Spiderbait
Tonight Alright
Veteran Aussie rockers Spiderbait have been kicking out noisy, innocuous jams down under for nearly a decade, but with Tonight Alright the band becomes the latest Oz export to release a major label stateside debut. Unfortunately, their initial assault on the American airwaves is via a remake of Ram Jam's "Black Betty," southern rocksploitation so vile it should never be covered by anyone, especially an Australian three-piece with an affection for droning, robotic guitars and electric drum kits. If the guys and girl in the band ever feel the burning sting of shame for this song, it's deserved, but
they can at least take comfort that they didn't write it.
The majority of the tracks on Tonight Alrightare hurried and mono-riffic, like a compressed Black Sabbath had Tony lommi been a c苡ffenated robot. Songs like "Alright" and "Put It Down" blur together in uninventive repetition. The hope for the album lies in near popy deviations led by female bassist/vocalist Janet English.On "Cows" and "Live In A Box" she bounces new-wavey vocals amongst the band's mechanized noise. Tonight Alright would have been infinitely more accessible and worthwhile had English added her pogo-flair to the entire album.
the album.
Tonight Alright has a few bright spots,
but they're buried amongst a sound too tepid to shine through. Spiderbait has made a mundane, recycled album with little creativity or drive to do something that wouldn't sound out of place on the modern rock radio of the regrettable 90's.
Grade: C--
--Dave Ruigh
Terror Squad True Story
It was less than a year ago when Fat Joe was overheard loudly contemplating retiring from the rap scene. Tipping the scales at around 400 pounds. Joe had somehow managed to be worth his weight in gold records off of a string of hit singles with Murder Inc., most notably his Tina Turner transformation "What's Luv?" Pretty good for being the second-best obese Latino rhymer from the Bronx (behind the late Big Pun).
Instead of retreating, Joe has decided to resuscitate his long dormant Terror Squad \ in an apparent bid to capitalize on the Bush "War on Terror" with a series of aural assaults on the dance floor.
The squad was originally notable as the one group with the problem of fitting both Joe and Pun into their tour bus, but the new incarnation boasts lineup that would be barely recognizable by the few remaining fans of the group's '99 debut. All that remains are tracks bursting at the seams with empty threats and gangsta braved, but all too light in the hot beats
department.
It's a good thing that the albums first (and possibly only) single is more than worth the price of admission. "Lean Back," fuels intense dance floor fanatism, touting an insurgent groove that appropriates a hypnotizing belly-dancing riff psychologically calibrated to inspire clubland rapture.
The track is peerless on this record, although the regal trumpeting and run-on sentence style of "Yeah Yeah Yeah" is remarkable. The rest is filler, pure and simple, an excuse to add one more hot single to the Fat Joe discography. If he keeps stumbling on bangers such as "Lean Back," though, let's hope he comes out of retirement every three years.
Grade: C+
If you got down with this download the Hispanic remix of "Lean Back" (but shhhh! don't tell anyone I told you to...) or if you must buy something, shell out the cash for Angie Martinez's Animal House.
Ahsan Latif
video games
Mega Man: Anniversary Collection for Playstation 2
Happy anniversary, Mega Man
The Blue Bomber...what else can I say?! It's the BLUE BOMBER! This game is a classic name in all gamer vocab, and Capcom knows it. No new plot twist for this Mega Man game. This is a celebration, and for 15 years, Mega Man has been saving the world from evil, and he can't even drive yet. Mega Man: Anniversary Collection is a cornucopia of old school Mega Man titles on multiple systems.
For the birthday festivities, the Anniversary Collection has packed 10 Mega Man titles into one disc. As you play the games, the auto-save feature saves your progress. However, if you quit and load your previous data, you can only go back to the Mega Man title you were playing when you left. So sorry, but it seems players still aren't safe from getting out the old pen and paper and writing down the passwords for each defeated Robot Master.
The graphics from the first six MegaMan games bring back certain nostalgia
from the regular Nintendo, so there's nothing really new to expect in that department. Good news though, players don't have to worry about screens getting blurry and messing up like the old Nintendo, and players won't have to spend minutes blowing into a cartridge hoping it will work properly.
in the end, 10 games for the price of one is genius. This isn't just for Mega Man, but it is a present for all Mega Man gamers who have stayed loyal to the series all these years. And at a starting price of only $30, which I couldn't believe at first, it's a good title to have in your collection. Forget dusting off your old cartridges, the Blue Bomber is still alive and saving the world. Grade:B
- Chris Moore
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike for Nintendo Gamecube
Yet another game I've wanted in my personal collection for a long time. When I first saw this game in a gaming store, I soon began a two-year search for it. Street
Fighter still remains a giant in fighting titles. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike for the Sega Dreamcast is a hard find, but worth the search.
The cast has drastically changed, but the story is still the same. Characters from around the world have come together in an all-out brawl to show who is the best fighter. This Street Fighter title has more of the Street Fighter Alpha background in it. In the Alpha series, each character had gauges below them that allowing them to unleash devastating Super Combos. The big difference now is that players can only pick one Super Combo Move for each fight. However each character's Super Combo differs in strength and how many times you can utilize it when the gauge is filled. But it works itself out that way. Moves may not be as powerful, but because you can use it three times when the gauge is filled, you can hit in rapid succession easily weakening your opponent.
The graphics in $3^{rd}$ Strike have come a long way since Street Fighter's beginnings. The characters have great animation and their movements, fighting moves and special techniques are done in fluid motion. One great example is Elena with her Capoeira fighting style. Her basic movements for the style are done spectacularly and don't miss a beat. Also the backgrounds for the fighting stages are more detailed and add to the visual effect such as birds in the background and on-looking watching the fights. For the first time ever, players have an option of who they can fight next. The game gives you a choice between two characters to fight, giving them a type of strategic decision. You can gauge your skills and see which opponent to battle. You can go for an easy fight or take the high road and go after the more difficult opponent.
Street Fighter is a titan in fighting game titles for a reason. Its games have few flaws and they get better with time. I also appreciate that Capcom has brought it back to its two dimensional roots. After 15 years, Street Fighter is still the best in fighting.
Grade: A+
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Jayplay 9.16.04