CAMP and the Leadership Hall of Fame

Similar to many students here, one of the main attractions that brought me to this campus was the CAMP program. The promise of working on real world projects from the start of my freshman year could not be matched by other universities, and to this day still remains unique among other elite undergraduate engineering campuses. Comparable programs exist at Missouri S&T, Olin College, and Harvey-Mudd College, but seeing how the cost of attendance (COA) at those schools are over $38,000, $64,000, and $66,000 respectively, the CAMP program is a huge benefit to our university, with a COA of just under $20,000 for out-of-state students.

But another factor that brought me to this campus was the ability to be a leader. While I had confidence in my skills as a high school senior, I wanted to continue to thrive in a smaller pool rather than be drowned in an ocean of students with much alike ideals. The CAMP program seemed to fit the bill, giving me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills while exploring a technical project that complimented my studies. In its entirety, the CAMP program can be seen as a breeding ground of leaders; students are molded by their respective teams into the executive roles available and given the utmost opportunity to succeed.

With no disrespect to other organizations on campus, there are currently no other student groups or student-led umbrella organizations at this school dedicated to developing student leaders to the extent that the CAMP program is. Yet our Leadership Hall of Fame (LHOF), the yearly award given out to the most exemplary students of the graduating class, has seen a sharp decline in CAMP students being recognized over the last 5 years. There are other areas on campus where students have found places to thrive and contribute to the university well-being, and they have been deservingly elected into the LHOF, but I found it concerning that an organization committed towards developing those skills struggles to ascertain recognition for their students. I wanted to know more.

I spoke with Dean Mahon about the predicament, and while she recognized the large contribution that CAMP plays in both student recruitment and retention she did note that some CAMP leaders concentrate on CAMP and are not as involved in the other arenas, referring to the multiple facets of student involvement opportunities that are available. She continued, “They are totally committed to what they are doing, so that’s where they spend their time, energy, and resources.”

Dr. Dolan, Director of CAMP, supported Dean Mahon’s comments, while also suggesting that outside factors play a role, including consistent job offers from companies that are impressed with the accomplishments that students have ascertained as team members. However, he also noted that CAMP does provide opportunities for students to grow their personal development skills. “We encourage [students] to broaden and to get out into other organizations...they are not finding the time to get out there…they aren’t seeing the reasons for it.” He also suggested that sometimes students can, “get so into the technical [experience], they miss what we are really dealing with.”

As a student who has been involved with CAMP to varying degrees over the last 4 years, I can also attest to the opportunities that we students have to expand our horizons. CAMP is one of (if not the only) student body that organizes the Wharton Memorial 5K/10K run annually. The faculty leaders of CAMP consistently push students to reflect on the purpose and results of team activities. CAMP also sponsors students to attend the leadership retreats hosted through other student organizations, namely the Professional Development Institute for Student Leaders, where students develop skills that make them people, not just engineers.

The discrepancy between the LHOF and CAMP comes down to the students on these projects. I applaud the efforts of my fellow CAMP participants. We go to national and international competitions that require so many different disciplines and we perform well. But I cannot say at this point that the majority of CAMP students are developing into the well-rounded leaders that not just make the LHOF, but reach their maximum potential for the betterment of society. To quote fellow CAMP-ee Scott Lindborg, “It becomes very easy [in the CAMP program] for students to become very specific leaders as opposed to well-rounded ones.”

I challenge you, my fellow CAMP students. Don’t be just a CAMP engineer, but be a CAMP person.

A Letter from President Raysby

Dear students,

As you all may know I am your Student Association President. My hometown is Chancellor, South Dakota and this is my 3^rd year here at South Dakota Mines and I am majoring in Geological Engineering. The Student Association Vice President is Alec Matteo Knox, a 3^rd year Chemical Engineering student from New Richmond, Wisconsin.

We, as a senate, are very excited to see the Wellness Center expansion completed by April of 2015. This project has been broken into two different phases. The first phase of the Wellness Center expansion will be completed in the latter part of January. This phase includes the addition of two regulation basketball courts, one having all wood floors, and the other being all purpose flooring. The final phase of the Wellness Center will be hopefully completed in late April. I know that there are students off and on campus that are frustrated with our current weight room. I would ask that you please fill out some upcoming surveys, so that we can hopefully find solutions for this problem. We are looking forward to have the students’ vision come true!

