Happy New Year! 2025, baby!

 You already know the story. I post a blog every 3-5 years or so because I'm awful at this and well... who still reads blogs these days? Let alone, mine. 

When was my last blog? Was it post pandemic? Remember that? Crazy, right? So just to catch you up (like you've been here before) In 2019 I was laid off from my job after returning 4 months from the first time I got laid off. Came back and shortly after, was made a regular full-time employee and salaried with benefits. After the layoff, I received a severance package that lasted me about 4 1/2 months plus whatever I had from my 401k. Not settling for just anything and going on several interviews that I either turned down job offers or was beat out of, I ended up with lesser options as I realized I needed to find a job soon. Money was running out, I started cutting into my savings, credit cards, and my 401k. Landed 3 jobs within a week. One with a gaming company in Florida (that took 3 weeks of going through rounds or interviews and skills assessment with me ultimately landing the position out of the lot), one with some insurance company that I was going to manage, and one with another insurance company, but doing IT. Needless to say, I ended with the last offer and started a week before the pandemic happened. Crazy, right?! Been here since and love it! 

Now I'm going to check if I mentioned any of that in my last blog so let's just call it a recap or bonus content. Since my last blog, bought a new house and didn't bring anything over other than my TV and home office stuff and obviously clothes, tools, etc. So new furniture, fridge, dishes, etc... I made some home upgrades and a lot of DIY projects. Evo has changed as I'm not longer one of the core staff, but still help out by running pools and I got to participate in games for one since 2013! It felt pretty good to compete in the largest tournament in the world again and enjoying some of Vegas when I wasn't scheduled to work or play anything.

Started coaching youth soccer. It's a new love as I get to work with my son and other kids. A big change from working with high school percussionists and attending marching band competitions and football games on Fridays, but it's a new experience and I'm enjoying it. Last season was my first as the head coach and my team placed 3rd only losing to the two teams that made it to the championships. I'm really proud of how well they played and even more so with with how much of a challenge we gave to the team that ended up winning. Out of all the teams they played, we gave them their toughest competition and really wanted a rematch with them, but we didn't make it to the final round, losing to the team we lost previously, also in a close game. Winter season starts next week and I'm excited to see how well this bunch will do. No doubt in my mind that we'll do fine. 

Don't know if I mention my *new* car in past blogs (2017 Mustang GT), but it's doing well and in good shape, albeit foolish people doing foolish things and mother nature and hail damage (twice) but all been repaired. Did you hear about Ford's new Mustang, the Dark Horse? Well, your boy had to jump on that and pre-ordered on day 1 last year and after about 9 months, I was able to pick mine up from the dealership. Only because I learned that new management changed how they labeled cars coming in and processing pre-orders, and notifying customers. So check this out...

I was in San Antonio with my brother, his fiance, my fiance (gf at the time), and my youngest. Initially, I wanted to go knock out a few things. Getting Christmas gifts, going to Peter Piper's, and dropping off something for my buddy who had wanted me to pick up something for him from some guy he purchased something from off marketplace. It was a fightstick, but anyway. I took the opportunity so that we can do something together, check out Best Buy, and maybe check out other sites. Which we later did, we hit up the Alamo. While walking downtown, I noticed a different Mustang. If you know Cameros, Chargers, Mustangs, etc.. you'll be familiar with their tail lights, headlights, frame, back-end, and other cosmetics that differs from model years. This was no S550 Mustang that I saw. Still waiting to hear back about when these Dark Horse will drop, that night I saw one! It came from our rear and as I looked, I wasn't certain until it passed us, but it went by so quickly. Luckily there was  stop light up ahead and I was able to get a better look as we neared it. Sure enough, it was the new 2024 Dark Horse! It's here. This guy has one! Which means...customers should have theirs by now. So that night when I got  home, I pulled out my pre-order paperwork, then did a Google search for 2024 Dark Horses at nearby dealerships. My dealership had one! I think maybe two, but not sure. All I know was that I was excited, but wanted to check to see if those were being sold as one of their alloted Dark Horses or if it was mine that just so happened to be in the system and... not for sale? I was confused. I checked the sticker that was available. It matches my specs that I picked. Manual transmission. Color. Even the stock number matched the code that was on my form. So I called first thing in the morning to talk to my sales guy and he doubled checked things for me. Called me back later to tell me they think it's mine, but due to management change, it's probably why it didn't get flagged to contact me. Asked if I wanted to, I can go come after work and guess what? As soon as I was off work, I zipped to the dealership! My kid was with my brother and his daughters. Should I continue? 

Of course you want me to! I drove down in my '17 GT, parked, and walked inside. My buddy worked there, I learned didn't work there anymore. He was one of the finance manager there and we worked together at Honda years ago. (Story for another time. Maybe the next 2 or 3 years lol) Anyway, my car, my Dark Horse was there in the middle of the showroom floor! Actually.. I think it was outside already set up for me because I was told it was in the showroom and they had to move it outside. So let's rewind, shall we? I park, go inside to meet up with my sales guy, and leads me outside to where it's sitting. Just handed me the keys (fob) Got inside, turn her on and omg...Immediately left to take a drive. it felt so great! The power. THE POWER! As soon as we got back I think I just stayed with the car. So excited I don't even remembered what happened next. I remember completing other paperwork, then he said he'll be back. Going inside to process things. I had planned to go through my bank, but I'll leave at those details. So I'm there with the Dark Horse and started messing with everything. I even connected my phone and started listening to music and then called my gf. Told her that I'm at the dealership and for her to meet me her after she got off work. TL;DR, closed on the new car and parked next to my other Mustang. New dilemma. I need to get my other car back home! My gf can't drive a stick, but my brother can, but we're trying to minimize unnecessary driving. So I think I drove home, dropped my new Dark Horse, then I think later I got dropped off by my gf and drove my other Mustang home. So there you have it, my Dark Horse story! 

Other than that... my daughter moved back from Guam. Her husband was stationed there (Air Force, go ahead and laugh. I do all the time!) with her kid. Yes, Rotendo is a grandpapa now. Time flies, huh? Seems like yesterday you were reading about me getting out of the Marines and here I am, my kid has a kid of her own! My fiance's daughter got married, had a kid. My brother even had a kid! It's wild, right?! And though there were highlights this past year, there were dark times too. We learned that my mom had stage 3 cancer. We didn't know what to do. We got denied financial aid, but later we ended up applying again and was granted it. My mother went through her treatments and my brother and I took turns caring for her and taking her to her treatments and other appointments. Good news is, the chemo worked and there's no more sign of the cancer. She's still going through other treatment, but her hair's growing back and she's in good spirits and working again. Don't get me started with her boss, that dude was and still is an asshole. Wanting her to work while she was going through her chemo and yelling at her over the phone about why she wasn't able to go in to work. Good thing she has her sons to help her deal with that. We're not little guys. I'm a Marine and my brother was Army infantry. So just saying that we've been trained so we can look intimidating to people some times and a lot of times get called overbearing. 

Well... that's enough for now. I'm still playing fighters. Capcom Marvel Fighting Collection just dropped and I've been playing some MvC2 and XvSF online on Steam, still play some Killer Instinct here and there, and since the newest World of Warcraft Expansion dropped this summer, that's what I've been playing the most. Okay, folks. I told my son we were doing some house cleaning today then doing something afterwards. Until next time! 

Where I've Been

 A new year and several years since my last blog. You know the old saying. "Been busy with life. Family, work, relationships, etc", right? Well, that couldn't be far from the truth. 

My wife whom I've known since high school and married to for 16 years passed away on September 22, 2016. We have 3 children that I was left to take care of on my own, but with have received help from my mother-in-law as she was living with us at the time. Helping around the house taking care of her and our newest child. Things are good now. The kids are older and my  youngest is growing up so fast. 

