Wednesday, February 9th

Today we started by discussing the differences between different mediums of media. Novels always have problems that need to be resolved, and the author often uses foreshadowing to hint to the reader what's going to happen later on in the story. Essays are different because they have a specific argument and the intention of the author isn't hidden from the audience.

We're supposed to blog about what we thought about the second chapter of Jones' book on Katamari Damacy. His main point is the fact that it's a game that's completely centered around collecting things within the contextual framework of the game itself. The other main objective to the game is throwing a ball. It's a great example of a game that doesn't need a storyline to be entertaining or "good." For the most part, the elements of the game are meaningless because the purpose of the game is very simplistic and easy. It's a parody of the kind of meaninglessness of eBay.

Halo Notes

HUD- Shows your vital information or life source in the game. Stands for Heads-up Display.
Newbie- Someone who is new at a game
n00b- Someone who uses the generic, most powerful item in the game or acts in a generally idiotic manner. Generally a derogatory term.
Assault Rifle A rifle commonly used throughout the Halo series of games that is used to attack or assault other members of the game, whether they be other users on XBox Live or computer simulated "enemies" programmed into the game itself.
n00b tube: A grenade launcher attachment that new users use because they lack skill. Pisses people off.
Camper A player who stays in one specific area, usually to prey on other players. Examples include: a sniper camping out on a ridge, or a player with a shotgun camping out right by a door in a room.


Presentation:

• The Franchise Basics
• Released in 2001
• One of the best FPS games of all time
• The Story
• Set in the year 2552
• Humanity engaged in war with the Covenant since 2525
• Bigger and stronger than humans
• More advanced
• Space travel/warfare 
• Want to exterminate humans
• SPARTAN program began before war
• Spartans are the elite soldiers who are trained from that ages of 6 or 7
• Trained in all military aspects
• Given suits of armor to protect their bodies
• Only a couple hundred of them
• As a player, you control the last one surviving
• Four groups
• Humans
• Covenant
• elites, grunts, brutes, hunters, jackals
• Forerunners
• Made worlds
• The Flood
• Killed Forerunners
• Parasitic life forms
• "Halo"
• 7 giant planet-sized rings
• Each trigger another until all 7 of them fire, killing all life in the galaxy

Here's a clip of some really cool Halo 3 kills:

Here's a clip from Halo Reach, one of the newest additions to the series, on Team Swat: