You can NOT escape from death!



Tomorrow the King of Dtoiders 2009 starts. It's been a fun week trying to get people interested in the contest and the game. I'm really excited for this. I've played Jack of no trades and Cwal37 several times. Both players have improved drastically in the last week. Cwal37's Athena has gotten much better and his Mature is very deadly. Jack's improved steadily with several characters and I'm no longer OCVing him. This is very exciting. I also love to hear Jack talking about the game now that he has learned it's a good game, just different from BlazBlue. From now through October 4, I'll post a status update every Sunday and a few match videos as well.

Why?
I've been a big fan of SNK since Samurai Shodown. I discovered them when I was tired of waiting for my turn at the Street Fighter machine and wandered over to a NeoGeo. SamSho blew me away. I then started playing all of their titles, though most were not as good as SF. Then KoF 95 happened. The roster was more varied and interesting than Street Fighter and I found a new fighting game to love. I was only able to play it when i was at an arcade as I could not afford a NeoGeo AES. The first KoF game I owned was 99 Evolution on the Dreamcast. I thought the game was okay but not as good as Last Blade 2 or Mark of the Wolves. I loved the SNK vs Capcom games and gravitated toward Capcom characters until CvS2. I then switched to SNK characters. Ironically, a Capcom game is what sold me completely on SNK characters. Since then I've bought every SNK anthology, collection and fighter I could find.

SNK games are popular in a large part of the world, but not the U.S. I've spent years trying to get people to pla SNK games with me. Most people won't even give them a chance since they're too unlike Capcom fighters. Finally, KoF XII was announced. People seemed to take notice. The release of the game was a mixed bag. Many loved the engine but hated the online. Many of my blogs about KoF were met with anger and flames. And then people started to change their minds. Yoj1mbo decided that it was a good game. Tewdee included it in the Shoryuken Saturdays. The time to strike was now. I was heavily inspired by Haxan's Street Fighter HD Remix contest and modified his basic idea to create the contest you see before you. My ultimate goal was to create a stronger KoF community. It's somewhat selfish of me in that I wanted more people to play against. When I get a response that Jack of no Trades and Yoj1mbo were practicing together, I know that this contest was a success. I initially thought I'd have fewer than 10 contestants and that we'd play 10 games per player per week. I was quite surprised that we broke ten and eventually hit 15. Thanks to all of you. And good luck.

Rules
1. This is for U.S. and Canadian Dtoiders only.
2. The contest will run for 3 weeks. Each week will be Sunday-Saturday. Weekly results will be posted on Sundays; final results will be posted on Sunday, October 4.
3. I will be online several hours a day and participants will have to message me. I will then create a room and invite you. It will be your responsibility to get in the games for that week.
4. I will play 5 games per contestant per week. In the case we play more than 5 games in a week, the first 5 will count as the contest entries.
5. Winners will be determined by the number of matches won.
6. 5 prizes will be awarded - First, second, third and fourth place plus a most improved player.
7. Prizes will be chosen by the players in order of rank. First place chooses first; second next; etc. I will assign a prize for the most improved player.
8. Games will be played in a locked 2 player room with no voice chat. This helps remove lag spikes.
9. Players can choose to play all games at once or through several sessions. In the chat area in the room, I'll keep players informed. No make up games.
10. This contest will be held on the PS3 only. I don't have a 360.
11. Matches will be standard rules - 3 on 3, 60 seconds per round.
12. Prizes will be mailed once all winners have chosen their prizes and provided an address. I will mail via priority mail for domestic and standard mail for Canada.
13. In the event of a tie, I will host a room for both players and the players will face off. Best 2 out of 3 games wins.



Schedule
These times are general, as real life can affect this. All times are Central Standard Time.

Sundays: 1-3 pm; 6-8pm; September 27 I won't be on from 1-3 pm as my wife is getting a new tatto and I'm going with her.
Monday: 5:15-6:15pm
Tuesday: 7-9pm
Thursday: 7-9pm
Friday: 7-9pm
Saturday: 7-10pm; no games on Saturday, September 19 because I'll be out of town.

I am sometimes on during my lunch break, between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm on weekdays. If you catch me at that time, I can usually only play 5 games.



Prizes
1. Neo Geo Pocket Color with Last Blade, Metal Slug 1st Mission, Cardfighter's Clash Capcom Version, King of Fighters R2 and Sonic the Hedgehog.
2. 6" Mai PVC figure
3. Classic Neo Geo Pack (PS2 SNK Arcade Anthologies & Fatal Fury Anthology Archives 2)
4. Neo SNK Pack (PS2 NeoGeo Battle Coliseum & King of Fighters XI)
5. A collection of Chibi SNK vs Capcom 2 keychains

Everyone who completes all 15 games in the 3 week period will receive a certificate which is suitable for framing, via email.

Contestants

Dtoid Id - PSN ID - Team
Yoj1mbo - k0wb0y-B33b0p - Athena/Joe/Kyo
Jack of No Trades - jackofnotrades85 - Joe/Ralph/Andy
Kirbilot - Kirbilot - Benimaru(California Bronze version)/Terry/Raiden
Magnalon - Magnalon - Terry/Joe/Ryo
CWal37 - CWal37 - Undecided
Tewdee - TBThief - Undecided
Haxan - Haxan - Undecided
Bullettrain - RPGEmporer - Undecided
GenEricGui - Xabora - Terry/Ash/Ralf
TheCleaningGuy - TheCleaningGuy - Kyo/Shen/Metro (Benimaru or Ash)
Decoyb - decoyb - Benimaru/Robert/Andy
Mentok - bahhar - Joe/Kim/Chin(finite)
Zoel - Celis777 - Kyo/Iori/Undecided
Senisan82 - senisan - Undecided
casualweaponry - casualweaponry - Undecided



Meet the Contestants
I wanted to give all observers and players to get to know who and what they're dealing with. This is most likely completely false, but go with it. It's entertaining, if nothing else.

