The (JAWA) Post, Issue 94

As summer draws toward its close, the sun still beats down with all its ferocity, and we're not yet through the heat and humidity. But there's a change in the air, and as always the approach of autumn brings the promise of new experiences and new challenges. The dog days sapped our energy and we haven't yet settled down into our new routine, but just around the corner comes a new and fresh breeze to sweep away the summer cobwebs. Here for your pleasure we present the latest issue of the (JAWA) Post: all the news from July and August, including two new alliances, changes and adjustments to our clan rules, the establishment of a new club, and of course a roundup of the most recent goings-on in Jawaland! Wolfy presents an all-new interview with ~~Nightwing Junior~~ Arlu3n, we present a new episode of JAWARS, and Frosty brings a sparkling game review out from his freezer! Plus all of your other favourite updates, SotW winners, and music videos are here! As always, the Post staff wishes you happy reading!

–Helena

The (JAWA) News

17th (JAWA) ALLY OPEN TOURNAMENT!

The Seventeenth (JAWA) Ally Open Tournament was held on the main (JAWA) Server on August 5, featuring forty competitors from seven different clans! It was the largest field ever to compete in the tournament, which was hosted by Hy Pro Glo and Helena Revan. Four of the participating clans entered teams for the first time, including Azuma Zaibatsu, New Generation Ninja, Students of the Force, and Tempest. After six rounds of hard-fought battles, Soul Reapers' Nobody was declared the winner, after defeating his clanmate, Frd! SR's Jrrrr and Tempest's Wolfeye rounded out the top of the bracket, finishing in third place.

MOOKU SAYS GOODBYE

After thirteen months on the (JAWA) Council, our good friend Mooku decided that the time had come for him to seek new challenges and new horizons. Pursuing his dream of starting a new Jedi Academy Clan, on August 19, he took his leave from (JAWA) to establish Revelation, kicking off his new clan with invitations to (JAWA) and other clans to participate in his grand opening tournament on Sunday, September 2! Ten members of (JAWA) took him up on this invitation, and a fun time was had by all at the resulting tournament! In addition to serving on the council, Mooku was an ambassador and server administrator during his time in (JAWA), as well as a member of the (JAWA) Knights. He received a Participation Award in January 2017, and completed three out of four of the Cyan Trials, finishing the Knight Trial shortly before his departure. A friendly presence on and off the server, Mooku will be sorely missed by his friends, but in his capacity as leader of Revelation, he recently extended an invitation to form an alliance with (JAWA), which was accepted, so we expect to see more of him in the days to come!

NEW ALLIES

On August 13, Hy Pro Glo was glad to announce the establishment of formal ties with The Èxile, a clan established in 2015, which in recent days has grown closer to (JAWA) and begun interacting regularly through various competitive events, including three clan matches earlier this year. On August 20, Nightwing announced the formation of a new alliance with Students of the Force, a clan recently started by former (JAWA) Member Gareki! SoF and (JAWA) have already competed in a number of events together, including the Seventeenth Ally Open Tournament, and clan matches in June, July, and August! Our long-standing policy has been to encourage the growth of our community wherever it occurs, so it's our pleasure to welcome new allies into our circle of friends!

(JAWA) STREAMERS CLUB

A new club was announced by Nightwing on August 11: the (JAWA) Streamers! This new club is designed to offer live-streaming events and activities, tournaments, and other worthwhile content. Interest was instantaneous, and new club captains Nightwing and Malgus are expected to help shape and develop participation in this exciting new group. We look forward to seeing what they come up with!

ADMIN AND RULE CHANGES

With the passage of time, old rules need updating, and procedures need to be refreshed. Accordingly, over the last few weeks Nightwing announced a number of adjustments to our admin structure and rules procedures. Instructor-level admins now possess the full range of admin powers on the event server, bringing them into line with the powers previously granted to Knight-level admins. While the full range of possibilities afforded by this structural change in the admin system has yet to be fully explored, additional classes have been scheduled to help admins make the most of their new abilities, and use them wisely.

Meanwhile, a number of rules updates were issued. Most notably, the requirement that all players on the server have distinctive names has been suspended, so Padawans are coming to a server near you! The rule about not sabering someone during the bow in a duel was eliminated, on the grounds that it should only be a matter of courtesy, rather than a required form. Rules relating to providing notice before leaving the clan, originally intended to prevent chaos by club members leaving unfulfilled responsibilities, were also eliminated, as they were never enforced, and the problem proved to be short-lived. A few other rules were streamlined by combining them, but of interest to many members is a clarification on animated signatures, which are permitted as GIF's, but may not include Flash Video or Audio.

More updates are expected with the clanniversary celebrations in October, so stay tuned!

AWARDS

Chemist is the most recent member of the clan to receive the prestigious Contribution Award for his hard work in planning and hosting events and drawing traffic to our server! After serving for some time as Captain of the Event Planners, Chemist became the manager of that club, one of the few non-council members entrusted with such an important office! In addition to providing our members and guests with numerous events, some classics and some of his own devising, Chemist is known for his competitive spirit, has been an excellent admin, and is known to readers of the Post for his work writing about events, and more recently game reviews, in "Chemist's Laboratory"! Well-deserved, Chemist!

On July 29, Malgus was recognized with the Participation Award for his hard work in many different fields since joining the clan at the beginning of the year! Already he had proved himself as an Ambassador and Event Planner, and was entering training as a server administrator, receiving his badge before the end of August! Malgus is also an active member of (JAWA) Arts, the (JAWA) Podcast, the (JAWA) Knights, and not long after this award was announced, he was named one of the captains of the new (JAWA) Streamers club! There's hardly an activity in the clan that Malgus hasn't had a hand in this year, but so far he's done nothing but shine.

DEPARTURES

Hardly a month goes by without some of our friends called away by real life commitments, the lure of friends in other clans, or simply the curse of inactivity, and this summer we've said our share of goodbyes!

Dodo has been a friendly presence on the server, both as a member and ally, since 2015. He's never been the most active of members, but everyone who's met him has had the chance to enjoy his pleasant company, and kid him about being an extinct giant pigeon! Dodo left our family this summer to join Gareki in Students of the Force, but we hear that he's recently joined a new clan that's split off from SoF, and naturally we wish him and his friends the best of luck.

Drixli was a member of our family for about a year, first joining the clan in August of 2017, and rising to the rank of Knight, which he attained this spring. He was a participant in the 2018 (JAWA) Ladder, and won Dual Heaven once during the League, but he'll best be remembered as a busy bee who struggled to balance clan life with studies, and decided to take his leave late this summer.

Few members have grown as much or as quickly as Hochimoto during their time in the clan. Joining us for the first time at the beginning of 2016, Hochimoto devoted many hours to developing his fighting skills, and subsequently his artistic capabilities. A member of (JAWA) Arts, he turned in eleven outstanding Signature of the Week winners, and was also a member of the (JAWA) Knights, and a former server administrator. Ever the competitor, he has six League titles to his name!

Xanatos joined the clan for the first time in 2012, a former member of the Jedi Academy, known for his excellent fighting skills. He proved himself time and again in many of our competitions, reaching the Number 1 spot in the Super 20, finishing with the silver medal in the 2014 (JAWA) Ladder, passing the Elite Trials, and winning the Grand Slam at the (JAWA) League, where as of this issue he holds ninth place all-time with thirty-nine League wins! Unconventionally for someone with his skills, Xanatos was always friendly and helpful, and never liked to boast about his prowess. He was a server administrator and (JAWA) School teacher, and spent the last two years on our retired list, becoming a regular presence in the clan in recent days. We know that whatever he sets his mind to accomplishing, he'll achieve, and though we hardly think it necessary, we wish him the best of fortune as he seeks new outlets for his energies!

The 14th Prophet joined our clan this spring, and soon became involved with the (JAWA) Knights, passing his trial and becoming a full member of the team before inactivity claimed him in July. Hot Doge joined our family in the spring of 2016, and in bursts of enthusiastic activity he worked his way up to the rank of Knight by the fall of 2017, before falling into inactivity again. He'll be remembered as a cheerful and pleasant member, who enjoyed joking around with his clanmates. One might be forgiven for having the very same thoughts regarding 1NaCsTeR, who earned the Knight rank over the course of a year from the fall of 2016 to that of 2017. He was hard to catch on the server, but always pleasant and glad to participate when he was around. The inactivity bug took a bite out of his time, and this summer we said goodbye to our friend! RearEndVisage might be remembered as much for his unconventional persona as for anything else he did. A former member of the Exiled Knights by the name of Rariyokuu, many people will remember his unique icon on the Discord server.

Wolfy's Forest

Wolfy: Hello everyone, and welcome back to my sun-showered forest! My guest this month is our beloved member Arlu3n! Hello Arlu, how are you doing?

Arlu3n: Hey there, Wolfy, I'm doing good! How are you doing?

Wolfy: I'm doing great as well! Would you please introduce yourself briefly?

Arlu3n: I'm Arlu3n—my real name is Lukas. I'm 16 years old, and I live in Germany.

Wolfy: Alright! You've first joined the clan in 2014, and rejoined us in March, 2018. How would you describe your experience within the clan?

Arlu3n: Just amazing. I've really missed the clan while I was not in the clan, and that says a lot personally. The community we have is welcoming, helpful, organized, and really friendly. It's a real pleasure being in the clan.

Wolfy: During your time in (JAWA), you've been an Ambassador (for which you've earned a Participation Award), a member of (JAWA) Arts, and an Event Planner; and you're currently undergoing Admin training. What is next in store for you in terms of clan participation?

Arlu3n: Don't forget Ambassador Captain! I would really like to reach the Guardian rank, and at least complete all four cyan trials. Two of my long-term goals are getting accepted into the council, and being introduced into the Hall of Fame. It's a hard goal, but I think with loyalty and good clan participation, it would be possible.

Wolfy: Speaking of council membership, you've made quite a reputation for yourself for pointing out small flaws in the wiki for council members to modify. What motivates you to do this?

Arlu3n: To be fair, it's one of my flaws. When I see flaws on the wiki, I want to get them fixed so that it the information there is correct, and new members can find correct information. It's like, I want to do everything correct, even tho I can't always do that. Besides that, counting to that flaw, I really hate using odd numbers when using Photoshop and other stuff. Instead of a picture being like 487 x 771, I would change it to 500 x 800, because I don't like using the first.

Wolfy: That's fair enough! Most people know you as "Arlu3n" or "Nightwing Jr." Is there a story behind these names?

Arlu3n: Well, for Arlu3n it's kind of a long story. I wanted to create a Blood Elf Paladin in World of Warcraft but I just couldn't get any name. I searched on the informative internet, and found a character from the Lord of the Rings universe called "Araluen". I liked it and tried it, but it was already taken. I cut of the second 'a' from the name, and Arluen was born. I replaced the 'e' with a '3' while I was creating my YouTube account. I was watching some youtubers who has numbers in their name (not appended at the end), and I wanted to do it as well. It kind of stuck with me. As for "Nightwing Jr.", it's basically because of my skin. People say that my skin looks like Nightwing, especially because of the hair, and started calling me like that. In 2014–2016, while I was in the clan, Nightwing was using a custom Kel'Dor skin, and I was a Kel'Dor aswell, so yeah. XD

Wolfy: What do you like to do in your spare time, when you're not playing Jedi Academy or reading the wiki word by word?

Arlu3n: I really enjoy playing World of Warcraft and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in my spare time. Otherwise, I play a variety of games, and like watching YouTube and Twitch, next to chatting in Discord A LOT!

Wolfy: Very well! It is now time for our (JAWA) Quiz! Please welcome back our lovely quiz host, Helena Revan!

Helena: Are you ready to play the quiz, Arlu3n?

Arlu3n: *studies Helena's brain* ehhh... yeah, sure

Helena: Oooh, that tickles! Close your browser window, please, and we'll get underway. In case you don't know how this works, we're going to ask you five questions about a topic of our choice, and if you answer three of them correctly, you win our prize: the Golden Acorn of Knowledge and Wisdom!

Arlu3n: The Golden Acorn of Knowledge and Wisdom?! I always wanted that!

Helena: Well, now's your chance! Since you're widely known as "Nightwing Jr.", today's quiz is all about your idol, Nightwing! The DC Comics hero Nightwing, that is!

Arlu3n: Oh, no...

Helena: Here's your first question! Over the years, a number of heroes have assumed the identity of Nightwing. Which of the following has not?

   A. Power Girl
   B. Robin
   C. Superman
   D. Wonder Woman

Arlu3n: Who's Power Girl? I take 'A'.

Helena: I like how you think, Arlu3n! But I'm afraid the answer was 'D', Wonder Woman! It takes a lot of guts to pick an answer when you have absolutely no idea who it refers to!

Arlu3n: Dang it! I know nothing about the DC Comics hero Nightwing, so I probably won't get the mighty Golden Acorn of Knowledge and Wisdom!

Helena: Your second question is: which of these colors is associated with at least one of Nightwing's costumes?

   A. Beige
   B. Crimson
   C. Ecru
   D. Puce

Arlu3n: uuuh… I take 'B', because I like the word.

Helena: And 'B' is correct! Nicely done!

Arlu3n: Nice!

Helena: You're one for two. You just have to answer two of the remaining three questions correctly to win the quiz! Here's your third question: which of these cities is not associated with any of Nightwing's incarnations?

   A. Gotham City
   B. Kandor
   C. Las Vegas
   D. New York

Arlu3n: Even though I don't know what Kandor is, I'll take 'C', Las Vegas. Casinos the reason. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Helena: And once again, choosing the most sinful answer pays off! You are correct! Incidentally, Kandor was the former capital city of Krypton, Superman's home planet! The evil cyborg Braniac shrank it down to the size of a bottle, and stole it before the planet exploded. Nowadays, Superman keeps it in a quiet corner of his study, next to the lava lamp. Now, with two questions remaining, you only need one more correct answer to win the quiz.

Question 4: Nightwing's weapon of choice is:

   A. A pair of eskrima sticks
   B. A stun gun
   C. Suction-cup tipped arrows
   D. A Kryptonian laser pistol

Arlu3n: I will take 'A'. I've seen of pictures of Nightwing having some sort of swords or these eskrima sticks on his back.

Helena: You're sure you wouldn't rather pick the arrows? They might come in handy for very small villains!

Arlu3n: nope, I stick with 'A'.

Wolfy: 'Stick' with 'A', hah!

Helena: And 'A' is correct! Congratulations, you've won the quiz! Now, want to see if you can go four for five?

Arlu3n: Yes, I always want the best score remaining if I can get it!

Helena: The final question is: which of these facts about Nightwing is not true?

   A. There is a "Nightwing" amusement park ride at Six Flags New England!
   B. Nightwing was named ComicsAlliance's #1 Sexiest Male Character in Comics in 2013!
   C. Wonder Bread debuted a Nightwing-themed bread in 2015, aimed at children and fortified with twelve essential vitamins and minerals!
   D. In the game Batman: Arkham City, Nightwing's only role is to guard Wayne Manor while Batman and Robin are off on a mission!

Arlu3n: That is a hard one…

Helena: Well, I can help you narrow it down to one of the first four!

Arlu3n: Thanks for the tip, it helps me a lot! I never played Batman: Arkham City, nor I think that there is a amusement park ride, even tho it could be possible. Sexiest Male Character seems possible, but Nightwing-themed bread? I take 'C'.

Helena: You're going with the bread?

Arlu3n: Yes.

Helena: And your instincts pay off once again! You've correctly answered four of the five questions in today's quiz, and you win our prize, the Golden Acorn!

Arlu3n: YESSS!

Helena: Thanks for playing the quiz, Arlu3n! Now, back to Wolfy!

Wolfy: The interview is now coming to an end! Thank you, Helena, for hosting the quiz, and thank you, Arlu3n, for being my guest! I'll let you say the final words!

Arlu3n: Uhh, what can I say? "Always be yourself!" You might not think you can achieve something, but you can! Thanks for hosting Wolfy, and if you find any wiki errors, don't forget to post them on the forums!

