text:
Tolkien's legendary work on Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit has been inspirational to creators across many other types of media. There are a total of six Peter Jackson movies based on the two stories, as well as an animated tv version of The Hobbit. There was a tabletop game back during the glory days of D&D gaming that was set in Middle Earth, and it was pretty damn good. Even the mighty Led Zeppelin sang about Hobbits and Gollum. The video game market has been particularly saturated with attempts to capitalize on the success of Tolkien's legacy. Some of these games are quite good, others are only faint memories of something awful, brown, and smelly. Enter the studio that ruined Rocksteady's Batman franchise: Warner Bros.
The problem with the extant stories of Middle Earth is that they are too epic in scale for any developer, save Bethesda or Blizzard, to attempt to do justice to the source material. There are too many characters, diverging quests and plot lines for any single game to faithfully adapt.. Add a virtual army of affectionate and passionate Tolkien fans salivating to strike a blow against any deviation from the written word, and your Middle Earth cash grab goes down the Hobbit hole.
Between Worlds
Shadow of Mordor is set between the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and focuses on a single Ranger of Gondor, named Tallion. In the many years since the defeat of Sauron, Gondor's watchful eye on the land of Mordor has become complacent, and the Ranger garrison on the Black Gate has been reduced to a mere outpost. The Uruk Hai army, led by a man called The Hammer, swarms the gate and easily overcomes the skeletal opposition of only a few Rangers. Tallion's son and wife are slain by The Hammer, and Tallion himself is cast into the place between worlds, deprived of both life and death. The Ranger finds himself bound to a wraith: the incorporeal spirit of renowned Elven smith named Celebrimbor, whose talents were sought in life by Sauron for a little jewelry project made famous in the Tolkien books.
Tallion is a formidable hero possessing the deadly martial abilities of a Ranger of Gondor and the spectral powers of a powerful wraith. He is able to take on multiple opponents at once, see through walls and detect enemies from a great distance,tame and ride dangerous creatures as epic mounts, kill silently from the shadows, and bend the will of his enemies. Free the slaves of the Uruks of Mordor, regain the wraith's lost memories, destroy an army of Uruks, help an Elven queen, sever the Black Hand of Sauron and shove it straight up his ass. Not bad work, if you can get it.
Ranger Danger
Tallion carries a longsword, a bow, and his son's broken sword, which he uses as a dagger for stealthy kills and finishing moves. The Ranger gains experience and currency through battle and exploration, which can be used to upgrade his abilities, weapons, and spectral powers. Runes can be added to weapons for an extra kick in battle. Stealth abilities can also be upgraded and allow Tallion to kill stealthily, to brutalize an enemy from stealth, which temporarily terrifies Uruks in the vicinity, or to dominate the will of an Uruk, thus creating an ally.
Celebrimbor is able to penetrate the minds of Uruks, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the Uruk Hai army elite. Tallion can then exploit these traits to his advantage, and will gain extra XP when it comes time to put the elite down. Uruks utilize a hierarchy system tenuously held together by fragile alliances, which can be worked against the target if his allies were to be eliminated or dominated.
Shadow of Mordor is presented in a third person view, and anyone who has played a Batman game in the last five years should automatically feel like a veteran orc killer from the start. The control scheme is nearly identical to the controls that WB and Rocksteady have used since Arkham Asylum. Tallion is capable of addressing multiple attacks simultaneously and dispatching crowds of unfriendlies in a short amount of time. However, the Uruks will call for reinforcements, given the opportunity, so a mix of stealth and outright confrontation works well. Break line of sight during swarm situations and the Uruks will soon lose your trail.
A Taste of Tolkien
Shadow of Mordor is a good fit into the mythos of Middle Earth because it avoids the epic scope of a Tolkien adaptation. It tells a compelling story within the familiar setting of Middle Earth that focuses on a different battle against a common enemy. It isn't so pretentious that it attempts to retell The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, but it does provide an authentic, bite-sized Middle Earth adventure featuring a very dangerous protagonist.
You Knew It Was Coming
The story may be a compelling slice of Middle Earth lore, but the combat sometimes feels like Batman: Mordor Asylum. Although the presentation and approach made the combat system familiar, it also often felt stale...like I had already done this a thousand times. The fast travel mechanic has been borrowed from Batman: Arkham Origins, who borrowed it from Far Cry 3. Forging a tower anvil is the Middle Earth equivalent of unscrambling a tower in the last Batman game. Side quests frequently appear on the map and are frustratingly repetitive: stop an execution, stop an ambush, rescue some slaves...blah blah blah. There shouldn't be this much filler in a Middle Earth game. Players are given opportunities to avenge the death of a player on the friends list, which would have been innovative if Blizzard hadn't done it first. The feeling that I have somehow played this before haunted me almost the entire game, effectively negating the joy of discovery. Shadow of Mordor never lost that same shit, different game feel.
Sarcasmo Says
Shadow of Mordor is a worthy addition to the story of the one ring. The characters are interesting, the story is compelling, the performances are convincing and appropriate, and there are absolutely no Hobbits and only one Dwarf. However, like Ryse, story is only one part of the interactive experience, and I spent too much time playing as a Ranger-skinned Batman and chasing orcs in an endless loop of side quests and filler content to give this game our highest rating. I played through the game and have no desire to pick up and go again. Shadow of Mordor is one and done.
Adapting video games from television has proven to be a hit or miss formula for success. Lost was not a great game, neither was Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, CSI, The X-Files, or a hundred others. Earthworm Jim is the only show that I can think of that actually made a fun and successful game...but the sequel sucked. If your television program is not a game show, then it probably won't make a great video game. Duck Dynasty is not a game show.
Welcome to Monroe, Louisiana
During the world's lamest cut-scene, we discover that it is John Luke Robertson's first day on the job at the Duck Commander family business. John Luke is primarily a silent protagonist, learning the ropes of work mixed with the Robertson family style of after hours entertainment. Cousin Beaux acts as John Lukes mentor, showing the young Robertson how to call ducks, shoot ducks, fish, and dig for Uncle Si's buried treasures.
The problems with this game actually start before the game does. The physics, especially the hair, are laughably bad. I'm guessing that the Robertson's did their own voice acting, which has resulted in some very embarrassing voice performances. How fucking hard is it to portray yourself in a video game? They should have hired professionals.
The premise of the game is also laid out for us in the introduction. John Luke is Willie's son, so why doesn't he know anything about Duck Commander or the Robertson way of life. Hasn't he been a Robertson literally his entire life? If he isn't familiar with what is going on in his own house you would think that he at least watches the television show. Nope, he's a silent noob.
The Outdoor Type
Becoming a well-rounded Robertson has very little to do with genetics or making duck calls as the game's emphasis is on outdoor sports, slacking at work, and pranking the boss.
The outdoor sports are either presented as overly simplistic or unrealistically exciting. The duck calling is a timed series of button presses. The shooting of ducks, beavers, squirrels, and golf balls are all auto aimed: just squeeze the trigger. Driving is an exercise in monotony. You have a 4WD truck or ATV but neither are able to leave the established roads in the game. Every once in a while the driving is broken up by stopping the vehicle to look at a sign...I wished that I had made that last part up, but it's actually in the game.
The boats handle like shit, catching frogs is a lame single button press event, and at no time does anything in the game approach being a challenge, or fun. However, the fishing sequences have been ridiculously exaggerated, resulting in pixillated Perch putting up a fight that rivals any deep sea Marlin or Great White.
As bad as the core mechanics and gameplay are, it is the shitty writing and lame character performances that kill any potential that this game could have had. At one point, tired of Willie's constant insistence that work needs to be done, John Luke, Si, and Jase pull a prank by stealing Willie's surveillance-connected iPad. This stealth mission is comprised of a sneaking past Willie, timing your movements across broken glass, while he randomly toots on duck calls. Then John Luke and Si sneak up behind Willie again, this time disguised as cardboard boxes (affectionate nod or rip-off?) to steal the tablet and prank the day. Every joke falls flat, every character looks like a fucking hobo, and Phil's wife sounds like she's drunk. Now I've never seen the show and I don't know these people, maybe Phil's wife had a stroke or something, but she sounded drunk to me.
Something Positive
This is the part of the review where I try to say something nice about the game. This section is very short.
Sarcasmo Says
My Twitch channel was packed on the night that I streamed this game, and the game was unanimously hated by everyone in the chat room. The only possible reason a person would have to play this game would be a fan of the show who just can't get enough Robertson in their life, and those people will hate it too. You would be better served buying a DVD of the show. Duck Dynasty is a flop of the highest order.
So, I am beginning to wonder if getting paid in free review copies of pinball tables is in fact a "salary" that I need to claim on my tax returns. This week 2old2play hooked me up with the latest South Park tables from Zen for the PS4 (Wooohoo, like the 3rd game I've played on my one year old "new" console).
Zen dropped a pack of two brand new tables on all the platforms including Sony cross buy for $4.99 (so long as you bought them first on PS3 or Vita and then exported to PS4). I missed all the press releases and marketing blitz for these and was assuming one was a virtual version of the actual 1999 Sega physical South Park pinball machine. Instead, this is two brand new virtual tables.
Sony is still the worst at shutting up and taking my money!
OK so not exactly since I did get these free, but getting things in the Sony store with codes is always a confusing odyssey through menus that seem to be designed by sociopaths.
Once I figured out where to put the codes, they downloaded fairly quickly, but then the Zen app also needed an update. So you know an hour later I was actually ready to play pinball! While I'm whining about first world problems, for a studio that calls themselves Zen damn their menu music is annoying!
Super Sweet Pinball
Super Sweet Pinball was the first table I checked out. While not the same as the physical table it seems like an updated homage to the original. The South Park crew of Cartman, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle are back along with other old favorites, like Mr. Hanky and Chef. There's a lot of attention to detail with inside jokes and obscure details from the show throughout the playfield.
The table was a lot of fun and had all of my favorite features, like a double outlane on the right and lots of ramps,targets, and bumpers to keep things interesting. It also has excellent sound effects and cool modes, like one for Timmy, that played the Timmy, and the Lords of the Underworld song. The cabinet art was really well done and the environment around it was like it was plunked right down in the middle of downtown South Park, Colorado. The upper football game playfield that showcases Randy Marsh's ill-fated attempt at being a football coach is a neat unique feature I haven't seen before.
There's a toilet skill shot as well as getting in Mr. Hanky mode that gives you 3 brown multiballs. I guess that's better than Chef's Chocolate Salty balls mode (which I wouldn't be surprised if that was actually a thing I never unlocked). I'd say my one complaint with the tables is that multi-ball automatically switches you to a different view although I believe that happens on all of Zen's tables. I should look around some more and see if that's a setting.
In poking around the menus I did find a feature I never realized Zen had in all their tables: you can actually get to the Operator's menus just like on a real pinball machine. It gives you access to all the tweaks like bookkeeping, tests, and all the feature individual settings. You can do all sorts of things to make the table harder or easier (though if you mess with the settings your scores won't count on leaderboards). The really neat feature especially for licensed tables is you can go through and play all the sounds to hear the cool South Park quotes even for modes you'll never actually make it into if you aren't a Pinball Wizard.
Butters' Very Own Pinball Game
This is a very apt title, since this table really feels like it came directly from Butter's brain. It's colorful, Saturday morning cartoony, and full of Butters banter. The sides of the cabinet look like they're made out of cardboard and the background makes it look like its setup in Butters' room.
The table has a lot of ramps and different rules modes. Bumper hits help you collect different outfits, which was a clever game mechanic. Some modes can get his alter-egos to show up on the side stage and let you relive different moments of classic Butters-centered episodes. The vortex on the left side is almost like a Turkish twist ride that spins your ball as well as moves up and down. There's also cool Professor Chaos mini-playfield you can get yourself into. AWESOM-O. This table plays a little slower than Super Sweet: the way the ramps are centered and shorter so they both feel like really different games.
Buy it now?
Zen always does an great job on their tables and these are no exception. Their attention to detail is second to none, right down the the amazing reflections in the pinball itself. They do well by the South Park franchise and vary up the gameplay for pinball enthusiasts. These tables are definitely worth picking up ASAP!
I've been dying to slam this game since it was announced. The original Forza Horizon was mediocre and Forza 5 was a huge disappointment in almost every aspect of the game. That being said, Forza Horizon left a favorable impression on a majority of the folks who played it, and Forza Horizon 2 is one of the most highly anticipated racing games of the current generation. Have I been too harsh on Playground and Turn 10? I have put my prejudice aside and have given the newest Forza game a clean slate.
Unsurprisingly, Forza Horizon 2 starts off almost the same as the first game. The player arrives at the Horizon Festival, this time set in the Mediterranean instead of Colorado, and is greeted by Seth Green's British twin. The drivers race to the festival hub, which serves as a free fast travel point, car lot, upgrade garage, and paint shop. The festival is tiered like the first game, with colored wristbands marking the player's progression towards the finale.
Road Trip
Playground has progressed the Horizon series like it should be done: removed what doesn't work, enhanced what was good with the original, and tried out some new things. Horizon 2 features several satellite hubs in different cities near the Mediterranean and has incorporated roadtrips between these cities as part of both the single player and multiplayer experiences. Drivers are given a time limit to travel between cities, which rewards XP if successful. Once at the satellite hub, the player participates in a four race championship in their choice of car types (hypercars, modern muscle, vintage racers, etc) with races scored on a point system. Whoever has the most points at the end of four races wins the championship and the cars race to the next city.
Once the player has won fifteen championships, he or she can participate in the finale: an epic point to point that traverses the map and nearly every type of terrain and weather in the game. The winner of the finale is crowned champion and goes at it again, this time with British Seth Green participating in the racing.
Slinging Some Dirt
The most welcome change and attractive part of Horizon 2 is the nearly unrestricted free roam. Drivers can bust off of any road and traverse nearly the entire map. River beds, vineyards, farm land, forests, gravel, dirt, and grass are all accessible at all times. No place is safe from the destructive will of Horizon participants.
A great deal of the racing is centered on off road events, but not necessarily restricted to rally or AWD monsters: if you participate in a championship with your priceless vintage Ferrari or Bugatti Veyron, you are just as likely to run that bitch in an off-road race as you are with a Subaru or Bowler.
A Little Something on the Side
Playground has preserved the idea of the showcase events: side events that pit the driver in a race against jets, trains, cargo planes, and even hot air balloons.
Another little side slice of fun are the bucket list events. These challenges range from hitting a certain speed in a McLaren or Koenigsegg through a speed trap, piloting a rally car through a forest at night, catching air in a GT-R or classic Dodge Hemi, racing the clock cross-country in a Bowler, and reaching a destination within a certain amount of time in a particular car. My favorite was racing a classic Ferrari 250 GTO down a winding Italian coastal road...the LaFerrari challenge was a close second.
Multiplayer games have returned and are part of the online multiplayer roadtrip. One of the four events in the road trip will be King (Keep The It) or Infection, etc. While these games aren't necessarily new to Horizon, they have been incorporated brilliantly into the structured multiplayer part of the game.
The Nuts and Bolts
The most surprising part of Horizon 2 is the similarity to Forza 5. Nearly all of the upgrade and tuning options from Turn 10's current gen offering are available in Horizon 2, making it the deepest arcade racer ever developed. That being said, the arcadey driving style and forgiving physics render tuning almost unnecessary, and cars with my Forza 5 tunes on them handled nearly identically to their untuned twins.
The list of cars is equally impressive, sporting as many cars as Forza 5 had at launch...just over 200. Most of these are copycats from Forza 5, but there are a few gems that are unique to this game.
Like Forza 5, Horizon 2 is populated with Drivatars. If you have a friend that has played either current Forza game, then they have a Drivatar somewhere in the game. You can challenge these Drivatars to races, and then post the results on YouTube. Good times.
You Knew It Was Coming
There are always drawbacks to an arcade style racing game, and Horizon 2 has not dodged every cone in it path. Every driver looks identical, which really kicks the creepy factor up several notches at the start of a race. The radio channels are numerous, but all of them play shit music geared for a much younger audience than the old man writing this review. Horizon 2 also has a limited shelf life: yeah, it's fun to play and the racing is great, but it doesn't have the longevity of a sim racer. However, the impressive multiplayer modes and side missions will give it a second life of sorts after the single player is complete, but most folks will not be playing it a year from now.
