Part One Of Latif's Trip To Japan On Razer Blog

Razer's own Latif just finished the first part of his trip to Japan during Tougeki -Super Battle Opera-.

Content from the blog includes his preparation by playing against the top players in Osaka such as Uryo and Cantona, the food in Japan, and his struggle to meet up with fellow players from Kuwait's White Tower team in Tokyo.

Check out the full blog here and stay tuned for his future entries! Also follow him on Twitter!

Final Showdown: Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012

Introduced in 2003, Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- was considered as the one of the most prestigious tournaments for fighting games. Its most recent entries though faced unusual changes and controversies that was able to sway various folks, big and small, in the international scene into distrust. Folks were also making conclusions that due to financial troubles involving Tougeki, it might not return for its 11th entry.

The 2012 edition of SBO seems to continue the streak of anomalies that makes the folks loathe the series. This won't be about pure love or hate though, but looking at the various aspects in detail and how well they were executed.

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Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Aquapazza Qualified Teams

This weekend is the 2012 iteration of Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series in Japan. In preparation for the event, we are going to take a look at all the players and teams that qualified for each game. This final edition will be about Aquapazza!

In Chou Tougeki 1v1 qualifier, KojiKOG (more known for his T.Hawk in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012, also qualified for that game too!) took down the competition while cosplaying and having his girlfriend witnessing the action. He defeated the airdasher great Ogawa but the amazing Guilty Gear player was able to qualify in a regular preliminary but had to win another after a possible conflict regarding his previous win. GO1 (Goichi) who got his spot for Persona 4 Arena also got one for Aquapazza!

Make sure to check out the full list of teams after the jump. Apologies if some have been mistranslated. You can check out the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 qualifier info on Shoryuken (unfortunately, I couldn't find info on Soulcalibur V). Tonight at 10AM JST (6PM PST), Tougeki will be streamed from the great outdoors as part of Enterbrain's own Game Summer Fest! Day one will be on Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited and Soulcalibur V! Day two (tomorrow 11AM JST/7PM PST) will be featuring Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Aquapazza, Persona 4 Arena, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3! Make sure to check out the stream details article on how to pay for Tougeki on NicoNico Douga!

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Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Pay Per View Stream Details Revealed

After some wait, the stream information regarding Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012 is revealed.

The stream will be on Japanese video site NicoNico Douga. The stream will be seperate for the Game Summer Festival umbrella event so don't expect unusual games to appear. Each individual day will be priced at around 1,500 yen (approx. $19) while paying for both days will cost at 2,500 yen (approx. $30). Only portions of the event will be streamed for free while paying will provide the full experience.

If you are interested in seeing your fellow international Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 players compete, witnessing another year of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in Tougeki or just want to enjoy the overall experience, make sure to check out this guide by Fubarduck in how to pay for NicoNico points and go to this page to make your purchase (both indivdual day and weekend packages).

Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Qualified Teams

This weekend is the 2012 iteration of Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series in Japan. In preparation for the event, we are going to take a look at all the players and teams that qualified for each game. This time around it's a look at the qualifying teams for Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown!

Lion player Chibita conquered the Chou Tougeki 1v1 qualifier with him defeating Jin at grand finals. Chibita announced after winning that he wants Jin and another player SHU to compete in the finals. Both Team Razer members Fuudo and Itazan/Itabashi Zangief qualified with their seperate teams. Itazan notably has Akira player Homestay on the team. EVO Soulcalibur V top 8 contender Kamaage also plays VF and qualified for the finals as well.

Make sure to check out the full list of teams after the jump. Apologies if some have been mistranslated. Tomorrow's game spotlight for Tougeki 2012 will be the one that stirred some international viewers into confusion, Aquapazza.

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Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited Qualified Teams

This weekend is the 2012 iteration of Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series in Japan. In preparation for the event, we are going to take a look at all the players and teams that qualified for each game. Today's edition is about Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited!

It's a big list of teams in this tournament coming from all over Japan. No sign of qualified teams from other nations including South Korea when examining the results. AO was one of the main players in the Chou Tougeki qualifier but his solo Miguel couldn't get him to win but he was able to qualify in another preliminary using Alisa as well.

Make sure to check out the full list of teams after the jump. Apologies if some have been mistranslated. Tomorrow's game spotlight for Tougeki 2012 will be on one of Haunts' favorite game at the moment, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown!

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Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012 Qualified Teams

This weekend is the 2012 iteration of Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series in Japan. In preparation for the event, we are going to take a look at all the players and teams that qualified for each game. This game is all about Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012!

