Home Sweet Home

"Home! Sweet Home!" (also known as "Home, Sweet Home") is a song that has remained well-known for over 150 years. Adapted from the 1823 opera "Clari, Maid of Milan", the song's melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne. Key phrases from the song have been a cultural staple for several generations. The opening lines of the song have become very famous, worldwide. There is also another version of this song, sung by the Motley Crew, but I like the traditional version more. It's true after all that "Old is Gold". If you want to hear the melody tune for the song, it is available at the end of the lyrics. Before you sing the song posted below, in the end, I must say "There (really) is no place like home". Adios Nagpur... See ya soon !!

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain;
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again!
The birds singing gayly, that come at my call --
Give me them -- and the peace of mind, dearer than all!
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

I gaze on the moon as I tread the drear wild,
And feel that my mother now thinks of her child,
As she looks on that moon from our own cottage door
Thro' the woodbine, whose fragrance shall cheer me no more.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

How sweet 'tis to sit 'neath a fond father's smile,
And the caress of a mother to soothe and beguile!
Let others delight mid new pleasures to roam,
But give me, oh, give me, the pleasures of home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet, home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

by John Howard Payne

Click here to download the tune for "Home Sweet Home"

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Crazy Engineers.com interviews Suyash Joshi

If you are an Engineer (by profession or by thought, inclination, aptitude etc) and still haven't heard of Crazy Engineers, you are surely missing something great. You can read more about the same from this earlier blog post of mine. Since I had nothing to post today, I felt like blowing my own trumpet for a while. (If you are thinking whats new in that, then maybe you are at loss... hehe) Anyways, instead of gloating over my likes and dislikes like I've done in my Orkut profile, I will only like you to kindly read my interview taken by CE which was a really good one. Hopefully, it covers almost everything you need to know more about me. It will be even great if you read the interview directly on the website, which will surely have you hooked on, since it is a vast resource of informative reading and knowledge storehouse!!

CEans, We all know CEan Suyash through his posts on CE Forums. CEan - Patty aka Prateek got in touch with Suyash and grilled him for "Know your CEan": Suyash, first of all, congratulations on completing your B.Tech. You have been an active member of CE for quite a time now. We would like to learn more about you for the benefit of the future generations of CE (and for the present too!) -

Q. What are your most memorable experiences in college?

Suyash: VNIT (Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology) has indeed been a great chapter in my life which has made me what I am today and I will continue to draw inspiration from the various events that occurred with me during the wonderful four years spent here. Amongst the most unforgettable experiences in college, I can list quite a few of them: hanging out with my friends, eleventh hour exam preparations and spending quality time to continuously upgrade my technological knowhow... and of course campus placements also have been an exciting phase in the final year !!

Q. Tell us something about your Engineering Trade i.e. Metallurgy and Material Science.
Suyash: Metallurgy and Materials Science Engineering (MME) has always bought me mixed feelings (mainly due to the highly theoretical approach in some courses and some of the really advanced modern applications of the others). Nanotechnology, which will definitely be at the core of the things to come in future, promises scientific breakthroughs never imagined before. Selection of Materials has never been so crucial before, given the stringent requirements based on modern applications. My final year engineering project too gave me a very critical insight into Materials Science and it will be really great if aspiring graduates turn up their sleeves for research and development in this field.

Q. How have you planned your future now that your graduation is over?

Suyash: Despite my engineering trade, I've always found myself fascinated with the world of Computers and programming in general (which can be associated to my penchant of playing games from a young age). As a result, after being placed in Oracle India Pvt. Ltd via the campus placements, I'll be looking forward to enhance the technical skills that I learnt during my engineering curriculum to the fullest extent. I've planned to complete an MBA program affiliated with Software Enterprise Management and then return back to IT industry. Ultimately, it would be dream come true if I could be a part of an organization which deals with high end gaming development for the PC platform!

Q. Tell us about your extra curricular activities in college.

Suyash: VNIT provided me a plethora of activities to indulge into and they have been a really great source of entertainment, learning centers as well as a pathway to let the academics heat out. I have been involved in managing and organizing of Aarohi - Cultural Festival (coordinator Quiz), Axis - Technical Festival (Manager - Lan Gaming Contest) as well as being part of the college Cricket team. Besides these, I am also involved in participation of quizzes, programming contests etc.

