Join the cast of Another Videogame Webcomic as we peek behind the curtain to see what exactly goes into bringing your favorite video games to the small screen. It may be a job in video games, but it's still a job.
EVO 2010: Particular Geekery
As much as I share in common with all of my friends, my love for Street Fighter is second to none among my circle of friends. So when something like Evolution tournaments come around (EVO for short), I’m usually left with no one to geek out with or at least no one who will actually understand what I’m geeking out about instead of just nodding their head and smiling. But I figure, that’s part of the reason why Another Videogame Webcomic exists, right?I ended up watching more than I planned on watching on the stream over on G4TV.com. I had planned on catching the Super Street Fighter IV finals and maybe some of the Marvel Vs Capcom 2 finals. And I was pretty excited for the Marvel Vs Capcom 3 exhibition matches. But I happened to be on my computer when the tournament started last Friday and next thing I knew, it was three hours later.
I’m not entirely sure why EVO intrigues me so much. Maybe I’ve been conditioned to watch matches from my days in the arcade (when arcades still existed) waiting for my turn with my quarter up on the machine. (Those of you out there who are younger than a certain age probably have no idea what I’m talking about...) But I guess watching those tournaments has the same appeal to me as watching a football game that I have no vested interest in. I enjoy watching the spirit of competition and the level of play that I will never be capable of.
That’s not to say there wasn’t a fair share of drama and upsets during this year’s EVO. I was lucky to catch the semi-final match between arguably the best US Street Fighter IV player, Justin Wong (playing Rufus) and a relative unknown, Vangief (playing Zangief... predictably). Even though the character matchup favored Vangief, Justin Wong was probably the favorite going into the match. But going down to the wire, Vangief was able to pull off a win and send Justin into the losers bracket... where he faced yet another unknown, Gamerbee (playing Adon). And in a shocker of a match, Justin Wong was knocked out of the top 8. Predictably, Daigo Umehara (famous for this comeback) won the Super Street Fighter IV tournament, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens next year with these new crop of players.
I was a little disappointed with the Marvel Vs Capcom 3 exhibition matches. Maybe I was expecting a little more exhibition and a little less competition. The matches passed fairly quickly and we saw the same characters being picked over and over again. I was hoping to see a variety of characters picked instead of basically the same six characters over and over again. (I hear Capcom will have Marvel Vs Capcom 3 at San Diego Comic Con next week and I hope to find some time to get away from the table to play it... which is also my roundabout way of saying Digital Pimp will be at San Diego Comic Con next week so stop on by! Small Press M-13!)
Anyway, thanks to all of you who read all of this for indulging me in my partially subdued geek out over the EVO tournaments. Hopefully, next year, I’ll be able to get someone into Street Fighter as much as I am...
Player Two
After the resurgence of multiplayer co-op, GameBizCo Inc. hired Player Two to be the Goose to someone else's Maverick. His workload isn't quite as heavy as most of the other people working at GameBizCo Inc. and as a result, he spends a lot of time in the break room or playing computer solitaire.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction
Player One
Player One is top dog at GameBizCo Inc. Nearly every game, from Pong to Mario Bros to Grand Theft Auto, requires Player One's expertise. His cocksure and sometimes inappropriate attitude is an annoyance to his coworkers but seeing as every game needs a first player, they make due.
First Appearance: Bonus Stage! Here comes Player One!
Damsel I. Distress
Whether it be a castle, a dungeon or mystical island, Damsel always needs to be saved... and she hates it. Damsel longs for the day when she's given the role of a strong female lead character who doesn't have huge breasts with hyper accurate physics.
First Appearance: LittleBIGPlanet
Final Boss
Underneath the huge brute that is Final Boss lies a timid creature who wouldn't hurt a fly. He puts on his "angry face" when throwing barrels down ramps or breathing fire but deep down he feels sorry for doing so. He's been known to throw a game or two in the player's favor.
First Appearance: World Record
John Minion
John Minion, or Min for short, is the hardest working employee at GameBizCo Inc. Playing everything from Goombas to no name thugs, Min gets beat up on a daily basis but loves every minute of it. He always wanted to work in the gaming industry and was originally hired as an intern. After years of getting coffee, his big break came when someone called in sick... and the rest is history.
First Appearance: Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Middle Manager
Middle Manager works in the Human Resources department. He runs staff meetings and interviews prospective employees. The other 90% of his time is spent playing Freecell on his computer.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction