When You're Pushed, Killing is as Easy as Breathing

Title: Rambo
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Paul Schulze
Director: Sylvester Stallone

The Rambo series date back more than 10 years ago with its 1st installment, First Blood hitting the big screens back in 1982. Fans of the action and thriller genre were amazed by the highly exaggerated combat capabilities of the fictional character, John Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone), an ex-Vietnam vet who single handedly took down a massive platoon of army and sheriffs in First Blood. 3 years later, John Rambo returned to the big screens in First Blood 2 entertaining fans of his previous movie with more massive gun battles and guerrilla action in the jungles of Vietnam. It so happened that 3 years later (again...), the movie series spawned the 3rd installment making the Rambo series a trilogy. Unlike the 2nd one which took place in Vietnam, the 3rd series throws action hero John Rambo into the deserts of Afghanistan during the Cold War to aid Mujaheedeen warriors against the invading Russian forces. Despite the adrenaline filled action content of the series, I've never watched any of the Rambo movies since many Special Forces community (which I often obey...sometimes blindly) define the series as an exaggerated rubbish of the army Special Forces and commandos. After the 3rd installment of the Rambo series and when there were no news of making the 4th one since then, many assumed that the trilogy finally reached its end. 20 years later, the creators of the Rambo series shocked and excited action fans world wide with plans of making the 4th one entitled Rambo. Shortly after their shocking announcement, the 4th one was released in North American cinemas on the 25th of January 2008. Despite forbidding myself from watching the latest Rambo installment in order to prove my loyalty to the Special Forces community, I eventually ended up seeing the movie a day after its release as the dreadful boredom here in Kamloops left me no choice. After an hour and a half in the cinema, I left the theater with my jaws dropped as I just watched the best action movie of the month (possibly the year).

Rambo revolves around the civil war in present day Myanmar. With its corrupted government abusing the people of the country, many especially the Karen ethnicity stood up and took arms to overthrow the government. With the emergence of the Karen rebels in Myanmar, the country is thrown into a bloody civil war where violence plagued the land as public execution, mutilation and beheading were common. Not far away from Myanmar, John Rambo, a former Vietnam war vet leads a quiet and secluded life in the outskirts of Thailand (which borders closely to Burma) where he spends most of his time catching snakes, fishing and salvaging old boat parts hoping to forget the horrors of his previous war experience which haunts him constantly. A group of Christian missionaries from Colorado, USA approached him one day with the desire to rent his boat to travel up the river to Burma in order to reach a Karen village which requires medical aid and spiritual support. Knowing that their destination was dangerous due to the ongoing civil war, the missionaries were rejected initially; however after persuading and convincing their boatman, the missionaries were finally transported to the village. Not long after the arrival of the missionaries, the village was ambushed viciously by Burmese soldiers whom went on a sadistic killing spree revealing their unimaginable cruelty and monstrosity. The remaining villagers and Christian missionaries were abducted by the Burmese soldiers shortly after the massacre. News regarding the massacre and the abduction of Christian missionaries were delivered to John Rambo by a concerned elder missionary who flew all the way from Colorado. The elder missionary then employs John Rambo and a team of multinational mercenaries which consist of former Special Forces soldiers, mostly SAS operators, to rescue the missionaries. With a team of diverse mercenaries at his aid, John Rambo travels back to Burma hoping to liberate the remaining missionaries and survivors. The direct and straightforward storyline are understandable and in fact, ideal for action genres like Rambo as the viewers expect the content of action to outweigh the story premise. The story premise for Rambo is written in a simple form yet it supports a high level of action which satisfy the audiences.

Rambo deserves two thumbs up in terms of the movie's content. The theme of the movie was a good exposure as it detailed the horrors and atrocities of wars taking place around the world. Apart from that, the theme of the movie which also promotes gratefulness, reminds the viewers not to take their peace and freedom for granted and to also appreciate the conflict-free country in which they live in. The plot of the movie was well arranged which provided the audiences a crystal clear understanding of what was going on from the beginning to the end of the movie. The flashback element which was incorporated in Rambo was a good idea as it provided a detailed background of who John Rambo was and what he did during his years in the army which leads to his constant nightmares.

Besides Rambo's content, the movie performed well in terms of style which deserves a lot of credit.The intense violence which is featured in the movie can be gut wrenching and sickening to watch; on the other hand, it was a necessity in order to deliver the realism of the story and to promote the movie's themes that remind the audience the horrors of war. Apart from that, the action scenes were top notch; the well choreographed gun battles and commando action left the viewers at the edge of their seats in excitement hoping for more. Like the action scenes, the acting was great as well. The cast of the movies delivered their emotions perfectly well which moved the audience deeply; the viewers could experience the terror and fear of the abducted missionaries and abused villagers which forces the viewers to feel sympathetic for those characters. Besides the great acting, the dialog which was casual and also filled with military jargons instills the authenticity of the movie's settings that revolves around the present day society and military community. Rambo also delivers a solid soundtrack which varies according to the scenes of the movie; scenes which feature the massacre triggers a sad emotional music theme while moments of Rambo and the mercenaries rescuing the helpless missionaries and villagers fire off a rock-like music which allows the viewers to experience the thick of the action. Overall, Rambo prevails in terms of its style.