I'm no longer working in the gaming industry either in the development, retail, customer service, or any field and facet of the industry. In fact, before my wife's passing I had just entered into the banking and retail software industry and have been doing so for over 3 years. After my 2nd time getting laid off from the same company due to a merger and restructuring of roles I found myself in the IT industry, but still among software development. So now I'm doing that and working on software development stuff to transition into a Software Developer/Software Engineer. 

I'm still attending tournaments. Well, up until the pandemic hit. I'm still involved in many organized events and running events of my own (online). Streaming, not so much, but every now and then I may go live with  some Killer Instinct, Animal Crossing, or something random like newborn puppies. Yeah that's new too. Our dog (or Grandma's dog rather) had puppies. 6 of them. I let the kids keep 2 of them. For now. They are both female and the first and last born. As for the breed, they're a mix of a Golden Retriever and Chihuahua (a fury rat like version - don't ask). They're cute. 

What else, what else? Umm... I've been building gaming PCs for family, friends, and creating builds for more potential clients. Providing small services such as data retrieval, virus/adware/spyware removal, and other desktop/helpdesk type issues. This pandemic has given me time to work and finish a few DIY projects around the house and work on a completely new gaming setup. 

Collecting! Yes, collections. Where to begin? When I was working at Blizzard (customer service) I've picked up collecting Funko Pop figures. 6 - 7 years later and I've amassed quite the collection. Mostly focusing on favorite franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and Dragon Ball. Oh, and recently Transformers! Speaking of Transformers, I started back at collecting Transformers. Had many of them as a child, but never collected any as an adult until a few years ago. New hobbies have been helping with deal with depression and PTSD. Okay, well maybe not new hobbies, but new "items of collections". 

Now that's just a summary, but as you can see, I've been keeping myself busy. The majority of the time has been occupied with working and raising my kids. Trying my best as a dad and finding a balance of Yes' and No's and stuff. 

I want to be more active in everything that I involve myself with as I often tend to leave things unfinished and get distracted easily and then from distracted to forgetting about them for weeks, months, and years. lol  With the way that Blogger handles images... actually, how photo website handles hosting images, they've now become a "member/premium" perk with limitations. I think I may have found a solution to this, but will have to test it. I want to provide quality content with great pictures, but as you can see from reading my older blogs many of those images have been removed by the host server or when you click on them, does nothing. So all you get is a thumbnail with a gnarly watermark! [Update: either I didn't know at the time or thought it was best to link to where I had pictures already uploaded online, but looks like I could have always attached photos here!]

Until my next update, see you later!                                                                                                                                                                               

Oh, and here's a picture I took during the recent Ice Age, here in Texas! Haha

                                        

Fightstick Parts and Accessories Storage

I have picked up working out again a few months ago. You know. A little cardio here. Push-ups and pull-ups there. Then came the eating healthier portion that coincides with that. (I was going to use the word "cleaner" when I mentioned eating, but after typing and re-reading it, I figured some smart ass, such as myself, would comment on my choice of words.) Anyway, at the other end of the plaza where my gym/work is located, is this Mexican market. I started buying snacks from there during my break. Gallon of water, apples, bananas, oranges, etc. Well, I begin to notice that produce over there aren't quite as fresh as I'm use to from other grocery stores and that it's been days since I've seen any more produce being brought it. I got tired of not being able to buy ripe and fresh fruit, so the alternative? Gerber baby food. And that's where this is headed for all you impatient ones. I'm not talking about the ones that come in the baby jars, but the rectangular plastic cups. Nutritionally they did the job as far as snacks go, but the biggest reward? The reusable plastic rectangular containers.

Now for those of you who like to spend money on replacement/backup parts for your fightstick(s), pretty soon you'll have to find a place to store these things. Probably the most popular parts that are purchased are the pushbuttons. They usually come in a pair of twos and in a small plastic bag, in these thin, flimsy, plastic holders. I don't know about you, but I like to keep all my pushbuttons, joysticks, dust covers, ball tops, springs, etc together for easy and quick access. Some of these parts are pretty small and can easily get lost or misplaced. Looking at this empty Gerber banana cup, I realized that the cups can be reused. So to keep you from falling asleep, here are a few was you can use these Gerber baby food cups.

Oh, before I go on, I'd like to say that you can buy these at just about any grocery store. At the Mexican market at the end of the plaza, they sell for $1.59, but Wal-Mart has them cheaper. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about or what they look like, here is an image of one.

Doesn't that look good?! Alright, without further ado, here are a few examples of how I used a few of them.

 I got yellow ones.

 

I got shaft covers and ball tops.

I even have a quick release JLF shaft!

These are great for containing screws and dust covers too.

More ball tops! 

A big container to contain the little ones! You can find different size tupper ware bins at your local Wal-Mart or Target (or even K-Mart) stores. 

These are stack-able and the drawer can also be removed if needed. 

An army of Gerber baby food containers filled with Sanwa goodies!

Easily stack-able and they fit perfectly inside!

Just an idea of the spacing and room. 

I don't know about you, but I think that these containers look a lot better than what your pushbuttons comes in. The prongs where you insert the wires won't easily get bent or damaged either. 

I've look into those hobby storage boxes and even fishing tackle boxes, but none of them seem to be able to hold pushbuttons in sets/pairs in those blocks that they have. Some have dividers that you can customize, but they too seem to not be as much use. I guess it all depends on your needs. I just wanted to write about how I now store and organize my Sanwa/Seimitsu parts/accessories for my fightsticks. Hope you  found this useful in one way or another. Maybe you're into Legos, like I am and need something to separate certain pieces while you build your next mech, car, plane, or building? Who knows, right? Thanks for checking this out! 

- Rotendo 

Killer Instinct Winter Brawl 9 Interview: PaulB

Okay, ladies and gentlemen. I have treat for you all. The interview with Winter Brawl 9's Killer Instinct Champion, Mr. Paul Ramos! Better known as PaulB.  PaulB graces us with his thoughts on Winter Brawl 9 and eyes on the prize.


Q&A With the Mr. Miss Riptor (you guys know what I mean), himself, Paul B!

Rotendo
You were recently at Winter Brawl last month held in New Jersey. Tell us, what goals and expectations did you have coming to the tournament?

PaulB
Simply - to win, and not in close sets, but to outright dominate. I remember the exact moment during a sprint in Spin class, heart rate at about 180BPM, where I realized I had trained incredibly hard and was ready to take my 2nd major. I was focused. I was prepared. I made a tremendous amount of mistakes against CDjr at Apex which allowed him to reset the bracket and put me in 2nd place. I studied the tapes and made sure to eliminate those bad habits from my game.

Rotendo
Did you come into the tournament with a chip on your shoulders given the (pre-patch) complaints about Riptors’ err… tech and that you couldn't win without it?

PaulB
No, not at all, and this is some of the best advice I can give to up and coming competitors: stop caring what other people think. You’ll hear lots of players complain about “broken” and “cheap” stuff, and how they would “never use it,” but I can tell you they’re all full of shit. Absolutely, completely full of shit.

When I spend $500+ on a plane ticket, $200+ on hotel expenses, and have to take time off from my career to compete at a tournament you can bet your *ass* that I’m going to do everything in my power to win. That includes using all the tools that are currently available to the characters I use.

Any player that refuses to use all of the tools at their character’s disposal because of some false sense of morality is quite simply putting himself at a competitive disadvantage. It’s not surprising that the most vocal opponents of “broken tech” aren’t winning majors and most of the time aren’t even placing Top 8 or competing at all.

