On The Projection Room, Marco and Rebecka Duran cover a recent film, uncover some of their movie blind spots and discover a little known filmic gem. In this episode we talk with Jackson Truax about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, take care of our Steven Soderbergh blind spot with Traffic and talk about the black comedy The Hospital. Tune in to also enter our contest so that you can win a free DVD! Please send all emails to ProjectionRoomFeedback@gmail.com – Let us know what you think. Thanks for listening and for your support!

• 00:00 – 32:41 / Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
– Music Break: “Star Wars Theme” by John Williams
• 33:58 – 47:29 / Traffic
– Music Break: “Duel of the Fates” by John Williams
• 51:36 – 1:02:46 / The Hospital
– Music Break: “Anakin’s Theme” by John Williams
• 1:03:53 – 1:06:46 / Contest and Close

This week’s music: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

What is “Take Two” and how do I play?
We give you two names and you tell us what film they both worked together in.

Send your submissions to ProjectionRoomFeedback@gmail.com. Do not leave any guesses on our Facebook page, in the comments section of We Rate Stuff, or in any other place that can be viewed by the public. You don’t want anyone stealing your ideas! Entries must be received along with your name and complete mailing address. The winner will be selected randomly in the case of any ties.

What are the rules for submission?
Pocket those wallets because entering this bi-weekly contest doesn’t require any monetary contributions on your part. And really, why should it? You’re in it to win it, and in this case “it” is a DVD or Blu-ray movie. To enter, tune in to The Projection Room every other week and submit your answer to the “Take Two” segment of the podcast. Any podcast listener is eligible to enter. (Void where prohibited by law, or at the discretion of the powers that be.)

How will I know if I’ve won?
Listen to each episode of The Projection Room to find out who’s winning our loot. If you hear your name on the podcast, you’ve won and we’ll have a shiny* prize en route to you shortly. (*Prizes will not always be shiny.)

Anything else I should know?
Yes. Individual entrants can only win once every two months. For example, if you win in May, you aren’t eligible to win again until July. Should you choose to enter this contest, you agree that We Rate Stuff maintains the final word on everything stipulated within. This includes but is not limited to prizes, winner selection, and the creation of any future addendum to these rules. Entrants also agree that their names may be announced at any time on the podcast and/or website without receiving additional prizes or compensation.

On The Projection Room, Marco and Rebecka Duran cover a recent film, uncover some of their movie blind spots and discover a little known filmic gem. In this episode we talk about A Dangerous Method, take care of our Steven Soderbergh blind spot with Out of Sight, and talk about the film Adaptation. Tune in to also enter our contest so that you can win a free DVD! Please send all emails to ProjectionRoomFeedback@gmail.com – Let us know what you think. Thanks for listening and for your support!

• 00:00 – 12:51 / A Dangerous Method
– Music Break: “March from A Clockwork Orange” by Wendy Carlos
• 14:00 – 33:01 / Out of Sight
– Music Break: “Timesteps” by Wendy Carlos
• 34:38 – 58:46 / Adaptation
– Music Break: “Gazza Ladra” by Wendy Carlos
• 1:01:01 – 1:05:17 / Contest and Close

This week’s music: A Clockwork Orange by Wendy Carlos

What is “Take Two” and how do I play?
We give you two names and you tell us what film they both worked together in.

Send your submissions to ProjectionRoomFeedback@gmail.com. Do not leave any guesses on our Facebook page, in the comments section of We Rate Stuff, or in any other place that can be viewed by the public. You don’t want anyone stealing your ideas! Entries must be received along with your name and complete mailing address. The winner will be selected randomly in the case of any ties.

What are the rules for submission?
Pocket those wallets because entering this bi-weekly contest doesn’t require any monetary contributions on your part. And really, why should it? You’re in it to win it, and in this case “it” is a DVD or Blu-ray movie. To enter, tune in to The Projection Room every other week and submit your answer to the “Take Two” segment of the podcast. Any podcast listener is eligible to enter. (Void where prohibited by law, or at the discretion of the powers that be.)

