Getting Out Of Debt

X-Men Legends is based on the 1963 comic book, "The Uncanny X- Men." A tale about a group of mutants led by Professor Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful mutant with mental abilities, learning how to deal with society's hatred toward them. The X-Men compose the following members with their codenames: Storm, Jean Gray (the only one who doesn't go by a codename, go figure), Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Colossus, and Iceman (just to name a few). Xavier formed the X-Men to fight threats to mankind, to teach the X-Men how to control their powers for good, and to one day hopefully live peacefully side by side with society.

Plot and Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5.0

X-Men Legends (XML) was masterfully crafted by a group of former Marvel comic writers called 'Man of Action.' The story centers around Alison Crestmere who possesses the mutant ability to control lava even changing her human form to a flaming version of herself. Hence, she earns the name of 'Magma'.

Magma is thrusted into the limelight after the grotesque, obese mutant called the Blob of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (the antagonist mutant team who is lead by the immensely powerful Magneto) kidnap Magma. Why would Magneto need this girl? Immediately, the player is controlling Wolverine hot on the trail of the Blob and to find out why Magneto desires this particular mutant.

XML is a fan boy's dream comes true as you finally get to control the X-Men in a Role Playing Game (RPG) fashion instead of the individual most gamers are used to playing them.

The game requires a player to go through various linear missions in order to solve Magneto's plot from the Artic to the Sewers (yes, those who are use to RPG know that no RPG would be complete without a trip to sewers, right? Thanks, JadesFire.). There are times where an X-Man will go off on a solo mission. So the freedom is not there to explore without limitations compared to RPG's like the Final Fantasy Series or Morrow wind.

XML strategically tucks away puzzle elements in the game forcing the player to make use of a X-Man's powers needed to continue on their quest. Unfortunately, the developers hold players by the hand displaying a large 'X' over areas that can be affected by a character's powers. If a player has the wrong X-Man, backtracking is allowed and Xtraction points can be used to change team members.

Graphics/Visual Presentation: 4.25 out of 5.0

Activision, during the earlier stages of XML, had made a smart move to leave the traditional bit images for the X-Men for cell shading technology. This brilliant move makes the player feel as if they are turning the pages of a virtual comic book. Each character is detailed just enough to tell them apart. Enemies and bosses are not very impressionable in appearance (not on par as DOOM 3) yet well done over all. The lighting effects are good quality when a player unleashes Cyclops' eye beam or Jean Grey's Psychic Scream. The environments are destructible which makes interesting eye candy when a player utilizes an X-Man's power on walls, generators, chairs, etc. The developers were cautious to include some detail (such as Blob's massive footprints in the street when Wolverine is on his trail) yet not to the point of overkill. There are some clipping issues (graphics that melt into another by mistake) yet these are easily overlooked. The cell shading cut scenes are slightly embarrassing (The X-Men look like puppets in this environment. Think "Thunderbirds" from the old television show series). Fortunately, the developers redeem themselves by adding more detailed cut scenes that will astound you in their cinematic feel.

Sound Quality: 4.75 out of 5.0

XML's biggest strength is the voice acting for the X-Men (the only exception is Cyclops whose dialogue in battle sounds like a bratty, smart aleck teenager than the rugged leader of the X-Men). Fans of the series will get goose bumps as Patrick Stewart breathes life into Professor Xavier's lines and the witty comments of Wolverine will cause chuckles for sure. Foley artists did a superb job in producing punching and kick sounds, explosions, and sounds for the X-Men's powers. While the music is not powerful orchestral pieces (personally, this would have made the gaming experience much more rousing), sleepy music selections are sadly the norm. The music can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Music rushes in when enemies are near (a great way to warn the player of impeding danger) and can be soft music that loops over and over with no direction.

Violence: 4.75 out of 5.0

A RPG would be hard to do without conflict and battle and XML does not pander to over the top violence crowd.

[SPOILER AHEAD]

The only blood visible in the game is when the X-Men infiltrate a military base and discover that General Kincaid is experimenting with humans and Sentinels (the blood is on the surgery floors). X-Men and enemies beat each other without any visual consequences even when Wolverine uses his claws on a foe. Powers as well do not cause any visual damage to ally or foe alike.

Language: 4.25 out of 5.0

Unfortunately, there are some parts that I cited as concern for me as a Christian. Nightcrawler, in the comics and in the game, professes to be a believer in God. He comments when he levels up: "My God, I am invincible!" or "I can beat the devil himself." These comments bothered me in light of such Scripture as Exodus 20:7 ("Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain") and Proverbs 16:18 ("Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall"). Cyclops, surprisingly, tells his brother Havok to 'go to hell.'

