I was on gaming hiatus for a few months (my longest yet), but now I’m back into the old swing of things with Soul Calibur 2. I didn’t play much of it before because I didn’t know anyone else who played it, but Aaron and Jessie have been addicted since the beginning of the month. Now I actually feel like I can invest some time into training a character and learning their fighting dynamics. The game is so deep and involved that I can practice for weeks and weeks and still be considered a beginner. I mean, Virtual Fighter 4 had a pretty involved system, but SC2 extends past the “basic” guard>attack>throw>guard with added sidestep>vertical attack>horizontal attack>sidestep, and mid-guard>high/mid attack and low-guard>low/high attack, not to mention the options that open up with soul charging and unblockables.
The problem is that SC2 has so many cool characters that I want to use. There’s something about using a character that matches the personality. It’s like a projection of the self in a fantasy world. Whenever I do RPGs, I usually create a character that’s like me (although with height modifier +6 when the option is there). That’s why I never use the “evil” characters in fighting games.
I started SC2 with Kilik since he had the most recognizable traditional Shaolin fighting style (my favourite), although Xianghua’s and Yunsung’s moves have fairly obvious Chinese roots as well. Kilik ended up being too boring for me (no personality, predictable moves), so I switched to Yoshimitsu, cause he’s really cool and sneaky, but his moves ended up being too awkward. I realize that this is how Yoshimitsu is supposed to be played (with off-timing balance), but the character didn’t click for me.
Right now I’m using Raphael, who happens to be the most interesting character move-wise, but also the biggest pansy out of all of them. He can go in and out of stances easily, with several attacking options in each stance, making him an offensive, but difficult-to-master, character. He has amazingly variable combos, and in between hits, his foil guard-impacts, just like a fencer. He’s unlike any other character in the game, and I have to applaud Namco for coming up with the idea and making him so realistic.
My nerdyness is coming back. The same nerdyness that used to say, “Why make out with you when I could be playing a game?”.
On a side note, I’m also back into big breakfasts with bacon, sausages, and milk tea on the weekends. My arteries hate them, but I forgive them and love them all the same.