09/26/17 Issue

Henderson State University - Tuesday, September 26, 2017 Volume 113, Issue 5

jon ronson p.3

Acclaimed author of “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” visited campus last week.

yelpin’ again p.6

Top 10 restaurants in LR and Hot Springs according to yelp.

the golden circle p.9

A review of the new action film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”

: d o o g y r a c s

h t f i f e h t s t s o h s g n i r P S t o H l a v i t s e f m l i f r o r r o h l a u n n a oracle@hsu.edu

HSU Oracle

@hsuoracle

good for the reddies p.12 Both volleyball and football kicked butt last week.

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Reddie news Sodexo Controversy Story by Ashley Smith, News Editor

Editor in Chief — Pete Tubbs News editor — Ashley Smith Graphics/ Ads designer — Jacob Glasgow page layout designer — Aaron O’Quin Photo Editor — Joshua Bradley Copy Editor/ Photographer —Emily Bell Opinions/ Online editor — Dax Guilliams Business Manager — Kansas Tye Sports editor — Jordan Williams Arts & Music Editor — Abbie Beaver LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Write us at ORACLE@HSU.EDU if you have any questions, comments, or if you just want to rant about something. Hell, if it doesn’t suck, we might publish it in next week’s issue.

Just do us a favor and keep it between 400600 words. Just like your Tumblr, we ignore anonymous submissions.

ORACLE ONLINE

Our online format has bonus content like exclusive galleries of the eclipse viewing and a video from Rec Fest.

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COVER

Photo by Emily Bell, Staff Photographer

When you walk around on campus, almost every day there is some sort of food-related event going on. Sometimes the music department is doing a bake sale or a sorority is recruiting members and ordered pizza. There is an annual International Food Bazaar where students cook up their best dishes featuring food from all over the world. After a meeting held by Sodexo, this may not be possible anymore.

An attempt to implement new rules where student organizations must use their catering for events, the changes would cause a lot of stress for students who have already had their events planned for the semester.

In the contract the school and Sodexo signed, it is part of the contract. It was that way for Aramark as well, but it is being enforced this time.

According to the meeting, any outside food is competition to them.

Fundraisers also fall into the category of competition. This means local businesses of graduates and chain restaurants could be affected.

Outside food from in-town businesses are not allowed unless the process is followed through.

The process includes filling out forms and waivers, but even then it is not promised that you can have the food. Sodexo may have the final say in if the food is allowed or not.

Organizations will also be charged for catering.

They would handle each event involving food on a case-by-case basis. This becomes a problem when there is a small group needing a small amount of food.

To begin the process for being allowed to have non-Sodexo food on campus, event planners

must head to the cafeteria main office. The food waiver states that Sodexo and the cafeteria is not responsible if the food not provided by them gives anyone food poisoning. Safety and presentation was another concern and reason for these rules.

Many students are not pleased about these new rules.

“It’s just an all out dictatorship in my opinion,” Kendall Gibson, senior music major and president of Sigma Alpha Iota, said. “My organization currently has less than 15 members. It’s hard to organize fundraisers that aren’t food based because they are so easy to put together.”

Fundraisers involving food are the way a lot of organizations make money. Money is important for funding organizational trips and events.

Without the ability to do that, organizations could struggle if they don’t have any alternative ways to earn money.

That being said, everyone loves food. Students are much more likely to attend an event if there is food involved. Everyone knows the stereotype of the college kid scavenging for free food. When organizations pay them to cater, funds are depleted and other issues such as quality and variety come into play.

Sodexo has not disclosed a price on their catering services. The speaker at the meeting did not confirm prices for organizations.

“I feel that this part is what terrifies organizations,” Gibson said. “What if their prices end up being more than what you get for the same foods? What if organizations simply can’t afford it?”

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September 26, 2017

Oldberry

Story by Easton Cowart, Student Reporter Photo by Pete Tubbs, Editor in Chief

Newberry Hall is a nine-story residence hall available for all male residents. At the beginning of every semester, this building is teeming with freshmen ready to start their college careers. Along with these freshmen, there are veteran upper classmen who choose to live there for a number of reasons.

Newberry as a whole is a bit of a joke around campus at this point, and this isn’t completely unwarranted. It is the cheapest housing option along with its sister dormitory, Smith Hall, and therefore it does lack some of the “finer things” that other dorms have to offer.

Many Newberry residents think that Newberry gets a bad rap.

