A is for Arly

Those crazy plush Pac-Man heads worn by employees of Namco at E3 have been available on the net for people savvy enough to find them, but it’s not common knowledge that Namco has a store dedicated to this stuff. I’ve got a whole set of Ghost plushies (among other things) myself.

This Vic Viper figure has also been available for a while, but it’s cool enough that it deserves some coverage. Featured in the Skygirls anime, there’s also a Red (P2) and Green version of the model that goes on sale in February.

Note: I’ll be keeping an eye out for the newest batch of Mario bop-activated sound plushies. When they do come out for preorder, it’ll be an emergency post and not part of the normal Toy Tuesday update. Also, as a disclosure notice, the links to the Vic Viper models are Affiliate links, meaning I receive commission from them (something like $3.80 for each one sold), but I receive nothing for the Pac-Man heads. Standard practice will involve an (Affiliate) tag next to any links for products at the bottom.

Links: Pac-Man Head, Vic Viper Model (Affiliate Link)

Popularity: 36% [?]

This is a video from a recent Melty Blood: Act Cadenza ver.B tournament at Family Fun Arcade in Granada Hills, CA.

Matchup:

For the record, this match is heavily against Nero’s favor. Red Arc’s full-screen punishing abilities, zero-startup aerial fireballs and high attack priority are all capable of shutting down Nero’s ranged attacks, summon setups and corner traps. Fortunately, Red Arc isn’t capable of dealing massive amounts of damage at a time like other top-tier characters, but her upgraded air fireballs between ver.A and ver.B gave her a pressure game so effective that few characters have an adequate method of stopping it. Also, Nero is a low-damage character, averaging between 2300-2800 damage per combo, but has the highest defense in the game. More often than not, he’ll have to rely on a strategy of attrition, especially against more agile characters who can do 4500+ damage per opening.

Melty Mechanics

One feature unique to Melty Blood is the Damage Reduction system. Players must press a button right before an attack hits them to reduce the damage inflicted. Good players can soak up to 10-12% of a combo’s damage through successful reductions.

Melty Blood also has something akin to a Parry from SF3:3rd Strike, which is the Ex-Shield. However, unlike Parries, an Ex-Shield carries a 60% damage reduction for the subsequent combo. For someone who relies on Ex-Shields to compensate for difficult matchups, this can be a pretty severe handicap. Here’s to hoping that the system is adjusted for the next game in the series, Actress Again.

Popularity: 59% [?]

Hey everyone, and welcome to my blog. I’m Arlieth Tralare, a gaming journalist for Hardcore Gamer Magazine with a colorful background in fighting games. Sometimes, I may actually sound like I know what I’m talking about. Do not be fooled. :V

Here’s the planned update schedule for Arlieth.com:

Sunday: Fighting Game Videos
Tuesday: Toy Tuesday
Wednesday: Miscellaneous Game Videos
Friday: Feature Article

Occasionally under Feature Articles, I will review a game-related product. This will usually be in the realm of high-performance gaming. If you’d like to contact me about a product review, contact me at arlieth@arlieth.com.

Popularity: 33% [?]