Author: Alexander Cole

Spartan Locke and Master Chief go head-to-head

Post author By Alexander Cole
Post date October 20, 2015

Halo 5: Guardians can potentially be one of the best games in its series

On Oct. 27, 343 Industries will be releasing Halo 5: Guardians, the latest installment in the series, which 343 has promised to be one of the biggest Master Chief stories yet.

For those who don’t know, Halo is one of the most successful franchises in the history of first-person shooters, according to Video Game Charts, a business intelligence and research firm. It was one of Microsoft’s first exclusive titles and has gained an immense following across the world. In 2012, 343 Industries took over production from Bungie Studios and released Halo 4, which was the first installment in a new trilogy of games. Halo 5: Guardians will be the second game in this trilogy.

The story will surround two distinct groups of characters, something that has never been done in a Halo game. On one side you will have Master Chief, who is a staple of the franchise, and on the other side is Spartan Jameson Locke.

Spartan Locke is a new character: he is the leader of Spartan team Osiris and has been tasked with capturing Master Chief, who is wanted by the UNSC after going AWOL. Master Chief, on the other hand, is unaware of this as he is currently working with Blue Team, a group of Spartans that are a major part of his origin story.

Master Chief’s story takes place a short while after the events of Halo 4. Fans can expect to see Master Chief searching for answers about the death of his A.I. companion Cortana while fighting the new breed of Prometheans he awoke at the beginning of Halo 4. With Blue Team fighting alongside him, Master Chief will no longer be the lone wolf character that fans have known him to be. Both Master Chief’s and Spartan Locke’s stories are intertwined and will both be playable.

Halo 5: Guardians will also be revamping its multiplayer in order to attract both competitive and casual gamers. In the game’s Arena multiplayer mode, 343 Industries plans to release more competitive game modes that include a more skill-based ranking system. Gamers will be able to enjoy all of the classic modes as well as a brand new game type called Warzone. This new game type lets players face-off against other user-controlled opponents and even enemy A.I in a bid to score the most points. This game mode will also include 12 vs 12 matchmaking which has never been done in a Halo game.

The game’s campaign demo was a crowd-pleaser at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, a gaming event where industries debut new games. Ever since the multiplayer Beta last January, fans have been begging for more. For those who love the game, Halo 5: Guardians is looking like a must-have and possibly even one of the best games in the franchise.

Sports

Stingers drown Gaiters in massive blowout

Post author By Alexander Cole
Post date October 20, 2015

Concordia defenders tackling the Bishop’s ball carrier in Saturday afternoons game. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

Concordia puts up 63 points in win against Bishop’s Gaiters Saturday at Loyola.

The Concordia Stingers football team blew out the Bishop’s Gaiters 63-0 Saturday afternoon at Loyola.

Quarterback Trenton Miller had an impressive stat line which featured five touchdowns, 388 yards passing and 90 yards through the ground.

“The key to this game’s success was the offensive line,” said Miller following the game. “They were giving me ridiculous amounts of time and were just destroying the other team’s defense. Today was 100 per cent on the offensive line.”

The Stingers opened the game with a 68-yard drive down the field that ended in a 24-yard touchdown run from running back, Jean-Guy Rimpel. Later in the quarter, Miller would lead his side down the field and connect with wide receiver, Yanic Lessard for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the Stingers a 14-0 lead.

The Stingers continued to put up points in the first quarter. Cornerback Connor O’Brien returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown score. By the end of the first quarter, the Stingers were up 21-0.

In the second quarter, Miller continued to make plays down the field, making his running ability known to the Gaiters defense. While Miller’s rushing game was impressive, Stingers coach Mickey Donovan attributed Miller’s running plays to his ability to read the opposing defense.

Stingers receiver James Tyrell taking to the open field in Saturday game vs Bishops. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

“It’s a read from trends,” Donovan said when talking about Miller’s rushing plays. “If the end is tearing hard off the edge, he pulls in and goes, if not, he hands the ball off. [Miller] was just on point.”

Miller ended the second half with his second touchdown pass to Lessard after an incredible 69-yard bomb to receiver Justin Julien to make the game 35-0 for Concordia. The half would then end on a Gaiters safety which gave the Stingers a 37 point lead at half-time.

Despite being up by 37 points to the 1-4 Gaiters, the Stingers didn’t ease up on their frail opponents. The team opened the second half with Miller’s fourth touchdown pass of the game. This time his target would be slot back Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren.

“We were just the better team today,” said Gilbert-Knorren. “We were at home and we wanted it more. We still made mistakes though and we’ll need to play even better if we want to beat teams like Laval and Montreal.”

