Mass Effect 3 Review

by: Will Pipes

Staff Reporter

Picking up Mass Effect 3 was, for me at least, exciting and scary. It was exciting because it was the last installment in a series I’ve come to love, but scary because I was worried that it would be a whimper of an exit to one of the most brilliant marriages of science-fiction and the modern video game industry I’ve ever seen. After fighting against only two of the spaceship-sized sentient machines known as Reapers, who are intent on destroying all organic life in the galaxy, for two games, I was concerned that fighting a war against thousands of them wouldn’t feel at all real. However, I’m happy to say that Mass Effect 3 made the series go out with a bang, several of them in fact, by retaining the most popular aspects of the first two games while still showing enough growth and evolution to have an identity of its own. The game continues the biggest tradition of the series: letting players choose what their stories turn out to be.

Instead of being given a cardboard cutout of a protagonist with an arsenal of witty one-liners and a charming smile, players get to make Shepard (the main character) in their own image, male or female, mix and match three different styles of combat, and manage the war effort as they see fit. If they choose to be the compassionate, caring hero who everybody loves, then they can do that, but likewise, they can also be the ruthless antihero that everyone fears. Either way, the decisions you make in the game (and in previous games if you’ve played those) stay with you and play out in front of your very eyes before the end of the game. Along the way you gather an assorted group of compatriots, both alien and human, who, instead of playing second fiddle to Shepard, have their own backstories and their own emotions and problems that come to light as the game goes on.  The game does an excellent job of portraying the scope of the war as truly galactic in size, by showing how humans and various alien races are affected by the Reaper invasion, and by having the player go through the process of smoothing over relations between these races, as well as building a galactic armada in order to fight for the survival of all organic life.

The gameplay is completely overhauled from the second game, changing a stiff-and-awkward-to-control Shepard to an agile and mobile force of destruction in combat, giving the environments the breadth and depth they need to feel realistic and not restricted, and giving the weapons in the game enough customization options to form a strategy around but not so much that players are lost in the myriad of options and advantages. The added multiplayer portion of the game brings an entirely new aspect to bear for the Mass Effect series, tying into the story in a unique and inventive way.

The bottom line is that Mass Effect 3 delivers a rich, compelling, player-driven narrative, smooth, unhindered gameplay, and a fun, challenging multiplayer, all of which create a game that only comes around once in a blue moon and pits not just the player’s reflexes, but their mind and personality against an enemy to see just how good of a job they would do defending the galaxy.

 

Does a president’s personal life affect his decisions?

by: Anna Kate Baygents

Staff Reporter

When you hear the name Bill Clinton, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For most people, it is not his foreign policies or economic decisions, but of his now infamous alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky. Even after adamant claims that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman,” Clinton’s legacy belongs more in US Weekly than Time. I fully believe that a public official’s personal life affects his or her professional life. However, the extent of the effects depends on the severity of the personal conflicts.
In Clinton’s scenario, I see it as this: If you’re willing to cheat on the one person you vowed “ ‘til death do us part” to, what else are you willing to cheat on? Americans want honest leaders, not ones whose integrity they have to question. When a President or other elected official loses credibility in his or her personal life, he or she undoubtedly loses it in his or her presidency or office. This can also be seen in John F. Kennedy’s years in office. JFK, who is by far the most attractive president, was seen more as a celebrity and hunk of the 1960s than as Commander-in-Chief of the world’s most powerful country. After his assassination, many women came forward claiming to have had affairs with him. Regardless of the truth, that is what he is remembered for.  I want public leaders who are more concerned with running our government than their personal affairs.
There are, however, often debated personal issues that don’t affect one’s time in office. For example, many people criticize President Obama for smoking. That does not affect his decision making or question his morals and integrity. I would not condone smoking, but that is a personal freedom, and even elected officials should not have any of their personal freedoms infringed on.  During the 2008 election, former Alaskan governor and Vice President nominee Sarah Palin was hounded by the media because of the pregnancy of her teenage daughter out of marriage. Many said it cast her as a hypocrite and questioned how she could help run a country if she couldn’t even handle her own daughter. Palin acknowledged the pregnancy as “wrong” but concluded that nothing could be done after the fact. That pregnancy was not her decision but was her daughter’s. Though that personal issue should not have played a role in the election, it unfortunately did. Citizens want politicians that represent them – their beliefs, values, and morals.  If at any time during the elected’s term he or she begins to compromise on those, it may be time to re-elect. There are some decisions that can, and should, disqualify officials from office, but also those that that are private and should have no affect on professional duties.

