Prepare to be... entertained
Dear Readers, Welcome to our magazine, 4 Your Entertainment. Our goal is to inform you as a reader and keep you up-to date about music, movies and games. We have gathered all of our sources to reach all the corners of our topics. We want to make you see movies, music, and games in new ways. From the beginning of our magazine we will show you our opinions and the facts about games, music, and movies. We created 4 Your Entertainment to inform you on the latest in entertainment today. Stay on your toes. You are about to blown away. -Prepare to be entertained
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Letter to the Editors Table of Contents Staff Bios Top 2010 Hip-Hop Songs From the Armadillo World HQ to Threadgills Marching to the Beat End of the Innocent Game Crisis A Gamer’s Christmas List 2010 Video Games: Good or Evil Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Machinima: Art Form or Frankenstein? How not to be a N00b Jake Stephens: Lasa’s Computer Genius The Fall of Movies
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Todd S. is our resident Machinimator. He playes a lot of video games and loves the community aspect of them. When working on the 4 Your Entertainment Todd is very serious, often getting overstressed when a deadline is due soon. That doesn’t impact his demeanor though, he is happy to help anyone that asks.
Mark M. is an awesome video game player that also enjoys music. His fav music artists are Rucka Rucka Ali, Five Finger Death Punch, and AC/DC. He enjoys to watch big bang theory and $#!@ my dad says. He plays guitar and trumpet.
Yineng Z. is 14 years old and is in love with music and movies. He would marry them if he could. He doesn’t play games much. Yineng worships his ipod. He can’t live without his music. Yineng listens to music 2-5 hours a day. His favorite artists are: Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, 2Pac, and Akon. He watches movies over the weekends. His favorite movie genre is horror and his favorite music genre is rap and hip-hop.
Richard R. is 14 years old. He likes Taco Bell and to play video games like Call of Duty, Street Fighter, and any game that has war or action. He likes to relax, and play sports like soccer, or basketball when the he has the time
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Must Have Hip-Hop/Rap Songs of 2009
2010
By: Yineng Z.
Top 10 2010 Songs 10. Just a Dream- Nelly 9. Love the Way You Lie- Eminem 8. 2012- Jay Sean 7. Bottoms Up- Trey 6. Drop the World- Lil’ Wayne 5. Not Afraid- Eminem 4. What’s My Name- Drake 3. I’m Not a Human Being- Lil’ Wayne
2. My Chick Bad- Ludacris 1. No Love- Eminem
2010 is the start of a new decade of music. This year is about to end. Lots of good music came out this year. Nelly is finally back. He has been gone from the music industry for a long time. Just a Dream (10) was his first hit for a long time. This song has deep meaning about a girl dumping him. Eminem is also welcomed back to the music industry after his little break. His Recovery album, including Love the Way you Lie (9) and No Love (1) were included. His songs are about how he recovered from the blow of his wife cheating on him. Jay Sean has finally made a good song after all the mediore ones in 2009. He has brought 2012 (8) to the top 10. 2012 is about how good the future will be. Bottoms Up (7) by Trey was a big hit. This is Trey’s first and best real HipHop/ Rap song. He really made himself a name with this song. Lil’ Wayne has also smashed the roof with his new recording company, Young Money. He has produced 2 big hits, I’m Not a Human Being (3) and Drop the World (6), were big hits in the rap community. Drake from Young Money has also started to make a name for himself. With his song What’s My Name (4) he pulled himself out of the rookie range. Overall this year has been a real success. Some good rappers emerged and the old good rappers are back too. Lets see what they have for next year.
Fall 2010 Issue-4
From the Armadillo HQ
05-4 Your Entertainment
To
Mark M.
