She is preparing singers for careers, and she is a realist. One summer Horne herself lost 50 pounds-the right way, with good eating and exercise-and she is convinced her middle register promptly went flat and her voice got a size smaller.īut she recognizes that singers now have to be thin, or at least thinnish, to be hired and that not all singers who are overweight can slim down and keep their voices beautiful. She worries about the emphasis on singers’ appearance in the era of HD broadcasts. (When you’re singing correctly, according to Horne, it sounds good to the audience but not to you.) She worries about talented singers working with incompetent teachers, the kind who make singers sound good to themselves. The proper way to teach voice is something she thinks about a lot, as well as the future of the art form to which she’s devoted her life. (Its activities were folded into Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute last year.) Horne herself has been director of the voice program at the Music Academy of the West, an eight-week summer program in Santa Barbara that she attended as a teenager, since 1997. Founded in 1993, the Marilyn Horne Foundation continues to nurture young artists and encourage opportunities for song recitals. Though she spoke about her past with great relish, she lit up talking about her work with other singers. (To give a sense of how much classical music has changed, she moved in during a summer in which she made five different recordings.) Horne was wearing a bright yellow sweater and sitting on a bright yellow sofa in her apartment near Lincoln Center, which has wide views of Central Park and where she’s lived for 34 years. ![]() She will be celebrated in the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s annual luncheon today, featuring a musical tribute by fellow mezzo Stephanie Blythe. Meanwhile she was blazing artistic trails to the notice of opera’s purest fans with performances in little-known bel canto operas. ![]() The ’70s were glory years in Horne’s long, distinguished career, which stretched over five decades, from dubbing Dorothy Dandridge’s singing voice in Carmen Jones in 1954 to appearances on The Odd Couple and The Tonight Show that made her, for a time, the public face of opera in America. It wasn’t stupid to have thought that anyone would have invited her anywhere. I was stupid, right? To have thought that she would invite me.” “I probably should have called and asked if I could have visited her. “I think my problem with Callas-I think I should have paid homage to her,” she went on. Singers from Pennsylvania.It’s just a bit of gossip, but there’s a lot of Horne in the telling: Her earthiness maybe but also that kind of candor paired with sensitivity, the signs of a performer perpetually balancing confidence against self-doubt. United States National Medal of Arts recipients. The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala - The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala was a televised concert, lasting more than eight hours, that New York City's Metropolitan Opera staged on 22 October 1983 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of its first performance. A Salute to American Music (Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala XVI, 1991) - A Salute to American Music is a 113-minute live album of music, both classical and popular, performed by Steven Blier, Renée Fleming, Paul Groves, Jerry Hadley, Karen Holvik, Marilyn Horne, Jeff Mattsey, Robert Merrill, Sherrill Milnes, Maureen O'Flynn, Phyllis Pancella, Leontyne Price, Samuel. ![]() Marilyn Horne & Frederica von Stade: Lieder & Duets - Marilyn Horne & Frederica von Stade: Lieder & Duets is a 49-minute classical studio album in which Horne sings songs by Robert Schumann and Antonin Dvoŕák, and Horne and von Stade sing duets by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, all accompanied by Martin Katz on the piano. Thomas: Mignon (Antonio de Almeida recording) - Mignon is a 194-minute studio album of Ambroise Thomas's opera, performed by André Battedou, Marilyn Horne, Paul Hudson, Claude Méloni, Frederica von Stade, Alain Vanzo, Ruth Welting and Nicola Zaccaria with the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Antonio. The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala - The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala is a live album of operatic and sacred music by Gioachino Rossini, performed by Rockwell Blake, Craig Estep, Maria Fortuna, Thomas Hampson, George Hogan, Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Kuhlmann, Mimi Lerner, Chris Merritt, Jan Opalach, Samuel Ramey, Henry Runey. Top Facts You Did Not Know About Marilyn Horne She has appeared on TV Show Host Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. She grew up in Long Beach, California, with her family.
