(Thanks to John Leigh of Anime Matsuri for sending this in)
Another big fighter tournament is headed our way, this time it’s next month in April at Anime Matsuri in Houston Texas. Known as the Showdown Championships which are in their 8th year, the organizers of this upcoming competition are promising that this will be the USA’s biggest arcade fighting tournament (which is nice to see in comparison to those who run fighting tournaments with arcade ports on consoles) and they will include the following games in the tournament:
BlazBlue
Street Fighter IV
Tatsunoko vs Capcom
SUGOI! Arcana Heart
Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core
Various cash prizes will be given out to the top three players on each game (see details in the press release) and they even will have an SF4 cosplay tournament on the last day of the event. I like the list of games although I would have expected to see the latest Samurai Shodown title on there to fit in with the “Showdown” theme(well, I guess that particular game series isn’t a favorite for competitions). The competition will be held at Anime Matsuri on April 10th-12th, good luck to those who participate! Hit the post break below for full details. Also visit animematsuri.com or discuss this on our forums.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Showdown at Anime Matsuri 2009
USA’s biggest arcade fighting game tournament prepares for impact
Since 2001, Houston has played host to the premiere gaming tournament, Showdown Championships. Each year Showdown aimed to bring the cutting edge in Japanese arcade gaming ranging from 1st time US debuts to rampaging battles between the best of the best. 2009 marks the 8th anniversary of Showdown Championships and they are pulling out all the stops. Players from all over the country and special guests from halfway across the world will be flooding the Showdown gaming hall in order to pit their skills against the elite. The tournament is free to enter for all Anime Matsuri badge holders, but spaces are limited so signup for your Showdown Championships spot and take a chance at achieving infamy.
Tournament Games Lineup:
Blazblue (ARC Systems) – Singles (1v1) SBO Qualifier/ FINAL BOSS
Street Fighter 4 (Capcom) – Teams (2v2) SBO Qualifier/ FINAL BOSS
Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Capcom) – Singles (1v1)
SUGOI! Arcana Heart (EXAMU, Inc.) – Singles (1v1)
Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion (Namco Bandai) – Teams (3v3)
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (ARC Systems) – Teams (3v3) SBO QUALIFER
Showdown – Main Events
The finals of two of the six games for Showdown 2009 will be played on stage at the main events in front of thousands of spectators, local, national and international media, and hundreds of cameras. Players will enter onto the stage supported by cheering spectators and personalized intros and light show. Announcers and commentators will proclaim your every move as the crowd desperately watches the action taking place. Who will come out on top?
Defeat your opponent and claim your moment of triumph. Become the arcade fighting champion!
What is FINAL BOSS?
You’ve proven to be one of the best Arcade Fighting Game players in USA, but now how about the rest of the world? The finalists from Showdown Championships will slug it out in front of thousands of spectators to claim the top prize. After the final battle on stage between the contestants, the winners will celebrate their victory with the adoration of all. But it will be short lived, for a mysterious player from Japan will emerge from the darkness and challenge the US champion to a final battle.
This match is an exhibition match only and not part of the tournament. However, if you are able to defeat the FINAL BOSS, you will go down in history!
Blazblue FINAL BOSS : Pachi パチ(Jin)
Street Fighter 4 FINAL BOSS : Legendary Otaku 伝説のオタク (El Fuerte)
SBO Qualifier
Tougeki: Super Battle Opera is the ultimate test of skill, honor and sportsmanship for fighting game experts. This international tournament is hosted annually in Japan. For two consecutive years, Planet Zero, Showdown and Anime Matsuri have hosted the qualifiers to send players to compete at SBO in Japan and placing their names in the ‘Book of Fame’, the SBO Program.
For more info on Tougeki please visit www.tougeki.com
Three of the six Showdown games will provide the opportunity for the winner to go to Japan.