One project that is up and coming is the expansion of the Student Surbeck Center. We are very excited to get the ball rolling on this project. We will be working very hard to make sure that the plans are geared towards benefitting the students.

Another topic that the Senate is focusing on this year is reaching out more to our constituents. Our student senators are working hard to gain the opinions and concerns of our student body. We are here to serve.

Our Senate office is located in lower Surbeck near SALC. Also our weekly senate meetings are every Wednesday at 5:30 pm in the Bump Lounge in upper Surbeck.

Your Freshman Class Senators are: Ariana Lopez, AJ Videckis, Gina Elmore, Anthony Wright, and Marcus McKinney.

Your Sophomore Class Senators are: Nicole VanDerWolde, Alexander Spilman, Claire Peavey, Yanlin Li, and Taylor Evens.

Your Junior Class Senators are: Alexander Muchow, Caleb Childers, Gina Rossi, Tait Earney, and Tyler Rust.

Your Senior Class Senators are: Chance Costello, Michael Leopold, Heather Goka, Kaitlyn Mahlik and Mohamed Hakeem Mohamed Nizar.

Your International Senator is Rohit Dulal.

Your Non Traditional Senator is Claudia Fiegelman.

Your Graduate Senator is Andrew Pedersen.

Thank you and have a great semester! And go HARDROCKERS!

A Letter from Dean Mahon

Dear Students,

I hope your fall semester is going well. It certainly seems to be passing quickly with all of the classes, activities and programs.

At the School of Mines we continually work to help you get the most out of your college experience while at the same time preparing for life after graduation. I hope you are utilizing the Mines Advantage program, which emphasizes six core competencies – career preparation, cultural and global diversity, community development, personal development, leadership and teamwork, and communication. Mines Link is the online tool to assist you in tracking your activities. In September I visited alumni at Garmin and Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City. It was evident that these characteristics are important to these companies and our alumni working for these large employers are demonstrating these attributes. Examples of Mines Advantage activities that foster personal development on a professional level include:

•  Participating at the Career Fair and career workshops.
• Volunteering (afternoon of service during orientation; Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods;             service through your courses and clubs/organizations).
•  Participating in the leadership retreat.
•  Attending Diwali, presented by the India Club in November.

There is extensive information on the website; also see members of the Professional Development Institute, Dr. Darrell Sawyer, director, and Jay Pfeifer assistant director of the Career and Professional Development Center; and of the Student Activities and Leadership Center, Mike Keegan, director, and Corey Headley, assistant director.

The renovation and addition to the Newlin Family Wellness and Recreation Center continues to move along. The new gym space will open the latter part of January and the entire project is slated to be completed in April 2015.

Family Weekend will be October 24 and 25. Do invite your families to attend. Events start Friday evening with an open mic night at the Music Center. Saturday events include the President’s Tailgate and Hardrocker football. A full schedule is posted on the Mines website.

Best wishes with your demanding course work. As you continue your studies at the School of Mines, please contact me if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Patricia G. Mahon, Ph.D.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

A Letter from President Wilson

It’s hard to believe that we just passed mid-terms and the semester is already half over.

It’s been a great start.

The enrollment at the School of Mines has been steadily increasing as the reputation of the University continues to grow.  This year, we grew by 6% and have just under 2,800 students.  The region needs more well prepared engineers and scientists and we are doing our part to help meet that need.

Undergraduate and graduate student groups are both increasing. The freshmen class includes 591 first-time, full-time bachelor-degree seeking students, a 9.2 percent growth compared to one year ago.  Graduate student enrollment increased 4.8 percent compared to last year.  Mines has twice as many PhD students as we had a decade ago.

This year’s students come from 45 states, and 39 foreign countries.  We have 150 veterans on campus and were just named one of the best schools for veterans again this year.  We are also, for the 17^th year in a row, one of the 100 Best College Buys in America.

While Mines is growing, the quality of the students coming to the university is staying high. The average high school GPA for first-time freshmen was 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

With a growing student body, we are able to start some new programs and expand the variety of things for students on campus.

We now offer a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering and this is the second year for our PhD in Physics and our Bachelor’s degree in Applied Biology.

