I'm Good at Soul Calibur

Before I get to the post, I spent most of this past weekend at the Maryland Film Festival, and am obligated to recommend 'Make-Out with Violence'. It's a terrific movie, and it would be a tragedy if it doesn't get a widespread release. Check out the synopsis, trailer (the trailer is MUCH more reliant on the zombie element than the movie is, it's not really a zombie movie at all) and a couple free tracks from the killer soundtrack at makeoutwithviolence.com.




"I'm Good at Soul Calibur"

a.k.a.

"I'm Good at Smash Bros."

a.k.a.

"I'm Good at Halo"

If you are a casual gamer in your late teens / early 20's, chances are you've said at least one of these phrases at some point in your illustrious gaming career. And chances are, you're wrong.

Hell, I know I was.

Soul Calibur 2 was released in 2002, and it quickly gained massive popularity due to its weapon based combat, its strong visual style, and guest characters, not the least of which was Link from the Zelda series. My circle of gaming friends played the game frequently, and at that point I was arguably the best player in my circle. Obviously, I was 'pretty good' at Soul Calibur 2.

In the early to mid 2000's, I often spent my weekends, especially in the Summer, at my local arcade. (Arcade? What's that?) I'd step into that gaming paradise, chew some gum, smirk, and saunter my 'I'm Good at Soul Calibur' self over to the Calibur 2 machine.



And whenever I dropped my two quarters against the arcade vets like Steve Harrison, I got smashed. Embarrassed, even.



What separates the casual gamer from the hardcore gamer? The bad player from the good? The first two steps a casual must take to walk the path of a champion are those of knowledge and experience.

My knowledge of the game came from playing against people who had no idea what 'frame data' is or was, and neither did I. The piddly combos and setups my Talim could muster paled in comparison to the ones I'd see in the arcade on a Saturday night.

But even then, if I knew all of Talim's frame data and had wild combos and setups, I'd still be in bad shape without matchup experience. My character experience at home was effectively useless against players who were discussing the game in depth on Calibur Forums, or who already had a richer fighting game background. That's only something gained from playing the game against players equal to and better than you.

Suffice it to say, I didn't think I was good at Soul Calibur anymore. In fact, I had a light realization of this blog scrap. There was a time period between my arcade closing in mid 2000 and the first fighting game tournament (No longer Calibur 2, but 3) I attended where I wondered if I actually could compete with the best of Soul Calibur, or any game; if I could actually be - *gasp* - "good". The answer is yes, not just for me, but for anyone. It all starts with gaining the right knowledge and the right experience. At that first tournament, I was greeted by my old arcade terror, Steve Harrison. He was thrilled to see me and gave a big greeting, and once I saw him dispose of the Calibur 3 competition there, there was no leaving this hobby. Steve was, in fact, good at Soul Calibur; it was about time I was, too.

Note: Steve Harrison will be traveling to Japan this year, as he earned a berth in the illustrious Super Battle Opera tournament. Congrats to him.

Steve Harrison after qualifying for Evolution's Guilty Gear 3v3 Team Tournament all by himself

Hilarious example of Steve Harrison playing Soul Calibur

RNG

The final hand played between T.J. Cloutier and Chris Ferguson in the 2000 World Series of Poker, was a monumental and shocking television hand. Watch and see what I mean. (Feel free to laugh at the 'bad guy' music at 0:53)

WSOP 2000

As a huge believer in the chuch of Jesus (not that Jesus) this river card goes to show the might of his divine hand. T.J. Cloutier, aka "Second Place", (He also happens to be a poker great, but not remotely as visually iconic) made the right call. Going into heads up play, he was down a lot of chips, but had bled Jesus to the point where they were basically even. He had Jesus right where he wanted him; all he needed was NOT a 9 on the last card.* And yea, the deck parted, and the Lord brought forth the Nine of Hearts, and there was much rejoicing.



When a beat that bad hits you in Poker, can you complain? Not really. All you can really do is shake your head and get the strongest of drinks at the casino Bar, bitching at the Bartender how you made all the right plays, second place prize money in tow. Sure, you were supposed to win the hand, but you didn't. Why? It's simple; RNG.

What is RNG? It's short for Random Number Generator. Slung around the World of Warcraft competitive circuit mercilessly, it's when a player happens to roll a 100 sided die three times, and gets a 100 each and every time. What it means to you is, you just got fucked. In the WoW Arena, It means a Hunter traps you, pins you in place, and stuns you three times in a row, all the while drilling you up the ass with explosive shots (which, of course, are all critical hits). When that happens, can you complain? And would T.J. Cloutier would have something to say if you do?

Probably not. But it's important to who you direct your complaints. When you play Poker, Blackjack, or even Monopoly, you go in aware of the dangers, of the hopes and dreams RNG carries to the party. So when you pick up both Park Place and Boardwalk, or when you have to pay up on Marvin fucking Gardens for the fourth straight time around the fucking board, you find yourself in the same situation Cloutier and Jesus did in 2000. Your skill can take you so far before you drop your fate in the hands of the dice gods.

So sure, card games and board games have that accepted RNG element. But when RNG encroaches into games with a supposed higher skill than luck factor, bad things happen. In NFL Blitz, when you've got the lead in the 4th Quarter, your chance to fumble skyrockets and your friend gets the comeback of the century, not to mention major bragging rights. In a tight Mario Kart race, when the person barely in last place gets the lightning bolt and monster trucks his way to a first place finish. In WoW, the times a team plays a match perfectly against a Warrior team, only for their healer to get Mace Stunned (RNG element) by the Warrior three times in a row, sprinkled with a dash of criticals and an execute on top. Can you imagine if Street Fighter's Zangief had 20% chance on I caught you in a throw, I didn't? (If you're not a Zangief player that sounds great, but hear me out on this one)



When this happens, your players get mad. And I don't mean "Aw shucks" mad. I mean grasping the cord of your controller with both hands, maddeningly swinging it above one's head like ye olde ball and chain, and converting your television screen into a Jackson Pollack mad. That may be an exaggeration, but Cloutier certainly handled himself with more composure than the average frustrated gamer- and he lost a lot of money on that nine of hearts. Pro tip to the game designer; (Hey Sakurai, we need to lunch over tripping in Smash Bros. Brawl. Tripping? How does that even remotely get past the drawing board?) if you're making a game to appeal to gamers wanting a high degree of skill, don't give your hand grenades a 20% chance to erupt into balloons and pink confetti on toss. Make T.J. Cloutier proud, and do the right thing.

*Jesus could've split the pot with a 4 or 2, but that waters the thrill down, and who wants that?