Halo Reach: October ...uh .... 10th (2010 of course). Yea, that's right, the tournament on the 10th.
One Question before we begin: Were you there?
- Oh yea? Cool. You're awesome.
- Oh no? UnCool. You're still alright, but definitely NOT awesome. (hint hint)
Well if you were or weren't, let me just recall what I remember...(Cue dream-like waviness and clouds and stuff)...
.....It was a very nice day. The sun was out early, but not earlier than some of our gamers."Up practicing they were" (In my best Yoda voice). Im not totally sure what each one of them did in the hours leading up to registration time up at Net Heads, but when they showed up it was undeniable--they were ready.
We wasted no time getting all of the players signed-in and already taking a squat at one of the open game stations for warm ups. Some came focused. Some came energetic. Some came...well...unprepared (No really. If you showed up without practicing on the maps that we specifically identified on the website 1 month before the event date, you were quite unprepared).
Anyways, I digress...
Game play kicked off just after 12 pm with the first 6 teams playing 2v2. The Maps available to be played were Countdown, Reflection, Asylum and Zealot. And of course all of our game types and maps were to MLG standards. We started off with 'Team Slayer' for the first match. The bracket was best of three, so teams who lose the first match still have a chance in the next one for redemption.
A little 'Team Slayer' and a bunch of 'Capture the Flag' later, we have ourselves a 2v2 winning team. The teammate winners were Ben and Jalen, aka 'Team 3'. (Ok, next tourney we'll let you guys choose team NAMES...the numbers just aren't cuttin' it). Their Halo gaming regiment at home consists of about 3 hours of gernade-tossing and gun-butting every other day during the week, and a little more on the weekends. What do these 2v2 champs offer up as advice for prospective gamers?:
"Flank, stick together and stay on the same page"
&
"Bring more people, so we can win more money :)"
We thanked those gents who kindly recommended their friends all join them next time, and dished out the $150 COLD HARD CASH they were promised. Ahhhh, Victory.
With just a few ticks of the clock past our scheduled marker, it was time for the 4v4 bracket. By game time we only had 5 teams registered. Seriously, do you know the odds of winning with only 5 teams!? Its crazy right? We only have 5 teams in competition for $250!! At an entry fee of $15 for pre-registered players, the winners really made some spending money on this one.
You just HAD to be there...
The atmosphere was so....HALO. All of the gamers were focused on the task. After witnessing the carniage these guys unleashed on each other, it became hard to watch. I would almost become dizzy trying to keep up with the quick movements of any player's monitor. These guys knew what they wanted and most knew how to get it. Oh it was on. We heard cheers and laughs along with shouts of frustration. We have learned to expect it all by now.
Since there was on odd number of teams we did what we do best and presented a couple of options to the gamers of how we would make the bracket fair. It was voted on and the outcome was genius. We simply had a one match 'Free for All' between team captains. The winner's team gets the 'by'. With that settled, gameplay resumed and we ended up with a 2-team showdown... The last battle was of epic proportions. I'm not sure if we'd ever seen this close of a scrap before. The magic of it lay in the fact that it came right down to the last point in the 3rd and final match. But victory was granted to none other than 'Team 2', which consisted of Ben, Jalen, and two others who's names we fail to bring to you due to a glitch in the sign-in process. (Bad Elite Gaming...very BAD Elite Gaming!). Either way, these guys earned every penny they took home. After dishing out the mulah (or moolah...or mooluh...or...cash!), I asked Team 2 the secret to their success. You wouldn't believe it. Their answer, in almost perfect syncopated harmony, was...
"TEAMWORK"
....what an age-old, but apparently still effective concept. Teamwork. I witnessed it myself. After the verbal commands, confirmations and precise execution of objectives, you could not deny their team effort. Good Job Team 2.
And to round third and head home...Its 'Free for All' time. Once again, the man of the day, Jalen took home the cash! $80 to be exact, in a multiple round firefight where the bottom two players drop off. A few rounds of that and you have your winner. I think it is safe to say that Jalen went to work that day..and came back home with the bacon!
What a day, what a day! A few hours, a couple orders of breadsticks and a ton of cash exchanges later, we concluded the day's events with a fairwell and happy gaming to everyone in attendance. Elite Gaming is always thankful to Net Heads for working closely and happily with us for many of our events. Also, a big thanks to all the gamers for joining in the competition...Now what you do is get ready for the Call of Duty: Black Ops event along with NBA 2k11 and Madden '11 on Dec. 19!!!!!!! Stay tuned for details and that super value link. Til next time, Game Game!!! ... It makes the world a better place!
Do enjoy the video shot and edited by the one and only...Dale.
I'll keep this short and sweet. The video linked here is from You Tube. Using the classic Pokemon theme song as the back drop, you are about to view some of the best tv shows of the 90s! Doesn't it just give you a big feeling of...15 years ago!?
