Haven’t bought more copies of Street Fighter II in my lifetime than I’d like to admit, Capcom is clawing at my wallet yet again. This time, the Super NES version of this classic returns in a playable cartridge. Along with the other goodies that come with the package, this limited release will run you $100.
Late last night, I took an initial test drive of Menat in Street Fighter V. It remains to be seen how good she’ll be in the long run, but so far, she seems to have a ton of potential. That is, if you can come to grips with her myriad of intricacies.
Having made her first appearance in Ed’s story mode as “Fortune Teller”, Menat is finally revealed as the latest playable character in Street Fighter V. As Rose’s apprentice, she appears to have a number of her mentor’s moves, as well as a few tricks of her own. All I can say is….
I was so close. Like, thisclose.
My goal in ARMS is to hit rank 20. The highest rank in the game. After making a breakthrough in my play style, I got all the way up to rank 19 with just a few wins shy of 20. Then, it all fell apart.
A few internet issues caused the game to unfairly penalize me with rage quitting, combined with a ton of losses against stiff competition and my ranking has fallen off of a cliff.
After many losses and having thrown my controller more times than I can count, I think it’s time to take a break before I destroy my controller, my dignity, and my sanity.
Save for the Smash Bros. series, Nintendo hasn’t been much of a player in the fighting game scene since the SNES days. Once Nintendo alienated fighting game makers with cartridge-based systems and controller designs that didn’t lend themselves well towards the genre, they left for greener pastures.
To this day, if you want to keep up with any of the juggernauts in fighting games, the Nintendo Switch still isn’t the console for you. However, if you’re looking for some under-the-radar hits, retro titles and the inevitable release of Smash Bros., the Switch might be worth a look.
During the beta for ARMS, I was crushing my opposition with an iron fist. It got me thinking that I was going to waltz to the top of the leaderboard. Within hours of first playing the final game, it was me that was repeatedly falling to the canvas. There were nights where I would go on massive losing streaks that would cause me to lose ranks that usually ended with me throwing my controller. Forget about reaching the top of the world, I had to look in the mirror and ask myself if I was actually trash at this game.
Refusing to give up, I kept practicing. Kept making mental notes of all of the different ways I could improve. Having wallowed in the middle ranks for weeks, I’ve turned a corner and am making a strong push to reach rank 20, the highest rank in the game. Here are some things I’ve observed along the way!
Nintendo’s oddball fighter proved to be a heavyweight at retailers worldwide. First, it debuted at #2 on the U.K. charts, only behind an on promotion Horizon Zero Dawn. Then, its debut in Japan almost outsold the debuts of Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V combined. Most recently, NPD data shows that ARMS performed extremely well in the US, reaching #5 with 256,000 units sold physically and digitally. For a game that left many of us scratching our heads when upon its reveal in January, ARMS has become a hit.
Movement is key in ARMS. Having the ability to simultaneously weave between your opponents punches while being able to move into the perfect position to land a shot of your own is pivotal to one’s success. In particular, dashing sideways has become a popular technique for evading punches, as it becomes increasingly difficult for the attacker to land a clean punch as you weave in and out of view. Spring Man players tend to use this maneuver a lot in tandem with their parry, as they get the benefit of parrying your punches while moving into the perfect position to counter.
Strafing is a very powerful tool in the arsenal. Players who don’t know any better can easily get frustrated as their punches continually whiff against dashes. Thankfully, there’s a way to blow this tactic up, especially against players who abuse it. The trick is exploit the fixed trajectory of their dash.
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!
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:
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!
In Third Person 