Review: Brook Universal Fighting Board (360, XB1, PS3, PS4)

Photo by Paradise Arcade ShopFor arcade stick users, getting one for the right platform has become a bit complicated in recent years. While one tournament might run on one console, another event might prefer a different one. Modders in the fighting game community for years have found many solutions to give people the opportunity to play on the latest platforms without paying for another stick. Some products required soldering skills while others didn't.

With the new generation of fighting games being released more on PlayStation 4 rather than Xbox One, it's easier for players to know what they should get. But just in case, you still might want to have a safety net. There is also the situation of people who still want to use their older arcade sticks. The Universal Fighting Board from Taiwanese company Brook is one of the better answers at the moment. Its built-in Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 support is already convincing enough, but combined with its simple design the Universal Fighting Board is one of the most exciting products in fighting game tech to date.

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Review: FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community

The community at large and the player as individual are the topics that drive the documentary "FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community." While not necessarily new in fighting game documentaries, these two elements are modernized with the genre gaining new attention. Director Esteban Martinez found the perfect time to make something that solidly portrays what its is to be part of the fighting game community.

To those who have seen fellow fighting game movies "Bang the Machine" and "I Got Next," "FGC" can be interpreted as a spiritual successor. Each film captured the state of the fighting game community at a certain time. There is the arcade competition with "Bang the Machine," the Street Fighter IV boom in "I Got Next" and the ever-increasing playerbase in "FGC."

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Cognitive Dissonance: Wants and Needs

This head-to-head setup at Northeast Championships 16 was used for 3rd Strike and Super Turbo tournaments. The new year is always a time of false bravado and resolve: people make promises they won't keep, whether to themselves or others. It's hardly just a question of will or intent, because as the old adage goes “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” People are too easily sidetracked by that thing called life, which is quick to pull them out of their dreams and aspirations and send them back to mediocrity and drudgery in the workaday world. Many times what people want just doesn't mesh with the things they need.

Comprised of those very people, the fighting game community often finds itself in the same predicament. People have ideas or complaints they think will boost the popularity of a game or help the scene, but what players want to happen is not always grounded in the reality of what the FGC needs in order to function on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. The argument of head-to-head play versus side-by-side play is one such debate, but while h2h may make some players happy it's not so easy to say there's a need for its adoption.

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Review: Paradise Arcade Shop OBS-MX for Sanwa OBSF-30 Buttons

Originally, the only way to get the sensitivity of an arcade stick pushbutton while having the longevity and characteristics of the Cherry MX keyboard switches was Gamer Finger's HBFS series. While excellent buttons, a majority of fighting game players who play on arcade stick still use Sanwa Denshi buttons as they're considered the competitive standard. Sooner or later, Sanwa's buttons do have the potential of breaking down, especially with its stock switches. While it can be convenient to buy replacement buttons, there is an accessory for those who want some variety in their Sanwa buttons while not steering off the course.

PARADISE ARCADE SHOP OBS-MX SCREENSHOTS

Paradise Arcade Shop has been working on Cherry MX support for the popular pushbutton, and it resulted in the OBS-MX, an add-on to the snap-on OBSF-30/OBSC-30 buttons. Along with bringing the elements of Cherry MX switches into a Sanwa button, the OBS-MX doesn't compromise the immediate feel of what the original button had. Following months of testing, a public version is available. It doesn't have as many features as the HBFS buttons, but the precision of the OBS-MX is enough to overlook the lack of perks. Whether you like a straight forward push or a tactile click, and don't mind spending a couple of more dollars, the OBS-MX will fit your needs very well.

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Review: Crown CWL-307ST Lever & CWB-207H Pushbutton

Crown (also known as Samducksa) is one of the manufacturers for arcade stick parts in South Korea. While more niche than that of fellow company Myoungshin and Japanese competitors Sanwa and Seimitsu, Crown has been reaching out. The company collaborated with Mad Catz on the Arcade FightStick KE series and has provided parts for international sellers. Its recent endeavors also help influence the production on new technology.

In time for Tekken 7's release in Korea back in March 2015, Crown made both a new lever as well as a new pushbutton. Now these products reached American shores for use in our arcade sticks. Do any of these products deserve your attention? You can find both reviews after the jump!

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Review - Sanwa Denshi LB-30N-CW Clear Bat Top

Sanwa Denshi LB-30N-CL installed to a Seimitsu LS-32 lever on a Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2.The redesigned Arcade Shock website has introduced a number of new products, most notably the Hori Real Arcade Pro 4 Premium VLX Kuro arcade stick. However, the site also features a simple accessory that I was excited for since seeing it at EVO 2014: Sanwa Denshi's transparent bat top. While the company had already produced bat tops for its JLF and JLW series of levers, none of them were transparent.

The popular arcade stick parts company now has a clear bat top, which is a neat little product. Much like its look, the draw of the bat top is transparent. It's clear, looks nice and feels really good. Players who use Sanwa's older series of bat tops will like this new model.

