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Indie games are typically a tradeoff between several different aspects that were once considered to be critical for a game to be successful. The typical approach is to tone down graphics, mechanics and even interactivity in favour of better storytelling. This is what attracted me to the indie scene in the first place as I find it easy to write off larger faults in the game should it be able to tell an engaging narrative. However sometimes there are little gems of indie titles that manage to do well in more than just one area, executing more than just a good story. Mind: Path to Thalamus is one such indie game, being able to deliver an experience that's above many higher budget titles yet still retains the same aspects that make indie titles so charming.
You are stuck in a surreal and desolate world, one devoid of any other humans and that seems to react to your very presence. Some of the places are familiar, reminding you of places that you used to visit as a child, whilst others seem to have risen up from your deepest nightmares, shaking you to your very core. There's only one thing that keeps pushing you forward: you must reach the Thalamus, no matter how painful the journey to it is. Can you suffer through the mistakes you made in order to find redemption? Are you even worthy of it? These are the questions you'll answer as you journey towards the ever elusive Thalamus.
For an indie game Mind: Path to Thalamus is incredibly beautiful with the wide variety of different environments providing a great array of eye candy. Part of this is due to it using the Unreal under the hood, an engine that's renowned for being able to produce great visuals, however the artwork is above that of many other indie games of similar calibre. This goes hand in hand with the soundtrack that accompanies the visuals, swelling at all the right points in concert with your character's emotions and dropping to deathly silence, reminding you that you're alone in this world. The screenshots I've taken really don't do it justice, it's an exceptionally well crafted experience.
The core game of Mind: Path to Thalamus is that of a puzzler, done in the now traditional indie style of not telling you exactly how everything works but giving you enough visual clues in order to be able to figure it out. The various mechanics change throughout the game however they're introduced individually so you can get a feel for what their triggers are, how they combine and what bits and pieces of the environment you should be on the lookout for in order to be able to progress to the next section. Overall the puzzles are pretty simple, if you're struggling it's typically because you're doing something the wrong way, however there's enough challenge that they feel like an organic part of the game rather than a brick wall designed to pad out the play time.
This is probably why Mind: Path to Thalamus has such great visuals as they really are key to the overall game experience. Pretty much every time I found myself stuck on something was due to me not noticing or forgetting about a particular game mechanic, usually one that was just introduced to me not 1 puzzle ago. The last few puzzle stages kept me busy for a good couple hours as they use every mechanic to their fullest, forcing you to figure out what sequence of events you have to go through in order to unlock the next piece. It was well timed however as the final dialogue sections, which are scripted to repeat after a certain time, only did so right before the final scene showing that the developer has paced Mind: Path to Thalamus out extremely well.
For the most part Mind: Path to Thalamus runs well with no graphics glitches or broken gameplay elements to speak of. It does however seem to crash randomly on occasion, something that didn't seem to have any one particular cause. Some sections that would crash at one point would inexplicably play through fine afterwards. They didn't happen often however the checkpointing system seems to get confused when it happens and will send you back to the start of the chapter and not the current respawn point you're at. It's not a big deal, especially if you've already worked out all the puzzles, but it was a slight frustration when I was elbows deep in the story.
What sold me on Mind: Path to Thalamus originally was one of the trailers that showed some of the opening scenes of the game which had some extremely gripping voice acting. Whilst that same level of passion isn't carried throughout the game the story is delivered well by the sole voice actor. Usually out of order narratives annoy me but Mind: Path to Thalamus does in it such a way that several story threads are built around you and only towards the end is the relationship between the two revealed. It wasn't exactly an emotional rollercoaster however it was a solid story on regret, redemption and the highly illogical process we all go through when we're grieving. Suffice to say I'd rate it above many other story-first games that I've played in recent memory although I wasn't exactly in tears at the end of it.
Mind: Path to Thalamus is a fantastic example of what the indie development scene is capable of producing, from the gorgeous visuals right down to the engaging story. Whilst a story-driven indie puzzler might not be everyone's cup of tea I feel Mind: Path to Thalamus would stand well just on its mechanics alone, with the inventive mechanics requiring more than passing glance to understand fully. It might not be a perfectly polished gem however Mind: Path to Thalamus expertly delivers on the goals it set out to accomplish and is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.
Rating: 8.75/10
Mind: Path to Thalamus is available on PC right now for $12.99. Total play time was 3 hours with 48% of the achievements unlocked.
It's nearly 2 decades ago and 10 year old me has found a new game to obsess over: The Incredible Machine. For a little while I'm captivated by the puzzles, trying to figure out the multiple ways in which I can solve the problem put before me. However it's not long until I discover the real fun that this game contains: the free form creative mode. Soon I'm creating dozens of horrendous devices, most hellbent on inflicting as much torture as is humanly possible within the game's confines. This debauchery was only exacerbated by the presence of friends with numerous hours being spent building all manner of wicked contraptions. So you can imagine when I heard that some of the developers of that game were out to make a spiritual sequel, called Contraption Maker, I was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia that wouldn't go away until I hit the purchase button.
Contraption Maker has actually been available for quite some time now through Steam's Greenlight program but it only just recently hit version 1.0. The result is a product that's been heavily influenced by the community, being put through the wringer by some of the most die hard Incredible Machine fans for the past year. The result as it stands today certainly has the same feel about (at least that's what the remains of the 10 year old me is saying, anyway) with all of the modern flair you would come to expect from a game of this calibre. However whilst I do appreciate that they chose the PC as their preferred platform I can't help but feel that its place might no longer be with this platform.
Visually Contraption Maker really does feel like the Incredible Machine, just berthed in this time instead of 20 years ago. For me it felt a lot like a Flash game that had received a lot of love as the animations and art styling all had that Flash-y appearance to them. It also helps that the vast majority of the parts used in Contraption Maker had their mirror within the Incredible Machine, something which I'm sure was done on purpose. Still it's to the developers credit that they've managed to capture that same feeling that I experienced so long ago whilst also modernizing the look and feel dramatically.
For those who remember The Incredible Machine the game play will be instantly familiar as Contraption Maker's game play is pretty much identical to its spiritual predecessor. You'll be given a scenario, a short blurb about what's going on, what the goals are and a set of tools with which to make everything happen. From there you're left to your own as to how to figure everything out which can be as simple as knocking something over to far more elaborate puzzles that can have multiple different solutions, depending on which behaviours you exploit. There's also the creative mode which hooks into the Steam Workshop, allowing you to create and share puzzles with everyone else around the world.
Whilst I haven't made my way through all 140 or so puzzles (I'm about half way through them) I'm glad to say that the difficulty ramp is quite well done, with the progression from Easy to Medium to Hard done well enough that you'll likely find yourself challenged but rarely ever struggling for minutes on end. Should you find yourself breezing through everything Contraption Maker has to throw at you then dozens of incredibly obtuse puzzles await you care of the community, ensuring that you'll likely never run out of new content to explore. If the current community is anything to go by Contraption Maker will have a long future ahead of it, fuelled by endless community challenges.
However the 1.0 version moniker is really only in spirit as Contraption Maker still seems to suffer from a few teething issues. Certain key combinations will inexplicably force you to desktop (copying and pasting is fraught with danger), usually erasing any progress you had made or anything you were working on at the time. The physics engine also appears to be a little bit selective in its behaviour with things not behaving exactly how you'd expect them to, something which I think was likely done in the aid of simplicity and limiting emergent behaviour. Considering the amount of development this game has seen over the past year I'm sure these issues will be resolved eventually (I submitted crash reports for everything I encountered) so I'd check the discussion forums to see how the latest build is faring.
What Contraption Maker really needs though isn't so much an improved version, or even more puzzles, more I think it needs to find its way onto a tablet sooner rather than later. 20 years ago The Incredible Machine really only had one platform it could ever find itself on and thus no one would've ever considered putting it anywhere else. Today however games like this have a home that's far more welcoming to it, one that is perfect for Contraption Maker's innate pickup/putdown play style. Thankfully it looks like the developers are working on this and honestly if you're thinking about getting Contraption Maker and don't want to play it on PC I'd highly recommend waiting for the future release.
Contraption Maker is everything you would expect a modern version of The Incredible Machine to be, taking the original premise and thoroughly modernizing it for today's market. The puzzles, parts and free form creative mode will all be instantly familiar to long time fans with newcomers to this series being able to pick it up in no time. It's still shaking off it's beta status with crashes and funky behaviour peppering it's otherwise solid execution, something that I hope to see remedied in the not too distant future. Personally I think it will make an absolutely fantastic tablet game, one that the current generation of 10 year olds will remember as fondly as we do when it comes to The Incredible Machine today.
Rating: 7.5/10
Contraption Maker is available on PC right now for $14.99 (although you get 2 copies for that price). Total play time was 2 hours.
A game based around any of the world wars is usually an instant turn off for me. The number of games that have been based around those events are so numerous that there really doesn't feel like there can be any more angles to tackle it from as pretty much every story from it has been done to death. The alternate reality and fantasy versions of it, like those in Wolfenstein, get away with it since they're not wholly dependent on war stories for inspiration but they'll still need a little something extra to pique my interest. Valiant Hearts, which comes to us care of Ubisoft Montpellier, has been receiving wide praise for it's touching story. As someone who's just come off 2 rather lacklustre story based titles I wasn't hoping for miracles but Valiant Hearts managed to surprise me, bringing this writer to tears as its conclusion.
The year is 1914 and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused Germany to declare war on Russia. France, anticipating that this war will escalate far beyond those two countries, deports all of its German citizens back to their home country. Karl is one of those citizens, torn away from his wife and young son he is sent to the frontlines of the war to fight for his home country. Not long after his wife's father, Emile, is called to duty as well and sent to fight for the French army. What follows is a tale of how the war drives families apart and the never ending quest for them to be reunited once again.
Valiant Hearts reminds me of the flash games of yesteryear, albeit with production values far exceeding that of any of its predecessors. It was developed on the same framework that powered Ubisoft's recent release Child of Light and it's easy to see just how heavily the choice of that platform influenced the art work. In contrast to Child of Light however Valiant Heart's art style is far more dark and monotone with infinite shades of brown and grey being the primary colour palette. This does mean that when colour is used it's quite striking and the art team does a fantastic job of using it to great effect. This also extends to the beautiful soundtrack that accompanies the game, ebbing and flowing at all the right moments.
In terms of actual game play Valiant Hearts is much like other story-first games in the sense that it usually takes a back seat to progressing the story. For the most part you'll be doing elaborate fetch quest missions that require you to find one item in order to progress through the next session. Sometimes you'll have to make your way through various different people in order to get to the final objective and try as you might there's no clever way to bypass certain things. There's also a bevy of quicktime-esque events that will require you to either guess correctly or simply memorize the sequence in which events happen in order to move on to the next part of the story.
Thankfully Valiant Hearts didn't fall into the trap of putting far too much game play in between sections of the story like both the recent titles I played through did. In all honesty I didn't think it was a major hurdle for games of this nature to get past as many of them are done by indie developers and so ancillary mechanics are usually on the bottom of their to do list. However with 2 games falling prey to the same problems I have to commend Valiant Hearts for getting the pacing right which helps immensely with keeping the player interested in the story. There were some sections that could use some tuning but compared to my recent experiences it was heaven.
Most of the puzzles are fairly intuitive as your inventory space is limited to a single item, limiting the amount of complexity that the game can throw at you significantly. There's a pretty good variety of puzzle mechanics so you won't be redoing the same thing over and over again but most of them shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes or so to figure out. A couple of them will require you to think laterally about what you're doing as some of them lack obvious cues as to what might interact with what. This did lead to a couple confusing moments when I wasn't quite sure if I was doing the right thing but most of the time you'll get there through trial and error.
One issue I did find with Valiant Hearts was that since there's not a lot of visual differentiation between different parts of the environment it can be sometimes hard to find a path you're meant to go down or what elements are interactive. This meant that in some of the more visually busy sections I was wondering just where exactly I was meant to go as I couldn't find the particular path to go down. I also had some deaths that felt like they were more due to visual confusion more than anything else. This might just be a fault of the writer however but it's still an issue that should be pointed out.
Of course what really makes Valiant Hearts worth playing is the story. Overall it's a pretty typical story of a family torn apart by war, almost Romeo and Juliet like in the star crossed lovers from different houses idea, and the story of them trying to reunite with each other. The main characters all receive the background and development they deserve, which helps immensely when it comes to scenes that rely on engaging your sense of empathy with them. Some of the elements of it are a little on the fantasy side, which can be a tad distracting from the overall message that the game tries to put forth, however they're only there as aides to the plot so they're easily pushed aside.
I'll have to admit that for probably the first half or so of Valiant Hearts I wasn't too emotionally invested with the characters or story. Whilst the opening was gripping enough to draw me into playing the game further there's a bit of dearth in the early game as the characters are seemingly just going through the motions. However as each of their back stories is developed in detail you find yourself becoming attached to them and each tragedy that befalls them starts to cut into you. The final climatic scene is by far one of the most bittersweet endings I have endured in recent memory and whilst it might lean on the cheesy/predictable side that didn't stop me from bursting into tears, overcome with a sense of grief.
Valiant Hearts is a beautiful story masterfully told through the medium of video games. The art style and music direction are some of the best I've experienced in their category, taking the traditional flash styled game and ramping it up to the next level. The game mechanics are simple, enjoyable and thankfully stay out of the way of the story, leaving the player to enjoy Valiant Hearts for what it truly is. Finally the story is by far one of the best examples I've come across this year with all the characters receiving the right amount of screen time and development required for it's ultimate emotional climax. If you, like me, have been feeling let down by the offerings of story based games of late then I can wholeheartedly recommend Valiant Hearts as the cure to what ails you.
Rating: 9.25/10
Valiant Hearts is available on PC, PlayStation3, PlayStation4, Xbox360 and XboxOne right now for $14.99, $22.95, $22.95, $19.95 and $19.95 respectively. Game was played on the PC with 5 hours of total play time.
I was never really a big fan of doing books of puzzles, like crosswords or sudoku. I understand the attraction to some degree, once you've got a modicum of skill in doing them such puzzles can be relaxing as you don't really think about much else while you're doing them. Since I'm primarily an escapist when it comes games the idea of doing puzzle only games like Lyne didn't really appeal to me at first but after playing for a couple hours it became more of an optimization problem, one which had a very simple set of rules that could create rather complicated problems.
