Issue 19 / August 2009 / Warez-bb.org
Don’t Wait ‘til It Gets Light As summer approaches, it’s about time music got a bit happier
Big Screen To Your PC Are you in depth with your files? Do you know just how much work goes into one single productive download? Find out inside!
The Proposal Find out just how good Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds’ on screen chemistry really is inside
Transformers II Revenge of the Fallen
August 2009 Issue 19
www.magazine.warez-bb.org
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Prototype & Fight Night 4 Reviewed Music reviews section by mank Beware of Laughter in this issue with the jokes section Find out
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everything about Dreams & Nightmares inside A new cartoon
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.:Nvidia:. Helps you decide what Hardware is best for you this summer
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CONTENTS ISSUE 19 | AUGUST 2009
Movies & Music 04. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review 08. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review 12. The Proposal Review 14. Don’t Wait ‘til it Gets Light Music Review 15. Mank’s Music Reviews
Games
18. Prototype Review 20. Mass Effect PC Review 24. Fight Night 4 Review 27. E3 News and Reviews
General
35. Parallel Universes 36. Flying Thoughts 37. Life, Through a Different Eye 38. Students’ Adventures 40. Beware of Laughter 42. Dreams and Nightmares 44. Where’s my Happy Ending?
Tech
46. From Production to your Computer 48. How to Pick the Best Hardware this Summer
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Contents
The Scene
EDITORIAL ISSUE 19 | AUGUST 2009
Editor ENIGMA Co-Editor .:Nvidia:. Writers Team Leader Waltereegho Artists Team Leader Chicodelperreo Proofreaders Team Leader Daniel.Blaze Writers Team Assistant Shifty Dramamine feenz_b Artists Team Assistant Labonova Proofreaders Team Assistant Yawn. Writers Fartermissile mank Seashock Aydrian bRIKO CMacM93 Net-mate Sp33|)|)3v!lX Artists Leroy44 Herinjo KieronDSFX Soumyadeep surferdud3 RED.PANTHER grafreak MrTambourineMan Quality Assurance Team Clarinda Snow.Flake MX1CAN Garf. Admiral Agent Of Chaos glenny. PxS ricky54326 Sammyy Magazine Team Compiler Yawn. Cover Design KieronDSFX Editorial
Hello everybody, Welcome to another issue of theSCENE! First of all, I would like to inform you all that the previous issue of theSCENE has reached over 9000 hits, which is a huge achievement for the Press Team and the Magazine, and it’s all thanks to you. The Press Team have worked very hard since the release of the last issue and we have combined many different articles for you to read and enjoy: from huge summer blockbusters to great new music all the way down to some of our very own personal experiences. Let’s also not forget that we now have a fully functional website (found at magazine.warezbb.org) with a new newsletter, so make sure to sign up to that in order to receive updates on our work. It is also a habit of ours to include many different articles submitted by our very own members of Warez-BB, and so we thank all of those who have sent in their work for this magnificent issue. We encourage you to submit your own articles to us; who knows? It may be featured in our next issue! Finally, on behalf of the Press Team, I hope you enjoy this issue of theSCENE as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it. Please don’t hesitate to send us any feedback or ideas because this can only help us improve the next issue to be bigger and better. Best regards, .:Nvidia:.
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TRANSFORMERS : REVENGE OF THE FALLEN EVIEW TEXT | SPIDERMAN120988
LAYOUT | GRAFREAK
We’ve finally arrived at the most anticipated movie of the summer, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which released into conventional theaters and IMAX today. The sequel to the 2007 hit has been outselling Star Trek in advanced ticket sales, and your favorite reviewer has returned from the multiplex to give you the verdict. Unfortunately, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a massive disappointment and earns the dubious honor of being the worst summer film I’ve seen so far. The special effects are still state-of-the-art but they are no longer any special, and while Bay certainly ups the ante in scope, everything else from the story to the characters suffers. The sexual humor extends the camp factor to an almost unbearable limit and by the time the film meanders toward its loud climax, you’d wish it would just end 40 minutes earlier. 4 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
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SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! After a short prologue taking place in 17,000 BC, we return to our main characters two years after the first film, with the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) joining forces with the British and American military to form NEST, an organization devoted to hunting down the remaining Decepticons on Earth. Both Major William Lennox ( Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) are part of the newly formed organization. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is preparing to go to college and while going through his belongings, he finds a shard of the All Spark. Upon touching it, his mind is filled with ancient Cybertronian text. He requests his girlfriend, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) to take the shard for safe keeping and says good-bye to his guardian, Bumblebee. In space, Soundwave, the Decepticons’ intelligence officer, hacks a United States military satellite in an attempt to learn the location of Megatron’s corpse and a shard of the All Spark in the hopes of resurrecting their leader. The shard happens to be heavily guarded in a NEST bunker and Soundwave sends Ravage to retrieve it. Deep in the Laurentian Abyss, the Constructicons revive Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving), who flies into space and meets his true master, the Fallen (voice of Tony Todd), one of the original thirteen Transformers who is now looking for a Sun Harvester, a large device that can harvest the energy of a planet’s sun and convert it into energon, the lifeblood of all Transformers. The Autobots now must face their old foes, the Decepticons, in battle once more and protect Sam, whose mind holds the key to the survival of the Transformers and their hidden origins. END SPOILERS! Movies & Music
First let’s look at the plot of Transformers 2. Unfortunately, there is none because everything is a damn near incomprehensible mess. Of course, story is never important in these types of films but if that’s true, why did Bay and writers Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman spend over 150 minutes telling it? What made the first film mostly work was that amidst of all the robot battles lay a simple coming-of-age tale of a boy buying his first car and taking that first step into adulthood. No such themes are found here and the film’s sense of scope begins to work against it as we’re introduced to convenient plot devices such as a large ‘rail gun’ that the U.S. military just happens to have and when Sam discovers the ‘Matrix of Leadership,’ which just happens to have the ability to resurrect a major character. Another problem is that the film reaches its climax about midway and after that, the film comes to a screeching halt as it wanders aimlessly toward the final battle. Transformers 2 tries to cover too much ground by piling on the mythology even when it makes no sense and requires too much suspension of disbelief. It doesn’t help that the characters aren’t all that engaging and Shia LaBeouf seems to have lost much of the wit and charm he had in the first film. Still, I can say that Sam remains the most fleshed-out character, which is no surprise considering he’s always at the center of everything but it’s hard to care about his mission because there’s just no emotional investment. When he suffers a fatal blast from Megatron that leaves him near death, we don’t feel any grief because we know Bay will find some way to bring him back or there will be no Transformers 3. This film reaffirms the fact that Megan Fox absolutely cannot act. When her character, Mikaela, first appears, she’s wearing ultra-short, cut-off jeans and leaning suggestively on top of a motorcycle. This led to all the male audience members to start whooping and hollering. Yes, we get it, Fox is really attractive and I don’t dispute that but here, it’s just overdone way too much as we’re constantly reminded of how good-looking she is. During the final battle royale, there’s debris and dirt flying everywhere but amazingly, Fox’s white jeans remain clean throughout that entire sequence! Those must be some kind of special pants because I would like a pair since it would sure save on quarters at the local Laundromat! Both Duhamel and Gibson’s characters are now little more than cardboard cutouts with their macho-man banter, taking part in the action but adding little to the plot. Sam’s neurotic parents, played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White, continue to steal the show in one of the film’s more humorous bits when White’s character accidentally eats brownies that are filled with weed while visiting Sam’s college campus. John Turturro also reprises his role as Reggie Simmons, who now works in a Brooklyn deli since the U.S. government has disbanded Sector 7. Unfortunately, his character is now more annoying than ever and we’re even treated to a shot of his bare buttocks in a thong. Seriously, Bay, was that even necessary? Joining the cast is Ramon Rodriguez (last seen in The Taking of Pelham 123) as conspiracy theorist Leo Spitz but he soon wears out his welcome and purpose with his incessant screaming that I wished one of the Decepticons would just step on him. Movies & Music
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As for the Transformers themselves, they’re still relegated to supporting characters but the film suffers from what I call X-Men 3 syndrome as a gaggle of unknown, uncharacterized robots just suddenly pop up to wail on each other and little else. Outside of Optimus Prime, Megatron and a few others, all the other robots are interchangeable, and they exist only to fight because someone decided that’s all the core audience is interested in. Some of the new Transformers wear out their welcome fast, such as Jetfire (voice of Mark Ryan) with his grumpy old man shtick or Wheelie (voice of Tom Kenny), who ends up latching on to Fox’s leg and humping it. Those are minor gripes compared to Mudflap and Skids, two of the worst racial stereotypes I’ve seen in a film since Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. Both of them have gold buck teeth, speak in street slang and get this, they admit that they’re illiterate! This is the 21st Century and it’s amazing films have to fall back on these offensive caricatures just to provide a cheap laugh. Just when it couldn’t get any worse, Bay fills the entire film with a constant barrage of campy sexual humor that makes
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Batman & Robin look like an Oscar-winning masterpiece. We have dogs humping each other, Megan Fox landing on people’s crotches, and testicles on Devastator. The audience just ate it up, laughing throughout at the most inane and banal of jokes. The one thing I can positively say is that the special effects and action scenes don’t disappoint but even then they begin to grow tiresome. Bay has refined his technique in making the fights more comprehensible and the highlight would be when Optimus Prime takes on Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor in a thrilling forest battle but when the allout rumble begins to take place in an Egyptian desert, you’re just too exhausted to even care about the outcome anymore. Roger Ebert says it best, ‘If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination’.
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When I arrived at the multiplex, three of the show times were sold out and I was forced to watch the 7:45 PM show. The theater was packed and no seat was unfilled but this must be one of the most rowdy audiences I’ve ever seen, with people constantly yelling, and during the final minutes of the film, the noise got to a point where I couldn’t even hear what Optimus was saying. Like Fast & Furious, I was dumbfounded when everyone started applauding. When the credits rolled, a young girl next to me asked, ‘Wasn’t the movie awesome?!’ If by awesome, you mean an assault on the senses with clichéd dialogue and incomprehensible storytelling, then yes, I guess it was awesome. Of course, I did not say that to her, I just got up and left. Professional critics agree with everything I have mentioned and Transformers 2 currently holds the lowest rating of all the highprofile summer releases, 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. I know I hold an unpopular opinion with this film and I’ll probably get bashed for it but that’s something a critic, even an amateur one has to deal with. So far, the box office gross stands at a record-breaking $60.6 million for a movie opening on a Wednesday, surpassing 2004’s Spider-Man 2, which earned $59.8 million that same day. There is no doubt now that the film will open at #1 at the box office and the final figure might be upwards of $150 million.
Last year, The Dark Knight was the highest grossing film and had an intelligent script and emotionally resonant characters that asked interesting questions of what a man would do to save a city, the likes of which is rarely seen in a high-profile summer movie. I can’t help but think about what another reviewer wrote about Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, remarking that ‘the people the film was made for won’t notice; they’ll like it for what it is; which, on consideration, is probably the saddest thing of all. As long as you’re willing to accept crap, you’re not likely to get anything better’. At first, I thought it was too harsh of a statement but after seeing the film, it’s apt. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what I think or other critics think, because the film will still make big money but as you’re watching, keep that statement in the back of your mind. If Transformers 2 has already sunk this low, I can’t imagine how the third film will turn out.
“Transformers 2 currently holds the lowest rating of all the high-profile summer releases, 22% on Rotten Tomatoes” “Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”
Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5 DIRECTED BY MICHAEL BAY Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Language, Some Crude and Sexual Material, and Brief Drug Material) Running Time: 2 Hours & 30 Minutes
CAST SHIA LABEOUF MEGAN FOX JOSH DUHAMEL TYRESE GIBSON RAMON RODRIGUEZ JOHN TURTURRO KEVIN DUNN JULIE WHITE ISABEL LUCAS GLENN MORSHOWER JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY RAINN WILSON VOICE PETER CULLEN HUGO WEAVING TONY TODD CHARLES ADLER MARK RYAN Movies & Music
SAM WITWICKY MIKAELA BANES MAJOR WILLIAM LENNOX SERGEANT ROBERT EPPS LEO SPITZ REGGIE SIMMONS RON WITWICKY JUDY WITWICKY ALICE GENERAL MORSHOWER GALLOWAY PROFESSOR COLAN
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Movies & Music
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince tt
An IMAX 3D Experience Review By spiderman120988 Layout by Herinjo
Rated PG (Scary Images, Some Violence, Language and Mild Sensuality) Running Time: 2 Hours & 33 Minutes Cast: Daniel Radcliffe-Harry Potter Emma Watson-Hermione Granger Rupert Grint-Ron Weasley Michael Gambon-Professor Albus Dumbledore Jim Broadbent-Professor Horace Slughorn Tom Felton-Draco Malfoy Bonnie Wright-Ginny Weasley Alan Rickman-Professor Severus Snape Maggie Smith-Professor Minerva McGonagall Robbie Coltrane-Rubeus Hagrid Jessie Cave-Lavender Brown Evanna Lynch-Luna Lovegood Matthew Lewis-Neville Longbottom Helena Bonham Carter-Bellatrix Lestrange Helen McCrory-Narcissa Malfoy Julie Walters-Molly Weasley Mark Williams-Arthur Weasley Directed by David Yates It’s finally here, the long-awaited sixth installment of the “Harry Potter” franchise, “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince”, based upon the novels written by J. K. Rowling, arrives into conventional theaters and IMAX 3D today after an eight month delay. I think it’s safe for me to assume that everyone knows who Harry Potter is, and even those who are not hardcore fans have some idea of what the books/movies are about. Before I begin this review, I must admit, I have never been much of a fan of “Harry Potter”, seeing it as nothing more than a childish version to “Lord of the Rings” after viewing the first film back in 2001, but my interest has certainly peaked as moviegoers are once again enthralled by ‘Potter-mania’. Even though I have neither read the books nor viewed the second to fifth movies (something I plan to do), I still decided to jump right into “Half-Blood Prince”. I was pleasantly surprised, as director David Yates has crafted a film that doesn’t heavily rely on previous knowledge and while it lacks that epic quality, “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince” succeeds in further developing and enriching the characters, chronicling the trials and tribulations that all youths go through as they discover romance and responsibility, wrapped in a fantasy setting that’s increasingly growing ever more dangerous and filled with uncertainty. In short, “Half-Blood Prince” is one of the best, if not THE best, summer blockbuster this year with first rate acting, amazing visual effects and breathtaking set design. Best of all, the first twenty minutes are shown in full IMAX 3D glory.
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SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW!
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he film kicks off with a bang as Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters wreak havoc on the Muggle world and with each passing day, Hogwarts becomes a less safe place. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) sits alone in a diner as he casually flirts with a waitress but before he can show her his wand, Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), headmaster of Hogwarts, whisks Harry away to meet Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Dumbledore manages to convince Slughorn to return to Hogwarts as professor of potion making but later reveals to Harry that he has an ulterior motive. Locked in Slughorn’s mind is a forgotten memory that may hold a clue to what Lord Voldemort is seeking, and so Dumbledore tasks Harry to befriend the eccentric professor and coax the secret out of him. Personal matters get in the way, as Harry finds himself increasingly drawn to his best friend’s sister, Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) seethes with quiet jealousy at Lavender Brown’s (Jessie Cave) increased attention to Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). As danger lurks in every corner, Harry comes upon a mysterious potions book once owned by the ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and comes to realize what Lord Voldemort was seeking all along. As with all book-to-film adaptations, there will always be
omissions and alterations that won’t sit well with fans so getting into a debate about how similar or different “Half-Blood Prince” is to the novel is pointless, as books and films are two different mediums. Despite the title, the Half-Blood Prince is not the focus and is more of a subplot, though it ties itself into the overarching story. What the film is really about is the characters taking the first step into adulthood as hormones rage across the Hogwarts student body. Harry harbors a secret love for Ginny and reveals to his best friend that his sister is attractive, prompting Ron to ask what that means. In a chuckle-worthy moment, Harry awkwardly answers that he means Ginny has ‘nice skin’. After a short silence, Ron dryly admits that Hermione has ‘nice skin’ as well. It is these small moments that makes the characters more relatable despite the fantasy setting they live in. Surprisingly, I found that I related most to Hermione’s predicament as she secretly yearns for Ron, whom she has been friends with for close to six years now. Anyone who has ever had a close male or female friend wouldn’t be surprised to see feelings develop between the two. Of course, “Half-Blood Prince” doesn’t only Movies & Music
deal with personal relationships but also about responsibility. Harry becomes increasingly aware of his destiny and the coming final battle, preparing with Dumbledore in what can be described as a master-and-apprentice relationship that reminds me of “Star Wars”. This is what makes the film work as Yates perfectly balances the character dynamics and its light-hearted moments with the more somber, darker tone as loyalties are tested and everyone begins to feel the burden of Voldemort’s specter. If there is one complaint about the film is that at times, the pacing might be too slow and some moviegoers will simply call it dull, or as Peter Travers of Rolling Stone remarked, ‘it’s an interim tease, all buildup and no release’. Yes, one can’t help feeling that “Half-Blood Prince” is all set-up for something larger but that doesn’t mean character and motivation have no place, especially when it’s done so well here. The three principal cast members have certainly come a long way since I’ve last seen them, I mean, back in 2001, I didn’t have any grey hairs! Daniel Radcliffe is still a little stiff at times but plays Harry with quiet conviction, determined to fulfill the mission set before him by Dumbledore. Rupert Grint continues as Harry’s ever-faithful sidekick Ron Weasley, who’s now on the Quidditch team and to his chagrin, gains the adoration of Lavender Brown, leading to several comical scenes such as when he becomes spaced out/lovesick after consuming a box of chocolates laced with love potion. Emma Watson impressed me the most with her subtle but longing gazes at Ron. She’s still the nerd of the group and in one of the earlier scenes, you see her become so frazzled as Harry succeeds in gaining Slughorn’s prize in a potion-making contest, a vial of luck potion. These three have played these characters for so long that they’re pretty much inseparable from their roles. Michael Gambon also shines as Dumbledore, who doesn’t really come off as the wise old wizard played by Richard Harris from the first two films, but more of a counselor and friend, someone you can talk to if something troubles you. The only new actor is Jim Broadbent as the absent-minded, yet warm potions professor Horace Slughorn. He carries a dark secret and has an indirect influence on Voldemort’s plans but carefully hides it with eccentric humor. When Harry finally wrestles the truth from him, he is full of remorse due to inadvertently aiding the Dark Lord. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy is not just the school bully anymore but is a dark foil WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 10
to Harry, with a task set before him that causes so much inner torment because deep down, he knows it is wrong. Alan Rickman’s cool resolve as Severus Snape will keep you wondering where his loyalties truly lie with his moral ambiguity. Rounding out the cast is Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Helena Bonham Carter as Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, and Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, all of whom do a fine job in their respective roles. While there are no epic set-pieces, “Half-Blood Prince” is certainly a great looking film and befitting the tone, Hogwarts has lost much of the whimsical aspect from the first film, becoming a dark, gothic castle as gloomy clouds roam the sky and thunderstorms are a constant. There’s also a thrilling Quidditch match in the snow and a fiery confrontation as Dumbledore and Harry battle an army of corpse-like zombies that rise from the water. As you well know, the first twenty minutes are in IMAX 3D, provided the format is available at your theater. When I put those glasses on, it was breathtaking watching the Death Eaters attack London. If you’re a hardcore fan, this is the way to watch “Half-Blood Prince”. Anticipation for the sixth film has been at an all time high ever since the film was delayed from its original November, 2008 release (I would know, considering I attended the New York Premiere last week) and “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince” has received glowing reviews from professional
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critics, with an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, same as the third installment, “Prisoner of Azkaban”. They called the film ‘dark, thrilling, and occasionally quite funny, [but] also visually stunning and emotionally satisfying’. It has grossed $22.2 million from midnight screenings, surpassing Warner Brothers’ own “The Dark Knight” and “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”. No doubt it will come close or even exceed this summer’s other major blockbuster, “Transformers Revenge of the Fallen”, and rightly so as “Half-Blood Prince” is a superior film in almost every aspect. “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince” may lack memorable set-pieces and doesn’t feel as epic as it should, but the film offers up a captivating character-driven chapter that deals with several
important themes, among them death and loss, that should satisfy any fan or those who are not as well-versed in the universe but yearns to see some good drama. In contrast to the stupidity I had to go through with Bay’s assault-onthe-senses “Transformers 2”, this is a good thing and I hope movie audiences see that. “Deathly Hallows” Part 1 and 2 can’t come soon enough!
Final Rating: 5 out of 5 “Once again...I must ask too much of you, Harry”.
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As I paid for my ticket for “The Proposal”, I felt a twinge of embarrassment. After all, I was paying Text by spiderman120988 Layout by Leroy44 to watch a romantic comedy/chick flick voluntarily! Still, it was all in the interest of reviewing the film so I just took a deep breath and went into the theatre. So far, this summer’s offering has been very male-centric, with ladies having to contend with movies like “X-Men Origins Wolverine”, “Star Trek” and “Terminator Salvation”, but they can now breathe a collective sigh of relief as “The Proposal” caters to female tastes.
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It was smart of Touchstone Pictures to release the film one week before “Transformers Revenge of the Fallen” opened which is so far outselling “Star Trek” and would’ve demolished any competition. “The Proposal” hits all of the predictable romantic comedy notes and is rather formulaic, but Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds’ on-screen chemistry works so well and the comedy is so hilarious that I was generally surprised that I enjoyed the film more than I had expected to, and women desperate for a movie made specifically for them will no doubt enjoy it as well. SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) is an executive assistant to Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), who is the icy editor-in-chief of a book publishing company, Colden Books, in New York City. Margaret finds out from her superiors that she is being threatened with deportation to her native Canada and forces her assistant to marry her so she can be allowed to stay in the country. Unfortunately, an immigration official, Mr. Gilbertson (Denis O’Hare) becomes suspicious of the arrangement and to keep up the guise of their ‘relationship’, Andrew reluctantly takes Margaret to his Grandma Annie’s (Betty White) 90th birthday party in Sitka, Alaska. Margaret is warmly received and soon becomes a part of the Paxton clan but as she remembers the long forgotten values of family, she begins to have second thoughts about what she is doing, all the while falling in love with Andrew. END SPOILERS! As I have mentioned before, “The Proposal” sticks very close to formula and as such, you can predict with relative accuracy what would happen. When Margaret reveals to the Paxton clan that she had deceived them all and blackmailed Andrew into marrying her, she leaves for the airport but, of course, Andrew realizes that he really does want to spend the rest of his life with her and gives chase. When the end arrives and Andrew bares his soul, you just know that Margaret will accept his proposal but despite its predictability, the film overall is still heart-warming and charming. There is more focus on the comedy elements rather than on the romance and this bothered me a little as it is hard to believe that Andrew, who had so loathed his boss for three years and had even dreamed of her getting hit by a cab, would fall in love with Margaret over a weekend. While it is clear that feelings are building between the two, the gestures are small, such as a first kiss or a back rub, but the development of the romance moves just a tad too fast. Female audiences won’t be bothered by this though and will accept it without question but those with a keen eye might notice this. The best parts of the film are the comedy and this is thanks to the perfect chemistry between the two leads, Bullock and Reynolds. Bullock plays the top executive that everyone in the cubicles are afraid of and when she strides into work, all the workers start instant messaging each other with the ominous message, ‘It’s here!’ At first, we see her as just using Andrew for her own selfish gain but as the film progresses, we learn more about her past and how she became the person that she is right now. Andrew is a guy who grew up with humble beginnings and has big dreams of making it in the city, trying to earn that promotion by performing all of his duties with spring-loaded accuracy but when he realizes that Margaret needs him to stay in the country, he immediately pounces and demands to be promoted to editor and have his book published! He also forces Margaret to get on her knees and ‘kindly’ propose to him. Reynolds has great comedic timing and when Margaret drops the bombshell that she is marrying him, he has this look of shock that drew loud laughs from the audience. Other comedic highlights include Margaret’s cell phone being snatched by an eagle and she starts jumping around, offering it to take the puppy instead, or the shower scene, when both Margaret and Andrew slam into each other naked! At 44, Sandra still has a rather killer body. Two of the most memorable characters include Oscar Nuñez’s Ramone and Betty White’s Grandma Annie. Ramone first pops up as a waiter at the welcoming party at the Paxton home but later on appears as a male stripper at Margaret’s bachelorette party in one of the most hilarious scenes in the film. Grandma Annie is rather bizarre, making it fairly obvious from the beginning that she wants grandchildren when she throws the couple a ‘babymaking’ blanket and during a bonfire chant, she begins dancing with Margaret to Lil’ Jon’s “Get Low”, with the audience thoroughly enjoying the scene. Betty White steals every scene with lines like ‘Let’s see if we can find your boobs’ during Margaret’s dress fitting and referring to it as an ‘Easter egg hunt!’ Rounding out the cast is Malin Akerman as ex-girlfriend Gertrude and Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson as Andrew’s parents, Grace and Joe. Although the film takes place in Alaska, it was actually filmed in Rockport, Massachusetts and director Anne Fletcher makes the most of this location, smartly dressing up the town for a week and adding a few digital trees and mountains in the background. If I hadn’t read about it, I would’ve mistaken it for the real Sitka, Alaska! Despite my feelings about the film, “The Proposal” received mixed reviews from professional critics with a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. Their biggest complaint was obviously, that it was formulaic and predictable. Most of the audience was female with the only males being boyfriends who were dragged along into seeing the film but they thoroughly enjoyed it, laughing out loud during several scenes. I believe I was the only male who saw this film willingly! I can’t say for certain whether it’ll be #1 at this weekend’s box office but word-of-mouth seems to be good since last weekend’s advanced screening. I ended up enjoying the film more than I was supposed to since I’m not the target audience and despite “The Proposal” hitting all the expected notes for a romantic comedy and a few lingering problems, Bullock and Reynolds are fun to watch on-screen thanks to their comedic antics and chemistry. If you’re turned off by this summer’s action films, this is the film for you! Remember, ‘it takes two to make a thing go right!’ Movies & Music
Final Rating: 3.5 “I’m a bit chesty to begin with but let’s see if we can...find your boobs!”
