Bowser Interview Thread - ASK MREH QUESTIONS!!!

[MrEh]

Zigsta duh.

 

[trombonophone99]

@ Zigsta runs the board's gigs...ta....I tried.

Thanks Zigsta :''D

 

[Zigsta]

Accidental posts deleted.

 

[pitfall356]

I think I'll be original and vote for the guy that's already won: Zigsta.

 

[Uncle]

Oh noez! I hope I'm not too late to vote for @ Zigsta and ensure that he becomes Lord Commander of the Night's Watch the next player interviewed.

 

[Cassius.]

voting for Chris, of course.

 

[Zigsta]

OK fellas, ask me your questions!

 

[MagiusNecros]

Thoughts on our revised Utilt?

 

[MrEh]

-What is your opinion on Back to the Future? Your answer may tear our friendship apart forever.

-Favorite anime?

-Favorite fast food joint?

-Favorite SNES game and why.

-Favorite Dreamworks movie and why.

 

[Big Sean]

- What is your approach to the neutral?

- What is the weakest part of your game and what are you doing to fix it?

- What are you favorite options out of jab 1?

- Do you have any favorite set ups for klaw?

- What do you think the best options when someone is directly above you on a platform shielding? Most bowsers try an up smash, but i've seen you nair someone's shield

- after someone grabs the ledge, what are the options you consider and how do you punish them?

- evo?

 

[LIQUID12A]

-Favorite thing about Bowser(Smash-wise or not)?

-Bowser's most unsafe move?

-Favorite gaming console?

-Favorite cartoon?

-Most hated Smash character?

 

[C0rvus]

-Which Mario game has your favorite appearance of Bowser? Mine is a tossup between Paper Mario 2's comic relief Bowser or BiS's badass bruiser Bowser.
-Any secondary characters you use?
-Favorite habit to punish and how?
-Do you think Bowser will be a viable character in the long run?
-Changes you would make to the character?
-Customs or no?

 

[UltimaLuminaire]

- Should Indiana Jones: Fury of ISIS be a thing?
- Too soon?
- If Universal makes Bowser's Keep, you down?
- Where would you love to travel to?
- You goin' to be at E3 on the exhibit floor?
- What are your favorite themes in story telling (loyalty, greed, peer pressure, triumph of the human condition, etc)?
- What do you do to stay in shape?
- Favorite book?
- What's the next skill you want to learn?
- Any plans to do more with Youtube?
- You up for joining the same squad in Xenoblade Chronicles X?

 

[Zigsta]

My post got deleted. Lemme try this again....

What is your opinion on Back to the Future? Your answer may tear our friendship apart forever.

I love all 3 movies! First one is def my fav. I'd say it's in my top 20 favorite movies ever.

Favorite anime?

Gurren Lagann, hands down. Love the themes. And it's just stupid epic.

Favorite fast food joint?

In-N-Out. I wasn't a fan at first, but now it's the only fast food that doesn't make me sick.

Favorite SNES game and why.

Donkey Kong Country! It was my first video game. I was SO bad that I kept running into the first beaver enemy because I didn't know there was a jump button. My dad would stay up late learning how to beat levels and bosses so that the next day he would help me beat that level after school.

Favorite Dreamworks movie and why.

Kung Fu Panda 2! It's my favorite movie, PERIOD, and Po is my favorite character. I really identify with him. The sequel's act 3 is so amazingly strong that I can literally feel myself focus just by watching it.



I'll get more answers in tomorrow.

 

[pitfall356]

Which MU's should we Bowsers work on, and which ones should we have a secondary for? Which ones are just out of his league / really tough to handle, and which ones are downright impossible?

You get to travel anywhere in the world! Where do you go, and what do you eat!?

Kamek has been ordered to give you powers through magic! What do you ask for?

Most important tech to master as King Koopa / Best strategies to get on top of? Habits to get into / break?

Ice cream is incredibly important and we must all know your favorite flavor. Straight up.

