‘My Favourite Games’ is a regular MossRanking feature which gives us a chance to get to know our fellow Spelunkers a little better. In each edition, we put the spotlight on one member of the community, as they pick three of their most treasured video games ever and give their reasons why. Featured members are allowed to pick whatever games they want... except for Spelunky. In the third entry, we go to MikeIsMyIke, a fast-rising player on the MossRanking leaderboard and the current world record holder for the All Characters category. Mike gives his three games below, and you may notice that they all follow a very similar theme. "I enjoy competition," he says. "It gives me that extra little drive to play on top of whatever enjoyment I already get from the game." Divekick (PC, 2013) The first video game Mike got into competitively was Divekick, a unique take on the 1v1 fighting genre. With a roster of 15 fighters, players use only two buttons as they brawl in a series of one-hit-KO rounds. One button jumps, the other kicks. To jump backwards, kick while on the ground. To activate a special, hit both buttons at the same time. Lastly, each character has a Kick Factor meter, which when full and activated, provides the fighter with buffs or additional specials. That’s pretty much it, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity. “It’s super straightforward and easy to understand, but there’s also a lot of competitive depth to the game,” he explains to MossRanking. “You’ll have to learn fighting game fundamentals like footsies, baiting, hard reads, and matchups if you want to reach the next level.” Mike became one of the best Kung Pao players. As he describes, Kung Pao’s low dive height coupled with a fast and horizontal kick “leads to a more defensive and reactionary playstyle”. Mike has participated in fairly local LAN tournaments and even managed to win back-to-back titles. Here he is in action as Kung Pao: Divekick’s online matchmaking is unfortunately now “quite dead”, but the competitive scene lives on through weekly tournaments every Friday night -- which Mike actually started (although it is run by somebody else nowadays). Mike is always open to any challengers, so if you’re curious about the game and want somebody to play with, give him a shout. Rocket League (PC, 2015) Psyonix’s football (the soccer variant) game has gained a reputation for being one of the finest multiplayer experiences out there today. Mike can attest to that. He has put more than 1,500 hours into the game, and yet he is still not done. Far from it. “It’s just really satisfying to play,” Mike says. “Even when you lose, you see that you could have done this, this, and this better, so you play again next time and fix some of those mistakes. Playing with your friends and getting better together is definitely part of what brings me back.” Mike’s love of Rocket League goes beyond multiplayer matches, though. He follows the competitive scene very closely. “I’m nowhere near skilled enough to compete at the top levels,” he says, “but there are plenty of weekly tournaments open to anyone to compete in. The game is developing a huge eSports scene, and it really feels like the most sports-like video game I’ve played.” Although Mike admits that in a dream scenario, he would improve enough to be able to play at the very top, he says he’s content with his current skill level. "At 27, I’m definitely past the prime age for high-level eSports play," he shares. "That really isn't going to happen without a huge time commitment. I’m fine with just playing to see how far I can actually climb.” (Bonus: You can check out one of his more satisfying saves right here.) Pokémon Trading Card Game (1996) Mike’s final pick isn’t technically a video game -- although it was turned into one for the Game Boy Color (1998 in Japan, 2000 in North America and Europe). The Pokémon Trading Card Game has been a massive part of Mike’s life since he was just 9 years old. “I played the TCG competitively from 2004 to 2016, qualified for the World Championship twice, and have a second-placed finish at the Canadian Nationals,” Mike reveals. “It also led me to my first job at a hobby store when I was 13 years old, and that turned me into an avid boardgamer.” Many of us who grew up during the height of the Pokémon craze (the first generation of titles on the Game Boy sold a combined 47 million worldwide) will have collected and traded Pokémon cards with their friends -- for the purpose of either maintaining a small collection or building decks for casual battles -- but Mike went considerably beyond that. When MossRanking asked him how many cards he owns, Mike confessed to having no idea. He lost count years and years ago. “Oh god, I’d have a better chance of guessing how many jellybeans are in a jar,” he says. “Probably somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000? I’ve spent way too much money, easily in the thousands.” And that wasn’t the only thing that took his money. “If you include money spent on travel to tournaments across North America, that’s easily a few thousand dollars more,” Mike comments. “Thankfully, I never became a ‘collector’, only getting enough cards for the decks I wanted to play -- so I don’t have anything particularly rare or significantly valuable in my collection.” Does he have a most prized card? “One of the cards that sticks out to me is this one. I won some smaller tournaments with it, but mostly it just looks so damn good.” -- Do you want to be featured? To be part of ‘My Favourite Games’, send a message to hbix (#3495) on the Spelunky Discord, listing your three picks along with a quick comment justifying their inclusions. You will hear back from me with follow-up questions. Previous 'My Favourite Games' entries: Twiggle (#2), Kinnijup (#1)