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![]() You can find out if someone is alive or dead, find someone's address or just locate anyone with our quick reverse phone lookup service. Their database currently holds over a million records that they keep up-to-date hourly. It offers a fast and free reverse phone number search that provides you detailed information about your caller - including name, address, and exact location (zip code and street address). This free reverse lookup service is designed primarily to help people find out who is calling their phone number. RealPeopleSearch is a free and reliable people search engine that takes seconds to use and provides the instant name and phone number results. In this blog, the top four free reverse phone lookups are added. Here are ten completely free reverse phone lookup & search sites you may want to use in order to make certain who is contacting you before answering their call or accepting their text message. ![]() Reverse lookup services are now quite comprehensive, with many websites offering free searches. With so many organizations offering free reverse phone lookup these days, consumers have an easy time getting their questions answered without having to spend any money or use up minutes on their cell phones. For instance, it can be easy to use in order to ensure that an unknown caller is legitimate or not before answering any suspicious phone calls. This is currently being widely used by people all over the world for different reasons. ![]() Oftentimes, a person might want to check their phone number before answering the unknown caller - especially if it's from an unknown or suspicious-looking phone number. (Photo : 10 Completely Free Reverse Phone Lookup & Search ) ![]() There's twenty-one beaches total, six of which are off on islands, the rest surrounding the Mist/Outer/Lost Continents (since Forgotten has no beaches). I'll grant you peace and restore you once you've visited them all.īasically we go to each beach in the world, mark it with a button, and continue until we get them all. You don't have to actually play him, though. ![]() To access the next side quest, you have to challenge Fat Chocobo to cards. You may take them back, if you wish.Īny rare cards discarded due to the player being at the 100-card limit are stored with Fat Chocobo for retrieval later. Now all the chocobos wonder why Choco isn't living in paradise after all. There's one last side quest we can do with Choco. Kupo! I knew you'd come back! See? Choco needs me, kupo. I never expected to run into a problem like this, kupo! Try hanging onto my feet, kupo. Aren't we flying.? Wait! You can't fly, Zidane!. Oh, boy! A card with your face on it! That makes up for losing your best friend! K-Kweh!. You led Choco here, but now that he is here, you can no longer enter. It's not like you'll never see Choco again. It's you again, eh? Like I said before, only chocobos can live here. How could you forget about me, kupo!? I'm gonna live here, too!. This is pretty much what all the Chocobos say.Įxcept this one. Next up, we've finished finding all the hidden treasures with Choco. I'm sorry.Īt least we no longer have to deliver letters. I was happy because my coat became so soft, but I took everyone's fun away. It'd be kind of a waste to keep it, so sure.Īnother Protect Ring! We're swimming with the damn things now. Moogles are obsessed with their fur, it seems. Now all we have to do is deliver it to Mognet Central and we're finished playing mailman. Well, it's someone in Alexandria, so it shouldn't take too long to find, right? You want to try some? How come you be a-needin' it? You wanna be beautiful like me? Yer pullin' my leg, aren'tcha? No? Well, I'll get my folks to send some more. Ah, 'Superslick'! Kupo! But I don't know who has any. If you return here with Vivi or Eiko, they can play jump rope again. Oh, I know! Kupo! Kupo!Īnd now we go back where we started, over to Kupo in Alexandria. They gotta tell me more than 'that item'! Kupo!!! That's dedication to detail! That item.? Oh! Despite there being no other reason to return here, the graphic designers bothered adding a Mist-covered version of the outside. For this one, we have to return to Ipsen's Castle. There's definitely at least one on the Outer Continent, may be one on the Forgotten Continent as well but I can't remember offhand.Īnd this last question is always the final one.