The new Applied Biological Sciences (ABS) program is by far the fastest-growing major.  Within four years, we expect that Applied Biological Sciences will be one of the five largest majors at Mines.  We expect our graduates will fill a need in the health professions, as well as the growing bio-tech industry in South Dakota.  The Applied Biological Sciences program allows students to specialize in one of three areas: biomedical engineering, pre-health professions, and molecular biology/genetics. Mines is the only school in South Dakota that offers an undergraduate degree related to Biomedical Engineering.

This growth will also affect our facilities.  Thanks to the leadership of students and the support of alumni, the Wellness Center will open in April.  The Loop Road will be finished at the end of October (with 75 more parking spaces).  This summer we had 60 smaller infrastructure projects going on throughout the campus.  And, we will go to the legislature in January to ask them to approve funds to finish the upgrade of the remainder of the old chemistry building.

There are a lot of things I like at Mines, but, for me, the greatest joy is the students.  I have enjoyed getting to know you.  Thanks for making it a great start to the year!

Sincerely,

Heather Wilson

President

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Anonymous Opinion

Dear Editor,

I was a freshman last year and I remember that, although not spectacular, the food for the Surbeck Dining was at least mostly edible.

However, this year I have found a decline in quality of the food. Do you agree with this or have you heard of those who also share my opinion?

Also, do the Miner Shack prices seem way too high for the amount/quality of food received?

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

I also was a first year student last year and I would agree with your initial statement. But your second statement is not quite right as there is a MASSIVE decline in the quality of the food (either that or I’m just older now and used to it). Some days, I’d rather not eat at all in the dining and go somewhere like Pancheros or Hardees and at least feel full and satisfied after spending $9+ in food.

Oh and your final statement is a definite truism as well. But at least I know what I’m getting is going to be fairly decent.

Best,
Dustin Johnson

J. C. Christensen Opinion

Dear Editor,

As the only veteran in this year's South Dakota US Senate Race, former and future senator Larry Pressler, recognizes that the US is involved in fighting wars for others who should be resolving their own conflicts.

Saudi Arabia and the other oil rich Middle East countries don't involve their militaries and their trillions of dollars in other Middle East countries such as Iraq and Syria. Why is it always the US losing its soldiers and treasure? And unbelievably, while we are wasting money on these wars, money that could be reducing the national debt, congress wants to raise student loan interest rates.

This attitude on wasteful military expeditions, the nation debt, and student loan interest rates is that of South Dakota farm boy, USD and two-time Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar, Larry Pressler A two-tour veteran of Vietnam.

He knows military waste.

J. C. Christensen

Dear Mr. Christensen,

I truly appreciate your input on this issue. And if you have served yourself, I thank you for your service.

I couldn’t agree with you more on wasteful spending normally, but looking at the other side of the issue makes me suggest that you look at the common denominator in this issue and that is regarding oil.

I loath the idea of big government and fighting wars that aren’t ours as much as I’m sure you do, but I don’t know if I’m quite ready for $6/gallon gas if we decide to let the Middle East deal with itself or in a more extreme case, a third world war erupting from Middle East and forcing the US to get involved anyway.

The reason I say $6/gallon gas (in South Dakota) would be how oil dependent this country is and how timid it is to use its own resources which from my understanding we have a bountiful of. I think you and I can agree that at the root of this issue is the federal government and if Larry Pressler is elected now or in the future, then he can help eliminate wasteful spending.

Best,

Dustin Johnson

The Back Page Rant

Normally, I would like to highlight artwork and literature and photography on the back page here, but since it’s 11:30 p.m. on the night before I need to send this to the Rapid City Journal, I’m just going to do the only thing I’m even remotely good at. Actually, scratch that. The only TWO things I’m even remotely good at. Ranting and making fun of myself. So the only downside in doing this is how it leaves me susceptible to accidentally (or not accidentally) critiquing certain things without a filter and potentially leaving me subject to massive criticism and/or heat from faculty and administration, but let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point.

And even if it does, I’m not worried in the slightest because I doubt anybody will realistically keep reading past this point since there’s been way too much text for an engineer to read. Maybe I should have thrown up a steam table or a PV diagram on here to strike up some more interest. Anyway I hope you all have had a great midterm. I don’t know about all of you, but it has happened quite fast already. I haven’t even had time to commence the mass production of the drums I’m going to build for the campus drumline that has yet to be formed.

