Is The Look More Important Than The Feel?!: Comparing Gameplay To Aesthetics

The King Of Fighters series has most definitely had its ups and downs. As a fan of the series, I'm not at all ashamed to say that I chose to stay away from certain games in the series specifically the ones that got away from the traditional 2D art style that I was accustomed to.

During The King Of Fighters XIII's most celebrated time period here in the U.S., you could almost imagine that it would be enjoying many more years to come but as time moved on things became clear that players would do the same as well.

There are plenty of reasons I could give that attribute to SNK Playmore's official buy out but I'd rather focus on the present concerns at hand,The King Of Fighters XIV.  Like many fans, I was vehement about there being a KOFXIV stating that having a next game in the series would be much better than having nothing. It would seem like many would get their wish, just not quite the way they may have hoped for.

It was expected that the series would forgo its 2D roots in an effort to cut production time and create more assets then the previous offering. After all, the pain stalking process of "Dot Art", while greatly appreciated by fans, hurt them in the long run when they first introduced it in KOFXII a game that was highly criticized for its lack of features among other trivial complaints. 

When the announcement for the latest game in the series hit my radar, there was no doubt excitement but only a few minutes later, that excitement would turn to utter disappointment. Having a background in computer animation made this an even harder pill to swallow. I've never had a reason to critique the release of a game title, none the less a fighting game one and I just couldn't stop picking at all of its faults.

With each trailer that popped up, it was apparent that KOFXIV was not going to be on par with what the current gen has to offer and to me that is what hurts the most. While my feelings towards this title have been nothing but negative, others fight to defend the next entry by providing evidence of minor improvements and footage comparisons to the previous offering.

While I'm still at odds with the game aesthetics, my feelings about the game play are neutral. The comparisons with KOFXIII have definitely helped my view of the game as it seems to stay within the same pacing. It lets me know that while KOFXIV may not have the stylish look that I enjoyed previously it will still retain the feeling which may transfer over to the game play as well. 

Next week, as players get a chance to go hands on with the title at Playstation Experience, we will know some what where this game stands. As we are still clueless as to the exact release date which happens to be coming next year, there is still hope that strides can be made but in my mind their not enough to satiate the new players being introduced to the series. 

There is no doubt that some games can look quite awesome and make you contemplate the end of your existence...during game play at least. It could be that KOFXIV will successfully maintain what ultimately makes this series distinguishable from the rest but the questions remains at what cost. 

They Just Don't Seem To Care

The 2015 Games Award Show has left many perplexed as to how they exactly decided to determine the fighting game nominations. One of the games chosen for this year happens to be on its way out next month and another is still in Beta.

It would be one thing if you could argue that there aren't enough titles to construct a solid list of nominations ,but that is far from the truth. There were at least three solid titles that I personally would've considered choice candidates:

1. Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late
2. Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax
3. Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden

Now given they fall under the "anime" category of fighting games, you may argue its sole representative Guilty Gear Xrd: -Sign- should be adequate since it does share similar aesthetics that fall under that style of fighting game but here is the problem, they are not the same!!


The evidence seems clear as day that the people running this show, the ones who brand the mark of "gamer" so proudly on their chest, are very very out of touch. The shows creator Geoff Keighley also happens to be the creator of Game Trailers.

Taking a quick look at the coverage of said games on the GT's website pushes further the notion that they took no time to play these games and that is truly unfortunate because had they done so maybe, just maybe at least two of the games would have received a much deserved nomination.

Now, this would be a single atrocity had I not delved further into their nominations for E-sports and found that there was absolutely no representation for fighting game players!! It is apparent that they just don't seem to care.

Geoff like many of us came from an era of the Arcade. If you come from that era, then you know the resurgence that fighting games created around this time. There is no denying that these days keeping up with the influx of games seems to have become more of a chore then a fun past time but as an entity that is dedicated to covering a wide assortment of video game related media, I can't help but think they are seriously missing the mark.

There may be some strange politics happening at this so called award show. When things get to this level, there always seem to be so it doesn't surprise me much just disappoints. The only thing that we can do as not just a fighting game community but a game community at large is point out the inconsistencies and hope they make changes.

