May 2:

pt1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxomSH12yeQ

pt2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbn7iLS85Wg&feature=relmfu

pt3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDvTFlMlkcA&feature=relmfu

pt4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt_tiBZnyJ8&feature=relmfu

May 12:

pt1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYJtJt1WP5k&feature=g-all-u

pt2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPUhFN9UNc0&feature=relmfu

pt3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j18rw9Fmd84&feature=relmfu

pt4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMgOfMgeSuE&feature=relmfu

pt5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmSFKgECp_I&feature=plcp

The art style is unique, to say the least, being highly colorful and cartoony with sex appeal being immediately apparent.  And while that may turn some players away at first, spending even just a small amount of time with the game will reveal that this game is well worth looking past such aesthetic issues.  Plus, even if the art style isn’t your cup of tea, the clean visuals and crisp animation deliver in the graphics department nonetheless. 

The game plays at a fast pace, allowing players to choose playing between a strong single character, or with up to 2 teammates – complete with assists, DHC’s, tag counters, and regenerative health.  Skullgirls evolves the assist system another step further with the addition of custom assists.  Players can choose any grounded option a character has to be their assist, including throws, specials, and even dashes…not that you would.  So while a common complaint is the size of the cast (having launched with a mere 8 characters to play with in an era where most games on the market host rosters of 25-30+ to choose from) the deep, unique character designs and matchup potential in team structure more than makes up for this number, with more DLC characters already confirmed to be on their way.  Besides, at some point even Street Fighter 2 had only 8 characters to select from,  and this is a new IP where quality take precedence over quantity.

The game introduces a new approach to stopping infinite combos, and does so very well.  Instead of limiting the game engine (and thus, the players options) with hitstun deterioration or strict juggle limits, an “infinite prevention system’” was put into place; this keeps track of the moves a player has used in a combo and allows the defending player to ‘burst’ out -at no cost- to break the combo.  This allows players to enjoy freedom from hitstun deterioration and stale loops, instead promoting a need to stay creative, utilizing as many of their characters moves in different combinations to maximize their combo potential.

While Skullgirls introduces fresh new concepts to the fighting game world, (the infinite prevention system, and the freedom within team size and assist selection) and maintains all the expected features of a solid team based fighter, feeling familiar yet fresh…what it does best is bringing the best features together into one package.  Finally, I might add. 

Selecting your button layout is as simple as pressing the button you want to correspond to each function in game.  No more scrolling through menus, and double checking the stick’s layout to confirm; just tap the buttons you wish to be lp,mp,hp,lk,mk,hk, in that order and bam!  Good to go.  This is nothing new, and yet so rarely implemented it’s frustrating.  If the right way to do something has already been discovered, why not use it? 

Similarly, the netcode is fantastic, running off of the tried and true GGPO.  While it doesn’t make online play flawless, it’s widely regarded as the most consistent matchmaking option and it’s inclusion here shines brilliantly.  Even just being able to see the ping is a welcome addition, as opposed to deciding between a “3 or 4 bar” connection which could still widely vary in performance, not to mention in definition.  Another nice touch is being able to instantly enter the training room from a versus match.  Any random situation that occurs within a match can now be easily broken down and understood quickly after they happen -instead of trying to remember in hindsight, or taking the time to exit the match and go to the main menu and start the training mode and select the characters and set up the situation…  *ahem* …you get the idea, it’s great.

While there are a few missing features from the game on launch, notably command lists, training room options, and online lobbies, the systems and options that did make it in time for the launch far outweigh those to come.  And I say those to come because it’s not like they’e trying to add the infinite prevention system post-launch.  It’s some command lists and basic setups in pre-existing modes; extra features, even if presumed a standard in today’s market, to what these games are really all about:

The match.  One on one with another, set on equal ground within the laws of the game, rewarding dedication and creativity without sacrificing the integrity of each moment with excess glitter or comeback mechanics.  Skullgirls succeeds in keeping the action engaging and fun, while satisfying the need for freedom and depth to contribute positively to the overall experience and reward players for their decisions.  Priced at a mere $15, the care and attention to detail shown in design decisions and gameplay make Skullgirls an instant classic to any authentic fighting game fan.

