Viva la Brasil!!

   Seasons greetings everyone (yet again)! Before the year is over, I decided it was about time I dedicated some space in this blog to some of the biggest football events of the year that's just one day ahead of us. Of course, the grandest of those events is none other than the World Cup itself. Next year the FIFA WC will be held in Brazil, from June till July. Back in November all the teams that had qualified were made known and in a grand event that was held in Salvador, the draw of the group stage was made. Let's take a closer look.

   In group A, hosts Brazil welcome Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. Luis Felipe Scolari's side will be looking to take full advantage of the crowds cheering in their favor, and they seem to have quite the adept squad in the likes of Neymar, Daniel Alves, David Luis, Thiago Silva, and so many others. The presence of both Kaka and Ronaldinho remains a mystery. Croatia made it to the World Cup by knocking out Iceland in the European play-offs after a 2-0 victory in Zagreb. Everyone will be looking to the likes of Mandzukic and Modric for leadership in this squad. Mexico qualified from the inter-continental play-offs against New Zealand (9-3 aggregate), although no one expected them to have that much trouble. They could provide a few surprises. Cameroon are a force not to be taken lightly in African and worldwide football, with the likes of Eto'o, Song and Makoun behind their efforts.
   Group B gave us the final of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Spain and the Netherlands, the winner and finalist of the previous tournament, are going to play right off the bat! And although for Vicente del Bosque's side not much has changed (still the same midfield type of play, dominated by possession football with the likes of Xavi Alonso, Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta and Busquets), for the Dutch things appear to be even better than they were back then. With a youthful side full of talent and with Luis van Gaal guiding them, they reached the World Cup before anyone else in the European zone and thrashed their opponents while playing modern football! Along with the aforementioned two in the group are Chile and Australia. Chile made it through the South American zone as third and they have made some impressive performances in recent matches, including a 0-2 victory against England in the Wembley. A team with the fire-power of striker Alexis Sanches can do damage if underestimated. Australia qualified as second behind Japan from the Asian zone. They are currently experiencing a shift in managers since Ange Postecoglou replaced Holger Osieck, and the "Socceroos" seem to be playing with a more offensive style now.
   Group C has no clear-cut favorites. Falcao's Colombia, who made it as second from the South American zone could be said that they potentially outshine their opponents at the moment, currently dominating the FIFA rankings at 4th. But who could underestimate Greece, who qualified from the play-offs of the European zone, making it look easy against Romania. Or the always ready for an upset Japan, who qualified as first from their respective group in the Asian zone. And then again, there's always Cote d'Ivoire, who possess players like Drogba and Yaya Toure who could easily make a difference against pretty much any opponent.
   Three previous World Cup winners in group D... How's that for interesting? A relatively unpredictable Uruguay (considering they made it as fifth from the South American zone and needed the inter-continental play-offs against Jordan to qualify for the World Cup, where last time they won the third place final!), is pitted against Balotelli & co.'s Italy and never-down-for-the-count England. Joining them will be Costa Rica, with nothing to lose and plenty to go for!
   The next group might seem easy, but it's anything but! Didier Deschamps' France, after that nail-bitter of a qualifier against Ukraine, are pitted against the rising power Switzerland, who have old-fox Ottmar Hitzfeld on the bench. Also in the group is the Honduras, with Wilson Palacios's striking power and Ecuador, who have United's Antonio Valencia on their wing.
   It seems a recurring coincidence that these two teams meet. Argentina and Nigeria, after U.S.A. '94 and South Africa '10, have yet again been pitted against each other. Joining them this time are first-timers Boznia-Herzegovina, who will look to leave a good impression with the likes of Dzeko, Pjanic, Ibisevic and many others in their squad, and Carlos Queiroz's Iran.
   Looks like Cristiano Ronaldo can't catch a break. After having to knock out Ibrahimovic's Sweden almost by himself (in what was admittedly the best European knock-out qualifier), he is now forced to go up against Joachim Low's Germany. And considering they were the ones that sent Sweden to the knock-out qualifiers of the European zone, taking first place of the group from early on, it seems CR7 has his work cut out for him! Also contending for a place in the last "16" will be Jurgen Klinsmann's (former main coach of Germany) U.S.A. and Mikael Essien and Kevin-Prince Boateng's Ghana. In a group full of twists, since the two Boateng brothers (Germany's Jerome and Ghana's Kevin-Prince) will be forced to play against each other just like in South Africa 4 years ago.
   In the final group of the competition, the rising stars of world football Belgium will have their metal tested against the likes of Algeria, Russia and Korea Republic. All eyes will be on Eden Hazard and the rest of his teammates since they are considered, believe it or not, World Cup favorites! Yet against Arshavin, Kerzhakov, Shirokov and the rest of Capello's men, that will remain to be seen. Korea Rep. also shouldn't be put down since they possess the likes of Son Heungmin and Koo Jacheol. Algeria qualified in style from the African zone against Burkina Faso and also demand respect and attention. Their key players are Madjid Bougherra and Sofiane Feghouli.
   So, what do you think? Anxious yet? Is your country among those participating in next year's celebration? Do you think they can get far? Will there be any upsets, or will all the favorites make it? Will Brazil reclaim their throne on home soil? All that remains to be seen... Next June, in Brazil!!!

