Interview Time! Episode 6: 8WayRunners

1: I started with SC II, back when I was just a kid with a PS2. My parents were very strict about what they'd let me play and watch. One day at EB games, I managed to sneak Soul Calibur in under the radar. I was hooked. There was this red ninja with big boobies and she made me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I looked at her. I never played a human opponent for fear of my parents finding out about the jiggly breasts.

2; Years later, I picked up SC III and started to take it more seriously. I found out about 8wayrun while searching for guides,and found myself practicing combos and legitimately learning Cassandra and Xianghua. After that, I got serious about learning and practicing Xianghua up through SCIV, where I really took off with the series.

3: I try to attend as many tournaments as I can, but work, school, and my girlfriend keep me pretty busy most weekends.

4: I typically won't watch streams, but I often watch replays of certain players after the tournaments are over.

5: I play SSFIV: AE, but when SCV came out, I mostly dropped it for the return of my favorite game series of all time.

6: I use an arcade stick (8 button) now, but up thought SCIV I used an ordinary controller.

7: I love the game, but I'm very disappointed in how the game was rushed. The story is clearly unfinished (by a long shot), and the balancing reflects this as well. Overall, I think the game is still worthy of my time, given that the developers continue to support and upgrade the game as time goes on.

8: Nothing would make me happier than to see "Soul Calibur V: Critical Edge Edition", complete with a finished and polished story, new characters (Zasalamel and Talim especially), and a well-tested set of balancing changes. New stages, new modes, and the old school style gallery and exhibition mode would be welcome too.

9: I'd like to see an interview with Kalas, of the Leixia soul arena.

2:
 
1. How did you start your SC journey?
I've been playing SC casually since SCII, but the first game I've taken competitively is SCV. In fact its the first game I've ever taken competitively!

2. When and why did you join 8WayRun.com?
I heard about 8WR from the all of the interviews and pre-release chatter about SCV. I joined the site right before the game came out to meet my fellow SC players and get involved in the competitive community. I decided to main Hilde within a few days of getting the game and the boards have been extremely helpful in my journey and growth as a competitive player.

3. Are you following the competitive community, or maybe you prefer being a casual player?
I am a competitive player, and I have competed in 2 majors to date for SCV - Toryuken and MATIX. I also post a significant amount on the Hilde boards and I spend most of my time in training mode discovering new tech and ways to counter certain characters with her.

4. Do you watch SC tournament streams?
Yes, I have watched almost all of the streams for the majors so far. It is better than watching TV haha :).

5. Is SC the only fighting game you are interested in?
As of right now I only play SCV and MK9, though I am interested in VF5:FS and P4:A..

6. What controller do you mind yourself more comfortable with?
Initially I played on a pad, but some of the inputs (such as grab breaking, holding Hilde's charges, and quick steps) proved extremely difficult so I switched to stick.

7. Are you satisfied with SCV?
Yes, I think the game is extremely well designed. One of the reasons I was interested in SCV was because of the fact that everything felt new to both veterans and rookies alike. It was easy for a new player (like me) to join the old schoolers because we all learned the new mechanics at the same time.
I think there are some problems with the game, such as some tracking issues and minor glitches, but there is nothing that seems to be extremely unbalanced or broken yet. I think it is possible for any character to win a tournament really.

8. Are you looking forward more to another installment or maybe an enhanced version of SCV?
Hmm, at this point I don't really know. I'm pretty satisfied with SCV the way it is, and I think making a new game to add 2 characters and a balance patch wouldn't really be worth it at this point. I think consistent patching of the game is all that is really needed to keep the game competitive and fresh.

9. Who would you like to see interviewed in the upcoming episoded of the Interview Time! ?
There are so many great players that deserve a chance to be intereviewed, so I'll just list some of my favourites:
OmegaDR
Ramon
Partisan
RTD
Keev
 
1. I started with SCIII, I always loved how Sophitia and Cassandra fight and I started training them

2. I don't remember but this year since I started to follow Soul Calibur since the launch of SCV

3. Casual player

4. If I remember them yea

5. No, I actually prefer Mortal Kombat, but this is a good one as well

6. PS3 controller

7. It's amazing, but i'm disappointed in the characters balance, I think it's the biggest mistake of this game. The offline mode is lacking.

8. I'd be happy if they made a "Legendary Souls" version of the game, in which you can use the first weilders of the styles, I mean instead of a mimic elysium we can play sophitia, instead of alpha patroklos we can play setsuka, you understand... it must have some balance changes of course.