Horizon 2 is also chock full of embarrassing glitches, pop-up, and server issues.
Sarcasmo Says
Forza Horizon will never be the definitive racing game, but it was never meant to be. Horizon 2 delivers a visually stunning and accessible racing experience set in one of the most gorgeous corners of the planet in some fucking bad-ass automobiles. It's better than TDU2, better than any NFS or Midnight Club, and better than Grid or Dirt. It kills me to say it, but Horizon 2 is better than Forza 5. This is probably the best arcade racer I have ever played. Forza Horizon 2 has earned our highest rating.
KickBeat - Special Edition is a rhythm fighting game that combines the frantic button presses of a rhythm game like Rock Band Blitz with the over the top fighting action of a Jackie Chan movie. If at this point in time you are asking yourself "Whaaaaaa?" then you are not alone. I had an idea as to what this might be, but I was not expecting what Zen Studios (Creators of gems like Pinball FX/FX2 and Castlestorm) has created here.
The Neverending Story
The story comes at in you in pieces during cutscenes. I really enjoyed the hand drawn, watercolor-esque minimalist animation in the cut scenes but the voice acting was…lacking. During these cutscenes you discover you are a young hormonal teenage male named "Lee" who spots a pretty young thing walking into a monastery. As these stories usually go, you get a job there as a janitor and, during a period of meditation by the resident monks, you are discovered to be the "chosen one"! (I totally didn't see that coming…) As the chosen one, Lee is tasked with finding and retrieving all the world's music after the Sphere was stolen right out from under the guardian monk's noses. Enter your nemesis, Mr. Halisi, owner of Earth Entertainment and stand-in for all greedy music labels.
As the chosen one your quest is to retrieve the Sphere. You fight your way through 24 levels in 5 different locations around the world in an effort to locate and return this magical sphere to the monks. There is a mini boss at each location that you have to fight through until the final showdown with Mr. Halisi himself. Once Halisi is defeated and the story "complete" you can play through the exact…same…levels again as the PYT that you originally were chasing: Your Sensei's granddaughter Mei. (Again…totally didn't see that coming…) The levels are the same, the music the same, even the animations are exactly the same but the story branches off with Mei and her quest. The game and story know you have been to these levels before so all the bosses you fought as Lee look a little battle worn by the time you get to them as Mei.
American Ninja
The tutorial spells out all the major game play concepts. Hit the buttons or the D-Pad as the bad dudes stop in lit up circles for a split second waiting for you to pummel them with your fists or feet of fury. Miss your window and you get hit instead. Push that button way too early and you miss entirely. Points are scored for how close you come to perfectly timing your attacks. If you are a little off you are notified with a "Good" or "Great" and a + or – depending on if you were late or early. Hit it perfectly and you are rewarded with a "Perfect".
Lee and Mei are equipped with 3 different attack styles. Single tap, double tap for the powerups, and hold down and release for the guys chained together. The Yin and Yang in the center of the screen are your health and chi meters. Health needs no explanation but the chi is used for releasing powerups you have gained over the course of the song.
The enemies encircle you on different circular platforms made from concentric circles, with a Yin and Yang symbol in the middle circle. As the bad guys close in on you from the outside, some are given multipliers, score increases, health, shields and other powerups floating above their heads. Some are chained together much like holding a note in Guitar Hero or Rock Band.
That's it. That is all there is to it. You don't move your character around, you don't use the thumbsticks, you don't have secret moves, Lee and Mei stand in the middle in martial arts poses waiting for you to hit the right button. When you hit that button at the right time they attack in a flourish! However, again KickBeat – Special Edition suffers from "sameness" as this mechanic is exactly the same for all 24 levels. The bad guys you fight may have different costumes but they act and react the same in each level. After the first couple levels I became relatively bored with the overall gameplay but was hoping the music would become more interesting.
Let's talk about the music. Four of the 24 of the tracks were by bands I knew. That was fine as I was exposed to some great bands through games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band that I may never had come across. I was looking forward to discovering something new here but sadly that was not the case. Zen Studio's sells it as a high energy playlist but you had better like Nu Metal, EDM and/or Industrial electro rap as that is what every single track in the game is. Even the Taiwanese rap sounded much like every other track (check blog.zenstudios.com for the artist and track list). After completing the first 23 levels in just under two hours I had had enough. I tried the final level with Mr. Halisi and after getting my ass handed to me and my ears assaulted with substandard Dub Step, I quit. Enough was enough. There was not enough diversity here in the gameplay or the music to make me want to even finish. On top of that, during the final battle my Xbox crashed within the last 30 seconds of the fight 3 times. In no other game has it ever crashed like that.
"You quit?!" Yes I quit. For four days I did other things like play Destiny and Defense Grid 2 until guilt got the best of me. I went back at it again for a few hours. I had the same crashes this time around in Lee's story but I kept at it until I passed crash free. That was when Mei's story became unlocked. I was hoping I may have unlocked some other tracks or different levels but as you have already read the game is exactly the same playing as her.
I wanted to like Kickbeat – Special Edition. I love Pinball FX2 and I came into this thinking this would be fun. I like music and music games. I like fighting games like Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Dead or Alive, etc. Admittedly the Hard setting in both those genres kick my ass but I still enjoy playing them. However I found there was not enough interesting new music, nor any interesting mechanics in KickBeat – Special Edition to hold my interest. Around the halfway point in Lee's story I realized I would hard pressed to get through. When Mei's story opened up, I sighed and pressed on. That being said, after beating Mei's story I did try the Freeplay mode and a couple of the harder levels just to see if anything different appeared. However, same music, same levels…too much the same to make me want to continue.
Street Fighter - the Movie
You are probably expecting a "Skip" rating given my review. KickBeat - Special Edition is $10 as a digital download and think the amount of game you get is almost worth that price. That being said I can't get past how bored I was, overall, with this game, but if it dropped to under $5 or ends up being free at some point in time it is worth picking up and playing.
Bungie has a unique connection with the 2old2play community. Halo 2 was the centerpiece around which our community was formed, their games are some of the most heavily played and hotly contested on the site, and when Bungie decided to play Destiny online they chose 2o2p to show off their newest IP, in an exclusive livestream with Doodi and Hitman. We have a history together.
This relationship with Bungie, and the Halo series in particular, was the primary reason that there was no front page review for Halo 4 when it was released. It would have been difficult to compare 343's continuation of Bungie's work without being able to put the game into proper context: it would have been a lot of homework and whatever conclusion the writer would have drawn from the experience would have been wrong in the eyes of those who love, live, and breathe the games. I was not ready or willing to subject myself to that kind of scrutiny, so I left it alone. Destiny, however, is a brand new IP without the established mythos and history of the Halo franchise, and I am no longer apprehensive about having my dick stepped on by the community...so here we go, amigo.
Destiny begins near a defunct Russian cosmodrome in the future. A traveling ball of wonder, known as the Traveler, has driven the technological advancement of the human race on Earth, allowing their influence to spread and prosper to other planets in our solar system. However, the Traveler, an entity of light and benevolence, was trailed across the universe by many different enemies of light. The forces of darkness waged war against Earth and light, devouring our colonies, draining the light, and reducing our population to a single protected city, which is now under threat of annihilation.
Biomechanical ghosts have been sent in search of fallen Guardians to be resurrected and put to use by the forces of light against those who would destroy it. The player's ghost, voiced by actor Peter Dinklage, resurrects the player, finds them a weapon, and the game is on.
Classes and Weapons
The player may choose from 3 different classes: Hunter, Titan, and Warlock. Hunters are the sharpshooters and blade dancers of the bunch, generally utilizing a one at a time approach to crowd control by quickly dispatching an enemy and moving on to the next. Titans are the tanks of the three, capable of destroying many enemies at once and providing protection for the rest of the team. Warlocks balance the two offensive styles with a mix of crowd pleasing and singular attacks, but may boost team mates later in the game and are able to resurrect themselves.
Weaponry is a mix of old school and futuristic: pistols, boomsticks, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, grenades, pulse rifles, etc. Warlocks can use magical attacks and Titans can take advantage of powerful mechanically assisted melee attacks.
Destiny is a good mix of FPS and RPG. Almost everything in Destiny can be upgraded: character abilities, weapons, armor, ships, and vehicles. Much like Diablo, I spent a great deal of time tweaking my gear to get the most punch out of my play style. I generally utilized a pulse rifle/boomstick of the future/rocket launcher offensive combination, for my Hunter, in conjunction with armor that provided the greatest protection while allowing me to carry more ammunition for my weapons. Loot drops are infrequent, but there may be a secret Russian cave to please the loot whores out there.
Bungie's Advantage
Bungie does several things very well, perhaps better than anyone else in the genre. First, the gunplay is exquisite and accessible. The controls are fresh and crisp, and even I had no trouble locking in on a single, moving opponent from a distance, putting him down, and quickly moving to the next.
Destiny's story is presented organically. The player is able to progress the story on their own instead of having the plot force-fed to them by long-winded NPCs or lengthy cutscenes. Subtle narrative is a rarity in this business, and Bungie has put a lot of thought in getting the player into the action quickly and allowing the story to unfold one piece at a time.
There are very few lulls in the action. The game is a constant, persistent assault on the forces of evil, who are divided into four different, and often competing, factions: The Hive, The Fallen, The Vex, and The Cabal. Apparently the forces of darkness don't do the whole unity thing.
My final accolade goes to the level design. Players will battle on the Moon, in the ruin-filled jungles of Venus, on alien ships, Martian cities and installations, abandoned and rotting structures of Earth, and more than a few caves on different planets. My favorite was an underground train station beneath the Martian surface which begins in pure darkness and finished strong in a maze of train cars and apparating Vex enemies.
Competitive multiplayer, known as Crucible matches, are probably the least unique part of the game. Although the games modes are very vanilla, the level design on the multiplayer maps are very interesting and make good use of players' special abilities. However, they are, for the most part, devoid of the lanes and choke points that amp competitive gameplay. Another point of contention is that the weapons aren't balanced very well, which means that almost everyone is packing the pulse rifle/boomstick combo. Noobs will be discouraged very quickly in the Crucible.
Vanguard allows players to take a fireteam on raids into enemy territory for some of the more exciting cooperative gameplay that can be found during the campaign. A good mix of character classes is recommended for survival, unless you're out for the revival achievement.
You Knew It Was Coming
As good as Destiny is, there are a few things that I have a problem with. I do not like sharing my single player exploration with a world filled with random strangers. This always online bullshit can be problematic, especially when players cannot connect to Bungie's servers...which happened on more than one occasion. Developers shouldn't be following EA's example.
Another disappointment was the blatant stupidity of the enemy AI. I have literally stood directly in front of enemies who were content to stand there and ignore me until I decided to knife them in the face. No single enemy was ever a true threat and only swarms of enemies stood a chance against even the most cross-eyed marksman. Most of these enemies are pure fodder and bullet sponges. If you want a true test of skill, you'll have to enter the Crucible and endure Timmy and his pulse rifle.
Sarcasmo Says
No game is perfect, but Destiny comes pretty close. The campaign length is comparable to the Halo games, but the co-op is way more fun than it has a right to be. If you have a few friends on your list with Destiny, you will enjoy a great deal of replayability. If you have been waiting for the next great shooter for the 8th Gen, this may be your go-to game for a good, long while.
Although not as commercially successful as the Battlefield or Call of Duty series, Sniper Elite has carved out a niche in the shooter genre for the blatant and unrepentant camper crowd. Sniper Elite 3, developed by Rebellion Development and published by 505 Games, has brought the best parts of Sniper Elite V2 to the current generation of consoles.
In Sniper Elite 3, American sniper Karl Fairburne is sent to the besieged city of Tobruk to help repel Nazi forces, under the command of General Vahlen, during their North African campaign of 1942. The city ultimately falls to the overpowering offensive capabilities of the Germans, but Fairburne's efforts get noticed by the British, who recruit the hawk-eyed sniper for a little recon and assassination mission. It is the player's mission to uncover General Vahlen's plans, disrupt whatever evil he is planning to unleash upon North Africa, and put a bullet in his bitch ass.
Tools of the Trade
Snipers are not armed like regular infantry. Karl's starting loadout is comprised of a scoped M1 Garand, a Sten SMG, and a silenced Welrod pistol. These weapons can all be upgraded with different scopes, barrels, and stocks as the game progresses. Other weapons, like the Thompson SMG, MP-40, or Luger 9mm, can be substituted for the standard loadout, but I was happy with the starter set for most of the game.
Players are also able to make use of trip mines, land mine, AP mines, dynamite, grenades, and rocks. Camping snipers are generally big pussies in a firefight, so the smart ones set up traps to cover their six while they cowardly eliminate targets from a relatively safe distance. Bonus points are awarded for shooting from cover or from sniper nests, or by muffling their shots. Shots can be muffled by passing aircraft, noisy Ratte Factory machinery, or by sabotaging generators to sputter noisily,. This often requires that shooters synchronize their shots with the ambient noise spikes to effectively camouflage their shots. Some secondary weapons, like the Panzerschreck, can also be found in certain areas and are useful in taking out tanks, vehicles, and groups of unfriendlies.
The Trail of a Dangerous Man
General Vahlen is a very dangerous adversary who is up to some large scale shit. However, being a video game villain, he has left a trail of information for those who are willing to kill to get it. This trail winds through Nazi oasis camps, dusty canyons littered with destroyed vehicles and ancient ruins, occupied African cities and fortresses, and a super weapon factory built into the side of a mountain. The levels are mini-sandboxes, generally allowing the player to complete objectives in any order desired. The graphics are very good, but the landscape is mostly brown and drab: it is set in the desert, after all.
Karl will have to assassinate targets to obtain information from the bodies, track enemies, disable vehicles and howitzers, protect allies, rescue prisoners, and kill a mountain of Axis soldiers to get to Vahlen. Players can also collect items like playing cards and war journals for some extra XP.
Carving a Niche
The Second World War has been mined to death for game content. Stormed Normandy beach? Yep, done that. Parachuted into Nazi-occupied France? Been there. Tortured Nazi officers for information with a chainsaw before flying to the moon? You betcha. However, scoping in on a soldier, calculating for distance and elevation, and pulling off a perfect head shot was more rewarding than I expected it to be. Especially when that reward comes in the form of an X-ray slow motion close-up of the carnage. Why can't this feature be in every shooter campaign? The money shot not only features head shots: I blew out intestines, punctured kidneys, perforated lungs, and even blasted the balls off of bad guys. Anatomy has never been this much fun.
Sniper Elite 3 is, by no means, a particularly fast-paced game, but that doesn't make it slow or unexciting. If you do fuck up and get in a jam, the Sten will be effective enough for a group of three or so, but the player will need to relocate if he or she draws too much attention. Moving vehicles will have to be taken out by either sniping vital parts or with anti-vehicle weapons. Players can also take a stealthy approach with the Welrod or the knife...but they better make it count the first time.
Rebellion has conjured up several competitive multiplayer modes based on the sniper-centric theme of the SP campaign. Cooperative includes a protect the partner from a distance, tag and bag, and horde mode. Several single player challenges exist for those who have exhausted other play types, and there's a global leaderboard to let players know where they stand in each challenge.
You Knew it Was Coming
No game is perfect, and Sniper Elite 3 is certainly no exception. Sometimes the vaulting/jumping mechanic doesn't work correctly, often exposing the player to enemies at an inopportune time. Although Karl is a formidable sniper, the nature of his profession requires him to travel light and unarmored and as a result he dies very quickly in gunfights. Disappearing bodies can be problematic, especially if they are carrying the vital information that Karl needs to progress the level.
Most objects in the game cannot be interacted with, which means a folding canvas chair poses the same impenetrable quality as a wall. The AI, for the most part, is incredibly unbalanced. They are either infallible sharpshooters of the highest quality and keenest level of alertness, or they are nearsighted dolts who incompetently ignore grazing bullets and a completely visible opponent directly in their line of sight. The single player portion of the game is very short, less than 12 hours, but the multiplayer stuff can keep the magic alive a bit longer, if you're into that kind of thing.
