In the silver age of fighting games that we currently live in, eSports has become a key factor in the success of every game in the market. From having thousands of players compete in Street Fighter every year at EVO, to a niche game like Skullgirls maintaining its scene with smaller-scale events, to the millions of viewers who tune in through streams, the eSports aspect of fighting games keeps them relevant long after launch. With ARMS having been out for a few months now, let’s discuss whether this game has what it takes to thrive in the world of eSports.
video game culture
Playing Video Games for Fun vs. Playing Video Games for Sport
I am a lifelong video game fan. I’m also a fan of playing fighting games at a competitive level. While both paths allow me to enjoy video games, they diverge in very different ways. Playing video games for fun usually means playing lots of different types of video games. Playing games for sport generally requires you to focus on playing one game until you have hit a certain level of mastery. It’s very hard to do both.
A Look Back at WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
From R.O.B. the Robot, to Wii Music, to ARMS, Nintendo is no stranger to all things weird. Back in 2003, their most unusual contribution to gaming was WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! In a time when mini games were still hot, Wario and his new friends starred in a Gameboy Advance game would push the genre to ridiculously short lengths.
Our First Legendary Pokemon Go Run
Not long after the disaster that was Pokemon Go Fest concluded, Niantic unleashed the legendary birds Lugia and Articuno on gyms all over the world. While it sucks that those in Chicago got burned by cellphone carrier overloads and server errors, the Toronto experience seemed to be unaffected. The following morning, my wife, mother-in-law and I head out on a quest to catch these new Pokemon.
ARMS is Confirmed to Appear as a Tournament Game at EVO Japan 2018
The biggest name in fighting game tournaments is heading to Japan in 2018 and they’re taking Nintendo’s latest fighter with them. Alongside of the likes of Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, and King of Fighters XIV, EVO will be hosting an ARMS tournament as part of its lineup.
Over the past month or so, I’ve been batting around a post about the eSports viability of ARMS. In short, as much as I love the game, I think it has an uphill battle to cultivate a scene around it. However, a presence at EVO Japan is a great step forward. Maybe this is the perfect excuse to finally take my wife to Japan for our dream vacation!
My 5 Favourite Characters in Fighting Games
Character choice means everything in a fighting game. It’s about the moves that your character has. The strengths and weaknesses they have. Their look. Their back story. All of this ends up being a reflection of you and how you like to play any given fighting game.
For the fighting games I play, this very much applies to me. Characters that I use need to look cool and fit my play style. If they don’t fit both, I have a hard time being effective with them or finding the motivation to get better. As such, here’s my five favourite fighting game characters!
The ARMS Struggle is Real
During the Global Testpunch, I thought ARMS was going to be a walk in the park. I was throwing hands like Kimbo Slice, dropping almost every opponent in sight while collecting 100+ coins during each hourly interval. Figured that I would waltz my way to the top of the rankings in no time.
It didn’t take long for reality to smack me in the face with fists powered by springy arms. Everything past rank 6 has been a struggle. I touched rank 10, only to be beat down dozens of times in a row and fall back down to Earth. Just like every other fighting game out there, I’m gonna have to earn it just like everyone else.
ARMS and the Continued Miseducation of Fighting Game Players
I am currently smitten with ARMS. Nintendo’s newest title is a novel take on the fighting game that is one of the most accessible fighters in quite some time. For a brief moment, I thought that maybe this would be the game that magically conquers the genre’s accessibility problem. After browsing online to see the response from players on message boards, Reddit, and Twitter, it was clear that this was not the case.
Just like with any other fighting game, there were complaints about throws being too cheap. About certain characters (coughcoughNinjaracoughcough) being too overpowered. Some were calling the game a mindless waggle-fest or button-masher. Â You don’t have to look far to find opinions rooted in conjecture. The reality is that getting a wider audience to understand and enjoy fighting games at a satisfying level far more complicated than just creating a simplified game.
5 Great Games Left Off the Super Nintendo Classic
The Super Nintendo Classic is launching with a bevy of timeless classics. It will be well worth the suggested retail price upon it’s release in September. However, I couldn’t help but notice a few large omissions from this list. Wish the following games could have made it on the console!
Nintendo Joy-Con Controllers as a Fashion Accessory
From the different coloured editions of the original Gameboy, to the Pikachu edition of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo is the king of incentivizing the purchase of additional hardware through cosmetic changes. They first got me years ago when I bought a limited edition NES-themed version of the Gameboy Advance SP, even though I already owned a standard edition.
This time, I think Nintendo might have hit the jackpot with its multi-coloured Joy-Con controllers.
In Third Person 
