So, this summer I'm living alone. It's not as lonely and terrible as I thought it would be, mostly because I have a few friends in town and on rare occasions, someone actually comes to visit me. A way I've been taking up a lot of free time is trying to master the combo moves and advanced techniques of Soulcalibur IV. Now maybe I'm just too slow with the controller, but trying to figure out controls actually makes me do worse. A lot worse.If I've had a frustrating day at work or dealing with personal issues, the idea of sitting down and opening up a can of whoop-ass as Talim sounds incredibly appealing. Every successive hit landed and every grab completed helps melt away the stress, one teeny bit at a time. However... if I lose against someone playing as Rock and I'm Tira or Cassandra, it takes every ounce of will power I have not to calmly get up, wrap the Xbox controller around the other person's neck and pull. Sometimes I just don't get it; it seems like blocking does nothing, and I think I'm using it moderately effectively. BUT IT DOES NOTHING (See picture above; somehow blocking is goddamn working!). After getting destroyed match after match, my morale starts to wane, and then I start to question my abilities as a gamer.
I know I'm not the queen of videogames (I wonder who is, because that would be a pretty sweet title to have), but I like to think of myself as being all right at them. I think the problem is that I don't play a lot of single player games. My rabid competitiveness dictates the sort of games I play, and so I usually wind up with some fighter or multiplayer game. I think part of me wants to be known for being good because I like knowing that I can stand out in an industry primarily targeted and geared towards men. Is that a selfish wish? Yeah, probably.
On a related note, if you do want to be mercilessly destroyed, come over and play some Crash Team Racing with me. I like to think it's mostly skill, but I have friends who imply that I'm having intimate relations with the creators of the game, Crash Bandicoot or (somehow) the physical game disc itself in order to get the breaks I do. To which I respond in Soulcalibur fashion "Challenge me again... if you dare".
Blol, trying to learn the moves will get you nowhere! It's all about finding the right rhythm for clockwise mashing of the attack buttons (then switch it up to counter clockwise when they least expect it).
ReplyDeleteHi Andy Lee! :D I know actually learning the moves is a waste of time, it just seems like everyone else knows how to do all these sweet moves that I can't! I'll keep working on it.
ReplyDeleteI was playing just a few minutes ago, and I could feel my stress going down, and then I had to play against that cheap little bitch, The Apprentice, and I could feel my blood pressure skyrocketing. Screw him! Gahhhh.