This is a series on MLG gaming: the system that allows professional players to play on a grand scale, and how best for amateurs to break into the major league gaming franchise. Granted, not every hint or tip will guarantee a no-name player to win the biggest tournaments, as like any other competition, it takes training, determination, and hours and hours of intense time spent with a particular game.
No true tip can ever guarantee a win, but only a suggestion into the competition, and how to compete and keep up with those who are more common to play under this sort of pressure. MLG requires the competitors to be able to afford the tournaments they buy into, and the consequences of how each tournament system works. It is best for you to read up on the rules, the type of tournament, and the abilities and experience expected of those who are ranked into the tournament. Like the old saying goes, do not pick a fight you can’t win.
I am not a complete expert on professional gaming, as I’ve only been in several tournaments, with some memorable matches in the fighting genre. I remember spending around six to eight hours a day with just one character, preparing for a tournament, running through each tutorial over and over, until I was able to memorize the character’s strengths, weaknesses, and how they reacted in timing, and recovery time to attacks from almost every character possible. After that, I would do the arcade bracket mode multiple times to test against the highest level of A.I. opponents, just to make sure that I was able to beat the A.I. to the point of memorizing every prerequisite tactic that the computer could throw at me. Even that was not anywhere near what I could’ve done to prepare have I had the time before the tournament I participated in, and was my downfall for not taking the entire tournament for myself.
Gaming on a professional level is not tests of strength per say, but it is an endurance test for the mental and physical strain one goes through in order to prepare them for facing an opponent that wants to take the win for them. Did I beat out those who really were not up to par with the best of the best? Yes, and that did wane out the competition, but doing this will also throw you a curve when it comes to playing against a player that does this for a living.
When it comes to Major League Gaming, it seems that there’s a top-notch player every single day, and that in-turn does not allow for the stars to truly stand out. Most players of fame are from clans or groups of online players that play towards a common goal. Most games played professionally are First=Person Shooters (FPS) and if you are not top notch at this game style, you are caught with your pants down during an online tournament. Other games that make the fray are the one-on-one style of the fighting genre games. Teken and Street Fighter are just two of the main contenders for those trying to break into the online Major League Gaming community.
When it comes down to the games that are played for the big bucks, the console games are where most people sign up to play. Most people spend hours upon hours memorizing the game from the inside out, trying to get their skills honed to take online. Truth is, it’s about nonstop practice, teamwork, and the ability to pick up the pace for the least talented players on your team. Games like Modern Warfare 2 have become more like sports than playful entertainment.
Do gamers of this caliber really hold a chance in real-world situations? Not really, it is more of a do-or-die tactic that is seen throughout most games of the above genres. For example, in FPS games, one of the key components to success is to simply work with your teammates and camp, hoping an opposing player will be sniped, before the camper is snuffed out by a horde onslaught.
In Fighting genres, the tactic of “button-mashing” can make any player have a good game, but it does in its own rights have to be of some skill level, despite many top players being taken out by a few fluke moves from random exchanges through button mashing. Although some fighting games that do have skills needed to actually master are of Soul Caliber, and Teken. Here are some simple tips that can be used for anyone starting out in this genre that want to break into the big leagues.
First off, in a game such as Teken, a prime example of a fighting game that requires familiarity with the character before mastering the game, it is best to stick to exactly one character that feels best to your playing style. Many choose characters that are considered “noobs” or cheap due to the type of stringing combos or max damage they perform. Despite the flare that one character brings to the fight, it is best to stick to the basics when starting out, and choosing a character that you personally can understand, or at the most compete with on a fair basis. If you can actually play a certain character, and hold back on certain combos, and still feel very secure with how they work, then you can easily master that character.
I prefer to use the character King, as he is a more basic fighter, and his style is more honed to that in which I personally can understand. King is the leopard-headed street fighter from Teken. Teken is one of the most difficult games in the fighting genre to play and master, compared to its more button-mashing cousins, it takes much more experience than simply hitting the right combination of buttons to pull off some spectacular special move that obliterates the opponent. Instead, it is more martial arts based, and deals with many timed moves and grappling that requires the full attention of the player. The original games were arcade classics, and are still mostly played by arcade junkies looking for a fair, balanced fighting games.
