Anarkira's Interview with Myke

With Anarkira's permission, I'm posting this interview he did with me for a VF Fanzine in Norway since I think others might be interested in reading it too. I've edited it slightly so that it reads better since the interview was done over MSN.

<span style='font-size: 20pt'><span style='font-family: Times New Roman'>Anarkira's Interview with Myke</span></span>

Anarkira: First off, state your (vf) name and character (main)

Myke: Myke, and I play Kage as my main, Brad as a sub.

Anarkira: for most vf players you are known for your involvement in VFDC, 'wanna specify/clearify your role ?

Myke: Hmm, I'll give you the short version!

Anarkira: Sure =)

Myke: Around 1998 (10 years ago!) the site was started up by ice-9. ice-9 was a fan of VF, like many of us at the time, but back then, fan sites weren't very common at all. Most gaming discussion took place on Usenet newsgroups for VF fans, our online community was in the group rec.games.video.arcade. The site was met with some resistance at first, especially from many of the established players (myself included) -- here was this relatively new/unknown guy (ice-9) asking us all to leave rgva and register on his site! In parallel to this were some other vf fan sites but because ice-9 registered the domain name of virtuafighter.com it seemed to attract the most attention. Slowly, but surely, most of us started to become regulars at the site.

Myke: back then it had a very basic message board system, and as more and more people came, the hotter the flame wars became /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif ice-9 found himself quickly out of his depth in terms of maintaining the site. Back then, people could post anonymously and one big problem was people would be posting under false names, causing all sorts of trouble and confusion. That's where I came in -- I offered ice-9 some technical help with maintaining the message board. He accepted my offer, and eventually I replaced the message board with a better one, with more features. Remember, back then, message board software (forums) were still quite new!

Anarkira: yeah

Myke: So from running the forums, I eventually took more and more responsibility, and ice-9 less and less. Fast forward to today and I'm responsible for everything on the site, bills and all. Except there's one thing still in ice-9's hands -- the domain name. He refuses to give it up /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: yeah, I heard you pay for the server and get your money from the flaming you recieve.

Myke: LOL, I wish! I'd be a rich man! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif So anyway, there you have it.. the short version!

Anarkira: heh, hopefully you'll get the domain name sometime in the future. Going back even further with this classic question, how and when did you get into playing VF?

Myke: I started on VF1. At the time my friends and I were huge Street Fighter fans. I believe Super Turbo was out at the time, and one friday night at the arcade we noticed this new game called Virtua Fighter. I still remember the machine being wheeled in, powered on, and set up for the first time. It looked pretty interesting so we tried it out and it was fun! We quickly started to discover more moves than what was shown on the machine, and this intrigued us to try to discover more and more. The rest is history, and that's a short version answer too! I could talk more!

Anarkira: how is the VF scene in sydney and/or australia today compared to back then?

Myke: A mere shadow of it's former self. Up to VF4 FT we had a pretty good scene in Sydney, our arcades were still alive but since VF5 had limited arcade release, everyone moved to console and some stopped playing altogether. Apart from sydney, the only other scenes I'm aware of now are Melbourne and Perth. I've met the guys in Melbourne early in VF5's release, and they have a pretty good scene. The Perth scene I believe is quite new, and started with the 360 release. (BTW, Melbourne and Perth are other capital cities in Australia)

Anarkira: /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif I ll be sure to inform my readers haha

Myke: /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: I saw you on the tougeki 07 super battle vol 4 dvd where you entered with a team called Aussie Beef wanna tell us a bit bout that experience?

Myke: No, it was horrible /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Just kidding! You know what tougeki is right?

Anarkira: I sure do, but if you want you can quickly explain for new VF players.

Myke: Tougeki, known more commonly in the west as Super Battle Opera, is an annual fighting game tournament event held in japan. A number of 2D and 3D fighting games are featured, and VF has always been a part of the roster. Due to the popularity of the game and event, the VF tournament is always a team based, usually with 3-man teams. In 2007, the organisers offered an invitation to Australia to enter a team for VF5, and some other games too like Tekken 5, Street Fighter 3rd Strike.

Anarkira: Yeah. Tougeki 07 winners siropai, akape and chibita. Go buy that dvd people!

Myke: siropai? I think it was Yanaga instead /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif but yeah, the DVD is a must buy for all fans. The final match is worth the DVD alone! Just awesome!

Anarkira: LOL my mistake! Mistake readers! You have been misinformed /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif I haven't seen it in a while but I popped it in to see your match earlier today.

