Inspiration

 

   "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices, that, if I then had waked after long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming, the clouds, methought would open, and show riches ready to drop upon me, that when I waked I cried to dream again."

  I have so many thoughts to unravel... I don't remember what I was going to write here but this is quote from "The Idiot" which I have yet to finish. Long book.

New Works

 

NEW WORKS

 Greetings All. As the time unfolds, I am finally nearing school's completion. I hope to work towards expanding the IT services and the applications that I am developing. I have been working with the band and gigging over the past few months, so I haven't really don't much recording, but the writing and recording bug have been biting, just in many directions. I am currently working on finishing the autobiography and perhaps I will begin work on a new Sci-Fi novel TBA. I have more than enough essays written to facilitate the beginning of that project. And perhaps a new album at some point as well. I usually end a music project with at least a fraction of work for the next one done just in case. But the biggest bug that's been biting me is the fact that I haven't painted in so long. It feels alien at this point, and so I put together this brief reintroduction piece that I pretty much abandoned after short time, as I ran out of ideas. But at least I'm getting the reps back in. This piece was inspired by a picture I took from an interview recently of the UFC President Mr. Dana White. Anyways, stay tuned, as I know the essays have been very scant on this blog, but they will be coming back out soon.

Cyber Fraud Case Study 1

 Here I will educate on how deceptive cyber criminals are and what you can look out for. I've encountered many scams over the years that used various forms of social engineering, but in recent times, you will be floored to see the methods used. Tenacity is their main weapon. I have spoken in the past about prior attempts I encountered in my experimentation, and as a client. The world of Cybersecurity is said to be wide open for employment opportunities. I haven't see this personally, as I only get job rejections and see rare postings, but in honesty, the field has to be wide open, because the criminals are more psychotic and maniacal than ever. The level of robotic sociopathic behavior they will exhibit will blow you away, to the point you actually refuse to believe

 Recently, I was contacted on What'sApp by an individual proposing a part time and full-time opportunity. I had never heard of the person, and no clear entity was given at first. Being that I've been searching for remote work for some time, I decided to look into it. I recently encountered a few fools on Facebook pretending to sell trailers and cars to loop people into account stealing scams. I could go on for hours about the many scams I confronted people on. What you will find interesting is how dogmatic and forceful they are. They will argue about the merit and legitimacy of the business, even attacking you, for hours or even days, simply hoping that you break down eventually and take the bait.

  I was told I would get contact from a superior afterward with details about the job. I always tell companies, including the lender I used for my trailer, that legitimate companies have to take care to have very good ethical compliance when dealing with customer information and transactions, so as not to mirror the behavior of cyber criminals. I said the same thing to these people. I found out  that the company is BandCamp music apparently, and I didn't see much in the way of research. I was told I submit tasks for increasing visibility of music for artists. Oddly, the page I was directed to had a balance already in an account, and you clicked a button to assign the task, then you get a fraction of the amount generated. It was just as convoluted as it sounds. The records that showed were old pop records that had their play almost a decade ago from artists like John Legend and Adele. It looked very suspicious.

I made a login, and then for some reason, my trainer had me log into their account to complete their tasks. I then asked about training, and was told it isn't needed, which was odd because I thought that's what we were doing according to the instructions given at the outset. I was then ordered to go back to my account and complete the same kinds of tasks. After I was done, I was said to have accumulated money that I could extract to my account. This is where I got really interested, and as you can see in the dialogue I captured, I began to question to see if they would quit while they were ahead. I explained my knowledge of cyber security, and the comical condescending tone that she took was breathtaking. You can see by her dialogue, that no matter what red flags I exposed, until she was in handcuffs, I was nothing but a stupid fool and potential victim to her, regardless of the awareness I clearly showed to her. That's when I became really aware of the sociopath personality these people have. They are trained to be like pit bulls that bite and scratch until they succeed. All humanity stripped away.

 They stated that for security, they used crypto currency. I was then instructed to provide my crypto address. This required me to open a new crypto wallet, as PayPal's is now down due to a merge issue with Europe. I set up my account and linked the address, but was required to do more tasks. Below, you can see screenshots of the experience. You'll notice a staff level next to your icon. Apparently, this raises as you complete these tasks of pressing a green button that assigns a song to a list. The person guiding me was apparently from Germany, according to them. If you look at the layout, it makes no sense. And what I found interesting is that my trainer/manager, or whatever she was, thanked me for helping her complete her tasks, when I completed the training that wasn't training. After I had exhausted my tasks, I tried to get more, and was told that I have to deposit at least 100USD in order to reset my task counter on my portal so I could click the green button more to earn cash. I was instructed to contact Customer Service each time I needed to do this reset, which itself is a huge red flag and quite stupid. I'm reasoning the entire time with this person, explaining to her that it only made things more odd with her denying how bad the layout and protocol looked to an observer. Take a look at the captures below and study them.

I really wanted to cut off and block the person, but for studying purposes, I resisted, because I really wanted to see how far they were willing to go. The site itself is not very impressive. You can put together those pages and layouts today in minutes with the templates that exist out there. What was impressive is the slide show that she was willing to fabricate and lie through for hours. This made the clown who pretended to be a house wife looking to sell me a car on Facebook for over a day, look like child's play. They have carefully written scripts typing confidently about percentages of return and remuneration etc. It's designed to intimidate and confuse. By the time they ramble on for hours, you will be convinced that it is lunacy for it to be a scam at that point. And that's exactly what they want you to think. When I pointed out the factors that made it a scam and put them before her, she went on for over an hour, livid at the claim and acting as if I was crazy, even stating that she was well aware of the penalties of cyber criminal activity and would never be so stupid as to participate. This is how disrespectful these clowns are. Until you lock them up, you are nothing but a stupid clown to them.

  Eventually, the punchline I kept asking for came. I was told that each account needs to have a 100USD balance - which is a crypto equivalent, in order to be reset with tasks. This amount was the responsibility of the worker, who would then receive that money on the back end as revenue when they submit tasks going forward. So basically, you are paying to work, and they promise you'll get money on the back end. That's the point where I had enough intel, and I could assess and display how these criminals have advanced over the past decade. They are constantly finding new ways to drop the guards of their victims, even if it means running a marathon in the other direction. Even robbing you for a penny is worth it to these idiots, because they do it for the thrill and the bigger picture. I was chased for months by QuickStar Productions to scam me for $75 with a campaign for a fraudulent music release that did not exist out of a Maryland office that did not exist. Today, they are willing to make their efforts more elaborate and diligent, even trying to use some legitimate sources in the process. Be on the aler to the individuals.

  Many of these idiot companies overlook my resume, shred it, send me a rejection letter, and hire trained monkeys to pick up their phones and drool on their keyboards. But if people were really about security and awareness, they would be looking for who can uncover attacks like this and save potentially millions of dollars. Let this be a lesson. Who of your applicants is putting together a knowledge base like this on their own, due to having a passion for the field? Jokatech

Leaving Mainstream Gaming Platforms

 Finished with Mainstream Gaming Consoles

 I've been an avid handheld gamer for over 3 decades, and I've always loved being able to game on the go. Since the early 90's, I was a supporter of every major and minor company in the handheld space. I had almost every Gameboy iteration, briefly a few Sega handhelds, and of course Sony's handhelds, which is a key part of this discussion later on. When it comes to home consoles, I still own and play them, and I've seen the shift in era of updates, which I've come to accept. However, there is a line I have to draw.

