deerstalker
“The most important thing is to have fun,” adviser Nia reminds you at least once during every Pokkén Tournament DX battle. She is your tour guide, tutorial master, and cheer captain throughout the game — and, for me personally, a ubiquitous reminder of how much fun I'm not having (but could be).
Don't get me wrong — there is a lot to love in Pokkén: The graphics are great. The gameplay feels smooth. The sampling of playable Pokémon is a nice reminder of just how large the franchise has become. But at its core, it's a fighting game, not a Pokémon game, and while I love the latter, I've always despised the former.
Maybe if I were any good at fighters, I'd feel differently, but, to me, they've always felt repetitive, frustrating, and silly. I gave Pokkén a shot only because it takes place in a universe I love (and tbh I just couldn't pass up the chance to play as a realistic-looking, ass-kicking Empoleon).
Don't mess.
Nintendo
“Once you start really digging into [fighters], they're basically a high-speed version of chess.”
As I journeyed through Pokkén, I leaned on my Street Fighter–obsessed friend Mike Andronico, who's also a senior editor at Tom's Guide, for helpful tips and advice. “On a basic level, fighting games are video games at their purest,” he told me. (Nerd.) “You and your friend beat each other up until one of you is knocked out. What's more straightforward and fun than that? But once you start really digging into them, they're basically a high-speed version of chess. You and your opponent are constantly trying to outsmart each other on a second-by-second basis, and when you make that smart guess or land that crazy combo, it provides a rush that you just can't get from other types of games.”
As I continued playing, I tried to actualize this mindset and devoted time to the tutorial, learning combos, and thinking of the game strategically. So for others who are similarly inexperienced and/or skeptical of the fighting game genre, here are some basic tenets of Pokkén I took away:
1. The breadth of customization options is silly, hilarious, and really fun.
Nintendo
I was not expecting the level of customization Pokkén offers because why would you expect much of *any* customization in a fighting game? (At least I've never seen customization like this in a fighter.) But the plethora of possibilities, while largely (if not completely) unimportant to the main gameplay, brought me nothing but joy. There's no reason I should have been able to deck my trainer out in items that reflect my upcoming Hawaiian vacation, and yet there he is in a lei among sunflowers wearing his finest hipster flannel. OK, Nia, NOW I'm having fun.
And speaking of Nia…yes, you can even customize HER outfits.
Santa Nia because why not.
Nintendo
It makes absolutely no sense and, when it comes to the mechanics of actually playing the game, doesn't matter in the slightest, but I can't wait to keep playing to see if I'll unlock more. Aside from my innate desire to just not suck at fighting games, customization is my main motivation for advancing.
Not to mention the absurd number of titles and “self-promotions” you can choose from.
Nintendo
“I love the woods” vs. “I always win, in spirit!” was my Sophie's Choice.
2. Sometimes you can run freely around the whole arena; sometimes, à la classic fighters, you just face each other.
Nintendo
As the all-knowing Nia states above, the two phases are called Field Phase (aka running around freely) and Duel Phase (aka classic left and right movement only). You can make the battle shift between phases by successfully executing certain moves. Why? I have no idea, but, honestly, I really like it. It gives you more to accomplish than simply KOing your opponent, and I realized that I much prefer fighting games when I'm afforded more mobility. Field Phase reminds me a lot of an earlier Switch release, Arms, which I'm shockingly pretty good at (tyvm). Part of me wishes the whole game were like this.
“[Field Phase] gives you more to accomplish than simply KOing your opponent, and I realized that I much prefer fighting games when I'm afforded more mobility.”
Unsurprisingly, fighting game elitist Mike disagreed. “The game just feels kinda loose and sloppy when you're floating around in 3D,” he said. “Once you get into the 2D Duel Phase, the game starts to feel like a proper fighter” — (lol) — “in which things such as spacing and combos matter.” But Mike sucks at Arms, so what does he know, amirite?
