DPL Teens

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die is a HUGE book that covers video games all the way from the 1970s to today, everything from Pong to the Uncharted series and so much more.  It includes information about the game’s release date, available platforms, plot, some pictures, and reviews.  If you’re tired of playing the same old games all the time and are looking to try something new, this book has plenty of options.

The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect similarly has info about games both old and new, but this one has big, beautiful pictures of all the games.  It’s really interesting to see how Mario has progressed all the way from his appearances in old games up to Super Mario Galaxy 2!

And of course, no gamer’s book collection is complete without Codes & Cheats.  We have the newest edition on shelf, which includes cheat codes for games like Batman: Arkham City, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, Kinect Star Wars, and much more.

What: The Protomen in concert

When: This Saturday–9/3/2011 @ 9:00PM

Where: Redstone Room, 129 Main St, Davenport IA

Why: Because they decided to grace us with their presence on their way from playing at PAX East 2011.  This is a big deal, guys–they’ve never been here before!

Who: The Protomen are a robot rock opera group based out of Nashville, whose albums are called “rock and roll fables.”  And if that alone didn’t somehow have you sold, their concept albums are based off of the Mega Man franchise–and it’s great stuff!!  If you’re unsure, go ahead and sample some of their music on their website.

Now the Redstone Room does have an age policy of 19+, but here’s a pro tip: You guys under 19 can get in with a parent! Oh, come on, it’s not as embarrassing as all that. There isn’t so much as a curse word in all of the lyrics, and I dare you to tell me your dad doesn’t want to see this:

They’re practically robot bikers! How can he say no to that?!

Title: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (DVD & Blu-ray)
Directed by: Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz)
Released: 2010
Length: 112 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Action, Guy-Friendly-Romance, Comic/Gaming (pretty much everything awesome!)
Based on: Scott Pilgrim graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Are you in your teens?  20’s?  30’s?  Heck, young at heart?  Boy, do I have the movie for you! [Blogger’s note: I would be an awful Billy Mays.]  Well, that’s assuming you like any of the following: graphic novels, music, video games, comedy, over-the-top action and/or romance. What’s that? You don’t? Well, GET OUT. …I’ll wait for the whole zero people to leave the blog. We good? Okay.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was easily the most entertaining movie of 2010.  Filled with comic and video game-imbued fight scenes, dumb (e.g., Scott) and witty (e.g., Wallace) comedy, insanely catchy music, and a seriously messed up relationship.

For those of you that know nothing about Scott Pilgrim, the story begins like this: Scott Pilgrim is a 23-year old slacker.  Still reeling from a bad break-up, he manages to form a tentative relationship with high schooler Knives Chau.  While complacent, Scott is turned on his head when his literal dream girl shows up: Ramona Flowers.  After finally convincing Ramona to start dating, and a half-hearted break-up with love-struck Knives (perhaps not entirely in that order), Scott discovers that in order to remain with Ramona, he must battle her seven evil exes.  And these are no Karate Kid structured matches; each evil ex has their own abilities and powers, and is willing to go to any low to defeat Scott (something Scott himself has no problem doing).

Did I mention Scott’s in a band?  Featured as the bass player in Sex Bob-omb, along with Steven Stills as lead guitar/vocals and Kim Pine on drums.  For those of you worried about some random band performing and the hoity-toity actors lip syncing and pretending to play the instruments, fear not!  Each member of Sex Bob-omb plays their own instrument, both in the movie and for the soundtrack.  I will note, however, that Beck wrote all their songs—who cares?!  Beck is awesome!  As for The Clash at Demonhead, Brie Larson (as Envy) sings in the movie, but it’s Metric’s song on the album—again, Metric is superb, so oh well!  And may I just note that there is, I kid you not, a Bass Battle!  I love puns.

Worried about the movie straying too far from its graphic novel roots?  Again, not an issue!  The beginning is nearly word for word, and while they have to leave some things out for time’s sake, and the ending is a bit different due to the final volume not being out until after the movie’s script was written.  Aside from that, nearly everything including the characters’ clothes and hair styles are identical to those in the graphic novels.