The basic premise of Lyne is simple, there's a bunch of different coloured shapes and all you need to do is connect them all together. All of the shapes of one colour must be connected together so you can't be tricky and skip certain blocks to make your life easier. Additionally every path can only be crossed once which means that the path you take for one colour will determine what paths are left available for the remaining ones. The number of puzzles available in Lyne is rather staggering, on the order of 600 or more by my guess, which should be enough to keep even the most intrepid puzzle solver busy for a while.
Lyne is incredibly simplistic in its aesthetic, using solid colours and distinct shapes for everything. At first I thought the unlocking of additional colour palettes was a bit of a gimmicky way of getting you to play for longer but they actually function really well as a visual break. Since the style is so basic everything starts to blend into each other after a while so changing up the colours helps to stop that from happening. The pallette unlocks seem to be spaced out evenly enough so that you'll get a new one before you get bored of your current one which, I admit, did make me play for longer than I'd first anticipated.
The puzzle sets are well thought out, starting out easy in order to introduce the concept for that set and then ramping up the difficulty as you make your way through each of the puzzles. For me personally the most challenging ones always seemed to be somewhere in the middle of the set, usually because I was missing some trick that would enable me to progress through it. Indeed the more puzzles you do the more patterns you'll recognise , something which can both simplify and complicate a puzzle for you. For me some basic rules like finding out which paths must go somewhere and dividing the board up by colour helped to get me past some of the trickier puzzles although even those could some times leave me in a tizzy.
The daily puzzles were an interesting aside from the regular sets as, from what I could tell, they are generated on the day using some kind of algorithm. In fact I think this is how most of the puzzles were likely generated however the sets have been guided somewhat by the developer whilst these sets seem to be far more random, with some of them being incredibly easy whilst the others horrendously complex. Still if you're the kind of person that likes doing a puzzle daily then this will be a brilliant little feature for you as it's almost guaranteed that these puzzles will be unique every day.
Lyne is an interesting minimalistic puzzle game that looks deceptively simple on first look. The mechanics are simple enough that you can figure it out without instruction but, like many things with simple origins, mastering those rules will prove to be far more challenging. Like all games of this nature though it does tend to become somewhat repetitive after a while however if you're the kind of person who thrives on technical challenges like this then Lyne will provide endless hours of enjoyment.
Rating: 7.5/10
Lyne is available PC, Windows Phone, Android and iOS right now for $2.99, $2.49, $2.99 and $2.99 respectively. Game was played on the PC with4 hours of total play time and 27% of the achievements unlocked.
Ever since I had my first taste of a story first game all those years ago I've been hooked on finding that same experience again in modern titles. Whilst Quantic Dream has always managed to deliver a solid experience in this regard newcomers to this field are very hit or miss, often not achieving what they set out to do. The struggle between just how much game makes it into the final product is what usually trips up most first time developers with the story suffering because of it (or vice versa). Murdered: Soul Suspect treads carefully enough to avoid some of these potential pitfalls whilst unfortunately falling prey to many others.
In the sleepy town of Salem, Massachusetts a murderer walks in the shadows. The killings seemingly have no relation to one another except for the victims always being young girls. The case has become something of an obsession for one of the local officers, Ronan O'Connor, a reformed criminal looking to make up for his questionable past. When he gets word of the Bell killer's location he disregards all calls to wait for backup and pursues the criminal himself. However things don't go as planned and in an instant things take a dark turn with Ronan thrown out a window and his life unceremoniously ended by his own weapon. Now, as he lies trapped between this world and the next, Ronan is compelled to find out who his killer is.
Visually Murdered: Soul Suspect is a dark and dreary place with the whole game taking place during the course of a single night. The graphics are about average when you compare it to similar titles of its time, a lot of the style still rooted in the previous generation's console limitations. This might also be partly due to the use of the Unreal 3 engine which always seems to have a similar visual feel no matter the art styling. The styling of the UI elements seems to be of much poorer quality than the rest of the game, to the point of being quite distracting. I understand that at least some of this was done to enhance the "supernatural" feel of the game but since it's not consistent throughout the various elements it just ends up sticking out more than anything.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is a puzzle game, one that requires you to gather up all the clues you can find and then use them in order to piece together what happened at a particular scene. Typically the clues are just things lying around the room, waiting for you to interact with them, although some will require a little more detective work in order to unlock them. Whilst the world isn't particularly big you are free to explore pretty much all of it at your leisure although some places will be unavailable to you until you've unlocked some of your ghost abilities further down the line. There's also numerous side quests and collectible missions which unlock various other stories that aren't related to the main campaign, something which bolsters Murdered: Soul Suspects otherwise drastically short play time.
The puzzles that you'll solve really aren't that difficult at all considering that you're told what area you need to look in to find them (moving out of an area where a clue might be removes the clue counter, indicating you've wandered too far) and that relevant clues typically come with a "memory flash" of what happened. These flashes sometimes come with another word puzzle element which has you choosing a few words to describe the picture you're seeing. The hardest part then comes from selecting the right clues to complete the investigation or figuring out how to influence someone in order to get the clue you need. Indeed the only time I struggled to finish investigations was when the game decided not to spawn the required objects for me to interact with, something I'll touch on later.
There are open world aspects to Murdered: Soul Suspect as well, allowing you to run around Salem looking for collectibles and helping out other ghosts that find themselves trapped in this realm. You can also posses people and read their minds, which sounds fun to begin with, however after a while you start to find that many NPCs are reused throughout the game and, despite their different circumstances in which you find them, they always have the same few lines to say. I feel like there's something of a missed opportunity here as it would've added a little something more to the world to be able to influence the random people on the street or if there was another story you could unlock by reading enough minds. Sadly there isn't and so after the first hour or so you'll likely find yourself skipping all non-essential ghost power use.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is also rather glitchy as the screenshot above will attest to. There are numerous times when NPCs just won't spawn or will spawn but won't be visible or in the location where the game wants them to be. You can often resolve this issue by restart from a checkpoint but other times, like during an investigation, you'll be left wandering around in circles wondering where the last clue is or clicking on clues you've already discovered hoping they'll trigger something else. For a game that struggles with pacing at the best of times this isn't a great glitch to have and it definitely had a negative impact on my experience.
However Murdered: Soul Suspect's greatest failing is that the story just fails to captivate you in any way. On the surface the concept sounds pretty amazing, you're a ghost detective solving your own murder, however I simply failed to empathize with the majority of the characters. There was massive potential here to give the characters incredible depth using the mind reading mechanic which unfortunately seems to be used to pad the game time out. Worst still the characters that were seemingly given the most attention, in terms of backstory development, are the ones with the least amount of presence in the actual game, being constrained to journal entries. Honestly my hopes weren't that high for an emotional rollercoaster but I have to say that the overall story felt very lacklustre which is only amplified by the sub-par mechanics.
It's a real shame because the side stories, typically the ones you unlock from collecting a bunch of artifacts in a particular area, are actually quite good. This was probably the only reason I pursued most of them down as they are the shining moments in Murdered: Soul Suspect, both in terms of their stories as well as the voice acting behind them. Again it feels like another one of the game's missed opportunities as these stories are a part of the history of this game's world and yet they're limited to 5 minute reading sessions that are only unlocked through a tedious collecting mechanic. I don't have a good idea as to how they could be worked in but suffice to say that Airtight Games would do well to replicate what they did in those stories in the main campaign.
Murdered: Soul Suspect unfortunately fails to achieve the goals it set out to do, delivering a mediocre story behind trivial puzzle mechanics whilst hiding its best aspects in a tedious treasure quest. I won't deny that I had my hand in this as when I heard about the concept I immediately started drawing comparisons to Heavy Rain in my head and there are few games, in my mind, that come close. Still even taking that into consideration Murdered: Soul Suspect feels like a decidedly average game, failing to evoke the kind of emotional investment required by a game of this nature.
Rating: 6/10
Murdered: Soul Suspect is available on PC, PlayStation3, PlayStation4, Xbox360 and XboxOne right now for $49.99, $79.95, $99.95, $79.95 and $99.95 respectively. Game was played entirely on the PC with 7 hours of total play time and 83% of the achievements unlocked.
The soft spot I've had for indie exploration games has developed into a fully fledged love affair as I continually find myself drawn to games that are light on game mechanics, heavy on atmosphere and use your innate sense of game play to guide you through the experience. I think I've come to understand just what it is that attracts me to these kinds of games, they're essentially the most basic form of what we can call a game. Whilst there's been examples of this genre which have rubbed me the wrong way it doesn't take much to convince me a new entry is worth a look in and FRACT OSC from Phosfiend Systems caught my eye with a simple premise: revive a world through music.
You are dropped into a seemingly dead world, devoid of nearly all colour and sound. In the distance you see 3 giant pillars pointing skyward, strange curiosities in this startlingly desolate place. When you approach them however it becomes clear that these pillars have a purpose, and that you have the capability to unlock that. Shortly afterwards the pillars come to life, surging with colour and sound, and you ascend from the depths of a wasteland to another place, a relic of another time. With your help this relic can be revived, bringing back colour and sound to a world that has been long devoid of them.
Like most games of this genre FRACT takes a highly minimalistic approach with much of the scenery being very boxy and jagged, a trademark of extremely low poly work. Typically this is done for a couple reasons, usually time and resource constraints, however I think it's partially because the whole scene is also run through a sort of scan line filter. It's not immediately apparent from the screenshots (although if you look at the larger versions and zoom in you can see it) but things like that have a tendency to be very expensive, render time wise. At the same time though the environment is highly reactive to your presence with objects changing shape or illuminating themselves based on your presence. Whilst it's reminiscent of other simplistic titles like Kairo it does feel distinctly different from them.
Like other exploration games there's no real tutorial or introduction to speak of (although you could say that the first 3 pillars function as that) and so FRACT relies on your inbuilt game sense to get you going. For the most part you'll be solving puzzles that are based around a few different kinds of mechanics, all of which have their basis in music and electronic sound generation. Some of them have you moving blocks around, others funneling light through different points in a Pipe Dream style minigame. All of them end up with you constructing a small riff in order to finish them off, with each section having a final sequence that proves to be quite challenging. So whilst a little knowledge of how synthesizers work will be an advantage you'd still be able to figure out most of it by trial and error, albeit taking a lot longer to figure everything out.
For the most part the puzzles are fairly logical in the way they work and whenever you're stuck it's usually because you haven't noticed a particular mechanic that you could make use of. FRACT relies heavily on sound cues for those puzzles which involve fuzzy elements which can be a bit misleading at times, confusing you into thinking a particular sound is meaningful. Still usually it's obvious enough that you know you're heading in the right direction although there are a few notable exceptions. Mostly this is to do with the final puzzles that present you with a track selection and 4 dials. Without any indication as to what's meaningful and what's not (hint: only one set of inputs is) it leads to a rather frustrating experience, especially since you don't get any feedback until you've almost completed it.
Whilst the puzzles are laid out in a logical order, one that you'll likely notice if you're not completely daft like myself, you can actually do them out of order if you know where to look. Now I'm not sure if this was an intended part of the game (and I'm leaning towards no since the only way I could get out after finish it was through the fast travel things) but I managed to do some of the red puzzles out of order by using some of the old "wall walking" tricks and finding a conveniently placed elevator. Indeed whilst this game might come under the exploration genre going off the beaten track isn't likely to net you any benefit, apart from an achievement or two. It's a little annoying as the game seems to want you to go down there but rarely does it reward you with anything.
You could say that there was a kind of narrative behind FRACT OSC as the way you interact with the game seems to indicate that you're reviving a long dormant machine for your own purposes but unlike other exploration games I couldn't find out how to make FRACT OSC end. Once you've unlocked everything, well I assume I got everything due to all the lights being on, there doesn't seem to be anything else to do. You can go into your studio but that just seems to be a nice little add on to play around with the pads/sequencers/basslines you unlocked. So whilst FRACT OSC is fun to play the lack of a conclusion, at least one that I could find, does mean it feels a little unsatisfying.
FRACT OSC is an intriguing game, combining a minimalist aesthetic with some challenging game mechanics to provide a solid exploration experience. The brutal minimalism does have its drawbacks however as some of the puzzles, whilst on the surface seem intuitive, don't provide adequate response to your input. The lack of a solid ending as well also makes all the work you've done feel somewhat hollow, especially if you don't have a lot of interest in creating music in the studio afterwards. Still overall it was a pleasant experience, although one I'd probably only recommend to other exploration game fans.
Rating: 7.8/10
FRACT OSC is available on PC right now for $14.99. Total game time was approximately 4 hours with 21% of the achievements unlocked.
Ever since I played Dear Esther I've been on a quest to figure out why it rubbed me the wrong way. It's not like I don't enjoy exploration games, indeed I've played numerous since then and typically found them to be quite entertaining, and you don't have to look far to figure out that I'd favour a good story over game play. Dear Esther then should've been right up my alley but something about it just made me hate it in a way that I haven't felt for many other games. Playing through Journal though revealed where my frustrations came from: the deliberately vague and abstruse way the story was delivered. Where Dear Esther frustrated though Journal used to great effect, although not without some initial frustration.
You wake up one morning to find your journal, the precious record of all your thoughts and experiences, mysteriously blank. Venting your frustrations to your mother seems to lead to no where and as far as you can tell everything else seems to be going on as normal. However it becomes clear that more things are happening outside the world that's being presented to you, things that are having a big impact on everyone around you. It doesn't seem to be changing you however something which seems to be equal parts weird and strangely welcoming.
Journal's art is interesting as it feels like you're playing through a cartoon of someone's drawings in their diary. I can't say that it's hugely impressive, especially with the rudimentary animation and effects employed, but that's not the kind of thing you'd expect from a game of this nature. The small circus sections serve as a visual break between sections, a good inclusion that heaps alleviate the fact that Journal heavily reuses nearly all the scenes throughout the entire game.
Mechanically Journal is a puzzler, requiring you to figure out who needs to be talked to, what needs to be said and which outcome you're looking to achieve. In this respect it's pretty simple as all you have to do is figure out who you haven't talked to yet and go through the motions with them. Indeed even if you manage to forget exactly what it is you were supposed to be doing one of the characters will likely turn you around in the right direction which makes the pacing of Journal much more steady than other games in the genre. You're also given a wide selection of dialog options to choose from which will shape what the story ultimately becomes.
