REVIEWS
FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE FLOOD NEKO CASE
Neko Case has long been a favorite among the indie-singer songwriter community. Her soaring vocals backed by sparse instrumentation help create a powerful atmosphere perfect for late drives after a long night.
On Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, Neko doesn't down her
NEW CASE FILM CONVENSION ABDUS THE FLUID
legion of diehard fans. With this album, she uses her knowledge of country, gospel, and great melodies to make one of 2006's strongest albums yet.
On "Star Witness" (my favorite), she belts out a powerful melody complete with strong lyrics. "Hold On, Hold On" picks up the tempo and features great lyrics such as I leave the party at 3 a.m., alone, thank God.
"That Teenage Feeling" has an old - fashioned gospel feel with nice harmonies that send home the memorable chorus, I'm holding out for that
teenage feeling.
"The Needle Has Landed" closes out the album with its lush blend of violin, mandolin and guitars, leaving the listener ready to replay the album after a great collection of 12 songs.
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is the perfect soundtrack for any type of drive.
★★★★
SONIC RIDERS
Chris Bower
GAME
Though I maintain that no Sonic character should be riding in any kind of vehicle, Sonic on a hoverboard does seem to fit his mentality. However, this game doesn't fall under regular Sonic games. This is more of a racing game.
The tracks are extremely difficult to race and become even harder to complete because you are required to finish in first place to advance in the story. It will take a few practice runs and some starting over to get the hang of it. Sonic Riders requires fast reaction time. A missed speed advantage or a fall off a track could mean disaster.
Racing on the hoverboards (called Extreme Gears) takes a lot of strategy. The Gears run on air and must be replenished or they stop working. It becomes a chore to have to watch where you are going on the track as well as making sure that your air meter has enough air to get you to the next air station.
However, Sonic's penchant for always looking cool comes in big — you can perform midair tricks to get more air.
The main trouble I have with the game is the voice acting. The cut scenes could have been put together better. A friend of mine pointed out that the voice of Jet the Hawk, a green hawk character, seems to be a mix of a pigeon and a '20s gangster with his squawking voice and with his "MRAWGHI" after nearly every sentence.
GAMERUCIE
The game is frustrating, but still is fun to play. The multiplayer function is entertaining. The game also has some replay value since you can collect rings and purchase new Extreme Gears. Also, if you want to see more of your favorite characters, you will have to beat the story at least once. That was my main reason for not slamming my controller down in frustration and giving up altogether. Sonic Riders
is an intense racing game that will take some getting used to.
System: Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox
★★★
Chris Moore