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ARTS &E NTE RTAIN ME NT lamEnTD CliCl aaiuy iejjiij If it libs 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!