Terminator 3

Written by: Dustin Stewart

Let me first say that I thought this movie was amazing. I do have a couple of complaints, but I’ll get to those later. If you’re looking for a great action movie, you’ll love T3. If you’re looking for great special effects, you’ll love T3. If you’re looking to be entertained, you’ll love T3.

The effects were jaw dropping, and though the Matrix/Reloaded did some amazing things, I liked T3’s effects better. The action was near non-stop, you never really get to ponder what’s going on, because five minutes into the movie, the Terminators arrive, and from then on it’s gogogo. Which is great if you want to be entertained, but slightly (only slightly really) disappointing if you were looking for the emotion and character development in T2.

One of the main actors has a couple of people this person really loves die pretty much right in front of them, but the movie doesn’t give the audience time to even feel sorry for this person, because it’s moving right back into the action again. T3 is about 30 minutes shorter than T2, and I really wish they would have added that extra 30 minutes into the movie, and develop the characters some more. You never really got the feeling that you knew who John and his girlfriend were, like you get to know John and Sara (and even the Terminator) in T2.

One thing that REALLY surprised me was how damn funny this movie was. I laughed harder in this movie than I did in a lot of comedies, and I wasn’t alone, the whole audience was cracking up with me. You would think that this would take away from the dark nature of the series, but in all actuality this is the darkest Terminator movie yet. For those of you who have seen the Special Edition of T2, when John teaches Arnold how to smile, it’s got funny moments like that one all through the movie. It keeps things from being too over whelming with this movie going a trillion miles a minute.

There is actually a great story in this movie, and it did fill us in on a few things that were left out of T2. I still wish that they spent a little more time on the story, but at the same time it may have been repetitive since T2 explained so much already. I’m also glad it didn’t get all philosophical like Neo and the Architect in Matrix Reloaded.

The acting was pretty great in this movie too. Arnold IS the Terminator, he fits this role better than any role he has ever played before, whether he is the good Terminator or the bad Terminator. A couple of his lines made me wince because they were a bit stale, but he played the part very well, nonetheless. Nick Stahl played John Conner very well, he’s a great actor, and a lot less whiny sounding than Ed Furlong was in T2 (although I think Eddy has gotten much better since then–check out his awesome performance in “American History X”– and it woulda been kinda cool to have him back). I really didn’t miss Furlong because Stahl stepped into the part brilliantly. Claire Danes was great as usual, and she probably had the most emotional of all the performances. She handled it pretty well, and I’m glad they picked her to play the girl friend. Kristanna Loken had some of the sleek/creepy look that Robert Patrick had in T2, but not as much of it. She was good in it, and I never felt like she shouldn’t have been cast in the part.

If you like action, you will like this movie, no doubt about it. You may be a bit disappointed that the story and emotional side is nothing next to T2, but not so disappointed that you should not go see this movie ASAP. The ending surprised the hell out of me; I really didn’t expect what happened. If they DO make a Terminator 4, it will be a LOT different than the first 3, because a lot of things changed in the last few minutes of this movie.

James Bond 007 in Agent Under Fire

Written By: Will Schaeffer

James Bond 007 in Agent Under Fire (AUF) is in this reviewer’s opinion, probably the most underrated game of this generation of consoles. It baffles me how a game like this gets so little respect, but maybe that’s another topic for another time, but its a pretty decent game overall. Sure, its not “Halo: Combat Evolved quality” (on Xbox and PC), but then again, not a lot of FPSs are.

The game is based on James Bond, however, EA decided to make its own story for the game, instead of following a movie. This allows for the player to actually be somewhat interested in the story, instead of knowing exactly what is going to be happening next. The story isn’t that different from other James Bond licensed products, but that’s what makes them a classic, Bond goes out to save the world, meets a hot chick, saves the world after a car chase ending in a big explosion, and then screws the girl. However this time we find that not all is as it seems about our Bond Girl, Zoë.

The graphics aren’t top notch, but they are on par with this generation, and can still compete with most of the games out there. They weren’t a vocal point for my experience, so this part of the game never bothered me. The sound included that classic James Bond theme, which I never get tired of, and often found myself humming after playing the game. The guns all have clearly distinguishable sounds, which all fit nicely.

The game play again isn’t “Halo: Combat Evolved quality”, but it is neat trying to work through each level doing “Bond Moves” (Such as shooting a wire which holds a crate over a bad guy, or shooting a tank of gas to kill a couple guys from behind) or finding golden 007 Tokens. The levels hold up against most FPSs as well. The AI isn’t too hard or too easy, and there are three difficulty levels.

The value for me, is where the games strength lies. I’ve clocked in a lot of time on the multiplayer, which is for 1-4 players, its neat to be able to play the multiplayer modes just by yourself when you need some practice as well. A thing I found to be really neat to play with is the grappling hook, which allows you to climb up walls, and then jump down when someone walks underneath you. It also basically makes every wall a sniping spot for your SSR 4000. A couple other things I liked is the ability to make the game go faster, have low gravity, and that almost every gun has a back-up weapon (ie. One gun has a grenade launcher with it, the rocket launcher can switch over to rockets controlled by you, which is fun, and the grenade launcher has grenades that can split into six parts, the explode around your opponent) Also there is a level which is sort of a replication of the temple level in Goldeneye (for Nintendo 64), which is neat and almost a nostalgic experience for veterans of Goldeneye. I certainly got my 50 bucks out of this game.

So in summary, this game may not be “Halo: Combat Evolved quality” or live up to Goldeneye, (Which is just about impossible in my book). But it’s definitely a solid Shooter, and worth a rent at least. Enjoy.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Two words describe this game: must have. This game is a sequel of the successful N64 Super Smash Bros. Melee and has the same idea as the original Super Smash Bros. with just a few upgrades. There are better graphics, more characters, more levels, more moves, more weapons, and more game modes. However, some of these upgrades are a little disappointing. For instance, none of the new characters are really that spectacular, especially because many of them have almost the exact same moves as one of the original characters (Young Link, Falco, Dr. Mario, and Pichu). Also, some of the new weapons are not useful, just annoying (Mr. Saturn, umbrella, cloaking device). The graphics are only slightly better than the N64 version, and none of the new levels are anything special.

However, there a few good changes. Some of the new game modes (like Adventure Matches, Stadium mini-games, and Tournament Melee) are interesting and can be played over and over again, and still be fun. One difference that I really liked was the trophies. Where as the original Super Smash Bros. only gave information on each of characters, in Melee you have little segments of information to all kinds of old Nintendo characters and items. Collecting Trophies and looking through your collection may be one of the funnest parts of the game.

There are also a few differences in the controls and the moves. One part that is very cool is you can now perform your special attacks using the C stick, but you can only do this in VS Mode. All characters now also have a B over attack, in addition to a B attack, a B up attack, and B down attack. The controls are very easy to get used to, especially if you’ve played the original Super Smash Bros. a lot.

Overall, I think the differences between the original Super Smash Bros. and Melee are little disappointing. However, if you look at Melee by itself, it is an excellent game. Besides very good gameplay and good graphics, I think that Melee has exceptional sound. Try playing Melee with the volume all the way down, and I think you’ll find it is a completely different experience. While this is probably reasonably true for all games, I think it especially true for Melee because of the noises we normally wouldn’t even pay attention to. The little bangs, or umphs, you hear when characters hit each other or when they hit the ground. We hear these sounds, and pay very little attention to them, but they make Melee a good game none the less.

In summary, you should buy Melee if you already haven’t (especially because it’s only $20 now). Despite the fact that the differences between the original Super Smash Bros. and Melee are a little disappointing, Melee is still an exceptional game. I should warn you that it would be futile to rent the game and try to get enough play-time in the five days you rent it for. Melee just has too many hours of fun packed in that little disk.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Written By: Dustin Stewart

The game opens with a story told through still pictures with words under them, and a remix on the classic Zelda theme blaring in the background. Once you hear that music and find out where this story is taking you, you know you’ve got something special on your hands by the way it sends chills down your spine.

The first thing you will notice as you take control of the lead character, Link, is that the graphical style is like no previous Zelda game out there. The style is called cel-shading, and on first seeing it, your jaw just might drop in shock. Most people react badly to the new style at first, but once you move Link around and get a feel for the game, you are completely immersed in it. It’s like you are actually in a cartoon, and you won’t believe how fun that can be until you pick this game up for the first time. The emotion conveyed on the characters faces through this incredible graphical style is equaled by none. You can tell exactly how Link is feeling: sad and angry when his sister is kidnapped in the first few minutes of the game, happy and excited when opening up a treasure chest, set and determined while fighting off hordes of enemies. The world is huge and alive as you explore every nook and cranny of it, whether by land or by sea.

