Swatting

I still remember the bliss which clouded me when my parents got me very own SWAT gear (yes, the same one you saw in my Facebook profile picture) back in secondary school after performing well on my SPM examination. To top it up, they even got me a p Glock 18C pellet pistol to go along with my SWAT outfit when we visited a BB Gun Store in Japan several years ago. Of course back then when I was still young, my mischievousness was almost limitless due to my immature behavior. I still remember pulling a prank on my unsuspecting parents by going "full gear" and arming myself with my pellet pistol before storming violently into my parents bedroom and screaming "Police! Get down on the ground now!". They were scared nearly to death and one of them almost piss themselves wet when I charged in unexpectedly, masked with a black balaclava, dressed in black paramilitary outfit and equipped with a pellet gun that perfectly resembles the real one; talk a bout how effective the element of surprise is. The prank was not only extremely humorous but also very exhilarating as I was given the opportunity to get a "taste" of my dream career (and boy, I love that taste). Of course, my naughtiness did not go unpunished when I got a fierce lecture from my mum regarding my immature behavior that got my dad's high blood pressure climbing and later ended with my SWAT gear and my pellet gun confiscated for almost a month. Knowing that the SWAT prank I made was seriously bad, I thought that was the worst prank I've ever did in my life but I was proven wrong today when I noticed that there were worst versions of the SWAT prank out there.

During one of my video search on SWAT teams in YouTube today, I came across a special video in a form of an American news clip that highlighted a new type of dangerous prank called "swatting". This prank involves making a false call to the police with fake reports of hostage taking or any serious crime reports that will later force the police to dispatch a SWAT team at the residence of the prank's victim. Such prank can be extremely deadly as the victim armed with a weapon for defensive purposes getting ready to confront what thought to be a robber or thief, only to realize that it is a team of highly equipped SWAT officers, can be killed. According to the FBI, "swatting" is not only restricted to the use of telephones but also computers that are capable of hiding the caller's ID.There were several recent cases about this deadly prank in America.

An innocent couple from Salinas in America came face to face with their local SWAT team who were pointing their assault rifles at them. The prank call which the Salina police department responded to was actually made thousands of miles away. According to the 911 operator who received the call, three armed gunmen with AK 47s tried to break into the residential complex in Salinas. The SWAT team were sent to the scene of the reported crime only to find out it was a prank call.

A couple of years ago in Alvarado of Johnson County, the victim of a bogus 911 call, Jim Proulx was apprehended by a SWAT team at his own home. He was cuffed and dragged into a squad car immediately after the SWAT team confronted him. The SWAT officers were informed by the 911 operator that Proulx was armed with an AK 47 rifle, getting ready to kill his hostages if he's demand for $50,000 and a transportation to Mexico was not adhered. After the SWAT team conducted a thorough search which lasted 4 hours, they concluded it was all a hoax. Eventually, the traces of the hoax led to Stuart Rosoff and 5 of his accomplices who called the police and misled them by modifying the caller's ID making the police think that Proulx was the one who made the call. Stuart Rosoff and his accomplices pleaded guilty to the conspiracy.

Knowing that the SWAT prank I made was seriously bad, I thought that was the worst prank I've did in my life but I was proven wrong today when I noticed that there were worst versions of the SWAT prank out there. Anyway, my parents ought to be grateful that their son did not resort to such a prank on them. At the same time, I should also be grateful that I wasn't dumb enough to think about calling up the police and telling them that my dad wasted a clip of M-16 on my mum for telling my dad to cut down on his smoking and alcohol consumption. I just couldn't imagine the consequences of having a Malaysian SWAT team breaking into my house to neutralize the situation. Unlike the SWAT teams in America, the SWAT teams in Malaysia are trained in a different nature which permits them to shoot first and apprehend the suspects later (that is if the suspects are lucky enough to be alive). I wouldn't want to tell my dad lying paralyzed in a hospital for catching a bullet in his spine, that my prank was the root of his unlucky fate.

