Virtua Tournament!

So I was really looking forward to going to Toronto this May where MoAT 2000 was going to take place. The MoATs have a special place in VF history, and to have the opportunity to be a part of what would be the last MoAT, and the last major tournament for VF3tb, was too good to pass it up. But to the disappointment of many, MoAT was cancelled. Thankfully, the guys in NY picked up the ball and ran with it, which resulted in what was to be Virtua Tournament, but as Chanchai put it, it was more a case of Virtua Gathering.

Getting a plane ticket from Montreal to New York on short notice was very expensive, so as a last resort I decided to brave the 8 hour drive, and I'm really glad I did because it gave me a chance to visit Rich (Mr. Bungle) who was on the way. And as it turned out, he decided only the night before that he'd come to NY with me, and I'm so glad he did because without him navigating, I'm dead sure that I wouldn't have made it there on time, and probably not at all. Just a word of advice to any would-be travellers driving into NYC - buy a freakin' map. Never again will I solely rely on the mapping services provided online!

Montreal, Friday 11th May 2001, 8:30am

Anyway, so I leave Montreal Friday morning, around 8:30am. Arrived at the U.S border a little after 9am, when I was asked to pull over into the checking bays and await for a border official/cop to arrive. This was the beginning of 30 minutes of uneccesary pain. I had my car searched, was asked a million questions, had my pockets and bag contents emptied and they even went as far as to search through my wallet (are they even allowed to do this?) I was slightly amused and angry at the same time when they (two cops) spent 5 or so minutes looking at an old boarding pass and travel itenerary (which was used for my first trip to Toronto) which was still in my bag. I guess it didn't occur to them that it wasn't even worth the paper it was printed on anymore. Uhh, not exactly the best start to the weekend. As I drove away from the border I tried not to dwell too much on what just happened and decided to focus on the road ahead, and let the techno music carry me away.

As I journeyed south down the Interstate 87, I was somewhat suprised at the number of police cars staking out among bushes or hard to see areas. I'm suprised only because I've been accustomed to only seeing police cars double parked outside downtown noodle shops in Montreal, while practically everyone is driving at 120km/hr along roads with 70km/hr speed limits. I decided to play safe and not speed (a lot), and just stay with traffic as much as possible. The plan worked well and the drive was cop-free all the way. There was nothing really outstanding about the drive itself. The scenery was always the same, green being the predominant colour -- but I'm not complaining. It was nice to see.

Saratoga Springs, NY

At my first service stop where I got lunch and gassed up the car, I couldn't help but notice how many fat people there were. The gas attendant who filled up my car was grosely overweight. When he spoke to me it was as if he was out of breath, and all I had seen him do was get out of his chair and walk over to my car. While having lunch, I saw this family with a child who looked no older than 10 years old, but was practically my height, maybe even taller, and absolutely huge! It was kinda sad to see a child like that. The guy cleaning the floor, looked pretty young, but again was way overweight. Over by the pay phones I see some young looking wannabe G's in their oversized jeans and T's who looked as if they had their own area codes. Oi, when did the afro make a comeback anyways?

So I finally bail, heading further south. Some funny town names and places I saw along the way were Coxsackie and Poughkeepsie (which I thought was pronounced as poo-keepsie but was later told it was more like p'keepsie). But Coxsackie? Come on! Two dollar?

New Paltz, NY

Continuing on and finally exiting at New Paltz where I was to pick up Rich from his house. After passing through the town, the remainding road was very narrow and windy, yet also very scenic going over the mountain. In a way, it reminded me of playing a driving game. The 'course' definitely had a bit of a learning curve to it. I finally make it to Rich's place thanks to the directions he'd given me. After pulling the car up outside his place and stepping out, the first thing I noticed was how serene the surroundings felt. After living in downtown Montreal since January, where it was always busy and you became accustomed to the background 'noise', this stood out to me immediately.

My knock on the door was answered by Rich who was pretty much ready to roll. It had been like 4 years since I had seen him (Vancouver '97), and I never would have imagined knocking on his door on a hot Friday afternoon, let alone seeing him again. Funny the way things pan out. It was nice to be able to say hello to his Father. I remember Rich showing me an old picture of him rockclimbing once while we were on irc, and I didn't believe it was really his father. I was like no way! Sorry for doubting you Rich!

We left his place a little after 2:30pm. I was really glad Rich was with me at this point, because I had realised that I had forgotten Adam, Andy and Hiro's phone numbers back home! All I had was Hiro's address and a shitty printout from mapquest.com. We did have maps, but none were of sufficient detail to be able to navigate should we get lost.

