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Universal Fighting Game Guide: How to Read Frame Data

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(UPDATE: Part 2 of the frame data sub-series of posts is now live. Click here to learn more about frame advantage!)

When most people play fighting games, they don’t think about the underlying mechanics that drive the on-screen action. Odds are, all they care about is whether or not they’re beating their opponent to a pulp. That’s all well and good. However, competitive fighting game players will go to great lengths to find any sort of advantage on their opponents. This can include learning advanced combos, specific tactics, or as deep as understanding the raw mathematics that drives how a fighting game works.

Yes, I did say mathematics. You see, behind the action are a series of mathematical constants, variables and calculations that drive how everything works. Most people never think about this side of a fighting game (or any game for that matter), but the math is there, whether you actively recognize it or not.

In this entry into the Universal Fighting Game Guide, let’s take a high-level stab at talking about one element of the math that drives a fighting game, which is frame data. Certain off-the-shelf guides will contain frame data for your game of choice, though online sites will likely be your best bet to find this type of information. To the untrained eye, frame data charts look like rocket science. If you’ve never tried to read frame data (or have attempted it and failed), this crash course in the basics may help.

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Skullgirls Review

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For a number of reasons, Skullgirls is a blast of fresh air in the fighting game genre. Not bound by the design or gameplay standards of a renown publisher or developer, the team at Autumn Games laid the ideas on thick. However, unique thinking doesn’t always lead to a fun game. Does Skullgirls manage to pull it all together to provide an experience on the same level as the giants in the genre?

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Out Now: Skullgirls

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Pretty much since the inception of the genre, fighting games have been dominated by a handful of major publishers and developers, such as Capcom and SNK. Outside of the hack-fest known as Mugen, I can’t think of an indie fighting game that’s made any sort of impact on the scene. Skullgirls aims to kick history in the face by being an indie fighting game that makes a big splash. The game is available now on PSN and XBOX Live Arcade.

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Draw Something Review

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Draw Something is the latest mobile game to take the world by storm. Odds are, if you’re not already playing this game, many of your friends are. I admit that I am pretty late to the party, and probably wouldn’t have joined the party at all if my girlfriend Steff hadn’t convinced me to at least give it a shot. Did I think Draw Something lived up to the hype?

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Mass Effect 3 Single Player Review

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The Earth is screwed. At least it appears that way when you first boot up Mass Effect 3. After your Shepard thwarted the Reapers plans in Mass Effect 1 and 2, they’re bringing the pain to your home world. While the temptation is strong to stay and protect your home world, Shepard knows the only way to victory involves him recruiting all the help he can get from across the galaxy.

Are you ready to suit up in hopes of ending the Reaper threat once and for all?

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Join the Razer Arcade Stick Beta

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(image from iPlaywinner)

Razer is a household name in high-end gaming accessories such as keyboards and mice for a long time. This year, Razer plans on making their foray into the fighting game space with their Razer Arcade stick, due out later this year. However, you can get a chance to get your hands on an early prototype by signing up for the beta.

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Universal Fighting Game Guide: 5 Tips to Help You Come Back From a Huge Life Deficit

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EVO moment #37 is to date, the most legendary fighting game moment of all-time. Odds are, even if you don’t actively follow the fighting game scene, you’ve seen the above video of Daigo, playing as Ken, making the most unbelievable comeback against Justin Wong’s Chun-Li, which ended with an unreal example of dexterity.

In this installment of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, let’s talk about the comebacks in fighting games. More specifically, tips to help you come back from a huge life deficit. We’ll use the classic EVO moment #37 video and the full match video to break down some overarching tips that you can use to turn the tides like Daigo did years ago.

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The Team Mechanics of Street Fighter X Tekken

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In the world of Street Fighter X Tekken, there old addage, “There is no ‘I’ in team,” couldn’t be more true. Your ability to manage both characters is one of the most important factors that will determine the outcome of your matches. If you’re just getting started up in the world of Street Fighter X Tekken and are looking for some tips to help tighten up your team, you’ve come to the right place. While the game is still early in its life cycle, most of these tips should stand the test of time.

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Street Fighter X Tekken Review

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The fighting game genre has no shortage of odd pairings. From Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe to Sonic the Hedgehog in Smash Bros, it seems like we’d seen it all. Then in 2011, Capcom shocked the fighting game world by announcing a crossover between the top 2D fighting game franchise and the top 3D fighting game franchise. Having seen how poorly 2D fighting games and 3D fighting games have mixed in the past, people had a lot of questions about how a Street Fighter and Tekken mash-up could possibly work. Is Street Fighter X Tekken the best of both worlds? A failure like past attempts to mix the genres? Or did it turn into it’s own thing?

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A Look Back at Trauma Center: Under The Knife

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Have you ever played the board game Operation? Growing up, I used to always wonder when someone would take the idea of making surgery a game and make that into a video game.Thanks to the advent of the Nintendo DS and touch screen gaming, the idea of surgery-based gameplay came to life in 2005 thanks to Trauma Center: Under the Knife.

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