Behind the Scenes of the Muppets by Penelope Baxter

The Muppets are a cast of lovable and friendly characters who can range from talking frogs to a person. They’ve performed in many movies, and are the most famous for the Muppet Show. But wait… They’re puppets. How are they dancing, singing, or even riding bikes?

Well for one, there is almost always a puppeteer in every shot. An example of an exception is the Ghost of Christmas Present from The Muppet Christmas Carol, which was a two-person ordeal. It’s a suit, that’s obvious enough. But the actual voice actor is off set, with an invention of the Jim Henson Creature Shop that tracked his face movements to appear on the muppet’s face.

A famous example of a scene that appears puppetier-less is Kermit-the-Frog singing “Rainbow Connection” at the beginning of the original Muppet Movie. But, Jim Henson is in that shot. He's inside a container that was connected right underneath the log Kermit is sitting on. He puppeteers Kermit from below, and as usual with puppeteers, he had a video monitor to see what his puppet is doing, as well as a headset to hear what he’s doing too.

Then there is The Great Muppet Capper, a movie that has many shots with the puppets’ legs in view. This is harder than it sounds because a puppeteer’s hand usually goes where the legs would be. These shots are usually done with a Waldo. Waldos are another invention of the Jim Henson Creature Shop; it is a remote controlled mouth for the puppet. So from several feet away, the puppeteer can voice the puppet while they, for example, ride a bike.

Speaking of which, how did Kermit do that? The word “Muppet” is a combination of the words “marinette” and “puppet”. A marinette is a set of strings attached to a puppet that can move the arms, legs, or head at will without a puppeteer. Kermit was attached to the bike, and a marionette was attached to him and the bike from above. 

So how about a car? The original Muppet Movie doubled down with vehicles, and made Fozzie drive a Studebaker. Of course, he can’t do that because he’s a puppet. So they had to get creative. The Studebaker is a three-person set up. Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and a stunt driver. And they didn’t use Waldos for this one. Henson and Oz sat underneath where their respective puppets were sitting. Fozzie’s hands were controlled by Oz, but weren’t what was moving the car. That would be dangerous, as the puppeteers can’t see what’s infront of them. That’s where the stunt driver comes in. They too are inside the Studebaker, except they have a video camera to show where they’re going and a controller to the car. The driver drives the car, and the puppeteers drive the puppets.

There’s another vehicle in that movie, and it continues to appear in other Muppet productions. The bus for Electric Mayhem, or the band. And this band does make music, and “play” instruments. Well, they don’t. The music is put on top of a silent recording. On set, the puppets make no noise. Dr. Teeth has his hand on the piano moving back and forth, Animal smacks his hands and head on the drums, Janice has her hand marionette over the strings, so on and so forth with the rest of the members. Afterward, the crew presumably plays the song the band is supposed to be singing and playing and edits it in. 

Going back to the Muppet Christmas Carol, anyone who watched it will know the scene where the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge’s hand and flies him into the sunset, Gonzo dragging himself and Rizzo with them. This feat was accomplished by hanging the actor of Scrooge, Micheal Caine, on a rope in front of a green screen, and then doing the same with Gonzo and Rizzo. They made a small version of London, and made that the background for the scene.

The Ghost of Christmas Past has an interesting way of being puppeteered. They made a puppet, but to get the ghost effect they need to do one more step. So she was put in a tank of oil. This made her move in a more angelic fashion, and was puppeteered around before being cut into each scene she was in. 

Swedish Chef and Rolf have an interesting method of puppeteering themselves. Both of these puppets use both hands, while most puppets use only one. This is because that hand is moved by the puppeteer’s free hand that isn’t moving the mouth. So to achieve the two hands for Rolf to be a pianist and for the Chef to cook, there are two puppeteers underneath.

There are many more tricks to the Muppets and how they move and act like they do, so it’s incredible that they are the popularity they are today.

Source:

“How Muppets Break Free from their Puppeteers” by Alex Boucher on Youtube

A Beginner’s Guide to Dungeons & Dragons - Part 2: Classes By Jack Stewart

In another article, “A Beginners Guide to DnD”, I wrote about the basics and core subject of the game. At the end, however, I said that I would make two sequels, one for species, and one for classes. As this is the easiest and quickest one to write, this is the one I will start with. So sit down, grab a D20 and a character sheet, and enjoy my random writing extravaganza!

#1: Wizard. This is probably the most famous DnD class. It’s difficult to explain this, as it’s pretty self explanatory. Wizards in DnD start with a spellbook, which they can add spells through gaining levels. If their spellbook is destroyed, they lose their spells. If you want to be a wizard, you would typically need high intelligence, and constitution, as wizards are glass cannons themselves. The spells that they typically start out with are Light, Firebolt, Poison Spray,  Minor Illusion, and much more!

#2: Rogue. Rogues are considered the stealthy assassins of DnD. Rogues don’t initially have magic, but with enough time, you can pick the subclass that lets you. Rogues are typically very stealthy, and their moveset reflects that. Rogues are also good with poison, and daggers. Even so, you need good dexterity to move quickly, and probably charisma to get out of sticky situations. 

3: Fighters. They’re the average joe of DnD. They are as they seem, and can fight with any weapon. Their skill with weapons increases over time, and to be one, you need good strength, and dexterity.

4: Druid. Druids are similar to Wizards, except they are more nature oriented. They, like wizards, achieve spells by leveling up, but unlike wizards they don’t have a spell book, so they can’t lose spells. They start out with Poison Spray, Control Flames, Shape Water, Gust, Mold Earth, Thunderclap, Thorn Whip, and many more! At level two, they get their signature move, Wildshape, which allows them to shapeshift into any animal, but not monsters, they see. Because of this, they are my favorite of all the classes.

5: Bard. Bards are a music based class that is very good at manipulation. Their abilities include Charm, and Seduce. They can inspire their friends, strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, persuade people into liking them, and are very good at illusions. The main thing you need to be a Bard is charisma, as they get their money off of performance. 

6: Paladin. Paladins are the holy warriors of DnD, and they serve their god with respect. Padains are like wizards in which they have fire/ plant abilities, except they also have light related spells, and smite. They don’t start out with any spells, but upon level one, they get Bless, Cure Wounds, Detect Evil And Good, and many more! They need Charisma for their spellcasting, and strength to hold them up until level one.

7: Sorcerer. Sorcerers are fairly complex, but in all, it's easier to think of them as a spin on the wizard. They don’t have as many unique spells, but they can combine, and modify their spells over time. They start out with Acid Splash, Blade Ward, Chill Touch, Control Flames, and more. The difference is that, unlike wizardry, you don’t choose it, it chooses you. 

8: Ranger. Rangers are people who are skilled with nature. These people are like the survivalists of DnD, and thus are good at things like climbing trees, identifying safe plants to eat, and befriending animals. Speaking of animals, the main benefit of being a ranger is that you get an animal companion. You can pick any animal, with the DM (Dungeon Master’s) consent. THe main stat to have is Wisdom, as you need to be able to perceive well, and passive Wisdom is known as Perception.