Despite the overwhelming positive qualities of the movie, Rambo is not a perfect movie as there are some unexpected flaws. First of all, the movie was less then 2 hours which made the audience felt that the movie didn't really deliver enough. Furthermore, the fact that John Rambo fought mostly with his hunting bow, machete and even his bare hands disappointed fans of the series as I am sure they expected their action hero to reign chaos on his enemies with a heavy machine gun just like the previous Rambo movies. Although the movie had its flaws, nevertheless they hardly scratch its ratings as they are just petty.

After an hour and a half in the cinema, I left the theater with my jaws dropped as I just watched the best action movie of the month (possibly the year). To sum it up, Rambo is a must-watch for action fans. With little flaws to rant about and many qualities to rave about, Rambo deserves a score of 9 out of 10. What made this movie even more amazing was the fact that Sylvester Stallone himself wrote the story and directed the movie. It was really unexpected of him to perform such an outstanding job given the fact the he is mostly known for his acting capabilities only. Conversely, this is a great surprise and also a good reminder for everyone not to judge the book by its cover.

Living in the secluded areas of Thailand, John Rambo spent most of his time catching snakes.

Rambo and a group of diverse mercenaries getting ready for their rescue mission.

Sneaking up on a Burmese soldier with a machete getting ready to...you know what...what people do with a machete.

John Rambo infiltrating the Burmese soldier's camp. The only thing that spotted our action hero is the piggy over here, but its not like as if she gives a damn.

Not having a machine gun isn't going to stop Rambo from killing. His bare hands are just as good as his guns.


Okay, you wanna play!? Say ello to mah lil fren. Rambo bringing maximum destruction with the mounted machine gun.

Here's the movie's trailer. Enjoy!

A Treacherous Mecernary. A Schizophrenic Murderer. Two Deadmen

A minute and 13 seconds of the game's trailer, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men clearly reminded me of Michael Mann's Heat and Quentin Tarrantino Reservoir Dogs. With bad men dressed smartly in suits, strapped with a big black sack filled with cash and armed with assault rifles and shotguns getting ready to deal with a wave of police officers and SWAT team, it wasn't difficult to conclude that the game developers were trying to remake the good old days from Heat and Reservoir Dogs. Not long then, I bumped into a video game article regarding Kane & Lynch: Dead Men mentioning that the game will be featuring a Hollywood scripted story line which then aroused my interest. A month or two after the game was released in stores, every video game magazines and websites launched their review about the game and to my surprise the ratings varied largely among the different reviewers. Game Spot rated Kane & Lynch: Deadmen with 6 out of 10, Play Station Magazine concluded the game deserves 3.5 out of 5 and Game Trailers on the other hand mentioned that the game was worth the purchase with its ratings of 8 out of 10. Despite different ratings from one another, all of the reviewers agreed on one thing: the game play and the Enemy AI was mediocre. Although I have always emphasis a great importance of the game's storyline, having great game play should never be set aside when developing a game. As I knew that the game play was not top notch, I knew that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men was not worth my investment. But then again with the Hollywood scripted story line which has been tempting me from day 1, I reconsidered my actions of not purchasing the game. On the other hand, the flawed game play has been constantly reminding me that the game was not worth buying. Knowing that I am thrown in the middle of a conflict between the game's story line and game play, there was only one website which could aid me deeply in my final decision: YouTube. After looking for videos regarding Kane & Lynch: Dead Men , I clicked on those which featured the game play. Surprisingly, I find the game play to be okay according to my taste. Knowing that the game play wasn't as bad as what most critics concluded, I knew I had the green light to get the game. After 3 days of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, I finally finished the game. As the credits rolled, I couldn't help but to applaud as the game was simply amazing.

The game revolves around 2 main characters, Kane and Lynch hence the title of the game. Adam Marcus or better known as Kane is a member of a powerful mercenary clan known as The 7. During his employment in The 7, Kane was constantly thrown into the battlefields of countries in turmoil and conflict, fighting for the highest bidder. A lucrative mission in Venezuela which was capable of setting The 7 for early retirement went horribly wrong resulting in the deaths of 25 Venezuelans. Apparently, the Venezuelans weren't the only casualty of the mishap as the entire members of The 7 were killed in action (what Kane thought to be). Fortunate for him, he survived the massacre and it was rumored that he escaped the bloodbath with a large amount of loot. Shortly after his return to the United States, he was arrested and found guilty of the manslaughter of 25 Venezuelans. He was sentenced to death and currently awaits transportation to death row. Long before his participation in the 7, Kane was divorced by his wife due to his carelessness in gun control which caused his son's life. He has a daughter as well and is currently under the custody of his ex-wife. Little is know about Lynch; his criminal history stated that he was found guilty of murdering his wife. Like Kane, he is sentenced to death and he is currently waiting for transportation to death row. Lynch displays all of the common characteristics of a schizophrenic. His mental illness forces him into random violent behaviors which only can be suppressed with constant medication. The characteristics of both Kane and Lynch indicates that they aren't everyday heroes. The opportunity to place the player's self into a sadistic criminal with potential of unimaginable violence provides a fresh alternative to games with protagonist heroes.

