Author: menno

Storytelling in video games has come a long way. Nowadays, gamers expect engaging narrative, complex plot development and thought-provoking themes. Of course, many good stories end with a twist or unexpected revelation which forces the audience to reconsider everything which has come before it, and video games are no exception when it comes to delivering shocking endings. 10. Hotline Miami It’s easy to mistake indie hit Hotline Miami for an over the top, shallow shoot-em-up which revels in its depiction of violence. However, scattered throughout the game’s trippy visuals and retro graphics are cryptic messages which reveal a shocking finale.…

Few people have heard the name ‘Nolan North’, but most people have heard North’s work at some point in time. Since making his videogame debut as the character Hinkley in ‘Interstate ’82’, North has lent his voice talents to more than 200 videogames in a variety of different genres

Metallica is one of the most well-known and popular metal bands in the world and have been going for more than thirty years. With an extensive catalogue of nine studio albums and over forty singles released, choosing the ten best Metallica songs can prove to be a challenge, especially as their sound has changed drastically since their early days. Here are our picks for the ten best Metallica songs. 10. Fuel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvF9PAxe5Ng From 1997’s “ReLoad” album, Fuel arguably represents a return to form for the band after the disappointing “Load”. Fast-paced and aggressive, Fuel features some of James Hetfield’s best…

Lakes everywhere have always traditionally been a great place to visit for a multitude of reasons. Not only are they great for get-away holidays, but there’s always so many different activities available for everybody regardless of age and gender, such as fishing and hiking. The following lakes are the largest in the world, based on their total surface area. 10 – Great Salve Lake – 28,930 km2 (11,170 sq mi) The Great Salve Lake is based in the Northwest Territories of Canada and is the deepest lake in all of North America, reaching a depth of 2,014 feet. Although the…

Throughout history there have been many stories of people living into extreme old age. Methuselah, for example, is said in the bible to have lived to 969. However, it is always difficult to verify ages from a time when records were not kept accurately, and there is an additional problem called ‘namesaking’; in many families, where homes, occupations, and names were passed from father to son, it is likely that a man’s date of birth may often have been confused with that of his father, or even his grandfather. It is not surprising, therefore, that all the names in the…

It’s hard to believe that over 40 years have gone by since Jimi Hendrix passed away, far too young at the age of 27. His songs inspired a generation and have influenced countless artists since, from Metallica to Bob Dylan. He left the world with a wonderful musical legacy, and we’re going try to pare that down as much as possible and countdown his top 10 greatest songs. 10. Wind Cries Mary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATDEtzAcTg0 Originally released as a b-side on the “Purple Haze” single, “Wind Cries Mary” easily stands by itself as a great song. It was inspired by a fight…

Coming in to their 20th year together, Muse have consistently been one of the most popular rock bands in the world. Here’s a countdown of the top 10 best Muse songs ever. 10. Sing For Absolution Starting out with spacey falsetto vocals from Matt as he sings that he “only dreams of you, my beautiful”, the song becomes something else when he breaks out his huge belting voice for the chorus. It’s not as loud and energetic as some of their songs, but the powerful vocals definitely make it a memorable one. 9. Madness While it doesn’t have the classic…

Looking for a place where you can buy nearly everything? Well, you can off course go to Amazon.com, or go to one of the following ten largest shopping malls in the USA. 10 Woodfield Mall: Illinois: 206,600m² Just 27 miles from the famous Chicago Loop, the Woodfield Mall, which opened in September 1971, attracts over 27 million visitors per year. It is the largest mall in the state of Illinois and boasts an impressive 300 stores selling everything from clothing to food to electronic goods. The mall is touted as being Illinois’ one number tourist attraction and there is certainly…

Although his career seemed all too brief, Tupac Shakur(2Pac) quickly established himself as a rapper who would go on to define the hip hop genre and influence countless other artists in the years following his death. 10. Ambitionz Az A Ridah Tupac is said to have penned this song almost immediately after he was released from jail in 1995, and his raw energy and anger is clearly on display. Tupac makes no attempt at addressing political or social issues with this celebration of thug life and his life as a “solider”. The lyrics may seem empty when compared to his…

Large crowds always attract roving reporters – or do they? Read through this comprehensive top 10 list and you may be surprised to find that you recognise few, if any, of these peaceful gatherings: mainly because being peaceful they are not considered newsworthy by a cynical and slightly blood-thirsty press! 10 Bishwa Ijtema (3 million) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na2fK2SIJ5g The Bishwa Ijtema is an annual Tablighi Jamaat Islamic movement congregation held at Tongi, Bangladesh by the river Turag.The event focuses on prayers and supplication and does not allow political discussion. The local police estimated the number of attendees of 2007 ijtema to be…

