PENN STATE UNIVERSITY, BRANDYWINE CAMPUS Local Places to une in Daniel Sterry Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, des5502@psu.edu When one pictures underground music 100} in Philadelphia, only two, almost polar opposite yi wo | venues, come to mind. | x RE The first is the Trocadero, located on 12th 4 i and Arch streets. The 143-year-old venue has served, among other things, as an opera house, restaurant, burlesque club and concert hall. Though dingy and ancient, this venue holds more character than most venues, thanks to the leftover aging opera decorum and the accumulation of graffiti, flyers, stickers and colorful characters. Plus, fascinating people are never in short supply. The Trocadero hosts everything from movies to one-man shows to heavy metal, punk rock, hip- op and indie rock acts. On the other hand, the Union Transfer, an almost exact opposite of the Trocadero, is a venue hat opened not even three years ago on 10th and Spring Garden. It's pristine, new and accommo- dating to any fan, while not nearly as well used as the “Troc.” The Union Transfer feels just as arm and intimate, and plays host to indie rock, ip-hop and electronic artists. Assassin’s Creed Paul Alberici Lion’s Eye Campus News Editor, paa5102@psu.edu Since the beginning of the series, Assassin’s Creed has brought players through some of the most notable periods in time. From the Middle East with the crusades, to the Renaissance periods in Italy, and even to the birth of America during the Revolution, but never have the people at Ubisoft or even any video game company gone where the latest installment is headed. This game is headed to the Caribbean to let players experience the freedom and ruthlessness of being a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early 18th century. In the sixth installment of the series, players will be placed in the role of Edward Kenway, father of Haytham Kenway and grandfather of Conner (Ratonhnhaké:ton), the Native American Assassin portrayed in Assassin’s Creed III. : This British privateer turned pirate assassin always had a desire for power, fame and what every other pirate of the time sought, riches beyond his wildest dreams. According to the game’s website, he is unlike the other assassins in this series; Edward does not follow the Creed of the Assassins as strictly as his ancestors Altair Ibn-La’ Ahad or Ezio Auditore da Firenze did, but rather uses the Brotherhood’s massive arsenal of weapons to satisfy his own means and twists the creed to satisfy his own ambitions. Regardless of his morals or belief in the Creed, Edward still has exceptional skills that match that of his ancestors. The agility he possesses (like his ancestors) gives him the ability to climb the mast and riggings of ships as well as to scale walls and masts with ease. And his stealth makes him just as dangerous as the other Assassins. Like all the other Assassin’s Creed games, players will be brought face to face with some notable characters throughout history. This bunch of characters is not the most respectable bunch as when players met Leonardo Da Vinci or George Washington. The motley bunch includes Charles Vane, Anne Bonney, “Calico Jack” Rackham, and even the most feared of them all, Edward Teach but more commonly known as “Blackbeard”. Coming back in this game that was briefly introduced in Assassin’s Creed III is naval combat. Only this time play- ers will have much more freedom to customize the appearance and armament of the ship which in this game is the Jackdaw. The aspect of naval combat in this game will be heavily emphasized throughout this game, so much that the division between land exploration and naval exploration in the game, according to the developers at Ubisoft, will be 60% land and 40% sea. Edward’s personal load out of weaponry is full as it is lethal. His load out consists of dual swords which, like other aspects of the game, is a first for the series. There is room the carry up to four flintlock pistols at once for the ability to get more shots off at once, especially with the new free-aim system in the game. And even a blow-pipe has been introduced to fire various types of poison darts at enemies. And what would an Assassin’s Creed game be without the iconic hidden blades under his forearms. | Game developers also revealed another aspect that was introduced in Assassin’s Creed III will also be returning in IV: hunting. This time, however, the hunt- ing has become that much bigger and much more deadly. On land, players can hunt down ferocious big cats like jaguars. There is also a hunting aspect at sea now as well, giving players the ability to hunt whales and sharks with harpoons and other weapons. This is just a brief look at the very new and ambitious direction for the series. With all this freedom and locations to explore, this is the largest game to date in the series. So prepare to weigh anchor, ready the cannons, and hoist the colors; Assassin’s Creed IV is in stores now for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. This game will also be on the next generation consoles on November 15th for the Playstation 4 and November 21st for the Xbox One.
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