Sarcasmo Says
I had more fun with Sniper Elite 3 than I should have but, despite its relatively short campaign, I had enough by the time I had finished and had no desire to participate in a 4v4 sniper campfest. It's a fun experience, but I would wait for a sale before adding Sniper Elite 3 to my game library.
Detective Ronan O'Connor is killed in the line of duty while investigating Salem's Bell Killer. O'Connor, a widower, is unable to join his wife in the afterlife until he can take care of his unfinished business. Ronan now exists between two worlds: the living world and a ghost town full of souls who haven't resolved their corporeal affairs. Ronan now must solve his own murder before the Bell Killer can strike again. Sounds like this ghost could use some help.
Ronan soon finds a reluctant ally in a local medium, named Joy, whose mother was helping the Salem police on the Bell Killer case. The killer has taken an interest in Joy and her mother, so the girl takes refuge at a nearby church while helping Ronan with material objects, like opening doors. O'Connor often finds opportunities to help other ghosts find the light by using his detective skills to find their bodies, solve their deaths, or remove whatever personal baggage is holding them to the material plane.
No Ghost Bullets For You
Murdered: Soul Suspect is not a shooter game, it's a detective story. Much like Ryse, the game is driven almost completely by its narrative. The majority of the gameplay is spent doing detective work, exploring the world, interacting with ghosts, and a few quick time events. If you're looking for some kind of spooky shooter or horror game, then keep looking. The only actual action in the game consists of taking down demons, which is a quick time event, or running around as a cat, which introduces some mild platforming elements to an otherwise action-free game.
It's Kind of Like LA Noire
Those of us who have played LA Noire have some fond memories of collecting clues, pondering the evidence, interrogating suspects, and solving the case. Some of the elements have trickled into this game, but they have been dumbed down for a slower crowd. The clues in Murdered: Soul Suspect are impossible to miss, since they are usually marked by chalk, an evidence marker, or have a light shining directly on them to make them stand out: you'd have to be an idiot to miss them. Even if you are an idiot, there is no way to come to the wrong conclusion due to the "everyone's a winner!" style of unerring deduction. Players are simply not allowed to be wrong. This would be fine if Murdered was being sold as a children's game, but the profanity puts this on the adult shelf.
It's Kind of Like Watching TV
The seemingly singular focus on the narrative almost eliminates the necessity for someone holding the controller. I play games because they're interactive. The player should have some measure of control, or at least the illusion of control. There should be some sort of accountability for player error, and there should be a reason for a controller and a person holding it. When the most interactive part of your game is prowling around as a house cat, then there's a problem with your game.
Sarcasmo Says
This is not a game: it's an episode of the Twilight Zone. The game looks good, the voice acting is top-notch, and the story is one of the best on the new consoles, but Airtight focused so heavily on crafting a story that they left the player out. I can watch fucking ghost stories on Netflix.
The game is short enough to be conquered in a couple of evenings and offers no replayability. Consider this title a weekend rental only.
Is it Watch_Dogs, Watch Dogs, or Watch-Dogs? Does it live up to the hype or is it just another game that had a little too much to drink at last year's E3 launch party and decided to send out a naughty tweet to the hundreds of thousands of people in attendance?
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform(s): Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PC
Originally announced at E3 in 2012, to much fanfare, Watch Dogs was originally scheduled for launch in November 2013 but ultimately launched on May 27, 2014 to allow Ubisoft to add more polish to it. Set in a digital stand-in for Chicago, protagonist Aiden Pearce explores this sandbox world by hacking pretty much everyone and everything with his generic looking stand-in for a smartphone while trying to save his sister in between side missions of ridding the city of its criminal elements, avoiding or defeating rival hackers, and racing from point to point. A backdoor into Chicago's central operating system or ctOS allows Aiden free reign over everything and no one is safe… especially those responsible murdering his niece and kidnapping his sister.
Eleven months earlier, after a failed robbery at the Merlaut Hotel that led to his niece's murder instead of his, Aiden Pearce seeks revenge. Armed with l337 hacking skillz of prompting you to press X or Y and his Samsung Android/Apple iPhone wannabe smartphone Aiden is ready to don his baseball cap, a bandana, and his leather one-strap Trenchcoat of Holding (I don't know what else to call it - It can magically hold an arsenal of shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, and chemicals and electronic components to save the day without encumbering the wearer or interfering in the wearer's movement). Aiden appears to take on a badass persona but never quite succeeds because the only one that takes Aiden's badassedness seriously is Aiden and the game publishers. The audience is simply told in very indirect terms that "Aiden is a badass" without any actual proof… unless you consider hacking $6600 from a citizen that was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and then showing up to your nephew's birthday party without a present as being a badass. In that case, he isn't a badass, he's just a dick and like the Windy City of Chicago that missing any actual wind in this game, Aiden's the badass that's missing the bad… ass.
One of the biggest obstacles for Watch Dogs are the endless comparisons to Grand Theft Auto that it has had to endure. I don't think this game was ever meant or marketed to be a GTA replacement. If it was, the person responsible for that marketing effort should be caned and canned because it isn't GTA. Yes it's a sandbox game just like GTA. Yes there are vehicles that, much like in GTA, you can jack from those driving them. Yes there are missions that involve you shooting up several enemies and blowing things up just like in GTA… but this is no GTA. It is a completely different game just as Assassin's Creed, Crackdown, Infamous, etc. are all different games yet none of them were compared to GTA as harshly as Watch Dogs.
If you've played GTA though, you can't but help make the comparison. Running and not being able to jump in Watch Dogs gets irritating. Not being able to freely melee any of the NPCs like you could in GTA gets annoying. Not being able to go to a strip club and use your mic on a live stream to verbally seduce a virtual stripper is a major hang up. Having the police on your tail and not being able to get rid of them like a bad case of herpes can ruin your day. Not being able to go to a strip club. Attacking an armored vehicle for $7G's or mugging pedestrians for $10-$30 then running for your life can be a pain in the butt. Not being able to go to a strip club. Minor things like this might make or break a picky gamer's day (and their ability to go to a strip club).
On the flip side though, if you've played GTA, playing Watch Dogs can be a pleasant break from Los Santos. The ability to run around and not accidentally jump to your death from atop a building is a welcome addition to accident prone players like myself! Not being able to go to a strip club and then have your wife or kids accidentally walk in on you telling your virtual stripper how much you like looking at their oddly shaped polygonal boobs is a Godsend.The ability to not accidentally melee a pedestrian for $2 and then having to run from police using deadly force is great. The ability to walk around and look at your phone while making thousands of dollars from hacking and not having to run for your life is so fulfilling. The ability to use certain elements in your environment such as overloaded utility boxes or underground steam pipes to take out enemies is awesome. The best ability in this game however is… being able to pull out your phone when someone in the game is talking to you and pretend like you are checking email or something important when all you want to do is ignore the other person just like in real life. BEST. FEATURE. EVAR!
Anyone watch the movie Hackers with a young Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller in it? That's what this game kind of feels like. In the movie like all movies involving hacking, no real knowledge of actual hacking is required. In the movies or on TV, hacking is so easy that just about anyone with a MacBook Pro can do it. So long as an actor/actress can press buttons convincingly like the young Jonny Lee MIller or Angelina Jolie in the movie, they can hack just as you you can hack in Watch Dogs.
Since you can hack in this game, you might as well hack the whole planet, err, city and in order to do that, you won't playing a lot of campaign. The real action isn't in the main campaign. It's in the side missions, walking the streets of virtual Chicago, hacking the people in the city, and mutliplayer contracts/races. The side missions are a combination of races, running after bad guys, or taking out entire street gangs while walking on the streets of Chicago and hacking people in the city is just that and is just that easy. Multiplayer, however, is a completely different story.
My first day with this game was spent just walking around the city hacking everyone and fulfilling all of my voyeuristic fantasies by reading their short little bios that appear on my phone. In between reading bios, I'd make stops to various ATMs to withdraw money from accounts that I had hacked. By the end of the night, I don't know how many bank accounts I had compromised but I had a good $100 grand in the various pockets of my one-button/strapped trench coat. Don't mind the fact that I took most of this money from just about everyone that was diagnosed with some sort of terminal illness. Making money illegally was never so easy!
When you get bored of making money (and you will get bored after you've purchased the limited inventory of collectibles and weapons in this game), you can tackle the side missions that either have you racing after a bad guy, have you taking out gangs, unlocking ctOS antennas around the city, etc. Just as you start to bore with these activities, a random online player/intruder jumps into your game and hacks your data. It's not quite stated what data this intruder is hacking or stealing but this player is stealing your data nevertheless (maybe it's the obese clown Real Doll porn that you have in a folder called "WORK STUFF," who knows). You then have a limited amount of time to track this intruder down and put a stop to their hacking.
Finally, you can always just walk around the various parts of virtual Chicago and interact with the NPCs.
The multiplayer aspect of Watch Dogs can be a lot of fun with friends and or randoms. There are two ways to play multiplayer. The first is through the game itself by navigating to your map then hitting one of the bumper buttons to go online and the second is through the mobile phone ctOS app. The Online Multiplayer modes are:
1. Online Hacking has your character infiltrating another characters game with your objective being to locate the other player and install a backdoor into their network while remaining undiscovered. If you do to get profiled, the other player's objective is to find you and kill you.
2. Invasion happens when someone else invades your game. Your objective is to track down the intruding hacker, profile them and kill them before they can fully install a backdoor into your network.
3. Online Tailing is like an online game of cat and mouse where you take turns trying to follow each other without being detected. In the event of detection, the goal changes to the same goals above - find and kill the player tailing you.
4. Online Race is pretty simple. Drive as fast as you can from point A to point B while using ctOS to your advantage.
5. Online Decryption pits two teams or three individual players against each other. Each team or player face off to collect data by staying close enough to the source or by killing each other off. The team or player that collects 100% of the data wins the match.
6. The ctOS Mobile App on iOS and Android that allows you to take 5 minutes out of your day to challenge friends or random players in between meetings or while you are out and about ignoring the world.
Believe it or not, the Disrupt engine that Watch Dogs was built on was originally going to be used for a driving game. Thankfully Ubisoft decided against that as the physics in Watch Dogs would give any driving game enthusiast a permanent WTF look on their face. A couple of Forza friends commented on how they like the driving in this game and how it feels more realistic but this is a video game and although it may be realistic that you can't take a turn at 100 mph in a beat up economy car in the game and in real life, when your in-game car takes a turn at reasonable speed, drifts onto oncoming traffic, kisses an oncoming truck head on, then causes the truck to fly back 20 feet while you still maintain most of your momentum, you've got to question the physics… or real life if this has ever happened to you in real life.
Another item that I'd like to bring to everyone's attention is the law… The police. The police in this game are ruthless and will chase you with orders of shoot to kill for just about any offense, regardless of how serious the offense. They will pursue you to the ends of the city boundaries with reckless abandon and will not stop until you are dead, dying, or have somehow managed to successfully elude capture. If you drive onto the train tracks or somehow figure out a way to get your vehicle onto the El tracks, they will follow. If you drive from one end of this virtual Chicago to the other, they will follow. If you jump out of your vehicle, they will stay in theirs and run you the f-ck down. If you jump into the water and swim away from them, they, uh… they… uh… they cease pursuit and take a break for donuts. For some reason, they can't seem to follow or track you in the water and then while you are in the water, your phone magically survives and you can take calls or hack nearby civilians.
As much as I like this game and am still having fun with it, I cannot recommend this game as a brand new purchase. There's just a lack of polish even if Ubisoft took a few extra months to add it that really bothers me. The lack of shadows on just about everything, vehicles appearing as if they are floating on the street as they drive by, repeating dialog of NPC's after you listen to them for a while (and when I say 'a while,' I really mean 2 seconds), etc. all add to my not being able to recommend this as a brand new purchase… instead, I can say get it used. It's not quite the 'next gen' experience but it's a fun game to play when you're tired of the usual fare and if you get it used, you'll save yourself a few bucks while still having a fun game to play on a rainy day.
Supergiant Games thrilled the gaming world with their first game, Bastion, during the Summer of 2011. Narrated by Logan Cunningham, Bastion quickly became an Indie mega-hit with many people wandering around their homes talking in his deep, throaty voice. Now, almost three years later, Supergiant once again tackles the Action RPG genre with their latest release, Transistor.
Release Date: May 20, 2014
Platform(s): PS4 and PC
In Transistor you play as Red, who is a famous singer in a city under siege by something called the Process. Red lost her voice during the initial attack but gained a sword companion instead. The sword, coincidentally named the Transistor, is voiced by the recognizable velvety tones of Logan Cunningham. Throughout the game, the Transistor helps and guides Red as they travel across the city of Cloudbank trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
It's all about the function
As you play through the game, you unlock additional skills called functions. Functions can be combined and strung together for a variety of battle move combinations. One of the keys to the game's combat is being able to effectively plan out a few moves while at the same time avoiding damage from the robots. If you don't plan properly, your functions can be overloaded and thus unusable for a time. If you lose all your functions in an area battle with the Process, you die and have to start that area all over again.
The majority of the game is played in the isometric view, with you on foot hauling around a big ass sword behind you. As you play through each area, you encounter different things that you can interact with, such as OVC Terminals and Access Points.
At OVC Terminals, you interact and learn news about what is happening to the city, as well as "speak" with the Transistor.
Access Points let you configure skills and function combos. They all have cool names like crash(), breach(), spark(), and jaunt(). These terminals also let you re-config functions to create new interesting functions with upgrades, such as load() + breach(). You can have four main functions equipped at a time, with what seems like endless combinations of secondary and passive skills. Players have a limited amount of memory slots to fill, so be strategic in what skills and combos you create.
At the Access Points, you can also add and remove a variety of Process Limiters. Limiters remind me of using skulls in Halo. It handicaps players in some way, but gives more bonuses at the end of each battle. For example, one limiter reduces the number of memory slots you have available. If you completely die, you get the option to remove these though as you try that area again.
"Limiters Make the Process Stronger."
The gameplay was a little awkward for me at first: I am not used to playing a lot of games with the PS4 controller. With that aside, it did take a while for me to figure out how to configure combos and plan effective moves correctly to take down the enemy Process robots. Which then brings us to the Backdoor.
The Backdoor
The Backdoor is a separate area of the game that is accessible from multiple places within Cloudbank. This is your home base: a tropical oasis of sorts, where you can relax in the sun, play some ball, listen to music and even practice honing some of your skills. Think of it as a dream-like world apart from the destruction and mayhem in the city.
I am greatly distracted by this area and end up wasting too much time here kicking around a beach ball. With witty comments from the Transistor such as "Take that ball!", this area is fun and engaging.
This is just like Bastion, right?
Yes...and no. Transistor has the same feel of Bastion, with a strong narrative story and isometric camera views and they both have the traditional ARPG elements. However, while Transistor plays similar to Bastion, it really has its own sense of style and personality. On top of that, the music is enthralling and the story.
The Verdict
Transistor is just as engaging as Bastion was. Yet, it is in essence, its own beautiful beast. Transistor is the kind of game that shows you there is more to video games than shooting your friends across a desolate field of destruction. It transports you into a beautiful world with a compelling story and maintains that feeling throughout the entire time.
At its core, Transistor is truly delightful, quirky, and at times even breathtaking. For $20 USD, you should not pass this one up.
-- Tiffany "ElektraFi" Nolan
9,063 points
Oldschool 2o4f
7,739 points
4,968 points
4,075 points
3,819 points
Lala Calamari
3,217 points


