8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 15, 2001 ARTS 4 Creative animation puts 'Ico' at top of pop culture icons 4 By Matt Grandstaff Weekend, Etc. Editor Every so often, pop culture pro- duces memorable best described as Grade: A- Ico For Playstation 2 Sony where they are, moments that are enchanting. From "The Never End- ing Story" in film to Radio- head's O.K. Computer in music, these well - crafted products have the ability to make one forget what they were casted to a tomb in a giant castle. After freeing himself from the tomb, Ico discovers a girl trapped in a giant cage named Jorda. Being a "horny" and courageous little guy, Ico rescues the girl from the cage only to have shadowy figures try to steal her and take her to hell (i.e. just like those little bastards that take people to.hell in the film, "Ghost.") It is at this point that the adventures of"Ico" truly begin. With little background of what is going on, ganers must now figure out what to do on their own. In a short time it is realized that your goal is to escape from the castle with Jorda. This nakes for an inter- esting gaming experience as Ico must keep his eye on Jorda at all times, as different forms of the shadowy figures will constantly try to take her away. This is not that daunting of a task, as the shadowy figures do not put up much of a fight. The real challenge is getting doing and even what world they are in. Similar in this fashion, Sony's "Ico" for Playstation 2 has these same elements, making it a memo- rable experience. As the game starts, you meet Ico, a boy with horns in his head. As a result of his "horniness," Ico is out- Jorda from point A to point B. This is because Jorda is a wussy little girl that cannot physically get through all of the perils that Ico can handle. As a result, Ico often has to literally take Jorda by the hand and get her through danger. This often is more difficult than one would assume, because various puzzles need to be solved. The puzzles that you must figure out in "Ico" are what really makes the game shine. Similar in nature to games from the "Legend of Zelda" series on Nintendo and the "King's Quest" series on PC, these puzzles can have you stuck in an area for hours. The amazing part is, most of the puzzles are relatively simple. Most of the time, garners simply need to take a step back and examine every aspect of the area that they are stuck in. In a fashion similar to how Indi- ana Jones discovered how to cross over the canyon at the end of "Indi- ana Jones and the Last Crusade," gainers will figure out puzzles in the right mind. Also adding to the experience of "Ico" is the amazing graphics and animation, which make "Ico" look like a 3-D version of the classic '80s game, "Prince of Persia." Set in a vast castle, the scenery of the game will have onlookers think- ing they are watching the sequel to Labyrinth rather than watching a videogame. The animation of the characters adds to this realism, as characters Ico and Jorda have some of the most fluid and realistic movements ever seen in a videogame. While "lco" offers unique game- play and great graphics, the game is extremely short. The average gamer should complete "Ico" in less than ten hours and probably will have no desire to beat the game again. Nevertheless, for those few hours, gamers are immersed into a enchant- ing world.-that is without a doubt be one of the most memorable videogame experiences ever. "No, I swear you guys, this show is a lot different than the 12,000 other law shows out there." Courtesy of NBC. 'Criminal Intent' promises interesting slant on venerable' justice system drama series, 4 By Rohith Thumanti For the Daily There simply is not a better television franchise than NBC's "Law & Order." You can catch the original on Wednesday nights, "Special Victims Unit" on Fri- day and starting this season, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" on Sundays. Like most other NBC primetime shows, "Law & Order: Cl" is set Law & Orter: Criminal Intent NBC Sundays at 9p.m. ", , ,: ? 'y'n :: -. in New York City. You'd think a net- work with a head of entertainment whose title is "President, NBC West Coast" would have a bit more geographical diversity. Go figure. Fortunately, "Criminal Intent" does not dilute the "Law & Order" brand name - something every spin-off runs the risk of doing. If the season premiere, which fea- tures the police chasing a gang of coke-addicted jewel thieves, is any indication of what to expect from 'the new series, it promises to be a pretty interesting series. Vincent Donofrio's (Gomer Pyle in "Full Metal Jacket") Detective Cvourtesy ofSony Horns makes life hard for leo. Doesn't help to have a wussy girl by your side too. I L Robert Goren plays a very logical and calculating detective, willing to do whatever it takes to apprehend the suspects. For example, in the premiere, he lies to the girl- Dot- ~l if tink u reprWNa PROBLM PR MACYHL 975435 Any tme, ny da 24 ours The University of Michigan Department of Dermatology is currently offering a new investigational treatment for Psoriasis. For more information, please call: (734) 764-DERM Offre visits and medication are providedfree of charge to eligible participants. If you are 18 years of age or older, you may be eligible. friend of the gang's ringleader by saying her boyfriend gave her HIV. His clever action is so effective she leads Detective Goren right to him. Donofrio plays the character well, but he is written as if he is omnipotent. Hopefully his character will show some faults in upcoming episodes, since infallible heroes really are not any fun. Goren's partner, Detective Alexandria Eames, is competently played by Katherine Erbe, but at times she delivers her lines rather woodenly. This may explain why she hasn't been in anything notable since "What About Bob." Jamey Sheridan's Captain James Deakins ("Chicago Hope") role so far just seems like a typical hard- nosed, cynical captain, but hopefully he will get a bit more character development as the season goes on. Rounding out the regular cast is Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver, played astutely by Courtney B. Vance ("Space Cowboys"), who, like the detectives, has no problem lying to suspects to get them to do what he wants. Some cheesy lines mar the script ("Bad guys do what good guys dream"), but for the most part "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is a well written show with well-researched characters. While there are certainly a plethora of cop shows on TV these days, this one stays fresh throughout. Let's just hope the inevitable crossovers with the other "Law & Order" shows is kept to a minimum, there is no way I can spend two more hours watching TV a week. : 4ki..5I aa fA ". t24 sY } ;.) t v ..2 ' " .._. 1 41 j d l , £ r' it s - } _ t 1 i t 3 x:. . < :