Beginners Review

In Jorge Furtado's 1989 film Isle of Flowers, the narrator exposes, mimicking the authoritative tone of didactic documentaries, the inter-connectedness between all humans on the planet and the objects that guarantee their survival. Like a refreshingly zoomed-out Google map of commodity kinship, Furtado's film establishes these chains of attainment runescape gold and loss (someone's rubbish is someone else's dessert) through a mise-en-abyme-like series of visual associations. Ewan McGregor's voice in Beginners strings together this poignant melancholia of a film in much more intimate ways, but with the same trans-narcissistic spirit: I am nothing without you.

McGregor plays Oliver, a dog-loving graphic artist too creative for the marketplace, a lover eager to love but too terrified to lose and a son mourning the death of his cancer-struck father (a flawless Christopher Plummer). It's Oliver's apprenticeship of grief that drives the film into an immaculate weaving of flashbacks, present-day experiences, and atemporal ruminations rs gold about the position the self occupies in relationship to other humans, and to human history. Here, personal pain is never an excuse for self-hagiography or ego trips travestied in a quest for "the universal." The human experience is always atomized by what exceeds any particular human: Oliver's father's belated public queerness (he comes out at age 75) becomes entangled with images of the gay-rights movement, a figment of light triggers some pondering about what the sun and the stars look like in 2003, and a beautiful face takes us back to what pretty looked like in 1938.

One of the most distinct pleasures of Beginners is the way it puts together fragments of someone's life—presumably the filmmaker's, though little does it matter—with humility, and without vying for some complete whole. The film understands its subject(s) as contradicting and broken, and its lovers runescape money not as complements for each other, but rough-surfaced supplements. At the same time that they want something, they don't. Desire completely escapes the myth of romantic love as it often becomes repulsion when one gets too close to one's object of affection.

This object for Oliver comes in the shape of Anna (the mesmeric Mélanie Laurent), the kind of enviably cool French girl who goes hiking barefooted with the boys and discusses Derrida in a Dominique Sirop gown with the same grace runescape items and effortlessness. He meets her at a highbrow costume party in which he dresses up as Sigmund Freud and takes "patients" on a living room couch. One of these patients is Anna, hiding her radiating femininity dressed as Charlie Chaplin, and whose laryngitis keeps her from speaking. What would perhaps be a therapeutic impossibility for the role-playing "talking cure" becomes a rather charming approach to storytelling that evokes silent film's wittily economical intertitles. Anna scribbles her muted speech on a note pad that she keeps showing Oliver: "Why are you at a party if you're sad?" There's something incredibly melancholic and immersive about this moment in the film, which introduces a string of scenes that evoke those very magical first few days in which miserably depressed mortals fall in love and act like immortal characters from a New Wave film, claiming the night and the city as their own and reading Liv Ullman biographies at open-'til-late bookstores.

While a great amount of celluloid has been spent fetishizing this very ephemeral period of mind-numbing bliss, Beginners keeps the anxieties attached to this instant of happy insanity at the foreground of the romance. Beginners is all about human ambiguity, contradiction, shades of gray, and the inherent imbrication runescape accounts of the joy of having something and the terror of losing it; the gratefulness of the moment is almost overridden by the dread, or knowledge, that it won't last. This possibility of horror that accompanies granted happiness—the notion that now one has something to actually lose—is the fabric Beginners uses to delicately tease out its love story.

Oliver's self-sabotaging mechanisms work to both guarantee the fantasy of romance and undermine its actualization. His psychoanalytically inclined insight, "I don't really believe that it's gonna work so I make sure that it doesn't work," is the driving force for the camera's exploration of sadness just as much as the love affair's quixotic thrills. The film's very counter-zeitgeist awareness of the self as a mere variable in a much larger equation that it cannot control, as well as its disarming belief in the human subject as perpetually split, ends up outing lots of cinematic love stories (Sofia Coppola's come to mind) as embarrassingly silly, air-filled masquerades of authorial pretension. Beginners is the real thing.

Treme returns to HBO, as good or better than ever

By ED BARK
Melodic as ever amid the overall pain and disappointments, Treme remains tremendous as it returns for a second season on HBO.

Paired on Sunday nights with the new Game of Thrones (already renewed for its Season 2) Treme likewise is a series that's set in another world. Except that this also is the hard knocks real world of New Orleans, the voodoo runescape items palace of jazz, blues, revelry and 2005's near wipeout from Hurricane Katrina.

Treme (9 p.m. central) picks up on All Saints Day, 2006 -- "Fourteen Months Later." Executive producer David Simon (The Wire) remains intent on both celebrating The Big Easy and keeping Katrina in play as a not-to-be-forgotten supporting character.

"We are following the actual timeline of post-Katrina New Orleans as a means of understanding what happened -- and what didn't happen -- when an American city suffered a near-death experience," Simon says in HBO publicity materials.

Sunday's first of 11 episodes begins with a kid carrying on the city's musical heritage by haltingly practicing on his horn. His mother has shooed him away, so he takes to the streets while painstakingly playing the same notes. It's an evocative, symbolic and perfectly composed start, with the kid walking past a graveyard whose population runescape accounts has swelled in recent months. The music of Treme remains front and center, whether from clubs or street corners. It's reason enough to listen/watch, but the denizens and their evolving stories are great hooks as well.

One larger-than-life character from last season, John Goodman's profane, proselytizing Creighton Bernette, is gone but not forgotten after committing suicide. His wife, Toni (Oscar winner Melissa Leo), a crusading attorney, and their teenage rs gold daughter, Sofia (India Ennenga), are left to pick up the pieces. Sofia copes by copping a 'tude, shutting out her mother and carrying on with some of her father's Internet rants against the government's calcified response to Katrina.

Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce), Treme's quintessential man with a horn, continues to play gigs wherever he can get them while hoping to someday front his own band. Girlfriend Desiree (Phyllis Montana-Leblanc) sticks with him, and the shorthand dialogue of their relationship is one of the series' many delights.

On other fronts, LaDonna Batiste-Williams (Khandi Alexander) is still struggling to keep her bar/restaurant in business while life-long resident and cultural heritage preserver Albert Lambreaux (Clarke Peters) is increasingly despondent over losing his home and getting diddled by insurance companies. His son, Delmond (Rob Brown), remains a purist jazz trumpeter with a minimal market for his music. He divides his time between New Orleans and New York, where restaurateur Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) has relocated in hopes of making a better living. But working for a belittling, hot-tempered Gordon Ramsay-like chef is no cup of tea. And her roommates in NYC are a pair of infantile stoners.

The happier side of Treme's ensemble is helmed by radio DJ Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn), who still can't keep a job for very long but is both calmed and rejuvenated by his new live-in relationship with violinist Annie Tee (Lucia Micarelli). Her playing, by the way, is incredible, as you can see first-hand in Sunday's Episode 1.

Treme also has added a new character named Nelson Hildago. Fresh from Dallas and intent on making some quick profits runescape power leveling from both demolition and rebuilding, he's very effectively played by Jon Seda from HBO's The Pacific miniseries. The always welcome David Morse also is now a regular character after being introduced last season as police lieutenant Terry Colson. He's basically a good cop who doesn't sweat the small stuff. "Let Bourbon Street be Bourbon Street," he stresses to his troops. Drunken businessmen with their pants down are good for business, so simply send them on their way.

The dialogue is as rich as the music, whether brief and to the point or an elongated discourse. In Episode 2, Delmond's spirited defense of New Orleans music at an elitist New York party is something you just don't get anywhere else. But back home, LaDonna's one-word put-down is delicious, too. Live music might perk up her business, she tells an employee, but there are upsides and downsides.

"What's the downside?" she's asked.

"Musicians," LaDonna snorts with perfect disdain.

Treme is a many-splendored triumph of slow-cooked storytelling and hot, humid music. Is it HBO's best drama series ever? From a ratings runescape gold standpoint, no way, no how. But you won't find a better rendering of time and place anywhere else on the sprawling TV landscape. This is still the real deal, through and through.