Īnyway, after we answer this last question, we have to find him again.īy getting all questions correct, we get bonuses.ĮXP, a nice chunk of gil, and a Protect Ring. It's simply "First sight", no love anywhere. ![]() In his On providence book 1 says: ‘When the world is fiery through and through, it is directly both its own soul and commanding-faculty. Speaking of soul, the ancient Stoics believed the cosmos has a soul, and it is God. Chrysippus, the third head of the Stoa, argued that universal nature is the source of our knowledge of virtue, good and evil, and happiness.įurther, according to Plutarch, Chrysippus asserted, “physical theory turns out to be ‘at once before and behind’ ethics.” As I have written before, the conscious and providential cosmos is the soul of the Stoic philosophical system. More importantly, Stoic practice relies on the essential relationship between the way the world is (physics) and the way we should act in the world (ethics). First, despite the objections offered by those who adhere to the metaphysical assumptions of the current scientific orthodoxy, there is no objective scientific reason to abandon the conscious cosmos of Stoicism. ![]() Today, Traditional Stoics think this conception of the cosmos is still viable. The ancient Stoics considered their unique conception of a conscious, providentially ordered cosmos a necessary element of their holistic philosophical system. Therefore, the term conscious serves quite well as a substitute for a living being (organism) that is rational, animate, and intelligent. Instead of a conscious cosmos, we could say a rational, animate, and intelligent cosmos however, that will not appease those who believe the universe is mechanistic, reductive to matter, and governed by laws that just happen, accidentally, to be conducive to life as we know it here on Earth. I cannot imagine an entity that meets all those criteria we would deny is conscious. The ancient Stoics argued the cosmos is a living being (organism) that is rational, animate, and intelligent. Next, we must admit that many definitions of consciousness exist today. The word first appears in English in the seventeenth century. When we consider a concept like a conscious cosmos and relate it to ancient Stoicism, we first must acknowledge that the Greeks did not have a word for conscious. Modern thinkers frequently label this idea panpsychism, which entails consciousness as a fundamental aspect of the cosmos. A few boldly claim the universe is conscious, just as the Stoic did more than two thousand years ago. Some now suggest consciousness must be a fundamental aspect of the cosmos and refer to a mind-like background in the universe. However, numerous modern scientists and philosophers describe the nature of the cosmos in ways that are compatible with the intuitions of the ancient Stoics. Some people think the idea of a conscious cosmos is an antiquated relic of ancient Stoicism that we must abandon in light of modern science. The doctrine that the world is a living being, rational, animate and intelligent, is laid down by Chrysippus in the first book of his treatise On Providence, by Apollodorus in his Physics, and by Posidonius… And it is endowed with soul, as is clear from our several souls being each a fragment of it. ![]() Emerging from the cave, they find themselves back in front of Ian's high school. The brothers evade a series of traps, including a Gelatinous Cube that dissolves anything it touches. As they explore the cave, Barley confesses that he was too afraid to say goodbye to Wilden when he was dying. ![]() "Raven's Point" turns out to be a series of raven statues leading them into a cave. When they are pursued by the police, Barley sacrifices Guinevere to cause a landslide, blocking their pursuers. Bronco catches up to the boys and forces them to come home, Ian agrees, but as he starts the van, he drives away, leading to a wild police chase. Ian's self-confidence is boosted when he successfully uses a spell that allows him to walk across a bottomless pit, where, unbeknownst to him, he was walking without the rope that Barley tied him to over the second half of the pit. To apologize, Ian agrees to follow the Path of Peril. They narrowly escape a motorcycle gang of pixies at a gas station and have a tense encounter with the police, which the boys disguise themselves as their mother's boyfriend, Colt Bronco, during which Ian inadvertently reveals that he considers Barley to be a screw-up. As they travel, Ian begins mastering magic spells that Barley remembers from his role-playing game. Traveling to the mountains, Barley proposes following what he calls the "Path of Peril", but Ian insists