Hi there ladies and gentlemen, because Ron wants to enjoy his life a little better and concentrate on other things for a little while, he has asked me to fill in for him for Dtunes for the week. So, hopefully I will be able to at least, do a satisfactory job of this and, fingers crossed, provide a great community service.


The theme for this week I originally intended was music you, the community, thought can be classified as art. However, due to a massive, unfortunate event in my life, the result being the person I loved the most walking out of my life, I felt it needed to change.

No, this week is not Emo songs, rather the theme for this week is songs that helped you in your darkest hour. With the economic crisis, rising gas and electricity bills, higher fuel costs, crappy weather, increasing living costs and the fact that the world we live in will probably end before our children die, it’s not hard to feel very ’down’ all of the time. So, this week will concentrate on songs that helped you get over, or through, very difficult period(s) of your life. Be it break ups, loss of a loved one or loved object, failure, heart break, or even, a song(s) that reminds of the happiest times of your life, I’ll leave the decisions in the safest hands possible, your’s!

Do note that if I am able, I will use as many suggestions as possible, so fire as many as you want. This is a community service, and I will try my utmost best to make sure your time spent reading this is worth it.


Now for this week first band and song.:





Today’s song is ‘Just a phase‘, (album Morning view) , from Incubus. Incubus was first formed in the early 1990’s, with three of the current members all meeting in each other in high school which were the years between 1991- 95. So it could be said that they were ’born’, as a band, during the grunge phase in rock. Though adhering to this style for a number of years, they successfully managed to ‘shed’ that music image and pushed themselves firmly into the musical styles of metal/heavy rock band. In fact, the band is well-known for their ability to evolve there musical styling’s after each album release. The wikipedia article states them as having an ‘eclectic sound’. Most of the early songs could be seen as non conformist and focused of the style of metal/heavy rock.




So, after a number of years performing songs and making albums such as ‘Make yourself’, Incubus again decided that their music style needed to be changed, so out went the harsher tones and a softer, more mature sound was born. It seems that 2001 was the year in which Incubus decided to reveal their current, if not best, music style. In one album alone they managed not only to change what music they did, but also to change their entire musical style. Arguably, they became the most ‘sensitive’ rock band on this earth, employing an emotional, heartfelt and intelligent angle to their songs. As, In 2001 we saw Morning view, an very optimistic album which gave the first indication of their new found sound. Then A Crow Left To The Murder, a slightly more darker, but nevertheless optimistic album, in 2004. In 2005, not only did they release their only album that reached number 1 in the US, but my favourite Incubus album to date, Light grenades. I won’t talk about the album, just suggest that those of you that have not listened to it, please do so.




‘Where are they now?’ You may ask, well it is reported that they will work on new material this year and, hopefully, we’ll see a new album next year.

So, without further ado, the song that helped me though one of the worst weeks of my life:


Incubus- Just a phase




Archives





P.S: Yup the inspiration for the theme title came from the song, also, what do you guys think of the post?

Now, despite Tyra being the biggest that fails since the recently departed Reaprar, and the mother of so many, many memorable gifs such as:

Zombie Tyra (as seen in Left 4 Dead)



Mrs Tyra Pacman



Guitar hero: Tyra Banks edition



Dance stage Megamix: as perfomed by Tyra and a right fucking weirdo:





It's easily forgotten that there is a different side of Tyra, dare I say, a sexier side

I present to you sexy Tyra banks:

















Oh and if you make Lord Tyra angry, her fierceness will MAKE YOU SHIT YOUR PANTS:



Like, OMG!!!!




Happy Tyra Tuesday!

As I person who is still is wary of the rise of digital distribution, I was not very sure of STEAM. I prefer holding a physical copy of the game, not for materialistic purposes, but for the fact that it is, currently, a lot more secure than downloading a game, with the PSN store, once you delete a game off of your hard drive, you only have a further four downloads left of that game, of course that does no happen with a physical copy of a game, well not yet. Add to the mix the fact that if your hard drive decides to ’crap out’, you lose all of your downloaded games, at least with a physical copy of a game, losing it does not mean that you have to worry how many times it can be re-installed. Sadly, with the recent controversy with DRM in Spore, that security can now be seen to be dissolving. I DO use the PSN store a lot, but can’t help feel a little apprehensive when I do, anyways, onto what I thought of the store.


Indeed, we have all heard the praises of STEAM, and the way in which many, many PC gamers use it because it is actually a download service that does not screw you over with draconian DRM, well in most cases, I was pleasantly surprised when I first entered the online store.

Everything was presented very well, and the games, demos, videos on offer was extremely easy to access. What I liked the most was the ease in finding a particular genre of game. Rather than the store exposing you to a mass of different screens in order to get to the ‘Adventure’ section of games, a list of genres is conveniently situated on the left side of the screen. As a long time user of the EU PSN Store, I found this amazing! Sadly, the EU PSN Store requires you to traverse a number of screens before selecting the type of game you are after, and in all honesty, it becomes grating after an extended period of use. Yes the PSN store is decently presented, but the STEAM store is very, very well executed.




That’s enough criticizing of my beloved PS3’s online store, onto the games that Steam offers. In all honesty, I was not expecting the store to have many games. Knowing that Steam works hand in hand with Valve, I thought I would see a whole lot of special deals to do with all the ‘official’ mods, games and multiplayer mods that Valve created. Indeed, the number of special game deals, and bundles of games developed by Valve is substantial, but the number of games for sale made by other developers/publishers is staggering. Epic, Ubisoft, THQ, Bioware, 2K games, Infinity Ward, Eidios Interactive, and of course, the mighty Rockstar, it was a shock to see many big names in the gaming industry represented in one online store. I was overjoyed to see so many great games, the Unreal series, both Max Paynes, X-COM, etc. STEAM did a great thing by attempting to partner successfully with so many different developers. The number of games available easily goes into the hundreds. The best thing was, many of the games I saw I remembered from years past, a particular highlight being the incredible GTA 2 I last played when I was 12, so many, many great memories…..



After a good half hour of searching the store, I decided to download the demo of the oft-praised Audiosurf. What struck me the most, during the download process of all things, is the sheer speed of STEAM. I was at my best friends house with my laptop, and his internet connection speed is, quite frankly awful. Even with STEAM having to work with that awful, exceptionally slow speed, my download rate was hitting 150kbps easily, no other site I went on where you download media was that fast. Gamershell and Fileshack servers simply cut out when I tried to download demos off them, and with the few instances where they I did successfully connect with the servers, the download rate was painfully slow. Indeed, STEAM at least did get the download speeds to a satisfactory level, regardless of your internet connection speed. I can only imagine what the speeds will be like when I attempt to buy a game at my house.




Seeing as the demo has a limited amount of tries, I decided to do free mode once before attempting a ’proper’ level. I fell immediately in love with the game, the only way to describe the experience was 'euphoric', it was quite incredible ’playing’ your favourite music tracks on that game, (TIP: try ’My Foot’ by The Pillows for a jaw dropping 3 minutes of game play), before I knew it the amout of times I was allowed to play the demo was up! I decided to fully purchase the game, and been loving it EVER since. Audiosurf is a joyous experience, one that should enjoyed by every gamer out there. Next up I’m going to buy the awesome Max payne 2.


STEAM helped me break my fear of purchasing games online. I just hope breaking your STEAM cherry was (or is) as enjoyable as it was for me. Yes the fear of my hard drive 'crapping out' on my laptop IS still there, meaning I probably have to re-buy/install games purchased off of STEAM, but for once I don't really mind, at all.

SO what are you waiting for?? Go visit the store if you already haven't.


Ciao, for now..

