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It's Wii-tastic!
Christmas may have
come and gone, but the hunt
for the ever-elusive Nintendo
Wii remains for some people.
For those luckily enough to
snag a Wii on launch day
or within the first month
have by now experienced a
brand new way to play video
games with Nintendo’s new
technological innovation
and respectable launch
lineup. However, for those
unfortunate gamers out
there who found local stores
and Santa’s toy sack a little
on the empty side this past
holiday season, these mini
reviews should help decide
what Wii games lire worth
the time and money when
more shipments of consoles
eventually roll in.
fell
“Rayman:
Raving Rabbids”
Music in the
Carrollton area
you need to
check out
By Adam Wolfe
Staff Writer
awolfejttcorporated@gmadjcom
Hey everybody, this is
Adam Wolfe, and I’m here
to give you the information
about what’s going on this
weekend in the music scene
around Carrollton...yeah,
I know, hard to find, but
that’s why I’m here. Being
the drummer for the band
Fading Effigy has gotten me
a lot of contacts in the music
industry especially around
the Atlanta area in terms of
bands, venue owners and all
kinds of stuff. Enough about
me, its time for what you
read this section for.
Here’s the highlight
of the charts: 1) Groundhog
Fest: This festival is going to
be loaded with all kinds of
different bands performing
Fantastic House For Rent!!!
Close to College. Located on 166. 86 Southern Trail Carrollton
Secluded 3 bedroom, 2 bath, loft overlooking family room.
Jacuzzi room with extended sunroom .
Contact Kormath @ 404-735-4695
While enjoying a
leisurely picnic with a hillside
of his closet friends, Rayman
finds his quiet aftemexm
rudely interrupted by an army
of amusingly disturbed white
bunnies with noticeably bad
dental work. Kidnapping
him and his friends, these
“Rabbids” have forced
Rayman into a coliseum for
their demented peers to enjoy
watching him compete in an
endless gauntlet of challenges
if he ever hopes to free his
friends and be released.
Silly story aside,
Rayman: Raving Rabbids is
one of the Nintendo Wii’s first
must-have games. Belonging
in the same genre as games
like WarioWare and Mario
Party, Raving Rabbids is a
game that is played by taking
part in tons of smaller mini
games to advance.
These mini-games
match the overall silly
atmosphere of the game,
and are a blast to play for the
most part, especially with the
Wii remote’s motion sensing
capabilities. These events
include anything as simple as
running in a quick race where
players pump their arms
with Wii controller in hand
to move to more complex
games like the on-rails bunny
hunts where players use
all day! Fifteen are
announced, but there’s more
to come from The 7 Venue.
Other performances going
on throughout the week
are a good way to get out
of your dorm or wherever
you live and experience a
little night life. Sam Koon
is hitting Parelli’s Pizza on
the square on the 31st, and
If By Chance is playing the
Off Campus Bar and Grill
at 10 on the Ist. Feel free to
browse the list and check out
some of the bands you like
or might not even know. I,
personally, am influenced
by the word free, so I’ll be
checking out a lot of the stuff
going on at the square and
Loco’s this week.
There is a lot to check
out as far as venues go also,
if you’re looking for bigger,
noisier music, you should
check out the local venues:
the controller as a plunger
shooting gun to wield against
the diabolical Rabbids
throughout the stage.
While the majority of
the games are incredibly fun,
a handful of the mini-games
will have players scratching
their heads over while
searching for the button to
let them skip it. With more
than 70 activities to try, the
multiplayer is really what
seals the deal. Being able to
play with up to four people
in this fast and frantic party
game makes Rayman Raving
Rabbids a must-have game
for Wii fanatics.
8.5
“Red Steel”
Hyped as the first
and best first-person
shooter available for the
Nintendo Wii, Red Steel is
unfortunately a very flawed
game. Whether it’s getting
.in earful of the horrible plot
and dialogue, wrestling with
the unresponsive controls,
or realizing the lack of any
online features, this game
DATE TIME BAND(S) LOCATION PARTICULARS
Jan. 31 9:30 p.m. Sam Koon Parelli’s Pizza free, on the Square
Feb. 1 10:()0p.m. Steve Abercrombie Millers Thunder Monkey
on the Square
Feb. 1 10:00 p.m. Sam Koon Rome St. Tavern free, Rome street.
Feb. 1 10:30 p.m. If By Chance O.C. Bar & Grill $5, close to campus
Feb. 2 6:00 p.m Forever Taken The 7 Venue S7, Douglasville
The Prometheans Fairbum Rd.
Anniston
Faith in Arms
Father Figure
Feb. 2 9:30 p.m. Death Upon Us Insomnia Venue $7, downtown Villa Rica
Feb. 2 9:00 p.m. Kevin Gipson’s Douglasville, Fairbum Rd.