on taking the freeway. After stealing the sword from a pawn shop, they set out in pursuit of Ian and Barley. Laurel later arrives at the scene and befriends Corey, who warns Laurel that the gem is guarded by a curse that can only be defeated by an enchanted sword. The brothers' only clue to the gem is a children's menu suggesting "Raven's Point," a nearby mountain. While arguing with Ian over the map, Corey realizes how unfulfilling her life has become and loses her temper, accidentally setting fire to the restaurant and the map. Hoping to find a map to another gem, Ian and Barley visit the Manticore's Tavern–once a gathering-place for would-be adventurers, now a family restaurant managed by the Manticore ("Corey"). The brothers embark on a quest to acquire another gem and complete the spell before sunset, taking Barley's beloved van "Guinevere." Finding the boys gone, Laurel leaves to look for them. As a result, only the lower half of Wilden's body is reformed before the gem disintegrates. Ian succeeds in casting the spell but, interrupted by Barley, is unable to finish it. On Ian's sixteenth birthday, the boys' mother, Laurel, gives her sons a gift from their father, Wilden, who died shortly before Ian was born: a magical staff, a rare Phoenix gem, and a letter describing a "visitation spell" that can resurrect Wilden for a single day. In the modern day, Ian Lightfoot is a teenaged elf struggling with self-confidence his older brother, Barley, is an enthusiastic and impulsive role-playing gamer. After technological advances over the centuries, magic became obsolete and was largely discarded. In a world inhabited by mythic creatures, magic was commonplace millennia ago, though difficult to master. Onward was the last Pixar film released in theaters worldwide until Lightyear in June 2022. ![]() The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 78th Golden Globe Awards and 93rd Academy Awards, but lost both awards to Soul, another Pixar film. Like several other films released in the early months of 2020, it found far greater success on VOD. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to its financial shortcomings, due to the widespread closure of theatres. The film received positive reviews from critics, but underperformed at the box office, grossing only $142 million worldwide. Onward premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 6, 2020. Composers Mychael and Jeff Danna were hired to compose the film's musical score. The chew makers worked the film's magic a unique style to fit with its suburban fantasy world setting tone. The film was announced at D23 Expo in July 2017, with the title being revealed in December 2018, alongside the voice cast. The concept of Onward is inspired by the death of Scanlon's father, who died in a car accident, when Scanlon and his older brother were very young children. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the film follows two elf brothers named Ian and Barley Lightfoot who set out on a quest to find an artifact that will temporarily bring back their deceased father for 24 hours before it is too late. The film was directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae and written by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin, and stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. Onward is a 2020 American computer-animated urban fantasy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Now more akin to Winston’s Leap ability, Seismic Slam travels much further and has more air time to surprise opponents. Yet, the improved radius of flat 50 damage dealt to all enemies caught in the Seismic Slam shockwave does well to set up Doomfist’s other skills, fulfilling the same purpose as in the past. Seismic Slam may not seem as powerful as it was in Overwatch, no longer stunning enemies in the direction of Doomfist. Strike Terror From Above with Seismic Slam and Meteor Strike Not even the healing from new heroes like Kiriko in Overwatch 2 can save enemies from the devastating damage Rocket Punch brings when used at its maximum potential. When players block 100 damage through Power Block, it increases the damage, speed, distance, and stunning against the wall from their next Rocket Punch by a staggering 50%. Rocket Punch does not do nearly as much damage as in Overwatch, being adjusted with a shorter charge time to compensate. Ordinarily, Rocket Punch is a chargeable alternate fire that sees Doomfist unleash a powerful forward strike that knocks enemies back, dealing extra damage if the opponent flies back into a wall. The most infamous move of Doomfist, Rocket Punch, returns in Overwatch 2 with new