Thursday, September 22, 2011

SF X Tekken - TGS


So to most if the world, last week was the first chance we got to experience the next installment in the Street Fighter franchise.. Already plenty of vids have popped up online via SRK and the like.. And to be honest, it's shaping up to e a pretty fun game!

I was lucky enough to get a few games in at TGS, and the mechanics are spot on.. Like most people using the Tekken characters was the definitely the appeal here.. finding how non-projectile 3D fighters would work in a 2D, projectile happy environment..  Quite simply.. Namco and Capcom have got it covered..

Seth Killian uploaded a bunch of vids to SRK during the Game Show, so give them a look if you ain't already..

Gripes with the game after just a few plays are few and far between.. But 2 things did bug me a little.. The shadowy, black outline, half drawn look of the fighters at the title screen is a bit.. Shitty.. Like seriously, just get a brush and finish that shit properly.. The second gripe being the amount of shit going on in the backdrop.. It's fun, but it’s too much.. It actually detracts from the gameplay..

Ok, beefing over.. The design and hatboxes are all SSF4AE, from what I heard.. So the cross over for most SF characters won't be much of a problem.. I'm sure this one is going to be tournament worthy.. But through the grapevine I'm hearing that both people on the Tekken side are rejecting it.. And SF side too..

That's cool to be honest.. The beat em ups don't  always need to be mad competitive.. It all depends in if it'll be getting an Arcade release I guess..

Gamer Journal - Day 77


This week saw the biggest influx of gamers from overseas that I'd ever seen.. Americans, Brazilians, you name it!

Last week was a biggy in the gaming community.. To kick it off there was Tougeki on Friday.. Which to be honest hasn't really drawn my attention yet.. (I'm nit sure what it is, but Tougeki just doesn't have that flare the international comps have..)

Then there was the Tokyo game Show, which, amongst many games, showcased the upcoming SF X Tekken.. I got a few games in and it's looking hot as hell!!

To top it all off, Monday showcased a Daigo beat down challenge.. Meaning that 50 of the best gamers in the world would challenge Daigo one at a time.. Not the best explanation granted.. But let me try find some footage..

On top of all this, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 had its official release last week., I'll give my 2 cents on that later.. Urg

So a pretty exhausting week!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Tokyo Game Show - Thoughts

This weekend will be the Tokyo Game Show.. And as usual, I have no idea what's going to be on display there.. All I know is, I'm hyped.

I'm putting money on playable demo's of SF X Tekken, which will be receiving most of my attention. Amasing footage is going to  be the top of my priority list.. Last year the big game was MvC3.. wonderful to watch, a bitch to play.

Personally I'm hoping to see Justin and his cronies but I'm sure they were invited to the reporters day on Friday.. Open to media only.. Honestly I just want to say hello.. A few months back, J was on my hit list, but after seeing "King of China Town".. I kinda like the guy..

Iphone Card Registration- Tutorial

A few weeks back, a mate was good enough to show me how to get my SF card hooked up with the iPhone.

Doing this opens a new level in competition, community and customization of your player profile.. It's well worth doing, allowing you to following the rankings, players you battled with.. Just everything..

Anyways, let's get down to it.

2. 3. 4.
1.
1. Purchase a card for 500¥ (Sold in every game center)
2. Then go type iph.s.sf4.jp into the webserver on your iPhone. 
3. Click on マイメニュ (my menu) on the left of the screen. The site will ask you to register your iPhone address by clicking the link sent to your phone by Capcom.. Click it, and your phone is in sync with the community.
4. Go back to the homepage and Click マイメニュ (my menu) on the left hand side and then click the top option マイプロフ (my profile).
5.
6.


5. You'll see this screen. Click the top option [新規登録] (new customer registration).
6. So here you enter the 16 digit code from the back of your SF card. 
7. Before confirming anything, you need to decide who to choose. The card will link and lock with one, and only one, character..



