HAMSTER continues its long game to bring almost every Neo Geo title of note to the Nintendo Switch eShop, and Fatal Fury 3: Road To The Final Victory is the next classic ready for porting. And you won’t have to wait long because it’s hitting those digital shelves next week.
The only caveat is said game – known as ACA NEOGEO Garou Densetsu 3 〜Harukanaru Tatakai in Japan – is only getting a Japanese release for now on 15th February, priced at ¥823. So sad faces all round if you’re a FF3 fan from the West, but the game has already had a localised release on PS4 and Xbox One in 2017 so it’s only a matter of time before the EU and North American eShops get in on the ACA Neo Geo action. In meantime, check out our original Neo Geo review...
Are you a fan of the FF series? Or have you had your fill of HAMSTER’s consistent retro roll out? Comments, assemble!
If you’re seriously into audio visual entertainment then chances are you’ll have gone through the exciting (yet mildly scary) process of blowing an entire month’s pay cheque on the latest television, Hi-Fi or associated piece of audio visual hardware. Like everything in life, how much you want to spend on this kind of thing is often limited only by the size of your available budget, or how comfortable you are living off cold beans for the rest of the month. Dedicated tech-heads will think nothing of blowing a few thousand on a single Hi-Fi separate if they think it will enrich their listening experience, and that’s fine – society in general doesn’t bat an eyelid and the world keeps turning.
Strangely, this tolerance for massive expenditure doesn’t seem to extend to the world of video game hardware. One of the most common things we hear at Nintendo Life when we wax lyrical about the work of Analogue is “I’d love to own one of their systems, but their stuff is too expensive”. It’s hard to argue with that stance on one level; the company’s unique line of systems is unashamedly aimed at people with big wallets, like the (sadly discontinued) wooden Neo Geo CMVS or the Analogue Nt Mini, a majestic product fashioned from a single piece of aerospace-grade aluminium.
With price tags that exceed even those of the modern gaming platforms, it’s little wonder that so many players have been reluctant to part with their cash – despite the fact that these machines provide the very best way to play Neo Geo and NES software. With the company’s latest venture however, such reservations should vanish (almost) entirely; the Super Nt marks Analogue’s first genuine foray into the world of affordable gaming gear. With this highly-anticipated console, the company is bringing down the cost of ownership so its stunningly-engineered tech is within reach of more players than ever before.
Analogue Super Nt: The Hardware
The Analogue Nt and Nt Mini were handsome machines thanks to their graceful design and robust metal frames, but the company has taken a different approach with the Super Nt. Expensive aluminium is replaced by a cheaper yet admittedly high quality plastic casing which not only brings the construction cost down considerably, but also – in our humble opinion, at least – results in a more attractive system. The Super Nt is clearly inspired by the rounded edges of the Super Famicom and European SNES systems (sorry North American fans, there’s no ’tissue box’ design on offer here) and to the untrained eye could even pass as an official ‘downsized’ edition of the real thing which outdoes the SNES Jr. in terms of svelteness and pure desirability.
The top of the unit is home to the universal cartridge slot (which accepts games from any region) as well as the power and reset buttons. There’s also a multi-colour power LED which can be customised using the console’s settings. Around the back things are surprisingly clean, especially when compared to the Analogue Nt and Nt Mini. Again, this is part of Analogue’s drive to make the hardware more affordable; there’s no RGB / Component / Composite multi-port this time, which could come as a disappointment to some but we imagine most buyers won’t care one jot. Instead, we have single HDMI-out and a Micro USB socket for power, which means you can use your smartphone charging block, if you so wish (the Nt Mini had a bespoke PSU).
Despite losing the allure of a metal case, the Super Nt feels incredibly robust and sturdy; this is a premium product, even if it is made of plastic. It’s engineered to perfection with no unseemly gaps or joins in the case design. It’s rare for gamers to really express any real emotion towards console design these days – not like in the past, at least – but the Super Nt is downright gorgeous. As you can see, we opted for the Super Famicom / EU SNES design, but it also comes in grey-and-purple (mimicking the North American colourway), black and transparent.