Q. When not studying, how does Suyash Joshi kill time?

Suyash: When I am not studying (which occupies the larger section of my 24 hours) I indulge myself with reading books ranging from fictional to biographical and other great works. I also heavily pass time by playing games on my PC, which I upgraded recently to give a performance boost. But Crysis still demands more juice out of my gaming rig L. Other than that recently I've developed a keen liking for solving puzzles (began during campus placements) and of course CE and other such great sites ensure that I never get bored. Watching movies and playing Cricket with friends ensures that not a single day of my life can be labeled as a boring one :)

Q. You ask(ed) people (your friends) to subscribe to your blog (Time of your life - Suyash Joshi). Why do you think people should read your blog & what makes you think that you are maverick - blogger?

Suyash: Ahem... I knew this one was coming [:D] . I think that in my blog I post articles based on absolutely anything, from my personal idiosyncrasies to diverse topics like sports, entertainment, computers and gaming, jokes and whacky ideas. Given the range of the crap that I post, I feel that my blog is an entertaining read for most of the people (my friends [:D] ) and hence the title "Maverick" - since I am someone who feels it's necessary to exhibit great independence in thoughts and actions. I ask(ed) people to subscribe to my blog via email so that they don't have to check my blog every now and then for a new post. Though, these days, services like Google reader serve the purpose very well, but still I feel email subscription is one of the best ways to keep your readership alive and kicking. Anyways, there is always an option of unsubscribing at a later date.

Okay here is a Rapid Question Round

Q. What do like the most about CE?

Suyash: CE - the conglomeration of crazy engineers from around the globe, gives me an opportunity to interact with some of the great brains of the world, to share ideas and actively participate in some really interesting chats about the latest path breaking technologies, scientific discussions and lets me have real fun, and most importantly, is one of the best platforms for an engineer to be himself.

Q. One thing you don't like about CE?

Suyash: Not much really. But it would be great if we can have a better participation from the elder generation of engineers (Since I feel that the majority of members on CE are youngsters like me or just about to be engineers). Having a record of the experience and wisdom of the tried and tested hands is always beneficial whenever you try to innovate or create something. But I'm sure, with the given track record, the average age of CEan's is definitely going soar real high in a matter of time.

Q. Name three CEans that you would like to meet in person

Suyash: Since I've already met Big K in my college, I feel it would be great if I get an opportunity to meet Kidakaka (hopefully in Hyderabad in the latter half of 2008), Maro (don't know when the trip to Egypt will materialize, at least in the near future) and Mahul (I'm still yet to complete the NFS MW Challenge Series dude, stuck on #61)

Q. Describe yourself in 1 word

Suyash: Maverick

Q. If not an Engineer then....

Suyash: I always wanted to be in the Indian Air Force, but certain unfortunate events made it sure that I became an engineer instead. In foresight, not a bad alternative career though.

Q. Your best achievement till date

Suyash: Campus Placement in Oracle India Pvt. Ltd.

Q. Your most embarrassing moment

Suyash: Scoring negative marks in Data Interpretation in one of the Mock CAT (Common Admission Test). That was a rare blunder though, which only happens when you give an exam in a sleepy state.

Q. One thing you would like to change about yourself

Suyash: It seems that the world wants me to be less impulsive in doing things the haphazard way, to think for a moment more before taking that last step, since I believe in the "never-fret-about-anything-ever" policy. Of course, I'm still trying to work on it.

Q. One thing you wish you would have invented or discovered

Suyash: It would be great, (and it's high time) if someone works with me to find a shielding material for the obstruction of disasters caused by nuclear radiations emitted by atomic bombs.

Q. Suyash is a Crazy Engineer because:

Suyash: There's no point in living life the ordinary way. And to obtain extra ordinary results, you have to be crazy enough to venture into that unexplored territory. Believe me, it's really a wonderful combo to be an engineer and be crazy to think about seemingly impossible ideas and to actually put them into action.

Patty: It was a pleasure talking to you and getting to know you better. Have a nice day and a great life ahead. And enjoy your vacations.
Suyash: Thanks for providing me space in "Know your CEan" section on CE. It's been a real pleasure to be a part of CE.

Do enter your comments and feedback (and doubts, if any, of course) by clicking here.

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Con Jargon

If you liked the article about the TV Series "Hustle" (to read it, click Here) and yourself enjoy the same, here's more food (?) for thought. Some of the people who have seen it complained that there are many "keywords" used in the grifter lingo, that they weren't able to comprehend. For eg: Do you know what "a mark" is? What would you do with a "cackle-bladder"? Don't be depressed, reader. The official BBC site has a solution which I will be shamelessly posting here, only for the benefit of the less privileged. Without any hurry, be ready to get the low-down on the world of the con and the jargon used in Hustle. Hope you enjoy the list and it adds to your vocabulary!!

