« IPlaywinner Interview with Keits »
FuriousRGD | Friday, February 19, 2010 at 2:11AM | in Super Street Fighter IV, interviews, street fighter IV, tatsunoko vs capcom 
Keits is a man of many talents. He's an incredible Tatsunoko vs Capcom player and is one of the game's most visible ambassadors for the game. He does a tremendous amount for the community as well, sharing information and moderating in the forums, and also hosting his own podcast on SRK called "Wake Up SRK". He puts together great tutorial videos like his Tatsunoko vs Capcom Primer video. He has also done a lot for building fighting game scenes in his local area. This year he's running the Midwest Championships. Oh, and he also can get you a tie with your favorite fighting game character. He does interviews as well!
Thank you so much, Keits for the interview. You're one of those guys who just seems to be everywhere, so we appreciate your taking the time to do this. Let's start.
Tell us a bit about your fighting game experience. When did you start playing fighting games and what fighting game got you into the genre?
I started playing when I first saw the SF2 World Warriors machine at my local roller-rink. I fell in love instantly and hated losing to random kids from my school who, at that time, made fun of me for playing video games. I played whenever I saw it at any arcade, and eventually got the 6 button controllers and championship edition for my Genesis. It wasn't long before no one I knew could beat me even one in fifty games. And then everyone I knew quit playing.
I continued running UFGT until my life lead me out of Ohio and to Wisconsin, where I promptly found that no one played anything (in Green Bay / Appleton at least) and retired for about 4 years. An old friend contacted me in 2007 and wanted to meet up with me at Midwest Championships/Evo North. I showed up, but my friend didn't. Somehow, in a house full of OGs, I managed to luck my way to 7th in arcade Super Turbo and won a qualifying spot in Evolution 2007. Seth Killian pulled me aside and said "Now you have to come to Vegas." I've been traveling to as many events as I can afford to since, just meeting great people and playing great games.
What other fighters did you play in the past and which ones do you play today?
I'm pretty well known as a jack of all trades. If characters kick and punch each-other in it, I played it, and probably entered tournaments for it. Today, I'm slowing down and trying to focus more on fewer games. TvC is my big focus now, but I’m very interested in Super SF4 as well. I'm still willing to throw down in just about anything, though.
Can you tell us a little about your tourney experience?
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. There was no tournament scene anywhere near me, so around 1998 I started getting out there, meeting people, and building a small scene. Once we had a good 10 people playing regularly, we had to know who was number one, so I started running "UFGT" (Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament) from my home. I did this three times with just friends before deciding to use shoryuken.com to reach out to more players in 2001. UFGT2k1: Tri State Tour Edition had 32 people, which was huge back in the day, and I had never met most of them before hand. It was really exciting.
It must have been a real challenge to build a scene from scratch before Street Fighter 4. You had Third Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Alpha series, and so forth but some of those games were years old and had high barriers to entry for new players. What do you think about Street Fighter 4’s impact on the fighting scene?
SF4's impact is 100% positive. All it’s done is bring in a massive new generation of players. It’s too bad that a lot of the older players are finding reasons to hate SF4 and to badmouth the new blood. Sure, some of them are bad apples or rotten eggs or what-have-you... but the majority of them are fitting in quite nicely and have a long future here in the competitive community. Sure SF4 isn’t the most fun game I've ever played, but it’s pretty well balanced and has a nice sampling of concepts and mechanics for new players and experienced players. It’s a game that unites us all, in a way, so while we all have our favorite games, we all also play SF4 together.
Moving on to Super Street Fighter 4. What do you think about the changes that Capcom is making and the new characters being added? Any characters or game features you are particularly excited about?
Ibuki was confirmed for Super SF4 shortly after this interview was completed.I'm very excited about the new characters. The big thing that kept me from really digging into SF4 was not having a character I really loved playing. I feel that will be different this time around. As far as changes to the old cast, its too early to say... but from what I've read, it seems like the goal is to change as little as possible. I was hoping for a bigger step up, like A1 to A2, but I think this will be fine if they spend the next two years making the next version a much more dramatic change. I'm very excited to play Cody, and if the rumors are true, Ibuki and Hakan. I really wish the multi-hit focus rumor had been true though. It would have been an amazing risk/reward scenario. Online lobbies will also help keep netplay fresh for a lot of us.