Like all of you, I constantly am busy and my free time is consumed by doing things that most people naturally do such as sleeping and eating. You see if you have taken Organic Chemistry, Thermodynamics, and Differential Equations all in the same semester, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Oh yeah, and I forgot I’m in Fluid Mechanics and I have an exam in Microbiology tomorrow that I should probably sudy for since I haven’t all weekend.

Realistically though, I do have some extracurricular activities that I do which take up time. For example, the newspaper here on campus that I’d say about 35% of students don’t even know it exists, 59% of students don’t bother to read it, and the rest are either a part of the organization or do in fact read it. So to the 6%, thank you.

“Thank You” is also a great song by Led Zeppelin from their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II (track number four). Which is kind of my theme song right now. Or wait, no, it’s definitely not that song, it has to be “Subdivisions” by Rush from their 1982 Signals album (track number one).

Oh by the way, my name is Dustin Johnson if you didn’t already know and I for one am very passionate about music from a musicality, lyrical, and production standpoint and sometimes I wonder why I didn’t go to school for that instead of engineering, but then I remembered that I didn’t want to be out of a job, living in my parents basement with a useless degree. (Kind of sounds like a Black Hills State graduate life.)

You see though, I only appreciate the older, classic rock music because I play drum set where I always try to improve by learning new concepts and because I feel as though there is a lot more passion in that music than the likes of a lot of modern music. Also, older music meets the three criterion laid out before. You can disagree with me all you

want, but I don’t really care when it comes to music. What I listen to is definitely better than anything you listen to unless it’s of similar variety. I do appreciate jazz music and orchestral music in addition to some lighter metal and funk music, but other than that, you can take your dubstep and just throw it away in my opinion since I could make that kind of music with a $70 microphone and Audacity.

So far I’m very satisfied with this newspaper though. It has a fair variety of content and from what I can tell now at 11:55 p.m. it doesn’t have too many errors except for the ones I may or may not intentionally be committing in this rant. May or may not you might ask? Well I say that because I could be making simple mistakes that you are overlooking (if you have even read this fart) to try and prove the point of not waiting to do things until

the last minute. Ever since high school, I have been guilty of procrastinating and I work at preventing it with my higher priority subjects. I would recommend you do the same because I know most of you procrastinate as is.

Look, you can learn from my mistakes or you can make your own and try to learn from it. That’s your call. All I’m saying is that I’m writing 500+ words and have no other set of eyes looking on this paper other than my own and I’m bound to make mistakes. So let’s look at some things that people should ask me,

but never do or never will.

           

            1) Hey Dustin, how come your hair is so exceptionally incredible?

Well the answer to that is how it’s a gift from God. It truly is. A lot of the stuff in my life I’ve had to work exceptionally hard for (like my well-defined abdominal muscles), but my hair has been given to me and my sister purely out of the grace of God.

            2) Do you know any languages other than really bad English?

That answer is a definite yes as I’m a very fluent speaker in the driest imaginable sarcasm. I mean it’s bad. It is probably the sole reason why I can’t maintain a relationship as well as my hair. Well... either that or I’m a narcissistic, arrogant, blunt, unattractive male at a school with very few women that would even be remotely interested in me. But yes, I am very fluent in another language and that is sarcasm.

            3) So like the other people who write letters have their picture on like the paper,                             like why don’t you?

Well like that’s a very good question. You see, I don’t think anybody really wants to know what I look like, because if they did, then I wouldn’t be hypothetically asking this question. However, I’m sure many of the students have seen me around campus. For reference, I’m the guy who always wears jeans, has wavy, amazing brown hair and is air drumming to the music that apparently severely leaks out of this type of headphones. And those headphones happen to look like a color that would more closely match one of Dr. Boysen’s suits from the 1960s.

Well those were some interesting questions. And I feel like I have built up enough material to become a stand up comedian if this whole engineering thing doesn’t work out. All I really did was talk about myself and then proceed to make fun of it. I feel as though I should start to conclude this letter and maybe put some pictures on here since I’m paying for the front side to be in color which means the back side will also be in color. But be sure to engage in a conversation with me if you see me and check out our website

as many people behind the scenes worked hard to put forth this product of The Aurum Student Newspaper. Anyway, just remember that life is going to beat you down and that it’s not whether you get up, it’s what you do after you get up.

