The "I Got Next" Doucmentary (Short Version)

Earlier today was the preimere for the "I Got Next" documentary by Ian Cofino that focuses on the Street Fighter IV tournament scene. Hopefully, this spreads to more than just us hardcore fighting game fans and reaches to a mainstream audience that can appreciate as special like this. This is currently a short version of the film that features Sinstation Fight Club and Final Round while a longer feature-long cut will be out after Ian films at next month's Evo. This is a great example of how the scene is pretty much these days with Street Fighter IV still being a fresh game, but the hottest thing going now in the genre as everyone is playing it. The West Coast/East Coast beef is somewhat shown claiming they're the best, but it is all still a "brotherhood" in the end for the love of the game. I hope people would enjoy this and get a sense of what I'm also into, but it doesn't mean I'll be like them.

My "General ProTips" Guide for Street Fighter IV

My most played game this year, Street Fighter IV, has been out on consoles for some months already and with Evo right around the corner next month, I will give my own version of how to become a little more serious player than someone playing it for kicks and giggles. So here's some general protips of how to be more competitive especially against the top players.

• Execute Execute Execute!!!! - When it comes down to games like this, it is all about execution first and without that, you'll go nowhere. Make sure to practice up combos and strategies as the more you do them, you'll likely perform them consistently. Even the simplest of combos and moves require practice which could take hours, days, or weeks to perform on a consistent basis. Some good execution warmup combos are Ryu and Sagat's Shoryuken and Tiger Uppercut, Focus Dash Cancel to Ultra combos as well as Balrog's Buffalo Headbutt to Ultra. I still have a hard time nailing these consistently especially Balrog's bread and butter combo with the charging and such, but these exercises provide good execution practice. Basically, execution is arguably the most important thing to learn in this game and more important than winning.
• Patience matters - The best players are usually the ones with the most patience utilizing the full game clock rather than trying to beat them up quickly. Take your time and once you have the opportunity to capitalize on an opponent's mistake, take full advantage of it punishing with a high percentage combo, or an ultra if the situation comes. Don't force yourself to the open if you're trailing in the match by health, your time will eventually come and if you have to turtle to wait for your opponent to mess up, do it.

• Spacing & Zoning are key - Distance between you and your opponent are pretty key in certain match situations. Sometimes, being the perfect distance away like sweeping distance for charge characters will keep them guessing for possible footsies and poking opportunities. Characters with projectiles like Ryu and Sagat can deal great zoning with fireballs drawing people to jump in and get punished for it. It might be a cheap strategy for some folks who don't know what to do of characters fireballing all day long, but it is a strategy that works especially at the right distance and proven successful for some top players in this game.
• Meter management - Having the right amount of meter also plays a big role in matches that players would reconsider their plan of attack when someone has three or four EX bars ready. There are characters out there that totally rely on meter specifically to perform tougher combos like Rufus's EX Messiah Kick, Chun-Li, and others. Players with no meter feel limited with what to do before building it back up again, so that's a good opportunity to strike. Certain characters can build meter on safe like Bison's Devil Reverse and others with projectiles across the screen at a safe distance. Usually wasting all meter on a super is not a good idea if you have your revenge meter built up, but some characters don't rely on EX moves as their super works well with their game like Zangief and Dhalsim. Revenge meter also plays a role especially when the match wines down because someone can make a comeback with a maximum damage ultra. Managing meter can separate the best and the worst as wasting it can lead to mistakes.
• Expect anything - In Street Fighter IV, anything can happen and nothing is ever formulaic when playing matches. Be prepared to expect the best or worst out of everybody. Don't get caught up in random Ultras especially on wakeup because some players would get desperate to use their Ultra praying that it hits for a victory. Also, be prepared to expect reckless play especially online against flowchart Kens and also my latest frustrating character to fight against, Cammy. Cammy in particular can be annoying to face as her Cannon Spike has too much priority at times. Usually its best is wait for her to whiff out Spiral Arrows and Cannon Spikes to then capitalize on their mistake. Then again, sometimes if reckless play is actually working like in this clip below, then hey it works if your opponent can't punish.

