Night Sessions

Why Buy A Night Sessions?
Three of the biggest instrumental pop hits ever recorded were by trumpeters Hugh Masekela, Herb Alpert, and Chuck Mangione. Bottis fourth album comes equipped with more than enough catchy and light melodies to compete with that legacy, but it will probably be All Would Envy, one of the two vocal tunes on Night Sessions, that will help this disc dent radio and sales charts. Its a song given an irresistible Brazilian lilt by its composer, Sting, who Botti has toured with, and sung hauntingly by Shawn Colvin. Like those aforementioned horn players, Botti does put an emphasis on rhythm on upbeat groove tunes like Miami Overnight, Streets Ahead, and especially Blue Horizon, which has more than a hint of Europes drum & bass sound, and features killer keyboard work by Billy Childs and album producer Kipper. But its the Alpert-influenced Through an Open Window, with its rock guitars and slick melody line that many may consider the hottest track. Most of the other tracks consist of Bottis crisp clear tone cutting through the kind of atmospheric, heavily padded keyboard music that has gotten him on smooth-jazz radio and Hollywood soundtracks. –Mark Ruffin

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Outstanding
The warm and sensual melodic tones of this cd reveal this outstanding artist as a soulful natural, expressing his passion for his instrument and the music of life in terms we all can appreciate. Outstanding !!!

The ultimate mood disc
Chris is a trumpet master and one who really knows how to create a mood in his music. He gets it. He knows how to put his emotion into it so that it’s transferred to the listener. The only other trumpeter that puts his soul into his music and that you can hear through a mute (which I think is difficult to do) is Miles Davis. The musicianship is tremendous and his band really adds to his minimalistic playing…less is more. I’m always picking up new licks from Chris and his band in this disc bacause his music has a number of layers if you’re listening for them! This is the 1st disc of his I owned and it’s one I’ll never get tired of it.

Fantastic
We have alot of music by Chris Botti, but this CD is, by far, my personal favorite. It is so expressive and emotional. Just absolutely beautiful.

Sweet and smooth
Chris Botti’s trumpet is so sweet and smooth it stimulates memory like memory of tastes that remain forever associated with something good on the pallette.

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Champions Return to Arms

Amazon.com

If youre not familiar with Snowblind Studios delightful game engine (first seen in Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance), you are missing out. It has received much critical acclaim, and for good reason – this core technology has made some of the best action/RPGs of the last several years. While other developers have licensed this engine for use in their own games, Snowblind has taken them all to school on how to squeeze the most juice out of it. Return to Arms is a visually stunning game in every way, and a lot of my issues with the first Champions of Norrath have been addressed. Its a pity that there isnt really anything in RtA that moves the genre forward or breaks from convention in any way.

All of the standard action/RPG elements are present and accounted for, and for the most part are done with a level of polish and flair rarely seen. Leveling up each character can be done in a nigh-infinite number of ways, since each one has a multitude of skills to develop or ignore at your choice. Bosses drop fatty loot to collect and power up your avatar with, and completing challenges (which become unlocked after finishing a stage) unlocks new online maps as well as hooking you up with bonus stat and skill points. These challenge rounds are easily the most interesting new element of RtA, with nonstandard objectives or restrictions that make you use your gaming skills or solve puzzles to emerge triumphant.

Every single change from the original Champions of Norrath is a positive one, as far as I can tell. The removal of random maps sounds like a bummer, but the result is that each level is designed much more tightly and flows better than before. Skills have been rebalanced and seem to be a bit more even, and the two new classes offer unique and fun styles of play. And, as has been mentioned, the latest revision of the Snowblind engine is amazing. Textures give a startling illusion of depth to surfaces, lighting changes give each area a different feel, and the excellent particle effects really bring the flashy spell animations to life. Plus, even though Ive been seeing it for the last few years, I still have to stop and marvel at the water this engine can render out.

The icing on this cake of fantasy hack n slash goodness is the amount of content available. Between the four difficulty modes (which are designed like Diablo IIs, where you can start the next mode with your powered-up hero after clearing the one before), co-op and competitive online multiplayer, and the seven playable classes, there is an awful lot of game here to adventure through. Whether or not youll be sick of cleaving orc heads before you finish it is another matter entirely, but rest assured that this is no weaksauce 10-hour quest with little replay value.

All of this high-heaped praise begs the question of why isnt RtA the must-have fantasy epic of 2005. The answer to that is simple: Though everything is very well-done, its difficult to shake the feeling that Ive been playing this same game since Diablo came out on PC in 1997. The core concept of bashing skulls and gaining levels and loot is still strong as can be, and I had a lot of fun with RtA, but the foreshadowings of a Dynasty Warriors-like rut are clearly visible. Its rare to see a sequel that does this little to shake up the gameplay formula of the original, but with that being said, anyone who enjoyed the first Champions title or either of the Dark Alliance games will find a lot to love here.

Concept:
Tighten up, refine, and expand everything that you know about console dungeon crawlers

Graphics:
Nobody can rock the Snowblind engine like Snowblind – gorgeous visuals abound

Sound:
Easily the low point. The only thing worth noting is the delightful thumping noise maces make as they bash heads

Playability:
The new evade move makes all the difference in nasty boss fights

Entertainment:
Whats not to like about crushing waves of enemies and leveling up to godlike status?

Replay:
Moderately High

Rated: 8 out of 10
Editor: Adam Biessener
Issue: March 2005

2nd Opinion:
I cant help it. I just love experience grinders. Throw in co-op play, some solid graphics, online play for extra value, and, quite frankly, Im sold. I loved every moment I put into this game. Thats not to say it doesnt have its share of problems. First of all, the story is pretty much non-existent. Be good or be evil, fight through some planes of power…blah, blah, blah…get me to my next cool weapon or skill. Thats about all I care about. And to this end, Return to Arms delivers. The boss battles are epic, the game is longer than most, and its certainly worth multiple play-throughs just to try out the other classes. Its not gnome rocket science, but it sure is fun.

Rated: 8 out of 10
Editor: Andy McNamara

Why Buy A Champions Return to Arms?
Champions: Return to Arms brings back all the action-packed hack n slash excitement of Champions of Norrath and more to the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system! The CoN sequel offers more than 100 hours of gameplay per character, unlimited battles, plus the ability to import characters from the original game. Champions: Return to Arms includes a host of advancements to take multiplayer gaming to the next level. Up to four players can connect over the Internet or via Multitap. Play online (no subscription fee) Four-player online action with USB headset support, enabling you to chat and plan strategies, or you can ruffle your opponents with the improved online matchmaking service Player vs. Player Combat Modes (i.e. head-to-head) let you challenge friends to duel and compete online and offline in all new areas Secret content that is unlocked by mastering your skills through a challenging medal reward system 40+ levels to conquer with new mission menu and side-quest systems Ability to import your character from the original Champions of Norrath for further progression Broadband internet connection required for online multiplayer game modes. Online connection fees are the responsibility of the user and will require a network adaptor for PlayStation2. A Memory Card (8MB) (for Playstation2) is required for online play

Features

• Dynamic story with alternate good and evil paths featuring many of your favorite characters from the original game.
• More than 10,000 items and the ability to create your own item
• New skills, abilities, weapons and armor for every character type
• Seven fully customizable Playable Characters. Select from Barbarian Warrior, Wood Elf Ranger, Dark Elf Shadowknight, High Elf Cleric, Erudite Wizard, and two new race/class combinations - the Vah Shir Berserker and Iksar Shaman.
• The original Champions of Norrath game is not needed to play Champions - Return to Arms

Customer Reviews & Opinions

play again and again!
If you like Balder’s Gate and Champions of Norrath, then you’ll love this game. The best two-player game out there. We played again and again with different characters. I just wish there was a sequal to this one…

fun fun fun
My husband is an avid RPG’er and he had lost this game when moving to KY. I bought it for him and he loves it

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Champions of Norrath

Game Informer Review

Sony Online Entertainments newest console addition to the EverQuest universe is impressive indeed. In fact, the amount of content Champions of Norrath offers is almost too much of a good thing (if thats even possible).

