July 7, 2012

EVO 2012...Also, I Hraet You

So.  Guess what I'm watching?

Iron Chef?

As anyone who's seen me online knows (especially given the name of the blog), I have a deep appreciation and respect for fighting games.  Am I good at them?  Not really, no.  I've got slow reflexes, and I can't do much outside of a very limited number of combos.  Even so, I like the ideas behind them -- the strategy, the systems, the characters, and the over-the-top style prominent in virtually every game...well, except Mortal Kombat.  Don't care for that one.


I know I don't have much in the way of skill, but I like seeing people that actually know what they're doing go to town against one another.  And I love hearing the crowd go wild over massive upsets and some fancy "technology", if I may borrow the vernacular.  Maybe it's just because I've never really been into sports -- blame my horrific stint as one of the Colorado Rockies in Little League -- but there's just something about seeing dedicated players and dedicated audiences going berserk that always puts a smile on my face.  It certainly helps that I actually understand what's going on in them more than, say, a football game.

Wait a minute...is he allowed to go for a six-pointer without his bobsled?

I think the highlight, for me, was seeing nine-year-old Noah pull off a win against a significantly older player in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 -- just as he did a year ago in the original MvC3.  There's just something about seeing a young prodigy of sorts strut into the big boys' den, select Hulk, and then proceed to SMASH the hell out of anyone that gets in his way.  What made it even MORE exciting was hearing the crowd cheer as Noah got the enemy in a combo...and whenever his opponent got Noah in a combo, the crows started booing.  That's the kind of stuff that would destroy someone's self-esteem.

The one thing that bugs me about the EVO proceedings is that there's a much smaller pool of viable characters used.  I mean, even though they're not so much of a big deal with local or online play, tier lists have a nasty habit of determining who you're likely to win with and who you aren't -- a major deal when you're out to snag a few thousand dollars and/or a sponsorship deal.  What this means for the viewers, of course, is that out of some fifty or so characters in UMvC3, you'll see maaaaaaaaaybe a fourth of that.  So even though I enjoy the fights, it can get a little tiresome seeing Doctor Doom versus Doctor Doom, or a Zero on-point against an anchor Wesker.  Over, and over, and over.

On the plus side, I'm watching a match featuring Super-Skrull right now.  Love that guy.  

...Except the Skrull player just lost.  Dammit.  That's no way to impress the Skrull Queen!

Opinions may vary, but Phoenix Wright is consistently at the bottom.  Le sigh...


Well, enough of that.  The fact that EVO's still kicking (and I watched plenty of King of Fighters 13 matches) has still got me in a good mood.  I also want to take a little bit of time to say this: new chapters of I Hraet You are coming, starting tomorrow, and will return to the two-chapters-a-week schedule.  I'm actually starting to get kind of excited about the story.  Why, you ask?  Because the story's main villain is about to make his appearance!

Who is he?  Well, that's a secret for now.  However, while I pound out the chapters, I'll leave this for you intrepid readers: a song that captures his essence rather handily.  Also, I'll use any excuse to post a song from my personal savior Daisuke Ishiwatari.

Give it a listen.  And keep on lovin', baby.


2 comments:

  1. I had a blast watching Evo this year. I stumbled into the KOF finals by accident, and they might have actually been the best finals of the entire show. SC and MvC were also pretty damn tight.

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  2. I missed the SF finals, but I was watching the Marvel finals right up to the tourney-winning blow. Fantastic stuff all around. Still, I think that KOF had a great showing, finals or otherwise; it's a fantastic game, and my favorite one to watch.


    Though that may just be my love of sprite-based games talking...

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