One of the more unexpected announcements to hit the MMO-space late last year was that Turbine was handing over Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online to Standing Stone Games and to be published by Daybreak Game Company. We caught up with the team to find out more about the transition and the future of both venerated games.
Get to Know the Man Behind the Murderface with These Notes from Tokido’s Interview with DenfaminicoGamer
Recently, Echo Fox’s new resident murderface Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi was interviewed by Japanese gaming site DenfaminicoGamer. The interview covers a breadth of topics including some that have been discussed before, such as his motivations for going pro (if Daigo could do it, so could he). However, it also contains some interesting new material that hasn’t been covered before.
On his background in fighting games, while most people associate Tokido with Street Fighter and The King of Fighters, in the interview he reveals that he got his start with Virtua Fighter 2, which an older cousin introduced to him when they went to the arcade. According to him, practicing Virtua Fighter 2 helped him endure the boredom that he felt in school at the time, training every day for a year just to be able to beat his cousin. From VF2, he transitioned to other games, namely Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and KOF, joining his first ever tournament with the latter in 1998.
His in-game name of “Tokido” however stems from The King of Fighters. He became known for using a specific move from Iori Yagami where the character says “tonde,” “kikku shite,” and “doushita?!” from which “to-ki-do” was born.
He also talks a bit about his parents and the support that they gave him: they bought him his first ticket to Evo after all. Additionally, he goes on about how their perception of him playing video games changed after he won at Evo (in Capcom Vs SNK 2 in 2002). While they still didn’t understand the games themselves, they did understand the scale of the tournament and the prize money involved.
Speaking of money, he also reveals that he does get a salary from his management office. However, with the prize pools from tournaments increasing in value, he feels that he cannot neglect them as a source of income.
Now for those thinking of going professional, he states that while games are played primarily for fun and to relieve stress, aspiring pros shouldn’t treat the game that they play merely as a “game.” That said, while tournament wins are important, he states that they should also entertain their audience with fascinating play.
Of course, that’s just a part of this interview; you can head on over to DenfaminicoGamer for the full interview or, for those who can’t read Japanese, Sonigo’s translated notes over on TwitLonger.
Source: DenfaminicoGamer, via Sonigo & PVP Live
Yahoo! Esports Kicks Off “Conversations and Fireballs” Series with Alex Myers Interview
Michael Martin of Yahoo! Esports has been one of the biggest sounding-boards for competitive fighting games in mainstream media over the last year. Because of his tireless effort on reporting and interviews this year, there has been more mainstream attention in the FGC than ever before.
With that momentum, he has created a series called “Conversations and Fireballs,” which gives the top players a platform to talk about anything they feel needs to be said about the FGC. In the first episode, he talked with Alex Myers about the state of Street Fighter V. Myers had some choice things to say and some advice for Capcom, believing that a lot of top players are only playing the game for money and the Capcom Pro Tour.
Source: Yahoo! Esports
Pre-Genesis 4 Interview with Shroomed: Discussing Melee Character Choices, 2017 Goals, and More
With his recent sponsorship switch to Immortals, DaJuan “Shroomed” McDaniel, one of the top 10 ranked Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world, seems poised to do some damage competing at Genesis 4 this weekend in San Jose, California. The former Dr. Mario specialist–now Sheik main–will be playing Melee in both singles and doubles tournaments, as well as participating in the Draft Crew Battle.
Marcos “El Cubano Loco” Blanco: Congratulations on your recent sponsorship with Team Immortals. What made you switch from Winter Fox to your current sponsor?
DaJuan “Shroomed” McDaniel: Thanks! The main reason I switched from Winterfox was I felt like I wanted to be part of an organization with a stronger support system and a bit more resources. I’m very excited for my 2017 season with the Immortals. I’ll be making some waves this year!
Marcos: You, SFAT and PewPewU have been doing well for yourselves these past few years, with consistent performances at almost every major you have competed in–especially in 2016. What changed for all three of you to start performing more consistently?
