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12B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - Thursday, January 17, 2002
Twiggy delivers pricey fashions
By Carmen Johnson
Daily Arts Writer
When a store on a fairly busy street can tape up a piece of
paper with the words "back in 5" on the front entrance, you
know that it could do with a little more traffic.
Maybe it's because they don't really have their sign up yet,
or that it's sandwiched between the Campus Jewelers and
Kayu Musical Instruments of the World. Regardless, Twiggy
has been open there since mid-November.
Twiggy sells women's designer clothing and accessories.
You can find labels like Jane Doe, Syrup, To the Max,
Dollhouse, Tag Rag and Kosiuko. And you can expect prices
to match the labels. Purses sell for about $40 to $60, jeans
are around $50 to $60 and the leather items are mostly over
$100. Even sale items still seem to hover over $80.
"It's pricey but I'm always up for any new store in Ann
Arbor. It seems like stores around here only sell outdoor
gear like tents and fleeces. And Briarwood Mall is too far
away anyway," said LSA junior Amanda Williams.
The co-owners of Twiggy, one a recent graduate of the
University of Michigan, decided that Ann Arbor would be a
great place to open a store.
Twiggy is located where SchoolKids record store used to
operate before it closed. Rodney Johnson, a co-owner and
Joy Hanna, an employee, agree that the store brings some-
thing different to Ann Arbor.
"Twiggy brings a unique style. There was a lack of vari-
ety in the clothing stores here. Twiggy is there to fill the
gap." Rodney said.
Lindsay Weiss, an LSA freshman, likes the new store.
"Yeah, it's kinda expensive like the leather stuff, but the
clothes are nice. We needed something like this Ann Arbor.
Too bad it's winter." Weiss says.
This isn't really a store you'd hit to stock up on everyday
basics but rather where you'd pick a shirt or two for a spe-
cific event or outing. Unless you have enough coordination
and time in the mornings to zip up knee high boots, you
could wear this stuff everyday.
Although they carry sizes 0-13, the clothes hanging on
the racks seem very slim. Fitted shirts, summer dresses,
highneck sweaters and big glimmery belts can be found
here.
It's the kind of delicate clothing you don't want to touch
too much in fear of tearing or smudging. And it's the kind of
store that lays out fashion magazines on the table near the
fitting room. Get the idea? It's nice.
If you really need designer women's clothing (and don't
mind paying a lot for it) and are nearly the size of a twig,
then do find Twiggy at 535 East Liberty Street.
MADN ESS
Continued from Page 5B
have thought they were making a
college poops game, not college
hoops, as the game plays like crap.
The most notable problem with
"March Madness" is the system's
dated game engine. Based on EA's
alsqdisappointing "NBA Live" fran-
chise, the game has the exact same
feel as the original "March
Madness," which was released in
1998 for the original Playstation
(EA's first college hoops title was
"Coach K Basketball for Sega
Genesis and was actually very good.)
While the choppy gameplay and
jerky controls were excusable with
the series' first few games on the
Playstation, it is inexcusable that the
game has the same feel and design in
its' fifth incarnation. After all, the
game is now on the Playstation 2,
which gives developers like EA
Sports more possibilities than ever
before.
In addition to having the same
look and feel of prior "March
Madness" games, this year's version
is one of least challenging yet.
Regardless of the set difficulty level
(freshman through senior), it is still
too easy to beat the computer. Long
range 3-pointers and alley-oops,
which for some reason EA advertis-
es as a perk of the game in the
game's packaging, are accomplished
with little effort or timing. This
makes it very easy for gamers to
rack up 50 points with a given play-
er.
On the subject of the players, the
game's player models could use
some serious work. While "March
Madness 2002" features some of the
The Michigan Daily -Weekend, etc. Maga
New iMac offers a p
of style, sophistcat4
By Kiran Dvvela
Daily Arts Writer
ALYSSA WOOD/Daily
Joy Hanna, lead sales associate at Twiggy, hangs up clothes.
Courtesy of EA Sports
"March Madness 2002" almost has as
many wrinkles as Shane Battler's head.
smoothest polygons of any sports
game on the Playstation 2, they are
almost too smooth. Players with
shaved heads, such as No. 45 on
Michigan, look like they are wax
figures rather than basketball play-
ers. Sorry Chris Young, they
butchered (literally) your beloved
blonde locks.
Rounding out the crap that is
"March Madness 2002," the game
delivers commentary like a mailman
delivers tacos - not very well. The
game features great comments like,
"pass!," "he shoots!" and best of all,
"the senior's got the ball!" Had this
been the first game in the series, it
would have been understandable if
the commentary was a little weak,
however, since previous has been
done by commentators like Dick
Vitale and Bill Raftery.
While there is not a
"One Shining Moment" to speak of in
"March Madness 2002," the game's
customization options might keep the
game on the bubble for die-hard col-
lege hoops fans. For players in the
game, "March Madness" allows
gamers customize the characteristics
and names of the players in the game.
This allows the Chris Young fans out
there to revive his lovely locks or
make Jason Williams unbeatable.
As for customizing teams, the cre-
ate-a-team option gives gamers the
opportunity to create a college basket-
ball team from the ground up. This-
feature allows you to create the city,
fight song, players, uniforms and
more.
Aside from customization, there
are very few positive aspects to the
game. One notable improvement
over previous basketball games is
the crowd noise. In this installment
of "March Madness," the crowd is
very interactive with what is going
on in the game, and at times, actual-
ly sounds very authentic.
The only other saving grace of the
game is the tournament mode. Here,
players can set up this year's upcom-
ing tournament and play out the
excitement of each game. Well,'
maybe not. You will probably be
bored after two games as a result of
the game's poor gameplay experi-
ence. Of course, you can still simu-
late the games to see how to fill out
your brackets for office pools, but
don't be surprised if your picks are
as disappointing as the game itself.
i
I I
Courtesy of Apple Computers
The new design of Apple's iMac is sure to be a big hit with girls on campus. "Oh
iMac, you're so cute!"
'March Madness 2002' brings
sadness to college sports fans
By Matt Grandstaff
Weekend, Etc. Editor
For years, when gamers have
heard the company name EA Sports,
If you're familiar with the movie busi-
ness, you know how hard it is to come
up with a good sequel. "The Godfather,
Part II", "Terminator 2", and "The
Empire Strikes Back" are among the
few films on this short list. The new
iMac is a sequel worthy of being associ-
ated with these films.
The original iMac was introduced
three years ago and many have said that
its design is outdated. It took Apple two
years to design the new iMac and their
attention to detail shows. Its design was
purportedly influenced by the outward
appearance of the sunflower. It exudes
an elegance that very few consumer
electronics capture.
Its design, to put it mildly, is unique.
All of the guts of the computer are
housed in a small half sphere that resem-
bles a sliced cantaloupe. The ethernet,
USB, FireWire and all other ports line
the rear of this base. A stainless steel rod
juts out of the base and connects it to a
flat panel display. At first glance it looks
Grade: D+
March
Madness
2002
Playstation 2
EA Sports
the catchy slo-
gan, "If it's in
the game, it's in
the game" has
come to mind.
This makes
sense as the
company's foot-
ball, soccer and
hockey games
("Madden,"
"FIFA Soccer"
and "NHL,"
made them the
like a desk lamp, but don't let that f
you, there's a huge amount of engine
ing involved in a computer with
form. The simple problem of balanc
the computer itself must have b
daunting.
Even its accessories are desig
well. On the all models, an all wl
Apple Pro Mouse and Keyboard
-included. The Apple Pro Mouse is
button (stop complaining) and opti
making it easy to use anywhere. A
small, powerful Harmon Kardon spe
ers are included on the higher end m
els.
One of the coolest aspects of the n
iMac is moving the screen. You
move the display with a touch of the
surrounding clear plastic "halo."
stainless steel rod allows movement
half circle and up and down. If you
ever strained your back because y
monitor was too low, this feature N
save you hundreds in chiropractic bil
The hardware is top-notch. On
high-end version a SuperDrive (a di
that can read and write CDs and DV
is included. So, if you're looking to b
respectively) have
highest-selling third-party developer
for videogame consoles. In addition
to providing gamers with the best
professional sports simulation
games on the market, EA has also
brought college sports games to a
new level. This has been seen most
recently in the widely popular title,
"NCAA Football 2002."
Unfortunately, EA's latest college
simulation title, "March Madness
2002" for the Playstation 2 seems to
be a little bit out of the game.
Easily the most disappointing
aspect of "March Madness" is EA's
lack of game modes and features
that have become staples in all their
other games. These include Dynasty
mode (where gamers can have com-
plete control their favorite team for
many years), scenario games (such
as "Madden 2002's Two-Minute-
Drill, where gamers are given two
minutes to complete a specific sce-
nario) and all-time teams (playing
with 1997 Michigan Wolverines'
football team, the 1985 Super Bowl
Champion Chicago Bears, etc.).
While some of these features are just
for the hardcore junkies of sports
games, EA even omitted season
mode.
From this it is apparent that EA
Sports were pressured to release the
game in time for conference play in
real college basketball. This does not
make much sense, however, since
"March Madness" only features
exhibition and tournament game
modes. Because of this, great rival-
ries such as Duke vs. North
Carolina, Michigan vs. Michigan
State (well, it used to be competi-
tive) and UCLA vs. Arizona lose all
their luster.
Aside from missing the appeal of
regular season play, "March
Madness 2002" also is missing many
teams and conferences. Of the 300+
Division I schools that play college
basketball, just over 150 make an
A look at the
underside of U of M
www.universitysecrets.com
appearance in "March Madness."
Major conferences like the ACC, Big
Ten and Pac-10 are represented well
in the game, but teams from smaller .
conferences, such as the MAC, are
absent. This is unfortunate, for while
students and fans of universities
such as Michigan and Duke are rep-
resented, one of the greatest parts
about "NCAA Football 2002" was
that fans of any of the Division I
school could play out their dreams of
seeing their school, big or small, win
the the national championship.
With "March Madness 2002"
lacking in teams, features and game
modes, only great gameplay could
save EA's college hoops title from
being a complete failure. Apparently
EA got the wrong memo. They must
Duke's Jason Williams takes on college
See MADNESS, Page 12B Carolina Tar Heels, in EA Sports' equall
ANNUMM ARO05F1
Doc Watson&K
h4ellssu Ferrieli
Aiinie Gallup
Sa lJaanuary 26, 2002 at 6 p.m.
HILL AUDITORIUM
TicketsAlso Available at Michigan UnionTicktOffice, Heb DavidGuitar$tudio,
Borders Books and Music on iberty in Ann ArborJ and all Tikenaster ouets
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