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CultureStreet Fighter Alpha Expert Destroys The Game’s Cooperative Battle Mode By Himself
Desk, one of the most creative and technically gifted combo video creators in the fighting game community, has outdone himself with his latest project. Controlling both Ryu and Ken in Street Fighter Alpha’s Dramatic Battle mode, using one hand for each character, he beats the snot out of devilish dictator M. Bison and defeats the…
By Ian Walker Published July 23, 2019 -
CultureMike Tyson Says He Just Learned About Balrog In Street Fighter II
In 1991, Street Fighter II was released. Now, in 2019, Mike Tyson just heard about Balrog, a character who also boxed and originally had a name that rhymed with Tyson’s, for the very first time. As EventHubs points out, EPSN asked the former heavyweight champ if he knew the story about the character. Tyson replied,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 17, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryStreet Fighter‘s Queer Stereotypes Kept Me In The Closet
Last year during Pride month, I wrote about my own queer reading of the Street Fighter V tutorial, which features Ken and Ryu fighting and, in my opinion, flirting. In the year since then, I’ve been thinking about the character Juri in Street Fighter, who is the closest the games get to having a canonical…
By Maddy Myers Published June 28, 2019 -
Capcom has updated its official Street Fighter V tournament rules to address controllers capable of simultaneous opposite cardinal direction inputs, or SOCDs. This sets a new standard for box style peripherals: the original Hit Box is legal, while the custom “Gafro box” that Daigo helped gain notoriety is not.
By Ian Walker Published June 21, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanBehold, Chun-Li Themed Sneakers
Japanese shoe brand Onitsuka Tiger is releasing two pairs of Chun-Li inspired sneakers. Both are based on Onitsuka’s iconic Mexico 66 SD with Chun-Li themed color patterns and dragon designs. The Tiger and Street Fighter logos are emblazoned on the heel flap. The sneakers come with a download code for players to dress Chun-Li in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2019 -
CultureSplitscreenThe Magic Of Muscle Memory For Games
I’ve been practicing my Street Fighter V combos lately, and I’ve found that the less I think about them, the easier it is to do them. On this week’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, my co-host Kirk Hamilton and I talked about muscle memory in games, and also music. Our third host Jason Schreier is on…
By Maddy Myers Published April 18, 2019 -
15 Years Later, There’s New Footage Of The Biggest Street Fighter Moment Ever
This year will mark the 15th anniversary of the legendary 2004 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike matchup between Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong—dubbed EVO Moment 37, or the “Daigo Parry”—and just in time, there’s some brand new footage of the legendary matchup, thanks to EVO’s Mark Julio. In the newly-unearthed footage, you can see the…
By Joshua Rivera Published April 10, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanCollectable Figures Make For Excellent Stop-Motion Animation
Twitter user Kenta Shinohara makes excellent stop-motion animation clips using game and anime figures. Case in point, this one of Ryu beating the crap out of a Red Bull can. Here is how the made the stop motion clip Here is more of Shinohara’s work:
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 26, 2019 -
Choreographed Street Fighter V Match Is Very Entertaining
PlayStation Japan recently invited two high-level fighting game competitors to showcase a special Ryu-on-Ryu mirror match in Street Fighter V. But this wasn’t a normal exhibition. Instead of playing out the kind of fight you would see at the Evolution Championship Series, the Japanese maestros demonstrated their knowledge of the game by performing a special,…
By Ian Walker Published March 19, 2019 -
Evo Japan Champion Gets To Keep His Prize Money Despite Japan’s Confusing Laws
Making a living in competitive gaming is difficult, but it’s even harder for folks living in Japan. The island nation limits prize money for video game tournaments, and also, strangely enough, its gambling regulations also apply to the world of esports. These two legal hurdles have made it almost impossible for competitors to maintain a…
By Ian Walker Published February 25, 2019 -
Culture
The Fighting Game Capcom Tried To Get Pulled From Arcades
Capcom once filed suit in an attempt to get Fighter’s History pulled from arcades. And today, you can play it on Switch! So, clearly, the lawsuit didn’t work out. The explosion of the fighting game genre after the release of Street Fighter II in 1991 raised some legal questions. The avalanche of one-on-one martial arts…
By Chris Kohler Published January 3, 2019 -
Street Fighter V Competitors Carry An Otherwise Messy Capcom Cup
Capcom Cup wrapped up a year of Street Fighter V over the weekend with an explosive grand finals match between Japanese powerhouses Kanamori “Gachikun” Tsunehori and Hiromiki “Itabashi Zangief” Kumada. The players were incredible, but the tournament itself was a bewildering mishmash of poor scheduling and tiresome padding that unfortunately encapsulates the issues with Street…
By Ian Walker Published December 17, 2018 -
Thank Goodness You Can Turn Off Street Fighter V‘s New In-Game Ads Because Yikes
Street Fighter V has had its share of disappointments since it arrived in 2016, from a shoddy launch to installing dangerous backdoors for malware in players’ computers. Capcom’s latest brilliant idea is to plaster the entire game with advertisements, turning the most storied fighting game franchise of all time into a billboard. The decision to…
By Ian Walker Published December 13, 2018 -
Cammy Is Finally Getting Pants In Street Fighter V
Shout it from the rooftops: Cammy White will be trading in her traditional battle gear for an outfit with pants, thanks to Street Fighter V’s upcoming cross-promotion with Resident Evil. In paying homage to frequent Resident Evil protagonist Jill Valentine, the Killer Bee is set to have an outfit with ample bottom coverage for one…
By Ian Walker Published November 27, 2018 -
Punk Shows Off By Winning Street Fighter V Tournament With His Opponent’s Character
Red Bull Conquest wrapped up its team-based fighting game competition in Washington, D.C., this past weekend, bringing Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 competitors together to decide which American city is the strongest. Victor “Punk” Woodley, who famously placed second at Evo 2017, ending up winning the Street Fighter V…
By Ian Walker Published November 20, 2018 -
Street Fighter V Player Exits Capcom Cup Due To Results Of Domestic Violence Investigation
In response to recent allegations of domestic violence, South Korean fighting game competitor Seon-woo “Infiltration” Lee has been dropped by Panda Global, the professional esports organization that signed him in March, and will not participate in official Street Fighter V events for at least a year. In September, an anonymous Reddit user posted documentation that…
By Ian Walker Published November 16, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Top Street Fighter Player Arrested For Alleged Molestation (Again)
This summer, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike player Kenji Kuroda was arrested for allegedly committing indecent acts this February against a high school girl. He’s been arrested again for another alleged incident that happened last year. According to Sankei, the latest allegation took place in Chiba Prefecture on May 31, 2017. Kuroda is accused of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2018 -
Flashy Player Intros And Wild Comebacks At Red Bull’s Street Fighter V Invitational
Red Bull Kumite, which started with Street Fighter IV in 2015 before transitioning to Street Fighter V in 2016, often serves as a summation of the year’s competition. The event invites some of the most accomplished players in the world to compete in Paris, France, and also gives additional challengers the chance to earn a…
By Ian Walker Published November 13, 2018 -
Street Fighter V Player Removed From Future Competition Pending Domestic Violence Investigation
According to Panda Global, Street Fighter V champion Seon-woo “Infiltration” Lee will not compete again until investigations into allegations of domestic violence conclude. Infiltration has been invited to play at Red Bull Kumite next month, but that appearance is now up in the air. UPDATE 9:15 AM, 10/26/18: A representative for Red Bull France has…
By Ian Walker Published October 25, 2018