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Alright, I talked to a few of you dudes the past few days about Brawl; I went to Niagara Falls Comic Con yesterday and swa on their schedule that there were going to be two Smash Bros. tourneys. The first was Melee, and the second would be Brawl. Never really having done an organized game thing (outside of NW), I figured I'd toss my hat into the ring...the one which had less people in it, haha!
Melee being the game I still hear about the most, even after Brawl released, I figured that the Wii game would be my target. It had been a long time since I've played, so I took to firing it up on Wednesday Night. Good_Lord. It has been a long time.. I struggled mightily (going through the Classic Mode w/ Ike), I think I got bounced in the 3rd Stage or something. *sigh* Tried it again, made it to Master/Crazy hand, and felt a whole heckuva lot better. (I lost to C.Hand, but continued and beat a solo M.Hand, so that was cool.)
I started the Subspace Emissary a bit after that, trying to get some more reps. I did get a little better with Ike, so I was feeling slightly confident, but would I be allowed to even pick my own guy? Who knows. (Question about the SE: how come some positions on the map have a flag while others don't? Can I go to multiple places?)
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I was tired as sin on Thursday Night, so I waited until Friday Morning (the day of the Con, a mere hour before leaving) to get any more practice in. Oh no.. I figured I'd try stuff against 3 CPU opponents, starting at Level 6 for them. It felt alright, I was certainly playing a lot better than the previous day. Hanging in there, blocking appropriately, getting back to platforms, launching guys, etc. I bumped it up to 7, and actually surprised myself when I was able to win some matches. I was getting knocked around a good bit, but the CPU let me know what they thought ("WE LIKE IKE!!") a few times. There were some things I wanted to get to though, namely the Dragoon parts and the Final Smash. I haven't done these in SO LONG that to get a chance to do these, and then WHIFF with them? Holy cow, that would be embarrassing. And on a giant screen for all the "world" to see? Egad. I manged to get a hold on the Smash..Ball? in the closing seconds one match, but failed to launch it. WHAT ?! How did I do that?! Luckily, I got it again a match or two later, and kicked everyone's ass. I went to Sudden Death on my last one, and managed to TCB so that felt good, too, you know..in case that came up. So with all of my Practice in, I packed the instructions (a little light reading ont he way up) and head for the car.
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As soon as we got inside (and through an unfortunate sea of women who should NOT be doing cosplay at all...or at least far different characters; ie: Harley Quinn should be taller than she is wide..), I head for the back corner to scope everything out, a bunch of TVs set up with videogames on them (including a Duck Hunt tourney that was running all weekend.), and made sure to be back well before the tourney started. We waited in line to see Ernie Hudson for a while, talked to Jennifer #1 from Back to the Future, and then I went back over to sign up. "You're the first one.." I laughed a little (a disappointed chuckle, really), experiencing a little deja vu from when I showed up at GameStop for a Punch-Out!! tournament...and I was THE only one. FREE SHIRT, BITCHES. Thats cool, but I wanted to play someone. In any event, I was on the list, and warned that if a bunch more people didn't show up, they'd just give me back my $5 entry fee. (To the victor goes the collective spoils, I think.)
I came back around 5:20, 10 minutes before the scheduled start time..and my heart sunk a bit. 4 people had entrenched themselves in front of the Smash Bros. TV, and they've been PLAYING / PRACTICING for what looks like a very long time. OH NO. Surely I have no chance against these guys who are just minutes removed from playing? Its not like I play Brawl daily and I know the game like the back of my hand. I guess we'll see what happens..
They started adding up the names, we apparently had "enough" to play (not sure what the final field ended up being..I'll guess 7 or so?), we were told that it would be Best 2 out of 3 each matchup, Single Elimination, and 3 Rounds (so, Win your 3 Matchups, and you've won). I came in with aspirations to simply advance ("that would be cool") and thought I had no shot at this thing. "First up, Trevor and Rob S., are you here?" WHAT. We're doing 1-on-1 matches?? This is something I hadn't prepared for at all!! This set me back a bit, and I had told the guy earlier I wanted to use a Classic controller (they had 4 GC controllers plugged in when I got there), so he introduced those around that time, too. I had some issues initially, not having the left stick work at all. With what felt like a million eyes upon me, I struggled to get stuff to work with no progess. It occurred to me that maybe one of those controllers had to be unplugged? So we did (after trying out a CCPro, too), and that worked, and we were set back a bit, but ready to go.
