Fraud detected! Though I may be lukewarm on Divekick, that doesn’t mean I can’t provide any useful tips for players looking to be the next Uncle Sensei. Head over to Splitkick for all of the details!
Check out the Kickstart Guide to Divekick on Splitkick.com
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Fighting games are some of the most difficult and intimidating to learn. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by all of the variables at play, from complex button inputs, to a seemingly endless stream of online competition ready to beat you to a pulp and brag about it. Even fights against the computer can prove difficult when it appears to have a counter to all of your tactics. How does one get better at fighting games?
Before the advent of training mode, all you could do was suck until you eventually didn’t suck. Then training modes became standard on console fighters, though it was mostly used as a place to practice combos rather than actually learning the nuances of combat. As a means of addressing this shortcoming, fighting game developers have implemented tutorial-like modes into their games. However, I still feel like they’ve all fallen short in some way or another. The end result is the fact that most games in the genre do an inadequate job of teaching players how to actually play, which will drive those dedicated enough to seek information elsewhere, or drive others (maybe most) away.
What can fighting game creators do to help players become better grasp their games? I think they’re almost there, but not quite. Why?
If you’ve ever played a fighting game with another person before, I’m sure you’ve discussed the hot-button topic of which character is best. You may have tried to rank these characters from best to worst. For a handful of seriously dedicated individuals, you may have even gone through the painstaking process of trying to mathematically calculate that pecking order.
Tier lists are a hotly-debated topic in any sort of competitive game. For better or worse, their presence in the competitive fighting games can’t be understated. In today’s world of online discussion and information transfer, you’re just a Google search away from finding dozens of different tier lists for any given fighting game written by players with various levels of understanding. Before you cling to a tier list written by a random message board user as fact, let’s take a moment to learn what tier lists are, how they work and what they’re good for.
Many moons ago, I wrote a post about how to read frame data. While this post is great on its own (and is one of the most popular on my site) I never got around to providing any practical applications of frame data. In this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, I’ll provide an explanation for frame advantage and a practical use for it, which is crucial to grasp if you’re looking to elevate your game.
Before you read through this, I strongly recommend going back and reading my guide that explains how to read frame data. This particular edition of the guide won’t do you much good if you don’t understand the basics of frame data, so please check that out first. If you’ve already done that or already know the basics, then let’s move on with the show.
Since his release as a DLC character in Injustice: Gods Among Us, Scorpion has quickly risen in popularity. This is partially due to him being the most recognizable character from Mortal Kombat, but also because he seems unstoppable. At this point in the game’s life, you’re bound to run into a ton of Scorpion players that are all abusing the same stuff. With this mini guide, you won’t have to just sit there and take a beating from this demon ninja. Instead, give him hell with these tips!
(one of many hate messages I received from a salty Deathstroke player in Injustice: Gods Among Us)
I hate the word ‘cheap’. In the world of fighting games, ‘cheap’ is most overused and misused word in the vernacular. It is a word that does more damage to the fighting game community than most people think. When someone takes a loss, many are quick to dismiss their own mistakes and learning opportunities by using the word as a flimsy crutch. With that mentality, most players will never get anywhere in a fighting game.
Losing to something ‘cheap’ isn’t the problem. Odds are, what you lost to wasn’t cheap at all. Heck, if you were willing to put in the time and effort to actually improve your abilities, you probably could have a viable counter ready for any tactic that is perceived as cheap. In this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, we’ll talk about the word cheap, what it means and why you should stop using it immediately for the sake of your growth as a fighting game player.
The recent release of Injustice: Gods Among Us has brought forth a new wave of players immediately flocking towards characters and tactics that some may define as ‘cheap’. As of writing, Deathstroke is a wildly popular character because his gun special moves seem to do a great job at keeping others at bay. Sinestro is also a popular choice, as players early on are struggling to get away from his boulder drop. This has sparked a lot of whining and complaining from others whose only defence is to cry foul.
Yes, I’ve lost to my fair share of Deathstroke and Sinestro players, but this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide is not here to chastise these supposed cheapskates. Instead, I want to talk about the phenomenon of day one tactics and why players should spend more time playing instead of whining.
Striking while the iron is hot, here’s my Kickstart Guide to Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition! Unlike my Universal Fighting Game Guide stuff, this is game-specific and a bit more simplified so that even beginners can gain a quick knowledge boost. Definitely worth a read if you’re looking to level up in the world’s hottest fighting game.
Check out my Kickstart Guide to Super Street IV: Arcade Edition on Splitkick!
Back in the old days of fighting games, you only had to worry about one meter: the life meter. As long as that meter didn’t run out, you were golden. However, as the genre progressed, so to did the number of meters you were required to manage. Today, almost every fighting game has some sort of super/EX/resource meter that grants you additional moves at the cost of the resources in your meter. In this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, we’re going to cover resource meters and how to leverage them to your advantage.
Since the hey day of fighting games, the throw as a maneuver has received a lot more heat than it deserves. In the early days of Street Fighter II, I remember going to the arcades and hearing other kids talk about how the throw as a move was ‘cheap’ and that people shouldn’t use it in fights. Even now, I still get hate messages on XBOX Live and PSN about my use of throws in a fighting game, regardless of what game I’m playing.
Particularly around entry-level fighting game players, there’s a weird dichotomy at work where there’s a group of players who think throws are super awesome and will exploit them at every turn, and another group of players who actively handicap themselves by not using throws because of some phony gentleman’s rule that’s reached urban legend status. In this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, we tackle the art of the throw, which is a key element to almost every fighting game ever made.
In Third Person 