Countdown to Armageddon

David versus Goliath. Satan vs. God. Schwarzenegger vs. The Predator. Mario vs. Bowser. All epic chapters in the struggle of good versus evil. You can now add 2007 Patriots v. Colts to that list.

This isn’t the game of the decade or century – this is the game of the millennium - probably of all time.

On one side there is Bill Belichick and his hoard of ruthless, bloodthirsty thugs hell-bent on obliterating all opposition that stands before them. Wrongfully accused of cheating by the NFL, Kaiser Belichick has commanded his troops to take no prisoners on their path to vengeance.

Tom Brady – the Darth Vader to Belichick’s Emperor Palpatine – has eviscerated opponents to the tune of 30 touchdowns to 2 interceptions over his first games and is on pace to re-write the record books in his opponents blood. Almost all his touchdown passes have come with opponents already conceding defeat, often down by 30 or more points in the third or fourth periods.

Aiding Brady and Belichick on their quest to shame the game of football and the institution of the NFL is their new receiving corps. Made up of “to the highest bidder” mercenaries (many of whom have criminal records), this group’s only loyalty lies in their desire to see their enemies' will broken and bodies' beaten down.

Randy “Baby Eater” Moss has caught 11 touchdowns, all the while constantly trash talking opposing defenses, dogging it on plays that aren’t centered on him and doing inappropriate end-zone celebrations – much to the delight of the classless Belichick. Wes “White Supremacy” Welker has six TD’s on the season and is currently under investigation by the FBI for possible ties to international terrorism. Donte “Spits-In-Your-Face” Stallworth has three touchdown catches this season – with his longest catch going for the completely inappropriate 69 yards.

Playing the Spartans to Belichick’s Persian Army are the pure and darling Indianapolis Colts. Tony Dungy has compiled a happy-go-lucky cast of God-fearing gentlemen who just “want to play the game the way it was meant to be played.” Defending Super Bowl champs, the Colts have quietly gone about their business this season - often kneeling three times and punting once they take leads of more than six points. Known to shake the hands of each and every member of the opposing organization (including ball boys, camera men, owners and cheerleaders) after victories, the Colts are without a doubt the classiest team to ever play professional sports.

The team’s leader, Peyton Manning, came from humble beginnings. Selected in the sixth round with the 199^th pick in the NFL draft, it took a freak injury to incumbent starter Drew Bledsoe for Manning to take the reins. He went on to win numerous Super Bowls, all the while staying humble and out of the public eye. Manning owns the single season touchdown record and “would be delighted” if Brady were to break it. Funny, good looking, a great actor and one hell of a football player, Manning embodies what it means to be a man – almost as much as Bret Favre does.

Manning’s primary targets are the handsome and friendly Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Life-long Colts, these two Jerry Rice-like players represent what it means to be wide-outs. They are known to never complain about opposing defensive backs rough, physical play – often complimenting them if they are shut down in AFC Championship games. They play through injuries, have never taken off a single play, block for their running backs and give every touchdown ball they catch to children diagnosed with cancer.

So the stage is set between these two historic rivals. It will undoubtedly be the greatest game ever played – not only in football, but in any sport. The game will rival the legendary Stanford/Cal “the band is on the field” game. There will be an enormous 30+ point comeback that will be better than the Bills/Oilers playoff game in 1993. Trick plays will be run similar to the Oklahoma/Boise State Fiesta Bowl in 2007. Oh yeah, that Trinity High 15 lateral play – that’s nothing compared to what the Colts have planned for the opening kickoff. Red Sox/Yankees in the 2004 ALCS? Forget that. The 2007 sudden death MLB contest featuring the Rockies/Padres? Less drama than a high school play. The “Miracle on Ice” between USSR/USA? Getting there, but still not even close.

This game will be most like World War II, except if the Axis were crushing opposing armies by 25.5 thousand casualties per battle and running up the death count. God help us all if Belichick (Hitler) and Brady (Mussolini) are victorious over Dungy (Roosevelt) and Manning (Churchill) in the war game of the millennium.

Third time’s the charm - Halo 3 best in series

Halo 3 is the most important video game of all time.

Note that is “most important” - not best. Halo 3 is doing something for the video game industry that is far more important and impacting than how good or bad the game is.

