Chinatown Fair is Closing Its Doors

The saddest news for fighting game players in NY hit today. Henry Cen announced on his Facebook page that Chinatown Fair will close on the 23rd. It is unclear whether he's referring to February or March. According to Arturo Sanchez's Twitter posts, the establishment lost its lease. Chinatown Fair has a history dating back to the 50's and produced the greatest fighting game players of the East Coast. There, a young Justin Wong learned from the legendary Eddie Lee. MvC2 was honed to perfection by Justin, Sanford, Yipes, Desmond, Liston, et al. Arturo played everything from Super Turbo to SF4:AE there. Even today's up-and-coming players have begun to hone their skills in this lions den of great players. Soon, it will be no more. I found an interesting piece about Chinatown Fair's history at scoutingny.com (from which I borrowed the picture above). Also, there was a bit of foreshadowing in this year-old video by ArcadeHustla:

Justin Wong Playing SSF4 Arcade Edition

These videos were found at Shadaloo.com via Iplaywinner.com. It's interesting to watch Justin use Yang for both his combos into ultra and his block-strings. He uses Yang much like he uses Fei Long, but with more offensive pressure. Check out the three videos below.

TGS News Round-up

Tokyo Game Show went down this past weekend, and there was quite a bit of news coming from the show. Here's a quick summary of the most interesting stories. Links below are to trailers for the respective games.

FIGHTING GAME NEWS

• Katsuhiro Harada announced Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
• Yun and Yang were officially confirmed for SSF4: Arcade Edition. A trailer was shown for the new outfits, coming to consoles via DLC. (All outfits can be seen at SRK.)
• Tron Bonne, X-23, Spiderman, and Albert Wesker were announced for MvC3.
• BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II announced as coming to arcades with the ability be updated via Internet downloads.
• Japan's SBO (Tougeki) tournament took place at the show. The winning team in SF4 was Kindevu/Momochi/RF. Kindevu eliminated Daigo in the finals. Kuroda's team won Third Strike, to no one's surprise.

NON-FIGHTING GAME NEWS

• Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD remakes were announced for PS3. They have 3D support, and both games are on one disc for $40.
• Devil May Cry is getting a reboot by Ninja Theory, makers of Heavenly Sword.
• Saturn classic Radiant Silvergun is being remade for XBLA.
• Capcom is making Steel Battalion for Kinect, replacing the original's gigantic $200 controller with motion controls.
• Suda 51 (Killer 7, No More Heroes) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) announced their collaboration on Shadows of the Damned.
• NanaOn-Sha, Masaya Matsuura's company (of Parappa fame,) is working on a cutesy horror game for Kinect called Haunt.
• The upcoming Yakuza game, Yakuza: Of the End, takes a strange turn by taking place in Japan during a zombie apocalypse.
• PSP Tactics Ogre was playable and reportedly very good. The graphics are said to keep a SNES sprite look, but with sharp 3D effects.
• The 3rd Birthday, the new Parasite Eve game coming to PSP, plays more like an action/shooter game, but not in a bad way.
• Castelvania: Lords of Shadow is said to be surprisingly good and should please Castlevania fans, even though it is 3D.
• Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced, but Sega provided no details whatsoever.
• Catherine, an adult-themed game about nightmares by the Persona team, looks crazy and potentially awesome.
• Some former Panzer Dragoon staff are working on a spiritual successor, Project Draco, for Kinect.
• A new Fire Pro-wrestling game will let you wrestle with your Xbox avatar.

SSF4: Arcade Edition Trailer

SSF4 Location Test [Continually Updated]

As quickly as the rumor of Ingrid being in SSF4: Arcade Edition arose, it was squashed. One theory is that early on, someone mistook Cammy in an alternate outfit for Ingrid. Yun and Yang, however, are confirmed to be in the game.

This is a location test; therefore, this is all subject to change. Recording is prohibited, so all information is hearsay. It may be inaccurate. Don't panic!

Info from Shoryuken.com informants and Japanese Wiki. [My thoughts in brackets.] Sketchy information (conflicting reports or I suspect misperception) in italics:

YUN/YANG

• Yun's Ultra I is You Hou.
• Yun's Ultra II is Sorai Rengeki.
• Yun's Super is Genei Jin.
• Genei Jin combos can do 50% - 60% damage.
• Yun/Yang palm-push can be faked.
• Yun/Yang EX palm-push does wall-bounce.
• Yun/Yang f+MK overhead can cross-up a downed opponent.
• Yang's Ultra I is Raishin Mahaken.
• Yang's Ultra II is Tenshin Senkyutai.
• Yang's Super is Seiei Enbu.
• Seiei Enbu combos can do 35% - 40% damage.