Developed by Snowblind Studios, the company behind the original Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath offers up the deepest dungeon crawling experience in the console universe to date.

Champions list of features reads like a perfect recipe for success. There are five playable character classes each with a wide variety of customization, including the ability to name your own avatar. All the dungeons in the game, save the city hubs that connect the whole world together, are randomly generated so that each and every time you play the game the experience is different. There are more than 10,000 randomly generated items in the game, and players can even modify them to create their own unique items. The list, as they say, goes on and on.

But perhaps the biggest and best piece of the Champions puzzle is the fact that the game can be played online with friends. Using the Network Adapter, PlayStation 2 gamers can take Champions online to explore and level up their characters. In fact, the game has three different difficulty settings so that you can play it again with your leveled-up avatars.

This title can be played offline as well. In fact, you can insert or remove your character from an adventure any time you want. Play with three friends at Jimmys house, and when his mom kicks you out for being a deviant, you can download your character to a memory card, and then continue playing with different players online.

All told, Champions of Norrath is a very compelling dungeon crawler. The ability to play online definitely makes it a standout in the sea of recent releases in the genre. However, the game isnt perfect. At times, it bogs down from the sheer amount of content it offers. Sometimes I felt like I almost had too many items to wade through or too many pointless dungeons to clear.

These simple complaints aside, if you love leveling up and searching for the latest and greatest weapon for your characters, you really cant go wrong with Champions of Norrath. Its a solid game that gets even better if you have the ability to go online and set out on adventures with other players from around the world.

Concept:
Use the EverQuest license to create an all-encompassing dungeon crawler

Graphics:
The graphics and effects are top-notch in the genre

Sound:
Obviously done by someone who has watched The Lord Of The Rings too many times (and thats a good thing)

Playability:
Its all about the hack n slash, however the battles still manage to be fairly challenging

Entertainment:
If you love dungeons and finding items, you cant go wrong here

Replay:
High

Rated: 8.75 out of 10
Editor: Andy McNamara
Issue: February 2004

2nd Opinion:
With four-player online play, and the original Dark Alliance team fueling the development fires, youd think that Champions of Norrath would be an easy pick over Dark Alliance II. As it turns out, both games excel in different ways and are equally rewarding. Norraths greatest strength is its ability to make gamers come back for more. Both the online and single-player components have legs. With random dungeon generation, three difficulty settings (which require higher level characters), and over 10,000 items, theres more than enough content here. While both games play very similarly, Dark Alliance II edges out Norrath with little additions along the lines of dual-wielding and sprinting. Norrath is better suited for players who seek extensive multiplayer, whereas Dark Alliance II is the perfect fit for those who simply want a polished adventure to play through once.

Rated: 8.5 out of 10
Editor: Andrew Reiner

Why Buy A Champions of Norrath?
Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest — In this engrossing role-player, youll take on unspeakable danger, in a time before the current EverQuest games. An evil army is gathering, unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Youll journey from the elven tree city of Kelethin into the wilds of Norrath to save the land. Your mastery of weapons and magic are the only things keeping you alive, in the face of supreme evil! Use the great new voice-chat feature to plan strategies or just talk trash

Features

• Create your own unique hero, customize his or her look and abilities, and travel fro Faydwer to battle the growing army of orcs
• Go online & join an existing game, and host your own private games
• Import other characters into the game, then play solo any time from any location
• More than 100 hours of gameplay per character — unlimited battles, deadly missions and unbeatable character customization
• Play with up to three others through a multitap

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Wonderful game
got the game as a replacement for one we had before ..for my kids (16 to 21) they all play it and have a great time.. one of the few things that such an age group can to do as a team with no one feeling left out.

