The Spectator ● October 17, 2013
Page 15
Arts and Entertainment Video Games
Jonathan Tom / The Spectator
Psychos vs. Pork: A Gaming Review
By Caroline Bredthauer It seems that September, not October, is now the month of the spooks, with two highlyanticipated survival horror game releases: “Outlast” and “Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.” Coming out within several days of each other, the two will inevitably inspire countless comparisons. Here are my own two cents on
the advantages and disadvantages of each game in certain areas. I’ll compare the good and the bad and throw in the ugly as well. Level Design/Graphics In “Outlast,” players explore Mount Massive Asylum—a large map that lives up to its name, deviating from the standard “explore the cells and corridors” spiel. The game will lead players
into sewers, the Great Outdoors, and a scientific laboratory hidden underneath the asylum, in addition to the more standard levels. The graphics here are fantastic: everything looks real, from the disembodied hands stuffed in the sinks to the mysterious, ghost-like entities lurking behind closed doors. “Amnesia” is somewhat lacking in this department. The majority of the game takes place underground, in machinery-choked corridors that all look alike. The color palette is boring, mostly greys and darker greys, and at times the levels are designed solely to force the player forward rather than give them time to explore the area. Gameplay Both games are lacking here. In each game, players are not given weapons and instead forced to run and hide from enemies. In “Amnesia,” after a long stretch devoid of any foes, encounters are disappointingly brief, and the adversaries are slow and easily
evaded. The main enemy in this game is a pig-human hybrid, but after playing through an hour or so of pig imagery and symbolism, the enemy reveal is not particularly surprising or frightening. “Outlast” hurls hostiles at you from the very beginning but, as you can immediately run from danger, it barely penalizes you for taking a hit. In addition, once you learn enemy patterns of movement (which does not take very long), encounters become less tense and more tedious. Enemies in “Outlast” are the tortured inmates of Mount Massive Asylum, many of which have their own disturbing personalities. They don’t look particularly frightening, but their muttered or shrieked threats add eerie touches to the gameplay. Music/Voice Acting Music can be unsettling or soothing—and in each game, the music does both. The score of “Amnesia,” composed by Jessica Curry, is filled with brutal dis-
sonances for the tense moments and simple but touching melodies to accompany the beautifully crafted lines of dialogue. The dialogue itself drives the story of the game forward as players uncover the protagonist’s backstory by listening to phonographs and conversations between him and the denizens of the city. The flowery speech reflects the time period of 1899 London. Characters will threaten to “rain excrement into your very soul,” or to “rise to bleach the sky and still the water.” “Outlast” has a decent score, but what stands out in this game is the voice acting. Most speaking characters have memorable lines. From the crazy doctor who cuts out inmate’s tongues because “I was tired of licking my own stamps” to the twin inmates who debate softly over how slowly they will to kill you, the characters’ personalities are superb, adding yet another frightening dynamic to the game.
