R. Everett L.

The Evolution Championship Series, or more commonly known as EVO, is about to come back to Las Vegas this year on the 19^th through the 21^st of July, and this year there will be a return of one of the most beloved fighting games of all time.

            EVO is the most celebrated fighting game tournament of the year, as there is typically an EVO Las Vegas and an EVO Japan, which took place earlier this year in April. EVO hosts the most recent fighting games in the competitive scene. And for this year’s EVO, they will be hosting Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, Under Night In-Birth II: Sys:Celes, Guilty Gear: -Strive-, Mortal Kombat 1, The King of Fighters XV, and for the first time in several years, EVO will be bringing back Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike.

            In 2023, EVO started a new tradition of bringing back older fighting games as both a way to recall and remember the greatest games of their generations with Ultimate Marval vs. Capcom 3. 2023’s EVO also broke records in both attendance and participation. The last time SF3: 3^rd Strike was a main stage game for EVO was 2009, a fifteen year gap since it last had the spotlight.

            Nervous (This is his player name), the main organizer of the Rexburg’s local Fighting Game Community had this to say about the upcoming event: “EVO is always one of the most hype times of the year. It fun to just watch and see how far people get in the brackets. It really showcases who want the win the most. We here at Rexburg are nowhere near that level, but we practice every week, and each time we meet and try our best, we level up and get better and better. And who knows, one of us might make it out of pools in EVO one day.”

            But the biggest significance to bringing back Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike is the reason for EVO celebrating it. While Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike is considered one of, if not the greatest fighting game of all time, it is also the most celebrated. But this year marks the 20^th anniversary of not Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike, it’s the 20^th anniversary of EVO moment #37: Daigo (Ken) vs. Justin Wong (Chun-Li) AKA The Daigo Parry. A moment that is forever cemented within the Fighting Game Community’s history forever. Two rivals, taking game after game from each other, only to come down to a single moment that had to be played perfectly by Japan’s Daigo Umehara in order to secure the victory.

            And if you want proof as to why it deserves all this hype, check out the link below and watch EVO moment #37 for yourself.