Fight! Fight! Fight! [Upcoming Fighting Games]

It's like a late Aughties fighting renaissance.

Super Street Fighter IV

The game du jour as it were. Even with Lego's new work schedule, we still manage to get in some ferosh matches here and there. His freetime at night has allowed him to refine his skills online, particularly his Honda and Dhalsim. His Honda is better in every aspect, and a real threat. I'd say definitely his best now, and it is worth noting that his advancement started before Mike Ross's Top 8 Evo finish and Honda's top tier status on the new JPN rankings. Likewise, as a solid alternate, his Dhalsim is crafty, and he's moving the Yoga master around the screen much more smoothly.

I've been trying to smooth out my new additions when I have time, though right now I think most of my focus should be on Cody and Bison. I thoroughly enjoy using Cody, and I know I am only scratching the surface of his potential. While I'm connecting bigger combos, and countering more approaches, I've yet to tap into the strength of his pressure strings and frame traps. I had been of the opinion even a month ago that my Guile and Rufus were my strongest overall chars, but the reality of my inability to reliably execute certain elements (notably Guile's Flash Kick FADC Sonic Hurricane and Ruffie's Short-Fierce link) has led me to think I may have more luck in competition with the mighty Bison, as my technical insufficiencies are much less damning.

I keep entertaining the idea of making an appearance at Baltimore's Xanadu Wednesday night Xanbats, or Fairfax's CyberGround Tuesday night Ranbats, and my relaxed work schedule looks like it will accomodate this. Though, of course, I can't take Lego as my wingman... Wah wah.

Allegedly at least two new characters will be revealed in September, and hopefully made available as DLC soon after. Sounds like Alex (3s) and Rolento (FF/Alpha) are the strongest candidates, with Elena (3s) and R.Mika (Alpha) close behind. I would be sated with Alex's addition, but, for 900th time, I'd really like to see Charlie.

Marvel Vs Capcom 3

Hypewise, MvC3 is dominating the digital blog waves. Super Skrull's moveset looks flippin' tight, Dante's movelist if f'n Riddick Bowe, and Silver Surfer is now rumored to be in. And, you know how rumors work, Silver Surfer is in, so that must mean Galactus is the final boss, which must mean Dormammu is playable, and so on, and so on. Still, should be the next big thing on Killa Blog for the next 18 months or so... (Just to warn ya.)

And for the record, since last time we spoke, DMC's Trish, Okami's Amateratsu, SF's Chun Li, Marvel's Thor, Super Skrull, and Doctor Doom have been shown. Amateratsu doesn't gel with the Best One Yet list I relayed here, so I guess we don't really know who's in and who's out. Still no sign of any Mega Man or Spiderman chars... And I am still hoping Dictator makes it in as the third Street Fighter, if not Charlie.


Arcana Heart 3

You know I've never delved in Arcana Heart, another obscure fighting game that has a passionate following stateside. Apparently the third iteration is also coming to XBL and PSN which will mean an unprecedented amount of exposure for the series. Don't know about price point, but this could potentially be very far reaching.

Third Strike Online Edition

And speaking of downloadable fighters, I think if 3sOE can even move half the digital units that MvC2 has, it will have been a smart choice on Capcom's part, regardless of how long it takes to release. It's catering to the 3s die-cores, which is a very wise choice since they (and the MvC2 crowd) are the ones that kept the fighting game scene alive during the MvC2-SF4 drought.

Street Fighter x Tekken :: Tekken x Street Fighter

A fun announcement and everything, but these are so far off in the distance it has barely bleeped my radar. I hope TxSF doesn't preclude Namco from working on Tekken 7...

Fightathon Generation Results [For Real This Time]

For all six events, first place was awarded two points and second place one point. This, of course, means Lego won with 11 points, and I landed second with 5. As such the secret tiebreaker game was not needed, but we played a few rounds of Virtua Fighter 5 anyways.

The character switch rule was in effect, so that one could not pick the same character during any contest. SFIV and SFA3 were best two of three matches each best of three rounds. SCIV and Tekken 6 were played best two of three matches each best of five rounds. MvC2 was best two of three rounds 3v3.