9. Any sophitia/pyrrha omega veteran player must be interviewed.
 
1. How did you start your SC journey?
I started my SC Journey when I found a Souledge v.1 arcade machine in a local Walmart back in the summer of 96.

2. When and why did you join 8WayRun.com?
I joined two years ago because I wanted to learn more about how the game works. I had no idea about framedata, safe and unsafe moves, and lag tactics until I came here.

3. Are you following the competitive community, or maybe you prefer being a casual player?
I'm semi-competative, mostly casual. Once in a while I'll attend an event in Orlando. I will be trying to at least make the yearly CEO from now on.

4. Do you watch SC tournament streams?
Only sometimes, Enkindu's stream is much more fun to watch IMO.

5. Is SC the only fighting game you are interested in?
HA! No, I started with SF2 like most people in the arcades, and have followed the series, until it hit SFIVAE, then I lost complete interest. Love the old school fighters though like Battle Arena Toshinden, the Souledge knockoff.

6. What controller do you mind yourself more comfortable with?
PS3, much more comfortable on my hands than an Xbox or Stick and I can execute any move using it.

7. Are you satisfied with SCV?
Mostly, I think there's a lot that needs to be fixed (Sieg whiffing, wtf), and they should start releasing DLC characters like Talim, Rock/Bango, and Zas.

8. Are you looking forward more to another installment or maybe an enhanced version of SCV?
I'll buy either one of them, I love this series.

9. Who would you like to see interviewed in the upcoming episoded of the Interview Time! ?
Enkindu!
 
One thing I'd like to ask first: 1 person = 1 post. No comments, only your own answers. [Aw -- but this could be a fun discussion starter! Maybe another thread for discussion of answers?]

Now let's jump to the questions:

1. How did you start your SC journey?

I attend a small rpg/board/video gaming convention every year called Dexcon (oddly enough, in the same hotel as EC Throwdown will be this year, one thing that helped me decide to go). Since around 2005, they've held a multi-round Soul Calibur tournament every year there, and since it was held in a public space (it isn't any more, but we get an audience anyway, often) I would stop and watch. It looked gorgeous, but I didn't own a console and knew I couldn't compete. However, one year I tried it -- and it was a lot of fun; almost as much as I'd imagined.

Prior to SCIV coming out, then, I purchased a PS3 system and played through SCII and III, picking up a terrible Talim (I ringed myself out a lot for some reason), and have participated in Dexcon's bi-annual (there's a sister con called Dreamation in the winter) tournaments ever since. With IV, Talim was perceptably slower than she'd been, so I gravitated to Amy; with V, Amy was gone and while I tried Viola, she was too combo-centric for me to get good at quickly and wasn't working well for me, so I shifted to Natsu.

2. When and why did you join 8WayRun.com?

When IV came out, I decided to take the game a bit more seriously, and so looked around to research the movelists; following 8WR pretty much from it's moment of creation. I didn't post much until I got more comfortable, though--this place can be a bit intimidating.

3. Are you following the competitive community, or maybe you prefer being a casual player?

That's a complicated question. I've never been to a "real" tournament (although I supposed I'll break that streak this weekend) although I got good enough with Amy (after getting schooled at a casuals in upstate; thanks, Ramon, DK, etc) to regularly make the semifinals at Dexcon. But I did watch the entire MLG NYC stream on replay, so I guess at this point I'm following the competitive community.

4. Do you watch SC tournament streams?

Sometimes. See above.

5. Is SC the only fighting game you are interested in?

Yeah. I did place SFII way back in high school, but I've never taken another fighting game seriously, and unless SC were to die or become unfun, I can't see doing so; I only have so much time to train, after all, and a lot of other hobbies.

6. What controller do you mind yourself more comfortable with?

Stick.

7. Are you satisfied with SCV?

Define "satisfied". I think it's easily the best of the Soul games on a competitive level (at least as far as I can determine it). On the other hand, it's missing gle glorious wealth of single player content that added to the fun of II and III (4 also gave only slip service to 1p content, though it gave slightly -more- lip service to same) and it's missing a fair number of convenience features present in earlier versions as well (remapping multi controller support, ability to vary # of rounds in a match or handicap, etc). Plus while the balance is certainly an improvement over prior versions with infinites, basement tier characters, etc, it could certainly be improved.

So I like it, but there's always room for improvement.

8. Are you looking forward more to another installment or maybe an
enhanced version of SCV?

Depends on what's in it -- but sure!

9. Who would you like to see interviewed in the upcoming episoded of the Interview Time! ?

Ramon! Actually, an interview with Hates would be circular, but interesting.
 
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