Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 | TechNews “ae@technewsiit.com .:E a 9 Game Review: Super Amazing Wagon Adventure Austin Gonzalez OPINION EDITOR What better way is there to kick off the new school year than to begin playing and new and addictive game? “Super Amazing Wagon Adventure” harkens back to the days of your childhood and the class favorite “Oregon Trail.” Produced by Sparsvector, “Super Amazing Wagon Adventure” is an auto-scrolling, retro- style 2D shooter complete with game to shoot, dysentery to contract, and rivers to ford or jump! Your nart will face much eril. 3'19: 3.9: Whether Tom wanders off and encounters zombie turkeys looking to snack on his f ace, or Sarah thinks it’s a good idea to investigate a cave that just so happens to be filled with giant spiders. Let’s not forget the time Fernando decided to jump the river and our wagon ended up in low earth orbit fighting a cable television satellite. There are plenty of challenges to face including mini bosses. Follow the unicorn and defeat the dragon to unlock the star powered stage coach. Explore the depths of the ocean and fend of the giant squid and his tentacles of doom! “Super Amazing Wagon Adventure” 1 Detention works by piecing together segments in a semi- random fashion. You never really know what’s going to happen. As with any good addictive game, the mechanics are simple and easy to pick up. Use the WASD keys on your keyboard to steer your oxen and wagon around the screen and tap the space bar to go pew-pew with the gun, as fast as you can. Watch your ammo when you pick up special weapons such as the flamethrower and period authentic carpet bomb. After that, it is your job to prevent Bob from being crushed by boulders, save Becky from being stampeded by charging bison, and cure little Christy of her cholera! See how many days your motley crew can make on your adventure before everyone dies. And what game paying homage to Oregon Trail would be complete without a CRT simulation to bend the edges of the display and introduces those good old fashioned scan lines? Available on Steam for only $2.99, you can experience your own crazy semi-random adventures. What are you waiting for? Name your party and head ofl'on your very own Super Amazing Wagon Adventure. Images courtesy ofstoresteampoweredcom Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation Austin Gonzalez OPINION EDITOR Tom Cruise continues to impress in this action-packed feature. Ethan and the Mission Impossible team are under scrutiny for their unorthodox tactics and actions that appear to be more based on luck than skill. Our dashing main character suspects a rogue nation, only known as the Syndicate, is behind a string of seemingly random disasters. Despite being ' called in, Ethan decides his lead is too much to pass up on goes rogue in an ironic twist of fate. The rest of the movie is a cat and mouse game between the CIA, the disgraced MI team, and the mysterious Syndicate, and the audience often left guessing which the mouse is. It’s fast, explosive fun with suspense and twists even to the very end. It’s fun, but irnpactful. While writing this review, I’ve had to look up many of the details, but at the end of the day, why do you go to see a Mission Impossible movie? To see the world in a new way, or to watch attractive people preform daring feats and escape within an inch of their life? Critics are saying the same. With a strong 93% on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, you’re guaranteed to have more fun than if you were to go see box office bombs like Fantastic Four or Hitman: Agent 47. Tom Cruise continues to be a mega star in this series; despite being 52, he leads the film around the world without a moment’s rest. The Mission Impossible franchise began in 1996. Tom Cruise has served as the lead since the beginning. Mission Impossible has brought in $2 billion total box oflice over its 19-year life span. The reboot, “Ghost Protocol”, burst on the big screen revitalizing the franchise a few years ago. With the follow-up success of “Rogue Nation,” we can expect to see more and more Mission Impossible movies. There are rumors of a sixth installment already in the works to begin production next year. Ifyou like action and explosions, it looks like Tom Cruise will be there for you and I well into his 50s. Lollapalooza 2915: Seamless mix of old and new ~ a... pub» Emma Zachocki TECHNEWS WRITER July 3lst of 2015 marked the start ofiny third Lollapalooza experience. With a lineup of countless artists that'are respected and revered among mature and younger generations, this was bound to be a Lolla that was worth the wait. The first performance, and one of my favorites, was Cold War Kids. Their sound rang true to anything recorded in a studio, and they played a variety of songs like old favorites, “Hang me up to dry,” to songs off their latest album, “Hold My Home.” They performed with energy and charm, enticing everyone to feel like this performance was for them. The highlight of my first day at Lolla surprisingly was not Paul McCartney, but Sylvan Esso. They started their set at the same time as the iconic Beatle but it was all worthwhile as they gave perhaps one of the best shows of the night. Sylvan Esso’s mix of electronic beats mixed with enchanting vocals is a recipe for anyone to be spellbound and want nothing more but to get lost in their music. Paul McCartney, of course, was the headliner of the night, and although Sylvan Esso was my favorite set, the Legendary Beatle gave the type of performance people rave about for a lifetime. Playing favorites Electric Austin Gonzalez OPINION EDITOR Going electric is all the rage these days. Seen as a hip way to cut costs and “go green,” everything from electric lawn tools to electric skateboards are gaining common support. Tesla’s electric vehicles may be the newest and sexiest form of electric personal transport, but it wasn’t the first. Adding a small motor to a bike lets modern day eco-friendly road warriors hit 28 mph with ease thanks to pedal assist. But what if you think electric