After a long wait, Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion arrived in Japan late last year, and we still don’t know when it’ll be available in the United Kingdom.

Tekken developer and Executive Producer Katsuhiro Harada said, “The number of playable characters will be bigger than Tekken 5 and be the largest roster in the series. I’ve been on the Tekken series for over 10 years, and one thing we have particularly focused on after Tekken 3 is making sure each character is unique and doesn’t overlap with other characters. They all are unique not only in their appearance but their personality and techniques as well.”

With over 40 playable characters this is easily the most voluminous game in the Tekken franchise.

Harada also said the game will retain all of the elements from Tekken 5 and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection that were well-received by fans. The stages in Tekken 6 will be bigger and will have more interactivity and the character customization feature will be more involved with gameplay.

Seven new characters have been confirmed so far:

1) Zafina, a female who will have moves Harada likened to that of a “bird” and who enters the tournament to prevent the clash of the “two evil stars.”

2) Leo, a German fighter who is intended to be a character which can be played by beginners and experienced players alike. The death of Leo’s mother, presumably at the hands of Kazuya Mishima prompts Leo to begin investigating the Mishima Zaibatsu.

3) Miguel Caballero Rojo, a Spaniard with a passion for fighting, but no real discipline. Miguel wants to exact revenge upon the death of his sister at her wedding.

4) Bob, an American who was known as a martial arts genius. Due to being unable to defeat larger opponents however, he disappeared from the fighting world, determined to increase his weight and power while still maintaining speed. Bob enters The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 to test his new skills and new size.

5) Azazel is the final boss of the game. Azazel’s story is said to be related with Zafina and Julia Chang’s story in Tekken 6 and the confrontation between Jin Kazama and his father Kazuya Mishima.

6) Alisa Boskonovitch, a cyborg with jet wings and spinning limbs who may be the cybernetically-enhanced daughter of Doctor Boskonovitch.

7) Lars Alexandersson, an unknown descendant of Heihachi Mishima.

The Good:

A more diverse selection of characters now includes a girl with A-cup breasts, a female who is presumably from the Middle East, a Spaniard seeking revenge, and a well-fed American.

The graphics are fantastic.

The Bad:

The music seems terrible.

The Bottom Line:

It’s still Tekken, and as long as you don’t get too serious about the game it looks like it’ll be a good time!

[Click to preview the trailer for Tekken 6, coming out on XboX 360 and PlayStation 3 October 2009. Images property of Namco-Bandai]

Hadid looks to outline entire structures, spaces and places we have yet to imagine, let alone build. Instead of order out of chaos, she endeavours to create chaos out of order. But there is more to Hadid’s architecture than just futuristic imagery.

Born in Baghdad in 1950, Hadid was influenced by a period of time when the Middle East was obsessed with the notion of Modernity. It’s captivating figure, progressive forms and conception of the future. Early in her career, she soaked up the metropolitan values that bound cities as diverse as Moscow, London, New York, Berlin and Beirut.

In 2004 Hadid became the first female recipient of the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Her architectural designs are not restricted by functional requirements, or practical construction methods but seem driven instead, by images of the future: sleek shapes, smooth forms, and aerodynamic silhouettes.

There is no denying the fact that architecture played at Hadid’s level is larger-than-life, illuminating her capacity for bridging different worlds: incorporating traditional textbook design with glossy computer-generated imagery.

Hadid has become an international celebrity in the world of architecture inspiring a new generation of architects worldwide. You can admire Renzo Piano’s tailored finish or Frank Gehry’s polished fashion, but Hadid is architecture’s diva, always testing new limits.

Last year, she ranked 69th on the Forbes list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and her award-winning design was selected for the new Vilnius Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Lithuania.

It was also her design, as Ken Livingstone said, that helped turn the Olympics London’s way.

Hadid’s plans for the 17,500-seat Aquatics Centre, one of the new venues being constructed in preparation for Summer 2012 promises to be the architectural showcase of the London Olympics. Not to mention the propsed Opera House in Dubai that extends out from the auditorium into the sea, like some magnificent starfish.

[Images from http://www.worldarab.net]

Kenya is one of the countries located along the equator with a favourable climate all year round making it a dream destination for tourists. With its fine sandy beaches, amazing scenery, and wonderful fishing one could spend his/her entire holiday just stationed along the water. But I would recommend hiring a car and heading into town to explore the city’s rich cultural heritage and to have yourself a bit of an adventure.

