GAME REVIEW
ANTICHAMBER
By Shaer Reaz
Amidst all the first person shooters and role playing games and sports games that dominate the mainstream market, it's extremely rare to find genuine innovation in game design and development. The majority of the developers are concerned with trivial stuff like market shares and yearly turnovers, and sometimes, if not most of the time, the magic of gaming is lost in the final product. This is where independent developers step in, with their indie games serving as gulps of fresh air after an eternity beneath the surface.
Antichamber is not your usual puzzle solving adventure game. It's a wild, trippy ride, like an afternoon spent cramming jarfuls of Gummy bears down your throat and then watching Adventure Time on Cartoon Network. Except, instead of the epic funfest that it sounds like, you end up getting creeped out, quite often.
The game's main objective is to escape a maze of tunnels and chambers, to get to an exit door that beckons invitingly across a glass barrier when you start the game. To get there, you have to use a combination of all that your tiny pea brain has to offer, including memory skills, deductive powers, and common sense. Throw in a bit of curiosity and you have a potent mix of what you need to complete this game.
Exploring the hallways and rooms of Antichamber holds many surprises. Along the way, you'll get a ton of helpful (or not) hints that will make you stop and think. Some aren't hints at all, but a line that will make you wonder if this game means a lot more than a maze you have to get out of. For instance, after about only 15 minutes of playing the game, I stumbled onto a door that led me to the goal: the Exit. When you click the door, it slides away to reveal a message: “Life isn't about getting to the end.”
While the youth players do make the games much fun to watch, their real work comes in when they act as alternatives so that the team can keep rest a few stars on the bench sometimes. The most prominent of these changes has resulted in the odd sight of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and even Messi on the bench at times.
Although, Tito has had a great problem taken off his hands, in the form of Valdes looking for greener pastures, he still has to address the biggest problem Barcelona has faced long before he came into power. The problem being that Barcelona still relies heavily on the little Argentine. Whenever he gets his name on the score-sheet(and that's very often), it seems Barcelona steps up and beams confidence to such a level that after those two initial (usually defense shattering) Messi goals, they fall back and start playing the “who can get the most passes before walking it into the net” game. While this is highly entertaining and has accounted for some pretty beautiful team goals, when Messi doesn't show up, regardless of the usual possession, the whole teams seems absent as well; chances and runs are seldom created, little to zero shots are taken, and by the end of the 90 minutes, the team manages to have great possession with almost no goal-scoring attempts.
It should be fair to point out that while Messi is usually a magician on the pitch and the team works fine, some nights, Messi does falter, because in the end he is human. While those mishaps aren't too frequent, they do sometimes come in integral moments of important championships, and that's when Barcelona suffers (Barcelona-Chelsea 2012). In order to be make the best Barcelona ever, and have the team truly live up to its title, Tito needs to address this problem.
In the end, it's inevitable that however great the current side is, Tito still has a very long journey if he wants to make a team better than his mentor's.
MUSIC
ANATHEMA WEATHER SYSTEMS
By Zarif the Pri2
The first I came across Anathema, which was in their Judgment album, they sounded like a pretty good doom metal band. After listening to A Natural Disaster, I was slightly confused as to what their genre really was.
Weather Systems was released last year and it came highly recommended by fellow Anathema fans. I had no idea what to expect, really. And that's the best approach to a new album.
And honestly, I was really, really impressed. There was nothing about the album I could look at and say, “They could have done this better.” There are a couple of tracks in the album I listen to at least 5 times a day.
If you are looking for something really heavy, this is not what you are looking for. But I'd recommend you give it a try anyway. This album really touches the heart with its wonderfully melancholic music. This is atmospheric music at its best. It is sad and beautiful and portrays vivid, lifelike images in the mind. Lyrically, the album is mostly about hope, despair, love and life. And death. Might sound a bit cheesy, but trust me, its not. In one word, I'd say its incredible.
The vocalists are really at their very best in this album, Lee Douglas in particular, who plays a much more significant role in this album. Certain passages from the album will reach out and touch you and you find yourself listening to them over and over. Instrumentally, the album is very tight with some amazing tunes. The band takes care to not overplay anywhere in the album. It is finely balanced, with the right mix of simple and complex, heavy and soft.
I won't be getting into the tracks individually. They are all very, very good. Its pointless describing them. If I have to pick a couple of songs from the album that just blew me away, I'd pick 'The Beginning and the End' and 'The Gathering of the Clouds'. The Beginning and the End is one of the best songs I've ever heard. The final part of The Storm Before the Cold is one of the most incredible sections from a song I've had the fortune of coming across. You can feel life washing over you, basking you in hope. Brilliant, brilliant vocals and overall music in that. Other than that, I used to listen to the album on repeat and it took me a month or so to tire of it. I'll turn off my inner fan-boy now.
Just give it a try. You don't have to be a metal fan, Prog fan or an Anathema fan to like this album. It is pretty accessible for all sorts of listeners while still being pretty damn good.
MY RATING: 4.5/5
SPORTS REVIEW
TITO'S BARCA PEP'S
By Munawar Mobin
Following last week's Italian dismembering of Barcelona's mighty eleven and considering the usual standards of such a club, many aspects of the Catalans' game was undoubtedly called to question; and once again the usual question was brought up: Would Pep's Barcelona have done a better job?
To truly compare the two teams and fully satisfy the requirements of such a debate, it would need more than just half a season's work; but as every football fan will know, not being able to argue, challenge, shout and compare after every minute of the beautiful game is one tough job. So we will make best with what we have.
