evo-2014
Latest
Two perspectives on Garireo's amazing Evo 2014 comeback
Forget the World Cup, this weekend's most thrilling competitive drama took place at the Evo 2014 fighting game tournament. Specifically, in the BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma finals between Garireo and Dogura. Coming into the finals, Garireo was fighting out of the losers bracket, meaning he needed to win two straight best of five matches, while Dogura only needed to win one. Garireo barely squeaked by in the first match, winning 3 to 2. Garireo then lost his first two battles in the second match, leaving him moments from elimination, before he managed an impressive three-win streak to take home the championship. Above, you'll find footage of the finals in its entirety. Below, footage of Garireo and Dogura during the last battle. If you're allergic to people's dreams being crushed in undeniably spectacular fashion as a rabid crowd goes nuts in the background, you may want to skip the second clip. [Image: Arc System Works]
France's MD|Luffy wins EVO 2014 grand finals with a PS1 controller
Team France's MD|Luffy took home the grand prize in the final match of the Evolution Championship Series international fighting game tournament last night, becoming the first player in EVO history to win the grand finals using a stock PlayStation (PSone) control pad. Luffy's win cements a number of firsts for the long-running annual tournament. His victory marks the first time a player from Europe has won in a final round of a Street Fighter 4 EVO championship. Luffy's chosen character, Rose, is also the first female fighter to win a championship in the Street Fighter 4 series, overpowering competing finalist Bonchan's Sagat in a decisive victory following a high-stakes final round and bracket reset. Arcade stick purists across the globe proceeded to gnash their teeth and rend their garments in protest following last night's upset victory. Well, that's not entirely true - if anything, Luffy's victory demonstrates that using a controller you're comfortable with is a key factor in tournament play, as opposed to viewing expensive tournament-grade arcade sticks as a requirement for entry. (Still...a PSone control pad? Really? I mean, I would've expected the first EVO-winning pad player to use the more comfortable Sega Saturn controller, or maybe a Sega Genesis 6-button pad. That's impressive. Congrats, Luffy!) A full list of featured games and tournament results is available at Shoryuken.com. [Image: @Wario64]
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 joins EVO 2014 lineup
EVO fighting game tournament founder Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar appeared on a recent episode of iPlayWinner's The Fray, where he revealed that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 would appear at this year's tournament. As we reported in September, EVO 2014 is slated to take place in Las Vegas from July 11 to July 13. As with last year, EVO 2014 will be streamed via Twitch. Though it's not terribly surprising to see the fan-favorite Tekken Tag Tournament 2 join the tournament roster, it's far from the only draw at EVO 2014. Other games appearing at the event include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, King of Fighters 13 and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma. Alongside the addition of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Cuellar also revealed that publisher Bandai Namco has signed on as a sponsor for EVO 2014. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Super Smash Bros. Melee returns to EVO 2014
Super Smash Bros. Melee has been added to the fighting roster for 2014's Evolution World Finals, to be held on July 11-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The GameCube incarnation of Smash Bros. will anchor competitive matches for a second year in a row, following its nearly controversial appearance last year. Nearly – as in Nintendo made and then quickly belayed a decree preventing tournament organizers from streaming Melee matches online. If you're wondering why EVO's game of choice is Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is older than Brawl and more ... released than 2014's game for Wii U and 3DS, it's time to read up on tripping mechanics. Plus, "melee" just sounds like the most erudite way to describe a violent clash of plumbers, gorillas, princesses, plumbers pretending to be doctors, interstellar bounty hunters - oh, and two cute kids wielding massive mallets. [Image: Nintendo]
EVO 2014 line-up announced, Super Smash Bros. Melee being discussed
Ultra Street Fighter 4 is one of six confirmed games for this year's Evolution Championship Series, but Super Smash Bros. Melee is a doubt. Event organizer Shoryuken revealed it's in "preliminary discussions" with Nintendo about featuring the GameCube brawler in the fighting game tournament, following the stir its inclusion caused last year. Melee was the eighth game to be included in last year's line-up, after it won a fan vote that raised $225,724 for breast cancer research. However, a few months after Nintendo moved to claim revenue on Let's Play videos featuring its games, the company requested Melee be removed from the EVO 2013 streaming line-up. The move was received with an immediate backlash, and Nintendo swiftly reversed its decision. The circumstances are different this time-around. For one, Melee is just another potential game in the line-up, not one voted for by fans with charity money behind it. Still, it'll be interesting to see which way Nintendo swings on approval this time, especially in the same year that a new Super Smash Bros. game is set to arrive on Wii U and 3DS. As for the rest, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Killer Instinct, and Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma join Ultra Street Fighter 4 as newbies to the championships, while King of Fighters 13 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 return from last year's selection. The event itself takes place on July 11-13 at the LVH Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but if you can't make it to Nevada you can always tune in on Twitch. [Image: Shoryuken]
EVO 2014 brings the fight back to Las Vegas July 11 - 13
Premiere fighting game tournament EVO Championship Series will return next year. Shoryuken has announced EVO 2014 will be held July 11 - 13 at the LVH Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament will one again be streamed on Twitch. Last year's EVO tournament was full of heated contests and surprising upsets, with over 3,000 individuals showing up to compete in Las Vegas. 1.7 million spectators signed on to watch EVO 2013's furious fighting action this year on Twitch, making it the most-watched fighting game tournament ever broadcast through the site.