  Nintendo has always been a very principled company that will go against the grain to do what they feel is morally right. And that's one of the reasons I've always stood behind them. Many of their unpopular choices have gone on to be mimicked, or gain popularity over time, such as embracing Indie games as a main focus. 

 I was online the other day and saw a very stupid comment by some idiot in a forum. He decried the notion that what gaming companies are doing right with updates is akin to the Don Mattrick doomsday scenario. He went on to normalize the practice as if it is a legitimate security measure. And he was so smug it annoyed me because he has no idea how stupid he is. When updates started heavily back in the early 2000's, needed features were presented as the software or platform matured. I'm not going to reiterate the history that I've already broken down in a past post here. However, as I stated, I was very skeptical about how updates became a forced norm in all tech industries. No one seemed to blink, like the bots most people are. However, now, at this point every company has bought in.

  I have a Nintendo Switch that has been offline for the past 5 months completely. I've played it a bit over the time, but have not really gotten into any games, so it sat for quite a while, as I was moving several times. Earlier in the morning, I go to play Ring Fit Adventure, and I'm stopped by an update notification. I am not in an active network at the time, so I elect to skip the notification and play my game. I get a message that until I update, I will not be able to play most of my games. This struck me as very odd, because my system wasn't even online at all since shortly after the last update, so how would it know that a new one was needed, with no reference to a network attached server. That's when it hit me. I realized that the update blocks that we get are actually initiated by counters that are placed inside of the last update script on your system. The counter expires at a certain point, which they plan on having a new system update out by. This is specifically applicable to system firmware updates.

  So you don't have to be online at all. If the company failed to put out an update, which would likely never happen, there would be a sea of bricked systems that popped up periodically due to this disgusting practice. That's why when you see most updates, they are empty downloads with no noticeable changes at all. This is because it is simply patching a counter onto your system to keep you on a leash. This goes back to the old argument that some conservative gamers have made about the new age concept  of not actually owning any of your games. There is a great deal of truth to that at this point. If I was not able to establish a network connection somehow, which I barely did, there was no workaround to allow me to play a game that I paid money for and supposedly own. And this is also a physical copy by the way

 The poster on the forum acted as if it was a needed security measure. The truth is that there are other ways to protect a system. If the concern is homebrew software touching the system's precious network, you can simply create a hash screener that will block online interaction without the recognized hash from the latest update patch. It is easy to isolate units to offline only. They're not trying to protect your system or their network. They are trying to play police and bully everyone to punish the few. That stupid update practice literally only serves to block you from your own content.

 Now that I have experienced this, my love for Nintendo, or any mainstream systems has faded largely. I will be transitioning to only homebrew systems in the future. I don't mind playing online, or even going online, but the fun is ripped out of gaming when I'm facing looking at a bricked system if I don't periodically check in with the principle. That is not ownership. That's borrowing. If that's the case, I should be able to get the thousands of dollars I've paid in game purchases back at any time. Can I? NO! This is why I'm happy to have modded my Sony systems. I don't collect games to simply be borrowing them in actuality.

 Like some Youtube Collectors have stated, the days where you had a Super Nintendo, Playstation, or Dreamcast were so much better simply for the fact that you had your games and they were yours to collect and use as you wish. With Systems I'll tolerate the update culture, because they are stationary for the most part. But with handhelds, I will not tolerate being in chains.

Intro to the Placebo Effect

 Placebo Effect

So many healings to our ailments are in the control of our minds. New album coming very soon.

Here is a new painting after over a year of inactivity.

The Twisted Chain- Astral Chain - Game Review

 

ASTRAL CHAIN- Review

  Next up in the review box, is a game that lived up to the hype that it should have received. It also got in its own way in certain aspects. This is Astral Chain, developed by Platinum games, yet surprisingly published by Nintendo. It was advertised as a very left field game for the Nintendo Switch, where you have to master odd controls as you maneuver your character along with the Legion companions that you partner with. The game is another dystopian game in a futuristic setting, similar to Earth Wars, where humanity has been all but eliminated, save a few colonies protected by a brillian scientist and his initiative. His name is Yoseph, and from the very start, he has a very sinister nature and aggressive drive to maximize the potential of the Legion physiology and genetics. The Legions are the invading creatures responsible for the destruction in the world, but they also hold a great deal of powerful assets, and Yosef has managed to find a way to control and harness their power. A rogue accomplice of his, named Jena is on the loose wreaking destruction with the Legion army at her disposal, and you are tasked with finding and taking her down. In this game, you are a police officer, so you spend a great deal of the game completing various tasks in everyday life, such as finding parents, catching fleeing criminals and protecting the public. It is actually very rewarding. There is a merit system attached to all jobs that gets your rank and power increased. I didn't do a tremendous amount of them on the first playthrough.

  In the game, you do have a vehicle, but it isn't something you ride often or on command. I wish you did, as the action bike levels were very intense and fun. They were very challenging. The movement mechanics have you click the left analog stick to sprint and you have a dodge button with A while the right trigger is you attack button. Your Right bumper unleashes your Legion and your left one retrieves them. They each have different abilities and combat skills that they can learn and use to help you on your mission such as the bulk Legion who can lift heavy objects and the sword legion that can cut wires. These skills will help you often in missions and in combat. You have an Iris machine that you can activate with the start button that gives a grid allowing you to visualize information about your surroundings. As you combat enemies, you will have the same standard weapon types. You have a heavy sword, a baton, and a small pistol. You can upgrade and get better versions of these. I did not upgrade very much in this game, and improved my Legions rather late in the game. There is an item system, where many different foods you can buy from vending machines and find in the world will increase defense, offense, or recharge of your special meter with various sacrifices. As you destroy enemy legions you gather healing energy orbs, which made combat enjoyable. Up until the end of the game, boss battles felt more tiring than difficult. 

  The level design was very good, and the missions were good, but had auto save, and never felt too long. You had puzzles at times that took a bit of time to figure out. There were always hidden side missions and levels that fleshed out more of the story. You are the twin to a sister who were created in some kind of mysterious sense, and children of Captain Howard. While on a mission early in the game, he has to sacrifice himself to save both twins, and your twin has a hard time getting past the loss. Often times, they run off to be heroic, and eventually get gravely injured on a mission, losing their life briefly. They are in a coma for a long time, and you eventually get them back due to some of Yosef's scientific miracles. You come to find that it was at a price. The Jena that you chase for much of the game reveals that she actually wants to foil wicked plans of Yosef, and provides convincing evidence before her demise.