Fall Issue 2010-06
Threadgills
armadillo world headquarters
Eddie Wilson, a young man with a dream of making history as a owner of a music venue in Austin as the first of its kind. He started in high school when he would hang out at a local gas station and bar called Threadgills. Mr. Threadgill, the owner of Threadgills, was considered by his friends a great guy. The bar would always have some form of blue grass and country music playing live. Threadgills the gas station and restaurant was a hangout for high school and college but mostly adults to drink, relax and listen to music. When he first thought of the Armadillo he had seen an empty warehouse and went to check it out. He and some of his friends bought the place and tried to make a music venue. Eddie said,” We liked it because it was new and at the time we thought we were making history.” When I asked Mr. Wilson which performances were the most memorable he replied, “Frank Zappa is someone who always comes to my mind when I’m asked that question.” Frank Zappa was an excellent guitarist during the 70’s and 80’s. Other people that he said were major crowd pleasers were Roy Buchanan, Jerry lee Lewis, Leon Russell, and Freddie King . They were all great performers. Mr. Wilson even has the piano that was played by the advanced pianists at the Armadillo. Mr. Wilson said,” Freddie King was an amazing musician that no one could touch in talent.” Warren Hood, a guy who started playing around the age of 14 at Threadgills was someone that Mr. Wilson remembers because he is still leading the pack locally. Van Morrison, Mr. Wilson said, “was a big star then and is still in the game now.” “the fact that someone is still performing at all now that played back then, or was big is still big now is amazing to think about.” At the time Threadgills was starting, Eric Johnson had just started playing there. He was a young kid at
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the time and is now one the most renowned guitar players. The Armadillo was the first venue that AC/DC played in America. He described the scene of the armadillo as an old place centered around the stage in the middle people wouldjust sit on the ground for the time they weren’t cheering. You could always see someone with a beer in their hand. and the smell of drugs and tobacco. The time that Mr. Wilson was growing up his mom owned a nursery that was operated in her house. She would always have home cooked meals for each of the children, so he grew up around food and home cooked meals. He said this helped give him the idea for opening up the restaurant called Threadgills. The restaurant was built around the idea of home cooked meal, for everyone. Mr. Wilson he said,” I like owning a restaurant because I’m not at the mercy of a drug addled guitar player, just because he had a hit record.” he also said, “I like owning a restaurant because my job and my living and I can control everything that goes out the doors of the kitchen.” Mr. Wilson stated that “owning a venue you have to please your audience and the musician but owning a restaurant you just have to please your audience.” When he first started with Threadgills he said,” it’s not that I was pursuing a passion when I made the menu, it was just I was unqualified to get a job at the time”.
Piano from Armadillo HQ
Music Venues in Austin, Texas
Emo’s on 6th street
“... we are the center of the musical universe” At the time he was going through research on mail ordering and the file for Threadgills fell out. He saw that it was closed and was going to be demolished and he just finished the Armadillo and so he created Threadgills. Along with being a venue owner and a restaurant owner he was an entrepreneur. He had attempted at opening many businesses. He started a few retail stores, a steak house, a sport supply store, and a mail order business that would deliver objects from Texas to people in other states and even other countries. It was meant for home sick Texans that couldn’t come back within a short amount time. The one thing he wants everyone to know is that “we are more than the live music capital of the world, we are the center of the musical universe.”
The Hole in the Wall
La Zona Rosa
Fall Issue 2010-08
Marching to the Beat By: Yineng Z.
Art by: Yineng Z.
Marching band playing at the LBJ Pep rally 9-4 Your Entertainment
“My personal life is out in the open (with the band),” Kianna confesses, “I have a lot of friends in marching band. “ For Kianna, the best part of marching band is when they get to play and cheer loudly for their beloved LBJ football team at the games with her friends. The marching band is entrusted with the task of boosting the confidence of the players and showing their support by bombarding the audience with insults and music. Marching band goes out feet thundering in purple uniforms with the plume to the stadium and puts everyone in a game spirit. On top of the playing, the marching band members cheer on the top of their lungs with the cheerleaders when the LBJ football team makes a touchdown. Sometimes they yell profanity at the other team after a foul or a score, but it’s as recognizable as a hive of buzzing bees above the noise. Kianna, as a band member, supports the football team during games. “LBJ all the way!” Kianna cheers pumping her fist into the air. Kianna plans on sticking with marching band till college, and she wants to play the bass drum next year to familiarize herself to more instruments in order to reach her goal of supporting TSU college football team by playing in the marching band there. In Kianna’s point of view, marching band keeps the school together. Without it, football games will be silent as a grave and have a incomplete feeling. If you’re in marching band then you would know a good portion of the school. “Band is like the backbone of the school.” Kianna says. Looks like Kianna will be playing for a while and keep on balancing out school and marching band. Kianna with fire burning in her eyes says, “I have an urge to be better, I have potential.”
“I have an urge to be better, I have potential.”
Art by: Yineng Z.
