The Drexel University field hockey team lost a close, defensive match against the Lafayette College Leopards Sept. 21 at Buckley Field, losing 2-1 in overtime. The loss is the field hockey team’s third in a row, their longest losing streak of the season.

The Dragons got on the board first in the 22nd minute when freshman Avery Powell put one behind Lafayette goalie Sarah Park. The goal, assisted by senior Megan Wiest, was Powell’s second of the season.

However, the Leopards were able to respond before the second half was closed. Molly McAndrew put a shot on goal that was saved by Drexel netminder Erin Gilchrist, but Audrey Sawer was able to score off the rebound. The 33rd minute goal was the sophomore’s first goal of the season and tied the game up at one.

In the second half neither team was able to score a go ahead goal. The Dragons had one last chance in the 70th minute, but ultimately were unable to bury a goal. Shots by Powell and junior Tess Bernheimer were turned away by Park, but presented Drexel with a penalty corner. The Dragons were able to get senior Delaney Baxendale a shot opportunity, but her attempt was blocked to send the match into overtime.

The extra period would be brief. Just two minutes into the extra time junior Lisa van der Geest was able to drive down the left side of the field and put one past Gilchrist. It was the first shot of overtime and the game winner. The goal was her third of the season, and improved the Leopards to 2-6 on the season. The loss dropped Drexel to 4-4 on the season.

The Leopards lead the game in shots with nine on goal and 12 total. The Dragons posted five shots on goal, while acquiring nine total shots. Drexel’s Gilchrist was the leader in saves with nine, while Lafayette’s Park turned away four shots.

Field hockey will open Colonial Athletic Association play Sept. 28 as they travel to Newark to take on the No. 19 University of Delaware Blue Hens at 6 p.m. The Dragons will then return home Sept. 30 to face off with the Ohio University Bobcats at 11 a.m. at Buckley Field.

Sean The Bandicoot is back.

Everyone’s favorite cocky ’90s gaming mascot returns for the first time in about a decade in the “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.”

With “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy,” you can relive some of the wacky marsupial’s greatest adventures. The game features a full remaster of the three original Crash Bandicoot games that appeared on the Playstation including “Crash Bandicoot,” “Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back” and “Crash Bandicoot: Warped.”

The developer, Vicarious Visions, spared no expense remastering the original games (developed by Naughty Dog) for a new generation. Each game has been fully rebuilt from the ground up to feel right at home on the PlayStation 4.

Starting with the visuals, the game looks incredible. Vicarious Visions has done a great job of capturing the beauty of the original games. The original “Crash” games were technical marvels for their time and now they have been made just as beautiful by today’s standards.

The varied locations throughout the game, whether it be a neon chemical factory, a metallic futuristic cityscape or lush jungles, are all equally unique and gorgeous. The color palette for games is so diverse that it makes everything on the screen grab your attention. But, the small details in the foregrounds and backgrounds of the levels really bring the visuals all together to present a stunning landscape. This coupled with the perfect new models of the characters led to a great cartoony atmosphere throughout the trilogy.

And it’s not just the gameplay that has improved greatly. All of the cutscenes from the games have been given a big upgrade as well, and they came fantastically. The cutscenes feel like they could be from a Crash Bandicoot animated movie, and for those who have played the games before they are an awesome throwback.

The audio in the game has also gotten a facelift to provide more refined sound to the games.  The original Crash Bandicoot score, composed by Josh Mancell, has been completely redone and it sounds better than ever.

The game’s sound effects have also been revised to up the quality and crispness of the audio. Lastly, the voices of the characters have been replaced with newer and better audio. Longtime voice actors such as Debi Derryberry, Jess Harnell and Lex Lang have lended their articulate vocals to the trilogy and their presence is felt. These all may seem like small changes, but they combine to make the games feel more complete sonically.

Besides the technical upgrades, new features have been added to Crash’s escapades. The most major of the additions is the ability to play as Crash’s sister, CoCo Bandicoot, in all three of the games. CoCo plays the same as Crash, but has her own animations, voice lines and move set. CoCo was originally only playable in “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” in a few levels, but now players can play as CoCo in a majority of levels across all the games. It is a nice addition to the game for anyone who wants to take a break from Crash and use a different avatar.

Besides CoCo, another large addition is the time trials. The time trials from “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” have been added to the two other games for more replayability. Furthermore, leaderboards have been added to these time trials so that you can race against anyone for the best times in the world. While the time trials aren’t my personal favorite, I can see the appeal. If you want to get all the relics for completing the time trials, or want to try to top the leaderboards it will no doubt keep you occupied.

When it comes to how the games play, they hold up pretty well. Small gameplay tweaks have been made to the trilogy, but mostly the games play how you would expect them to. If you never played a Crash Bandicoot game before, they are 3D platformers, but not in the traditional sense. Unlike classics such as “Mario 64” or “Banjo-Kazooie,” “Crash Bandicoot” takes a different approach. The “Crash” games are more like the original “Super Mario Bros” games than anything else. You start a level, and then race to the end dodging enemies and obstacles along the way.