For the very first matchup of the tournament, it was going to be a very green Rob, and Trevor who "haven't played this game in forever.." He had a weak mustache though, and we all know my name. Confidence BOOST. I have jurisdiction over ALL mustaches.
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ROUND 1: MATCHUP 1: BATTLE 1: Ike (Rob) vs. Donkey Kong (Trevor) With Random stage selection, I was pumped when we got Brinstar (or something..the one with the lava. Norfair? I don't know..who cares..) because it was one of the few ones I had played that morning! I remembered doing well at it, too. I got to hang out in the vestibule once, too, something I saw the CPU do earlier as to avoid a wave of HOT_MAGMA. I played very well in this matchup, by far the best I've felt the entire day. Not sure what it ended up being, but I ended up winning my match, shook hands, and set our controllers down for the next pair. (It was at this point we were reminded/told that it was 2 out of 3, even though I put it up there already for your reading pleasure and understanding.) CRAP! Not out of the woods yet.. And it seemed as if the guys running this thing were out to get me, too! "Alright, first match to DK!" "Nooo.." *sigh* Gotta love that when you're correcting the guys in charge.
ROUND 1: MATCHUP 1: BATTLE 2: Ike (Rob) vs. Link (Trevor): This time we got the DK stage with the running water at the bottom, a perilous level that I hadn't seen in years. And had he learned from my first matchup and adjusted to it accordingly? DK has fallen out of favor with him, and now he's got another swordsman, one who lays claim to PROJECTILES. Rats. Early on, he lost his footing and fell into the rushing rapids, swept away with a Klap Trap. He would lose another of his 4 guys that way, and I went down once as well. This match felt like it went on FOREVER, just a lot of metal on metal, gritted teeth against one another. I outlasted him, felt pretty good, and A NEW CHALLENGER IS APPROACHING!! DAMN YOU, SNAKE, WE'RE IN A COMPETITION! The guys were like "..whats happening now, is it over?" "Snake just showed up!, he's fighting Snake!!" They legitimately sounded excited somehow, so I disposed / unlocked him, and put a little icing on my Round 1 Cake. "Alright, remember we can only use guys that came unlocked on the game, so you can't pick Snake."
After that, keeping my excitement inside, and calmly walked away. "Has the tournament started yet?," I heard behind me from a new face I hadn't seen yet. "Yeah, you got a Bye for Round 1, you'll play Rob in the next match." Someone got a Bye? In a field of..must be 7 now? REALLY? How did that happen? How'd he EARN a Bye? Was he just HANDED a Bye? If he EARNED a Bye, what the hell kinda monster am I going to have to play?! ARGH.
"Did you lose, can we go now?," Nikki says. "Nope," with a stifled smile/laugh, "I advanced."
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I returned in a set amount of time that the guy told me to return in, because I wanted to walk around. Its a convention, I paid to get in, lemme look at some other stuff! I discovered that there were now CHAIRS in front of the TV (wow, we get to sit down!), and Round 1 had been totally completed. I have no idea how the other people did, just that I had to face this guy who hadn't been around. My opponent, looking to be about 16-18 years old, pimples strewn about, I felt like the Old Man in the Sea. I gotta be the oldest guy in this thing by a good 10 years. Blah.
