Splat! A new video game comes your way

Nintendo released their first new intellectual property in years this past month. But how does it stack up against their other multitudes of games? It turns out, yes - very well actually. With this new IP came several new hurdles. First and foremost, Nintendo had to enter a genre of games that they had never explored before. That’s right, shooters. If that weren’t enough, this is Nintendo’s first video game where online games are really the main attraction.

But Splatoon is not a traditional take on shooters.  In the game players take control of an Inkling. Inklings are kid/squid hybrids that are able to change from one form and back again. These Inklings are equipped with guns that shoot not bullets, but rather ink. Changing into a squid allows the Inklings to swim through their own ink at a much faster speed than in their human form, which becomes very important as mobility is an essential part of Splatoon.

Players are paired up into teams of four and proceed into battle. In the games main mode, called “Turf War”, the two teams compete to see who can cover the most area on the map in their own color ink. The game’s second mode is dubbed “Splat Zones”. In this mode, players are tasked to keep control over a certain zone for a certain period of time by covering it in their own ink. Both of these modes put less of a focus on killing your opponents, although it can be helpful, and stress strategy and careful planning more so. It’s a refreshing change of pace compared to that of typical shooters.

Splatoon also has a single player campaign. It’s short, but enjoyable. There are 27 different missions with several boss battles. Missions have a heavier focus on platforming than either of the two game modes, which isn’t a bad thing. There is also a two player local multiplayer mode, but it just falls flat when compared to the insanely addictive online multiplayer. It is a nice addition, but most will find it forgetful after a few rounds.

And what would a shooter be without an array of weapons? Luckily, Splatoon is packed with them. There are a huge amount of weapon classes, each with their own sub-weapon and special weapon. You cannot mix and match these sub-weapons, but that makes the game feel more strategic. Each class has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition to weapons, there is gear that you can buy for your Inkling. When equipped, this gear will give your Inkling special abilities. Mixing and matching gear to get the perfect combination for your combat style is strategic and addictive.

Finally, one of the Splatoon’s strongest points is its DLC support. Nintendo has promised new maps, weapons, and game modes to be released up through this August at the very least, for free. As this is written, the game has already seen two new weapons and two new maps in it’s very first few weeks of release.

Splatoon is a huge success with fun online modes, engaging customizability and unique charm and art-style. With it being the first new franchise Nintendo has created in over a decade, it is sure to leave its footprint, even if it does not get the recognition it deserves. I think I can speak for myself and so many other fans when I say I hope we see a sequel to Splatoon next year.

Learning to work with Work-to-Rule

by Ryan Johnston

As many students know, teachers within the City of Woburn are currently in the works of renewing their contract in hopes of receiving more benefits and more revenue in order to be able to sustain their style of living. Unfortunately, an agreement between the Woburn Teachers' Association and Mayor Scott Galvin cannot be reached, which has led to a tactical maneuver that is called “Work-to-Rule.”

Work-to-Rule is not a strike per se, however it is a method of showing protest to something by only abiding by the contractual guidelines that are currently in place by the former contract. Many students, parents and even city workers do not realize how much extra effort teachers put into their teaching jobs outside of school hours. Some examples are the following: grading papers and creating lesson plans at home, writing college letters of recommendation, staying after for additional days of help, attending outside events hosted by the school and many more important things. Due to the fact that these things listed above are not in the teacher contracts, with work-to-rule, these activities will not be carried out as a way to protest the current contract offers the teachers have been receiving.

This is very frustrating for both teachers and students, because students may require these extra services that teachers provide.  However, due to Work-to-Rule, these services are no longer being provided. It is frustrating for the teachers, because they would like a fair contract, one where they could be able to pay their bills and sustain a regular lifestyle instead of struggling due to contractual conditions. They also wish to be part of outside activities, like the promenade and graduation, but can't due to Work-to-Rule.

Junior Janki Patel expressed her opinion and shared a personal experience of how Work-to-Rule had personally affected her as a student at WMHS.

“Work-to-Rule is super frustrating because one time I had a math quiz on Friday that I needed to stay after for, however another one of the classes taught by the same teacher had a quiz on Wednesday. My teacher decided to stay after school on Tuesday in order to help those students who required extra help for the test on Wednesday. Unfortunately, since he used up his 1 extra help day for the week, he was not able to stay after again that week,” stated Patel.

Teacher contracts state that teachers must only stay after school once a week for a set time of approximately thirty minutes, which may greatly take away from the extra learning experience that students require.

Overall, this is a very frustrating situation for both teachers and students. If we would like anything done as a city, we must take action and call into the mayor’s office inquiring about it, and demanding a resolution to this crisis.