Well, the nerdy culmination of the FGC and Persona lovers has finally arrived. Praise be to Atlus for giving us a damn good game. Everything about Persona 4 Arena oozes true devotion from everyone involved. From the intro movie to the ___ Wins! screen, everything is well executed, and caters to Persona 3 and 4 very well. Let's begin with user interface, and we'll get to the meat of things in a little bit!
Menus and Navigation
I can't say anything short of how well presented menus are in this game. They're characterized by Persona's TV influenced theme, yet they're minimalist is how they're presented. It looks nice, and shows you just what you need to know, cutting all the crap in between. The music choice is great, taking "Hang Out" themes from Persona 3 and 4 whilst displaying certain characters on the main screen evokes plenty of fond memories for Persona 3 / 4 players. If you've played of the games, you're sure to fall in love with the game's soundtrack as soon as you hear it. If you haven't it's still as catchy and vibrant as ever.
Even something as simple as choosing your character is an experience. You get to hear various versions of the Velvet Room theme, while choosing Arcana cards from Igor's table, each representing a character. Once you find your warrior, choose your colors and get whisked away on a visual dream!
Visuals and Effects
One thing that is readily apparent about Persona 4 Arena is how detailed and "pretty" it is. Each sprite is beautifully animated: fluidity of motion, the speed at which it happens, the expressions, the movements, the entrance and exit of Personas, each so well done, you'd hardly think it was a game. The effects are vibrant and noticeable, but at the same time don't detract from the action. Said effect remains an effect, nothing more than that. Each character's unique moveset easily recognized. nothing muddles, and the framerate remains at a nice constant despite moments of frenetic gameplay. On a side note, I can say that the color palettes we're given in this game are actually well done. None of them feel like a waste or are too lame for use. Each palette fits the character pretty well and is fun to see shooting across the screen every now and then!
The HUD is also very stylized, taking in basic elements of a fighting game, but keeping it all unified under that SMT feel every Persona player knows and loves. The backgrounds are amazingly detailed and well kept. Each place is a recognizable location from Persona 3 or 4, complete with hazy TV effects, lingering and moving Shadows, distinguishable architecture, and other subtle nuances people rarely find.
Soundtrack
Persona soundtracks in general are known to be some of the best in gaming. One thing Atlus and Shin Megami Tensei do very well is ambiance and music. The music in a Persona game ranges from something light and flighty, suitable for enjoying yourself with friends; to something eerie and sinister, more usually seen in dungeons and dangerous situations.
Persona 4 Arena of course, more handles music in a battle kind of situation. Each character's theme is maddeningly memorable, easily capturing the mentality and personality of the associated warrior. A couple or so are remixes of older themes, not bad ones either. They seem like a whole new song, while also maintaining a recognizable tone of the old song. The soundtrack is nothing short of brilliant.
Gameplay
This game is easily accessible to new players and new member of the FGC. The controls feel great: every movement feels deliberate, it feels like you're in complete control of your fighter, and the moves are rather easy to pull off. It's a game that's easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. I can say from experience, the online play for this game is FANTASTIC. The lag is pretty minimal, and even in awful conditions, I find myself pulling off combos I normally do. All in all, the games plays like a dream.
Voice Acting
They managed to get a majority of the voice actors from the old Persona games, with the exception of Chie and Teddie. Chie is pretty jarring. She went from sounding pretty normal to sounding younger and much more irritating. Teddie also get more annoying with his new voice. You can hear the old versions from Persona 4 in this clip. The newer voices aren't as good, really. New Chie , new Teddie. You get used to it, but still. The rest of the cast is phenomenal though, so it's always a blast to hear your character talk mad shit about everyone else!
Honestly, it's just a really fun game. If it's not your forte now, wait til it's cheap and then get it. It's totally worth it!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
You can't beat me.
Yesterday was a very interesting day. I feel/felt kind of like when you've dumped water on and pissed off a bird. They're agitated, their feathers are ruffled and then peck at whatever tried to mess with them at the moment. My feathers are indeed very ruffled. There's a lot bouncing around my head right now, and though I had soft plans to hang with a certain someone yesterday, I ended up leaving her to her own devices. I was lucid enough to let her know what's going on, but that's about it. Let's sort this thing out, shall we?
1. Work.
I'm super stressed about work right now. I probably shouldn't be, but I am. I feel like I should be getting a hold of this by now, and I don't feel like I am. I still ask a lot of questions. Again, I get it, I'm new and I should be asking questions. I just feel like I'm bothering people because they have their own calls to handle, and their own issues to fix, and here I am butting in asking about where the reset function is. It's a rookie thing I guess. Granted, there's little to no literature or training I can
really look at, only what I can observe / retain in real-time.
The sleep schedule is wacko as well. I'm usually in at 2 AM, there's little going on at that point, so it's optimal for someone new. Thing is, I'm going to bed around 6 PM, and getting home from work around 10:30. While I'm doing fine in the not-falling-asleep-at-work department, it's doing weird things to my body. I've been feeling a little sick, but nothing crippling or undoing. I've also been hinted at that this might be a more permanent option once my training is over. Seriously? I'll take that shift sometimes, but we have to have a rotation. I don't know how long I can handle this before it starts getting bad.
My secondary-ish job is also getting in the way. It's late hour and tends to be pretty short, but still eats away at my sleeping time, and my devastated social life. I personally don't wish to continue it, but my Dad said I should wait until my provisional period is over at HFT. I agree, it's a wise move, but that's 90 days. 3 friggin' months of working an unnecessary job... Doesn't sound like a good idea for me, but I guess that is somehow not about me. I don't know, it's just pisses me off.
2. Housing.
Let me keep this short and simple by saying that I may or may not have to move, again. We're still up in the air about what the fate of my current residence will be, more on it soon I hope. All this talk of moving, money and fiscal responsibility are wearing on my nerves. I understand the ramifications of what's going on, I don't need to be told again and again.
3. My Friends.
Well, with this new job my social life took a near-death beating. So, naturally, I'm incredibly irritated that now I have next to no time for them. I feel it's a little unfair to us all, but of course, I'm making money and saving up. It's worth it in a sense, but not a very good one. Once I start getting two days off instead of just one, I think it'll improve some. I guess time will tell. Luckily my friends are supportive of my career change; no one has ditched me thus far.
4. My Family.
With the whole house thing going on, Mom is kind of high strung. Coupled with the fact that's she's now having some hefty heart problems, she's not in the best of moods, or one to be trifled with at the moment. My Dad is already crabby enough from work, so trying to talk to either of them is like asking to pet a feral jaguar. I can't really talk to them about anything, even if I wanted to. I mean....I want to, to a degree, maybe advanced adults like them can offer me some advice so I don't lose my goddamn mind, but I simply don't want to put up with their attitude right now.
My brothers are still the same. Whiny, screamy, annoying, and completely self absorbed. That's not a fun combo for me or anyone in the house. I often wonder why Mom or Dad hasn't blown up on them lately. I guess it won't be long now, I'm sure it's like a powder keg. I have a feeling once this whole house thing is over, it'll all be fine for a while longer. Mom is getting help with her heart, Dad'll settle down and hopefully one of them will smack some sense into these boys.
5. <X3
Rather recently, Monday morning in fact, I had a surprisingly jarring revelation. I am ludicrously lonely. Now, I know this comes up a lot, and trust me, I know everything that's wrong with me, so I know why I'm alone. One of my final strongholds barring my resolve to be single had been broken. So, as I was sitting at my desk mulling things over, I felt a familiar shuffle in my chest. My heart sank for the first time in a while and I actually felt pretty defeated for a while. I shook it off eventually, after all, I was at work and I needed to focus. I thought about it after I got home, all through the day until that night when I fell asleep.
Make no mistake, I'm not desperate. Matt Smith has standards, and he'll never lose them for any reason. But, I think it would be really nice to have a close companion like that. It seems to work out for most everyone else I know, so I figure my success can't be too far away now. I've dated a few women, tried to make them my girlfriend, but something was wrong with every situation. Some had lingering feelings for exes, some simply backed out right then and there, some suddenly decided they never liked me, the rest was my fault for being fucking stupid. I know a lost a few good women in my life to a lack of control. Back in the day, most of my affections ran unchecked, I was young after all. So, it would all be too much too fast and women never like that. I think if I could go back and slap my younger self in the face, I easily would. I used to fantasize that somehow I'd get another shot, now that I was older and wiser, hehe. Kind of adorable in a sense.
Nowadays I'm a bit cynical so I don't really try anymore. I tried half-heartedly clinging to bachelor notions about how women are sneaky tricks and are not to be trusted. I know it's not true, I knew it's not true. I can't really deny my nature now, I think it's too late and too hypocritical for that. I'll get over it eventually, who knows, maybe in a week or two you'll see me posting really sexist shit on Facebook. You guys will know the truth though.
There is one other thing that's taking a battering to my resolve and my psyche, I don't want to talk about it, not here at least. I'm usually quite an open book to my viewing public, but this must stay private for now. If it really annoys you, message me and we'll chat about it, hurr hurr. I spent the last few days figuring out why it bothers me so much. I know why. It's almost reassuring to know why I feel the way I do, heh. Only thing I can do now is hope that Worst Case Scenario doesn't happen. I wish that situation the very best of luck.
*huff* Well, not bad. I should really maintain this better. Oh well.
1. Work.
I'm super stressed about work right now. I probably shouldn't be, but I am. I feel like I should be getting a hold of this by now, and I don't feel like I am. I still ask a lot of questions. Again, I get it, I'm new and I should be asking questions. I just feel like I'm bothering people because they have their own calls to handle, and their own issues to fix, and here I am butting in asking about where the reset function is. It's a rookie thing I guess. Granted, there's little to no literature or training I can
really look at, only what I can observe / retain in real-time.
The sleep schedule is wacko as well. I'm usually in at 2 AM, there's little going on at that point, so it's optimal for someone new. Thing is, I'm going to bed around 6 PM, and getting home from work around 10:30. While I'm doing fine in the not-falling-asleep-at-work department, it's doing weird things to my body. I've been feeling a little sick, but nothing crippling or undoing. I've also been hinted at that this might be a more permanent option once my training is over. Seriously? I'll take that shift sometimes, but we have to have a rotation. I don't know how long I can handle this before it starts getting bad.
My secondary-ish job is also getting in the way. It's late hour and tends to be pretty short, but still eats away at my sleeping time, and my devastated social life. I personally don't wish to continue it, but my Dad said I should wait until my provisional period is over at HFT. I agree, it's a wise move, but that's 90 days. 3 friggin' months of working an unnecessary job... Doesn't sound like a good idea for me, but I guess that is somehow not about me. I don't know, it's just pisses me off.
2. Housing.
Let me keep this short and simple by saying that I may or may not have to move, again. We're still up in the air about what the fate of my current residence will be, more on it soon I hope. All this talk of moving, money and fiscal responsibility are wearing on my nerves. I understand the ramifications of what's going on, I don't need to be told again and again.
3. My Friends.
Well, with this new job my social life took a near-death beating. So, naturally, I'm incredibly irritated that now I have next to no time for them. I feel it's a little unfair to us all, but of course, I'm making money and saving up. It's worth it in a sense, but not a very good one. Once I start getting two days off instead of just one, I think it'll improve some. I guess time will tell. Luckily my friends are supportive of my career change; no one has ditched me thus far.
4. My Family.
With the whole house thing going on, Mom is kind of high strung. Coupled with the fact that's she's now having some hefty heart problems, she's not in the best of moods, or one to be trifled with at the moment. My Dad is already crabby enough from work, so trying to talk to either of them is like asking to pet a feral jaguar. I can't really talk to them about anything, even if I wanted to. I mean....I want to, to a degree, maybe advanced adults like them can offer me some advice so I don't lose my goddamn mind, but I simply don't want to put up with their attitude right now.
My brothers are still the same. Whiny, screamy, annoying, and completely self absorbed. That's not a fun combo for me or anyone in the house. I often wonder why Mom or Dad hasn't blown up on them lately. I guess it won't be long now, I'm sure it's like a powder keg. I have a feeling once this whole house thing is over, it'll all be fine for a while longer. Mom is getting help with her heart, Dad'll settle down and hopefully one of them will smack some sense into these boys.
5. <X3
Rather recently, Monday morning in fact, I had a surprisingly jarring revelation. I am ludicrously lonely. Now, I know this comes up a lot, and trust me, I know everything that's wrong with me, so I know why I'm alone. One of my final strongholds barring my resolve to be single had been broken. So, as I was sitting at my desk mulling things over, I felt a familiar shuffle in my chest. My heart sank for the first time in a while and I actually felt pretty defeated for a while. I shook it off eventually, after all, I was at work and I needed to focus. I thought about it after I got home, all through the day until that night when I fell asleep.
Make no mistake, I'm not desperate. Matt Smith has standards, and he'll never lose them for any reason. But, I think it would be really nice to have a close companion like that. It seems to work out for most everyone else I know, so I figure my success can't be too far away now. I've dated a few women, tried to make them my girlfriend, but something was wrong with every situation. Some had lingering feelings for exes, some simply backed out right then and there, some suddenly decided they never liked me, the rest was my fault for being fucking stupid. I know a lost a few good women in my life to a lack of control. Back in the day, most of my affections ran unchecked, I was young after all. So, it would all be too much too fast and women never like that. I think if I could go back and slap my younger self in the face, I easily would. I used to fantasize that somehow I'd get another shot, now that I was older and wiser, hehe. Kind of adorable in a sense.
Nowadays I'm a bit cynical so I don't really try anymore. I tried half-heartedly clinging to bachelor notions about how women are sneaky tricks and are not to be trusted. I know it's not true, I knew it's not true. I can't really deny my nature now, I think it's too late and too hypocritical for that. I'll get over it eventually, who knows, maybe in a week or two you'll see me posting really sexist shit on Facebook. You guys will know the truth though.
There is one other thing that's taking a battering to my resolve and my psyche, I don't want to talk about it, not here at least. I'm usually quite an open book to my viewing public, but this must stay private for now. If it really annoys you, message me and we'll chat about it, hurr hurr. I spent the last few days figuring out why it bothers me so much. I know why. It's almost reassuring to know why I feel the way I do, heh. Only thing I can do now is hope that Worst Case Scenario doesn't happen. I wish that situation the very best of luck.
*huff* Well, not bad. I should really maintain this better. Oh well.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Lunch Break LIFE-UP!date: Now, I'm Motivated!
I'll keep this mild, since I only have a scant few minutes to write this.
Most of you probably don't know, but I left my old job at Corningware. The people there shall be missed, but the job itself can go fuck itself. I'll happily ditch angry customers face to face to handle angry customers on the phone. Anyways, I'm now employed at Harbor Freight Tools as an IT Service Desk Analyst. The pay is nice, hours are good, schedule is alright, and it'll help me kick start a lot of other things in my life.
