Interest Concentrated: 2016

Wednesday 14 December 2016

Dan The Man: Gaming Guide

Heeey guys! Welcome to another 'mobile-gaming' guide with me.
Today I'm sharing a review of an arcade styled mobile game.

From the creators of 'Jet Pack Joy Ride', 'fruit ninja', 'fruit ninja FX', 'Fruit Ninja Kinect', 'Fruit Ninja whatever-the-hell', we present to you 'Fruit Ninja....' Just kidding!

This time 'Half Brick' studios made a new kind of game. And not just any game, a game where the story videos are more popular than the game (ok, probably not anymore), a game with some history...

This year Half Brick released 'Dan the Man', a retro styled game. The game's protagonist, named 'Dan' is quite popular on YouTube.

The game starts at stage 8 of the story and the rest of the 7 are on YouTube, one for each stage. It would help you understand the story if you watch all the videos so you could get a clear view of what happens as the game doesn't help you understand what happened before, but the game helps by linking the game to YouTube so you can easily watch the videos without having trouble searching for it.

The game lets you choose from 4 characters:
1. Dan
2. Josie
3. Barry Streakfries ( you may know him from jet pack joy ride)
4. And a custom character

The game's simple but effective controls takes the game a long way and trust me, it's great to kill time, especially when you're at your grandparents place without wi-fi. You can even throw an enemy overhead, forward and even backwards! The creators even remembered to insert the standard 'special moves'. I mean have you seen any fighter game characters without special moves?

They did a great job in the retro looking graphics (like check out the background dude) and the cliché Kung-Fu shouts. Oh and those soundtracks tho, mhmm, 8-bit and rock. Yeaaaaaah dude!

The many hazards and ledges will definitely keep you over the edge and the unending number of enemies will keep you glued to your device.

The game consists of 3 modes:
1. Story mode (campaign)
2. Events (events change every week)
3. Battle (a mode where you keep on fighting wave after wave)

The levels are quite lengthy with many checkpoints, there are a total of 12 levels.

Shops can be entered as you come across a shop to refill health, buy health potions, reload ammo or buy weapons.

As usual, you get your score list when you finish a level which consists of:
1. Time taken
2. Number of enemies defeated
3. Secret areas discovered
4. And objects smashed

The game also makes your character stronger by letting you upgrade your character and weapons which consists of:
1. Shurikens
2. Throwing knives
3. Modern rifles
4. AK rifles
5. RPG7 (a missile launcher)
6. And a 'Carlgustav' (another missile launcher, sounds good eh?)

Another smart thing they have done is that (and don't ask me how they did it) when you play music, the in-game music stops (but not the SFX sounds). And that's a good thing, you don't get annoyed since both are not being played at the same time, or worse, your music stops.

In conclusion this game is a great time killer. With a story which makes sense and effective controls keeps you entertained and focused. And if you by any chance (probably not) be new to gaming. This is the best starter.

Thanks for reading,
Tyrant Beast :)

Sunday 4 December 2016

MacBook 2016: Impressions and Opinion

This is the MacBook Pro 2016 (non touch bar)

This is the MacBook Pro 2013

I decided to cover this new MacBook Pro 2016 as this has been fairly trending news these days and it's a laptop line up which I've grown quite attached to.

I've used the Mac Pro's, the MacBook Pro of both 2013 (retina) and 2008, and several other Mac products over the years. While I never owned one myself (I came close to a MacBook Pro or MacBook 2016 while shopping for a PC a few months ago), I have loved having them in my household and I've loved using them.

They're amazingly well made products with a very wide field of use in both the amateur and professional world. Don't agree? Look how many professionals use them. Stupid, you might say, they don't know the power of the Windows. Well shucks, they still bought one and a majority of them love using it, so in practical terms, that's your argument dis-validated.

Firstly, I've got to make a bit of a disclaimer. I own a Surface Pro 4. A very Windows PC. All of the computers I've owned in the past have also been Windows. I love, and I mean LOVE my Surface Pro 4. It's an utterly, utterly magical computer and it's so good I've been through 4 replacement Surfaces because the first impression of my first one was so good. Their quality control however, not so good. That's another story right there, but this is on the MacBooks so I am not gonna go there.

So that said, while it might seem like I'm hypocritically bashing Windows in general at some points in the article, I don't want to. My Surface was in the range of the MacBook Pro price bracket and I could easily have gone with one but I didn't. I'm Team Windows.

(Fun Fact: I'm writing this on a MacBook Pro Retina.)

Onto the MacBook Pro 16. An overpriced hunk of jewellery. A twist to what the MacBook Pro of old represented. Isn't that what it was? I watched the keynote. While I hate them on some sense, I really want them to start wowing me the same way they did when they made the iPhone 5. That thing blew my mind at the time. But for the last 3 years, they have consistently depressed me.

This MacBook reveal was very lacklustre. It felt... fake; forced. Apple is now at this point where they realise they say 'thinner, lighter, faster' way too much. You could sense it. The cheesy jokes? They felt like it was Apple mocking themselves from the inside.

But you know what's sadder? The fact that the people at Apple seem to have lost faith in their products. To those who watched the KeyNote 2016 October, I dare you go onto Youtube and watch the reveal videos for the iPhone 4 and MacBook Retina and not feel the excitement and passion the designers were feeling for the product themselves. Go on. Pause this now and go do that.

I'm not going to bother you with the specs and the technicals. You probably already know them. That's not why I'm here anyway. I will bother myself with saying this one thing. It's overpriced. A lot overpriced. for what it offers at least. Then again, Microsoft does more of the same on it's Surface Book, but it offers way more besides basic MacOS privilege.

I think the MacBook Pro 2016 is Apple ditching the professionals they initially made the Pro for in 2006 up till 2016. They differentiated this product as being capable and offering reliability for tasks that needed it, and being powerful enough to do anything that a professional could want to do, with gorgeously elegant looks casing it all in a slim and elegant package- something that was almost unheard of at the times.

A state of the art Windows laptop in 2006: Toshiba Portege m400

MacBook Pro 2006

That there sums it up.

