Video Gaming Gods: The Masters of the Professional Video Gaming Circuit!
Find out who are the best professional video game players competing in video game tournaments for real prizes. Take some time to read the tips they have to share so that you can play like the gaming pros do!1. Guitar Hero III
The Master:
In March 2008, 16 year old Chris Chike of Rochester Minnesota solidified his spot as one of the best Guitar Hero players in the world when he won the first world record for "Highest Score for a Single Song on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock." He won the title by completing the most difficult song "Through the Fire and Flames," by DragonForce, with 840,647 points and 97% accuracy on the expert level. Chike's title was usurped by another teen later in 2008, but he reclaimed the title in September, when Chike bested his previous score with 899,703 points with 97% accuracy and a 1,084 note streak.
His Skills:
Chris Chike and other top Guitar Hero players have exceptional skill. Although it no doubt took an extraordinary amount of practice, top Guitar Hero's have well above average manual dexterity, finger speed, and hand-eye coordination. In the video below, pay attention to the speed of his fingers as he changes buttons. Alongside natural ability, Chris Chike and other have mastered all of the necessary techniques in order to have the ability to play through even the most difficult sections of songs.
Improving Your Game:
Becoming a real "Guitar Hero" like Chris Chike requires great persistence and practice along with a lot of natural skill. Most can not expect to rival his speed or accuracy, but there are a few things that we can take away from watching him play.
- Use all 4 fingers: Many players neglect to use their pinky during play. Using your pinky proficiently can drastically improve your ability to play quickly.
- Relax, and Concentrate: Great players describe their state of mind during play as "trancelike." Often, the less you think about what you are doing, the better you will do. Let yourself get into the song, feel the rhythm, and let your fingers do the rest. Don't worry about missing a few notes, keep playing, and you will recover more quickly.
- Learn the Slide: Expert level songs require that you play each note very quickly. Chris and other top players have learned to "slide" their fingers from fret to fret in order to cut down on the amount of time it takes to play each note. Watch around 00:26 seconds to see how he slides his fingers during play.
- Whammy Bar Perfection: The whammy bar is used when playing long notes. The faster you move the whammy bar, the more points you get. Chris plays a fast whammy on every long note.
- Star Power Optimization: Chris has played often enough to know when and how to use "Star Power." (Players get star power bonus by completing strings of notes with no errors) When star power is then activated, it doubles the points you get while under "Star Power." By using "Star Power" during the most appropriate times, he can maximize his score.
- Master the Pick: Songs like "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce require you to play notes very quickly. Most players simply strum downwards. By strumming down, and then back up quickly, it is possible to play notes much more quickly.
2. Halo 3
The Masters:
Tom Taylor, or Tsquared as he is known by his famous pseudonym, is widely considered one of the worlds best Halo Players. He is the team leader of Str8 Rippin and has signed a $250,000 contract with Major League Gaming. He reportedly earns between $120,000 and $150,000 per year in tournament winnings and endorsement deals. Tsquared and his team have been a major force in Competitive Halo gaming, winning or placing in nearly every major tournament. Str8 Rippin is sponsored by Dr. Pepper, Panasonic, and HBO
His Skills:
Tsquared acknowledges that becoming a top Halo player is no simple task. It requires a great deal of talent, coupled with even more practice. He often practices more than 12 hours per day before competitions. There are many very good Halo players out there, but the truly good ones take time to really learn the game, the ins and out of game play, maps, weapons, and competitors.
Improving Your Game:
Here are the top tips from Tsquared himself for fragging like a pro on Halo 3.
- Lead your head shots - position your aim just in front of the direction your opponent is moving for the perfect head shot every time
- Grenades will make or break you. Using your grenade at close range is an excellent trick, simply throw it at your feet when being chased by an opponent, they wont know what hit them.
- Time your power ups. By figuring out the length of time it takes for new weapons and power ups to reappear on the map, you gain a distinct advantage.
- Learn the maps. Without knowing the maps intimately, you will not be able to compete with those that do.