The story starts off after the arrest of Kane. Minutes before his transportation to death row, he writes a letter to his beloved and truly missed daughter. With little to say, Kane ends the letter quickly only to be escorted by prison guards to the prison truck bound for death row. Nothing much to regret except for the fact that he won't be able to see his daughter, Kane sits quietly in despair with the rest of the inmates who will be sharing Kane's similar fate. In the middle of his journey to death row, Lynch who was sitting next to him warned Kane to keep his head down and brace for impact. Just when Kane was about to ask why, their truck collided and crashed before a group of unknown mercenaries set them free. What thought to be a rescue mission turned out to be a kidnapping of Kane. Both Kane & Lynch were brought to a shopping mall which was still under construction to meet up with their captors. Struck with shock, Kane could not believe that his captors were the members of The 7 whom he thought were all killed during their mission in Venezuela. Filled with utmost anger and hatred for Kane, the members of The 7 seek redemption on Kane for leaving them to die and taking the group's reward. The 7 who has Kane's daughter and ex-wife hostage threatens Kane to retrieve the loot within 3 weeks or risk seeing his beloved daughter and ex-wife executed. With Lynch around, The 7 assigns him the task of reporting Kane's action from now and then. Unsure of the loot's location and with time running out, Kane is pitted against time to retrieve the loot or risk watching his beloved begging for their lives at the hollow tip of a gun.

The game play offered in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men isn't anything new, yet is still enjoyable. In the campaign mode filled with 16 chapters, you will be shooting your way through waves of enemies with a variety of real life weapons at the same time ordering your crew to perform certain actions like covering fire, taking out a target or moving to a specific position. Your mission objectives will be updated from time to time which forces you to wonder what surprise could there be later on in the game. With the objectives location indicator, it is nearly impossible to lose track of what you're obligated to perform. Many of the game reviewers mentioned that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men's weapon accuracy is flawed seeing that your bullets sometimes miss regardless of the zoomed in reticle's position on the enemy. This isn't bad seeing that realistically, bullets will not necessarily strike the targets given the consideration of weapon recoil, shooting position and wind movement; consequently, it should be viewed as a positive characteristic of promoting realism instead of flaw in the game play. The opportunity to conduct hand to hand combat at close distance isn't anything new or original, on the other hand, it is essential at times ( for instance, fighting your way in a crowded Tokyo night club hoping to take down the enemies without compromising the lives of innocent visitors who are running aimlessly in terror) and amazingly stylish. The crew command system is similar to those in the Special Forces genre like SOCOM or Rainbow Six Vegas. The system removes part of the player's burden when it come to fighting hordes of enemies with teammates executing their orders efficiently. With a friend around, the player and his or her friend are able to work together and shoot their way through 16 chapters in the campaign mode which is more enjoyable than playing alone. Foolish enemy AI according to the game reviewers is totally undeniable. However, most of the time, the enemies will know how to seek for cover and anticipate the player's movement. It is those rare occasions where the enemy foolishly walk towards your path without firing at you. Although the game play isn't new, nevertheless it provides a thrilling and solid experience for the players.

The graphics are great as well. This wouldn't be any surprise as IO Interactive, the developers of the Hitman series are responsible for developing the game. The environments are very detailed and the lightings are flawless. The game's texture is smooth and the character's model is strikingly sharp and detailed to perfection. The gun models are as accurate as the real ones which adds the realism to the game. The only flaw about its graphics is the explosion which looks like a mild burst of sparks instead of a real burst of fire.With its good graphics, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men pose a good choice for those who are fanatical about graphic quality.

Apart from the graphics, the game's soundtrack is another positive characteristics of the game. It throws players into a fast paced action packed movie setting throughout their game play. Different music scores goes along different scenes depending on the rate of the gun fights. Moments when no hostility is presence, a smooth trance-like music accompanies the scene which makes the game stylish. As enemies appear and the gun fight escalates, the theme transforms into a fast pace intense music which lets the player experience the adrenaline excitement of the action. The soundtrack of the game is another factor that contributes to the game's success.

Voice acting for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is at its best. The dialog which is mostly accompany with the "f" word at the end shows that this game caters for the mature audience. Every word which is instilled with a variety of emotions like sarcasm, anger and sorrow authenticates the game giving it a Hollywood drama experience. It wouldn't be a surprise if Kane & Lynch: Dead Men becomes an inspiration for a crime drama or movie.

