Sure, EVO was last weekend, but I still find myself in the fighting game spirit. It might be because I am watching the replays on twitch whenever I am home, maybe it's because I somehow have a tab on my computer open to the Killer Instinct Top 8 intro at all times so I can press play whenever cause it's THAT awesome. Whatever the case may be, I recently acquired copies of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (which I quickly upgraded to Ultra), Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I also find myself really wanting to build my own fighting stick, more on that story as it develops (gonna happen soon though).
Anywho, the whole reason behind this post is to celebrate one of the most amazing events in competitive gaming history on its 10th anniversary. May I present: "Evo Moment #37: The Beast is Unleashed".
Ok, allow me to set this up so you can get the full scale of what just happened:
- This is EVO 2004 (for the mathematically impaired) and this is a loser bracket final match of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike between Daigo Umehara (playing as Ken) and Justin Wong (playing as Chun-Li)
- As you can tell up top, both fighters had won a round so this was the deciding 3rd round to determine who won this (I can only assume 1st) match of the losers finals.
- Losers finals just refers to being one lost set away from being knocked out of the tournament.
- Justin (Chun-Li) has a supreme life advantage, takes a few hits from Daigo (Ken) but still is able to get him down to a pixel of health.
- Any connected hit will do, even if Daigo blocks any attempted hit, the chip damage off it should knock him out. Seriously, a slight breeze would K.O. him right now.
- Justin busts out Chun-Li's Super Combo, surely something has got to connect or at least chip him out.
- Holding the d-pad/stick away from the fighter is how you block in Street Fighter. Remember though, if Daigo blocks at all, the chip damage will K.O. him.
- If I am remembering correctly, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was the first in the series to include the "parry" system. Where pushing forward on the d-pad/stick at the time of impact would block the attack AND do no damage to you. Lucky for Daigo, huh?
- You do have a 30 - 40 frame cushion on when the parry can be performed, which is like .000000000000000001 seconds (may be exaggerating but you get the idea).
- Daigo performs the parry perfectly 15 TIMES! In quick succession. Including the final in-air attack. Any one of these hit, he's done.
- To top all this off, after perfectly timing 15 parrys in a row, he has the presence of mind (and the positioning) to bust out a Super Combo of his own and WIN THE MATCH.
- I don't have to have been there to lose my mind watching this, but I bet everyone there absolutely flipped their shit. I would have LOVED to have been there.
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Daigo would eventually go on to lose in the Grand Finals and get 2nd place at EVO 2004 for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, but that was a moot point, he had single-handedly given the gaming world their version of "The Catch", "The Music-City Miracle", "The Immaculate Reception", etc. This event helped make the competitive fighting scene, and competitive gaming as we know it, into a HUGE deal. Daigo still competes and yes, is still damn good, though he did finish 48th in Ultra Street Fighter IV this year at EVO after a 7th place finish at EVO 2013 in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.
Justin Wong lost this set, and though it's easy to feel bad for him being linked as the loser in the biggest competitive gaming moment of pretty much ever, Justin is still one of the world's best fighting gamers. Just this year at EVO, he finished 3rd in Killer Instinct and won the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 tournament (using his own Daigo-style crazy comebacks).
If this interests you, allow me to point you in the direction of the book written about the event: "Evo Moment #37 - One of the Most Famous Moments in Competitive Gaming History by Glenn Cravens.
Now to find out what all I need to make my own fighting stick.......wish me luck.
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