Month: March 2017

Posted on

Elder Scrolls Online – Just Joking Around During the Jester’s Festival

Tamriel’s citizens will have an opportunity to stand up and take part in the Jester’s Festival in Elder Scrolls Online. The event will kick off for wise-crackers on March 23rd and runs through April 4th. Special pavilions have been set up in Ebonheart, Vulkhel Guard and Daggerfall where jesters posing as faction leaders will assign one zany task to complete each day.

Posted on

Bushido Blade, the no-life-bar PSOne fighter, is celebrating its 20th anniversary

As fighting games have been well-established by the late ’90s, one video game from Japan broke the slowly solidifying conventions. Bushido Blade never established a competitive scene or a long series–but it’s still well-known for its quick, decisive duels to the death.

The most obviously missing feature from the game is the lack of a life bar. The six fighters in the game aren’t content to take blows until a depleted bar KOs them. A single swing can hurt their hand or leg, or outright kill if aimed correctly. With correct spacing and usage of three stances, Bushido Blade was far from a button-masher. Its picturesque stages contrasted with a usage of a few dirty tricks–like throwing sand at the opponent.

Simon Parkin wrote a short feature about Bushido Blade for Eurogamer.net. The writer describes what the experience of playing the PSOne classic is like, and how its mechanics made it such a memorable title.

One of the highest-viewed YouTube videos about Bushido Blade comes from Skallagrim, a real-life weapon enthusiast who took a critical look at how realistic the PSOne fighter is. It’s a thorough rundown, and a great video for a little reminiscing.

In other, non-FGC-related “20th anniversary” news: Konami’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is also celebrating its second decade. Are PSOne games retro yet?

Sources: Eurogamer.net; Skallagrim