I used to play Mortal Kombat on the PS2 some years ago. Since then, I have played almost all Mortal Kombats as well as watch the movies and it remains one of my most favorite fighting genre games. I was suprised when I discovered a Machinima series on Youtube a few nights ago about Mortal Kombat. They have a unique take on the characters of the MK series and the lore is rather interesting. It definitely is worth checking out!
So far there are 6 episodes with a new one coming out each week. I'll leave you with a trailer however!
Enjoy! ;)
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Fringe
Got sucked into watching a television series that has been around for a while now called Fringe. It is a show that knows how to put criminal investigation and pseudo-scientific terrorism together in one nice explosive package. Really, I bought season one only just a few days ago and I'm half-way through watching season two already.
Think: Teleportation, Mind-control, Mutations - even alternate universes and you've got a show full of these delightful events called Fringe!
Here, I'll leave you with a trailer that I'm sure you will enjoy!
Think: Teleportation, Mind-control, Mutations - even alternate universes and you've got a show full of these delightful events called Fringe!
Here, I'll leave you with a trailer that I'm sure you will enjoy!
Thursday 5 May 2011
Arcanists!
I used to be a big fan of Worm type games since I was a little kid and had discovered the first Worms game. Ever since then I lost interest and forgot about it all. However, after recently finding myself with a bit of spare time at college, I decided to browse some of the interesting games hosted at Funorb.com
I came across a worms-style game called Arcanists and found myself playing it more often every time I had spare time. Essentially, you play a small wizard and can access a variety of different elemental spell books such as; fire, ice, earth, darkness, holy, etc.
You can mix and match different spells from different books to try and defeat your opponent. Spells can come in the from as shields, bombs, missiles and summoning all used to try and survive!
I reccommend anyone into the Worms games to check this out!
I came across a worms-style game called Arcanists and found myself playing it more often every time I had spare time. Essentially, you play a small wizard and can access a variety of different elemental spell books such as; fire, ice, earth, darkness, holy, etc.
You can mix and match different spells from different books to try and defeat your opponent. Spells can come in the from as shields, bombs, missiles and summoning all used to try and survive!
I reccommend anyone into the Worms games to check this out!
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| Image from http://4.bp.blogspot.com |
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Beyond Black Mesa / Escape from City 17
v Aside from the Battlefield series that I mentioned my love for some previous posts ago, there was also an old FPS game that I absolutely fell in love with and became addicted to. That was Half Life. Set in a secret underground laboratory, you play the role of Gordan Freeman whom, through a series of unfortunate and completely catastrophic events, throws the world into jeopardy - unleashing a torrent of alien scum to invade earth and provoking ''The Combine''.
Half Life and its respected counterparts including Half Life 2 were all great games, and I was delighted to stumble upon two fan made videos the other day whilst browsing Youtube. They both really bring a sense of realism to the Half Life genre. They are both equally amazing videos, and if you have ever played Half Life, this is definately worth checking out!
Beyond Black Mesa
Escape from City 17
Half Life and its respected counterparts including Half Life 2 were all great games, and I was delighted to stumble upon two fan made videos the other day whilst browsing Youtube. They both really bring a sense of realism to the Half Life genre. They are both equally amazing videos, and if you have ever played Half Life, this is definately worth checking out!
Beyond Black Mesa
Escape from City 17
The Robot that .... Recycles?
"Engineers in Finland have created a robot that can recycle."
I am an avid browser when it comes to online news channels, and after visiting BBC's Click, I found out that they created a robot that is able to recycle for us, eliminating to some extent the need for human intervention when it comes to rubbish.
Yes! In fact, this robot is actually clever enough to distinguish key differences between every day pieces of rubbish, discerning items such as wood, metal, plastic as well as other things allowing it to recognise a whole variety of different materials.
This robot also apparently has the ability to learn and pick up on mistakes. For example, items such as wood which have metal objects in it such as nails and door hinges can be processed once it has learnt and knows what to look for.
Needless to say I doubt the people who work with recycling won't be too pleased by being replaced by a robot, but it does seem that that is the growing trend.
I am an avid browser when it comes to online news channels, and after visiting BBC's Click, I found out that they created a robot that is able to recycle for us, eliminating to some extent the need for human intervention when it comes to rubbish.
Yes! In fact, this robot is actually clever enough to distinguish key differences between every day pieces of rubbish, discerning items such as wood, metal, plastic as well as other things allowing it to recognise a whole variety of different materials.
This robot also apparently has the ability to learn and pick up on mistakes. For example, items such as wood which have metal objects in it such as nails and door hinges can be processed once it has learnt and knows what to look for.
Needless to say I doubt the people who work with recycling won't be too pleased by being replaced by a robot, but it does seem that that is the growing trend.
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| Image from http://cdn.venturebeat.com |
Monday 2 May 2011
Bin Laden no longer.
Ah yes, posted everywhere right now is news of the actual demise of one of the most sought after terrorists in the world. Osama Bin Laden. His demise comes as a result of a ground operation which consisted of a co-ordinated ground effort assault against a compound harbouring the fugitive.