Fall 2010 Issue-10
Art courtesy of LASA online
S
tudents rush out to the parking lot as soon as the school bell beeps, signaling the end of the day. They pull out instruments of all shapes and sizes like a display of ornaments, and form into a well-organized formation like they are in an army. The air is full of squeaks from students testing out their reeds. The director arrives, silence falls like a spell, and kids rush to their positions like blind mice. The conductor raises his baton. The marching band practice has begun. Pretty soon music fills the air, and the students start to march. One such marcher, Kianna can be seen amongst the band marching and playing at the director’s command This is a typical week day during football season for Kianna, a trombone player in the LBJ marching band. Kianna plays a variety of instruments other than trombone including baritone, tuba, and percussion. She has played in band since she was in 6th grade, and it has stuck with her ever since. Now, in LASA high school, Kianna has joined the LBJ marching band. Members make personal sacrifices to become better Kianna is no exception. She admits marching band has affected her life. Even though attending LASA high school, one of the toughest high schools in AISD, Kianna miraculously finds time to practice her instrument. On a typical day, the LASA teachers assign typically 3-4 hours of homework everyday. Somehow Kianna still finds time to do her homework. In middle school she practices 30 minutes a day, but now, due to the high stress of LASA, the practice time has dwindled into an hour every couple of days. Finding time to practice is a challenge for Kianna. “I just do it,” Kianna says. During football season, Kianna attends mandatory marching band practice every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on top of the marching band period during school every other day on top of outside practice. The marching band practices from 4 p.m., when school ends, till 6 p.m. The band members kick up dry dust from the parking lot as they march that float away like mini clouds. It is very grueling under the intense and hot Texan sun that could fry an egg on the hood of a car. It is so intense that two people have already fainted during rehearsals this year, and EMS had to be called. Even though the conditions are hard, Kianna has her mind set in stone. “In some conditions [I want to quit], but overall no,” Kianna admits. “I enjoy playing in the band.” Once in a while Kianna misses a rehearsal here and there, because she has more urgent family or personal matters to attend to. Making up afterschool rehearsals are tough if you miss one. It’s disastrous for anyone to miss a rehearsal. On top of the instructor’s disapproving frown, the unfortunate person will also get left behind on some new moves. “I, like, missed 2 days and fell behind 6 sets (of moves),” Kianna says. She eventually caught up with some extra practice. Marching band is not only a place to play your instruments and practice marching but it is also a way to socialize, so Kianna hardly ever misses practices. For Kianna, a lot of her friends are in marching band. Band members have a tendency to form social groups within the band. Kianna is not to be left out.
t
End of the Innocent By: Mark Mann
A relative of mine started playing violent games at a young age. I found that the more he played the more aggression would come out in his personality. After a long period of time I noticed a big difference because he would get frustrated at games and even start to throw things at people of furniture. I think this is due to the level of graphics in the games and the gamers begin to think of themselves as in the game and not being harmed. That would be due to the level
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of graphics, which causes the gamer to feel like he’s there in the battlefield themselves. The reasons besides graphics are 3D gaming and all the physical violence that you commit yourself and if your thinking on a different level then you make connections and you begin to feel like your there. The scenarios that the games put their players in can be terroristic or just plain brutal. t
Top 10 Video Games
1) Black ops
5) Poptropica
9) Pokemon Soul Silver
2) Halo Reach
6) Red Dead Redemption
10) Fable 3
3) Mass Effect 2
7) Fallout New Vegas
4) Starcraft 2
8) Google Pacman
A relative of mine started playing violent games at a young age. I found that the more he played the more aggression would come out in his personality. After a long period of time I noticed a big difference because he would get frustrated at games and even start to throw things at people of furniture. I think this is due to the level of graphics in the games and the gamers begin to think of themselves as in the game and not being harmed. That would be due to the level of graphics, which causes the gamer to feel like he’s there in the battlefield themselves. The reasons besides graphics are 3D gaming and all the physical violence that you commit yourself and if your thinking on a different level then you make connections and you begin to feel like your there. The scenarios that the games put their players in can be terroristic or just plain brutal. An example of this is the scene in modern warfare 2. In the level of the game you play as an undercover agent acting from within the terrorist group. You start just coming out of an elevator loading your light machine guns. The leader steps out and you watch open fire on an innocent group of travelers. You then begin to follow him around just shooting everyone that moves. This puts the image in someone’s mind, ha ha they don’t stand a chance, I can just kill all of them and then the player begins to enjoy and has fun killing innocent people. There is an example that the government uses. The government created a game called America’s army. This game was used mainly for getting young players to start thinking about joining the army when they turned 18. This game put the players in real life scenarios like breaking into terrorist camps, building, etc. And this game included what you would do if there was a terrorist attack in the war zone on a camp. The game also included urban fighting and the reality of doing things seemed to be a lot more realistic. In the new platforms like the play station 3 and the XBOX 360. The graphics seemed a bit more like reality. The bullets coming out of your gun were visible and the blood of when you killed somebody blood seems to go in all directions and it just all reacts like a person would react in most games. The multilayer would reward you for shooting or stabbing someone. In the games when you knife people they are right in front of you and the player gets blood on their screen. With the games being under hdmi formats the graphics are top notch. It gets to where it seems either like a movie or it’s real and it’s right there in front of you. With the new add on of the 3D gaming for the play station 3, it can seem like bullets and shrapnel are actually flying towards you. It adds another effect of being
real. When you’re running through levels chasing after terrorists or running down blood stained hallways away from zombie hordes. It just seems too much like your running down a real hallway because it appears in three dimensions. The play station released their newest gaming format, which was the play station move. The first war like game coming out for the move is killzone 3. With that you’ll either use the gun controller attachment or the player will actually hold the controllers like real guns.