Before the Dark Knight

Title: Gotham Knight
Starring: Kevin Conroy, Gary Dorudan, Ana Ortiz, Parminder Nagra, David McCallum
Director: Shojiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki, Toshiyuki Kebboka, Jong sik Nam

Several days before the Dark Knight was released in theaters worldwide, I came across copies of an animated Batman movie. It was called Gotham Knight, and I noticed that the animation for that movie was very similar to the Japanese anime. Initially, I wasn't really bothered about that movie as I thought it was for the younger audiences however after the excitement I got from watching the Dark Knight yesterday in my local cinema, I thought I could go for another Batman story. Consequently, I visited the video store nearby and rented a copy of Gotham Knight. I have to say that it was more than I expected and it was worth the money I spend on renting the movie.

Gotham Knight is an animated movie which takes place shortly after the events of Batman Begins and shortly before the Dark Knight. Kevin Conroy, the voice actor for the Batman cartoon series during the early 90s reprises his role as Bruce Wayne and Batman in the Gotham Knight. The animated movie consist of 6 short stories with its own plot and style, however some of the stories are linked.

Josh Olsen's "Have I Got a Story for You" which is the first story revolves around a young skater boy who meets up with three of his usual skater friends at an indoor skate park on a late evening. His friends than informed the boy that they had an astonishing encounter with the Dark Knight who was trying to apprehend a high tech criminal, on the way to the indoor skate park. Conversely each of them had different description of Batman. One of them described Batman as a living shadow that can disappear and reappear like a phantom while the others described Gotham's hero as a Man-Bat creature and a powered exo-skeleton combat armor. Having heard the exaggerated tales of his friends, the boy fret on his misfortune as he wasn't as lucky as his friends who had the opportunity to see Gotham's hero in action. As they were about to disperse, two figure crashed violently through the windows of the indoor skate park. One of them was the high tech criminal that all the boy's friends were talking about and the other was the legendary Gotham Knight. As the boy was about to encounter the cape crusader, it was time to determine how the Dark Knight looks like through his own eyes.

"Crossfire" is the second story featured in the Gotham Knight. Written by Greg Rucka, the second story in the animated movie tells the story of Detective Crispus Allen and Detective Anna Ramirez of the Major Crime Unit who were assigned by James Gordon to escort a high tech criminal who was apprehended by the Dark Knight, to Arkham Asylum. Detective Allen has been always skeptical about Batman and he feels like being an errand boy for the vigilante. On their way back to the police headquarters after transporting the criminal to the asylum, the skeptical detective informs his partner regarding his intention to leave the Major Crime Unit because of his impression of the Dark Knight. Shocked by the sudden decision over a petty matter, Detective Ramirez pulls the car over to an empty spot and confronts her partner claiming that Batman is reliable seeing that he has changed Gotham City for the better. In the middle of their debate, they noticed the presence of the Russian and Sal Maroni's gang. The detectives soon realize that they were caught in between the crossfire of both organized crime leaders who have a score to settle with one another. With guns blazing violently from both gangs which will spell doom for the trapped police officers, Detective Ramirez's stand for Batman's reliability is put to the test.

Written by Jordan Goldberg, "Field Test" begins with Lucius Fox (the character played by Morgan Freeman in Batman Begins and the Dark Knight)conducting a study and test on an electromagnetic device he believed to be responsible for the accident involving Bruce Wayne's satellite. He later discovered that the device could deflect small arms ammunition which prompted Bruce Wayne to use the device. Bruce Wayne later attends a charity golf tournament organize by Ronald Marshall, a developer who he suspects is involve with the death of Teresa Williams, a strong opposer to Ronald Marshall. Bruce manages to steal Ronald Marshall's Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) later on in the tournament knowing that it will be useful. Later on at night, the Batman uses the PDA which he stole earlier on from the tournament to hijack a boat owned by Sal Maroni before navigating it alongside with the Russians' boat (Maroni's enemy). Planning to force a truce between both the Maroni gang and the Russians who were ready to slaughter each other, Batman jumps into the confrontation expecting a heavy fire fight directed at him which he solely relies on the bullet-deflecting electromagnetic device he got from Lucius Fox.