It is sad to say this given the appreciation of what this show means to many of us game fans but if there isn't equal representation across the board then I will no longer see the need to support this further and urge others to do the same.

Holding Characters Hostage!!

After a fair amount of leaks have surfaced from Street Fighter V, I'm starting to think something is afoot! It doesn't take sharp sleuthing skills to figure out what developers are doing just a keen eye on the behavior especially when it comes to releasing characters.

Let's back track a bit to where I believe this all started, Killer Instinct. The first current-gen fighting game came out of the gate initially offering 8 characters to choose from. Now, one can gather that this game was far from complete yet and still the publishers decided it best to bring the game out as it was and to their chagrin, it worked out.

If two years ago you told me that Street Fighter V would be getting released in 2016, I would have said impossible given Capcom's current situation at the time. I could have never imagined Sony taking such a huge roll in the development of Street Fighter V which is ultimately why we will be seeing it sooner than later.

It's obvious to me that game development in this current generation is far more challenging and so when it was announced that Street Fighter V would be launching with 16 characters adding only 6 more within the year, it wasn't surprising but it was certainly a little disappointing.

While their are a great deal of characters some of which I'm glad to see returning, it is apparent that a great deal of my favorites are not their. So.... Capcom is holding my characters hostage!!!

Okay,okay maybe I'm flying off the handle just a little bit but it is very telling. 16 initial characters compared to the 25 that were released for Street Fighter IV. For the second time in Street Fighter history, Sagat will not be among the initial roster and that little ball of electricity Blanka also won't be present either...the Street Fighter gods must be crazy!!

I talked about having character crisis previously and as things are now there will be a few Street Fighter veterans plagued by this current epidemic until the next round of characters make an appearance.

Would it have been behoove of Capcom to possibly wait until they had a roster fitting of a royal banquet? Probably. But given their latest commitment to giving you free extra content from the initial purchase, well, you can't not at least be content in knowing a character you wanted to see very badly at launch won't require you to shell out some extra cash.

It seems like just yesterday the initial Killer Instinct roster was something to vehemently scoff at. Now, it's a complete game promising to bring more characters next year to add to its very diverse roster.

Game development now a days has taking on a very different model one that continues to change as you continue to play and communicate your experiences. It's probably to soon to bring out the free "insert favorite character" t-shirts so I'm going to start shouting it now from the roof tops of this blog post.

"Free Sagat"

"Free Fei-Long"

"Fre...you get the picture Capcom don't have me waiting to long and I'll do my best to enjoy the characters that you have to offer in the mean while!

Purchase, Play, Repeat

We often tend not to pay attention to certain patterns as they surface. One such pattern is spending habits. We often give ourselves very convincing rationale as to why we spend money on things that we technically already own and with video games that rationale often times makes a compelling argument..in our minds at least.

In the case of fighting games this generation, the repurchase of games that we already own or have owned in the past makes a lot of sense due to the development of online play but it is costing us due to the way things change and emerge. 

I personally am the proud owner of at least two games that I've purchased more than once and there is no doubt in my mind at some point I'll be doing it again...and again, and again, and again. There are a few reasons why what seems to be an atrocious spending habit makes complete sense to do. 

The first being the most obvious is developer support. Xbox Live's first generation gave us a great deal of online gaming which included titles like Capcom Vs Snk 2,  Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and Guilty Gear XX Reloaded. The advent of Xbox Live's last gen console Xbox 360 fostered in the discontinuation of Xbox Live's service on the first generation Xbox and it's even fair to say that many of the titles that I spoke of earlier may have been terminated long before XBL officially shutdown.

There is fear of this occurrence again given the current generation of consoles are in full swing but just when this will happen is only speculation at this point. At least two of the fore mentioned titles made their way back to XBL but it came with a price and while it wasn't asking for much it's clear that many had to once again dig in their pockets to take advantage of what was offered...in a "shut up and take my money" sort of way.   

The presence of online play has greatly affected the urge to repurchase amongst some other bells and whistles coupled with the "new and improved" line that often times gives us a promise that things will be better this time around and in some cases they are. 

The nature of netplay and the technology used to make it better is often included in our reasoning for repurchase. It's the primary reason that convinces me it's worth it. Another reason that has now recently come into my decision making is the availability of a title on a new platform. 

Often times, the activity of one platform being greater versus the other drives our reasoning as there is a chance to play more individuals who enjoy the game making all the sense in the world and a small price to pay for the fun you will have. 

My hopes is that my repurchasing days will be few and in between and I believe this is now possible with what Steam has in mind this current generation. Steam's platform does a great job of complementing the multifarious world of PC and with their latest creation, Steam Box, an OS that is created to consolize what we know as PC and turn it into a more TV friendly device, I believe I've happened upon something that may just stop my impulse to repurchase or at least stop me from doing it as much in the future.  

While there is no sign of what will become of Xbox Live and Playstation Network for the last gen consoles, I can be confident that Steam will help quell my habits in ways that I thought were not going to be possible. With the influx of content coming from well known fighting game developers like Arc System Works, the purchase, play, repeat syndrome may slowly be coming to an end.

Saying Goodbye To Street Fighter IV

After deleting Ultra Street Fighter IV from my Steam library, I had an honest decision to make. It has been almost a year since I played the game only dabbling in it for a short period of time to create a review for the latest version.

It seems obvious that maybe letting go for the near future is best. I mean..Street Fighter V is on its' way. The PC online beta should be coming just around the corner and it's safe to say that SFIV's day in the sun is officially coming to a close.

It's funny how a game that brought so many of us back to fighting games, may fade into deliberate obscurity despite the strong resurgence it encapsulated. SFIV has received a great deal of harsh criticisms...a great deal.

The online game play was far from ideal, the game's mechanics often let people get away with mistakes, and the comebacks often times felt like an atrocity. When I first got my hands on Street Fighter IV, none of these things mattered..and to be honest, to me, they still do not.

At one point, I was willing to spend as much time needed to master the art of the focus dash cancel but some where along the line my attention shifted else where and never managed to make its' way back.

Whether it was going to be the time commitment needed to get into the more advanced nuances of the game, or just my pure lack of enthusiasm, me and SFIV were going to reach this point eventually...the point of no return.

Even though my personal relationship with playing SFIV deteriorated, watching the game being played is a whole other story. It goes without saying that the competitive nature of the game still garners a great deal of excitement and will be doing so at least until the end of this year when we finally reach Capcom Cup 2015.

We all knew this day was coming. While past Street Fighter titles still have a fairly decent following, I really don't know what will become of SFIV...I'll tell you this much, it doesn't look good. When it comes to the long line of Street Fighters titles I would like to return to, SFIV stands at the bottom of the list I'm afraid.

So many have predicted that upon Street Fighter V's release, SFIV will be dead in the water. I've already convinced myself by not hitting that reinstall button ; there isn't anything left for me and SFIV.

I'll never forget the first days of SFIV's release, the amazing ultra combos that were often times comedic in their approach. I'll remember those days where I spent hours online fighting against a countless number of fight requests that would never allow me to finish an arcade session...not once.

It's time for me to say goodbye to SFIV. It was fun while it lasted but I'm afraid I'll never return.

The Execution Of Execution!!

I can still recall my friend teaching me how to do my first Hadouken. I didn't think much of it then but now I liken that moment to learning a hidden technique, one that would grant me the ability to fight my friend on somewhat of an even playing field, he only taught me how to do a Hadouken after all. I could have never imagined just how far fighting games would go when it came to learning these special commands.

I and a lot of people like myself have failed to realize just how much history that someone just being introduced to a fighting game has to learn. The term newcomer often times gets misused when you think of how difficult a fighting game will be for someone just getting into playing one...it's down right underestimated and often times highly overlooked. 

This may be impart because we are in the age of information. Learning how to do a Hadouken is not as mysterious as it was in my time ; a time where people were often tight lipped on giving out information as it had the potential of limiting their turns at bat and their win ratio as well. 

With some effort, you can pick up everything that took me months(and years in some cases) to learn in a few days, although, nothing really compares to having someone show you how to do things up close and personal, something that I feel has been lost some with playing online. 

Given the amount of history I have with fighting games and the knowledge and skills that I've learned for over 20 years,  it's no wonder why fighting games are not the most popular when it comes to the pick up and play mentality. 

