Saturday, March 29, 2008

Games: finishing games

I was reading Kotaku and one of the post was of interest to me. The question asked was "Do you ever finish all your games?" Its a good question. For me, i only finish games that are really compelling and fun. But many games i don't finish.

Some of the more recent games i finished are Bioshock and God of War Chains of Olympus. I think one of the keys of why i finished these games is because for Bioshock's case the story was too good that i needed to see what happens in the end. For God of War, the story was ok, but the gameplay is just the best and it never gets old decapitating your enemies.

I would say part of the reason i don't finish games is that i don't play much anymore. Academics, my girlfriend and my friends are a hard balance enough, games don't really come into play unless i am playing games with my friends. But that usually consist of us playing SSB64 or RockBand.

Any single player game i play usually happens during my breaks (like the one i have now). If i am not playing my 360 (i didn't bring it down) i am playing my psp (i didn't bring that either). So now, i'm playing C&C 3 on my pc (well my mac but i have vista installed).

While playing C&C, i realized i have lost the RTS mindframe. I used to be good back in the days of Red alert 2. But now, i got pwned by the CPU on easy, yeah easy, on the last mission of the GDI campaign.

I'm more of a FPS person now but i still don't finish all my games. Some games i haven't finished: Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, The Darkness, Assassin's Creed, Gears of War, Okami and Company of Heroes. All these games are great game and i haven't beaten any of them. I am hoping in the summer i will focus more of my free time towards my single player games.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Producer Profile: Kanye West

I felt every once in a while i should put a post on a producer in rap and what they have produced.



So if anybody has met me in real life they know that i am a big big kanye fan. So i would like to talk about some of his production. First off, i'm not going to talk about the obvious ones on his albums but more of the ones many people don't know.



TI - Doin My Job
Before Kanye was famous he worked with TI on his album "Trap Musik." This one has Kanye filling the beats with a sleazy-saxophone sound and it is a very hot track.

Jay-z Takeover
This was were Kanye became famous as a producer. His productions on the Blueprint (which he always flaunts about it getting 5 mics on the source) were top notch. This one probably shines the most despite the mainstream popularity of Izzo because it uses a sample from the Doors -5 to 1. Pretty much proved that rock music can work with rap songs.

Monica - Knock Knock
This was one of kanye's first r&b songs he produced and it has a very cool twilighty feel to it. The remix was also hot cause of Kanye's rhymes.

Ludacris - Stand Up
I couldn't believe this was a kanye track until i saw who produced it. Probably sounds the least like a kanye track yet still catchy and pretty much became a club anthem.

Alicia Keys - You don't know my name
This is a track i argue is much better than "It Ain't you." The beautiful piano and the choir really help Alicia sing her heart out.

Petey Pablo - I swear
What i like about this song is that its completely different from the typical petey pablo songs (freek-a-leek). Instead with a real catcy guitar riff (i think it is a guitar), he talks about the love for his homies. Great kanye produced song.

Slum Village - Selfish
This is by far the best kanye-produced song. The piano riff is catchy and smooth. Great theme to the song and the ever amazing John Legend to sing the Chorus. I really want Kanye to make more songs like this.

213 - Another Summer
The most under appreciated song produced by Kanye. 213 was group with Snoop, Nate and Warren G and this song was just relaxing and soulful which basically screams Kanye produced track.

Mariah Carey - Stay the Night
This was one of the songs that really showcased Mariah voice talent in a very classy song. I think no one could really show that except Kanye. Kanye fills the track with his endless creations of piano riffs.

Mashonda - Hold Me
Another song which is amazing but not appreciated enough. Mashonda is Swiss Beatz wife and a great singer who was also on Cassidy's "Get No Better." This song not only had the Kanye R&B feel that i love (similar to the Monica song) but he raps a really cool verse. Mashonda is an amazing singer and this track really showcases it. Unfortunately the song didn't get big.

Teriyaki Boyz - I still love h.e.r.
Teriyaki Boyz always get the best producers. Since Kanye loves Bape stuff and TB are part of Bape music, there pretty much had to be a collaboration. After his first album Kanye really utilized orchestra to give his music a better sound and this can definitely be heard on this track. Plus he gives a great verse (plus i don't know what the TB are saying in their verses).

I think Kanye is an incredible producer and slowly becoming a really good rapper after his last album. I just can not wait for more tracks by him i pretty much like all the ones he makes.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Tech-Rap and Dances

So i have been browsing the web and i have started to see a trend in rap that i would like to share.

Rap is starting to use a lot of techno beats, its insane. I have heard so many on the radio. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying this is bad, i'm just writing what i see.

I don't when this trend began but i remembered couple of years ago seeing UK rappers using techno beats. I've always that it would be a UK thing. But i feel Kanye's new album and Timbalands productions of Justin Timberlake and 50 cent's song has definetely helped it into the mainstream. Now i'm starting to notice old techno songs being used as beats. But i don't know if i can say its a good thing for the techno people.

I heard this new song from the most viewed today by a Miami group called Grind Mode called She's So Fly. I won't lie, i really feel the song but one thing that annoys me a little is along with this song comes a new dance...the jook. Check out the guy in the black darth vader shirt. And the Rock Band drums. Gotta love how things that was nerdy is becoming mainstreams. Nerds are taking over!!



Which comes to my next topic. There is never an end to these new dances. I thought we have passed that phase where we needed to apply a dance to a new song to make it appreciable to the public. Apparently Soulja Boy proved me wrong. I also heard a new E-40 song called Turf Drop. I thought going dumb and ghostriding were the only two things in hyphy movement. Apparently there is a dance called turfing. Can't wait to see if this catches on or not.

I'll try to post more, cause right now i have so much more to say but i feel this is enough.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

things have changed

wow, its been two years since the last time i wrote in this. I actually forgot i had one and it was funny to see the things i liked back then (very similar to what i like now) because that was the whole reason i created this.

I had to update to the new google-esque blogger because i was till on the old one.

Anyway thought i would post some things when i wanted to. Like new things i learn from the wonderful world wide web.

But i'm going to guess nobody reads this but me.