Apple, from the day they last released a redesigned (arguably) MacBook Pro in 2012 (which was still great) has transitioned from being a professional's toolkit essential to a typical 'Starbuckers' essential, if you excuse the huge generalisation there. But that is what it is. Apple has gone from the Pro's expensive laptop that everyone wants to the laptop everyone has.

Is that good? Is it really? Does it really retain any of the Pro-ness that made it special when all it caters to is the ordinary person? Given, most people like to think that they are pros and want to buy a MacBook Pro to feel like a pseudo-pro, and be more productive; but if you switch your demographic from the Pros to the ordinary, won't you be loosing the original Pro appeal? You won't have a laptop packed with real professional specs like before; you'd have something for the ordinary person.

There is the overhanging thought that maybe ordinary people are becoming more and more demanding while the pros are becoming less and less demanding, but if you look at the other side of the world, the Windows world, you're going to see that actually isn't the case. Pro users still demand more than the ordinary person.

If you look at Apple as a whole, they've abandoned their real professional tools, like the Mac Pro, or the Mac Mini and are making iPads which tarnish what it really means to be Pro in the first place. They don't understand what a Pro is now- but I'll admit, it's hard to describe what a Pro is the first place. I'm talking graphics designers, editors and the like, to whom the efficient Mac exclusive software really appealed to. This MacBook is only the next one to fall prey to Apple destroying their own Pro lineup.

The lack of ports is stupid and very easily showcases that Apple only cares about your money. I cannot think of one reason why they would not put a single USB A 3.1 port in there other than to make you pay for adapters.

You might say, "Hey, they're getting ready for the future!". But I ask you, why the hell would they pack in a Intel 6th Gen chip with some mediocre graphics if they really cared about the future? The KabyLake chip has been out for a while now. There's really no excuse to not have packed either that with all USB C or minimum 1 USB A port with the SkyLake.

The lack of a SD Card is either a hilarious oversight or an example of how Apple has transitioned from Pros to Bros (sorry). It was an absolutely essential port that had no reason to go anywhere. A huge majority of MBP customers are photographers or editors, and Apple very well knows this. The SD Card port was simple and slim, and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere in the future. Why would they remove it? Why?

Money, of course.

Actually, I wouldn't be going down so hard on my beloved MacBook Pro if Apple wasn't so greedy and actually included an adapter with all the lost ports to make up for it in the box. I really wouldn't.

The SD Card still hasn't been replaced, and it's the most efficient way to transfer data from a camera to a laptop. Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior VP, said they removed it because "it’s a bit of a cumbersome slot. you’ve got this thing sticking halfway out". Which is absolutely genius, because I mean how beautiful is a huge, chunky, heavy adaptor with an SD Card sticking halfway out, right?

This SnapChat by Marquees captures the struggle creators are facing

You're paying 3000 pounds for an already overpriced as is computer, and you have to shell out another, what, 100 pounds to use it properly? What?! I mean how simple could it have been: include a single hub adapter with a USB A port, a MiniDisplay port and a SD Card port. Apple probably makes these for about 5 pounds each so why the bother, right? Except it'll hurt their ego so bad to do this, to admit that they were perhaps wrong.

I just don't get this about Apple. They think they are so perfect, so visionary and so amazing, that they can't admit it when they make a mistake and amend it.

One last point. The Touch-Bar. I see how useful it. I see the point. It's a new way of thinking and I think if Apple does it right, they can do something good with it. But there is one major flaw with it.

It can't be used if the laptop is docked. My father uses a MacBook Pro (it's what I borrowed to write this on), and he has always used it docked to a Monitor and with an external wireless keyboard and mouse. It's only removed for transport. This, I'm told, and have seen, is how a lot of professionals actually use this. You see where I'm going with this. That Touch-Bar is pointless if you dock it, and completely inaccessible. It's a great idea, but I think this flaw really devalues it. Oh and those emojis? No, that oughtn’t be a feature. That's the 'hipstery’ things I’ve going on about the whole while.

That said, this isn't all going to be bad stuff. There's somethings which I inherently adore about the MacBook Pro 2016.

(now changing to the SurfaceType Cover)

First, the trackpad. Awesome! I never felt the current MBP’s one was small, but it’s nice to see it bigger. Mac's have always had the best trackpads, hands down, and this is just where it needed to go. Reviewer have complained that it is too big, and when I used it, it did seem a bit too big, but I think it’s alright all around.

That's how big the TrackPad on the 13" MBP16 compared to my hand.

This is the old 13" MBP13 trackpad compared to my hand. Note the difference of the keyboards.

The keyboard, whatever you might think of the ButterFly mechanism, is actually not bad! I hated the keyboard on the 2015/6 MacBook (the tiny one) because it had almost no feeling to it at all. It was exactly what a keyboard shouldn’t be, and I had similar expectations for this one. This time Apple has taken heed of the raging reviews and have tried to give it some depth and feeling to it. My favourite keyboard right now is the SurfaceBook and Surface TypeCover (I like the flex it has), and while I think the older MacBook keyboards were good, but comparing it directly to the new one, it’s a bit too mushy for my tastes. I’m going to go as far as to say it’s, for me, a good improvement.

The display is also a good improvement. Microsoft has truly been killing it with the display tech lately, and it was time Apple needed to change their stuff up a bit. They essentially added the iPhone tech to their laptops, and I’m guessing it wasn’t much of a hard task for Apple. Apple has caught up with the market, but not beaten it. I LOVE my Surface Pro display, and I think the Mac is now more or less on par with that.

I guess I now have to comment on the improved specs and graphics, but I really have to? The competition offers better specs for almost half the price, and these specs aren’t very impressive on the Mac either. I’m just going to avoid this, and I’ve already raged about an aspect of it above. The new faster SSD though is a nice addition.

There’s also something I’m divided on. Why does this laptop need to be so thin? Having felt around it, I can agree it’s very appealing, but it just doesn’t feel any better. I never thought the current MacBook was fat, and I don’t think anyone else did either. It seems like Apple fulfils some their huge ego every time they needlessly make a product thinner. It is though much lighter, which is probably what people wanted, but the cost of better battery life, which is not what people wanted. It doesn’t seem to have quite the fantastic battery the old one did, as several reviewers have complained about.