People will take the moral high ground and get on their soap boxes about “broken tech” when their characters don’t have any, but history has proven that they fully exploit that shit the moment the characters they play get some.

examples: Orchids at TFC post-Season2-patch abusing double shadow uppercats, TJs at TFC abusing safe-tremor, Omens at WB9 abusing unbreakable medium auto doubles, Sadiras incessantly abusing safe counter-breaker setups and unbreakables, Wulf players abusing 20% damage boost in instinct and safe sweep CBs, Thunder players abusing all-manual-throw-link combos, Kan Ra players currently abusing completely unbreakable combos, Maya players doing dagger juggles to build meter, etc, etc.  The list goes on and on.

The thing is, I’m guilty of this too. We all are, unfortunately. We try to minimize others’ accomplishments by criticizing their techniques. But we all know at the end of the day the only thing that matters is who takes home that medal.

So while I was extremely determined to win, the only person I wanted to prove something to was myself - that I could beat my demons who have way more experience than me in the FGC competitively and take home another major.

Rotendo
Agreed. The majority of us have been doing this since Super Turbo. It's fair game if it's in the game mechanics. CvS2 had roll-cancels, Urien from Third Strike had his infamous un-blockable Aegis Reflector setups, and MvC2 had so many 'fun' mechanics that it became normal for everyone to use them and seen in just about every MvC2 match at the high level. Infinites, un-blockables, fly-unfly combos, guard breaks, and more. I can continue to name more games, but we don't have time for that. lol

This tournament was stacked with a lot of Killers. Every pool had at least 3 really high profile players. Did you feel that your pool had a fair amount of challenges as the other pools did?

PaulB
Well firstly, I don’t agree there were 3 really high profile players in each pool. But I will admit that I felt a sense of relief when I looked at my pool compared to past majors. I generally end up in very challenging pools.

I guess that’s sort of the gift/curse of being seeded, which I had to earn. But I didn't avoid the killers. I had to play them on finals day.

Rotendo
You ended up advancing to Top 8 on Finals Day. Were there any matches that you were worried about if you ended up playing them? In particular, you had Floridian Demon, Rico Suave, and Tyrant on your side of the bracket. Your first match paired you with Floridian Demon and converted Glacius player who was using Kan-Ra. Then the winner between Rico Suave and Tyrant. A Swiss Army Knife when it comes to the select character screen and then a really strong Spinal. Arguably the best.

PaulB
To be honest the only matchup I really feared was Rico. He trained me a lot when I first started getting competitive in the FGC and as a result he knows all my tendencies - good and bad. He also mains enough characters that he can counter-pick both of my mains. That’s kind of scary. As a result I almost lost to him, and had to really pull out some craziness to overcome the life deficits he put me in early in our matches.

Tyrant was in the back of my mind as well as he’s been a demon of mine in the past, but I was extremely prepared for the Spinal matchup and I’m not sure Tyrant would have known how to fight Riptor. Honestly, I was hoping to fight him because I wanted to prove to myself that I could beat him in tournament. Maybe next time. :)

Rotendo
You played BassNS in Winners Finals, another Spinal player. What was your game plan for this match?

PaulB
I honestly didn't expect him to make it that far so I didn't really consider a game plan to fight him, but I knew the Spinal matchup well and am well-versed in Bass’s weaknesses as a player from playing him in previous tournaments and sets.

Rotendo
In Grand Finals, you faced off against the Evo 2014 Champ, The Steam Co. CDjr. Tell me, how bad did you want to win this game? There seemed to be  a lot of trash talking behind the scenes regarding previous results at another event.

PaulB
I wanted it, badly. I have to admit I focused heavily on this accomplishment, mentally. I came close a few times after Summer Jam where I beat CDjr in Grand Finals, but was never able to seal the deal again. The trash talking between JR and I gets heated because we’re passionate competitors but it’s always friendly in the end. We’re the same when it comes to this stuff so we’ll always have that to celebrate together even if you see us talking trash in public.

Things got pretty heated at the NEC Salty Suite where he tried to make a significant bet that I could not beat his Maya, so it was pretty gratifying to accomplish that feat the following day in a tournament setting.

Again, much respect to him. He was one of the reasons I took KI to the next level after ECT. My (awful) loss to him there pushed me to seek Rico out for training and focus to become a top competitor.

That’s also why it feels so damn good.

Rotendo
After winning Winter Brawl, you were in attendance at The Saucey Suite. How many KI Gold matches did you accept or denied and why?

PaulB
The night before pools I was chilling at the bar alone having dinner and Psychotica, his girl, and 8-Bit Zombie showed up. Psychotica was talking all sorts of mess about how trash I am, how he knows all my bad habits, etc. So during pools I was telling Rico about this whole fiasco and Rico straight up called him out in front of everyone to money match later that night. He accepted, albeit somewhat reluctantly haha.

Also, I think JMart sponsored Grief to MM me, which I accepted.

I challenged JaySlik because he’s always talking mess about me, but he denied.

I also challenged Junior’s Sadira, but he denied.

I think I might be missing someone. Anyway, Saucy Suite was a lot of fun. I was more entertained by the shit-talking on stream than the matches. So shout outs to Tristan for facilitating that.

Rotendo
With the new changes to Riptor in the Aganos patch 2.4, are you keeping Riptor as your main or will we be seeing a switch back to Sabrewulf?

PaulB
There were a LOT of changes. Basically, Riptor is a different character now. Her entire playstyle was centered around flame carpet lockdown and HP predator cancel setups. Both of those things are completely gone now. You can jump out of flame carpet, and HP predator cancel is completely removed. So I’ve basically been re-learning setups from the ground-up since the patch hit.

Honestly, I've been doing better with her, but she does require a lot more work and matchup awareness than she did before. I've been working really really hard to get her back up to speed after the patch. I think I’m almost there.

So yeah, I’ll be keeping her as a main along with Wulf, and hopefully Hisako / Cinder if they’re fun.

Rotendo
Who was your first main character?

PaulB
Sabrewulf.

Rotendo
Was it always Sabrewulf?

PaulB
Yes. First time I ever played KI was at the Microsoft Store before the X1 released with Sabrewulf and I fell in love. Since he was so fun I never really had any reason to pick a different character.  Also, he was incredibly good in S1 so it wasn't much of a struggle to get really good until later on.

Rotendo
If Iron Galaxy told you that they’re giving Sabrewulf a new move, what would you hope that move would be and do you feel it would go back to using Sabrewulf?

PaulB
I've actually never given this question much thought. I think he’s fine the way he is. He’s still an insanely good, scary character. I’m surprised more people aren't doing work with him. People might be surprised to hear this, but Sabrewulf isn't an easy character to win with anymore. That backdash nerf really forces people to have to play carefully with him, and that’s a hurdle most players are unable to overcome.

I still use him, though. The only reason you’re not seeing him in tournament is because I’m forcing myself to use Riptor 100% of the time. Once I feel like I've exploited most of Riptor’s potential you’ll see more of a balance of use between the 2 chars with me. Riptor loses some matchups that Wulf doesn't so expect to see more meticulous char selection from me in the future.

Rotendo
I hear that you have this “Best Show in the World” on the internets. Care to give us the name of the show and how we can tune in? Does it require us to have popcorn, it’s so entertaining? The public wants to know!

PaulB
HAH! That’s what people keep telling me. I spend a lot of time thinking about unique things I can do on the show that other streamers aren't doing. Most guys just get in front of the camera, play games, avoid controversial topics, and try really really hard to be the “nice guy” so they don’t polarize people and potentially lose viewership.

If you say something controversial to an audience you can be sure some small percentage is going to take offense and never come back to your stream. I really don’t care about any of that. When you come to the PaulB Show you’re getting 100% unfiltered PaulB. I think that’s part of what people love about it, and that’s what makes it fun for me.