A key takeaway here? Training mode is your friend. Listen to Nia, despite her Navi-like tendencies. And, as Mike told me, “Don't worry about pulling off crazy combos right away. It's far more important knowing the range and properties of your character's basic attacks and how those might be useful in battle. Once you have those fundamentals in place, you can start learning flashier stuff.”
3. The Attack Triangle is an easy-to-follow but hard-to-execute endless cycle of grabs and counters.
Nintendo
The this-beats-this-beats-that system is a sensical and interesting element of Pokkén I found easy to understand but difficult to put into practice. Blame it on having a slower-than-normal reaction time if you must, but I was only really able to counter a counter with a grab attack by accident. Nonetheless, knowing about it really helped me enjoy the mechanics of the game more. I found myself trying to anticipate my opponents' moves and strategizing more than I normally would rather than simply button-mashing my way to non-victory. I'm not sure if this mechanic is unique to Pokkén, but it feels new and different to me.
Another key takeaway: Watch tons of matches. Mike is a firm believer that watching your favorite fighting game being played at a high level is just as integral as playing yourself. Once you have a decent understanding of your game of choice, you can learn a ton about how to optimally use the characters and mechanics when watching two really talented players go at it.
Pro tip: Focus on tournament footage on Twitch or YouTube.
3. Watching the Pokémon run around, punch, kick, and hurl magical blasts is pretty dope, albeit a little weird.
I see you, Ponyta.
Nintendo
There's something a little disconcerting and awkward about having Pokémon we know and love as mostly inactive creatures run around on two legs in all their 3D glory, but ultimately you get used to it. And their specials are admittedly pretty badass.
4. Support Pokémon are cute but pretty much all the same.
Nintendo
Support Pokémon are a nice excuse to be able to feature more Pokémon in the game, and the feature is a fun twist on tagging in help, but despite their different “attack,” “enhance,” etc., abilities, they're not really all that different or helpful in the scheme of things. Maybe they're of much greater importance for a Pokkén master, but still, I think there's an option to choose a “random” set for a reason.
5. The game makes you feel pretty invincible…for a while.
Nintendo
As you're well aware by now, I'm obviously pretty sh*tty at fighting games, but Pokkén does a good job of letting even the least skilled players feel powerful for a while, which gives you a lot of time to perfect your combos and strategy. Tbh, it's downright easy to coast through the various leagues, but because of the grading system that pops up after every battle — which includes a grade on your technique — you're always pushed to develop various aspects of your fighting style.
“'Online will continue to be a core part of every fighting game, but 'most of the good fighting games out there still do a great job catering to single-player folks.'”
What's not easy though? Playing online. After 30 consecutive wins playing against the league CPUs, I felt like I was ready to try other IRL players. But that confidence, I learned, was completely undeserved. I was destroyed countless times in a row. I could barely even get one hit in let alone a combo or counter and several times I was honestly *this close* to throwing my controller against the wall and swearing off the game for good.
According to Mike, although “online has become integral to just about every fighting game … games such as Injustice 2, Tekken 7, and Pokkén are brimming with fun solo content, meaning you won't have a cheapened experience if you don't feel like getting destroyed online.” He thinks online will continue to be a core part of every fighting game, but “most of the good fighting games out there still do a great job catering to single-player folks.” Phew.
An important lesson: Patience is a virtue. I expected to pick up my controller and become a PokéMaster after just a few hours, and while at times the game made me feel like I was, it takes a lot more time than that “to be the next Evo champ,” as Mike put it.
At the end of the day, I agree with Mike's assessment that “Pokkén is one of the best fighting games out there in terms of being easy to learn and hard to master.” For beginners, it's great to play when you're bored and want to have some casual fun (but beware of online); for more experienced players, it must also be a lot of fun to play online and kick beginners' asses.
One last word of advice: Find a community or training partner. From weekly fighting game meet-ups in your area to friends who are also trying to get better, set aside time to practice with real people. It's way more fun that way! Online communities like Reddit and dedicated FG sites like Shoryuken and EventHubs are also filled with folks willing to help out.
