SLC MvC2 FTW

Apologies for the gross lack of activity here on Final Form; We've been experiencing a mid-summer influx of busyness. I've only been back a scant week from a conference at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Utah. The day of our arrival it was an arid 104°, and I was yet still more aghast at the dry character of the Salt Lake area. Not really the most vibrant place I've ever been.

While mingling with other industry schlubs, my associate and I found ourselves with significant downtime between panels. I ventured to the nearby outdoor mall to subsist the local economy, and I was quite pleased to find not only an EB Games, but also a Tilt arcade! It had a typical collection of shooters, racers, and, my specialty, fighters. My fingers were crossed in anticipation, hoping against hope that I might stumble upon a Dark Resurrection cab.

Tekken Tag and Tekken 4, yes. But alas, no Tekken 5 to be found, Darkly Resurrected or otherwise. On the plus side, I was pleased to find Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 and 2, and Soul Calibur II. I quickly ran through MvC2 alone to leave the old KIL initials emblazoned at the top of the High Score screen, and then I started patronizing SCII, with a careful eye on the MvC2 machine.

Aha! A fly soon became enwrapped in the hyperactive web I was staking out. I waited until the teenager played through a CPU bout or two before I strolled over unassumingly. "Can I get in?" I politely asked. I'm sure this fresh-faced competitor was somewhat confused by Business Attire Killa gaming alongside the sandals and t-shirt types, but, of course, my challenge was accepted.

I didn't want to bring anything less than my A game, so in lieu of Akuma in my second slot, I picked the honorable Nathan Summers (Projectile), along with Sentinel (Ground) in the lead off position, and Cammy (AAA) as the closer. I don't specifically recall the opposing team, save for Cyclops, but I managed to edge him out in both of our clashes, resulting in him walking away somewhat disheartened.

I practiced Ms. White's Air Throw loop for a few minutes against the AI, and then abandoned the machine to once again lie in wait while I mindlessly dispensed Xianghua's tricky combinations. Another youth eventually approached the crossover cabinet, and was playing with an uber-newbie team of Wolvie/Wolvie/Spidey. I let him play a few rounds before cutting in with teh pwnage. I took a bit of a gamble and swapped Akuma in for Cable, but against such an amateur I could have used Spiral/Akuma/Cammy and still have cakewalked it.

I guess this should be no surprise, as SLC is not known for its arcade scene, though it did make me feel the stick practice at home had been paying off. MvC2 does not require the double quarter circle motion with which I've been struggling lately, but still, it was nice to emerge victorious over human opponents without the safety net of the comfortable and familiar d-pad.