 

2013 - The next generation

   Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all your hearts desires become true and that you and your loved ones find eternal bliss! This post is the previously mentioned gamers review for 2013. It was quite a ride, this past year, and we're here to see the biggest "shockers" of that crazy voyage.
   I think we'll begin with February 2013. Not too long before (around about January), Sony announced they would be holding a "See the Future" event for the press and a select few in New York on the 20/2. There was speculation on the forums about what would be announced, but the company itself remained tight-lipped until the very night of the event, when Mark Cerny (designer and system architect behind the machine) announced "the future" in the form of the PS4. He showed off it's capabilities, the new controller, DualShock 4, some games on it, the GAIKAI cloud gaming interface, but the one thing that was missing was the console itself. In what could only be described as a stroke of marketing genius, Sony decided not to show the world what a PS4 looks like for a few months to come, leaving everyone guessing and anticipating until E3.
   In the meantime, there was another next-gen machine in the works and it too was getting ready for it's big premiere. Microsoft had been preparing the follow-up to the XBox series of consoles and at April they sent out the invitations. The machine's official title was "XBox One". There was a whole lot of interface shown off at the event. Voice recognition functions, multiple application capabilities, live stream and live chat functions, heck they even brought on Steven Spielberg to announce that he'd be making a new show exclusively for the XBox One! The only thing that was missing, was the games themselves.
   In the months counting backwards to E3, the tension was getting high. Game developers, console developers, everyone was getting ready, saying this is going to be one to remember. And they weren't wrong either!
   Eventually, the highly-anticipated time came (June 11-13) and E3 was at last upon us. But one day before the gates at the LA Convention Center could be opened to the public, there were some press conferences to be held. And this is where the real "battle" was held. Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA and Sony (in that order) were to show what they were going to be showing off at the expo (and more), only on stage.
   The first to take the stage was Microsoft. After emphasizing so strongly on the machine's capabilities during the reveal event (and receiving a lot of criticism about it), it was about time they showed off some games. And with a strong opening line up like Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, Quantum Break, Titanfall, Destiny, Forza and Call Of Duty: Ghosts, they had the crowd in an uproar. The downside came when they announced that the XBox One needed to be online in order to play games, no game sharing was allowed between users and that the price was $499. It seemed like a tombstone was placed on the machine, since even hardcore XBoxers were giving it a serious second thought.
   After Ubisoft and EA held their respective conferences, showing off a lot of interesting current and next-gen goodies, it was time for Sony to come in. They really raised the stakes. By not only showing the world what a PS4 looks like, but announcing a series of up to 200 games being developed for the PS3(!), the further use of the PSVita through remote play (making it able to play PS4 games), and showing off future projects for the PS4 itself, that felt more like a rock concert than a press conference! But that wasn't all Sony had under their belt! They took a clean shot at Microsoft's internet policies, announcing that players are free to share games with each other, free to play online or offline and a staggering $399 pricetag on the machine itself! After all that, even people that owned XBox 360's had decided to go with the PS4 for next-gen.
   And where did Nintendo fit in all of this? You may think the Japanese company had been sitting idly by, considering they didn't even have their own conference at (what was considered by most) one of the best E3's ever, but you'd be dead wrong! Through a series of "Nintendo Direct" podcasts (a live stream through the Wii U's), they have announced and released a series of new games that take the term "platform" far beyond it's limits! Pokemon X & Y itself only sold about 3 million copies on its first weekend! And with more fun titles like Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Maker HD and many more, the company proved that the Wii U isn't out of the competition yet! In fact, it may just be the winner, consider most of it's games are exclusives.
   After E3 came Gamescom in 21-25 August. This event was held in Koln, Germany and was the most visited gaming event of the year, and it was followed by the Tokyo Game Show, the Eurogamer expo that was held in London and Jump Festa, yet again in Tokyo.
   Around about September and before it was too late, Microsoft decided they would switch their internet policies regarding the XBox One. No longer would it be necessary for it to log on to the internet once a day in order for a user to be able to play. Nor would there be any restrictions in gaming sharing. In a way they were admitting defeat, but it was a small price to pay compared to not selling at all.
   And then November came around. On the 15/11, the PS4 was the first next-gen console to be released on the North American markets. It wasn't available for long though! With people quewing up in line from a night before just to get a good place, it was no wonder that the 1 million sales mark was broken in merely 24 hours! The same thing happened all around the world. In the UK, the PS4 became the highest selling console of all time, with over 700,000 pieces overnight!
   The XBox One released in 14 countries simultaneously on the 22/11 and also broke the 1 mil. sales in a day mark (in the U.S.), making both consoles they highest selling in history. As things stand today, the XBox One has sold around 2 million units in just those 14 countries whereas the PS4 has sold 2,1 million units world wide (excluding Asia). It will be interesting to see who comes out on top during the Christmas holidays.
   As for the games? This year featured a lot of record-breaking titles such as Grand Theft Auto V, The Last Of Us and Pokemon X&Y. But the promise of an even better gaming year comes in the likes of Watch Dogs, Infamous: Second Son, Destiny and Final Fantasy XV. There have already been some people in Sony saying that what they're getting ready for E3 2014 will be even more "epic"!
   So as this year comes to a close, we'll all have the transition to the eighth generation of gaming consoles to remember and a whole many things to look forward to. I leave you with this video of some live reactions to a couple of game announcements that were made at E3 and that were extremely highly anticipated (warning: lower the volume!). Happy New Year everyone, and let the games go on!! 

