What We Know About Pokemon Legends ZA By Finn Alves

On February 27th, 2024, Pokemon held a live stream on Youtube called “Pokemon Presents” which happens every once in a while. It usually comes around on February 27th due to that day being Pokemon Day, but there are a few cases where there are multiple in a year, and it presents what is to come in the coming year. This particular live stream had some shocking news. At the end of the live stream, it was revealed that Pokemon Legends ZA would be a new game releasing “Simultaneously in 2025” which has led some people to think Nintendo will announce a new console and this game will be on it.

From the trailer, we know that this game will take place in the Kalos region from the 6th generation and it will most likely take place in a different point in time. I'm unsure if it will be the future or the past. Mega evolving will be making its return since the “Let’s Go” games. There's a good chance the game will focus around the huge Kalos city, “Lumiose City”, home of the Electric type gym.

But that's not all. Before Pokemon Legends Arceus came out there was a Pokemon card fun pack (a small pack with 3 cards) that had the Pokemon Cyndaquil, Rowlet, and Oshawott which ended up being the starters for Legends Arceus. I went to Gamestop and they were giving away brochures that had free fun packs in them. These packs were new and had Litten, Totodile, and Turtwig. This leads me to believe that these will be the starters. I, and others, had thought it would be Piplup, Scorbunny, and Snivy due to their French relation, and Kalos is a French based region.

How to win in Mariokart 8 Deluxe by Julian Nowlin

Mariokart 8 Deluxe, despite being a port from a Wii U game, might just be one of the best games on the switch. Millions of people have bought it, and Nintendo has filled it to the brim with content. It has a hard core fanbase who will stop at nothing to win. I am one of those people, so here are some strategies you can use to secure a top three placement. 

Bagging: If there is a track with lots of off road to cut through, this strategy is king. It involves intentionally driving bad until the final lap, where you chain amazing items and pass a lot of people. To perfect this strategy, try to stay as far away from first place as possible without going below 9th place. The way the engine gives you your items relies on distance from first place and placement. 9th to 12th get the best items, so 9th is the best spot for you.

Another critical part of bagging is to go for coins and double item boxes. Coins make you a lot faster, and having two last place items is the best position you can be. Bagging, although it sounds easy, is hard to perfect. It just takes practice, but as you become good at it you can easily get top three.

Dodging a Blue Shell: This can be done in two ways. The first way is to throw a banana in front of you. This gives you invincibility and makes you slide forward, making it faster than being hit by the blue shell. The second way is my favorite. For some reason, there are frames where you can use a dash mushroom and speed out of the blast. This is a very precise move, though, and it takes practice. To do it, wait for the blue shell to drop down on you. While it does this, quickly use the mushroom. It’s a small time window, so this method is tricky to pull off. 

Bill Extensions: If you have a bullet bill, don’t use it right away. Wait for a specific spot and quickly use the item. This makes the game confused, and it will freak out and drop you off three seconds later. Although it may sound small, that time gap can be the difference between winning and losing.

Snaking: This is very easy to do. In a straight section, instead of just driving, charge and release mini turbos. If you go in a curved line, you won’t hit the wall and will go much faster.

Dodge Item Chaining: If you just finished lap 2 and there has not been a shock yet, start chaining dodge items. Dodge items are anything that make you invincible. This includes, Bullet Bills, Stars, and Boos. Start using these one after the other to attempt to dodge the shock. If done correctly, you will not be hit and will go significantly faster than the other racers. 

These are all the strategies that I use. Although you may not take them seriously, they can work very well. Now it’s to make your friends rage.       

Image: Nintendo. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass. Accessed 14 11 2024.

Will the Minecraft Movie Fail? By Finn Alves

Earlier this year the “Minecraft Movie” trailer was released, but some people weren't too fond of it. First of all, it looked strange. Some parts were not blocky, at one point the blonde guy creates something that isn’t even in the game (he built two buckets that were connected with a chain!), and a lot of people think the animals look funny or goofy. It makes me feel like they're throwing in all sorts of things to show what they can do. 

The movie feels weird being live action and not being animated. I've seen people remake scenes from the trailer as an animation and those fanfilms were smooth, worked well, showed quality and expresion, and these people had a only few months to do these animations. Normal Minecraft has never looked like this; it feels wrong. 

Although the movie is called “A Minecraft Movie” and the Minecraft team explained how it's called “A Minecraft Movie” and not “The Minecraft Movie”, this movie simply tells a story about Minecraft in the Minecraft world. This also makes openings for more movies, not sequels, that are fresh stories with new characters. So the movie might not flop, because after all, the game has sold hundreds of millions of copies since release, so there will probably be at least 10’s of millions of people wanting to watch it. 

Upcoming Movies in November/December 2024 by Kadance Delahanty

1. Wicked 

This movie is based on a  2 part stage musical called Wicked by Stephan Schwartz. The movie is based on the first part of the musical. It is also based on the 1995 novel called Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It also has some of the same characters of the novel and movie, Wizard of Oz. It is an upcoming fantasy musical. It is set in the land of Oz. It is about Elphaba’s studies at Shiz university and the beginning of her ultimately becoming the wicked witch of the west, and her unlikely friendship with Glinda which later became her rival Glinda the Good. Ariana Grande is playing Glinda. Cynthia Erivo is playing Elphaba. It will be coming out November 22, 2024.