The marketing blitz for Halo 3 has bordered on surreal. Mountain Dew cans, NASCAR cars, 7/11 slushies and Burger King french fry wrappers all bear Master Chief’s (the games hero) likeness. Even Radio Shack, which doesn’t sell video games, is going to carry the title.

One would think that Halo 3 was Hollywood’s next big blockbuster – not a mere video game. The game has already gone gold prior to release, selling one million copies (via pre-order) in North America alone. Many Halo fans lined up before midnight on Monday just to get the game as early as possible

Halo 3 is - without doubt or hyperbole – the single most hyped video game ever. It is probably one of the most hyped media releases ever.

That being said, there is no way a game this built up could live up to the massive expectations put upon it. Anything less than immaculate and it will be seen as a failure to many.

For those unfamiliar to the series, Halo is a sci-fi action story that takes place in the year 2552. The story revolves around a faceless, futuristic armor-clad hero named Master Chief. The Chief has to save the world from a hive-minded alien race (the Flood) from infesting the universe.

The plot isn’t anything thought-provoking, but it does the job of keeping the game interesting and the action flowing. But most people don’t play Halo for the compelling plot - they play it for the frenzied action.

Halo 3 delivers this action through a variety of futuristic, over-the-top gunplay and vehicular mayhem that all span across gorgeous landscapes. Players will take on a myriad of alien races ranging from the hulking, simian-esque Brutes to the disgusting reanimated corpses that are the Flood.

On a purely aesthetic level, Halo 3 is a stunning game. Pools of water reflect sunlight and respond to steps through them. Tress and grass wave in the wind - while enemies and allies alike have detailed facial expressions. It is one of the best looking Xbox 360 games available, probably trailing only Gears of War and Bioshock.

The musical score and voice acting is also spot-on, especially for an action title. The orchestral music swells up at appropriately tense moments and takes a back seat when necessary. The voice over work is particularly well done. Whether it’s a nameless Marine or Master Chief’s sidekick, Cortana, the voice work is consistently solid throughout.

Halo 3 has a copious amount of weaponry at the player’s disposal. Stand-bys such as the sub-machine gun, grenades and shotgun are back - with a few tweaks in appearance and clip size. New additions such as the Spartan laser (capable of cutting vehicles in half) and the gravity hammer (capable of sending opponents flying) are a blast to play with and will keep Halo 2 veterans on their toes learning new tactics.

New to Halo 3 is the equipment. These items won’t dish out punishment, but can be invaluable in combat situations. Their effects range from forming a shield around the player that is immune to gunfire (Bubble Shield) to slowly draining enemies’ health (Power Drainer). The equipment adds another wrinkle to the game without feeling unfamiliar or forced.

Vehicles in Halo 3 have gotten a lot of the attention from the developers. The newly added Mongoose (a two-man, four wheeled ATV perfect for capture-the-flag) and Hornet (basically the human version of the Covenant Banshee) are a joy to drive in solo and multiplayer games alike.

Speaking of multiplayer, it has always been the crux of the Halo series. Sure the campaign mode is enjoyable - but the game’s value truly surfaces when multiple players are involved.

Like its predecessor, Halo 3 supports Xbox Live as well as system link multiplayer - with the ladder allowing up to 16 players in a single game. The game comes with a number of brand new maps that have been meticulously thought out to stand up to hundreds of thousands of games.

One of the new features of multiplayer is the Theatre. In it you can watch replays of your last two dozen or so games - pausing, fast forwarding and slow-motioning the action. You can then save screenshots or record miniature clips of something awesome you did and share them with your friends - or better yet - enemies.

There is also a map editor called the Forge in which players can change locations of weapons, vehicles or almost anything else on any of the games multiplayer maps. Although not a true map creator featured in other titles, the Forge is deep enough to keep ambitious players tweaking maps for hours and hours - adding new twists on familiar maps. The Forge also supports Xbox Live, allowing players to share their maps with players around the globe.

It’s creative and forward-thinking content like the Forge and Theatre that separates Halo 3 from other console titles.

Underneath all the hype and marketing lies a truly wonderful action video game. Anyone who bought and played either the original Halo or Halo 2 will thoroughly enjoy Halo 3 for quite some time. Those new to the party – this is the reason you’ve been looking for to buy an Xbox 360.

Although Halo 3 isn’t immaculate, it is extremely enjoyable and anyone who calls it a failure would be remiss. The campaign is better than Halo 2’s and wraps up the trilogy in a definitive and satisfying manner. The multiplayer is superb, as is expected from a Halo title. New additions - the Forge, Theatre and graphical and weapon upgrades - solidify this already spectacular franchise as one of gaming’s all-time greatest.

Halo 3

Xbox 360, $59.99
Bungie Studios, Microsoft Game Studios

September 25, 2007

Halo 3 Beta impressions

After reading everything there is online about the much anticipated multiplayer Beta for Halo 3, I finally got to play it yesterday. The three level Beta was an absolute blast to play and should rejuvenate even the most grizzled of Halo 2 veterans.

The folks over at Bungie seemed to have thought about every angle, tweaking and changing things enough to keep the game fresh, but not too much as to alienate hardcore Halo 2 fans. There are new weapons, maps grenades and vehicles. There are modified old guns, the new equipment system, adjusted controls and shiner graphics.

I could easily see myself wasting tons of time playing this slice of the game, thankfully, I don't have a 360. Yet.

For those who don't relentlessly hound the Internet for info on Halo 3, the biggest change in the game if the equipment. Reloads (and all subsequent commands for X) have been mapped to the left and right bumpers on the 360 controller. The X button now uses any equipment you have, to a variety of satisfying results.

The bubble shield was by far the most enjoyable and interesting equipment available in the Beta. Upon use, the bubble shield expands around your character in, well a big bubble. This bubble is impervious to bullets and grenades, but can be passed through freely by allies and enemies alike. This causes some very entertaining situations. The first time I used the shield, I tried to walk out of it and throw a grenade, only to not run far out enough, dropping the frag into the shield and killing myself.

From protecting teammates who are holding the Oddball to getting those precious seconds while your health recharges, the bubble shield will be a welcome addition to the Halo arsenal.

The other equips weren't as exciting as the bubble shield, but should prove to be useful once the full game is released. The portable grav lift has some deep strategic uses, particularly in CTF and Assault variants. You can drop it anywhere, either to find some place high to snipe or to avoid using doors or other easily defending positions.

I had very limited experience with the trip mine, mostly killing myself the few times I acquired it. It seems like a nice lat ditch effort weapon and should be adept at racking up that new medal for getting a kill after you've died. The power drainer seemed the worst of the equipments, acting as a sort of inverted bubble shield. Instead of protecting you, the power drainer lowers the shields of anyone within its radius, eventually killing them. It also disables vehicles, which is a nice option for those without rockets/Spartan lasers.

As cool as the equipment are, weapons are the lifeblood of the Halo franchise. It is clear that some weapons needed nerfing (sword, sniper auto-aim, plasma pistol, battle rifle) and others needed a shot in the arm (brute shot, needler, pistol, SMG) from the previous game. Thus far Bungie seems to have done a good job addressing these needs.

The needler is now more powerful, reloads faster and seems overall a better gun. It cannot be dual wielded anymore for "purple rain," but it's for the better. New kids on the block, the Spartan laser, brute pistols and assault rifle (of Halo 1 fame) seem balanced and are fun to use. The laser is the only gun I am worried about as it is essentially a sniper that eats vehicles for breakfast, but time will tell.

There is just so much to talk about this relatively small sample of Halo 3. The maps are good, the guns are fun to use and balanced, the equipment adds a layer of strategy, the vehicles are a blast and seem like they may actually be useful and best of all - it still feels like Halo.

1UP has a great strategy guide on all things Halo 3 Beta which anyone who's interested should check out.

One thing I know for sure, I am probably going to be about $458.99 dollars poorer come November.

NBA Playoffs: Round 2

So I am late on my predictions (final exams and such) and didn't do so hot in my predictions. Three out of four in the East and a forgettable one out of four in the West. The Mavs/Warriors series was amazing and the Jazz/Rockets was great as well. Other than that there were a lot of teams that barely showed up, (Heat, Wiz, Nuggets and LA) making for some boring games.

