6B — Thursday, January 16, 2020
b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
B-SIDE: DIGITAL CULTURE NOTEBOOK
The terribly crazy year that was 2019 has
come to a close, and though most are glad
to have it in the past and see what the new
decade brings, it would be a shame to not
muse on the strange and wonderful year it
was for gaming. From the revival of classic
franchises to the success of numerous indie
darlings, as the year comes to a close, let’s take
a look at the best gaming experiences it had to
offer. Here are The Daily’s picks for the best
video games of 2019.
1. “Fire Emblem: Three
Houses”
There are a million things I could say
about “Fire Emblem: Three Houses” —
how it perfects the standard gameplay of
the series to make it more accessible for
new players without sacrificing difficulty
and depth, how you can play the game four
different times and experience four distinct
story pathways all totaling up to hundreds
of hours of content, how the game got me
to buy DLC just so I could pet cats — but I
think the best testimonial I can offer is how
it has firmly embedded itself into my mind.
Ever since I first booted up the title screen,
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about
“Fire Emblem: Three Houses.”
The quick and dirty summary of “Three
Houses” is that you play as a mercenary-
turned-professor at a medieval military
academy, smack dab in the middle of a
continent on the brink of war. Over the
course of many years, you follow the
professor and their students (from one
of the titular three houses you choose to
teach, each representing a certain slice
of aforementioned continent), and how
you and these students grow, change and
challenge each other.
Even though you can kind of facetiously
boil it down to “be gay do war crimes,” the
classic video game suspension of belief
kicks in and allows you to fall for the most
loveable group of idiot students you’ll want
to both strangle and hug as you remind
them that everything is going to be alright.
Though the gameplay and quality of life
improvements to the franchise are top
notch, the character design does the real
leg work here, imbuing these kids with
some of the most intimate and relatable
stories, despite the overarching narrative
ultimately being a tale of knights and kings
and war.
“Three Houses” is a phenomenal game,
and one made made all the more special
because of the life it has taken on outside of
my Nintendo Switch cartridge. I can’t go five
seconds scrolling through my Twitter feed
without seeing some fanart of characters
pulling pranks on the professor, crushing on
each other or having a wholesome holiday
celebration. I would die for Marianne, and
I want the chibi charm I have of her on my
backpack to make that fact known to the
world.
I had only played half a previous “Fire
Emblem” game before picking up “Three
Houses,” and if you went back to the
summer and told me I would be so in love
with this game to the point of drawing
my own fanart of my favorite characters,
or hypothesizing with my girlfriend and
roommate about how the students of the
Blue Lions house would squabble and
gossip with one another on a class road trip,
I don’t think I would’ve believed you. With
fulfilling tactical gameplay, a painfully real
story and an incredible cast of characters,
“Fire Emblem: Three Houses” is my game
of the year and it should be yours too. The
fact the fanbase has stayed strong with a
steady pipeline of memes and art months
after the game’s release really tells you all
you need to know.
— Cassandra Mansuetti, Daily Digital
Culture Editor
2. “Sekiro: Shadow Die
Twice”
Controversial? Yes. A new beginning?
Yes. Mentally strenuous and engaging? Yes.
A game for everyone? No. “Sekiro: Shadows
Die Twice” is a masterpiece of gaming
because it does not compromise.
After
concluding
their
critically
acclaimed series “Dark Souls,” developers
FromSoftware
had
a vision and stuck
to it. That vision is
“Sekiro”: the 15th
century
Japanese-
themed
stealth
action
adventure
that
left
gamers
either glued to their
screens or screaming
at it. “Sekiro” is
hard.
Very,
very
hard. But it’s exactly
this
struggle
that
allows the player to
appreciate the craft
and
sophistication
that went into this
game. “Sekiro” does
not
accommodate
for
its
audience,
the audience must
accommodate to it.
To endure it is to
admire it. “Sekiro:
Shadows Die Twice” is committed to an
artistic message. It is that commitment that
makes it the best game of 2019.
— Eli Lustig, Daily Arts Writer
3. “A Short Hike”
While we all love video games because
they let us inhabit and explore worlds where
our wildest dreams become possible, where
we can slay dragons or quest after legendary
lost treasures, sometimes all we need is a
good game that shows us the beauty in the
ordinary, letting us take it in at our own
pace. “A Short Hike” is exactly what the title
says it is, and I love it for that.
