Tomb Raider

Square Enix one of Japan’s top leading game developers has truly outdone themselves with the release of the new Tomb Raider. The game stars a young British girl - that we all know and love - who’s on an exploration with her close friends, and a “famous” archeologist, for a documentary that the crew is helping put together. The game starts off with as a scene in which the destruction of their ship - the Endurance - occurs, landing them on an island in the Dragon’s Triangle near Japan. Young Lara Croft wakes up to the wreckage and is attacked from behind shortly after, ending the scene and starting the game.

                The game control feels amazing, as well as the structure. While you control Lara, you can see how well the designers worked on the coding of the movement and response to the controls. Compared to previous versions of Tomb Raider, the controlling features feel flawless. The character's actions and reactions are almost like  an extension of your own. As you develop through the game, you soon learn how Lara Croft became the legend she is in the classic RPGs, while she in turn, finds her inner Croft. The further into the game you get, the more you see how clearly organized the structure is with the controls, something that feels decidely lacking in some other games by Square Enix, such as Deus Ex.

                While the game’s control sequence is amazing, what is truly breath taking are the graphics. The artwork, the 3-D design, and the structure of the entire layout is breathtaking. Lara gets bruised up, beaten, and wounded, which is prevalent throughout the whole game play. In most RPG games once a player is wounded, their wounds tend to magically disappear after a certain amount of time, but in this game, the game-play feels way more realistic as Lara keeps all bumps and bruises, as well as the not-so-glamorous dirt she receives throughout. This feature is similar to how Warner Bros. produced Batman: Arkham Asylum & Batman: Arkahm City, where if Batman gets injured and his suit gets damaged it stays damaged throughout the whole gameplay.

                The story line of the game is amazing, the way they show how Lara grows and her development throughout the game is amazing. Overall, I give this game a 9.5 out of 10, mainly cause there were still some loose ends in the editing, but despite that I thought it was a really good game.

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Temple Run or Temple Run 2?

Ah Temple Run! One of the most popular games for iPhones and Smartphones. Practically everyone has this addicting game downloaded on their devices.  The first Temple Run that got us all hooked was released last year. Eventually the buzz died down but people still play it. Who knew escaping from wild chimps and avoiding obstacles would be so entertaining and addicting.  The obstacles increase as you progress through out the game. As your score gets higher your resistance to keep playing disappears and before you know it you’ve been playing for a couple hours. It’s a great time killer when you’re on a road trip or making your daily commutes to school. Or play it just for fun! A couple of months ago Temple Run 2 was released which is a whole new adventure. There are so many additions to this game, which make it much harder but a lot more fun to play. Your high score may not match up your high score on Temple Run 1 but don’t let that stop you from playing. Whether you’re trying to kill time, procrastinate or you’re just bored out of your mine play one of the two and you’ll like it.

- Lefty 

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The Knife Game Song

The Knife Game Song

Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm still here, kicking with a new blog post. This one is about a fad that's been out for a while, the knife game song. The rules are simple, put your hand out on the table stretched, get a knife, and stab the spaces between you fingers while staying with the beat of the song. Also, don't miss the spaces, because your fingers may come off, and if they do they'll start to bleed. And I can imagine that's no fun. But, the game is. Now, usually people go and say, "that's stupid" or "dangerous", or even "that's emo". Trust me, its a fun little game, that is dangerous, so it's only for the brave. Just don't be a fool and post it on youtube. Or stab yourself. So I'm not recommending this game, to everyone. But for the dare devils out there, why not try and impress your friends? If you win, goody you, nothing to win but pride. If you lose, ehh tough. And word of advise, start small. Use a pen first, uncap it to see where you'd hit yourself. Don't play the full game until your sure. But all in all, this game is total ridiculousness. So have fun, and watch the video of the founder of this song. And until next time, keep your fingers. If you come up to me and play this and hurt yourself, I will not call the hospital because you won't learn your lesson. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t2bnp8aoXw

- Oscar O

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Girl The Wild's

Author: Hun (group of people)

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Action, School Life, and Martial Arts

Summary: This is a Manhwa, a Korean manga. Usually Korean dramas have a poor girl meats rich cute guy but this time there is a twist, it's the other way around. The main protagonist Song Jae Gu enters a new school Wilds High a recently high school that has changed into co-ed. Song Jae Gu on his first day realizes this and also that he was the only boy who applied for entrance. That’s not the only thing weird about the school, but the school has 42 years of history, where they have their students(girls) train to become fighting professionals and then compete in the Wilds' Tournament. Since Song Jae Gu entered this school he is going to have to join this tournament even if he has no fighting experience, but he meets friends along the way who will help him train. A very good read and all pages are colored; so far 80 chapters.

