The Rattler November 22, 2006 v. 94 #6 - Blume Library - St. Mary's ...

Entertainment10 www.stmarytx.edu/rattler The RattlerNovember 22, 2006MEDIASPINCog soldiers patrol the destroyed streets of Sera and serve as humanity’s last line of defense against the Locust horde.Microsoft’s Xbox 360 finally has its ‘killer app’VIDEO GAME REVIEWGears of War★★★★XBOX 360By TIM HENNESSEYSPORTS EDITORJust short of the systems’ oneyearanniversary, Epic has crafteda game that finally shows what theXbox 360 is capable of.Gears of War’s eye-poppinggraphics, explosive Dolby Digitalsound, and fast, frenetic gameplayall come together to form thesystems’ first “must-own” game.Graphically, this masterpiecepushes the Xbox 360’s processingcores to the limit. If you are lookingto show off you new HDTV,this is the game to do it.From HDR lighting to bumpmapping, if you can think of cuttingedge processing techniquesbeing thrown around in gamesHappy Feet★★★★Dir. by George MillerStarring Robin Williams, HughJackman, and Nicole KidmanBy AMANDA GUERRAASSISTANT AD MANAGERIn a world where every penguinhas a song, one little penguinhas to find another way to win theheart of his true love.It was love at first note whenMemphis (voice by Hugh Jackman)and Norma Jean (voice by NicoleKidman) met in the freezing plainsof Antarctica. When their sonMumble (voice by Elijah Wood)finally hatches, what seemed to bea case of cold feet turns out to be amisunderstood talent.Mumble tries to fit in, but in asociety where a heart song is theonly way he can win the love ofGloria (Brittney Murphy), he cannothelp but be an outsider.After struggling to be a partof his peers, he finds a bandthese days, chances are Gears ofWar is pumping them out at arock-solid 30 fps.Even on a standard definitiontelevision, the visuals are a sightto behold. Objects are self-shadowed,wet surfaces glisten, andpools of “Emulsion,” a lava-likeenergy source, glow with a golden-yellowhue, basking the undergroundcaves of the game in asurreal haze.Not taking a backseat to the visuals,the sound design in Gears ofWar is top notch.The soundtrack stays low-keybut effective, picking up duringbattles yet dropping into the backgroundjust enough to keep thetension high in between.The real stars on the auralfront are the sound effects andvoice acting.Hooked up to a decent surroundsound set-up, crystal clearexplosion will rock your walls asthe sound of exploding masonryand spent shell casings envelopeyou during battle.You can hear the gutturalscreams of your enemy, the Locustof Latino Adelie penguins ledby the wise cracking Ramon(Robin Williams).Happy Feet is a perfect mix ofclassic and modern animated filmelements. The musical sequencescreate a nostalgic feeling thatkeeps your toes tapping.Happy Feet feels refreshingbecause it has been too longsince animated characters sangHorde, surround you while yourmen bark out flanking orders fromyour left and right.The sound pulls you into theheart of the conflict, taking you asclose as you would ever want to areal-life battle.When you play this game, doyourself a favor: turn it up!Finally, the impressive sightsand sounds mean nothing ifthe game-play is lacking, butthankfully, Gears of War deliversthis in spades.With its stop-and-pop gameplaymechanic, the use of coverproves vital in Gears of War.Standing out in the open or goingrun-and-gun will only get youcut down. You must locate the enemy,suppress, and then flank, andyou must do it all quickly.If you allow the enemy to takethe initiative, you will turn whatshould have been a 30-secondengagement into a four or fiveminute long battle.Online play, much like the single-playerportion, is fast-pacedand brutal.The game allows for seamlessand danced.The story line is very entertainingbecause it illustrates the importanceof accepting who you areeven when everyone else is singinga different tune.Although the movie is targetedto children and families, I recommendit to everyone.The fact that the penguinshad Latino accents added a littleCOURTESY PHOTOtwo-player cooperative play in thesingle-player campaign, and up toeight for the adversarial mode.Maps are perfectly tuned forthis relatively low number of players,which help keep the actionflowing. The stop-and-pop techniqueis just as important onlineas it is off.With the chainsaw bayonet attachedto your primary weapon,many late round matches becomea deadly game of cat and mouse.Behind every pillar, every boxcould lie your enemy, ready tosaw you in half as you cautiouslymake your way across the map.If you are not on your toes, thelast thing you’ll hear is the chainsawrevving as your screen getssprayed with blood.Gory? Yes. Over-the-topfun? Definitely.There are no two ways aboutit: If you have an Xbox 360, youneed to own this game. The firstblockbuster of the next-generation,Gears of War deliverson every front.Pick it up, jump online andjoin the fight!Happy Feet sure to move heart and soleThe penguins in Happy Feet reach great heights with their fancy foot work.COURTESY PHOTOcultural spice to Happy Feet.Though it had classical themes ofboy-meets-girl and finding yourplace in the world, this moviestays unique with colorful fuzzycharacters plus a wonderful blendof emotions.After seeing this movie, you’llbe dancing your way back toyour car.OJ Simpson“He Didn’t Do It”A flashback from the90s, O.J. Simpson hasreemerged. His book IfI Did It, delves throughthe scenarios he wouldhave taken in the infamousmurders whichdominated the mediaabout 10 years ago.Regardless of who committedthe murders,all involved parties areguilty of pure insanity.Kevin FederlineFedEx FilesFormer Mr. Spears isfiling for sole custodyof his children; asurprising move forsomeone whose careerstrategy is partying.And who would offercustody to a manattempting to sell asex tape with his nowex-wife?Sacha Baron CohenBorat’s Last LaughSacha Baron Cohen’shilariously offensivecharacter Borat isn’tmaking everyonelaugh. Fraternity boyshave filed a lawsuitclaiming “emotionaldistress”after theirdrunken commentswere captured inthe film. As if thatweren’t enough, theBritish comedian wasattacked while incharacter.COMPILED BY ELIZABETH RUIZ