9: Cleric. Clerics are like Paladins in the sense that they are serving their god, though where Paladins aim to simply serve good, Clerics strive to embody the work of their god. Unlike other priests, however, Clerics are given powerful magic in order to help them. The main stat they need is Wisdom, as this is what they use to cast spells

10: Barbarian. Barbarians are incredibly similar to fighters in the way of how they use weapons, but with one difference. Rather than being typical, sophisticated fighters, they are fueled by a rage which gives them many powers. For one, they can boost their stats with the sheer rage they feel towards their opponents, and their most notable ability… Being able to stay alive only with their sheer rage. They are literally too angry to die!! If you want to play this class, you’ll need good Strength for, well, quite obvious reasons.

11: Monk. In a way, Monks are incredibly similar to Clerics. The only difference is that they are like Paladins, and simply wish to do good, besides that, there’s not too much to them.

12: Warlock. Warlocks are one of the main magical classes, but the way they get their magic is unique. Rather than studying, or being born with magic, Warlocks make a deal with some sort of god to get their magical abilities. Due to this, they lean on the darker side of magic. They start out with Blade Ward, Booming Blade, Chill Touch, Create Bonfire, and many more! If you want to play as a Warlock, you’ll need high Charisma, as that is what they use to cast spells. Some parties may use Intelligence, but that’s all up to the Dungeon Master.

So there you have it. Wizard, Rogue, Fighter, Druid, Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, Ranger, Cleric, Barbarian, Monk, and Warlock. These are the twelve classes that anyone can choose from, and the classes that shape your playstyle. There are two other classes, known as Artificer, and Blood Hunter, but these are unofficial (aka fanmade) classes. Artificer is used in some campaigns, while Blood Hunter is seldom ever used. If you wish to learn more about the classes, and spells/abilities of these classes, use the source I used below, I would certainly be lost without it.

WORKS CITED

https://dnd5e.wikidot.com

Sega: The Forgotten Console Company by Julian Nowlin

Sega used to be one of the biggest console makers in the world. Sonic the Hedgehog proved to be an apt competitor to Nintendo’s Mario. Sega was on top of the world. But now, Sega hasn’t sold a console in almost 25 years. So what happened to the company?

In the late 1980s, Sega released the Genesis. It was a complete flop. But in the 90s, they tried a different marketing approach, and the console flew off the shelves. It was matching its main competition, the Super Nintendo. Sega had the Tower of Power, Sonic, and violent games Nintendo would’ve never supported. It was a gamer's dream. Then they released the product that would lead to the death of their console dreams: The Sega CD.

The Sega CD used discs to make it feel like you were playing inside of a movie. The problem? There were no good games, and everyone who bought it wasted quite a bit of money. Then Sega tried another accessory for the Genesis: The 32X. This accessory supported 32-bit games on a 16-bit console. But again, there were no good games, and it was another waste of money for everyone who bought it.

Soon, the generation of 16 bit consoles was over. Sega had something big in store. The Sega Saturn would be the world’s first full 3D console, beating Sony, whose PlayStation was still in the works. It was released in November of 1994 and completely flopped. Why? People didn’t want to drop hundreds on Sega stuff anymore. They had already lost so much on the CD and 32X. Why buy a new Sega product when a tech company people trusted, Sony, was making the same thing? Sega was falling fast, and they needed a way to get back on track. So they released another console.

The Dreamcast was released in November 1998. It was a very nice console for the time, with smooth graphics, a comfy controller, and fun games. Sega fans loved it. To combat piracy, Sega didn’t make its disks like DVDs, so the console couldn’t watch movies. This made the console less appealing than the PS2, which would be released later. But this still didn’t stop piracy. They were losing money on console production and games, and the PS2 and GameCube didn’t help it. What made it even worse was Xbox, which just released its first console. Sega had a choice: Keep going and lose hundreds of millions, or bite the bullet. 

The Dreamcast was the last console Sega made. They still make Sonic the Hedgehog games, but they release them on Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Sega is doing just fine. They make successful games and have released 3 Sonic movies. But even with all this, they will never be the successful console maker they once were.

Image Source: Wikipedia. Sega Genesis. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed 19 December 2025.

Every Terraria Class Ranked by Rowan Keer and Finn Alves

Terraria is an adventure/RPG game on many platforms and we highly recommend it. The classes are decided by an item giving a boost in any stat for any class.

    4. We chose the Mage class as the “worst” class available in the game. One reason for this is that you can’t really get good weapons early on, and if you aren’t too skilled, or not playing in multiplayer, the Mage class is not for you, taken from personal experience. Even after a good portion of the game, there still aren’t many good weapons except for a few later-game items you get in hard mode. Along with this, one of the best armor sets before hard mode is the Ancient Cobalt set, which is incredibly hard and tedious to get, making this class not as strong, or good, as the other classes for beginners.

     3. We chose Ranger for Number 3 on our tier list. We put Ranger here because it makes for a good class in the early game and throughout the entirety of pre-hardmode and beyond. One of the earliest weapons you get access to is the bow, a weapon with decent range, good damage, and its ammunition, arrows. One main downside to the Ranger class is ammo, but that is easily fixed after you get the merchant and arms dealer, which are some of the earliest NPCs.

      2. Both of us have never played Summoner, but our friend has, and we play with him 90% of the time. From what we’ve picked up from our friend, the main component of summoner is to sit back and strike enemies with your whip to make your summons target specific enemies. Some good whips are the earlier-in-the-game Snapthorn, which inflicts 4 seconds of poison damage when you hit an enemy, and the Spinal Tap, which is made out of bones and cobwebs, the cobwebs being available occasionally in caves, (A quick tip for summoners; collect cobwebs as you play, even from the beginning to have them ready for a multitude of whips.) You also need bones, which can be found by killing monsters in the dungeon. To unlock the dungeon, you have to defeat the boss, Skeletron, who we utterly hate because he has a skull and two arms that fly at you and attack you. You can’t hit the head if you haven't destroyed the arms, which have their own health bars. As you progress, you can unlock various summons, some of which are pretty tedious to unlock.

        1. Melee is probably the easiest for beginners, a lot of the items enemies drop are melee weapons, and the best early on melee weapon is the Starfury, a weapon that is weak on strike, but when you swing it, it summons one star from the heavens to deal good amounts of damage, and you get one star per swing. After the Starfury, there are even better swords you can get, for example, the True Nights Edge. It is a hard-mode sword, but you can get the first version called Nights Edge. Even after getting close to fighting the final boss, we both still had, or are planning to have, this sword because of its range and projectiles.

What is the best Harry Potter Movie? Spoiler Review By Aiden Arvin

It has been 14 years since the last Harry Potter movie, The Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released, and since then a lot of fans have watched most, if not all, of the movies. Plus there is now a musical: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and an HBO series aiming to come out in 2027. Because of this, the Harry Potter universe has expanded dramatically to become one of the most well known book series and movie series. But which rises above the rest?

The Sorcerer’s Stone 

The Sorcerer's Stone, the movie which started the rise of the Harry Potter universe is also regarded as a good movie. It introduces all the characters like Harry, Ron, and Hermione, while establishing a backstory and providing a good bit of action. But of course it has its flaws, like some major differences between the book and the movie and some critics even call it too childlike for viewers, but overall it’s your average Harry Potter movie and I would recommend putting it in the middle of the rankings.

