ARTS The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 8, 2001- 11A Latest 'Knockout' puts up good fight on P82 By Matt Grandstaff Daily Arts Writer For over a decade, EA Sports has provided realistic and entertaining depictions of many major sports, such as football, baskeball, hockey and soc- The Lone Gunmen and their spin-off cronies. The commies must be behind this trash. FBI investlgation in order for 'Gunmen' M. Grade: B Knockout Kings 2001 For Playstation 2 Electronic Arts thing to be desired. cer. Unfortunate- ly, when EA began its "K n o c k o u t Kings" franchise three years ago, critics and garners alike agreed that the games left some- Fortunately, with a By Ryan Blay Daily Arts Writer The only conspiracy on FOX is who green-lighted this ill-conceived idea. Apparently they didn't learn from the The Lone Gunmen Fox Sunday at 9 p.m. failure of "The Michael Richards Show" that spin- off shows with comic relief char- acters just don't work ("Frasier" being one notable exception). Nonetheless, conspiracy theo- rists Byers (Bruce Har- wood), Langly (Dean Haglund), and Frohike (Tom Braidwood) are taking their "The Lone Gunmen" newspaper and comput- er hacking expertise and setting up shop on Fridays. Last week's premiere began with a goofy send-up of Tom Cruise's infa- mous descent from a ceiling (lowered via a rope, of course) from "Mission: Impossible." Frohike tries to steal a chip with possible spy technology in it. Of course he fails, and the gorgeous solo spy Yves Adele Harlow (a sort of lone gunman in her own right) steals it. After this rather odd opening, Byers, a former government man, questions what he is doing. He then gets a call explaining that his father died. Except he really didn't die, he faked his death to throw off the government who is try- ing to kill him because of his knowl- edge of something to do with airline terrorism. Got it? If not, don't worry. It didn't really make much sense, and it won't matter much later, Admittedly, this show could turn around quickly and find its identity. But just when it seems to find a bright spot, it covers it up like a classified govern- ment file. Right now, the elusive Yves is the most interesting character. The fact that her name is an anagram of Lee Harvey Oswald (the original Lone Gun- man) would have made for an interest- ing inside joke had it not been explained to the viewers right away and ruined. Also, the fact that Byers' father's "death" was shady didn't shock any- body, but the most paranoid guys in America seemed shocked that the gov- ernment was involved? What was up with that? Eleven years running articles about Teletubbies being evil, and they couldn't figure that out on their own? On this week's episode, they intro- duce a new recurring character, Jimmy Bond. Stephen Snedden, who portrays the ditzy Bond, does have an impressive resume; including "Coyote Ugly" It will take more than one character to save this show from crashing like a UFO in Area 51. Ever since 1994's "E.B.E." episode of "The X-Files," the trio have been fan favorites, but that's because they provid- ed comic relief for a serious show. How- ever, they don't have the depth and charisma for an entire series of sight gags involving Frohike being run over by a whole football team and Langly being kidnapped. Even rumored crossovers with "X-Files" characters like Assistant Director Skinner won't solve what's really behind the show's struggles. both past and present including heavy- weight champion Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Nova, Smokin' Joe Frazier and the greatest of all-time, Muhammad Ali. Better yet, gamers can start a "cat fight" with a selection of female boxers, which includes Christy Martin. In addition, the game adds realism by having famous referees Mills Lane and Richard Steele, and the game also fea- tures excellent (and sometimes comi- cal) commentary from Al Bernstein (of ESPN fame), Max Kellerman and Tedday Atlas. Adding to the excitement of "Knockout Kings 2001" is improved gameplay. In comparison to previous efforts by EA, "Knockout Kings 2001" has faster gameplay and more responsive controls. As a result, bouts tend to be more like the ones you see on television (the ones without brawls and ear biting at least), as they often go back and forth and can easily go the distance in a twelve round match. While not as enjoyable as the arcade- style hit, "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!," EA's latest boxing title is the most new year and a new system to work with, it seems that EA Sports has finally built a contender with "Knock- out Kings 2001" for the Playstation 2. The heart of "Knockout Kings 2001" comes in its outstanding pre- sentation. From the games introduc- tion to the end of each bout gamers will feel like they are in the world of professional boxing. The game fea- tures over 20 authentic boxers from realistic boxing game ever. Complementing the improved gameplay of the latest in the "Knock- out Kings" franchise are outstanding visuals. Other than some heads that look too big for their bodies, EA has created extremely realistic boxers. No longer do characters look like a pile of polygons; these guys look like flesh and blood. And speaking of blood, when boxers get hit enough, their faces get almost as nasty as Hannibal Lecter's lone surviving victim. Unfortunately, EA Sports improve- ments to its boxing franchise do not come without problems. Most notably, the collision detection in the game is poor. Punches seem to go through the boxers' bodies similar to when Arnold punches through the T- 1000 in Terminator 2. As a result of this flaw, garners will not feel as if they are really pounding their oppo- nents, and right crosses will seem far inferior to Jesse Spannow's blows on her step-brother Eric. Nevertheless, EA has moved in the right direction with their latest effort, as "Knockout Kings 2001" for the PS2 is a must- have for fans of the genre. A A BlUl Uplay0 1 Heriff Jones College Rings, Collegiate Cap & Gowns, Graduation Announcements, Diploma Frames and Accessories will be available at the 2001 Graduation Fair. Representatives will be available to assist you with your graduation needs. SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! SPECIAL PROMOTIONS PACKAGE DISCOUNTS A VA ILA BLE ONLY DURING THIS EVENT Date: Thur, Fri, Sat March 8-10 Time: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Place: Michigan Book & Supply 317 S. State Street FREE Cap & Gown and 20% off Graduation Announcements with College Ring Order BOOK & SUPPLY IV HERFF JONES http://www.herff-iones.com 10-4390 ( The It's always moon inspired assion. 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