Story

Azer – When it comes to the story of “Gears of War 3” you have to be honest, there isn’t much to go on. The campaign tries to deliver a story in which humanity is desperately trying to survive a war of attrition against not only the remnants of the Locust horde, but also the new threat of the Lambent. Despite these factors you don’t really feel as though humanity is fighting a desperate struggle as the game is muddled in military bravado. However “Gears of War 3” also puts an emphasis on themes such as fellowship and sacrifice, and it does it well. The characters go through some harrowing situations and really makes the player feel for the characters. If you are someone who looks for a narrative you can get lost in, don’t expect to find one in “Gears of War 3.”

Joe – To truly care about a story you first need to believe to some extent that the story is based in reality, but what you get in “Gears of War 3” is an alien planet with humans and mole people both being chased from their planet by another alien life form that somehow spreads from the center of the planet. Where did it come from? Why was only one man told about it before the mole people committed genocide? All legitimate questions that are entirely ignored by the story of “Gears of War 3.” Plot holes aside, what is presented in the story is mainly focused on the emotional toll the war has had on the heroes of Gears and humanity which in itself is not bad but is done with the writing skill of a fifth grader.

Gameplay

Azer – Those who have played previous “Gears of War” games will find that the basic controls of the series are still intact. To the uninitiated, “Gears of War” is a third-person shooter in which combat is usually fought from cover to cover with some charging and rolling in between. Overall, the combat is solid, but one gripe is the weighty feel. The game could definitely benefit from an increase in turning speed and a better strafe movement seen in other shooters like “Uncharted.” The addition of new weapons is a welcome sight, although the double barrel shotgun could benefit from being weakened. The Lambent faction also adds in an interesting dynamic to the game as they will mutate and explode upon death.
“Gears of War 3” is host to a plethora of game modes. The campaign mode comes in the natural story version and an arcade mode where enemy kills garner points, both of which include a cooperative mode for up to four players. The arcade mode is particularly fun to compete with friends in. The industry-altering Horde mode that started in “Gears of War 2” returns again. This time, Horde mode includes an extra layer of strategy through environmental defenses, weapons and respawns purchasable through earning points. The formula is changed even more with a boss wave every 10 waves. The versus mode is back with its stellar, although largely unchanged, online mode and a local version with bots.

Joe – “Gears of War 3” sticks to the primary game philosophy of chest high wall to chest high wall combat, with thankfully fewer on rails sections than its predecessor and the complete omission of its driving sections. Though on rails are far less common sections still present are outstanding examples in why they should have been cut from the game completely being extremely disorientating and generic. The shooting is as responsive as ever and movement has the same weight it’s always had, while melee gains the addition of weapon specific execution which prove to be the most satisfying additions to the classic “Gears of War” gameplay with the retro lancers charge being the stand out.

Another addition is Beast Mode which allows the player and up to four other people to take control of the Locust and attack a human encampment. The mode works on a currency system based on both human kills as well as destroying defensive structures such as barricades and turrets. The more money and points you gain the more powerful the Locust you take control of with the player eventually taking control of some of the most powerful enemies in the game. The mode is only enjoyable when playing online due to constant failure while playing locally.

Presentation

Azer – Although “Gears of War 3” is running on the aging “Unreal Engine 3,” it is a beautiful game. The lighting effects, such as bloom and god’s rays, are used to superb effect. The player feels as though they are in the action with the dynamic camera that rocks when the character is hit or in the vicinity of a large explosion. The designers of “Gears of War 3” were smart to create a variety of locations for the player to explore from cities sunken to the depths of the ocean to a city with civilians burned into ash statues. Unfortunately, the voice acting doesn’t hold up to the industry standards. Expect to hear some bad dialogue and average voice acting. There are also some technical issues in the form of slow loading textures, buggy cover and long loading times for multi-player games. I had to wait five minutes just to find a Horde match.

