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 - - - - ------------------------ ----_.... - ------------ .