Unfortunately Journal feels a little awkward mechanically as the main ways of interacting with it are always a little off. Things like the inclusion of a jump mechanic, which seems to have no other function but to give you something to do between scenes, make you think there are more puzzle elements than there actually are. Additionally the dialog options are hidden by summaries that are way too short to predict how your character is going to react and you'll often find yourself wondering how the option you chose lead to the things your character said. This might be intentional (as I'll talk about in a bit) but it still feels like this is a known anti-pattern in game design, one that needs to avoided at all costs.
From the onset it's clear that the game isn't telling you everything as there's references to things that have happened or are in the process of happening that you don't see. This is fine when it doesn't involve your character, you can't be there for every little plot detail, however since the whole story is centred on you this means the initial parts of the story are thoroughly confusing. Indeed even whilst you're given control over how all the conversations play out it's quite clear that one of the options is the "true and correct" one while the others lead to situations that just don't quite to fit with reality. This also leads to your character being almost completely unrelatable for the majority of the game only coming together right at the end.
It's obvious after the first couple days that this is a fantasy world, one that's being recreated to fit an idealistic world created by the main protagonist, but the lack of critical information means that the majority of the initial story is just plain confusing. Whilst I was able to relate to the character's struggles after the big reveal I could in no way do that before I knew what could lead someone to act in such random and unpredictable ways. To be fair it does represent the struggle that teenagers face, dealing with adult emotions yet not having the tools to both express and understand them completely, however that doesn't mean it makes for good story telling. The pay off somewhat makes up for this but that doesn't stop the majority of the game from feeling like a chore.
Journal is an incredibly personal story that reflects upon life's greater themes through the eyes of someone who is not yet equipped to deal with them. The concepts are great however the game falls short of delivering a good experience with the main character obliterating any sense of relatability early on and the story remaining utterly confusing until the very end. Journal is a game that I want to like a lot more than I do but it's incredibly hard to look past the faults even if the story will strike a chord with many of us. I bought Journal on the back that it was made by the man behind Kairo and, honestly, I can only recommend you do the same if you are also a fan.
Rating: 6/10
Journal is available on PC right now for $9.99. Total play time was 1.7 hours with 60% of the achievements unlocked.
In the past the only genre of game that could get away with being intentionally difficult to play was survival horror. The reasoning there was that it built tension, mimicking the feeling of panic you would feel should you find yourself in the same situation as is on screen. However the past couple years have given rise to a genre of games, all of them from independent developers, that hinge on the idea of being incredibly frustrating to play. It's hard to understand the comedic effect that this usually has, typically resulting in a whole bunch of emergent game play characteristics that become the game's main attraction. Octodad: Dadliest Catch is one such game, combining incredibly obtuse controls with ragdoll physics that results in much hilarity.
You're an octopus, one that's managed to integrate himself into normal society to the point that everyone thinks you're just a regular guy. Indeed even your wife and kids don't know your secret, blissfully unaware of the chaos that seems to ensue wherever you go. There is one person though that knows who you are, a chef called Fujimoto, and he's made it his only goal in life to reveal you for who you are and, most unfortunately, cook you up and serve you. What follows is the tale of you trying to integrate into society whilst attempting to flee Chef Fujimoto's attempts to turn you into moderately priced sushi rolls.
Octodad reminds me of the educational games I use to play as a kid, having a distinctly cartoony style that uses heavily stylization. Initially I thought it was a Unity game as I've seen a couple other games with similar visual styles (kind of like how Flash games tended to look similar) but it's actually a homegrown solution meaning the visual style is very deliberate. Whilst it's not going to win awards I definitely like it and feel that it's very fitting to the game. It also has the added bonus of making Octodad playable on pretty much anything which is great considering what a wide appeal the game itself has.
As I alluded to earlier Octodad relies on the unpredictability of the controls to generate the majority of the challenge. Primarily you'll be doing things that would be considered trivial in most games, picking up an item, moving an item, walking through a hallway of precariously placed objects, however you'll likely be unable to do that without knocking something over or accidentally picking something up. This wouldn't be an issue however anything out of the normal will attract the attention of nearby humans and, should you continue your flailing, the jig will be up and it will be back to the ocean for you.
The controls take a bit of getting used to as you have to constantly switch between modes in order to get things done. The first mode is where you can pick up and move objects about, simple enough you say, however the controls don't translate like you think they would. Then when you switch to the movement mode all the rules you learnt in the other mode go out the window and now you're on an eternal quest to put your feet in the right position whilst not knocking anything over. Thankfully the devs included snap points for a lot of the main objectives as otherwise there'd be hours of frustration in order to get things to work just right.
Whilst the unpredictability of the physics engine is a feature, not a bug, there are a some unfortunate glitches which can be a tad annoying. You can get yourself into positions where the camera seems to forget where you are and no amount of movement spamming seems to bring it right (reloading a checkpoint will, however). There's also no way to tell what surfaces you can and can't adhere yourself to and even when you can the amount of gripping power you have seems to vary wildly depending on the situation. I will admit that the latter seems intentional to an extent but sometimes it felt like the game was punishing you for no reason in particular.
I was pleasantly surprised by Octodad's story as whilst it's lacking in depth it certainly isn't lacking in heart. The subtitles for your lines are great, making you empathize with a character that, in all honesty, has no business being in the position that he's in. It's also acutely self aware of the absurdity of its own situation, thankfully not to the point of overdoing it like a lot of games tend to do. It's the kind of story that I feel would be great for someone with kids as they'll love the absurdity of Octodad's flailing arms whilst learning a few things along the way.
Octodad: Dadliest catch is a charming indie frustration title that breaks away from many of the traditional game norms in favour of its own brand of absurdity. The game mechanics might not be complex, nor the puzzles particularly challenging, but it is a great deal of fun to play. The are some minor technical hiccups that mar the otherwise solid execution but they're not game breaking and indeed you'd almost consider some of them part of the game itself. There's a lot to like in Octodad: Dadliest catch and I'd definitely recommend a play through.
Rating: 8.75/10
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is available on PC and PlayStation4 right now for $14.99 on both platforms. Game was played on the PC with around 3 hours of total play time and 13% of the achievements unlocked.
The indie dev scene seems to go through periods of obsession with different genres. In the past it was with platform puzzlers as it seemed that every other week brought to me several new titles attempting to put their own twist on the tried and true genre. More recently it seems to have shifted to survival horror as many seek to replicate the success of DayZ. So when Contrast, a platforming/puzzler from Compulsion games, I felt a distinct twinge of nostalgia, harking back to the indie renaissance that was built on games such as this. Like many from that time it's taken the puzzler/platformer genre and placed its own unique style on top of it resulting in a game that's quite interesting, even if it has its faults.
It's not quite clear who, or more importantly what, you are when the game starts but all you know is that only a small girl, Didi, can see you. In fact this bond seems to be somewhat mutual as you can't see anyone else but her and the shadows of others that are in the room with you. You and Didi seem to share a bond however as she's always getting into mischief, usually with your assistance, much to the chagrin of her mother. Still, Didi's mother tries hard to support her, hoping to rise to fame as a wonderful singer and actress. Everything starts to change when Didi's deadbeat father comes back into the picture, promising to make everything right.
The art style of Contrast feels like you're in the mind of a child with many typical elements, such as houses, having a very whimsical nature to them. It's all heavily inspired by the art deco movement of the 1930s and 40s with many of the environments having a really distinct BioShock-esque feel to them. They do feel a little dead and empty however which I do believe was done deliberately however it means you feel compelled to not stay in one area for too long, even though the game tries to encourage you to explore. Potentially this could have been solved by adding in more light sources that had shadows walking past it which wouldn't seem out of place and would make everything feel a little more alive.
As I alluded to earlier Contrast is a platform/puzzler that has an unique mechanic to spice things up a bit. The puzzles are all fairly basic in nature, usually consisting of getting yourself from one place to another or moving an item into another spot that's not exactly obvious when you first start out. Contrast's twist however is that when a wall is lit up you can "shift" into it, becoming a 2D shadow on the wall that allows you to move in ways that would be impossible otherwise. This leads to some rather intriguing puzzles where you're always looking for where the source of light is and how the shadows you can create will help or hinder you in your goal.
There's also a set of collectables called "Luminaries" which are hidden in various locations throughout the game. They function as an exploration mechanic as well as a kind of in-game currency to progress past certain obstacles. Their presence isn't fully explained however, although Didi is aware of them for some reason, so the motivation to collect them really only comes about if you're a natural explorer or you happen to see one that isn't far out of your reach. Indeed there was only once when I didn't have the required luminaries on me to immediately continue a puzzle and then it took me less than a couple minutes to find the requisite number.
Unfortunately whilst this mechanic is indeed novel it suffers heavily from glitchy behaviour. True flat surfaces with light projected onto them appear to work quite well however anything with a ridge or a bump in it, like the numerous columns that dot the landscape, have a tendency to shift you back out of the shadow plane. It's hard to tell if this is expected behaviour or not as you can walk through them, some times, and you can also blast past them again only randomly. The shadow detection itself can also get a bit buggy as Dawn's hitbox appears to be significantly bigger than the character model, leading to some puzzles either being more complicated than they need to be or being trivialized.
Indeed there were quite a few puzzles where I figured I'd be restarting from the checkpoint again only to find myself standing on air next to the ledge I was trying to jump onto. Whilst I was somewhat appreciative of this at the time it does mean that the game doesn't function as you'd expect leading to some rather undesirable behaviour. Worst still there are many places where you can find yourself caught in the environment for some inexplicable reason and while I never had to reload to get unstuck it certainly didn't endear the game to me when it happened.
Contrast's story, whilst clichéd, does help to smooth over some of the more rough edges of the game. The majority of the voice actors are great with the notable exception of Didi who's lines seem to be heavily disjointed between sentences. The music is quite good, suiting the art deco environment aptly. Whilst it might not have the depth of other indie titles it certainly has a little bit of charm to it with everyone being able to identify with the idea of giving someone a second chance.
Contrast is a unique concept, filled with brilliant ideas that are unfortunately hindered by a less than ideal execution. The story, music and scenery are all above average, crafting a whimsical art deco world that's incredibly delightful. However the core game mechanics suffer from inconsistent behaviour and glitchy collision detection turning the otherwise novel idea of moving through shadows into a laborious experience. Lovers of indie puzzlers will find a lot to enjoy in Contrast however I think that's the limit of its appeal, at least in its current state.
Rating: 7.0/10
Contrast is available on PC, PlayStation3, PlayStation4 and Xbox360 right now for $14.99, $14.99, $21.49 and $14.99 respectively. Game was played on the PC with 3 hours of total play time and 68% of the achievements unlocked.
Often the origin tale of a developer can be just as interesting as the games they develop. Long time readers on here will know that I've got a soft spot for Wadjet Eye Games who've been responsible for publishing some of the best pixel-art adventure games in the last couple years but they're also a developer themselves having released numerous titles previously. Their first ever game was called The Shivah, initially done as a entry into a monthly game contest, but quickly became their first commercial title. I unfortunately never even heard of it at the time, most likely because I was deep in the throws of my World of Warcraft addiction at the time, but they've since remastered it and released it as The Shivah: Kosher Edition and they provided me with a copy for review.
You play as Russell Stone the lone rabbi of a small synagogue in New York city. It's not the easiest of times for Rabbi Stone as his congregation has been steadily shrinking and the bills keep piling up. Just when he was about to pack everything in he gets a knock at the door: the police want to see him about something. As it turns out a former member of his congregation left him a large sum of money in his will, more than enough to keep the synagogue open. Puzzled as to why this strange windfall has come his way rabbi Stone sets out to find out the reasons as to why this money was left to him and the circumstances in which came.
Whilst I never played the previous version looking through the various guides and reviews of the previous edition of The Shivah shows that a lot of work has gone into revamping the visuals with every aspect being redone. The difference is quite stark with every scene now having a lot more detail, fidelity and lighting effects. It's the kind of thing that I've come to expect from every game Wadjet Eye publishes and I'm glad that their in house titles are no different.
The Shivah is an adventure game where you'll spend the majority of your time clicking on things, reading through text and figuring out where to go next in order to progress the story. Whilst I can't comment on its previous incarnation it does feel like this was the part was left pretty much as is as the mechanics are quite simple and barring a couple of the challenges you're not likely to get stuck at any one position for long. I think this is telling of its origins as an entry to a game challenge contest as many games done in a similar fashion eschew elaborate puzzles due to the constrained development time.
Whilst there's an inventory system it's thankfully kept to the bare minimum, mostly serving as another point of reference for solving the other puzzles. I must admit that playing The Shivah I felt like I'd been spoiled by more recently releases in the genre with many implementing a clue system to record pertinent details. The Shivah has this for a few things but there were a couple times where I found myself forgetting a name and having to scramble around the game looking for it again. The notable lack of feedback for some turning points, like in other games where a clue being added to your journal was a good indicator that you could progress, can also leave you wondering what else you need to do. Thankfully most of the time you can get past that by simply travelling to another location but I did manage to get myself caught up in my own head a couple times.
The story is interesting, running you through the trials and tribulations that religions face in the modern day and how the rigorously devout deal with them. Whilst I was a little sceptical as to it being of any interest to me the way The Shivah deals with people compromising on their ideals and how others react to that is quite intriguing. I might understand the plight of the modern day Jew but I'm very familiar with people holding one stance publicly yet doing something else privately and the way The Shivah deals with such hypocrisy has a very real feeling about it.
With it being a rather short game though it's hard to deeply empathize with any of the characters and whilst some of the scenes can be confronting on an emotional level it certainly didn't elicit emotions of the same level as say To The Moon (although to be fair few do). The Shivah does get a lot of bonus points for having a story that changes depending on your actions though as how you resolve the situation will greatly depend on how you conduct yourself. Thankfully getting all of them isn't too difficult so there's no need to keep a treasure trove of saves lying around and the auto-save function ensures that you'll have all the chances you need to get the ending you want.
The Shivah: Kosher Edition is a short but sweet experience from Wadjet Eye games, capturing the essence of what led to the publisher's creation and showing how remastered games in this genre should be done. It's a simple title, one that's aptly suited to the iOS platform that this version is available on, and whilst the replay value isn't high if you're a fan of Wadjet Eye style games then you'll definitely enjoy The Shivah.
Rating: 7.5/10
The Shivah: Kosher Edition is available on PC and iOS right now for $4.99 and $1.99 respectively. Game was played on the PC with 2 hours total play time and 60% of the achievements unlocked. A copy of this game was provided to The Refined Geek for the purposes of reviewing.


