HALF LIFE 2

This is one helluva game. Amazing. Superb. Top Notch. I really think i will run out of superlatives praising this game. It is deservedly on the list of the 'best games of all time' list of gamespot. I played it first on the xbox and the graphics were great no doubt, but its tough to play fps on the xbox. You feel much more in control and its much more natural playing on the pc. Lol and when you play it you realise that playing so much cs does pay off when you play in half life. I immediately go for hs when i meet the combine lol. Well, basically you play Dr. Gordon Freeman, and you are pulled out of statis by the G- Man at the start of the game. This is supposed to be bridging the gap when half life 1 ended. It is about 10 or 20 years past the end of the black mesa incident and you enter a totally new world, which is ruled by a totalitarian government. I found this concept really cool and interesting. After reading the book 1984 by george orwell, which is a definite classic and one of the most amazing books ever, i have been really interested by movies and books with the same concepts. Such a concept is truly terrifying no doubt, but to explore such a concept explored by writers like orwell is absolutely captivating. And half life 2 really impressed me with the initial environment of a city ruled by a totalitarian government. Basically, a lot of shit happened when you were in statis by the G-Man. The most important event was the seven hour war, wait let me explain. When you destroyed the nihilanth in half life 1, it basically made the portals go berserk or something and they started popping up all over earth. Then, this alien race called the combine, which was then establishing an empire, came into earth through the portals, and basically pwned the human race in just 7 hours. They then established a couple of cities where humans could live, and one of them was the city 17 into which you are thrust in half life 2.Basically, this guy called dr breen, who was the former head of black mesa, struck a deal with the combine to let him rule over city 17, upon the condition of a totalitarian government in which the humans were restricted from reproducing. So here comes gordon freeman.you come into the fray and cause a lot of confusion among the combine troops by escaping and joining up with the rebel force. By this time, you have attained a cult idol status in the rebel world and the rebels look to you to lead the revolution against the government. And that is what you eventually do. Anyway, the graphics of the game is just stunning. The emotions of the characters are top notch and valve carried on with the tradition of progressing the story in-game itself without any cut scenes at all. I found this very refreshing change, although i love cut scenes in games, this was something different and it worked well. Hahaha one thing that impressed me was that wherever you move, the npcs eyes follow you wherever you are when they are talking to you. Thats cool. The story though is not so clear amidst the constant action in the game. There is rarely a moment to rest in half life 2 and thats brilliant cos theres an amazing adrenaline rush when u play the game. Its like there will be an in-game conversation and then suddenly you have to run away and fight again. Thats quite cool, although the causes the player to lose concentration of the story. And bloody hell the game is bloody realistic. I seriously felt queasy when i was riding the water boat cos it was bloody realistic, but those portions of the game i found really irritating. I mean its ok if you have to drive vehicles for a short while, but bloody hell u have to ride them for a long time and i found that damn annoying. I mean you just have to keep on driving and shooting at enemies and it gets damn irritating, and the worst part is that you dun have a clear path. You have to bloody hell keep clearing objects and getting off to clear the way and go through which is annoying. A good point in the game though is that actually you have to think quite a bit in the game. There are lots of parts where you get stuck unless you get resourceful and i find them damn nice, that additional mental challenge. Like one time, you are stuck in a room unless you can build a bridge to the other end with the objects in the game. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the last part of the game wooohooo, the part where you get the super gravity gun kenna zhng sia. Damn nice. You can use the super gravity gun to throw the enemies at each other, shoot the enemies down, get plasma balls and shoot them its damnnn nice. HAHAHAH theres one part where got like one whole army of combine and a bloody strider watiign for you!!!!! then damn nice you have to chiong at them and just whack the super gravity gun at everyone damn shiok. ITs just a superb game, one of the best i have ever played.

Mexico

You could see me reaching
So why couldn't you have
Met me halfway
You could see me bleeding
But you could not put
Pressure on the wound
You only think about yourself
You only think about yourself
You'd better bend before I go
On the first train to Mexico

You could see me breathing
But you still kept
Your hand over my mouth
You could feel me seething
But you just turned
Your nose up in the air

You only think about yourself
You only think about yourself
You'd better bend before I go
On the first train to Mexico

You only think about yourself
You only think about yourself
You'd better bend before I go
On the first train to Mexico


