I went on a retreat with the youth from my church this past weekend. The theme for the retreat was “Unleashed.” Going into the retreat I had no idea what that meant and I was wondering to myself why they were calling it Unleashed. I soon found out what that really meant.

You see we have things in our lives that keep us in bondage, things we place before our relationship with Christ. These can be anything– internet, phone, television, video games, boys, texting, cell phones, self harm, obsessive focus on weight, eating, and exercise, beauty, money, caring to much about what people might think, you name it. There are so many things in this world that we get hooked on and tied down to. We tend to put these things first in our lives when what really needs to be first is our relationship with God. We were reminded this weekend that we need to be unleashed of these things that are holding us back from being our best in Christ. One of the youth leaders on the trip unleashed from the notion that she had to wear makeup so she didn’t wear any make-up during the retreat. We all have things that we need to let go of and give to Christ, things we need to be unleashed from. It’s when we are truly become unleashed from those things that we find lasting freedom in Christ.

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. (Romans 6:15-19)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

So I ask you this….what do you need to be unleashed from? What is holding you back from your relationship with God? What is keeping you enslaved?

You are the truth, the light, the way
My trust is in the power of Your name
And in Your promises so true
It’s not about all that I am
But all to do with who You are to me
And all that You have done

You saved me ‘cos You loved me
You grace gave me the highest way
Now I live by Your life in me
I am found in You always
Lifting my voice to give You praise
To You and You alone
The Lord of all my days

Words & music: Sean Goh c2007 New Creation Church

Sample the song

Buy the album

It’s well known that Sonic the Hedgehog hasn’t aged very well. His recent games have been anywhere from mediocre to absolutely terrible. But I’m not here to talk about those. I’m here to talk about what many consider to be the last of his great games, Sonic Adventure 2.

Another thing I really like about this game is the mission and ranking system. Every level can be revisited to complete 5 different missions. These missions can range from collecting 100 rings to completing the level under a time limit. For every mission you complete you get a letter grade from A to E based on how well (or poorly) you completed your objective. This is a great little system that encourages you to replay the levels in different ways and goes a long way to increase the replay value of the game. Plus, if you get all “A’s” on every mission you unlock the coolest bonus level in the history of mankind.

The game also has a pretty fun multiplayer component where you can, with a friend, either race through the Sonic stages, have a mech shoot out, or be the first to find all the treasure pieces in the Knuckles and Rouge levels. All the modes are pretty fun and they have plenty of power-ups and special attacks to keep things interesting. In the Gamecube version of the game you can even play as extra characters that have different abilities and traits. The multiplayer won’t keep you playing for hours on end but it is still pretty fun.
And last but not least, the Chao garden. If you’re a fan of games like Animal Crossing and Viva Pinata you will love the Chao garden. In the game levels, there are certain keys you can collect to take you to the Chao world. This is a Chao.
Isn’t it adorable? Anyways, you raise these Chao in the Chao Gardens. You can do pretty much whatever you want with them. You can pet them, you can give them objects you collect in the levels to raise their stats and change their appearance, you can partake in Chao minigames and, if you’re particularly sadistic, you can attack them and throw them against the wall. They integrated so many different things into the Chao Garden it’s almost strong enough to stand out on it’s own! For something that seems so simple on the surface, it’s actually quite complex. Your Chao will change and even die depending on what you give and do to them. There are 2 minigames you can play with your Chao. Chao Race and Chao Karate. Neither of them require that much input from the player. But in Chao Karate you get to see your Chao kick the crap out of another poor soul’s Chao. That’s awesome. Overall, the Chao Garden goes a long way to add replay value to the game. I found myself in the Chao Garden more than I was playing the actual game!