For Smash, two free-for-all time limit matches were played on random stages, one six minutes and one four minutes. At the end of each, the lowest score was dropped. The final was played as best two out of three four minute matches on Final Destination. As indicated, Lego's Olimar won in Sudden Death against my Snake to end the Smash final.

The [?] before Shwa's Sagat in SFIV indicates that it was randomly selected. For MvC2, I also differentiated between Lego's and Rah's Wolverine (Adamantium and bone claws respectively). Bold and underlined text indicates victory in most instances, and the italicized A in the Alpha character selection indicates A-ism (though only A-ism was selected.)

Street Fighter IV [PS3]
Semifinal 1		KIL	LGO
	Rufus	0	2	Sagat
	Zangief	1	2	Ryu
Semifinal 2		SHW	RAH
	Ken	2	1	Ken
	Fei Long	2	0	Sakura
Final		SHW	LGO
	Ryu	0	2	Sagat
	[?]Sagat	0	2	Ryu

Street Fighter Alpha 3 [MAME]
Semifinal 1		KIL	RAH
	Charlie A	2	0	Ken A
	Birdie A	2	0	Claw A
Semifinal 2		LGO	SHW
	Chun-li A	2	0	Ryu A
	Ryu A	2	0	Dictator A
Final		KIL	LGO
	Birdie A	1	2	Ryu A
	Charlie A	1	2	Chun-Li A

Tekken 6 [PS3]
Semifinal 1		RAH	SHW
	Christie	3	1	Lei
	Eddy	3	2	Hwoarang
Semifinal 2		LGO	KIL
	Bob	3	0	Dragunov
	Baek	3	2	Alisa
Final		LGO	RAH
	Bob	3	1	Christie
	Ganry	0	3	Eddy
	Baek	3	1	Nina

Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Wii]

		KIL	SHW	LGO	RAH
6min		Zelda +3	Luigi -3	Lucas +4	Pikachu -5
4min		Wolf +3	Meta -3	Ike 0	---
Final		KIL		LGO
		Dedede -1		DK +1
		Snake 0		Olimar 0	*SuddenDeath*

Soul Calibur IV [PS3]
Semifinal 1		SHW	KIL
	Kilik	1	3	Cervantes
	Mitsurugi	1	3	Cassandra
Semifinal 2		RAH	LGO
	Seong Mina	0	3	Astaroth
	Hilde	0	3	Maxi
Final		KIL	LGO
	Cassandra	2	3	Astaroth
	Cervantes	3	0	Maxi
	Xianghua	1	3	Kilik

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 [PS2]

Semi 1		SHW	KIL
		Ryu/Hulk/Ken	Spiral/Sentinel/Ken
		Akuma/Jugg/Shuma	Charlie/Venom/Jugg
Semi 2		LGO	RAH
	Adamantium	Wolvie/Akuma/America	Rogue/Iceman/Wolvie	Bone
		Ryu/Cable/Venom	Psy/Akuma/Blackheart
		Iron/Gambit/Col	Storm/Strider/Magneto
Final		LGO	KIL
		Colossus/Venom/Ryu	Spiral/Sentinel/Cammy
		Iceman/Cable/Cyclops	Cable/Akuma/Charlie

Overall, a disappointing but successful tournament. I had been pretty hot lately, but as usual Lego brought it on game day. Tekken and SCIV's results were unexepected. I really would have liked to have won SFIV, but c'est la vie.

I feel this format didn't really try to assess merit after first place, though. Without a loser's bracket or a round robin style, there is really no determination of who is second best.

I'm looking ahead to the end of January and the release of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. Don't really know the direction to take, but I'm thinking about it. Perhaps fewer events with a more comprehensive format. Right now I've got TvC, Tekken 6, Super Turbo, and Smash in mind.

Oh, and my New Year's Resolution?

To get revenge on Legoman.

Fightathon Generation [Fighting Game Tournament]

The next big fightathon is on for tomorrow! AKA the Tekken 6 release tournament, we've had to put this off for a number of reasons, not the least of which was bringing the MAME cabinet back online for Street Fighter Alpha 3. Anyways, we can see clearly now; there are no obstacles in our way.

