By Sherwin Loh
Digital Life Reporter
sherwin@sph.com.sg

 

LAST Saturday, on Valentine's Day, Digital Life and Microsoft organised a Street Fighter 4 competition, to celebrate the launch of the the game, which has taken almost a decade in the making. 

At least, that is what was listed on paper, but in reality, the idea was borne of four gamers, namely Ian Tan, marketing communications and partnership manager of Xbox 360, Oo Gin Lee, deputy editor of Digital Life, Billy Teo, freelance writer, and myself.

From right to left: Ian Tan, Billy Teo, Oo Gin Lee, and Sherwin Loh.

Take away our job titles and what you really have are four Street Fighter fans who have been waiting for this sequel since we first discovered the game back in our school days, where we would cut classes just to have a go at the game in the arcades.

Fine, so I won't speak for the other three, but as gamers go, few can ignore the cultural impact of the game. I picture Chun-Li in her blue outfit making her victory jump as the video game equivalent of Star Wars' Princess Leia in her golden bikini outfit. Then there was Ken and Ryu versus the likes of Blanka and M. Bison, with you in control. Back then, this was the pinnacle of video game action.

I remember playing Street Fighter II at home on the Super Nintendo Entertainment system using the joypad and how the constant pushing of the directional buttons caused my thumb to blister, or even worse, separate my thumbnail from the nail bed. 

Then came the spin-offs and sequels, like Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Marvel Vs. Capcom and I lapped it all up. 

So last weekend's event was the result of four fan boys who suddenly had the means to bring a classic game to a new audience.

Not that we needed to. From the 18 year-old-student to the 54 year-old taxi driver, to the wife who took her husband's place because he could not attend, we found excitement from the local gaming circle.

One rule we put in place was to have Digital Life readers write in to tell us why they should be invited to compete and almost all wrote about their devotion to the game. Some went as far as to punctuate their descriptions with the battle cries of their favourite characters, which in their unabashed geekdom, won them a shot at the title of Street Fighter 4 champion.

Local gamers at play.

Some came not knowing how to operate the controller pads as most were used to playing with the arcade sticks, while others just wanted to take a look at the new versions of their favourite battle mates. All definitely expected that the new Chun-Li looked much prettier than the one from 20 years ago.

But whether it was trading tips on which moves to make, or trading Xbox gamertags for future online battles, to discussing the merits of the various Street Fighter games, few were there for the prizes. Some already bought their copy of the game, which was released two days earlier. 

They simply wanted an opportunity to play with other fans.

Who knows. Maybe in another decade or so, a few of them will grow up to be in the position to host their own Street Fighter 5 tournament. I can only hope I get picked to attend.