Mombasa’s Indian Ocean setting has brought together a diverse array of people. The architecture and markets reflect its Arab heritage and its Indian influences are evident in mosques and temples that date back as far as the early 1800s. European colonials too left their mark at sites such as Fort Jesus, a Portuguese fort built in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain.

In addition, the island is far more richly inhabited by birds, plants mammals and reptiles than mainland Europe or even some parts of South America, not to mention, the massive coral and rich sea life. Check out Mamba Village to catch a glimpse of the world’s biggest crocodiles and then maybe head to the nightclub Pirates, to sample some of the city’s local brews (warning though, steer clear of the red/blue/green sambuca: deadly!).

Rent out a private bungalow on the beach for about 90 dollars a night and take a stroll into old Town to get a taste of Swahili culture and street food. The most exotic array of meats you can imagine, particularly delicious washed down with locally brewed Tusker beers.

Try the nyama choma (grilled beef, veal, sheep, lamb, goat, etc.) accompanied by kachumbari, a fresh condiment in Kenyan cuisine similar to pico de gallo, consisting of chopped tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers.

After the wonderful cuisine, revive yourself with a walk through le souk (the marketplace) picking up cheap clothes and souvenirs. With such friendly people, year round sunshine, and miles of white sandy beaches, this summer discover the magic that is Mombasa!

[Images property of Chet Gordon]

The Snake

The Asian Temple Viper can be found in mass numbers in the city of Penang on the northwest coast of Malaysia. Normally, once the Asian Temple Viper has bitten its victim, the venom blocks the nerve impulses to the muscles, thereby paralysing its prey. Whereas this kills the victim, the synthetic replication of parts of the venom only causes the “stunning” of facial muscle contractions.

The Science

According to Pentapharm, a fifty-year old pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland and the manufacturer of SYN-AKE, the compound is a synthetic tripeptide which imitates the action of a “neuromuscular blocking compound of the venom found in the Asian Temple Viper.”

Pentapharm claim that it acts in the same way as another compound by the name of Argireline, by blocking the transmission of nerve signals to the muscles directing them to contract. However, the company’s research suggests that SYN-AKE is considerably more effective than Argireline.

Pentapharm which specializes in research and development and the production of active ingredients for pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies maintain they use the most modern methods and processes in research and production which fully comply in accordance with quality assurance standards.

Conclusion

When younger, the body’s inflammatory response is a good thing. It’s the body’s way of cornering off an affected area and preventing the spread of an infection. When its work is done, hormones shut off the inflammation. However, as hormone levels decline with age, inflammation spreads widely. Older, hormone-depleted skin takes longer to heal and most of the time fully doesn’t.

With the list of skin anti-aging peptides growing rapidly it’s getting harder and harder to keep track of them all. But with Botox injections being the most common cosmetic procedure in the world right now, perhaps SYN-AKE based moisturisers, serums and cleansing balms may be a suitable alternative to sticking a needle in your face!

[Images property of Martijn M.]

Pretty much anything goes at Pacha Sharm. The owner Mohammad Adly has done a fantastic job of placing Naama Bay firmly in the forefront of the world clubbing map. You can be as outrageous as you like. Lots of gorgeous, stylish women in attendance decked out in designer labels, and on the other end of the spectrum: locals ready to party it up in casual beach-wear.

After a hard night’s clubbing, hop on board the Pacha yacht and cruise the beautiful waters of the Red Sea while sipping cocktails and dancing on deck to a live DJ. The yacht is licensed for up to 20 people so book it with a bunch of friends and make it a private party.

Pacha Sharm was the first ever Pacha club in Africa and the Middle East, but has since been followed by the opening of another in the city of Marrakech, Morocco. Lots of top-talent Dj’s are known to pass through including Benny Benassi, Judge Jules, Erick Morillo and Carl Cox.

Overall a fantastic clubbing experience. I would say Pacha is a bonus to the city of Sharm-El-Sheikh, the cherry on top. It adds a real clubbing element to the bay with guest dj’s from around the world and excellent local talent too. I would even go as far as saying that of all the Pacha clubs I’ve been to (New York, London, Marrakech, Prague) Pacha Sharm is at the top of the Pyramid. Maybe it’s the belly-dancers, or the amazing interior with the open air dance floor, or the trapeze artists, or maybe it’s the foam pool loaded with a plethora of hotties, I don’t know. But I can say that for clubber: it really is the piece de la resistance!

[Images courtesy of M. Adly]