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As summer approaches, it’s about time music gets a bit happier and most likely a bit stranger. Ladies and gentlemen: Johnny Foreigner. The indie rock trio from Birmingham completely and utterly epitomize summer, from their playful guitar riffs ably strummed by Alexei Berrow, to their hyper vocals – a team effort by Berrow and bassist Kelly Southern; all supported by consistently excellent drum-work from Junior Elvis Washington Laidley – known more simply as Junior. This trio combine perfectly. The drums and bass combine to get the beat stuck in your head, and the mixture of vocals is truly unique and phenomenal: Berrow gives the sound a loud and boyish charm, balanced by Southern’s dreamy yet convincing voice. It makes their music universal, even amidst the often spastic instrumental sounds. They released their first album, “Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light”, with the label of Best Before Records on June the 2nd 2008. This was followed by 15 demo tracks being made available for free download on July 2008, under the name “I Like You Mostly Late At Never”. The second album is expected in September or October of this year, so this is your chance to swot up on indie’s next big thing. The band has played all over the UK, and made their US debut on November the 30th 2007. So they do have past success. However, what sets them apart is their potential. In a world where music has become generic and indifferent, Johnny Foreigner stands out from the crowd. And they are proud of it. No two songs sound the same, but you can tell that it’s Johnny Foreigner. They put a part of themselves into every song, and as a result every one of their past songs is deserving of recognition… Yet so far, they’ve gained no great publicity. But something awesome this way comes: their new EP, “Feels Like Summer”. Consisting only of the single “Feels Like Summer”, this EP is perfectly timed. An ecstatic track of shouts and bright guitars, with the mixture of male and female vocals used perfectly, you could set your summer to this. Lyrics such as “Heart strings may pull nostalgia, but honestly it feels like summer” show it follows the tradition of happy summertime songs, and yet this is like nothing you’ve ever heard before. You’ll be bobbing your head in faux-punk fashion within seconds of hearing this. TEXT | CMACM93
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Artist : Somewhere In September Album: Demo Genre: Hardcore Store Date: n/a URL : http://www.myspace.com/somewhereinseptemberband This insane hardcore band consists of five hard working musicians just starting out as an independent band. Somewhere In September consist of Gred (vocals), Chauncy (guitar), Jameson (guitar), Brad (bass and vocals) and Cory (drums). Their demo features four hard tracks that combine double bass drumming, loud screaming, extended vocals, and quality electric guitar. The beginning track “Whispers To The Wounded” immediately throws you into their hateful lyrics and insane melodies, with lyrics such as “I won’t let you fall!” The songs offer a new hardcore style with screaming shifting to sad vocals, and back to hatred. The band really reveals their quality on the track “A World In HD” with soft vocals such as, “As the heavens open up, and you see this nightmare right before your eyes…god I hate this awful place, like the world is outside”. It doesn’t seem apparent Movies & Music
at first, but this band gears their music towards their Christian beliefs, labeling them as Christian hardcore.
‘immediately throws you into their hateful lyrics and insane melodies’ Although this demo was given away by the band for free, it has the potential to sell big, allowing the band to expand their exposure to the outside world. The band is located in a small rural town, home of Tarleton State University, in Stephenville, Texas. Forming in 2007, the band has played local venues in northern and western Texas in an attempt to expose their truly talented work. Hopefully there will be more to hear from Somewhere In September, and many more concerts to follow. WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 15
Review: Mank Layout & Design: KieronDSFX
Album: OneOneThousand Genre: Hardcore Store Date: May 12, 2009
Kyle (vocals), Terry (bass), Josh (guitar) and Mike (guitar) are Burden Of A Day. The band from Florida puts out an insane posthardcore sound that distinguishes themselves among most top hardcore bands such as In Fear & Faint and Silverstein. With seven member dropouts, most only lasting a year or so, the band releases their third album for their music career, “OneOneThousand”. The album features ten tracks, which is average compared to other post-hardcore bands of their current generation. The first track “Remember”, immediately destroys eardrums, forcing the listener to turn the volume up louder. Background singing accompanies Kyle’s insane screaming that remains at a higher tone than the drums and bass. This approach reminds the listener of classic hits from Story Of The Year, with the lead singer
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screaming flawlessly at high notes overpowering the song with such strength. The track “The Mason” mixes hateful screams along with classic singing similar to the popular phase of Jimmy Eat World. Do not be fooled by the high energy singing; Kyle can rip his voice into some hardcore screaming very well, and displays it in every song, giving him time to increase anger and power. Each additional track appears to sound similar to the previous track; however the lyrical differences along with altering double bass drumming make the album overly addicting and difficult to stop prematurely. The track “The Shame In Shedding Wool” adds additional chills to your spine as extended singing with such high intensity is brought to fans’ ears holding no known level of threshold. The album continues limitless to the song that named the album “OneOneThousand”. This insane track includes the most screaming of all the songs on the album. The midpoint of the song includes their classic slowdown for emotional singing, allowing the track to end in total mayhem accompanied by melodic guitar brought together
by the beats from the double bass. “Don’t be scared, I need you to keep dreaming”, are a portion of the lyrics in the background of insane screaming on the track “Modern Gentlemen”. The band ends on a vocal note with lyrics, “Alright, alright, I’ll sing to you, I’ll sing to you…” Holding only ten tracks, this album is a quick listen, keeping the fans begging for more. The band won’t be at Vans Warped Tour this year; however they are spending the entire summer touring North America, with venues in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York/ Jersey, Quebec, Ontario, and many more. Specific dates and locations are listed on their MySpace. If you are unable to see them live, give their new album OneOneThousand a listen. Some recommendations for the album would be to turn the midlevel a little higher than the bass, to increase the potential of the loud singing.
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Review: Mank Layout & Design: KieronDSFX
Album: Avalanches EP Genre: Rock / Post-Hardcore Store Date: April 18, 2009
City Escape is an Australian band featuring Jarrod (vocals & guitar), Matt (bass), Andy (vocals & drums) and Chris (vocals & guitar). Escape the city life with this band’s brand new EP, Avalanches. The EP features seven tracks with the first track opening up to “When The Vultures Start To Circle”. Loud singing is accompanied by heavy screaming and massive double bass drumming, putting this band into a post-hardcore style. The second track ends with strings, allowing the slamming sounds of the third track “Black Satellites”, to soften the listener in order to bring the rage down just to have it rise back into mayhem halfway through the next track. Impressive guitar riffs are played while insane screaming is continuously driven out across the tracks. The band depicts alternate endings and intros to each song compared to other bands of
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the similar genre. Instead of driving right into the rage, the sound softens at the beginning and ends of tracks, allowing a slight cool off. It does give this band a slight difference compared to others, but might not sit well with other high energy bands that continuously dribble their hardcore style across the stage during live shows. Overall the EP is very heavy, giving the post-hardcore style output, and would probably play well with bands such as In Fear & Faith, Story Of The Year, and Senses Fail. I highly recommend giving this band a listen on their MySpace and perhaps picking their EP up at a record store near you. The band is currently playing live over the summer in Australia; hopefully sometime in the future they will consider touring the USA. The band is sure to become more and more noticed as time progresses and fans realize the high potential of City Escape.
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Design & Layout By KieronDSFX
It has been a few years since Prototype surfaced in the gaming circuit. We’ve had a long barrage of trailers, pictures and previews which created quite a buzz on the scene. So when the game finally hit in June, I made sure I got my hands on it as soon as possible. “They call me a killer, a monster, a terrorist. I’m all of these things.” In Prototype you are in the shoes of confused protagonist Alex Mercer, a man who knows just as much about the events in the game as you do. Mercer wakes up in a morgue, which is always nice, but soon he’ll find out that New York City has been devastated with a viral outbreak that has taken the city’s population by storm. He realises that he’s in the middle of a war between the military and the infected, as both sides try to take control of the city he once loved. Armed with a very patchy memory, Alex sets off in search of those who can help him remember anything about his past and the viral outbreak that has also infected him. However what Mercer lacks in memory he 18 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
makes up for in superpower, making Prototype a very fun game to play. For too long I have played games that are incredibly realistic and serious. So when I effortlessly ran up the side of a passing skyscraper and jumped fifty feet into the air, I suddenly realised the breath of fresh air that Prototype is. Mercer’s version of the infamous virus gives him the ability to shape shift into anything that he consumes, which when done, gives him a quick health boost. The virus has filled the streets with mayhem. There is murder everywhere. Blood and corpses are an everyday sight for the citizens and the military are ever present throughout. Mercer also has enhanced speed and strength, and the ability to assimilate the memories he collects as you progress, which helps guide you, as the game takes place in an openworld environment and can often make you lose track of the story. The open-world environment is what really makes
this game enjoyable. Who wouldn’t want to climb up the empire state building and plunge off, landing unscathed and on your feet? I often found myself raging through the city, finding landmarks, initiating in a little parkour and then getting back to the plot. Then noticing I had just wasted an hour messing around. The game is definitely addictive and the replay factor is engraved in its core. As I progressed through the city it was evident how alike Prototype is to Crackdown, but with more blood, guts and destruction. However the game is almost identical to the recent Spiderman releases; which is understandable as both games were made by Activision. It seems the creators have tried their best to lure you away from the plot, because much like the Spidey games, there are also a lot of additional activities and games you can do during your open-world play. The activities include races, consume events and glide events. A consume event will require you to find a specific target to consume, whereas a glide event will have you soaring in an Games
attempt to land on a bull’s eye. Although these ‘distractions’ will help improve your skill and abilities, they can sometimes feel very unnecessary. Although this game has a certain replay factor because of the fun it provides, in order to play the game on Hard mode you’ll have to unlock it by first beating Easy or Normal mode. So if you enjoy the game I’m sure you’ll be picking it up again after you’ve finished it. As you progress through the game and consume the minds of those in the know, Mercer starts to put together the pieces of his own mystery and past. These memories help to shape the storyline as you carry on playing the game. As you do this you’ll be earning experience points left right and centre as almost everything you do gives you Evolve points (exp), so upgrading Mercer’s skills and abilities is easy to do. The more experience you attain, the more upgrades become available; and trust me, there are plenty of upgrades you can gain to help destroy anyone who gets in your way.
specified vehicles when consumed. So many times in past open-world environments navigation has been rendered a chore. In Prototype travelling the city is just as fun as the combat. You will never tire of running up those skyscrapers and jumping from building to building at such a fast pace. It’s parkour with an extreme edge, and can deliver immense satisfaction when perfected. You’ll soon realise that the pace in the game is relentless, don’t think about slowing down because as soon as you do a sentry robot will call in the choppers and once again you’ll be on the run. With the military and the infected constantly at war, you are never far from the fight, so those gamers who enjoy a break from the action now and again should think twice if they want to play Prototype.