NYC

As the city was slowly revealing itself to me through the smog, all I could think was "wow, this is freaking huge!" My first contact with 'civilisation' was passing through the bronx. It's exactly how I imagined it to be from the outside. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view point) I didn't get a closer look. The drive mainly consisted of sticking to the freeways, and I took every opportunity I could to just take in the sights that I saw. After paying toll after toll until we finally arrive on Queens Boulevard, somewhere in the vicinity of Hiro's apartment. Or so we thought.

Forest Hills, Queens, NY, 6:00pm

Well, everything up until this point had turned out ok. We were pretty much on schedule and it was just a matter of finding the correct street. We thought that 72nd Avenue came off Queen's Blvd at first, but then counting down the street names we eventually couldn't find a 72nd Ave -- only 72nd Road! Damn! So we circle back down Queen's Blvd, looking on the other side, and no luck. Then for some reason I thought I had figured out the street naming system they were using. It seemed to me that Avenue's were perpendicular to Roads. So we headed down 69th road, and sure enough, we started seeing Avenues. So after driving down it for a good ten minutes, the numbers slowly making their way to 72. Almost there! But no, it wasn't to be. No 72nd Ave! Was this a cruel joke? The road eventually terminated at a T intersection. Not knowing where to go, I swing right and head down and try to make a left somewhere to see if there were any more Avenues. This didn't look good at all. Rich suggested we just forget about going to Hiro's since it was almost impossible to find, and instead just go and meet everyone at the hotel since he knew how to get there. But I decided to backtrack, back onto 69th rd and pull up at a gas station to ask for directions.

After getting help from some babe inside, I was pretty sure I knew how to get to 72nd avenue. Back down 69th again, this time turning left at the T and stayed on this road for about 10 minutes. After taking a wrong turn, we circled around and came back down again, and eventually found 72nd ave! I was almost crying tears of joy at this point. But we hit another stumbling block when we couldn't find the apartment number on this street! Just when I thought the torturous journey was over, we realised it was the wrong 72nd avenue! ARGH! So I backtrack again, pull up to another gas station and ask to have a look at a map -- but I'm met with refusal by the two guys behind the counter. With my patience running thin, I decided to buy the freakin' map. Back in the car, looking at the map we then realised we were way off, and in fact we were much closer to 72nd ave much earlier on, like, 2 hours earlier on! So we make our way back to Queen's blvd, navigate through a couple of one-way streets and reach our destination. At this point it was like 8pm, probably later, and I was really doubtful that everyone would still be at Hiro's considering the plan was to leave there at around 6pm. So I sloppily park in front of a fire hydrant, Rich and I walk up to the apartment and I buzz in. After a brief moment of silence, we started thinking they weren't there but that thought was interrupted as soon as it was formed when the loud buzz of the door unlocking was heard. YES! We were in. After getting out of the elevator at the third floor, I was met with the sound of loud button clicking. Words could not describe the relief I felt at finally arriving.

First Encounter, Hiro's Apartment, 8:00pm

We walk into a pooly lit room, and I see VF faintly projected onto the wall. This is where I first met Andy (CrewNYC), Rich (Ghostdog), Jeff (ice-9) and Nick (Chanchai). After the introductions we cramped ourselves around the floor/sofa and got a few games of VF in. You know, at this point, I really couldn't be bothered with VF. I was too tired from the driving, and still overcome with relief that we made it in one piece. We had only managed to get a few games in when Adam, Hiro and Yukie finally arrive. I introduce myself and shortly after we make arrangements on getting to the hotel. Adam, Hiro and Yukie were to pick Shota up from the airport, which left Rich, Adam, Nick and Ghostdog in my car as we made our way to the hotel. Ack, I wasn't exactly looking forward to more driving, but I knew the worst was over which helped put a little more wind in my sails for the final leg.

The Hotel, Riverhead, Long Island

Did I forget to mention we were starving? Along the way, we pull over to this gigantic mall and pay a quick visit to their food court. We eventually arrive at the hotel at approximately 10:30pm. We dump our stuff in the rooms and wait for Adam to return since the DCs weren't set up yet. An hour or so later, Adam and his crew show up with Shota in tow. After introducing myself to Shota, we all head back to the rooms and began setting up the DCs. One DC was hooked up to the TV while the other was being setup with the projector. But after seeing how poor the projector was at Hiro's place, I suggested we get another TV instead. This was, we could have more floor space since with the projector people couldn't sit in front of it -- and the room wasn't exactly spacey! So Adam and I brought the TV down from my room to complete the double DC setup. This also pleased me because we could have some ambient lighting happening, rather than play in a completely dark room, staring at glowing screens all night. And Adam knows just how much I love ambient lighting!

Go!

