During the recent WSVG event in Dallas, Realm Media Networks was able to talk to the top two Gears of War teams about the tournament and Gears of War in general. Here's the full transcript of the interview with the No Name Noobs, the 2nd place team.

Team Members
Eric Sagonowsky (HoTDoG)

Christian Dupree (SLizZotH)

Anthony Sarillo (Sarillo)

Nick Kolcheff (NiCk)

Realm Media Networks: How did you guys get into this tournament?

Hotdog: We've been practicing for months. We went to MLG in Meadowlands about a month or two ago, and then we decided to WSVG to make some money, and have some fun.

RMN: So do you consider yourself professional gamers?

SLizZotH: Yes we ARE professional gamers, not CONSIDERED professional gamers.

RMN: As professional gamers, what do you think of the setup they have here for Gears of War?

SLizZotH: It's alight, nothing special. But that's because they didn't have enough competition.

Sarillo: For Gears of War it wasn't that special, it could have been a lot nicer than it was. But it was still a fun tournament and there wasn't too much competition.

NiCk: I think the WSVG wasn't prepared for Gears of War, and Gears of War wasn't really ready to handle something like WSVG. I think the next game will be much more organized and a lot more fun.

RMN: So is there anything in particular they could have done better here?

Sarillo: If they had a main stage where all the exciting stuff happens, like the other games out there. Overall it was pretty fun.

NiCk: I just kind of felt they hid Gears of War back in the corner. They really didn't pay much attention to it.

RMN: How often do you guys play?

Hotdog: We practice nightly for 2-3 hours, sometimes 4 or 5. We just do scrims [scrimmage, unranked multiplayer matches] pretty much everyday and take weekends off.

Nick: Scrim time is usually from 5 until 10. We scrim everyday, except for Friday and Saturday. Sometimes we scrim on Sunday, but we usually take weekends off. That's our time of peace, time to be with our friends.

RMN: Favorite Maps/Weapons?

Hotdog: Clocktower/Shotgun

SlizZoth: Canals/Sniper

Sarillo: Canals/Shotgun

Nick: Clocktower/Lancer

RMN: Gears of War has gotten patches since release, changing mechanics as well as fixing bugs. How do you guys feel about the patches?

Nick: First patch made the game a little bit better. The only bad thing about it was that the walls were a little bit sticky. They tried to patch something and ruin another thing. This latest patch completely changed the game. You can't weapon slide anymore. Now it's a fight over the weapons, and now you fight for a long time because you can't slide it. So a lot of teams just play back now.

Sarillo: You definitely have to play smarter, there is no room for mistakes.

RMN: There have been a lot of rumors recently about Gears of War coming for the PC? What do you think of that?

[editor's note: yup, this happened]

Nick: No, Gears of War is not really a complicated game. Most PC games are really complicated, it takes a lot of buttons and Gears of War doesn't take all that. So I don't think Gears of War will make a good PC game.

RMN: Since you guys came in second place, the second place prize is three thousand dollars, what do you have planned to do with all the money?

Hotdog: Fly to more events. MLG! And put the rest into the bank.

Nick: Put that money in the bank, son!

RMN: Where do you think Gears of War is headed, as far as competition?

Sarillo: Right now I think Gears of War has a really bright future ahead of it. The only big events it's been at has been MLG Meadowlands and this, WSVG Dallas. If MLG picks it up, it's going to get more exciting after every event. If WSVG keeps it on the circuit, it's going to be really exciting to watch. It's a really exciting game.

Nick: I think Gears of War is going to be on MLG for a while. WSVG is a big question mark, I think if they hold a few more events for it. Maybe with a lot more teams, and maybe give it a main stage I think it'll really hit the circuit hard. I hope it works out for WSVG. There are a few other big organizations out there that haven't picked it up yet, not giving it too much detail yet, but sooner or later they will. The game has a really bright future.

RMN: Thanks guys, it's been nice talking to you!

Links:
WSVG Dallas 2007 full story
WSVG Dallas 2007 image gallery
N3 - No Name Noobs website