“..more he played the more aggression would show in his personality.”
One of the most important of all is the age that you play the games at the ratings on the case are there for a reason. Most parents go ahead and buy M-rated games for children under the age of 13. The rating system is based on what the mind can take at a certain age. If you are twelve years old then you shouldn’t be playing games like resident evil or modern warfare 2. At that age a persons mind is still early on in its developing stages. The players will get used to the violence around them and then when actual events occur the young person will not see it as a problem and that they can over come it. The parents of the players often don’t even realize that there are ratings on the games. I was talking to some of my parent’s friends and they said that they never even noticed what their son was playing. The assumed that it was OK and they just went on. They were telling me that one day the saw the game that he liked so much and it was just filled with blood and gore. There was a lot of sexuality and this kid was not even 12 years old. The parents of video game players should be aware of what their child is asking for or the result can be bad. Aggression has been proven to be shown researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine said that when children played 30-minutes of video games that they would have a temporary or sometimes permanent aggression increase. That just is one of the many tests that have been documented on this subject.
Fall 2010 Issue-12
THE CONSOLE SYSTEMS
GAME Photos by: Richard R.
By: Richard R.
XBOX
Wii
Playstation 3 Pros + Cons Console systems have better game graphics than Portable Systems, and they don’t run our of battery, because their coonected to a power station at home. Console systems can not be taken everywhere, and they cost more than portable systems.
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I have had both portable and game console, but each has had games that I didn’t like. Like once I had a portable game and it was a Psp, but after years of having that Psp it didn’t like work one day and when I wanted to play the Psp it didn’t want to play the game and that caused me to waste time and money, because first I tried to make Psp work, but it didn’t want to work, and then also I just bought a game and it didn’t want to play it so that was a waste of money. I have had also a console game like the Xbox 360 and it has like being failing, because the disk tray of game won’t open and that cost money and it’s kind of annoying, because I can’t play video games and that’s a waste of time for me. Portable and console games have great sales, but not as good as if they work together and made more games, because portable and console are very different, but they could learn from each other and have better games. Xbox 360 and play station 3 have many technical errors, but they repair them or make adjustments, but that causes them millions of dollars and in portable games the same thing happens, so if they join up and combined their skills then they could make a better game and not lose money like millions of dollars, how good a game is depends on game system.
The game industry has lost $11.5 billion dollars.... People buy console and portable games sometime not for entertainment nor for joy, but for piracy. The game industry has lost $11.5 billion dollars, because of piracy. If piracy of games was stopped, then game and portable consoles would make better games. The Japan’s Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association has said that video game piracy for portable consoles, have cost world game industry $41.5 billion between 2004 and 2009. US has highest number of accesses to piracy sites than any other country, and then in 2nd in place is Japan, in 3rd place is China, U.S, Japan, China has mostly piracy sites that are peer to peer sharing. I say that portable and game consoles should corporate with each other and should try to stop piracy, mainly because game industry is losing money and that means that there would be less better games. Portable and game console should try to reduce the piracy sites so they could have more money and better games. The portable game console and console game they
THE
PORTABLE SYSTEMS
CRISIS should try to make themselves more difficult for people to hack into them. Portable games are lighter and can be carried around so they should have more games, because the portable game does sell and different genders and ages like between 40’s and younger and even older buy the game. The new Psp Portable weights about 15g and old Psp weighted about 20g and new DS weights less than new Psp portable and almost all game consoles weight about the same. Ages between children and adults they buy portable and game consoles for their own interests, and according to tests that were made females buy more the games for relaxation and most of males just buy it for competitive aspect of game. I say that portable and console games should make more of their games together, because each could make a better game, and there would be fewer problems. So they should try to make the games based on what the people want and what ways they could make the games better, and if they work together than that may be more possible. Portable and Console game companies have goals for selling their products, and each have a glitch with their games so they should share each others ways of solving a glitch and their games would be better and better sold. Console games and portables are really competitive with each other and also between themselves. The Portable game is the most enjoyable game to play with according to people reviews and gaming console is like the most probable game that people would buy after owning an iPad, so that shows a really big difference between each other. Portable and Console games compete with
each other, but they should each at least make more of their games based on what people would like the game to be. When their making a game and it’s really popular they stop working with it in a few years. Portable or Game consoles stop working with a game when they don’t want to get behind the competition. Portable and Console games they should try to share more of their games together, because that keeps them from going off what people like, and also from making a bad game.