Can I flip the table now?

Wolfy: Yes, you can!

Arlu3n: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

This feels good! Ok, now I need to clean this up.

Wolfy: ┬─┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

Done!

Arlu3n: Thank you! :D

Wolfy: And thank you, dear readers, for visiting my forest! See you all again next month!

JAWARS

The story so far: Dak ven Tinker, a young Jawa, has returned home to the village of Cordesh on the edge of the Dune Sea, hoping to pay the bride-price of his beloved Ivet. But after visiting with his family and his friends, he learns that nobody has seen Ivet's father, Tridal, in several weeks, placing all of Dak's plans in jeopardy! Meanwhile, back at Anchorhead, Dak's friend, the Rodian smuggler Danoweevak Odresi, is having his own problems with his newly-purchased vessel!

EPISODE XXXV: MISSING PIECES

"Hand me that hydrospanner," said Danoweevak patiently to the pit droid he'd "borrowed" from one of Bopeepa's maintenance crews. As he tightened the lugs on the third stabilizer inframe well, he frowned not seeing contact registered on the tiny panel on the adjacent side. He whacked the thickest part of the panel with the narrow end of the hydrospanner. If he didn't get these stabilizers in working order, the Jezreel would rattle like a cup full of dried blizka beans in hyperspace. Thinking back at how the ancient spice freighter had operated since he'd been piloting it, he realized they'd probably needed a thorough scrubbing for months. Now that the circuitry was repaired, he just needed to reintegrate the units.

The lights on the panel flickered on with the impact of the hydrospanner, then dimmed and went out again. Problem with the panel? Maybe it was an electrical fault. That gave him an idea! "Hand me the degausser!" said Danoweevak. The pit droid, which had been watching his work intently, straightened its compact form, saucer-shaped head nodding every so slightly, and returned to the toolkit, where it selected a curiously-shaped block, handing it to the Rodian. Placing it against the left side of the inframe well, Danoweevak flicked a switch, and the device emitted a reassuring buzz. Sure enough, a magnetic field had formed around the newly-cleaned unit. After a moment passing the tool over the surface of the unit, the field collapsed and read normal. Just as he was reaching for the panel to the right, the lights started coming back on as they recognized the stabilizer input. Danoweevak's antennae rotated and he could feel the wind in his spines. Yes, he was done! Now for the vertical repulsor assembly...

"Hai, Danoweevak!" came a call from over his shoulder. Down below, on the hangar floor, someone was calling his name. Looking up, he saw Tawg's lanky form staring back at him. The man waved cheerfully. "I've got a shipment of Dorchek parts and assemblies to send to Hirundo Station! Want first crack?"

"Dorchek parts?" asked Danoweevak, not quite sure he'd heard Tawg correctly. "What's Bopeepa doing ferrying Dorcheck parts around the neighborhood?"

The man shook his head. "We got a payment in kind from Corellia. Just don't look too closely at the source entry on the bill of lading!"

Ah, thought Danoweevak. That explains it. They'd probably gotten their hands on the parts for half their normal cost, and that would pull in some credits at Hirundo Station. Unfortunately, Danoweevak wasn't too confident about the state of the landing gear, and if he came into Hirundo Station hot, he'd be paying all his profits for repairs to the loading bay!

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to give it a pass, Tawg. I need to get the repulsors and landing gear in shape before I take her out of the atmosphere!"

"That's okay," said Tawg. "You're paid up for this month. I'll ask Tigunno!" He checked his hand by his temple in a kind of salute, then worked his way down the hangar.

It was a shame to pass on a blue milk run like parts to Hirundo, but Danoweevak was serious about the repulsor assembly. That could cause real trouble on a space station. And things only got worse when he started disassembling the injector. Passing a gas canister to the pit droid for analysis, he got the worst news possible. "What do you mean, the housing's cracked? How the heck did we land the last six times?" The tiny droid shrugged its shoulders and emitted a non-committal series of beeps and whirs. But Danoweevak could see where the crack ran right through the unit's outer casing, as he turned it over in his hand. It wasn't a deep crack, but it was definitely fatal to the unit. And it was an odd size, too. It'd be hard to find a replacement in decent shape, and it could take a while to fashion a new one himself.

