HBO’s "The Last of Us" is the ideal video game adaptation

If you ask any gamer their opinion on video game adaptations, you'll probably get some strong opinions on uniquely terrible movies like “Hitman” (2007), the “Resident Evil” series (2002-2016) or Angelina Jolie’s short stint as Lara Croft (2001-2003). 2016 was a good year for painfully bad adaptations, sporting “Assassin’s Creed,” “Ratchet & Clank,” “Warcraft” and the final “Resident Evil” chapter, creatively named “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.” The TV market hasn’t had as many entries, but it’s had its own fumbles with “Halo” (2022) or “The Witcher” (2019-2023).  Recently however, there’s been a surge of good adaptations of beloved games, including 2019’s “Detective Pikachu,” “Sonic The Hedgehog” (2020) and its sequel (2022), and “Arcane: League of Legends” (2021). Each has its own issues, but on the whole, they are great adaptations. Luckily for us, this trend seems to be continuing, evidenced by what has been a nearly flawless adaptation of developer Naughty Dog’s magnum opus “The Last of Us.”

Reality is Outpacing Dystopia

  Like many with an interest in history and politics, I’ve often found myself drawn to alternate history and dystopian fiction. There’s some allure to exploring paths that were not tread or adding a fork or two in the road and seeing how things turn out.

Officer candidates address SGA’s negative perception at election speeches

Election season has once again come to Shippensburg University. Speaking from the podium in McFeely’s on Thursday, two candidates sought students’ votes for the 2023-2024 Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Leadership Committee (ELC). Of the five positions open for the election, petitions were filed only by a single candidate for the positions of president and vice president of Internal Affairs. No petitions were received for the positions of VP of Finance, VP of External Affairs or VP of Student Groups.

Pause to student group approval among issues discussed at Student Government meeting

The Shippensburg University Student Government Association (SGA) announced changes to the process for approving student groups at its third public meeting of the semester held on Feb. 23.  

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second year

This week will mark a year since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced what he called a “special military operation” — his chosen euphemism to describe a full-fledged invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine. Following a stunning display of Ukrainian resistance and defensive capability, the war entered a period characterized by small shifts of the frontlines and use of trench warfare. 

Upcoming campus events announced at SGA meeting

The Shippensburg University Student Government Association (SGA) was updated on a multitude of upcoming student group events during its second public meeting on Feb. 9.

College Board is bowing down to history erasure

It is not uncommon for black history to be sidelined in high school and college courses, but thanks to a decision by the College Board, that phenomenon now extends to AP African American Studies. Recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has embarked upon a crusade against everything the far-right elements of the Republican party has come to consider “woke” and “perverted” — from Disney to school library books. 

Brazil’s Jan. 8th Insurrection and America’s Responsibility

The rise of Trump and so-called ‘Trumpism’ or ‘MAGA-conservatism’ here at home has been echoed by the rise of far-right and nationalist parties and politicians in Europe and Latin America. Among them are Orban in Hungary, Le Pen in France, Meloni in Italy and importantly for this discussion, Bolsonaro in Brazil. 

Review: ‘The Menu’

When I first saw the trailer for “The Menu,” it instantly went on my must-watch list. A cross between black comedy and suspense horror about the restaurant industry? Sign me up!

Review: Victoria 3