turntable. ()ne of the main features is its vinyl emulation technology which has increased sensitivity so yoti have much more control on cueing and scratching with its reasonably si/ed jog plate. I have to say that from my experience on (‘|) decks over the past ten years I prefer to use these where possible and would recommend them to anybody who wants to get into the game on a (‘I) tip.
5 Technics SLIZIOMKS
'l'eclinies stepped tip a gear with the long awaited Sl.l3lll.\lK5. If you’re really serious about l)Jing then the MKS is for you with its variety of new features. .\lost notable is the pitch control: no longer having a centre notch makes mi\ing on these just that little hit smoother and the inset on and off
PLAY
switch avoids those embarrassing moments when you turn the deck off mid-mix. Although many rivals of 'l'echnics have occasionally come pretty close. the l21() series has outstripped them each and every time.
6 Allen & Heath Xone 62 When it comes to club mixers this monster has no rival. I first played on this at Manga and at first I was a little bit ptit off by its advanced system of effects and buttons. But after a few months I favoured this top notch box of tricks. The thing that really sets this mixer up high above the rest is its overall quality in sound. Once you get your head round it you will find it hard to work with any other again btit if you're looking fora mixer for home use then. unless you got a few extra pounds. this might not be your best bet. But if you can spare the cash then go and get one of these bad boys.
5. Technics SL 1210Mk5 is for those who are “really serious about DJin‘ and it costs £785 for a pair at DJ Deals. 01483 502 121, www.djdeals.
co.uk. 6. Allen & Heath Xone 62 is a 6- channel. 12-input super mixer.
It costs £749 at www.htfr.com
WORDPLAY
Not all of us have a mind that could take
us through a round of Countdown. let alone Wlll the locking thing. So for the non Richard Stilgoes in the audience here's a bit of software to find all those amusing anagrams of your name. your niates' names. your boss' name. your pet's iiaiiie . ..
www.anagramgenius.com/server.html
Reviews
PS2/XBOX/PC LEGO STAR WARS
(Eidos) «u
It seemed a bit of a gamble. With only a handful of exceptions. the massive intellectual property that is Star Wars has been absolutely wasted. Game after game. little more than calculated misdirection, drawing your eye away from huge garneplay disappointments with Rebel vs Empire whistles and bells. So combining this massive IP with another massive IP had all the makings of a commercial black hole. a destructive singularity of hype and expectation. Yet it works and works well. Despite — or perhaps because of — the blocky. cheeky. achingly familiar Lego style. the Star Wars universe truly shines. Granted, the game itself is very simple, ultimately designed for the kiddies, and there is never a question of getting lost. confused or. if you want
to be harsh. challenged. But this is just so much fun. presenting you with
character after character.
all beautifully caricatured. acting out so many of those memorable moments. It is rare for a
game to delight you so much with its style. driving you forward just to see how they did the next bit of the story. Lego Star Wars now seems like a dead cert. (lain Davidson)
PSZ/XBOX MIDNIGHT CLUB 3: DUB EDITION (Rockstar) 00000
Don‘t ya just love it when games play just like you wished they would? So often we've seen the fancy graphics. cool ad campaign and then played some clunky piece of shite. Well, boy racers. your dreams have come true. Midnight Club 3 is one of the sweetest racers out there. a pixellated Fast 8 the Furious. There is a free-wheeling element of GTA. as you might imagine from Rockstar. as you cruise the city searching for races. The driving is so satisfyineg illegal, a joyrider's wet dream. as you weave in and out of oncoming traffic and dodge the cops. The Career Mode lets you build up a garage, winning cars in t0urnaments and spending your ill-gotten gains on pimping your ride. What it will always come back to is those races. as exciting as getting hopped up on monkey adrenal glands. and when you snatch victory from your rivals on the final corner you'll be grinning with childish glee. heart thumping and itching to get back to the garage for some more fine tuning. Addictive.
TV MUSIC
soundtracks.
How irritating is it when you see an advert on the telly and think. ‘OK, so this is a cynical attempt to create brand loyalty and get me to part with my cash, but I love that tune.‘ Now you can check it out and perhaps buy the album rather than the product it
www.tvadmusic.co.uk
sleek and oh so satisfying. (Henry Northmore)
xeox UNREAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2: THE LIANDRI CONFLICT (Midway) «u
Forget what you know about Unreal. Throw away all your preconceptions. all your fantastic times or unbridled hatred. your previous clan trophies or bad gaming experiences. This is really a new game altogether. Because of the console limitations UC2 is free-flowing and exaggerated. with ridiculous jumps and massive explosions. truly a child of the XBox generation. The control system is simple yet effective and allows all but the most fresh- faced of inultiplayer virgins to start racking up the frags. Of course this doesn't mean that you won't get humiliated by some anonymous 12-year-old but it feels more like it's your fault than the game's. And you are more than anxious to even the score in the next round. The level design is second to none and the addition of hand—to hand combat adds a welcome tactical twist. flicking you from first to third person. All in all UC2: The Li’andri Conflict is the brashest. most ridiculous online FPS on any console. and don't you forget it. (Iain Davidson)
114 THE LIST '.