This kind of gameplay is unique to “Crash,” for better or for worse. It can be very frustrating at times especially because of issues with depth perception. Ledges and platforms may be closer or farther than they appear and can be irritating when you die because of it. While Vicarious Visions has done its best to mitigate these problems, they are still present at times.

Regardless, the games are still fun if you can put up with some of these issues. It is the type of game where either you love it or you hate it, and that’s okay. For me personally, I found the games to be a blast despite wanting to give up on certain levels, most namely Native Fortress and Slippery Climb in the original game. But after you beat “Crash Bandicoot,” the hardest of the bunch, you will find that the other games are much more forgiving.

Of the three games, “Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back,” is still the strongest for me. It is the perfect blend of improving upon the original, but also not changing too much. It is just the right amount of difficult, unlike the first game which is too demanding at points, and the third game which is not much of a challenge. Also it doesn’t have all the gimmicks that “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” had such as the racing levels and things like the wumpa fruit bazooka.

Old-school gamers who played these games back in the day will no doubt fall in love with this trilogy again. The games look, sound and play much like you remember them in your head, but are even better. The nostalgia of seeing these games again, playing them in beautiful HD or even in full “Fur-K” will send you on a trip down memory lane if you have had any relation to them.

Even if you never have played these games in the past, “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” is still a great pickup. The games are challenging and fun, and the production values are top-notch. At the price of $40, three full furry Crash Bandicoot adventures is a steal that anyone who loves platformers should enjoy. Hopefully people support this game, so we will get to see our fuzzy friend in the future again.

Anticipation for Vic Mensa’s debut album has been high since his fantastic mixtape, “Innanetape,” was released in 2013.

And while other Chicago rappers, like his former collaborator Chance the Rapper, have risen to superstardom, Vic has always been in this strange place.

After he signed to Roc Nation in early 2015, anticipation was high for his first album, which at the time was called “Traffic.” Instead, when Vic got to Roc Nation he went through a strange period. He would constantly say “Traffic,” was coming at shows and interviews, but it seems like we never even came close.

Instead of getting said album we just got various singles, freestyles, features and EPs. And while most of the material has been good — 2016’s “There’s A Lot Going On,” had some great tracks, and the Kanye West assisted “U Mad,” is still a banger — nothing was big enough to fill the void of a debut album.

On “The Manuscript,” Vic is making a clear statement it is the time we have been waiting for. Despite being only four songs long, it serves as a nice preview for his upcoming debut album.

On the first track, entitled “Almost There,” featuring Mr. Hudson, Vic is saying he hears his fans. He understands what they have been going through, appreciates the love and says we won’t have to wait much longer.

“This is a thank you letter to all my fans, for coming along for the ride with me, we’re almost there.”
Vic’s self-aware verses on the track are decent, even though there are some cringy lines on here, and Mr. Hudson’s performance on the hook really shines.

While the next three songs don’t have a as direct message to fans, they are still nice additions.

“OMG,” with Pusha T and Pharrell, is the most star-studded track on the listing. The samples on track by Pharrell sound great as always, and Vic rides the track very well in his verses. The hook, also by Pharrell, is solid and has a nice interaction with the samples. And when has a Pusha verse never not made a song better?

The next song on the project is “Rollin’ Like a Stoner,” which is a song that seems like a disposable party song at first, but keeps you coming back. While it isn’t much different from your modern day banger, the instrumental really shines on the track. The keys really separate the track from others, but still meld with the trap instrumentation nicely. There are also faint vocal samples on the track that give the production some nice depth. This song will no doubt be a jam at any of Vic’s shows.

The last song on “The Manuscript” is “Rage,” a song that Vic has previewed at shows and talked about in songs and interviews in the past. Originally a track on “Traffic,” it now serves as a fitting closer for this EP.

It feels much more like an alternative rock song with it production style, but still features two lengthy personal verses from Vic, talking about the issues he has faced with depression and drug abuse.

The song is a message to those who are struggling, telling them they can make it. Rage is “the light through the darkness” for those that are suffering.

It is a good song, but these topics are things Vic has touched on before on his last project, “There’s Alot Going On,” so it is nothing revolutionary.

Regardless, “The Manuscript,” is a good concise project from Vic Mensa that serves as the appetizer for his album. Now it is just time for him to deliver on these high expectations after all this time.

Photograph by Sean McCole for The Triangle

Arriving at the dim ambient space at The Foundry the night of June 6, I didn’t know what to expect.

I had never been to this venue before and I was going to see an experimental rap group called Injury Reserve, at a show where they weren’t even the headliners. I had been listening to them for about a year now, but the group still has a mysterious shroud around them to me. I had seen videos of their shows here and there, but they really haven’t played that many shows and this was their first one in Philadelphia.