2. Mufasa: The Lion King

This movie is an upcoming musical drama film directed by Berry Jenkins from a screenplay by Jeff Nathenson. It will be produced by Walt Disney pictures. This movie and musical is about orphaned, lost, and alone cub Mufasa meets a caring cub named Taka. Taka is an heir to a royal bloodline. Their meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits. This movie will be coming out December 20, 2024. 

3. Moana 2

This movie has had a lot of excitement while it has been in progress. This movie is an upcoming animated musical adventure film. Most of the original cast members will be voicing their characters again. 3 years after the first film's events, Moana gets an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. She forms her own crew, reuniting with her old friend and demi god, Maui. They journey to the far seas of Oceania to break the god Nalo’s curse on the hidden island of Montufetu. It once connected the people of the ocean. They confronted new and old foes. This movie will be coming out November 27, 2024.  

Top Artists of 2024 So Far by Zoe Angle

Music is, has, and always will be one of the most common (and in my personal opinion, best) ways to express yourself or feel a certain way. Music and its artists are a big part of everyday life, whether you want to relax, scream, the occasional sob into your pillow, or just feel like popping in your AirPods and falling asleep. Though 2025 is months away, these top artists so far this year may shock or may be just what you’ve expected.

6. People worldwide wait all week of hard work for the weekend to have fun and relax. If that’s why Abel Tesfaye chose “The Weeknd” for his artist name, it certainly paid off, as he is the 6th biggest artist of 2024. With the drop of Dancing in the Flames, the newest of his albums, he just edged his way into the top six. You can almost definitely expect to hear him on the radio, possibly in his top three songs, “Timeless (with Playboi Carti),” “One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily Rose Depp),” and “Blinding Lights.”

5. Pronounced the same as the movie snack favorite, Eminem with top songs “Houdini,” “Without Me,” and “Mockingbird” has climbed back up to 5th biggest artist after last year at 14th. How did he make that big of a jump? Who knows! But many (including myself) are certainly happy about it. 

4. In 4th this year so far has been Kendrick Lamar. Not within even the top 20 last year, Lamar spiked in popularity in 2024. Songs of his such as “Not Like Us” have majorly helped with his new-found fame as he has reached Billboard’s number one song many a time in 2024. As well as his own personal creations, his collaborations have been just as beneficial to his music career. In particular, “All The Stars (with SZA)” has helped this #4 creator reach new heights.

3. With the release of her recent album Hit Me Hard and Soft and the top song “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Billie Eilish became the third greatest artist of 2024. This new album certainly was beneficial to her career, as it was the newest in three years and received lots of love from her millions of fans.

2. Canadian rapper and singer Drake has been a major influence in the music industry. With eight studio albums and five Grammy Awards, his career has soared. With top songs including “God’s Plan,” Drake has worked his way up from fourth last year to second now. 

1. Known as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the music industry, Taylor Swift holds a steady lead in first with the Swifty Army backing her up. At the 2023 Grammys, she mentioned the surprise release of her newest album “The Tortured Poets Department,” which immediately reached 1st in Billboard. With the Era’s Tour and top songs including “Cruel Summer,” she has shown many times that she is at the top.

Source: RouteNote

2025 Movies: When They Are Coming and What to Expect By Zoe Angle

With each new year, people worldwide look forward to movies coming out. Some iconic movies of this past year have been Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4. Though people have loved these movies (pretty expressively), some films that many are excited for don’t end up being worth your time. These are 6 movies coming out in 2025, so you know what is worth the watch.

1. The live-action version of the 1937 Disney Classic, Snow White is expected for March 21, 2025 (yet to be rated). This modification of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has stars including Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap and is directed by Mark Webb. Though this musical isn’t an exact replica of the animated original, you can still expect to see everyone’s favorite characters, Doc, Bashful, Sneezy, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and last but not least, Dopey.

2. Jurassic World Rebirth, expected July 2, is directed by Gareth Edwards and has stars including Scarlett Johansson, Ed Skrein, and Jonathan Bailey. This (supposedly) incredible movie is the 7th in the sci-fi franchise of Jurassic Park. In this movie, an expedition takes place to extract DNA to help with a “groundbreaking medical breakthrough.”

3. Based on the video game, A Minecraft Movie, directed by Jared Hess and featuring Emma Myers, Jack Black, and Jason Momoa, has many similar aspects to the world-famous pastime. Expected April 4th, 2025, A Minecraft Movie shows the Ender Dragon from the game setting a path of destruction in the Overworld. It is up to a girl and her “unlikely adventurers” to save it.

4. Avatar: Fire and Ash is the sequel to the iconic Avatar movie and is continued to be directed by James Cameron. Starring Cliff Curtis, David Thewlis, and Sigourney Weaver, the sequel is expected to be just as phenomenal as the original and expected December 19, 2025. Even though the plotline is unknown, this is a movie to wait for!

5. Another sequel that is expected in 2025 (without a further due date) is Zootopia 2. Directed by Jared Bush, rabbit cop Judy Hopps and fox Nick Wilde return to solve yet another case. This sequel has stars including Jason Bateman, Fortune Feimster, and Ginnifer Goodwin.