• Learn the character matchups - Street Fighter IV is all about matchups and who has the advantage over the other. Learning your character's advantages and weaknesses against certain characters can lead to victory especially counterpicking who your opponent picked. Most matchups are usually lopsided like Bison over Zangief, Sagat over Honda, and so on, but definitely still winnable for the character on the losing end of the matchup. Even if you picked the wrong character that doesn't favor your end, don't give up and maybe you can still pull off a win if your opponent can't take advantage of it.
• Don't try to be someone else, establish your own playstyle - Usually watching match videos on YouTube or watching people at the arcades, it can be easy to replicate their playstyle to your own, but sometimes that's not the best idea. You can't be exactly the same as someone like Justin Wong or Gootecks, so it is better to establish your own identity in the Street Fighter scene with your playstyle that fits you. Don't try to be someone else, but it would likely get you nowhere. It is still okay to get help from the best, but playing the exact style as them is probably not going to happen. Try to be your own player even though you can still get advice from the elite players.
• Most importantly, play to win... no need to be flashy and show off smack talking to your opponent - At the end of the day, you play to win and you will do whatever it takes to take victory from your opponent. There is no need to be flashy performing crazy combos even though it can provide some entertainment to the crowds, but just getting the job done is good enough. Whether you play a style of rushdown, old school Super Turbo style, or turtling, the win and loss is what counts at the end and even though winning is a sweet feeling, losing is something you will expect lots and if you're willing to learn what you did wrong making the right adjustments, you'll become a better player. Don't expect yourself to win every match you compete in as being perfectionist especially in this game, will never happen. I think Street Fighter legend Alex Valle said this the best from his Twitter in which you have one round to win the whole match and figure out your opponent. After that, it comes down to whether or not you made the right adjustments to do better. Also, you don't need to be a show off trash talking at your opponent especially if you have a big ego. If you can't back up your smack talk, then why talk trash at all to your opponent. Honor and respect the game by shaking your opponent's hand after victory or defeat. You don't need to be a thug to win, but if you can back up your smack talk and win, then go ahead and do it.

Well, I hope this hopes this helps some people out there that want to take their Street Fighter IV game to the next level than just another casual player. SF4 is still a great game and currently the hot thing going for competitive gaming these days, but these are general protips to consider when playing. Of course, if you want more in-depth strategy like character specifics, using the focus attack wisely, and frame data of all the moves, check out Shoryuken.com and Gootecks's website gootecks.com for his podcast among other stuff.

Anyway STREET FIGHTER FO!!!

Arcade Infinity's Ladies of SF4 Tourney Pre-Hype!!

This Saturday, I'll be at Arcade Infinity for pretty much the whole day not to compete at another Ranbat tournament, but to watch the Ladies of Street Fighter IV tournament featuring ladies from SoCal trained by the best of the area. Besides checking that out, I'll probably be there to play other games like KOF XII and BlazBlue again to hopefully get better (maybe), MvC2 for the hell of it, and the newer games AI has received recently like some Tetris game and the return of DJ Max Technika. Rather than let me talk more about hyping this up since I still support the SF4 scene here at SoCal, here's some interviews that Get Your Tournament did with the some of the girls that will be competing.

Oh, I might as well also bump some upcoming things Street Fighter IV related like the long awaited I Got Next documentary which air live on UFragTV on Friday and I have been thinking of doing some general ProTip guide for this game if you want to step up to the next level than just playing it for kicks. Of course, you can check other sites like gootecks.com and SRK for more in-depth strategy, but I might as well give my own two cents on how to become a slightly better player especially with Evo next month for those who don't know what to expect. Then again, I'm just gathering things from what I know myself and other top players to condense into one megapost, so expect that tomorrow.

Some thoughts about Transformers 2...

So I watched Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earlier today and while I said "holy balls" on Twitter, it is entertaining and slightly better than the first movie, but not much. I don't want to go on an epic rant on what I liked and hated, but I'll leave in short form. (Potential SPOILERS, so read at your own risk if u haven't seen it yet).

