One part of HGC which we fail to mention, but continually circulates in off-the-record discussions, is the commitment and dedication of our players. There are a few who tend to shine a bit brighter, and we thought it would be nice if we singled out these individuals as examples of true heart during the series. So, without further adieu, and in no particular order, are our three HGC3 stars and why we think they deserve our props:

Professor

For years he hasn’t been one to actively participate in our home games. As soon as the hype started with SF4, he made a valiant effort to learn how to play and dedicate time to practice for the tournaments. What amazes us is that he doesn’t come to any of our casual sessions, but instead he takes his own time and works on his own pace. Little is known about his play ethic, but it has certainly paid off! From one of the bottom seeds in HGC1, he has risen to 4th in HGC3. Performance is not a criteria for picking our HGC stars, but in this case it is merely a side effect to his outstanding dedication.

Morning Update [5/6/2009]: Even more props go out to Mikey for being frustrated so much with the 360 controller and buying a PS3 and SF4 yesterday. Well played my friend!

Afternoon Update [5/6/2009]: Once again..more props to Mikey for picking up the last FightStick @ EB and cockblocking me while I’m at work.

Jerico

Being almost completely dormant since Alpha2, Jerico had only a few hours of seat time with SF4 prior to the tournament. He retained most of the basics, but on top of that he gathered last minute advice and integrated it into his game. Many players have difficulty changing their play whether it be because of new execution timing, or plain old stubborn traits. Jerico was able to change on the fly, even practiced during the Round Robin break to add to his game. His ability to understand strategic concepts and execute them in battle is exceptional.  He will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in time.

SUPERFOX

Amazing output right from the gate. Even though her practice prior to the tournament has only been on an Xbox360 pad, she made a quick transition with a different controller and blind-sided some of the players. Someone get her a FightPad quick!

The amount of knowledge and theory coming from SUPERFOX stunned some of our regulars. Aside from her gameplay, she made a tremendous effort of coming out from working a 5AM shift on a Sunday! Only a true SF’er would sacrifice their health and wellbeing to play! We see some real promise with this one!

Final Thoughts

This type of dedication really impresses us at HGC. We really do like to see this effort and in future tourneys, expect there to be more praise and potentially more prizes for these outstanding players!

Ps. Thanks for being awesome!