I can’t comment on the speakers because I didn’t get to try them out, but they’re supposedly very good, much better than the old one. I think the old ones are great, so I expect the amazing.

To round this post off, what is the MacBook Pro? Has it filled the shoes of the old MacBook?

The MacBook represents the new direction Apple is taking, now trying to cater to ordinary people more than the professionals; pushing the prices up as far as they can to increase their brand value. It’s trying to become the laptop to the laptop world that the iPhone is to the smartphone world. Unlike the iPhone however, the MacBook already reigns king among the creative professionals, so Apple had a hard task in making the replacement Pro any better. Have they done it? To me, partly. To you, maybe not. To the rest of the world? They’re split over what it actually brings to the table with that huge price tag. And so am I. If Apple priced this fairly with the $4000 one at about $3000, I think the reviews would be raving.

The MacBook, as Dave2D says is, “a thousand dollars overpriced”, and at the price it’s hard to justify this purpose unless you are a huge Apple fan, absolutely need Final Cut (or other exclusives), or don’t really care about the price. My verdict on whether or not to buy this is a resounding no. As I’ve highlighted in the points I’ve made above, I have slowly grown from hating to loving to disliking it. As even my long time Mac user (and 'never going to switch') father would say, it’s simply too much for too little. It hasn't got the presence of the 'older' MacBook.

This remains the sweet spot of the MacBook Pros

This, I believe, is the future.

Thanks for reading! I look forward to writing more of these tech articles; I've already written ready for publishing in the next few weeks. Don't forget to drop your email address in the gadget thingy below for updates on our latest posts. You'll get notified every time we post.

If you have any suggestions of want you want me write about next, or want to hear my thoughts on something (I didn't know I was this interesting..), pop a comment in below!

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Friday 18 November 2016

Boom Beach Review

Hey guys! This is week I have brought you a review of the mobile game 'Boom Beach'.

Created by 'Supercell', the mobile game developing company originating from Helsinki, Finland. This is the their third game following 'Clash of Clans' and 'Hay Day'.

TL;DR?

To put it basically, it's just another Clash of Clans copy, even though it doesn't look like it in-game. If you are tempted to try it out then go for it, because as you know it's hard to keep your phone down to games made by SuperCell (if you know what I mean!).

The game has better graphics than Clash of Clans though, and has a few Easter eggs which makes it kinda fun. But as you know, these types of games tend to get repetitive and is almost like 'The Sims' and MineCraft. What I am trying to say is, these type of games don't really have an end. So proceed with caution...

Technicals:

Released on 26 March Of 2014. It is much similar to Clash of Clans than Hay Day, as you have to (like Clash of Clans) build armies, raid others in multiplayer and defend too. But it drops Clash of Clan's fictional characters for more modern types of characters such as:

1. Soldiers
2. Heavies
3. Medics
4. Zookas (shoots from bazookas)
5. Warriors (they regenerate health as they fight)
6. Tanks
7. Grenadiers
8. Scorchers (a tank with a flame thrower)
9. Cryoneers (shoots ice)

Boom beach is also free-to-play but supported by in-app purchases.

The game starts as you are on an island, unlike clash of clans where you're in a clearing in the middle of a magical forest.

Single player enemies and multiplayer enemies are in the same map called the 'Archipelago'.

Players are to build and improve the player's base in a strategical manner to fend off attacks by other players in the online multiplayer option and the blackguard (the single player enemies).
Troops are to be upgraded, and are for raiding other players from multiplayer and single player enemies as the blackguard.

It technically has the same foundation as Clash of Clans, you are to upgrade both defences and armies and unlock new troops and defences as you level up.

There is a co-op form where the player has to collect 'intel' to start task force operations where the game makes a base which is tough enough for everyone to attack. Intel can be found by attacking, defending or by rewards. Intel is used to 'sabotage' defences in these computer generated bases when the task force is unable to take down the base.

Victory points, similar to 'trophies', can be obtained by raiding single player bases and multiplayer bases.

Victory points are used to determine your rank which breaks down into:
1. Private
2. Corporal
3. Sergeant
4. Cadet
5. Lieutenant
6. Captain
7. Major
8. Colonel
9. Brigadier
10. General
11. Marshal
12. And legend

And each of these breaks down to 3 more ranks like 'rank one' and so forth.

The game currency consists of gold, wood, stone and iron. Gems are the premium currency. It's very easy to find gems though, so it's not that bad. You can either buy or you can collect by defending raids or finding treasure chests on the map. I recommend that you choose the latter because even though gems look valuable, they can't really do a lot of stuff.

'Power stones' are to be collected and can be turned to 'artifacts' with various powers and in different strengths.

Artifacts are classified into 3 types:
1. Idols
2. Guardian
3. Masterpiece

And power stones are broken down into 3 types:
1. Fragments
2. Shards
3. Crystals

There are 4 types of power stones:
1. Life (everything related to resources)
2. Magma (everything related to attacking)
3. Ice (everything related to defending)
4. Dark (makes random powers)

*Note: There can be one masterpiece of each bonus type*

Power powder is used to boost these artifacts by doubling its percentage for 3 days minimum, more powder can be added to lengthen this time but it does not double the percentage of the artifact anymore than it is.

The gunboat carries weapons such as:
1. Flares (these are used to direct your troops in the direction you want)
2. Artillery
3. Barrage ( a 'barrage' of missiles)
4. Medkit (produces a ring of healing, like a healing spell from clash of clans)
5. Shock bomb (temporarily stops defenses from attacking your troops)
6. Smoke screen
7. Critters ( tiny robot bugs)

Thanks for reading my review and follow our Facebook and Instagram page for the latest updates!

Tyrant Beast :)

Saturday 12 November 2016

Tomorrow

“Another Gang Attack Busted”--The Guardian--

As he opened the door, he took an almost casual look around the top and the bottom of the street.