Pros:

• More of the robots in disguise > human interaction
• More fights between the Autobots and the Decepticons
• Very Michael Bay-ish with lots of explosions
• Something for everyone (Kids and nerds for the robots, the guys for crazy action and Megan Fox, and the ladies for Shia and Josh).

Cons:

• Longer than it should be (Its 2 and a half hours long!!)... Could be a better movie with some scenes taken out.
• Humor feels forced and unnecessary
• Predictable as expected... Would have been cool if a twist happened
• The Fallen wasn't all that, but he looks cool though
• Over-usage of the Linkin Park theme song (even though I like Linkin Park) just like the 1st movie.

I may seem nit picky but Transformers 2 is still an enjoyable summer blockbuster. It is obviously not the best movie out this season personally, but you're probably going to watch it anyway.

Devil May Cry 3 Appriecation Post

A NeoGAF thread regarding Devil May Cry 3 reminded me of how amazing this game it is and actually in my top 5 of best PS2 games in existence. After the disappointment that was DMC2, this franchise looked like it was done for, but Capcom decided to try again to bring it back to when it was good with the first game and succeeded. Taking place before DMC1 was arguably the best idea they came up with having a younger and cockier Dante take down his brother Vergil for his pursuit of the Sword of Sparda. This is also the first time in the storyline Dante gained his Devil Trigger powers and becoming the badass that he is opening up the "Devil May Cry" shop. In addition, it has been known that the original DMC3 was one of the hardest games in recent memory, but the challenge is good enough and so satisfying once you beat the game on the default difficulty or harder.

I actually never played the first game and started with the second, which was probably a mistake in the end. This third game exceeded everyone's expectations as it is filled with badassery from the beginning to end despite the difficulty. It pushed style to its limits at its time in the action genre as DMC3 introduced specific styles like Swordmaster, Gunslinger, Royal Guard, and Trickster. At that time, I preferred Trickster due to being more evasive against the opposition while each style catered to certain players who prefer swords, guns, or defense. Even the bosses were crazy and difficult, but very beatable. I can honestly say that the beginning of the game was pretty hard because you had limited abilities, but once you got Devil Trigger, it was pretty much on from there. All the boss battles with Vergil, you felt like you want to kick his ass so bad and once you do, it feels as satisfying as beating other memorable bosses in similar games.

Even though the story could be laughable, it is the badassery that counts and that's all you need. Also, the various weapons are very memorable from the standard Rebellion sword, the twin elemental swords, the guitar that spits out electricity, and the Beowulf gauntlets that has moves that remind you of the Street Fighter games. I would like to also the rockish soundtrack especially the theme song that to a point you're motivated to own the opposition. I even bought the Special Edition to play this awesomeness again which made the game easier and Vergil was playable despite its limitations, but still fun to play as like Dante. Despite Devil May Cry 4 being somewhat of a disappointment to some people like me because it didn't really recapture the magic DMC3 brought on, DMC3 was truly a special game for the genre at the time before God of War came around and westernized the genre. It is still nice to appreciate two styles of this genre whether by a Japanese direction with challenge or a westernized approach. Personally, my favorite memory of this game beating Vergil for the last time after many attempts shouting really loud that he deserved it. Now I'm reminded of this amazing game again, I kinda wish Capcom can bring it back to this current generation of consoles, but maybe its best it stays where it shined, which is on the PS2.

The latest on my YouTube channel for this week...

This could be a new feature I'll do here and it is somewhat a return of YouTube surfing from my old GameSpot blog, so I'll bring in the best of my YouTube channel every week even though I don't upload stuff of my own (Yeah, like that will happen).



We start off with a spinoff of the Tiger Woods game commercial where last year, Tiger actually pulled off the "Jesus Shot" for real, which is an infamous glitch in previous games. With Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 out, it looks like Rocco Mediate wants to take a stab of what Tiger did last year and attempts the shot on his own. Let's just say that things went differently for him.