So far, Tito's Barcelona has managed to scrape up, chin up and shape up from last season to pull off an incredible start in La Liga. Granted, that some teams will often have a hot start, this start has been the hottest in the league for a while now, with an initial 14 wins, 1 draw, and zero losses. With a stain from (surprisingly) Celtic and of course the draw from the recent El Clasico, AC Milan's victory over the red and blue could be considered the worst defeat of their current season so far.
Statistically, Pep's Barcelona did not show as much enthusiasm in the game as this vibrant squad does. However, Guardiola took the reins of a broken down team, kicked out two of its best performers, and brought in players, among which, more than half have been responsible for Barcelona's recent success. In that regard, Tito has had an extremely easy task, playing the others around in good turns, and letting Messi do what he does best.
However, one aspect of the game that Tito amplifies much vehemently than Pep ever did, is his constant penchant to find any time he can for his youth squad to stretch its legs, or even take the risk of leading a few games. While Pep used to experiment with tactical movements and various formations, Tito's approach, while not too different, posses a much bigger threat than Pep did.
While Pep was out there beating every team and winning every championship, Tito Villanova had been the assistant coach of Barcelona B team, coaching the youngsters. In training the youth players, just like Guardiola had done when Rijkaard was manager, Tito nurtured a strong sense of confidence and belief in the youngsters. However, unlike Pep, Tito had taken steps further to mould that raw talent to help his A team. While Pep's usual changes would mean a 3-4-3 formation instead of the more stable 4-3-3, Tito's changes means a new youth player starting with the usual stars.
While this has not yet proven to be a bad thing, there has definitely been many an advantage to playing new La Masia graduates. Players such as Tello, Thiago, Montoya have been frequently seen to start or come off. Even though they are still shaky at times(with Thiago being the exception), there have been clear indications that playing these youth players have boosted their confidence to the level where they can come off as a sub and cover for any injured players and not make a mess of it. Montoya had been solid and sturdy and apart from a few misses, Tello looks to have shrugged off his terrible performance against Real last season and adapted to a better and much selfless style of play.
While the youth players do make the games much fun to watch, their real work comes in when they act as alternatives so that the team can keep rest a few stars on the bench sometimes. The most prominent of these changes has resulted in the odd sight of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and even Messi on the bench at times.
Although, Tito has had a great problem taken off his hands, in the form of Valdes looking for greener pastures, he still has to address the biggest problem Barcelona has faced long before he came into power. The problem being that Barcelona still relies heavily on the little Argentine. Whenever he gets his name on the score-sheet(and that's very often), it seems Barcelona steps up and beams confidence to such a level that after those two initial (usually defense shattering) Messi goals, they fall back and start playing the “who can get the most passes before walking it into the net” game. While this is highly entertaining and has accounted for some pretty beautiful team goals, when Messi doesn't show up, regardless of the usual possession, the whole teams seems absent as well; chances and runs are seldom created, little to zero shots are taken, and by the end of the 90 minutes, the team manages to have great possession with almost no goal-scoring attempts.
It should be fair to point out that while Messi is usually a magician on the pitch and the team works fine, some nights, Messi does falter, because in the end he is human. While those mishaps aren't too frequent, they do sometimes come in integral moments of important championships, and that's when Barcelona suffers (Barcelona-Chelsea 2012). In order to be make the best Barcelona ever, and have the team truly live up to its title, Tito needs to address this problem.
In the end, it's inevitable that however great the current side is, Tito still has a very long journey if he wants to make a team better than his mentor's.
IF CELEBRITIES WERE FOOD
By Padya Paramita
We have our favourite celebrities and then we have the ones we can't stand. But we could learn to love them, and if we already do, we can love them even more. How? Imagine they are food.
Jim Carrey - is tall, lean and a funny man. He would be a hot dog. You can just imagine him a walking between two buns delivering all his lines.
Brad Pitt - has played a spy, a thief and a guy who ages backwards. Not to mention a vampire and an assassin. Also, he was the alter ego of a sociopath. All this makes him a sundae. 'Cause he is so cool and delicious.
Arnold Schwarzenegger - will be “bach” as a fried chicken. Or perhaps a giant turkey leg. That can shoot down everyone in a second.
Angelina Jolie - You've seen her appear at the red carpet, with her leg and her dresses and all. Then she goes ahead and plays Lara Croft, Mrs Smith and even that tough fighter lady in Wanted. This woman is definitely a cheesecake. All soft on the outside, but geared up for battle inside.
Beyonce - is a chocolate, an elegant one, like Lindt or Godiva.
Meryl Streep - Wine! The older she gets, the more exquisite we find her
Eminem - is our pick as vanilla ice cream. White rapper of Edward Cullen. Twilight's sparkly cast can go die.
Victoria Beckham - is a kabab roll. Think about it. She's always appearing in wrapped in these nice dresses. And she's a spice girl. So ha!
Al Pacino - Spaghetti. Or Lasagna. Or Raviolli. Or something Italian.
Scarlett Johansson - Strawberry shortcake. We feel this doesn't require explanation.
Bruce Willis - Walnut. 'Cause he is so hard to crack. And he's bald. Okay, mostly because he's bald.
Carrot Top - Genetically modified carrot. Like duh?
Clint Eastwood - Honey. Because it never rots.
Jennifer Aniston - Korolla. Because she is always bitter and annoying. Somehow though, some people end up loving her.
Natalie Portman - Duck a la orange. For obvious reasons.
