(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by those interviewed are the opinions of the individual(s) and not of the Author or Hardwired Gaming.)
Hardwired Gaming continues its weekly Game On! XBox 360 Tournament at the Microsoft Store this weekend with what could be the final competition of Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 3. HWG is asking its console gaming fans on their Facebook page on what gaming event they’d like to see next. Click here to vote your opinion.
This past weekend, we saw the debut of The Homeless Californians who surprised everyone by announcing it’s parting from Suicide Squad. THC demonstrated that their new “dream team” can take on the competition by handily winning the tournament against such teams as UnV, Jamaican Clan, and Suicide Squad. Check out the latter part of the Finals’ stream of their match against Team UnV:
(Warning: Due to the graphic nature of live broadcasting, inappropriate language may be experienced. Parental Guidance is advised.)
We caught up with a couple of The Homeless Californians members on Skype to ask them some quick general questions: Team leader, Alex Velasco, and team member, Austin Trenner.
HWG: So how is the name search coming along, are you sticking with THC?
Alex Velasco: Well, the team name is still undecided, but we will come up with a new one this week for our Game Battles account – but for now, temporarily on GB, we are going with Zero Accuracy.
HWG: You have 4 members [Justin Clark, Omar Mendoza, Austin Trenner, Alex Velasco] right now that competed together this past weekend, how do you feel about the current members and are you planning on recruiting some more?
Alex: I think we have a very strong team right now, and it looks like we will not be recruiting for our 4v4 lan tourneys, but we will be accepting players for gamebattles.
HWG: Who do you think is the best player on your new team?
Alex: I’m not sure if we have a best player yet because I have seen very good gameplay by all the players on this team, so I believe that there is no “best player” on our team – because the [4v4] game is based on team play.
HWG: Everyone’s interested to know why you left Suicide Squad, can you tell us a little about that?
Alex: Well, I left Suicide Squad because the Leader, Donnie, was a big jerk to all of the new players that Kyu [Cornelio Axibal] recruited for the team, and I think that was a bad way to greet new members.
I’m not going to lie, they [Suicide Squad] are all really good players, except for Donnie. He doesn’t have that sportsmanship attitude that their team needs.
Another thing is that they need to communicate better, and do it more. I know they all have skill, but they need more to compete with our quote, unquote, Dream Team.
HWG: Alex, when did you start getting serious about competing in eSports?
Alex: I’ve been a member of Game Battles since… May 17, 2008, and I’ve been competing online since then. I recently found out about LAN tourneys with you guys, and I’ve been loving the LAN experience ever since.
HWG: Which game do you like better out of the Call of Duty series?
Alex: I like the games by Infinity Ward [CoD 4, MW2/3] better just because of how the gameplay feels. Treyarch’s Black Ops, on the other hand, has a different gameplay/style and I feel like I don’t play the same. I don’t know, I think it’s because they have a different feel and physics engine.
For example, with Infinity Ward’s gamplay, it’s up-close shooting. With Black Ops, it’s aiming down sight. It’s a slower gameplay.
HWG: Hey Austin, how did you get involved with your new team?
Austin Trenner: I competed in the first Game On! CoD tournament when it was FFA [Free For All] and Alex won First Place, and I took Second. And I met the other guys from Suicide Squad like Fernando [Dominquez] and Kyu [Cornelius Axibal], and I just started playing with them more. Alex was already in the team and we’ve won a few times but he told me he was forming a new team, so I said, “I’m in.”
HWG: When did you start playing CoD?
Austin: I got my first XBox in ’09 and I played NHL all summer. But, a neighbor friend came over and we played CoD4. I was good for not playing [before]. Each time we played with my friends, I would just sweep. In FFA, I was the best in Call of Duty 5. MW2 came out and I loved it.
When Black Ops came out, though, I didn’t like it and I went back to playing NHL.
HWG: How long do you think you’re going to be with this team?
Austin: As long as Alex is in it, I’m in. If he leaves, I leave.
HWG: Is there anyone out there that you think would be a good fit with your new team?
Austin: One of the Simplicity guys is actually pretty good. I think we should recruit him. He was here the last time Simplicity played. The youngest one – I forgot his name. But, I think we should get him for Game Battles.
HWG: What do you guys see going into the future with this new team?
Alex: I can see us competing in some tournaments down in Socal and if MLG decides to play CoD, we’ll go to it. We’re looking into getting sponsors. [coughs]
HWG: I see. Well, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Good luck on your new team.
Zero Accuracy will be competing this Saturday at 4:00 [May 19th] and HWG is inviting teams within the bay area or region to challenge the new team. A First and Second Place prizes (Kontrol Freeks) will be provided along with Microsoft’s XBox Live 3-month Subscription.
Bunker down and be sure to practice and get ready to battle this weekend.