Despite the quality of Sonic and Shadow’s stages. They unfortunately compose only 1/3 of the main game. The shooting stages are pretty dull. They’re uninspired and usually consist of you walking forward while pressing the B button a lot. The treasure hunting stages fare a little better, but not much. A lot of the time you’ll simply be gliding around the level 100 times waiting for your radar to blink. And I wouldn’t really mind this if it was like the original Sonic Adventure where you can pick and choose who’s levels you wanted to play. But they’re unfortunately all grouped into 2 big stories here. The game controls fine, but the camera is another story. The camera isn’t really a problem in Sonic’s pr Tails’ since it’s pretty dynamic and changes with the level. So you don’t have to worry about it much. But in Knuckles’ stages where you have to explore, that’s a different story. Check out the Dreamcast controller.
Notice something about it? It only has one stick. Which means that the camera is controlled by the triggers. The system is awkward to control and the camera will often get stuck behind walls and glitch out. It’s incredibly annoying. You’d think they would have fixed it in the Gamecube port. Nope, it’s still the same. I also noticed in Sonic’s levels the homing attack doesn’t always work. It misses it’s target a little too often and really becomes a problem at some tricky parts later on where you’re doing several homing attacks over a bottemless pit. Other random glitches happen as well, although it’s not as bad as Sonic 06, you’re likely to run into a few by the time you finish the game.

Sonic’s second 3D adventure is a good game, but it certainly has its flaws. If there were more Sonic and Shadow stages and they had some more time to nail the camera glitches the game could’ve been even better. Still, the Sonic stages that do exist are fun and the Chao Garden is excellent. So this and Sonic Adventure are probably the only recent Sonic games I would recommend to anybody. Sega would do well to look at what worked and what didn’t work in this game and use that knowledge to make the next Sonic game better, but they don’t seem to want to do that.

Fringe: Season 1: Episode 16: “Unleashed”

Walter reflects on his experiments.

A stark warning to all animal rights activists: sooner or later, you might break into a real-life Resident Evil. In this post, I’ll be making the usual comments about how much suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy the show.

This episode is debunked at Popular Mechanics and Polite Dissent, and you can read more about it at Fox, IMDb and the A.V. Club.

Random thoughts

Animals First! I’m sure that the talented folks at Fringe central could have come up with an activist group name that wasn’t a lazy rip-off of an existing one.

Walter’s “accelerated Darwinism” is highly impractical – to evolve new species by natural selection, one would have to raise animals and gradually change their environment so that the traits required for survival passed to their offspring. Even speeded up somehow, this would require immense amounts of time. It isn’t the same as the transgenetic engineering (is that even a word?) that seems to have been used here.

Forced evolution aside, this was a fun episode for natural history, with no less than five animals getting a mention: the tiger (Panthera tigris), python (Python spp.), Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), giant ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) and common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus).

When Walter decides that he has to go it alone in the sewers, it takes Peter and Olivia quite a while to catch up with him. What was stopping them just going up to the surface and dropping down the next manhole past Walter’s barrier?

Trichlorimide

Trichlorimide?

The “trichlorimide” that appears in this episode does not really exist, which is a poor slip by the writers. Imides (or carboximides) are a class of organic compound containing a nitrogen atom flanked by two carbonyl (C=O) groups, and the suffix is most commonly used for cyclic molecules. “Trichlorimide” would contain three chlorine atoms, which we might assume would be distributed evenly across the molecule – I would hazard a guess that this (fictional) molecule would actually be called di(chlorocarbonyl) chloramine. Trichlorimide does trip off the tongue a little more easily (Walter pronounces it more like “trichloramide”, though the label on the bottle is clearly “trichlorimide”).

In my opinion, there was a slight labelling error and what Walter was actually using was nitrogen trichloride, or trichloramine. This is a smelly, poisonous, explosive yellow liquid, which is plausible given its appearance and storage.

The time has finally come. Three years I’ve been waiting, and finally the day has arrived.

This week the symphonic metal band Epica released their latest awe-inspiring album “Design your universe“. Every track is heavily orchestrated and saturated with huge choirs and vocals. With the phenomenal Simone Simons leading the way this album does not disappoint.

Simone pretty much wanders the range throughout the album delivering her parts with a sincerity and force that few other vocalists can muster.  In a lot of ways, she really carries this album.  While the music is pretty interesting, it is her vocals and melodies that draw you back to the album time and again.

