« Norcal's Finest Melty Blood Player »
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With the introduction of Melty Blood into the Evo roster, communities all around America have a chance to step into the light of mainstream fighting games. Often considered a niche game with Western audiences, Melty Blood now stands at a crossroad: will it finally gain its recognition after Evolution 2010 or will it fall into obscurity beneath the shadows of other popular games?
To answer this question and give some insight into the community, I was invited to a Melty Blood session by Norcal’s best player, Yat. Considered the “Robot” by his colleagues, Yat is Norcal’s strongest representative for Evolution 2010. Below are some question asked during the interview:
Try to ignore the EngrishQuestion 1: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your involvement with the Melty Blood community?
Yat: I first started playing Melty blood three years ago at the advent of the PC release, Melty Blood Act Cadenza. I randomly showed up to SJSU and met a lot of the people in the Melty scene. I’m actually not that active on Meltybread (an online community of Melty Blood players).
Question 2: Can you tell us which character(s) you use and why?
Yat: I use everyone because… I get bored too easily with characters. That’s literally the reason.
*However, Yat admits that Tohno Shiki is probably his strongest character.
Question 3: Can you tell us a little bit about your tournament history? Have you played any of the other big name players in Melty Blood?
Yat: The first real tournament I went to was West Toast X. I believe I got top 8—like 7th place. I lost to Sp00ky first, then Nerina in Top 8. I don’t have any history per say, but I like to hang out with top players.
Question 4: What is your advice to new players in Melty Blood? What should they focus on first when getting into the game?
Yat: You want to capitalize off of aerial counter hits. This is one of the big things in Melty Blood besides learning your bread and butters, learning how the neutral game works. This turns off a lot of players because some players just don’t get it. In this game you can double dash and jump in this game. You’ve got air dodges. There are so many movement options that it’s hard to keep it in mind.
Question 5: What are your thoughts about Melty Blood Actress Again being in Evo? Do you plan to participate in the tournament, and if so, what are you doing to prepare for it?
What amazed me wasn't that Yat played on pad or his 45 win streak. It was the fact that he could do both while answering my questions.
Yat: I’m glad that it’s finally going to get some publicity in a major American tournament; it’s really niche for the most part, and I think a lot more people would play the game if they knew about it. Yes, I plan to go to Evo. I have a ride secured to go now. We hold weekly sessions, and that’s pretty much all I’m doing to prepare for it.
Question 6: Where do you see the scene going after Evo? Do you, for example, see it being there next year again and why?
Yat: It’s kind of 50-50. We might get a lot more players, or it might die. The pressure’s on. We’ve got to put a really good show at Evo. I’ve got no idea what’s going to happen. It could go completely one way or the other. Melty Blood is a good game. As long as people keep holding tournaments and people keep playing, the game won’t die; the scene is here to stay.
Question 7: What is your opinion on Melty Blood in Japan? There is some discussion that America’s Melty Blood community is stronger than Japan’s. What’s your opinion on this?
Misrepresentation at its finest
Yat: I don’t know about that. Melty Blood is a JP game through and through. It’s ridiculously popular in Japan. Plus, JP players in general are stronger in fighting games. Gameplay-wise it’s far more interesting to watch the players in Japan…Right now the current version in the arcade is version A. They are getting a new version called Current Code, which is very much like the Ps2 version. It’s not that the community is stronger. Our meta game is stronger because we’ve had the version they are going to get for a longer time. The Japanese don’t play the game on console, they play it in the arcade. Our knowledge of the current game is stronger, but we still steal a lot more of the game from the Japanese. Some people think that the Japanese will have a hard time adapting at Evo, but I don’t really think that’s going to be the case; we’re just playing different games.
