Week 10: Learning AF- Cl-r as Rain

     [The blog formatting is a bit off this week. I think I know why. Either way, sorry for the random paragraph breaks. I've to go back in and edit it but to no avail.]

Welcome to Week 10 of Learning Anime Fighters (AF). This is an ongoing blog about me picking up anime fighting games.

This week is actually a big achievement because this is our 10th week of this ongoing blog and even I am surprised how much time I have dedicated to it. The good news is I do not see me stopping it anytime soon so we will keep going as I hope to get better at these games.

We had a pretty big week too because we picked up a new (old) game which pretty much took up all my time but we will come back to that. On that note; lets go.

Monday

- I doubt myself again. I was thinking because certain combos were once easier with my Hori Marvel 3 stick due to its weight, I hooked it back up. Turns out I am so familiar with Eclipse (my new Qanba stick) that my old stick felt foreign to me and I was not able to have any success despite the change back. I have decided to just focus on Eclipse since it'll be my main 'stick' going forward.

- Finally got Seth's 5-2 done a whole week later and my first expert combo with him. Can only go up from here lol.

- It looks like Millic (a Korean artist who I now I understand does lo-fi hip hop) helps me concentrate. Able to pull off Seth's 5-1. I realize the secret to getting 214[C] is ignore the delay and just hold it down as soon as the aerial 214A hits. Thanks demo assist as always.

- From 5-1 to 5-13. I knew I could do it because it was a variation of 5-1 but with a EX move attached. Getting the FF Kick (aka aerial 2AB,6A) is slowly becoming more ingrained.

- Linne's 5-9 is done. I have no idea but my hands keep doing other things after the jump C. I had to train it to go immediately into 214A,mash B. One more to go for her.

- Got Vatista's easier trials done, now I have 8 out of 9 advance and 13 out of 13 expert left.

- Wow. Maybe it is doable? Just finished all of Vatista's advance combos in one session.

- Watched all the demos for her expert combos and now I have lost all confidence. So much plinking and reverse charges. This is going to be a pain.

- Almost done. We now have 12 Seths, 1 Linne, 3 Carmine, 15 Yuzu, 13 for Vat, 3 for Bya, 7 for Chaos and 2 for Mika left to go. All Expert trials and sitting at 94.5% clear overall.

Tuesday

- Bya's 5-7 done. Really need helped with the timing for the descending C, here came in 'demo assist'and I got it after practicing just the ender.

- Back to Rising and the final 3.

- Anre done. LOL little girls are not my cup of tea and little guys are even less. However it does surprise me how much easier one of his combos with his install super is in this one. In the previous version that combo had me pulling my hair out.

- Zooey done. First I love her Link (from Zelda) inspired color and it matches so well. Her last combo was nice with using her dragon and aerial U's into a juggle. Her and Dragon Knight from DNF Duel seem like long lost sisters too.

- Seox (who's name sounds nothing like I thought it would) is done and that's the whole GBVR cast for now. I'm low key happy he didn't have a similar trial like in the original where you need to get over 15 and 25 hits to get a pass. His combos were actually pretty straight forward.

- Now all combo trials are done I think I'll start doing story content. I do enjoy the game but UNI 2 is getting all my focus.

- Hardest combos belonged to Vasaraga, Narmaya and surprisingly that one Gran combo.

- SPOILERS FOR UNI2: Wagner's ending was surprisingly bittersweet. After being so cocky and looking down on folks, she really just wanted to protect her people and sacrificed herself for the greater good.

- Chaos' 5-5 makes sense to me now and I figured out why I need to hold the B in the air. Now if I can actually get the delay 214B,623[B] to connect. Holding B keeps Arzi close to Chaos so the combo does not push the opponent out further.

- I spent a good portion of an hour trying to do 5-5 and got close a couple times but no cigar. I practice 5-7 for 2 mins at the most and got it. WTF.

Wednesday

- As I've been going through everyone's combos I forgot just how much fun Kuon is to play. Boy has a tool kit for days.

- No surprise that as the final boss Kuon has a conversation with everyone in story mode. Some deep lore was dropped for sure.

