MediaBlog by www.Dee-London.com

All those conspiracy theories are invented by Sci-Fi authors or homeless madmen. There is simply no place for such in our real world that spins around democracy and humanism.

However, my mind started to change after watching The Real News Network for several hours in a row- it was rather a ‘cold shower’ experience.

Are you ready for a professional and rather painful vivisection of the modern world? I mean, believing everything we see or hear would be the most unwise, but to view events from a different angle is always healthy.

The Real News Network Official Site

The Real News Network on YouTube.com

2003 (US)- 2005 (UK), South Korea & USA

In one sentence: it’s a wonderfully animated forecast for global warming, pollution and… the new social system.

Sky Blue is also known as Wonderful Days (US)- in any case, most of anime/animation fans already saw it, just maybe forgot about it (like myself). It’s phenomenal how this visually gorgeous animation with a decent plot manages not to leave a strong impression. I don’t know the reason, though. Plot, atmosphere, visuals remind me of Ghost in the Shell, maybe it’s just not the same level crystal or striking.

However, the story of Sky Blue tackles with now actual problems and takes them further. It’s about the deadly polluted earth, where air is so poisoned that people can survive only in specially designated areas like this genetically engineered living city Ecoban. And here we go- there’s an elite community that owns Ecoban, and there’re ‘diggers‘ that work as slaves just for the sake of surviving. The funniest point here is that there is chance to clean the atmosphere and get rid of toxics, but Ecoban’s elite prefers the actual ‘ecological’ and, most importantly, social system.

I would definitely recommend watching Sky Blue again- it’s not only eye-candy, but its message became more than interesting in the light of our own global warming crisis. Besides, it’s no brainer when you can find Sky Blue Collector’s Edition for ~£6 and that includes 2 DVD, nice booklet and a real slide from the film reel.

Hell, it was a cool ride! Salem and Rios kicked all the bad asses for good- they’re definitely worth the heavy cash they earned. Good work, mates!

Army of Two is basically a proper shooter with some little, but sweet innovations that are much appreciated by hardcore shooter fans. You play from third person perspective, which is more then welcome because of the gorgeous character models and their animations. In the single campaign you ‘re directly controlling your chosen character (either Elliot Salem or Tyson Rios) and giving the orders to your comrade (8 commands with four direction D-pad).

And here comes the most important novelty feature of Army of Two- Aggro. That’s basically a level of not welcome attention from your enemies for your “activity”- firing. The more you shoot, the more aggro (and bullets) you get. The same applies to your comrade if you command him to stand in aggression mode. In fact, you can sneak around comparably safely while your partner has all the aggro- and that adds some strategy to the gameplay. On other hand, if you keep the aggro on yourself for too long, you can enter so called Overkill mode (”bullet time”)- “Look, Tyson, I’m a killing machine!”.

Army of Two didn’t receive overwhelming reviews, because, actually, the shipped game was a bit too short. On top of that the ending is a bit disappointing and leaves you wanting more. However, free downloadable Veteran Map Pack adds two big levels to the single campaign, so it fixes the issue.

Other key features of Army of Two:
- Back to Back mode- you’re standing back to back with your comrade and shooting enemies in slow motion. Though, I wish it happened more often in the game :P
- Parachuting- that’s a very sweet spot. One is controlling the parachute, another firing (sniping!) enemies below.
- Death- you’re not dyeing instantly in Army of Two. If your partner manages to get to you in time, drag you into a safe corner and make an injection (10-20 seconds?), you’re good to go. However, please note, that there some so hot situations, that this won’t help :]
- “Play Dead”- that’s another cool and very welcome feature. When the things are way too bad, you can pretend to be dead and enemies will leave you alone. Though, you can fool them only once…
- Interaction with your comrade- you can slap your partner or give a high five, you can play “guitar” on your machine gun or swap guns with your partner.
- The control scheme here is one of the best I have encountered in console games.
- AI (artificial intelligence) is very good and even cunning. Though, it’s not perfect.
- You earn money by completing tasks and spending them on the beefy amount of weapons and cool customisations

Verdict: if you’re a shooter fan, you don’t want to miss Army of Two.

Visit the official Army of Two site

Well, I can’t make my final verdict on Soul Calibur IV, because it’s huge in meaning of the content and I played only 4-5 hours

However here are few notes:
- Yeap, it’s a fighting game, but it’s a fighting game on steroids.
- It’s quite flexible in meaning of gameplay- you can button-mash through Soul Calibur IV, but there are quite complicated combos for each character. However, I didn’t sink my teeth into the last feature too much, so I can’t say if the fighting is the same rewarding as in Devil May Cry 4.
- Character creation feature is enormous and highly enjoyable- I spent half of my time just tweaking my character (Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica :P)
- There are few modes to play- so if you’re stuck you can play a different one for a change
- There’s such amount of unlockables- including characters, their powers and customisation items- that the game feels next to infinitive!
- Graphics of Soul Calibur IV are not as crystal as in Metal Gear Solid 4, but the lighting engine, colours, designs- everything is maxed out. It’s a gorgeous and very charming game
- Darth Vader fits quite nicely in this universe and he is really fun to play
- It’s rather a sexy game. The female fighters look like the most desirable actresses, especially if you decide to play them in underwear only… :D On top of that, there is the whole set dedicated for creating a geisha character!
- While Soul Calibur IV is highly accessible for such sort of games, it’s still very challenging- hardcore gamers will have enough of satisfaction here

So my overall impressions are quite satisfactory- Soul Calibur 4 is a unique and enjoyable game.

