Having sold over two million copies and ranking as the 8th most played game on the Nintendo Switch in 2017, the odds of the ARMS franchise returning in some form are pretty high. While we may not see a sequel for quite some time based on Nintendo’s track record of generally releasing only one game of each franchise on a platform, here’s a few things I would want to see in a successor to ARMS!
fighting games
Initial Thoughts on What We’ve Seen of Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid So Far
Admittedly, I haven’t followed the Power Rangers since their original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers run in the early 90s. Having said that, I know the franchise continues to thrive with new stories being told in that universe all the time on TV, in comic books, and even in the theatres. As far as games go, Power Rangers: Legacy Wars has been a popular mobile fighting game for some time.
Now the Power Rangers are jumping back onto home platforms, and hopefully leaving the most broken fighting game character of all-time behind. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a 3v3 tag fighter that stars a whole bunch of rangers from different generations. I have my concerns, but I also have hopes that this won’t be terrible.
I like the idea of this being a tag fighter. The Power Rangers fight as a team, so of course they would team up. This looks to borrow the basic framework established by the Marvel vs. Capcom series, where you control one “point” character, while the others can be called upon to perform assist moves.
From the little we’ve seen in the trailer, it looks like the game is going to make good use of this mechanic. In this one GIF above, the classic red ranger does a move that allows him to dash behind his opponent, while his yellow ranger assist continues to hit him from the front. Classic tag fighter tactics right there.
However, the animation of the game gives me pause. Movements look stiff in a way that is jarring to my eye. Combine that with the game’s overall pedestrian presentation, and I’m a bit concerned with how the game is shaping up.
At the very least, I’m glad to see the developers taking this game at least somewhat seriously. Fighting game legend Justin Wong has announced that he’s involved in the project in a consultant role. Not sure what his abilities are as a fighting game designer, but he’s phenomenal at playing them, even if he did lose to me once (and no, I will never let him live that down). Hoping his expertise helps take the project to the next level while possibly opening up more career opportunities for him!
We won’t have to wait too long to see how Power Rangers: Battle of the Grid turns out. The game is set for release this spring. Fingers crossed that it shapes up to be a quality fighter!
Buy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Switch Now From Amazon.com
[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]
Fight of Gods – Jesus Combo Video
Christ has risen! Jesus breaks out of the cross in order to wreck shop in this Fight of Gods combo video!
Buy BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle Now From Amazon.com
[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]
Fight of Gods Review
On the third day he rose again…to fight? Jesus stars in Fight of Gods, where he and other religious figures partake in immortal combat for reasons that are never fully explained. The core concept behind the game was intriguing enough for me to give it a try. Does Fight of Gods provide an otherworldly fighting game experience?
The Parallels Between Overwatch and Street Fighter
Up until my time with Overwatch, shooters for me have been primarily an exercise of precision shooting. In games where each character is only really defined by the gun they wield, differences in weapon and equipment don’t really do much to separate one player from another. Especially in games where players can hold multiple guns and carry different equipment, the only real differences are the players themselves. I know there will be hardcore shooter players that will call shenanigans on that statement, but let me continue. Even in a game like Splatoon, where shooting isn’t necessarily the goal of the game, you still all play as the same default characters with adjustments to equipment. I have enjoyed a number of shooters in my day, but most of them haven’t really sunk their teeth into me.
Until Overwatch. Granted, Team Fortress 2 did it first, but Overwatch stands out from the pack for straying beyond the default soldier with different weapons approach. The term “hero shooter” exists thanks to games like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and Paladins. In a lot of ways, my reasons for loving Overwatch are similar to why I love Street Fighter and other types of fighting games.
Lucario Saves the World One Spirit at a Time in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!
This fighting Pokemon carries my team as we try and defeat everyone in World of Light!
Want to watch live? Follow me on Twitch @inthirdperson!
Buy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Switch Now From Amazon.com
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review
70+ characters, including every single playable character from past iterations. 100+ stages. 800+ songs. Virtually no game has gone to the lengths that Super Smash Bros. has in order to earn the Ultimate moniker. The numbers are certainly there, but does the package come together to create the definitive Super Smash Bros. experience?
Jesus lives on Nintendo Switch! Fight of Gods out now in Asian markets with English release details to follow soon.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate seemingly has everyone on its roster. But does it have Jesus? Fight of Gods does.
First released as a Steam Early Access game in 2017, Fight of Gods already had a novel concept going for it, as it’s a fighting game where Gods of different faiths duke it out. But it really caught the spotlight (and my attention) when Jesus was added to the roster. There’s a sizable portion of the world that’s going to take offense to his inclusion in any game, let alone one where he’s battling other Gods. As such, I never thought this game would see the light of day on a console.
But surprise! In Asian regions (or if you have an Asian eShop account), you can buy Fight of Gods on the Nintendo Switch eShop today. Also, based on the tweet from the developers above, the game is coming out in English, though they specifically don’t mention in what region. I’m hopeful for a North American release, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that never sees the light of day in the western world.
Unlocking More Characters and Fighting Online in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!
Unlocking characters is a real struggle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Though I lose to a few on the stream, I would end up unlocking a bunch more through a series of Classic mode plays. I also take part in an extended set of matches with long-time viewer Muligoon! GG!
Buy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Switch Now From Amazon.com
To buy or not to buy a Street Fighter II arcade machine? Jason and Randy weigh in!
I bring Jason and Randy into my internal debate on whether I should buy an Arcade1Up Street Fighter II arcade cabinet. We then talk about their arcade lineup, which has some other surprisingly good machines in it!
Buy The Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection Now From Amazon.com
In Third Person 