"Darkness Dwell" is the next story in the Gotham Knight which was scripted by David S. Goyer. The story begins with a SWAT team responding to a violent disturbance at a church in Gotham City where Cardinal O' Fallon was giving a sermon. Lieutenant Gordon, Detective Allen and Detective Ramirez of the Major Crime Unit were at the scene investigating the disturbance. Witnesses claimed that the Cardinal was kidnapped by a monster which resembled a lizard. Additional testimony from the traumatized witnesses states that the monster headed down into the crypts below the church. Batman who was at the scene suspected that the outbreak of the violent disturbance was due to the fear toxin and he later concluded that the Scarecrow (the villain from Batman Begins)was involve in the Cardinal's abduction. He then hands Lieutenant Gordon an ear piece in order to establish a communication network before he descends into the crypt to search for the abducted Cardinal.

Brian Azzarello's "Working Through Pain" picks up immediately after the ending of "Darkness Dwell". Having a bullet wound in his stomach and losing a lot of blood, Batman's only salvation rest solely on locating the rendezvous location with his loyal butler, Alfred. Struggling in pain and fighting his way out of the maze like sewer, Batman grows weaker and eventually he surrenders and collapses. He soon experiences flashback during his days volunteering with a relief effort and assisting a doctor performing a gruesome surgery without anesthesia as well as his journey to India to learn the art of conquering physical pain from a female guru.

"Deadshot" is the final story in the Gotham Knight. Written by Alan Burnett, the sixth and final story revolves around the professional marksman assassin called Deadshot, who is hired by the Russians to assassinate Lieutenant Gordon. After receiving the news regarding the hit on the Lieutenant, Batman races against time to locate the deadly marksman before the lieutenant becomes Deadshot's hunting trophy.

I have to say that it was more than I expected and it was worth the money I spend on renting the movie. Gotham Knight not only offers a variety of animation style through its six different interesting stories but also maintains its dark and gritty presentation similar to Batman Begins. Apart from that, Gotham Knight also delivers a reasonable amount of violence and action that is sufficient to cater for the older audiences. Overall, Gotham Knight serves a great appetizer before the Dark Knight is served at the dining table; it deserves an 8 out of 10.

The call of the Gotham Knight

A bad guy puking after having a taste of the Bat fart.

.Batman getting ready to lay the smack down

Ready or not here I come!

Bruce Wayne learning the art of conquering pain through meditation under the guidance of a guru.

Brucie with a gat!? For real!?

Wooyah! Waatah! I'm Bruce Lee..Err I mean Bruce Wayne

Did you just called me a mummy!?

Arkham Asylum welcomes you with...a twisted smile.

Not the Same Saturday Morning Batman Cartoon I Used to Watch When I was Young

Title: Dark Knight
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckheart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Christopher Teo
Director: Christopher Nolan

