ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Foo Fighters: Skin and Bones Vince Yim, OP Contributor With their recent tour, the Foo Fighters took on a more acoustic setting, including several songs from their previous studio album, the double CD In Your Honor, while offering more stripped-down versions of their singles from previous albums. The end result is Skin and Bones, a pleasant primer for those new to the band and an essential buy for the diehard fan. The live setting is the true test of a recording artist, free from excessive produc- tion and digital editing, shaking the music to its core. The Foos are Life” are missing from the set list, while oth- ers like “Big Me” and Walking After You” ar obvious choices, with their more mellow sounds. There are still some interesting choic es for translation. When comparing to the studio version, “Everlong” might be unex- pected, although should be no surprise to fans, given their one-time performance on Howard Stern using acoustic guitars (while not recorded in any official format, it is wide ly circulated on peer-to-peer networks). “My Hero” also makes a nice already well known for “Admittedly, the translation to the new for- energetic live shows and improvisation, sponta- newest tracks neously altering songs at a previously moment’s whim or launch- ing into informal cover recorded for In tunes. With an album com- ing out an average of once: Your Honor are every other year for ten years, they have a pretty largely mat, almost as if it was written exclusively for the acoustic setting. As a live album, it’s no: expected to break a lot of new ground, as the songs included are not radical reworkings of the studio counterparts, unlike the good library to choose : indistinguishable ones featured in Unplugge from, which makes for a . diverse set list. from their Admittedly, the newest tracks previously recorded for In Your Honor are large- ly indistinguishable from their studio counter- parts, especially since they were already recorded on the acoustic disc (namely “Razor’, “Over and Out”, and “Another Round”), although the transition from the raw and sonic sound of the more rock-orient- ed offerings is more noticeable. As many tracks and singles would not lend themselves to acoustic translation, the choices here are sensible, if a bit expected. Hence, previous singles “T’ll Stick Around,” “Monkey Wrench”, and “All My counterparts” performances by Eric studio Clapton and Nirvana. Regardless, the album has few other surprises, such 4 the inclusion of b-side “Skin and Bones” as well-as the rare track “Marigold,” which was originally recorded fc the obscure demo Pocketwarch, then re-record ed as a Nirvana b-side. The album is also notable for the return of guitarist Pat Smear who departed prior to the release of There is Nothing Left to Lose. While the MTV Unplugged label may have largely gone by the wayside recently, thi acoustic live setting is still a treat for any music fan, and a worthy addition to any music collection. ‘ ” 1 2 THE OTHER PRESS NOVEMBER 23 2006 www.IGN.com Jain W. Reeve, OP Assistant Editor If you’re a fan of video games this is no doubt one of the happier times of your life. New sys- ~ tems are launching, new games with unprecedent- ed gameplay and graphic options are arriving before our eyes, and there has always been one website where you can expect to find the most up- to-date news, reviews, gossip, and, of course, cheat _ codes for all you cheaty McCheatertons: IGN. Ever since I was a pimply faced teenager, as unfamiliar with a Playstation 3 as I was with a real- life naked girl, IGN has been the authoritative source on video games, Sure it has gone a bit cor- _ porate as of late, with pay-to-view videos, special stories, and strategy guides, but the most impor- tant content: previews, reviews, cheat codes, and news are all free. IGN keeps you up to date on upcoming games, gives you some awesome reviews to help guide your video game purchases, and helps you out when you are no good at a game. What more could you ask for? Well, there mote. Over the years, IGN has expanded beyond the video game world to become a one-stop shop for entertainment nerddom. It has expanded to include news and reviews on movies, DVDs, sports, comics, technology and, of course, babes. Want to spoil a movie months before it comes out? They’ve got you covered. Want to read a review of the latest Spider-Man/Captain Marvel crossover? Oh yeah, they’ve got it. Want to see sexy pictures of women, real and computer gener- ated? Oddly enough, they’ve got it. Juvenile, vacant, and all the rest of it, IGN is the best way for an entertainment obsessed young man — and the occasional young lady — to spend a few hours. A sure stop for any video game fan, and not bad if you're into movie previews and stuff too.