You’re never far from a weapon in Prototype. In fact, most things you come across can be used to impale, flatten or downright desolate an enemy. Mercer can pick up vehicles and hurl them a mile down the road, which can give you a real sense of superiority. There’s also the option to unlock and upgrade weapons; the more you use them the better they become. Claws, whips, hammer fists, blunt force clubs and deadly blades are just some of the weapon choices that will crop up during the game. The vast amount of abilities you can unlock in the game may very well mean you won’t use all of them, which again adds to the replay factor. It seems Prototype scraps all questions about morality from the get-go. Mercer was never meant to be an angel. Combat is as destructive as you want it to be. Using a slick radial system that slows down time when called upon, Mercer has many options to deal with situations and can use them to shape shift into devastating new forms. This often leaves you thinking that Mercer is sometimes ridiculously powerful, but who cares, right? Another cool addition is the ability to disguise yourself as anything you consume. Using this to disguise yourself as a soldier is especially effective as you can distract ‘fellow’ militants for your own benefit by telling them that nearby innocents are in fact enemies. This is tactical genius and is essential throughout the game.
Possibly the most effective feature of the game is the lock-on target system in which it cleverly locks on to the biggest nearby threat. This is especially effective in boss battles. And with the ability to switch to other enemies with the flick of the analogue stick, it really helps you out in those sticky situations. However this can sometimes be a real pain in the ass. For instance, when you lock onto the most prolific nearby threat it will sometimes lock onto a different target in front of it or even in the distance. This can be extremely annoying due to the urgency that the game requires and can leave you a sitting duck for those enemies ready to pounce. However you’ll find yourself retreating often as battle can really get on top of you. Bailing, then morphing into something to fool your enemies will be a regular occurrence.
The absorb power is key to success in Prototype. If Mercer absorbs highly ranked military personal, he will gain access to military bases and the weapons and vehicles they hold. Pilots and tank drivers will also hand over their ability to control their
If the game wasn’t so intense and enjoyable, it would have been a disastrous release. The graphics are mediocre at best and when touring the city you’ll realise the scenery is dull and depressive. It also never changes and although Manhattan
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has been mapped almost perfectly, most of the city looks and feels exactly the same. This won’t take you long to find out as the whole island is unlocked for you from the beginning. You can’t say it looks bad, because it doesn’t, but let’s just say it won’t be winning any awards on the graphics front. Frame rate can drop at times, but that is hardly surprising with the amount of carnage, characters and battles that can take place in just one instance. It’s always hard to expect an open-world game to look spectacular, but you feel Radical could have done a better job. Amongst the few known Manhattan landmarks are blocks of badly rendered buildings and structures which add to the overall dull feeling you get from the city. However one outstanding thing to point out is the animation. Mercer and other characters are brilliantly animated and can be a joy to watch when in action. Travelling the city with Mercer expresses the animation to its full extent and makes your love for the extreme parkour he boasts even more intense. There are 200 glowing orbs for you to collect throughout the island and with those rip roaring skills of bad ass travel at your fingertips, you’ll find yourself exploring before you know it. The game’s storyline can often feel a million miles away due to the vast amount of things to do in the game. However the primary missions aren’t half bad and although the plot lacks in deliverance and enticement, it still does a good job in making the story a main part of the game, whereas so many releases could have done the complete opposite. You’ll notice Prototype was really made for the carnage you can create and the combat you inevitably initiate in, which is where the game was indeed a success. Frustrating at times, once you get the hang of it, the game can be very refreshing and delivers action in vast amounts. Alex Mercer is a unique and relentless character which makes you think he could have been put to better use in a more attractive game. However when you peel back all of the bad things, Prototype is a merciless yet extremely fun game to play and although there is no multiplayer component, you’re free to roam about the city for as long as you want when you have finished it. It’s a little rough around the edges, but if you’re looking for a game that focuses on creating as much carnage as possible, then Prototype will certainly bring out your inner child. Whether it lives up to the immense hype it created is irrelevant, Prototype is a great way to blow off steam after a long day at the office.
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A while back, Xbox 360 owners were treated to an epic Sci-Fi RPG from popular developer Bioware. It had third person shooting gameplay mixed in with role-playing elements like skill distribution and dialogue choices. PC owners finally got their own crack at possibly one of the greatest RPG’s to come out in recent memory. You take over the role of Commander Shepard, a marine with the Alliance military who gets thrown into galactic conflict while on a training mission. Shepard can be either male or female and the deep character customization allows you to make them look however you want. It does have some limitations however and I was disappointed to find out my character looks a lot more handsome during the customization than he does during the game. You get to choose between several different professions which allows you to focus either on combat, biotics, or tech. You really need to choose wisely because much of the game depends on you mastering your chosen field. Some professions are of course weaker in some areas than others and it’s a real pain when you get through half of the game only to discover that maybe you should have picked something else.
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crank up the settings even further. On my own PC I was able to max out the graphics at a really high resolution.
The cinematic flare of the game becomes obvious as it shows your brand new character walking through the interior of a ship and few things can bring more satisfaction than watching your character talk for the first time. Your voice really seems to fit no matter how you customize your character and the voice actors put on a surprisingly good performance. The only voice that seems a little out of place is Seth Green, who does the voice for your pilot, Joker. Don’t get me wrong he does a good job but the face does not match his voice and the lips don’t seem to match the voice as well as the others. Other than that you have some of the best voice work there has ever been heard game without the side effect of hamming it
You’ll really want to max out the graphics performance because what looked amazing on the Xbox 360 looks even better on the PC. Everything is in spectacular detail and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that looks plain. The design team put a lot of effort into the environments and it’s very likely you’ll take a lot of screenshots just to show to friends. Walking around on an ice planet or getting caught in a blizzard really makes you feel like you’re watching a movie. in a up.
One thing you’ll notice right away is that, yes the graphics are beautiful, and yes the facial detail is the best in the business. Although the camera angles switch often for that cinematic feel, you spend a lot of time looking right at people’s faces. The characters make subtle facial expressions and gestures that look so human it’s almost scary. Every ridge, wrinkle, and deformation is shown in perfect quality. Mass Effects graphics are powered by the Unreal 3 Engine, which as some of you may know by now is extremely scalable. You may be surprised when you first start the game expecting to experience frame rate drops but instead the game has none at all, allowing you to
The environments can vary but they mostly fall under three types: Lava Planet, Ice Planet and Green Planet. Even those planets can vary once you land. One ice planet may be clear but deadly if you stay out of your vehicle too long and another ice planet may have constant blizzards but won’t kill you if you decide to walk around a bit. To traverse these planets safely you get the Mako, which is pretty much a nearly invincible tank that can climb up almost any mountain and destroy enemies with relative ease. Although the controls have been improved over the 360 version it still drives horribly. The movement keys are too sensitive and sometimes you’ll press a directional key only for your vehicle to turn too quickly, and then when you try to correct your course you spin out of control and careen off a mountain or into a lava pit for an instant death. After a few planets you start to get used to driving the Mako, however driving from one place to the next just becomes a slight annoyance. When you get into battle you can either get out and fight or take them down with the tank’s machine gun and canon. The machine gun can overheat and it takes a few seconds for the canon to reload, which creates those moments when you can’t shoot at your enemy at all and only take damage.
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Don’t try to resort to vehicular slaughter because that doesn’t work. Yes you read that correctly, you have a tank and you can’t kill things by running over them. You can knock them down for a couple of seconds but otherwise they just stand right back up as if they had merely slipped. Another problem with the Mako is the shields which seem to be too weak and you need to rely on them way too much. The Mako’s shields can be taken down a lot faster than they recharge and when the shields do drop it only takes a couple of hits before your tank explodes. You can repair your tank but not your shields which can take anywhere between five to ten minutes to completely recharge while three or four solid hits can take it back down again. All of this combines to create a fairly unpleasant experience whenever you’re exploring a planet.
room with your guns blazing is a sure fire (forgive the pun) way to get annihilated. The safest way to survive a battle is to press your back against a hard object and pop out of cover to take a few shots when you have an opening. On the Xbox 360 version you had to pause the game often to change weapons or use your abilities and it often broke the flow of the game. The PC version has a brand new interface and quickslot bar. Just pressing spacebar will bring up a menu that allows you to switch the weapons of yourself and your crew, make them move to places individually and use their abilities on foes. The new menu is extremely easy to use and it is much improved over the 360 version. The PC users also get the quickslot bar which allows you to assign powers to your number keys allowing you to do many things without needing to pause the game. With the new interface your chances of dying are majorly decreased.
The entire game is played through a third person perspective which is ideal for the kind of gameplay this game has. Instead of swords or magic in this Bioware game you are equipped with guns and powers, the potency and accuracy of which all depends on the amount of points you put into your skills when you level up. Using a weapon you’re not trained in will result in very low accuracy and less damage.
Equipment management is also a lot easier. You get a lot of loot from this game but now all the best items will jump to the top of your inventory so equipping your team with the latest gear is a snap. The store is still a pain to use in some areas and the game would have benefitted from some kind of mass selling option. When you get a full inventory of items you want to sell then it becomes difficult having to press the button one hundred and fifty times.
The biotic powers you get can do many things like lift your enemy off the ground for easy pickings or damage their shields so you can kill them faster. Other abilities increase weapon damage and accuracy or heal party members. Chances are you will use every skill in your arsenal because they all have a use. If you treat this game like a shooter then you are going to die a lot. Running into a 22 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-
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Just like all other Bioware games, Mass Effect is blessed with a very good dialogue system. When you talk to someone every bit of dialogue is spoken and the choices you make effect how things turn out. Some responses are governed by your Charm and Intimidation abilities, allowing you to either sweet talk or strong arm your way through a situation. Your responses matter and depending on your attitude you gain Renegade or Paragon points which is your typical good and bad meter. Although this doesn’t affect the gameplay very much, it does show you how much of a good or bad guy you are.
sit there for ten minutes thinking over my next choice. It’s incredibly deep and I salute Bioware for doing it.
Although a typical player wouldn’t care to know about the history or rituals of an alien species, dedicated players will enjoy talking to a character merely for the sake of learning more about them. There were many occasions where I just sat back and listened to information that wasn’t important to the storyline but was still interesting. Players who like to become involved with the game’s world will find this very appealing.
If you don’t feel like doing the main quest anymore there is loads of extra content that you can focus on. There are a lot of side quests they can take up even more of your time and although many of them are your typical “Find this for me” or “Kill this for me” quests they are still fun and the rewards are usually well worth the extra effort.
The game’s cinematic feel is one of its most shining attributes. There are many situations important to the storyline that feel so epic and dramatic that any Sci-Fi fan will watch intently and really think about the choices they make. There are a few really difficult choices in the game that really make you consider the consequences. No other game has made me feel like I control the lives of millions like Mass Effect did and no other game has ever made me
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Mass Effect tries so hard to be epic and in many ways it is, but it’s surprising how many faults it has and while they did fix some things there was so much more that needed attention. But the faults are so small when compared to just how great the game is. It’s easy to overlook the bad when there is so much good and Bioware did so many things better. However, there isn’t enough new content to justify buying the PC version if you already have the 360 version.
