Battle of the Bands - By: Say Topdog

How has the world of gaming changed in recent years? Well, there have been new anticipated styles of games (Eg. Music games). An example of these games are the famous Dance Dance Revolution series, Guitar Hero series and the ever so new Rock Band series. What this article will focus on is the new, upcoming battle between Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

You've all expected Guitar Hero to rule the world of Music Games ever since you set your feasting eyes on Guitar Hero, eh? Well with new competition and an audience of substantial gamers these two games can either make it out big or fade away. Although more people intend to stay with their ol' classic Guitar Hero, some of the audience might start to sway away and enter the vast, unknown realm of what Harmonix (The previous developer of Guitar Hero; left Guitar Hero and replaced with Neversoft) has to offer.

Image Source: Gamestop.com, Harmonix, EA Games, MTV

Rock Band:
Rock Band developed by Harmonix is at a mouthwatering price of $169.00 USD. A fortune you might just say! The same expected gameplay as Guitar Hero and maybe even the same songs, you just might say. Well Rock Band has more to offer than an opportunity to jam with your pals on a Saturday night, hoping for some hot chicks to show up and be amazed at your video game guitar skills. Rock Band offers to everyone: The ol' classic Guitar, Bass, Drums and Lead Singing. Wow. More than a whopper of things that the Guitar Hero series had to offer. But still you may ask: "Is it worth to buy all this for $169.00 USD?"

Pros:
- More to offer (Eg. Drums, Guitar, Bass, Lead Singing, etc.)
- Rock Band is a more 'established' company than Guitar Hero even though it just started out (Eg. Merchandise, Pricing on accessories, etc.)

Cons:
- Basically copies the same gameplay of Guitar Hero, just adding a few more touches and instruments
- The Rock Band soundtrack is far less developed and sophisticated than what Guitar Hero puts up
- $169.00 USD

Website:
http://rockband.com

Image Source: Kotaku, Activision, Neversoft and RedOctane.

Guitar Hero:
Ah yes. The ol' classic Guitar Hero series that showed the world that anybody can rock at any time. (For me it was if you can't do one thing, just do a whole bunch of other things poorly). Developed by Neversoft and published by Activision, the Guitar Hero series is still at the same price of $89.99 USD (New games - Game/Guitar). Almost a whole $79.00 USD cheaper than what Rock Band puts up. But is Guitar Hero all that with what it has to offer? $89.99 USD for a plain ol' Kramer or whatever and a new game with a new soundtrack. Guitar Hero soundtracks may be far more developed and sophisticated than Rock Band's but in Guitar Hero there isn't much more to do than just jam and rock.

Pros:
- The good ol' classic Guitar Hero series still has its incredible soundtrack with 'top of the notch' bands, etc.
- More of a worldwide/popular series as it has been around for quite a while

Cons:
- Does not feature the good ol' feeling of Rock Band drumsticks and does not allow you to sing
- I really can't say its worth that much. A guitar which costs half the price and the game which costs half the price; Rock Band guitars are only around $15.00 USD

Website:
http://www.guitarhero.com/

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The Accident Man - By: Doddsy1992

Image Source: Amazon.co.uk, Bantam Press

The Accident Man is a thriller written by Tom Cain. The story details an alternate perspective on the final moments of Diana, Princess of Wales' life.

To those who don't know who Princess Diana of Wales, here is a brief description of her life and death. She was married to Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth II of England, and gained her title, Princess Diana of Wales. After having two children, William and Harry they got a divorce. Diana then moved around the world, with her infamous butler Paul Burrell, visiting impoverished countries and those affected by war. She was known as the people's Princess due to the love she showed for her fellow humans. A few years after her divorce, while coupled with Dodi Fayed, she died in a car crash in Paris. Controversy still surrounds what happened that night. Many believe that this was no accident, but a carefully planned assassination.

