FifaApostle, Exclusive Interview14.Sep.07

We have an exclusive interview with one of the UK WCG recent qualifiers and an experienced player now living in Korea. Check it out

Please tell us your name, age, nationality and residence.

Hi my name is Aaron (FifaApostle) Knight, I’am 22 year old British guy living in South Korea, Seoul.

How long have you been playing FIFA, and what’s been your best moment so far in your eSports career?

I’ve been playing Fifa since 1994 on Mega Drive until current. I started to play at a high competitive level since around 2002 when I missed out on the chance to attend the WCG 2001 UK finals for Age of Empires. My Uncle was the number 1 Fifa player in 2001 and went to Korea to represent UK in the WCG in which he finished top 12.The best moment of my time playing Fifa so far is winning the silver medal in WCG 2002 in the 2v2 games in which we lost to Germany in the finals. But every moment playing in any competition is a great moment for me.

What can you tell us about your experience in WCG 2002 UK and Korea?

My experience in the WCG UK 2002 was a great one for me as it was the first real LAN event I went to which had such a great prize for winning, which was a trip to Korea to represent my own country. The UK qualifier for me was a nervous experience for me also.When I got to Korea I was on fire, I practiced a lot and was beating everyone with ease in the training room without playing too much of my game, The experience I got from the UK qualifiers was a big boost for me for this event. I was on a High and the nerves I had from UK were gone.

Please tell us your experience in the UK up until 2004 and the Korean tournaments that you participate in nowadays?

After the 2002 Korea WCG I had a lot of bad luck within the main competitions. WCG UK 2003 I finished 5^th, it was not because I wasn’t good enough to win it as I was, but that year there was a big problem for PS2 pad players on LAN, in which we had so much button delay.2004 I practiced very sneaky that year, not many people knew I was playing and I didn’t play many of the UK players I was confident I could win WCG 2004 but unfortunately the UK didn’t pick any Fifa players that year.Up until now the Korean tournament has been Fifa 06 but end of this month (September) it will change to Fifa 07, yes it’s a bit odd for some reason they are 1 year behind the latest game. Within the last few years I have done a few stage matches as a special guest with some of the Pro Fifa Gamers. But I will soon make my mark with the new competition.

What can you tell us about your experience in the CGS in 2007?

My experience for CGS 2007 has been a big disappointment. The Korea qualifiers were the biggest shambles I have every witnessed, Not only did the referees know the rules (there were CSS refs) but the players themselves didn’t know the rules 100% either. Maybe this is due to the fact they only started 07 a few months ago without any patches, who knows.I did qualify online for the UK one under a friend’s name, but I cannot afford to go back to UK to take part, even though I am pretty confident I would get drafted in the UK seeing as I am still one of the most recognized Fifa gamers to come from the UK.

How is the Korean level of play, and how would you compare it with the Western style?

Umm I believe that if the Koreans practiced the correct version of Fifa for that year’s major competition, then they would beat anyone. Unfortunately in recent years the skill level of the Korean Fifa players have dropped tremendously, due to playing in there Pro leagues with older versions. Said that the game style itself is pretty much the same, Westerners like to play the crossing game and so do the Asians. I myself prefer a mixture of Long shots and crossing.

How many hours do you train a day, favorite team, formation and which is your style of play?

I don’t like to practice too much per day, I feel I start to play predictable and this makes me annoyed, stressed and makes me play bad with many mistakes. I usually aim around to play for 2-3 hours a day, unless I got a major tournament coming up then I would play a few more hours.Favorite team changes every year, because every year there is always a different team which is the best. But for Fifa 07 I like to play with Barca, Man Utd, France and Italy.Favorite Formations for Fifa 07, 4-4-2 wing play (neutral, defencesive) This formation is just great all around great for getting down the wings to get in early crosses and is ok for long shots also.4-3-2-1 Is my favorite formation for doing long shots, anywhere I pass to there is usually a man in space in which I can just turn shoot and goal. It’s also a great counter against a formation such as 4-3-3.

What are your thoughts on Fifa 08?

My thoughts on Fifa 08 is that it is infact a sexy game to play, very smooth motions, passing is great, crossing is great and it plays greats. But I do believe they need to tweak the shooting system a bit, and maybe change the player change button back to the pass button. Other then that I think it’s going to be a great game and can’t wait for the FIWC in Korea.

Now please give us your final comments.

Just like to say thanks for the interview, been along time since I have I done one and hope I didn’t bore you all. Also I hope to practice hard this year and maybe next year go back to UK and retain my title.