For example, the other day we had Keits on the show to do an interview, and instead of doing another boring interview where we ask safe questions about shit that’s already been talked about 1,000 times I told Keits to get off the mic and put his wife on because it was her birthday. I got her to tell us stories about how they met, how long it took Keits to ask her out, make his first move (a long time apparently haha), and it was really entertaining. Then we got into some really interesting details about the game that hadn't and still haven’t been talked about anywhere else.

Weave also done creative things like the KI News Network, Cuelight, and 3 Frames. Nickvicious recently tweeted that our subscriber celebration is pretty much the best on Twitch and that nobody even comes close. Our newest emote is a picture of Rico’s face on a dartboard with a dart in it. I mean, come on! LOL

It’s funny, now that I’m partnered I realize that all the KI streamers are doing exactly what Twitch suggests you do to be successful. Once you’re accepted into the partner program you get an e-mail from Twitch and it suggests exactly the following: subscriber tournaments, letting subs pick what game you play, sub-only chat days. Sound familiar? I’m really challenging myself to try and offer subscriber perks that are unique and set us apart. I might fail at first, but I’ll keep trying. We’ll come up with something good!

Oh, people always ask me if I’m high on the show because I act crazy and have lots of energy, but really I’m just having a lot of fun and being 100% myself. Goofy, crazy, controversial - it’s just me being me, and I think people appreciate that. It also helps that I’m pretty good at the game. I work hard. People appreciate that too, and they get a lot of good info and tips.

So it’s like, “hey, this dude acts like a complete idiot and I think he’s on drugs, but he’s really good.” It kind of messes with their heads hahah.

You can catch The PaulB Show 8pm-11pm EST every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday with Special Editions held occasionally on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at unscheduled times throughout the day.

Come get those emotes! Also, one of our sub benefits is that I’ll play a monthly set with you, if you want to be competitive, and we’ll do reply analysis. I’ll give you tips and stuff to work on and then reassess the next month when we play again. Sort of like a personal trainer. I’ve also got some other things in the pipeline I’m sure people will love.

http://twitch.tv/llpaulb

Rotendo
Thanks! I always make sure to share when you are streaming via Facebook and Twitter.
Okay, Paul. Here’s a tough one. Actually it isn't that tough. In your opinion who’s the best character in the game right now and who’s the worst. Pick one for each. (I hope you don’t say Glacius!) lol

PaulB
on paper…
Best: Fulgore
Worst: Aganos

in practice…
Best: Spinal/Maya
Worst: Aganos (poor guy, I hope someone focuses on him so this changes)

Rotendo
Alrighty. Time for the lightning round! Ready?

PaulB
OMG

Rotendo
Gibson or Fender?

PaulB
I hate both - give me a PRS

Rotendo
Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite or Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks?

PaulB
I honestly have no idea what this means

Rotendo
lol It doesn't mean anything!
Dasani or Evian?
(Evian is naive backwards by the way :D  )

*Here is where Paul flipped the script on me!
PaulB
Coffee or Red Bull?

Rotendo
I ask the questions here! lol

Android or iPhone?

PaulB
LOL


Rotendo
And stop!  Now that wasn't so bad, was it?

Before I let you go. What’s with the letter ‘B’ in your name “PaulB”? Is it your middle initial? Do you even have a middle name? Does the government know that? Hell, does Ultratech?!

PaulB
It means whatever you want it to mean. Some have called me PaulBeast, PaulBae, PaulBitch. Consider it my gift to the community so I can always be the PaulB you want me to be.

If people wanted to follow you on social media, how can they go about doing so?
http://twitter.com/llpaulb
http://twitch.tv/llpaulb
http://youtube.com/paulbramos
http://facebook.com/paul.b.ramos (but I prob won’t accept you cause I’m too Hollywood)

Rotendo
Cool! Thank you so much for you time, Paul B and looking forward to watching you play at Final Round, and on your show!

PaulB
See you there!

Killer Instinct Winter Brawl Interview: Steam Co. CDjr.

My next entry of interviews is with the the Evolution 2014 Killer Instinct Champion, Emmanuel Brito aka CDjr. Won't keep you waiting much longer. Here is it!

Rodolfo Camarena

Okay...

You attended Winter Brawl last month and placed 2nd. What were your thoughts on this year's event?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Winter brawl never disappointing or any tournament run by big e for that matter. I had a lot of fun and met some new KI players and even though I didn't win I had lots of fun

Rodolfo Camarena

In Winners, you played Bass and got sent to losers. What was going through your mind when this happened?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Bass is an amazing player who only keeps getting better and better he outplayed me that set. After the lost I was so salty because duh I lost but I was also happy, happy because I'm seeing improvement in these players which only helps the game and community overall

It motivates other players to grind it out and get better

Rodolfo Camarena

In order to make it out of losers, you had quite the obstacles to negotiate. Which one weighed on you more? The match between yourself and your training partner and friend, Rico Suave or the rematch with Bass to make it to Grand Finals?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Honestly I worry the same about every player in tournament but I did get kinda sad cause I had to play Rico in losers and we usually play in grand finals

But overall

I was calm and just wanted to win so in my mind I was like "I'm jut gonna play the best I can against these guys

Rodolfo Camarena

It seems you were more focused in the runback with Bass and dominated the match. What adjustments, if any, were made?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

I just played more patient and made better decisions where as bass played the same so I picked up on his patterns

Rodolfo Camarena

You made it to Grand Finals against Paul B, care to give us your synopsis on the match?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Honestly there is not much I can say about this match lol I just got mauled I didn't know what Riptor was doing that mu is foreign to me.

Then people came to me and told me I was getting hit by unbreakables and block inf

Lol

I didn't know

Rodolfo Camarena

lol

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

So I was ooooooook

I'll hold that shit

I wasn't prepared

He was

So no excuses

Rodolfo Camarena

Okay. Who, in your opinion is the best character int he game right now?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

I don't know who is the best yet because there are more things to be discovered but Fulgore, Jago, Spinal, Sabrewulf, and Sadira look really strong.

Rodolfo Camarena

Well, if you had to name someone, who would it be?

Or at least top 3 if that's easier.

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Fulgore Jago Spinal

Rodolfo Camarena

Okay, easier questions. Worst character, in your opinion.

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

*Aganos

.......

Rodolfo Camarena

Haha

Okay, CDjr. Going to wrap this up.

With a flurry of questions

Ready?

No thinking, just answer

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Ok

Rodolfo Camarena

Mac or PC?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

pc

Rodolfo Camarena

Papas Yuka o Papas Fritas?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Yuka

Rodolfo Camarena

Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Microsoft

Rodolfo Camarena

Captain Caveman or Captain Planet?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Planet

How dare you compare the two!

Rodolfo Camarena

Blue or Black?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Black

Rodolfo Camarena

and...

Legos or Mega Blocks?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Legos

Idk wtf are mega blocks

Rodolfo Camarena

LOL, they're like the Wal-Mart brand of Legos

they specialize in licenses though, like CoD, Halo, and Warcraft.

They're clunkier looking, but people like them.

Rodolfo Camarena

Alright, brother. That was fun. Will we'll be seeing you at Final Round?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Yes sir

Rodolfo Camarena

Is there anything else you'd like to share with everyone who'll be reading this?

Oh... just remembered. You're an MK fan too. What platform will you be getting MKX for?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Everything

Except last gen

Rodolfo Camarena

Cool. One last thing. If people wanted to say... watch you play or something... where can they go to do that and if they wanted to follow you, what's your Twitter handle?

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

My twitter is MKKI_CDjr and my twitch is cdjr02

Rodolfo Camarena

Thank you so much for the interview, CDjr. It was  a pleasure.

Emmanuel CDjr Brito

Anytime bro

Killer Instinct Winter Brawl 9 Interviews: Bass NS

Hello, folks! I'm starting a new series of blogs where I interview top players from the FGC, with the focus on players from the Killer Instinct community. Now this first entry is an interview with Kenneth Armas aka BassNS.



