WRITTEN BY SHEZA SALMAN
Something Wilder is a second chance romance about a Wild West, treasure hunting, tour guide and the man who broke her heart. A treasure-hunting retreat brings them together again, where they face danger and darkness. Lily Wilder, daughter of Duke Wilder, a famous treasure hunter, left her in ruins. She runs treasure hunting corporate and tourist retreats in the wilds of Utah. With the help of her best friend Nicole, they lead groups of fake treasure hunting tours in the wild. Ready to move on with her life, Lily's last tour reunites her with Leo Grady, the man who broke her heart years ago. In this book a lot of action, adventure, mystery, and suspense ensue!! The narrative alternates between Lily and Leo. I liked Lily--she is tough as nails and makes for an inspiring heroine, but I loved the way Leo’s character was played out. Leo was a passionate and very supportive character along the way and supported every wild dedication lily had. Their chemistry is palpable. Nicole's point of view isn't shared, but I loved her character, and I think she should be the main character in the next romance based genre. Something Wilder is my favorite “Central Love” novel. What I enjoyed is how different this novel was compared to their other novels. There is an edge of darkness, and there is more than just romance, as there is a lot of action and adventure. The plot is a little over-the-top, but I enjoyed it. There is also a mystery and some suspense woven in. I was pleasantly surprised by a dark turn the novel takes. With the lovable characters, this book was a winner for me. I haven’t loved Christina Lauren’s most recent novels. They felt formulaic and forced, but this book brought me back to the reasons that made me love their earlier novels: lovable characters, steamy chemistry, and something a little unexpected. I am glad they stepped out of the box and did something different in Something Wilder. WRITTEN BY NATHANIEL TKACH
Resident Evil is one of the most successful and longest-running video game franchises in history. It has consistently delivered quality zombie-shooting action since 1996, and has gained a massive fan base. It is known for its unique blend of horror and survival elements, as well as an expansive storyline that has spanned multiple games and films. The Resident Evil series consists of a number of games, films, and other media that all take place in the same fictional universe. The series has become famous for its tense, horror-filled gameplay and highly detailed, cinematic visuals. Players take on the role of a variety of characters - including protagonists such as Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, and Chris Redfield - as they battle their way through hordes of zombies and other monstrous creatures. The series has had its share of ups and downs over the years such as its stunning visuals but hard to follow storyline, but one thing that has remained consistent is its popularity. Resident Evil games have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been praised for their intense gameplay, gripping story, and stunning visuals. Their series has also spawned a popular movie franchise, with the most recent entry “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” Being a critically acclaimed reboot of the franchise. One of the most iconic aspects of the Resident Evil series is the phrase “Where’s Everyone Going? Bingo?”, uttered by Leon S. Kennedy in his first game (Resident Evil 4) when Ganados (a villain) halted his attack on Leon and all his men headed towards the church as soon as they heard the bell ring, leaving Leon vacant in the village square. This phrase has become a popular catchphrase among fans, and is often used in jest to signify a refusal to partake in something. Pros:
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Overall, Resident Evil is one of the most recognizable and important video game series of all time, with a deep history and devoted fans. Resident Evil has also had a significant influence on pop culture, influencing a huge number of films, TV series, and other video games. As everyone can enjoy Resident Evil, regardless of whether they like horror, action, or just fantastic storytelling. Make sure to take the time to enjoy one of the best horror thrilling franchises ever created. WRITTEN BY JILL LUNA
Rated by Author: 4.75/5 Released on the PS4 on May 25, 2018, then later on PC the following year, Detroit: Become Human is a story and choice based game, based in future Detroit, Michigan in the year 2038. The genre of this game is Sci-fi, exploring the concept of Artificial Intelligence in the form of humanoid androids. The androids were created to make life easier for humans, programmed to follow their orders. In the game, you play as one of three characters, Kara, Markus, or Connor. How you play and the choices you make impact the way their stories unfold, which can result in different endings, with a possible 40 varying endings to explore. A few highlights of the game are its gameplay, characters, and replayability. The gameplay is very engaging, with the characters being able to analyze their environment, calculate the choices around them, and preconstruct future actions. One of my favorite mechanics in the game is when you play as Connor, the android detective, and have to scan the areas for clues and create a reconstruction of what happened at the crime scene. Another cool mechanic is pre constructing future actions, where the androids can run possible actions in their head to calculate the best outcome, seeing what will work or what may fail. One of the main things about the gameplay is the ability to make choices. You can choose how the story goes for the characters, and it can determine the endings, outcomes, dialogue, creating a large abundance of branching paths. A highlight of most games are the characters, and this game is no different. This first character you can play as, and my