“Unleashed” is the first single taken from the album, and as the same with “Never enough” it delivers some serious clout. Despite it being 11:00pm all I want to do is have a good mosh. Enjoy

Macromedia Flash Professional 8 UNLEASHED

By David Vogeleer, Eddie Wilson, Lou Barber

Publisher: Sams
Pub Date: October 12, 2005
ISBN: 0-672-32761-9
Pages: 1008

Introduction

Macromedia Flash 8 is the latest in the Flash family of software. Flash was originally just a vector animation tool but is now one of the most advanced programs for creating rich Internet applications to provide powerful user experiences. Not only is the player that plays Flash content one of the most downloaded pieces of softwaresurpassing both Internet Explorer and Netscape as well as nearly all media playersbut the content is so small in file size that anyone can create great user experiences for dial-up users.

This new version of Flash continues its hard-to-follow tradition of bringing new and exciting features for developers and designers who have been begging for dynamic PNG, GIF, and progressive JPEG support. New features include file upload and download right from the SWF, alpha channel support in video, and real-time dynamic filters and effects. And Macromedia didn’t stop with content featuresthey streamlined panel management, bringing back tabs in panels as well as more robust preference controls, and brought back Normal mode (now Script Assist) in the Actions panel. This new version of Flash is definitely one to take notice of.

Along with the newest version of Flash comes the new edition of Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Unleashed. Throughout this book, you will find countless examples and explanations of some of the newest and most powerful tools Flash has to offer, including a complete overview of ActionScript 2.0, the new version of Flash’s programming language. Also included in this book is a handy reference guide for ActionScript to help with faster workflow.

FreeBSD Unleashed

by Brian Tiemann, Michael C. Urban

Publisher : Sams Publishing
Pub Date : October 16, 2001
ISBN : 0-672-32206-4
Pages : 1024
Slots : 1

Introduction

Twenty years ago, when the first personal computers were being sold, could anyone have accurately predicted what they would be used for at the turn of the century? Could anyone have guessed that Microsoft would become as omnipresent a force in the computer industry as IBM was at that time? Was there any indication to predict the rise of open-source software and its contention against Microsoft for market share? Could anyone have imagined that in 2001, IBM would be funding Linux development, seemingly facing off against Microsoft itself?

Even today, it’s not necessarily any easier to tell what the picture is like, thanks to the fast pace of technology development. Determining which products and which companies are the ones that will be with us for another 20 years, and which ones are doomed to failure is a fruitless pursuit, made even more difficult by the inherent limitations on the accuracy of any kind of survey mechanism to find out what’s actually being used on the Internet. Even so, it’s clear from recent general trends that Internet server roles are being filled decreasingly often by commercial UNIX operating systems, increasingly often by versions of Microsoft Windows, and even more increasingly often by open-source UNIX systems or workalikes. Chief among these in the industry news headlines is Linux in its myriad forms. Linux, developed as a grass-roots effort with more and more corporate backing in recent years, has achieved legitimacy through its market success and reputation for reliability and performance, and even through Microsoft’s recent attempts to denounce it as a great enemy to the concept of intellectual property. Whether you love it or hate it, open-source software like Linux is here to stay.

However, a frequently overlooked fact is that Linux is not UNIX; it’s properly called “UNIX-like,” in that it performs the same functions as most commercially sold UNIX variants do, but was developed entirely by its user community. The guiding principles of the project are embodied in the GPL, the GNU General Public License, which states in part that any code developed under it must be made freely available. This extends to commercial software development bodies who must re-release as freely available source any software that they develop from earlier materials.

If there is any single strong point of contention between the supporters of open-source and those of commercial software, it is this seemingly innocent license. The problem is that many companies are unwilling to abide by its terms because to them, giving away the source code that they develop is tantamount to publishing trade secrets as soon as they’re conceived. GPL-based software embodies an ideal: the notion of software written by the people, for the people, owned by nobody, and leveraged by nobody. It is the absolute antithesis of commercial, closed-source software that is sold in compiled, executable form from only one supplier. Linux adheres to that ideal in a number of important ways, but the unattractiveness of the spirit of the GPL to businesses that otherwise would have bought into it has slowed down its progress.

Enter FreeBSD, another freely available UNIX-based operating system that has been around for as long as GNU/Linux has, and whose roots go back even further.

