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Besides being the battleground for the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, EVO has become a hotbed for fighting game news. Below are just a few of the big news stories to come out of this year’s event!
Thoughts on NBA Playgrounds Ver. 1.1.3 Patch on the Nintendo Switch
Saber Interactive and Nintendo left NBA Playgrounds players in the cold as their squabbles over patching policies caused a major update to be left hanging for months. With the NBA season having wrapped up weeks ago and with other Nintendo Switch games available to keep players occupied, I would imagine that any interest in this game died long ago. While it’s great that Saber Interactive finally did right by Nintendo Switch gamers, is this a case of too little, too late?
Santorini Review
Santorini is a gorgeous game. The main board sits atop a stand that makes it look like its a raised island. Each worker figure is detailed. Most impressive are the building blocks, which form intricate buildings with clearly defined windows and stairs.
But high production values does not a good game make. Is this a game worthy of its beautiful components and somewhat steep price point?
EVO 2017 Starts Today!
The biggest open fighting game tournament in the world begins today!
From July 14-16th, the Evolution Championship Series brings thousands of fighting game players from around the world to compete in nine of the biggest games. This year’s lineup includes:
- Street Fighter V
- Injustice 2
- Tekken 7
- Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction
- King of Fighters: XIV
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
If you’re not in Vegas to watch the action, fret not! You can watch on the following Twitch channels:
I’ll be glued to the computer all weekend watching as much of the action I can. Get hype!
Breaking Down the ARMS 2.0 Patch
The latest update for ARMS is a doozy. Featuring the inclusion of a new playable character, a new stage, and balance changes, this is the biggest shake-up to the game to-date. If you want to see the full patch notes, head over to Nintendo for those. Otherwise, come with me for my breakdown of what’s new!
NBA Playgrounds FINALLY Gets Patched on the Nintendo Switch
NBA Playgrounds launched in a rough state. Featuring blurry visuals in handheld mode and a confusing shooting system while lacking online play, the game fell short of rekindling the NBA Jam fire. Not all hope was lost when developer Saber Interactive promised a patch that would magically fix everything. Unfortunately for Switch owners, the patch just arrived, months after the fact.
The wait has been terrible. I’m guessing by this point, everyone who bought the game has moved on. But maybe this patch will at least give those players incentive to try it again. The game now looks a bit better in handheld mode, sports online play, and now has a shot meter to make it clear when you need to release the button in order to make the basket. Furthermore, accuracy has been tuned in order to make layups easier and 3-pointers harder.
At some point, I’ll stream this game again to show off the new updates. I might write some sort of impressions piece as well as a means of closing out my review. Not sure if I can recommend prospective buyers from jumping in now, but at the very least, fans who felt burned by NBA Playgrounds the first time around may finally get the game we were hoping for.
Buy The Nintendo Switch Now From Amazon.com
Box of Rocks Review
Are you smarter than a box of rocks? The answer may surprise you. Box of Rocks is a trivia game in which players work together to compete against…a box of rocks. How hard could it possibly be?
Magical Drop II Review
While we continue to anxiously await for Nintendo to reveal their full plans for the Virtual Console on the Nintendo Switch, Neo Geo continues to release their extended catalogue on the eShop. One such game is Magical Drop II. This puzzle game from the 90s is akin to a mash-up of Bust-a-Move and Puyo Puyo. In a world where Puyo Puyo Tetris is available, is there merit in grabbing this retro puzzler?
Ninjara throw spam in ARMS is easily countered. Here’s how you do it!
As a perfect continuation about the miseducation of fighting game players post from a few days ago, a post from Kotaku perfectly highlighted my point about how misinformed opinions can take life and spread. In it, author Cecilia D’Anastasio highlights a common tactic that Ninjara players use in ARMS to score grabs. She even provides an example in the above gif.
Let’s use this as teachable moment to break down how to counter this particular tactic while breaking down the notion that throws are not cheap in ARMS.
Pokemon Go: One Year Later
Exactly one year ago, Niantic and the Pokemon Company unleashed Pokemon Go onto the Earth. It became a supernova of a game that everyone was talking about and playing. Then, almost as quickly as it arrived, it fizzled out. While the game will never hit the highs of its early days, it still has a large and loyal following, including yours truly.
In Third Person 