The current list of qualified teams features a powerhosue of players around the world. The first team to get their spots was from Uryo and his excellent Sakura who won the Chou Tougeki qualifier and chose Momochi and Haitani as his partners. The other excellent Sakura player Juso got his spot. KojiKOG qualified for Aquapazza after winning Chou Tougeki but he also acquired a spot for he and his team in AE too in another qualifier! There are just too many Japanese players we might know that qualified. Make sure to check after the jump! For the international end, the United States team has three EVO top 8 contenders: PR Balrog (#3 at EVO 2012), Dieminion of Brokentier (#7 at EVO 2012) and Latif (#2 at EVO 2011). Hsien Chang visited Taiwan to team up with Gamerbee to win that regional qualifier. RF went to China and won one of the two spots with Xiaohai (#4 at EVO 2012) and Dakou. Other notable spots include the Kuwait qualifiers featuring Gannon, Hong Kong with Humanbomb, South Korea with Poongko and Europe including Ryan Hart and French child prodigy Kusanagi.

You can check the rest of the qualifiers after the jump! Stay tuned for the rest of the week on the other game's standings! To clarify some issues regarding the stream, Tougeki 2012 will be on Nico Nico Douga once again. Portions of the stream will be free to watch but the full experience will be pay per view. Price of the stream will probably be available before the weekend so stay tuned for that too!

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Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Persona 4 Arena Qualified Players

Next weekend is the 2012 iteration of Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series in Japan. In preparation for the event, we are going to take a look at all the players and teams that qualified for each game. In this second edition, it's all about Persona 4 Arena!

Next to Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited, Persona 4 Arena is one of the newest games in the Tougeki list but the competition is high especially after being one of the top arcade games in Japan. The qualifiers kicked off as Yume won the special edition from Chou Tougeki. One of the most notable aspects of these qualifiers are that there are more Mitsuru players who earned their spot, just above Aigis and then Chie. Notable Mitsuru players include DIE-chan, GO1 (Goichi, winner of the KVO Persona 4 Arena tournament) and P3U Player. Spinking, who also plays Team Zero May Cry (Zero, Dante, Vergil) in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, also qualified in P4A with his Chie!

The finals tournament will be on day two of Tougeki 2012 along with Aquapazza, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike! Check after the jump for stats of every qualifying player as well as character usage! Also confirmed, Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012 will be free to watch for all!

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Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Qualified Teams

Next weekend is the 2012 iteration of Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series in Japan. In preparation for the event, we are going to take a look at all the players and teams that qualified for each game. To start off, this first edition will be about returning game Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.

Some of you guys saw the news that Daigo Umehara won't be going to participate with his team composed of Haitani and Momochi after the former won the team spot from the Chou Tougeki singles qualifier. This leaves the team in a current handicap of two members while every other qualifying team has three players each. For the other qualified teams, there are the players you would mostly expect that would get their spots including Nuki, Kokujin, RX, Tominaga, Vanao, Boss, MOV, Ochibi and Rikimaru. A very notable spot is Kuroda qualifying with Boss and MOV using Oro. Rikimaru and Ochibi's team has KO but can they break the curse where KO never wins a Tougeki year despite his excellent skill?

The finals tournament will be on day two of Tougeki 2012 along with Aquapazza, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Persona 4 Arena. You can check out the full qualifying teams including two of the international spots after the jump (thank you Hismit for the help)!

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Daigo Umehara Unable to Compete in 3rd Strike Tournament at SBO2012 Due to Schedule Conflicts

Those of you hoping to see Daigo pull off a miraculous comeback in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike at Super Battle Opera will be disappointed as he is unable to compete this year. The Beast Note Blog is reporting that he was originally teamed up with Haitani and Momochi but they will have to survive as a two man team this year due to a schedule conflict.

This conflict of dates were discovered after the Tougeki committee released this years schedule but Daigo had already decided to team up with Haitani and Momochi by then.

SBO2012 takes place August 4-5th this year with 3rd Strike being on the second day. 

Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- 2012 1v1 Live Qualifier Day Two Now. Restream For Non-Nico Members Available

UPDATE: Tune into TwitchTV Channel KadeyBaybe for a high quality restream of the event!

From the folks of Arcadia Magazine, the Tougeki committe and Enterbrain will soon start streaming the special 1v1 Chou Kaigi qualifier for the annual Tougeki -Super Battle Opera- tournament series.

This special stream will only feature all of the main arcade games (so no Soulcalibur V or Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3). Players will go at it in 1v1 single elimination matches for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike at day one (4/28) while day two (4/29) will be dedicated to Aquapazza, Persona 4 Arena, and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited. Winners of each qualifier will be able to grab two people to play at the finals later in the year.

Unfortunately, this event requires a premium Nico Nico Douga account so you will have to fork up some dough and expect any possible processing issues if they do occur. If you are down to pay, make sure to check out Fubarduck's guide to paying Nico Nico points!

SBO Offers Apology for "Unfortunate Mistake"

SBO published a formal apology on its website today, admitting fault in excluding one of the American teams from the competition. The situation is chalked up to an error on their part, and not Planet Zero or anyone else.

The full text of the apology can be read below. Is this enough? Should we continue to question SBO's legitimacy? Let us know in the comments.

