#evo week

EVO Flash Back:EVO 2014  Melee Finals

EVO Week Flash Back: EVO 2009 Street Fighter IV Finals

So this is EVO Week. A week where I get to combine my two favorite hobbies, writing and fighting games, in a semi-decent fashion. I hope it gets maybe one or two people interested in EVO this week. If not...well, I’m tagging this stuff under EVO Week and EVO Week 2015, so you can block it at lest. I hope you enjoy and please leave some feedback.

Skullgirls. If there's any fighting game I've talked way too much about, its Skullgirls. But there's a reason why I've talked about it so much. Beyond the game just being awesome, I'm really admit of what its come to symbolize: that there is now a new option to find and make fighters, the indie route.

Let's be clear, indie fighters are not anything new. Small development team fighting games have been around even in the golden age of fighters, such as Rabbit (the game up above). Especially in places like Japan where indie fighters (also known as doujin fighters) and big name fighters can occupy the same place in the arcades. In fact EVO 2010 headlined one doujin fighter, Melty Blood, made by French Bread (who would later make Under Night In-Birth). Now the indie presence at EVO has spread to beyond just fighting games with the Indie Showcase. Its a very important reminder at how much indie fighters have grown....and still have some growing to do.

Yes, indie fighters are now very popular but that doesn't mean they have over taken the big name games and you don't have go far to see that. Just look at the headlining games. There's only one game on the whole list of games that an actual new IP created within the last year, Injustice, and its popularity also stems from the fact that it uses DC comic characters which are very popular now. Even still, indie fighters aren't the most diverse fighters around, considering most that have risen out of obscurity have been of the 2D fighters variety. 3D indie fighters do exist but most of those are in Japan and pale in comparison to popularity of 2D fighters. It will be a long time before indie fighters actually overtake their big brand counterparts. But honestly, I'm OK with that. To me, indie fighters remind me of going to an arcades back in the 90's. Most arcade would be chock-full of big named fighters but also peppered with some unknown ones. Sure, the quality one some these were...dubious at best. The point is though, is the fact that they existed and served as a counterpoint to their big named rivals. More importantly, some of those smaller ones did things that big name fighters would eventually incorporate or never do. Of course that took a lot of money which why most of them are not around which why now is the prefect time for indie developers to try again thanks to crowd funding sites.

Hey everyone. Its just two days away from the opening EVO and been a pretty slow news week. However there is one thing that is making the rounds on net about fighting games is a new guide on how to get better at fighting games. From Masher to Master: The Educated Video Game Enthusiast’s Fighting Game Primer (Super Book Edition) is a free book published by SRK and written by fighting game writer Patrick Miller. I haven't downloaded and read the book yet, however judging by a few of the comments I've read, I've heard its pretty good (albeit a bit more Street Fighter focused). With all of this talk about fighting game fundamentals, I though it would be a good time to contribute something I believe is a fundamental factor to understanding fighting games. Its something I've frequently come across when I get comments from people who have a very strong desire to learn fighting games. Its something I like to call “L” Factor, L for losing mind you. The point I want to make here is that everyone loses and that's not a bad thing.

Before I start, let me make one thing clear: I'm no tourny champ nor truly great online warrior. At my best, I got 4th in a small Vanilla Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 tournament (and I only got that because my next match after I won my first match wasn't found) and two B+ ranks with Cammy in Super Street Fighter 4 and Arcade Edition 2012 (and that's online which really isn't a great quantifier of personal skill). Nor am I a wonderful fighting game writer, I've only done this for about 5 years, and its only the last 3 that I have been really writing more on a regular-ish basis. Though from all my years of playing fighting games and writing about them, I have found one consistent complaint from people and myself: losing and the many things that come with a loss.

Let's get this out of the way, everyone loses at fighting games. You, me, and even tournament champs/seasoned vets. Sometimes its just a really close game other times you get stomped on. Its sucks, hard. However, the most important thing is what you take from it as sappy as it sounds. Winning is fun but from losing teaches you so much more. I can attest to that fact. I've been playing Street Fighter 4 since the original game and I lost hell of a lot. When I started, the hardest thing for me to do was a simple fireball motion consistently. I took a lot of practice for me just to learn that which came from a lot of losses. Even then it took me a while find a character I could work with. I'd say it took me until Super Street Fighter 4 until I started to feel really comfortable with the game.

There is however one thing that losing can't teach you: the desire to keep playing. I understand completely getting burned out after loosing a lot. The desire to keep going after losing...is up to you. I've been burned out by many fighting games and just stopped playing for a while or never just come back at all. What does keep me coming back after losing a lot for some fighting games depends on the games. Sometimes I just want to understand the games better or I've got friends who can help me understand what I've done wrong. A break after a big lost or a bunch of loses can be something that can be good because it allows you to rest up. From there you can get your mental mojo back on or take the time learn up about things to improve.

I guess the last thing I want to say is that with losing, there are multiple paths to take from it, with not all of them with bad. You can take a loss as a terrible thing or help you get to greater things. Everyone loses and every gets into ruts. Its those individuals who can take those loses and learn things from them, that make them into champs. Even if you don't want to be super competitive, try to not get discouraged by loses. After all, one lost may lead you to something greater.

Because I'm not a great teacher, here are some other (probably much better) fighting game tutorial/ help series/YouTube Channels:

Vesper Arcade Super Street Fighter 4 Tutorial series (Super Street Fighter 4 Focused, can apply to Ultra and AE 2012 as well)

LevelUpYourGame and Avoiding the Puddle (Tekken and 3D Fighter Focused)

EmemporC0w's Dead or Alive 5 Video Guide

Justin Wong's Step Up Your Game Column (Street Fighter focused but applies to all fighters)

Shoryuken Wiki (Multiple Games)

EVO 2013: Moments from Richard Li Media, LLC on Vimeo.

Every year a while now, down in Las Vegas, a very peculiar thing happens in gaming. Thousands of dedicated players of fighting games congregate in one place to compete to see who is best in their games with thousands more watching elatedly through streams at home. However, its more than the competition that makes this tournament so great. Its home to vendors of wears and familiar paraphernalia with in the culture. Where notable members give lectures on wealth of topics. And now its also the place where indie game developers can show their craft to a new fresh gaming audience. Still at the heart of this place is the spirit of competition in its many forms. Its visible competition of wits done in split second motions of the joy sticks. Its competition of stoic legends versus no named heroes. Its competition of showing of new game play technology that defies all logic before hand. The competition of that one moment that completely sways the match into a surrealistic comeback.

This is why so many in the fighting game community make that trek down to Las Vegas every year. Even if they don't compete, this a place where they re-unite with old friends and make new ones. Its almost a religious pilgrimage for the fighting game community to be at this place, which keeps getting bigger and bigger every year.

This place is Evolution. This is what EVO is about.

Overlooking the over-dramatic first few paragraphs, EVO is really an awesome place to be at. Even if you aren't good at fighters or just have a casual interest, EVO is the best way to understand why people like myself are so passionate about them. And to those who are passionate about fighting games, EVO is a perfect opportunity to invite them in. Tell them to watch a stream, any stream. Whatever you do, make you do one thing: get ready. Because in a few days, EVO will begin. For a few days out of the year, fighting games aren't just the tiny little niche in gaming landscape. They become tall giants and nothing can take them down.

Unless the stream crashes....or console freezes....or a player has controller problems.....