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Osu! The way to have fun at university.

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As we’re back to university, we might not have as much time as we did back in the summer. it’s a given that committing time into consuming games isn’t an option anymore. With that being said, there is a game that can allow us to have fun without wasting that much time.

The game is “Osu!”, a rhythm and tap along the beat kind of game. It’s mainly relying on reflexes, reading the “beatmap” (basically the circles, sliders and spinners that you will be hitting) and muscle memory so that you can get the highest combo possible and ultimately get to a full combo. There is the original mode “Osu!” which the majority of players and streamers play along with 3 other modes.

“osu!taiko” : Taiko is a variant of the game that requires players to hit one of two keys as circles move from the right to the left of the screen (Want to be a Japanese drummer? try this!).

“osu!catch”: In this game mode you have to catch objects falling and get them in your basket, the timing is super hard to get.

“osu!mania”: This variant is really similar to “GuitarHero” you have to synchronize your keystrokes to notes in the screen.

The game launched in 2007. Back then, the graphics were sloppy and the game was kind of full of latency issues. In a nutshell, the game was hard to digest (I played it when it launched…). But, in 2013 they revamped the whole game (Be careful who you call ugly in high school). And the game will receive yet another huge update quite soon.

It’s really easy to setup as the client is nothing but 20mb in size. Having installed the game, all you have to do is download “beatmaps” either one at a time or in packs which are available in the game’s website. The game has a huge community and new maps are added every day. This gets to the one thing that kind of annoyed me when I play, the players create these maps via the editor offered by the game. Some can be messy and doesn’t go well with the song, that can make it quite harder to play and also not that enjoyable. Although, there is a rating system so the chances of you encountering such maps are little to nothing.

There isn’t much to explain about how to play the game as the first tutorial will show you everything you need. Once you finish the tutorial, it’s all about how fast you master the game. Also, you might want to learn some extra mechanics that will help you handle harder maps in the future from Youtube videos.

Here’s a picture showing a sample of the gameplay.

The beatmaps’ difficulty is rated via stars. I advise that you only jump from one level of difficulty to another once you manage to full combo (or at least get an S) on 10 songs at least in that given difficulty (don’t let your ego get the best of you, it’s quite common.). The progress in the game takes a while but is quite noticeable everyday you play because muscle memory plays a huge role, that’s why it’s not really that time consuming to play this game. The game gets really challenging when you are getting past the 3.5 stars point (get ready for the free forearms workout).

I usually play the game when I get the feeling that am getting tired from working on something or when I just need a little break to let my mind work in the background. It helped a lot, that much I can confirm. It’s just that sometimes you’ll get lured into playing some more to pass a song that you’ve been stuck on or a score. You need to have a strong mind!

My personal Ratings:

Fun: 4.5/5

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 4/5 (with the upcoming update it gets even better)

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Chapter 3 : England, The Short Reign of Jane Grey.

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I was steadily walking inside a tower, a mighty one. It was almost as if it were put there to convey both terror and admiration, angst and fascination. That was Tower Green, where lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for nine days, was to be executed.

 

As I gazed out from one of the windows, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and solemnity. This towering structure had witnessed some of the most significant moments in English history, and today it was to be the site of yet another tragedy.

 

I tried to imagine what it must have been like for Lady Jane Grey, knowing that her reign was to be short-lived, and that she would meet her end at this very spot. It was hard to fathom the fear and despair that must have gripped her in those final moments, and the sense of injustice at being punished for a crime she did not commit.

 

Lady Jane Grey was just sixteen years of age when she was crowned Queen of England in 1553. She was the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII and the cousin of King Edward VI, who had named her as his heir on his deathbed.

However, her reign was short-lived, lasting only nine days. The people of England were loyal to whom they conceived as their rightful heir, Mary Tudor, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. She was a staunch Catholic, while Jane was a Protestant.

 

The Tudor queen, with the support of her followers, rallied an army and took the throne from Jane, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Despite several attempts to rescue her, including a failed rebellion led by her father, Jane was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

 

On 12 February 1554, Lady Jane Grey was led to the scaffold on Tower Green, where she met her fate. The little girl, caught in a game of political power, refused the Catholic Queen’s offer to spare her life if she converts to catholicism. She bravely faced her executioners, and it is said that she recited Psalm 51 as she knelt before the block. Her final words were, « Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit. »

 

That moment was heart-wrenching to witness. Lady Jane Grey reminded me of all the deterioration of my time, of the moral decay and human suffering caused by war and political turmoil. Jane, a virtuous and unassuming child, was suddenly thrust into the brutal and ruthless world of political machinations, where her fate was predetermined by the avarice and ambition of those around her. To me, that was a striking reminder of all the children who did not choose where they are and whose lives are shattered by the cruel caprices of history, a stirring call to protect the vulnerable and innocent, to safeguard the sanctity of human life and dignity and a lifetime grief of all the precious souls lost.

 

Written By : Montassar Hizi.

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