Unpacking the console reveals the first big shock – there’s no controller in the box. This has to be ordered separately for $40, which pushes the cost of ownership – already a considerable $190 – up a little more. It’s a rather cheeky move without a doubt, but it does make sense on one level. If you’re a keen follower of Analogue then you may already own an 8Bitdo controller; the two companies have been bedfellows for some time and 8Bitdo pads have been pushed as viable alternatives to Switch Pro Controllers in recent months. If you already own a SNES30 and a SNES Retro Receiver then you’ll be able to use those with the Super Nt, potentially saving yourself some cash. If not, then you can order a SNES30 pad which matches the colour scheme of your chosen case design. Alternatively of course, you can just use your original SNES pad, as the controller port is exactly the same as the one on the authentic console; this could be another reason for not including one in the box as standard, as the kind of person who buys this system will more than likely have a SNES controller in the house somewhere.
The only other design element of note is the SD card slot on the side of the console. This is used to install firmware updates, a process which is utterly painless and ensures that Analogue can keep adding to the functionality of the system post-launch. Those of you who followed the development of the Nt Mini will know that it received “official” jailbroken firmware – created by Kevin Horton, the same person who designed the internal architecture – which introduced a slew of new features, including the ability to emulate a whole host of different systems and run games from an SD card. While we can’t be sure, we’d imagine the same abilities will eventually be extended to the Super Nt in the future via firmware installed using the SD card slot.
Analogue Super Nt: Features and Performance
The big selling point of Analogue’s new range of consoles is that they harness the power of Field-Programmable Gate Array chips to replicate the performance of vintage consoles on a hardware level; in Super Nt’s case, it’s packing an Altera Cyclone V, one of the most sophisticated FPGA chips available. There’s still some debate about whether or not FPGA tech is truly superior to the very best software emulators available, but in our experience, systems equipped with these chips have always proven to be more reliable, accurate and responsive than their rivals. Products like the Hyperkin Supa Retron HD and Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio Plus use a ‘system-on-a-chip’ approach which is more akin to emulation than recreating these systems via pure hardware; as a result, there are usually slight differences, such as slowdown, visual mistakes or off-key audio – and, most annoying of all, a small amount of latency. Because FPGA is all done entirely on a hardware level, you get unparalleled accuracy, total compatibility and zero-lag input.
To say that the Super Nt provides an experience that’s just like the real thing is perhaps doing it a disservice; what we’re getting here is better than the real thing. In terms of accuracy it’s faultless; games run as they should, sound as they should and play as they should. However, because you’re viewing the results in 1080p over HDMI, it’s like seeing these classics with a totally fresh pair of eyes. Everything looks razor-sharp and moves beautifully. Compared to the HDMI output seen on other retro clones, there really is no comparison; this is visual perfection. Every single game we ran on the console loaded perfectly and performed without any issues; we even tried prototype carts and various Super FX-powered titles, and they all worked fine. It’s also worth noting that it works with the Super Game Boy and the Super Everdrive flash cartridge. This shouldn’t come as a massive shock as the Super Nt is, to all intents and purposes, a real SNES on a hardware level.
However, Analogue isn’t content to simply offer you the best experience it can – the console’s UI, which was created by none other than Phil Fish, maker of the seminal indie platformer Fez – hides a plethora of options and settings which let you refine the experience even further. You can change the aspect ratio of the screen, apply a scaler effect or even introduce CRT-style scanlines for that true old-school look (along with an optional gamma boost mode which brightens the image once these scanlines are applied). Switch on the “Advanced Mode” and another layer of settings is revealed. You can get as deep as you like with this hardware, and even go as far as to switch on a 64 sprite mode, which doubles the number of sprites that can be on-screen and effectively removes the “sprite flicker” which plagued some SNES titles. There’s also a “pseudo high-res blending” feature which makes visuals that look odd in HD appear as they would have done on an old-fashioned CRT – their original target display, lest we forget. It’s hard to describe how this works but there are some elements in games which used the idiosyncrasies of CRT screens to achieve certain effects; running on modern LCD TVs these effects sometimes appear as lines. This blending method solves the problem, but it can be toggled off if you so wish.
The user interface is worth discussing a little more, because it’s genuinely brilliant. It can be accessed at any time by pressing down and Select (you can change this shortcut if you want) and comes packed with features. The console’s boot animation – also created by Fish – randomly spews a handful of 30 different Analogue logos, set to a short audio cue by the legendary British electronic artist Squarepusher. It’s like booting up a console from an alternative universe, where Analogue – not Nintendo – won the 16-bit console war. As for the rest of the UI, it has all been built within in the limitations of the SNES hardware; unlike the Hyperkin Retron 5 and Cyber Gadget Retro Freak – which use Android as their foundation – what you’re seeing on the Super Nt could actually have been done on the original SNES back in the ’90s.