Sincerely,

Dustin Johnson

P.S. Anything without credit being given was done by me. It’s now 12:25 a.m.

Lady Hardrocker Volleyball

Mines volleyball has been playing exceptionally as they've won five of their last seven games.

Sunday however, they suffered a disappointing home loss of 1-3 to Colorado Christian settling their record at 9-7 on the season.

The team is doing well thanks to contributions from some of its newly recruited freshmen, such as, Emily Newton and Kylee Gorngpratum, and also due to the contributions by returning players such as sophomores Mikkella Reese and Jena Kreuzer. Additionally, junior Samantha Johnson (great last name) leads the team with over 160 kills on the season. And the squad is lead by their leader in sets and only senior in Carsyn Garcia.

The Lady 'Rockers only have six games remaining on the season and look to close out strong. Their lone home game remaining is October 28 where they take on Chadron State. However, the last game of the season on November 4 is against arch rivals Black Hills State in Spearfish.

Photo: Brad Blume

Hardrocker Soccer

Men's Soccer lost Saturday to Northwest Nazarene in a close 0-1 game to bring the Hardrockers record to 1-12 on the season. The team is without a conference win on the season too.

The season has treated the 'Rockers much better than last year as many of the games are close, but there just hasn't been enough to hold the lead or break the tie. The team has been challenge to two overtime games this season (one of them going into double overtime). The last three games have all been decided by only one goal.

In the third year of this program, the soccer team is lead by senior Michael McGraw who leads the team in goals and sophomores Sean Tabbert, second on the team in goals, and Braeden Federle, leads the team in saves.

The 'Rockers have no remaining home games this season and hope to finish the rest of the season strong as they have five games remaining on the schedule.

Photo: Brad Blume

Hardrocker Golf

Hardrocker men's golf finished tenth in the RMAC No. 2 Tournament last Tuesday and before then finished seventh at the Yellowjacket Invitational.

The golf team has had a rough season as last year had some promise for this year, but the expectations have not been met.

The Hardrockers are led by seniors Brogan Papel, Tyler Frick and Doug Sayer while there are several freshman who are going to be refined and groomed for the next few years in the golf program.

The team has one final invitational in Woodard, OK this upcoming Saturday that lasts through Monday. The 'Rockers hope to shoot low in the last outing of the fall season and finish the season out strong.

Photo: Brad Blume

Hardrocker Football

Saturday the Hardrockers (1-6, 0-3) fell to the Clan (2-5, 2-0) at Simon Fraser after having a 31-26 lead at the half.

The Clan scored 27 points in the second half to dust the 'Rockers 53-31. Amassing over 600 yards of total offense for the game compared to Mines' 351 yards.

It is truly unfortunate to see Mines struggle in football this year. Last year (relatively speaking) went quite well for Hardrocker football and it's a let down to have this year not perpetuate the results of last year.

The season is now about half over with, but fortunately there are still three more home games for you all to come out and watch. The most upcoming one being this Saturday where the 'Rockers will face Azusa State at 1:00 p.m.

Based on the season so far, the emphasis needs to be on defense and finishing games. The offense seems to be functioning just fine averaging 29 points per game, but the defense is averaging over 48 points per game which would only be good if it was basketball and not football.

Photo: Brad Blume

Alien Isolation Review

In space, no one can hear you scream. The famous tagline from Ridley Scott’s classic 1979 science fiction horror film still stands strong to this day with Sega’s newest horror survival game Alien: Isolation. At first when I heard about this new game I was excited and cautious because the last Sega game they decided to market off for a quick cash grab was nothing more than an atomic bomb of disappointment in the shape of Aliens: Colonial Marines. That game left me in a great distain to a point I wanted to avoid anything to do with that franchise. However when I read reports that this game only has one alien and the main objective is to hide and survive a very claustrophobic environment, and they made a promise that was the game meant to scare the daylights outta me, it perked my anticipation to a point where I actually bought it. Suffice to say, they kept their promise.

