If you haven’t heard already, there is a EVO online tournament on the way. Its understandably called EVO Online Tournament 2010. It will be open to XBox 360 players in Most states across the United States. More details below.

•The Online tournament, run by Galaxy4Gamers, will start on December 11th at 12 noon PST. It should take about 6 hours if you are advancing all the way, unless an unexpected number of people enter.
•The top 8 finals will be held on Dec 18th, consisting of winners from each regional bracket. You should only be fighting people from your region until you make top 8.
•The finals will be live streamed with commentary.
•Only $5 to enter the event, and the 1st place finisher gets an trip to Evo 2011, including airfare, hotel, and tournament fees.
•A special prize will be announced later, and it is something Evo has never given out before. Everyone in the top 8 will get some kind of prize.
•This event is Xbox 360 only, but if successful, a PS3 event will be considered in the future.
•Anyone in the USA or Canada may enter, as long as their home state does not ban them from entry by law.
•Galaxy4Gamers has a lot of rules and regulations, and various checks like IP and Address, to keep people from cheating the system.

… and here’s some videos walking you through entering the tournament.

When it comes to Super Street Fighter IV (or the vanilla version for that matter), no one is more feared than Daigo. The guy is in the Guinness World Records for most tournament wins. The man’s game is to be expected. However these days, more and more players have his number. I’m not sure if it is because Daigo’s matches are so widely available online for studying or the fact that his game has changed up very little in the past few year but the guy has been losing left and right these days. At Season’s Beatings Daigo caught an “L” in the early rounds and then caught another in the losers bracket. That loser’s bracket lose was to Marn who showed the world that Dudley is not and “low-tier” as some may lead you to believe.

So there is this top secret invitation only Super Street Fighter IV Tournament that is supposed to have some of the top players on the West Coast. Check out the detail below.

What
Battle for the West Coast crown is exactly as it implies, a battle for the King of the West Coast. This will pit the most consistent placers from the West Coast against one another in a random draw, non seeded tournament in which all matches will be a first to five race. The players will all have to sign up with their characters prior to the event and show that they are indeed the better overall player.

Where
At my secret refuge, hereby referred to as the comboratory somewhere in Silverlake, CA. ****If you happen to know where this is and were not invited to this event by me personally, do not show up. You will not be allowed admittance under any circumstances****

When
This Saturday (October 9th) at 2:30pm

Why
Recently, a lot of the top players and myself have realized that running a first to five is the most entertaining of all match types. It’s fast enough so you don’t get bored, yet long enough so that the better player will adapt and win. Taking this concept a step further, having this be the tournament format, I think would create the most fun yet challenging atmosphere for the best person to emerge from.

and most importantly,

Who

Ryan “FilipinoChamp” Ramirez – This guy has been dominating all Norcal tournaments whenever Ricky’s not around. He has also defended Norcal against invaders from other areas and is definitely a contender for the crown.

Vance “Vangief” Wu – A cyborg personified. If his performance at evo didn’t put him at the top of the list for contender for the crown I don’t know what would! He has showed that Zangief can overcome bad matches by being played to his fullest so look forward to the fear he strikes into everyone.

Peter “COMBO FIEND” Rosas – I just added myself in cause they needed an eighth person. I’m pretty much here to turn waste and land some semi-cool combos.

Shane “Shizza” Cummings – Another top 8 player at evo. The other pad player garnering respect through his slippery footsies and infinite patience. He has been the quickest rising player in the West and can definitely give everyone a run for their money. We look forward to his presence.

Alex “Calipower” Valle – You can’t have a “King of the West” event without Mr. Westcoast himself. Valle’s legacy speaks for himself and his unpredictability paired with his ancient instinct definitely make him a threat. Can he overcome his own worst enemy..his execution, while executing everyone else? We’ll have to see.

Mike “Mike Ross” Ross – What is it about Black guys and slapping people…thousands of times? The people’s champion and another evo top 8 finalist. His performance against Gamerbee was definitely one to remember. Although he’d like for you to believe Honda isn’t the best, it’s a lie because his Honda is. His constant placement at the top of all the tournaments he enters solidifies his presence at this event.

Ricky “EG RickyO” Ortiz – Woman want to look like him, players want to play like him. After his amazing performance at Evo, not to mention just about every tournament he’s ever entered, Ricky presence is a necessity. Regarded as one of the fastest adaptive players out paired with his amazing reactions, his chance of taking the crown is very high.

Justin “EG Jwong” Wong” – Stranger to no one on this planet, Justin has decided to throw his hat in the fray. As a recent transplant to the WC this event will allow him to take the crown of his newfound home and if we’re all lucky, get to play Vangief again!!!!

If you live in the Chi-town area consider yourself lucky cause Capcom is bringing a Fight Club to your area featuring Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. The event will take place September 22, 2010, 8 to 11 p.m. CST. If you are able to make it to this event make sure you hit me up and let me know what goes down.

GodsGarden is looking into doing another online tournament. This tournament is likely to have the top players in Japan. This info comes via Eventhubs. Below is a list is the players who will be there and the assumed characters they will be using.

