fighting games

Coming Soon: Street Fighter X Tekken Version 2013

Jett2 Comments

Up to this point, this match made in fighting game heaven has been anything but. Having lost many of its potential fans through the on-disc DLC debacle, and a myriad of gameplay issues (among other things), this seemingly sure-fire hit has been the biggest bust in the genre for quite some time.

With that said, fighting games always evolve. From Street Fighter II to Super Street Fighter II Turbo, it can take a few iterations before perfection is found. Capcom is hoping that they get it right the second time with Street Fighter X Tekken Version 2013, which is a free major patch being introduced tomorrow.

Continue reading →

Check Out My Kickstart Guide to Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition on Splitkick.com!

JettLeave a comment

Striking while the iron is hot, here’s my Kickstart Guide to Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition! Unlike my Universal Fighting Game Guide stuff, this is game-specific and a bit more simplified so that even beginners can gain a quick knowledge boost. Definitely worth a read if you’re looking to level up in the world’s hottest fighting game.

Check out my Kickstart Guide to Super Street IV: Arcade Edition on Splitkick!

Got The Street Fighter IV Double Crown

Jett2 Comments

Just over a year ago, I reached the milestone of #1 ranked Rose player in Canada on Xbox Live. While this was met with no fanfare beyond any created by me, it’s still an accomplishment I hold near and dear. As someone who can still vividly remember losing 20+ straight matches online when I first started playing Street Fighter IV, it’s a testament to how far I can go in a game if I put in the time and effort to get better.

Though I haven’t played the game with much vigor (or much at all) in 2012, I just crossed another milestone.

Continue reading →

Dead or Alive 5 Review

JettLeave a comment

“She kicks high.”

Having never played an entry in the DOA franchise before, that and breast physics were the extent of my knowledge going into Dead or Alive 5. Why would I even bother with the series at this point, especially when my track record of enjoying 3D fighting games is not very good? Academic curiousity, for one. Ever since I jumped deep into the competitive fighting game scene, I’ve bought almost every fighter on the market just to get a sense of what’s out there. Two, you’ll never know what awesome games you’ll come across if you don’t put your neck out there every now and then.

In this case, I’m really glad I did.

Continue reading →

The ‘Language’ of King of Fighters XIII

JettLeave a comment

When it comes to comprehending the combo system in any given fighting game, I love using sentence structure as an analogy. Sentences in any language have a very particular rule-set that dictates how words can be arranged to make sense. When you have a mastery of that sentence structure, you no longer think about the rules; you just create sentences on the fly. Each fighting game is has its own unique sentence structure. And just like language, when you have a mastery of a game’s combo system, you’ll inherently know what series of inputs will string to form a combo.

A few months back, I picked up two fighting games on the same day: Persona 4 Arena, and King of Fighters XIII. While I am far from an expert at the former, I understand its ‘language’ enough to string together basic combos on my own. Even at this entry-level of skill, I’m having a lot of fun with it. The latter is a different story.

Continue reading →

Soulcalibur V Review

JettLeave a comment

When it comes to 3D fighting games, Soulcalibur is my bread and butter. Say what you will about Tekken or Virtua Fighter, I’ve generally enjoyed the fast-paced, weapons-based combat of the franchise over any other 3D fighting game offering. Soulcalibur II was my introduction to the series, and was incredible for its the time. However, by the time I got around to Soulcalibur IV, the formula felt dated, especially when compared to Street Fighter IV, which came out in the arcades at the same time. Street Fighter IV went on to define the modern-day fighting game blueprint, while Soulcalibur IV just felt old and was quickly forgotten.

With Soulcalibur V, Namco was clearly looking to make a title that better fit the modern era of fighting games. Besides some major gameplay system overhauls, they took the extra step of blowing out roughly half of the original roster and replacing them with all-new characters. Was the shake-up worth it?

Continue reading →

Quiet Sanwa Buttons Review

JettLeave a comment

(Regular button not pictured above. They look identical to the regular ones, so I used a regular button picture instead)

The clicking, and clacking of an arcade fightstick is music to my ears. However, as I’ve come to learn in my few months of living in a condo, not everyone agrees with this sentiment. Because my gaming setup is in the living room, my girlfriend has been subjected to the noise far more than she’d like, to the point where it drove her nuts. Though I love me some fighting games, I genuinely love my girlfriend more. As a means of not driving her insane, I’d either reserve my fighting game time to moments when she’s not around, or asking for permission before playing; neither of which are ideal.

Luckily for me, Sanwa has released a new line of quiet buttons, and joysticks to alleviate the noise. Though the joysticks were prohibitively expensive ($80 each, which is roughly 4x the price of a regular joystick), I did buy two sets of quiet buttons to use on my XBOX 360, and PlayStation 3 fightsticks. Are these buttons able to maintain their signature feel, and durability, while reducing the noise?

Continue reading →

Universal Fighting Game Guide: Gimmicky vs. Intelligent Tactics

JettLeave a comment

Gimmicky fighting game techniques are about as old as fighting games themselves. When I first stepped up to a Street Fighter II machine back in 1991, the first character I ever chose was Blanka, as I thought I could cheat the system by simply mashing the punch buttons to trigger Blanka’s electricity move. At the time, I thought it was a fool-proof tactic…for about 5 seconds. Instead, the computer systematically picked me apart as I wailed on those punch buttons, thinking the electricity move was bound to save me eventually.

While gimmicks may have their place in extremely specific situations, they’re not a substitute for solid and intelligent play. In this month’s Universal Fighting Game Guide post, we’ll talk about the difference between gimmicky and intelligent tactics.

Continue reading →

Coming Soon: Marvel vs. Capcom Origins

Jett1 Comment

In just a few days, Capcom is scheduled to open the fighting game vault once again and release Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 1 together as Marvel vs. Capcom Origins for XBOX Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Though this pair of vs. games may not have the legacy that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 does, they were considered great for their time.

Continue reading →

Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile Review

Jett4 Comments

(Download Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile from iTunes)

Capcom’s track record with porting their fighting games to mobile devices are hit-and-miss. While their work with the Street Fighter IV series set the standard, their ports of classic fighters have been mediocre to poor. What sets those apart is that Capcom really took the time to optimize Street Fighter IV for mobile, while the rest are simply shoehorned in. Thankfully, Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile is not an example of the latter.

Continue reading →