A Hands-on preview of Mortal Kombat 11 by King Hippo

The Mortal Kombat 11 Reveal Event took place January 17 in Los Angeles, California and showcased the upcoming title’s gameplay for the first time. I was lucky enough to not only grab some playtime in the single player area, but also in the press area for a decent time. As usual, Netherrealm has really switched the formula around, and it was a lot to take in all at once, but overall, Mortal Kombat 11 is shaping up to be NRS’ most ambitious title yet, breaking some of the series’ long-held conventions in order to find new depth.

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Review: Razer Panthera Evo arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PC)

You can only work off the same design so many times before it feels like a retread. Starting with the premiere of the Xbox 360 Atrox model arcade stick in 2013, Razer has been utilizing that body type for years even through the following console generation. While there have been variations in the models, the core look always maintained. Five years following, Razer finally went back to the drawing board for a new design.

RAZER PANTHERA EVO REVIEW SCREENSHOTS

I came to Razer's newest stick expecting it to be a full-on successor to the Panthera, similar to what Mad Catz had done for the Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition series. In the end, I realized that it's not trying to one-up its brethren.

Despite the name, the Panthera Evo looks like it's more trying to pave its own path than carry on the lineage maintained by the normal Panthera. It tries to differentiate itself with features that try to improve on aspects found on existing sticks as well as experiment with new ideas. Priced at $199.99, like the original Panthera, did Razer hit the mark with this new model to convince players that it's just as worthy of a purchase as its fellow stick?

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Review: Paradise Arcade Shop Magenta analog to digital programmable add-on for Sanwa Denshi JLF

The Sanwa Denshi JLF is arguably the most popular arcade stick lever to date. While its stock iteration is the golden standard within the fighting game community, there have been variants mostly designed to cater to those who wanted something a bit quieter. The Silent JLF series of models reduces the sound to almost nonexistent levels while still maintaining comparable performance. They have been hits in recent years, resulting in Sanwa making follow-up models.

Many years ago, however, Sanwa worked on noise-reduction tech with their JLF replacement PCB: the Flash. Instead of using switches, the Flash uses optics to figure out where the JLF's shaft is traveling. Not only does the optical PCB succeed in minimizing sound output, but it also ensures optimal performance even when extensively used for years. Unfortunately, Sanwa discontinued the Flash in 2006. This, along with other optical levers such as the Happ Perfect360, sell for high prices in the secondhand market. While there have been similar optical JLF PCBs from enterprising technicians in the scene in the years following, they all faced a similar fate. This is not to mention that the Flash and other optical PCBs required more effort to properly install and use, an unappealing aspect at the time. Regardless, they were ahead of their time. Nowadays, players are more adept at modding their sticks and are willing to experiment with new things. This is a perfect time to make a switchless PCB.

Paradise Arcade Shop, an arcade parts supplier in the United States, wants to take on the optical challenge with a replacement JLF PCB that not only scratches the itch of those who wanted the Flash, but also improves it. Teased for years in FGC forums, the Magenta is finally available and provides an experience that rivals that of optical PCBs with new technology and additional features that various folks can appreciate.

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Review: HORI Fighting Edge arcade stick (PS4, PC)

The original HORI Fighting Edge, released back in 2012, was one of the coolest arcade sticks on the market at the time. It was HORI’s big attempt to not only make an original premium-level body design, but also introduce the company's proprietary high-quality arcade parts. When compared to other sticks during its release, the stick's edgy design and flashy features were something not found in other sticks made by other companies. In hindsight, the result turned out mostly successful. The stick was a popular choice for players. The parts were featured on future HORI sticks, with the buttons later upgraded on other models. But when consoles reached the next generation, a new version of the Fighting Edge was missing in action up until now.

HORI FIGHTING EDGE SCREENSHOTS

Exclusive to the PlayStation 4, the latest model of the Fighting Edge comes with changes in both the visual and playability departments. Some of these alterations are for the better, while others might irk you depending on your love for the original model. There are still many things left untouched to show that, in essence, it’s still the same old Fighting Edge, but for the next generation.

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Arika’s Mysterious Fighting Game: Evo impressions, recent updates & the future by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 2

(Part one of this article can be found here.)

After talking at length about the gameplay systems found in Arika EX, Funkdoc looks at the individual characters found in the playable build as well as the way the game has changed as Arika continues to work on it.

Character Notes

The Evo build had 3 playable characters: Kairi, Hokuto (whose name was changed to Shirase since then), and Garuda. They got this honor by being the first three characters Arika created for Street Fighter EX, and I enjoyed all of them.

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Review: Qanba Aegis arcade fight stick bag

There are arcade sticks of many sizes. Most of them can probably fit in a normal school backpack. But what if your stick is out of the ordinary? It probably won't fit in those bags and even if it can, there is the possibility the bag can damage your stick in some way. When it comes to protection, there are dedicated arcade stick bags that can do that, but size is another story since the bags were were made for specific, mostly normal-sized sticks. Big arcade sticks have been relatively uncommon for years.