ABEL

• Tornado Throw does less damage.
• Breathless has more recovery.
• Rolls have more recovery.

ADON

• EX Jaguar Tooth doesn't flash until he hits the wall.
• j.MK [hitbox?] changed.

AKUMA

• Air Tatsu doesn't "helicopter" away for good escapes. [This change was definitely in an early version of Super at one point (I saw it in some videos); I wonder if it'll stay this time.]
• EX Shoryu does less damage.
• HP Red Fireball does more damage.
• Ultra II is faster and may combo from FADC'd Shoryu.
• Walk speed may be decreased.

BALROG

• Ultra II is HCBx2 motion.

BLANKA

• Blocked Blanka Ball leaves him much closer, about half the old distance.

CAMMY

• "Tiger Knee" Cannon Strike no longer possible (except EX).
• Normals combo more easily.
• HK Cannon Drill can only hit twice from closer distances.

CHUN-LI

• DF+LK has decreased priority.
• Sweep has lowered stun or priority.

CODY

• Walk speed is faster.
• EX Zonk travels shorter distance.
• MK Ruffian Kick reaches further.
• HK Ruffian Kick hitbox changed to hit crouching opponents.
• Bad Stone has greater "hit-back" (whatever that means.)

DAN

• Jumping Taunt goes higher.

DEE JAY

• [Close?] s.HK hits overhead.
• EX Air Slasher travels much faster.

DHALSIM

• Yoga Fire builds less meter.

DUDLEY

• EX Ducking added. It doesn't have armor, but may recover more quickly.
• c.HK is faster.
• j.RH knocks down as air-to-air.
• Rose Throw has less recovery and does more hit-stun.

E. HONDA

• Ultra II command is HCBx2.
• Less damage output.

EL FUERTE

• Ultra II does less damage.

FEI LONG

• Chicken Wing start-up invincibility decreased.

GEN

• Gains two new target combos in Mantis (P) stance.
• Jumping Ultra II is faster.

GOUKEN

• LP rush doesn't travel forward but comes out faster.
• Counter low with LP, high with MP.
• Properties of HP Counter are unknown.

GUILE

• Less damage output.
• Whiffed Sonic Boom builds less meter.

GUY

• Hitboxes tweaked on MP-HP target combo.
• Ultra II has better range and less recovery on whiff.
• Flip grab does about 40% less damage.
• LP Hozanto is safer on block.
• HP Hozanto is faster.
• F+MP overhead hits twice.
• Dash speed increased.
• Elbow drop does more hit-stun.

HAKAN

• Successive oil-ups are cumulative, adding additional time.
• Oil Slide has follow-up with K, which oils-up.
• Oil Dive (360+K) can be canceled during foot-slipping animation.
• Jump arc may be changed.

IBUKI

• Something changed regarding her target combos. [My guess is that she regained c.HK -> s.HK from Third Strike.]
• Some properties of Kunai have changed. [Less damage/stun? Harder to cross-up?]

JURI

• Store Fireball combos into other moves.
• Walk speed increased.

KEN

• Air EX Tatsu can be blocked low.
• Jab SRK has more recovery.
• Can juggle off anti-air SRK with EX Hadouken.

M. BISON

• Ultra II is a charge motion.
• Ultra II has more recovery.

MAKOTO

• EX Hayate (dash punch) breaks armor.
• Walk speed increased slightly.
• Fukiage (up-punch) is better [hitbox/damage?]
• Axe Kicks changed to be "more like Third Strike."
• Oroshi (overhead chop) has more invincibility.
• Back-dash changed [with regards to its "frames."]

ROSE

• Soul Satellite lost start-up invincibility.

RUFUS

• Ultra II does less damage.

RYU

• Air Tatsu doesn't "helicopter" away for good escapes.

SAGAT

• s.LK is one-hit and cancelable, like in Vanilla SF4.
• LK Tiger Knee is more like in Vanilla SF4.
• Tiger Uppercut does more damage.
• Angry Scar is now performed with K.

SETH

• j.HP is not stretchy.
• Worse hitbox on j.D+MK stomps.
• Ultra I sends out a projectile that can be negated.

T.HAWK

• EX Condor Dive with 3K can be performed during back jump.
• s.HP has increased priority.
• Ultra II has increased range or priority.

VEGA

• EX Scarlet Terror is better for wakeup [perhaps due to more invincibility.]
• EX Izuna Drop does less damage.
• Forward dash is faster.
• Back-dash is slower.

ZANGIEF

• Range and recovery on Ultra II increased.
• EX Hand doesn't knock down, but leaves Gief at frame advantage for serious mix-ups.
• Increased priority on P and K Lariats.

