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The Dark Knight is a spectacular adventure-crime movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has won 2 movie awards and was nominated for 3. Rolling Stones says “Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check.” TV Guide says “Even without Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, Christopher Nolan's pitch-black sequel to BATMAN BEGINS (2005) would be a tour de force. But Ledger's mesmerizing damaged agent provocateur is the film's dark heart, a presence so malevolently unpredictable that it remains palpable even when he's not on screen.” The critics gave this outstanding movie 4.5/5 stars. The amazing Pixar, animation-adventure Wall-E is a movie for all ages, and is very touching. This movie won 2 out of 2 awards so far. New York Times say “We’ve grown accustomed to expecting surprises from Pixar, but “Wall-E” surely breaks new ground. It gives us a G-rated, computer-generated cartoon vision of our own potential extinction. It’s not the only film lately to engage this somber theme. As the earth heats up, the vanishing of humanity has become something of a hot topic” Entertainment Weekly says “There's a way to measure how well an animated film takes over your imagination. Do you forget, during the movie, that you're even watching animation? Do the textures and settings, the fantasyland characters, become — for lack of a better word — real?” This movie got an amazing 4.6/5 stars! nytimes.com, tvguide.com, google.com/moviereview, ew.com |
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Movies |
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For The Holidays |
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This has got to be one of the best seasons for videogames since 2006’s summer of hardcore releases. This Fall and Winter, many of the most anticipated videogames of the year are coming out in a flood of glorious game play. Far Cry 2, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Spore, Pure, Rockband 2, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, Dead Space, Golden Axe Beast Rider, Fable 2, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, EndWar, Resitance 2, Shaun Withe Snowboarding (Please take a breath) Tomb Raider: Underworld, and Rise of the Argonauts. We’ll start with the main ones, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, and Call of Duty: World at War. The Fallout series started by Interplay in 1994 as a 2D Role-Playing Game, followed by number two and a five spin-offs, voted Game of the Year three times in a row. Fallout 3 lives up to the hype, though the Fallout license was sold to Bethesda Studios. Estimated 150+ Hours of game play, it shows a side of the gaming industry only shown by the Bethesda’s Elder Schrolls: Oblivion. It has been described as having total choice and freedom, it has gotten extremely high scores from reviewers like Gamespot and IGN. Taking place in a Post-Apocalyptic America after a nuclear war was set off in the 50’s, it shows a great in-depth story with amazing graphics and game play. This is a must buy for every hardcore video gamer in America; nothing can even come close to comparison. Next up is Gears of War 2, the second most anticipated video game so far. Continuing the story of Marcus Phoenix and his squad to fight a insect-like horde straight out of a horror Si-Fi. With more enemies, weapons, and tactics, GoW2 will be a heavy hitter in the market in late November, contending with Fallout like a battle of titans. Hardcore action is what Gears is all about; gore, bullets, and saving the human race is about as fun as… well gore, bullets, and saving the human race. Now with Gears and Fallout, Call of Duty: World at War was almost a sleeper hit if not for its predecessor Modern Warfare. Critically acclaimed for its fan base and awards, Call of Duty, or CoD, has defiantly a stake in this territory. Unlike Modern Warfare, World at War will take place in World War 2, at Japan and Europe. So far, a decent game about the Pacific War has yet to be made and WaW (World at War) could be the first. Also if anyone has played Modern Warfare they know how short the single-player campaign was, don’t expect that to happen in this game. For Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward (the games developer) doesn’t have to spend time creating an entire game engine but instead creating more missions and new content. Now to the sleeper hits, namely Far Cry 2, Fable 2, and Deadspace. These are definitely purchases if you don’t like the top three. Far Cry 2 has had a total overhaul from its predecessor, eliminating all that cheesy Si-Fi stuff. It has become totally realistic and visceral, you literally have to dig bullets out of your arms and animals will start stampeding. The setting in Africa has been beautiful to the series, allowing them to place you (The Player) in a war torn country in search of a dangerous arms dealer. Also the vehicles have become a deadly force, allowing you to troll in a river with a boat, fly over cliffs in a hang glider, and even ramp a jeep full of explosives in a rebel encampment. |
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Video Games |
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Brett Wilson |
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Fable 2 has got to be the funniest medieval RPG to date. It takes place in the fictional land of Albion, 500 years after the first installment. Combat allows you to switch seamlessly from Melee, Colonial Guns, and Magic, rewarding the player for dispatching enemies in style. You are able to interact with all the villagers in the game’s world, using expressions to make them happy or angry; also you can have a family and buy property. Now Deadspace is one of the scariest games on the market, rivaling F.E.A.R’s hold on the survival horror genre. Sci-Fi, Zombies, and Strategic Dismemberment are used tastefully in a dead hulk of a spaceship with creeping noises and gunfire to keep the mood. The Zombies, or Necromorphs, have infected the crew of the ship, totally giving this the title of the Most Scariest Game of 2008. A few other innovative games have made it to the public’s attention, EndWar, Mirror’s Edge, and Spore. EndWar, a real-time strategy where you command world armies, allows you to control the entire battle with your voice. Using a head-set you are able to issue orders like a real commander! Using totally customizable classes of infantry, helicopters, and armor, you are able to inflict totally awesome destructive everywhere. Mirror’s Edge is definitely a new style of game. Instead of the normal run and gun of Call of Duty and Resistance, you put in the shoes of a free-runner. They are the ones who jump across rooftops carrying documents to all kinds of people. The world has definitely gotten strict on the carrying of information because runners are arrested on sight. Now Spore is the most educational game for hardcore gamers on the market. This game allows you to experience evolution as the creatures themselves evolve. By you actually creating a cell from scratch you see the five levels of evolution, Cell, Animal, Tribal, Civilization, and finally Space. I really would like to recommend this game to science teachers who wish to teach the concept of evolution in a fun way, and on the upside, it also runs on Macintosh. This year is going to be filled with, bullets, action, fun, laughs, story, depth, and most of all, the ability to kill the “Bad Guy”. |
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Lindsay Harjak |