The Prisoner of Askaban 

The Prisoner of Azkaban is widely considered one of the best movies in the series. It provides complex storytelling while also keeping the magic of the wizarding world. It also has a great and action packed ending to the story with Harry fighting the death eaters and casting his first patronus. Personally I would put this movie in the top 3.

The Goblet of Fire

The Goblet of Fire is also regarded as a great movie with a unique plot. It also marks the first time Harry meets Voldemort in human form. It also is the only movie featuring the Triwizard tournament when the wizarding schools of Europe face off against each other. It does have some flaws. Like, a rushed pace and an altered plot compared to the book.  I would recommend putting this book in the top 5.

The Half Blood Prince

The Half Blood Prince or the 6th movie in the series and widely known as the movie where Dumbledore dies at the end. It also introduces the horcruxes. There's also some setbacks, like some view it as a movie to help set up for Deathly Hallows Part 2 and it doesn’t have a happy ending unlike in most other movies. I would put this movie in the middle of the rankings.

Deathly Hallows Part 2

It is Rotten Tomatoes opinion that this is the best Harry Potter movie of all time and I have to agree. It is the finale of all 8 movies. It has violence, romance, and a perfect plot, this is what a movie is. Of course it has its downside like the director’s adaption choices angering some fans, but this is the climax of the series. I would put this movie first.

The Others

These are the other three movies: Chamber of Secrets, Order of the Phoenix, and Deathly Hallows Part 1. These movies are some of the lower ranked by Rotten Tomatoes due to various reasons. Of course they have their good moments like the snake battle in Chamber of Secrets and the battle at the ministry in Order of the Phoenix. I would recommend putting these lower in the rankings.

The Top 5 Tally Hall Songs by Jacey Gummo

Tally Hall has made some absolutely amazing songs during their run. It’s difficult for me to choose a favorite when 95% of the songs are just masterpieces! The guys are extremely skilled when writing and performing. And we’re going to rank the top 5 songs! We’re only using songs from their 2 studio albums. Let’s dive in. Oh boy, this is going to ruffle some feathers.

5. “Welcome to Tally Hall” (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum)- Written by Joe Hawley, Rob Cantor, and Zubin Sedghi. This song serves as the introduction to Tally Hall. It features the vocals of Rob, Zubin, and Joe in separate verses. It’s a great song with a very catchy chorus. The music features a big brass section at the bridge that always gets me kicking my feet and giggling. It’s just amazing! Not to mention Joe’s operatic vocals in live performances, as well as the audience jumping in at the end of the song.

4. “Good Day” (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum)- Written by Andrew Horowitz. It won Andrew a BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship, which made the band really think, “Wow, we’re doing something with meaning and value here!” “Good Day” is such a toe-tapper, and Andrew knew what he was doing. After all, he was a composition major!

3. “Cannibal” (Good & Evil)- Written by Zubin Sedghi. “Cannibal” is honestly one of my favorite Tally Hall songs ever. Of all the songs about being in a bad relationship, this one takes the cake. The metaphor of a man’s girlfriend being a cannibal who berates him and ignores his problems with her is just perfect. And it has an epic bass solo after the bridge, which is always really fun to play!

2. “&” (Good & Evil)- Written by Joe Hawley. “&” is an absolutely amazing song about things that could not exist without the other (there’s probably another meaning, but I haven’t dissected the song yet). “Weak & Strong”, “Live & Die”, “No & Yes”, etc. The sound is amazing, and Joe’s vocals are beautiful. It is a brilliant song written by the very skilled Joe Hawley. The bridge and abrupt ending just add to the song's eerie feel.

---HONORABLE MENTIONS---

1. “Hymn For A Scarecrow” (Good & Evil)- Written by Joe Hawley. It’s such a melancholy song, but it’s amazing.

2. “Hidden In The Sand” (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum)- Written by Joe Hawley. You all saw this coming. This is their most popular song ever, and it would be illegal not to list it. While overrated, it’s still a good one!

3. “Haiku” (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum)- Written by Rob Cantor. It’s extremely underrated when discussing Tally Hall songs. It has a delightful sound, and Rob’s vocals are just amazing.

4. “Turn The Lights Off” (Good & Evil)- Written by Joe Hawley. I love how it sounds. And it’s pretty popular, too!

5. “The Bidding” (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum)- Written by Joe Hawley. This is another extremely popular Tally Hall song. And it deserves that title. Plus, the bassline’s super fun to play!

I love all of these songs, and choosing the best one is extremely difficult. Now enough gatekeeping, let’s hear it for…

1. “Ruler of Everything” (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum)- Written by- you guessed it- Joe Hawley! The guy who wrote “Bananaman”, by the way. “Ruler” (as it was dubbed) is a song about a guy named Juno talking to the literal concept of time. Can you tell this was hastily written late at night? And who else to write it but Joe? Time is mad that Juno’s being an idiot, so it confronts him. Juno is telling Time meaningless things, like his zirconium pants. Time isn’t impressed, and you just have to listen to it. “Ruler” is such an amazing song. Joe was an amazing composer. Unfortunately, he’s been MIA for a while. He wrote amazing songs that fit the genre of fabloo perfectly, which is no genre.

The beauty of Tally Hall is that they have something for most people. Each of the members (except for Ross) writes songs that sound so different from each other. I mean, just listen to any Joe song back-to-back!

All in all, you can have your own opinions. I just hope this gets you to listen to Tally Hall. The more people who listen, the more likely there’ll be a reunion, as they’re on hiatus now. Tally Hall was excellent when they were still making music together. Appreciate them.

Super Mario Galaxy: The Movie by Julian Nowlin

In the spring of 2023, the Super Mario Bros. Movie was released. The Illumination film was a smash hit, making over a billion dollars at the box office. But it hasn’t seen a sequel for over 2 years. That, however, is about to change.

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the next movie in the Mario franchise. It was announced through a short video. The video showed the Mushroom Kingdom before eventually going into space, revealing the title of the new movie. But this new release comes with questions that need to be answered.

When will the movie come out? The Mario Galaxy Movie will release in theaters on April 3rd, 2026, just under three years after the release of the first movie. We’ll see if the long wait affects the new movie’s quality.

What is the movie about? We see from the trailer that Bowser Jr. is trying to free his shrunken father. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Rosalina will have to stop him while they travel to places like the inverted pyramid from Super Mario Odyssey.

Will the movie succeed? Nobody knows for sure yet, but my guess is that it will. Nintendo fans who liked the first one will go to see the second one, and Mario Galaxy fans will probably see it. I don’t think it will be as successful as the original, but my guess is that it will make just over 500 million dollars.

Will it be good? This is a weird question because it varies from person to person. There is no answer to this one, and we will just have to wait to see if we’ll like it. I personally think I’ll like it, but that’s just me. Your thoughts will probably be different then mine.

The Mario Galaxy Movie is almost here, but we’ll just have to wait to see how it is.