Let's Talk About Seth, Baby

In the current test build for Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, Seth is vastly different from his former self. He no longer has a long-reaching j.HP; this alone makes him a completely different character. His Ultra I has also been replaced by something that functions more like a projectile. What does this mean for Seth players?

To describe Seth's role in Super, I'll use an analogy: Seth is to Dhalsim as Akuma is to Ryu. Allow me to explain. Akuma is basically Ryu with a few more moves (air fireball, teleport), greater damage potential, and lower health. The same applies to Seth as compared to Dhalsim. Both Seth and Dhalsim are able to zone out the opponent with extending limbs and fireballs. When the opponent closes in, they can teleport to safety. Seth, like Akuma, has additional offensive tools, like his Spinning Piledriver, D+MK headstomps, and a Shoryuken. Whereas playing Akuma is all about his relentless offense, Seth is still able to be played extremely defensively, like a Dhalsim with more options. His feeble health, however, makes it all the more dangerous when an opponent breaks that defense. Arcade Edition apparently attempts to change this.

Without his extending limbs, Seth will go from being an alternate version of Dhalsim to a new and separate character. The j.FP change takes away a huge part of his zoning game, as does the change to his Ultra I. Instead of being able to poke away from full screen, then unleash Ultra on any slight mistake, Seth will need to find way to get close to his opponents. He'll be more focused on offense than he is on defense. I welcome this change. If Capcom gives Seth more health, then that should make up for losing his defensive tools. Currently, Seth's 700 points of health force players to err on the side of caution, taking no chances and running away incessantly. With health levels akin to the other characters', Seth will be able to take more risks moving in and rushing down opponents. In fact, he will be forced to, unable to rely on full-screen turtling and runaway tactics. I believe that this is a case where apparent nerfs could actually lead to a more powerful character.

Third Strike Highlight Reel

Amazing Third Strike videos are becoming more common every day. Here we have a compilation of highlights from various recent matches. There are split-second dizzy recoveries and even proof that Chun v. Chun can be exciting. My favorite moment is the Hugo-on-Hugo brutality at 4:20. As usual, the "excitable Japanese announcer" warning applies.

The Death of 3rd Strike

It's no secret that I've been really into Third Strike lately. I've been so enamored with the game that I recently decided to get a 3rd Strike arcade board. While the PS2 and emulated versions of Third Strike are not bad at all, there's something magical about playing the arcade version of a game.

I thought it'd be a simple matter to get a hold of an old arcade game; however, I ran into several issues. 3rd Strike was released in several territories, namely Asia, Japan, and the USA. The Asian No-CD version is to be avoided, as it lacks many of the game's sound effects. The Japanese version has a second "Rev A" that changes the game for the worse, mostly by removing unblockables. The USA version is undesirable for another reason entirely, the "suicide battery."

The suicide battery is contained in an essential piece of the 3S arcade hardware, the security cartridge (right, above). While most of the game data is contained on a CD-ROM, the security cartridge is like a special key that unlocks the decrypted game data. In an apparent attempt to thwart tampering and piracy, these security cartridges are equipped with this suicide battery. If the battery is removed from the cartridge, it is destroyed. Even when the battery eventually runs out, the cartridge is destroyed. The 3rd Strike arcade hardware is essentially a ticking time bomb destined to commit seppuku. At this time, all of the original batteries in Third Strike cartridges are either dead or close to dying. Only Capcom Japan can restore a dead board, and they only support the Japanese version. If you have a dead USA 3S, you are out of luck.

In spite of this, there are remedies for this built-in obsolescence. The battery can be swapped, but it is very tricky. One must open the cartridge and swap the battery while the system is powered on. This sounds simple enough, except for one problem: the battery is soldered into the cartridge. Of course, the battery can be desoldered with very careful and prolonged effort. Keep in mind that if power is lost to the board for even a moment, it will be rendered permanently useless. So, it is possible to salvage these dying relics, but the process is anything but straightforward.

In light of the difficulty in obtaining the proper version, as well as the entire suicide battery conundrum, I've decided that the PS2 version of Third Strike will be sufficient to hold me over until 3S: Online's release.

The New-Character Guessing Game

The Japanese SSF4 Blog brings attention to the silhouette shown in the arcade SSF4 location tests. Is this a generic placeholder or a hint as to what character to expect? All I see is a bald head and ears. It's definitely not Hugo or Elena. It might be Rolento, depending on how his hat is sitting on his head. It could even be Urien. Any guesses?

More Super SF4 Characters?

This image was taken from the arcade version of Super currently testing in Japan. Rolento and Elena, perhaps?

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