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Essentials Teams: New York Knicks at Orlando Magic Date: December 23, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: Amway Center Records Knicks: 8-18 Magic: 8-19 Probable starters Knicks: Raymond Felton Iman Shumpert Carmelo Anthony Andrea Bargnani Tyson Chandler Magic: Jameer Nelson Arron Afflalo Tobias Harris Glen Davis Nikola Vucevic Advanced stats Knicks: Pace: …
Tag Archive: Orlando Magic
Dec 23
Rediscovering Tobias Harris
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images Tobias Harris played nearly 1,000 minutes for the Magic last season after being acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks in the J.J. Redick trade. But after the season was over, Harris was still somewhat of an unknown quantity. He was a stretch four that didn't bring much stretch to the …
Dec 22
Grades: Sacramento Kings 105, Orlando Magic 100
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images Sacramento Kings
Dec 21
Preview: Sacramento Kings at Orlando Magic
Essentials Teams: Sacramento Kings at Orlando Magic Date: December 21, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: Amway Center Records Kings: 7-18 Magic: 8-18 Probable starters Kings: Isaiah Thomas Ben McLemore Rudy Gay Jason Thompson DeMarcus Cousins Magic: Jameer Nelson Arron Afflalo Tobias Harris Glen Davis Nikola Vucevic Advanced stats Kings: Pace: 94.1 …
Dec 20
Arron Afflalo, the All-Star
Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images Arron Afflalo is an All-Star. Admittedly, a large percentage of his All-Star credentials is due to the watered-down nature of the Eastern Conference this year. It's a well-worn, beaten down, deceased horse of a topic at this point. It's also inextricably linked to the candidacy of anyone not …
Dec 19
Grades: Utah Jazz 86, Orlando Magic 82
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images Utah Jazz
Dec 17
Tuesday's Mini-Magic Word
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on the Orlando Magic's win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday: "They just had more weapons than Chicago, which says a lot about where the Bulls are at. But having Nikola Vucevic back for them makes such a huge difference. They're just a much better team with what he brings down …
Dec 16
Grades: Orlando Magic 83, Chicago Bulls 82
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Orlando Magic
Dec 16
Preview: Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls
Essentials Teams: Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls Date: December 15, 2013 Time: 8:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: United Center Records Magic: 7-17 Bulls: 9-13 Probable starters Magic: Jameer Nelson Victor Oladipo Arron Afflalo Glen Davis Nikola Vucevic Bulls: Marquis Teague Jimmy Butler Luol Deng Carlos Boozer Joakim Noah Advanced stats Magic: Pace: 95.1 …
Dec 15
Grades: Oklahoma City Thunder 101, Orlando Magic 98
Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images Oklahoma City Thunder

