Taiwanese Super Street Fighter Becomes Hometown Hero

[John Funk]

Taiwanese Super Street Fighter Becomes Hometown Hero

A competitor in the massive EVO 2010 Super Street Fighter IV tournament became a hometown hero in his native Taiwan for beating heavily favored fighting-game legend Justin Wong.


Last weekend, hundreds of fighting-game fans met in Las Vegas, Nevada for this year's EVO Championship series [http://evo2k.com/] tournament, a massive fiesta of fists featuring competitions in a plethora of games like Super Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Tekken 6.

One of the most surprising twists came in the SSF4 tournament, where famed fighting game guru Justin Wong failed to crack the top 8. Wong, who is best known for his MvC2 skills and Street Fighter rivalry with Japan's Daigo Umehara - best embodied in this famous 2004 Street Fighter III showdown [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS5peqApgUA&feature=player_embedded] - saw his Rufus defeated by the rarely-seen-in-tournaments Adon of Taiwanese gamer Bruce "GamerBee" Hsiang.

Hsiang's unexpected victory over the USA's #1 Street Fighter player sent shockwaves through the fighting community, even though he didn't win the tournament - he placed fifth after a "heartbreaking" loss to Mike Ross from Los Angeles, and the top spot went once again to Daigo Umehara. When he returned to Taiwan, however, he found a warm welcome waiting for him [http://www.protocolsnow.com/2010/07/15/evo-2010-taiwan-shocks-the-world/] from Taiwanese gamers grateful that he'd represented their country well on the national stage.

And then - as seen above - he made the evening news. I'm not saying that I'm jealous or anything, but I'd love to see Super Street Fighter IV on the news shows over here in the States. Man, Taiwan gets all the cool stuff.

Congratulations, GamerBee. New blood in the international fighting-game scene is always a good thing to see. Meanwhile, Justin Wong managed to regain his Marvel title [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwjGP3OljM&feature=player_embedded] in spectacular fashion in what is likely to be the game's final year at the tournament - what with MvC3 on its way and all - so it wasn't a wash for the American fighter, either.

(Kotaku [http://www.protocolsnow.com/2010/07/15/evo-2010-taiwan-shocks-the-world/])

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[flaming_squirrel]

Taiwanese really is the most awkward sounding language.

But anyway, OT, congrats to the guy. Even if it is for winning at a fighting game...

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

I doubt it will be the last year they play MVC2, but I could alway be wrong.

Anywho, good for him. Let's just hope it doesn't go to his head.

 

[Blue Musician]

Interesting. but still I do not get why so much fuzz about this.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I wonder if this Justin Wong is related to Justin Long :3 Well anyways good job to the new guy

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Justin wong?


THE ONE WHO GOT OWNED BY DAIGO?

Pfft, poor guy can't catch a break.

 

[Natdaprat]

A game in which you can win by pressing all the buttons frantically is played at a tournament and people are surprised a nobody beat #1? I picked up this game on a "winner stays on" at a friends house, my friend beat 6 others and I came last because I've never played. Beat him by pressing all the buttons.

 

[John Funk]

A game in which you can win by pressing all the buttons frantically is played at a tournament and people are surprised a nobody beat #1? I picked up this game on a "winner stays on" at a friends house, my friend beat 6 others and I came last because I've never played. Beat him by pressing all the buttons.

Uh. Things are a bit different in tournament settings. You won't beat JWong or Daigo by mashing.

 

[Natdaprat]

A game in which you can win by pressing all the buttons frantically is played at a tournament and people are surprised a nobody beat #1? I picked up this game on a "winner stays on" at a friends house, my friend beat 6 others and I came last because I've never played. Beat him by pressing all the buttons.

Uh. Things are a bit different in tournament settings. You won't beat JWong or Daigo by mashing.

I suppose I can understand that, but it's still not that surprising. It's nice though. I hope he won via skill and not the way I play fighting games.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Hot damn..I tip my hat to this fella.

