Haha, I can relate, man. I played Soul Calibur 2 very hardcore for about a year and a half. I visited the arcade almost every day (and my arcade had some of the best players around), and I entered tournaments and the such. Toward the end, I became pretty good. I surpassed some of the players that used to school me (keep in mind that these guys were damn good as well), and became pretty even with others. Then, I stopped playing for about four or five months... Meaning I stopped playing against good opponents. The AI in fighting games really isn't that good. Turning up the difficulty only makes your opponent guard impact better and block better. Plus, half of the strategy in SC2 is about mind games, which you can't do against AI opponents. One day, I decided to stop by the arcade again, and I saw one of the guys I used to play against. This guy was really really good, and at the peak of my skill, I could probably only win about 30%-40% against this guy (when he was using his main character). So I decided to go a few rounds with him to see how much my skills remained intact (or not intact). Man, I was surprised on how mercilessly I got beat (and he wasn't even using his main character!). It wasn't that I forgot the moves, it was that they didn't come naturally anymore. When I was at the top of my game, I wouldn't even have to think about what to do next, as my fingers moved by instinct, immediately adapting to new situations. I didn't have that instinct anymore, as I clumsily tried to think of what to chain to what, he beat me down.

After I graduated, I felt my SC2 days were over as there is no good competition at the arcade where I live (the one I learned the game at was at school). I had been to the arcade close to my house and it was horrible... the sticks were messed up, competition wasn't only not up to snuff, but they were also whiners. None of my friends could stand a chance against me (even in my deteriorated state). You have no idea how happy I was to see that when I started work, I saw an X-box kiosk with Soul Calibur 2 set up in the break room! AND the competition wasn't bad. Not as top notch as the guys back at school, but good. It took me about 3 days to adjust from joystick to the X-box controller, but I got used to it. After about a week and a half, I could feel my skills coming back. Now, I feel that I'm pretty close to what I was when I was at the height of my skill. A couple things are hampering me from reaching or surpassing that point though:
1) The competition is good, but not superb
2) The X-box controllers are a little whacky
But I'm content at where I am now. I'm pretty much the champ of my shift (people cheer when I lose! Haha!), and there are only two players that I feel nervous about losing to when I play. I think if I brush up a bit more, maybe enter a couple tournaments, I'll probably be able to become as good, if not better, as I used to be.

Wow, that was a long post. But anyway, Mo-Nercy, I suggest instead of retreating home to your PS2 to practice, visit the arcades more. If you wanna become good, you gotta have good competition. Playing against an AI character can only get you so far. Trust me... I know people bred from fighting against the AI and people bred from fighting live opponents. When fighting against each other, the player more used to fighting against another opponent will win. You can't practice fakeouts and mind tricks on a computer opponent. They're pretty much only good for getting down a combo or something, but to really learn how to use that combo in real play, you gotta play against a real person. Good luck to ya!