subset: commoncrawl


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NUCAP Schedule
Niagara University Community Action Program: Prearranged community service opportunities for all students at Niagara.
Transportation is included for NUCAP programs, even if you have a parking permit.
Come Serve with Us!
Do you need to complete community service hours for a club or sport?
Are you interested in trying to learn more about a career path?
NUCAP just might have what you're looking for.
Check out our calendar. If the events posted do not fit your schedule, please contact us for an alternative activity. Learn and Serve is located on the second floor in Bailo Hall (716.286.8750).
Also, there are a number of events and activities that are also considered service. Pick up a Niagara Club Sheet (from Campus Activities or L&SN, Bailo-2nd floor) fill it out, get it signed and submit it.
Active Minds is participating in the 'STRESS-LESS' week of Oct. 6. There are various activities planned.
Oct. 6: SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, 6 p.m. in Dunleavy 127
Oct. 9: NATIONAL DEPRESSION SCREENING DAY, 12-7 p.m., Gallagher Center
Oct. 10: ACTIVITIES FOR WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Gallagher Center
Oct. 11: RACE TO BENEFIT ST. MARY'S SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, Contact Maria Telesca (firstname.lastname@example.com) for more info
Oct. 25: NYPA "SPOOKTACULAR," 10 a.m.-1 p.m., New York Power Authority, Contact Kim Groff (firstname.lastname@example.com) or Dr. Mark Gallo (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Oct. 25: THE RUNDEAD FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS, a 5K trail run where zombies are the obstacles. Registration begins at 2 p.m. at Kiernan and the run starts at 4 p.m. Contact email@example.com or 716.909.6444.