Dark clouds rolled overhead, and with every breath, cold mist created a freezing bubble around his head. He saw no one on the streets. He started taking the steps down to the pavement. In one hand he held a case and some bulk was evident as he carried it down. In the other hand he held nothing, for the moment. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he stopped again. He took another glance at the street, and then with his free hand patted his front coat pocket. It was there. With a look of reassurance, he briskly started walking towards the end of the street.

The man in the car at the far end of the street smiled when he saw him step out. He kept his piercing eyes locked on the case when he saw it. His eyes sparkled as he said to his companion in the car,

“Step on it!”

The companion saw the look and grinned. He revved up the V8, and rolled out of the parking. The man in the passenger put down his camera and reached into the back, while talking to a crackling radio.

“C18A acquired, rolling out. Rolling out!” he screamed into it.

Out of the back he ripped out his favourite toy. This was gonna be fun. He smile grew as he companion revved up the car again and stepped on the accelerator and raced down the street.

The moment ‘C18A’ took his fourth step down the street, he heard the car. He knew what it was. His reactions sped up. He reached into the pocket and pulled out his Beretta 92A1. His steps quickened, and as he looked behind him, he saw the Ford Mustang pull out of the underground parking.

His initial thought was concerning what an American muscle car was doing in London. But then he realised that it was after him. The car’s sharp running lights cut through the darkness of the street. In another context, it would have been gorgeous, but here? It was terrifying.

As he saw the car rip though the street, he knew wouldn’t have a chance running. But he ran.

He angled out his Steyr AUG machine gun to face the street. The houses flew by.
500 meters to go.
400.
300.
200.
100.
90.
80.

He saw it coming closer, and closer. He was at loss for ideas. Then he saw the open door. As he looked back, he saw it coming nearer and nearer. With a leap of faith and energy, he pulled himself up the railing flung himself into the space between the door and the wall.

A spilt second later, the sound of machine-gunfire ripped through the quiet London streets.

-10.
-20.
-30.

As he flew by the doorway, he hardly saw the man fling himself in, but he infered it, as saw the lack of body on the pavement. He grimaced as they sped down the street. His companion saw it and as they reached the end of the empty street, he pulled the handbrake, and turned the wheels to perform a tight handbrake turn. With that single manoeuvre, they were speeding back up the street.

And they saw that he was out again. They were going to make sure that was the last mistake he ever made.

As he heard the car speed by, while was in the door way, he heard the gunshots break all the windows in the neighbourhood and dent all the metal. As soon as he heard that finish, he stepped out to run and saw how close he had been. The agency were sure to have heard it by now, but would they activate the forces quick enough? No, it would take them more than a minute, at least.

He made up his mind. What he had to do was make or break, but the problem was his choice could end up doing either. Or both. Never none. He had to make a choice.

He stepped out of the door, and ran out on to the street, not forgetting his case. As he ran out, he heard the squeal of the tyres performing the handbrake turn and the roar of the engine as it started to gain speed again.

He suddenly realised his pursers weren’t done yet. He looked back to the doorway. Too far. He kept running. He saw the agency building. He heard the Mustang's engine get louder and louder as it grew closer. The agency was too far. He looked over his shoulder. Too close. Too close.

The man grinned in cold blood as he as he pulled himself back into the seat. He got ready to pull the trigger.

As the car drew in, the roar of the engine was overwhelming. Afterall, it was doing what it was made to do.

C18A looked over his shoulder one last time.

He heard the sound of bullets ricocheting off concrete and metals. Then, for a second, there was a tiny, silent squiching sound.

The normal ricocheting sound resumed again..

The sound of gunfire reached his ears too late. As heard it, intense pain flushed his body. Then he heard the ricocheting. Then the momentary pause. Then the resuming. The pain over took him. His eyes glazed. His hands went numb. His feeling grew light. But as he fell, he felt the handle of the case and pressed hard with his thumb. ‘Protect’ was his last thought. And then, boom.

The man in car saw the bright flash. He saw the explosion. His mind stopped for a moment. No. No. NO! The case, the case, where was the case?!

It was gone.

Burning papers caught in the current flew up and around. Then the sound of the police ripped through the screaming silence.

It was time to get going.

The news that night recalled a story of crazy gangs attacking a rich politician's house but had messed up their plans. The gang were dead and luckily, no civilians were attacked. But the stock market, what a fall...

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It might have been a bit cliche, with all the shooting and hiding and James Bond-esque theme, but I wanted to try out writing action and tension, and so when one of school work projects was to write a tension filled story, I took the opportunity and made the best of it.

If you enjoyed it, please share it, and remember to follow our blog (submit your email in the gadget above) to get all the latest first!

Thanks for reading!
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Check out my other stories:

Crash, a short story: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/crash-short-story.html

1:49, a horror story: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/0149-pm.html

My Baked in Irony series:

Engrossing, a twisted short tale of irony:

http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/engrossing.html

Sorry…..

http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/sorry.html

Noticed….

http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/noticed.html

Check out Rayhaan's stories:

Flipside 1: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-closed-door.html

Flipside 2: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/flipside-2.html

Flipside 3: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/flipside-3.html
Flipside 4: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/flipside-4.html
Flipside 5: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/flipside-5_90.html

MirrorMan: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.com/2015/08/mirrorman.html

Or just check out everything in the order they came out in by clicking this:

www.interestconcentrated.blogspot.com

Saturday 5 November 2016

Flipside 5

FlipSide 5 is here, and so is Rayhaan! Hope you enjoy this! If you did, be sure to share. More like this already available on blog (find under label Stories and FlipSide) and coming up next month!
Thanks for reading!

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How Many Times

How many times have I stopped before this grand mansion of purpose unknown to me?

The sun shone the same way and the trees swayed with the same grace, with the same people on the same days,and why it was so was beyond me. I opened the giant mahogany doors, the same flash of golden-white light blinding my eyes for a split second; before I walked onto the velvet carpet of the entrance hallway. The fragrance-candle wax and lavender-remained, propagating my sense of smell beyond recognition, and my eyes teared at the aroma. I looked to the left and then to the right; big, ivory windows and crowds of people, very mundane people, murmuring and meandering towards the main hall. The lighting was almost non existant. In all the times I've come here, not once did I look up, which is probably why I dont remember a chandelier. And yet my stubborness prevails, for without gazing towards the ceiling, I move forward yet again. But why? Why go ahead at all?