Feb. 2 10:30 p.m. David Pippin Irishßred Pub $5, on the Square
Feb. 3 ALL DAY Groundhog Fest! The 7 Venue $ 12, and worth it
(a ridiculous amount
of local and not
so local bands
playing all day)
Feb. 3 7:00 p.m. The Blessing The Insomnia Venue $7, downtown Villa Rica
Curse, She Came
From Above, Vitriol
Feb. 3 9:00 p.m. Kevin Gipson’s Douglasville, Fairbum Rd.
Feb. 3 9:00 p.m. Aclarion Loco’s Grill & Pub 812 South Park St. Carrollton
Feb. 3 8:00 p.m. Witham Crosspoint UWG
Feb. 6 8:00 p.m. Matt Howard Bonz Sports Grill $2 beer, acoustic country
The 7 Venue in Douglasville,
and the Insomnia Venue in
Villa Rica. I’ve played these
many times and I know,
personally, that these places
hold some good memories.
The new Insomnia Venue
is located in downtown
Villa Rica next to the Police
Station. They’re brand new,
manages to disappoint on
nearly every level.
As protagonist Scott
Monroe, gamers are given
the task of rescuing Scott’s
girlfriend from a Japanese
mob by acquiring an antique
sword and exchanging it for
herlife. Sounds like something
Steven Segal would do in a
Sunday afternoon matinee on
television, right?
When players jump
into the action, they will
quickly realize that their
Wii controller now has two
new' item possibilities, a gun
and a sword, to add to its
already packed list of things
it can mimic. By aiming the
Wii controller at the screen
and pulling the B button
underneath it as a trigger, the
controller acts as a firearm to
take down the baddies, but
occasionally the game tosses
in sword fights that require
holding the Wii controller as
a sword handle and swinging
it across the screen at the
aggressor.
While this new type of
control scheme is certainly
an innovative attempt on
the developers’ part, the
unresponsiveness of the
movements will ultimately
frustrate gamers rather than
aiding them in combat. The
crosshair leasing the edge
of the screen, sporadic spins
and movements, and wonky
sword combat is only a few of
Red Steel’s problems, but the
multiplayer is where gamers
will feel the biggest sting of
neglect.
Not utilizing any of
Nintendo’s new online
services for multiplayer, Red
got a great sound system, and
a lineup of bands that’ll get
an introvert on his or her feet.
The 7 Venue is a reputable,
Christian establishment
located on Fairbum Road
in Douglasville next to Big
Lots. The building they
use is an old movie theater
complete with a large stage.
Steel returns to the days of
Golden Eye (X)7 yore with
four player split-screen
combat. This would be fine
and dandy with a big screen
television and four standard
controllers, but the way the
Wii controls makes it very
difficult for four players
to enjoy the game. Mix in
a standard size television
screen and it’s a recipe for
disaster.
If looking for a slightly
better first-person-shtxrter
experience, either check out
Call of Duty 3 or wait patiently
for the release of Metroid
Prime 3: Corruption.
6.0
"Trauma Center:
Second ()pinion’’
Asa game originally
released on the handheld
Nintendo DS, Trauma Center
Second Opinion makes the
jump to the Nintendo Wii
perfectly. Using the motion
sensing controller of the Wii to
play, players are dropped into
the delicate world of medical
surgery.
lighting effects, bar (no
alcohol served), game-room,
and lounge.
Go ahead and check out
some of this stuff. Even if
you’re new to local music,
get out there and have a great
time, and bring a friend with
you.
If you have any questions
SPRING BREAK
INFORMATION
800-488-8828
www.sandpiperbeacon.com
Free Spring Break
Model Search Calendar*
•Vane ton HtST 1000 ttSHVAtIQNS,
Playing as the young
up-and-coming d(Ktor
Derek Stiles, gamers
must effectively use their
Wii remotes as a variety
of medical instruments
to perform operations
on suffering patients.
Instruments like scalpels,
sutures, gauze, lasers, and
other expensive equipment
are all at Dr. Stiles’ disposal,
and can be easily switched
on the fly with the use of
the Wii’s other controller,
the Nunchuck. This dual
wielding control scheme is
much more reliable to use as
apposed to the touch screen
of the Nintendo DS.
By motioning with the
Wii controller and switching
items with the Nunchuck
controller, players are able to
perform the very simplest of
pnx:edures, such as dressing
a wound, to the very complex
surgeries involving vital
organs.
While Trauma Center
is pretty entertaining for new
players wanting to fulfill
any of their heroic operation
r<x)m dreams, people that
have previously played the
game may find the port a
bit redundant. There are a
handful of extra missions
that better utilize the control
scheme of the Wii specifically,
but overall the game is only
a very faithful port of the
Nintendo DS version at full
price.
7.5
check out Myspace for a lot
of these bands and locations.
There are usually directions
on the site. Questions?
Comments? Didn’t hear
about a show you’re playing
locally? E-mail me at awolfe.
incorporated gmail. com. I
hope to see some brand new
faces!