- WOOT my Under Night In-Birth: Exe: Late [Cl-r] hereby called UNICLR collecter's edition for the PS4 has arrived and boy did it come packed with some goodies.

- Included as you see above is the game itself for the PS4, a Londreicka keychain, a rather nice art book with some sweet illustrations and the music of UNICLR. Irony is the CD does not work on my computer nor my PS4 because neither have CD drives. I guess I'll keep listening to the tunes on the internet.

- Also new game = more combo trials. This could be a good thing or a bad thing lol.

- Started Wagner's trials. So far she has some unique routes the new one does not use.

- All done with Wagner's trials. Some unique concepts but they felt a bit easier than UNI2 ones.

E.G only two trials that include using her dashing C in the middle of her air combos.

- Also; have to get used to the 'tactics' section being at the end and not the beginning and using

the touch pad on the PS4 to reset the neutral. I typically use the 'share' button on my Steam deck

but it turns out hitting that will just cause the PS share menu.

- Note to self; change Steam deck to R3 since I do not use it as much on my PS4 so accidentally

pushes won't constant bring up the share menu.

- Merkava feels similar but at the same time different. His combos are not as hard with almost

no 66B,66C combos and only one combo involving his air fireball.

- A lot of combos teaching you how to set up his 22C super tho, interesting.

- Looks like none of Seth's combos have his TK 623x move. Does not make him any easier to use

tho. Still messing up aerial 6C

Thursday

- I think I might honestly try to main Seth and Chaos. I am never scared of execution barriers (I main Akira in Virtua Figher for example) and I like boths game plan. Plus Chaos might be the first puppet character I actually want to use.

- Tonight was my 16th wedding anniversary so no gaming for me.

Friday

- Working through Waldstein's combo trials in UNICL. His 4-15 requires almost perfect usage of his

meter or his ABC super just does not come out.

- All Waldstein's combos done. This time around, I had to get used to dashing B and timing aerial

assault after his aerial 6C wall bounces. Waldstein still is so much fun to play no matter the edition.

- I've noticed a lot of combos in UNCLR involved wall bouncing into Veil Off (VO) no follow up. Wonder if that used to be a tactic. I am used to VO being used like a cancel into other combos ala UNI2.

- Chaos is combo trials are much easier in UNICLR. Actually cleared a lot of his combos in one night.

Only thing that throws me off are the classic 22x cancels and a concept I've never done in terms of

aerial 214B,623B,2C as a combo ender.

- He only has one combo which forces a switch side where UNI2 has tons of those combos. I bet Chaos'

mains had to adjust to that concept when they first picked him in UNI2.

- Watching JP Seths plays in EVO Japan and they pilot him so well it makes me envious. He is such a beast.

- I only have 5 combos left before I complete all of Chaos' trials. LOL if I could have this success

in UNI2 where I want to use him.

- 2 more to go. I think I can do it next time I try.

- Speaking of EVO Japan; no UNI2 announcements but they are working on a new balance patch for Melty Blood: Type Lumina? Need to check that out so I can see if I can main 2 anime games. Also thankfully I did not dive too deep into MBTL so I won't be too affected by nerfs to characters I use.

Saturday

- Listening to the UNI2 Evo Japan commentary; I heard VO is faster in UNI2 compared to UNICLR.

Maybe that is why UNICLR focuses on wall bounce into VO combos?

- Completed ALL of Chaos' combo trials in UNICLR. Now if I could only do that in UNI2. Some of the

last combos required some specific timing but nothing as crazy as UNI2's stuff.

- Eltum feels similar but also different. She has combos that require a whiff aerial A after her aerial [C]. Taking time to get used to it.

- Eltnum feels much easier much like everyone else. Being used to her combo structure from UNI2

helps a lot of course.

- Elt-done all over again. She had one very unique combo which involved OTG with a delayed charge

[C] but most of her combos were much easier. Thankfully no [B+C] 1 hit cancel cause that drove me

nuts in UNI2. With Kaguya being a UNI2 addition, I might main Eltnum along with Wagner.