Joe – The quality and detail of the production remains at the same level of previous entries in the series with improvements were focused on lighting and sound improvements to the game. Sun rays have a much more realistic feel an brightness to them and lower level lighting also seems more realistic than previous entries in the series. The quality of the sound design has also seen an overhaul adding much better sense of direction to the sound. Increases in level of detail in environments are minimal compared to “Gears of War 2” with several instances of extremely low detail textures used to represent parts of fairly near buildings such as the tower near the end of the game. These instances are only noticeable because the quality of the environments in general is very well done and produces stark contrast to theses instances. The voice acting has also seen little improvement over the previous entry with the same lack of believable emotion and several ridiculous performances for Cole Train and Griffin though this is partly due to the writing.

Math teacher Jason Karlin received an award for $250 granted to exceptional second-year teachers.

The Lion King was even more magical and fun on the big screen. It was so tempting to sing along with the songs and quote my favorite characters.

The film is still the original Lion King, but it seems to come more to life in theaters. The surround sound, the audience and the big screen made it a fun movie experience. I personally greatly enjoyed this film.

The 3D was not as great as I had hoped though. There were scenes where the 3D effects were definitely noticeable. The “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” scene has some impressive 3D effects.

But in general, the 3D did not have much of an impact on the movie.

Despite the lack of 3D effects, this movie can be enjoyed by all age groups. Especially our generation, which grew up with the Lion King but never got to experience it in the theater.

I would recommend this movie for a family night, a night out with friends, or for younger kids. Especially if they have never seen the Lion King.

Even though the 3D effects were not too great, the experience of this movie is definitely worth the money. Lion King in 3D leaves theaters Sept. 30. Do not miss this amazing experience.

By MacKenzie Breithaupt

“Get set!” band director Mike Jones shouts to the marching band.

Many students at LHS don’t know exactly what our marching band members do or how hard they work. Sure, they play instruments and march on our football field to catchy tunes, but many students don’t realize the time and effort band members contribute.

As someone who has never been a part of band, I went through an adventure. On Aug. 30, band held its regular 6:30 p.m. Tuesday practice on the LHS football field, and I was there to march.

Walking through the gate, I received strange stares and awkward smirks. Fellow flute player junior Lily Abromeit placed me in a line of flutes diagonal from where she was standing. Before I began marching, one of the two objectives Abromeit instructed was to “follow me.”

Easy enough – until she added to never “get directly behind” her.

I nodded, sure of my knowledge of what to do. But as soon as I heard the words “Get set” from Jones, everything Abromeit just plastered in my brain shattered. Thereafter, I was smack dab behind my partner in crime.

Not 10 minutes into practice, I was sweating. Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, I couldn’t imagine memorizing and marching these steps in the LHS band uniform — unless the temperature outside was negative five.

As I began marching, it was strangely difficult to keep up with everyone around me. Not only was it difficult to remain in the correct position with the other flutes, but I had absolutely no idea where they were going or what I was supposed to be doing. With a less-than-three second lesson with Abromeit about how many steps to take left, backward and then right, I ultimately absorbed nothing but which way my feet were instructed to face.

Even Jones noticed me sticking out.

“Everybody knows where to go and you had no idea,” Jones said later, “and when you don’t have any idea, you stick out. You were in such a place where you were getting in people’s way because you were so close.”

I pity flute player and sophomore Elsa Regan for any confusion I caused while marching. It seemed as though every step I took was in the wrong direction and in place of another band member.

Thankfully Jones sympathized with me.

“We’re going from the normal person who doesn’t know how to march to someone we ask to memorize about eight minutes worth of music and memorize probably about 60 formations in between those,” Jones said.

Being previously involved with dance, I imagine marching band is similar to a dance routine — only double time. The students must learn and memorize the music along with all of the formations. Band members spend about five and half hours practicing every week. I give props to them for all the effort they put toward musically supporting LHS.

“What kind of day is it?” It’s a great day to be a lion.