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Delhi Belly Songs
Movie : Delhi Belly
Director: Abhinay Deo
Actors: Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunal Roy Kapoor
Rating: **** (by Hindustan Times)
Delhi Belly movie is a 2011 Bollywood comedy film shot primarily in English with little Hindi, directed by Abhinay Deo, starring Imran Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Vir Das, Poorna Jagannathan and Shenaz Treasurywala. The film, written by Akshat Verma, is produced by Aamir Khan Productions and UTV Motion Pictures. The theatrical trailer of the film premiéred with Aamir Khan's Dhobi Ghat on January 21, 2011 while the film was released on July 1, 2011. The film was given an 'A' certificate for its adult language and content.
Delhi Belly Movie Songs:
Bhaag D.K Bose, Aandhi Aayi – Ram Sampath
Nakkaddwaley Disco, Udhaarwaley Khisko – Keerthi Sagathia
Saigal Blues – Chetan Shashital
Bedardi Raja – Sona Mohapatra
Jaa Chudail – Suraj Jagan
Tere Siva – Ram Sampath, Tarannum Mallik
Switty Tera Pyaar Chaida – Keerthi Sagathia
I Hate You (Like I Love You) – Keerthi Sagathia, Sona Mohapatra
Bedardi Raja (Grind Mix) – Sona Mohapatra
Switty – Punk – Keerthi Sagathia, Ram Sampath


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Love & Misadventure
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The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World (Oxford Illustrated Histories)by John Boardman
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
From the epic poems of Homer to the glittering art and architecture of Greece's Golden Age, to the influential Roman systems of law and leadership, the classical Greek world established the foundations of our culture as well as many of its most enduring achievements.
Now, in this vividly illustrated volume, readers can embrace the spirit of the classical world, from the eighth to the first centuries B.C., a period unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. This work also treats the Hellenization of the Middle East by the monarchies established in the area conquested by Alexander the Great. The editors, all celebrated classicists, intersperse chapters on political and social history with sections on literature, philosophy, and the arts, and reinforce the historical framework with maps and historical charts. Moreover, the contributors--thirty of the world's leading scholars--present the latest in modern scholarship through masterpieces of wit, brevity, and style. Together with hundreds of excellent illustrations, theses entries provide both a provocative and entertaining window into our classical heritage.
In this vividly illustrated volume, readers can embrace the spirit of the classical world, from the eighth to the first centuries B.C., a period unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. Numerous b&w illustrations. of color plates.
About the Author
About the Editors:
John Boardman is Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.
Jasper Griffin is Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford and author of Homer on Life and Death.
Oswyn Murray is Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford and author of Early Greece.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Introduction, Jasper Griffin
1. Greece: The History of the Archaic Period, George Forrest
2. Homer, Oliver Taplin
3. Greek Myth and Hesiod, Jasper Griffin
4. Lyric and Elegaic Poetry, Ewen Bowie
5. Early Greek Philosophy, Martin West
6. Greece: The History of the Classical Period, Simon Hornblower
7. Greek Drama, Peter Levi
8. Greek Historians, Oswyn Murray
9. Life and Society in Classical Greece, Oswyn Murray
10. Classical Greek Philosophy, Julia Annas
11. Greek Religion, Robert Parker
12. Greek Art and Architecture, John Boardman
13. The History of the Hellenistic Period, Simon Price
14. Hellenistic Culture and Literature, Robin Lane Fox
15. Hellenistic Philosophy and Science, Jonathan Barnes
16. Hellenistic and Graeco-Roman Art, Roger Ling
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Campers and hostellers can have a great time in Barcelona on 36 € to 45 € per day.
Travelling couples can enjoy Barcelona on about 72 € to 150 € per day.
The average daytime temperature in Barcelona is 9.5°C in January and 25°C in July.
In the mood for a pint? A half litre of beer in Barcelona costs about 5 €.
At a tapas bar, your bill is added up by counting the toothpicks left on your plate. So don't throw them away.
The geographical area of Barcelona is 803 sq km, ranked number 96 largest in the world.
A standard ticket for Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) costs 6,20 € and is good for 24 hr.
It usually rains 78 days per year in Barcelona.
Thirsty? A 0.33 litre of bottled water in Barcelona will cost you 1,40 €.
Clear. Refreshingly cool.
Saturday24°C 12°C
Sunday23°C 14°C
Monday21°C 14°C


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What an incredible map, aquarits! I love the detail on the mountain and the hanging city!
Liked On: 05-04-2013, 05:35 PM
Outstanding once again Max! I don't see many maps with this Ancient Middle Eastern feel, but you did an excellent job. I love how each of your maps has its own original style. Keep it up.
Liked On: 04-12-2013, 04:04 AM


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I'm twisting today's TTT topic in honour of Harry Potter Month! How's that for killing two birds with one stone. These are the ten characters from the Harry Potter World that I would want with me on a deserted island. We assume that they don't have broomsticks with them and that they can't apparate from the island or transfigure into a sea creature to swim away… because that would just be too easy.
Tag Archives: creativity
Book Review: The Country of Ice Cream StarStandard
My name be Ice Cream Fifteen Star. This be the tale of how I bring the cure to all the Nighted States, save every poory children, brief for life. Is how a city die for selfish love, and rise from this same smallness. Be how the new America begin, in wars against all hope – a country with no power in a world that hate its life. So been the faith I sworn, and it ain't evils in no world nor cruelties in no red hell can change the vally heart of Ice Cream Star.
In the ruins of a future America, fifteen-year-old Ice Cream Star and her people survive by scavenging in the detritus of an abandoned civilization. Theirs is a world of children – by the time they reach the age of twenty, each of them will die of the disease they call posies. Continue reading
On Reviewing: Leave a Little to the ImaginationStandard
Today is the last day of Armchair BEA, and we end off with a topic of choice. I've been meaning to discuss a phenomenon among book reviewers that bothers me a bit. I'm not going to say it is wrong, but I am going to suggest we might need a change of perspective.
Armchair BEA: More Than Just WordsStandard
I'm joining Armchair BEA for the first time this year by participating in a few discussions. My dream is one day to attend the real deal… but till then, this will suffice. Today's discussion is about books that are "more than just words", and to this end I'm sharing three mini-reviews for books I recently received via NetGalley. (Links click through to longer GoodReads reviews.)
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang
I was a bit worried about reading this because I'm not a gamer and I feared that not understanding the culture would hinder my enjoyment. I need not have worried. In short, Anda is a bit of an awkward, seemingly unhappy teenager in a new town, who gets introduced to the world of Massive Multiplayer Online Games, where she joins an all-female guild and becomes known as a kick-ass player. But she also encounters "gold farmers", a very real occurrence in MMOs. It becomes her mission to "kill" gold farmers, until she befriends one gold farmer from China and realises that most of them are playing long hours just to make a living. Continue reading
Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Pieces Of ArtStandard
Book covers can be awful and they can be meh and then they can be fantastic – and I'd be lying if I said I'd never picked up a book purely because of it's beautiful cover. With TTT this week, we highlight some of those covers we'd consider to be pieces of art, quite literally. These are all covers that I'd love to have as large versions in my own future personal library.
Books are listed by author and the cover artist, and linked to the artists' sites where possible. Feel free to inform me if I missed something.
Hell Week is Over. But I'd Rather Talk About SAS.Standard
I survived Hell Week. Not sure what that is? Check this post, right at the end.
I don't really want to talk about it though. I'm pretty traumatised. Thanks to a huge amount of prayers and support and motivation from my family and friends, I survived it. I honestly did not think I would get past Tuesday.
My worst subjects, Surgery and Orthopaedics, went really well. My best subjects, Ophthalmology and Anaesthetics went REALLY badly. We only get our results in like a century though.
Exactly one year ago today, I disembarked Semester at Sea's MV Explorer in Barcelona. I can't believe it's been a year. I miss falling asleep on the rocking ocean. I miss the countries – all of them. It was a great experience.
Watch this spoken word by Stephen Brown, whom I met in the Illness Narratives course we both took on the ship. I tear up every time I watch this. It is the best representation of that voyage. Transcript below.
Bookish and not so Bookish Mostly-LGBT ThoughtsStandard
I really hope that Christine, Laura and Cayce won't mind, but I'm combining Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts and LGBT Month this week. I really have little to no time to write more with these dumb exams!


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Event detail
Bringing together up-and-coming artists with new audiences
13 The Gallery Presents:
April "Artfordable" Fair!
On the 12th and 13th of April, 13 The Gallery is proud to host our very own Artfordable Fair. For these two days only, the gallery will not charge commission for the art works displayed.
Artists are given the opportunity to price their works at their discretion and potential art buyers have the opportunity to meet the artists themselves and discover the hidden meanings behind their artwork.
The Artfordable Fair has been created to help promote up and coming artists and make artworks available to a larger audience!
Featured Artists: Angel Louis, Jeny Garcia, James Lemon, Rebecca Salter, Becky Byers.
User opinions
Be the the first leave an opinion
User reviews are currently closed until the new ArtRabbit site launches 3rd November.


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Business Card Reader Pro
Instant (it takes seconds!) recognition of business cards right on your iPhone. Import contact information from a business card directly to your iOS Contacts. Out-of-the-box integration with LinkedIn, Salesforce and Evernote. Easy integration with other CRM systems. Featured in iPhone TV commercials.
"If you're a mobile networker, this is an app you'll definitely like." -TechCrunch
"Business Card Reader for iPhone is way better than the alternative. It's not free, but it'll easily pay for itself after your next new business card." -IntoMobile
"Working from home can mean spending a lot of time on the phone to keep in touch with colleagues or customers. To manage all these contacts' business cards, check out Business Card Reader" -The New York Times
"The best text scanning app yet." -TouchMyApps
Business Card Reader is an excellent tool for business people, exhibitors at trade shows, expo attendees and sales staff — anyone who networks regularly!
No need to manually enter contact information — Business Card Reader provides a time- and cost-efficient way to enter and organize important contacts.
Recognizes business cards in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Business Card Reader takes a picture of a business card, 'reads' it using text recognition technology and automatically fills in appropriate contact information fields in iOS address book, which can be easily checked and edited.
• Accurate recognition of business cards with multi-language support
• Smart contact field filling: emails, phone numbers, web sites
• Background image processing, saves time when scanning multiple cards.
• Export to Salesforce as Contact, Lead or Account
• Export to Evernote
• Export as .xlsx document
• Optional integration with existing CRM systems
• LinkedIn support: search, contact adding, import of info and photo
• Business Card Holder allows you to search and sort contacts, e-mail and call contacts directly
• Anti-shake image capture
1. Place the business card on a flat surface.
2. Good lighting is key: bright desk lamp or direct sunlight are necessary.
3. Hold the device right above the card. Keep the card aligned with BCR viewfinder edges and adjust iPhone/iPad positioning so that the card fits the screen size.
4. Tap the screen to take the picture.
5. After the recognition is done, you can check the results.
6. Tap Save to add the contact into your iOS address book.
We recommend you to contact your Salesforce account representative in order to find out if API access is enabled under your Salesforce profile.
Compatible Salesforce Editions:
Developer, Enterprise, Group, Professional, Unlimited
• iOS 5 and later
• iPhone 3GS or later, the new iPad or later
• On original iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch the app can be used to recognize business cards from images saved in the photo library.
What's new
The most Salesforce-centric update since introduction of support for Salesforce!
Business Card Reader Pro now allows direct export of contact info via Salesforce1 app and offers an option for editing custom Salesforce info fields.
We've also added support for vertical business cards, improved import of contact information from LinkedIn and tweaked UI for smoother experience.
Like Business Card Reader Pro? Please leave a review on the App Store and let others know!
Share with Others
- Last changed:
- Aug 01, 2014
- Category:
- Business
- Developer:
- SHAPE GmbH
- Version:
- 3.2.1
- Size:
- Current Version Average Rating:
- 4.00 (23)
- All Versions Average Rating:
- 3.00 (2099)
- Other Apps By This Developer
• Business Card Reader
• Business Card Reader HD
• Chat for GTalk
• Headset
• iDisplay
• iDisplay Mini
• IM+ Instant Messenger
• IM+ Pro7
• RDM+ HD: Remote Desktop for Mac and Windows
• RDM+ Remote Desktop for Mac and Windows
• Sicher
• Smart Scanner
• VR+ Voice for Twitter / Facebook / Blogger / MySpace
• WebCamera


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Ms. Courtney C. Ellis
Pediatrics, Charlotte Pediatric Clinic
- 4501 Cameron Valley Pkwy Ste 100
Charlotte, NC 28211
- 2 Office Locations
- Email a Friend
- (704) 367-7400
Ms. Courtney C. Ellis is a practicing physician. Ms. Ellis practices medicine in Charlotte, NC and 1 other location and specializes in Pediatrics. Ms. Ellis is affiliated with Carolinas Healthcare Medical Center. Ms. Ellis speaks English and Spanish.
Gender: Not Available
Years in Practice: Not Available
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Medical School: Not Available
Graduation Date: Not Available
Hospital Affiliations: Carolinas Healthcare Medical Center
Specialties: Pediatrics
*This physician has multiple office locations. See Appointments for details.
©2005-2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.


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Adam Tuss, wtop.com
WASHINGTON -- The earliest any streetcar will roll through the streets of the District is now expected to be 2013 -- and late 2013 at that, WTOP has learned.
City officials have been touring D.C., showing off ambitious plans for a 37-mile network of streetcars crisscrossing neighborhoods. The first two lines were expected to be set up on H Street in Northeast and in Anacostia.
The city told residents that the first streetcars would likely start running in 2012. But that date is no longer achievable.
"2013 is what we are telling people now," John Lisle, spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Transportation, tells WTOP. "We're probably looking at the fall of 2013."
Make no mistake about it: D.C. is putting a lot of stock in the streetcar. All you have to do is take a drive down H Street from about Third to 14th streets to see the kind of change the streetcar is bringing.
What once was an almost undriveable, crater-filled street has been transformed into a smooth, fresh-looking surface, complete with streetcar tracks, new lamp posts and better sidewalks. In fact, city officials are expected to hold a press conference on H Street on Thursday, touting the success of getting the corridor ready for the streetcars.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has fast-tracked the project.
But there still are no streetcars running on H Street, and it looks as though it'll be at least a year and a half before any are.
The latest delays in getting the streetcar project up and running will not be welcome news for many along the avenue. Businesses moved into the area (many considered hip and trendy) in the hopes that the streetcar will anchor an economic revitalization on the corridor.
H Street has drawn comparisons to the popular U Street corridor in Northwest because of the change. Many of those businesses have had to deal with construction, literally at their doorstep.
"Some of them have told us 'The project is killing us,'" says Lisle.
As WTOP reported back in 2008, D.C. had already purchased three streetcars, which were rolling through the streets of the Czech Republic while the District laid down tracks and got the infrastructure in place.
Now, three years later, there is another delay in the process.
"In terms of over the next several months, we hope to finalize a contract on the design-build portion of H Street," says Lisle.
In the "design-build" process, things like power substations and overhead wires will be set up along H Street. In addition, D.C. is still in negotiations with Amtrak about constructing a storage facility under what is known as the "Hop-Scotch" bridge on H Street behind Union Station.
"The goal is to start building early next year," says Lisle.
And while those negotiations and contract details get figured out, the District still has another issue on its hands: It needs more streetcars. Right now, DDOT has three streetcars, but Lisle says H Street alone will need five or six. The three streetcars the city purchased years ago cost roughly $10 million total.
A source also tells WTOP that the Anacostia segment of the streetcar system -- which was supposed to be the first segment running -- has now moved in back of H Street. An environmental review process is currently underway on the Anacostia line segment, and service on that line now isn't likely until somewhere nearer 2014, or possibly even later.
For now, the good news for those on H Street is that the road is a lot more pleasant to drive, walk and bike. The bad news is if you wanted to take a streetcar down that smooth corridor, it's going to be a while longer.
Follow Adam Tuss and WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved>)


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If Saturday's spring game at Texas A&M's Kyle Field was any indication, the Aggies have found a solid replacement for former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kevin Sumlin spent little time hiring Jake Spavital upon Kingsbury's departure and his most important … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Clarence McKinney
Transition? What transition? No hiccups for Texas A&M's new offensive coordinator
Texas A&M and quarterback Johnny "Football" Manziel will once again play with change in the program in 2013. Though it won't be a new conference, new quarterback and new head coach this time a new offensive coordinator is the headline … Continue reading
Texas A&M is readying for life after Johnny Manziel
The most interesting part of Texas A&M's 2013 recruiting class was not the plethora of receivers but instead the two quarterbacks who signed. With Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel keeping the starting position locked up until he decides to leave, … Continue reading
Texas A&M's new offensive coordinator not looking to control Johnny Manziel
Texas A&M's success in 2012 was led by the rise of freshman sensation Johnny Manziel and his run toward the Heisman Trophy. When offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury departed for the head coaching job at his alma mater Texas Tech, A&M … Continue reading


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|Ship Weight
|37 lbs.
|1 gal.
Enzyme Rinse Magic Concentrated Liquid Rinse (3000160) by Enzyme Solutions is intended for commercial dishmachines with built-in chemical pumps. It was developed to reduce spotting, films and streaks and speed drying time on high or low temp dishmachines. It provides crystal clear results on each use.