And finally, as Nia says (quite often), have fun! Despite my initial misgivings, I really came around to Pokkén in the end and embraced its weirdness, uniqueness, and playability. Fighting games aren't as vapid or boring as I'd originally thought, and embracing the strategy and time required to master them made playing that much more rewarding in the end.
All images from Nintendo
"The most important thing is to have fun," adviser Nia reminds you at least once during every Pokkén Tournament DX battle. She is your tour guide, tutorial master, and cheer captain throughout the game — and, for me personally, a ubiquitous reminder of how much fun I'm not having (but could be).
Don't get me wrong — there is a lot to love in Pokkén: The graphics are great. The gameplay feels smooth. The sampling of playable Pokémon is a nice reminder of just how large the franchise has become. But at its core, it's a fighting game, not a Pokémon game, and while I love the latter, I've always despised the former.
Maybe if I were any good at fighters, I'd feel differently, but, to me, they've always felt repetitive, frustrating, and silly. I gave Pokkén a shot only because it takes place in a universe I love (and tbh I just couldn't pass up the chance to play as a realistic-looking, ass-kicking Empoleon).
Don't mess.
Nintendo
"Once you start really digging into [fighters], they're basically a high-speed version of chess."
As I journeyed through Pokkén, I leaned on my Street Fighter–obsessed friend Mike Andronico, who's also a senior editor at Tom's Guide, for helpful tips and advice. "On a basic level, fighting games are video games at their purest," he told me. (Nerd.) "You and your friend beat each other up until one of you is knocked out. What's more straightforward and fun than that? But once you start really digging into them, they're basically a high-speed version of chess. You and your opponent are constantly trying to outsmart each other on a second-by-second basis, and when you make that smart guess or land that crazy combo, it provides a rush that you just can't get from other types of games."
As I continued playing, I tried to actualize this mindset and devoted time to the tutorial, learning combos, and thinking of the game strategically. So for others who are similarly inexperienced and/or skeptical of the fighting game genre, here are some basic tenets of Pokkén I took away:
1. The breadth of customization options is silly, hilarious, and really fun.
Nintendo
I was not expecting the level of customization Pokkén offers because why would you expect much of *any* customization in a fighting game? (At least I've never seen customization like this in a fighter.) But the plethora of possibilities, while largely (if not completely) unimportant to the main gameplay, brought me nothing but joy. There's no reason I should have been able to deck my trainer out in items that reflect my upcoming Hawaiian vacation, and yet there he is in a lei among sunflowers wearing his finest hipster flannel. OK, Nia, NOW I'm having fun.
And speaking of Nia...yes, you can even customize HER outfits.
Santa Nia because why not.
Nintendo
It makes absolutely no sense and, when it comes to the mechanics of actually playing the game, doesn't matter in the slightest, but I can't wait to keep playing to see if I'll unlock more. Aside from my innate desire to just not suck at fighting games, customization is my main motivation for advancing.
Not to mention the absurd number of titles and "self-promotions" you can choose from.
Nintendo
"I love the woods" vs. "I always win, in spirit!" was my Sophie's Choice.
2. Sometimes you can run freely around the whole arena; sometimes, à la classic fighters, you just face each other.
Nintendo
As the all-knowing Nia states above, the two phases are called Field Phase (aka running around freely) and Duel Phase (aka classic left and right movement only). You can make the battle shift between phases by successfully executing certain moves. Why? I have no idea, but, honestly, I really like it. It gives you more to accomplish than simply KOing your opponent, and I realized that I much prefer fighting games when I'm afforded more mobility. Field Phase reminds me a lot of an earlier Switch release, Arms, which I'm shockingly pretty good at (tyvm). Part of me wishes the whole game were like this.
"[Field Phase] gives you more to accomplish than simply KOing your opponent, and I realized that I much prefer fighting games when I'm afforded more mobility."
Unsurprisingly, fighting game elitist Mike disagreed. "The game just feels kinda loose and sloppy when you're floating around in 3D," he said. "Once you get into the 2D Duel Phase, the game starts to feel like a proper fighter" — (lol) — "in which things such as spacing and combos matter." But Mike sucks at Arms, so what does he know, amirite?