• Daigo Umehara (Ryu)
• Sako (Cammy)
• Tokido (Akuma)
• YHC-Mochi (Dhalsim)
• Mago (Fei Long)
• Nemo (Chun-Li)
• Momochi (Ken, Akuma, Ibuki)
• Kindevu (Rufus)
• Uryo (C. Viper)
• Acqua (Ibuki)
• Tonpy (C. Viper, Chun-Li, Sakura)
• Arai (Claw)

This event will also be streamed, and there’s almost 700,000 yen in total prize money on the line, which comes out to about $8,000 USD, split unevenly between the first through fourth place finishers.

The first round will have 66 qualifying matches total. It’s a round robin format where the players will take turns going head to head.

Round 1 — 12 players
Sept. 25 (Sat.), Sept. 26 (Sun)

Round 2 and Finals — 6 players
Oct. 2 (Sat), Oct. 3 (Sun)
Oct. 9 (Sat), Oct. 10 (Sun)
Oct. 16 (Sat), Oct. 17 (Sun)
Oct. 30 (Sat), Oct. 31 (Sun)
Nov. 6 (Sat), Nov. 7 (Sun)

Here’s a video that popped up showing the first part of the finals at AfroShoto featuring Mike Ross Vs. Justin Wong. Im sorry to say that that only the first match has showed up online though. It’s still worth watching though. What is most interesting about this match is that Justin Wong went to the finals with Makoto who, according to many tier lists, is supposed to be the worst character in the game.

Daigo Umehara is truly a beast. The guy has won tournaments all over the world. So many in fact that the guys over at Guinness World Records have taken notice. He was presented with the world record for Most Consecutive Tournament Wins at the Super Vs Battle. Below is the full press release.

Team Mad Catz® Gamer ‘Daigo “The Beast” Umehara’ Presented With Guinness World Record’ at
‘Super Vs Battle’ Tournament

World Renowned Champion-Player Sets Guinness World Record for ‘Most Consecutive Tournament Wins’
San Diego, August 27. 2010

Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz” or “the Company”) (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider today announced that renowned video game champion and founding member of ‘Team Mad Catz’; Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, was the recipient of a Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition certificate, presented to him while competing in the ‘Super Vs Battle’ tournament held in London, England on Sunday, August 22 2010.

Holding the distinction of current world champion of ‘Street Fighter’ IV’, Daigo Umehara has won an astonishing 15 national and international ‘Street Fighter’’ tournaments, an achievement now officially recognized as a world-record by Guinness World Records.

Competing in the closely fought Super Vs Battle tournament, Daigo was presented with the award in front of his peers and hundreds of spectators, with officials and photographers appearing on stage after the final bout to present the Team Mad Catz champion with a framed certificate and an entry into the next installment of Guinness World Records 2011 Gamers Edition out in the new year.

Speaking via his translator, Daigo Umehara commented, “Receiving this award at the culmination of a spirited international tournament is truly a great honor, one made all the more special when considering the fierce competition in the international fighting game community. Receiving the award makes me more determined than ever to continue honing my skills and I look forward to representing Team Mad Catz at the Tougeki ‘Super Battle Opera’ tournament, taking place at the Tokyo Game Show shortly.”

Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition will be available in January 2011.

Super Vs. Battle was pretty interesting and had some rather good competitors on hand including Daigo who many felt was the odds on favorite to win. He didn’t though. Daigo Umehara who usually uses Ryu switched it up a bit and decided to go with Cammy against Ryan Hart (who many consider the best Street Fighter player in the UK). After a bad start with Cammy, Daigo switched to his default Ryu, but it was too little too late and he fell to Hart. Hart went forward and actually lose in the finals to Luffy who was using Rose. That’s right I said he won using Rose.

1st. Luffy (Rose)
2nd. Ryan Hart (Ryu)
3rd. Daigo Umehara (Cammy/Ryu)

Here’s that epic battle with Hart and Daigo…

These days Justin Wong has started to become a bit of a celebrity. To quote him, he’s a “household name”. The guy’s the current US Street Fighter IV champ and he’s currently competing on the reality show WSG Ultimate Gamer. It’s no wonder Fighters Fury wanted to interview him.

Shoryuken posted this cool panoramic photo from EVO 2010. Looking at this really puts into perspective exactly how much the fighting game community has grown in recent years.

UPDATE: Capcom’s Seth Killian broke out a video from the very first EVO that puts it all in perspective. Check out the 7 year old Justin Wong!

B5 Championship from Marcus W on Vimeo.

[Shoryuken]

On Friday, August 20th, to Sunday, August 22nd, at Byron Hall (part of Harrow Leisure Centre) in Harrow & Wealdstone, London, Neo Empire will be throwing their huge fighting game competition Super Vs. Battle.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and of course Super Street Fighter IV will there for competitive play. Seth Killian is going to be there repping for Capcom. And of course you know its not a real tournament unless Daigo Umehara gets on the sticks. Word is a playable demo of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 will also be on hand.