 What I wanted to focus on was the convoluted menus and game interface. They are extremely annoying at times, and make action levels and combat very impossible at times. There is platforming in the game, but it isn't too much of an issue. In boss fights and when facing hordes, such as when fighting the clones in the later game, which I won't spoil, it is too clunky trying to change Legions effectively and use items. Many times, while doing this, the game doesn't pause, but just slows down. Where the idiocy of the controls really shines is in the last boss fight. It was memorable to say the least. Thankfully, in this game you have an AED item, which gives you a maximum of 7 lives or as few as 3 if you have some in stock. I didn't stock up on them alot, but I had a few, and they can be game breakers to be honest, because as you're gettting clapped by the enemies in the later game, you get several do-overs. The last boss tested this to the max. You face Yosef in the end, who is a very memorable boss. He has over 4 forms. He is also extremely fast. There is a hyper mode that you unlock with your legion in the later part of the game that give you a fusion with your legion with increased strength, speed, and health. It lasts for a limited time, and needs a meter to be built. Building the meter is extremely hard, as you have to perform perfect link attacks and counters. I blew my fusion mode on the sub boss like an idiot.

   Noah, as the last boss calls himself, fuses with all of the clones that he created. After fighting him on a rooftop, you face his energy orb, and then you face him in a hyper state, and then you face his critical hyper state. I shudder to think how he would be on hard mode, but the fight was robbed of fun factor by the clunky nature of trying to switch legions as he took them down, and cycle in items to my wheel in order to heal. I also got caught in executing combo strings and being open, because it's not easy to buffer your combos in the game. Everything you do takes so much freaking time, that he's already blasting you by the time you turn around. And he is equipped with several instant kill laser beams and bombs. Even with the AED, I lost to him a lot of times, and almost broke my system in rage. But it was also refreshing to see such a well done Last Boss. It was very tense when you do beat him, because you will be on your last legs as you do. I was afraid he would have another form. But he did finally fall.

  The ending saw your twin appear to sacrifice themself to hold off Noah as you finish him. However, one of their clones is preserved and seems to be the twin, although stripped of memory. You take over the colony as Yosef did and his secretary becomes the acting director in his old position. There isn't a ton of closure in the game, as you have more missions to continue, and the game essentially goes on from there. It gives it a great deal of replayability, but I would like to have seen more back story and information on new threats. I will enjoy getting into it further, on a harder difficulty. It was a great game, and in a twisted way, Awesome!  9/10

Life Mission

 Life Missions

I've had a lot of experiences and ideas in the recent past. Leading up to my last album, and afterward, I've gone through a great deal of transformation and growth. I even thought of doing a stand-up comedy special. I recorded a brief skit a while back on my computer that I have to track down, but it's more of a side thought right now. School has been very rigorous and work, dealing with new clients and trying to expand my business.

  I'm currently almost half-way through my Computer Science degree. It's quite an accomplishment in itself, as this was the degree that I sought back in high school, but put on hold to pursue a trade that turned into a career. Now, all these years later, I have multiple IT certifications and half of a computer science degree all from my ambition to get there. 

  After the release of my latest album "Never", I got so busy with my business and education that I've completely gotten sidetracked from some art projects and even practicing in general. That always feels very odd to me. I actually, as is the custom, had some portion of writing materials completed for the possibility of a future album shortly after "Never's" release. And I have several literary works and poems to compile from that project, in the form of the many poems you heard that made the songs on Never. I then had a song I was conceptualizing after that, which I haven't produced yet. And there are a few tracks that I have somewhat composed and played with after the release. But I'm not sure when I'll get to it, as I have so many goals that I'm trying to finish off. I haven't even touched my backlog of games to play and review. That and sports news that I've wanted to touch on, I've been not getting to.

  I really want to work on some more poetry, an art piece or two, some trumpet compositions, and another sci-fi novel. That is alot to bite off, and I'm not sure when I'll get the time to tackle all of that. But I do realize that it's up to me to make the time. It's there. I just have to prioritize better. I didn't get Never reviewed yet, and I did want to get around to that as well, but I stopped really caring about reviews, as I don't think there are really deep listeners left in the world. I don't recall the last time I've had a deep discussion with anyone indepth about the arts at all. It would be very refreshing for that to change. In fact, I'm going to attend some meetup events for poetry and art workshops to air out some of my work, and perhaps just have some good discussions on art. It feels like a big missing piece in day to day life.

 I am starting to get some work in on the horn, and I'll be doing DJ streams again soon to work on new material. Stay tuned. It's a pivotal time. I also wanted to do another top 10 athlete list, perhaps with NBA athletes, and why I feel Lebron is clearly number one. But I'll get to that all soon.

To Exist

 

    INTENT

  It's been quite a while since I've written here on this blog, but a topic worth writing came to mind. It regards observations that I feel are very profound in the world. The other day, when speaking to a neighbor, he stated to me and a friend that it's difficult to build reliance on many scriptural prophecies that can't be confirmed with secular evidence and documents. I expressed to him that I too struggled with that for some time in the past. But over time, what built up my faith in those accounts, was not only the events that can be confirmed in secular writings and historical findings today, and the fact that the writings of the scriptures themselves are cohesive, but also the observance in the world itself, and how the scriptures lay that out.

     There are many who are either lost in, or confused with the notion that good and evil are two equal and opposite forces. But there is actually enough evidence in the universe to disprove that. A theory that I like to propose to people confused about the counter approach to an argument, is to play it out, and project it over a vast period of time, and see where it lays. If you look at the stars and the celestial composition, there are countless cycles of breakdown and rebuilding that take place. Yet, with that considered, the cycle is based on creation. The inverse would be a process of annihilation. Don't confuse the two. It's just like the process of building muscle. You have a destructive process which results in the loss of and death of muscle ultimately, and you have the priming process which includes a preliminary breakdown, followed by an anabolic growth. 

  The forces of evil that stand in opposition to good, work on that inverse. If you projected the intent of that spectrum, you would ultimately have a universe that would have either never existed, or that would have long combusted upon itself. That's why the scriptures say to observe creation to perceived God's glory. The very designs you witness, fundamentally could not be conceived by a destructive mind, nor can they be overcome by one.

   When I transpose this theory to human relations, it's interesting to observe. I have a saying I developed over the years, "You will never find a proud demon." What that essentially means is that no matter how wicked the individual or even demons and evil forces, there is always a turning or justification that takes place at the tail end. It's interesting to see that ever present sense of justice. No matter how much there is an attempt to hide it, it's always there. There is another saying that people have used for many ages too, "No rest for the wicked." This is meant in a more general sense, that since we are all imperfect, and essentially wicked, our present state makes it impossible to have rest. While there is truth in that saying, it fundamentally goes even deeper than that.