- Use the combo BYYB for a faster melee. Basically it is a Melee attack, quick weapon change (which cancels the melee animation, and then quick Melee attack again.) This will score maximum damage in a minimum amount of time.
3. Rock Band
The Masters:
In November of 2007, MTV's Total Request Live held the finals of their Rock Band Tournament. The two finalists, the bands "Hellanor Brozevelt" and "Carrie Me Home," were the winners of the Rock Band US Tour. Lead guitarist of "Hellanor Brozevelt" was Freddie Wong, the 2007 champion of the World Series of Video Games for Guitar Hero 2.
Their Skills:
Just like with real bands, success as a Rock Band band comes from a combination of teamwork, skillful use of instruments, showmanship, and style. A Rock Band is only as good as its weakest link, so it is very important to make sure that the members of your band have solid instrumental skills and can hold their own with most songs. Both Hellanor Brozevelt and Carrie me home excelled at the technical aspects of the game, but Hellanor Brozevelt had superior stage presence, charisma, and style. Additionally, Because Rock Band is a team game, coordination between players is essential, and the truly great bands work together and enhance one another's playing.
Improving Your Game:
Arguably, the most difficult instrument to master in Rock Band is the drums. Those who have experience playing real drums will have a much easier time advancing as a Rock Band drummer. If you're a Rock Band Drummer beginner, the most important thing to remember is to stay loose. Hold the drum sticks with a light grip, and try not to get tense. Second to Drums, vocals can also be quite difficult. When singing, try to remember that being on key is much more important than getting the words right (in fact, you don't even need to get the words correct), if you get completely lost with the words, just hum the melody, you will probably make it through just fine.
Tutorial Media: http://www.gamesradar.com/4. Gears of War
The Masters:
Team Infinity is widely known as one of the most dominant teams in the history of Gears of War tournament play. They are part of Major League Gaming's Pro Circuit, and have become synonymous with success at the Pro Level. They were the 2007 national champions, and took first place at the 2008 MLG Gears of War Opener. The team consists of the players "aMaza," "Genetix," "GoD603," and "Sneakyy"
Their Skills:
Team Infinity dominates on several fronts. First, they are all experts at playing solo. Their prowess on an individual level is great across the board, but each of the players also has a specialty, allowing them to be dominant in all realms of game play. What really sets them apart is their great ability to work as a team. This communication between players is the single most important key for team Infinity. Letting your teammates know about possible dangers, or opportunities make for a very dominant team. Great communication leads to victories.
Improving Your Game:
If you're eager to improve your Gears of War multiplayer skills, here are some takeaways from Team Infinity's masterful playing:
- Master the Active Reload: If you time your reload perfectly, it will take less than a second and your rounds will momentarily have an 8% increase in damage. Mastering this will put you way ahead.
- Master the Starter Weapons: Anyone can be good with the most powerful weapons. Real skill comes when you can kill with ease using starter weapons.
- MOVE!: While there are times where staying in one place can be beneficial, keeping yourself mobile will usually be a lot safer, it reduces your chances of getting flanked, especially when playing online.
- Lead Your Enemies: As is the case with many multiplayers, shooting in front of target, or leading them, especially at longer distances, will usually make for a more accurate shot.
- Teamwork and Planning: Teamwork is essential. Through good communication and a solid plan, you should be able to get the leg up on your opponent by managing each players duties. Know each of your teammates skills and use them to your advantage.
5. Madden Football
The Masters:
A Canadian teenager named Jamal George (age 16), was the winner of the Madden NFL International Championship. The Championship, considered a companion challenge to a US held competition, was especially vindictive for Jamal thanks to his post-championship win to US Champion, Jarvis Thompson. Jamal was challenged by Thompson following his International victory, and subsequently slaughtered Thompson in a 49-7 Victory. To take home the International Crown, Jamal George defeated the German Champion 20-14 in overtime. Jamal's team of choice: The Philadelphia Eagles.
