Cultural Combos

The term "man of many hats" may be one of the most apt to describe the journey and efforts of Kyle Wattula, a long-time VSAV player who's done it all; organizing and running tournaments, commentary, and providing valuable information to the community through contributions to the wiki, GIF archive, and hype moments. For Kyle, Makai World Cup is a sort of homecoming for the Cincinnati native and Morrigan expert following his move to Seattle during the SF4 era. Once again finding community through fighting games, Kyle headed VMPNW, a nod to his Cincy roots and new endeavor in building up a budding scene for VSAV with players like Hilary Ngyuen and Johnson Jew. Whether it was contributing frame data, move sprites and miscellaneous info to the Mizuumi Wiki, or filling out much needed player info for regional databases and tournament seeding, Kyle's been a constant presence in the community through the Resurrection era and beyond, with an undeniable passion for the game and the community that keeps it going. Rather than be solely motivated by the desire to simply improve at the game, Kyle's focus has stayed on building the community through collaboration and discussion as well as play. "A wiki, by design is meant to be a communal contribution. If a lot of people start improving and contributing to that thing, then it becomes a better resource. I'm not really passionate about wiki (itself) but I see the value in it."Providing value and diving under the hood of the game became cornerstones of arguably his most ambitious undertaking, the "VSAV Aesthetic Mod", a competitive enhancement mod for the arcade ROM that improved event mode, including state memory so players wouldn't need to manually select characters after every match, as well as small tweaks to skipping attract sequences and certain intros to cut-down on time to rematch. Initially sparked from the interest to play boss-only/secret characters and recreate rare bugs and glitches, the Aesthetic Mod turned into an international collaboration featuring input and development work from VMP's own MBD, New Zealand's SF2Platinum, and Spain's renowned MiSTer developer, Jotego, a professional microelectronics engineer. This collaboration helped bring VSAV to the MiSTer platform, to much fanfare and praise from the community for the platform's closeness to being "arcade perfect" while retaining greater accessibility for a variety of controller types.With such a storied past as a player, commentator, and ambassador for the game, Kyle plans to continue growing the global community and travel to meet international players, some of whom he's been sharing tech and matchup knowledge with for years.Join us as we talk shop with one of the scene's most prominent Morrigan representatives and take a dive into hardware and sustaining community through access to play, right here on Cultural Combos!Keep up with KyleW on Socials and be sure to check him out on commentary during Vampire Arcadia's events both online and off!X (formerly Twitter) - @VMP_KyleW@VampireArcadiaFor more updates on the VSAV Aesthetic Mod, be sure to check out MBD's continued work on the project!X - @VMP_MBD

"Darkstalkers Are Not Dead" - the words of a splash screen shown during Capcom's panel at SDCC 2011 for Street Fighter X Tekken. What would be the primary hype builder and tagline for the release of 2013's Darkstalkers: Resurrection, has become a rallying cry for the small, but incredibly dedicated global community of Vampire Savior (VSAV) players and fans. In our latest installment of Cultural Combos: On-Location, we got to have a long-awaited discussion with one of the cornerstones of VSAV in North America, Zach "Ailerus" Marquette. In addition to being one of the strongest Felicia players in the NA region, Zach serves as one of the heads of Vampire Arcadia, or VMP. VMP began as a collective of players and friends in the Cincinnati scene, and has now flourished into a community outfit dedicated to the promotion and production of events for not only VSAV, but retro fighters like 3rd Strike and Super Turbo. If you've tuned into any of those games during major events like Combo Breaker, EVO, or East Coast Throwdown, you've seen the level of detail and reinvigorating visual elements they've brought to breathe new life into these classic games and their players.We got to chop it up about the origins of Makai World Cup, one of the most competitive VSAV events around, with this year's running featuring international guests from France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Traditionally a retro and anime-centric event, Zach's inspiration to pivot and make VSAV the sole focus of Makai came after his trip to Vampire Street Battle 2023 in Lyon, France. VSB is just one of the events in the "Street Battle" series of tournaments in Lyon, which feature singles and team events for a particular title. Other events in the series include "X Street Battle" for Super Street Fighter II Turbo or Super Street Fighter II X, and "Third Street Battle" for Street Fighter III: Third Strike, respectively. "We have no majors that I would say are only Vampire focused, we're always attached to a larger event because we're a small community. We have main game status at some events, but for the most part it's like a side event." Zach remarked, as he's no stranger to doing it himself. From hosting FGC sessions during the SF4 days at previous Arcade Legends, to working at the arcade in Cincinnati Mills Mall, to anchoring tournaments at Arcade Legacy as one of the few surviving businesses in one of America's most famous "dead malls". In one of the most preeminent examples of a location frozen-in-time, a community surged forward and maintained their link to the past, now in a space they can truly call home at the new Arcade Legacy location in nearby Sharonville, OH. What started as a cool idea to do with his friends, has now blossomed into a bona-fide production company with an international presence among the retro fighting game community, with no signs of slowing down. While still maintaining his acumen as a competitive player, Zach's goals are to keep streaming more and bigger events both in/outside of retro games and bringing more opportunities to his VMP cohort. Please enjoy our full conversation about Zach's roots in the Cincy FGC and growth of VMP as a brand, right here on Cultural Combos!Follow Zach and Vampire Arcadia below:X (Formerly Twitter) - @AilerusVMPVampire Arcadia YouTube - @Vampire ArcadiaTwitch - VampireArcadia