There are other neat little touches, too, like choosing to have the menu text ‘bounce’ in from the top and bottom of the screen and the ability to choose between a North American SNES or Super Famicom / EU SNES theme for the menus. However, there are some omissions worth mentioning; there’s no support for save states (something that is present in PC-based emulators as well as on the Retron 5 and Retro Freak) so if you’re playing a cartridge with a dead battery or you simply want to retain your progress in a game which lacks battery back-up, you won’t be able to do so with the Super Nt. This might not be a massive issue for everyone, but if you’ve made use of save support on other clone consoles (or on the Virtual Console, for that matter), it could be a disappointment. There is a chance, of course, that this feature will be introduced via a later firmware update.
The system comes pre-loaded with Super Turrican: The Director’s Cut and Super Turrican 2, the former of which has never been released in any form previously. You even get a flat-packed Super Turrican box with the console, should you want the “complete” experience of having it on your shelf with the rest of your collection – even if there’s no physical cartridge inside.
Analogue Super Nt: The Verdict
The Super Nt is an astonishing piece of gaming equipment. Analogue hasn’t simply replicated the SNES on a hardware level with amazing accuracy; it has also created a slick user interface bound by the limitations of the console, and has wrapped it all up with some excellent branding which – we hope – will be used on many other systems to come. The asking price of $190 may well be an issue for some – especially when you consider that you don’t even get a controller – but if you absolutely have to play SNES games in the best way possible, you won’t mind paying for quality.
Analogue already has a sizeable group of fans and convincing them that this excellent system is a must-buy was never going to be a challenge, but more casual buyers might be less easy to get on board, especially as a hacked SNES Classic Edition offers a very similar experience without the headache of having to track down original cartridges, many of which are slowly creeping up in value. Even lower down the scale, those who simply want to see what all this SNES fuss is about might find it easier to stomach the asking price of the Supa Retron HD, or even track down an original SNES system and achieve total accuracy (along with sub-HD visuals). Ultimately, there are multiple entry points if you want to get into the world of SNES gaming in 2018, but as far as we’re concerned there’s only one champion – and that’s the Super Nt. It’s hard to see how anyone – even Nintendo itself – can possibly better this product.
The Analogue Super Nt costs $189.99 and is available direct from the manufacturer.
Back in 2014, the 3DS eShop received AeternoBlade, a hack ‘n’ slash focused Metroidvania that’s centered around the gameplay concept of controlling time. After a failed attempt at Kickstarting a sequel, Corecell Technology has opted to port the game to the Switch eShop, no doubt in hopes of building up the fanbase further. We weren’t huge fans of the game when it launched on 3DS, but there’s always room for second chances. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that much has changed.
The story of AeternoBlade revolves around Freyja, a warrior hailing from a village destroyed by the Dark Lord, Beladim. After being easily killed by him in the opening scene, Freyja is transported back seven days by the titular blade to prepare for her fateful encounter again. Though the plot takes some mildly interesting twists and turns over its seven-or-so-hour run, there’s very little here that hasn’t been done to death before. Granted, an engaging plot isn’t expected in a game of this sort, but the utter lack of charm or originality in characters doesn’t do AeternoBlade any favors.
It’s a Metroidvania at its heart, but it opts to stack some interesting modifiers on that core formula which, unfortunately, aren’t terribly well executed. Rather than one massive map, the game is divied up into separate levels, and while this helps streamline level designs, it comes at the cost of incentive to explore. Secrets are often found in predictable and relatively easily accessed places, with time manipulation abilities playing into many of the basic puzzles you come across. Backtracking is encouraged by some paths being placed tantalizingly out of reach, though these can often have disappointing rewards waiting for you at the end. Overall level design, then, tends to feel unsurprising in many instances, and we couldn’t help but feel that the Metroidvania elements were added late in development.
Clearly, the focus here is being put on the combat, which is the best aspect of AeternoBlade, though it takes quite a bit of time to build up into an interesting system. Freyja starts out with some exceptionally basic combo moves, with more and more being unlocked with experience orbs you gain from downed enemies. The problem is that it takes quite a bit of time before Freyja’s options really start to open up, meaning that you’ll be spending lots of time mindlessly mashing the same button and watching the same attacks over and over. Adding insult to injury, most of the enemies – with the exception of end level bosses – fail to match your abilities in any meaningful way, acting as easily stunned sword fodder and little more. It’s a real shame, too, because the combat starts to get diverse and interesting once you pass a few levels, offering a tantalising glimpse at the better game that could’ve been.
