issue 31// volume 41

 

» Nintendo’s partnership with Facebook to create the ultimate level!

Brittney MacDonald

8 Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle

@theotherpress.ca

 

hat happens when the

world’s most addictive
social networking site partners
with everyone’s favourite koopa
stomping plumber? Apparently a
“Hackathon.” If you're confused
by what that is, don’t worry—
youre probably not the only one.

September u1 will see the

release of Super Mario Maker, a
new game for the Wii U that will
allow players to create their own
levels based off of content from
Super Mario Bros., Super Mario
Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and
New Super Mario Bros. U. Users
can then share their creations
online and allow others to play
through their levels. But we
here at the Life & Style section
(meaning me) don’t really care
about the adorable artistic
opportunities this might allow
burgeoning game designers.

: Instead, let’s talk about Facebook! :
: the challenge, which was held

: July 28-29 on the Facebook

: campus grounds in California—a
: specialized living complex

: specifically for Facebook

: employees that was designed

: with the help of two consultants

: from Disney (talk about an adult
: playground).

In order to promote the

: release of their new game,

: Nintendo reached out to

: Facebook, issuing their employees
: a bit of a challenge.

In teams of five, design the

: ultimate level using pre-release

: copies of the game. The best

: level—as judged by a panel

: consisting of both Nintendo and
: Facebook staff members—would
: then be offered to players for free
: upon the game’s release next

: month.

Here’s the challenge:

: Nintendo being the sadistic,

: albeit lovable scamps that they

: are, decided to make the contest

: a “Hackathon.” A Hackathon isa
: software-development-specific

: kind of competition that requires
: collaborative teams consisting

: of programmers, designers,

: project managers, and other

: people involved in the software

: development industry, to create

: and execute a project (in this case,
: a level), all within a very tight

: timeframe.

Nintendo gave the Facebook

teams two days to complete

Luckily, Facebook employees

: are more than used to these sorts
: of competitions, as Facebook

: uses them frequently to help

: brainstorm new ideas for their

: site. Additions such as Facebook

: Chat and Facebook Wi-Fi for

: businesses are all products of

: this incredibly nerve-wracking

: process, Taking a break to play an
: upcoming Nintendo game was

: probably a welcome change.

: Any word on the winning level has
: yet to be released, and probably

: won't be until September. The

: game itself is currently available

: for pre-order, with a gameplay

: trailer available online courtesy of
: Nintendo's showing at the video

: game industry conference, E3.

 

 

@ 57 likes

 

The Intrepid Gastronomer: Flats on point on Main

» A review of The Five Point

K.P. Davis
Contributor

ummer strolls are one of my

favourite pastimes. I like
nothing more than to walk down
the street, watching people go
by on their way to do this or
that. Of course, people watching
occasionally requires you let
your stomach rule and pop into
a local eatery. It was on one such
adventure that I found myself
stopping for lunch at The Five
Point on Main Street.

The interior of the public
house was done up in mirrors and
wood panelling with dim lighting
and chandeliers. All it needed
was a haze of smoke to feel right
at home in an episode of Mad
Men. The patio isn’t spacious, but
is well-organized for a good view
of Main. The servers were very
friendly and provided some stellar
service.

As the menu emphasized
their flatbreads and healthy
selection of beer, I decided that
would be where I focussed my
gastronomical exploration.

: First I paired the Bristol Bread

: with a White Bark Witbier

: from Driftwood breweries. The

: Witbeir was a little light for my

: liking, and too citrusy and malty.
: Idon’t normally like to cut my

: beer with lemon, but it greatly

: improved this one. The Bristol

: was an interesting combination of
: boar bacon and Brussel sprouts,

: garnished with crispy onions and
: topped with provolone. If you're

: not offended by the slightly bitter
: mini cabbages, it’s definitely an

: interesting dish to try, though

: inneed ofa little salt and maybe
: some herbs to complete the

: rustic nature. Like the Witbier, It
: benefited greatly from a squeeze
: of lemon. Brussel sprouts are a

: difficult vegetable to work with

: and I felt the novelty of the dish

: was more impressive than the

: actual taste, which fell short of

: the mark. The crispy onions were
: hard to detect and the provolone
: weighed the whole dish down.

Next I paired the Huntsman

: flatbread with a Strange Fellows
: Nocturnum—a vast improvement

: on both beer and dish. The

: Nocturnum was a surprisingly

: mellow dark IPA, picking up on

: all the notes the Witbier missed.

: Dark, lightly hoppy, and mellowly
: intense. It was a good drink on its
: own or paired with the flatbread.
: As for the Huntsman, it was

: amazing! A delicate balance of

: goat cheese, prosciutto, oyster

: mushrooms, arugula, caramelized
: onions, and smoky béchamel.

: This is one of the best flatbreads

: [have had ina while. Everything
: was light and well-balanced, with
: the saltiness of the prosciutto

: balancing the creaminess of

: the goat cheese, the sweetness

: of the onion, and the zip of the

: arugula. There was no heavy

: cheese weighing this dish down,

: and I would go back just for the

: Huntsman.

I have to give The Five Point

: credit for their creativity with

: flatbreads—and though the

: Bristol disappointed, there are

: more than a few gems hidden

: within their menu. The Five Point
: can be found at 3124 Main Street,
: Vancouver, BC.

 

life & style // no. 17