The second round is already underway and is promising to be a whole lot better than the first. So with some series already two games in, here are my predictions - with a little cheating.

West

Spurs over Suns in seven
San Antonio leads this series 1-0 already, but I honestly thought they were going to win the series anyway. The defense is just good enough, Nash cannot guard Parker and the Spurs are just simply built to win in the playoffs. When the Suns don't shoot the three well, they lose. If the other games are half as dramatic as game one, this will be one hell of a series.

Warriors over Jazz in seven
That's right, give me some of that Golden State kool-aid and save me a seat next to Jessica Alba on the Warrior bandwagon. Looking at game one the Jazz played Golden State's style and ended up winning the game. But the Warriors can take solace in the fact that they were a Jason Richardson wide open three away from leading that game with less than a minute to go.

The Jazz will kill the Warriors on the boards and Boozer will have some huge games, but I don't believe Utah can keep playing the Warrior way for an entire series. Plus I don't care how good a road team Utah is, that crowd in Oakland is going to be insane.

East

Cavaliers over Nets in six
The series no one cares about. The Raptors/Nets series was pretty even and yet terribly unwatchable. In game one of this series the Cavs won 81-77. Yawn. This series needs a LeBron vs. Carter brawl or something to make it exciting. As far as the game goes, the Cavs are better on the boards, have the better star, and actually have players who aren't guards. Inconsistency be damned, Cavs win.

Chicago over Detroit in seven
I know they are down 0-2 to the best team in the East. I know they are young, inexperienced and probably a little out coached. But something tells me the Bulls aren't going to go down this easily. Ben Gordon has done a disappearing act so far and I think that will change. Chris "Fountain of Youth" Webber dropped 22 points in their last win, I don't think that will happen again. Even if the Bulls don't win, I think this series goes longer than four games.

Feist enraptures on "The Reminder"

When Leslie Feist isn’t busy being an adorable songbird, she is busy making music. Feist is one of the many members of the Canadian super-group, Broken Social Scene, as well as a successful solo artist with two studio albums to her credit. 2004’s “Let it Die” was a critical success, giving Feist an identity outside of Broken Social Scene.

“The Reminder,” Feist’s follow-up to “Let it Die,” takes the singer’s vocal driven pop to the next level. “The Reminder” is a smooth, relaxed and joyous album that showcases Feist’s silky voice perfectly on almost every track.

Feist wastes no time opening “The Reminder”. “So Sorry” is a sultry ballad about confused lovers. It features acoustic strumming and some soft percussion, and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. If you aren’t melting by those last “tonight’s” then there is something wrong with you.

“I Feel It All” follows “So Sorry,” changing the pace a bit. This track is much more upbeat and whimsical, using a lot of piano, chimes and some hand claps for good measure. This is one of the best tracks on the album, and one of the better singles of the year.

“My Moon, My Man” completes a great three song span on “The Reminder.” Each of these are very solid singles, and if this album is a success, it will be on the back of these three songs.

“1, 2, 3, 4” is another great track on the album and uses a broad range of sounds to create a lighthearted love song. Banjo, horns, strings, backing vocals and finger snaps all combine to support Feist’s vocals without overwhelming them. Feist also shows her knack for writing compact lyrics that aren’t too heavy or too trivial, matching the mood of her songs. “Sweetheart bitterheart now I can tell you apart / Cozy and cold, put the horse before the cart / Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes / Too scared to own up to one little lie.”

If there is anything to complain about on “The Reminder” it’s that Feist reigns it in too many times. She’s at her best when her songs are carefree and fun. The first three tracks, “1, 2, 3, 4,” and “Sea Lion Woman” are all examples of this. Some of her sleepier tracks, “The Water,” “Honey Honey” and “How My Heart Behaves” are some of the weaker songs on the album. Luckily, Feist’s voice saves these and actually offers a change of pace that is understandable.

Silky, angelic, buttery, sexy. These are all words used to describe Feist’s voice, and you would be hard pressed to find someone to disagree. But Feist isn’t simply relying on her voice to sell records. Although the majority of her songs are about love, they remain so varied in sound that you’ll hardly notice. And by the time you’re done listening, you may be in love with her voice. “The Reminder” is a wonderful and gorgeous album that will strongly contend for album of the year come December.