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February 29th 2020 Edge of 94 Midwest Presents : Modano, Mo Problems Genesis/SNES Tournament! Powered by AV For You!


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#edgeof94-midwest We're just a few days away from Modano Mo Problems NHL94 Tournament! We rescheduled and will be on Big Play Podcast tonight discussing the tournament and #nhl94 so please join us live at 9:15 PM EST! We're hoping no one gets the Corona virus tonight! https://www.pscp.tv/BIGPLAYpodcast/1mrGmQXOLBQGy

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On 11/7/2019 at 11:29 PM, jer_33 said:

This looks/sounds awesome.

...and it delivered.

A few pics I grabbed on my phone.

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Full stream links:

The Retro Sports Gamer stream Match-ups and highlights:

 

** BONUS COVERAGE **

Edited by jer_33
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That link takes you to the results page earlier in the thread.  Hopefully @smozoma can use that.  I have additional group play data that I'll be sharing when I get time.

 

A proper recap will come this week hopefully.  Thanks again everyone and I'll recognize everyone the best I can.  

 

Please share any pictures you might have taken of your weekend on this thread.

 

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This was very useful to me @kingraph. would be cool if you had a slow-mo option to replay some things and explain your insight as you go along more slowly and things change. 

at the end of the first, would be useful also if you could speak about what the defender is doing wrong, like how/when they could/should be tripping your open players or what defender they should have been instead of the one they were, or whether they should have B/C/CB you, etc.

either way, was fun to watch and would like to see the Sega finals recap.

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42 minutes ago, danTML7 said:

This was very useful to me @kingraph. would be cool if you had a slow-mo option to replay some things and explain your insight as you go along more slowly and things change. 

at the end of the first, would be useful also if you could speak about what the defender is doing wrong, like how/when they could/should be tripping your open players or what defender they should have been instead of the one they were, or whether they should have B/C/CB you, etc.

either way, was fun to watch and would like to see the Sega finals recap.

Good feedback, thanks!  I will remember to do that for next time.

YouTube actually has slo-mo options, so that 's a possibility as well. 

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Well everyone, another event is in the books!  The weekend was an absolute blast, and a blur as it was over in a blink of an eye.

I'll start with my experiences, and then conclude with my list of people to thank.  If I've inadvertently missed you, please provide the necessary verbal cross check so I can right that wrong.  Tagging is a bit hit or miss for me, so I'll mostly avoid that.

 

 

I started out hitting the road about an hour and fifteen minutes later than normal Friday morning, but Hank, Carter and I arrived without incident at The Moxy at the exact same time Leif Erikson.  We proceeded to start taking over the the main area of the Moxy lounge by the bar.  Multiple Genesis consoles, including an Analogue Mega SG, Analogue Super NT, and Retro USB AVS were all in play.  We also had multiple CRT's on hand, and a 2v2 station was setup with our special rom.  Leif and I stepped out to scout out Pourhouse.  When we arrived I knew immediately we had made the right decision.  The place just screams "bros day away".  After discussing staging locations for equipment, stations, etc, we returned to Moxy to get our gaming in.

EA was already at the bar with his scarf.  I suggested he get himself a smoking jacket to complete the look.  Kevin Cabarello also was there, and not long after, Tyler Votaw from St Louis, Jason and Shannon from Madison, Chris O from the greater DC area all arrived.  Angryjay93 and Raph alsoeventually arrived.  Chris had a bud(Rob if memory serves) show up from LA.  Our Canadian friends Jer, followed by a later arrival by DANTLM7 and SeventiesLord also spent time with us Friday.  Darik Aho also joined us.  Later in the evening, DPS, Mort, and Phil from Chicago's DMEN Tap league arrived.

Hank was bound and determined to compete in Tecmo and Dr Mario for most of the evening.  Chris O took me to the woodshed in a couple exis, but I fared well against Darik and Leif.  Jer took me down a couple times in close games.  Jason from Madison took me down in a game where I gave him some superior talent, but the game was close.

2v2 was a blast, but I wanted to make sure more people had a chance to play it.  It seemed to be in use most of the night.  I had to turn in earlier than most due to the responsibilities and early start for setup at Pourhouse.

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The area outside our bubble transitioned into something resembling a night club with all of the Friday night business.  It was a hopping scene, but I decided it was best to dismiss Carter to the hotel room for the night, as there were adult things taking place.

After mingling I finally went to the hotel room to call it a night.

This is a stock photo, but this was our room config.  No one in our room knew how to play guitar unfortunately.

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Onto Saturday :

We got to Pourhouse super early around 7 AM.  Hank, Mort, and Darik were around to help, along with Angryjay93, and the staff members at AV 4 You, owned by Leif Erikson. Their truck was packed to capacity, filled with technical goodness we'd enjoy for the entire day.

I recorded a quick video just showing the venue pre tournament as we all setup.

 

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Above is a photo of Leif and Carter testing out the game feed and layout with the amazingly talented producer Noah!  It took awhile, but there was a lot to do.  By about 11 we were just about ready to get started.  I finalized the groupings based on everyone was there.  For the 1st time in our history, every person who said they were coming showed, and we even had an extra unexpected guest, which was awesome!  After forming the groups for Genesis, it was onto the opening ceremonies.  Leif  recorded this special moment.  Oh Canada was also performed prior to the Star Spangled Banner, but only the US anthem came with pyrotechnics, and constant applause from Blackhawks fans.

 

 

After the anthem we went over the expectations for the day, and into group play. 

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We were able to get lots of group play Genesis games covered on stream with commentary.  They can be viewed here :

 

 

We split the brackets into a 15 player "Pros" bracket, and the remainder of the field played for the "Joes" consolation prizes.  You can view the stream for the Genesis Pros bracket here :

 

 

We had some breaks in between games, but the scene switching helped from Noah our producer from AV For You.

 

The big surprise of the day was the performance of Mort, coming back from a 6 goal mercy rule loss in game 1 to defeat Leif Erikson in 3 games.

EA also showed some promise and appeared to be on fire.  Ultimately both EA and Mort were unable to get past either AJ or Raph to advance to the finals.  EA took 3rd place for Genesis.

Ultimately Angryjay93 overcame Kingraph in the finals in a very good 3 games series.

