Killzone Establishes Itself As A Flagship Series For The PS3

KILLZONE 2 is not only fun to play but it is also one of the most polished looking first-person shooters out there. The futuristic, otherworldly setting is one of the things that sets it apart from other equally gorgeous shooters like FARCRY 2 and MODERN WARFARE 2 and fighting the Helghast on their homeworld does make the game intense and adds that extra sense of desperate struggle and conflict. With KILLZONE 3 on the way the series has established itself as one of the main flagship titles for the PS3 along with the RESISTANCE games. If you own a PS3 and are a shooter fan you have probably already played KILLZONE 2. If you haven't playet it yet I highly recommend giving it a whirl. The Helghast may be disappointed that you did but you will not. Trust me.

Completed Greenmen Sculpts

Here is the second greenman I started as a teacher example for my seventh graders.


The completed first greenman after being bisque-fired and partially painted with glaze. One of my students painted the glaze on this one for me.

The second greenman after being bisque-fired, glazed and then fired a second time. I put this up in my boys' room.

This one went up in my daughter's room.

McCarthy's THE ROAD Presents A Bleak Future With Little Hope

THE ROAD, starring Viggo Mortenson and Robert Duvall, began as a 2006 novel by the author of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Cormac McCarthy. The story follows the journey of a father and son across a post-apocalyptic America after an unexplained event wipes out all of civilization and, seemingly, nearly all life on earth. Mortenson portrays the desperate father trying to get himself and his son to the ocean after his wife, overcome by despair and grief, selfishly abandons them both and commits suicide. The landscape is utterly desolate and void of any form of order or structure as they make their way through destroyed cities and countrysides. To add to their struggles for food and water in a world where all resources and technology have been completely depleted they also have to deal with groups of cannibalistic nomads. This is a tragic tale to say the least and the father/son relationship is truly heart-breaking in its sincerity and love in the midst of such extreme hardships. Nevertheless, the film is an excellent adaptation of the book and a small nugget of hope is tossed into the viewer's lap in the end. I was still frustrated by the fact that there really is no explanation whatsoever in the book or the movie as to how civilization was destroyed so thoroughly.

Saving the World From Aliens Has Never Been This Fun

I've wanted a PS3 since the day I heard Sony was going to be making one a few years back. I didn't get around to actually picking one up till about three months ago. The biggest reason I wanted one when I got it was, of course, GOD OF WAR 3 but the only reason I wanted the PS3 three years ago was because of one of the few launch titles for the system, RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN.

RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN, from Insomniac games, is a first person shooter that takes place in an alternate history where World War 2 never happened. Instead, a mysterious race of aliens, known as the Chimera, have quickly spread across Europe converting humans into hideous and powerful alien soldiers in the process. You play Sgt. Nathan Hale, an American soldier who is part of a task force sent into Britain in the year 1951 to retrieve some sort of secret weapon that will hopefully stop the Chimera. As you would expect, things don't go quite as planned and the entire team is wiped out by the Chimera except for Hale. Hale becomes exposed to the Chimeran virus but, instead of killing him, it gives him superhuman strength, regenerative abilities and these really cool yellowish eyes. Fortunately, despite all these physical changes his body undergoes, he manages to retain his humanity and still wants to fight the Chimera.


Most of the early parts of the game feel like a World War 2 shooter...except for the fact that you are shooting at aliens instead of Germans. The environments, though nicely detailed, are lackluster in color with muddy browns and greys but this is what really makes you feel like you are living out a World War 2 game thats quite different from any World War 2 game you've ever played. In addition to historically accurate firearms from the time period, like the Carbine, Hale also has the ability to use alien weaponry he finds along the way which adds to the uniqueness of the gameplay. All weapons become part of a weapon wheel that can be accessed anytime during the game. As the game progresses, the environments become more and more alien and futuristic-looking as you explore alien strongholds and bases of operations. The ending is, as you can probably guess, overloaded with action and finds Hale the sole survivor once again of an all out assault on the main Chimeran tower in London.

Resistance 2 finds Hale on U.S. soil attempting to thwart the Chimeran forces as they sweep across America leaving nothing but twisted wreckage and destruction in their path. Hale continues to slowly but surely transform into the very enemy he is trying to defeat as the Chimeran virus spreads inside of him. The game bounces from location to location taking the player to well-known cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Baton Rouge. It is clear that America has seen better days as you survey the damage the Chimera have done and there really is a sense that you are fighting for the very survival of the nation itself.

The second RESISTANCE improves upon the first in nearly every way imaginable. Environments, enemies, and weapons are rendered beautifully with plenty of details and the textures are nicely done as well. In addtion to this, there is a lot more color and vibrancy to the overall look compared to the first game. Sadly, the weapon wheel is gone and you can only carry two guns at a time but this seems to have become the norm for most first-person shooters. Fortunately, weapons are generously scattered throughout the game's levels.

