Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nicki Minaj
I know you probably heard Lil Wayne on tracks talking bout a female artist named Nicki Minaj….When I heard her spit I was really impressed and then I ran across this picture, and video of her. Check her out. She’s pretty dope, her skills are on point…and she knows it. She reminds me of a young Foxy or Lil Kim (before the fame). Oh and she’s the president of her own company, Dirty Money, top that!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Lil Wayne Named Best Of Rock 2008’s Best MC
Lil Wayne has two primary passions: making music and smoking weed. Tonight, those have come into conflict. Wayne is sitting on his tour bus in New Orleans, having come back to his hometown for two concerts. He’d like to head into a studio to do some mixing for Tha Carter III, 2008’s most anticipated rap album. But there’s a problem. Wayne isn’t allowed to smoke in the studio. So he stays on the bus, lighting blunt after blunt and watching Animal Planet on the TV. He’ll sleep there tonight for the same reason: Wayne can’t smoke in his hotel room either.
When Wayne speaks, it’s with that same voice from his records: a needling, grizzled croak that’s one of the most distinctive sounds in pop music. On the bus, Wayne comes off as a funny motherfucker. He leaves everyone in stitches with a story about how he had to clean graffiti off a house owned by Cash Money Records founder Bryan “Baby” Williams. “We were out there scrubbing for a day!” he shrieks. “That shit is still on the house, nigga! Even after Katrina!”
Wayne’s not always like this. Sometimes he’s pensive, and he can turn surly without notice. Oftentimes, he’s just plain weird: Over dinner in Miami last summer, he spluttered through a half-coherent, very stoned monologue in which he compared people in New Orleans to crabs in boiling water, then segued into the kind of crabs that show up in your pants: “I had that shit! The worst!”
Wayne’s rhymes are as varied as his moods, ranging from quick-tongued braggadocio about girls, cash and guns to gut-wrenching expressions of personal pain. He’s a compulsively listenable dude who will sometimes sing (badly) and rhyme in French; a five-foot-six-inch bundle of energy spitting left-field references — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bill Laimbeer, tooth fairies — and consistently great punch lines: “My spot remain, like a bleach stain, or cranberry/It’s murder she wrote, like Angela Lansbury.” He’s been getting stranger lately, too, turning out stream-of-consciousness flows and trippy flights of fancy like the amazing mixtape cut “I Feel Like Dying,” on which he sounds seriously zonked: “I can mingle with the stars and throw a party on Mars/I am a prisoner locked up behind Xanax bars.” He may be all over the place, but this is certain: Lil Wayne — a.k.a. Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., a.k.a. the Pussy Monster, a.k.a. Weezy F. Baby — is one of the most unusual rappers of all time. And right now, he’s the best around. Just ask him. Wayne began calling himself “the greatest rapper alive” in 2005. Since then, he’s been repeating and backing up that claim on cameos and countless mixtapes. Two of those mixes — Da Drought 3 and The Drought Is Over 2: The Carter III Sessions — were among the best albums of 2007.
Wayne grew up a wild kid in New Orleans who dealt crack and once accidentally shot himself in the chest. “It was my mom’s gun,” Wayne says. “It was like a chopper hit me. But the bullet went straight through, and I bounced back in two weeks.” Thankfully, Wayne soon discovered hip-hop and began battle-rapping. When he was eleven, he had the good fortune of befriending Baby Williams and started helping out at Cash Money Records. By the time he was fourteen, Wayne had a record deal.
From there, Wayne became moderately famous as a pint-size member of the rap supergroup Hot Boys, and he proved an above-average gangsta MC on his early albums. Recently, though, he’s attained a level of greatness hardly anyone could have expected, spitting rhymes that are wittier, odder and broader in subject matter than anyone else’s. In the past year, stars like Kanye West and Jay-Z have featured Wayne on their songs. And he’s become a constant presence on hip-hop message boards and blogs, which feature feverish chatter about Wayne’s latest stanzas, his sexual preferences (sparked by a photo of him kissing mentor Williams), his drug use and occasional legal troubles. (He’s currently facing gun- and drug-possession charges in New York and Arizona. Wayne pleaded not guilty in both cases.)