You get to change one thing about Bowser for the next patch. What do you do? (Aside from bring back melee klaw. We can all dream.)

 

[Zigsta]

Thoughts on our revised Utilt?

I need to play around with it more. This week's been crazy busy for me, but things are finally starting to settle down. I've sadly only played Smash post-patch for less than 5 minutes so far. I've always wondered, though, why uptilt in this game didn't have a hitbox in front of Bowser since his hand is CLEARLY in front of him. Now it makes sense! I'm excited to play around with it more and to see what people in the community do with it. Offhand I think it's gonna be an even better mixup after FF fair and FF bair.

What is your approach to the neutral?

Really depends on the MU. I generally like to close the gap as soon as possible unless I know the opponent is very campy or grab-happy--then I just play it safe and wait for them to mess up. Which is basically how I play the Luigi MU. If the opposing character doesn't have a projectile, I use Firebreath a lot more in neutral.

What is the weakest part of your game and what are you doing to fix it?

Lack of playtime, most notably with customs. I've been so busy with writing this year that I just haven't had time for Smash. I've always been a very MU-dependent player--the more I practice against a character, the better I play against them in tournament. Since Bowser's better in this game, I don't get wrecked as much by characters I don't play against often, but if someone has a style I'm not used to playing against, it really throws me for a loop...until I get in enough games with that person. I've played against Sky Pirate, an Olimar main from Austin, Texas, so much in my Brawl days that I find Olimar to be literally my favorite MU, even in this game. While frankly most Bowsers are too worried about getting camped hard by Olimar, I'm just excited to play one again and watch him die at 40%.

Customs are tough for me since I don't practice with them, so every time I go to custom tournaments, I always run into new gimmicky stuff. I have yet to lose a game to customs jank, though--it's always getting outplayed or being in an unfamiliar MU.

With my writing schedule nearing stability, I'm hoping to be able to attend at least 2 tournaments a month from now on and can hopefully hosts Smashfests at my place from time to time.

What are you favorite options out of jab 1?

Bowser Bomb and dtilt. Jab>Bowser Bomb is oddly enough unexpected. People just aren't used to the move being good, and it destroys shields. Sure, it's not a true combo, but Bowser's always been a read-based character, so I don't give a flip about the lack of a true combo. Even if you miss the Bowser Bomb, you put the fear in the enemy. They now know you're not afraid to throw out a massive KO move after something as quick and easy as a jab.

Likewise, jab>dtilt needs to be used more, period. It connects even easier than Bowser Bomb and is typically kept fresh, so it's easy to score KOs with it. It's also handy to jab an opponent when they're near the ledge and then dtilt them as they fall off the ledge. Works very, very well.

Oh, and jab>fsmash is a very ballsy mixup that eats spotdodges alive. Great if you've been throwing out other moves following the jab throughout the match so your opponent is conditioned to spam the spotdodge button.

Do you have any favorite set ups for klaw?

My favorite Klaw setup in this game is reading a tech chase following a Fortress spike. Way too many Bowsers are too conservative after getting a Fortress trip and just go for another Fortress. Why not learn to read, put more damage on your enemy, and make them even more scared of dying--thus making them even more scared of you!

What do you think the best options when someone is directly above you on a platform shielding? Most bowsers try an up smash, but i've seen you nair someone's shield

In most situations, it's all about upsmash. It's pretty safe and has two hitboxes plus that nifty Shellguard ability. I also like throwing out multiple upsmashes onto an opponent's shield, waiting to bait a shieldrop, and then uptilting them. Granted, uptilt isn't the strongest move in Bowser's arsenal, but it's a great way to get an unexpected hit, and sometimes a KO, in. Rising nair is great if you can land on the platform IMMEDIATELY after hitting the opponent in the air. If you time it right, Bowser has a guaranteed bair on the airborne enemy while they are in hitstun from the nair. This needs to be utilized more. I think most Bowsers stick with upsmash because it worked in Brawl so well and works even better in this game--but exploring other options will only open up the metagame for our character. Klaw can work too, but I didn't like doing that in Brawl, and since Klaw's worse in this game, I hardly ever Klaw a shield above me.

after someone grabs the ledge, what are the options you consider and how do you punish them?