Top 10 Celebrities Who Have Killed Someone

We have many lists on the site relating to murder, killing and death in general. This list takes a slightly different angle from those in that it relates specifically to celebrities who have killed, or been accused of having killed. None of the entries here are celebrities because of their crimes; they are all people who committed (or were accused) after their celebrity was already established.


10 Snoop Dogg
Rapper

The rapper famous for his duet with D. Dre in ‘Ain’t Nothin but a G Thing.’ He was arrested and put on trial in connection with the death of Philip Woldemariam, a member of a rival gang who was shot and killed by Snoop’s bodyguard, McKinley Lee. Both Snoop runescape gold and Lee were defended by Johnnie Cochran at the trial, and were both found not guilty on grounds of self-defense. He has since gone on to enjoy a lucrative career.


9 Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle
Silent Film Actor

A silent film actor who acted alongside the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mabel Normand. Some of his most notable films are ”His Wedding Night,” “Coney Island,” and “Out West.” On September 5, 1921, he rented rooms 1220 and 1221, at the San Fransisco St. Francis Hotel, and invited several women along. One of these women was a party loving actress named Virginia Rappe. Rappe was already in poor health as a result of heavy drinking and multiple abortions. A drunken Rappe claimed that Arbuckle tried to rape her while she was unconscious. After she died, a week later, it was theorized that Arbuckle may have raped her with a Coca Cola rs gold bottle, resulting in her bladder rupturing. He was found innocent at a trial, however his career never recovered from the scandal, and it haunted him until his death, in 1933.


8 C-Murder
Rapper

Rapper C-Murder, aka Corey Miller, who was part of the rap group TRU, with his brothers Master P and Silkk the Shocker, was at the Platinum Club in Harvey, Louisiana, on January 12, 2002. After an altercation resulted in 16 year old Steve Thomas being beaten and shot to death, Miller was identified as the assailant. After being convicted of second degree murder, the verdict was overturned by the Louisiana Supreme Court, in 2006. A second trial found him and the brother of rap mogul Master P guilty, and they were sentenced to life in prison. It has been said that the motivation for the killing was after Thomas embarrassed C-Murder during a rap battle hosted at the club that evening.


7 Gig Young
Actor

Academy award winning actor Gig Young, won Best Supporting Actor for “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” and appeared in films like “Sergeant York,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Teacher’s Pet,” “The Touch of Mink” and “Game of Death.” He married his fourth wife, 21 year old German actress Kim Schmidt, at the age of 64. Three weeks after their marriage, the couple was found dead in their Manhattan apartment. Police ultimately concluded that Young killed Schmidt, and then turned the gun on himself. No motive for the killing was ever made clear.


6 Don King
Boxing Promoter

Don King has promoted some of the most well known names in boxing, such as Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield. After dropping out of Kent State University, he ran an illegal bookmaking operation runescape money and was charged with two different killings, 13 years apart. After he shot Hillary Brown in the back, it was found to be a justifiable homicide since Brown was attempting to rob him. King was convicted of second degree murder after he stomped Sam Garrett to death, an employee who owed him $600. He served just under four years in prison.


5 Paul Kelly
Actor

Stage and screen actor, Paul Kelly won a Tony Award for his role in the play “Command Decision.” During a fistfight, in 1927, with actor Ray Raymond, he ended up beating Raymond to death. He spent 25 months in San Quentin prison. Kelly later married Raymond’s widow, Dorothy MacKaye, who was briefly imprisoned as an accomplice. He died in 1956, of a heart attack at age 57.


4 Sid Vicious
Bassist for the Sex Pistols

Sid Vicious was the bassist for the controversial punk rock group the Sex Pistols. Along with his girlfriend, prostitute Nancy Spungen, he suffered from heroin addiction. One night, while staying in their room at New York’s Hotel runescape items Chelsea, Sid woke to find Nancy stabbed to death in the bathroom. He was arrested and charged for her killing. He frequently changed his story saying that he stabbed her, not meaning to kill her, in the middle of an argument, and then claimed he didn’t remember what happened. Sid died a few months later from a heroin overdose.


3 Phil Spector
Record Producer

This legendary record producer has backed numerous music legends such as the Beatles, the Ramones, Ike and Tina Turner and the Righteous Brothers. After actress Lana Clarkson was found shot to death in his mansion, Spector claimed the gunshot was self inflicted, but numerous people have claimed to have been held at gunpoint by Spector in the past. The first trial resulted in a hung jury, while the second trial found him guilty, and he was sentenced to 19 years to life.


2 Robert Blake
Actor

The actor who starred in films like “In Cold Blood” and the TV series “Baretta”, also started out as a child star in the 1930’s in the “Our Gang” series. In 2000, he married Christian Brando’s (Marlon Brando’s son) ex girlfriend, Bonnie Lee Bakley, who had a history of exploiting older men, especially celebrities for money. The couple went out to eat and, after leaving, Blake claims he went back to the restaurant with Bonnie in the car, to retrieve his gun he left at the table. When he returned to the car Bonnie was found shot to death. He was put on trial for her killing, but was later found innocent. Another jury found him liable for Bakley’s death, and he was ordered to pay her children $30 million.


1 O.J. Simpson
Footballer and actor

O.J. Simpson was recently divorced from his wife, Nicole Brown. When Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found stabbed to death, much evidence pointed towards Simpson whose high speed chase and trial became headline news for over a year. He was eventually found not guilty in a controversial verdict, despite DNA runescape accounts evidence and a long history of spousal abuse. He was found responsible for their wrongful deaths by a civil court, and in 2006 wrote a hypothetical book explaining how he could have killed them. Some say he did it, some say he didn’t. We will probably never know.

Top 10 Discontinued Sodas

I lived for pop long before I was able to gorge myself on beer. I was an aficionado of sorts, and attempted to try all the soda I could as often as I could. Many of my favorite pops as a kid and a young adult have since gone the way of the Dodo; disappearing into oblivion. Sometimes a few make it back for another life, but, like the ten here on this list, many have faded away only to survive on Ebay and web sites. Enjoy them here, while they last.


10. Coke II

So, back when Coca Cola started to slump a little in sales to its fiercest competitor, Pepsi Cola, someone made the executive decision to dink around with Coke's secret formula thereby making it taste more like, well, PEPSI. It wasn't bad, per se , but it sure as hell wasn't Coke. I remember consuming mass quantities of this stuff runescape money by can and, the newest form of container: 2 liters. This was an early eighties disaster and it always managed to make an appearance at our sleep-overs and it did a fine job of keeping us wired for hours. I think it had more sugar as well. I really do miss this stuff, but sadly, when Coke went back to its 'Classic' formula permanently, Coke II disappeared into soda oblivion.





9. Hubba Bubba



The strongest memory I have of Hubba Bubba Soda is from high school. We, in the ass-backward, dirt-water, shit-hole that is Paw Paw Michigan, used to hold school-wide contests involving all manner of self-deprecation. One of the 'games' was the infamous 'Pop Chug'. The teaching staff that came up with this gem were sick and evil sadists of the highest degree. Everyone would stand over a beach towel with a 'spotter' on one side and commence to gulping as much warm Hubba Bubba Soda runescape items as humanly possible. Loads of fun. I was never a big fan of this gum-flavored pop, but it does hold certain high esteem in my clogged memory bank.


8. Pepsi's Wild Bunch

Just in case the images aren't clear, we've got: Raging Razzberry, Tropical Chill, and Strawberry Burst. I love how Raspberry is cleverly misspelled into 'cool' territory with the two 'Z's. Very nice. Anyway, The deepest remembrances I have of this particular trio was the chilling innards of my grandparent's ancient refrigerator in their garage. It was one of those 'chill chest' types with the giant metal walk-in-restaurant-freezer style of handle and enough wattage to cause neighborhood brown outs. Yeah, that thing was always chock full of every conceivable beverage from beer to Bosco . Every time we'd visit we'd try to find the most odd drink we could dig out of there and I quite fondly remember tossing back a few of these guys. Dead and gone now. No, not my Grandparents, but the fridge and the soda, for sure.


7. Surge

Though not out of circulation as long as some of these, Surge has still become a classic to many a pining American. Coca Cola distributed this green soda for quite some time. I can remember it coming in to its own right around 1995 or so, and really building up steam for a few years before succumbing to the popularity of other, weaker, beverages. It had a citrus-like flavor runescape accounts to it but there was something almost lime-Jell-O-ish in the back ground that would always leave a little tang phlegm at the back of my throat. But it was pretty tasty and I could knock back a 2 liter in a sitting no problem. Almost, but not quite, melted candy.


6. Leed

Leed was a carbonated lemonade drink sold in some parts of the world during the middle to late 20th century. It was produced and distributed by Coca-Cola Amatil only in New Zealand and Australia. Leed was one of the staple drinks among New Zealand retailers during the 1980s and was probably the most common lemonade drink distributed by Coca-Cola Amatil during its life. In 1984, Leed was discontinued and replaced by the more widely known Sprite brand. Accompanying this change was also a new recipe.


5. Josta

This was a pretty recent extinction as well. I remember drinking a few of these back when Guarana was the new kid on the beverage block being marketed by Coke as the energy source of choice. Josta was so chock-full of the stuff you could, in fact, taste it. It was a tad medicine-y, but that flavor was nicely buried beneath runescape power leveling the strong fruit and spice overtones that assaulted your taste buds moments before. This pop was far different taste wise than just about anything else out there, and it was pretty decent while it lasted.


4. Orbitz

Oh yeah, soda with little chewy chunks in it. Outstanding. Somehow, the creators of this beverage managed to thwart the normalcies of science by allowing starch nuggets to suspend themselves ever so beautifully in a super-sweet solution. It was really good, too. I remember Target selling the hell out of this stuff for quite a while. I enjoyed the drinking part, but somehow, coming to the little lumps floating there in was a lot like drinking a glass of gravy except a lot sweeter. I do miss it.


3. Kick

Kick was a lot like the bastard step-son of Mountain Dew and Mello Yellow. It tasted really similar to both, but almost leaning a bit toward Mello Yellow runescape gold with its citrus overtones. I actually preferred it over either and would go through a case of this stuff during my late night Dungeons and Dragons marathons. I think it may have made a bit of a come back lately, but not around here. Too bad.


2. Slice

Slice was the precursor to Sierra Mist by the Pepsi corporation and for my buck, it tasted a whole lot better. My grandmother, in her massive fridge of holding, used to keep a constant supply of the Mandarin Orange flavor of this stuff. I hate mandarin oranges in any form, so I stuck to the lemon-lime standard and all was good with the world. There was something less overpowering about Slice as compared to 7-UP; not quite as crisp, not quite as effervescent, but certainly just as tasty.


1. Crystal Pepsi

I was in college in 1993 and this soda was a huge hit up at Northern Michigan U. in Marquette, Michigan. My room mate and I loved the stuff. We could get it at the local Circle K for like $2 an eight-pack of 20-ouncers. I honestly loved this stuff, I would drink the HELL out of a few packs per week. I remember one time I tried to be cool by slashing open the plastic yolk that securely held together the octuplets with my X-Acto knife. Bad idea. I ended up cutting two of the bottles and sprayed soda all over our dorm room. Not especially funny. Anyway, there was just something about the non-caramel colored Pepsi that really appealed to me. I miss this the most of all.

Top 10 Greatest Albums Of The Nineties

Clearly, these lists are lightning rods for controversy. I guess it’s fair to say I enjoy and am annoyed by it at the same time, as some of the comments are thought provoking and some induce cringes (suggesting Journey albums, really?). However, I think the decade that will cause the most controversy is the nineties. Not only is it the freshest in our minds, but there is even less consensus than other decades. One of the most popular band in the US during this decade (Pearl Jam) was only moderately well known in the UK, and the UK’s biggest band of the nineties (Oasis) exists only in the form of one album in America. Like the other decades, there are more than 10 great albums, but these are the ones I think are the best.


10. Different Class - Pulp

Unlike their Britpop peers, Pulp had been around for a good long time before they finally made it big with Different Class with its big single, “Common People.” Jarvis Cocker became a spokesperson alongside Blur’s Damon Albarn and Oasis’ Noel Gallagher runescape gold for the new music scene that had swept the UK. Cocker, never comfortable with his position, went into a dark period following Different Class which is documented on their follow-up, This Is Hardcore.


9. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

So much has been said about My Bloody Valentine’s brilliant “Loveless” that I just don’t feel it necessary to elaborate farther. Frankly, I wonder if I should have put it higher on this list as I’m sure several of you will find its spot at number nine not high enough for such a great album, and you may be right.


8. Achtung Baby - U2

After the mixed reception of Rattle And Hum, the U2 camp was divided over which way to go. Bono and the Edge wanted to pursue a more techno/electronica oriented direction, while Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. wanted to stay with the sound they were known for. Tension grew to high levels until the Edge rs gold came up with the progression for “One,” and the rest is history. One of the all time great sound reinventions in rock and roll history.


7. Automatic For The People - R.E.M.

Automatic For The People is considered to be among R.E.M.’s best albums, and certainly their best release of the nineties. Automatic For The People continues the folk/country rock/classical pop themes of the band’s previous albums runescape money Green and Out of Time. U2′s Bono called it “the greatest country record never made.” The album had 3 top 40 hits in the US, among them “Man on the Moon,” one of R.E.M.’s biggest hits.


6. The Downwards Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

Trent Reznor’s most famous work is also his strangest. The album was recorded in a building whose history is tied to the Manson Family, while his songs make that subject matter seem somewhat tame. Really, is there anyone who doesn’t feel at least a little uncomfortable when they hear Reznor wail, “Your god is dead, and no one cares, if there is a hell, I’ll see you there,”? Certainly not this writer. The Downwards Spiral contains two of rocks most recognizable songs, the lustful “Closer” and the ache of “Hurt.” The latter was famously covered by Johnny Cash, which some say is the definitive version. In either case, the album is a conceptual masterwork.


5. Grace - eff Buckley

It’s tragic that this is the only album we ever received from Jeff Buckley during his lifetime. Like his famous father (Tim Buckley), Jeff died mysteriously in a swimming incident during the recording of his second album. However, with only one album released during his life time, we got a man who shaped what is the model for modern singer/songwriters. More than just an amazing voice, Jeff’s songs span runescape items from Led Zeppelin epics (“Mojo Pin,” “Eternal Life”) to the tenderness of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” with Buckley’s version becoming the definitive reading. It’s hard to imagine Radiohead being what they are today without the groundwork of Grace.


4. Nevermind - Nirvana

Nevermind is popularly known as the album that brought alternative music into the mainstream. The album with its popular track, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” certainly opened the door for similar bands to become commercially viable, such as fellow Seattle bands Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains. The album contains many of the decades greatest songs, such as the aforementioned “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” “In Bloom,” and “Lithium.”


3. Ten - Pearl Jam

Rarely can a band rock as hard as Hendrix and yet be as lyrically relevant as Pete Townshend. Ten shows that Pearl Jam could do just that. While addressing issues like abortion, depression, suicide, and singer Eddie Vedder’s own checkered past. In the early nineties, it was not the norm for grunge bands to write anthems, but Pearl Jam did so successfully with “Alive” and “Jeremy.” The former deals with (and slightly exaggerates) Eddie’s own discovery that the man whom he thought was his father wasn’t, while the latter deals with a young student’s suicide during an English class. Along with the hard rocking “Evenflow” and “Black,” Pearl Jam runescape accounts became instant favorites in the United States, although they have never been able to find quite the same success in the UK.


