Do Lawyers have lawyers, do landlords have landlords
The LEGO Star Wars game is awesome. Adapting an outside liscence is, more often than not, the kiss of death to a video game's quality. But in this case, two wrongs definitely make a right. Like a symphony of lightsabres and LEGO Bricks, it makes fabulous use of both worlds. One level manages to completely recreate the look of that space battle you probably saw in Revenge of the Sith trailer... only with giant Lego spaceships! It's a blast to play as well, particularly if you have a second player. I haven't played a 2-player co-op game this fun in ages.
My only complaint is that it is very, very easy. I know it's probably targeted at children, but with so many challenges and unlockables packed in, it's a shame they didn't also include a higher difficulty setting. Still, the only reason not to play this game is if you are on a complete Episode 3 media blockout. The final third of LEGO Star Wars does basically outline the major plot points of the entire film. SPOILERS!
Sam Logan
We do it for the kids
A couple of years ago, I was browsing through the Deathray website when I stumbled across a link to a band their lead singer was producing. The band was The High Speed Scene, and their lone downloadable song "For the Kids" was so infectious that it made me an instant fan. And so I waited for their promised first LP to be released... and waited... and waited. But nothing ever came. Eventually, I stopped checking their website and forgot about them altogether.
Until last week, when I stumbled across their debut CD at Futureshop. Apparently it came out a couple of weeks ago-- and on the Neptunes record label, for some reason! So I bought it. And it is good! They sound a lot like a synthless version of Deathray, specializing in the same kind of incredibly basic, incredibly catchy power pop. But a few tracks are undeniably Weezer-esque. I was not expecting that, but they pull it off well so I'll take it. The CD is solid fun all around, even if it is only slightly deeper than a pizza pan.
Of course, for all I know, these guys are all over the radio and you've already heard them a million times. I haven't turned an AM/FM on in so long that I don't even remember the numbers for my local stations. Oh no, I may have inadvertantly recommended a popular band! Weep for my indie cred, friends.
Sam Logan
We've got the fire but does it mean anything
Top Five Possible Reasons Why Those Two Cans Got Mixed Up:
5. Fuzzy set the knock-out gas down on the bakery counter while attempting to "liberate" oppressed pastries.
4. Mr. Knock-out Gas and Mrs. Whipped Cream traded places because they were starring in a wacky fish-out-of-water reality television show called "Spray Swap."
3. Super Squeeze Dairy Corporation and Industrial Aerosol Immobilizers are outsourcing to the same packaging company.
2. The whipped cream always had the power to be knock out gas. But she wouldn't have believed me. She had to find out for herself.
1. The cans were swapped by a horse. A horse named... Hidalgo.
See you on Friday!
Sam Logan
