My friends just don't get me when I say that I'm in my 20s and I still am playing games madly. They have tried to play for themselves but have failed and let go because they simply said that I was carefree enough to actually sit and learn how to play a game!! But the truth is that I'm not carefree at all!! Infact I play games because I care a lot!! Besides I don't need to learn a game in order to play it! I just start playing and enjoy !! Sure some games have a special learning curve, but that's nothing a seasoned gamer wouldn't be able to cope with in a matter of minutes. Why are they struggling then? I always tell them that their brain simply sucks! and they wouldn't just take my word for it, would they?!

So now here's my proof. A legit scientific one! I just needed to write this down somewhere so that I wouldn't forget it.

P.S. Did I choose my profile name based on this? The most straightforward answer would be no! It was a stupid choice and now I've learned to live with it :D

So I was thinking, we're sharing our gaming interests here along with our opinions on different matters, posting on unions, reviewing games, writing editorials, etc. etc.

How about the music? should we just talk about it here? Probably not a good idea. since I think at least a handful of you are users on last.fm, the best way is to just talk our music there.

So if you're there and care to share your music taste, you can find me here.

See you there ;)

So I was surfing IGN when this came up. I happily clicked on the link to get some new info on one of my all time favourite games' sequel. Here is bits of the article and my ideas on them:

"the new title will not be taking place in the dark streets, warehouses, and construction yards of New York, but in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Max was booted from the New York Police Department and spent the following 12 years battling his inner demons and addictions, and at some point he moved out to the Brazilian metropolis to escape from his previous life. It appears once again he'll be drawn into elements undesirable, as his work as a security agent for a rich local family leads him into life-threatening situations. "

"In addition to the different setting, Max has undergone quite a few physical changes. He's burlier this time around, sports a beard and a shaved head, and appears to have ditched the long coat and black getup from the previous games in favor of a stained white sleeveless shirt and cargo pants. Screens included in the article also show a much brighter setting, making it appear like many of the venues for action in the third game take place while the sun is out. Rockstar did mention a few levels could take place at night or in the rain, and pointed out that achieving a 'noir' kind of feel is more about style than about a specific location or color."

The story seems cool. However the location is a bit disturbing. I mean if they can do what they say and "achieve a noir kind of feel" through the new setting that's ok with me, but most of that feeling came from the old, crappy, and dark neighborhoods and buildings! So I could just hope they can capture that feel as they say. As for Max's new attire, I'm not sure if I totally agree. Max's long raincoat was a nice thing. I don't know why, but it was part of the whole experience in some weird way! On the other hand I hate cliches so maybe they were trying to avoid a cliche.

"Rockstar won't be using voice actor James McCaffrey again, saying it wouldn't really fit considering how much Max has aged. The talent being used won't be a big recognizable name, but Rockstar is confident it'll be appropriate"

Oh NO!! This one is really messed up. Whose gonna be able to deliver the dialogs with the same feeling that James McCaffrey did?? This is the voice that Max Payne became known with and I think it should've stayed. "it wouldn't really fit considering how much Max has aged", that seems more like a dirty excuse to me!!

"The game is being built with Rockstar's RAGE, used to build past games like Grand Theft Auto IV, in combination with NaturalMotion's Euphoria technology that allows for enemies to react realistically to being hit by gunfire and as they impact things in the environment, which Rockstar is hoping delivers a greater sense of realism. To protect himself from incoming bullets, Max will also be able to take cover behind objects as well as grab enemies to use them as human shields, though taking advantage of the cover system isn't required for success. It seems quite a few bits of the environment will also be destructible, so perhaps not every bit of cover will be all that reliable."

RAGE is good news. And I like the fact about that Euphoria technology. Grabbing enemies is cool and so is the destructible environment. But I always seem to have problem with the games that have covering systems. I don't mean it's a bad thing, the problem is that the developers don't get it right. The mechanic of a covering systems needs to fundamental abilities, first to be able to suppress enemies, second, the enemies should be able to do the same. In games like GTA IV or Wanted Weapons of Fate, you just have to take cover and wait for an enemy to pop out and then finish him with a shoot in the head. That's way too easy man!!! The best example I can mention here about a game which has got this covering system thing right is, Brother's In Arms Hell's Highway. I really enjoyed the whole tactical perspective you could exploit in that game. I just hope that MP3 wouldn't be like the games where you do just running and gunning and the end. We've had enough of that in the first two games. On another side note, what the hell does it mean? "though taking advantage of the cover system isn't required for success". Why put something in the game if you're not going to fully take advantage of it??