ROUND 2: MATCHUP 4?: BATTLE 1: Ike (Rob) vs. GOD DAMN META KNIGHT (new kid) *sigh* With my limited amount of knowledge, I'm well aware that Meta Knight is BANNED in numerous competitions across the land, due to his insane cheapness. To lather it on even more, a phantom voice from behind me goes "good luck, I trained against this guy for years, he's good." I then struggled to even land an early blow, "you're so cheap!!" the same voice goes, "I am not!!" laughs the guy I'm fighting, full well knowing that, YES, OF COURSE he's being cheap. I proceeded to get my ass handed to me that match. "I suggest picking a quicker charcter.." someone from the tourney said, obviously in reference to Meta Knight's ridiculousness. For me though from the get to, "Ike or Bust."
"Meta Knight comes unlocked??" I fished, hoping someone went "*GASP* NO! He's NOT! --SHENANIGANS!! STRIKE THE FIRST MATCH FROM THE RECORD BOOKS!" I drew a sigh, "I'm sticking with Ike, you can switch your character if you want to," hoping he'd be like "ok, I'll make it a little more even," or something. NOPE.
ROUND 2: MATCHUP 4?: BATTLE 2: Ike (Rob) vs. Meta Knight (new kid) As if sent down from God himself (or Satan himself from deep below), we get Meta Knight's Halberd stage. Wouldn't it be nice if -I- could fly? You can imagine how this match goes, my favorite line from the GUY WHO CAN FLY going "I'm just going to sit here until we land" after he's already dumped 3 of my 4 guys. WHAT A DICK. My final guy was lost at about 8%, a stupid slip and fell below the platform with no way to get back. Awesome.
I shook his hand, said "Good luck!," more directed at the other guys, and walked away full of shame. A slice of rage though, too.
I'm really not a poor loser, but I know the stuff about Meta Knight. I know what people say, I know how he's banned, I know how he's "cheap," etc. Had that guy picked Donkey Kong or Princess or Bowser or something and mopped the floor with me, I'd have a much easier time swallowing this thing. Instead, I feel like I got ripped off, royally. And why did I have to fight that guy? I just get randomly handed the Bye guy? Dude didn't even beat anyone yet! What if he lost a Round 1 match? He just shows up late and gets rewarded? I KNOW this all sounds bitter, maybe it is a bit, but..I didn't think I'd lose like that.
I have no idea how the rest of the tournament went, if anyone piped up about that, if they were like "oh yeah, we forgot to say No Meta Knight, where'd Rob go?" I imagine he just went on and won the whole thing if thats how he was going to play. I remember checking the percentages one time and it was like 59% to 0%. How am I "half" dead and I haven't even landed a single shot on this guy?
Thankfully my Crazy/Sexy/Cool wife was there to hold my hand and walk around with me. The day was salvaged, got to see some good lookin' babes in cosplay (one girl as an Arkham Harley, and another as *new* roller derby-type Harley), as well as two "names" that were there dressed up, one was Kristen Houghey (I think thats her name) as a female version of Aquaman, and the other was Zombie Bit Me in a RAD Arkham-esque Catwoman with hotpants. Me-ow. On the topic of that stuff, donated some money to Cosplay for a Cure with proceeds towards Breast Cancer Research, too.
Walked around some more, found my buddies who we came with, and went upstairs for a free (formerly thought it was $20) Q&A with RIC FLAIR! WOOOO! I thought it was going to be much more rigid, but the whole thing was just questions from the room. Rad. My buddy asked about Andre the Giant stories (something like Andre drinking 120 or 102 or 106 beers. EITHER WAY..), I asked two different times, once about his exchange with Jay Lethal in TNA (check YouTube, so gooood), and another about if he's seen Bobby Heenan lately. Sad.
I guess the Brawl part of this ended a while ago, but I don't think it really belonged in its own thread, especially without pictures. Some other cool stuff was there, and my other bud got a Con-exclusive TMNT comic signed by Kevin Eastman. Very cool! We can show you the other stuff we bought when you guys come up for the Meet-Up. I didn't buy much of anything (some little trinkets), but there were TONS of expensive / extremely rare NES cartridges. One guy had TWO copies of Little Samson. Yikes! Duck Tales 2 was there, too...I touched it.
I'm done talking/typing. Thanks for reading. --DAMN YOU, META KNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! |
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