Essentially, it is my job to fix what is broken. When the register breaks, or your password needs to be reset, or all Hell breaks loose, I'm part of the team to fix it. I'm still in my training phases, but not too long ago, I actually took a few calls. Granted, I was asking for help like some feckless neophyte, but then again, I'm not used to the logical paths to take, nor am I used to Harbor Freight's register hook-up and networking. Luckily, I haven't gotten anything horrible just yet, but it is a weird rush. Not knowing, finding the answer, and the knowledge that you actually helped fix something. Somehow it's all so....intoxicating. I'm sure the euphoria will wear off once a big boy problem comes along, but I'll enjoy it for now.
The task of learning the ins and outs of an entire company's hardware and software is a little daunting, but like with all things, you learn. Small bites and baby steps until soon, you've conquered it all. Because my Dad used to work this department, moved up, and now everyone seems to know his name, I feel like I have a shadow to stave off. I feel almost like a lot of people expect me to be some Service Desk prodigy and zoom past everyone's expectations, simply because my father is the man he is. The rational part of me doubts that's the case, after all, every character starts out at Lv1.
Anyways, time for me to be off. Duty calls and such.
Most of you probably don't know, but I left my old job at Corningware. The people there shall be missed, but the job itself can go fuck itself. I'll happily ditch angry customers face to face to handle angry customers on the phone. Anyways, I'm now employed at Harbor Freight Tools as an IT Service Desk Analyst. The pay is nice, hours are good, schedule is alright, and it'll help me kick start a lot of other things in my life.
Essentially, it is my job to fix what is broken. When the register breaks, or your password needs to be reset, or all Hell breaks loose, I'm part of the team to fix it. I'm still in my training phases, but not too long ago, I actually took a few calls. Granted, I was asking for help like some feckless neophyte, but then again, I'm not used to the logical paths to take, nor am I used to Harbor Freight's register hook-up and networking. Luckily, I haven't gotten anything horrible just yet, but it is a weird rush. Not knowing, finding the answer, and the knowledge that you actually helped fix something. Somehow it's all so....intoxicating. I'm sure the euphoria will wear off once a big boy problem comes along, but I'll enjoy it for now.
The task of learning the ins and outs of an entire company's hardware and software is a little daunting, but like with all things, you learn. Small bites and baby steps until soon, you've conquered it all. Because my Dad used to work this department, moved up, and now everyone seems to know his name, I feel like I have a shadow to stave off. I feel almost like a lot of people expect me to be some Service Desk prodigy and zoom past everyone's expectations, simply because my father is the man he is. The rational part of me doubts that's the case, after all, every character starts out at Lv1.
Anyways, time for me to be off. Duty calls and such.
Monday, June 11, 2012
LIFE UP...date.
It's been eons since I pumped out one of these. I have a slight need to vent, and I get asked how I'm doing often enough to warrant one of these entries.
I'm at that point in the year where everything has settled into a twisted complacency, an acceptance of things to come. Yup; my grandma flew off to Mexico for the summer, mainly to be with her sister. As such, I am tasked with the care of my brothers. It's going to be a living hell, but I've come out smelling like roses before, I can do it again. The issue lies more with the way my brothers all interact.
Collin is at the point in his life where testosterone is beginning to surge through his body, so he's in the most physically Bro-tastic part of his pubescent existence. He can't leave the younger ones alone, he intrinsically MUST irritate them. The greatest show of his physical "prowess" is to jump and touch the underside of doorways. He can't seem to relax at all, beyond being tired or lazy. So, having his sweaty, smelly, hyperactive existence around two children who are screamers....yeah.
Garren is in his Emotional / Defeatist Phase. Everything is the end of the world, from waiting a moment for a cup of juice, to Collin poking him in the side. How does he show this? It depends. If he's not hyperactive, he does that typical TV show of sadness: slumped shoulders, sad look on his ace and that irritatingly pitiful whimper. If he's more active, he looses a loud wailing scream of irritation. Hearing this for more than half the day has already begun to wear on my sanity. Garren also has a quality in which he plays stupid about being asked to do something, even if he responds to it. "I didn't hear that." or "Well, you could mean that mess over there!" I often fantasize about having Mom ground him for the summer, just to show him who's boss around this place.
Callum. Well, the kid's 3, so...yeah. He's jut irritating by nature. He's possessive, selfish, and a screamer. Typical everyday kid. Doesn't keep me from going crazy when he's whining, screaming or crying, but at least he's not fully aware of it.
Mom and Dad have been white and black with me til this point. I guess it comes down to how shitty their day at work was. Sometimes they come home fine, completely content and maybe even a little jovial. Other days, I just stick to my room to avoid getting yelled at for something stupid. Unfortunately, no matter what their demeanor, they settled into me being their errand boy. I'm constantly going out for groceries, gas, dinner, alcohol, laundry crud, the whole she-bang. I can understand being tired after work, I do work Retail after all, but there's a limit to my patience. It really pushes my buttons because they still treat me like a child in some ways. My opinion doesn't matter to them. They use my money whenever they want, or offer my money up without asking me first. I'm all for them borrowing what they need, but asking permission is a must. *sigh* I really hope I get this job at Harbor Freight. It'll allow me to flex my tech muscle, and I'll make enough to save up for a year, then move the hell out of this place. Don't get me wrong, I love my family to death, and wouldn't think twice about taking a bullet for them, but our personalities are simply too toxic for each other.
Speaking of jobs, yes, I'm trying to get a tech job at Harbor Freight. If I get it, it'll mean big things for me, so I'm really hoping I get it. I know I can handle it, I am my Father's son after all. I just have my fingers crossed at all times. My current job is definitely getting old, fast. I like most of my co-workers. Tezo and Jen I see most, besides Michelle and Emily. I know people are doing their best at their job, but the camaraderie of CCR is all but dead. I barely have any incentive to keep going there beyond the money. If I even think about trying to make light conversation, I usually get a blanks stare or MAYBE an awkward chuckle, and then it's back to work. Any awards or accolades given to us grunts is never even heard of. It's always about what you did wrong, not what you did right. Not the good sections of your workmanship, but what need to be improved. There's no reward for going above and beyond the call of duty, not even a thank you, and warm fuzzies only do so much for a person. It's not the worst job by any means, I just wish things weren't so dismal.
My love life is still non-existent. I don't really feel the flutters of longing any more. I'll find a girl cute, or attractive, or notice she has an amazing ass, but that's about it. Every once in a blue moon I'll entertain the fantasy of having a girlfriend, but ultimately, I have to wonder if I'm really cut out for it. I'm contented with the occasional hook up or shameless ogling, at least for now. Maybe once I reach a weight that I don't feel disgusted with. They say the first step to loving another is to love oneself. Hell, maybe that's my issue. Difficult to say, but honestly, I simply don't want to deal with that side of myself. It's more trouble than it's worth.
Gaming wise, I still pursue the path of being a balanced gamer. I still play Ultimate Marvel 3 like a fiend, but am also playing Minecraft (AKA Virtual Legos for Adults), Final Fight, Castlevania, Starcraft II and others. On Marvel, I dropped my recent team of Zero, Ryu and Dr. Doom in favor of my fanboy team of Wesker, Nemesis and Firebrand. I then realized that subbing Zero in for Wesker made for easy mixups with Hienkyaku/Demon Missile Assist shenanigans. After some experimenting though, I came to realize that my limited knowledge of how to play Zero combined with the fact I can't combo while charging his Zero Buster didn't allow for decent damage output wit Zero. So, I yanked Zero and threw Dr. Doom back in. So now I'm running Dr. Doom (Plasma Beam Assist), Nemesis (Launcher Slam Assist), and Firebrand (Demon Missile [Charge] Assist). It's working nice, and I'm beginning to see the beauty of good Assists and incoming mixup.