(WARNING: WALL-O-TEXT, if you can‘t be bothered reading, no worries, go play video games, they awesome, really freaking awesome)


Hi there guys, I wasn’t planning on writing a 'serious' blog today, rather I was preparing to become a regular EU FNF hoster after a very long absence and enjoy gaming with my fellow Dtoiders once again. However in light of recent events, and the subsequent confusion among the community, I thought why not do this wonderful site a service and, hopefully lessen the anger, hate and frustration my fellow gamers are feeling right now, probably towards Muslims.


Let's address the main issue, the lyrics, quite frankly, it's absurd. Yes, it's true that the Qur’an says that teachings and sayings from it can't be used in media, however, this only applies to the context/type of media it's used in. An example:

I'm a porn producer, I want to make a porno, but different. To separate myself from the pack, I decide to commission a song, consisting of teachings from the Qur’an , and decide to put it my ‘film‘ as a backing tune. It works, and I get a ton of money , a ton of publicity, but also even more hassle.

According to Islam, what I’ve done is wrong, why? Well because I’m using the teachings in a derogatory manner. Simply, using verses or teachings in immoral stuff like Porn, movies which can be classed as offensive or something like a ‘pop’ song is wrong. Now though I agree with the porno example, the dilemma facing me and other modern, moderate Muslims is, what exactly is an offensive movie, and what can be seen as a pop song? Sadly, there is not any definitive answers, that’s why you see so much unneeded hate in the Muslim world, where the loudest, brashest and most hateful group , in recent times, have become the most listened to and most popular. We, as a collective, are sheep, blindly following religious zealots, due to the failure of our so-called religious leaders in providing an up to date interpretation of the Qur’an. Next time you see your Muslim friend in a dilemma linked to what I said above, blame our crappy leaders, who even say video games are evil. The laughable bit? There is nothing in the Qur’an itself about games, in fact, according to it, we as Muslims should actively seek out experiences that enrich our lives and do not cross the boundaries Islam sets, gaming has enriched my life beyond reason, and I hope it has done the same for you.

The beautiful thing about gaming is that it has given me the chance to lead a thousand different lives, visit a thousand different worlds and learn a thousand different things, all within the boundaries of the religion I believe in. So don’t believe Muslims when they ‘hate’ on gaming, they are wrong. Gaming has made me a better person, a better Muslim, a better Dtoider.

Back to the issue of the song/lyrics , let me point you to in the direction of Sami Yusuf. This artist does use material from the Qur’an in his songs, however he uses them in a fashion that can be interpreted as showing Islam in a positive light. In this case the context he is using the Qur’an in is okay, as he is not slating it, nor can he be seen as exploiting it. In fact according to my sister, he has a very good understanding of modern Muslim life. But as usual in the ’wonderful’ Muslim community, a lot of people hate him for using music to put out a message they fail at delivering on a constant basis, Islam really is a religion of peace. In the LBP case, this should be the very same situation, as a Muslim, I cannot see where a game, that promotes teamwork, has an active system to filter out and if necessary, ban levels that can be deemed offensive, uses a visual style that SCREAMS child-friendly, cuteness and focuses on creativity can possibly use the Qur’an in a negative fashion. I even listened to the song, it doesn’t exploit the Qur’an.

I can see the situation where an idiot decides to purposefully create an ‘offensive’ level and uses the song to get a rise out of Muslims, but isn’t that what the reporting feature is for? If I stumbled across the level, instead of suing Sony and making an ass out of myself, I’d just use the reporting feature, or if needed e-mail Media Molecule, who I thank for making such an amazing game. Sony is to blame for this situation, I’m sorry but they are a multi-billion dollar company, they should have known better and cut the song out, or a better situation, edit the damn song, heck I could do that in a matter of hours on my laptop. The game has been through multiple testing stages, and this whole situation stinks of a ploy to get more publicity, nothing else.

If you want to say ’fuck Islam‘, please don’t, instead, say ’fuck religious leaders’, they are the ones failing religion, and more importantly, failing us.

