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Without Developer Support, Marvel vs. Capcom Players Organize Grassroots Pro Tour
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite may be gone—or, at least, not on the Capcom Pro Tour—but it certainly hasn’t been forgotten by the diehard competitive community. Marvel players have done what the game’s developer did not: they’ve set up a series of connected events known as The Fate of Two Worlds in an effort to give…
By Ian Walker -
Major Win Gives Peruvian Player An Outside Shot At Tekken World Tour Finals
Last weekend, a Tekken 7 player from Peru shook up this year’s Tekken World Tour standings with a big win that gives him a shot at the international finals later this year. Tekken Extreme Tournament is a longstanding event in South America, and this year they were chosen as a Master-level event on the Tekken…
By Ian Walker -
Bayonetta Destroyed By Toon Link, Of All Characters, At Smash Major
While Leffen was busy spiking his controller in the Super Smash Bros. Melee finals, last weekend’s The Big House 8 tournament also hosted a high-level Super Smash Bros. for Wii U competition. A former Evo champion competed alongside 280 other players in Detroit, but even with the supposed strongest character, he found himself on the…
By Ian Walker -
Smash Champion Takes Out Loss On His Poor Controller
It’s normal to be frustrated after a loss, but some fighting game competitors take things a step further by demolishing the controller they were using to play just moments earlier. The latest player to join this illustrious club alongside notables like Sanford Kelly and Runitblack is reigning Evo champion William “Leffen” Hjelte, who spiked his…
By Ian Walker -
Rare Character Matchup Punctuates Dominican Street Fighter V Tournament
No matter how many players pick up fighting games as a competitive endeavor, there are always going to be certain character matchups that barely ever come up in tournaments, let alone in the later stages of a major event. Last weekend, Fighting Fest showcased one such matchup during its Street Fighter V finals, a battle…
By Ian Walker -
The Street Fighter V Rivals With Dramatic Handshakes
While post-match handshakes have become commonplace in the fighting game community, they rarely come laden with dense layers of history. Japanese competitors Naoki “Nemo” Nemoto and Hiromiki “Itabashi Zangief” Kumada have turned these brief moments of sportsmanship into yet another opportunity for showcasing their deepening rivalry. The two had a very tense post-match handshake this…
By Ian Walker -
Esports
Controversial Smash Player Banned From Several Events Under New Code Of Conduct
Ontario Super Smash Bros. Melee player Vikram “Nightmare” Singh has been banned from attending a number of Canadian tournaments after a friend described Singh’s alleged past sexual relationship with an underage girl and a supposed criminal charge that followed. The ban comes on the heels of several tournament organizers’ adoption of a Smash code of…
By Ian Walker -
Good Luck Kisses And Other Surprise Game-Winning Tactics At CEOtaku 2018
Tayson Defas is a highly skilled Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite competitor who has a couple of secret weapons for staying focused during stressful tournament matches. He’ll meditate between games, sometimes even stepping away to sit on the floor. Also, he has a boyfriend, fellow fighting game player Sebastian “Sol” Oliva, who has been known to…
By Ian Walker -
Popular Street Fighter V Competitor Pulled From Major Tournament Amid Domestic Violence Allegations
Seon-woo “Infiltration” Lee, a prominent South Korean Street Fighter V player with five Evolution Championship Series titles and countless tournament wins on his resume, will not be competing at this weekend’s Capcom Pro Tour premier event at Tokyo Game Show. His team, Panda Global, announced the decision today as they investigate claims that Infiltration abused…
By Ian Walker -
Street Fighter V Rookie Breaks Down In Tears After Defeating Veteran Opponent
In addition to showing off upcoming video games, this week’s Tokyo Game Show is playing host to a number of fighting game tournaments. The first, Wednesday evening’s Rookie’s Caravan 2018, was capped off by a rookie’s emotional reaction to beating one of the community’s most accomplished competitors. Rookie’s Caravan is a new initiative by Street…
By Ian Walker -
Dragon Ball FighterZ Champion Pulls Off A Rare Perfect Match
When two of Japan’s strongest Dragon Ball FighterZ players met in the finals bracket of the annual SoCal Regionals fighting game tournament last weekend, fans expected a close match. Instead, the eventual winner shocked audiences by scoring a rare perfect victory in the hectic anime game. Ryota “Kazunoko” Inoue and Ryo “Dogura” Nozaki have faced…
By Ian Walker -
Super Smash Bros. player Raito showed the importance of never giving up in a recent friendly match with Ryu master Takera. After falling far off the stage, he made use of Duck Hunt’s own projectile to damage himself, regain use of his flight move, and reach the opposite side of the platform.
By Ian Walker -
Local Hero Thrashes Evo 2018 Champion At French Tekken 7 Tournament
Sun-woong “LowHigh” Youn has been riding high since becoming Evo 2018’s Tekken 7 champion over the summer, and he entered last weekend’s tournament at The Mixup in Lyon, France as one of the favorites to win. As the event came to a close, however, he got eliminated handily by a local player. Mickaïa “Kalak” Rabenja…
By Ian Walker -
Fighting Game Tournament Offers Complicated Solution To Event Safety Concerns [Update: Policy Changed]
In response to the recent mass shooting tragedy in Jacksonville, during which two Madden competitors were killed and 11 more were injured by a fellow player, the annual SoCal Regionals fighting game tournament will enforce additional security measures in an effort to protect attendees. The most glaring policy is the event’s implementation of mandatory arcade…
By Ian Walker -
The Queen Of Soulcalibur Is Back
Evo 2018 played host to multiple tournaments over its three-day run for established games like Street Fighter V and Dragon Ball FighterZ as well as the as-yet-unreleased Soulcalibur VI, which is still in development and set to come out on October 19. Marie-Laure “Kayane” Norindr, a veteran competitor from France known for, among other things,…
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Youth Trumps Experience In Evo 2018’s Tekken 7 Grand Finals
While it’s typical for Tekken 7 competition to be dominated by South Korean players, the Evo 2018 finals featured a collection of amazing players from across the world. The eventual champion would have to contend with competitors not only from that Asian peninsula, but also the United States, Japan, and Thailand. Sun-woong “LowHigh” Youn proved…
By Ian Walker -
After Five Years, Super Smash Bros. Melee‘s Gods Get Toppled At Evo
The biggest question coming into Evo 2018’s Super Smash Bros. Melee competition is whether or not one of the game’s “gods” would win a sixth title in a row. And now, we have our answer: the gods are dead, long live Leffen. After an intense weekend of competition, eight competitors entered the Mandalay Bay Events…
By Ian Walker
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