You’re a bird named Claire on vacation
with your family, and you want to climb to
the top of the mountain to get some decent
cell service. Aside from some small bits of
narrative, there’s no greater story than that.
Though the game has a clear objective, it
doesn’t really care how or when you decide
to do it. You can walk up the mountain by
taking one of many trails or by forging
your own path. You can go swimming or
play volleyball or help a character find
their missing headband. You can sit by
the campfire and take your hands off the
keyboard for a minute. The pixel art is a joy
to marvel at, and it exudes the same charm
as one of Nintendo’s finest outings: it’s what
I imagine the villagers in “Animal Crossing”
do when you’re not around.
“A Short Hike” is like your favorite
dessert — it may only be a small treat that
you can finish in a minute, but it’s made
better if you take it slow, savoring every bite.
It’s the special chocolate cake you always
asked for on your birthday, a flavor you
could never forget. “A Short Hike” leaves
your heart full as much as that cake did your
belly.
— Cassandra Mansuetti, Daily Digital
Culture Editor
4. “Baba Is You”
It’s perhaps an objective truth that
no one will ever be able to make a more
perfect puzzle game than “Tetris.”
Universally
simple
and
endlessly
replayable, even your computer-illiterate
grandma could pick up a Game Boy and
know exactly what “Tetris” is about
and how to play it as soon as the first
block drops from the top of the screen.
I could write a whole article about this
(I actually won’t and would rather you
watch Matthewmatosis, one of the
best video game channels on YouTube,
concisely sum up said hypothetical
article in six minutes) but that’s not my
point. It wouldn’t be controversial to say
the best puzzle games in recent years, like
“Portal 2” or “The Witness,” still exist in
the shadow of “Tetris” Peak, gracefully
attempting but ultimately failing to
summit it. Instead of launching yet
another futile expedition, “Baba is You”
just moved the whole damn mountain.
“Baba is You” starts as simple as
“Tetris,” quite literally telling you
everything you need to know: “Baba
is You,” “Flag is Win,” “Rock is Push,”
“Wall is Stop.” Simple enough, right?
Well yes, until you realize that these
simple three-word facts are only facts if
the player wants them to be. Each word is
morphed into a block that can be moved
around however you see fit. Want to push
the flag instead of walking through it?
“Flag is Push.” Want to be a wall and just
vibe around? “Wall is You.” So on and so
forth, as you clear more and more levels
and the game throws keys and lava and
crabs into the mix.
It’s one of the smartest core video
game mechanics in recent years, and
“Baba is You” succeeds because the
puzzle is not just finding a way to get
to the end of the level, it’s pushing and
pulling and morphing the rules of the
level so the end gets to you. The game
isn’t any pushover, but prevents itself
from being frustratingly hard thanks
to a handy Ctrl+Z-like feature and its
inherent silliness. Still, “Baba” never fails
to make me feel like a MD-PhD in puzzles
through the tiny victory of completing a
level.
Sure, I could look up the optimal
solution to each level that takes the least
amount of moves possible, but where’s
the fun in that? The best part of “Baba
is You” is that there’s never just one
solution to any given level. You don’t
find the right way to do it, you find your
way. And even if your way is hilariously
stupid, no one can deny it got you over
the finish line.
— Cassandra Mansuetti, Daily Digital
Culture Editor
FROM SOFTWARE
‘Fire Emblem’ and other video game highlights of 2019
The most notable events around Ann Arbor in 2019
“War Requiem”
Few
pieces
of
music
carry
the
magnitude of meaning that can be ascribed
to Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem.”
The work combines traditional requiem
texts with poetry by Wilfred Owens about
World War I. It calls for three separate
performing groups: a full orchestra with
choir and soprano soloist, a chamber
orchestra with baritone and tenor soloists
and a children’s choir accompanied by
organ.
This past February, the UMS Choral
Union, Ann Arbor Youth Chorale and Ann
Arbor Symphony Orchestra decided to take
on this work under the baton of conductor
Scott Hanoian. The performance lasted
about 90 minutes. It spanned all sorts
of textures and styles, from traditional-
sounding Roman Catholic choral singing
to dissonant, 20th-century orchestral
pandemonium — it was impossible to
escape the brutal irony of war as justified
by
traditional
secular
and
religious
institutions.
At the end of the work, the melodic
interval of a tritone — the most dissonant
interval, known by Church composers
at one point as “the Devil in music” —
becomes a consonant form of closure.
