So, it is with a heavy heart that WE (Yes, WE, I'm taking all of you with me whether you like it or not) say a fond farewell to SFV and move smartly along to the newest fighting game on the scene... Mortal Kombat 11 (MK11)!!!
A mainstay of the FGC, Mortal Kombat (MK) has been around since 1982 and has had so many iterations that I refuse to list them (even with my strong penchant for listing things). It has gone through numerous changes over its sordid past but MK has remained sturdy and shows no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. Imagine one of those stone pillars that hold up the overpass. Some people want it and some people want it gone, soooo ever so often, it gets repainted (sometimes with plain white paint and sometimes with graffiti) and stays right where it is. Loved by those who love it and hated by those who hate it.
MK is the Pillar in this analogy.
I played a few of the earlier games in the series (MK2, Ultimate MK3, MK Shaolin Monks) but I never stuck with the series as it went through its paces. I'm a Street Fighter (SF) fanboy, so playing MK was just my attempt at not being a one-trick pony and me just playing whatever was being played at whatever establishment I was at (whether it be an arcade or a friend's house). I enjoyed the change that MK presented with its proprietary button setup (MK has 4 attack buttons and a dedicated BLOCK button [with a RUN button added later] as opposed to SF with its 6 attack buttons and "Back to Block"). Also at the end of each match, you are given the opportunity to (FINISH HIM) perform a Fatality.
Since its release, on April 23rd, I've added MK11 to my repertoire of fighting games that I play.
Most of the regulars at SSG have given up on SFV (A looonnnggg time ago). Only a few people still play and those bouts are few and far between. So to keep the small FGC, that we have managed to garner, alive and involved we have started to play a slew of different fighting games. This showcases the plethora that exists (the fighting genre has a few sub-genres built-in), gives the participants a chance to flex their gamer muscles (some people are better at one game than another) and affords the chance to try something new (because everyone likes NEW)!
MK11 and Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late(st) (UNIST) are some of the games we recently started to dabble with and we plan to add Samurai Showdown to the list sometime after its release.
My character of choice in MK11 is Noob Saibot (Reveal Trailer). I like the look and love the feel of the character and he just resonated with me for some reason (Him having a second persona [his shadow] may or may not have something to do with it *shrugs*). Also, his playstyle is one that I enjoy. He is a Footsie Heavy, Keep Away/Zoning character that is methodical and reactive. (Just the way I prefer to play) I played a few matches with him against some of the better MK11 players and held my own pretty well. I even surprised a few people when they saw me play. They were amazed that I did as well as I did even though I hadn't played the game much. (I made sure to emphasize that these were my very first games [me = smart] and I pointedly avoided mentioning the amount of research [guides, pro-level videos, etc] I had done beforehand) I won the majority of my games but had a few convincing losses as well. Whenever I didn't play to my strength, let my opponent get in or panicked under pressure...(insert sadness here) I'd lose. So I'm learning to stay calm (when the situation gets dire) and stick to the plan (don't try anything fancy/risky)! The next step in my MK11 escapade will be to take part in Salty Buttons (SSG's weekly tournament. Held at SSG [Newgate Street] every Saturday at 7:00pm)
In other News, Dauntless (The Latest sensation that's sweeping the nation) has replaced Monster Hunter: World (MHW) in my current rotation.
To be honest, I have been following Dauntless since its Open Beta in May 2018. I had been playing MHW for a few months and after looking up a few videos my YouTube feed recommended Dauntless. At the time I thought "What a knock-off! Who thought "Bargain Bin Monster Hunter" was a good idea? I mean look at it. It's like someone remade MHW using Fortnite assets. LOLOL" (I would like to apologize to the person who made DAUNTLESS and, in hindsight, I really didn't give it a chance before I voiced my [somewhat biased] opinion!) Once it was released (FOR FREE *big goofy smile*) on Xbox One I downloaded it, as I do with most FREE games, and I have never NOT played it since then!
It is a fairly involved game of "beat monsters to get parts to make weapons to beat more monsters. Rinse and repeat!" but it is not as random as MHW (I hate that aspect of MHW). There are randomly generated chances of getting an item that you want but there are also specific actions that you can take to guarantee said item. Want an Elemental Tail Gem? Then cut off a Charogg's Tail in less than 2 mins. Want a Neutral Fury Skull? Break Gnasher's Head while it's enraged. No more fighting a monster and praying that you get the drop you want. You can actually make it happen (I love that about Dauntless).
But the most EPIC aspect of Dauntless is the fact that it's CROSS PLATFORM!!! ANY user on ANY system can play with ANY other user on ANY other system. IT'S AWESOME!!
PC, PS4, XBOX One Players, UNITE!!! No longer are you limited by the platform you choose to play on. No more not being able to play with your friends because of hardware dissonance. Just add your friend's (EPIC [The actual company] not the adjective) Username to your friend list and off you go. The squad that I usually run with hasn't been a squad proper for a while but thanks to Dauntless Cross-play we get to play together. Him on his PS4, Them on their PCs and Me on my Xbox. Feels good man! We have been going hard at it for about 6 weeks and the fun just keeps coming. We have most of the behemoth's (As they are called) patterns and behaviours down and we each like a specific type of weapon (There are 6 to choose from) to play but when we get together... It's nothing but jokes.
Speaking of weapons, (and in keeping with my ranged DPS inclination) I specialize in the Ostian Repeaters (Guns). They consist of 4 parts to customise: Barrels, Chambers, Grips and Prisms. Also, they allow for attacking from afar with minimal risk which is the best part of ranged gameplay. Unfortunately though, if you want to play repeaters well you have to play closer to the behemoths than you think. The repeaters have a mechanic where if you reload close to a behemoth you can siphon aether (think energy) from said behemoth. This aether gives your guns a buff (Empowered) which increases both damage and rate of fire. The Empowered state also grants additional power to your skills as well. I play Full-Bore Chamber and Captain's Grip which allow for a charged shot that does extra damage (further increased damage and push back when Empowered) and increased damage and fire rate (additional increase and shared with my team when Empowered) respectively. So if you have been following you would have realized that I play a ranged dps/support hybrid build that deals major damage (especially if all my buffs are up at once) and boosts team damage as well. #BuffedBoys
I know someone is thinking "Maybe I should tell TAG about MHW Iceborne" and I'm going to stop you before you do. I'm aware of Iceborne and from all accounts, it looks like more of what I've come to expect from MHW. However I, honestly, can't fork out another $40 (The price of a Game) for what I deem to be DLC. I enjoyed MHW but that $40 is going towards Borderlands 3 in September. Sorry (Not sorry)!
That's it, Folks! Just a quick update for you readers to be up to snuff with what I'm playing currently.
Remember, you can add me on Xbox using: Ryuji268
And on Epic using: TheAntiguanGamer
And on PSN using: Pablow268
I'm happy to add anyone to my growing Friends List and welcome any additions that do the same.