How will I know if I’ve won?
Listen to each episode of The Projection Room to find out who’s winning our loot. If you hear your name on the podcast, you’ve won and we’ll have a shiny* prize en route to you shortly. (*Prizes will not always be shiny.)

Anything else I should know?
Yes. Individual entrants can only win once every two months. For example, if you win in May, you aren’t eligible to win again until July. Should you choose to enter this contest, you agree that We Rate Stuff maintains the final word on everything stipulated within. This includes but is not limited to prizes, winner selection, and the creation of any future addendum to these rules. Entrants also agree that their names may be announced at any time on the podcast and/or website without receiving additional prizes or compensation.

On The Projection Room, Marco and Rebecka Duran cover a recent film, uncover some of their movie blind spots and discover a little known filmic gem. In this episode we talk with film buff Lori Smith about The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, take care of our Stephen Soderbergh blind spot with Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and talk about the 80s slasher film Intruder. Tune in to also enter our contest so that you can win a free DVD! Please send all emails to ProjectionRoomFeedback@gmail.com – Let us know what you think. Thanks for listening and for your support!

• 00:00 – 21:41 / The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
– Music Break: “Transylvania 1887” by Alan Silvestri
• 22:28 – 30:13 / Sex, Lies and Videotape
– Music Break: “All Hallow’s Eve Ball” by Alan Silvestri
• 32:13 – 43:50 / Intruder
– Music Break: “Reunited” by Alan Silvestri
• 45:52 – 49:29 / Contest and Close

This week’s guest: Lori Smith
This week’s music: Van Helsing by Alan Silvestri

What is “Take Two” and how do I play?
We give you two names and you tell us what film they both worked together in.

Send your submissions to ProjectionRoomFeedback@gmail.com. Do not leave any guesses on our Facebook page, in the comments section of We Rate Stuff, or in any other place that can be viewed by the public. You don’t want anyone stealing your ideas! Entries must be received along with your name and complete mailing address. The winner will be selected randomly in the case of any ties.

What are the rules for submission?
Pocket those wallets because entering this bi-weekly contest doesn’t require any monetary contributions on your part. And really, why should it? You’re in it to win it, and in this case “it” is a DVD or Blu-ray movie. To enter, tune in to The Projection Room every other week and submit your answer to the “Take Two” segment of the podcast. Any podcast listener is eligible to enter. (Void where prohibited by law, or at the discretion of the powers that be.)

How will I know if I’ve won?
Listen to each episode of The Projection Room to find out who’s winning our loot. If you hear your name on the podcast, you’ve won and we’ll have a shiny* prize en route to you shortly. (*Prizes will not always be shiny.)

Anything else I should know?
Yes. Individual entrants can only win once every two months. For example, if you win in May, you aren’t eligible to win again until July. Should you choose to enter this contest, you agree that We Rate Stuff maintains the final word on everything stipulated within. This includes but is not limited to prizes, winner selection, and the creation of any future addendum to these rules. Entrants also agree that their names may be announced at any time on the podcast and/or website without receiving additional prizes or compensation.

Today, however, the focus is on Triscuits. Specifically, the Thin Crisps line of cracker snacks, which, as you might’ve guessed, are slightly thinner than their default counterparts. What you might not have guessed is that they’re triangle-shaped. To some this may seem like a deficiency, what with the Thin Crisps lacking one of the four corners that normal Triscuits are endowed with. Others may say that Thin Crisps are superior due to their more aerodynamic and streamlined design. In my humble opinion, crackers shouldn’t be trying to fly in the first place.

If you’re interested in Parmesan and/or Garlic, check out my review for Parmesan Garlic Thin Crisps. If not, read on. It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure book! The flavor of Triscuit Thin Crisps I’m diggin’ into today is Chile Pepper. You may remember me complaining (shocking, I know) about Chile Pepper not being a real flavor in my Slim Jim Dare feature. I stand by that assertion. Chile and Chili Pepper are the generic category for a variety of species therein, such as Jalapeño and Habanero. So that still bothers me.