8. You'll be asked to give a user name.. This can be anything in Hiragana, Katakana or Kanji.. But to write a name in English, it's necessary to choose from the Japanese Romaji choice on the iPhone.. (there are 3 options for English characters on this screen - Lower Case, Upper Case and Romaji.. Use Romaji to save yourself stress.


9. Choose, select, and you're done!


Let me know if this helps, it gets a little confusing, but give it a go!

TTT2 Launch day - Summary

Absolutely knackerd.. Being at Taito today was like an oldschool all-nighter, no drinks, no food, just feeling that cold sweat coming out..

Amazing.. Simply amazing..

The past few months I'd been avoiding spoilers on TTT2 in the form of video footage.. Decided I wanted to sit there, and get the true impact of an Arcade in 2011.. And boy was I happy..

Graphically amazing. From title screen to fight scene this game is in a new league.. New animations for characters, excellently executed tag cut scenes.. Intros.. Something that stood out was a kind of focus attack, a moment when a circle would lock on the attacker.. It may have been a homing move.. But I don't know shit about that yet!

The cabinets themselves are dope as hell. Brand new speakers really do the job of commanding presence in the arcade.. The bass been so deep you couldn't help gettin pumped up. Every impact kinda reverberated and shook the machine, leaving the player pretty dam happy. One point to note is presently, non of the major arcades have more that 4 cabinets.. This may be the sample period, but in really hoping we can get some good setups.. 8 machines at least is necessity..

The tag system is what everyone was talking about.. Dry tagging is going to get your ass slammed hard.. 2 hours later a few players were beginning to dominate the scene by landing the big combo.. The scrub would then panic, try using a dry tag, then get caught on the way in.. It's definitely a key element here, not just the tagging, but using it as a defensive attack to punish wiffed combos..

I wasn't out to gain battle points or anything (although that will be step two), but more to test Ogre, and Jaycee and how they handled.. Og's a beast (literally) and wiped the floor with opponents using his unpredictable hit strings and unique hitboxes. Jaycee also had a lot to give (no doubt at this time it was Julia Chang).. Her movements deceptive, swift..

Shit lots to learn..

TTT2 Launch day - Pre-match thoughts

Holy shit, September came out of nowhere..

Well it's finally here.. What a whole bunch of us have been losing sleep over.. A game 2 years in development.. One of the most talked about games in the past decade.. It's 9am, I'm standing outside Taito game center in Shinjuku.. And it's about to get stupidly ridiculous up in here..

Launch day on a Wednesday morning is a bit of a weird choice.. ..I'm not sure what the rationale behind a major launch on this day is, bearing in mind 50% of the demographic are at work, and the other 50% in school.. Bleh, I guess that's why I don't work in Marketing...

In about 5 minutes I'll be in with Nina and Jaycee.. I'm almost choking on my heart, I'm so pumped for this release.. 頑張れ..

Monday, September 12, 2011

Gamer journal day 70

Street fighter - Chun Li

Well, one thing became crystal since last month.. My Street Fighter game is way up on my Tekken.. No doubt!

I've been working on Chun technology for 3 weeks, just her bread and butter techniques, allowing for basic control of pace and space, and shit have I taken a few wins! Granted I'm at the start of a marathon.. But the progress in SF compared to Tekken is unbelievable. Having the "get out of jail free card" in SF (ultras and supers) is a huge plus, meaning everybody has a chance. A few Tekken games in the last week caused me to throw money at the machine rather than into it..

Losing 70% life in a single combo is a joke.. But that's Tekken baby.

Ok so sticking with SF.. Learning curves..

Chun can:
Punish Blanka Balls on block, and also into Kikosho ultra, which is fantastic.
Keep Geif out with jabs, fireballs and low kicks
Launch with EX Lightning Legs into Kikosho..

Amazing..

Shiiiit!

What happened to the blog recently.. It's been about three weeks since the last update! Getting married and 2 weeks in England is no excuse!

So right back into it.

With the release of Tekken Tag 2 on the 14th here (in 2 days) the level of gameplay in Tokyo, Nakano and Shinjuku has jumped forward. Real quality players have started to come out of the woodwork, and you can bet you arse there's a bunch of the original Tekken Tag players coming back.

