Shattered Memories Will Shatter Everything You Thought You Knew

Psychology Warning: This article reads you as much as you read it.

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DJ Hero Review

Rhythm games aren’t dead…yet.

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Guitar Hero: World Tour

There has never been a better time to rock out.
by Sam Stavish    
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The Weekly Reporter’s Review: Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

Spencer places the latest Wii installment of the Resident Evil series under his umbrella, eh, eh.
by Spencer Snell

Each week a different member of the Living and Arts staff will present a new review of anything ranging from the latest chart topping blockbusters to obscure potato chip flavors; always insightful and always through an honest perspective, the WRR gives a critical picture into today’s content rich world.    

    Resident evil has taken on many forms over the years, but none are even similar to the newest installment Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

    The rail shooter is a common arcade style of first-person game, where the player has little or no control over movement and is instead lead through the game (as if on rails) while attacking an assortment of enemies. The future of this genre can be found in Capcom’s newest game Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. This title is a summarized version of the Resident Evil game series including the most important scenes from Resident Evil 0, and Resident Evil 1-3 as well as an all-new campaign Umbrella’s End.

     The game follows the rise and fall of the international pharmaceutical company, Umbrella. The company is actually a front for the true purpose of the organization: developing biological weapons of war constructed via mutated humans, or even the living dead, as well as an assortment of animals all injected with different strains of the Tyrant Virus, or T-virus.

     The most common recurring character is Albert Wesker, a high-ranking employee of The Umbrella Corporation disguised as a member of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service, a fictional police force secretly funded by Umbrella, and stationed in Raccoon City).  Wesker takes center-stage as the primary antagonist and narrator of Umbrella Chronicles.  The game shows the other, darker side of the Resident Evil series (yes… a darker side of a game with evil in the title). Read more

Houston. We Have No Problems: Super Mario Galaxy Review

A REALLY in-depth and spoiler-free look into the plumber’s latest venture.

by Manuel Perez

    The 3D perspective in videogames has always been one of difficulties and problems; titles being ruined at times from poor point-of-view, easily lost sense of direction, and loss of depth perception for the player. Imagine, a game that was built from the ground up with the sole purpose to avoid these flaws.

     Seven years ago, Nintendo released a transitional title for its popular Super Mario series that placed the normally two-dimensional tube traveling Italian on a third plane. The title was formally called Super Mario 64, but was named a masterpiece by gamers and critics across the board. Its claim to fame was not that it was the first 3D game, though, but rather that it was the first game to do the genre WELL and it still takes a top-spot on any list of the best games in history. Super Mario Galaxy is the follow-up to Super Mario 64, and it brings with it the same level of ingenuity and innovation as its predecessor. Read more

The Chronicles of Master Chief

The final installment of the popular Halo series destroys doubts.

by Sinjin Jones

    2 a.m. Doritos at left. Redbull at right. Team Slayer on Valhalla. One win until rank Lieutenant 2nd Grade. One minute remaining. My Team: 45, Red Team: 43.
    “Hey, someone get in the Warthog,” a teammate shouts through the mic.
    I climb into the passenger seat and one of my blue brethren mounts the turret. We drive off, his lack of driving skills forcing a zigzag, toward the river. Off of the right flank I vaguely catch glimpse of a small red figure moving on top of a nearby ledge. I turn instinctively to see what it is and an aimed rocket launcher glares back at me.
    “Bad idea.”
    The sound of metal displacing air followed by an explosion. My tattered, joint-less MJOLNIR suit flies through the air and lands facedown in the water and begins to glide easily along it. The screen fades to black. Read more

What Can Games Do For You?

Editorial: The upside of playing video games. 

by Spencer Snell

    These days a large percentage of young people play video games; many significantly more than others. Something noticeable to me about those who are frequent players (four or more hours per day) is that they tend to have expansive vocabularies and the ability to solve complex problems with a cool head and significantly quicker reflexes than the non-gamer population. It is my opinion that gamers who treat their hobby as a learning experience can significantly better themselves and have fun doing it.
    I think the reason gamers can achieve more dynamic mental acuity and quicker reflexes is because the games they play have them interacting on a more subconscious level. Ever since the days of the Atari and Nintendo Entertainment Systems in the early seventies, gamers have been learning complex skills without even knowing it.
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Corruption Speads to the Wii

Nintendo’s latest hopes to redefine the first-person shooter.

by Manny Perez

    Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is what many consider the first of three games to pioneer the Wii’s various talents in a first-class, $50 package by Nintendo (the other two being Super Mario Galaxy in November and Super Smash Bros. Brawl in December), but does Samus’s latest live up to the hype? The TJ Journal puts it to the test.

    The story centers around Samus Aran (once again) helping the Galactic Federation foil the dastardly deeds of the notorious Space Pirates; this time, with the help of some fellow bounty hunters and the deadly substance Phazon. The other hunters really do add another layer to the plot, even if it does bring up the feeling she’s a  member of the Justice League. But just because Master Chief doesn’t have any friends, doesn’t mean Samus can’t. Read more