# 'The mark' is the intended victim of the planned con.

# A 'short con' refers to taking 'the mark' for all the money he has on his person. It's an opportunist scam that isn't pre-planned to any great deal.

# A 'long con' or 'big con' refers to a more complex, planned con, whereby 'the mark' is sent to get more money or used to get more money than is just on his person.

# 'Putting him on the send' is another term for a 'long con' or 'big con'.

# The 'big con' is a form of theatre - "staged with minute naturalistic illusionism for an audience of one who is enlisted as part of the cast".

# 'A mark' is lured in by the conman by, in the first instance, by making money himself on one of their scams. Having gained 'the mark's' trust, the conmen 'sting' him for a load of money.

# There are two types of con settings, real life (ie. restaurants and hotel rooms) and 'The Big Store', where empty offices are rigged out to look like a real life setting.

# 'The Roper' is the 'Outsideman' - the man who identifies with 'the mark' (the victim) and gains their confidence.

# 'The Insideman' is the key player, the member of the con mob who stays near the 'big store' and receives 'the mark' (the victim) whom 'The Roper' brings.

# 'The Manager' manages the outfit and is often the bookmaker for the group.

# 'Extras' are unemployed conmen playing the role of extras in the con.

# 'Putting up the mark' refers to the process of locating a well-to-do victim.

# 'Playing the con for him' refers to gaining the victim's confidence.

# 'Roping the Mark' refers to steering him to meet the 'insideman' who will eventually fleece him.

# 'Giving him the convincer' refers to the process of allowing the victim to make a substantial profit on the first scam, thereby gaining his trust.

# 'Blowing him off' refers to the process of getting the victim out of the way as quickly as possible.

# 'Putting the fix' refers to forestalling action by the Law.

# 'Playing a man against the wall' refers to conning a man in a real setting, eg. a hotel room.

# 'Cackle-bladder' is a method of faking the death of one of the conmen. It involves filling a small receptacle with chicken blood which the conman conceals on his person for the fake gunshot.

# If 'the mark' 'beefs' then he's gone to the Police to grass up the conmen.

# 'The Fix' refers to the cooperation bought from the Police. A Fixer usually has political connections and is paid off by the conmen for fixing people in the banks, police, and the courts. Most con mobs can't exist without 'Fixers'.

It would be wrong on my part if I don't mention the actors who make up the best Grifter crew ever seen in the world at this juncture, since Hustle won't have come so far (not forgetting the writers, of course)...

• The Legendary "Mickey Bricks" a.k.a. Micheal Stone played by Adrian Lester - He is the Leader and the Inside Man.
• "Alby" a.k.a Albert Stroller played by Robert Vaughn - He is the Roper.
• Ash "three socks" Morgan played by Robert Glenister - He is the Fixer.
• "Stacie Monroe" played by Jaime Murray - She is the Lure.
• "Dannie Blue" played by Marc Warren - He is the Inside Man and the Floater.
• "Billy Bond" played by Ashley Walters - He is the Rookie.

If you have anything else to add to the list, feel free to do so. Click here to comment, add or to notify any correction with respect to the above data. And beware, don't ever be greedy and dishonest, you never know when somebody cons you !!

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Super Sunday

I came to Nagpur when I was about 6 years old or maybe just short of that. I can say that with total confidence because I had completed pre-primary education in Chandrapur till KG-I (that's kindergarten stage 1 (?) for those who missed it from their life) and I hadn't flunked even once before that. Anyways, the point behind all this crap is that now I'm 22 years old and that means I've spent more than 70% of my life span in the Orange City - Nagpur. It's only today, when there are just 5 days left for me to leave this beautiful city for another, that I have begun to appreciate my life here in my home city. As you all know (and damn you if you dont...hehe) I'll be leaving for Hyderabad soon to begin a new phase of my life. Must admit here, that this time which lies between post-engineering and pre-joining your workplace, is simply the best time of your life. And it was on 15th June, 2008 that I spent one of the coolest day ever with my family and friends, one which falls under that ideal day category and hence has been christened as "Super Sunday" by me...

Being an Engineer, generally I like to be technically correct. So this Super Sunday of mine begins at 12 noon. I wasn't asleep then, of course, but was busy surfing the net for some useful stuff (really, believe me), while simultaneously chatting up with night hawks like me on Google talk. Later on, just before sleeping I saw another great episode of a TV show called "Numb3rs" on my computer and then went to sleep when BSNL's free downloading zone (2 AM, IST) was initialized.

I woke up at 8 AM, to the loud voice of some irritating cartoon of "Shin Chan" being watched by my 16 year old brother... of course watching cartoons is not at all a bad thing, but I prefer the subtle ones like "Tom and Jerry" and "Batman" etc. After going through the newspapers (mainly the sports pages) I got a call from my cousin brother for playing Cricket with his friends!! Since I had been deprived of the fantastic sport from quite a few days, I decided to grab the opportunity hands on with no delay. But alas, I had to quickly devour a tasty break fast of hot and fresh "Idli Sambhar"... now delicious food and cricket always need to be adjusted delicately in balance, since neither of them can be compromised for the other. After a rather dismal performance on the field that day and saying Adios to fellow cricketers (since I won't be coming next weekend) I came back to home to find another surprise. My mother had prepared a great home made "Tomato Soup" for starters and "Palak Paneer" for the lunch and now did I realize why all the hustle and bustle that was going around during all the morning. On inquiring if I was missing something, my father told me that since it was the last Sunday that I was going to spend in Nagpur before leaving for Hyderabad, all of them wanted to make it a special sunday... and boy, the splendor of the day exceeded by leaps and bounds even beyond my own expectations !!

After eating to my heart's content, I settled down lazily in front of the TV to find my all time favorite movie "Swades" and decided to watch it again, if I am not wrong, for the eleventh time!! My father gave me company while shuffling between news papers, my mother took a deserving nap and my brother ran off to some friend's home to do something else. When the movie finished at 4 PM, I spent the next hour reading the book "The World is Flat" which I am trying to finish from the last two weeks. Not that it's bad, but it has many pages and a very small font...hehe... As if the special treatment so far was not enough, my mother offered me with another delicacy for evening snacks known as "Shankar Pale" (which by a definition given by my friend Kartik is - square shaped sweet flat cookies made out of wheat) which were gobbled up by everyone with tea/ coffee almost instantly.

Later on in the evening Pravin came to my home and we went to Chaitanya's place to see him off, since he would be going to Mumbai for his visa interview and we won't be meeting for quite a time. So we spent some quality time at his home (?) watching tv and discussing national and socio-political issues :) and culminated the meet with a hurried up gathering at a nearby food joint for one last "Kulfi" (flavoured frozen milk wrapped around a wooden stick) or cottage ice cream (this one from Ameya) and later we went home. That was because, my uncle and aunty wanted to treat me for the same reason which was responsible for most of the events on that day. And on top of that, I also got to take the family car for a long drive and the experience behind the wheel was a good one. The dinner was absolutely smashing which comprised of the conventional Suyash Joshi favorites - "Crispy Veg" as Starters along with, you guessed it right, "Cream of Tomato Soup" followed by the all time "Paneer Butter Masala" and "Aloo Mutter" along with a helping of "Steamed Rice" and "Dal Fry". What more does a man need, other than such feasts and a great happy family to chat up with !! The day began at 12 AM so when it ended, at midnight, at that moment I was busy enjoying the Matt Damon starrer and Oscar winner "Good Will Hunting" on my computer. Great movie indeed.

Later on that night, I really felt that it had really been a "Super Special Sunday" for me, as my father had remarked earlier. After all, who gets to have his cake and eat it too? If destiny permits, I would like to live my life this very same day - get up late, play cricket, eat tasty home made food, spend great time with friends and family and watch movies and read good books !! Alas, all this is going to change soon. I, suddenly, had this sinking feeling in my mind, that the world should go static, as in not in the literal sense, but everyone must remain of the same age as they are right now. No more growing up. That way, my loving parents never get old and I always get to spend this carefree life that I've taken for granted for so many years. But as Uncle Ben says, "With growing powers, come greater responsibilities" I must get ready to tackle this new phase of life with courage and common sense. However, life would have been good if I had got a job here at Nagpur only. Am I feeling homesick already?? None the less, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family and friends for this Super Sunday !! Simply loved it... :) I can assure you, there will be many more like these in future for sure.

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Hustle - The CON is ON !!