“I think Newberry’s community is the

best community on campus,” said junior undeclared major Trae Brown-Miller. Miller believes that in spite of its misgivings, Newberry is the best place to live on campus.

“If someone sees someone playing PingPong or Pool alone, then they will just jump in and hang out.”

The heart of Newberry is in the basement.

This is where the residents of Newberry go to enjoy the brotherhood of their building.

Apart from just being a place to hang out, the basement holds numerous Resident Assistant (RA) programs and Hall Council events such as NCAA football tournaments on Xbox or PS4, Texas Hold’em, ping pong, and pool tournaments.

“We actually see people hanging out to-

gether,” said fifth floor RA and junior accounting major, Zane Sullivan. “I’ve been to other resident hall, and you don’t see people hanging out much. People just keep to themselves.”

Trivett Nettles, Newberry resident and sophomore recreation major, noted his favorite part about living in Newberry is the WiFi. “It’s not the nicest, but the internet is great, YouTube videos almost never buffer.”

Miller said the Wi-Fi speed might be the result of less people living there. “It is usually a bit slow at the beginning of the year but as more people move it gets really fast.”

Whatever the reason, residents enjoy internet speeds that are noticeably faster than the rest of the campus.

It would almost be dishonest to talk about Newberry without mentioning the high frequency of false fire alarms. Sullivan and Miller both said that this is due mostly to dusty fire sensors, and residents smoking in their rooms. “As the semester goes on, the fire alarms happen less often because people learn.”

Although it may have its faults, it is clear that Newberry is a community of men that endure some of the hardships that college life can offer with a smile and a game of pingpong.

Even though it is certainly not fancy, it is plain to see that Newberry has heart and fits in perfectly with the rest of the campus. So if you find yourself having to move to “The Berry” due to financial reasons, keep your head up and head to the basement to meet some of the fine residents this college has to offer.

4

The man who stared at “The Men Who Stare at Goats” Story by Zac Walthall, Staff Reporter Photos by Leighton Hall, HTV Manager

It all began with my enrollment in university writing, a class that I’d long put off taking up until the literal final moment of my collegiate career.

I walked in on the first day and was relieved to find that one of the books required for this course was free, thanks to its status as The University’s common book. I silently thanked whatever deity would listen, as another ninety dollar book purchase would have most certainly drained all of the funds I’d accrued from my shoddy, deadend, minimum wage job. I graciously accepted my own free copy of “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” by Jon Ronson.

Inside its pages, I was captivated by the vision that Ronson attempted to convey: perhaps those demonized characters that existed solely to be the object of our own online revenge fantasies could be human too. I was enamored with the concept and started to google the man who had penned such a controversial, yet revolutionary book. I was excited to find that he had co-written with Peter Straughan, the movie “Frank,” an exploration into both the aesthetic nature of music and the psychology behind the titular character who hides his face behind a plastic head. Apparently, I was a fan before I had ever known it.

Pretty soon, Dr. Mark Beggs, my university writing teacher, announced to our class that both he and his wife Carly Cate, an online teacher here, would be having dinner with and introducing Ronson to the university before he gave his talk. Being ever the opportunist, I spent the next few weeks begging Dr. Beggs to let me have dinner with them. Every time I saw him, whether it be in line at Starbucks or on the way to the restroom, he was flooded with my eager requests.

Soon, he was unable to tread any longer in my sea of inquiries and the floodgates opened. I received an email that I would be attending a dinner at

the university president’s house with Jon Ronson before his campus presentation.

The night of the dinner was terrifying. I arrived fifteen minutes early, anxious with anticipation and sweating a little more than is socially acceptable. I couldn’t help but notice, despite being told the dinner was “dressy casual,” that both Mr. and Mrs. Jones were extremely welldressed. I sat on the couch and made small talk with the two, discussing my plans for the future and why exactly I’d been growing out my hair. It was a good distraction, to say the least.

In an instant it seemed, we were all sitting at an ornately-set table, with Ronson sitting directly in the middle. We hopped from conversation to conversation, mostly discussing the differences in weather between South Arkansas and London.

He remarked that the ubiquitous humidity that plagues Arkadelphia is preferable to the constant torrential downpour that he had experienced across the pond. Then, he joined in talking about dietary habits with the resident vegetarians at the table. We drifted between several seemingly shallow talking points, with periods of awkward silence signifying the end of each. I sat there, uncharacteristically quiet, taking in the trivial small talk as I fashioned out exactly what I was going to say to the figure in front of me.

