The broken road connection caused major traffic to all travelers and stray dogs.
The Serian-Sri Aman road collapsed or what local engineers call runtuh/roboh/pesak/tebik/putus/etc today causing a major disconnection between people travelling between the two areas. The incident at Kilometer 77 near Sebangkoi happened about 9:30pm last night probably due to rain or something more 2012-ish.
Whatever it is, please drive carefully especially during this wet monsoon-cum-flood season. Read the news here (Google Translate required).
I wonder if this is just coincidental with the wet season and has nothing to do with the recent earthquakes in New Zealand that might have caused shockwaves all the way here.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games et al
For PC, PS3, X-Box 360 and Wii
★★★☆☆
"Could've been better"
We're back in the fight! It's World War III and you're playing as many different characters during this troubled times where one man's madness may spell the end of humanity. Ladies and gentlemen, we are at the verge of a nuclear Armageddon. Check out the trailer.
I bought this game for its campaign. This is the third and hopefully the last installment in the Modern Warfare series because great stories cannot be elongated into 6-8 books or expansion packs. This is the most anticipated First Person Shooter (FPS) of the year along with Battlefield 3.
MW3 continued where the story left in MW2. Here's a summary of the storyline since MW1 (SPOILER ALERT, or skip and scroll further downwards until End of Spoiler):
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SPOILER STARTS
Modern Warfare 1:
'The Coup': Uprising is trending in north Africa and the Middle East right now...
An uprising in an unnamed Middle Eastern country saw a violent coup d'état that overthrew its president. The coup leader Khalid Al-Asad threatened the world with nuclear weapons. The United States of America intervened by invading the said country. However on the verge of defeat the nuclear device was detonated, causing a catastrophic nuclear explosion that devastated the country and the US forces.
Intelligence report showed that the Russian Ultra-nationalist party had supplied the weapons to Al-Asad. SAS and Force Reconnaissance operatives were dispatched to hunt down the supplier Imran Zakhaev, the party's leader, who wanted to restore Russia to its former Soviet glory days with him as the head. However his idea caused a civil war between the Ultra-nationalists and fellow Russians loyal to the current government.
Zakhaev eventually launched nuclear missiles towards the East Coast of the United States. But the SAS and Force Recon operatives managed to disarm all the nuclear warheads before impact. Zakhaev was killed in the end by the remaining operatives.
Modern Warfare 2:
'No Russian': The terrorist massacre that started the Russo-American War. WARNING: The content may be disturbing.
An airport massacre in Russia caused a global outrage. The terrorists, suspected to be Americans, led to Russia declaring war against the United States.
The Russo-American War began and military intelligence suggested the terrorist was Vladimir Makarov who was also an Ultra-nationalist party member. He is a mad men hell-bent on making Russia take over the whole Europe and weakening the US.
Special operatives were dispatched to hunt down Makarov which led to the discovery of the person who helped made the Russian invasion possible; a US General Shepherd who lost his soldiers in the same nuclear blast in the unnamed Middle Eastern country years ago. He wanted to be seen as a hero, be given all the military resources and take down Makarov himself. General Shepherd was killed in the end.
Modern Warfare 3:
'Turbulence': One of my favourite mission, the kidnapping of the Russian President Inception style...
The Russian invasion of USA was in full swing and the US army was on the defensive. Meanwhile in Europe chemical terror attacks occurred in major cities like Paris, Hamburg and London followed by a full-scale invasion of the Russian forces in the said cities. It's WWIII.
The hunt for Makarov was still on and operatives searched from Africa to Europe to gain intel on his whereabouts. The President of Russia sought peace with USA but was kidnapped by Makarov to extract nuclear launch codes from him. The President was rescued and eventually Makarov was killed.
END OF SPOILER
======================================================================================
That's it. In a Tom Clancy-ish style of warfare fiction, I played it for the campaign and the multiplayer as an added bonus. Sadly, MW3's story was really WTF. I could not link some of the plots together. For example since Makarov was a terrorist, how on Earth did he muster a company of well-trained soldiers WITH attack helicopters to attack our protagonists hiding in India? Why was he seen working with the Russian army? Why we needed to fight all the way down a mine only to be assisted by our attack helicopters in the end, couldn't we just flown down there instead?