I usually start off dtilting because it's fairly safe and has multiple hits. Depending on how my opponent reacts, I'll either go for more Firebreath, pivot grab, or Bowser Bomb. I'm also a big fan of dairing opponents coming back from the ledge. If you space it right, they get spiked HARD. I've never seen another Bowser use dair like that--and my opponents apparently haven't either because I usually hear my opponent or someone watching the match remark about dair being used like that.

evo?

Sadly no EVO for me. I promised my girlfriend that Apex would be the only time this year I would use some of precious vacation days (I only get about 12 a year) for a Smash tournament. Really, really wish I could be there since Vegas is just under an hour plane ride away from me, but frankly Apex left a godawful taste in my mouth.

Favorite thing about Bowser(Smash-wise or not)?

He has the most spikes in the game!

Fun fact: I told Vex this at Apex while a bunch of us were eating lunch at Wendy's and genuinely stumped him before we all burst out laughing.

Bowser's most unsafe move?

Dsmash. It lasts super long, and its knockback sucks. It's easily my least used move.

Favorite gaming console?

I'll go with Gamecube. I had something like 50+ games for Gamecube, and I have a lot of fond memories of spending time playing games for the system with friends and family.

Favorite cartoon?

Tough to say one American cartoon that's my clear favorite, but offhand I grew up watching Darkwing Duck, Duck Tales, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Timon and Pumbaa, Hercules, Aladdin, Gargoyles, Jackie Chan Adventures, Batman Beyond, and Tiny Toon Adventures.

As far as anime goes my favs other than Gurren Lagann are Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Monster Rancher, and Hamtaro.

Most hated Smash character?

I HATE YOSHI WITH A FREAKING FLAMING PASSION. EFF THAT GARBAGE CHARACTER!!!

Polotergust and I played often in college, and there was a string of a solid 6 tournaments in a row where I had to face Polt in losers bracket only to get DEMOLISHED. The MU was easily one of Bowser's worst in Brawl, and while it's not quite as bad in this game, it's still rough.

Which Mario game has your favorite appearance of Bowser? Mine is a tossup between Paper Mario 2's comic relief Bowser or BiS's badass bruiser Bowser.

Definitely Bowser's Inside Story. There needs to be an all-out Bowser game already!!

Any secondary characters you use?

I have a Jigglypuff, but I've never used him in tournament. Only reason I use him is Jigglypuff used to be my main for years in Melee. I really would only go Jigglypuff if I wanted to camp INSANELY hard against someone. I also like playing as Charizard, Little Mac, DK, GW, and Ike for fun.

Favorite habit to punish and how?

Spotdodging gets pivot grabbed for days. A single read into a pivot grab can put the opponent in such a bad situation and turn the momentum in Bowser's favor.

Do you think Bowser will be a viable character in the long run?

I don't think so, no. A game like Smash features many characters with projectiles and juggle games, both of which are Bowser's weaknesses. While Bowser can win very small locals and can even go far in larger tournaments, he won't be winning majors at all. He's the very definition of a mid tier character.

Changes you would make to the character?

I'd make his jab range and Klaw range larger like in Brawl and would give him a slow-moving homing fireball to replace Firebreath.

Customs or no?

No. I don't like how customs jank can give less skilled players wins they normally wouldn't get. I strongly believe in rewarding talent and hard work.

Should Indiana Jones: Fury of ISIS be a thing?

I'd rather there not be another Indy movie. I don't see why it needs another sequel.

Too soon?

YES.

If Universal makes Bowser's Keep, you down?

Only if Legendary is in on it too!

Where would you love to travel to?

Australia is the number one place I want to visit in the world. Kangaroos are my favorite animal, and I love how different all the animal species are there. I'd love to witness these wonderful animals in their natural environment.

You goin' to be at E3 on the exhibit floor?