Previously on Time of your life : You read about Suyash's favorite game on PC i.e. the Need for Speed: Most Wanted. In this episode, err, in this blog post, you will read about my favorite TV show: Hustle. But a bit of flash back before I begin raving about Hustle. You can read about some other tv shows (American, mostly) which caught my eye while I was "busy" completing my engineering. But this one is different. First and foremost, its a British Series. And the next highlighting point is, its the only series which is a really good blend of brilliant direction, awesome acting powerhouses and unbelievable support from the background staff (writers, cinematographers etc). And its highly addictive for those who get a kick out of making a fool of others with a simultaneous application of unparalleled wit and intelligence. As Morpheus (from Matrix, the movie) says, "You gotta see it, to believe it". Get ready to be Hustled !!

Here's a compressed summary of what Hustle is all about (compiled from wiki and popular tv websites) : This is a story of a group of elite con artists, who each week pull off a complicated scam with several twists. A slick and stylish drama, Hustle is an action-packed blend of humour and intrigue, following the fortunes of a gang of expert cons on the loose in London. They are specialists in the way of the grifter and all are keen to liberate cash from the amoral and undeserving. From faking film sets and expensive paintings to double-crossing the duplicitous head of a bank's security system... they can pull off absolutely anything. Despite their chosen trade, they adhere to codes such as "bad behaviour breeds bad luck" and actually follow some rules that they've chalked out for themselves. Read carefully, for these are the rules of con:

1. You Can't Con An Honest Man - because an honest man doesn't want something for nothing.
2. Feed The Greed - the greedier the victim, the more the extraction.
3. Always Give The Mark An Out - part of the "convincer", just in case the "mark" feels something is fishy.
4. Never Give A Sucker An Even Break - hehe :)
   
5. "It's All In The Detail" - The great "Mickey Bricks" (you, always, must have a plan B)
6. Don't Have Anything In Your Life You Can't Walk Away From In A Second
7. Always Look Out For Number One
8. It's Not Just About The Money - And that's one thing that makes these grifters stand apart from the rest...
   

Each episode amounts to a confidence game played upon the viewers through the use of misdirection and hidden plot details that are revealed at the end of the story, only to leave you flabbergasted !! In addition to one long con, each episode features a number of short cons played by the major characters on members of the public. The short cons demonstrate the seemingly endless array of tricks professional con men possess and the ease with which short cons can be played. Not all cons depicted are successful, and some episodes focus on the characters dealing with the consequences of their actions. However, even if a con does fail, the characters usually come out on top in some way or other. It helps to illustrate why the life of a grifter isn’t as much fun as it may seem – it can undermine a person’s ability to ever lead a normal life.

All right, one will say, "what's the big deal? I've seen so many movies/series about confidence tricksters/ con artistes / con men that I know every damn trick out there." But Hustle has tons of surprises in store for you, in each of the episodes, which really stand out from the crowd. Hat's off to BBC for thinking of such "ethical grifters", who have this awesome gift of thinking on their feet in crunch situations, helping each other like family members (and thats the fundamaental difference betwwen them and the other crews, which are just crews" - as aptly quoted by Ash Morgan.) They exhibit superb team work who in the end have a joyous laugh on achieving yet another scoop of the richie block. I, like millions other fans of Hustle, like the concept because each story actually reflects the hard work put in by the script writers and the amazing detail level thought process which has been underway by the production crew. Since the characters have some moral obligations to follow, they are not really criminals, thus making them even more lovable, in addition to their spectacular prowess of pulling off each con with meticulous precision. These grifters do not resort to violence, or "force" to achieve their goals, instead it all depends on a really smooth plan. Add the humour element, a bit of dramatics, the Sherlock Holmes type suspense at the end and you have a perfect potboiler which keeps you grillled to your seat for an hour, and after 58 minutes, leaves you panting for more !!

If you haven't seen Hustle yet, you are certainly missing something. There have been 4 season's so far (each comprising of 6 episodes) and it's currently on a break now. Let's hope that the 5th season rolls out real soon with Adrian Lester back in action. Click here to post your comments about Hustle - because the CON is ON !!

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Need for Speed Most Wanted

Let me admit it first and foremost to everyone in this world, at least to those who aren't yet acquainted to me. I suffer from a compulsive disorder of gaming obsession. CDGO - That's a term coined by me, and is characterized by an excessive desire to try out on each and every genre of games on different platforms and never leaving it till you complete it. Next - hop on to another one. So far, I've played lots of games, but the one that will always stand out, rest games not the least neglected - Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Black Edition v1.3). Those who have completed the game 100% (career and challenge series) will agree that this is, unarguably, the best addictive car racing in the whole world, literally!!