- Eric Mei, Entertainment

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Video Games Updates

SimCity 5 was released a few days ago and already it’s a failure. After all the hype SimCity fans have built up after so many years, the game ends up being unplayable at the moment because of EA’s decision to make it so that the game can only be played when players are online. Their servers weren’t able to handle the number of players online playing the game and so the game crashes and causes loss of save data.

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag has also been announced to be released on October 29 on the PS3 and Xbox360. The game will also be available on the next-gen consoles. The game takes place during the 18^th century during the age of piracy in the West Indies. The main character is a new assassin called Edward Kenway, a pirate trained by an assassin. Edward Kenway is the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton, both of whom are characters from Assassin’s Creed 3. This game will have more content using the open ocean which includes battles at sea that AC3 had. The modern storyline won’t have Desmond Miles as the main protagonist anymore but it will still be very interesting to know how the modern storyline will progress after the huge cliffhanger AC3 left off at.  

-Alan Chen, Video Game Entertainment

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The Amazing Spider Man Movie Review

This weekend my parents and me were bored and decided to watch the new Spiderman Movie “The Amazing Spiderman”. When I was a kid my Dad took to see every one of the Spiderman movies in the theatre but I never watched the newest version of the classic movie. I thought that the new version was pretty good and is a decent take on the original version. I enjoyed watching the movie it was very action-filled and there was nothing boring about it. Certain aspects of the movie were changed around which made the movie more interesting. It’s basically like the original movie with a few twists.  The way he becomes Spiderman is different from the original version. The species of Spiderman’s enemy is different. Another major change is there’s no Mary Jane in this movie! Yes that’s right in this movie Spiderman’s romantic interest’s name is Gwen Stacy. That’s all the spoilers I’m going to tell you got to watch the movie to see the rest for yourself. This movie was great and exciting because of all the new additions and changes and is a good watch for those movie nights. I still prefer the original to this version because nothing is better than the original movie but don’t let that stop you from watching it! 

- Eleftheria Kalaitzis

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Path of Exile

This game is OP for free to play game. The game is like Diablo in terms of the playing-style. Over thousands skill trees which gives more creativity in building a character. There is no money to buy benefits like other games. The only benefit it will give is making your character look cooler. There are no STATS or SKILLS ADVANTAGE for using money in the game. The game was made seven years ago and was recently released in the U.S. There are a couple of classes to choose form and you can build a hybrid depending on your build of the skill tree. I've recently played the game and got to level 10 in a day or two. So far the game is pretty addicting. The monsters are pretty easy to kill so far but as the game progresses into the next few chapters, the bosses and monsters are tougher. The game is pretty self-explanatory. Just do quests, grind and get good gears. You can play with friends or solo if you want to. However, the game is 5.6GB. If you can play Diablo 3 on your computer then you computer can handle the game. Give the game a try and probably you going to get hook and play it all day. 

You can get it here:

http://www.pathofexile.com/

- Stephen Huang 

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Fun in the Snow

Remember the good old days before we had all of our prized electronics such as laptops, cell phones, iPads? Back when we actually went outside to play for fun. Snowing was one of the most exciting things ever because of all the fun activities it brought. Especially in a Blizzard like New York just had. Snow is just so special; it makes it look like Winter Wonderland everywhere and brings people together. The Snow is great source of entertainment for people of all ages, there’s so much you can do with it. Snow brings out the kid in everyone; even adults can’t resist throwing a snowball. Even until this day I can go outside and spend hours building a snowman or fort with family and friends. You can also make pretty snow angels in the perfect blankets of white glistening snow. Or even having a plain old snowball fight is a blast, what’s better than seeing the look on your opponent’s face when it’s filled with snow? Sledding is also a very entertaining snowy-weather activity; it’s like going down on an icy roller coaster  Instead of waiting inside and consuming so much time by logging on to Face book, take a break and go outside and enjoy the snow! In the city the beauty of snow doesn't last very long because it’s constantly being shoveled or it turns to slush quickly.  Snow is one of the highlights of winter because it brings people together for the special type of fun you can’t get often so when we are fortunate to get it we should go out there and enjoy it.