2. Definitely Mayb - Oasis

Definitely Maybe is the album the US audience missed, and it is one of the biggest crimes against music. Definitely Maybe is superior to its successor, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? in every way, yet the only the latter is recognized in the states. The album shows that from the outset, Oasis had a fully developed sound. One needs not go any farther than “Live Forever” to see that the band was the real deal. That song is in many ways a statement of its time as “My Generation” was for the sixties. Great melody, great lyrics, great vocals, everything. But there are also well known songs “Supersonic,” “Shakermaker,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll Star,” “Cigarette’s & Alcohol,” and the beautiful “Slide Away.” For those of you who haven’t heard this album (and I imagine most of my reader’s have not), go get a copy now, even if you didn’t care for Morning Glory. It’s that good.


1. OK Computer - Radiohead

Radiohead went from being presumed one hit wonders due to their grungy hit “Creep” (not to be confused with the mediocre Stone Temple Pilots song of the same name) to being serious contenders with their second album The Bends. Thom Yorke decided he wanted to go even further, and the band reinvented itself for 1997’s OK Computer. Gone are many of the aggressive guitars that defined their sound and in came atmospheric soundscapes. Radiohead had been depressing, but they had never been as nihilistic as OK Computer. Songs like “Karma Police” can make you question morality, however, the lyrics can easily be overlooked when listening to the album. The sound is just so different than anything else before it. It would be cliché to say the album broke down barriers, but it’s true, so much so that it made Kid A possible.

Bulls' Joakim Noah latest to come under fire for using gay slur

Miami— Bulls center Joakim Noah apologized again Monday for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals runescape items, and was bracing for punishment — likely a large fine — from the NBA.

Meanwhile, two major advocacy groups called upon the league to sanction Noah.

Noah and NBA officials met Monday morning. The league had no immediate comment, but Noah said he emerged from that talk prepared to "pay the price" for what happened when he returned to the bench with two fouls midway through the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the Miami Heat.

The NBA decided on a fine of $50,000.

"The fan said something that was disrespectful towards me," Noah said. "And I went back at him. Got it on camera. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not like that. I'm an open-minded guy. I said the wrong thing and I'm going to pay the consequences — deal with the consequences — like a man. I don't want to be a distraction to the team right now."

Television cameras captured Noah saying an expletive, followed by the slur. Noah runescape accounts said he did not realize the gravity of the situation until he was questioned by reporters after the game Sunday, adding that he meant "no disrespect" to anyone.

Last month, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers was fined $100,000 for directing the same slur toward a referee.

Both incidents come as the basketball world has seen two high-profile figures come out as gay — Suns president Rick Welts and former Villanova star Will Sheridan.

"We know what business we are in," Heat forward LeBron James said Monday. "Emotions get played. ... I don't think it was right what (Noah) said. But emotions runescape power leveling do get said over the course of the game. We know there's going to be microphones. We know there's going to be cameras around. You just have to be cautious about what you say and just try to control your emotions as much as possible."

The Heat won Sunday's game 96-85, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Miami.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, said it reached out to the NBA and the Bulls on Monday "to discuss next steps," and called upon the league to reiterate to its players that anti-gay words should not be tolerated in the game.

"Last month the NBA sent an important message about how such slurs fuel a climate of intolerance and are unacceptable," GLAAD president runescape gold Jarrett Barrios said in a statement. "These anti-gay remarks, coming so soon after, demonstrate how much needs to be done."

GLAAD said it has started a partnership with Bryant and the Lakers following the April incident in Los Angeles. Also Monday, the Human Rights Campaign called Noah's use of the slur "just plain unacceptable."

"At a time when the NBA and a growing number of pro-athletes are publicly standing up for equality, it's too bad Mr. Noah worked against their efforts last night," HRC president Joe Solmonese said. "That said, we're pleased he quickly realized the error of his ways and apologized."

Some of Noah's teammates stood up for him Monday, saying that the fan went too far in whatever comments were directed toward the Bulls' bench.

"It wasn't just one time or two times," said Bulls forward Luol Deng, who declined to say what comments rs gold the fan may have made. "He just kept going and it became really annoying. He just lost his temper."

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer said he was not aware of exactly what took place in the bench area, but noted it happens somewhat regularly.

"That's a part of the game," Boozer said. "Fans have the right to say what they want to say after they buy their tickets. Unfortunately sometimes, for us, we just have to sit there and take it. Unfortunately, that's part of sports."

Noah repeated often Monday that he was apologetic for the incident. He said he would "learn from my mistakes," and acknowledged that being frustrated over picking up his second foul did not excuse his words.

"I'll remember," Noah said. "I'll remember it for a long time."

EA Sports Active 2 review: The (almost) perfect fit

This sequel to the hugely popular EA Sports Active for Wii expands its fitness dominion to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, stepping things up by including motion tracking sensors and delivering real-time runescape gold information about your heart rate, making it the most interactive exercise title to date.

It's clear that EA's agenda was to make this title immediately accessible to those of all experience rs gold levels, beginning with detailed instructions for suiting up in your sensors. For PS3 players this means strapping a monitor to each arm and one to your upper thigh. I'm not going to lie -- this third one is pretty evil, and wearing it any looser than a tourniquet means it will inevitably make a frustrating and slow descent down your leg throughout your workout.

On 360, the Kinect sensor is required, but, as a result you only need to wear one of the arm bands (so that it can track your heart rate). However, as is the seemingly innate problem with Kinect, you need a lot of room and it will regularly lose you -- usually when you've collapsed on the floor runescape money in exhaustion and aren't dying to stand up again to be scanned. But on the bright side, you get to keep the feeling in your leg.

Oh, and so you can avoid playing a humbling round of "Are you smarter than an Elastic Band" like I did, here is how to assemble your resistance band.

Once you're all strapped in and ready to go, you're swept away to what I've dubbed the "Hard Body Resort," a virtual fitness oasis, while the opening sequence imparts to you information about the life-changing workout adventure you are about to embark on -- with narration that is oddly reminiscent of the enlistment runescape items propaganda from Starship Troopers.

The game prompts you to enter your personal stats and you are given the option of two trainers, Niki and Devon, each with differing personality types and motivational styles which vary from nice to encouraging. (No domineering drill sergeants yet, but hey, there's always DLC). Your avatar is fully customizable from a variety of body types and hairstyles runescape accounts down to your choice of workout threads.

You're also free to create your own routines from the dozens of available exercises (there are 68 on PS3, versus only 52 on 360) or have your trainer generate one for you. Your best bet, really, is to select one of the trainer-led workout programs. The game offers a 9 Week Program to increase your overall fitness and a 3 Week Program to give you a cardio kick-start. Both plateau-defying programs increase in intensity over time.

Each exercise routine kicks off with a warm up and ends with a well-deserved cool down and stretch -- you're also encouraged to take breaks and drink water. And because this game is focused on movement rather than staying in sync with your trainers, it's much more forgiving to the, shall we say, rhythmically challenged. If you fall behind, your trainer patiently waits for you to complete each round of exercises with words of encouragement and helpful advice. The upside of this is that it's exercise novice-friendly. The downside: cheating requires quite a bit more creativity.

From curls and lunges to reverse crunches and oh-so-brutal bent arm side planks (I mean, seriously, how are they allowed under the Geneva Convention?) all the fundamental exercises are here. But what really makes this title stand out is its ability to make a workout fun. It does this by integrating sporty exercise games into your regimen, rather than expecting you to select them independently of your workout (not to mention requiring the additional motivation required to seek them out). There are soccer goal kicks, basketball jump shots and a mountain biking game with mechanics anyone playing games on Kinect will find familiar, just to name a few. Also, because of the large variety of activities available, the exercises and scenery are constantly changing, which helps pass the time and prevents your workout from becoming a sweaty snooze-fest.