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Review - Razer Atrox Xbox One Arcade Stick

Razer's interest in the console market has been limited to making products for Microsoft's Xbox brand. Despite the limited focus, Razer aimed for optimal quality with its peripherals much like its PC-based hardware and accessories. One of the company's biggest initiatives was getting into the fighting game scene with its Atrox arcade stick. Known for more general peripherals, Razer working on a product for a relatively niche community was something new.

Following a long research and development period, the Atrox arrived to be a worthy alternative to competitors Mad Catz and Hori. For mass-produced arcade sticks, the Atrox has contents that were ahead of its time. A detachable USB cable, anti-slip bottom pad and easy internal access were a couple of the things that made the Atrox unique. To catch up with the latest generation of consoles, the Atrox has come back as Razer's first peripheral for the Xbox One. Instead of bringing new features, the Atrox Xbox One stick isn't fixing what isn't broken. The Razer might not be an easy sell for those getting a new stick for the latest and upcoming fighters, but its existing features might be worth the money.

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Final Showdown: No to the Dead or Alive Dress Code

There is no doubt that creator Tomonobu Itagaki wanted sex appeal to be a big part of the Dead or Alive series. With every iteration of the game including Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, that trait has been maintained. It's also acknowledgeable that the fighting game aspect has to be recognized and should be the focus. The sexuality, in that case, is more like icing on the cake.

In reality, however, the general gaming community finds the series less a competitive game and more as a vehicle to see bouncing breasts and revealing dresses. The series' stigmatization has thus limited the player base to a relative few.

Regardless, the players want to show the game beyond the visuals. To that extent, it's very admirable to see them, along with help from series developer Team Ninja, work hard toward that competitive end. Unfortunately, a rule is putting the scene in a position that isn't productive.

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Final Showdown: Ultra Street Fighter IV on PlayStation 4 at EVO? What You Can Do!

The announcement of Ultra Street Fighter IV being on PlayStation 4 at this year's EVO was a disappointment for many players. The conversation in various outlets focused on peripheral access, something not all people have. Many were so accustomed to the Xbox 360 version featured in the past two EVO events that the change is alien to them.

In one exchange, a player did mention that he might not go to EVO anymore because of this change. The community shouldn't be apathetic like this. There are a couple of solutions that players can use to get themselves to Las Vegas for the biggest fighting game tournament in the world.

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Review - Phreak Mods TE2 Crossbone for Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2

The TE2 Crossbone being installed on top of the main TE2 PCB. Some parts including "Switch" input and 20-pin ports are already soldered.Multiplatform compatibility (often incorrectly labeled dual modding) in arcade sticks has been a recent trend for fighting gamers. Due to regulations, there are no officially sanctioned sticks for both Sony and Microsoft consoles. With tournaments having a game on a particular platform, it leaves the players who owned the other consoles unprepared. A stick that can work on many systems is convenient and affordable.

With the new console generation, players are back at square one with the issue. Most might not be able to afford two sticks including Mad Catz's Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2 as they are priced at a premium. Phreak Mods, however, has provided a great solution to this problem with the TE2 Crossbone, a custom board made for TE2 sticks for multiplatform use. It came out at a great time as the latest generation of gaming begins and fighting gamers are planning what they want to play. Now they have an option to get themselves set for the next wave of fighting games on any platform.

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Review - Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2 (PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4)

As players are still using the original Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition by Mad Catz to this day, it's apparent that it has been a crowning success for the peripheral company. Coming out in 2009 just in time for Street Fighter IV, Mad Catz was able to standardize what an arcade stick should be for half a decade. Eventually as new consoles come out, arcade sticks need to go out to pasture to make way for something new.

While there were follow-up and distinguishable sticks from Mad Catz, none of them were worthy of being the true successor to the TE line until now. Dubbed the Tournament Edition 2, this arcade stick is intended to be an evolution of its predecessor in many ways while staying true to its best traits. Most of the stick's intentions succeed with flying colors.

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Cognitive Dissonance: Reports of my Death...

On Dec. 16, 2014, the U.S. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax scene will die. It will join the likes of Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late and BlazBlue Chronophantasma as another game tossed aside to make room for the new game of the moment, Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign-. Or at least that is what a lot of people would have readers believe.

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Final Showdown: Tekken 7 is a Tekken Game (& It's Not a Bad Thing)

Before the early location test, you probably encountered the conversation of "What can Namco do to make Tekken 7 appealing to the overall fighting game community?" This also surfaced on The Fray where Mike Ross was debating with both Aris and Bronson Tran about what Tekken can do to get more players to compete as well as make it viewer friendly.

Now with the test over, it's easy to say on the surface that Tekken 7 looks and plays like a Tekken game. It has new mechanics, a smaller character list and other things that seem to help newer players while maintaining the heart of the series. Yet even with these special aspects, it's still a Tekken game. It might dishearten some but let's break down the traits in the test as well as suggest what can be done to help those who want to finally play Tekken.

