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“Gears of War”
Microsoft X-Box 360
With Halo 3 possibly
being released as late as this
holiday season, a big question
on the minds of X-Box 360
owners is w hat games are out
there to tide them over until
they can ride in their favorite
Warthog again. Sure, games
like Marvel Ultimate Alliance
and F.E.A.R may fill the void
for awhile, but where is the
real single and multiplayer
substance hiding?
Ask no more because
the collective talent at Epic
Games has the answer, and
it’s in the form of a little gem
they like to call Gears of War.
In Gears of'War, mankind
is deadlocked in an endless
war on planet Sera against
the looming threat of the
burrowing Locust Horde. As
the war wages throughout the
years, humans are desperately
losing ground against their
hideous bug-like enemies, and
decide it best to enlist any able
bodies that can hold a gun and
Hitcher a ride worth taking
By Larry Peel
News Editor
Larry@ioncinema.com
£
With the most
demented movie monster
since Hannibal Lecter,
Dave Meyer’s The Hitcher
is the most terrifying
slasher flicks of the last
few years. Buckle up and
pray.
Collegiate couple
Grace Andrews (Sophia
Bush) and Jim Halsey
(Zachary Knighton)
hits the road in a 1970
Oldsmobile 442, en route
to spring break, but their
pleasure trip soon turns
into a waking nightmare
after encountering the
mysterious hitchhiker John
Ryder, a.k.a. The Hitcher
(Sean Bean). The initial
encounters with Ryder are
increasingly off-putting for
Grace and Jim, and they
bravely fight back when
IT’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD
squeeze the trigger. This is
where gamers are introduced
to Gears of War’s main
protagonist, Marcus Fenix.
Once a proud soldier of
the COG military, Marcus now
finds himself a dishonored
shadow of his former self
that has spent more th;ui his
fair share of time in prison
for unjust war crimes, ;uid
has the attitude to match it.
But now with the Locust
Horde tightening the noose on
mankind's neck, previously
tainted soldiers like Marcus
Fenix are now being broken
out of prison to unite in the
good fight. As Marcus is freed
from prison by other soldiers
in the COG military, he joins
up with them and immediately
begins his fight to help them
retake the planet of Sera.
Despite the slightly
cliched back-story. Gears of
War is a truly epic gaming
experience that keeps the ball
continually rolling with its
characters and intense action.
Unlike typical third
person-shooters that hardly
require the use of cover and
seem to be biased as to how
fast a player can empty their
gun’s ammo supply. Gears of
War is a breath of fresh air at
how it approaches firelights
with enemies. Gamers that
he ambushes them. But
they are truly blindsided
when he implicates them
in a horrific slaying and
continues to shadow them.
The open road becomes a
battleground of blood and
metal as, in trying to elude
not only Ryder but also
New Mexico State Police
Lieutenant Esteridge’s
(Neal McDonough)
officers, Grace and Jim
must fight for their lives
and face their fears head
on.
Meyer’s, in his feature
film debut, draws heavily
from his nearly 100
music videos, giving The
Hitcher a fast paced, no
holds barred energy that
can only come from the
MTV generation. From the
opening scene (reminiscent
of Oliver Stones Natural
Born Killers), to the
shockingly gruesome final
moments; Meyer’s grabs
viewers by the throat and
drags them, kicking and
screaming, through the
83-minute combination of
horror, thriller and action.
The short run time helps
to ensure that the audience
is kept on the edge of their
seats while still allowing
a connection with the
characters that is the key
run out in the open expecting
to mow down three or four
enemies with one clip will
quickly find themselves with
a virtual body riddled with
Locust ammo. This game
is all about finding cover,
squeezing off a few rounds,
and ultimately outsmarting the
terrifyingly intelligent Locust
Horde w ith smart maneuvers
like Hanking and diving.
With this type of action,
the controls for the game are
a perfect fit. After becoming
acquainted to the creative
cover system, gamers will be
performing perfectly executed
rolls, spins, and slides to reach
the next designated cover
spot, and then effectively
neutralizing enemies with
either accurately aimed shots
or around-the-comer, no
looking shots with their neat
futuristic weapons.
Keeping with the more
realistic tone of the game,
players ;ire not allowed to pick
up and cany every weapon
they come across in-game, but
rather only four weapons at
one time. This includes a spot
for grenades, a handgun, and 2
huger guns like rifles or nxket
launchers. This may seem like
a downer with the weapons
usually being the biggest draw
for shooting games, but it
really adds ;ui extra amount of
strategy when play ing.
Every weapon in the
game is good for a certain
condition, but not knowing
what condition is coming up
keeps gamers on their toes
I'll D/m i iHtrlcw roth’iUoimiUH'sA <mi
Gripping suspense and gore highlight Meyer's remake of
the 1986 cult classic.
to a gripping ride.
