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Video games will keep players' glued to screen By BILLY O’KEEFE KRT CAMPUS “ODDWORLD: STRANGER'S WRATH” For: Xbox From: EA Games/Oddworld Inhabitants The “Oddworld” series wasn’t exactly in need of a drastic change of scenery. Even after several episodes spanning nearly a decade, it remained sort of a genre unto itself —r a weird little mix of platforming and strategy elements featuring some of the most cleverly designed characters in gamedom. But alas, we got one anyway. And while “Stranger’s Wrath” loses a few identity points here and there, it’s hard to argue with such a slick result. Hybrid first- and third-person games are usually watered-down versions of two genres instead of one, but that’s not the case here. And most of the good things about “Oddworld” games — brilliant art direction, stunning CGI sequences, a great story with terrifically original characters — are back in full force. A spaghetti western set in the Oddworld universe? How can we say no, especially with Oddworld Inhabitants delivering on all cylinders? “Wrath” puts you in the boots of Stranger, a bounty hunter with the style sense of a Clint Eastwood and the gravelly voice of Vin Diesel. Your goal, as is the goal of any bounty hunter, is to bring in the bad guys, save the innocents and collect* a cash reward. Bringing them in alive is naturally better than bringing them in dead, and this is where things get interesting. The ability to flip perspectives on the fly implies that “Wrath” is rather open-ended in its play structure, and those assumptions are correct. But it’s Stranger’s crossbow — available in first-person mode — that really mixes things up in unique ways. The crossbow holds two different types of ammo at once, and you’re free to mix and match different types of ammo to match your attack strategy. There’s something for every style, whether you prefer to lure your prey into a trap or go in with ... critters blazing? Yes, critters blazing: The ammo in “Wrath” is literally alive, and you have to capture it to acquire it. (Insert “live ammo” joke here.) It even talks to you. If you’ve ever wanted to play a first-person shooter in which your ammunition asks you how you re doing before you fire it at some crony, then thank Oddworld Inhabitants for granting your wish in spectacular fashion. It’s one of many things done perfectly right in “Wrath.” Hopefully the series’ puzzler side isn’t dead, since both brands of “Oddworld” games are very sequel-worthy, but that’s a worry for another time. Enjoy. “WARIOWARE TOUCHED!” For: Nintendo DS From: Nintendo For those keeping track, “WarioWare Touched!” is the third “WarioWare” game to drop in as many years, with the fourth one not very for behind. So the concept — more than 100 bizarre microgames, lasting five seconds or less each, mashed together in outrageous fashion — isn’t quite the mind-bending innovation it was two years ago. But guess what? Doesn’t matter. “Touched!” is as sickeningly addictive as previous “WW” games, and the reliance on the DS’ touch screen and microphone — the buttons are almost never used — is change enough. This is gaming in its purest, most primal form, and it’s a good reminder why we play games in the first place. For those unfamiliar, “WarioWare” is essentially a ' hodgepodge of single-function games — in this case, about 180 — cobbled together to form a larger game. The joy lies in the unpredictability of it all: You don’t know what game is going to pop up next, and you have only a few seconds to figure out its secret and process and execute said secret before the game scuttles away in favor of another. Maybe you’ll have to chop flying fruit, or perhaps you’ll have to guide a slalom skier to the finish line by drawing his path. Or properly tune a radio station, or spell a given word by plucking flying letters out of the sky. You just don’t know. The games are extremely varied, and share only a bizarre sense of humor and style in common. Touched!” uses the DS’ unique features to good effect — arguably better than any other game up to this point. Most of the games employ the stylus, while a handful use the microphone in surprisingly different ways (you will inflate a blow-up doll and make it do a sit-up before it’s all over). Outside of a two-player table tennis game (one of many, many, many unlockable treats to be uncovered, along with a virtual pet parrot and a grandma simulator), buttons are almost never employed. Throw in a bizarre “story,” secrets galore and endless amounts of replayability (two-second games don’t get old very fast, believe it or not), and you have pure portable gaming