This song is by Incubus. What an amazing song seriously. When i went onto one website, a lot of people were ridiculing incubus saying that they had sold out. some others defended them saying their sound has evolved. I disagree with both views. True, some of their older albums S.C.I.E.N.C.E had more funk infused music and more rock but there is honestly no way to criticise a band which makes music like 'mexico'. What an amazing song and i know the lyrics i nice, but the music is infallible. Its song like these which you can just put on loop and keep hearing them and never get sick of them. And those people who say incubus dun make good acoustic songs, FUCK YOU. Incubus makes amazing acoustic songs, and if this isnt proof of it then i honestly dunno what is. This is one of the best acoustic songs i have ever heard. The mellowness is so soothing and as some people on the website said, it is ironic when u read the emotion in the lyrics. I like the guitarist in incubus also, i mean i know that some people will say that omg its so easy to play this song or whatever shit. But i feel that the simplicity is really what makes it so good. Fuck shredding lar, anyone can shred. If i also practise my guitar 24/7 i can shred it one week so fuck shredding. a lot of ppl think that guitarists who shred are damn good or whatever but that is bullshit. to shred is honestly no big deal. Like i definitely believe in the rolling stones top 100 list of greatest guitarists of all time ( except that jack white is in the top 20 which i honestly dunno why) but i was happy frusciante was also there. Look at frusciante he is so skillful on the guitar. He can shred his ass off if he wants to. But even on his solo albums, which are nice, he plays simple stuff. But to come up with the simple stuff is hard, it needs creativity, to put together a set of notes , a riff, something original, yet simple but most mellow and pleasurable to hear. The simple plucking of an acoustic on mexico is just too good. It gives a feeling like u are floating, or travelling, and its ironically so mellow and nice.Time to explore more incubus haha

ROCKY BALBOA

I havent really posted anything for quite some time, but i felt like posting after i watched rocky balboa last night. Like a lot of other people, when i first saw the trailer, i thought that the movie was just gonna be a drag, with stallone exclaiming in the trailer that he was so old and all that stuff. Im a big fan of the rocky series so i had to watch the last movie anyway. I didnt start watching with high expectations, but i found that the movie turned out pretty well actually. First of all, maybe it was a good thing that stallone shows his aging in a lot of ways. The movie seems to have a sombre tone at the start, with him being alone in his house, and then going to the grave of rocky's wife adrian balboa. His son is kinda angry at first with him and they dont really talk that often, mostly cos his son thinks that he is living in the shadow of rocky, cos rocky is really popular and rich. Then they show how rocky runs his restaurant and stuff, but he still doesnt really feel his boxing days are behind him. the whole movie is quite cool, and i think they put the nostalgia factor to good use in the movie, with rocky remembering the old times from the other rocky movies. and then finally he gets down to training to fight the undefeated heavyweight champion dude. Its pretty cool i dont think the movie was overdone or he tried to act like some young guy or anything, so it seemed more realistic and helped the movie. I think stallone did well in portraying rocky's aging and also kinda his loneliness in his older days.

My Favourite Players

1. Kaka Im sorry, cristiano ronaldo is not the best player in the world right now. Kaka is the best player in the world right now. Kaka is god. Kaka is too good already lar. He is so good i dunno where to start also. Best attributes: Amazing technique, brilliant range of passing, amazing long shots, accuracy, one of the best free role players- extremely hard to mark, great accuracy, cool, very quick, graceful runner, match winner



2. Joaquin

I have followed this guy ever since he was at Real Betis. There must have been a reason why valecia paid 25 million pounds for this guy rite? Hell yes there is. This guy is probably the best right winger in the whole world. He has got pace, amazing crossing ability, one of the best dribblers i have ever seen, and amazing flair. I think Valencia will probably push for the la liga title next year with this guy,and also go further in the champions league. Vamos Joaquin



3. Harry Kewell

A lot of people have not seen the best of kewell. I remember when i saw him when he played at leeds alongisde viduka, he was just amazing. He has a brilliant left foot, and he can whip in crosses with aplomb. Its too bad nowadays he is just clutching his groin all the time and walking off the pitch LOL. Too bad he has become quite injury prone. But i have a feeling he will have a good season in the 07/08 season, and hopefully people can see the best of him. Thank god he has gotten rid of that stupid ponytail hairdo. Will he be the surprise for the CL final? Yeah i certainly think he will actually START on the left hand side of midfield. Or he might come on a substitute. But sorry liverpool fans. I dont think you guys will get lucky twice. This time, kaka is going to pwn ur ass.