Finally, during a lull in the conversation, I blurted out “So, what kind of music do you like?” Those circular glasses turned my way and, suddenly, I was the object of attention. To my surprise, he started listing off several bands that were members of the post-punk, new wave movement in the 80s, his most notable being the Pixies. Suddenly, the table was aflame with conversation, with each adult listing similar bands whose concerts they had attended in their youth.

Ronson lamented that he had skipped out on

seeing Nirvana mere months before Kurt Cobain was found dead.

Then, the conversation switched from postpunk movement to the music in Frank. I encouraged. Ronson to give us a piano performance, as the keyboard player “Jon” in “Frank” is merely an avatar for Ronson himself. He, unfortunately, denied the offer and claimed that, much like his character in the movie, he is not a phenomenal pianist. He did, however, claim the rights to Frank’s most likeable song, which includes the lyrics “Coca Cola, lipstick, Ringo” and “Kiss me Nefertiti.”

At the end of the dinner, we all gathered together to commemorate the momentous occasion with a group picture and several personal pictures with Ronson. Being left with physical proof of our meeting was something I looked forward to, as I was sure that he would be chased out of town with torches and pitchforks after discussing white privilege and atheism in his lecture later that night.

Ronson at Wednesday night’s presentation.

September 26, 2017

5

The delph & beyond

Spa Con brings some culture to Hot Springs Story by Rylee Maxwell, Student Reporter Photos by Leighton Hall, HTV Manager

The start of Spa Con attracted hundreds of visitors and tourists to the convention center this weekend. The conference is back for its second opening.

The 2nd annual Hot Springs Spa Con is a place for super fans to come and buy their favorite merchandise from popular movies and games.

The conference allows the fans to engage with other fans and create connections within the community.

There were competitions such as Super Smash Bros tournaments, wherein some of the community can battle through the ranks to compete for first place. Screams of joy and excitement were heard throughout the convention center as people won.

Spa Con is a multi-genre entertainment and comic convention. The convention not only includes comics but science fiction/fantasy related films. All genres across the board are put into one convention.

Because of this, cosplayers come out to express their dedication to their fandoms. From “Naruto” to “Shrek,” the cosplay scene was wild.

Spa Con is a smaller version of Comic-Con. The amount of celebrities that come are limited, but this year they got Barb from “Stranger Things.” She shed more insight on the upcoming season, as well as her work on the series “Riverdale” and “Drama High.” Spa Con allowed the fans to connect on a more personal level with the guest speakers.

The Original Cosplayers (OC) showed the entire expo hall how to LARP (live action roleplay) fight with various types of swords. The OC take cosplay to a whole new level.

They enjoyed roleplaying as different characters. They even told the convention that they practice sword fighting at least twice a week with each other.

The “king and queen” sat in royal chairs on stage as they watched the fight. The competitors made sure to bow to the royalty and then to the crowd as they prepared for their battle. With loud chants, they pumped the crowd up before battle.

The fighters picked people from the audience that they would fight for. Ultimately they fought until one of them was hit by the others weapon.

The fights continued until one swordsman was victorious.

The expo attracted quite a few students.

Victoria Garibay, sophomore media student,

The Ghostbustin’ mobile made an appearance.

participated in cosplay and rocked her Hermione Granger outfit. Garibay was seen participating in all of the activities throughout the conference.

Sarah Reynolds, a member of Legion of Nerds who works at the Star Wars Museum in Hot Springs, was also spotted running a booth. She was selling Legos and taking pictures with fans as she cosplayed too.

The convention brought both young and old together. There was absolutely no barrier between these fans.

Into the later hours of the day, the crowds sadly died down. It was almost disappointing to see the expo hall shrink in participants. The convention wasn’t even close to being over.

There was still a cosplay event that would be happening at 7 that surely would entice more people to stay. It makes you wonder, will Spa Con actually have enough steam to make this event happen annually?

6

Spring Fling

Hittin’ up Yelp Pt. II: Hot Springs and Little Rock

Story by Pete Tubbs, Editor in Chief

Here’s the scenario. You’ve got a date coming up. You already went to the top eight places to eat in the Delph and you want somewhere new and exciting to go.

Why not try either Little Rock or Hot Springs?

Neither are too far and both offer an abundance of unique and tasty joints to feast at. Here are the top six restaurants in Little Rock and Hot Springs, at least according to Yelp.

