Portal, Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom

By: Samantha Thai

           Just admit it, Mario was probably was one of the greatest ideas ever created.  The more you play, the more you get mad at your stupid Gameboy for not responding to jump.  Even though it’s tough and difficult, it still made people’s days.  Have you ever heard of Portal?  You know, the game where you shoot one hole into a wall and another on the roof then you can teleport between the two?  It’s also possibly one of the most popular games among game lovers.  Now combine them and you get Mari0, a game where you can manipulate the battlefield with your portal gun and mess with goombas all day long. 

Mari0 was released back in the 3^rd of March by Maurice Guégan.  At first, Guégan only wanted to make a clone of Super Mario Bros with the multiplayer concept that New Super Mario Bros Wii had.  Later on, the idea was formed after he saw a video named Mario With a Portal Gun. It is a cross-platform using the original levels Super Mario Bros and concept of Portal.   Even if you’re an old fashioned gamer, you’ll end up loving this game because it gives off an awesome gameplay and fun feeling to it.  You can use your Portal gun to have koopa troopas falling into your traps constantly and even after watching it for 5 minutes, it’s still very entertaining.  What’s more fun than adding a little spice and adventure to an amazing game?  There’s no harm in it, especially if the gameplay is smooth and there’s extra options like choosing what hat Mario gets to wear or if he’s 12 inches bigger.

The game is free to play at stabyourself.net and even has other parodies like Not Tetris and Not Pacman. If you like to have different twists and surprises while playing then Mari0 is a must have for your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.

ALMOST MAINE - Sunjay Sharma

ALMOST MAINE!
- By Sunjay Sharma

"On a cold, clear, moonless Friday night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised; hearts are broken. Love is lost, found, and confounded.  But the bruises heal and the hearts mend - almost...."

           Falls Church High School Drama's "Almost Maine" is almost here! You wouldn't want to miss Falls Church's reenactment of John Cariani's 2004 romantic comedy about love and how it finds its way into everybody's heart this winter. In the small city of Almost, Maine, a peculiar phenomenon, most likely the cause of a supernatural Aurora Borealis (or the "Northern Lights," commonly seen in northern places such as Maine), seems to be causing the residents to fall in and out of love one frosty night. This play will surely have you crying next to your partner one moment, and laughing your socks off the next! Watch as nine people in nine short stories explore and find love in odd ways. Almost Maine incorporates a right mix of love and the hysterical things it makes the characters do, entertaining viewers of any age! Many will be able to relate to these heartwarming tales one way or another. So, who will find love? Whose heart will be broken? Find out! Tickets are $5 at lunch and $8 at the box office. According to rumors, Almost Maine is supposed to be the best play of all year, so don't miss it! The plays will premiere on December 6th, 7th, and 8th at 7:00 P.M. For more information regarding this highly anticipated play, including a full cast and crew list, visit FCHSDrama.org, or contact Valerie Karasek at 703-207-4059. 

You can see the trailer here! 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRiOHfBfTTU&feature=youtu.be

Cyber Monday

By: Michael Barnes

    Yes, the rumors are true, it is that time of the year again. Thanksgiving day which took place Thursday, November 22nd marked the beginning of the holiday season. This face stuffing holiday was followed by possibly the most chaotic day of every year here in the United States, that being Black Friday. Many people understand the purpose of Black Friday, it is an opportunity for the early Christmas shopper to purchase a good portion of their gifts at a discounted price. The catch to this holiday is that the items are served to those as means of first come, first serve. To purchase the items their hearts so desire, they must perform some tasks they may not be too proud of. That may include either waking up early, or just not sleeping at all, it can include pushing, shoving, and other forms of physical activity one would not usually partake in. Days such as Black Friday can bring out the best in someone , as well as the worst.
   In the 21st Century, just about everything these days have gone in the direction of the internet. It has now gotten to the point where you are able to purchase the items you would receive on Black Friday, online. This day is known as Cyber Monday, this is due to the fact it takes place online, and is on the Monday following Black Friday. Cyber Monday received its title in 2005 by the website shop.org, referring to it as the biggest online shopping day of the year. This titled holiday has began to move international , now existing in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, and Chile. Cyber Monday is only growing, so make sure to have your Debit and Credit cards ready, and bargaining abilities prepared to go to work.

Will you buy the Wii U?

      The highly anticipate gaming console, Wii U, has finally been released! Ever since it's been unveiled during Nintendo's press conference at the Electron Entertainment Expo 2011 on June 7th, the hype could not stop building up. It has just released yesterday, November 18th, in North America. It's scheduled for a release on November 30th in Europe and Australia, and December 8th for Japan. What's unique about the Wii U is that it isn't a traditional gaming console. Its primary controller is a touchpad that can be used to complement the game that is currently being played, but it isn't necessary, as you can still have the gameplay on the touchpad. Another cool feature about the Wii U is the "pro controller," which attracts some of the more "hardcore" gamers. You can see the similarities between the Xbox controller, and the Wii U controller. This is a smart move on Nintendo's part. The Wii was the most successful selling console due to its family appeal, and unorthodox use. The Wii U incorporated both of these aspects, and included a way for the "hardcore" games to switch over from the PS3 or Xbox 360.

