Ian Walker

The First Japanese Evo Will Be A Bit Different

Despite a long history spanning back to 1996, the Evolution Championship Series has never held an event outside the United States. That’s all going to change come January 2018, as the organization plans to host the inaugural Evo Japan in Tokyo, with a few notable changes that set it apart from the main tournament series.…

Veteran fighting game competitor Justin Wong has decided to forgo competing in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite until October. Wong is one of many players to receive early access to the game, and feels having an extra week to practice before Infinite’s official September 19 launch is unfair to the rest of the community.

Smash 4 Pro Survives Tournament Elimination With Clutch Off-Screen Play

Last weekend’s Super Smash Bros. for Wii U competition at DreamHack Montreal came down to a nail-biting grand finals match between Larry “Larry Lurr” Holland and Eric “ESAM” Lew. With his tournament hopes on the line, Holland scored a clutch counter against Lew to reset the bracket, which was made only more impressive by the…

Street Fighter V pro and Florida resident Du “NuckleDu” Dang announced that he will be donating his DreamHack Montreal winnings to Hurricane Irma relief efforts in his state. His first place finish over Justin Wong net the young competitor $4,700.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Pro Bested By His Own Team

Last weekend, East Coast Throwdown brought fighting game competition back to New Jersey with its ninth installment. As one of the last tournaments before the release of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite later this month, the event featured a stacked Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 bracket that showcased a clear endpoint to the game’s strategy. Evo…

Fighting Game Players Find The Best Combos For Jesus And Buddha

Fight of Gods is an independent fighting game currently in early access on Steam. Players pit deities like Buddha, Odin, and Jesus against each other on a virtual battlefield. The game’s tongue-in-cheek nature has quickly endeared it to the fighting game community, who are embracing the in-development title and learning what makes it tick. Fight…

Skullgirls Player Celebrates A ‘Happy Birthday’ In Appropriate Fashion

When fighting game players aren’t devising new ways to squeeze extra damage out of their combos or crafting deadly setups to trap opponents, they’re usually figuring out how to defeat fellow competitors in the most stylish ways possible. Skullgirls makes that a little easier thanks to a character named Big Band, who can utilize his…

Pokkén Tournament Match Reignites Debate Over Supposedly Boring Fighting Game Strategies

Winning by any means necessary is a core staple of fighting game competition, but it’s still unsettled whether fighting game pros need to entertain spectators while trying to do so. It’s been an issue in Street Fighter for decades, and top Super Smash Bros. players have even been booed for their controversial approaches to competition.…

Super Smash Bros. Combo Contest Was Full Of Incredible Trick Plays

Super Smash Con, a combination tournament and convention focused on the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series, kicked off this weekend’s festivities with a ridiculous show of skill known simply as the Combo Contest. Inspired by the NBA’s Dunk Contest, this exhibition invites some of the most creative Super Smash Bros. players to showcase the…

Street Fighter’s ‘Beast’ Is Now An Underdog

Daigo Umehara is arguably the best fighting game player of all time, so his relatively poor performance with Street Fighter V since the game’s release in February 2016 has surprised the competitive community. After sticking with series protagonist Ryu for for more than a year, Daigo recently made the switch to Guile taking advantage of…

Evo Ruleset Now Allows Coaching, With A Catch

Before yesterday, players at the world’s largest fighting game tournament were unable to receive advice from their coach, if they had one, once they reached the semifinals. Now, thanks to a rule change, if they need help during a match of Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros., or any other game contested at the Evolution Championship…

Smash Champion’s Pop-Off Is Too Big For One Tournament Stream

When Jason “ANTi” Bates won the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament at Smash community major Get On My Level this past weekend, he exercised his rights as champion to celebrate his accomplishment. That said, he may have gotten a little too hype (if such a thing is even possible) when his victory lap…

Top Street Fighter V Player Rage Quits During Massive Upset

New York City’s fighting game community saw one of their own step up to the plate in a big way at this weekend’s Defend the North tournament just north of the city in White Plains. Derek “iDom” Ruffin faced off against Philadelphia’s Victor “Punk” Woodley, arguably the best player in the United States, and effectively…

Network Error Exiles Street Fighter V Players To Fictional Island

Street Fighter V players noticed something strange happening during their online matches on the afternoon of July 22. Instead of appearing near their real-world locations on the Capcom Fighters Network map (a platform that ensures competitors match up with opponents in their general vicinity), they were being placed west of Africa, smack dab in the…

Street Fighter V Players Showcase Abigail’s Giant Potential

Street Fighter V’s newest character, Abigail, is the game’s largest fighter to date, towering over even resident grappler Zangief. Since the character’s arrived on Tuesday, the focus of community discussion has been on his capacity to inflict serious damage with just a few hits. Many players have been surprised by the utility of Abigail’s moveset,…

Street Fighter V Player Predicts Own Loss, Wins Anyway

Benoit “Gunfight” Arquilla, a French fighting game competitor living in Japan, proved the community’sage-old “never give up” adage still holds true in 2017 during a recent Street Fighter V live stream. After getting rocked by a strong Laura player named Suika during the final round of their online match, Gunfight was able to mount an…

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite will receive a day one patch that focuses on “making improvements” to unpopular character models for Chun-Li and “other Capcom characters,” the developer confirmed to Compete This should help folks focus on Infinite’s gameplay rather than whatever was going on with the first lady of Street Fighter’s face.