This is where The Accident Man appears, an alternate theory about the death of Diana. Unfortunately, this book has been pushed to the back of many bookshops as people are now fed up with others trying to make a cheap buck over the conspiracy movement. The Accident Man is different though, as it is completely fictional. It is still based in Paris and hovers around the events of that fateful night, August 31, 1997. The story plays around with the events of that night with the ultimate poetic license, everything that happens is very much possible, and just about believable.

The story is about an ex-Marine called Sam Carter. Since he left the Marines he has become a hired assassin for the Consortium, a highly mysterious group whose identities are not known even to Carter himself. He is fed up with murder as it is beginning to damage him psychologically. He tells the Consortium and they advise him to take their last kill and then call it quits. The job seems routine, a high ranking terrorist is wanted dead. The job takes him to Paris where he has to cause the accident. After the mission, he realizes he's been set up, and that's when the real adventure begins.

Page after page of heart pumping thriller is what follows. The chase is well and truly on as Sam runs to both clear his name and seek revenge on this elusive consortium. To anyone who reads thriller books or to anyone who reads for pleasure this book is a must have for your home library. Expect much more from this author as he has so much to offer.

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Youtube Entertainment - By: Po22

Image Source: Youtube.com

Before I start this article I would like to tell you a short story on this articles origin. I was searching for something to review and thought first of what entertainment is all about. If I give you a perspective and a recommendation for a movie that is only based in America or Europe then I would be alienating a group of people that might have a genuine interest in that piece of entertainment that might only be sold or carried in one particular country or is too expensive for purchasing. What's the use of recommending something that small percentage of people has access to? That is why I am now going to review something that is completely free and accessible to anyone who is reading this topic: Youtube. Youtube is a haven for creative content and a myriad of various forms of entertainment, not only accessible to everyone. So lets get started shall we?

The first channel I'm going to be talking about is minniebannister, a popular fellow Runescaper who uses her character in game to create videos varying from music to popular scenes in movies. The channel also serves as a record of Fogchicken's, her account, achievements in game. Minniebannister is one of the few people in Runescape that challenges herself to do this kind of work. It's amazing how minniebannister can find regular Runescape items and turn them into something special.

My final game related recommendation is the ever popular channel known as watchtheguild . The videos on the channel itself follows the story of an average World of Warcraft player known as Codex and her guild, the Knights of Good. Codex is a nervous, timid gamer who uses the game to hide herself to the world. Chaos ensues when a player from her guild, Zaboo, thinks she likes him after a keyboard error. The series is funny as it is true about the whole MMORPG experience.

Youtube doesn't only carry gaming channels so let's talk about derrickcomedy . Derrickcomedy is a New York based sketch group who uses Youtube as sort of an advertisement for their group. The videos are hilarious and finely tuned for you to laugh harder and harder, but feature a lot of mature themes and language. If you are easily offended then steer clear of this suggestion.

For all the people out there who want to feel happy, HappySlip is the perfect channel for you. The channel is a one women show for Christine who does a multitude of different personas ranging from her zany family members to two twin sisters battling on a soap opera like set. Happyslip's videos are cute and fun natured. They are guaranteed to lighten your mood a little if not brighten your day. I highly recommend it.

My next suggestion is...kind of a channel. Welcome to the world of NeilCicierega, creator of quite possibly the most brilliant Youtube series. Ever. Neil is famous for the creation of Potter Puppet Pals, one of the most popular series on Youtube, the most popular being The Mysterious Ticking Noise, which everyone and their brother at your school or work has told you about. The videos are hysterical and always get me to laugh.

Diy? What's that? For those of you who don't know it's Do it yourself, which is the motto for trickmaster RazorG606 . Well I wouldn't say master. Just useful. Razor's tricks can be used by anyone, from closing a bag without a tie to levitating cards. His video's can pretty much be done with things lying around your house and can amaze your friends.