Football

I love football. It is the best game in the whole world. I remember when i was in primary school, and i turned on the tv. On ESPN, they were showing this man in a jersey of black and white stripes. He was in the tunnel at first. There was a kid on a wheelchair, a disabled kid, and he was talking to the kid. The kid was fascinated to be with this man, and the kid was smiling from ear to ear. Then, he walked onto the pitch, and i remember the camera went around him to give a 360 degree rotation view of the man. At that moment, i became mesmerised with him. Who was this footballer who looked so majestic, was so friendly and good-natured, and just seemed like a natural leader. I think one would have no choice but to admire him. His name was Alan Shearer, the great No.9 for Newcastle United. One of the best strikers of his era, Shearer used to strike fear into his opponents because of his amazing goalscoring ability. Newcastle United paid a then world record fee of 15 million pounds for him in the 96/97 season. He was the first footballer in the EPL to score 30 goals or more for 3 consecutive seasons. He was a natural leader and an amazing presence on the pitch, he was a geordie boy through and through. Even though manchester united tried to tempt him away on 2 occasions, he still stuck to his desire to play for his hometown club. ( Haha bloody suckers man u)Now that is loyalty. Even though he knew that he could have won medals at man u, he wanted the geordies to know he was there for them. He might have not had the best pace in the premiership, but his killer finishing and finesse in the air, coupled with the uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time, has made him one of the best players ever to grace the world football stage. Kudos to you, Alan Shearer, No.9, Geordie.

Fallout

Fallout. One of the most amazing games ever. I am sure the people out there who have played it will know what i mean. Ok, maybe the graphics are quite shitty compared to what we get today. But the gameplay. The storyline. The skills and system. Brilliant. The basic outline of the game is that it is the post-nuclear world, and basically the world is in tatters. You live in vault 13, a secure location where the people live in a community independent of the rest of the world. If im not wrong, one of the components in the vault goes haywire and you are sent out to find a replacement. Basically you come out of the vault half naked, with just basic stuff for survival. Then you are out to explore the world, go to new cities, join mercenary guilds, get cool weapons and kick ass. The gameplay is really amazing for an early 90s' game. The funny thing is rite, that all the amazing companies which make the best games always fall apart instead of going to become renowned. I dunno wtf is up with that. Interplay, which made fallout, broke up after fallout 1 and 2 came out. Then the makers of another amazing game, heroes of might and magic, 3d0 also fell apart after 4 episode of homm. I dunno why that happens. Anyway, fallout is definitely one of the best games out there. Its probably tough to buy it somewhere, but you know what to do if you want it. hehe. Hmmm one thing that always caught my eye when playing fallout was the boy you know. The funny guy with the yellow hair who always comes as the icon of the game, and also in the menu screens. I think it was pretty cool to have an icon like that. This game rules. hmmm post nuclear world. will it look like that? is another war bound to happen. will really such destruction take place? who noes...

Elder Scrolls

Bloody hell, this is one of the best rpg series that ever existed. I am currently playing the fourth chapter in the series, oblivion. I mean this game is fucking amazing, it has everything that a gamer will love. I honestly cannot believe the graphics in this game. Every single fucking thing, from a bloody insect to a gigantic castle, is rendered to perfection. I have been playing this game like a maniac for the past few days. Once you sit down and start playing, you honestly cant stop. In the game itself, you are free to roam around the whole region and explore anywhere. If you dont like going into dungeons, fine. Go ahead and see the beautiful wilderness and prance through it. Haha its really funny cos elder scrolls is supposed to be one of the most open ended games ever to be made. I estimate that you can probably play this game for several years. There is just so much you can do. People lament about not being able to see the beautiful wonders of the world from the home, not being able to travel without moving an inch, but you can really achieve that with elder scrolls. I honestly dunno how much effort must have gone into this game. Another amazing thing i realised is the character faces are so fucking detailed its not funny. Moreover their expressions change depending on the things you say to them. While there is a main mission in the game, you can basically do as many side quests as you want. Haha my favorite part in the game is the stealing part. I love to lockpick peoples houses, go inside, sneak around and get all the expensive items. The wasted part is most houses only have crap, and you gotta steal from the character itself to get expensive items. Stealing from the npcs is tough cos you get caught really easily. I also think im levelling up damn slowly. This is prob cos i spend too much time talking to ppl and exploring the cities. But i feel even this one is prob too open ended. Hopefully got some linearity to this game, more than morrowind. Everyone should check it out. I think these screens will prob convince you to get this game.