A key takeaway here? Training mode is your friend. Listen to Nia, despite her Navi-like tendencies. And, as Mike told me, "Don't worry about pulling off crazy combos right away. It's far more important knowing the range and properties of your character's basic attacks and how those might be useful in battle. Once you have those fundamentals in place, you can start learning flashier stuff."
3. The Attack Triangle is an easy-to-follow but hard-to-execute endless cycle of grabs and counters.
Nintendo
The this-beats-this-beats-that system is a sensical and interesting element of Pokkén I found easy to understand but difficult to put into practice. Blame it on having a slower-than-normal reaction time if you must, but I was only really able to counter a counter with a grab attack by accident. Nonetheless, knowing about it really helped me enjoy the mechanics of the game more. I found myself trying to anticipate my opponents' moves and strategizing more than I normally would rather than simply button-mashing my way to non-victory. I'm not sure if this mechanic is unique to Pokkén, but it feels new and different to me.
Another key takeaway: Watch tons of matches. Mike is a firm believer that watching your favorite fighting game being played at a high level is just as integral as playing yourself. Once you have a decent understanding of your game of choice, you can learn a ton about how to optimally use the characters and mechanics when watching two really talented players go at it.
Pro tip: Focus on tournament footage on Twitch or YouTube.
3. Watching the Pokémon run around, punch, kick, and hurl magical blasts is pretty dope, albeit a little weird.
I see you, Ponyta.
Nintendo
There's something a little disconcerting and awkward about having Pokémon we know and love as mostly inactive creatures run around on two legs in all their 3D glory, but ultimately you get used to it. And their specials are admittedly pretty badass.
4. Support Pokémon are cute but pretty much all the same.
Nintendo
Support Pokémon are a nice excuse to be able to feature more Pokémon in the game, and the feature is a fun twist on tagging in help, but despite their different "attack," "enhance," etc., abilities, they're not really all that different or helpful in the scheme of things. Maybe they're of much greater importance for a Pokkén master, but still, I think there's an option to choose a "random" set for a reason.
5. The game makes you feel pretty invincible...for a while.
Nintendo
As you're well aware by now, I'm obviously pretty sh*tty at fighting games, but Pokkén does a good job of letting even the least skilled players feel powerful for a while, which gives you a lot of time to perfect your combos and strategy. Tbh, it's downright easy to coast through the various leagues, but because of the grading system that pops up after every battle — which includes a grade on your technique — you're always pushed to develop various aspects of your fighting style.
"'Online will continue to be a core part of every fighting game, but 'most of the good fighting games out there still do a great job catering to single-player folks.'"
What's not easy though? Playing online. After 30 consecutive wins playing against the league CPUs, I felt like I was ready to try other IRL players. But that confidence, I learned, was completely undeserved. I was destroyed countless times in a row. I could barely even get one hit in let alone a combo or counter and several times I was honestly *this close* to throwing my controller against the wall and swearing off the game for good.
According to Mike, although "online has become integral to just about every fighting game ... games such as Injustice 2, Tekken 7, and Pokkén are brimming with fun solo content, meaning you won't have a cheapened experience if you don't feel like getting destroyed online." He thinks online will continue to be a core part of every fighting game, but "most of the good fighting games out there still do a great job catering to single-player folks." Phew.
An important lesson: Patience is a virtue. I expected to pick up my controller and become a PokéMaster after just a few hours, and while at times the game made me feel like I was, it takes a lot more time than that "to be the next Evo champ," as Mike put it.
At the end of the day, I agree with Mike's assessment that "Pokkén is one of the best fighting games out there in terms of being easy to learn and hard to master." For beginners, it's great to play when you're bored and want to have some casual fun (but beware of online); for more experienced players, it must also be a lot of fun to play online and kick beginners' asses.
One last word of advice: Find a community or training partner. From weekly fighting game meet-ups in your area to friends who are also trying to get better, set aside time to practice with real people. It's way more fun that way! Online communities like Reddit and dedicated FG sites like Shoryuken and EventHubs are also filled with folks willing to help out.