MGS4
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (commonly abbreviated to MGS4) is the forthcoming game in the Metal Gear Solid series. Directed by Hideo Kojima, Shuyo Murata, and Yoji Shinkawa, Guns of the Patriots is currently being developed by Kojima Productions exclusively[1] for the PlayStation 3. The game is being designed around the motto, "No Place to Hide!" As with previous iterations in the series, MGS4 will purportedly be the last Metal Gear Solid game developed by Hideo Kojima, and the last game in the series starring Solid Snake. It is due for simultaneous worldwide release on June 12, 2008.
Contents[hide] |
Development
Initially, Hideo Kojima announced that he would be retiring as director of the Metal Gear Solid series after Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and would leave his position open to another person for Metal Gear Solid 4, as he did after Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. As a joke, the new director was announced as "Alan Smithee", but in R, a 400-page book bundled with Metal Gear Solid 3's Japanese "Premium Package", the director was revealed to be Shuyo Murata, co-writer of MGS3 and director of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, who has also contributed humorous easter eggs to MGS2 and Metal Gear Ghost Babel. However, it was announced that Kojima will be co-directing the game with Murata after substantial negative fan reaction, including death threats.[2]
The title has been described as "essentially finished" since January 2008, and is currently entering extensive beta testing.[3] Ryan Payton has previously told Reuters that MGS4 "needs to sell over a million copies on the first day it goes on sale due to its costly production." This was later revealed to be incorrect.[4]
Plot
| [hide] Metal Gear series chronology |
|---|
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Metal Gear Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Metal Gear Solid (The Twin Snakes) Metal Gear Solid Mobile Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots |
Metal Gear Solid Flashbacks
On May 1, 2008, another trailer was released for MGS4. This one featured several showcasings of Shadow Moses with footage from Metal Gear Solid, The Twin Snakes and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It then shows Solid Snake back on Shadow Moses Island using MGS4's graphics engine. However, Snake suddenly awakens on a helicopter in 2014, telling Otacon that he's "having that dream again".[6]
Gameplay
In MGS4, the player must navigate the game world in order to progress. Unlike the other Metal Gear games, where Solid Snake is youthful and agile, the more elderly version of Snake has a more difficult time employing stealth, so he focuses more towards eliminating the targets rather than sneak around them. It will use the series' traditional third person view with full camera manipulation, but also allows the freedom to play in first-person mode, as well as an over the shoulder view which can be switched from right shoulder to left for easy corner maneuvering. The Close Quarters Combat system will be completely revamped. The player will also be able to interrogate guards for information and supplies.
Several elements from previous titles return in modified forms. Players will also use a new form of camouflage called "Octocamo", which replaces the camouflage system featured in MGS3 and the Stealth Camouflage seen in MGS and MGS2. Dark blue when disabled, the Octocamo suit allows the wearer to blend in with any surface within a few seconds. A new monocular device called "Solid Eye" replaces the various binoculars and image intensifiers from previous titles, and a steel drum compliments the series' traditional cardboard box disguise. It is able to deflect bullets, and can be rolled to knock enemy soldiers over.
According to Ryan Payton, the game will be filled with cut-scenes that explain what happened in Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3, and then Portable Ops, how that relates to MGS4, and how that relates to the final chapter of Solid Snake. Although informative enough to excite the hardcore fans of the series, the cut scenes will be straight forward enough for mainstream gamers.[7]
Snake will also be partnered with a robotic drone, the Metal Gear Mk. II, which allows him to communicate with other characters, in addition to the Codec radio system from previous games. It is also capable of engaging enemies using an electric shock, as well as providing reconnaissance.[8] . This drone is reminiscent of Gillian Seed's robotic sidekick Metal Gear Mk. II from the game Snatcher.