With the release of the Dragon stick, Qanba realized that something needed to be done to have people easily carry it to tournaments. The Guardian bag, while good, simply doesn't work with the Dragon. The answer to this beast of a stick is the recently released Aegis bag. If you have a Dragon stick or another large stick, then you might might want to seriously consider this bag.

Instead of taking a similar route found with the Guardian, which was just a newer version of the Defender, the Aegis is a new design. Aside from the hard rubber feet from the bottom end and side drink holder, this bag contains very few aspects of the Defender design.

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Arika’s Mysterious Fighting Game: Evo impressions, recent updates & the future by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 1

After an extremely busy couple months, I'm finally back to talk more about Arika's new fighting game! It still doesn't have an official title, so I'll just use Arika EX since that seems to be the short working title. I played it far more than any other game at Evo this year, and was even allowed some press time with it—huge thanks to Jiyuna for that! I'll discuss my thoughts on the game after that experience, factoring in the revelations on Daigo's stream and the recent Nemo vs. Fuudo stream.

Changes from the Initial Build

A couple of the major mechanics in the April Fool's Day build were removed from the versions we've seen since then, as both sidestepping and the Roman Cancel knockoff are gone. In their place we gained the now-infamous Gougi System: the ability to choose from different "decks" of special abilities which are unlocked by meeting specific conditions during the course of the match. People immediately compared these to Street Fighter X Tekken's gems, but that doesn't quite capture the idea. A Gougi is more like a set of gems, and on the whole these abilities change the game far more than gems did.

Many suspect that the Roman Cancel was removed because it could end up being reserved for certain Gougi decks, but it would be highly unbalanced to give sidestepping the same treatment. My own hunch regarding the sidestep removal is twofold. First, there may have been concerns that stepping could cause camera weirdness and make it hard for the players to see their characters. Second, they almost certainly screwed up combos and moved characters off-axis when they shouldn't have been; older Arika fighters had problems with this on certain crossups and D.Dark's wire.

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Review: Crown SDL-301-DX Infiltration signature Korean arcade stick lever

The Tekken community in South Korea, as well as international players, responded positively to the 309 arcade stick lever by Crown (aka Samducksa). Being a collaboration with Tekken player Help Me, it was considered the first signature lever on the market. The arcade parts manufacturer wanted to continue this trend with a new model. Coming off the heels of Evo 2016, Crown worked with the Street Fighter V champion Infiltration to make a new lever.

The SDL-301-DX signature lever combines aspects from an experimental design as well as input from Infiltration. Compared to other Korean levers on the market, it's the most distinct when it comes to feel. It aims to have some qualities found in Japanese levers such as the popular Sanwa Denshi JLF while featuring necessary Korean traits. After months of testing and anticipation, is the lever all it's cracked up to be?

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A brief history of Arika and its fighters by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 4

(Links to the previous articles can be found here: one, two, three)

Part 4: Street Fighter EX3 and Looking Ahead

Full Disclosure: I am one of the biggest goddamn EX3 truthers in the world. It's one of my absolute favorite fighting games of all time and I could gush about it for days on end. I will try to keep that out of this section, though.

Released in 2000, Street Fighter EX3 was a first-generation PlayStation 2 exclusive. It sold better than you'd expect given the general state of fighting games at this point, since it was the only early PS2 fighter besides Tekken Tag Tournament. It's the only Arika fighter not to receive an arcade release, which has had major effects on its long-term reception compared to that of EX2+.

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A brief history of Arika and its fighters by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 3

Part 3: Fighting Layer

Fighting Layer was released in 1998, though a bit later than the original version of EX2. It was published by Namco, whereas all of the EX games were published by Capcom. It remains a highly obscure game since it didn't have the Street Fighter name to draw player attention. Being a Japan-only and arcade-only release, it still sees occasional play there but is hardly touched elsewhere. It may be known best for the fact that Arika used Blair & Allen in this game instead of EX2 and 3.

This game retains the super cancels and general feel of the EX series but is very much its own creature. The most obvious difference lies in the movement: Fighting Layer has dashes and sidesteps. Additionally, Guard Breaks have been replaced with universal overheads that don't cost meter and will stun crouching opponents for a follow-up combo. Most characters have Target Combos, often from repeatedly pressing LP. These can usually combo into specials and supers so they're important for hit confirms. There is also a universal wakeup option called the Hard Reversal, which costs meter but is invincible for an extremely long time and can be performed early in the knockdown state. This game doesn't have as many traditional reversals as EX, hence the need for this feature.

