Petition for Equilibrium!!!-- The FGC and Nintendo

  Okay! So instead of making meaningless rants with a blog update, I will use this platform, however small, to address what I feel is actually a significant issue in the gaming industry, that I feel needs to be rectified. The thing about it is that it is easy to fix. It's simply a matter of industry developers and major console companies being out of touch with gaming on a deep level.

  This has largely to do with Nintendo's relationship with the FGC- The Fighting Game Community, for the uninitiated. As you may or may not know, I've been an avid supporter of fighting games for a brief while now, but have been involved with the FGC, technically going back to the late 90's. I've been in official and unofficial tournaments on 1 or 2 occasions. However, I never, and still don't consider myself a professional FGC member. I'm not. I do realize how huge the community has become though. And when I look at its evolution, I notice that, aside from the Smash Brother acceptance which took over a decade, Nintendo is still an outcast. And this is partly their fault.

 Whenever I meet gamers in real life, I always ask them what they play and the genres that they prefer. Personally, I love a wide variety. I started with RPG's, and love Action, Adventure, Puzzle, and Fighting Games. As kids, we were raised on Action Arcade games, and fighters. Games like Fighting Force, Nights into Dreams, Tekken, Streets of Rage and Street Fighter were staples in my childhood. I was drawn more to RPG's then and played Final Fantasy 1,2,Mystic Quest, 7, 8, and 9. I played many, many others that I could go on forever on.

 When it came to fighting games, I appreciated them a bit more in my teens and onward, as I realized how deep they could be, along with the interwoven stories, and endless possibilities. One thing that I noticed, is that Nintendo went from the forefront, to out of the picture. If you think back, during the Street Fighter 2 era, Super Nintendo was the head honcho of consoles, and had every relevant fighter back then. It was during the days when more casual people played fighting games. Every console company continued to support that genre but Nintendo after that. From the N64 to the Gamecube, to the Wii etc. there was no attention really paid to mainstream fighters. Yet PS1, Sega Saturn, Neo Geo, all kept feeding that niche. In reality, many people do not play video games. And at the same time, many do. I used to feel that the FGC was small and insignificant, until I actually looked into it. Now, after years of following the enormous following that it has, I can see the value in supporting their passions. Go look up any SF tournament, or even Smash tournament. The crowds are huge. The pot is huge. And these days, the only platforms that seem to be aware, are PC and Playstation.

  The fighting game community, and overall E Sports community, is a totally different culture from the average-hardcore gamer. FGC and competitive E Sport inclined gamers, including myself, enjoy playing all games, like any other game, but like to dive into the mechanics and science of fighters, studying them, and mastering them. We also like fighting games and versus games that facilitate that. These games can include the very foundating games that I mentioned earlier going back to the 90's- Tekken, Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Soul Calibur, and Smash Brothers. The deep fighting systems in current and previous gen games, were designed for competitive play and depth. And when I say competitive, I'm not just talking about tournaments and other people. I meant within the game, and against your own personal best. That's what drives an FGC gamer. That's why it's annoying to us when a fighting game is too easy, and has not survival and training mode options. We love deep back story behind our characters as well, but also to be driven and eternally challenged by the game. The average gamer may be more inclined to pretty aesthetics and just clearing a game, and trophies.


  Street Fighter is a household name and fighting game. Nintendo has had no real involvement with it since the Super Nintendo days. Gamecube did well to support the Capcom vs SNK series, but the issue is the controller. It was not designed for games like that. The Pro controller for the Wii and now Switch, was pushed forward for those who played Smash Brothers Competitively. It was direly needed in order to play effectively. But that is the one title the pushed Nintendo into the FGC arena. It seems that aside from that, they have scampered right back out. Smash is an amazing game. I love it, and still play it online competitively. But other mainstay fighters can be supported. Many FGC members don't even play smash brothers. They might be more inclined if they were more endeared to Nintendo as a whole, but think of how many traditional fighters you see on Nintendo's consoles.... Exactly. None.

  With the Nintendo Switch, a new era has been born. It is Nintendo's next great console and next great handheld all at the same time. That is revolutionary. It also allows for custom controllers since they are wirelessly mapped. They've already opened up use of the Pro Controller. Why not open up lane for fighting games for a change. The support they would gather, would tip the console race in their favor tremendously. There are so many FGC gamers who don't play Nintendo consoles, because they feel like they're childish and don't support hardcore or fighting games. Nintendo's entire marketing campaign was behind the idea that those days are over. Why say that, and then do the exact same things that you've always done? Look, I love Nintendo. As a morally sound person, I personally leaned towards that company for many years because of their standards. It is not going to change Nintendo's identity, to embrace traditional fighting games. And I mean truly embrace. Not just a nod release hear and there. I mean peripheries like a fight pad, and arcade stick support.