by: Will Pipes

Staff Reporter

Today, the most effective way to know all you can about a person’s history all the way back to high school is very simple: make them run for an elected office. Elected officials are under constant scrutiny from the moment they begin a campaign to the day they leave office. The President of the United States  is possibly the most closely examined. Whoever is the essential face of America must uphold the image we as the American people are looking for in a president, whatever that image may be. However, while the examination and critique of a president’s policy and administration are welcomed and encouraged aspects of American democracy, letting facts about a president’s private life color the public’s opinion of him, as a president at least, strikes me as illogical. At this point, I think it is important to make a distinction between the office and the person serving in it. In context, the president’s job is to execute the office of president of the United States, and to the best of their ability, “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” as specified in Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight of the Constitution of the United States. As long as they meet those goals and all that they imply with acting in the best interests of the people, then what they did in the past, as well as their private lives, should be kept private to keep even more in line with the ideals that America is founded on, namely our right to privacy. We elect a president not because they have led a life free from bad decisions or things they weren’t proud of, but because the majority of the people believe they can do the job they are assigned to do. If the former were the case, people like Andrew Jackson wouldn’t be elected because of  their tempers, people like Theodore Roosevelt wouldn’t be elected because of their fighting spirits, and people like Franklin Delano Roosevelt wouldn’t be elected because they partied too much in college. Yet all three of these men were fine presidents in many people’s opinions, and their supposed faults in their private lives were irrelevant when it came to their job: leading the nation. Finally, imagine electing a president who made no mistakes in their private life. How would they relate to the rest of the nation? The United States was built on trial and error, as evidenced by our history. In a nation of wonderfully flawed citizens, why would we hold our president to the impossible standard of always being morally upright in his private life? If that were the case, we would never find someone to fill the position.

Forensics team springs into new semester

by: Will Pipes

The Forensics team has begun the spring semester part of their season in an exemplary fashion. Since the beginning of the semester, the team has competed in the Pascagoula Singing River Classic Tournament, the National Catholic Forensic League Qualifying Tournament, and the Emory Barkley Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. The team has had a string of successes, winning the Individual Event Sweepstakes at Pascagoula and winning 2nd place overall, qualifying nine people to the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) Grand National Tournament in Baltimore this summer and having multiple breaks to the top 12 events at Emory, a national circuit tournament with over 300 schools in attendance and approximately 50 in each event. Notable names include Ashton Beightol, junior, who won Dramatic Interpretation and Prose Interpretation at Pascagoula, qualified to CFL Nationals in Dramatic Performance, and made quarterfinals at Emory; and Mary Ryan Karnes, junior, who qualified to CFL in Original Oratory (and also received the highest score of the six qualifiers), made semifinals in Original Oratory at Emory, and also made quarterfinals at the same tournament in Duo Interpretation. Her Duo partner, freshman Evan Woods, shares the last honor with her and is also the first freshman in the history of the team to advance at the Emory Barkley Forum. In the future the team will be competing at the Hub City Classic at Hattiesburg High School, the Tupelo Rock and Roll Classic at Tupelo High School, and will attempt to qualify to the prestigious National Forensic League Tournament which will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, this summer. The team will also be competing for their seventh state championship in April. When asked about his game plan for state, Coach Shane Cole responded, “We are set to defend our title, and we hope to repeat as we have for the past six years.”

Welcome to the Jungal

By: Will Pipes
Staff Reporter 

Sherakhan (Stephanie Weiss) convinces Grey (Nathan Maxwell) to see things her way in the Drama Department’s production of The Jungal Book. / Submitted Photo