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A brief history of Arika and its fighters by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 2

Part 2: Street Fighter EX2 Plus

As with the original EX, "Plus" is the later revision; the original version is just called EX2.  The first version came out in 1998 with the following year bringing us EX2+. Western audiences had largely moved on from Street Fighter by this point, and EX's trademark ugly graphics didn't help its cause. That's especially apparent when you compare it to 3-D contemporaries like Virtua Fighter III & Tekken III. It's much less well-remembered by casual gamers than the first EX, but has become the most enduring EX game in the competitive scene. Old-school havens like a-cho and Next Level still run regular events for it!

EX2+ has a much larger cast of characters than EX+, including some more classic favorites like Sagat. It also removed many EX1 characters like Akuma and Blair. The original version of EX2 had removed even more EX1 characters before they returned in EX2+.

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A brief history of Arika and its fighters by Josh "funkdoc" Ballard, part 1

Part 1: Introduction and Street Fighter EX Plus (Alpha)

The recent reveal of a new fighting game from Street Fighter EX & Fighting Layer developer Arika drew a great deal of interest from the core scene, which is less surprising than it may seem at first glance. Though the EX series was widely derided by SF fans during the '90s, it has gained a lot of love and respect in recent years. A lot of this phenomenon is likely due to Arika’s anime-esque character designs and soundtracks, which play much better to '09ers than to Generation X. Fans weaned on Street Fighter II felt that Skullomania made a mockery of the series, but he has become a beloved character among the modern audience.  Hardcore SF players back in the day also hated EX's focus on extending combos with mechanics like super cancels, but that now seems quaint compared to today's anime fighters.

Though many online beg Capcom to add EX characters to modern Street Fighter, very few are familiar with these games at a competitive level. In these articles I aim to provide a high-level overview of Arika’s most well-known fighters: Street Fighter EX Plus (Alpha), Street Fighter EX2 Plus, Fighting Layer and Street Fighter EX3. I will also discuss the earlier revisions for EX1 & 2 and provide more historical context on the games' reception, along with some match videos to illustrate the various design concepts. These articles will assume a familiarity with competitive fighting-game terminology like "DPs" and "okizeme."

Note that there is one final Arika fighting game I won't cover here: 2005's Super Dragon Ball Z. It plays like a traditional fighter, but has many extra mechanics that make it less relevant to understanding Arika's new game. No decent match videos seem to exist, either.

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Review: Qanba Obsidian arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)

Qanba's latest line of arcade sticks for the PlayStation 4 that was reviewed on IPLAYWINNER was based on existing designs. The Drone, priced at $79.99, was from the N1 series. The $149.99 Crystal was a reintroduction of the revised Q2 LED/Glow models. As for the $299.99 Dragon stick, it was previously featured at EVO 2014 as a prototype. The Obsidian, however, was a stick never before seen from the Chinese manufacturer when it premiered in late 2016.

Sitting between the Crystal and Dragon in price, the Obsidian is aimed for players who want better parts than the former while not breaking the bank with the very stylish latter. At $199.99, it's competing with Mad Catz's Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2+ and Razer's Panthera sticks. With its competitors, you can consider the Obsidian as Qanba's flagship stick but does it stack up?

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Review: Qanba Dragon arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)

Back at Evolution 2014, Chinese arcade stick manufacturer Qanba featured a prototype model of a new design. This big-bodied stick was made with the PlayStation 4 in mind. It allowed easy access to the lever and pushbuttons as well as room to hold onto spare parts. One unique feature in this prototype stick was the ability to switch the left and right portion of the top panel. It would have allowed the player to use the button layout of Sega's Astro City format while having the lever placed similar to Taito's Vewlix design. The stick was eventually put on hold due to the cost involved in producing it.

Qanba was able to salvage that design and reintroduce it in 2016 as the Dragon. Aspects of the stick have changed since its 2014 reveal but the core look still remains in the final version. As a direct competitor to Hori's Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX arcade stick series, the Dragon is part of the luxury grade of sticks. You can expect arcade quality parts and an exquisite body design, but at a very hefty price.

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Review: Razer Panthera arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)

Commonly known more for its gaming-focused PC peripherals and the communities that use them, Razer's attention to the fighting game community has been intriguing. Along with sponsoring players such as Infiltration, Fuudo and Xian, the company made arcade sticks to compete with Mad Catz, Qanba and Hori. With models for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, the Atrox series had features ahead of its time all housed in a slick body design.

RAZER PANTHERA ARCADE STICK SCREENSHOTS

Even with cool features, Razer faced a situation where it had to deal with criticism. Events such as EVO 2015, where Momochi's Atrox stick was suddenly disabled on the eve of his Ultra Street Fighter IV victory, became a controversial topic in the community. Technical issues would also surface in future events giving more people reason to heckle Razer.

