On Saturday November 16th, the NJIT Video Game club hosted the Hype it up tournament. Many came out to enjoy casual and competitive video game competition with each other. There were a lot of people in attendance and everyone seem to be having a really good time, whether as spectators or competitors. There were a plethora of games in the tournament including Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Pokémon X/Y, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition, FIFA 2014, Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Full Burst, Call of Duty Ghost and Mario Kart Wii. Along with the video games, there were also Trading Card Game tournaments including Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic the Gathering. It was also nice to see a PlayStation 4 on the show floor given the fact that it had just been release a day earlier.
The biggest turn out for the tournament was for Street Fighter 4, with many participating as well as spectating. There were various TVs set up as well as commentators to narrate the action. Even people who didn’t take part in the event came in and out of the Atrium to see what was going on and enjoy the show. “It’s nice to see how the NJIT community comes together to support one of the newer clubs,” said Ayodeji Asagba, a member of the NJIT game club.
Another one of the bigger tournaments was Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Even years after they game’s release, people still lined up in droves to get a chance to compete with one another. “The Event is running smoothly, especially Super Smash Bros. which I think it the best run. They are making sure everything runs well and stays on a consist speed. If someone doesn’t come to the tournament, after their name is called a couple of times, they will get disqualified. That’s how it should be. It keeps the flow going and all the spectators and competitors active,” said Eddie Gilson.
No video game tournament can be complete without the Pokémon games, and this tournament did not disappoint. Both of the new Pokémon games X and Y were present at the tournament and in true Pokémon fashion drew a big crowd as well. “Even though these games are fairly new, it didn’t matter. People came in with good strategies which helped them win,” said Anthony Samaha.
Even though the tournament was a success, it did not come without its fair share of trouble. Early on the tournament experienced a “series of uncontrolled disasters” but was remedied quickly enough. Some people were disappointed that there were no tournaments for games such as League of Legends or Starcraft II. “The event was good, but it could have been even better, I think they should have different judges for some of the tournaments. But I like how they are integrating the new video game systems. I like the big turnout,” said Alan Joseph.
The NJIT Hype it up tournament was well organized and drew a big crowd, from avid video game players to NJIT staff stopping by to see what was going on. Everyone from NJIT to non-NJIT students came to enjoy the atmosphere, people and most important of all, video games.
Winners
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Rhys Jones
Doug Walton Jr.
Pokémon X/Y
Rex Gerard Casio
Kyle F. Scanlon
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Allen Reed
Super Street Fighter 4 AE
Doug Walton Jr.
Ayodeji Asagba
FIFA 2014
Nnamdi Uwakwe
Chidubem Ochudo Uzoeshi
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Full Burst
Zamion Brown
Call of Duty Ghosts
Michael Fic
Mario Kart Wii
Jonathan Sookedo
Yu-Gi-Oh
Justin Howard
Anthony Suarez
Magic the Gathering
Tom Pampalone
Kyle F. Scanlon
by Ayaz Uddin