- Eleftheria Kalaitzis, Entertainment

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Kingdom Of Zombies

Author: Nojeok

Genre: Shounen, Action, Supernatural, Adventure, and Drama

Summary: This is a Manhwa basically manga that is made by koreans. The difference is when you read the it, it's from left to right instead of the usual right to left. The world is in a crisis with the human at the brink of extinction, they're in a time of Zombie Apocalypse that started from a little girl who caught a mysterious disease. The main character Van is eager to go on the 2nd expedition where the humans try to reclaim more land from the zombies. Van has a knack for inventing weird stuff and being a trouble maker but those are the characteristics of an adventurer. All Van needs to do is pass the test that will enable him to join this expedition. This manga is ongoing and there are 9 chapters so far.   

- Eric Mei, Entertainment

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VG News

Pictures of the PlayStation 4 controller are showing up on the internet. The controller is said to be real and that it’s just an early prototype. It looks pretty much the same as the PS3 controller except for the touchpad and a couple of new things.A new game in the Batman: Arkham series has been confirmed to be released later this year.Ubisoft’s new game, Watch Dogs will be arriving later this year. It’s going to be available on PC, PS3, and the Xbox360. Naughty Dog’s new game, The Last of Us’ release date has been delayed. It has also been confirmed by SONY. It was originally set to be released on May 7^th but it is now set to be released on June 14^th.The Dragonborn downloadable content has been recently released on the PS3 after a long series of delays. It’s only $9.99 on the launch week and will return to its original price of $19.99. The DLC includes a new dragonborn questline, a new island to explore, the ability to tame and ride dragons, new weapons, new dragonborn shouts and a lot of other new content. Be sure to get this DLC before the 50% off sale expires. 

- Alan Chen, Video game Entertainment

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Justin Bieber on Saturday Night Live

On February 9th, 2013, pop singer Justin Bieber was a guest on Saturday Night Live and was the host and performer.  Bieber appeared in many different skits that were in my opinion hilarious.  He starred as a Californian runaway on the segment called "The Californians".  He also played a southern boy who visits his girlfriend's family in which his girlfriend has a very obnoxious brother who teases him because he messed up on a greeting.  The skits were all very entertaining and introduced a new side of Justin Bieber.

I thought this live show was hilarious.  I never really watched the show before because it comes on so late at night, but I especially made sure to watch this one!  Honestly, I thought Justin Bieber did a very great job portraying these characters.  I've watched other things that he has acted in, and truthfully he is definitely not a great actor.  However, I think he did an amazing job for this to be live and very nerve-wracking.  His live performances of his songs were not his best and you could tell how nervous he was.  You guys should give it a shot and catch it on hulu.com!

- Giselle Barkley, Entertainment

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POKEMON X AND Y

Whats up baruch kids, here comes a post fresh off the press. I don't know how many of you are pokemon fans, or at all, but here's something one should know. They did it again. They went and made another damn region, with a new game and new pokemon. And you know, people thought the Unova region was bad, this... this is just disappointing.  These starters just look ridiculous. A frog, some chihuahua, and a chipmunk looking thing. And then the fact that theres just going to be even more pokemon, what the hell. I was getting close man, had 500 and something pokemon out of the 600 and something. This is annoying especially when it happened when i was close during the Sinnoh region. I don't know what Nintendo is thinking, and I only fear what will happen for the TV show of that region. Well here's a video of the trailer, see what you think. And peace.

-Oscar O.

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Circle Lenses/Colored Contacts!~

Hi everyone,

Instead of reviewing stuff in entertainment, I'm going to shamelessly promote and advertise talk about circle lenses/colored contacts! I'm bad at explaining, so bear with me for a moment. OTL

★ What are circle lenses? ★

Circle lenses are colored contacts that aim to make your eyes seem bigger. Prescription is usually available from -0.00 to -10.00!