In previous years, the Oak Grove drama department has put on several award winning shows, and this year is no different. This year’s show, “Jungal Book,” is a darker version of the Disney cartoon that came out in 1994. When asked about the choice for the show, director Suzanne Allmon replied, “I chose Jungal Book because it’s an ensemble piece but also has individual characters. I have a very strong senior class this year, so I wanted them all to have a chance to showcase their own roles without being just part of an ensemble.” The show stars senior Xavier Martin as naive Mowgli, trying to learn the ways of the jungle and staying out of the way of Sherakhan the Tiger, played by Stephanie Weiss, who would like nothing more than a bite of Mowgli. Along the way he is taught and protected by reluctant mother Bagheera the Panther (Jessica Palmer), wolf pack leader Akela the Wolf (Heather Boutwell), and teacher of jungle law Baloo the Bear (Andrew Adams). The enticing Kaa the Python (Taylor Nace), and the cackling Chil the Vulture (Lauren English) appear as well. Juniors Rachel Hummel and Haley Laird seem incredibly hyperactive as they shake and laugh onstage as the Hyenas. Allison Walters and Nathan Maxwell round out the rest of Boutwell’s wolf pack as Grab and Grey. Sophomores Will Thaggard, Keirston Murphy, and Baxter Rose Walters, along with senior Rachel Jackson make up a screeching family of monkeys, and the Lord of the Jungle, Hathi the Elephant, is voiced by juniors Logan McCarty and Miranda Rester. In designing the costumes for the show, Mrs. Allmon said research was key. “Since the show is based in India, we did a lot of research in Indian culture, which would be why we have the henna tattoos. We also took the Indian culture to create the costumes; each color matches up with the characteristics of the animals, so we tried to put a lot of the culture into the costumes instead of just making them look like animals.” This past weekend the drama department competed at the regional Dramafest competition at USM, in hopes that they would be one of three schools chosen to advance to the statewide Mississippi Theatre Association competition. Not only were they called to advance to the next level of competition, the cast and crew also picked up several additional awards, such as Technical Achievement for having the best overall tech crew, an All-Star Cast for Xavier Martin’s portrayal of Mowgli, and Best Physicality to Will Thaggard, Keirston Murphy, Baxter Rose Walters, and Rachel Jackson for their performances as the monkeys. Technical Director, junior Addison Arroyo, fondly remarked on the weekend as a whole: “It’s definitely cool to go to Dramafest because it’s fun to compare and see what your peers can do and to prove what you can do. And of course, there’s nothing like being called for MTA.” So far the drama team has been very successful and hopefully will continue to be as they bring a part of the Jungal to the stage.

Game Review

by Will Pipes

Staff Reporter

 Just like many teenagers, I couldn’t wait to play Modern Warfare 3. When        I finally got my copy and finished the story, however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that some thing was missing. I didn’t know why; I got what I’d expected. And that was the problem. The game met every one of my standards, but didn’t exceed them. MW3 stays on the exact same scale as MW2, and the game lacks identity because of that. The story of the game is fast paced when it needs to be, manages to draw out and build up at the right moments, and ultimately leaves the player mentally satisfied but has a habit of reusing popular moments from the previous games. Having a  helicopter crash inches from your face is only heart-stopping so many times, after all. Visually, the game hasn’t lost any of the trademark breathtaking quality. Every local, from war-torn Wall Street to the jungles of Africa, comes to life in a way that can only be associated with Call of Duty games. But while the game hasn’t lost any quality, it hasn’t really gained any either. The controls are still just as polished as well. The characters move smoothly and can swap weapons and melee with ease. One improvement this time around is the vehicle sequences, which seem like less of an afterthought and more like they belong to the story. The multiplayer mode is the most remarkable improvement to the game. The new weapon leveling system makes players get out of their comfort zones and try different weapon combinations. The new killstreak packages (in- game bonuses earned in multiplayer for getting a certain number of kills in a row without dying) offer more customization for strategists to exploit. However, these are the only big changes; the rest of the multiplayer mode is dotted with little things like a new game mode or new maps. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the game. It’s fun, has a brilliantly written script and story, and is an all-around great game. It’s just expected.

Swim team dives over competition at State meet

by: Will Pipes

Junior Hayley Higgason swims 200 freestyle relay in the MHSAA State Swimming Championship.

Here at Oak Grove, it would seem that some Warriors are part fish. The swim team went to the MHSAA State Swimming Championships this past Saturday and placed 8th overall. The team competed in the butterfly, freestyle, back and breast stroke events in both the individual and relay categories. Teams swim two preliminary rounds, and the top eight competitors in all events come back later that night for a final round. Teams are given points for the placing their swimmers receive with 1st place receiving 10 points, 2nd-8 points, 3rd-6 points, and so on. The team with the most points at the end wins. Hayley Higgason, girls’ Captain, Morgan Eguia, Kelli Fowler, Emilee Asquith, and Kaylee Humphries progressed all the way to the final round of the meet with all five making finals for the relay events. Eguia also made finals in the girls 100-yard butterfly and back stroke events where she placed 3rd in the butterfly. Fowler made finals in the 500-yard freestyle. The team has had a succesful season, placing 1st or 2nd at every regional meet they have attended and placing 2nd at the South State Championships. “We swim about 2,000 yards as well as run everyday,” Eguia said. With this year’s rigorous pratices, the team’s endurance will surely set the bar for next season.

