Capcom recently released a teaser trailer for Street Fighter V. The YouTube video has been made private, but for the time being, you can check it out here on Daily Motion. Besides showing a few fleeting glimpses of Ryu and Chun-Li in action, the end of the trailer states that the game is exclusive to PlayStation 4 and PC.
Years ago, I publicly dumped Akuma. Despite having invested hundreds of hours into the character, I felt like our relationship had run its course. I hit a ceiling with that character that was lower than where I wanted to go, so I thought it would be best to move on. As I’ve said multiple times on this blog in the following years, dropping Akuma for Rose was the best thing I ever did in a fighting game. Since dropping Akuma, I’ve leveled up to the point where my Rose is currently ranked 3rd in the world on PSN, which is a milestone that I wouldn’t have foreseen in my wildest dreams.
Was the dramatic turnaround all due to the character change? Part of it certainly is. However, having gone back to watch some old video and having played with Akuma recently, it’s becoming more apparent that much of my success now comes from personal growth.
I take a stab at match analysis with this video. I only cover round 1 between my match with AquaSilk, but I break it down in painstaking detail. If you want more of this style of content, let me know! Feedback is appreciated!
The fighting game genre had been left for dead long before the release of Street Fighter IV. After Super Street Fighter II, I left the genre because the games got too complicated, the competition among players got too fierce, and as a Nintendo-only console owner, the fighting game options completely dried up.
Street Fighter IV did way more than just provide me with a fun blast from the past. It marked the beginning of me falling deeper into a video game rabbit hole than I’d ever fell before.
When it comes to character choice in fighting games, I’m a strong believer in not choosing the best character, but going with the best character for you. It always works out best when you find that character with the right mix of tools that you genuinely enjoy playing as. Otherwise, you’ll never reach your full potential, even if the so-called experts will always suggest going top-tier. As I’ve said multiple times on this blog, dropping Akuma for Rose was the best decision I made while playing Street Fighter IV. Without her, I probably never would have reached over 3,000PP, 15,000BP, become the #1 ranked Rose player in Canada on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, or done as well at tournaments as I have.
This post is not intended to state why Rose is the definitive best. Heck, I’d even agree with many of the experts that in comparison to the rest of the cast, there are a number of characters that are better overall. However, the synergy I have with Rose may be tighter than any ‘relationship’ I’ve ever had with a video game character. Here’s a few reasons on why that is.
Everything in life has a physical and mental aspect to it. Fighting games are no different. The physical element comes down to your ability to execute the maneuver you want at the time you want it, regardless of the circumstances that may make you mess it up. When it comes to improving one’s ability to play a fighting game, most guides and training aids will focus on the physical aspect of fighting games.
With that said, the mental aspect of fighting games shouldn’t be overlooked. I’d go as far as to say that the mental aspect of fighting games is far more important than any physical factor. In today’s edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, let’s cover the mental element that will play the biggest part in your success or failure. That element is mind games.
One of the people I admire the most in the fighting game community is Ryan Gutierrez. Best known as Gootecks, he’s recognized as being a top Street Fighter III: Third Strike player, as well as a top Street Fighter IV player in the game’s early days. While he could have continued to pursue that path, he made a conscious decision to be a content creator with an eye on tutorials and advice for newcomers. Part of that decision probably was because he saw it as a more stable means of making an income from being a part of the FGC. However, he also recognized the importance of growing the community, which he’s most vocal about in the early days of his podcast. Without bringing new players into the scene, the FGC would have continued down the path of being a tiny niche market that was stuck playing the same old games for a decade. Without guys like Gootecks paying it foward, I may have missed out on some of the best and most rewarding times I’ve ever had playing video games.
If you’ve ever played a fighting game with another person before, I’m sure you’ve discussed the hot-button topic of which character is best. You may have tried to rank these characters from best to worst. For a handful of seriously dedicated individuals, you may have even gone through the painstaking process of trying to mathematically calculate that pecking order.
Tier lists are a hotly-debated topic in any sort of competitive game. For better or worse, their presence in the competitive fighting games can’t be understated. In today’s world of online discussion and information transfer, you’re just a Google search away from finding dozens of different tier lists for any given fighting game written by players with various levels of understanding. Before you cling to a tier list written by a random message board user as fact, let’s take a moment to learn what tier lists are, how they work and what they’re good for.
While we knew that Capcom was working on an update to Street Fighter IV, they announced at EVO that the update would be meatier than originally expected. In early 2014, the latest update will include five new characters, six new stages and new modes.
The world’s biggest and most important fighting game tournament starts today! If you have any interest in watching this epic event, I highly recommend checking out my Viewer’s Guide to EVO 2013 over at Splitkick. It’ll tell you where to watch it, as well as a lot of helpful information about the event, especially if you’re not following the daily activities in the fighting game community.
In Third Person 