This is More than Mashing, a column on amazing demonstrations of skill in video games where I try to collect and showcase the best the net has to offer in skilled game playing and break it down so anyone can understand. This week I’m covering Daigo’s full parry.

Fighting games are a genre notorious for their high barriers of entry and the dexterity necessary to perform basic moves, let alone the long combos of attacks strung together the genre is known for. For this reason, many have accused fighting games of being button mashers, because beginners have a tendency to mash the buttons more than actually try to learn the game, and can even overtake worse players with these tactics. Despite misunderstandings, Fighting Games are one of the most skillful genres we have today. Continue reading →

Quake 3 was always a game that stood out to me as being one of the “purest” of the classic arena shooters. Watching this clip of Rapha vs Cooller was what really brought the game to life in my eyes. I had always appreciated the game for pure simple shooting with some great weapons, but Rapha’s commentary let me in on how the game really worked. Quake is a game of knowledge, sound, and fury. Continue reading →

Welcome to another More Than Mashing, the net’s only column about mastery of the art of play. This week I’ve got some great Tribes videos from all 3 games in the Tribes series. Continue reading →

This is More than Mashing, a column on amazing demonstrations of skill in video games where I try to collect and showcase the best the net has to offer in skilled game playing and break it down so anyone can understand. This week I have LegendKiller : 2 on the chopping block. I’ve seen a lot of Gunz videos, and this one doesn’t show the most tricks, but I love its production values and choice of music. Continue reading →

This is More than Mashing, a column on amazing demonstrations of skill in video games where I try to collect and showcase the best the net has to offer in skilled game playing and break it down so anyone can understand. This week I’m analyzing this japanese MGS3 video titled: Present From Santa Claus and another called Christmas Hotel Capsule Murder. Continue reading →

Welcome once again to More Than Mashing. I’ve been busy for far too long, and I’m back to kick some ass and review some videos. This week, the topic is F-Zero GX. F-Zero is a series known for its speed and precise handling ever since its SNES incarnation. With F-Zero GX on the Gamecube, the series got taken to its peak and the fanbase has had a lot to compete over. These videos are from the Snaking bracket. There are a number of different unintended techniques that exist in F-Zero, some of which render others obsolete. On account of this, F-Zero players chose to break up their play into 3 categories: 100% Max Speed, Snaking, and Unrestricted, also known as the space flight category. In the 100% Max Speed Category, the goal is to play the game mostly as intended, with an emphasis on gaining speed, maintaining speed, and turning well on corners. Competitors in the 100% Max Speed bracket are required to set their acceleration versus top speed setting all the way in the top speed direction before each track. In the Snaking category, the goal is to use snaking, a serpentine motion, to gain ridiculous speeds and carve up the track. In the Unrestricted category, anything goes. Competitors in the unrestricted category take up space flight, leaving the tracks behind to fly across the various checkpoints the track requires, completely ignoring the terrain. By dividing up the game into these categories, racers are able to focus on different sets of techniques without invalidating any parts of the game. I’ve chosen to focus on the snaking category, because I feel it’s the most comprehensive one. Continue reading →

This is More than Mashing, a column on amazing demonstrations of skill in video games where I try to collect and showcase the best the net has to offer in skilled game playing and break it down so anyone can understand. This week I’m going over the Wombo Combo. Continue reading →

Hey and welcome to More than Mashing, the only column on the net examining skill across games in video format. Next up in my quest to break down the art of warfare is this Tau Cannon montage and some other cool movement methods possible in Half-Life. Continue reading →

This is More than Mashing, a column on amazing demonstrations of skill in video games where I try to collect and showcase the best the net has to offer in skilled game playing and break it down so anyone can understand. This week I’m going to show off a bunch of videos relating to Directional Influence in Super Smash Bros Melee and other recovery techniques. Continue reading →

This is More than Mashing, a column on amazing demonstrations of skill in video games where I try to collect and showcase the best the net has to offer in skilled game playing and break it down so anyone can understand. This week I’m going over Brea’s True Style Tournament 3 entry in the Trickster category. Continue reading →