By Diego Zuniga

With a release date of June 19, 2020, the second installment of ”The Last of Us” video game series by the company Naughty Dog would be released seven years after the first, but with a growing fan base and a problematic release schedule, will it be as good as Naughty Dog claims?

Seven years is arguably an ample amount of time to create a follow up game to a beloved and praised title that is now one of the most sold titles on PlayStation, but the hype built around the second game is extremely apparent. With its reveal in early December of 2016, Naughty Dog has been very weary and limiting in what they have shown in regards to the game features and story and have only recently released large amounts of information.

The game is set in an apocalyptic version of the U.S. which has been transformed by a rampant virus known as the cordyceps which takes over a host's body and transforms them into mindless blind creatures that communicate through echolocation known as clickers. Part II picks up five years after the events of the last game, with Joel and Ellie, the main protagonists settling down in Jackson, Wyoming. This occurs after the Fireflies, a militia group looking for a cure for the cordyceps, take Ellie, who is apparently immune to the virus, to try and develop a cure. With the revelation that Ellie will not survive the procedure to develop a cure, Joel takes it upon himself to kidnap Ellie from the Fireflies in order to save her. As stated by Naughty Dog, the events of Part II are guided by the consequence of Joel and Ellie’s actions in the previous game.

Naughty Dog also claims Part II to be the most ambitious and detailed game the company has ever produced which is made clear by the gameplay the company has shown. The game features an incredibly responsive A.I. system, with many of the A.I. responding emotionally to the player killing enemies. A.I. will call out the names of enemies you kill and sometimes refer to them as “father” or “sister” encapsulating the player in an environment that makes them truly feel that their actions have consequences. Dogs have also been implemented into the game, which can follow your scent and alert their handlers of your presence, forcing you to keep moving while sneaking around. Additionally, their handlers will call out in agony if you kill the dog, and yes, the dogs do let out unnerving yelps of pain when killed. The weapon system of the game is also very detailed, as it allows you to upgrade your weapons functionality and aesthetic if you find enough parts and tools, a rewarding system to curious players. Weapons can have scopes, barrels, silencers, and magazine enhancements made and bows can have explosive arrow tips crafted to improve your fighting chance against the enemy. In addition, you can craft molotovs, smoke bombs and nail bombs to beat enemies or divert their attention. The player also has the ability to hold and move enemies around at gunpoint, enabling the player to use human shields when the fighting gets heavy.

The movement in the game is also very developed, with the player being able to sneak through small cracks and crevasses and traverse terrain vertically by jumping on top of cars and trucks, you also have the ability to travel on horseback through large open terrain. The movement system in combat is also very beneficial, with the ability to weave arrows, gunshots, and enemies swinging blades at you, you can significantly help your fighting chance if you use this system correctly.

With the game set to release in a few days, fans can finally peacefully anticipate the games release, as there will be no further delays as there have been in the past. And although there were spoilers that could have hindered the game’s overall reception, preorders for the game have not seen an alarming drop and instead have been steadily increasing. With a long wait of seven years, fans can finally be happy to play as their favorite mass murdering individuals in “The Last of Us Part II” and hope that the game does not disappoint.

By Amman Zia

Education is a basic necessity that leads to immense changes and growth in society. Education allows one's mind to take into account significant problems in society. Education leads to progress and adaptation. Being educated is something that many individuals, especially in the United States, do not have access to. Educated by Tara Westover is a memoir about Westover’s life full of hardships and difficulties. Westover did not have access to education until she turned seventeen years old. She wrote this memoir to ignite change and for the world to perceive those who take education for granted.

The memoir begins with Westover analyzing and describing her life at a young age, in Utah, while living with a conservative family. Her father despised education considering it is“dangerous for the human brain.” Her father disliked those who went out of their way to get an education or be educated. Westover’s siblings quickly left the family, due to their father's way of thinking and disliking education. At age seventeen, Westover attended Trinity College and later went on to Brigham Young University, in Utah, with the help of her brother. Considering she did not attend elementary, middle, or high school, she quickly desired to attend college and obtain some kind of degree to get a job.

While attending college, there were countless happenings and historic events Westover was not aware of. The most intriguing thing I found was that Westover did not know what the Holocaust was. She received harsh remarks from her classmates because she didn't know anything regarding human rights violations. The book transitions to Westover learning several ideas, principles, and ideologies in society. She found education to be captivating and a necessity. Not only did she learn about historic events, but she also discovered psychological terms to characterize her father. She discovered, by herself, that her father is bipolar because of his actions. I find this to be fascinating, considering she was able to learn and identify her father. Power to her for going out of her way to obtain an education!

The memoir's main themes are independence, identity, and determination. Westover was successfully able to emancipate herself and find her true passion- and that is to be educated. She was determined to obtain an education and to get somewhere in life. I highly recommend this memoir, considering we all have hardships in life and what matters is the outcome. What matters is how we evolve and sprout to become open-minded human beings. This memoir is captivating as it holds significance and power, where a young individual embarks on an enthralling journey.

Westover now has a Ph.D. in Intellectual History. She is ready to inspire and motivate others, which is remarkable! Thus, this book is a must-read and I highly suggest putting this on your summer reading list!

Movie Review: The Half Of It
*Spoiler alert!!*

By Noor Shahin

The Half of It is the new coming of age movie directed by Alice Chu and the cast includes Leah Lewis who plays Ellie Chu, Alexxis Lemire who plays Aster Flores, and Daniel Diemer who plays Paul Munsky. The movie also won a top Tribeca Film Festival award.

The Half of It takes place in a Pacific Northwestern town called Squahamish, and begins with a smart, shy girl named Ellie Chu. She lives with her father in an apartment and she developed a business by getting paid to write other people’s essays for them. Every day she bikes to school and one day she is approached by a jock named Paul Munsky. Paul wants Ellie to write a letter in his name for his crush, Alexxis Lemire, who Paul believes to be the most beautiful girl in school. He tells Ellie he’s in love with her and would like to date her, but there’s one problem: Ellie secretly likes Alexxis! At first she is hesitant, but later agrees since she saw this as an opportunity to get to write letters to Alexxis without revealing her true identity. Ellie slowly falls more in love with Alexxis. And Paul and Ellie become good friends. But it gets even more complicated since both Paul and Ellie like Alexxis.

I highly recommend watching this movie because it is all about being yourself and finding your true identity. It is not like the typical love story you watch; it is more complicated than that. The film shows that love has more than one definition and that only you can define it for yourself, since it is not the same for everyone. The Half of It is different from any romantic movie you have already watched. It is much deeper and has more meanings in it, showing how different it can be when people find “the one." Although the ending is going to be disappointing, it is going to be worth watching.