FreeBSD is open-source with a twist. It is not based on software developed under the GPL, but instead favors the BSD open-source license that allows code originally developed at the University of California at Berkeley (and later commercially) to be used in current software development, whether the results are published in source form or not. This is part of the reason why Apple (and earlier, NeXT) chose the freely available BSD (Berkeley Software Design) operating system core to form the NeXTSTEP platform that became Mac OS X, and why Microsoft appears to favor FreeBSD over Linux in maneuvers such as its recent announcement of plans to port the C# programming environment to FreeBSD. The BSD license is friendlier to commercial software developers than the GPL is. It strikes a balance that encourages grass-roots contributions from users, but does not place undue restrictions on companies with the resources to develop BSD-licensed software into truly great products.

Naturally, one might assume that Linux and FreeBSD are rivals. In part, or at least in some people’s estimation, they are. The percentage of open-source operating systems currently in use that are not Linux is dominated by FreeBSD, but that “domination” currently corresponds only to about 15% of a segment of the market that is by no means the only major one. Even if FreeBSD has a number of high-profile reference installations to help it wave its flag—such as Yahoo!, The Apache Project, and Walnut Creek CD-ROM—these installations don’t exist in such numbers as to give FreeBSD the high profile that Linux enjoys, for better or for worse.

Perhaps one of the biggest differences between FreeBSD and Linux is that of advocacy. FreeBSD has very little of it by comparison. The voices that aggressively promote Linux do not have comparable analogs in the FreeBSD world. In a way, this makes sense; Linux is a more “extreme” example of the open-source ideal, and FreeBSD is a moderate compromise between open-source enthusiasm and corporate stodginess. The vibrancy of Linux contributes to its higher visibility, but also means it’s a more chaotic platform and community. FreeBSD attempts to be more attractive to traditionalists, and so it’s not as flashy, but it’s in many ways more sturdy and predictable—it’s a true UNIX, with original commercial UNIX code that has the same stability as traditional “big-iron” UNIX variants. It’s hard to say whether Linux or FreeBSD is more “cutting-edge” or has the more modern features, but in many ways FreeBSD trails Linux as a “showcase” platform for the newest Windows-challenging features that attempt to bring open-source to the desktop. That’s really not where FreeBSD is targeted….

Product Description
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 Integration Unleashed shows readers how to integrate and extend Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 with dozens of other business applications. Virtually every organization that uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 has a need to extend and/or integrate it with other business applications. Coverage is provided for SharePoint integration, Google and MSN map integration, VoIP phone integration (Cisco and TAPI), PerformancePoint, Silverlight, Office (including OneNote), Exchange, Communicator, and a special section on Scribe integration. This book covers many topics missing from Microsoft Dynamics CRM that many organizations desire—Dashboarding, Advanced reporting, custom/specialized integration, interoperability with other applications (Snap), as well as explaining how the database behind Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 works, so users can perform their own “deep-dive” on the data if they wish. The authors show readers how to extend the application from an internal application to an external application that can be used directly by end-users (not just employees). Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 Integration Unleashed is written by one of the leading customizers of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and author of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Unleashed.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 Integration Unleashed

• ISBN13: 9780672329708
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Product Description
Microsoft® Dynamics CRM 4.0 Unleashed presents start-to-finish guidance for planning, customizing, deploying, integrating, and managing Dynamics CRM in your unique business and technical environment. Authored by two leading Microsoft Dynamics implementers, this book systematically explains how the system works, why it works that way, and how you can leverage it to its fullest advantage.   The authors present clear examples, proven best practices, and pitfalls to avoid in using every significant Dynamics CRM capability. The far-reaching coverage ranges from Dynamics CRM’s sales, marketing, and customer service features to its automated workflows; from Outlook and Office integration to reporting and security. The authors offer independent insight into Dynamics CRM’s most powerful new features, from its improved interface to its new mail merge and data migration tools.   This book is for every IT professional who intends to work with Dynamics CRM, regardless of their experience with Dynamics or other CRM solutions. The authors provide example-rich, realistic coverage of advanced Dynamics customization, extensibility, and integration: information that is available nowhere else.   Detailed information on how to… Set up, configure, and maintain all facets of Dynamics CRM in any organization or industry Thoroughly understand both the on-premise and hosted versions of Dynamics CRM Make the most of Dynamics’ new features, including email, the Outlook client, Internet Facing Deployment (IFD), and relationships Manage sales leads, opportunities, accounts, contacts, marketing lists, sales collateral, campaigns, quotes, orders, and invoices Improve customer service by integrating schedules, cases, contacts, product/service information, and more Build powerful automated workflows that streamline key sales tasks and liberate salespeople for more effective selling Efficiently administer and secure any Dynamics CRM implementation Drive greater value by integrating Dynamics CRM with Microsoft Office productivity tools Customize and extend Dynamics CRM using Visual Studio, .NET, and custom plug-ins and add-ons ON THE WEB: Download all of this book’s examples and source code at informit.com/title/9780672329708

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Unleashed

Don’t Forget The Comment…!