"Something called environmental bullet time is being built into the game, which according to the article can be compared to quick-time events in other titles. Yet instead of doing something like tapping a button within a small window of time, the player will have full control of Max as the event progresses. Rockstar provided one example to Game Informer, where Max slides down a tin roof in slow motion while tagging nearby enemies with bullets. This won't be an open-world game, though it seems Max will have a limited ability to scale walls and access combat areas from a few different directions. A bullet-cam, which follows projectiles into their targets, will be implemented into the game to add more style, and it seems Max will be able to perform life-saving kill shots should he be near death. If he manages to kill his killer before the screen goes black, he'll spring back to life thanks to an adrenaline boost."

These are all cool. I just hope that they would be executed in the right way. In the end the article made be a bit worried. I'll have to wait for a trailer or something to finally decide on weather I'll like this game or not. Thanks for reading :)

Well, first off I should say that I'm hardcore 24 fan! so what I expect from a movie or a TV show to deliver first is suspense and intelligent material based on believable characters who face difficult choices to deal with.

Lost delivers most of that except for the suspense part. 24 kinda raises your expectation in that department that you can't come into terms with just anything.

Lost is interesting because it's got an interesting story and some interesting characters. My favourite character so far has been Locke (I've watched 10 episodes from the first season). Charlie is cool. The black guy and his kid are nice people. The fat dude is interesting too. But some other characters, well they are not good enough man! Jack is a real cliche if you ask me. The brave guy who wants to help everyone and goes through some mental test to become the leader! YUCK!!! Kate on the other hand is the queen!! YUCK...AGAIN!! Shannon is the business side of the things. She would get your eyes fixed on the screen!! But that's just it.

The story is strange. And that's why I like it. I like the way they present the whole truth little by little. It gives you something to keep looking forward to when you come back for the next episode.

I'll keep watching, and hopefully I'll write my opinion about the whole season 1.

Thanks for reading :)

I just got the new Seether single album, The Careless Whisper. It's in one word so awesome. Take that good old piece of music and add a bit of darkness and you'll know you're listening to a new masterpiece. I'm really enjoying listening to it over and over again :D

For those who may want to listen to it, here's a youtube link. The link's been added courtesy of my buddy Foolz ;)

I was surfing the net when this came up.

The incident took place in Pittsburgh and the shooting had continued for 4 hours. The report says the guy who did this was an American citizen who had recently lost his job.

This is yet another sad news. The terrible recession is taking its toll. I think two things are adding to the depth of public shock.

FIRST and foremost is the US media. Yes, I think they are too frank with people. sometimes you have to be dishonest to save people. Bringing the bad news directly to people in a terrible tone which scares them to the depth of their bone marrow (!) is totally a bad idea. Perhaps it's time the oportunitist reporters with nothing but personal gain in mind be dealt with in a more appropriate approach.

SECOND is the US government. First for letting such a thing happen! Second for using the opportunity to gain votes. I believe Barrack Obama wasn't totally honest with people when he said that the economic crisis would be averted under his administration. He should have given people a more realestic time frame. People thought that a short time after the inauguration everything will go back to normal. But they were wrong, why? I think because they had false hope.

To summerize my ideas, I see the terrible fear that's taking hold among the American people as the result of two major reasons: 1. The US media is too honest! 2. The US government (or at the time, the future US government) was not honest enough.

Well I was surfing the net when I came across this on IGN.com

believing it most probably was a fake I reluctantly clicked on it and wasn't disappointed!

The IGN Australia came across two photos taken from the Design Documentation from the next GTA.