Later in the quarter, Miller would throw an interception but redeem himself in the fourth quarter with Lessard’s third receiving touchdown.

Another huge performance came from receiver James Tyrell who had 215 return yards and a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter. For Tyrell, the key to his success in the game had much to do with the blocking provided by the special teams unit.

The Stingers defense also came up big, holding the Gaiters offense to a total of 149 yards.

The win improved the team’s record to 3-3 which moves them closer to a position for a playoff spot. For Donovan, Saturday’s game was crucial step forward.

“It was a big win today,” Donovan said. “We needed to get this win to get one game closer to making it to the playoffs. Now this upcoming weekend with the Redmen coming, we got to get the win, and if we win, we’re in.”

The team will get the chance to improve their record to 4-3, and secure one of the four playoff spots in the RSEQ division.

Uncategorized

Sports in The News

Post author By Alexander Cole
Post date October 13, 2015

Start to NHL season shrouded in controversy

The first week of the NHL season got off on the wrong foot as player suspensions and drug allegations made headlines around the league.

The first controversy began with Montreal Canadiens forward Zack Kassian who suffered minor injuries in a car accident. The Gazette reported Kassian was later admitted to the NHL’s substance abuse program. Just a few days later, according to NHL.com, San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres was suspended for 41 games by the NHL for his vicious hit to the head on Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg. Torres is a repeat offender and his latest suspension will leave him out for half of the season.

Lastly, in a report by TSN, it was discovered and acknowledged by the NHL that cocaine use is on the rise amongst players. While the NHL does comprehensive drug testing, the league does believe it needs to do more to combat the issue.

Miami Dolphins fire head coach

TSN.ca reports the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin this past week after a lackluster start to the NFL season. After a 27-14 loss to the New York Jets in London, England, the team decided that Philbin was no longer a good fit for the team.

The Dolphins have shown a lack of effort out on the field so far this season and they are now at the bottom of the AFC East standings with a 1-3 record. Amongst the team’s problems is quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was slated to have a great season, but his performance on the field has been lacking. It has also been reported that Tannehill has been taunting players in practice. As a result, his leadership has been brought into question.

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini suspended

FIFA’s problems were made worse this past week when FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini were suspended for 90 days by the FIFA Ethics Committee. According to The Guardian, Platini was set to become Blatter’s successor as President of FIFA. Both suspensions came in the wake of a Swiss criminal investigation that claimed that Blatter had misused FIFA money to pay Platini a sum of $2 million. Blatter has also been accused of selling broadcast rights at an inexpensive price to former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner. Due to these lowered prices, Warner was able to take home a huge markup. Issa Hayatou, who is the president of the African Soccer Confederation will take over as president of FIFA.

Sports

The Habs’ Captaincy Election

Post author By Alexander Cole
Post date October 6, 2015

Why Bergevin and the Canadians made the wrong choice

The federal election is upon us and people all over Canada are gearing up to vote for who they feel will best represent the country. If you follow the Montreal Canadiens however, the biggest election has already happened. It was reported two weeks ago that Habs players conducted their own election to decide who would represent the team and become captain. In the end, Max Pacioretty came out victorious and will be wearing the C this season. Ultimately however, the players were wrong.

A captain is supposed to be someone who will represent your team. They are the face of the franchise. The guy who answers all of the media’s questions and makes appearances for the team while also contributing and giving back to the hometown community. If any fan or casual observer were to examine the criteria just presented, it would be obvious that the captain of the team should be none other than P.K. Subban.

Ever since Subban joined the Habs, he has consistently been a recognizable face for the team. He is a Norris Trophy-winning defenceman and is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NHL. Not only is he amazing on the ice, but off the ice as well. His charitable donations and commitment to the city is extremely admirable and he is truly a fan favorite. His rapport with fans and the media is something to be marvelled at and his maturity has grown exponentially over the last few seasons. Just last year, his critics were saying he was too immature to be a captain. This year, he was considered a frontrunner and was robbed.

By no means am I saying that Pacioretty is a bad player or can’t be a good leader. He is a talented forward who has the potential to score 40 goals per season. The problem is that Pacioretty just doesn’t have that star personality Habs fans salivate for. He is a player that is prone to injury and it’s hard to lead from the pressbox. But the players voted him as captain so that must mean that they see something in him that we simply can’t see from his demeanor on TV. While I will always believe that P.K should be the captain; I hope that Pacioretty proves me wrong and goes that extra mile to become one of the marquee leaders in the game. The team’s success depends on it.