And so the Virtua Gathering began proper. Two groups around two DCs battling it out. We predominantly played single character format and it was decided earlier on that there'd be no tournament. The reason being was mainly due to time, and with this being the supposed final VF3 gathering, the atmosphere was much more laid back and easy going. That's not to say the matches weren't intense though, but more of a case of everyone just trying to squeeze every last ounce of gaming with a bunch of guys they'd likely never see again, at least for a very long time. Everyone's spirits were too high (or too weary?) to want to go into tournament-kill mode. Well, that's how it appeared to me. I was constantly smiling on the inside, just feeling generally happy to be around a bunch of great people. If we were all staying a few more days then having a tournament would have been good, but I have no regrets the way things eventually turned out.

The Cast

So here I'll give my comments on the people I met. I have to say that it was an absolute privelege to meet everyone and spend the weekend playing VF with them. What would have truly made it complete for me was if the guys from Toronto, Vancouver, and Sydney were also there to share in the experience. Maybe someday we'll have a true Global Gathering. Maybe. So anyways...

Rich (Ghostdog): without a shadow of a doubt, he was the one player I was genuinely impressed with. If I had to give a most improved player of VG it would go to him. Coming from Florida, from a non-existant VF scene, I was suprised at how dedicated he was to learning the game. He reminded me of myself when I was first starting out and the time when I really, truly faced high level competition. My impression of the whole game was literally changed in one sitting, and I suspect this weekend had the same effect for him. In a way I'm a little jealous because it's been a long time since I felt that way. I'm not exactly sure how I'd describe that feeling -- it's like a revelation, or witnessing the next evolutionary step. It can be daunting for some, scaring them away from the game, but others will accept and embrace it, and like a sponge, absorb all that is has to offer. I know I'm being dramatic here, but it's seriously how I felt about Rich's presence at VG. I remember commenting to a few people about how impressed I was with Rich's huge improvement over the weekend, and Adam said something to me along the lines of how it good an example it was that having high level competition really improves your game. Sure, this is already well known, but it was nice to see a shining example of that over the course of 48 hours. So I guess you could say it was our chance to give something back, and I'm sure Rich gladly received it all.

Nick (Chanchai): wasn't sure what to expect from Nick. It was a pleasure meeting him finally, and great to see his Lion in action, who I thought was definitely his strongest character. He went for ura whenever he could, but I felt he wasn't maximising the opportunity when he finally made it to his opponent's back. He preferred the single knockdown hit (such as u+P+K), but I suggested he go for a f,f+KK float and followup combo. Hope he practices this a bit more! Many people commented on how much he had improved since NYG2, and again, it just goes to show what a little competition can do to your game. A few people, including myself, would give Nick some words of advice and praise where it was warranted, and you could tell he appreciated it. Again, it was great to see him take what advice he was given and try to incorporate it into his game. We had a few games of CvS which were fun, and dude, EX-Kim is so much better than regular Kim! Quote of the weekend: "I like Shota's tight stick".

Shota (sta783): it was great to finally meet and play with Shota. His Lau was pretty devastating and clinical in execution. I definitely picked up a few things for my Lau to try next time because of him. He also played a little Jeffry, which he claimed he couldn't really play, but ended up with the nick name of Shot-Knee Shota! It was pretty funny because Shota was very effective with him. His choice combo was shot-knee, shot-knee, pounce! And for variety he'd throw in a knee, shot-knee, pounce! It was absolutely hilarious as he was kicking my ass along with Jeff and Rich (Ghostdog). Shota's primary strategy was in strong defense, usually being patient with the big guy and waiting or baiting the opponent. I remember a comment Shota made to somebody saying how he kind of missed the old-style of VF where you were always going forward as opposed to the current style of backing up and waiting. It may be machi, but it was definitely effective, and I found it extremely tough to beat which explains why I probably had the most difficulty beating the likes of Shota, Adam and Hiro.

Jeff (ice-9): another guy I was looking forward to finally meet. I swear he looks like he's 16 years old or something, but has an appetite bigger than mine! (Sorry Jeff) I remember his Kage, Aoi and Wolf the most, who were all very strong. His Aoi particularly pulled off some great ura, which I definitely must incorporate into my game. Actually, I felt that I wasn't clicking with my Aoi (nor my Jeffry) at all, and I somewhat share Jeff's sentiments when he says he was struggling to find his own game. I found myself in the same boat, resulting in my playing Kage much more frequently than I had hoped for. It was great playing with Jeff, although it felt like we didn't get enough games in. Watching his "Shadow Rush" Kage was hilarious, although I had a feeling Andy had him figured out eventually. And Jeff, isn't it Skelton Kage, and not Skeleton Kage? I won't even mention your Skeletor Kage though Oh, and for what it's worth, I don't think Jeff and SummErs look alike at all!

