forefront
07-10-2012, 02:39 AM
(Apparently, I can only include one video per post now, so you get links. :P)
If you're not familiar with the fighting game scene, I can assure you it's there. In fact, it is one of the strongest competitive gaming communities in the world.
Last weekend, the biggest fighting game tournament of the year went down at the Caesar's Palace Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Evolution 2012 is the tournament that all fighting game players aspire to succeed in, and they come from far away to do so. In fact, this year's tournament featured the largest attendance of any in its history, with over 1500 participants in the Street Fighter tournament alone.
EVO is always one of the hype-est tournaments of the year. With competitors doing battle in over 5 different games for a prize pool of more than $100,000, there is a lot on the line. Even more prestigious than the money, are the bragging rights. No matter if he loses every tournament over the following year, the EVO champion will remain so until someone else wins the big one. No title is more sought in the fighting game community, and this year, the fights were intense.
First, I feel it's important to note that there is no way for me to cover every single match in the tournament. In fact, it would be extraordinary overkill to even cover the top eight of just one game. I would like to highlight a few things that you may find interesting though, and hopefully I can provide some guidance as to where you may find them on video.
The first thing I would like to highlight, is the incredible play by two American players in the Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition v. 2012 tournament. You see, this year, only two Americans made top eight for SSF4. They are NorCal resident and Puerto Rican native, Eduardo "PR Balrog" Perez; and New York killer and probably the only top Guile player left in the world, Kevin "Dieminion" Landon. Though their play on Sunday during top eight was cut short, you can watch their Day 1 play and be amazed. "PR Balrog" executed a clinic of perfect Street Fighter play, of which only the best Balrog player in the would be capable. His amazing reactions and impeccable reads provided for some of the best matches of the tournament, even if some were very one sided. "Dieminion" on the other hand, played his signature turtle game, giving opponents just enough rope to hang themselves. He provided for some of the most exciting SSF4 matches all weekend, taking down incredible players, including last year's EVO champion, Japanese player Fuudo.
BT Dieminion vs. RZR Fuudo (Top 16)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB0_cgakRo4
I would also like to note a few players who rose from the crowd to become "people's champions" so to speak, particularly in everyone's favorite "cheap" game, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. There's Infrit, a strong and semi-known player who frequents weekly SoCal tournaments. Infrit made an amazing run at EVO, taking second with his stunning mastery of his Nova/Spencer/Sentinel team.
Flocker vs. LXG Infrit (Winners' Semi-Finals) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDrQKYS4E7c&feature=related)
There is also something to be said about the international players. While Japan has always been a staple in the EVO top eight, they were not able to grab as many spots this year as expected. In fact, the only Japanese player to make top eight in Street Fighter was Daigo "The Beast" Umehara who went out in 5th place. However, it was not an entirely American show. More often than not, multiple countries were represented in the top eight. The player I'd like to point to is from Mexico. Now, while Mexico is known to provide some very good competition, particularly in King of Fighters XIII, there was one player who surprised everyone. On his home-made, custom arcade stick of wood and graffiti, young Hispanic star, Frutsy, made a run at the top eight that was as epic as any other. Getting all the way to fifth place, Frutsy took his amazing M.O.D.O.K./Captain America/Taskmaster team through top players such as Fanatiq, and Marlin Pie who were both expected to make their own runs at top eight.
TA Frutsy vs. AGE Fanatiq (Pools) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsOh-Au_6so)
As you can plainly see, fighting games are exciting, fast-paced, and very technical. This means that they are truly competitive. I hope you have enjoyed my little recap. If you have been following the fighting game scene then I know you can appreciate the incredible play here. If you have never been introduced to these games before, then I certainly hope you will take this opportunity to discover what you've been missing. From the Hype of the crowd, to the tournament jitters, to the ever-so-salty runbacks, fighting games are nothing less than esports at its finest.
Here are a couple of links to get you started:
Team Spooky (http://www.twitch.tv/teamsp00ky) / Team Spooky Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/teamspooky?feature=results_main)-- Spooky travels the country to bring you all the biggest tournaments
Shoryuken (http://shoryuken.com/) -- From forums to guides to news, the proprietors of the Evolution Championship Series have everything a fighting game enthusiast could want
If you're not familiar with the fighting game scene, I can assure you it's there. In fact, it is one of the strongest competitive gaming communities in the world.
