Week of January 27th to February 2nd, 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.
LVL UP EXPO [ Saturday ] [ 4PM EDT | 1PM PDT ]
- Las Vegas Majors helps organize multiple fighting game tournaments at LVL UP EXPO, a video gaming convention, featuring over $4000 in pot bonuses.
- This event continues through Sunday.
- Location, fees, platforms, rules, payout, prizes, 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 GAF's most Hollywood player and streamer, Sixfortyfive!
What fighting games do you currently play, what are your all time favourites and why?
I'm just a Marvel minion for the time being. I don't play online and don't really have anyone local to play with at the moment, so I'm not planning to pick up anything new in the near future.
My favorite fighting game is Virtual On Oratario Tangram. The arena fighter style lends itself to full free-roaming 3D movement, long-range, and close-range combat. It's also a very fast-paced game with a fairly diverse roster. Not a whole lot of fighting games hit all of those notes. I'd like to try out the Gundam VS games sometime because they seem to fill a similar niche.
Guardian Heroes and the Bleach DS games deserve special mention for showing how simultaneous 4-player gameplay could work in a traditional fighting game. Those games are an amazing proof of concept, and I wish some high-profile developers and franchises would copy them.
What are your favorite mechanics from the current selection of fighting games and why? What are your least favorite and why?My favorite fighting game is Virtual On Oratario Tangram. The arena fighter style lends itself to full free-roaming 3D movement, long-range, and close-range combat. It's also a very fast-paced game with a fairly diverse roster. Not a whole lot of fighting games hit all of those notes. I'd like to try out the Gundam VS games sometime because they seem to fill a similar niche.
Guardian Heroes and the Bleach DS games deserve special mention for showing how simultaneous 4-player gameplay could work in a traditional fighting game. Those games are an amazing proof of concept, and I wish some high-profile developers and franchises would copy them.
That's a tough question to answer. The things I tend to really like about the games I play (such as Marvel team mechanics) aren't really new or unique to the current generation. I suppose if there's one specific thing about Marvel 3 I really like, it's that "catch" moves (throws, lv3 supers, etc.) are immune to timer scams. It's a really little thing, but I appreciate small things that are well thought out.
I suppose my least favorite game mechanic is TAC, or "baby's first one-button mix-up." The risk/reward is just all out of whack, and I don't think I need to spend a lot of words going over this again. I prefer MvC3 to TvC overall, but TvC did this and a few other little things (team supers, crossover counters) considerably better and wish it had been copied in those respects.
Tripping deserves a mention because I can't think of a single positive reason for its existence. Even all of the casual Smash players I knew hated it. No one likes control to be stripped from them for no reason.
What got you into fighting games? Are there any other genre of games you play?I suppose my least favorite game mechanic is TAC, or "baby's first one-button mix-up." The risk/reward is just all out of whack, and I don't think I need to spend a lot of words going over this again. I prefer MvC3 to TvC overall, but TvC did this and a few other little things (team supers, crossover counters) considerably better and wish it had been copied in those respects.
Tripping deserves a mention because I can't think of a single positive reason for its existence. Even all of the casual Smash players I knew hated it. No one likes control to be stripped from them for no reason.
I was around in the arcades when SF2 and MK were the hot new things to play, but I actually didn't like fighting games back then. I never had a regular source of income, so I'd usually have to make due with $2 or so in quarters while my mom spent a couple hours shopping elsewhere, and I'd have to figure out how to stretch that $2 for as long as I could manage. I wouldn't get more than 2 minutes out of a game of SF because I didn't know how to approach the game, my opponents wouldn't want to take it easy and waste their money either, and I didn't have any friends that were into fighting games that I could learn from. I could rent the console versions if I wanted to, but it's not like those ever came with instructions or had training modes or in-game move lists of any kind, so those would usually just provide half an hour of button mashing before we'd get bored and move onto something else. I'm not sure if modern gamers can appreciate just how slowly information could travel in the pre-internet age when it came to this sort of thing. If you simply knew how to do the special moves back then, you were considered hot shit in a lot of general gaming circles. I mean, fuck, I think we called them "secret" moves, not specials.