Who can ever forget the cape crusader who patrols the city of Gotham fighting crime when Batman has been around for decades since Superman? Although I'm never really a big fan of Batman, I followed the series closely which was played every Saturday morning on TV when I was growing up. Probably its just because of the fact that there were hardly any costume strapped heroes aired on Malaysian TV back then. Although there was Superman back then, but the fact that the man of steel was almost invincible wasn't really appealing for me compared to a mere mortal behind the rubber suit of a bat who is scarred and constantly haunted by the death of his parents. Unfortunately, my taste for heroes and superheroes rescuing the-day-and-putting-the-bad-guys-behind-bars slowly disappeared as I grew older. Instead, I prefer the heroes (or vigilantes, most of you would address) who resorts to gruesome methods and even death as a way of reminding the bad guys that crime can be hell. Vigilantes like the Punisher catered my taste and I slowly drifted apart from the Batman series. Back in 2005 when a remake of Batman (Batman Begins) came out in theaters, I was not excited like most people I knew as I thought that the movie was going to deliver the same violent free routine of teaching the bad guys just like Tim Burton's Batman movies in the early 90s. Conversely after 2 hours in the theater watching Batman Begins, I was completely proven wrong and my perception of Batman quickly changed. The remake of Batman which featured a reasonable amount of violence together with a dark and gritty presentation of Batman redefined the classic cape crusader of Gotham. I was impress with the remake and I was hoping that there will be a sequel to the movie. Three years later and the Dark Night arrives in theaters worldwide. I was fortunate enough to catch the movie a day after its premier which I never thought I could, given the highly anticipated nature of the movie . Unlike its previous installment, the Dark Knight extends the violence and provides a darker and also disturbing theme than the previous movie. Despite its gruesome plot, the Dark Knight forces the audience at the edge of their seat throughout the movie only to receive two thumbs up at the ending credits of the movie.

Dark Knight picks up shortly after the ending of Batman Begins. With crime still on the rise, Batman sets out to annihilate the remaining organized crime that plagues the city of Gotham. His quest to defeat crime is greatly assisted by Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey. The unlikely triad managed to pummel the rate of crime forcing the leaders and major players of the remaining organized crime into a desperate state. Unfortunately for the triad, the advent of the criminal mastermind known as the Joker to aid the remaining leaders of the organized crime turn the war on crime against the triad's side. With devastating and disturbing tricks up his sleeves, the Joker forces a great challenge for Batman, when he delivers chaos, terror and anarchy on the city of Gotham. Although the plot behind the Dark Knight appears to be the simple typical comic book hero style, the unexpected twist and turns in the plot together with a dark and sinister background of the characters force the ratings of the story quality to sky rocket.

The content of the movie is simply spectacular in many ways. Aside from the usual good versus evil theme, the presentation of the characters were marvelous. Bruce Wayne still maintains his usual man-charms that often gets him triple dates to the ball while Lieutenant Jim Gordan and District Attorney Harvey Dent exemplify a convincing determination to annihilate crime and restore order in the corrupted city of Gotham. Batman's zero tolerance on crime which can be illustrated by his skull-cracking-punch-landing interrogation techniques makes the other Batman in the cartoon series soft gentle bunnies. This does not only instill a big distinction between the new Batman and the older Batman series but also forces a R rating which caters for the mature audiences. Despite playing the role of a villain, the Joker was the most astonishing character among the others in the movie. With his psychopathic behavior that illuminate a disturbing and traumatizing aura accompanied with his eerie giggles and his own unique "sense of humor" which never fails to deliver chills down the audiences' spine, the Joker is one character whom the audiences will find it difficult to forget. The music score for the movie is remarkable which wouldn't be any surprise seeing that Hans Zimmer was placed in charge for that aspect of the movie. Like the previous installment, Hans Zimmer smartly implements his ever thrilling Molossus masterpiece at moments of the movie that depicts high octane action sequences. Speaking of action sequences, the Bat Mobile chase scene which later highlighted the use of Batman's new high speed bike greatly accelerated the action of the movie. The use of Skyhook, a method of extracting special operators or CIA operatives from volatile positions behind enemy lines, was also featured in the movie which left audiences amazed. Heavy emphasize on SWAT action in the Dark Knight packs the movie with more high adrenaline action; my jaws reached the ground during the scenes where Gotham City's finest were rappelling and getting ready for some SWAT action. In the Dark Knight, Batman fans were pampered with new gadgets and weapons among the Dark Knight's arsenal. The new design of Batman's improved body armor (which is so strong that it can even out stand a Rottweiler's violent chomp), forearms guards which projects shuriken-like blades and a computerized eye visor which is slaved behind Batman's mask are examples of few gadgets and technologies which are truly impressive.

