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16-Year-Old Dethrones Tetris World Champion With Difficult Hyper-Tap Technique (kotaku.com)
Over the weekend, seven-time winner Jonas Neubauer showed up at the Classic Tetris World Championship in Portland, Oregon like he has every year since it moved there in 2011. Instead of adding another championship to his name, he finished in second place this time, bested by 16-year-old Joseph Saelee who went on an amazing three-game tear. From a report: "The kid played with pure heart, the most clutch Tetris that we've seen from anyone," Neubauer said after the dust had settled. "He just really had the ability, had the natural ability, and let it shine as bright as he could in his first tournament. [It's] truly an honor to pass the torch to the new generation of Tetris players." The veteran stood on stage holding a silver trophy, his first since losing to Harry Hong in 2014, and the unlikely Saelee, tears still in his eyes, hoisted the gold to applause from the crowd at Sunday's Retro Game Expo crowd.
Though Tetris came out on the NES in 1989, the Classic World Championship tournament as it exists today didn't get started until 2010 after the game's competitive scene spent most of the aughts trading strategies, high scores, and footage evidence throughout a scattered network of forums and websites. Now, top players from around the world compete annually at the Expo using the original game and controllers played on old CRTs to see who can get the highest score in individual head-to-head matchups.
Though Tetris came out on the NES in 1989, the Classic World Championship tournament as it exists today didn't get started until 2010 after the game's competitive scene spent most of the aughts trading strategies, high scores, and footage evidence throughout a scattered network of forums and websites. Now, top players from around the world compete annually at the Expo using the original game and controllers played on old CRTs to see who can get the highest score in individual head-to-head matchups.
Dude, it was the difficult hyper tap technique that many millennials spend their entire lifetime pursuing, only to end up as jobless nerds in their moms basement
Well I no longer feel awesome for getting past level 10 anymore. Thanks, internet. :(
I'll tell you what I can do off Tetris. 10 years from now, I can go to West Point. It's all coming down to video-game reflexes. Computerized tanks, Star Wars. In 10 years, a heavy scorer on Tetris... is a shoo-in at the Point.
- Tom Cruise, The Color of Money
Isn't this just a "solved game" already? Aren't there AIs out there that can perfectly beat anyone at Tetris? Once this is true, what is the point of playing?
Since the summary didn't bother to mention what the "hyper-tapping" technique from the headline is, here's the explanation from the article:
Unlike many other top players, including Neubauer, Saelee uses hyper-tapping, a technique that requires players to press the D-pad rapidly at the the correct intervals in order to move Tetris pieces in different directions without losing speed. Normally players just hold down left or right on the D-pad. Saeleeâ(TM)s strategy on the other hand requires more than 10 button presses a second to be effective. Itâ(TM)s a riskier and more demanding style of play, but one that ended up paying off.
How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
Tetris Movers are state-of-the-art!
Finally, somebody has taken revenge on Jonas. I never forgave him after he beat Jeff (the love of my life) in the 2016 final. Look how he robbed my lovely Jeff of the title!
Thanks,
Commentator from Classic Tetris World Championship 2016
"The kid played with pure heart, the most clutch Tetris that we've seen from anyone," Neubauer said after the dust had settled. "He just really had the ability, had the natural ability, and let it shine as bright as he could in his first tournament. [It's] truly an honor to pass the torch to the new generation of Tetris players."
Wow, a champion accepting de-throning with dignity and grace. This kind of demonstration of humility, self-respect, and good old-fashioned sportsmanship is so lacking in the public sphere and I was moved by it. If Neubauer has children, I hope they're proud of him right now, because I sure am. What a class act.
Obviously it's his midichlorian level that's letting him play Tetris so well. If he can manage to beat Sebulba, then you'll know for sure.
Maybe the difference is we actually played on a PC w/ keyboard in the late 80s instead of some silly dpad thing, but I've had games last well over an hour. The game itself actually gets pretty monotonous once you reach max speed and have managed to set yourself in a pretty good position.
I've been practicing and waiting 25 years for a tournament.
only to end up as jobless nerds in their moms basement
Or have a brilliant career loading FedEx trucks.
Have gnu, will travel.
The game itself actually gets pretty monotonous once you reach max speed
That's why modern Tetris has a much higher max speed than classic Tetris. Could you keep up with Shirase mode in Tetris The Grand Master 3: Terror-Instinct ? It starts fast, where pieces land immediately on the stack giving you a split second to shift them into place, and only gets faster from there.
amateur.
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Indeed.
It's a pity more professional athletes don't have sportsmanship and respect these days.
HAHAHHA
HAHAHAHAHAAHHA
"professional athlete"
almost had me there, for a second thought you were serious
Clueless person here (who doesn't see the point it priding oneself in what a robot could do better), but: Why is this seen as an achievement, giving things like THIS:
https://youtu.be/H_tmFUWu9bI?t=280
Honest question. I just don't give my respect out lightly.
shrug... and nothing of value was lost.
-- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
Isn't this just a "solved game" already?
Classic Tetris isn't solved, but modern Tetris (since 2001) is, as colour_thief and I proved back in 2007. Someone made a video of the solution.
Its almost as if I've never read this before. Seriously genius, if Mueller comes out with nothing on President Trump, what will you do? Your whole time pasting the same thing over and over will be for nothing.
Your home life can not be pleasurable.
Geekpoet
We are literally on a site with the slogan "news for nerds."
I'm glad this happened.No I'm not.
Tetris came out of the Eastern Bloc, and I remember playing it on PCs in Hungary way before 1989.
Fucking with Republican traitor faggot nazis WOULD be enough for me, but if you actually BELIEVE Mueller has put up with all this and come up with NOTHING on the most criminally insane faggot President in US history, you = crackhead.
Not a geek, not a poet, a crackhead. And actually I write geek poetry and I bet 8 bits it's better than yours, so if you want to have that tiny penis contest for some reason trust me, you lost that too. Any kind of penis contest, mine is the omega.
Deal with it, republican traitor cucks. You backed a faggot who as recently as 2006 was a Hillary Clinton fanboi. Enjoy yourselves, criminal cretins. We're going to hang your hero to make America great again, or at least, semi-plausibly lawful.
lmao
Considering the fact that for last eight years, seven of them went to a much older fellow, would make young guy winning actually news?
"The kid played with pure heart, ..........after the dust had settled. "He just really had the ability, had the natural ability, and let it shine as bright as he could .......truly an honor to pass the torch to the new generation ..... tears still in his eyes,
Such a dramatic description for playing Tetris. I mean yes, high level Tetris play is impressive to watch. But still it's just funny to see such bravado for playing Tetris.
You laugh, but after high school (where I lived in my parent's basement) I moved out for college and my first job was loading UPS trucks. And there are few things as satisfying as a well packed truck.
Just don't be late. Hyper-tap that punch card.