Rodolfo Camarena
Ready? Ok.
Your main is Spinal, correct?

Kenneth Armas
Yes, since his release

Rodolfo Camarena
Why?

Kenneth Armas
Spinal and Riptor were my favorite characters in the original Killer Instinct

Rodolfo Camarena
Nice!
Why not Glacius?
lol

Kenneth Armas
lol he was probably my 3rd. anytime I saw an arcade machine, I'd mostly pick Glacius
at home though, i'd stick with Spinal/Riptor

Rodolfo Camarena
Okay. So you went to Winter Brawl 9 with a goal. What was your goal and did you accomplish said goal?

Kenneth Armas
I wanted to make Top 8 again, preferably in Winners. and I was determined to win my first major.
when I got there, I saw my competition, and had realized alot of my past demons were back. I wanted to prove myself.
I didnt get 1st, but I did get top 3 (first time ever) and as the tournament progressed, new goals were made, and I achieved it and more.
I finally took out both Grief and CDjr, who have beaten me in previous tournaments
PaulB strikes again, but he's definitely next.

Rodolfo Camarena
How did it feel to send CDjr, Evo Champ, into losers?

Kenneth Armas
At first, I thought "yes, i knew i can do this" because of our first encounter at Apex. I did so well, and I couldn't believe it. I was determined to finish what I had started then.
When I took off my headset, and heard the crowd chant my name, and saw how much bigger the crowd got, it made me realize that I was part of the hype. I was doing my part in making KI grow.
so many emotions ran through me, while i stayed focused on my next match.

Rodolfo Camarena
So you're in Winners Finals and up against, PaulB, but got knocked down to Losers. Tell me. What was going through your mind knowing you had to face CDjr again in order to make it to Grand Finals?

Kenneth Armas
I knew it wasn't going to be free. CDjr is one to get fired up and bring on the pain. I also knew something had happened right before with Rico, so I saw it more as motivation to that fire. I was determined as well, because I wanted my runback with Paul, and wanted to eliminate CDjr completely.

Kenneth Armas
He adapted well, and so did I. But after watching the replays, I realized some stuff I could've done better in the matchup, which is fine. This is why I like watching all of my videos. I like to see what has changed, what can change, and how my opponent has grown as well.

Rodolfo Camarena
You both played very well at Winter Brawl. What's next? Final Round?

Kenneth Armas
Yes, and I'm determined to take it all.
Since NEC, I've made it to Top 8 (starting at Kombo Klash) and have made every Top 8 since then, placing higher and higher every tournament.
Winter Brawl was personally my hardest tournament, next to Evo

Rodolfo Camarena
Those are some great accomplishments and yes, Winter Brawl was pretty stacked. Shout outs to Big E and crew!
Curveball time.
Iron Galaxy said they'll give Spinal a new move, but at the cost of an existing one. Out of his ability to drain Shadow Meter, Instinct Meter, or Skeleport, which one would you sacrifice?
Oh, this new move is multi-projectiles

Kenneth Armas
If I had the choice, I'd keep Spinal as is (since I also thought S1 Spinal was perfect as he was)
but, if i really had to pick, i'd sacrifice the ability to drain Shadow Meter, and keep the rest.

Rodolfo Camarena
Okay. Now let's say, because I just thought about it and didn't consider it, that this new move ISN'T multi-projectiles, but instead his morphing enders from the original KI.

Kenneth Armas
If the morphing enders were just morphing enders (and didnt copy the effects of the enders in the current KI) and i was forced to remove an ability, i'd still remove Shadow Meter drainage.
if Spinal were to morph into said character, AND utilize the ability of the ender, that'd be insane. (IE Thunder's battery ender)

Rodolfo Camarena
Same answer?

Kenneth Armas
interesting question though, because that's literally the only thing I miss about current Spinal vs Classic Spinal

Rodolfo Camarena
Okay, while you think about that, here's another question. In your opinion, who's the best character in the game currently and the worst character?

Kenneth Armas
best is Fulgore. worst is probably Aganos at this point. he is new, yes, but I've put some time into him, and many multi hitting characters will give him trouble.
I do think he will be a great counter to Spinal. Chunks completely shift momentum.

Rodolfo Camarena
Interesting.
Lightning round, not thinking, just answer. ready?

Kenneth Armas
here we go.

Rodolfo Camarena
Coke or Pepsi?

Kenneth Armas
pepsi

Rodolfo Camarena
McDonald's or Burger King?

Kenneth Armas
burger king

Rodolfo Camarena
Jazz or Rock?

Kenneth Armas
Jazz

Rodolfo Camarena
KI2 or KI Gold?

Kenneth Armas
KI Gold
err
2 i meant
never touched gold.

Rodolfo Camarena
and...
for everyone out there. Is it Bass (as in the fish) or Bass (as in the volume)?

Kenneth Armas
Bass (my alias) is my favorite Mega Man character.
B(ass) is the way I say it. It's also a mispronunciation by Capcom of America, so I grew up saying it that way (along with many other fans)
B(ase) is the way you're supposed to say it, since his dog's name is Treble, and Mega Man is filled with musical references.

Kenneth Armas
So, I always tell everyone, they're both 100% okay with me.
But I call myself Bass (as the fish.)

Rodolfo Camarena
Awesome answer and background to your nickname!

Kenneth Armas
lol, i will post it on the page, since it'll probably clear up some confusion.

Rodolfo Camarena
Well, Bass, thank you for your time and and it's been a pleasure interviewing you. You recently just joined Twitter. Mind giving us your Twitter handle again?

Kenneth Armas
@XiBassiX
(my old gamertag was Xi Bass iX before I was recruited by NS)

Rodolfo Camarena
This concludes the interview. Thanks, bro.

Kenneth Armas
/xibassix will lead everyone to my twitter, youtube, and twitch.
and facebook as well.

Rodolfo Camarena
noted

Kenneth Armas
thank you for everything btw. this was a surprise, and a pleasure to do. I really enjoyed the whole thing.
flattered, and very grateful. Thank you.

Razer Atrox and Mad Catz TE2 Comparison

So it's been a few years, but I'm back! You know how it is, you gain and lose interest in things, get too busy with work, family, and friends, but you manage to come back to the things you've put off. Like a blog for example. Anyway, this one is particular I'm writing is about fightsticks. You read that right. Fightsticks. Fighsticks, or arcade sticks, are controllers many gamers use who play fighting games. Without going into much detail, this blog is to compare two fighsticks for the XBox One.

Okay, here it goes! Quick run down for those who have been living in a basement all last year. Because that's when Microsoft and Sony released their next-gen console. Crazy, I know huh? Anyway, while you were living off pork n' beans and water, many of us have been playing XBox One and PlayStation 4. You should probably sit down for this next bit of news, but you remember that one game with that announcer that would yell out every combo at you? Doesn't ring a bell? Okay, try this. It had a female spy, a robot, dinosaur, a Tibetan Ninja, a boxer, an Indian (or Native American), a man made of fire, and an alien. Some cast huh? Yeah, that's right. Killer Instinct! They rebooted it for the Xbox One. Now that you're caught up to 2014, let's proceed.

Here is the Atrox fightstick by Razer.

Here is the TE2 fighstick by Mad Catz.

