Monday, December 6, 2010

The Wines of Street Fighter 2

This one has been weighing on my mind for some time, but which wines/ grapes best represent the various characters in Street Fighter 2?

Here are some initial thoughts on the matter:
Blanka: I had thought that his accessibility, and exoticism made him quite like Gewurztraminer, but upon reflection I think he is more like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Again he has an instant appeal, he is both green and exotic, and his electric shock move represents the high acidity of sauvignon blanc. Ultimately he is a one dimensional character though, and gamers soon tire of the repetitive nature of his moves.

Eddy Honda: Is a trickier proposition, although the thinking operates along similar lines. He is a red wine and fleshy with it. He is also a simplistic character to play with, having a few crappy moves and is not capable of greatness. Maybe he is something like a Dolcetto, instantly appealing but uninteresting when compared to other characters. There may also be some argument in favour of his being either Grenache or Gewurztraminer.

Ken and Ryu: These guys are universally popular with players of Street Fighter 2, yet their popularity is justified as they are certainly two of the best characters in the game. I think they are probably- in no particular order Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Guile: Annoying and American. Popular with some people, but really fairly limited. Zinfandel?

Dalsam: Undoubtedly represents Riesling. Capable of some of the greatest moves in the game but generally unpopular with people who go for Ken and Ryu as he is more complicated to master.

Chun-Lee: Very tricky. As a female character she should really be a white varietal, but nothing really fits. Maybe she is Merlot. Dismissed as one dimensional but capable of being the best character of them all.

Zhangief: I had thought that Zhangief was Nebbiolo, but this is too flattering. Zhangief's 360 joypad move is just impossible to do, whereas Nebbiolo is capable of being mastered. Maybe he is more like Baga from Portugal, which is generally fairly undrinkable due to massive drying tannins and high acidity. Difficult to love unless you are very, very dedicated ( or drink the wines of Luis Pato!)

Is this odd?

I haven't included any of the extra level characters- but they are fairly useless and no obvious pairing really jumps out- although there is a Spanish/ latin character named Vega which should be easy.

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