Thursday, April 26, 2007

Lieutenant Sonya Blade

Mortal Kombat has been my favorite game since I was in VIIIth standard. I started playing with MK3, then I played ultimate MK, then MK Trilogy, then MK4 and finally a little MK5: Deadly Alliance.
All throughout the series of game, I loved Sonya, the most. Why? Nooooo!!!, not because she is hot or something. Come on, that's that the last thing on your mind, when you play a game.
The first time, when she caught my attention was as an opponent in novice level(Hey, don't laugh, I was just a beginner then).She finished me flawlessly, her powers left my eyes glued to screen. Her finishing move was Kiss-fatality, which was too kool.
The first edition of Sonya was pretty, she wore a green attire with white sneakers and she had pony like most Indian Women. She was prettiest of all MK character. Her movements were fast, clean and elegant. She has three special moves viz Scissor hold, bicycle kick and fly over the top. Having three special moves in MK 3 was big deal and along with special power of throwing energy rings Sonya looked invincible. Now, taking Sonya as a character had several advantages like you never let your opponent try any thing that is air-borne, she can catch anyone from huge distance through her scissor hold, although inverted bicycle was a difficult to use but it damaged opponent severely and leaves him vulnerable to next attack.
The real fun lied in fighting against Sonya. She was a Nightmare as an opponent. In MK3 and Ultimate MK, she was always one of the last fighters of the series.
Let's say on a Masters II tower and extremely difficult level, you are playing against Sonya who happens to be the last fighter just before Motaro, trust me, it is as good as your worst horrors coming to life. At that level, she does not even give you a chance to breathe, she is too fast, aggressive, excellent and outstanding.Somehow, at higher level she develops those killer instincts(Great Programming, thanks, MK3 developers!!!).

Sonya has been changed to a real hawt babe in MK4, but in MK5:deadly alliance she looks awful( I hate developesr of MK5). Anyway Sonya had newer moves in MK4 like twisting the head of opponent and her power was changed to release purple missile-like things. But in MK5, other fighters are much better than her, so I didn't kinda like Sonya of MK5, other than the fact that she was now much busty babe than her previous versions.
In Ultimate MK, her finishing moves included Brutality other than Fatality, they were good, but not kinda very good. For that matter, i preferred Noob Saibot and Jade, they finished in style, man! But since Sonya was too fast and her combo were already perfect, her Brutality does not appeared to be that impressive.May be like any other fighter, it was equally good, but I felt otherwise.
I have played many games and many characters, but no character has made such an impression. Not even Lara croft of Tomb Raider(My all time favorite game) is as comparable to Sonya.

Monday, April 23, 2007

kill for what?

This is not unusual, it happens and trust me I have seen all this. Narration is all work of fiction, but all events are discretely attached to real events.