The Crew

Hiro: a very strong player whose Kage and Wolf in particular gave me many headaches. I had previously heard how Hiro loved the trash talk and was always full of advice after a game, and I just have to say how cool it was to see it was all true! I'm envious of Adam and Andy who have a guy like Hiro to spar against regularly. No wonder they've become so bloody good! I struggle to remember an details when it comes to Hiro's games, but that's probably because he spent a lot of his time with Yukie, which is understandable, but mainly because all my games with him were over before they even started.

Adam (adamYUKI): firstly I have to thank Adam on the behalf of everyone for hosting the gathering and allowing us all to stay at the hotel. Adam was probably the hardest player to beat on the weekend in my mind. His use of fuzzy guard was near flawless, and I had an extremely tough time cracking his shell. As Jeff mentioned, the coupling of this playing style with a character like Jeffry makes for a deadly combination. And just when you thought you had his Jeffry figured out, he busts out Akira and makes you re-think why you even contemplated attacking him. Adam was one of the guys who liked to a little smack now and then, which always brought a smile or laugh out of me. We had a deep conversation with burps at one stage, which I'm sure he found as stimulating as I did. I like his impression of the aussie accent too, he sounded pretty convincing! Quotes of the weekend: "SEX!", "Shake dat ass, watchyaself!"

Andy (CrewNYC): now here's a guy that totally suprised me and wasn't what I expected at all. Going from his online persona, I was expecting to meet some arrogant loud mouth New Yorker, but boy was I wrong! Andy turned out to be such a cool guy to hang with, and also play with. His Jacky was extremely well rounded and I always enjoyed our challenges. His Pai on the other hand was a total bitch, but equally enjoyable to watch and play against. I liked his inashi-ST he pulled out against me, it totally caught me by suprise (Well done, mate!) . Our Akira/Akira matches were fun too, in which he always seemed to have the upper hand. Again, Akira was another character I just wasn't clicking with that weekend, but I digress. I liked the way Andy would comment on other people's play, whether it'd be shouting out "GOOD!" when someone did something smart, or just giving general advice after a match. I think he comes across differently in real life as he does online, and I'm really glad I finally got to meet him. Kodak moment: Andy carrying his rendezvous burger around Sunday afternoon which he bought the night before!

The Navigator

Rich (Mr. Bungle): What can I say about Rich? The last I saw him was back in Vancouver, 1997. I don't really remember talking with him a lot back then. The only memory I had of him was just how brutal he was with Kage. He practically destroyed everyone back then, and I feared what he had become 4 years later. I won't harp on about Rich's issues with the DC and the sticks since I'm sure he, and everyone else, is sick of hearing it. Nevertheless, I was glad Rich came along with me to NY and it was great to have a few games with him again. I had a few flashbacks from Vancouver during our Kage vs Kage matches, and I made a mental note not to df+K+G should I get a flipover throw on him In fact, I don't think I've ever done that as a followup to the flipover since that fateful day! Just about everyone was pleased to see Rich make it for the weekend. In fact, he commented to me on the way down that nobody knew he was coming, which didn't really occur to me until he said it. The most anyone knew was Andy, who I was talking to Wednesday evening on irc. At that point I told him that I'd try my best to get Rich to come along. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Final Words

I reckon if you've read this far you deserve a prize! So let me just close off with some final tidbits from the weekend. Apart from all the gaming that took place, it was very cool to sit down and break bread with everyone who was there. Converstations over a meal were always interesting, and allowed us to get to know eachother a bit better. The saddest thing was probably how short it all was, just over the one weekend, it was almost impossible to spend quality time with everyone. That porterhouse steak I had on Jeff's recommendation was nasty, and I had no idea that the lady asked if I wanted to take the leftovers away with me in a doggie bag! I honestly thought she asked if I was done with it, which I replied yes! I decided to leave the doggie bag on the table as we left, I mean, what the hell do I want with it? I know Andy wanted it, but he already had his burger Anyway, it was pretty embarrassing when we were a good distance down the street away from Rendezvous when the waitress came running out yelling to get our attention while holding the doggie bag up in the air. Oh man! So I jog back to her and get it, apologising for "forgetting" it there, not wanting to offend her and all! Hmm, what else? Oh yeah, I have to mention the Homie's on Wheels, aka the BMX G's. Now that was a funny sight!

Sunday afternoon was very laid back. It was cool when we all got together for some group photos. It was probably the first time we spent any amount of time with eachother in the sun! Kinda reminded me of camp for some reason, so I couldn't help but goof around with 'real' VF moves, playing on the swings with Jeff, and playing stuntman for Chanchai's side kicks Man, great fun!

Well, I think that'll do me. Just finally I'd like to say it was an honour and great pleasure to be able to meet and hang with you guys this past weekend, and here's hoping that we meet again some day.

Cheers,
Myke