MW3 campaign is full of loopholes and weak plots. I felt it was made just for the Hollywood effects. Build the beautiful and detailed maps first, then find out how to relate them all with the story line. After the epic climax build up to MW2 I was served with an anti-climatic ending. What a real disappointment.
Apart from that the graphics are the same but there are some small changes to the multiplayer. The moment I finished the campaign I tried out the Special Ops (nothing exciting) and then the Multiplayer. The match-making needs some tweaking. I mean, my first 3 matches of Free-for-All and Confirmed Kill mode I was pit against Level 50-70 players. I was the only one at Level 1. These Level 50-70 players don't treat noobs so easily. I like to be a sniper in any FPS but sadly MW3 offered little sniping point, or maybe I hadn't found one yet. It's basically a frantic laser-tag style of gauntlet where everyone consistently run around blasting at other players on impulse. Oh did I mentioned the AC-130 gun support that basically obliterates all the players on the map? Apparently you can't outrun the gunship's cannons.
Then I turned off the system and called it a day.
In conclusion, COD: MW3 was okay, but could've ended more epicly. I guess it could be something to do with the company firing the people behind MW1 and MW2, Zampella and West. Apart from that it's an okay game and fun nonetheless.
Condolences to the people of 조선민주주의인민공화국 (Democratic People's Republic of North Korea) for the passing of President Kim Jong-il.
The great leader died in a train due to a heart attack at the age of 70 years-old on 17 December 2011. May the Great Successor Kim Jong-un lead North Korea into a new glorious era.
Not sure what's the back story, but I suspect the boy was caught stealing and the mob surrounded him and punished him. I don't support this kind of inhumane punishment, he's just an 8 year-old boy. Supposedly happened in Canton (Southern China) on August 13th, 2011.
First it was the little girl who got ran over many times. Then this. What's this world turning into...
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
by Bethesda Game Studios
For PC, PS3 and X-Box 360
★★★★★
Perfect. A masterpiece. I used to avoid role-playing games as they are repetitive and time consuming, then I went to Skyrim and took an arrow to the knee. Behold, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or TESV Skyrim. Before we continue to delve deeper, check out the official trailer (ignoring the ads) to get an idea why this is one of the best game of 2011.
And this was my reaction 20 minutes into the game...
This is the fifth installment of the Elder Scrolls series and I have yet to play all the predecessors but TESV Skyrim, my fellow brethren, is perfect. The game puts you in the northern parts of Tamriel (previous games occurred in other parts), in the land called Skyrim.
Like its predecessors, Skyrim puts player in a sandbox world where he/she can create his/her own character and be anything and do anything. The last game I played from Bethesda was Fallout New Vegas and in comparison, Skyrim had blown my mind by its storyline, quests, depth, details, music, physics and the sheer size of Skyrim that one can explore.
I won't spoil much of the story because this game is deserved to be played by oneself to truly experience Skyrim. Basically you are Dragonborn, some kind of a special being that has the power to stop the dragons who had returned to end the world. Along the way you can pick up many side quests that gave deeper experience and most of the time demands your decision that will ultimately affect the world. Yes, you will be faced with many choices in the game and it's up to you to approach it. Met a farmer who is darn pissed at the jester who is never satisfied by the farmer's aid? Will you help blackmail the jester to let the farmer return to whatever farming things need doing, or will you help the jester and fix his cart so he can bury his mother. What? Hahaha...
As mentioned earlier you can be anything and do anything. You fancy some alchemy? Then go out into the wilderness and harvest some herbs and insect and concoct potions at the alchemy table. You like exploring caves? Go ahead but I don't think the bears and vampires would like your intrusion. Wanna be a vampire? Sure go ahead get bitten by one and you'll turn into a REAL non-Edward Cullen vampire in 4 in-game days. Don't want to do the main quest and finish the game too soon? Easy... buy houses, get married, slay some dragons, join the Thieves Guild, be a Dark Brotherhood assassin, become a successful trader, hunt mammoths, swim in the icy cold northern waters, cook fish, manhandle a bear, steal things from one town and sell them in another, make cool apparels out of the wolves you just killed, learn magic from the College of Wizardry, go to Bards College and learn how to play music, talk to strangers and help them get their stuff they left in caves, fight a clan of Werewolves, get bitten by a Werewolf and turn into one, burn the whole village down just for kicks, run away from the law, make a pilgrim up the 7,000 steps to reach the top of the mountain, troll a troll, troll a snow troll, annoy a giant, etc. etc. etc...