As the credits rolled, I couldn't help but to applaud as the game was simply amazing. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men isn't anything new or original in terms of its game play, nevertheless it provides a dynamic fast paced action experience for those who are addicted to the crime and action genre. With its unique storyline that leaves the players in shock and curiosity, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is a must buy for those who appreciates a good story. The game should be awarded 8 out of 10 mostly for its Hollywood scripted story line, professional voice acting and a solid game play. Rumor has it that a film adaptation is in work under Lionsgate with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Northon as the suggested cast of the infamous partners. Apart from that, Eidos have started working on a sequel for the game and it is rumored to be released around Christmas this year. The company hopes to make the Kane & Lynch: Dead Men franchise big.


The guy with the shotgun is the schizophrenic murderer, Lynch. The scar face roughing the poor lady is Kane. Apparently, the term "gentlemen" isn't in their dictionary.

A ruthless mercenary. A medicated psychopath. An alliance MADE IN HELL.

Taking cover is always important...unless you want to end up like that dead SWAT guy on the ground.

With such fire power delivered to the cops, the duos are determined not to go back to jail

Damn...SWAT's here...not good.

The Tokyo Night Club shoot out. This scene reminds me of Michael Mann's Collateral.

When window cleaners are on strike...

Rappelling will be essential during certain parts of the game.

You're not exactly Special Forces but if you cooperate like one, you'll be lethal and effective like one

Some missions will take place in the streets of Japan. Shown here is a Japanese police officer of the Special Assault Team who becomes the victim of Kane's slaughter.

From bank heist to an all out war in a country under civil dispute.Vengeance and violence knows no boundary


Here's the trailer for the game. Enjoy!

Welcome Back Dinner

Shortly after my 3 weeks holiday in Malaysia, here I am back in Kamloops, the Silent Hill of British Columbia. Like me, most of my Hong Kee and Japanese friends have return and I'm glad to see them again as I miss them a lot. Nothing much has happened throughout my return to Canada. School has started and it is the second week of Canada. Everyone seems to be busy with their class schedules since they have 5 classes unlike me where I only have 3. I haven't been seeing Cindy and Maaya that often compared to last year as they are always overwhelmed with their work. Most of the time when I invite them over for dinner, they have no choice but to turn down my invitation as they have to catch up with their school work. Come to think about it, I feel a bit guilty as I realize that I am not as hard working as them. Fortunately for me, my best friend Shelley manages to spare some of her time with me despite her busy school schedule. Since it has been a while I had dinner with Shelley, I thought of inviting her over for dinner with me and my roommate on a Friday night. It so happened that I brought back some chicken rice stock from Malaysia, so I suggested that we had Hainanese chicken rice for dinner. Excited to try a Malaysian dish, my roommate and Shelley of course agreed with my suggestion. Shelley told me to invite Maaya and Cindy as well for dinner which I was reluctant initially since the both of them are always busy with their work. Conversely, I did invited the both of them but initially, they said that they had to see if their workload permits them. Knowing that at the end of the day, they would eventually decline my invitation like always so I didn't really expected much from them. Last Wednesday, as I was walking back from my Economics class, I bump into Maaya's Japanese friends, Kentaroh and Yoshitaka; seeing that it has been a while since we talk to each other, I invited the both of them over for the upcoming dinner on Friday. Later on that day, Maaya informed me that she and Cindy will be able to make if for dinner. The following day, Cindy informed me that she will be bringing her Chinese friends Eric and Edison along. What thought to be a small dinner with my roommate and Shelley turned out surprisingly to be a big dinner . As old friends reunite with one another again, the dinner was more like a welcome back dinner instead of a casual one. The welcome back dinner 3 days ago was great as I managed to spend some quality time with my friends.

Last Friday after my Economics class, I went back to my apartment to take a short rest. Knowing that Yoshitaka, will be arriving at 2pm, I had approximately half an hour to rest before welcoming him to my place. I thought of having lunch initially as I was hungry but since I recently purchased Kane & Lynch: Deadmen for my Play Station 3 which I thought was a very good game, I immediately forfeited my lunch and gamed on. After half an hour of shooting cops and killing gangsters in the game, I realized that Yoshitaka was waiting for me in the lobby of my apartment (guests are not allowed to proceed any further into the student rooms in my apartment until the student occupant signs them in at the front desk). I immediately paused my game and dashed to the elevator only to discover that my roommate (who also knows Yoshitaka) brought him up. Pleased to have Yoshitaka around, I invited him into my place without wasting any more time. As he entered my room, he was amazed with the sight of my Play Station 3 displayed next to my TV. Yoshitaka has always been a fan of video games especially the Play Station and the fact that his eyes glittered the moment he saw the black video game console in my room, I knew it was his aspiration to test out the Play Station 3. Being generous and considerate, I welcomed him to use my Play Station 3. He started off playing Time Crisis 4, and I taught him a few rules and tips of playing the game; Yoshitaka that day was hooked onto my Play Station and I could tell that he really enjoyed it. An hour later, Kentaroh came over and he joined us. Like Yoshitaka, he tried Time Crisis 4 but the fact that he lost a lot of times during the game indicated that Time Crisis was not his type. Half an hour later, Cindy called me and told me to meet her at the apartment lobby in 5 minutes time for grocery shopping for the dinner that night; immediately, I informed my Japanese friends that we need to get ready for grocery shopping.