 

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With a small army of helpers, the SNES consoles were all setup ready to go before the end of the Genesis tournament.  After a brief pause we got started.  People enjoyed things like the custom arcade brought by Leif, or played pickup games on their own.  We also gave away a ton of stuff all day long.

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Seventieslord won the Roenick 3 way challenge!

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Due to time constraints coupled with the lack of ranked SNES players, we decided to go with a Swiss format.  We had 16 total players.  The top 8 advanced to an opening 1 and down round, followed by a 2/3 series for semi and finals.

Kingraph took his revenge beating Angryjay93 in 2 games.  You can see the entire SNES broadcast here :

 

 

Above is video of Raph hoisting his trophy for SNES in slow motion with the pyrotechnics going off around him.  Mort took down DPS in the 3rd place series, final game played on stream as well above.

We had a ton of help tearing down, and it went smoothly.  Everyone seemed to have a good time.   I have a ton of people to thank, in nor particular order of importance.

1) The Shield donated much of what was given away as prizes.  He was at the first 4 tournaments in Green Bay, and always was finishing near the top.  He could not attend this year, and wanted to help make the event memorable.  He's known more for his Tecmo prowess, but has always been one of our biggest event supporters.  Make sure to thank him if you see him.

2) Charlie Bravo again made the Lord Manly's Cups for this tournament.  They looked amazing, and this single touch has really propelled our image over the years.  As we wrestle to find the balance of accessible entry fees, yet large enough to warrant a draw, we recognize that this single repeatable badge of honor is coveted, and there is non other like it in retro sports game tournaments.

3) Tom Jenkins of Cleveland Gaming Classic introduced me to the contacts at Hyperkin and Big Play over the past 18 months or so.  His connections and encouragement have been tremendously valuable.

4) Hyperkin for their donation of equipment and support of our event.

5) Big Play Podcast for having us on

6) Pourhouse and their staff for allowing us to hold the event there, and all of the support that came with it

7) The army of volunteers that helped out that I could see, Darik, Hank, Mort, Angryjay93, Ed Hammes, and anyone else I didn't see setting up or tearing down equipment.

8) Kingraph, having the #1 ranked Genesis player in the world at your tournament from half the country away 3 years straight really helped bring legitimacy to what we're doing, and provided competition at the top against Angryjay93.  Congrats on your continued success in our tournaments, and in your own back out East.

9) Angryjay93 is now the only paying player to have attended all five Edge of 94 tournaments, dating back to when we were "King of 94 WI".  I have no words that can adequately thank you for believing in what we're doing.  You're a class act human and champion.

10) Tom Stahnke the Retro Sports Gamer has continually supported us in person and behind the scenes by allowing us to broadcast to his viewers, expanding the ever growing audience of NHL94 streams.  He continually encourages his players to get involved in the events we run, hosted us for a satellite tournament in Chicago, and even has put my son and I up multiple times at his home.  Thanks for being a great friend bud.

11) Popsic Art did a tremendous promotion for us with their framed NHL94 art.  I hope many of you decided to take advantage of this.

12) Up Down barcade donated the Fanny Pack of Tokens ultimately won by EA.  When you're in town, check them out.

13) Creative Edge Productions/Edge VR Arcade hosted us the prior 2 years, and even though hosting events there was no longer possible for us, they still gave us an amazing promo video that I was able to record a voice over for.

14) Again, EA surprised me with a cartridge signed by the entire tournament.  This always touches my heart.

15) Thank you to everyone who contributed on the mic for the stream in some fashion.  You all know who you are.  I hope to expand tournament involvement with this in the future.

16) Leif freaking Erikson has done something for us that I can't possibly measure.  The stream, the pyro, the cameras, lighting the audio, the professional CRT displays, the holographic image, everything was beyond top notch.  AV For You has propelled us beyond where we could have gotten on our own.  If Leif wants exis, you give Leif exis.  He's earned every single one of them.

 

I feel that these thanks are so inadequate when typed over a keyboard.  I was truly emotional on my return home, overcome with joy and gladness that everything went as well as it did.  There are obviously areas to improve upon and there always will be.  For the first time, it just felt right.  I had always felt like we missed a critical mark that was holding us back somehow.  Leif helped us break through that glass ceiling, and the sky's the limit.  I know this was long, but I'm forever thankful for the memories we've created.  If you contributed in a positive manner and weren't recognized, it wasn't intentional.

 

May the year 2021 come soon!  Please share any pictures or your own thoughts on this amazing weekend!

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Peace and thanks,

-Troy "Trojan"

Edited by Edge of '94 Midwest
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I tried so hard to make it for the pic, but had to turn back to the washroom. We need a good photoshopper to add me in!

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23 hours ago, kingraph said:

As I promised @IAmFleury'sHipCheck, I would talk about game 01 of our series as it unfolds.  Let me know if this is of any value to anyone, and I'll do some more.  

 

Pretty interesting. I worry you're kind of writing the book on yourself, though! E.g. Watch for the winger on the faceoff.. But, I'd watch hours of this :)

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Great work King Raph. We need more analysis games from you and AJ! 
 

Do you think it’s possible you and AJ could do a commentary on a finals game in Minnesota? 

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Alright, time for a write-up. 

Firstly, big props to @Edge of '94 Midwest (Troy) and @LeifErikson for a great weekend of gaming, and the wonderful spectacle that was 'Modano Mo Problems'. From setting up the hotel deal, to hosting 2v2, to hanging out all day on Saturday. I drove to Green Bay for an "Edge" tournament in Feb 2018, and there was talk then about hosting a tournament in Minneapolis. I told myself that if it ever happened that I would do whatever needed to attend and help out.

Had a lot of fun playing exis/2v2 at the Moxy Friday night against Troy, Chris O., Derek and @Votaw.

Didn't play as well as I would have liked in tournament play on Saturday, but I'll take my lumps for not preparing enough and for the intense level of competition that is starting to attend these tournaments. 

I was in a group of 4 with @IAmFleury'sHipCheck, @seventieslord and Shannon. I emerged 3-1 in Group play (with matches against EA and Seventies on stream), and ended up in an 8 vs 9 match-up with @kevincabarello. We played an intense 1-0 game to start our 3 game series, and he went on to beat me 2-0 and moved on to face @kingraph in round 2. Highlight of the afternoon was definitely getting to play as CHI on the stream, thanks @seventieslord! Lowlight was definitely losing every single coin toss through the Genesis side of the tournament. 

