The song itself holds no competitive meaning with its lyrics. An outside observer with a handle on Japanese may just wonder why people can get such a charge out of a completely unrelated J-Pop song beyond the name. Musically, however, Ayumi Hamasaki's Evolution blends perfectly with just about any competitive fighting game, and has been packaged as such for years. For many, just hearing a clip of this song can get the tournament fires burning. In fact, on my way to work one morning, I had my iPod land on Evolution suddenly. The result was immediate - I really wished someone would hand me an arcade stick and point me to the nearest game console running Virtua Fighter 5 or Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
Even to those familiar with the song's invigorating effects, it might seem strange that a player could get in the tournament spirit in early December, most likely still more than nine months removed from the next Evolution World event. Either these are newer players who haven't really gotten into the competitive swing of things, or they're simply the ones accustomed to taking six months off after every year's Evo. To the rest of us, sometimes the truth feels like a well-kept secret.
Evolution is underway right this moment.
The players who are currently departing Philadelphia as I type this, having attended the Northeast Championships this weekend, understand perfectly. How you prepare in December and January will very directly affect how you perform in July and August.
A more tangible, far-reaching testament to this fact actually happened throughout the year. Many players picked up PlayStation 3 consoles for the outstanding one-two punch of Virtua Fighter 5 vB and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. On the VF side, many other players criticized those who bought in, with an Xbox 360 version then slated for an August (eventually October 30th) release, complete with online play.
A good chunk of the community got in on the ground floor with the PS3 version anyway, while many others held out for the online version on the less expensive Xbox 360. The result was obvious; the players who played from the start, back in February, were far better-prepared for the online competition with a much more complete overall game than the people who waited until the Fall.
Tournament play is the exact same type of creature, and to an even greater extent. Without exception, the earlier you get started, the better prepared you will be when the big one rolls around in August. Even new players can get something going on that kind of timetable.
Whether it's NEC or just some nice solid rotation play in your living room with some friends, getting your game sharp early will give you more opportunities to expand on it throughout the tournament season. The players who start earlier will have the better chances to grow, and less post-Evo downtime with which to get rusty. What do you consider the real advantage of the single-event Evolution gathering turning into the Evolution Championship Series in 2006? This isn't just so we can have some early Evo-endorsed events, it's to get players better prepared earlier on than they were.
The spirit of Evo is far more than just five tournaments throughout the year. The spirit of Evo extends to any time players are making themselves better, whether it's at a tournament like NEC or Final Round, a local event in a mom-n-pop game store, or just three or four players making themselves and each other better with some console rotation play of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection or Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike on a Friday night.
Understanding that, and developing that ability to feel a true sense of competitive excitement regardless of what the calendar tells you, is a big step toward enabling yourself to become either a serious tournament player or a better tournament player.
See you in the arena,
Patrick aka Neobeast
Even to those familiar with the song's invigorating effects, it might seem strange that a player could get in the tournament spirit in early December, most likely still more than nine months removed from the next Evolution World event. Either these are newer players who haven't really gotten into the competitive swing of things, or they're simply the ones accustomed to taking six months off after every year's Evo. To the rest of us, sometimes the truth feels like a well-kept secret.
Evolution is underway right this moment.
The players who are currently departing Philadelphia as I type this, having attended the Northeast Championships this weekend, understand perfectly. How you prepare in December and January will very directly affect how you perform in July and August.
A more tangible, far-reaching testament to this fact actually happened throughout the year. Many players picked up PlayStation 3 consoles for the outstanding one-two punch of Virtua Fighter 5 vB and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. On the VF side, many other players criticized those who bought in, with an Xbox 360 version then slated for an August (eventually October 30th) release, complete with online play.
A good chunk of the community got in on the ground floor with the PS3 version anyway, while many others held out for the online version on the less expensive Xbox 360. The result was obvious; the players who played from the start, back in February, were far better-prepared for the online competition with a much more complete overall game than the people who waited until the Fall.
Tournament play is the exact same type of creature, and to an even greater extent. Without exception, the earlier you get started, the better prepared you will be when the big one rolls around in August. Even new players can get something going on that kind of timetable.
Whether it's NEC or just some nice solid rotation play in your living room with some friends, getting your game sharp early will give you more opportunities to expand on it throughout the tournament season. The players who start earlier will have the better chances to grow, and less post-Evo downtime with which to get rusty. What do you consider the real advantage of the single-event Evolution gathering turning into the Evolution Championship Series in 2006? This isn't just so we can have some early Evo-endorsed events, it's to get players better prepared earlier on than they were.
The spirit of Evo is far more than just five tournaments throughout the year. The spirit of Evo extends to any time players are making themselves better, whether it's at a tournament like NEC or Final Round, a local event in a mom-n-pop game store, or just three or four players making themselves and each other better with some console rotation play of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection or Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike on a Friday night.
Understanding that, and developing that ability to feel a true sense of competitive excitement regardless of what the calendar tells you, is a big step toward enabling yourself to become either a serious tournament player or a better tournament player.
See you in the arena,
Patrick aka Neobeast
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