In terms of my game.. Shit.. I don't know what it is but I've been struggling to find my feet these past few weeks. The games I've been playing have just lead to frustration at the huge combo having mother fckrz!

The Street Fighter scene has blown up around the way, with bunches of competitions showing up, including Tougeki this month..

I've been working on Chun Li technology.. And it's been working.. Still chewed up by the local community (as expected), but the wins are coming..

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Gamer Journal - Day 43

43 days playing Street Fighter.. Is it paying off?

Frankly it's hard to tell. How can you judge a fighters skill? By wins? Probably.. But wins against scrubs really aint wins at all to me.

Personally it's being able to adapt and be creative tgat separates the good from the great.

Tonight I played 20 games against a C+ player, taking 4 wins home. The bottom line being that I need to learn more and be more creative. My lack of skills at the moment restrict what I'm capable of.. It's like life. You need to know to grow, and to grow you gotto be BOLD.

My training against DeeJay was pretty good, but the Ken matchup was my downfall.

I did however work out some new taunts and mind games. Most importantly moving slowly into a downed character then hoping back to draw the whiff. It's day 1 stuff, but to make this work in actual fights is something else.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Gamer Journal - Day 44


Question.. Who reads anymore? Why havnt I just been uploading practice vids? Surely that the best way to recognize some basic flaws in the game is to go back over my play and figure shit out!

Holy shit I'm slow..

On a side note, spent 2 hours on Juri vs. Ken and DeeJay. Tomorrow I'll be having a few games against some hardcore gamers in Bubaigawara.. Yeah I have no idea where that is either yo...

Next up.. Training!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Winning Quotes – Les Brown


Resource - OptionSelect

One stop shop on Street Fighter..

Dope, dope, sick ass resource for all things Street Fighter.

I’ve been pretty dumb not to have found this site until now, but with my attention on Tekken these past few weeks.. Shitty excuse.. Whilst I was checking tutorials for Juri and her potential on Youtube, Ry’s video stood out above everything else. Really beautiful editing, excellent breakdown of frame rates.. It’s tight and to the point. So far I’ve just had enough time to check the vids and get an over view on the site.. But I ain’t gonna be looking for any other SF resources for a while now..

That’s all for now. I’m gonna be spending some serious hours at Option Select the next few weeks covering Juri and Chun. 

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Gamer Journal - Day 42

Spent 2 hours on SF training on Juri's Fuhajin. I'm pretty sloppy with the quarter circle forward and backwards movement and since it's her bread and butter, I'll need it to be reliable for competing.

Her Kasatushi technique too is something I'll be using a lot too. At EVO there was some pretty decent Juri players, but generally been used as rush down, but this move could be as useful as a teleport, at least. Projectile characters will have to watch for quick reversals.. And another thing.. Ryu's Metsu Hadouken can be countered by the Kasatushi.. In some cases, you can favor the teleport over jumping, as there is less chance of been caught in the air.

What else..

Kaisen Dankairaku is excellent as an anti air, and of course focus attacks can be followed up with the ultra too. I didn't check, but I'm pretty sure Dhalsim would get caught teleporting above her.

More practice on charge and release next, landing combos.


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Resource - Twitch TV

Was rooting about online and found a tight stream for SSF4, hosted by some of the best players in Japan. Today’s matches being host by the one and only Fuudo.. and the one and only Tokido! Honestly speaking I thought Saturday night would be money match night at the arcades..

Every Saturday Night 9.30~

Training - LUYG 2

So part 2 is pretty dull, but they gotto get everything covered here, tech rolls and whatnot. i gotto admit though, I never really got how to rol and stay down (1, hold d) so it's all good.. in for a penny, in for a pound.

Part 2 Covers
Side Stepping
Side Walking
Tackle Breaking
Grabs
Grab Breaks
Get Ups
Chinese Get Up

Resource - Level Up Your Game

So taking on Monchans advice..