text:
I am trying to add a DateTimePicker javascript file in one of the screen. On clicking the calender icon, the calender is not getting poped up.
I added the javascript file in the
public/javascript folder and the image in the
public/images folder.
Then I added this line in main.html:

and this line for diaplsying the image beside the textbox:
<input type="text" styleId="demo1" name="transaction.returnDate" size="10">

When the screen is loaded, the image is getting diaplsyed properly beside the textbox. But when I click it, the calendar is not getting displayed.
I use these two lines in my other struts application and it works fine:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's prime minister faces accusations of being out of touch with the country's crisis after televised comments blaming rural infant sickness on mothers not washing their breasts.
Hisham Kandil, a former irrigation minister widely seen as a stolid technocrat, was speaking at a meeting with journalists broadcast on state television this week when he veered into a ramble on the "miseries" of life in rural Egypt.
"In my work, I've gone around the countryside," he said. "There are villages in Egypt, in the 21st century, where children get diarrhoea ... because the mothers who nurse them, out of ignorance, do not maintain personal cleanliness of their breasts."
Recalling a visit to the Beni Suef area south of Cairo in 2004, he spoke of the dire conditions of village life. "There's no water, there's no sewerage," he said. "The men go to the mosque ... the women go down to the fields and get raped."
He appeared to be responding to complaints about a series of attacks and rapes of political activists in Cairo in recent weeks, citing the case of a man who was caught on video being beaten and dragged naked by police.
"I don't know Hamada (Saber), well, I know him like you do, but I am 99 percent sure he doesn't pay his electricity bill," the prime minister said of the victim of that videoed beating.
His remarks unleashed a storm of criticism, much of it reflecting a sense of economic and political malaise that has settled over the country since an uprising two years ago that toppled veteran autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.
Dina Abdel Fattah, a talk show host on the independent Tahrir channel questioned why the head of government had dwelt on the subject when Egypt was in a state of "darkness".
At least 59 people died in 10 days of protests that started late last month over what demonstrators see as Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's attempts to monopolise power as well as broader economic and political grievances.
"Imagine. Our prime minister is talking about this today, when we have martyrs in the street, we have people getting killed every day, when we have entire provinces in a state of unrest," Abdel Fattah said on her show.
Another television channel, Al Nahar, interviewed residents of Beni Suef voicing dismay at Kandil's comments.
"It's no good the prime minister talking this nonsense about women, good people, clean people, and ignoring all the other problems of the world," one man said on the programme.
Since his election in June, Mursi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, has struggled to restore security and revive the ailing economy.
Small demonstrations continued on Friday, drawing thousands of protesters in Cairo and other cities including Tanta in the Nile Delta and Port Said on the Suez Canal.
Critics questioned Mursi's appointment of Kandil in July, saying it was unclear whether he had the political or economic experience for the job.
"Instead of making offensive comments about poor village women and laying blame on them when God knows they are already suffering, he should be blaming himself for the failure of his government to find a proper solution to alleviate poverty, illiteracy and awful health schemes in villages," said Iman Mahmoud, a 61-year-old housewife in Cairo. (Additional reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Paul Taylor and Jon Hemming)
Trending On Reuters
World Wrap
Singaporeans bid final farewell to founding father Lee
Tens of thousands of people braved heavy rain and lined the streets of Singapore on Sunday to catch a last glimpse of founding PM Lee Kuan Yew as his funeral procession wound through the country he helped build. Full Article
Modi Popularity
Insight - Modi's popularity in rural India punctured by discontent, suicides Full Article
Political Drama
Rift deepens in Aam Aadmi Party that challenged Modi. Full Article
World No.1
Saina Nehwal to top women's world rankings. Full Article
Corporate India
India's boardroom diversity drive has weird result Breakingviews
Lee's Funeral
Singaporeans bid final farewell to founding father Lee Full Article
Plane Crash
Germanwings tragedy requires industry response Full Article
Malaysian GP
Ferrari's Vettel storms to victory in Malaysia Grand Prix Full Article
Arab Summit
Arab summit to announce unified force to counter security threats Full Article
Putin Backers
Russia's rich forego some luxuries but still back Putin Full Article
Reuters India Mobile
Get the latest news on the go. Visit Reuters India on your mobile device Full Coverage


