Conspiracy Theories

I have always been fascinated by conspiracy theories. The more believable and unexplainable the better. However, I've never really been naive enough to actually believe any of them, or have I? But is it a question of naivety? A conspiracy theory would have you questioning yourself on why you don't believe it. Is it just ill-educated people that believe these conspiracy theories, or extremely well educated people that have outsmarted world leaders and exploited the dominant ideology that they present.

One conspiracy theory that I used to be fascinated by is the 'Paul Is Dead' conspiracy theory, a theory that believes Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in a car accident in 1966 and was replaced by an imposter. The evidence for this theory is a selection of clues in albums released by the Beatles. The story of Paul's alledged death is said to have been revealed through certain Beatles' songs:

• "He didn't notice that the lights had changed" ('A Day in the Life')
• He then crashed (a car crash sound is heard in 'Revolution 9' and 'A Day in the Life').
• He was pronounced dead on a "Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins" ('She's Leaving Home')
• Nobody found this out because the news was withheld: "Wednesday morning papers didn't come" ('Lady Madonna').

An example of a visual clue - on the cover of the "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album if you hold a mirror horizontally through the middle of "Lonely Hearts" message on the drum on the album cover it reads: "I ONE IX HE <> DIE" - the "I One" is said to mean 11, and so the mesage reads "11 9 HE DIE" or the 9th of November, the date of the accident. The <> is a diamond shape that points straight up at Paul McCartney, demonstrating he had died.

There are a lot more clues to back-up this theory and you can see the full list of clues on this page on the BBC's website.

One of the most popular and most publicised conspiracy theories is the theory that the 9/11 terrorist attack in America was not actually a terrorist attack, but instead an orchestrated attack on it's own people by the US government. At first this seems highly unlikely, why would the US government do this? But with all the evidence that proves it wasn't a terrorist attack, the conspiracy theorists do have a good case.

This clip from 'Zeitgeist, The Movie' shows the 9/11 myth that is commonly believed and deconstructs it to show that there is proof that the attacks were orchestrated or allowed to happen by the US government to create fear and justify the 'War on Terror'. It is a very interesting video and does bring up a lot of interesting evidence to prove that the World Trade Centre buildings were brought down by controlled explosions and that there is no real evidence that proves that Osama Bin Ladan is responsible for the attack.

This clip from 'Zeitgeist, The Movie' proves that it was impossible that a plane could have crashed in to the Pentagon judging by the wreckage. The fact that the CCTV that would have shown what actually happened was confiscated by the FBI is all the proof I need. If a plane crashed in to the Pentagon and the CCTV showed that then why would this footage be confiscated, this seems very suspect to me. So maybe I do believe this? But what can I do about it? Nothing, is the answer.

The full film, 'Zeitgeist, The Movie' can be seen here.

There is a conspiracy theory for pretty much anything, and there is no way we will ever find out if the 9/11 conspiracy theory, or any other conspiracy theory, is true because that's why they are conspiracy theories. Most people just sit back and take what they are spoon-fed by the mass media. If more people thought for themselves and drew their own conclusions from the other sides of the stories, not only the story shown by the media, which is presented as the 'truth'. If this were to happen then maybe people in charge (the world leaders, or whoever they may be, did someone say lizards?) might think again before trying to fool nations upon nations of people.

No Modern Warfare 2 DLC in development until after the game’s release - Published @ Video Game Reviews

As I reported here, a special Modern Warfare 2 brand of Monster Energy drink revealed that DLC for Modern Warfare 2 was planned to be released in spring 2010. However Infinity Ward responded to this by saying that no Modern Warfare 2 DLC is in development and will not be until after the game’s release.

You can read my article about it here.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

In recent years Batman has taken the movie world by storm with the great success of 'Batman Begins' and most recently 'The Dark Knight'; but Batman has never really had a good game interpretation. However, Batman: Arkham Asylum is just that; the best Batman game to date and it actually makes you feel like Batman.

The whole game takes place on Arkham Island, home of the Arkham Asylum where all Gotham city's criminals/insane characters/Batman's foes are kept. The game starts as Batman catches the Joker ready to imprison him in Arkham Asylum once and for all. But nothing is ever that easy for Batman, the Joker escapes and creates hell for Batman as you play out the longest night in Batman's life.

The gameplay is simply phenomenal. Detective mode is genius and the game has a great variety of combat where you can take out your enemies one by one in stealth mode or take them all on at once with a simple but effective 3 button fighting system. Quite simply, you will love playing this game. I don't want to give too much away but Batman's altercations with Scarecrow, where Batman is faced with his deepest darkest fears, are presented incredibly well.

What's also unique about Batman: Arkham Asylum in the Batman sense is that it is not at all based on any recent Batman movie and focuses on just the Batman character. Batman has a very interesting history which is represented well, for example winessing the murder of both his parents at a young age, a memory that is exploited in the game. All of Batman's gadgets are used in the game and you unlock and upgrade them as the game goes on, for example the Batarang can be upgraded to a triple Batarang to take out three enemies at once.

Furthermore any Batman fanatic will love this game; it is so well researched featuring all of the characters from Batman's illustrious comic book career. Character's biographies are unlocked throughout the game along with tapes of interviews with patients at the asylum creating a tremendous back-story.

Batman: Arkham Asylum was developed by London-based Rocksteady Studios, a relatively unknown developer that has only ever produced one game before this; Urban Chaos for PS2 (anyone remember that? No, didn’t think so...) Yet this game is still up there with the best action/adventure games available.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is almost the perfect game, the only thing that lets it down is that at times it can be repetitive and the boss battles could have been improved. However, these are small flaws in this very fresh game. The game also has great replayability with 240 riddles to be a solved all over Arkham Island and the very challenging, and aptly titled, challenge mode. More challenge rooms are unlocked as you solve more riddles. Even more challenge rooms are set to be released at downloadable content with two free sets of DLC already available.

Overall Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the best games out this year so far and if you haven’t played it yet, what are you waiting for?

9/10

PES to “aggressively” incoporate Natal/Motion Wand - Published @ Video Game Reviews

Konami have announced that they are looking into “very aggressively” incorporating the use of Xbox 360’s Project Natal and Playstation 3’s Motion Wand in future Pro Evolution Soccer releases. Whatever “very aggressively” means, maybe it’s what PES needs to win its yearly battle with FIFA.

You can read my article about it here.

Modern Warfare 2 DLC coming Spring 2010 - Published @ Video Game Reviews

A special Modern Warfare 2 brand of Monster Energy drink has revealed that one of the downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare 2 is planned to be released in spring 2010.

You can read my article about it here.

Left 4 Dead Crash Course incorrectly priced - Published @ Video Game Reviews

The new downloadable content for Left 4 Dead, Crash Course, has been released today on the Xbox Live Marketplace but has been incorrectly priced. Crash Course is available for 800 Microsoft Points when it should be 560 Microsoft Points. The price should be rectified at some point in the next hour or two.

Major Nelson and other Xbox personalities have been warning their followers on Twitter not to buy Crash Course at 800 Microsoft Points and wait until it is priced correctly.

As with almost all items on the Xbox Live Marketplace there are no refunds for this downloadable content so if you have paid 800 Microsoft Points for it then there you are probably not going to be able to claim the 240 Microsoft Points back. As seen in this previous article on VGR (aptly titled ‘Microsoft wants your money’) Valve didn’t even want to charge for the DLC but it was Microsoft’s decision that they had to.

http://www.videogame-reviews.co.uk/news/left-4-dead-crash-course-incorrectly-priced/

No Modern Warfare 2 demo before launch - Published @ Video Game Reviews

There will be no Modern Warfare 2 demo before its release on 10th November, Infinity Ward has said. As more and more developers are doing these days, Infinity Ward made this announcement via their Twitter page. Infinity Ward tweeted: “No plan for a Demo before launch. The entire team is focused on polish all the way up to ship of the full game.” However this doesn’t rule out a post-launch Demo as we have seen with Call of Duty: World at War. This news comes after last month’s news that there are no plans for a public multiplayer beta either. But why does this matter, you’re all going to buy the game on launch day anyway, aren’t you?

Modern Warfare 2 is released 10th November and is available to pre-order now on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows.

http://www.videogame-reviews.co.uk/news/no-modern-warfare-2-demo-before-launch/

FIFA 10 Demo this Thursday - Published @ Video Game Reviews

The FIFA 10 demo will be available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store this Thursday (10th September).

The demo will include one exhibition match and allow the player to choose from Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Marseille, Accrington Stanley or Chicago Fire. This means that we’ll all be able to try out the new 360° dribbling system, the first of its kind in any football game. EA have also announced that for the first time in a FIFA demo the player will be able to upload created in-game videos to EA Football World.