Their Skills:
According to George, the secret to being good at Madden is to have the kind of mind set and dedication a real football player might have. Lots and lots of practice is the key to mastery, and a very good overall understanding of the game itself. The complexities of football are numerous and good decision making on the field requires the user to know what their options are at all times. In addition to knowing the game, knowing the teams is also an essential component to playing well at Madden, says George. The sophistication of Madden games goes so far as to offer certain types offense/defense advantages to different teams based upon their composition of players. As a result, it is important to sometimes choose which team you're playing as, based upon the team your opposition chooses. A last tip given by Jamal George when playing Madden is to keep game scenarios as real to life as possible. By keeping the parameters the same, you can integrate all your real life football knowledge into game play, as the game designers expected.
Improving Your Game:
Jamal George suggests a few essential tips for improving your game. The first is to concentrate on defense. George has made many comebacks and close wins by concentrating on defense during game play, and not making the mistake (as many Madden players do), to rely on all those Hail Mary's to pull you through in the last seconds. Thorough understanding of the game is also his best asset, so having a mind for the details and strategy involved in real-life football can find you the winning edge. Above all, pro players like Jamal George emphasize that practice makes perfect, and that like any video game, there are built in advantages that you come to realize only through long hours of game play.
Interestingly enough, many hardcore Madden players watch recorded Madden games the same way they watch regular football. Entire games can be watched online on sites like Youtube. Here is an example of a recorded game from the Madden 07 AFC Championship Game.
6. Super Smash Bros Brawl
The Masters:
In conjunction with the release of Super Smash Bros Brawl in the United States, Gamestop launched the largest Super Smash Bros tournament to date with more than 80,000 participants competing in stores around the country. The overall winner was 18 year old Lee Martin of Houma, Louisiana, taking home a grand prize of $5,000 and recognition as the best Super Smash Bros Brawl player in the United States.
Their Skills:
According to Lee, he's been playing since he was 10, giving him 8 years of playing experience. While this certainly makes a difference, it's not the only contributing factor to his success. Lee also prides himself on his depth of knowledge of the game. He is proficient with many of the characters, and intimately knows each players strengths and weaknesses. After winning the tournament Lee also noted that "It's not how good you train, it's how good the people you train with are." Playing with people at your level or better is a sure-fire way to improve your play.
Improving Your Game:
Here are the top 10 tips for playing and winning taken from Lee's style of play.
- Become an expert on the character you play. Learn all of the characters moves, strengths, and weaknesses.
- Learn your opponent's exploits. Each character has a certain number of weaknesses that can be exploited to your gain. The more of these you are familiar with, the further you can expect to get in tournaments.
- If your character has a counter move, learn how to use it. Some characters (Such as Marth or Lucario) can counter attacks from other players, if used correctly, they will always work.
- Don't always rely on items for a victory: Racing to grab a pokeball before everyone else is fine if you get it, but if you don't, you can be caught in the path of a legendary pokemon that will kill you quickly.
- Smash Balls can be your friend, or enemy. Just like getting an item, getting a smash ball usually means you will own the match for a while, but getting it is risky. Jumping around to get a smash ball, only to miss it, will again land you in the path of destruction by whoever did get it.
- Learn how to play without items: While items usually secure a good victory, using them relies not your skill, but throwing an object to win. Sometimes there will not be items (tournaments usually turn most items off to make it fair). Turn off items sometimes and see how you do without that golden hammer.
- Take a five minute break to cool off. Sometimes playing can get intense and you wind up losing and not wanting to play anymore. Playing while angry is not better. You attack mindlessly. Get up, get a drink or a snack and come back in a few minutes. You should be calmed down and ready for round two.
- Let the arena do the work: Depending on where you are playing, there are high chances you will be killed at least once due to something in the arena. A spike pit, the screen moving, etc. Sit back, and focus on avoiding these things and you may wind up with a lot less deaths than everyone else.
- Play against real people: A level nine computer can be hard, but after a while, predictable. Play against your friends as often as you can, because they tend to play without a pattern.
- Learn to use recovery moves: Your recovery move is sometimes the only thing that can save you when you are knocked off the edge. They're unique per character; R.O.B. with his limited fuel, Pit and Meta Knight with gliding, etc. Learn to use them correctly, if you don't, they may wind up doing more harm than good.