text:
Italy tries again to get rivals to form government
Letta's last scheduled round of consultations for the day was in early evening with Parliament's third-largest bloc, the anti-establishment, grassroots 5 Star Movement, which made a stunningly successful first foray into national politics, galvanized by its leader, comic-turned-political agitator Beppe Grillo.
Letta's publicly squabbling party splintered after it won control of the Chamber of Deputies, but not of the Senate. He hasn't said when he might report back to President Giorgio Napolitano on whether he succeeded in nailing down a coalition. But Italian media said he was expected to do so by this weekend.
Not only must the premier-designate pull together polarized political forces to effectively govern - he also must simultaneously stop his own party's implosion to ensure its lawmakers will close ranks on the government's reform platform.
Democratic Party chief Pier Luigi Bersani was forced to resign last week after back-to-back humiliating failures. Although his party was the largest vote-getter in February's election, he failed to line up a coalition government after Napolitano asked him to try to do so.
Next, traitors in his own party sabotaged his high-profile choice, Romano Prodi, a former European Commission president, to succeed Napolitano, whose term in office was expiring.
Bersani wound up pleading with Napolitano to serve an unprecedented second term as head of state to help squabbling politicians get down to the business of giving Italy a new government.
Napolitano told reporters Thursday that politicians must cultivate "courage, firmness and a sense of unity" if they are to guide Italy through its crises.
The president could have added `'honesty" as another quality. Italian media carried details of the latest corruption scandal to sully the nation's political class.
In the southern region of Basilicata, the governor resigned after a probe exposed abuses and fraud in expense accounts by local officials, including one who submitted reimbursement claims for dinner in restaurants in three different cities on the same day.
Representatives of several smaller parties said they saw scant chance for success by a "grand coalition" government.
"We don't believe in cold fusion," said Guido Crosetto, head of the tiny Italian Brothers party, a grouping of right-wing allies of Berlusconi. After meeting with Letta, he confirmed they wouldn't join the government.
The Democratic Party's election campaign partner, a left-wing party led by a southern governor, has broken with Letta's forces over the decision to form a government with archrival Berlusconi's party.
The Associated Press