Guitar Hero Smash Hits came out last week and even though it is more milking of the franchise by Activision, the game has been completely FCed by GuitarHeroPhenom and his last FC was the infamous GH3 classic, Dragonforce's "Through the Fire & Flames." We all know how impossibly hard this song is on Expert for the normal GH/RB player like me (well, used to be me), but just watch the amazing above. Actually, GH Smash Hits is worth it for like a third of the songs especially from Guitar Hero I, II, and 80s with a full band, but just wait for Guitar Hero 5 for the next real game if you're still interested in the franchise despite Activision's milking ways. I learned this the hard way basically, but I still support it however.

On the music end (even though u can check out that on the right side of this blog), I might as well bump my "guilty pleasure" song which is "Patron Tequila" by the Paradiso Girls. Yeah, the comparisons to Pussycat Dolls are there and it seems just like another one hit wonder, but it is hella catchy and I'm fan of the beat too. I still don't know why I like this song...

This just went up as I'm posting this as it is a new episode of The Dogface Show featuring SoCal SF4 players Kai and somuchdamage. If u follow Street Fighter IV seriously here at SoCal, Kai is a well known El Fuerte player and still thinks he's the worst character in the game (lol) and somuchdamage is a Sagat player who plays old school style firing Tiger Shots at will and gets the job done not being flashy. Kai puts out the challenge of money matching all the big names of East Coast at this year's Evo and could be interesting to see if Kai can pull this off especially with El Fuerte.

That's it for this week... I might post something about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen since I'm watching it tomorrow morning.

Current plans for G Unit Ver1's World in the coming months.

Since its summer, I need to get back on the review train and hopefully have my reviews of inFAMOUS and Punch-Out!! this week. Plus, expect the usual Street Fighter IV shenanigans periodically as I continue to play it every now and then to get better (G2-D in Championship Mode) along with me going to SoCal SF4 events like this Saturday's Ladies of SF4 tourney at Arcade Infinity and John Rog's West Coast Warzone next month (that's a maybe). I don't see myself going to Evo next month at Vegas even though I wish I can go to live it up with the fighting game scene competing and hanging out with the best (I would just play SF4, KOF XII Tekken 6, HD Remix is a maybe, but I haven't played that in forever since SF4 came out).

The gaming queue as it stands and likely will change:

• The Conduit (Wii) - Thought about it, but will pass
• Fight Night Round 4 (PS3) - Passing on this too, UFC 2009 Undisputed is better for me even though I suck at that game now not playing it anymore.
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (PS3) - The wheel of fate is turning next week and not sure I'll get it.
• King of Fighters XII (PS3) - Likely the next game I'll buy. I'm actually preferring this to BlazBlue and I hope it comes out early, but it is likely delayed to the end of July now or even August, which sucks.
• Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - Also buying this as well since its the Wii Sports sequel and it comes with MotionPlus... Not sure if I want to buy three more MotionPluses for an even multiplayer experience, we'll see.
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PSN) - Also coming out next month... "I wanna take u for a ride!!"
• Fat Princess (PSN) - Who knows when this comes out this summer, it is shaping up to be the PSN's "Castle Crashers" in terms of hype for a downloadable game.
• Madden NFL 10 (PS3) - Actually skipping this year... then again that would likely change once its out.

As for this fall, the current plan is:

• Tekken 6 (PS3) - I need to pre-order the LE bundle like asap since it comes with a wireless Hori arcade stick and its 150 bucks, but its excuse to get a 2nd stick rather than getting another one too.
• DJ Hero (PS3) - If this comes out the same day as T6, then this is a pass.
• Uncharted 2 (PS3) - I already love this game by playing the MP beta and its my #1 on the most wanted for a reason.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Likely my only Wii game for that time. Its 2D Mario with 4 players = Good for me!!

And of course, I hope this blog can reach out to more people and it has been a slow but satisfying process (on Feedmil now). Hopefully, big things are ahead, but we'll see on that.