It has been confirmed that Bin Laden was killed in the 40 minute assault against the compound and his body has since been retrieved and verified.
However, critics claim that this won't halt terrorist activities but may result in a rise in retaliation and terrorist movement. I believe that, with Osama Bin Laden now gone, al-Qaeda's activities will be severely hindered as a result.
Good riddance.
It has been confirmed that Bin Laden was killed in the 40 minute assault against the compound and his body has since been retrieved and verified.
However, critics claim that this won't halt terrorist activities but may result in a rise in retaliation and terrorist movement. I believe that, with Osama Bin Laden now gone, al-Qaeda's activities will be severely hindered as a result.
Good riddance.
Sunday 1 May 2011
Spotify
So I have just got into this program recently called Spotify. Essentially, it is a subscription based service which allows the streaming of music files almost instantly to the user. After hearing some good things about it from a friend, I decided to try it out.
So first impressions are that I am actually quite impressed with this service. I've since learnt that Spotify offers its users additional feature which allows subscribers to take their music offline when they are travelling. Spotify does this by saving the MP3 files inside the software which is perfect for someone like me who likes to travel alot.
Not only that, but it is also has an application on popular phones such as Iphones and other smartphones whereby you can stream music on the move - which I think is excellent. Overall, I rate this service a 10/10 for any music lover out there. Whether you are someone who likes to travel or wants access to a wide range of music - this one is for you.
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| Image from http://i.telegraph.co.uk |
Not only that, but it is also has an application on popular phones such as Iphones and other smartphones whereby you can stream music on the move - which I think is excellent. Overall, I rate this service a 10/10 for any music lover out there. Whether you are someone who likes to travel or wants access to a wide range of music - this one is for you.
Saturday 30 April 2011
Minecraft - What is it?
Anyone vaguely interested or involved with the online gaming community will no doubt have heard about the new and somewhat unexpected popularity of the latest indie game sensation - Minecraft!
Written by Swedish Indie game developer commonly known as 'Notch', Minecraft became somewhat of an overnight sensation. Sweeping across the gaming community, Minecraft reached thousands and eventually millions of hits and continues to grow today.
So what IS Minecraft? I'll explain.
Minecraft is an infinite world, randomly generated and populated with NPCs. A player can spend hours forging out their own homes, buildings - whatever comes to mind. But to do so requires dedication, raw materials such as wood and stone come from the environment itself, so a player needs to collect and craft equipment to efficiently gather the resources they need to build their constructs.
"You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum"
To quote Saruman from Lord of the Rings, Minecraft is all about collecting resources, some of them more rarer than others. The further you dig down into the earth, the more unique resources you can collect; such as diamond and gold. But as you go down deeper, you risk your entire inventory as you encounter strange noises and sudden movement. Oh yes, not only is Minecraft populated with cows roaming the rolling green hills and sheep bouncing over the horizon, but there exists a more sinister threat to exploring this terrain.
The risk of encountering zombies, skeletons and red-eyed giant spiders is always a concern as you scramble to traverse entire cave systems to gather that little bit of diamond somewhere in the patchy darkness. These monsters can and will attack you, and if you die - you lose everything.
But with risk comes great rewards, and indeed, players are rewarded for their bravery as they attain items and rewards that can be used to add to their special 'project'. Red-stone (commonly found deep underground) can be used to power automatic door-ways and traps - you get the idea.
Players can really experience this game in their own way. Difficulty settings can be adjusted to fit play-style, mod-packs and texture-packs can be installed to always keep Minecraft looking fresh and different. This game always presents the player with a lot of fun challenges and so much creative possibility!
Written by Swedish Indie game developer commonly known as 'Notch', Minecraft became somewhat of an overnight sensation. Sweeping across the gaming community, Minecraft reached thousands and eventually millions of hits and continues to grow today.
So what IS Minecraft? I'll explain.
Minecraft is an infinite world, randomly generated and populated with NPCs. A player can spend hours forging out their own homes, buildings - whatever comes to mind. But to do so requires dedication, raw materials such as wood and stone come from the environment itself, so a player needs to collect and craft equipment to efficiently gather the resources they need to build their constructs.
"You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum"
To quote Saruman from Lord of the Rings, Minecraft is all about collecting resources, some of them more rarer than others. The further you dig down into the earth, the more unique resources you can collect; such as diamond and gold. But as you go down deeper, you risk your entire inventory as you encounter strange noises and sudden movement. Oh yes, not only is Minecraft populated with cows roaming the rolling green hills and sheep bouncing over the horizon, but there exists a more sinister threat to exploring this terrain.
 |
| Image from http://bwochinski.files.wordpress.com/ |
The risk of encountering zombies, skeletons and red-eyed giant spiders is always a concern as you scramble to traverse entire cave systems to gather that little bit of diamond somewhere in the patchy darkness. These monsters can and will attack you, and if you die - you lose everything.
But with risk comes great rewards, and indeed, players are rewarded for their bravery as they attain items and rewards that can be used to add to their special 'project'. Red-stone (commonly found deep underground) can be used to power automatic door-ways and traps - you get the idea.
