Karl Benacci, Features Editor
Sorcerers and balls
by Billy 0' Keefe
Knight Riddler
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
TWO TOWERS
For: Play Station 2
From: EA Games
A small handful of very different
"Lord of the Rings" games have ap
peared from all sides in no time at all,
Jason Kidd angrily dribbles the ball in the NBA Live 2003 video game
confusing garners about which is THE
game to own. If you want a role-play
ing game based on the hook, you're
harking up the wrong tree with "The
Two Towers." But if you want sense
less, furious action with the film as the
backdrop, this is it. "Towers" is an un
apologetic twitch game that delivers
wave after wave of enemies for your
busy thumbs to destroy. Sounds repeti
tive, and it is. It's also way too short.
But "Towers" is fun, than 4 to a slick
battle system. many unlockable special
moves and the ability to play as three
pivotal characters from the film. Actual
snippets from the upcoming film (as
well as half of "Fellowship of the Ring")
introduce each sequence, and the
amount of aesthetic detail and activity
in each level should make players
happy. "Towers" is no substitute for the
movie much less the book but it sure is
fun to step inside the heroes' shoes and
save the day yourself, even if the ad
venture ends too soon.
NBA 2K3
For: Play Station 2, Game Cube and
Crossword
ACROSS
1 Bub
4 Fire giveaway
9 Stage scenery
14 Fuss
15 Mates of 1D
16 Flax product
17 Sun. follower
18 Elite social
category
19 To the extreme
20 Church recess
22 Living in
24 Word with
engine or iron
26 Fix solidly
27 Short exam
29 du Diable
30 Correct text
34 Gambler's
marker
36 Word with acid
or oxide
38 Went on
horseback
39 Bridge support
41 Curtail
43 Skin problem
44 Soapy foam
46 Make lace
47 Tardy
48 Chill
49 Uncommon
51 Wayne and
Garfield
53 Burdened
56 Palikir's
country
61 Otherwise
62 Islander's
farewell
63 Strainer
65 about time!
66 Foreigner
67 Skin cream
68 Bottom line
69 Starlinglike
mimics
70 Trap
71 Double curve
1 Mates of 15A
2 Vote to accept
3 Following as a
result
4 Health resort
5 African republic
6 Express a view
From: Sega Sports
Electronic Arts' "NBA Live" has gone
arcade, leaving "NBA 2K3" to run pretty
much uncontested in the basketball SIM
department. The choice is a breeze either
way: "2K3" replicates the NBA game to
an astonishing degree and is perhaps the
only game to place defense on the same
scale of importance as offense. Blindly
driving to the hoop will get you burned
time and again. You'll need to be selfless
with the ball and milk the game's tremen
dous controls for all they're worth. The
game's look and sound are equally impres
sive: The new "sweat engine" as a fatigue
gauge is a bit overrated, but it's hard to
deny how awesome the players look and
move. The game's presentation is gold as
well, thanks to the new ESPN-centric
look, the always-dependable commentary,
and some sobering court banter to give it
a unique squeeze of character. "2K3's"
franchise mode is the best of any basket
ball game - a far cry from "2K2" and the
street ball mode and cache of extras are
as welcome as ever. Fans of the fast break
and non-stop
offense may feel a bit lost in "2K3," but
students of the game will be shocked at
how smart and deep it is. For basketball
fans, this one's pretty much a no-trainer.
NBA LIVE 2003
For: XBox, Game Cube, Play Station 2
From: EA Sports
"NBA Live" EA's basketball game has
endured some major physical therapy in
the past year, transforming itself from a
prodding, merely decent basketball title
© 2002 TOWN Mulls Services, Inc
AN righls resarved.
Solutions
7 Disputed Asian
territory
8 Found
9 Smooth and
effortless
10 Pleasant pitch
variation
11 In opposition
12 Relative of a gull
13 Obstacle
21
___ de cologne
23 Harriet Stowe
25 Aromatic herb
28 Extremely large
number
30 Blow it
31 What to sign on
32 Notion
33 Hiker's housing
34 Slanted type:
abbr.
