street fighter v

Falling Behind in Street Fighter V

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For almost a decade, my prowess in Street Fighter has been an integral part of my gaming identity. Making the climb from scrub to 17th at the WorldGaming national championships many years later, I put everything I had into being the best I could be and it paid off. It proved to me that my knowledge and talents in games can go incredibly far if I really put my mind to it. Not only did all of that effort pay off for Street Fighter, but it increased my overall fighting game chops considerably to the point where I was a worthy adversary in almost every other fighting game I touched.

Flash forward to the present. Due to my personal grievances with the way the game was designed and the meta that built around it, I left Street Fighter V behind. I’d poke in here and there to check out new characters or major additions, but my time trying to be the best was behind me. Coming back to the game now in light of the update that reduces input lag only amplifies how far we’ve drifted apart.

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Sagat and G Make Their Street Fighter V Debut in This Set of Videos!

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Revealed at EVO 2018 and released the next day, fan favourite Sagat and mysterious newcomer G enter the fray in Street Fighter V! Get your first glimpse of these fighters here!


Buy Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Now From Amazon.com

Being a Wandering Warrior

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When I first started following the world of fighting games seriously in 2009, I stumbled across a weird sentiment that a number of older players in the scene had with regards to Street Fighter IV. I got the sense that a number of the best players from Street Fighter III: Third Strike had their issues with the latest installment, choosing to stay behind while Street Fighter IV became a global phenomenon. At the time, I didn’t think that the particulars could be such a dividing factor that top players would abandon being part of the fighting game resurgence to stick with a “dead game”.

It’s 2018 now, and the shoe is on the other foot. Fighting games are bigger than ever, with Street Fighter V leading the pack. However, my personal qualms with the game, along with my nostalgia for “the good old days”, caused me to hop off the hype train around mid-2017. Since then, I’ve found myself bouncing around from title-to-title, looking for a place to engage in cyber fisticuffs in hopes that maybe I can find a new “home” someday.

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Falke Gameplay Reveal in Street Fighter V

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After a series of returning favourites, Capcom introduces a brand new character to the Street Fighter universe. Falke was originally designed to be an M. Bison clone, but she has broken free of his grasp and now fights alongside of Ed as a member of his Neo Shadaloo faction. She has the ability to imbue Psycho Power into physical objects, which allows her staff to do more than just conk people on the head.

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Universal Fighting Game Guide: Hit Confirms

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When I first started getting into fighting games as a kid, one of my favourite things to do in Street Fighter II was to perform the classic two-hit combo of crouching heavy punch into heavy shoryuken. If it connected, it did a devastating amount of damage. However, if it missed, it left me wide open for a counter attack. For years, I simply thought that was the cost of doing business. It wasn’t until I got into the genre seriously that I learned a better way.

In this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, we will cover the concept of hit confirmation, or hit confirms for short. By understanding how hit confirms work, you can maximize your offensive potential while minimizing your risk!

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First Gameplay Glimpse of Blanka in Street Fighter V

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Capcom finally unleashes the green beast as Blanka appears in this debut gameplay trailer. Will be the first to admit that I wish he and his troll play style was left in the past, he doesn’t look like he’s as much of a nuisance this time around. He now gets a command grab, as well as a number of tweaks to give him more combo opportunities, but he doesn’t appear to be as obnoxious in this form. That said, his V-Trigger 2 looks particularly dumb, as he sails around the full screen in ball form.

Blanka will be available as part of the Season 3 DLC offerings on February 20th. I won’t be buying, but I hope Blanka fans rejoice at the better-late-than-never inclusion of this fighter!


Buy Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Now From Amazon.com

Street Fighter V and My Urien Problem

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My interest in Street Fighter V cooled off for a number of reasons. One, certain aspects of the way the game was designed mechanically didn’t jive with the way I like to play fighting games. Two, I had a very difficult time coming to grips with my first 0-2 defeat at Red Bull Proving Grounds. Finally, I was getting destroyed by every Urien player in sight.

Introduced near the middle of season 1, Urien is a force to be reckoned with. He has a killer tool-set that allows him to dominate in many ranges while being able to string together lengthy combos for massive damage. Best/worst of all is his Aegis Reflector V-Trigger, that is unparalleled as a tool for starting combos, extending combos, and creating reset opportunities.

Each time I matched up against a Urien player, it was like watching the same movie over-and-over. I would either get beaten to a pulp, or strike Urien enough to allow him to activate his V-Trigger and turn the tables on me. After piling up loss-after-loss, my motivation to play the game fell through the floor.

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Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Review

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Rushed out the door in 2016 to coincide with Capcom Cup, Street Fighter V was released in an embarrassingly bare-bones state. While I initially praised the game for its great gameplay and detailed graphics, the launch product was woefully lacking in many ways. From a single-player suite that didn’t include a traditional arcade mode, to unstable netcode, to menu items that had “coming soon” messaging as placeholders, the sorry state that the game debuted in negatively impacted sales and public perception in a big way. Had it not gained a foothold as the premier fighting game esport, this game would have fallen off a cliff into obscurity.

Despite the bungled launch, Capcom has continually put in the effort to improve the product. In the summer of 2016, they added a story mode as a free update. The netcode has been stabilized for the most part. They’ve even added 12 more characters as paid DLC to boost the current roster size to 28, with another six on the way. Unlike those incremental fixes and updates, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is a sizable step towards the game that this should have been all along.

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Out Now – Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition

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Today’s the day!

To Capcom’s credit, they’ve made many updates prior to this in order to improve the half-baked version of Street Fighter V they put out in 2016. But the Arcade Edition update is the first truly major shake-up to the game. Now including a long-awaited arcade mode, multiple V-Triggers for each character, new modes and more, the package here is probably what should have come out in the first place.

If you don’t have Street Fighter V yet, now’s a good time to jump in. At a discounted price, you’ll get the disc plus the first two seasons of DLC characters, raising your base roster up to 28. If you already own Street Fighter V, you’ll get the update for free, albeit without the extra characters.

Admittedly, my interest for the game has fallen off quite a bit. However, I will give this a go and maybe there’s enough improvements here to keep me around!


Buy Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Now From Amazon.com

Why Fighting Games Are Awesome

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In 2009, Street Fighter IV changed my life.

Having taken an extended hiatus from the fighting game genre, Street Fighter IV roped me in for good. The transition wasn’t instant, as I gave up the game initially after losing dozens of matches in a row online. However, once I watched my first fighting game tournament live stream, it opened my eyes to how great fighting games can be when you have a deeper understanding of how to play them. As I tried to emulate the likes of Gootecks, Mike Ross, and Justin Wong, I found myself falling in love with the genre in a way that I’d never loved any other type of game.

Since 2009, fighting games have grown to become my favourite of any gaming genre. Here’s why!

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