PSP
Portable and console games should associate more of their games together, and if they do they would make better games and they would make more money. And then I would by chance have better games that would last longer and that would have better games, and that would prevent me from losing money and time.
Nintendo DS
Games together Pros + Cons Portable systems can be taken everytwhere you go, and they cost less than console systems, and they are smaller than console systems. Portable games have less better grapics, and they run out of battery and you need to charge them when they are running out of battery
Fall 2010 Issue-14
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2.
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A Gamer’s Christmas List 2010 By Todd S.
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Gamer’s Choice Console: Xbox 360: $199+ For the gamer voted best console the Xbox won with an alarming majority. The Xbox comes in either white or black, but their are other special skins. You also have a choice of a 4 gigabyte hard drive or a 250 gigabyte hard drive. With well known titles like Halo and the new Kinect the Xbox is the best gamer’s console buy this year.
Family Console: Nintendo Wii: $199+ The Wii is the family friendly game console this year. With family oriented games like Mario Party 8 and Guilty party the Wii will have even the grandparents joining in for the fun.
Best Portable Console: PSP: $170+ The PSP is our pick for best portable console. It has a huge graphical advantage over the Wii and it also plays music and movies turning your portable game console into a media center in you pocket.
Xbox Exclusive: Halo: Reach: $60+
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Starting in 2001 the Halo franchise has revolutionized the first person shooter genre. Now bungie has made their swan song to the Halo series. Halo: Reach is by far the best in the series with all new weapons, armor abilities, and new multiplayer content. This Game of the Year nominee is my pick for the best Xbox title.
PS3 Exclusive: God of War 3: $50 The climactic end to the God of War trilogy has the ghost of sparta rampaging through mount olympus. In God of War 3 you play as Kratos the war god who is mad at his father Zeus and proceeds to cut through thousands if not millions of enemies in devastating attacks and gory finshers. This game is a perfect gift for your teenager this year.
Wii Exclusive: Super Mario Galaxy 2: $50 Mario is the most iconic video game character ever to grace a television screen. He’s now back with all new abilites and puzzles along with his lovable dinosaur Yoshi, to make this one of the best Mario games to date and a perfect gift for a kid of any age.
Fall 2010 Issue-16
Video Games Good or Evil? By: Richard R. Alfredo who is around his around his twenty’s gets really nervous when he’s playing video games. Sometimes his hands even sweat when he’s holding the game controller, because he is close to the end of the game, and is almost out of time. He haves had fun playing videogames almost all his life, and he still enjoys having a good time playing video games. Alfredo says, “I started to play video games when I was around 8 years old”, and that’s when he started liking videogames and when he realized that videogames were entertaining and not that boring. Alfredo which is my uncle’s name says that “Yes, I
Alfredo says, “I played about 14 hours per week”. Alfredo when he would get out of school he would play sometimes in arcade, and have fun. Then when he was growing up he didn’t play that much video game as he did as a kid, because of his school work he was getting in high school and in middle school, but still he liked videogames. Alfredo says, “I stop playing the amount of time that I did as a child, because I had other stuff to do and also I started to get more homework”. Alfredo once when he was a kid he stayed up late
“It cost $0.50 to play a game.” started to play them”, and he started to like play all types of video games like street fighter. Alfredo says that “Yes, I completed most of my homework”, but sometimes he got distracted by videogames. Still he liked videogames, because they were like fun for him to play, he says that playing videogames like was a way to spend his free time or to relax. And now he doesn’t play that much video games as he did as a kid, but still he likes to play them sometimes when he has time or feels like playing them. Alfredo still plays video games, video games didn’t affect him that much as a kid. Alfredo says, “I played video games since I was 8 years old” Alfredo says that video games were like something that he liked to do during his free time or when he had money to play them in arcade close to his house. It cost 0.50$ to play a game, and Alfredo as a little kid would do errands for my grandmother so he could get money from her. Alfredo didn’t like to do his chores like buying groceries or taking out trash, but Alfredo would get happy when he was finished and he would go ahead and go to arcade.
Photos by: Richard R.