personal favorite character, is Connor. Connor is an android sent by CyberLife (the company that manufactures and sells androids) to assist the Detroit Police Department in investigating deviants (rogue androids). Connor accompanies Lieutenant Hank Anderson to investigate the crimes. Depending on your choices, Connor and Hank can grow to be friends or Hank grows to despise Connor and the world around him. Hank and Connor have a fun dynamic, with Hank being a hard-boiled, grizzled detective having to deal with the past that haunts him and Connor being determined solely on the deviant cases. It’s always entertaining whenever the two are on screen. The second playable character is Kara, a housekeeping android, who becomes a deviant once she sees the person that bought her, Todd, was hurting his daughter, Alice. If you play the game a certain way, Kara and Alice run away together, spending the game trying to find a better life. The development of Kara’s caring nature towards Alice, and Alice’s love for Kara creates an emotional story and heartwarming interactions that I believe has players rooting and hoping for the two to be free and have a better life together. The third character you can play as is Markus, an android who takes care of an elderly painter, Carl. Carl believes Markus can choose who Markus wants to be. Later in the story, Markus leads a group of androids to freedom from only being seen as machines, to being seen as living beings with wants and dreams. Markus’ resiliency, determination, and leadership role can be very action-packed and very cool to play. One of the many things that stand out about this game to me is the replayability. Since there are so many endings and branching paths, everytime I replay there is something new to see. I love how, even after going through the game almost a dozen times, there is always something new for me to discover. This game is definitely very replayable, since there may be endings that have yet to be seen, or you have to go back and unlock other paths to get to the ending you want to see. The stories between the three characters are very thought provoking, cinematic, and emotional. Replaying the game helps with experiencing the story again, which is another reason why the game is so replayable and amazing. WRITTEN BY AIDEN ORANTES
Rated by Author: 5/5 On March 17, 2023, Hozier released his first extended play record (or EP) in several years. It's titled Eat Your Young, and is currently being met with critical acclaim, from both Hozier's fans, and from music reviewers alike. On Metacritic, a website that allows fans to rate music, he's currently rated a 79 out of 100, which is a favorable rating. This album is very inspired by folk music, as well as rock, alternative pop, and R&B. The varied instrumentation is refreshing to hear from Hozier.The thought provoking lyrics are sung in all 3 of the songs included in this EP. Starting off with “Eat Your Young”, the title references A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, in which he sarcastically suggests that the Irish should eat their young, in order to not starve. However, the lyrics in this song could be taken in a more literal sense, with lyrics such as “I’m starvin, darlin, let me put my lips to something, let me wrap my teeth around the world..” All in all, this song implies multiple forms of gluttony, from the gluttony of war to literal gluttony. With “All Things End”, the instrumentation at the beginning is mainly acoustic guitar, clapping, and piano. It follows the usual formula of a Hozier song, in which no harsh instruments are used (i.e, drums, electric guitar), and the lyrics are definitely full of yearning, talking about how people who go through life without their heart broken probably didn’t do it right. But, at the very end, he mentions how things can begin again, even though things can also come to a close. Lastly, with “Through Me (The Flood)”, it mixes R&B instrumentation and vocals, with a traditional Irish melody, since Hozier is Irish. The lyrics allude to the grief of losing people forever, as well as trying to get over the grief, knowing that the person you grieve is no longer with you, and to be willing to let go. This song uses harsher instruments, mainly a drum kit, which you can hear in the background, next to Hozier’s beautiful vocals, singing lyrics such as “With each grave, I think of loss, and I can only think of you, and I couldn’t measure it..” All in all, each song in this new EP flows beautifully, all having the same rhythms, vocals, and lyricism that Hozier is well-known for. This is just a taste of what is confirmed to be part of his upcoming album, Unreal Unearth, being set to come out sometime in fall of 2023. WRITTEN BY LEE BOCH
Rated by Author: 3/5 McDonald’s McFlurry™️ is showing off as a perfect treat on a hot day. Previously in the U.S locations, McDonalds only had two year-round options for your McFlurry: Oreo™️ Cookies and M&M™️. Other sweet cold treats would have been the vanilla ice cream cone, hot fudge sundae, hot caramel sundae, and basic flavored milkshakes (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry). But starting on April 12, the new Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry came out for only a limited time. It contains the usual soft serve vanilla ice cream with a buttery crushed strawberry shortcake flavor cookie. On the day of the initial release, I went to purchase after school this sweet treat to give my judgment without knowing what was advertised. As received, the McFlurry™️ does come as a soft serve ice cream with crumbled cookies. The cookie has a shortbread texture and a butter cookie taste. It was crunchy and not syrupy. As for the strawberry flavor, it wasn’t as intense or fruity as I would have liked. It tasted artificial and more salty than expected from a strawberry flavor treat like their milkshake. When expecting a strawberry shortcake ice cream, I believed it would have at least strawberry syrup taste or made from jam, or with a soft cakey crumble to resemble a real strawberry shortcake. A close reference would be to Good Humors™️ own strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, but not as strong of a strawberry flavor. Overall, I would recommend for a new experience, but not for its strawberry shortcake flavored itself, so it rates as a 3/5 . WRITTEN BY NATHANIEL TKACH
