So I am supposed to sketch a historical battle scene for my assignment (First Year Architecture), and after asking around on Giantbomb, I've decided on sketching out the events from and before the Battle of Hastings.
This led me to watch the documentary/film 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth. And boy, was I blown away. There's obviously not much I can tell about the plot, as it is all history and the movie didn't have much control over it, but the creators managed to tell the story by highlighting certain characters, and by placing them at important positions throughout the film. This gives the documentary a more cinematic feel, and with backstories attached to each of them, the viewer is easily affected by what the characters go through.
I'm not much of a movie critic, but I can say the battle scenes were one of the best, most realistic and engrossing ones I've ever seen. There was something about each fight that made me feel as if it all really was happening before my eyes, with parts such as pre-battle oaths, speeches, tactics, formations and fighting styles. I felt as if I was on the battlefield watching the two sides take on each other.
The soundtrack is surprisingly good. It almost gave the film the feel of a blockbuster theater release. Also, it is not just a history lesson, as there is humor and also the story is told through the perspective of the common man. There is a lot of gore and violence in the movie, and though the film may not be 100% accurate in terms of things such as small costume and prop mistakes, it is an amazingly well-made entertainer.
So if you're feeling a little battle thirsty and want to see a moving and epic story, I recommend you watch this great documentary.
Also, since I loved it so much, I made this music video tribute to the movie and the heroes that have been depicted. Song: Warriors of the World (Manowar)
So I had written this depressed blog a few weeks ago, and in it I wrote about how irritated of the world I felt at that time. In it I also wrote that I was disturbed by the drinking and smoking that kids did in my college. (i'd removed those lines from my blog after sometime) Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm usually completely fine with all those activities. Heck, even my close friend drinks, and I laugh at the things he does when he's high. Dunno what happened that day and why I wrote that, but I just wanted to write this to take it back as it offended some people here. I still am personally against it, but it isn't my business what people do.
Also, thanks for all the replies on that blog. It really helped me sort out the concepts of the world and helped me understand human beings (most important thing I learnt was that humans are infact NOT civilized beings, and all that they do is due to their survival instinct.) I feel like I'm enjoying and understanding life a lot more after that day. Thanks dudes! and apologies again :)
I don't wanna write too much about it, but stuff happened in the past few days due to which I'm disappointed of people and the dirty ways in which they think. (Just joined College and am disgusted by the way some of the people think.) Also, all the rush and crazyness shown by everyone to become successful and "do well" in life seems meaningless to me. I can't see why people are in such a rush and what they want from life.
So then, with this bad mood hovering over my head, today I went on to Youtube and found this video. It's not really connected, but it sure worsened my mood. Now I'm totally disinterested in my own life, and feel like doing something about all the shit in the world. here's the vid.
I don't know anything about the situations in Israel and I won't pretend I do, but whatever I saw was sickening and no excuses can be given for it. I've been trying to learn about it on the internet, but if anybody feels like enlightening me, please do. So do any of you people ever get tired of life anytime? I just can't see the point of the way everyone's trying to live their lives. I can't see why there are so many negative things done by people. Also, anyone ever felt like "saving the world"? If yes, how do you plan to do it? And please don't make any personal insults. If you don't like the topic, please don't reply. I'll probably snap out of my bad mood in a few days, but I don't whether that would be a good thing. I'm seriously tired of ignoring all the evil in the world, and feel like doing something about it. Well, what are your thoughts people?
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I have lately become obsessed with Dragon Age and it's world. And since this is a video game site, I thought I'd blog about it! It's pretty funny how I became a fan of the game. I waited like crazy for it to come out, but when it was released, I was too busy with my final exam for HS preparation to play it. It came out in November, And I got to play it only by late March 2010. In between my study times I would sometimes check out videos and pics of the game, and couldn't wait to play it.
Then came the time that I finally got finished with my exams and started playing it. At first I kinda had mixed feelings. I wanted to like it but the point and click gameplay turned me off a little bit. But then I got adjusted to that, and started enjoying the game. I enjoyed it so much that I mentally placed it in my top 10 fav RPGs list.
But then after around 40 hrs of playing it, and after reaching the Deep Roads, I kinda got tired of and angry at the game. The length was crazy. The difficulty was insane (on normal). The game was just unfair at times. What's more surprising, is that I almost never made it out of the Deep Roads due to irritation. The game dropped to the bottom 5 of my list due to this. But I hung on till the end. And I'm glad I did.
