For anyone still waiting for something to come out of this blog, I’m sorry about my neglect. Yes, I’m still alive, and yes, I still have an interest in blogging. And I honestly have no valid excuse for the lack of posts aside from laziness and a greater interest in actually gaming rather than writing about it. That, and my company finally upgraded my nigh-three-year-old work computer, so the time I might’ve spent jotting thoughts down while waiting for stuff to compile or load is now spent actually being productive.
Anyway, what am I up to these days? Two things, mostly: BlazBlue
I watched the Evo 2k9 live stream almost a month ago. (It was every bit as epic as I had imagined it would be!) I was tempted to write about it (and I still probably will when I can gather my thoughts on the state of fighting games), but I realized that I’m starting to blog (or at least think) a lot about fighting games and I’d rather try to vary the subject for those that aren’t as interested in the genre.
Oh, and thanks to modern technology, I got a neat peek at my little nublet, who’s less than three months away from entering the world of loud noises and bright lights. He looks something like this:
He’s a feisty sucker. But he respects Daddy. He hasn’t kicked me in the face. Yet. Although I’m quite convinced that my persistent vocal intrusion into Mommy’s cavernous belly will soon persuade him to try.
He looks like meee!!
Hello,
I would just like to say that I, personally, would be interested in reading about fighting games. I play Guilty Gear XX Accent Core competitively, and I also enjoy Third Strike and King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match. I have Blazblue, but I haven’t played it much. It doesn’t live up to it’s hype, and I consider Accent Core to be a much better game.
To say the least, Blazblue’s throw system ruins it for me. A good tick throw set-up can win you a match in almost fighting game, but not Blazblue. Why? You have roughly 15-16 frames to break a throw and throws have a start-up of 7 frames – giving you more than enough time to just move out of the way or punish accordingly. Rolling and emergency teching removes any okizeme game – mix-ups, cross-ups, tick throws on wake up. There is more than that, but it’s late, and I haven’t really played that game that much. Maybe there is more to it. Maybe there isn’t. Unless Accent Core dies out, I don’t see a need to find out just yet.
Anyway, I would love to read more about fighting games. I just wish I could have made it to EVO.
Well regarding BlazBlue, to each his own, I guess. I’m personally glad that it differentiates itself from Guilty Gear.
I’m familiar with Sirlin’s “BlazBlue’s throw is garbage” argument, but I have two counter-arguments: 1) everyone I play with pretty much agrees that his argument is moot because you STILL see people getting thrown, even at high-level play. In theory, throw startup is huge compared to something like Street Fighter, but a seven-frame reaction time is still a tiny window. Throw escapes, in most fighting games, have always been about anticipation and NOT reaction. So if you’re not anticipating the throw, escaping it is going to be difficult, even with fifteen or whatever frames to do so. 2) Even if a fighting game reduces the significance or effectiveness of throws, I don’t see why that’s a problem. Just because a game bucks traditional genre conventions doesn’t make it bad. It makes it a different game. Which is what I wanted. If you want Guilty Gear, you have Guilty Gear. If you want Street Fighter, you have Street Fighter. Why impose the conventions of those games on an entirely different one?
The same thing goes for the okizeme. I’m not 100% familiar with all of the okizeme options, but the mind games are definitely there. Rolling is punishable because it has loads of vulnerable frames. Any kind of teching allows the attacking player to play a guessing game because (assuming good timing and/or a meaty attack), the attacker can theoretically hit the opponent with an attack before theirs can hit because of the frame advantage. I’ll agree the okizeme is a lot more obscured than in other fighting games, but to say it’s non-existent is just wrong. Also, BlazBlue is unique to me in that the game has a lot of persistent state. So even if you didn’t play the okizeme mindgame, most characters can put themselves at an advantage with knockdown by modifying the game state to their benefit. Arakune can put out a cloud. Carl can summon or reposition Nirvana. Rachel can setup more poles or put out the pumpkin or the frog. Litchi can plant her staff. v-13 can run away for her ideal cross-screen positioning. Iron Tager can charge (though this is probably very risky). Compare this with Street Fighter, where neglecting the okizeme equals a reset. This is just not true for many characters in BlazBlue.
Anyway, I hope to write something later about the things I like about BlazBlue. You should definitely give it another chance. Just don’t go in expecting a Guilty Gear clone. Try to treat it as it’s own game, and you might like it.