I actually got the pleasure to meet Mike at evo 2022 when he was still (disappeared) I couldn't believe I recognized him because it was the first major back from COVID 19. Got to have a nice conversation with him. He's such a genuine nice guy and you can tell he genuinely loves the scene.
how you know mike was right all along is that CC schemed the qualifications so that 20 of our favorite legends are not even in the tournament. men that built this community from the floor. and they hand the first million dollars ever to some random guy. everything mike ever complained about is there for you to see
i played a game of dota with him. halfway through the game i was like...."man you sound so familiar....are you like a youtuber?...wait....are you mike ross????" he was very humble and chill to play with. fed his ass off and went right click veno. but thats ok
Over the years I must have seen every episode of Excellent Adventures at least 2-3 times. I always thought the sfv era ruined the good energy that Mike had. He is, but especially at that time, was the greatest entertainer anyone could ask for and Capcom really did him dirty by doing things like locking him out of the office, etc. I always felt the man was underappreciated for what he was doing for the scene. I look at some of these "hosts", commentators, fake gangsters that became the "personalities" of the modern era but none of them compare to Mike. The modern era is missing genuine people.
I don't even think sfv ruined mike because honestly sfv gave us some of the best content with mike ross. Him beating the bot, him and floe (rip), the match with kbrad. Too many legendary moments but i think it was just the esports and twitch sides of things.
what tells you mike was absolutely right all along is that CC is schemed so that 20 of the greatest legends were sitting out of the tournament, while they hand the first million dollars ever for SF to some random dude.
@@WeirdEdz it gave us good content but the game was genuinely shit. I stopped playing SF and thought Capcom were done because i hated that game. Capcom had a terrible run with sfxt, mvci and sfv. Sf6 is a step back in the right direction now even though it's not sf4
I was always saying there's an empty space in the scene for these podcast/interview type content. First time listener but been in the scene since SF4, thanks for bring Mike Ross back for a conversation! Hope to see more videos from old and new players in the FGC. Wishing your channel success!
I'm a simple man. I see Mike Ross, I click. Long time fan of their show and endeavors so it was nice to get some answers to questions I've wondered about before.
Man this was such a great episode. Thanks Chris for doing these because I think these kinds of intimiate talks are what the FGC needs. Feels like the FGC as a community started feeling less human with all the sponsors and the advancement of social media and cancel culture. Thinking back to all the times of the first episodes of crosscounter really put into persepective how much the FGC changed, and also how the people in the FGC changed individually. Having these talks brings it all back down to earth. Cheers!
I just found out in your interview on the LCQ that you had a podcast. Mike Ross is my favorite person on the FGC, thank you very much for bringing him in. Your views regarding criticism is spot on. Just subscribed, keep this kind of content coming.
I got a bit lazy after making my first video, and this conversation certainly inspired me to continue doing what I started (with a little help of my friends, ofc). It is genuinely heartwarming, and immensely important to hear, for someone who's just starting and doubting on whether there's any use to edit and share more stuff or not. Thank both of you Chris and Mike and keep doing what you're doing!
I remember seeing rare glimpses of Mike popping up guilty gear tournaments during his Break from social media and RU-vid, but I’m happy to see Mike back proper fully engaged in the fgc happy and enjoying himself
As someone living in India where the SF scene was pretty small back in the day, Excellent Adventures is what kept me going. Thank you for having Mike on the podcast.
Really love these interviews Chris! Mike and Ryan (and Steve) were pioneers and extremely entertaining. I was subbed to their website for months maybe years until they pulled the plug
Another great interview. From a man that's a pillar in the community and left it when it sold out. I always respected Mike for seeing the direction and stepping away when the time was right to eventually prove his point.
The Chris T talk of this week finally came and what a nice surprise to have Mr Mike Ross in this and what a great conversation. I'm genuinely in love with this show, man ❤
Now I'm here wondering how many other aliases Mike had besides just Waxl during his Xrd run...using different names to play overseas lol. Jokes aside, Mike is a genuinely good person and I've respected him and how he has carried himself during his fgc and career journeys over the years. Great video, Chris! This was my first to watch of the series and I'm gonna go back and watch the other three. This type of content works really well with your communication style. Keep doing your thing.
you have a fantastic voice mr. tatarian i actually got to meet you at canada cup in an elevator years ago and you were super nice i STILL believe in mike ross nice video, keep it up
Please support these guys. Whether it's prize pools or subbing on Twitch or buying merch. These people keep the community alive despite how disorganized and fractured it is.
