Issue 088
May 2012
Fighters Only ’s newest column is launched by the UFC’s fiercest gamer, Joe Lauzon, who’s climbed the ladder from Nintendo to PC and now Xbox 360 gaming glory
It seems only right, on the inaugural games room, to take time to chat with one of the hardest playing video gamers in mixed martial arts. A man discovered jiu-jitsu as a way of weaning himself off Starcraft… The king of the Zerg himself, Joe Lauzon.
Let’s start by asking how you first got into video games?
“I was always into computers initially but I think the first games machine I seriously played on was the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). There were so many great platform games like Mega Man, Contra, Ninja Gaiden and those kinds of games. I was young as well so I couldn’t afford a lot of games so I only got the ones my parents got me; we played all those games to death.”
Nintendo really were on another level at that point in producing amazing titles, especially platformers like Castlevania. Which was your favorite?
“Yeah we played some Castlevania but I think Mega Man was probably my favorite overall game on the NES. There were so many Mega Man games and I had them all and played them all the time. Mega Man was also the first game I ever completed.”
That’s very impressive. The Mega Man games were known for their crazy difficulty levels; especially in the early titles.
“Yeah we had every one of those games and I knew them all inside and out. I could finish them all in a couple of hours and I knew exactly what weapon worked against what boss and that was all through trial and error because there was no internet to check back then. It’s really tough for me to come up with a game series that’s better than Mega Man because those games were just so well designed.”
So after your apprenticeship on the NES where did you go next? Genesis, Super Nintendo or did you move to PC gaming?
“My cousin had a Super Nintendo so when I’d go to his house we’d play that but I went right to the Genesis. I kept that for a very long time then I went to an N64 then straight onto a PS2 afterwards then after that I went onto Xbox 360 and that’s where I play all my games now. I prefer Xbox to PlayStation. I played PC games around that time, though, like Doom and other stuff like Warcraft and Starcraft.”
That’s a big selection that leads us onto our next question. If you could take three games onto an island what would you take?
“I’d say probably Modern Warfare 3 because there’s so much to do but if we’re talking a desert island there’s no-one else around so I can’t get online right?”
We like how much thought has already gone into this.
“OK I’d get Dead Island even thought it’d probably be a bit weird playing that on an island. I’ve never played Skyrim but I think I’d play Battlefield 3. I could set up private matches, drive round in planes and imagine myself escaping, and probably Call of Duty 4.”
QUICK FIRE
Sonic or Mario?
“Sonic.”
Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat?
“Mortal Kombat.”
Command and Conquer or Starcraft?
“Starcraft all day long.”
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
Piston Hurricane and Papy Abedi
Big Papy may not have been successful in his UFC debut against Thiago Alves but the statuesque welterweight will undoubtedly be looking to bounce back on the UFC on Fuel 2 card in Sweden in April. Piston Hurricane, on the other hand, star of classic arcade game Punch-Out!! is out to avenge a six-second knockout loss at the hands of Little Mac.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Videogame history of MMA
Picture, if you will, a time before the mixed martial arts revolution. A time when everyone claimed to know a black belt who would beat Mike Tyson, a time when people legitimately debated fights between Chuck Norris and any human being and a time when arcades were full of smoke, noise and tracksuits.
The UFC’s rise, through their Trojan horse reality show, ignited a wave of interest in mainstream society but little did they know that videogames had mapped out this very scenario years beforehand. Atari’s Pit Fighter told the story of three martial artists fighting for fame and fortune in an underground tournament: a pro wrestler, a kickboxer and a karate black belt.
Each fighter would battle through a series of lawless, bare-knuckle encounters before facing off against the reigning champion in an attempt to capture both fame and fortune. The term pit fighting was also famously bestowed upon David “Tank” Abbott at UFC 6 in a vain attempt to categorize the carnage that was clearly about to ensue.
Thankfully, the chaotic genesis of mixed martial arts seems further away with each network-friendly sports package that the UFC distribute but Atari’s vision of power slams and no holds barred was, in some respects, a digitized look at the future.
FITCH FINISHES FIGHT WITH DRAGON
Despite losing to Johny Hendricks at UFC 141, John Fitch’s fighting days seem to have the potential to last an eternity. @Fitchskyrimtale is a Twitter account created by the AKA welterweight that chronicles his adventures on the gargantuan role-play game Skyrim. His exploits have ranged from making potions to slaying giants but, as real as this adventure seems, there can be no doubt that his biggest battle will be once again climbing the welterweight ladder.
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