6. Lilo and Stitch returns! Lilo and Stitch is coming out again, live-action. This remake is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and stars Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, and Tia Carrere is expected sometime during 2025. 
   

   Source: IMBD

Are Video Games Good for You? by Finn Alves

Press Start

I know it, you know it, we all know it. We’ve probably all had an experience with video games, whether it was a game on a console, or a PC, or getting sucked into the brain rot that is bad mobile games. But, have you ever heard the term, “Video games are bad for you!” Well, if so, well, if you haven't then who are you? But is this saying correct? Let's find out!

Gaming Pros

There is a good selection of benefits of gaming. Some benefits of gaming include:

1. Better mind skills - Doing puzzle or memory games is great for stretching your mind and increasing problem solving skills.

2. Boosting teamwork and problem solving and social skills - Multiplayer games help form teamwork and other people you meet.

3. Virtual reality and other movement based games - Good form of exercise especially in the arms with VR.

These are some of the benefits for something that mostly involves sitting around playing games on a device. Although, with all these pros, there are ought to be some cons about it.

Con-trollers

So, with pros, there always come cons, so let’s look at some cons about gaming. Some cons include:

1. Playing for too long could make you lose sleep or not get schoolwork done.

2. You could get addicted to a game and have trouble paying attention due to non stop gaming

3. Some games involve microtransactions and you shouldn’t be pumping money into a game.

So those were some pretty good, well, pretty bad cons, and it makes the score not so one sided towards it being good.

Final Score

We’ve gone over some cons, and some pros, but now it's time to decide the winner of if video games are good for you or not, and to answer the question, I’d say that it depends. But if I had to choose, I’d say gaming is good for you. All the pros were about how they help you IRL (In Real Life) and in the game. I asked a couple of my friends what their opinion was and they said it was good for similar reasons as listed. As long as you have a good game that you and the game don’t fall into the cons, then gaming certainly has its fair share of benefits.

Top 5 Best Horror Villains by Aidan Murphy

Since Halloween is soon, horror movies are back in season. But what matters most is the villain. So here’s my Top 5 Halloween Movie Villains.

5. Chucky

While he may be small, he makes up for it with his ruthlessness.

4. Freddy Krueger

Really, he’s far funnier than scary at this point.

3. Ghostface

Even though he isn’t that great of a killer, he’s so iconic I can’t put him anywhere other than the top 3.

2. Jason Voorhees

A genuine threat that’s nearly invincible. His biggest weakness might be lakes.

1. Michael Myers

One of the most recognizable villains ever. While he may not be as strong as Jason, or as charismatic as Chucky or Freddy, he creates an aura that’s just unmatched.

10 Reasons why Google Doodle Baseball is the best by Quinn Cunningham

1. It's not blocked by SCASD. 

2. You can hit 2,000 foot home runs. 

3. There are left-handed players, so they are not left out. 

4. If you hit the ball, it is always a base hit. 

5. The players are food. 

6. The field is picnic themed.

7. The pitchers throw many different pitches. 

8. the crowd in the stands and they also celebrate when you hit the ball. 

9. It is easy to score many runs unlike actual baseball. 

10. It is entertaining and keeps you ready for the next pitch. 

Hot take: It's better than Google Doodle Cricket. 

Hot take: I has the best sound effects ever

Hot take: You can’t pause the game!

Best and Worst Gimkit Games by Edward Chote

In this article I will be talking about what Gimkit games are good and which ones you shouldn't even try. 

The Worst Gimkit Games

Now to start off,  let’s talk about some of the worst games, starting with Fishtopia. First,  this game is so boring it's actually kind of sad when you play it -  all you do is fish and answer questions. 

Another bad game is the Dig It Up  game. First off, all this game just isn't that much fun in my opinion. It is a very basic game where you build up and don't do much more. 

There is one more mediocre game I can think of, and it is One Way Out. All you do in this game is run through halls shooting enemies that don't actually do much. 

The Best Gimkit Games

But now I'm going to list some of the better games that I do believe are actually fun. First off, all there's Don’t Look Down,, a spin off of the popular rage game Only Up. The premise of this game is to jump up a map where there are very few checkpoints - one wrong fall and you have to start all over again. 

Another fun game is the new Knockback  game, or at least it's new at the writing time of this article. This game is really only fun if you have three or more people playing on it,  but the basic idea is that you are on a ton of tiny platforms and you have to shoot your friends off of them, increasing the knockback, making it like Super Smash Bros. 

And the final fun game that is on Gimkit has to be Capture the Flag. Whenever your teacher picks this map, it's always fun with how much yelling across the class there is, but if it's only you and a few more of your friends, there isn't much to do, and it's not that fun. 

And that is my final analysis of the worst and best gimkit games to play.

William’s Monster Movie Review - Episode 4: Civil War (2024) By William Gartner

Non-Spoiler Summary of Film:

In the Near Future, The US is dealing with a Second Civil War and a group of War Journalists are following the Rebel forces, all the way to D.C.