Later on that day at the lobby, Maaya joined us. She was glad to see her Japanese friends joining us for dinner. As Cindy made her way to the lobby, Maaya introduced her Japanese friends to her. After the brief introduction of smiles and "hi"s we marched to the nearest bus stop to take a bus ride to the grocery lot. After reaching the grocery lot, we grabbed a trolley and began our shopping. Yoshitaka and Kentaroh thought of adding another dish for dinner, so they went and grab the essential ingredients. Like the Japanese, Maaya and Cindy wanted to cook a dish respectively, therefore they hunted for food ingredients as well. As for me on the other hand, I just got a couple of soft drinks and chicken meat for the dinner. Unlike everyone else, I didn't buy a lot. After an hour and a half of shopping, we walked back to the apartment with our grocery shopping bags. The moment we reached the apartment, the girls went back to their room to sort the items they bought. MyJapanese friends and I on the other hand went back to my room and continued gaming instead of sorting our groceries.

Yoshitaka wanted to try out my copy of Call Of Duty 4. After setting up the game, I demonstrated the controls and regulations of the game by playing a random mission in the game for them. The Japanese especially Yoshitaka were totally amazed, with the photo realistic graphics of the game. The both of them traded comments in Japanese about the game alternately after every 5 seconds while I was demonstrating the game for them. Although I could not understand a word of what they were saying I was certain that those were very good comments about the game. As I completed a mission of the game, I restarted the mission again before passing the controller to my Japanese friends.

A few minutes later, Shelley knocked on my door. After letting her in, we started cooking the rice and slicing the chicken meat for our chicken rice dinner. My roommate came in not long after that and informed us that Cindy and Maaya have started cooking at the common kitchen on the 2nd floor; I was glad that most of us started preparing dinner as my stomach was growling in hunger. It was not long before my Japanese friends decided to let my Play Station rest and start preparing dinner. Everyone of us were at the common kitchen preparing dinner. I, on the other hand was at the kitchen as well but I did not help out with the preparation as I lacked the knowledge of cooking. However, I volunteered myself to wash the cooking utensils and the plates seeing that I felt guilty of not helping out in the kitchen. An hour later, Cindy's friends, Eric and Edison joined us; unlike the most of us who were preparing dinner, the duo's from Taiwan and China bought a couple of dishes for us from the Chinese restaurant nearby. Eric who missed teasing and bullying me didn't waste anytime on me while Edison on the other hand couldn't wait any further to have himself entertained by Eric's mischievous. An hour later, dinner was prepared and we were all impatient to dig in. We brought the food to the common lounge on the same floor and started feasting on the meal we prepared.

Dinner that night was great. All of us traded conversations and jokes with one another and it seems that it has been a while since all of us gathered together for dinner. We weren't only entertained by each other's presence at the dinner table but also a television which was located at the lounge where we had dinner. It so happened that the old Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle (dubbed in English which made it sound horrible) was played on TV that night. Watching the humorous act of the show's contestants added the fun and joy for dinner that night. In the middle of our dinner, one of us cracked some dirty joke which prompted us the idea to switch the TV's channel to the X-rated channel (yeah, there is porn on Canadian public TV every Friday night). Since the girls didn't object our crude behavior (which wasn't any surprise if you really get to know them), they didn't mind, instead they encouraged us to switch to the X-rated channel. Eric who was always fond of teasing me then suggested me to walk to the TV and changed channel. Initially I was reluctant to do it but as Eric prompted everyone to cheer for me to switch channel, I eventually did. All of us (even the girls) were then screaming and laughing in excitement as we watched the sexual displays on TV; on the other hand, I felt slightly awkward. After realizing that there was a security camera in the common lounge which could see what we were watching, I immediately warned everyone before changing the channel as I feared that the staff at the front desk working in front of the security TV screen might perceived us wrongly. After hitting the next channel, there was wrestling on TV so I thought it would be a better alternative. As the night was getting very late, we felt tired and it was obvious that we had to call it a day. After wishing each other good bye and thanking one another for attending the dinner, we cleaned up the common lounge and washed the dishes before retiring to our room.

The welcome back dinner 3 days ago was great as I managed to spend some quality time with my friends. Not only did I spend quality time with my usual friends but I also managed to further my friendship with my Japanese friends whom I haven't seen for quite some time. Hopefully there would be more dinner gathering in the future as events like this only bring us closer together. May the welcome back dinner of early 2008 mark a long lasting friendship among all of us.

(From top left to right, followed by bottom left to right): Kentaroh, Eric, my roommate, Yoshitaka, Edison, Maaya and Cindy.

(Left to right) Yoshitaka and Kentaroh. Two hilarious dudes from the land of the rising sun.


My best friend, Shelley

Switching to the X-rated channel due to popular demand. Don't ask me what's on the TV screen and don't bother looking closely at it as you're only straining your eyes and wasting your time.

