![]() ![]() It occasionally zooms out so far that you can’t make out what’s happening or who’s attacking, but you usually have a front-row seat for the carnage. Cinematic camerawork highlights the action well in most situations. From Kratos’ ashy complexion to enormous mechanical snakes slithering though snowy mountains, I stopped and marveled at the visuals several times. They all look great, too, thanks to stellar production values. Towering creatures, massive structures, and brutal deaths punctuate the adventure from beginning to end. In terms of spectacle, Ascension holds the same note from God of War III. Though Kratos lacks the compelling purpose that drove him forward in other entries, he’s still full of epic exploits. ![]() ![]() The result is a story that has players chasing artifacts and fighting bad guys with no investment in the outcome. Its main contribution is emphasizing that Kratos misses his family and is sorry that he killed them, which is well-worn material at this point. Kratos pushing his daughter away in Elysium and battling his brother Deimos helped players see a different side of the character. In a prequel, the challenge is to craft a tale that enriches the events that players have already seen – something Ready at Dawn’s handheld God of War titles did exceptionally well. Series fans know how the story ends: Kratos wins, breaks his bond, and eventually kills Ares. This puts him at odds with the Furies, creatures charged with enforcing oaths. Set 10 years before the first entry, Kratos is on a quest to free himself from the bond of Ares. In areas where fans expect a new entry to move forward – like narrative and combat – Ascension either stalls or steps backward. The list goes on, but even though Sony’s Santa Monica Studio included the key elements, it doesn’t mean they are executed up to the series’ high standards. Pinpointing where Ascension goes wrong is difficult, because it has all of the components a God of War title should. After years of dominance, God of War: Ascension is the series’ stumble that could allow the competition to close the gap. Other games took cues from God of War, but each new installment raised the bar even higher, putting more distance between Kratos and his rivals. Kratos outpaced his peers by such a wide margin that measuring up to his bloody rampage seemed impossible. When I reviewed the original God of War back in 2005, I remember feeling sorry for other action games. ![]()
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![]() I wondered if the student had noticed this and why that might be true. I was able to post a feedback note where I commented that some of the points weren’t in the same line as the other points. For example, during a recent assignment, one of my students completed a data table that automatically plotted points on an accompanying graph. There is no need for students to save or submit work, which simplifies the experience for students and allows teachers to give feedback immediately. Teachers can observe where individual students are in activities and see their responses as they occur. I can’t say enough about the power of students teaching each other by sketching, showing calculations with the embedded calculator, reasoning with a data table, and graphing points.Īfter assigning a Desmos activity, teachers also have access to a powerful teacher dashboard where students’ real-time responses can be tracked during a class or in between classes for homework. ![]() Once everyone learns how to share screens (not necessarily easy for everyone!), students can work collaboratively to make sense of the mathematics through conversation and demonstration. Since everyone has their work in the same online place (as opposed to a notebook, a Google Doc, an annotated PDF, etc.), students learn the routine of opening the Desmos activity and showing their work to each other. Generally, students do this by sharing screens and looking at each other’s work. In my class, the ease of student input into Desmos screens has helped us interact with each other’s ideas. In the current issue of Adult Literacy Education: The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy, Appleton uses his experiences to review Desmos. ’s Classroom Activities tool came out on top. ![]() While none of it was easy, teaching math and problem solving was its own unique challenge.Įric Appleton, a staff developer in the CUNY Adult Literacy Program in New York City, went looking for the best tools to successfully teach math from a distance. ![]() We know the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic presented adult educators with the challenge of effectively teaching remotely. ![]() ![]() ![]() "The Unipiper starts 'Weird Portland United' to make Portland even weirder". "One of the City's Most Popular Local Celebrities Has Started a Nonprofit Dedicated to Keeping Portland Weird". "How many tricks can one unicyclist do? Brian Kidd, also known as the Unipiper, uses his flamethrowing bagpipes to deliver a classical score atop a unicycle". "The Bagpipe Unicycle Guy Dressed as Charmander and Played the Pokemon Theme Song". "Musician balances on Pokeball while playing Pokemon theme on flaming bagpipes". "Watch: Unipiper presents 'Batman v Superman' in a theme song battle for the ages". "Bike Guide 2014: The Unipiper-Behind the Darth Vader mask of Portland's one-wheeled mascot". said John was a wonderful addition to our Covid funeral. ^ Darth Vader and the Imperial March on Bagpipes and Unicycle - The Unipiper, retrieved."Brian Kidd is the Unipiper: the unicycling bagpiper". ^ a b Chris Higgins (January 6, 2014)."Unipiper pops up in 'Gong Show' revival". ^ a b Turnquist, Kristi (June 21, 2017).In 2019, the Unipiper helped organize Weird Portland United, a non-profit dedicated to promoting artists and creatives in the Portland metropolitan area. Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocalist - Alto. His antics as Uncle Sam have attracted international attention. Bagpipes Players in Portland, OR Ricky Behrendt. He has since branched out into performances referencing non-Star Wars fictional elements, including Game of Thrones, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Pokémon. His other mainstream media appearances have included America's Got Talent and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The video featured the Unipiper wearing a Darth Vader mask, while riding a unicycle and playing the bagpipes, and was subsequently featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The Unipiper first found Internet fame in 2012 when a video of him performing The Imperial March went viral. The Unipiper is an American performance artist whose work regularly combines unicycling with playing the (sometimes flaming) bagpipes. ![]() He named his character the Unipiper when he moved to Portland. ![]() The Oregonian newspaper wrote in 2017 that he came up with the act that he would later name the Unipiper "shortly before he moved to Portland", but developed it in Portland, where he was influenced by the city's receptiveness to quirky characters. The Unipiper (born Brian Kidd April 29, 1983) is a Portland, Oregon unicyclist, street performer, bagpiper and internet celebrity.īrian Kidd moved to Portland, Oregon, from North Carolina in 2007. The Unipiper entertaining a crowd gathered in front of the Bagdad Theater during the 2015 Hawthorne Street Fair in Portland, Oregon ![]() |