Television By Frances Dodin Saturday nights just got a little more exciting with the start of the latest season of “Saturday Night Live,” but viewers have been left to wonder how well the show can keep up its genuine and widelyloved humor with an almost entirely brand new cast. During last season’s finale, the show bid its final farewell to three of its most honored and admired cast members: Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, and Bill Hader. This was a huge shocker; just a year earlier, Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig decided to take their leaves. These huge changes left creator and producer Lorne Michaels to promote the show’s most featured players (the cast
members-in-training) to the regular cast and take on a whole new set of featured players. This meant hiring six new, inexperienced members, who now make up almost half of the entire cast. With the departure of several major cast members, many of the recurring characters and skits that kept viewers tuning in for years have come to a halt. Watching the series premiere with low expectations, I was happily surprised by the new style the reconstructed cast brought to the show and how it preserved the show’s authenticity. The host, former cast member and head writer Tina Fey, kicked the show off to a great start by hazing the new cast members. Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul was featured
in several sketches, garnering rounds of applause from the audience members, many of whom were likely anticipating the show’s dramatic end the following night. Paul appeared in the cold open, a fake commercial advertising “eMeth,” and played Drunk Uncle’s nephew, Meth Nephew, on the mock news program “Weekend Update.” Though “Weekend Update” lost its beloved character Stefon with Bill Hader’s leave, it has been pulling as many ideas as possible out of its seemingly bottomless hat of tricks to try to keep the long-running sketch at its peak. Cecily Strong, only a featured player last year, has become Seth Meyer’s co-host on Weekend Update, and will most likely replace him when he leaves
for his new show “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Strong didn’t present herself as a potential “Weekend Update” host candidate last year, what with her tendency to play silly characters. Only time will tell if she can come close to the legacy left by Meyers. Meyers’s departure gives way to another change for this season of SNL: a shuffled writing staff. Meyers has been the head writer since 2005, and was joined at his post by Colin Jost last year. But with his upcoming leave, the writers have been in for some changes. The head writing position was granted to Rob Klein, a writer who has not made himself as prominent as he should have been. Furthermore, several other writers are coming and going,
Irene Elias / The Spectator
The New Side of Saturday Night Live
leading to probable changes in this season’s material. The “rebuilding year of SNL,” as Tina Fey put it, has commenced with a jolt of excitement, but with new cast members and writers and little of its own authentic humor, how will this season change the show for years to come?
Food
It’s Not Weird, It’s Fusion Cuisine
Justin Kong / The Spectator
By Angela Sun
Stowed away on St. Marks Place, Japadog instantly prepares quality hot dogs topped with an arsenal of Japanese delicacies and snacks.
For most hot dog connoisseurs, the name Japadog should ring a bell. Transforming the traditional wiener and bun we all know well, Japadog incorporates a variety of Japanese-style sauces, vegetables, and meats into its hot dogs. Located in the East Village on 30 St. Marks Place, Japadog attracts hungry revelers every day to try its innovative hot dog breeds. Customers can choose from a selection of meats that includes the conventional all-beef dog, as well as veggie, chicken, three cheese smoky, and Kurobuta (its signature dog). The Kurobuta rightfully deserves its name as Japadog’s best-selling frank with an unparalleled juiciness and a distinctive rich, buttery flavor. Even the typical all-beef hot dog goes beyond the norm, as all of Japadog’s wieners are cut lengthwise to make room for the bountiful toppings offered. At Japadog, the standard ketchup and mustard condiments are replaced by concoctions such as the Okonomi— which consists of okonomiyaki sauce, wasabi mayo, bonito flakes, and fried cabbage—and the Ya-
kisoba, which includes yakisoba (fried noodle), red ginger, and seaweed. Japadog’s best seller, the Kurobuta Terimayo ($4.14), is a
Japadog’s best seller, the Kurobuta Terimayo, is a sweet and salty affair. sweet and salty affair: a smoky pork wiener dressed in teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and sweet caramelized onions, topped with a generous serving of thinly-cut dried seaweed, all between a freshly-baked sesame bun. The Kurobuta Croquette ($4.89) is yet another popular choice that consists of a silky Kurobuta sausage garnished with fried cabbage and two large, piping-hot potato frit-
ters—hearty enough to fill two. Though the hot dogs definitely take center stage at Japadog, the crispy shaked skinny fries are just as much of an adventure. The fries are sealed inside a bag with an array of dry spices such as aonori (dried ground seaweed), wasabi, and curry. Japadog’s butter and shoyu (soy sauce) fries are simply addicting. Dipping these fries in any condiment would be blasphemous, as the butter’s richness blends seamlessly with the distinctly savory taste of the soy sauce. And for those with a sweet tooth, Japadog offers deep fried buns ($3.24) coated with sugar and filled with black sesame or matcha green tea ice cream. This Asian-inspired hot dog joint’s radiantly colored orange tables are often packed with hotdog enthusiasts and newcomers alike. The service is upbeat and the cashiers are patient, even when customers struggle to decide what combination of sausage and topping to choose. While the Japanese-style franks found in Japadog may sound foreign to most New Yorkers, the flavor risks taken ultimately pay off and show the potential of fusion cuisine.