This years Evolution 2015 revealed Rising Thunder a game that is being master minded by 3 of EVO's co-creators. Seth Killian, who is heading the project, is without a doubt one of fighting games biggest ambassadors when it comes to speaking on just how much enjoyment and competition one can have from playing them. 

His journey has lead him from leaving his job as a professor,  joining Capcom as a community manager and combat advisor for Street Fighter IV, to now game creator for a genre that is near and dear to his heart. 

As someone who deeply understands the joy of fighting games, you would think the direction that Seth is going in for this game would be that of ole but it's far from what fighting game players have come to embrace and there is no telling the effect this may have once this game comes to its' full fruition.

With the creation of this fighting game, Seth has taken on a risk of alienating the veterans, the ones he for years sided with, the ones he appreciates deeply for the time and effort  spent to obtain a high level of mastery, to stop alienating the ones who he so wants to help understand what he loves most about fighting games..the new comers.

He plans to make this happen by doing away with the challenging inputs making special moves accessible by the press of a button. This move could easily break the foundation of what we have held dear about fighting games but not in a negative way, rather, it could break new ground in finally inviting more people to enjoy fighting games then they've ever done before.

I for one embrace this idea. I've explained in past posts that there is more to fighting games then execution and Seth is willing to place his bets on execution being the root of the problem when it comes to getting people to stay and reach that next level. Though I applaud Seth for going in this direction I also can't help but feel something big is going to be lost.

That Hadouken that I learned back then, recalling the moment I successfully executed the move seems far more exciting to me now. Now, I can easily pull off the move but it wasn't until lately that I've come to an epiphany.

My fingers move across the d-pad as if  I'm physically charging up my characters power. From there my finger pushes the button which releases the Hadouken.  Games can't often express that feeling of control over ones character so vividly and I'm afraid Rising Thunder will not be able to emulate that feeling with its use of simple inputs.

Rising Thunder may just be the future and often times what the future holds are a few relics from the past. While games like the upcoming Street Fighter V assures us that a new generation of gamer's will get to experience the euphoria of throwing that first Hadouken, there is no telling if this may change once players have a taste of what Rising Thunder and fighting games like it may have to offer...more of an engaging experience in less of the time it would normally take to enjoy what a lot of gamer's have never had the chance of experiencing.

Time will tell if executing execution will be for the greater good.

Coming To That Fork In The Road

As I've reached the half way point going into the second year of Fighting Games Online, I've had to do a lot of soul searching. Being the sole owner and operator of a website is far more tasking then I honestly imagined it would be.

I never expected that I'd be doing so much to create up to date content as I felt like the basic information was adequate enough to generate traffic and get the word out to those who may be interested.  Whether I underestimated the amount of commitment this would take, I'm still very much committed to bringing as much information to those in search of it as I can but I'm honestly reaching my limits.

At the time of my decision to go ahead with creating this website, I was at that fork in the road and the decision made sense at the time given my current situation. There is no place I would rather be then in the gaming community, especially the fighting game community. With that being said, the path in which I take to get there have so many roads to take.

I've been thinking it's time to get back on the initial path I intended to walk all along.  From this month on, I'll no longer be physically covering games like I once did. This means no more reviews, test plays, or first looks for the foreseeable future. I sincerely apologize for anyone who looked forward to more video content and I hope that at some point I can get back to doing more.

I will still be updating the webpage with content but I'm afraid my general play time is over. I feel like the overall content created over the past year and a half is more then enough for now and as much as I would like to do more, focuses have to change for the betterment of my well being.

It's been a real struggle trying to keep up with the latest content that has been arriving due to my limited resources. I was optimistic that this would change but unfortunately there is no telling at this point if things will turn around but I'm still not going to give up on the site.  

So, in closing, the site isn't going anywhere as long as I draw breath but I will be dialing back the content and my activity in order to focus on the past endeavors I let go of to get to this point. I feel very accomplished despite not getting to a place where I could do more going forward but priorities must change for now.

I've always been open to extending this website to other people who have similar interests and want to be apart of creating content and that invitation is always open if you're truly interested in contributing to the site.

I can easily be contacted through my email thec0re3@fightinggamesonline.info(serious inquires please). For now, I hope you can enjoy what I've done thus far and  I'm hoping that there will be more to come once I've gotten through a few personal life challenges.