Image source: IMDB. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) - IMDB.” IMDB.com. Accessed 17 November 2025.

Minecraft: The Fall Game Drop, and the Winter to Come by Jack Stewart

As all Minecraft players know, the fall game drop came out a week before Halloween, and I, needing something to write, have decided to cover this new update. In this article, I will cover the Copper Age update, the foreshadowed Mounts of Madness update, and ending with what I hope will be added in the spring, and summer. With all due respects, I present to you, The Copper Age.

The Copper Age is the most recent gamedrop to appear, and, as the name suggests, revolves around the ore known as copper. The most likely reason for this update is that copper, the ore that was added during the Caves and Cliffs update in 2021, has gone four years with barely any use, despite how abundantly the resource appears. To counter this, Mojang has added an abundance of copper items.

For one, Mojang has added copper armour, and tools. My friend and I checked this, and we can say that the tools (pickaxes, shovels, and axes) work at near the same speed as iron, with much lower durability. The combat related items, (armor, and swords) are at an incredible disadvantage to iron, working at a much lower standard.

Secondly, Mojang has created many more decorative options when it comes to copper, adding green copper torches, pulsating green copper lanterns, copper grates, bars, and copper chests which have a use that will be explained next.

Finally, Mojang has added a new mob (which they have really needed to do.) In fact, new mob may not be a good term, as this mob was one of the old mob vote losers. Of course, I am talking about the Copper Golem. This mob’s new purpose is to organize chests. It does this by taking items put into copper chests, and sorts them into either empty chests, or chests with the same item. They are spawned by placing a carved pumpkin on top of a copper block, which will then transform into a copper chest to start off with your new organization method. Copper chests can also be crafted by surrounding a normal chest with copper ingots.

Next up, we have the winter update, titled Mounts of Madness. This update, as the name suggests, centers around the idea of mounts, though there are smaller features that I will reference first.

First off, Mojang has (finally) brought Zombie Horses into survival mode. These mobs have always existed as a creative mode spawn egg, but have typically been overshadowed amongst mobs. Now, Zombie Horses will rarely spawn with a Zombie on top of them. Once you kill the zombie, you can effortlessly ride the Zombie Horse without taming it whatsoever, though this will be tricky, as the zombie in question will have the weapon mentioned next.

Mojang has also added the spear. The spear is a new tiered weapon, and it will have the longest range of all weapons. The spear works like a jousting stick, otherwise known as a lance. The spear has three stages upon holding it up. First, it will be horizontally pointed, in which it will dismount mobs, do knockback, and also do damage. The second stage is that it will begin to shake. At this point, it will do knockback, and damage, but it will not be able to dismount. Finally, it will go vertical. At this stage it will do knockback, but not any of the other effects. It will also have a custom enchantment called lunge, which will allow one to, as the enchantment implies, lunge four or five (or should I say six or seven?) blocks away from the current position. Perfect for a quick getaway.

Finally, we have the central mob of this game drop, the Nautilus. The Nautilus will be a new underwater mob that can be tamed with pufferfish. Once tamed, you will be able to ride the Nautilus. When riding the Nautilus, your breath bar will freeze, due to a status effect called Breath of the Nautilus. Like a Happy Ghast, you can place blocks while riding this mob, as well as being able to use a boost mechanic like a saddled pig. As well as this, we also have the new Zombie Camel, which Husks will ride in the desert, as well as a new skeleton variant, the Parched. The Parched will shoot Arrows of Weakness, and unlike every other variant, will not burn in the sun.

Now, what about the things I hope will be added? In my personal opinion, I believe that there should be more fantasy related things in Minecraft. Not to the level of wands, and spells, but perhaps a few magical mobs, and items. Alas, for the sake of brevity, this will be the topic of another article. 

So, overall, we have learned all about The Copper Age, Mounts of Madness, and a little bit about my personal opinions of the game. I hope that this article has informed you if you are a Minecraft player, and if you aren’t, I hope this article will make you one. 

From Cards to Consoles: The History of Nintendo By Julian Nowlin

Nintendo is one of, if not the most, well-known video game companies in the world. They’ve made many consoles and many games. But Nintendo didn’t start with Mario and Zelda. They made a different type of game: gambling.

When Nintendo began in 1889, they were a far smaller company than it is today. They made simple “Hannafuda” cards. These are Japanese cards used for gambling. In fact, “Leave luck to heaven” is the literal meaning of Nintendo. But Nintendo couldn’t keep selling cards forever. They needed something new.

In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, Nintendo cycled through various products. They did taxi service, made instant noodles, and ran hotels. One employee, Gunpei Yokoi, made a small device called the Ultrahand. It was a grabber toy that extended out to pick things up. Overnight, Nintendo became a toy company, selling many Ultrahands. But when the 80s rolled around, Nintendo would grow bigger than it had ever been before.

In the early 80s, Gunpei Yokoi was riding a bullet train. He spotted a businessman, who was getting very bored of the ride. He started typing random things on his calculator, trying to make it entertaining. Then it hit Yokoi. What if there was a device that could play a game and be carried anywhere? That device was the Game and Watch. Released in 1980, it was an LCD device that could play only one game. But this simple game would turn into what we know today. 

After a flopped console, the Color TV Game, Nintendo needed fresh ideas. They hit the jackpot with Donkey Kong, an arcade game that featured a crazy ape throwing barrels at Jumpman. Unfortunately, there was a video game crash in 1983. A huge company, Atari, was failing. Nintendo knew they had to make their new console as different from a console as possible. It would be like a VCR, and it would come with a robot, so it would appear as a toy. Nintendo created the famous NES.

At first, it was a flop. But a new, exciting game had been released with the console. Super Mario Bros. followed Mario, a man trying to save Princess Toadstool from Koopa. It was an instant hit. The NES became the best-selling console of its time. Nintendo was a video game company. They would make 8 more consoles and release hit games like Zelda, Kirby, and Pokémon. 

Nintendo took almost a century to develop into its current state. Its story is inspiring, and shows how important innovation and creativity really are. Next time you see a Nintendo game, remember the incredible story, and the fact that not giving up can create a wonderful result.

Image Citation: Wikipedia Commons. “File:Wikipedia NES PAL.jpg - Wikimedia Commons.” Wikipedia Commons. Accessed 7 11 2025.

A Beginner’s Guide to Dungeons & Dragons By Jack Stewart

DnD, everyone’s heard of it, but barely anyone knows how the game works. Well, today I’m going to teach you, the viewer, some of the basics of DnD, otherwise known as Dungeons and Dragons. 

First off, let’s begin with the character creation, and thus stats. The six stats that a character has are Charisma, Wisdom, Intelligence, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Each of these stats are determined by rolling a twenty-sided-dice, otherwise known as a D20. Each of these various stats affect different aspects of your character. Charisma influences your ability to convince people, lie, and other social aspects of the game. Wisdom is what you have to roll for most magical plays, though you also use it for Perception, otherwise known as Passive Wisdom. Last of the mental stats, we have Intelligence. This stat requires no explanation, so for the sake of brevity, I’m not going to give it one. 

