Game Zone: Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Bombastic, Wrestlemania XIX
Everybody loves a bargain–especially gamers. Nintendo reports that GameCube sales have quadrupled since they dropped the price to $99.99.
Category: Reviews
Game Zone: Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Voodoo Vince, Simpsons: Hit and Run
Game Boy Advance players won’t need cables to link handhelds together anymore, thanks to Nintendo’s plan to include a free device (similar to Bluetooth technology) with its upcoming “Pokemon” title, due out in 2004.
Game Zone: Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure, Starsky and Hutch, Boktai
“I like ‘Halo’ on Xbox because you can play up to 16 players at once. We usually play four at a time and just kill each other. It’s fun.” — Chicago Fire defender Carlos Bocanegra
Game Zone: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, GameDay 2004, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb
“I have and play video poker, and I still don’t win very often. I have a pinball machine in my basement that I bought when I was 15. My kids play Tiger Woods 2003 and Splinter Cell (on XBox).” -Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist for Cheap Trick
Game Zone: ESPN NFL Football, Alter Echo, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
It is the future and if you’re a shaper, you’ve got it made. Using a substance called plast, shapers may create anything they want-like weapons of mass destruction, space-age style. You play as a fledgling shaper named Nevin.
Game Zone: NCAA Football 2004, TRON 2.0
Between Madden and EA Sports’ football game franchises, is there really a need for competitors to even bother? This game rocks. The game controls are the same as before, but the game play is stronger, faster and better.
F-Zero GX
Are you feeling the need for speed? If your learning curve is fast and your patience is long, the latest in Nintendo’s racing franchise may win you over.
Jealousy, name-calling, tears: And it’s only the first week
‘Temptation Island 3″ promises: No games. No millionaires. No prizes. No kidding. Let’s face it: Shows like this are all about games. The pawns are willing participants who trade a little bit of their dignity for a free vacation to a tropical island where they’re televised flirting and often making out with 14 hot members of the opposite sex. This is one viewer’s impressions of the desires and deceptions this week on Fox’s island of seduction.
Game Zone: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, Soul Caliber II
Fast action, cool animation and plenty of options make this one of the best fighting games, bar none. There may be only 15 characters to select from, but thanks to the 1,500 accessory options (hair, clothes, facial features), there seem to be dozens more.
“Marci X”: Livin’ the thug life–with all the bugs
The running theme through “Marci X” is, “You’ve got to be real.” That’s what Damon Wayans’ thug rapper Dr. $ says, and what Lisa Kudrow’s pampered Marci Feld parrots back. The thing is, there’s nothing real about the characters in this dismal comedy. Even as a satire, it fails because the filmmakers don’t understand the subject they’re satirizing.
Game Zone: Futurama, Silent Hill 3, Downhill Domination
Evil businesswoman Mom now owns 51 percent of Earth, making her supreme ruler. It’s up to the gang at Planet Express–Fry, Leela and Bender–to stop her.
Who wins in ‘Freddy vs. Jason’? Not the audience
Don’t bother asking who the ultimate winner is in the battle between “Freddy vs. Jason.” We’re not supposed to tell you. But suffice it to say you don’t have to be clairvoyant to realize this franchise isn’t going to die, even if one of the lead characters supposedly does.
IMAX film has an eye for the ‘Tiger’
By Jae-Ha Kim Chicago Sun-Times August 15, 2003 Ghandi once said, “A society can be judged by the way it treats its animals.” But what if the animal is a danger to society–then how is […]
“Step Into Liquid”: Surfing doc never catches the right wave
Dana Brown’s surfing documentary “Step Into Liquid” features lush locations, magnificent waves and rocking surfer bodies. So why does the film feel so much longer than its 88-minute running time? I liken it to a spa treatment, where the anticipation of soaking in a mud bath or taking a long, hot steam sounds wonderful but, in reality, proves to get old fast. There’s only so much relaxation you can take before you’re antsy to leave.
Madden NFL 2004: Chicago’s hottest videogame
Cool graphics, easy-to-follow directions and John Madden’s colorful commentary all make this franchise the best football game on the market. The attention to detail–from the players to the stadiums–is amazing. Speaking of which, Soldier Field has never looked so good.
Ever felt like a misfit teen? Go to ‘Camp’
At Camp Ovation, sports is a four-letter word. A gym teacher is as out of place there as a dance instructor would be at basketball camp. So when shy Ellen is dateless for her school dance, or Michael gets beat up for wearing a dress and heels to his prom, they cling to the thought that they’ll be at a better place–Camp Ovation–in just a few days. Based on his own experiences attending a summer musical workshop, “Camp” is screenwriter Todd Graff’s directorial debut.
“8-Track, The Sounds of the ’70s”
There are some of us who lived through the 1970s who not only loved the soundtrack of that era, but also have fond memories of that decade’s music–even schmaltzy numbers such as “You Light Up My Life,” “I’m Not in Love” and, yes, “I Write the Songs.” So it’s not surprising that Rick Seeber came up with “8-Track, the Sounds of the ’70s.” What is unfortunate, however, is that the director either had too little time to craft an innovative stage production or just didn’t care enough about the music to attempt doing it justice.
Justin sheds a band; Christina sheds inhibitions
Bye, bye, bye ‘N Sync. Hello Justin Timberlake. With his debut solo album “Justified,” Timberlake has set the ball in motion for a promising career sans J.C., Joey, Lance and Chris. With his current tour, which also features fellow former Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera, Timberlake is showing a more grownup side.
Spike Lee knows the score
Shelton Lee always had a bit of an edge. When his schoolteacher mother began calling him Spike, even he realized the nickname fit him to a T. “I was always a little different,” Lee says, laughing. “I don’t think I knew it as a kid, but it wasn’t a bad thing. I grew up in a wonderful environment filled with love, knowledge and lots of jazz.”
Blue Man Group at the Rosemont Theatre
If there was anything lacking at the Blue Man Group’s “Complex Rock Tour” Saturday night at the Rosemont Theatre, I didn’t notice. PVC pipes, Judy Jetson dresses and an odd little trio of bald, blue men. …What more could you ask for in a rock ‘n’ roll concert?