Arts & Entertainment

 

 

 

Believe the Halo 3 hi

By Peter Licata, Mars’ Hill (Trinity Western University)

LANGLEY (CUP) —Perhaps spurred
on by Halo 3’s massive “Believe” ad
campaign, gamers turned out in force
for the Sept. 25 release of Halo 3.

Just as Halo 2 broke all launch-sale
records for any entertainment media in
2004, Halo 3 smashed all records with
$170 million first-day sales. But is the
game really worth it all? Amazingly,
Halo 3 lives up to its legacy.

The storyline picks up right after
Halo 2’s infamous cliffhanger ending.
Cinematic cut scenes smoothly guide
the plot without hindering the action.
Chief takes center stage again, battling
alongside marines and alien Elites
to stop the Prophet of Truth from
destroying the galaxy, and the parasitic
Gravemind from eating it. A satisf:

, see 2 aye

   
  

Findoaly 64 hom the

blem. For many people, The

Forge will prove more addictive than

The panic play of Halo 3 is not new.
It’s more an extensive refinement of

_ like the Ravager—a pistol-sized
. shotgun—add great variety to weapon
‘choice.

{pe

id Bubble Shields add
options. However, since

including tuning the balance between
single weapons, duel-wielding, melee
and grenades. More for the sake of
multiplayer games, these changes
ensure that skill—not weaponry —
determines victory. _

The original Halo assault rifle makes a
triumphant return, while new weapons

      
   
 
      
  
     
      
    

_ Visually, the artistic Soe of

‘Halo 3 is unmatched. Yes, the graphics

are sharp, the lighting i is crisp, and the
frames-per-second soar, but a monster
graphics engine doth not beauty make.
The consistent visual design, however,
creates a believable universe. Whether
flying a hovercraft over sparkling

     
   

   
 
 
  
      
   
  
 

bowels of a parasitic spaceship, the
visuals inspire immersion through
complex, stylistic realism. .

The music of Halo has always been

- unique. A futuristic version of classical

music, the soundtrack sets the mood
without intruding on the action. The
haunting beauty of the main theme is
wonderful; I have been known to linger
in the start menu for hours, so I might
simply enjoy the music.

If you couldn’t stand the previous
Halo titles, Halo 3 is not going to
change your mind. If, however,
you enjoy console shooters in the

slightest, Halo 3 is worth your while.

compelling story drives ridiculously

fun, artistically beautiful carnage. The

campaign may be short, but there are
hundreds of hours of replay value here,
either with friends, on Xbox Live, or

tinkering in the Forge.

Halo 3 is a record-breaking success
for a reason: it’s an exceptionally good
game that met the expectations of
millions of fanatical fans. I can scarcely
imagine a video game getting much
better than this, folks.

 

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists with Quasi

October 22 at Richard’s on Richards

By Luke Simcoe, A&E Editor

I first heard of Ted Leo and the
Pharmacists only a few months ago, but
what I heard was impressive enough
to bring me out to his live show on a
Monday night, when I should really be
sleeping or doing homework instead.
Starting my week off with a late night
concert was something I had to prepare
for, so I took a nap before the start
of the show and got there just after
the start of the opening act, Quasi.
Apparently other people chose to sleep
longer, as the attendance for Quasi’s set
was pretty sparse, which is somewhat
surprising as I would have thought more
Sleater-Kinney fans would show up to
see the now defunct band’s drummer
in action. The band definitely put on
an above-average show for an opening
act. Quasi is a husband/wife duo, along
with a touring bassist, and they played
a set that varied between short and
angry punk songs and long chaotic
instrumental medleys. The lead singer,
Sam Coomes, has a voice like a country
yodel and some impressive guitar skills.
Their set took a downturn at the end
when Coomes switched from playing
guitar to an overpowering keyboard,
which must have had the volume turned
to 11 because it proceeded to drown out
the other instruments and Sam’s voice
for the rest of the set.

During the intermission, Richards
went from being deserted to resembling
a Skytrain car at 8:30am, and Ted

Z

Leo and the Pharmacists hit the

stage to the sound of applause from
the near-capacity crowd. Their set
contained no keyboards or other ill-
advised instrument changes, just Ted’s
crunching guitar and the occasional
punctuation of a drum solo. I knew we
were in for an adrenaline-filled night
the second song in when they played a
hyperspeed version of “Me and Mia,”
the band’s biggest hit so far and the
song that first introduced me to them.
It’s always amazing to me when a
lead singer can so loudly and clearly,
especially at a place like Richards that
doesn’t have the greatest acoustics, and

 

not lose his voice after five songs. The
loud vocals are a must for songs like
“Fourth World War” and “C.I.A.”

On Ted’s latest release, “Living With
The Living,” there are some songs that
just wouldn’t work in a live setting
without major revisions. One of them,
“Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.” consists of Ted
reciting spoken word and his bandmates
yelling “Bomb! Repeat! Bomb!” at the
end of every sentence. It’s fun to listen
to, but not workable in front of a live
crowd. Somehow the band was able
to give this piece a melody and turn it
into an actual song. A song that could
have used less of a change was “Who

Do You Love,” which sounds great on
wax, but was turned into an extended
jam with Ted repeating the song’s

title ad nauseum while trying to play
funk guitar. I can understand that Ted
and company needed to take a break
somehow, but this was just annoying,
especially when the actual song only
contains that set of words two times, not
eighty.

To end this review on a sad-
yet-happy note, this was Ted’s first
performance after the death of a friend,
Lance Hahn from the band J Church
(For those of you drawing a blank I’ve
never heard of them before either).
For the last song of the encore, Ted
dedicated a song by Chumbawamba
(there’s a name I thought I’d never be
typing again), that they were both fans
of called “I Never Gave Up”, to him.
It was a genuinely touching moment,
though a little confusing at the time (at
first we thought that one of the guys
from Chumbawamba had died...). After
an hour and a half of intense playing,
the Pharmacists delivered their most
passionate song of the night, and got
the whole crowd to repeat the chorus:

“I never gave up, I never gave up, |
crawled through the mud but I never
gave up.”

Not a bad choice to end what must
have a tough performance for Ted in a
special way.