Oak Grove celebrates the good times with Homecoming 2011

From the creative costumes and pep rallies to exciting festivities and dancing on the football field, Homecoming week was a grand one. The Star School status was just a bonus to one of Oak Grove’s most eventful weeks. During the week, students came to school with grins and laughs at the sight of their friends’ costumes. Everyday was a different theme that allowed students to break free from the normal dress code. After all the events of the previous days, it was time for the Homecoming game. As soon as the clock struck 9:00 p.m. that night, students flocked to the dance for a long night of moving to the beat.

Pictured left to right: Freshman Maid Constance Sloan and Escort Devoskiea Poole, Sophomore Maid Sharnee Fairley and Escort Picasso Nelson, Junior Maid Amber Williams and Escort Jonathan McNair, Senior Maid Christina Bostick and Escort Usef Lowe, Football Sweetheart Stephanie Weiss and Escort Brennon Windham, Senior Maid Christina Hudson and Escort Trest Underwood, Football Sweetheart Secoya McGowan and Escort Jamal Moore, Senior Maid Jenny Tran and Escort Henry Yoon, Senior Maid KayKay Hypolite and Escort Markos Williams, Senior Maid Kaitlyn Fuller and Escort Tyler Odom, Sophomore Maid Erica Lewis and Escort Cha Mar Booth, Freshman Maid Laken Pineda and Escort Josh Mixon, Junior Maid Amber Pineda and Escort Ryan Hendley. Pictured in front: Flower Girl Olivia James and Crown Bearer Cohen Bonner

Warriors show beauty and brawn

For the 2011 school year, Christina Bostick took the title of Oak Grove’s Homecoming Queen and was escorted by Usef Lowe. “The best part about being Homecoming Queen is the feeling of gratitude that overwhelmed me when I heard my name called,” Bostick said.

On Friday, October 14th, students enjoyed more than the regular, mundane pep rally activities.  The Warriors participated in games such as tug-of-war and boogied to DJ Trazy’s tracks after pep rally festivities as a reward for achieving Star School status.

Character Invasion

From fish, to ghosts, and to Beyonce with child, this year’s Homecoming week was filled with more creative costumes than ever before. Students showed an amazing amount of school spirit as they dressed up as their favorite characters and celebrities.

GOP candidates battle for nomination

By: Will Pipes, Staff Reporter

Americans are about to make the choice which plots the future of their nation. The  2012 presidential election is near. This means campaigns, polls, and speculation galore about candidates, nominations, and possible victors. On one side of the aisle, the Democrats have a returning candidate, President Obama, who has officially announced his run for re-election. On the other side of the presidential nomination field, the Republicans, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), have several contenders with numerous ideas to offer. However, as with all political races, a few front runners have distinguished themselves from the pack.

The first is Michele Bachmann, the Congressional Representative for Minnesota. Bachmann’s mindset is one of a conservative Tea Party member. This may hurt or help her in the long run, depending on how well Bachmann can relate to the people on certain issues such as the lagging economy. Bachmann has started her campaign with a win in the Iowa Straw Poll, which measures a GOP presidential candidate’s popularity in the nation. Collecting attention from several media networks and magazines such as Newsweek, where she made the cover of the August 15th issue, has transformed Bachmann into a well-known public figure.

Next is Ron Paul, a former Texas Representative and Bachmann’s polar opposite. Although he is a member of the GOP, Ron Paul’s viewpoints consistently stray from those of his party and into more of a moderate standpoint, supporting a number of Democratic ideas as well as GOP ones. With 4,671 votes to Bachmann’s 4,823, he came in a close second in the Iowa Straw Poll. However, with news outlets choosing to cover Bachmann and other potential GOP candidates such as Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, and Herman Cain, Paul has been given almost no coverage in the media. While his media coverage may be lacking, Paul is projected to have an advantage over the other candidates. Paul holds the lowest difference in approval rating against President Obama with 47.8% for Obama and 42.0% for Paul making for a difference of 5.8% .

Rick Perry is the last GOP front runner for the presidential nomination. Perry has served as Governor of Texas since December of 2000. While not as popular as the other two candidates, Perry’s strength lies in his image of being on the opposite end of the political spectrum in relation to President Obama. Perry recently suffered a loss to candidate Herman Cain in a Florida straw poll. Although daunted, a CNN poll released September 26th cites GOP (and independents who lean towards the GOP) as still being largely in support of Perry, with his support rating at 28%, 7% higher than his closest competitor, Mitt Romney.

