April 2014 Penn State Beaver Roar
Features
15
Gamers step into the future with Titanfall Anthony Lamont Staff Writer
ajl5715@psu.edu
The new year has ushered in a groundbreaking-era of video game platforms, loaded with technology to make the game experience seem more real than life. The latest new release is Titanfall from Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts, released March 11 for Xbox One, and later for Xbox 360 and PC as a Microsoft exclusive. Titanfall is a first-person shooter with a larger-than-life feel. Players are brought into a war where man and machine work in unison. Titanfall provides gamers with two different ways to play, an on-line campaign and a traditional on-line multiplayer similar to that of the Call of Duty franchise. The reason these games play similarly is because the developers who crafted Titanfall also worked on the construction of some of the Call of Duty games. While these options may seem standard, the campaign is a theatric mode that must be played online in a multiplayer environment. Some may see this as a new innovative way to engage the gamer, while others may be displeased with the non-traditional set up. Junior Dan Fisher said he is unimpressed. “I don’t like how the cam-
Courtesy from Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts
Titanfall offers players a first-person experince of using robots in combat.
paign is multiplayer online; I would rather it be single player,” said Fisher, who is also a Roar staffer. “I also wish you could play split screen with players on the same console.” Not all who play the game agree on whether or not the online campaign is a drawback. Junior Jason Garmen said he thinks that the online campaign is the best part of the game.
Garmen said Titanfall surpasses its Call of Duty predecessors. Aside from new game modes, Titanfall offers large-scale battle sequences between active online players and bots. Bots are computer-generated enemies that fight in battle alongside the active owners of the game. This allows new users to focus on sharpening their skills while battling the bots, as they are easier to defeat.
Titanfall’s titans are large robots that the player can call into battle. Similar to a kill streak earned in Call of Duty, the better a player performs the more chances they will have to airdrop their large robots. There are three different customizable models for Titans in the game. The Stryder is a lightweight robot that allows users to move quickly and out maneuver other players. The second class is the Atlas,
which is a medium-armored assault version that allows for quick game play and resists damage better than the smaller Stryder. The final robot, unlocked after completion of the campaign, is the Ogre. The Ogre is a heavily armored robot that can take and deal massive amounts of damage. Similar to a tank, this robot allows players to feel invincible in battle. Titanfall shines in the futuristic atmosphere in which games are played. The maps are large and there are few-to-no limits on where players can go. Perhaps the best feature is the double jump. When playing as a foot soldier, gamers can jump onto walls and then hit the jump button again to scale buildings. Players can even hang on walls and wait for unsuspecting enemies to pass by. The Game Stop assistant manager at the Beaver Valley Mall said he thinks this is what keeps players interested. “The game is well balanced, the titan’s are slower and pilots can double jump and wall run,” said the assistant manager whose name badge said Andy but who refused to provide his last name. So far, the game has been well received at Game Stop. “People enjoy it; it’s like Call of Duty with (robots),” he said.
AOJ classes compete to help the Women’s Center Tyler Thellman Staff Writer
tmt5197@psu.edu
Penn State Beaver’s Administration of Justice classes won a competition with other Penn State campuses to raise money for victims of domestic violence. For the competition the classes were asked to collect feminine hygiene and beauty products as well as money for the local women’s shelter. Typical donations included makeup, various toiletries and hair acces-
sories. This was the fifth year for this competition and each year surpasses the previous, said Mari Pierce, assistant professor of AOJ, who called this year’s results extremely close. “Every year we seem to be getting more and more items coming in for the shelter as well as more students actively participating and enjoying it, which makes us professors who run the AOJ program feel accomplished and rewarded,” she said. “Although this is only a Penn State fundraiser, this event has been a
huge part of the AOJ program.” The AOJ classes at Beaver competed with the AOJ classes at Penn State Fayette and New Kensington. “Not only does this help raise awareness for domestic violence, it helps get our program out there and build a solid reputation for future events for our AOJ programs,” said JoAnn Chirico, senior instructor in sociology. “No matter the outcome of this competition, we are all winners.” Sophomore Stephen Galmarini said he thinks the competition is a
great opportunity for AOJ students. “This competition not only makes it fun for the students but it helps victims of domestic abuse, along with their families, and those are the people that really need the most help,” said Galmarini. “It just makes you feel good as a person.” According to Pierce, the competition collected more than 1,000 toiletry items from Beaver campus alone. The items collected will benefit the Women’s Shelter of Beaver County.
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Not only does this help raise awareness for domestic violence, it helps get our program out there and build a solid reputation for future events for our AOJ program.”
JoAnn Chirico
Senior Instructor in Sociology