On Minecraft, I happened upon a duplication glitch, so it's been fun having multiple packs of 64 Diamond. Ithaca, as I've named my fort and world, is now also home to three tamed Wolves: Kaz, Charlotte and Bartz. Working on finding a couple more for the Leader of the pack cheevo, and so I can have a mini army of attack wolves. Collin was playing with me, so we tested it. Turns out if my wolves are near me and Collin attacks me, they all go rape him. It's awesome, hurr hurr.
Well, you know the drizzill, comments, questions n schtuff, feel free to leave a comment below. Have a nice night folks.
I'm at that point in the year where everything has settled into a twisted complacency, an acceptance of things to come. Yup; my grandma flew off to Mexico for the summer, mainly to be with her sister. As such, I am tasked with the care of my brothers. It's going to be a living hell, but I've come out smelling like roses before, I can do it again. The issue lies more with the way my brothers all interact.
Collin is at the point in his life where testosterone is beginning to surge through his body, so he's in the most physically Bro-tastic part of his pubescent existence. He can't leave the younger ones alone, he intrinsically MUST irritate them. The greatest show of his physical "prowess" is to jump and touch the underside of doorways. He can't seem to relax at all, beyond being tired or lazy. So, having his sweaty, smelly, hyperactive existence around two children who are screamers....yeah.
Garren is in his Emotional / Defeatist Phase. Everything is the end of the world, from waiting a moment for a cup of juice, to Collin poking him in the side. How does he show this? It depends. If he's not hyperactive, he does that typical TV show of sadness: slumped shoulders, sad look on his ace and that irritatingly pitiful whimper. If he's more active, he looses a loud wailing scream of irritation. Hearing this for more than half the day has already begun to wear on my sanity. Garren also has a quality in which he plays stupid about being asked to do something, even if he responds to it. "I didn't hear that." or "Well, you could mean that mess over there!" I often fantasize about having Mom ground him for the summer, just to show him who's boss around this place.
Callum. Well, the kid's 3, so...yeah. He's jut irritating by nature. He's possessive, selfish, and a screamer. Typical everyday kid. Doesn't keep me from going crazy when he's whining, screaming or crying, but at least he's not fully aware of it.
Mom and Dad have been white and black with me til this point. I guess it comes down to how shitty their day at work was. Sometimes they come home fine, completely content and maybe even a little jovial. Other days, I just stick to my room to avoid getting yelled at for something stupid. Unfortunately, no matter what their demeanor, they settled into me being their errand boy. I'm constantly going out for groceries, gas, dinner, alcohol, laundry crud, the whole she-bang. I can understand being tired after work, I do work Retail after all, but there's a limit to my patience. It really pushes my buttons because they still treat me like a child in some ways. My opinion doesn't matter to them. They use my money whenever they want, or offer my money up without asking me first. I'm all for them borrowing what they need, but asking permission is a must. *sigh* I really hope I get this job at Harbor Freight. It'll allow me to flex my tech muscle, and I'll make enough to save up for a year, then move the hell out of this place. Don't get me wrong, I love my family to death, and wouldn't think twice about taking a bullet for them, but our personalities are simply too toxic for each other.
Speaking of jobs, yes, I'm trying to get a tech job at Harbor Freight. If I get it, it'll mean big things for me, so I'm really hoping I get it. I know I can handle it, I am my Father's son after all. I just have my fingers crossed at all times. My current job is definitely getting old, fast. I like most of my co-workers. Tezo and Jen I see most, besides Michelle and Emily. I know people are doing their best at their job, but the camaraderie of CCR is all but dead. I barely have any incentive to keep going there beyond the money. If I even think about trying to make light conversation, I usually get a blanks stare or MAYBE an awkward chuckle, and then it's back to work. Any awards or accolades given to us grunts is never even heard of. It's always about what you did wrong, not what you did right. Not the good sections of your workmanship, but what need to be improved. There's no reward for going above and beyond the call of duty, not even a thank you, and warm fuzzies only do so much for a person. It's not the worst job by any means, I just wish things weren't so dismal.
My love life is still non-existent. I don't really feel the flutters of longing any more. I'll find a girl cute, or attractive, or notice she has an amazing ass, but that's about it. Every once in a blue moon I'll entertain the fantasy of having a girlfriend, but ultimately, I have to wonder if I'm really cut out for it. I'm contented with the occasional hook up or shameless ogling, at least for now. Maybe once I reach a weight that I don't feel disgusted with. They say the first step to loving another is to love oneself. Hell, maybe that's my issue. Difficult to say, but honestly, I simply don't want to deal with that side of myself. It's more trouble than it's worth.
Gaming wise, I still pursue the path of being a balanced gamer. I still play Ultimate Marvel 3 like a fiend, but am also playing Minecraft (AKA Virtual Legos for Adults), Final Fight, Castlevania, Starcraft II and others. On Marvel, I dropped my recent team of Zero, Ryu and Dr. Doom in favor of my fanboy team of Wesker, Nemesis and Firebrand. I then realized that subbing Zero in for Wesker made for easy mixups with Hienkyaku/Demon Missile Assist shenanigans. After some experimenting though, I came to realize that my limited knowledge of how to play Zero combined with the fact I can't combo while charging his Zero Buster didn't allow for decent damage output wit Zero. So, I yanked Zero and threw Dr. Doom back in. So now I'm running Dr. Doom (Plasma Beam Assist), Nemesis (Launcher Slam Assist), and Firebrand (Demon Missile [Charge] Assist). It's working nice, and I'm beginning to see the beauty of good Assists and incoming mixup.
On Minecraft, I happened upon a duplication glitch, so it's been fun having multiple packs of 64 Diamond. Ithaca, as I've named my fort and world, is now also home to three tamed Wolves: Kaz, Charlotte and Bartz. Working on finding a couple more for the Leader of the pack cheevo, and so I can have a mini army of attack wolves. Collin was playing with me, so we tested it. Turns out if my wolves are near me and Collin attacks me, they all go rape him. It's awesome, hurr hurr.
Well, you know the drizzill, comments, questions n schtuff, feel free to leave a comment below. Have a nice night folks.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Why Batman Works
Allow me to say first, I've been a Batman fan since the 90's when Batman The Animated Series (along with 90's Spider-Man) used to be my personal poison of choice as far as afternoon TV went. Batman was always my favorite DC Hero because he had everything a good hero needed: a fantastic origin story, an awesome alter-ego, some of the most memorable villains in history, a kick-ass costume, moves, awesome gadgets, and most importantly, imperfections.
Now, on the to the meat of things here. Batman is one of comic's most beloved and revered of superheroes; why you ask? Simply because Batman, his mythos, and his universe are the most plausible out of all comic book heroes...and Batman kicks ass. Comic readers crave the fantastic, the unreal, and fantasy. A good comic allows a reader to live vicariously and, almost without knowing, slip into the persona of the main character. Because of a whirlwind combination of Plausibility, Batman's Imperfections, and great Storytelling; Batman as a character and a series has a ton of clout.
Seeing how Broadway and cartoony Batman: The Animated Series is, one would dismiss Batman's ability to exist in real life. Within animation, a lot of things become very over the top and whimsical; one tends to get wrapped up in cheesy story lines, laughable one-liners, and Mark Hamill's voice acting. However, if one were to read some of Batman's darker and grittier comics, you begin to see just how human Batman's universe really is. Case in point: Batman's villains. There are some out there that are a little more than human, villains like Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Killer Croc and Ra's Al Ghul mainly. Clayface most of all, Ra's and Killer Croc are entirely possible, something like Ra's is more unlikely though.