The SNES side was a complete blur for me, thanks to Happy Hour at the Pourhouse. Yet I somehow ended up on stream against @DPS. 

Lots of good food and drinks flowing all afternoon, and was a blast to meet Chris O., Derek, @danTML7 and @seventieslord(all great guys, and great new online community members). Always a pleasure to hang and chat with @angryjay93, @kingraph, @IAmFleury'sHipCheck (EA), @DPS, Mort and @Votaw as well.  Also met Phil N, owner of the D-Men Tap in Chicago who hosts weekly retro sports leagues and picked his brain about food/drinks/music and the retro scene in Chicago, cheers.

Great weekend, and hope to attend again next year.

 

 

 

Edited by jer_33
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14 hours ago, smozoma said:

Pretty interesting. I worry you're kind of writing the book on yourself, though! E.g. Watch for the winger on the faceoff.. But, I'd watch hours of this :)

Thanks smoz, despite my lackluster energy, I enjoy doing these as well!  And as far as revealing too much about my own play, you may be right, but I am also pretty decent at adapting.  B)

2 hours ago, Jamiesoccer said:

Great work King Raph. We need more analysis games from you and AJ! 
 

Do you think it’s possible you and AJ could do a commentary on a finals game in Minnesota? 

I ordered a new microphone (thanks @Edge of '94 Midwest for recommendation!).  I THINK AJ and I could do this.  We actually tried like 5 years ago to do some commentary on a Plabax/Freydey game, but ended up running into technical difficulties.  It's hard to have us watching something live in sync to comment.  However, I think we can overcome that now with some knowledge/technology that we've gained since then.  Can't speak for @angryjay93 directly, but we've talked about this in the past and we both enjoy reviewing/watching '94, so I think it'll be interesting to review our own games.  We may find some surprises! :lol:

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Discord allows us to share a screen and voice chat. Trojan and I have done this numerous times, should be easy as pie 

 

Breaking this down after the fact will be a lot easier and probably more enlightening than when I verbalized my thoughts as I played the game live.

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Hard to believe it's been a full week already since our fun weekend in Minneapolis!  To my buds who attended,  or to those who watched on stream, if you have it in your heart to leave a positive summary of your day with any photos you may have taken, that would be appreciated.  I know some of you have started doing that already. I know we're all really busy, but I know these memories often get forgotten in the depths of someone' cellphone memory.  I know that for @danTML7 photos may be the only way to remember anything at all past happy hour.

Thanks again for a memorable weekend buds!

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This is my 3rd year attending the Edge of '94 Midwest, the previous two were in Green Bay and this one in Minnesota thanks to local host @LeifErikson for making this happen!

First, I enjoyed the direct flights into Minneapolis.  Much easier to get to than Green Bay.  The hotel was awesome and very accommodating to our group.  They allowed us to set up '94 stations all over the lobby, right next to the bar, we ordered pizza to be delivered and even bought beer from the liquor store across the street! 

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I drank many a Furious IPA's!

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OMFGA 2V2 <3

The Pourhouse was absolutely insane.  HUGE bar, about 100 televisions throughout the bar, and a giant stage for the featured stream.  Leif's company AvForYou made this ultra-professional.  I mean, holograms and god-damned fireworks, wtf.  

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Need to belly up to the bar for a drink?  No problem, you won't miss the action.

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Dynamite setups!

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Darik and @IAmFleury'sHipCheck battling on the main stage

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Chris O and @seventieslord flipping the coin to determine their fates.  LOVE the jerseys

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When I'm not playing, I get to do some color commentary (and eat @Edge of '94 Midwest's french fries)!  

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Clark, Selanne and Sundin.  Love the jerseys!

My favorite part of these events is seeing some friends that I've made in the '94 community and meeting new buds who all love this game.  It goes by quickly.  

As far as the tournament itself, it was very well run, efficient and awesome.  I was impressed with Mort's upgraded game, and he proved it by going pretty far, even beating Chris O, who has proven to be a solid player!

As expected, I ended up in the finals vs @angryjay93 for the 3rd year in a row.  I got the better of him in the first two years, but ultimately he won our best out of 3 this year to take home the Genesis trophy.  We duked it out again for the SNES title, and I was happy to win the SNES trophy this year (AJ won the previous and I the year before).  After so many battles in the finals (including 2 separate KO94's and some random CT tourney), it's clear that AJ and I are '94 tournament rivals!  It's awesome, and I always look forward to our battles.  I'm upset that I didn't win this year, but at the same time it gives me more motivation to come back next year! :)

Great job again Troy, love all the work on the stream and broadcast and all of the work you put in to making this happen.  From the promotion, to set up, to raffles, etc.  It's easy to get spoiled with all these live tournaments going on, but I try to remain grateful and humble that these happen.  Live tournaments are special, and may not last forever.  So thanks again for putting it all together and I'm so fortunate to be able to come, hang out, play, talk, commentate, eat, drink and be merry with all you good buds!  Cheers! :dal_skater_hand_grab:

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This was my first real live tournament with competitive competition. I had went to one in my city and placed 3rd for Sega, and then joined the online league about 6 months ago, and worked my way up and lost in the finals of B division, and even won a few in A division, so I was feeling pretty confident.

We arrived at the Moxy and they effed up my reservation and gave away my room with the 4 twin beds to someone else! I was about to become Canadian enraged, which means passively aggressively saying "eh" a lot, when they offered me a second room at no charge!!! So for $79/night, I got 2 rooms for myself, my bro, my buddy, and 2 kids. It worked out well. That place was happening!! So I put the kids to bed, and came to meet everyone. Played one exi with Toronto against a guy who turned out to really hate Sega so I won 8-1ish (what up Hank!?), but he really loved Dr. Mario. I am the #1 ranked Dr. Mario player in Regina, SK, Canada, so I figured I'd give him a chance at redemption. He won 8 of 9 before I could take no more. Wow. I have a lot to learn there.

Immediately jumped into 2v2. Me and @kevincabarello were an amazing team! sniping one timers out of nowhere and defeating @kingraph and his partner twice in a row, along with another group.

