The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, March 17,2008 - 5A High five. Nintendo gets its photos taken at Sears The battle continues Storied Nintendo franchise returns with signature style and updated features By PAUL TASSI Daily Arts Writer The chance to review "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" is something of a historic moment for me. Nine years ago, when Nintendo released the origi- nal "Super Smash Bros." for Nintendo 64, I first played Smash Bros. one of the greatest games of all time. In 2001, Nintendo released the sequel, "Super Nintendo Wii Smash Bros. Melee," which Nintendo was hated by some (me) but was still the best game for Nintendo GameCube by a long shot (then again, a lobster could count the number of good GameCube games on one hand). Now, with the release of "Brawl" on the Wii, expectations were set exceedingly high. Did it deliver? For the most part, yes. What? How Did I Die?: The original "Smash Bros." had a physics system advanced beyond its years. You knew how each hit would feel and exactly what it would do to your opponent. "Brawl," though, has continued the trend set by "Melee" of abandoning this physics engine; It's sad to see that Nintendo didn't learn from its mistakes. When you hit someone, they fly in an unexpected direction for an unexpected distance, and old staples like shielding and grab- bing are almost useless. On top of this, "Brawl" further complicates the convoluted control sys- tem found in "Melee," which added moves like forward-B attacks, sidestepping and air dodging. Even "Smash" players with years of experience will end up killing themselves and all-around sucking, because the game play of the original and that of "Brawl" are as different as oil and water. It might take another nine years to fully master the new system. Because "Smash Bros." Needed a Plot: Nintendo has now added an "Adventure Mode," which is just about as cracked out as any other Nintendo storyline. All the good characters team up and fight all the bad characters while antimatter bombs demolish the countryside and everyone keeps turning into statues. When fighting games try to expand their scope and become action games, they often fail (see "Tek- ken" and "Mortal Kombat"), and "Brawl" is no different. The characters fight endless numbers of enemies in a side-scrolling format while try- ing to avoid the typical Nintendo obstacles of spikes, lava and bottomless pits. Although the intervening cut scenes are fairly impressive, the mode itself is largely useless and repeti- tive. Fighting games should stick to fighting and leave adventure mode to "Streets of Rage." No Master Chief?: One of the most gratifying things about "Brawl" is its sheer volume. There's so much shit to unlock it's ridiculous. The most coveted prizes are the bonus characters, some of which are platform crossovers like Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog. Disappointingly, many (all) of the original characters are carbon cop- ies from Melee, but newcomers like Pit and Meta Knight will have players picking new favorites soon enough. With a grand total of 35 charac- ters, it's almost impossible to have them all be perfectly balanced like in the original, but give Nintendo props for trying. It's possible to kick ass with almost all of the characters, but the biggest disparity amongst fighters comes in the form of "Brawl" 's new finishing move fea- ture. With some characters (Fox's tank, Samus's obliteration beam) this fatality-like maneuver can kill three players with little effort, while others (Link and Ike's sword swipes) are lucky to squeeze out even one kill. Some of the anima- tions are awesome to behold, like Giga Bowser, which made me shit my pants the first time I saw him, and it's definitely something that should be carried on to future installments with the kinks worked out. Seriously, Stop Eating Me: One of the many problems with "Melee" was that players ended up fighting the level instead of each other. Dan- gerous hazards abounded in "Melee," and they sure as hell do now as players are eaten by giant fish, giant slugs and giant monsters that look like they escaped from the set of "Where the Wild Things Are." That being said, many of the levels show some truly innovative design (a crumbling castle, a spaceship in a firefight, a blank piece of paper which draws its own obstacles as you go), and the game designers should be applauded for their creativity. Control Freak: The major question when "Brawl" was announced was "how will it work with the motion-sensing Wii controller?" Well, Nintendo responded in turn and made "Brawl" playable with the Wii Remote, the Wii Remnote with Nunchuck, the Wii classic controller and the original GameCube controller. I've just listed those in order of worst to best - at least according to most websites - but if you're like me and think the GameCube controller and its button layout is something a blind 4-year-old would sculpt out of Play-Doh, you might be better off with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, which is a lot more intuitive than you would think. But don't worry, you won't look like a douche making punching motions in the air, because all of the control schemes strictly use physical buttons. A Classic in Its Own Right: Like "Melee," which was the best game for the GameCube, "Brawl" is by far the bestgame for the Wii atthis point. Although it has lost much of what made the original one of the greatest games of all time, it's still a ridiculous amount of fun and a party game for the ages. I could moan and groan for the glory days of the original (and I clearlyhave), but I'll be damned if I'm not half way to unlock- ing Wolf at 400 multiplayer rounds already. Play on. 