"Just turn back,and run, as fast as you can," my conscience is screaming at me.

Somehow, I can't listen to it. Its all beyond me. I get to my destination, I open the exit door, and... it happens. I can't stop it. I can't intervene. I can't change my decisions.
This will happen again and again, and I don't know why. I inch closer to the main hallway, past the staircases and corridors shrouded in ominous shadow and the passing crowds. Then, suddenly, my world starts to make sense again. The exit door; shining on my right with a sign above it, calling out to me. I feel my eyes widen with hope as I run towards the door and grip the knob when a thought creeps into my head that makes me pause. This door was never here before. Neither was the "EXIT" sign above it. It wasn't right. By the time i had finished pondering about this I realised only a second had passed as I look up at the clock, and protocol takes over. My intervention is stopped; my hope for freedom, destroyed.

The door swings open with a force that could have broken my nose had I failed to move away as soon as I did, and standing in front of me, staring blankly at me, are my parents. Behind them, two more emerge from the shadows; their parents before them. I hadn't seen them in the longest time. Not since I started this sick game. Not since I traversed the corridors of this mansion every moment of my life.

It felt like I almost... forgot them. It took me a moment to recognise them, but it all came back to me. I couldn't decipher what they were saying, but I was hoping they were part of the deviation;that they would help me escape the loop. I was wrong.

They beckoned me to the main hall, coercing me to proceed no matter how much I begged them to let me go into the exit. The one deviation in a million years, and that too steers me back to the loop. I can hear the sounds of metal and marching outside, I'm closer to the main hall. I look back at the people who raised me, and wave. I must have been crying; the loss of hope for escape was crushing me slowly, but it was too late.

Amongst the crowd I grabbed the door handles to the main hall and left the light, and the crowds behind. I fall into the main hall, a dark courtyard made of metal, it's exit simply the absence of a fourth wall, almost like a house was cut in half and exposed. I see the land ahead, outside the mansion, the steel floor that stretched out for a thousand miles, and the deep sinking feeling of my heart as the footsteps grow louder, and the flashes of past trials come back to me.

It's all happening like its supposed to. Now they will come,and they will take me. I sit, powerless, on the ground. The end is nigh for me,and I am doomed to repeat the process of grief, without escape, for another millennia, as far as I know. A surge of emotion suddenly electrocutes my senses and I rise to my feet, facing the white light of the sun outside and the infinite stretch of nothing.

The footsteps grow louder and my pulse grows with it. I look to the black door upstairs- that's where they come from, where they take me. Every. Single. Time.

But not today. Now that I'm standing strong, I realise I no longer need to wait for a deviation to save me; for an anomaly. I am the anomaly. I fight back the winds of a never ending earth before me and take one heavy step towards the exit.

The footsteps are here.

I clench my fists and grit my teeth; I will not be taken this time. I push against the force of a million punches and step closer. And closer. The door comes banging down.

They are here.

I scream in pain as I feel my skin tear off slowly, and I take my final step, out into the steel courtyard. The force stops. I am free.

The men come bolting behind me, and I run faster; the white sky shining off the jet black steel surface of the ground beneath me,and I reach the destination, uncaptured, no longer afraid.

The men stop dead in their tracks,their emotionless faces gazing into mine. I turn around; their superior stands behind me, looking down from his great height. He doesn't say a word, but the points to the ground before me- there's machinery there now. I motion for it slowly, and I observe him growing in aggression. Something takes over me at that point.

It's not the protocol, not whats supposed to happen. This feels...right.

But the man shakes his head. His soldiers standing behind him, ready to pounce on me should I disobey. I gaze at the panel before me, and gaze around at the stretch of infinity all around me, the wind howling in my face.

This is truly the end.

A sense of urgency takes over and I launch my hand at the panel, destroying the course of events that held me back in the loop, imprisoning me to cruel pre-destination that has held me captive for so long.

The blinding white light fills my eyes as the steel beneath me slides away into oblivion and I rise, tears floating away from my eyelids. The sound of infinite bell rings fills my ears and it gets harder to breathe. I slowly lose sight, and like a breath of relief, I close my eyes.

I am free.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Work of Rayhaan Mubarak, Interest Concentrated.

Friday 4 November 2016

DeadRising 3: Xbox Review

Dead Rising 3 is the 3rd game in the Dead Rising franchise, and it was a launch title on Xbox One.

It is a good Dead Rising game but just does not capture the magic of Dead Rising 2, where you can run through the shopping mall dressed up as a Lego man with a fire extinguisher, freezing every zombie in sight.

In my opinion, it does not show the full power of Xbox One. The graphics were not great (even the PC port), and the frame rate was too low. Nevertheless, this is understandable since THERE IS SO MANY ZOMBIES on screen at once and there is a lot of explosions and Dead Rising madness, which would evidently kill the frame rate. They could have made more loading areas and confined the areas to allow the game to hit 60fps consistently, but instead we had to deal with bad graphics. I repeat: AND BAD GRAPHICS!

The game didn't have overly impressive story compared to other zombie games out there but, at the end of the day, Dead Rising is not really about the story. It's about the madness of combo weapons and now all new combo vehicles.

If you want a good zombie game with a story I would say to go with something like Telltale's The Walking Dead or if you want a more open world game go with Dying Light, which has a good story and a few combo weapons (but not as fun as the combo weapons in Dead Rising 3).

Overall I would give the game a 6.5/10.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you did, don't forget to share the joy by sharing this! :)

BattleField 4: Xbox Review

Hi guys, this is Alfy.

Today I'm bringing you a review of the xBox version of Battlefield 4. I wrote this a while ago, but I've updated it to make it ready for 2016! If you enjoyed it, go check out out our other reviews and articles, and please don't forget to share! Leave a comment below if you have a suggestion on what to review next! :)

Well, what should I say about Battlefield 4?

You could say it was a disappointment to the franchise.

Or you could say its a great game.

But I wouldn't agree with either!