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We were eventually defeated by Raph, but we had our moment. I believe we actually shut them out. Raph hasn't been shut out since 2002 I think! Everyone started clearing out around 1 and I kept trying to keep the night going, but nobody else wanted, so I went back upstairs to get a good night's rest after buying the boys some fireball and Jager! As you can see, Raph loved it a lot!!

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Woke up refreshed, and had some hotel breakfast and made the short walk to the Pour House Uptown. Played a couple exis on the CRTs to warm up. Things were rocking. I was definitely nervous. Heartrate was up and hands were jittery. I was smiling ear to ear when I heard my national anthem sung by @Edge of '94 Midwest Troy... But I wish I had read the sheet that said "you aren't going to win the first time you attend. You should focus on winning one game" because alas, I did not.

My goal coming in was actually to lose to Raph or AJ in the semis. I thought that was very possible based on my previous online play. But I had a very hard draw with @Scribe99 @angryjay93 Eric and TecmoDPS (Daniel Slattery). But I only knew AJ from online play. I chose to play him first to get that loss out of the way. When I went down 5-0 in the first, I was worried, but I managed to stave off the mercy win and lose only 7-2. I thought "hey man, you're still in good shape! He's probably going to win all his other games by 6 goals, so you're technically in 2nd!"

Next, I went for the 5th seed Eric so I could build up my ego and get an easy win. Fail. He won 2-0. 

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This is fine, I told myself, as my next opponent was also 0-2. There's no way I'm the worst in this division, after playing over 1000 games in the last 6 months online. We have a very defensive battle between @DPS and myself. We go to OT 1-1. All I gotta do is win, and with my low goal differential, even 1-3 should be enough to make top 16. Nope. He wins it in OT. 

Time to take a break, do something different. I order a burger and she asks me how much pink I want in it. That s**t's nasty. In Canada, it's illegal! Anyway, I order my WELL DONE cheeseburger and find out they don't have paralyzers in USA, they are called Bulldogs. So I grab one of those, double... Then another double... then when I try to get one more, she tells me it's 2-4-1 time for happy hour. Still undetermined whether or not those were doubles also, but I got another 2 and then another 2. I wasn't drunk for my last game when I lost that also in overtime to Scribe, but as it rolled into my "Joes" division matches, it was starting to hit me. First series against an amateur, and I had to purposely make sure I didn't win by 6 to be polite. Then, match 2 against Eric again who shut me out in group prelims. Game 1 he shut me out until midway through third. that was 5 and a half periods that he shut me out. He's no "JOE" if you ask me! I scored one or two, but he won that I think. I took it to game 3 where he dismantled me. I won something, but didn't remember until I saw the pic.

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Watching Raph and AJ duke it out for Gens was incredible. I wish we could have had it to go best of 7!

I continued those drinks, and played my SNES matches. I don't remember much of that, and then I did colour commentary and don't remember much of that. Then my phone died, so I couldn't google random facts about players anymore. That's when it hit me.... the bulldogs weren't happy with me. I spent the next 90 minutes in the bathroom and definitely did NOT miss the group photo and have to photoshop myself in later... any similarities to the pic above are strictly coincidental.

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Someone told me that I went 3-1 in SNES and even won a playoff round. I'm shocked, but maybe I have a future in SNES?

All told, we drove 2500 km on the trip (y'alls religious billboards are HILARIOUS, call 1-888-83-TRUTH for evidence!), and I went 0-4 in prelims and 3-3 in B division, scoring 23 and allowing 23 in my main system (Genesis), and had a total blast. 100% would do again. The people are some of the purest gems in the world. Would give you the jersey off their back. Talking to Americans about politics was sure interesting. I'm a massive Bernie Sanders supporter. Many Americans I met seemed to love Canada, but hated simultaneously both Sanders and Trump. Sanders' platform is basically to make USA more like Canada. It's only socialism in as much as your school system, roads, garbage collection, fire department, medicare, medicaid, policing, social security, etc....... Every time someone wants to make a change that actually helps the people, the billionaires will brand them as socialist or communist. Don't be fooled! I wish America the best outcome possible in November, and I really hope you all make the right decisions between now and then on the candidate.

Hope to see you in NYC! Much love from Canada.

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Being one of the select few individuals to make it to all 5 NHL events that Troy @Edge of '94 Midwest has put together, it is incredible to see how far we have come. Every year the production value, quality of the competition, contributions from the community, and the fun experienced at the event goes up. If for some reason you are on the fence about these events, you need to jump right off that fence and get involved immediately. Win, lose, or draw you can not beat the amount of fun to be had at these events, bring your friends and make a day out of it. We enjoy a good time as much as we do good 94.

This time around I had a very pleasurable experience from beginning to end. Moving the location for tournament from Green Bay to Minneapolis allowed for me to have a direct flight, a rare luxury for me to most of these events. No longer do I have to do the Sacramento-Phoenix-Atlanta-Minneapolis-Green Bay red eye flight the evening before a tournament. I felt so good about this trip that I even left the sunglasses at home.

Once I arrived at the Moxy, I knew we were in a good place because I saw a few different NHL 94 setups in the lobby that were adjacent to the in house bar. Can't ask for much more than that type of setup. The discounted room rate was a great touch as these rooms really suited my style with their simplistic yet comfortable design. The location was fabulous as we were just a couple blocks from the venue and we were surrounded by a wide array of cuisine and drinks. I played a couple games before heading out with @IAmFleury'sHipCheck and his brother to one of the local spots for some high quality Italian food. By the time we got back to the hotel lobby it was getting a little late, I opted to stay away from the exi and 2 v 2 in an effort to get to bed at a reasonable hour. In retrospect this may have been a mistake as I instead was engaged in a conversation with EA, his brother, and KingRaph. During this conversation two girls from the bar were walking our way, the one girl who was a little less drunk than the other and almost literally dragging her friend out the door made eye contact with us and proceeded to say "My friend really wants to make out tonight but not with any of you!!!" Suffice to say, I was crushed by this revelation and I retreated up to my room shortly there after where I cried the night away thinking about my wasted opportunity.