"I guess there's nothing in Bopeepa's stores, is there?" he said to the pit droid. The droid sounded skeptical, but went to look, while Danoweevak checked the circuitry. It all looked like it was in running order. After a few minutes, the droid returned with a tiny sphere in one hand. "That's what'll fit?" Danoweevak asked, dismayed. The droid's electronic reply was affirmative. It wouldn't provide the power a ship this size needed for long, but maybe it'd get him far enough to find a better supply of parts. He started installing the tiny canister, muttering indistinguishable curses under his breath.

* * *

Dak activated the door alert with more than a little trepidation. How would Ivet greet him after all this time, and with her father missing? He'd find out soon enough.

The door cracked open. "Dak?" came a soft voice from inside. "Dak!" The door was flung open, and a pair of slender arms embraced him in a surprisingly strong grip. "It is you!"

"Ivet," he began, "I hardly know what to say!" That was the honest truth. As Ivet beckoned him inside the house, they exchanged information, in pieces rather than narratives, each too excited to let the other get out more than a few words at a time. Ivet led Dak to a chair, and poured a glass of sparkling hola water. It was crisp and cooling. Sitting down across from him, she lowered her hood, and Dak could see her pale, delicate features, and rich golden curls, the polar opposite of his dark hair. Just being here was a gift from the Overlords, he thought gratefully.

For the next few minutes, the two Jawas exchanged their stories of the last few months. It was hard for Dak to explain having gone offworld; it was so strange, almost unreal to anyone he'd ever known among all his people. Ivet's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief with every detail, yet somehow he got the impression that she did believe him. It was like he was telling a story about one of the heroes of old, only about himself, and that didn't make him comfortable at all, but Ivet didn't appear to mind in the least.

By comparison, getting information from his intended was a much more daunting proposition. She talked about the house, and village life, and the weather, and how she'd looked forward to seeing him again, which was both flattering and deeply satisfying. But the one topic that she carefully avoided was her father. In all of their interactions, Dak had felt that Tridal was fair and cordial; he'd never gotten the impression that the old man didn't approve of Dak's attention to his daughter, despite his modest background.

"Ivet..." he began, cautiously but earnestly, "where's Tridal? Where's your father?" Ivet's smile evaporated, but she didn't seem angry, just concerned.

"I don't know," she said, not quite convincingly. "He had some plan to acquire some kind of goods, he wouldn't tell me what they were." She hung her head, as if afraid to meet Dak's gaze.

"Ivet, did he say where he was going?"

Reluctantly, she looked up. Dak could have sworn she looked like she was going to cry. "Ais Nebba," she said, blurting out the words as if ashamed to say them. That didn't make a lot of sense. Ais Nebba was well outside the Hosmik clan's normal trading routes, but if Tridal had learned of a good business opportunity, even in a remote place like that...

"What aren't you telling me, Ivet?" Something wasn't right.

Ivet looked up, as if searching for something in Dak's face. Whether or not to trust him, he guessed. But before he had time to ponder what that meant, her decision was made. "His real destination was Dalrik Caves, he said. He told me not to tell anybody, because if anybody guessed what he'd gone after, he could be in trouble."

"What did he go after?" asked Dak, encouragingly.

"I don't know!" Did she really mean that? "All he said was it was some cache, an ancient cache of some kind, I'm not sure if it's technology or weapons or what it is, but someone might have killed him for it!"

That's what she was afraid of. Dalrik Caves? Dak hadn't ever been there, but he'd heard they were huge, and spectacular. Vast caverns, carved long ago by what could only have been an incredible flow of water. Remote as they were, tourists did go to visit them. But he'd never heard any stories about a treasure. "And you haven't heard anything from him since he left," Dak prodded gently.

"No," admitted Ivet. "That's what's so worrying. He said he might be out of touch for a few days, but it's been six weeks and not a word! I'm sure he would have communicated by now if he could have."