- Seth of course and Merkava are only combo trials I have not completed after picking them up.

Overall I think the UNICLR combos are a bit easier then UNI2.

Sunday

- Even tho Sunday is normally break night, I felt like getting some more UNCLR in.

- LOL ever since getting UNICLR on my PS4 I have rarely played my Steam Deck. Never thought I would see the day. Eclipse is of course compatible with my PS4 which is nice as well.

- Looks like I am finally understanding Merkava's dash 2C after his 66C timing again. Since I completed all his trials in UNI2 I figured I could do them in UNICLR too.

- 2 more to go and one of them is a classic got to count the hits before you hit A+B+C combo which drives me nuts. Right now I am getting no success even mashing it out.

- Seth requires so much hard work but I am remembering what folks have said previously about him not being a character you can pick up even after practicing for weeks on end so I'll keep at it. I eventually got some expert combos in UNI2 so I know I can get some in UNCLR as well.

WHAT'S NEXT

Well this week got overtaken by UNCLR did it not? I looked back on my plans for this week and I did next to none of them. Heck I even started ignoring my UNI2 game plan and I actually have a my first tournament for it this weekend. Speaking of, you know we will definitely discuss that in next weeks blog.

I will definitely not let the new shiny thing distract me too much this week and keep my eye on the prize. I know I will probably go 0-2 in the tournament but I least want to feel like I did the best I could. I also hope to find some like minded UNI players to pick their brains. I am seeing this tournament more of a learning experience than anything.

I also fully intend on starting Darkest Dungeon 2 before it falls into my backlog of look at but never played which has happened to a couple of the games I have bought over the years.

AV

Learning AF: Week 9- Storytime

 Welcome to Week 9 of Learning Anime Fighters (AF). This is an ongoing blog about me picking up anime fighters.

    This blog is done chronologically so follow along as we explore Anime Fighters and more.

Monday

- This week we get started with Seth as promised.

- I've actually always had an interest in Seth even going back to BBTAG, he is even my current 3D avatar for the 'arena' sections.

- Seth is tough tho, I am getting stuck doing his advance combos. Not a good sign lol.

- I think I might have to switch back to my Hori. With Eclipse, my current 'main' stick I've noticed I have issues doing 236 into 214 motions. I originally noticed that when I using Kaguya previously.

- I figured it out, unlike Kaguya, there is a slight delay with Seth's 236 into his 214. I am thankfully because switching from stick to leverless between games is okay but switching sticks in the same game might be a bit much.

- Okeeeey the expert combos for Seth are ridiculous. I've never had a character where I could not do any of their expert combos. His skill ceiling is really high it seems.

- I seem to have a lot of issues but the key one is getting confused when he switches side, the timing for 2A+B into 6A and the jump cancel into 6C window.

Tuesday

- There is no visual aids for Seth's combo structure which is wild because how complex it is. Something this complex is normally great material for Youtube videos, like how to Korean Backdash in Tekken. I have found nothing tho.

- Finally able to get Hyde's 5-15 combo on the 2p side aka the side where I get less accidentally DPs. Hyde as a main character is funny cause he is not Akira from Virtua Fighter complex but he sure is not Ken from Street Fighter easy to pick up either.

- Add 5-16. I knew once I got focused I could do the 236B,6A dash C, 236A,6B combos if I swapped sides. I do not understand the need for delay 236B,6A, I just do at my normal timing at it works.

- 5-11 done. Its is looking likely we might finally finish Hyde today.

- Spending so much time in the trials I wish there was a button to automatically go back to the 'Challenge Select Screen' like hit RB to go back to that menu OR the cursor stayed on its last selected option. Just a quality of life thing.

- Hyde's 5-6 is soo dumb and it is not even optimal but I finally got it. I had to move the opponent closer to the wall so the dash B would connect sooner. All Hyde's combos are done and it is pretty good because I started with 14 out of 18. Feeling accomplished. I do not see myself main-ing Hyde, getting his 214 series delay down takes work and I rarely main protagonist.