Due to the lack of a rumble feature during much of the PlayStation 3 development the game has been designed with a new feature: a white "Threat Ring" that visibly vibrates when sound is made nearby.[9] As one of the first major games to make use of the DualShock 3's force feedback capabilities in a series known for extensive use of rumble,[10], Kojima has stated that if the feature were to be implemented, the Threat Ring may be removed.[11]
Snake's health will play some factor during gameplay. If injured on the battlefield, cuts and burns will remain on his skin. However, the developers wish to avoid putting the stress of Snake's health to the players, so he wears a muscle suit, allowing players to move in a similar fashion to previous games.[12]
Other changes that were announced included the new "Psyche Meter" which will replace the stamina meter from previous Metal Gear games. This Psyche Meter functions as a normal human's adrenaline meter. If you are combat, then the meter will alter, and Snake can fire rounds off faster and recieves less damage. However, if you are near something that smells bad, then the meter will change again, and Snake will move slower and slightly awkward. The "Baseline Map" is a radar map with a dynamically resized circle based on Snake's "presence" to the environment.[9]
Characters and voice cast
Many of the Japanese voice cast from MGS and MGS2 will be returning to reprise their roles in MGS4, with the notable exception of the late Kōji Totani, the voice of Revolver Ocelot, who died in February 2006.[13] Totani will be replaced by Liquid Snake's Japanese voice actor Banjō Ginga, who provides the voice of Liquid Ocelot. Houko Kuwashima and Kikuko Inoue will reprise the roles of Mei Ling and Rosemary respectively for the game,[14][15] Inoue will also voice a new character, Sunny, the daughter of Olga Gurlukovich. Japanese film director Shinya Tsukamoto will provide the Japanese voice for Vamp, replacing original actor Ryotaro Okiayu. An elderly EVA, who introduces herself as "Big Mama" in one of the trailers, from MGS3, will also appear, and her voice will be provided by singer Mari Natsuki.[16][17]
English voice acting work is being recorded in tandem under voice-director Kris Zimmerman.[18] David Hayter returns as Solid Snake, with Quinton Flynn (Raiden), Paul Eiding (Roy Campbell), and Christopher Randolph (Otacon) reprising their roles from previous titles.[19] Cam Clarke, who did the voice of Liquid Snake in the previous Metal Gear games, will not be a part of MGS4. The role will instead be given to Patric Zimmerman, who will take the role as Liquid Ocelot. Kris Zimmerman, denying allegations of nepotism, has clarified that Kojima always intended for the character to use Ocelot's own voice.[20]
Other new characters include Drebin, a self-styled "arms launderer", "Little Gray", a small, shaven, shorts-wearing monkey whom appears to follow Drebin, a new FOXHOUND team under the command of Meryl Silverburgh, Olga Gurlukovich's daughter Sunny, and The Beauty and the Beast Unit.
The New FOXHOUND
There are four members of FOXHOUND, sent to investigate PMC activity: Meryl Silverburgh; Ed, Meryl's second-in-command; Jonathan, a hulking soldier; and Johnny Sasaki, also known as "Akiba", the team's electronics expert. Meryl, Ed, and Jonathan use the SOP System to share each other's senses via the nanomachine network inside their bodies. Meryl introduces the team as "Rat Patrol Team 01" and states that they are investigating PMC activity with the US Army CID. Ed and Jonathan take their names from the main characters in Hideo Kojima's Policenauts, from which Meryl also originally gained her name.
The Beauty and the Beast Unit
Four new bosses are also introduced: Crying Wolf, Raging Raven, Screaming Mantis, and Laughing Octopus, of The Beauty and the Beast Unit. Their animal names openly reference characters from MGS's FOXHOUND unit, and the emotions relating to the Cobra Unit from MGS3. A closer inspection of Screaming Mantis reveals two marionettes of previous MGS bosses: Psycho Mantis and The Sorrow. All four of them are women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The only way they can cope with the damage done to their minds is to become war machines. Their inner appearance is referred to as "Beauty", while their outer appearance is referred to as "Beast". Four real-life models were chosen for their in-game appearances as their "Beauty" side: Lyndall Jarvis, Scarlett Chorvat, Mieko Rye, and Yumi Kikuchi. The English dubbing for the characters is done by having the female voice actors perform the lines while Fred Tatasciore overdubs on top of the female voices, creating the split-voice effect that the characters will have.