These are the current front runners poised to challenge President Obama for the presidential office. As always, anything can change in a political race of such importance. As the election approaches, the people can only wonder who will come to represent the nation for the next four years.

Facebook VS. Twitter

Facebook

By: Will Pipes, Staff Reporter

“What’s on my mind? Something more than 140 characters!”

Social networking force has been connecting humans around the world in ways not seen since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. That force is none other than the incredible Facebook. Created in a college dorm room by Mark Zuckerberg in 2005, Facebook has grown to encompass over 750 million people worldwide according to the Huffington Post. What makes Facebook so great is that it puts life online in a unique and interesting way. Users can have conversations, respond to the thoughts of another, or even post pictures of some of the memories they’ve made in order to show their friends all within a matter of minutes. Twitter tries to re-create the same effect, but the conversations aren’t the same when they are submerged in dozens of tweets from others. Pictures require several different sites to view while Facebook simply uses its own picture viewing system. After all, a “retweet” just doesn’t amount to a like or a comment.

What’s even more impressive about Facebook is how it has invaded our society. Today a message sent on Facebook is more likely to be responded to than a message on an e-mail account.While checking an e-mail account is seen as a chore by most, people find checking their Facebook more instinctual as Facebook is an extension of themselves. You can’t find that kind of personalization on Twitter, being limited in what your profile can have on it and having only 140 characters, spaces included, to express your thoughts. Even teachers have been looking into using the social networking site to post assignments via a Facebook group tailor-made for that class. Not only is Facebook useful for socializing, the site is also more than adequate for education.

Possibly the most amazing aspect of Facebook, however, is the reasoning behind this rethinking of social interaction. Mark Zuckerberg, along with partners Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, changed the way we look at the world by creating a world of social interaction that is, to borrow from Tron a bit, for the Users. When they made Facebook, they didn’t know what it would become, only that they wanted to make something amazing. And according to 750 million plus people, Facebook is quite amazing indeed.

So at the end of the day, Facebook has more of a personal feel, a better way to display some of your favorite moments for everyone to see, and an easier method of interaction between users. So when I update my status tonight (and invariably comment on something funny I read while doing so), I’ll remember the uniqueness of the site of which I’m on, and I encourage you to do the same.

Twitter

By: Joanna Gunufsen, Staff Reporter

“#ThatAwkwardMoment when you realize that you tweet just to avoid the new Facebook.”

Five years ago, Twitter was just another word in the dictionary. What was once defined as “a series of short, high-pitched bird calls” has since taken on a whole new meaning. In the world of social networking, Twitter seemed to be a humdrum, copycat version of the popular Facebook. Of course, I came to this unfamiliar knockoff and refused to join. I considered myself above the Twitter fad and would tell you so with pride. Facebook had satisfied my social needs for years. What did Twitter have to offer? Basically, nothing new. One simply logs on, “tweets” a message in 140 characters or less, and posts it for others to see. “Following” replaced friending. “Retweets” were essentially “likes,” and replies were another way to comment on a status. Spring semester of my junior year, I was required to tweet once a week for my AP Statistics class. Kicking and screaming, and for the sake of my grade, I began to tweet. My world was forever changed.

Twitter was the answer to my pent-up Facebook frustration. It had all the attention-getting and knowledge-sharing ability of Facebook without the bells and whistles. There aren’t any flashy sidebar ads promising a lower credit score, perfect love life, or free college tuition. Unlike Facebook, Twitter isn’t plagued by risky, lawsuit-inducing privacy issues.With that said, Twitter has been gaining momentum among current Facebookers. Twitter, uncorrupted by college recruiters and nosy relatives, is a form of freedom. Change the privacy setting on your account and write without inhibitions. Complaints, teenage love quotes, and awkward moments are encouraged. You can say what’s on your mind, but you can also see what others are thinking. Celebrities, politicians, and journalists have been creating Twitter accounts to accompany their already popular Facebook pages. However, Twitter is not just a publicity tool used by the elite. On May 1st of this year, President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden but not before the news was leaked through a tweet by Keith Urbahn, a former Navy intelligence officer. The news spread like wildfire across Twitter’s website, and soon the rumor was confirmed. Twitter has nonetheless proven itself to be an efficient communication tool.

Of the 106 million Twitter users, around 742,000 are high school students. Start your tweeting. Follow me,

@jgunnufsen.