The company also had to adapt to the current FGC competitive climate. With a majority of fighting games being commonly available on the PlayStation 4, the manufacturer began work on a stick for that platform. Given another chance, Razer's new model—Panthera—doesn't deviate too much from its prdecessors while still making sure the stick is ready for a new generation. While the consistency is nice, the continuations—as well the smaller changes and additions—aren't always for the best.

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Review: Qanba Crystal arcade stick (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC)

Earlier in 2016, the popular Chinese arcade stick manufacturer Qanba released its first PlayStation 4 model: the Drone. While the stick was made as a budget option for those new to fighting games, people were left wondering when the higher-end models would start arriving. I recently had the chance to try out the Crystal, the first of two made for dedicated players.

QANBA CRYSTAL ARCADE STICK SCREENSHOTS

Based on the Q2 series of arcade sticks, and a direct descendant of the Q2 Glow, the Crystal arcade stick is Qanba's second major offering for the PS4. While the Drone has a small form factor, the Crystal is bigger and more developed. On the surface, the Crystal does look similar to its predecessors but some of its changes, both visually and technologically, might help someone looking for a more fleshed-out arcade stick from Qanba.

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Cognitive Dissonance: F for Fake

Over the last several years, two expressions have become popular insults when referring to players: fraud and exposed. Both show a clear lack of respect for the target, suggesting that player's skill is merely an illusion. It also showcases an increasing belief in the objectivity of skill in fighting games, an idea for which the measure is becoming increasingly ignored.

The idea of frauds or fakes in fighting games is often rooted most in a player's own grandiose opinion of themselves. If a player believes themselves good, but still loses, then clearly the rules of the game were broken or something altered those rules. A common modern excuse is to blame the tournament format for allowing “randomness.” This is where claims of “scrubby” play occur, where unexpected strategy throws a player off their game causing them to lose. Instead of admitting a lack of preparation or total understanding of the possible situations they could be put into, the losing player blames their opponent for being bad, of not playing with established methods of success, or claims they would succeed in a different format. The assertion amounts to little because the only true measure fighting games have for skill in a player-versus-player environment is wins and every player agreed to the format when they entered the event.

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Review: Crown 309 Helpme, 309MJ and IST FLF-ST Korean arcade stick levers

From left to right: IST FLF-ST, Crown 309MJ, Crown 309 HelpmeAfter some time of waiting for importing opportunities, here are some newer Korean arcade parts.

Crown's past arcade levers had a distinctive feel compared to those of competitors Myoungshin and the now-defunct Taeyoung. Not all players and arcades in South Korea were favorable to those models and leaned towards the solid Myoungshin Fanta lever, so Crown looked to provide a lever that can compete with it.

For arcade stick manufacturer IST, known for selling Crown parts, the company is looking to make its own lever similar to that of Crown's Japanese-mounted variants.

CROWN 309 HELPME, 309MJ & IST FLF-ST SCREENSHOTS

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Review: Seimitsu LS-62-01 joystick lever

When it comes to aftermarket arcade stick parts, Japanese arcade parts manufacturer Seimitsu is usually an alternative to Sanwa Denshi. The latter company caters more to general arcade stick users, with the former more for those players with specific needs. For example, the LS-32 lever, one of Seimitsu's popular products, has a distinctive feel compared to Sanwa's JLF. The LS-32 is also different from that of other Seimitsu levers, including the recently released LS-62-01.

Judging from the specs, the LS-62-01 is sort of an amalgamation of previous levers. While past Seimitsu levers were mostly different from one another, the LS-62-01 seems like more of a greatest hits lever. However, it still seems to carry the uniqueness the other models bear for better or worse. It feels like an experimental design, but for what it is this new lever is pretty capable.

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Review: Hori Hayabusa buttons

Hori Hayabusa buttons installed on a Hori Fighting Edge arcade stickAfter a small period of depending on arcade stick parts from Sanwa Denshi and Seimitsu, Hori reentered the proprietary parts market with the Hayabusa lever and Kuro pushbuttons in 2012. The buttons, when packaged with the Fighting Edge arcade stick, seemed to feel pretty good and sort of comparable to the popular Sanwa OBSF-30 series to this reviewer but the rest of the world didn't agree. It became apparent, however, when Hori began to sell the Kuro buttons separately that something about them felt off. They didn't feel the same as the Kuro set in the Fighting Edge. While they still perform decently, the Kuro buttons later became something I wouldn't recommend.

HORI HAYABUSA BUTTONS SCREENSHOTS

Hori listened to that lukewarm reception and began developing new proprietary pushbuttons. Introduced in the current line of Real Arcade Pro sticks, Hori's Hayabusa button was made to alleviate the problems found in the Kuro model. Even if it seems odd that the Hayabusa name now encompasses both the lever and the buttons, it looks like Hori is letting players know both are of arcade-level quality. Despite some quirks, the Hayabusa button so far improves on its predecessor.

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