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September 17, 2003 - Image 5

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The Michigan Daily, 2003-09-17

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Wednesday
September 17, 2003
www.michigandaily.com
artseditor@michigandaily. com

fiRdftm Badu
ARTS

5

MORE THAN 'JAKE'
UPN SUPERHERO SHOWS POTENTIAL

By Melissa Runstrom
Daily Arts Writer

If Felicity Porter, Sydney Bristow and Peter
Parker somehow had a love child (talk about

one wild night) they would
With "Jake 2.0," UPN hopes
to capitalize on current
trends by introducing an
updated superhero into its
lineup. It is a charming show
that has potential for inter-
esting character relation-

name him Jake.
Jake 2.0
Wednesdays at
9 p.m.
UPN

ships and offers superhero nostalgia with the
ever popular theme of justice seeking federal
agencies.
Christopher Gorham of "Felicity" makes the
entire show as the geeky yet lovable National
Security Agent Jake. As a computer tech on a
routine repair job, he is caught in the crossfire
of a plot against the agency. Instead of radioac-
tive spider venom, Jake is exposed to experi-
mental government nanites and awakens the
next morning with super powers. While he can't
sling any webs, he can see and hear with
incredible accuracy, has superhuman strength
and somehow possesses the ability to control
technology. The NSA decides to harness his

new abilities by making him a field
agent just as he had always dreamed.
Life isn't perfect for our hero J
though. Not only does he have
potentially fatal nanites in his body,
but Sarah, the girl he has always had
a crush on (Marina Black) couldn't
care less about him while his room-
mate, Darin (Matt Czuchry), is too
busy trying to get laid to notice any-
thing has changed.
The show is promising, and
Gorham certainly brings more than Boring-est
just his good looks to the series, but
there are things that still need work. The sup-
porting characters need development and per-
sonality to make them more interesting and less
predictable. Also, many of the events seem
rather far-fetched or too convenient. Assuming
the series can develop its supporting actors,
most viewers will be able to overlook these
improbabilities as they do in shows like "Alias."
"Jake 2.0" is entertaining and amusing
despite a few fledgling flaws. But it will have a
hard time gaining many viewers in its current
position, airing at the same time as "Angel" and
"The West Wing." With a few loyal viewers,
"Jake 2.0" should be able to survive until it is
given a better timeslot, as UPN needs a super-
hero to get out of the ratings basement. Jake

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" - The loss of "Seinfeld" is still diffi-
cult to cope with today, but Larry David's return to television (currently
in reruns on HBO) provides a cure for fans of shows about nothing.

I superhero ever.

Foley is described in the pilot as "a universal
remote," so perhaps he is exactly what the net-
work needs to tune in viewers.

THE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER

Latest 'F-Zero' delivers next-gen adrenaline

"Madden 2004"/"NCAA 2004" - Football is king for
videogame competition and EA's exemplary series provide plenty of
opportunities for smack talk and crushed egos.
"Alias" - Family dramas are not supposed to be as exciting or
intriguing as ABC's espionage thriller. Jennifer Garner perfectly
embodies Sydney Bristow and every episode is filled with twists
and turns imaginatively complicating the already confusing lives of
the characters. "Alias" returns with new episodes next month.
"Once Upon a Time in Mexico" - The final chapter in the
"El Mariachi" trilogy concludes one of
the most stylized and violent series
with a bang. Johnny Depp man-
ages to steal the show, even
though Antonio Banderas still
plays "El" as a total badass.
A "Man With No Eyes"
spin-off deserves to be made.
"Family Guy" - Rumor
has it that creator Seth MacFar-1
lane is in negotiations to bring
back the FOX cartoon as a direct-to-
DVD project. Maybe Stewie will finally achieve
his goal of global domination or at the very least
become the next governor of California as he
announced his candidacy during a brief appear-
ance on this year's MTV Video Music Awards. ourtesy of FOX
.;j
'CSI:TECOMPETE SECOND~ look griny in coparn.Undike
SEAON"DV lat ears arrn fferig tene e
~provides thre audio commtare
The No. 1-rated TV show reun n anfl tetttesw giving
to DVD in fine form. Wili Peter-. t osh t am.
son stars in the crime drama set amid Ths s nd offering f "CS"
the bright lights of Lis Vegas. The sul pease fans of the show,
setting and technological spin used in whie sving as the perfect launch
solving the crimes set this show apart pad for ewaudiences.
from others in the genre. - dm Rottenberg
Utilizing te HD feed that CBS
offers, the second season is shown in Show: r**
a pristine widescreen transfer that Picture/Sound:*
makes the previous season's release Features: **

By Jared Newman
Daily Arts Writer

VIDEOGAME REVIEW ***I
With the upcoming "Mario Kart:
Double Dash" still months away, Nin-
tendo looks to cash in on another
franchise racer. "F-Zero," which first

appeared on the
Super Nintendo
and later on the
Nintendo 64, has
reemerged for
GameCube as "F-

F-Zero GX
GameCube
Nintendo

scenarios through cinematics has
been added to the usual Grand Prix
and Versus modes. Unfortunately, the
disjointed chain of events and lack of
any climactic buildup make the sto-
ryline seem convoluted. It's as if this
mode was an excuse to include its
nine scenarios, which range from
racing through a canyon full of
falling rocks to escaping an explod-
ing reactor as the blast doors close in
front of you.
But the lack thereof has never
detracted from what the series does
best - pump massive amounts of
adrenaline.
Penny pinchers and novice gamers
beware: "GX" is not a good rental,
nor is it a walk in the park. There are
tons of surprises to unlock, and most
of them require a great deal of time
and skill. As an example, this gamer

imperfections are still too apparent.
Also crucial for that sense of
speed is the sound and the music,
which for some reason were totally
left in the dust (or rather, the anti-
gravity field) by the makers. First of
all, they dropped the rockin' theme
of the previous games in favor of
lackluster, ambient techno. Second-
ly, they removed the roar of the
engine in favor of silence. Sound is
barely audible, and there is no
option to crank it up.
However, the plethora of unlock-
ables and extra features make "F-Zero
GX" a superior single player invest-
ment, and the multiplayer is just as
exciting. Of course, those "Mario
Kart" fans who suffer from motion
sickness or poor hand-eye coordina-
tion might want to hold out for some-
thing that's more newbie-friendly.

What a piece of junk!

Zero GX." The game takes place in a
sci-fi setting where mach-speed hov-
ercars in various shapes and sizes
compete for the prize.
While the plot has never amounted
to much in the past, a Story Mode
that ties together some interesting

has spent over five hours on only one
of the "very hard" difficulty Story
Mode chapters with no avail.
The graphics boast some beautiful
backgrounds, but the ship designs
lack detail in order to insure the fast
and flawless frame rate, which is cru-
cial for a game that relies on an
intense feeling of speed. However, the

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