Players can really experience this game in their own way. Difficulty settings can be adjusted to fit play-style, mod-packs and texture-packs can be installed to always keep Minecraft looking fresh and different. This game always presents the player with a lot of fun challenges and so much creative possibility!
Friday 29 April 2011
Gaming - Battlefield 1942 / 2
So today I got to wondering about the many games that I have played throughout my life. The ones I have enjoyed playing for years and the ones I feel have made an impact on the gaming community.
The very first game that REALLY got me hooked was EA's Battlefield 1942, a First-person based shooter set within the World war 2 era. This game was truely fantastic and a testiment to the what would become a series of Battlefield games.
This game was great, it allowed you to play it in many different ways and really allowed you to develop a playstyle. For example, clans were formed at the time whereby they needed experienced pilots for dog-fights. I was a pretty good pilot myself, and the expanse on some of the maps really allowed some great air combat.
Other maps like Berlin were more infantry based which required stealth and precision. Usually I took up the sniper-rifle kit and scouted ahead feeding back to my clan on teamspeak the enemy's movements and allowed for some fantastic team-work and gameplay.
When Battlefield 2 was announced, I really anticipated the core qualities, which made Battlefield 1942 a great game, transfering over to a much more modern combat scenario. EA did this perfectly, and with the introduction of squads and in-game communication, team effort really became the driving point of my experience.
The very first game that REALLY got me hooked was EA's Battlefield 1942, a First-person based shooter set within the World war 2 era. This game was truely fantastic and a testiment to the what would become a series of Battlefield games.
This game was great, it allowed you to play it in many different ways and really allowed you to develop a playstyle. For example, clans were formed at the time whereby they needed experienced pilots for dog-fights. I was a pretty good pilot myself, and the expanse on some of the maps really allowed some great air combat.
Other maps like Berlin were more infantry based which required stealth and precision. Usually I took up the sniper-rifle kit and scouted ahead feeding back to my clan on teamspeak the enemy's movements and allowed for some fantastic team-work and gameplay.
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| Image from nerdiest-kids.com |
When Battlefield 2 was announced, I really anticipated the core qualities, which made Battlefield 1942 a great game, transfering over to a much more modern combat scenario. EA did this perfectly, and with the introduction of squads and in-game communication, team effort really became the driving point of my experience.
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| Image from http://ghoshehsoft.files.wordpress.com |
Thursday 28 April 2011
So here is to starting!
For a while now I have been anxious to start blogging and begin the process of writing down my inner thoughts and ideas onto a site like this. It is something I have always wanted to do, something I want to experiment with, and to give myself a platform on which to express myself. So here goes!
The Royal Wedding.
To begin with, I want to talk about the recent media hype concerning the Royal wedding. There has been among many people a lot of debate as to whether or not the British and other international media are making too big of a deal out of the situation.
I'm no historian, but after reflecting upon some of the things I had learnt about the 'Royal Monarchy' in my earlier years at school, I have come to realise that Royalty today is very different to what it was just a few hundred years ago. The Monarchy of those times stood at the heart of the British economical structure, royalty was more prominently regarded in the eyes of the people than it is today.
I look to the royalty of today and find it synonymous with celebritism in a sense that british people take more of an interest in top figures like footballers, pop stars and other people that are so often in the public eye. I asked my friends and family whether they actually take an interest in royalty, and they simply responded with 'no'.
I suppose it takes a Royal wedding every so often to 'freshen up' the public image of the monarchy, and with top football and pop-singer icons reportedly receiving invites to the wedding, it leads me to assume that the entire reason for all this hype is to boost the monarchy's somewhat already low reputation. Instead, give seats to the people that have served their country in one way or another, and not just the top generals or health-care figures, but to the soldiers on the front line and to the people who save lives.
That is my opinion, and with all that said, I do wish Prince William and Kate Middleton a happy marriage. One that won't end up a disastor!
The Royal Wedding.
To begin with, I want to talk about the recent media hype concerning the Royal wedding. There has been among many people a lot of debate as to whether or not the British and other international media are making too big of a deal out of the situation.
I'm no historian, but after reflecting upon some of the things I had learnt about the 'Royal Monarchy' in my earlier years at school, I have come to realise that Royalty today is very different to what it was just a few hundred years ago. The Monarchy of those times stood at the heart of the British economical structure, royalty was more prominently regarded in the eyes of the people than it is today.
I look to the royalty of today and find it synonymous with celebritism in a sense that british people take more of an interest in top figures like footballers, pop stars and other people that are so often in the public eye. I asked my friends and family whether they actually take an interest in royalty, and they simply responded with 'no'.
I suppose it takes a Royal wedding every so often to 'freshen up' the public image of the monarchy, and with top football and pop-singer icons reportedly receiving invites to the wedding, it leads me to assume that the entire reason for all this hype is to boost the monarchy's somewhat already low reputation. Instead, give seats to the people that have served their country in one way or another, and not just the top generals or health-care figures, but to the soldiers on the front line and to the people who save lives.
That is my opinion, and with all that said, I do wish Prince William and Kate Middleton a happy marriage. One that won't end up a disastor!
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