|
|
|
It has been another excellent year for the Mega Drive Championships. We continue to grow mature and move towards our mutual goal of a yachts for the benevolent Administration. Our Mega Drive empire has grown over the past year to include Mega Drive Championships in both Germany and the United States. On the International Stage we have also continued to develop, with the 2009 European Mega Drive Championship held in Lisbon. Domestically, the Twentieth English Tournament is largely regarded as our most successful event to date. Now, on Sunday 10th January 2010, the league table are wiped clean and the contest begins again – exciting! Even as I type the kettles are being primed, the televisions tested and the fixtures correlated (I’m not sure if this is the correct use of the word, but damn it sounds good!). While the Twentieth Championship will be a hard act to follow, we are all hungry for some 16-bit action, for that little sprinkle of magic to begin the year on a high. Joy is upon us and I am not referring to Christmas. |
THE MEGA DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP: THE FIGHT TO BE... WELL... CHAMPION OF MEGA DRIVE | |
 | With defending champion, Commander Graham, unable to attend the 21st Tournament, the contest is open for a new king of 16-bit battle in England. Of the six members lined up to take part in Division One, only Doc Shakib has had the honour of lifting the Champions Trophy. Captain Maltby and Fireman Sam have both achieved second place finishes and now would be an excellent opportunity for each of these three to seize the initiative and claim the title as their own. In reality any member of Division One stands a chance of winning the competition, but on the flip side relegation remains a very realistic prospect - at the Twentieth Mega Drive Championship, the difference between second and fifth was a mere two points. Liam Forrest Esquire is the most vulnerable to the threat of relegation. Having been promoted at the last tournament, he will be looking to avoid the fate that befell Professor King and Samurai Taguchi at the last two Championships (i.e. immediate relegation). Little experience and an increase in skill of both the games and the competitors is an awkward combination and, as Professor King observed at the Nineteenth Mega Drive Championship: "There are no Old Spice's here, everybody's out for blood." |
In Division Two the hunt for promotion will begin afresh. The Plumb, Professor King and Samurai Taguchi are all expected to head the battle to the promised land. With the number of promotion places still undecided by the Administration (although with numbers at this coming tournament expected to be less, likely just one) competition is expected to be open in the lower league and in reality anybody could earn that sort after spot in Division One. Viscount Elliott finished last at the Twentieth Championship and will be looking to avoid the bottom spot for a second successive tournament. Whether or not any new members will be included in the line-up for the Twenty-First Mega Drive Championship remains to be seen. |
THE TOURNAMENT KNOCKOUT | |
Likely to be as unpredictable as ever. Taking place at intermittent stages throughout the league, it is impossible to predict who will perform well, even when seeing the game spread. Who would have thought passionate Division Two member, The Plumb, would battle through four rounds to become the most worthy of winners, after epically defeating Commander Graham in an Eternal Champions duel that will last the ages? Frequently members of the lower league upset the metaphorical apple cart in order to claim their place in the later rounds. Hell, even the winner of the original Tournament Knockout (Sir Jackaman) was battling in Division Two at the time of his triumph. Although shocks are common, with even tournament legends Mr Smith and Lord Dilks on the receiving end of some Knockout surprises, Commander Graham has shown his quality in recent tournaments by reaching the last three Knockout finals. This, however, is largely irrelevant since he won't be involved this time around, but is quite a nice little stat no-the-less! Captain Maltby, Doc Shakib, Lieutenant Gareth and the aforementioned The Plumb are the current members who have won this contest. |
THE CHALLENGE | |
The Twenty-First Mega Drive Championship will see Super Hang On selected as the Challenge game. Hop on your motorbike and watch your opponents’ race into the distance! The Original Mode of Super Hang On is very involved - in a non-boring way, unlike most modern games drag you into the gruelling depths of irrelevance - with sponsors, rivals and parts to buy and upgrade various aspects of your bike. Strangely enough I always found the sponsor from Stage Three quite attractive. Our members, however, will not be playing the Original mode and have to be content with the Arcade mode. Racing through the Africa course our members will try to accumulate as many points as possible. The A-button brakes, the B-button accelerates, the C-button switches the turbo on and this little nugget of information is why our members should read the website! Professor King has shown himself to be one of the most effective Challenge members having won two of the last three events (Elitserien '96 and Sonic the Hedgehog) his evident versatility should put him in contention for the Super Hang On Challenge. Six checkpoints stand between the contenders and the eventual victor... |  |
PLAY IT AGAIN (FIREMAN) SAM... | |
So that's it, the stats and the facts, now we must eagerly wait to transform these empty words on a website into passionate action in the pursuit of glory. Who will best get to grips with Super Hang On? What games will the Knockout draw bring and who will overcome their rivals and stand tall on stage as the Mega Drive Champion? These questions (and many more) will be answered on the 10th January. |
|
|
| |
|
|
