The right kind of villain can add extra hype to any situation. In the case of the fighting game community, having an “evil” to rally against gives top players and audience members a common purpose. The scene has more than enough villains to go around, and in their newest video, Core-A Gaming discusses the positive impact these folks can have on competition.
It wouldn’t be a villain-related video without mention of Panda Global’s Ryan “Filipino Champ” Ramirez, who makes more than one appearance in the footage. Core-A Gaming even goes so far as to highlight Champ’s devotion to his villainous ways, including a clip from his recent interview with The Daily Dot, wherein Champ says, “I really love the feedback and the energy I get from the fans when they boo me.”
The fans love it, too. At Evo 2014, Champ’s Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 match against Jan in top eight serves as a perfect example of the crowd fueling his fire. After eliminating Shuma-Gorath and Hulk, Champ spends over thirty Marvel seconds pushing Jan’s Haggar away with Magneto’s repulsion, refusing to put the Mayor out of his misery, and leaving plenty of time for the room to fill with a torrent of boos. With so much energy circulating, the crowd positively explodes when Jan manages to land a hit, even though the clock has only a couple of seconds to spare, leaving no chance for a comeback.
The set between the two players had enough excitement to stand on its own, but there’s no questioning the fact that Champ’s “villainy” enhanced the viewing experience.
You can check out Core-A Gaming’s video below. Did your favorite fighting game community nemesis make an appearance? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Core-A Gaming