I do think that it is a improvement from Battlefield 3, but at the same time I think that it could of been a lot better in places, like the multiplayer mode. I did have a lot of fun with my friends on multiplayer, but the slow loading textures and the massive frame rate drops really sets it down! Nevertheless, I enjoyed being able to fly a jet, a chopper gunner and even a cool quad bike.

I think that the multiplayer is what makes the game worth getting, if you are getting it.

Single player on the other hand was so boring and repetitive. To make matters worse, because I was playing on XBOX-360, it never saved my campaign (future updates have, however, fixed this).

In conclusion, while multiplayer is great, I don't think EA should even think about making another Battlefield game until this one is fixed. It was the only thing that the game any good. I give it a 7/10.

Thursday 3 November 2016

1:18 Lamborghini Gallardo by Welly: Review

Introduction

This was a review I wrote back in 2014. I was, and still an incredible car nut. I used to have a majestic collection of model cars, but I don't now, not with me atleast. This review comes from a time when I still had time to make high quality, visually pleasing and beautifully structured writing. I had a blog on which I published these reviews, before Interest Concentrated was ever even thought of, and I had a fantastic time taking ages to get this stuff ready for like minded people.

Today, I had a wonderfully nostalgic time rereading this. And I looked at it and thought, hey, you would like this stuff too; after all, don't we advertise amazing and diverse articles?

So here we are. I hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed writing it!

Thisath

So let'z zoom back to 2014.

Prologue

Let's get a good start on this! This is my first Diecast car review, and I hope to make a good impression. I've noticed that there aren't many written reviews on this particular car and some others that I have. I've always wished that someone would buy those cars and do proper written reviews of those. But nobody has. So now I have to get down to business.

NOTE: For non model car-nuts, there will be a glossary down below for all words market with *. It's only going to be model car terminology though. I expect you to know your car terminology.

The Review

So up there you see how the Gallardo looks like in a cinematic-view type photo. It looks quite nice up front and is the same all the way around. Outside they worked hard to detail it like the real thing and I can say they've succeeded. Maybe it isn't the all-so-amazing AutoArt* quality but at $35 it's much better compared to the Miastos** that are the same price. The exterior lights look fabulous and have no eye-sore pegs. Those vents you can see in the picture above look nice, even if they are just textured plastic. The logos are nice, detailed, and quite clear.

In the front you get the two headlights, the opening trunk, and vents. Like this:

Open the trunk and you get this:

It is also worth saying that the headlights look very complex and realistic. The trunk is tiny, just like the real thing (it's a bit hard to open, though). But it seems as if the logo is a bit twisted around but that doesn't really matter.

Moving to the side, it looks like this:

You notice that this, too is a cinematic photo and I apologise for that. They were taken for my Youtube video and right now I am recycling them. (Check out the YT video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djd1r4SXbdU ).

But anyways, let me describe it. On the side you see the really great wheels with nice disc brakes that DO TURN*** with the wheels, which have full suspension. On the brake pad you can see 'LAMBORGHINI' written in nice readable writing. There is the Lamborghini logo on the center of the wheel and at the rear, just behind the vent that runs with the door (as you can see on the picture given above) there is another piece of text that says 'LP560-4'. And as for other details around the side, you can see a nice and sturdy rear-view mirror, two nice but simple textured plastic vents, and equally nice front set of tires with a small silver (painted) light.

Now moving into the interior, you have to open the door outward NOT upwards**** (which I, stupidly nearly did), which has a strange half open window (which, it seems, is trademark of Welly and is present in nearly all of their cars).

Now you can see what it looks like after you open the door. Quite nice actually. Below is the view from the other side:

Inside the vehicle, Welly has painstakingly coloured everything in and gorgeously detailed the cabin.

You can see the gauge cluster (which is very nicely put in), the flat bottomed steering wheel, the radio and center console (which is very detailed & multi-colored), and the A/C vents. That is all visible in one look.

If you look closely, you will notice that the dashboard has a carbon-fibre texture and that the seats have a good looking dot-dot texture. There's more: there are silver pedals on the floor, the steering wheels have paddle shifters, there's a written Lamborghini badge on the dash, there's the carbon-fibre texture on the doors, you get a sat-nav on the center console, there are buttons on the roof of the car (with two sun visors as well) and there's a silvery Gallardo logo on the door entry sills.

You have to look very closely to notice some of the things I've given above, so some of them are things you might never even notice, such as the buttons on the roof (and some of them are very easy to notice like the Lamborghini badge on the dash). Oh, and the steering wheels turns the wheels very smoothly.

Now let's move out of that gorgeous cabin and look at the V10 beast that makes the whole thing run; the engine.

I found it quite hard to get picture of the engine with the rear hood open so I took two; one with it open and one with it closed. Just like the interior the engine is a beauty. It is not a huge block of plastic***** but a 3D replica, with depth and detail. If you push on the engine block it will move, like a real engine I think, as if suspended on springs. It is perfectly detailed and so is the area around it. You can see that white mesh, which is plastic window covered with mesh pattern, which they used because they didn't have a such a fine plastic mesh (so said by JMCporsche in his video on YT: http://www.youtube.com/user/JMCporsche?feature=watch ).

Closing the rear hood you find yourself face to face (rear) with this:

I have to say the rear looks really good. The rear lights are very detailed, with nice depth:

(Note: This picture was taken with my webcam)

Then there are those 4 eye-catching chromium plated silencers. They are placed in a place that doesn't get touched by fingers so it doesn't go away. There's a very pleasant looking vent which you can see in the picture above. Like all the others it's textured plastic. Just at the bottom in the license plate section you get a plastic board that reads 'Gallardo'. All in all the rear looks great. Now I've taken you on a full walkaround tour of the Gallardo. All this time I've only been speaking about the uncountable amount of goods of the car. It's time to speak about the 'cons' of the car.

Cons

There aren't many cons to this car, but there are some in my particular car that made me put up a separate heading for it. First there's the paint quality. It's appalling! Everywhere on the exterior there are little bumps, and unwanted textures! In some places the black paint that goes around the windows have leaked around in manufacturing process. Look below, notice those little triangular like marks around the small triangle glass? That totally ruins the look of the otherwise beautiful window.