Dak had to think for a minute. Lots of things might have kept Tridal from reaching out, especially if he didn't want to alert anyone to what he was doing. There could be explanations that didn't involve foul play. But he certainly saw why Ivet would be concerned. And right now he had no other business than helping her in whatever way he could!

"It's alright, Ivet," he said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. "I'll go to Dalrik Caves myself, and see if I can find him."

She looked confused. "You'll go?" It wasn't common for a young Jawa like Dak to travel far on his own, or at a whim. But Dak had done well for himself; his adventure offworld had left him with plenty of money, and he had his own landspeeder. He could afford to go where he wanted. He tried to explain.

"No," said Ivet, confusing him momentarily. "We'll go." That was unexpected. "I'm going with you!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Frosty's Deep Freeze

A TALE OF A FATHER AND A SON: GOD OF WAR (2018)

Thirteen years after the release of the first chapter, and five years after the most recent, the God of War saga continues with a brand new story, and a definite change of direction within the game's settings. Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, has moved far away from his homeland and settled with his newfound family in the northern Europe. His escape from the horrors of his actions will be cut short. His wife dies, leaving Kratos and his son, Atreus, with one last mission: to spread her ashes from the summit of the highest mountain. But the journey will not be easy, as the land is filled by draugrs, trolls and most importantly, gods who haven't forgotten Kratos' past.

It is without a doubt that I say that God of War is, to date, the game that gets the most out of the PlayStation 4 hardware. When paired with a PS4 Pro and a TV capable of Ultra HD resolution (also known as 4K) and featuring High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, the game is nothing short of beautiful. Santa Monica Studio has been able to masterfully craft a world that makes you feel like you're in the snowy realms of Norse mythology. Although the game is available in both "performance" mode (a fluctuating 60 FPS, 1080p resolution game experience) and "cinematic" mode (with the aforementioned settings and a locked 30 FPS), the cinematic mode is, in my opinion, the best choice when available. Although in checkerboard mode, the higher resolution and HDR will make the already very detailed textures and landscapes even more realistic and vibrant. The locked 30 FPS, opposed to the annoyingly fluctuating 60 FPS in performance mode, isn't much of a burden, as the game isn't heavily dependent on action.

But the true beauty of the game—what really keeps me playing, and eager to see where the story will go—is not the landscapes or the gameplay, which, in all honesty, is not ground-breakingly innovative. It's seeing the relationship between Kratos and his teenage son, Atreus, grow and change. The latest chapter of God of War isn't about killing gods or destroying draugrs. It's about a father and a son that don't instinctively understand each other, but develop understanding throughout their journey. Seeing Kratos' pain as he tries to hide his past from Atreus, his coldness as a father with his own way to show love, and Atreus' childlike, angry and impatient reactions and thinking, makes me relate to the characters in a very personal way.

As already mentioned, the gameplay is the downside of this game. It is a sequence of mowing down enemies, climbing things, solving the occasional puzzle, more climbing, more mowing, more puzzles. The game has a simple progression system: the characters may find or craft their equipment to improve their in-game stats or unlock abilities via the XP points that you gather by killing enemies. Naturally, the bigger and stronger an enemy is, the more experience you gain. The game can also be frustratingly hard at higher difficulty; it isn't rare to find yourself in situations where you simply can't avoid being hit. For example, at particular point of the game on higher difficulty levels, the game will throw you two enemies that can tank, taking massive amounts of damage, one-hit you, and on top of that, heal themselves. These enemies are teamed with a witch who can become invincible, has ranged attacks, and can avoid damage until Atreus hits her with his bow. Meanwhile, a dragon is trying to kill everything that moves with area-of-effect attacks. The fight gets messy quickly, you get hit and you don't even know why or where. This is frustrating, but more importantly, it's a bad way to make a game difficult. When game designers just pump enemies with stats and throw everything they have at the player, you know that the game isn't hard; just frustrating, which is different. An enemy shouldn't be able to one shot you, heal, and suffer no damage. It's unbalanced, and no fun to play against.

Even though God of War suffers from these gameplay faults, I still believe that it's a game that has to be played if one has a Sony PlayStation. The frustrating gameplay is redeemed by the artistic beauty of the game, and the compelling storytelling about the characters.