Hot Springs: #1- The Next Level Kitchen With five stars on the Yelp meter, The Next Level Kitchen is officially the best reviewed restaurant in Hot Springs. The food is a bit pricy, at $11-30, and the business is closed on Mon. and Sun. With a menu that includes southern and barbeque, The Next Level Kitchen certainly offers up some comforting food. #2- Ohio Club The Ohio Club is open from 11-2 a.m. on every night except for Sun., when they open at 12 a.m. and close at 12p.m.. Now those are some good hours. The menu includes some reportedly spectacular chicken salad sandwiches and supposedly Al Capone frequented the joint when he was alive and kickin’. So good food and great history?

Sign me up. #3- Walkers wings and things Wings and Things’ hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day save for when they are closed on Sun. The menu includes, you guessed it, wings and things. The price range is pretty magnificent, especially for a college student, at under $10. #4- Rolando’s Restaurante The first Latin American themed restaurant on the list, Rolandos is open until 9 on every night except for Fri. and Sat. when they keep their doors open until 10. Some of the most

praised foods are their tamales, chicken, shrimp, and roasted pork. The price range is a bit more pricy than Wings and Things, but at $11-$30 for gourmet mexican food, that’s not the worst price. #5- Steinhaus Keller A German Beer Bar located on Central Avenue, Steinhaus Keller features supposedly tasty brussel sprouts, cabbage rolls, and sauerkraut among many other things. They are closed on Mon.but are open till 10 on Sunday and Tues.-Fri.and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. #6- DeLuca’s Pizzeria Napoletana One of the most expensive pizza joints in Hot Springs at $11-$30, DeLuca’s has foods such as, well, pizza. It is closed Mon. thru Wed., but it’s open until 9 p.m. Thurs. thru Sat. and until 7 p.m. on Sun. Little Rock: #1- The Root Cafe With an old fashioned menu that features the likes of burgers, fries, soups and salads, The Root Cafe is certainly an all-American place to visit. The price range is from about $11-$30, but according to these reviews, it’s worth it.

#2- Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co The #2 restaurant in Little Rock features foods such as pork noodles, chicken, sesame balls and a reportedly fantastic vegetarian noodle selection.

And with a price range of under $10, the bang for the buck ratio seems pretty dang high. The place stays open until 8 p.m. every night save for Sun. when Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co is closed. #3- The Pantry Restaurant The Pantry has food such as truffled deviled eggs, grilled bratwurst and buffalo shrimp and nothing is over $30. Sounds like a deal to me if I’ve ever heard one. It stays open until 1 a.m. on Mon. thru Thurs. and Sat. but is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays. It is closed on Sun.. If you’re looking for a German bar, but don’t want to eat at Steinhaus Keller in Hot Springs, then The Pantry is your place. #4- Buenos Aires Grill & Cafe For a good flank steak sandwich or some surely fire empanadas, this Argentinian joint is probably justly the fourth highest rated restaurant in Little Rock. It is open from Tues. thru Sat.until 9 p.m. #5- Table 28 The most expensive restaurant yet on this list at $31-$60, Table 28 features food such as duck breast, quail lollipops and shrimp and grits.

It’s open until 9 p.m. from Mon. thru Thurs. and until 10 on Fri. and Sat.. It’s closed on Sun. #6- Maddie’s Place The only cajun restaurant on the list, Maddie’s restaurant offers a mix of cajun and creole creations. They are open until 9 p.m. from Tues. thru Sat. and are closed on Sun. and Mon. Maddie’s price range is relatively reasonable at $11-$30. With a menu that features crawfish, cheddar grits and green beans, this may be the next place I visit.

September 26, 2017

The horror...

7

ARts & MUSIC

Story and Photos by Emily Bell, Director of Arts and Music/Copy Editor/Photographer

A shot of Hitchcock’s crane, which was parked outside of the theatre.

Dr. Joseph Scott Morgan, ex-CSI forensics agent and author of “Blood Beneath My Feet” presented and discussed his experiences in his field at the fifth annual Hot Springs Horror Film Festival.

He took his audience through a series of grim, raw stories of crime scenes he investigated throughout decades of his career. Unnerving images of victims whose cases he studied appeared across the massive movie screen behind him.

A woman was starved to death, imprisoned in a basement, and riddled with gaping, tumor-ridden wounds from her untreated breast cancer.

