Don't be alarmed if you happen to hear the sound of blood-curdling screams and ripping limbs coming from inside Cade Gallery this weekend.
The downtown Phoenix art space and old school arcade will be holding its latest Fight Klub Tournament on Friday night, with players squaring off in digitized donnybrooks on the ultra-violent 1993 coin-op classic Mortal Kombat II.
Pixilated punches and frantic fatalities will be in abundance, as gamers compete in a single-elimination tournament for such prizes as tee shirts, stickers, and gift cards. In addition, the winner will also get ownership of Cade's Fight Klub championship (in reality, a repurposed WWE-style toy wrestling belt) until the next tournament in August, as well as plenty of bragging rights.
Cade co-owners Weston Henry and Nathaniel Ross expect to see competition both stiff and plentiful during the tournament, especially given the popularity of Mortal Kombat II and the large turnout they had for last month's tournament.
"Word has gotten out more about our monthly tournaments and there will probably be some serious players in the house who want to play MKII and prove they're the best," Henry says.
Don't be surprised if you encounter a few players dressed as characters from the Mortal Kombat universe. Both Henry and Ross will be sporting costumes, although they're keeping which characters they'll be portraying a closely guarded secret.
"Don't worry, we won't be reenacting the game in real life and ripping anyone's heads off," Ross says.
The Fight Klub Mortal Kombat II Tournament will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 8. Participation is free. Cade Gallery is located at 722 North Fourth Street.