Emmm...banana...yum yum. Everyone was laughing at me when I had a banana for some reason.

I Don't Care What They Say, I Still Like the Game

Not too long ago, I managed to get my hands on the latest installment of the Time Crisis series which is the 4th one for the Play Station 3. It cost me $89 and it comes with an orange Guncon 3 which I thought it would look better if it was black. It would be a lie to state that I am a big fan of the Time Crisis series as I hardly remember the names of the characters from the 1st installment until the 4th one but at the same time it would also be a lie if I said that I didn't really find anything fun about the game seeing that I have completed every one of the series except for the latest one. Developed by Namco, the Time Crisis series has always been rated greatly by most video game magazines; however, apparently the latest installment seems to have an opposite ratings of its predecessor. Game Spot concluded that Time Crisis 4 was just a "mediocre" gun shooting game with its final ratings of 5.5 out of 10. Game Trailers rated the game 6.4 out of 10 which was slightly better than Game Spot yet it still implies that the game isn't worth the purchase. Seeing that the latest series crashed and burn in terms of its ratings, I decided to investigate the causes of the game's downfall which prompted me to buy a copy and try it out for myself. The Time Crisis series has been in the market(initially, it started off in the arcade market)for more than 10 years. It isn't any surprise to discover that almost 95% of video arcades worldwide have at least a Time Crisis machine given the fact that it has the unique pedal action system for ducking enemy fire that accompanies the exciting gun shooting action. The game's unique pedal action system eventually stole the spot light of other arcade gun shooting titles like the House Of the Dead and the Virtua Cop series. If you were to ask any gun shooter fan, they'll list the Time Crisis series as one of their favorites. So what forced Time Crisis 4 into the dirt? The answer: gaming bias. Throughout my game play of the gun action game, there was nothing much that I dislike about the game and in fact, I find it to be the best Time Crisis installment so far.

Time Crisis 4 tells the story of a joint operation between the European Union's V.S.S.E. ( not sure what the acronyms stands for but it is made clear in the series that this organization deals with covert operations) and the United States Internal Surveillance Group (I.S.G.) to prevent the European terrorist organization known as the Western Organization Liberation Front (W.O.L.F.) from using a stolen top secret military weapon which was developed by the Americans. As the I.S.G. has learned that the top secret military weapon was about to fall in the hands of the W.O.L.F., Captain William Rush is immediately assigned to California to investigate the incident alone. As the captain digs deeper into his investigation, he finds himself face to face with unexpected enemy forces, terrorist plots and the shocking truth regarding the top secret military weapon. At the same time, the V.S.S.E. immediately dispatches two agents, Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard to California after receiving intelligence report regarding W.O.L.F's intention to employ the top secret weapon that could spell the devastation of the European Union's interest. Upon their arrival at the California International Airport, the agents were unexpectedly welcomed by a well equipped military force who wants them dead. The story plot of the game which features unexpected terrorist plots, international relations, government cover ups and need-to-know-basis together with twisted discoveries provides a great story premise for the game; Time Crisis 4 prevails in term of its story.

Like all of its predecessor, Time Crisis 4 never fails to offer a unique game play. It still maintains its unique shoot and duck for cover game play. Seeing that the game is built for home version, the Guncon 3 is equipped with buttons for the duck and cover functionality instead of a leg pedal. Like Time Crisis 3, the latest Time Crisis installment allows player to select a variety of weapons like pistol, shotgun, machine gun and grenade launcher by pulling the trigger repeatedly behind cover; given the choice of weapon selection only makes the series fresher and better. The Battle Screen game play which appears during specific time of the mission is another characteristic worth mentioning. Although it isn't a new game play in the Time Crisis series as it made its 1st appearance 9 years ago in Time Crisis: Project Titan (but not the later series) nevertheless, it is a good return for the latest installment which makes the game better. In the Battle Screen game play, the player are obligated to shift their gun left or right outside the screen to change the player's view in order to eliminate enemies attacking from multiple directions. The single player game mode (which is different from the arcade game mode), allows players to put themselves in the position of Captain Rush who is investigating the W.O.L.F's plot. Unlike the arcade version of just shooting and ducking, the single player mode revolves around First Person Shooting (F.P.S). Using the Guncon's analog sticks to move and view around as well as aiming and firing with the gun, Time Crisis 4 instills a whole new meaning of F.P.S. Apart from the arcade and single player mode, the game offers extra mini games that provide a feedback regarding your marksmanship and even provide an opportunity to compete with a friend. The mini games aren't really that interesting to be played alone as they only revolve around shooting target plates. However, if you have a friend to play with, it will be more enjoyable. With interesting and unique game play, Time Crisis 4 deserves two thumbs up.

Seeing that the game is build for the Play Station 3, it would be obvious that Time Crisis 4 features great graphics. Although it doesn't apply the photo realistic graphics like the one in Call of Duty 4, on the other hand, the graphics quality similar to the cut scenes from Final Fantasy 10 and 12 is very impressive for an arcade shooting game. The environments are highly detailed and the game's lighting and textures are simply great. If a curious person would like to know the exact capability and quality of a 3rd generation console's graphic, Time Crisis 4 would be an ideal example just like Call Of Duty 4.

