About Patch Notes Wire
What Patch Notes Wire Covers
Patch Notes Wire is an independent website about two closely related kinds of games: fighting games such as Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Guilty Gear and Super Smash Bros., and action games built around combat, including character action and hack-and-slash series like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, God of War and Ninja Gaiden. We also cover souls-like games, but only from the combat and boss-fight angle.
Despite the name, we are not a breaking-news or patch-tracking site. We publish evergreen guides and explainers: how to read notation and frame data, how core mechanics work, how a series evolved and how to get started. When something depends on a specific game version or season, we say which one.
Our Categories
- Fighting Fundamentals – notation, frame data, neutral, combos, defense and practice methods that apply across games.
- Fighting Game Guides – beginner guides and system explainers for specific fighters, plus how tournaments work.
- Action Game Guides – series guides, play orders and combat overviews for character action games.
- Combat Explained – deep dives into mechanics such as parries, invincibility frames, style ranks and armor.
- History – how the major series, studios and competitive scenes came to be.
Who Writes Here
Articles on Patch Notes Wire are published under the name Dean Whitaker. This is a pen name used by a small independent editorial team, and we say so openly. We do not claim professional player status, tournament results, developer access or insider sources. What we commit to is careful research, clear writing and linking to the sources we rely on, so you can check our work yourself.
How We Work
Every article is researched against official sources such as developer and publisher websites, official move lists and system guides, tournament rulesets and well-maintained community wikis. AI tools help with drafting, and every piece is fact-checked and edited by a person before it is published. You can read more in our editorial policy.
Independence
Patch Notes Wire is not affiliated with Capcom, Bandai Namco, Warner Bros. Games, NetherRealm Studios, Arc System Works, SNK, Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Koei Tecmo, PlatinumGames, FromSoftware or any other developer, publisher or tournament organizer. Game names and trademarks belong to their owners. We do not publish gambling content or promote cheats or exploits. If we ever publish sponsored content, it will be clearly labelled as “Sponsored”.
Get in Touch
Spotted a mistake or have a mechanic you would like us to explain? Visit our contact page or email [email protected].