Lego, Shwa, Rah and I will partake in a vicious sextathlon (sounds dirtier than it is). Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter IV, Tekken 6, Soul Calibur IV, Smash Bros. Brawl, and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 are on the agenda, with a secret tiebreak seventh game held back in case of a tie. Overall it is agreed this is a more well rounded tournament than the original two man challenge or the three man endeavor last time.

Looking forward to anyone dethroning Lego, who has been pretty cocky around Jcasa since the last tournament. (Yes, for the last four months...) I reckon it's gonna have to be me. Place your bets. Results to follow.

Oh, and due to popular demand, we will not be live blogging the event!

Get Even [Tekken 6 Online]

So yeah, 262 matches later, I've finally gotten even with Dragunov. As you may recall, I started off with a miserable losing streak, and have just now dug myself out of the hole. (Actually I broke even at 126W-126L, but I didn't have my phone handy.) What will the future hold? Probably proportionate wins and losses, considering my performance thus far...

Insert Witty Title Here [Tekken 6 Online]

My big three are Sergei, Alisa, and Lars.

Big Drag is something like 71-75 now, hovering around 48%. I still need to work my ass off for decent results, but overall the practice is making me quite the ferocious DRA. I'm probably more like 60% on stages with walls; makes a huge difference when your big damage is in the corner. I've been within a couple of wins of hitting 50% but keep running into road blocks.

Alisa Bosconovitch is sitting around 60%. Lego and I traded off in a player match room the other day, and at his suggestion I switched to Alisa when I jumped back in and ran the next four matches. Nice damage and speed, but if I can't catch them with uf+4,4, I have a hard time of building momentum.

Lars is coming along nicely. I spent some time with his move list, learning the flow of Silent Entry and Dynamic Entry, before heading online. I went 7-0 until I ran into a mean Zafina, and then two matches against a 93% Marduk. My 7-4 currently is less impressive, but I've only just begun to use his arsenal. Love using uf+3,WR+2,1(B!),d+3+4,f,2 on the unintiated. Tons of ways to get out of the last hit, but to anyone who doesn't know better, it hits backrollers like whoa. Oh, and Lars' 1P Costume FTW; the cape really disguises SE and DE progressions.

Laws, though. Why so many damn Laws?

KLAK! [Tekken 6 Technical, Online]

Got the Shanksshivving patch installed. This has smoothed out Tekken 6's online quite a bit. It's always nice to see a company being responsive and effective in this sort of situation. Parameters for Ranked Matches can now be adjusted, allowing one to prioritize by connection quality or rank. It's best to fight opponents of a similar rank to rank up, but you can get a lot more 4 (green) and 5 (aqua) connection matches with the connection quality option.

I knocked out Scenario Campaign yesterday, which ended up being a little cooler than I thought. I kind of wish I had gone through with Lars, so that I could have avoided the peculiarity that is playing as one character and appearing in cutscenes as another. At least I got a ton of items for Sergei and Alisa, and five or six million dollars to boot. The Comic Effect items are unlocked by finishing this mode, which adds the 'Bam!' or 'Klak!' bubbles to spark animations. I had been wondering wtf that was.

I've been working my ass of to try and keep Sergei competitive against Legoman. I'm getting really good at piling on damage once I ground an opponent or run them into a wall. Right now the set up du jour is the 4,1 Karnov kickspin which on hit or block sets up the f,f+1+2 Blizzard Rush grab, after which I've been connecting like 95% of the time with the 3,1,2 string either as a pickup/okizeme or catching the opponent back-turned.

Lars is intriguing me, but my initial dabbling has not gone well. Fought a Yoshimitsu online. I had heard that Yoshimitsu had been tweaked into an expert only character; don't know if this individual was an expert or not, but he sure as fuck beat me like one...

Note to Self [Sergei Item Move]

Sergei Dragunov
FDFA d+1+2,d+2
Tactical Goggles - 700,000

Bound [Tekken 6 Impressions]

We've had some more time with Tekken 6 now. Not much more, what with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and Borderlands (and requisite Smash) soaking up free time like a wad of gauze. I've beaten Azazel in Arcade mode, and dabbled ever so slightly in the Scenario Campaign, which is dreadful as far as I can tell.