Despite most of its pros, the Dark Night still presents a couple of cons, nevertheless they are still forgivable. It was a shame that Katie Holmes could not reprise her role as Rachel in the Dark Knight. The new actress who replaced Katie Holmes in Rachel's role did a great job however; her mature looks (which look older than Bruce Wayne) wasn't really suitable for Rachel's young and charming appearance. Having a different set of voices for Batman and Bruce Wayne was unnecessary given the fact that Bruce Wayne wasn't suffering from a split personality; Bruce Wayne's rough voice behind the mask of Batman is simply cheesy and corny.

Although the plot behind the Dark Knight appears to be the simple typical comic book hero style, the unexpected twist and turns in the plot together with a dark and sinister background of the characters force the ratings of the story quality to sky rocket. Overall, the Dark Knight deserves an 8 out of 10 for its outstanding movie content. Judging from the ending of the movie, it is unclear whether there would be a sequel to the Dark Knight. If the directors, producers and writers plan to do a follow up, it is only the question of which villain the Dark Knight will be facing .
The Knight in his shining armor (not exactly shining though...)

The bat flaps his wings

Batman playing bad cop on the Joker

The bat's new bike

The Joker trying to carve a smile on Rachel

A classic villain from the Batman series makes a cameo appearance.

10 years with Metal Gear Solid

So what is this Metal Gear Solid 4 that you've been hearing me talk about for the past few weeks and seeing constantly on my Facebook, my Window's Messenger's personal message and more importantly how did it made me cry at the ending of the game? This Metal Gear Solid 4 that I have been raving for quite a while is apparently one of the few wonders in gaming history not to mention, it is my MAIN REASON FOR GETTING A PLAY STATION 3. After patiently waiting for 4 excruciating years with several months of delay, the game which I describe as "a legendary masterpiece" has finally hit the stores in the middle of last month. As copies of the 4th Metal Gear Solid installment reached the shelves of my local video game store, it was salvation for hardcore Metal Gear fans like me. I was extremely hyped and excited about the final chapter of the Metal Gear saga and at the meantime, I had my finger crossed hoping that there will be good surprises and revealed links to the previous Metal Gear series. Instead of posting a review on the 4th Metal Gear Solid seeing you are aware of my final rating for the game I find to be legendary, allow me to share with you my good old days with the series that started 10 years ago.


So what is Metal Gear? Instead of going full head on with military jargons which will leave you blur, Metal Gear is simply a massive robot piloted by a human, which is capable of launching nuclear missiles regardless of the launch terrain and the position. In other words, a Metal Gear is a mobile nuclear delivery war machine that poses a serious threat to global security. What makes the Metal Gear series supremely outstanding isn't only because of the unique design of the gargantuan nuclear missiles equipped war machine, but also the controversial issues involving genetics, nuclear proliferations, terrorism, patriotism, world conflicts, politics, government cover ups and private military corporations which serve as the theme of the game. Such theme does not only forces the players to realize the consequences of the possibilities described in the game but to also highlight these important issues that are taking place around the globe. In the Metal Gear series, players will often take on the role of Solid Snake, a highly trained and experienced soldier in the field of combat, warfare, espionage and infiltration, who is assigned to infiltrate deep behind the enemy's lines to destroy the Metal Gear in order to prevent a global nuclear holocaust.


When Metal Gear Solid first arrived for the Play Station console 10 years ago, I wasn't really hyped about it as I had a very lousy impression regarding the game when I first saw it. If memory served me well, my first glance of Metal Gear Solid 10 years ago (even the time before I got my 1st Play Station) was from one of the TV displays at a video game shop in Sunway Pyramid which was playing the introduction of Metal Gear Solid. Initially, I thought Metal Gear Solid was something about ocean exploration as the introduction of the game which I saw back then illustrated a man in scuba diving equipment swimming around underwater. When I got my first Play Station on that year as well, most of my friends strongly recommended that I get myself a copy of Metal Gear Solid. However, seeing that I wasn't really into ocean life, I thought about passing on the idea of playing that game. Conversely, after much persuasion from almost all of my friends who own a Play Station, I decided to give it a try. The first Metal Gear Solid tells the story of Solid Snake's dangerous infiltration into a nuclear disposal facility in Alaska codenamed Shadow Moses, which is taken over by FOXHOUND operatives who have gone rogue. They threaten the U.S. government with nuclear devastation if the government do not hand them the body of their FOXHOUND leader within a given time. Solid Snake is then assigned to infiltrate Shadow Moses with the objective of rescuing the president of Arms Tech and the chief of DARPA (Defense Advance Research Project Agency) who are both taken hostage in the facility and to assess the nuclear launching capability of the terrorists. My perception regarding the game drastically changed after having a go with the game; unfortunately it became worst. Given that the Metal Gear series heavily relied on stealth game play instead of the usual run-and-gun game play, it wasn't long before frustration clouded me as I was often spotted by the enemies which later resulted in the screen showing "game over". Ever since then, I told myself never to touch a frustrating game like Metal Gear Solid .


4 years later (in 2002) when I got my Play Station 2, the 2nd installment for the Metal Gear Solid series, Sons of Patriots appeared for the Play Station 2. As usual, many gamers were raving about the game which I never understood why back then. A secondary school classmate who owns a Play Station 2 like me back then suggested that I get myself a copy of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty. Like before, I turned a deaf ear on my classmate's suggestion as I could never forget how the first Metal Gear Solid pounded me with utmost frustration. However, the moment he mentioned that the United States Navy SEALs (one of the few Special Forces that I truly admire) were featured in the game, I immediately realized I had a copy of Metal Gear Solid 2 in my hands ( I guess I am a real sucker for Special Forces). The introduction video clip of the game which featured GRU (Russian Special Forces) operatives fast roping from a helicopter, getting ready to invade a US tanker got me really excited like a kid who was on a trip to Disneyland. Taking place 4 years after the incident at Shadow Moses, former Navy SEAL anti terror training unit codenamed Dead Cell and a Russian mercenary force who are led by Solid Snake sieze the Big Shell Disposal Facility. With the American President and other hostages in their clutches, they demand a massive ransom from the U.S. government in exchange for the President and the hostages' freedom or they will level the entire facility with explosives. As the dateline to deliver the ransom grows closer, the U.S. government dispatches SEAL Team 10 and a rookie FOXHOUND agent codenamed Raiden, to liberate the Big Shell Facility from Solid Snake and his mercenaries. When I begin playing the first mission of the game, I became worried as I feared that I had to go through all the frustrating stealth game play just like 4 years earlier. However as I started the first mission with a M9 tranquillizer pistol, sneaking was made easy; with the M9 in my inventory, sneaking was like taking a candy from a baby. As the Sons Of Liberty was not as difficult as its predecessor, it wasn't long before I started enjoying the game and the next thing I knew, I was hooked on it. The exciting stealth game play with the company of long well choreographed action packed cut scenes then shifted my perception of the Metal Gear series; from that point on, I knew I had a masterpiece in my hands. As I dwell deeper into the game, I started to build strong connections with the game characters especially the hero, Solid Snake. Most of the time, I was on the edge of my seat with countless stylish high octane action sequences. On the other hand, tears and sorrow followed in as well seeing that there were one or two really touching scenes that even force the toughest nails (like me) to weep. As I was constantly stuck with my Play Station 2 back then which my parents weren't really fond of such idea knowing that there were other better things to do than to play video games all the day long, I finally finished Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty. Despite completing the game, I was still unclear about the entire story plot either because I was too blur back then to understand the twisted story line or some of the plots were vaguely presented.


