It was pure pandemonium at the GameStop Street Fighter IV National Tournament finals tonight! Thousands of SF fans flooded Fort Mason Festival Pavilion in San Francisco to watch the best of the best fight for the title of top Street Fighter player in the country. After a series of GameStop tournaments the past few months, it came down to 16 very talented players, but only one could win.
(Justin Wong – SFIV National Tournament Winner)
The journey to the top definitely wasn’t easy. Littered through the list of finalists were legendary adversaries like Mike Ross (E.Honda), Antawn Ortiz (Balrog) and Jason “A-Dhalsim” Cole (Balrog). Matches we’re extremely close at times, but Justin Wong dominated with the pressure of a super offensive Rufus. Often finishing off opponents with his arms shooting up in the air on cue with the finishing hit of Rufus’s Ultra. The crowd loved it, and raised their hands to the roof as well.
(Street Fighter IV Producer Yoshinori Ono greets an amazingly enthusiastic crowd)
Immediately following the SFIV National Tournament was a shot at the International title. Battling it out round robin style, were Korea’s top player Poongko (Ryu), Japan’s top players Iyo (Dhalsim) and Daigo (Ryu), and Justin Wong (Rufus).
(Japan’s top player Iyo zoning opponents with Dhalsim’s long limbs)
After a series of very intense and exciting rounds (I’m talking crazya** ish like Focus Cancels to EX to another EX to Ultra finish combos without even flinching), Daigo and Justin remained on top. The two would battle it out in a much anticipated match.
(A disappointed Poongko after losing to Iyo, Daigo and Justin. )
Would Justin get redemption from the millions of people who have seen him get beat down by Daigo’s infamous Ken comeback on YouTube? Would the Rufus that he used to defeat all the best players in the U.S.A. be enough?
(Daigo and Justin Wong preparing for battle)
Not this time. Daigo’s godlike Street Fighter skills completely shut down Justin’s offensive strategy.
(Daigo punishes Justin with a focus dash cancel into Ryu’s Ultra)
Seth Killian did his absolute best to commentate during this final match, but Daigo’s attacks and counters were happening so fast, that even he couldn’t keep up with the craziness.
(SF Community Manager Seth Killian delivering excellent play-by-play commentary)
Final score 4-0. Best Street Fighter IV Player in the World — Daigo, better known as “The Beast.” He can rest easy and enjoy his victory for a few months, until he must defend his title at the Evo 2009 Championships in July at Las Vegas.
(Daigo holds down the International title for Japan)
Long live Street Fighter!
GameStop Street Fighter IV National Tournament Photo Gallery (videos below)
Tournament Videos
***More videos coming soon… be sure to check back this week***
Daigo vs. Justin Wong (International Finals)
Justin Wong vs. Mike Ross (National Finals)
Justin Wong vs. Poongko
Justin Wong vs. Iyo
Poonko vs. Daigo
Poongko vs Iyo
Iyo vs. Daigo
I flew out to SF just to see this!!!!! It was bigger than I expected and so worth the flight. Daigo is seriously on another level. Justin had zero chance of beating him. Can’t wait to see the vids! :D
Whoaa! Awesome photos! Reminds me I need a better camera.. lol. :)
This shit was so hype!!
-haunts
http://www.iplaywinner.com
wish this was in sydney :P
Soooooo crazy! I watched the vids and so wish I could’ve been there to see it in person.
Incredible how Daigo shut Justin down. Almost looked like a scrub playing which we all know he’s not of course.
I want that Cammy t-shirt that Ono is wearing!
[...] Fonte: Kotaku, Kineda [...]
[...] mais fotos e videos podem ser encontrados no site KINEDA. .gallery { margin: auto; } .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; [...]
[...] Wong thrashed his American competition and emerged as a clear crowd favorite. According to Kineda: The journey to the top definitely wasn’t easy. Littered through the list of finalists were [...]
[...] Wong thrashed his American competition and emerged as a clear crowd favorite. According to Kineda: The journey to the top definitely wasn’t easy. Littered through the list of finalists were [...]
Oh man, that was a great show. I’m glad Justin Wong no longer turtle necks with Chun-Li like he did in Street Fighter 3rd Strike. He’s a great player, and it’s been even more amazing that he uses Rufus whose a hard character to use and beats down all those other top-tier players. Although he lost to the beast, it was still a great match to watch. Daigo is still definitely the beast even after all these years though.
[...] — he put up a good fight. Defeating all American contestants in a three-round, GameStop-sponsored Street Fighter IV tournament over the course of the past two months, the NY-based Street Fighter enthusiast can walk tall [...]
[...] he put up a good fight. Defeating all American contestants in a three-round, GameStop-sponsored Street Fighter IV tournament over the course of the past two months, the NY-based Street Fighter enthusiast can walk tall [...]
[...] — he put up a good fight. Defeating all American contestants in a three-round, GameStop-sponsored Street Fighter IV tournament over the course of the past two months, the NY-based Street Fighter enthusiast can walk tall [...]
[...] he put up a good fight. Defeating all American contestants in a three-round, GameStop-sponsored Street Fighter IV tournament over the course of the past two months, the NY-based Street Fighter enthusiast can walk tall [...]
[...] — he put up a good fight. Defeating all American contestants in a three-round, GameStop-sponsored Street Fighter IV tournament over the course of the past two months, the NY-based Street Fighter enthusiast can walk tall [...]