Of course, the meat of any fighting game is facing off against other people, preferably in person. Rah Digga and Lego have been more than happy to oblige. How are things going?

Lego is rotating his old mains Ganryu, Wang Jinrei, Baek, and the highly revamped Law and mixing it up some with fat Bob. While he always been crafty, Lego's Law fights with a fury unseen. I'm not sure exactly how they've changed Law, but Lego is parrying attacks like it's 1999 (the year Third Strike was released, natch).

Rah Digga, much to her own delight, is having more success than ever with Christie Monteiro, the Nana to Eddy Gordo's Popo. A real pain so far, just as in T5:DR (just as in T5). Her ability to mix it up while staying below most attacks is infuriating to say the least, but, you know, can't knock the hustle.

As for myself, it's been going. Rah's tricky Monteiro is the biggest threat at the moment, as I can usually trade rematches with Lego. First I thought I'd be able to use Dragunov's new low reversal to shut down Christie's capoeira, but it turns out to be very difficult to anticipate a low attack from someone who is button mashing. I then thought trusty ol' Steve Fox would do teh trick with his Sonic Fang and stomp setups. Alas, not much luck. The only clean defeat (which was quickly followed by a losing rematch) was with Kazuya (in his new Daft Punk costume pictured below). Whereas I used to end his juggles with [df+4,4] I can now use [f+4] to bound and hit [f,n,df+4,1].

I'm also learning the ins and outs of Alisa Bosconovitch, but in the meantime, Lego doesn't know her ins and outs either, which makes for exciting rounds.

I know Dragunov's movelist better than anyone else's, so the differences have made a more profound impression on me.

[df+1,4]	A great mixup with Sergei's excellent [df+1]. This quick poke can now be followed up with a spin kick which combos on counterhit. I've been trying to use it 50/50 to punish someone trying to pressure after blocked [df+1].
[df+1+2]	Drag's new low reversal. Haven't got the hang of timing this yet, but it's got the potential to be game changing. One more tool to mix it up.
[4,1]	There are now a few followups to standing [4], but this is probably the best. It's a solid juggle substitute for [1,1] and it seems to be pretty close to neutral on block.
[FDFA, 1+2~1+2]	Sergei's Living Dead is a giacreepy way to rise from the Face Down Feet Away position, and now it can be cancelled into a tackle, which is another great way to deal damage. Careful, though, this can get really obvious if done regularly.

I need to run through Kazuya's movelist to find the changes, and probably a great number more times to absorb Alisa's massive arsenal. Stay tuned.

Worth Waiting For [Tekken 6 Impressions]

Tekken 6 was released in JPN game centers in November 2007. Its update, Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, dropped in JPN game centers in December 2008. And after an unecessarily complicated delivery process, it is now in Jcasa ensuring the PS3 gets as little downtime as possible. So, really, this has been 23 months coming. Worth it?

Oh, fuck yeah it is.

This edition is 40 characters strong, with six new challengers: Bob, Zafina, Miguel, and Leo added in T6, and Lars and Alisa added in T6:BR. That's pretty damn impressive. BlazBlue brings only 12 fighters to the table, Street Fighter IV only boasts 25, and probably around 33 for the SuperSFIV update. KoFXII and MKvDCU both sport rosters of 22, the upcoming Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom console edition rocks 26, while Smash Brawl's impressive 35 characters was the biggest selection around until Tekken 6 (with the exception of MvC2). Namco's other offering, Soul Caliber, is pretty damn close, but that lineup's exact number is somewhat nebulous given all of the minor, modified clones.

Looks like there may only be 17 stages, which Lego finds a little disappointing, but I feel the interactivity of the environments goes a long way to liven things up. Oh, and the first person to get smashed through a floor was Rah Digga, so beer's on her.

Bob and Alisa are the real standouts of the new recruits, though Zafina is intriguing. On a more personal note, Dragunov gets a really robust makeover, with some handy new tricks and an overall faster and safer arsenal. A little bit of speed goes a long way with Drag, as being able to pressure a character makes all of his feints and grab setups more difficult to avoid.

