Music

What Happened to ‘Guitar Hero’?

January 30, 2019 Editorials

Okay, I admit it. I am not musically talented in the least bit. I would give anything to be able to sing like Hugh Jackman (he’s more than just Wolverine you know) or shred the guitar like Jimi Hendrix, but I physically cannot. I wasn’t fortunate enough to be born with that talent. But with Guitar Hero, anyone can be a rockstar. It was the only place on this earth where I could play the guitar and play it well. And now it is a distant memory. I know people who learned guitar after playing Guitar Hero. Some of them are even pretty good. It’s strange how a video game can do that, and it’s cool to think that a simple game has the potential to inspire people into learning the actual craft and potentially even become artists themselves. I am not one of those people. I don’t have the patience…

What’s so Wrong About Being Elitist?

January 27, 2019 Editorials

No doubt about it: “elitist” is an ugly world. Its connotation brings to mind concepts such as exclusion, snobbery, gatekeeping, and general nastiness… … okay, so maybe there’s a lot wrong with being elitist. It might be worth taking a look beyond the obvious negatives and examine what makes someone elitist in the first place, though. It can clearly be an ugly behavior, but there are two sides to every coin, so what could possibly make elitism sympathetic, and what can cause it in gaming? Across any form of media, but often games, there are people who will shut out others if they don’t feel like they are “true fans” of a franchise in question. We have probably all been guilty of this, to some level, but when it’s taken to an outspoken measure that aims to block a sizable audience from enjoying the product, that’s when the elitism issue…

Five Most Metal Games of 2018

January 25, 2019 Editorials

Believe it or not, metal has always had a staple holding within the world of video games. Sure, Avenged Sevenfold tend to make their way into the conversation from time to time — the Call of Duty featured “Not Ready To Die” single comes to mind. But, it goes back much father that online multiplayer cameos from M. Shadows and the rest of the Avenged Sevenfold flock. So, let’s get into the nitty gritty stuff. Tim Schafer , the unofficial father to adventure games, is himself a massive metal fan. After sculpting the wonderful creations of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Schafer would later go on to join forces with Tenacious D vocalist and Dio super fan Jack Black. Together, Schafer and Black formed something truly special. Brutal Legend was released back in 2009 and featured Jack Black as the voice for the game’s main character. A wonderful tale featuring…

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Breathes Fresh Life Into Unlockables

January 3, 2019 Editorials

Having released on December 7th of 2018, we have once more been blessed with another entry in the Smash Bros franchise. Bringing back the entire playable roster across the previous four entries, Super Smash Bros Ultimate boasts a hefty 74 playable character roster, with an addition to online features and new modes. Starting the game you are given a handful of characters instead of a huge array to blindly choose from; Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu. In a nostalgic throwback to the N64 version, these eight fighters mirror the starting roster of the game that started this insanely popular series. If you choose the new World of Light mode, in which you start with only Kirby available, you will then have to rescue each of the other fighters. Saving those fighters will unlock them for all other modes. This method can be extremely tedious, especially…