To celebrate the launch of 206 Tuesdays Gamebreakerz is going to give you $500 worth of reasons to come down and participate.

The first, one lucky player is going to be taking home brand new Japanese version Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Hori arcade stick complete with Sanwa parts.

The second,  is of course is a very nice Pot Bonus for the tournament winners to the tune of $150!  Hey, who can’t use some cold hard cash these days?  The winner of the Ultimate Marvel tournament will walk away with a $100 pot bonus on top of their winnings.  Also not to leave the Street Fighter guys out in the cold there will be a $50 pot bonus for them as well.

Last but not least, to top things off one lucky person will win a brand new 23″ ASUS V236H LCD Monitor!  The official monitor of fight game fans everywhere.

So here’s how this works.  Starting April 10th show up and play in one of the tourneys, you will get 1 raffle ticket.  Participate in both, and you will get 2 raffle tickets.  The raffle tickets will be drawn live on 206 Tuesdays on April 24th and you must be present to win.  Stream viewers can also join in on the action from the comfort of home.  There are prizes including Xbox Live subscription cards, fight pads, and more.  To become eligible there are a couple of things that everyone will need to do.  First, subscribe to the Seattle Foot Clan streams and follow the Foot Clan on Twitter @Footclanstreams.  Next follow SeattleVS on Twitter @SeattleVS,  and tweet about this event using #206Tues.  Doing this once will automatically register you for all of the weekly stream drawings however you must be online at the time of the drawings to claim your prize.  However the best way to win some killer gear is to show up each week and play in the weekly tourneys so I suggest trying to make it out to at least one of the next 3 upcoming weekly tourneys.  Participating will only increase your chances of winning.  Trust me, this will only get better as it goes along so keep following us and stay tuned for more great stuff including yet another SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT taking place on APRIL 24th.

Seattle Foot Clan: 206 Tuesdays
Twitter: @footclanstreams
Stream Channel: www.twitch.tv/seattlefootclan
RSVP Facebook Events: http://www.facebook.com/events/287435488001504/?context=create#!/events/301172193284802/
RSVP Facebook Events: http://www.facebook.com/events/287435488001504/?context=create#!/events/369006813137675/
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SeattleVersus
Twitter: @SeattleVS

Gamebreakerz
4111 A. Street SE
Auburn, WA 98002
(253) 833-8282
www.gamebreakerz.com

So flash forward to a few days ago, the community has been buzzing (no pun intended) about Brazzers, and their recent marketing plan to sponsor players and host events for the fighting game community. In reading several articles the reaction seems to be very mixed. In one article I read in Piki Geek a couple of quotes really stood out at me:.

” The discussion of a Brazzers sponsorship seemed to indicate the partnership would be a well-meaning and mature one, with the glaring exception of several comments made by Joe “LI Joe” Ciaramelli, a distinguished competitor of fighting games . “The [fighting game] demographic in general, there is not one person that I can talk to who does not know what Brazzers is and does not know about the porn industry in the first place,” Ciaramelli said. The author then goes on to write: “The timing of this is unfortunate, given the recent controversy regarding ArisBakhtanians, a Street Fighter X Tekken player on the reality show Cross Assault who sexually harassed his teammate Miranda Pakozdi for the entertainment of the audience.” – Source Piki Geek

So in reading that, a few other articles and forums, and talking with a couple of gamers in our local community, it is very clear that we are divided on this subject. On one hand there are those of us who would see this as and opportunity to get exposure from a sponsor with a lot of money to spend, and on the other we might question the legitimacy or sincerity of the sponsor to promote the FGC. My opinion is this, as a game center owner for over 12 years, I work hard to win over the opinion of parents that figure that video games are violent and a waste of time and money. I have always believed that video games should be enjoyed as a social or competitive activity. Not every kid that plays GTA , COD, or SF for that matter is going to go nuts and do something stupid. Like with anything, it takes a level of maturity, understanding, and plain ol common sense to deal with what is real and what is not. Now I do believe that the wrong media outlets are going to have a field day with this and tell the conservative folks out there who put our community under the microscope a collective “I told you so”. As a newbie to the FG community I believe that with the introduction of major high dollar organizers like MLG the community finds itself at a major crossroads. Folks have been fighting long and hard to establish fighting games as a legitimate Esport for some time now and it is my opinion that dealing with this going to take an extreme level of maturity.In the case of Cross Assault it was very impressive that the community seemed to come together and take a stand against any form of sexual harassment.

