HALO II ROCKS!

At last! I have completed Halo 2.

To its credit, Halo 2 is a spectacular achievement. It combines the best of first person shooters with a talented cast of voices. The script itself is worthy of a film. The dialogue is never cheesy and the plot is captivating. Did I mention the score contains some of the best music out in 2004?

The game graphics are brilliant in clarity, especially in S-Video mode, and the game is smooth with minimal loading times. The plot revolves around a mysterious object floating in space, Halo, which has captivated the interest of an alien oligarchy. There are hierarchies of power within the alien world and the ruling elites are religious zealots who want to activate the Halo. They send many brave worriers to do so. The humans, on the other hand, have discovered the destructive potential of Halo and want to, as in the prequel, destroy it. To say the least, aliens and humans clash in spectacular battle sequences where the player utilizes all sorts of weapons and battle tanks. (Think Starship Troopers with heavier artillery, darker environments, and smarter aliens.)

Before the game possibilities are exhausted, the player is thrown a curve ball. The leader of the alien warrior clan is banished, and ends up venturing on his own under your guidance. The game ends in a cliffhanger that is intended to spawn at least one more sequel and with a truce between the humans and some of the cooler aliens.

This game is a must have for anyone who plays video games. It accomplishes what so many others have failed to do; overwhelm the player with emotion and grand adventure. And if you don’t have an X-Box by now, than you need to make the investment and buy one just to play this title and its prequel. I know I did.

Last Days In London

Ian McKellen is one of a kind. The panto, which he starred in, would have been thrice as bad had he not played the dame.

Pantos are classical British plays that resemble vaudeville (more in variety and grand showmanship than style) and generally contain at least one drag role; usually executed by a hideous drag queen. They are made for children and encourage much participation, hissing and cheering and even sing-alonging (That’s not a word!) The subject matter this time was that of Aladdin and Ian was fabulous in it.

Afterwards, we met Sir Ian McKellen in his dressing room. He was exhausted, but still managed to greet us with a smile and a handshake. Did I mention that he stared at me for 10 whole seconds before shaking my hand?

The night ended with a royal dinner in a private room at London’s oldest restaurant “Rules.” We were joined by some well known British actors. To say the least, we had an extraordinary 3 hour dinner.


King Edward VII Room

Next Morning was the 31 and we saw the only musical I was truly looking forward to seeing. -The Phantom of the Opera- Bad staging, great acting, and powerful music. Cannot wait to see Joel’s version.

We spent the New Year at one of our actor friend’s where the food was good and we played a game of “Guess the First Line of a Novel.” I almost won. (Placed 2nd out of 7)

On the first we had our last official engagement, the musical “Sweeny Todd.” It is a tale of a barber gone mad. He kills his clients and makes meat pies out of their corpses. It’s a famous Sondheim (Gypsy, Little Night Music, The Company) musical and is more attractive in plot than in song.

The last day of the trip, 2nd, was spent roaming the streets of London. We had plenty of time to visit The British Museum and The National Gallery. Both were extremely large, enjoyable, and packed with screeching younglings. One cannot expect any less from a museum that does not charge for entry.

Can you find me? 

My dear papa. Made of chocolate he is! 

My suite at the Chancery Court.