It's Mother's Day... did you get her a card? Did you get her a Mother's Day version DS with Personal Trainer: Cooking? No? I hope not, that would probably just insult her. Cookbooks are bad ideas - they imply that you don't like her cooking. $150 cookbooks are very expensive bad ideas. Not to mention that the green DS Lite that you can get with the bundle is the only place you can find it, making it sure to be a collector's item someday, and also making sure that everyone knows that you got it from a son that really doesn't like your cooking. Yay for public embarrassment!
Not saying that moms don't like to play video games. I got my own mom Bejeweled Twist just this last Christmas, and I'm sure she loves it. It's true that they probably won't play the next iteration of Wolfenstein or Fallout, but there is enough room in the world for "casual gamers" that only like to play a quick game of Peggle before bed or to unwind after a long day at work. What's more, today's casual gamers could be tomorrow's hardcore gamers. Just because you're friends are excited about Lego Rock Band and you have no desire to even see it take up store shelves doesn't mean it won't give you two someething to talk about when he grows up to playing the real Rock Band. Come on, can't we all just get along? Moms, nerds, little brothers, and dogs? Yes, dogs too... don't be racist (humanist?). Just put some kibbles on your Wii-mote and let Fido go to town on it. I guarantee he'll win at least one match in Super Smash Brothers.
Showing posts with label Super Smash Bros.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Smash Bros.. Show all posts
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Part VI - What makes fighting games so great?
Fighting games are all about one-on-one competition. Having the skills to best somebody in a match, whether you're online or sitting next to them on a couch or at the national EVO Tournament, is a huge ego boost. Winning a fair fight against a peer gives you a great sense of accomplishment and power. Losing hurts, too, though, but it makes you want to try harder, to practice, to become better, to be the best.
There have been many fighting games over the years, from Street Fighter to Guilty Gear to Dead or Alive to Marvel Vs. Capcom to Tekken, and they've all shared one thing in common: two people enter, and one person leaves. There is a lot of testosterone flowing around the fighting field with all the one-upsmanship inherent in the battles. The well-balanced fighting games are never about button mashing - they about about counter attacks, blocking, canceling, and waiting for your chance to strike with a well-placed combo.
Super Smash Bros., while technically a fighter, is more of a party game that you pull out to play with a bunch of friends. "Pure" fighting games like SFIV won't allow you to win if you merely mash buttons. I think that's the appeal. To be good at fake fighting, just like real fighting, takes a lot of practice. There are strategies all over bookstands and the Internet about how to be and beat the best in the world (including this humorous but ultimately accurate Ken flowchart). The national champions know all about how to best utilize their distance from their opponent, their combos and special moves, and their blocks and counters and throws. Just the fact that people can devote hours a day to one game says there must be something important there. Many fighting games have the "easy to learn, difficult to master" appeal, and, hopefully, they won't go away.
There have been many fighting games over the years, from Street Fighter to Guilty Gear to Dead or Alive to Marvel Vs. Capcom to Tekken, and they've all shared one thing in common: two people enter, and one person leaves. There is a lot of testosterone flowing around the fighting field with all the one-upsmanship inherent in the battles. The well-balanced fighting games are never about button mashing - they about about counter attacks, blocking, canceling, and waiting for your chance to strike with a well-placed combo.
Super Smash Bros., while technically a fighter, is more of a party game that you pull out to play with a bunch of friends. "Pure" fighting games like SFIV won't allow you to win if you merely mash buttons. I think that's the appeal. To be good at fake fighting, just like real fighting, takes a lot of practice. There are strategies all over bookstands and the Internet about how to be and beat the best in the world (including this humorous but ultimately accurate Ken flowchart). The national champions know all about how to best utilize their distance from their opponent, their combos and special moves, and their blocks and counters and throws. Just the fact that people can devote hours a day to one game says there must be something important there. Many fighting games have the "easy to learn, difficult to master" appeal, and, hopefully, they won't go away.
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