Graphically, I expected a bit more over what T5:DR exhibited, but I think some news specs and a 1080p display may fix that.

Haven't gotten in any of the Scenario Campaign yet, and I've played but one match online. Stay tuned for more impressions or a Killa review a little down the road, or hit me up and come check it out for yourself.

Get Ready for the Next Battle [Tekken 6 Release Hype]

Oh shit. Some logistical complications aside, I should be able to obtain my Tekken 6 Wireless Stick Bundle on the way home this evening.

W00t! This is the most hyped I've been since, well, SFIV came out.

First person to get slammed through a floor buys beer!

Odds and Ends: Autumnal Edition

Mmmm... Nothing like enjoying a Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Latte with a Pumpkin Cake Donut on a cool Fall day...

Only like ten hours left to voice your opinion on the best canine companion in videogames. Looks like Rush and Fable 2's dog are in a dead heat for the title. Please note: If the votes are equal at the end of polling period, the title will be awarded to Fran from Final Fantasy XII.

Swapped out the Mame PC's PSU with the new one... Same problem as before... Which leads me to believe it may be the mobo... Methinks a new computer may be in order. No one has an old PC of which they're trying to get rid, do they? Hit me if you do.

Tekken 6 should be arriving @ J Casa Tuesday, so unless there's something going on that night I'm forgetting about, hit me up and come on over if you want to try your Iron Fist before Lego and I start flexing our 1337ness.

And oh yeah, what is everybody doing for Halloween? No crazy Jcasa party, so I'm leaning towards Cypress Hill @ 9:30 Club. Anything else going down?

Word is bond. Peace.

Odds and Ends: Oktoberfest Edition

Still need to get a new power supply for the Mame cabinet computer. Obviously we'll need that operational for the big Tekken 6 release fightathon. What's that? You are interested in the next fighting game competition? Well hit me then. I'm thinking I'll sacrifice BlazBlue from the lineup in order to keep SFIV. Likely it'll be T6, SFIV, SCIV, SSBB, MvC2, and SFA3 as the big six. Tiebreak suggestions?

Big Sis Prinny and I wrapped up a casual afternoon by knocking out the rest of the levels in the XBLA release Bubble Bobble Neo. I believe I have mentioned before how fond I am of Bub and Bob, those irresistable bubble-spewing dragons. A lot of fun, but, man, that Level 72! >.<

And last night I was cajoled into participating in a little No Limit Hold'em tourney. I've probably only played four times in the last two years, a drastic comparison to, say, 2006, when teh crew played every night for months on end. The heads up showdown ended up as a battle of the douche bags, and as you well know, no one can out-douche Killa. Walked away with $100... (toward a PSPgo?!)

Fighting Data

Street Fighter IV
First Contest		SHW	LGO
	Ken	0	2	Sagat
	Akuma	0	2	Sakura
Second Contest		KIL	LGO
	Zangief	2	0	Ryu
	Rufus	2	1	Sagat
Third Contest		SHW	KIL
	Dhalsim	0	2	Zangief
	Ryu	1	2	Abel
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
First Contest		KIL	LGO
	Ken	0	2	Sagat
	Blanka	2	0	Ryu
	Guile	0	2	Chun-Li
Second Contest		SHW	LGO
	Ken	0	2	Chun-Li
	Ryu	0	2	Sagat
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
First Contest		KIL	SHW
	Dragnuov	0	3	Hwoarang
	Armor King	1	3	Lei
Second Contest		LGO	SHW
	Baek	1	3	Hwoarang
	Eddy	3	0	Lei
	Law	1	3	Mokujin

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
			LGO		SHW		KIL
First Free-for-All		+1	Ike	-2	Sonic	+1	Snake
Second Free-for-All		+3	Lucas	-2	Captain Falcon	-1	King Dedede
Third Free-for-All		+2	Pikachu	-1	Ice Climbers	-1	Zelda
Final One-on-One		+1	Donkey Kong			-1	Meta Knight