So is there a type of character in fighting games that you naturally gravitate towards? Is it the look, the play-style, a combo of both or something else?
Yeah, its really a combo of both. I tend to be able to forgive a stupid character if their playstyle really suits me though. I prefer zoning characters that force the opponent to have a hard time even reaching me, but my style is flexible and a flexible character suits me well too.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Did you ever think this game would come to North America?
No. No one did. And certainly not with a total re-balance and 5 new characters.
You say that you are focusing more on fewer games. Of all the fighting games that have now been released, what makes you choose TvC? What are the aspects of the game which really drew you in?
How can you not choose TvC? In a world full of conservative choices, TvC is the most liberal product possible. Its so fun because every character feels so powerful. Its exciting and dynamic. It has a comeback mechanic that isnt overbearing. It has the most absurdly liberal use of the 'Roman Cancel' concept from Guity Gear ever. I watched a full year of tournament videos from all over the US and Japan (though not a huge number of people played), and the creativity seen in this game eclipses anything I've ever seen. I literally see something new every time I sit down to watch high level play in TvC, and you can take that to the bank.
Keits makes short work of an opponent at Battlefield Arcadia
What are your favorite characters in TvC? What is your favorite team(s)?
I like everyone in TvC minus Batsu and Viewtiful Joe (I find them to be a bit plain). I’m comfortable enough in TvC to play random select, but in the Japanese version, my favorite teams were Saki/Tekkaman, Jun/Tekkaman, Alex/Chun, Alex/Polimar, and Roll/Casshan. In UAS right now, I’m playing Blade/Ryu, Zero/Alex, and I’m still experimenting with other teams. I have a few favorite characters I don't have permanent teams for, such as Yatterman-2 and Ippatsuman.
Do you think that TvC will find traction in the fighting game community? What do you think about its long-term prospects?
No, I honestly don't think it will. And don't be confused, I'm not saying "Don't play TvC". TvC is amazingly fun and everyone who likes fun should be playing it. The sad reality of the situation though is that the Wii has this stigma that its some incredible hurdle that must be jumped before enjoying TvC. All TvC really needs is *enough* traction to make Capcom think they can profit off a sequel (hopefully for a system people won't cry for hours about).
In my own scene in Columbia, SC there was initially a lot of apathy towards the game. To many it was just a new Marvel vs Capcom only on a console that is not really taken seriously. However, once people tried the game, enthusiasm for the game has spread like wildfire. Do you think that TvC’s comparison to Marvel and it being on the Wii are holding the game back?
TvC calls itself the sequel to MvC2. It is definitely a game with a lot of those design sensibilities in mind, and I'm certain that given a little time to get a feel for the system and layout that Marvel fans will love the game. The Wii is the one thing holding this game back... and not so much the Wii itself (outside the very poor online). It’s the stigma of the Wii that does it. Remember when none of us owned a seasonable home version of any fighting game, and we relied on the cabinet the arcade owned to play, have fun, and get better? Do this with TvC if you don’t want to buy it. Find someone who has it locally and go play!
There are obviously a lot of new TvC players out there now that it has come to North America. How would you recommend that new players approach the game?
New players should worry less about tiers and rules and more about figuring the system out. I've seen way too many people begging for tier lists, and I've seen way, way, way too many people trying to ban the giant characters. The next thing to realize is that TvC's online is not good. Once in a while with the right opponent, you can get something playable... but you need to separate online play from the real TvC. It sounds like common sense, but it doesn't seem to be for a lot of new players. So, get comfortable, find real life opponents to play, and just enjoy yourself. And remember to baroque a lot!
You don’t think that Evo 2010 can elevate TvC to help break through the hurdles it currently faces? Evo 2010 looks like it will be the biggest yet. Perhaps people just need to see for themselves what the game has to offer and not dismiss the game because it is on the Wii. There will be a lot of people going to Evo 2010, but the number of people watching the streams will be massive.
You know, it really could turn out that way. I hope it does. But this game, while beginner friend like SF4, does not allow low levels players to enjoy it with high level players. Make no mistake, TvC is a real man's game. In SF4, for instance, you can pretty much just block low all day without much fear in a lot of situations. If someone jumps, you stand up for a second, and be ready to tech throw attempts. The overheads are mostly slow, and even the fastest ones lead only to single hit worth of damage. If you get hit with an overhead in TvC, and some of them are stupid fast, and your opponent might do them when hiding behind an assist... be ready to lose half you life or more. Defense is extremely active in TvC.
