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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 2005)
■ Reporter's notebook Low lighting, variety of gory games feed addiction Classic and newfangled massive slaughter games make up for lack of zombies at The Break Pool Hall & Arcade BY RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR Ah, those happy childhood memo ries of sitting vacant-eyed in front of the television, my hands in a death grip over a controller as I blasted my way through endless streams of digi tized violence, sending little comput erized creatures to their untimely de mise. It was a happy childhood, marred only by the rare times when the game system overheated or my eyes started bleeding. I have long since given up such a fa natical addiction to video games, hav ing thrown myself into a "Diablo 2" binge with a little too much vigor during my freshman year, emerging from my dorm hole days later, dehydrated and babbling about necromancers. But like any recovered addict I oc casionally imagine a relapse and fanta size about the days of yore, when com plete mental catharsis could be found with nothing more than a small plastic gun and some quarters. It was with this feeling of nostalgia that I entered The Break Pool Hall & Arcade, downstairs in the EMU, on a sunny afternoon and headed straightforthe arcade, my pockets full of change and my head phones blaring a soundtrack of Naked Raygun and the Damned. Nothing like listening to an endless loop of "Surf Combat" to get in the mood for pixilized blood-letting. The Break Ar cade is a standard-issue kind of place: low lighting, plenty of shiny screens to minimize the chance of human interac tion, a couple of scattered stools so the hours of standing won't hinder people's gameplay, a couple of sweaty guys staring intensely at an obscure game from the 1980s, etc. Its most appealing attribute is the wide variety of games, ranging from classic to newfangled. Of course my first stop was "Time Crisis 3," the latest of the classic shoot-and-duck series of games. Mass slaughter and an endless ammo supply? Gee, Davy, do you think it's Heaven? My only complaint about the game is the distinct lack of zombies, which is something I require out of any POV shooter. There is truly no greater pleasure than gunning down swarms of undead from the safe haven of a dimly lit arcade. Also involving a cheap plastic gun, though less "ducking and hiding" crap, is "Ranger Mission." This one has the advantage of using a pump shotgun as the control, as opposed to the classic pistol, but also suffers from the setup of the game, which re quires you to complete specific sce narios, ratherthan just shoot every thing willy-nilly. Also, there is not a The arcade in the EMU Break offers a video game 'for everyone. zombie to be found anywhere in sight. Unfortunately, the only game with zombies is the cartoonish "CarnEvil," which is like a Saturday morning car toon with blood and guns. So yeah, like a Saturday morning cartoon. I'm sorry, but I take my zombies very seriously. Moving away from the shoot-em-ups, The Break Arcade also has not one but two dancing games, "In the Groove" and "Dance Dance Revolution Ex treme." These are the games in which people hop around like automatons and stare atthe screen with cult-like devotion as any semblance of original thought or personality seeps from their mind and they end up talking and walk ing like cerebral palsy victims. No of fense intended. The arcade also has a fair collec tion of hand-to-hand fighting games, "Tekken 4" the best of them. I've al ways appreciated the "Tekken" games because they require no Now Leasing for next year! University Commons Apartments Furnished 1, 2, & 4 bedroom apartments Reduced rental rates for 2005-06! Come see us and find out more! 021877 • Fully furnished • Individual leases • Full size washers and dryers in every apartment • 24 Hour Fitness Center • Heated pool • Security alarm system • Water, trash, sewer included • On bus route • Roommate matching • ii % ft 4 oeoroom apartments • 3 bedroom with a den • Game room • Caged basketball court • Sand volleyball court • Uniformed security on-site universiTY COMMONS apartments 338-4000 90 Commons Drive, Eugene, OR 97401 Hours: M-F 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm Sun 12pm-5pm knowledge of special moves or any other such pap that never belonged in a fighting game anyway. If I wanted to throw fireballs around, I'd go join the D&D game in the next room. Unfortu nately, "Tekken" does involve combi nation moves, which annoy the hell out of me. Whenever I try them, my character ends up moving around like a "Dance Dance” player, if you know what I mean. Can'ttwo digitized char acters just beat the tar out of each other and be on their way? The game closestto perfection is, of course, whichever game in the "Metal Slug" series the arcade cur rently has installed. Simple, un adorned violence. No special moves, no arcane button combinations, no in sider-only secrets. Just good old fashioned slash-and-burn gameplay. Massacre never felt so good. ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com 2005 Summer Writing Courses at thtt University of Oregon CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Character iind Point of View CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Plot, Narrative Drive. Structure CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Time, Scenes, and Flashbacks CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Style, Detail, and Dialogue CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Fiction Workshop CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Poetry Workshop CRVVR 199 Special Studies: Science Fiction/Fantasy Register online at www.uoregon.edu Registration opens May 2, 2005. For more information about the Uni varsity of Oregon’s summer writing courses, bourse schedules, tuition, and foes, please contact the Creative Writing Program or visit www.uorogon.edu. Creative Writing Program 144 Columbia Hall 5243 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403*5243 Phone: (541) 349-3944 darkwing, uoregon.edu/-crwrweh UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Th* Unwmliy ot OeQon m an e'i'Jai cTV'rturw,, jRtnwMwwntxt tr»wu««o oommitH.9 to tuHur.il dtv*nwty arid compfcjnc* with the An»«ir^u»> with n&AtdHups Act Accommodation* tot peopte wgh <jte wtf he prcwdftd * (wqoe&t^d * atom* (841 >3*6 -0809 Dana Harlan's Great Mother's Day Gifts Join Dana at Kappa Kappa Gamma Sunday May 1 st 1 —3 pm 821 E. 15th Street www.danaharlan.com M-— . | jgSSK WtONESDA'' . MAY 4th MENQMENR YELTSIN TflLKDEMONIC ★ FRIDAY APRIL 29th ★ JonatharN Jackson and his band Enation Kristy Thirsk (of John Stephens (of n.».) 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