Next, we’re going to talk about the Physical stats. Strength, like Intelligence, requires no explanation, so we’re just going to move on. Dexterity is two things, the first being your speed, and the second being coordination, as an example, if you have to perform a surgery in DnD, you would roll for Dexterity. Finally, we have Constitution, this stat is how much you resist injuries, particularly poison, and it also impacts how much health you have. 

Now, after the stats, we are going to cover Species, otherwise known as your Race. A Race typically impacts how much you have of a certain stat, like how Dragonborn (dragon-people) could impact your strength, and how certain types of elves can impact your intelligence/wisdom. They can also come with extra abilities, like Dragonborn, who can breathe one of six options, Changelings, who can shapeshift into any person, and Aarakocra (eagle people) who can fly in the air with their wings. (This makes them my personal second favorite, only beaten by Dragonborn.) 

Besides Species, you can also choose your Class. Classes, rather than a species, is a specific role you play in the game, examples include Wizards, who can cast mystical spells, Druids, who can cast nature related spells, and shapeshift into animals they have seen, and Barbarians, who are like fighters, but can fight harder at the verge of death. Classes also impact your stats, with Wizards giving you less Charisma.

Now, we have to cover the part we’ve all been dreading… the rules (dun dun duun.) A stat can be a number from one to twenty, but that isn’t the exact boost it gives you. For more research, I would recommend Google, as I barely know about that part of the game. 

Also, amongst the characters, there is one person appointed the DM, otherwise known as the Dungeon Master. The DM’s job is to create the plot, provide obstacles, and essentially be the god of wherever the campaign takes place, whether in the medieval land of Camelot, or after a nuclear bombing where the only land left is Ohio (this was the setting of my first campaign. We also owed two-hundred teeth to the god of calcium, so who knows what that DM was thinking!) 

This is one of the main reasons people should have something called a Session 0, where the other players explain what they want, and don’t want out of the story.

This concludes the beginners guide to DnD, and I hope that with this newfound information, you’ll be able to play DnD with your friends. If you want to do so during AREA, ask Mr. Harper next marking period, there are no grade restrictions, and most DM’s will be happy to help new players out. I will also be releasing a Part Two and Part Three of this, talking more about classes, and species respectively. 

Also (this is a shameless plug-in, you have been warned!), my friend Emily Gilibert and I have been writing a story titled “A Slytherin’s Story.” The first chapter has been made, and the second chapter is in the works. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for the articles mentioned. So, to wrap things up, if a friend invites you to play DnD someday, perhaps you can play dumb, then surprise them with your newfound knowledge, and remember, if you roll a 20, your turn will automatically succeed. Use this information wisely.

Dungeon Master Tips by Penelope Baxter

Dungeon Master Tips

Dungeon Master or DM has the most crucial role in any D&D game. This is because they are in charge of the flow of the game. They’re the story teller for the characters, they guide the players, they are the reason the game is a reality. 

But there aren’t always good DMs. Some are new and inexperienced, while others are too rule-following and strict. I’ve been the Dungeon Master for a campaign before, and done it quite a few times for my family’s shared one. So here are some tips for brand new DMs.

1. Don’t write a novel. 

While my DM plans are an average of 4 pages long in a Google Doc, that’s just because of the amount of ideas, D20 checks, and stat blocks. An important rule I learned when I first designed an adventure, of which I never ran and scrapped, is you can’t tell a concrete story. You need spaces where the characters make decisions. Otherwise, you’ve just given everyone pieces of paper with useless information and then just read a book to them. You also can’t tell them: “Oh, and you do this for *Plot reason player doesn’t know about*”. You can say instead: “Do you want to do this?” And then if they agree, say the plot reason. 

2. Stat Blocks

From personal experience, custom stat blocks are a pain to design. I personally highly recommend getting the Monster Manual, which comes with stat blocks. The beginning of the book explains how to use it, so I won’t recite. But, if you really want to make your own, or design a monster not in the book, you can create your own block. A few things I do when I create a custom block.

Name

HP:

AC:

Attack 1, +# to hit, #D# damage

The name really isn’t necessary, but is added to make sure you’re not switching up the monsters. A good thing to remember is that the AC has to be, required to be, higher than 10. Or otherwise you’re just being annoying to your players. From experience, I often don’t add enough hit-points to custom creatures, so have a good grip on what your players can and can not do. Don’t have the attack rolls have a stupidly high modifier like +50, even if you wanna kill a character off. Make it fair. And I recommend not having a number higher than 4 as the amount of dice roll. 

3. Play in with bits

My favorite parts of D&D games are the one-off, long-running, and accidental fan favorite bits. Bits are what tie the whole game together in my opinion. So if one of your players makes a one off joke about how their character, for example, really dislikes this one food that’s really popular in your world, have that food appear every so often to aggravate them. If a character is scared of chickens, play into it and create a dream-chicken-monster thingy for them to fight. So get creative.

That’s all for now, but I hoped this helped brand new or wanting to try DMs.

Image Source: Reddit

My First 10 Hours of Pokemon Legends ZA by Penelope Baxter

It’s finally here. Pokemon Legends ZA. The newest in the Legends series, this time taking place in Lumoise City 5 years after the Team Flare incident. I played for the first time Friday morning, and this is what I discovered or think players should know before diving in.

1. TMs are back

They were always in the game, but when I say “TMs are back”, I mean the mechanic of teaching your Pokemon a move to get to a new area is back. Such as Rock Smash in order to, predictably, smash rocks. They don’t always tell you what you need though. Blockades of sludge can be melted by water moves and thorns by fire moves.

2. Free Shiny Mareep

Once you complete the main quest you receive from Emma, you can unlock side quests. Side Quest 16 unlocks a free Shiny Mareep in Wild Zone 1, on the roof where you find Pidgey. This quest is similar to the quest in Legends Arceus that gives you a free shiny Ponyta. 

3. Battles are so different

They revamped nearly all the battle mechanics for this game, and personally I prefer it. No longer is it a menu where you click a move and it’s a tennis match of moves until someone faints. Now it’s face paced, click any move any time and just hope it does enough damage. It’s exciting, and keeps you focused on the battle. Type matchups haven’t changed thankfully. 

4. Get a steel or poison type

There are a lot of trainers who use fairy types in this game, specifically Cleffas. And from personal experience, it is a pain to deal with if you don’t have a steel or poison type Pokemon or move. 

5. The “boss battles” have gotten easier

In Legends Arceus, there were “boss battles” where you had to chuck bags at a “boss” Pokemon until you could beat it with a battle. It often took very long, and was annoying to aim the bags. But now, it’s just a large Pokemon battle where you need to collect items to win. I would say more, but I don’t want to spoil it. 

6. Night specific ‘mons

There are few Pokemon that only spawn at night in the Wild Zones. Some examples are Staryu and Honedge. You can only catch Staryu at night in Wild Zone 2, and Honedge in Wild Zone 4. So if you’re wondering why you can’t find a specific Pokemon, try looking at night.