text:
Alex Broskow, Dean Coward & Pals: Drunk in PortlandFriday, March 6th, 2015
Larger picture: 01 | 02 – More Media: Dean Coward | Matt Langel.
Filmed & edited by Amir Amadi.
Voodoo Show: released October 5, 2012. Pick up a copy for $8.
Voodoo Show (2012): Teaser | Intro | Brandon Smith | Dylan Davis | Matt Luda | Matt Langel | Keith Brierley + Amigos | Leftovers. Visit Theestrange.com.
Valo Maneuver Mondays with Kruise Sapstein, Dean Coward and Brandon Smith. The 1st of many to come. Thank God it's Monday! – Valo-brand.com
In 2010, the Valo Brand released Valo 4Life, their fourth team video.
Captured during two years of touring some of most beautiful cities in the world, including Barcelona, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, Amsterdam and San Francisco with the international team.
Dean Coward (0:56) – Ross Kuhn (1:55).
Along with the vast amateur talent from across the globe, 4Life features with sections from pro riders Alex Broskow, Erik Bailey, Brandon Smith, Victor Arias, Soichiro Kanashima, Cosmio Tassone, and Jon Julio.
Enjoy the first team video by Ivan Narez—and the only blading video on iTunes — as he and the team work to complete the next Valo team video, V, due out Summer 2013.
Valo 4life: Intro | Europe Tour | Soichiro Kanashima | Soundtrack | Trailers & More Media.


text:
Through monthly meetings and great speakers, creating table displays at various show, and sharing everything you need to know to grow big beautiful orchids we try to help you every step of the way. Please join us at our next monthly meeting or sit in and see what a great group of orchid growers you will be getting to know and what a great time we have at our monthly meetings.
The Vero Beach Orchid Society


text:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - 5:05pm
Presidio, TX — Two Albuquerque women were caught trying to sneak 124 lbs. of marijuana into the U.S. at the Presidio port of entry, according to Customs and Border Protection.
CBP made the bust on Saturday and provided photos. The drugs were hidden inside metal collars that were attached to the rims of the women's Chevy Tahoe.
Twenty nine year old Christina Layne and 20-year-old Chrystal Robal are now facing federal drug charges.
YouTube Off


text:
November 11, 2015 - November 11, 2015
Offering mouth-watering recipes of homemade chili ranging from mild and delightful to wild and adventurous, the City of Gatlinburg hosts its 26th annual Winter Magic Kickoff and Chili Cookoff on Wednesday, Nov. 11 from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown.
Read more
November 11, 2015 - February 28, 2016
The City of Gatlinburg magically lights up the winter nights with millions of spectacular lights and lighted displays from November through February.
Read more
November 24, 2015 - November 29, 2015
Unique handcrafted Thanksgiving gifts made by members of Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community are offered for sale at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
Read more
November 30, 2015 - December 6, 2015
Unique handcrafted gifts made by members of Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community are offered as they host their annual Christmas show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
Read more
December 4, 2015 - December 4, 2015
The award winning 40th Annual Christmas Fantasy of Lights Parade will step off at 7:30pm on Friday, December 4.
Read more
December 31, 2015 - December 31, 2015
Gatlinburg will welcome the arrival of 2016 in unique style with its 28th Annual New Year's Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show around the intersection of Parkway and Historic Nature Trail at the base of the Space Needle late Thursday night, December 31.
Read more


text: Jeff Graham Comptroller DiNapoli: Watertown in good fiscal health By Joanna Richards • Jun 13, 2013 Joanna Richards Listen Listening... / 1:22 State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli came to Watertown on Wednesday to commend the city's leadership on its sound financial stewardship. DiNapoli's office is rolling out a program of annual fiscal "stress tests" for municipalities and school districts. And the comptroller said Watertown sets an example for prudent financial planning. Developers stress urgency in revival of Watertown Woolworth building By Joanna Richards • Apr 8, 2013 Joanna Richards After founding his first stores elsewhere, Jefferson County's Frank Winfield Woolworth bought the building in Watertown where he got his start in the dry goods business, intending to raze it and build one of his own stores. Woolworth died before he could see it, but his company realized his plan and the building's a central part of the early history of the five-and-dime chain. After years of vacancy, two developers have plans to revive the landmark. Watertown welcomes new city manager By Joanna Richards • Jun 1, 2012 Watertown will welcome a new city manager on July 16. Sharon Addison is a Schenectady native who spent 27 years working for the National Security Agency before putting her name in the hat for the city manager position in Watertown. Watertown mayoral candidates show similarities By Joanna Richards • Nov 8, 2011 The mayor's race in Watertown pits long-time incumbent Jeff Graham against a challenger with similar longevity on the City Council, Jeff Smith. Graham has said the city's doing well and he has the experience, knowledge and contacts to continue to keep Watertown on a good track. Smith says his candidacy represents new leadership and a new vision for the city. Both candidates for mayor have years of experience on City Council, and both are small business owners who say they're committed to fiscal discipline.


text:
St. Tammany Heart & Vascular Institute
Today:8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Tomorrow:8:30 am - 5:00 pm
20 Starbrush Cir,
Covington, LA 70433
(985) 871-6020
Business Details
We let you live the life you love.
- Hours:
Regular Hours
- General Info:
- St Tammany Heart and Vascular Institute is dedicated to providing each patient with the highest quality of comprehensive cardiovascular care available. Our cardiologists are leaders in cardiovascular diagnosis, treatment, prevention and patient education. Patient care is very important to our physicians and they are happy to be as accommodating as possible. Our office is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday with no closure for lunch. New patients are always welcomed. To schedule an appointment, please call (985) 871-6020. Our Mission: St. Tammany Heart & Vascular Institute will function as a decisive, cohesive, physician and nurse practitioner driven cardiovascular practice which is committed to the provision of the highest quality, cost-effective, readily accessible cardiac and vascular care. St. Tammany Heart & Vascular Institute will continually seek to lead in the introduction of new cardiovascular service, based on current evidence-based medical knowledge. We are committed to research, education, physician leadership, and above all, excellent patient care. Meet Our Team: Dr. Farhad X. Aduli Dr. Hamid Salam Dr. Adriana R. Nagy Dr. James E. Mace
- Extra Phones:
Phone: (985) 327-7038
Phone: (985) 898-7984
- Services/Products:
- Diagnostic Testing Services EKG Echocardiogram Carotid Ultrasound Venous Doppler Study Peripheral Arterial Doppler Study Exercise Stress Test Myoview Stress Test Persantine Nuclear Stress Test Thallium Viability Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound MUGA Scan Holter Monitor Event Monitor ABI CT Angiogram Cardiac Calcium Scoring Cardioversion
- Payment method:
- master card, visa
- Accreditation:
St Tammany Parish Hospital
St Tammany Heart & Institute
Saint Tammany Heart & Vascular
- Categories:
- Physicians & Surgeons, Cardiology, Hospitals, Physicians & Surgeons, Surgery-General, Physicians & Surgeons, Vascular Surgery, Physicians & Surgeons


text:
Eh?: Train up in mental-health first aid
Youth mental-health first-aid certification training will take place Saturday, May 10, as part of University of Minnesota Duluth continuing education.
The eight-hour course is designed to help laypeople identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness in others.
Get the full story
Subscribe or Log In
Are you a newspaper subscriber but you don't have a Digital Access account yet? Activate your account.
You will need your subscription account number and phone number. Not sure if you have an account? Email us or call (800) 456-8080 and we can help you.


