« Next Level - Brooklyn, NY - A Profile Series »

This is what I hope to be the first of a short series of articles about one particular place that is very important to the fighting game community. I know it has been some time since I have been active here on IPW, but as anyone whos been following us knows, recent issues as well as the weight of handling many events takes its toll somewhere. However I hope to be able to give you more of a behind the scenes, inside look at what goes on as well as entice you to show up, or at least encourage your local scene.

In recent times, the New York area lost an important hub of Arcade Gaming, Chinatown Fair. This displaced many of the gamers who visited religiously and were left with nowhere to congregate.

Profile #1: Henry 'Golden' Cen

Henry Cen is a longtime member of the fighting game scene. Perhaps his most famous recent exploit is a top 8 finish at Evolution 2010 in Super Street Fighter 4, landing him as the only man on the East Coast to own a coveted Gold Mad Catz Tournament Edition Fightstick.

Henry is a very shrewd and intelligent player, unafraid to use the cheapest techniques, take advantage of previous player knowledge, or use random factor to defeat many players who he would seem otherwise inferior to.

Henry is one half of the team who created Next Level (please click and check out their webpage!), an amazing place for gamers on the East Coast to play since the loss of CF. He is a longtime member of the scene, having run significant tournaments of his own. His shrewd nature makes him difficult to read even to those who know him, and one can never truely tell what he is thinking. However he is a the king of bartering, making the best of bad situations, and doing what is best to improve the local scene.

He is a business minded individual but he understands the worth of having a hub for players, and he is almsot always found inside, whether it is a tournament day or just a regular day of friends playing casuals at the store.

Profile #2: Nick Chan

Henry Cen's mysterious partner, who appeared just to create Next Level. Nick is knowledgable in many things hardware and software related whether it is arcade cabinets, consoles, pcs, or the actual game trade. He hopes to create someplace amazing for gamers, and mutually profit.

Nick is someone I do not know very well, but he has always shown a desire to better everyone in the scene. I've watched him personally help with tournament brackets, accomodating players, and altogether making sure things are moving as smoothly as possible and the hype can keep flowing.

He also plays Super Street Fighter 4: AE, and at times you can find him playing casual matches at the front desk. The company he keeps, especially his own employees, makes it so he has become surprisingly good in a short time.

Profile #3: Chris Hu

Chris is a immigrant to America who recently gained Citizenship. He immediately was drawn to the fighting game scene. His popular catchphrase 'You Don't Scare, I Don't Scare' is a metaphor for his playstyle. Solid footsies, consistent confirms, and slick escapes / opton selecting are all reminiscient of his background as a King of Fighters player, and he is a consistent top finisher at Guard Crush, a weekly tournament series at Next Level.

He also enjoys commentating matches live, and it is always a pleasure for me to have him on the mic. He describes technical situations with metaphor, comedy, and deadpan sarcasm to entertain. He is also a big fan of singing.

Chris also works at Next Level, and you can find him there ready to assist you if you have any questions or problems.

Profle #4: Aquasilk

Aquasilk is a Zangief player. He often played at Chinatown Fair early in the in age of Street Fighter 4, took a short hiatus, and now has returned, often playing at Next Level or other nearby venues and tournaments. Zangief is actually an unpopular character here on the EC, and Aquasilk's initial return took advantage of that fact, as he was more familiar with matchups than his opponents.

Since then he has performed well at events, and is always someone who is feared in the bracket. He plays an agressive style, and also uses Ultra 2 exclusively to create option selects and traps to come back or finish off the opponent.

He is also a frequent commentator, often choosing to commentate together with Chris Hu. The duo are excellent foils to each other, and their banter is highly entertaining.

Profile #5: Ben 'NetworkingYuppie' Fong

Ben Fong is another player recently introduced to the scene by Street Fighter 4. He has a love and expertise in all things stick and console related, owning a library of sticks of his own. He works at Next Level, and if you spot him, he will gladly mod or repair your gear for a fee. He also is a Boxer player, and one of the guys who popularized the 'Guard Crush Special', which is the unpredictable and uncanny ability to land Balrog's EX Overhead Smash, a move considered relatively easy to block or avoid by top players.

Anyway, I personally find a place like Next Level very important to the scene, especially in the absence of arcades. Perhaps Henry Cen has come up with the future business model for a venue dedicated to the many fighting game/bemani scenes? I can only wish them success.