"Assassin's Creed Unity" Review

Max Charney

Staff Writer

 Assassin’s Creed Unity is an upcoming sandbox action adventure game from Ubisoft that will be released on Nov 11, for Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC for North America. On Nov 13, it will see its  Europe and Australia release. The game will only be available for next generation consoles.

 As fans of the Assassin’s Creed series know, Assassin’s Creed Unity is a sequel to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. The game is set during the French Revolution. The player follows the story of nobleman Arno Dorina, who joins the Assassin order after the murder of his adopted father to investigate further. The game will include a co-op mode with up to four players. Many fans were also disappointed  to hear that Assassin’s Creed Unity was not going to take place in an Asian country: many were hoping for an Assassin’s Creed game where gamers could be a Samurai or in China. Well, those fans will be delighted to hear that Season Pass holder for Unity will be have free access to a DLC called Dead Kings,  storyline takes place in China with a whole new story and an all new cache of weapons.  

 Originally scheduled to release on Oct. 28, Assassin’s Creed Unity is delayed due to more time the developers needed to polish for release. Unity will require a Day One patch in order to play the game, development for Unity began when Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood concluded its development in 2010. Ubisoft Montreal team along with nine other studios worked together to complete the game.

 Assassin’s Creed Unity is  exclusive to next gen consoles and PCs, including for the the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. There will be Assassin’s Creed Rogue which will be released on the same dates as Unity. Assassin’s Creed Rogue has a big twist in it that no other Assassin’s Creed games have had: the game follows the story of a Templar Shay Cormac, who once was an Assassin and is now determined to kill every last one of them. Rogue takes place between 1752 and 1761, during the Seven Years War and closes up the chapter for the Kenway saga. Rogue is much like Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, the game involves a lot  of sailing except this time , this time you sail through the icy water of the North Atlantic Sea, not in the tropical Paradise of the Caribbean Sea. Players will be able to visit New York, the River Valley and the North Atlantic Ocean with returning character from Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag.

Chris Pratt to Star in New Jurassic Park

Heather Borochaner

Staff Writer

 Chris Pratt, who recently played the character Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord in the worldwide hit movie Guardians of the Galaxy, will have the leading role as the character Owen in the new Jurassic Park installment tentatively entitled Jurassic World.

 Pratt will be playing a raptor observer who works at the park, which has now been opened to the public for quite a while, despite the earlier problems that plagued the island. Remember, this movie takes place 22 years after the events of the first movie. Since dinosaurs have been once again walking the Earth in the park for a while now, the crowds in the park are beginning to thin, which leads geneticists in the park to create a new dinosaur, the Diabolus Rex, better known as D-Rex.

 D-Rex is a genetically modified dinosaur with the genes of T-Rex, Velociraptor, different species of snakes, and cuttlefish. With this new star test tube dinosaur, the owners of Jurassic World are convinced that this new attraction will bring back the crowds. Until, due to its unpredictable behavior, the D-Rex escapes and causes trouble. Oops!

 It was rumored that there will be a fight between the D-Rex and Pratt, but no spoilers or details have been given, and that’s probably for the best. “It’s going to be awesome,” was all Pratt revealed to an interviewer about his role in the movie. Jurassic World is set to air in theaters on June 12th, 2015.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a Summer Hit

Arian Behpour

A&E Editor

 

To the surprise of many, a movie about a green alien, a living tree, and a raccoon made from computer-generated imagery can become the biggest movie of the summer. It seemed this film was too unconventional to succeed, but some how it came out on top. The movie set out to blend together jokes alongside action and drama, a feat that is hard to accomplish. Guardians of the Galaxy was a step into new territory by Marvel.

The movie starts off great by getting us interested in the film’s story and tone. The jokes in the film had the all of the theater roaring in laughter. The characters all have their own type of humor. One of the funniest characters is Rocket Raccoon, who spouts out hilarious one liners right after eachother. This aspect of the film is interesting, because the way the characters talk to one another really makes them feel diverse and alive. The tear jerking moments are there too and they work just as well as the humor. 

