Arts Have a story idea? E-mail us at arts@theotherpress.ca & Halo 4: the second coming By Adam Tatelman, Contributor 22 £22 £3 2B was set to hate Halo 4 (released November 6); I felt my favourite sci-fi shooter franchise had reached a satisfying conclusion with Halo 3 (2007) (2010’s Reach prequel notwithstanding), and Bungie Studios seemed to agree, having pawned off the original “killer app” to Microsoft. If the creators who made millions from the intellectual property were ready to call it quits, why else would Microsoft’s new subsidiary, 343 Industries, resurrect the years-dead story but to make a rushed, crappy cash grab sequel? Turns out it’s a simple answer: to make the best, most engaging cash grab sequel they possibly could. For a game that I thought had run out of room to grow, Halo 4 manages to build on the existing lore in fan- pleasing and intriguing ways, drawing on supplementary materials such as the Halo novels, 66 comic books, and animations. I found it all very fleshed out; time was clearly taken to make sure the new story gelled with the established plot. This leads to a pretty big con, however; when you construct a game entirely out of pastiche and homage, newcomers to the series will be completely lost. That isn’t to say the story isn’t well written—even if you have no clue what’s going on, there’s still a bit of character drama, which I feel makes all the difference in a game. I prefer my soulless killing machines to be capable of misplaced emotional attachment. Props to the writers at 343 Industries for giving the Master Chief— before only a faceless template for the player to project themselves onto—a touching character arc and the opportunity to choose a more personal mission over the orders of his superiors. It wouldn’t The fibre of communication New works by Elizabeth Carefoot in the Amelia Douglas Gallery By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor ack on November 8 and 9, a heart- warming opening reception followed by a stirring Artist’s Talk opened a number of Douglas students and faculty to the works of Elizabeth Carefoot. But for the many that did not get the chance to attend these two events, I managed to get an interview with the artist on her latest exhibit in our Amelia Douglas Gallery, Needle Doodle. When Carefoot isn’t putting on dance performances, she spends her time working with 8 various art mediums. This new exhibit focuses on her multimedia work, which features everything from her sewn work to little creatures-of-sorts she’s put together. I’ve always found multimedia art intriguing, as it’s built on combining a number of different art styles to create something that can only be described as original. I wanted to know what brought her to using all these mediums, rather than focusing on just one. “When I was very young,” begins Carefoot, “on Fridays when I came home from school, I would find some small art gift on my desk from my father. He was not at all artistic and claimed he knew nothing about art, but on his way home from work he passed by an art store. “Every Friday he would go into that art store and buy me something that caught his eye. He never asked the clerk what it was he was buying, and sometimes what I got from him was incomplete and some of the things he brought home were totally incomprehensible to me. So I was always experimenting with these materials without any instructions.” Her art initially came from a personal place, so this puts light on the exhibit’s Artist’s Statement where Carefoot says it’s “a revealing display of my inner life.” But what does that mean to her all these years later? “As with most artists, the artwork created is have worked without talented voice actor Steve Downes who, despite the Chief’s eternally obscured visage, subtly yet clearly expresses the emergent emotions the stoic soldier confronts. Coupled with the most convincing facial animation I have ever seen (on the supporting cast, of course), this There are of course purists out there who are afraid of change, but this game will placate them as well. effort demonstrates 343’s respect for the material. There are of course purists out there who are afraid of change, but this game will placate them as well. There are new weapons and vehicles, but enough old favourites return unchanged to strike a balance between classic always a subconscious reflection of an inner life. Talso try to incorporate something humorous and slightly incongruous into a piece. The ‘Angel of Birds’ is an example— the rubber ducky in the lower corner is my little joke there. [Whereas] some of the darker pieces are a tribute to friends who have had traumatic experiences that have also affected me.” What I like most about Carefoot is that she definitely outshines many past exhibit artists in personality and opinion. I’ve asked the question of what one would say to younger artists to the point where it’s been on the backburner for a while, but I had to know what Carefoot specifically would say in that situation. I got probably and contemporary, with only a few disappointing omissions (dual plasma rifles, you will be missed). Halo’s expansive battlefields return, inhabited by new enemies who crawl on the walls, project barriers, sling your grenades back at you, teleport, and even fly. Their aggressive wolf pack tactics make for fast- paced firefights. Now if only the Prometheans didn’t look like Lego Bionicles. Bottom line, Halo 4 lets you strap ona jetpack, fly into a Dyson Sphere, and punch a megalomaniacal AI in the face. So now the only question that remains is: how much fun do you want to have? the most original answer I’ve heard in a long time. “T feel that the least said is usually the better about artwork. The viewer has to put in some time with the work in order for it to speak to them. I encourage the viewer to come to his or her own interpretations of what [one] offers. We each bring our own life experiences to the interpretations of what we see, and the more work the viewer puts into trying to understand, the more he or she will get out of it.” Needle Doodle will be up in the fourth floor of the New West campus in the Amelia Douglas Gallery until January 4, 2013. As always, admission is open to everyone, so be sure to check out this unique new exhibit.