You can rest easy, good folk: Super Street Fighter IV is almost upon us. After moving the title back from it’s original release date of mid March into a nebulous “2011 fiscal year”, Capcom has finally announced April 27th as the firm release date for the next installment of everyone’s favorite digital pugilism simulator.

In other news, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom releases this week, and I just happen to own two Wii arcade sticks. Coincidence?

Look forward to TvC casuals this Saturday at ULX: where the eyeliner and teenage angst rolls hard.

The Ranbat season is almost over folks, and despite appearances, I HAVE been keeping track of who got what when. Updates have been long delayed, mostly due to work and holiday commitments, but fret not: The results for the December 5th meet up and the December 19th meet up are listed below.

December 5th:

1) Aaron – 8
2) Hotsauce – 7
3) Chauncy – 6
4) G-Boobie – 5
5) Dro – 4
6) Singe – 3
7) Cuban – 2
8) Cakefarts – 1

December 19th:

1) Octopus On Fire – 8
2) Hotsauce – 7
3) Holdy – 6
4)Slappy – 5
5)Singe – 4
6)Chauncy – 3
7)G-Boobie – 2
8) Cakefarts – 1

Results for the entire season are now updated in the appropriate section, conveniently located to your right. Slappy is still the leader, but Hotsauce is very close behind him, followed by the ever incredible Smurftac0s.

GRAPSF.com rolled out in force this past weekend to show the rest of the state that we’re more than just a collection of incredibly pretty faces and smooth, toned abdominal muscles. Our first field trip to our first major tournament was done with more than a little trepidation: would we earn the respect of the hardened, grim veterans of Detroit and Ann Arbor? Or would we slink back home like whipped dogs, moaning from the beating we’d just paid money to experience, consoled only by our harems of beautiful and exotic concubines?

Our concubines will have to live without the moaning and wild consolation sex, because GRAPSF.com represented very well indeed. In fact, we boasted players in top eight in two games, and five players in the top fifteen in Street Fighter IV. Even better, Drohouse turned heads with his fucking horrifying Zangief, breaking his way into the exhibition match that capped the evening. Only the finest digital pugilism was on display in that event, so congratulations for Dro are in order.

Many of these people will fail out before tasting glory. We were not among them.

The final placement for GRAPSF.com personnel are as follows:

Street Fighter IV:

Dro: 4th

Hotsauce: 9th

Slappy/Holdy/G-Boobie: 13th

Smurftac0s/Chauncy: 17th

Cakefarts/OctopusOnFire (Ben): 25th

Cuban Ace: 49th

Street Fighter 3: Third Strike:

G-Boobie: 5th

Chauncy: 7th

Tekken 6

Todd Bujack: 9th

Highlights include Dro being called a scrub for winning a match, Chauncy actually bringing Haagen Daz ice cream and Pringles, Hotsauce running some homeless dude over on the way to the tournament and messing up his tire, myself actually pulling off Oro’s grab super art in Third Strike not once, but TWICE in a row on Ghetto on the Rise, the utter worthlessness of the ’employee’ running the counter in the school commissary, being annoyed by a laundry incapable Asberger’s sufferer for an hour while helping to run the brackets, and all the great new folks we played. These tournaments are more than just competition: they’re a meeting of like minded people, enthusiastically doing what they love together as a community.  It proves how much fun these games can be at the highest level, and I for one can’t wait for the next one.

Gaze ye upon the face of Holdy and DESPAIR.

Our regular ULX meetings and GRAPSF.com Ranbats will continue starting this next Saturday at the usual time. We’re taking a break for Christmas weekend, and possibly New Years. Details as they develop.

Congratulations to everyone who participated, and extra special thanks to AaronS who organized the tournament. Spending your own time and money to make sure that the people who love these games have a place and event to call their own is the finest thing a person can do for the community, and he deserves all of our thanks for making his first major something to remember.

(more video to come but I have to get to ULX now – Slappy)