However, much like those aforementioned Parmesan Garlic Thin Crisps, I find this Chile Pepper variety to be quite delicious. First of all the Thin Crisps variety of Triscuits are more texturally pleasant than normal Triscuits, in my opinion. They’re thinner but still substantial, not quite as harshly crunchy, and the shredded nature of them allows them to break apart quite satisfactorily in one’s mouth. The flavor of the whole grain wheat really permeates and provides the backbone of the flavor, while the zesty, bold, and savory “Chile Pepper” flavor is strung around the wheat taste like lights on a Christmas tree. Overall, Triscuit Chile Pepper Thin Crisps are a delicious snack, one I’d have no problem recommending to anyone interested in that type of flavor, or buying again myself.

6/7

In fact I prefer to go with some good ol’ fashion trucker-strength pills if available. I want my energy intake to be almost unnoticeable, and flavors seem to directly oppose that. And when it comes down to it, water is perfect. It’s usually all I feel like drinking early in the morning anyways, and that’s a huge selling point for me. Plus when it gets down to it, absolutely anything you make with water can be given an extra jolt of energy. Ramen, cake, lemonade, cement or even double charge your coffee or tea. Go crazy.

I practically only drink water, not trying to humblebrag or anything but I’d like to get the point across of how important the flavor of the water is to me. I am not one of those people who think water has no flavor, and I can’t even tell you how crazy I think those people are. Tap water clearly has too much fluoride and minerals in it, and when water is poorly purified like Aquafina you might as well be sipping on the Dead Sea. In my taste-pinion, spring water seems to be a perfect representation of all that is good with H2O, even though the smoothness from the silica in Fiji proves that not all springs are created equal.

When it comes down to it, caffeinated water is a product I’ve long been searching for, and ZoomWater fulfilled all my dreams for the product. Sourced from a spring in Idaho, they nailed the right amount of caffeine (although the bottle does not say how much) and miraculously it does not affect the taste what so ever. While I could tell quite a few different sources of water apart in a blind taste test, if Zoom was put up against Nestlé or Dannon or whatever local spring you have to offer, I would be taking a shot in the dark. It’s a few cents overpriced and not easy to come by yet, but these are very minuscule problems relatively. After air, what’s easer to consume than water? Now I’m glad I have the option between regular water and water +.

6/7

Brewer, known mostly for his films Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, makes movies with very little depth and very little realism. He approaches gritty subjects with a mop and bucket, scrubbing away the reality to create films that seem to approach difficult subjects but instead just graze the surface. His edition of Footloose isn’t a reflection of the current times, it instead recounts the ‘80s sensibilities of the original, and therefore doesn’t present realistic teenagers. Although, asking the audience to believe that Julianne Hough as Ariel Moore is actually a high school student is a bit of a stretch. The idea that banning dancing would have any effect on modern teenagers is a serious underestimation of the capabilities of kids these days, and therefore seems silly and unbelievable.

This is not to say that the film isn’t entertaining, Kenny Wormald as Ren McCormack is not terrible, and Miles Teller’s turn as Willard is actually really funny and can easily hold its own against Chris Penn’s performance. You can tell that both Wormald and Hough are putting their all into their performances, but they still come off as lackluster compared to the Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer. Hough’s inexperience with acting is extremely obvious and her reliance on her sex appeal detracts from the layers of her character. We lose much of what makes Ariel the girl she is, and it’s difficult to see past her tight clothing to the poetic scholar that lay beneath in the original. A lot of the failure of this film to live up to the first Footloose comes from Hough’s inability to present a character that’s deeper than her daddy issues, and she therefore gives us no reason to respect her or her struggles.

Brewer had a real opportunity to enhance the story of Footloose from a cheesy argument for individuality to an exploration of the responsibility of the youth of America to determine their own future. He had the opportunity to address the apathy and isolation of American teenagers through their response to the restriction of their freedoms. Instead he relied on the initial message, which is an understandable argument then and now, but one that’s growing increasingly irrelevant in a society that’s becoming more and more accepting. Footloose is somewhat entertaining, yes, but it is also fluff, and the kind of fluff that we have come to expect from an otherwise talented director.