I want to go over a few of the differences between the two XBox One fighsticks. I'll start off by giving you a brief description of the Atrox. The Atrox reuses the same shell as its XBox 360 counterpart, which was released last May/June. Equipped with its own storage compartment for its 13ft/4M USB cable and an additional bat/ball top for you joystick, as well as tool for removing the plexi faceplate to remove and insert custom artwork. The Select/Start or View/Menu buttons are located to the rear of the right side of the stick. Of course, since it houses a USB cable, it means that it's detachable. Not only that, but the XBox One version has a screw-lock feature for extra security. The rubber padding underneath prevents the Atrox from moving all over the place when set on a hard surface. Gone, is the rapid-fire feature, which isn't used in fighters to begin with and replaced with a larger 'lock switch' to prevent accidental in game pause or access to the home menu.

Now I'll give a description of the TE2. The View/Menu buttons are located at the back of the fighstick as it did with the TE. The TE2 also has a storage compartment to store its screw-lock USB cable, a pair of extra pushbuttons, and a Mad Catz tool kit. Not only that, but the space is enough to store an XBox One game too. The Killer Instinct TE2 features LED lighting with transluscent buttons. The newer TE2s does not have LED lighting or feature the KI design, but retains all other features.

"Rotendo, I don't want to read about differences or any of that noise. I want to see them for myself!" Okay, these picture comparisons are just for you! I'll try to provide a caption underneath in case you don't know exactly what you're looking at.

Side by Side

Front Angle Shot

Opened Up!

Top View

Let's store a game, shall we?

Atrox - Nope

TE2 - Yes!

Atrox Clearance

TE2 Clearance

Atrox - Cable Security

TE2 - Cable Security

Side View

Bottoms Up!

Atrox - Bottom

TE2 - Bottom

Alright. Enough pictures. If you rather watch my boring video which I recorded at like 2 in the morning, here it is. You'll get the same information as well as a few good laughs at my expense. It isn't edited or anything. Just decided to record it with my Galaxy and uploaded it. If you have any further questions. Post below or you can leave a comment in the video.

Upper-Cut Circuit Championships (UCC) – The Birth of a New SouthWest Major

What do you get when you incorporate the knowledge, experience, time, and passion from all the tournament organizers within the SouthWest, coupled with high caliber players scattered throughout the region? Why, the Upper-Cut Circuit! The Upper-Cut Circuit is a collaborative effort from tournament organizers from all over the SouthWest Region, with Texas as the focal point. For those of you who need a quick geography lesson, Texas is the second largest state in the United States and could be found between California and New York. You can Wikipedia the rest. Back to the show…

The Upper-Cut Circuit is a series of tournaments within the SouthWest that rewards top performers with points that go towards seeding. The plan is to develop a ranking system for the SouthWestern players and using that strategy, will help increase attendance at ALL tournaments in the Sout West Region. For each game involved in a UCC event, one battle point will awarded for every 8 players in the tournament. Example: SSFIV receives 64-71 entries; 1st would receive 8pts, 2nd 7pts, 3rd 6pts, etc. Keeping the ranking points closer really encourages travel as well.

The tournament directors responsible for developing this system are Jeff “pkrstdnt” Feig and Kent “focusflute” Summerour from Dallas, TX. These gentlemen run the Dallas/Ft Worth Fight Club and you can check out their facebook page here DFW Fight Club
Now what is a major without drama and hype? I call it a Magic the Gathering tournament (hey, I’m not knocking MtG because I use to play it back in the day, I’m just saying it isn’t as exciting to watch) Here are the partial results of UCC ’11 (May 6 – 7, 2011) at the Homestead Suites Ft Worth, TX. Don’t forget to check out the uploaded Finals and Grand Finals! Links after the results.

MvC3
1st Toan
2nd Ginga Bishounen
3rd GW Stone
4th DRS Nashfan

SSFIV
1st Toi504
2nd Viet
3rd Jan
4th Flash Metroid

MK9
1st JOP
2nd FunkPanda
3rd UFO furbarduck
4th Ranmasama

Blazblue CS
1st Ginga Bishounen
2nd Jan
3rd AnimeFreak
4th DRS Nashfan

Tekken 6
1st Raybonekilla
2nd Byakko
3rd Link
4th I.C.E.

Arcana Heart 3
UFO fubarduck

Pictures from the event can be viewed here.

Videos links from the event are listed below:

Direct Feed
MvC3 Winners Finals

MvC3 Losers Finals

MvC3 Grand Finals

SSFIV Winners Finals

SSFIV Losers Finals

SSFIV Grand Finals

MK9 Winners Finals

MK9 Losers Finals

MK9 Grand Finals

Tekken 6 Winners Finals

Tekken 6 Losers Finals

Tekken 6 Grand Finals


Blazblue CS Losers Finals

Blazblue CS Winners Finals


Blazblue CS Grand Finals

LIVE FOOTAGE W/CROWD NOISE

MvC3 Grand Finals Part 1

MvC3 Grand Finals Part 2

The Return of Mortal Kombat and... PDP's Mortal Kombat FightStick

What are you doing reading this? You should be playing the rehashed Mortal Kombat right now, but I'll just assume you're at work and stuck behind a monitor or two and if you're like me, three.

Mortal Kombat released yesterday, April 19th, 2011 for both the PlayStation® 3, and Xbox© 360 and brings with it the fatalities, blood, and gore that the series is known for. The game takes place throughout different periods of the Mortal Kombat series. The story unfolds when you play through the game in Story Mode. It starts off with the camera panning through a field of deceased combatants, finally reaching to Shao Khan and Raiden where Shao Khan is about to finish off Raiden... oh wait...***SPOILER*** then begins reciting some spell, then you hear him say, "He must win"... and boom! You begin back with MK1 you begin playing through the MK storyline with various characters. Very much like in MK vs DC.

If feels like MK vs DC and plays much like MKII and UMK3 (without the run button) coupled with some elements from Tekken and Street Fighter. It features 2v2 mode, ladder mode, challenge mode, and of course online mode. About the only thing I don't like is the way you have to configure your controller/arcade stick. During the game, when you select controller you only get the options for preset 1, 2, 3, or 4. Meaning configuration for preset 1-4 must be done at the main menu options. Another gripe I have is that you do not have all the fatalities at the start of the game. You must unlock everyone's second fatality and their stage fatalities. Playing through story and ladder modes earns you coins you can use to unlock items, content, fatalities, and etc at the Krypt. The good thing about that though is it give the game a higher replay value.

In MK9, added gameplay features includes combo breakers, x-ray moves, and enhanced specials utilizing the new super meter. A full super meter allows you to use the x-ray move dealing massive damage to your opponent. This was implemented as a way for you to comeback and to help balance different skill levels. There are different opinions about this, but that can discussed at various forums and message boards. Two bars filled allows you to use a combo breaker to interrupt your opponents combo. One bar allows you to use an enhanced version of any of your special moves.

There quite a bit more I can talk about, but I want to shift the focus to PDP's FightStick designed exclusively for Mortal Kombat 9 and sold in a Tournament Edition of MK9 but in limited quantities. Now I can really go into detail about the fighstick, but since I have already done some of that in another post regarding modding the stick, I'll just link PDP's video discussing their stick. In Depth with the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick (PDP)

With all that out of the way... lets more on to what you can do with your fightstick, like modding it! Actually. You know what? I'll just link the goodness, yet again. I modified my sticks shortly after picking up my Tournament Edition copy of the game, but not before I got to test it out and use it in a tournament (which I ended up getting 2nd place)
PDP's Mortal Kombat FighStick and Modding

So there you have it. Enjoy the video and modding tutorial (if you would call it that), now go get your fatality on!

-Rotendo

How to Build and Organize a Local Fighting Game Scene

This is mainly directed for those without a current scene in their area/region. Those of you who may have a local scene already may use this to help broaden and build upon that community.

During the drafting phase of this blog, I’ve managed to come across the latest Wakeup, Shoryuken podcast, http://shoryuken.com/content.php?r=339-Wakeup-Shoryuken-E009-Community-Building-and-You] Community Building and You, which coincidently is based on the blog you’re reading right now! I was like, “Damn… a fucking podcast beat me to the punch!” Anyway, this will go into more detail about making this all happen.

