Destination Information
Buckhannon-Upshur High School
Sun and Moon are a big hit
After 20 years, it was time for the Pokémon Company to shake things up. That's not to say there's anything wrong with the previous six sets of handheld RPGs, but Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, the pair of new games moving the series into its seventh generation, serve as not just a refinement, but a reinvention of what the series has done right and gotten wrong over the past two decades.
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Older games have previously altered the series in big ways, adding online multiplayer and convenient shortcuts over the years. Sun and Moon go even further, introducing much-needed adjustments to item management, traveling and battling. The new games have also done away with some core elements of the Pokémon formula, like gyms and badges, to create a unique experience. These are risky moves to make for a franchise with so much nostalgia behind it, but they all lead to what is the most memorable Pokémon journey in years.
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This change is evident from the very beginning, which establishes these games as more serious about their story than their predecessors. The classic narrative of “gotta catch ‘em all” on the way to becoming regional Pokémon League Champion is tweaked: The 11-year-old protagonist, who's just moved in from the original games' land of Kanto, must first complete several trials of skill to prove their worth to the region's strongest trainers. To do so, they must travel across their new home's four islands and become better acquainted with Alola, the new region, its people, its Pokémon and its priorities.
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Part of what’s making these new installments so popular is Sun and Moon’s fantastic presentation. These are beautiful games, setting aside the occasional dips in framerate during spectacular battles. Perhaps the greatest change, however, is a quality of life improvement. A type effectiveness indicator bakes into the gameplay what players have had to look up on their own since Pokémon Red in 2000. After facing off against a Pokémon once, the game automatically charts whether a move will be effective against it or not. This is fantastic for newcomers, but it's also a relief for people who have had to juggle the specifics of an increasing number of Pokémon types over the year.
POTUS to say farewell
President Barack Obama is taking reporters' questions for a final time on Wednesday, January 18, from the White House briefing room. This session will be his last official event before Donald Trump replaces him as President.
His concluding news conference comes amid a flurry of last-minute activity, including handing a commutation to Chelsea Manning, who leaked national security, and a pardon for Gen. James Cartwright, convicted of lying to investigators in a leak probe. Questions that could arise include the continued skirmish between Trump and United States intelligence officials. Like past presidents during their final sessions with reporters, Obama is also expected to face questions about his legacy and the prospect of change under a new administration.
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George W. Bush held his final news conference a week before leaving office, reflecting on some of the disappointments of his administration but also defending the controversial decisions he made over his two terms in the White House. Unlike Bush, Obama is leaving office with near-record approval ratings. A CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday shows that 60% of Americans approve of the job he's doing as President.
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Wednesday's news conference is the final time Obama is expected to speak in public before he departs the US Capitol on Friday as a former President. His choice of venue for his departing words is telling; Trump's team has floated the possibility of scrapping the White House briefing room for a larger venue.
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Obama and his aides have mounted a defense of the press as they prepare to leave office, insisting that regular interactions between administration officials and reporters posted at the White House forms are essential to a transparent government.