video games

Street Fighter V and My Urien Problem

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My interest in Street Fighter V cooled off for a number of reasons. One, certain aspects of the way the game was designed mechanically didn’t jive with the way I like to play fighting games. Two, I had a very difficult time coming to grips with my first 0-2 defeat at Red Bull Proving Grounds. Finally, I was getting destroyed by every Urien player in sight.

Introduced near the middle of season 1, Urien is a force to be reckoned with. He has a killer tool-set that allows him to dominate in many ranges while being able to string together lengthy combos for massive damage. Best/worst of all is his Aegis Reflector V-Trigger, that is unparalleled as a tool for starting combos, extending combos, and creating reset opportunities.

Each time I matched up against a Urien player, it was like watching the same movie over-and-over. I would either get beaten to a pulp, or strike Urien enough to allow him to activate his V-Trigger and turn the tables on me. After piling up loss-after-loss, my motivation to play the game fell through the floor.

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Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Review

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Rushed out the door in 2016 to coincide with Capcom Cup, Street Fighter V was released in an embarrassingly bare-bones state. While I initially praised the game for its great gameplay and detailed graphics, the launch product was woefully lacking in many ways. From a single-player suite that didn’t include a traditional arcade mode, to unstable netcode, to menu items that had “coming soon” messaging as placeholders, the sorry state that the game debuted in negatively impacted sales and public perception in a big way. Had it not gained a foothold as the premier fighting game esport, this game would have fallen off a cliff into obscurity.

Despite the bungled launch, Capcom has continually put in the effort to improve the product. In the summer of 2016, they added a story mode as a free update. The netcode has been stabilized for the most part. They’ve even added 12 more characters as paid DLC to boost the current roster size to 28, with another six on the way. Unlike those incremental fixes and updates, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is a sizable step towards the game that this should have been all along.

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Nintendo is Thinking Outside of the Box With Nintendo Labo

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…what?

In a world where companies are racing towards 4K resolutions and virtual reality, Nintendo’s next technological innovation is…cardboard.

Nintendo Labo is a line of kid-focused games that incorporate the use of cardboard in a variety of different ways. In the example video shown, cardboard is used to make a piano, where the tablet sits in the middle. There’s a bug with Joy Con controllers on the sides that moves through HD rumble and inputs from the tablet. The most insane example is a full-on cardboard mech suit with a headset to mount the screen directly in front of your face.

…WHAT?!?!?

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Dragon Ball FighterZ Open Beta Matches

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Some of my first matches in this stunning fighting game. Dragon Ball FighterZ is out at the end of the month!

Buy Dragon Ball FighterZ Now From Amazon.com

Out Now – Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition

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Today’s the day!

To Capcom’s credit, they’ve made many updates prior to this in order to improve the half-baked version of Street Fighter V they put out in 2016. But the Arcade Edition update is the first truly major shake-up to the game. Now including a long-awaited arcade mode, multiple V-Triggers for each character, new modes and more, the package here is probably what should have come out in the first place.

If you don’t have Street Fighter V yet, now’s a good time to jump in. At a discounted price, you’ll get the disc plus the first two seasons of DLC characters, raising your base roster up to 28. If you already own Street Fighter V, you’ll get the update for free, albeit without the extra characters.

Admittedly, my interest for the game has fallen off quite a bit. However, I will give this a go and maybe there’s enough improvements here to keep me around!


Buy Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Now From Amazon.com

Riptide GP: Renegade on the Nintendo Switch Review

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After the hey day of Wave Race 64 and Jet Moto in the mid 90s, jet ski racing games fell off the face of the earth. It’s a shame that they did, as the inclusion of water physics makes for a racing experience unlike anything else on the marketplace. Originally released last year on other consoles, Riptide GP: Renegade aims to take advantage of this deficiency by being more or less the only game in town. While I’ve only played a few hours of the single player, I did want to note down some early thoughts on this one.

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Floor Kids Impressions

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Floor Kids is a rhythm game about the art of breakdancing. Available on the Nintendo eShop, players will break it down to original music by DJ Kid Koala. Hip-hop video games are few and far between, but is this one worth trying based on its concept alone?

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I Stumbled Upon a Desktop PC

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My work is in the midst of moving. As part of the process, they were letting go of a few PCs that were no longer needed. What seemed like a long-term goal of obtaining a computer capable of producing a modern-quality stream got a bit closer.

This machine isn’t exactly top-of-the-line, but it’s a step up from my laptop. Once my wife and I settle into our new home, I’ll try it out and see how things go. Having had my coworker look it over, he also gave me a list of things to upgrade on it if need be.

I know that video content continues to be a pain point of the In Third Person experience, but this is a step in the right direction. Stay tuned for more video content from In Third Person!

For Honor Impressions

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Who wins in the ultimate battle between knights, vikings, and samurai? Ubisoft hopes you can answer that question by playing For Honor. This novel game mashes up elements from team-based shooters and fighting games to create something unique. Does this battle between some of mankind’s greatest warriors live up to the hype?

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My Game of the Year for 2017 is…

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Game of the year is a weird award for an individual person to reward. Who am I, as one man, to make a bold declaration on which one of the thousands of video games is the best? Especially when I’ve probably played less than 20 of them this year?

The reality is, I can declare my own personal game of the year just like anyone else. How one comes to that conclusion is irrelevant. For me, it’s all about which game I played this year was the best and most impactful, with a tendency to weight the latter more heavily. In a year where I named Catherine my game of the year over Skyrim, I still believe I made the right call. I clamor for the day when a sequel to Catherine would arrive, though I’ve been largely over Skyrim since I completed it years ago.

Enough with the preamble. My 2017 game of the year is….

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