Game Night 7/17

Had a small get together last night. I find that as I get older, it gets harder and harder to get groups of friends together for a simple night of gaming. Invariably, work, kids, LIFE gets in the way. But no matter. It's not like my apartment can really hold that many people any way.

Started the night out with Mario Kart Wii, which always seems to be a crowd pleaser. Alcohol and go-karting just seems to be a match-made in Mushroomland heaven. Of course, this also leads to much hilarity. By the team we got to Bowser's Castle in Star Cup, we were a bunch of giggling spazzes that didn't even end up placing above 6th. But whatevs, right? It's all in the name of fun.

After that, we got our Super Street Fighter 4 fix. Now, I am not too proud to say that while I may not be the best at Street Fighter, I also am far from the worst. I've gotten quite used to being middle of the pack. Growing up, I could usually hold my own at the arcades but my cousin, Rhem, would always dominate at the game.

I realize now, much later of course, what was wrong with my play-style. As with most teens, I was fairly bullheaded. I had difficulty adapting my strategy and fighting style so people would often be able to telegraph my moves. I was overly aggressive and barely ever blocked. Forget about anticipating your opponent and playing the footsie game. No, instead I thought I was content with small two hits combos and the occasional connecting Super. Going into college, I continued to follow the main Street Fighter and Street Fighter Alpha series while my cousin branched off to the VS. series with Marvel vs. Capcom. At that point, my SF fix was only quenched by my small college playgroup, none of whom ever dedicated that much time to the game. It wasn't until Street Fighter IV came out and I was playing on Live that I realized how crappy my playing actually was. And I did what any self-respecting player does. I gave up. Because online SUCKS.

...

Well, not entirely true. I still play online and often get my rear handed to me. But as a result of this and the sheer variety of play-styles I've encountered, I too have learned to adapt. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

So there we wee last night, playing Super Street Fighter IV and I was kind of dominating. I don't mean this to be boastful in the grandest MotherTrucker way (shout out to my Cox peeps, you know who I'm talking about). I'm just stating facts. I was holding onto my control stick while the other pad was making its rounds. I lost one match, with the victory going to my friend Eric, which was a bit surprising because he made it clear that he "sucked" at the game. It was a well-deserved win on his part.

After the game, I showed the guys the famous video of Daigo Umehara vs. Justin Wong at the EVO 2004 Street Fighter 3 finals in which he makes an incredible comeback in the last round of the last match of the tournament. If you have not seen this, you must.



Overall, the night was a success, despite the lack of attendance. A good time was had by those gracious enough to make it this time around. Hopefully the next one will be even better.