Continuing our On-Location series, live from Runback City in Las Vegas, Nevada; I had the pleasure of doing our first Industry Spotlight series! On this episode, we sat down with Eric Wallace, President of Gaming and Esports at Glo Navy, a gaming lifestyle and media company founded by hip-hop artist and Chicago native, Chief Keef. While new to the competitive gaming scene, gaming's been a part of Eric's entire life from the Sega Genesis, to his now ever-growing Playstation backlog. In Vegas for his second EVO, Eric's no stranger to talent and event management, with over a decade of experience managing recording artists including Mickey Factz; brand event partnerships like NBA's All-Star Weekend, and SEO operations for YouTube channels under The Complex Group's media network.After spending plenty of time in the nightlife and music industries, Eric made a natural transition to consulting influencers and content creators which led him to EVO. This year, he's more interested in seeing the players and learning about them beyond the games they compete in, as the individuals and personalities behind the sticks. He's described this current stage of his professional journey as bridging the gap by "connecting esports and gaming with music and culture", and a vision for creators to be their authentic selves. The desire to see more Black and Brown faces in gaming, led him to the FGC while making stops across FPS, MOBAs, and MMOs and noting the potential for crossover among demographics. Join us for a special edition of Cultural Combos as we peel back the curtain and chop it up with Glo Navy's finest. Keep up with Eric and Glo Navy on socials and around the web!EWallGN on X (formerly Twitter)GloNavyGGGloNavy.comAudio editing and post-production by Jeremiah "Phatb0i" Robinson.

In our 7th episode of Cultural Combos' second season, we sit down with Jon "Blaxamillian" Lassiter, or the artist formerly known as NeoXianWu. If you're tapped in to NA Tekken, then you've crossed paths with him whether you know it or not. From hitting up Street Fighter 2 and Arch-Rivals at his local 7-Eleven, to DDR and falling in love with Tekken Tag Tournament 1, Jon's been a TO, Game Lead, social media manager, and one of the heads behind the machine of event organization and logistics at some of Tekken's biggest outings around the country. If you've ever heard the infamous "you guys got 2 minutes" in the background of Final Round pools footage, meet the man behind the rule and get to learn a bit more about his journey not just in Tekken, but through the Southeast USA's gaming communities which include time in PC FPS, rhythm games, and just about every fighting game you could think of (plus the ones you can't). Possibly best known for his time as tournament organizer and staffer for the legendary "Final Round" tournaments organized by Larry "ShinBlanka" Dixon, and part of the FR "one-two punch" with Josh "Icege" McWhorter, Jon sheds some light on what it takes to put on a major and handle international players when everyone hasn't been playing the same game. From arcade time-release gates and console exclusive characters to updating over 70 Xboxes mere hours before the first day of pools, we're pleased to take a trip down memory lane and pull back the curtain on just how much work goes into getting these weekends done.Never one to shy away from the real, Jon takes us through various eras of NA Tekken and rather than tell the new kids how good they've got it, he speaks to a time when grassroots was all that existed. Taking the phrase "be the change" to heart, Jon linked up with Boston Tekken's own Nick "Dayhaysoos" DeJesus and took on the task of social media coordination for the popular "T7 Chicken" frame data app, chopping it up with fans and soliciting feedback from users, both tournament players and enthusiasts alike. Before it was "in the game", the story of T7 Chicken is one of a little luck and some fortuitous connections where one of the app's most beloved and awaited features almost led to it's cancellation.Please enjoy our sit-down with the 757's very own and keep up with him across the internet (he's got a linktree, you should check it out *cough*)X (formerly Twitter) - @Blaxamillian YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blaxamillianTikTok: BlaxamillianLinktree