 While everyone imperfect falls short and is "wicked", there are those who desire peace and those who desire war to put it in a grand sense. While there is a selfish nature within all humans and creatures that seeks advantage and comfort, there are those that conscienciously choose destruction in some form. And they try to convince themselves that the course has every bit the viable chance for success as does seeking peace. But even they will never completely believe that. This scales from the bully at a school to the tyrannical dictator. It is never enough. If you take a willing evildoer and a person devoid of that desire and placed them each in isolated environments, the evildoer would self destruct first in every instance. Now the term evildoer can be confusing because it would seem that it's subjectively associating a typecast with a label that is universal, but it's not being used here in its usual general sense. It doesn't mean a sinner or imperfect person. It means an individual who chooses to destroy as a path of life or approaches situations and others with malintent. And malintent can be open malice or simply the absence of good intent, where it becomes its most insidious. In cases of the latter, these individuals may honestly not see the path they're on. But the fundamental question has to be asked in all situations, "Why am I really doing this?" We tend not to ask ourselves this enough in life. 

  When one is an evil-doer in this sense, they won't have any peace, only a slow self-destruction. And it leaves them in a state where in a desperate attempt to find daily balance, a new victim must be consumed. There is the constant need to attempt to hurl the negative feelings of their path at an object or person, like hurling water out of a sinking boat- for survival. But the fight for survival is within. They are incapable of just existing within themselves. This mirrors the celestial example earlier. If the universe were founded on that principle, or if it was a principle that was even equal in power, all things would either not exist, or exist differently altogether. It's difficult to imagine.

 But then something magical happens that proves the whole theory. Something at the end of the process, which sums all of this up. That negative energy that is needed to sustain it all, has to be met with its equivalent to recharge and continue to thrive. It'll seek it out in increasing desperation. But when it can't find it, it begins to die off. If you can imagine an atomic reaction or relationship, it's as this:

  An unstable molecule seeks to maintain an unstable state. It finds other energy that is equivalent in a molecule. If the molecule is stable, it will destabilize it, to create the native environment where it can say to itself on a chemical level, "I have to be unstable, as my surrounding is unstable." If the molecule it attaches to won't destabilize, it has to find another that will, over time, or risk stabilizing itself.

   In social relationships it goes back to a proverb we all know well as kids. Our mothers and teachers would tell us if you ignore the bully, he'll go away. It's very simply stated, but essentially it covers this principle. Without the return of energy, the bully has nothing to bounce off of to justify the perpetual existence of being a bully. Over time, he is forced to stabilize, if he can't create conflict.  How bad they are determined to exist in instability is the difference between whether they allow themselves to stabilize or choose not to exist. The latter requires some kind of detachment from human nature. It happens at various stages. Goading and prodding for reaction, to blaming and incriminating the child, to even slandering them in hopes of fueling the need and justification to be the bully by enticing some return of energy. Notice that the serpent had to dress up the rebellion in Eden to look Just, before selling it to Eve. This is because wickedness is never naturally palatable, even to the wicked.

   Some people take pathetic and mundane disdain and politics, and hold them up like a chalice of eternal power, when in reality it is the most useless way you can possibly exist in the infinitesimal moment you possess. 

  But to get back to the initial subject, these are the things that actually build my faith and resolve. In school, I always had to see the practical application of a principle to appreciate it, and that's what the universe does. As I see prophecy outline and show complete accuracy, it builds on my confidence that the rest of it will play out in time. It also gives me perspective on how small the petty mundane world is in reality as well. All things today are just a blink in time.

End of a Long Road

 

    

           Yes, this is NOT the album cover. 😄But it is an alternate cover that almost made the project coming out on 5/18/22. I'll let you see the cover when it releases. This album is titled, "READ ABOVE." Seriously, this is probably literally the last project I will do, at least as a solo artist. And it is not due to the same reasons I always retire. This is a composite of several very big factors, including time, resources, and accomplishments.

  I thought I would complete my last project as its own venture, and while this is definitely its own animal as a record, it is the 4th and final part of "The People vs. J. Addae" album series. THE PEOPLE VS. J. ADDAE- NEW YORK TIMES. This one was a return home to New York, and I wanted to include everything I could in one project. I was originally taking a lazy approach to the record as far as I'm concerned now. I was going to do about 7 or 8 tracks, with some avante garde work and a couple of vamps and be done. It was more so piggy backing off of the third album in the series, "This Man is an Island." I was also in part, running out of ideas. Then I got a boost of help. Thanks, and shout out to Zach, my bassist, who came together on this one and offered some bass and flute work on the project. We both added some flute actually, and after it's released, I'll do a deeper dive into the creative process and themes behind each track.

  The record has more ballads than I've ever put on a single record- 4. Also, it has more piano performances than ever - 3 of them. There is some scatting on here as well, which I don't do often. I opened up some new drum kits to expand the sound palette, and did  more free drum loops, and full drum tracks, which was very difficult for me. There is one or 2 songs on here with Dave Brubeck-like, odd time signatures. I love doing those kind of tunes, and usually I did them more on some of my earler jazz records. Of the 3 Avante Garde pieces, 2 of them harken back to Standing Still Symphony X, and Native Son, and have a dark, powerful and compelling presence. I'm really proud of those pieces, because they are the hardest to make, but also the heart of this record. The last several albums of my career have been about showcasing the freedom and ultimate power of experimental music or the Avante Garde. I started with SSSX, and continued from there. This album wouldn't have happened without that drive, and you'll feel how the energy of those tracks takes the album back over when they play. It goes from the to easy-to-follow flow of more conventional tracks, to the fluctuating, yet methodical explosions that force you to give in. The album starts with the Western tune, and goes right into the first Avante Garde Piece. The second one follows right after, and the last one is after the mid-point. I was concerned about the continuity of the album, but in the end it reads like a soundtrack.

  Towards the end of the project, I really thought it appropriate to include tracks that were dedicated to my parents and my siblings, since it is a homecoming album, and I haven't really done any tracks like that before. The album closes with those records. And I wanted to do a Western track, which has eluded me, and I open the album with this one, which I think you'll like a lot. The record is full of a huge amount of compositions and soundtrack-like motifs. I was surprised how many songs are memorable to the point of singing and humming them throughout the day. In fact, I think this album is more like that than any other that I've done, and that was very unexpected. What I didn't quite get nailed down, was a Full Fledged Flamenco song. Flamenco is such a hard musical form for me right now. I understand how to maneuver in the chords, but I just have such a hard time capturing the rhythm and feel. That was the one disappointment on this album. The song that was to be a Flamenco, ended up being a slow, dreamy waltz, that doubles as a ballad. It is somewhat the star tune of the record, and Zach helped big time with my arrangement.

  What a shock it was to find that the album barely fits on a single disc. What was once going to be a borderline EP, is now a 70 minute album. I haven't done a physical release since "Laws Within" as it is a very expensive project. I like to have physical pieces of each of my records, but as of now there are 5 of my albums, including this one, that have no physical release. Releasing the album period is expensive. To physically press it is even more ridiculous. Perhaps if I get more royalty money, I will use it to press a Vinyl, which is what I did with "Love Fist." For that, I ask you please keep listening relentlessly to my collection on whatever platform you prefer.

  This has been a very rewarding process, and some of you have watched from a distance, but never really got an understanding of what goes into it. Sometimes you see documentaries of Nas or DMX, and how they go through the study process to make their records. What musicians like myself go through is even crazier, because we are composers, arrangers, performers, writers, and master/mixers. We wear many hats, and compose on a more intricate level as well. I've done what musicians do, with the added fact that I'm an orator, and produce poems, spoken word, and rhyme. It is a wild ride.