Aspiring filmmakers who don't have a big budget, indymogul has answered your prayers. Indymogul is the Youtube channel for everything to do with low budget cheap filmmaking. The channel is not only for filmmakers, but people who just want a laugh, as the host, Eric Beck, and his friends are funny as they are creative. Projects you can do range from gunshot effects for 15 bucks to zombies, brains, hearts,exploding heads, swamp monsters, clones, telekinesis, old people, samurai armor and spaceships. Anyone who just wants to have a laugh or those who really need filmmaking effects on the cheap should see this channel.

Well that's it for my Youtube suggestions. Before I go I would like to say if I did not give someone the spotlight and they truly deserve it, I either did not have the time or they are too well known. I'm not going to talk about smosh, Time already did that. That's it for me. Hopefully the next time you are cruising around Youtube you can click on one of the links below.

Links~

minniebannister
watchtheguild
derrickcomedy
HappySlip
Potter Puppet Pals
RazorG606
indymogul

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Bioshock Review - By: dawesbr

Image Source: 2K Games

Bioshock is a game that proves that the Xbox 360 is a force to be reckoned with. Stunning graphics, brilliant AI, fantastic ingenuity and an atmosphere that brings the game to life make this a likely winner of Game of the Year 2007 for many different game-review companies. The story begins with our unnamed hero on a plane, smoking a cigarette and looking at a photo of a family of three. Suddenly, the plane starts plummeting, and the next you know, water surrounds you. Bursting to the surface, flames surround you. The plane wreckage sinks beneath the water in the distance, silhouetted against a lighthouse.

Praise be, your saved! I'm sorry, but this is not over yet. Upon entering the lighthouse and climbing into a bathysphere, your world turns upside-down. A voice-over from a man named Andrew Ryan introduces you to a city – yet one submerged underwater. As the bathysphere stops, you look into a dark corridor. Over a radio you here a man sending someone to you, having heard the plane crash. Moments later, you hear someone in the room outside. The man sent to help you is pleading to a dark figure. The figure rushes forward, and kills the man instantly. He turns to the thick glass door between you and him, and after a short greeting, he jumps on top of the metal sphere and proceeds to start to rip into it, unsuccessful.

What follows is a story and game of epic proportions. You find yourself in a submerged city named Rapture, built by a crazed man, filled with crazed residents, turned insane by genetic modification.

And so the main innovation appears. The key to the story is plasmids - injections that change your genetic structure to enhance characteristics and give new powers to you and other residents of Rapture. At first you start with Electro Bolt – a plasmid that allows you to shoot bolts of electricity from your fingertips, used to disable turrets, cameras and bots, stun enemies, and generally wreak havoc.

The range of plasmids is long – Enrage, which makes enemies turn against each other. Incinerate!, which causes a burst of fire at your choosing. Telekinesis, used to grab and throw objects great distances, with crushing power. But the range of plasmids is not the only innovation – it's how they can be combined to cause great destruction. For instance, one could freeze an enemy with a shot of Winter Blast, them send a swarm of insects at them with Insect Swarm to shatter their frozen body, or light someone on fire with Incinerate!, so they jump into water – the perfect place to electrocute the water and fry your adversary!

There are other, more normal weapons in your arsenal. A shotgun, machine gun, pistol, and grenade launcher all feature, as well as “tonics”, a version of plasmids that are passive. These are used varyingly; from meaning you turn invisible when standing still, to sending out a wave of electricity when hit by a melee attack.

Another major feature is the Big Daddies and their partners, the Little Sisters. Kill the protecting Big Daddies, which are huge, and you will have the decision to either Harvest or Save the now vulnerable Little Sisters for their precious Adam – the substance that is used to get new and better plasmids and tonics. Harvesting will get you more Adam, but saving them will leave them living and winning over Doctor Tenenbaum, a scientist who is helping to save the Little Sisters, and who will leave rewards for your kindness.

Overall, with an in-depth story, intelligent AI, innovation that surpasses many other games, stunning graphics, and an expansive world, and pulled off all without a hitch, this game is looking to be the pinnacle of 2007 gaming. Top marks!

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