Great Game!
I got this game for free from a friend, (it wouldnt work cause of the major scratches on the disk. but I used car wax and buffed the scratches out, and the game worked fine!) anyway, I honestly didnt know what to exspect from this game.. I knew nothing about it before I played it. but I was extremly happy that I got this game for free, it is truely a great game! There are so many things to do, and tons of items (weapons, armor, jewelry with benefits, weapon upgrades, and more..) It has a great story line which I was very pleased about, cause sometimes you buy games that have louzy story lines which usualy ruin the game..

This game is a must buy! Probably the best of its genre that I’ve played.

I definitely recommend this game!

Great Game
Got this game for my boyfriend. He plays it for hours and hours. He like the Champions of Norrath Series

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Essential Sly & Family Stone

Amazon.com
Long before and Family Affair. Propelled by Larry Grahams locomotive bass lines and accented by rousing horns, Sly and company swooped from the heights of 1969s hit-laden Stand towards a darker and more unsettling decade ahead. Few bands have soared higher–or fallen as far. –Jerry McCulley

Why Buy A Essential Sly & Family Stone?
Long before Michael Jackson and Prince became superstars by fusing rhythmic soul with rocks sense of scale and ambition, a former Northern California deejay and producer named Sylvester Stewart took the vaunted musical utopianism of the 60s and forged it into the cross-cultural, ass-shaking, genre-bending groove monster that was Sly and the Family Stone. James Brown may have invented funk, but S&TFS masterfully tooled and supercharged it into mass-acceptance. No mere greatest hits collection–though theyre all here in digitally remastered glory–this 35-track, double-disc anthology delves deeper into the handful of seminal albums the band produced before its leaders long, troubling slide into drug abuse and oblivion. Given the chronological development, theres a sense here that Stewart/Stones problems paralleled the increasingly militant and hard-edged stance his band took on albums like the uncompromising classics Theres a Riot Going On and Family Affair. Propelled by Larry Grahams locomotive bass lines and accented by rousing horns, Sly and company swooped from the heights of 1969s hit-laden Stand towards a darker and more unsettling decade ahead. Few bands have soared higher–or fallen as far. –Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Sly Stone:Funkmaster Extraordinaire
In 1968,a new type of music was introduced called “psychedelic soul”-One of its leading exponents was Sly & The Family Stone-”The Essential Sly & The Family Stone” is the only collection you need-It’s chock full of Family Stone classics such as:”Dance To The Music”,”Everyday People”,”Hot Fun In The Summertime”,”Thank You”,”Stand”,& “Family Affair”-While Sly has been out of the spotlight for a while,his influence has been strong,especially on performers such as Prince-If you like 70’s funk,this collection is right up your alley.

Sly is great
This is one of my favorites by Sly and the family stone. Great selections on this CD

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Que Pasa

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Ladies and gentlemen: El Gato Barbieri strikes again!
El Gato Barbieri is like a true sound’s wizard, always surprising us with his admirable talent, untiring searcher of expressive sonorities and genuine style. Creativeness, and above all , a remarkable Latin taste, has captivated countless generations throughout his fruitful musical life.

This album seems to confirm it. The astonishing vitality, dynamic flair and inspired lyrics, make of this one a must - have. The woman I remember, Circulos (of notable Brazilian mood), Dancing with the dolphins, Cause we’ ve ended as lovers, Straight into the sunrise and Mystical are by far the most relevant pieces of this fantastic album, that despite of the years, as the good wine, every day sounds better.

A Classic-Loved by my 15 yr old!
Have owned this CD for a number of years… it’s my 15 yr old son’s favorite CD–he added it to his Ipod this Christmas. Gato is classic, latin jazz with style, class and flair unsurpassed by any others. This CD is among his best (if not his VERY best), and is enjoyed often in my home. Listen to track one for a truly memorable experience! Que Pasa!

Smmmoooth
This cd is smoooth.

I recently discovered Gato Barbieri..he is a real talent.

Great music..great artist.

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