Amongst all the games, racing genre has always had me hooked up the most, since its something that I can't do in real life. Driving at breakneck speed, at least in India, is strictly forbidden. Maybe, Autobahn, but next time... Initially, (before Y2K) it was Road Rash, and then I graduated to the marvelous creation of EA games (and thank you guys, you rock !!) - the NFS or Need for Speed series. NFS MW was the 9th glorious edition, and the improvements and hard work put in the series speaks volumes of itself by the sheer amount of amazing graphics, awesome gameplay, superb car dynamics and mind blowing physics engine along with the unbelievable engine sounds !! Add to it, a nerve wrenching story line packed with illegal street racing and cop chases and throw in a pretty girl, you have the best entertainment package at your fingertips.

According to Gamespot review, NFS MW follows the highly successful Underground series, and brings all the action to daylight and takes it to an even greater height. The actual racing hasn't changed too much, but the ever-present police make this game a whole lot more interesting. The game's career mode starts out with a hilarious bang. You take on the role of a nameless, faceless new racer attempting to hit the scene in the beautiful but shady city of Rockport. An underground ranking known as the Blacklist governs who can race who, and when. You almost immediately run into a punk named Razor, who's definitely the sort of dude that lives his life a quarter-mile at a time. He's at the bottom of the list, but a few races later, he's sabotaged your ride and has won it from you in a race. Meanwhile, you're carted off to jail. Left with nothing but some mysterious help from a stranger named Mia (played by the sexy Josie Maran, who sizzles your screen in many of the cutscenes), your task is to get back in the race game to work your way to the top of the Blacklist, which is now topped by Razor, who's using your old car to wipe out the competition.

The game actually has a great story hook at the beginning that makes you want to see the career mode through to completion. You'll have to see the story through to find out where everyone's allegiances lie. Working your way up the Blacklist is a multistep progress. Before you can challenge the next Blacklist racer, you have to satisfy a list of requirements. You'll have to win a set number of race events. And you'll have to reach a set number of pursuit milestones and earn enough bounty by riling up the police. The cops hate street racers and will give chase when they see you rolling around the open city.

Running from the cops is the best action the game has to offer. Chases usually start with just one car on your tail. But as you resist, you might find 20 cars giving chase, in addition to a chopper flying overhead. Losing the cops gets tougher as your heat level rises. Level one heat results in the appearance of just your standard squad cars. But by the time you get up to level five, you'll be dealing with roadblocks, spike strips, helicopters, and federal-driven Corvettes (and they are really wicked, believe me !!).

There's also a lot of racing in Most Wanted's career mode--almost too much, in fact. You'll engage in multilap circuit races, point-A-to-point-B sprint races, drag racing, checkpoint-driven tollbooth races, and speed trap, where the winner is the player that accumulates the most speed while passing by a handful of radar cameras spread throughout the track. The game has more than 30 licensed cars that you'll be able to purchase or win from other racers. We start out with a pretty weak Chevy Cobalt, but eventually we pick up a much faster Supra, a new Covette C6, and so on. You can also find the Ford GT, a Ford Mustang GT, and other cars from BMW, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Lotus, and more. Lamborghini Gallardo is my personal favorite, and I'm dying to own one some day !! You'll buy your first car, but as you move through the Blacklist, you'll get a shot at the pink slip of the other racer, letting you ease right into the driver's seat of a new, tuned vehicle. Buying them from scratch means you'll have to apply enhancements yourself. You can buy a lot of different performance gear and a ton of visual stuff, like body kits, spoilers, vinyls, and so on. Applying visual upgrades lowers your heat level, making them pretty useful once the cops take notice of your faster cars.

Aside from the career mode, there's also a challenge series that gives you a car and a specific goal. Race goals are fairly easy to understand, but the pursuit challenges ask you to achieve specific milestones, like blasting through five roadblocks or racking up a specific amount of property damage. You can also just dive into quick races, or take it online.

Graphically, the game looks great, overall. Actually speaking, the sleek car designs look quite exquisite set in the greatly architectured city of Rockport and its suburbs, which are really great to explore. On the sound side, the game has outstanding engine noises that change depending on which car you're in and which upgrades you have. The rest of the sound effects are also of excellent quality. The music included is the standard mix of rock and hip-hop you've come to expect from EA's games, including a few songs from Styles of Beyond.

Do write about what you feel about this legendary game, which I feel is even better as compared to its successors like Carbon and Pro-Street. Click here to enter about your experience with this Most Wanted game !!

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