Century Child

Century Child is undoubtedly my favorite Nightwish album to date. Some argue that the singing range for Tarja (lead singer) has diminished since Wishmaster in 2000, other say Anette (current lead singer for Nightwish as of 2006) does a better job of singing with her new style, but personally I love how Tarja sings in this album. Her voice has a softer edge, and still possesses the same power it did before. This album also marks the debut of Marco Hietala as a band member of Nightwish, male lead vocals and bass guitar player. I also think that in this album, they really nailed the orchestra/heavy metal mix.

Bless the Child starts out with Tarja's operatic, passionate vocals, and leads into a memorable string and guitar duo that sounds enticing. After a short spoken-word intro by Toni Kakko, the song leads into the first verse with Tarja singing to the chorus of metal. Bless the Child is definitely in my top ten Nightwish songs. It demonstrates the perfect balance in sound between orchestral, vocal, and metal.

End of All Hope embodies the rock side of the band. Quick-paced and dramatic, it also holds a place in my top ten. In Dead to the World, Marco's vocals along with Tarja's are passionate, and as a duet they sound full and confident. Ever Dream begins with a beautiful piano intro, which then leads into a dramatic explosion of violin. Slaying the Dreamer is particularly dark, and one of the heaviest songs Nightwish has ever recorded. Heavy guitars followed by Marco's death chanting make this song one of a kind.

Forever Yours and Ocean Souls, in my opinion, seem rather out-of-place. They are slower, more mellow songs. Not to say that they lack talent, but I just felt these two songs fell below the standard in making up this collection of epic songs.

Feel for You starts with a calm base guitar intro. I think this song, along with Dead to the World reveal the best from Marco's voice. Feel for You also has a particularly awesome ending, as the intensity of Tarja's voice is exposed here. Phantom of the Opera is an awesome cover. I think it was a great idea to do a cover of this song! Tarja sings her part beautifully, and Marco achieves singing as sinisterly as the phantom himself. Beauty of the Beast presents an awesome finale that's well worth listening to; orchestra and metal combination are at there finest here, and it concludes with a stanza spoken by Toni, which wraps the album up from the beginning of Bless the Child.

I'd rate this album a 9/10. Definitely worth purchasing! I recommend adopting this Century Child for a lifetime!

BalloonShop - Ghost of Girlfriends Past

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The Crow (A Tribute to The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe)

Once during a late-night hour, I lounged austere and sour
Mulling over a musical piece of unusual score
And when my eyes did close, I heard a cry of interpose
At which I arose, and looked to the offending door
Mused I then, “This strange noise I must explore.
This will be all, and nothing more.”

With pertinence do I recall, the walk through the silent hall
The many dwindling candles spread throughout the room
A vivid song of pearl did in my mind a-swirl
As a mask for my lost girl; my dear long lost Lenore!
The beauty who all humanity did adore
She who had departed, forevermore.

The door's handle I did reach, but stay! I heard a screech
Muffled through the door's ancient oak
And at this I was certain, that at pulling the curtain
A horrendous beast would surely show—
So I looked: but it was only a crow.
A dim-witted bird, and nothing more.

So I opened the ingress to confront the distress
But before my astonished eyes did lie
The crazy-winged floppings amidst the many bird droppings
And sprinkling feathers ‘round: wherefore
I lurched and sneezed with quite a roar!
Chaos, chaos, all the more!

Before I understood this mess, the crow flew in (with no finesse)
All sprawling and sideways it did impend
And when it came a-landing, I just stood there standing
“Most surely this has happened before;
Possibly in some sort of old folklore?
“Yes, a forgotten poem, and nothing more.”

There it perched on the bust, of some Greek-god I trust
Cocking its head in a doleful manner.
It looked grossly dull upon that decorated skull
And I waited for it to say a word or four
But standing there became quite a bore
Yet I stayed-just to make sure!

I watched as my soul grew quiet, I wanted it to talk like parrot.
For I know I missed a companion
Which got me thinking, and led my heart to sinking
On the figure of my lost damsel Lenore!
The one who was christened Lenore!
Reminiscing thus, and nothing more.

Amidst my unruly thought, I heard! I noticed! I caught!
A sound from the awkward bird of ebony
Intelligible at best, but still I obsessed!
“You have completed the chore!
Now just a word or two – I implore!”
A noise it made, but nothing more.

In place of wanted talk, it merely let out a squawk.
Awhile my malice was slowly building
“Speak! You dumb bird! I thought I heard
A word emit from your beak for sure!
I won’t give up: this means war!
“A permanent battle forevermore!”

At this the crow flinched, and so stiffly it clinched
That the bust which it sat cracked right to the ground.
With the bird in the air, and my gaze with its stare
We met eye-to-eye: that crow and I bore
The burden of unadulterated, painful eyesore
A pathetic staring contest, and nothing more.

