Gaming
Battle Psychology – Competitive Pokemon Guide
In terms of tactics Pokémon battles are like far less impressive and gruelling versions of real life combat sports. They require power, defence, being well rounded in all aspects of the game and most importantly, fight psychology.
You need a strategy. Whether your strategy is to use entry hazards to wear down opponents and make them more difficult to battle, to lure and take out your opponents main threats and leave them with the easy to take Pokémon or even just to annoy the shit out of them until they rage quit (hey, if they forfeit, it’s legit).
However you need to be able to play mind games with your opponent and this is the part that is actually very difficult to flat out teach, as what comes more instinctively to some players won’t for others.
First, you need to be able to recognise the fact that your opponent knows that some of your Pokémon are going to be a threat to his, and he will switch out to gain an advantage. This is why it’s important to not only have great type coverage, but also to be unpredictable in your attack.
For example say your opponent has a Forretress currently on the field and its facing your Ninetales (with drought). No good player is going to keep Forretress before its done it’s job, especially when it has weaker special defence and is 4x weak to fire attacks. So you can predict that they will probably switch out to their Golem in their party who will be able to take the fire attack without any problem and then KO with earthquake or force you to switch out.
You take the change, they switch and then BAM. You’ve KO’d your opponents Golem with Solarbeam which they didn’t even know was coming. It’s true that you could have hit Forretress and done practically no damage to it, but because you predicted correctly you managed to KO one of your opponents Pokémon for free, without taking any additional damage.
That is the kind of battle psychology that is good to have; the ability to predict your opponent and be unpredictable. Not everyone is going to be a big risk taker but once you’ve had enough battles you will tend to find that most people share quite a few habits. It is important to always think before you make your next move: I’ve lost a fair few battles just because I made a bad call, or I didn’t switch into the Pokémon that would make the most effective counter.
You should always look to take away your opponents options, it’s completely fine to leave a Pokémon on the field if it looks vulnerable if either it has the ability to damage the opponent more than what they’d expect, or you have another Pokémon waiting.
I personally recommend the use of annoyers to frustrate and put pressure on your opponent to cause them to make mistakes which you can capitalise on. Constant attacking with status moves or forcing your opponents into entry hazards will make a battle far easier for you.
That and the presence of a powerful Pokémon will often cause intimidation, especially if your opponent is already losing a battle,. I’ve been in quite a few battles in which opponents probably would have been able to beat me, but the mere presence of a Pokémon like Latios causes them to over switch to avoid taking too much damage and weaken their whole team as a result. No player wants to admit it, but I don’t think there is a single hardcore player that hasn’t thought “oh shit” when a powerhouse like Garchomp has been let onto the field, especially if they’re not prepared.
Make sure you set up your sweeps with your other Pokémon, if you have a clear shot to sweep then take it, but make sure you don’t lose your most valuable Pokémon early in the game.
A lot of experienced battlers reading this will probably not find this to be anything 2new, but if you’re a new battler then it’s really crucial to think about these things, as competitive Pokémon battling is no longer about raw power. It’s has become a tacticians game.
Remember your Pokémon’s roles and constantly plan ahead on how to make the most use of them, if you stick to your game plan you’ll most likely find you will win battles more. But just remember, you can’t win them all and sometimes you will just get out fought and out battled by an opponent.
I’ve done a lot of talking about battle roles and strategies, but let’s see what sort of team I can put together. I have two teams in the waiting ready to show you and I will break down what makes them effective. See you next time.
Gaming
CEO of Helldivers 2 commends the remarkable determination displayed by the community during the intense Sony showdown
The experience for Helldivers 2 players has been quite turbulent lately, and we’re referring to a community that is accustomed to leaping from great heights into the most intense and terrifying battlegrounds imaginable. In the midst of a highly debated PSN account requirement for PC players and facing intense backlash, Sony has made a surprising reversal, yielding to the overwhelming force of public opinion. The CEO of Arrowhead, Johan Pilestedt, has displayed an intriguing attitude throughout this challenging period. He has shown remarkable composure, actively engaging with community managers and experiencing the difficulties they face firsthand.