People seem to have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. That is not true at all. The fact is, creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to consistently give out great results. If you don’t practice harnessing creative thinking, this skill will very much atrophy into inexistence. But keep working and this skill will soon come to you in a snap.

So how do you unleash your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, I am not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living being available, I am saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read everything available — good and bad, and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know, and the more your faculty of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of color into your life. 

Focus on a creative activity everyday. Yes, it’s an effort. Even doodling is a creative activity. Don’t let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that, “hey, what I’m doing is getting somewhere.” So why don’t you try it. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Bring out your old camera and start snapping photos like crazy. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it religiously. Another cool idea is to write by describing something with your five senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like “marvelous,” “amazing,” and “delicious.” Before you know it, you’ll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you’ll be amazed at the growth you’ve undertaken after amassing all those works of art. Who knows, you might actually take to liking those things you do everyday. Pretty soon those things will become a part of you and you’ll be addicted to these creative exercises.

Think out of the box — or don’t. Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Limitations discipline you to work within your means. It enables you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline.

Try something new everyday and let your experiences broaden your perspective. Explore a new district in your neighborhood. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you’ve never been before. Chat up someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your zest for life. Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? If it’s been a while, I tell you, you’ve been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could’ve added to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. Why don’t you try bungee jumping today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you the life of the party.

Embrace insanity. No, not to the point of practically admitting yourself into the mental ward. As John Russell once said, “Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting.” Exactly! Every creative thought was once deemed insanity by other “normal” people at one time or another. Luckily, that didn’t stop the creative geniuses from standing by them. The thing is, sanity or being normal confines people to think… well, normally. Withink limits. Creativity is essentially breaking through barriers. Yes, this includes the bizzarre and the downright strange. I’m not saying that you yourself should develop a creative personality. That might go haywire. An example of a creative personality would be George Washington, who often rode into battle naked, or James Joyce, who wrote “Dubliners” with beetle juice for an intense fear of ink, or Albert Einstein, who thought his cat was a spy sent by his rival (or in thinking creatively in this case, the term could probably be “archnemesis.”) It’s important that your creativity doesn’t get you detached from the real world completely.

I hope this article has inspired you to start thinking beyond your “limits.” If you follow these steps pretty soon you’ll be living a life full of interesting adventures. Unleashing your creative thinking  will bring about a new zest for living life.

This is the second single from Mr. Halle Berry himself off his upcoming sophomore album Unleashed dropping sooner than later.

For many people Sonic the Hedgehog is an icon of the 1990’s, who back in the day had become as popular as Mickey Mouse and rivaled Mario for world’s greatest gaming mascot.  However, for me Sonic is still my favorite blue dude and video game franchise (warts and all).  I always thought that the concept of a hedgehog that rolls into a ball and slides down ramps and through loops as if he was a marble was ingenious.  He dominated the 16-bit world but, in recent years the move from 2D to 3D games has been a rather disheartening one for fans of the series.  Developers who seem to get it right on one game then go ahead and completely wreck the game that follows.  But alas be it the glory days of the 90’s, or the new gems in the series that can be found in the hand held markets of today, Sonic truly has some excellent games for all gamers.  The following is a list of my favorites and why:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

Sonic 2: Tails likes to hang around.

Out of the 4 games in the original series, Sonic 2 is my favorite.  The game builds on the mechanics of the original and then gives Sonic some nitro with the “spin dash” to go even faster. Not to mention the game also features an increased number of worlds to challenge the blue Hedgehog.  Many of these imaginative worlds like “Casino World” would go on to become staple environments in future games.  Finally, though some would decry the move to give Sonic a sidekick, at the time, I thought little of it since the two tailed Fox, named Tails, seemed to be merely a tag along in Sonic 2 who simply followed quietly behind and did not get in the way of the hedgehog.

Sonic Rush/Rush Adventures (2005 & 2007)

Sonic Rush

The fastest games on the Nintendo DS and arguably the best.  Sonic Rush was specifically designed to take advantage of the DS dual screens with Sonic racing through giant loops, ramps, and slides.  You have levels that start Sonic on the top screen and ends up with him racing through the goal on the bottom screen but all the time it feels like you are just viewing a larger singular screen than two smaller ones. The action is intense and challenging but never leaving you pulling your hair. The games also feature a “Rush-meter” which you can fill up by Sonic doing tricks through the air; when its filled you can have Sonic rushing through his enemies knocking them out of the park.   Pure and simple the game is a blast to play and its as much a ride as a game.

Sonic Rush Adventures

The only negative of the two Sonic Rush games actually deals with “Rush Adventures” where the game attempts to tell a story through a series of  illustrated storyboards that takes a few minutes to get through.  However you can skip them if you don’t care about the story.  On the plus side “Rush Adventures” does feature some fun mini-games tied in with transporting Sonic to new worlds via Jet-Ski, Boat, Submarine, or Hovercraft.  The water crafts are controlled through the use of the touch screen, which is similar to how you control Sonic in the original “Sonic Rush” during the Chaos emerald mini-games.

Building from the formula from the stellar “Sonic Advanced” games on the Game Boy, the designers of “Sonic Rush” and “Sonic Rush Adventures” were able to deliver to the handheld gaming community a handheld game that has all the thrills, challenge, and quality visuals of a home console game.

Sonic Heroes (2004)

Before “Sonic Heroes” (Sonic’s first multi console game) Sonic’s foray into 3D graphics was shaky at best.  While the original “Sonic Adventure” on the Dreamcast was a marvelous looking game, its game play and extensive story line seem out of step with the 2d side scrolling platforms that had come before it.  However, for newcomers to the series, many warmed quickly to this game and it became the biggest seller on the Dreamcast.  Unfortunately, when Sonic Adventure 2 and the Nintendo Gamecube ports of both Adventure games were released SEGA was hounded by both critics and fans of the series for the less than stellar graphics and the horrendous gameplay.  Clearly Nintendo had a better handle on their mascot’s (Mario) transition into 3d than SEGA.

Sonic Heroes: The A Team

However SEGA would eventually get it right and with “Sonic Heroes” they got the look and the feel of the game pretty close to its 2d platform heritage.  The convoluted story sequences that were featured in the “Adventure” games were gone and the game series returned to an action driven platform, only this time in the 3d realm.  The game was a thrill ride of speed and the graphics were impressive and fully realized 3d concepts that were in large part based on the older art style featured in the original series.  Just as in the case with “Sonic 2″ there is a Casino Night level but this time you actually are rolling on giant, neon lit pin ball tables and bingo boards and jumping on revolving dice.

Sonic Heroes

The Original Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

Sonic the Hedgehog: Ah the memories.

Though many Mario fans will vigorously disagree with my assessment, especially when compared to “Super Mario World” (Sonic’s 16 bit rival), it is my opinion that “Sonic the Hedgehog” was not only a mere improvement on the quality of graphics and sound when compared to older 8-bit games, but it raised the bar for the 2D platform games for the 16-bit generation of video consoles.  As well, it  presented to the player, a unique speed driven twist to side scrolling action that never has been captured by any other video game franchise.  Even though Sonic spawned a wave of imitators, the franchise and character has been able to preserve its uniqueness to this day.

Sonic the Hedgehog is pure awesomeness!

“Super Mario World” was a good game but to players who had been playing Mario Bros. from the beginning and was looking for something revolutionary in the series, “Super Mario World” ended up just being a better looking version of previous Mario games.   Mario looked old, he looked fat and slow and now with cute dinosaurs as his pet it looked like it was for a generation younger than the crowd that had already grown up with Mario on the old Nintendo 8-bit console.  SEGA and Sonic was ready for those of us who were ready to move on and broaden our horizons.

