Am I the only one who can still have fun while dialing it back a bit? Just “fumble” a few times, fall behind intentionally, and then use your skill to catch back up. If you can’t catch up, your friends win and have fun. If you do catch back up, your friends think it was a close game. Either way you get to flex and nobody thinks you’re a sweaty tryhard and we all get to have fun.
This is the way! Group games are about everyone having fun, not winning.
I’m not big on fighting games, don’t they usually have a handicap setting? How do they work? I’m guessing good ones do stuff like break guard easier and do more damage, right?
Generally it’ll do something like make one person do more damage and take less, but if the skill gap is too big it really won’t make a difference if they can never land a hit. Personally I’m a fan of “I can’t use X” or “I will only use Y.” It allows everyone to still have a challenging and fair feeling time, instead of pounding away at a punching bag that one hits you which just doesn’t feel great for anyone.
Back in the day me and my friends played SSB64 and I was by far the best out of them. They banned me from using pikachu because I was unstoppable with him. I just used the characters I was bad with when I played with them so it would be challenging for everyone.
One of my biggest disabilities is my inability to throw a game I’m playing. I just can’t do it
Nah they’d know.
I mean, if they get mad that you’re not using your full power then they deserve to get styled on. They asked for it, lol.
I used to school the locals at SF2 and MK back like 20 years ago. This was in the quarters on the ridge, winner sticks, GenX days. I still get recognized in the surrounding towns.
This was all fine and dandy in the rural town I grew up in, but then I did a trip to a major city, out to Vancouver, and I got demolished by the big city kids. It was a disaster. I was getting laid out left and right. Just dummied. Sickened. Was humbled.
Whatever. I still clean up locally on the rare occasion it comes up. One of those guys from the town over ended up working at the same place I did for a while and he was going on about his SF2 prowess, so one day I brought in a Switch with some decent controllers and we went at it. We went 9 games to 1 in my favour in a 10 game series.
It’s also like this for many hobbies. I can run further and cycle faster than almost everyone I know, but would probably barely even be mid-pack in a local race for either.
Just set your own goals.
I relate with this one. I cycle further and faster than my friends, so it feels like I have to slow down when I cycle with them, however I’m nowhere near professional level.
Can’t you let them attach themselves to your bike that way you’ll always be the same speed? taps forehead
I was once the highest ranked player of Shootmania in California.
Nevermind that I was also the only player in California at the time.
This was probably me with Smash Bros in college: Nobody in the dorms would play me after a certain point, but I’m sure I would’ve gotten my ass whooped by professionals.
My kid could beat everyone at smash bros in high school. My friend’s kid was number two in the state. My kid couldn’t touch him.
My friend’s kid could not touch the number one kid in the state and that kid wasn’t good enough to go pro.
I went to school with the number one melee player in my state. I played him a ton over the years and never beat him once. The skill disparity between “serious tournament competitor” and “best in the neighborhood” is boggling.
This is the sobering reality for many a hometown hero of physical sports too. Being the best in your city, 1 in a million even, puts you in tight competition in college sports and then worse as a pro.
I have this problem playing smash bros with my kids. Solution? Pump up my handicap to >100% and play Kirby. Basic hits knock Kirby out, so it actually becomes a challenge for me, and they love beating me up. Win win!
Right? I watch the videos and they’re pulling off moves in times I don’t understand.
But wiping the floor with my friends isn’t fun. I’ve settled on not using Roy/Ike, Captain Flacon/Ganondorf, Mewtwo/Locario, Donkey Kong and Samus. Actually I haven’t used them in so long I’ve probably handicapped myself with at least some of them
When you’re too good for your friends you have to handicap yourself. Play new characters or give up a finger or something.
me in tetris. none of my friends will fight me anymore after i kept beating them even when drunk and high. but i am nothing compared to professional players
The point of games should be that they are fun without being productive. If not, it is job
I really genuinely enjoyed learning to get better at super smash bros. But then I fell into the awkward zone described in a meme. It sucks.
That’s why I love co-op games. Couch co-op games are the absolute best and they are going extinct for shitty online co-op.
But you need friends for that.
Well if you don’t have friends, the OP doesn’t apply anyway…
But when the game’s mechanic is beating a singular person who’s sitting right beside you, skill matchups dictate the fun. But this is probably why I play Third Strike alone lmao
Me on soul calibur
Reminds me of the one time I played 4 online. I played maxi as I always do, even though he got gimped hard. This guy played Asteroth and he let me win for 2 rounds. Then he schooled me. Hard.
He let me win the first 2 rounds to give himself the handicap. 5th round came, and I tried. Harder than ever. Sidestepped at the right moments, blocked, the whole shebang. We both had a sliver of health left, and I jabbed him. Simple little doosh. And I won.
I’ve never sweat harder from a game in my life. It was a waterfall coming from my armpits. My heart rate was so high that I felt it in my arms.
I will always remember and relish that victory, and I will never play soul calibur online ever again.
Lmao this is me 😅
My time splitters 2 phase. Sad times.
Cut my life into pieces…
Me with Speedrunners. Got hooked on it for a little while and got pretty good, but put it down for a few years and don’t stand a chance against anyone still playing it, especially with any custom map.
Playing random characters can help. Picking someone I’m not familiar with for casual play gives me exposure to other styles and helps me become more rounded, while tipping the less experienced player a balanced playing field.
Haha I play random select in most fighting games but my friends usually can’t win but they have too much pride for the handicap setting
Me at Rocket League and most sports games. It’s a real struggle.
That why I like ranked mode in Rocket League. It (eventually) matches me with other people who are at the same “best in the neighborhood” skill level
This is me playing games with my teenage kids.