Over the course of the piece, Britten
slowly inverts the fundamental laws of
functional Western harmony. What was
once consonant is now dissonant, what was
once dissonant is now consonant.
The “War Requiem” was by far my
most intense audience experience of the
past year. I’ve never left a performance
with more thoughts running through my
head. It took days before I wanted to listen
to music again — before I was ready to
interrupt the perpetual experience that is
the “War Requiem.”
— Sammy Sussman, Daily Arts Writer
Rachmaninoff at Hill
Auditorim
In late February 2019, the Ann Arbor
Symphony Orchestra and pianists from
the Doctor of Musical Arts program in
the School of Music, Theatre & Dance
performed the best and most moving
orchestral works over the course of
two days of shows. I vividly remember
listening to a live arrangement of a Sergei
Rachmaninoff piece for the first time. I
sat truly entranced in Hill Auditorium as
“Finale: Alla breve” echoed off the high
ceilings. I left the performance with a
new fascination in Rachmaninoff. The
performance was a characteristic example
of how the arts — particularly the arts at
the University can have a lasting effect on
the audience. As I imagine the case was for
many students in prime midterm season, I
was able to escape the stress of consecutive
nights spent studying by placing myself
in Hill Auditorium. It took only these few
hours to be rejuvenated and energized by
listening to the masterful work done by the
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the
University’s own pianists. This combined
recital was the best of 2019, not only as a
result of the quality of music being played,
but also because of how well it represents
the utility of experiencing the arts as a
university student. The recital pulled me
away from my work for a little while, and
released me back with a new perspective
and a new song playing in the back of my
mind.
— Zachary M.S. Waarala, Daily Arts
Writer
Teac Damsa: “Loch na
hEala”
There is no bodily noise in ballet.
Ballerinas do not talk, clap or whistle. They
land each jump softly and gracefully and
keep heavy breathing to a minimum. These
rules are the epitome of “Swan Lake,”
a show that is as much about its tragic
storyline of lost love as it is about ballet itself.
Irish dance group Teac Damsa’s modern
interpretation of the story — performed at
the Power Center this past November —
pushed these conventions to the wayside.
Characters spoke, grunted and screamed,
swans clapped and stomped, people shook
plastic tarps and threw cinder blocks. In
doing so, they stripped “Swan Lake” of its
classical identity to present the story’s most
organic form: “Loch na hEala,” a gripping
story of darkness.
During the one-act show, protagonist
Jimmy struggles to fight his depression in
the aftermath of his father’s death. Using
the gun gifted to him by his mother, he
attempts to kill himself while standing
by the side of a lake’s gloomy waters. As
he raises the weapon to his head, a swan
named Finola diverts and captivates him.
Together, the two characters dance in an
ephemeral moment of darkly emotional
movement
before
being
aggressively
separated by Finola’s rapist, a priest who is
also the show’s narrator.
I first went and wrote about the show
for a class, but by the time Teac Damsa
was done with its 90-minute performance
I knew its impact would continue to touch
me for far longer than the semester, or
even the year. While the synopsis might
sound disconnected from the original
19th-century ballet, I was most captivated
by its similarities. In the original ballet,
Odette is also a swan cursed by a male
predator. Prince Siegfried is also a man
who struggles to find his purpose, and
both characters suffer because of their
misunderstandings. Teac Damsa’s founder,
Michael Keegan-Dolan, reached deep into
the original story to find these similarities,
producing a modern essence of an old
show: darkness, depression and the lasting
effects of power abuse. In doing so, he
reminded audiences about the timelessness
of dance itself. Without a doubt, it was the
best performance of 2019.
— Zoe Phillips, Senior Arts Editor
The Final BLED Fest
2019 saw the last installation of BLED
Fest, a small festival showcasing some
of the biggest up-and-coming names
in punk, indie rock and metal. The
festival began over 15 years ago as a
small house show, eventually expanding
into the all-day festival it is today with
multiple shows spanning across the high
school campus turned festival grounds.
Performances from modern punk legends
and local newcomers alike took place in
gymnasiums, cafeterias and classrooms.
While this festival took place just outside
of Ann Arbor and gained considerable
national
attention,
its
do-it-yourself
roots still shone through as local bands
from southeastern Michigan, including
Ann Arbor, littered the lineup. Groups
like Dogleg, Ness Lake, the Doozers and
Complainer all played heavily attended
sets.
While it does involve a community just
slightly larger than Ann Arbor, the final
installation of BLED Fest proved to be a
significant event that was different from
any other summer music festival, not
only because it took place inside of a high
school, but also because of its unique lineup
that featured members of the southeastern
Michigan music community.