I recommend reading Soul Calibur IV full review on IGN.com

The great white shark looks line an anchovy in comparison to now extinct super shark- Megalodon. They were 16 m long, weighted 100 tones and they bite with a force of of between 10.8 to 18.2 tonnes. The funniest point here is their “diet”- whales and seals :D

Full story on BBC.co.uk

At last, my childhood dream will get a little chance! :) The first space tourism jet Virgin Galactic is unveiled and will go for testing in few months. The bad news is that we have only 18 months to save £100,000 for the ticket :)

Book tickets directly from Virgin Galactic

Read more on BBC.com
Video on BBC.com

So, yeah, it’s all about giant shuriken (JP. ninja star) or in other words- hand released tri-blade. And what’s the use of it in Dark Sector? You name it! Want a direct control of its flight with the camera fixed behind? Got it! What about watching sliced off limbs flying away in the same slow motion? Yeah! Just don’t forget to charge your glaive with fire, electricity or ice for additional effects :)

What else you’ll find in this heavily infected ex-USSR area? The list is quite solid: some very well made and upgradable guns, slow-motion finishers, pleasing puzzles for your beloved glaive, impressive boss fights and some top exciting toys like four-legged and heavily armoured tanks that you’ll be able to test-drive by yourself :P (These are as great as in MGS4!)

Sounds good? Well, not everything is perfect here, mind you. First of all, I have an impression that level designers were undecided which audience they wanted to address- hardcore shooter fans or mass audience. So the gameplay is not consistent- it varies from enjoyable to quite demanding. Secondly, the graphics. The game development took more years than usual (6y), but the most of graphics were nicely updated before the release. However, the artefacts from the primary built are present and too obvious. Though, the interface itself is superb- there are no numbers, bars or any other “tech” info the screen- just Hayden Tenno, the glaive and infinitive numbers of enemies :)

And finally, WARNING: don’t play this game if you’re sensitive to vast amounts of blood fountains. In the end, there was a reason why Dark Sector was banned in Australia :)

In one word- crap. That’s one of the worst gamesplays I have experienced in >20 years. The only reason I finished the game- that’s the story itself and explanations of some enigmas (I’m huge fan of Lost series). But the gameplay itself was far from enjoyable. The electrical puzzles are an exception- that’s a creative re-make of the classical game “Pipes”. One more “funny” point- there was almost no exploration element in this adventure game. On top of that, graphics are no good. Models of Lost cast are terrible- Kate, Hurley, Clair should feel especially offended. What else? Maybe one of the most annoying things for me personally was the lack of Lost atmosphere. Actually, it was absent at all. Conclusion: buy this game only if you find it for £1. OK, OK, maybe for £2 :)

Looking for an inspirational 3D animation? Or maybe you’re fancy for something that’s as good as the original Shrek? Then I could easily recommend Chasseurs de dragons (Dragon Hunters). That’s a very arty, beautiful and funny tale about an extremely cute little princess, not-wanna-be-a-hero big guy and his greedy manager. The story is set in the marvellous world of floating islands, ancient ruins and unique monsters. Did I mention that the big guy loves knitting? :P But my most favourite character was the little blue “dog” with rabbit ears (in the image above)

Have a look at the official site

(The photos above: you will unveil the beauty of Scarlett Chorvat, Mieko Rye, Lyndall Javis and Yumi Kikuchi during MGS boss battles. For high quality photos, please visit GGL Wire)

Where to start from? There is so much of everything in Metal Gear Solid 4, that it’s difficult to lay down focussed impressions. Though, I could describe it in an abstract way- that’s phenomenal and masterpiece. I personally think MGS4 goes beyond any known media by synthesising them into one the most solid experience. That’s a seamless hybrid of a film, a video game, an intriguing story and superb music. Well, basically this is it- Metal Gear Solid 4 invented a new media- Interactive Films.

My personal picks from it are- the scene on motorbikes, Screaming Mantis battle and the fist fight with Liquid Ocelot. Though, all the bad girls there are unforgettable as well as the whole experience. Did I mention the music? MGS4 soundtrack (2 CD) is set on loop on my MP3 player!

But I will write no more. You have to experience it by yourself. Period.