  When this is done, I will do a video walkthrough of the process. Hopefully, this project can get reviewed, but regardless, it has grown on me, and it will grow on you as well. Look out for it on 5/18/22.

Certificate of Nothing

 

  There appears to be a conundrum when it comes to skillsets and certification base in this country in particular. There are worldwide, so many licenses that are accredited nationally, technical certifications specific to disciplines, and overarching degrees, sitting at the top of the heap, which encompass a broad and high level didactic of a major branch of study. Time and sense have proven that having certifications in specific disciplines is the optimal environment for productivity. We've seen over the last few decades, countless employers in the medical field, and technology field, immensely regret not having certified and trained professionals in high pressure or even legal situations. Having a pig-skin holder filling a position, is one of the stupidest approaches. It's cost money and more.

  I started working in partnership with a major vendor/company that requires extensive and specific certification to service their equipment, which makes total sense. In total, I have to achieve about 3, each one having a full-blown curriculum. As I looked over the material, I recalled a discussion I had with someone in my IT department a while back. He told me that if I'm looking to pursue a position in the department, I should make sure I go back to school and achieve at least my associate degree in Computer Science. I let him know that I have several colleagues that had tenure in the field with no degree and had thriving careers. He continued to say that as things stand today, you will likely not even be considered unless they see evidence of some kind of pig-skin. and they don't care what it's in. They just need to see that you pledged to the country on some kind of university level before you are initiated.

  It really makes me wonder about what the certifications really mean, when you have the university clause acting as a gatekeeper to keep non-degree holders out. At this point, I have certifications in SQL, AWS, A+, and other minor courses. Even seasoned IT personnel who have degrees will tell you in honesty, that the certifications are harder and more telling of actually applicable knowledge. It is far easier to go to a university and sit through a base-level entry computer science course, and grab an Associate's Degree, than it is to learn, sit and pass a specified Certification exam in a work-based field, covering extensive and specific information. The only other difference is that the degree will take up time and money you don't have. When analyzing profit and risk, it makes no logical sense for an employer to take on an employee with no applicable knowledge,  who will demand more with their degree, unless they were told or mandated to do so, which is something I'm beginning to believe is happening. Many of  these employers would rather leave a position vacant than hire a certified person without a degree. And it makes sense to assume they are being threatened to do so, because principally it offers zero benefit and greater risk and cost to them.

  I remember in Radiology school, when medical facilities would actually look down on college based programs because they offered minimal practical training opposed to hospital based ones like the one I attended. Some courses and clinicals weren't even available. You pile on several prerequisites and fringe material from the actual course. What the heck is Psyche 101 going to do for operating medical imaging equipment or computers?

   I really wonder about certifications. And it isn't because I think they're inherently wrong. Quite the opposite. I feel they don't have nearly the weight they should. Perhaps if universities sponsored and supported them more, there could be more integration between the two. Every Cert I ever took was challenging and comprehensive. It would be good for that to mean something in the work field.

New Art Piece

 This is entitled, "Held From."

It symbolizes much of my world.

White Lust, and Black Fear

 

   Unfortunately, Virtually Everybody is Racist.

 HERE IS A PROJECT:

    Look at the above picture. Take a minute for real. Be honest with yourself. What do you see? What did you look at to determine that? Why?

    I've broached this topic on numerous occasions, and just like many  before it, it comes to roost over time, and I go from insane to making complete sense years later. Joe Rogan is the latest target in a social situation on "race". The issue is that the list ends when it shouldn't. Prior, we had Hulk Hogan, and Roseanne. Numerous celebrities have come under fire. What I want to discuss here is the fact that Teddy Atlas said something by accident that was deeper than anything I've heard from people in recent history. He said on his podcast, "Race has been a blight on humanity." He meant to say racism, but his mistake was actually far more correct.

  Remember a few years ago, there was a woman named Rachel Dolezal, who worked with the NAACP, and came under fire for posing/passing as "black". She was removed from her position or resigned, which I can't remember. The entire community was outraged, and she was basically labeled as either a racist, or race baitor, or at times racially insensitive. She made a comment to the effect of "Humans made race." Those weren't her exact words, but she drove home a similar point that Teddy did, and was further roasted for it afterward. The fact is that humans did create the concept of racial separations at some point in history, and washed away the truth of a single common ancestor.

   Today even in 2022, with how progressive everyone likes to think they are, virtually everyone does the same paper bag test that was done in the early 19th and 20th century. The deception is the fact that we assume only a few seedy people in society do it, when that is far from the truth. I was watching a drama series the other day, along with other programs, and when I paid attention, I noticed how in media, whenever a character falls to the black side of the paper bag spectrum, they assume the general hard label of a black- either male or female. When they fall anywhere over the other side of the spectrum, the label becomes regionally based on country or part of country. Also, at that point, many races begin to vacillate between a middle, and being absorbed into "white". I find it interesting, because it isn't just in cinema. It is in everyday life. When you see someone, if you are honest with yourself, you pass a silent algorithm over them that includes culture, visible skin color classification, and status in society, that makes you decide on their classification falling into one of two categories. If they are of low status, the paper back constraints tighten, and if they fall to far to the dark side of the spectrum, they are cast down with the "blacks." If they are of social status, the paper bag algorithm expands, and unless far to the "black" side, they are up for consideration of being classified more specifically according to region, and are granted access to the "white" side, with any caucasian affiliations accentuated. Not to say there isn't a very small minority- pardon the pun, that aren't prisoner to this mindset, as I have met some. It isn't common. I personally do not fall into this thinking because I've educated myself not only on race, but on humanity's genetic roots.

  One of the comments that Joe Rogan made was that it is physically inaccurate to call anyone "black" or "white" for that matter because it's scientifically inaccurate. That's true point, but it underscores the fact that this paper bag test that everybody does, doesn't give nearly the information you all tell yourselves it does. When it comes to racial education or genetics, most are scared to even dare dive into the subject, but it's actually very interesting. I've brought this out before, but one thing I notice is that there is a great deal of white lust and black fear. I never really noticed until recent times how much fear plays a part. Of course you have stereotypes in so many cases, but there is a heavy marginalization that takes place the minute the moniker of "black" is introduced. It's a sea of mystery, where every extreme nightmare is realized. And with that comes avoidance. When the moment of sympathy calls for it, so many cultures get in touch with their blackness and how oppressed they are. When the novelty has passed, a mad dash is made back to "whiteness."

  There was a study on some Indonesian cultures and other cultures from Pacific Islanders and even other regions of the earth, where they found out that those people shared African Ancestry with Africans as far back as they were able to go. They were puzzled because of their intrenched preconceptions. This fact was true before they discovered it. I could take 35 years to accept that the sky is above me. It doesn't become so at that point, even if I'm 9 billion people.

