Another new ‘Mystery Dungeon’ to explore

» ‘Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon’ game review

Lauren Paulsen
Senior Columnist

OOOO8

Or of the greatest successes
that I have seen throughout
muy life has been the Pokémon
franchise. | remember playing
the game, watching the television
series, and buying the trading
cards while I was in elementary
school, and even today Pokémon
seems to be as popular as |
remember from my childhood.
It’s no wonder there are so many
spinoffs of the video game.

Recently, another one was released : ;, Super Mystery Dungeon than

: in its predecessors. Usually,

: early on in the game you are

: given various request options to

: accept that you can fulfill in the

: dungeons, perhaps by finding a

: lost Pokémon, defeating a certain
: Pokémon, finding something

after being changed froma human : fora Pokémon—many different

to a Pokémon. I found the concept : types of quests. However, in this
: installment, the game pretty

: much directs you along one

: path for the first five chapters

: or so. It isn’t until later that you

: are allowed to choose between

: requests, and even then I have

: found the options more limited
: than previous generations.

for the Nintendo 3DS: Pokémon
Super Mystery Dungeon.
Pokémon Super Mystery
Dungeon is the fifth generation
of the Mystery Dungeon series for
Nintendo’s handhelds. In each
game, the protagonist wakes up

of being a Pokémon pretty cool
when the first generation of the
series came out. Using a series of
questions, the game will set you
up with a Pokémon that matches
your personality. You don’t have
to stick with this Pokémon,

and this installment allows you
to be one of 20 different ones.

: However, I decided to go with

: whoever the game thought

: was my match, which this time
: happened to be Oshawott.

: a partner that remains with you

: throughout your journey. Again,

: the game allows you a choice,

: but | went with the one that the

: game decided complimented my
: Oshawott. The game matched

: me with a Cyndaquil, which is

: strangely the same partner that I
: had in the first Mystery Dungeon :
: game. As you progress through the :
: game, you can gain more friends
: to help you in the dungeons.

The game will also give you

Several things are different

This may change further into

: the game, as connections with

: Pokémon are a big theme in the

: series. Instead of going to look at:
: a request board for quests, you are :
: given a Connection Orb. You start :
: off with one connection, and when :
you fulfill that request, it opens up :
: connections to other Pokémon. —:
: As you fulfill more requests,

: moreconnections willopenup, — :
: forming a kind of web. It’s apretty :
: high-tech gadget compared to
: the previous request boards.

Another difference with
this game seems to be the age

: of your Pokémon. Although our
ages are not mentioned in any

: of the games, I don’t remember

: being treated as a young child in
: the previous versions. A big part
: of your partner’s story in Super

: Mystery Dungeon is that their

: dream is to join the Expedition

: Society, which they can’t currently :
: do because they are too young.

: Not only that, but in the last

: installment, Pokémon Mystery

: Dungeon: Gates of Infinity, you

: and your partner build your own
: house and live there. It’s not really :
: a big deal, but it means that they
: actually make you go to school in
: the game, at least until summer

: break. The lessons are a way for

: you to learn stuff about Dungeons, :
: and certain new features such

: as the Looplets, onto which you

IF. ase fet ey

 

 

: can then attach Emeras that
: you find to gain various effects
: to help you in the dungeon.

Overall, it felt like the game

: took some time to gain its footing, :
: but it does eventually turn into the :
: familiar Mystery Dungeon game

: that I enjoy. The new features are

: interesting to explore, though the :
: Emeras seem overpowered and I

: have found it rather easy to clear

: dungeons so far. The story has

: mostly focused on your partner’s

: dream and you helping them to

: fulfill it, and little to do with why

 

 

you are there, though I imagine

that will change as | progress.

I have liked all of the
previous games in this series,
and I like this one too. Ifyou
have played any of the previous
games, you know what you are
getting into. However, for those
who haven't played any of the
previous Mystery Dungeon
games, you don't have to have
played them to enjoy this one.

If you like Pokémon and you
like dungeon crawling, then add
this to your Christmas wish list.

 

Crowded Bookshelf: Expanding the universe

» ‘Thrawn’ trilogy series review

Duncan Fingarson
Columnist

D ecember is here, and amidst
all the usual trappings of
the holiday season comes the
newest Star Wars movie, the
first in 10 years and the first to be
handled by the franchise’s new
owner, Disney. I’m cautiously
optimistic about the movie,

but that’s not what I’m here to
talk about. Instead, I thought
this was the perfect time to

take a look at part of the Star
Wars Expanded Universe.

The EU encompasses
everything that’s not part of the
six core films, and it includes a
wide variety of books and video
games. Unfortunately, due to
the new film trilogy the EU has
been declared non-canonical.
Fortunately, its status of not
being canon does nothing to
actually delete the works in
question, some of which are
quite good. Possibly the best of
the many Star Wars novels is
Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy.

The novels pick up shortly
after the battle of Endor. The
Rebel Alliance has become the
New Republic, and the transition

: from disparate guerilla force

: to reigning government has

: not gone smoothly. Political

: infighting is rampant, Luke

: Skywalker’s attempts to rebuild
: the Jedi Order are progressing

: slowly, and remnants of the

: Empire lurk in the shadows.

: The primary lurker is Grand

: Admiral Thrawn, one of the old
: regime’s best fleet commanders.
: An alien in an organization

: famous for hating aliens, Thrawn
: still has a sizeable fleet and the

: tactical acumen necessary to

: use it well now that the tables

: have turned on the Empire.

The first book, Heir to the

: Empire, sets the stage. We get

: to see what all the old cast have

: been up to in the five years

: since the battle of Endor, new

: characters get introduced, and

: the first glimpses of Thrawn’s

: plans are made visible. The books
: are all written in third person

: omniscient, and the perspective
: jumps around between all of

: the major players of the story.

: Both sides have plans and the

: reader knows more about each

: than either side knows about the
: other, but Zahn doesn’t show
everything. There are still little

: mysteries everywhere and it’s
: a credit to his storytelling that
: he can build so much suspense
: while still showing off so much.

Book two, Dark Force Rising,

: builds on the framework started:
: in book one. By now the Republic :
: is aware of Thrawn and in
: desperate need of warships. Enter :
: the Dark Force, a fleet of lost :
: battleships from before the time:
: of the Empire. Most of the second :
: book follows the attempts of Luke :
: and the others to track down the:
: ships before Thrawn does, and

: take them for the use of the New
: Republic. Some of theintrigues :
: from the first book are cleared up, }
: and more are introduced. Leia

: goes ona journey toa planet of

: people loyal tothe old Empireto :
: see if she can change their minds, :
: while Han and Luke search for

: the fleet. This is where Thrawn’s
: plans start to turn back on him.

Finally, book three, The Last

: Command. As might be expected
: of the finale to a trilogy, book

: three starts tying up loose ends.

: All of the conflicts introduced

: in the previous two books come

: toa head, one way or another. I

: won't say too much about this

: one—it’s better if the surprises

 

: are left unspoiled. Suffice it to
: say, it was well worth the read.

Are these books perfect?

: No, they aren't. However, they

: are solidly written, they’re a

: whole lot better than the rest

: of the Expanded Universe, and,
: most importantly, they feel like
: Star Wars. It’s not hard to see

: these books as being part of

: the universe, since none of the

: characters act out-of-character
: for themselves. There are no

: dei ex machina to be found.

: There are Dark Jedi, blasters

: and lightsabers, and, indeed,

; a war amongst the stars.

This is space opera at

its finest and any fan of Star
: Wars would do well to have
: these books on their shelves.