The Electric Underground
SHMUP SLAM 4 DAY 1! LIVE SHMUP DEMONSTRATIONS!
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Because there is a law that every game that is made these days needs to be influenced by Dark Souls, I wasn't naive enough to think that Stellar Blade would be pure uncut character action. I knew from playing the demo that it would have that slower more 1 versus 1 feel and pace like the souls series and I was open minded to this possibility. I do enjoy souls games especially Elden Ring.
Day 1 I bought Stellar Blade and starting playing and after a few hours it became very clear to me that I had been played by this game -- rather than the other way around. Everyone is so wrapped up around the controversy of this game's visuals and the various culture wars that somehow have attached themselves to it that sadly no one has actually bothered to review the game itself. On top of that the people who do review games -- like game journalists -- are the exact market this game is targeted towards. What Stellar Blade does is takes the skin of a real action game and then guts out everything that is inside of what makes a game good. The section immediately after the demo ends is literally a swimming section ha. Honestly I do think Stellar Blade is the case of a small and limited action with a few interesting (but unfinished) boss fights that then got mixed in with a giant sludge of empty gamification and then passed on as a full release. And none of it is accidental. Let's not forget that at that core Shift Up are Gacha games makers, not classic arcade devs like the Devil May Cry and Bayonetta teams. They are more than comfortable treating game design as casino inspired mental manipulation rather than as an art form.
I won't spoil all my thoughts about the game in the vid description but I think after the initial hype wave and culture war boost this game has received has moved on (which it always does, like Bayonetta 3) players will calm down and see that Stellar Blade is more of a brilliant act of marketing than it is game design.
Incredible thumbnail made by the master @boghogSTG
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00:00 Modern Game Design Is a Scam of Empty Engagement And Gamified Mechanics
07:53 Filler Engagement and Pretend Challenge is the New Monetization Model – Sawdust Instead of Meat.
15:15 The Misleading Marketing of Stellar Blade – This Is Not a Genuine Action Game (Or Even a Souls-Like)
17:52 Stellar Blade’s Combat Mechanics Are Heavily Restricted, Prescribed, and Shallow
25:17 The Enemy Design is Passive and Uniform. They Don’t Trap or Challenge the Player
28:15 The Boss Fights Are the Best Part of the Game and Start Fun, But Are So Static They Don’t Have Longevity.
32:00 There was a Potentially Fun Game Here if Stellar Blade Developed Its Combat More and Didn’t Crush the Player Under Bloat and Intentionally Padded Content.
33:32 Don’t Put the *Meow* On a Pedestal Fellas, Wait for a Significant Sale at Least
#stellarblade, #stellarbladereview, #sekiro
The reason for this, as I'll explore in the video, is because the fighting game genre actually grew and prospered under the arcade business model, but now that the arcade business model is dead, the genre has been orphaned and adopted by a new step daddy -- esports. And while I think competitive fighting games are really cool and I enjoy watching tournaments more than most, I think it's also important to discuss what the ramifications of following the esports model of game design will mean for the majority of the genre, extinction. I'll explain why this is in further detail in the video, but one really interesting game that is often overlooked is the peak of the arcade era game design, Dead or Alive 4. These days most "serious" fighting game players treat DOA, even the classic entries, as basically a joke because the way these games are designed does not fit neatly into the esports model of game design and balance (fox only, final destination).
But as a piece of video game design, not as an esports platform, Dead or Alive 4, created by Team Ninja, is doing A LOT right that other modern fighting games could certainly learn from (Strong Enemy AI, Fully Features Modes) especially fighting games that have no hope of being major esports to begin with *cough* Dead or Alive 6.
If you want to check out Dead or Alive 4, which I highly recommend, you can get it for basically nothing on the Xbox 360 with the physical disc. But if you want a more convient way to play the game, the Xbox 1 version runs really well and you can access the online leaderboards without Xbox Live which is fantastic. Then on PC there is no Steam version (and probably never will be), but you can play it via Xenia Canary with some graphics and audio glitches that I expect will be sorted out in the near future.
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00:00 The Dangers of the Esports Model (Winner Takes All)
06:27 Dead or Alive 4 Reduces TURNS and Increases INTERACTION
11:45 Gameplay "Depth" Is Over-rated and Misunderstood. PACE Matters.
15:10 Esports is Shortening the New Game Lifespan and Killing Longevity.
21:30 The Timeless Visuals of Dead or Alive 4 Still Hold Up
26:30 THE GEM of Dead or Alive 4 - Difficulty and MODES
31:00 What Makes Single Player Content GOOD (Hint: It's Not RPG Mechanics)
#esports, #deadoralive, #tekken8
For the past decade the age of the average gamer has been rising, we Millennials are getting old. And as we get older, we are naturally going to become more sensitive towards provocative imagery than we were when we were hot-blooded teenagers. This is why, I think, we are seeing a lot of series like God of War and Devil May Cry aging their protagonists. Not only because the devs themselves are aging, but also the target customer base. I bring this up because I suspect, though it will be interesting to see, if Stellar Blade might be one of the first AAA published games in a long while that is not primary aimed at the married millennial, but rather the Gen Z demographic. And it will also be interesting to see how the sales of this game turn out (though they seem to already be doing well pre-release) and how the sales of this game may influence other developers in the AAA space. Best case scenario, in my mind, is that the sales of Stellar Blade help push Team Ninja to rediscover their mojo and return to making games like Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden, but we'll see.
This topic video was made before the release of Stellar Blade. But if you are interested in the game it looks like it will be a Playstation 5 (PS5), exclusive for the forseeable future. Maybe, if it actually plays well, it can be this console generation's Bloodborne for Sony. The Rise of Ronin has already attempted to be the PS5's Elden Ring and I don't think that turned out as hoped.
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00:00 Sexuality (or the Lack of It) is a Fundamental Aspect of Character Design.
04:30 A Character Understanding Her Own Sexuality, and Its Effects, Creates Depth
07:00 Provocative Character Design Can Be Used To Create Aesthetics Beyond Fan service.
08:10 Aging Millennials Are Naturally Becoming More and Sensitive to Erotic Character Design.
09:40 Sexy Characters are A Risk When Developing AAA For Mass Audiences.
11:15 The Origins of Stellar Blade Studio, The Power of Gacha is Increasing
13:00 The Alcohol Analogy - Sensitivity to Sexual Content is Individual and Crosses All Demographics
16:20 Final Thoughts - Humor is Refreshing, Moralistic Warfare is Boring.
#stellarblade, #stellarbladereview, #ign
As of right now, a lot of the games I discuss can be played on the Nintendo Switch, the Playstation 4/PS5, and of course PC via Steam or sometimes stand alone programs. Alas though, for certain devs on this list *cough* Psikyo, if you want a decent experience playing their bueatiful games, you are going to need to venture into the world of emulation either with Retorarch/Final Burn Alpha or MAME. Both are honestly solid options these days.
Link to Mushi Ep I was on with Shoot The Core-Cast: youtu.be/1NUmEFyaFCM
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00:00:00 This List is About What I Value
00:02:00 Honorary Mention: Yotsubane (CCWE)
00:04:26 10 = Seibu Kaihatsu (Raiden Series)
00:06:46 9 = IREM (R-Type Series)
00:10:55 8 = Toaplan (Mother Of Bullet Hell)
00:15:53 7 = Taito (Gun Frontier, Rayforce Series, Darius Series)
00:23:35 6 = Psikyo (The Most UnderRated Dev)
00:29:00 5 = ZUN (Yes, Touhou Is TOO POWERFUL)
00:37:00 4 = Treasure (Experimental AND Fundimental is Their Magic)
00:40:38 3 = Konami (The Big DADDY Of Shmup Design)
00:46:10 2 = Raizing (True Meta Shmup Design)
00:53:39 1 = CAVE (Simply Untouchable, Peak Art)
#shmup, #shootemup, #bullethell
The issue with this new creative direction, however, as Ronin clearly illustrates, is that following along and being the secondary Pepsi to Fromsoft's Coca-Cola was a novel and interesting idea seven years ago. Since that time however, and especially since the release of the Parry Focused Sekiro in 2019, copying the current Fromsoft formula of Parry + Stamina + Stagger is far from being original or interesting -- especially because this has essentially become the action game standard. Even Armored Core 6, a supposed mech game, utilizes this formula to some degree. With other new developers, like the creators of The Lies of P, copying Fromsoft isn't surprising, but in the case of Team Ninja, who were once on the cutting edge of combat design only a few years ago and who made some genuinely cool innovations with the Ki-Pulse system of the Nioh franchise, the Rise of the Ronin feels like creative burnout. When discussing their vision for the game, the thing that stands out the most is Team Ninja discussing expected sales figures and it certainly comes across when playing Ronin that the move to this expanded open-world setting is much more of a commercial choice rather than a creative one.
The open-world aspect of the game's design is certainly underdeveloped, even casual reviewers have pointed this out, but what is even more of an issue with Ronin's world/level design is that for a combat focused game, all the time spent wandering around and doing fetch quests devastates the gameplay density and all of the open ended space allows for players to effortlessly siphon away enemies from groups and slowly pick them off one by one. Bayonetta and Devil May Cry have locked in combat areas for a reason Team Ninja.
Right now Rise of the Ronin is a PS5 exclusive and goes for the absurd price of $70. And being a Sony Published game, it seems unlikely they will be releasing it on Steam (PC) anytime soon (Sony wants another Bloodborne I think). But hopefully in the near future it will drop on sale because buying it full price seems steep.