It’s funny, it really is, that a remake of a movie about individuality would have so little personality of its own. When I enjoyed a moment of this film it was because I’d already enjoyed it in the original. This edition is a carbon copy of its predecessor. It isn’t unique and doesn’t even try to reflect our current society, so why would I want to watch a film like Footloose when I can already pull it off my shelf whenever I want? That’s exactly what’s going to happen too. This version of Footloose, one that barely puts in the effort to distinguish itself from its source material, will soon fade into obscurity and the $5.00 bargain bin. This is because, at the end of the day, people will always reach for the original. It’s simply better.

4/7

Sega’s throwing a birthday bash in the form of Sonic Generations, a game combining the best of old-school 2D platforming and modern 2D-3D hybrid action. Sonic and friends are celebrating his birthday when an evil entity known as the Time Lord swoops in, kidnaps Sonic’s friends and traps them through time. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails’ younger selves are also in on the adventure, and the two duos team up to take out this new threat to the universe.

In all there are 9 zones from Sonic’s history to speed through, with each zone featuring 2 main acts and a number of challenge acts. Each zone represents one of 9 games featured among Sonic’s main line of adventures: Green Hill from Sonic 1, Chemical Plant from Sonic 2, Sky Sanctuary from S3&K, Speed Highway from Adventure, City Escape from Adventure 2, Seaside Hill from Heroes (has some Ocean Palace thrown in, too), Crisis City from Sonic 06, Rooftop Run from Unleashed and Planet Wisp from Colors.

Classic Sonic takes care of each Act 1, where gameplay is similar to classic Sonic games from the Genesis era. Classic Sonic has the standard running and jumping, as well as curling up into a ball to deliver attacks from the side. Although introduced in Sonic 2, he also has the ability to rev up to unleash his Spin Dash attack, barreling through any obstacles and enemies in his path. Gameplay takes place on a completely 2D plane, and although obstacles are fairly simple to overcome, you can’t take advantage of some newer aerial manuervers such as the Homing Attack to make your jumps easier.

Modern Sonic is up for each zone’s Act 2, where gameplay is similar to more modern games in the series, namely Unleashed (day) and Colors. Running and jumping are still around, but you can now take advantage of new moves such as the Homing Attack, Boost, and Slide. The Homing Attack, in the vicinity of an enemy, will automatically target the closest enemy and let you dash full-speed at it, destroying it. You can chain these together to cross large gaps. The Boost allows you to speed through anything in your path instantly, but takes up the Boost Meter, which is gained by defeating enemies and collecting rings. The slide allows you to attack enemies on the ground without boosting, and lets you seamlessly limbo through low passages with proper timing.

In more recent Sonic games, each act will rank you according to a number of things you did well in playing the stage. Enemies defeated, rings collected, time taken, and so on. Now, the only thing that determines your rank is time. Naturally, the faster you complete the stage, the higher your rank gets, from E (bad) to A (good). Additionally, if you complete the stage without losing a life, your rank will be boosted up a grade, allowing you to reach up to an S rank in each act. In challenge acts, there is no bonus for not losing lives; time is all that matters. Also stashed away in each main act are 5 Red Star Rings. Finding these unlock artwork, music, and other collectibles for later viewing/listening.

In order to progress through the game you’ll have to complete Acts 1 and 2, and at least one challenge act of each of the 3 zones in a particular era, of which there are three in all. Once you’ve done that, you can acquire the Boss Key of each zone; upon acquiring all three Boss Keys, you can then challenge that era’s boss. Defeat the boss and you’ll be given access to the next era. Challenge acts are pretty simple, focused challenges based on categorized skills. Some require use of techniques, others are races, and some even have you summoning other characters to help you find treasure or make higher jumps.