Thousands of films are released each week. Some go on to be remembered as cinematic masterpieces that showcase the art of film making at its best, while others are doomed to be remembered as cinematic failures that few people should see. This top 10 will list the top 10 worst movies of the 00s. 10 – The Room – 2003 Tommy Wiseau, writer, director, producer, and lead actor of The Room, is a strange man. Born in the Eastern Bloc of communist Europe in the 50s, Wiseau travelled the world, eventually landing in Los Angeles where he decided to follow…

Roller coasters provide a thrill like no other. They excite the mind, causing powerul adrenaline rushes that make the body quiver with excitement and delight. Not all roller coasters are created equal, however. Some are better, faster, and more exciting than others. This article will list the top 10 fastest roller coasters in the world in 2014. 10. Intimidator 305 – 90 mph – 140 km/h Park: Kings Dominion Country: USA ‘Kings Dominion’ is one of the lesser known amusement parks in the world. Located near Richmond, Virginia on the East Coast of the United States, the 400 acre amusement…

In recent years, concerns about threats to the environment, and the conservation of wildlife species, have led many governments to create protected areas. These include national parks, but also, increasingly, the protected area can spread across national boundaries. This enables much larger areas to be protected, and also has the advantage of ensuring that endangered wildlife which occurs across borders, for example during animal migrations, can be protected across its range. In recent years, some very large protected areas have been created; and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has defined seven different categories of protected area,…

The winter Olympics has just begun, and athletes and sports people from across the world will be battling it out and breaking records in the hope of winning a prestigious bronze, silver or gold award for their country. We all love to keep an eye on the leader board and see who’s ranking where, but which countries have performed best throughout history? Here is a countdown of the top 10. 10. East Germany – 110 Medals (39 Gold, 36 Silver, 35 Bronze) Though somewhat tarnished by accusations and charges of doping, East Germany has performed well in the Winter Olympics,…

The following ten athletes are the most succesful olympians on the Winter Olympics, looking at the number of (gold) medals they have won. 10. Eric Heiden – 5x Gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUF2ptVA-eE In 1980 Eric Heiden, an American speed-skater, set a world record, and four Olympic records, at the US Winter Olympics. Winning five golds, he was also the most successful competitor at these Games. A speed-skating idol, Heiden’s achievement – winning gold in all five speed-skating categories – has never been bettered within the sport. 9. Bonnie Blair – 5x Gold, 1x Bronze https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krYGqiN5Gy8 Long regarded for her technique and fearsome…

As one of the most iconic bands ever that came to prominence in perhaps the most widely acclaimed musical era of all time, it goes without saying that the Rolling Stones have an incredible catalogue of songs that are not only widely acclaimed all over the world but are also continually debated over as to which of them ranks as their very best. While, undoubtedly, everybody has their own opinion as to which are the best Rolling Stones songs, here at our top 10, in descending order, to add to the debate and encourage everyone to listen to even more…

We tend to think of deserts as hot, sandy places, but in fact there is no reason why a desert should be hot, and some of them are very cold indeed. The term ‘desert’ refers only to precipitation, and any land area with a very low level of rain or snow (generally, less than ten inches per year) will therefore qualify. Below are the world’s ten largest deserts by area, in reverse order. 10. Great Basin Desert The largest desert in the United States of America, this cold desert covers 190,000 square miles, much of it in the state of…

These are the ten largest countries in Africa by population: 10 Sudan (35 million people) Prior to July 2011 Sudan used to be the largest country in Africa (and 10th largest in the world) but it was divided unevenly into Sudan and South Sudan on that date. After the split, the northernmost section, known as Sudan, is the third largest country in Africa area-wise, and has a great deal of desert terrain within its borders. The name Sudan derives from the Arabic bilad al-sudan which means, rather politically incorrectly ‘land of the blacks’. Sudan, and more specifically the capital Khartoum,…

It is seldom that we consider the size of countries, unless they are one extreme or another (largest or smallest) and it is often a surprise to realise that, for example Norway is bigger than Germany! The following is a rundown of the biggest countries in Europe, by area – read on and prepare for a few surprises! 10. Italy (301,318km²) The formal name of Italy is the Italian Republic and the capital city is Rome. The word Italy comes from italia, meaning ‘calf land’, a nod to the cattle owning tribes of the south. The country is heavily populated.…

When considering dog breeds from the point of view of speed, it is not too surprising that all the contenders for the top ten list are big dogs, most of which are built for speed with lithe bodies and long legs that can eat up the distance easily. For this reason, the small Jack Russell terrier deserves a special mention. With its small, stocky body and short little legs, the fact that they can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour is quite impressive, although a definite distance behind even our number ten dog, who manages a very…