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00:00 Chapter 1: Team Ninja Are Lost
09:19 Chapter 2: Open-World Dilutes Combat
16:54 Chapter 3: Stagger and Parry Burnout
29:03 Chapter 4: Style is AGGRESSIVELY Bland
33:05 Final Thoughts
#teamninja, #riseoftheronin, #sekiro
The main thing I love about BGE's channel, other than his fun on camera personality, is his like-minded respect for the artistic integrity of media and often discusses important topics surrounding remake culture, author intent, artist -versus-publishers, and media revision. My favorite parts of the interview are when we dig into these topics :-)
As fun as it is to talk to BGE, there is an important topic that he is asking for help on, which is helping him merely get the attention of a human being at Youtube with some authority about an absurd copyright situation that has somehow snowballed into getting BGE's longtime youtube channel taken down. As both BGE and I express in the episode, neither of us are the types who want to engage in big statements or internet drama or public outcry or anything like that. The issue though is that BGE's copyright situation, I feel, is mostly the result of automation in the copyright system gone wrong (as well as the aggressive copyright policy of Japanese companies like Shueisha) that fired off all at once without giving BGE any chance to correct or rectify what the copyright holder wanted changed. Also, the fact that Youtube is behind the scenes connecting together the behavior of accounts that are completely disconnected from one another is wild. I can see why they would do something like that in some ways, but at the same time I think treating a copyright strike on a smaller experimental channel as a strike against a larger more standard channel is going to lead to a ton of problems and unfair situations for the creators.
BestGuyEver is requesting, if you are inclined, that you follow his twitter and help him tweet at youtube support #FreeBGE as well as potentially helping him with other attempts to get their attention like writing letters. My hope for the situation is that a human at Youtube takes a look at the situation and smoothly amends the copyright strike snowball and allows BGE to continue his career as usual. Below is the link to THE TWEET he'd like retweeted as much as possible:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RETWEET HERE with #FreeBGE and @TeamYoutube
twitter.com/BestestGuyEver/status/1762107714631520472?s=20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below are links to BGE's information:
Twitter: twitter.com/BestestGuyEver
Patreon: patreon.com/BestGuyEver
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00:00:00 BestGuy Ever Explains His Battle With Copyright Automation
00:05:55 Mark Got Channel Strike for Linking Japanese Shmups in the Past
00:10:00 BGE is battling the ultimate enemy - Bureaucracy
00:17:00 BGE Just Wants to Continue Making Vids with least Drama Possible.
00:26:30 Making Content that is Both Relevant and Meaningful is a Delicate Balance.
00:32:30 Author Authority, Can Creators Revise or Change Old Work?
00:40:00 Not All Remakes are Equal, Staying in the Compositional Window Matters
00:50:00 Early Days of Youtubing, The Initial Artistic Impulse
01:02:35 Navigating the Gray Areas of Acting, Performing, and Entertaining
01:11:00 The Underlying Ethos of BestGuyEver (And Mark)
01:20:00 "MASTERPIECE" Means Nothing Without Contrast - Dynamics Matter
01:37:30 As An Artist, Are You Willing to Push Your Audience?
01:45:33 Why Remakes CANNOT Stand Alone, New Releases Override Public Discourse
01:50:14 BGE Video Creation Process, From Concept to Final Upload
#FreeBGE, #BestGuyEver, #finalfantasyviirebirth
Wayforward are an interesting developer and publisher because in a lot of ways they are fulfilling a lot of the things I want to see western developers and publishers do, like picking up on franchises that have been abandoned by the larger Japanese Studios like Konami. But one MASSIVE problem with western developers and with Contra: Operation Galuga is that they are not designing these revival games with the fundamentals of the series in mind. Instead, what they tend to do is pick and choose through all the previous games in the series from a fan's perspective, and then try to blend together a lot of the surface aspects of the games into one ultimate mega mix of fan fiction. This makes the game sound like an advancement on the surface, especially when they mix in modern game design trends (like a parry in Metroid Dread), but what often happens is that the fan fiction completely overlooks why certain game play elements of each title in the series cannot be mixed in with the level design of other titles. A big example of this is of course the homing weapons of the boss rush games being mixed into the stage design of the NES era games. The level design of the earlier games absolutely requires a limitation in player aiming and homing weapons completely obliterate this form of challenge.
Then there is weapon swapping glitches that over ride the boss fights and really bland plodding side scrolling stages, but I'll get into all that in the vid.
In summary, while I did have some casual fun with Operation Galuga, this game has a lot of really fundamental design oversights that I hope can be at least a learning lesson for future Contra games by Wayforward, if they ever manage to recover from the overall negative reception of this game.
You can pick up the game on PS5/PS4, Steam (PC), and Nintendo Switch, but from the sound of it the only solid version of the game is the PC version and definitely do not spend full $40 on it, a deep discount of $10-$15 would be my recommendation.
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00:00 Is This Game Underrated? No.
03:00 The Graphics Are A Problem
05:00 3D Camera is not Being Utilized Well
07:00 Revival Games Have a Duty to Maintain Quality
08:45 Too Much Effort Spent on Contra's Story (Bad Use of Resources)
11:50 The Curse of Western Developer Fan fiction Design
13:20 The Aspect Ratio Issue is HUGE
16:30 Homing Weapons BREAK this Game's Level Design
17:50 Developers: STOP BALANCING GAMES AROUND SPEEDRUNNING
19:55 The Game's Design ENCOURAGES Lame Play, That's a Problem
22:45 The Auto scrolling Stages are EASY, BORING, AND TOO LONG
25:30 Weapon Swapping Glitch BREAKS Boss Fights (So Easy)
28:20 This Game Feels Unfinished, it's Bland and Easy
30:10 Lack of a Real Scoring System is a HUGE Missed Opportunity
32:00 STOP Locking High Difficulty Modes Behind Grinding.
33:45 Final Thoughts
#contra, #konami, #shootemup
I'm hopeful that if this format of video connects with you all, I can continue to do it for other games that I play through and enjoy. I said it in the video but I'll also repeat it here that if you are fan of shmups, or are interested in trying them out for the first time, Gunvein is an excellent starting point and it has a great blend of teaching the player the fundamentals of bullet hell dodging, while also teaching classic shoot em' up resource management, which is a tricky needle to thread in terms of game design. And if you have already played Gunvein and achieved the intense 1cc, I highly encourage you all to keep playing and go for the expert mode clear, which is extremely fun to practice and one of my fav expert clears I've done on the channel.
Gunvein is available on Steam (PC), and that's my favorite version of the game. But there is also a solid Nintendo Switch Port and hopefully someday we will get a PS4/PS5 release from NG Dev.
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Fan art for thumb by: twitter.com/aurahack
Here is the LINK to the Streamed Run: youtu.be/G8vraIh7qJI?t=1876
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00:00:00 Welcome Developer, Boghog! Introducing Gunvein Expert Mode
00:06:00 Stage 1, Don't Make a Tutorial Stage
00:13:28 Stage 2, Add in Dynamic Enemy Design with a Dash of Memorization
00:25:45 Stage 3, Embrace Chaotic Patterns, Start Tricking the Player With Timing Shifts
00:39:25 Stage 4, Activate Bullet Density and Enemy Snowballing!
00:50:42 Stage 5, Aggression is the ONLY Defense, Healthy RNG is Replay-ability
00:56:20 Final Bosses - Character Action Boss Design
01:03:10 EXPERT 1CC! Final Thoughts and Celebrations
#Gunvein, #shmup, #shootemup
It is funny how many salty reviews this game has managed to generate, if you are bored one day, just go through and read some of this stuff on steam. My favorite quote in a negative review reads: "The best way I can describe playing this game is like going on a date with someone who thinks embracing and acknowledging their toxic personality traits instead of changing or fixing them somehow makes it cute and quirky." Not only is that a funny way of describing the game (you all know I enjoy dating analogies), but it also does poetically describe what good difficulty design looks like. Great difficulty is a game that is fundamentally challenging and pushes on the weaknesses of the player's move-set, but is also so fun and compelling that you cannot walk away until you win.
As much as I enjoy this game though, and as impressed as I am with a lot of its more hardcore choices, it isn't perfect either. There are some aspects of this game's design (like bad RNG, an overly wide aspect ratio, and the need to item farm) that I think could have been improved. Still though, the fact that the game is so uncompromising with most aspects of its design, like the player movement, shows that someone, somewhere, in Capcom can still appreciate the style of games that got Capcom their legacy reputation as top tier game designers in the first place.
Sadly, I do wish the game's graphics and music were more impressive, they're not bad but they're meh overall, but I suspect that Capcom were really limited with the budget of this game, considering it probably didn't sell well overall. The all time peak of the game on steam is only 257 players, versus Mega Man 11 which had 1,605.
Right now you can get the game on Steam, PS4/PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. That being said, I strongly recommend the PC version and advise against the Switch Version, since the PC has the least lag and the Switch has the most. And in a game this demanding, input lag is the last thing you need to deal with.
As always, awesome thumbnail created by @boghogstg, he also has some fun clips that he contributed to this review.
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00:00 "Clunky Controls" is a Cliche
03:00 Player Expression Needs LIMITATIONS, not just options
08:00 GOOD Difficulty Attacks the Player's Limitations
11:50 BAD RNG Vs. GOOD RNG
15:50 The Aspect Ratio Issue - 16:9 is Too Wide Un-scaled
19:30 The Game Needs an Arcade Mode - Boghog's No Death Journey
23:30 Graphics and Closing Thoughts
#ghostsngoblinsresurrection, #megaman, #bullethell
In the case of Tekken 8, Namco pulled some EA-tier release strats by launching the game without any DLC or Micro-transactions, and then after the reviews of the game were completed, just went ahead and popped in a whole shop system. Not cool. But beyond saying not cool, what else is there to be said on this subject because it leaves fans of the game in this weird cognitive dissonance of wanting to continue to play the game, but feeling vaguely wronged. This then leads us to rationalize with ourselves and others that the DLC stuff is fine or whatever. It's a tricky mental position to be in, absolutely. Luckily, for the Tekken 8 fans out there, you don't have to feel conflicted anymore, because today's video will relieve you of this burden and tell you how to feel.