bliss. “WarioWare” can’t possibly drop as many jaws the third time around as it did two years ago, but “Touched!” is every bit as fun and unpredictable as any title in the series. At this point, it’s the game to get if you have a DS. PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK David Krumholtz plays the geeky brother of a Los Angeles FBI agent in CBS' new action series, “Numb3rs.” ■ NUMB3RS Continued from page 5 sibling filmmakers Tony and Ridley Scott. “I knew we were on to something unique — the marriage of math and action,” Morrow said. “And with Ridley and Tony on board, I knew it would look interesting.” Audiences seem to share his enthusiasm. “Numb3rs” grabbed more than 25 million viewers when it premiered after the Patriots-Steelers playoff game Jan. 23. In its regular time slot, it’s been one of Friday night’s most watched shows, with 11.5 million viewers tuning in Feb. 4, CBS says. The idea of solving crimes with calculus would seem to be a hard sell, but CBS jumped on the math wagon right from the start. “The network bought it halfway through our pitch,” Heuton said. “I think 'CSI’ paved the way, got them thinking about the possibilities of the technical, science side.” But is this a premise they can carry off week after week? “The pitch was designed to answer that,” Heuton said. “We talked about the universality of math, how it applies across all sciences. I told them I have 26 episode ideas and the makings for 53 more.” Falacci said, “We also explained that it’s not going to be an 'equation of the week.’ At the core, you’re looking at a logician. It’s like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes with a slide rule.” “Numb3rs” isn’t just Charlie feverishly notching formulas on a chalkboard. The most poignant scenes revolve around the dynamic between the brothers and their father, played by Judd Hirsch (“Taxi”). “I like to shake it up,” Morrow said. “Change it up from take to take. And Judd is right there, subtly sending it back with topspin. And Krumholtz is a younger version of that. It’s a great little dance we get to do in those scenes.” On and off camera, Morrow and Krumholtz have developed a believable fraternal vibe, right down to the roughhousing. “We were doing a scene by a koi pond one day,” Heuton said, “and David slipped and fell in. Rob immediately turned to the camera, threw up his hands and said, T didn’t touch him.’” “He pushed me in,” Krumholtz said. “He says he didn’t, but it’s on film.” The influence of the Scotts can be seen in the show’s adrenalized action scenes. (Tony directed “Enemy of the State,” “The Last Boy Scout” and other thrillers. Ridley is famous for “Black Hawk Down” and “Gladiator.”) To his surprise, Morrow finds himself enthralled with these gun battles. “I’m not a gun guy, but I’m really into this,” he said. “We get some cool weapons. I love the action scenes. I distinctly remember playing cops and robbers when I was 11, and it’s that kind of fun.” Morrow was only a little past the age of making gun noises in the backyard when he setded on his life course. After his parents divorced when he was 9, the native of New Rochelle, N.Y., moved to southern Florida with his father, Murray, an industrial-lighting manufacturer. Coming out of a movie theater after seeing John Travolta in “Grease,” Morrow recalled, “I said to the guy I was with, 'You know, I’m going to be an actor,’ as if I had been planning it all my life. I’d never even thought about it before. He said, 'I didn’t know that.’ I was like, 'Oh, yeah.’ Ever since then I’ve been myopic.” After struggling in the Manhattan theater world for the better part of a decade, Morrow landed a supporting1 role on the brief-lived series “Tattingers” with Stephen Collins and Blythe Danner. Then he hit it big in the apocryphal Cicely, Ala., as Dr. Joel Fleischman in “Northern Exposure.” The endearing, Saroyanesque comedy, which began as a summer replacement series in 1990, ran for five years on CBS. Morrow left after four to pursue other projects, including the 1994 film “Quiz Show.” The actor is happy to be back on a network with a show that’s getting attention. “My last series was on Showtime,” he said. “I would run into people and they’d say, 'What are you doing?’ and I’d say, 'I’m doing a series, 'Street Time.” And they’d say, 'Really? Haven’t heard of it. When’s it start?’ And I’d say, 'It’s on the air. It’s been on for a year.’” Because CBS hasn’t had success in this Friday time period since “Nash Bridges,” “Numb3rs” is likely to go for a second season even if its ratings dip. “I don’t think the bar is that high in terms of numbers, no pun intended,” the actor says. And this is a man who is intentional about his puns. It’s become a family tradition. His wife of seven years is named Debbon. Her maiden name is Ayer. They’ve named their 4-year-old daughter Tu. (Get it? Debbon Ayer. Tu Morrow.) “I gave her a beautiful middle name, Simone,” he said. “If she hates Tu, she can always be Simone.