Last weekend, the biggest fighting game tournament of the year went down at the Caesar's Palace Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Evolution 2012 is the tournament that all fighting game players aspire to succeed in, and they come from far away to do so. In fact, this year's tournament featured the largest attendance of any in its history, with over 1500 participants in the Street Fighter tournament alone.
EVO is always one of the hype-est tournaments of the year. With competitors doing battle in over 5 different games for a prize pool of more than $100,000, there is a lot on the line. Even more prestigious than the money, are the bragging rights. No matter if he loses every tournament over the following year, the EVO champion will remain so until someone else wins the big one. No title is more sought in the fighting game community, and this year, the fights were intense.
First, I feel it's important to note that there is no way for me to cover every single match in the tournament. In fact, it would be extraordinary overkill to even cover the top eight of just one game. I would like to highlight a few things that you may find interesting though, and hopefully I can provide some guidance as to where you may find them on video.
The first thing I would like to highlight, is the incredible play by two American players in the Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition v. 2012 tournament. You see, this year, only two Americans made top eight for SSF4. They are NorCal resident and Puerto Rican native, Eduardo "PR Balrog" Perez; and New York killer and probably the only top Guile player left in the world, Kevin "Dieminion" Landon. Though their play on Sunday during top eight was cut short, you can watch their Day 1 play and be amazed. "PR Balrog" executed a clinic of perfect Street Fighter play, of which only the best Balrog player in the would be capable. His amazing reactions and impeccable reads provided for some of the best matches of the tournament, even if some were very one sided. "Dieminion" on the other hand, played his signature turtle game, giving opponents just enough rope to hang themselves. He provided for some of the most exciting SSF4 matches all weekend, taking down incredible players, including last year's EVO champion, Japanese player Fuudo.
BT Dieminion vs. RZR Fuudo (Top 16)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB0_cgakRo4
I would also like to note a few players who rose from the crowd to become "people's champions" so to speak, particularly in everyone's favorite "cheap" game, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. There's Infrit, a strong and semi-known player who frequents weekly SoCal tournaments. Infrit made an amazing run at EVO, taking second with his stunning mastery of his Nova/Spencer/Sentinel team.
Flocker vs. LXG Infrit (Winners' Semi-Finals) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDrQKYS4E7c&feature=related)
There is also something to be said about the international players. While Japan has always been a staple in the EVO top eight, they were not able to grab as many spots this year as expected. In fact, the only Japanese player to make top eight in Street Fighter was Daigo "The Beast" Umehara who went out in 5th place. However, it was not an entirely American show. More often than not, multiple countries were represented in the top eight. The player I'd like to point to is from Mexico. Now, while Mexico is known to provide some very good competition, particularly in King of Fighters XIII, there was one player who surprised everyone. On his home-made, custom arcade stick of wood and graffiti, young Hispanic star, Frutsy, made a run at the top eight that was as epic as any other. Getting all the way to fifth place, Frutsy took his amazing M.O.D.O.K./Captain America/Taskmaster team through top players such as Fanatiq, and Marlin Pie who were both expected to make their own runs at top eight.
TA Frutsy vs. AGE Fanatiq (Pools) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsOh-Au_6so)
As you can plainly see, fighting games are exciting, fast-paced, and very technical. This means that they are truly competitive. I hope you have enjoyed my little recap. If you have been following the fighting game scene then I know you can appreciate the incredible play here. If you have never been introduced to these games before, then I certainly hope you will take this opportunity to discover what you've been missing. From the Hype of the crowd, to the tournament jitters, to the ever-so-salty runbacks, fighting games are nothing less than esports at its finest.
Here are a couple of links to get you started:
Team Spooky (http://www.twitch.tv/teamsp00ky) / Team Spooky Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/teamspooky?feature=results_main)-- Spooky travels the country to bring you all the biggest tournaments
Shoryuken (http://shoryuken.com/) -- From forums to guides to news, the proprietors of the Evolution Championship Series have everything a fighting game enthusiast could want