The game also comes fully loaded with a variety of fitness tools to help track and reach your goals, including a workout calendar, a nutrition guide and even the ability to go online and form fitness groups with other Actives. It also supports two players, so you can work out simultaneously with a friend or challenge them to a "run-in-place-off," for you competitive types.

There's only one thing really missing which would have put this exer-game over the top: A yoga routine. EA Sports Active 2 is great for cardio and strengthening exercises, but a workout just for relaxation would have been a welcome addition and really have completed the package.

Retailing for $100, EA Sports Active 2 is going to cost you a pretty penny, but if you're serious about fitness gaming it's worth spending the extra dough. The hands-free motion control with heart monitor alone is worth the price of admission. But fortunately there's more to this game than just a gimmick – it's a solid effort all-around and a surprisingly fun way to get fit.

Dragon Age 2 review: A world of your own creation

It's pretty much impossible to have a conversation about Dragon Age: Origins without talking about its development time. Sure, it's an epic, but after so long in development (as many as eight years by some accounts) what excuse would it have not to be? Also, why does it still feel so shoehorned onto consoles?

Now, with just a fraction of the development time, BioWare has delivered Dragon Age 2, a sequel that streamlines the experience to something that feels far more at home on the 360 runescape gold or PS3 ... but might just have lost a touch of that epic feeling along the way.

Trouble is brewing in Kirkwall, a city north of Origins' homebase, Ferelden. In a conflict we're led to believe is being repeated the world over, mages are straining under the yoke of the templars, a group of knights who endeavor to keep more magically inclined citizens in line. No matter what decisions you made in Origins (some of which can be imported into Dragon Age 2) things are ... bad, to say the least.

As Hawke, an escapee from the recently-vaporized-by-Darkspawn village of Lothering, you're quickly thrust into the conflict. Depending on the class you choose at the game's start, you're either a mage rs gold yourself or have one for a sibling, so you'll have to begin choosing sides almost immediately.

With no traditional morality to speak of, Dragon Age 2 is really about choosing sides between the mages and templars. Although it's a question that's asked countless times, it's asked in progressively more interesting ways, many of which will severely challenge your allegiance. ("Sure, I support the mages, but dude, you just killed a lot of innocent people. Like, a lot.")

Beneath the surface of this binary choice, you'll have smaller scale control over how you treat others, typically selecting between "stern," "nice," and "smart-ass" options. As I progressed, I almost always went the comedic route, and characters started noticing, commenting on how easily levity came to me, or how they thought my behavior runescape money at their nephew's funeral was "really inappropriate."

The result is a lead character that I feel I have real stock in -- even more so than Mass Effect's Commander Shepard, who walks a far less interesting line between "unbelievably nice guy" and "kind of a dick."

You'll need that level of personality finesse too, with a cast of supporting characters that constantly tweak and subvert stereotypes. My favorite? Varric, a treasure hunting dwarf that also happens to be the author of a series of much-beloved pulp adventure novels.

It's such a great cast that you'll rarely notice that most all of your war buddies from Origins sit this one out, save for a couple of choice cameos.

Many of the revelations about your new companions come from interstitial conversations they'll have as you travel to your next goal. I would often find myself pairing two characters for a mission just to see what they'd talk about during and was rarely disappointed. With such a varied crew, you'll find it tough to not disappoint at least one of them with your choices, which adds welcome weight to the decision-making process.

Of course, those missions are also chock full of killing, which is one of those areas that feels vastly improved this time around (on the 360 at least).

With no auto-attack, fights feel more fast-paced and chaotic, thanks in part to the fact that I was playing a rogue who flipped wildly between enemies in a hypnotic shower of blood. It's action-heavy, sure, but also requires some tactical forethought. A straight fight between an enemy and my sneaky duelist runescape items would rarely pan out well, which required me to constantly be aware of my tougher warrior buddy's actions and location. I'm not a big proponent of the "stop and give orders" approach to combat, but Dragon Age 2 provides just the right blend of strategy and stab...egy for my tastes.

Though the tactics system, which allows you to choose what specific actions characters will take in specific situations, is still as daunting to me as ever, I found that I barely needed to adjust the preset behavioral patterns. (All of said adjustments were the addition of "If you're about to die, heal yourself" which seems like enough of a biological imperative that I shouldn't have to dictate it.) If you want it, it's there, but you won't typically have to mess with it, thanks in large part to the removal of Origins' infuriating difficulty spikes.

Smart combat, great characters, much-improved (and much less brown) graphics; I should have been sailing through Dragon Age II with a big, stupid grin on my face. And I was, until this ... gnawing set in. By the halfway point of my adventure, I couldn't shake the sense that I was not, as I had been led to believe, living out an epic story runescape accounts in an epic world. Rather, I found myself with the distinct feeling of being led through a haunted house where the next encounter was being set up just moments before my arrival.

The narrative is partly to blame. As mages became more persecuted and templars more demonized, I was always acutely aware that it was my decisions that had forced them into that mold -- and it's a mold you can reverse, at any time, all the way to the final moments. It's hard to get too worked up about a chief antagonist that was created by a dialog choice, or, as Jessica Rabbit might have said, someone who is "not bad, they're just drawn that way" ... and you're the one holding the pencil.

The modular nature of the story is also reflected in the missions, which are sort of annoyingly compartmentalized. There are a couple of longer journeys, but far too many boil down to hopping to the map, talking to someone, killing them (or not) and going back to the quest giver. You will spend far more time than you're comfortable with running back and forth between exits.

The lack of forward momentum is exacerbated by the fact that you'll see almost all of the game's environments in its first third. Sure, there are different things to kill, but haven't you seen this cave once or twice or eight times before? BioWare tries to make the journey seem more sweeping by having it span a decade, but when towns look the same and characters don't appear to age or even change clothes, it feels artificial.

I'm assuming the slightly stunted world is a result of the accelerated development schedule, which I also imagine is the culprit behind the lackluster gear system. All equipment is given a star rating for your level, which makes choosing between two pieces of gear basically compulsory. Worse, the majority of the equipment is just called "Ring" or "Amulet", so the illusion that you're actually accumulating worthwhile treasure is fairly tattered.

By the time the last sword was swung in Dragon Age 2, I had enjoyed some great conversations, participated in some thrilling battles and even been at the center of an interesting story. I just never could shake the feeling that it was a story I was telling myself.

Raskulls review: Take my skull for a ride

Wait ... a Raskulls game? In 2010? What's next, Pele's Superstar Soccer?

Who still remembers the Raskulls, those third-rate Smurf knockoffs from the 1980s? Even the biggest fans of Peter Cullen and June Foray probably recycled their tapes of the Ruby-Spears cartoon, which aired on ABC's Saturday morning cartoon block for a few months runescape items in early 1984. The Kenner toy line, Star comics series, and Atari 2600 game (released in the wake of the crash of 1983) were all embarrassing failures. Even the Snorks looked good next to the Raskulls.

Okay, absolutely none of this true, but this fake history perfectly fits the tone of Raskulls, an XBLA exclusive from Halfbrick Studios that combines racing with puzzle-platforming. It might be a brand new property, but Raskulls is an obvious parody of The Smurfs and the assorted rip-offs that littered the Saturday morning airwaves back in the 1980s. The self-aware and absurd Raskulls basically Shrekifies The Smurfs.

Like the '80s icons, the Raskulls are a clan of unusual characters distinguished solely by their names and outfits. Instead of blue skin runescape accounts and white hats, the Raskulls sport cute skull faces like supremely unnerving Smurf skeletons.

The clothes make the Raskull, as each character's outfit defines their name and personality. King is an arrogant attention hog, Knight is a well-meaning bully, and the Raskull in the duck suit is an irritable joker with a speech impediment. (Because, like fast food spokescows, ducks are smart enough to speak English, but not smart enough to speak it correctly.)