Night 20:00 hrs in a typical village of Central India, hardly any lights are seen. Although, this village have electricity, but people finish their dinner by 19:30 and nobody leaves any light on, once they are on their beds. Ram Naresh Mawai was waiting in his farm for his father. While waiting he switched on his torch to see some one standing far away. By shadow, he made out that this is a some farmer guarding his farms. He knew his father will be coming from left side after crossing their granaries.
He started thinking about his kids and tomorrow, he will go to city for kid's admissions in school. His thoughts were broken with a sudden flash of light and then a thud of sound. It took him a wink to make out that, it could be nothing other than a bullet fired from a double barrel shot gun, he himself has fired the gun many times. He picked his torch and an axe and started moving towards the site. Across the paddy field some one was limping; as he went nearer he could clearly hear someone's groaning in pain. He started running towards that side to reach an old man, around 60 years of age. The beam from Ram Naresh's torch was on the face of this old man. It was Ram Naresh's Uncle Bharat Singh, who was village Sarpanch. Bharat Singh was shot on his right thigh by someone, his Dhoti was dripping with blood. Ram Naresh was taken aghast, not knowing what to do? His mind was filled with questions.But before he could think any further, Bharat Singh shouted "Naresh !", Ram Naresh immediately without giving a second thought, took Bharat Singh on his shoulder started running. He was running breathless, never ever in his life he felt running like this before. As soon as he reached his place, he started shouting "Uncle has been shot". All his cousins and brothers started gathering around to see what has happened. Fateh Singh eldest son of Bharat Singh ran to get a Jeep from their neighbors. Bharat Singh's son along with their wives left for a nearby village called Chandausee, where they have civil hospital. Before Bharat Singh left, he told Ram Naresh, he was shot near Chethi's Well.
Ram Naresh till now has recovered and started thinking in lines of vengeance. Last week, while deciding the case of Hariram and Jagdish Kansana, Bharat Singh decided the case in favor of Hariram. Kansanas and Mawais have ancestral animosity and Jagdish thought Bharat Singh has been biased and has taken revenge on them.
The Matter was of reputation of Kansana family and they did not let Hariram put his thatched hut behind their house. This area was used by Kansana for throwing wastes and as passage to their fields and hence Kansanas considered it to be a path or pagdandi(as called in local language). Making a hut on the path was considered as encroachment on their lands by Kansanas. But Hariram argued that area was unused and there was plenty of place to go around, besides Hariram was a poor farmer, so he cannot construct a house in main village. So panchayat considered Hariram's point as valid and awarded him the land.

Jagdish was furious over all this and he told Bharat Singh that "what he has done was not good and he has to pay the price for same". Jagdish's sons also had some heated discussion over the matter with Ram Naresh.

Ram Naresh was still thinking about what has happened at panchayat , a thought about the man he noticed in the field came to his mind. He was standing near the fields of Kansanas, Ram Naresh now had sudden feeling that Jagdish's sons have done something and he felt blood thirsty. He started running towards Chethi's well. This was too dark, he cannot see anyone or anything near the well. He then continued running till he reached Kansana's house. In such a small village news of firing spreads like forest fire.

As soon as Ram Naresh reached near Kansana's house, a bullet went passing by his ears. This was shear luck, the bullet went by him without harming him. This was Jagdish's second son. Ram Naresh had particularly good aim, he just threw axe toward him, Axe hit him right on chest. Breaking the entire rib cage, blood was bursting from it like a fountain. Ram Naresh without waiting for a minute took out the axe and hit him in head, which split into two pieces . Ram Naresh collected the gun and bullet-belt tied around his waist. Jagdish eldest son Parimal started screaming and cursing Ram Naresh and started running toward him with a sickle. Ram Naresh was ready for this and he fired bullet hitting him in shoulder. Ram Naresh was now ruthless, he took the axe and sliced Parimal's ears.
Ram Naresh knew now this is the time to run. So he started running back towards other village. Jagdish meanwhile along with his sons and nephews started chasing him, while trying to shoot him down. Ram Naresh was running to avoid being killed. By this time Ram Naresh's brothers and brother-in-law realized the situation. They took a jeep and loaded themselves with arms, they left for Jagdish's home, where villagers have gathered around. Some one told them Ram Naresh is running towards other village. They immediately left towards that side. Spotting Jagdish and his sons. Ram Naresh 's brother-in-law shot the first bullet on Jagdish, who luckily escaped the bullet and instead bullet hit his nephew in the groin leaving him dead.

So Kansanas started firing back towards Mawais leaving Ram Naresh alone. Jagdish's youngest son shot Ram Naresh's eldest brother right on chest. Till this time both parties reached each other within their physically vicinity and using sharp arms like spear, sickle, deggars, and axes eight people were slain to death. Jagdish escaped alive with his back being torn by sickle or daggere. Ram Naresh's brother and brother-in-law were killed along with Jagdish's son and nephews, only jeep driver survived, who was hiding behind the jeep.
Ram Naresh kept running for next three days. Bharat Singh recovered, but his sons were still in deep agony for Ram Naresh's brother and brother-in-law. Jagdish was still hiding from Bharat Singh's son.