some monumental missteps that have slowed and even buried games that had incredible potential.
Curse Entertainment has put together a video examining some of these issues so as to keep them at the forefront of our thoughts lest we make them again.
Some such mistakes were eventually corrected leaving just a few non-fatal scars as in the case of King of Fighters 14's initial visuals or Street Fighter 5's shoddy launch. Other titles were not so lucky, as Street Fighter X Tekken and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite would never be able to recover from their respective failures despite some eventual corrections.
Not to be a total Debbie Downer, Curse also takes some time to highlight the successes of franchises like Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct, both of which have seen major successes in various avenues.
As the scene continues to expand to new heights on both the casual and competitive levels we hope to learn to better cross our "T's" and dot our "i's." Continue on to check out the video and let us know what you think after you're done.
Big E3 sales underway for titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ and Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition; Killer Instinct: Definitive is $10
E3 may be winding down its new game announcements, but the sales related to the year's biggest gaming event are still well underway; the fighting game sales are very strong this time around.
The US PlayStation store currently has their 'Best of E3 Sale' going for "big titles from years past" including the likes of many current and popular fighting games on PlayStation 4.
Dragon Ball FighterZ sees discounts on the digital storefront for the game's standard edition, FighterZ Edition including the season pass and Ultimate Edition with the season pass, anime music pack as well as the commentator DLC pack.
Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, its deluxe version and the game's character passes are also included in the sale as well as Injustice 2: Legendary Edition, Guilty Gear REV 2 and Tekken 7 among others.
Microsoft's fighter Killer Instinct is also up for grabs for a great price. Players that have yet to pick up the title can grab it plus all of its characters and content with the Definitive Edition for $9.99 USD.
The PlayStation Store sale is running through June 19th. You can check out the full list of games and prices below.
What looked like a weird glitch during Combo Breaker 2018's Killer Instinct top 8 was actually a wild set up
It is not uncommon for Killer Instinct to have a strong showing at the Combo Breaker tournament series each year in Chicago. Combo Breaker 2018 marked another great year of Killer Instinct action, with an exciting tournament featuring many of the best players the game has to offer.
During one of the top 8 losers side matches, which featured Circa|Nicky and SD117|SonicDolphin117, a moment on stream seemed to confuse spectators -- myself included.
Landing a quick opener on Nicky's Fulgore, SonicDolphin117's Kim Wu began a combo but quickly transitioned into a Counter Breaker attempt. In Killer Instinct, Counter Breakers are a way of preventing an opponent from combo breaking you; it's risky, but the pay off is your foe being locked out and you scoring free damage.
Nicky took the bait, allowing the Kim Wu player to punish. Instead of a traditional combo, however, SonicDolphin117's Kim Wu seemed to stutter a second, then jump straight up while Fulgore continued the Combo Breaker animation.
"What in the world?!" commentator Stephen "Sajam" Lyon exclaimed when seeing the odd occurrence.
To those not in the know, this Killer Instinct moment appears to be a glitch or some sort of strange interaction brought upon by the situation. In fact, it's actually a pretty great set up that Kim Wu has in her arsenal.
Click image for animated version
Combo Breaker 2018 results
Update: This story has been updated with final results.
This weekend, we're getting an absolutely gargantuan event taking place in St. Charles, Illinois in the form of Combo Breaker 2018.
It really can't be stated enough how big this event is for a ton of different games, with a whopping 16 games, and the Mystery Game Tournament besides them as well, exceeding 100 entrants each, and with two games exceeding 500 entrants, and another one getting very close.
On top of that, it's a Premier Event for the Capcom Pro Tour and a Master Event for the Tekken World Tour, so people will definitely be showing up to compete. Also, the winner of Dragon Ball FighterZ will claim the final spot in the 16-person event Summit of Power happening two weeks from now.
With so much on the line and so many players showing up, we couldn't possibly begin to list every notable name present, so here is a very small excerpt of who you can expect to see: CO|Go1, FOX|SonicFox, FOX|Tokido, FD|Fujimura, EG|NYChrisG, PG|Infiltration, CYG|Daigo, FOX|Justin Wong, NuckleDu, FOX|Punk, TSM|Leffen, Rise|MenaRD, DouyuTV|Xiao Hai, Liquid|Nemo, Fursan|Verloren, Mouz|Problem X, AS|Reynald, GGP|Kazunoko, CYG|Fuudo, ALG|Dragon, CO|Dogura, PG|SKD, RB|Luffy, FOX|Theo, PG|MarlinPie, RNG|Swedish Delight, Circa|ForeverKing, Tempo|S2J and so, so many more.
The games being played at the event, in order of entrants from biggest to smallest, are Dragon Ball FighterZ, Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Injustice 2, Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[st], BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Killer Instinct, Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, Mortal Kombat XL, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the ceremonious Mystery Game Tournament, Super Smash Bros. 4, King of Fighters 14, Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Vampire Savior/Darkstalkers, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mortal Kombat 9.
Streaming is being done at Team Spooky, Capcom Fighters, Tekken, NetherRealm, BG Callisto, Funky P, PandaxGaming, Vampire Arcadia and VG Boot Camp.