   Street Fighter 5 is a Playstation exclusive. It is also raking in huge money for Sony, and is at the center of the competitive fighting game scene right now, along with Marvel vs Capcom Infinite. And you know what else? It sucks in the eyes of many key FGC Pro players. If you follow what's going on behind the scenes, you'd know that many of them have gone back to the superior Ultimate Street Fighter 4 from last generation. That game is not locked to a platform, and is not only respected, but lauded as a traditional fighting game staple. 3DS released a copy of Super Street Fighter 4 at launch. The only thing that held back hardcore gamers who were interested, was the fact that the controls didn't match the game. To play fighting games, you need serious, comfortable, and accurate controls. You need peripheries that care and thought goes into the design of. Nintendo would find that it is more than worth it to put for that effort. Just the release of USF4 today, on a powerful unit like the Switch, which has the capabilities of making good and solid arcade controllers, would skyrocket  its support. So many gamers would gain respect for the console and the company.


   The thing about it is that Nintendo recognizes the truth in everything I just stated, but only partly. You can see the attempts that they are making with the realeases of Syberia, Doom, Skyrim, and Zelda. They want to be relevant to all platforms and groups, but they are leaving the FGC out, and that may no be their intention, but it is a grave mistake. With so little effort, Nintendo could win over so many gamers, who just want legitimate, tight, and challenging, competitive fighting games that they can play and hone their craft on. FGC gamers are honest. If you make a solid fighting arcade stick, fight pad, and traditional fighting game on any console, if it's good, they will acknowledge, support, and compete. All they want is to like it, and play it. They don't play the finnicky games that the casuals do, where then next minute, they loathe what they just finished asking for. FGC gamers are loyal and would support for an indefinite amount of time.

  So in conclusion, I just want it to reach Nintendo's ears, or at least Indie developers, that fighting games have not been given the proper console attention, by Nintendo in over a decade, and it is time for that to change, because it would be easier than ever at this point. If they release fighting game peripherals and Ultra Street Fighter 4 or a Tekken or similar fighter, I guarantee an overnight surge in support, before they even drop Smash Brothers. Remember when Soul Calibur was release on all  major home consoles back in the mid 2000's? Everyone respected the Gamecube at that time, because they were right there with the Cap vs SNK series, and Soul Calibur, which were major franchises in fighting game scene at that time. They didn't even release any other major traditional fighting games beyond that, and it didn't matter, because when it comes to fighting games, a system only has to have 1 or 2 of the major multi-platorm staples to be considered a worthy success. I'm not asking for Nintendo to chase every major fighting franchise. They don't have to. If they release the sticks and pads, and just USF4, they could rest on that and the other 2D fighters they have trickle through the Eshop like Art of Fighting 3 etc. It would  not be seen as a waste.

  At the very least, I hope they work on a major Smash title that raises the bar.

The Age of the Troll!!!

  Yes, it's a term that has come up often and increasingly so in many circles. I don't want to beat a dead horse, as I discussed earlier with a friend, but the purpose of this discussion, is to drag out people who hide behind duplicity, into the light. What is a troll? Well, as it's understood today, it's an individual, who literally lives to get a reaction out of someone or some people by being idiotically negative and contradictory. It is also someone who instigates through actions for self titilation. These are the people who make discussion boards, and interaction with professionals and figure heads, basically impossible. People like Mike Ross, who does video game competition and color commentary, to sports analysts like Shannon Sharpe and Steven A. Smith, would be great for discussion, but are pretty much barred by the trolls from interaction.

  The thing about trolls, is that they are far more numerous than they are given credit for, and many of them hide behind believing that they aren't one. Just to start this off, I will illustrate an example. You see, some trolls can't even explain why they do what they do. They just act off of their idiocy blindly, as if possessed. This particular incident is the reason why I couldn't do an audio podcast of this, as improper statements would pop out. That's the level of disgust I have for them.