Cast
| Character | Japanese | English | Motion Actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Snake | Akio Ōtsuka | David Hayter | Ryoji Okamoto |
| Raiden | Kenyū Horiuchi | Quinton Flynn | Takeshi Yoshioka Eiji Morisaki |
| Hal "Otacon" Emmerich | Hideyuki Tanaka | Christopher Randolph | Shumei Kawashima |
| Naomi Hunter | Hiromi Tsuru | Jennifer Hale | Haruna Aimoto |
| Colonel Roy Campbell | Takeshi Aono | Paul Eiding | Takashi Kubo |
| Liquid Ocelot | Banjō Ginga | Patric Zimmerman | Taro Kanazawa |
| Meryl Silverburgh | Kyoko Terase | Debi Mae West | Eriko Hirata |
| Vamp | Shinya Tsukamoto | Phil LaMarr | Naoki Saito |
| Mei Ling | Houko Kuwashima | Kim Mai Guest | Houko Kuwashima |
| Rosemary | Kikuko Inoue | Lara Cody | Kikuko Inoue |
| Big Mama | Mari Natsuki | Lee Meriwether | Mao Yuuki |
| Screaming Mantis | Mao Yuuki | Andrea Zafra (Normal voice) Fred Tatasciore (Beast voice) | Mao Yuuki |
| Crying Wolf | Eriko Hirata | Debra Wilson (Normal voice) Fred Tatasciore (Beast voice) | Eriko Hirata |
| Laughing Octopus | Haruna Aimoto | Paula Tiso (Normal voice) Fred Tatasciore (Beast voice) | Haruna Aimoto |
| Raging Raven | Yumi Kikuchi | Nika Futterman (Normal voice) Fred Tatasciore (Beast voice) | Yumi Kikuchi |
| Drebin | Keiji Fujiwara | Khary Payton | Takashi Kubo |
| Sunny Gurlukovich | Kikuko Inoue | Christina Puccelli | Yasuyo Nabeshima |
| Johnny (Akiba) | Jun Fukuyama | Beng Spies | Kazuki Muramatsu |
| Jonathan | Hideyuki Tanaka | James Sie | Motosada Mori |
| Ed | Shōzō Iizuka | Dave Fennoy | Shigeyuki Horita |
| Soldiers | TBA | Roger Craig Smith | TBA |
| Haven soldiers (FROGS) | TBA | Sarah Sido | TBA |
Soundtrack
Harry Gregson-Williams will be composing the game's soundtrack, Nobuko Toda will also be helping Harry in composing the soundtrack aswell, Nobuko preivously composed Metal Gear Acid and Metal Gear Acid 2's soundtracks. This will be Harry's third soundtrack since his first introduction into the game's universe in 2001 in which he helped composed Metal Gear Solid 2. It is unknown if Norihiko Hibino will be contributing to the soundtrack. The soundtrack will be released with the Limited Edition version of the game and is also currently available for pre-order on it's own from Konami's KonamiStyle website here.
Release and Packaging
Metal Gear Solid 4 will be available as a bundle with an 80GB PS3 and a Dual Shock 3 controller with a total price of $499.99. It will also include an Metal Gear Online "Starter Pack". For players that have went ahead and pre-ordered Metal Gear Solid 4, an added bonus is that players will be granted access to Metal Gear Online Multiplayer Beta in late April. No word if a bundle pack will include the full game of Metal Gear Online. Two different editions will be released for the game. The Limited Edition will include the game, two documentries on making the game, special artwork for the case, and an imported Soundtrack. The Limited Edition will only be sold at Gamestop for America. The standard edition only has the game itself with a different cover artwork. Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Online are expected to arrive in June 12th 2008.
Reception
The game has currently received one review, receiving 10 out of 10 from Official UK PlayStation Magazine, commenting MGS4 "shifts gears constantly, innovating again and again"Metal Gear Solid 4 limited edition PS3 for North America detailed
Ha, seems our Japanese gaming overlords aren't the only ones looking down the retail barrel at the limited edition gunmetal gray MGS4 PS3. Sony's official Playstation.Blog is reporting that the MGS4 Limited Edition PS3 Hardware Bundle will be available exclusively from Konami.com for $600. For that you get a 40GB gunmetal PS3, matching DualShock 3 wireless controller, Metal Gear Online, an exclusive Blu-ray disc with 2-hours of additional content (making of documentary and look at Hideo Kojima's production team) and of course the MGS4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition game. Pre-orders from the "very limited supply" begin on Monday the 19th. Best set your alarms.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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