My Review:

Before I saw the film I had high hopes for it. The trailers made it seem like it is a gruff war film filled with tanks, explosions and pure awesomeness. And that was delivered . .  at the very end. The film is either incredibly bloody or just plain boring. The film has one of the greatest premises and a great cast, but just terrible execution (no pun intended) Also it is not a war film…it is a road trip movie and then a war film at the end. One other problem I have is that the film leaves you in the dark about the causes of the war itself which is something that you definitely need your audience to know. Finally, there is the fact that it is sad that there could have been a great movie in place of this film but now we have to suffer with this piece of trash.

William’s Monster Movie Rating:  25 out of 100. 

The film is garbage and you should not pay to see it

What’s Next for Phineas and Ferb? by Jacey Gummo

Spoilers Ahead

Phineas waves goodbye for what we thought was the final time. Little did we know that we would see the series return this summer.

As some of you may know, Dan Povenmire is famous for his shows like Phineas and Ferb, Milo Murphy’s Law, and his latest work, Hamster and Gretel. There has been an announcement of two new seasons for Phineas and Ferb. Here’s the latest info and what my predictions are.

 Some may have heard through the news, while others have heard through their peers. I heard this news from another fan and a friend, Orlando Depalma, last year. I was so excited, yet skeptical. But this news was confirmed. The reboot will be released this year around late June and early July. According to Deadline.com (and many others), there will be a total of 40 new episodes split up into 2 seasons, as I have previously mentioned before. And for those who are thinking, “I’m a huge fan, but I don’t want to watch other voice actors. I want the original cast!” I’ve got the news of a lifetime for you. According to the website J-14, the original cast will be reprising their roles. But there’s a much bigger question; will they still be kids or adults, like in the episode “Act Your Age”? I could find nothing on this, but I believe it will be kids.

Now, with all of the information we have gathered, I will play a game with you. For each right prediction, check it off the list.

• It will take place a year later

• Meap Me In Saint Louis will happen

• Crossover with Hamster and Gretel

• Something between Candace and Jeremy

• Doof gets a girl and then loses her later

• Doof’s Professor Time character arc progresses

•  Linda FINALLY busts the boys

• More painful Doof backstories 

But hey, that’s just a theory- a FILM Theory! And-cut.

If you have any questions, please email jjg32@scasd.org and I will try my best to answer them to the best of my abilities. Only ask questions about Phineas and Ferb.

Youtubers Tier Lists by Derek Jones and Julian Nowlin

S.  MrBeast, Mark Rober, Ryan Trahan, TD Bricks, Beluga

Mr.Beast makes great content that's non negotiable. He blows stuff up and it is very satisfying. His challenges are very suspenseful and he gives out so much money.

Mark Rober is an easy S because he makes science fun and is very educational. He also punishes people for doing bad things in the funniest ways possible.

Ryan Trahan is a funny Youtuber who makes a great vlog. I don’t really like his penny series but his one star rating videos are stellar.

Beluga is a funny Discord Youtuber. He makes me laugh with all his jokes and sure some of them are outdated, but the way he uses them is just so funny.

TD Bricks is just a funny Youtuber in general. He makes entertaining videos and never fails to make me laugh. 

A.  SamBucha, LetsGameItOut, Brick Science, Slowmo Guys

SamBucha makes a variety of gaming videos and some good shorts. My favorites are the ones like “Testing Viral Life Hacks'' and “Breaking the Weirdest Laws in the World.”

Letsgameitout is a funny gaming youtuber that does a bunch of video games and he makes me and my friends laugh whenever we watch him.

The Slowmo guys make such good slow motion videos of a lot of random stuff. It's always very satisfying to watch and they spend so much money just to make 30 seconds of satisfaction.

Brick Science is a science Youtuber who makes devices with Lego. I like watching them and seeing how the designs come together. He also shows the large amount of possibilities with Lego.

B. Camman18, aCookiegod, Crave, Odd1sOut

aCookieGod is a cool minecraft youtuber who does challenges and other stuff. He even tried collecting like a one million cookies in one of his videos.

Camman18 is a very good Youtuber who has taught me a lot about Minecraft. He uploads daily so when I come home from school, I look forward to seeing the video.

Odd1sOut is an entertaining animation Youtuber who makes animations about his whole life from working at Subway to having a lisp in first grade.

Crave is a solid Youtuber who makes funny Minecraft skits. A lot of them are relatable but I think he uses memes a bit too much. 

C. Griffpatch, BeastReacts, Camman18VODS, Parrot

Griffpatch is a name you might have heard from the coding site Scratch. He makes tutorials that are very helpful and I am a better Scratcher because of him. He just doesn’t make his content that entertaining. 

BeastReacts you probably know him it's just Mr Beast’s reaction channel it has really good content reacting to random stuff he would have been b or a tier but he stopped uploading 8 months ago

Camman18VODS is Camman18’s channel where he posts Twitch Streams. I’ve watched a few of them and sometimes they are entertaining but they are too long to watch the whole thing except the parkour duel with PrestonPlayz.

Parrot is a pretty entertaining Minecraft youtuber on the lifesteal smp and he makes videos doing a lot of crazy stuff in that server.

D. PrestonPlayz, Jawed,  BeckBroJack, Fru

PrestonPlayz is a youtuber who makes minecraft videos there not very entertaining and the jokes get old really quick.

Jawed, full name Jawed Karim, is one of the founders of YouTube and only has one video. However, that video is a masterpiece.

BeckBroJack is a Minecraft youtuber who makes very entertaining youtubes. I wish I could put him higher but he doesn't upload very often.