2013 - A year in review

   Considering the year is about 10 days before it's end (depending on where you live it could be 9...), I figured it was about time I summed up all the biggest events of the departing 2013. Before we all go welcoming in the next year, let's take a trip down memory lane and remember all the things that shocked us, made us laugh or disappointed us, so that we can cherish them, not only for 2014, but for many years to come.
   Since the number of events that occurred during this year were many, I figured I would take it one month at a time. As always, a year begins with January. This month brought about what could be one of the greatest discoveries of our generation, as the Curiosity Rover vehicle that was deployed by NASA to our neighboring planet, Mars, found Calcium deposits on it's surface, which could lead to further evidence that it's environment does in fact contain water! In other news, U.S. President Barrack Obama was reinstated in office at the White House and during his inauguration, gave his word that he would do his best in order for homosexuals (which he publicly called "gay") to be treated as equals in society and have the rights that other people have. In Japan, plans were made to build the world's largest wind farm next to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In sports, Leonel Messi won his third consecutive Ballon D'or award, a feat accomplished only by the current UEFA chairman Michel Platini. Meanwhile, gold-medal cyclist and testicular cancer survivor Lance Armstrong admitted to using drug-enhancements during all his major sporting events.
   The greatest news of February were a massive storm that hit part of the U.S. and Canada, resulting in 15 deaths and more than 5,000 flight cancellations, a meteor that grazes the surface of the Earth (30 miles), fragments of which landed in Siberia and resulted in 1,200 injuries and the Pope Benedict XVIth's resignation and speech. Shocking news when it was revealed that South African runner Oscar Pistorius had killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He pleaded innocent, claiming that he mistook her for an intruder. In entertainment news, Jennifer Lawrence becomes the youngest actress to win an Academy Award for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook".
   March was marked by the election of a new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would henceforth be known as Pope Francis, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson (a.k.a. the "God") particle, and a $13 billion bailout for Cyprus that was decided by the EU and the IMF in common, but brought outrage to the Cypriot people. In Mexico, president Hugo Chavez dies and Nicolas Maduro is elected to take up presidency until the next election takes place.
   The tragedy of the Boston Marathon monopolized interest for most of April. Very close to the finish line, someone had placed a bomb which killed three people and a few hours later, another bomb went off at a nearby library. After a series of events, it was revealed that the ones behind the incident were Chechenyan brothers Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev. After a shootout with the police, only the one survived and was arrested. In other news, same-sex marriage seemed to be gaining a lot of support since the number of countries that had signed the official bill for it was raised to 15 (amongst them France). In Mexico, Maduro was officially elected president after Chavez's death. And in sports, Bayern Munich conquered the Bundesliga, having six games to spare, and Manchester United are once again crowned Premier League champions.
   In May, the Syrian civil war that had been taking place leaks into Lebanon, which forces the U.S. to take action. Senator John McCain goes to Syria and speaks to the rebels, explaining to them a possible involvement of the U.S. in their affairs. To what the same-sex marriage is concerned, the issue seemed to be gathering even more support, but it makes sense that there would be people with a different opinion. Some of them made themselves heard in France. About 100,000 people gathered in front of parliament to protest the upvote, which resulted in more than 100 arrests. In sports, May was the deciding month for most championships. In Italy it was Juventus, in France it was Paris Saint-Germain, in Spain it was Barcelona. The Champions League went to Bayern Munich after a dramatic final against Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund that ended 2-1, and considering Bayern had also won the Bundesliga itself and they won the German Cup a few days later, they made history by becoming the first ever German team to make a treble. In England, Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson retired after 27 years at the club, saying his tearful goodbyes during his final game at the Old Trafford with a standing ovation of over 60,000 people. Former Everton manager David Moyes is hired to replace him.