And finally, as Nia says (quite often), have fun! Despite my initial misgivings, I really came around to Pokkén in the end and embraced its weirdness, uniqueness, and playability. Fighting games aren't as vapid or boring as I'd originally thought, and embracing the strategy and time required to master them made playing that much more rewarding in the end.
All images from Nintendo
BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is back for a sophomore season and it’s off to a wacky start with the episode title “Space Rabbit!”
In the premiere episode we are presented with several moving parts which will converge at some point this season. Here is the official synopsis:
Todd and Farah are on the run from the law, heading to small town Bergsberg, Montana in search of Dirk. Mysteriously, Bart’s search for Ken takes her to the same small town, where odd, unexplainable events are starting to take place.
One thing I liked was how the new characters introduced so far were brought in and how they could potentially be connected to the existing main characters. You know Dirk’s motto, “Everything is connected!”
Playing Catch Up
It’s been two months since Dirk got captured by bastard Sgt Friedkin. He’s been tested for his psychic abilities which he fails at miserably. Friedkin isn’t understanding the memo from both Dirk and later Ken, that he’s wasting his time.
Poor Ken is hooked on an IV and in the same cab he was driving in with Bart and the corgi last season when captured. That dog has been through the ringer too! Here’s hoping they both catch a break soon!
I have never seen a more clueless character in Sgt Friedkin! Dustin Mulligan is doing a hell of a job of making Friedkin annoying as hell. Can Bart or anyone hurry up and kill him please?! I will rejoice when that happens. Bring the other guy Riggins back. At least he understood what was what.
Dirk dreamed that Farah and Todd rescued him Nice throwback to season one with the masks! It seems to me that dream was a premonition because a mystery woman helps him escape. It was cool seeing her turn into many different objects to reach his room. Who is she and why does Dirk recognize her?
Meanwhile Todd and Farah are looking for Dirk while avoiding Blackwing. What I enjoyed was the tease into Farah’s background. She doesn’t even have time to grieve her father who passed away because of Todd’s obsession with finding Dirk. What’s messed up is Farah doesn’t confide in Todd about her father. She still has trust issues. Farah has the patience of a saint, especially with dealing with Todd’s pararibulitis.
Wood and Eshete had several good scenes together in this episode. The one that resonated the most was Farah wanting to communicate with Todd after chasing the rabbit. Todd’s reasoning for pushing their search and his acknowledgement that he deserves his illness made sense. Farah taking that pause to pull Todd back and make sure they were on the same page was good. Also, I thought it was clever that Todd described the rabbit he saw as a potential “space rabbit” which is also the name of the episode!
I’m so proud of Bart! Ken is rubbing off on her. She didn’t kill Suzie (more on her later) although she could have. Bart still had one of the best entrances when she does her killing thing. I want to see her go against the Mage just to see what happens.
There was an interesting parallel between Todd and Bart because they are both looking for the person that Blackwing is holding prisoner. They both brought an earnestness to their search because of how the relationship with Dirk and Ken have changed their lives.
Vision Time
Last season Amanda (Hannah Marks) escaped with Vogel (Osric Chau) when Blackwing captured the other Rowdy 3. The vision she had last season was a highlight for me as it gave clues to what was coming. She has a vision again during the premiere as she’s on the hunt for her friends. Here’s a breakdown:
- Traveling down a road
- Guy with bloody face surrounded by juicy blood – could this be the missing boy or Dirk maybe?
- Scissors – that weird world where they have scissors for weapons
- A car, looks like a red Cadillac from the 50s-60s License plate V4U-02? – that U might also be an O, a zero, or a J – looks like the car Farah and Todd see drop from the trees
- Number 18 from like a house or apartment – Or a motel room based on the image of the hotel. In fact, that was the hotel room that Todd stayed in with Farah
- Guy with bloody face again
- Symbol – could be a family insignia
- Motel called Cardinson Family Inn Sit ‘N’ Stay Put – The wife was there, Todd saw her while there
- Sgt Friedkins stress toy sitting on top of a fence surrounded by plants and leaves – The Mage is staying at that house and that is also where Todd and Farah ended up. We also know that the stress toy turned into mystery woman so she may wind up at the house at some point.