While this film isn’t trying to win any oscars for acting, the acting is great all around. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill was a great casting decision. Even Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper give their characters that little edge with their voice acting. Michael Rooker, who you might know as Merle from the walking dead, is a great side character. John C. Reilly and Glenn Close barely show up more than five minutes combined, so you might be disappointed if you expected to see more of Reilly’s character. The most controversial casting choice might be Dave Bautista as Drax. Bautista, who is more known for his wrestling in the WWE than for his acting, gives a decent performance. I think he is not much of an actor but due to his characters lack in a  sense of humor, he seemed to fit the quirkiness of the character perfectly. The cast of Guardians is well rounded and makes for an eclectic range of characters.  

Aside from the humor, Guardians adds  a bit of action into the mix. The action is great and the CGI really complements the set pieces rather than demeaning them. Sometimes the action and humor go hand in hand. This works well and fits into an Indiana Jones and Star Wars vibe. There is a scene, not as good as the others,where the main characters fight in flight pods but you don’t feel like they are in the pods themselves. Yes, the action might be cool, but there is no sense of tension. 

The biggest issue that the movie presents is the villain, Ronan the Accuser. Ronan is the equivalent to Darth Maul from Star Wars. He looks cool, does evil stuff, and fights without mercy, but he is nothing new. His characteristics end at evil, and there  no redeeming factors or character development to his character. Ronan works under Thanos, an even bigger villain that is working in the background of the film. It seems like they did not care about Ronan and just wanted to build Thanos up more. In the end, Ronan felt like another cool costume with nothing to fill it up with.

This film deserved to have done so well in the box office due to its ability to mesh the genres together so perfectly. While watching the movie, I felt an array of emotions; happy, sad, and most of all, I had a great time watching this movie. Guardians of the Galaxy is up there with other sci-fi action comedies like Ghostbusters. If you want a good time with the friends, family, or by yourself, watch Guardians of the Galaxy.

Film Club

Tyler Brennan and Marc Verweil
Staff Writer

At New Hope-Solebury High School, film appreciation has experienced a renaissance under the newly appointed President of the NHS Film Club, Anthony Lagana, and the Mask and Zany Club.  
Last year, the Film Club hosted two film festival events showcasing talented New Hope-Solebury students who submitted videos to compete for prizes and awards. Students showed excitement and enthusiasm for the competition, writing scripts and making short films for submission. In prior years, the club had been limited to just film festivals.The club originated in 2004 when former students Jared Mancuso and Griffin Horn began hosting film festivals with the help of Mrs. Pittner. Between 2004 and 2005, the school held three film festivals with avid participation from the class. This recent activity came after six-year hiatus. Mrs. Pittner described the issue: "After the first batch of kids graduated, the film club drifted away. It really depends on having a motivated group of students and that’s what we have this year."
Many of the members are very excited for the promising future of this club. Anthony Lagana said: "I think it’s a great way to explore the different kinds of film. I think it’s a thing a lot of students have been interested in and there hasn't really been an outlet and I'm excited that its starting back up again and I'm excited for a great year."
The new president hopes to bring focus to obscure films, showing a different short at every meeting. The club’s next film festival will be open to students from other schools with South Hunterdon of New Jersey and Solebury school in mind. The NHS Film Club meets every other Tuesday during lunch in room 117.

Firefly Music Festival

Hannah Lelie

Arts and Entertainment Editor

The end of the year is coming to a close, and graduation is nearing. But the really excitement for so many students is the Firefly Music Festival. The festival takes place the the weekend after graduation, June 19-22. Firefly is located in The Woodlands of Dover, DE. The four day event has a lot to offer, musical and cultural.

 The festival has over one hundred artists and bands playing on six different stages. The headliners of the four days are Local Natives, Foo Fighters, Outkast,and Jack Johnson, the other popular artists are Arctic Monkeys, Imagine Dragons, Pretty Lights, The Lumineers, Beck, Ziggy Marley, and so many other great bands.

 Most of the festival goers are going to be camping out for the four days. The concert goers will be entertained and immersed in culture all hours of the day and night. Not only does the festival have six stages but also a coffee house with a big break stage. The Thicket is another popular spot, it’s a dance party in the woods but without the booming base. As soon as you walk in the front doors you are handed a set of wireless headphones for a silent dance party. The woods is full of popular hide away spots for relaxation like the Hammock Hangout and the Pathway, which features beautiful lights that light up the night.

