Evo’s back for 2018, and the list of games is interesting for a variety of reasons. Here are a few of my opinions on each choice and why I think they’re important.
Tekken 7:
Tekken has never been more important than it is right now. With Street Fighter slacking (at least for a while), the King of Iron Fist Tournament pushed its way into the limelight. With strong guest characters in Geese, Akuma, and the soon to be released Noctis, Tekken has plenty of cross-game appeal and lots of fun matchups for audiences to enjoy. We’ll probably see a DLC trailer after grand finals as well, so that’ll be fun.
Super Smash Bros for Wii U:
Most likely still in this so at least one Smash Bros game can be interesting each year. But seriously, with the overly dominating Zero retired and out of the picture, Smash 4 has room to be an extremely entertaining watch this year. We might not be getting Switch Smash or anything similar yet, but Smash for Wii U is still an amazing game and even an abundance of Bayonetta hasn’t made this a boring watch. Yet.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition:
Street Fighter V gradually found its footing over the time it’s been out, and now it’s an overall solid game. Last year’s Evo finals were a blast, so this year’s will most likely be no different. The introduction of new V-Triggers and Sakura will be a breath of fresh air for the game, but honestly, it would’ve been fun to watch without them.
Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle:
It’s incredibly hard to get interested in this game. Everything about it screams lazy with its recycled characters, bland-looking combat, and a lack of interesting hooks. Cross Tag Battle is here purely for marketing (the game’s not even out yet!) and I doubt it’ll be back next year. This might be overly harsh, and I’ll admit if I’m wrong, but for now, I’m not excited.
Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2:
Arc System Works’ crown jewel will be returning at least, and with a new balance patch to boot! Guilty Gear is a game that just won’t die, and for good reason. It’s a boon to watch and play, and I’m sure the competitors will put on a great show this time around.
Injustice 2:
This’ll most likely be Injustice 2‘s last rodeo. Knowing how NeatherRealm works, Mortal Kombat 11 is around the korner, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a great last hurrah for the title. Favorite to win SonicFox lost last year, and has been dabbling in many other games besides NeatherRealm’s. It’s hard to say if his heart will be in it this time around, or if he’d rather succeed in another, more recent game.
Super Smash Bros Melee:
I am so sick of Melee. Flame me all you want, but nothing will change that the game is stale. It’s the same five dudes playing the same five characters on the same three stages over and over. Nothing will change. Nintendo doesn’t want to support this old game any more. Move on. I have absolutely no idea why anyone still cares about this game as much as they do. Please try Smash 4, it’s better!
Dragon Ball FighterZ:
This will most likely be the most interesting game at the show. It’s well made, it’s brand new, it’s frantic, and there are so many options. We are going to see so many big names from Marvel, anime fighters, and other communities duke it out in this game, and I can’t wait. I’ll also bet money that Broly will get a DLC trailer here, because everyone in that arena is going to lose their goddamn minds when they see him.
Notable omissions:
Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite:
It’s dead! It sold like garbage, it’s not at Capcom Pro Tour. Face it, Capcom couldn’t do what they did with Street Fighter V again. MvCI had potential, don’t get me wrong, but they couldn’t recover. A shame, but not a surprise.
King of Fighters XIV:
Not surprising either, considering its low turnout, but it’s still a bummer! Hopefully SNK puts out a Samurai Shodown soon to get new blood into their games.
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy:
To be fair, this game might not be out by the time Evo rolls around. Even so, I’m sure this won’t be at Evo purely due to television airing issues. Mai in a cow outfit won’t go over well with advertisers.