09'er here from the socal region. You did a good job w/this interview. I like how you had a format & guided the conversation w/topics to stay organized. The audio & editing graphics are nice. Only feedback I would give, which is just a suggestion if I may. The lighting on your setup/desk. The shadows & perhaps the way the background is organized. Perhaps another light overhead to light up the background more/offset the shadows or even the angle of the camera/kelvin of the lighting. Still an excellent interview none the less & we need another round of mike ross plz.
Thank you for the feedback, I will work on that and see how it looks! Been 4 episodes but improvements to every aspect of the show will be made in due time . I appreciate you for listening and providing the constructive criticism 🫡
@@christatarian2504 Looking fwd to the nxt episode. On a sep sub of the current FGC gen, I feel like since the 09er days of sf4/umvc3, I could not agree more. I used to follow the community 24-7! till SFV era made this community soo wack outta nowhere lol. SF4 brought in the coolest personalities, which shows just how godlike that game really was,even outside of gameplay. FGC used to have this competitive wholesome grassroots feel w/shows like capcom pro talk, best of 3, wnf, nlbc, ex adventures, uctv .. shows that did things for the ppl&for the community. It was really lightning in a bottle & special moment in time. That's what's missing these days. Now it's all about clout, cancel culture & it's 100% soft af lmao. Part of me wishes everything just went back to ballrooms, but I'm happy to see the SF4 heads still competing.
You know, I know who Chris is from watching him play, but the only reason I watched this video/interview/chat/whatever is because of Mike and knowing how much of a cool dude he is and just wanting to learn some more about him. And then by the end I've become a huge fan of Chris as well now. You seem like such a great, chill dude who'd probably be a lot of fun to hang with. Rootin' for ya, Chris. Keep being awesome.
You're smashing it with the guests. Keep it up bro. I have been waiting to hear Mike talk about that period in a relaxed environment with someone he can trust for nearly 6 years now so it was great to hear his side and know he is doing well. Looking forward to more episodes 👊
I just recently got back into street fighter and recently learned about you. You have quickly become one of my favorites to watch. I know its hard not to think about tje haters, just know you're also have new people that appreciate your work and time you put into the community. Great interview with Mike!
I'll forever be a a fan of mike and Gootecks. They're both very nice people in person and I'll never forget that or the memories I have of Excellent Adventures
34:10 man I miss CORN. Monday Mitten Masher and Cryin Brian were legendary FGC moments. All that lost for cringe esports fake rivalries. Great vids @Chris Tatarian keep em comin
Chris I appreciate your content. You ask the right questions and the guest are just top notch. Just hearing the stories and learning how we come so far is just eye opening 🤘💯
I have never played street fighter in any serious capacity but have followed the fgc for decades at this point and Mike was and remains one of my favorite personalities. He had lightning in a bottle during sf4 and its criminal what the industry did to him chasing sponsorship dollars and taking community away from the original folks responsible for it's creation. After listening to this interview its clear that Chris is a real one. You aren't just lip service you really see how the world works and how callous these corporate frauds can be. Thank you for being a voice for the voiceless. Good hearing from Mike but I'm also excited to learn that Chris is out here talking real shit.
