Results from Gamespot’s Ultimate Street Fighter Event

I recently had the opportunity to attend Gamespot’s Ultimate Street Fighter Event right here in sunny San Francisco, CA. The event was held to give us a sneak peak at two of Capcom’s upcoming releases: Street Fighter IV arcade cabinets and Street Fighter II: HD Remix for the Xbox 360. Two different tournaments were held for each game, each with 64 competitors throwing down for honor and a chance at $1500. Capcom’s very own Seth Killian and the legendary David Sirlin were in attendance, and though they did not compete in the tournament, they helped run and organize the entire affair.

Tournament Summary: My first round match came pretty early. Since I had never played Street Fighter IV before, I picked Ryu. Though he is obviously incredibly boring compared to his counterpart Ken, I feel more comfortable with him. My opponent picked Zangief. After trading the first two close rounds of fighting, it was coming down to the wire. As I was about to deliver the finishing blow, I turned around to blow kisses to my adoring fans in the crowd (see also: my grandma). I came back to my match, only to discover that I had lost. I haven’t been able to sleep lately. I keep wondering what could have been if I wasn’t such a nice guy and simply ignored my admirers.

The Halftime Show, My Snack Summary: Once I had been eliminated and didn’t have to worry about food-soiled hands, I was free to unleash myself upon the food that Gamespot had provided for the competitors. I have to hand it to those guys, they provided some premium grub. Though my Ryu had been humbled, I absolutely demolished two of their Quizno’s® boxes. Double Perfected, even. These sandwiches were no scrubs, either. 2 Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwiches™(Primo Ingredients!), 2 bags of Doritos® , 2 cookies and about 4 root beers. I’d like to see Mr. Zangief Player handle all that.

Champion

Back to the action! As the rounds went on and tournament’s competitors dwindled, I began to notice those that were advancing were either old school players like Graham Wolfe and John Choi, both former U.S. Street Fighter Champions, or newer players who had been playing Street Fighter IV for some time now thanks to either living in Japan, or getting the chance to practice at some of the rare cabinets spread across the state. (Note: I had caught word that there was a Street Fighter IV cabinet at San Francisco State University that I could have practiced on. But it is across town. Plus, I’m lazy.) The final round ended up pitting San Francisco’s own Jeff Nguy (who happens to be dating GotGame’s Stephanie Tran. That’s right. We know quality.) against the historical phenom John Choi. Choi used fan favorite Sagat while Jeff opted for one of the newer characters, the rotund Rufus. Though it was a close match, Jeff took the crown and earned himself a cool $1000.

The HD Remix tournament ended up with another new player as champion, Paul Eath, who also ended up with $1000. The two champions faced each other once in each game, predictably winning the match that they had just beat the competition in. A coin toss in Paul’s favor decided that the final deciding match would be in HD remix. After his victory, he received an additional $500.

Man Controlling The Champion

Quotes from the Winners (Paraphrased):
Street Fighter IV Champ: “Gotta represent for the fatties.”
HD Remix Champ: “I’m doing everything I can to help the economy. Inspiring people through my Street Fighter play.”

Reactions to the Games: Both Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter II: HD Remix look incredible. Street Fighter IV has reincarnated all of the classic characters in true 3D form with great accuracy. These fighters are ripped. They did a great job of making the animations of older moves look even more brutal. Zangief’s Spinning Pile Driver is particularly impressive. Meanwhile, HD Remix tugs at the nostalgia strings thanks to it having all of the classic feels, sounds and stages of the original classic. Though the animations are still the same, the new sprites and backgrounds have been given a fabulous makeover. It was also being featured on Xbox 360 consoles and should be available for play later this year.