What the game did best was, it gave you an entertaining and long experience throughout, and playing most of the game was a pleasure. But then, THE ENDING
Oh god... the ending. So goddamn emotional. So epic. So mysterious. It was like you're given a chocolate as a present and the second you take a bite, you're gifted Disneyland :P
The end immediately shot the game right up to the second spot, just under The Witcher. (Spoiler alert!!) Seeing Denerim burn was so awesome. Seeing all of your party fight the Blight was amazing. And most of all, the victory cutscenes in the end were just perfect.
But what made it all so mysterious and kinda sad was the Epilogue. ESPECIALLY Morrigan's disappearance. That was just so fucking strange. Oh.. that moment.
And in my playthrough, Harrowmont died. I felt really sad and guilty about it. And now, Alistair was the king. I'd always liked Alistair, so it kinda felt sad that he wouldn't be traveling with us in our upcoming adventures, but then I placed all my hopes on DA2.
And thus, about 65 hrs of DA:O ended. And I was left feeling shaken. But I wanted more. I didn't want to be separated from that beautiful world. That beautiful story, and amazing music. So then I went and made two Tribute videos for the game. (They're inside the spoiler tag)
Watching these tributes makes me feel even stranger now. As a rule, I never play any story focused game more than once unless I really want to. This made the experience even more realistic. Watching these videos now just reminds me of that beautiful time when I used to play this amazing game. Especially the part in the first video where he sings "Soon, someone will put a spell on you" and Morrigan walks towards the player, proposing to him the idea of the dark (?) child.
By the time I had finished DA:O, the expansion pack, Awakening had already come out. I thought I'd take a break and catch up on the many other games I had missed out earlier. Around the start of July, I started Awakening. And I'm still playing it atm. (and so is my friend, we both love DA!)
Then just today, I started and finished the official DLC, Leliana's Song. Oh, what a fucking great DLC. Made with perfection. If anyone wanted to know more about Leliana's past, they would have to look no further than this. I thouroughly enjoyed hearing and playing Leliana again. And then I was finished with it, and the credits started rolling. And this music started. And as soon as I realized that it was going to be another truly beautiful piece of music that would haunt me for months, I said "no.. don't do this to me.. " and then just got lost in the song:
So this is how I finished the DLC, and then heard the song, the result of which is this blog. And due to which I have permanently lost my mind over DA. Also, the game probably sits on top of my list now!
Talking about Awakening, the game is extremely satisfying for a fan like me. I got to import my character, and it's awesome to get back into Fereldan. What saddened me though, is that I wasn't able to have more than a two minute conversation with Alistair, and none of the older party members (ESPECIALLY LELIANA) came back. "But that's OK", I thought. "Dragon Age 2 is on the way, I can then get back into the great game, and will be able to meet the older characters, proper. We'll probably search for Morrigan, with Lelliana by my side, and the strange and sad feeling I got from leaving the DA:O world behind will go from my heart, giving me peace!"
BOOM
"No" said Bioware. "Fuck off" They continued. "Mass Effect 2 turned out to be one of our greatest successes yet, and even though you didn't like it as much as everyone else did, we'll make DA2 along those lines"
Ok, maybe I'm over reacting a little, but the following points are why my everything is crying:
1. No save import: WHY? Such a beautiful world. So much to do. Morrigan to search for! What about Lelliana? What happened to everyone? I wanna know and get back into it! 2. New Character: I don't need no Hawke! I want my City Elf Darrian, who became a Grey Warden! That's me! 2.5 New character is voiced: Now this, THIS completely kills it. Putting voice into him is completely Mass Effecting it. I don't need that. That disconnects me from the character. Now I'm just watching someone else's story! 3. New console - centered combat: This is exactly what confirms to me that my other points are valid. They're not trying something new, they're just trying to please the remaining audience with a formula that worked. So much for tactical fighting now, let's "get into the action". Wow, the fighting's gonna be awesome. I know I might be mistaken, but I have a very bad feeling that the franchise might be undergoing Dumbing-down. The PC version was the best goddammit! Don't change the game because of that! 4. Small fear-art style: As of now, the graphics look like a joke. Hopefully, that's a result of the game being in early stages of development.
Of course, all of my fears could possibly turn out to be not what I am fearing, and Bioware might surprise me with an equally beautiful game. I certainly hope they do. (PLEASE SURPRISE ME!) Also, hopefully Hawke will have SOME little connection with the first game. Since he escaped the Blight, he might stumble upon old party members as they will be in the same time scale. I hope Morrigan or some other member meets us and joins our party.
If you read all the way till here, GOOD JOB! It's 1am here, my head's spinning, and I wrote all of the above in a half conscious state (and am pretty proud of myself :D ) So how do you feel? Were you as affected by the first game as I was? Share any fears about the second? Let me know!
So the 2010 World Cup was filled with excitement, shocking results, controversies, and a lot of great goals. With Spain clinching the title, I thought I'd make a small music video of the story that unfolded over the past month.
Song: Black and White Town by The Doves.
The video is available in HD (Metacafe) and Myspace (I don't think that's HD).
Hope you like it! PS: I may have missed many good goals, but I wanted to show the story of the WC rather than make a montage of the best goals. Sorry for that :)
Having not played many multiplayer FPS's, I don't know whether it is normal to die 20 times and get 2 kills in a match on an average. The only FPS' I played multiplayer were Counter strike, Team Fortress 2 and L4D on LAN with friends. And I sure didn't suck this much at them. I also played the MOH beta, and I am pretty alright at that (top 5 rank at times in my team). And come on, I've played almost all the popular single player FPS in normal-ish difficulties, and I'm usually pretty good at them.
Typical scenario in BF:BC2: I spawn, move around, am killed. Respawn, spot an enemy, try to take a shot, but the goddamn guy keeps on moving and am shot by another person in the back. Respawn, locate an enemy hiding in a building, run inside to kill him, am killed again. My total kills: 30 deaths: 207 K/D ratio: 0.14 Time played: 12177 (dunno secs or what) position: >10,000 So yeah, I die a LOT. Just can't help it. There was this one day that I hid behind a dumpster in a map, and all the enemies would cross the dumpster without noticing me. I'd run behind them and knife them, and so I got a lot more kills than usual that day. I guess I'm not good enough when it comes to shooting. Make that HORRIBLE. I just tried out the recon class before writing this blog, but again, even with the scope, I missed a lot (though I did get two good kills on moving targets) Seeing that my score progress is very slow as compared to the other elite players, it feels kinda hopeless to play this game. There's all of these lvl 30+ dudes killing me multiple times while I (lvl 0) try to get at least one kill per game, and with my skills, it seems even more meaningless to try.
I don't think I'm going to indulge in much of online FPS in the future, like I avoided it in the past. Really, I don't see what the hype about CoD and BF MP is/was alll about. Apart from the fact that I suck, I didn't find the whole concept very entertaining. Single player story driven games, now that's what I enjoy. So not being very acquainted with multiplayer FPS's, I wanted to know whether it is normal to die in the starting level, is the game actually tough, are the other player gods, is there a problem with my mouse pad, or do I just suck. Are there any tips you could give, or should I just quit?
Here's another meaningless blog by me :D So my holidays are going on, and I've been trying to catch up on a lot of games I missed out in the past few months.
I just got Battlefield Bad : Company 2, and as a newborn in online FPS multiplayers, I'm kind of having a tough time :P I also got Split/Second (which is a great game) so that me and my friends could have some exciting racing action on splitscreen. Now I need to keep these two on my 160 GB HDD, as I just got them and am enjoying them.
Now, alongside this, I also have the MoH beta. Now I don't really need to keep this one as I'm already playing BF:BC2, so playing a beta of a similar game doesn't make much sense. Also, I have played quite a lot of it, and have had my fill. Since I don't really plan on getting this game right when it comes out and dive into the MP, I don't need to level up my character with the beta till then. But you don't get beta keys everyday. So I'm finding it difficult to get rid of this
Also, I have about 5 GB of Runes of Magic on my drive, which I'm playing with the Giantbomb dudes. We just got our guild castle and I really don't wanna leave this, as it's a blast playing this game with the GBers.
Alright, I still have about 20 GB free spread over 4 partitions, but I'm not really satisfied with the games that I've been playing as I'm an RPG fan, who needs good single player stories to be entertained. For that, I got DA:O Awakening. Having LOVED Origins, I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy this one too. But the trouble is, it needs DA:O to be installed to play. Which will take about 15 Gb more. And then I don't know how many GBs Awakening itself will take.
So yeah, I'm out of space and my holidays are running out (not really, but you know). I really wanna play Awakening and BFBC2 and I need S/S as my friends will be coming over to play everyday and it's a great splitscreen game. Things are really getting awesome in RoM, so I don't wanna get rid of that. The MoH beta is only 700 MB so there's no use of removing it. So yeah, kind of in a weird fix. Need to find some way out of this. How about you guys? How's your holiday gaming going?