Aside from upgrading her combo abilities, Freyja also has more traditional upgradeable stats, and a system of held items called Relics. These can be found throughout the game world and equipped to Freyja in sets, offering a wealth of different buffs and benefits. It’s nice that there’s this element of character building, as it enables you to skew your enhancements toward your particular playstyle, though it’s fairly surface-level character customization. Still, the potential of a better relic gives you some incentive to travel off the beaten path every now and then to see what can be picked up, and it breathes some much-needed life into the otherwise monotonous exploration.
From a presentation perspective, AeternoBlade falls quite flat, failing to provide much in the way of interesting audio or visual feedback. Its roots as a 3DS game are painfully obvious; the original release was considered so-so on that hardware, and not much has been done to pretty it up for Switch. Jagged geometry, stilted animations, a murky color palette, and blurry textures make for environments and characters that are passable at best and downright ugly at the worst. To be fair, running the game on more powerful hardware has allowed for some slightly better details in minor places, but the harsh reality is that putting lipstick on a pig does not do much to change the pig. The game appears to run the same whether docked or portable, but it looks better in portable mode, if only because the sub-par visuals aren’t nearly as noticeable.
Conclusion
AeternoBlade is one of those games that’s frustrating, not because anything in it is broken, but because brief glimpses of excellence show what could’ve been. It’s a decent game, but mediocrity rears its ugly head in nearly every aspect. You could do much worse with Metroidvania games than this, but there’s very little here that you haven’t seen done before, probably better. If you are chomping at the bit for every Metroidvania you can find for Switch, then perhaps AeternoBlade is worth the punt. If that’s not you, we’d suggest a better release in the genre – such as like Axiom Verge or Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – and to sit this one out.
Polish developer 7LEVELS has unveiled the first official gameplay footage for upcoming side-scrolling action-adventure Castle Of Heart. It’s a short one, but it does show off the game’s meaty combat and platforming action in the early stages of its opening level.
Here’s a tasty snippet from the official synopsis to whet your appetite:
“The protagonist of Castle of Heart is a knight, turned to stone by the curse of the evil mage. If he doesn’t replenish his energy level regularly, he begins to crumble. This may lead to losing an arm, which makes using one of the 50 different side weapons acquired during his journey impossible. The game offers 20 levels set in 4 unique environments, providing over 7 hours of intense experience. Castle of Heart utilizes unique Nintendo Switch features, such as HD Rumble.”
Castle Of Heart is set to arrive on Nintendo Switch somewhere within Q1 2018. Does this side-scrolling adventure pique your interest? Either way, let us know what you think…
Dataminers have uncovered evidence within the latest Pokémon GO update that the game will be getting story quests involving some of the human characters.
According to the Silph Road subreddit, the system appears to feature multiple quest steps and animations for characters such as Professor Willow.
These quests will have a wide range of criteria, such as catching Pokémon, spinning Pokéstops, hatching eggs, walking with their buddy Pokémon and much more. There’s mentions of rewards being dished out for completing these quests, too.
As spotted by Eurogamer, this update arrives shortly after Niantic made a key “editorial” hire:
Coincidence? You decide. While you’re at it, let us know if you’d like to see story-focused quests in Pokémon GO by posting a comment.
EVO is one of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the world, bringing together the best of the best across several different fighting games and franchises. Super Smash Bros. has long since been a staple of the tournament, specifically the latest entry and Melee. EVO 2018 will be taking place this summer from 3rd August to 5th August, and to get some hype moving, the lineup for this year’s competition was just revealed.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Melee will both be making an appearance, returning from last year’s competition. It comes as little surprise, of course, but it’s still exciting to see Nintendo get some representation. There was a fan movement to have ARMS feature, too, but it evidently wasn’t deemed popular enough for a top slot.
What do you think? Will you be watching EVO this year? Do you think Melee still deserves to have a spot? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
One of the greatest (and most unexpected) exclusives on the Wii U was that of Bayonetta 2, the sequel to Platinum Games’ bombastic and violent flagship title. Fans were ecstatic when it was confirmed to be coming to the Switch, and many hoped that it would benefit from some performance and visual upgrades in the transition to better hardware.