Keits vs Sanford Kelly (Winner's Finals) at Battlefield Arcadia
Let’s say that TvC turns out to be profitable and Capcom decides to do a sequel. Is there anything you would like to see in a TvC2?
Yeah, for sure. They need to do some more about defensive megacrash and the combos after. Either cut meter build entirely afterward or make the combos not possible. As of right now, this is the #1 worst mechanic in TvC. More glitch fixing is needed too, as some of the new characters can trigger glitches very similar to some of the stuff they fixed for UAS. The giants, Lightan and PTX, have no use what-so-ever for the Partner button (outside of baroque and megacrash). Id like to see that button get a unique use for the giants. I think have selectable assist types, like Marvel 2, would really increase the amount of teams with good synergy too, and I hope they look at this as well. More than anything, I always look forward to more characters. I'd like to see a new type of gimmick character (like the giants are a gimmick), and I hope to see more obscure Capcom characters (or at least ones that have not appeared in fighting games before). Capcom; Arthur please!
Arthur from Ghouls n’ Ghosts would be fantastic! I saw the small screenshot of the GnG level that didn’t make it into TvC and thought that Arthur and a GnG level would have been ridiculously great!
What fighting game would you like to see next from Capcom?
I haven't thought much about it. I guess i'll say CvS3.
Keits can be heard on a new podcast, "Wakeup SRK", found at http://www.shoryuken.com You’ve had a lot of involvement in the fighting game community. Your podcast on shoryuken.com is a great example of this. How did that come about? It’s great!
Its really just about putting myself out there and being vocal and helpful. I show up to events on my dime, and I do a lot of volunteer work. Eventually this put me in a position where my work would be seen by more people. I love this community, and I'm not the best player, so its only natural for me to find other ways to give back. For instance, this year's Midwest Championships will be run by me.
Wow. The midwest his hopping these days! With Seasons Beatings 4 and now this. I'm sure our readers would love to know more about the Midwest Championships!
Sure! Well, Midwest Championships is one of the longest running annual fighting game tournaments in the world. Until this year, its been run by Jason "DreamTR" Wilson, and its been held at an arcade just outside Chicago called "Nickel City". When I found out that MWC might be cancelled this year, I contacted Jason to confirm. Once he did, I asked if he minded if I carried on the name of the tournament and ran this year's MWC myself. He gave me his blessing, and here we are! We are moving out of Nickel City and into a nice big hotel ballroom. Im working hard to get everyone the best possible deal on their stay in Chicago for MWC, and our dates (May 8th and 9th) make us the first Super SF4 major in the country (and possibly the world). We will be streaming live if you can't make it, but believe me when I say you wont want to miss it no matter where you are from. Keep your eye on the MWC thread for updates on features and deals.
You’ve been involved with Evo. Can you tell us a little about that?
Again, its just showing up year after year and putting in the work, while showing I'm happy to do it. A lot of people help at Evo who don't get recognized. They deserve a nod too.
Over the past year a ton of streams have hit the interwebs. It seems like every weekend there are streams you can choose from if you want to watch live gameplay, almost always with commentary these days. You say you watch a lot of vids, but do you watch streams? If so, what are some of your favorite streams and who are your favorite commentators?
I watch a lot of streams. They are WAY better than pre-recorded videos for entertainment and learning when the video quality is reasonable. As far as commentary goes, I'm really not very picky. The only thing I really can't stand is when the play by play is the dominant thing being spoken. I can see that Ryu just did 3 c.mk's, or that Paul just did 1,1,2 and then whiffed a throw. I think the best commentary has a mix of insight about the player's thoughts, information about the technicality of what's is being performed, and of course, a generous dose of color/humor. Above all, take it easy on people who do commentary. Its not easy to put yourself in front of hundreds or thousands, and it takes time and practice, just like anything, to get good at it.
Keits models a custom SF4 tie. Who says you can't bring the hype to your next office meeting?This thread on Shoryuken.com shows you (and others) sporting some very nice looking ties featuring fighting game characters. It says you had these on sale at Evo 09 and look great! I’m sure our more up-scale readers would love to know about this unique service.