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#tekken8, #fightinggames, #howtofeel
In terms of the gameplay, Slave Zero X can best be described as a mix between Guilty Gear XX, Devil May Cry, and Strider (funny enough, all of these references are openly cited on the game's Steam page, which I respect), all games that I am a fan of and I am sure fans of this channel enjoy. Add in the Sega Saturn early 3D look to the backgrounds and lush and blood sprite art of the character and enemy design, and this is the type of game that is directly aimed at this channel's aesthetic tastes.
On paper than, Slave Zero X is the type of game that I partricuarly am inclined to enjoy. The question with this game however, and many ambitious indie games like it, is if it has the design chops to actually pull off such an ambitious blend of gameplay styles and genres. Because if the game is done correctly, I think it might be described as a 2D version of Devil May Cry, or a Guilty Gear style beat em' up... But if done poorly, then it could be a product of MUGEN madness where it has some cool ideas, but doesn't actually impliment them or balance them well.
The results in this game's case are rather complicated, hence why I have a 40 minute review discussing the game's design ha. And I will say, even if you are not inclined towards this game, I still think it makes for a fantastic conversation piece on action game design as a whole.
Right now the game is availible on Steam and GOG and I generally prefer GOG over Steam, but this is a case where you probably will want to hold out on picking up the GOG version until it has some patches and stuff like that (unless you don't mind patching GOG games). The game is also availble on PS5/PS4 and Xbox, but it sound like the Switch version has been delayed (I can only assume because of performance optimization).
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#slavezerox, #devilmaycry3, #guiltygearxx
In today's video, I explain my method of learning a new fighting game which puts an emphasis of learning the core fundamental mechanics of the game's "neutral" with an emphasis on Position Advantage and Frame Advantage. Rather than sending new players off to endure the tedium of learning combos in training mode, I recommend that new players start off by analyzing matches of the character they want to play, and then noting what moves and tactics that character uses to get hits in the first place. I also explain the CRITICAL importance of frame data, and how every action on screen needs to be evaluated by the metrics of frame data --- but also how the on paper stats of frame data doesn't ever paint the full picture of how good a move is, as neither push back distance nor the size and shape of the hitbox are accounted for.
Tekken is a game of analog, real space hitbox interaction, even during it's sidestep system. This means that some of the hard and fast rules of Virtua Fighter don't always apply to the game and why it's very important to read something like a sidestepping chart with skepticism. Especially because of how powerful and important sidewalking is in the game, which is rarely discussed. There are dozens of sidestepping tutorials out there, but none of them I have seen have been able to explain the meta of using short bursts of sidewalking to pull the enemy off axis.
Also with respect to the concept of frame advantage, I explain why being aware of what the frame data is vital to success, even when it's not enough to get a guaranteed punish. Understanding the nuances of move properties on your own is vital to growth as a player.
So will this video help you get fast wins the second you buy the game, no it will not. But what it will do is set you on the right path, as a new Tekken 8 player, so that you don't fall into that all to familiar scrub sand trap of just rinsing and repeating high risk mix ups and gimmicky frame traps, both of which only work on fellow new players and are effectively shut down by players who understand the fundamentals of the game.
Right now you can get Tekken 8 on Steam (PC), PS5, and Xbox Series X with cross play.
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00:00 The Danger of the Scrub Sandtrap
04:17 Don't Learn Combos First!
10:00 Learning to Win Properly Matters, Don't Abuse Scrub Tactics.
13:08 Position Advantage is Key!
15:08 How the 3D Space of Tekken Works!
18:45 How Sidestepping Works (In-Depth Guide)
26:30 Learn Frame Advantage NOW! Not Later.
29:36 How Move Types and Frame Data are Balanced
33:32 PRESS Your Frame Advantage, Don't Just Think of Punishes
37:32 Invest in Long Term Wins with Short Term Losses. That's How You Learn Correctly.
#tekken8, #tutorial, #sidestepguide
This direction makes a lot of sense and I think Harada's love of Virtua Fighter is especially apparent these days. Tekken has developed an interesting meta with the way the korean backdash mixes in with sidewalking and mid pokes. I think this style of play is very fun and best shown in Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection, since that game has such powerful movement and limited juggles. As Tekken has shifted to a slower more combo focused combat system, however, the game has been struggling with its identity as a combat system, which is why the modern games keep adding in more and more mechanics like armor moves, rage arts, etc. However, I think with Tekken 8, the Tekken team has been able to bring more balance to their core combat system by reducing the effectiveness of long range pokes, buffing throws, and increasing the power of the side step system. By making these changes, (I think inspired by VF5), Tekken now has a much more legitimate rush down game that doesn't rely so much on spamming safe strings over and over (though tekken is still a much more spammy series than VF).
I think this shift in direction is really refreshing. It's not perfect, of course, as I think heat and rage are mostly just commercial mechanical inclusions, rather than meaningful design, but if they can keep the heat system properly contained I don't mind it too much. The should have tossed the rage arts though.
The truely revolutionary features of Tekken 8, however, is not it's core combat, but rather its insanely robust and well-developed single player content, online features, and most interestingly of all DYNAMICALLY LEARNING AI. But You'll have to watch the vid for more details on that :-)
Right now Tekken 8 is on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam (PC). Of course the PC version is the best way to play, as with all modern fighting games, but the console releases seem solid as well and it's really cool that you can do crossplay without having to make some stupid account like Capcom ID bull.
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00:00 The Successful Sequel Catch-22
07:43 The Virtua Fighter Influenced Aggression
15:50 Old School Vs Modern Tekken
19:12 The Heat System Could be Dangerous for Balance
22:40 Get Rid of Rage
26:51 Tekken 8 has Gold Standard Graphics, Modes, and Performance
32:30 Arcade Quest Is Cute, But It's all About Super Ghost Battle
36:37 AI Learning Player Ghosts are Revolutionary
41:05 Don't Sleep On the Replay Feature
#tekken8, #streetfighter6, #virtuafighter5ultimateshowdown
A lot of the core principals of shmup design are not only foriegn to the wider gaming world, but also contrary to the mainstream thought on what good game design is. One of my goals with this documentary is to show that the design principals of shoot em' ups, birthed in arcades, are extremely valuable to understand and carry into the future. Arcades are pretty much dead, there is no getting around that sad reality, but that doesn't mean the ideas and philosophy of arcade game design cannot live on and take root in a new environment.
The title of the documentary is Passion Against Reason because if you only view STG or bullet hell as commercial products, then they have no reason to continue existing. They do not match up with general trends or tastes at all and they make no money. In fact, they spit in the face of mainstream popularity in every way they can. However, I do not view arcade games as products. I see them as art, aggressive and brutal art, and what I think is beautiful about these games is that they are able to bring together a massive variety of players from around the world and different backgrounds. I think the reason why the shmup fanbase is so eclectic and global is because the appeal of the games is not rooted in any particular culture, but instead in universal and abstract design principals, very much like Chess.
If you are a fan of CAVE, Touhou, Raizing, Konami, Capcom, Toaplan, Taito, Treasure, Psikyo, SNK, and many more old school and bullet hell games, this documentary for you. If you are a fighting game player or speedrunner, this documentary is for you. If you are a hardcore shmup fan, this documentary is for you. And if you are curious about the genre, but find yourself struggling to get past the wall of difficulty, this documentary is definitely for you.
*Also I made a small mistake on the text overlay, Errpo is from Finland not the Netherlands*
*Here is Bonus Footage of the Uncut Interviews with the Players* youtu.be/vmjFlhpQ_Mc
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00:00:00 Prologue - Being a Fan of Shmups Makes No Sense.
00:15:30 Chapter 1 - A Child of the Arcade
00:28:57 Chapter 2 - Shmups are FUNDAMENTAL Action Games
00:35:30 Chapter 3 - Difficulty PURIFIES Game Design
00:42:20 Chapter 4 - Autoscrolling is Perfect Pace
00:58:20 Chapter 5 - Scoring is MEANINGFUL Replay-ability
01:15:20 Chapter 6 - Rebirth, Shmups in a Post-Arcade Future
01:36:50 Epilogue - Final Word of Advice From Friends
#shmup, #bullethell , #documentary
Metal Gear Rising: Revengence, however, does not fall into this sandpit. Since it was released back in 2013, before the current accessible parry trend, Platinum approached the mechanic with more originality and manged to balance it into the core combat of the game without completely negating the fundamentals of spacing and hitboxes. The game, even a decade later, is impressive in how fun and layered the combat mechanics are. The more you learn the game, the more you realize how much is possible without parrying at all, which I really appreciate.
In this review, I cover a lot of topics around character action mechanics and balance, but if there is one central lesson that Metal Gear Rising can teach us, it's that a developer can make a concept like a parry work, but it needs to be balanced with the core fundamentals of the gameplay in mind, rather than just being tossed into an already existing system *cough Resident Evil 4 Remake* and then balanced by meter management. Because when I think action game combat, I think knife durability.
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00:00 What is Fundamental Melee Combat?
02:54 Parries Invert Melee Combat
06:17 Modern Action Games are Removing Spacing
11:18 Metal Gear Rising Is a Parry Focused Game that proceeds current trends.
13:00 The Directional Input Parry is BRILLIANT
18:34 There are VIABLE alternatives to the Parry
25:00 I love this game's style and Blade Mode
27:39 Zandatsu is Lame and repetitive
33:13 The Campaign is the Best Platinum has Made
38:24 I Love to S-Rank Grind (though Arcade mode would be nice)
42:00 Overall Thoughts
#residentevil4remake, #metalgearrising, #sekiro
In short, this vid is for fun and neat way to round out my thoughts for the year in preparation for 2024, which should shape up to be a massive year for the channel (I am hoping.) I think this list will be a fun time because it will not match up at all with the typical Game Awards, Game of the Year, type of lists that youtubers compile when they select their top picks for the year. No Nintendo selection this year, for some reason I just didn't think Super Mario Wonder was very good, nor did I expect it to be. It is a real shame that we didn't get more shmups or beat em' ups this year though, filling out my fav list was actually a lot trickier than filling out my flops list, because I didn't connect with as many new games this year. Hopefully we'll get more arcade focused stuff in 2024 though.