And near the right side fuel tank opening the paint quality is unbelievably horrible! From the camera you won't notice it but up close it is so disgusting. On the two sides of the rear hood (look in second picture of the engine) the paint has so many bumps. In several places the paint has chipped like under the front hood. And another thing, the tires. On one of my tires (the right, rear) the is very ugly looking rubber defect which doesn't harm the way the car rolls or anything, but 'uglyfies' the car (meaning, 'it makes the car ugly').

But let's face it, these problems are drowned with all the good things in it.

Conclusion

The Lamborghini Gallardo in 1:18 scale by Welly is a very detailed car and for $35 dollars it is totally worth it. Just make sure that you go over it carefully as they have been known to have several defects and problems. It would make a very beautiful addition to your collection, and a recognisable one at that. And if you are a Lamborghini enthusiast I would also recommend looking into the Miasto Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. If you liked this review, remember to share and comment!

Glossary:

* AutoArt is a very prestigious name among us car collectors. They make hugely expensive, very detailed models of vehicles. Usually cost $100+. Expensive.
**Miasto is model car maker that is more to the budget side. They don't have the high quality that AutoArt has, and they don't really go for the details. They make cars in the range of $20-$70.
***Do Turn. Turning wheels are a bit special as some model car manufacturers think it's okay to make a car with non turning wheels. Nope, nope.
****Not Upwards. Most Lamborghini's have doors that open upwards. This Gallardo is an exception.
*****Not a plastic block. Most model car makers put a flat mould of the engine into emulate it and to save costs. It's a rare car that doesn't have cheap non-block engines these days.

Review: No Man's Sky

This game, the hype for this game, was over the charts, past the line, whatever you call it, it was an explosive hype from when the E3 Trailer was released last year's E3 2015. Everyone, including me, was waiting for this bomb of 2016. Instead, when it came, I'd rather support Donald Trump than spend 60$ for this game. Here's why;

Lemme tell you why this game was an utter disappointment and failure, at E3, the Teaser Trailer was made to look like "Oh cool good Graphics, looks like it had a story and its a cool open universe/galaxy where you can go everywhere and the galaxy is never ending with quantilion planets. There would be a good story"

Sad to say, the only true things are the good graphics and the never ending universe. Other than that, it's just mining for resources, repairing or upgrading your ship, and travelling to different Universes by Warp Driving, and sometimes Black Holes. Sure it's fun for like three hours (which is the most I got out of it, my imaginary girlfriend gives me more time *wink wink*) but then when you decided to turn off your PC/PS4, and then play the next day, you don't feel like it. Why? Because its boring.

The goal is to get to the center of the Galaxy. You keep travelling to different Universes, spend hours and probably days upgrading your ship, and upgrading your suit, and finally, when you get to the Center, BOOM, you're warped to another Galaxy and you've got to begin over (Don't worry, your upgrades and ship will be the same). The moment I realized I've been warped to a new Galaxy, I RAGED, threw my mouse at the wall, and 50$ down the drain. So basically I lost 110$ with 0 gain. Not even a good gameplay.

What in the heck was Hello Games thinking? A resource mining, habitat upgrading game? HECK, they might've even made a newer Minecraft. Atleast put a good story in it. Everything is okay, but the fake hopes they've given us and the PRICE? They've come with a Bang but their own bang has left them in pieces.
I am overjoyed to tell you that Hello Games in under investigation by the British for false advertising. (Yay Britain)

There's not much survival etiquette, the combat system is so bad, my dog can poop better, you basically have to reload by opening up the inventory, click the Isotope you want to use for re-charging and load it into the Gun. Let me tell you, the game doesn't pause while the Inventory is open. So you're getting all whacked up by the enemy while you reload. The Terrain, Organisms and the Plants are very beautiful, but that's all good I can say about it.

When I began the journey I’d intended to not give up until I reached the center of the galaxy, but after all this time I’ve come to the realization that there’s no way that’ll happen anytime soon. The jump distance is the worst, and you have to use your Jetpack most of the time. The silly sod doesn't know how to fly.

When I first got the game, it lagged, it was like at 10FPS on low. I think I got Stage 3 cancer by looking at that. Finally, good old nVidia released their optimized driver for the game and I was getting 45+ FPS.
Hello? Hello Games, you should've warned us about this, thanks for not alerting nVidia/AMD about your release and not releasing the Optimized Driver early.

Finally, they said that it would've been a "Multiplayer" Game, so that means, you should be able to see other players right? WRONG!! You only can see what the other players have named their discovered planets. I mean the chances of meeting another player are the chances of 0.1% and since its a procedurally generated game, it's very rare you meet another player. But two players actually met within a week launch of the game, but they couldn't see each other. There was a huge outburst after this, and thus, became the downfall of the Great No Man's Sky.

I really hope we don't get more cancerous and toxic games like this in the future. Let's hope to see that Hello Games is gone for good.

Cools
Dinera

Wednesday 2 November 2016

Blog Update November 2016

Hey guys,

It's November, and Christmas and every holiday soon! Woohoo!
I'm back again this time to give you some updates on the blog.
Firstly, expect us to come back full swing the coming days.
"Why?" you ask I hear. It's because we've got our crew back! Our Games Editor Dinera, is back as you may have seen, and so is Rayhaan. They join the team alongside me and our trusty editor Shehan! Our new guys on the block is going to be Yasaru and Alfy. You'll hopefully see Yasaru soon with some post or some thing completely new, and Alfy will be joining us with some more gaming reviews!
We're planning on bringing back FlipSide and Gaming Reviews, as well as opening up some new sections not seen before. What are they? Even we haven't decided yet!
So to be first on the block as soon as we publish a post, don't forget to drop your email in the gadget up there ^^^.
We also have a new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/interestconcentrated, so please be sure to give us a follow to be following us on the go!
That's all for now guys!