The next morning I got up early, got a coffee and some breakfast before heading over to the venue to help set things up for the tournament. I thought I was arriving pretty early and had a lot of heavy lifting ahead of me but boy was I ever wrong. By the time I arrived, things were already moving along smoothly, Trojan, Leif Eriksson, Darik Aho, Mort, Hank the Tank, and others were already well ahead of schedule at ensuring we would have an amazing tournament that day. There was the massive projector screen that allowed anyone and everyone within the venue to see what we were streaming on youtube. We had plenty of high quality CRTs, consoles, and controllers just ready and waiting for everyone. And oh yeah, there were also holograms and pyrotechnics! This event just continues to impress every year, I can't say enough about the thought and quality that goes into every aspect. 

The tournament itself was a blast, I had a really competitive group that included @danTML7, TecmoDPs, and @Scribe99. Getting to play with Scribe was a pretty big deal for me as he was one of the OG's from this site as he joined back in 2005. There was a time where Scribe was my main exi partner and it was incredible to see how much he still enjoys playing the game even though he hasn't been online for sometime. The man could still play as I sneaked out a win in group play and played a tight 2 game playoff series with him in bracket play. Mort also had an incredible showing and really impressed me with his play in our semifinal playoff matchup. 

This was all preamble though as I encountered Raph in the finals yet again. The last 2 GENS finals losses at Green Bay and the overtime loss in our 7 game epoch at Toronto were still fresh in my head. I did a little something different with my training this time around as the weekend before I went to visit @CoachMac up on the Nevada side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We took advantage of those mountains as he and I literally climbed a couple different mountains, a small highlight real can be found below. 

ezgif.com-add-text.gif

Seriously though, we climbed mountains. 

pe4ggvz2abIrqo7QSuPjBv095w-z05EKFmTRsh9C

And that's after we had been descending for a few minutes!

My mettle was tested quickly as Raph won game 1 decisively and was up 2-0 early in game 2. I was able to reset mentally after that and the rest is all history. Raph and I hope to have some video breakdowns for everyone to view sooner rather than later as we want to try and share our thought process with the rest of the community. 

Raph and I are certainly rivals but the time is near where I think some other people will start making finals appearances of their own. For the time being, the frequency at which we face each other in the finals has been incredible and we may not ever see anything quite like it again.

The SNES tournament was a rip roaring good time, the happy hour really spiced things up as the drinks were flowing around freely. Raph had my number that go around as I was unable to sweep the day and defend my SNES crown.

We certainly had an incredible group of guys all contribute to a weekend that won't soon be forgotten. I want to thank @LeifErikson and Darik Aho for playing a huge role in helping make this tournament happen. Also thank you to The Shield for contributing all sorts of prizes to this event, I don't think I saw anyone walk away empty handed and we have you to thank for that. Major shout outs to the travelling folks @jer_33, @danTML7, @seventieslord, EA, @Votaw, Mort, DPS, Phil from Dmen Tap, @Mitch Kramer, Kevin Cabarello, and @kingraph. It is with your presence and your faith in these events that we are able to grow something from very humble beginnings to what we have here today. 

And lastly, thank you again to @Edge of '94 Midwest, you put on an absolutely incredible event and I can't wait until next year as I know you will do everything in power to make it another memorable experience. 

Edited by angryjay93
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  • 2 weeks later...

First things first, Troy and Leif deserve a huge credit and thank you for making Edge of ’94 Midwest an amazing experience.  Like many of us, I have loved ’94 since the days of playing friends over and over again on the console.  To see the growth of the game through this website, leagues and online play, and now tournament competition is incredible.  As someone who joined this website in 2005 and had the privilege of playing against many of the long-timers like AngryJay93, IceStorm70, EA, and Smozoma, thank you all for keeping the flame alive.

Edge of ’94 Midwest was my first live tournament. Leading up to Saturday, I hadn’t touched the game in maybe four years, online or off.  Upon signing up, I made a commitment to myself that I would dust off my controller and devote some time to attempt to knock off the rust.  There was a lot of rust.

On the day of the tournament, I met up with a friend with whom I have logged more ’94 console hours than anyone.  Both of us are local.  We grabbed breakfast in St. Paul and went over the teams and tournament tiers.  It was starting to come back.  We arrived at the Pourhouse at around 11:00 a.m.

Walking up to the Pourhouse was surreal.  Juxtaposed against the Uptown hipsters going about their Saturday rituals were the nostalgic sounds of ’94 – the checks, shots, goal horn, and organ music— all blaring out into the streets.  I stepped into the bar and was blown away.  Multiple CRT TVs in a ring at the center of the bar with consoles and controllers aplenty.  On stage was a huge projection screen with Troy and the sound console close by.  In the back, my friend and I discovered an arcade version of NHL ’94 that I had never seen.  The bar TVs were even live streaming ’94.

Once the tournament got underway, I was placed into a group with @AngryJay93, @DanTML7, DPS, and Eric.  Of the four, I had only ever played AngryJay93 online, and years ago at that, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Feeling that I didn’t want to take any chances in my first game, I selected my most used team and went with Winnipeg against Eric.  That paid off with a much needed confidence boost and a 7-1 victory.  My second game against DPS played out similarly and I won 4-1.

My third game in group play was against AngryJay93.  I kept my delusions of grandeur at bay for the most part, until we made it fairly deep into the game tied at 2-2.  Despite my best efforts, AngryJay then put up 2 more goals to seal the victory, 4-2, L.A. over Montreal.  Playing AngryJay relatively competively after such a long layoff was the highlight of the tournament for me.

Rounding out group play, I faced DanTML7.  It felt like Dan controlled most of the game, and I was pretty sure that I would lose.  Somehow I managed a last-minute goal to send it to OT, and then capitalized on a one-timer early on in the extra time.  With that, I turned in my sheet to Troy having gone 3-1 in group play with a plus 8 goal margin.

In bracket play, I was seeded against Tyler Votaw.  @Votaw took the first game 3-2, but I rallied and notched shutouts in each of the next two games to take the series.  That left me to face AngryJay93 in the final 8.  He put up 5 goals on me with both Edmonton and Quebec, and I lost successive games 5-2 and 5-3 to end my run in the Genesis tournament.  Troy’s comment to me at the tourney serves as a fitting endcap here: “Not bad for a guy off the street.”

