STREET FIGHTER V LAUNCH PARTY: For the love of the game!

While everyone is busy preparing for Valentine plans, gamers are looking forward to something entirely different; the launch of Street Fighter V! The most passionate fans that I’ve ever seen have all gathered at Nommu Restrobar in Metrowalk, Pasig, one Friday night in February, to experience the latest release in the Street Fighter franchise.

A mini-tournament was held at the launch hosted by Playstation Asia. The best local Street Fighters competed against one another. As an added treat, EVO 2013 Street Fighter arcade champion, Xian, flew all the way from Singapore to be with his Filipino fans. Myrtle Sarrosa, in her full Cammy costume, also graced and co-hosted the launch alongside Billy of 99.5 Play FM.

Xian, even obliged to play with fans at the event. Yours truly had volunteered to play with the great Xian and failed horribly. I got schooled. In my defense, I started the match saying that I’m a noob. Xian was kind enough to let me hit him with one shoryuken. Haha. We also got the chance to chat with Xian for a few seconds and we learned that his favorite characters for Street Fighter V are Nash and Chun-Li. He shared that SFV fighting system is simpler compared to SFIV. We also asked if he is considering joining this year’s EVO and he mentioned that he just MIGHT. In case he does, Xian has got the support of all his Filipino fans!

The tournament was fast-paced and intense. Fans gathered around the playing area trying to watch each player compete. Each blow solicited cheers from the fans. As the night progressed, the tournament even got better. The final four matches was a remarkable sight. Not a single player wanted to go home. All matches were so close that it’s as if you’re watching a Pacquiao fight, it was that good! The first match of the FINALS even ended in a DRAW! At the end of the night, Xian still bested the tournament and defeated the best that we got to offer. No love lost as both players played their hearts out! At the end of the night, players and fans all went home with wide smiles on their faces.

The Street Fighter V launch was a huge success! Gamers got to try the game even before the game comes out next week. Based on the fans reaction that night, I’d say that the game itself is a resounding success as most of the gamers have, if not, already pre-ordered and tried the beta version of the game. Our initial impression of the game is that it’s really a huge improvement compared to the previous Street Fighter game released. Controls were relatively easier and the game is simply drop dead gorgeous from the animation to the detailed background/stages. Fighting game enthusiasts will have a blast playing this game. If we were good players, we would have enjoyed the game better. We’ll pick-up a copy for ourselves just to hone our skills and fair a bit better next time. Hahaha.

We were advised that additional content in the form of DLCs will be made available even after the game’s release. It was mentioned that there would be other Street Fighter events throughout the year. To those who missed last night’s event, this is something that we could all look forward to!

Be sure to get yourselves a copy of the game once it drops in stores tomorrow, February 16, 2016! Rise up to the challenge and get your Hadou on!

A huge thanks to Playstation Asia for accommodating us!