Teken allowed for people to play very unique characters, but also allowed for the player to learn as they went along in progression throughout the game. One thing I personally enjoy about this game was that you never felt like it was too easy or too hard. You went throughout the game, not feeling like it was a pushover, and never felt like the computer A.I. was ever buggy in how difficult the next opponent was to the preceding opponent.
Teken is the game that you want to play to prep yourself for a professional game. Find a character, stick with them for a few weeks, and then try out others, mimic how they fight, and see if you can also grow to master them as well. When you learn every character, you learn their pros and their cons. Every fighting game is set up so when you focus on one character they will be as strong and counter every other character in the roster. Do not be deceived by characters that are said to be weaker, stronger, or slower than is preset by the game, this will not be a factor when you figure out how each character works. Once you’ve studied how each character works, you will discover that even the cheapest character can be taken out with the slowest, weakest character when put to battle.
Special characters are a no-no. Unlocked characters are like junk food, they feel good at first, but when put through a rigorous test, you will find that they are simply eye candy, and really left over junk that developers threw in there for fun. Only use these characters when you feel completely sure about your skills, and only as a last resort. Opponents over a network will try to psyche you out by choosing a character, but then switching to another, and special character you may not have unlocked will show up, and throw you off, this is best to stick with the character you are most familiar to playing. If someone for example chose a secret character in Teken, like Kuma (Now part of the normal roster, but still a vanity character) I would stick with King, because I am most familiar with his settings. Remember that there is not normally a rule on how controller commands are set up, so feel free to switch the default controller settings to fit you best, and do not be afraid to try out all different button settings to tweak your overall performance, what works for you, works best.
Now, exceptions to the above rule can be seen in games like Street Fighter. One secret character that is not junk in this series is Akuma. Perhaps the most used character outside the normal roster, this character is by far a force to be reckoned with by a skilled player. Akuma is sort of a variant of the famed characters Ken and Ryu, with a Hadoken blast that can be performed as an aerial maneuver. Do expect a harsh beat down against a skilled Akuma player if you are not fully prepared with a countering character. Although I never break far away from my character selection in any Street Fighter game, I’m normally a Ryu player. He may not be the flashiest player, but against top players of characters like Balrog and Vega, I assure you that I will stick with what I know best, and that’s the character I have the most experience with to take my opponent by surprise.
With any fighting game, from Mortal Kombat to Street Fighter, to Soul Caliber, you will lose many hours in a tournament that may very well take you to your mental limits. What I’ve learned from playing these games for so many years, is that I see it as always being a competition, which sadly takes away much of the fun from them, but I know I am one of the best because I take it seriously in the given situation.
Many will tell you that there is not a lot of skill to these games, and it will come down to luck, but I say this is false. The reason many games will come down to one hit way for either side to victory is because it takes much skill to fully encompass the tools given to that particular character. Why is it that a skilled Ryu player can defeat an obnoxious Vega player? Anyone who has taken the time to play Street Fighter will tell you that it is hard work, and will say it takes many hours to hone Ryu’s counters and defensive strikes.
Perhaps my most celebrated game is Mortal Kombat, and I find it is one game that I can feel safe playing any of the characters given, and nine out of ten times I will win with that selected character. If you’ve read the giant Mortal Kombat review I’ve done a few years back, you’ll know that I am rather obsessed with the game, and it is the inkling start for many of us of the nineties generation that got us into the fighting genre.
Not many tournaments are held for anything besides top fighting games, Mortal Kombat is not your normal choice for a tournament headliner, but it does happen often if you are willing to search one out, but it is not where the most skilled players are honed into fighting genre champions.
One trick to Mortal Kombat is to abandon the block button completely; it is only a resource for a spammer, and nothing more. Against skilled players, the block button is just a nice way to give your opponent a free counter. If you are skilled enough to use the block to an advantage, it is normally in the form of a crouching block. I find it more of a resource to use the sidestep (In the newer games) and the run from the older titles to evade my opponent and throw them off guard. The best way to win at Mortal Kombat is a bit different than the other fighting titles, but I will say that it is crucial to still know your character from the inside out. I believe combos chained with special moves may seem cheap, but they are where skills are most honed. When you have the right setup, you can get a flawless victory quite easily against even the most skilled players.