” While some members of the FGC believe that their hobby is about singling out women for abuse and making them feel uncomfortable, it would appear that an encouraging number of them actually stand against that kind of s***. Hopefully it goes some way toward disproving the myth that the FGC is full of entitled manbabies ” – SouceDestructiod.com

One thing is apparent, as long as there is money to be made and the demographic does not change, sponsors are going to try more and more creative ways to market products to the masses. This is likely not going to go away anytime soon and the community will remain divided on this topic for some time to come. However, how we deal with this will go a long way in deciding where we go from here. I believe that if there is organization within the FGC and it is united in expectations from Brazzers or any other sponsor, rational heads will prevail and hopefully everyone will do what is right to preserve the good name of the FGC. It remains to be seen if we going to giggle and crack jokes like immature 8 year olds or will we have the self-control and maturity to deal with this. If not, we will be playing right into the hands of the media and prove that the stereotypes about us are true, and that would make a complete mockery of us and the games we love.

- S.Collins

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The Salty Runback 10 happened this last Sunday April 1st at the Spitfire in downtown Seattle.  The tournament action was pretty intense with the highlight of the afternoon being the Ultimate Marvel showdown between the legendary Thai Vega, and the newcomer from the U-Dub Darryn.  I’ll get to that in a second but first let’s recap some of the things that happened at this event.

The Salty Runback series is put on by Michael Siebert known to the fighting game community as Mike Has Cookies or Cookies for short.  Mike is no stranger to the scene having hosted this his 10th Salty Runback or being involved in all aspects of the FG community whether it is organizing events, teaching and sharing knowledge, or competing in local and out of state tournaments.  Mike’s tournaments are known for being well thought out and well organized events that are held in some pretty cool venues.  The Spitfire was no exception.   The place never seemed to be too crowded, this was likely because of the organized times of the games which made the tournament flow very smoothly.  Overall the staff was very friendly, parking was not pricey, drinks were a good value, and the food was the BOMB DIGGITY!   I had the breakfast, lunch, and dinner items. Everything on the menu was tasty and the food was a good value for the price. This is not one of those places that frown on gamers or make you feel uncomfortable by staring at your every move.  You can show up, relax, eat , drink and chill with friends without feeling weird.

Now on to the tourney.  Since these tournaments are usually held on Saturday no one really knew what to expect going into Sunday however the turnout was not bad. In fact there was a very good showing for all of the major games like Marvel , AE 2012, and XTekken with even a surprisingly good turnout for KOF.  The SCV folks had there own dedicated station and there were good matches even after the tourney had concluded.  So back to what I would like to call the “Match of the Week”.  Thai Vega (Kriangkrai “KK” Buapetch) vs Darryn the newcomer from the U-Dub.  Now anyone knows that the last thing to do in a tourney is anger KK because he seems to actually play better mad.  Well it happened earlier in the bracket where he lost a match up that everyone knew he should have won.  So that set off ”P.O.” mode and the rest is history.  The trash talking commenced, and after a few matches against some stiff competition like Dr.DoomKills plus an absolute bodying of the person that sent him to losers in the first place, KK defeated Rowtron for a shot at Grand Finals.  Darryn on the other hand was a different story.  It is not often that you see a pad player come to an event and do well, let alone “really do well”, but Darryn was out to prove that he was no slouch.  While he wasn’t as vocal, the quiet pad player from U-Dub , had some very impressive wins to his way to coming out of the winner’s bracket.

