Episode 2
A Bit of Clarification...
After listening to the playback of the latest episode, I realized that my rant in describing my feelings about MVC2 fans and their character choosing habits, while funny, wasn’t completely fleshed out. Let me go into a little more detail on this. I am very aware of character tiers in fighting games. I recognize that the very characters I was chastising people for choosing happen to be among the most effective characters in the game. My point was that although this is true, the other characters in the game are meant to be played as well. After all, not everyone is playing MVC2 for competitive purposes all the time. Sho and I have some friends that will only choose a certain bundle of characters (in some cases maybe just 1 or 2 out of the entire roster) and cling to them as if their life depends on it. If that’s your cup of tea, then fine, but pigeon holing yourself when it comes to character selection will only lesson the experience you have with the game. Remember the excitement you’d get when pulling off a move for the first time against an unsuspecting opponent? Well, in a game like MVC2, you have a chance to have that experience well over 50 times. Look, I understand that hardcore fans of the game are going to choose the characters that are the most efficient and effective for them in a tournament. Fine. I just won’t watch the footage. But for the rest of the time, lets enjoy all the aspects of the game to the fullest extent.
List of Top Tier characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (as listed on Shoryuken.com)
1. Magneto
2. Storm
3. Sentinel
4. Cable
So, In short, if these are the only characters you pick…you still suck.
See you in the next Level.
"BoiWondr"
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1 comment:
I'm split on this one, honestly.
On one side, I see the need for using the top-tier characters. As you mentioned, they are always used in competition ad rightfully so; if your looking to dominate a tourney, it would be foolish not to use the best tools in the game's arsenal of characters.
Where we differ is that I can't blame the players in this situation. Although, if you come across competitive players in an exhibition match, they will still play the top tier characters because:
A. They probably don't know your play style (yet) and if so, cannot gauge you well enough to relax their guard and fight casually. Geared to win, even in casual battles, until they've measured your ability (hopefully, by next fight) and pick a better mixture of balanced characters.
Or
B. The player treats every situation, pro or casual, as a competitive situation and never relents in using top-tier.
Then there's the rest of us, the beginner and casual fighters who play for fun and know if put against pros, we're probably going to lose. I can accept that. Even if I fight against a "B-Type" player and they're mad dickish. Been against plenty of that type, as is.
What I do blame is the makers of the game. A lot of times when they're making fighting games, the company developing it (Capcom included) is in such a hurry to release it that the game isn't properly beta tested and is released with glitches and heavily unbalanced characters.
Many of the installments of Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Mortal Kombat, the various Versus games have committed these crimes of gameplay. The "Fatal Four" in MvC2 is a prime example. Then there's "Roll Cancelling" in "Capcom Vs. SNK 2".
Allow me to go off tangent for a moment. Some may combat that claim with the argument that "Well, everyone can do it, so quit you're cryin!"
Sure. You're absolutely right, cheater. EVERY Character in CvS2 can do it, which in theory makes the use of it balanced. However, some characters make use of Roll Cancelling better than others, so in execution, that statement is bullshit. As far as I'm concerned, when you utilize a glitch to win a fight you are voluntarily ruining the balance of the game, especially if the person your fighting against doesn't know how to do the same cheat or refuses too. Capcom later vilified my convictions about this when they released "CvS2: EO" and removed Roll Cancelling entirely.
Too bad they put "EO" in that one, though. ~_~
Getting back to the subject, top tier will always be a factor when if comes to picking characters in fighting games. Personally, I pick the characters I like and I stick with them, even if they suck. I can't come to rag on anyone who uses just top tier, however. The balance in the game is determined by the programmers of the game and if they weren't given enough time to fully realize that balance, I can only blame those that allow an unfinished game to be released into the wild in the first place.
Back in the day, an unbalanced game was something you had to literally choose your battles with. MvC2 is one of those games. Going to plenty of conventions, I've gone into a game room and seen friends of mine hold court with top tier and unconventional characters alike. If you observe someone who is on a streak with top-tier characters and doesn't vary in his/her choices as they're racking up wins, it's your funeral unless you plan on picking other top tier characters or if you're the "Rain Man" of fighting games and you can win with anyone. I've more respect for players that compete with unconventional characters in their roster, even if they fall back on top-tier ones. It was always been my dream to be bad-ass with with a team of underdogs (like Jin Saotome, Charlie Nash, and Strider Hiryu in MvC2), but the top tier gang reality-checks me with beam-spam every time.
Here's hoping with the advantage of online play and updates to correct unbalanced game play, that we no longer have a need for staggering tiers, such as having only 4 characters that lead the pack out of a total of 56. Next time that happens, I'm going to (Insert said company) slapping some suits upside the head until thay patch that shit. In today's gaming environment, there's no excuse for that kind of buffoonery.
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