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like at night playing video games at an arcade and he didn’t notice that the arcade was closed and he stayed there playing video games, and Alfredo got in trouble with his parents when they found him in arcade, he got grounded for weeks and his mother made him do more chores. “I didn’t stop playing video games completely”, Alfredo said. He only plays video games when he wants to or when he finishes his homework, sometimes he would rush in his homework. Alfredo right now is an adult, but still he plays video games sometimes, playing video games is not that fun when it causes issues according to my uncle like getting distracted too much with videogames and not being in task or attentive in school . Alfredo when he was a kid he would do his homework, but sometimes not that correctly. “The main reason for not playing the amount of time as I did as a kid is because I don’t have that much time to play them” Alfredo said, he plays sometimes video games when he doesn’t go to work. Since he was a kid Alfredo liked to play video games like Street Fighter, and now he still plays them, because now he isn’t a kid and he doesn’t get homework anymore he has like enough time to play them.
PICASAWEB.GOOGLE.COM/.../IWZY2CWTQGQ7EZBKSFGCQW REMOVE FRAME
Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2
By: Richard R.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 was a good game and it had pretty good graphics, I played it in my Xbox 360, when I bought the game I didn’t know on what game system to buy it for. My options were Wii or Xbox 360. Then later I decided on what game system to buy the game for and it was for Xbox 360, because Xbox 360 has better graphics and in Wii you could interact more, but I like graphics better. The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 game did have an interesting story, but the game was kind of short and I finished the game in about a few days. The game starts out with you believing that you are a clone, and then after Darth Vader tries to bid him into doing his dirty work Starkiller then tries to escape. The game has action and some war, and the character that you play is Starkiller and he has powers like lightning, force, mind tricking, and his weapons are two light sabers. The game has about 10 missions total, and each mission is kind of long. The game is only for 1 player and it does
Photo by: Richard R. not have Co-op, and Multiplayer, but still the game was interesting and fun. The game has many characters like Boba Fett, Star Killer, Darth Vader, Clone Troopers, Kota, and more, I thought that was few characters, but still the characters in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed were good. The story of the game is mainly about Starkiller trying to uncover his past and him trying to find out if he is a clone of original Starkiller. The weirdest thing in game was that you choose on end of game the dark side or light side, and I ended up choosing on end of game the light side and the game then ended with Darth Vader getting captured by Rebels. I personally like the game and on end of the game I was left with a question, how would of the game have ended if I have chosen the dark side instead of light side. If you like Star Wars then you should get the game, and if you like action then you should get the game as well.
Fall 2010 Issue-18
From left to right, Art by Machinima.com, Rooster Teeth, and John CJG respectively.
By Todd S. “Hey,”
it. Some game companies have even added
“What?”
tools to aid in Machinima. This helps produc-
“You ever wonder why we’re here?”
ers by getting to look at a different angle of the shot, or being able to play back a scene, a
These lines are the beginning of one of the
good example would be theater in Halo 3 and
most popular Machinimas on the web, Red vs.
Halo: Reach. Allowing slowing down a scene,
Blue. In the case of Red vs. Blue two groups of
rewind, and fly around the entire map for one
soldiers battle over the most undesirable piece
scene.
of real estate, a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. Ever since its creation people have
The graphics made in Machinima can be as
been arguing over Machinima’s legitimacy as
good as the graphics in animation cg. Ivan
an art form.Machinima is just as much of an
Malopinsky, a graphics professional, who is
art form as movies or music.
the lead developer of KM concepts, thinks that Machinima will replace animation computer
Machinima is a movie or series shot using a
graphics “It’s easily accessible, requires none
game engine.is an easy to use way to make
or very little capital to start, and it looks better
movies with predetermined motion capabili-
and better every year. The need for thousand-
ties. This combines the story and drama of
dollar cg applications becomes obviated when
movies with the ease of use and fun of video
similar quality productions can be done in
games. Machinima can reproduce real world
a tenth of the time for a hundredth of the
physics and has an interactive environment
budget.” Machinima is a cheap, but good
to work in. This cuts production time in half,
quality replacement for cg. This also means
helping people do “in the moment” capture
that graphical designers for games will need to
that doesn’t need to be scripted, but still has
put more time and effort to their work since it
the same quality of movie. This also allows
is being use more and more. Just like mov-
more effects since they are just put on top
ies Machinima has its own set of references.
of the video rather than having to integrate
Some have gone so far as to impact the game
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itself. So when you play Halo 3 climb into
against the California law.