Digital Foundry recently put out a video on the Switch version of Bayonetta 2, comparing it to the original Wii U release to see just how much it did end up getting upgraded. As it turns out, the visuals received next to no improvement, but the framerate did see a noticeable bump to a more consistent 60 FPS. It may be a bit disappointing, but bear in mind that Platinum is also working on Bayonetta 3, and will no doubt be utilizing techniques from this port in the new release.
What do you think? Are you picking up either Bayonetta for Switch this month? What do you think Bayonetta 3 will be like? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Party Crash is a limited-time Party Match event with special rules. By playing these matches you can increase your Lab Level, which then grants you in-game cash and special badges. You can also get bonus multipliers by using featured characters and weapons.
And starting with this Party Crash, ARMS Lab will begin their Party Crash engagement project! New features will be added, such as a super-strong level 8 Headlock appearing only in Party Crash and new bonus rules. In addition, we’ve adjusted the bonus percentage rate so losing bonus fighters have a better chance to turn the tables. I heard it’ll be an exciting party to the end, so hope you look forward to it!
If you don’t currently own ARMs you can learn more about the game at the official website.
Before fighting game regulars Tekken, Street Fighter and Smash Bros took to the stage at EVO Japan last weekend, a select group of a strong, committed and vocal community came together to advocate the inclusion of the newest title on the roster – Nintendo Switch exclusive ARMS. While the registered number of competitors paled in comparison to the big hitters (around 330, compared to 850 for Smash and over 2000 for SFV), something pretty special happened that eclipsed even the mainstream attention the game got on that Friday night.
Many players saw the chance to not only compete against the best in Japan but also connect in person, as top players and tournament organizers from across the world talked to us over the EVO weekend about the ARMS community, its appeal, and their personal journeys to reach the worlds most prestigious fighting game event.
The genesis of the ARMS online community can be traced back to two people – Sweden’s Dennis Bagstevold (known online as Defur) and Japan’s KHU.
Nintendo Life: How did the relationship between foreign and Japanese players start?
Defur: A couple of months after the game was released there was barely any contact between the western and Japanese communities. Some players knew others via the Pokkén scenes, but since none of the parts spoke both English and Japanese it didn’t go very far. I spent some time researching the Japanese community and eventually got in contact with the player and streamer known as KHU. KHU speaks English and I speak a bit of Japanese, so we started writing to each other. After a while, I thought that since we were basically the first contact on both ends we should take the responsibility to connect the two.
Then a couple of weeks after I set up an interview with KHU along with my girlfriend who speaks both English and Japanese. We recorded it and fully translated it before putting it up on YouTube. In the interview, we mentioned how we wanted to get some sort of space where the different sides of the communities could interact, which was what initiated the ‘International Discord’ where Japanese players who wanted to know about the western community and vice versa could get to know each other. After that, it has slowly grown where people have started finding each other on Twitter and the western community joining the Japanese Discord servers.
KHU: I’m a streamer on YouTube, and some players from EU/NA contacted via the comments and follow my Twitter.
As a Smash 4 tournament organiser in his hometown of Saint Louis, Danny Cohen (HanukkahJamboree), also saw the growing popularity of ARMS early on.
HJ: I became aware of the competitive scene almost instantly, as a local Saint Louis Sm4sh player, Brrr (Bryce Mekes), and I ran a tournament about a week or so after launch. Our stream garnered about 45+ viewers as we were the only visible tournament at that time period. The first major tournament was ARMS Saga, though. A lot of the community was really brought together through that tournament stream.
Defur: For me, I got both the Switch and ARMS solely for the competitive aspect, so I pretty much found the little community there was instantly via YouTube, Reddit and Discord. ARMS at EVO Japan 2018 looked like the perfect opportunity for players to meet and compete against each other.
Defur and Cohen met up with the rest of their team – Nobi from Japan and 15-year-old Mikael Azhar (M3OW) from Pakistan to take part in the tournament.
When did you make the decision to come to Japan for EVO?
Defur: When it got announced. Besides EVO, I have friends and family living in Japan, where I had lived three months prior to ARMS getting released. I just decided that I was going to go and see it as some sort of endgame to all of my projects. My original goal was to become the caster for ARMS. Then it grew into helping foreigners going there, my eventual teammates and then helping out with events and meetups besides EVO Japan. The inclusion of arms, the media production of the event, and just the fact that all the best players were gathered in one place was amazing.