Step 1: Establishing the Scene

Probably the first thing you may want to do is to identify the players. You can begin with yourself and a couple of friends that play regularly, then moving on to co-workers, fellow classmates from school, and even your sister’s/brother’s boyfriend/girlfriend. From there you can hit up that arcade of yours that still have Primal Rage, Virtua Fighter 2, and War Gods [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stYMjSOxk70[/url] with the 3D button that never seems to work and get with those guys who you never speak to, but have always enjoyed beating down in Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Step 2: Building the Scene

Now that you have established the scene, you want to start building on what you have. Word of mouth has always been a great source for getting the word out. “Hey, did you know that there is a (game of choice here) scene here?” So now the word is out that people no longer have to rely on disappointing online matches with lag or players not on the same skill level and that there are people in the area who plays (and hopefully familiar with SRK) Believe me folks. It’s a small world out there and you’ll be surprised if you’d just ask. [That is how I found people when I was in Okinawa, Japan, ours and SRK’s very own Saotome Kaneda!]

So basically you’re recruiting and you do that by using what’s around you and most importantly… do you care to guess? The internet! In case some of you don’t know (and you should) SRK has a Regional Matchmaking Thread consisting of the following regions: Atlantic North, Atlantic South, Midwest, Northwest, Pacific North, Pacific South, Southwest, Canada, and World. There are other sources of media out there that you can use such as Facebook, Craigslist, Twitter, MySpace, and more.

No access to the World Wide Web? Do you have a local arcade, go to college, and have a few game retail stores nearby? Those are all great places to meet and advertise your scene. On the podcast, Renegade talks about forming clubs in school which is an awesome idea. Hell, try posting flyers up in areas you are allowed to. Mom and Pop game retailers are a great place to put up your flyers as they are not restricted to space purchased by vendors for marketing purposes like GameStop and Game Crazy. As a former Store Manager for GameStop, let me tell you, they will not let you put up ANYTHING that is not in the marketing guidelines or planogram for the company. Sometimes, however, you may get approval from your DM if it can help promote new games, and increase reserves and sales, but don’t press your luck if you’re trying to get something together for something that is played on last gen consoles. Really quick before I go on to the next step… A clever way to pass out your flyers at retail stores is to have them as manual sized inserts. Stick them in every fighting game case in the store and you’ll increase the awareness of the scene in your area whenever a customer purchases that used copy of Soul Calibur 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, or Tekken.

Step 3: Organizing the Scene

How do you organize a scene? After you have a good solid group of players that occasionally meets, you may want to start keeping track of names, phone numbers, gamer tags/handle, and etc. Maybe assign roles or finding someone who is responsible enough (and serious) to organize and keep up with everything. No, I’m not kidding. It really helps and keeps everyone up to date with what is going on and finding out what is going on in your community.

I’ve been following the ‘small’ but existing scene back in my hometown since I left and joined the Marines. Moving back last August, I really wanted to put us on the map and build a scene that everyone can be proud to be a part of. So I created a new thread (which I can edit and organize as I see fit) got names, numbers, etc and listed them on the front page for everyone to have instant access to. I created links to footage of recent tournament matches, pics, tournament results, and even ranking battle schedules! Anything of interest I update in the News section of the post and archive them when we enter a new month. A bit too much you say?

This will help your scene not only grow, but improve as well. Within months of my arrival back home, I’ve managed to increase the size, interest, and importantly the skill level of the scene here. Take it slow first if you’re new to all this, but with time and patient everything will fall together.

Gather together the trades that everyone has to offer too. CSS, HTML, photoshop, video editing, art, stick building/modding, access to venues, jobs at a game retailer, and more. Try to get everyone involved because this is everyone’s scene. Eventually you may want to create a MySpace group, youtube channel, and even a paypal account to fund for traveling expenses to tourneys, food, prizes, equipment, and anything else you can think of.

Here is an example of what we I have done thus far. http://www.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=219478 I already had someone use my thread as a template for their own community and everyone is welcome to do the same. Big shout out to the Arkansas crew!

It is a lot of work, but in the end it is all worth it. With the proper structure and patience, you’ll get your scene to where you want it to be.

Step 4: Managing Progression and Evaluating the Scene

I’ll keep this step concise. The last step is to supervise how well your scene is growing and improving. Toss in some tournaments and when you become comfortable, take it on the road. Test your skills with the next town, schedule team matches or tourneys and work from there. You’ll meet new friends, exchange personal information, form rivalries, trade secrets and overall, learn from the experience.



Remember... there are many useful links here on SRK to get you started. The rest is all up to you, but we're here to help too :tup: I'd like to thank my fellow K-Town members here in central Texas, who accepted my ideas, planning, and organizing to put us where we are today. As a treat, every keep your eyes open for my next set of vids. No Marvel this time, but some SFIV from a recent Central Texas Brawl tourney. www.youtube.com/rotendo You can find older MvC2 matches there too and I'm working on compressing the infamous Clockw0rk vs Dark Prince money match, so that youtube can accept it. Thank you all for reading!

This blog was featured at Shoryuken.com at this url: http://www.shoryuken.com/entry.php?b=1020 This is a copy and paste, so some links might not work and you'll have to copy&paste them into the address bar.

Employment at Gamestop/EB Games

The car pulls into an available parking space, the engine shuts off, and everyone exits. You see the Sears name in the distance... maybe Dillard's or something, I don't know. As a matter of fact, it's been ages since I've seen a Dillard's. Are they even still around? Anyway, you have only 3 stores in mind that you want to spend your time in (not including the arcade) : the Candy store, KB Toyz or whatever they have, and Gamestop/EB Games. The hottest games, latest gaming consoles, cool accessories... they have it all! How cool would it be to work here? You get to play all the latest games before everyone, cool swag, and the best part... you're having fun while working there! Hell yeah! Are you hiring... how old do you have to be to work here... I own every console ever, can I get a job... -- those are the typical questions asked everyday as many dream about working at Gamestop/EB Games and all for different reasons.

Dreams are good to have or so I hear according to some specialist. Something about "consolidating what we learned while we were awake so we can remember facts and information for years to come" and some say its R.E.M. (no, not the band) Anyway, the actuality about working at game retailer is that it is a job. Yes, you read that correctly. You have to work! Many people, mostly youth misconstrue what employees do at Gamestop/EB Games. I would list the job descriptions here, but I'd rather you look it up for yourselves. Umm... nevermind. I just checked and there isn't anything listed for game advisors or keyholders, but I'm still not listing them, lol. I'll run through the basics 'eh: customer service (this means you have to talk to people and have what they call 'social skills', be able to read and know how to alphabetize (A, B, C...Z)
Alright, I sort of tapped into this in the last paragraph, but I'll elaborate a little more here. Retail Skills vs Game Hardware/Software Knowledge. Round 1: Fight! Do you think you really have to know what a Nintendo-360-Station-2 is in order to sell it? The answer is: no. All is required is knowing how to talk to people. "Outstanding! You're wanting a Nintendo-360-Station-2? That'll look great in your entertainment center! What is the first thing you plan to do when you get home?" -something like that. Notice that nothing was mentioned about how the games will look or anything like that? Would it have helped if they actually knew what they were talking about more? Let's not get into that right now... or ever. Maybe if I feel like writing another blog about this, then we'll see. Someone that is much more knowledgeable about gaming consoles and game software will make the customer feel more secure about dropping $400 on that new system that just another great retailer. What can you provide to the company? Hopefully it is both.

Okay, so you know that you want a job working game retail. Are there any long term goals or benefits you're trying to get out of this? Usually people want to work there because of the availability to play the latest titles and stuff. You know what? I'm going to end this here and go straight to the point.