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has captivated audiences around the world with its blockbuster films featuring beloved superheroes like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and more. On the other side of the coin, the DC Extended Universe has similarly enthralled moviegoers with its own iconic lineup of heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. But which superhero team would prevail if these two forces of justice ever met in battle? The Avengers and the Justice League are two of the most powerful superhero teams in comics and film. Both teams have a long history of protecting the world from evil and saving countless lives in the process. When it comes to a battle between the two teams, the outcome is far from certain. Each team has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the outcome of the fight could come down to a few crucial details. It’s possible that the Avengers would win due to their superior teamwork and experience in fighting together, while the Justice League could win due to their sheer power and variety of abilities. The Avenger’s biggest strength is their teamwork. The team has worked together for years and knows each other’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to coordinate their attacks and counter attacks effectively. The Justice League, on the other hand, is made up of powerful individuals with different abilities, but they don’t always work as well as a team. This could be their downfall in a battle against the Avengers. The Justice League is also powerful in strength and varied abilities. Superman is one of the most powerful beings in the universe, and the other members of the team like Flash with his insane speed and high IQ, have their own unique powers and skills that could give them an edge in the fight. However, the Avengers have faced off against powerful foes like Thanos and Ultron, giving them the experience necessary to handle the Justice League’s power. In the end, the outcome of a battle between the Avengers and the Justice League is uncertain. It could come down to a few crucial details, such as teams’ strategies or the individual powers of each team member. Realistically, if they were to actually fight, the reason they would do so could be the Avengers cockiness. But one thing is for sure: no matter which team wins, the fight is sure to be an epic one! WRITTEN BY AIDEN ORANTES
Recently, on March 24th, 2023, Fall Out Boy released their most hyped album to date, So Much (for) Stardust. It clocks in at 44 minutes and 14 seconds, with 13 songs, and is currently rated a 81/100 on Metacritic, which is a music website where fans can send in their own opinions on albums and songs. It was also rated a ⅘ by Kerrang!, which is a music newspaper. The album starts off with “Love from the Other Side”, “Heartbreak Feels So Good”, “Hold me Like A Grudge”, “Fake Out”, “Heaven, Iowa”, and “So Good Right Now”, Each song has its own different feel, but you can tell that they still mesh together. The instrumentation of each song is wonderful, with some songs starting off with violins, while other songs start with drums, or guitars. Bass is mainly used for "Hold me Like a Grudge", but you can still hear the drums in the background. "Fake Out" starts with guitars, but the entire song is very peaceful, with the drums being used as a backing instrument, with acoustic guitar being the main instrument. "Heaven, Iowa" makes use of some different instruments, but it's mainly Patrick Stump’s voice, until later in the song, with drums backing his vocals. "So Good Right Now" sounds like a very 2010s pop song, since it is supposed to emulate some of Fall Out Boys earlier albums. The latter half of the album, which has the songs "The Pink Seashell (feat. Ethan Hawke)", "I am My Own Muse", "Flu Game", "Baby Annihilation", "The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)", "What A Time to be Alive", and "So Much For Stardust". "The Pink Seashell (feat. Ethan Hawke)", and "Baby Annihilation" are just nothing but talking, so they won't really be included. As for the other songs, starting with "I am My Own Muse", it starts with violins, but the trumpets and drums connect into the song, as well as Patrick Stumps vocals weaving the instruments together. "Flu Game" has very beautiful vocals, and starts off with the bass, as well as the drums, although the chorus is a bit repetitive. "The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)" almost didn't make it onto the album, but Patrick Stump described it as "..this will probably be a B-side. Everybody was kind of feeling that. And then when it was finished, it just felt so great. We collectively looked around like, “We need to do this song, right?”" With "What a Time to Be Alive", it's once again very pop-influenced, as well as having a lot of synthetic vocals in the song. Lastly, "So Much (for) Stardust" sounds like it would be in the credits of a movie, and Patrick Stump's voice compliments the electric guitar and drums used in the background. It's also filled with a bit of synthetic sounds, but you can't really hear it, and the lyrics call back to the first song on the album. Overall, this new Fall Out Boy album is one of their best yet, with a mix of tunes, and yet returning to the same point as one of their earlier albums. WRITTEN BY KAITLYN BOCH
