Battle Arena Melbourne 2013: Five years of fights and fireballs

THE annual fighting game event Battle Arena Melbourne is upon us. Hieu Chau advises you to stretch those fingers and perfect those combos.

Battle Arena Melbourne

Fighting game enthusiasts in Melbourne will be excited to know Battle Arena Melbourne (BAM) will be happening again from May 17 to 19 at the CQ Hotel in Melbourne.

The event, organised by Couch Warriors, is in its fifth year and this year’s tournament spanning three days will be the lengthiest one in BAM’s five-year history.

This year’s roster of fighting games available for casual and competitive play will also be bigger than ever. There will be perennial favourites such as Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as well as the recently released DC Comics fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Special guests such as 2010 BAM champion Jonny “Humanbomb” Cheng and author of the Injustice: Gods Among Us comic book series Tom Taylor will also grace the competition. The “Humanbomb” will play against this year’s BAM champions while Tom Taylor will be available for autographs.

But this year’s tournament won’t only be about fighting. It’ll also boast a carnival-like atmosphere with live chiptune music (electronic music that’s mostly comprised of sampled sounds from a variety of classic arcade and video games) and comic book giveaways courtesy of chiptune artist Pselodux and All Star Comic respectively.

If you’re up for a good friendly fight, you should pre-register for a $40 weekend pass at the official BAM website. The pass will allow you to play casually against other people. Playing in the tournament involves additional charges. After pre-registration closes on May 12, a weekend pass will be $50 at the door.

If you just want to catch the action and cheer from the sidelines, it’s a $5-entrance fee.

For the full list of competitions you can take part in, the tournament schedule and information about entry and participation, head to the official Battle Arena Melbourne website.

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