The only flaws about Time Crisis 4 is its voice acting and its exaggeration. The dialog lines are usually short and they hardly use any military jargons given the fact that this game revolves around the army; at times the dialog can be awkward and humorous to laugh at. The game is full of exaggeration as well; although it is understandable that the contents of a game are not 100% accurate and realistic, nevertheless most video games these days are made to be as realistic as possible. The developers of the game seems to ignore this trend by throwing in impossible and exaggerating scenes like the heroes jumping off a crashing helicopter at a couple of thousand feet without parachutes and surviving the jump. The character's design of Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard are simply ridiculous; the heroes are dressed very casually (more like the apparels for clubbing) instead of being dressed tactically or militarily given the fact that they are on a special mission. Although the game has flaws like these, on the other hand they are forgivable and they hardly pose any scratch on the game's rating.

Throughout my game play of the gun action game, there was nothing much that I dislike about the game and in fact I find it to be the best Time Crisis installment so far. According to me, Time Crisis 4 should be awarded 8 out of 10 mostly for its game play and graphics.Apparently there are rumors stating that Namco is already working on the 5th installment of the game. Hopefully, the all time favorite hero Richard Miller (1st Time Crisis protagonist)will return. More importantly, I hope that the developers will produce original and better game play.

The Play Station 3 copy of Time Crisis 4. It comes with an orange Guncon

This is how the Guncon 3 looks like. The color spoils the look nevertheless the gun functions well.

This definitely look better than the orange one. If only I know where to get it...

Welcome to the California, my V.S.S.E. friends. Now die!

At this shooting distance, you wouldn't miss. The ideal weapon for this situation would be the shot gun. The spread shot will take two target down at one shot.

They just keep coming...

If bullets won't kill those pesky V.S.S.E. agents, cockroaches will

Shoot them before they hack you up...Kinda reminds me of House of The Dead...only that a commando is with the axe instead of a zombie.

The fight isn't restricted to urban environments but also caves. Notice on the bottom right side that time is running out. With 58 milliseconds left, the poor player will lose a life...unless he slows time down...which is not possible

The 1st person shooter action offered in the single player mode.

I take pleasure in guttin' you boy...

The Best SOCOM Installment I Have Played

A couple of days before the new year, I managed to finish SOCOM Tactical Strike, the latest SOCOM installment for the Play Station Portable. The game took me at least 14 hours to complete and of course I didn't play for 14 hours in a row. Instead, I played 1 or 2 missions the most a day. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the SOCOM series, the SOCOM abbreviation stands for Special Operations Command. This organization is not fictional as it is the special operations branch of the United States Army; however, the scenarios and missions in the game are entirely fictional . Although SOCOM represents the general Special Forces of America, the SOCOM video game series mainly revolves around the United States Navy SEALs. I have played previous SOCOM series (duh...) however, the latest installment is indeed different from its predecessor and surprisingly it is one of the best SOCOM titles I have ever played. Throughout my 14 hours of game play, I couldn't be any grateful for having the opportunity to own a masterpiece like this.

SOCOM Tactical Strike tells the story of a local rebel group in Panama known as the La Mano which plans to overthrow the Panamanian government. Under the charismatic leadership of Hector Ortiz, the La Mano rebel forces managed to push its way into the heart of the Panamanian city. At the same time of the insurgent, a foreign ambassador meets with the Panamanian interior minister in order to address his (the foreign ambassador) concerns regarding the foreign embassy under the potential threat of the La Mano. The Panamanian interior minister insist that the La Mano insurgents are far away from the embassy and that the Panamanian security forces will ensure the safety of the ambassador. As the meeting between the foreign ambassador and the Panamanian interior minister was to adjourn, a group of gunmen in tactical gear which appears to be the La Mano rebels storm the office of the interior minister, throwing both the foreign ambassador and the interior minister in a state of irony. It wasn't long before they were both abducted by the La Mano gunmen. In response to the abduction of the foreign ambassador, the government of which the ambassador belongs to dispatch a group of highly trained elite commandos to retrieve the ambassador and assist the Panamanian Security Force in crippling the La Mano rebel forces. As the commandos continue their fight in Panama, they learn that La Mano is employed by a Russian oil tycoon which desires to fulfill its lust of profits by taking advantage of the conflict in Panama.

Unlike the previous SOCOM series, Tactical Strike does not limit the player from only using American Navy SEALs only. Instead, the players are given a variety of other foreign Special Forces to choose from like the British and Australian SAS (Special Air Service), the Italian 9th Parachute Assault Regiment, Spanish Unindad de Operaciones Especiales, French GIGN and South Korean Special Mission Unit. Each of the given Special Forces have its own unique voice acting, player skins and call signs, nevertheless their mission scenarios are all the same. The variety of Special Forces offered in Tactical Strike appeals to a bigger international audience which is a good thing as it does not only limit the SOCOM market to the North American consumers but also to the South American, European and Asian consumers. Consequently, it was wise for the game developers to feature a variety of international Special Forces in the game.

