Vincent may not have won Devastation 2011, but he certainly won our hearts, and this despite being a known Canadian. After clutching out an impressive victory against LP (and avenging a loss from the day before in the process), he was given the stream mic and used his moment in the sun to grace us all with two nuggets of unadulterated profundity: "I just want to get laid," and "we played casuals . . . I lost like fifteen in a row to him, but then I won two."
After enduring weeks of pressure from the darkest, slimiest, most megalomaniacal corners of the community to comment on the issue of online versus offline play, I've finally acquiesced. Don't expect a simplistic "offline good, online bad, stfu scrub" treatment here, though--we're going in-depth. Why? Because Hate Speech is about not only stepping up your game and making you think, but also about peace, brotherhood, and all kinds of other new-age hippie crap.
Most of us, at some point during our competitive lives, have thought something along these lines: "I know I would have beaten that guy if I spent as much time playing the game as he does." In fact, it's because enough people have explained to me that I only won a match because, instead of practicing, they spend all of their free time having sex with supermodels, making irrational amounts of money, and curing cancer all at once that I'm writing this column and sharing some of my most closely guarded nerd secrets. Consider it a thank you to all of you sex-having, bill-stacking Nobel laureates out there for doing so much and asking so little in return.
Like many of you heroes out there, I spent several hours last Friday watching the French play Soul Calibur 5. As the stream ended, I found myself reflecting on two major issues: first, a suffocating, heady mix of shame and loathing at having lost a beautiful day, and second, the traits that make games compelling for spectators.
In fairness, Friday's exhibition wasn't my first rodeo; I've waved a fond farewell to countless hours of my life as I watched them spiral away down the match video/tourney stream toilet, which makes sense within the context of Soul Calibur matches because I'm personally invested in the game. Then again, I've also found myself watching intently as people I don't know play games I've never touched, and I've loved every second of it. So what gives? How does a game become "good tv?"
Fact: Namco isn't afraid to perform radical surgery on Soul Calibur's core mechanics from one iteration of the game to the next.
This is perhaps most evident with additions like SC4's implementation of the soul gauge, but it's equally present in the ongoing metamorphosis of the guard impact system, the overall speed of the games, and the considerable retooling of characters such as Nightmare, Ivy, and Talim.
Namco graciously invited Kayane to come to GamesCom to try out the build of Soul Calibur 5 that they brought with them, but was unable to share her impressions of the game until August 30th because of a media embargo that was in place. Now that the embargo is over, Kayane stayed up until 6AM her local time in France just to share with the community her impressions of the game.
Check Kayane's blog for the full details, and leave a comment with any questions that you may have for her.