If you've been coming to the blog to read, I thank you for taking the time to read my posts and visit the website. You are the reason I believe I can still move forward and not completely give up and for that I'm grateful. Keep fighting my friends and I'll be back.

The want win, the need to lose.

I can recall the first time I made a real conscious effort to win at a video game..and funny enough it had nothing to do with a fighting game. To add insult to injury, it was the CPU I was losing to! None the less, I was determined and it just happened to go a long way when I started playing against human opponents. Losing is not an easy pill to swallow especially when you lose by such a large margin. It's during these times that define your attitude the most because you can either quit, take a break and try again, or just shake it off and keep playing. 

The latter two options, are in my opinion, the best options because if you take the first you just never know what you will miss out on. I'm beginning to understand the need to lose...I know that sounds quite crazy but I promise I'm not headed to the half way house after this post..promise. "I want to get better" can often times take on a double meaning especially when you talk about fighting games.

"I want to stop losing." Sounds simple enough, right? I can say without a doubt that I do not enjoy losing. I would be lying if I said that my sodium levels have never reached a critical mass of pure unadulterated frustration especially when you just can't seem to land a hit on your opponent that does anything remotely damaging. It can be just as depressing especially after having spent time trying to improve but why would I get depressed on something that I enjoy. Well, there are just some moments when you forget what you love about the game and I've come to realize that I don't like staying away from something I enjoy to long.

If you've taken your bruises and dusted yourself off enough, you may one day have the fortune of coming across an opponent who hasn't quite gone through the gauntlet so to speak. It's from this experience you can see how you've improved. As you play you'll notice a few things.Their execution isn't quite up to snuff, they make a great deal of mistakes, and their movement in general is slow compared to those who have put you through the ringer.

Depending on how bad you pummel them, you may come to realize that despite the feeling of victory there is something missing, something that until this moment hadn't really been apparent to you because you've agonized over so many of your losses, that is right, you are no longer feeling challenged!! Winning doesn't hold the same value because when you were losing you had to fight for every win and understanding that has definitely changed my perspective quite a bit.

It now gives me a great deal to look forward to when I face a stronger opponent because winning is that much sweeter when I can earn a victory I had to struggle for. In the past, it would blow my mind when certain players would get angry for winning or would just leave after beating you convincingly!

I still don't quite agree with the attitude but it does make some kind of sense. A win isn't as satisfying if there isn't a bit of difficulty in between but I feel we need to allow people the right of progressing at their own pace. The game is about having fun if you're not having fun because you're not being challenged enough by those around you, maybe it's time to look for a new challenge. 

I can find excitement now in facing a stronger opponent knowing that I've improved and can improve more if I continue to learn from losing to my opponent. The need to lose isn't as crazy as I once thought it to be because in a lot of ways it still encompasses the want to win..if that makes any sense. Just don't give up and you will hopefully come to this understanding.

Killng Combos

Oh combos, how I love thee...so, I enjoy combos. After I saw Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, I wondered why the game did not have combos that looked as amazing as I saw in the film. Not to long after, Street Fighter Alpha was released and you immediately saw the influence from the movie. From the way the characters were drawn to...the combos, that is all. Unfortunately Street Fighter fanatics didn't quite see the joy of chain combos and so developers opted out on it during the next offering in the series.

I don't know what it is about combos that have me so caught up in doing them. I guess I just enjoy the fluid nature of them. Take a look at any combo vid, like this one, and you just can't deny that there is something awesome about them..that is until you get hit with one during a match then it becomes something that you might just deplore.("you filthy combo!") The big thing about combos is that they take good execution. The better your execution the more combos, the more combos, the more stylish it looks, and in some cases, the more stylish it looks, the bigger the damage.

Unfortunately, not all of us are incredibly dexterous. While I can admit I haven't consistently kept my muscle memory combos on point, I have been working on them on a regular basis. I haven't lost hope completely but I definitely wonder if I'm just not physically/mentally equipped to belt out the combos that I really want to execute...I mean gawd they can be so beautiful but damn it if they aren't hard to pull off sometimes. It can also be heart breaking when you've made some great decisions, and you have the life lead only to have it taken from one mistake. To sit in disgust while your opponent combos your life bar away mercilessly can be painful to watch, especially when the combos are extra long. 