            The story set 14 years after the first Alien film where you play as Amanda Ripley, daughter of the lone survivor Ellen Ripley. Amanda heads to a space station to follow up on a report that may lead to the whereabouts of her missing mother only to find that the station has gone to chaos with paranoid human survivors, defectively violent androids, and a single murderous alien that has mindset of every known serial killer. Your main goal of the game is to survive under any circumstance. Whether by hiding, running, crawling through vents, or using some poor sap as fodder you have to survive.

            There is a lot to say about Alien: Isolation. For starters it’s NOT Aliens: Colonial Marines. You only have to deal with one alien throughout the game but it cannot be killed. The most you can do to it is distract it or stun it temporarily. Even then the alien AI is completely unpredictable, which causes all sorts of paranoia. What really makes this game terrifying is the atmosphere and sound. The entire space station has little lighting and there is so much noise going on that you’re not sure if that is air or the alien crawling through the air vents. And the most chilling sound comes from your motion tracker that you use to identify where the enemy is. The louder it beeps the closer the enemy is. But what the tracker is picking up could range from the alien or an android on other side which adds more paranoia. You can also construct new items to use at your disposal by finding blueprints and scraps that are scattered randomly throughout the game.

            The only problems I’ve come across is that when you want to save your progress you have to walk up to a save station. It takes about 10-15 seconds for you to start saving your progress, which might give an alien an opportunity to kill you from behind. My best advice for you is to save your progress constantly at every save station you see. If you finally picked up an important item and then die, it will start you off back at where you saved last. Why can’t I just go to the main menu and save like every other game? I guess the programmers really wanted gamers to suffer. In addition, a small peeve is that this game that game is extremely long. I’m talking about 20 hours of gameplay in just the main story alone. That’s a bit too much horror I can handle but at least it’s more gameplay than playing just 4-5 hours of Colonial Marines.

            Overall, I believe that Alien: Isolation is by far one of the scariest games I’ve played if not one of the best games I’ve played this year. It pays more homage to Ridley Scott’s classic film than anything that was ravaged out of Aliens: Colonial Marines. This game captures the fear of isolation, claustrophobia, being eaten by a monster, and the unknown as the original Alien did.

Photo: http://assets1.ignimgs.com/thumbs/userUploaded/2014/10/15/alien1-1413386369832.jpg

Pros:

·       Extremely scary

·       Unpredictable Alien AI

·       Extremely challenging

·       Haunting atmosphere

·       Great follow up to classic Alien

Cons:

·       Constantly using save stations

·       A bit too long

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

DOOM is back!

Hell is coming back to Earth! That's right, the original first-person shooter game is returning in DOOM. E3 has recently released a cinematic teaser trailer of the new installment of the Doom franchise. Hail to the king of first-person shooters.

I am a huge fan of Doom. In my opinion Doom is one of the best video games ever made. It's pretty much classic go to a room, see a bunch of monsters, and then shoot them down with tons of weapons at your disposal. It brings me great joy to know that ID Software and Bethesda Softworks are finally releasing the forth Doom game, but it also leaves me concerned. There have been times where games have been in development for a while and turned out to be utter garbage (Duke Nukem Forever, Aliens: Colonial Marines), but sometimes they do turn out for the better (StarCraft II). 

If you are interested in checking out the trailer, click on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiXdIwrYw1s

Thief

It’s a new year and a fresh batch of new games is swarming into your local GameStop. Recently, a new game has emerged itself from the shadows after a decade of being absent. This new game is titled Thief, a first-person stealth game where you portray as Garrett, a master thief living in steampunk version of the Victorian Age.

To be completely honest, I’ve never played any of the previous games, but apparently it’s alright. The developers state that it is not a sequel or prequel, but a reboot to the franchise. A fresh new start so newcomers can get involved with its story and gameplay.

So what makes this game stand out among others? First off, it is a first-person stealth game that greatly requires the player to avoid your enemies and sneak through the shadows as quietly as possible. Well that’s no different than any other stealth game I’ve played. But it’s a stealth game that is choice-given, meaning there are numerous paths and approaches to move on during your gameplay. You can also go about use the environment to your advantage in order to steal from anyone without being detected.

Stealth games are not usually my kind of forte, but judging by what this game offers, the compelling story, and unique design and texture of the game really gets me interested to see more about what makes this series such a cult classic. I’d say if you’re into stealth games this is for you.

