I have an idea for helping to hype KOF XIII's console version. (This started out brief and grew into a monster post. Apologies.)
There are probably lots of KOF fans and fighting fans who looked at XIII, thought it looked good, and forgot about it since the console version was no where in sight. Now that it's coming out, they'll be looking at the game for maybe the second time. The initial hype has warn off, and they'll just want to know "is the game good?"
So my idea would be to collect the top 10 (or 15 or 20) "best" XIII matches and do an eLive countdown with commentators explaining some of the strategies, mistakes and characters' strengths/weaknesses. Basically similar to the Cast of the Wolves Giby and Nocturne do, but a one-off, countdown style.
When mainstream websites show game footage (if they bother to), it's almost always shows people throwing fireballs endlessly. It does a terrible job of representing the game. I think this podcast could be a great way to show off high-level play, AND teach viewers a bit about the game if they're not very familiar with XIII. Depending on how well the commentary is done, it could probably teach a lot of the DC regulars more about the game.
The secret agenda of the matches would be to show:
1. There is an English speaking community that's actively playing the game. Many people who have heard of KOF also have heard that it's not very popular. Just having English speakers talk about the game could be reassuring to people interested in the game. It lets them know they'll have people to fight or ask questions to.
2. Most of the cast is completely viable. The match selection should avoid too many mirror-matches, or K' beating teams one-handed. Ideally, the matches will be somewhat close (and thus more exciting to watch).
2a. The game is not just a combo fest, nor is it a poke fest. Similar to 2, I think the matches should demonstrate that different styles of play are viable. Not every match has to feature a 100% HD combo in order to be considered high-level.
3. There're people playing this game all over the world. Of course, a lot of the matches would probably be from Japan or AI, since we have more videos from them and the video quality tends to be great. But it would be nice to also feature some matches from Singapore, China, France, et cetera.
We would never say any of these things explicitly, because I think the matches (as a whole) speak for themselves.
I realize this would be a lot of work, but really think it could do a lot to build interest in the game. Especially at other fighting websites (NeoEmpire, SRK). Does anyone else like this idea?