Sexual Content: 4.75 out of 5.0

Psylocke, an X-Man, dresses in tight leather pants that reveal the suggestive outline of a thong when she fights. There is an option to change her costume to a more conservative one.

Spiritual Content: 4.50 out of 5.0

Magneto's power hunger makes him think that all mutants are like gods. Magneto, in thirst for revenge against humans, created his own line from Genesis and the creation story by stating that: 'on the eight day, I looked down on creation and said, 'Let there be darkness.'" Nightcrawler, unashamedly, mentions God in a positive light in regards to his faith.

[SPOILER AHEAD]

X-Men also have to go to the Astral Plane to save Professor Xavier whose mind and assumedly soul is trapped in this dimension. This can be looked as touching the New Age or Eastern philosophies.

Value: 4.0 out of 5.0

As a RPG, XML soars in the action, gameplay, and storytelling departments. When a player finishes the game though, XML crashes and burns on replay value. Once a player has completed the game, there is not much left to do. A player cannot go back with high level up X-Men to play the game a second time around (I peaked my team between levels 35-37). The Danger Room offers unlocked characters as well as multiplayer or player vs. player matches. A player can view all concept art, cinematic, and load screens. Other than the Danger Room, the excitement level wanes rather quickly.

Christian Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Positive: The X-Men truly teaches about teamwork and how each member cares about each other. As a player goes through the storyline, a true sense of unity is felt as the story unfolds about each X-Man's life and what they struggle with. Sacrifice and harmony is seen through their actions, a far cry from most games on the market today.

Negative: X-Men's theme of evolution is present as an explanation for their powers as a result of man getting better over time. However, the Bible is contrary to these beliefs. As a Christian, true power only comes from God Almighty (Ps. 62:11) and without Him; we are nothing (John 15:5). God alone is the Creator of mankind and any other 'power' outside of Him is definitively questionable (Ec. 12:1). The Astral Plane is the realm where only psychics can go in the X-Men Universe. This can be likening to the spirit realm where even Saul tried to contact the dead by the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28).

Overall Outlook/Score: 4.50 out of 5.0

X-Men Legends, although not a perfect RPG, is a quantum leap in the right direction for the franchise. The premise of teamwork, sacrifice, and unity are great pillars holding the story together as well as good vs. evil. This premise is a great reminder of the need to be selfless in this day and age. Christian parents would be wise to remind their children about the murky view of evolution from the prism of creationism, where true power comes from, and the 'Astral Plane' in view of Scriptures. After the agonizing shoddiness of Activision's failed "X-Men: Next Dimension" (a fighting game), X-Men Legends gives a much needed jolt to the possible dying hopes of fans desiring a solid X-Men game. This is a game I could honestly recommend for one's library without shame.

Review supplied by Christian Spotlight's Guide to GamesTM, a ministry of Eden Communications. Copyright Eden CommunicationsTM, a ministry of Films for Christ

Griffin J. Lilly Jr is sensi and pen warrior of Samurai Freelancing. From his humble beginnings as a frustrated English major to a breakout rising star on the writing market, you can count on him delivering for you the very best your project desires. You may contact him if you want to hire his service, and more important, he is a sucker for Japanese seafood buffets and tempura.

Reuters - If your New Year's resolution is to live healthy, you might want to move. A new study shows Salt Lake City, Utah, is the healthiest city for women, while Madison, Wisconsin is the best place for men.

Consumer attitudes towards music downloads have changed dramatically. Legal music downloads have increased by almost 30% whilst illegal downloads have seen a decline of the same amount. Why the change ? Research in Austria suggests that consumers fear legal action against file-sharing (illegal music downloads).Not only are you breaking the law by downloading copyrighted material, but you are also downloading potentially harmful viruses to your PC. Close to 40% of file-sharers in the US and the UK have cited that the main reason they stopped downloading music using P2P (peer-to-peer) programs such as Kazaa was due to the fear of lawsuits. Since the recording industry started taking legal action against file-sharers in September of 2003, 14227 actions have been announced in 12 countries. These lawsuits can cost you tens of thousands of dollars !

It isn't your average teenager who downloads music illegally on the internet. You would be surprised to learn that people from all walks of life are involved too. Doctors, teachers, nurses, cooks, university students, and even a judge ! John Kennedy, IFPI (International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers) Chairman and CEO, had this to say, "We are now seeing real evidence that people are increasingly put off by illegal file-sharing and turning to legal ways of enjoying music online. Whether it's fear of getting caught breaking the law, or the realisation that many networks could damage your home PC, attitudes are changing, and that is good news for the whole music industry."