a jeep with some marines and you might hear one of them call “Shotgun!” the
With Machinima at 11,093,136
other one will reply with an inapropriate
subcribers on YouTube and 131,487
retort, that was from a Machinima. Who
Facebook likes, machinima is quickly
knows maybe someone will make a Hol-
gaining popularity. Professionals may
lywood movie purely out of Machinima.
begin to use Machinima in movies or in other types of media. Today Machinima is watched by millions of people. If you
The fact that Machinma is an art form is
counted all the time each person spent
now a legal battle as well. In California
watching Machinima that would be
a law has prohibited the purchase of
longer than the human race has been in
rated “M” (Mature), games by minors.
existence. Next time you’re on YouTube
The game industry went into an uproar
go to the Machinima channel and watch
over this and immediately sued Califor-
some of the latest art form.
nia. Since Machinima gets its workspace from games, the Machinima community rallied behind the game industry’s plea. Eventually this case went all the way up to the Supreme Court. The game industry
Red vs. Blue was one of the very first machinimas. This Machinima is a local piece of comedic genius. Made by Rooster Teeth, a local Austin business. Red vs. Blue is one of the most popular Machinimas today. It just ended its eigth season. Red vs. Blue features two groups of soldiers that are fighting over a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. The red and blue teams are supposed to be at war, but due to the idiotic team members, they are usually fighting among themselves Spriggs is a Halo 3 comedy Machinima about the fifth intergalactic infantry, located on Zambai 7. The squad consists of people the army wanted to get rid of. Their hijinks include: tanks, aliens, and one team killing explosives expert bent on destroying his squadmate Spriggs.
argued that games, like movies are an art form and because of that they should have the same rights as movies. I completely agree and since Machinima would be the product of two art forms, wouldn’t that make Machinima the best of both? Clearly the Supreme Court should vote
Arby ‘n’ the Chief is a hybrid IRL (in real life) and Machinima. Chief an the Arbiter are Halo 2 action figures that center their episodes about innapropriate comedy. Somehow though, they actually get around to discussing some actual issues that plague the gaming community.
Fall 2010 Issue-20
How not to be a NOOB! By: Mark M. 4 things on how to not be a noob (relating to games)
1
Dont be one of those noobs who set up a spot that they stay in for long periods of time. If you get your killstreaks from doing this no one will respect you. Since it is just a game there is no reason for you to do this except for you to piss others off. Camping is for N00BS.
If your gun looks like this then you can definatly call yourself a noob. Everyone has done this at some point so it is not a terrible thing to do because it is common. But if this is on all or most of you guns then you should start to rethink your strategies.
3
2
If you actually throw flash or stun gernades before you kill some one then give yourself a pat on the back and say I am a noob. This is a real cheap shot. If your in the army or in a real situation and not a game then it is a lot different in saying but when you in a game you shouldn’t do this.
Never start to yell at your teamates or enemies. If you say your a beast and you camped, noob tubed, or flash and stunned people then you should not be bragging about anything. People just get annoyed at it. It is even worse if you decide to play music through it because not everyone listens to your kind of music.
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4
01010101011110101010101010101000010110 10111010101010101000101010101001010111 01101000001101011010110010010101010101 01010110010101010101010101000010100010 10101100101010101010101000101010101010 10101010101010010101010101010101010101 01101010101010101010101010000110001111 01010101001010010101010010100101001001 00101010110010101010101010101001010101 01010100101010101010101001010101010101 LASA's Resident Computer Genius 010101010q1010101010101010101010101010 By Todd S. 10101010101010101010001010101111100101 01010101010011101010111110101001010101 01010101101011010100001010101010101001 01010101100110100101010101010101100101 01010110100100101000010010101001010001 00100111001010101010101010101010100101 01010001010110101010101010101101010101 01001010101010101010101001010101010101 01000101010101011101001010010101001010
Jake Stephens:
Fall Issue 2010-22
T
he students come inside the classroom, a stage for the latest performance. They all log in to their instruments. the computers. that are lined around to the room. Then they turn around to look at the teacher’s desk as if waiting for a signal. Like a conductor holding a baton Jake Stephens gives an assignment and a symphony of constant key clicks make amazing creations out of script and pixels. Stephens, a computer science teacher, is halfway through his first year at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School and is already teaching kids to do amazing things with computers. “I almost didn’t take the job,” Stephens says. “A lot of my convictions are just trying to help out those who are less fortunate, and I felt like the students here are a lot more fortunate.” However, Stephens did take the job and now teaches three levels of computer science, a networking class, and also helps out the students who do tech support around the school.