A majority of Batman's villains are normal men and women with severe psychological issues. Even someone as ridiculously camp as the Joker is possible to an extent. Granted, no known chemical bleaches skin white, lips red and hair green, but the plethora of psychological illnesses conflicting the Joker are very much real. Other villains like the Penguin, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Two-Face, Riddler and Harley Quinn are entirely possible to exist in real life. All victims of severe psychosis, whole heartedly accepting a persona based around their physical and mental issues. Granted, their expression of said psychological issues is a bit extreme. I don't think anyone goes around in domino masks and dual colored suits without being in Hollywood these days.
Certain villains are still believable to a degree, but do have a slight fantasy element to them. Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Croc and Ra's come to mind. Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) is a scientist that had an accident involving many kinds of cryogenic chemicals while researching a cure for his wife Nora's illness. Now, Fries has to remain inside a cold suit and using various cryogenic based weaponry and gadgetry, he continues his search for Nora's cure. Clayface was an actor that messed with some experimental chemicals in a vain attempt to make himself look younger for a movie role. This caused the clay in the chemical mixture to meld with his skin and render him into a conscious blob of living clay. Killer Croc is a criminal suffering from an affliction called Ichthyosis Vulgaris, in which the skin becomes scaly and reptilian. He's not much beyond a run-of-the-mill criminal with feral methods, and a huge grudge against Batman. Ra's Al Ghul is a man that happened upon a mystery chemical bile he calls Lazarus. By immersing himself in Lazarus Pits when near death, Ra's has allowed himself to live for hundreds if not thousands of years. He ceaselessly menaces Batman with his plans eliminate mankind and place Nature as the reigning force in the world. Ra's also seeks to have Batman himself take over his empire before Ra's mind finally succumbs to the repetitive shock of the use of Lazarus.
Even some of Batman's more "out there" villains have an ounce of plausibility. Who's to say someday a man won't have to wear a cold suit, or that there isn't some miracle Elixir of Life bubbling in the planet somewhere? With Batman there's no superpowers, no gimmicks, nothing that doesn't have a real world tie. This link to real life, along with some lofty and fantastic mythos, creates a harmony of fiction and reality that people can't get enough of. It's not real, but someday it could be real.
What's great about Batman as a character is that he is written to be a real person with real flaws. Many superheroes of the time are painted out to be the epitome of core American values. They're upstanding, law abiding, textbook, good 'ol citizens. While Batman does indeed do his best to handle things in the proper manner of an honest Police Force, he struggles internally with what is right and what he feels must be done. We often see Batman show the darker side of his emotions as well, something most heroes did not and do not do today, mostly. He gets angry, he pummels his victims relentlessly, and shows what the true vengeance of the Dark Knight means. Not to say Batman doesn't also have a heart. He will still go out of his way to help the little guy, he still bags the villain in proper procedure, and has a solemn oath that he will never take a life.
To this end, we see that Batman is in fact, human. He's a flesh and blood human being, with both the faults of darkness, and the impunity of the hero. While he is also capable of being thought of as a genuine hero; he also is able to be thought of a reckless vigilante, taking law into his own hands. This duality is what makes Batman so unique, and more liked than other contemporary comic book heroes.
All-in-all, one could say that "Batman" is amazing. As a character, we see a non-superpowered man taking it upon himself to rid a massive city of crime. He's human, he's flesh and blood, he's possible. Having both the qualities of a hero and a vigilante, we are able to revel in his righteous actions as a hero, but enjoy the brutality of his methods as a vigilante. As a series, Batman has some of the distinguished, and "colorful" characters ever conceived. With a gallery of villains like no other, and a bad-ass cast of supporting characters, Batman can explore any kind of person from any walk of life.
In the end, Batman's magic stems from its ability to weave both reality and fiction into a brilliant story. While the villain and their execution of their plan might be a little flashy, they're still believable and display eerie qualities we see in our everyday life. In any story he's in, Batman is still a detective, and still has a very close-to-home side of himself we can see through his narration and action. It is this blend of ideas that create a series that grips a reader or viewer like no other.
"Or you can be Batman. If you can be Batman, be Batman."
Now, on the to the meat of things here. Batman is one of comic's most beloved and revered of superheroes; why you ask? Simply because Batman, his mythos, and his universe are the most plausible out of all comic book heroes...and Batman kicks ass. Comic readers crave the fantastic, the unreal, and fantasy. A good comic allows a reader to live vicariously and, almost without knowing, slip into the persona of the main character. Because of a whirlwind combination of Plausibility, Batman's Imperfections, and great Storytelling; Batman as a character and a series has a ton of clout.
Seeing how Broadway and cartoony Batman: The Animated Series is, one would dismiss Batman's ability to exist in real life. Within animation, a lot of things become very over the top and whimsical; one tends to get wrapped up in cheesy story lines, laughable one-liners, and Mark Hamill's voice acting. However, if one were to read some of Batman's darker and grittier comics, you begin to see just how human Batman's universe really is. Case in point: Batman's villains. There are some out there that are a little more than human, villains like Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Killer Croc and Ra's Al Ghul mainly. Clayface most of all, Ra's and Killer Croc are entirely possible, something like Ra's is more unlikely though.
A majority of Batman's villains are normal men and women with severe psychological issues. Even someone as ridiculously camp as the Joker is possible to an extent. Granted, no known chemical bleaches skin white, lips red and hair green, but the plethora of psychological illnesses conflicting the Joker are very much real. Other villains like the Penguin, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Two-Face, Riddler and Harley Quinn are entirely possible to exist in real life. All victims of severe psychosis, whole heartedly accepting a persona based around their physical and mental issues. Granted, their expression of said psychological issues is a bit extreme. I don't think anyone goes around in domino masks and dual colored suits without being in Hollywood these days.
Certain villains are still believable to a degree, but do have a slight fantasy element to them. Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Croc and Ra's come to mind. Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) is a scientist that had an accident involving many kinds of cryogenic chemicals while researching a cure for his wife Nora's illness. Now, Fries has to remain inside a cold suit and using various cryogenic based weaponry and gadgetry, he continues his search for Nora's cure. Clayface was an actor that messed with some experimental chemicals in a vain attempt to make himself look younger for a movie role. This caused the clay in the chemical mixture to meld with his skin and render him into a conscious blob of living clay. Killer Croc is a criminal suffering from an affliction called Ichthyosis Vulgaris, in which the skin becomes scaly and reptilian. He's not much beyond a run-of-the-mill criminal with feral methods, and a huge grudge against Batman. Ra's Al Ghul is a man that happened upon a mystery chemical bile he calls Lazarus. By immersing himself in Lazarus Pits when near death, Ra's has allowed himself to live for hundreds if not thousands of years. He ceaselessly menaces Batman with his plans eliminate mankind and place Nature as the reigning force in the world. Ra's also seeks to have Batman himself take over his empire before Ra's mind finally succumbs to the repetitive shock of the use of Lazarus.
Even some of Batman's more "out there" villains have an ounce of plausibility. Who's to say someday a man won't have to wear a cold suit, or that there isn't some miracle Elixir of Life bubbling in the planet somewhere? With Batman there's no superpowers, no gimmicks, nothing that doesn't have a real world tie. This link to real life, along with some lofty and fantastic mythos, creates a harmony of fiction and reality that people can't get enough of. It's not real, but someday it could be real.
What's great about Batman as a character is that he is written to be a real person with real flaws. Many superheroes of the time are painted out to be the epitome of core American values. They're upstanding, law abiding, textbook, good 'ol citizens. While Batman does indeed do his best to handle things in the proper manner of an honest Police Force, he struggles internally with what is right and what he feels must be done. We often see Batman show the darker side of his emotions as well, something most heroes did not and do not do today, mostly. He gets angry, he pummels his victims relentlessly, and shows what the true vengeance of the Dark Knight means. Not to say Batman doesn't also have a heart. He will still go out of his way to help the little guy, he still bags the villain in proper procedure, and has a solemn oath that he will never take a life.