When the developers for Tactical Strike announced that they will implement the squad command and control interface similar to those like the Full Spectrum Warriors series, fans of the SOCOM series were thrown into a state of terror and outrage. This is because in the previous SOCOM titles, players could control their characters movements, actions, targeting and shooting which they are no longer allowed to in Tactical Strike. My first impression of the game was negative like every other SOCOM fans however as I tried the first few stages of the game, I was guilty of mistrusting the developers of the game. The squad command control which only limits you to telling your commandos what to do instead of controlling them was great. In fact it was better than the conventional player control scheme as it allows the players to think critically before executing their actions. The squad command scheme also promotes the OPA principle ( Observe, Plan, Act) which is a universal Special Forces tactic thus adding the authenticity of the game. For those who have played the Full Spectrum Warriors series and banged their head against the wall in frustration (...like me), experiencing the same pain and frustration is the last thing you should worry when playing Tactical Strike as the step by step tutorial in the first stage of the game will teach you the fundamentals of the game in a crystal clear manner.

Apart from the unique squad control scheme offered in the game, the missions offered in the game contribute to the success of Tactical Strike. There are 11 missions altogether in the game and as little as it may seem, it would be foolish to think that the game can be completed all in one day or two. The missions are long and it takes more than an hour to complete. It is very usual in the game to receive additional objectives when you thought it would be the end of the mission. Despite sudden surprises like this, nevertheless the variety of the added missions can be very interesting.

The maps for the mission is another great characteristic of the game. They are open ended which explain the long time length of the missions, nevertheless they provide autonomy for the players to achieve and prioritize their sub objectives in the manner they think is best. The design of the maps which allocate a fair amount of cover and ambush positions force the players to construct their team's action wisely instead of allowing players to move their squad mindlessly and act foolishly. Some maps of the mission can be very wide which forces players to split their squad into 2 in order to achieve objectives that are allocated on both far ends of the map simultaneously in order to save time. Despite the open ended and the massive size of the maps, players won't get lost or lose track of their objectives as there is a clear and detailed schematic of the operational theater to inform the players regarding their current positions and also objectives. The unique design of the map which also influence the fundamentals of the game play is one of the great characteristics of Tactical Strike.

The environment in the game is another aspect that deserves two thumbs up. Surprisingly the environment is highly detailed. Buildings like warehouses, churches, huts and mansions are rendered beautifully with great textures and lighting effects. The level are massive and detailed, filled with lush foliage and feeble looking vehicles. It was really unexpected for Tactical Strike to be visually striking given that the game was only design for a game console as small as the Play Station Portable. Nevertheless this is one good surprise.

The soundtrack for the game is at its best. The suspenseful and heroic themes throw players into an action movie setting throughout their game play. The best part of the soundtrack is that different music themes accompany different situations in the mission. For instance, just as the team of commandos are about to breach and clear into a room full of enemies, a suspenseful nail biting music score will be played and after successfully clearing a zone from enemies or achieving the mission's sub objective, a heroic or a victorious music score accompanies the scene. When any of your teammates are seriously wounded in action, a touching or a sad music theme will force the players to shed a tear or two. Basically, Tactical Strike's soundtrack is one to be remembered.

Throughout my 14 hours of game play, I couldn't be any grateful for having the opportunity to own a masterpiece like this. There's not much things to rant about Tactical Strike except for its foolish enemy AI at times. Since there are a variety of international Special Forces at the player's disposal, I was disappointed as Malaysia's PASKAL (Pasukan Khas Laut, Malaysian Navy SEAL) did not make an appearance given the fact that PASKAL operatives and Navy SEALs train consistently together. Overall, the developers of this game did a great job despite they brought a new twist to the series. Currently, they are working on a new SOCOM title called Confrontation for the Play Station 3 and hopefully they will implement the squad control scheme that made Tactical Strike a success. I shall be looking forward to the day they release Confrontation.


Before you begin a new campaign, you are given the opportunity to choose your Special Forces squad. It is nice to use other international Special Forces once a while as you can hear their enthusiastic cries in their respective language. For me, I used the South Korean Special Mission Unit throughout my campaign. Too bad there was no Malaysia's PASKAL.

There is no "I" in team but there is "me". Teamwork is the key to completing the mission effectively and efficiently.

A variety of squad command at your disposal. Each options will either devastate your mission or lead your team to victory therefore, choosing your options wisely based on your observation is a matter of life and death.

Want to take out an enemy and still hide your team's presence? Easy, just do it quietly. Shown above here, is a SEAL operative stabbing a La Mano rebel from behind stealthily.

Apart from urban warfare, your team of commandos will be pitted in jungle environment operations.

When they own the night, their enemies get owned. Some missions take place at night where visibility is low. Nevertheless, our valiant commandos are equipped with night vision goggles to assist their combat vision.