Fru is a Minecraft Youtuber who I watched in third and fourth grade. He made a cool Hardcore series that was fine, but I’m 90% sure that he used commands for his diamonds. 

E. Kronkle_Wonkle, JasonPlaysMinecraft, Ishowspeed, 

Kronkle_Wonkle may or may not be a kid who goes to PFMS. He steals his video ideas and needs to make something original. 

JasonPlayzMinecraft is a really horrible minecraft youtuber who just screams random stuff at the top of his lungs while blowing minecraft mountains up.

Ishowspeed is a somehow famous youtuber who plays a bunch of games while blowing everyones eardrums into smithereans.

F. Logan Paul, Stokes Twins, Jake Paul, 

Logan Paul is just a bad person in general. He went to Italian Prison for flying a drone over the Colosseum, posting a video with a dead body, and making a scam game. 

Stokes Twins can be described by one word: Thieves. They steal videos, thumbnails, and even details. In the MrBeast Tesla video, there is a detail in the background that is in the Stokes Twins thumbnail, proof of copy and paste. 

Jake paul is a youtuber that I don't know a lot about, but I know he did a lot of bad stuff with his brother Logan Paul.

Spaceman Movie Review By Kale Cunningham

Last weekend I was able to watch a new space movie based on one of my favorite books, Spaceman of Bohemia. The book came out in 2017, and earlier this year Netflix distributed a movie titled Spaceman. The film stars Adam Sandler, one of my favorite actors. When I heard that this movie was coming out I couldn’t wait to see it. And I wasn’t disappointed. 

What You Need To Know 

First, I should probably mention that although this movie has Adam Sandler who is famous for his comical movies, this is a dramatic thriller. Although this may seem unfit for a comedian, especially for Sandler, I feel like Adam Sandler has proven himself fit for the drama genre, especially after movies such as Uncut Gems (2019) and Hustle (2022)

The movie is also based on a book, so I would recommend reading Spaceman of Bohemia before watching the movie.       

Premise 

Spaceman follows Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka (Adam Sandler) who is alone in space, on a mission to study a strange substance just beyond the orbit of Jupiter. He misses his estranged wife and unborn child that he left behind when he decided to go on the mission. Strange events begin to happen onboard the space station, and Procházka begins to hear voices inside his head, only to discover that a spider-like creature with apparent telepathic abilities has joined him on his journey. The spider (voiced by Paul Dano) says that he wishes to help Procházka with his problems back on Earth.

Reception (By Critics And Audience)

Spaceman has received mixed reviews from critics with praise for Sandlers and Dano’s performance but criticism for the plot and pacing. According to the review aggregator website, Spaceman holds an even 50% on Rotten Tomatoes (slightly below average). Audiences have given it a more positive review, with a 75% positive score according to IMDb.

My Review 

I found the book to be better (which it always is), but Sandler's performance was excellent. Dano’s voice performance cannot be ignored either; both of the actors seem to work well together. The movie also has impressive graphics for its budget. Most good space movies need over $100 million to look realistic, however, this movie has less than half of it, coming in around $40 million. 

People give out different kinds of reviews, like stars, percentages, and grades in their reviews all of which make sense to different people. I’ve decided to give all three of those ratings to make it easier to understand. 

Stars: I give this movie 4.5 stars out of 5

Percentage: 90% positive score, would watch again 

Grade: A-

Sources: 

IMDb 

My Review About the New Gimkit Game Mode and Some Tips by Julian Nowlin

I recently wrote an article about the April Fools update in Gimkit and thought that would be my last article about this game. Gimkit proved me wrong by creating a new game mode, something I just had to write about. Here is my review of the game and a few strategies I learned from my first time playing. 

The new game mode is called “Dig It Up” and is similar to “Don’t Look Down.” The basic overview is that Mayor Cole is somehow trapped in a hot air balloon about 200 meters above the ground and he needs help. It’s up to you and other players to save him. To save him you must mine blocks and place them to get higher up, kind of like Minecraft. The catch is that you have to mine different resources to get permits that let you build higher. If you don’t buy any permits, you can’t reach Mayor Cole. 

Here are some strategies to help you win. The first thing you want to  do is get the best pickaxe in the least amount of time. Similar to permits, pickaxes can be purchased with different mineable materials. A good pickaxe will be extremely beneficial later on as permits require harder to get materials. Trust me, it is worth it,

My second tip is the style of tower you should be building. Don’t waste blocks building straight up or building an inefficient staircase. Instead, build 5 blocks up, the highest you can jump, and then build one block to the right or left. Then build five blocks up again and place one to the left or right. Repeat this to get the most efficient staircase that’s easy to get up and down. You can see what this looks like with the image at the beginning.  

My third tip is that if you are going to play this, use a mouse and not your mousepad. This makes it so much easier to mine and place because you can easily spam click. Mousepads will slow you down, while you can mine things much quicker with a mouse.

Finally, when you mine, don’t dig straight down for ages. Make a tunnel that you can travel up and down easily through. This will save a lot of time, and this game mode requires you to use every second. I mined wrong for my first few games and it really took its toll on the timer. 

