KD's Option Select | The Starting Lineup: Weighing in on Super Smash Bros. & Street Fighter V

 It's been a long while. Nevermind how long since I've played competitively – I have been playing Super Smash Bros. since I was a child. The love of the game has never waned and I learn new things everytime I play. Never once though did I stop to think of how high I could go. How much could I elevate my play? It's a question I find both exciting and scary at once. Add to that the prospect of possibly learning a whole new game entirely. It's been a thrilling year for the video game community and the season is only halfway done. And I'm willing to open up about the different strategies and characters I'm looking to use; if for no other reason than to expose people to new things. Also, chances are good that someone could use the knowledge better than myself.

~~~

I've always been a Melee kind of guy. Fox dittos aside...

20XX confirmed

And anyone who knows me was already aware of this. I love the pace; love the feel. I love the way it plays for lack of any better term. Those who don't know would have to play it to understand. It's always fun to see the teens who grew up on the Brawl version pick up Melee and experience it. “Wait, you can L-cancel?” “Tech chases, you say?” “Edge guards, really?”

You see, Melee has combo videos. Many of which are incredibly difficult given Smash Bros. has some crazy inputs. You have a jump button, a jab button, a special button and a block button. Realistically, it shouldn't be much more than a mindless button-mashing party game - and in many occasions it is – but the dexterity and imagination of players like Mango, Armada and Leffen have elevated it to a much higher level. Super Smash Bros now has global tournaments with hundreds of entrants big cash payouts. Apex 2015 had an online audience of 50,000 on the final day of events. That's a bigger live audience than some professional football teams.

It's also one of the only games where your play is affected by how far you tilt the joystick. It's what makes the game so special, but also quite difficult playing on a more serious level. To give you an idea: I've been playing Melee for about ten years now. My consistency and intensity has been up and down throughout that time but the passion has not waned. And still after all this time I'm still learning new things about this game. I'll stop just short of saying I suck because I'm solid enough but compared to other top players – not even in the world but just my region – the gap is still pretty noticeable. I'm certainly not discouraged. If anything I'm more intrigued now with just how far I could take this.

With the other versions of the game, it mostly comes down to exposure. I didn't own a 64 as a boy, so OG Smash is not exactly my forte. I never got the chance to own a Wii, either, as I hadn't yet moved out and had no real source of income for myself. The most practice I got in Brawl was a 30-minute Iron Man match with my good friend on a neutral stage: my Sonic versus his Mario. After that match, my playing time dwindled ever so gradually until the game became unrecognizable. So...no more Brawl in comp. But if you want to bop me in casuals, feel free. I'll humor a game or two.

The latest title for Wii U is a new story altogether. The gameplay is more mentally intensive than any of the titles I've played previously. Unlike Melee where any movement in the general direction gets you in for free. In Smash Bros 4, you need the right read, a good reaction and a follow-up in mind, and maybe you'll get some damage. It makes decision-making all the more important and that's why I like it so much.

And Sonic is Top 5? The struggle is almost not real!

I mostly use Lucina. My goal is to get her to the point to which I can be more secure in that choice. I had a match some time ago in Western Missouri with a great Donkey Kong player. The set went the full three games; me winning the first with Lucina and losing the next. For all intents and purposes I should have switched right to Captain Falcon. It's the better match-up and given my experience with him there's no doubt I know it better. But I stuck with Lucina because I wanted to be for sure, and even though I lost it didn't feel like a failure. I learned a lot from the fight. Whether I got too aggressive with a react-and-counter type character I can't currently say, but regardless of that the most important thing I learned was that I have a future with this character. Maybe I'm not making it easy on myself by choosing her, it does seem that Lucina is my best shot to make some noise in Smash 4 and I'm more than eager to see how far I could take it. With the proper amount of practice I don't think being the best Lucina in the business is too preposterous.

Such is the plan, anyway.

Speaking of practice, I referenced my time with Sonic in Brawl. Having played around with him in the years since I've picked him up as a solid secondary character as he's received some good improvements from the third game. The hardest part for me thus far playing this game has been knowing when to use what characters when. Do I start with Lucina then ride it out? Do I switch in the second game? Do I use Sonic or Cap from the start? How many characters should I learn? I guess that's the thing about any fighter: there are so many ways you could take your game. Street Fighter 4 players like Momochi from Japan and Infiltration from Korea have no less than 6 characters they have mastered. You run the risk of spreading yourself thin; you also have the chance to counter every possible situation:

As far as Street Fighter goes: I think this is the year. This is the year I finally learn how to play. The fifth game is released next Spring. I've lost count of how many hours of Street Fighter 4 I've watched since it's release about 7 years ago. I don't have enough time to do anything crazy with the latest version, but I really feel like I need to extend myself now. With what I've gained just by observing others play at the highest level I feel like my I.Q. Is above average. Can that be translated to actual execution? Maybe. Maybe not. But I really want to find out.

This isn't to say Smash Bros. No longer challenges me, or that I've lost my passion for it. If anything, Smash 4 has given me more hunger than before. I just want to create more opportunities for myself. I learn so much with every game I play. Even just meeting other players and seeing their process teaches me so much, but I can only learn so much by staying in one scene. It's past time to branch out, and I look forward to the challenges that face me.

Included, but not limited to, the awesome psycho power.

Some people tend to shy away from the tournament fighters like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. The reasoning is different depending on who you ask. Most just don't care for the multiple buttons and combinations that you have to master. Just looking at the command list for one character can be intimidating. For me, though, it's really not the combos. Combos in most fighters are simply a string of normals. It's really all about the special moves. Not so much remembering how to do them, but remembering when to use them. There's a certain psychology in any game about when and where to use certain abilities. Using them at the wrong time can lead to unfortunate consequences. Learning the spacing and selection of when to use them will be the most challenging task.