A man whose entire face, neck, hand, and part of his arm were eaten down to and through the bone by piranhas. He still had a few of the fish found inside his body during autopsy.

The true horror, indeed, rested in Dr. Morgan’s past.

As he drew comparisons between old horror films and actual cases he covered, some audience members appreciated the connections while others were disturbed. One audience member actually shed tears at the images.

This is where the horror genre originates, from the reality of victims whose fates are told by professionals like Dr. Morgan.

The Hot Springs Horror Film Festival

(HSHFF), organized and managed by Bill Volland and “Halloween 5” star, Tamara Glynn, draws a happy crowd for such a dark theme.

Dr. Morgan’s presentation stood out in its stark reality against the usual culture of the horror genre (which is sometimes encouraged to be quite unrealistic).

Yet, each film premiered at HSHFF was distinct. The horror genre offers diverse branches, from dark comedies to the artistic macabre, and twisty thrillers to sickening animations.

Arguably the most unique film to premier at the fest was “The Rake,” written, filmed, and directed by 8-year-old Bob Sheen.

It was Sheen’s first film festival, but not his first time presenting his work on screen. With his own YouTube channel, Night Shift Productions, Sheen seemed like no stranger to the field of media.

During the Q&A held after his film’s screening, Sheen spoke of his next film, which would involve the eldritch Slender Man. He already has ideas and plans in place for his next big project.

“We’ll have a tall basketball player play Slender Man and animate the tentacles from his back,” Sheen said, deciding to toy with viewers’ per-

Bob Sheen (far right) discussed his film during a

8

Film festival

Story and Photos by Emily Bell Director of Arts and Music/Copy Editor/Photographer

The rest of the cast would be naturally shorter, smaller people to portray intense height difference.

Sheen won an award for his film from the HSHFF crew, and after his Q&A he signed flyers and took photos with his fans.

At only 8, Sheen is already promising to be a formidable force in the horror film industry.

Deborah Voorhees, a star from the fifth installment of the “Friday the 13th,” discussed what it was like to act out her murder.

“My character had her eyes gouged out with hedge clippers, which meant I had a lot of fake blood in my eyes,” Voorhees explained with a sigh. “And it burns, and filming the scene took some time, so my eyes were burning for so long.”

Tamara Glynn also recalled some painful moments from acting in “Halloween 5.” After nearly breaking her ankle, she backed into a wall with a nail sticking out of the wood. “In times like that, you just roll with punches and use the pain.”

Voorhees has shifted her career from victim-acting to directing. Her film, “Catching Up,” featured a widowed socialite delving too far into her fascination with murder. Voorhees went for classic and artistic, and delivered the end with a twisted, comedic bang.

“Amnesiac,” starring Kate Bosworth and directed by Michael Polish, stunned the crowd in every aspect. From its spectacular direction and cinematography to its well-written, dramatic twists, this film was practically flawless.

“Most of the film was shot in 16 days in one house,” producer Erik Fleming said in the post-viewing Q&A. “Months later, we had to bring some of the actors back to film more scenes to explain certain things better.”

However, the film moved seamlessly, and one would not be able to tell anything was added in after the initial filming.

Fleming also produced Sheen’s film, and assist-

ed him throughout the process.

Merchandise, autographed photos and flyers, and selfies with celebrities were available throughout the festival’s events. Perhaps the most

interesting item at the festival was the crane Alfred Hitchcock used in a number of his films.

The Hot Springs Horror Film Festival opened last Thursday and ran through the weekend to

Some of the merchandise available for autographs by Tamara Glynn and Deborah Voorhees.

September 26, 2017

OPINIONS

9

Manners maketh man, again Review by Zakary Gray, Student Reporter

“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is certainly a fun movie, much like its predecessor, but it is not without faults.

The movie doesn’t try anything new. For those who enjoyed “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” this is a good thing, but it doesn’t do anything drastically new to entice new viewers to the franchise.

The film starts with a rousing chase scene that sets a good tone for the film. It contains the same frenetic pace that was featured in the first film with a fist fight happening inside a moving vehicle during the chase.

Taron Edgerton returns to the role of Eggsy, the young and energetic Kingsman secret agent. Mark Strong also returns in his supporting role as Merlin, the Kingsman tech specialist and Eggsy’s trainer in the absence of Colin Firth’s character, Harry Hart.