Yoj1mbo
Yoj1mbo is most famous for taking young people under his wing in the name of teaching. He often binges before the lesson begins, resulting in the student learning nothing more than obscene ramblings and crotch kicking. In some strange manner, he reminds me of Chin.

Jack of No Trades
Jack of no trades is Yoj1mbo's start pupil. He can curse, drink and crotch kick like no one else. Rumor has it that he is working on a crotch strike so lethal and beautiful, it brings tears to the eye. Despite viewing Kensou as a lightweight in both fighting and living, Jack is more like him than he cares to admit.

Kirbilot
Legend has it that Kirbilot once grabbed a newborn baby from its mother and punted it. When he noticed the mother looking at him strangely, he headbutted her in the face. Kirbilot prefers to play as Raiden. Some believe he's compensating for his short stature, but I know he feels a special kinship with Raiden. They're both ruthless thugs.

Magnalon
Magnalon once shivved a 95-year-old who claimed that the events in Trigun were not historically accurate. The old man lived, but was never the same. Some say you can still hear him pleading for mercy when the winds howl across the plain. The moral of the story is that Magnalon is Ralph. He'll fight anyone - man, woman or child.

CWal37
Much like Goro, CWal37 loves Baconator Pizza Sandwiches. In fact, he once impaled multiple patrons at a grocery store in a mad dash to the frozen aisle upon hearing that pizzas were on sale. He's no longer welcome at several local grocery stores based solely on his notoriety.

Tewdee
Many think Tewdee to be the calm, quiet type. The truth is far more sinister. Once upon a visit to a farmers' market, an elderly lady made an untoward comment about his sunglasses. In a fraction of a second, Tewdee became enraged and speared the woman with several farm fresh carrots. He is a Bogard. He is Andy.

Haxan
Haxan is known for his sense of justice and propensity for kicking the living hell out of anything and anyone around. He's just like Kim, except he's not Korean, wears combat boots, has shorter hair and is not a master of Tae Kwon Do. Otherwise, they're pretty similar.

Bullettrain
The origin of the name Bullettrain is not spoken of in polite company; his infamy is born in the manner of destruction met by his challengers. He's known for completely dismantling them in a startlingly fast fashion. He's like a wolf on the hunt.

Gen Eric Gui
Everyone knows of Gen Eris Gui's love for RPGs and SRPGs. Few comprehend what this means. Gen is a conniving, sneaky and dangerous person who's out for nothing less than total world domination. His true nature is hidden behind an unassuming appearance. As with Ash, one must look past the exterior in order to behold the beast within.

TheCleaningGuy
Once upon a time, TheCleaningGuy was in his favorite coffee shop waiting for his delicious beverage. He overhead another customer's conversation about Mega Man. He smiled to think that another Blue Bomber fan was around. As TCG listened, he was shocked to hear this person claiming that Wily molested Mega Man and MM liked it. TCG had to make a statement. He leaped over the counter, grabbed the frothing machine and proceeded to Hurricane Attack the offender with waves of steamed milk. TheCleaningGuy is the tiger of the coffeehouse.

decoyb
Last Christmas Eve, decoyb was enjoying a hot chocolate and some holiday television programming. There was a knock at the door. When he answered it, he was surprised to see 30 carollers. They began to sing "Here Come the Bells." He doesn't like this song. Hearing it made him angry, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry. He ripped off his sleeves, Ryo-style, and began to beat the children about the head and shoulders with the sleeves. Witnesses say he was like a 2 handed heretic filled with the hate of all that is good.

Mentok the Mindtaker
Mentok is a super villain. He likes to hang around people's blogs, challenging them to fights and then disappearing before the fight can happen. The truth is that the challenge is part of an elaborate scheme to confuse the person and further his goal of world domination. He decided to join the tournament to show off his power and extend his reach in the underground world of super villains. I hear he wears an eyepatch as part of his costume and uses clawing attacks.

Zoel
Zoel is feared throughtout Canada as the Baguette Bruiser. He once beat a man half to death using only a fresh, hot baguette. He did this for no reason other than his love for fighting, much like Shen Woo.

Senisan82
Senisan is unnaturally good at fighting games. He's too good. Some believe he's sacrificed his soul and the souls of others in the name of becoming a fighting god. Despite all of that, much like Kyo, he's too cool to lose.

casualweaponry
Casualweaponry is a good friend and bitter rival of Senisan, as evidenced in the smack talk he drops in my blog whenever Senisan posts there. He wishes for nothing less than Senisan's total destruction by his own hand. Rumor has it that this fued can be traced to a Thanksgiving dinner long past in which Casualweaponry felt the business end of the cranberry sauce. Casualweaponry plays Iori to Senisan's Kyo.

The time is upon us. Let's do this!

Update
When you message me, give me a few minute to reply as I may be in a match. I'll message you between games to let you know where you are on the list and then I'll send an invite when I get to you.