★ Why are you talking about circle lenses? ★

I have noticed that more people nowadays wear these circle lenses, usually for cosplay or just aesthetic reasons. That being said, I assume it is okay for me to say that circle lenses have become some sort of style trend. ^w^ Anyways, the main reason for this post was to shamelessly promote and advertise inform you guys of my own online store on Tumblr, http://mochi-shoppe.tumblr.com/, which also sells batch order circle lenses.

★ What do you mean by batch order? ★

I do not have the circle lenses in stock. I need to collect a total of 20 lens pairs (I currently have 15 out of the 20 lens pairs) before I can order the whole batch. If I do this, my supplier offers lower prices per pair of circle lens, which is why the prices are cheaper (they usually cost about $25 or more, shipping not included).

★ Brands Offered: ★

GEO (email me about this brand @ he.melissa@bcchsnyc.net), EOS, G&G (also known as Dueba), Hana SPC, Princess Pinky, Seeshell Cosmo, Super Pinky, Vassen, and Venus Eye! I am still adding stuff, so some brands are missing items.

★ Colors: ★

Red, Pink, Green, Blue, Violet, Grey, Brown, Black

★ Prices Ranging From: ★

$18-$21!

★ Payment: ★

If anyone is actually interested, you can just give me your payment at school. ^w^

★ Shipping: ★

When the batch arrives, I'll just give you the lenses at school.

★ More information at: ★

http://mochi-shoppe.tumblr.com/circle-lenses

★ Questions? ★

Feel free to email me at he.melissa@bcchsnyc.net if you have questions! :)

- Melissa He, 12th Grade, Editor/Writer for Entertainment

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Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires

For those who don't know what Dynasty Warriors is, you are missing out. The game has over 10 games in the series. Dynasty Warriors is based off Chinese history in some parts. The game starts during the Han era in China. In Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires, you can choose between 3 clans; Wu, Shu, and Wei. You can choose or create a character and your goal is to conquer China. You have to defend as well as attack other clans for their territories. In the meantime, you are going learn how to control the military, enforce taxes on the citizens, etc. just like the government. The game play is pretty simple. All you have to do is slash around and not die. However, there is a time limit to each conquering as well as defending. You can upgrade your weapons and horses. The stronger you are, the easier the enemies will be. Although, this might sound easy, the beginning is always the hard part since there will be one enemy that will overpower you and probably kill you in 3-4 hits depending on your hp. I personally had played Dynasty Warriors ever since it came out and have been keeping up to date with it. I would rate the game 4/5 stars since the game is my cup of tea and pretty fun just killing people.

- Stephen Huang

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VG Updates

  Sony has released a teaser about a Playstation event that is set for February 20. This event will most likely involve the announcement of the Playstation 4. Rockstar has announced that Grand Theft Auto V is going to be released on September 17. Originally, it was set to be released in the spring but the game needed to be polished.  This may seem disappointing but more polishing means a better game in most cases. EA has announced that they are pulling Medal of Honor Warfighter out of rotation because of slow sales and poor reception of the game.  They have also announced a new Battlefield game that will be released in 2014. Although they did not mention Battlefield 4 specially, it would seem pretty obvious that’s what they are working on. They had previously advertised a Battlefield 4 beta as a pre-order for Medal Of Honor Warfighter. Fans of the God of War game series and those who are interested can watch a thirty minute gameplay trailer of the new God of War: Ascension. The game brings back Kratos set six months to one year after Kratos’ family dies. You can find the video on ign if you don’t know where to look.

- Alan Chen, Video Game Entertainment

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Kelly Clarkson Songs

Many people know the famous singer Kelly Clarkson. She won the 2002 American Idol, and is now producing many songs that are very catchy to many people. Her voice distributes a very powerful and strong tone which gives everyone energy. Some songs that are sung by her are:

#1: Dark Side - "Everybodys got a dark side." True. This song reveals one's true self. Even though people are nice, they can have their mean days as well. This displays how every good person can have a dark side.

#2: Catch My Breath - Just a beautiful song about life. Words can't describe this song.

#3: What Doesn't Kill You - CRANK UP THE RADIO. Because this song is gonna blow your mind. For all those people who can't find a speck of light in the doorway, you can with this song. It teaches you to feel stronger than you were originally. It just fills you confidence and positivity that you thought you never had. Brilliant :)

#5: Because of You - A sad moving song about not letting her family get hurt (in the music video). Also with a nice powerful voice, that everyone will love.

