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 My Favourite Games #15: JakeYoshimitsu

Posted by hb on December 4th, 2017 @06:56PM

‘My Favourite Games’ is a regular MossRanking feature which gives us a chance to get to know our fellow Spelunkers a little better. In each edition, we put the spotlight on one member of the community, as they pick three of their most treasured video games ever and give their reasons why. Featured members are allowed to pick whatever games they want... except for Spelunky.

 

The 15th entry goes to JakeYoshimitsu, a long-time member of the Spelunky community with a range of impressive runs including a 2:15 Any%. Here are his three games...

 

 

Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube, 2001)

Given that he plays competitively, it is no surprise that Jake lists this popular Nintendo brawler among his top picks. “Smash is like any other eSport but smaller -- there is a real community feeling,” Jake shares. “I have met several friends through Smash, and watching the pros is like a drama. I also play Melee with other Spelunky community members including Fusuy321 and Curticus.”

 

Jake, who describes Melee as his favourite game of all time, primarily plays as Peach. He says the fact that she isn’t often used as a main by the wider community can give him a slight and enjoyable edge. “It is fun to play with people who do not know how to fight against my character,” he says. “I also have a pretty mix-up heavy style. I will be defensive and put out walls for a long time, then go in mercilessly at the drop of a hat.”

 

The way that Melee took off competitively must have surprised Nintendo. What usually draws new players in at first is the concept of pitting beloved Nintendo characters against each other in an arena. But mechanically, Melee delivers. There are layers upon layers to the gameplay that makes the title a good fit for competitive play.

 

“The game is extremely complicated,” Jake says. “There are always new techniques to learn and new ways to adapt your playstyle to beat unique opponents. The concept of having so much technical skill that you can rely on it to play jazz while competing against another person is appealing. There is constant improvisation. The mechanics and engine feel really good, and it lets you move around quickly with precision.”

 

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories (Game Boy Color, 2002)

Jake’s nostalgic pick is Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories. A fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series when he was younger, Jake soon found himself immersed in the card battle game to the point where he dabbled in playing competitively. “I started off watching the anime and eventually I played competitively in local tournaments,” he says. “I was never amazing at the game, but I would always have a unique deck type and run a unique deck list within that deck type.”

 

In particular, Jake loved the novelty of facing off against the various anime characters in the game: “The reason why I love Dark Duel Stories is because you get to play your deck against the anime characters. I loved the anime growing up. I watched nearly all of the TwitchPresents Yu-Gi-Oh! marathons. I just liked taking my deck and my cards and playing against the strategies I saw on TV. It made the game nostalgic and epic at the same time.”

 

Dark Duel Stories had a neat feature that allowed you to bring your real, physical cards into the game, a system which “was always fun and made it feel more interactive”. Not only that, but Dark Duel Stories included a Type mechanic which expanded the game’s depth in cool ways.

 

“Every card has a type, with a weakness and a strength,” Jake explains. “For example, any Aqua type monster will immediately defeat any Pyro type monster regardless of attack strength. A 300 attack point Aqua monster will destroy a 2000 attack point Pyro monster without affecting either player's life points. This mechanic brought unexpected turnarounds to every duel. At some points, this can become annoying when clear wins are taken away, but most of the time it was fun to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat.”

 

 

Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64, 2000)

For Jake, Mario Tennis is responsible for countless hours of fun with his best friends. “This is the only game that I play with them,” he says. “Nobody in my friend group enjoys video games nearly as much as I do, but this game is one that we always play.”

 

One of the most appealing aspects of this sports title is its simplicity. As Jake explains: “There are no items, no special power-ups, no mega-special slam attacks. It is pure tennis with serving and volleying. This game might as well not be Mario Tennis, since there are no Mushroom Kingdom flourishes outside of the characters. The pureness of this game is what makes it so fun. People can play competitively without feeling that they lost because of a dumb mechanic.”

 

The simplicity of Mario Tennis makes mind games a major part of matches. Jake calls this “mentally exhausting” -- in a good way. “The stress of retrieving a ball on the other end of the court is exhilarating,” he says. “If I had not randomly bought Mario Tennis at a yard sale in high school, I would not have my current friend group.”

 

Previous 'My Favourite Games' entries

 

Season 2:

Stuoid (#14)

GreatStriker (#13)

ix (#12)

TNF (#11)

 

Season 1:

saturnin55 (#10)

SAIBOT (#9)

MrEikono (#8)

Kazzy (#7)

Konato_K (#6)

ShinGraywords (#5)

Meowmixmix (#4)

MikeIsMyIke (#3)

Twiggle (#2)

Kinnijup (#1)