Myke: As for my actual tournament experience, it was pretty shocking! I started first for our team and was defeated by a very strong Vanessa player. My lack of experience against this style of Vanessa really showed. There were a few times where I could have won a round, but I lost it instead. It was very painful! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: yeah, looked that way!

Myke: The same Vanessa went on to defeat my team mate, Nin. Nin plays Aoi. Our anchor (last player) Raito, who plays Lion, managed to beat the Vanessa player, but ultimately lost the next match, and we were knocked out in the first round. One thing you have to realise is, all these teams in Tougeki qualified for their place. Their qualification involves winning points at tournaments, competing against other strong teams. Comparing that to our invitational position, we're just weren't at their level!

Anarkira: Yeah, I think you had about 150 matches on that card, while the others boasted several thousands.

Myke: That's right. Part of me feels bad that I'm not deserving to play in the tournament. But another part of me is honoured that they extend their hospitality by inviting me to be part of this experience. It's a humbling gesture from one community and culture to another, and it feels great to be a part of something like this.

Anarkira: Yeah, which leads to my next question. You seem to be in Japan from time to time, do you have much contact with the vf community in japan and whats your take on it?

Myke: well, I know a few famous players there and keep in touch with a couple of them. I came to know them either on trips to Japan, or meeting them in the US during big gatherings or tournaments.

Anarkira: ok, Im not asking you to namedrop (though feel free to do so lol)

Myke: haha. Well, Kurita I have known since VF3! He came to Sydney once for a Sega sponsored tournament.

Anarkira: hardcore people!

Myke: But to name a few others, there's Itabashi Zangief, Ohsu Akira, Mukki Akira, Neo Tower, Yosuke. I've met and played against many more, but those guys I consider friends. They'll actually go out of their way to talk to me if they see me, that kind of thing.

Anarkira: over to a darker question...(possibly) I've heard that some of the scene are somewhat unhappy (maybe not the right word..displeased) with VF5 compared to the previous installments. Can you shed any light on this? (Japan scene)

Myke: Well, with every installment you'll find opposition. It's human nature to resist change (just read any VF5R thread on VFDC!) /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif But one sign that players aren't as pleased with VF5 is that there aren't that many people playing in the arcade compared to past titles in the series.

Anarkira: mhmm

Myke: however, I've been to Japan twice in the past 12 months and I was still able to play the game every single day, with tough competition. Maybe in some smaller more remote arcades the interest has died down a little (or a lot?), but I visited some of the main arcades in Tokyo and, oh boy, I wasn't complaining! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: heh, as an oldschool VF player yourself, are you satisfied with the evolution of the series?

Myke: You know, it's hard to say yes without sounding like a fanboy, but YES! To put it another way, would I still be investing my own time and money to keep the site and global community running if I wasn't satisified? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Having been around from the beginning, I guess I have the benefit of experiencing the many changes introduced with each VF revision and title. I have always embraced and enjoyed the newest VF title. Compare that with some other fighting game titles such as the Street Fighters and Tekkens -- you still have communities playing older titles religiously, and refusing to move on. I think this alone is a testament to how talented the developers are. They always seem to deliver, and never leaving masses of fans behind.

Anarkira: lol, that is my view exactly, I feel bad for people who still gotta play some specific version of SF II. I'm glad for evolution. I dont wanna become that.

Myke: Me neither!

Anarkira: Since you sort of brought it up, how much time do you spend on VF in one day nowadays?

Myke: I probably only play twice a week now. I was playing daily when I first got it on the 360, with online play.

Anarkira: heh, but counting the time you spend on the site? Or writing theories or stuff like that?

Myke: oohh, well i visit the site everyday. I try to do some translation work in my spare time, as well as working away on some secret VFDC projects. Sorry i can't tell you more about that now /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif But if you add it all up, I'd probably spend around 2 hours a day on average.

Anarkira: ok, I guess the site is the most time consuming =)

Myke: You could say that. I also watch vf videos on youtube daily which adds to this time.

Anarkira: Since you are the mother of vfdc (in some way lol) do you see a change in what kind of players VF attracts compared to before?

Myke: I have noticed a change, starting from the console release of VF4 on PS2. With each VF release, the developers have tried to make the game more and more accessible, or easier to get into. They've also made it more and more visually appealing. Before this, when VF was pretty much arcade only, the average player was a little more mature, maybe a bit more educated (university level and up), but nowadays, you have more younger people in their teens getting into VF. The thing is though, to get good at VF you need to invest time in improving your skills, and for players with short attention spans, or just looking for easy big damage combos and shortcuts to success, they will struggle with VF. Many of these players usually give up, and I've noticed that on VFDC with the release of VF5 on PS3, and then on 360. I noticed an influx of new players asking lots of beginner questions or just venting frustration, only to never hear from them again. But on the flip side, there have been many players who have stuck around!