Sonic CD (1993)

I can speak of the load times, the time travel aspects of the gameplay but what made “Sonic CD” notable was the size of the levels,
the full motion video animation intro and ending (at the time it was a rarity), and the CD quality sound.  It is essentially “SONIC the Hedgehog” with revamped stages and slightly better graphics.  The audio for me is what made this game a real treat to play.  I was amazed at how clear and crisp the sound was when I first played this game.  The sound quality has an effect that can totally immerse you in this game.  Certainly the clarity factor has worn away  due to every game now being produced on digital media but even by today’s standards the audio from “Sonic CD” is very impressive.

Sonic Unleashed (2008)

Sonic Unleashed: Zoom!

In truth “Sonic Unleashed” is a mixed bag that not all fans are going to like all the way through.  However when compared to the previous title on the XBOX 360/PS3, “Sonic Unleashed” looks like a gemstone.   As with “Sonic CD, and “Sonic Heroes” that game features a unique element to its gameplay.  Instead of blasting between the past and the future, or choosing which character to play, you now have two different styles of gameplay based on time of day.  If its daylight you are Sonic, as we know and love, and you are faster than ever blasting through a variety of 2d/3d hybrid stages that features well polished graphics and smooth frame rates.  This time out your actually flying through the air because you’re going so fast.  The games control are, surprisingly, stable and well designed.  You shouldn’t have to many deaths caused from game error.  However, when its night time, the game slows to a crawl, as Sonic transforms into a werewolf.  The graphics and frame rate are still good but the controls here do suffer a bit as it transforms from a running, jumping platform game to a brawler more akin to a martial arts game.  Now most people buy a Sonic game to race around and not to pound on wave after wave of cardboard thuggery and monsters.  Still if you come with an open mind you just may find the night time gameplay not to be to terribly common and even a bit challenging in places. In any case Sonic makes a cool looking werewolf. Or is it werehog?

Sonic Unleashed: Graphics Unleashed

Well that’s it for my own personal retrospect.  I hope it hasn’t been boring.

For a complete video history on the Sonic Franchise checkout this documentary produced by GameTap.com.

Click Here to Watch Part 1 of the Documentary: Sonic Begins.
(Part 2: The Drive to Launch),
(Part 3: Sonic Takes the World by Storm ),
(Part 4: The Legacy of the Blue Hedgehog.)

Or if you are itching to play a Sonic game then click here.  Its a Sonic Game you can play in your browser.

Thanks for reading,

Matt Thompson

Yesterday today forever
You’ve the same
Jesus Your love will never ever change
You are here with me, watching over me
Day after day, You are my hiding place

You calm the storms, You raise the dead
You cause the blind to see, the lame to walk again
Yesterday today forever
You’ve the same
You walk with me, You talk with me
You’re pleased to hear my voice each time I sing Your praise
Forever You are the same

Words & music: Ronnie Liew c2006 New Creation Church

I believe in what the gospel says
Jesus, You came for me
You died to set me free
As Your rose from death in victory
At the cross of Calvary
You proved Your love for me

I behold the scars that You bore
This love I can’t ignore
Is mine forevermore
As You rose from death in victory
At the Cross of Calvary
You proved You love for me

For love You came, I believe, I believe it’s true
You took my shame
Now I live in You, You, You, You, You

Oh woah oh! You’re the precious Son
Came to earth to be the One
Oh woah oh! My sacrifice
Gift of love, You gave me life
Oh woah oh! Saviour King
Now in You I’ve everything
Oh woah oh! Jesus Christ
You’re my life

Oh woah oh! Oh woah oh oh!
Oh woah oh! Jesus, You’re my life
Oh woah oh! Oh woah oh oh oh oh!
Oh woah oh! Jesus, You’re my life
Oh woah oh! Oh woah oh oh oh oh!
Oh woah oh! Jesus, You’re my life
Oh woah oh! Oh woah oh oh oh oh!
Oh woah oh! Jesus, You’re my life

Words & music: Alwin Tan c2008 New Creation Church

“Dogs Unleashed” #4 features a trampoline-jumping dog, a canine cookie thief, a noisy bulldog, and others. Paired up with the dogs are the cats in the second episode of “Cat-tastrophes”, including a bird-chasing feline, a water-phobic kitty, and more! … dogs cats labrador retriever trampoline jump bark canine feline pees kitchen cookie pug food bowl batman daschund bulldog sink counter fall bird cage vacuum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE_UvIRxzDk&hl=en

When the greatest magician of his time retires, his final act is to invite the top remaining performers and have them carry out their finest routine. The prize? His coveted secrets. A deeper motive moves this master conjurer however, and that is to figure out which of these other magicians is out to kill him! Find out who the culprit is by investigating each of the ten illusionists. Go behind the scenes and assist them in their amazing feats to single out suspects. Walk the grounds of a beautiful Victorian-era castle to gather clues. Locate other important items and solve ingenious puzzles, but be careful, because many shadows walk the castle halls.