Justin Wong is considered by many to be the best Super Street Fighter IV player in the United States. Makoto is generally considered to be the weakest fighter in Super Street Fighter IV (if you believe the tier lists). So what happens when the best player uses the worst fighter? Summer school.

Here’s some video of Daigo Umehara vs Arturo Sanchez from Salty Suite in Caesars Palace during EVO.

[Gootecks]

On March 27th Ryan Hart, A European Street Fighter IV champion, will set out to break a world record. The record to be broken is 108 unbeaten rounds in Street Fighter IV.

The potentially record breaking event will be held at Gamestation in the Prospect Centre in Hull, UK and will be have officials from the Guinness World Records in the spot to make sure that everything goes down according to the stated rules.

To make sure that Ryan’s attempt will be no walk in the park, the manager of Gamestation is offering lots a swag to anyone who beats Ryan including an XBox 360 Elite

Hopefully he can pull it off.

[The Lost Gamer]

Street Fighter champion Diago is headed to EVO this year and he is challenging you to do the same and not make excuses. Can you beat his Ryu?

Here’s the trailer for the Arcade UFO Tournament taking place Saturday, Feburary 20th 2010 in Austin TX. If you are in the area, check it out.

[Arcade UFO via iPlayWinner]

Are you one of those people who always says they’d like to go to EVO but never finds out about registration until it’s too late? This time you have no excuse. Registration for EVO 2010 has just opened!

The time has finally come. Get your wallets ready as the biggest and baddest tournament is back and we are opening up sign-ups to the masses. Just a reminder, registration is MANADATORY. No in-person signups will take place at the event. The deadline to register is July 5, 2010 @ 11:59PM PST. If you are looking to save some money, make sure you register by May 31, to save some cash.

Do not delay in signing up for best tournament of the year!

EVO Registration Page

[EVO2K]

Caught this one over on Event Hubs. It’s the list of the top Street Fighter IV players in Japan. Notice how many of them use Sagat. Hmm … wonder why that is.

01. Mago (Sagat) 555.033
02. Daigo Umehara (Ryu) 375.365
03. Ojisan Boy (Sagat) 357.451
04. RF (Sagat) 299.149
05. Tokido (Akuma) 214.968
06. Uryo (C. Viper) 199.367
07. Momochi (Akuma) 192.492
08. Shiro (Abel) 192.209
09. Radiowave (Sagat) 192.065
10. Rikuson (Sagat) 173.081

11. Eita (Akuma) 168.420
12. Kindevu (Rufus) 164.788
13. Oaru (Sagat) 147.768
14. Hamaa (Sagat) 147.269
15. Akua (Sagat) 143.007
16. Hishou (Sagat) 141.644
17. Pie (Sagat) 140.652
18. MDR (Rufus) 137.408
19. Bean (Sagat) 136.295
20. Akame Ryu (Ryu) 135.690

21. Momochi (Ryu) 135.551
22. Dragon Boy (Ken) 132.301
23. Gachihomottsun (Sagat) 130.983
24. Nike (Rufus) 130.136
25. Nuki (Chun-Li) 129.859
26. Suropu (Sagat) 127.396
27. Maakun (Sagat) 125.617
28. Akimo (E. Honda) 124.578
29. Noriyasu (Akuma) 123.257
30. Chari (Blanka) 123.100

31. Iyo (Dhalsim) 118.281
32. Sutoraikusan (Ken) 117.961
33. Shinya (Akuma) 117.939
34. Fuudo (Ryu) 116.712
35. Pamyu (Balrog) 116.271
36. ACRevenger (Abel) 115.591
37. Kyomachi Blanka (Sagat) 113.946
38. Katsuo (Sagat) 113.164
39. Nova (Sagat) 113.079
40. Shinya (Sagat) 112.739

41. Furiten (Sagat) 112.449
42. Yuu? (Akuma) 111.912
43. Aojiru Guile (Balrog) 110.672
44. Wao (Ken) 108.976
45. Cantona (Zangief) 108.897
46. AOI (Sagat) 108.687
47. Tetsuko (Rufus) 106.449
48. MaedaTaison (Balrog) 105.781
49. TUC (M. Bison) 105.672
50. Kikanbou MAX (Akuma) 103.961

[Event Hubs]

There a 3 on 3 Street Fighter IV tournament taking place over in Japan. Here’s a video showing some of the highlights.

[Versus City]

Here’s some highlights from the BATTLEFIELD ARCADIA Street Fighter IV tournament that took place this past weekend. The results are the following…

1st – Sanford “Santhrax” Kelly (C. Viper)
2nd – Joe “ILOVEYOU” Ciaramelli (Sagat)
3rd – Aulord (Cammy)
4th – Andre “Twisted Jago” Lambert (M. Bison)
5th – Rico Suave (Abel)
5th – Lincoln “dragongod” Morris (Akuma, Sagat)
7th – DieMinion (Guile, E. Honda)
7th – citiofbrass (E. Honda)

Check out the highlights below.

[Frame Advantage via Event Hubs]