The Power Up talks to top fighting game talents MenaRD and Aphromoo

Our host Narz is bringing you a breakdown of everything happening in the world of gaming, introducing you to rising stars in the industry and special guests every episode in this collab with Complex Networks.

Narz has taken the battle between next-gen video game consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X, into her own hands.

While playing Assassin’s Creed on the PS5, Narz described the experience on the latest episode as one with “stunning graphics and wicked gameplay.”

But that experience isn’t necessarily the same across the board: it all comes down to what titles you want to play.

“If you want God of War: Ragnarok or if you want Halo: Infinite … Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either one of them,” Narz explained. “2021 is going to be a great year, especially with these bad boys.”

Narz also spoke to MenaRD, who exploded on the esports scene after winning the 2017 Capcom Cup for Street Fighter. He recently qualified for the 2021 Capcom Cup too.

“I was able to make a career out of gaming,” MenaRD, who hails from the Dominican Republic, said, speaking on how his life changed after winning in 2017. “Without this win, it was going to be very hard to make this a reality, especially since I don’t live in the United States.”

MenaRD’s $250,000 win translated to essentially a whole new lifestyle for the gamer.

“Being able to travel the world, see many cultures, make many friends around the world and focus on what I like to do, it’s a different experience [than] what it was,” he said.

Pro League of Legends champ Aphromoo said something similar when he spoke to Narz later in the episode.

“You know, growing up, there were not a lot of people, like, in high school who played the games I did,” Aphromoo explained. “I just felt alone, in that regard. But Twitch is a place where people go to game and people can watch … Some of my friends online are my best friends.”

In terms of what next-gen video game console Aphromoo is looking forward to using, he had just one thing to say: “I’ve never played with an Xbox in my life.”

If you liked this story, check out this article about the video games Reddit users are saying have made them “rage the hardest.”

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