The Doctor's Parallel Puzzle Dimension

Hello there! I'm not the Doctor! While he's lost in time and space, I'm filling in with a crossword puzzle this month. I just made this, and now it occurs to me that you'll have to print this out to use it properly. Please don't write the answers on your screen! The Doctor will be back soon. Or possibly he was already back and went out again. Time travel is so confusing! May 9 Down be with you.

–Helena

(JAWA) CROSSWORD

Clues

Across
2. Dagobah's most famous resident he was
5. Always travel in single-file
7. Target practice for young Luke
10. Pilot with long hair
12. A product of Kamino
13. You shot me! First!
14. Run the Falcon made in twelve parsecs
19. Furry allies on Endor
20. Han puts his faith in this
21. Chief export of Cloud City
22. Aunt Beru's maiden name
25. Loved Leia like a daughter
27. What the Death Star wasn't
30. Holiday celebrated with dangerous races
32. That's what Anakin Skywalker hates
33. This bounty hunter was more than met the eye
34. A Jedi warrior
37. A wretched hive of scum and villainy
38. They disagree with TIE Fighters

Down
1. C-3PO and R2-D2
3. Rogue Leader's surname
4. Solo's home away from home
6. They like salvaging junk
8. They probably don't like traps
9. Energy field generated by all living things
11. The "Deadliest Catch" at the Great Pit of Carkoon
15. Nien Nunb came from here
16. Title of a Sith Lord
17. He can go about his business. Move along!
18. She be the Rebel leader, mon!
20. Good for traveling through the core
23. They smell better on the outside
24. Too remote to make an effective demonstration
26. Luke had to sell his
28. The emperor called it home
29. No-one from nowhere
30. Lando was in charge here
31. Vader traveled in style on this
35. Money works on them
36. Fluffy inhabitants of Achto

Videos of the Month

Submitted by:

James Wood: "Marie la Cordelière", from the rock opera Anne de Bretagne—Wolfy
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour: "Surrender"—Helena Revan

Billy Idol: "Dancing with Myself"—Frosty
No Doubt: "Don't Speak"—Chemist

Billy Joel: "Uptown Girl"—Bonus 80's Flashback

Event Calendar

Event Calendar

1. TFFA Nights are hosted each Thursday at 7:00 PM JAWA time, 2:00 PM Eastern time.

2. Event Nights are hosted by the Event Planners each Wednesday at 7:30 PM JAWA time, 2:30 PM Eastern time.

3. (JAWA) School classes are held on Fridays at 7:00 PM JAWA time, 2:00 PM Eastern time, or as scheduled at other times!

4. The (JAWA) League is held on the last Sunday of each month, at 7:00 PM JAWA time. Check Central for more information!

Many events are hosted on maps from JK2 and the Bonus Maps, and other maps are used from time to time! Make sure you have the JK2 Map Pack and the Raven Bonus Maps installed! Download Links for these and other maps are available on the Server Information page.

Bulletin Board

The (JAWA) Post welcomes your announcements on our bulletin board! Contact any member of the Post staff for more details!

¶ Be sure to check out Signature of the Week, only on the (JAWA) Forums! You don't have to be a great artist in order to have a good idea, and tutorials are available if you're interested in learning "sig" making. Even if you don't want to enter a signature, please visit each week's contest poll, and leave your feedback! Our artists like to hear what you think of their work, and what they could do to improve. Go ahead, cast your vote and leave some constructive criticism! There's a new topic every week, and you never know what might be coming up!

¶ Need a new signature, icon, or profile picture? (JAWA) Arts specializes in the creation of custom artwork! Talk to a member of the Arts club today, and don't forget to check out the Showcase forum!

¶ Have a great idea for the (JAWA) Post? Want to comment on a column you liked (or didn't)? Is something not working right? Send a Forum PM to the editor, or any of our columnists, and we'll be happy to talk about whatever it is! Your feedback is appreciated, and anything you say will be completely confidential!

SotW Winners

Presenting this month's winning entries from Signature of the Week!

(hover your cursor over the signatures to view them at full size)