I would tell you how it all went down but I’ll let you see for yourself by watching the video above.   In closing I’ll just say this,  the coolest thing that happened at SRB was my conversation with Michael “The Show” John. (I hope you don’t mind.)  I learned that he moved up here to Seattle from the Virgin Islands with no other family in the area.  However Michael has been playing fighting games for about the last 4 years and discovered the NW scene about 8 months ago.  He told me that because he does not drive, that it’s cool that there are events like SRB and Lunchbox close to him in the downtown area where he can get out and enjoy playing the games, socializing with the folks in the scene, and just chill.  I talked to him for like 20 minutes or so and I felt like I was talking to an old family friend that I had known for years even though it was my first time meeting him.  It reminded me that as dysfunctional of a family as the FG community is, we are family nonetheless and should be united in our common love of playing games, socializing, and chilling.  So if you are on the fence and thinking about getting out and checking out some of the local events I highly encourage you to do so.  Sunday is my only day off during the week but for my first time attending the SRB Sunday Brunch I had a blast.  I could not think of a better way to spend my day off.

The next SRB is April 28th at the Spitfire Grill in Downtown Seattle.  Hope to see you there.

I had the opportunity to talk with several well known players and tournament organizers within the  community about their thoughts about the current state of the scene, planning events, and random thoughts.  Here is my interview with Christine Gentry aka ” Hunebee “ owner / operator of TheBoxArena in San Diego California.

Q: As someone who has been in the scene for a while and / or as someone who has organized events, why do you feel its important for people to make it to events?

A:  Simply put, if no one made it out to events and they just sat around in their room trolling the stream then there would be no event to watch! Live events don’t just consist of the top 8 players you hear about later, its everyone they had to beat in order to get there. I can guarantee that Daigo and Justin didn’t become the worlds best by just playing the cpu and their closest 3 friends. The evidence is… well evident! The more live people you play and events you attend the more practice you get and you become a better player (or at least you will make friends)

Q:  Why is it important for people to enter events, even if they lack the confidence?

A:  There is an entirely different feeling when you are playing for money than if you are not. Even if you know you most likely are not going to win that money back, you want to try harder because you invested money into it. It’s something similar to playing lottery tickets…your chances of winning are slim to none.. but scratching off that nasty silver stuff is so much more intense when you know there could be a little money on the other side.

Q:  What advice can you give to people who are new and are still too “scared” to be a pot monster?

A:  Start small and get used to the rush of playing for money. Get together a few friends you know and put $1 tournaments together. It doesn’t sound like much, but it will get you used to playing for money. Getting the tournament “jitters” is something you slowly either get rid of or just get used to.  Either way, the more you compete with something on the line, the less it phases you.

Q:  What hardships have you come acress when planning tourneys?

A:  For us, the largest problem is always finding funding. Like most of the community knows, we are a true non profit. We dont charge for different viewing levels or subscriptions, we dont charge large venue fees (if any at all), and the only percent we take on occasion goes back into upgrading hardware to provide a top quality stream for the monsters at home. In fact, our weekly tournaments are 100% free and since we own the venue we can do that happily. Not to say charging for any of those things is wrong, its just not what we do. Part of the problem is San Diego has very few top players, so we don’t get a ton of viewers interested in watching our streams, so because of this it is really hard to use our numbers for leverage in getting sponsors. My constant struggle is getting really good CASH pots for our events. The larger our pot prize the more likely we are to get top LA players down here and THAT will bring the viewers it would have taken to get the sponsors. I guess its a vicious cycle that always haunts me around tournament time.

Q:  What is the biggest fear you have before event day?

A:  For sure I am always scared no one will show up, but so far my fears remain only nightmares and we always get a pretty good crowd.

Q:  How can players, casual and hardcore, benefit from making it out to a live event?

A:  If you embrace fighting games as a hobby and a passion why would you NOT want to go? What I have never understood is why it actually takes effort to get people to leave their house and come hang out with friends.  Even if they don’t want to compete, being there to watch the event, play casuals, and interact with a room full of people that share the same interests is a great experience. You can gain so much knowledge, get practice with several different characters and fighting styles, and just being there gets you used to the tournament jitters.  I guess if you like being alone events are the worst.. but in that case I think its better you stay home and troll the streams because stream monsters are just as important to the FGC culture as the top players are.

Zach Robinson aka ” Preppy “

By Joshua Taton
I had the opportunity to talk with several well known players and tournament organizers in the NWSF community about their thoughts about the current state of the scene, planning events, and random thoughts.  Today I sat down to talk with Zach Robinson a.k.a ” Preppy “.

