Movie Reviews

Spider-Man 3
By Sandor Hugert

This was definitely the worst Spider-Man movie yet out of the trilogy. That does not mean that this was a bad movie at all. It was just a little overwhelming that there were way too many villains overlapping in the movie. Even though the movie is like 2 hours and 20 minutes, it still doesn’t give enough time to Sandman and Venom. Venom is actually hardly in the movie. Sandman has a good story behind him, but the whole story with Uncle Ben just doesn’t quite work that well. Harry steals this movie away as he is by far the coolest character in the movie. He has the best fight scenes and it just helps a lot that this whole fight between Peter and Harry has been building ever since the first movie. The conclusion to this movie is actually quite sad considering that really none of the characters get what they want, and it seems that the director somewhat wanted to end the Spider-Man franchise with this movie, but we all know that due to its box office success, a Spider-Man 4 is coming. The comedy is still there just like from the first two movies, but somehow this one just doesn’t flow as well as the other two. I had very big expectations for this movie, and sadly it did not deliver as well as I taught it would.

Overall: This movie is still definitely worth your time; just get your brain ready for some overwhelming material.

Score: 7 out of 10

Teen Art Contest

You must create a Manga character and then win some prizes.
Entries are due by July 27
Only one entry per teen (ages 13-18)
If you want your artwork returned then include your contact info on the back
The artwork has to be original, hand drawn, and unpublished
Offensive content is not allowed
Call 562-4970, ext. 5244 for questions

Great Bands

Best Band of our Time
By Sandor Hugert

Avenged Sevenfold
This new band is definitely one of the best rock bands of our time. Their songs are very similar to music from Metallica and Guns n’Roses. Their best songs include “Sidewinder” and “The Wicked End”. Both of these songs are on their City of Evil album. Their old songs which are worth taking a peek at are ‘I Won’t See You Tonight Part 1” and “Unholy Confessions” on the Waking the Fallen album. They are so popular now that their song “Beast and the Harlot” was actually on the Guitar Hero 2 video game. When you have time definitely check this band out!

Game Reviews

Spider-Man 3 for Playstation 3
By Sandor Hugert

This was definitely a mixed bag. I personally enjoyed playing through this game but it definitely had its share of problems. For one, the graphics are definitely not up to par with the next generation games. The game is actually really fun once you get into it, but some levels can be extremely aggravating due to its difficulty level. This game isn’t even really based on the movie considering that out of the 40 or so missions, only two or three is actually based on the movie. There was a serious of missions called the Mary Jane Thrill Rides, which got extremely annoying and boring pretty quick. All you had to do is carry Mary Jane around New York in ways that she told you to like to go fast, go high near the skyscrapers, go low by the street, or just a mix of these things. These missions were also timed which definitely put a spin on things. Once you got the black suit in the game, the fun level of the game jumped up due to all the combos that you could now do against the enemies. Overall, it was a really fun game, but it had a few minor problems that didn’t necessary ruin the game, for me at least.

Score: 6 out of 10

Movie Reviews

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
By Sandor Hugert

This new movie about the first Marvel family created is basically just as good as the first one. It has the same amount of comedy and still a few action scenes in it. There is really nothing wrong in this movie other than at times it can be a bit too cheesy. It was also a little weird that one of the coolest Marvel villains ever created, Galactus, is portrayed as a cloud in the movie. The movie’s best element is definitely the comedy. Johnny Storm (Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (the Thing) are still extremely funny when they make fun of each other. Mr. Fantastic was the same as in the first movie, just a genius with his girlfriend. The action wasn’t all that great considering how little there was. The Fantastic 4 car was pretty cool and the special effects were perfect for it in the movie. The actors and actresses did a good job just like in the first movie. When you watch the movie, make sure to pay close attention to Stan Lee’s cameo that is extremely funny in this movie. This movie ranks somewhere at the top from all the Marvel movies, probably below Spider-Man, but maybe around the same spot as X-MEN.

Overall: This movie is definitely worth seeing even if you’re not a big fan of the first one. In my opinion, this actually might be the first really good movie of 2007.

Score: 9 out of 10

Playstation 3

The Playstation 3
By Sandor Hugert

Sony’s new console is not quite the most popular right now but it definitely has good potential to be the top console of the future. With its new Cell processor, which makes awesome graphics for the console, it is a clear winner. Right now, the price tag of $600 is way too much for most people that is the reason why it’s not selling as well as it should. Companies that make games for it are in trouble as well since it costs way too much money to make a Playstation 3 game, so it is a risk to put your game out only on one console. This is exactly why many companies are not making any more games exclusive to one console. They have a higher chance of making a profit if they release their game on all three consoles. In the future when Sony decides to have a price cut, more business will come in for this console. Especially with games coming out like Eight Days, Killzone 2, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, it’s inevitable that Sony will rise to the top. Basically the console is really well done with its blue ray disc drive and its new graphics technology, but the main problem is just the price tag. Even the controller has a unique feature where it sort of acts like the Wii controller. If you happen to pick up a Playstation 3, then definitely pick up Resistance: Fall of Man, which is the best game out right now for the system.

Console Breakdown

Console Breakdown
By Drake Schlepphorst

In today’s world you would have to be shut out from the world to not know a little bit about videogames. But more recently (If you are a videogame addict like myself) you know that there are three main systems that you would consider buying; the Xbox 360, the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. But you’re the kind of person that wants to make sure that they are getting the right console. Well here is a breakdown of the three consoles and the pros and cons of buying each one.


Nintendo Wii.
Of the three consoles it is definitely something that can attract attention. For example, just look at the controller!! Yes that’s a controller, not a remote. It works by motion sensor. In other words, depending on how you move the controller, a character on a videogame will respond accordingly.

Graphics: Nintendo claims to have up to date technology that can keep up with the other major consoles of the generation.
Gameplay: I think the developers of Nintendo centered on playability itself when designing the Wii. With titles coming out like Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Super Mario Galaxy, as well as Naruto Shippuden: Way of the Ninja who wouldn’t contemplate this machine.
Price: this fun little machine will not put a hole in your wallet. Of the three consoles it is the cheapest. But it will set you back about $250 though. :D

Pros: fun games coming out, cheapest of the three. Fun to play
Cons: not the best graphics out there
Xbox 360
Of the three consoles this has to be the most anticipated. If you have played the campaign mode of halo 1 and 2 all the way through, you probably remember a conversation betwixt a general and a Spartan
General: “Spartan 117 what are you doing on that spacecraft!”
Spartan 117: “ Sir, finishing this fight”
And after that you most likely found yourself staring at a bunch of credits. But having one of the most anticipated games of the year on the Xbox 360’s roster isn’t the reason why this is one of the great consoles.

Graphics: vastly superior to the Playstation 2 and probably equal to the Playstation 3.
Gameplay: being that the Xbox 360 came out before any of the next generation consoles it has a multitude of games already out for it from the previous year. And being backwards compatible (meaning you can play Xbox games you already have), it’s a console to consider buying. As well as having some of the most anticipated games coming out for it. Like Halo 3! And Fable 2! And some of the best selling games of the year. For example Gears of War