To this end, we see that Batman is in fact, human. He's a flesh and blood human being, with both the faults of darkness, and the impunity of the hero. While he is also capable of being thought of as a genuine hero; he also is able to be thought of a reckless vigilante, taking law into his own hands. This duality is what makes Batman so unique, and more liked than other contemporary comic book heroes.
All-in-all, one could say that "Batman" is amazing. As a character, we see a non-superpowered man taking it upon himself to rid a massive city of crime. He's human, he's flesh and blood, he's possible. Having both the qualities of a hero and a vigilante, we are able to revel in his righteous actions as a hero, but enjoy the brutality of his methods as a vigilante. As a series, Batman has some of the distinguished, and "colorful" characters ever conceived. With a gallery of villains like no other, and a bad-ass cast of supporting characters, Batman can explore any kind of person from any walk of life.
In the end, Batman's magic stems from its ability to weave both reality and fiction into a brilliant story. While the villain and their execution of their plan might be a little flashy, they're still believable and display eerie qualities we see in our everyday life. In any story he's in, Batman is still a detective, and still has a very close-to-home side of himself we can see through his narration and action. It is this blend of ideas that create a series that grips a reader or viewer like no other.
"Or you can be Batman. If you can be Batman, be Batman."
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Kingdom Hearts
Just say it...Kingdom Hearts. Somehow it just rolls off the tongue ever so pleasantly. Recently, I dusted off my PS2 and tossed in Kingdom Hearts #1 for old time's sake. Now I remember why I love this series so much, and can honestly say that Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 are my favorite games of all time.
Everything about them is superbly done: the music, the characters, the moments, the enemy design, the Story (the goddamn STORY is amazing!), just....everything. I must have beaten KH 1 and 2 about 20 times a piece, and I STILL love playing them. I honestly can't gush enough to do Kingdom Hearts justice. I've played every Kingdom Hearts game with the exception of Re:Coded. I simply can't get enough, and I'm anxiously awaiting Kingdom Hearts' return to consoles!
The mythos of the game is vast, beginning with Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, then Kingdom Hearts 1, KH Chain of Memories, KH 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded and now on the horizon: Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The majority of which revolved around the Sora Trio, but also tied in are the Roxas Trio and the Ventus Trio. The overall story of Kingdom Hearts can be a little convoluted, and not counting Final Mix games (Japan only), can actually vary a little depending on if you played the Final Mix version of 1, 2 or BBS.
Final Mix versions usually contain a bit more story, some other sidequests, new battles, and more weapons. As such, certain tie ins are introduced a little earlier and tantalize you with mysterious characters and unknown goings on. These versions have been released in Japan only, but hopefully Square Enix will pull their head out of their ass and make it happen.
If I had to pick one game as my absolute favorite, I'd have to say Kingdom Hearts II. The year it came out, I had never before been that excited for a game to come out. I'd read every article, watched every trailer, and talked about it with all of my friends. I remember watching my PS2 load it, and eagerly waiting to hear Dearly Beloved again. BVG Buena Vista Games.....Square Enix.....copyright info....and then it came. A white screen, an image of Sora eating Sea Salt Ice Cream on a beach, and the amazing notes of Dearly Beloved. I just about died, I was so excited! I watched that intro movie and was so ready to play the game, I was STOKED. I'll never forget it, haha.
I honestly recommend the game to anyone who likes Disney or just a fun action RPG. Maybe I'll keep going with this an try to explain some of the story next time? We'll see!
Everything about them is superbly done: the music, the characters, the moments, the enemy design, the Story (the goddamn STORY is amazing!), just....everything. I must have beaten KH 1 and 2 about 20 times a piece, and I STILL love playing them. I honestly can't gush enough to do Kingdom Hearts justice. I've played every Kingdom Hearts game with the exception of Re:Coded. I simply can't get enough, and I'm anxiously awaiting Kingdom Hearts' return to consoles!
The mythos of the game is vast, beginning with Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, then Kingdom Hearts 1, KH Chain of Memories, KH 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded and now on the horizon: Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The majority of which revolved around the Sora Trio, but also tied in are the Roxas Trio and the Ventus Trio. The overall story of Kingdom Hearts can be a little convoluted, and not counting Final Mix games (Japan only), can actually vary a little depending on if you played the Final Mix version of 1, 2 or BBS.
Final Mix versions usually contain a bit more story, some other sidequests, new battles, and more weapons. As such, certain tie ins are introduced a little earlier and tantalize you with mysterious characters and unknown goings on. These versions have been released in Japan only, but hopefully Square Enix will pull their head out of their ass and make it happen.
If I had to pick one game as my absolute favorite, I'd have to say Kingdom Hearts II. The year it came out, I had never before been that excited for a game to come out. I'd read every article, watched every trailer, and talked about it with all of my friends. I remember watching my PS2 load it, and eagerly waiting to hear Dearly Beloved again. BVG Buena Vista Games.....Square Enix.....copyright info....and then it came. A white screen, an image of Sora eating Sea Salt Ice Cream on a beach, and the amazing notes of Dearly Beloved. I just about died, I was so excited! I watched that intro movie and was so ready to play the game, I was STOKED. I'll never forget it, haha.
I honestly recommend the game to anyone who likes Disney or just a fun action RPG. Maybe I'll keep going with this an try to explain some of the story next time? We'll see!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
My Love/Hate Relationship with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Welcome to one of the foremost ideologies within my gaming complex. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, hereon referred to UMvC3, is probably the game I play most right now. It's one of those really good games that comes along and endlessly eats your game time. It's the perfect blend of speed, control, gameplay, chaos, order, character roster, and visuals for me. Easy enough to pick up with a little execution, damn hard to master.
I don't know quite know why I enjoy the game to the point I do, nor why I obsess over trying to find my complete center mentally when it comes to it. Some days I feel like it's my dream come true, others I absolutely hate the game and never want to play it again. Such is the ebb and flow of a competitive fighting game. Nearly all my youtube outings are tourney footage of UMvC3, combo videos, tactics, protips, character analysis, you name it.
You see, I have this insatiable urge to get better at this game. My understanding of the game, and fighters as a whole, has really increased while playing this. I grasp how certain universal concepts to fighters work in their respective games much more thoroughly during gameplay on UMvC3. I'm constantly watching videos and sifting through forums, try to pick everyone's brain and find which characters I like work best on a team. The conflicting sections of my mind have a hard time coming to an agreement, mainly the cheap / fanboy / uniqueness vs. team synergy / utility factor in team.
Sometimes it's hard to pick. "I want to use ____, but everyone and their Mom uses ____. Though I could really have an easier time online using him." Or, "Damn, I really want to incorporate _____ into the team, but they lack stamina / power!" Or more recently, "I swore I would use _____, but I can't. I can't get in with _____." With UMvC3, picking the right team is extremely difficult at times, if you're looking for victory. One must balance your allegiance to a character, how comfortable you feel with them, their play style, their stats, their assists, their synergy on a team, how well you can use them, how easily they can open peoples defenses, and whatever other faculties you apply to roster choice.
Herein lies one problem though. I'm stuck in the stage where I'm trying to find my team. Others have moved on and started learning higher level play with said team, or have kept moving after original MvC3. I'm trying to find a team that's good, but won't shatter my notions of who I am as a person somehow. Trying to balance all the above without violating my anti overpowered character usage clause is tough. It may not seem like much to others, but to a gamer, it's rough.