2 years later (2004), the third Metal Gear Solid entitled Snake Eater came out for the Play Station 2. Joy was written all over me as I was glad that the Metal Gear Solid series didn't end with Son's Of Liberty's vague ending. However, the storyline for the third one took place in the jungles of Russia during the early days of the Cold War unlike the first two Metal Gear series which took place in the urban environment of the early 2000. Not only that, the origins of Solid Snake were revealed in the third one where Snake was referred to as Naked Snake instead of Solid Snake. Confusion then clouded my mind as I wondered how did Solid Snake remained so long until the early 2000s without even aging a bit. Stealth game play was still heavily emphasized in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, however the extensive use of different camouflage outfit depending on the terrain and environment was introduced. Refilling the character's life gauge wasn't restricted to the consumption of military ration procured by Naked Snake, but also the animals he hunts in the jungles of Russia. Furthermore, the challenge of the game which was exacerbated by the compulsory correct combinations of medical techniques to heal Naked Snake from a variety of injuries like broken bones, bullet wounds, cuts, burnt wounds and even food poisoning innovated the game play greatly. The ability of sending your enemies to sleep with the tranquillizer pistol was still available; however, that wasn't the only method of sneaking around your enemies as the realistic techniques of Close Quarter Combat (the unarmed fighting techniques of today's Special Forces) were introduced in the third Metal Gear allowing Naked Snake to perform choke techniques, stealth kills and take down methods on his enemies. As I ventured deeper into the game, there were plenty of cut scenes which started to clarify the confusions presented in the Metal Gear saga. Finally at the ending of the game, the true identity of Naked Snake as Big Boss, the father of Solid Snake send everyone who followed the Metal Gear series into an extreme state of shock. The ending of the game also revealed the origins of key organizations that played an important role in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty which further clarified the confusion presented in the second Metal Gear installment.


It wasn't long before the follow-up to the third Metal Gear was introduced: Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops. Unlike Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 which came out for the Play Station 2, Portable Ops was solely restricted to the Play Station Portable, hence the "portable" word in the game's title. This was the one and only reason for me to get a Play Station Portable and risk going through the long lectures and wrath of my parents. Portable Ops journalizes the account of Naked Snake aka Big Boss six years after the events of Snake Eater. Rogue members of FOX who are led by Gene, plans to deliver a nuclear missile to the heart of America in order to prolong the Cold War and to fulfill his dreams of building a mercenary nation. In the midst of chaos, Naked Snake is also accused by his own government for assisting the rogue members of FOX and the only way to prove his innocence is to take out the leader of the rogue FOX soldiers. Hoping to provide die hard Metal Gear fans something new in this installment, the creators of Portable Ops decided to introduce a new innovative game play: capturing and recruiting soldiers. So instead of just procuring weapons on site, Naked Snake aka Big Boss can now capture enemies by knocking them out cold with his fancy CQC moves before bringing them back to his hideout for some persuasion. After persuading the enemies to fight for Naked Snake's side, Naked Snake won't be performing sneaking missions alone as he will have his "new friends" to assist him. Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops was a great game overall, however its sluggish camera angle tainted the ratings of the game to an 8/10 instead of the usual 10/10.


Guns of the Patriots, the latest and possibly the final chapter in the Metal Gear saga was released a month ago. Taking place 5 years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Guns of the Patriots revolves around Old Snake dedicated to take down his long time arch nemesis Liquid Ocelot while struggling to cope with his physical breakdown due to his premature aged body as a result of his artificial genes. In the 4th Metal Gear Solid installment, players are given the opportunity to use the Octo Camo suit, a smart camouflage outfit that allows the wearer to blend in with any surface he or she touches, courtesy of Old Snake's old friend and sidekick, Otocon. The sophisticated gadgets doesn't end there as Otocon provides Old Snake with Solid Eye, a monocular device capable of providing zoom-in and night vision capabilities as well as real time battle data. Last but also not the least, the Metal Gear Mk 2 is also at the disposal of Old Snake to aid him in his sneaking missions. The Metal Gear Mk 2 is a robotic drone with the same physical design of Metal Gear RAY that aids Old Snake for his reconnaissance and communication needs. Besides the fancy military technologies at the disposal of Old Snake, the cut scenes and the briefing sessions which offers flashbacks from previous Metal Gear series as well as the opportunity to view the scenes from predetermined camera angles make Guns of the Patriots one of its kind. Weapons customization which is featured in this game deeply aids Old Snake's sneaking missions as silencers, scopes, flashlights, laser pointers, grenade launchers and rifle grips are attachable to the firearms he procures on his missions. Players who are not up for the challenge to locate every single weapon throughout the missions can purchase the weapons from a gun launderer with credit points; this does not only allows players to try a variety of assault rifles, pistols and SMGs but also lightens the difficulty of the missions which most of the time is challenging. With a great final story to the Metal Gear saga accompanied with high replay values and superb graphics. The fourth and final Metal Gear Solid is as equal as its legendary predecessors (except for Portable Ops).