Q: As someone who has been in the scene for a while and/or as someone who has organized events, why do you feel it is important for people to make it to events?

A: As a fighting game fan, getting to go to tournaments and events is an awesome opportunity to be surrounded by fellow fans, to learn, imagine, steal new tricks, to improve my own game, and to have a great time chilling.  Even if you’re not going to be playing that tournament, it can be good to just go and learn some tactics and get to know the local scene.  Get involved!  Your keyboard is awesome, but it’s not real life. Every single person you see on-stream was a random at some point.  It takes balls to get out there, but as is true with everything in life – you’re going to have a way better time if you’re actually involved.

Q:  Why is it important for people to enter events, even if they lack the confidence?

A:   If you’re actually playing the game, why not get in the game?  Give yourself a challenge and see how you match up: see what you’ve got to learn, and see if you’ve maybe got more ability than you thought you had.  There’s a massive barrier to entry for most competitive sports: the only barrier to entry for a video game is you showing up.   Almost every time I’ve first gone to any tournament, I’ve ended up matched up against somebody excellent: I’ve lost most of those, but it really helps you know that Combofiend or other kick-ass player is just another dude like you.  The only thing preventing you from winning is you.  And I think you’ll quickly find out you’re better than you thought you were.  Only one person can win the tournament, but everybody has the opportunity to have a hell of a fun time playing in it. There’s no shame in losing.  The only real failure is not to try. A small ‘secret’ is that a lot of people don’t like to be matched up against a local killer first round.  If you want, just ask to be placed against them first round.  It’s a no-lose situation for you: knowing you lost to somebody excellent should make that first loss go down that much smoother, and if you win – well, the world is your oyster. I also think of Vercette: it took me a while to notice this, but that cat would fly to tournaments all over the country and challenge people to money matches.  It’s not that he necessarily thought he was going to win every one, but he got more interesting games in against more interesting players than probably any other mid-level player I could name.  He put himself out there, and probably has more excellent memories than most of us.  Have some balls: it pays off.

Q: What advice can you give to people who are new and are still too “scared” to be a pot monster?

A:  Everybody is new.  Everybody starts out as a completely unknown random.  Who you become – who others think you are – depends upon you.  Millions of others have given it a shot – there is no possible way that you are the most terrible player in the world.  That title is reserved for orochizoolander, and he’ll fight you for it. I also think of a player from up north around here.  He started out pretty pathetically, but just kept grinding and now he can challenge pretty much everybody.  If you want to win, keep grinding and you’ll get there.  But very few people can get that great just playing online or at home: getting to the tournament and learning from actual competitive play is really key in improving.  I think you owe it to yourself to compete at least once.  Maybe it’s not your thing, but – it’s still an excellent experience and one to take advantage of.

Q:    What hardships have you come across when planning tourneys?

A:  I’ve always thought of running a tournament as herding kittens.  You kind of push people in the right direction and really hope that it works out.  But the great thing is that it usually does.  Everybody there generally want the same thing – a fun and excellent tournament – so as long as you’re clear and reasonable in what you need, people will make it happen. The easiest thing to screw up is not getting people’s money.  Make sure you have a reliable system for that.  We’re in a pretty wired age: keeping track of it on your PC makes it pretty easy.  Or ensure that your sign-up sheets have a spot to indicate PAID status.  Having to fix the pot with your own money can be painful.The next easiest thing to screw up is ‘losing’ people.  People like to eat, smoke, chill, whatever – so make sure you have a reliable way to get those people back to you on a timely basis.  Put their cell phone numbers next to their name on the signup sheets, and make sure that when people disappear that they do so only after checking out with you and giving you an estimate time of return.  One of the blow-ups at a major last year was when someone disappeared for too long.  It’s lame to DQ someone needlessly, but it’s equally lame to hold up everybody else for someone irresponsibly jetting for an hour because they think they’re more important than everyone else.  Make sure players have the expectation that once the tournament starts, it is ongoing at all times for them until they’re out of the bracket.  Their presence is indeed required.It’s also easy to screw up by not growing the scene.  Honestly, running a big tourney is hard, so if you’ve got your brackets full, don’t worry too much about it.  But – there’s something to be said about more outreach, be it by streaming your tournament, recording it and putting footage up online, putting player summaries and interviews up online, or otherwise just getting the information out there.  There’s a lot more people lurking than playing, and getting some of those lurkers actually involved can help everybody out and make it more fun for everyone.  The reason I got involved in the first place was because I read the old EGMs with Alex Valle and Ricky Ortiz and the SF2 scene getting coverage and thought – wow, that sounds fun I’d like to be part of that someday.  Maybe somebody doesn’t get involved immediately, but let those seeds grow in people’s minds and let their interest grow over time.You’re not going to have enough sticks for everybody.  Remind everyone in advance that it’s Bring Your Own Stick.  Make sure that people respect the venue and equipment.  Gamers are an interesting cross-section of society.