  The thing is that I'm not trying to argue everything coming from one race or another. The argument is that the concept is imaginary period. We all have this imagery of the progressive world moving about and making great strides in all fields, and that imagery is tied to "white." Outside of that, in a little crevice of the African Continent, what composes the "black" race, were merely percolating in place and having no real part in history. Then some who are more conscious of the truth, take it to an extreme of complete "blackness." In those times, there were no separations made, splitting a black and white line down the middle, and fighting to pull recruits over to a side. That is a new-world, idiotic, yet "progressive" concept. In truth, it is accurate to say that the assumption that the individuals that took part in activities in what is the mediterranean region today, which is where much of early history took place, were all or mostly of fair skin, is completely false and scientifically impossible due to the natural climate, region and the historical evidence which is still present today. But that's not make an argument to a particular side. The fact is that the entire concept of race has only served to be a weapon.

   Personally, I never knew how racially stupid people in general were until recently. Being racially ignorant is just as dangerous as being racist. And the point is you should be non-racial, bottom line. Even drawing from personal experience, I've gotten amusement out of watching the wild assumptions that people draw about me when they run their silent algorithm. It's to the point where I don't elaborate on myself, because it's clear that even in explaining, their understanding is so poor, it wouldn't move one bit. That's why it's a topic I don't even discuss with people. In the end, before finding the next Joe Rogan, find the current YOU, and change it.

The Escapism of Games

 

ESCAPISM

  A Youtuber that I follow recently did a video talking about his loss of a need to play RPG's at this point in life. He's in his mid 40's, and I understood a lot of what he said. He said that in his childhood, it was a form of escapism, which I can relate too. He also touched on things I also experienced, with even in adulthood, RPG's helping through extremely trying times in personal life. I do believe that there are several factors to the decline in the compulsion to play the genre. And the truth is that they all equally contribute. The era we are in, the time factor as we mature, the evolution of gaming, and the interrelation of escapism all play a role.

    When I was a teenager and even prior to that, I formed a love for RPG's as my favorite genre. I remember collecting the early Final Fantasy games as a child and while loving the story, I didn't use it for escape. Even as a teenager, I still didn't use them to fulfill that purpose, but more as a challenge. I enjoyed getting through Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Super Mario RPG as well as many other great RPG's of the mid 90's. It was moreso in my early 20's that I found that new fulfillment for them. I had a few trying periods where more major issues developed in life, and RPG's of the mid 2000's and into the XBOX 360 era were very pivotal in getting me through extremely tough times. It's the days of games like Lost Odyssey, that I was grateful for very quality and immersive projects at that time that both required a great deal of attention, and had a great deal of detail as well. This made it easy to fall in.

  The Nintendo Switch was a completely needed console, in my opinion, for working adults who want to game. Before it came out, a cinematic experience with a deep and memorable game was pretty much extinct for me, as I am rarely in front of my office TV to sit for gaming sessions anymore. However, there are times when are in commute, or idling at a quiet location, even at work, and that's when the system shines. The PS Vita did a good job, but the Switch is receiving more support and high-end games. It isn't that we outgrow escapism. What happens is that most have to give up on it due to being overwhelmed by life. The thought of sitting down for an 80 hour RPG like Legend of Dragoon is daunting to me today, not because I've lost interest, but because if I have to be in a fixed location, I know that it isn't going to happen. Right now, I'm playing a very involved RPG on Switch, called Astral Chain. The fact that I can take it with me, and put on a headset while on a plane ride or sitting in an office at work, makes it very awesome.

   So I don't agree with his stance exactly. Escapism is still there as long as you don't develop a closed mind, which happens so easily today. There are plenty of kids I know who have no imagination or passion at all. It's become cool to be that way. But popularity doesn't decide value. It is also great that there are plenty of developers out there still making some games worthy of delving into. Thanks to the Switch, I can find time to play.

Industry of Crooks- Destroying Artist Revenue

 CROOKS:

THIS WAS PROPHECIED IN BOOK ONE OF MAGNUM OPUS: THOSE SILENT

  This is a topic that other artists have brought up, but I have to say, it is one that needs to have a huge issue raised. I'm going to include an image here that I want you to look at:

  This is a revenue statement for my total artist sales, streaming and purchase, over the last few months. Somehow, publishing companies have, with all the advertisement funds they collect, scaled down what they pay the artist to actual microscopic fractions of a penny for each digital and physical transaction. How this is legal is beyond me, but this is a very top-heavy structure. It is disgusting, because I believe they have lowered the pay-rate exponentially in the past year. When I first began being published by CD-Baby, I was able to see royalty revenue over the course of a year range between $50 to $350. As of the past year, I have yet to receive a royalty payment, and currently have accrued only $24 over the last year and a half. And it is because of the scale you see hear. Some transactions are literally $0.00001. That is criminal and should not even be allowed by law.

  Think of all the cost that goes into producing an album. From equipment, to mastering, publishing, advertising and showcasing. Much of these costs actually get absorbed into the pockets of these same publishing companies and distributors, who have their back door deals that they keep secret. Every time you pay a membership to a company such as Spotify or Amazon, you are one of millions creating a revenue stream that dwarfs its cost of maintenance. The executives at the top and employees that sit twiddling their thumbs are able to receive salaries that are substantial, while the companies' stocks grow. And as an artist, you are not even a slight shareholder of any of this. We pay flat fees in order to have a publisher release our albums to the distributors and they split the pot. It would take near a decade of consistent distribution for me to see a return on my end, while well within that time, everyone else eats off of advertisement and my net sales.

  What needs to happen is a class action lawsuit. I've heard big name artists complain about this arrangement, and now I truly understand why. It isn't that I'm not getting sufficient streams. It's quite the contrary. I came to find that I have been getting a healthy amount of overseas sales and American sales. What I've seen done in the land of algorithms is blatantly illegal. If you look at the profile pages on a typical spotify page, they are structured to display numbers only when you surpass 1000 hits on a record. I tracked my movement on my artist account, and I found that they have suppressed my count completely and none of my tracks give a count, even though they surpass that number. In fact, that data only shows when I look at the raw data in the books. They do this in order to surpress my exposure and views. It's the same way they tailor Youtube. If you look for an artist such as myself, who hasn't played the "game", you'll actually find it is impossible to access things traditionally on search engines. They make it so that only direct links will work so that you can't grow your own revenue, while you keep producing just enough for them to rape you. 

  When I'm able, I'm going to launch an all-out attack on the industry, and I aim to do some damage.

A Black Image- HBCU's in America

 HBCU's in AMERICA

I watched Charlamagne Tha God's podcast earlier today, and I saw him whipping around the same agenda he has for the past couple of years. He may be a clout chaser in actuality, but one thing his is, is consistent. Some would call him avidly pro-black. However, nothing against him, the reason he would receive that label is what is disturbing. Blacks have a severe and systemic issue that is more mental than physical. And one great example is the HBCU situation.

