REVIEWS
Dead or Alive 4 GAME
Boobs. That's the first word that springs to mind when most people think of the Dead or Alive series. It's really too bad, considering the first three titles were actually decent fighting games, although overshadowed by the Tekken and Virtua Fighter series. Thankfully, with Dead or Alive 4, Team Ninja has finally released a game to compete with the big ones. No pun intended.
The story focuses on a small group of fighters led by the ninja Hayate and their mission to destroy the DOATEC organization. While the manual goes into quite a bit of detail regarding the back story, the actual game only incorporates it in a few pointless cut scenes during story mode. (Example: Two girls attempt to buy the same head of lettuce. Fight ensues). You will not be playing this one for the story.
As the first fighting game to hit the next generation consoles, Dead or Alive 4 looks awesome. The character models are incredibly detailed, the series' trademark multi-tiered levels look amazing and the action moves along at a crisp 60 frames per second without a hitch.
LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
Also featured is a staggering amount of game modes. From the basic story and time attack modes to the more exciting
team battles and survivor modes, DOA4 has pretty much everything you could want in a fighting game. Even better is the game's online mode, which features a distinctive, yet underused, lobby system in which gamers can socialize while awaiting their turn to play.
As for the fighting itself, a number of small but significant improvements have been made. One of the most obvious changes is the revised counter system, which now has a much smaller time frame, making for a challenging experience.
If you're a fan of fighting games, you really should give Dead or Alive 4 a try. It's big, fun and well-rounded. Pun intended.
System:X-Box 360
This game is available for purchase at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, Hastings, EBGames and other video game dealers. $59.99. It is available for rent at Blockbuster, Hastings, Dillons and other video game rental agencies.
★★★★
Andrew Campbell
MOVIE
"Why is there no Halloween in India?"
Because they took away the Gandhi."
Written and directed by comedian Albert Brooks, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World mixes superb wit with jokes that make you cringe and want to slink out of your seat (see above.) But it's meant to be that way. And for the most part, it works.
Brooks receives a proposition by the United States government to travel to Muslim areas of the world, find out exactly what makes them laugh and write a 500-page report based on his findings in an effort to better understand them. The prize? An elusive "Medal of Freedom."
Enthusiastic but skeptical about this unlikely proposition, Brooks lands in New Delhi, India, with two sidekicks hired by the State Department (John Carroll Lynch and Jon Tenney). After finding an Indian assistant named Maya (Sheetal Sheth), he hits the crowded streets to begin his venture. Realizing quickly that his method of random interviewing will never get him close to the lofty 500 pages, Brooks decides to put on a stand-up comedy show in the heart of New Delhi.
The result isn't pretty. Even I felt pain for him. No one likes seeing someone fail so miserably on stage. Albert Brooks proves that he's just as good at making audiences want to hurt him as he is at making them laugh.
But the man moves on. After all, "it's okay to bomb. it's not the end of the world," he says.
Or is it? His horrible show, an illegal crossing into Pakistan and lines like the above joke make Indian and Pakistani authorities extremely suspicious of the American "funny man." He's not funny enough to be a comedian. He talks about bombing. They decide he must have some ulterior
motive.
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World doesn't produce as many laughs as you'd expect. There are some sassy one-liners, but Brooks isn't at his comedic best. But he's not supposed to be. Instead, his willingness to be self-deprecating should be admired.
Brooks learns his lesson that humor doesn't easily translate. Perhaps the world is too distrustful and unstable for it to believe that a dopey.American comic is just there to see what makes people laugh, and that the only "bombing" going on is his stand-up routine.
★★★
R, 99 minutes
Studio 30 - Olathe
Ashley Thompson
JB> JAYELAY D2,Q2.2D06