   June was defined by the massive outbreaks in Egypt during president Mohammed Morsi's inauguration. More than 1 million people of all social and financial statuses took to the streets, demanding he step down. Not a day later, their request was granted and Adly Manssour was appointed interim president. In Australia, the first ever female Prime Minister Julia Gillard is forced to resign after being ousted in a labor party vote. In sports, Serena Williams and Rafa Nadal conquer the U.S. Open, the Miami Heat are crowned NBA champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-3 and LeBron James is named Player Of The Year.
   England seemed to monopolize interest during July. The main reason was that Lady Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, had a baby. This boy is to be the third in line for Great Britain's throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William. He is later named George Alexander Louis. The second reason is that Her Majesty, the Queen decided to upvote same-sex marriages in England and Wales, leading many couples to have civil or religious weddings. Other major news included the "Snowden incident" during which, an airplane that was heading from Russia to South America was denied access because it was firmly believed by the European nations that the former CIA agent that had leaked classified intel, Edward Snowden was on board. Unfortunately, the person who was on board, Bolivian politician Morales, saw this as a diplomatic furor and one day after the incident, despite France's official apology, he meets with the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, demanding an official explanation about the course of events. In sports, Marion Bartoli and Andy Murray win in the Wimbledon Tennis Open.
   August sees the continuation of the "Snowden incident" take place, with Russia providing asylum to the refugee, rendering the U.S. unable to locate him. Meanwhile, in Syria there are reports of chemical weapon use during the civil war and Egypt police declares the country in a state of emergency, due to it's lack of manpower. In entertainment news, the 30th MTV Awards take place, and among the winners are Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars.
   In September, and after the United Nations officially confirm the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war, U.S. president Barrack Obama takes action and asks the Senate for approval in order to take military action. In Australia, Tony Abbott becomes Prime Minister after a liberal party coalition. 515 people are killed in Pakistan after a 7,7 magnitude earthquake. In sports, Rafa Nadal and Selena Williams win the 2013 U.S. Open and in entertainment, "Modern Family" and "Breaking Bad" win Prime Time Emmy Awards.
   The shutdown of the U.S. government was the headline for most of October. This occured due to a disagreement between the Republicans in the White House and the government itself, over a new health care bill. After 16 days of negotiations, the U.S. government officially begins working again on 16/10. The events of the "Snowden incident" continue to unfold, in the meantime. After yet another leak, it is revealed to the French people that during the course of one day, about 70 million of their tele-communications had been monitored in 2010. Also, another revelation that sees the light of day is that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone had been wired since 2002 by the NSA. Both these events lead to the strain of relations between the U.S. and the two European countries. The Organization For the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins 2013 Nobel Peace prize, and Peter Higgs and Francois Englert win 2013 Nobel Physics prize.
   The leader of the Taliban is taken down by U.S. forces and the trial of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi begins. And that pretty much sums up an uneventful November. In entertainment, Eminem is named Global Icon at the 2013 MTV Video Awards. He also performs at the first ever Youtube awards. At a tragic car accident, Hollywood actor and "Fast and the Furious" star Paul Walker, dies.
   In our current month, December,  the death of a person has cast it's shadow over everything. The one I am speaking of is of course South African inspirational leader, Nelson Mandela. His death is mourned by people the world over and his funeral is attended by thousands. Meanwhile, in Ukraine there are massive protests in order for the current president Viktor Yanukovich to resign and India bans same sex marriage. In sports, the World Cup 2014 group draw is made. Amongst the teams playing, special note is made on the group containing England, Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
   And there you have it! The year in review (or at least to what politics and sports are concerned. I'll do another "special" review for the year in gaming, considering the events that occurred in that field are so many, I need a whole different post!). The one thing that isn't in this post, and that I did notice while doing my review, was the very high number of casualties, especially in the African zone! If I am allowed one wish for this next year, it is for everyone to get along better! We all live on the same planet, there's no need to fight over it! Happy New Year everyone!!!
   