Shortly after, we meet the film’s villain, Poppy Adams, who is played by Julian Moore. She is the world’s leading drug lord and has her base of operations in an ancient ruin in South America.

Moore plays the role well, even if the character isn’t quite as memorable as Samuel L. Jackson’s “Richmond Valentine” from the first film.

Eggsy’s adventure eventually takes him across the pond to the state of Kentucky. Here, we are introduced to the Statesman, the American counterpart to the Kingsman.

Channing Tatum and Pedro Pascal are given the most to do in

their respective roles as agents Tequila and Whiskey. Halle Berry plays Ginger Ale, Statesman’s tech support and aspiring field agent.

Berry isn’t given much to do in the film. To have an actress of this caliber to play such a

minor role in the film seems like a criminal underuse of her talent.

Jeff Bridges isn’t given much more in his role as the Statesman’s leader, Champagne. However, this casting decision is more logical as a sense of gravitas that only a seasoned actor like Bridges can bring to the role, even if he is only a minor character.

It is also revealed at this point, as the trailers showed, that Harry Hart is still alive. He suffers from amnesia and is eventually brought back to, mostly, his old self by Eggsy.

Other supporting characters returned from the first film, including Princess Tilde (Hanna Alström) and Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft). This time, Hesketh is a bionic armed henchman of Moore’s.

The most amusing role, and my personal favorite, from the film is a cameo role by Elton John. He plays himself and is a captive of Moore’s Poppy Adams.

The movie ends with a final assault on the villain’s South American lair by Eggsy and Hart. The action set piece is well choreographed, with loads of cartoonish violence and a humorous fight that pits Hart and Elton John against a robot attack dog in a 1950’s themed bowling alley. The whole scene is just as ridiculous as it sounds.

Overall, it is fun, which makes the 141 minute runtime pass quickly. However, in the event of a third entry in this franchise, director Matthew Vaughn might want to take some risks and try something new.

10

Infinite Disappointment Opinion by Dax Guilliams, Opinions Editor

The most consistent truth in fighting games is that any “Marvel vs Capcom” game is going to be filled to the brim with high quality content.

Thanks to “Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite,” that is no longer true and we are now fools for believing it would be.

“Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite” is a game made by businessmen for people who are willing to give businessmen way too much money. This is a game with no soul and even less love for the fighting game genre.

Let’s get to what really makes this game a dumpster fire and that’s the roster. This game’s roster is just the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a few Capcom characters, most of which were in “Marvel vs Capcom 3.”

Any fighting game that has “vs” in the title should have an insane amount of characters and Capcom took the lazy route by adding only a few new ones.

Some characters like MODOK, Grandmaster Meio and Lady Death are in the story mode, but are nowhere to be found in the roster. Why did they not include these characters? They would have been great to play as.

MODOK was in the last game, but is only part of a stage in this one. How are you gonna treat the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing like that, Marvel and Capcom?

Plus, characters like Sigma, Black Panther and Monster Hunter are in the story mode, but are going to be paid dlc. Capcom has not learned that people loathe their dlc practices and it’s even worse this time because Sigma was one of the first characters revealed for the game and he’s one of the main villains of the story.

And the characters that are in this game look awful. Dante looks like a heroin addict, Morrigan looks like she had bad plastic surgery and both Spider-Man and Captain America look like gorillas in cosplay. At least Chu-Li looks better.

Now, I know graphics aren’t the most important thing in a video game, but they are still a thing. Video games are the sum of all their parts and when the graphics look bad, it brings the whole experience down. Although, I’ll give the game credit when it comes to the stages because they do look really nice.

I do agree with defenders of this game that the gameplay is pretty good. However, it’s good if you don’t compare it to past “Marvel vs Capcom” games.

“Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite” is a watered down title compared to past entries. The fighting is still super fast-paced and there are a lot of mechanics, but it’s much more simple than it used to be and now you only have two characters on a team instead of three.

The best things about this game are the new characters and the Infinity Stone system. Characters like Jedah and Captain Marvel are great additions to the roster, but there are so few of them and a couple are just replacements for characters from the last game.

Gamora is just Deadpool. She shares a lot of his moves and is just a reminder to us that Marvel and Disney cared more about making sure Sony couldn’t get any money for X-Men characters than for fans of the games to get the characters they like.

I really do enjoy the Infinity Stone system. You can use certain stones to make up for abilities that some characters lack or use them to improve the strengths of other characters.