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00:00 The Criteria
00:50 Flop 5
02:23 Flop 4
03:35 Flop 3
05:00 Flop 2
06:05 Flop 1
08:40 Favorite 5
09:40 Favorite 4
11:00 Favorite 3
12:32 Favorite 2
15:00 Favorite 1
#gameawards2023, #shmup, #tearsofthekingdom
For those new to the genre, Dodonpachi DaiOuJou is arguably the greatest shmup ever made. I would say that it is, but the top 5 of the genre are stiff competition, so it's at least very safe in that tier. In this review I not only sing to the choir of the genre, who are probably pretty familiar with DOJ, but I really try to explain for newer players or outsiders to the genre what makes this game a real masterpiece (and not just the flavor of the month), it's interesting overlaps with the anime masterpiece Ghost in the Shell (1995), and why it's influence and design continue to endure over the years.
This review is massive and covers topics like the game's striking visuals, iconic music, awesome cyberpunk aesthetic, enemy design, background design, color pallet, survival balance, difficulty curve, scoring system, snowballing, boss battles, input lag on PS4/PS5 and Nintendo Switch, training features, leader boards, board variants (White Label, Black Label, Grey Label), dynamic difficulty (rank), gadgets, art, and take an in depth look at the new arrange modes, and much more!
If you want to get this game, which I strongly recommend, you can get it on the Japanese eshop or PSN. It's on Nintendo Switch and PS4/PS5, though I strongly recommend the PS4/PS5 version for the lower input lag, extra save states, and more competitive leader boards.
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#bullethell, #shmup, #shootemup
This year, 2023, has been pretty slim on new shmup releases and so I was really excited to try out this new Toaplan / Compile, inspired shmup. If this release snuck under your radar, I don't blame you, it snuck under mine as well. If you are a fan of Toaplan, PC Engine, Compile, and that manic era of shmups that had a good deal of tight dodging, but also some hard memo sections (like Gana Blade's fire stage), then this release is worth paying attention to. It finds a really nice balance between having you memo your route, but then also giving you enough advanced warning (because of the background layer) to prepare yourself and react. The boss fights are generally excellent as well and I dig it's sort of NES Final Fantasy sprite style. I just wish it integrated it's pilot characters into the gameplay a bit more, but this is a common problem across the genre generally.
As of right now you can get Gana Blade on Steam only, and it is absolutely worth the humble price of $5. Even if you don't plan on spending hundreds of hours mastering its scoring system, it's still a really fun 1cc for the average to above average skill level player. I had a fun time with it and it's sort of breezy cool style.
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#shmup, #shootemup, #bullethell
In this video, I also discuss my thoughts on what I would consider a true analog format which is printed media whether it is books, manga, or visual art. I go over why this type of media has a more tangible and real difference between its physical vs digital versions and why I think these formats have been able to buck the digitization trend, versus games which are now up to 90% digital sales. I also discuss my thoughts on game manuals and the physical printed media included in a lot of these physical releases and how, in my opinion, it is more of a selling point in many cases than the actual game discs (printed booklets are truly analog after all).
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#videogamecollection, #videogamepreservation, #segasaturn
What I expected coming into Resident Evil 5 was a solid but watered-down version of Resi 4, as that was my initial impression of the game the one time I played it on the Xbox 360. I thought it was fun and good, but was disappointment in the shift to a faster enemy pace and the lack of Leon's massive roundhouse (and of course the whole co-op AI). Little did I know that if I was more open minded towards Resident Evil 5's combat shifts, would I discover that the game is CERTAINLY my 2nd fav in the series and really not far behind OG 4 because of how fantastic some of the updated to the combat system of the game are. I didn't appreciate them a decade ago, but I appreciate them now.
What's interesting about 5 and Remake 4 are sibling games in that both of them are trying to accomplish the same goal: to live up to and hopefully exceed the original Resident Evil 4. I don't think either games manage to do so, but Resident Evil 5 came damn close and frankly stands on its own as an amazing beat em' up / character action game. Meanwhile Remake 4 is just a mediocre skin graft of Resident Evil 4's iconic IP onto a mediocre Last of Us inspired 3rd person shooter with gunsway, movement inertia, weak melee hitboxes, tanky enemies, and lazy level design (the graphics look generic and lame too).
If you want to play Resident Evil 5, YOU ARE IN LUCK because the game has many fantastic ports. I'd skip the 360 and PS3 versions and either get the PC Gold version (which is amazing and filled with incredible mods and performance) or even grab the Xbox 1 and PS4/PS5 versions which have Mercs mode unlocked at the start and also looks and plays well. Honestly, the Nintendo Switch version is a little choppy, but I have been playing the crap out of it in handheld mode and thank Capcom the mercs mode is unlocked right away as well.
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#residentevil4remake, #residentevil5, #residentevil5remake
Not to give too much of the review away in the video description ha, but this version of Silvergun is essentially the exact same game as the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game, in terms of content and features. The the main question for the Steam port is going to come down to it's performance, which to this point has been best on either the Sega Saturn or Xbox 360.
If you haven't played Radiant Silvergun before, I HIGHLY recommend this game, as it is one of my favorite shmups (easy top 5) and one of the best shmups ever made outright. It's chaining system is truly innovative and brilliant (it's got an RPG leveling system, but good), and it's level design, graphics, music, and background work are still at the top of the genre, all these years later.
If you like Ikaruga, you should play Radiant Silvergun. If you don't like Ikaruga, you should play Radiant Silvergun. This game is such a fantastic fusion between the precise and careful routing of old school shmups but then mixed in with great bullet hell patterns and hit boxes and an AWESOME Sword. Seriously, the sword mechanic of this game is incredible. This game is Treasure at it's finest (along with Sin and Punishment). This review is for the steam version, but the game is also on Sega Saturn, Xbox 360, Xbox one, and Nintendo Switch.
If you want a full review of Silvergun as a game, check out this vid: youtu.be/PaB7jNkg7y4
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#bullethell , #shmup, #shootemup
One fun tradition we also included in our discussion was to go over the boss music of each ost and see how each game either defined the tradition of intense and terrifying final boss music (panic inducing, as Iain describes it), or subverts that expectation with a more low key or surreal final boss tune. You want a rock star guest -- check. You want ultimate levels of shoot em' up nerd action -- check. You want hot takes to get the comment section cooking -- check.
If you want to check out Iain's band, Chvrches, here is the link to their website and new album:
chvrch.es
chvrches.manheadmerch.com/products/screen-violence-cd
(The track "Final Girl" has an amazing baseline)
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00:00:00 WE ROCKSTARS NOW! How the Soundtracks were Selected
00:05:38 Cho Ren Sha 68k
00:18:34 Deathsmiles
00:27:39 Einhander
00:46:24 Soldier Blade
00:53:33 G-Darius
01:02:28 MUSHA
01:09:20 Lords of Thunder
01:14:58 Radiant Silvergun
01:27:16 Rayforce
01:34:45 Mushihimesama Futari
01:43:21 Dodonpachi Ressurection
01:53:58 Eschatos
01:59:15 Darius Gaiden
02:06:16 ZeroRanger
02:13:30 Touhou (Windows Era)
02:25:08 Mushihimesama
02:24:26 Ikaruga
02:41:34 Thunder Force 4
02:47:40 Dodonpachi DaiOuJou
02:58:39 Ketsui (Breaking the Bonds of Hell)
03:06:10 Battle Garegga
#shmup, #videogamemusic, #chvrches
There is a lot of talk about art in gaming today, how The Last of Us or whatever is artistic because its story rips off The Road by Cormac Mcarthy and mixes it with zombie movies. But in my view, art is about the artist making choices. Art is about expression of the artist, NOT the reader. So with the arcade design philosophy, we see a much more bold and assertive (and my opinion) artistic style of game design where the way the mechanics are crafted and balanced sends a message to the player just as clearly as words on a page. In modern game design, however, modern games want to be everything and nothing at the same time. They want to be a "sandbox" for the players to fiddle around in. Sandboxes can be fun, but they are not compelling. Modern game design is all about off loading the burden of the artist onto the player and handing the player a few toys to play with. In other words, modern game design is particularly crafted towards children. In terms of game design for adults however, who can understand mechanical structure and can even work towards subverting structure, we are getting further and further away from that compelling style of video game design to cater towards literal children, or adults with the maturity of children.
The 5 main concepts I discuss in this vid are: 1. Difficulty Curve, 2. Gameplay Density, 3. Arcades Financially Allowed for Innovative Mechanical Design, 4. The Loss of Scoring System, 5. The loss of timers to FORCE the player to act.
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00:00 If You Use the Term "Quarter Muncher," You should be SHOT... in the leg.
01:26 Reason 1: The GOLDEN Arcade Difficulty Curve is Gone, Now Everything is EASY
04:03 Today's Market LITERALLY Caters to Unskilled PLayers
06:28 Reason 2: Gameplay Density is GONE, S T R E T C H E D Out Content.
09:50 Reason 3: The Arcade ALLOWED Innovation for Game Mechanics
12:50 Reason 4: We've LOST GOOD Scoring Systems (Speedrunning is Not Better or a Replacement)
15:00 Imagine if Devil May Cry 3 Had a Good Scoring System ...
18:00 Yes, Resi 4 Mercs is LIT, and this is why.
18:40 Reason 5: Timers Need to Come Back, Modern Action Games Have No Teeth
22:12 Games need to FORCE the Player to Engage, NO MORE play at your own pace garbage.
