issue 30 // vol 44

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Quantic Dream's new release their best to date

> ‘Detroit: Become Human’ video game review

Lauren Kelly
Graphics Manager

 

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hat would happen to society if,

in the future, we became reliant
on android and robot labour instead of
human? What, then, would happen if
these androids gained sapience? Detroit:
Become Human, the newest release
from French studio Quantic Dream,
sets out to answer these questions.

The studio is divisive, with previous
offerings Omikron: The Nomad Soul,
Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, Heavy
Rain, and Beyond: Two Souls having
many of both detractors and fans. The
one commonality in Quantic Dream
games is that they are played more like
interactive movies than traditional
video games, making them an excellent
medium for telling in-depth stories,
although the studio’s success rate has

fluctuated between their games.

In the case of Detroit, the
interactive storytelling is even more at
the forefront, and the idea of branching
paths based on your decisions is heavily
implemented, giving any decision
added weight compared to some other
story-based games. After each chapter
the player is presented with a story
flowchart showing their choices and
the path that those choices led them
on. In many chapters, the amount of
missed content and alternate endings
is startling, making you wonder just
what you might have missed out on
or done differently. Of course, any of
the characters can die as well, which
sometimes leads to incredibly altered
storylines for the remainder of the
game. This continues a trend that the
studio has followed since Heavy Rain,
which is that there are no fail states or
game overs—no matter what happens,
the story will keep moving forward.

Detroit takes place in the near
future of 2038, in a time when the

 

 

(7

smell not

Ethan Gibson
Columnist

 

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vocation is among the writer’s

most powerful tools. The ability
to recreate entire experiences and
sensations through mere words allows
a unique magic to unfold across a
page. While reading, our senses
of sight, sound, taste, and touch
are manipulated by the author to
achieve a wide range of effects. Yet
the sense of smell is often ignored in
fiction—perhaps because we often
fail to fully appreciate the world
of scent we pass through each day.
Patrick Stiskind’s novel Perfume: The
Story of a Murderer (translated from
the German by John E. Woods) is
immersed in the world of scent and
perfume, and therefore uncovers an
entire world of fictional possibilities.

Perfume details the life of an

18th-century Parisian man named
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Born with
a miraculous sense of smell and
the ability to store distinct scents
within his memory, Grenouille soon
discovers that he has the ability
to create remarkable and complex
perfumes from memory alone. As the
novel’s subtitle suggests, Grenouille’s
talent lends itself to a dark obsession
which leads him to commit murder
without remorse. He once smells
what he thinks to be the most
perfect scent in the world—that of
a particular woman. She is his first

 

 

To smell and

> ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’ novel review

~\\

victim. From then on, Grenouille
becomes obsessed with crafting the
ultimate perfume—for which he
must murder dozens of women.
Perfume is undoubtedly horrifying
at times, but the depravity of its villain
is balanced with subtle moments of
humour. Siiskind’s careful attention to
historical detail also lends the novel
an entrancing sense of reality, even as
it challenges the reader’s suspension
of disbelief with the almost magical
heights of Grenouille’s talents. Perfume
is remarkable for the wicked delight
it takes in describing in rich detail
the smells of 18th-century France,
and it explores the power of scent
in an addictively chilling plot.
It can be difficult for a novel to
balance its tone between wonder
and horror. Perfume, however,
seems to have no difficulty finding
that balance. Despite the frankly
disgusting urban conditions it
describes, and despite its remorseless
villain, the novel also periodically
reminds the reader of the beauty
and power of scent. Grenouille is a
monster incapable of humanity, but he
inadvertently imparts an appreciation
for the beautiful smells that we
often take for granted in our lives.
Siiskind’s book is at once a
gripping historical thriller, an
artful horror story, a richly-detailed
examination of evil and obsession, and
a powerful reminder of the power that
scent can have. Above all, Perfume may
also be a warning about the dangers of
underestimating any of our senses, be
it sight, sound, taste, touch, or scent.