Gettin straight into LUYG, a solid recourse dedicated solely to the Tekken scene.. Great. The Zaibatsu seems to be more about communication within the Tekken community, keeping up to date with developments, trouble shooting ect.. LUYG is exactly what it says on the tin. Straight up knowledge on how to level up.



Part 1 Covers
Annotations (1, 1+2..)
Back Dashing
High/Low Crushing
Low, Mid, High Attacks
Running
Tackling
Running Slides
Avoiding Tackles
Ultimate Tackles




Over the past few months I'd picked up some bad habits, and still some of the simple shit was escaping me. even the shit that I do have down needs some work.. So MYK (Michael Kwon), True! (Aldrin Espinosa) and Rip (Reepal Parbhoo) are goin tell me what's going wrong..

Gamer Journal - Day 40

The past few weeks have been pretty insane work wise, but I've noticed I havnt been putting the work into my Tekken or Sf.

I got book smart recently, learning a few names, a few techniques here and there.. But the improvements are next to 0%.

Speaking to Monchan on Saturady left me feeling like I knew nothing.. In reality it's true, but to think the past few weeks had been a drop in the bucket was disconcertin.. Even with a bunch of wins behind me, he kinda prooved the point.. That the wins I had didn't mean anything..

So tonight I'll be all about jack 6.. Spend a couple of hours watching the combo videos and learning the trade..

Need to pick up the pace..

Winner Quote - Ali

“If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”



“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.



“If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Tekken Zaibatsu

Had the first meetup with the Zaibatsu community here in Tokyo last night..
If I'm going to get anywhere, I've gotto have community support. Sure you can self study, but having a community gives you that extra incentive.. Had a long day a work don't feel like playing.. Ran out of ideas.. Getting bored.. That kinda stuff is day in day out.. The community will always push just that little harder..

Take last night for example, meeting with Monchan (a good guy and long time fighter) who gave me a few pointers on my game.. The bottom line being .. "Learn the game" and "Learn juggles".. I was kinda laughin, (since it's a while since I got handled so bluntly), but this guy was serious.

The meet was good, the guys were good, the skills on the otherhand were a totally different class. Felt a little less salty when I heard they had been in the game since 96/97, and sure enough my ass was handed to me..

The main thing with the community that I wanted was rivalry.. And within 20 mins, I got it.

Monchan took all of the 20 matches we played, taunting with Miguel, not just using Miguel’s taunt but also spamming moves and showing very little respect.. Juggling and just all round getting me heated. By the end of the match I had to just get up outta sheer rage.. Technically I can't complain, the better player was winning, but as soon as I lost my pace.. I might as well have been throwing puppies at a tank.

It's all good though, much respect, and gave me a lot of the simple shit I've been needing to hear.

"ArcadeHero: So you wanted some advice... Here it is: I'm still not sure what sort of character you want to play. You told me jokingly that you'd like to play female characters which, in my opinion, is a horrible way to pick characters. That's ok though. You can take that statement with a grain of salt. Here's the important part. Ready for it?

Learn the juggles. This is essentially the core of tekken's punishment system. Reaping the correct reward for the opponent's risk. Other wise, to be quite honest, tier lists will not matter.

I'll leave character choice up to you for now but if you have the time, please search "level up your game" on YouTube and watch all the basic tutorials. All for now. If you have any questions feel free to ask."


Sweet.

Interview - Snooker

Got to talking with a semi pro snooker player last night about the ins and out of competitive play.

Since realizing a major flaw in my gameplay (the competitive edge.. And lack of quality) a few weeks back, I've been rooting around for a bit of self-development.

In terms of snooker (or any competitive sport), much relies on punishing or capitalizing on the opponent’s mistake. While you're off the table, the game is completely out of your control.. Pretty much the same as being launched in Tekken... Sit it out. Although requiring completely different skills in terms of dexterity and planning, snooker has a lot to give about handling adrehlin, making the most of opportunities and complete control over movements.

