ESAM on PM

Author's Note: This article was by Trent with SmashBoards publishing it.

Welcome to our Project: M interview series. In the leadup to Blacklisted 3, we sat down with several members of the Smash community to discuss the past, present, and future of Smash’s most prominent spinoff. This time we’re talking with Panda Global’s ESAM. Since 2005 ESAM has been competing in Brawl, Smash 4, Melee, and Project: M, most notably with Pikachu and Samus. He’s currently ranked #27 on the Smash 4 PGR.

When streamers like VG Boot Camp began cutting ties with Project: M, it felt like a death sentence to many in the community. It felt to some like their place in the Smash community was no longer relevant, like they’d been blacklisted. Smashers in Massachusetts put together the Blacklisted event to both celebrate their game, and remind the community what makes PM so uniquely special.

Smashboards: When did you first get connected with Project: M?

ESAM: I played around the 2.5 area when Ivysaur and Donkey Kong were kinda busted. I played a lot in the Charlotte/Atlanta scene (Went to college two hours from both) and then transitioned to 3.02 when it came out.

SB: What made a Smash mod so appealing?

ESAM: The best part about PM in my opinion was the fact that Brawl and Melee players could play on relatively even footing. There was no way that some of my Brawl friends could beat Hungrybox in Melee, but they were able to beat him in PM because of the melding of techniques.

SB: With 64 on the rise and Smash 4 in full swing, what do you think about PMs place in the Smash community?

ESAM: I honestly haven’t been paying enough attention to the scene to know if it’s growing or not. I’m glad the scene has been able to persist through its hardships and still show meta progression. I feel like PM won’t ever be back in the “community” as it once was since the vast majority of major TOs won’t give it attention. I’m glad that they are able to have their own majors that people will show up to (stuff like the PM Circuit, Bigger Balc, etc) and Smash n Splash supporting them is also awesome.

SB: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the PM community?

ESAM: My Samus is better than Pooch182’s

Thanks again to ESAM for his time. Be sure to check him out on Twitter, and sign up for Blacklisted 3 on Smash.gg!

 

ESAM: My Samus is better than Pooch182’s

lol ESAM

 

over-buffing every character and adding some melee mechanics, was not the solution to making brawl more competitive and fun. PM either needs reworked or removed

 

over-buffing every character and adding some melee mechanics, was not the solution to making brawl more competitive and fun. PM either needs reworked or removed

Soooo, how would it be 'reworked?' I thought it was fun, since nearly every character was viable.

 

Soooo, how would it be 'reworked?' I thought it was fun, since nearly every character was viable.

IMO they should have just focused more on improving mechanics and gameplay of brawl instead of trying to make it like melee. And actually, halfway through typing this i thought, it's just a mod for brawl. I don't think we should be having it in our competitive scene (thus giving it more exposure). Unless we want another DMCA takedown from nintendo, or for them to stop sponsoring tournaments.

 

over-buffing every character and adding some melee mechanics, was not the solution to making brawl more competitive and fun. PM either needs reworked or removed

You realise that the point of the game wasn't 'to make Brawl competitive and fun' right? Yes it's a mod of Brawl but PM is still just its own game. Brawl+ or Brawl- were closer to being an upgraded version of Brawl.

 

IMO they should have just focused more on improving mechanics and gameplay of brawl instead of trying to make it like melee. And actually, halfway through typing this i thought, it's just a mod for brawl. I don't think we should be having it in our competitive scene (thus giving it more exposure). Unless we want another DMCA takedown from nintendo, or for them to stop sponsoring tournaments.

Nintendo won't be supporting competitive smash regardless of what we do with PM lol. The most recent game is on a dead console and from a buisness perspective it doesn't make sense for them to waste their resources on a small, niche audience of competitive smash bros players when they can market the game as a party game and sell plenty of copy's to people who want much simpler, cheaper to make things from smash.

With all that said should we really be excluding PM from large scale smash tournaments for a pipe dream that will never happen? Sounds silly to me and i don't even play PM

 

>Brawl and Melee players can play on even footing
>even footing
>even
kek. Im sure if a brawl pro were to face a melee pro, it would be more in favor of the melee player due to his/her familiarity with the way that Melee's tech skill works, and how its just the same thing in PM, but only made easier. Since this way is much faster than how the Brawl Pro would go about using tech skill, it would only seem logical that the Melee player could just pick a familiar character, pick FD and beat the brawl pro by at least two stock and about 40-69% on that same stock.

 

>Brawl and Melee players can play on even footing
>even footing
>even
kek. Im sure if a brawl pro were to face a melee pro, it would be more in favor of the melee player due to his/her familiarity with the way that Melee's tech skill works, and how its just the same thing in PM, but only made easier. Since this way is much faster than how the Brawl Pro would go about using tech skill, it would only seem logical that the Melee player could just pick a familiar character, pick FD and beat the brawl pro by at least two stock and about 40-69% on that same stock.

M2K would just 1v1 himself

 

IMO they should have just focused more on improving mechanics and gameplay of brawl instead of trying to make it like melee. And actually, halfway through typing this i thought, it's just a mod for brawl. I don't think we should be having it in our competitive scene (thus giving it more exposure). Unless we want another DMCA takedown from nintendo, or for them to stop sponsoring tournaments.

Just play Brawl+ Mr. Madbutt

 

Just play Brawl+ Mr. Madbutt

just my personal thoughts. I'm only a single person out of 251,919 people on this site. Don't take it to heart or nothin'

 

just my personal thoughts. I'm only a single person out of 251,919 people on this site. Don't take it to heart or nothin'

Edit: I know everyone on this site has their own opinion. Whether they're for Sm4sh, against it; for PM, 64, Brawl, Melee, etc. Just play what you want and have fun. That's all that's important. This is just a hub for all of us to gather together and talk about it

"It's just an opinion" when backed into a corner

But it you're just one among thousands, maybe don't say anything at all?

 

"It's just an opinion" when backed into a corner

But it you're just one among thousands, maybe don't say anything at all?

or i could just voice my opinion

 

"Don't take it to heart."
*Types a lengthy response to "Just play Brawl+ Mr. Madbutt"*

 

"Don't take it to heart."
*Types a lengthy response to "Just play Brawl+ Mr. Madbutt"*

if you dont wanna take my polite response then i'll take it back lol

 

M2K would just 1v1 himself

Couldn't have said it better myself

 

if you dont wanna take my polite response then i'll take it back lol

I mean, you can go ahead and do that. Not like it was to me anyways.