Greetings, challengers. It seems we are all living in the Icebox recently. Stay warm, but not too warm!
How do you choose a fighting game main? Pick a character you vibe with. Someone that you can relate to or simply like for their design. It really is that simple.
Some games have a fairly large selection, so going for your style is a great way to narrow things down. It’s also not the end of the world to be committed to a character. There is no shame in maintaining multiple characters or deciding to drop a character entirely for another one. Don’t forget that you play to have fun!
I’ve decided to properly discuss my favorite character from each fighting game that I regularly play. This is how I choose to develop my “gauntlet”.
First, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”…I’m sure many of you already know the answer here. It is none other than Solid Snake, the first third-party character to be introduced in the Smash franchise and arguably the trailblazer for its direction moving forward. While that is most certainly a great reason alone to love Snake, I main him because I have always thought he was very cool.
In Smash, Snake is rather unconventional in design compared to his game of origin, “Metal Gear Solid.” Masahiro Sakurai designed his version of Snake as an ode to both Solid Snake and his predecessor, Big Boss. As a result, the Snake we see in Smash is actually a hybrid, donning the outfit of Solid while sporting facial hair like Big Boss. Furthermore, the soundtrack and references are sporadic to the franchise’s games, though more attention is paid to “Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater.”
Beyond his brilliant design, his move set is all stage control, technicality, oppressiveness and explosions. That’s exactly my flavor. Cardboard box included!
The first character in my fighting game gauntlet is most certainly Snake, but from Smash alone you may notice I have two secondary characters: Mr. Game & Watch and Wario. The former is a cute little guy who reminds me of my days as a comic writer. It just so happens that he is now one of the top-tier characters. Wario, on the other hand, is a ruthless fellow. I enjoy that his goals are always straightforward and material, offering a lucrative shadow to the beloved Mario. Wario is just right by my standards.
The next series is my current favorite fighting game, which I discussed in last week’s issue of the Icebox. “Tekken” features the Mishima family and its long-running, sinister front, Kazuya Mishima. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, he’s a badass. Kazuya resembles a high-class, intimidating Yakuza member. He takes what he wants by force and barely loses control of something once it’s in his grasp.
Kazuya’s “Devil Gene” enables him to become even more terrifying, though he doesn’t even need its power to prove his point. As a matter of fact, he is willing to throw hands with anyone, including his own family members, a giant panda and the entire United States military, without batting an eye towards the demonic power within him. The devil laying dormant in Kazuya gives him one glowing red eye, which has become a signature of his and yet another reason why I think he is so cool.
Most of the dialogue from Kazuya involves him creatively belittling his opponents or completely dismissing threats as if they are just everyday, bothersome events like waking up before your alarm rings. If that’s not convincing enough, Kazuya’s theme and moveset are as iconic as “Hadouken” from “Street Fighter.”
The female cast in “Street Fighter” is impressive, just as the previously mentioned games. Specifically, Juri-han had caught my attention. To be honest, I think she just reflects my liking for characters who just do whatever they want and may be slightly insane. Her moveset is very focused on close combat and using dynamic brute force with the legs. For female characters in Street Fighter, it’s all in the legs.
If you like female characters, you should play “Skullgirls”. In this game, I enjoy Ms. Valentine, who is a deadly nurse. I think I relate to her because of my own career field, but also because she has an equally nurturing and dangerous aura about her.
Aside from Juri-han in Street Fighter, my most consistent main character is definitely Akuma. Did you know that he appeared in Tekken 7? He was even relevant to the plot of the game! It’s a fair decision by Bandai Namco and Capcom, considering Akuma is the evil, mirror version to Ryu, though they share very similar goals. Akuma’s moveset is similar to Ryu, but his appeal is about the villain’s energy that some may prefer more.
This is not far from the mirror representation by my favorite fictional character of all time, Venom. I always try to find a way to mention my symbiote idol.
In another game by Capcom, “Marvel vs. Capcom 2,” the iconic pair of Eddie Brock and Venom is a playable character, which is just about the best decision the developers could have made. Venom, as you may know, is essentially an Akuma to Spider-Man. That’s not the entire reason I think of Venom so highly, but nonetheless I am always grateful he is in the game.
On the topic of darkness and shadows, the next game to talk about is “Mortal Kombat.” This game isn’t really a traditional fighting game, but the character designs are consistently amazing. In the latest installment, I believe Sub-Zero was portrayed in an interesting way. I am still conflicted about it to this day, but I have to admit it’s rather amusing that he’s a complete jerk. Bi-han as Sub-Zero has always been evil in past games, turning into the chaos-ridden Noob Saibot. The same happens in this game, except there is nobody to take the title of Sub-Zero after him.
Due to this change in the storyline, I have to accept that I like both Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot equally, whereas before I was only interested in the former. I guess this only makes sense, considering I am “Freeze” and my gauntlet is mostly made of shadowy characters and objectively rude people.
Sub-Zero is apparently not considered a ninja, but you know who is? Chipp Zanuff from “Guilty Gear” who is filled with bright, encouraging energy. I enjoy his fluid playstyle, even if his health depletes too quickly. I tend to gravitate towards shinobi-type characters in video games, so Chipp was a great pick. However, I once again find myself tethering to Venom-like beings, which in this game is Zato-1. Zato-1 is a human with a symbiote-like creature that’s named Eddie…sound familiar? Anyway, his playstyle is actually technical and oppressive, which brings me full-circle to Solid Snake.
That’s about all the characters you should expect to see from me if you attempt “Freeze’s Fighting Game Gauntlet”. When I look back at my favorites, I realize I definitely have a type. I could write a fan-fiction story about all of these characters and it would make total sense.
This revelation is as cool as the weather. That’s why this is the Icebox!