People are back from Frosty Faustings, so what better time to post?
What is Vortex Gallery?
Vortex Gallery (fka AnimEVO) is back with its second online event next weekend. Running from Feb 10-Mar 5, the event brings games old and new to the forefront. I've spent a lot of time in the FGC (nearly 4 years), most of it online, playing what I could find on Fightcade. I'm going to talk about those games, some of which you might not have heard of!
I've decided to split up these posts by the week, since registration closes in waves - on Feb 8th for the weekend of Feb 10-12th, etc.
Friday, February 10th, 2023
4pm PST - Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire (Global)
Jackie Chan: The Fighting Game is a thing of beauty.
Released in 1995 by Kaneko, it's Jackie Chan and others, like Thorsten Nickel - Cougar in Thunderbolt from the same year. You probably wouldn't expect a game with digitized actors a la Mortal Kombat to be as snappy and frantic as this. It still has "fatalities", but these are less of a break from the action and pop up depending on what you last hit them with. Also, Jackie Chan is immune to fatalities, instead sitting up and offering a friendly call of "you're getting better!" We love to see good sportsmanship.
Each character is super strong on the ground, with dashes that stop on a dime, rapid-fire combos, and invincible backdashes to reign things in. On the flip side, jumping is painfully slow, with no other ways to mess with air movement. There's also a few layers to the knockdown game, with pursuits, pursuit counters, mash-to-wake-up and wakeup attacks. On average, you're well off selecting one of the Jackie Chans in this game - of which there are three. Of course, Thorsten and Lau (Vincent Lau Tak) are still great picks that bring their own style to the table. It's not hard to pick up, but if the amount of mashing worries you, at least give this one a watch.
5pm PST - Matrimelee (Global)
I'll admit I don't have much experience with this game in particular, sorry! Still, there's lots to talk about just looking at it. Matrimelee is the 5th entry in the Power Instinct series, the most accessible one seeing as it's on the Neo Geo. This is a series known for its wacky presentation and fitting mechanics. It's also got KOF-style variety of movement, featuring running, (hyper) hops, and rolls, but tops that off with double jumps.
One of the most unique things about Matrimelee is its Stress meter. You can fill it up by hitting or being hit, and use it on supers or guard cancels. This might sound just like Samurai Shodown, even including the "rage explosion" you go into when you fill 1 stock (of 3). You can however delay the explosion, since it only happens at neutral, by chaining attacks, taunting, or jumping. On top of that, this forced attack can be unsafe if it connects early, but it also launches for combos.
To throw in another bit of Samurai Shodown inspiration, Kuroko appears in some stages. You can throw him directly at your opponent. Power Instinct is weird, but a good kind of weird.
Saturday, February 11th, 2023
11am PST - Neo Turf Masters (Global)
Your honor, Golf.
Neo Turf Masters is a dead simple golf game, that, by virtue of being an arcade game (NeoGeo, natch), is also a fighting game. I can't say I've entered a tournament for this yet, but I have put hours into it. Just messing around with friends on the courses leads to a lot of wacky moments where you both get stuck up against one hill, slowly slipping into deeper Bogeys before you hear the iconic like, "Give Up This Hole?".
Also, the soundtrack goes crazy: just listen.
5pm PST - Waku Waku 7 (Global)
I'm going to disappoint some people here by saying I don't totally fuck with this game. I dunno, it's got a bunch of weird mechanics, combos don't really come together; it doesn't feel like you can play the game in too "controlled" of a way. There's all sorts of esoteric stuff like "dead frames" where you can't block just after hitstun ends, wake-up timings that are tracked from knockdown to knockdown, progressively getting longer yet still influenced by mashing... You might find this freeing, so I recommend giving the game a shot anyway.
Aesthetically, Waku Waku 7 is cute and fun, a buffet of anime tropes from The Cute Animal Girl to The Mysterious Brooding Swordsman (aptly named Slash). You've got wall bounces that allow the defender to not just tech but rebound and fly right back into the action. If you press any 3 buttons, you'll enter a Super Mode that doubles as a burst. The protagonist, Rai, can also super jump across the screen, which is great for someone with an air fireball. Everyone's also got a command grab, if that's your thing.
6pm PST - Project Justice (Global)
Look, it's not my fault all the games up here are the ones I haven't played! Project Justice is the sequel to Capcom's other 3D fighter, Rival Schools, and a tag game. It's not a game that runs at blistering speeds, but you've still got launchers, assists, and mix like you'd never believe. Some other mechanics you need to know about: there are 4 attack buttons, backdashes aren't invincible but let you block, and you can Tardy Cancel. This is a basic guard cancel mechanic that works with heavy command normals, specials and supers, an interesting option that gets you counter-hit if you use it at the wrong time.
As an honorary 3D game, you can also roll and sidestep. Certain attacks swing wide and hit sidesteps, and you can end up back turned in other situations. Typically, sidesteps cause the opponent to face you, but if you perform a sidestep just before getting hit, they won't auto-turn. Forcing an opponent into backturn leads to other rewards, like locking them out of throw techs. Capcom was still on fire through the 90s to the early 2000s, and this game is living proof of that. While it doesn't have a port, why not download it on Fightcade and give it a shot?
Sunday, February 12th, 2023
10am PST - Azumanga Daioh Puzzle Bobble (Global)
I'll be honest, Puzzle Bobble seems like the simplest puzzle game out there. Match and shoot the colored orbs, and try to aim for ones higher up to eliminate multiple rows. Azumanga Daioh is a funny, cute anime so play this if it's your thing.
1pm PST - TMNT Tournament Fighters (NA)
This one's technically not on Fightcade, because FC doesn't handle SNES games the best. Instead, it's played on Dolphin via WAD injection, basically using the virtual console as a workaround.
TMNT TF is a titan among SNES fighters, proof that the early 90s was not just shameless Street Fighter 2 knockoffs. The inspiration is obviously there, but in this rare Konami fighting game (seriously, they've made like 3), you've got a super meter and quick dashes. The pace is surprisingly similar to Super Turbo, which would come out a year later. Besides, the characters are compelling even if you aren't a TMNT superfan. Just be prepared for some deep-seated jank, ranging from character-specific unblockables to touch-of-death combos. Also, Sharks.
This is just what fighting games were like back then, and it rules. You might be surprised to learn this game has a dedicated community, but it's spawned plenty of tournaments, a couple romhacks, and a full-fledged fangame. Said fangame, TMNT x Justice League, is also at Vortex Gallery! It's an IKEMEN game (a successor to MUGEN) so I won't cover it here, but you'll be surprised what the engine let the dev team pull off.
catch it here the same day at 3pm PST
7pm BRT - Garou: Mark of the Wolves (SA/BR)
(that's 2pm PST)
Garou needs no introduction, especially with SNK's announcement of development on a sequel last year. I'm going to do it anyway.
Garou is SNK's Third Strike, but it's also much more than that. On the surface, Just Defend is a safer parry that lets you block if you make a poor read. However, from JD springs guard canceling, which requires you to plan ahead to get around the short input window. You've also got mechanics carried over from past Garou Densetsu/Fatal Fury titles, like "feints". Here you can press AC to feint a special move, and it exists as something to cancel into to create pressure.
Finally, you have the TOP guage, which can be placed in the first, middle, or last 1/3rd of your life bar. This gives you access to health regen, meter build, increased damage, and a unique TOP attack. Garou is a game with lots of mechanical depth, so it's a treat to see at a high level. This bracket is only open to South America, so give it a watch if you can't enter.