For those of you not at LA Riots, not watching it on The Stream and had no idea what was going down then you missed out. LA Riots was 8 man Street Fighter 4 tourney set up by Gootecks, and Coin-Op TV that was to feature Alex Valle, Mike Ross, Combofiend, Kai, Ken I, Ken, Shizza and Keno battling for $500. I say “was to” because Alex Valle didn’t make it, and so Gootecks himself had to step in to take his place.

The setup was great with the only downside being the lack of sitting room. I don’t think there was really anyway to remedy that situation without getting rid of people, which would have taken away from the easy-going and fun atmosphere. There were jokes abound, much laughter, and of course smack talk. Everyone got along, as far as I could tell, and things progressed with only a few minor hiccups.

I must say I’m pretty impressed with the way things went, and the feeling is shared by all those involved in making it happen. This event proved that tournaments like it can be fun but also look good at the same time. I can only hope that there will some day be a LA Riots II and that I am able to be there to witness it as well.

Gootecks.com will have a Torrent of the complete event and TheStream.TV will have video up from the event later on, so be sure to check both sites if you missed any of the tourney. In the mean time, check out this coverage of the event here. -Ian

[Special thanks to Pennyman for the pictures]