- Bought Darkest Dungeon 2 as I promised myself I would in my Triple I blog. It'll be a fun game to play on nights when I am taking breaks from AFs.

- Finished Blazblue story chapter in BBTAG. I keep forgetting to mention I do enjoy that this story mode is fully voiced and the UNI cast even gets English voice overs which they have never had. I am also knowledgeable on BB lore so it was cool all the references that showed up during it aka Hazama not being reliable, Ragna, Jin and Noel's complex relationship and more.

- We will be doing its Story mode for the rest of the week, so the next chapter will be the Persona cast.

Wednesday

- Spent a lot of time working on Seth's combos. Made zero progress. This feels like my first execution wall I have hit in this game.

- Found out you can change the color you character has on by default in a menu which is pretty dang cool. Nice work UNI2.

- Completed the Persona chapter of BBTAG story mode, a unique one where the character actually did not split up for once and stayed as one big party. My own critique is it would have been nice to had the option to choose whom you could team up with when the time came up instead of being thrown into default teams. Also I have never played a Persona game before but I feel I'll like to give Persona 4 Golden or Ultimax (the fighting game) a try.

- Nakayama is the most white bread of protagonists tho. Hopefully he has some rizz in the RPG.

- RWBY story mode is next

- I can complete Seth's combos in BBTAG. I know BBTAG Seth is 'easy mode' but hey its something. I do like the concept of Seth, if only he was not so hard to use.

- UNI2: Mika's 5-10 actually was not hard, it really came down to timing her 2B, delay 2C, 3B to make her push Orie over her head into the rest of the combo. Interesting concept and different enough to change up her combo trials.

- Carmine's 5-12 combo completed. Really need to get the hang of the timing for his 2C,jc,6B and jump [C],B,3B,2C combo ender but they feel doable. His one combo with multiple plinking gives me Hilda PTSD tho.

Thursday

- Interesting Knee, a Tekken legend, has spoken up about Tekken 8 and saying it is not fun to play. I already made up my mind about it ages ago but it is nice to see other people have issues with it and its identity as well.

- Granblue Rising tonight. Started with Siegfield and I can see why people like him and gravitate towards him. Strong attacks, good buttons. If Gran was not the protagonist of this game I could see Siegfield filling that spot. Completed all his combos too which was nice especially after the struggles I have had with Seth the last couple nights.

- Speaking of Gran, completed most of his combos but his last one has some weird timing to it. I can not seem to get it so I decided to skip it for now.

- I have found a small, feisty female character I do not dislike. Cagliostro is actually pretty cool and I love her Super Skybound Art where she turns folks into a statue of herself. Her combos require a bit of patience especially with her multi hitting close H to get more hit stun for them but she is done.

- Lancelot feels like Rising's version of Seth. Quick, multi hitting moves, ninja like stealth. Only difference is his combos are much easier LOL.

- Charlotta is another small character with a feisty attitude. I do not mind her tho, definitely would not main her. Most of her combos relies on her multi hitting 'Sword of Lumiel' and understanding the timing of when you can attack again. All complete.

- Yuel's combo were not that difficult but I feel as 'stance' character she might have more sauce. Overall, I like her design and she hits hard.

- I must say, I do like Rising's sound design. The epic clash when you do a Guard Break into a Raging Strike is pretty nice.

- Finally got Gran's last combo. I realized after watching the demo you need to wait for the last hit of fireball to hit before you can combo them for more height. It is a pretty technical combo for a beginner character.

- On that note, 3 more character and I am done with all recommend combos in Rising. I am calling them recommend combos because they actually do not feel like combo trials at all. I also notice you get no reward for doing them.

- Will probably be starting the Story mode for Rising soon as well, it seems to be a big one so it'll be a over time investment.

- Finally got Akatsuki's 5-8. The delay window for 2C into C is so precise. It really had me

in fits for days now. One more and its that silly one with the Jump 6[C].

- I have completed all of Akat's trials. This 'easy to pick up character' has some serious

complexities. 5-10 made me depressed for so long. I've been low key working on Akat since Week 3. 