I often find the longer a combo is the more it can take you out of the game mentally but given the difficulty of certain combos, it's hard not to advocate on the side of reward for those who can do them. Now, I'm not saying that combos should be done away with but I can agree that maybe it would be a more engaging experience for everyone if they were shorter. I can understand that part of the love for fighting games are their execution difficulty but we all know that there is so much more to a fighting game then just execution.

There are mixups, there is spacing, mind games all sorts of things that I believe if focused upon will bring a lot more people into fighting games and I for one am all for it even if that means that combos have to take a hit. Recently, the combo system for the new Tekken 7 was explored noting that shorter combos could effectively create more damage. Some aren't to elated about this idea but others seem to be enthusiastic about this direction.

Make no mistake, I don't EVER want to see an end to combos. I believe they have their place in fighting games more then anything else but I can honestly say that getting hit by touch of death scenarios can be quite bothersome sometimes. I want a happy in-between and if that means killing combos is the solution, then I say it's worth at least trying this time around.You can always bring them back the next time around but if you don't try to bring more people in we may never see fighting games gain a bigger audience.

Character Crisis

Often times choosing the right character in fighting games is a hard decision. The reality is your character, the one you thought looked the coolest, could ultimately let you down. After all, balance is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to fighting games and some characters unfortunately end up receiving the short end of the stick. Despite what seems to be a harsh reality, some individuals choose to stay loyal to their character making a commitment to use the characters strengths to beat their  opponents. It is a valiant effort to say the least but what happens when that character you loved so much, the one you stuck with through thick and thin doesn't make it to the next generation?  Will you stay, will you go?!

Recently, Charlie Nash, a returning character from the classic Street Fighter Alpha series was shown in action. You could almost hear the melody "reunited" starting to go off in the heads of those who greatly missed his absence in the latest reboot. It's funny to think that it all started with just 8 playable characters. Ultra Street Fighter IV, ended the series with 44 playable characters to date! Out of these 44 characters only 6(7 if you want to include Cammy clone Decapre) original characters were introduced to the series. It goes without saying that the character accumulation within the street fighter universe has grown quite large and with V coming just around the corner the fear is starting to creep slowly into players wondering if their cherished character is going to make the cut.

It's a development dilemma, at least one would think, to have to decide who stays and who goes. You risk alienating players, angering fans, and the possibility of losing a next gen convert. After all, it is not unusual for a player to stick with the previous game in the series. Even today, players are still enjoying Super Street Fighter II Turbo which was the last version of its' series.  It would seem that character crisis is a two way street for both gamer and developer in a lot of ways.

The hope, for me at least, is that the new Street Fighter promises the same increase of characters that the next Mortal Kombat is promising to provide its' fans. Even with some of the old guard returning, the latest trailer shows that a new generation of champions is upon us.  The ideas in the latest version of MK are grandiose to say the least and I genuinely hope that it can please both the casual and competitive end of the spectrum adequately.

It may be to early to start talking of disappointments though I was honestly disheartened when I saw a very young looking Ryu and Chung-Li in the first reveal. I would have hoped that Capcom would have made changes to these characters but I can't be to quick to judge until I've seen more.We all want to see old characters return. We also want to see something fresh as well. Where is the happy medium?!

The Difficulty With Standing Still

It has never been a question that fighting game communities are some of the most dedicated players around. Constant arguments about the more superior fighting games get debated to a debilitating degree especially when the new kids come to town threatening to chase the old guard away.

I've never quite gotten into the "one competitive fighting game to rule them all" predicament that has seemed to make some of those who carry this mindset alienated when there aren't enough players to carry the banner for their game.

I tend to disagree with this mindset but have come to understand it even more so after last week. Running a website that dedicates its' self to the many fighting games that can now be played online, I often get very engaged in the communities who are committed to running weekly tournaments for their favorite games of choice.

One game in particular, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, has a few players still giving it their support. I personally only delved into this game primarily to review it for the website but it was never my intention to let go of it completely as it was a great experience for the time I played it.

With a tournament coming up that week, I decided to sign up and dedicate a few days of training to the game. Despite the effort I made it was,to a greater extent, useless. I was completely and utterly decimated during casual play and met the same fate during the tournament itself.