#arcade, #gamedesign, #residentevil4remake
In this review, I explain the differences between Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate compared to Final Showdown (the previous version) and how I think all the changes that have been made are GOOD and SMART. It is a shame that we lost some really cool content along the way like Special Sparring and some of the customization options, but I don't think this was an intentional ommision and instead just a result of such a tight development budget. I also discuss the netcode of the game in depth because even though it is delay based, that doesn't make it automattically garbage like Street Fighter 4's netcode. Not all netcode is the same and this game does take some cool steps to try to make the delay based netcode as good as possible. So it is shame that it isn't rollback and I fully expect we will see rollback in VF6 when it comes out, but in the meantime it seems unfair that Tekken and Guilty Gear got free passes with their prior releases, but VF is automatically dismissed.
There is so much to say about this game that I cover in the video, but if you interested in it, definetly pick it up on the PS5 rather than on PS4 or PS4 Pro because it will have faster load times and netspeeds on the PS5, which makes a big difference. And luckily, despite all the negativity towards the game on launch, VF5 Ultimate has proven itself and I think has been fairly successful (by VF standards). So I think today, more than ever, it is much more realistic to expect to see a proper Virtua Fighter 6.
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00:00 THIS GAME IS AN OUTRAGE!!!!!
02:26 Ultimate Showdown is NOT a Remaster
04:20 Just Releasing VF6 Would Have Been a Disaster
07:10 VF5 Ultimate is BEAUTIFUL
09:04 VF5 Fighting System is Fundimental and Amazing
11:44 30 Bucks and On Sale Frequently
12:45 Netplay is Delay-Based, But Very Solid (Input Buffer)
16:45 The User Interface is Clean and Forward-Thinking (No More Clunky Menus)
19:10 Ultimate is SADLY Slim on Single Player Modes, But Tutorials are Solid
22:00 Sounds tracks and Sound Effects are Great, Screw Dubstep
24:00 FINALLY! VF HAS HITSPARKS!
26:20 Final Conclusion: I Love This Game So MUCH
#virtuafighter5ultimateshowdown, #virtuafighter6, #tekken8
Awesome thumbnail created by @boghogSTG
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#tekken8, #inputlag, #ps5
Overall, WIZNWAR makes game that I not only like and respect, but also have a lot of great insight into arcade game design and how to naturally build a compelling set of systems to keep players engaged and coming back. Xenotilt is currently in early access on Steam, so check that out, and I'm willing to bet it's going to get a wider release on other platforms in the future. So if you are a fan of pinball, shmups, arcade games, or just fun gameplay dense design, generally, be sure to check this bad boy out.
Steam link: store.steampowered.com/app/2008980/XENOTILT_HOSTILE_PINBALL_ACTION
Twitter link: twitter.com/XENOTILT
Soundtrack for game (and background music for video) is by ec2151 !
Follow the XenoTilt composer and contact for commissions here!
soundcloud.com/ec2151
ec2151.bandcamp.com
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00:00 A Sequel to an INDIE GAME?! Madness
08:00 New Mechanics That Naturally Build on Core Design
14:00 Game Design is greater than Simulation Design
19:00 Screen Filling Bosses are HYPE
21:30 Pixel Art is Freedom
24:00 Raiden Toothpaste Lasers
28:00 Scoring is More than Chopping Wood
31:00 Marketing XENOTILT at PAX and on Steam
35:40 Siri: How Do You Make a Sequel to a Hidden Gem?
38:30 Extrinsic Game Design Discussion
41:30 Acknowledge the Player, Don't MANIPULATE the Player
45:00 SHOVE the Leader board in the Players' Faces, Don't segregate it.
50:00 What is a Hidden Gem?
#xenotilt, #shmup, #pinball
And so, to try to offer some guidance and also actually give some spotlight to some fantastic steam shmups that don't get much attention, I have created this list (with the help of Boghog and M.Knight) of 30 deep cut shmup recommendations. And what I mean by "deep cut" are shmups that I don't talk about as much on the channel and shmups that are really good (quality is required to be on the list), but are not the common names everyone sees like Ikaruga, Treasure, CAVE, RAIZING, Psikyo, ect. Even though I love those shmups as well. So basically if you are wondering hey why isn't Crimzon Clover or ZeroRanger on this list, it's not because I don't recommend them (of course I do), but rather because I have recommended them many many times before ha. Same with CAVE. Also I am AWARE that not all the games listed are actually on sale right now, but just wishlist them because I also want this video to be relevant in the future ha, so I included choices that are not on sale just for this Shmup Fest event.
Here is the link to my genre definition video: youtu.be/PqQOUVhakb4
Amazing thumbnail created by the master, @boghogstg
Gunvein store.steampowered.com/app/2025840/Gunvein
Castle of Shikigami 2 store.steampowered.com/app/1556650/Castle_of_Shikigami_2
Psyvariar Delta store.steampowered.com/app/998990/Psyvariar_Delta
COTTOn Rock'n'Roll store.steampowered.com/app/1364760/COTTOn_RocknRoll_SUPERLATIVE_NIGHT_DREAMS
Hellsinker. store.steampowered.com/app/1067720/Hellsinker
Sophstar store.steampowered.com/app/1410440/Sophstar
Sora store.steampowered.com/app/390730/Sora
ALLTYNEX Trilogy store.steampowered.com/app/283820/KAMUI
Universe http://www.esc-j.net/stg/stgdu/upload.php?gal=0
RefRain - prism memories - store.steampowered.com/app/435970/RefRain__prism_memories
ASSAULT SHELL store.steampowered.com/app/1432970/ASSAULT_SHELL
Demonizer store.steampowered.com/app/1091390/Demonizer
∀kashicverse -Malicious Wake- store.steampowered.com/app/1225610/kashicverse_Malicious_Wake
Andro Dunos II store.steampowered.com/app/1856900/Andro_Dunos_II
东方栖霞园 ~ Blue devil in the Belvedere store.steampowered.com/app/1365750/__Blue_devil_in_theBelvedere
JUDGEMENT SILVERSWORD - Resurrection - store.steampowered.com/app/278510/JUDGEMENT_SILVERSWORD__Resurrection
SATAZIUS store.steampowered.com/app/203990/SATAZIUS
GRAND CROSS: ReNOVATION store.steampowered.com/app/1808900/GRAND_CROSS_ReNOVATION
Neko Navy store.steampowered.com/app/592270/Neko_Navy
Hazelnut Hex chunderfins.itch.io/hazelnut-hex
BLUE WISH DESIRE store.steampowered.com/app/1794300/BLUE_WISH_DESIRE
Deztopia store.steampowered.com/app/1178290/Dezatopia
REVOLVER360 RE:ACTOR store.steampowered.com/app/313400/REVOLVER360_REACTOR
Like Dreamer store.steampowered.com/app/1867740/Like_Dreamer
Super XYX store.steampowered.com/app/654500/Super_XYX
Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire store.steampowered.com/app/1133300/Sisters_Royale_Five_Sisters_Under_Fire
Dead End City store.steampowered.com/app/1880840/Dead_End_City
Strania - The Stella Machina - store.steampowered.com/app/407380/Strania__The_Stella_Machina
The Adventures of Ten and Till store.steampowered.com/app/1225130/The_Adventures_of_Ten_and_Till
Schildmaid MX store.steampowered.com/app/2154760/Schildmaid_MX
Trouble Witches Origin store.steampowered.com/app/460630/Trouble_Witches_Origin__Episode1_Daughters_of_Amalgam
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#shmup, #steam, #bullethell
In today's video, I was lucky enough to be sent a MAZ stick by a fan of the channel, Scanline City (who makes and sells custom sticks), which came equipped with the IL Lorenzo Stick and Convex American Buttons! From what I understand, the Lorenzo is among the better American levers (and it shows) and I absolutely love spring powered American buttons (they can take a beating). So I went ahead and put this lever through all the input tests that I use to try out other levers, and I was pleasently surprised with how well the stick performed and how reliable the inputs were (though there were a few weak points, of course).
If you are interested in grabbing the MAZ stick, or the NEO complete build, definetely check out Scanline's website. He has excellent customer service as well, which is a requirement for me to recommend anything these days ha. scanlinecity.com/masbuild
If you are wanting to get into arcade sticks at an entry level, you can never go wrong with buying a used hori stick on ebay and then customizing it, as I explain in this vid: youtu.be/31aIbVEwjks
Awesome thumbnail created by @boghogSTG
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00:00 Why USA Stick is a Laughing Stock
03:30 USA Stick vs. Japanes vs. Korean
07:35 Why American Stick is Hard to Obtain
09:00 Reviewing The MAZ Arcade Stick by Scanline City
12:38 Input Tests: Tekken 7 (and What will be Tekken 8)
16:30 Input Tests: Guilty Gear XX/Strive
18:25 Input Tests: King of Fighters 98/Street Fighter 6
20:45 Input Tests: Shoot Em' Ups (shmups)
21:45 Overall Thoughts
#arcadestick, #streetfighter6, #tekken8
Critics and broadcasters are free to do what they want, but I personally am bored of this approach, but it seems like an inexhaustible source of discussion for most people. I bring this up, because I've noticed this environment has created a very interesting phenomenon, where a typical mediocre show, like One Piece: Netflix Edition, suddenly takes on this massive significance because it's some kind of cultural bellwether or whatever. This is what media critique has become and lost in this endless food fight is the part of the review where people seriously analyze and compare the compositional elements of a show, which in time is much more important because social trends come and go, but the performance actually captured is what endures. On top of that, as a critic it is much easier and quicker to simply pick through media and then parrot back analysis that you know the audience will agree with. Tell the people what they want to hear.
So, annoyed by all this, I have decided to do my own review of One Piece Netflix to discuss the elements of the show that I think are important to talk about: the writing, the pacing, the production, the adaptation from source material, the Mugen-level costume design, the lifeless camerawork, the awkward blocking, the terrible child acting, and the stilted but potentially promising main cast. I also think it's important to remind viewers that just because I find something mediocre, doesn't mean I want it immediately cancelled and all of the people involved thrown in prison.
Amazing thumbnail created by: @boghogSTG
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00:00 Why It's Hard to do "Mid" Reviews
04:35 The Character Introductions are Needlessly Confusing
08:40 You Don't Need to ALWAYS Use Cold Opens
10:10 Don't Forget to Establish the Characters
12:00 The Production is MUGEN
13:30 Visual TONE MATTERS! It Ties Together the Story
15:20 Don't Just JUMP in Tone, Set it Up.
17:20 Actor Review: Luffy
18:20 Actor Review: Zoro
19:50 Actor Review: Sanji (Best Actor)
20:50 Actor Review: Nami (2nd Best)
21:46 Supporting Cast Review
23:45 Actor Blocking is a Problem, Grabby D. Luffy
25:20 The Camera Man is On Special-K
27:16 Anime RELIES on Visuals to Tell Story
28:45 Overall Thoughts
#onepiece, #onepieceliveaction, #Wednesdaydance
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00:00 Beginner's Luck Can Happen in Game Design
03:50 Limited Camera Systems CAN BE GOOD Folks!
07:30 The Transforming Controls ARE DMC Style Switcher!
12:30 Manual Aim being Restricted to Fighter Mode is GENUIS (And Probably Luck)
14:00 Cheat Codes CAN REMOVE Design Issues
15:20 Controls ARE GOOD (Just Need to be Rebound)
16:40 The Biggest Issue of All Character ACTION Games
19:00 The Boss Design is Surprisingly Clever At Times
20:00 The Level Pace is Generally Fast (Though Backtracking is Lame)
22:30 A Bloody Palace Mode is the Missing Ingredient
23:27 Final Thoughts
#robotech, #macross, #armoredcore6
Right now you can get ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON on PC (Steam), PS5, PS4, and Xbox.
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00:00 Old FromSoft were UNDERVALUED
07:00 Armored Core 6 is EXACTLY What I Expected (For Better and Worse)
12:14 The New Simplified Camera System Removes the Boost and Traction Meta of combat
17:40 Circle Strafing IS HERE! When in Doubt, Circle Strafe
21:00 Jumping has been Simplified to Mechassault, No More Fast Fall and Goodbye Wall Jumps
25:00 Armored Core 6 Now Has WEAPON COOL DOWN?! Whhhy FromSoft, Why?!
32:10 Melee is Clunky and Highly Encouraged (Natural Vs. Statistical Balance)
37:10 Ammo Counts PLUS Weapon Cool downs is OVERKILL (Or Should I Say Underkill)
38:40 The Stages and Enemy Pace is Too Slow
41:30 Boss Fights are the HIGHLIGHT, but could be more compelling with a more technical move set for the player
43:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
#armoredcore, #armoredcore6, #ign
youtube.com/live/5bBUMKYcmX8
Right now you can pickup Wanted: Dead on Steam (PC), PS4/PS5, and Xbox One or Xbox Series X. I ended up getting the game on PC (for future mods) as well as PS4 Pro, and I can say that this game will not be coming to Switch not only due to its content, but also there is no way the Switch can handle this game hardware wise without exploding ha.
This run was played on PS5, and I think PS5 is probably the best platform for the game, unless you have an amazingly powerful pc.
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00:00:00 Stage 1
00:15:47 Stage 1 Boss (Important Strats!)
00:17:17 Stage 2
00:28:43 Stage 2 Boss
00:31:00 Stage 3
00:43:42 Stage 3 Boss
00:45:17 Stage 4 (My Fav Stage)
01:00:00 Stage 4 Boss (Walls of Fire)
01:01:55 Stage 5 Part 1
01:21:10 Stage 5 Part 2 (Hellish Health Glitch)
01:31:48 Final BOSS (The Run Killer)
#wanteddead, #ninjagaiden, #ign
Here is the Saturday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/satsched
Here is the Sunday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/sunsched
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00:00:00 Game: Touhou Imperishable Night /// Player: Mr. Skelly Bones /// Commentary: Player
00:42:12 Game: Gaiapolis /// Player: Kiwi /// Commentary: Baf + Ec2151
#shmup, #shootemups, #shmupslam
Here is the Saturday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/satsched
Here is the Sunday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/sunsched
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00:00:00 Stream Start
00:07:20 Game: Radirgy //// RadianceAlesta //// Commentary: M. Knight
00:54:26 Game: Galaga '88 PCE //// Etrem //// Commentary: Gameboy Guru
01:31:10 Game: Lightening Force //// GameBoy Guru //// Commentary: Etrem
02:21:10 Game: Rolling Gunner //// Rezardi //// Commentary: Player + Pearl + Big Malone + Wabby Legs
03:12:15 Game: Giga Wing 2 //// ec2151 //// Commentary: Marus
04:03:00 Game: Gradius Gaiden Co-Op //// GhoulsAreFree and Golem //// Commentary: Docviper
04:51:30 Game: Change Air Blade //// Imbord3rlin3 //// Commentary: The Dirty Screech
05:14:00 Game: eXceed 3rd Jade Penetrate Black Package //// silentblackcat (she/her) //// Commentary: Softdrink
05:56:50 Game: Radiant Silvergun //// Mark MSX //// Commentary: Player
06:44:44 Game: Bullet Hell Monday Black //// Xavier //// Commentary: Mark MSX
#shmup, #shootemups, #shmupslam
Here is the Saturday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/satsched
Here is the Sunday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/sunsched
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00:00:00 Stream Start
00:03:20 Game: Tsukihime no Shiro (Melty Blood x Shikigami) //// EmperorIng360 | Mishi | Rezardi | M.Knight //// Commentary: Players
00:42:08 Game: Macross Advanced //// RiffMason //// Commentary: Player
01:30:00 Game: Sanvein //// M.Knight //// Commentary: Player
02:26:51 Game: Contra: Shattered Soldier //// copypasterCPS //// Commentary: Aquas
03:22:30 Game: Touhou 12 - Undefined Fantastic Object //// AwfullyFawfully //// Commentary: BluePlasmaSpark
04:29:18 Game: Judgement Silversword //// SFKhoa //// Commentary: colour_thief | EeroKurkisuo
05:04:23 Game: Blue Revolver //// Jermanator //// Commentary: Danbo | Softdrink
06:02:18 Game: Crisis Wing //// machomanmo + TheHeadyBear VS Ghouls and Golem //// Commentary: pieslice (Dev) | Spellcxster
06:52:20 Game: Touhou 13: Ten Desires //// Anna says hi | HIMkoto //// Commentary: Players
07:42:40 Game: Lunatic Death | Dodonpachi DaiOuJou Fan-Film by Heiner
#shmup, #shootemups, #shmupslam
Here is the Saturday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/satsched
Here is the Sunday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/sunsched
Saturday is day 1, and the featured games are:
1. Gradius
2. Magical Amber
3. Pilot Kids
4. Turbo Force (sick car shmup)
5. Batsugun
6. Giga Wing Generations
7. Dariusburst ACEX+
8. Like Dreamer
9. Donpachi
10. Graze Counter GM
11. The House of the Dead III
12. Raystorm
13. Rayforce
14. Sin and Punishment
15. Sispri Gauntlet
16. Super Spacefortress Macross
17. Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara 1.0
18. Ikaruga
19. Radiant Silvergun
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00:00:00 Start Stream
00:06:00 Game: Graze Counter GM //// Player: RagnarokAdvent //// Commentary:Player
00:31:34 Game: The House of the Dead III //// Player: MSD/AGE | RadiantAnsel //// Commentary:player
01:16:026 Game: Like Dreamer //// Player: the dirty screech //// Commentary:Mark MSX
02:14:30 Game: Rayforce //// Player: ColonelFatso //// Commentary: Jaimers
03:12:13 Game: Sin and Punishment //// Player: BenSPR //// Commentary:Player | Mark MSX
04:05:40 Game: Talk to Chat //// Player: Mark MSX //// Commentary: ----
04:49:47 Game: Sispri Gauntlet //// Player: Pearl //// Commentary:Morsalty
06:01:30 Game: Super Spacefortress Macross //// Player: KyoKusagani ////Commentary: Player
06:53:40 Game: Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara 1.0 //// Player: Aquas //// Commentary:Softdrink
08:33:40 Game: Ikaruga //// Player: Dr. Tan //// Commentary: Softdrink
09:08:00 Game: Mushi Futari (Ultra) //// Player: hsM //// Commentary:Softdrink
09:55:44 Game: Mech Blaze //// Player: Dingo //// Commentary:Player
#shmup, #shootemups, #shmupslam
Here is the Saturday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/satsched
Here is the Sunday schedule: horaro.org/slam6/sunsched
Saturday is day 1, and the featured games are:
1. Gradius
2. Magical Amber
3. Pilot Kids
4. Turbo Force (sick car shmup)
5. Batsugun
6. Giga Wing Generations
7. Dariusburst ACEX+
8. Like Dreamer
9. Donpachi
10. Graze Counter GM
11. The House of the Dead III
12. Raystorm
13. Rayforce
14. Sin and Punishment
15. Sispri Gauntlet
16. Super Spacefortress Macross
17. Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara 1.0
18. Ikaruga
19. Radiant Silvergun
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00:00:00 Start stream
00:02:56 Game: Gradius //// Player: Prickly Angler | Hausu //// Commentary:ReFKey
00:36:30 Game: Magical Amber //// Player: Mishi | Rezardi | TH3VOID //// Commentary:Players
01:12:50 Game: Pilot Kids //// Player: Jaimers //// Commentary:EmperorIng360
01:44:47 Game: Turbo Force //// Player: EeroKurkisuo //// Commentary:Player
02:13:20 Game: Batsugun //// Player: Meriscan //// Commentary:Jaimers
02:48:20 Game: Giga Wing Generations //// Player: Third_strike //// Commentary:Pearl | Emperoring
03:21:20 Game: Dariusburst ACEX+ //// Player: docviper //// Commentary:Prickly Angler
03:49:30 Game: Raystorm //// Player: Chinopolis | CPS //// Commentary:Jaimers
04:54:33 Game: Donpachi //// Player: Succ //// Commentary:Softdrink
#shmup, #shootemups, #shmupslam
There are more topics and ideas on the subject that I discuss in the video, but I' don't want to spoil the whole thing in the description ha. If you are interested in Caladrius Blaze, you can pick it up on Nintendo Switch, Steam (PC), Xbox 360, PS4/PS5, and even PS3.