text:
The five-day Tyagaraja Aaradhanotsavam attracted overwhelming response.Tyagaraja Aaradhana concluded on an elate note thanks not only due to the initiative taken by the president of the Visakha Music and Dance Academy C.S.N. Raju but also all members of its management committee, its auditorium Kalabharati and its manager.The five-day Tyaraja Aaradhanotsavam attracted overwhelming response.
50 recitalsThe Pancharatnakriti Seva rendered in group by about 200 artistes in the morning after puja at the Tyagaraja Mandir in the premises of Kalabharati and the absorbing discourse on the Upanishadsaaram embedded in the compositions of the Vaggeyakara marked the inaugural day.About 50 recitals (veena, vocal, violin, nadaswaram, flute, clarionet and harmonium) by senior students of Carnatic music of all age groups, accredited artistes and vidwans filled the air for about 11 hours each on the next four days. A total number of about 550 artistes thus took part in the fete.After the devoutly evocative recital constituted of compositions Eti yochanalu (Kiranavali), Oorikekaluguna (Sahana), Karunayele (Varali) and Nagumomu (Abheri) rendered by vidwanmani Mallapragada Jogulamba, on veena, the fete concluded on an ecstatically elate note with Aanjaneyotsavam, Mangalahaarathi and Prasada vitharana .
More In: FRIDAY REVIEW | FEATURES


text:
Columbus Double Murder Suspect Wounded By Police
Columbus police say a double murder suspect was shot and wounded Wednesday by officers near Parsons Avenue and Kossuth Street. He was taken into custody shortly after the killings.
Listen to the Story
Wendy's today reported more losses for its most recent quarter.
The latest earnings report comes after Wendy's sold the struggling Arby's chain earlier this year and moved its headquarters back to Central Ohio. But, third quarter losses widened, in part, because of costs related to the sale of Arby's. The restaurant sector of the economy faces higher costs for ingredients and cautious consumers. But, Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini says for the first time since 2003 Wendy's drew more customers to its restaurants after it made some menu changes.
"We upgraded our entire salad line last year followed by french fries, and most recently we've upgraded our entire core hamburger line as well and chicken is coming, next year." Says Bertini.
Wendy's says it had a net loss of $4-million dollars or a penny per share. Excluding discontinued Arby's operations, Wendy's earned a penny per share.
Tom Borgerding
WOSU News
The Associated Press


text:
I highly recommend The Donatello. The staff was cheerful and attentive. The room was clean, comfortable and spacious. The added bonus of having a smoking room where we could leave the window open without giving up our privacy was a major convenience. The kitchen extras; microwave, refrigerator, plates, etc., allowed for flexibility with our differing breakfast and snack schedules. - Rose
The Room was great. Very Clean. Hotel front desk woman with an accent
wasn't warm, but helpful. The guy who worked the front desk on
Saturday night was awesome. The art going up the staircase looked like a
mess. I know art, this was design student style. Sorry. Just saying.
Looked like elements were peeled off. Cool... If it was a cohesive
piece. The bar was great, the continetal breakfast could have used some
cooked items, I grabbed food from the mexican place next door. The
elevator was slow, - Anonymous
It's such a beautiful place, gorgeous view to ocean and Alcatraz. Very friendly staff. Very, very clean place. The best place we stayed during our trip in California. - Anonymous
The location and hotel was fantastic-didn't want to leave. I had hesitations about locality maybe being out of the way, but No WAy ,it was just a few blocks from everything and all that San Fran has to offer, and that's a lot! - Jillian


text:
The Time Machine
From the critics
Community Activity
CommentAdd a Comment
how many pages does this book have
I didn't really understand the plot of this book. I thought it went all over the place and it was very hard to understand for me.
I'm going to read the book, but I saw the old movie a few years back. I really did like the movie. It captivated me so much with it's fantastic characters and strange concept. It was one of the reasons I got so into the sci-fi scene! I hope the book is half as good.
The plot isn't very captivating, but The Time Machine is very descriptive and insightful. It was interesting to read Well's explanations of certain events in the story using 19th century science. The frequent searching in the notes in the back of the book for the meaning behind certain words/phrases was slightly annoying, but nonetheless it was a pleasure to read.
Blew my mind. H.G Wells knows how to captivate his readers and then deliver a satisfying conclusion. I'll admit, there were parts in the book that I didn't initially understand and thought, "Why is this here and important?" However, the action picks up fast and halfway through the book you're glued and understand everything. The Time Machine is definitely going on my favorites list.
It was an OK read, fascinating idea of the scientist creating a device that can transport you along the time continuum into the past and into the future. Check out the classic movie, too!
Short, but painfully boring. Too many long words. The plot was way too slow.
AgeAdd Age Suitability
SummaryAdd a Summary
A group of men, including the narrator, is listening to the Time Traveller discuss his theory that time is the fourth dimension. The Time Traveller produces a miniature time machine and makes it disappear into thin air. The next week, the guests return, to find their host stumble in, looking disheveled and tired. They sit down after dinner, and the Time Traveller begins his story.
NoticesAdd a Notice
There are no notices for this title yet.
QuotesAdd a Quote
There are no quotes for this title yet.


text:
Barack Obama
Barack Obama News
News about Barack Obama continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.
Obama urges expansion of 'take child to work' day
9 hrs ago | Lexington Herald-Leader | Comment?
Fetus debate looms following charges in womb-cutting case
13 hrs ago | KMPH-TV Fresno | Comment?
Harry Reid will not seek re-election
21 hrs ago | Daily Kos | Comment?
Charles Krauthammer: The GOP racing form, first edition
Yesterday | NewsOK.com | 2
Complex US-Iran ties at heart of complicated Mideast policy
Yesterday | Erie Times News | Comment?
Fact Check: Myths in the political roar over Common Core
Yesterday | The Wichita Eagle | Comment?
Sex In Old Age Is More Important Than You Thought
topix 74
Harry Potter Stars: Then and Now
The Email Address Debacle: Did Hillary Do Something Wrong?
politics 246
UN Mideast Envoy Calls on Security Council for Israel Action
Yesterday | ABC News | Comment?
House ready to pass Medicare doc bill; Senate's view unclear
Thursday | Daily-Jeff.com | Comment?
Payday lenders to face new regulations
Thursday | SFGate | Comment?
Bergdahl charges revive questions over prisoner swap
Thursday | WTOC-TV Savannah | Comment?
GOP-controlled House passes budget to erase deficits
Wednesday | KFVS12 | 18
Obama to ask agency official to step down
Wednesday Mar 25 | KOCO-TV Oklahoma City | Comment?
New Jersey's Christie: Liberty comes from God not government
Wednesday Mar 25 | Cybercast News Service | 1
APNewsBreak: Massachusetts seeks disaster aid for snow
Wednesday Mar 25 | Star Tribune | Comment?
Netanyahu, Putin on same 'businesslike' level with Obama
Wednesday Mar 25 | The Times of Israel | Comment?
Trending Now
Updated: Sat Mar 28, 2015 06:43 am
Copyright © 2015 Topix LLC


text:
Sign in now to view, license and download this image or contact us to see this image without a watermark. Want to embed this image on a non-commercial website or blog? Learn more.
Similar imagesView all
Multiple Coloured Gambling Chips Full Frame Stock PhotoGambling Chip,Excess,Color Image,Horizontal,No People,Photography,Wealth,Casino,Abundance,Close-up,Full Frame,Gambling,Large Group of Objects,Luck,Multi Colored,Number,SuccessPhotographer Barry AustinCollection: Photodisc


text:
- 31Promote
Wall Clock
Aladdin Baneby Geekchic
Available in natural wood, black or white frames, our 10" diameter unique Wall Clocks feature a high-impact plexiglass crystal face and a backside hook for easy hanging. Choose black or white hands to match your wall clock frame and art design choice. Clock sits 1.75" deep and requires 1 AA battery (not included).
When you put on your red shoes, you have my permission to DANCE. - Aladdin Bane


text:
Welcome to e-blueprint. We are specialists in online marketing & web design.
"We've been generating online sales through marketing, e-commerce and web development since 2004."
Awards & Certifications
Microsoft Certified
Google Adwords Qualified
Google Analytics Qualified
What do you want to do?
Convert Visits to Sales?
Raise Your Profile?
On the Blog
Latest Post 28 November 2014
Case Study: Francis Garner Architects
Case Study: Francis Garner Architects
We recently designed and implemented a website for Liverpool-based architect Francis Garner. Francis has spent most of his career working for large architecture practices and didn't have an existing website …
On Twitter
No public Twitter messages.
408 followers
408 followers
Recent Work
Latest Hot! Project
Latest Hot! Project
Branding |


text:
Username or Email Address
(forgot?) Register
Allow more content blocks in WordPress.
Download Version 3.2
It activates.. about it.
Having to edit template files is pretty annoying.
RSS link for this plugin's reviews.
You must log in to submit a review. You can also log in or register using the form near the top of this page.


