Set to go down on Easter weekend in Houston is Showdown Championships, a massive fighting game tournament of cutting-edge Japanese arcade titles. This year marks the 8th year that this tournament has gone down, and looks to be the biggest and best yet.
So what are they playing this year?
- BlazBlue (ARC Systems) – Singles (1v1) SBO Qualifier/ FINAL BOSS
- Street Fighter IV (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
The finals of this showdown will be played live on stage, in front of thousands of fans, media, and spectators, as announcers give the audience the play-by-play. And then, for BlazBlue and Street Fighter IV, finalists will actually go up against the best in Japan in the FINAL BOSS segment. Pachi (Blazblue) and Legendary Otaku (Street Fighter IV) will be there to kick their asses — live.
Also, Tougeki: Super Battle Opera qualifiers will be held here. For two years now, Showdown has hosted qualifiers to send players to Japan to play in the SBO program. Three of the six games mentioned above will provide the winner with the opportunity to go to Japan.
Fighting game fans: you’re not going to want to miss this. And for you chumps that think you’re good at Street Fighter IV online, you’ll need to come see this and learn that you’re really not.
Destructoid will be therein Houston to cover all the action. Look for us there: we’ll be spamming QCF and all buttons in attempts to stay alive.
Cash Prizes
Tekken 6BR/Guilty Gear XX:AC- 1st $900, 2nd $300, 3rd $150
Street Fighter IV – 1st $600, 2nd $200, 3rd $100
BlazBlue/SUGOI!Arcana Heart 2/Tatsunoko vs Capcom – 1st $300, 2nd $100, 3rd $50
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!
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)