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#shmup, #shootemups, #touhou
In today's epic video, Quash and I discuss the past, present, and future of fighting games, leading up to our thoughts on EVO 2023. And for the first time in a long time, I'm actually interested and excited to watch it this year. As of late I have been playing a lot more Tekken and Virtua Fighter, but I'm also interested in a lot of games being played. We go over our thoughts an avalanche of topics, such as: The decline and future of 3D fighting games, Sales vs Tournament entries, Steam Charts vs Tournament entries, the homogenization of game mechanics, the importance of netcode for upcoming pro players, sluggish UI Design, the issues with online Matchmaking, the function of rank modes and why they need fixed, Differences in perception in JP and NA scenes, is the EVO gladiator format still the best, or should they start to look more into leagues? The Final Year of Tekken 7, should Marvel happen every year, the sleeping giant that is the Street Fighter IP, the uncertain fate of Project L, the importance of graphical presentation, my love and concern for Virtua Fighter and Dead or Alive, and so much more.
The games and tournaments we discussed are:
Street Fighter 6 - 7k entrants
Guilty Gear -Strive- 2.4k entrants
Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate - 449 entrants
Tekken 7 - 1.5k entrants
The King of Fighters XV - 666 entrants
Melty Blood: Type Lumina - 554 entrants
Dragon Ball FighterZ - 838 entrants
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 - 1.3k entrants
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00:00:00 IS EVO'S COMPLETELY OPEN BRACKET FORMAT FAIR TO PLAYERS? SPECTACLE VS INTEGRITY
00:30:00 SHOULD FGC USE AN ELO RANKING SYSTEM FOR SEEDING TOURNAMENTS?
00:49:00 HOW DOES EVO SELECT THE GAMES BEING PLAYED (AND MONEY DEF IS A FACTOR)
01:07:00 THE TRAGIC DECLINE OF 3D FIGHTERS (WE WANT THEM BACK!)
01:22:35 MARKETING IS LIFE OR DEATH AND 3D FAILED AT MARKETING
01:45:15 THE HOMOGENIZATION OF FIGHTING GAME DESIGN
1:58:18 PROJECT L IS NOT THE MAGIC BULLET
02:05:35 STOP WASTING TIME! FIGHTING GAME INTERFACE DISCUSSION
02:17:35 SHOULD ONLINE MATCHES BE RANK ONLY?! THE ISSUE OF THE RANK META GAME
02:35:20 GRAPHICS AND VISUALS MATTER A.L.O.T.
02:46:00 MELTY BLOOD TYPE LUMINA (SOLID BUT I MISS ACTRESS AGAIN)
02:58:25 DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ (BRING BACK DBZ BUDOKAI)
03:08:10 MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3 (SHOULD IT BE MARVEL 2?)
03:34:30 MORTAL KOMBAT 11 (THE GREAT BLOCK BUTTON DEBATE)
04:01:10 KING OF FIGHTERS 15 (THE GHOST OF KOF 2002 LIVES)
04:08:55 GUILTY GEAR STRIVE (GUILTY GEAR STREET FIGHTER EDITION)
04:30:00 TEKKEN 7 (EVERYONE STAYED HOME TO WRITE TEKKEN 8 POETRY)
04:43:32 STREET FIGHTER 6 (THE SLEEPING GIANT IS REAL/WILL WE SEE MODERN CONTROLS)
05:16:30 HOT TAKES! QUASH: HITBOX WON'T TAKE OVER
05:31:35 HOT TAKES! MARK: NO ONE WILL ACTUALLY PLAY VF6 WHEN IT COMES OUT, TOO FUNDAMENTAL
#evo2023, #streetfighter6, #tekken8
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00:00:00 STG Weekly is BACK!
00:09:21 Twitch Speedrunning Vs Shmup Viewership
00:17:00 Speedrunning is Fan-Made Meta, Shmups are Natural Meta
00:23:16 Fan-Made Meta is Interesting, But UNSTABLE
00:27:03 The Doubled Edged Leaderboard Issue
00:29:50 Run "Categories" Are Arbitrary and Rely on Concensus
00:34:20 Mark's Solution - Build the Meta into the Port
00:36:30 What Determines Speedrun Popularity?
00:42:00 Aquas Joins Team Pink Sweets
00:48:00 Pink Sweets World Record Progression
00:58:39 CHAD MODE Limited Lives
01:02:42 Aquas Plans for the Future
#speedrun, #shootemups #shmup
Tekken 8 is a SPAMMERS Paradise! (Until Movement is Buffed). I'm a 3D fighting game player and despite some issues with Tekken 7's combo length and weaker movement, I still ended up enjoying the game and feel Namco struck a very delicate balance with 3D vs 2D style design in that entry in the series. However, coming into Tekken 8, I think Namco have gone too far in trying to further appease the linear player base of the series (who I understand are probably the majority of fans) and are making the 3D fighting elements of the series, like side stepping, side walking, and backdash canceling, even more risky and inaccessible to newer players. Why sidestep when you have a pile of armor moves? Further compounding this issue is the creation of the heat system, which I find intrusive in many ways. Firstly, you now get another get out of jail free attack with heat smash (if rage arts weren't enough) and now a lot of moves that were previously linear pokes (like Demon's Paw) not only seem to track better than they once did, but will also FADC cancel into a dash in mix up (I really wonder where Namco came up with this idea). Between the meter and the heavy emphasis on poking moves being able to be canceled into combos, Namco is continuing to push further towards a 2D style of game play, especially for lower level players. And while I'm sure I'll get a pile of comments saying how it's not a big deal for top level players, top level players aren't the end point of a game's design. A fighting game should be designed to encourage fundamental play at all levels of the meta, by rewarding even lower level players for at least trying to engage in mechanics like sidestep. As of right now though, the second a budding player decides to try to start stepping, he is going to be obliterated for the slightest mistake - so most players will be scared and just stick to playing linear.
This over-emphasis on linear play and move spamming among mid and low level players was Tekken 7's biggest flaw and Tekken 8 has taken that flaw and super charged it even more (not to mention the heat system literally rewards you for spamming via chip damage).
If Namco insist on having us play using this lame heat system (which has constant cut scene interruptions btw, I hate that GG Strive crap), they should at least give the 3D players decent movement and stepping to combat all the spammers who spend all day every day learning their hop kick setups and heat to rage art combos.
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00:00 The TWO Types of Tekken Players
03:00 Tekken is a LAME When Played as a 2D game...
06:00 The PRISON of 2D Gameplay and Risk + Reward in Tekken 7/8
08:42 Tekken 8's Big Design DECISION, More Linear or More 3D?
10:00 Tekken 7 Vs Tekken 8 Sidestep and Backdash Analysis
11:20 Great, Tekken Has FADC Cancels ... I'm so Proud
12:15 Heat Literally Encourages Spamming, It's Written in the Tutorial
13:18 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Top Players Are Not the Metric For Game Balance!
14:30 "Aggressive Play" Can Be LAME when done wrong.
16:00 Heat Smash + Rage Art | Comeback Mechanic Ultimate Climax
17:11 Will I Play Tekken 8? Yes, Because I Have No Viable 3D Alternative
18:20 Has Namco Lost Confidence in 3D Fighting? It looks like it.
#tekken8, #tekken7, #guiltygearstrive
One other core question I bring up in this video is the question of what is the role of gameplay in RPG in the first place? What is proper RPG combat? Is it turn based? Does it matter? Does the gameplay of RPGs exist to support the story, or does the story exist to support the gameplay? This is a key discussion of design that I'd love to hear about the genre. Though I personally believe that all games, even RPG, are meant to be game design first story second, but of course I'm much more interested in game design than games as a story telling medium.
As of right now Final Fantasy XVI is a PS5 exclusive, but later on I understand it will be released on other consoles and PC. As for if I recommend the game or not, or if I think it's GAME OF THE YEAR as every game that releases is hailed, you'll have to tune in to find out ;-)
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00:00 All Games Genres Are Merging
05:40 Prescriptive Combat Design Vs Fundamental Combat Design
09:00 FF16 Has a Strong Foundation of Combat ... So Far So Good
17:00 Mechanics Are NOT ENOUGH, Action Games Need Strong Enemy and Level Design
19:00 Bayonetta 3 Vs Final Fantasy XVI
22:00 Is Gameplay or Story Top Priority in RPG?
25:00 FF16 Abandons Open World Design ... THANK YOU!
29:50 Enemy Design: Don't Make Sandbags
33:00 The Biggest Issue with FF16 Combat is Balance, NOT Depth
37:19 I APPRECIATE The CHAD Mature Presentation (No More Children Games Please)
39:00 The Arcade Mode is a good IDEA, But Design is Not Successful
42:25 Final Thoughts and Conclusion on FF16
#finalfantasy, #finalfantasy16, #finalfantasy7remake
What makes this situation even more confusing is that recently Rayforce had another port by City Connection called Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute, which was laggy and lame. And then on top of that there is another collection coming out called RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection - which is actually just an incomplete version of this collection. So overall, if you want to get the heart of what is quality and what is not, this review shall be your guide.