 

 

 

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production and use of human-like
androids has become commonplace,
leading to historic unemployment and
civil unrest. During all of this, some
androids begin displaying sapience, often
after traumatic events, and start fighting
their programming to take control of
their own lives. The player controls
three characters throughout this story:
Kara, a maid android taking care of a
young girl living in poor conditions;
Markus, an assistance android for a
famous but aging painter; and Connor,

a top-of-the-line detective android
tasked with discovering why androids
are rebelling, a condition known as
“deviancy.” Each character’s plotlines
take many twists and turns, as any good
story should, and some of the plots are
handled more deftly than others. In
particular, the relationship between
Connor and his human partner Hank is
the stand-out plotline in the game, as its
detective gameplay is very fun, and the
development of the relationship between
the partners is enjoyable and realistic.

The primary problem with the
game is its use of historical references
as a comparison for the prejudice and
struggles of androids. While some of
these parallels land, many can come
across as ham-fisted, which can distract
from scenes that should have more
impact. One other issue is the acting
of deviant androids—once androids
do become deviant, they are shown to
behave so similarly to a human that they
no longer really seem like androids.

Beyond these two issues, however,
the game is incredibly enjoyable, and
at about 10 hours for one playthrough,
it’s an easy time investment. As
expected, once you play it once the
temptation to go back in is hard
to resist, giving this game a ton of
replay value. Unfortunately, it is a
PlayStation exclusive, so only those
with a PS4 will be able to play it. If
you do have one, though, I would
definitely recommend this game.

Inside ‘Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood’

> ‘Won't You Be My Neighbor?’ film review

Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

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Fie years ago, there was a show unlike
the cartoons of that era and that would
set the standard for children’s TV. That
show was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,
where Fred Rogers’ calm voice allowed
him to explain very difficult topics in
ways that a child could understand. He
is an American treasure—and another
American treasure, Tom Hanks, will play
him in an upcoming 2019 biopic, You Are
My Friend. For now, the documentary
Won't You Be My Neighbor? shows what
happened during the filming of Mister
Rogers’ Neighborhood and explores things
that we may not have known about Rogers.
Rogers was like your TV best friend.
At the beginning of Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood, after the theme song, he
always asked the audience, “Please won't
you be my neighbour?” I first watched the
show when it was still on in the 1990s on
PBS and VHS tapes, and I enjoyed seeing
him explain how things are made and
encourages watchers to try new things.
Before the show began in the
‘60s, Rogers was a pastor in a church
until he watched television for the
first time, and his dislike for the type
of content he saw on TV led to him
making the show. His monologues in
the show are almost like sermons.
The first week of Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood stands out because it
contains a storyline in the Neighborhood
of Make-Believe referencing the Vietnam

 

War, which was happening during that
time. The show's approach to current
events showed them in a friendly

way without giving specific details.
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood also did
an episode about Robert Kennedy’s
assassination and an episode about the
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Won't You Be My Neighbor includes
interviews with a lot of people who knew
Rogers, including his wife, Joanne, their
two children, and some of the people
who were involved in the show. One of
these people is Francois Clemmons, a gay
man whom Rogers supported, although
Roger suggested he keep his sexuality
private while appearing on the show.

The documentary discussed the debate
about whether Rogers liked men and
Clemmons confirmed that he was straight.

Rogers was also active in advocating
for PBS and educational programming.
When PBS was about to get budget cuts
in 1969, he gave a testimony in front of
a US senator about public broadcasting
being important to him, saving PBS for
future generations, including today’s.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
came back in a way recently with
the children’s show Daniel Tiger’s
Neighborhood, featuring many characters
from the original show, and the
character Daniel Tiger in both shows
was inspired by Rogers’s childhood.

Fred Rogers had a personality as
warm as the characteristic sweaters
that he wore and there is nothing that
compares today. Maybe if the entire
original series went up on Netflix, it
could help to preserve his legacy.