I hope this blog has been helpful, Destructiod community, any further questions, put them in the boxes below.

Ciao, for now.


p.s. sorry for the absolute lack of pictures.

Wilbo is currently indisposed with preparations with a trip, and has kindly let me do this week's update, thanks dude!

Hello there boys and girls, another week, another PSN Store update, this time with less 'win'.

Despite the relatively important update yesterday, sadly, there is'nt any major releases on the store, nor a lot of content added.

Here's the rundown:


BIA: Hell's Highway Demo



Available last week on the US store, this week us Europeans have the chance to try out another chapter in one of the finest World War Two franchises to hit consoles. However the download is pretty big, clocking at 1.25 gigabytes, so expect to wait a while before having the chance to play it. If you do like your shooters, but hard, tactical and having a great story, make sure to download this rather good demo. Though it is rated 15, and NOT for the kids.


Motorstorm: Pacific Rift Demo



Damn, time flies, I didn't realise it's been so long since the last Motorstorm! Here's your chance to try out the forthcoming game, the original was rather good, though the biggest drawback was NO offline multiplayer. Download if you liked the original, and if you want to try the demo out regardless of you feelings toward Motorstorm, please do so, it's a painless 617 megabytes.

The first Motorstorm can now be picked up from Gamestation, at a measely 10 pounds (used) , or on the Playstation 3 classics range, with a swanky silver metal cover at around 19 pounds. Bizarrely, the age rating is 16 plus, I do remember the first one having violence in it, but only enough to warrant a 12 plus rating, wonder if blood appears in this one?


Purchasable downloads/gamepacks:

EYE OF JUDGEMENT: Biolith SET 3 Expansion pack 6.99
(also available as a combo pack with SET 2 included, 10.49 pounds)

Never played EYE OF JUDGEMENT, though I am intrigued by the concept, anyone out there, how is the 'game'?

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Firestone Country Club Game pack, 4.99
Sorry, not into golf at all, so no infomation on how the course plays!

Some Rockband songs, prices vary.

Videos:
Far Cry 2-Bara Bara Trailer (720P)
Tom Clancy: EndWar Announcement Trailer- (720P)
PAIN: Amusement Park Trailer (1080P)


Themes:
Killzone 2 multiplayer theme- Relatively large download for a theme, 8.4 megabytes, though it's too dark for my tastes.


All in all, not too much to shout about, a pleasant surprise is the demos, though more would be cool. Let's hope next week fares better.


Ciao, for now.

p.s, Go download BIA: Hell's Highway, Now!!

Het there fellow Dtoider, don't cry over PAX and not rollin' with the Toid army, not when we get down and busy killing each other, yup it's FNF time Ladies and Gentlemen.


However, this week is special, rather than me and the fine Sir Wilbo choosing the games, we thought that we let you, the kick-ass community decide how and when we meet our digital death, prepare to kill each other and hapless idiots online from 10:15 GMT and about 5:15 EST time. Let's kill the PAX blues by shooting each other in the face, maybe with a stab or two as well, fuck it'll work, it has to.

The choices are...........................

1. Grand Theft Auto 4: If this game is chosen, invites will be sent for party mode by me, players without mics, DO NOT start shooting other players, not until we have switched modes, please.



2. Unreal Tournament 3: Game will be described as TOID, and will be under Team Deathmatch, no keyboards, only a few bots, maximum player limit. The matches will be played on all of the standard maps. You'll see me as Master Chief!! Mics encouraged.




4.Soul Calibur 4: Why not stab each other instead? The dude with the EPIC 'tache will host this, Sir wilbo.




5. The one, the only Call Of Duty 4: We'll meet up in a party, then decide what to do from there on. It stands without reason that mics are encouraged, but not needed. I do NOT posses the new maps, sadly. Also, any problems? Just fire them at me in the comment box(es) below.





Ciao, for now