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We know that Barack Hussein Obama drank from the bottle of Frank Marshall Davis' communism for a decade. We know he held hands with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. We know he surrounded himself with radicals once ascending his throne in the Oval Office. We know he shipped guns to Mexican drug cartels as an excuse to tighten gun control.
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These are so-called "conspiracy theories".
We found it odd that the Colorado massacre occurred days before the UN small arms treaty vote that would, in effect, eventually ban guns in the United States.
We found it predictable that Obama was screaming "gun control!" before the victims were even in the ground.
We found it predictable that Obama's surrogates were screaming the same, including Nanny Bloomberg and the gaggle of Lefties at MSNBC and all their clones throughout the mainstream media.
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Conspiracy theorists wondered whether the massacre was orchestrated by the government. Conspiracy theorists wondered if James Holmes was part of some type of CIA mind control program given that he appeared to be drugged during the preliminary hearing.
His statements while behind bars that he had no idea why he was in jail were scoffed at by his jailers as trying to fake insanity or amnesia. But that really didn't make sense as his jailers would not testify at trial; the defense and the prosecution's psychiatrists would.
But what has thrown many "conspiracy theorists" into a tizzy, myself included, are two new conspiracy theories regarding the Colorado massacre (that make the JFK assassination look like a walk in the park):
One: that James Holmes is not James Holmes.
That the college ID photo that made the rounds in the initial twenty-four hours after the massacre is not the same person that was identified in court.
Say what?
A blogger has taken both photos and done some simple analysis of facial features, specifically the nose and left ear, and they don't match. Not even close. All day Saturday, bloggers were falling over themselves discussing this oddity.
I remember examining a supposed photo of James Holmes being arrested as an Occupy New York member, and it occurred to me that the college ID photo and the "Joker" photo's upper lip did not match. At the time, I thought it was because Holmes was simply grimacing or smiling. In the college photo, the upper lip is flat, whereas the "Joker's" upper lip is what film historians of the 1920s call a "Clara Bow" lip, in which there is a "valley" where the center of the lip comes together. But now I see the upper lips are completely different. The nose is completely different. The left ear of the "Joker" sticks out, whereas in the college ID photo, the ear does not stick out.
The second conspiracy theory is that bloggers are now stating that Robert Holmes, James Holmes' father, works for a company in which he developed an algorithm or computer program that ferreted out banking fraud and was to testify before Congress about the recent Libor scandal. That his son James was being railroaded by the banking cartels as a deterrent to keep him from testifying.


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3201 Broadway, Suite E
Everett, WA 98201
425-339-1388 (phone)
425-339-2454 (fax)
Installation and Awards
REALTOR® Food Drive
REALTOR® Food Drive - October 1st - 31st
Don't Forget -- Membership Dues Are Due on Jan 1st
Reminder: Your 2015 SCCAR Membership Dues are due by January 1st.
Don't forget, in order to enjoy access to our many exclusive REALTOR® Member Benefits (such as free clock hour classes), you must be a current member in good standing. In order to maintain your access to these valuable benefits of membership, please make sure to pay your dues as soon as possible.
Technology Helpline
The Tech Helpline is a member benefit offering support for hardware, software, networking, and digital devices. The best part is you have the choice of contacting their friendly and knowledgeable analysts via phone, fax, email, or online chat. They troubleshoot problems and offer solutions, often by remoting in to your computer. They will advise you on hardware and software purchasing, and most importantly, they understand your needs as a REALTOR®.
SCCAR Social Media
SCCAR Class Schedule
Friday, October 24, 2014 - Foreclosure Fairness Act (FFA) for Real Estate Professionals
The Foreclosure Fairness Act (FFA) is arguably the most powerful piece of legislation passed by any state during the recession. It is designed to protect mortgage holders that are trying to work out solutions to avoid foreclosure. Understandi... [click here for more info]
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - Water Rights & Water Supply Issues for REALTORS®
This class focuses on water rights and water supply issues involved in real estate transactions and
development projects, an increasingly complex issue in both urban and rural areas. The existing Seller's
Disclosure Form, which includes a numbe... [click here for more info]
Thursday, November 06, 2014 - Making Use of Title Insurance as a Tool
A deep dive look at Title Insurance from an Attorney's prospective that has represented claims for buyers and also defended against them. What are the d... [click here for more info]


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A Phantasmagorical Tour of Philosophy
Chinese 1, 11/4/2011, 9:30 PM
Chinese 6, 11/6/2011, 12:15 PM
By Paul T. Bradley
No one would dare call Alexander Sokurov breezy and lighthearted and no one would expect to walk away from one of his films chipper and content. Instead, one expects to shuffle away ponderous and spellbound—which is what makes FAUST such a perfect Sokurov film. The intellectually faint of heart need proceed no further.
Faust serves as an epilogue to Sokurov's historical trilogy concerning corrupt leaders: Hitler in MOLOCH (1999), Vladimir Lenin in TAURUS (2001), and Japanese emperor Hirohito in THE SUN (2005).
This film loosely follows the classic German myth's framework: a dispirited doctor is tempted by a misshapen and somewhat mystical charmer into giving away his soul to satisfy his lusts and his curiosity. Beyond the basics, Marlowe, Mann, and Goethe fanboys will find little foothold to their favorite, earlier interpretations. Sokurov, instead, fills in between the lines of this classic framework with a mesmerizing illumination of the liminal space between Russian and western European philosophy. He attempts an epic synthesis of Russian thought through the German lens that once influenced it so thoroughly.
As a brief introduction—Russia has benefited (or perhaps suffered) from a surplus of philosophy. In czarist and communist Russia it was philosophy that served as the ultimate measure of truth and the foundation of all political and economic change. For the Russia of most present-day adults, loyalty to the teachings of Marx's dialectical materialism was the prerequisite of civic loyalty and professional success. No worker, farmer, scientist, politician—or even artists and writers—could succeed in their respective fields without specific philosophical preparation, be it through Stalin, or the Germans that underpinned that thinking—Marx, Kant and Hegel.
Further to that, philosophical ideas in Russia rarely matured into proportionate, autonomous systems, because it was the license of the State to carry them out and elaborate them in a standard, systematic way. Russian thinkers digested these systems into a stream of unpredictable, impulsive, existential thinking which attempted to go beyond the systems—to undermine them rather than unite them. Since the official state philosophy functioned as a mechanism of power, it was the task of non-official philosophy to advance anti-totalitarian modes of thinking, deconstructing the principles of standardization.
So in that sense, Sokurov is advancing a mature rejection of philosophical authority at every turn in FAUST. This Mephistopheles can easily consume his cup of hemlock and survive, perhaps the grandest middle finger to Plato's foundations of totalitarian philosophy. While it is indeed a meditation on the gaps of reason in human power, it is not merely a philosophical film.
Sokurov has the most sublime respect for visual verisimilitude in contemporary film—he does not strive for a realist or stylized visual style, but a visual style that faithfully captures the era in which a story is set. For example, in FAUST, he shows the characters and events as their contemporaries would have shown them, perhaps even through a black-mirrored Claude glass, evening-out the harsh separation of tones. The film has the washed and dark look of a Northern European mannerist—or perhaps a 19th century Slav like Jan Matejko.
As a master of images, Sokurov is an unflinching grotesque. There are a myriad of visual puns and gruesome treats. These are greasy fingers grabbing salty meats, probing hands tearing apart corpses, and bloody homunculi gasping for their last breaths. Here there are puerile delights and defecation is best done in desecration rather than in mere bodily function—why waste an opportunity to befoul something precious like a church?
All told, FAUST is equal parts painterly revivalism, a somewhat dour philosophical meditation, and rampant vulgar fun. This film may be life-changing in the sense that it cinematically scratches a philosophical cut into the roof of your mouth…a cut that might heal if you weren't so compelled to keep poking it with your tongue. You won't leave happy, you won't leave sad—you will leave pensive and partially unhinged—but, y'know…in a good way.
Paul T. Bradley is a freelance writer, cinefile and former ditch-digger. He is a regular contributor to LA Weekly's arts section, where he covers haute nerdery, semi-refined vulgarity and hastily-scrawled, pro-Los Angeles jingoism. He reluctantly tweets from @paultbradley.


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The fall Players' production of A Winter's Tale is opening Thursday, October 30 at 7:30PM in the Weitz Center. The performance features student actors and actresses of varying class years and is directed by David Wiles. According to historians, A Winter's Tale is considered one of Shakespeare's unique "problem plays" because it begins as a serious psychological drama and concludes with humor and a happy ending.
Red Baraat is a unique band known for its interesting blend of North Indian bhangra, jazz, brass funk, and hip-hop. The band had humble beginnings in Brooklyn, New York and now averages around 200 performances a year. Red Baraat prides itself in celebrating the pure essence of music and dance and states its goal as "manifesting joy and unity in all people." Red Baraat's powerful sound has gained international attention, landing performances in the center of London's Trafalgar Square, the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, the White House, and Google's Mountain View Campus.
On Friday, October 31 at 7:30PM the Carleton Symphony Band will be presenting "Danse Macabre". The concert will feature eerie excerpts from "The Bride of Frankenstein", a classic horror film. This Halloween concert will be conducted by Ron Rodman.
In a collaborative effort to expand audiences at Carleton College as well as St. Olaf, art-appreciators are encouraged to attend theater productions, concerts, and art exhibits provided by both of Northfield's colleges. While waiting for Carleton performances to premiere, members of the Carleton community are welcome and encouraged to attend some of St. Olaf's events. The following publication provides a few upcoming events featured at St. Olaf.