Lots has happened over the last 2 weeks! We talk about the 2xKO Alpha Lab 2 coming over Easter weekend, featuring new characters and mechanics, and debate the pros and cons of launching with just ten characters. We recap our experience with CotW Beta 2, and discuss Ronaldo as a guest characters. We break down the intricacies of Venom in Guilty Gear Strive, discussing his playstyle and viability. We wrap up by recapping Ark World Tour 2024, including the final matches and the controversial decisions that impacted the competition.

Timestamps

00:01:35 2XKO Update
00:17:34 2XKO Alpha Lab 2 and Roster Size
00:41:11 CotW Beta 2 and Ronaldo
01:00:52 Guilty Gear Strive Venom
01:16:25 AWT 2024 Results

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3na

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Jeremiah Ward
twitter.com/mezzafgc

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Bonus Round we welcome back Aaron David Harris to discuss what makes these fighting games we love so much special. We discuss what actually is a fighting game, the music and art of fighting games, and the unique fighting game community.

Timestamps

00:03:47 Defining Fighting Games
00:12:33 Music in Fighting Games
00:18:09 Competitive Spirit in Fighting Games
00:25:52 Unique Community
00:29:33 Challenge and Appeal of Difficulty
00:33:09 Complexity vs Accessibility
00:44:43 Lack of Originality and Diversity
00:57:13 Modern Trends in Fighting Games
01:12:13 Why FIghting Games will Endure

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3n6

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

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Evo 2025 early registration reveals there might be a shake up in the big 3, with City of the Wolves taking 3rd place behind Street Fighter 6, and Tekken 8. We also talk about the cost of going to Evo 2025 and what would make it worth it. We move into some Guilty Gear Strive updates around Venom, Dual Rulers, and AWT finals. We talk about the T-1000 Kombat Kast and updates coming to other MK1 characters. Finally we get into changes coming to Capcom Cup 12.

Timestamps

01:20 Evo Registration Leaderboards
11:51 Evo 2025 Costs
34:47 T-1000 Kombat Kast
48:04 New Mechanics in MK1
59:21 Capcom Cup 12 Changes

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3n2

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Jeremiah Ward
twitter.com/mezzafgc

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We discuss the highlights and analysis of Capcom Cup 11, celebrating the triumphs and failures of the best Street Fighter 6 has to offer. We cover everything from the Grand Final's intense matchup between Blaz and Kakaru, to the controversial tournament format and the production elements; notably the shift to using PCs. Insights about specific matches, the variety of character picks, and the surprising performances from both seasoned veterans and new challengers like Blaz, a 15-year-old Ryu player. We discuss the tournament's success and its implications for the future of Street Fighter competition.

Timestamps

02:01 Event and Production
11:55 Tournament Format and Player Management
15:46 Group Stages
25:28 Group Stage Favorites
29:43 Top 16 and Grand Finals
41:00 Grand Finals
43:25 Final Thoughts

Episode URL: [episode_short_url]

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City of the Wolves beta wrapped up, so we give our thoughts on the good and what needs to be addressed before launch. We discuss what's coming in Tekken 8 season 2 along with Anna Williams. We dig into new info from MK1 for T-1000 and Madam Bo as a kameo. Finally, Capcom Cup XI is this week, so we discuss our final predictions before the event.

Timestamps

01:22 CotW Beta Impressions
20:47 Tekken 8 Season 2
31:07 MK1 T-1000 and Madam Bo
40:48 Capcom Cup XI

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3mu

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off the EVO Awards, we talk our thoughts on the event. From the category selections and nominations to the most memorable exhibition matches and player performances, while also touching on areas we think could use some improvement next time around. We talk about the show's announcements, including the reveal of new City of the Wolves characters. We also share our hands-on experience with Street Fighter 6's latest addition, Mai, who dropped since our previous episode. We wrap things up by breaking down the Capcom Cup XI group assignments and offer our predictions on which competitors will advance to the next stage.

