Last month Harrow Leisure Centre in London played host to ‘Super Vs. Battle’ one of the UK’s largest gaming events.

Since Neo Empire first graced the internet some years ago, they’ve grown from a buzzing forum into a source for news, events and major video-game tournaments. This journalist remembers Neo Empire’s founder, Simeon Lansiquot, from a mis-spent youth in London arcades. Famous amongst fighting game aficionados for being an incredibly skilled player, he created Neo Empire soon after he saw the UK arcade scene taking a turn for the worse.

“It began as a way in which to keep the players together – a way in which we could all just keep in touch. When we realised that the passion for fighting games hadn’t diminished, it was time to find a way to actually bring those players together.” Neo Empire runs several major events in a year, with the Capcom sponsored Battle of Destiny being a major highlight of 2008, and the UK’s first opportunity to get a hands-on with Street Fighter IV.

“For this year’s Super Vs. Battle we may have bitten off more than we can chew,” says Simeon, “We’ve never run ten tournaments over three days before, but we wanted something for everyone.” And indeed there was, with the likes of Soul Calibur 4, Blaz Blue, King of Fighters XII and of course Street Fighter IV all making an appearance.

A modest £15 with advance online booking got you entry for all three days, during which tournaments were broadcast on a huge screen throughout. Around the hall attendees were welcome to take place in casual battles on a range of PS3, Xbox 360 and even arcade hardware. An early showing for the console version of Tekken 6 was a highlight, especially as it hadn’t yet received a UK release.

With the growing visibility of Neo Empire across Europe, many of the tournament competitors made trips from abroad, enticed by the major cash prizes that ranged from £100 to a whopping £840, which went to deserved Street Fighter IV winner, ‘RickyTTT’ from Spain.

The level of play was extraordinary, featuring complex strategies and lightning fast speeds that had the audience jumping out of their chairs. Show highlights came not just from the new, but from the old, with the Street Fighter 3rd Strike and Alpha 3 matches being particularly impressive.

With the genre enjoying a renewed popularity thanks to a host of big releases in 2009 and the increase in online console users, Neo Empire’s efforts to bring fans together couldn’t come at a better time. It may be all about fighting games and little else, but it’s inspiring to see the reform of not only a long lost community but also traditional competitive gaming.

More events are planned for 2010, and from here they can only get bigger and better. For those searching for thrills of yesteryear, when the Street Fighter 2 machine at the back of the local chip shop was your world, don’t fret, it’s all still here.

Get your fighting gloves on and get in the ring. Contact: www.neoempire.com Full tournament results can be found at: www.supervsbattle.com