Now the review. Before I do mine, I’ll list what another person said about the new mode. “I wish you could teleport to where you ended building up, because it’s hard to get back up,” says Juan Lorber, 6th grader here at PFMS.  

I think the new game mode is a fun game mode and I really want to play it more often. “Don’t Look Down” will always be superior, but if you want a break from that, this is a fun game to play. It’s a lot better with other people because you have to somehow protect your staircase so other players don’t get to Mayor Cole first. My overall rating is 4/5 stars. A good rating, but the game just needs to be a bit more interesting to get that five star rating. My recommendation is definitely to play it. It’s fun!

Why Fortnite Chapter 5, Season 1 Was Not Good By Aidan Murphy

Hey, Fortnite players: Chapter 5, Season 1 has arrived.  And while some people might be excited about it, I am not.   In fact, I find it disappointing.  Here’s why…

So, let’s start off with the map. It was massive, but it still somehow felt kind of empty. I did like how there were a couple houses and gas stations between each POI, and even sometimes a place with NPC’s. And to be fair, the game looks incredible. But, it still felt kind of boring and dull. In the Chapter 1 and 2 maps, you had locations like Tilted Towers, Salty Springs, Retail Row, The Agency, Lazy Lake and Slurpy Swamp. Locations that stuck in your mind for many seasons to come. But in the new chapter the only memorable locations were Lavish Lair and maybe Reckless Railways. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ever say, “let’s land at Ritzy Riviera.” 

Also the bosses were okay, nothing special, and probably the best thing about the map. Whenever you kill one; you get their mythic weapon, possibly a purple shotgun (Nisha) and a medallion which serves as both a healing item and a key to the vault, which was also one of the best things. It also includes a decently sized room with tons of weapons, ammo, healing, and a workbench, which is the only place you can add attachments to your guns.

Speaking of guns, they were pretty lame. The Striker is an AR, the Nemesis is an AK, the Hammer pump is a pump, the auto shotgun is a TAC;  it’s all so boring. It’s like they took some guns from Chapter 1 and 2, put a complete coat of “realistic paint” on them, then added some cartoon sprinkles. They both look and feel boring. The sound of the scar is literally ingrained in my mind, I don’t think I can decipher the difference of the sound between the Striker and the Enforcer. 

Also, the big thing with the guns this season was the attachments. You could add them to your guns, which was a big thing the community wanted since the beginning. But now that we have it, I think it was a mistake. It adds another level of stupid complexity that we didn’t need. To be honest, when I grab a gun, I don’t even look at the attachments;  I just grab it, and maybe if it has a foregrip, I’ll grab it over something with a laser. Also, a big change they made was changing the rifles from hitscan to being projectile. If you don’t know, hitscan means that if you have your crosshair completely lined up on someone, the second you pull the trigger it’ll hit them. But now that it’s projectile, it takes a second for it to hit them. This makes it a nightmare to hit someone who is moving, especially with the Nemesis AR, as it has a massive drop.

Next, let’s talk about the Battle Pass. It has 8 skins. The first was Hope. It’s alright, but the pink style is genuinely hideous. The next was Oscar. He was actually pretty cool; he’s a big tiger, but he was a little plain. Next was Underground Jonesy, and he’s really boring. It’s literally just Jonesy in a trench coat. Next was Nisha; she wears white with a gold mask. It's kind of clean, but really boring. Next is Mountage, who has a coat and he has diamond powers. He’s really boring. And next is Peter Griffin, the best skin. He’s really tall and strong and cool. And finally is Valeria. She's pretty cool too because she has fire powers and probably one of the best skins. And finally the secret skin is Snake from metal gear solid. He’s pretty cool. So overall, the battle pass had nearly no character and only 1 or 2 truly great skins.

There were also a couple new game modes added this season. There was the Lego game mode, which was fun for 10 minutes, then just got boring and repetitive. But it was fun seeing your skins and emotes become Lego. Then there was rocket racing. I haven’t played it yet but I’m sure you could ask one of the 7 rocket racing players their opinion. And finally, Fortnite Festival. It’s just guitar hero. And then the jam tracks that you use to play the game take up like a fourth of the item shop.

Speaking of the item shop, it was terrible this season. It’s kind of infamous for how bad it was. Also the entire shop felt like it was AI generated, and there were hardly any good skins or cosmetics ever.

So, in conclusion, Chapter 5 season 1 was bad because of its boring map and guns, lazy skins, forgettable game modes and awful item shops.

Top 10 Kanye West Songs by Aidan Murphy

Kanye West has been a massive name and influence in the rap game for 2 decades now. These are his 10 best songs.

10. “Runaway”

It’s amazing but really overrated and the outro is too long.

9. “Ghost Town”

Absolutely fantastic in all regards. 

8. “Off The Grid”

Hype song with one of Kanye’s best verses.

7. “Lost In The World”

Beautiful beat drop and a wonderful experience.

6. “No More Parties In LA”

Sounds old school, even older than old Kanye. Superb feature from Kendrick Lamar.

5. “We Major”

Genuinely beautiful instrumental. Wonderful verse from everyone, including Nas.

4. “Dark Fantasy”

Sounds so dark and cool. Also a great intro.

3. “Devil In A New Dress”

Amazingly crafted song with one of the greatest verses ever by Rick Ross.

2. “Life Of The Party”

A super personal song with a perfect feature from André 3000.

