If this is your first night at Street Fighter Club, you have to fight

Dave and I have done some stupid things together in the 17 years we have known each other, but we were both wondering if this crossed the line.  Blindly following the GPS, we found ourselves driving out past Skid Row in LA, at dusk, behind some random warehouse.

We were heading to Capcom’s own real-life version of Fight Club.  Dave was joining me because this was going to be his first chance to play Street Fighter IV.  SF II Turbo was the game of choice during high school, and into college.  Many a night was spent at Grand Prix in Massachusetts owning noobs even before the term existed.  Dave’s Ryu was close to unbeatable.

The scene was great.  Run down warehouse, door men with tasers, caged off areas with pristine Street Fighter IV arcade machines straight from Japan.  They still even had the 100 yen stickers near the coin slots.

(1st and 2nd photo by Jared Rea)

SF IV played smooth and fluid.  I know this because if it didn’t, Dave would have been livid.  Years of training would have been wasted if the fighting formula had been tampered with.  The matches played out like all good fighting game matches should: the cream rose to the top.  The order of the the night was dethroning some expertly played Ken and Zangief.

Dave was good, but it seemed other Street Fighter fans had been practicing on the off season.  Dave would win a couple matches here or there, but the years off showed.  I think it stemmed from the sporadic Geek Night attendance, and something to do with being married with newborn twins.  Dave wasn’t able to run the 10-15 win streaks he could do in high school, but he still looked semi-pro on a game he had technically never played before in his life.

That rocked.  Capcom knocked it out of the park with Street Fighter IV.  Looks-wise the game was stunning. Playability was solid and balanced.  And this promo event made me feel like destroying something beautiful.