 

[13lackfriday]

It's not that Taiwanese news is cool for taking gaming seriously, it's just they need a break for constantly broadcasting fears of Chinese incursion and the latest humiliating government scandal.

 

[crepesack]

Taiwanese really is the most awkward sounding language.

But anyway, OT, congrats to the guy. Even if it is for winning at a fighting game...

That's chinese. Learn your language. Taiwanese is a dialect of fujianese which itself is a sub dialect of chinese.

Anyways, as a Taiwanese American. I am proud to have my country finally out of the shadows. We might not be able to beat China at fisticuffs but we can beat them at the arcade.

and @ above. We get taiwanese news here on our digital box. Most of the news is just scandal, not Chinese invasion lol. And what else are you going to report? It's a 1000km around island. It's like trying to fill CNN with news from only Los Angeles.

 

[Jared]

Over over South Korea! We got a new on in town and its Taiwan!

But, seriously, its kinda cool hes getting some recognition ^^

 

[StriderShinryu]

A game in which you can win by pressing all the buttons frantically is played at a tournament and people are surprised a nobody beat #1? I picked up this game on a "winner stays on" at a friends house, my friend beat 6 others and I came last because I've never played. Beat him by pressing all the buttons.

Uh. Things are a bit different in tournament settings. You won't beat JWong or Daigo by mashing.

I suppose I can understand that, but it's still not that surprising. It's nice though. I hope he won via skill and not the way I play fighting games.

From the sounds of it, no. It definitely wasn't won by blind button mashing. Also, if the fighting game is a good one button mashing will rarely get you more than a win or two against someone who knows what they are doing. If someone claims to be good or claims to know what they are doing and yet they still regularly get beat by a "masher" then, quite frankly, they don't know what they're doing.

It doesn't sound like fighting games are your thing, but I would suggest watching some of the matches from this years Evo, particularly in Tekken 6 or SSF4. It's great stuff and may just open your eyes to what fighting games are really all about when played "for real."

 

[flaming_squirrel]

That's chinese. Learn your language. Taiwanese is a dialect of fujianese which itself is a sub dialect of chinese.

Oh I am terribly sorry for not realising that Taiwanese is a dialect of Fujianese which itself is a sub dialect of Chinese. After visiting Taiwan on so many occasions I must be stupid not to have noticed this blatently obvious fact.

 

[Natdaprat]

From the sounds of it, no. It definitely wasn't won by blind button mashing. Also, if the fighting game is a good one button mashing will rarely get you more than a win or two against someone who knows what they are doing. If someone claims to be good or claims to know what they are doing and yet they still regularly get beat by a "masher" then, quite frankly, they don't know what they're doing.

It doesn't sound like fighting games are your thing, but I would suggest watching some of the matches from this years Evo, particularly in Tekken 6 or SSF4. It's great stuff and may just open your eyes to what fighting games are really all about when played "for real."

I can appreciate and understand that. I don't really know what I'm talking about, as I only play the games with friends and never see the depth of skill it holds, just the wholesome fun of pressing all the buttons and hoping for the best. I might pick Tekken 6 up when I next get some spare cash, play it online, and find out how bad button mashing is against people who know how to play, but maybe I'll get lucky.

 

[Hippobatman]

I saw the game. GamerBee was the better fighter, honestly. In the first match Wong randomly threw Rufus' ultra 2 in both rounds and it didn't hit. From there it was close, but Wong had to see defeat from a superior Adon.

That match was so much hype! I don't like Wong, because I think he's a dick, but there's no denying his skill in Street Fighter. Anyway, he was beat by a better player in EVO this year.

 

[crepesack]

That's chinese. Learn your language. Taiwanese is a dialect of fujianese which itself is a sub dialect of chinese.

Oh I am terribly sorry for not realising that Taiwanese is a dialect of Fujianese which itself is a sub dialect of Chinese. After visiting Taiwan on so many occasions I must be stupid not to have noticed this blatently obvious fact.

Actually it's not the fact you didn't know what taiwanese sounded like. It's the fact that you didn't know what chinese sounded like that offended me.