So years and years ago, I had never played KI. Never touched it, never heard of it, never nothing. I was more of a Soul Calibur buff and the meta of the N64 days were beyond me by the time I actually looked to stores to find games (somewhat sheltered and wasn’t allowed violent games). I had gone on ignorant for the longest time about this games existence until one day. But it wasn’t through normal means, just one thing. Killer Instinct 2’s Boss Theme; Gargos.
As well as being ignorant to games I was also unsure of how to find music traditionally. So I had never heard very many metal songs back in the day. I got entranced by how badass it was. And because of that for years I was entranced on Gargos himself. He seemed like the penultimate ■■■■■■■ of a final boss there is. Healing capabilities, bonus damage, a Colosseum stage and the what not. I didn’t even know hardly any other KI character at the time. I was never really sold about the “God” bit though, since his design seemed to lack any godlike features, which i’m sure alot of people can agree on.
Fast travel to E3 when KI just got announced, I was intrigued and surprised. Sadly at the time I didn’t have an Xbox One nor the desire to pay per character as was advertised, with only a roster of 3 at the time. I let the idea collect dust as I went on about my days playing other games. Soul Cal 5 came out and it was a massive disaster. Tekken 6 I was only slightly good at. Don’t even get me started about my gripes with Street Fighter.. But then something happened and in the back of my mind a flip switched. Hearing the name again after such a long time of nearly forgetting all about Killer Instinct. “Bow before the Herald of Gargos”
I ■■■■ myself. I had no idea who this was or who he would be but knowing he was Gargos’ Herald was an instant hook. A few months ago my cousin got an Xbox One and we never really used it for much. But I knew what I would be spending money on. As soon as Omen ended up coming out to KI, it was an instant sell. The entire current roster bought solely to live out a fantasy of being close to hearing Gargos’ theme again after so long. Of course sadly Omen’s theme was a redux of Jago’s theme, but there was one bit of Gargos’ theme that made me go crazy for a little while. He was all I ever played. Of course I was never good, not for a long time atleast. I had no understanding of the mechanics whatsoever and got incredulously angry constantly at the game. Wishing Omens damage at the time was scaled and if I wasn’t doing things properly. After nearly a year I sort of got the game down. There was still alot I wasn’t utilizing but I was good enough for maybe Silver tier.
Season 3 gets announced and my hope for Gargos making an appearance are somewhat dashed. If he was going to come out it wouldn’t be for awhile. I had taken a break for awhile until the mention of Arbiter came up, one of my favorite video game characters period. So even if Gargos never makes it, atleast I had someone else to go to. Then of course the Season 3 trailer hits, and there he is in all his smug glory. The Shadow Lord himself, crossing his arms like he was waiting for something. I proverbially ■■■■ myself unable to know how to react. All I knew was the idea of waiting for him to come out strained on my psychie. I wanted him bad and I wanted him now. And after getting Omen and Arbiter to 50, he came to the game after 3 years of being kept away.
I disregarded every other character. Tried to learn all his ins and outs. Began being a teleport punch spammer, then a minion spammer. Then after MANY games of trial and error, I finally learnt how to play him properly. Crossups, counters, command grabs and all. All with that smug look on his face, that smug walk he has, and that smug laugh of his. He is by far my alltime favorite in this game no matter how many seasons there are. Even if he’s referred to as a scumbag character.
Shadow Lords in itself is, in a way, sort of a spirit walk to find out more about him. Understand what being a Shadow Lord is, why it’s important, why he’s doing what he’s doing, and understanding what his main goal is. I’m not sure if i’ll be able to play as Gargos himself in the mode, which would be unfortunate, but I know the chance to learn more about him would be godsend.
Oh, if only I could be the one beginning the invasion.. Maybe next time.