Features:
Learn the secrets of the worlds greatest magic tricks
Indulge yourself with Victorian-era mystique and showmanship
Take part in amazing magic performances to uncover a mystery
Investigate ten master illusionists and find the guilty party
Pay close attention and be careful because nothing is as it seems

Download:

http://hotfile.com/dl/13892597/6fae91a/A.Magical.Mystery.RIP-Unleashed.rar.html

On est presque en Octobre, alors les albums de Epica (Design Your Universe – 16 Octobre) et de Within Temptation (An Ascoutic Night At The Theater - 23 Octobre) doivent bien avoir un minimum de promotion. Alors pour Epica, on sort le single Unleashed assorti d’un clip, et pour Within Temptation, on sort Utopia, en featuring avec Chris Jones, assorti d’un clip, bien évidemment.

Epica – Unleashed

Le message est clair, Epica a grandi. L’orchestration est encore plus imposante que sur leur album précédent, The Divine Conspiracy, les techniques sont plus matures, la voix de Simone est meilleure, que du bon. L’entrée en matière directe avec les chœurs montre bien la volonté du groupe de passer aussi sur du grandiose, en utilisant tout ce qui peur être mis à leur disposition. On sent l’influence des deux nouveaux membres du groupe, un batteur orienté death et un guitariste, dans la “violence” de la compo.

Le clip en lui même est commun aux autres, à savoir une histoire mise en parallèle avec le groupe. Cette fois, l’histoire est bien compliquée, je n’y ai rien compris. Mais le clip en lui même est bien réalisé, et esthétiquement très bien.

Ce single, avec clip, succède donc à Never Enough, plutôt commerciale. Ce titre reste du Epica, de bon niveau, avec quand même les concessions dues au single, à savoir aucun grunt, et une compo musicalement plutôt soft. Du bon single tout de même, qui augure un bon album aussi !

A savoir : Epica en concert à l’Elysée Montmartre en Novembre, les 20 & 21.

Within Temptation – Utopia (ft. Chris Jones)

Malgré mon enthousiasme, je reste sceptique. Oui, le single est très différent du Within Temptation que je connaissais. Même si leur dernier album , The Heart Of Everything, avait amorcé un tournant stylistique, là, je trouve que ce tournant est bien trop consommé. La guitare saturée est presque absente, l’orchestre est inexistant, tout cela se tourne trop vers la pop je trouve. Le single est bien, mais ce n’est PAS du Within Temptation selon moi, la voix de Sharon mise à part, et peut être les thèmes des paroles. Je sais bien que ce single annonce An Acoustic Night At the Theater et que donc, il est censé être plus acoustique, je reste sur la défensive.

Scepticisme, donc, mais quand même, le single est correct. Mais commercial ! Enfin, Sharon et Chris Jones se sont trouvés sur le CD de Armin van Buuren, qui n’est pas le Grand Prêtre de la musique non commerciale… A voir donc.

Jal’

Jesus: Prophet + Priest + King. New Series Unleashed Fall 2009. (Click photo to enlarge)

New Unleashed Causes Project: Food Drive. (Click photo to enlarge)

Greater than this world that says
That I’m not worth much today
Is Your blood that washes my sins away

Stronger than the words of doubt
And the voices from without
Is Your word declaring You’ve lifted me up

So I, believe
And I, put my faith in You

Jesus, all my worth is found in You
Lord I reign in this life
‘Cos You have bought me with the highest price
Now In Your righteousness, Lord I will stand
To shout Your praise
Lord, I shout Your praise

Words & Music: Sean Goh, Daniel Ang c2007 New Creation Church

Sample the song here.

Nice? Buy the album: Gospel Revolution.