All in all, I had an absolute blast at Edge of ’94 Midwest.  It was great to meet so many of you guys in person for the first time.  Of course, I now have that unquenchable thirst to play NHL ’94 every waking second of the day again, and I have all of you guys to thank.  So I will be seeing you on RetroArch and at future tournaments, from now until they take our controllers away.

Edited by Scribe99
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  • 1 month later...

My apologies for the delay in posting my thoughts and feedback on this amazing tourney weekend.  I originally had drafted another review but the page was refreshed and I lost it. (Yes, sad emoji face indeed)

So first of all, it’s no surprise that Troy deserves a huge round of applause for organizing such an amazing event.  I believe this was my 3rd Edge of ’94 tourney and Troy has continued to step it up year after year.  I really thought that last year was going to be tough to beat but with @Edge of '94 MidwestTroy’s unrelenting efforts combined with the coordinated partnership hometown hero, @LeifEriksonLeif Erikson, this weekend surpassed all expectations.

  1. Location -- Grade A
    1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
      1. I think Minneapolis is one of the best locations to hold a 94 tourney.  It’s centralized enough that anyone can fly to it pretty easily in the US and far enough north to make sure our Canadian buds have a fighting chance at attending. 
      2. It’s a hockey town that appreciates hockey.
      3. It’s safe vs other cities its size
    2. Uptown Neighborhood
      1. My brother lives in Uptown in Minneapolis so I have visited that area several times.  There’s plenty to do and places to go out that fit any size budget.
      2. It’s more of a hipster vibe in that area so the retro game tourney fits well into their landscape.  
    1. Vs other US locations
      1. Other major cities will be a lot more expensive for venues and accommodations
      2. Other cities are not centrally located enough.  The only other potential city that could be possibly comparable would be Milwaukee but I still think Minneapolis is ideal.
  2. The Moxy Hotel – Grade A
    1. The Moxy was a 2 block walk to the venue so it was a perfect location for the tourney.
    2. Easy to get to from airport. (about 15-20 mins)
    3. Price – All in it was $125/night which is incredibly fair. (EDIT: apparently I overpaid.  I made my reservations very early but Troy had worked out a rate for $70/night... wow, I should call Marriot for a credit)
    4. The only reason the hotel could have received less than a solid A would be due that the food options on site were limited.  No shortage of snack foods on hand but it’s not the place where they have a full service kitchen. 
      1. However, there are no shortage of options nearby.  I went with AJ, my brother, and his gf out for a drink and then dinner at  a fantastic Italian place on Friday night and then B-Dubs on Sat later after the tourney.
    5. Staff was accommodating and friendly
      1. They let us set up numerous NHL94 stations on Friday right in the lobby next to the bar.  How cool is that?! On Sat night, there was a music venue and they still let us set up more tvs towards the back of the lobby.
      2. It was nice not to have to worry about getting a larger suite to hold after hours exis.
      3. Antaya, the bartender, was super friendly and only added to the enjoyment of the weekend.
  3. Venue – Grade B+
    1. As I said, close to hotel.
    2. It was perfect for the size of the tourney
      1. If there were 15-20 more participants, I feel like we may have needed a larger venue
    3. The food was not going to blow anyone away but what should we expect starting early on a Saturday.  They ran specials so the prices were fair and the offerings did the trick
    4. Staff was ok, although we were spoiled with the Moxy crew.
    5. The local crowd was colorful to say the least and a homeless guy shot up heroin in the bathroom at one point later in the afternoon. Lol
      1. That stuff doesn’t bother me though and I almost lost it when those girls started fighting while I was playing SeventiesLord
        1. Apparently I found out I caught a lucky break when my brother saw a girl almost puke on meâ€Ĥ who knew there were so many trainwrecks out at 2pm?? lol
  4. Modano Mo Problems Tournament – Grade A
    1. Setup -- I loved it.  There was the main stage that was setup to stream.  Troy was the dedicated announcer and even had a person to handle any technical issues.
    2. Equipment -- I can’t thank Leif Erikson enough for all that he brought to the table.  He brought enough CRTs that I never felt like I was waiting to get a game in.
    3. Event Coordination – everything ran really smoothly.  So Troy, if there were headaches going on in the background, I never felt that as a participant.
      1. I am a huge fan of Troy singing the national anthems and I think everyone who shows up each year really looks forward to him belting those out.
    4. Although I didn’t receive a trophy, I think it’s a really nice touch that Troy has those each year.  Those videos of the acceptances by AJ and Raph are great.
    5. Production value – again Leif just taking this tourney to next level.  Pyrotechnics and holograms ?!?! That was so ridiculously cool.  I had to take a step back from playing every once in awhile just to appreciate all of it
    6. Dedicated announcer – I can’t imagine how tired Troy was after this day.  I mean, he’s a man that can talk, but he had to be pushed to his limits that day.  Not only did he hang out until late that night and he never stopped moving the entire weekend, he always had a smile.  Impressive.
  5. Overall Level of Fun – Grade A+
    1. The first year I attended an Edge of ’94 tourney, I think Troy had to stay on my case to sign up.  I didn’t know him that well but his enthusiasm has always been contagious.  Over the past several years, I can’t wait for the next one.  I really hope that he continues to build from the format of this year’s tourney for all the reasons I mentioned and having Leif Erikson as your boots-on-the-ground has proven to be a successful pairing.
    2. The competition was fierce this year but it’s always great to catch up with familiar faces and be surprised by what the new faces bring to the table.  And if you lucky, you even get to put a face to a long time familiar name.  This year I was lucky enough to do that with Scribe99.
    3. Its awesome that the Chicago contingent was able to make it up.  They continue to become a force to be reckoned with and while we see the AJ/Raph at the top 2 spots each year, that next level is always getting more interesting.
  6. Feedback – obviously, this was an amazing weekend and I don’t feel anything needs to done.  I would be perfectly fine if this tourney was exactly the same next year but here is some feedback since I think Troy would like to see this to continue to grow
    1. Winners -- Big congrats to AJ (Gens) @angryjay93 and Raph (SNES) @kingraph.  The community is really lucky to have class acts like these two leading the charge year in and year out.
      1. Raph -- I hope one day to give you a run at a series in one of these tourneys.  At this point, I've lost track of how many times you've knocked me out of a 94 tourney.  Unfortunately, most of these 1 sided losses have to come on the stream as well in front of thousands... err I mean, hundreds... dozens?... ok, like a handful of people but still! haha 
    2. Recruitment
      • I hope that with the success of this year’s tourney that we can get more vets to the next one, as well as increase the level of participation from the local crowd. 
      • More local recruitment – it’s a hockey town, there must be pockets of 94 players scattered throughout the city
      • Troy is incredibly diligent is recruiting but he should lean on the 94 community to help in those recruitment efforts
    3. Entry Cost
      • I’m not sure what the out of pocket costs are for Troy or Leif but I’m hoping it’s minimal.  If not, I think Troy should consider increasing the entry fee.  I can’t think of many activities that last an entire day with the level of production value that cost ~$40.
    4. Announcing duties
      • It would be great to have another dedicated announcer so Troy could actually play in the tourney.  If he’s happy to announce and that’s it, that’s fine but I just would like to see him get more playing time in.
    5. SNES tourney vs Dedicated 2on2 tourney
      • So I could be off here and I don’t want to run anyone the wrong way but I didn’t feel a huge SNES presence at this tourney.  Traditionally, SNES is a bigger draw in Canada.  While it was nice that there was a SNES tourney, it was the last thing I wanted to do after playing an entire day of GENS.
      • Additionally, at the end of the SNES tourney it was Raph and AJ again so it wasn’t like  there needed to be a consideration to the SNES vets who came in from Nova Scotia.
      • My thoughts would be if the SNES doesn’t have a draw, it would be so much fun if after the  Sega tourney, we transitioned to a fun 2on2 tourney instead.  I feel like that would be a great way to break some of the competitive tension.  That format lends itself to a lot of laughs and coming together more.  I think it could be a really fun concept given the right format
      • If it’s a matter of supply, I would be willing to donate to that cause.