FIFA 10 is released 2nd October and is available to pre-order now on PlayStation2, PlayStaion 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows.

http://www.videogame-reviews.co.uk/news/fifa-10-demo-this-thursday/

New features for WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 - Published @ Video Game Reviews

The Smackdown Vs Raw series of games has been running for quite some time now and in recent years has not included many new features with each release. However Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 is set to change all that. With the tag-line ‘it’s your world now’ you will now be able create and customize almost everything within the game.

The most exciting new feature is that you can now create your own storylines with an extremely high level of customisation. For example you can create cut-scenes with different superstars, animations, locations, camera angles, emotions and write your own scripts. You can create the match card for every show with the matches, match stipulations and interference etc. To me this sounds like a largely improved version of the GM mode that we saw in previous editions of Smackdown Vs Raw.

The create-a-superstar feature has been completely re-designed (includes a paint feature!) and now for the first time in franchise history you can edit and create new attire for WWE superstars. Any creation, like created storylines, superstars, entrances, finishing moves and highlight reels can all be uploaded over Xbox Live or PSN and then downloaded by anyone. ‘Road to WrestleMania’, the popular story mode that was introduced last year also returns with all new storylines, the first ever diva’s storyline and a create-a-superstar storyline. Gameplay will be improved with a smaller HUD, a new reversal system based around timing and the pinfall kickout mechanism used in WWE Legends Of WrestleMania.

The Nintendo DS version of the game has had a massive overhaul with new gameplay controls (with no use of the stylus anymore) and a completely new story mode. There will also be a collectible card system where collectible cards can be earned by winning matches etc. These cards offer in game power-ups, arenas, superstar profiles amongst other things, they can then be traded with other players wirelessly. Also added to the DS version are backstage brawls and ambulances matches.

WWE Smackdown Vs Raw is released 23th October and is available to pre-order now on Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

http://www.videogame-reviews.co.uk/news/new-features-for-wwe-smackdown-vs-raw-2010/

Thoughts on the leak of Brand New's new album, 'Daisy'

So Brand New's new album 'Daisy' leaked onto the internet this past Saturday night (August 29th), almost a month before it's actual release (September 22nd).

It has been well documented how Brand New feel about leaks as in January 2006 nine untitled demos leaked onto the internet before any announcement of a new album or anything. They had been away for two years then out of nowhere these demos found their way on to the internet. Everyone was eager to hear what they had been up to and so these demos proved to be very popular. Jesse Lacey (lead singer of Brand New) is quoted as saying "No one likes to show their creation in mid-process, and those songs weren't done. They were like blueprints. Just the plan, right? It put me in a state where I was under the impression that those songs had been wasted or something—that we had to go and write new things because those had been heard. Now, in retrospect, I want those songs to be on the album and many of them aren't, and I'm probably more to blame for that than anyone. This record already feels incomplete to me without those tracks and probably will forever." That quote is from this interview – an interesting read for any Brand New fan. The album ‘The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me’ was then finally released on November 21, 2006, featuring only two of the leaked demos.

With the 'Daisy' leak at least this time the finished product has leaked, not demos. Therefore this album will not be affected the same way the previous album was as it is already finished. I saw Brand New this past Sunday at the Reading festival and mid set Jesse Lacey said "We're going to play some songs off the new record now, which you've probably heard on the internet as of last night." He did not seem happy about the leak at all and was pretty negative for the whole set and I’d assume this is why.

Brand New are my favourite band, as with a lot of people, I find that Brand New are not a band that you can just casually like, you either really really like them or you don’t like them at all. A lot of people have been waiting for this album for so long and when I heard that it had been leaked I just had to download it because I wanted to hear it so much; I'd assume a lot of other people did the same. I felt bad that I was downloading it but when everyone else is downloading it, I’d thought just be missing out if I had waited for the album to be officially released and then bought it. Nevertheless I will still buy the album when it is released just because Brand New are my favourite band and I already love the album. It would be very naïve to think that others will do the same, but because of the type of band Brand New are I think a lot of people will still buy the album. The leak may also attract new fans who may buy what they hear if they like it.

At the end of the day ‘Daisy’ has leaked and there’s nothing Brand New or anyone can do about it. Also it really is a truly incredible album. There was always going to be people that would just download the album anyway and people will still buy the album, the leak just means that they’ve been able to listen to the album a little bit before they were meant to.

Review of 'Daisy' will be up soon!