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Vol. 128, No. 27 Thursday, September 13, 2018
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
ASCSU discusses bill to fund flags
Seriously: Colin Kaepernick recast as Captain America
Volleyball is set for success
page 4
page 11
page 16
Players in the Super Smash Brothers club, bring different versions of the long running game series. PHOTO BY NATHAN TRAN COLLEGIAN
“Smash Bros.” club brings friendly competition to game lovers By Graham Shapley @shapleygraham
Northern Colorado residents have been duking it out with peers for years, but not in the ways you may think. This modern-day Fight Club would seem horrifying if it weren’t for one thing: the violence is all virtual. In actuality, fighters of the Super Smash Bros. Club are sitting down with a game console playing “Super Smash Bros.,”
a long-running and well-loved game series from Nintendo. There have been four releases since its release in 1999 and is gearing up for the release of a fifth ‘ultimate’ edition later this year. “It really gets the adrenaline pumping,” said Elliot Cullen, a Colorado State University economics graduate after being eliminated from a bracket. “The reason I enjoy (Smash Bros.) is that it’s a game where you can make your own combos. It’s
nice to be able to play such a free-form game, compared to other fighting games which have built-in combos.” Starting on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and stretching well after 9:00 p.m., competitors put money into a pot and sign up to play for a shot to show off their Super Smash skills. Competitors play and practice for dozens of hours to become the best, and this club is their proving ground. Four tournaments are run
during each weekly meeting of the Super Smash Bros. Club. There are doubles tournament, where teams of two will fight one another, and the singles, where fighters face off one-onone. Each tournament is further divided by game. Two games are played at the club: “Super Smash Bros. Melee” and “Super Smash Bros. 4.” Most fighters are specialized in one of the two games, though some fight in multiple tournaments across each game.
Fighters are ranked by the “Smash” community on a tier list from G-tier to A-tier depending on how likely they are to win a game in high-level play. Aaron David Evans, a competitor who goes by the name ‘NotAaron’ for the tournament, doesn’t see the competition as the main point but rather a place to have fun. Depending on the week and amount of competition, some meetings are more
see SMASH on page 19 >>