text:
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
New music
Feel This Moment (RCA)
Mr. Worldwide puts A-ha's 80s classic Take On Me through the new millennial ringer, complete with some very over-the-top vocals from Ms. Aguilera. An utterly shameless drunk girl anthem that also happens to be a lot of fun. 'Ö'Ö'Ö
Follow Me (Warner)
While Coldplay and U2 generally wait around to have their songs remixed, Muse appear to have remixed themselves right off the bat. This third single from The 2nd Law begins as a shimmering ballad, including a recording of lead singer Matthew Bellamy's baby's heartbeat, before morphing into a disco-y dubstep experiment. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö
Rum & Raybans (Epic)
Even if you ignore the egregious product placement for Bacardi and the titular sunglasses, it's tough to get past the atrocious computerized vocals and obnoxious synth line that could be easily interchanged with any one of about a dozen other songs released in the past year. 'Ö'Ö
We Got the World (Atlantic)
The Swedish duo's follow-up to the gloriously sleazy I Love It lacks the in-your-face aggression that made its predecessor such a guilty pleasure. This is passable electro-pop, but sounds a bit too much like a lost t.A.T.u. track. 'Ö'Ö1/2
-- Reviewed by Steve Adams
Unapologetic (Island Def Jam Music Group)
There's something about Rihanna. And her producers.
The singer's new album -- her seventh in seven years -- is like many of her other releases, full of songs that are catchy, fun and addictive. Her albums are almost like listening to a NOW compilation disc.
Unapologetic is no different. It's full of future hits, and not a single miss.
Phresh Out the Runaway, which kicks off the album, does so with a bang. And there are more: Pour It Up, which has Rihanna sounding like a female version of The-Dream, is appealing; Jump samples Ginuwine's Pony -- and it's surprisingly good; and the David Guetta-helmed Right Now is European-flavoured and upbeat.
Even Rihanna's duet with her ex(?) Chris Brown on Nobody's Business, which samples Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel, will make you move your feet. Lyrically though, the song is somewhat dismissive. "Ain't nobody's business," she sings. OK, then stop tweeting one another.
When Rihanna slows it down, she's still on point: Her duet with singer Mikky Ekko on the piano-tune Stay is touching; the mid-tempo first single, the Sia-penned Diamonds, is enjoyable; and What Now builds nicely from its calming verse to its electrified hook.****
Pour It Up
-- Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Cobra Juicy (Rad Cult)
ON Black Moth Super Rainbow's fifth album, Cobra Juicy, the Pittsburgh-bred ensemble revisits ground they first broke in 2003, when they first began to create an unsettling, endearing blend of psychedelic pop, BBC-esque library music, and freak-folk. Under the leadership of sometime solo artist Tobacco, Cobra Juicy sees the band retaining its electronic and psych influences, but with more focus on pop melodies. Ganges in the Garden is an electroclash/disco bit in the vein of Scissor Sisters, while the closing track, Spraypaint, is a wistful, radio-ready love song Air Supply would have recorded had expletives been a part of their vocabulary. While BMSR's past albums had their fair share of apocalyptic and creepy melodies, Cobra Juicy sees the band a bit more aggressive, demonstrated in the compelling and animalistic Hairspray Heart. This uneasy balance of wistful ballads and Nine Inch Nails leaves Cobra Juicy lacking cohesion, even as many tunes are individually strong. ***
-- Katherine Silkaitis, Philadelphia Inquirer
Colin Linden
Still Live (File Under Music)
MOSTLY known for his current work as one third of popular folk rockers Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, guitarist/songwriter Colin Linden has had the kind of career in music that makes others green with envy. This is Linden's second live set, his first being way back in 1980, and in between he's worked extensively on both sides of the border with the likes of Bruce Cockburn, The Band, Emmylou Harris and Mavis Staples. First and foremost, Linden is a guitar star and Still Live rolls out like a primer on his remarkable talent. Whether he's finger-picking acoustic six-string (Smoke 'Em All, From The Water), sliding with abandon (Sugar Mine, Sinking Down Slow) or just plain making his songs work with his band, Linden delivers. While his hands never stop delivering here, Linden's voice cracks into a froggy gurgle here and there, but it's hardly a bother when he peels off those tight riffs again and again, track after track. ***1/2 stars
Who's Been Talking
-- Jeff Monk
Matt Herskowitz
Upstairs (Justin Time)
MONTREAL pianist Matt Herskowitz mixes it up on this solo recording made at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill with a couple of originals, some jazzed-up Bach and Schumann and a couple of Gershwin pieces.
This isn't a hard swinging date; more reflective, more of a classical and jazz blend performed by a skilful pianist.
His own tune, Bella's Lament, is an intricate, delicate piece, while Bach la Jazz (his arrangement of Bach's Prelude in C Minor from the film Les Triplettes de Bellville) is a jazzed up bit of fun. Herskowitz does the Gershwins proud with But Not For Me and the great disc closer I've Got Rhythm. ***1/2
-- Chris Smith
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 29, 2012 ??65532
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we've missed in one of our stories?
Please use the form below and let us know.
Having problems with the form?Contact Us Directly
More Music
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.
- Back to Top
- Return to Music
More Music
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Decemberists here on July 223:00 AM 0
JULY will have a little Decemberist feel in Winnipeg this year.
The Decemberists, the indie-pop darlings from Portland, Ore., will perform ...
View more like this
Photo Store Gallery
Most Popular
- Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell hospitalized in Los Angeles
- Decemberists at the Burt in July
- Jeremy Brown, guitarist for Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts, dies day before album release
- Rolling Stones to play Quebec City during new tour
- Coachella, Lollapalooza music festivals ban fans' selfie sticks - what they dub 'narsisstics'
- 'Carousel One' by Ron Sexsmith among new CD releases for the week of March 31
- Winnipeg Music Festival trophy winners
- OK Go to play Garrick on March 31
- Justin Bieber attends mediation in photographer's lawsuit brought after scuffle outside studio
- Pianist shines light on night works during nocturnal-themed showcase
- 5 become 4: One Direction says Zayn Malik has left the group
- The Guess Who will be concert headliners for the Red River Ex
- Coachella, Lollapalooza music festivals ban fans' selfie sticks - what they dub 'narsisstics'
- WSO brings the spirit of Beethoven to life
- Lawyer for limo driver suing Justin Bieber looking forward to cross-examination
- Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell hospitalized in Los Angeles
- Scott Weiland says fans didn't connect to 'arty' albums so he's back to rock
- Possibilities are endless for cutting-edge festival
- Anguished rocker David Crosby repeatedly asks for ambulance in 911 call after hitting jogger
- Gordon Lightfoot delays U.S. shows after being hospitalized with food poisoning
- The Guess Who will be concert headliners for the Red River Ex
- Wilco, Arlo Guthrie to perform at 2015 Winnipeg Folk Festival
- $7.4 million verdict in 'Blurred Lines' case likely to ripple through music, legal industries
- Kiesza, Weeknd, Arkells win multiple Junos, but Alanis Morissette steals show
- Injuries force pro hockey player to switch careers, become a country-music star
- 5 become 4: One Direction says Zayn Malik has left the group
- Local violinist earns Juno nomination
- Chris de Burgh to play Winnipeg in October
- Checking in with the 7 young actors who played the von Trapp kids in 'The Sound of Music'
- Liza Minnelli enters a substance abuse facility; rep says she's making 'excellent progress'
Ads by Google


text:
Andrex Washlets
Friday, January 27, 2012
You may of seen the commercial where the lovely Dawn Porter travels the country and introduces people to the new Andrex Washlets. She's on a mission to change the way we wipe our bottoms!!
The new toilet product that is in the form of a wet wipe not as heavily moisturising as a makeup wipe yet I would say it gives you a fresher cleaner feeling after you have released. Did I mention it smells nice too ?
-- Good new way to boost the personal hygiene ?
I found it a bit strange at first to use this wipe because I'm use to toilet paper, like the rest of us. It's nice to have in the toilet just sitting there with a little choice hmm toilet paper or washlet today?
You do get use to it after a while but it's quite hard to break the routine from tissue paper to washlet so quickly but the habit is getting there.
Well what a weird post, knowing all about Laa's new bathroom habits lol - a good one at least hey.
You can join the Clean Campaign and see more over Dawn's videos at Facebook.com/CleanCampaign
6 comments:
- If Curves Could Talk (Stefanie) said...
I totally need!
- 28 January, 2012
- LaaLaa Monroe said...
haha keep your bottom fresh.
- 28 January, 2012
- Aimee Bradley said...
i am very tempted by these saw the advert last night i can understand the weirdness when you start using them though
- 28 January, 2012
- Old Cow said...
Clean bums all around!! ahahahahaha!!
- 28 January, 2012
- LaaLaa Monroe said...
It's odd, I did feel like I had taken my makeup wipes with me but it's quite a good concept.
- 28 January, 2012
- LaaLaa Monroe said...
lmao! ahh gotta love new hygiene products
- 28 January, 2012


text:
This is a great question, Casey. First off, the Jazz started the year playing their first five games against teams that were ranked in the top seven offensively last year. In addition, all of those teams had an All-NBA player. All-NBA players can blow up the best of any game plan.
Now, the last two games against Detroit and Indiana the Jazz should have been able to show some defensive progress. That has come to fruition. Utah's defensive rating the last two games has been 102.9. The EFG% defense has been 48.6. Both of these numbers come in better than league average and they should since both those teams are below league average offenses.
The preseason is not a great barometer to what is going to happen in the regular season. One game I recall in the preseason, I was talking with an opposing head coach when I realized they had not watched one moment of film to how the Jazz were playing—they were solely focussed on their team. In the season, they are looking to exploit Utah's weaknesses.
Utah's perimeter and high pick-and-roll coverage must improve as the season continues.


text:
Even though we ARE Nikon lovers,we are NOT affiliated with Nikon Corp. in any way.
Already have an account? Login
I tried filming on manual, it came out pretty sharp except it was grainy (f/5.6, ISO 400, Shutter Speed around 100-250, it was at a park in the morning). However, when I filmed on automatic, it came out better for some reason. It was less sharp but the grain was gone. Any tips on how to film on manual mode w/o the grain? Thanks!
It is futile to try setting the shutter speed above 60fps for D-movies.I use Auto Focusf2: AE-L/AF-L set to AF-ONI press this button only to refocus when needed.You can keep it pressed on a moving subjectAperture PriorityAuto ISO on: 100, 6400 and 1/60sMovie: 1080; 30fps; high qualityVideo mode: NTSCYou will learn a lot more in the Nikonians Video Forum
Visit my Nikonians gallery.


text:
Shelter needs volunteers for food pantry
Thursday, April 17, 2014
ALFRED — York County Shelter Programs, based off Shaker Hill Road in Alfred, needs volunteers to spend one morning a week, from 8:30 or 9 a.m. to noon, in the organization's food pantry storage area to receive and record food deliveries, stock shelves, organize inventory and make up food boxes to be distributed in the afternoon by other volunteers.
To help, please contact Joan Sylvester at 324-1137, ext. 105, or email@example.com.