Ambitious, fun, imaginative, and epic in scope, Mass Effect is one hell of an RPG that will keep you at the edge of your seat for hours, and anyone who is even remotely interested in RPG’s needs to pick it up. If you’re looking for a good game, then Mass Effect is one I can recommend to just about anyone. The game is only $20 at Direct2drive : http://www.direct2drive.com/3/6032/product/BuyMass-Effect-Download
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Fight Night Round 4
A review by Shifty Layout By Surferdud3
It’s been over three years now since Fight Night Round 3 put next-gen sports games on the map. At the time there weren’t many games on the market that boasted the graphical realism that Round 3 provided. EA’s mission was to deliver the ‘sweet science’, and deliver it they did. The game was the closest simulation to boxing we had ever seen and hardly contained any flaws. It was the perfect sports game, which is most likely why we waited three long years for the latest instalment. So when Fight Night Round 4 dropped on June 26th, the question was very similar to the one asked when Infinite Ward released Call of Duty: World at War. Could this game possibly knock its predecessor to the mat? I must say, in Fight Night Round 4 the sweet science is definitely sweeter. The action is much tighter and tactical. “Total Punch Control” is back, which requires you to twist your analogue stick to mimic certain punches; from uppercuts to hooks, or a simple jab. It’s less complicated than last year’s system, so stringing together a flurry of lethal blows is much more common, yet never becomes too easy. There is a new physics system also which means unlike Round 3, where the punch animations were always the same, the fighters in Round 4 punch and react exactly how they should. So it’s not uncommon to see
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entangled arms or punches bouncing off shoulders. As mentioned, nothing feels scripted in this game, which means you’ll have to look for your own openings and equally make sure you aren’t creating any holes yourself. With this new realistic engine, anything can happen; so when you find the perfect opening, take it, because you might find yourself stunning your opponent with the perfect connection. This will leave him temporarily open for an explosive pounding. On the other hand, however, you might miss your guy completely; slowing down the action and leaving you completely open for a damaging counter-attack. This often means momentum can shift between both fighters during matches, which produces a more realistic fighting experience. Round 4 is much more tactical than any boxing sim on the shelf. I found this out when I engaged in my first play of the new instalment. I was indeed taught a lesson by that pesky sweet science. After punching myself to the point of no return, my opponent kindly buried a nose shattering haymaker into my sweat dribbled face and because my stamina had evaporated - due to the 600 punches I threw at his successful block - I dropped to the floor and had to deal with the
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always frustrating stand up mini game. The lesson I had learnt was clear; be patient. Never blocking, and wearing yourself out with unnecessary punches is going to wear you down and make your opponents’ punches more effective.
Remember the old corner system in Round 3? The one where you could manually heal your shmuck? Well, it’s been replaced by a new points system. It’s simple really; do well in a round, and you’ll earn points. You’ll earn more points for knocking down your opponent, landing flurries, stunning the other guy and even by getting back on your feet when floored. This really affects your game because it keeps your fighter in top condition. Fight well and you’ll stay healthy. However if you get smoked by your opponent, it will be him earning the points and staying fit. Once you earn these points you can spend them when you’re back in the corner. You can either increase your health, improve your stamina, or reduce the damage done to your face. Each one is as important as the other so spending them wisely is key to winning your fight.
Legacy mode is the game’s career mode, it allows you to either recreate the career of your favourite legend, or create your own boxer and turn him into the greatest of all time. The creation mode in the game is very impressive and in-depth. You can basically tweak every aspect of your character’s face to make him look however you want. Furthermore the new “Photo Game Face” option allows you to upload a picture of your own mush, allowing the game to create your own face from the image uploaded. I’d like to say this worked well for me, but it didn’t. It seems you need either pots of luck, or the perfect photo to recreate a clone of yourself. This impressive feature also allows you to create people like Barack Obama, Kanye West and even professional boxers that aren’t in the games original roster. I came across a remarkable looking Rocky, which I happily added to my Legacy mode. Once you have your chosen boxer you then begin your long career to greatness. It is an incredibly in-depth mode and blows Round 3’s average attempt completely out of the water. You start off at the very bottom, in an Amateur tournament and make your way up the ladder. Progressing up that ladder is achieved by completing goals for each stage of the ladder. The first progression is from Bum to Prospect which is achieved by completing set goals. The goals are often things like maintaining a decent win and popularity percentage, winning a certain fight night and exceeding a certain number of fights. As you make your way up the ladder the goals become harder and the amount of goals increase.
A downside of the game is the scrapping of controller face buttons. The “Total Punch Control” system is very effective and helps provide a smoother way to combo your opponent. However the problem lies with those who find it hard to use this feature. The Fight Night franchise is played by millions of different people, so inevitably a percentage of those will find it hard to master “Total Punch Control”. When someone spends around 50 dollars on a game, you would expect that game to fit the needs of all gamers and in this instance, EA has failed to do this by completely getting rid of the option to use the buttons. Don’t forget, the greatest fighters of all time didn’t hang up their gloves when they won their first title. So when you finally snatch the belt and reach number 1 of your 50 strong weight class, you’re only halfway through your career. Defending your title, maintaining a ridiculously high win percentage and exceeding a Pound4Pound ranking of 5 are just some of the goals you’ll need to achieve to reach the ultimate level, Greatest of all Time. It is indeed a time consuming mode, but in no way boring as the amount of features it offers keeps you enticed from the moment you begin. However, although it can be time consuming, you need to complete Legacy mode before your character gets too old. You start off as a 19 year old and as each calendar year goes by, you become a year older. When you get too old you’ll be forced to retire as your age will affect your abilities. So your aim is to complete your goals before you retire! You schedule your own fights in Legacy mode, which gives you a sense of control and freedom. You can also accept challenges from other boxers and every year there’s an award system that highlights the best fighters of the year.
...Round 4 is a force that topples its mind-blowing predecessor in every category. You will get punched in the face, and you will love it. - Official Xbox Magazine - 9/10 Games
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5/5! Not just a contender – The Greatest of All Time! - Playstation: The Official Magazine “Fighter of the Year”, “Fight of the Year” and “Knockout of the Year” are just a few of the categories to keep you busy during your fights. There is also an indepth amount of stats to keep the number freaks happy. The only downside to Legacy mode is the training activities. I was never a fan of Round 3’s training games so when I realised how tedious this new set of activities were, I was completely put off. I found myself relying on the auto-train feature throughout my whole career, which only gives you 50 percent of the possible outcome. This inevitably made building up my characters abilities a slow process. “World Championship” mode is a brand new feature in Round 4. Played online, this new mode requires you to use a created boxer and compete for the “World Championship” belt across the various online ranking boards. However there is only one belt in each ranking board, so before you begin your path in this exciting new mode I suggest you get a few rounds under your belt. Online mode in general is excellent. I am yet to experience any lag/connection issues, which was also the case in Round 3. The setup is much the same to most EA Sports online systems. You have the choice to create your own session or choose Quick Match, which when you choose what weight class to fight in, quickly sets you up with an opponent.
during ranked matches can disconnect without fear of their stats being affected. The frustration when this happens is immense, but there is nothing we can do. My advice to you is to fight those with a decent amount of defeats, this way you’ll have a good chance of actually finishing a fight; but always be prepared for this annoying situation. There are a lot of sore losers and stat whores out there, who only have winning in their to-do list. When you look at this game as a whole, it is obviously the pound for pound king of boxing simulation. If you can look past the little things that tarnish this otherwise flawless game, you will enjoy hours of jaw breaking, nose smashing fun. It is arguably the most visually realistic and breath-taking sports game on the shelves today. It delivers a tense fighting experience that will make you feel every hook, uppercut and occasional head butt. Although a must have for any boxing fan, Fight Night Round 4 is worth a try for any avid gamer.
However, although online mode should have been Round 4’s greatest feature, I found that one major problem spoilt that. Players who are being beaten by you
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Games
INTRODUCTION Article by Daniel.Blaze 2009 PS3 vs. Wii vs. Xbox 360. The never-ending battle between 3 of the biggest companies to date over which one of them provides the best home entertainment for the average home user. All 3 companies are always subtly basing each other over who is greater (“We’re the first to bring you motion gaming,” “This is only possible on our console,” “We have the largest selection of games”) and the recent E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) conference in LA was no different. However, no matter which company has your loyalty under their belt, 2009 and onwards is Games
Layout by KieronDSFX
looking mighty fine for all gamers everywhere. The E3 is a trade show presented once a year, where video game developers have the chance to show what they have planned for us in the coming year (and beyond). Being invite-only means that it is a high-profile event which creates lots of hype in the gaming world. This article will give an overview of what our three favourite companies have to offer us in the near future.
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Steven Speilberg
Talks About His Involvement with Project Natal
MGS: Rising
was welcomed with a huge round of applause
10:30 AM, June 1st: Enter Microsoft. They had many people to impress, but despite the pressure, seemed to deliver quite well. First on the list of many exclusives they wanted to show was The Beatles Rockband. Due to be released on 09.09.09, The Beatles Rockband is a remake of the popular game Rockband to include 45 songs from The Beatles, with many of their greatest hits. After some cheesy advertising from 2 of the Beatles members themselves, some nice game play, lots more trailers and 15 minutes later, we finally moved on! Tony Hawks was on next to advertise his latest franchise on the Xbox 360, Tony Hawk Ride, which included a skateboard controller which you actually stand on to play the game. A nice new idea no doubt, but may get a bit old and tiring after a while. Call of Duty: Modern 28 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Warfare 2 was next on, available to buy on 11.10.09, closely followed by the debut of Final Fantasy XIII, hoping to be released in spring 2010. Game play was shown for both, and both looked stunning (Microsoft was lucky to seal a deal with Square Enix here). Left for Dead 2 by Valve was the next best game to be shown to us, promising lots of gore, violence and killing as usual (A nice head was sawed off in the trailer!) followed by yet another big name, Splinter Cell Conviction. Microsoft seemed to keep on rolling out the big names. Soon to follow was everyone’s favourite Microsoft series: Halo. Set a few weeks before the start of Halo 3, Halo ODST allows you to play different characters called ODST’s to try to piece together clues about the mystery of the city called Mombasa. Some new characters and a Games
Ride!
Tony Hawk Speaking About His New Game “Ride”
Staged!
Microsofts Stage Was Visually Amazing!
The Beatles: Rock Band
Xbox Revealed They Will Be Releasing a Beatles Version of Rock Band
couple of new weapons appeared in the game play footage, but everything else looked the same old. However, that was not all for the Halo series: Microsoft introduced a new game called Halo Reach, but little details were given. It seems Microsoft is determined to squeeze every penny out of this franchise that they can.You can grab those on September 22nd and 2010 respectively. The final big franchise to be announced on Xbox 360 was Metal Gear Solid Rising (Which was welcomed with a huge round of applause). With the main storyline based around our old friend Raiden, we are promised a completely new Metal Gear experience. Games
Amongst all of these top branded games, others announced for the console included Shadow Complex, Joy Ride, Forza Motorsport 3 and Alan Wake. Besides showing 10 world premieres of games, Microsoft has also been hard at work on Xbox Live. They plan on completely revamping Xbox live to allow you to connect, download and share more easily using your console. Soon to integrated into Xbox live include Last FM, Netflix, Zune (allowing 1080p HD movies) and everyone’s favourite: Facebook. It wasn’t all just software for Microsoft though. As their finale, they brought out their latest and greatest hardware for the 360;
something they are calling Natal. It operates without using any controllers whatsoever, with the possibilities of it being huge. Imagine sitting back in your living room and taking hold of an imaginary steering wheel, sword or gun. Imagine walking into your bedroom with your console automatically recognizing you and turning on. Imagine a console actually recognising your facial expressions and changes in tone of your voice. All of these have been promised by Microsoft, and although no previews of these were actually given, we did see some pretty nice videos of what could be in the near future. Who knows, controller-less gaming could be the future with Natal!
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Getting To It
Nintendo dive straight in on their opening speech
Mario Bros Wii
Promo Picture of The All New Mario Bros Wii Game
9:00 AM, June 2nd: Enter Nintendo. Unfortunately, Nintendo didn’t live up to the promises of the other two companies, and they knew they wouldn’t do so, but these old school gamers still had some tricks up their sleeves. After a bit of a build up from the Nintendo boss, we finally got into the swing of things with some new games. First up was a new Super Mario game called Super Mario Bros Wii. This new game doesn’t just include more levels and more enemies, but also new power ups and more players. Now you can team up with-or take down-3 other players, all on the same screen. If you get stuck 30 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
on a level, call over a friend and get him to help you out! Of course, Nintendo had to enhance Wii Fit: The biggest selling game for a long time. They introduced Wii Fit Plus, giving us more exercises, more customization and a lot more fun. As Nintendo put it, “Now you can really know what it feels like to run a mile in Mario’s shoes!” and is sure to be a best seller when it is released next year. But that wasn’t all for Nintendo’s hardware: They’ve developed Wii Motion Plus which adds precision control to new games which uses its
technology; so much precision and accuracy that we can now play high speed games using the Wii such as Table Tennis or Basketball. Apart from adding accuracy, Wii Motion plus also adds depth and orientation to games, allowing us to really get a feel of the game we are playing. If there’s a new Motion Plus, that can only mean there is a new Wii Sports, namely Wii Sports Resort. Wii Sports Resort adds lots of new activities to the Wii using the Wii Motion Plus technology, including Sky Diving, Volleyball, Archery and Basketball. Other stand alone games using the Games
Mario Bros
A Few Fans Get Into The Newly Announce d Mario Game
Get Fit +
Nintendo Announce Their New Wii Fit Plus
Zelda Is Back!