- Lets chat about it. First the delay is 100% required after his C, the 236A needs to hit at the

right spot too. For the jump cancel Jump 6[C] I realize the best way to do it is to just hold 9 until he jumped and then inputted the 6[C]. I do not have it down to a science but I am much more consistent. Finally and this was the part that was killing me when I sometimes fluked the Jump 6[C] is the dash into 2C is a microdash, not a full one. Thanks to 'Demo assist' I was able to work only on it and got the timing down.

Friday

- In what feels like a big accomplishment I finally got Chao's 5-14 down. It takes a lot of precise hand movement and some great timing but it is done. We only getting started tho cause we are still only at 7 out of 15 for his expert trials.

- Hooked up MidNite to finish out some Rising combo trials? Rising was in the middle of maintenance. Since I had it out I played some DNF Duel instead. Man, Monk is so much fun.

- Completed RWBY's Story chapter. Unlike the Persona one, Ruby kept losing her partners but I was at least able to use characters I like, like Hazama, Es and Waldstein. I also cracked up when the game paired RWBY's scythe/ rapier combo vs UNI's Scythe/ rapier team.

- The ending was cool but now I need to figure out why Blazblue's chapter does not have 100% like everyone else? Maybe it ties into Chapter 2? Will continue this Story mode in the new week.

- Small, feisty female fighters seem to be an Anime Fighter trend but surprisingly I do not mind Es. I actually like her a lot. She reminds me of Saber from Melty Blood and she even has moves named after the Round Table (Saber being a alternate King Arthur and all).

- I also like how Es can combo into her command throw into another combo and she can combo into her assault (C) which I think is the only character that can do it. Now I think about it, I did not mind using Ruby during her chapter, her voice can get on my nerves tho.

- I think it is the loud pitch  voices they pick for these female character that throw me off. Linne for example is another small female character I do not mind but its because she has a very low voice.

- Chaos' 5-9 is now done. You really need to be aware to use him properly and timing hits with his 22x Azi attacks isn't easy. Slowly but surely.

- Okay, I thought Seth's trials were hard, Yuzuhira's combo ain't any easier. A lot of fast button presses, changing sides mid combo and more insanity. We have hit the specialists characters and they are not joke which is wild because the regular cast ain't easy to use either lol.

Saturday

- I have told my wife many times and it might even be a meme between us that 'x' character combo trials are the hardest in the game and a couple hours or days later I would master them. However I think I have reached the hardest combo trials and thy name is Vatista.

- When I am having trouble with the easy combos I know I have a problem. The reverse charging is throwing my brain off and I actually use charge characters. Leona from KOF is one of my favorite characters and she is a charge character but this. It wrinkles my brain.

- Thankfully she does not have a loud obnoxious voice because combine that with the difficulty of these combos and it would have been too much.

Sunday

- You know what day it is. Break Night.

- So my normal Sunday goes like this. I wake up early for church, do some running around with my family afterwards, have some lunch and then I take a long nap till the evening.

- Evening, we go to my mother's house for dinner, we watch some tv shows with her and by the time we get home from there I am pretty warn out and I do not think about gaming. Add a typically early day at work the next day I normally like to get a good nights sleep as well.

- I do not see any of these changing anytime soon so Sunday break nights will stay a thing.

WHAT'S NEXT

    So this week is my Anniversary week (16 years!!) and more specifically it is Thursday. We will probably not be doing much gaming on that night.

    We will be starting Darkest Dungeon 2 this coming week, finishing out BBTAG's story mode and probably getting a start in Rising's story mode too. Most of my other games have kind of fallen off due to my focus on UNI 2 so we will bring some of them back. I still need to beat Tainted Grail Conquest and I want to play more Remnant From the Ashes too.

    We however won't be slacking on UNI 2 and with the 3 biggest hurdles ahead of me in terms of Vatista, Yuzuhira and Seth which I'll try to conquer them as well. I will also be preparing for the upcoming tournament Cincy Clash on May 5th where I'll be entering my first UNI 2 tournament. Wish me luck! I also can not believe this upcoming week's blog will be the 10th one as well. Quite an achievement.

AV