For me that sounds like an April's Fools day joke! But let's presume it isn't. This means that for the first time the GTA series have margined from the common American society and started to have a trip around the world, starting from their continental neighbours Austraila. I for one would appreciate that. I think it's time for a major change in the basics.

The other thing that got me excited was the part that said"...with more emphasis on side quests...". That would be so nice, given the fact that I, after beating the main quest in any GTA game, don't enjoy the game as much as I did before beating it.

I hope it is not an April's Fools joke but I think 80 out 100 it is :(

It's been a long time since my last post. Frankly I haven't been able to get the time and desire to post anymore blog entries. But that is going to change from now on. I want to have a change in the type of material that I post on my blog. For now I have decided to make this a news blog. I will post intresting news (about anything) and then write my opinion about that. I will be happy if you could join in to discuss the stuff.

That's all for now.

thanks for reading :)

hey everyone.

I just finished PoP 2008. It isn't a great game but it is a really good one. here's my review.

I am actually Persian :D all the names in the game (except from Elika) are deprived from Persian history.

I'm very excited about the sequel. Hope it comes in 2009.

Today Ubisoft announce that the PC edition of its Tom Clancy's Endwar strategy game will be delayed on the platform duo to piracy fears. The Assassin's Creed Leak, Crytek's Crysis not being profitable enough, etc... We've had more than just that in the past few weeks to worry about the future in which there might be no PC platform (or a very limited one) in the game industry.

I am a proud PC gamer and I give companies every right to worry about their products. It's their property and they have to protect it after all. But there has also been cases in which the company's so called drastic measures have caused some trouble in the overall sales of the game. There is no need to point out examples such as Spore. I totally disagree with these measures. Whatever digital method the company tries in order to avoid its intellectual property from being stolen will not prevent the piracy. SecuROM, Starforce, etc. these are all the security systems that have failed! Yeah, sure it may take a long time to crack a new system, BUT they will finally do it anyway. When Starforce was used on Ubisoft's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, crackers were scratching their head as to how should they crack the case! Splinter Cell Chaos Theory's security system took almost one year for the teams to figure out but it was finally cracked. And by the way, did it save Splinter Cell Double Agent from being cracked? Did it save hundreds of games out there from being cracked and pirated? I also am opposed to services like steam, since thay are not to be used by users from every country. So that is limiting the true purchasers from buying the game. I for one wanted to buy Silent Hill: Homecoming from Day 1 of the release. I am so enthusiastic about Silent Hill series that when they announced Homecoming for the PC I was flying on the roof! Now I'm left with nothing because I don't have a Steam account (not to mention that I can't have one!).

On a short note, consoles are not as popular in the non-American or non-European countries. So don't go telling me that I should buy a console like everyone else!

The reason why these crack teams do this nasty work is still unknown to me though. But here is what I think might be a solution:

A large portion of piracy is coming from the 3rd world countries in which no copyright law exist! So basically these parts of the world are not meant to have a share in the profit that is going to be earned by the company. Believe me when I say this but game retailers sell pirated games to people in these countries all of which contain a folder named crack. There exists a file which you should copy over the game's main .exe file and just play the game for less than 2 $!!! 90% of People buy these games without knowing that they are doing something wrong!! EVEN more tragic, some retailers themselves are unaware of the piracy!

Why don't the companies who are victims of piracy, try to analyze this system and create a way to limit the people who are considered to legitimate consumers (not from 3rd world countries) and are willingly pirating the games? I mean even if the people from the 3rd world countries stopped pirating the games, that wouldn't have the slightest effect on the profit a company is gaining! Why? Because first they will have to force the implementation of the copyright law in the country! Second, they are going to have to convince the consumers to pay 50 $ or more for games that they were buying for 2 $ recently!! So my point is that the countries who obey the copyright law should enter it to the culture. People should know that they are stealing!

I'm not here to offer a solution. I'm here to describe the problem. It's the companies who should find the solution not a single university student! And by this solution, I think I made it clear that, I don't mean the implementation of tighter security systems (DRM is killing Spore users who purchased the game legally).

To summarize all this, the 3rd world countries' market is not going to have any profit for the companies; they should try and implement ways to limit the piracy toll in Europe or US.