DaJuan: We just started training a little harder and thinking about the game more in-depth. I feel like analysis is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the game. Studying the people you’re likely to play and things like that. Being prepared for a certain high-level opponent makes a huge difference.
Marcos: Last year at Genesis 3, all three of you got placed 5th, 9th and 17th respectively. How do you each feel about your G3 performance, what did you learn from it and how did the G3 experience affect your performances at other big tournaments in 2016 overall?
DaJuan: I can’t speak for SFAT or PewPewu, but I feel pretty awful about my performance. I didn’t feel very focused last year for a variety of reasons. I’m a lot better about blocking out other factors now.
Marcos: Who or what inspired you to play competitive Melee? Any players or people in the community you look to for support and inspiration?
DaJuan: I’m a competitive guy in general, so when I found out a game I love had such depth and an amazing community behind it, I was hooked. I used to really look up to Armada until I realized that would stop me from surpassing him. Nowadays I look to myself for inspiration.
Marcos: I’ve seen you play Marth at the Folsom Street Foundry Melee weeklies in San Francisco and at majors from time to time, but I believe in a recent tweet you said you might be playing even more Marth in the future. Is it for specific character matchups, players, or both? Will you ever go back to Dr. Mario?
DaJuan: I’ve always loved playing Marth in friendlies. I think he’s the character with the most diverse combo game and I always have a good time playing him. I started playing him in tournament for the Ice Climbers matchup, because it’s so stressful with Sheik and I began playing him versus Fox since that matchup is tough as well. Not sure if I’ll play him in other matchups yet. I have no plans to play Dr. Mario in tournament again, but will still have fun with him on net play.
Marcos: All three of you seem so close to transitioning from your “demi-god” status to “god” status. What do you think is holding you all back and what do you need to do overcome that tremendous hurdle?
DaJuan: For me, I’d say I need to work on my execution. I miss too many conversions due to input errors. My strength right now is neutral game. If I can bring my combo game up to par, I have no doubt I will start climbing the ranks. SFAT seems to be doing a good job of steadily improving with his routine, now so I don’t think he should change anything. Not sure what PewPewU is lacking. I’d say consistency if anything.
Marcos: What have been your biggest accomplishments personally as of late, as well your future goals to strive towards, in the world of competitive Melee in 2017 and beyond? How much longer do you all think you can keep competing for, and why?
DaJuan: I didn’t have any notable accomplishments in 2016. It’s the first year I didn’t beat a single god in a tournament set. My immediate future goal is to bring my execution up to at least 85-90 percent. It’s impossible to execute perfectly in Melee 100 percent of the time, but I feel my execution is much lower than it should be. I plan to compete until there is no tournament scene or my hands fall off. I love this game too much to quit.
Marcos: Who do you consider your biggest rivals in Melee and why?
DaJuan: SFAT has always been my biggest rival. We started off as enemies, and now we’re friends but still rivals. If I had to guess why we’re rivals, I’d say it’s due to our egos. We battled for NorCal for quite some time, and both felt like we were superior to the other. Outside of SFAT I’d say Leffen. He’s a homie, but I just want to wipe that smug look off his face.
Marcos: What does the Genesis series mean for you both a professional and personal level? How do you feel you will do this weekend in both singles and doubles?
DaJuan: Genesis is probably my favorite tournament series. I’m probably biased as a NorCal native though. Personally, I feel a little more pressure than normal to perform since it’s our home turf. I’m feeling confident this year, so I think I will do well.
Sources: Immortals, SSBM Rank, PushBlockGaming, ShowdownGG, Event Horizon Gaming
Armada Believes Super Smash Bros. Melee Doubles to Be Underrated
Alliance’s Adam “Armada” Lindgren is known as being one of the top Super Smash Bros. Melee singles players in the world, often trading tournaments with Echo Fox|Mew2King, C9|Mang0, and Liquid|Hungrybox. But one thing he would love to be known for is his impressive skills in Melee Doubles.
Armada sat down with theScore to talk about the differences between the two disciplines, saying that he believes Melee Doubles to be the “most underrated game in all esports.” He also talks about his synergy with his brother, Andreas “Android” Lindgren, where he states Android, albeit not being the best singles player, has “an amazing view in doubles.”