“It didn’t take very long before I realized that I enjoyed it, building the relationships between teacher and student, and watching students learn and grow.” “Luckily I teach classes that are I think a lot of fun for students and a lot of fun for me.” Stevens explains with a smile. Five years before he started teaching, Jake had a job as an engineer for wireless companies. “It left kind of this empty feeling at the end of the day, there was no sense of accomplishment,” Stephens says. He then looked for a teaching job. He then began teaching at an international school in Thailand. “It didn’t take very long before I realized that I enjoyed it, building the relationships between teacher and student, and watching students learn and grow.” Stephens says thoughtfully. After his job in Thailand, Stephens came to LASA. When he isn’t working, Stephens is trying to get his masters in education, he also likes to scuba dive and bike. Even when in class, Stephen has a layed back attitude. “You know it’s funny,” Stephens says. “A substitute teacher was here and asked me ‘how was your day?’ I think my response was ‘it was a good day, every day is a good day.’ I have a pretty laid back attitude and usually don’t let stress get to me too much.” Stephens also puts this laid back attitude into his classes. “My classes are very self-directed,” Stephens explains. “I normally introduce a topic or idea relatively quickly and then let them do it hands on in labs, because in my mind and what I’ve seen is that students learn better hands on.” Stephen’s class utilizes programming in many forms. For example his advanced computer science class is developing an Android app.
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Jake Stephens helping students with a rendering issue
“This semester we are working on Android, and next semester we are hoping to do I-phone,” Stephens says confidently. They are even developing a LASA app. Stephens didn’t reveal much about the app. The app could feature a simple directory, or it could be somewhat like facebook. This could mean a wall for every student and a way for teachers to communicate with their pupils. Stephens also shows his laid back attitude through his class’s freedom. “Next year I will not have my CS2 class, but there will be the independent study course that will replace it,” Stephens says. An independent study course is a class in which a student works on their personal interests, but instead of a class room setting, students work one-on-one with their teacher making it a viable way to search for career options. Stephens is also sponsoring extracurricular activities. “I am working towards doing programming contests for computer science,” Stephens explains. “There’s a written aspect and an actual programming aspect.” Mr. Stephen’s popularity and laid-back attitude was expressed when during the interview fifteen people were laughing and having a good time playing Halo: Combat Evolved at the LAN party club that plays once a week during lunch. Mr. Stephens and the administrators allow this because it doesn’t interfere with classes and is a great way to have fun with friends once a week. Back in the classroom, Stephens sees the bell and asks the students to shut off their computers. The bell rings and the music, of the keys ends. The computers lie in wait until tomorrow when new music will be written.
The Fall A Of
s
the credits for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince starts playing, I can’t help but feel that I was cheated of the good parts of the movie. Around me people mummer “it’s over?” in astonished voices to each other.
00-4 Fall Your 2010 Entertainment Issue-22
Movies skimp over crucial details in them. Take Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for example. One of the biggest scenes in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was the battle over Hogwarts. The producers decided to cut the battle into a mere 10 minute scene. This has caused disappointment to many viewers. It is often complained about on the famous critic website, Rotten Tomatoes. Since the battle was basically half the action in the book the movie turns out to a big disappointment to many fans. Dobbie the house elf was left out too. He was a minor detail and is alright, but taking out all the action in the movie is unacceptable. The whole movie was working up to the battle and all you get is 10 minutes of random running around and a sudden ending.
When books are turned into movies the plot changes most of the time. In Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince the plot changes from learning more about Voldemort and action to more of a relationship/ drama plot. The whole movie is focused on who broke up with who and who and who are getting together. The point is that nobody cares. Majority of people want to see the action. There were only two scenes where we learn anything about Voldemort. Learning about Voldemort’s past was what the book was based on not the movie. If the book is about it then maybe the movie that is based on the book should at least cover it adequately.
By: Yineng Z.
The main problem with movies is that they rush when they are producing them. They want to get the movie out there as soon as possible because the book will still be popular so they will more more people will watch it while it still “hot”. This causes numerous problems. For one thing, the director improvises on a lot of scenes. At the beginning they do a good job. But from there they go down hill because they’re on a time limit. “Nearly every scene with Harry and Dumbledore is riveting and well done, save the finale of the film.” (Cinema Solider) “the lag time between the final books and the movies has drained much of the urgency from this screen adaptation (producers are on a tight schedule).” (NewYork Times) Producers shouldn’t rush the movie to theaters ASAP, because the movie won’t be as good as if they took their time on it. This would do the producers and the viewers good. Because more people will come to watch and and not feel ripped off. And the producers would get more money. I know I was disappointed after watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince because it had nothing to do with the book. Disney, 20th century, and others should to.
Movies 23-4 Your Entertainment