'Fight Club' for teenagers By ANDREW LAPIN the owner of the local gym, the DailyArts Writer Oscar-nominated actor shows why he's the best guy around for Ladies and gentlemen, present- playing tough, angry men. If the ing the most nondescript movie entire movie had consisted of title of the year: Hounsou exploding in sweaty "Never Back rage at all the other whiny char- Down." The acters, it would be one of the title could have Never Back greatest films ever created. applied to so Downi Perhaps it's not fair to judge many things "Never Back Down" by its plot, - a Tom Petty At Quality16 since the film was only intended biopic or an and Showcase to be a showcase for mixed mar- expos6 of chi- Summit tial arts fighting. Then again, ropractors - Entertainment the fight scenes aren't good, but instead the either. Thanks to sloppy editing, film is nothing suspense never builds during more than an uninspired teen- the brawls. After a while, all the ager fighting movie in the vein of fighting starts to look the same. "The Karate Kid." The biggest problem with The plot reads like a shopping "Never Back Down" is that, at list. We've got a tough pretty- its core, the movie is advocating boy with anger issues named hardcore fighting as an accept- Jake Tyler (Sean Faris, "Yours, able and necessary means of Mine and Ours"), who moves solving problems. Oh, sure, with his family from Iowa to it tries to go all noble on us by Orlando. Suddenly, he's the giving each brawler a painful new kid in school and immedi- ately attracts the attention of an attractive girl named Baja - yes, Baja (Amber Heard, "Alpha Teenagers Dog"). She soon invites him to one crazy house party, com- partying and plete with all the half-naked girls and "teen partying" that fighting doesn't a PG-13 rating will allow. It's at the party where Jake discovers work at PG-13 the true passion of rich Orlando teens: secret underground fight- ing leagues where shirtless lads engage in homoerotic, no-holds- back stories, usually involving barred brawling. But don't call the absence of a good father them "fight clubs" because that figure (maybe there's a connec- term is probably trademarked. tion somewhere). Here's the Unsurprisingly, the inexperi- kicker, though: At one point enced Jake gets the crap kicked Jake randomly beats up a bunch out of him by local d-bag Ryan of strangers on the side of the (Cam Gigandet, "Who's Your road because they honked their Caddy?").Afterbeinghumiliated car horn one too many times. in front of the entire school, he Instead of being charged with swears he will never fight again assault, Jake becomes a local ... but, of course, it becomes a hero as rumors of his strength matter of honor, and he decides circulate throughout the school. that maybe, just maybe, he can He never faces any negative take Ryan down. All he needs is. consequences. Apparently the a training montage. Cue "Team savage beat down is meant to be America." seen as a character test to prove It helps that the "wise grass- that Jake 'has what it takes.' hopper" role is played by Djimon Does anyone else see a problem Hounsou ("Blood Diamond"). As with this? Psychedelic rock's heir By ALEXANDER ITKIN For the Daily Although Howlin Rain has been shoveled into the 'New Weird America' genre along artists such as Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, **** there's one thing that Howlin Howlin Rain Rain does differ- ently than all the Fien other weirdoes: Fiend It rocks. Shed- Birdman ding the cocoon of post-rock and electronic that shrouds so much of today's inde- pendent music, Howlin Rain cre- ates music deeply planted in the roolsy psychedelia of the late '60n and early '70s. Equal parts Grate- ful Dead and Faces, Magnificent, Fiend is filled with lengthy gui- tar jams on a bed of country-rock grooves. Howlin Rain was formed as a project of Comets on Fire guitar- ist/singer Ethan Miller and Sun- burned Hand of the Man leader John Moloney in 2004. After their self-titled debut in 2006, Moloney left the band. Miller spent the fol- lowing year writing new songs and recruiting a quintet of Northern California indie veterans to bring what would become Magnificent Fiend to life. Magnificent Fiend focuses more on the music than the lyrics. Never- theless, Miller manages to squeeze in his gloomy rhymes between the numerous guitar and organ solos. "We are only slaves / To our ghostly arms and legs / Dancing in our grave / Laid in the ruins of the golden age," sings Miller on the album highlight, "Calling Light- ning, Pt2." "Lord Have Mercy" starts with the guys doingtheir bestPink Floyd This group would be a jam band - if they sucked impersonations but quickly gives way to a raucous romp of slicing guitar solos, atmospheric organs and an epic refrain complete with choral flourishes. Not having the guts to follow an all out assault with another rocker, the next song, "Nomads," is the album's most mellow piece. Wallowing in languid vibesand a bluesy electric piano working its way around Miller's sweet falsetto, the song feels like summertime in the South. Tracks such as "El Rey" and "Goodbye Ruby" indulge listen- ers with funky horn arrangements while "Riverboat" serves as good recap of the whole album - a deli- cate roots-rock tune turned psy- chedelic guitar freak-out. The songs on Magnificent Fiend are long - all stretching over the five-minute mark - but this is more of a blessing than a curse. Howlin Rain eschews the "jam band men- tality" that can ruin songs three minutes too early. There are many solos but no noodling around. Numerous dynamic changes keep things interesting even at six min- utes, and the band often displays a prog-rock penchant not usually seen in psychedelic rock. Succeeding where bands like The Darkness never could, Howlin Rain combines an old sound with a Beardin it up. new, weird American approach to keep it fresh. Neil Young should The D be proud. :epartment of mmunication Studies The Howard R. Marsh Center RANDOLPH COURT APARTMENTS - &16 2 Bedroom Apartment Homes ~ Ground Floor Ranch Style! Private Entrance! Patio! Spacious Kitchen! Air Conditioning! Laundry Facilities! 24-Hour Emergency Maintenance! Pets Welcome! And much, much more! Call today to reserve your new address! 734-971-2828 Equal Housing Opportunity LOr and' presents a lecture by FARA WARNER 2007-2008 Howard R. Marsh Visiting Professor of Journalism Wednesday, March a9, 2008 Reception 5:00 pm - Lecture 6:00 pm Founders Room in the Alumni Center 200 Fletcher Street/Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1007 Please see http://alumni.unichedu/lelp/directions.phpftlr directions Contact tie Departnent of Coninwnicahon Shdies (734-764-0423) for inore information.