Dream Cancel

Guard Cancel is an interview series profiling KOF community members and players. The goal is to get to know the people behind the tags. Guard Cancel will be published every Monday. If you’d like to be featured, email admin@dreamcancel.com or PM me in the forum.

1. How long have you played KOF? Which KOF was your first? Which is your favorite?

I’ve played KOF for 20 years. :p It’s evident which was my first. My favorite was ’96 since I played it just for fun, and fun it was!

2. Why KOF over all of the other fighters?

I started with other fighters, Karate Champ, Samurai Shodown, Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Street Smart, Pit Fighter, MK, SF just to name a few, but when KOF came out, it blew everything else away! The mood, the system, the music, the style everything was so fresh and cutting edge. Dat intro! I felt as if the game picked me, not the other way around. The scene was huge, just about every convenience store, gas station, shopping center, and arcade had KOF in it, it was impossible not to play KOF.

3. Are you a tournament player? If so, list your tournament rankings.

A constant top 3 in local tourneys, top 8 in Texas Showdown(2014), Top 8 in CEO(2014).

4. Do you have a local scene or do you rely on online play?

We do have a small, but strong local scene. I play online only to fill in on match-ups we don’t have locally.

5. Do you prefer pad or stick? Why is that your preference?

Stick, I’ve played stick since childhood. I’ve played pad in older games, but to me, it never compared.

6. What advice do you have for new players?

Play for fun first, always! The tournament scene will call you eventually, you’ll know when. Took me 17 years to even consider it.

7. How do you choose a character and team? How do you choose the order?

Aesthetics, feel, style everything has to be there; I have to like the character, regardless of tier or type.

8. Which type of character do you prefer?

I played Leona in ’96, I used to avoid charge characters at all costs before that. But when it comes down to it, rush down are my faves.

9. From a purely gameplay perspective, who is you favorite character?

Mature

10. How often do you practice or train in KOF alone?

I get bored really fast in practice mode, about 10/hrs a week at most before tournaments, too much time IMO. And this is why I lose! ;P

11. How do you gain new techniques, strategies, setups and combos? Do you watch match videos?

Match vids bore me to death(that’s why I’m free), I usually watch tech vids by Gutts CL, Mienai Kage(Leona!) and a little Juicebox on the side!

12. What would you like to see in a new KOF game?

A mixture of KOF 11/13 Game mechanics, KoF XIII sprites, more characters, KOF XII Art and backgrounds(minus the zoom), KOF ’96 style music. New Arc; Gaea!(Mother of Orochi?)

[ON]Vicio’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/1itzentl