Unearthed: The Trail of Ibn Battuta is special

I’m not entirely sure which of the first 30 seconds of Unearthed: The Trail of Ibn Battuta was the exact one that I realised I was in for something special. Perhaps it was after I witnessed its wooden-faced, questionably-trousered protagonist take down an enemy with what can only be described as a series of sharp kicks to the groin, or after landing my first headshot with my hand stuck through a wall. Actually, no, I’ve got it – it was when I threw a grenade down a hallway, watched it drop stone dead after scraping a wall, and then kill me as it blew up behind several layers of cover. Honestly, I meant special when I said it, just not the type you were thinking of.

The rights and wrongs with the Muse of today

Yesterday I saw a little-known English band by the name of Muse for the third time in as many years. It was a good show, filled with bold, fuzzy solos, stunning set production and vocals so high-pitched that the windows of the Emirates Stadium nearly shattered. In some respects, it was the best performance I’ve seen them put on in my admittedly short-lived fandom, but in the places that really matter, the stuff that makes for a memorable evening, it was lagging behind.