In addition to standard Boss Battles, each era also features a Rival Battle. You’ll contend with Metal Sonic, Shadow and Silver in a racing-style battle, reminiscent of how you fight the characters in their respective games. These aren’t immediately necessary encounters, but they each provide you with a Chaos Emerald, and all 7 of them are required in order to face off against the final boss. I won’t name off the actual boss battles, as those could be considered spoilers, in a sense.

Both Sonics have skills that you can equip in order to gain buffs they wouldn’t normally have. Skills include making Sonic faster, let him land on his feet upon taking damage, allow him to slow down to a halt instantly, and, upon completion of the game, even turning Super Sonic in normal stages. You’ll need to purchase these skills at Omochao’s shop on the map using points you earn for doing well in the acts, and only a certain number can be equipped at a time, determined by each skill’s point value; you can’t exceed 100 points in any given skill set. There are also some Sonic-specific skills that can only be used by Classic or Modern, but most of them are open to both.

That about covers the game itself. The way they reimagined some of the stages is simply amazing, however. How they made stages like City Escape work so well in 2D gameplay, as well as envisioning stages like Chemical Plant into a 3D environment and really feel the essence of the stages themselves, despite having never been experienced in the way they’re represented. The remixes are also very good. Classic Sonic’s music has a more techno feel to it, representing the more electronic sounds of the chiptune era he represents, where Modern Sonic’s are more rock and roll based with Jun Senoue’s signature sound. In addition to having mixed the themes of the 9 zones (and boss/rival fights) represented, there are remixes of other songs included as well. For example, during race challenge acts, a remix of Super Sonic Racing from Sonic R plays.

The game really did take me back through the past 20 years I’ve spent with Sonic’s games (damn I’m old). The scenery, the music, and just watching the two Sonics collide and team up to take down a threat really got me nostalgic (the use of a certain outdated name really got me, too). The game is nothing short of amazing, though, a perfect celebration of 20 years of speeding through time, space, and everything in between. Happy birthday Sonic, and Sega? You’re forgiven for ’06.

7/7

This episode finds Steve as he gets tenured at the University of China, IL. Naturally, the process includes being splashed with chum buckets and having wreaths thrown at him ceremonially. Part of being tenured, according to the Dean, is being un-fireable. Another part is being “almost rich.” Thus, Steve is free to do whatever he wants. However, as he soon finds out, “being a rebel without consequences is like being a skinny in a world without fatties.” Life just isn’t as exciting when you get whatever you want. Luckily, the Dean and the other tenured professors have already figured out how to cope with that fact. They’re all part of the Zoodiac Zoociety – a secret monthly club in which members drink a mysterious elixir that turns them into an animal. They proceed to have a bestial orgy all night long. Once Steve has had a taste, though, he can no longer resist it.

One thing that really strikes me about this show is how consistent and well-developed the characters are. This probably comes from the fact that Brad Neely, the writer and show-runner, has been toying with The Professor Brothers, Baby Cakes, and various other characters in the China, IL universe for years now. Frank, who I didn’t really like at first, is so wonderfully conniving, scheming, butt-hurt, and pathetically desperate that he has become one of the best reasons to watch the show. Steve’s a lazy smart-ass, who doesn’t really care about anything. The Dean is obsessed with being perfect, or at least being perceived as such, despite how clearly he isn’t. It’s also cool how complex and realistic the relationships between the characters are: Steve kinda likes Pony but fully takes her for granted; Frank quasi-secretly wants Pony; Pony secretly cares about Steve; Steve idolizes the Dean in a way that may or may not be kinda gay… It all makes for very interesting and grounded character interactions and plot progressions in a show where absolutely anything and everything can happen.

