Players to Keep an Eye On

Realistically, the list of potential impact players at this year's event is about 10 times longer than the one presented here. Instead of bogging you down with too much player history, however, we're just going to sprinkle your brain with some of the top finishers of last year's event (with the occasional wild card or two). Some of these players have been in the top spot for years, while others were surprise competitive machines that came out of nowhere. In either case, none of them are to be taken lightly.

Daigo Umehara--Tokyo, Japan

Daigo became the most feared player among the Capcom competitive circles when he defeated Alex Valle during an official Street Fighter Alpha 3 world championship in 1998 (creating a legion of copycat V-Akuma players overnight with his infamous Demon Flip Vism combo). Since then, his fierce reputation has not diminished, as he consistently places in the top three in the majority of the 2D games he enters. If you want to be considered the best in the world, you have to be able to defeat this guy consistently (sorry...lucky flukes don't count).

Tetsuya "Ino" Inoue--Tokyo, Japan

Ino quickly became a crowd favorite last year when he knocked Daigo Umehara, who was seen as a favorite to take first, into the loser's bracket. Ino then followed up with a repeat performance in the finals, beating Daigo again and claiming first place in Capcom vs. SNK 2. Although Ino is looking to defend his Capcom vs. SNK 2 crown in 2004, he also has his sights on the Street Fighter III: Third Strike competition, in which he placed just below the top three spots in 2003.

Ricky Ortiz--New York, NY

The East Coast's prodigal son has returned to New York after a short stint in California, making him a well-rounded player that has experienced both shores' style of gameplay in a wide variety of games. Last year he walked away with second place in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and was just shy of the top four in Street Fighter III: Third Strike. If you're into that whole West Coast versus East Coast rivalry, he is definitely one of the guys to pay attention to.

Justin Wong--New York, NY

Justin Wong is a solid East Coast player who tends to do fairly well in just about every game he competes in, except for Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which he has ruthlessly locked down for three consecutive years. Can he pull off a fourth Marvel vs. Capcom 2 championship at Evolution 2004?

Alex Valle--Westminster, California

A Southern California player who was considered damn near undefeatable during the Street Fighter Alpha series' run in the tournament scene, Alex Valle is known for having a highly adaptable play style that keeps even the most strategically flexible opponents on their toes. Even though he did not place in any of the top three spots last year, he is still lurking just under the radar, ready to snag another victory if the opportunity arises.

John "ChoiBoy" Choi--San Jose, California

John Choi is another highly respected player from California that has been competing in the Capcom tournament scene for years. He is an aggressive, take-no-prisoners-style player who has a history of adding a lot of pressure to the best of the best in certain games, which often promises very exciting showdowns.

Jason Cole--Los Angeles, California

A two-time Super Street Fighter II Turbo champion, Jason Cole should be looking to shake off last year's fifth-place standing and come back for another championship (not that fifth place is bad). No matter what game he's playing, opponents should watch out for his Dhalsim game--it is world famous for being one of the toughest.

Rodolfo "Rowtron" Castro--Seattle, Washington

Rodolfo Castro is a tough and innovative Marvel vs. Capcom 2 player who is no stranger to placing in the top three at Evolution. Last year he couldn't quite make it through the East Coast blockade of first and second place set by Justin Wong and Ricky Ortiz, respectively. Hopefully this year he can go the distance and land an Evolution championship.

Sooyoung "SooMighty" Chon--Los Angeles, California

Sooyoung Chon is perhaps the only player we recommend paying attention to for something he didn't do in official competition. During a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 exhibition match against Justin Wong, someone unlocked SooMighty's cage and unleashed a beast, leading to a shocking offensive rampage that left the East Coast players stunned and made the West Coast crews go absolutely mad (it's a match we're sure Justin Wong will want redemption for). Hopefully in 2004, someone remembers to unlock SooMighty's cage during the official tournament, as opposed to afterward.

Ohnuki "Nuki" Shinya--Tokyo, Japan

Ohnuki Shinya is another strong Japanese competitor that is traditionally known for being a calculative powerhouse when it comes to Capcom vs. SNK 2. Yet last year he managed to walk away with second place in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which surprised some people who didn't think it was his strongest game. Either way, Ohnuki Shinya proved that he is definitely a legitimate threat, no matter what game he happens to be playing.

Kim "Bong-Bong" Bong Min--Daegu, South Korea

If you find your name sitting next to Kim Bong Min on the tournament brackets, then you better make sure your game is flawless. Kim Bong Min walked away with both Electric Cancel and Evolution 2003 Tekken Tag Tournament championships with a play style devoted to mercilessly punishing even the smallest mistakes made by his opponents. If you drop the ball on this guy, he'll pick it up and run you over with it.

Dan "The Nightmare" Vu--Paris, France

That nickname is a lot more fitting than you'd think...and we don't mean because he happens to prefer a character with an arm growth and a giant sword. Dan Vu has a reputation for being a very intimidating Soul Calibur II player who is known for being highly adaptive and incredibly ruthless no matter whom his opponent is. We look forward to watching him play this year in an attempt to defend his title.

Ryan Hart--United Kingdom

Ryan Hart is considered one of the premier fighting game competitors representing England. During Evolution 2003, Ryan Hart had his fingers on two championship titles, but just narrowly had them slip out of reach. In Tekken Tag Tournament he was squeezed into second place by Kim Bong Min and had to settle for third place in Virtua Fighter 4 when he ran into Chibita during the finals. Ryan Hart isn't going to settle for a repeat of the same situation this year, and he plans on earning that first-place victory one way or another.

Will "Semi" Johnson--Lakewood, California

Will "Semi" Johnson is a longtime Soul Calibur player who is known for taking full advantage of the ring, hogging up as much of the arena as he wants, and shoving his opponents off if they happen to bug him. In 2003, Johnson's ring-out tactics were enough to snag a solid second-place finish. As for what character he likes to use, we'll just quote him: "Jesus would use Astaroth."

Eiji "Chibita" Komatsu--Tokyo, Japan

Chibita started playing Virtua Fighter at the age of 13 and has since then earned a reputation worthy of having himself dubbed "God of Virtua Fighter" by some. His highly developed talent for reading opponents was enough last year to fight his way out of the loser's bracket to upset Ohsu Akira for first place.

Ari "Floe" Weintrab--Chicago, Illinois

One of the top players in the infamous Chicago Soul Calibur scene, Floe used an incredibly elusive Taki to score a third-place finish last year. Hopefully with a year to hone his skills, he will be able to upset players like "The Nightmare" and walk off with the 2004 championship.

Ohsu Akira--Tokyo, Japan

Ohsu Akira is a very strong Virtua Fighter competitor who placed first at the second national tournament, and had the Evolution 2003 championship taken away from him last year by Chibita. Ohsu Akira is known for playing an extremely intimidating Akira that patiently breaks apart his opponent's gameplay.