arts // no. 10 theotherpress.ca A new breed of ‘Pokémon’-inspired gaming » ‘Yo-Kai Watch’ game review Lauren Paulsen Senior Columnist OOOOS ile looking at new games that were coming out this autumn, I came across a Nintendo 3DS game called Yo- Kai Watch. The premise is cute: after saving a yokai, the Japanese the main character is given a watch that helps them find more yokai to befriend. Once you have befriended a yokai, they will help : at the front door. As soon as : you enter the foyer area, the : shoes end up on your feet. | : don’t know why I found this so : charming, but I did. Another : detail is that at certain crosswalks : there are pedestrian lights. You : can press the light button and : then all of the cars will stop : and allow you to pass. I didn’t : really see much point in this version of supernatural creatures, | because there aren't a lot of : cars and if you just run across : the street they stop anyways. : After my character jaywalked : multiple times, I soon learned with various things, most notably : that there were consequences : attack, guard, loaf (they do this : if they need to rest), or inspirit : (their way of causing status : effects) without you, but to pull : off any specials or to use items : they require your help. You can : rotate between six main yokai, : with three in battle at a time. Besides the main storyline, : there are also side quests to : help people, usually because of : some sort of yokai problem. You : often need to battle yokai that : are inspiriting people, but you : also need to befriend others. : Befriending can be frustrating : when you want a specific yokai battling other ones. It sounded ; to my actions. I don’t want to : because you can’t just throw a ball : CT Z ~ similar to Pokémon to me, but]: Tuin it for you so that you can : atit and catch it. The yokaihas —: Roa looked more into it to find out : find out for yourself, so I'll just : to decide to befriend you itself, ~ if it was a clone. What I found : say that I learned my lesson. : usually after you have beaten . out is that it has been extremely: The fighting can be quite : it ina battle. Youre supposed bs aa popular in Japan, rivaling : exciting as it is fairly fast-paced —_: to be able to feed the enemy its we Es Pokémon with its success. Still, ; at times. The yokai that you : favourite food to increase the LAG Fave I was concerned that it might ; summon to battle will actually chances of it asking to become ? = = A Lotte be too childish. Yet, I decided : invoke attacks on their own : your friend and giving you its : , pam: eRe bea Ve ae? —- to get the game. That wasavery : without assistance from you, but : medal (your means to summon So oH Playable in 2D one 30. 3D moce ana 7+. See back, ye, Siinlendce) good decision on my part. Yo-Kai Watch is extremely enjoyable to play. There are definitely similarities to Pokémon games, but Yo-Kai Watch has its own quirky and endearing qualities. One of the first things that stood out to me were some of the details in the game. For example, whenever you are in your house, your shoes will be : unless you are much stronger : than your opponent, I don’t : recommend leaving them entirely : on their own. I unfortunately : experienced many KOs as I was : getting used to the fighting : system. There are so many : things going on at once during : a fight that you don’t have the : luxury of thinking through all : of your moves. Your yokai can : it), but I haven’t noticed any : difference when I feed them. : More often than not, youll wall : away without a new medal. There are quite a lot of : other activities in the game as : well. You can catch bugs and : fish, and trade in for items that : help upgrade your yokai’s skills : or boost its stats. Catching : them isn’t too complicated: you're presented with a circle : with various tabs around the : circumference that you must aim : to hit as the wheel moves around : it. The harder-to-catch ones have : fewer tabs, but you can increase : the number of tabs with syrup : and fish bait. I’m still sometimes : confused about where the wheel : ends up at times, as it doesn’t ey _ always land where you’ve pressed : the button, but I still manage : tocatch quite a few critters, : so it’s not that big of a deal. I can’t really find fault with this game. Yo-Kai Watch : offers hours of enjoyment. I can : definitely see why it has been so : popular in Japan, and I imagine : that its popularity will spread. A true story that pulls on the heart strings » ‘The 33’ movie review Lauren Paulsen Senior Columnist OOOO when 33 miners were trapped underground in a Chilean mine. Viewers across the world held their breath as rescue efforts were underway, and a collective cheer went up when, 6g days after they were trapped, the miners were saved. It is a miracle that they all managed to survive. The 33 tells their story. The movie is spectacular. The story is absolutely heart- wrenching with the ups-and- downs of hope and despair. I wasn't the only person trying to hold back tears during the movie. I think a large part of this had to do with the actors, including Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Mc” people should : remember the 2010 incident : - Still of Antonio Banderas in The 33 via Half Circle LLC. : than they should have, but that : is most likely due to the fact that : we would be unable to see what : was going on in the movie if they : had cut off all light. But these : changes aren’t significant enough : to question the legitimacy of : the plot or to quibble over. : The 33 is definitely a movie : worth watching, and is all the : more moving for the true story : it is based on. | felt a connection : to the actual events, perhaps : only bending a couple of things : to make it a movie, for example : the lighting in the mine. The : miners’ headlamps lasted longer and Juliette Binoche. They did a wonderful job of appearing really genuine, and certainly pulled at the heartstrings. The screenplay was faithful : to it because I was one of : the people who was holding : their breath as we waited for : the miners to be rescued. It : truly isa miraculous story.