The Overwatch Salt Mine Report -- August 2018

It seems like the only time I consistently play Overwatch is when there’s an event that gives me a chance to deck out my girl Mercy with some stylin’ new threads.  Most of the time my chances are non-existent, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying.  And failing.  And trying again.  So it goes that, in the wake of the 2018 Summer Games event, I’m back in and grinding it out to try and get my hands on the Winged Victory skin.

I’ve failed.  Triumphantly.  I might have a chance to grab one or two more loot boxes, but by the time you read this, I’ll probably have thrown in the towel by virtue of the event’s end.  Still, I’ve been grinding it out before I miss the Winged Victory costume again, so you know what that means.  Time for me to start a new, off-and-on series on Overwatch.  So let the salt flow through you as I talk about Blizzard’s beloved (?) shooter.  Starting with…

Overwatch: Retribution: Uprising: Revengeance: Revelations: Subtitle

Well, I didn’t think I’d be doing another post on Overwatch so soon.  And by soon I mean, what, at least six months since the last one?  Eh, it’s fine.  With the new Retribution event in full swing until April 30^th, I got back in to try and earn my “just rewards”, I.e. redemption for a certain failure last time.  And since I did a post on another popular shooter not too long ago -- Fortnite, for the uninitiated -- it seems like a good time to poke my head in and see where I stand with Blizzard’s bullet-loaded baby.

So yeah.  Welcome back to Overwatch.  Now watch me use 4,000 words to explain in grave detail why Mercy is the best and a waifu unrivaled by all.  As you know.

BlazBlue, 8.213 Years Later (Part 2)

It’s past September 19^th.  Yo, when’s mahvel?  I mean…where’s the latest Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite post?

It’s coming, don’t worry.  But if I’m going to talk about it, I want to make sure I’m ready first -- which means I need to put some serious time into it.  I have already with my prototype team of Captain Marvel and Haggar (coupled with the Space Stone so I can trap people in the Shame Cube), but it feels like an insufficient , almost infinitesimal amount.  Do I really have a grasp of the mechanics?  Possibly, given that I saw a fair number of wins in my first online session.  But I have my doubts -- and more importantly, I don’t just want to play the same two characters over and over again.  Somebody has to rep X, after all.

So I’ll save the Infinite stuff for later, because if I had to guess, this is going to be a multi-post endeavor.  Fine by me, I suppose, even though there’s other stuff I want to talk about.  Like…I know this is off-topic, but can we just take a minute to celebrate MasterChef?  I’ve been watching since day one, but this was the first season to have me tears.  And swell up with joy.  And pump a fist for the person I hoped would win actually winning it.  It ain’t Iron Chef, but it’ll do in a pinch.

Okay, enough messing around.  Let’s talk about BlazBlue some more.

On Overwatch and a Call for Elegance

This would normally be the part where I launch into a paragraphs-long tangent only slightly related to the topic at hand, but I think I’d better get straight to the point.  I’m taking a hardline stance on this and saying what I’ve had in mind for years now: video games need more elegance.  Or, if not that, then video games need more elegant characters.  Or just elegance in general.

I’ve got no problems admitting Overwatch is the catalyst for this post.  Really, it’s my sincere hope that it’s the catalyst for changes throughout the industry as well as the gamer zeitgeist; it’s one thing to beg and plead for change in posts and articles and videos, but it’s another thing entirely to have it subtly suggested by the media we consume.  That is to say, Overwatch isn’t directly asking for diversity in games.  It’s just doing its best to prove how freakin’ cool it is when you have a cast that mixes it up.  Given the choice (and the resources), it’s always best to offer more options and means of expression.  That way, everyone can be happy.

And you know who makes me happy in this game?  Mercy.  Because she’s literally the best.