If you pay any attention to the fighting game community, 28-year-old New York native Michael “IFC Yipes” Mendoza needs no introduction. Somewhat of a Marvel ambassador, he stormed into the scene by placing second in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at Evo 2005, handing Justin Wong his first loss at the prestigious tournament along the way. Two years later, he won again, and consistently finished in the top eight after that. Of course, you can’t forget his countless (and oftentimes colorful) catchphrases, which still live on today.

In the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 era, Mendoza has established himself as one the best Dante players and the creator of the high-level Curleh Mustache invitationals, and is currently sponsored by The Steam Co. We recently sat down with this legend to talk about Marvel, commentating, future plans, and his thoughts on the scene.

Jason Yang: First off, how did everything start for you?

Michael “FC Yipes” Mendoza: I started off from first-person shooters. I was playing Unreal Tournament 99 for a long time. Then late 2003, my computer decided to die. I needed something else competitive so I started playing at my local arcade, Kobe’s World. I started dominating out here.

A lot of my close friends knew [Kevin “Dieminion” Landon], so he came through one time to our local arcade and he whooped my ass. I was like, “Who the *expletive* is this guy?” We became good friends from there. Then he told me I was pretty good and shouldn’t waste my talent, took me to Chinatown Fair, and the rest was history.

JY: I remember you placing second to Duc Do in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at Evo 2005, then you won in Evo 2007. What was that like?

MM: 2005 was my first Evo, and surprisingly, I got second. I lost to Duc Do, but I beat Justin [Wong]. That was the first time Justin lost in Evo. That’s what lit the fire from there. I kept going to every Evo after that and getting top eight appearances. Every year I went, I kept getting better.

JY: What were your expectations like? Was the win unsurprising?

MM: No, it was more I can’t believe I was in Vegas. But I was 17 at the time so I couldn’t do anything. That’s when I found out being 21 was very important. In terms of the games, it was really fun. I used it as an excuse to travel for the first time in the United States.

Vegas is definitely my first place meeting all the west coast guys, because we always spoke on the Shoryuken forums and AIM. I used that as an excuse to play the west coast competition.

JY: What was the scene like back then? There was no YouTube, no live streams, and y’all had to resort to VHS.

MM: In 2007 and 2008, the scene was lowkey. All the information was from Shoryuken. And because I’m a part of the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 crew, we used to go to zachd.com to watch our updated matches. That’s how we did our homework. The site is still up and running. Shoutout to Preppy P.

But once 2009 rolled around, that’s when we noticed YouTube and media like that. It has been growing since then. But back in the day, it was mostly holes in the wall, real underground sessions. If you wanted to get good, New York was the Mecca of Marvel 2 – and we still are in terms of Marvel. Players used to come across the state to train with us. And they got better coming to our spot. It was so underground that you wouldn’t know what was going on in the session. So it was a lot of rowdiness. Picture an underground beat boy battle. Picture that and incorporate Marvel. Except for dancing, it’s just showing off all the tricks in Marvel 2. And the difference in that time was you could get that every week, every day. And it was more exclusive.

I’ll give you an example: Season’s Beatings. There was no streaming at the time. For people to experience that energy, they had to see it live. That’s what actually delivered it. People came out from California, Canada, Texas, Detroit, New Jersey; you name it, and they came out to see it. Nowadays, you can catch it at home on stream.

JY: How has the scene changed since then?

MM: It’s a lot friendlier now. Back in the day was like a breakfast club type of thing. It was more clique-y back then, and little by little we started accepting new blood. That’s when we started to realize that this is getting big. I never expected to get this big. Before, I thought the fighting game community was more casual. But the blessing of these new games is this new blood stepping and taking interest in the games. That’s what changed the game. Of course, streaming showed the world. Before, it was a crew, beat boys battle. Now people see it for what it is.

JY: What’s your take on fighting games possibly reaching the level of other competitive games?

MM: It all depends on the presentations and productions, and how you can make the viewers understand what’s going on. Fighting games are more complex for regular gamers. They understand what’s going on in terms of energy bars, but not when it comes to frame data, how the opponents think, and meta. It all depends on how we can explain and showcase it to the public.

JY: There’s been a lot of discussion lately on what makes a good commentator. To you, what qualities does a great commentator need?

MM: A lot of great energy, a lot of knowledge to the game. Be playful with the people that are listening to the stream and just overall have fun. [Commentators] really have to do their research, in terms of like YouTube or a Brady’s Guide.

JY: Any up and coming commentators folks should look out for?

MM: Nobody really, from what I’ve seen. So far, Persia, UltraChen, Spooky. I would say Chris Matrix but he’s not in the scene no more. And Team PIE’s Sci.

JY: Another major conversation has revolved around the status of Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Is the game dying?