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Lone Wolf: A Talk With Japanese Player OGTY About Playing Killer Instinct & The Upcoming Release In His Homeland

Various Killer Instinct players group together at EVO 2014. OGTY featured in the bottom middle.When it comes to fighting games in Japan, Sony's PlayStation consoles have been the platforms to play and practice on when not in an arcade. Microsoft's Xbox consoles generally haven't been received, or sold, as well as the PlayStation but has its small share of folks including top Street Fighter IV players. For many other fighters, though, developers are more likely to make a game for the PlayStation only. In addition to the console preference, fighting game players in the land of the rising sun tend to engage in games made in their homeland despite efforts of U.S. developers.

There are, however, competitors who make up the minority by playing outside the status quo. Takuma "OGTY" Oguchi is part of that minority. The Japanese player came into recognition following the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as one of the dedicated players in the scene. He would contribute in shaping the once modest scene to something more reputable. Along the way, he would also get hands-on with Injustice. Now with help from a handful of players who were able to import Xbox One consoles, OGTY increased his repertoire to Killer Instinct.

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Review: Phreak Mods Crossbone Pad Hack Board For Xbox One Controllers

Fighting gamers will have to deal with the eventual migration from playing on the previous generation consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) to the latest systems (Xbox One, PlayStation 4). To those who use arcade sticks, previous gen models won't be able to work on the newest machines. While sticks from various manufacturers are being developed for the XB1 and PS4, some players are unwilling to buy a new stick to play on those platforms at the moment. The most common alternative to this dilemma is padhacking, a technique where you wire all necessary inputs from a stripped controller to your stick's buttons and lever. With Killer Instinct getting popular, XB1 padhacking has been very desirable among the fighting game community.

Clayton Knight, founder of Phreak Mods, introduced a special board to aid people in padhacking their XB1 controller to work on arcade sticks. Called the Crossbone, it streamlines the padhacking process to get you up and running as quickly as possible as well as increasing flexibility for those who want more out of it. Despite encountering unusual quirks, the Crossbone does its job very well in getting gamers tournament-ready for Killer Instinct and future fighters on the XB1.

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Final Showdown: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 & The King of Fighters XIII Notables For EVO 2014

After strong demand, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 returns for another EVO showing! While South Korea is apparently absent this year, can North America hold their ground from the attending Japanese players?! With the additional pot bonus from Bandai Namco games, the stakes will be high!

The King of Fighters XIII also comes for its third outing! With this year's attending players, KOF will still be unpredictable. What country will win this year?!

Like Sami's notable articles, I have added slashes to indicate what players are in what side of the initial pool placement. For a list of the rest of the players in these pools, check out the brackets here! Otherwise check out the notable players and brief predictions after the jump!

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Injustice: Gods Among Us Bracket Notables for Evo 2014

Returning for its second year in a row, Injustice:Gods Among Us will be at Evolution 2014! Although people have doubted its place in the lineup, the contenders this year are stronger than ever, making for a truly brutal competition. I believe this year’s tournament will not disappoint!

I have compiled a list of notable players for Injustice:Gods Among Us. As a note, I’ve added a double forward slash symbol ( “ // “ ) to indicate what side of the bracket the player is in their pool, as I felt like this was important for predicting pools outcomes. Names separated by the forward slash are on opposite sides of the bracket. Pools with no names in front of it means I have not found notable players in that pool.

Hit the jump for the list.

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Killer Instinct Bracket Notables for Evo 2014

In its first year of release, Killer Instinct finds its way into the Evolution 2014 lineup. Many people are excited to see the highest level play this game has to offer, all who are fighting to get a piece of Razer’s $10,000 pot bonus. With almost every pool stacked with the strongest in the world, Killer Instinct should shape up to be a fantastic tournament.

I have compiled a list of notable players for Killer Instinct. As a note, I’ve added a double forward slash symbol ( “ // “ ) to indicate what side of the bracket the player is in their pool, as I felt like this was important for predicting pools outcomes. Names separated by the forward slash are on opposite sides of the bracket. Pools with no names in front of it means I have not found notable players in that pool.

Hit the jump for the list.

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Beneath the Hat: Marvel Pool Notables

Hello, I am Honzo Gonzo, yes the cool one. I am here to bring you a list of all the notable marvel matches in pools for this year's Evo. People are worrying about the decrease in numbers this year, but it just makes every pool utterly stacked. Check out the full list that will be updated as we get closer to the event after the jump. 

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Review: Sanwa Denshi Silent JLF Joystick Lever, 2014 Model

The JLF lever is one of Sanwa Denshi's crowning jewels in arcade stick parts. Introduced in the early 1990s, the JLF stood the test of time for its solid performance for fighters and other arcade games. The lineage can now be found on most retail arcade sticks in the market. In recent years, Sanwa reintroduced the JLF in a new iteration with the Silent variant. Instead of the tried and true clicky microswitches found in normal models, the Silent JLF reduces the noise with new switches allowing for near quiet volumes without compromising on performance. While proven to work very well on both ends of the spectrum, Sanwa didn't stop on improving as it created a new version of the Silent JLF (JLF-TPRG-8AYT-SK).

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