You want a job at Gamestop/EB Games, but so does everyone else. You fill out the application, turn it in (like everyone else), and hope to receive a call soon. The truth is this. You're never going to get that call and here is why: that store more than likely already have a full staff. Just because you see some of the same guys all the time, doesn't mean that they're in need of help. They have part-timers that come in for a few hours here and there throughout the week, managers don't have time to go through all the applications that are submitted daily on top of the other duties they are responsible for. In other words, it is not a priority and will just sit in the drawer, desk, or get filed... along with the hundred other applications that were submitted that month. I mean, who just leaves an application in the hopes that we see something we like and can use? Want to know who? People that never get hired! You want a job, you got to be persistent with the Manager, be that loyal customer, and express exactly why you should be hired... and please do not say because you own every console, and play games all day, or something similar. EVERYONE SAYS THAT! Alright,not everyone, but about 94% of the applicants that I've interviewed. Don't get me wrong, that is great! It all falls in the needs of the store, what the manager is looking for (if they're looking), and you're desire to work. Let me say that again... WORK! The only drawback is that it is retail. Meaning when it comes down to it, it is all about numbers, sales, and revenue. Economics101 people. I'm done. Don't want to beat a dead horse, but I think I exceeded that.

So I've jibber jabbered about dreams, reality/actuality, retail experience and hardware/software knowledge, goals, and the application drop off thing. You want a tip? Never drop off an application and walk off. Ask to speak to the manager, tell them about yourself and why you want to work there. A resume' attached to the application is a bonus. You don't have to be dressed or anything. They aren't going to interview you on the spot, but first impression goes a long way, but you don't want to over do it. Jean and a polo will suffice for dropping off an application, but a 3 piece suit for a job at Gamestop/EB Games (especially for a game advisor position) is a bit much. You're not going to start off getting that desired hourly wage or hours requested per week. Working hours per week are set by corporate, and fluctuate from week to week given to each store, which gets distributed among the staff excluding the manager. So you'll have some weeks where you were given 4 hours and some where you were given 14 or so. If you can't handle starting off like that and working your way up, don't bother applying. This is not the job for you. You want to have fun and get to play games? Get a job as a tester (quality assurance) Other than that then keep your current day job, that is if you have one.

-Rodolfo Camarena

My Trip to Concrete Games, THQ

Getting into the game industry is no walk in the park, but a guy has to do what a guy has to do. Just two weeks ago I decided to hit up a game development studio nearby as recommended by friends I have in the game industry. Well what is the name of that particular studio? THQ's Concrete Games based here in Carlsbad, CA.

Before I go into depth with this, it started with just driving my car along the highway to see how well it ran after adding transmission fluid to the old girl. I said to myself, "This is the best opportunity to stop by and talk to someone there while I'm out." So I thought. I've been to their website a couple of times. Nothing too fancy about it. Nothing much there either to tell you the truth, but they had their address there and I had it memorized so I knew where I needed to go. Off I went onto I-5S towards Palomar Airport Rd, but once I got there is when I realized that maybe I should have paid a visit to mapquest/google maps.

I'm pretty sure you know where I'm headed with this. I got lost looking for the damn place, which is suppose to be on this road, but for the life of me couldn't find the building. After driving up and down Palomar Airport Rd, I stop by a laptop store to ask for directions. Yes, I actually stopped to ask for directions! They looked up the place, printed the directions for me, and even written down their phone number. I left and a few minutes later I was at Concrete Games. As soon as I walk in, I knew something wasn't quite right. No one in the lobby and not a receptionist in site, but someone finally walked by and ask if they could help me. Like I wasn't suppose to be there or something. After explaining myself, they informed that they moved back in April! "They're still here, just not in this area", they said. Get this... they gave me a different address for them and off I went again. Inspecting the first address that I received from the laptop store I realized that it was different from the one I was just given and from what the website had. I should have known, but from the picture of the studio on the website led me to believe that I was there because they have not changed it. Bastards!

After about 2 hours of driving around looking for this place, I eventually gotten some GOOD directions. Ironically I have been driving past the building for the past 2 hours, but they are located in the back side. I was gone for too long and wasted gas, so I went home and tried again the following week. On the way back from UCSD, I stopped by to give it another shot. This time I drove to the back of the building and on immediately knew I was there. I could tell by the type of cars parked outside. Some very nice ones. The key sign for me was the suite number on one of the doors.

Next step, walking in and finding someone to talk to. Sorry for the detailed trip, but just had to share my experience in finding this damn place. Anyway, so I get inside and on the board is posted the suite numbers and studios that worked there. Incinerator Studios works in the same building as Concrete Games as they are also a subsidiary of THQ. I walked up the stair, to the door, pulled on the handle and was automatically rejected thanks to it being locked. You needed a card key to get in. So I was stuck outside with no way in and I do what anyone else would do. Call to get let in. What really bugged me about them is their directory. No one EVER picks ups and unless you know the party's extension you aren't going to get a hold of anyone. So I selected to listen to my options and entered the first three letters of a person's name (like they asked). I figured I'll enter M-I-C for Michael or Mike. There is always a Michael or Mike! "Dial extension 133 for.. Nick something", Dial extension xxx for someone else". So I had a name and an extension, call back and actually got through. I told him I was trying to get a hold of someone there and that I was actually outside, but he told him that he'll transfer me to their receptionist... only to get the same damn thing I've been getting before, no answer and a by name directory. New plan. Patiently wait for someone to walk out, rush them and beg to be let in! Just kidding, lol. I waited for someone to come out, stop them and ask a few questions. Now this guy was cool. I forgot his name, but he said that he could let me in to talk to someone when he came back from outside.

Two years later... It seemed like forever, but he came back as promised and went to look for someone and that is when the HR Recruiter. I quickly told her exactly why I was there, what I did, what I was looking forward to do, who I knew, the whole nine. I could tell in her voice that she was trying to hurry the conversation, but I kept asking questions and talking about different positions in the game industry that I could apply for. She wasn't very helpful and refused to give me further information as to who was who, allowing me to talk to someone else, not even emails! Believe me, I was trying all sorts of angles and she had an answer for everything it seemed. She was not prepared for someone like me, but I respect her job and took some advice when it came to applying to certain positions and things like that. She even explained to me how the online job listings work and applying to them and that she nor any other recruiter would take a resume, unless it was submitted via the job posting's url. It is a way for recruiters to keep track of potential candidates. What I liked the most is what she said before I left. "Normally we don't have people walk in like you just did, and I don't even know how you got in..." I thank her for her time and left the studio.

I wasn't completely disappointed, but took from it enough to know what I have to do next. I left with no names, email addresses, or anything. "Oh they're too busy right now, they're in the middle of production, etc..." were her excuses. I'll be back though. Earlier she asked if I ever submitted a resume online and I told her that I have in the past, but wasn't sure how long ago it was. So I was going to double check when I got home. This is when it pays to know people in the industry. During my wait, I called up a friend of mine that works at Bungie, explained my situation, but got his answering machine instead. He would later send me an email with a contact at Concrete Games... thanks Chris!

The goal here is to get around Human Resources. If you can do that, you're set. Their job it to match job openings with qualified candidates via resume and not by recommendation from other game industry personnel. So if you know Mr. Miyamoto, having him send in your resume will not improve your chances unless it is sent to the HIRING MANAGER and not through HR.
As soon as I got home, I checked my email and what do I find there? A reply to my application for an AP position from THQ. "Although we are impressed by your skills, we are unable to offer you an interview at this time. This job has been filled by another candidate who more closely meets the position requirements." I think walking in helped because obviously she remembered my name and looked up my resume as soon as I left. I think I'll try again in another week ^_^

-Rodolfo