Combat Explained
Invincibility Frames Explained: How Dodges and Rolls Really Work
What invincibility frames are, why dodges are about timing rather than distance, and how rolls, Trickster dashes and reversals use i-frames.
Dean Whitaker
Dean Whitaker is the pen name of the small independent editorial team behind Patch Notes Wire.
Combat Explained
Style Ranking Systems Explained: How DMC and Bayonetta Grade Combat
How Devil May Cry's D-to-SSS style meter and Bayonetta's verse medals grade combat, what raises and drops a rank, and how it feeds mission scores.
Action Game Guides
Devil May Cry Series Guide: Play Order and Where to Start
Every mainline Devil May Cry game plus DmC, in release and story order, with the collections and remasters to use and the best entry point for newcomers.
Fighting Fundamentals
Arcade Stick vs Controller vs Leverless: Which Should You Use?
Pad, arcade stick or leverless? How each handles motion inputs, charge characters and 3D fighters, what SOCD cleaning is, and what tournaments allow.
Fighting Game Guides
How to Choose Your First Fighting Game
A practical framework for picking your first fighting game, comparing Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat 1, Guilty Gear Strive and Smash Ultimate.
Fighting Game Guides
Mortal Kombat 1 Beginner Guide: Kameos, Blocking and Core Mechanics
Learn Mortal Kombat 1's block button, Kameo Fighters, super meter, Fatal Blows, dial combos and movement, plus how MK plays differently from SF and Tekken.
Fighting Game Guides
Tekken 8 Beginner Guide: Heat, Rage and How to Start Learning
How Tekken 8 works for new players: limb buttons, Heat, Rage Arts, recoverable health, Special Style, Arcade Quest and a realistic order to learn it all.
Fighting Game Guides
Street Fighter 6 Beginner Guide: Controls, Modes and First Steps
New to Street Fighter 6? Learn Classic vs Modern vs Dynamic controls, the Drive Gauge, the main modes and a simple first-week plan for getting better.
Fighting Fundamentals
Fighting Game Glossary: 60 Terms Every New Player Should Know
Sixty essential fighting game terms in plain English, from anti-air and footsies to okizeme, frame traps and whiff punishes, each with a quick example.
Fighting Fundamentals
Frame Data Explained: Startup, Active, Recovery and Frame Advantage
What startup, active and recovery frames mean, how plus and minus on block work, and how to use frame data to know what is safe and what to punish.