- A hallway
- Girl with a clown face – Another Blackwing project? Dirk’s mystery woman?
- An arrow turning down – Amanda wanted to keep going south
It is interesting that the images are coming superfast like Amanda described and in shorter bursts. What does that mean? Is she getting better with her disease? Or is there a time limit that she will see what she just saw before getting more clues? Right now, the images are mostly pointing to where Todd is heading.
New Characters
We got new characters and a new world called Wendimoor. Since time travel was possible and soul swapping, why not another world? Of what we have seen so far of Wendimoor, which isn’t much, I dig the sword size scissors. The fight scene at the very beginning of the episode was entertaining in its simplicity. It gave possibilities like cut limbs from using a weapon like that.
Wendimoor has two families on the verge of war because the son from one family is missing. The other family is accused of kidnapping the boy. The two families need to stop their beef or they will be no match for the Mage (John Hannah) when he brings his army to attempt a takeover. We learn that Dirk Gently is the key to finding the missing boy because of a prophecy.
Best surprise cameo: Roger Cross as Farah’s brother! I’m still miffed about Syfy cancelling Dark Matter, but seeing Cross again in another show eases the pain slightly. I’m praying we see him again this season, even for a few minutes.
Suzie Boreton starts off as this season’s underdog. We get a glimpse in the first few minutes of meeting her that her life isn’t great. She has a son who needs old school discipline. If he had put fire crackers in my car and talked to me like that….
I noticed that she saw Bart twice. Once as she was driving to work and then when Bart saved her from the assassins. That scene was another standout to me. It was cool seeing Suzie use magic, although I didn’t like it was against Bart. From the preview we saw of the season, soon her family may treat her with respect. Amanda Walsh brings a wholesome quality to Suzie that you can’t help but root for her.
John Hannah plays weird so well that I’m looking forward to seeing him do magic as The Mage. It was jarring to see him murder the manager with a pencil so casually. He was also ruthless enough to have Suzie killed despite her not calling the police on him. Did he sense her magic ability and saw it as a threat? It could just be tying up loose ends. Who the heck broke into that old house where he is staying with blood on the floor?
Tyler Labine as Sheriff Hobbs brings a quirky innocence to the character that is just adorable. It was hilarious that he has a cap to cover his hat in the rain. Law enforcement does not have a great survival rate (RIP Estevez) so here’s hoping Hobbs and his deputy survive being around Todd, Dirk, and co. Stay away Friedkin!
Wacky, quirky, and sentimental all at the same time, this season promises some crazy weirdness that somehow brings connecting points together. A missing boy needs to be found before two families go to war. I’m praying that the boy is NOT Suzie’s son. A mage needs to be defeated so Wendimoor is safe. Dirk is the key.
What did you think of the premiere? Do you have a fave new character? Sound off below in the comments.
The post Dirk Gently is Back! S2E1: Space Rabbit Review appeared first on The Nerd Element.
On an all new episode of Southern Fried Asian, Keith sits down with cartoonist, college arts instructor, and SIUniverse alum, Krishna Sadasivam.
Keith and Krishna start by reminiscing about working on the Shattered anthology and a project for the Smithsonian (1:30). Then, Krishna discusses growing up in Knoxville, TN (3:00) and how he found a community when he went to the University of Tennessee (8:45). Though there was parental pressure to be academically gifted and work in engineering (12:00), a fateful conversation with cartoonist Dave Sim (15:00) encouraged Krishna to take his art more seriously which eventually led to the birth of his popular webcomic The PC Weenies and other strips (25:00). Also, they discuss why it’s actually important for children to be bored (36:00) and his work in the documentary Forgive Don’t Forget (40:00). Finally, he explains why his mother’s dosa always brings him back to his Tennessee childhood (44:00).
Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes and Google Play.
Our official theme music is the song “Top Down” by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz.
