Saturday, January 22, 2011

Darksiders

Darksiders, originally known with the subtitle Wrath of War, is an action adventure video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. T
he game takes its inspiration from the apocalypse, with the player taking the role of War. The game was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 5, 2010 in North America and January 8 in Europe.
The PC version was released on September 23, 2010 for North America and September 24 for Europe. A sequel is currently under development and expected to be released in 2013.
Darksiders is a single-player action adventure in which the player takes control of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In third-personperspective, the player engages in combat, puzzles and exploration.[5
] The world is divided into separate locations with many areas at first initially inaccessible until War regains many of his lost weapons and abilities. The center of the world, The Scalding Gallow, acts as a hub where War is given new objectives and paths to further unlock new areas. Each contains a series of linear and non-linear paths, many of which require large sections of platforming, climbing and swimming along environment-based puzzles that impair progress that require the use of newly-gained abilities. He fights mainly against angels and demons, and has a unique way to kill each particular type of enemy, usually tearing them apart painfully.
War, riding his steed, Ruin.
Although War is initially limited to the use of War's two-handed sword, Chaoseater, he will obtain other weapons through the course of gameplay. Also, each weapon has different combinations of attack that can be obtained throughout the game. Along with combos, players are also encouraged to use countering moves, blocks and swift dodging that help against different enemies. Projectile weapons such as a revolver and a boomerang-style throwing blade can also be used in both combat and puzzles. A number of objects littered throughout the environment can also be used as weapons and projectiles. At a later point in the game, War gains the ability to summon a fiery horse that provides faster movement and much more powerful attacks in open areas. Along with weapon-based attacks, War can use an array of magic-based attacks, known as Wrath, that are both offensive and defensive in nature, with the amount of Wrath available determined through a separate meter below the health bar. Another special attack is the ability to temporarily transform into War's Chaos Form: which makes him large and invulnerable and can cause heavy damage. This form is unlocked after sufficient progress in the game is made, and can be activated once War's Chaos meter is completely filled via combat with enemies.[6]

When enemies are close to defeat, War can perform an elaborate and violent finishing move at the press of the indicated button on screen, instantly killing the foe. Some of the larger foes can be briefly ridden and steered into other enemies before being finished off themselves. War eventually encounters large boss opponents that are both giant in size and deal heavy damage, and are themselves puzzle-based battles requiring certain methods and weapons to defeat, and in some cases quick time button events to dodge or deal attacks.
Upon defeat, different enemies expel souls that provide different benefits. There are three types of souls throughout the world of Darksiders: green souls that fill the health bar, yellow souls that fill the Wrath meter, and blue souls that are the game’s form of currency. These can be spent at "Vulgrim Locations" on things such as new combo attacks, wrath abilities, power-ups, and potions. There are also artifacts scattered throughout the world that can be exchanged for more blue souls, with bonuses for completing each set. Additionally, souls of each color can be obtained by opening chests found throughout the world. Other items that can be located include wrath core and lifestone fragments, whereupon collecting four, War's Wrath or Health, respectively, are permanently increased.
The player controls War, the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Along with the rest of the Horsemen, his sole duty is to be summoned to the Earth once the final battle begins. War is not aligned to either Heaven or Hell but instead serves to bring order by the rule of The Charred Council, whose purpose is to maintain the balance between the two forces. He maintains a strict code of honor and will battle any obstacle in his way.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Usut Gayus-Denny, SBY Perlu Tim Rahasia


 Saling tuding antara Gayus Tambunan dan Satgas Pemberantasan Mafia Hukum dinilai bisa menjatuhkan kredibilitas Presiden. Karenanya, Presiden Yudhoyono diimbau membentuk tim rahasia (silence team) yang melibatkan pihak intelijen untuk menguak kebenaran di balik perang kata-kata antara Gayus dan Satgas.

"Saya usulkan agar Presiden membentuk silence team untuk mengklarifikasi pengakuan Gayus dan Satgas. Gunakan intelijen untuk mendalami apa yang dilakukan Gayus dan Satgas," kata anggota Komisi Hukum DPR Nasir Jamil usai rapat internal Komisi III di Gedung DPR RI, Senayan, Jakarta.

Politisi PKS itu menyarankan jumlah anggota tim rahasia tidak perlu banyak, cukup dua sampai tiga orang saja. Bahkan menurutnya, pembentukan tim tersebut tidak perlu diketahui oleh publik. "Itulah yang harus dilakukan Presiden. Tidak hanya menunggu laporan tertulis Satgas," ujar Nasir.

Ia menilai, tidak akan efektif bila Presiden sekadar pasif menunggu laporan tertulis dari Satgas. Padahal, kata Nasir, pengakuan Gayus yang menggegerkan publik kemarin berpotensi menjatuhkan kredibilitas Presiden. Pasalnya, Satgas adalah bentukan Presiden.

"Apalagi arah Satgas sejak awal memang tidak jelas. Terlepas dari benar atau tidaknya pernyataan Gayus, Satgas memang berada di luar struktur sehingga potensi penyimpangannya cukup besar," tutur putra asal Aceh itu.

Nasir bahkan mengusulkan agar Satgas dibubarkan apabila ternyata lebih banyak membawa keburukan daripada manfaat. Hal ini senada dengan saran anggota Komisi III asal PDIP, Eva Kusuma Sundari, yang melihat kinerja Satgas tidak substantif seperti harapan publik.

"Saya tidak pernah melihat Satgas bekerja substansial untuk memberantas mafia hukum. Mereka malah lari ke isu-isu yang tidak penting seperti wig Gayus, paspor Gayus, Milana (istri Gayus)," keluh Eva. Semua itu menurutnya justru kontraproduktif terhadap upaya penegakan hukum yang sedang digalang Presiden.

"Kuncinya ada di Presiden, karena Satgas kan bentukan Presiden. Terserah Presiden, apakah Satgas akan dipertahankan atau dibubarkan," tutup Eva.
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