Nintendo Reveal They Plan For an All New Zelda Game
new Wii Motion Plus technology include Virtual Tennis 2009, Red Steel 2 and Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers which all look very promising. Other technology which Nintendo plan to bring out includes the Wii Vitality Sensor. Moving to the DS: September 29th brings Kingdom Hearts onto the portable console, and later on Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, will be joining it. Cop The Recruit, will join the DS family and finally, the legendary game Golden Sun will at last have its sequel made (after 6 years!). Golden Sun DS will be hitting our stores in 2010. Nintendo seem very eager to target non stereotypical gamers, and with that, they Games
plan to bring a whole selection of books to the Nintendo so that we can use the DS for other things besides gaming. They also plan on bringing a simple movie maker to the DS (called Flip Notes Studio) available this Summer as well as bringing you the ability to create your very own levels in the new game Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini’s March Again (which is available now at Nintendo’s site!) Keeping with the DIY theme, Nintendo also plan to bring out Wario Ware DIY where you, the user, get to design each and every aspect of each level.You can decide the purpose of your game, how to solve it, who the characters are and how hard the level actually is. With so many possibilities, this game is sure to be big.
More big hits include The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, however no details were given as to what we can expect for Link this time around, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, which looks awesome from the teaser game play that was shown. Other games to be released soon include The Conduit (June 2009), Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, Dead Space: Extraction and Metroid: Other M, all of which were given small teaser trailers, and all promised to be games unlike any we have seen before.
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New PSP
Kaz demonstrating the new PSP
Final Fantasy XIII
was shown with a new unseen trailer being played
11:00 AM, June 2nd: Enter Sony. With so much already shown from the other 2 companies, Sony really had some impressing to do. Lots of build up from our Sony friends finally led us into some games, and we started with a bang. Naughty Dog is bringing us Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves, which furthers our Hero, Nate’s adventure. Impressive game play was shown for the single player missions with lots of fast paced action, fighting, tactics and explosions. Next up was MAG, which pits 256 players against each other in one game! 256 live players from around the globe all got together to show us impressive game play of what is to come in the near future during a short 5 minute demonstration. Agent is the next exclusive game coming 32 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Games
Gamin’ Round
Event Visitors join in on the Fun by Gaming at the Show
Ultimate Fiction
Jack Tretton, Chewy, and the new PSP
Infamous
Playstation Announced Infamous During the Expo
to the PS3, this time from Rockstar, taking players into the world of assassins and espionage. More assassin games coming to the PS3 include Assassin’s Creed II. Amazing game play was shown for this game, building on the success of Assassin’s Creed. More weapons, more tactics and more assassination techniques make this game a must have for any PS3 owner. Final Fantasy XIII was next to be shown with a new unseen trailer being played to wet our appetite. The graphics and game play are like none we have seen before, promising us a whole new FF experience. FFXIII is to be released in the spring of 2010. But that’s not all for Square Enix: FFXIV is also due to come out in 2010, exclusively to PS3. This is Games
a massive multiplayer online game, however little details were given. LittleBIGPlanet was a huge hit in the user generated content world, bringing social networking and gaming together. United Front Games have decided to expand this genre with their own new game Mod Nation Racers. In this new racing game, you’re able to create your own tracks seamlessly, designing every aspect of the track from power ups to hidden shortcuts. With so many possibilities, this game is sure to have huge success. A fully fledged track was created in under 2 minutes on stage: this shows you just how fast you can create amazing tracks. After you’ve created one, race, share and create more! This is due to be released in 2010.
More racing games come in the form of Gran Turismo 5, bringing us cars from just about every different type of racing there is. A short trailer showed us that the graphics look amazing, and the game play looks promising; a must have for any hardcore racing fan. As PS3’s finale, we finally got to see five minutes of the jaw dropping God of War 3. This sure to be popular game furthers the two games we have already played, with more enemies, more fighting and much more brutality (fancy ripping a head off of an enemy?! Or how about killing a beast with its own horn that you have ripped off, just two seconds ago?) This fantasy action adventure is set to hit our screens in March 2010. WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 33
Rock Band Unplugged, Final Fantasy, Hannah Montana, Pets, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines, LittleBIGPlanet, SOCOM Fire Team Bravo 3, Motor Storm Arctic Edge, Resident Evil and many more have been scheduled to come out on the PlayStation Portable this year. Since so many games are coming out on the PSP, Sony decided to revamp that as well. The new ‘PSP Go’, is a smaller version of the PSP, but only deals with digitally downloaded content. This means no more faffing around with UMDs, CDs or DVDs; it has been designed for someone with a digital lifestyle. With a slide out panel for the controls and buttons, the PSP Go is 50%
Finally All 3 companies have a lot to offer to their consumers in the coming years. New names are being introduced, and old ones are coming back with style. Microsoft has a huge collection of games coming out, and has managed to secure deals with some top companies to bring you the best that they can. With the introduction of Project: Natal as well, and the success and expansion of Xbox live, things are only getting better.
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smaller and 40% lighter than the PSP 3000.
features we know and love, plus more.
Other games to come out on the PSP include Gran Turismo PSP, which is a full scale Gran Turismo game running on the PSP at 60 FPS. It includes 800 Cars, 35 Tracks and 60 layout variations of those tracks.You also have the ability to share your cars with friends to complete your collection as well as race 4 of your friends at the same time. Snake will also be making a return to the PSP in the new Metal Gear Solid game Peace Walker. Set 10 years after the events of MGS3, this is said to be the true sequel of the MGS series. A nice trailer of game play was shown, promising us all of the MGS
That’s not all for new hardware though: Sony is also bringing out their own motion controller which promises a whole new experience for gamers everywhere. Now you can actually hold a gun or sword and swing it around in your hard. Even better, you can interact with the scenery to build your own environments, kill enemies with a bow and arrow, play real time strategy games to direct troops, and much more. With millimetre tracking and precision accuracy, you can really jump into a game and see what it feels like to play the roles of your favourite characters.
Nintendo seem to be targeting a much larger market audience than the other 2 major companies, portraying themselves as “Everyone’s game”. Even though they didn’t show a huge selection of games, they seem to be bringing back some old school characters with new twists, and lots of new hardware which could potentially bring us a whole new set of games. Nintendo are still going strong!
company will only go upwards and beyond with the new motion controller and the huge capability of the PS3. No matter which console you’ve got, I think you’ll definitely be happy you’ve got that one in 2009. As I said at the start of this mammoth article, 2009 and onwards is looking mighty fine for all gamers everywhere.
Sony also has a large amount of games coming out in the next few years, 35 exclusive to them in 2009. With the new PSP Go and the integration of PSP and PS3 games, Sony really does capture the attentions of millions of gamers. The
Games
Parallel Universes
Text by Seashock
Layout by Surferdud3
S
uppose our universe - the Earth, our solar system and the millions of stars that we see in the sky - was just one of many universes? And suppose that, among those “other” universes, was a world similar to our own, where things happen just a little differently? Far- fetched as the suggestion sounds, there are good scientific reasons for taking it seriously. And so-called “parallel universes” could also explain one of the greatest paradoxes of time travel - why we cannot go back to change our own history. Far out in space, about 15 billion light-years away, lies a “horizon” that marks the edge of the visible universe. Light from this horizon takes 15 billion years to reach us, which means that if we could manage to see that far, we would be watching the universe as it was 15 million years ago - at the moment of the Big Bang. We could never see beyond the horizon because at that point, our universe and the laws that govern it cease to exist. But some scientists argue that this does not exclude the possibility of other universes, each governed by their own set of laws, like bubbles in a sea of cosmic foam. If these universes are unable to interact with one another because they lie outside each others’ space-time boundaries, then we will never know of their existence. But recent research into black holes - bodies so massive that not even light can escape their gravitational field - suggests that there might be a way. Because space-time as we know it breaks down at a black hole, just as it does at the edge of the universe, cosmologists have speculated that it may be possible to “jump” through a short-cut in our own world into the space-time of another, “parallel” universe. And some scientists think that parallel universes not only exist, but can even reproduce themselves.
Alternatively, the Big Bang that creates the new universe may be too violent. Although such a universe will be long-lived, the matter within it will be too scattered to ever form stars, galaxies or planets. But the probability also exists that in a few “baby” universes, conditions will favor a pattern of development similar to our own-including black holes that spawn further “baby verses.” Even so, there is no reason to suppose that any of these “parallel” universes has a parallel solar system - or a parallel us!
Parallel Universe in popular culture The theory of parallel universe is the basis of popular television series such as “Sliders” and “Quantum Leap”. The celebrated science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov grappled with the problem of parallel universes in a series of stories about an advanced civilization of the future that travels freely backward and forward through history. In Asimov’s scenario, the laws of nature prevent the time travelers from meeting themselves in the past - although sometimes as they enter a room they glimpse themselves in the act of leaving. To explain this, Asimov proposed that each time one of the travelers changed the course of history simply by being there, it created a “loop” in the fabric of time. To begin with, the new “history” would diverge more and more from what might otherwise have been. But then the loop would begin to close, so that eventually the old “history” and the “history” created by the time traveler would be one and the same again. So it was that Asimov’s time travelers could glimpse themselves, but never influence their own actions.
Could there be a world just like ours? Yes, say mathematicians, who predict that there are an infinite number of such worlds. The American cosmologist Lee Smolin, for instance, believes that new universes may be born inside black holes. These universes begin with Big Bangs just like the one that began our own universe, but because they take place inside the black hole-from which no light can ever escape, we never see them. According to Smolin, each new universe “inherits” some of the physical properties of the universe that gave birth to it, such as the masses of the matter particles within it, and the strengths of the forces that bind it together. But at the same time, there are important differences that have a critical effect on the way the new-born universe develops. If the balance of properties in the new, “baby” universe is slightly wrong, the Big Bang that creates it will be too weak and it will collapse in on itself. This may happen in a fraction of a second, or in a few million years. Either way, there will be not be time for planets to form and life to develop to give birth to other “baby” universes!
