Thomie: rambling about Video Games since yesterday

So, I finally got to try out Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, and.. the results were predictable. I lost quite a few rounds. In the wake of this beta, the game has been stamped as unfriendly to newcomers to the genre in a way that I honestly find to be unfair. I personally believe that this game, when handled properly, can be very welcoming to players looking for a more casual experience. To illustrate what I mean, I'm going to divide this video into pro- and con-segments.  First off, the game.. is fun. It's explosive, full of variety (which did not stop me from one-tricking Korra, but I digress) and, in my opinion anyway, pretty well-balanced. We live in an era of fighting games where low-level players can mostly disregard tier lists and viability discussions because no characters flat out break games anymore, and if they do, they can just get nerfed. Every character nowadays is at the very least playable and that holds true in Avatar Legends. At no point did I feel like I w...

So, after going over a bunch of characters from the Avata r shows and talking about their potential implementation in the upcoming Avatar fighting game, I'd like to discuss who I think is most likely making it in as DLC. Pure speculation, coming right up: There's still no way Iroh isn't getting in, right? Zuko's funny uncle and former general of and heir to the fire nation has gone through many things as a recurring character throughout ATLA. He's a fan-favorite firebender without whom the roster would just feel incomplete and he's not lacking in connections to minor characters that could be his supports.  Iroh is the safest prediction possible in my opinion, we will see him at some point. I feel similarly about King Bumi. He's up there with Iroh for the most requested character, he's not short on significance or support and he would bring something unique to the game. Very easy pick as well.  For the third pick, I'd say Ty Lee's omission from Az...

At this point, you've probably heard the news already. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game has been delayed and is now releasing on July 23, with an additional closed beta for people who pre-ordered the game happening from July 2 to July 5. After a few days of processing, I have decided that this announcement is almost nothing to worry about; let me explain. First off, a delay this short and the wording of the announcement means the content promised is likely finished and the game is only being delayed to optimize performance. Additionally, this means more time for the team behind the game to reveal more content. Ozai and Zaheer have yet to be showcased, as well as the story mode. Much has been promised for the latter; a unique timeline-colliding narrative within the Avatar -franchise could make for one of the best stories a fighting game has ever told, but we have yet to see any of it. The game's marketing thus far has been focused on the competitive multiplayer aspect of the g...

I usually end up regretting my choice to stay up late to catch one of these live, but not this time. Yesterday's showcase was already primed to the deliver, as the announcement that gameplay for the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine  would been shown had already been made. In development by the studio behind the Marvel's Spider-Man games, this new action adventure sees Logan navigate a cruel, X-Men-less world in which he works together with other rogue mutants to save mutant children. Watching the trailer, I was particularly fascinated by the fine-tuned gore; Wolverine fights like a feral animal at times, but there is no showoff-esque gratuity to what he does, as he's neither Deadpool nor a Mortal Kombat character. Judging by what they've shown, the developers are nailing his gameplay and I can not wait to experience it for myself in September. It's not that the presentation peaked early, just that their first and their final announcements somewhat stole the show for ...

The idea of adding a joke-character to Avatar Legends is is rather obvious. The shows themselves already have several candidates who fulfill that function, and arguably so does the game. However, Sokka is a funny character, not a joke character. He's still presented and balanced as a competent fighter. So, for the real jokes, we have three options. The Cabbage merchant is definitely the most immediately apparent choice. Hilariously, he is one of the most requested characters I've seen online as well. Now, don't get me wrong, I am sold on the idea. I'm just not sure what a full moveset for this guy would look like at all, even a comically awful one. Like, what does he even do? Maybe he just gets his opponent caught in the crossfire when someone wrecks his cart again.  There's no better representation of a joke bender than Bumi from TLoK. Much like Zaheer in particular, he gained airbending later in his life. Unlike Zaheer, however, he struggles a lot with it. As the ...

Unlike the White Lotus, who are completely absent from the game's base roster, Zaheer made it in as the game's sole representation of both his order and a "pure" airbender. I discussed him before, though, so let's go over the other three goobers in order from least to most interesting. P'Li, the combustion woman and Zaheer's partner, is up first for two reasons. For one, we do not need more firebenders. The base roster already has three plus the avatars, and even then she's not first in line. For two, she's directly competing for a slot with Combustion Man. Between the two, she's the more interesting character, possessing things such as actual dialogue and connections to other characters. However, not having anything like that arguably makes Combustion Man a more effective side villain. The two are pretty even in my mind, but I think the developers would go with the character who came first and is from the higher-rated show, especially since th...