By Connect2Mason reporter Daniel Sims

With every new generation of Nintendo hardware comes a new iteration of each of Nintendo’s franchises. Most of the time each sequel is justified simply by the presence of more capable hardware, but in many ways Mario Kart Wii feels like Nintendo is just going through the motions.

The game created here successfully applies the Wii’s ideology and technology to the Mario Kart franchise, but the end product isn’t as impressive as past entries like Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart DS were when first released.

Jimmy Rogers, the blogger behind Mason Tech Beat, has spent the past semester reviewing dining hotspots on and off campus in his series "Jimmy Chows Down." Filmed by Connect Mason Assistant Video Director Natalia Kossobokova and created by Connect Mason Video Director Scott Williams, the series of short videos has covered places like Damon's Express, George's and the Firehouse Grill.

The full series of videos can be seen here.

To end the semester, they have also released a set of bloopers and behind the scenes footage, seen below.

By Connect Mason and VoxPop

Watch your favorite Thursday night series, "Lost," with the Connect Mason and VoxPop staff. Please feel free to add your own commentary and predictions.

By Connect2Mason Director Grace Kendall. Photographs by Hilary Walsh, Courtesy of Carolina Liar

Carolina Liar is putting it all out there with their debut album, Coming to Terms. Full of straightforward lyrics and steady guitars, it’s a strong opening effort from the California-Stockholm based band.

Sounding a bit like The Killers and The Bravery, Carolina Liar takes use of lead singer Chad Wolf’s deeper voice and mixes it up nicely with a collection of simple guitar riffs and sweeping keys.

Broadside Correspondent Alyssa Ross.

This month, John Michael Cummings, a George Mason University alumnus, will have his debut novel published. The novel, "The Night I Freed John Brown," was expanded from an earlier novella, "The House of My Father." The book is a transitional narrative, chronicling some of the many obstacles that arise from childhood into adolescence.

By Connect Mason Asst. News Director Rashad Mulla

The end of this semester marks the end of many George Mason Patriots’ college careers. Connect Mason caught up with the bearded trio of Daniel Hayes, Joe Scales and Farooq Yousuf to discuss their time here, their favorite professors and their future plans.

Two Connect Mason photographers recently went out with their cameras to get photos of students out enjoying the warm weather.

Have photographs you'd like to see showcased on Connect Mason? E-mail them to cmasonmedia@gmail.com.