PS : Don't take any of the above seriously. I just found out I have 7GB of worthless old backup on my HDD waiting to be deleted! Sorry for wasting your time XD
So I was playing Runes of Magic today, and I and Revolutionare were the only people online at the time. After unsuccessfully trying to kill Yuri a dozen times, we decided to split up and do our individual, easier quests. He started killing Silvermane hounds, and I started my search for the fourth pillar, situated north of silverspring, for a quest that required me to find all the four pillars in the four directions in Silverspring.
As soon as I caught the road that would take me north, Revo logged off leaving me to venture into unknown lands all alone without anyone to talk to. I was scared, but so was I determined.
I reached a kind of an archway towards the Northern side of Silverspring, and started searching for the pillar. But I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw a floating machine - guy:
see that guy? Yeah, better stay away
As I turned around, I saw another one on my right. (the ruins on the horizon is where i hope to find the pillar)
As I walk along the road, sneaking past the earlier two, I notice that there are a LOT of these dudes here:
After a lot of sneaking around and hiding from about 10 of those things, I finally reached the ruins (called Oblivion Shrine). Unfortunately, the pillar was not to be seen. But I DID see something else:
Look at that huge stone Golem type guy there. He's a crown-boss guy.
Just looking at him made my ass fall of my computer chair
So I turned around and got some distance between him and me. As I looked towards the edge of the map, I saw there was a tunnel leading to god knows where, and a lot of those floaty machines... floating around. There was a big possibility of the pillar being in the cave, but there was a bigger possibility that I would be killed before I would be able to reach it. I stood for about 10 mins on that hill, trying to think about what it was that I should do, and trying to muster up the courage to do it.
As I watched, more and more of those machines started floating around. I had to make a decision, quickly.
I finally mustered up enough courage and ran for it. Again, those guys amazingly didn't notice me. But as I got closer to the gate, I saw something that dashed my hopes of geting in alive :
Luckily, it was a friendly NPC who was offering to change the "core" of my weapon for me. I declined and quickly ran inside
Finally, I was inside, and alive. I was proud of my little level 14 self, and got ready to venture inside
As I walked through the tunnels, I looked around for the pillar that had gotten me into all this. There was no sign of it, and luckily no sign of any enemies either
I ran around another few corners, before I saw light coming from the end of one hallway:
I was amazed with what I had discovered. An exit that lead me to a land I had no idea existed. I was amazed, but also disappointed that I couldn't find the pillar. Now that I had come out of Silverspring, I wouldn't be able to find the pillar here. But since I'd come this far, I thought I might as well carry on ahead and see how far I could go.
As soon as I stepped out, I saw something that made my heart freeze. A level 53 enemy. That's right. FIFTY motherfucking THREE. Luckily, another of our guild member logged in (Aziel), and provided me the moral support I needed to carry on :P
Before moving on, I looked at my map, and saw this: Savage Lands. Looks... Savage
I took a deep breath and ran, sticking to the left side, as far away from those dudes as possible. But there were many more up ahead.
I took a moment, took in the scene, and ran again
I reached the hill on the other side of the river, completely unnoticed. As a matter of fact, I wasn't noticed even ONCE throughout this journey till the very end.
I then looked towards where I needed to go. Crossing this river looked a lot more challenging.
I crossed the river successfully and unnoticed, but I saw certain death ahead. I knew that this was where my journey would have to end.
Unbelievably, I took the middle ground between the guards and another enemy on the left, and kept on running. Alive and unnoticed.
In the excitement, I became reckless and kept on running, passing by an enemy very closely. I knew I was dead before the fireball hit me.
And so... The my adventure came to and end. I was proud of myself for surviving for so long, and for getting through unnoticed till the very end. But, I knew that would have to end sometime, and it did.
Anyways, I resurrected myself, and the motherfuckers pushed me deeper into the map. WTF?
I thought I'd make use of this opportunity and buy some LEVEL 46 herbs for the guild ^ ^ Unfortunately, the guild doesn't use those herbs. So i'm stuck with them.
I then quickly teleported myself back home with the Home-sweet-home rune, and said hello to my maid:)
And then I ... Whoops, didn't mean to post this pic here. Really.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the end of my crazy adventure. I don't know how many of you guys have already gone there, but i'm pretty sure no one has ever gone past those things Sam Fisher style. Also, I should say, I didn't see EVEN ONE other adventurer/player there besides me. So yeah, it was pretty scary :P
Hope you guys enjoyed, and thanks for reading!
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So, I'm back again with another video. This time it's for mass Effect 2, which i completed about a week or two ago. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first game, but it was a pretty good game in itself. So here's the video, let me know what you think! Song - Daylight Watch it in HD! :)
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