| Games Asylum » The Simpsons Game
EA recently said that they were going to pull their socks up when it comes to DS development, and you can't argue with the effort they've put into this. It comes on the largest DS cart available, contains over twenty minutes of FMV, some 3,000 speech samples, a virtual Homer to play with and a handful of retro game parodies including Frogger, Space Invaders and Gauntlet. The thing is that EA themselves aren't responsible for the effort - Amaze did all the work. Oddly their company logo has been emitted from the start up sequence and isn't shown until the end credits. Bad show, EA. Although now in 2D, it follows the same story as the bigger console versions, right down to each Simpson having their own special skills. That story being that the yellow fellows know that they're in a videogame and eventually discover that they have to face their creator if they want to escape.
Area retailers prepare for Black Friday
Businesses across the area are preparing for what they hope will be a big shopping season starting bright and early Friday morning.That means smiling faces, warm greetings and help at every turn for prospective customers no matter if it is at 6 a.m. ... or if there are hundreds of people lined up waiting to get in ... or if they'll do anything to get the item they want."It's a quasi-holiday for us," said Wayne Ruchalski, the general manager at Staples in Mechanicsburg. "We'll have some in-store specials and early bird specials. This year I think what's going to be big are the GPS units, digital cameras, digital picture frames, photo printers, MP3 players and the Dell computers we have in our stores for the first time � we kicked off the sale last Sunday, Nov. 11."Ruchalski is no novice when it comes to Black Friday sales, working at Staples for nine years and in retail for 20.To make it easier for customers, Ruchalski is planning a new, slightly more organized system of tickets for items they're expecting to be gone within a few minutes.
Retailers stock up on what consumers want this holiday
Interactive games, penguins, dolls, candles and figurines are all hot gift items for the holidays this year, according to the predictions of store managers and owners.Electronic toys and games that encourage physical involvement, such as the Fisher Price Smart Cycle and Nintendo Wii, also will be popular gifts this year, area merchants said.The Smart Cycle is a colorful, stationary bike that plugs into the television set. Children pedal as they play games featuring well-known characters, such as Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.The Smart Cycle is expected to be one of the most popular Christmas items at the Rock Falls Wal-Mart, said Linda Carlson, store manager.The Nintendo Wii is a video game system in which participants play games by doing something physical, such as swinging a golf club or throwing a touchdown pass, rather than just sitting and pressing buttons."The control is innovative; you actually move the control.
Bulletin readers can help wishes come true
The Baxter Bulletin Christmas Wish program has a mission: To provide a nice Christmas for families with children in need. Donations of toys, clothing and money may be made at the Wish Distribution Center in the former Beuford's Bar-B-Q building in Georgetown Square. The center is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through Nov. 15 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 20-Dec. 13. .
Big fish from a small port has Scots in sight
ESKIFJÖRDUR, population 972, is one of Iceland's major fishing towns inclusive of export harbour with direct sailing to Europe. It also markets a fine line in international footballers with ambitions of leading their country to the 2010 World Cup. One is Brondby's Stefan Gislason, another Eggert Jonsson of Hearts. The latter took his international bow aged 19 in Copenhagen's Parken Stadium last week, whilst back home the gathered residents in Eskifjördur's local tavern felt their Omega 3-filled hearts swell with pride. Two local boys in the same Iceland team was indeed cause to pour a Brennivin or two. .
Have yourself a sarcastic Christmas
The people at Yellow Tape Construction Company — which is a theater collective, not an actual construction company — really do take the spirit of the holidays seriously. Yeah, believing in the spirit of belief is a warm and lovely thing. Really. "We just wanted to have a little fun with it," says Yellow Tape co-founder Jonathan Morgan. .
South Africa's derby hits world stage
The rivalry between South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates might be less than four decades old and born of a rather unusual set of circumstances, but the passion and intensity involved nonetheless make it one of the biggest games in world football. On Saturday, however, the Soweto derby will be taken from its traditional arena in the outlying areas of Johannesburg to the coastal city of Durban on the eve of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Preliminary Draw. In an historic event, Durban's King's Park stadium will play host to the two arch-rivals in desperate need of a fillip after a languid start to the new South African Premier League season. Both, in fact, go into the game languishing in the bottom half of the 16-club standings, desperate to use a positive result in the derby to revitalise their respective campaigns.
Local News
Amélie Guertin will be remembered as an energetic, unselfish girl who was a hard worker and never took no for an answer. When she was three or four years old she wanted a dog, but her parents said no. For the next two months she pretended she was a puppy; walking on four legs, panting, barking, rubbing her ear, said Am‚lie's mom Lynne with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, "until we gave in and got her a dog." The dog, named Lady, would become one of many animals who would receive love and care from the Timmins girl affectionately known as "belle blonde." Dogs were her favourite animal, but she also liked reptiles, bugs and a gerbil named Speedy. "She used to feed grey jay birds at our cottage," said Lynne. "They would come right up and sit in her hand.
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