I Got Beaten Up Because of Slow Internet Connection

I got beaten up alright. With a couple of hadokens and shoryukens and flashy projectiles and combos, that is.

I've been playing Super Street Fighter IV for a couple of weeks now. Before 'Super', there was Street Fighter IV, a title that brought back the franchise to such great reviews. Veterans enjoyed nostalgia while being treated to a faster gaming engine and smoother 3D-like graphics, and newbies were introduced to Ryu and the rest of the gang. While 'Super' introduced new characters and combos over the original title, its biggest and most promising feature was the Online mode, where players can challenge other gamers over the internet and join tournaments.

Online mode is true to the spirit of Street Fighter, where the game's characters represent countries and travel the world over in search of bigger and meaner opponents. I found myself spending hours in training mode, honing my skills with Ryu, hitting combos one after another when it happened.

'HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER' flashed on my screen.

It appeared that my opponent was from France. He was using Sagat, a character skilled in muay thai. I was so excited to have my gaming skills tested against an actual gamer from across the globe. My confidence grew as I won round 1. France-Boy took round 2. And eventually round 3. And for the rest of the day, I got pummeled by every single challenger that I took on.

I contemplated how hours of practice against AI seemed useless against actual players. And then I noticed how there was a lagtime between the commands I entered on my controller, and its execution on the screen. I imagined how the other players probably had a really fast connection, so fast that their characters performed the uppercut without finishing the commands on the controller (I exaggerate).

But really, no matter the reason, I still got beat. It's embarrassing how my record shows 0 wins and a million losses, but playing against real players still trumps playing the computer. In the meantime, I'm off to training mode for more practice.