Yeah, we can actually put any single-color image you want onto a neck tie. Its a very unique service, as you can order just one tie instead of having to order bulk to get a custom neck tie. Its nerdy, but classy. Please feel free to PM me with any questions you have about ordering our neck ties. Do you think I have a future in modeling?
The new TvC players out there will like what you have in store for them on your Youtube channel!
Well, to be honest, the reason I don't have more content up at the moment is because I've been working very hard on the hotel/venue deal I'm getting for MWC. Once that is all taken care of, I'll get more content up for you guys. First up will be a 2nd system's primer that covers some of the stuff I missed in the first one. After that, character basics for all 26 characters will come up one by one. The order that I plan to do these is really based on a combination of how much the character changed from Cross Generation of Heroes (original Japanese release of TvC), demand from my youtube subscribers, and a preference to the requests of anyone who donates. All donations will go toward getting me nicer equipment so that viewing my youtube is more pleasurable for everyone. If I have enough for the component capture device before Super SF4 comes, I'll be doing full tutorials on that game as well.
Check out Keits' YouTube channel below! He is working on more tutorial videos for Tatsunoko vs Capcom and may do Super SF4 in the future, so subscribe!
Visit Keits' YouTube Channel: Rockeits
Also be sure to visit the Midwest Championships Thread on SRK
Reader Comments (15)
I kind of a agree with Keits. If this same game were on xbox or ps3 it would probably be far more popular. Its a great game but people wont play because its on the Wii.
Cool interview. Funny this is mentioned but Ive been listening to the SRK podcasts hes on. Its good to have another quality podcast to listen to. Good stuff
This game has potential. The fighting game community just doesn't support it and the tvc community doesn't promote itself! SF4 would not be as big as it is today had So Cal not promoted the fucking shit out of this game. That's the big difference between this game and every other fighter out there to date.
It's for sure hard for a fighting game on the wii to blow up and I really agree with Keits when he said that it isn't the wii itself that is holding the game back, just the image. The wii doesn't have a solid fan base in the fighting scene yet and the fact that the console was targeted towards casual gamers doesn't help much. It's great to see some one who is a pretty large figure in the scene jumping behind a game that doesn't have much backing.... YET!
I just bought this game a few weeks ago, it's a shame I can't play it competetivly though. It's a very good game and I love it, a lot more people need to play it more. =/
Wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wait.
... Viewtiful Joe is too plain?
^That's what i was thinking man. Batsu i could KINDA give him but not Joe man. He's got more heart and flair than all these Tatsunoko guys combined.
I would be able to give him the Batsu point if he didn't use Ryu (who has almost the same moves as Batsu and vice-versa). Ryu has less personality than a black hole on morphine. XD
love the interview gotta love people like this some humble and just out there for the community. This is why the scene has such a passionate following. Its something i am going to held myself to once i get my arcade up and running in orlando in a few years.
Sadly i do think hes right about TVC i freaking love this game its great but the thing i hear 80% of the time is, oh its on the wii? no thanks. People just have a closed minded view on the wii and i think it will sink the game, i hold out hope that evo will change a lot of peoples minds.
keits is the man! he's always coming down to chi to help us level up. He's actually coming downt tomorrow for our local ranbats
@Deadwood
Amen. I'm glad there's another podcast to listen to as well! Actually the last one I listened to was a great one which introduced me to Melty Blood. I knew nothing about the game, but after the podcast I was really interested in finding out more. That's what a good podcast should do. Get you thinking.
Keits seems like a really great guy. Ever since I started communicating with him about various things, including this interview, he's been nothing but helpful. He really is one of the greats in the community.
BTW,
Keit's quote about TVC should be on the back of the freaking box and in ads:
"TvC is amazingly fun and everyone who likes fun should be playing it."
too awesome
Lovin the increase in interviews on ipw! They have all been quality and this is no exception.
Wasn't really too hyped on TvC but then I played it. Keits primer vid was awesome. Trying to get the Boise folk to thrown down for a community wii at Big Damage Arcade ;)
I am 100% getting a sweet neck tie.
Lottamercy,
Do it man. Try to get a Wii and TvC. If people just *try* the game, they tend to like it. Even those who don't like Marvel vs Capcom 2. In my own scene, we had TvC casuals one day and now TvC-hype is spreading all over. Once you get people over the fact that it's on Wii, and actually *play* the game, the game tends to make a good impression.
Who interviewed him?