Zombies and the Big Bad Wolf

I am a big fan of Telltale Games. They manage to create fun episodic games with very compelling stories, great characters, and very witty dialogue. But the only two things manage to top my love for Telltale is my undying obsession of two long running graphic novels series: The Walking Dead and Fables. So imagine my overwhelming joy to see them both put together.

Telltale Games gives us The Walking Dead Season 2 and The Wolf Among Us, two episodic games based on critically-acclaimed graphic novels with a wide scale of interesting characters and decisions that affect the outcome of the story. Season 2 is the sequel to the Game of the Year winning game The Walking Dead, continuing a year and a half after the first game. This time you play as Clementine as you struggle to survive in zombie-infested world. In this game, you really experience the hardships of a child trying to survive, lost and alone in a world where death lurks around every corner. Like the first game, you press the buttons on your console or keyboard to make sure the zombies don’t take a bite out of you, and share interesting conversations with members of the group that will determine if they like you or want to punch your face. Each decision you make in the game will greatly affect events in future episodes as well as the interactions between you and your company.

In The Wolf Among Us, you play as Bigby Wolf, aka the big bad wolf, as you investigate a murder that has taken place in Fabletown, a large community set to hide fable characters among the humans. This game features many classic characters from different fairy tales you grew up with such as Snow White, The Woodsman, and one of the Three Little Pigs. Much like the Walking Dead, you press certain buttons in order to keep yourself alive as well as world changing decisions that affect the game and your interactions with other characters.

Both games are coming out in a series of five episodes for each of the following months. These games are a worth-while experience to be held. If you’re into games with great story-telling, spectacular writing, and a cast of amazing characters then these are definitely your kind of games.

Rest In Peace: Harold Ramis

It brings great sadness to report that one of the most talent and successful comedy actors and directors Harold Ramis has past away today. He made such memorable films such as Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Groundhog's Day, and will be forever remembered as Egon Spengler from one of my favorite films Ghostbusters. Thank you for all the laughs you've given us with your amazing skills as an actor and a director, Mr. Ramis.

Harold Ramis

1944-2014

Jesse Eisenberg is Lux Luthor?

If you haven't heard the news but apparently two big names have been cast in the new Superman/Batman movie coming 2016 (not 2015 anymore). The first is a huge shock in the casting of Superman's archrival Lex Luthor is none other than the guy who portrayed Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg. 

WHAT?!?!?

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. How is that possible? I got nothing against the guy. I like him and I think he's a great actor, but I can't see him a Superman's greatest enemy. Luthor believes himself to be Earth's savior but his jealousy and hatred towards Superman molds him into a megalomaniac. I just can't see that with Eisenberg. If I was the casting director, my choice (as well as everyone's choice) would have be Heisenberg. That's right Bryan Cranston as Lex Luthor is a much better choice.

Now the second casting choice that was announced yesterday was Jeremy Irons cast as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's trusted butler. Now that I can agree with. Jeremy Irons is a great actor. When he's not portraying villains he's also playing the role as the mentor. And that's one of the many roles Alfred plays, a mentor. Irons gets my vote as Alfred, but Eisenberg is on his own. If he's going to be Lex Luthor then he better deepen his voice and shave his head. I'm still excited to see the movie when it comes out.

So Jesse Eisenberg is Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons is Alfred, what do you think? Leave your comment below.

The Best and Worst Games of 2013

It’s been a great year for gamers. There have been games with amazing stories, outstanding graphics, and all-out fun multiplayer experience. Unfortunately, there were also games that are the complete opposite. With so many great games that have been released, what are among the best and the worst? Here is a small count down on my picks for the best and worst games to be release this year.

THE BEST

5. The Wolf Among Us (XBOX ARCADE)

4. Pokémon X & Y (Nintendo 3DS)

3. Last of Us (PS3)

2. BioShock Infinite (XBOX 360, PS3)

1. Grand Theft Auto V (XBOX 360, PS3)

THE WORST

5. Dead Island Riptide (XBOX 360, PS3)

4. The Walking Dead Survival Instinct (XBOX 360, PS3)

3. TMNT: Out of the Shadows (XBOX ARCADE)

2. Carnivores HD (PSN)

1. Aliens Colonial Marines (XBOX 360, PS3)