So normally you hear about a tournament around town and if you are interested in the game, you may inquire about attending. You will look for the typical load of information (when, where, how much, game settings and rules etc) and make a decision whether you'd like to waste your time with it or not. Well....
That format is pretty much what you can expect from us, with a major change or two: YOU make the events! Our job is to organize all of your suggestions and thoughts into an event that best fits all of you, as best as possible. We will set the date, time, general rules, entry fees and prixe payouts, but the game settings and maps are all taken from YOU.
Heck, you are the ones spending hours per day with these games. Why should just a couple of people have input into an event that they themselves will not participate in? See the goals of our events below:
Goals of EGL: 1. Provide a fun and safe enviornment for video game competition 2. Welcome all ages to practice, learn or perfect their gaming skills against the best gamers in the city. 3. Provide general information about opportunities playing video games and making money. 4. Give the players open opportunity to create the tournaments. 5. Give recognition for the best gamers in the city 6. Help bring the community together so that you can go out to larger tournaments and kick butt!
.... And those are just a FEW of our goals.
We want to continue to offer the most fair competition possible. We do not make fun of or turn down any ideas for bettering the events. So...
Invite friends, give us your input and keep playing so that we can keep on giving you some competition to get your game up!
All of our inquiries and suggestions can go to our email : elitegamingtc@gmail.com
Who said you can't get paid to have fun!? Certainly not US!
You Wake up... Alarm clock yelling at you in an unfriendly manner. Just by the smell of the air you know something isn't right. You roll around your bed 2, 3, or 4 times before you muster up enough energy to raise your head and open your eyes. The alarm clock reads a time that is way too early for your body to be happy with. It only takes seconds for you to come to terms with the fact that it is Monday. Probably the most dreaded day of the week. You just came off of a nice-weather weekend. Maybe you played video games all day since you got home Friday, or you got outside and had the chance to run and scream; this is the day where it all stops. Monday...A day we'd love to have omitted from the Calendar; a day where the first 5 people that talk to you are likely to be frowned at or punched in the face (I wouldn't recommend either of these actions); a day where it takes literally 24 hours to wake up completely. Monday. If you have an office job, you arrive to work only to be made more upset at the taste of #OfficeCoffee. (We realize Twitter is a new way of life, so we try to identify by adding the hash). Yea, that's right. #OfficeCoffee that has enough undesired flavor packed into that 8 oz white Styrofoam cup, that there is nothing that could remind you more of where you now are. If you aren't employed , but are needing to be, Monday is a day full of job hunting. (This is where all of you with jobs appreciate the fact that at least you don't have to get up and do work for no pay). Even if you are on Vacation in Aruba, playing in shark infested water, drinking overpriced juice drinks and tossing a Frisbee, Monday will never feel free. Its Monday. Unless I won the lottery today, this will remain to me...the ugliest, stinkiest, slowest, low energy, stifling, boring, uneventful, unexciting.....well you get the point. Now...We could choose to continue to complain, but we realize that no matter what day it is, here at the Elite Gaming headquarters, we get our game on. So as I sit here and shell out my disgruntled words in regards to the first day of the work week, I can at least look forward to heading home at 5 on the dot, stripping down to my polka dot boxers and tube socks, grabbing an Capri Sun and some Oreos, and lighting up that green circle on my console. Today...Mass Effect 2 will be in full effect. What will YOU do today to offset your discontent for getting back to responsibility? I encourage you to go home and relax. Draw some pictures, or search YouTube for that smoking baby ( however irresponsible the video is). Write your significant other some kind words, or stuff a banana in the tail pipe of the neighbor who always parks in your spot. The point is-- GO! Have fun today! It IS Monday, but the hard part is usually waking up, so unless you read in your sleep, its downhill from here. So I bid thee a good rest of YOUR Monday. Filled with #OfficeCoffee and black and white printouts; meetings and conference calls. Days like Monday's allow us to be happy every other day because it is in fact, NOT MONDAY!!
This has been a PSA from some random dude at the HQ.
We are Elite Gaming LIVE! Your local intense gaming club, where making money is as easy as tapping "start". Our goal is to provide an opportunity for gamers to enjoy gaming in a safe and competitive atmosphere. No worries about purchasing a new release before you have a chance to play it with us. No moms, dads, neighbors, or anyone else, will be complaining about the volume of your surround sound, or the fact that you have not moved from your position in 4 hours. We encourage the attitude that playing games is an enjoyable and healthy way of life. No matter if you only prefer to play on one system, Elite Gaming hosts tournaments on every system that demand calls for. XBOX and PS3 obviously have large groups, but other systems are hosted also, such as the Wii and PC. By listening to the voice of our members and community, we will provide serious and leisure gamers alike, something to be proud of and look forward to.