The fractious Raskulls face a crisis when a space-faring rat pirate with a Napoleon complex steals their primary power runescape power leveling source. This dispute is settled like every other in the world of the Raskulls: with a foot race that borrows from Mario Kart and Solomon's Key.

From the single-player Mega Quest to the online and local multiplayer modes, Raskulls is basically a dash to the checkered flag. You search for the quickest route by jumping and breaking blocks that clog up passageways and shortcuts. The blocks runescape gold are often stacked on top of each other and will drop when a lower block disappears. If a block falls on your Raskull, you'll lose valuable time. When blocks of the same color touch they combine to form a larger block; it still only takes a single wave of your wand to eliminate a block of a single color, no matter how big it is. There are also metal blocks that can only be cleared with multiple time-consuming hits or by making four or more touch each other.

Along the way your Raskull fills up its Frenzy meter by collecting bottles or soaking up yellow energy dots. Frenzy generates brief spurts of extreme speed. There are also a variety of power-ups and weapons, including lightning bolts, pink zaps that destroy up to three blocks at a time, and flaming speed boosts that turn your character into a block-busting Raskull cannonball.

The multiplayer races -- bite-sized frenetic romps of madcap jackassery -- will likely give Raskulls a long life, especially the local four-player split-screen. But the Mega Quest solo campaign is no afterthought. Lengthy, light-hearted cutscenes set up the ridiculous story, which never become a drag -- despite the often weak humor rs gold and one-note characters. A few dozen races are accessible from a Super Mario-style overworld map. Many of the levels are races against AI opponents, but there's no egregious rubber-banding on display.

Mega Quest also breaks up these races with a few puzzle variations on Raskulls' core mechanics, like finishing without depleting your Frenzy meter or breaking as few blocks as possible. These subtle variations on the rules of Raskulls keep the Mega Quest fresh throughout its three worlds.

There's little truly innovative about Raskulls, and its non-stop attempt to charm (never as funny as it thinks it is) nearly backfires. But with its solid mechanics, well-designed levels, and cute characters, only a grizzled old Gargamel wouldn't enjoy their time with the Raskulls.

Changes and the ‘White Screen of Death’

I check Avault a couple of times a day to see what’s new. It’s become a habit now. I open Outlook, then Firefox, and while my computer is dry-heaving trying to come up with the resources to do both at the same time I light up a cigarette. Another habit, yes, I know, and I’ve been trying to cut back. (Hey, if our President runescape power leveling can have the same habit, then so can I, right? Right??) Either way, my ritual was thrown off track the last month when the AV greeted me with a stark white screen and not the usual bounty of gaming goodness. I paid no mind, until hours had passed, then a day, and then…

My eye twitched..

“Oh s***, we’ve closed shop! What about the games?! Will we get a government bailout?!”

This freakout session was hand-delivered by none other than the agent of change, who has recently taken up residence in the form of: a new house, a new job and a complete overhaul runescape gold of what was otherwise a functional nocturnal schedule. I was a mess already, and to alter one of the only constants in my life (since the 90′s, even!) just made things all the more difficult to process.

So the question is: “What did I do while we were down?” Well, I’ll tell you, but it won’t be pretty and it has very little to do with gaming, unfortunately.

The new house has taken up a gigantic chunk of my time, forcing me to learn basic carpentry, electrical, plumbing and finish work. The place was in shambles when I got into it; having been a haven for all sorts of animals and hot-rod enthusiast behavior. Holes in the drywall, scratches on the window casing and a funky stain rs gold on the carpet which, upon lifting, was found to have penetrated through to the floorboards. I think something died in the room, was resurrected via a voodoo ritual, and then killed again by God himself because it was deemed too disgusting to live. So that’s that part. I hope you weren’t trying to eat lunch or anything.

Apart from my “Bob Vila trial by fire” while fixing the house, I’ve also become one of the robots employed in corporate America. I’m an Editor now, not for Avault, but for another company runescape money that most of our reader base has probably never heard of. The job is great, although going from a 5am to 1pm sleep schedule to a 8am 5pm change-up wreaked havoc on just about every core part of my being. I’m getting used to it, and just like the site coming back into order, so am I.

In my spare time (chortle, chortle, guffaw), I’ve gotten some gaming in. Here’s a quick list of what I’ve been playing and a quick description to go along with it.

NHL 09 – Oh my, GOD it’s 1995 and I’m in love all over again! Go Chiefs!!

GTA: Lost & Damned – Best DLC that has been released so far, anywhere. I love watching Rockstar runescape items shatter the bar over and over again in so many different areas. They keep the other companies on their toes.

Battlefield: Bad Company – A little late on this one, you say? Yeah, yeah, and I honestly regret not having played it earlier. Give me a soundtrack for the in-vehicle music, EA, not the orchestral score!

As for the site, all I can say is that it’s just a flesh wound. Shield should be back up to full strength soon!

Outland review: Will and grace

This admission is better read than said: I'm hopelessly addicted to will and grace. A video game provides the ideal arrangement for someone -- like me -- whose extreme athleticism remains runescape items dormant in reality, but seeks expression just a few feet away from the couch. It's the basis for the accord I once made with the Prince of Persia. "With my will and your grace, your grace," I said, "we'll get through this elaborate death chicane in under an hour. And if you end up squirming with a spike through your chest, we'll just put that on me. Deal?"

In the low fidelity of Jordan Mechner's classic, the prince's form of movement runescape accounts became a mesmerizing, superhuman display of perfect movement ... and when it didn't you reverted to an older save. Outland, a visually arresting 2D platformer from Finland's Housemarque studio, is just as reverent to grace, personified by a tall, inexhaustible silhouette in search of the meaning behind his dreams. He runs and leaps with such intense confidence, some of it starts filtering through the controller and into you.

But as any acrobat will tell you, balance is what keeps you alive, and it's what makes things interesting. In Outland, the ancient world is always out to curb your wonderful locomotion, slow you down when you want to go fast-fast-fast. It'll take you a second to stop and think about the chasms runescape power leveling and spikes and the jumps and the slides, but you'll only want to spend half a second. This internal impatience to move when the light says RED acts like a personal countdown timer, and injects tension into what might have otherwise been a brisk jog through a vibrant, Tron-tinged jungle.

And man, are there a lot of red lights out there. Outland can't avoid comparison with Treasure's ultimate test of polarity clarity, Ikaruga, even though it's different in a crucial way. As with the ship runescape gold in Ikaruga, you can switch between two colors (or spirits, in Outland's parlance) and absorb projectiles of the same color, but your movement is much more restricted. You're not a spaceship, remember? You're a dude bound by gravity (as all dudes are).

Pushing through spirals of light and dark, flitting between colors and just barely missing your spiritual antithesis is even more challenging when you're also hurtling between moving platforms, and smashing giant spiders. A trick that Outland often resorts to is placing you in a situation where you have to be blue to survive -- except you need to be red to kill a monster of the opposite color. The sword combat is simple initially, embellished with a slide attack, some juggling and some honest-to-god smiting, but winning a fight rs gold is more about positioning yourself safely before slashing away. And when you're safe enough to revert to the right color, that's only half the battle won against bullet-spewing dragons and that most irritating of video game enemies, the occasionally electrified jellyfish.

In your most difficult tests of elegance (careful, Outland is quite tricky in general), you'll defeat pests, barrel through alternating waves of red and blue death, and then launch yourself between walls and platforms that appear and disappear with the rhythm of your color swings. The handful of spectacular bosses offer the most ambitious sequences -- run, jump, blue, slide, red, jump, blue, red, land! -- though they represent the few instances where the thrill of success can be overridden by the irksome repetition before failure. Developers! If a battle has several clear stages of pattern recognition, there had better be checkpoints between them. THIS IS GOING IN THE REVIEW.

Things are easier in the game's online co-op mode (a disappointment, since it doesn't change your approach to Outland's rapid platforming in any meaningful way), but I'm more interested in the five "co-op challenges" you'll unlock during the course of playing. They make things much harder, and show potent bursts of what could have been another game entirely -- there's a hilariously disastrous bomb transportation mission, and another that puts one player in charge of color control for everyone. These intense tests are worth the price of admission, but it's a pity that in absorbing Castlevania and Super Metroid's style of level design, Outland didn't leave room for true co-op opportunities in the campaign.

Still, the game succeeds where it counts, in what I now dub the Will and Grace Factor. If my will can be married to someone else's grace, tightly enough to make me leap through a barrage of deadly bullets in a desperate bid to maintain momentum, you've won. Just one thing, though -- don't mistake my love for running and jumping as signs of being a closeted urban jogger. The most athletic thing I did today was to walk over to my computer and tell you to play Outland.

Is all violence the same in the videogame world?

I was watching television just the other night and a videogame was being advertised. It was a first-person, war-themed shoot-em-up, something a la Call of Duty. My wife turned to me inquisitively and asked me if that was a game I would like to play, if it was up my alley, so to speak. I knew it was somewhat of a ploy; my wife runescape power leveling loves videogames, but doesn’t really like games that involve killing. We don’t have kids yet, but we will someday, and I’m sure being the parents we’ll be, we will introduce them to gaming, but probably in a rather controlled manner. This particular game, which highlighted “realistic wartime action,” would most definitely not make it past mom’s censors. But her question intrigued me: what did I think of such games?

I quickly ran through the games that have a permanent place rs power leveling in my library. I have loads of them, but often I’ll play them a few times and then disperse them to true lovers of the genre. But of course, I have some keepers, titles that I’ll play over and over again. Some of those currently include Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum and, naturally, all of the franchises from my youth (Mario, Zelda, etc). I realized that conspicuously absent were any games whose main objective was: as a human, realistically harm another human. I throw that modifier in there because Team Fortress 2 is all about murdering one another, but it’s so cartoony I never really thought about the characters as real people, which I think makes a difference.


I don’t know if this was a conscious decision, but I realized that I’ve never owned any game that dealt with historical war, or organized crime, or any other “realistic” type transgressions that involve people vs. other people. I explained this to my wife, who is playfully dubious buy runescape accounts that I’ll corrupt our children with violent games. But I explain my rationale that not all violence is equal. I argue then when I kill hordes of zombies or aliens, it’s quite different than the simulating killing of other people. But interestingly, the world doesn’t really judge it that way, at least not from a ratings standpoint.

Let’s look at a couple of games for a moment:

Gears of War 2: Mature (17+) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Team Fortress 2: Mature (17+) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Mature (17+) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Grand Theft Auto IV: Mature (17+) for Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: Teen for Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: Everyone for Violence

Here’s what I find fascinating about this: “Blood and Gore” is the same label across Gears, TF2 and CoD, yet the conditions in which the violence occurs are all very different. I admit that Gears buy runescape gold has some horrific sequences, but does it make a difference that the antagonists are clearly not humans? Is the violence in Team Fortress really “the same” as it is in GTA? The blood in Twilight Princess is “animated,” but not in Team Fortress? And I would like to note (this is a spoiler) that at the end of Wind Waker, Link leaps into the air and, with a downward strike, impales Ganondorf’s forehead with his sword. However, this is not “intense” violence, and the game is apparently suitable for anyone, as it has the same rating as Tetris.

I know no one likes the ratings system, I do get that, and I’m not really suggesting that the levels need to be adjusted. My argument buy runescape money with all of this is, I think there’s a difference in the types of violence that are portrayed in videogames. I think there’s something…I don’t want to sound negative here, but perhaps darker, more traumatic, about killing other humans in a realistic way or environment, one that’s trying to simulate actual murder than other premises in games. I’m not saying that I want those games to be banned or that there’s not a place for them in gaming. What I’m saying is, I think a distinction should be made.

But that’s just my thought. What say all of you on the topic?

Review in Progress: MX vs ATV Alive

As I mentioned in my recent Reality Check column, when MX vs ATV Alive arrived in stores earlier this week we had yet to receive anything resembling a reviewable copy of the game. The good news is that, shortly after the aforementioned column was written, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 retail copies of the game arrived in the mail. I've spent several hours checking out both versions since then and, while our review runescape power leveling won't be ready until early next week, I wanted to post a heads-up on how the game is treating me thus far.

The very first thing I noticed about MX vs ATV Alive is that it doesn't feature a career mode. Rather, you simply have a persistent character across all single-player and multiplayer races who levels up the more you play. That's all well and good, except that your rider needs to reach level 10 before you unlock a decent number of tracks to race on. Prior to that you have only four full tracks (two of which need to be downloaded using a code that comes with new copies of the game, so they're currently unavailable on PS3), two short tracks, and two free ride rs power leveling locales. Racing the same tracks over and over again isn't a huge deal because they're well-designed and there are multiple difficulty levels to choose from, but MX vs ATV Alive definitely feels repetitive early on because so little of its content is unlocked.

Like MX vs. ATV Reflex before it, Alive is played using a dual-stick control system; the left stick steers your chosen vehicle while the right controls your rider. It's a good setup, and although it's taken me a little while to get comfortable with it, it makes getting huge air off ramps and successfully negotiating sequences of humps buy runescape accounts pretty satisfying. I'm mostly playing on the default and Pro difficulty levels right now, and I feel like the game is posing a pretty decent challenge. Unlocking upgrades for bikes and ATVs (vehicles level up independently of you depending on how often you use them) makes winning races much easier, but that's quickly remedied by cranking up the difficulty, at which point you earn experience more quickly.

You can also race online if you're looking for a challenge, of course, though for obvious reasons I'm currently only able to test this on the Xbox 360. I've yet to race in a full field of 12 riders, but getting into lag-free races with seven or eight other players has been no problem at all. My rider is currently at level 15 and I'm hopeful that, over the weekend, I can get him to level 25 and unlock the six or seven tracks that are still grayed out on the event select menu. I guess buy runescape gold I could just go to the in-game store and pay six bucks to unlock everything, but where's the fun in that? Some areas of the rather unwieldy "MotoClub Depot" don't appear to be open for business just yet, incidentally, but it's clear that while this is a $40 game, the hope is that you'll spend more money buying new rider gear, vehicles, events, and even butt patches for it.

I look forward to delivering a full review next week. In the meantime, if you already bought the X360 version buy runescape money of the game and happen to be playing online this weekend, keep an eye out for me playing as JusticeCovert.

PSN problems, Xbox Live and a little security

I never knew Playstation had an online community, I really didn’t. Call me ignorant, but I thought the only rabid and active online world runescape accounts was located on the Xbox 360. I never saw myself writing this kind of article. So what if the PSN is down for a few days? Aren’t the only games worth playing on that console single-player games?

Well, it was only when I saw the hundreds of comments online and the complaints from all those PSN users that my view on this changed. My allegiance, as you all know, is with Microsoft, but this past month I have enjoyed the extra media features PSN has to offer. Features runescape power leveling that the 360 doesn’t have. So yes, I have also been hurling expletives at my PS3.

“Error code 8002A203” was the dreaded message that PS3 users saw over the Easter weekend. No matter how many times we tried to sign in, we were faced with this error code. At first, it was thought this was a temporary maintenance issue that would last a day. Then that day turned into days, and those days turned into uncertainty. Sony released their statement blaming the Anonymous group, they denied it, and the hours with no PSN continued to flow. Apart from the obvious frustration of the service going down, I want to look at the real effects this problem will have. These come two-fold, one being security, and the other, competition.

There has been talk of credit-card information being compromised by this external intrusion, which could be a major problem with a capital M. Let’s take the worst case scenario: millions of users lose money to an unknown person(s), as well as having other personal details rs power leveling compromised. The result would be lawsuits the size of Kilimanjaro, and Sony’s image being crucified. Not a good look.

