Hall of Legends: Getting to Know Capitol Underground

Blistered fingers, sweaty palms, and lost friendships. All results from a good session of Soul Calibur. I have spent hours, more than any other fighting game, mastering and defeating all opponents. Soul Calibur has given me more entertainment and challenged me more than any other fighting game.

So much so I have decided in honor of the upcoming games release, to create a new article series; The Hall of Legends.

I will be taking random gamers who have spent their lives devoting to different unknown games, both new and old. It isn't about stats it's about heart, and in honor of this, I present a great representation of that dynamic. Entering not as an opponent, but as an honoree in this hallowed hall, we have Trevor creator of Capitol Underground and an avid player in all things gaming. We will focus on Soul Calibur and PUBG in this interview. Allowing for some possible reveals and a small review. Mainly, these articles are for you to learn about the gamer themselves and the connection that gets developed over time for a certain game.

Gonzo Laboratory: Firstly, let's learn about you as a gamer, introduce yourself.

Cap: My name is Trevor a.k.a CapUnderground and I am a gaming connoisseur of all things gaming.

Gonzo Laboratory: So, tell me the history of your involvement with video games? Was competition high?

Cap: Sure, gaming has always been a huge thing in my family. I was practically playing when I came out the womb. My dad, brother, uncle, and I constantly competed for dominance in whatever game we were playing. From Mario Kart and Golden Eye to Soul Caliber and Tekken. Sometimes we would spend 24 hours straight playing games, it would be safe to assume we were addicts.

We would host mini family tournaments to find out who was the best, we would even invite a homeless friend of ours to come over and play. He was surprisingly good with Heihachi in Tekken. Gaming for my family has always been a way to connect and come together, I think that’s one of the reasons I wanted to start a gaming company of my own.

Gonzo Laboratory: Wow a truly blessed beginning. Briefly explain your company and what your trying to do for the future of gaming.

Cap: Sure, I started Capitol Underground Gaming League to put my passion of skilled based competitive gaming into reality. We host tournaments from various gaming genres, basically anything that can be a competitive multi-player game. We also are establishing a community based around the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) eventually spanning worldwide, we bring news updates on upcoming games, other tournaments, and all things gaming.

Gonzo Laboratory: Do you consider yourself competitive?

Cap: Yes definitely, I always liked being the best at a game and showcasing my skills, that is something I really wanted to establish in my league.

Gonzo Laboratory: Drop the website on them, homie.

Cap: People will be able to check us out at Capitol Underground and sign up to receive all types of gaming and tech information. And honestly, just a wonderful community of people. They can also play with us on the Xbox, our gamer tag is CapUnderground.

Gonzo Laboratory: That’s perfect as I am really trying to support and help establish competitive gaming as a competitive and legitimate industry.

Awesome, and of course we are going to discuss Soul Calibur. First thought that enters your head when you hear that name?

Cap: First thought? Man, classic fighter. I remember playing the original Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast system. *laughs*. It was one of my favorite fighting games ever, and a highly competitive event in my household.

Gonzo Laboratory: Now since you were playing the original game at this point, what opinions do you have on the evolution on the game? Most haters say it became stagnant or "simpler" rather than more complex and deeper. Your thoughts?

Cap: As each installment progressed I thought they were making good strides. The addition of character adaptations and weapon changes were a good add, as well as celebrity characters like Yoda and Darth Vader were amusing and cool (except fighting Yoda, so damn small he was hard to hit). I was thoroughly unimpressed with the solo campaign. I think that could use a lot more work; the classic 1v1 fighting style was great, all the way up into the newest installments. When you enjoy the classic fighters like I do, you won't need a super deep complex experience, I enjoy smacking dudes off into the bottomless pit with my nun-chucks *laughs*, but hey I'm a simple guy.

Gonzo Laboratory: You heard it, "simple man, complex tastes".

Gonzo Laboratory: So, you believed in ring outs? In the circles I traveled, we pushed the "ring outs don't count".

Cap: My family included ring outs, we saw it as a way to hone your skills and be aware of your surroundings. It took skill and cleverness to use the ring outs to your advantage. When your life’s running low and your opponent is coming in for a flying kick to finish you off and you do a quick side step and counter attack to end him quickly, one of the most amusing ways to turn the tides in my house. Soul Calibur was one of the few fighting games that used ring outs, it was an intricate part of the levels, so we embraced the challenge and aimed to use it to our advantage.

Gonzo Laboratory: So, do you believe it is possibly the era of fighter games? With examples of Injustice, Street Fighter, Tekken etc. and a slow but apparent change in interest from FPS?

Cap: I think fighting games will always be a staple, especially for my generation, it’s what we grew up with. I think there are exciting changes happening for fighting games but in the age of micro-transactions I hope developers don't steer away from the aspects that made fighting games what they are.

Gonzo Laboratory: Who was overall your favorite fighter?

Cap: Hands down Maxi, I liked his versatility and quickness. I like to get up close and personal as I beat on my opponent. He had some moves that drove me crazy, but his combos were awesome, and they were easy to flow into other combinations. Cervantes being my second.

Gonzo Laboratory: I had opponents who loved Cervantes actually as an opponent to MY Maxi. Maxi being the reason I ever started playing the game to begin with.

I began to branch from him in the 3rd edition and recognized how much depth each character fighting styles really had

Cap: The 3rd installment is when I too started branching out and learning each character’s fighting style, but Maxi will always be my favorite, his fighting style compliments mine perfectly.

Gonzo Laboratory: Did you notice any specific weapon besides nun-chucks that stood out?

Cap: Yes, Kilik’s staff. His staff was a weapon I got annoyed with. Many people use him as a cheat character because his staff has a long reach, he can go from high to low attacks quickly, and repetitive attacks can be used to make him a cheat character. Kilik is the character of choice for a button smashing noobs.

Gonzo Laboratory: Nice, I forgotten about that unbalanced part of the game. It seems something the developers might want to work on.

Now any ideas about future tournaments? This game practically screams for a competitive aspect to it

Cap: Yes, it does, we would love to host a Soul Calibur tournament, it is one we have not gotten to do yet. I think it would easily compete with Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter in the competitive scene. I think many people have forgotten about it and we would love to be the ones to put it back on the map.

Gonzo Laboratory: It's sad how it has fallen by the way side over the years.

Perhaps this lapse was good and they handled the few gameplay complaints people had,( complexity, lack of depth) which I believe was also because of the lack of competition. It makes for a very watchable game and exciting matches

Cap: It is but I think that long break was good for them, it gives the developer time to re-evaluate the game and make note of the complaints gamers have made. I think they have a great chance of coming back strong and taking the fighting community by storm. I am personally stoked for it and ready to get my hands on it.

Gonzo Laboratory: I agree breaks between games can lead to good things, but what about the rise of this new style of game in PlayerUnknown BattleGrounds, have you been playing this since its release?

Cap: Oh man PUBG? I love that game, it’s all I have been playing. I got it a few days after it came out, and it is by far one of the most addictive games I have played in a while.

Gonzo Laboratory: Tell me about the game in your words.

Cap: Man, where to start, the idea of a battle royal meets hunger games is exhilarating. Something about jumping out a plane with 100 other people skydiving thousands of feet down to scavenge for any weapons to massacre everyone else that really gets the blood pumping. I find that my palms get sweaty and I get anxious slowly raiding a house, not knowing if someone is waiting in the shower to pump me full of lead. But the other players are only one obstacle, the incessant blue field that slowly creeps its way ever inching towards you makes the game that much interesting.

Gonzo Laboratory: Wow, strong feelings, and sounds like another competitive thirsty game for the tournaments in Capitol Underground.

Cap: Yes definitely, we would need to figure out the logistics first. Because the game is still in development there isn't a specific way to host a private lobby for it but hopefully with the completion of the game on the Xbox we will have what we need.

Gonzo Laboratory: Okay so it's something we are going to have to stay up to date with.

So what role do you usually take in this hunt or be hunted atmosphere?

Cap: I usually take a stealthy approach, I find that my formula for success works well. I tend to frequent areas that most players don't go to. I rather find decent weapons with limited confrontation. I find that bushes are one of the most efficient hiding locations, I have had people literally 2 feet away from the bush and they walk right pass me. I have managed to win a crispy chicken dinner.

Gonzo Laboratory: Sounds tasty, well I think we won't use all your secrets for the interview. Any negative things you've found in your game-play?

Cap: Yes definitely, lag and being kicked form the game is a huge problem. Sometimes when landing in the map, buildings don’t populate which makes raiding placed quickly difficult. I have gotten stuck underneath a garage which I ended up dying from. Sometimes the game glitches and you can’t pick up attachments and other necessities. I anticipate these things will be fixed once the full game comes out, but despite these problems the game is still extremely fun to play.

Gonzo Laboratory: So, there's more coming to this game since its release?

Cap: Oh, for sure, the developers recently finished the game for the PC, so now they will be able to focus their attention on the Xbox. There has been at least one patch to improve the game since its release on the Xbox. Since PUBG won’t be coming to PS4 until mid-next year, the developers have time to sharpen the Xbox version.

Gonzo Laboratory: Ya a downfall to having so many different choices in consoles, slow production.

So, bugs and glitches that need to be patched. What about the learning curve in getting started in this game is it easy/difficult?

Cap: Man, hard may be a little of an understatement. There is no tutorial or anything, you simply must play and learn. It took multiple games to figure out how to reload, aim, and throw grenades. I died my first game because I had a gun but couldn't figure out how to reload, the guy punched me to death. There are no hit markers, so the only way to know if you are hitting someone is to see blood spray out or the notification you get when you killed someone. There is definitely a learning curve.

Gonzo Laboratory: Word good to know. It seems we have a lot of potential competition coming up in 2018. Something we'll keep up to date on, and it seems we've come to a good ending. Last question: Only one video game for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

Cap: Oh man that is a hard one.... It would have to be Assassins creed origins, I have always been a big fan of the series and the newest installment is just amazing, there is so much to do and explore.

Gonzo Laboratory: Good choice alright well that wraps it up, keep up to date on the newest tournaments, game announcements, and league play at capitolunderground.biz. Be sure to check out their upcoming NBA 2K 18 Tournament here.

Thanks Trevor