First one of these I’ve watched because you had the goat on. You do a great job interviewing man and I appreciate that you’re unashamed of your faith. Good shit
Excellent adventures was the 1st street fighter video/show I've watched when I came back to Sf after 8 or 9 years. I was crazy about the show. I rewatched about 10 different episodes about 2 months ago. Love and respect for Mike Ross and gootecks
Excellent Adventures was my gateway into the FGC 15 years ago. It's amazing how much of it has changed since then. I went from knowing nothing about Street Fighter to binging as much fighting game content as I could practically overnight. I watched weekly tournaments and shows religiously, stream monstered every 3 day event that I could, and eventually went to Evo myself. I can't speak on the in-person nature much, but I've definitely noticed the change in the tone of commentary over the years. With few a exceptions, it feels like everyone's speaking with the verbal equivalent of safety scissors. They're trying to hold the appearance of times past, but there's no real bite to it. It's sanded down to the point of being impossible to hurt anyone. In SF's case, that's entirely by design, because they have to represent the company if they're going to talk about the game, and you _do not_ make the company look bad under _any_ circumstances. The greater community isn't immune either. SF being as large as it is means that culture naturally bleeds into all aspects of the FGC. And, of course, other FG companies decided to do their own tournament series after the success of the CPT, further expanding the corporate pressure on the community as a whole. Looking back, I think people just wanted the FGC to feel legitimate in some way. To be able to say "look at us, look at all the cool shit a bunch of ragtag gamers from across the world can put together just because we love this thing so much," and to actually be seen for what that love did. There always seemed to be an undercurrent of that, but we didn't know and/or didn't care what we would lose in that chase for legitimacy. I was too naive to really understand what Mike was warning of but he was more correct than I think anyone gave him credit for at the time. He's a real one.
Great conversation, and really needed in these times. Besides corporate money (which isn’t all bad) I think the “softness” of the community began when a particular political view became the only acceptable one, and everything outside of it is cancelable.
It was great meeting you at CC on Sunday Chris. I told you there that I loved the new podcast and I meant it. Keep up the great work. Would love to play you some time or pick your brain on some tips.
Thanks for this Chris. I really relate to this man. I've dealt with so much of what you talked about. I've played fighting games for so long. Very different time now...
I said the same about esports too. I remember when i met you chris, the year mike got top 8 i think i was out there with valleyking 209...and you came with your parents (actually may have been the next year) It was so much more grassroots...alot of stuff that happened that caused the hype, the gambling, the story lines and fun to be there...all got corporatized. Just aint the same how it used to feel.
excellent adventures was such a good show , it was just like going to the homies house and playing fighting games with each other but these guys played on line and also brought in many top level sf pros and locals from infiltration to chris G
these interviews are so awesome man, im not even from USAamd i feel like I know you guys and we share the same spirt and the same love for fighting games thanks for the content... Im a nobody but I wish I could share my upbringing in any plataform like this as well gritings from Panama
Love the format Chris. Would love to see Aris as a guest talking about his fgc roots, working at superarcade, the infamous LTG/viscant moment, ATP podcast, commentating and then moving into streaming.
16:00i mean, There was the Dr sub zero podcast with ryan and john d (which i think there was an episode with mike ross, or at least he was there when they were recording and filming it) before cross counter the way people remember it. From what i remember, there was an earlier show with ryan and john also after the podcast, on the crosscounter channel/banner.
Chris, I’m not trying to be a hater here. I just want to get one piece of constructive criticism from someone who listens to a ton of interviews and podcasts. Maybe give the guest a little bit more room to speak. I know you have a lot to say and you’re very passionate about it and it’s a conversation, but sometimes it just felt like you were speaking for them. Love your content
Always felt bad for Mike when he told (and showed) that Chinese tournament story. I don't recall how man ended up in that crazy situation playing a game he knew nothing about, but didn't like how his "friends" & the organizers clowned him for the experience. Don't know the dude personally, but that was the easiest "Drinks on me" moment after hearing about that nonsense.
During his Xrd stint, Mike Ross was literally how Akuma was in Street Fighter II V. Just always in the background but awesome to see if you spotted him 😂
I still rewatch "Excellent Adventures" to this day. If it wasn't for that show i wouldn't even know there was a fighting game community (as dumb as that sounds). Also, this show seems dope af. Ima be tuning in.
i used to watch every new episode of excellent adventures every weekend like i did with Saturday morning cartoons had my bowl of cereal too.........im 29 now lol
I appreciate how deftly and quickly Mike shut down the old head BS of the sweaty toxic masculine energy by saying the scene hadn’t devolved to that during his time coming up and then provided a shout out to a girl who was bodying people in his time. I came up in Mexico and the early FGC was always a more inclusive space compared to other gaming scenes and it was usually only assholes who pushed the whole dudes being bros type shit rather than anyone being welcomed to put their quarters down and speak the language of fighting games to show their skill and back up the shit talk