Disney studios made a rare error in judgement when they utterly rejected a proposal for an entirely computer generated animation film, even going so far as to fire the proposer, John Lasseter. Lasseter had been introduced to the concept of computer generated imagery when he saw one of the computer generated sequences from the movie Tron. Unbowed, Lasseter moved to Lucasfilm and then later to became a founder member of Pixar, who exploded into the film industry with their first full length feature film. So successful was that first film that Disney came back to Lasseter, cap in hand, inviting…

For a good number of movie fans, there are always those movies you find yourself watching over and over – even when there are new ones to explore. Maybe it’s the perfect story line that keeps pulling you back, or even the faultless casting and on-screen chemistry that you find unavoidable. Whichever reason you may have for doing it, the truth is that some movies are so good that they make all others seem like a joke. There have been such great productions in Bollywood in the past few years and just in case you didn’t have a chance to…

1972 was an important year. The Watergate scandal rocked the world, The Godfather, generally considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, hit the silver screen, and Abba’s unique brand of Swedish pop dominated the music charts. 1972 was also the year that Atari Inc, the brainchild of American computer geniuses Allan Alcorn and Nolan Bushnell, released Pong, the first video game to ever achieve commercial success. With the release of Pong, Alcorn and Bushnell kickstarted the video game industry, changing the entertainment world forever. Games have come a long way since 1972. Graphics have improved by…

As technology advanced in every field, especially that of animation and film-making, the Disney studio had to work hard to keep up with their competition. Not only did the studio have to stay up-to-date with industry advances, it also had to keep a finger on the pulse of its audience, adapting story-lines to keep them fresh and palatable for modern, slightly more cynical, tastes. Be sure to also read the top 10 Classic Disney Movies 10 Pocahontas Pocahontas is the real life story of the Native American woman who protected a colonial explorer from her father’s wrath. Disney slightly fictionalised…

Walt Disney had a clear vision of the types of movies he wanted to make, whether they starred ‘real’ people or cartoon characters. He employed only the best artists and cartoonists and set the bar for his animated movies very high indeed. The result of his exacting standards and attention to detail has seen his animated movies remain popular with people of all ages, from infanthood to great old age, even after many decades. This top ten features some of the older movies; the true classics that have stood the test of time, in some cases even after a fairly…

Very few songs stand the test of time, and even some of the biggest hits are completely forgotten about after a few years. Although the release of some of these singles pre-date the existence of a music chart, their estimated worldwide sales make them some of the most successful (and instantly recognisable) singles of all time. 10 Mariah Carey – “All I Want for Christmas Is You” Few modern songs achieve the status of iconic Christmas tune, but Mariah Carey’s 1994 single has managed to be much more than just another singer’s attempt at scoring a one-off December hit. The…

The film industry is one of the most lucrative in the world, and the amount of money that the majority of popular films make is astounding. Merchandise, cinema tickets, DVD sales…it all adds up, and it doesn’t take long for their seemingly extravagant budgets to be replenished. What, though, are the highest grossing movies of all time? Here, we present a list of the ten highest grossing films in history (adjusted for inflation). 10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Worldwide gross: $1,746,100,000 Not the 2012 remake starring Kristen Stewart, but the animated, 1937 Disney classic of what remains…

The following ten paintings are the most expensive in the world, well at least the paintings the highest known prices are paid for. It is imposible to tell for example what the Mona Lisa is worth … 10: The Scream. One of the world’s most recognisable paintings, Edvard Munch’s 1895 masterpiece “The Scream” depicts a tormented figure screaming in front of a warped, dreamlike landscape. It sold for nearly $120 million in 2012. 9: Garçon à la pipe. Pablo Picasso painted “boy with a pipe” in 1905, when he was only 24; it is one of the most important paintings…

The sweet seductive sounds of a casino are the first part of the gambling experience, but this soon pales in comparison to the thrill of risking it all on the throw of a dice or the spin of a wheel. Whether you are a die-hard gambler, following your system and playing the odds or a casual punter, out for a laugh and some fun, not really caring if you win or lose, there are some cities that are the best holiday destinations for you. 10. Reno – 20+ Casinos The ‘biggest little city in the world’ as Reno styles itself,…

The following ten buildings are the most expensive building ever. Most of the buildings in the list are huge casinos in Las Vegas or Macau. 10. Antilla, Mumbai, India – $2,53 billion The Antilla is a residential building owned and lived in by established Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani. It is thought to be the most expensive home in the world, and Ambani employs a 600 strong workforce just to maintain and run the place. The home has 27 floors and took five years to construct, with its official completion date being at the beginning of 2010. As land prices have…