Anarkira: heh, true

Myke: And this is very encouraging, and inspiring.

Anarkira: Yeah, which leads to my next question. With the additions of xbox live a new arena to play vf has been introduced, whats your take on this?

Myke: I think xbox live is the best thing to happen to Virtua Fighter outside of Japan, it is the injection of life the community needed.

Anarkira: Yeah, I like the way it connects VF players from all over. Even though matches to far away are hopeless (like when I played you lol)

Myke: The one critical aspect for any fighting game is human competition, and xbox live provides that. For those that live close together the connection is reasonably good. And yeah it's impossible to play across the globe /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: so you are all for it? =)

Myke: Absolutely! Well, I should say, personally, I would prefer if we could all play in our arcades again. But when that's no longer an option, this is the next best thing. I regularly play with a friend of mine who lives about 30 minutes away and the convenience of sending a quick message on MSN to minutes later be playing each other on xbox live is great! Especially when you just want a quick fix of VF. Compare this to the past, where we both had to go and meet at the arcade or organise a gathering at someone's house. It's great!

Anarkira: That is true, though I also clearly see a backside with the live. I also believe some of the old players complains about the fact that you cant trust every frame online and that destroys the whole game. Also what you mentioned that some would say that meeting people with the same intrest and the atmosphere of a gathering is half the experience.

Myke: oh, I agree with this 100%. I only advocate playing on live with good connections.

Anarkira: I've also noticed the constant bitching on forums with people trying to find the best this and that player only to argue and challenge each other online. Which is fine, but in my opinion it doesnt prove it cuz it isnt 100%

Myke: If it's too laggy, then the game can't be played the proper way, stupid spam tactics are hard to defeat.

Anarkira: But I guess, competition will only spark eagerness to learn =) at least among serious players.

Myke: unfortunately, there will always be people who let their egos get in the way. This was the case back before consoles too. With xbox live, I guess it becomes easier to boast. For example, people can pick and choose their ranking matches.

Anarkira: true =) but then you could meet face to face (well almost, depending on whether it was vs cabinets) at the arcade and settle it once and for all

Myke: yeah, some people can behave differently between online and offline play /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: heh, any predictions for the future of the VF scene as a whole? The sales of VF5 for the 360 could certainly be better and with a new version to draw new crowd in beeing far away (if ever).

Myke: Hard to say since the game is primarily developed for a japanese arcade audience. We're pretty much at the mercy of that market in terms of where the game goes, but some things I'm noticing now with the inclusion of VF5 at this year's World Cyber Games is that the game's profile and exposure will increase (well, I hope it does!) /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: hehe, maybe for the people nearby. But up here in scandinavia it won't have much/any impact.

Myke: Why do you say that?

Anarkira: cuz it will just be another tourney, like a japanese tourney. I could be wrong though. But that is another issue, the decreasing scene up here, my bad.

Myke: That's ok. I also think it would be great if Sega/Am2 would do more to promote the game outside of Japan. They pretty much do zero.

Anarkira: Yeah! Many times though of this. Look at tekken, they market it right. VF5 could boast bout beeing the best looking fighter and the most advanced +++ but you see almost zero ads and promo =( (well best looking until SC4 maybe, even though I dont like the artstyle...bah, they should have pushed it)

Myke: Apart from tekken being more flashier and having more mass appeal, a stroke of genius on Namco's part was the release of tekken on playstation 1 console. The playstaion was a massively popular console back then. Sega was still in the hardware business, so their VF titles were only on their machines. Unfortunately, sony overpowered sega in the console war which gave namco a huge fighting game market on the ps1 with their tekken titles. So all those young and teenage boys and girls that had a ps1 grew up playing a tekken title. Sega totally missed that market in the west.

Anarkira: hmm yeah, but I think ps2 brought vf to a larger audience than the dreamcast could (or its followup) I think it was the smartest choice seeing how things turned out. Or what its follow up could have if there had been a follow up.

Myke: I definitely agree. It's just that tekken just had a huge head start in the home market.

Anarkira: I'm curious what VF players have inspired throughout the years?

Myke: Inspired me?

Anarkira: yeah, It can be people you've watched and studied vids of or someone you learned stuff from. or a combination. Sort of like your fave VF players.