There is also the trust issue. Those who forked out the cash to buy their PS3 and took full part in their online service will feel betrayed. After all, they chose Playstation instead of that other money-hungry machine. At the very least, they expected a high level of security from a large and respected company such as Sony.

The second issue is competition. Secretly, Microsoft are jumping up and down with joy with two fists raised. They acted quickly when this happened. After spewing their “sadness” for what happened to Sony, they offered their free Gold membership weekend. A chance for PSN buy runescape accounts users to try Live and see what their money buys. Xbox Live costs money. It is not free. That’s the reason Playstation users keep hurling at me as to why PSN is superior. Well, the age-old view is, you get what you pay for. If Xbox Live was a security risk, then people would get angry and ask for their money back. With Playstation, because it’s free, all users can do is get frustrated. They can’t ask for their money back or expect Sony to provide a flawless online service. Again, it is free.

That trump card of the service being free gets nullified when personal details are no longer safe and the server proves to be fragile. PSN users have to wonder if this might happen again, and how many times. It did happen to Xbox, way back in 2007 when the machine buy runescape gold was still finding its feet. No such problem has occurred recently. Security is very important, and I already know people have taken their details off the PSN and are considering getting an Xbox.

To end this little analysis, I want to talk about the real future of gaming. I, like most gamers, love my GTA, Mass Effect and other single-player adventures. They are great and will always have their place. But when you put on your headset and compete against your friends or others in the online world, it’s a whole other level of gaming. It’s a gaming experience that promotes communication, teamwork and lots of fun. Unlike a single-player game, it has no end. That, my friends, is an argument for Xbox Live and why PSN users should really think about switching. Don’t fool me, fellow Playstationers. I know you love your online gaming, and that error code is killing you. Hackers have their eye on Sony’s server, and I won’t be surprised if this becomes a regular occurrence.

Xbox Live is one payment a year for a service that has proven to be secure and functional. I say it’s time to put petty rivalry aside, jump ship, and join good old Microsoft.

Dead Space 2 Reviews

Dead Space 2 is the eagerly anticipated sequel to one of the most horrific adventures of 2008, Dead Space. With its addictive gameplay, and awesome new weaponry, it is one of a few games where it is possible to enjoy the campaign more than once.

Dead Space 2 basically picks up where Dead Space left off with Isaac Clarke waking up on an isolated metropolis runescape accounts known only as The Sprawl which sits on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. How you got there and how you end up being interrogated is unknown (probably the subject of a live action film to be released later). But after passing out during interrogation you realized that the entire station is infested with monsters (or necromorphs as the game calls it) in which case, of course, you must find a way to survive and escape.

Those like me who jumped into Dead Space 2 without having known or played Dead Space will be shocked to find that the action begins right from the get-go. There is no tutorial of how you operate except a few random keys runescape power leveling to run as fast as you can or how your suit operates. Instead you go right into the action by running as fast as you can unable to defend yourself because you're in a straight jacket. Luckily if you follow the instructions to the letter, you will not get attacked by any necromorphs and you don't really kill anything until you have a decent health level and a torch, but along the way you might get a fright here and there.

The single player campaign is probably the most addictive I've played and that's despite the fact that I am not a fan of horror movies. The necromorphs are not easy to kill; shooting them in the head will not disable the monster, they have to be dismembered bit by bit, which if you're not prepared rs power leveling to do, then I suggest that you should not get the game. In addition you would also have to deal with Clarke's constant dementia which might sometimes freak you out.

The special abilities and a vast array of weapons will also have many novel ways to destroy your enemies. If you're like me and like to play the game conventionally then you'll probably like the vast array of bullet type weapons available. But there are also different types of weapons which could make dismembering enemies a little risky buy runescape accounts but more effective like the Ripper blades or the Detonator Mines. When you're not killing necromorphs, you're there to fix things or solve puzzles like hacking into firewalls and disabling security. That can be quite a challenge sometimes which would test your thinking and agility skills (yes, there is thinking involved in Dead Space 2, it's not a mindless killing machine).

The improvements with the suits and upgraded abilities allows you to take a lot of damage whilst killing a good number of necromorphs. Most of the time you will be working alone, and there is also no opportunity of killing any humans. And when the campaign finishes, you are encouraged to go back to play the game again as you will be automatically upgraded with new suits and a new mode, known as the Hardcore mode. Hardcore mode, if you dare try, is where you only have three save points and if you die you will have to retry from that save point. The reward is a high powered suit that you can try on when you restart the campaign.

The multiplayer component on the other hand was a giant fizzer. Basically you play on two sides: one on the security team and the other on the necromorphs team. Depending on the map you're playing, each team has a set of objectives to complete with the necromorphs usually trying to delay the opposing team's objective to complete the mission. Over long periods of playing it can become quite tedious and some of the objectives are not really clear and in the end it becomes a game where you slash and shoot as many necromorphs as possible.

The Lowdown:
Dead Space 2 is a change to many shooters in the past, and if you're sick and tired of Battlefield or Call of Duty, you should give this a try. But be warned: you'll crap your pants whilst playing this!!!

Video Game Review: Portal 2

After all the great reviews the first Portal game received, many players have been anxiously waiting the next one. Well, it was well worth the wait. Let me just say this game not only delivers, but excels when it comes to gameplay and humor. My hands were shaking with anticipation runescape power leveling as I sat watching that clock count down on my computer. Portal 2 is a sequel to Portal, which seems pretty obvious. You play the same character as the first game Chell, who is a test subject in Aperture Science. You wake up in a hotel-type room in the Aperture Labs, and all hell breaks loose from there.
The single player campaign is actually a full game this time, not like the first Portal. Therefore, it takes around 8-9 hours to complete, but it is a blast. The puzzles were complicated to a point. There were a couple of puzzles I really had to sit back and think about. This game is really just trial and error, and I think that is just groovy. Light beams rs power leveling and repulsion gel add another layer of difficulty to the game when it comes to solving the puzzle, but every time you complete a test chamber and/or puzzle you feel a boost to your self-esteem which makes you keep going. There were a number of times where I told myself, “just one more test chamber, I'm on a roll.”

There really isn't really much of a storyline, but Portal 2 is such a good game that you really don't need much of a plot to play. GlaDoS (the robot testing you) is constantly making sarcastic comments to you, such as calling you fat, telling you that your jump suit looks ugly, and that you are a horrible person. You are also accompanied by another robot buy runescape accounts named Wheatley, who provides tons of comic relief throughout the entire game. But, probably the funniest person would have to be the CEO of Aperture Science, Cave Johnson (voice by J.K. Simmons). I had to actually pause the game a couple of times because I was laughing so hard and I was afraid I was going to fall to my death.

Portal 2 has a co-op mode which you can play with a friend, and both of you are robots that are also being tested. Personally, I have not gotten through all of the co-op yet, but from what I have played so far, it has been a blast. Each player has their own portal gun with different portals, which means you have four portals in all. This makes for a much harder game, but also a greater satisfaction buy runescape gold when you both figure it out together. When you are the robots, you can wave at each other, play rock, paper, scissors, and even do the robot together. Because both of you are robots though, neither of you have the ability to speak, so you can place markers on the map to tell your partner where you want him/her to place their portal. I must admit though, when I play co-op I get on Skype and talk to my friend in order to avoid confusion. This co-op gameplay is great, but the only problem is if one of the players has played through or gotten farther than the partner, they know how to solve the puzzles. This makes it a little less fun because you eliminate the trial and error part of the testing.

I assume just like in the first Portal, that sooner or later, Valve will release another puzzle pack for Portal 2 which will keep players interested. Although this game actually makes you want to play even after you have beaten it. There are many hidden rooms with messages from other testers that you can find as well.

Overall, this game is funny, creative, and damn fun. If you like puzzle games and very humorous dialogue without an overbearing story, you should be racing to your local store to purchase a copy of Portal 2.