For those who don’t know, Injury Reserve is an experimental hip-hop group from Tempe, Arizona, consisting of rappers Stepa J. Groggs and Ritchie With a T, along with producer Parker Corey.

The trio, signed to Las Fuegas, got much exposure after music critic Anthony Fantano reviewed their debut album, “Live From the Dentist Office,” in 2015. This past December, they released their follow up project, “Floss,” which featured appearances from Vic Mensa and Cakes da Killa.

It was around 8:30 p.m. when the first act came up on stage, Soul Glo, a local band.

As soon as they came on, my friend pulled out ear plugs and I started making fun of him because I didn’t think the music would be that loud. Well, they proved me wrong.

Soul Glo said very little on the small stage, but to say the sound was deafening is putting it lightly, at least from the front row where I was. Their set filled with heavy distortion and relentless screaming was enough to make my ears ring far into the next day. As far as the music goes, it certainly wasn’t something I was interested in, but probably has it’s audience. For me, and much of the audience, we just wanted to see Injury Reserve.

Regardless, they finished the set and gave our ears some reprieve before Injury Reserve would step out. After about 20 minutes, the room went dark and a faint piano track started playing.

The group, absent Parker Corey, then jumped on stage performing the opening track from their recent project, “Oh Shit!!!,” whose hook sounds even better in person. Ritchie and Groggs came out of the gate with high energy and within a minute Ritchie was standing on the barrier right in front of me. After jumping between the stage and the barrier a few times, pushing and pulling me back and forth, Ritchie decided that the barrier was “such trash,” since it was separating him from the crowd.

After the ominous autotune outro on the song he said, “Well, we have this fake-a– Mexican border here, how are we supposed to have any fun with that?”  He then proceed to hop over the divider into the crowd, where he would stay for a majority of the show, while Groggs quickly hopped on the divider.

After a really cool subtle interlude transitioning to the next song, something which was present throughout the night, the next track “Bad Boys 3” really got the crowd going. After the drop the crowd started moshing, and people were getting pushed around left and right.

Energy like this was norm for the most of the set, and while it had its ups and downs, it was something interesting for a rap show. For a small crowd to have that much of a reaction is a testament to the show Injury Reserve puts on.

The performance from both of the guys throughout the night was fantastic not only vocally, but physically as well. Their voices sounded clear, there weren’t any hitches in the set at all, and the autotune sections of tracks like “Keep on Slippin” by Ritchie sounded great in person. They were also very commanding on the stage and in the crowd, doing all in their power to get the audience into it — whether that meant moshing with the crowd, hanging off the divider or laying on the floor they were giving it all they had.

Other standouts from the night included songs like “ttktv,” that while they may have seemed mellow on the recording, took a different context in the show. A lot of other rap shows suffer when they go away from bangers to slower material, but Ritchie and Groggs keep the vibe alive with these songs.

After about 45 minutes, their set came to a close with the lights coming up a bit and much of the crowd being pretty beat. Ritchie and Groggs then proceeded to hang out at the merch table immediately after greeting fans, taking pictures and signing merch. I greeted them quickly, complemented them and then left, but there were still probably a hundred people waiting to see them.

The strangest part about this was this great performance by Injury Reserve wasn’t even the main act. Never had I been to a show where the openers were more anticipated than the headliner. I kind of felt bad for the headliner, Ho99o9 (pronounced Horror), because many people, including myself just left after Injury Reserve finished up.

Despite that strange organizing mix up, Injury Reserve still put on a fantastic show and I really hope to see them headlining their own tour in the future. They already have great material, and will look to add to their impressive catalog soon with an EP they announced for this year.

If you haven’t checked out Injury Reserve and you like hip-hop, please do so and go see them live if you ever get the shot.

Budweiser’s Made in America festival released its lineup for the upcoming music event on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The founder of the festival, Jay Z, will be a headliner along with Roc Nation member J Cole.

This will Jay Z’s first performance at the festival since 2012, the year in which he founded the festival. J Cole has also performed at Made in America in the past, performing in both 2015 and 2014.

After the headliners comes the EDM pop group the Chainsmokers, and then a set of other performers including Run the Jewels, Migos, Solange, Little Dragon and Marshmello.

Besides that, other standouts from the lineup are Sampha, Pusha T, Vic Mensa and DMX. The bill also features international acts Stormzy and Wizkid. There are also a number of young rising stars on the list such as SuperDuperKyle, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Ugly God and Philadelphia’s own PnB Rock.

Budweiser Made in America Music Festival will return to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the sixth time on Labor Day Weekend: Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3.

The festival has been running in Philadelphia since 2012 to much success. In 2015, the two-day attendance of the festival topped 130,000.

Two-day passes for the festival are now available for purchase through Ticketmaster and retail for $199 with the fees included. Single-day passes will be available in the future.