LA GAMES: Manny “Master” Rodriguez Easily Dispatches Fellow Gamers, including Vin Diesel

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 7, 2006 - 7:13pm.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference] Considered perhaps the world’s best “Dead or Alive 4” gamer, the popular IGN game on Xbox 360, Manny “Master” Rodriguez backed up the hype at the LA Games Conference’s First Annual Gamers Tournament today, taking first prize. Entering the day infirmed and unsure of the field, Master demonstrated a level of ability few could approach, most notably Vin Diesel.

Though Diesel was a not a contestant in the event, he stopped by to observe Master’s DoA 4 prowess, and was impressed enough to offer a challenge. Rodriguez accepted, and even allowed the celebrity a warm up. Diesel surprisingly managed to win a round from Master, something in which he took noticeable joy, standing up and turning to the crowd with his arms raised and the look of a man who knew he had slipped one past a legend.

“He’s not the first celebrity I’ve played,” Rodriguez said, adding former Detroit Piston John Sally to the list. “But I have to say he was pretty good.”

Before leaving after a long bout with Master, Diesel could only offer, “Wait until tomorrow. I’ve been playing too much World of Warcraft, so I’m out of practice with the Xbox controller. But wait until tomorrow.”

Day 2 of the Gamers Tournament should be just as exciting. Morgan “Rhoulette” Romine, the ever popular Frag Doll gamer, as well as Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel will be making appearances. New York-Tokyo is running the tournament, and they’re putting on a great show with the help of Red Bull, Sharp, Sony, and Microsoft, so if you want to compete, or check out whether Vin “XXX” Diesel finds a healthier version of Master Rodriguez even more difficult to overcome, stop by the Pacific Design Center to check out the action.

Scott Goldberg