functionality in conjunction with Power Block. Whereas Doomfist originally could only handle one or two foes before with high individual damage, through Power Block and his increased health, players will find it far less challenging to lead the charge against enemy teams. Tanks do well controlling a crowd, exemplified by strategies used playing other Overwatch 2 Tank heroes like Orisa. Although Doomfist’s mobility speed is reduced by 35% for as long as Power Block is active, the new defensive implications make Doomfist far more useful against multiple enemies. Replacing Rising Uppercut from Overwatch is Power Block for Doomfist, where he raises his gauntlet to block 80% of damage done to his front. Strategies for Playing Doomfist in Overwatch 2 Heroes such as Reaper in Overwatch 2 would be impacted the most by this change, as Ultimates have often been the factor that breaks stalemates between teams. In addition, enemy heroes gather 50% less Ultimate charge on Tanks, removing the farming tactics from the original title. Tanks gain a 30% knockback resistance which keeps them from being separated easily from their teams. Passive abilities have also been altered in Overwatch 2, with the Damage, Tank, and Support roles receiving a circumstantial bonus that incentivizes playing more focused on their position. Related: Overwatch 2 Feels Like Its Missing More Than An Extra Tank ![]() However, his mobility has also been reduced through the removal of his Rising Uppercut attack, which launched himself and his opponents into the air. As a result of Overwatch 2‘s hero reworks, Doomfist’s health was bumped up from 250 to 450, matching the expected fortitude of other Tanks. Now that only one Tank slot occupies most matches, the role has never been more critical, as a team’s Tank takes on more responsibility. Tanks are heavy health characters that back up a team through protective barriers, knockback, or simply a good amount of bulk that forms the core of a team’s unity. ![]() Now the newly assembled compact dumbbell can be removed from the whole block and the training can begin immediately! The handle has a weight of 2.5 kg. With the basic set, a total of 16 different weight increments from 2.5 kg – to 22.5 kg per dumbbell are possible.ĮXPANSION OF THE BASIC SET WITH STAGE 3 BY 10 KGĪ perfect and proven system for clubs, use in hotels, and ambitious private users.Undoubtedly, the most prominent Doomfist change players may focus on is the transition from the Damage to Tank role in Overwatch 2. The individual weight rails are marked in a table on the PowerBlock® handle, with each subdivision representing a specific weight level. This serves to simplify orientation during training. Selecting the desired weight is as easy as pulling out the weight selector clip and reinserting it under the desired weight (color-coded weight rail). PRINCIPLE OF THE POWERBLOCK ® – DUMBBELLS The PowerBlock® Sport PRO EXP Add-ON Kit (Stage 2) can be expanded to 32 kg or 41 kg. Also included in the scope of delivery are “Adder Weights”, which enable small increases of around one kilogram. The PowerBlock ® Sport PRO EXP is the latest model of the popular, adjustable dumbbell system. The new, slimmer design, improved surface finish, and optimized functions make the Sport EXP one of the best adjustable dumbbell systems in the world. PowerBlocks are compact dumbbells whose weight can be changed quickly and easily. As you get stronger, you simply increase the resistance that the PowerBlocks provide. These variable compact dumbbells replace a complete set of dumbbells (up to 28 pairs of dumbbells) and offer huge added value simply because of the space savings. Due to the high weight variability, the PowerBlocks can be used for long-term training. Often games that are playable on Steam are also available on: Rockstar Games, Epic Games Store, Origin (EA), Humble Bundle, Windows 10, Gog.com, Xbox Play Anywhere,, UPlay and Amazon. ![]() Make sure the Delta Force Xtreme 2 Key is for the Steam Client Can the Delta Force Xtreme 2 Steam Key expire?