Ian Walker

Evo 2018 Guilty Gear Finalist Makes It Further Than Any Other American Player Has In Years

At least one American player tends to make it to the Guilty Gear Xrd finals at the Evolution Championship Series, but that’s typically where their journeys end. Joshua “Zidane” Rodriguez and Kyohei “MarlinPie” Lehr achieved this feat in 2015 and 2017 respectively, only to both get knocked out after a single match. But at Evo…

This fall, Arc System Works will host a qualifying circuit for their annual ArcRevo fighting game tournament with over $100,000 in cash prizes. The world tour has stops in the US, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Japan, and Singapore, culminating at the ArcRevo America grand finals

Arc System Works announced nine new characters for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle after the game’s finals concluded at Evo 2018. BlazBlue’s Nine, Izayoi, and Mai; Under Night In-Birth’s Yuzuriha, Mika, and Merkava; and Persona’s Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Labrys will be available on August 6.

Evo Sidelined Marvel Vs. Capcom Players But They Killed It Anyway

This year’s Evolution Championship Series is almost the same as last year: the Mandalay Bay Convention Center is still packed with countless setups, players reigniting friendships and rivalries, and clusters of attendees erupting into screams during exciting matches. But Evo 2018 has one glaring omission in its lineup of official events: Marvel vs. Capcom Marvel…

Dead Or Alive 6 Is Less Sexualized, And More Esports

Despite offering a unique take on 3D fighting focused on counters and holds, the Dead or Alive franchise has never quite taken off within the fighting game community. It has a small but dedicated fanbase, but the game also struggles with public perception as the genre’s “boobie fighter” (probably thanks to old but memorable commercials…

Fighting Game Rivalries To Watch At Evo 2018

This weekend, the Evolution Championship Series returns to Las Vegas for its twentieth outing. This annual event is the biggest and most important fighting game tournament in the world, with over seven thousand attendees planning to brave the boiling Nevada desert and compete for their shot at eternal glory. The Evo experience has expanded so…

Tracking The Fighting Game Community’s ‘Minor Leagues’

As with most competitive endeavors, major events with big names are given a lion’s share of the public’s attention. This tendency is reflected in Capcom’s official rankings for their Street Fighter V circuit, which only tracks results for the tournaments they deem notable. The fighting game community, however, emphasizes open pools at every level of…

Bowser’s Terrible Son Is Ruining Mario Tennis Aces

It’s been established that Mario Tennis Aces isdefinitely a fighting game, so like any good fighting game, players have come to despise its strongest character. Unfortunately, that character isn’t someone cool like Street Fighter’s Cammy or Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Cell. No, the most powerful member of the Mario Tennis Aces roster is freaking Bowser Jr.…

Fighting Game Players Mimic Wrestling Stars

Even as the fighting game community has expanded rapidly over the last decade, Community Effort Orlando’s professional wrestling aesthetics have made it a unique and memorable stop on the competitive circuit. The yearly event gives the community a chance to show off their creativity and individuality by allowing finalists the opportunity to walk the ramp…

With Its Massive Cast, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Desperately Needs A Tournament Mode

When it arrives in December, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will feature over 60 playable characters from the franchise’s 20-year history. While this caters to both the nostalgia-minded and completionist alike, it has the potential to be a nightmare for anyone looking to host competitive events. As the Smash cast has grown over the years, so…

One Rule For The Dragon Ball FighterZ Championship Is The Most Dragon Ball Thing Ever

A world championship tour for Dragon Ball Fighter Z will see qualifying competitions in seven different countries, each with its own Dragon Ball as a prize. But what if one competitor wins all seven? Announced by publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment this morning, the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour will bring structured competition to the mega-popular…

Dragon Ball FighterZ Is Suddenly Wide Open

Beyond the Summit held its first traditional fighting game event this last weekend, inviting 16 Dragon Ball FighterZ players to Southern California for a four-day tournament. But even with competitors like Dominique “SonicFox” McLean, Goichi “GO1” Kishida, and Sho “Fenritti” Shoji in attendance, one surprising figure stood alone as champion when all was said and…

The New Mario Tennis Is Definitely A Fighting Game

After taking Mario Tennis Aces out for a spin during last weekend’s limited beta, I’ve reached the definitive conclusion that the beloved sports franchise has turned into a fighting game like Street Fighter, Tekken, or Guilty Gear Mario Tennis, which debuted as Mario’s Tennis on the Virtual Boy in 1995, started out as a fairly…

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Is Dead Simple By Design

Since its debut in 2008, the BlazBlue franchise has enjoyed a decade of serious growth, with four mainline installments, various revisions, and an expansive cast that rivals even its Arc System Works cousin Guilty Gear. The latest game, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, is a two-on-two crossover fighter that landed in North America today. With characters…

Dragon Ball FighterZ Gave Us A Rare Look At What Neutral Play Feels Like

The biggest news in the Dragon Ball FighterZ world this weekend was Dominique “SonicFox” McLean finally defeating rival Goichi “GO1” Kishida, but the rest of Combo Breaker was pretty thrilling too. One tense standoff in particular served as a perfect example of a confusing fighting game concept known as ‘neutral.’ Neutral is hard to parse…

You Can Conjure Corners Out Of Thin Air In BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

The corner is a vital spot in fighting games. Players at the edge of the stage can’t go backwards, eliminating evasive tactics, and more damaging combos are only possible with the opponent’s back against the wall. Competitive players in the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle beta have found a new quirk ahead of the game’s May…

The Umeshoryu Is The Gutsiest Move In Fighting Games

Daigo Umehara has built a legacy on fearless calls, and he added one more to his story at Stunfest in Rennes, France last weekend. Down on life and with his back against the wall, the fighting game legend shot off a clutch Flash Kick to catch his opponent off guard and steal a victory with…

Vegeta Nerfed

Dragon Ball FighterZ has been a smash hit, with players from all corners of fighting games converging on the title to duke it out with iconic characters like Goku, Piccolo, Frieza, and more. But as Dragon Ball FighterZ strategy developed, it quickly became clear that Super Saiyan Vegeta had the best assist in the game.…

Justin Wong Won A Major Tournament With Street Fighter V’s Newest (And Allegedly Worst) Character

Justin Wong is a legendary fighting game player, and he’s nearly unbeatable when given the chance to use an ultra-defensive character or system mechanic. This part of Wong’s skillset was on full display last weekend during the Canada Cup Master Series tournament in Calgary, where he won the stacked event using Falke, the latest character…

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Character Provides Bootleg Training Mode In Limited Beta

The fighting game community is currently exploring BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle via a beta test to uncover its secrets before the official May 31 release date. But as is often the case, this demo is limited to a handful of modes and doesn’t include a built-in place to practice solo, forcing players to use one…