Starting things off this month is a little-known game called Omega Strikers. The way I learned about this game was by randomly coming across it on Steam. Its art style reminded me of Smash Legends, and since that game is mildly fun, I decided to check out the Steam page. The first thing that caught my eye was that it was free, no harm, no foul; I might as well check it out just for that. Then I saw the actual game concept. Basically, it is Rocket League but with MOBA controls. It's a 3v3 soccer-like game where each player selects a character with unique abilities and tries to get an object into the opponent's goal. I have experience with MOBAs, specifically League of Legends (regrettably) and Pokemon Unite, so it was instantly appealing to me.
The controls are like any other MOBA. There is a top-down camera, you move by right-clicking, and you have abilities on Q, W, E, and R. The big difference is that Q is more like your auto attack. You can use these abilities to hit either the puck or your opponents. This is where character roles come into play. Some characters have abilities that create structures, some shoot projectiles, and others use close-range attacks. The abilities of the character dictate the role they play in the match. Some characters make good goalies, some focus on scoring, and others focus on knocking out opponents. My personal favorite character is Kai. He is all about shooting and movement speed. He can be played in any position, but I prefer to play offense with him. The unique thing about his E is that he can still cast his Q while his E is active, allowing you to catch goalies off guard. The key to winning in this game is to understand that everyone's Q, or strike, has a cooldown. Since everyone's Q is functionally the same thing (basic melee shot you can aim with the mouse. Also has a .5 to1-second cooldown) apart from hitbox size, you can abuse your opponent by striking the puck right after they do. In a 1v1 situation, they will be unable to react to your strike since theirs is on cooldown. This is how I score a majority of my goals. Instead of shooting around the goalie, I shoot through them. Kai's multi-hitting E, combined with the fact he can Q during the cast, makes him one of the best scorers, in my opinion. The only reason he is not the best is that he cannot hit both the opponent and puck with the same attack. None of his abilities pierce targets. The makeup for that, he can make plays from much further distances than other characters due to his speed and range. One good pass to an open Kai from anywhere on the field can lead to a goal.
Overall, Omega Strikers is a lot of fun. A little frustrating in solo queue, but what team-based game isn't. It's free, so go ahead and give it a try.
Gundam Evolution is a new hero-shooter published by Bandai Namco. As you might have guessed, the hero pool consists of a number of Mobile Suits from the Gundam franchise. The most direct comparison would be Overwatch, but where I think this game stands out is in its team composition. Like Paladins, Gundam Evolution does not force your team to be built around specific roles. You can create any team composition you want and have fun. The other unique thing about this game is that when your health is depleted, you have a chance to be "repaired" and jump right back into the action from where your suit was disabled. This makes destroying disabled enemies an important strategy. One other cool thing I want to mention is that the selectable pilot voices and other customization options make the experience feel more like you are piloting your own suit rather than controlling a specific character. This makes the player feel more attached to their own achievements. You do not play as Amuro; you play as yourself piloting Gundam. This also makes changing your suit not feel as if you are changing character as much. It's easier to try out a bunch of different suits without being worried about whether you also like the personality behind them.
As a relative newbie to shooters compared to other genres of games, I can say that my lack of skill does not take away from my overall experience. As the season has advanced, matchmaking has been continuously getting more balanced, and rarely is it ever a wash so bad that it makes me want to take a bong-rip through a mongoose's urethra. One-sided games are so quick that you can quickly forget about them and jump right into a new one. The only time it is truly frustrating is when you have teammates that disconnect and leave you a player or two down.
My only real complaint is that I cannot play support as much as I want because that requires having at least one teammate you can trust to be good. Supports, unfortunately, cannot carry in this game. But hey, I'm still playing it every day, so that must mean something, right? Again, another free game, so there is n reason not to try it.
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator 2 (known as Rev 2, or just Xrd in most circles) is the newest fighting game announced to be receiving a rollback net code update. In layman's terms, you will be able to play it online. Xrd is like Guilty Gear Strive's big brother. While he is bigger, stronger, and more experienced, he is a little behind the times. But that changes now.
I never really dedicated much time to Xrd in the past since I was not into fighting games as much when it came out. Back then, I was just playing Blazblue with my brother. But now that Strive makes me physically ill to play (the balance and fact there is no neutral or footsies,) Xrd is a nice breath of fresh air. Not only is it a complete game already, but it is a more advanced game than Strive. For better or worse, I think better; Xrd has so many more mechanics and bigger move lists than Strive. For example, characters like Sol and Ky, who appear in both titles, feel more fleshed out and can do many more things in Xrd compared to their Strive iterations. Whoever made the conscious effort to remove Ky's grinders is an asshole (sarcasm, of course.) Why would you actively make a character a shell of their former self? For accessibility purposes? A game can be easy to learn and still have a high skill ceiling. In fact, Xrd has the best tutorial of any fighting game ever made. Anything you need to know, even FGC lingo, is in the tutorial/mission modes.
Anyway, while I am still very new to Xrd, learning it has been fun so far just because of how much stuff every character can do. Everyone is far more unique and niche, making finding your main more like a proper journey. The subtle nuances of their playstyles make them feel more than just rush-down, zoner, or grappler characters. In Strive, 70% of the cast feels the same to play.
Bottom line, don't let the gatekeepers scare you, and I hope to see you when rollback launches next month.
too long didn't read
ReplyDelete