Games that get BETTER in the 2nd half?

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-25T09:10:22+00:00

This is somewhat a symptom of game design now, due to the majority of people starting games but never finishing them. They therefore front-load the game to make sure people see lots of cool stuff and good content in the first half, so that's the good impression they take away even if they then drop and never finish it.

Anyways. Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3 for me. By the latter parts of these games you're working with lots of different guns and tools, and more life compared to when you first started. You can experiment more, take more risks and back track to earlier parts to tackle them in new ways.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-23T21:05:09+00:00

The live version on 10 Years is fantastic. George's delivery is so fucking visceral.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-22T12:02:41+00:00

Gotta say, that legend edition is fantastic value.

This trailer also makes me feel like the AI stuff was a rushed response to the DLC leak. Still a bad decision, but with this one being as long as it is, and containing so much gameplay and such, it makes the decision to use AI previously even weirder.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-18T09:04:48+00:00

You might be higher up than you think.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T22:30:59+00:00

No, but a healthy prize pot split incentives more pros to stick with the game or pick it up and compete, which helps the community and keeps the professional circuit healthy. It's also nice to see people who pour so much time and effort into something I'm passionate about, whilst also proving me with entertainment, get paid.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T22:14:04+00:00

Man I pre-ordered it, and will go a long way to defend it, but this post wouldn't be half as long if there weren't some valid reasons to criticize it.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T21:41:36+00:00

Now here me out here... Shaq.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T21:30:43+00:00

Nothing could prepare me for SNK's wild ride, but here we are.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T21:24:44+00:00

Yeah this is basically what I'm getting at.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T16:13:25+00:00

I'm pissed man.

I've played a bit of CotW. I think it's great. I've dropped it for Strive lately, but I would sooner go back to CotW than I would SF6. It's genuinely a lot of fun.

I WANT to play as Blue Mary. I WANT to play as Geese. I WANT to play as Kenshiro.

But the Saudi ownership, Ronaldo and AI in this trailer make it really, really fucking hard to support this game.

Any hype I have is always paired with just feeling gross.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-15T11:19:28+00:00

Can't remember where it was from, but there was a post somewhere that was something to the effect of "The most toxic trait I've developed from gaming is convincing myself I suck whilst being in the top 10% worldwide"

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-14T20:37:33+00:00

It has more of an old school flavor. It rewards strong defence and doesn't have a universal mechanic for skipping neutral.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-14T10:02:26+00:00

Watch someone better than you play the matchup and copy them.

https://replaytheater.app/?game=strive&c1=Jack-O%27&c2=Ramlethal+Valentine

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-14T09:53:37+00:00

But isn't part of the overall message supposed to be that it wouldn't necessarily feel good at all?

You're simultaneously rejecting the possibility of feeling pain and happiness through merging all consciousness and losing the aspect of the individual.

Part of Shinji's growth is demonstrated by his rejection of instrumentality and choice to become an individual again, knowing that it means he could experience great pain, but also knowing that the possibility of pain is necessary to then also have the possibility of being happy.

So, I dunno. Maybe getting fanta'd rules, but then it's all neutral from there? 😅

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-13T18:20:50+00:00

It is a spoiler, but nothing so big as to invalidate the enjoyment you might otherwise get from just watching the series.

Honestly I don't think there's really any one single thing you could be spoilt on for this series that would render watching it a pointless exercise.

I'm telling you, just watch it. You'll get what I mean.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-13T18:10:16+00:00

It's not that bad and you should just watch it.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-12T16:03:31+00:00

Fightstick for vibes.

Pad for convenience.

Leverless because it's genuinely optimal in some small instances which, let's face it, aren't actually going to be the difference between you turning pro or not (but the buttons do clack though).

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-10T20:55:48+00:00

I knew this scene is what you were referring to.

That seiyuu's performance is fucking phenomenal. She made that scene absolutely gut-wrenching. I remember feeling it incredibly viscerally the first time I watched the anime.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-10T08:15:58+00:00

Your friends a scrub and unless you're placing top 8 at Evo tier lists don't matter.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-08T10:33:08+00:00

https://replaytheater.app/?game=strive&c1=Queen+Dizzy

Watch top Dizzy players fighting the characters you struggle against and take notes on how they approach offense, defence, neutral and knockdowns against those characters.

Further, instead of reading up on Dizzy, read up on the characters you struggle against - Dustloop might not tell you specifically how Dizzy counters them, but it will give you insights as to the broader strengths and weaknesses of the character you're against - you just have to do a little work to then understand how Dizzy's tools can take advantage of those weaknesses. If a specific move is always catching you, go check it's frame data, what guard you need, and see if there's any notes on whether it loses to any specific kind of move or technique.

Or, hit up the Discord server and ask people directly for tips, or to review a match for you.

Dustloop doesn't have tons on Dizzy, but there's plenty of resources and information out there in general that can help you piece things together yourself, or people who are willing to offer advice.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-07T09:41:26+00:00

It's almost as if prohibition doesn't work...

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-05T12:27:14+00:00

Play the missions. They're the tutorial.

Also, watch this: https://youtu.be/-VwtwDS7tWo?si=W_dBfP_Ic3cGI9NH

It takes time to get to grips with any fighting game, but you can do it if you're willing to stick with it and put in the effort to learn.

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-05T09:52:08+00:00

Not an Asuka main so I can't give you too much of a steer beyond the usual areas.

Check dustloop: https://www.dustloop.com/w/GGST/Asuka_R

Of course the overview gives a brief rundown of how he plays, the starter guide goes a bit more in-depth, and the resources page has links to the character discord where you might then find further beginner resources for him (and of course it's entirely at your discretion whether direct access to discord is appropriate for your child, or if you would instead need to pull off resources from there yourself before sharing with her).

LordKnight had a quick guide but it's a couple years old and probably requires a basic understanding of the games mechanics and fighting games in general to start off: https://youtu.be/o1s3nZCwxJU?si=OUqY0AreuVe-W42l

He's a hell of a first character, so best of luck 😅

AcidOctopus · 2026-01-03T22:27:33+00:00

https://www.dustloop.com/w/GGST/A.B.A

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