  
  
   
     

The 2nd Athens Gaming Festival

  
  This weekend was a riot for gamers not only in the UK (250k PS4's sold in 48 hours, WOW!), but here in Athens as well, since it was finally time for the 2nd Gaming Festival. People in Greece finally got a first look at a next-gen console. Sony was the only one of the major companies that actually had any next-gen action to bring to the Festival. Microsoft hasn't decided yet on a release date for this part of Europe (they say sometime in the spring) so no XBox One's were available at the show and Nintendo was mysteriously absent.
   The Festival took place from the 29th of November till the 1st of December and a lot of events were held during that time. There were, of course, the regional cosplayers (and a cosplayer show on the final evening of the festival), some major tournaments with massive awards given out (League Of Legends, FIFA 14, NBA 2K14, PES 2014 and most of the winners won PS Vita's and PS4's) and random awards given out at times during the show (at one of which, yours truly won a copy of Dead Space 3 that he now doesn't know what to do with, lol).

   A lot of games were shown off at the festival. One that actually caught my attention was PS3's "The Last Of Us". The game has been released since March yet the show-runners decided it was so important that they had to feature it again in order to remind the people who have it and to show those of us that don't, what a masterpiece it is. I actually played the opening minutes and I lost myself in it, forgetting all about the place I was in and totally focusing on the story this game has to tell.

   The XBox One may not have been present, but the 360 sure was! With games like GTAV, NBA 2K14 and Battlefield 4, the machine showed that current-gen is all but finished. I was watching a game on NBA 2K14 since one of the players had picked the team that I support and I was amazed at the visual resemblance of the players. I thought it would be something like FIFA, but it was nothing like it.

   As mentioned earlier, a lot of cosplay was going on. Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation apparently has a Greek division and they were all but present at the festival, along with the occasional zombie. They didn't seem too mean though... Maybe they had been properly fed!

   Apart from that, there wasn't really much else going on and it seemed more like a "PS4 introduction" than a full-out expo. The console releases in 11 days and despite the financial situation, people will be lining up to buy it. After that display of dominance in the UK, it will be interesting to see how things play out in the rest of Europe. As for the festival, Greece is just now taking its first small steps into welcoming in the gaming world. There's still a lot to be expected. But as the years go on and the need to see what's new in the gaming industry rises, these events will only get bigger and bigger.

My first impressions of the PS4

   So, today was the opening day of the 2nd Athens Gaming Festival (more on that later) and of course I was anticipating this opportunity to get to see first-hand the capabilities of the next-gen consoles. Unfortunately, the only one available to us here in Greece was the PS4, since it seems that Microsoft only has it's plans for the financially stable countries. And, even though the Wii U has been available for quite a while, Nintendo in their entirety have been absent from the expo.

   But enough with that. Let's move on to more important things. Namely the PS4. The machine's size was noticeably larger than what people and gaming sites have been making it out to be. I honestly expected it to be a small device. But still it is quite compact, not to mention elegant, and the colored line in the middle that defines the situation the console is in, makes it easier to see the difference in the shades of black. I got a small chance to check out it's rear, and the outputs are quite undistinguishable. They're kind of hard to find, even though there are a lot of them. There's also the extra fact that even though it comes with UMD ports, the machine doesn't support any type of MP3, AVI, MP4, or other such format playback. Sony has responded that this may be implemented in the future, yet it remains to be seen. On the outside, definitely a step forward from the PS3!