Soul Calibur IV
First Contest		SHW	LGO
	Kilik	3	2	Astaroth
	Maxi	1	3	Kilik
	Mitsurugi	3	0	Siegfried
Second Contest		SHW	KIL
	Mitsurugi	3	0	Cassandra
	Maxi	3	2	Cervantes
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
First Contest		SHW	LGO
	Jin	2	0	Taokaka
	Litchi	1	2	Jin
	Ragna	2	0	Bang
Second Contest		SHW	KIL
	Jin	2	0	Ragna
	Ragna	0	2	Noel
	Bang	0	2	Rachel
Third Contest		LGO	KIL
	Jin	1	2	Ragna
	Taokaka	1	2	Tager
Street Fighter Alpha 3
First Contest		LGO	SHW
	Chun-Li V	2	0	Ken V
	Sagat A	1	2	Ryu A
	Ryu A	2	0	Akuma A
Second Contest		KIL	LGO
	Charlie A	0	2	Chun-Li A
	Akuma A	0	2	Ryu A

World's Strongest [Fighting Game Tournament Recap]

Lego takes another one.

Left my official scorecard at home, but I'll run through the highlights with y'all here. Our second Jcasa Fighting Game Competetion has concluded, with Legoman again winning the tiebreak in Street Fighter Alpha 3. What a guy.

Some changes this time around: the inclusion of Shwa as the third participant. Our fourth fell through, though he's expected to participate in the upcoming Tekken 6 release competition. Obviously a round-robin had to be adopted for this, and I changed the event lineup significantly. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (one of Lego's worst), Street Figher III: Third Strike, and Guilty Gear XX ^Core were all removed. BlazBlue was added, lowering the total count to six events, with a seventh event tiebreaker. Also, we imposed a forced character change rule; players had to select a different character for each match in a contest.

Lego took Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Smash Brawl. I, as expected, dominated Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue. Shwa evened everything with strong showings in Tekken 5: DR, and Soul Calibur IV. (SCIV would've given the tourney to Lego had Shwa not come away with the W). Lego then handily defeated us both in SFA3. Fucker.

I thought I had the competition highlight reel on lock during my second SFIV match with Lego. We played the ye olde Sagat(LGO)-Rufus(KIL) match (after a two and out beat by my Gief over his Ryu). I managed to steal the final round with the EX Messiah -> High -> FADC -> Ultra. I have never connected that setup in a competitive match, and somehow I saw the opening and brought the pain, and even correctly Focus Attack Back Dash cancelled since he was in the corner. Pretty sweet.

Thought that was hot shit till Lego and Shwa's match in BlazBlue. Both are pretty unfamiliar, and wisely checked Command Lists to gain as much knowledge as possible. Shwa apparently is a quick study, as he won his final match with a huge comeback catching Lego in Ragna's Devoured by Darkness Distortion Drive (only available while in Blood Kain Distortion!!) which delivers a 70+ hit autocombo (with 1:1 Soul Eater health steal).


"Distortion Finish? Is that bad? Did I break it?"

Nonathlon

Following Lego's absurdly provocative text message:

Lego: "I want to battle you in a 2 out o 3 match of every fighting game we have in da house."

Oh shit, it was on.

Street Fighter IV - KIL (2-1)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - LGO (2-1)
Tekken 5: Dark Ressurrection - KIL (2-0)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - LGO (2-1)
Guilty Gear XX ^Core - KIL (2-0)
Street Fighter III: Third Strike - LGO (2-0)
Soul Calibur IV - LGO (2-0)
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 - KIL (2-0)

And the tie breaker...

Street Fighter Alpha 3 - LGO (2-0)

Damn... You shoulda seen the third Smash match. My Zelda versus his DK, and the random stage was Shadow Moses. Can't believe I let that one get away...

Next time, motherfucker. Next time.

Get Ready for the Next Jammin'

Caught this one on the Wikipedia Tekken 6 article.


"The sixth character will be Bob Marly, who fighting skills are known throughout the musical world.His fighting skills include using drum and singing to the opponent, which then lulls them to sleep.He will then uses this opportunity to hit them over the head with his drum.This will cause them to have amnesia and knocks them out."

I would say this is ludicrous, but if there's one thing I know from video games, amnesia is very, very common.