 

 I'm not a political individual, as I've always stated, but I am a realist. Over the entire election period, I heard numerous cries from the black community that Charlamagne voiced on his radio show. With all of the issues that are existing in several communities across the country and for years, prior to the very latest police brutality and murder cases, especially George Floyd's, there was petitioning for reparations for slavery to be on the table, and legalization of marijuana. Those were the main voter issues according to Charlamagne at that time. It wasn't until the high-profile cases that erupted, where blacks saw other nationalities coming to the defense of the innocent, that the cry began to include those issues being fixed.

  This world and country are very focused on entitlement. And it isn't one that is earned. Everyone wants to be great without having to do anything great. You can't vicariously attach yourself to a progressive cause and identify with it by osmosis either. This generation has to learn to stand on their own feet. Have original ideas. There is far too much passive emotion, where people act outraged and go over the top to overcompensate for feelings they don't have or understand. Everyone wants to be on autopilot and follow a script or rhetoric on how they should process and receive anything.

  Why isn't there a push for free, quality education period? Not just education for demographics that is still out of the reach of a large portion. I've never benefited from these pushes. I have, however, gained a lot of knowledge. I would like to see a revolution where that can mean something. I mentioned to colleagues some time ago that there should be assessment examinations or series that you could apply your knowledge to and obtain respected degrees. Even if they charge a small fee for them, they would be worth it. You could still have universities, but this would be for those like me that obtained skills and credentials over a wide range of outlets. I appreciate how much you can learn from things like Udemy, Coursera, and even Youtube. But if you have practical knowledge in that discipline, you shouldn't have to double back to a college and pay $100,000 to legitimize it.

 The problem is that it is a scam from the ground up. Universities and the government have disgusting agreements, where you don't receive clearance for certain fields unless you show evidence that you paid the passing fee of a tuition. Once they know you are in debt for that in some way, and have the degree, only then can those doors open. And they don't care about knowledge. In my field, they have changed requirements so that you must show a bachelors in any field you want and you can sit for the license. They don't care if it is in bank robbing. They just want to see that you paid the passing fee.

  I've taken enough extra courses, and embarked on enough self-learning to fill at least a Master's Degree. But I can't even take my IT certifications to University of Texas, who sponsored my program, to finish a degree in an affordable way. Simple because, they can't risk me getting even a bachelors, if they know I wasn't gouged for it. Tell the HBCU's to fix that.

New Album- Maybe the Last- The People vs. J. Addae vol. 3

 

 To be released at the beginning of the year, somehow, I completed a somewhat complex project that I thought would be shelved for at least another year. There has been a great deal of stress lately, and while I thought that it would be a distraction, it was actually a catalyst. I had contemplated another novel, but then I realized I was long overdue to release a poetry collection. I had a few poems that I wrote over the last year, 1 that I meant to release with my first collection back in 2007, and several that were in my last couple of novels. The one from the 2007 collection was actually written in about 2005, and was entered into a collective compilation with other poets. Somehow, it  got lost, and the site went down. I literally had to remember the poem about 2 years ago, which took me a couple of weeks to do. So I started working on the collection. It will be released in the next few months hopefully.

  I had a concept for a 3rd People vs. J. Addae album, and I already had the title in mind, but I was thinking of doing a novel with it, as I want to make it a huge overall project. However, what deterred me from that is the fact that the story arc of the series is not cohesive or continuous. The first record is about my character standing on trial and falsely accused, while the second album and novel is about the inner laws that control claustrophobia and other social disorders that go unnoticed. There is not continuity there, so it made no sense to attempt bridging the story. This third record is about the title character of the 3 albums being on a far away island, contemplating time and saying farewell to everyone.

  The title is "This Man is an Island." It will be out January 1st.  The album cover is here.

The Walled in Yet Open World- Skyrim Review

 

 Okay, I admit, I took a very long time to getting around to completing the famous game known as Skyrim. Released in 2011 by my buddies at Bethesda, it is the fifth major entry in the new Elder Scrolls series. I played Morrowind, the first game, back in 2004 on Xbox. I heard about it and saw a review on Adult Swim while watching cartoons at night, and it looked interesting with how realistic the world was. In Morrowind, you could make your own spells, choose your own occupation, get any house to live in that you could find, and go anywhere in the huge world. 

   I completed the extra content when I finished the long journey, and it was satisfying to get very powerful during the course of the game. I remember developing a levitation power that I used to fly over mountains towards the end of the game. And there were so many ways to go about things. You could levitate, or you could develop a spell that let you leap like the Hulk with a slow-fall attribute that allowed you to land safely, almost like flying. It was endless what you could do.

 After that game, Oblivion was the next entry, and they began railing things in. You could still create spells, but you had to join a college of a particular school to unlock that ability. The combat was good in that game and it was an enjoyable experience. I heard great things about Skyrim, and I had completed Oblivion just around the time it came out. I had a copy some time ago, but sold it. I then purchased it again on the Nintendo Switch, eager to see what it had to offer. I was please in some areas, but had some issues.

  They once again railed in you ability to be free in this game. Right from the beginning, I have to say I was disgusted with the eradication of  certain spells. The main one missing is any form of levitation spell. the game has no spells that allow you to traverse the mountainous terrain at all. And it has plenty of hard to travel terrain. In fact, a long-time issue with this series is that you will have a hard time finding a location on the map. You follow directions, and wind up staring at a wall of a mountain having to spend potential hours getting around it. Sometimes there is no clear way to get up the mountain until you find some super hidden door. Even a leaping spell would have been welcome, but they took great care to eliminate any spells that allowed increased mobility which is ridiculous. Then many of the spells you learn are useless, such as the Dragonborn spells. 

 To backtrack, you start this game as a prisoner, not very different from other games in the series. You are summoned by Jarl leaders of the local villages for being believed to be a Dragonborn descendent of dragons. You are used for your ability to slay the powerful creatures. You begin working for some of the village leaders and there is far less freelancing in this game than others. I found that combat, which was as usual, stiff, forced me to rely on summons. I've never used summons in any other Elder Scrolls game, yet in this one, you absolutely must. In fact, it will be almost all you do, because fighting options are so stifled otherwise. You take damage heavily, there is supreme end lag on all movements, and your recovery state is slow, facing often dozens of enemies at once. 

    I must say the dialogue and story archs were interesting, from the different factions that hired you, to the greybeards, and even some common side quests. There were many powerful moments to be found in the game with gripping scenes and plots, including missions that had no bearings on the overall plot. It kept you engaged, and I spent quite a few hours doing just those. There were Dragon missions where I befriended the dragons and helped them with tasks. Missions going into Dwemer ruins to retrieve artifacts were always tense, because the Dwemer were an ancient civilization with advanced mechanical weaponry, and their science was being exploited by the Falmar. The ruins would alway be enormous, and the missions would take hours with many puzzles along the way. It was rewarding, but you would always run out of supplies while stuck in the middle of those journeys with no way to turn back, and an unusual boss at the end.