There are about six buttons at any time you could press in one string, (more like four actually) and after so many times it becomes less about knowing the link than about the muscle memory behind the execution. The hardest part, by far, is the timing. In a fighter, even if you memorize every button it's not enough to simply mash out the input. Every combination of buttons has a unique timing that makes it work. Hit them too slow, your opponent drops out completely; do it too fast and the attack doesn't even come out. The price to pay for mashing in high level play is steep. Even if you're playing someone who's only halfway decent, you won't be able to get away with too many mistakes. This is called a punish, and learning how to do so and avoiding punishes yourself is key to elevating your game.

In Conclusion

I love video games of all sorts. But there's something about these fighting games. I couldn't say what precisely. I know I've been playing Smash Bros. For no less than a decade now. I know I've been studying Street Fighter for nearly as long. If nothing else they keep me sharp. Long after I've left school I still find myself in situations where I have to quickly decide what solution works best for a certain problem. It's only just now that the application of such as it relates to video games is becoming more tangible by the day.

It's honestly likely to come down to one thing in particular, specifically, in Street Fighter. I've watched so much tape. I've watched so many live matches. My knowledge of the games in question has never been higher than it is right now. The big question: can I execute? Right now?  I don't know. I've never lacked for confidence, and even in picking up previous titles that I had no experience in, the fundamentals seemed to have bled over. The hunger has, too.

This won't be the only one of these you see, because there are other games I'm interested in actually breaking down. I just wanted to get these initial thoughts recorded. I believe that fighting games are the future of eSports. It's the difference between "Good spell" and "Good roundhouse," which one really sounds relatable? I don't know if I'll ever be the guy, but I'm looking forward to where the journey takes me. If it takes me.

[Barz]

Crossing the Finish Line | A Look Back at the Basketball Career of Steve Nash

And What a Career it Was

Who would've thought it. Coming from one of the more un-basketball backgrounds – coming to us from the Canadian province of British Columbia by way of Johannesburg – a young Steve Nash was drafted No. 15 overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1996 NBA Draft. The rest, of course, was to become NBA history and would span almost two decades. Players and colleagues alike have already offered their own memories and reflections; now, I humbly offer my own as fan of both the League and the player.

I haven't played serious competitive basketball in some time, but when I did I was a point guard. I knew from the start that's what I was. They taught us about posting up in camp and they saw fit to give us a refresher the following week at practice. I had completely forgotten this lesson because even subconsciously before I knew exactly what point guards were supposed to do, I knew that posting up power forwards was not something they would have much success in doing. It should also be said that Allen Iverson is my basketball hero. Before I saw him play, I figured that a guy my size wouldn't really stand much of a chance in a game dominated by bigger, faster players. He was the first to show me that it was even possible. But after I learned it was possible, credit Steve Nash for showing me just how far I could take it.

At a time in the National Basketball Association when highlight reels were dominated by men who played above the rim – a young King James had hardly begun his reign – Steve came into his own with his own play style. At a time when scoring was never more “in”, a man who made it cool to pass the ball. Imagine, if you will. A guard winning the MVP award. Being named the best in basketball. Twice? In a row? And not just a guard, a point guard. Whose job it is not only to find offense for themselves but, more importantly, create opportunities for their teammates.

It was as if my entire sporting existence had been validated. Because no matter how many dozens of people were in the stands yelling at me to take whatever shot may or may not have been open, my first instinct on the court was to find the teammate closest to the basket. “If you are open, I will find you,” I said and I meant every word. And I'm not the only one.

S/o to @SteveNash hanging it up for good! Inspired me to play the way I do and paved the way. Congrats on all your success and enjoy life!
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) March 21, 2015

That's a tweet from current best PG in the world, Stephen Curry. He's the leader of the new school of the current crop of 1-men who have elevated the game to levels that have never before been seen. He's one of many players that have been similarly influenced by Nash. And it's not just the little guys, either. This article from Pro Basketball Talk collects tweets and tributes from players of all positions, nationalities, levels and backgrounds.

Every professional in every field inspires at least one person who plans to pursue that path. Here is a man who inspired a whole generation of players to approach the game as he did. For the next 10-15 years the guards of the League will be playing at this high level, mostly because they grew up watching one guy. It's the ultimate compliment to have peers and colleagues regard you in the same way that fans do. So where does that leave him among the greats?

If not one of the Top 5 Point Guards in the history of the game he is without question one of the best foreign-born players at any position. To succeed in the NBA is to be at the top of the mountain. Steve Nash was a 2-time, back-to-back MVP so one could argue – if only for a time – that he was the king of that mountain.

The Best Player in the World

And at this point, maybe the best player without a World Title. I'm not sad really, just a bit disappointed on how it all ended for him.

Thinking about what was, 

what could've been, 

and what came to be.

I tried to keep this relatively short, not because any less appreciate or thankful of all the time that was put in to make it all work. I just feel like, at this point there isn't much more to say. The laurels speak for themselves and at the risk of heaping too much praise on one guy I'll stop short to say thank you. Thank you to Steve Nash. Thank you NBA for giving him and players like him a chance to thrive on the big stage. It was a supreme honor and privilege to watch you play all these years and watching the many players who learned under you carry on the movement will be just as rewarding. And with whatever venture you approach next, may it be equally as successful and rewarding. Be well.

~KDG