JuniorMints:
What is your name and your gamer tag, and where are you from?
Golba Loves:
John B, from Long Island, New York. My gamertags are Golba Loves for XBL and Golba_Loves for the PSN
JuniorMints:
Ah from the east coast, looks like you guys always have all the fun with MvC2! How long have you been playing the game?
Golba Loves:
I've been playing since it came out in 2000, granted I was just mashing buttons back then, didn't start playing consistently though till 2002.
JuniorMints:
How did you get introduced to the game? When you started were you already playing other fighters competitively or you were a casual player?
Golba Loves:
I first saw the game at a buddy's house. I watched in confusion as characters like Jill and spider man were fighting each other. Instantly I was intrigued to start playing, It was love at first sight.;-) At the time I was playing no other fighter and really not even playing all that many video games at all at the time. I did have x-men vs. street fighter for playstation 1 and I messed around with that on a regular basis but I only played the computer so no I was no were near competitive at the time.
JuniorMints:
Awesome, everyone must have been confused too. Since the game plays at such a fast pace. Let's chat about your first competitive tournament, where was your first tournament and how were you feeling?
Golba Loves:
First tourny I played in was in summer of 2002 at Jims house in Long Island. Back then all the Long Island Marvel tournaments were played at his house. It was a big tournament and a very exiting atmosphere, 30 or so people attended. As I scarfed down hot dogs and pork grinds I got to play the best marvel players from Long Island at that time. I don't recall being nervous, just more exited then anything else to be in just a great atmosphere for the game. To my surprise I took 5th in that tournament. I was happy considering how my skill or lack there of was at the time. Jim ended up taking first with Santhrax I believe.
JuniorMints:
What team did you use at the tournament?
Golba Loves:
Rogue wasn't tourney ready yet, I used Team Scrub, my main at that time.
JuniorMints:
How did you end up maining Rogue? She's a beast!
Golba Loves:
As cheesy as it sounds the computer Rogue motivated me to start using her, if you go in arcade mode and let her attack you its kind of scary. So I started to play around with her in 2002 but ended up putting her on the back burner to Team Scrub for a while until I left the game in late 2003 and then came back to it in late 2004. Then when I came back to the game in 2004 I started using her religiously and haven't looked back.
JuniorMints:
Haha yeah man that CPU Rogue does tricks that just can not be done with human hands and reactions. Her cross ups are just beastly! So what is your current team? What's the story on Team Napkin?
Golba Loves:
Team Napkin Rogue/Cable/Commando. Originally when I came back to the game in 2004 I was using Rogue/Sentinel/Commando as my main, the team has some flashy stuff but I missed Cable way to much to give up on him so I gave Rogue/Cable/Sentinel a whirl and that didn't quite work out. So one day at my sparring partner's place Domingo, I busted out Rogue/Cable/Commando. He told me it was garbage and to stick with scrub. At the time he played a team of Cable/Blackheart/Doom that he proudly called Team Napkin. When I asked him why I called it that he arrogantly responded "Because I beat you with it all the time." It made no sense what so ever but I just wanted to stop hearing him rub in the loses so I challenged him in a first to seven for the name of the team, he agreed, I won, and I kept the name since just to remind him of the first to seven series. Even to this day he is my main sparring buddy, we have probably played 100,000 hours worth of games together.
JuniorMints:
Wow that's a great story! Napkin for the win! How much MvC2 do you play now? Do you still play the arcade perfect Dreamcast version or the new XBL/PSN version?
Golba Loves:
If I'm playing live with people I stick to strickly Dreamcast, on occasion I will also make the trip out to China Town Fair for some competition on arcade version. When I get the chance I play both ps3 and xbox live versions online.
If I play live at Syns house aka the Long Island marvel spot, I'll play anywhere from 4-10 hours that day, If I'm playing online, I'll play typically for 3 hours or so at a time. Overall I play marvel 3 or 4 times a week.
JuniorMints:
Putting in those long hours! Besides sparring, are you active in the tournament/competitive scene?