  Some of the boss battles, mainly the ones near the end were enjoyable, and perhaps done better than other games in the series, but I would have appreciated more variety and options. There is an alchemy system in the game that never made sense to me. No matter how I experimented with chemicals and plants, I never went beyond the same 2 useless elixirs. I did get pretty strong at the end of the game, and some of the shouts you learn as part of the Dragonborn powers were cool. I wish spells were more effective, and that the spell creation system was kept as it was. I did enjoy finishing the story, but the world is not the hugest and there is not as much content as they say. It will be a while before I play it again. It's a good looking game, with not much incentive to explore. A walled in score of 8/10

New Jokatech Art Gallery Presentation

 

I've been working on methods of presenting my artwork and music in an interactive collection, and I have put together a couple of galleries that I think you will all love. It amazes me to see so many pieces over my career, because I think back to my hesitance to start painting regularly. But here they are.

https://www.artsteps.com/view/6106e7dc4b8cb7f4798ba249/?currentUser&fbclid=IwAR2vjZK7vEGk16_np5FQ6H5juFJyPAq6SoNq_YVZLUn22UToNSFq_8JCkWY

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r9yKv-Ckbr--gFkkUA0EIeSeYVI1x9iGCJEoq5zbwdQ/edit?usp=sharing

Ban it to Mars- Red Faction: Guerilla ReMarstered- Review

   

      This is the first review I have had to write like this in my life. As you know, I play very involved, and tough games, that require you to dig and to explore. This comes with its frustrations, but in the end there is a method to the madness. Then there are games that miss the mark, and just aren't meaningful enough. There is usually some kind of categorization that can be given to a game. However, Red Faction for the Nintendo Switch is in a category by itself for many reasons.

    I won't drag this review out, as it isn't necessary. I first heard about Red Faction years ago as a Playstation game, in passing, by a old-school gamer who frequented the store I went to in high school. It was a 3rd person shooter clone, with a story about a miner who is a member of a group of rebels of some sort. This latest installment takes place on Mars, after Earth has cultivated the planet, and a tyrannical group enslaves mankind known as the EDF- Earth Defense Force. Oddly, this is a name given to the heroes of earth's explorers in other games. The little I heard about this game to this day, are rave reviews about how well done this game is. I purchased it based off of that, and I have lost even more faith is the good sense of people.

 Every review is either 4.5 or 5 stars for this game. As it begins, you are put through an introduction movie picking up the continuing story of Mason, who lost his love interest in the previous game, and now lives as a miner on Mars. Rebels want him to join their faction, knowing his track record. He is reluctant, but gets pulled into the action. It plays out in a sandbox world, where you can go to open missions throughout the planet. This is the end of the intrigue. The game's mechanics, and premise are the most broken and idiotic I have ever seen in a video game in my life. This game is absolute trash, but not only that. It is completely broken and unplayable. The only way I can reconcile how it made it to market, is based on the name that the game has, which is extremely disturbing. It absolutely doesn't work. It crashes, and fails even when it doesn't literally crash.

  You are able to drive a number of land vehicles in the game and purchase upgrades for a small selection of weak weapons. The collision detection is insane. Mars is made up of red sand, and it reacts to every vehicle like jagged and dense metallic stone. These are not large rocks or walls. You will drive over literall flat sand or rolling hills, and the game reacts as if you slammed into a magnetic Iron wall randomly. Often you won't even see the obstruction at all, as if the undercarriage of your vehicle  dug into the ground itself. As for combat, you have a mining hammer and long distance weapons. The aiming reticle moves erratically and will float when trying to aim. This, along with the enemy's enormous durability, makes taking out one enemy such a task that it's laughable that you face dozens. When in combat, you never really see where troops come from, as they spawn from mid air at all sides. Their suppression fire spawns from random places as well, and you have extremely low health in this game. After being sieged upon, you will be dead or near death by the time you get your bearings.

  As I stated, the game is a sandbox, so you are up to guessing what the most viable option for you is. The landscape is divided into towns, with the influence meter showing how much is controlled by the rebel EDF forces, or your heroic faction rebels. You gain prominence by destroying EDF bases and facilities. Then, randomly, a story mission will appear at some points in the world, often surrounded by EDF forces. I did my best to increase my firepower and upgrades, but found that I never amounted to more than a small and weak character running alone in a huge world, severely outnumbered. Whenever I took on missions, it was like trying to trick the game into allowing a mission completion. Even if yo strategically weave through the EDF forces, the more success you have, the more forces pour in, until they annihilate you. So you end up having to scramble to clear the objective before the game over screen, so they autosave can act as a cheat code. This only got worse.

 As I soldiered on through the missions, the number of troops increased, and the effectiveness of my weapons such as rocket launchers and remote mines decreased. Many times, in missions where I was trying to get away, or race to a check point, my vehicle would drift and get stuck in the ground. Even on several occasions, the game crashed when this happened. There was a mission that led you to a bridge that you were supposed to destroy in one mission. As I got there, I was attacked by EDF from a distance. I had to hurl my car off the bridge to avoid getting exploded. I tried the mission several time, using remote mines to detonate the bridge, and guess what happened- nothing. The bombs bounce off of the bridge and do no damage at all, and the game gives no clue at all, as to what can damage it. Even running large vehicles into it did nothing at all.

 I scrambled to find some sense to this game, and completed one more crucial mission, before the game became completely unplayable. I was trying to complete a rescue mission after the bridge takedown failed, and simply had to go find the 3 hostages and bring them back to the base. As you approach the general area, I had no vehicle and was attacked by an enormous army including tanks and air strikes. Let me remind you, I am by myself, so my health gets stredded to nothing in less than 5 seconds, regardless of how I run and evade. Turing corners and ducking behind buildings is useless, as the shots rain down and up from every direction. It was overkill. And there is no steady way to even get a vehicle to aid you in this game. When you leave from a base, there may be a spare vehicle in the garage. If you take it on a mission and get obliterated, it's gone. If you run out, you have nothing. There is a mission where I thought you unlocked a mech suit, but after completing the mission, it's gone. It's the only powerful weapon I saw in the game. 

  Somehow, I continued playing this game and tackling main missions, trying to liberate the sector of the planet I was in. I was able to save up enough money to purchase a much needed armor upgrade to at least last longer in fights. There is just horrible physics to the game overall and no sense of direction. To make the game challenging, they break the controls and have vehicles veer off the road randomly during driving segments, and aiming reticles jolt across the screen while trying to aim. What this game uses as a difficulty tactic is the old method that was sometimes used in Uncharted and Mass Effect. Basically, when you enter a fight on a rescue mission or otherwise, you get surrounded by infinitely spawning troops. If you try to move to a safe vantage point, enemies not only spawn behind you, and in great numbers, but bullets will be aimed from the heavens and come around corners, and from assailants you cannot see, to keep the damage steady, keeping you from recovering. This whittles down you health and keeps it there until you're eliminated. It is such a cheap tactic.

  The sound and visuals are pretty low quality for what the system is capable of and it seems like it was not even remotely remastered. I find it very alarming that the presentation was so well received. There are cheats to unlock that give open abilities, but they can't be played in the storyline. I feel it is the name that carries this project, and after completing it, I can't see myself wanting to go through it again. I am a fanatic of completing what I start, but this one should have been banned to Mars. All in all, I'd say its a 6.9/10.