 Firefly is going all out this year they website says: “We'll be bringing a variety of food options to Firefly in an effort to provide you with a well-rounded experience. We want you to feel good about what food you're eating to fuel yourself throughout the weekend.”

 The Hub is a located near the campsites and offers fresh fruits and yoga classes before you go to see all the bands.

 Every second will be filled with either relaxation or exciting entertainment. This is a destination music festival where you can get in touch with yourself.       

A Review of "Bad Blood" by Bastille

Allison Russo

News Editor

  Recently, it seems that American music has been experiencing somewhat of a repeat of the “british invasion”that took place  in the mid-1960s. Then, it was bands like The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones that topped the charts. Today, there are many more bands and solo artists bringing their music across the Atlantic Ocean, looking for the same kind of miraculous success. One pop rock band in particular is on track to make it big in the States: Bastille.

  The band’s debut album, “Bad Blood,” comes with an unnecessarily creepy name for what is rather a collection of honest songs about the different complicated aspects of the teenage experience. Overall, the album has a faster pace and a dangerous edge as it  tells a somewhat sequential story about love, growing up, and angst.

  The album opens up with “Pompeii” an upbeat, catchy song with background vocals that sound almost like a gospel-choir, without the religious connotation. The lyrics allude to the destruction at historical Pompeii and uses this to explain how familiar destruction feels even despite the visible change. While this song maintains a happy sound, the next song, “Things We Lost in the Fire,” continues with the idea of destruction. It opens slowly and has a contemplative tone throughout the verses. But once the chorus hits, it feels like a song that can be clapped along to.

  The next chapter in the story starts off with the title track “Bad Blood,” which is a bit more angsty. The opening of the song sounds almost foreboding. This song exemplifies the dangerous times, starting off with the line:  “We were young and drinking in the park.” The message is one of warning, until finally the next song, “Overjoyed” brings a feeling of recovery from the bad times. This song is beautifully simple in the beginning, with only the voice and piano. Later, the synthesizer adds another layer to the song, but, the song as a whole offers a calming feel after the tension of the previous song. “These Streets” closes out this chapter with a strong message of moving on. The tone of the song is confident, and the background vocals in the chorus seem to symbolize the strength of the message.

  These are only a few of the stories told on this elaborately crafted album. Other notable tracks include “Oblivion and “Flaws.” These songs are two of the best, despite their drastically different styles. “Oblivion” is slow and pleading, but the beginning is beautiful and simple. “Flaws” is more fun and upbeat; it’s a catchy song that would be successful especially as a single.

  Overall, I would recommend this album to people who are fans of groups such as Two Door Cinema Club, The XX, or Alt-J. Bastille is categorized as a rock band, but the songs overall also have an slight electronic feel.

Style and Savings

By Hannah Lelie

A&E Editor

Looking great doesn’t always mean you have to drain your wallet. This year it seems like everyone is sporting something from Goodwill. But supporting this foundation doesn’t just save you money, it also helps out your community. Some people have the misconception that only the impoverished should be shopping at Goodwill but that is where they’re wrong.

  Goodwill’s mission is not just to clothe people who can’t afford department names. Goodwill says their mission is “working to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.” Goodwill helps train people with disabilities, poor education, or other employment challenges with a custom job training program. Goodwill is not the only local non-profit organization supporting our local community, Impact thrift store, also helps local charities. By supporting these non-profit charities you not only get great style for less but help out your local community.      

  Goodwill and Impact are phenomenal options for a high schooler's budget. Not only will you save more but it can be something you can do will your friends or family on the weekend. It’s like a treasure hunt, finding little gems that you love. It’s also a great place to buy birthday presents or holiday gifts.

Some of the items found in these chain charity stores can look similar to items found in Urban Outfitters or other name brand department stores for a lot less. Each piece of clothing you find at these thrift stores is unique and a special find. You can get the style you love for a lot less and help out a great cause too.