Myke: My first real inspirations were some Japanese guys living in Sydney who opened my eyes to how vf should be played. But in terms of famous players I would say Kyasao. I think he was an inspiration to almost every Kage player. I've also been inspired by Jin and Yourou, probably more back in the VF4 days than VF5. In VF5, I can't say there are any Kage players that I find inspiring!

Anarkira: ok, I will check out Kyasao more, kage is my sub sub char =p

Myke: Actually, let me confess something... I don't find Kage that exciting to play in VF5 /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Just secretly, I'm hoping for a refreshing change in VF5R!

Anarkira: heh, but you've played him a looong time right?

Myke: Yeah I have.

Anarkira: I was talking about this with Raider actually. He was so sick of Kage after playing countless thousands of matches with through vf4.

Myke: I had a similar feeling. I wouldn't say I was "sick of kage" though, but just felt like he wasn't that exciting. I had more fun playing Brad!

Anarkira: It's up and downs I guess, some periods I find my subs more fun that my main (goh) Up and down.

Myke: *nod* oh, one more inspiring player I want to is Itoshun. He's a famous, and very strong, Brad player and I never tire of watching him play.

Anarkira: it feels like you can play more freely when not playing your mian sometimes =)

Myke: right /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: As a long time playa (still talking bout VF) with more japan experience than most western players can dream of you must have some fun anectdotes, anything you want to share?

Myke: hmmm, during the time of VF4FT, I was in Japan for a Beat Tribe cup tournament. On one particular night, Ohsu Akira invited us and some other foreign players over to his place for the night. He had his own FT cabinet and we had some home style japanese food, drank lots of beer and played VF4FT until we all fell asleep. It was an awesome night! Yamagishi-san (Beat Tribe announcer), Mukki Akira, Magnum Jeffry, Yanaga, and Akuma Pai were also there. Mukki Akira fell asleep while still holding his bowl of food and chopsticks (I have the photo to prove it!) /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: heh, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif sound fun

Myke: It was a VF house party, Japanese style!

Anarkira: And as a ZINE spawing out of Norway I have to ask you. You have crossed paths with Norwegian VF junkies in the past, do you remember any of these? As early as 2005 you met chief gutti/chris in Japan. Netrom (or Raider..probably both) also told me they met and played you though I'm unceartain of the time and location here.

Myke: Yeah, Chief Gutti I met in Japan. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Netrom and Raider too! We met in Boston, USA, actually during a VF4 Evo tournament. I was working in Montreal Canada at the time, and Boston was about a 5 hour drive away. The twins (Netrom and Raider) were in my car while we were driving to the tournament location. I remember that I was following someone, since I didn't know the way (obviously), and the traffic was pretty heavy.

Anarkira: hehe

Myke: Anyway, the person I was following suddenly changed many lanes at once and then disappeared down an exit off the freeway. So I had no choice but to do the same! I was weaving in and out of traffic like my life depended on it, and in hindsight, it was pretty dangerous and stupid! But in one swift manoeuvre I got us safely down the exit, so it was all good /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif I remember making a comment like, "and that was a triple throw escape with guard... in traffic!" and we all laughed, probably more out of nervousness -- you'd laugh at anything when you've come *this* close to dying! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: heh /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif nice anectdote. I'll ask the twins about this the next time I see them.

Myke: Yeah, I wonder if they remember that, or if their subconsience has blocked it out /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: heh, any remembrance from playing against them?

Myke: Definitely! They were both very strong players actually. I felt Netrom was perhaps a little stronger than his brother, but it's probably because I knew Kage (Raider's character) better than Akira (Netrom's character). In the boston tournament I remember facing Netrom actually.

Anarkira: heh, how did it go?

Myke: From memory, I won. But then I eventually lost to the tournament winner.

Anarkira: How bout gutti? heh, shou was his "mentor" back then heh

Myke: Gutti is really cool too, unfortunately I never had a chance to hang out or even play with him much. The most interaction we had was having a conversation on the train, on our way back from tougeki.

Anarkira: Last but not least, wanna give away a funny combo or setup that you dont see used that often? for the junkies out there.

Myke: here's a weird TFT combo for Kage for when someone is low on health: 64P+G -> 2P+K -> P -> P+K. Kage's P+K is one of the most useless moves in the game, so using it as a finisher in a combo is kind of funny. I also like 64P+G (wall hit) -> 8P+K, which is another useless move! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Anarkira: /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif will use it more. Any shoutouts?

Myke: I guess I'll shoutout to all the VFDC users, new and old, that continue to grow, learn, improve and most importantly, enjoy this great game!

Anarkira: Thanks for taking the time. Great talking to you.

Myke: No problem, it was a pleasure.