Forget your fancy arcade sticks. The breakout player during this year’s EVO fighting game tournament used a gamepad to beat down all comers. Not just any gamepad, either. Luffy won the top spot with a controller from the original PlayStation.
A member of the Meltdown pro team, Olivier ‘Luffy’ Hay ran an incredible winning streak straight from the Losers’ Bracket to the Grand Finals of the biggest fighting game tournament in the world. In the last series of Ultra Street Fighter IV matches, Luffy used Rose while Japanese player Bonchan chose Sagat.
The fights were a study in contrast whenever the camera cut to the players, with Luffy’s ice-cold confidence being conjured by hands that were hidden from view while Bonchan’s visible move inputs seemed unable to come up with an answer. And, every time that grey controller flashed into the shot, it seemed to defy belief. “Really? He’s running game with that?!”
Lots of personal storylines feed into an event like EVO. Redemption for past defeats, characters becoming newly dangerous thanks to inspired players, regional dominance becoming a thing of the past. Some of those narratives can be expected, though. The fact that Luffy won out with a controller that’s largely considered a relic of video game history is a bit of a poetic surprise. One that’s a signifier for how far video games have come from the days of the first PlayStation all those years ago.
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4 responses to “The 2014 EVO Champ Just Won Using A PS1 Controller”
Best names ever
When I watched the quarter/semi finals and he walked on stage with a PS controller I was amused. Then when he started winning it was the most beautiful thing ever and a poke in the eye for anyone who has ever touted the superiority of arcade sticks. I don’t know how winning with archaic technology is supposed to show how far games have come though. It kind of suggests they haven’t really changed that much.
Interestingly, it wasn’t the only thing he did that went against the grain. From what the commentators said during his earlier matches, Rose was never thought to be a viable character for championship competition but people like Luffy have found ways of making her a force to be reckoned with.
Thanks for this article, Evan. I’m totally out of touch with this kind of scene, but it’s always really interesting to watch these matches! Amazing skill shown by both players!
holy cow, that fights were amazing!