As I grabbed a bat, I swung and I swat
I swirled and twirled and mingled and mired
Until the bird I did hit, and with its wing split
It flew out the window; right into the snow
So I closed the shades as I foreswore
To teach that crow nevermore!

Brain Food and Juice

No, this isn't a factual statistical post, this is just a fun creative post, once again with my childhood thoughts. Did you ever, as I did much when I was young, like to think, that by eating certain foods it would directly add to your brain matter? Or drinking certain juices would add to the intelligence of your thought flow? Now, this may be true, but I always loved to think of eating peanut butter as directly increasing my knowledge. Also, drinking smoothies would add capacity to my thinking patterns. Getting a juicer this Christmas has re-awakened this old way of thinking, and I love to imagine that each type of fruit or vegetable I add puts in a different type of intelligence. Like maybe 3 Apples with 2 Carrots and a Pear is great for memory capacity and efficiency, whereas maybe 2 Apples, half a cucumber, a handful of grapes and a little bit of lemon would improve logic!

I just thought I'd share my little fantasy with you all. Have a great weekend!

Assassin's Creed II Review for Xbox 360

With tremendous success from the game's predecessor, Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft wanted to step it up and see what improvement could be obtained in Assassin's Creed II. With more weapons, armor, and climbing tactics, this game really packs a punch. The developers were interested primarily with evolving the story's plot and improving the combat capabilities as well. Ubisoft took Assassin's Creed II to a whole new level by creating it as a sort of historical fiction. Artist Leonardo De Vinci makes a significant appearance, leader of Florentine Lorenzo de' Medici appears as well, and even Pop Alexander VI contributes to the story. Integration with these historical figures up the game's excitement and authenticity. With a vast array of weapons and attack combos, combat in this game is extraordinary. You can purchase weapons to use, pick up fallen weapons on the ground, or even take weapons from enemies to fight with. Combat abilities include lunging, dodging, blocking, grabbing, countering, and even taunting. Animations for countering have also improved, with more realistic movements and many varieties as well.

In the game you control Desmond Miles during the year 2012, who starts off escaping Abstergo Industries with employee Lucy Stillman. Once you arrive at your new location, you meet several new characters before entering the "Animus", which allows Desmond to recall and relive the memories of his ancestors. Instead of controlling Altaïr ibn La-Ahad from the early 12th century like in the first game, your memories progress to the late 15th century as you control Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Italy. When your father and brothers are murdered, you receive orders to take armor and equipment from a room in your house which turns out to be the Assassin's garments (your father's), and a single sword. Many references to Assassin's Creed are included, such as the Apple of Eden (a Piece of Eden seen in the previous game), a brief reenactment of an endeavor of Altaïr where he can actually be controlled, and many signs left by Subject 16-the test subject from Abstergo just before Desmond-who hacked the Animus and left clues for Desmond strewn throughout Italy.

Gameplay can best be described as open-world. While the game follows a tight story line, it can be interrupted at almost any time so you can complete various sidequests. There is virtually nothing Ezio can't climb! Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, scaling high walls, and leaping from an awning to swing on a post proves best use of environment is mandatory for catching thugs, following officials, and when in pursuit of a time-based mission. Guards are fought frequently, such as in the first game, and with three different kinds of soldiers, it makes attack-and-runs all the more challenging. There are the Agiles, who are best at keeping up with your speed, Brutes who are the strongest fighters, and Seekers who will check hiding places in search of you: no longer can you hide in a bale of hay and simply lose your enemies! Fighting feels a lot like the previous game's combat, but with more abilities. Variety in fighting will cause the enemy to be defeated more easily. But when Ezio is overwhelmingly outnumbered, you can always hit the streets or even dive in water for escape.

Controlling has been nearly perfected. I didn't hardly have a problem with controlling Ezio's various acrobatic movements, which is very important as there are many places where you rely on the accuracy of control. Buttons have been ingeniously formatted to fit practically any free-roaming situation. Holding the right trigger button changes the function of many of the other buttons, thus giving you many ways to maneuver. Blending using a button has been omitted, and the action can now be accomplished by mingling with a select crowd of individuals. I have no complaints about the camera in the game, and am also eager to praise it. With a control stick dedicated to movement of the camera, a first-person perspective option and even a contextual camera at command, the game's viewing is extremely flexible and you should have no problem keeping up with your Assassin's movements.

The game's presentation is fantastic. Ubisoft developed three short movies preceding the release of the game with real actors. This went a long way to develop the background story of the game and adds to its real feel. The graphics are phenomenal, and the voice acting is authentic. Environments look realistic with careful textural detail and convincing lighting and shading qualities. Almost all environmental objects react realistically when touched. The game's music also enhances the game, remaining either pleasant or exciting and never becoming boring or obnoxious.

This game is rated M for Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, and Strong Language. I would say this rating is accurate, as over a dozen occurrences of the F-word appear, as do a few other expletives. Blood and gore are most prominent also, although blood can be turned off in the games options menu. Also, an in-game cutscene hinting at sexuality is brief, but still present. Another negative element in the game is the moral, which is unseen at first, but presents the opinion that any sort of religion is false.

These elements aside, Assassin's Creed II is an excellent game. Crafted with an historical edge and an even more free-world style, this game can easily be rated a 9.3/10. It even possesses decent replay value, as collecting all 100 feathers, piecing together the remaining glyphs and obtaining the rest of the Assassin's tomb seals will keep you going even after the story is finished. For historical interest, a database is provided with information on people, places, and events relevant to the story. The map also reveals areas not yet explored, and various sidequests remain from requested assassinations to city races. If you've played through the game's storyline, you'll probably be saying, "I can't wait for Assassin's Creed III!"

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy new year!

Here at Zoodle, we have many plans for 2010...most of which will be revealed at a later time. However, for now I'll hint that a new Innovation Proclamation is neigh, and mention that soon you will be introduced to a recently-emerging project that will give you a cause to fight for.

Just a few teasers to jumpstart the new year! I hope you're as excited as I am. =)

Merry Christmas 2009!

The Christmas season...is a joyous time. It's when the family gets together and decorates a tree, gathers near a fire to roast chestnuts, and simply enjoy each other's company. But most importantly, it's a time to give to one another and to honor God's Son.

We want to wish you a very merry Christmas here at Zoodle, and also remind everyone to keep Christ in Christmas. Maybe we should even remind everyone to keep Christmas in Christmas. All this Happy Holidays stuff is really driving me nuts; remember that Jesus was born, and we celebrate His birthday tomorrow!

Unfortunately, this year hasn't brought us too much snow in Tacoma. Oh well. That's not going to stop the spirit of the season!

Zoodle's 1 year Anniversary

Has it been one year already? Well, considering exactly 365 days have passed since the blog's debut post, I guess that would make today its first year anniversary. I think now would be a good time to reflect on Zoodle's progress thus far...

1. We've managed to keep writing faithfully and not abandoning Zoodle altogether in the first place. It's an all-too-common tragedy that many-a-blog faces wherein an author becomes either too busy or lazy to write (or in this case, "zoodle"): we've managed to stay out of this rut! Let's hope it stays that way.

2. We've found our blog's color and themes that work and have stuck with them. Experimenting is always a good idea, but the switch from rainbow-colored letters in our logo to straight orange was definitely an improvement! Also the light green, orange and blue colors do well to give Zoodle its authentic edge.

3. We've added additional authors to write posts. Having five authors has made Zoodle all the more interesting and unique. I believe it's probably the most significant step this blog has taken to date. What's better than a person pursuing something thoughtfully? Several persons pursuing something thoughtfully!

4. The zoodle characters (creatures?) have given our blog a personality. Not only have they inspired the Resighk Man and The Incredible KayNein stories, but the zoodles have served as a vehicle for some of our posts of satire, and our innovation proclamation. How do you think Zoodle Inc. got started, anyway?

5. Zoodle has been read by a vast variety of audiences, from the indicative inquisitive individual, to the searching sheet-music specimen. An article from this blog has even been read aloud in a high school classroom. Many of these recipients have even contacted us!

Hmm. So it seems this humble blog-the project that started a year ago-has turned out to be adequately decent. Of course it has many more roads to travel before it becomes amazing, but as long as we stay true to the generic theme of Zoodle, and follow the points of the innovation proclamation, perhaps one day this blog will be extraordinary!!

I guess you could say this is the first post of Zoodle's second generation. Wouldn't it be cool if I linked an annual post once every year to the year prior? Well, I guess we'll see what happens next year. For now, we wish you an upcoming Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

What defines a "Good Band?"

Now, I'm going to start this by stating that I understand Music is a very frequented topic on Zoodle. In fact, it's probably one of the most consistent themes used on this blog! But that's not a bad thing in the least, since music is a heavily inspiring element. Depending on the song, music helps inspire one to Zoodle! In fact, just now I'm listening to a great classic by Dream Theater...

I felt moved to write on this subject just now because earlier I was having an online conversation with a friend about a particular band (Which will not be named) that I don't particularly like, but has a large fan base. I remarked that I found it weird they could be so popular, because in my opinion, they weren't anything special! Just a bland type of band...and I thought to myself, "What does it take to be a good band?" In the conversation, I listed a few qualities that I didn't think the band had, and my friend said they didn't need that to be a good bad.

When I hadn't thought deeply about it, I sort of assumed the qualities for being a "good" band, were to be Beautiful, have Appealing Sound, Exciting, Poetic, Unique, and/or overall talent. Some of those are a given, (Have appealing sound, talent) but not everyone cares for Exciting, or Poetic. So it comes down to pure opinion at this point, but can anything truly be judged from pure opinion?

I don't really have a solid conclusion for this one, I'm hoping some people can help me out! Post your ideas below!

Merry Christmas!