Company of Heroes

Finally, i finished company of heroes. I was halted on like mission 12/15 for quite a long time, then i finally finished it. Its a great game. The graphics is just brilliant, and i also feel that the control that the player has over the game camera is great. From an rts camera view, you can zoom in all the way until you can see the faces of the infantry men clearly. The details on the tanks and the infantry is just amazing. When you zoom in enough, the facial details are amazing. Moreover, the body motions of the infantry is very realistic. Before, i wasnt really interested in ww2. But this game really got me to dig ww2 and what it was all about. The game starts off with the events at omaha beach, and you gotta play the role of allies in the campaign mode. Man, do you get one fucking hell of a beating when you are on omaha beach. Now i truly realise why there is so much fuss over d-day, cos you see the casualties and you are just shocked. Once omaha beach is over, you play 15 different missions where you have to use allied troops for various aims. Most of it is basically to control territories and force off the axis forces. The cut scenes are also fantastic. They are made in great detail, and the voice acting is also good. I was really pissed, cos when i saw the screenshots of cnc 3, it looked as if they had ripped off company of heroes, which i think they did. Anyway, i think this game really shows how far video gaming has come. From the time when we had doom, it is amazing that games have grown so much in detail. In the final mission, you finish off the german troops in the game, and it ends with a simple cut scene. I was actually expecting the final cut scene to be more elaborate. maybe they wanted to finish development quickly. Anyway kudos for company of heroes, its a hell of a game.

Fracture

This movie is just awesome. Its really really just simply awesome. I love to watch classic films, old ones shot in the 70s' and 80s' and just to watch all the movies that are classics. Thankfully, ie progress and watched a couple of those films. One of them was Silence of the Lambs, and if you really think that the shit zombie,gore,resident evil,28 days later,the hills have eyes and all that crap is scary, you can fuck off cos you havent seen no shit. Silence of the lambs had almost no violence, no gore, but it is definitely one of the most fucking scary shows you can ever watch. At the end of the movie, i promise you will have goosebumps, and you will be thinking 'what the fuck'. And the reason for that is anthony hopkins, it just that he is a damn fucking good actor. He plays a similar type of role in fracture, and i can definitely see he is putting all of the experience he has got to good use. He is so good at playing the psycho maniacal shit-scary dude. The plot in fracture was also good, and it was nice to see a duel between an established a-lister and a rising one, ryan gosling. I think ryan gosling definitely gave a good account of himself, and hopefully he learned something from the master. A lot of the great actors of the past couple of decades are being overlooked by the current generation, and young people nowadays look up to crap actors like brad pitt, tom cruise, vin diesel and all that total crap. The really fucking talented actors are the ones who have really carved out a name for themselves by acting in terrific shows, people like robert de niro, robin williams, anthony hopkins, jack nicholson. These guys are the real legends, i really encourage people to go find classic movies like schindlers list, one flew over the cuckoo's nest etc. They show the real class of hollywood. Anyway, fracture is a good movie, so go watch it.

Google Gadgets

I would like to thank google gadgets for all the add-ons you find on this blog. There is an amazing variety of google gadgets that people can add to their own personal websites, and some of them are really very cool. So far, on the blog, there is the national geographic photo of the day, the yoda speak, which is really cool, cos you just enter a sentence normally and it produces the same thing the way yoda will say it. then, there is the pac-man game i added which is also cool. Gonna be adding some more google gadgets, its damn nice.

Counterstrike 1.6

I have returned to the addictive counterstrike. Possibly one of the most low budget projects of all time, counterstrike is just a mod created by a couple of geniuses. I think that cs should have probably come out about 8 or 9 years ago. It is one of the most highest grossing online games ever. Amazing considering the average graphics, absence of any storyline, and the amount of glitches the game has. Yet, I have to admit it is one of the best damn games i have ever ever played. It is just so addictive and fun, and has become such a cult phenomenon people have been drooling over this game ever since it has been released. Sometimes, it can be really funny BECAUSE of the glitches, with player models going under the ground, skywalking and all that. Skywalking is really fun and annoying to other players. I remember times when i just skywalked throughout the round, irritating the guts out of the terrorist team players.

Inaugural post

Hi everyone my name is srini and i hate blogging that has to do with narcissictic people posting stuff about themselves and their own lives all the time. eg. Naraen. This blog is gonna be about all the cool shit that i encounter, be it with video gaming, tv, movies, music etc. No crap dudes, this is good shit