Q:  What is the biggest fear you have before event day?

A:  My biggest fear before a tournament that I’m throwing is that nobody will show up.  Honestly, I feel better once the first person, whomever that is, shows up.  It’s just a load off your back to know that things are getting underway. My biggest fear before a tournament I’m participating in?  I’m kinda fearless, but I’d have to say ‘not trying my best’.  I’m lucky enough to live in an area with a bunch of killers.  I know for a scientific fact that I’m not better than the upper echelon of Seattle players, but I can usually give them a run for their money and surprise some on a good day.  And that’s good enough for me: I’m there to have a great time with great people.

Q:  How can players (casual and hardcore), benefit from making it out to a live event?

A:  Putting faces and personalities to names is always excellent and makes watching streams way more interesting.   As a fan of the games, I can honestly say that through the eight years or so that I’ve been going to tourneys, I have learned something new at every tournament I’ve been to.  I’m a much better player through all the various small tactics I’ve managed to steal.  If I run into somebody playing Thor/Hulk/Dormammu, I’m that much better for having had my chance to get rocked by Cam firsthand and know more about how that matchup works.   My life is way more fun and interesting from having gone to that first tournament I ever went to, way back in 2003, at Silver Coin and run by Ondrej where I narrowly lost to Kuan.  Nobody knew who I was, but I had fun and I got to know a lot of great people and have had tons of fun with them over the years. The only way you can know what happens is if you step in the game.  Do it. =] ]]> http://www.seattleversus.com/archives/713/feed 2 http://www.seattleversus.com/archives/685 http://www.seattleversus.com/archives/685#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:08:47 +0000 scollins http://seattleversus.com/?p=685 Originally founded in 2009 by co-founders Michael Davis and Elliot Gray, SeattleVersus focused specifically on the fighting game community.  Unfortunately due to health concerns and other obligations the site has remained dormant for a bit until 2012.  However with the blessings of the original founders and a new team of content contributors, SeattleVersus has returned to provide competitive news, player interviews, and event information for the gaming community here in Pacific NW.

The mission of SeattleVersus is simple: To be a resource that provides informative content for casual and competitive gamers, while being a positive representation of the local gaming communities throughout the NW.

It is my goal in 2012 and beyond to expand our reach to include Fighting, FPS, and Strategy games on both console and PC, provide in-depth coverage of tournaments, players, equipment, and almost anything relevant in regards to gaming.  Here you will find content contributed by people who are passionate about the gaming community and promoting a positive representation of the local scene throughout the NW.  This site, like the content, and community, can and will only get better if you actively participate in it.  If you want to find out how good you really are then I encourage you to come out and participate in one of the many the local tourneys.  If you are not that good then there are dedicated venues that hold casuals to help you improve your game.  If you study, then there are articles, event recaps, and event coverage.  If you just like watching, then there are dedicated stream channels.  The bottom line is that it is time to end the lame excuses of ”I’m bored.” or “There’s no where to go to play.”  or “I’m really not that good.”. There is always something going on just about every day of the week, and there is always somewhere to go to enjoy what you like doing if you are a gamer.  You will only get out of this site, what you put into it.  However rest assured that there are a lot of people working very hard on this because they love the communities they represent and want to see it grow.  We understand that our site will not be perfect so please remember that this is an ever changing , ever evolving, work in progress.

So to those of you who stumbled upon this site for the first time and those of you that have been here all along I say “Welcome Home!”.

Sincerely,

Shandor Collins
SeattleVersus LLC.