Timestamps

00:59 Evo Awards
18:49 How Would You Change Multiversus (QotW Responses)
21:07 Evo Awards Exhibitions
30:06 Evo Awards Game Announcements
41:55 Thoughts on SF6 Mai
52:06 Capcom Cup XI Groups

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3mn

Hosts:

Jeremiah Ward
twitter.com/mezzafgc

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We break down everything from the latest on Mai in Street Fighter 6's to the Multiversus shutdown that nobody saw coming (at least, not this early). We discuss how players banded together to uncover Mortal Kombat's secret fighter Floyd, plus some news about City of the Wolves' beta test around the corner, and talk a little Virtua Fighter.

Timestamps

01:22 Street Fighter 6 Mai Character Guide Impressions
16:45 SF6 Ranked Improvements
22:17 SF6 Replay System
25:16 What Went Wrong with Multiversus
53:03 City of the Wolves Open Beta
56:43 MK1 Pink Floyd

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3ma

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Jeremiah Ward
twitter.com/mezzafgc

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looks like taking that week off worked out for us. We talk about the Evo 2025 lineup, even though it was leaked ahead of time. They still managed a few surprises for us, though. We also discuss the Evo Awards categories and nominations. We appreciate the effort, but we feel like there are some missed opportunities there. We then head into discussing the DLC characters incoming soon (or later in the case of Venom for Guilty Gear Strive). We got a much better look at Mai for Street Fighter 6, and finally got a look at Conan gameplay for MK1. To wrap things up, we get a little too hyped over the Virtua Fighter 6 tech demo.

Timestamps

01:17 Evo 2025 Lineup
11:50 Evo 2025 Extended Lineup
14:11 Return of Evo Top 8
19:04 Evo Awards and Hall of Fame
38:03 Street Fighter 6 Mai Gameplay
49:13 Guilty Gear Strive Venom Delayed
51:49 Conan Gameplay Revealed for MK1
58:50 Virtua Fighter 6 CES Showcase

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3m1

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Jeremiah Ward
twitter.com/mezzafgc

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we're celebrating 400 episodes and 10 years of Double Tap! Looking back over the past decade, we discuss some of our takes on fighting games and the FGC, and also, what we would like to see over the next 10 years.

Timestamps

00:02:38 MKX is the Best NRS Game
00:06:44 Mid-game Coaching Has to Go
00:16:37 Guilty Gear Strive Has Aged Poorly
00:20:22 The Live Service Model in Fighting Games
00:29:02 The FGC Contradicts Itself
00:34:34 FGC Gatekeeping and Community Dynamics
00:43:51 Creating a Welcoming Environment in the FGC
00:54:17 Hopes for SF6 to Become a Legacy Game
01:01:17 A More Rewarding Ecosystem for Players
01:04:52 Expanding Community Involvement in the FGC

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lu

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Bonus Round we sit down with Blackmore, a passionate content creator specializing in the styles and histories of fighting game characters. Blackmore shares his journey into the FGC, starting from his first experience at EVO to creating detailed videos exploring the martial arts inspirations behind characters like Sonya Blade, Zafina, and the even Voldo. We discuss how character designs and fighting styles impact players' choices and their connections to the community. We also cover trends in character designs across various franchises like Tekken and Mortal Kombat, and the exhaustive research that brings these characters to life.

Timestamps

01:12 How Blackmore Found Fighting Games
07:54 Analyzing Martial Arts Inspirations in Video Games
11:08 The Appeal and Community of Fighting Games
17:36 Representation in Fighting Games
22:03 Character Design Impact on Player Choices
31:10 Exploring the Unique Fighting Styles in Character Developmen
34:10 The Evolution of Martial Arts Depictions in Fighting Games
39:45 The Process of Breaking Down Fighting Styles
53:01 Common Themes in Fighting Styles

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lq

Hosts:

Andres Mirandes
twitter.com/CrashtagVS

Gabriel Medina
twitter.com/StaticGorilla

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices