ARTS The Michigan Daily - Monday, December 13, 2004 - 9A Nintendo doubles down with new portable DS By Ryan Guerra For The Daily In the 15 years since Nintendo's groundbreaking Gamecube first introduced the concept of portable gaming, several competing com- panies such as Sega and Neo-Geo have made futile runs at Nintendo with their own portable devices, to no avail. But with the looming release of Sony's Playstation Por- table threatening their dominance of the market, Nintendo struck back last week with the release of its DS portable videogame system. Straight out of the box, the first noticeable thing about the DS is its namesake: the dual-screens. The upper functions as a traditional screen, while the bottom acts as a touch screen. The DS's backlight- ing provides the necessary light to play the system in any condition. The system comes with a voice-acti- vated microphone necessary to cer- tain games and two styluses for the touch screen. There is also a wrist- strap/thumb-strap which provides another way to use the touch screen as a sort of joystick by moving one's thumb around. The DS has a Super Nintendo button layout with the tra- ditional directional pad as well as four face and two shoul- der buttons. The DS comes with a built-in messenger program called "Pic- toChat" which allows DS users to wirelessly communicate with other DS users within 100 feet. This is a per- fect way to communi- cate in class or to find someone to play against in multiplayer games. Additionally, the DS. comes packed with a play - < able demo of "Metroid " Prime Hunters: First n Hunt." The demo beauti- fully shows off the 3-D Q graphic capabilities of the DS, which are slightly bet- ter than those of the origi- nal Nintendo 64. Controls for the demo are similar a PC shooter because of the use of the stylus and touch screen to look and aim like a mouse and keyboard setup. The movement with the touch screen is awkward at first, although using it eventually becomes second nature. courtesy of New Line Morale was low after "The Matrix's" first casting cut. Third and final 'Blade' installment falls short By Jeffrey Bloomer Daily Arts Writer While Nintendo claims that the DS is not a next-gen- eration Gameboy, it is hard to ignore the similarities. The compatibility of the DS allows gamers to keep play- ing their Gameboy Advance library. The DS is backward-compatible to all Gameboy Advance games, but does not play original Gameboy or Gameboy Color games. Nintendo is no stranger to innovation. The DS is the next step in what Nintendo hopes will be a new and inventive form of gaming. Whether it's using the touch screen to move through the rich, textured atmospheres of "Mario 64 DS" or using the built-in microphone to blow out a digital candle in "Feel the Magic XY/XX," the potential for the Nintendo DS ulitmately rests on the creativity of videogame devlopers. Classic game revived for launch of new system By Ryan Guerra For The Daily V EGME R EVIE W **** Nearly 10 years ago, with the launch of the Nintendo 64 system, gamers got their first look at what would become one of the most influential vid- eogames in his- tory. "Super Mario 64" was the first game to create a seamless and free moving three- dimensional world, Super Mario 64 DS Nintendo DS Nintendo a foundation for to its family, the Nintendo DS, is no exception. "Super Mario 64 DS" is a remake of the original Nintendo 64. Gainers once again advance through levels by col- lecting stars inside the various paint- ings of Princess Peach's castle. The fast and engaging gameplay works per- fectly in the portable setting, providing an opportunity to quickly collect a star, save, quit and continue later. However, this remake is not entirely identical. In the DS title, there are 30 additional stars to collect, new levels to explore and four different playable characters. Players start the game as Yoshi and rescue Mario, Luigi and Wario. Once each character is free, gamers can uti- lize those character's strengths to col- lect stars and eventually rescue Peach from the beclawed grip of Bowser. There are also more then two dozen unlockable mini-games that utilize the system's stylus and touch screen. The simple, yet addictive games are ideal for quick portable gaming or hours of simple amusment. Another addition is the incls multiplayer. With the use of a single game cartridge, four friends can download the necessary data and battle in a race to collect stars. The game uses the DS thumb-strap and touch screen to create a simulated analog control stick. Although the lack of true analog control can cause some problems, with time it becomes natu- ral; moreover, players are given the opportunity to use the traditional direc- tional-pad to move. However, this is less responsive and at times frustrating for the more control-oriented missions. Technical issues aside, "Super Mario 64 DS" is a fantastic remake of a great game and is a must buy for any Nin- 1Z3: David S. Goyer's "Blade: Trinity," the third and final entry in the Marvel comic-based franchise, is a witless and vacuous indulgence of action film con- ventions. It breezes by with pervasive fight sequences and tiresome one-liners, but by the finale, there is only one cer- tain thing to take from this 113-minute fiasco: This series is dead and buried. Wesley Snipes Blade: Trinity reprises the title At Quality 16 role once again, and Showcase complete with the New line characteristic sun -_______ glasses and hard- ass stoicism. He's as angry as ever and for good reason: In addition to the usual blood-suckers, this time he must also ward off the FBI and a newly awoken Dracula, who until "about six months ago" had been hibernating in Iraq. Uh-huh. But this isn't your everyday Drac- ula; he looks a lot like Predator, only with horn-like protrusions in the place of the dreadlocks. He is a formidable foe to Blade, continually mocking him- with pseudo-philosophical dialogue and effortless extermination of the sup- porting cast - excluding, of course, the comic relief and scantily-clad war- rior babe. "Trinity's" performances are nearly as insipid as its plotline. As members of the dementedly named Nightstalk- ers gang, Ryan Reynolds (looking like he hasn't left the gym since "Van Wilder") and Jessica Biel (TV's "7th Heaven") are sometimes fun but still remarkably prosaic in their roles. Even Snipes is substandard; granted, his "dialogue" consists mostly of grunts and snarls, but he plays his role com- pletely monotonously, sleeping his way through the bulk of the film. The only relief comes from Parker Posey ("Best in Show"), the wonderful cult actress who plays the vampire leader Danica with a refreshingly free spirit. Her performance is classic vampire camp, and only she seems to be aware of the inherent silliness of the film in which she is appearing. Goyer, who wrote the first two films, now fills the director's chair in an unwelcomed debut. He is singu- larly obsessed with long, slow-motion shots that border on self-indulgence and directs his R-rated film to play only to young teenage boys with short attention spans. Even the fight scenes, glossed over with flashy digital effects and a cacophonous soundtrack, are void of any wonder or surprise - after all, what fun is it to see Blade and com- pany hack up vampires who are scarce- ly given the opportunity to fight back? Goyer's incoherent screenplay seals the deal, strung together on cringe-worthy dialogue delivered from a series of hol- low, dead-end characters. As writer, director and co-producer, Goyer proves to be the film's one-man demise. The first and second "Blade" films were released in mid-August and mid- March, respectively, times of year notori- ous for their lack of worthwhile cinema. By opening "Trinity" in December, a month ripe with superb films for the picking, New Line has given audiences yet another reason to avoid this train wreck. Not that they needed one. every platform-adventure game that has followed. Every Nintendo system (except Gamecube) has been success- fully launched with the release of a "Mario" title, and the newest addition tendo DS owner. Furthermore, "Mario 64 DS" was designed to show off the abilities of the new system. Graphically, the game looks slightly better then its predeces- sor and is a testament to the strides that have been made in the handheld gam- ing industry. GET UP TO 50% BACK FOR YOUR TEXTBOOKS IF THEY ARE USED AGAIN NEXT TERM. INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF LOWER PRICED USED TEXTBOOKS FOR OTHER STUDENTS. CHECK WITH YOUR FACULTY TO SEE IF THEY ARE REUSING YOUR BOOKS NEXT TERM.