November 10, 2004 ; | Reviews Page 13 PHOTOS BY DANA SCHWEHR AND MARLON FRANCESINI LEFT: There were some excellent costumes at UNBC this Halloween, but only a few could be chosen as the winners of the NUGSS costume contest. First place went to Gregory Johnson, who was dressed as the Pumpkin Knight. Alex Theessen won second prize for his gorilla costume, and Austin Nairn’s Mr. Listerine costume came in third RIGHT: Karling Jago carves a “Sigma Squared” into'a very mathematical pumpkin during the UNICEF Pumpkin carving contest. Note the lab coat and the proper laboratory eti- quette such as not eating in the lab, talking when Becky is lecturing, or throwing her lab partner into a septic tank. We like Karling. Mario Folds Again? Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year-Door Nintendo STORY: Paper Mario: The Thousand- Year Door has the usual Mario- style basis: Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom has been kid- napped, and it is Mario’s duty to rescue her. In The Thousand-Year Door, Mario must collect the seven Crystal Stars before the X-Nauts, a bizarre army, succeeds in opening the mysterious Thousand-Year Door located beneath the town of Rogueport. GAMEPLAY & CONTROL: Republic: The Revolution Eidos 2003 The once-mighty Soviet Union has collapsed, and the reins of power in the republic of Novistrana have. been taken by the former chief of the secret police. His repressive and inept leader- ship are driving the people farther and farther into destitute poverty, and opposing political movements are forming in the cities, led by charismatic rebels, one of whom is your avatar.Republic boasts an unnecessarily steep learning curve thanks to a contradictory manual and ineffectual tutorials. Adding to the frustration is an array of minor glitches and examples of Game Reviews Unlike the original Mario games, Paper Mario is actually an RPG. Battles are turn-based and Mario and his partner (who can include a Goomba, a Koopa, a Yoshi and others) take turns with the enemies dealing damage. The system is basically the same as the original Paper Mario; you have HP (health), FP (Flower Points that you use up during certain attacks) and BP (Badge Points used to equip badges). Equipping badges gives Mario and his partner unique abilities such as extra defense or power, automatic HP regeneration, or the ability to hit all enemies. Mario also gains the ability to use the power of the Crystal Stars. These have superb effects like restoring health or (sometimes) instantly defeating enemies. Star Power is used up with these Special Attacks and is restored by performing attacks well and causing the audience watching the battle to applaud. The audience can be helpful and throw good items towards you but they may also throw rocks, which actually damage you, and so per- poor design.To its credit, Republic boasts some beautiful graphics and an excellent score, though the loading times are on the long side and a reasonably powerful com- puter is required for the game to run well. Underlying those graph- ics is a reasonably deep strategy game. You'll recruit followers and undertake actions, building sup- port for your faction until you can make a play for the presidency. There are three ideologies in the game: force, influence, and wealth. Each of your henchmen has a par- forming action commands correct- ly is imperative. GRAPHICS & SOUND: The graphics in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are very interesting. The characters are paper-thin and the backgrounds resemble origami. However it is nothing particularly spectacular. Everything is easy to recognize for what it is, and while everything is paper-thin, this amazingly seems to make sense, even when things appear with “the turn of a page” or when Mario rolls himself into a paper tube. The music is fun and has some recognizable tunes from previous Mario games, but also is nothing spectacular. OVERALL: If you enjoyed the original Paper Mario game, this game would be great. However, playing the origi- nal game isn’t necessary to have fun with this GCN sequel. It’s an addicting game, but loses a little bit due to the lack of decent replay- ability. B- JC DiacHuk ticular ideological position, which can make him more or less effec- tive depending on what he is doing and where. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of microman- agement required for success, which will scare some people away. Players with patience, skill, and a respectable computer should find an enjoyable and intriguing game in Republic, provided they can deal with the game's flaws. B- BRAD PRANGNELL THREE LINES FREE >> Prince George is too dark. Richard Parker doesn’t like the dark. He also doesn’t like girls with dark hair. Like Kathleen, She's scary. Like the dark. Wow. That made a circle. The universe finally makes sense. >> Lots of people read Over the Edge. That's why | can’t write any insults in the three lines free. >> That makes me cry a lion. >> If | don’t get a joke, it must be about Star Trek. >> It is important to note that one of the sources of error in this lab report is that my lab partner is defective. >> I'm not defective, I'm just HAPPY! >> Foshizzle my Nizzle = | concur completely, my African American Comrade (Becky doesn’t understand ebonics) >> Here is a list of the sexiest things: firefighters, muddy trucks, moccasins, rugby players, driving stick shift, the Quebecois >> Dishoom!!!! >> C to E = Monkeys Suck. >> | love a man in an open dressing gown - Kathleen >> Nationalism is not a starfish. >> What does ‘sugirl’ mean? If anyone knows the answer to this conun- drum please contact Carolynne c/o Ferocious Man-Eating Jungle Tiger Richard Parker at Over the Edge. >> Erection > election Trimmed > Bush >> We travel in large crowds and intimidate people >> If you voted no, we know who you are. >> for sale: my virginity. Repeat customers welcome. >> Ice bat is not a homo doll >> We're not crazy, we're engineers! (editors note: that makes you crazy) >> So long NUGSS, and thanks for all the fish >> If you voted no, we are crying lions. How do you cry a lion? A lion is pretty big.And they goes ..... um .... Grrrr (claws out). >> wow three lines free just went in a full circle. The universe finally makes sense.