Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Hello Esaka

Being a 360 owner isn't easy if you play fighting games. You'll go into an IRC channel for the first time and ask if anyone's up for some games on XBL, only to find out that nearly everyone owns a PS3 instead.

Don't let that opening paragraph fool you: this isn't about console wars or any petty bullshit like that. If I had my way, I'd have a PS3 in addition to my 360 and I'd be mashing Gundam netplay day and night.

It's just nice that, for once, being a 360 owner pays off.

PS3 owners are going to have to wait until next month to get their hands on EX Kyo, due to a "technical problem" (whatever the hell that means). 360 owners, on the other hand, were able to purchase him yesterday.

I've already had a tremendous amount of fun with EX Kyo, and I haven't even used him against a live opponent yet. If you ask me, he's stronger than regular Kyo due to having a better neutral game (thanks in no small part to his rekkas) and better HD combos. I may even go as far as to call him... the best character in the game. But! If it turns out to be someone else (my second bet is EX Iori), I'll gladly eat those words.

But god damn, just look at this. He has ways out of his own safejumps for fuck's sake.



Don't worry, I've already asked Santa for a tripod.

Friday, December 2, 2011

KOF Training: Month 1

Well, XIII has only been out for two weeks, so I guess this technically isn't a month, but whatever.

Mostly just been grinding out HD combos in training mode like a real Mexican. I have Andy's Zaneiken -> Kuuhadan break loop down pat, as well as the confirms for it. Not terribly difficult stuff, mind you, but very useful.

For Shen I've just been practicing random HD combos, though I honestly don't think I'm even going to use most of them. I also am fundamentally against ending combos with explosion, but whatever.

I actually feel pretty silly over my troubles with Vice's HD combos because I entirely forgot that C shoulder combos into D Decide. Whoops. Well, now I know again and it's really piss easy.


I just finished playing 98 online for the first time in months. I played (and lost) about 40 games against Laban, which is typical fare whenever we play. While I know my sense of spacing is still weak in KOF (and bad habits carrying over from Guilty Gear isn't helping with that), I do feel that I am improving. I just need to play more, which isn't easy when you can't travel and your internet sucks.

After our matches, Laban told me to fundamentally change the way I approach my spacing game. This advice struck a chord with me because a large part of the reason KOF appealed to me when I first tried it last year was because it felt like a game that could change my fundamentals for the better. Of course, it would be much easier to adjust my playstyle if I knew exactly how my options were supposed to be used, but that's something I guess I'll have to work on.

It's times like this that I regret ever playing Guilty Gear. Had I started playing CVS2 when I first started playing fighting games instead, I'd not only have played against much better players, I'd be a much better player myself. Not to say that everything I've learned is fundamentally wrong, but unlearning 3.5 years of experience isn't an easy thing to do. But, if I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't be trying. Here's to hoping I can play a lot of KOF this month.