bikes look dorky and you need something even more compact and convenient for your “last mile solution?” like “Hey )ude” and “Yesterday,” Paul also mixed it up with music of his later solo albums like his most recent, “New.” Paul ended the first night memorably, making everyone feel as if they were a part of his set, and not just there to see another performer. Saturday at Lollapalooza was also filled with quality performances. Not only did I get the opportunity to meet and interview Morgan Kibby of White Sea, but I also stood front row at her set at the BMI stage. She performed flawlessly and had lots of charisma and energy in her performance which drew in the crowd and even had some yelling for an encore at the end. Another popular band today that performed on Saturday was Walk the Moon. They also had a great show and would talk to the audience in between songs to get them to participate and feel like a part of the show. The ending of their set was remarkable, performing “Shut up and Dance” as the pre-closer, and ending with their hit “Anna Sun.” Saturday had an abundance of quality hip-hop artists as well, the most of the three-day festival, including Mick Jenkins in the morning, R.L. Grime, Tyler the Creator, and Kid Cudi towards the middle of the day, and G-Eazy to close the Pepsi stage. I watched G-Eazy’s performance and couldn’t have had more fun. Playing all of his hits, from “Monica Lewinski” to “Lady Killers” and even bringing out special guest Vic Mensah, a native Chicagoan, to help him with a song. To start off the day on Sunday, I saw The Wombats at the Sprint stage. They performed at an early noon show, but even so, the crowd was full of energy and they ended with one their most famous songs, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division,” which is my personal favorite. Towards the middle of the day, a severe weather alert had hit the city and caused everyone to be evacuated for at least an hour, which made me miss some much anticipated performances like George Ezra, Galantis, and Moon Taxi. When I returned to the park after the evacuation, my first move was to get ready to see Odesza, who performed at the Bud Light stage. Odesza’s set was filled with moments that left me in awe. They even brought out guest performers, the Chicago Bulls Drumline, to help enhance their opening and closing songs. Lord Huron and Of Monsters and Men were the next two bands that I saw perform. Performing one after the other, and at opposing stages, they complimented each other’s styles very well. Lord Huron had performed at Lolla before and it showed; they captivated the crowd song after song. 0f Monsters and Men, performing at the opposite stage, also showed their veteran skills at performing by mixing some of their Old hits skateboards: T Electric skateboards have been gaining traction steadily and significantly over the last five years. Depending on the style of e-board, you’ll find different features. Longboards promise comfort and more space for bigger and longer-lasting battery packs. Some embed the battery pack into custom decks made of carbon fiber for a more inconspicuous ride. Many are even aimed at off-road use on trails usually meant for mountain bikes. Typically boards have motors ranging from 400W to 2kW, and can hit anywhere from 15 to 25 miles per hour with a range of six to 20 miles. This summer, I’ve ridden a used Yuneec E—Go Cruiser for around 250 miles. I would say the trade-off of speed for range is the practical way to go. Yuneec’s offering is clearly placed as the budget board. The Yuneec board uses a 400W motor to hit a top speed of 14 mph with a range of 20 miles for the lowest production prices of $699. After you get comfortable with the board, you will begin to find the speed isn’t as exciting as it was the first day. The range, however, more than makes up for it. In a single day, I rode from IIT to the Museum of Science and Industry, back up to Navy Pier, then to Ogilvie Transportation Center, then a final two miles to get home. The convenience of being in control of your transportation is hard to beat. You can take it with you on the train and you’ll never have to wait for the bus again. like “Little Talks” in with music off their latest album, “Beneath the Skin.” To close the night with my favorite performance of the day was Florence and the Machine. Florence, from the second she took the stage, also took the hearts and minds of the crowd by captivating them with her high energy and allure. Her majestic voice flooded the stage and poured out into the audience making everyone feel as one for a short period of time. Unfortunately, the rains from earlier in the day had returned, and caused the show to end early. At least everyone acquired a taste of her musical performance, making me eager to know when she will be back to perform again. Overall, this year was a very successful Lollapalooza in my eyes. They managed to engage a wide variety of audience members, from young to old, new school to old school, indie to rap, and electric and metal. Every stage was packed with fans and fans—in-the—making, making every performance one that would be talked about for ages. Next year’s Lollapalooza will have a hard task in front of them, trying to match this year’s talented array of performances, but you can still count on me heading right back to Grant Park to enjoy another festival that has quickly become the place to be. egood The form factor is also great; no one looks twice when you bring your board with you into the building. The strangest and most easily over- looked plus is that the battery is huge on these boards. Any manufacturer worth their salt will include a USB port that can charge your phone in a pinch. My experience has been everything I expected, and being on the forefront of this emerging product is icing on the cake. E-boards are fast, fun, and surprisingly convenient. Ifyou’re not convinced, I’d recommend taking a trip to some of the skate shops in Chicago that offer e-boards. Many will be willing to let you have a test ride, and I think you’ll be hooked pretty quickly.