Author: Tamara

Categories
Rocket League

ThO Departs Guild Esports For The Flying Dutchmen

Guild Esports' thank you graphic to ThO

Thomas “ThO” Binkhorst was one of Guild Esports’ inaugural Rocket League players, having been with the organization since its genesis. He’s been benched for the last couple months, making todays news far from surprising. Guild Esports announced on Twitter that ThO would be departing the team to continue his professional career.

ThO will still be competing in the Rocket League Championship Series (RCLS) as a member of The Flying Dutchmen. The team is complete with all Dutch players, including Jos “ViolentPanda” van Meurs, and Ole “oaly.” ViolentPanda seems to be leading the charge as a renowned Rocket League legend with a track record of getting the most out of the players around him. The trio have played together before at various events and are expected to have a good amount of success next season; possibly taking a Worlds spot from one of the established top six. ViolentPanda announced on Twitter that the team is currently looking for an organization to represent, as well as a sub.

As for Guild Esports, Dan “bluey” Bluett played as a stand-in for the team while ThO sat out his final two months with the organization. It hasn’t been confirmed that he will be ThO’s official replacement, so Guild Esports is technically still on the hunt for a new third. Fans only got to see a small sample of what bluey can do with the team, but the reception so far seems to be that this would be a lateral move at best. During his peak, bluey was a Season 8 RCLS EU MVP, however, he has seen a decline over the past couple seasons. He’s also been criticized as a “toxic” teammate, but time, maturity, and the natural chemistry advantage of an all English roster could be just what he needed to turn things around if he joins the team permanently.

Categories
Rocket League

Signing Chaussette45 Could Turn Semper Esports Into a Championship Roster

SMPR Semper Esports Logo
SMPR Semper Esports Logo

Semper Esports (SMPR) announced the official signing of Chaussette45 in what many call the worst kept secret in Rocket League esports. The France native made his debut for SMPR at Gamers Without Borders 2021 (GWB), helping bring home the trophy and a $200,000 donation for UNICEF. Speculation swarmed when his former teammate, Aztral, seemed to leak the news in a Twitch stream a month ago. The official announcement came as no surprise and was met with a highly favorable response from SMPR fans. Can Chaussette45 really be the piece that pushes SMPR over the hump and leads them to an RCLS Championship?

The team is coming off of a third place finish in the regular season and third-fourth finish in the championship series. Chaussette45 is also coming off a pretty successful season of his own, helping team Oxygen clinch the top 6 and a spot in the RCLS X championships. In his SMPR debut at GWB, Chaussette45 put forth an impressive performance with his new squad. He was definitely their glue on the defensive end throughout the tournament and even put forth a crucial five saves in their game five win against Team Singularity. He was somewhat inconsistent on the offensive end, however that can be chocked up to team chemistry, as well him electing to fill in the gaps needed rather chase goals.

This type of player just might be what SMPR needs right now. Kassio and Archie are a strong two who can provide goals, masterful shot percentages, and have experience playing together. Chausette45 compliments the duo very well, and proved to be an adaptable third on the field. The offense he was able to bring to the table, though inconsistent, came at all the right times when SMPR needed it the most; like when he helped notch a 1 goal win against Payback in game 2. As time goes by, SMPR will only get better together and is already a dangerous team when RCLS Season 11 rolls around.

Categories
FIFA

This FIFA 22 Beta Review Reveals Highly Impactful Changes to Gameplay

FIFA 22 Game Cover
Game cover for FIFA 22

Gaming YouTuber, Vizeh, was able to access the FIFA 22 closed beta and revealed a lot information for FIFA players. Two of the most important aspects he touched on was the noticeable difference in game physics, and a huge change to off-chemistry gameplay. He described the players as feeling “heavy” when controlled, while the ball felt extremely “light.” He also confirms that using players off-chemistry actually impacts the way they perform.

When playing the beta, Vizeh was able to experience controlling high level dribblers, like 98-rated Neymar, as well as lower level ball handlers. There seemed to be no difference in the “heavy” mechanics he experienced across different players. In contrast, the ball seemed to ricochet wildly, travel 30 yards, and bounce up to seven times a half. According to Vizeh, these mechanics make it more challenging to execute passes and hurts the overall game feel. This translates to difficult dribbling and inconsistent physics during gameplay.

He also play-tested using players off-chemistry, and the impact this has on the game in FIFA 22‘s beta is far ahead of where is was in previous editions. Plugging in players anywhere seemed to have little to no consequence in past FIFA‘s. This year, playing a right back or left back at center is not as affective as it once was; quite the opposite actually. Vizeh describes being able to feel the difference in how these players moved with the ball and the lack of comfortability in their new positions. These changes will not only impact gameplay, but could affect the FIFA esports scene as well.

If the mechanics Vizeh described exist in the final version of the game, it could lead to more fast-paced matches with frequent possession switches. It’s likely that the odd and sometimes random off-chemistry lineups players created in past years will start to disappear quickly as the games developers lean into a more realistic style of play. It will be interesting to see the communities reaction to these changes when FIFA 22 releases on October 1st.