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SSF4: AE - BIGBOX SBO QUALIFIER FINAL (FUUDO)

Hot off his Evo win, Fuudo teamed up with Itabashi Zangief to try and qualify for SBO at the BigBox arcade in Tokyo, Japan. This is also the last SBO qualifier for the event so the likes of Daigo, Mago and Tokido will not be attending this year. 

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SBO 2011 Lineup Announced, TTT2 Dropped

Updated on Friday, February 25, 2011 at 1:47PM by Kumo

As you may know, Arcadia magazine revealed the preliminary lineup of titles to be played at SBO late last month. According to the magazine, three of the titles were to be Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Unfortunately, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is out.

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Preliminary SBO 2011 Lineup From Arcadia Magazine

Oichi from Versus City posted up the preliminary lineup of games for SBO 2011 as it appeared in the latest issue of Arcadia magazine, and the first three titles confirmed are Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II and Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

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Tougeki: SBO 2010 Street Fighter 4 Match Videos

Match videos from Tougeki: Super Battle Opera 2010 are hitting Youtube!  Hit the jump to see some of the action that went down between some real heavy-hitters! 

Videos after the jump!

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Direct Feed Footage of Street Fighter 4 Grand Finals for USA Qualifiers for SBO 2010

Finally there is high quality direct feed footage of the Grand Finals from the recent SBO 2010 USA qualifiers for Street Fighter 4. This video was taken directly from the arcade cabinet and features the Grand Finals between Team EG vs Team We're Going to Japan.  If you're wondering why they are playing regular Street Fighter 4 instead of Super Street Fighter 4, it's because SBO is an arcade tournament and the arcade version of the latter has yet to be released.

(UPDATE!) SBO Qualifiers for Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6 Conclude and Winners Announced

 

Team EG (Justin Wong, Ricky Ortiz, Marn Phan) on left, Team SoCal (Rip, Suiken, Aris) on right. Images courtesy of Shoryuken.com

Shoryuken.com has reported that qualifiers to determine who will represent the United States at Super Battle Opera (SBO) 2010 were held today at the Play and Trade in San Mateo, CA. Qualifiers were held for Street Fighter 4 and Tekken.

Team EG, composed of Justin Wong, Ricky Ortiz, and Marn Phan, won the qualifier for Street Fighter 4 (shown on left picture).  Team SoCal, consisting of Rip, Suiken, and Aris, won for Tekken 6 (Shown on right).

Super Battle Opera (SBO) is one of the world's most prestigious tournaments for arcade games (which is why it is for Street Fighter 4 and not Super Street Fighter 4, as the latter is not available in arcades yet).  Super Battle Opera 2010: The 8th Arcadia Cup Tournament will be held September 18-19 in Japan.

Visit Shoryuken's articles for even more excellent photos from the qualifiers!

UPDATE:

Also, TGS over at Shoryuken.com has compiled a pretty exhaustive list of players from all over the world who have qualified for SBO for its various games. If you are curious to see who has qualified, hit the following link.  We would post the info here but it still looks incomplete for some games, so if you want up to date information its best to just visit the source thread. Go here for the complete listings.

Tougeki 2010 / Super Battle Opera 8 line-up released.

A scan appeared  from the next due issue of Arcadia magazine showing the game line-up for Tougeki.

That list in full:

[Category A]

● (3on3) Street Fighter Ⅳ [Capcom]
● (3on3) Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion [Bandai Namco Games]
● (2on2) BlaBlue Continuum Shift [Arc System Works]
● (2on2) Arcana Heart 3 [Examu]
● (1on1) The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match [SNK Playmore]
● (3on3) Virtua Fighter 5 R Ver.C [SEGA]

[Category B]

● (3on3) Guilty Gear XX ΛCore [Arc System Works]
● (3on3) Street Fighter Ⅲ 3rd Strike 'Fight for the Future' [Capcom]
● (1on1) Sengoku Basara X [Capcom]
● (3on3) Super Street Fighter Ⅱ X Grand Master Challenge [Capcom]

There is already some surprise expressed about the inclusion of Sengoku Basara X over either Tatsunoko vs Capcom or even Melty Blood? Whereas Street FIghter III: 3rd Strike continues to be present and has been since SBO began in 2003, the only title to do so.

SHIOZAWA CUP VIDEOS

SHIOZAWA CUP 5 VS 5 STREET FIGHTER 4 TOURNAMENT VIDEOS

So this is a nice surprise considering I thought I'd never see videos of this tournament, but it looks like a handful of matches from the 5 VS 5 Street Fighter 4 tournament that took place at BIG BOX arcade the day before Super Battle Opera made it online. They also included the infamous LETS GO JUSTIN match if you ware interested in seeing how the battle went down between the USA team and the Japanese team they were facing.

I cant embed the videos since they are hosted on another site, but be sure to check them out when you get the chance considering this tournament showcased pretty much all of the best Street Fighter 4 talent in Japan. Thanks to VersusCity for the heads up on this one.