In my review of episode two, I mentioned how much I loved Brad Neely’s irreverent sense of humor. Nothing is off-limits. Reality is malleable to his touch. It makes the show extremely unpredictable, which is part of why it’s so fun. Animals getting casually ripped in half has become a meme in the show, occurring in almost every episode. It never fails to make me laugh. As over the top and ostentatious as the comedy in China, IL is, it can also be subtle. There are tons of little things littered throughout the episode that you’ll catch on multiple viewings, like the necklace of Dean heads that Steve gets when tenured, and the sword he is knighted with, which extends from between the legs of a golden man-handle. There are also neat throwbacks to old episodes, like a little shrine in Steve’s classroom with candles and a framed picture of his giant baby from episode three that reads “Never forget.” Also, in a lecture Pony gives, Steve and Reagan are pictured wearing their time-machine cowboy hats on the whiteboard as she explains how 9/11 came to occur.

I love this show. Neely has created a full and fleshed-out, and highly enjoyable, universe for his University of China, IL. This was easily the best episode yet. It was consistently hilarious. Frank’s arc in this episode was perfect. Almost everything he said in this episode made me laugh. It’s just a seriously quotable show. Lines like “Wake up, Frank! Steve’s an eagle!” and Frank’s cognitive declaration that “There’s something going on here… and I am going to fuck it up!” have kept me laughing through at least five viewings of this episode today. The way most of the characters retained a sliver of their humanity in their animal form was really funny, especially Steve’s glasses and male-pattern baldness in his Bald Eagle form. And I died laughing when Frank turned into a Gorilla, sporting his beard and mustache, and jumped around, pounding his chest in a display of his newfound strength. The voice cast of the show is damn near perfect, too. Brad Neely does the voice of Frank, Steve, and Baby Cakes, each of which is highly distinct and different from the other. Hulk Hogan is surprisingly entertaining and adept in his role of the Dean. Neely has really gotten the most out of him. The legendary Jeffrey Tambor voices Baby Cakes’ dad, Leonard Cakes. Greta Gerwig is perfect in her droll voicing of Pony. And Gary Anthony Williams, who did Uncle Ruckus in The Boondocks, plays Dr. Falgot admirably. With only one more episode left in the season, and potentially the whole series, I’m already depressed. If you’ve never seen the show before, this is a great episode to get in on. If you’ve seen the previous episodes, that will serve to make watching this one even better and more fulfilling. If you don’t renew this show, Adult Swim, I’m sorry, but we can’t be friends anymore.

7/7

In addition to basic running and jumping as basic platformers go, Kirby’s got a slew of signature abilities. He can inhale enemies and spit them out as projectiles, or swallow them. If he swallows an enemy with an ability or a weapon, he’ll steal that ability or weapon and use it as his own. If you see an enemy spitting fire, you’ll obtain the Fire ability from the enemy; if the enemy wields a sword, you’ll obtain the Sword ability, and so on. There are over 20 copy abilities, and each of them have multiple uses and ways of attacking. He can also fly indefinitely (though when holding an item such as a key, he cannot). A new “power” introduced is his ability to suck up multiple enemies and objects at a time, to fire off a powerful star. While he could do this in other games, this specifically enhances his range, and doesn’t stop sucking in foes until you let go of the button.

There are three weapon-based abilities for Kirby to utilize; Sword, Hammer, and Spear. These three abilities are the bases for friend characters Metaknight, King Dedede and Waddle Dee, respectively. All three of them can fly (Waddle Dee just has an infinite amount of air hops), and they don’t lose their weapons upon being attacked consecutively like Kirby can. One of the coolest aspects of the game is four-player co-op. The first player must be Kirby, but players 2-4 can choose between any of the 4 characters (though the 3 friend characters can’t be repeated). It’s also drop-in and drop-out on the fly, not even requiring menus to add or remove players.

The plot starts out as Kirby and friends are just casually hanging out in Dream Land, when suddenly a ship crash lands nearby. Kirby and friends check out the wreckage and find someone inside. This someone is Magolor, who requests Kirby and friends to help him find the pieces of his ship, the Lor Starcutter, that were scattered around when the ship crashed. These pieces, naturally, are all held by boss enemies in the different worlds of Pop Star. Each world consists of between 4-5 levels (the last world containing only 3), followed by a boss battle stage after. This is one of my primary gripes with the game. The bosses, with the exception of some of the last ones and series staple Whispy Woods, feel very uninspired, like they could pass for stronger versions of regular enemies, in both shape and even in size.