8. Alphas are back

The large, red eyed mons are back. They can be tricky to deal with (especially if you’re trying to leave and then get attacked by one), but will be a valuable asset to your team if you catch one. The alpha Magikarp is level 30 in Wild Zone 2, so as long as you’re Rank W, you can have an Alpha Gyarados.

9. Promotion matches

If you didn’t know, the game revolves around you, the player, going from Rank Z to Rank A. Though thankfully you don’t need to do 26 or so of them. Once you reach Rant V, your promotion match will send you right up to Rank F.

10. Check the roofs 

This game has plenty of rooftop gardens and secrets galore. Accessible by Halolifts, ladders, and scaffolding courses, there are some Pokemon you find there you don’t in any Wild Zone like Talonflame and Cleffa. Other Pokemon you can find that aren’t in Wild Zones are Trubbish around trash piles, and the elemental monkeys (Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour) hanging around in trees within the city.

That’s it for now, I might make a part two if I find anything else. 

Our First Look at the New Live Action “Bee Movie” Jacey Gummo

DreamWorks is continuing the Disney live-action trend by remaking the 2007 hit film “The Bee Movie”. They previously remade “How to Train Your Dragon” in live-action, and after seeing how much money they could make from nostalgic audiences, critics, and hecklers alike, much like Disney, they have no intention of stopping.

The cast so far is certainly interesting. They decided to cast Rachel Zegler as Vanessa after seeing how well she performed in Disney’s “Snow White” remake. “I just think she’d be the best option for Vanessa,” said Jerry Seinfeld, who is reprising his role as writer for this remake. Another interesting part of production and casting is that they decided to make the bees all CGI due to the famous bee actor, Frank Honey, speaking out against it. “I do not wish to be put into a box of being a bee. It is textbook typecasting. I do not condone nor appreciate this. All they see is the bee inside of me,” Honey said. So instead, actor Chris Pratt will be voicing Barry B. Benson. Ken will be played by singer Benson Boone.

Actress Rachel Zegler has spoiled a bit of the movie plot in some Tweets she made a few weeks ago. “Vanessa is a strong, independent florist who doesn’t need a man or a bee.” “Vanessa is fine on her own.” And most infamously, “Vanessa should’ve ignored Barry. He was nothing but trouble for her. Barry should’ve been squashed by Ken in the beginning, for all I care. #JusticeForVanessa.” Zegler is clearly unhappy with creator Jerry Seinfeld’s original intentions with the film. This has caused Seinfeld himself to respond. “Yes, it is true. The film will now be more centered around Vanessa and her flower shop. She still meets and saves Barry, but she’s independent now. And Ken no longer likes artificial sweeteners made by man. He appreciates the beautiful things of natural sugar.”

Many fans have been upset about these changes. One angry fan Tweeted, “I’m still seeing the movie. I just won’t like it. I don’t want to support this behavior, though. DO NOT SEE THE BEE MOVIE REMAKE!!! #BringBackRealMovies.”

Others have been more than happy with this announcement. “So happy that Vanessa is now running her business without the threat of a man or bee taking it over!”

There have been many different takes on this remake. Some worry that this will ruin the film industry forever. Some think this is the beginning of a film Renaissance.

Whatever it is, it’s going to make DreamWorks a ton of money. And that’s the point.

What Will Become Of Forza Horizon 6? by Matthew Caswell

After many months of speculation, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios have announced the release of Forza Horizon 6, the next installment of the Forza Horizon series. The Horizon Festival is now going to the Land Of The Rising Sun, known better as Japan! Currently, there is almost no information about the game except for a minute-long trailer, which showed various license plates of Colorado, southern France, Australia, Great Britain, and Mexico, before then stopping on a Japanese license plate. An engine turns over in the background and some crackles and pops are heard, before the camera rises and shows Mount Fuji. Apparently, the trailer shows that it will be released sometime in 2026, arriving first on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass…but no official confirmation or information on the game has been given besides everything above…yet. We will just have to wait and hear from Microsoft when more information does get put out there, though.

What to expect: The game is most likely going to be highly improved from its predecessor, Forza Horizon 5, probably featuring more cars, even higher resolution, increased customization when it comes to fully modifying your cars, and crazy simulation settings based on the super-realistic Forza Motorsport games. In Forza, you can do just about anything, from swapping engines and transmissions to weight reduction and gear ratios. The Forza realm is, pretty much, endless!

So? Who knows? What will FH6 bring to the table? There’s many rumors, but no one knows what is correct yet. One thing is for sure, though: Expect a lot of fun adventures and racing of all kinds in Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 6, coming in 2026 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Get ready to have a blast at the Horizon Festival, returning drivers and newcomers! 

The Real Powers of Vampires by Jack Stewart

Vampires, we know them, we love them, except those Twilight ones, we hate those, but few people know what they were truly like. Today, I’m going to be looking at vampires the way that Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula intended them

First up, we’re going to talk about the powers of the vampire. Many people know just two of the powers of a vampire, turning into a bat, and sucking blood. However, did you know that vampires can shapeshift into even more than bats? Vampires can also shapeshift into wolves, snakes, and even clouds of mist! Not only that, but vampires can also control these various animals, like how in Dracula, Dracula gets a group of wolves to stop attacking the carriage they were riding in.

Vampires can also climb walls, and this is actually one of the first supernatural abilities that was ever mentioned. This power is revealed when the main character is sleeping, wakes up, looks out his window, and sees Dracula climbing down the wall like a spider would. Another utility power of theirs is night vision. This one seems obvious, but they can see in darkness as if it was bright as day. They also have far superior muscle to us, and they have better strength, speed, and hearing.

Now, this has practically been buried, but vampires can actually hypnotise humans, like when the main character physically can’t bring himself to attack Dracula. In some interpretations, they can also have telekinesis, or fly, but this is not proven in Bram Stoker's version. Saving the best for last, Dracula can actually control the weather, and cast other magic. This is incredibly important in the plot of the original Dracula, as he plans to go on a boat, and make it sink. One of the strongest powers of a vampire is to become a sort of bat vampire.

Next up, we're going to be targeting some of the misconceptions that have been spread about vampires in the modern day. For one, Vampires don’t look like wretched beasts of the undead, but unlike Twilight, they don’t “sparkle.” Vampires typically look like regular people around their sixties, seventies, or eighties. There are also no “good” vampires, all vampires are considered evil, and anything good they would do is just to feast on more people. Secondly, people assume they only live in their castles, but this is insanely untrue. While they do have to sleep on their homeground, one of the most terrifying things about the original vampire is that, as long as they’re not in the sun, they can walk/run/fly/teleport anywhere on Earth.

Finally, it’s time to cover the weaknesses of the original vampire. We all know about the standards, the sunlight, the garlic, the stakes, but there are even more than the average person knows. For one, if a vampire bites a human, but doesn’t drink enough blood to kill/transform them, the person can switch between their, and the vampire's viewpoints, this is actually how they defeat Dracula in the original Bram Stoker book. As I mentioned before, in the day, they have to sleep where they originally lived as a human. 

