10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 4, 1997 'Interstate '76' takes to the road, bell-bottoms and all By Steve Paruszkiewicz For the Daily Imagine the wind blowing through your hair, as you drive down a desolate stretch of desert highway in your cus- tomized '76 Picard Piranha. A car appears over the horizon and ,begins to fire heat-seeking missiles, spitting out bullets o_ _ from top-mounted .5[ caliber RI machine guns. You I fire back and after a long battle, blow up your enemy's car. You stop your car, survey the damage, curse at a blown Firerite RTX missile launcher, and wait for the next wave to appear. Welcome to. "Interstate '76." The year is 1976, but not as we know it today. The difference stems from the fuel shortage of the '70s becoming worse, rather than better. The American Southwest is overrun with bandits in souped-up automobiles, searching for gas and killing anyone in their wake. You play Groove Champion, an experienced vigilante, out to avenge the death of your sister. The plot is simple and much like "Mad Max": drive through the desert, kill the bad guys and take on the head boss who caused all the trouble. "Interstate '76" sets itself apart from E It' the rest of the competition of shoot- and-drive games of the same genre by its obvious references to the time frame. All of the characters are dressed in bell bottoms, butterfly collar shirts, and have lamb chop sideburns or afros. The background disco-funk music really gets you in the mood to drive. The drivers' com- ments are also real- V I E istic. For instance, if erstate '76 you shoot your part- ner, Taurus, he'll begin to swear at Activision you and tell you not to do that. If you are low on energy and ready to die, you'll curse under your breath, marking your impending doom. Death cries emanate from the enemies as you blow them up. The plot is carried further by alter- nate missions in which you must destroy the enemy bunkers, rescue your partner, or race to prevent your other partner from being annihilated. Another interesting feature of the game is the ability to play with other people over the Internet. You can pick and customize your vehicle and weapons for these melee scenes, but you have to watch out for the gangs. Large gangs of friends roam the battle zones, and if you are not a friend of theirs, you're in big trouble - you'll be beaten or attacked by 10 other cars. One thing that the game lacks is a good sense of control. The game is incredibly hard to handle using the key- board, and the driving alone requires the dexterity of a piano player. Holding the car steady to shoot enemies is a near impossible task. Taurus, the faithful sidekick/partner, is also an annoying character. He is supposed to help fight the bad guys, but in the earlier stages he sits there and lets you do all the work. For an inexperienced player, this becomes quite difficult. When he actually does help, he is ineffectual, and never kills an enemy. Eventually he gets injured, and you're back on your own. "Interstate '76" is definitely not for the inexperienced and is directed towards a mature audience. There are many scenes of graphic violence, and the controls aren't easily mastered by someone unfamiliar with action con- trols. Though sometimes it seems a bit too much like the rest of the shoot-and- drive genre, all in all, "Interstate '76" is a very entertaining game. The costumes and the funky rhythms also set it apart from the rest of the pack. I'd mainly ree- ommend "Interstate '76" for people who enjoy this game genre, but aren't looking for anything new in the ways of strategy and plot. David Gavurin and Harriet Wheeler are The Sundays. Sundays good on any day of the week R ECORDS Continued from Page 9 The Sundays Static & Silence Gef fen Anderson cheapens memorable 'Affair' An Affair to Remember Christopher Andersen William Morrow Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn were Hollywood's quintessential on-screen couple. Through hit after hit togeth- er, the legendary duo charmed the hearts of millions of movie-goers with their unmatched chemistry. But behind the scenes, their secret love affair was no cooler than the passion they radiated from the screen. In his attempt to capture this touching love story, Christopher Andersen's "An Affair to Remember" turns out to be more of an exploitive probe than a joint biography of two of show business' best performers.|' Andersen's book begins by promis- ing to reveal the "dirty" little secrets of = this affair; paradoxically, he is trying to portray their affair as one of the most romantic and touching love stories ever. He tempts a reader by guaranteeing the revelation of things such as Hepburn's involvement with other men prior to Tracy, the real reason why Tracy would not divorce his wife for Hepburn and how Kate helped him overcome his impotency. Andersen begins the biography with a chapter on Hepburn's history prior to meeting Tracy followed by a chap- ter on Tracy's history prior to meeting Hepburn. These sum- maries of their lives, while feeling like shortened Cliff-Notes versions, actually reveal a sufficient amount about each actor's childhood and arrival in Hollywood. Anderson then tells of their experiences in making movies, as well as their personal stories. Throughout their careers, as they made classics such as "Woman of the Year,""State ofthe Union" and "Adam's Rib" together, the two performers obtained success and fame. Meanwhile, Andersen details the complications that went on in their personal lives. With Tracy, a married man, the affair was often carried out in a clandestine manner, which had a grueling effect on both parties. Furthermore, Tracy's struggles with alcoholism and Hepburn's demanding person- ality on the sets were also the source strife. But throughout their relationship, which ended with Tracy's death in 1967, it was obvious that the two felt the utmost love and devotion for each other. Andersen's major problem is that he sets out to show how this affair is one of the greatest of all time. But by the end of the biography, he does not convey this love at all. Rather, the relationship is overshadowed by Andersen's dedication to show the dark side of Tracy and his occasional abuse toward Hepburn. While his ability to show both the positive and negative aspects of the relationship make "An Affair to Remember" a good biographical work, it does nothing for the author's intended objective. "An Affair to Remember" is a solid biography that paints a detailed and complex picture of two of the biggest stars ever to grace a movie screen. While it is impossible to argue that these actors will remain in the public's heart for years to come, "An Affair to Remember" hardly proves why their heartbreaking relationship is one of the greatest of all time. -Julia Shih Not much has changed since the last Sundays album. That's OK, though. Wouid we want Harriet Wheeler screaming against a ripping wall of thrash rock? No. of course not: we want The Sundays' music to spill through our toes like cool-mountain stream water in the summer or softly float down onto our heads like orange leaves in autumn. "Static & Silence" ethereally billows as much as The Sundays' previous efforts and happily skips along sans the additional augmentations or unneces- sary experi mentation connected with so-called musical progress and that's just fine. The Sundays' patented hap-pop (happy pop) maintains its candy-coated luster and luscious naivety while further exploring the sugar-pop niche in which it comfortably hibernates. "Summertime," the first song and single from "Static & Silence,' dunks its drunk fuzzy bee bum into your pollen cup and creates instant honey. The warbling wah-wah guitars and stac- cato horns accompany Harriet Wheeler's beautifully clear vocals, leav- ing the listener satisfied and stung by the sweetness. The chorus in "Summertime," "And it's you and me in the summertime / We'll be hand in hand down in the park / With a squeeze and a sigh and that twinkle in your eye / And all the sun- shine banishes the dark," waxes roman- tic and reckless while remaining opti- mistic of things to come in future rela- tionships. "Folk Song" rambles along with an acoustic melancholy and sunny disposi- tion not seen since the late John Denver's early balladeering days. The finger-picking guitar and fluttering flutes float like a kite in the clear-blue orchestral sky. "Folk Song" reminisces of summer skies, gold fields, dusty lanes, silver trees, whispering breezes and other warm things of memories past. This is mellow goodness at its best. In another acoustic-influenced tidbit, "I Can't Wait," sounds of chirping birds whistle around rich six-string strummings and waves of golden horns. Once again, Wheeler's pure voice peacefully wanders up and down the instrumental periph- ery. The Sundays appear to be a musical beach covered in aurally smooth stones that beckon to be skipped on your conscious waters. "Cry" cries and flies through melod- ic skies above weightless wonderings Shootyz Groove and slides on moonlit clouds of sighs. "Cry" is secretly delicious and deeply moving. I guarantee this song will be the next single off of "Static & Silence" because it's simple, refreshing and won- derfully listenable. Once again, the welcomed orches tral accompaniments flow around The Sundays basic "guiar, bass, drums" composition causing it to glow like fireflies in the night. This song wafts through,, dreamy melodies, lulls you to loll and leaves you light-headed. "Static & Silence" is a symphony of pop caressing and undressingyour inhi- bitions waiting for emotional accep- tance and recognition. This well-rounded album pumps and pulses under a savory mem- brane of brightness and lightness. These 12 organic compositions will put you in desirable positions and weave a musical fabric meant to cover you like a warm quHt on a cold night. With this album in your collection, any day will be a good day for The Sundays. -Chris Feax Shootyz Groove Hipnosis ROADRUNNER Records ** Shootyz Groove, a young band com- ing straight out of the Bronx, needs to find its own style. Although its latest album "Hipnosis," has its moments, these guys sound like 311 with a little New York attitude. Unfortunately, Sense, Season; Donny, Paul Freaklove and Dose are not quite as talented or original as 311 ,one of the bands for which they have opened i* the past. Sense, one of the emees for the band, claims, "As a band we listen to every kind of music there is. Basically, it all comes to the table when we record and write. The 'Respect' EP and 'Jamming In Vicious Environments' hasstraight- up MCing, beats and rhyming along with hard-edge guitar and funky bass. It's definitely a big nrelting p4 of styles." Sense, I hate to break it to you, but the bass is in no way funky, and your melting pot has been stirred much more successfully by 311. But "Hipnosis" does featxre some decent tracks when the "hard-edge gui- tar" isn't ruining it. The album opens up with "Regardless," a solid tune based on a pretty funky guitar riff and a sim@ pie hip-hop beat. The chorus actually sounds like Rage Against the Machineand if it weren't for rhymes like, 'State of mind beats and rhymes /:ombine multiple jiga byte / Nigga bte,.proof roots deap leap" to show ense and Season's creativity, the Rage impression would ruin the song. The rapping on this album is actual- ly not that bad, but it become* repetitive a few tracks into "Hipnosis." The main problem with this album is its lack of diversity. Sure, Shootyz Groove knows how to mix different styles of music, but the group seems to only know one way to mix. COMPUTE NINEERING* VUM PU : : iG ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING .MECHANICAL ENGINEiNG e MAT in When something is too extreme for words, it's to the Nth degree. And that's the level of technology you'll experience at Raytheon. Raytheon has formed a new technological superpower-together, Raytheon Electronic Systems, Raytheon E-Systems and Raytheon TI Systems are driving technology to the limit. And we're looking for engineers who want to push the envelope. Break new ground. Make their mark.