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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT QsIjxIII SB If at was &L oMEEhB Justice league Heroes Sony Playstation 2 Another day, another lackluster superhero video game based on a DC comic franchise. Instead of ruining a game featuring a single character like Batman or Superman, this time the developers at Snowblind Studios have gone all out to include most members of the Justice League of America for some equal opportunity disappointment in their new game Justice League Heroes. Not relying much on a substantial story, the plot behind Justice League Heroes basically boils down to the ever resilient Justice League of America battling the evil genius Brainiac and his ragtag assortment of super villain lackeys working under him. While it is quite common to find the “threaten mankind by Bridge to Terabithia leads to movie magic By Larry Peel News Editor TR2oo3Medic@aol.com Gabor Csupo, the Hungarian born animation wizard, brings his immense talent to the screen once again in his latest project Bridge to Terabithia, the big screen adaptation of Katherine Patterson’s 1977 book. Csupo manages to do what few directors have managed in trying to adapt a classic book to film; he maintains the vision and the magic of the text. Bridge to Terabithia is a wonderful Do you need Financial Aid for the 2007-2008 school year? Then come to FAFSA Night! SAVE THE DATE - Tuesday February 27 th U M Financial AM volunteers will be available to help you compete your FAFSA for the 2007-2008 school year online. will be open ffjnm 5-9 p.m. in [Room Technology-enhanced li Center. " V?s/f www.westga.edu/~finaid to find £ Jf Out if you are eligible to complete P the application and what to bring. destroying the world's much loved superhero team” story arc in typical comic books, it doesn’t really hold much interest in video game form. Adding to the game’s lack of interest, the selected villains the Justice League encounters are very bottom of the barrel. Fighting against the big named megalomaniacs like Brainiac and Darkseid is well-received, but actually getting to them unfortunately requires going through some utterly forgettable bad guys such as The Key, Queen Bee, and Killer Frost. Good thing the good guys are a lot more appealing. Despite the early flaws and insipidness of Justice League Heroes, being able to play as some of comic universe’s most legendary superheroes is what the game is all about. Superman, Batman, and The Flash are just a few characters available, but gamers can expect a much diverse cast than just the man of steel, the dark knight, and the fastest man alive. Other crowd favorites such as Wonder Woman and Green Lantern make an appearance, but lesser jaunt into the magic and mystery of the imagination of children, and an excellent family experience. In this Walden/ Disney cooperative, Fifth grader Jesse Aaron’s (Josh Hutcherson) hopes of becoming the fastest runner in his class are dashed when new girl Leslie Burke (Anna Sophia Robb) outruns everybody, including him. However, Jess and Leslie soon begin a friendship, and discover a magical kingdom in the forest, where the two of them known JLA members like Zatanna and Hawkgirl help round out the decently sized character selection. Justice League Heroes plays as an action RPG with the camera naturally situated high above the action, and forces gamers to grind through level after level of brainless II — Photo courtesy Gamespy.com Not even the strongest superhero team on Earth can save Justice League Heroes from its inevitable bargain bin grave. enemies in an effort to gain experience and raise their superheroes levels. This formula is certainly tried and true, but fans of Marvel’s infinitely more fine-tuned and popular X- Men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will find this game almost verbatim to their beloved game series. The concept is reign together as king and queen. Both bullies and their parents, which are transformed within the magical kingdom that they create for themselves, embattle the pair. Through the artistic creativity ofWeta Digital, the world of Leslie and Jess comes to life in ways that Patterson’s book could not possibly have conjured. Brilliant creatures, an incredible tapestry of settings, and superb acting on the part of the young stars bring the story from the page to the screen in an relatively simple as the game is divided into levels where only two members of the JLA can fight multitudes of baddies at a time. As players defeat bad guys with their various punches, kicks and special attacks, small experience orbs will drop and accumulate until a character reaches the next level. Players can then boost their superheroes’ stats to gain even more health, energy, or any of the other upgradeable categories. While upgrading and assigning new abilities to the Justice League can be considered enjoyable, the monotony of navigating featureless levels and fighting countless enemy mi ■ -.Tifisa——— ■— --a*i — Photo courtesy Rottentomatoes com Bridge to Terabithia is a wonderful jaunt into the magic and mystery of the imagi nation of children, and an excellent family experience. immensely entertaining fashion. Csupo retained the intent that Patterson seemed to have had in her book; that friendship, not magic is the key to the tale. Csupo also makes sure to portray the fact that Jess in intimately in tune with and concerned about, his family’s finances. This is a feeling that many in the films target demographic, 7-13 year olds, can relate to in modern society. Following the tradition now firmly established by Narnia, Csupo strives for, and succeeds in, capturing the legacy, vision, and morality of the original drones in order to level up is not. On top of that, occasional levels feature small annoying side missions, like rescuing civilians or destroying select objects, in order to proceed through the level. It’s always a good idea to toss in some mission elements in a combat heavy game such as this. but these missions end up becoming more of a chore than the much needed diversion from battle. Other negative aspects of Justice League Heroes include cheesy and overused dialogue from the voice actors, a lack of better multiplayer options besides two player co-op, and an unbelievably short single tale. Csupo has long been involved in the behind the scenes magic of nearly two-dozen animated films and television series. Josh Hutcherson is no newcomer to the industry either with a nearly equal number of roles as his director has credits. In fact Josh is set to lead another family friendly contender this Spring with Firehouse Dog.settoopen in March. Anna Sophia may be most familiar to audiences as the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde in 2005’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Robb too has been busy in the industry, with 7 credits i player campaign, which actually could be seen as a mercifully positive aspect for people who find themselves being forced to play through it to write a review for their campus paper The few redeeming values that the game actually possesses are its role playing elements of upgrading characters and powers, the inclusion of two-player co-op (albeit no other modes), and secret shields hidden throughout levels which allows gamers to purchase and unlock new characters and costumes. Even though it isgreat to see and unlock more JLA members to play with, like both popular Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan, overall the abundance of game-killing flaws amass and destroy any chance of making Justice League Heroes a redeemable game. For the superhero enthusiasts that insist otherwise, either pursue this game as a weekend rental only or go check out the Marvel licensed games like Ultimate Alliance instead. Waters l&tlinjj di (out of 10) now behind her and 5 more completed or in postproduction. Disney has finally begun returning to its roots, revitalizing the 1960’s family friendly, live action film. This film may appear to be a second rate copy, but it certainly has its own merits, and is well worth taking the kids or a date to. A