After feeling the crushing defeat, it made me reevaluate my decision to sign up in the first place. It wasn't necessarily the fact that I lost it was more so the fact I haven't taken the time to play the game and I knew I wasn't going to after the tournament was over.

I got caught up in the camaraderie of those within the community which often happens with every community I cover. Wanting to be apart of it is natural especially when you're seeing the enjoyment their having but I have to be realistic, I wasn't really ready to be fully apart of it.

In a week or so I will be starting my descent into a game that just so happens to be made by the same company. That game is Under Night In-Birth:EXE Late.  My anticipation for this game has been a long one and I'm excited to see what it has to offer. I unfortunately can't say that I will dedicate more than a month to it because ultimately there are more games to cover.

I love fighting games as a whole I have my favorite which is The King Of Fighters franchise  but that doesn't mean I'm not excited about the other fighting games that are available either. The biggest difficulty I've been faced with is simply just standing still.

From now on, I need to pick two fighting games that I enjoy and stick with them even if that means missing out on others I would love to enjoy competing with the various communities out there but giving that my skills are not quite where I'd like them to be, jumping in and out of different games when the urge hits just isn't wise. I'm still trying to figure out when is the right time to move on but for now, I've learned that despite the feeling of excitement and involvement that I see with each community, it is best as my mom puts it to "keep my body quiet" until I feel I'm ready to really commit time to playing the game. 

Competition On The Cloud: Fighitng Games In The Online Competitive Space

The announcement could not have been more jaw-dropping. After 4 years of providing some of the most competitive weekly fighting game tournaments the world has ever seen, Alex Valle revealed the earth-shattering news leaving his guest Mike Ross at a loss for words.

One of the biggest weekly competitions hosted in the Southern California region or what fighting games aficionados know as SoCal was seeing the end of an era one that would now be coming directly to your door step...online. To further understand why this move is both a scary and exciting endeavor one only has to look to Level|Up Series president Alex Valle.

For years, Alex Valle and other members of the SoCal fighting games community lead the charge in cultivating the region of fighting game players making them formidable amongst the rest of the country. Alex, who is a legend in his own right, has continued to show that age is not a factor as he has consistently made top 8 at many of the major tournaments throughout the state.

It can easily be said that no one understands this community better then Valle, so when he announced that his staple fighting game offline competition was going online it came with a lot questions...questions that I felt compelled to ask and Valle most graciously answered.

Often times online competition is met with a great deal of disdain and not very respected amongst the community. This is partly due to the fact that offline play is greatly superior to online due to its' 0ms ping connection amongst other things. When one input can mean the difference between victory or defeat or a tactic that would never work in an offline setting gets used to pull out a win, it's not really a wonder why online gaming is just not the first choice when it comes to leveling up your skills.

Though many online warriors have competed offline and become successful in tournaments, in the end they too realize that in order to get to the next level, they to need to come offline. Despite this being the case, it goes without saying that online has, in fact, increased the offline scene greatly. After the release of Street Fighter IV, major tournaments started to see a huge increase in attendance.

This can no doubt be attributed to the fact that more people were playing online and with that seeking more information about not only how to improve their skills but test their skills against other players in a tournament setting as well. As we come into the next generation of Gigabit connections and improved netcode, it is not to far fetched to believe that we will, in fact, see more online competitions in the future no longer being able to distinguish the difference between online or offline.

Alex Valle and the Level|Up Series crew are placing their bets on the future and there is no telling how well this change is going to be received. Despite the Level|Up series crews latest venture, they are not the new kids on the block. Panda X Gaming has been running online tournaments and exhibitions as earlier as 2012 and plans to ramp up their productions for the new year.

Change is often times scary. For some it's the possibility of losing something that is near and dear to them, for others, it is the excitement and potential of the unknown. I tend to lead on the latter side as the future can lead to the possibility of even more people getting involved in fighting games. Increasing the competitive scene online may just lead to fighting games finally getting to a level that games like Leagues Of Legends and DOTA 2 have already managed to obtain.

It has greatly been a hope of mine that more people feel encouraged to play fighting games hopefully in the year 2015 fighting games will finally be at the fore front of competitive gaming.