10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 7, 2041 AT EA S o' lts peret c lg o tall or Playstation2 0 By Mat Grandstaff Weekend, Etc. Editor For many years, EA's college football games have always taken a backseat to their NFL super-franchise, "Madden NFL Football." Fortunately, the college series' leap to the Playstation 2 ,"NCAA Football 2002," matches the gameplay of experience of "Mad- den" while creating the best college football game ever. The most exciting element of "NCAA 2002" is the ridiculous amount of replay value in its dynasty mode. This mode allows you and up to 11 friends to take your favorite uni- Grade: A versity through 30 seasons. So NCAA while the flawless gameplay is amazing, the action off the field is Football just as exciting. 2002 Through updating the BCS, top 25, players of the week, the Heis- Playstation 2 man Trophy and more, garners experience the same dilemmas Bob EA Stoops or Lloyd Carr go through. In addition to a plethora of sea- son stats and rankings, "NCAA Football 2002" fea- tures an outstanding recruiting system. As the coach of your favorite team, during the off-season you must replace your seniors and players who leap to the NFL early (tip: if you have a quarterback controversy, such as Simms and Applewhite of Texas, go with the older guy so the other will not leave early). The recruiting is especially interesting as you are given a certain amount of points, based on prestige and previous sea- sons, to go out and recruit the best players in the nation. While the gameplay and depth of "NCAA Football 2002" are top-notch, the game's breathtaking visuals and sounds make the game the next best thing to being at the stadium. There is something spectacular about seeing the Wolverines' winged helmets glisten in the sun and hearing Notre Dame's fight song through the power of the Playstation 2. While not exciting for Wolverine fans, the game also features authentic mascots like Michigan State's Sparty (booo!), Ohio State's Brutus (hiss) and Iowa's Herkey the Hawkeye (What the hell is a hawkeye). Also adding to the fun, though sometimes repetitive and annoying, are the clever and insightful commen- tary by Kurt Herbstreit, Brad Nessler and Lee Corso. Aside from outstanding atmospheres and sounds, the game also makes great strides in realism on the field. No longer is the game saturated with ridiculous one hand grabs and unrealistic tackles. In "NCAA 2002," the game features more spectacular tackles, two hand catches and special animations for keeping your feet in bounds. Even though "NCAA 2002" has many great aspects, there are few annoying things that keep the game from perfection. First, in default settings, the game does not call enough penalties, and when it does, they are often bullshit calls. The game often calls roughing the kick- er when a player is simply blocking the punter from tackling the return man. Speaking of punt coverage, the game completely lacks it. Unless you select punt block (which doubles the chance of being flagged), return men like Ron Bellamy and Keenan Howry will get jacked on almost every return. The only other troubling aspect of the game is the face animations of the players. Similar to "Madden 2001" on PS2, the faces of the players have freaky eyes that more closely resemble the raptors from "Jurassic Park." Hopefully next year's game will improve on these odd animations as "Madden 2002 already has. Finally, with the help of a computer and Interact's Dexport, garners can finally put all of the players' names into "NCAA Football 2002." Rather than see- ing that No. 4 for Michigan is the No. 1 receiver in the country, the game will actually show Marquise Walker. Additionally, the in game commentary will often actually say the name. This available addition shows that EA Sports means business in making the most authentic sports' games, and they do not get any better than this one. See you at the Rose Bowl. 0 6 0 Courtesy of EA It's all about action in "NCAA Football 2002," the latest from Playstation 2. Courtesy of EA Realistic tackles and grabs are a few of the highlights in this new game. PJ'S RECORDS & USED CDS 617 Packard Upstairs from Subway Paying $4 to $6 for top CD's in top condition. Also buying premium LP's and cassettes. Open 7 days 663-3441 The selection is ENDLESS Safire offers expose in novel, telling tale of historical scandal By Louie Meizlish Daily Arts Writer William Safire's "Scandalmonger" tells the tale of James Thomson Cal- lender, initially a Jeffersonian-republi- can journalist, who exposed Treasury Scandalmonger William Safire Grade: A- Harcourt Secretary Alexander Hamilton's mari- tal infidelities and thus pre- vented him from seeking the pres- idency in 1800. Although Safire invents a little dialogue to liven up the story and fill in the gaps left by old letters, news- papers and president, not receiving a coveted postmastership. He decides that the shoe stinks no matter which foot it's on, that power corrupts republicans (not to be confused with modern day Republicans) and Federalists alike, and that he must expose wrongdoers, whoever they are. What makes Safire great at what he 4 does is his ability to brilliantly portray the changing mindset of the various characters, such as how Callender turns on the Jeffersonians and how they turn on him (and how they both justify these things). The writing skills of the New York Times columnist and former Nixon speechwriter, who has also written several books on the Eng- lish language, are not lost on the read- er. This is how he describes Virginia Gov. James Monroe's realization, at Jefferson's plantation, that Callender's accusations of Jefferson fathering children with slaves, might be true: "'The alert, fine-looking boy bore no special resemblance to Jefferson, the Governor decided, other than the light skin. And the red hair. And the self- {":{: ; i. SC hoo I "-en.you We offer: " Flexible hours to fit your class schedule " Competitive wages " A 20% discount on your textbooks and up to a 35% discount on other store merchandise! " Career opportunities for juniors and seniors through our Bestseller Management Training Program To find out more about our job opportunities, call today or pick up an application in the store! Michigan Union Bookstore Student Union - Lower Level debate transcripts, the novel really is a work of history. If you feel like you miss a little of the scandal that always seemed to be around under the Clinton administra- tion, this book will provide you with your fix. Callender frequently claims that it is not Hamilton's private affairs that he is after. Rather, it is Hamilton's association with two speculators who purchase state .debt (at one-tenth of the printed value) from the original bondholders who believe (with just cause) that the certificates will never be redeemed. When the federal gov- ernment decides to assume the debts of the states, these certificates become a bonanza for the new owners. During the Congressional investiga- tion, Hamilton admits to an affair (although crying blackmail), but Cal- lender suspects that this is just a ploy to fend off the charges of insider trad- ing. In any event, the insider trading charges don't stick but Hamilton is too embarrassed to run for president. Callender is given credit for Hamil- ton's political demise. But eventually Callender decides he's sacrificed enough and not reaped the benefits for towing the republican line - including spending time in jail for violating the Federalist's Sedition Act and, after Jefferson is elected assured, languid way of carrying him- self." Other than being a good read, the book also serves as a good history book, because although Safire does take certain liberties with history (such as shifting dates around and converting written correspondence into conversational dialogue), he con- veys the drama and the importance of the events more effectively than a text- book. The two big scandals in the book, those of the adversaries Jefferson and Hamilton, bear a strong resemblance to the Clinton impeachment scandal. The Hamilton scandal begins as only a Congressional inquiry into financial dealings by a leading politician, but becomes ten times messier with Cal- lender's Drudge Report-esque publi- cization of the affair. Jefferson, like Clinton, always seems to have an abil- ity to skirt controversy no matter how many things go wrong. For example, "Despite all the suspi- cions of preachers about his supposed atheism; despite the sea change of opinion in America that turned against the bloodthirsty French radicals; and despite the growing distaste in the North at the way the author of 'all men created equal' continued to sup- port human slavery -the President seemed to float above it all. Why?" It almost sounds as if the Comeback Kid took a time warp to serve as Jef- ferson's image adviser. The strongest criticism that can be leveled against Safire is that he some- times has too many characters involved in too many different sub- plots at once. But this is a minor point, since some of the side stories are quite informative and entertain- ing. One of these subplots has Callen- der's Federalist nemesis and publishing rival William Cobbett advising him not to have renowned physician Benjamin Rush or any of his colleagues operate on his wife. The advice is disregarded, the opera- tion is performed and Dr. Rush's col- league bleeds Mrs. Callender to death. Then as now, the soundest advice usually comes from one's political enemies. 0 Courtesy of Harcourt William Safire brings out the scandal in his new novel "Scandalmonger." UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PLATTEVILLE Study Abroad Programs *One of the "Top 2s" in The Student's Guide toithe Best Study Abroad Programs Learn Your Way Around The World * Study abroad in England, Italy, Japan, or Spain* * Courses in liberal arts and international business * Fluency in a foreign language not required * Home-stays with meals Field trips " Financial aid applies (except for summer session) Program Costs: For tuition, room, partial board and field trips per semester (for .t