Rated by Author: 4/5 The Help is a fictional story written by Kathryn Stockett, which later became a 2011 movie directed by Tate Taylor. The story takes place when racism was apparent in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi. The film introduces two black maids, Aibileen Clarke and Minny, and a southern white woman named Skeeter Phelan who came back from college, and all three participate in the publishing of a book called The Help. Aibileen works for Skeeter’s best friend, Elizabeth Leefolt, to look after her children while Minny works for Missus Walters, the mother of Hilly Holbrook, an influential woman in the town. In danger of losing her job, Minny secretly works for a housewife, Celia Foote, who is not blatantly prejudiced against her and is married to Miss Hilly’s ex-boyfriend. In the town’s weekly club, Miss Hilly proposes a separate bathroom for their black workers as they may, “carry different kinds of diseases than we do” in which Miss Skeeter is the only who questions this idea. Later, Miss Skeeter is given a writing position in their town’s newspaper and looks forward to the idea of writing about the lives of the black maids. When she is familiar with Aibileen, she encourages the idea of voicing her experience, however Aibileen doesn’t agree as she doesn't want to be harmed once she is found out. Following the publishing of The Help, the audience are witness to the darker aspects of each one of the three characters' lives. In the end, all three left their previous situations to move on for one that will treat them better. The movie, The Help, is a cinematic story that reflects the unjust treatment of women of color experienced during the 1960s. The narrative captures the suffering from the lower class. It leaves a message for the audience to find the strength to live while also to love. In many aspects of the film, it may lack the real severity of the cruel treatment of people of color during that time, or not noting enough of it. Historically, the 1960s was an era of many union protests and movements for equality for African Americans. Many high-paid black people were less likely to face discrimination upfront, but lower classes were verbally and physically harassed. In another instance, the story shows another societal issue of the "white savior" trope, meaning a white person comes to help non-white people. This would insinuate that white people are socially superior, and the people of color are victims once again without their own strength. Despite that, it is a well performed film that shows the resentment of African Americans towards their White counterparts. From one viewpoint, the fictional piece has a pattern that is overused and isn't able to bring out many truths that reality really offered, but in another it is an introduction to analyze and understand what may have happened in the 1960s. The performance in the film was well acted and the dialogue does bring life when watching it. Overall, I believe The Help is ⅘ stars for depicting a situation of how in one area of life can face segregation and suffering while also being able make each character unique. WRITTEN BY NATHANIEL TKACH
Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime series of all time. It has captivated viewers with its intense action sequences, gripping storyline, and complex characters. The story revolves around a world in which humanity lives in fear of giant humanoid creatures known as Titans. These creatures have nearly wiped out the human race and the few remaining survivors are living in a walled city for protection. The main characters in the story are Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They are part of the Scout Regiment, an elite military force tasked with tackling the Titans and reclaiming the world for humanity. The series follows the trio as they battle the Titans, uncover secrets about the origins of the creatures, and find out the truth behind their own pasts. Along the way, they face danger and tragedy, all while trying to save their own lives and the lives of their friends and family. The animation and art style of Attack on Titan are highly praised. The characters and designs are detailed, and the action sequences are fluid and dynamic. The show is also notable for its intense atmosphere, which has shocked and captivated viewers since its first episode. The success of the series has spawned multiple spin-offs, live-action films, and even an upcoming video game. It is no wonder why Attack on TItan has become one of the most popular anime series of all time. It is an intense and compelling story that will stay with viewers for years to come. Attack On Titan season 4 part 3 is the conclusion of the series, and does not disappoint. After the shocking revelations in part 2, the stakes are higher than ever as the Scout Regiment attempts to save humanity from the looming threat of the Titans. The action is more intense than ever before and the characters are pushed to their limits. Fans of the series will also enjoy seeing some familiar faces make their return as well as some new surprise characters. This part of the series is sure to be an exciting and satisfying conclusion to the story. WRITTEN BY AIDEN ORANTES
Rated by Author: 4.5/5 It's a wonderful day, and you are a terrible goose. At least, you can play as a horrible goose, but you're not an actual goose. You go around each location in the town, from the Garden, to the Pub, and many more locations in between. You steal from different townspeople, bother children, and even perform at the Pub! Of course, I'm talking about a game that you can get on a lot of devices, like the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and other devices! The main goal is to cause as much chaos as possible, and get banned from mostly every place you visit. It's a short game, but otherwise very fun and enjoyable! The graphics are simple, getting the point across, but also look incredibly charming. The soundtrack simply adds to the detail, heightening when you're getting chased, and slow when you're just waddling around the streets. |
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