#6: Since You've Been Gone - The typical song talking about a possible relationship scenario. :)

Kelly Clarkson is an amazing singer. Her voice is worthwhile to listen to. So check the songs out. :)

-Joanne Y. 

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Finding Old Writing

Have you decided to go through the forgotten files on your computer, dusty diaries, unfinished journals,  and torn up notebooks from school; rediscovering old pieces from when you were younger? When you read the words that you have written so long ago, you realize how much things have changed. I always enjoyed finding writing because it reminds me of who I used to be. It can bring up a lot of memories; what you were doing and how you felt. Maybe you'll stumble upon a letter you wrote to the president in the third grade and find a stain only to remember that you were drinking cola at the time and spilled a little. Then you smile because its part of the person you might not be anymore. I think everyone should get into the habit of saving their affairs with words because its always an accurate portal back into the past.

-Kristy (Edited/Modified: Kristin)

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Brain Busters!

Since its been a while since these were posted here's three questions for the price of one:

Puzzle 1:
If you are in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first?

Puzzle 2:

Can you name four days which start with the letter "T"?

Puzzle 3:

A Name Train is a puzzle where each name is connected together like box cars in a train. You are given the first car (the Engine) and the last car (the caboose), and you have to fill in the car or cars in between. Every two consecutive cars will form a name of a person or character. Here is an example Name Train: Joan [ ] Li. The answer is Joan Jet Li (Joan Jet-Female singer, Jet Li-Actor) Ready? OK here goes:

1. Chris [ ] Hudson
2. Chris [ ] Asimov
3. Boy [ ] [ ] Ford
4. Elton [ ] [ ] Newton5. Curious [ ] [ ] [ ] Browne

*Answers to all previous teasers will be posted next Monday with the newest teasers*

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Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

Author & Director: Touno Mamare & Takeo Takahashi 

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Summary: Typical setting where the Yuusha (Hero) fight the Maou (Demon king) to save humanity, but there is a twist,  when the Hero meets the Maou he finds out it wasn't a Demon King but a Demon Queen. Also the Demon Queen enlightens the Hero about how the war between the humans and demons is a good thing. If the humans were to not fight demons they would fight each other, thus a civil war, but if they fight demons they join together.  More humans die in civil wars than when fighting with demons. So the Hero was persuaded by the Demon Queen and is going to aid her, they seal this partnership with a kiss. This is an ongoing anime and there is 4 episode so far and each episode last about 23 minutes. 

- Eric Mei, Entertainment

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The Movie Mama

I've wanted to go to the movies for a while now, so with it being Regents week and all I decided to go. My friend and I decided to watch Mama because it was a scary movie and it sounded pretty interesting. The movie was very interesting and not like other “scary” movies. The plot was unique. The movie is about two little girls who are abandoned to live in a cabin deep in the woods after their parents’ death. The father of the girls’ murdered their mother and two of his co-worker prior and after that he comes to get the girls and drives recklessly to an unknown destination and ends up in an accident. The father attempts to kill his daughter but “Mama” kills him before he gets the chance to. Basically these girls are left abandoned in this cabin for years and grow attached to a ghost named Mama who  takes care of them. Five years later they are finally found and go to live with their uncle and his girlfriend Annabelle.  The girls’ are traumatized by the way they've been living and are having trouble adapting to their new home. Mama follows them to the new home and haunts anyone who tries to get close to the girls. It turns out Mama is the ghost of a woman who escaped a mental asylum and committed suicide with her baby by jumping off of a clip. In the end of the movie Mama tries to take the girls and jump of the cliff to take them.  Annabelle is determined to stop it and takes one of the girls back, but at the end the other one refuses and jumps off the cliff with Mama and becomes a ghost. The movie was very confusing, I wish it had a better ending because it was weird how they separated the sisters’ by one of them staying with Annabelle and their uncle and one of them going with Mama. Also it was never clear exactly who Mama was.  I found the movie not to be scary at all, in fact I was laughing most of the time because everything was over dramatic and completely fake. The movie was decent and was worth the money but if you’re looking for a good scare, look elsewhere!

- Eleftheria Kalaitzis, Entertainment

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