Fencing Video Games

[Superscribe]

YEARS ago, there was a LP fencing game, i think.

I just saw a video of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xM8aqqwVAw

From a turn based perspective, it might be interesting for beginners to play around with tactics and stress the importance of distance.

[Craig]

We're having fun playing the wii swordfighting game in wii sports resort.

One of my sons just flails about, which gets him through some of the beginner levels until they "learn" to block.

My older son has figured out to wait for one of the opponents to prepare to strike, and then hit them before they can. He also moves his sword around as feints to 'trick' them.

I end up not being as patient and figuring the open line to attack to and doing a lot of counter-ripostes.

Craig

[Mihail]

For those that don't reject the idea of fencing strategy boiling down to RPS, the Soul series of fighting games, of which Soulcalibur II is my favorite, can be pretty representative. Visually, it has nothing to do with fencing, but tactically it can be very similar.

Distance plays a huge part in the game (as in most fighting games). You have to stay in some opponents' faces while with others you should stay away. Additionally, RPS is employed as such: vertical attack beats horizontal attack (think attack in prep), side step beats vertical attack (distance beats short attack), and horizontal attack beats side step (compound attack beats distance).

Add to that blocking and guard impacts, and you create quite a range of possibilities.

Fighting game learning curves are pretty steep, and this one is no exception. Fencing is much the same way, though. When a kid comes in for the first time, there are so many new and unintuitive habits he has to learn and make his own before he can participate in any meaningful phrase of actions.

I almost got good at this game one summer and then stopped played and resumed sucking.