MM: No, not at all. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 started out with tons of hype. We waited ten years for it, and the new game brought out new blood. Now, the number is dwindling, but all the killers are staying behind. So now you are going to get nothing but top quality gameplay from here on out, because all the casual guys left. That happened with Marvel 2. It’s going down the same path as Marvel 2, and the Marvel 3 community is nice and healthy. It ain’t going nowhere.

JY: You used to say Marvel 3 is really simple. Is that why you don’t put in as much time in this game as Marvel 2?

MM: The only difference is in Marvel 2, I had a big base of players I always played with every single day. In Marvel 3, when I was grinding it, it was early on when the game came out. I was playing guys like MarlinPie, Bum, RayRay, and people who came to my house. It was very consistent. That consistency in practice is what makes me consistent. Now, I haven’t been going as hard as before. But that can always change with timing and scheduling. Marvel 3 is simpler, but it’s tough at top level.

JY: Do you think Chris G is the best Marvel player right now?

MM: The most consistent. He had a short offseason because of life, but he’s back on it. He’s looking really strong.

JY: Who’s ready to take him down?

MM: It’s kind of hard to say. I haven’t seen nobody take it to Chris besides guys like Justin. Recently, RF took him out, but I wouldn’t count RF because he travels once a year. But the players who consistently travel that can give him problems are Justin and [Ryan “Filipino Champ” Ramirez].

JY: Do you think Marvel 3 rivalries stack up to those we had in Marvel 2?

MM: Nah, not at all. There was a lot more hunger and the game was more prideful back in the day.

JY: So the guys succeeding in Marvel 3 today, would they have been successful in the Marvel 2 era?

MM: It’s two different games. Marvel 2 was execution heavy. For Marvel 3, there’s some execution there, but not to the standards you need in Marvel 2. You really need to work on your hand speed and dexterity for that game to play at a high level.

JY: Any thoughts on Marvel vs. Capcom 4?

MM: I just know it’s in Disney’s hands. Capcom is on a hot streak of putting out good products. Guys like [ Peter “Combofiend” Rosas], who comes out to the scene, he’s waiting for something to happen. In terms of versus games, if we can’t get Marvel, they should focus on what they have now, like Capcom All Stars. But it wouldn’t be the same because there aren’t any Marvel characters.

JY: What’s your relationship like with BROKENTIER these days? Still partnered?

MM: Yeah, me and Koogy are really good friends. We are working on new projects this winter. It was more so business at first, but we really got to know each other through the games. He’s an OG and used to play Guilty Gear back in the day. So what made us so comfortable working with him is because he came from that cloth — instead of a random guy who doesn’t know what FGC is, and comes and says, “Hi, I own a random business and let’s get it.”

JY: On the topic of sponsorships, what was it like being in Empire Arcadia as it developed?

MM: Back then, I never looked at it as a sponsorship. It was more family oriented. All my boys, SmoothViper, Kreymore, Dieminion, Chris Matrix, Executioner, Sanford, all my homies were in there. That’s what made it so comfortable for me. It was more like a prestigious club, if you will. I never considered it as a sponsorship. I actually paid for my flight and stuff like that off of my tournament winnings. The only time it took the route of sponsorship was when Empire Arcadia partnered with VxG, and for better or worse, that kind of went down the toilet.

JY: How did you first join up?

MM: It was back in 2004. I knew about these guys, because when I entered tournaments, they were the guys I was fighting against. So back in 2005, we made a crew called Dead Cell. The leaders at the time were me and SmoothViper. Basically, Triforce holla’d at SmoothViper saying he wanted Dead Cell under EMP’s umbrella. He really sold it to us, and I really liked their goal at the time. Everything just clicked at that time.

JY: Why did y’all decide to split?

MM: It’s more so the owner and I weren’t looking eye to eye. EMP was a great representation of gaming in general. But in terms of the owner’s view and the direction he was taking, it wasn’t for me.

JY: Can you share any future plans for Curleh Mustache?

MM: It’s very under wraps. There’s going to be a facelift. Be on the lookout next year.

JY: You’ve been a symbol of the fighting game community ever since you entered the scene. You’ve lived through the golden age, the 2009 resurrection, and present-day. In your mind, what do you think we need to continue being successful?

MM: Just a better representation. Always keep it fun. I never want it to be dry. I always want it to be hype. I want people to enjoy what they’re seeing, what they are watching, because obviously everybody that’s there in the flesh knows what’s up.

But the main goal is to get all the viewers at home to come and experience what the fighting game community is all about. And to really optimize that is to have positive representation. So you know, no crazy N-bombs, you know what I’m saying. You can be yourself, just more of a positive representation. That’s how I’m looking at it. I think that’ll bring in more people.

We also need to have a better understanding of how to help people at home who have nothing to do with fighting games. People watch fighting game tournaments for the hype and the energy, not knowing what’s happening on the screen. So our job is to help them understand what’s going on and have fun with it at the same time.

JY: Anything else you’d like to add?

MM: No, everything is good. The fighting game community has been treating me well ever since I started. I have no gripes. Everything is perfect for me right now. Everything is beautiful.



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