What was your hardest class and why?
“Advanced Placement Latin, because of the reading.”

What was your favorite class and why?
“Advanced Placement Physics is fun to me. I’d like to major in it.”

What classes do you recommend?
College Prep engineering. Advanced Placement Physics.

Who was the most inspiring teacher:
“This could cause a lot of problems. Many of the teachers at this school are inspiring, but I would have to say Mr. (Andrew) Bricker.”

What advice do you have for future lions?
“Participate in lots of extracurricular activities”

What will you miss the most about LHS?
“Playing in the drum line.”

What were your thoughts when you walked into LHS first day of sophomore year?
“I thought it was raw.”

What are your plans for after high school:
“ College at the College of Wooster, then the Marines.” ]]> http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/alex-henriquez-senior-profile/feed/ 0 http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/ty-aldridge-senior-profile/ http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/ty-aldridge-senior-profile/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 18:29:45 +0000 Taylor Kidder http://www.lhsbudget.com/?p=2212 With high school almost behind her, senior Ty Aldridge is headed to school to become a baker.

1. How did you feel walking into LHS for the first time?
“It was kinda nerve racking because the seniors my sophomore year were really scary.”

2. What will you be doing after high school?
“I’m going to be going Johnson County (Community College) to become a baker.”

3. Who was your most inspiring teacher and why?
“Mr. (Jon) Harrison, he really pushes you to be better, and he’s hilarious.”

4. What was your hardest class and why?
“Math, finding out what equation to use for a problem.”

5. What advice would you give to future lions?
“Make a lot of friends that can help you. My friend Cam White helped me with Advanced English when we had it together.”

6. What will you miss the most and why?
“Cheering and dancing. It’s fun getting the crowd pumped up.” ]]> http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/ty-aldridge-senior-profile/feed/ 0 http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/ji-yeon-lee-senior-profile/ http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/ji-yeon-lee-senior-profile/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 18:29:37 +0000 Taylor Kidder http://www.lhsbudget.com/?p=2214 Ji-Yeon Lee has made her mark on the stage at Lawrence High School and plans to make playing the violin into a career. The senior answered these questions about her love of music and plans for the future:

When did you start playing violin?
“I started playing when I was five.”

How did you choose the violin?
“I chose the violin because it looked cool. I was little and didn’t know too much about it.”

How often/long do you practice?
“I usually practice three to four hours a day.”

What do you like most about the violin?
“I love performing.”

What was your favorite thing about LHS orchestra?
“LHS orchestra is fun since I get to play with friends.”

Tell us about the Summer Music Institute(SMI).
“It’s a four week long camp in Washington, D.C., working with the National Symphony Orchestra. I went to SMI at the Kennedy Center twice and was invited again this year, although I can’t go.  I’m going to Yellow Barn (Music School and Festival in Vermont).”

How many schools did you audition for?
“I auditioned for five schools. I’ll be going to Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.”

What are you most looking forward to in college?
“I’m excited to focus on just music in college and take classes that I want to take.”

What do you hope to do after college?
“I hope to be a professional violinist and preform with my quartet.” ]]> http://www.lhsbudget.com/features/2011/05/20/ji-yeon-lee-senior-profile/feed/ 0 http://www.lhsbudget.com/student-life/2010/05/24/contents-of-a-locker/ http://www.lhsbudget.com/student-life/2010/05/24/contents-of-a-locker/#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 13:25:07 +0000 admin http://www.lhsbudget.com/?p=1938 Last week students cleaned out their lockers … take a look.  http://www.vuvox.com/collage/detail/01a92b8a60

Younglife is a high school Christian fellowship, with the goal of giving high school teens a place to fit in. Multiple LHS students have/will attend Younglife camp. Younglife activities include Club, which occurs throughout the school year, and camp, which occurs for a week during summer. “Leaders” accompany a charter bus full of high school kids to one of the many campgrounds.