Capcom held a Street Fighter Club event for a select group of its Unity members Friday night in Brooklyn. Invitees got a chance to play Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix arcade-style while scarfing down as much pizza and soda as possible. The event was held at a place called Chief Bodega, which plays host to underground concerts and parties. While the address was made secret to the general public, I still managed to make my way out there to get pictures. Couldn’t make it? Don’t worry, I gotcha covered.
Even when I got there about an hour late (hey, it took close to 45 minutes by subway!), there was still a decent sized line waiting to get in. Turns out they were letting people in very slowly as members were forced to read a detailed rules sheet before they were granted entry. There was even this small, old TV setup running the SNES version of Street Fighter II at the registration table.
There were several Super Street Fighter Turbo HD Remix kiosks set up in the first floor room that were swarmed with people. The walls were decorated with a variety Street Fighter-related graffiti while a video projector aimed at the ceiling displayed a SF anime. I grabbed a slice of pizza (what was left of it, anyway) and a Pepsi while observing some matches. After about 10 minutes, though, I realized Street Fighter IV was noticeably absent in this room, along with about 100 other people. I noticed a stairway off to the side with the word “Murder” written above it. I figured either I’m going to die when I go down there, or that’s where the rest of the Street Fighter kids are.
Well, there wasn’t any death, just a hot, sweaty basement filled to the brim with people playing Street Fighter IV. It was shoulder-to-shoulder just about anywhere you tried to walk. Some brought their own sticks to use while others used ones that were already there. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were made available, so no console bias here! After talking to some folks for a while, I decided I wanted to get at least one match in before I left. Despite the number of people, the wait to play wasn’t too bad. Everyone was respectful and friendly to each other when it came to allowing turns. I ended up playing someone who had won what seemed like eight or nine in a row. As usual, I got my ass kicked in two straight rounds.
On my way out I was given a gift bag full of all sorts of goodies. Besides an awesome, one-of-a-kind Street Fighter shirt by Meat Bun (co-owned by Michael McWhertor), I got a red headband, a bar of Street Fighter soap, a comic book, a can of soda, and some other stuff. Overall, it was a great night (free food is always a plus). My only real complaint was the location. Brooklyn? Really, Capcom? There's plenty of room right here in Manhattan! I should also mention on my way to the subway, I came across a fight taking place across the street between some guy without a shirt and a group of people passing by. Nice way to cap off the night! Check out the rest of the gallery below!