1. “All Falls Down”

The greatest song of all time. So perfect in every way.

Ranking Every Minecraft Mob of February 2024 by Julian Nowlin

I am ranking every mob in Minecraft.

73. Zombie Horse - They’re only in creative mode! I never even use them when I play.

72. Phantom - Tell me one person who wants these. They won the mob vote, but they’re annoying.

71. Zombie Hoglin - It’s like a normal Hoglin but it’s made worse.

70. Pufferfish - I hate them. They are poisonous and useless. I just throw them away when I catch them.

69. Strider - Why use it to get across lava when you can just use an elytra? They’re also disgusting. 

68. Skeleton Horse - I don’t use them because they are just horses that got struck by lightning.

67. Wandering Trader - Their trades are awful and they’re voices and appearance are much worse than a normal villager.

66. Vex - They’re not just deadly. They are annoying and have a weird design when attacking that I don’t like.

65. Slime - Make a superflat world and they just fill it up. Kill them and they just split. They’re only useful for sticky pistons.

64. Silverfish - Very annoying and at the same time drop nothing.

63. Bee - I don’t use honey and bees are hostile if you accidentally punch them.

62. Husk - An exact copy of the zombie but with bland colors and only spawning in deserts.

61. Ghast - These things just cry and knock players off their bridges and into the lava sea. Their tears are in a crafting recipe but who even crafts End Crystals, anyway?

60. Squid/Glow Squid - I don’t use ink sacs. And all glow squids do is clog up water caves.

59. Rabbit - These are annoying and a terrible source of food. Good luck farming them without Speed X.

58. Bat - Useless and forgotten.

57. Endermite - Just like the bat, they are forgotten. Their one use is an enderman farm, which no one uses.

56. Ocelot - Just doing nothing in a jungle. What a pointless mob.

55. Frog - What are they used for? They just look weird and make an odd sound when hit. 

54. Drowned - They make swimming hard and clog up water caves. And they drop very low durability tridents. 

53. Wither - It kills everything and blows up everything unless in an obsidian box. And I don’t care about beacons, so I don’t want a Nether Star.

52. Witches - The worst Illager by far except the wandering trader. I think that they’re terrible.

51. Hoglin - Annoying and dangerous. They are also a great way to puke when you realize they drop pork chops.

50. Creeper - They are an OG, which gives them a higher spot on this list, but are so so so so so so so so annoying.

49. Wither Skeleton - They are better than normal skeletons because they do melee attacks, but they are annoying when trying to find a blaze spawner.

48. Cave Spider - Spiders but poisonous. Mineshafts are great until you run into a spawner. 

47. Spider - You try to sleep because there are mobs nearby. Guess who’s responsible. Also, I hate how their eyes glow.

46. Skeleton - Building? Exploring? Here comes the skeleton to ruin your life!

45. Shulker - They make end cities hard to loot and make you float for what feels like forever. They make Shulker boxes though, giving them a better rank.

44. Enderman - Annoying in the dragon fight, and they don’t always drop ender pearls.

43. Pillager - Combine a bad costume with bad aim and bad durability and what do you get? A Pillager!

42. Elder Guardian - A discolored fish that causes mining fatigue.

41. Guardian - Just a little better than their elder because they actually have a good design. 

40. Breeze - They are like blazes but worse. Their knockback is annoying, but wind charges are super fun.

39. Zombie Villager - They are just zombies but if cured lower their prices for trades. But for most this cure is too expensive, needing a golden apple and a weakness potion.

38. Fox/Arctic Fox - So cute but SO ANNOYING! They take any item lying around and then run.

37. Goat - Just an animal that walks around. Their horns make calls that you can use, but I don’t like them.

36. Llama - Only good for leather and leads when they are trader llamas. Otherwise, they are useless.

35. Any type of fish except pufferfish - They are a good food source if you live near water. But that’s it.

34. Magma Cube - I like their design but they are just the slimes of the Nether. 

33. Polar Bear - Like a lot of other things on this list, they are cute but useless.

32. Dolphin - They make you swim faster. Also they are very stupid.

31. Horse - I never use them because my base is near water, meaning I use a boat.

30. Donkey - Basically a portable chest that looks cute.

29. Pig - They drop one thing and that’s meat. I mostly just eat chicken anyway, so these are useless to me.

28. Armadillo - They are cute and make dog armor, which my pet wolf needs.

27. Sniffer - They are cute and help you find suspicious sand and gravel, which helps you find diamonds. 

26. Zombie - An easy mob to get and easy XP. They are also on of the only overworld mobs with a good design.

25. Bogged - A cool copy of the skeleton. They look like strays but with poison arrows, which I think is cool.

24. Blaze - They’re Essential for beating the game and they look cool. But a lot of them can make you feel pain.

23. Parrot - A fun pet that you lose instantly.

22. Panda - Another useless but cute mob!

21. Turtle - They are so cute! Turtle eggs are also useful in gold farms.

20. Allay - The good and cute version of a vex.

19. Cow - Delicious meat and useful leather. This easy to farm animal is wonderful.

18. Chicken - They are easy to breed and drop feathers which are used to craft arrows.

17. Warden - A cool mob but way to OP. They can kill with a few hits while you’re decked out in Netherite armor.

16. Ravager - Cool and powerful but no match for an iron golem. If it wanted to be higher, it would need to be more powerful.