Cash Prizes
Tekken 6BR/Guilty Gear XX:AC- 1st $900, 2nd $300, 3rd $150
Street Fighter 4 – 1st $600, 2nd $200, 3rd $100
BlazBlue/SUGOI!Arcana Heart 2/Tatsunoko vs Capcom – 1st $300, 2nd $100, 3rd $50
Format, Entry & caps
All tournamets are single game, single elimination
Teams will be played pokemon style
All participants MUST be pre-registered for the convention to sign up. We encourage out-of-towners to pre-register early to avoid problems.
Tournaments are all capped:
Street Fighter 4 – 32 teams/64 players
Tekken 6 BR – 16 teams/48 players
Guilty Gear Accent Core- 16 teams/48 players
BlazBlue – 32 players (individual)
Sougoi!Arcana Heart 2 – 32 players (individual)
Tatsunoko vs Capcom – 32 players (individual)
Rules
1. Players must stick to their original character choice at the start of the tournament.
2. Teams must consist of different characters, no team may have more than one of any character.
3. No excessive abuse of the equipment.
4. While emotion and excitement are a part of any competition, we ask restraint in excessive trash talking and taunting of your opponents.
5. Physical threats carry a Zero tolerance and will cause the guilty party to be escorted from the premises.
6. Tournaments will start at their scheduled times, if you have signed up for that game, please show up 5 minutes prior to the start to be ready for the introductions and bracket assignment.
7. Once your name and/or team has been called to play, you have exactly 1 minute to arrive at the cabinet and check in. If you do not show in time for singles, you are disqualified. If you are on a team, then the remaining teammates who show up must compete without you.
8. If there are any equipment malfunctions during competition, immediately stop and call a judge to check on the equipment. If it is determined by the judge that the equipment is not faulty, then you forfeit that round.
9. All tournaments are single game, single elimination, so play your hardest each time out, it could be your last game in the tournament.
10. We are not responsible to stolen items or personal belongings. Please watch your stuff if you are going to enter the tournament or watch the proceedings.
11. If you are a spectator, please refrain from excessive taunting. Cheering for your preferred players is allowed, but please don’t attempt to antagonize or distract the participants.
Schedule(tentative – final version will be in the program guide)
Thursday
General setup, volunteer orientation, introductions
7pm – Superpass allowed to play on games
Friday
10am – Registration for Last Chance Qualifiers/Main Bracket Check in
11:30am – Registration ends
12pm – Last Change Qualifiers Begin
2pm – Main bracket for AH2
5pm – Main bracket for TvC
8pm – Team bracket for SF4
Saturday
10am – Main bracket for BB
1pm – Team Bracket for Tekken 6 BR
4pm – Team Bracket for Guilty Gear
6pm – Finalists prep
8pm – Main Events
Sunday
11am – Awards
1pm – Street Fighter 4 Cosplay Contest
Registration
In order to register for Showdown Championships, you need to purchase your admission into Anime Matsuri 2009. Go to www.animematsuri.com to purchase your badge. You will receive an email with instructions on how to register for Showdown. There are 6 events you can enter, and they are all free with your paid Anime Matsuri badge. For Street Fighter 4, Guilty Gear Accent Core, and Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion, you will need to also list your teammates. Once that is complete, you will be seeded into the main bracket. All tournaments are capped, therefore the brackets will be filled on a first come first serve policy. Those who do not register in time have one more shot at making it to the main bracket, the Last Chance Qualifier. On the day of the event, you have from 10am-11:30am on Friday April 10th, to go to the Showdown Arena and sign up for the LCQ for the game you wish to enter. 16 players/teams, will be selected to compete, with the winner receiving the final spot on the bracket. Don’t delay, register as soon as you can!
Let’s make this a fun and entertaining event to remember!
Showdown Championships is always looking for volunteers to help with the smooth running of the event. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Chris at Ranma0005(at)gmail(dot)com. Also contact him if you have any further questions. We are actively recruiting for announcers and color commentators for the event. If you are into games, especially fighting games, have a loud confident voice and can be entertaining, then apply to become an announcer at Showdown Championships!
About Anime Matsuri: Anime Matsuri is an annual Anime and Japanese Pop Culture convention held in Houston, Texas. The 2009 convention will be held on Easter weekend, April 10th – 12th, 2009 at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Please visit the website at www.animematsuri.com for more info.
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