 I go to a Gold's Gym in Fishkill, NY. I have been going for a couple of years now. I usually go at night, to avoid crowds and get a good workout. Over the time I've been there, I notice the people who frequent the gym at night. One of them is this red-haired, bearded trucker looking dude (I'm refraining from calling him what he really is). Apparently, he fancies himself a trainer of sorts, as I would see him instructing people from time to time in the corner. In fact, in the video I did recently, as I'm deadlifting, he was to my left. Not only that very day, but whenever he passes me in the gym, he gives me an ice grill, then walks on. I will say that at least he doesn't stare for a long time like some other suspect people. But regardless, I don't know who this person is, and he doesn't know me. The funny thing is that, he pretends to be this mature socialite. From time to time, you will hear him scolding people for taking extended breaks, or getting distracted during workouts. And he will linger at the front desk at times as well, talking to the counter worker.


   I let the ice grills slide, and just give him the benefit of the doubt, and ignore him. However, like I always say, actions reveal, and people do things for a reason, especially when it's constant. This past Tuesday, I went for a late workout, and met up with a couple friends. As I walk in, he's there at the counter talking. I greet the guy to me left, who says hi, and as I swipe my card, I greet the night worker, who is an older lady who is always there. There has been a problem with the steam room at the gym, and I wanted to use it, so I quickly and politely say to her, "I'm sorry, I just had a quick question. Is the steam room running?" Before she can answer, the ginger barks over, "Yeah the steam room is working. Yeah!" He nods sarcastically with a grimace, and I simply say thank you, thinking nothing of it. Then the lady cosigns and says it is working, moreso just agreeing with him. As I go to the locker room, the steam room is still clearly down like it was before. I go back, and bring it to the lady's attention.


   Now, at this point, it's clear that he did what he did as a mere snub. The point is, if you dislike someone, why do you feel the need to interact with them? He likes to fancy himself mature. In what way is what he did noble? And what was the need for it? The thing is that he will act like that, and then flip his behavior the next minute. Explain to everyone your justification in what you did, and in why you seem to despise me to high heaven. You can't! Your just an ignorant troll, addicted to finding cowardice ways at lashing out at those you fear. I miss the days when men were men, and would shoot the 1 D with someone they didn't like, and get it over with. Today, in this creampuff generation, people want to scold and antagonize, but no one has the heart to confront. The thing is that they don't realize how I'm letting them live. Where I'm from, I would have already dropped him at the first ice grill he threw, with no need for confirmation.


  It is very much the age of the troll, because this behavior isn't isolated, it has become glorified and extremely common. I frequently watch a certain program on Youtube, where a young black gamer, who is an aspiring actor, is constantly trolled by viewers, to the extent that they steal his content, and follow him around, even in real life. Back in the day, people like that were flamed by the public and stomped out. Today, they are considered cool, and one of the crowd. What they do is considered a necessity. What I'm asking contributors to do, is not give these clowns the respect they don't deserve. Don't give them shout outs by name, and don't spend hours of you video feed responding to and addressing them. For a change, listen to and engage those who actually respect you. People like that deserve nothing more than the boot.

  Anyone you see, in or out of your circles, who considers themselves to be respectable and mature, may not be who you think. Watch people completely. If you are a person with self respect, don't bolster the pride of these people with your association. Even if they aren't trolling you, you are exonerating their actions by mingling with them. Trolls should be ostracized and ignored. They need to be exposed and put to shame for their existence, and it has to start somewhere.

Beauty Covered in Pain- Nioh Review

  I know that the title of the review might seem like a pretty solid statement or opinion, but this is a review that the reader must hear out, because there is both a point to this angle, as well as another side to it. This is a review of the hack-n-slash Adventure game- Nioh, from Tecmo's Team Ninja. These are the same folks who brought us the original Ninja Gaiden all the way to the last one, as well as the Dead of Alive fighting game series, which I still contest is one of the most underrated fighting franchises of all time.

 This game is in the same genre as the Genji series that I love so much. I never really played much of these games over the years until after 2005. There were a couple of series in this genre on the PSP, one of them being Warriors of the Lost Kingdom that really drew me in. The stories in these games tends to be quietly deep and amazing compared with most games. I'm not sure why that is, as they tend to cover historical events. Warriors of the Lost Kingdom dealt with the deep backstory of Marcus Aurelius, Ceasar, and the events going on in the government during those times of war. It actually is contiguous with the story of Gladiator Begins, which was an awesome Arena fighter RPG for the PSP as well. I strongly urge you to play both games in sequence, as you will be treated to a great story, great gameplay, and a storyline that flows like one large epic.

  Nioh focuses on the life of real English samurai- William Adams. It covers a fictional backstory that weaves in fantasy elements with real historical events that took place in a wartorn Japan during the fall of the Edo period. Much history is covered in the game, and the cinematics were plentiful and filled with pivotal events.