Pilestedt expressed his admiration for the community’s determination and praised their ability to work together on Twitter, following Sony’s reversal. He sarcastically expressed gratitude towards Sony for their “prompt and efficient choice to make PSN linking optional.”
In the future, Pilestedt expressed his vision of working closely with PlayStation and the players to establish a groundbreaking benchmark for the concept of a live game. The aim is to foster a strong partnership between developers and the community, ultimately resulting in an unparalleled gaming experience.
Firstly, I am impressed by the willpower of the @helldivers2 community and your ability to collaborate. Secondly I want to thank our partners and friends at @PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the decision to leave PSN linking optional. We together want to set a new… https://t.co/2rayksgH1v
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 6, 2024
What are your thoughts on the commotion surrounding Helldivers 2? What are your thoughts on Sony’s involvement, Pilestedt’s attitude, and the community’s reaction? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Stellar Blade is an exceptional game that demands your attention. However, it truly reached new heights after the review embargo was lifted, thanks to the introduction of New Game +. In our review of Stellar Blade for the PS5, we found that one minor drawback was the inability to replay the game. Unfortunately, during the pre-launch period, this author had to start over from the beginning.
Thankfully, none of you will have encountered that problem since the title was updated just hours before its release to include the highly anticipated New Game + feature. This new game+ mode is truly exceptional. As expected, all of your abilities and unlocks carry forward, but the Korean developer has gone above and beyond by expanding Eve’s skill tree with new abilities.
The addition of these new abilities doesn’t exactly revolutionize the game, but it does introduce some fresh tools to your arsenal, ensuring that the gameplay remains engaging. Combine this with some clever enemy placement variations, and you’re practically guaranteed an enjoyable replay. In addition, all of the Exospines and Gear that you unlock in New Game + receive upgrades, enabling you to craft even more powerful builds for Eve.
Additionally, the number of outfits has been doubled. The skins in the game offer a variety of designs, with some featuring unique custom details. Unlocking all of them again adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience. In our comprehensive guide, we have meticulously cataloged all the different outfits and their corresponding unlock methods. So, even if you haven’t quite reached the highly anticipated New Game + stage, you can still get a sneak peek at what lies ahead by following the link provided.
Our only critique of the mode is that the difficulty scaling could be improved. You may find yourself becoming seriously overpowered, even in hard mode. Feeling an immense sense of power is undeniably satisfying. However, it would be even more captivating if Shift Up were to delve deeper into these concepts and introduce additional difficulty levels for New Game +, thereby enhancing the game’s replayability.
It would be great if the developer could consider adding additional modes to enhance replayability. A speed run option could add an exciting element to the game. Rarely does a campaign exhibit the level of tightness and replayability found in Stellar Blade. Shift Up has truly crafted something exceptional, leaving us eager for additional content to be added as the release continues to evolve.
Have you begun your new game + playthrough of Stellar Blade yet? What are your impressions of the mode, and are there any other post-release additions you would like to see implemented? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Helldivers 2 proved to be a surprising success, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. As per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently ranks as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date, trailing behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima. It’s only been on the market for less than three months and is not even being sold at full price.
According to Piscatella, a significant factor contributing to the game’s success is its release on PC. He mentioned that, based on Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the game has consistently ranked first in terms of active users on Steam in the US since its launch, including April. The release of Helldivers 2 on both PlayStation and PC has been an extraordinary triumph.
He stated that Helldivers 2 has already become the seventh highest-grossing Sony-published game in history. Without a PC, it would not currently be considered one of the top 20 games. While I’m emphasizing the success of the PC SKU, it’s important to note that I’m not disregarding the success of the PlayStation SKU. I just wanted to clarify that. This launch has proven to be incredibly successful.
Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Sony made it clear that they would be launching their live service-style titles simultaneously on both the PS5 and PC. The success of this approach will undoubtedly strengthen their strategic vision. It will be intriguing to witness if the company reveals official sales figures in the near future, as the title appears to be one of the platform holder’s most successful sellers to date.
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