35 Killer whale 51 Collins and
37 Oolong shipping Crawford
containers 52 City in Tuscany
40 Understand 54 Adlai's 1956
42 Spoken running mate
45 Emotional stress 55 Snug retreats
50 "Norma " 56 Address for the
Friday, November 8, 2002
The award for best idea
in a basketball game in 2003 goes to "NBA
Shootout 2003'5" career mode, which puts
you in gym shoes instead of a two-piece
suit. You design a player, join a summer
league, get drafted or signed (hopefully)
and play well enough to make the starting
five of a contender. Cool indeed, as is
"Sfk)otout's" dunk and player editor fea
tures, which let your mind run wild. Un
fortunately, the gameplay still leaves more
to be desired. The series has improved im
mensely since its last installment, but it
doesn't quite grasp the free-flowing fi
nesse of "NBA Live" or the intelligence
of "NBA 2K3." There's a general tinge of
sluggishness in both the controls and pace
of the action, and the A.I. is still missing
a few coats of polish on both sides of the
ball. "Shootout" generally looks and
sounds good, and the feature set doesn't
have any gaping omissions. The gameplay
may lose steam over the long haul, but
curious gamers would be smart to give
"Shootout" at least a rental, if only to
check out the brilliant career mode, which
will only get better in coming editions.
Queen
57 Badly
58 Nickel or dime
59 Actress Perlman
60 Assert
64 Before, to be
brief
tialla 4l ;
to a fast, pretty and slick game of fast
break ball. All the features _ franchise,
player creation and so on _ are intact.
What's missing is a bona fide simulation
of the NBA game: Playing defense is fun,
but "Live's" offensive game is larger than
life, a five-on-five version of "NBA
Street" for lack of a better description. EA
is going hoarse promoting its new
freestyle control, which allows you to use
the right analog stick as your arms while
the left stick controls your legs. It takes
some getting used to, but it's a
killer feature once it becomes
second nature, and makes for
some exhilarating plays and
cool discoveries. "Live" isn't
the prettiest basketball game on
the market, but the game has
made major strides in terms of
looks, animation and even
sound (XBox and PlayStation2
owners get a bonus CD contain
ing the game's excellent
soundtrack). "NBA 2K2" eas
ily takes the crown if you pine
for a serious NBA simulation,
but "Live" can easily coexist
with Sega's game in any fan's
library. It's a loud, proud good
time that finally earns its moni
ker.
NBA SHOOTOUT
2003
For: Play Station 2
From: 989 Sports
THE LOGIN WINTERGARDEN SERIES
2002-2003
Usic a ( 7400 n
MARIAN ANDERSON STRING QUARTET
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, NOON
gli ti •
Bringyour lunch to the Penn State Behrend Wintergarden and
enjoy world-class performances in an informal setting. Admission is fee
PENNSTATE "O P
r Erie l i o , ,, ,B g e e hi end
I 8 S
We want to hear from you! Send us your ideas.
Write a letter to the editor!
Through the looking glass
by Mike Pingree, KRT Campus
IS IT CROWDED IN HERE, OR IS IT ME?
A German policewoman obtained the mobile phone number of a
fugitive from justice, called him up, flirted with him and arranged
a blind date.
The man, who was wanted in the town of Recklinghausen, came
to a bar in downtown Berlin "all dressed up" and unaware not only
that his date was a cop, but that all the men at surrounding tables
were undercover police officers, too. The date ended in his arrest.
HONEY, NOTHING CAN STOP US NOW:
An Albanian drug dealer was deported from Germany hut
slipped back in, and made the mistake of registering to marry his
girlfriend in Cologne.
He was arrested a half-hour before the ceremony was to begin.
BUT OFFICER, THE HORSE WAS SOBER
Police arrested a man for drunken driving when they discovered
I him riding his horse down the sidewalk in Carson City, Nev.. after
I having consumed 12 beers.
DITHERED TWYTS
Chiquito began to wonder if Saint Primates was
really the best choice for his health care needs.
behrcoll2@aol.corn
The Behrend Beacon
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