[...] Source and Picture: Kineda.com [...]
[...] Daigo’s been crowned the world’s first Street Fighter IV champion, as you can see from this Kineda report. [...]
Great writeup! Would it be possible to get the photos in Full Resolution?
[...] [...]
[...] Justin Wong Wins SFIV National Tournament and Daigo Wins International Title » Kineda Level of competition on SFIV is incredibly high, but just watch Daigo come out and play his incredibly aggressive style. Props to Wong for using one of the new characters (Rufus). (tags: sfiv streetfighter tournament videos) [...]
[...] he put up a good fight. Defeating all American contestants in a three-round, GameStop-sponsored Street Fighter IV tournament over the course of the past two months, the NY-based Street Fighter enthusiast can walk tall [...]
[...] Daigo has just won the Street Fighter IV International [...]
[...] Y tras esta pequeña muestra del festival del humor, os dejo con unos cuantos vídeos de los campeonatos mundiales de SF IV, en el que Daigo se proclamó campeón internacional por un indiscutible 4-0. Tenéis el resto de vídeos del torneo en Kineda.com. [...]
Great coverage! I love the pics. Really captured the moment especially of Poongko and his sadness after losing to the other 3 competitors.
[...] Mucha más información, con fotos, vídeos y de todo, aquí. [...]
[...] [via Kineda] [...]
[...] Li, yo quiero ser como Daigo cuando sea grane, hehehe. Si quieren ver más fotos y videos metanse a Kineda, alli podran ver mas información y [...]
[...] IV is beautiful in the hands of elite players. Justin Wong played an awesome Rufus and won the National Title. Daigo [...]
J wong kinda acted like a sore loser when he lost pretty badly, who would thought a rufus player would go up against international players. In any case, I thought J wong could play a higher tier character, couldn’t handle Daigo aggressive play.
What’s the deal with Justin getting in Mike’s face like that? I understand trashtalking but that was disrespectful. NO CLASS AT ALL. I’m glad Daigo kicked hi ass!!!
[...] Kineda has some great-looking photos of the event (including the one you see above) and also has videos of the finals (Justin Wong vs. Mike Ross), as well as the exhibition matches between Justin, Daigo, Iyo and Pungko. Enjoy! [...]
[...] STREET FIGHTER IV International Tournament』不但再度面對生涯宿敵．美國冠軍Justin [...]
[...] Wong, Campeón de los USA de SFIV, luciendo una camiseta que reinterpreta la famosa cita de Julio César [...]
Great coverage! Nice matches too
[...] Read through a great report on the events of the tournament, as well as a ton of pictures from the event, over here. [...]
[...] A continuación os ofrecemos un video con la pelea final entre estos dos sujetos en el que Justin Wong juega como Ruffus y Daigo como Ryu (toma clásico). Si también quereis ver algunas fotos del evento pincha AQUI. [...]
[...] Tired of watching low quality videos of the top Japanese Street Fighter players on YouTube? So are we. Releasing on April 30th is the official Toushi Saigeki Ken wo Moyase Street Fighter IV Zenkoku Taikai DVD (Japanese Street Fighter IV Nationals). The compilation will include over 128 matches and player interviews from the best like Iyo and Daigo “The Beast.” [...]
[...] enlace que os ofrezco es de la final internacional del Street Fighter IV. Por lo visto el evento en [...]
[...] Justin Wong wins another Street Fighter IV title. He narrowly defeated seasoned Street Fighter veteran John Choi at Devastation 2009 (arguably the 2nd largest SF tournament event trailing only behind EVO). Given that John is fairly new to the SFIV series and hasn’t played the game any near as long as Justin has, it was quite a testament to his overall skill level. [...]
[...] Torneios de Street Fighter4 (com vários videos!) [...]
[...] find the world’s top fighting game players, including US champions like Alex Valle, John Choi, Justin Wong, and the legendary Japanese champ Daigo Umehara, and everyone comes together with a shared sense of [...]
[...] find the world’s top fighting game players, including US champions like Alex Valle, John Choi, Justin Wong, and the legendary Japanese champ Daigo Umehara, and everyone comes together with a shared sense of [...]
[...] find the world’s top fighting game players, including US champions like Alex Valle, John Choi, Justin Wong, and the legendary Japanese champ Daigo Umehara, and everyone comes together with a shared sense of [...]
[...] find the world’s top fighting game players, including US champions like Alex Valle, John Choi, Justin Wong, and the legendary Japanese champ Daigo Umehara, and everyone comes together with a shared sense of [...]
[...] win came during his infamous parry finish at Evo 2004. His second win was an easy victory at the 2009 Game Stop National Tournament Exhibitions Match a few months ago. This hard fought third win against Justin seals the fact that Daigo is truly the [...]
Justin is a sore loser. Fat ass needs to go on a diet and take a shower.
[...] Kineda has some great-looking photos of the event (including the one you see above) and also has videos of the finals (Justin Wong vs. Mike Ross), as well as the exhibition matches between Justin, Daigo, Iyo and Pungko. Enjoy! [...]
There will be a Street Fighter 4 Tournament.
The First annual SF4 Tournament 12/05/2009
Sponsored by
GAMES N TRADE
CYBER LIFE LOUNGE
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE
3841- I East Little Creek Rd,
Norfolk,VA 23518
757-588-2104
http://www.gamesntrade.com