Finally, we have to cover the true way of how to kill a vampire. Most people assume that it is just the stake to the heart that kills a vampire, but there is actually a lot more. Let’s say you are a vampire hunter, and you have just discovered your most elusive case of all, just sleeping there. If you were a beginner, you would have plunged the stake in, walked away, and the vampire would jump out and kill you. The real way to do it would be to first, stuff some garlic in the vampire's mouth. Secondly, you would cut off the vampire's head (gruesome, I know) and finally, you drive the steak into the heart. So yeah, if you somehow encounter a sleeping vampire, I hope you’re not afraid of blood!

So, after reviewing this, I hope that you are now more interested in the subject of vampires, and maybe go down the same web spiral that led me to writing this article, and maybe, just maybe… you’ll be able to bombard your siblings/parents with vampire facts the next time they watch Twillight. See you soon!

Thoughts on the New Mega Evolutions for Pokemon ZA by Penelope Baxter

The newest edition to the Pokemon games line up is just around the corner. And because it is being set in Kalos, Pokemon ZA has some brand new Mega Evolutions. Now, I have a very interesting definition of cute, and I have some opinions on the new Megas. So I thought it would be fun to take a look. This is just my opinion, so if yours differs, go ahead and like it.

Mega Dragonite

Why is this hated? I find it so cute and absolutely adorable. If you haven’t seen it, Mega Dragonite looks like a regular Dragonite, just with angel wings and a little blue ball on its tail. Dragonite also does deserve a Mega, and I’m happy with what we got. It may not be good competitively, but it’s most certainly going to be a contender on my team when I play.

Mega Victreebel

James from Team Rocket may like it, but no. Why did it even need a Mega Evolution in the first place? It looks like a regular Victreebel, but with a tinier head, larger leaves, and a large stomach. Funny, but not my favorite. 

Mega Hawlucha

When I first saw the trailer for Mega Hawlucha, I thought it would be for Mega Machamp if I hadn’t seen the thumbnail of a reaction video beforehand. I’m not opposed to it, I just don’t see the need for it. But I do like the design, a black luchadora mask with a cape. It’s not  going on my team probably, but nice nonetheless. 

Mega Malamar

The trailer scared me half to death the first time I watched it. I do think it’s a great idea, and I’m not mad that Game Freak decided to make it. Design wise, neat! The oversized brain I’m not a fan of, but the multicolored tentacles are cool. But again, the part of the trailer when the newscaster got hypnotised freaked me out. 

Mega Greninja

As soon as I saw it, I burst out laughing at how stupid I thought the design was. Then again, it was also sharing screen time with Chesnaught and Delphox, so I thought its hand had turned into a propeller. Looking at it again, it still looks hilarious. Also, why not just give everyone Ash Grininja? 

Mega Delphox

Is it… supposed to be a witch? When I first saw the trailer, I didn’t really know what it was supposed to look like, but I now have a still image and I… don’t really know what to do with it? It looks like a witch, I think, with a flaming broom and two flaming tiny brooms. This is looking more ridiculous the more I look at it. 

Mega Chesnaught

Chespin would not be my choice from the Kalos starters. It would be Froakie as it’s the water starter and I like Greninja. But Mega Chesnaught… It is so good. The design changed the least, but it looks way better. Incredible; I love it. 

Mega Raichu Y

Cute, it weirdly gives me Pacherisu vibes; I like it. Though I do find X funnier.

Mega Raichu X

IT LOOKS LIKE THE DYNAMAX GO SYMBOL! HA! But seriously, it does. Also, what’s with the two tails? Alolan Raichu’s better, but this is hilarious.  

Well, that’s all for this round;  I did my best to avoid spoilers and leaks. Still there are a decent amount of released Megas,, and I’m excited to learn more. 

RANKING THE TOP 10 HAMILTON SONGS By Faraday Szefi

Hamilton is an award winning musical and is currently on Broadway.

Here are the top 10 songs according to me!

10. Ten Duel Commandments

This song is pretty good, and it is really catchy.

9. Wait for It

The vocals on this song are super good and powerful!

8. Helpless

It is super catchy and I love how this song is upbeat unlike others in the show.

7. Best Of Wives and Best Of Women

This song went viral from TikTok but it is really good!

6. My Shot

The cast did so good on this number and it is amazing.

5. Room Where It Happens

SO good! I love how this song was written.

4. Right Hand Man

This song is so catchy and the actors pour all their emotions into this!

3. Alexander Hamilton

So amazing! This is the opening number and all the cast did so great

2. Satisfied

They do the scene before that backwards, which is so cool!

1. Dear Theodosia

I love how this is a sweet song, and the actors make it seem like they are actually the character they play because of how good they are in this song.

Fortnite Tips by Nadia Adkins

Hey, Noobies!

Fortnite is one of the most popular games in America, and I can understand why, too. 

It has games made by other people, like minigames or parkour. Some of my favorites include Murder Mystery and Bedwars! You can do just about anything… as long as you can resist the temptation to throw your device on the floor when you die of lag. Or maybe you died of  your skill level, which happened to me a lot when I first started playing. Here are some tips for new players!

Accuracy

Maintaining consistent accuracy is probably the most annoying thing. Luckily, this is easy to learn (unlike some things, trust me). When trying to shoot with a shotgun or a pistol, you need to quickly aim your gun and shoot where the target is going to go, then start running to hit them in another direction. Do not jump around if you have no stamina, because the enemy can predict when you will fall.

For multifire guns, aim while shooting, and if someone (especially if that someone has a sniper) aims at you, sprint away to try to hit them from behind. Do not approach your enemy if you do not have a shotgun, PLEASE.

And lastly, snipers. Sniping is easy, assuming your scope is on. But the question is, what do you do if someone tries to snipe you when you're trying to snipe them? The answer is, the moment you see that shining light, hide. The enemy will most likely shoot right away to try and scare you off. But the moment after they shoot, they will try to reload, and that’s when you strike.

Building (Ugh)

This is the hardest skill to learn, in my opinion. If you have Easy Build on, you have to constantly aim your controller to different places on your wall/floor/stair/pyramid. I’m advanced at building, but it took a whole season for me to get it right. Here are the controller jerks for your builds:

Walls:

Window:  Place your joystick straight in the middle 

Door:  Move down slightly from the middle

Triangle:  On either side of the wall, joystick up

Half-wall:  Joystick in the middle of the wall, then jerk up

Floors:

Any:  Place your joystick in any corner, and a gap in the floor will be placed at that 

spot

Stairs:

Half  (Vertically):  On either side of the stairs

Other direction:  Joystick straight in the middle

Pyramids:

Tent:  Again, same as floors, placed your joystick on any corner and the tent will be  

placed facing away from you

Ramp:  Joystick straight on the top; your direction will change the angle

Weapon Choice

This is the thing that makes you easy to kill. For example, why would you be using a multifire gun up close? Why did you pick a pistol with barely any ammo? Why did you choose only shotguns when you have to do long-distance shooting? Here are some tips.

When choosing your weapons, you have to be balanced. Don’t just get an inventory full of med kits and snipers or something like that. Here is a good inventory to have:

Shotgun

Multi-Fire Gun

Sniper

Escape Weapon (Hammer, Base Boost, Launch Pad, Etc)

Health Items (Med kit, Chug Jug, Shield Potion, Etc)

Ammo is a crucial part of your chances of winning. If you see an ammo bunch- don’t walk past it, even if you don’t need it at the moment! You never know when a little extra juice will help you in battle!

