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Artists in the Boro present art for the senses
(Y War of the Words: Birdman, Best Picture?

(¥ Remembering Leonard Nimoy

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Contact: Cheryl Minns, Arts Editor
Marts@theotherpress.ca

www.theotherpress.ca

 

Zelda's legend lives on

» 'The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask’ 3DS game review

Alex Stanton
Staff Writer

OOOO

T" Legend of Zelda—a
mind-bogglingly popular
series of fantasy video games by
Nintendo—turned 29 years old
in February. Over almost three

decades, Zelda has proven itself doubt, as dark as the franchise

: has been to date. Topics that

: were merely grazed upon in

: past games—grief, tragedy,

: and how one copes with

: experiencing the end of the

: world over and over again—are
: central themes here.

as one of the most consistent
high-quality franchises in any
entertainment medium—and
considering there are just over
15 titles in the series, that’s
pretty commendable.

There isn’t really a general
consensus as to which game
is the best of the best. A lot of
people would say Ocarina of
Time, which brought the series
to 3-D and revolutionized
action adventure gaming for
the new millennium. Some
enjoy The Wind Waker for
its gorgeous, anime-esque
art style and massive world.
Others enjoy absorbing the
Zelda origin story and flawless
gesture-based swordplay of
Skyward Sword. In my opinion,
the greatest Zelda game of
all time is Majora’s Mask,
originally released 15 years ago
on the Nintendo 64 and, most
recently, for the Nintendo 3DS
handheld.

The story begins with
Link, the hero of time. After
encountering the scarecrow-

: like Skull Kid, he finds his

: magic ocarina stolen, himself

: transformed into a walking,

: talking tree called a Deku, and
: transported to the (almost)

: entirely different bizarro world
: of Termina. Also worth noting
: is the giant moon falling

: towards Termina that will

: destroy the world in 72 hours.

Majora’s Mask is, without a

Story isn’t the only way this

: quirky Zelda game takes the

: road less-travelled. Like every
: other title, you travel through
: dungeons and grab tools as

: you go along to help you.

: However, this time, more than
: a handful of puzzles and areas
: will be solved and explored

: using the 24 unique masks,

: three of which when worn will
: transform you into a member

: of one of Zelda’s iconic races.

: The masks are central to the

: gameplay and story of Majora’s
: Mask.

The four dungeons that

: make up Majora’s Mask include
: what is widely considered the

: best in the franchise (Stone

: Tower Temple) as well as

: one of the worst (Great Bay

: Temple). Barring a few small

: alterations, the latter is still as

: needlessly complex as it was

: 15 years ago. But every game

: has its slow parts, and the rest

: of the game—which is finely

: padded with an absurd number
: of worthwhile collectibles and

: side quests—is top notch Zelda.
: The bosses, all of whom are too
: fantastic to spoil, are some of

=

M\AJORA'S MA
* 7. onl

 

: the best in gaming. This surreal, :
: apocalyptic journey will take
: completionists about 30 hours.

The graphics, which were

: striking on the Nintendo 64,

: are vastly improved with the

: same engine that was used in

: the 3DS version of Ocarina.

: This is particularly noticeable

: on the new Nintendo 3DS with
: its far better 3-D capability

Image courtesy of Nintendo

and its ability to freely control

: the camera using the newly
: attached second analogue stick.

There are very few

: questionable changes in this

: remake. Majora’s Mask proves

: that exceptional gameplay and

: a well-told, mature story never
: becomes dated. I simply cannot
: recommend this game enough

: for any and all 3DS players.

 

Major names, minor works

» A look at ‘Cézanne and the Modern’

Ed Appleby
illustrator
Millustrator
@theotherpress.ca

 

he Vancouver Art Gallery’s

current exhibit looks
at several pieces by notable
names of the French Modernist
movement, from Realism,
through Impressionism, Post-
Impressionism, Expressionism,
and Cubism. Paintings make
up the bulk of the exhibit, with
some sculpture work included
from artists of the time. The
cornerstones of the collection
are several paintings from Paul

: Cézanne.

The exhibit itself appears to

be wanting. Although there are

: a few great pieces by Edouard

: Manet, Chaim Soutine, and

: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,

: the exhibit lacks any pieces of

: a truly visceral nature. I have

: been to other exhibits at the

: Vancouver Art Gallery that have
: left more of an impact on me—
: Claude Monet, Rodin, and Frida :
: Kahlo/Georgia O’Keeffe spring

: to mind. This exhibit seems to

: focus on the process that the

: modernists brought rather than
: the emotional and expressive

: nature of their works.

When it comes to the

: modernists’ process, you
: cannot doubt the innovation on :
: display at the exhibit. Cézanne’s :
: watercolour collection is

: impressive and you can truly

: see how he innovated with

: colour to portray depth rather

: than realism. The exhibit forms
: a timeline of who influenced

: whom, as well as a fascinating

: cross-section of the modernist

: movement. The downside with
: such a conceptual exhibit is

: it tends to attract artists who

: love to talk about how the

: modernists influenced their :
: own works, rather than focus on :
: the works on display. :

Another interesting part

: of the exhibit is its focus on

the collector, Henry Pearlman.
Most collections are content

: with letting the art speak for

: itself, but in this case there was
: an important reason to focus

: on the man who brought this

: art together. His vocal support
: for the modernists and his love
: of collecting for the aesthetic

: appeal over the historical :
: significance made hima unique :
: personality in the collecting

: world. It is not often that, as

: appreciators of art, we get to

: see what goes into being a true

patron of the arts.
It is also important to

: realize that Pearlman was not

: buying Rembrandts—these

: works were by contemporary

: artists who he could meet

: face-to-face. His love of the

: work brought him to France

: to compare the landscapes he
: had collected to the real thing.
: Some of the artists he loved

: and supported even repaid

: him in busts and sculptures of
: their patron—a lesson modern

collectors and art fans can learn

: from.

Cézanne and the Modern:

Masterpieces of European Art
: from the Pearlman Collection
: runs until May 18 at the

: Vancouver Art Gallery.