Coming off of a strong showing at the Cineplex World Gaming Street Fighter V Canadian Championships, I’m ready to fight again at Red Bull Fight for the 6ix: 2nd Impact! This is actually part two of a four-part tournament series taking place in Toronto, where the overall points leader will earn a shot at a spot at the Capcom Cup finals!
Earning a spot in the world finals would be incredible, though that’s probably not realistic for me just yet. At this point, I think it’s more about measuring my growth as a player since the last tournament I competed at. Though that span of time has only been about a month, I feel like I’ve made some meaningful improvements to my game.
Win or lose, I’m excited to be back in the mix! Wish me luck!
At launch, Street Fighter V was roasted by critics and players for a lack of single player content. The Character Story mode included was a slap-dash mess of corny voice acting set to bad art and one-round fights against brain dead AI that only lasted two hours. Beyond that, you were left with an infuriating Survival mode that was awful to play, yet pivotal for unlocking colours.
Capcom hopes to address this deficiency with A Shadow Falls. This free DLC add-on adds a four-hour story filled with fully-rendered cutscenes along the lines of what Mortal Kombat has been doing lately. Is this a worthwhile addition to a game sorely lacking in content?
The last few months have been rather sad for Street Fighter V fans thanks to Capcom missing their deadlines for content updates, but they repay it in kind today with the biggest update yet! We’re finally getting a Story mode that the game is sorely lacking, daily challenges, two new characters, two new stages, the store and more!
When I swapped out my regular TV for a gaming monitor, the change brought with it a few unforeseen downsides. One, adjusting the volume on the monitor was a pain, as the monitor doesn’t come with a remote or volume buttons on the monitor itself. Two, the audio quality from the monitor’s built-in speakers would disappoint Meghan Trainor, as they seriously lacked bass. Worst of all, my gaming monitor doesn’t have an audio out jack, making it impossible to plug in my own speakers or headphones.
My only recourse at this point was to go with a gaming headset that directly interfaced with the console itself. After stumbling through the research process and buying a pair of Turtle Beach headphones that wouldn’t actually address any of my specific needs, I ultimately ended up with the Sony PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset. Slick in design and fairly reasonable in terms of price point, does this headset address my needs for quality sound?
Being the king of Kingston is great, but on May 29th, 2016, I had the chance to become the Canadian Street Fighter V champion. It was a whirlwind weekend that that actually left me sick by the end of it, but it was so worth it.
Today’s the big day! Months of practice and two tournaments later, I’ll now be competing against some of the best Street Fighter V players in the country. With bragging rights and a $10,000 grand prize on the line, I’m going to do everything I can to claim that title!
If you’re unable to make it out to Scotiabank Theatre to watch the event live, you can stream it at twitch.tv/worldgaming. The event starts at 2PM EST, so you’ve got a bit of time to plan your day around watching some of Canada’s finest throw down. Hope you can cheer me on from wherever you are!
A few days ago, I went to my friend’s house to teach him how to play Street Fighter V. I had no expectations of him turning into Daigo overnight, but I really wanted to use this opportunity to open his mind to how the game is played at a high level and how he too could someday reach that plateau. While it didn’t exactly go according to plan, I think the mission was accomplished.
I have a friend who is a huge fan of competitive Street Fighter. He watches all of the streams, knows the names of the pro players and has a general understanding of how the game works. His love for the scene has permeated beyond viewing other people play it, as he bought his first fightstick to get in on the action.
However, his actual abilities in the game to-date are limited. Aside from playing casual Street Fighter II as a kid and Street Fighter IV more recently, his overall skill-level is essentially ground zero.
So far, his journey into the FGC has been a brutal one. After suffering a number of defeats playing Street Fighter V online, his interest in playing the game has dropped dramatically. In an attempt to keep his interest alive, I’ve invited him to my house for a one-day training session in the dojo.
Kingston was a long way from home, but the road trip was certainly worth it! By the end of the tournament, I was crowned the victor, earning a sweet Street Fighter V gi, a free movie pass and a spot in the Canadian finals at the end of the month!
Heading into this tournament, I was really nervous. So much so, that the waiters at the restaurant Steff and I were at just before the tournament asked me if I was okay due to how visibly shaken I was. Though I’ve never won a tournament before, I really wanted to do well at this one. We came from too far away for me to just lay an egg.
The theatre setup was awesome. Six slick gaming booths along with a commentator’s booth lined the front. It was surreal to see Street Fighter V on the big screen, though I spent most of my time playing the game on an Asus monitor below.
Despite the extended warm-up period we got, my jitters carried into my first match. It was a scatterbrained match where I couldn’t get a feel for my opponent. Luckily for me, I was able to win the set 2-0.
Didn’t really feel comfortable until the grand finals match. Facing off against a solid Vega player, I got into a comfortable zone and did what my Rashid does best. When the smoke cleared, I came away with the title!
From here, the next step is to compete with 31 other Street Fighter V competitors from across the country at the end of the month. The road hasn’t been easy and it’s only going to get tougher. For now though, I’m going to relish this first tournament victory before prepping for the biggest tourney of my life to-date!
In just a few days, Steff and I will be taking a weekend trip to Kingston, Ontario. Roughly a two-hour drive from Toronto, it’ll be host to one of the Street Fighter V regional finals tournaments taking place across Canada. Having earned my spot to compete at this event, I’m excited for the opportunity to throw down with the best that the city has to offer. Continue reading →
In Third Person 