Overall, the only thing I’m surprised by with this tourney is that more people don’t make it.  I know that’s tough with schedules but this tourney is always around the last week of Feb so I’m hoping more people can make the effort next year.  It’s always so fun to see everyone and my only wish is that we all saw each other more often. @Votaw makes it every year from STL and I think that's so cool.  Hoping to see @jesusplaysnhl94Jesus, @smozoma @CoachMac @Evan @halifax and Brutus at the next one. 

Thank you again, Troy and Leif.  You guys really set a new bar this year.  I really hope we can land in this same spot for next year. 

To the community -- I hope that all of you and your families are staying safe these days! Take care!

 

Edited by IAmFleury'sHipCheck
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16 hours ago, IAmFleury'sHipCheck said:

My apologies for the delay in posting my thoughts and feedback on this amazing tourney weekend.  I originally had drafted another review but the page was refreshed and I lost it. (Yes, sad emoji face indeed)

So first of all, it’s no surprise that Troy deserves a huge round of applause for organizing such an amazing event.  I believe this was my 3rd Edge of ’94 tourney and Troy has continued to step it up year after year.  I really thought that last year was going to be tough to beat but with @Edge of '94 MidwestTroy’s unrelenting efforts combined with the coordinated partnership hometown hero, @LeifEriksonLeif Erikson, this weekend surpassed all expectations.