I looked up prices, but it was way too expensive!! Someday I will though.

What are your favorite themes in story telling (loyalty, greed, peer pressure, triumph of the human condition, etc)?

My favorite themes are friendship, family, and never giving up. I feel these are three themes that my parents instilled in me, and those themes were further nourished by the films, TV shows, comics, and books I consumed. Now I want nothing more than to pass on those themes in my writing to the next generation.

What do you do to stay in shape?

Honestly I need to get back into working out. I'm very lucky to have a very fast metabolism that allows me to not get chubby while not working out much. I need to get back into Power 90--it takes 30 minutes a day, and I can do it from home. I don't like working out around others because I like blasting pump-up music to get me going, and I don't like wearing headphones while I work out.

Favorite book?

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. I was entranced by the world he made and was so sad when the movie adaptation spat in the face of that world.

What's the next skill you want to learn?

I really need to learn how to cook. My girlfriend could use some help in the kitchen, and it will only help us as a unit in the long run.

Any plans to do more with Youtube?

I highly doubt it just since I'm generally very busy. I really enjoyed being the host of the Brawl Back Room Interviews back in the day, though! It allowed me to be my personal self and to share with the community some insight behind some recognized players.

You up for joining the same squad in Xenoblade Chronicles X?

Let's make like a Donphan and ROLLOUT.

Which MU's should we Bowsers work on, and which ones should we have a secondary for? Which ones are just out of his league / really tough to handle, and which ones are downright impossible?

I'd say the number one MU Bowsers need to get good at is Luigi. More and more people are picking up the character as their go-to easy mode grab followups character, and it's only going to get worse now that Diddy has been nerfed yet again. Practice being patient and punishing overcommited openings. It will only help you in the long run!

I don't believe in personally using secondaries because I'm continuously trying to push my Bowser. The game is still so young--I see no reason to cut that development short, even against a rough MU.

Yoshi, Fox, and Rosalina are tough, but a competent Sheik is impossible.

You get to travel anywhere in the world! Where do you go, and what do you eat!?

Australia, like I said earlier. As far as food goes...I dunno actually! Whatever locals say is the best.

Kamek has been ordered to give you powers through magic! What do you ask for?

Hands that have the power to grab and lift anything so I can beat the living snot out of anyone who hurts those I love with my bare hands.

Most important tech to master as King Koopa / Best strategies to get on top of? Habits to get into / break?

Reading and reacting instead of overcommiting I'd say is most important.

Stop jumping backwards, spotdodging out of fear, spamming up B, challenging your opponent while being juggled, and airdodging into the ground. I see too many Bowsers doing this, and it honestly makes it very hard for me to watch other Bowsers.

Ice cream is incredibly important and we must all know your favorite flavor. Straight up.

Pumpkin ice cream with crushed Reese's on top.

You get to change one thing about Bowser for the next patch. What do you do? (Aside from bring back melee klaw. We can all dream.)

Bring back Brawl jab range.

 

[LIQUID12A]

Jigglypuff

never used him

Cartoon-wise we're identical on tastes, hilariously.

 

[Zigsta]

View attachment 57590

Cartoon-wise we're identical on tastes, hilariously.

Jigglypuff can be a male or a female in the games. Mine is obv a boy.

 

[LIQUID12A]

Jigglypuff can be a male or a female in the games. Mine is obv a boy.

True, but isn't Smash Jiggs female?

You know, since it's voiced by a woman(even if there are numerous cases where woman voiced =\= male character, e.g Japanese Goku, Lumine from Mega Man X8, etc).

 

[MrEh]

True, but isn't Smash Jiggs female?

You know, since it's voiced by a woman(even if there are numerous cases where woman voiced =\= male character, e.g Japanese Goku, Lumine from Mega Man X8, etc).

You basically answered your own question dude.

Also, Lucas, Ness, and Pikachu are also voiced by women. All of which are confirmed male.

 

[Zigsta]

Sorry for the delay, everyone. Please begin week 3 voting!