My other problem lies with my own personal drive to play this game, or lack thereof. I'm no slouch at this game, I'm much better than any casual player that picked this game up, but definitely not higher rank material. UMvC3 does little to raise one's spirits to keep playing. Online play is good, but if your connection suffers even slightly, you'll find yourself unable to move during a match, pinned down my the fear of taking damage and the knowledge that the button you press probably won't make the motion come out in time. The matchmaking system seem kind of busted in my opinion. I can understand putting the 4 lowest ranks in one bracket (Amateur, Rookie, Fighter and 9th Lord), but after that, I think it'd be better to keep numbered brackets together.
When one searches for a match, or creates a match, you can choose Any Rank or Same Rank as a filter. But somehow, me being a 9th Lord and doing Same Rank, I'm pitted against people far above me. 8th and 7th Lords! How is this fair or a good idea? Each number has a few ranks to it, so why not place me against a 9th Scout or 9th Ranger? So after I get my face raped in a few times, I'm not exactly feeling the drive to keep going. Improved matchmaking can really help new players try to get ahead in ranked mode.
The way one's ranked is calculated is also pretty fucked. While one does seem to accrue points via victories online, a lot of it also has to do with one's Win / Loss ratio. You are actually able to go down a rank if you start getting whomped on for too long. Ok, to me, that seems to be a bit much. What kind of message does that send to your players if they shuffle from a 9th Lord down to a Fighter? Why would you even bother programming the ratio into your calculation formula? I ranked down from a 9th Ranger to a 9th Lord a couple times, it shatters your will sometimes.
As such, I'm at an impasse. Caught between my intrinsic need to improve upon my game, and my shattered will to go online and test it. I decided to reshuffle my team and am trying to learn a little synergy with them, but it's proving annoying. Simply because I have no idea what to really look for, you know? I lack to knowledge of what makes an A-List team, or rather, how to form one. I'm trying my best though, I think it just takes a little more understanding of the finer things.
I used to use Dr. Doom / Spider-Man / Vergil, but completely shuffled my stuff. Doom is absolutely great at what he does. He can either shut and opponent out and provide excellent defense, or completely entrap them and keep them under a barrage of weapons fire. I can never seem to penetrate defenses with Doom though, a lot of people use him, so everyone knows how to shut him down. Spider-Man is excellent at moving and keeping the proper distance for attacks, he's also capable of some lengthy solo-combos. Problem is, under laggy conditions, Spider-Man is nigh impossible to use because he require strict timing and execution to use. Vergil is amazing: staggering mixup, great pressure, good moveset, but he takes damage like a little girl, and has really unsafe normals.
So, I changed it around to people I like to use, and know my stuff with, mostly. Right now it's Wesker / Nemesis / Firebrand. Wesker is a god, plain and simple. He has absolutely nothing wrong with him, and is the most overpowered character in the game. I got past my cheapness filter decided that since I was a Day 1 Wesker user in original MvC3, I earned my right. Nemesis is slow, but powerful. He has a command grab, and the resets to use them, so I think he'll pan out well. He's tough to use simply because he's huge, and his normals come out really slow. It'll be ok though. I learned some longer ground combos for him, so hopefully it'll give me an edge. Firebrand is a fast little bugger, great mixup, decent assists and a total nightmare in Lv3 XFactor. If one were to activate Xfactor and use his Luminous Body hyper, he becomes fast enough to do a nearly endless loop of down+heavy into a Fireball.
I am taking a break from it all, kind of. I'm mainly using Training mode to get a feel for how I can use my team, nothing online though. I finished Dead Space 2 so I kinda need a new time consuming game. As such, I'm trying to hunt down a copy of Tales of Vesperia that won't rape my bank account. I hear it's a fantastic RPG, so I have my fingers crossed on that one.
Til next time!
I don't know quite know why I enjoy the game to the point I do, nor why I obsess over trying to find my complete center mentally when it comes to it. Some days I feel like it's my dream come true, others I absolutely hate the game and never want to play it again. Such is the ebb and flow of a competitive fighting game. Nearly all my youtube outings are tourney footage of UMvC3, combo videos, tactics, protips, character analysis, you name it.
You see, I have this insatiable urge to get better at this game. My understanding of the game, and fighters as a whole, has really increased while playing this. I grasp how certain universal concepts to fighters work in their respective games much more thoroughly during gameplay on UMvC3. I'm constantly watching videos and sifting through forums, try to pick everyone's brain and find which characters I like work best on a team. The conflicting sections of my mind have a hard time coming to an agreement, mainly the cheap / fanboy / uniqueness vs. team synergy / utility factor in team.
Sometimes it's hard to pick. "I want to use ____, but everyone and their Mom uses ____. Though I could really have an easier time online using him." Or, "Damn, I really want to incorporate _____ into the team, but they lack stamina / power!" Or more recently, "I swore I would use _____, but I can't. I can't get in with _____." With UMvC3, picking the right team is extremely difficult at times, if you're looking for victory. One must balance your allegiance to a character, how comfortable you feel with them, their play style, their stats, their assists, their synergy on a team, how well you can use them, how easily they can open peoples defenses, and whatever other faculties you apply to roster choice.
Herein lies one problem though. I'm stuck in the stage where I'm trying to find my team. Others have moved on and started learning higher level play with said team, or have kept moving after original MvC3. I'm trying to find a team that's good, but won't shatter my notions of who I am as a person somehow. Trying to balance all the above without violating my anti overpowered character usage clause is tough. It may not seem like much to others, but to a gamer, it's rough.
My other problem lies with my own personal drive to play this game, or lack thereof. I'm no slouch at this game, I'm much better than any casual player that picked this game up, but definitely not higher rank material. UMvC3 does little to raise one's spirits to keep playing. Online play is good, but if your connection suffers even slightly, you'll find yourself unable to move during a match, pinned down my the fear of taking damage and the knowledge that the button you press probably won't make the motion come out in time. The matchmaking system seem kind of busted in my opinion. I can understand putting the 4 lowest ranks in one bracket (Amateur, Rookie, Fighter and 9th Lord), but after that, I think it'd be better to keep numbered brackets together.
When one searches for a match, or creates a match, you can choose Any Rank or Same Rank as a filter. But somehow, me being a 9th Lord and doing Same Rank, I'm pitted against people far above me. 8th and 7th Lords! How is this fair or a good idea? Each number has a few ranks to it, so why not place me against a 9th Scout or 9th Ranger? So after I get my face raped in a few times, I'm not exactly feeling the drive to keep going. Improved matchmaking can really help new players try to get ahead in ranked mode.
The way one's ranked is calculated is also pretty fucked. While one does seem to accrue points via victories online, a lot of it also has to do with one's Win / Loss ratio. You are actually able to go down a rank if you start getting whomped on for too long. Ok, to me, that seems to be a bit much. What kind of message does that send to your players if they shuffle from a 9th Lord down to a Fighter? Why would you even bother programming the ratio into your calculation formula? I ranked down from a 9th Ranger to a 9th Lord a couple times, it shatters your will sometimes.
As such, I'm at an impasse. Caught between my intrinsic need to improve upon my game, and my shattered will to go online and test it. I decided to reshuffle my team and am trying to learn a little synergy with them, but it's proving annoying. Simply because I have no idea what to really look for, you know? I lack to knowledge of what makes an A-List team, or rather, how to form one. I'm trying my best though, I think it just takes a little more understanding of the finer things.
I used to use Dr. Doom / Spider-Man / Vergil, but completely shuffled my stuff. Doom is absolutely great at what he does. He can either shut and opponent out and provide excellent defense, or completely entrap them and keep them under a barrage of weapons fire. I can never seem to penetrate defenses with Doom though, a lot of people use him, so everyone knows how to shut him down. Spider-Man is excellent at moving and keeping the proper distance for attacks, he's also capable of some lengthy solo-combos. Problem is, under laggy conditions, Spider-Man is nigh impossible to use because he require strict timing and execution to use. Vergil is amazing: staggering mixup, great pressure, good moveset, but he takes damage like a little girl, and has really unsafe normals.
