ïrts Entertainment
The
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Clackamas Print
5
Play or play not,
there is no pause
“You will not leave
these halls as you entered
them,”
It sounds like the slogan
or catchphrase of pretty
much any learning institu
tion, right?
Well, yes - but it also
happens to be the tagline
for Star Wars Jedi Knight:
Jedi Academy, the latest
game in the Jedi Knight
series of video games.
In Jedi Academy, you
lake control of Jaden
Korr, a newcomer to Luke
Skywalker’s legendary Jedi
Acadenjy. At the academy,
you are assigned to Jedi
Master Kyle Katarn, hero
of previous Star Wars video
games Dark Forces, Jedi
Knight and Jedi Outcast.
About half the game
involves going on missions
that usually involve find
ing and/or rescuing various
people from various situa-
ions. The other half of the
game entails Korr finding
he Disciples of Ragnos, a
iark-side cult that’s trying
o siphon force energy to
esurrect a long-dead Dark
,ord of the Sith.
The gameplay switches
etween first-person per
spective and third: first,
»hen you’re using any of
be multitude of guns and,
bird, when you need that
:xtra little bit of melee
nayhem and go use your
ightsaber.
Korr starts the game
nth a single lightsaber.
Is hilt style and color can
ie customized, but as the
lame progresses, can be
xchanged for either a dou-
le-bladed lightsaber, simi-
ar to Darth Maul’s, or two
ightsabers.
As one might expect
rom a game with the word
Jedi” in the title, there are
i number of Force Powers
hat can be used, every-
ling from Force Speed
) the deadly and visually
retty Force Lightning.
The gameplay isn’t
nything new; in fact, it’s
hnost exactly the same as
ie Jedi Academy’s pre-
lecessor, Jedi Knight II:
Jedi Outcast. However,
l is still enjoyable. The
ightsaber* combat against
ie Disciples of Ragnos is
ist-paced and leaves little
oom for error.
Jedi Outcast gives what
ne should expect from a
itar Wars game: lots of
ction, cool villains, big
uns and plenty of dark
edi on which to test your
ghtsaber skills. If you’re a
m of the series, this is one
ame you should play.
And remember, this
riday is Universal Day
f the Jedi celebrating the
Oth anniversary of Star
fans. J.'W
All photos by Katie Wilson Clackamas Print
, Katie Wilson
11 .Co-Editor-in-Chief
Just shoot him.
Go on. Do it.
Shoot him and take his girl, his
horse, his boots, his hat and his
maiden aunt Matilda. Then, sing
and dance, because that’s what hap
pens in flat places with long names
like “Oklahoma,” evidently: every
thing settled neatly at gunpoint and
with plenty of musical interludes,
in case events start leaning a little
too darkly.
No matter how one may feel
about the movie/Broadway/high
school/middle school/etc. version
of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
Oklahoma! do not miss Clackamas’
own production of the musical.
It’s the story of Laurey, played
by Emily Jackson, and the two men
(both idiots in their own right) who
want her.
Nick Jones takes on the role
of Curly, the decent, bow-legged
fellow who loves Laurey, despite
likening her to a mule in the first
scene. Michael Mitchell is Jud Fry,
a squinty, evil, lecherous creeper
who desires Laurey for his own vile
- rather unholy - purposes.
The rest of the cast is made up of
a mix of drama and music students
and community members. Choir
Director Lonnie Cline and Music
Instructor Gary Nelson work as
musical directors for the play.
“It’s wonderful how collab
orative this production is,” said
Director David Smith-English.
“[There are] a number of people
from the Music Department, the
Theatre Department and some
really good people from the com
munity.”
“I think we’ll have an approach
to the play that people haven’t
always seen in the past,” he added.
Part of this approach involves
how scene changes are handled.
The curtain will never drop.
“Everybody’s involved in those
scene changes,” said Smith-English.
“There are units on the set that rep
resent three very special changes.
We’re sort of sketching the place.”
Also “there are some wonder
ful technical things that take place:
windmills, a water pump that really
works...”
There are challenges to every
production, according to Smith-
English, and Oklahoma! is not
unique in this respect. One chal
lenge for the cast has been to push
the bounds on the script.
“One of the things that I was
very interested in is that the charac
ters be fully-rounded,” said Smith-
English. “Laurey isn’t just this
sweet, little cupcake ... there are
reasons why she’s motivated to do
what she does.”
And what exactly does she do?
Go see and find out.
TOP: Dante Pollard II as Slim looking smug.
ABOVE: Emily Jackson as Laurey and James Sharinghousen as
Ali Hakim practicing a scene from Oklahoma.
The 'Dark Lord’ rises to the challenge as a sequel
Skywalker.
Dark Lord goes on to
explore
several
other
subjects, from Emperor
So what does it take to ■ Palpatine’s attempts to
turn a whiny, emo kid into get Darth Vader out of
the ass-kicking Dark Lord his proverbial funk in his
of the Sith we all know and own twisted ways, to the
love?
galaxy’s belief that Anakin
One book, if it’s written Skywalker died in the
right - and Dark Lord: The attack on the Jedi Temple.
Rise of Darth Vader is that Other subjects include the
book.
Emperor’s certainty that
Written
by
James the remaining Jedi are of no
Luceno (The Unifying consequence and Vader’s
Force, Labyrinth of Evil), push to eliminate them.
Dark Lord is set imme
One of the true gems
diately after the events of the book is Vader’s dis
of Star Wars Episode III: comfort with his new pros
Revenge of the Sith. The thetics and armor. Luceno
book covers two plotlines. discussed
with
Ryan
One is about Jedi master Kaufman, who wore the
Roan Shryne and padawan Darth Vader attire for sev
Olee Starstone, who are eral games when he worked
attempting to escape the for LucasArts, what it was
execution of Order 66. like to wear the outfit.
The second story, and the Kaufman’s
experiences
one the book takes its title lead the descriptions of why
from, is about Darth Vader Vader moves as he does to
coming to terms with who be quite impressive.
he now is and sloughing
One odd bit is the fact
off the remains of Anakin that, in his internal mono
Darth Stark
A&E Editor
logues, Vader states that he
didn’t believe Palpatine’s
conspiracy theory that the
Jedi were planning to over
throw the Republic, which
contrasts his words to Padme
and Obi-Wan in Revenge of
the Sith. So perhaps he was
simply lying to himself in
order to hide from the con
sequences of his actions.
He killed the Jedi because
he resented their supposed
failure to recognize his
power, regardless of the
fact that they would have
been forced to hunt him
down upon learning he had
turned to the Dark Side.
While perhaps not as
epic as his earlier novel,
The Unifying Force, Dark
Lord confirms Luceno’s
mastery of the craft and
is easily among his best
works.
On the whole, Dark
Lord is a wonderful novel
that gives an amazing look
into the inner thoughts and
motivations of one of histo
ry’s most beloved villains.