The RESISTANCE series is definitely the flagship title for the PS3 and it seems like it would only make sense to make a third installment. The visuals rival more recent shooters, like MODERN WARFARE 2, and the only other PS3 title that could possibly outdo it in the near future is probably the upcoming KILLZONE 3. Until then, if you have not tried these games out and you've been thinking about it, definitely give them a whirl. They are a blast to play and yet another excuse to get a PS3 if you don't have one yet.

Quick Guide to the Best Chocolaty Beverages

If you're anything like me you spend at least a few moments out of every waking hour thinking about chocolate in some way shape or form. To me, there is nothing like tipping back a chocolaty drink on my way to or from work. Something about that chocolaty taste just makes me feel like a new man. So here is my list of some of the best chocolaty stuff available right now in no particular order.

Boost is a wonderfully chocolaty, nutritional supplement packed with 26 vitamins and minerals and can be found at most grocery stores. It can be bought in packs of six for between seven to eight dollars. Boost comes in vanilla, butter pecan, strawberry, and chocolate flavor. I highly recommend the chocolate since it is the only flavor I have tried but seriously, who wants to drink something that tastes like butter pecan? Boost makes a great breakfast if you are in a hurry. The biggest downside to Boost is that the bottles are so darn small(8 oz. to be exact). If you drink like I do, be prepared for it to be gone in about two gulps. You can make it feel like it lasts longer if you take small sips though. The other downside is the price. There are plenty of alternatives out there that will give you quite a bit more chocolaty goodness for your buck. On with the list.

Hershey's syrup is something you should always have on hand. If you have one in the refridgerator thats great but make sure you keep one in the glove compartment of your vehicle as well. Hershey's syrup is best when mixed into milk and then stirred but if you are in a bind you can just squeeze it into your mouth directly from the bottle. Keep in mind this should only be done in moderation. Its also great on top of ice cream.

Carnation Instant Breakfast is a powder that is mixed into milk and is something my dad got me hooked on years ago. I remember him talking about how he would wake up in the morning as a young boy and my grandmother would be handing him his Carnation Instant Breakfast as he got out of bed. This comes in other flavors as well but really, who would want any other flavor if chocolate was already one of them? This makes a great breakfast on the go and is best bought in the powder form. I know you can buy it by the bottle now but it just doesn't taste as good. Trust me.





This stuff is about 16 oz. of one of the most unique chocolate flavors you will ever experience and, unlike most of the other items on this list, it doesn't really taste like milk at all. So if you want to try something different to quench your thirst for chocolate give Yoohoo a try.


Ever since I heard Ralphy mention this stuff in THE CHRISTMAS STORY as a young boy I wanted to try it. All you have to do is add milk and presto!!! This is a very satisfying drink that I wish I would have started drinking earlier in life.

Nesquik is another powder-based drink from Nestle that you add to milk. It comes in other flavors than chocolate but chocolate really is the best as far as I'm concerned. Now, you can get this in the store in a bottle as well but beware. It has a weird taste and does not taste nearly as chocolaty as if you were to mix it with milk.



This is simply my favorite chocolate drink hands down. Not only because it can be found at most gas stations and groceries either....but that does help. Dean's has mastered the formula of chocolaty goodness. On a good week the front of my van will be littered with two or three of these empty bottles.

SPLICE Likely to Deliver Thrills

Unless there is another monster movie coming out in the next few months that I haven't seen the previews for yet, SPLICE is shaping up to be the best beast of the summer. With two brilliant scientists combining human DNA with some other "stuff" to create a completely unique creature all their own I am guessing this will impress with both visuals and dramatic dialogue as well. Sure, this sort of thing has been done before but the concept of scientists attempting to fix something and instead creating a nightmare has been around since Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I will definitely be in the audience for this one.

Check out the SPLICE website for some really creepy sounds and some clips from the film:

http://www.splicethefilm.com/

V Continues with Wholesome Sci-Fi Goodness

In the tradition of THE BODY SNATCHERS and Robert Heinlein's THE PUPPETMASTERS the aliens are once again among us but they have managed to disquise themselves to look and act exactly like we do. Clever indeed. The ABC season finale of the reboot of the popular eighties series V continued to pile on the action with a healthy dose of sci-fi as well. It seems obvious that the pastor's boss is an alien but who knows for sure? They had a couple of chances to show us what the new alien/human hybrid baby looks like but all we were given was a lizard-like tail wrapping itself around daddy's finger. Fortunately for the humans, the soldier eggs were destroyed with a little help from the fifth column. I'm hoping that next season will begin to show a lot more of the aliens as the evil lizard people they truly are. And why haven't they shown any of them eating a rat yet?