 Graphically, the game's textures were awesome to behold. The characters and environments were smooth, shiny and well animated. However, the game had flaws that this delusional generation turns a blind eye to. Everyone talks about current gen, as if it has left all limitations behind. The same glitches that occured since the dawn of polygonal gaming are here. Your character will tend to glitch through walls on occasion, and items will bleed into one another. Also, there was even a time later in the game that the glitching really became a problem. I was accompanied by 2 NPC's on a mission where we fought monsters that required all hands on deck. There happened to be a big fight at the top of a ladder. No matter how many times I tried, when I ran up the ladder and to the fight, one of the NPC characters would remain at the top of the ladder, walking into the ground in front of the ladder in place, while shaking. This left me with only one helper to take on the extremely difficult enemies. I had to find a way to make due. That was the only near game breaking glitch I encountered, but the fact that it was unavoidable was a huge issue.

  I still enjoyed the lush environments, and navigating the catacombs of caves and seashore towns. I would have appreciated a bit more daylight in the game. The music was also very well done, as it always met the mood. There weren't melodies that stick in your head, but they were well composed. As you can see, I did enjoy aspects of this game. There are a plethora of weapons and armor sets that can be forged and found in this game's vast open landscapes. They can also be refashioned to look like armor that you fancy, so you can have a pretty unique character, aside from the blonde protagonist being set.

 The combat system was very deep. It's difficult to break it down. You have 2 weapons that you can carry with you on hand. You also have an inventory where you can have more. There are different types, such as dual swords, katana, axes, kurasagami, and spears. Of course, as always, I went with dual swords. There are different types and elements that will be attributed to these weapons, as well as affinity for them, which is your skill level with that particular sword that grows with use. I never found a way to manipulate element attributes when forging weapons. I just augmented weapons I liked that had good attributes to them. You have several pieces of armor you can wear, from your helmet to chest plate, leg armor, gauntlets, and boots. All of these can be taken to the blacksmith between missions, and augmented by doing what is called a soul match. This takes a piece of armor and melds the defensive stats of stronger armor with it. You also have accessories that can help with elemental defense. The list in the inventory tended to get very lengthy, as you are constantly picking up items, loot, and weaponry from fallen enemies. This could have been better organized, and the way the elements are arranged in the game, it got very confusing at times knowing what my offensive elements should be. You also may have to switch those offensive traits on the fly between hard enemies in a level, with no real solid way of having all of the needed armor sets on hand.

  Your character has 3 stances. He has a low stance, good for movement, with low attack, a mid stance, which is balanced, and a high stance with low evasion and heavy attacks. In the early goings, it takes a bit to learn the deep mechanics, but you will be mixing it up. Later in the game, with the ridiculous enemies, you will be staying in low stance quite a bit. You also have ninjutsu at your disposal, as well as onymi spells. This is added to by guardian spirits that accompany you, each having its own element. Ninjitsu skills can be anything from bombs, to invisibility, to special kunai, and even poison broths for your weapons. It is a huge list of skills you can learn, and depending on your level of ninjitsu limit and the required level for the ability,  you can bring quite a few into you loadout. Onmyi magic skills also require their own skill points and player capacity. They can be attribute boosters to elemental attacks. There is also a huge list of learnable abilities that expand as you increase in level. Then you have samurai skill points, which are points earned as you master weaponry. They can be used to learn special skills with a weapon such as super slashing techniques or ki blast strikes. This also is a huge list. You have a healthy pool of skills to learn and to have on hand at any given time, as well as an item inventory that can be expanded from 4 items to over 16 by the end of the game if you unlock them via the blacksmith.

  Combat was fast paced, and consisted of blocking, which drained your stamina meter, light and heavy attacks, and evasion. Stamina is consumed when attacking and replenishes with moving or standing still. However, if blocking, it will replenish much slower, which added to the challenge of facing rush down opponents. There are some augmentations that can be learned in the game to mitigate your stamina usage, recovery, etc, but they are very limited, and in the end, you have to be very selective with not only how you attack, but for how long, as dodging away will deplete stamina, and if that should deplete during or after that dodge, you will be rendered winded, which incapacitates your character for a long time, leaving you open for death. But also, you have to be mindful of how you turtle, as blocking combo streams will deplete your stamina and get you winded as well. You also take more damage in that state.

  The game had a number of sub missions on each part of the map, that each felt meaningful, and necessary for gaining experience and leveling up. The level of your equipment is as important as your player's level if not more, as the level menu will indicate. If not adequate, you will quickly be wiped out by the first enemies you see. What I don't like, is that when you start a level, there is no way of quitting unless you have a certain item that can be used for that. I never had issues having the item, but it felt wrong to be in a mission that literally could be unbeatable, and being stuck there, in a game ending situation. There are many items that you can collect in the field, such as bombs, elixirs, ammo for range weapons etc. Before I forget, there are also ranged weapons. These consist of hand cannons, rifles, bows, and even muskets at a point. These can be leveled up as well as given attributes. They are useful in this game, and you will need them at various times.

  When you reach shrines within levels, you heal and replenish ninjutsu skills and spells. However, enemies regenerate when you do this. As you defeat enemies with a guardian spirit equipped, and meter builds, until you can unleash an attack mode with the guardian, and whatever elemental affinity they have, for variable periods of time. Your attack is boosted, you gain the elemental bonus, and your life meter is replaced by the attack mode's meter. Taking damage depletes it faster, and taking out enemies replenishes it slightly. It's best to save it for the right time, as there is a recharge period for it. There are also hot springs at open or hidden locations in the game. They both heal you, and give you a healing ability for a brief time. Use them.

  There were a large number of enemies in the game, and it felt very cheap often. It's already established that this is meant to be a hard as nails game. But it felt different than the rest. With Monster Hunter, there was a sense of fulfillment and victory when you overcame a boss. In this game, that is robbed from you extremely often, by the way they program the enemy AI. Technology still hasn't found a way to replicate authentic intelligent human intelligence. Rather than just give you a tall task like other tough games, this game attempts to simulate outplaying you, and fails in doing so. In the beginning of the game, I soldiered through it, realizing that I needed to be careful, or get overwhelmed. However, as I got better, the AI seemed to hit a wall near the end, and rely on breaking the game's very rules in order to beat me. It is beyond frustrating to outplay a boss, and be killed anyway at the last second by and hit that you dodge. Many times, when a boss had a sliver of life, I would dodge in for the kill and unload a combo, to watch in horror as they survive it, wait for my stamina to be low enough, and unleash a combo that depletes my stamina bar, winds me out, and then kills me instantly. This happened countless times, and you lose vital items that you may happen to use in the process. One of the life saving spells I learned was a spell that gradually heals you over time. Since spells recharge, I had a fresh set of 2 of those spells, going into battle after healing at a shrine. But that still wasn't always enough. You can lose your whole life in an instant.

  I wanted that feeling of triumph, but it seemed that whenever I was poised to achieve it, I would be robbed. It felt like the only time I beat a boss, was when I got overpowered as much as I could, and overwhelmed the boss early. The fights were still hard, but it felt impossible to win close fights with skill. That's what I wanted. It just feels cheap, the way you have to beat the bosses. It's not that you don't want to put in effort or expend items. I'm just used to even the hardest games, having bosses that you can beat with skill if it comes down to it. Not this game. I recall games like Astro Warrior for the Sega Master system. The last boss was insane, but there was a way to beat him with the standard bullets. With this game, expect to abuse every powerful ability and spell at your disposal completely, when you beat these bosses. It felt like I stormed and blitzed the bosses to beat them. However, it was a game so well put together, that you are drawn in by the deep and moving story, as well as the gorgeous visuals. I wish that you could customize your character's look more. They even have a barber shop at the blacksmith's, but the styles are very limited. There is a dojo as well, where you train at times to learn techniques from some of the masters you meet in the game. Those fights were with minimal items, and on neutral ground, where it was more skill oriented. I enjoyed those matches a lot.

  It was definitely a control tosser of a game. After the beautiful ending and credits, there is an epilogue to play through. Once again, I felt disgusted, but also intrigued and eventually completed it. A boss fight that I was hoping would be fair, is yet again, a showcase of the CPU instant killling you, to be a challenge. That is the game's biggest flaw in my opinion. After completing the epilogue, the storyline completes in a beautiful scene of the epilogue, and the game unlocks harder modes as well as expansion quests. I don't know who is that masochistic. Aside from that, I like the game a great deal. I would love it if it weren't so imbalanced. Still a must play, and near perfect adventure 9/10!

A poem

Have a new collection out, but this one missed the edition. Here's .


S for Will

To have a mind like he once had,
Is bound to go amiss
The regal air of ancient ones
Confused in naive bliss

It isn't the thought that counts for much
But how you see the world
The pain I have from worlds like Mars
Endears me to unfurl.

Where he went once, I went all over again
Planting and picking these flowers for you
Hearts he once mended, I burrowed through.
How could I be but beautiful?

I hated it all, and yet I loved some too
It's always prettier now than then.
I was born so long ago, without a time,
But if not now, than when?