   I checked out the DualShock 4 while I had the chance. While I will have to agree with most reviewers that the grip feels better thanks to the softer handles and the L2/R2 buttons are much better implemented, there are a few things I noticed. The touchpad is actually pressable (just like any other button, you hear a "click" when you push it downwards) and the sticks or L3/R3 buttons are now much easier to use. But the controller overall feels smaller. All previous DualShock versions (from the very first one to the Sixaxis) are average-sized. This just felt, sorta tiny. It could just be my idea though, but it felt like the space between the "triangle", "square", "X" and "O" buttons was greatly diminished.

   I probably got about one or two minutes to check the interface (since you are only allowed to play the games), but from what I saw, it's very up to date. Very fast, no lag (unlike the PS3), a lot of elegance, like a high-tech machine should be nowadays. It just felt, well, a little "Windows 8" to be honest! And from a product that's supposed to be competing with Microsoft (the creator of the Windows 8, for those of you who don't know), you really don't want that! 
   Onto the games. I got to check out all of the day 1 releases and I got to play a few as well. You would think after the PS3 and XBox 360 came out that there's only so much they can do after that, but this machine shows that we ain't seen nothin' yet! I caught myself being lost in the magnificent landscapes of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, the futuristic city of Killzone:Shadow Fall and the mind-blowing capabilities of little Knack. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, I finally got a chance to play FIFA '14. I own it on my PS3, so I thought I'd be easily able to play it, but I was left glaring at the interactions between the players and the artificial crowds in the stands. The way this game brings football to life is astonishing!
   Overall, it's a nice machine! But, like I've said before though, there's really not much of a reason to go throwing your money away for it. Wait for the hype train to settle down, prices to drop, more enhancements (like GAIKAI and MP3 support) to be added and better games to be released. This is definitely something I would recommend every gamer should own!  
 

A big shout out to a lyrical genius!

  Ok, so considering I write mostly about games, and my previous article was about FPS, I would like to take a time-out from all that and just pay tribute to an artist that actually has a song on one of the pre-mentioned FPS's. Call Of Duty: Ghosts has a collaboration with Rap legend Eminem. If you also add the fact that he was just handed the award for MTV's Global Icon, yeah, I think I've got a couple of good excuses to write about him.
   I first came into contact with Em's music when I was in still in high-school. Immediately I began to grow attached to the raw emotion with which he would spit his lyrics! This wasn't no poppy artist that just sang the song just to get the checks every month, no. These lyrics had a deeper meaning, something ripped out of his own life that had music put into it. Something anyone could easily relate to, because life isn't always "Let me show you the shape of my heart". There are moments when you feel "Like I'm surrounded by a wall of bricks". And that is what Em has always been about!

   Revealing himself to the world back in 1997, Eminem was always keeping it real in his music. He had a problem with someone, he'd straight up let'em have it! But fame and publicity was something that a young boy from a trailer-park home in Detroit would find difficult to adjust to. And to add to all that, problems at home only made things worse. His wife Kimberly Scott decided to file for a divorce after Eminem (a.k.a. Marshall Mathers 3rd) depicted her murder in the song "Kim", but they shared custody of his daughter Hailey, who has been a constant inspiration for him.
   Eminem decided to use all these problems to his advantage and lashed out against practically everyone on his award winning track "The Way I Am" (which is also the first song of his I ever heard). The fans, his record company, his wife, his mother, other celebrities (most notably Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and, more recently, Mariah Carey) were constantly mentioned in Em's tracks. Sometimes he would add a lyric that would go like "I'm not Mr. Friendly, I can be a prick if you tempt me, my tank is on empty" just to remind us all of who he is.
 

   Against all odds, Slim Shady became a moviestar! In 2002, Em starred in the movie 8 mile, in which he pretty much played himself (a boy down on his luck that finds his way through underground rap battles). Em also released the 8 mile soundtrack that featured a number of hits, including the awe-inspiring "Till I Collapse" and the one-verse "Run Rabbit, Run".
   Marshall was enjoying success and the awards were coming in one after another, but as with everything else, thing weren't as peachy as one would think. In order to keep up with his tours and exhausting daily schedules, the rapper began to grow addicted to sleeping medication. To the point where he would sleep a couple of hours a day, wake up, gobble up 40-60 pills and go off to work again. Of course his organism wasn't able to handle this routine and eventually Eminem collapsed. That's when he decided to go to rehab. During all this time (2004-2009) Eminem was absent from the music scene, so there was a lot of speculation on whether or not he has retired.
   After a lot of hard work (both in the studio and on himself) Em came back in spectacular fashion. Releasing his sixth album "Relapse" in 2009 and his seventh, "Recovery" one year later, he showed the music industry that not only was he not done, but that they had a whole lot more of him to see! He went on to collaborate with Royce Da 5'9'' in a second Bad Meets Evil album in 2011 which featured a hit single with Bruno Mars, titled "Lighters". Slim Shady was back, better than ever!
 

