From the "Wasn't Expecting to See That Today" Department, it's Doris Roberts, aka Everybody Loves Raymond's mom, busting out a shoryuken.

I don't mean "an uppercut"--I mean a SHORYUKEN. It's from the forthcoming, sure-to-be-best-picture nominee Aliens in the Attic and the action starts around 1:25.

Thanks to Nytetrayn for pointing this out

The magic boat filled with Fightstick-y goodness has arrived, and unloaded a shipment of SFIV Fightsticks.  They're on sale now at the Capcom Store, at list price, with none of the markups I've seen elsewhere. 

We've got sticks for PS3 and X360, and both the Standard Edition and the Tournament Edition Fightsicks are available.  These are going to go pretty fast, so if you've missed out before, this is your chance.  The sticks are also IN STOCK and shipping as soon as you place your order, so you may fire when ready.

This week's installment of GamesRadar's venerable "Top 7" list covers the top 7 games of the year so far in terms of raw awesomeness, and bolstered by the games' dreaded metacritic average. 

What ended up as the #1 game of 2009 (so far)?  Street Fighter IV.  GamesRadar gave it a 10/10 review, but it wasn't just them--SFIV is actually the highest rated game on any console this year.    

That score is a pretty staggering endorsement on its own, but that's got nothing to do with why Street Fighter IV is the game of the year for me. 

Sure, you could talk about the stunning visuals, or the new game mechanics, or the fact that it has essentially infinite replayability, but for me, it's not about what's IN the game at all.  Street Fighter's genius is about what the game brings out in the people that play it. 

Ono-san describes Street Fighter as a "fighting tool," and he's right.  You use the tool to try and beat the opponent, but along the way--almost involuntarily--you end up expressing yourself.   This is rare anywhere, and especially in gaming.  The more time you spend with the game, the more your personal style is expressed in the way you play, so IMO, SF is secretly a medium for self-expression, all wrapped around some ink-splattered face-punching. 

SFIV isn't about what's in the game.  What other games brings out this kind of intensity from players, this kind of spectacle, and this kind of visceral emotion? 

All of this is immediately obvious to anyone that's spent time with people in the vibrant, irrepressibly awesome Street Fighter community at a live event.  You'll see laughing, crying, trash talking, camaraderie, joking, raw emotion, and the glory of true human achievement. 

The great SF players are routinely described as artists by the people that know and understand them, and there's a reason why.  Even in the hands of an elephant, aspects of a painter's personality comes through right away. Not everyone chooses Guile, and no two that do choose Guile play in the same way.  Just like painting, great skill allows the masters to convey something amazing or unique in a language unique to the medium. 

Street Fighter is a mirror, reflecting and amplifying some of my favorite bits of the human experience, and I love it.  Street Fighter isn't a game you play to beat--it's not a finite experience you have, finish, and walk away from, akin to blockbuster films.  It's a journey. It's an adventure.  It's a path towards enlightenment.  It's a way to learn about others, and about yourself: your fears, your weaknesses, your blindspots, and your strengths. 

If all that sounds like a lot of hot air--no problem:

Shoryuken! 

GamesRadar's "Dandy" David Houghton has a super piece up on the recent UK SFIV Championships.  16 finalists met in London to duke it out for the chance to represent the UK at the overall European SFIV Championships. 

The whole article is great, but this was my favorite part, and sage advice for anyone that hasn't made it out to a live SF event:

Such days really are what it’s all about. Like I said in my Street Fighter IV review back in February, social and community gaming isn’t about Xbox Live, or dancing around your living room miming a saxophone with a plastic wand. It’s about a disparate bunch of people coming together to have fun and revel in a shared culture. It’s about a room full of fighters becoming a (semi) harmonious choir for an impromptu singalong to the Ancient Temple theme during a tense finals match. It’s about a 12-year-old boy being held aloft the crowd as the real hero of a day of top-level play.

Make no mistake. Street Fighter, and by extension gaming culture in general, is in a very healthy state these days. And with players with the skill, guts and grace of young Mr. Vuong in waiting as the champions of tomorrow, its future is in very safe hands indeed.

In addition to some ace commentary, the last page of the article also features a heaping helping of direct-feed video from the tournament finals.  Check it all out here.