Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead

So, Serj's solo album is finally out and I already have a copy. After the fucking brilliant single Empty Walls and the...hmm...ineresting The Unthinking Majority, I really didn't know what to expect. Was the quality of Empty Walls the rule or the exception? Well, I'm happy to say it's definitely the rule! There are a couple of songs that I don't really like (Money and Baby), but there are more that enough awesome songs on this album to make us forget about SOAD's hiatus.

Speaking of System of a Down, in comparison this is a lighter album in terms of guitars and such, but has so much more powerful vocals! We all know Serj for his awesome vocal tricks, but maybe because this is a solo album he definitely let his vocal cords go wild. Examples? Lie Lie Lie or Prayse the lord and pass the ammunition.

Other great themes are Sky is Over and Saving Us, which has one fucking powerful chorus, so whether your a SOAD fan or just like Serj's unique style, you definitely have to listen to Elect the Dead. You can start right here:

Saving Us



Sky is Over



Lie Lie Lie

Serj Tankian new video

I already knew System of a Down were on an extended hiatus, but I had no idea their singer, Serj Tankian, was preparing a solo album. I found it today, while watching a video about using Portal's gun on Half-Life 2. I didn't know the song but immediately recognised the singer's voice, so I immediately searched for it in my System of a Down albums. But, guess what, it was nowhere to be found, so I looked for it on the web and finally discovered it was not a SOAD song but Serj Tankian alone. Now I'm waiting for the album, Elect the Dead, to come out, since that song is bloody brilliant.

On a side note, this place looks fucking dead! Besides gnome, who kindly left a comment in every single post, and blackhole, a fellow PTGamer, who wrote on the cbox the other day, it seems like no one cares for this little forgotten corner of awesomeness. Well, that's not totally unexpected since all I post are my ramblings, but...I don't know, I guess I was expecting more love from our little community... ah, fuck it, at least I can still use this as a diary of sorts...

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5

I think that's what the Tekken name means... Anyway, it's been a slow week and the most exciting thing that happened was, obviously, Tekken 5. Being a fan of the series since Tekken 3 (great game) I don't know exactly why I waited so much to try this game. Maybe because at the time I was busy playing something else, I guess...


Well, but now I'm playing it, and it's awesome! It's easily the best Tekken game since 3, if not better! But what makes it so good? Well, for a start the sheer amount of content. There's 30 or so characters to choose from, each with its own story, there's the Devil Within mode which plays like a 3D action/platform game, and then there's perfect ports of the arcade versions of Tekken 1, 2, 3 and StarBlade! And, of course, not forget the usual modes like Story, Arcade, Team Battle, Time Attack, Survival or Training.


Not enough? Well, there's also the money you receive from playing these modes that you can use to buy accessories for your characters, and don't forget the Theater mode were you can watch the character's endings, most rendered in beautiful CGI, and the game's songs.

But what's content without a solid gameplay? Of course the one in Tekken 5 won't please everyone, but it's quite enjoyable and it represents a return to the game's roots, discarding some innovations present in Tekken 4 in favour of old favourites, like the endless arenas.


And then there's the graphics... Wikipedia says: "The graphics in Tekken 5 are sometimes referred to as the best on the Playstation 2 platform." You're dead right! The game's just gorgeous. The characters move fluidly, the arenas are beautifully created and the destructive elements are a great. Just look at it:



Of course, due to youtube's limitations, the actual game is much better

So, you're looking for a good 3D beat'em up? Look no further, for Tekken 5 is great in every way. Easy to learn, difficult to master, pretty addictive and with potential to entertain you for lot's of hours, this is a game everyone should try.