Ī Delta Force Xtreme 2 key for the Steam-Client does not expire and after activation Delta Force Xtreme 2 can be downloaded and played forever. This in turn allows them to offer their customers attractive discounts. Because they buy a large number of products at once, they buy them at much lower prices. Many sellers are wholesalers who buy game keys in bulk directly from the developers and publishers. ![]() Valve offers the same free bandwidth and services to customers who activate a Steam Key as to customers who purchase a license directly on Steam. Steam Keys can be activated by customers on Steam to license Delta Force Xtreme 2. Steam Keys are intended as a useful tool for game developers to sell their game in other online stores and retail. Put in the code for Delta Force Xtreme 2 CD key and have it in your Steam library, ready for download! You can install Steam to activate your Delta Force Xtreme 2 key, if you click here. Log in and look at the left bottom corner and click on “Add a Game…” and then on “Activate a product on Steam”. How to activate Delta Force Xtreme 2 on SteamĪctivate the Steam Digital CD Key Code on the Steam Client. If you don’t know how to do this, most stores offer help or a tutorial. ![]() Read the store’s description if it’s only required for activation or if you also need an US IP-Address in order to play Delta Force Xtreme 2 CD key. Sometimes a Steam Digital Code requires an US IP-Address in order to be activated on Steam. How to activate Delta Force Xtreme 2 Key Delta Force Xtreme 2 Steam Key for the USA: ![]()
![]() “That’s one of the things we hope to make friendly is the concept of a virtual machine to the average consumer.” That is one of the things we are trying to do, is to offer virtual machines from our app.” When asked how accessible virtual machines and cloud computing are to the average office worker, Platt said, “right now, it’s not very easy, admittedly. A bunch of your work is immediately gone.” “Laptops at home can be broken, stolen, you name it. “It’s always safe, it’s always secure, it’s always backed up.” Platt says. One of the benefits of using vSpatial and virtual machines over traditional home computers is that files are automatically backed up to the cloud. By just a few clicks of a button, and boom - you have a better PC that is doing the work for you.” “When you’re talking about virtual machines, you can assign more cores, more RAM, GPU, almost immediately. As long as you have those, you get your ideal workspace from anywhere.”Ī “virtual machine” is a dedicated computer system implemented in software on a scalable hardware system, usually housed in a data center. a mouse, and keyboard like I’ve been doing. “You could bring just a headset around with you anywhere. “The goal is to not need to be anywhere near your PC,” Platt says. Eventually, Platt wants the hardware to consist of the HMD with additional hardware suited to the individual user’s preference, eliminating the need for a home computer entirely through the use of virtual machines. Platt’s vision is to have virtual access to all of his files and desktop applications from anywhere with an Internet connection. VSpatial, on the other hand, allows access to more than just browsers. But it's limited to work only accessible from browsers.” When it comes to products similar to vSpatial, Platt says, “Oculus has what they call an ‘Infinite Office’, which is somewhat similar to what you're seeing here. “I hate tabbing into different screens all the time. “I've worked on multi-monitor setups consistently for the last probably eight-years… I'm not really a laptop user.” Platt says he prefers the multi-screen experience. Recent improvements in resolution have changed that. ![]() “ the early versions of VR, it was almost impossible to look at a screen with lots of text,” said Platt. Is it time to put on your HMD and enter the virtual office with limitless possibilities, including limitless screen space? Platt says vSpatial’s virtual office is closer to prime-time than most might think. ![]() “Now you can actually calibrate a virtual model of the K830 (bluetooth keyboard) and your mouse in VR, so you can see them with your hand-tracking.” “We’re all used to working with a mouse and keyboard, and so it was important to bring that workflow into VR” Platt said. Platt also pairs a bluetooth keyboard and mouse to the Quest 2, which is wirelessly connected to vSpatial software on an external computer. The total VR market is expected to double from 5.5 million units sold in 2020 to 11 million projected to be sold this year. The Quest 2 is largely responsible for driving the rapid VR adoption happening right now. To that end, Platt spent a week working exclusively from his head-mounted display, or HMD - in this case an Oculus Quest 2 from Facebook. While most think of virtual reality (VR) in the context of gaming, Platt is focused on making VR a seamless way to get work done. TechBuzz covered Platt and vSpatial last Fall with their mention in the annual Facebook Connect event. “I have companies and individuals ask, ‘Can you actually work in VR?’” “The reason I'm working in VR for the week is to answer the question I get asked most.” Platt said. Platt is the Director of Product at vSpatial, and co-founded