If you play as a character who doesn’t have a projectile, pick the reality stone and then they can have one. If you have really slow character, give them the time stone and they can dash around the stage. If you have a character like Chun-Li, who is great at close range fighting, use the space stone and they can’t escape from you.

Playing the story mode is not worth it. It’s

so badly written and the fights aren’t very fun.

The story boils down to both universes merging because of the infinity stones and all of the heroes have to fight against Ultron Sigma and The No Flesh Mafia.

Even though the gameplay is fine, “Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite” is not worth playing. Fighting games are held to higher standards than other genres because both hardcore and casual players have to put a lot of time into them for the full experience and “Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite” does not meet modern fighting game standards.

Hopefully, “Dragon Ball FighterZ” is a better fast-paced fighting game than this one is so that gap is filled. Don’t let me down, Arc System Works. Make Android 21 playable and make Yamcha a fun character to play.

12

SPORTS

Women’s Volleyball reigns supreme Story by Jordan Williams, Sports Editor Graphic by Pete Tubbs, Editor in Chief

The Reddies Volleyball team took home court for the first time this past Thursday against Southern Arkansas State University. Starting off the season to a somewhat solid start held a record of 2-2. The Reddies came into Thursday’s game after a closely fought affair at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. They came away with a win and they wanted to bring that same intensity to defend their home court for the first time this season.

The first set saw the Reddies taking the lead winning the set 25-17. At first, it seemed it could be anyone’s game with SAU doing everything they could to keep up with the Reddies. They even tied up the set at 11-11, but three straight kills by Karlie Greene, Violet Williams, and Adrianna Hartman led to an assertive 9-3 run making the score 20-14. Though SAU would score two straight in an attempt to halt the sudden surge, they were faced with the Reddies would prove to be too much as our scoring burst continued. With Karlie Greene, Zuzana Ondruskova and Sydney Skelton were able to close the set out taking the lead.

The second set started out as a tightly contested affair, but just as it seemed, SAU took the lead in this set with the score being 9-8. The Reddies got hot scoring 5 straight on back to back kills from Violet Williams and Adrianna Hartman. The Muleriders refused to remain quiet as the remainder of the match was a see-saw affair with scoring runs from both teams taking the lead at various times throughout the set. SAU trimmed the lead to two with the score being 23-21. The Reddies scored three straight and take a commanding 2-0 lead putting SAU in the hot seat.

The third set saw more of the same with both sides giving it there all neither wanting to concede. SAU would see themselves taking the lead for the first time in this whole affair taking a two point lead against the Reddies with the score being 14-12. Soon after they took this lead, the Reddies went on a 7-1 run.

Rallying back into it would be SAU as they would scrape and claw themselves back into the game trimming the deficit to 1 with a score of 22-21.

The Reddies would not be denied though as Karma Jackson and Courtney Bolf would show up big in the final moments as they would close out the set saw themselves winning big in a dominant 3-0 affair. Hartmann had and outstanding performance, scoring 12 points on 21 attacks while Sariah Boney notched a double-double with 23 assists and 11 digs in this impressive display at home.

Reddies Women’s Volleyball Schedule Vs. Score Central Oklahoma L 1-3 Southwest Baptist W 3-0 Rockhurst L 0-3 Maryville W 3-0 Langston W 3-0 Dallas Baptist W 3-1 Cameron W 3-0 Harding L 0-3 Missouri Western L 1-3 Newman W 3-1 Fort Smith L 1-3 NW Missouri State L 0-3 UAM W 3-0 SAU W 3-0 Texas A&M W 3-1 St. Edwards L 2-3 Arkansas Tech N/A Ouachita Baptist N/A Jarvis Christian N/A Southern Nazarene N/A Oklahoma Baptist N/A SEOSU N/A East Central N/A NWOSU N/A SWOSU N/A Arkansas Tech N/A OBU N/A Harding N/A UAM N/A SAU N/A

Date and Place 9/01 Away 9/01 Away 9/02 Away 9/02 Away 9/07 Away 9/08 Away 9/08 Away 9/12 Away 9/15 Away 9/15 Away 9/16 Away 9/16 Away 9/19 Away 9/21 Home 9/23 Away 9/23 Away 9/26 Away 9/28 Away 10/03 Away 10/06 Away 10/07 Away 10/13 Home 10/14 Home 10/20 Away 10/21 Away 10/26 Away 10/31 Home 11/02 Home 11/07 Home 11/09 Away