"Meet Your Mod" Episode 19: SolxBaiken

This Week: SolxBaiken

Why did you choose that particular handle, is there a story or reference you'd like to explain?

Hehe, I think my name is rather self explanatory, throughout it's entire decade plus run I've always played the same two characters in each iteration of Guilty Gear; Sol Badguy and Baiken. Baiken is always my main while Sol is my sub, the name order comes from simple preference (I thought it sounded better) and people often misinterpret the “X” as a pairing. While I'm not opposed to it that was never and has never been the purpose of the X, it was just a cool way to combine the two is all.

Although admittedly ever since Slash I play a lot more Order-Sol, maybe I should update my name, haha.

What is your background with fighting games...Did you start with BB or are you OG like SFII?

Uwa~ Don't hate me but...I've had very little (almost none actually) experience with SFII until they released HD Remix...

I've always enjoyed fighting games, just never Street Fighter, so I usually tended to avoid them. My first earnest try at the Street Fighter games didn't come until Alpha 2, instead I spent my time playing around with various other fighters. My first actual fighter was Samurai Shodown, I've been playing Tekken since 1, I'm really into the King of Fighters series (XI is my favorite! But it lacks May Lee...), and the original Guilty Gear is what started making me think of fighters as more than just games. While I played many fighters before GG, it was GG that really got me into the genre.

What competitive scene are you involved with? (Ranbats, Arcades, XBL, PSN, Reload Online etc.) Would you elaborate the benefits of this particular scene?

Sadly I'd probably be categorized as a “casual” player as I never really had much interest (let alone ability) to really branch out to scenes, which is why I've been thankful for netplay with the turn of this generation. In fact I'm thinking of participating in the Danisen League, which is a PSN weekly meet up ran by another Dustloop member, Zeth07.

I think that being involved in anything no matter how big or small is important for community unity and just generally “keeping the faith alive”. I would love to see more local and online regular meetups organized (like the casuals LunaKage has for the MI scene), not only for BlazBlue but also Guilty Gear, Vampire Savior, and Skullgirls (when it releases of course). A lot of people feel Dustloop is a bit divided and the first thing to do to keep the walls down is to just get together!

How strong do you feel your nation is as a whole, what is the next step to strengthening it?

Hmmm, I'm probably not the best one to ask about this subject as I've only recently started to pay attention to events and stuff, but America definitely has some heart. I think the biggest thing separating America from other countries (especially those in Asia) is just an overall lack of dedication. We just generally view the importance and likely hood of improvement in fighting games differently from other regions, but that's not to say there aren't some seriously dedicated US players. Each time I tune into a stream for some big event (most recently being Evo of course) I'm impressed to see the play and hear the crowds.

I think a “next step” has to come naturally, but the revitalization of fighters in both main stream and indie (doujin) scenes will definitely help.

Which player(s) give you the most trouble and why?

HAHA! Well there's a bit of a joke that states my matchup against Dustloop in 10:0 in DL's favor, haha.

Hmm a lot of people give me trouble in a lot of games, this is probably because I am rather formulaic, I always adhere to a limited amount of patterns which I try to apply to every scenario (note: DO NOT DO THIS!). I have trouble adapting immediately and often nudge back on my path, but fight me enough and I'll start learning...eventually, hehe.

What has been the most helpful tool while growing stronger in BB?

Definitely the tutorial DVD that was included in the Limited Edition of Calamity Trigger, that was such a godsend for me and was the main reason I jumped on that version of CT. Having a visual aide I could constantly reference was nice and made jumping into any character that much easier knowing when and how things had to be done.

The built in tutorial for CS were nice but not perfect; the overall tutorial with commentary by Rachel really turned me off cause of all her backhanded compliments and general “you are filth” attitude, the challenge modes for specific characters were nice because they were essentially interactive combos like the ones shown on the CT DVD, however I liked the fact the DVD hid the commands for the final and more tricky combos. Made it feel sorta like a test, also the breakdown for each character was the reason I preferred the DVD over what was offered in CS.

Is there anything you'd like to share regarding your respective character or Dustloop in general?

Hmmm well I play Tsubaki in BB who, thanks to CSII, has shaped up to be a more worthy spiritual successor to Order-Sol. This makes me happy, however I still feel BB hasn't made a character that really appeals to me yet, and I'm hoping that the next entry (be it a 3 rd title or CSII+) brings me a Baiken-esque character, I'd really like BB if I could play another Baiken, but I say that for every fighter, haha!

Hmm as for the community in general all I have to say is;

STOP COMPLAINING! There are people who are trying their hardest to keep older titles alive and that if you feel your game is “dead” and you still love it than do anything and everything to try and wake people up to your feelings!

I was very pleased to have the GG side tourney at this year's Evo and I hope this will not be the last time I see it, even if it wasn't included in the lime light.