Take Sub-Zero, perhaps the most iconic character in the series next to Scorpion, an exact opposite. Sub-Zero is infamous in combat because he tends to have the most time potential against almost any character. If you are skilled at freezing an opponent, you can own the match and having the other player left without a clue as to how they just lost. At first it will feel a bit unfair, but there are many of ways a character can counter Sub-zero, so do not feel overconfident with him before a match is officially over. See, Sub-Zero’s best weapon is time, when you can initiate a stop in motion to the other character successfully; you have all the potential to take them on, and dispose of them with a devastating combo system that they cannot block from a long string. Stringing together combos with Sub-Zero is also massively hard, as it will force (in the newer games) a breaker from you opponent that will have you attempting fate for a second or third time.
Sub-Zero’s flaw is that his reaction time is a bit off, but this can be overcome by the fact that you have at least one second of reaction to when you freeze an opponent. What makes him extremely deadly is not so much the special moves but the devastating combos once pulled off correctly, and forcing a opponent to sit back and watch you brutally defeat them is not going to play well when they will be expecting an iceball to freeze them.
Sadly, without this one special move, and its several variations, Sub-Zero is a slow, clunky character that is best used as an offensive character. If you play him for a few days, and feel out the negatives, you may want to switch off to a character meant for less skilled players like Liu Kang, who can counter and defend quite well against most of the roster.
Scorpion is a bit unfair, as he is the most beloved character of the lead developer Ed Boon, and is a bit overpowered, and a bit more difficult to handle, it is like trying to control a wild fire with joysticks. Scorpion is by far the most elusive characters you can play as, while also being the most destructive, hence being the most dangerous to play against with a skilled opponent.
When using Scorpion, it is best to remember that you are better off playing him as an offensive character. His spear throw is perhaps the most effective way to string a combo, but seeing as most players will be expecting that move, it is best to use his secondary special to start a chain: the teleport. The teleport is a mixed blessing, as it is not best to use constantly, unless you can string well into the exit of the teleport punch that Scorpion pulls off.
Combos with Scorpion can look very pretty if they are learned with the highest efficiency, but they pale against those of a learned Shang Tsung opponent, or even a Baraka enthusiast. What is most important in this type of tournament is to remember never to let the guard down, and avoid the block button in exchange of close combat. Never be more than two steps away from your opponent as any character, and always remember to sidestep any charged up special attack. If you are playing an older version of the game, always use run when needed, but avoid blocking as it holds the same problem with the new games.
Blocking can be done well in other games, but with Mortal Kombat it is only used to dodge projectiles from a player that will constantly spam moves, and only in retaliation to a defensive strike following.
Now, not all of these tips will help you out, but the most important tip I can give is that the time and effort put in, and learning from a highly skilled player willing to give up their time to help you out, it is best to practice to make perfect. You may very well be the next MLG contender in the fighting genre.
I would like to add a final note to those wanting to get into fisticuffs with the pros, the best thing to do is to practice with your main character, learn all other characters to the best degree that you can, and learn the weakness of every character so you can use that to manipulate the overall fight against the skilled opponents you may come across. If you feel this method is not working, or you simply do not have the time to win, the best way to get into a brawl and succeed is to play the offensive well, and wait to feel how your opponent will strike. Are they passive players that anxious wait for counters, or do they rush in with blazing combos and nonstop barraging array of punches? If you can psyche out your opponent, you will be able to take on these fighters, and other styles that may not have been covered.
Always remember, it is a struggle to fight online skilled players, and you are almost guaranteed to lose a few if not many matches to those who have been playing games since before they could walk. Learn the tricks of the trade, and invent some of your own, and you may very well be a top player that everyone is gunning to dethrone.
Thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial! You can follow the blog on twitter @mcasteditorial, and check back at the blog for the most recent updates at: mceasteditorial.blogspot.com. Again, thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial.
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