Conclusion

In conclusion, Fortnite is a difficult game to play, and it takes some time to learn the basics. But with the right information, you can practice in training islands made by other people, and eventually be an advanced player. It won’t happen instantly, but with effort, you can learn skills to help your game play.

LEGO City Undercover: Hidden Purple Stud? By Jacey Gummo

One of my favorite games of all time is LEGO City Undercover. I remember looking at the Wii U game section with my older sister, looking for a fun new game to play. We saw LCU and bought it. This was one of the best (and only) decisions we’ve ever agreed on.

LEGO City Undercover was a launch title for the Wii U, originally called LEGO City Stories. This game was special. It would be the first-ever released LEGO game with full voice acting! However, there were many delays with LCU’s development. It no longer holds that title. That now belongs to LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. LCU is still first in my heart.

Now, sit back, relax, grab your LEGO popcorn, and let’s review.

The game starts with one of the funniest opening cutscenes I’ve seen. We get a quick exposition from our main character, Chase McCain. We learn how he was exiled from LEGO City after a rough case involving criminal mastermind Rex Fury. A key witness, Natailia Kowalski, came forward and gave key information. Somehow, Chase accidentally gave her identity away. She’s now in witness protection. After the exposition, we hear from Captain Bluffbeard, who Chase was talking to, and he crashes the cargo boat into the port. When you exit the boat, Mayor Gleeson drives up in her limo and talks to Chase about how a crime wave has affected the city. Right as a group of thieves dismantles her limo. Gleeson is talking about how she needs Chase to bring justice to Rex, and Chase should go to the police department. She finishes talking to you and drives off.

We’re thrown into chapter one of the game: New Faces and Old Enemies. Your very first objective is to get in the police car and drive. And this is also how I know if you’re a psychopath or not. You drive over civilians, lamp posts, and any incline that sends you to the moon. You may also discover nitrous by pressing the “Y” button, resulting in increased carnage and pain. 

After you barely make it to the police station in one piece, you meet Frank Honey. He’s one of the best characters in the game and a total sweetheart. He’s holding a mountain of donut boxes for Chief Dunby, yet he slips and falls. All the boxes come tumbling down. You help Frank, and he recognizes you as the one who brought down Rex Fury. Your presence enthralls him. 

After you help with the donuts, you step inside the station and call Natalia. She is furious with you. After the call, Chief Dunby appears. And he’s cranky. He’s yelling at his assistants, flipping papers over, and worst of all, he hasn’t had his donuts yet! He sees you and is not happy. But any help they can get is better than none. Even from Chase McCain. He reluctantly allows you to work on the case. He sends you to the basement for a uniform and a police communicator. 

You get to the basement, get your uniform, and meet Ellie Phillips. Frank is totally not in love with her or something! She gets you your police communicator, and you head upstairs. Chief Dunby is now in a sugar coma from all of the donuts he consumed. You wake him, and it’s time for a briefing. 

During the briefing, Dunby is talking about the crime waves and blah, blah, blah, clowns are robbing the bank?!? He sends everyone to the bank immediately. There are clowns everywhere! It’s chaos. They distract the cops long enough for one to get into their navy blue van and get the heck out! But you follow them. You ram into the van, and it eventually explodes. The robber isn’t done yet, though. And neither are you. It’s an on-foot pursuit between you and him. You arrest him, and there are two more clowns to catch. You catch the two others, and that’s where I’ll stop.

LEGO City Undercover will always remain in a special place in my heart. It’s funny, the plot twist is great, and the acting is amazing. Not to mention the random NPC dialogue in the background during your adventures. This game is filled with so much content and references. It’s truly one of my favorite games of all time. I highly recommend it if you have the ten-dollar gift card for it.

Staples of the Horror Movie Genre by Jack Stewart

Horror, we all know it, and some love it. Everyone understands the feeling of suspense before the jumpscare, scanning the screen for an ounce of clarity before the kill. Today, I’m about to cover each of the most famous movies in horror history. And their defining characteristic that made them famous.

First off, we have It, for its general creepy vibe. Most movies require moments of calm, but with jumpscares in between, but all It needs is a subtle creepyness growing more, and more prominent as the movie progresses. It’s main villain Pennywise is perfect for this. Clowns are often described as not outright scary, but subtly creepy, and offputting, a perfect vibe for a movie like It.

Now what about the opposite, a movie that truly excels at its jumpscares? For this, we have Scream. Scream is incredible at making the watcher jump up in fright. Anyone who watched Scream would probably remember just how truly terrifying it is from the movie go from normal life, to the protagonist being sprinted at by Ghostface holding a knife. Speaking of Ghostface, the idea of that masked killer has the idea he can appear from anywhere, perfect for the slasher genre.

Serial killers, supernatural monsters, these are the stereotypical horror villains, and let’s face it, it can get boring after a while. This is why my next award will go to creativity, and Nightmare on Elm Street takes the cake for this one. It takes some real creativity to create something as original as a serial killer that came back from the dead, which would be cliche, if he didn’t attack people from their dreams. There is also a lot more about his backstory that I can't mention in a school newspaper, but just with that, Freddy Krueger takes the cake.

So, so far, we have creepyness, jumpscares, and creativity, but we’re all forgetting about one important aspect of horror… the gore. We all know that gore is only good in moderation, but as these are the staples of horror themselves, we need something that truly excels at it, crossing lines that no other horror movie would dare to cross. For a movie like this, we have Saw. Now, for those of you who know about this series, I know you saw this coming, and I know you wish you didn’t. This series, like I said before, crosses lines that have never been crossed (Not saying that’s always a good thing, and yes, I am talking about Human Centipede, good to see we all hate it.) As the child of a true crime fan, I was overcome with curiosity when I heard the words “reverse bear trap,” and yes, I can tell you that from the research I regret doing, it is as bad as it sounds, but again, can’t go too far into the details here on the school newspaper. 

The final award goes to, not its own niche, but one that takes all four components of horror, and makes the true scariest horror movie. Now, I must admit that at this moment, I was a bit stuck, so I turned to the person I know who has watched more horror movies than anyone else I know… My dad. After telling him everything else, I then asked him what the scariest movie he ever watched, he responded. So, after all of this, I can say that the final award goes to… The Exorcist. This movie has the creepyness of It, a bit of the pure jumpscare element of Scream, the creativity of Nightmare on Elm Street, and definitely some of Saw’s body horror. What makes this movie truly terrifying is the concept of a child being possessed by a demon. While this may not seem scary, my father was at the theaters at the time. He said that there were people walking out of the theater, crying, and even fainting. The effects were like nothing seen before back then, and the series, which is now known as The Conjuring, has been continuing for years on end.

Horror, we all know it, and some love it. Everyone understands the feeling of suspense before the jumpscare, scanning the screen for an ounce of clarity before the kill. But we now have seen that every good horror movie has a bit of these four components, and we have also seen what these components look like to the extreme.