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu ■ WORLD Continued from page 5 First-year pharmacy student Yasmine Shalabi will perform in the “miscellaneous” fashion show encapsulating American, Scottish, Palestinian, Saudi, Filipino and Japanese style. Shalabi will be wearing a thob, a traditional dress marked by its detailed needlework. She said the event isn’t something that’s thrown together a week beforehand. “It’s a lot of work,” she said of the student-run project. There are about 1,000 international students representing more than 100 countries at USC, and World Night is just “a sample of what we’ve got,” faculty adviser Yvonne Viscioni said. She said students don’t even need to leave the city to find a world of diversity. “It’s important for the USC community and Columbia as a whole to appreciate the diversity that’s right here.” A cappella group Higher Harmony will also perform. Second-year international business student Raghav Mehra, ISA secretary, said this is the biggest international event on campus all year. “We tty to get as many students as possible,” he said. “Every year we try to make it bigger and bigger." World Night is sponsored by Student Government and International Programs for Students. ISA adviser Christina Kerns, a graduate student in higher education, said USC students should take advantage of the chance to broaden their horizons. “I think that far too often we don’t take the opportunity to expose ourselves to new experiences and culture, and this is a great opportunity to do so,” she said. Experiencing different cultures is the best way to learn about them, Shalabi said. “Not everybody wants to keep reading from a book. You want to see and hear and taste.” Comments on this story? E-mail . gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu AMECOCK Online five days a week. Boss. www.dailygamecock.com I-- " --1 BE A LEADER AMONG LEADERS ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Every Soldier in the U.S. Army learns how to become a leader - AN ARMY OF ONE. With your bachelor’s degree, you can become an Army Officer and be a leader among leaders. In Officer Candidate School (OCS), you’ll learn management and leadership techniques. Apply now. 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Array All rijMs reserved AN ARMY OF ONE \—-1—a-&-I---I-— For the weekend of February 18 _Dutch Square Mall / Movies Times Pooh’s Huffalump Movie 1:15 3:00 7:30 9:15 Are We There Yet? 1:40 4:20 7:05 9:20 Assault on Precinct 13 1:50 7:10 Boogeyman 2;0Q 4.-50 7:00 9:0 Coach Carter 1:00 3:50 6:50 9:40 Hide and Seek 1:30 4:20 7:10 9:40 In Good Company 4:30 10:00 Hitch 4:00 7:20 9:30 10:00 Meet the Fockers 1230 4:10 7:25 9:55 Million Dollar Baby 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:50 Phantom of the Opera 1:20 4.-15 7:40 Racing Stripes 1:10 4:10 Sideways 1:40 4:30 7:20 10:00 The Aviator 7:50 The Wedding Date 1:50 4:40 7:30 9:45 Columb iana Grande Cinema / Movies Times Being Julia 2:00 4:40 7:20 10:15 Boogeyman 2:45 4:55 7:15 9:25 ' Coach Carter 12:50 4:05 6:55 10:00 Constantine 7:00 7:40 9:50 10:30 Finding Neverland 1:45 4:20 6:55 9:30 Hide and Seek 3:05 5:25 7:50 10:10 Hotel Rwanda 1:55 4:35 7:35 10:20 National Treasure 12:55 3:55 6:50 9:35 Phantom of the Opera 1:15 4:30 8:00 Pooh’s Heffalump Movie 1:20 3:15 7:10 9:00 Ray 12:30 3:45 7:45 Sideways 1:10 4:10 7:05 10:05 The Wedding Date 2:50 5:05 7:40 9:55 _Carmike Wvnnsonr 10 ___ / Movies Times Assault on Precinct 13 hoo 4=00 7m Boogeyman -Jgfo 8:00 9:50 10:10 Coach Carter 4 i;oo 4:00 7:10 10:00 Finding Neverland 1:10 4:15 7:15 10:00 Hide and Seek 1:45 4-15 7:10 9:30 National Treasure 1:05 4.-05 7:05 10:00 Phantom of the Opera 1:15 4.15 7:15 10:10 Sideways 1:10 4:10 7:20 10:10 The Wedding Date 1:00 3:10 5:20 9:40 Carmike 14___ Movies Times Are We There Yet? 1:30 4.15 7:15 9:40 Assault on Precinct 13 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:45 Elektra 1:45 4:45 7:45 10:00 Fat Albert 1:10 4:35 7:35 9:55 Hitch 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:40 In Good Company 1:15 4:10 7:20 9:55 The Incredibles 1:20 4:15 7:00 9:35 Lemony Snickets 1:15 4:15 7:15 9:50 Meet the Fockers 1:00 4:30 7:20 10:00 Million Dollar Baby 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:55 Ocean’s Twelve 1:10 4:10 7:10 9:50 Racing Stripes 1:10 4:20 ?:2o 9:40 The Aviator 1:00 5:00 9:00 "■■■ ' “ ““““— ---—