But I was always the type of gamer who really valued challenge and competition. As those aspects waned in favor of theatrics in modern blockbuster games, fighting games became more appealing, especially as training modes got better and I could just look up all the information I needed on the internet. A local friend got me into playing SF4, then TvC. We'd dedicate anywhere from 4 to 12 hours on Saturdays to playing with 1 or 2 other friends, and in the fall of 2010 we went to Season's Beatings: Redemption in Ohio (R.I.P. Momo2) to see what the tournament scene was like first-hand. If I wasn't already hooked by then, that would have sealed the deal.
Before fighters, I was heavily into rhythm games (especially Pump It Up), and before that, mostly local multiplayer games of lots of different kinds with high school and middle school friends. I mostly play retro games and arcade-style games these days, although now that people are offloading their collections and moving to next-gen it does make me want to catch up on some 360 games I can get on the cheap now.
What is your favorite fighting game character and why?But I was always the type of gamer who really valued challenge and competition. As those aspects waned in favor of theatrics in modern blockbuster games, fighting games became more appealing, especially as training modes got better and I could just look up all the information I needed on the internet. A local friend got me into playing SF4, then TvC. We'd dedicate anywhere from 4 to 12 hours on Saturdays to playing with 1 or 2 other friends, and in the fall of 2010 we went to Season's Beatings: Redemption in Ohio (R.I.P. Momo2) to see what the tournament scene was like first-hand. If I wasn't already hooked by then, that would have sealed the deal.
Before fighters, I was heavily into rhythm games (especially Pump It Up), and before that, mostly local multiplayer games of lots of different kinds with high school and middle school friends. I mostly play retro games and arcade-style games these days, although now that people are offloading their collections and moving to next-gen it does make me want to catch up on some 360 games I can get on the cheap now.
The Hornet from Fighters Megamix, because Daytona USA is one of my favorite games of all-time and the idea of a stock car with a shoryuken is all kinds of hilarious.
Describe your style of play, and how do you play (local, online, etc.).
I'm not really wedded to any particular style, but I like limiting my opponents' options via long-range tactics and tend to be defensive more often than not, so that does influence the kind of characters and teams I pick.
I play almost exclusively in tournaments these days, be they local or major. The one local friend I have who plays doesn't have a schedule that matches up with mine very often, and I think training mode is boring as hell, so lately I've only been playing at actual events. I still do pretty well for myself on a statewide level, though.
I hate online play in most fighting games because I never feel like I'm in control. Once I realized that I was raging even after matches I won in Marvel, I knew it was time to stop playing that game online. I'm the most laid-back player otherwise, win or lose.
What do you feel are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a player?I play almost exclusively in tournaments these days, be they local or major. The one local friend I have who plays doesn't have a schedule that matches up with mine very often, and I think training mode is boring as hell, so lately I've only been playing at actual events. I still do pretty well for myself on a statewide level, though.
I hate online play in most fighting games because I never feel like I'm in control. Once I realized that I was raging even after matches I won in Marvel, I knew it was time to stop playing that game online. I'm the most laid-back player otherwise, win or lose.
I think I'm skilled in breaking down a game after the fact, figuring out how things worked and why. I say this because I've usually had pretty good and quick success early in a game's life within whatever circles I've played in, even though I tend to plateau and have people catch up and pass me due to lack of practice or motivation.
My reaction time is by far my greatest weakness; if I can't straight-up anticipate what my opponent is probably going to do, then I'm hopeless on defense. And if I'm not practicing regularly, my situational awareness in a match really suffers.
Best and worst moments in the your fighting game career?My reaction time is by far my greatest weakness; if I can't straight-up anticipate what my opponent is probably going to do, then I'm hopeless on defense. And if I'm not practicing regularly, my situational awareness in a match really suffers.
Co-commentating a salty suite with DrunkofSarus is both my best and worst moment.
What do you want from future fighting games
I'm actually pretty indifferent on the future. Most of all, I hope change doesn't come at the expense of the offline experience, or I'd probably just find another hobby. Anything that puts up roadblocks to just gathering a few systems and games for a session is a bad move, so I kind of fear a future in which a ton of paid DLC on an expiration date (R.I.P. Jill & Shuma, btw) makes everything a logistical nightmare. Otherwise, I can pretty much go with the flow.
Who should be on next week's GAF Player Spotlight?
sixteen-bit, because he has good taste.
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 - 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
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If you have any suggestions for the OP, please do not hesitate to post in this thread or PM me to let me know.