All those I mentioned above are not fake, but actual things you can do in Skyrim. Alright I hope you're hyped up to get a copy of Skyrim and be an adventurer! And take an arrow to the knee! (Skyrim joke). Go forth Dragonborn, FUS RO DAH!
Enjoy the screenshots.
Me exploring Skyrim with some buddies.
Talking to villagers who are somewhat not impressed with a dragon which had been killed heroically...
Standing near folks in taverns and just listening to the villagers talking might drag you into quests unwillingly...
You can make leather from animal hides you hunted.
You can be a blacksmith and make flimsy to awesome weapons and armor.
Travel around the beautiful towns, holds, villages and castles in Skyrim.
Have a hot cappuccino after a long day completing quests.
Being a busybody seriously drags you into new situations.
Fancy some red meat for dinner tonite?
Chilling under a tree, showing off Skyrim's more warmer region.
See two Sabretooth tigers attacking a Mammoth. Or are they licking its toes?
"I need a bigger arrow"
No creature is too big. Mammoth snout tonight!
Slaying a dragon is a 24/7 job. No matter rain or shine, night or day.
I accidentally shot my Housejarl or companion during an ambush. And she is permanently dead... Sorry Lydia! It was dark!
I used to get bored by the overused arrow to the knee joke, then I took an arrow to the shoulder.
This is NOT ASSASSINS' CREED! THERE IS NO RANDOM CONVENIENTLY PLACED HAY STACK!
Roast or soup?
Fudge.
A dragon teaching me the third Newton's Law.
You can also be a miner...
You can climb the highest peak in Skyrim. I'm the small dot near the curved rock on the upper left.
Still no conveniently placed clump of hay.
You can chop wood to earn a living. Each firewood sells for 4 gold, I think. I quit being a lumberjack 1 moon ago.
You can do alchemy, but not until Full Metal Alchemy level. Just some mixing at the table.
You can be an assassin, like Altair or Ezio.
"Checkout my fancy bloody dagger!"
I'm on the boat. Well on the mast.
Nord fishing village? Seems legit.
Visiting a museum and getting a personal tour from the curator.
I just arrived in this new small hamlet to resupply and this dragon appeared. PERFECT TIMING!
You guys should build a museum.
Oh... fudge.
Watching a Giant about to club the dragon to death, and save my time and potions from doing all the killing.
Sneak Level 100. Creeping onto a dragon while it's sleeping.
Riding a dragon, like a boss.
Playing a gold coin game I don't understand with some bandits.
Thy Sim adventures not enough for thyself? Rejoice, there is a Sim Medieval app cometh down from EA forged especially for thy iPhone and other Apple devices.
Lo and behold! Sate yourself with a Sims game based on Medieval times fit nicely into your pocket. Although noticeably a more simplified version from its PC counterpart, Medieval offers all one could expect from any Sims games such as filling your basic needs, interacting with other Sims and drown your Sim with Medieval... nectar?
Anyways you start by creating your Sim, then you control him as you progress through your kingdom by completing a variety of quests in the world. It's a fun way to pass your time however watch out for the battery as you might get occupied with the game. Here's some screenshot of my Sim looking like a typical medieval Asian dude with a hammer.
The world or kingdom where your Sim can roam is fairly big enough and acceptable for a 62.5MB game. I'm not sure though if you can progress long enough and discover more of the world.
Meet other Sims of the medieval times and listen to their tales of the yore. Help them complete quests and you'll unlock more "Occupations" and Sim abilities like Taunt or Preach other Sims to repentant.
Why not plant vegetables and sell them at the market to earn Simoles (gold). Cabbages seems to be the main thing Sims eat during the medieval times.
Meet even more Sims and experience their love hate relationships. Intervening is optional but it's noticeably easy to make friends with anyone. Once you befriended them, as the Sims tradition dictates, you unlock more interactions with them from hugging to some ye olde medieval debaucheries.
Oh there's fishing.
And there's also some medieval street brawling, with tangerine-glowing hammers.