Golba Loves:
I make every Long Island tournament, as far as traveling I'll only leave the state for EVO or ECC/NEC.
JuniorMints:
You've been to EVO before? How was it?
Golba Loves:
I went to EVO last year, it was awesome. It's a great feeling being around so many other people who are so passionate for the same game as you are. The hype for marvel was ridiculous, people pulling out $100 bills betting on games like it was a ten or yelling and screaming things like "put some butter on my lobster." I did pretty good in the tourney as well and got to meet a lot of people who I watched online or have heard of. Also I got a brief chance to play one of the Japenese players Sadeo, guy had unreal execution. Definitely an awesome experience, I'll be there this year as well.
JuniorMints:
That's dope! As far as the Japanese scene is concerned, I hardly hear much about it. But let's compare scenes, how is the east coast mvc2 scene compared to the rest of the world?
Golba Loves:
I honestly wouldn't even break it down by coast because even though there are a few exceptions NYC has the best players in the world. Some of the west coast players may disagree but it is difficult to argue when the fact is Justin Wong, Sanford, and Yipes are responsible for every Evo championship, all of them residents of NYC. If you broke NY down even further I would say it looks like this.. the best of Long Island can compare to the solid queens players, while the best of queens can give competition to Brooklyn and Bronx while the Bronx crew and best of brooklyn are competition to yipes, sanford, and wong but ultimately they run marvel and have been for years, and trust me I have no allegiance to any of them its just that they are the best. But ya I would compare the best Jap players like Sadeo to just about any of the best players I've played in queens.
JuniorMints:
Wow that's just pure honesty there! So where do you see the mvc2 scene evolving further? Like keeping the community alive, this game is over 10 years old and people still get hyped for mvc2! Where do you see yourself in the community in 5 more years?
Golba Loves:
Money Matches: They are getting more and more out of control, and everyone loves it. Even people like myself who refused money matches have made it a norm. I think with the latest versions released will help introduce the game to a younger crowd who couldn't enjoy it when it was originally released for the arcade and anyone who is into the game now or was into it will never be able to fully turn their back to it. Basically I see the game being just as hype in 5 years as it is now if not more hype.
JuniorMints:
Alright, the more hype the better. What was one of your most memoriable matches? It could be casuals or tournament setting, any match that stuck out to you as, "Yeah, that was some good games there!"
Golba Loves:
Game 7 Grand finals Long Island Tournament 2006 vs. Terry aka "Pond" aka "random beast." Funny thing is earlier in the tournament he knocked me into losers so I had to beat him best of 7 in winners finals and then Grand Finals. It was memorable to me because it was my first tournament I won using Rogue. The match looked like all was lost and lucky for me I made a good alpha counter with cable and ahvb x19 did the rest. It was also memorable because at the time Terry was the only one of us that could compete with the skilled players traveling in from nyc, to beat him in that fashion, with Rogue was a thrill. In fact after that tournament is when Syn started recording every session, we decided we couldn't miss out on filming these tourneys.
JuniorMints:
Freaking awesome! What is it about Rogue that suits your play style?
Golba Loves:
I like playing both aspects of the game in one team, I enjoy rushing down hard with Rogue and then going into lock down mode with Cable. On an intermediate level I think keep away has a bad rep. But the more I play marvel the more I appreciate how far my keep away game has progressed and how difficult keep away is at a higher level of play. Reacting to your opponent is much more in depth then getting the one hit and then in essence, going into auto pilot. But ya not straying from your question too much I love rushing down with Rogue and winning with her when most players don't expect it to happen.
JuniorMints:
That was a really good answer! Any shoutouts to conclude our interview?
Golba Loves:
I'd like to thank Syn for holding regular Long Island marvel sessions at his place for all these years, Domingo for staying a steady sparring partner all these years, Drumliner Joe and VDO for giving me Rogue comp, anyone else from the long Island crew, and the bronx crew for helping improve my game.
JuniorMints:
Dude thanks for this interview on behalf AllisFighter.com!
Golba Loves:
Thanks a lot Mints, keep working on that Rogue