Okay, Scott’s pretty oblivious, and Ramona seems to have been cold and uncaring in her past, but the events and the dialogue that transpire with these two and those around them will have you giggling and/or pumping your fists into the air…or at the very least, it will leave you with good memories and a pleasant sense of nostalgia.

Every Wednesday from 3-5 at the Fairmount Library we host our most popular teen program called Get Your Game On.  At this program we video game, we board game, we draw, we hang, we dance, we solve tiny world problems, we drink pop, we make new friends, we YuGiOh, we argue about Bieber, we share books, we analyze dreams, we eat candy, we laugh, we support ninjas, we play MAGIC, we make it happen, and we want you to join us.  We also want to share this video with you.

Get Your Game On every Wednesday from 3-5 at the Fairmount Library.  See you.

Sooooo how many evil ex-boyfriends/girlfriends do you have? Ramona Flowers has SEVEN. yup, SEVEN. and if the naturally awesome Scott Pilgrim wants to date Miss Flowers he is going to have to use his awesomeness to defeat ALL of them. Thank gosh he has nintendo-like reflexes, right?!

This is essentially the plot of the Scott Pilgrim series beginning with volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life and ending with volume 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (coming out next week!). But the awesomeness of Scott Pilgrim deserved to be shared among all media and so Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a movie starring Michael Cera in the title role, enters theaters on August 13, 2010, and a corresponding video game is supposed to debut this summer, too! ::exploding due to awesome::

Ever thought about playing a game that was so realistic that you felt right there inside the screen? Well Battlefield Bad Company 2 has certainly pushed the limits of gaming and entered the realm of reality. The game puts you in the place of a modern day soldier, fighting in Russia, South America, and Alaska. The physics of the came are mind blowing! Anything and everything can be destroyed; buildings, cars, gates, towers, fences, bridges, and whatever else you can think of. I know I was a diehard Call of Duty fan and said that it was the only game for me. Well I lied, Battlefield has certainly out done itself and has jumped up in the ranks, passing any Call of Duty game I’ve ever played. My favorite part of Battlefield is that you are able to drive any vehicle you find. Whether it be a car, hummer, tank, ATV, or a helicopter, it’s able to be driven and destroyed so watch out! Unlike Call of Duty, Battlefield features realistic action; health doesn’t regenerate; bullets kill in either one or two hits. When you are injured, you tend to be slow and groggy, you are unable to move as fast and your vision is blurred and dwindled. 

Online multiplayer is the big thing nowadays and I must say, Battlefield has one of the best multiplayer experiences ever! Up to 24 players per match, you can do matches where you need to destroy certain objects or take out posts. and the games don’t go by so fast like they do in Call of Duty; they can take up to about 30 minutes. The levels are gigantic also so there is always a place to go to be safe, and there are also places to go where all the action is. The possibilities are endless in the ever so popular Battlefield series. The game is available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.

-Dylan

Are you bored?

How bored?

Yeah, that’s what I thought. 

You should come to the Teen Volunteer Council meeting on Tuesday night at the Fairmount St. Library.  It starts at 5:30, so call a friend and make plans now.  I guarantee you will have a good time.  Guarantee it.  How can I guarantee such a thing?  Well, for starters we’re not going to play RockPaperScissors.

But, we are going to play NinjaPirateGorilla. 

Join us!

And if you’re trying to talk your parents into letting you attend tell them this:  The Library’s Teen Volunteer Council is composed of students in grades six through twelve, who help support the Library through fund-raising, programming, and special events. Participation on the Teen Volunteer Council encourages young adults to become involved in planning library activities of interest to them and to inspire an interest in reading for all area youth.  Through involvement with the Council, you will gain valuable experiences that will be useful to you now and in the future.  Plus, being a member of the Davenport Public Library’s Teen Volunteer Council looks great on resumes and college applications.

And I don’t wanna forget to mention this tidbit…We also play video games after the casual council meeting!  Uh-huh.

-Christie