Legal music downloading started really taking off during the first half of 2005, especially in Europe. In the US alone, 159 million tracks were legally downloaded in that period. Subscriptions to online music downloading services such as Napster, iTunes and Rhapsody now count well over 3 million users. Napster, for example, is expanding its reach. There is Napster UK, Napster Germany and Napster Canada. Hopefully they will expand into countries like Australia, France, South Africa and many more.

Connect by Sony, Real's Rhapsody, and Apple's iTunes are three of the most popular legal downloading services. You can expect to get charged between 79 and 99 per song. The monthly subscription charges range between $10 and $15. What would you rather pay ? $15 per month or $15,000 in court fees ?

File-sharing networks are plentiful on the internet, with Kazaa being one of the most popular. Yes, the music is free, but you are better off paying the price of a CD per month and getting your music legally.

With the RIAA issuing lawsuits to individuals who share files illegally online, people are looking to obtain their music legally. Visit http://www.download-music-legally.net for your free 14-day trial.

AP - A Russian anti-submarine destroyer and two logistical warships are entering waters off Cuba in a nonmilitary visit that's the first of its kind since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

With the release of the Xbox 360, everyone naturally had high expectations of not just the console itself, but the new array of video games. One video in particular really hit the top, and it happens to be the one I am talking about. Oblivion came out back in 2006, but I didn't get my hands on to it until 2006. Boy did I miss out, the size of the game alone, is amazing, you can walk into practically anything that has doors, which is about every building, you can buy houses anywhere from shacks on the waterfront to a mansion in a city.

Compared the free-roam, the storyline doesn't seem that great, but nevertheless it is still fun, and provides many twists in turns as you fight your way through oblivion, saving the last heir of the empire, sounds kind of cheesy right? Let's face it though, this game didn't get named game of the year by practically every major video-game review website because of its storyline, it was because of what you could outside of the storyline. Just the amount of combinations of your player you can create is outstanding, and what's even more outstanding is the guilds you can join. Each guild gives you different weapons, spells, and other perks, and they each have their own "mini storyline".

Choose your character's destiny, will you be a thief, an assassin, a fighter, a mage, or will choose be all of them? I have played this game nonstop some days, and it became very addicting. If you are like me, you will go through many characters before you find your perfect character, which isn't a problem. If you want to figure out your best suited character, scroll down and click on my player analysis to find the perfect character to you.

If were to only have one game to play with for the rest of the year, I would pick Oblivion, because it consistently amazes me. If you want to buy it, it is now out for PS3, 360, and PC, though I don't recommend the PC version, even though you can use mods and other online PC features.

If you need help choosing your character use my Player Analysis to find the perfect one.

Alex is the Founder of The Teen Review, where you can find unbiased reviews of products/sites/etc from a teen's point of view. You can view the site at http://theteenreview.com

AP - Facing federal corruption charges that threaten to end his political career, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has made clear to the world what those close to him know well: He's not one to be easily fazed.

Wii fit has been designed by the game industries new leader which is now gaining a phenomenal following with both the old and the new.

The balance board as an equipment has been the best you get as far as exercising and gaming together in a bundle are concerned. The fact of the matter is that there are some serious issues on the bylines of this product which I think are worth noting.

Though you get aerobics and yoga and you can have fun too but you can not create your own exercise regime. This may be good in a way as then a lot of people will become lazy and will not play the game as this is what originally will get you out of the couch.

The other factor coming into play is that balance board is very sensitive but that sensitivity is its USP and also the fact of the matter is that it can detect smallest motions or shifts in weight. But if you are above 150 kgs it will not take the weight so this is not definitely not for those inclined to reduce the weight via this route. It is actually intended for toning of the muscle than for weight loss.

The plus side of the balance board is definitely the fun of tracking your weight and BMI and surely gets the lazy bones off their feet.

Now there is character call Mii which gives out the correctness about health and BMI and a lot of people are questioning the advice and tracking, unaided by the health doctors. Some can actually misconstrue a lot of information and heap more damage on themselves and any good from the fun activity.

The balance activities are the bets ones with the 18 games included in that is the on screen monitor which tell you how well you are doing in the game and also in your BMI. This is the best part of the game. The sad part is that you cannot pick and choose exercises and that means that you will have to stick to the prescribed routine. That also means that you can get bored very easily after say six months once you have done all the exercises and routines.

Wii has the potential to impact your lives which no other game has done before an if you use it with intelligence and o not cheat then it can also bring in improvements in your health.

The author has a website for all those who wish to get reviews of Wii Fit. Make sure to buy wii fit online and get the best benefit from the buying wii fit

AP - No strollers near the U.S. Capitol. No tents on the National Mall. None of that Silly String on the parade route.