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General
Flying Thoughts Illustration by RED.PANTHER Layout by Soumyadeep
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General
Life,
through a different eye Text by Net-Mate Layout by Soumyadeep
xt he ne ld, t self. r o w e to my to th e led st one led ter a few n o ; me Af la ont of y, and the the world. eated and in fr r l s t i fam I re ward self led to he step to to an end. stonished ch it, u o t t a yI e o n t e I took he way cam ily. To my ed. Finall elf cided ach it. Th e d k t s I m c y re w. ave steps e way to fa , was blo e way to m ainbo ust h tldn’t r m u lled o a t h oo h c i t t t w k sI se t, s appa ed. th, irs a oo i I sa a r h oo w t w t a t h e m a e c c I d e h n O the obl nd t clos arche of a han to rested in. ches he pr I fou ice t . I se atic view oo was ry way e o t t t h u but t ht, it tou n y d c o i a e o t w t s st s ell Eve di ug had n as lea d that thi re to go. e fin for the ec it. I trav w m I tho nly I t e h Sudde ere ch th whe hic avd. L v u ? r w r n , o o n e a t e n t c k e e s I n a o i e h t a t d d t lf. I ol esire oceans, an customs, hen I ’t decide way to ched myse he wh d w t h y a c y m i l h h i t w d it in ldn tou ow, w , I crosse . Differen ind. I was I cou cked, then y mind. I first time rainb s m s d n was a o e m n y o e e l i a m i k s h b r ed nt gh hts uest was e. T truc q c s n y g e m n throu hrough cou efs affect ent thoug s ow. i s e t ometh felt my pr . Finally, the rainb d er eight s h eli ff b e i h d D t n elled d d a e I rl o c. gu ie ions he wo one touch hropi emn self t ak of ambi fact, as satisf t I t f n , o a y relig l n s w i n all my sol . The stre s life was y life I ng ph caver rst. It is ors nd re e a h , t u t d growi ties drew h i o e e n f r r col illme e of glori derstand w li answe r to explo rself s all the u o y menta y and fulf n z e e u a r s for s de r he gl le to In or d to explo ch compri est color jourof glo t stains t I was unab ely. b i r gant a fe wh ou nee g the ns f you . ity th g from me ght, imme ed extrava which y er than li . Choosin key part o urself n y h s o i t e ot so li ulticolor eel y thing the is th terni reced ling m ity. F and make be the e your life y the when we go ee e l h f f h a W o t s t . a r t u bu Iw ut m me ring immo will in yo assed y fro fade o ued my jou paint ards soul tial n when you f soul n e t Days p s kept awa d slowly n o w i o p o e t rn ence ney to cover the ly th e an I con een tw patte is on h of exist is, their s creas sing hope pt in betw han i t e d d I d e . h n v t t a we lo em? Not lo ght. I sle er place t oughe of i te the tru derstand t ll ultist us i r tt n a wi e th n e u v b d b a r e n c a ll t a a x e n inbow oe e wi a in t as la pposedly n r ther p w o a e a u l e t n b w f e I o a he I wok ney. f the as su arch th. W . It w Chillness o me up. But ether I was n ear for the se s o ee r t h e . ey me. n wok now w thers journ end. the o the terrai did not k ppening to r of y l I f vo ha mate e fla ness o rent land. eally was h t d h e r e wit drown ways a diff g or if it and water and I n s ee i l r h m i h t drea f ear d my nostr es I saw t y mell o e The s ion tickl pened my e t o a I t vege When life. into
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General
Students’ adventures text by glenny. layout by Soumyadeep
I’ve lived away from home for almost 8 years now. As it is often in a student’s life, I’ve moved a lot. In 8 years, I’ve moved 15 times in total. My longest stay at one place was 18 months, and my shortest was 4 days (you don’t want to know what went wrong there). I should believe that a solid 1000 page novel (or, more likely, a comic book) could be written solely about students’ experiences in their accommodations, and about their interactions with their co-inhabitants and landlords. Till this day, my first accommodation holds the post of the best place I’ve ever lived at. A family had a spare house that they were renting fully to students, and I was lucky to find their ad when a student had just vacated one of the rooms. It was a 2-storey house that accommodated 14 students at the time of my arrival. Each storey had its own entry, a kitchen, and a bathroom, and the house was fully equipped with all items a person would
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need in everyday life. People on my floor were a sheer variety of personalities. There were 2 psychology students who both had the tendency to exhibit their knowledge by testing it on the rest of us. Every time someone had any emotional problems, one of our two devoted shrink wannabes would immediately appear, trapping the poor victim in a whole palette of long and complicated words that made one even more worried and confused than before. Their presence in the house made me quite decisive to solve all my problems with most commendable efficiency, just so that I would never be spotted as a potential patient. In the room next to mine there was a couple that constantly fought. He was possessive, she was jealous, and so the fights went on and on, so much that we were worried whenever we heard no arguing for a whole day. Their quarrels were so annoying at times that I prayed they would just get married, and stop communicating altogether. Further down the hall, a really kind business management student lived, and had it not been for his snoring that could wake the dead, he would have been the most pleasant company to have in a shared living space. He left 4 months after my arrival with everyone grieving the departure of one of the nicest people in the house, but at the same time looking forward to some quality night’s sleep. I spent most of my time with a girl from the upper floor. We studied together and she showed me around university and town. We used to play cards 2-3 evenings a week, in the company of friendly red wine. We played and listened to music, while gossiping about other residents of our little paradise, as it is so annoyingly in human nature to do. We often threw parties at the house, as the place was perfect for it with no elders’ supervision. The house often gathered more than 50 people, so the neighborhood was frequently honored with the sounds of loud voices and deafening music deep into the night.
General
There were times when residents’ inventive spirits reached its peak, resulting in imminent disasters. Such was a case when a student from the upper floor had forgotten his key, so he reasoned he could simply climb an old wooden ladder up to the balcony in the middle of the night. The feat resulted in the ladder breaking in half and the student wearing a cast on his broken leg as a memento. A case of unprecedented geniality happened when the girl in the room opposite mine decided that she could glue wood with paper glue. The uppermost shelf in her closet had fallen down with broken screws, so she thought she could just glue it all together. She stuck her head into the closet, glued the ends of the shelf, and held it like that for a minute. When she let go, the disobedient shelf immediately fell down, hitting her on the head. There was no serious injury, if you don’t count the fact that her adventure made
General
her the prime object of local mockery for weeks. Our 18-month party ended when the landlords had finally grown tired of various city services being dispatched to our address at least once a month, a fire squad being the last of them. The landlady appeared one day and, with a merciless look on her face, she evicted us all. So that concludes my adventurous stay at one of my accommodations. Equally hilarious things have happened at other places as well, and it would take ages to tell the tale. Students’ lives are always rich with adventures and new experiences. There are laughs, tears, shared miseries and happiness, hopes and struggle for success, all combined making sure that life is never boring.
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BEWARE OF LAUGHTER WRITTEN BY: FARTERMISSILE LAYOUT BY: SURFERDUD3
THE MAN WITH ONE TESTICLE There once was a man who had only one testicle, and whose given name was Onestone. He hated that name and asked everyone not to call him Onestone. After years and years of torment, Onestone finally cracked and said, “If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!” The word got around and nobody called him that any more. Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and said, “Good morning, Onestone”. He jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into the forest where he made love to her all day and all night. He made love to her all the next day, until Blue Bird died from exhaustion. The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do. Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until a woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being away. Yellow Bird, who was Blue Bird’s cousin, was overjoyed when she saw Onestone. She hugged him and said, “Good to see you, Onestone”. Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest, then he made love to her all day, made love to her all night, made love to her all the next day, made love to her all the next night, but Yellow Bird wouldn’t die! What is the moral of this story? Oh, come on...take a guess! Think about it... (You’re going to love this!) And the moral is... You can’t kill two birds with one stone!!
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General
Q&A Jokes by Soumyadeep Question: What did the kangaroo say when he found his baby missing? Answer: Somebody has picked my pocket! Customer: I need an umbrella. Shopkeeper: Here it is. Customer: I want one with a hole. Shopkeeper: Why is that, Sir? Customer: So that I can see when it stops raining. Raju’s Uncle: What do you write with, your left hand or your right? Raju: Neither. I need a pen. Mr and Mrs Roy were waiting at the airport. Mrs Roy: I wish I’d brought the TV with us. Mr Roy: What makes you say that? Mrs Roy: I left the plane tickets on it. Father: Hari, you have an exam tomorrow. Are you prepared for it? Hari: Oh, yes. I have polished my shoes, ironed my clothes and sharpened my pencils. Now I just have nine chapters to study. Policeman: Why did you steal in the same bookshop twice? Thief: It was written outside, ‘‘Thank you. Come again’’. Minister to Personal Assistant: I asked you to write the text for a 20-minute speech. But it took me 40 minutes to deliver this speech on stage. Personal Assistant: Sir, it was a 20-minute speech all right. But it took 40 minutes because you read the carbon copy as well. Man: What is the cost of one roti? Shop owner: $3 only. Man: And what is the cost of a bowl of curry? Shop owner: Oh, that comes for free. Man: Can I have some curry, then? Ritika: Should a person be punished for something they haven’t done? Teacher : No, certainly not. Ritika: Good. I haven’t done my homework. A man was approaching a bus stand when he saw the bus leaving. He ran behind the bus till he reached home. He said to his wife, ‘‘I ran behind the bus and saved $2.’’ His wife said, ‘‘You could have run behind a taxi and saved more money!’’
General
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Dreams & Nightmares Text By feenz_b
Adapted By Pelican
As stated in the Worldbook Medical Encyclopedia, a dream is a series of thoughts, emotions, and experiences that occur during sleep. Any of the senses may contribute to a dream, but most dreams are visual and accompanied by rapid eye movements (REM). A nightmare is any frightening dream. Nightmares are most common in young children, however they may occur in adults who are depressed or anxious about something. They may also result from a traumatic experience, such as a serious accident or death in the family. Such nightmares are often accompanied by physical signs of fear, such as palpitations and sweating, and may awaken the individual. However, in ‘Dreams and Nightmares’, by J.A. Hadfield, dreams have been given a completely new orientation, which we shall call the Biological Theory of dreams. This new orientation of dreams is basically positive. It is stated that the function of dreams is to reproduce the unsolved experiences of life. Let us join J.A. Hadfield to help us understand an objective and a subjective dream through anecdotes. A man who when climbing a cliff had had a slight slip, but came to no harm. That night he dreamt he was cliff42 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Layout By KieronDSFX
climbing, slipped and had a terrifying fall as he hurtled to the ground, waking him up with a start. The next night, he had the same dream, but in falling, he tried to clutch a passing stump of a tree or jutting rock and again woke with a start. On successive nights, he dreamt the same thing, but ultimately he did catch the jutting rock and so saved himself. Now the effect of these series of dreams is that if he is subjected to such an experience again, which he is liable to have as a cliff-climber, he is better able to cope with the situation, for he has now experienced it not once, but a dozen times. Such repetitive dreams are very common to airmen who have crashed and to most of us if, for example, we have ever had a car accident, which may have had serious consequences. These dreams clearly indicate the biological function of dreams. In the first place, dreams stand in the place of experience. By imagination, they relieve us of the necessity of going through the actual experiences by trial and error and thus save us from many disasters. Secondly, by making us relive those experiences, often in an exaggerated form, they warn us of the possible consequences of our actions and may indeed prevent us cliff-climbing, by producing a fear of cliffs, or discourage us from ever taking the risk again. General
Thirdly, by reliving these experiences, dreams work towards a solution for the problems. That is the significance of the repetitive nature of the dream; the unsolved problem is continuously appearing until we attend to it and solve it. Thus if a beginner is sailing unwarily and nearly overturns, he may dream first of actually overturning, and perhaps even drowning, for the first dream of such an event is usually an exaggeration, and he wakes up with a start. This exaggeration of the consequences of his action serves to warn him of its dangers even more than the experience itself. But as he continues to dream of the incident the next night and the next, he finds himself coping with the situation by righting the craft before it overturns and so he becomes more skilled in dealing with this problem the next time he meets it.
felt he ought to do something about it, but he did not. The dream, by making him actually do so, encouraged him, in fact, to take up that attitude with gratifying results. The dream stands in the place of experience and helps towards a solution to his problem. Nowadays, the biological significance regarding dreams holds more importance than earlier views provided. Dreams can be considered mostly as an aid to free us from frustration, to help us evaluate our own actions, or to provide fears to help us learn to be more careful. Dreams can be considered as a natural guide to show us the right way, by making use of beauty and fear.
Let us turn to a more subjective problem; a man has trouble with his boss in business and he has to submit. This rankles his mind, yet he cannot act because this easily results in a buildup of fear of losing his job. But, he has a dream in which he stands up to his boss, and to his surprise, his boss respects him more. This dream makes him realize that it is because of his fear that his boss regards him as inferior, and that by having more confidence in himself, he will win the respect of others. He previously General
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Where’s My Happy Ending? Written by Aydrian, Artwork by MrTambourineMan
Let’s face it, we live in a very cynical world. Almost instinctively, adults go to great lengths to prepare the young for the harshness of our unforgiving world. I don’t know about you guys, but I grew up reading stories and watching TV about the good guy saving the world, getting the girl, and evil always losing in the end. They may be fairytales, the world isn’t quite like that, but I still grew up with those ideals ingrained in my mind. Although I’m cynical by nature, I still hope for the best, but it’s becoming quite disturbing how little hope our world offers to the young these days. Somewhere along the way, people with creative talent towards the written word decided that happy endings were no long necessary. I can’t remember the last time I watched TV, played a game, or went to the movies without any of them ending in a bad way. What happened to the happy endings, where everything comes together in a neat little bow? Sure, reality isn’t like that, but I deal with reality merely by existing, I don’t always need to see it in the things I watch or read. The creative minds of our time seem hell-bent on pounding cynicism into our skulls. Does experiencing misery now prepare us better for the misery that could come later? I don’t think so. I think it just makes us miserable for our entire lives. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should ignore the real world and just hope for the best. I do, however, think we shouldn’t put reality into everything that we do until even the things that are supposed to make life more enjoyable, more fun, become tainted by emotional curveballs. When I was growing up, I could watch a movie and expect my favorite characters to live until the end AND beat the bad guy. These days, it’s commonplace for at least half of the characters I like to die by the end, most of them female, and any romantic aspects of any film to be completely destroyed by one or both lovers dying, leaving anyone else behind alone and sad.