A remake of Eric
Red’s 1986 film of the
same name, The Hitcher
breaks free of the typical
remake curse by infusing
a memorable soundtrack
with enough action and
common sense to appeal to
viewers of both genders,
though the film is decidedly
turned toward the male
18-24 demographic. The
characters in general
are utterly believable,
avoiding the stereotypical
plot foibles that curse the
generic horror flick. The
plotline has a few kinks.
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Rough and tough military soldiers? Check. Invading army of alien enemies? Check.
One of the best games on the X-Box 360? Check.
when selecting which gun to
keep and which to toss. The
sniper rifle is obviously the
best choice for those hard
to reach enemies, while the
nxket launcher is perfect for
the bulkier Locust enemies
that can take their lair share of
bullets. While these weapons
are great to use, it’s without a
doubt the less iconic weapons
in Gears of War that really
bring out the fun.
Weapons like tire Torque
Bow are perfect for massive
amounts of damage against
Horde enemies. The Hammer
of Dawn is great for those
stubborn enemies behind
cover as it's technically a
targeting device that rains
down a powerful laser from a
satellite to w ipe out any hidden
bogey s, w hile the Torque Bow
is best described as a direct nod
to w hat Sv Ivester Stallone uses
in his Rambo films.
and there are enough
directorial flubs to keep
film buffs giggling, but
overall the film serves its
purpose as an in-your-face
slash-fest infused with a
healthy does of explosions
and car crashes. In
traditional horror formula,
there is a last girl, and to
coin a phrase from Saw...
oh yes, there will be
blood.
Rated R for strong
grisly violence, terror and
language.
Grade: A-
Despite the game being
(>ne (>f the nx *st fun experiences
a gamer could have on his or
her X-Box 360, a handful of
bugs can < X'cask inally break the
flow of the game as players can
find themselves permanently
stuck in the Lrx'ust’s holes,
w alls, or objects. However, the
biggest complaint is that the
single player ends tcx> quickly.
The game is split up into five
amazing acts, but all five of
these acts can be completed
within ten hours or less, the
worst |>art being no additional
bonus missions or content.
Even though a short
single-player campaign may
sour more than a few gamers'
grapes. Epic Games is not
without offline and online
multiplayer modes, but once
again it has its own set of
ups and dovvns.being able to
blast through the single-player
campaign with a buddy in
Lower Class Brats
By Bobby Moore
Guest writer
One of the good things
about “modern” punk
bands is that they seem to
stick around a lot longer
than their predecessors.
One example is
everyone’s favorite A
Clockwork Orange loving
Texans. Austin’s Lower
Class Brats have been at it
since 1995 and they show
no signs of stopping.
When “The New
Seditionaries” was released
late last year, fans had been
waiting over three years
for anew LCB album.
After listening to this long
awaited album. I doubt any
of them were disappointed.
The album starts with
a bang as the group tears
through “Go Insane” in
1:50. This is the shortest
song on an album full of
tunes that clock in at less
than three minutes. There
is nothing wrong with
that, since longer songs
are best reserved for Dave
Matthews and hippies.
The title track comes
across as being a nod to
Malcolm McClaren and
Vivien Westwood’s Sex,
the King’s Road clothing
shop that, along with
Online Co-Op is positively
one of the best features, but the
online multiplayer's limited
game type selection leaves a
bit more to be desired.
As gamers unavoidably
search for the next handful
of games to satisfy their
hungry gamer appetite until
the hopeful release of Halo 3.
Gears of War should w ithout
a doubt be on their list to pick
up and play. The single-player
may be a short play-through,
but with three varying levels
of difficulty and an overall
rewarding multiplayer
experience, gamers will be
continually challenged and
entertained for months to
come w ith this game.
Wains Hating
®J
(out ol 10)
Acme Attractions, helped
spawn the punk rock look.
In addition to bondage
trousers, that little shop
also gave the world The
Sex Pistols. The lyrics are
very catchy, and 1 would
imagine that this would be
a fun track to hear played
live because of its football
chant chorus.
The fast-paced
“P.G.L.” is another catchy
tune. “I’m glad I'm bored,
I could be dead,” could be
the best words to live by
I’ve heard in a while.
On “I’m a Mess".
Bones DeLarge’s vocals
remind me a little of
Atlanta’s own Chase Noles
of The Heart Attacks.
Flattering comparisons
aside, this song isn't quite
as good as the two that it
follows. 1 say this because
the lyrics are a little less
catchy and a lot more
predictable.
“Don’t Care About
Me” sounds like it is about
a girl who did one of the
band members wrong. 1
would share some of the
lyrics, but they would
probably make a young
Elvis Costello sound full of
See BRATS, pa ve 5