the productivity-focused software startup in Provo building virtual office applications. Navigate the beautiful world of Half-Life and defeat the violent Combine one alien at a time.We’re all used to working from our laptops for 40 hours a week, but have you ever tried working in VR for a 40 hour work week? Daniel Platt is one of the few who has. ![]() Half-Life is known for its unique world and story, so being able to experience it in VR is a great experience for fans and newcomers alike. You’ll use your gravity gloves to manipulate the world around you and defeat enemies along the way. You’re playing as Alyx, who is setting out to obtain a superweapon in the hands of the alien group Combine. Half-Life: Alyx takes place five years after the events of Half-Life 2. Every way to get from one place to another is represented, you merely have to use the right type(so, you can do it whether you're in a jeep or a bus) to proceed in it, and while they can be frustrating, they are, as this is as a whole, addictive and satisfying. One is races - and everything about these goes for the multiplayer, as well(the online play has a ton of servers, including ones for RPG, and one for Domination, that, yes, places you on the several hundred square kilometer island, and can easily handle several dozen players with no lag). This is the non-storyline way to earn money, for the Black Market, which, for a hefty price, so make sure to only use it for emergencies, will ship any of a total of 21 weapons and 16 modes of transportation that you've earned, directly to you, if there's a horizontal surface within a few meters, and you can always just get yourself to an area that fits that description). If a building belongs to this Communist government, you can, and definitely should, destroy it. And doing so makes up the vast majority of this. which I'm currently enjoying working my way through), it's pure awesomeness to blow stuff up. And while it does just barely get old before you complete this(which took me 20 and a half hours, with about 70% non-plot content left to do. This brings you a tremendous amount of fun, and never really gets old. ![]() Combine that with the unlimited supply of parachutes(and you can go back and forth between using one and base-jumping), and you can nearly instantly go just about anywhere, all. well, tether (almost any) two things together(people, a tractor and a statue, gas cans, and the list goes on from there), pull something closer(.anything that is not nailed down and that does not have an engine), or yourself immediately and directly to, well, frankly, *anything*(well, short of the contents of the previous parenthesis). And of course, there is the grappling gun. and not only are there many different ones of all of these, and you can use each and every one, but the military will also do so, growing in intensity the further along you get in this, so the difficulty increases organically) from where you can move without getting off it, go to piloting(if necessary, toss out the guy currently in the driver's seat, after completing a QTE, also used for interacting with computers, disarming bombs that may be on an otherwise-rare-for-this timer), etc. ![]() Flexibility is all over this sucker: you can almost always shoot, go to the stunt position of any nearby vehicle(car, motorcycle, helicopter, plane, boat. One of the better clones, this is like Grand Theft Auto with freer and faster movement as well as a non-linear approach to action, losing the plentiful variety and all the "personality" to characters, plot, assignments, etc. That goes beyond the plot and the humor, and envelops every aspect of this arcade title(I kid you not, stats like "x amount of kills in the last 60 seconds" will pop up on the screen). As you may already be able to tell, this is a dumb, loud, over-the-top action blockbuster in game form. And if he's gone rogue he will have to kill the man who taught him everything he knows. But before he can do that, he will have to find his former mentor, Tom Sheldon(a Texan who never saw a barbecue he didn't like), who the CIA have lost contact with. ![]() Rico Rodriguez(cynical and blasé) is sent to you're Team America-ing the crap out of Panau(think North Korea) to overthrow its leader "Baby" Panay(I think he's supposed to be Kim Jong-Il albeit for all the comedic propaganda in this, explaining why 'no, seriously, don't worry, everything is fine' when you destroy something important, they for some reason don't include myths like the ones he told his people about him), and don't worry, use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the dictator *has* been approved. |