Month: January 2016

The upcoming arrival of Street Fighter V heralds a brand new era in the fighting game community. A new game means new champions, and one of the strongest early contenders is Pandora House’s Long “LPN” Nguyen.

Although the game has yet to officially launch, Nguyen sits among a very select group of players who can say they’ve won a Street Fighter V tournament. Mad Catz V Cup saw the Northern California competitor clean house, first with a win in an eight-player invitational and then later on in the open bracket. Of course, winning is a surefire way to garner both good and bad attention, and he was quickly targeted for his performance.

To learn more, we caught up with Nguyen to talk about his early success in Street Fighter V, his recent comments comparing the game to Street Figher x Tekken, transitioning from Street Fighter IV, and more.

First off, give me a some background on how you got into competitive fighting games.

LPN: I got into competitive fighting games at the beginning of the Street Fighter IV era, when it was first released in arcades a couple years back. Living in the South Bay during that time really exposed me to what and how tournaments were like, and coming from a competitive martial arts background of muay thai, judo, and jiujitsu, it really gave me a drive to compete in the game.

How does it feel placing first at one of the earliest Street Fighter V tournaments?

LPN: It definitely felt invigorating during the tournament and after as well. I was so into the game, it was over before I knew it (laughs).

There’s been some discussion as to how you won Mad Catz V Cup. We won’t go into specifics, but do you have anything to say in relation to that?

LPN: Some people (I don’t think I need to name because we all know who they are) jumped to the excuse that I have a “retail copy” of Street Fighter V and that it gave me the unfair advantage against the other players. I can 100% confirm to everyone that I do not own a retail copy of Street Fighter V because I do not work at Capcom (laughs). No one has a physical copy of the game when it’s weeks away from release.

Like Peter “Combofiend” Rosas and others at Capcom have mentioned before, the game will be quite different from the beta versions we’ve been playing when it’s released, so don’t get too attached. Come to think of it, why would playing on a retail copy give anyone an edge in a beta version of a game like the build during the Mad Catz V Cup? It’s a pre-release tournament and it’s called that for a reason (laughs).

You really made a name for yourself in Street Fighter IV by using a ridiculous amount of characters in competition (our rankings say nine, but I’m sure it’s more than that). Was your use of both Birdie and M. Bison at Mad Catz V Cup a sign of things to come for Street Fighter V?

LPN: I’m capable of playing multiple characters at high level but it is difficult to maintain and distribute my skill to the entire cast when it came to Ultra Street Fighter IV. With Street Fighter V’s condensed cast, it definitely feels a lot easier for me to move around and learn the characters at a faster rate than previous games. I’ve been playing M. Bison and Birdie since day one and looking forward to shocking the competition with Laura and others in the future.

What about those two characters in particular drew you to them?

LPN: Bison has always been my favorite Street Fighter character of all time (and possibly favorite villain of any series) because he’s just a complete badass! His redesign in Street Fighter V, both aesthetically and gameplay-wise, made him 100x more appealing than he ever was. I would even go as far to say that this is his best iteration, or should I say “form” (laughs).

As for Birdie, I would have never imagined that I could like a character like that. I mean, just look at him. He’s vulgar, looks like a menace, makes funny sound effects, and is always eating! Perhaps that’s the reason why I didn’t want to give him a chance, as I always pick my character choices based off how they look before anything else. Once I got a chance to try him out and see how much damage he was packing and how goofy he was, it was a done deal! This character is very unique and I want to show the world why.

Hagejin also used Birdie to win a pre-release tournament in Japan. What are your thoughts on his place in the overall game as it stands now?

LPN: After watching Hagejin play and win, I guess the first thing in my head was, “He must be winning because he has a early access!” (laughs)

The way he played Birdie was impressive and abusive. He outspaced his opponents and positioned himself to where he was able to apply pressure while protecting himself at all times. That’s something that I picked up on awhile back and implemented into my own style. We both outplayed our opponents not because of having more time with Street Fighter V but because we have a faster understanding of the game than most people as of right now.

Oh and, of course, Birdie is definitely top six in my opinion. He’s a complete character package just like Chun-Li, M. Bison, and some others as well.

You recently sent out some interesting tweets comparing Street Fighter V to the fighting game community’s red-headed stepchild, Street Fighter x Tekken. What similarities have you noted?

LPN: The reason that I said Street Fighter V is the more acceptable version of Street Fighter x Tekken to the public is because both games give me the same sensation. I enjoy Street Fighter V very much at its current state and it can only get better.

As for comparisons between the two, how much damage can be converted in small instances, the impact of hits, and the mentality behind approaching your opponent are all very similar. I just feel like I’m playing Street Fighter x Tekken without the extra side of shame and complaints that it carried back then (laughs).

You said that Street Fighter V is a “more acceptable” version of Street Fighter x Tekken. Mind providing some more insight on that thought?

LPN: Street Fighter x Tekken could have been a great game, but the execution during release was what really launched it with a rough start. Along with that, paying for gems, which Capcom claimed was essential and later deemed not necessary for tournament standard, hurt the game even more. To top it off, Evo’s 2v2 tournament pretty much killed it.

Outside of those extra and unnecessary ideas, the game itself was great and could have been something…but now we have Street Fighter V.

Your performance at Mad Catz V Cup has likely placed a target on your back as one of the stronger Street Fighter V players at this point in time, but it’s only seemed to motivate you. How important do you think the game will be to your competitive life moving forward?

LPN: I’ve always had a target on my back (for whatever reason) ever since I entered the fighting game community and tournament circuits, whether it’s for my style of play, a loss at a tournament, or a small success.

I always stay motivated to keep climbing until I’m satisfied. I plan on making an impact in this community and transcending beyond that with my goals and message. This year will be extremely important, with Street Fighter V being my main focus as I am not interested in anything else. To obtain the goal that I have set for myself, I can’t let any small distractions that I have no control over effect my performance and focus.

What other players are on your radar as we head into the era of Street Fighter V?

LPN: I look forward to seeing and competing against international players such as Infiltration, Momochi, and many more. Back here in America, there’s only one person on my radar and it’s the legend himself, Graham Wolfe.

Any parting words?

LPN: Rise up.

You can find LPN on Twitter. Featured image c/o Rose Angeli Photography.