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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2004)
MSG Voices of a Generation (6 America remains an open-policy nation of opportunity for anyone who is willing to work hard in pursuit of their vision of the American Dream - Ericka Dunlap : —-Jk Jf 2004 Wednesday, February 11, 2004 7:00 PM Rudder Theatre Admission is free Tickets available at MSC Box Office Or call 845-1234 845-1514 http://voices.tamu.edu Wednesday. February 4, 2004 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic XBOX and PC Bioware fully customizable, so as they advance inj players can give them all sorts of powers Courusy of • LUCASARTS Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic features vivid graph ics and top-notch voice acting. Mini-games and side-quests are special features sure to add to players' enjoyment The Vintage House at ^Messim Mof Winery & Resort w Introduces Three Great Weekday Evenings Enjoy three special menus served in the most ROMANTIC RESTAURANT IN THE BRAZOS VALLEY. Winery Wednesdays The best Wednesday evening you can imagine...our remarkable Vineyard Cuisine served with a vineyard view and live romantic guitar. This memorable evening is only $49.95 per couple, plus tax and gratuity. Romantic Thursdays Every Thursday evening from 5 to 10pm, the Vintage House offers a new, special menu just for couples. You'll love everything, including the price. Enjoy the finest Vineyard Cuisine for only $49.95 per couple plus tax and gratuity. Fridays: Aggieland Steak & Shrimp Special Every Friday evening, get the perfect aged ribeye and the freshest Gulf shrimp...combined to make this delicious evening the highlight of your week...just $59.95 per S couple, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations or more information, please call 778-9463, ext. 31 or check out www.messinahof.com. The Vintage House 4545 Old Reliance Road • Bryan, TX USA Only Ten Minutes From Campus Star Wars. We all know and love it. Well, not so much now as evidenced by the dismal failure of the last two movies, but that’s in the past. Now, "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" by famed RPG makers Bioware is expected to redeem the franchise. Set 4,000 years before Episode One, die Republic is under assault from a massive Sith armada with seemingly limitless resources. Amidst all this, players take the role of skilled Republic soldiers who appear to be little more than that. As players advance through more of the game, engaging in missions and seeing events unfold, they will discover there is more to the Republic soldiers than meets the eye. and the fate of the galaxy rests on their shoulders. Players travel across several planets seeking the legendary Star Forge, which the fate of every thing is tied to and the choices that they make along the way will determine if they become heroes of the light side or leaders of the dark side. Of course, all this would be meaningless if there was nothing to draw players in and hold them, but "Knights of the Republic" has more to offer than battles. With a story and plot that soars above the drivel that was exhibited in the saga's last two films, it is easy to become wrapped up in the game for hours at a time. But the real meat of this "Star Wars" game is its light saber battles, blaster duels and large space dogfights. The fighting of the game is all in real time, but it uses RPG rules. This means that while players fight, the computer is rolling dice to determine the outcomes of your moves, such as if you hit, how much damage was done or if the enemy is dead or alive. While this may seem a bit confus ing, it works surprisingly well and will force players to make good use of their teammates and Jedi powers. It’s not just a hack-and-slash game: it requires strategy to heat most of the bosses which, in the end, makes the entire game more worthwhile. Players are joined by nine other characters, each with his own unique and memorable per sonality. This is brought about by the extensive dialogue tree that each character has and the con versations players have with them during the game. Their extensive biographies help move the supplementing characters up from tag-along grunts to true companions. All characters are master’s speed, throw light saber, foro the simple, yet effective torce kill. Customij nuts will have a ball going through they while those who just want to play can mail of the handy auto upgrade feature. To add more depth to the game, there ail oral mini-games for players to have funj ranging from racing to dueling, bounty y and being an errand boy. Most of themaj and usually result in gaining more moneyj rience points and items. There is alsoanj dance of side-quests tor players to complfl will help them get to know their teamQft] get them goodies as well. The sound and voice acting are top-1 with a cast of more than 50 actors readinj single line of dialogue. I he acting is some] best since "Grand Theft Auto: Vice Citv released and helps bring out each individuj actor. I he sound effects are the standardj Wars" sounds from the swinging andcli the light sabers to the shrill pitch of theW Each sound affect is authentic and sounds! pletely natural. Even with all of these features, thereanJ things that pull the game down. ThegJ while very good, do not make good ustl b) XBOX’s which is capal photo realistic effects. There is also a rate issue whe “it players get into some er battle see nes with lots of peo| around on the screen. The pacing of also uneven » it times. But once pla; planet, the game really takes off, the tend to slow down in a tew places - ■ will run around and b; is the loading i ue. Nearly evu to a building or into another * there is a load screen. This t since the areas are fairly smal "Metriod Prime" proved that load times for a huge game w< Those minor issues are m everything the game offers. Th and sound will grab players a the fantasy world. Biov console RPG and is a must h; owner. # Radio news from the newsroom of THE BATTALION Aft Choice tor over 20 it— SPRING BREtl CttNCUN ACAPULCO LOSCABOS BRIM FRIDAY • SATURDAY • SUNDAY