   Which brings us to today. Last week he released his eighth album titled "The Marshall Mathers LP 2". As I aforementioned above, MTV just awarded him the Global Icon award and he seems to be at the top of his game, even at the age of 41. A lot of people still question him to this day, but he always knows the best way to answer to his criticizers (just listen to "Rap God" and you'll understand what I mean!).
   Sure, he's had his troubles with his family, his friends, the law, the celebrities, the government, even the damn president (wow!), but from day one, he's always been genuine. It's his own opinion that we hear in those songs. He never changed, he never gave in for anyone.  He goes by many names... Slim Shady, Ken Kaniff, Eminem. But at the end of the day, the world should give a round of applause to a man that made a name for himself for speaking his (twisted) mind. Marshall Mathers the third.

Rebirth of the FPS

   
   Welcome everyone, to what will go down in history as "the month of the next-gen consoles". As we eagerly anticipate the arrival of both the PlayStation 4 and the XBox One, we have a plethora of new games being released for current-gen consoles (for those in the dark, current-gen means both the PS3 and the XBox 360). Amongst those games, quite a few popular ones are FPS (first-person shooters).
   Firstly (but totally randomly) we have Call Of Duty: Ghosts. The tenth game in the COD franchise is available for both current and next-gen consoles as well as PCs and there's a dog called Riley in it who's become something like a mascot for the game. Its campaign mode involves a member of U.S. Special Operations personnel named Logan. The multiplayer mode has been largely expanded from the previous installment to the series since there are a number of different ways to play (Search And Rescue, Cranked, Free For All, Blitz, Team Deathmatch, etc). What's also impressive about this game is that you can play in space, though I'm not quite sure if that stage is available in multiplayer or if it's for campaign purposes only.

   Then, we have Battlefield 4. In this game, that takes place six years after the events of Battlefield 3, you control a U.S. Special Operations unit squad Sergeant (dejavu anyone?) called Daniel Recker. I must confess, the multiplayer of this particular title is rather impressive, since you can control practically any vehicle (from jeeps, to tanks, to choppers) and in some stages you can actually bring down an entire skyscraper! Whoever is on it when it comes crashing down automatically gets wiped and the entire arena changes drastically! Also, there's a lot of customization in this game. It take quite some time to make a character that you're comfortable with, since there's a wide variety of weapons and equipment available, but that just means you'll have all the more fun exploring the possibilities that are at your disposal.

   Well, after those two games that have already been released, we have Killzone: Shadow Fall, a launch title exclusive to the PS4. What's different about the Killzone saga is that it brakes away from the "U.S. soldier vs bad South American/African/Asian" motto that the rest of the FPS's seem to have going on. In this game, you see the world through the eyes of Lucas Kellan, an agent of the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA), that fights in a "cold war" between the citizens of the planet Helghan and those of planet Vekta. Killzone: Shadow Fall will be the fourth main title and six overall in the Killzone saga.

   Apart from those that are releasing (or have already released) this month though, there are future FPS that fans of the genre are really looking forward to. Two of those are new IP's. The one is called Destiny. Destiny is developed by Bungie and Activision and it enrolls a player in a story that takes place hundreds of years in the future, in which apparently the humans have left the Earth and colonized other planets in the Solar system. Until for some unknown they began to die out and the only humans left were those who chose to remain on Earth. Now aliens are threatening those few survivors and it's up to them to protect the planet. The second of these two new IPs is called Titanfall and is being developed by EA and Respawn. It won several awards at this year's E3 and the reason is apparent. Players in this game have the ability to run on walls, control mechs and all sorts of machinery and, to top it all of, they get to battle inside colossal robotic Titans whenever they please. Destiny is scheduled for release sometime next spring for next-gen consoles only, whereas Titanfall will be releasing on March 11th (NA) and March 13th (EU) for PC, XBox 360 and XBox One.
   So, there you have it! Five top-class shooter's to knock'em dead! Which one would you choose to play and why?