Last weekend (26th & 27th July) was Neo Empire’s Battle of Destiny event bringing together fighting game fans from all over Europe. The event was held in a London venue with 2 floors featuring tournaments and exclusive plays of Street Fighter 4, Soul Calibur 4 and the latest build of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix. The tournament winners get tickets to Las Vegas to compete in the Evolution World 2008 finals.

We were there to pimp our shirts but more importantly to get our grubby hands on SF4 and to mix it up with other fighters. As with all Neo Empire events there was a true community spirit among all attendees, beginners and pros alike were exchanging blows and banter in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. And believe me, the skill on display was of exceptional quality. The tournament finals were shown on a big screen and held in a hall charged with excitement and a roaring crowd.

The highlight of the weekend was an exhibition match between US champion Justin ‘Marvelous’ Wong and UK’s very own Ryan Hart, aka ‘Prodigal Son’. The game being played was Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, Justin as Chun-Li on the left and Ryan using Yun on the right. Check out this YouTube vid of this epic battle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xhyCJqFaRU&NR=1
This is the last game from a best out of 3. The moment you want to see is at 0:48 where Ryan with virtually no health left parries all 17 hits of Chun-Li’s Super then goes on to win the round. Very reminiscent of the famous video of Daigo vs Justin Wong at Evo 2004. It has to be said that although Ryan won the match Justin had won more matches over the weekend. Still, it was a rare and truly awe-inspiring moment, one we were very fortunate to have witnessed.

There are a few pics of the event in the gallery.
http://www.retrogt.com/gallery/Battle-of-Destiny-2008.cfm

Retro GT would like to commend Neo Empire for organising such a fantastic event and representing the UK and European fighting game scene. Keep up the good work.