M30W: Around mid July I was casually strolling through the Nintendo Switch Subreddit where I saw ‘Up in ARMS’ I clicked on the link and signed up for the tournament. I also joined the Discord server which was the main reason I met so many amazing people who are now my teammates. The community was very welcoming and from there I skyrocketed.
When my leader Defur told me that ARMS was at EVO I was very surprised and I thought that this could be a huge opportunity for me to meet all the players and play with the best. I asked my parents and I had to convince them very hard to let me go. In the end when I did go to EVO, it was the best experience. When ARMS was included, everyone knew that it was gonna rise from there. It would be a great way for the community to excel and the game itself.
HJ: The decision to attend EVO JAPAN came slightly after its announcement. I realized it was a major opportunity for me as a player, as well as a tournament organizer. With enough pre-planning, I was able to fund my trip through university grant funds, gofundme, and streaming donations.
British ARMS competitor Marcus Tomlinson, known as TMOGenius, highlights the prestige of ARMS being at EVO.
TMO: The second EVO Japan was announced, and ARMS would be there I knew I was going to compete in it. Going to an EVO has always been something I’ve wanted to do.
I was incredibly surprised at ARMS being included at EVO as with the rest of the world. The atmosphere at the event itself was amazing and why I will always support offline events. Getting to put a face to the names you’re constantly interacting with online brings the community a lot closer together.
KHU: it’s a nice community I think, and they have more passionate than Japanese players.They have high enthusiasm for making ARMS community bigger. For example, what rules are good for the tournament. Japanese players don’t think about it so much.
Going into the tournament, it was Japanese player Pega determined favourite, as the winner of the ARMS Japan Grand Prix- a nationwide hunt organised officially by Nintendo to find the top talent. As the winner of the JGP tournament, his picture was already on the winners belt that was presented at EVO.
Pega: I think JGP was particularly amazing. I was moved by the winning prizes and appearing in movies. EVO thought that it was the most exciting competition since the number of people participating was large and even players of other games came to watch. I was very happy to have ARMS picked up as an e-sport.
All through Friday, over 300 ARMS fighters were gradually whittled down, as both KHU and Pega were among the top 8, which also included Canada’s Eve aka Mileve and American Jonathan Valdez aka Goremagala.
Goremagala: we thankfully had a good chunk of western players who were able to speak Japanese, so we always tried to maintain somewhat of a close community. We made a small international discord before deciding to just be active with each other on Twitter and through time we played and interacted with each other more. I feel like we both learned from our different metas and became stronger as players.
For the longest time I thought I wouldn’t go since everything didn’t look like it would go my way. However, at the last minute, my parents surprised me by saying they bought tickets and that we were going, which was probably among one of the best surprises I’ve ever gotten in my life.
I thought EVO was amazing! So many like-minded individuals just having a great time and enjoying each other. It was definitely indescribable. When it comes to ARMS specifically, while there were a good chunk of rules that almost every western player had grievances with and would like to see addressed, for the most part it was just completely astounding.
I’m happy that ARMS was included at EVO Japan and hope it can get included in more future tournaments. Based on my experience, it just might be, since ARMS appeared to be the most physically viewed and the loudest game that was at the venue that day. Many have people have stated how they weren’t aware how intense and hype high level ARMS play can be so I feel a lot of eyes were open that day.
Mileve: It wasn’t even four weeks since I decided I was going to EVO. I didn’t feel emotionally ready or skilled enough to consider for the most part. But the ARMS community encouraged me to open a GoFundMe and to give it a go after claiming a few small-medium online tournaments.
Overall I think EVO is a really cool event. Just never was my thing until not even a month ago. But having ARMS be a part of EVO helped me have a far greater appreciation for it, and has even led me to look into some of the other fighting games out there! I know there was effort from players like Avalon who were trying to get the two sides to connect but I never saw any solid momentum until a bunch of non JP players decided to push ourselves to go to EVO Japan and meet and interact with each other physically.
Once ARMS had warmed up the crowds on a bitterly cold Friday night, it was the Saturday and Sunday when the big boys fought. While Pega and the other players were well known within their community, they were understandably overwhelmed by the occasion when all was said and done. A mutual respect and camaraderie from a large group of people that came from across the world because of ARMS, and many had not even met in person before.
What was even more incredible for the community was the chance to meet and talk to the ‘father’ – ARMS producer Kosuke Yabuki.
Defur: After the finals of ARMS we waited around to see if we could get a chance to speak to Mr Yabuki, or perhaps to get some of our things signed by him. Like us he looked exhausted from evening but eventually came over to talk with us. After signing a few things we all gathered on the stage to take a group photo, and then we all took turns to greet him. When I went up to him I was so starstruck that I couldn’t say anything in Japanese and just said, “Hello, my name is Dennis.. Or Defur I mean,” before he cut me off saying, “I know you,” in English then pausing and continuing after thinking, “I know you, I’ve seen your stream.”
I got so shocked to hear it but I asked where or what he had seen and he said that he had seen one of the tournaments that I hosted two weeks prior to EVO. To me it meant a lot since I’ve been looking up to him and his work with ARMS, and it felt great to be recognized from someone like him. I had to step away and let the others talk to him because I got so happy and overwhelmed by the moment.
KHU: He’s so cool and a humble man. I was so excited to talk to him.
Goremagala: It was like a dream come true. I never would’ve imagined it would’ve come to that. I feel like everyone was just amazed, he’s like our idol. It was crazy, like this one person is responsible for all the fun I’ve been having and everything I’m doing now.
Mileve: It was amazing to say the least. He’s basically defined my life from the point of ARMS release onwards and has given me a community of people I deeply care about. I’d be honoured to meet some of the other more prominant Nintendo figures but at this point Yabuki is probably the biggest person in my life at this point so it was pretty thrilling to meet him!
With Smash and Street Fighter V qualifiers happening throughout Saturday and the finals on Sunday, elsewhere, the competitive ARMS community and top players were already preparing for another tournament- one they had collectively organised.
Groups of players who met through discords and other social media have formed bonds from across the world, crowdfunding each other’s plane tickets and self-producing merchandise to raise money to make it to Tokyo. While there are many streamed online tournaments going on around the world, EVO was the big opportunity to show the crowd that ARMS can be a legitimate and worthy title at the event, surrounded by some of the most well known and fiercely contested competitions in the gaming industry.
KHU: I’m thankful for taking ARMS – a brand new game- to EVO. But this is the first time, so there are many points we should make better (such as rule set). We all were talking about the offline party, because we want to know each other, then naturally the event come to realize. That’s a nice community I think, and they have more passionate than Japanese players. They have high enthusiasm for making ARMS community bigger. For example, what rule is good for the tournament. Japanese players don’t think about it so much.
Japanese tournament organizer CALM, along with the ARMS community, created a separate event away from the crowds of EVO. While technical issues limited the tournament plans, it was still a great chance to bring everyone together.
CALM: Until EVO Japan was held, it was a relationship to the extent that they knew famous players’ names. However, I feel that with this EVO Japan I think that it has become a relationship that deepens friendship, crosses the borders, and respects each other and can grow.
The people overseas playing ARMS said that they thought of each other like a ‘family’. In addition, said that it was pleasing that Japanese players participated as new family there. From these facts, I think that the relationship between foreign players and Japanese players has improved very much. I am convinced that EVO Japan as a whole was a wonderful competition that was very enthusiastic regardless of domestic and overseas, players and spectators were excited.
It was a great pleasure to be added to international events despite only about half a year since ARMS was selected as an official event, although it was chosen as a player I was able to do activities with the feeling that it would make the audience more exciting than any event. When this time EVO Japan is to be held in Japan, if overseas players come to Japan with time and money, from the desire to provide places for Japanese players and overseas players to interact, this time We have held an offline event.
Defur: I think it was pretty simple, we knew that EVO was going to be lacking and underwhelming in some areas so another event was created to gather all the players traveling to Tokyo (both foreign and inside of Japan). It’s also interesting to note that ARMS is not only a new fighting franchise, but it is so different from any other fighting game around. The core mechanics might be seen on the surface as an evolution from Wii Boxing, but there’s a depth and nuance to ARMS. It’s strategic, balanced and varied.
Discussions about characters, loss outs and strategies reached a level of depth matched by the most established franchises/ especially impressive considering its relatively short time in the competitive arena. While streaming services and media coverage was undoubtedly higher than any of the ARMS competitors were anticipating, once all of the mutual respect and camaraderie had subsided, a level of dissatisfaction crept in.