Thisath

Review: Witcher 3

Let's get a few things straight first;

First off, Witcher 3 is so beautiful, I'd ask it to the Ball any day, and it is made for the Masterrace, even the game will run on low at cancer curing 60 FPS on most medium end Laptops/PCs. (I am not responsible for any cancer causing 30fps on consoles, be warned, do not play on Console)

Second off, this Review is purely my opinion on the game, don't get triggered.

Let's start with the graphics, Witcher 3 runs on a awesomely efficient breathtaking engine, so beautiful, with its Textures and Physics, I'd create a Girlfriend on it. Running on REDEngine, the baby of CD Projekt RED, it makes every small movement such as the rustling of leaves very significant and the sounds of nature from birds singing to the distant village fires.

The Story is nothing I've seen before, continuing the Witcher series, you start off, argh, *no spoilers*. Basic story is you're a Witch Hunter. Boom. If you didn't know that, you have no such thing called common sense. The DLC expansion packs are even much more worth it. The DLCs are priced at 25$ total (Season Pass) on Steam. The Game has a very deep story about finding your long lost lover and your surrogate daughter,

Unlike its predecessor, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt doesn't exactly come screaming off the starting line. Compared to The Witcher 2, where you're immediately plunged headlong into a sexy story of intrigue and betrayal, this main quest can seem mundane, even perfunctory at times. But each time I stepped off the well-beaten path to blaze my own trail, it turned into a wild, open, exhilarating fantasy roleplaying experience, rife with opportunities to make use of its excellent combat. Even after over 100 hours with The Witcher 3, it still tempts me to press on – there’s so much more I want to learn, and hunt.

The downsides are; the glitches, but, nothing can be perfect.
That's basically all the downsides.

There's a reason why this game was rated Game of the Year by IGN. So this is a definite recommend.

Keep it Cool.
Dinera

Saturday 1 October 2016

FlipSide: ReWritten

I've worked on some of Rayhaan's old FlipSide stories, and I've re-editted and written the stories to become longer and clearer.
This particular one is FlipSide 4: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/flipside-4.html
I thought it was particularly well written and I've made some adjustments to the storyline to better reflect how I think this story should have been drafted as.
Think of it as the final draft of a fantastic story.
I'll try and re-edit some more and post them in the future.
Enjoy!

New Clear War Fair

The great white light of the sun shone upon the survivor's garden. The morning heat was intense, more than enough to awaken the man. He was aged; his features chiselled. He had enough to keep him disturbed, and he only slept because of the pain he felt in his weary body.

The survivor was just a young man when nuclear warfare began. It was a strained idea at the time, not even a last resort for most nations; all under the façade of "world peace". He could still remember the shrill cries of women next door once the warhead was launched. In a few seconds, the government pleaded to the citizens to run for the nearest shelter, and all hell began to break lose. Babies were crying. Animals moaning. The end was nigh.

---

The survivor rose from his bed; a deep sigh rolling down his nostrils. It wasn't really a bed, he thought. The sheets were rags, tearing away at its ends. His pillows were sacks of soft beach sand, decades old, as he was.

Within the span of at most, 2 decades, most of the unhealthy adults passed, and without many adults, a few younger ones could not survive either. His sister, with her delicate health and pale features, was one of the first to go. Upon recollection, the survivor often broke into tears, "Why me? What's the point of living when all I have are these damned chickens?"

He would often kick the cage door in frustration. Suicide was not an option either. He was stronger than that, and as his loved ones passed away in his arms, he vowed he would survive for their sake, and survive he did.

---

Mid- afternoon came, and he retreated to the kitchen. He opened the food vaults and stared into it. The ample amount of nutrition mocked him. It stood for what would keep him alive, what would keep him in his lonesome, vulnerable to the ghosts of his life past. The survivor cooked and dined heartily, as his mother had taught him. He sat at the dining table. In his mind, mother was standing beside him, waiting for him to slip up on his etiquette so she could correct him. A single tear dripped down the sullen face of the survivor, as he remembered his mother and her sharp features. He could never tell her how good her cooking was. He was too much of an idiot, enjoying the food when she fed him.

He finished his lunch and opened grandfather's dilapidated house, conveniently built next to his, almost a century ago. He marvelled at grandfather’s paintings.

His aged fingers rubbed the surface of the portraits, older than him when he saw first them. The beautiful hues had faded away into abstraction, the years and the radiation eating away what was left of art itself.

In this moment of pure but restless bliss, the echoes of his nephews’ voices came back to him, laughing and screaming in excitement as their days were passed in utopia, the epitome of life at the time. The relaxed voices of his lovely Laila, his mother and his sister, drifted over to him, talking about the wonderful cakes they’d make next week, the trips they’d take, the friends they’d meet.

---

The survivor could bare these ghosts no more. He grabbed a Geiger meter from grandfather’s office and headed out of the lead gates. He walked down the street, onto the main road, and into the city. He walked on, past the destruction of yesteryear. The Geiger meter began beeping. The radiation levels were increasing. The survivor went into ice cream shops, shopping malls, and restaurants, all with his family beside him.

Finally, he ventured to the coast and sat on the rocks. The radiation he was being exposed was gnawing away at his skin, but he didn't mind. The toxic seawater sprayed on his toes as it hit the rocks.

The last of the evening blues darkened, and the views of the old town disappeared as the thick mists set in again.

Watching this spectacle, his emotions got the best of him. A dry tear dribbled across his wrinkled cheek. The world was so beautiful, why did it have to end the way it did?

He tried his best. He really did. But he had his family again, in his mind, and they were comforting him. Everything was going to be alright. The survivor shed his last tears as his skin melted away atop the coastal rocks.

He knew he had made his family proud.

Compare it to the original to see just how different they are! Links given above- and below!

Thanks for reading!

---Thisath---

Want more? Explore what we have here by checking below!
Please don't forget to follow us by putting your email address in the gadget above!

Check out Rayhaan's other stories:

Flipside 1: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-closed-door.html

Flipside 2: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/flipside-2.html

Flipside 3: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/flipside-3.html
Flipside 4: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/flipside-4.html

MirrorMan: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.com/2015/08/mirrorman.html

Poems Concentrated Series:

Edition 1: http://interestconcentrated.blogspot.co.uk/p/poems-concentrated.html