Source: theScore esports
Armada Believes Super Smash Bros. Melee Doubles to Be Underrated
Alliance’s Adam “Armada” Lindgren is known as being one of the top Super Smash Bros. Melee singles players in the world, often trading tournaments with Echo Fox|Mew2King, C9|Mang0, and Liquid|Hungrybox. But one thing he would love to be known for is his impressive skills in Melee Doubles.
Armada sat down with theScore to talk about the differences between the two disciplines, saying that he believes Melee Doubles to be the “most underrated game in all esports.” He also talks about his synergy with his brother, Andreas “Android” Lindgren, where he states Android, albeit not being the best singles player, has “an amazing view in doubles.”
Source: theScore esports
Echo Fox’s FGC Manager Antonio Javier Talks about the Importance of Teams
In recent years, big esports teams have made a lot of inroads into the fighting game community, signing up a number of top players. However, despite this, the genre’s one-on-one nature has more than a few people wondering if teams really bring anything–aside from sponsorships–to a player.
In a recent interview with PVP Live, Echo Fox’s FGC Manager Antonio Javier argues that teams actually do matter. Aside from helping each other out during tournaments, ha also says having teammates also helps a player develop. “Teammates will be more inclined to share your own tendencies against various players,” Javier states,”It always helps to have someone there to give you feedback.”
He also states how having veteran players in a team means that they can help out the newer players. He specifically talks about Julio Fuentes, who despite being their tenured player, is still somewhat new, and how someone like him can benefit from having a veteran like Justin Wong on the team.
In addition to this, he also addresses the possibility of team tournaments. Javier states that he does hope that these things become more common down the line stating that the team format is something that is compelling to watch. As an example, he points out the recent Cooperation Cup 15 and how it was one of the most hype tournaments in recent memory.
Of course, Javier talks about a few more things aside from the above. Check out the full interview over at PVP Live.
Source: PVP Live
“Nothing’s Ever in the Bag” — Echo Fox’s FGC Team Manager Talks about Commitment
Echo Fox has gone hard in the paint during the free agency period of Street Fighter V–and the FGC in general–in between season 1 and 2. They signed a large swath of players across the span of a few days, and looks poised to be a force to be reckoned with this year.
But if you ask Antonio Javier–FGC manager of Echo Fox, and former FGC manager of Evil Geniuses–he would tell you that even with an impressive roster, nothing is guaranteed. He states that “being in a prestigious team like Evil Geniuses and now Echo Fox, you always have a target on your back.”
He also discusses his unique role in the FGC as a manager of a large esports decision, as well as his background with the game. When asked about what drives him to keep the roles he’s maintained in the community, he states, “I got … satisfaction in mentoring the players, in kind of guiding them along the way, which is why I can say that this is truly a dream job for me.” He also talks about Echo Fox’s commitment to the FGC, saying, “But Echo Fox wanted to dive right in and show the community that they are very serious about investing in it, and … my signing along with the team shows a lot of commitment.”
Source: theScore Esports
– Chatting All Things The Elder Scrolls Legends with Pete Hines
We sat down Bethesda’s Pete Hines to find out what’s been going on with The Elder Scrolls Legends since the game entered open beta last summer and to learn what players can expect for the game in 2017.
Yahoo! Esports Catches Up with Duralath and Arlieth After Cooperation Cup 15
2017’s Cooperation Cup received the most attention the series has ever received. The annual Japanese Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike event definitely owes a lot of this to the live English broadcast on Twitch, whereas previous iterations were in Japanese only, and available only through paid Japanese service NicoNico–a large hurdle for people not in Japan.
In this piece by Yahoo! Esports, Michael Martin talked to Arlieth and Duralath–two American 3rd Strike mainstays, who also participated at Cooperation Cup as players and commentators–about their involvement and experience at the event. They also cover some of the most exciting moments of the event, including the incredible parry into Genei Jin moment between Nitto and Matsuken.
Source: Yahoo! Esports