Each level has anywhere between 3-5 spheres hidden in it; the spheres are the game’s resident collectible item, and when collected are used to unlock rooms within the Lor Starcutter (which acts as the game’s central hub). Some stages have “super” abilities, obtained by consuming shining enemies. Not all abilities have super variations; in fact, only 5 of them do: Fire, Beam, Ice, Sword, and Hammer. In segments involving these, you’ll usually have to destroy all the obstacles in the area that are only breakable using the super powers. When you do, you’ll be greeted by a star of dark matter that you can jump into. You’ll lose your power, but you’ll need your inhaling for these segments. The dark matter slowly advances in your direction, and you have to run away from it to the end of the segment. You can spit out blocks and enemies at the dark matter to push it back (the more blocks/enemies at a time, the stronger the effect). At the end, you’ll contend with a mini-boss of sorts that will spit up 2 spheres upon defeat, so sometimes the stage itself won’t have as many as you think. These segments are always near the end of a stage, by the way.

As you accumulate spheres, you’ll slowly unlock multiple doors within the Lor Starcutter. One wing of the ship has a number of challenge rooms that test your prowess with a certain ability, using every function and aspect of the ability to collect stars, defeat enemies and unlock hidden passageways, all the while hastily making your way to the end; you’re scored on virtually everything, and you’re awarded a medal at the end. There are also copy ability rooms that allow you to pick between whatever abilities are displayed in the room (4 rooms in all), and practice your skills on a training dummy that takes a lot of hits before dying (it immediately respawns, however). There are also two mini-games to unlock. One’s a ninja star game that has you firing shuriken at moving targets (competitive, best score wins) and one’s a game that has you shooting a huge mech (cooperative, teamwork helps). Upon completion of the game, you will also unlock The Arena (boss rush), Sound Test and an Extra Game, which is the game but with half the maximum health bar.

Longtime Kirby fans will likely get a distinctive Kirby 64 feeling from this game, despite the powers feeling more like Kirby Super Star in that each power has multiple attacks. The main story is quite easy to complete, with the main challenge being finding and acquiring all of the spheres. You can find plenty of challenge in the ability challenge rooms, however. The music is great, consisting of both catchy original tunes as well as sweet remixes of classic songs. The visuals are fairly standard as far as Kirby goes, with a large emphasis on color and design, with beautiful cutscenes despite the Wii’s graphical limitations. It’s a great transition back to classic form, an easy-to-play 4-player platformer starring the super tough pink puff and company, and besides, it’s not like you’ve been buying a bunch of other games for the Wii lately, right? Time to dust it off, because this game’s a must-buy for anyone man enough to play Kirby.

7/7

It’s a strange choice to me that Ruffles would spend so much time devoting themselves to copying the taste of other foods. Chip flavorings always seem best to me when the flavor is based on a traditional flavoring than a whole course meal item. As to the varying quality of the flavors I spoke of, there are some that lend themselves to chips well, like the Chili Cheese Fries flavor. On the other hand the Philly Cheese Steak chips I previously tried are probably the only chips I’ve come across that I couldn’t eat because the flavor was so appalling. There’s a lot of room for error in some of these flavors, but it’s gotta be kinda difficult to screw up BBQ. The question is whether or not they could set their version apart from the pack.

With a picture of a slab of ribs on the bag, I kept having to remind myself not to expect to actually taste pork flavoring. While the bag may boast a new BBQ flavoring developed with some fancy rib competition down in Memphis, these chips are good at the very least, but it almost seems like a trick that they’re being called new. A new dry rub was added in the process as well but that also seems hardly noticeable. I expected more zest than I got.They pretty much taste exactly the same as the Barbecue Lays except on Ruffles’ thick and wavy chip. But if BBQ Ruffles is something you thought missing from your life, they have arrived. Just don’t expect anything special, as promising as the bag makes it look.

4/7