Posted by Thorin @ 11:18 CST, 21 February 2025 - iMsg
In the 480th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Kurt "immortal" Shimada, CPL champion and Quake 2 legend.
immortal was one of the pioneers of the professional Quake 2 duel scene in the late 90s, along with friends and rivals Thresh and Makaveli. The champion of the CPL's Extreme Annihilation in 1999, he is best known for upsetting Thresh at PGL S3 on Q2DM3.
immortal discusses his time as a pro, why he stepped away and some of the other adventures he had over the years.
Posted by Thorin @ 12:53 CST, 8 February 2024 - iMsg
In the 354th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Marco "vengeuR" Ragusa, 2021 Quake Pro League World Champion.
vengeuR discusses his ability to beat rapha, his strange friendship with RAISY who he doesn't practice with, what makes k1llsen's style and attitude so unique and how the Italian player almost lost a family member before he had to play the World Championship final!
Edited by Teen Queen at 16:50 CST, 10 February 2024 - 6018 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 14:22 CST, 3 February 2024 - iMsg
In the 350th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Adrián "RAISY" Birgány, five time Quake Pro League World Championship runner-up.
RAISY discusses his early days competing in CS:GO, breaking onto the Quake scene with wins at Dreamhack Denver and the Italian Open 2018, his countless runners-up finishes and the difficulty of battling rapha.
Edited by Thorin at 09:23 CST, 4 February 2024 - 5434 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 15:32 CST, 22 January 2018 - iMsg
In the 129th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Christian "GitzZz" Höck, legendary Unreal Tournament dueller and multiple time champion (WCG 2001, WCG 2002 and ESWC 2003).
GitzZz talks about his world championship campaigns, his rivalries with players like Lauke and Burnie, the 'what if' matches that never happened vs. destrukt and FATAL1TY and even the present of Unreal esports.
Posted by Thorin @ 10:25 CST, 31 December 2017 - iMsg
In the 125th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Riccardo "Vicious" Zanocchio, old school Unreal Tournament and Painkiller dueller.
Vicious talks about his experiences around legendary duellers like Vo0 and GitzZz, as well as his perspective on the mentality of duel players and the evolution of FPS esports games.
Posted by Thorin @ 09:37 CST, 21 December 2017 - iMsg
In the 123rd episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Sander "Vo0" Kaasjager, CPMA enthusiast, legendary Painkiller champion and current Quake Champions dueller.
Vo0 discussed his love of movement-based games, his epic rivalry in Painkiller with FATAL1TY, the CPL World Tour and his return to duelling in Quake Champions.
Posted by Thorin @ 10:52 CST, 18 November 2017 - iMsg
In the 118th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Pelle "fazz" Söderman, famed duel and TDM player of Quake 3 and QuakeLive.
fazz discussed his TDM days in EYE, famous team-mates fox and proZaC, his late arrival into Quake Live and his thoughts on newer esports titles like Overwatch and Quake Champions
Posted by Thorin @ 14:09 CST, 11 November 2017 - iMsg
In the 116th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Shane "rapha" Hendrixson, legendary QuakeLive champion and now Quake Champions dueller.
rapha discussed his rivalries with players like Cypher, Cooller, evil and DaHanG. He also gave insights as to how his unique style and mentality for duelling developed, as well as his relationship with ZeRo4.
Posted by Thorin @ 12:24 CDT, 20 October 2017 - iMsg
In the 114th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty, famed Quake 4, QuakeLive and now Quake Champions dueler.
DaHanG discussed his start in Quake 2, his rise in Quake 4, his numerous finals runs in QuakeLive, playing as a Support for Team Liquid in Overwatch and his thoughts on Quake Champions.
Posted by Thorin @ 13:52 CDT, 1 November 2016 - iMsg
In the 90th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Johnathan "FATAL1TY" Wendel, legendary Quake 3, UT2003 and Painkiller dueler.
FATAL1TY discusses his approach to becoming a duel champion, the rivals he battled across eight years of competition and the challenges of adapting to different FPS games.
Posted by Thorin @ 14:40 CST, 28 January 2016 - iMsg
In this episode of my series "Thorin's Thoughts", I discuss the greatness of Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel in the context of people in the community down-playing his accomplishments.
Posted by Thorin @ 16:46 CDT, 17 September 2015 - iMsg
In the 71st episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Victor "Makaveli" Cuadra, legendary Quake 2 and Quake 3 dueler.
Makaveli discusses his development as a player, rising to the top with peers like Thresh and immortal; his style of play and philosophy on dueling; and the key tournaments which shaped his career.
Posted by Thorin @ 14:08 CDT, 3 September 2015 - iMsg
In the 67th episode of my "Reflections" series I interviewed Dennis "Thresh" Fong, legendary Quake and Quake 2 champion.
Thresh talks about his famous championship runs, his innovation of the control style of play and his relationships with fellow Quake legends like Makaveli and immortal.
Posted by Thorin @ 01:24 CDT, 20 March 2015 - iMsg
In this episode of my series "Thorin's Thoughts", I discuss the approach which made Shane "rapha" Hendrixson one of the most successful duelers of all-time.
Posted by Thorin @ 02:48 CST, 9 December 2014 - iMsg
This youtube channel is full of classic Quake duel series from tournaments, going right back through the Quakes and into the late 90s. Being as newer players aren't going to download those games, patch them and figure out how to play the demos, it really helps having high quality VODs simply out there on youtube.
A few examples:
Massive respect to whoever is behind the channel.
Edited by Thorin at 02:53 CST, 9 December 2014 - 14397 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 17:00 CDT, 18 October 2014 - iMsg
As CS:GO continues to get bigger as an esport, there are many looking to get involved and up to speed on the scene. Here are 10 story-lines every CS:GO fan needs to know, to fully appreciate the context of the game's history.
In the the first episode of 'The player I'm passionate about', andeh, commentator for SuddendeathTV, explains what he likes so much about the play of QW movement maestro LocKtar.
Posted by Thorin @ 09:50 CDT, 24 April 2014 - iMsg
In the 27th episode of my 'Reflections' series I interviewed Stuart 'Tosspot' Saw, veteran esports commentator. Tosspot discussed his development as a commentator, his thoughts on the standard of professionalism that should be expected and whether he'd move into any of the newer esports games.
Posted by Thorin @ 18:44 CST, 11 January 2014 - iMsg
This is a historical article speculating on the potential for 10 great Quake duel finals that might have been, but ultimately weren't. Despite all the great match-ups we've seen in the series' history, here's a few where a quick rewind and a different finish to a semi-final could have made things interesting in an entirely different way.
10. Strenx's real chance for a major title - Strenx vs. av3k (IEM V European Championship)
9. One last send-off for the last great Quake 3 rivalry - czm vs. Cooller (CPL Winter 2006)
8. The revenge final - Cooller vs. Cypher (IEM V European Championship)
7. The real cold war - uNkind vs. socrates (WCG 2002)
6. A first true meeting for the eventual greatest - rapha vs. Cypher (ESWC Masters Athens 2008)
5. Dethroning the tyrant - toxjq vs. Ztrider (WSVG ISC Summer 2006)
4. The ESWC rematch - Cooller vs. ZeRo4 (QuakeCon 2004)
3. The rematch of the IEM final - rapha vs. Cooller (ESWC 2010)
2. The last chapter - ZeRo4 vs. Cooller (CXG)
1. The American-Russian pairing we never saw - fatal1ty vs. LeXer (QuakeCon 2002)
The guest for the 60th episode of my 'Grilled' interview series is myself: Duncan "Thorin" Shields. I'm a 12 year veteran of esports journalism, spanning numerous games (incl. Q3, CS, BW, SC2 and LoL). OGN commentator MonteCristo takes the role of guest host for this special one-off interview, seeing the griller become the grilled.
Some of the topics we discussed:
- My early writing career.
- Becoming an expert in Counter-Strike.
- Moving into CS commentary.
- Techniques I use for researching and conducting my interviews.
- The goals behind the Grilled series.
- Hemingway's 'iceberg theory'.
- Sports journalism, related to esports journalism.
- Advice for aspiring esports journalists.
The second episode of the Esports Heaven show, hosted by Cadred's Richard A. Lewis, revolved around the question "Do esports journalists over-evaluate themselves?".
The first 80 minutes of the broadcast saw Rod "Slasher" Breslau, of GameSpot, talking about his career in esports journalism. From 80 minutes onwards Duncan "Thorin" Shields, Editor-in-Chief of Team Acer, joined the show, which then became a back-and-forth debate between the two guests on the topic of esports journalism.
Daniel "ddk'" Kapadia is the guest for the 49th episode of my 'Grilled' interview series.
Some of the topics we discussed over the 68 minutes:
- The intense path of self-improvement.
- Strategical thinking and its impact on less mechanically talented players.
- His twin fascinations with QuakeWorld and Brood War.
- The craft of esports commentary.
Posted by Thorin @ 08:03 CST, 19 January 2013 - iMsg
Ok, so for people looking for good frag movies it's something of a wasteland out there. Sites like own-age.com, which used to serve the function of delivering you a supply of new/old movies, no longer fit that role.
Since, for entirely separate reasons, I need to make a bunch of reddit posts regularly, I'm posting frag movies from most games (QW/Q2/Q3/QL/BW/DoD/CS), new and old, to r/fragfilms every day or two. So if you'd like a regular stream of movies to watch, and you have a reddit account, then subscribe.
Edited by Thorin at 08:04 CST, 19 January 2013 - 1613 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 02:27 CST, 9 December 2012 - iMsg
Kevin "strenx" Baeza is the star of the 18th episode of my 'Grilled' in-depth video interview series.
Some of the topics we discussed
- His famous history with Cooller
- The frustrations of facing rapha
- Cypher's playing style.
- What separates him from the other aimers (spart1e and k1llsen)
- The best series of his career.
- How he'd like to be remembered by Quake fans.
Posted by Thorin @ 12:12 CST, 5 December 2012 - iMsg
Marcel "k1llsen" Paul is the 15th subject of my 'Grilled' in-depth video interview series.
Some of the topics we discussed:
- Facing toxjq in Quake 4.
- The secret to beating rapha.
- His history with Cooller.
- How tactical he is in-game and beforehand.
- How he developed his railing/aiming style.
Following an unsuccessful attempt at defending his DreamHack crown Shane "rapha" Hendrixson spoke to me in a video interview.
Some of the topics we discussed:
- Facing k1llsen in the quarter-final
- Beating av3k yet again in a series.
- rapha's perspective on av3k's strengths as a dueler.
- tourney7 and how it fits rapha's style.
- IPL, Shootmania and rapha's future in QL dueling.
Posted by Thorin @ 14:20 CST, 9 November 2012 - iMsg
I've published an interview with Guillaume "Grrrr..." Patry, the only non-Korean to ever win an OSL in BW.
Some of the topics we discussed:
-The BW scene before Grrrr...'s move to Korea.
-His transition to life in South Korea.
-The excessive partying and drinking which inhibited his professional career and results.
-The rise of players like YellOw, Kingdom, BoxeR and NaDa.
-Thoughts on Korean culture and BW/esports' peak over there.
-Thoughts on MOBA and SC2.
On whether he was the best foreigner before going to Korea:
I can't say that I was the best foreigner, but back then some of the best players in practice did poorly in tournaments. It was the opposite for me, I played better under pressure. In 1999, the best players were not Korean. Around mid-2000, that's when Koreans started dominating Starcraft.
Posted by Thorin @ 16:01 CDT, 12 August 2012 - iMsg
In the seventh episode my 'Grilled' interview series James "2GD" Harding discusses esports past, present and future with me.
Some of the topics discussed in this 87min video:
- 2GD's past a villain in the UK Q3 scene
- The conspiracy theory that toxjq was convinced to throw the first series of the WSVG Final vs fatal1ty
- Newer games being more watered/dumbed down
- If Quake style games and/or TDM have any future in esports
- The mystery of Ztrider
- The most talented players in 2GD's opinion
Posted by Thorin @ 14:19 CDT, 18 March 2012 - iMsg
I've just published an interview with Ruben "DarK" Bielenberg, of Memento Mori fame, but only the first seven questions are about Quake, since his progaming career was all CS from then onwards. As a result I figured it didn't warrant it's own news post here, but all the same someone might be interested in reading the QW/Q2/Q3 part of the interview.
MM were legendary as a Q2 TDM team for never losing an official match, while winning a number of LANs and online competitions. DarK talks about players like Scion, Shub and Blue. He also explains what he didn't like about Q3 and how he got into CS.
Your team-mate Shub is still remembered as one of the best Q2 players of all time and is still brought up in discussions over who the best Q2 duel player ever is. What were his strengths and how does he fit into that conversation for you?
Shub was just a raw talent and a complete player, I must say Scion and him are the biggest "raw" gaming talents I've ever seen. Shub had everything: insane aim, very calm and collected and just played a really smart game. He was also very unpredictable, so you never knew where you had him in a duel. Shub is to me the best Q2 duel player that ever touched a keyboard :) Unfortunately he didn't really play anymore when the bigger tournaments started popping up at the end of the Quake2 days.
Posted by Thorin @ 09:28 CST, 20 February 2012 - iMsg
Shane "rapha'" Hendrixson, of SK Gaming, spoke in an extensive text interview about 2011, the big four of QL (himself, Cooller, cypher and av3k) and ZeRo4's influence on his development as a player.
On balancing aiming and thinking during engagements:
I know for myself that some games I've played, based just on the way I feel that day I've favored one over the other. Almost always the strategy portion in my case. I've noticed the same in cypher, for example, where some games/days he is just so on he focuses on the aiming and damage output portion of his game. Other days he doesn't feel so comfortable aiming so he switches to focusing on strategy and making less mistakes.
Posted by Thorin @ 14:00 CST, 22 December 2011 - iMsg
Alexei "Cypher" Yanushevsky, QuakeLive's current top dog, speaks in an interview with SK Gaming about his career ups and downs, his rivalry with rapha and his relationship with Cooller.
Cypher explaining his incredible record against Cooller:
Due to my wish to be like him, since first games we played I wanted him to show who I am, and make him respect me as an oponent. I think mostly because of that I'm always concentrated so much, and I really want to show my best skills against him. Let's say that I do everything to win when I play him. Why I won so much I don't know, maybe I'm just better than him?
Posted by Thorin @ 02:42 CDT, 17 September 2011 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #16 features a consistently high level haul of 6 movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #16:
Andreas "MODDII" Fridh Movie (CS, 2011) by aK Colosseum II - Quake Nations Cup 2010 (QL, 2011) by ZeRoQL Strenx: Long way to Dallas (QL, 2011) by MMd Markeloff: Fragshow (CS, 2011) by Spirit_LN The Spart1e Show (QL, 2011) by mouse* eve (CS, 2007) by cRZYFST
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by xou at 14:31 CDT, 17 September 2011 - 2740 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 09:37 CDT, 23 August 2011 - iMsg
In the final part of his 1on1 interview with SK Gaming the Polish quake star Maciej "av3k" Krzykowski discusses his country, his personality and his identity as a gamer.
Were there Polish duelers over the years who av3k thought would reach the top level? Does av3k identify himself as a gamer when interacting with the everyday world? How significant is the economical difference between Poland and the West in the context of his future career? What amusing gift might av3k give people who enjoyed the interview series?
Posted by Thorin @ 11:36 CDT, 16 August 2011 - iMsg
SK Gaming's 1on1 series continues its discussion with Maciej "av3k" Krzykowski, as the three time DreamHack champion discusses the elite four of QuakeLive (rapha, Cypher, Cooller and himself)
What changed in Cypher to make him a great player in Q3? What made rapha's style so difficult to overcome earlier in QL? Can Cooller become the best player again? Does Cooller matchup better against rapha or Cypher? What is av3k's plan to become a champion again?
Posted by Thorin @ 19:11 CDT, 8 August 2011 - iMsg
In part 1 of SK Gaming's 1on1 interview with Polish Quake star Maciej "av3k" Krzykowski he discusses his breakout onto the international scene as a Quake 4 prodigy, his victories over tox and Cooller and the mindset which allowed him to accomplish such feats.
Which sport does av3k actively train in? How did av3k mentally approach games against top tier opponents at such a young age? What is his version of the pizza box story which saw him defeat tox on Phrantic?
Cyberfight's video interview with Anton "Cooller" Singov regarding his move from mousesports to Moscow Five (see announcement) has been transcribed and translated to English, with help from ToyTiger.
Cooller discusses the future of Quake, his plans for the M5 team, his TDM plans with av3k, not wanting to play with toxic, fox or Cypher, Ultrafrag Xtreme.us's weaknesses, strenx possibly quitting and the upcoming QuakeCon 2011 event.
The translated transcript can be read at SK Gaming.
According to this painfully bad Wired article about fnatic, Strenx works in a mayonnaise factory.
The Counter-Strike players can afford to live off the game, but team members playing other titles can't: Kévin Baéza, a Fnatic Quake Live player competing at IEM, works in a mayonnaise factory
Edited by Thorin at 13:33 CDT, 4 July 2011 - 5722 Hits
In this video interview SK Gaming's champion dueler Shane "rapha" Hendrixson discussed his play on day one and his upcoming final against Cypher.
What is rapha's take on noctis' resurgence at this event? What should we expect from the final vs. Cypher? Does toxicity favour Cypher? What happened in the loss to av3k in the group stage? How has the scheduling of this tournament affected rapha's play?
In a video interview after the reaching the final of Dreamhack Summer 2011 Alexei "Cypher" Yanushevsky spoke about his day's play and his last remaining opponent: rapha.
Which players does Cypher think toxicity is good and bad for? Was he certain of beating Cooller in their semi-final? What is his analysis of av3k's matchup vs. Cooller? If Cypher wins Dreamhack can he call himself the best player in the world?
Gaming at the movies #15 returns with 8 movies to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #15:
Break The Rules (CS, 2009) by RavenTL dennis & hyvlarn - the animals (CS, 2009) by Granis f0rest the myth (CS, 2011) by cass H^N tEh movie (CS, 2011) by qaxx Cooller 2010/2011 (QL, 2011) by Subtitled Reptile wins! (Q3, 2011) by OvO Heartbreak 2 (Q3, 2010) by Domino Ruination (CS, 2004) by reflex
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by Nukm at 07:50 CDT, 21 May 2011 - 9307 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 23:09 CDT, 28 March 2011 - iMsg
The concluding part of the Chronicles of czm has the cK star giving his perspective on other legendary individual TDM players.
Was czm impressed by POV demo fan favourite kash? What is his take on fellow candidate for 'greatest of all time' proZaC? After talking about toxic and SteLam which name does czm offer up in addition and say was as good as any of them? What is the status of czm's education/employment right now?
Posted by Thorin @ 05:54 CDT, 26 March 2011 - iMsg
Part 5 of the Chronicles of czm switches to the topic of TDM and discusses Paul "czm" Nelson's success with clan Kapitol in North America.
Is the legend of czm appearing as an aliased player quarter-backing pickup teams vs. real TDM sides how he really got his start? How vital was czm to cK's success? How good was Fatal1ty at TDM? Should cK even be in the discussion for greatest TDM team of all time in light of teams such as ic, unmatched and QPO?
Posted by Thorin @ 18:09 CDT, 23 March 2011 - iMsg
In part 4 of the continuing Chronicles of czm our hero Paul "czm" Nelson addresses his rivalry with Cooller which continued in the ESWC 2005 final and the CPL Winter 2006 upper semi-final.
Would czm have won ESWC 2005 if he hadn't made that infamous rocketjump? Was Cooller czm's true rival in Q3? Did Cooller choose to let Jibo progress to the final to face czm at CPL? Describing his matchup against Cooller czm says it's a "style mismatch" and adds "I beat him most of the time."
Posted by Thorin @ 17:32 CDT, 23 March 2011 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #14 serves up 7 movies to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #14:
Final Reality 2 (leaked version) (CS, 2007) by reflex Na`Vi Edward@IEM5 (CS, 2011) by FQsters Fragged by Keep3r (Q3, 2004) by 3day EDL4 (Q2, 2007) by Bullz neo - The One (CS, 2003) by kaLa Celestia (Q3, 2011) by mccormic n0thing but headshots (CS, 2008) by highfive
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by xou at 01:36 CDT, 24 March 2011 - 4690 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 19:42 CDT, 20 March 2011 - iMsg
Part 3 of the Chronicles of czm concerns Paul "czm" Nelson's climb from also ran to event winner as he took down QuakeCon 2004, beating ZeRo4 and Cooller.
What changed for czm to allow him to make the jump to champion? What is his take on Cooller's complaints over drawing hub? Would Cooller have beaten ZeRo4 on the other maps?
Posted by Thorin @ 10:57 CDT, 18 March 2011 - iMsg
In the second, and final, part of his 1on1 interview with SK Gaming the legendary Johnathan "fatal1ty" Wendel discusses his Q3 TDM play, Painkiller and Quake 4.
The knock on fatal1ty has always been his teamplay so how does he weigh up credit for cK's domination in light of playing with the TDM genius czm? Was Vo0 the best Painkiller player? How much did the American offer the Dutchman to bet on PK games? Is the theme of returning to competition and having to catch up an important one for motivating fatal1ty? Would he ever return if the prize money was high enough and there was a properly structured tour?
The second part of the interview can be watched at SK Gaming.
Edited by xou at 11:31 CDT, 18 March 2011 - 82822 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 18:30 CDT, 17 March 2011 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #13 returns with 7 movies to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #13:
GAME OverDrive (CS, 2011) by Neuro Quake Cyber Generation REDUX (Q3, 2011) by ZeRoQL and Domino KAB0M does Playnation (CS, 2010) by KAB0M Strenx 2010 (QL, 2011) by MMd Kaamo5 (CS, 2005) by Sledac TaZ (CS, 2011) by mtt ClanBase Eurocup III 'the movie' (Q3 + CS, 2001) by Amsterdam Wob
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by xou at 20:04 CDT, 17 March 2011 - 4521 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 09:43 CDT, 17 March 2011 - iMsg
In part 2 of the Chronicles of czm Quake's most beloved Maths student, Paul "czm" Nelson, takes us inside his head for his run at the Babbage's CPL in late 2000.
What movie-like change took place in czm's perceptions during his incredible rail-after-rail sequence to win his famous t4 match against Aim? How did imagining TV cameras were filming him affect his winning reaction? czm also goes through his matches against Indio_007, proZaC and DOOMer. What got under his skin psychologically against the QW legend DOOMer on dm6?
Posted by Thorin @ 09:59 CDT, 14 March 2011 - iMsg
The 6 part 'Chronicles of czm' sees Q3 duel and TDM legend Paul "czm" Nelson break down his career in detail. One part will be released every 3 days until the Chronicles are complete.
In part 1 czm explains his origins as a competitive duel player before he appeared at Babbage's CPL in 2000.
What caused czm to miss an invitation to the TGI QW duel tournament? Which family member prompted czm to compete more seriously in Q3? Winning which LAN helped him dismiss opinions that he cheated? What prevented czm from attending the WCGC?
Posted by Thorin @ 05:35 CST, 11 March 2011 - iMsg
SK Gaming's 1on1 feature returns with Johnathan "fatal1ty" Wendel as its first subject in a two part video interview. In part one the Q3, UT2003, AvP and Painkiller champion discusses his illustrious Quake 3 career which launched him as a professional gamer.
Why did fatal1ty's style of play change from being very aggressive early on to more disciplined and safe later? How does he think he matched up with ZeRo4? What decision by the WCG caused fatal1ty to play AvP? Does he ever shadowbox against the legends who followed him in Q3? Why does he think he should have won Quakecon 2002?
The first part of the interview can be watched at SK Gaming.
Edited by xou at 11:32 CDT, 18 March 2011 - 180482 Hits
Following his second IEM World Championship title win SK Gaming's Shane "rapha" Hendrixson spoke about his victory, his opponent and his mentor.
How does rapha feel after winning back-to-back World Championships? How did ZeRo4 help him out during the tournament? Has Cooller changed since their first IEM final? Was the way he played out of control a specific strategy rapha went in with on dismemberment? Did Cooller get unlucky spawns on t4?
Following another 3:0 series win over av3k, this time in the IEM V World Championship, the Russian maestro Cooller spoke in a video interview about playing av3k and his next match vs. Strenx.
Why has the Cooller-av3k matchup changed so much? Does Cooller agree with the theory that av3k plays worse against the one or two opponents who specifically neutralise his style? What does Cooller think of Strenx's interview comments and a matchup against him next? Would Cooller enjoy a repeat IEM final of him and rapha?
In the quarter-finals of the IEM V World Championship Shane "rapha" Hendrixson ran into DaHanG in the playoffs once again and once again the reigning champion emerged victorious. In this video interview he discussed his feat.
What moments jump out at rapha from his series with DaHanG? Is DaHanG a favourable matchup for him considering their history? Are players like Spart1e better for rapha than people who play a very adaptive style? Is it fair to say rapha's side of the bracket is easier? Does rapha still feel like a favourite?
After topping Group A at the IEM V World Championship Kevin "strenx" Baeza discussed his group play, his Russian nemesis and looked to the playoffs.
How did Strenx manage to beat av3k again? Why does the Frenchman think it "would be nice if [ Cooller] lost"? How did Strenx help Spart1e beat Cooller in Group B? What is Strenx's take on Cypher failing?
American Quake legend Paul "czm" Nelson spoke in a video interview at the end of day 1 of the IEM V World Championship about how he felt his group play went.
What is czm's overall assessment of his group play? As someone so famous for being able to make comebacks in a short space of time what has held him back in this era? How does rapha compare to legendary names like Fatal1ty, ZeRo4, czm and socrates?
Sebastian "Spart1e' Siira was the man in Group B of the IEM V World Championships as he took down three of the biggest names in all of Quake on his way to a 4-1 record. In this video interview he discussed how day 1 went for him.
How does a player lose to dandaking and then defeat Cypher, Cooller and rapha? Who is the best player in the world according to Spart1e? Will the future involve more focus on practice for the Swede?
In a video interview from his pre-IEM V World Championship bootcamp SK Gaming's Shane "rapha" Hendrixson discussed the groups and his mindstate going into the tournament.
What was rapha's initial reaction to seeing the group drawings? Why does rapha really like playing Cypher? Is it a foregone conclusion that av3k will win group A? How has the layover since DreamHack affected rapha's level?
Posted by Thorin @ 17:35 CST, 10 February 2011 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #12 returns with 6 movies to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #12:
Forbidden Colors (CS, 2011) by DreaM midget (Q3 CPM, 2005) by tom Finnish it (UT2004, 2006) by Electry Na`Vi - On the way to victory - IEM 4 (CS, 2011) by Pan4o The Afterspray (QL, 2010) by Hell5pawn dkt2 (CS, 2003) by destrukt
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by Thorin at 16:34 CDT, 17 March 2011 - 23557 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 12:27 CST, 7 February 2011 - iMsg
After Anton "Cooller" Singov's IEM victory Cyberfight.ru hosted a stream on which the champion took questions from a thread on the site and answered them. Thanks to ToyTiger his answers can now be read in English.
Amongst the many topics discussed: Cypher's opinion that Cooller couldn't win or place top 3 at IEM, Cooller's matches vs. fazz, noctis, av3k & Cypher, strenx's development, whose Q3 config he copied and his upcoming frag movie.
The full translation transcription can be read at SK Gaming.
Edited by xou at 08:08 CST, 8 February 2011 - 29667 Hits
With his victory in the final of the IEM V European Championships Anton "Cooller" Singov has finally made his way back to the top of the world of Quake and acquired a major title after so many thought his time to be a champion had been and gone.
How has Cooller changed his approach to ztn, a map he was one the maestro of, to defeat an av3k who has defeated him on it seemingly every time they have met? Did Cooller ever lose hope during his quest to become a champion again that he could see it through and reach his goal?
Michal "Carmac" Blicharz, ESL's Product Manager for the IEM, spoke in a video interview at length about all of the significant circumstances and factors surrounding the controversial pause, power outage and subsequent recreation of the final moments during the Cooller-Strenx fifth map.
Carmac explains that the lag on the LAN server was a result of power problems spiking the server. He says the power went out in the surrounding area of Kiev not just the Cyber Sport Arena. Carmac explains ESL's decision to recreate the conditions for the final moments of the game and his questioning on Strenx not pausing himself . Should the game have been paused at that moment in the first place?
Following a thrilling and unexpected end to the last map of his semi-final vs. Strenx the ever popular Anton "Cooller' Singov spoke in a video interview about the controvertial pause/power outage incident and his thoughts on the upcoming final.
What was Cooller's reaction to being killed by Strenx to send the game to overtime? Answering a later question Cooller uses the phrase "biggest epic fail" in what context? What does Cooller think of his matchup vs. av3k being as he had said he preferred av3k over Cypher?
Following his series victory over k1llsen the Russian duel maestro Anton "Cooller" Singov discussed the two upcoming semi-finals: his own vs. Strenx and the battle of two of his toughest opponents in Cypher and av3k.
What is Cooller's response to Strenx's theory that he tries to anger the Frenchman in their battles? What is Cooller's reaction to the comment in a recent Cypher interview that the Belarusian doesn't think Cooller can beat him?
Following his quarter-final victory over fazz Maciek 'av3k' Krzykowski discussed his thoughts on his performance in the IEM V European Championship Finals so far and looked towards his matchup against Cypher in the semi-finals.
What does av3k guess is the key Strenx said he had figured out to defeating the Pole? Why is av3k one of the only people who can beat Cypher right now? In what way does av3k seek to return to the top of Quake?
After topping Group A at the IEM V European Championship Finals Kevin "Strenx" Baeza explained that for him right now it is impossible to beat Cypher.
What moment in the match vs. av3k caused Strenx to sing "I believe I can fly"? Why is it impossible for him to beat Cypher? What tactic will he use against Cooller, that Cooller has been using on him, should they meet in the semi-final?
After losing to av3k and finishing 3rd in his group Marcel "k1llsen" Paul explained that he hasn't felt confident during the entire IEM V European Championship Finals due his settings feeling off.
Did k1llsen feel av3k was beatable going into the series? Why is Cooller his most feared opponent in the tournament? Will k1llsen take time off after this event or launch straight into preparation for the World Championships?
After securing his spot in the playoffs of the IEM V European Championships with a win in his final game in Group B Pelle 'Fazz' Söderman spoke in a video interview about his tournament so far.
How did Cooller accidentally contribute to fazz's loss to Cypher? Did noctis' tilt affect their series? Which of Group A's players would fazz rather face in the next round? What is the status of fazz's Quake career right now?
Posted by Thorin @ 19:48 CST, 6 January 2011 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #11 offers 7 movies to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #11:
lurppis 5 (CS, 2011) by illmatic Cypher the movie (QL, 2011) by Musashiii Granis THE EXTERMINATOR (CS, 2007) by Granis h4 - Defeater (CS, 2008) by tox The Pink Panther II (CS, 2010) by RavenTL Norwegianalized (QL, 2010) by plaZma Frags Done Extreme (QW, 2001) by sLASh, Delirium and sturm.
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by xou at 17:53 CST, 10 February 2011 - 10544 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 10:37 CST, 30 December 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #10 gives you one last show for 2010 with 7 movies to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #10:
Dav & dud4 - The last round (Q2, 2007) by Bela Kiss HeatoN - The Real Legend (CS, 2010) by Juka Obaah it's happytime (CS, 2009) by rglaf Frags Done Satanic: X (QW, 2005) by Seni 2fast2furyous (CS, 2006) by grandyz SpawN - Skilled 'n Ready (CS, 2010) by MattFreemaN clipquake (Q3, 2001) by CarCass
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every week.
Edited by xou at 17:52 CST, 10 February 2011 - 8507 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 18:32 CST, 22 December 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #9 has a festive haul of 6 movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream.
Box office for week #9:
lurppis 4 (CS, 2010) by lurppis Marcus ' zet ' Sundstrom (CS, 2010) by nevermoRe The Contenders 2 (Q3, 2010) by entik three (Q3, 2008) by ashr roboty from outer space (Q3, 2004) by pez bröderna Wallenberg (CS, 2003) by miniwalle
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:51 CST, 10 February 2011 - 22874 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 19:07 CST, 15 December 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #8 sets down a stack of 8 movies to read reviews of, stream and download. As has come to be expected there's a treat from gaming movie history to complete the set.
Box office for week #8:
Twisted Syndicate - Delpan & pita 2010 (CS) by SP3CTRE [2010] Lost control 2 (QL) by Muff [2010] 3D Morgan (CS) by maul [2003] Cypher Frag Movie (Q3) by resoLVer1.0 [2008] Megatech body id 501 (WSW) by FrooP and KILLME [2010] The Pink Panther (CS) by RavenTL [2009] oskar the troublemaker (CS) by wareaN [2010] Dag Def Extreme 2 (DDE2) (QW) by dag [2002]
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:53 CST, 10 February 2011 - 7569 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 13:12 CST, 13 December 2010 - iMsg
Fresh Pots returns with a dual serving covering the last two weeks. In last week's Shane "rapha" Hendrixson narrates his Quakecon 2010 dm13 game vs. Alessandro "stermy" Avallone from the Italian's POV. In this week's rapha looks at a zotac dm6 game between Richard "noctis" Gansterer and Kevin "strenx" Baeza,
Posted by Thorin @ 07:40 CST, 8 December 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #7 gives you seven movies to read reviews of, stream and download. The usual piece of gaming cinema greatness that is the classic pick is included to ensure a happy holidays for all.
Box office for week #7:
AUT of Control (Q3) by noctis JungleboY - Hakuna Matata (CS) by JungleboY RTCW Competitive History - Year 2002 (RTCW) by twister bruno (CS) by donutsmaker Unagi (QL) by ZeroQL Max ruuit Aspe (CS) by Goldy FURY 3 IYC$CUF (CS) by X-BeRt^
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:52 CST, 10 February 2011 - 7853 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 05:20 CST, 2 December 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #6 sets out an appetizing spread of eight movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream. Dessert is a classic selection from the past as usual.
Box office for week #6:
karrigan - Welcome to FINNland (CS) by z0rgan DaHanG 2010 (QL) by justin HyvlarN - Let It Rock (CS) by rglaf CyberFight sense (Q3) by HMage dikfilmen - deltaiotakappa the movie (CS) by BFG finnhits vol. 1 (Q2) by Dimmo n0swal the movie (CS) by muffz frags done extreme II (QW) by sLASh, Delirium and don surmo
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:57 CST, 10 February 2011 - 16296 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 16:42 CST, 29 November 2010 - iMsg
Another Monday and another Fresh Pot of piping hot QuakeLive analysis. This edition sees Shane "rapha" Hendrixson takes you through his Battleforged game against Sebastian "Spart1e" Siira from IEM V Gamescom.
SK Gaming's Shane "rapha" Hendrixson spoke in an interview about his matches over the Summer against Cooller, Cypher's return to the top and the challenge of competing for a DreamHack title.
Cypher was the dominant Quake player before you took over and began your run but even at the IEM IV WC he had his problems in QL, however one would describe them. This Summer he seems to have taken his game to a higher level and has become the #1 player in everyone's eyes it seems. What is your take on his journey back to the top?
Ihad thought about this where for a while he was the one on top, playing better winning tournaments even when we would face off, barely edge me out multiple times. Then the tables turned and it's been I who've been winning them and edging him out consistently when we've met in tournaments.
I told him though I had a feeling that soon we're both going to be on a seemingly indistinguishable level(of course not meaning that people can't tell us apart because our styles are different) but possibly if we end up meeting showing some of the best quake possible. So far my first prediction is right, his game has stepped up, now it's just time for me to do so as well =)
Posted by Thorin @ 17:59 CST, 24 November 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #5 serves up 6 movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream. Things wind up with a classic pick from the past included.
Box office for week #5:
tihOp & Kaamos (CS) by Kaamos Fragged by 3ulu4 (Q3) by morgot #DOKTORS THE MOVIE (CS) by nomikk FYRR73 TOPIC (CS) by Rogga The Champions (Q3) by [7]Raven Death Raiserz 4 (CS) by XrayN and JamesB
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:51 CST, 10 February 2011 - 1525 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 17:48 CST, 23 November 2010 - iMsg
IEM V Gamescom champion Marcel "k1llsen" Paul has been interviewed in the lead up to the DreamHack Winter and MSi Beat IT tournaments which will take place later this week.
Responding to whether his Gamescom victory was lucky or not:
Was it lucky? I mean where was the luck factor there? I think I deserved that win and worked hard for it and in the end my work just paid out finally, after I was very unlucky at ESWC 2010 and DH Summer. BUT overall I would say yes of course it was, since you can't really push yourself to have a good day it's there or not.
Posted by Thorin @ 12:52 CST, 22 November 2010 - iMsg
It's Monday so "Fresh Pots" returns with another fresh serving of QuakeLive analysis as SK Gaming's Shane "rapha" Hendrixson breaks down the decisive map, ztn, of the IEM V Gamescom final against Marcel 'k1llsen' Paul.
Posted by Thorin @ 17:16 CST, 17 November 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies returns as #4 delivers 8 more movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream. Once you reach the end you'll leave with a piece of classic gaming cinema as always.
Box office for week #4:
kicked & removed (Q3 CPM) by AHXNXA FalleN - Undisclosed Desires (CS) by oly ParadokS Tribute (QW) by Zalon cogu (CS) by IntellecT glm DeFrag Life (Q3 DeFrag) by glm WCG 2010 presented by SteelSeries (CS) by SK Zyppe - A Walk To Remember (CS) by maxxie pure old school - scandinavia (Q2) by optimizer
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:52 CST, 10 February 2011 - 9135 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 09:29 CST, 15 November 2010 - iMsg
In the first of a new weekly video feature at SK Gaming, "Fresh Pots", Shane "rapha" Hendrixson breaks down his exciting dm13 game against Anton "Cooller" Singov from the semi-final of IEM V Gamescom. Remember: zis is rapha!
Posted by Thorin @ 03:40 CST, 15 November 2010 - iMsg
The latest edition of the weekly esports column 'The Cauldron' re-examines 'The Tyrant' Jaedong's victory over the 'Ultimate Weapon' Flash, the man destined to become the 5th bonjwa, in the NATE MSL which came against incredible odds and was not given its due by all of the community at the time due to technical problems in the swing game of the series.
Say what you will about Bisu's time in the sun but back in January of 2010 it was Jaedong who was truly the bonjwa who never was. Here was a player so good, so impossibly talented and so adept at winning that despite not being a bonjwa he had not only matched 'The Maestro' sAviOr's individual trophy haul of four titles but none would argue he had exceeded the former's skill level and taken the Zerg race to a higher level. And yet this legendary player found himself with a mountain to climb and many there were who said his time had come to an end and he would make way for the rise of the player destined to be the real bonjwa of his generation.
This was the same Jaedong who with deteroriating eyesight, which would later force him to get lasik surgery, had overcome slumps to become only the second player in history to win back-to-back OSL titles. In doing so becoming only the third to ever receive the prestigious golden mouse for three OSL championships, StarCraft's most coveted award. The same Jaedong who had been to five individual league finals (3 OSL and 2 MSL) already and lost on the biggest stage only once, and in circumstances where many agreed the map pool was amongst the worst for ZvT ever. The same Jaedong who had never lost a fifth set in a Bo5 series in his entire career. The same Jaedong who had been voted KeSPA player of the year in each of the previous two years.
Yet despite all of the aforementioned Jaedong came into the NATE MSL as an underdog, the player who had the deck stacked against him from the word go. What immense behemoth could possibly have blocked out enough of the sun to extinguish Jaedong's radiance in the eyes of the BW world? What impossible momentum could his opponent have possessed to make people overlook the most clutch player of all time?
Posted by Thorin @ 10:15 CST, 10 November 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies #3 brings 8 movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream. As always a classic piece of movie magic is included.
Box office for week #3:
manJu (Q3) by Silu oskar! High Voltage (CS) by oskar! pondfiller 3 (CS) by pondfiller Manne - Heartbeats (CS) by rglaf SpawN'n'HeatoN (CS) by FEVER miniwalle - kortfilmenisighej (CS) by miniwalle Smooth Frags (Q3) by CLX The Badge v3.0 (Q3) by strandtyp and ironcock
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:54 CST, 10 February 2011 - 5510 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 02:46 CDT, 3 November 2010 - iMsg
Gaming at the movies returns with 8 movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream. Includes a classic movie selection from the past.
Box office for week #2:
keiz the movie III (CS) by equality The Slavonian (CS) by SOM defraging is not a crime (Q3 Defrag) by breacH Jaedong vs Flash Montage (SC:BW) by nimbus fnatic f0rest - GC Shanghai MVP (CS) by VILLAGE This is Quake 3 by sk!a (Q3) by sk!a The Badge v2.0 (Q3) by strandtyp and ironcock
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:52 CST, 10 February 2011 - 6372 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 22:50 CDT, 29 October 2010 - iMsg
Quake Live's elite group of four players is well established as rapha, Cypher, av3k and Cooller, with no fifth name as yet capable of consistently making that quartest into a quintent.
SK Gaming have published an article which explores the group of players who are battling for that degree of recognition. k1llsen, Stermy, strenx, Spart1e and DaHanG are considered to gauge who is most likely to make the next step up.
Addressing k1llsen's chances:
A new-found desire, sick aim and all the fan backing in the world is enough to give k1llsen a case for stepping into the upper echelon of Quake Live. But he's marred by inconsistency, something that he needs to vastly improve on heading into DreamHack Winter this November and future IEM Global Challenges.
Posted by Thorin @ 02:22 CDT, 27 October 2010 - iMsg
The first edition of a new weekly gaming movie review feature called Gaming at the movies kicks off today with 6 movies for you to read reviews of, download and stream. Includes a classic movie selection from the past.
Box office for week #1:
minet - bulletproof (CS) by z0rgan The Gate Keepers (Q3) by ZeroQL 3 Years of k1ck-fox (CS) by slvdR Xizt (CS) by SPECTRE it's pekka (Q3 CPM) by ahxnxa davishax 6 (CS) by cDAVIS
Gaming at the movies can be read and viewed at SK Gaming every Wednesday.
Edited by xou at 17:53 CST, 10 February 2011 - 11595 Hits
Posted by Thorin @ 12:50 CDT, 1 September 2010 - iMsg
IEM V Gamescom champion Marcel "k1llsen" Paul has been interviewed by SK Gaming about his triumph in Cologne. He discusses the finals series against rapha, what impact playing on home soil had and explains why he doesn't have a favourite map in the current pool.
Asked what impact Cypher's absence had on Gamescom the German answers:
I really missed Cypher there because it could have been a whole different story. And also I would have preferred to play Cypher in the final, or at least Cooller than rapha, since Cypher & Cooller reached another level at the Qcon final and I would really like to face that in a final.
Posted by Thorin @ 12:24 CDT, 27 August 2010 - iMsg
With Flash and Jaedong set to battle for the Bigfile MSL crown in the finals tomorrow morning (in European and American time zones) SK Gaming has published a full history of the rivalry, also known as the LeeSsang Rok.
Relevant statistics and records between the two across all forms of competition. Arguments for why the LeeSsang Rok is an even better rivalry than the legendary Lim-Jin Rok ( BoxeR vs. YellOw) How the Flash vs. Jaedong rivalry has developed from the 'Little Monster' against the 'Legend killer' to the 'Ultimate Weapon' vs. the 'Tyrant'.
There are also VOD links for every map the two have ever played in individual competition playoff series.
Soak in the history of the immovable object (Flash) vs. the irresistible force (Jaedong) as the 3 time champion (2 OSLs, 1 MSL) takes on the 5 time champion and golden mouse winner (3 OSLs, 2 MSLs) in a Bo5 for the third straight MSL season.
Posted by Thorin @ 02:17 CDT, 24 August 2010 - iMsg
In a video interview with SK Gaming GOMtv's English language StarCraft commentator Nick 'Tasteless' Plott took time out from the e-Stars Seoul event to discuss some relevant topics about the elite players in the competitive South Korean scene.
Some of the topics discussed: Jaedong's nerves, Flash defining Terran play, Bisu not being as big due to stork existing, stork's legacy in light of his silvers, why NaDa can't return to the top and the match fixing scandal's impact on the social status of sAviOr even beyond gaming.
Posted by Thorin @ 06:39 CDT, 3 August 2010 - iMsg
Quake III TDM star Tobias "neok" Grieser may be the Editor-in-Chief of ESL TV right now but he once ruled the TDM world with clan Unmatched, winning back-to-back ClanBase EuroCups. He talked about his TDM career in a video interview with SK Gaming.
How did neok see iCE cLIMBERS during the period they were battling against Unmatched? What bizarre map choice helped contribute to his team's loss to ic at CPL London? Which Swedish player does he describe as the best TDM player ever?
What qualities account for Unmatched's success in TDM? Why does he call zyz the best overall German TDM player rather than Stelam or Sl1nger? Why did Unmatched never acquire salaries or move to a bigger organization?
neok explains the reasons behind Unmatched splitting up as Stelam and Sl1nger went off to join SK.de and zyz and he wound up in mTw a few months later. Which TDM players of the ages would he select to go around him in a dream team?
Over at SK Gaming the self-proclaimed p1mp of TDM Cyrus "proZaC" Malekani talked at length about his entire career as a Quake 3 star. He won Lan Arena 7 with QPO, EuroCup V with p1mps and placed in the top 3 of the EuroCup four times in total.
Did he duel much with Blue and LakermaN in All*? How does the Swede compare czm to himself at TDM? How did p1mps come to crush iCE cLIMBERS 4:0 in a best of seven series in the EuroCup V final? What was it like to play along with Mikes and Cooller in TDM?
Talking about fox as a TDM player in ic:
Well they had a good dynamic, like fox can be the sneaky camper style player and toxic can be the rambo rampage go crazy guy. But I mean fox could also be crazy FFA style if he wanted to, but you know... he's fox, he's always gonna play solid no matter what :) He is truly a great player and I respect his skill and as a friend.
proZaC also breaks down his strategies for playing q3dm7, q3dm14 and ospdm5 both individually and as part of an elite team.
Following his latest victory, adding the ESWC Grand Finals title to his list of accomplishments, Shane "rapha" Hendrixson talked in a video interview to SK Gaming about his tournament play in Paris.
The American who is on an unbelievable streak of international victories talked about what that feeling is like, to be on that streak and to add another title to it. Looking to the future he also discussed his desire to win Quakecon and follow in the footsteps of ZeRo4 by winning multiple titles there.
rapha explained his thought processes in the finals against av3k and how he came to lose his series against Stermy in the second group stage.
Over at SK Gaming the DreamHack Summer runnerup Alexei "Cypher" Yanushevsky talked in an interview about the upcoming ESWC event.
Asked how he matches up with the elite group of players composed of rapha, av3k and Cooller the IEM IV European champion explained:
Most comfortable for me is cooller, I've played him many times, and I have something inside which gives me opportunity to read him really well. Also I've won several times against av3k, and I also don't feel really uncomfortable playing him. At the moment only rapha gives me a hard time, I don't know much reasons, but maybe one of the reasons is that I stop believing in myself when I'm playing him, it gives him much advantage.
Cypher also gave his thoughts on why he thinks av3k can defeat rapha, which map he would remove from QuakeLive and what he likes about QuakeLive better than CPMA, the Q3 version which brought him his ESWC title in 2008.
IEM season IV World Champion Shane "rapha" Hendrixson has been interviewed by SK Gaming. The man who has had the QuakeLive world in a vice for the last couple of years talked about the need to prove himself the best again.
Asked if he ever thought he'd be able to call himself the best Quake player in the world rapha explained:
My goal was to play up there with the best and beat them. It just grew stronger over time so at some point yes I believed that I would attain that title. It's nice and all but I try to remind myself that that's in the past and that I have to try and keep it, prove it all over again from one major event to the next. The top players are all striving for it, especially with ESWC coming up, there are definitely more than a few who are hungry to win it, which is why I think it will make the tournament all that much more exciting to me.
Posted by Thorin @ 16:08 CDT, 22 April 2010 - iMsg
In the last part of his 1on1 interview Michal "Carmac" Blicharz talks about his support group, some of the tougher times in his life and his thoughts on a number of gaming's most famous event organisers.
Addressing whether or not there are plans for a "Carmac Jr" anytime soon he says "when it comes it comes". What scenario prompted Carmac to say "I messed up my entire life"? What expensive present did he give to his father for his birthday? What does Carmac think is the best Esports title?
The interview can be viewed at SK Gaming, along with parts one and two.
Edited by Nukm at 17:13 CDT, 22 April 2010 - 9001 Hits
Kurt "immortal" Shimada, CPL champion and Quake 2 legend.
Marco "vengeuR" Ragusa, 2021 Quake Pro League World Champion.
RAISY who he doesn't practice with, what makes 
k1llsen's style and attitude so unique and how the Italian player almost lost a family member before he had to play the World Championship final!
Lauke and 
Thooorin
Pelle "fazz" Söderman, famed duel and TDM player of Quake 3 and QuakeLive.
Cypher, 
Cooller, 
Maciej 'av3k' Krzykowsk.
Stuart 'Tosspot' Saw, veteran esports commentator. Tosspot discussed his development as a commentator, his thoughts on the standard of professionalism that should be expected and whether he'd move into any of the newer esports games.
Kevin "strenx" Baeza is the star of the 18th episode of my 'Grilled' in-depth video interview series.
Guillaume "Grrrr..." Patry, the only non-Korean to ever win an OSL in BW.
YellOw, 
Ruben "DarK" Bielenberg, of 
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ZeRoQL and 
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noctis' resurgence at this event? What should we expect from the final vs. Cypher? Does toxicity favour Cypher? What happened in the loss to 
cass
Jibo progress to the final to face czm at CPL? Describing his matchup against Cooller czm says it's a "style mismatch" and adds "I beat him most of the time."FQsters
Bullz
Musashiii
MattFreemaN
nevermoRe
ashr
wareaN [2010]
z0rgan
SK
Jaedong's victory over the 'Ultimate Weapon' 
Flash, the man destined to become the 5th bonjwa, in the NATE MSL which came against incredible odds and was not given its due by all of the community at the time due to technical problems in the swing game of the series.breacH
sk!a
slvdR
Bisu not being as big due to 
![shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann](/files/avatars/2007/51852-shaftwhore.gif "shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann"){kind=small}
