Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Rocking View Axel Steel, one of the playable characters from the Guitar Hero scries, looks out into the world of Halo 3. Photos by Katie Pii-nc ■ Pliolo IllW ' Iritlioii hy I ' .rik Sihmdcr Cory Chase drinks Game Fuel to extend his plav time. Pepsi Co. produced Halo inspired Mountain Dew Game Fuel upon the release of Halo 3. Photo by Katie Pierce halo guitar hero 21 D

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guitar halo games that rock and rollout Master Chief walks through the rough, mountain terrain. His battle rifle is slung over his shoulder. He waits. A bullet comes from above and to the west. He fires, shots fly on the screen. The Master Chief falls into the flowing river. I ' m done man! Jeff Schnell yells to the glowing television screen as he tosses his controller over to his bedside. According to cnn.com ' s entertainment producer, Matt West, said Halo 3 enjoyed unprecedented hype and results following the Sept. 25 release. In the first day it made $170 million, and that was in the United States alone. This made it the biggest launch in entertainment history, West said. Halo 3 was the concluding game in the Halo story line, which began with Halo ' s release in 2001. Since then graphics and technology have increased in quality and performance, and the game has become considerably more interactive due to additions like the theatre. It takes multi player to a whole different level. And the graphics are amazing, Schnell said. A well-received update to Halo 3 was the addition of the theatre. The theatre was a special feature that allowed the player to watch previous scenes from an independent camera. The camera could go ahead o f the player, behind, in a completely different area and watch how the scene unfolded. Cory Chase waited six hours in a Wal-Mart line the night it was released so he could bring it home. Chase said the hype started in May, when Bunjie released a Beta multi player version that could be tested online through the game Crackdown. From then, it got even more intense. It was around my birthday, the end of August, when I started getting really excited about it. Chase also mentioned the dialogue changing with difficulty levels as one thing he liked about Halo 3. He remembered one change specifically. There were three brutes in the room. I killed one of them and another said, ' That was my lover! ' Yeah, that goofed me right up, Chase said. w • Kate Hall d • Erik Schrader Guitar Hero III Facts Guitar Hero III was released October 28, 2007, and grossed $100 million in its first week, making it one of the most popular games released in 2007. M — The game also has more interactive options including a guitar battle mode, and a set list expanded by 12 with some big names including Metallica and recent rockers like The Killers. DD D Since the original release. Guitar Hero has taken players and rock stars by storm, including Jonathan Davis from Korn, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Bob Bryer of My Chemical Romance and many more. 020 DD student life

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Successful Pomping Sigma Sigma Sigma Kati Pugh makes some adjustments to their Asian themed float. It took a little over a month to complete and won first place. Photo by Kayleen Vande Kamy pomped up getting down to the wire Homecoming is known to colleges all over the country. With many contests, activities, Walkout Day, parade and football game, students often cram their schedules with things to do. What most people don ' t know is that for many students, Homecoming preparation events hit their calendars almost a year in advance. Only a week after all the festivities, many Greek organizations will begin making partnerships for next year ' s events. A new Homecoming executive board is elected shortly following the big event and many organizations begin attending meetings to discuss rules and changes to the upcoming year. One of the things that takes the most time involving Homecoming is the parade float. For the 2007 school year, the men of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity along with the women of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority teamed up to build their masterpiece. Phi Sigma Kappa had made plans with the sororitv just a week after the 2006 Homecoming weekend ended. The two organizations began building their float on Sept. 1- 56 days before the parade. What started as a farm trailer would soon become an elaborate work of art. Most would say, the basic necessities for building a float for Homecoming would be wood for the frame, lots of chicken wire, glue, tissue paper known as pomps and lots of man hours. Money is also another thing very important in the float building process as one box of pomps containing 24 packages of a certain color can cost over $60. Step one of building a float would be constructing a frame. A wooden frame is needed to support the massive amounts of chicken wire, glue and pomps. Chicken wire by itself is too flexible and light. Building the frame can be one of the most stressful parts. Andrew Nolker, member of Phi Sigma Kappa, was named float chair. Getting the dimensions and everything to meet the requirements in the bylaws is tough, Nolker said. After a frame is built and attached to the trailer, members of the organization will spend many hours unrolling feet of chicken wire. They then cut it to the dimensions needed, snip the thin wire that holds the middle solid and stretch it. Stretching takes multiple people pulling in multiple directions. Stretching is necessary to flatten wire that came rolled in a cylinder. The next step is to cover every square inch of the frame with the stretched chicken wire and attach it with nails or staples. The more tightly pulled the wire is over the frame, the better it will be to decorate. Next comes the most time consum- ing part, what most call pomping the float. Members of Sigma Sigma Sigma and Phi Sigma Kappa used two sheets of pomp slightly offset then twisted them around their index and middle fingers to create a pomp. They then dipped the bottom end into the glue. Hannah Boehner, member of Sigma Sigma Sigma, says it is one of her favorite and least favorite parts. I hate the glue, it ' s nasty. I would rather just roll the pomps and let someone else glue, Boehner said. After dipped in glue, the pomp is then stuck through one of the holes in the chicken wire. Do this a few thousand times over the course of a few weeks and what was once chicken wire covering a frame wifl be a colorful creation. Many things can change as floats are built. Adding a layer of pomps can add inches and weight to your structure. All these are things to consider whfle building, as there is a set of rules everyone must follow set by the executive board. You have to pay attention to detail and watch your measurements as vou build and then make sure it ' s strong enough to go down the road. Then worry that thev all meet requirements for judging, Nolker said. Both Boehner and Nolker agree the time spent was well worth it when getting to hang out with friends. Winning first place, like their float did, made it even more worthwhile. w ■ Megan Tilk d • Erik Schrader 022 DD student life