Watch VideoSo this weekend’s biggest competitive showdown is definitely the World Cup, but chances are your country is already out of the running. (Via Getty Images)
Luckily, there’s another big international competition going down this weekend — and there’s no diving or yellow cards involved!
More than 5,000 competitors representing 46 countries traveled to Las Vegas this weekend to duke it out in the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, the Evolution Championship Series. (Via Kyle Mercury / CC BY NC SA 2.0)
Nicknamed “Evo” for short, the long-running video game tournament pits the best players in the world against each other in a variety of complex, intense games for money and glory.
Evo’s been growing in popularity and prestige over the years, along with other video game tournaments like like The Invitational or the League of Legends World Championships. It’s enough to have sources like The Verge asking, *“Can Video Games Be Sports?” *(Via Riot Games)
This is largely thanks to popular streaming services like Twitch and professional commentary from veteran players, which means watching the action never been easier.
Now, fighting games may not be the easiest spectator sport to comprehend at first. In fact, several websites have published simple guides to the games specifically for this tournament, in order to give newcomers a hand in figuring things out. (Via The A.V. Club, IGN, Kotaku)
But as a writer for Paste observes, the intense one-on-one competition of the game is all anyone needs to understand in order to have fun watching.
*"I**t's hard not to get caught up in some narrative or another. All you need is a few players going back and forth to get you started on watching fighting games as a spectator sport."*
This year’s Evo has already given us plenty of memorable moments and stunning upsets as competitors worked their way through the pack and up the ladder.
But now the dust has settled, and only eight competitors for each game have been left standing. Here’s a look at the upcoming battles.
Evo’s headline game is Ultra Street Fighter IV, the latest iteration of Capcom’s iconic franchise. The new version’s only been out a few months, though, and that's leveled the playing field somewhat.
And the preliminary rounds have been a massacre, with fighting game legends falling left and right. Surprise upsets claimed Street Fighter champions like Daigo, PR Balrog, and Infiltration.
As a result, the top eight is a mix of old stalwarts and young unknowns and, more than ever this year, it’s possible the grand prize will go to some new blood.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, on the other hand, remains the same chaotic clash of characters and ridiculous combos it has always been. (Via YouTube / levelupseries)
This year's top eight in that game is made up of old Marvel pros. Keep an eye out for the grudge match between last year's champ Flocker and the fighting game veteran Justin Wong, who narrowly missed the title last year.
Nintendo’s venerable fighter, Super Smash Bros. Melee, known as Smash for short, is a recent but wildly popular addition to the Evo lineup. There’s a new entry in the series coming out this year, but the 13-year-old game is still the go-to for competitors.
As expected, the Evo Top 8 was dominated by the game’s Big 5: the five best Smash players on the scene. The question now is whether Silent Wolf, Fly Amanita, or Axe can upset the reigning lords of Smash.
Rounding out the tournament are less prominent games like Blazblue and Killer Instinct, which are a bit harder to follow, but have just as much tension and excitement as the main three.
Sunday’s first final begins at 9 a.m. PST with Blazblue. Check the description for links to the official Twitch channels. Reported by Newsy 14 hours ago.
Luckily, there’s another big international competition going down this weekend — and there’s no diving or yellow cards involved!
More than 5,000 competitors representing 46 countries traveled to Las Vegas this weekend to duke it out in the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, the Evolution Championship Series. (Via Kyle Mercury / CC BY NC SA 2.0)
Nicknamed “Evo” for short, the long-running video game tournament pits the best players in the world against each other in a variety of complex, intense games for money and glory.
Evo’s been growing in popularity and prestige over the years, along with other video game tournaments like like The Invitational or the League of Legends World Championships. It’s enough to have sources like The Verge asking, *“Can Video Games Be Sports?” *(Via Riot Games)
This is largely thanks to popular streaming services like Twitch and professional commentary from veteran players, which means watching the action never been easier.
Now, fighting games may not be the easiest spectator sport to comprehend at first. In fact, several websites have published simple guides to the games specifically for this tournament, in order to give newcomers a hand in figuring things out. (Via The A.V. Club, IGN, Kotaku)
But as a writer for Paste observes, the intense one-on-one competition of the game is all anyone needs to understand in order to have fun watching.
*"I**t's hard not to get caught up in some narrative or another. All you need is a few players going back and forth to get you started on watching fighting games as a spectator sport."*
This year’s Evo has already given us plenty of memorable moments and stunning upsets as competitors worked their way through the pack and up the ladder.
But now the dust has settled, and only eight competitors for each game have been left standing. Here’s a look at the upcoming battles.
Evo’s headline game is Ultra Street Fighter IV, the latest iteration of Capcom’s iconic franchise. The new version’s only been out a few months, though, and that's leveled the playing field somewhat.
And the preliminary rounds have been a massacre, with fighting game legends falling left and right. Surprise upsets claimed Street Fighter champions like Daigo, PR Balrog, and Infiltration.
As a result, the top eight is a mix of old stalwarts and young unknowns and, more than ever this year, it’s possible the grand prize will go to some new blood.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, on the other hand, remains the same chaotic clash of characters and ridiculous combos it has always been. (Via YouTube / levelupseries)
This year's top eight in that game is made up of old Marvel pros. Keep an eye out for the grudge match between last year's champ Flocker and the fighting game veteran Justin Wong, who narrowly missed the title last year.
Nintendo’s venerable fighter, Super Smash Bros. Melee, known as Smash for short, is a recent but wildly popular addition to the Evo lineup. There’s a new entry in the series coming out this year, but the 13-year-old game is still the go-to for competitors.
As expected, the Evo Top 8 was dominated by the game’s Big 5: the five best Smash players on the scene. The question now is whether Silent Wolf, Fly Amanita, or Axe can upset the reigning lords of Smash.
Rounding out the tournament are less prominent games like Blazblue and Killer Instinct, which are a bit harder to follow, but have just as much tension and excitement as the main three.
Sunday’s first final begins at 9 a.m. PST with Blazblue. Check the description for links to the official Twitch channels. Reported by Newsy 14 hours ago.