So, I changed it around to people I like to use, and know my stuff with, mostly. Right now it's Wesker / Nemesis / Firebrand. Wesker is a god, plain and simple. He has absolutely nothing wrong with him, and is the most overpowered character in the game. I got past my cheapness filter decided that since I was a Day 1 Wesker user in original MvC3, I earned my right. Nemesis is slow, but powerful. He has a command grab, and the resets to use them, so I think he'll pan out well. He's tough to use simply because he's huge, and his normals come out really slow. It'll be ok though. I learned some longer ground combos for him, so hopefully it'll give me an edge. Firebrand is a fast little bugger, great mixup, decent assists and a total nightmare in Lv3 XFactor. If one were to activate Xfactor and use his Luminous Body hyper, he becomes fast enough to do a nearly endless loop of down+heavy into a Fireball.
I am taking a break from it all, kind of. I'm mainly using Training mode to get a feel for how I can use my team, nothing online though. I finished Dead Space 2 so I kinda need a new time consuming game. As such, I'm trying to hunt down a copy of Tales of Vesperia that won't rape my bank account. I hear it's a fantastic RPG, so I have my fingers crossed on that one.
Til next time!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Gamer's Eye
As a gamer, I'm constantly asked "What's your favorite game?" I shudder at the question because i can never choose a single game I truly enjoy at any time or that I can play forever. So, A couple people cobbled together a few categories. Well, sit down, I have quite a few to go through.
Zombie Related Games
Well, there's honestly only 3 flavors I can think of this genre having: Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead, and Dead Space. And since Dead Space is less of a zombie game and more of an Alien game, I'd have to say I like Resident Evil 1 Remake the best of all. It's the perfect blend of suspense, who-dunnit, horror, and action. The graphics on the cube are great, the game is much better than its PS1 original, and is always a ton of fun to play. I love the storyline, and the overall layout of the land, despite myself knowing it all, sometimes I forget things or find new camera angles. I adore REmake!
First and Third Person Shooters
Ahh yes, the genre of the bane of my gaming existence. I despise Call of Duty with everything I've got, that's no secret. But, since there's a plethora of shooters and only a few I've played: in the case of first person shooters Bioshock is my favorite. It fulfills my storyline requirement. Has a very ingenious system involving the Plasmids and upgrade system. Everything fits together so perfectly, and not many shooter games can do that for me. Out of the Third Person shooters: Dead Space hands fucking down. I love Dead Space, it was one of the few new games to scare the hell out of me on my first run. Lovely blend of story, action, fear, tension and all around awesomeness. I have to say Necromorphs are one of my favorite new generation enemy breeds. Something about an Alien bacteria contorting human corpses into vile, disturbing creatures totally rocks me.
Western and J RPG's
I've never really liked Western RPG's. I've yet to play one that made me want to keep playing. 9/10 times I drop the game pretty quick. I guess because the earliest RPG's I played were asian ones. Final Fantasy mainly, and Super Mario RPG. I had a rough time thinking about my favorite RPG. I finally concluded that it is Chrono Trigger though. Chrono Trigger is simple in many ways, but has a great story, amazing characters, great game mechanics and is overall just a great game. Runners Up were Final Fantasy IV and Persona 3 FES. FFIV was my first ever RPG and remains my favorite Final Fantasy in the series. P3FES has the most amazing story of any video game I've played, and extremely innovative mechanic and gameplay style, but it loses because of how much grinding you have to do. Although I really do love Kingdom Hearts, but it's more of a neo-action RPG than a classic one.
Fighters (2D and 3D)
Fighting games are probably the one genre I play the most. I have this insatiable urge to play them and get better, but constantly lose during online play. Of course, there's 2 styles here. 2D fighters in which your characters move on a single 2D plane, and 3D in which you can rotate or move freely on a 3D environment. I have massive hard on for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 in the 2D department. I constantly find myself playing this game, trying new teams, getting better, losing online, grinding for H&H cards, etc. Just overall love the game, it has a simple yet refined system and and amazing cast, though not without it's unbalanced characters. As far as 3D fighters go, I have to say Soul Calibur 2 takes that one. I played the hell out of the Xbox version of that game. The cast was really interesting, and the game played like a dream. It's fuckin' SOUL CALIBUR! Plus the Xbox version had Spawn as an exclusive!
Racing (Arcade and Sim)
This one is short, because I've never been a big fan of racing games. My favorite one? Mario Kart Wii. Why? Two Words: Dry Bones
Shoot 'Em Ups and Space Shooters
I believe this prevents confusion with your category Ryan, haha. Anyways, these are kinda of dying breeds without being in the Indie Games category. Shmups usually follow the walk-sideways-and-shoot-stuff formula, akin to Super Turrican on the SNES. Space Shooters are games like R-Type, Gradius, 1942 and other games. Shmups is easily taken by a certain series in my mind: Contra. Contra is friggin' hard, but somehow coerces you into playing it more. The bosses range from giant robots to giant blobs with baby heads. It's awesome, it's over the top, it's fun. Space Shooters, I actually narrow it down to one game; Gradius III on the SNES. The music is addicting, so is the action, the weapons are awesome, and the bosses rule! Worth playing for sure, but it is rather difficult.
Visual Novels
Actually, I've only really played one. And that one is.... Hotel Dusk on the Nintendo DS. I haven't even beaten yet, but I love the style!
Dating Sims
I've never really played a dating sim before, unless you count certain parts of Catherine.
Real-time Strategy
Well, like any good nerd, I got into this in the era of Warcraft. However, WC was completely eclipsed when Dad brought home Starcraft ! I had never played anything like it before. There were humans (feh!), Organic aliens (Zerg, whoo!!), and advanced aliens (Protoss, eh.) I've always loved playing as non human entities, and the savage Zerg were totally up my alley. I never really forgot my experiences with Starcraft, the story was amazingly well done, the characters were all memorable, the mechanics were unlike anything I'd played before, and everything looked so good! Easily my favorite, and I've yet to play SC2.
Life Sims
If you want to get technical, my favorite life sim would have to be Seventh Cross Evolution on the Dreamcast. You start as an amoeba eating particles, then grow into a snake eating small organisms, then into a reptilian based fish thing. As you eventually find a stone monolith thingy, you can draw pattern to create new evolutions for your animal. Examples being, a bone covered chest, bladed arms, and bipedal legs. You start off fighting crabs around your lake, and once you make new evolutions, your creature is able to explore new areas and take on new enemies. I never knew what the story was or what the games objective was. I was too young to know or try to know. I just remember it being fresh, and new!
Platformer (2D and 3D)
Ahh yes, my original genre. My first game was Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I wasn't very good, but I was playing it! Platformers are very hard to come by these days, good ones at least. In 2D, Super Castlevania IV is my favorite. It's everything you love about old timey Castlevania wrapped up in a visually pleasing 16 bit package! The controls are much less clunky, everything looked fresh, and the music is addicting as hell! nothing really bad about this game except how hard the last levels are. I've barely played any 3D platformers, mainly because I find them difficult to control, since no one quite knows how to make a good one. However, one game still did it 100% right in my mind: Super Mario 64 . This is the game that I judge most 3D platformers by. Everything is really good about this game, the only real gripe I have is with the camera. In certain areas it can be a pain, but it functions just fine everywhere else!
Well, there you have it everyone! I hope you enjoy it! ^^
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