As of right now the Ray'z Arcade Chronoloyg is available on Nintendo Switch and PS4/PS5. Sadly both PC (Steam) and Xbox got the shaft.
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#rayforce, #shmup, #shootemups
We cover a lot of subjects, but some of the main topics are: Who is Melee's REAL father? As I feel Sakurai is heavily over-creddited for the creation of what we love about Smash 64 and Melee. The nature of Melee as being a community made meta, rather than a natural meta, and how this leads to a lot of more radical decisions when it comes to rule sets (even going so far as to modify the game itself). I talk about the current culture of smash, that obsesses over the e-celeb aspects of its players and personalities, but largely ignores the actual tournament organizers and people who support the scene's infrastructure. Of course we touch on the Nintendo vs Melee community controversy and I share my thoughts on how the community should study Nintendo's motivations more, rather than always relying on social media and fan backlash to protect itself (which I do not believe will work forever). We talk about the recent ruleset changes to ban wobbling and add edge grab limits, and how I feel that these rule changes are reactionary and targeted, rather than being a fair case of assessing outliers in a ruleset.
Then there is the sanctioned cheating that is occurring in the ruleset in terms of allowing macros and input processing in the Smash Box as well as the Goomwave. I explain my philosophy behind genuine hardware mods (physical mods) vs cheating mods (introduction of electronics and input processing) and remind the world that Blur, many years ago, predicted these issues but was ignored.
Follow Blur at: twitter.com/OXY_Crimson
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00:00:00 Men of Taste Meet At Last!
00:03:00 CRTs Must Be Protected!
00:13:40 Melee is now a PC GAME
00:18:30 Sakurai Is NOT Melee's ONLY FATHER!
00:25:00 Melee is NOT an ACCIDENT! (Inspired by Virtua Fighter 3)
00:31:00 Melee and 64 Are DISTINCT from the Rest of Smash
00:39:00 Modern Smash is Competitive... With Supervision
00:44:00 The Nintendo Option Select, They Don't Actually Have to Support Their Games
00:50:00 Nintendo SAVED GAMES ... If You Ignore Arcades ...
00:55:00 Nintendo Vs Melee Community - Understand Your Enemy
01:04:30 Nintendo Vs Melee Community - Beware the Middle Man
01:12:24 Nintendo Vs Melee Community - The TRUE Heart of the Conflict
01:19:00 The Smash TO Brain Drain ... I'd Take the Check
01:26:00 The Benefits and Dangers of a New Indie Melee
01:31:00 Nintendo is Playing the Long Game, Slow Suffocation of Resources
01:36:00 Content Creators Can Support the Scene ... But Is that Sustainable?
01:47:00 Nintendo Want an Inside Man (Panda Example)
01:56:30 Don't Count on the Masses to Support Homebrew Scene (They Will Turn On You Eventually)
02:04:00 I Want Melee Closer to FGC and Away from New Smash (No More Kids)
02:09:00 Discussing Melee Ruleset - WHO MAKES THE RULES?!
02:16:00 The Tension of Rulesets, VISION VS CONCENSUS
02:23:00 LET'S BE REAL: The Smash Box is Legal MACROS
02:30:00 UCF Was a False Promise, So Now We Have Software and Hardware Mods
02:34:00 Blur PREDICTED the GoomWave, But No One Listened
02:40:00 The Modded Controller Arms Race is Sanctioned Cheating
02:46:00 UCF is Community Mod Over Game - Vanilla Melee Vs New Melee
02:51:00 Melee Caters Ruleset to TARGET the Art of War (Sharp Meta)
03:03:00 "Fun" is Too Subjective For a Ruleset, There is no LIMITING Principal
03:07:00 Since Melee is a Democracy, it Requires Extensive ORGANIZED Voting
03:11:44 Don't Be Tricked by Marketing, the Smash Box is NOT the Hitbox (For The Most Part)
03:19:00 I Don't Care About Dev Intent, I Care About Game Integrity (There is a Key Difference)
03:26:42 Blur's Final Thoughts (Follow Him, This Was a GREAT EP!)
#supersmashbros, #ssbm, #smashbox
Overall, Shikigami is a very unique and interesting bullet-hell (danmaku) shmup. It is possibly the first shoot em' up to have a visible hitbox and it clearly was an inspiration for the Touhou series. What sets Shiki apart is it's aggressive grazing and speedkilling scoring system (outside of some crazy boss milking of course). The goal of today's review is to take a fair look at this game and point out what I think are it's strengths, and also it's weaknesses that I hope are improved upon in the later games in the series.
As of right now the game is available on Steam, but beware the steam port (while decent performance wise) does seem a bit buggy. Also it sadly doesn't have the delightful voice acting that we see in Shikigami 2. Shiki 1 is also available on PS2 under the title "Mobile Light Force 2."
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#shmup, #shootemups, #xplay
This review has easily been the most massive and complicated review I have undertaken. Street Fighter 6 is the M. Night Shyamalan of fighting games. There are so many interesting (and sometimes strange) design decisions going on in this game that I found that it took an insane amount of time and discussion to describe what is going on with the game's design and why. This extensive review covers it all: The World Tour Mode, the single player content, the enemy ai, the practice mode options, the replay system, the Capcom ID requirement (lame), the battle hub, the arcade games, Final Fight, the new Drive System, the new super bar, parry, MODERN CONTROLS, character customization, character costumes, aesthetics, input lag, how the meta compares to older Street Fighter games, and the looming specter of Tekken 8.
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00:00:00 Why Reliable Fighting Game Reviews Are Hard to Find
00:08:20 SIGN UP NOWWWW! CAPCOM ACOUNT LOCKOUT
00:12:30 World Tour Mode Is a HOT MESS
00:25:30 Meaningful Vs. Empty Content
00:33:24 World Tour Wants to Be a Beat Em' Up So BAD!
00:38:15 Arcade Mode and Good CPU AI Helps You Learn :-)
00:44:37 Why Street Fighter 6 Needs Ghost Battle Mode
00:47:16 Based Practice Mode and Combo Trials
00:49:00 FINAL FIGHT! And PS4 WITHOUT V-SYNC?!!
00:51:00 Don't Sleep on The Top Secret Replay System
00:53:24 Final Thoughts On Singleplayer Content
00:56:30 The Drive System Follows Up SF4 Focus System
00:59:50 After 30 Years... Devs Discover Starting Round with Meter
01:02:50 Street Fighter Rediscovers Supers
01:05:20 Drive Parry is Royal Guard ;-)
01:08:30 Drive Dash cuts out the Middle Man (sorry shotos)
01:11:25 MODERN CONTROLS! MODERN CONTROLS! MODERN CONTROLS!
01:16:20 I Didn't Know I was Practicing for SF6...
01:21:35 RIP Supers
01:25:34 Are "Modern" Controls Brilliant, or Bad?
01:32:45 Final Thoughts and Aesthetics (I'm Exhausted)
#streetfighter6, #review, #moderncontrols,
If it feels like I am beating a dead horse with these Saturn Tribute ports reviews, that's because I am. At this point I think this will be my last review of these City Connection Saturn ports and in the future I'd just approach them with heavy skepticism.
As of right now this game is on PC (steam), Nintendo Switch, and PS4/PS5.
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#shmup, #shootemup, #batsugun
What I find tragic about this though, in the literal sense of the word, is that this fate is inescapable from what I have observed. No matter what approach a developer or fan base take, the end of the game being played at full capacity seems fated. I go into specific detail of why this is in the video.
So this video is not meant to be a critique or warning against the genre, but rather a somber celebration of what makes the genre so special and also, ultimately, tragic.
I thought it would be fun to discuss this video in light of the upcoming releases of Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6. At this point I am fully planning on playing Tekken 8 unless it is some kind of abomination, and my interest in the Street Fighter franchise as it is currently being made is gone. But I think I will review and discuss both games here on the channel as I think that will be interesting, as fighting game reviews from impartial experienced players are rather rare. I also am really into Guilty Gear XX Accent Core right now as well as DOA, so I plan on doing some vids about those games in the future as well
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||MY ESSAY ON MELEE'S POPULARITY||
As promised here is my little essay on Melee's popularity. So if you ask melee players – maybe not so much now but def up to 2022 – most melee players firmly believe that the game will be played very far into the future. That melee is the one exception to the rule and that it will not fall into the fighting game graveyard. Why exactly this is, melee players rarely spell out, but it's usually based on the idea that the game is extremely great and unique (which I fully believe as a massive melee player myself).
That being said though, there are actually many amazing and truly great and unique fighting games that have fallen into the graveyard, such as Soul Caliber 2, Dead or Alive 4, Guilty Gear XX, and pretty much all of the Virtua Fighter Series. In my opinion, quality of gameplay helps extend the life of a fighting game, but it will not stop it from crashing. That being said, melee is absolutely a unique case and has bucked the trend more successfully than any other game. The reason for this though has to do much more with perfect timing, being associated with the most powerful gaming franchises of all time, and an extremely powerful social network developed around the game.
Also Nintendo accidentally helped melee a bunch by fumbling with the Smash series so much.
To begin with, since the follow up game to Melee, Smash Brawl, was so truly bad that even casual players noticed how dumbed down and lame it was (and yes I know the sales of the game are very high, but it can be argued that those high sales are due to the legacy that Melee setup, just like how Star Wars Ep 1 had a massive box office), Nintendo for many years did not offer a valid alternative to Melee.
[Due to word limit, Essay Continued on this google doc: docs.google.com/document/d/1x6st6G71DdnyaFc5rEwk-Fj7CPUzqjD-YMtf91pSJiY/edit?usp=sharing ]
#streetfighter6, #tekken8, #guiltygearstrive
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#touhou, #shmup, #shootemup,