HJ: I thought EVO was very okay at best. Many competitive fighting game players have begun to grow tired of EVO as a result of many different restrictions and compromises the tournament has had to make. Case in point, EVO JAPAN enforced best of one with all their sets in ARMS until top 16. There was a wealth of annoyed and upset players in regards to this rule, as it’s almost unheard of in any other fighting game. The opportunity to meet the players and experience the whole event was well worth it, but the lack of communication and poor organization makes me doubtful for next year.
Defur: Well, seeing as there are players who are willing to travel around the globe to play in a tournament without a prize pool because of their passion for the game, with people and tournaments getting crowdfunded left and right – I’m feeling like it’s only a matter of time before sponsors will catch on and grow this game to what it deserves to be. I hope to see several more international majors where both the international and Japanese communities can go toe to toe, in a tournament with proper rulesets.
The inclusion of ARMS, the media production of the event, and just the fact that all the best players were gathered in one place was amazing. However, the ruleset that was used and the tournament itself was run very poorly. Neither the organisers or the administrators had much knowledge of the game. This became very obvious even before the event as ARMS was the last game to have the ruleset announced (about one or two weeks before the actual event). EVO Japan originally copy pasted the ruleset from the official Nintendo events.
Both the western and Japanese communities have disregarded this ruleset as illegitimate because it’s basically structured around ‘for fun events’. The rule set that was initially announced (at a super late stage) was single elimination, Best of one games up until top eight, with random stage selects with unbalanced stages included. I could go on and on and explain why this is a terrible idea, but basically for anyone outside of ARMS: Imagine if there was random stage selects for Smash 4, with all stages included. Or Street Fighter 5/Tekken 7 with single elimination Best of Ones with only first to two in game rounds.
After I tried to bring attention to this on Twitter we eventually got in contact with EVO which tried to save the ruleset by bringing in double elimination, stage banning and Best of Threes from the Top 16. This sounds nice but it was still way worse than any other tournament that we were used to. For the foreign players it was also another kickback that while there was stage banning, you could only ban three each of the 12 available stages – which still made the stage select random. In the remaining pool of stages there were those that are clearly deemed unbalanced and banned in the western community.
Time and number of setups was also brought forth as the excuse for not raising all games to Best of Three’s. This was a very poor excuse since the numerous amounts of walkovers and DQ’s made everyone have to wait for their next matches with about 30 minutes in between every match. Since there was no real check-in for the event, all of the admins had to wait for players to show up – which could’ve been circumvented completely if there was a real check-in at the entrance of the event. There were also a lack of certain rules such as what happens if there are equipment issues. One clear example was that there were a lot of games which started where buttons were changed or unbinded, and when reported it gave different results. In my case, I had to give up one of two rounds in a Best of One, along with letting the other player start with a Rush and me having none. For Nobi, who actually won one of the two rounds without binded keys, he had to replay the round that he won.
The negatives of the random stage select really came into play during the Top Eight finals on stage as well. Gore who according to his teammate Resolve doesn’t like to play on Temple Grounds got sent to it twice during the grand finals of the event because of in game RNG. While Gore is a good sport we could notice him getting visibly upset when the stage got loaded in. There was no time to dwell on what could have been or rest on laurels though, as the game line up for the next EVO tournament in Vegas was announced on 6th February.
EVO leading figure Joey Cuellar gauged interest on social media and the ARMS community were quick to make their voices heard. Although the vote conducted on social media had no bearing on the official decision, support for ARMS at EVO Las Vegas was a significant indication of the support the game has generated since launch. Regardless of the outcome, there’s still a lot to work on for ARMS to develop in the competitive scene, especially as update 5.1 rolls out and the future of the games rules in bigger tournaments are revised.
Defur: While it was really fun to finally gather this community in one place, it also hurt to see the so far biggest event for the game being run so poorly. I hope that this can be a learning experience for everyone involved, and that the organisers can look at the upcoming Winter Brawl and Smash ‘n’ Splash events to see how ARMS tournaments are supposed to be run. In Japan, at least, the calls seem to be being answered, as ARMS got added to the KVO event in Osaka, starting 4th May, 2018.
We would like to thank everyone from the international ARMS community who took the time to speak to us. Be sure to share your thoughts on ARMS, and its growing competitive scene below…