In our second episode from Combo Breaker 2024, we got a recipe for you. What do you get when you add passion for the game, add a few tablespoons of technical knowledge, a dash of player narrative and history, and combine until blended with a full serving of Black Girl Magic? The end result is none other than the always phenomenal I'munique Hill, better known as Iambic. Hailing from Houston, Texas; Iambic's love of 3D fighting games started back in the early 2000's with Tekken 4. A self-described "Tekken 4 Apologist", she's been calling the action in SoulCalibur and Tekken for 6 years now, and most recently added Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown to her repertoire. From being "volun-told" to do commentary at her hometown locals, Iambic's lent her voice to multiple online events including TampaNeverSleeps, Ladies Night FC, Ready or Not, and the Coinbox series. Offline, you've heard her at Texas Showdown, Summer Jam, NEC, CEO and EVO; both the online Sony events and Vegas! This weekend at CB 2024, she answered the call to handle VF5US with LimyPorcupine during All-In Together. Flying under the banner of KDQ Gaming, she's been a vocal (no pun intended) advocate for the importance of online events, online experiences, and good netcode both prior to and following the restrictions during the height of the pandemic. While having a strong local scene, Iambic hasn't let up on fighting for the players who have a local but not the time, the players who have their closest local 2+ hours away, and the players who just want to enjoy fighting games with their friends. Establishing herself as a wealth of knowledge and personality, she's also used her platform to continue advocating for women in the FGC and highlighting the efforts of Black women in community spaces. We had the pleasure of catching up about her journey in the FGC, preparing for Tekken 8 as both a commentator and player, and being a beacon for women in the scene. Please enjoy our conversation from CB 2024, and keep up with Iambic on socials!Photo Credits: Ryan Glus Photos @ryanglusX (Formerly Twitter) @_iambic_

We finished up our Culture Never Sleeps mini-series and Sunshine state road trip at Tampa Never Sleeps 9 in Orlando, Florida. In our latest episode of Cultural Combos, we caught up with the one and only Romanova Rose during the TNS9 festivities! When she's not running the set and ranking up in Tekken 8 or posting some absolutely fire food to the timeline, Romanova's worn the hats of community manager, social media manager, QA tester/analyst, and content creator during her 7+ years in the game industry. Her resume includes work with Bandai Namco, Netherrealm Studios, and Hi-Rez just to name a few. She's also been a professional commentator, notably lending her voice and talents to the DRAGON BALL World Tour for Dragon Ball FighterZ, and as talent for NRS Esports' Mortal Kombat Pro Kompetition.As an both an enthusiast and hired talent for some of the biggest studios in media, we've seen her as Cassie Cage (Mortal Kombat), Android 18 (Dragon Ball), Kolin (Street Fighter), and Marvel's Black Widow.You wouldn't know it from her absolutely stacked resume, but the FGC is one of Rose's more recent additions to her gaming journey. We had the awesome opportunity to sit down and to talk about her gaming origins, time working in the industry, and what she's learned along the way; including how important it is to be selective with your energy among all the discourse that happens on social media. Offline, don't be surprised to see her putting in work as both a player and bracket runner at some of the biggest events in the community.Keep up with Romanova on socials and check out her streams below:X (Formerly Twitter): @RomanovaInstagram: @RomanovaRoseTwitch: RomanovaPost-production audio mixing and mastering courtesy of Jeremiah "Phatb0i" Robinson

On this special edition of Cultural Combos: It's A Philly Thing, Jumaani Haskins sits down with Darnell "SirAfronomical" Allen, Joseph "Komanda" Shepherd, and Jeremiah "Phatb0i" Robinson, the three-headed monster behind a resurgence of Philly Tekken. With the roots being set early from Darnell and Joe's formative days at Central High School's anime/video game club, and Jeremiah's collaboration with Penn State Abington's residence life and video game clubs; these 3 put their heads together in 2019 to make Philly Tekken a thing. Starting as online warriors and attending anime convention tournaments, to playing, working, and commentating at some of the most popular events in the Northeast United States, their efforts have helped make Iron Phist Philly grow to the forefront of in the tri-state area (PA/NJ/DE). With plenty of topics on the table including first time travels, tournament nerves, and the proverbial lightbulb moment to start running tournaments during Tekken 7s heyday; we even take a deep dive into some interesting origins of their previous gamertags. Join us as we chop it up with some of Philly's finest and get ready for the next battle! Keep up with IPP on X (formerly known as Twitter) - @IronPhistPhilly@SirAfronomical @ThisIsPhatb0i@TK_Komanda

We talk with Kenny Scott, a Philly FGC veteran about the end of Street Fighter 5, embracing 6, and a little bit of everything in-between. The histories, rivalries, and stories of the Philadelphia community that we try our best not to have lost to time. From new experiences in-game with a significant character change, to new experiences in the community and attending some of the biggest events in the FGC for the first time. Join us for a conversation about his own personal journey within the fighting game community and the community's own sagas and stories, as we highlight players and community members in my own neck of the woods.Sometimes we're on-location, sometimes we're online, but Cultural Combos will always be a Philly Thing.Keep up with Kenny on Socials here: Twitter