 

[Big Sean]

@ Hitman JT

 

[UltimaLuminaire]

Oco Le Troof

 

[LIQUID12A]

UltimaLuminaire

 

[Zigsta]

Le Troof wins. Please ask questions for him now!

 

[MrEh]

-Favorite flavor of ice cream?

-Favorite SNES game and why. I will judge you based on your answer.

 

[Hitman JT]

-Favorite flavor of ice cream?

-Favorite SNES game and why. I will judge you based on your answer.

-I'm a bit of a chocoholic, so I'll demolish anything chocolate flavored with brownies in it or something. Turkey Hill's Double Dunker is my kryptonite; it's like chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough but better.

-Super Mario World. Not just my favorite SNES game but my favorite game period. I have fond memories playing it with my bro when we were younger and I'm pretty sure it's the first video game I ever touched. The vibrant colors, the catchy music, the amazing level design, the secrets and easter eggs, the YOSHI, all combined into a magical experience that hasn't been matched by any other game since...for me anyway. The difficulty and progression is just right too...always throwing something new and exciting at you but never expecting you to suddenly become godlike in order to advance. Honorable mentions go to NBA Jam and Super Metroid.

 

[LIQUID12A]

Why the name Truth Or Dare?

 

[Hitman JT]

Idk. Been meaning to change it but I'm lazy.

A while ago my tag was just Truth. A certain someone that I practice with was all like "AYE TROOOOOOFFFFF" out of the blue and before long everyone I know called me that, ghetto spelling and whatnot. It stuck, so I'm like "**** it." I'll sometimes use the tag Hitman JT since it was part of my wrestling nickname in high school.

 

[Big Sean]

* Favorite options out of jab 1? why and when do you use them?
* How do you like to approach a match where the player is playing really passively?
* dash slash vs flying slam?
* opinions on fire breath?
* have you found any uses of the new utilt yet?
* what is your hardest matchup and how are you trying to approach it?
* when someone is on the ledge, what are you favorite options to punish them getting back to the stage?
* evo?

 

[UltimaLuminaire]

- How often do you get the chance to play video games these days?
- Who do you look up to the most, fictional or otherwise?
- What's your favorite kind of geography?
- If you could pick up a language, what would it be?
- Kid or squid?
- You down for dat Star Inari Zero?
- How did you get into competitive fighting games?

 

[Hitman JT]

* Favorite options out of jab 1? why and when do you use them?

I love me some good ol' jab > grab. I usually try to condition my opponent with a few of those first before I go for jab > f-tilt to catch a whiffed jab, jab > d-tilt to swipe a spotdodge, or just jab > do nothing and react accordingly. I'd love to advocate for jab > bomb but I find myself messing up the spacing too much for it.

* How do you like to approach a match where the player is playing really passively?

I like to stare into their souls from just outside of their roll range. Harass them with a little fire if I know they don't jump a lot. I rarely make the first move if I don't have to so I'm completely fine with out-turtling people and waiting for a screw up, which is usually answered with a pivot f-tilt or grab. If they have a projectile that I'm not threatened by then I'll sit there and powershield those all day if I feel like it.

* dash slash vs flying slam?

.....Y'know, Flying Slam was the main reason I picked up Bowser in Brawl despite not being a fan of how he handled like a discount minivan in that game and in Melee. Even if I didn't like his design, I loved that move and how satisfying it felt to land it. Despite the nerfs to it in this game, it's still one of my favorite things about playing Bowser. 8-frame punish? A clean 18-19% with a sweet animation to let the victim know how screwed they are? Yes, yes, so much yes.

But damn it all, Dash Slash had to come around and provide infinitely more utility at the cost of my favorite move in the game. Long distance whiff-punishing, zone-breaking, combo-starting, the ability to recover high...it's like being madly in love with an average 6 when a solid 10 supermodel walks by, offers you a lap dance, freshly-baked snickerdoodles, and free trips around the world if you're willing to ice your ex...I have a very love-hate relationship with that move and it's probably the real reason why I'm not a fan of legalizing customs lol.

* opinions on fire breath?

I wish it had slightly less endlag or pushed opponents away farther, but Bowser isn't allowed to be good according to the balancing team. It's still good for harassment, edgeguarding, and clanking out the occasional weak projectile, but I find myself using it less and less these days.

* have you found any uses of the new utilt yet?

Not really other than the backside u-tilt > u-tilt combo that I'm sure everyone knows about already.

* what is your hardest matchup and how are you trying to approach it?

I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE Sonic. I like to think that I'm one of the more patient players out there but this guy raises my blood pressure as soon as I hear that first spin dash. Honestly I'm still unsure how to properly handle this match-up with Bowser since I normally pick Luigi who can keep him under control somewhat. With Bowser I'll just, like, yolo pivot grab and hope for the best. Throw out some jabs and hope they clank. Pivot f-tilts since I know many Sonics will abuse that godlike roll of his. It feels like one long, annoying 50/50 from start to finish. Ugh.

* when someone is on the ledge, what are you favorite options to punish them getting back to the stage?

Definitely Fortress for how many options it covers. Then ledge trump when they expect the Fortress. Then wait and Flying Slam the getup roll when they expect the ledge trump.

* evo?

Eventually. But not this year.

- How often do you get the chance to play video games these days?

Still more than enough since I currently don't work full time hours. I expect that to change around autumn.

- Who do you look up to the most, fictional or otherwise?

I could give the "right" answer and say my parent(s), but that's a tad too cliché for me. So I'm gonna go with Rocky frickin' Balboa. We all love a good underdog story; he's like a more easily relatable Little Mac. His opponents aren't 3x his size, but the odds are stacked against him all the same. He's a symbol of hope and willpower for me, a metaphor for how you can achieve anything in life if you want it bad enough. Screw Shia LaBeouf...when I'm down I'll listen to the "How Winning Is Done" speech and suddenly I feel like I can bench press a mountain. When I lived in Philadelphia I would regularly take trips to the art museum just to run up the stairs while humming Gotta Fly Now...yeah, it's a thing for EVERYONE that lives there or just visits, but I'll be damned if I didn't feel like the king of the ****ing world when I stood at the top and gazed down the Ben Franklin Parkway with my arms stretched out in victory. For that brief moment in time I feel truly POWERFUL.

- What's your favorite kind of geography?

The kind that's the easiest to get an 'A' in.

- If you could pick up a language, what would it be?

Français. To me it just sounds badass. But like everyone else, the only French I know is that one line from Creole Lady Marmalade.

- Kid or squid?

Octoling.

- You down for dat Star Inari Zero?

Can't say that I'm a huge fan of Star Fox. 64 didn't captivate me, and the last one I played was Assault which I wasn't crazy about. Here's hoping that the new one will change my mind though.

- How did you get into competitive fighting games?

Brawl was the first game I did stuff in. I played on a bunch of wi-fi ladders, then found out that someone I ran into online regularly would go to the same college as me. We met up, got a little crew together, the rest is history.

Spoiler

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

"But smesh isnt a fightan gaem Truf!"

It's a game with fighting. Shut up.
Brawl was fun and all, but I craved more competition. So later I got into TvC, SF4, MvC3, Tekken, maybe a few others. I wasn't as competitive with other fighting games as I was with Smash but all the fundamentals and stuff I learned from them carried over.

 

[Jerodak]

@Troot Are we in agreement that they should have added the awesome and manly Dan Hibiki instead of boring Ryu? (:

 

[Hitman JT]

That's one train you'll be riding solo until the end of time, buddy boy.

 

[Zigsta]

Voting for week 4 is now open!

 

[Cassius.]

It's time for Chad.

 

[UltimaLuminaire]

MrEh, the man.

 

[MrEh]

I vote for Zigsta.

 

[Jerodak]

I vote for @boozer.

 

[Zigsta]

I totally forgot that yesterday was Monday. It's been that kind of time for me, haha.

Anyways, please ask MrEh your questions.