From the very first notes of that classic Zelda theme in the beginning of this game, the music is spot on. What the graphics do to the characters expressions to convey emotion, the music does the same by being spot on with what Link is feeling at any given time. If things are going well for our young hero, the music soars with upbeat tunes blaring through the speakers. If things aren’t going so well, the music is dark and dreary, giving the player the sense that Link is no longer having the time of his life. There is also a great music effect implemented into the sword play. With each successful hit, you hear a short surge in whatever track happens to be playing at the time. The more hits you land in a row, the higher in pitch the music goes, for a great effect that very well may have you trying to see how many blows you can land just to hear the bright and encouraging surge.

The graphics may be miles from previous Zelda games, but the game play is fully intact and improved upon in some cases. The classic “Z Targeting” (now “L Targeting”) has returned from the Nintendo 64 installments, and works just as well here as it did before. Simply hold down the L button while near an enemy and Links view point will lock onto his foe, allowing you to move any way you want without losing site of your target. The fighting aspect is better than ever, as you can now pick up enemies weapons to do some major damage, or use the classic Master Sword to do some quick but effective damage. If timed right you can even pull off a front flip over your enemy and strike him in the back before he knows what hits him, a necessity to beat some of the heavily armored baddies.

Like all Zelda games that have preceded this one, you have a large arsenal at your disposal, including the classic bow and arrows, hook shot, boomerang, and bombs. New comers such as the deku leaf, which lets you glide from high cliffs to ledges below, and the Wind Waker, a devise somewhat like the ocarina used in Zelda: Ocarina of Time, are welcome additions that add new layers to the game play. Zelda just wouldn’t be Zelda without some dungeons, and Wind Waker has its fair share of them. They are a little easier than those seen in the N64 Zelda games, which is somewhat disappointing. They are still great fun though, and the bosses are as big and bad as ever. The story starts out small, but about half way through the game you realize it’s just as epic as previous installments. It all sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Almost like the perfect game right? Well, now I have to mention the traveling by sea aspect of the game. If you thought that traveling across the vast Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time was tedious, be prepared to be frustrated, because the sea is huge and your boat is slow. You’ll spend a lot of time on the sea just wondering if you’ll ever get to your destination. Sure there’s plenty to do out at sea, like hunting for treasure, fighting giant squid or murderous pirates, but it gets old about half way through the game. Winning the ability to use the Wind Waker as a warp devise helps some, but not enough to keep the sea travel aspect of the game a chore.

Die hard Zelda fans will want to play through this game again, because there is bound to be a few things you weren’t able to do the first time around, such as collect all the picto-box statues, or play all the mini games. There are plenty of things for you to do, and there’s virtually no way you will cover them all by the time you slay the main bad guy (I wont spoil anything for you) for the first time. You also get to play in a different outfit (blue stripped pajama looking things) if that kind of thing is any incentive for you. Casual gamers will probably be satisfied with just one time through though, considering the monstrous task of traveling constantly by sea.

DareDevil

I have finally figured out why DareDevil fails in comparision to other Marvel movies like Spiderman and X-Men. It’s not that it is filled with action, but it is that of which it is filled with to much. The story falls flat on its face it’s just so boring. It’s not the premise that is boring, but the story itself is just all told in a flash back and you know that DareDevil will at least survive to the point at which the flashback occurs. The story suffers from it’s supporting characters not at all getting developed as the story goes on. There was that reporter guy, played by actor Erick Avari, who seemed to be important, but you never get an understanding of who he really is. You understand that by the end of the movie that he must be an important guy, but you don’t get what he does for DareDevil.

Also the cinematography is just bad, at least for the action scenes. The camera is always either way to close or way to far from the action. It never allows you to get a true grasp of what is going on around you, which gets very annoying. Another bad thing is the music at the beginning of the movie. When we first see DareDevil diving down from the skyscraper and landing on those window washers ladders the music is just awful. The music does not follow DareDevil at all. You would think that the music would increase in volume to make this big noise as he lands on each of the ladders, but no they don’t do that. The music just keeps on going and it just doesn’t help this scene at all.

One cool scene with the music was the first fight scene with DareDevil when he fights in that bar trying to seek justice against the rapist. They do this effect that they dim the music whenever DareDevil is trying to locate a person by using echolocation, by tapping on a bar or something.

The actors/actresses in this movie are all fine, except for Ben Affleck who plays DareDevil. I think he should have been a bit more tired and groan more whenever he talked. Just imagine being a super hero and yet not having any super strength. So basically in every fight it hurts like none other, especially when you get into them one after another. But that’s really the only problem that I had, in this subject.