Words itself are not enough to demonstrate how great this saga is, therefore allow me to provide a visual presentation of the game which I describe as a "legendary masterpiece". Here are the trailers of the Metal Gear Solid series.

Metal Gear Solid (aka Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes for the Game Cube version)


Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty


Metal Gear Solid 3; Snake Eater


Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops


Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Shenji"ism"

Shenjiism-Understanding issues and concepts through the beliefs of Shenji

An old classmate of mine from Malaysia bumped into me online. After trading greetings with him, he shared his new hobby with me; creating your own motivation posters. Initially I wasn't so hyped about it as I know I could never think about any motivational words, not to mention thinking how hard it could be to produce and edit my own poster given the fact that I'm almost computer illiterate. However after taking a look at his collection of posters that he came up with, I realized that it was not necessary to come up with motivational posters as most of his were full of jokes and sarcasm. So I thought maybe this was a great way of shaping some of my Shenji"ism"s in an interesting way. I asked my classmate to help me developed one of my ideas and he did it in no time. Amazed with how fast he came up with my poster, I asked him how did he do it. He then gave me this website where you can create your own motivational posters in just a few simple steps. It was indeed fun and I wasn't surprised why my classmate could take this up as his new hobby. He told me that it was really satisfying to come up with your own punchline and I couldn't really agree more with him as it features your originality and how brilliant you are. Thanks to him, I found myself a new hobby and I know how to express my ideas and thoughts in an interesting way. Here are some of the few posters of Shenji"ism" I came up with:

The very 1st poster I created. I used a random North Korean propaganda poster to exemplify my point as I thought the Soviet and Nazi Germany ones were overrepresented .

For my strong beliefs in a Totalitarian regime, I used Norsefire England from the movie V for Vendetta as an example since I find it to be one of the most appealing fictitious police state given its stylish presentation.

A simple image to represent what I wanted to point out. This is what I believe a government should be.

If there are no citizens, who are there to govern? I picked up an artistic representation of the citizens from Google image. This is what I believe the citizens of a nation should do.

Inspired by one of the authoritative land marks in Sim City Societies, I thought about posting the state amphitheater. It is basically a theater which plays videos that remind the people to be loyal to the government and how evil or ruthless the enemy is. For this one, I used George Orwell's 1984 to exemplify the state amphitheater.

This was a bit humorous but I wouldn't mind doing if I happen to be a high chancellor of a police state. If I'm not mistaken, this Lego set was based on the movie 1984; I thought it was a cute way of representing totalitarian.

Also inspired by one of the authoritative actions in Sim City Societies, I thought it was something worth sharing. I added a little humor in my punchline to make sure nobody throws rotten eggs and tomatoes at me at the end of this post.

Another authoritative landmark inspired by Sim City Societies. This is a must for every police state to prevent the people from thinking differently

Why let the people vote? They don't know what is good for them

My views regarding National Service and I totally support it. It was slightly inspired by one of Metal Gear Solid 4's theme that discussed about the gargantuan size of private military corporations in the near future which is starting to remove the boundaries between civilians and soldiers.

My strong views regarding women.