15. Snow Golem - A cute snowman that ruins grassy areas and makes snow farms nobody ever uses. I like that you can make snowmen though.

14. Stray - A cool version of the skeleton and are the only things that make tundras good.

13. Axolotl - They are so cute! They do nothing, but I don’t really care.

12. Mule - They are the perfect combination of the horse and donkey, making them awesome.

11. Villager - Great for all kinds of things, including iron farms and mending books. 

10. Dog/Wolf - Just like a cat, but they attack mobs, not scare them. They also get killed a lot.

9. Cat - A great pet that keeps you and your base safe from creepers.

8. Evoker - A cool mob but not the best Illager. They spawn vexes though preventing them from a higher rank.

7. Ender Dragon - Cute and fun to encounter.

6. Iron Golem - Easy iron while starting and the best defense force if you’re not good at fighting. 

5. Sheep - You don’t have to kill them to get their wool. They are also fun to dye different colors for different wool.

4. Piglin - They are good defense against hoglins if they attack you, and they are good for trading. 

3. Piglin Brute - Not an exact copy of the Piglin. They carry golden axes and are fun challenge while looting the Nether.

2. Zombie Piglin - They are friendly and attack all the other annoying Nether mobs. Just don’t damage one, because if you do you’d better run.

1. Vindicator - They are cool and very fun to fight. They are the best Illager for sure.

Why Paper Mario Color Splash is a Great Game! by Jacey Gummo

*Spoilers Ahead!*

Some of you may be familiar with the game Paper Mario Color Splash. Before we dive in as to why it’s good, let’s talk about the faults. 

This game received so much backlash as it was “The Sequel to Sticker Star.” Paper Mario Sticker Star is another game in the saga. The reason people say this is because it was more of an action-adventure game, rather than an RPG. People liked the RPG style rather than the action-adventure style. Thus, making fans upset. Another complaint was the battle system. It used the Wii U, and if you have a Wii U, you know that the controller has a small screen, like the Switch Lite. This game exploits that mechanic by using it as “Mario’s Pocket ‘o’ Cards” and having the battle cards in it. You had to choose a card, paint it (or not, depending on whether it’s pre-paint or not), and swipe up. It was tedious but necessary. This battle system also allowed time for the enemies to steal your cards. Luckily, you can get them back at the end of the battle. Another complaint was too many Toads. That’s fair, though. Now that we have acknowledged the faults, let’s discuss why it’s a good game.

This game is amazing (besides what we discussed above) because of Huey Can, your sentient paint can sidekick. Huey is your paint source who saves all of Prism Island at the end of the game. He provides the best dialogue ever. He has a temper, but it’s just plain funny when he gets heated. Another great part of this game is Bowser’s motive for evildoing. He wants to have a colorful rainbow shell, but when he dives into Prisma Fountain, he makes the fatal error of mixing the colors, thus making ink. The ink turns him evil, and he wants to cover the entire world in the cruel substance. 

We eventually see a segment of Sunglow Ridge covered in ink from a bomb explosion. The ink makes the place smell and hard to breathe in. The flora is potentially dead. Huey gets rid of it by spreading his paint all over the place and it survives. Another upside is the world design. Search one of the places, like Crimson Tower, The Golden Coliseum, Fort Cobalt, Fortune Island, Starlight Cape, and finally, The Emerald Circus. These locations also have another thing in common, they all carry the Big Paint Stars that Bowser threw right after the ink took over him. You have to collect all of them to go to face Bowser. The last thing I’m going to discuss before I wrap things up is the Boss Battle. This one was quite tough for me. My father got to the battle before everyone else. We each took turns trying to kill Bowser but failed. It was years before I finally decided to restart the game. I beat it in about two weeks almost non-stop. When I got to the boss battle, I had the decision to go back or to keep going. I went back. Before you get to the boss battle, you have another mini-boss fight with Roy, and I wasted too many cards. I stocked up at the shop and went back. It took me too many tries to kill Bowser, but I was the first. The battle involves you hitting the ink off of a normal-sized Bowser, which takes a while. Then when it gets to his feet and stops turning him evil, he doesn’t have a clue where he is or what he’s done. Then the ink takes over him again. He doubles in size and is more powerful, and the rest I will not spoil. 

In conclusion, this game is beautiful, and just like the game, all things must come to an end. Go look at the game if you haven’t, you won’t regret it.

William’s Monster Movie Review - Episode 3: Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla By William Gartner

Non-Spoiler Summary of Film:

When Godzilla appears again something feels not quite right, And they are right but this new foe is packing some heat.

My Review:

The idea of this film of a monster punch out sounds great, But the film barely has any monster fights. The film’s human characters are very boring but the monster battles are just epic but most of the movie is the humans just doing stuff. The bad guys are stupid and the plot is bonkers. But the effects are pretty good when they are shown and if you have nothing good to do then I think you should watch it to see how bad this film is. Also the next Godzilla film in this series is a sequel to this film but it gets even worse. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score of 63 out of 100 and when I saw that I thought it was an accurate score so I used that. 

William’s Monster Movie Rating:  63 out of 100. 

Don’t watch it if you have something better to do!