This stuff is fine every once in a while, it keeps us grounded, but these days 95% of all films released do stuff like that. Having emotional impact in a film, book, or game is perfectly fine, but when everything has an emotional impact we begin to suspect the worst out of every source of entertainment.
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A person shouldn’t always feel depressed or sad at the end of these creative outlets. Can’t the same level of emotion be created with a good ending as well? Being a writer myself, I assure you it can. It’s just more difficult. I don’t watch nearly as much television or movies as I used to, because all of it is just so depressing. Why can’t the detective find the girl before she is brutally raped and killed? Why can’t the Heroes win the fight without having to die over and over again? Why can’t the two people who are secretly in love finally admit their feelings and be happy? Those are just some of the questions I would like to ask my fellow writers. If a happy ending is possible, why isn’t it done? When did the creative minds of our generation decide that it was better to make people feel despair instead of happiness? Well I do know one of the reasons, and I see it used as an excuse over and over again these days: Adversity. Writers want the characters to overcome adversity and make the viewer feel like they followed that character through hell and watched that character overcome everything in his or her path. That can be empowering, but if you don’t follow through then it has the opposite effect. Most writers don’t follow through these days. A lot of books, TV shows, and movies are left open now. These allow the viewer to create their own ending in their mind, while allowing the writer to be lazy as a dog. Being allowed to create your own ending is great and all, it spawns a lot of creative fan-fiction, but we always know that whatever we think up is not the real ending and we just end up feeling cheated. I personally like it when things are done. I like to finish watching a movie or close a book and say it’s over so I can move on to something else. I don’t get that anymore and it has made me even more cynical than usual. I sincerely believe that in the attempt to make people ready for the harsh reality of our world, we are forfeiting the belief that we can make a difference. That, with enough belief and effort, we can change the “reality” of this world into anything we want.
I grew up with the ideal of a happy ending, and despite everything, I believe it’s more possible than people think.
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From Production to Your Computer The day to day activities of a typical warez user consist of perusing new files and downloading them to their respective computers. However, most individuals don’t realize the vast amount of work and effort behind getting these files from their original production to the people en-mass. This article will try and enlighten the reader in what goes on in the warez hierarchy, and the effort that goes into the files that seem to magically appear online. To begin, I’ll talk a little about warez as a whole. The term warez is actually a shortened term for software in its plural form. These warez files are typically pirated material. An interesting fact that most people don’t know is that warez was meant to be pronounced wares, not the generally accepted pronunciation ‘war-azz’. However, through mainstream exposure, ‘war-azz’ has become generally accepted. In the beginning, most warez files were software. This was due to the limited bandwidth access in the past. Larger files such as movies would take too long to distribute and thus software was focused on. However, with the increase in the popularity of the computer, warez distribution took off. With the demand for faster computers and better internet connections, the warez community elevated itself 46 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
to whole new levels. The warez hierarchy can be broken down into 5 basic factions. The release groups, the topsites, the fxp boards, the irc users and the downloaders. The downloaders are the most populated group of the hierarchy. They are the ones who find these files via irc, torrents, or ddl sites and download them to their computers. Their role is a fairly simple one, without much detail needed to explain. The next step up from the downloaders are the irc users. Typically the people who use an irc client for their warez files are generally more computer literate than your standard computer user. Most people who run these irc channels have access to a vast collection of pirated material. There are typically two types of irc channels used for the distribution of warez files. The first is user to user. This consists of a user making use of an irc client’s file transfer and downloading directly from other user’s hardrives. The second channel is user to server. These are the channels run mainly by fxp board participants. These servers have users who hack into vulnerable ftp servers and host their files there. They install irc bots which will
automatically upload warez files and make them available to the irc users. New releases usually have a large demand on them and thus users are normally given a queue. This ensures good download speeds when downloading these new releases. The fxp boards are the step above the irc users. These consist of a server to server transfer approach. Users of the fxp boards are usually very good with computers and have a much greater knowledge of computers than the general user. A vbulletin set up is normally used where the members of the fxp boards share their information. These boards are well protected and are very hard to gain access to. Fxp boards are made up of three typical members; the scanner, the hacker and the filler. The scanner scans IP ranges that have typically fast connections but are not very secure. The scanner then posts these IPs so that the hackers can do their jobs. Most of the scanning done by the scanners is done via an old hacked computer that either has little space, or a slower connection. The computers used for scanning are usually called scanstros and the computers used for warez distribution are typically called pubstros. Tech
“Most individuals don’t realize the vast amount of work and effort behind getting these files from their
Text By bRIKO Design By KieronDSFX
original production to the people en mass” Next coming into play is the hacker. They use the IPs found by the scanner, and exploit the vulnerable security of the computers. They gain access and start setting it up for the use of the warez community. They install a server in the compromised computer, and typically add admin software so that they can gain easy access to the compromised computers. The hackers then post the login information to the fxp boards where the filler members can then take over. It is the fillers’ job to fill the ftp with warez files. They employ a server to server transfer, thus large quantities of files are transferred extremely quickly. It is then the fillers’ job to go back to the original fxp board and post downloader logins to be used. Fillers strive to be the first ones to post the releases so they gain more recognition in the warez community. However, sometimes fillers will try transferring from these hacked sites to their own sites, thus taking away from the fxp board. The second highest faction of the warez hierarchy is the topsites. These are the sites that the release groups usually leak their warez files to first. These sites have very fast connections and have huge disk space. These sites are considered legitimate in terms of the owner knowing that the information is being stored on Tech
his site, rather than a random ftp server having been hacked into. Something that might surprise you is that people in the warez community with access to a fast connection, ie. a university or a work place, quite often get requests for computers to be shipped to them and pay to run servers at these locations. These top sites are very fast thus allowing very high transfer rates. The topsites are made up of three groups of people; the site operators, their affiliates, and the racers. The site operators are the ones who run the topsites while the affiliates are either friends or people high up in the warez scene. The racers are the ones who fxp the files to other servers, and by doing so, gain access to a certain amount of bandwidth from these topsites. Bots employed by the topsites on irc are used to announce releases that have completed being uploaded to these servers and the site traders race to distribute the file to other sites. These traders earn credits this way. With the more they trade, the more they can download. Typically not a lot of information is known about the release groups other than that they gain access to the newest software and media and provide it to the topsites. They are at the very top of the chain, because they are the original
distributors who get the pirated files out into the warez community. The legality of warez is typically frowned upon. Most areas are against pirated software and media, thus making it illegal. However, in some places the sharing of warez is legal. A fine example of actions leading to the encouragement of warez can be seen in the case of Iran. Iran was vying for full membership into the WTO (World Trade Organization). However, the US did not support its induction, which greatly upset Iran. In retaliation to this affront, Iran began encouraging the pirating of US software. Thus a large fluctuation in warez and crack sites in Iran began. This is due to Iran’s stance on not making it illegal to host these files in the country. I often hold to the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’, but in this case, I found myself wanting to know more. Warez on a whole was a mystery to me for a long time, however after doing the research, I was surprised and impressed with how much more there was out there than the standard forum downloading. I hope that this short explanation has opened your mind to the amount of effort and work that truly goes into each and every one of the files you download. WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 47
HOW TO PICK THE BEST HARDWARE THIS SUMMER The summer is finally here and most of us are already getting ready to leave for a couple of days to forget the stress of school or work. Some would also love to buy hardware parts for their rig, but for what? There are hundreds of products out there to choose from and they all have different prices. So I thought I should write a list for you guys to pick from, along with some advice before placing your order. I will list some of the very best hardware out there right now. Keep in mind that everything I list is not always the latest but still a great piece of hardware that shouldn’t let you down and would be able to cope with the latest games.
GRAPHICS CARDS:
The most important component in a gamer’s computer, here’s a good list of great graphics cards:
NVIDIA GEFORCEGTX 275: The GTX 275 is an awesome card in terms of price/performance ratio. It is available from $200 to $250. The card comes with 240 stream processors and 896 MB of VRAM. EVGA is offering a model with1792 MB of VRAM for $329: Although it seems better to go for extra VRAM, the bus on the graphics card is only 512-bit, so if you get 1792MB of VRAM, you won’t notice a difference.. Otherwise I suggest BFG or XFX as they both come factory overclocked and BFG offers a lifetime warranty in the US/Canada and 10 years in the EU.
CPUs:
CPUs, or Processors, are another important part of our computers. Today’s games require a lot of CPU power as well as graphics cards, contrary to popular belief, so you need to choose wisely from the currently available models. 48 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
ATI RADEONHD 4800 SERIES: I’ve always preferred Nvidia (Obviously!) but I must say I’m amazed what ATI did in the past few months. They have a great line up and well priced products. If you don’t want to spend more than a hundred dollars on your GPU then the HD 4830/4850 won’t let you down. You should go for either Sapphire, HIS or XFX as models.
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 295: This card is one of the best ones out there right now. However, it’s obviously not for every person. You’ll have to cough up around $500 for this beast, but if you’re looking for the best performance, you will get what you pay for. The card ships with 480 stream processors and 1792 MB of VRAM. The best manufacturers are the same ones I listed for the GTX 275.
INTEL CORE I7 PROCESSORS: The Core i7 Processors have been around for some time, yet they are the best available. The first model is the i7 920 which comes with a 2.66 GHz clock and 8 MB of cache and costs around $280 but great deals are also available. The second one is an i7 950 clocked at 3.06 GHz and 8 MB of cache as well, this model costs around $500. The last and most expensive model is the i7 975 which boosts at 3.33 GHz and also 8 MB of cache. It costs more than $1000 USD: if you ask me it’s a waste of money. Bottom line is, if you’re getting an i7 processor, get the 920 model along with a good cooling system and overclock it, you should get to 3 GHz without much hassle and you’ll save yourself a few hundred dollars. Tech
INTEL E8400: It may be an old processor but trust me, performance wise, this processor is still kicking ass. You can get it to 4 GHz with just air cooling (with a $15 cooler!). It costs around $150.
SOME FINAL ADVICE BEFORE BUYING:
I’ve made a detailed list of important components found in a PC. For the rest such as RAM, I highly recommend OCZ as a brand; they have various types to please everyone. If you’re after value or performance, you’ll find what you need. If you ever think of buying a new power supply, Antec is the way to go. I’ve been buying their products for years and they are top quality. Remember that a good PSU is essential for a good working PC just as blood is to our organs. For motherboards, I decided not to include a detailed list as it’ll take forever to come up with a good list for every socket/CPU combo. Make sure, first and foremost, before you buy your processor, that the motherboard is the correct socket, as Intel i7s, and Phenom II x4s need a new socket (LGA 1366 and AM2+/AM3, respectively) so that you do not have issues with it working. The best brands are Asus, EVGA and Gigabyte. One last thing, before buying a PC component, make sure to read a few reviews before proceeding just to get an idea of what others think about a particular product. Enjoy your holidays and happy shopping!
INTEL Q9XXX SERIES: All of the models in this category (Q94xx/Q95xx) are quad cores. If you are looking for a quadcore processor other than the i7 series then you should get one of these. They are a bit more expensive than the models offered by AMD but come with slightly better performance and high overclocking capabilities!
AMD PHENOM II X4 940: Some might think that AMD is lagging behind Intel. Well not quite, they were able to release some hot hardware for the last couple of months. What makes this CPU attractive is the performance you get for the price. The CPU comes clocked at 3 GHz and it’s a quad core! It costs around $190.
TEXT | .:NVIDIA :. LAYOUT | GRAFREAK Tech
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Thank you for reading theSCENE issue 19. We look forward to seeing you again next time!