Sean (snooker dude) told me about some advice he had been given by a lecturer during his competitive days;
"He asked me a simple question, "Would you rather play a good player and lose, or play a bad player and win?".. Now most people would properly end up saying they'd prefer to lose but gain something.. That it's honorable to play and lose, and take that loss as development.. But the reality is everyone wants to win. You ask you're average Joe shmuck on the street and they'll give you the same answer."

"This guy (lecturer) really opened my eyes to a different way of thinking. For a long time I wasn't having any of it, but slowly I could see his point."

As a young player Sean was pretty arrogant, and had a hard time with losses; "I fucking hated losing.. Fucking hated it.. And I lost so many friends because of it.."

Monday, August 1, 2011

Focus - Juri

FUHAJIN
QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD + KICK

Juri's projectile which is one of the most unorthodox projectiles seen in any Street Fighter game to date. Light Kick travels low to the ground, Medium Kick travels across the middle of the screen at a slight upward angle, and Hard Kick travels upwards at a 45 Degree angle.

Each strength can be stored by holding down the kick, and you can store all three strengths at once, unleashing them one after another. This can useful for creating new combos considering the fireball can not only be released after an attack such as Crouching Medium Kick, but can also be FADC'd to continue the combo.

Light Kick version will travel under projectiles, even low Tiger shots, and will also hit opponents who are low to the ground, such as Blankas Coward Crouch.

There is also another element of this projectile which is the initial start up of the move. Juri will kick upwards creating a trail of purple energy. This is an attack which will knockdown on hit, and absorb incoming projectiles if timed correctly.


SHIKUSEN (2ND IMPACT, 3RD STRIKE)
IN AIR
(IN AIR) QUARTER CIRCLE BACK + KICK, KICK, KICK

This is Juri's Dive Kick which allows her to set up some extremely hard hitting combos, but be careful because when it is blocked it is extremely unsafe in most instances. Each version will travel down at a different angle, and when the attack lands, on block or hit, you can press kick two more times for a follow up attack. The move is also her Armor Breaking attack which makes it very useful in catching Focus-Happy opponents.

The Shikusen can be done very low to the ground which makes it ideal for punishing opponents missed moves. Simply jump and input the command immediately to do it very close to the ground.

The EX versions has properties that make it even more devastating than the normal versions. When she lands and EX Shikusen, the opponent will bounce off the wall allowing her to follow up with an EX Senpusha or even Ultra II!


SENPUSHA
QUARTER CIRCLE BACK + KICK

This is Juri's signature "pinwheel kick" which is primarily useful in combos. From close range, if the opponent blocks this attack it is easily punishable so be sure to also combo into it directly when possible. The EX Version is a fairly good move on wake up, allowing her to beat out many moves and inflict a lot of damage in the process.


KASATUSHI
QUARTER CIRCLE BACK + PUNCH

This is Juri's "Taunt & Teleport" move where she will lean forward, and will teleport in various directions when she is hit by any non throw or armor breaking attack. Light Punch will move her backwards, Medium Punch moves her through the opponent and Heavy Punch will send her flying above the opponent.

The EX version can be controlled using the joystick. For instance, if you perform the EX Version and hold up she will fly above the opponent, but if you hold back, she will go backwards.


SUPER - FUHARENJIN
QUARTER CIRCLE BACK X2 + KICK

Whether or not you use Juri's super really depends on what type of player you are. Some players will like to save her EX meter for her special moves, while others will use the Super to connect off of certain attacks. It's not a bad Super by any means so it's worth experimenting with to see if it fits into your game plan.


ULTRA 1 - FENG SHUI ENGINE
QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD X2 + THREE PUNCHES

Juri's first Ultra allows her to chain her normal moves together, creating combos that were not previously possible. This is arguably her better Ultra when used properly, even though it generally wont allow guaranteed damage like her second Ultea.


ULTRA II - KAISEN DANKAIRAKU
QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD X2 + KICK X3

Many players will opt to use Juri's second Ultra due to the fact that it results in guaranteed damage in most cases. After an EX Shikusen, once the opponent bounces off the wall, she can combo into it, and of course after a Level 2 or 3 Focus Attack.