November 5, 2003 Culture ¢ the other press © Fanboy’s Corner Nick Hogg OP Game Guy V. 2.0 Those Who Hunt Elves 2 For those of you who saw the first series, you already know what to expect from the sequel—for those of you who haven't seen the original, all you're getting is the same concept but not as well executed. Those Who Hunt Elves 2 is basically the exact same thing as the original series except it’s far more predictable, less comprehensible at times, and hardly funny at all. The DVD itself is rather good in the technical sense, but the content still leaves a lot to be desired. Since this series was only done a few years ago, the animation transfer to the DVD seems flawless. One feature that seems left over from the Classic ADV discs are the trilingual audio tracks. Included are 2.0-channel stereo tracks for Japanese, English, and Spanish. Personally, I would have preferred a 5.1-channel mix for the English, but I guess I can watch this in Spanish with English subs. They also included the extra (which is basically standard now) clean open- ing and closing animations, one day | will stop pointing out they are even there. Beyond that the extras are a barren waste- land of nothing, but thankfully you haven't been swindled, the disc contains six episodes. I think most anime fans would rather get six episodes per disc and get nothing in the way of extras, but it’s a nice change from the company who thinks seven It's about bloody time. How much longer was Nintendo going to wait to release this on the GBA? I figured they'd want to re- release the best-selling game of all time a little sooner. But all ranting aside, let’s go back to 1990. Nintendo was king, and Mario was some kind of noble or something, and by combin- ing their power they made a game that pushed the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to its limits, resulting in one of the hardest NES platforms ever. The game that was created sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and left such a mark on gamers that they can still tell you where all three warp whistles are. Graphically Super Mario Bros. 3: Mario Advance 4 is no tour de force, but it has been improved form the NES version, mak- ing it similar to the SNES Super Mario World in terms of graph- ics. The music has been partially redone, but a majority of the tracks were faithfully ported form the original. Keeping with the Mario Advance legacy, Mario catch phrases have been added, with such sound bytes as: “Mama Mia,” “Whoo-hoo,” and “That’s just what I needed.” Thankfully these don’t pop up too often, so they never grate on your nerves. Another thing kept faithful to the original is the fact you can play Luigi. It seems they let him out of his holding cell after the wonderful success of Luguis Mansion for the GameCube. With classic games like this the graphics and sound aren't a main concern—we're looking at it more for its original groundbreaking story. The Princess was once again kidnapped by Bowser, oh wait that’s old RPGs that have good stories, the fun in this falls squarely on game play. This is no easy romp through the Mushroom Kingdom, there are eight full worlds of pain, with each level reminding you how much Nintendo dis- likes you. For a lot of you out there it might seem like nothing more than a nostalgia trip, which can easily be quelled by pulling out the NES. Well, Nintendo was actually thinking on Super Mario Bros. 3: Mario Advance 4 DVDs is acceptable for a 26-episode series. So if this series is exactly like the original, what’s the franchise about? Simply put—it’s about stripping elves, wait, wait it’s not one of those types of anime, get your head out of the gutter. Jumpei, Arie, Riku, Celestia, and a tank possessed by a cat, are searching an alternate fantasy world for spell fragments that just so happen to be on random female elves. Even though Those Who Hunt Elves 2 uses the same formula as the first series, it lacks the simple charm of the original, not to mention episodes that are actually funny. It’s quite a disappointment to see such a great series turn out this way in its second season. Unfortunately most episodes end with some odd twist that never tends to get a laugh, and leaves you going “huh?” Overall, Those Who Hunt Elves 2 comes off as lackluster and mediocre. When compared to the original series it hardly seems to stand up on its own, and the large gaping plot hole they left unresolved from the first series makes it hardly worth checking out. With six episodes on the disc it’s technically a good value, but what’s an even better value is buying Those Who Hunt Elves. You can get the series on two DVDs, and at least it’s entertain- ing. this one. First of all, this is portable Mario—whether it’s before, after, or during class, you can hone your platforming skills for the day when youre confronted with large bottomless pits to jump over. Secondly, Nintendo strikes again with the dreaded connectivity. The connectivity comes in two flavours, first is the ability to link GBAs together and play the original Mario Bros arcade game, this can be done with only one game cartridge. The sec- ond flavour of connectivity is going to make any old school gamer run out and buy a bunch of Nintendo products. With the e-reader you can scan up to 32 additional brand-new Mario levels that can be saved on the game. Since this is Nintendo, to complete this process you'll need a link cable to another GBA, an E-reader, and some Mario Advance 4 E-cards, but after part- ing with a large sum of cash you'll be ready to play new levels. Overall this process is worth the money and effort since these levels also can incorporate powers not featured in the regular Super Mario Bros 3, such as the turnip throwing action of Super Mario Bros 2. This vastly improves the replay value of this game by constantly allowing you to change the game content, mak- ing for one very versatile game. Each level is conveniently rated based on difficulty from easy to Nintendo Hates You. So basi- cally you're going to be running out buying E-cards, but unfor- tunately that’s what happens when connectivity is done prop- erly. Ultimately for most gamers this will be a nostalgia trip to a simpler time in games, and this reviewer is no exception. It drums up memories of idolizing an Italian plumber who could jump, swim, fly, and fight evil. And I still think a raccoon tail that enables flight would be useful. In the end I’ve got goom- bas or kuberos to stomp, E-cards to scan, and one hell of a lot less free time, it’s a good thing it’s portable. Amanda Aikman Culture Editor November 6, 1973: ( This Week In History... = furry little critters with a handgun during the three- Singer Gram Parsons’ manager Phil Kaufman is fined $300 for stealing Parsons’ body from the Los Angeles International Airport and cremating it instead of tak- ing it to the funeral. Wow, that really puts inflation into perspective for me. Why just last year when I stole a rock star’s body from an international airport and lit it on fire I had to pay a fine of $500. November 7, 1974: Ted Nugent wins the National Squirrel-Shooting Archery Contest by picking off a squirrel at 150 yards. Nugent also moves on to wipe out 27 more of the day event. Okay, so I stand corrected—Ted Nugent isn't crazy. I mean, who am I to question the validity of a National Squirrel-Shooting Archery Champion's anti-gun control arguments? November 7, 1991: Actor Paul Reubens, a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman, pleads no contest after being arrested in Sarasota for exposing himself in a theatre. Apparently Reubens’ argument that actors had been symbolically exposing themselves in theatres throughout cinematic history wasn’t flying with the Florida judge. http://www.otherpress.ca e Page 15 a