Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Monday, May 5, 2008

UK Standup!


This is American Boy by Estelle featuring the always self-deprecating Kanye 2tha. The beats bananas, Estelle's voice compliments the track well, and ofcourse Mr. West accents the whole thing with clever lyrics.

You're welcome.

GTA IV - "Grand Theft Autonomy"

If you're a fan of videogames or even pop. culture by now I'm sure you have heard of the Grand Theft Auto series and GTA IV. The latest installment was recently released on April 29th and it is expected to be one of the best selling games of all time. There is a reason for this....

The game is crack...(with apologies to crackheads).

You assume the role of Niko Bellic. An eastern european import who is persuaded to America by his cousin Roman. The main premise of the story is the canonical American Dream - that being "money, power, respect" as Lil Kim once boomed on a hook. Unfortunately the often quixotic American Dream is not what it seems as Niko soon finds out.

The story is highly engrossing and the gameplay is even moreso. The game is similar to the Sims in that it is meticulously detailed and nuanced to an almost obsessive degree. The scale and scope of GTA IV is impressive and a credit to all involved in it's production. However the experience will almost certainly destroy your actual life as you become more immersed in the complex world of GTA. I realized this when I fell asleep to watching a satirical version of MTV Cribs in the game. I was watching the protagonist Niko watching a version of MTV Cribs. The fact that I fell asleep to watching a fake tv show in a videogame for over an hour is a microcosm of the depth of the game and scariness of its addictive nature. You must play this game even if you're a passive gamer, but be warned that it may take over your life.