     
     
The Wii U has a bunch of features that are just as cool as the touchpad, as well:

• Motion Controls
• NFC Location
• Camera
• 6.2 Inch Touch Screen
• TV Control Button
• Microphone
• Built-in Software
• Low weight (Approximately 3.5 pounds (1.6 KG)
• First Nintendo console to support HD graphics (1080p)
• Open Source
• Energy Efficient
• Wii comparability

     Right now, the Wii U has generally favorable reviews, there are still some reviews with criticism, though. If you'd like to buy this gaming console, you'll have to look into it a little more, and see if this console is something you'd be interested in, and will suit your needs.

Reviews some individuals might be interested in:

1. http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/19/nintendo-wii-u-reviews/
2. http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/11/19/hope-and-caution-in-wii-u-reviews/
3. http://z6mag.com/technology/gaming/nintendo-wii-u-release-date-with-high-expectations-in-reviews-to-come-1615789.html

Sources:

1. http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U

By: Sreevatsa Gottada
Period: 1

Date: 11/19/12

The Twilight Saga Finale

The Twilight Saga Finale

By: Juliana Clifford Staff Writer

     Today is the day, the finale is out. Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the last movie in the twilight saga. In case you forgot, in Breaking Dawn Part 1, Bella had given birth to her and Edward’s child, Renesmee, and was then bitten by Edward. She had just woken up from the process of becoming a vampire. The last scene in Breaking Dawn Part 1 was Bella opening her eyes and the color was no longer her normal chocolate brown but a blood red. Breaking Dawn is all about Bella adapting to vampire traditions, especially the Cullen’s Vegetarian ways, and her pretending to be human. 

     The Volturi finds out about Renesmee and believes that the Cullen’s made her a vampire, since it’s strictly forbidden to make a child into a vampire, the Volturi come after them. Since Renesmee is not a vampire, or if she is they are unaware, they try to gain allies with other vampire like them. If you don’t remember, Jacob imprinted on Renesmee and Jacob would risk his life and his pack to protect her. In the final fight scene with all the werewolves, vampire and friends of the Cullens that are there to fight the Volturi and kill the Cullens and Renesmee. 

     Most twilight junkies will see this movie with in the weekend but the crazy twilight fanatics will have seen it at midnight on Thursday at midnight. Most people that go at midnight will dress up as vampires or werewolves. Some get so crazy that they get red contacts and use face makeup to be as pale as possible. Some even put glitter on their bodies to be vampires sparkling in the light. Others wear fake tribal tattoos and get fake tans to be werewolves in Twilight. Of course there are always team Edward and team Jacob fans, even though Bella has chosen, over and over again.  

What is Renesmee?

Will the Cullens survive?  

What happens after it's all over?

Thoughts on Disney buying "Star Wars"

At the end of October Disney bought Lucasfilms from founder George Lucas for $4.05 billion. Disney plans to make three more Star Wars films every two – three years over the next decade. Along with Star Wars franchise, Disney also acquired Indiana Jones franchise, special effects house and LucasArts, a video game company. Lucas will be a creative consultant for the Star Wars movies. The producers have yet to announce who the director will be.

Disney is considering turning Star Wars into a TV show, which would most likely air on Disney XD. Disney is interested in potential adding more Star Wars related rides and theme parks.

This is not the first company Disney has bought. They have bought ABC (costing $19.7 billion), ESPN, Marvel ($3.96 billion), FOX Family ($5.2 billion) and Pixar ($7.6 billion). The late Steve Jobs bought Pixar from Lucas and then later sold it to Disney.

Disney and Lucas were immediately bashed for their deal by angry Star Wars fans. I have seen all the Star Wars movies, however I am not a big fan. I am actually a big fan of Disney though. I do not support Disney buying Lucasfilms because it is only going to create problems and controversies. My biggest question, which is probably the biggest question, is who is going to be a part of the cast? James Earl Jones, who is the voice of Darth Vader, is 82 years old! They cannot guarantee that he will be alive for the next three films. The other actors are all far too old to be in this kind of movie. Harrison Ford (Han Solo) is 70 and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) is 56. Yoda and R2-D2 are too old, too. 

         Technically, Princess Leia is now a Disney princess along with Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, etc. She will never be a Disney princess to anyone. Sure, I suppose she has all the "typical" Disney princess characteristics, but she just is not the same. She is strong, independent, can fight for herself, but she is not exactly dressed like a Disney princess. This leads me to wonder what Disney is going to do to her and other characters to make them more Disney-like or Disney-friendly.

I actually have not heard a single person say they think this is a good idea. Of course, I doubt Disney would ever let something like the public's opinion affect their decisions, but I cannot imagine this will end well. Many people are worried that Disney will have writers come in and make up a completely new story-line without using any of the Star Wars books or anything. Disney just added a new writer to their creative team for the next Star Wars movie. He has written Little Miss Sunshine, Catching Fire (from the Hunger Games trilogy and Toy Story 3. The poor guy is receiving so much bad-mouthing for being a part of the Toy Story 3 writing team. Everyone needs to give him a chance; people can write for both children and adults. Even if the Star Wars movies have too much Disney influence on them, they will at least be funny or have little snide comments or jokes hidden in them like all Disney movies do.


~ Kelly Haynes (staff writer)