So far I am clearly nowhere near being on the map in the Smash world. I've been playing for approximately 10 months and I feel I've had so many ups and downs in my career so far. I've only been able to attend one legitimate tournament venue, and traditionally I do very average. I'll have decent nights, where I at least win 2 or 3 games, but then immediately follow those performances with straight 2 game eliminations. I would be lying if those nights didn't hurt my pride, though I have come to accept the idea of truly skilled players simply being better at the game than I am. It is a necessary humbling, and overcoming those defeats are what improves the performance of competitors.
I feel that a major part of why my performances were so random is due in large part to the fact that I often switch my mains very often. I started with Fox (because of my Melee days), then Kirby, Sheik, even messing with Ryu as a possibility. I enjoy playing as each of them, and had my successes and failures, but then I made a pivotal decision: from now on, I main Mega Man.
I've come to realize that a major part of what makes other Smashers so skilled is their ability to implement so many input commands in such a short amount of time, all while being accurate in their attacks and mindful of the weight of their character. How fast do you think Zero is inputing commands when landing multiple f-airs in neutral? The proficiency for that is something I can't really get my head around. Like so many other top players he is well in-tuned with his character's weight, speed, and the details of that characters attacks, like what uses they have besides just attacking, and other ways the attacks can be implemented besides their basic form.
With all of these in mind, this is why I have found Mega Man to be the character I will have the most success with. He is desirable weight, and while he is not particularly fast, his arsenal is an optimal balance to that disadvantage. With the right flow of projectiles being launched, I've found that you can unleash a torrent of attacks on your opponent that is difficult to evade which doesn't require a great deal of input speed. Mix in some grabs and back airs, and Mega Man is a force of nature.
Why am I writing this? A minor reason is to archive one Smashers experience with the game. As I said before, I was once a Melee player and deeply loved the game, playing whenever possible. This makes my re-entrance into the Smash community a nostalgic experience, which combines an intense gaming experience with the joys of childhood. The major reason I write this is due to selfishness. I'm endlessly fascinated by the game. I could play it for hours on end, and have the 3DS version, I often find that I do just that, much to the dismay of my agenda.
In doing so, something interesting happened. I began to treat the battles I was having as an honest lesson in combat, relishing in the push and pull of attacking and defending, finding beauty in the combos I or my opponent pulls off, and all and all loving the discovery of what you as a competitor are capable of. Of course it should seem obvious that many of a real fights tenants apply to a fighting game, but I get the feeling that not many people do analyze it that way, and probably should. There is a magic not only in the mechanics of a very well crafted game, but in relishing the ideas of opposition, tactics, the sting of defeat and the pursuit of victory at the cost of your opponents pride. It's complex and amazing for all these reasons and more.
To whoever reads this (and I commend you, I wrote way more than I thought I would) I hope you feel the same way about this game, or other fighting games, should you play them. It may be just a game, but there is a part of it that seems to capture an essential feature of life: conflict. And if you look at it from my perspective, I feel you may come to love and appreciate that game in way you hadn't before.
P.S. There's a video called "The brilliant fighting game community." For those who haven't seen it, give it a watch, and see for yourself how those people have completely lost touch as to what makes a fighting game an enjoyable life experience.
I feel that a major part of why my performances were so random is due in large part to the fact that I often switch my mains very often. I started with Fox (because of my Melee days), then Kirby, Sheik, even messing with Ryu as a possibility. I enjoy playing as each of them, and had my successes and failures, but then I made a pivotal decision: from now on, I main Mega Man.
I've come to realize that a major part of what makes other Smashers so skilled is their ability to implement so many input commands in such a short amount of time, all while being accurate in their attacks and mindful of the weight of their character. How fast do you think Zero is inputing commands when landing multiple f-airs in neutral? The proficiency for that is something I can't really get my head around. Like so many other top players he is well in-tuned with his character's weight, speed, and the details of that characters attacks, like what uses they have besides just attacking, and other ways the attacks can be implemented besides their basic form.
With all of these in mind, this is why I have found Mega Man to be the character I will have the most success with. He is desirable weight, and while he is not particularly fast, his arsenal is an optimal balance to that disadvantage. With the right flow of projectiles being launched, I've found that you can unleash a torrent of attacks on your opponent that is difficult to evade which doesn't require a great deal of input speed. Mix in some grabs and back airs, and Mega Man is a force of nature.
Why am I writing this? A minor reason is to archive one Smashers experience with the game. As I said before, I was once a Melee player and deeply loved the game, playing whenever possible. This makes my re-entrance into the Smash community a nostalgic experience, which combines an intense gaming experience with the joys of childhood. The major reason I write this is due to selfishness. I'm endlessly fascinated by the game. I could play it for hours on end, and have the 3DS version, I often find that I do just that, much to the dismay of my agenda.
In doing so, something interesting happened. I began to treat the battles I was having as an honest lesson in combat, relishing in the push and pull of attacking and defending, finding beauty in the combos I or my opponent pulls off, and all and all loving the discovery of what you as a competitor are capable of. Of course it should seem obvious that many of a real fights tenants apply to a fighting game, but I get the feeling that not many people do analyze it that way, and probably should. There is a magic not only in the mechanics of a very well crafted game, but in relishing the ideas of opposition, tactics, the sting of defeat and the pursuit of victory at the cost of your opponents pride. It's complex and amazing for all these reasons and more.
To whoever reads this (and I commend you, I wrote way more than I thought I would) I hope you feel the same way about this game, or other fighting games, should you play them. It may be just a game, but there is a part of it that seems to capture an essential feature of life: conflict. And if you look at it from my perspective, I feel you may come to love and appreciate that game in way you hadn't before.
P.S. There's a video called "The brilliant fighting game community." For those who haven't seen it, give it a watch, and see for yourself how those people have completely lost touch as to what makes a fighting game an enjoyable life experience.