This installment of BLED Fest also
proved to be the most diverse, both in terms
of genre and artist personnel. While the
original BLED Fest featured heavier music
performed by mostly white males, the final
installation of the festival featured hip-
hop, spoken word and singer/songwriter
acts with a wide variety of identities,
allowing the festival to end on a different,
more diverse chapter than it started on.
— Ryan Cox, Daily Arts Writer
The Polar Vortex
The Tuesday night before the Polar
Vortex, my housemates and I were in the
kitchen making dinner when we were
alerted about the cancellation of classes for
the next two days. Within a minute, Jacob
had made us a Facebook event: ENTER
THE VORTEX. The cover photo showed
our house in the middle of a storm system
map that posited Michigan to be colder
than the Arctic for the next 24 hours. We
were having a darty.
The following day was filled with ski
shots, blankets and mulled wine. The
crowd was composed of individuals who
had actually left their houses that day to
come over. This sense of comradery was
not bound by the house’s walls.
Everyone at the university seems to
remember last January’s Polar Vortex
fondly. Some stayed in and spent quality
time with their roommates. Some painted
the scenery. Others trekked across campus
to the promise of warm drinks and good
company elsewhere. I personally went to
see “Your Name” at the Michigan Theater
after the party. We all proved creative and
robust.
At the same time, though, we were
shielded from the storm’s ugly side by
warm abodes and comfortable clothes. It
proved a hardship for many others, and
even though it was memorable, let’s hope
to leave such callous weather in 2019.
— Ben Vassar, Daily Arts Writer
18th Annual Clown
Show
As someone who is truly terrified of
clowns, it feels strange saying this, but
my favorite event of 2019 was hands
down the 18th Annual Clown Show (also
known as the final presentation for the
class “Physical Theatre”). The Clown
Show acts as the final assessment for a
senior BFA acting class in which majors
develop a clown persona and perform
short improvisations for about an hour.
The clowns perform short 15-30 second
“noodles” (brief solo improvisations) as
well as loosely structured partner scenes.
They perform in the heart of finals week —
right after classes end and right before the
first week of exams — in the Arthur Miller
Theater. The house is always packed, the
admission is always free and the evening
is always bubbling over with laughter.
This year, as with every year, the acts were
wonderfully unpolished; the audience got
the delicious chance to see actors’ minds at
work. We got to laugh when they failed and
laugh even harder when they found a spark
of success (which sometimes took the form
of an earnest failure).
As a member of SMTD, this event always
means a lot to me. Regardless of the finals
or the papers, everyone finds a way to make
it out for the clown show and share warm
laughter together before the cold isolation
of exam time. In the stressful period when
everyone is asking the students to plan
ahead, we get to turn that off and be present
for an hour to watch people try to make us
happy, if only by accident or for a fleeting
moment. I can’t quite explain what exactly
makes it so joyful; perhaps it stems from
that mischievous sense of schadenfreude
inside all of us, or perhaps because it is the
beginning of a series of goodbyes to the
senior acting class, and the happiest one
we’ll probably ever get.
Regardless of the reason, the Clown
Show — and all of the community, warmth
and delightful distraction it brought —
slipped over a banana peel and landed at
the top of my 2019 list.
— Stephanie Guralnick, Daily Arts Writer
2019 Protests
I came home for fall break in October to
an unusual sight: My parents were nestled
in the living room, art supplies strewn
haphazardly around them, drawing a large
peach on a white board. My mother’s eyes
glistened mischievously as she looked up
at me. “I’m going to draw Trump on this
peach,” she giggled, then proceeded to
pick out a brilliant orange from the sea of
colored pencils in front of her. Political
action and protests have always been an
important part of my family’s life, and 2019
was a big year in politics. Protest events
littered my facebook feed the whole year:
I attended the climate strike in Ann Arbor,
the gun control rally in Detroit and the
women’s march in Ann Arbor, and that
wasn’t enough. These issues are far from
mutually exclusive, and I urge everyone to
resist confining them to their own isolated
spheres. If you care about tackling climate
change, chances are you’re in favor of
background checks for gun purchasing as
well. If you’ve never been, attend a protest
or two in 2020, to listen and observe if
nothing else. Let 2020 be the year where
you give a sh*t.
— Trina Pal, Daily Arts Writer
B-SIDE: COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK
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