In HK for a few days and would like to check out the fighting game scene in arcades here, as I understand this is one of the most hardcore FG locales available. Any advice on where to go, and is there any HK-specific etiquette for matches? Many thanks
There are some very good arcades in Hong Kong. You should be posting this in regional matchmaking though. There’s a Hong Kong thread there.
What games are you looking to play? Different arcades have different specialties.
For starters you can go to the arcade in New Town Mall (exit D @ Mong Kok. Look for the orange entrance to New Town Mall around the corner from the station exit and go down into the basement). That’s one of the easiest for HK noobs to find.
Some of the other most badass arcades are out of the way and quite hard to get to if you don’t know your way around HK.
If you want to play SFV there are numerous ‘bases’ that have been set up to play. They’re basically rented spaces that are filled with consoles and used as arcade replacements. You don’t really have a chance of getting into one unless you know someone though.
I’d like to know more of the Hong Kong FGC in general.
Hong Kong still has a heavy arcade culture. Arcades are still relatively abundant, ranging from big fancy ones with all the latest games to little holes in the wall that mostly contain slot machines and horse betting games.
The most popular fighting game by far is Gundam vs Gundam. It’s a 2v2 3rd person fighting game with a ridiculous amount of characters and a pretty fun combo system. KOF2002/2002UM is also super popular, but has finally dropped in popularity in recent years. Up until Ultra, SF4 had a strong arcade presence as well, and some arcades still have strong SF4 scenes. Some arcades are heavy on Tekken and have Tekken 7.
As I mentioned before, some arcades specialize in certain things. Some arcades have obscene number of Gundam cabs, others focus on music games, etc. Hong Kong arcades have proper internet hookups, so HK operators have access to all the latest stuff, excluding a few exceptions like Nesica based stuff.
Many students (both boys and girls) come to play at arcades after school, since the nicer ones tend to be based in shopping malls. Arcades do not allow people under the age of 16 or people wearing school uniforms to enter. It is also not uncommon to see guys playing FGs while their girlfriends sit next to them texting ppl on their phone.
In terms of game popularity (from most popular to least):
- Music games (jubeat/mai mai/taiko drum master)
- Driving Games (Wangan Midnight/Initial D)
- Fighting Games (Gundam VS, KOF, SF)
Nobody plays anime fighters here. There is not a single anime fighter machine in any arcade. Anime fighters for all intents and purposes do not exist in Hong Kong.
In the past, different arcades would have rivalries with each other. Occasionally groups would travel to other arcades and have showdowns.
Since Ultra came out only on consoles, some of the best fighting game players in Hong Kong got together and rented an office space and created a lounge filled with consoles and monitors. This is known as “the base”. For a small flat fee you can go to base and play with others who are at a high level to grind out your skills.
With the success of the base, others have started to replicate it. There are now several “bases” around HK operated by different groups of FGC. Rivalries that used to be based on arcade are now based on region.
HK has quite a few good players, but they prefer to play at base or in arcade. There aren’t really any tournaments because no one wants to be bothered to organize them. Every summer we have a CPT event and players from Japan/Taiwan/China often show up. HK has some world class players, but many never leave Hong Kong. As far as players you might know, we have Humanbomb and Saunic (originally from France). Currently there is also a tournament league known as U23 for SFV that is only open to people under the age of 23.
Overall it’s a pretty healthy scene but you need to know people to get into it. Randomly visiting arcades is hit or miss because every arcade has a time that is most active. Show up at the wrong time and there will be no comp. If you play at a single arcade enough, you’ll start to get to know regulars.
Moved to Regional Matchmaking :: World.
Reallly great information… I’ve been recently debating on where to study abroad, so this helps. lol.