issue 03 // volume 42 er i Ed Appleby illustrator Miillustrator @theotherpress.ca icenced games are often duds because it’s hard to incorporate the narrative and excitement of other mediums into a board game without making the rules overly complicated. Assassin's Creed: Arena avoids this problem by making the rules so simple that the game is just plain boring. Assassin’s Creed: Arena is a board game for 2-4 players designed by Matt Hyra and published by Cryptozoic Entertainment in 2014. Players play as one of four different assassins, and attempt to be the first to gather 15 victory points by assassinating targets in a city without being spotted and taken down by guards. The game world supposedly takes place inside the Animus, a virtual reality system from the Assassin's Creed mythos that utilizes the Assassin’s blood to Re Chairman of the Board: Avoid the Arena » ‘Assassin’s Creed: Arena’ game review Illustration by Ed Appleby : create interactive simulations : of the past. This board game : about a virtual reality system in : avideo game makes for an overly : complicated world, because : you have to deal with both a : historical environment as well as : game glitches. The game plays very fast. : The first playing took only about : 20 minutes, and was over way : too quickly. I found I spent more : time clarifying the rules than actually playing the game. A lot : of the mechanics of the game : felt novel but highly rushed, and : there was almost no similarity : to the video game. The whole : experience felt like it was rushed : out and could have spent more : time being play-tested. I wouldn't recommend : the game for anyone. Those : familiar with the Assassin’s : Creed world will find the gamea : pale imitation of the real thing, : and those not familiar with : the source material will just be : confused. The game itself is : just okay at best, and certainly : doesn’t justify the $50 price tag. arts // no. 9 Get your mind in gear for school » Music to motivate you this semester Alex Stanton Staff Writer D espite varying wildly in quality and sophistication, music is arguably the most universally enjoyed area of the arts. Some people think movies are a waste of time while others can’t sit still long enough to read a novel. But you'll find it near impossible to find someone who doesn't listen to music. Music serves all kinds of purposes to each and every person. The purpose music should be serving in this first month back is pumping you up for class and helping you focus your brain on your study notes. Ifyou take your music on the go, consider putting these songs on your schoolin’ playlist. “Don't Stop Me Now” by Queen This Freddie Mercury- penned single is THE best feel- good, hard rock song of all time. The chorus alone (Don’t stop me now/’Cause I’m having such a good time/I’m having a ball) pretty much sums up the pump- up power of this song. You won't even have to request that people don’t impede you because you'll be unstoppable. If you’ve seen Shaun of the Dead, this song might be a less ideal choice; you'll be thinking of nothing but the famous scene in the bar instead of your group project. “Bawitdaba” by Kid Rock While Kid Rock may not bea great example of motivation, the catchy-but-unintelligible chorus he : and the chunky guitar riffs in this : song are sure to motivate you. : Another positive about this nu- : metal number? If you slack off : in your classes, Kid Rock—who : pretty much declares himself the : King of all Trailer Parks—can bea : sobering look into the future you : may live if you don’t get on track. “Holding Out fora Hero” by : Bonnie Tyler There aren't many things : more motivating than imagining ? someone attractive, like Bonnie : Tyler in her prime, yearning for a : man (you) with heroic qualities. : Except instead of slaying dragons : or saving the president, you're : impressing your love interest with your essay writing skills. “Push it to the Limit” by Paul : Engemann Despite the cheese factor of 4 oO 9 2 a 4 a “a G ra] @ st > ° 2 ° G a : many soundtracks of the ’80s, : most of them were incredibly : upbeat and fast-paced, including : gangster movie Scarface. Asa : montage song, this one is flawless : and it'll push you right to your : limit while you love every minute : of your morning stroll to class. : “Fight for Your Right to Party” : by the Beastie Boys : For post-secondary students, : youre always fighting for : your right to party. Or, rather, : polishing off your class project : so you can go out and get weird : with your crew. The song isn’t : from an educational perspective, : but wanting to party is a near : universal feeling. Hearing about : the struggles that impede the : protagonist from having a good : time will motivate you to work : hard so you can play harder. New ‘Maze’ movie blazes own trail » ‘The Scorch Trials’ movie review Lauren Paulsen Senior Columnist OOOO en James Dashner’s The Maze Runner first came out, | was in my teens. When | started reading the novel, I had no idea how hooked on the story I would become. I finished it the same day that | got it from the library. As we know from watching the movie adaptation directed by Wes Ball, The Maze Runner ends in a cliffhanger. I waited obsessively for the sequel to come out. When I finally got my hands on it, I devoured it. The same has been true for the movie adaptations, despite the movie plot only loosely following the novel’s plot. Pll start with a peeve that : [had with The Scorch Trials: : some of the characters were : not as fleshed-out as they were : in the books. I spent the entire : movie unable to remember one : character’s name because he was : always in the background, yet, : after looking up what his name : was, I remembered he played : a bigger role in the book. I do : understand that time constraints : fora movie make it impossible : to have everything from the : book in it, so I do forgive this : transgression. However, one thing that I : wish the director had done is at : least delve deeper into Thomas's : relationship with Teresa. I couldn’t : : feel the same connection that I : did when I was reading the novel : because so much was glossed : over with their relationship. I feel : that this was too important to cut : down, and that choice lessened : the impact of certain events. I felt : this in the first movie as well. That being said, I still I found myself teary-eyed more : than once. There’s something about putting kids through terrible trials : : over and over that just gets to : me. We all know another famous : dystopian that has donethis,so —: : it’s nota new concept. But it is still : very engaging, as we empathize : : with characters that we feel a : absolutely loved The Scorch Trials. : : The suspense was done really : well—I could feel my heart racing : during certain scenes, and one : jump scare actually made me let : out a little scream because I was : so engrossed in the movie. The : actors brought the characters : to life wonderfully, particularly : Dylan O’Brien, who played the : protagonist, Thomas. I can’t : imagine anyone playing this role : better than he did. My emotions : were definitely toyed with, and connection with. I definitely felt : that here, though less so withthe : : characters who were pushed to the : ; background. I predict that it is going to : be inevitable that people will : compare The Scorch Trials’ : plotline with other zombie media. ! : It definitely has that zombie : apocalypse vibe going on with The : : Flare infecting people and turning : : them into mindless cannibals. | : wouldn't be surprised if Dashner : pulled some of his ideas from : zombie lore, especially since the : novel came out when zombies : were starting to gain popularity. However, the movie adaptation felt closer to a zombie flick than : I remember the novel being. I do : concede that may have to do with the fact that I have seen zombies : in the media for much longer now : than when | first read the novel. : T may just have to read the novel : again to find out. I would definitely recommend : seeing The Scorch Trials whether : you read the novels or not. I do : warn those whom have read the : novel that they should not expect the movie to follow the same : plotline. I hadn’t been expecting that, but found that | actually liked the changes because they : kept me wondering what would : happen next, something that | : don't always get to experience : when I’ve read the novel and then : watched the movie adaptation. I : feel that Ball managed to pull it : off well. lam definitely looking : forward to finding out how this : story ends in the final movie.