  1. Location -- Grade A
    1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
      1. I think Minneapolis is one of the best locations to hold a 94 tourney.  It’s centralized enough that anyone can fly to it pretty easily in the US and far enough north to make sure our Canadian buds have a fighting chance at attending. 
      2. It’s a hockey town that appreciate hockey.
      3. It’s safe vs other cities its size
    2. Uptown Neighborhood
      1. My brother lives in Uptown in Minneapolis so I have visited that area several times.  There’s plenty to do and places to go out that fit any size budget.
      2. It’s more of a hipster vibe in that area so the retro game tourney fits well into their landscape.  
    1. Vs other US locations
      1. Other major cities will be a lot more expensive for venues and for accommodations
      2. Other cities are not centrally located enough.  The only other potential city that could be possibly comparable would be Milwaukee but I still think Minneapolis is ideal.
  2. The Moxy Hotel – Grade A
    1. The Moxy was a 2 block walk to the venue so it was a perfect location for the tourney.
    2. Easy to get to from airport.
    3. Price – All in it was $125/night which is incredibly fair.
    4. The only reason the hotel could have received less than a solid A would be due that the food options on site were limited.  No shortage of snack foods on hand but it’s not the place where they have a full service kitchen. 
      1. However, there are no shortage of options nearby.  I went with AJ, my brother, and his gf out for a drink and then dinner at  a fantastic Italian place on Friday night and then B-Dubs on Sat later after the tourney.
    5. Staff was accommodating and friendly
      1. They let us set up numerous NHL94 stations on Friday right in the lobby next to the bar.  How cool is that?! On Sat night, there was a music venue and they still let us set up more tvs towards the back of the lobby.
      2. It was nice not to have to worry about getting a larger suite to hold after hours exis.
      3. Antaya, the bartender, was super friendly and only added to the enjoyment of the weekend.
  3. Venue – Grade B+
    1. As I said, close to hotel.
    2. It was perfect for the size of the tourney
      1. If there were 15-20 more participants, I feel like we may have needed a larger venue
    3. The food was not going to blow anyone away but what should we expect starting early on a Saturday.  They ran specials so the prices were fair and the offerings did the trick
    4. Staff was ok, although we were spoiled with the Moxy crew.
    5. The local crowd was colorful to say the least and a homeless guy shot up heroin in the bathroom at one point later in the afternoon. Lol
      1. That stuff doesn’t bother me though and I almost lost it when those girls started fighting while I was playing SeventiesLord
        1. Apparently I found out I caught a lucky break when my brother saw a girl almost puke on meâ€Ĥ who knew there were so many trainwrecks out at 2pm?? lol
  4. Modano Mo Problems Tournament – Grade A
    1. Setup -- I loved it.  There was the main stage that was setup to stream.  Troy was the dedicated announcer and even had a person to handle any technical issues.
    2. Equipment -- I can’t thank Leif Erikson enough for all that he brought to the table.  He brought enough CRTs that I never felt like I was waiting to get a game in.
    3. Event Coordination – everything ran really smoothly.  So Troy, if there were headaches going on in the background, I never felt that as a participant.
      1. I am a huge fan of Troy singing the national anthems and I think everyone who shows up each year really looks forward to him belting those out.
    4. Although I didn’t receive a trophy, I think it’s a really nice touch that Troy has those each year.  Those videos of the acceptances by AJ and Raph are great.
    5. Production value – again Leif just taking this tourney to next level.  Pyrotechnics and holograms ?!?! That was so ridiculously cool.  I had to take a step back from playing every once in awhile just to appreciate all of it
    6. Dedicated announcer – I can’t imagine how tired Troy was after this day.  I mean, he’s a man that can talk, but he had to be pushed to his limits that day.  Not only did he hang out until late that night and he never stopped moving the entire weekend, he always had a smile.  Impressive.
  5. Overall Level of Fun – Grade A+
    1. The first year I attended an Edge of ’94 tourney, I think Troy had to stay on my case to sign up.  I didn’t know him that well but his enthusiasm has always been contagious.  Over the past several years, I can’t wait for the next one.  I really hope that he continues to build from the format of this year’s tourney for all the reasons I mentioned and having Leif Erikson as your boots-on-the-ground has proven to be a successful pairing.
    2. The competition was fierce this year but it’s always great to catch up with familiar faces and be surprised by what the new faces bring to the table.  And if you lucky, you even get to put a face to a long time familiar name.  This year I was lucky enough to do that with Scribe99.
    3. Its awesome that the Chicago contingent was able to make it up.  They continue to become a force to be reckoned with and while we see the AJ/Raph at the top 2 spots each year, that next level is always getting more interesting.
  6. Feedback – obviously, this was an amazing weekend and I don’t feel anything needs to done.  I would be perfectly fine if this tourney was exactly the same next year but here is some feedback since I think Troy would like to see this to continue to grow
    1. Recruitment
      • I hope that with the success of this year’s tourney that we can get more vets to the next one, as well as increase the level of participation from the local crowd. 
      • More local recruitment – it’s a hockey town, there must be pockets of 94 players scattered throughout the city
      • Troy is incredibly diligent is recruiting but he should lean on the 94 community to help in those recruitment efforts
    2. Entry Cost
      • I’m not sure what the out of pocket costs are for Troy or Leif but I’m hoping it’s minimal.  If not, I think Troy should consider increasing the entry fee.  I can’t think of many activities that last an entire day with the level of production value that cost ~$40.
    3. Announcing duties
      • It would be great to have another dedicated announcer so Troy could actually play in the tourney.  If he’s happy to announce and that’s it, that’s fine but I just would like to see him get more playing time in.
    4. SNES tourney vs Dedicated 2on2 tourney
      • So I could be off here and I don’t want to run anyone the wrong way but I didn’t feel a huge SNES presence at this tourney.  Traditionally, SNES is a bigger draw in Canada.  While it was nice that there was a SNES tourney, it was the last thing I wanted to do after playing an entire day of GENS.
      • Additionally, at the end of the SNES tourney it was Raph and AJ again so it wasn’t like  there needed to be a consideration to the SNES vets who came in from Nova Scotia.
      • My thoughts would be if the SNES doesn’t have a draw, it would be so much fun if after the  Sega tourney, we transitioned to a fun 2on2 tourney instead.  I feel like that would be a great way to break some of the competitive tension.  That format lends itself to a lot of laughs and coming together more.  I think it could be a really fun concept given the right format
      • If it’s a matter of supply, I would be willing to donate to that cause.

Overall, the only thing I’m surprised by with this tourney is that more people don’t make it.  I know that’s tough with schedules but this tourney is always around the last week of Feb so I’m hoping more people can make the effort next year.  It’s always so fun to see everyone and my only wish is that we all saw each other more often. @Votaw makes it every year from STL and I think that's so cool.  Hoping to see @jesusplaysnhl94Jesus, @CoachMac and Brutus at the next one. 

Thank you again, Troy and Leif.  You guys really set a new bar this year.  I really hope we can land in this same spot for next year. 

To the community -- I hope that all of you and your families are staying safe these days! Take care!

 

Thanks so much for the great feedback EA!  I can't tell you how much I've come to appreciate our friendship in the past few years.

I think you either overpaid for your hotel, or got in on things before the special deal package was announced.  I believe normal fare for our group was supposed to be $69 a night, which is insane.

When compared to our tight quarters at Edge VR Arcade, I found Pourhouse to be immensely larger, and the only significant deficiency I felt was the bathroom capacity, well that and the allotted amount of time.

I want SNES to work out.  We've made the investment, and had a good contingent in 2019.  For reasons I can't get into, a situation prevented the Elmhurst guys from attending.  I gave the "come to Jesus" talk with several SNES players I know who have told me, "Oh man next year for sure".  If I don't get hard commits with paid signups when we're on the bring of announcing the tournament, we'll strongly consider tabling SNES and expand the Genesis experience. 

Additional investment for a 2v2 experience would be necessary, based on our current stock of 4 way play adapters, and 3 button controllers, as well as flash cartridges.  It's certainly possible.  If we don't table SNES, having a dedicated 2v2 event at Moxy Friday could certainly be a thing.  I also imagine if we asked far enough in advance that we might be able to secure that same space Saturday and make it an official after party, still allowing us to have our cake and eat it too.  The only negative there would be no official stream if we did it that way.  The day has a way of sapping your energy by that time as well, so Friday sounds much more appealing for 2v2.

Without the dedicated help of "The Ref", or someone like him, not playing in the Saturday tournaments is going to be an ongoing reality.  The live stream is living/breathing billboard to what's possible, and I've found these things unwatchable without a dedicated hype box.  I thought we missed an opportunity in 2019 with far too many streamed games with a dedicated voice.  I actually really enjoy the commentary, I just need buds to fill in on color to keep me energized in the late rounds.  Leif, the Regina bros, AJ and Raph, and Kevin C all did their part to help me stay energized best I could.  I do think I would have had a bit more pep had I not been battling a virus(Not the Rona) the week before.

Leif Erikson's contributions made this event super special.  I can only hope with the financial setbacks being experienced by so many small business owners that we can continue as we have been in 2021.  You hit it on the head for Minneapolis being amazing.  It's crazy to see someone wearing literally thousands of dollars worth of clothing, and then just a few steps away is a homeless person.  I did feel safe in Uptown.  At no time did I worry for my safety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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