The Watering Hole

Fire Pro: Mysterio & Altair

2009-06-20T15:39:00.004-04:00

Yea, so I missed last week's update. Big deal. Wanna fight about it?

This week is Mysterio from Spider-Man and Altair from Assassin's Creed. One is a crazy special effects guy and the other is an assassin (whether it be 2012 or 1191). Both can be pretty fun in Fire Pro given the right moveset.

Fire Pro: Chris Redfield and Spider-Men

2009-06-09T13:15:00.004-04:00

These updates keep getting later and later, but at least I keep posting them. Right? I am thinking of taking a break from posting edit formulas and might start releasing teasers for an edit pack.

Anyway, this week comes the Resident Evil 5 version of Chris Redfield and two Spider-Man edits. Both Spider-Man edits are unmasked. One is a regular unmasked version and the other is a battle damaged version. Enjoy!

P.S. I didn't make a blog post for the last Fire Pro edit release, so here is the picture of them. Kane and the Big Show.

My Top Picks For: June 2009

2009-06-04T22:19:00.012-04:00

(All recommendations are based off of my own opinion. Everyone has different tastes in games. If you think something else should be a top pick, let it be known in the comments.)

I haven't done one of these in quite some time. I plan on doing a post like this every month. What am I talking about? Why, helping all of you pick what games are worth your hard earned cash. Living in this economy, it is important to get your money's worth out of your games. As a video game enthuesiest, seeing someone blow $60 on a game like Terminator: Salvation makes me a sad panda. So, let me be your salvation.

There are quite a few games worthy of purchasing this month. A few top sports games, a couple of movie games, and one of the best fighting games of all times gets an upgrade. Too many games to pick from, so I guess that is why honorable mentions exist. So, what is coming out in June that you must buy?

1. Ghostbusters (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PS2, PC) $20-60

After all of these years, we are going to get a good Ghostbusters game. I had a chance to play the PS3 version as this year's New York Comic-Con. Think Gears of War plus the awesomeness of Ghostbusters. That is what you get with Ghostbusters the game. You play as the rookie of the team alongside the original cast of the movies (featuring voice acting by all of the actors as well). There will also be a few different multiplayer modes (360, PS3, and PC). Bust some ghosts with your friends!

2. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (XBLA, PSN) $15

Jill Valentine vs. Zangief. Dr. Doom vs. Ryu. Hulk vs. Guile. One of the greatest fighting games of all time, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, is being re-released with smoother graphics and online play. What more could you ask for? Coming out for $15 is way cheaper than what you have to pay to get a copy for PS2.

3. Prototype (360, PS3, PC) $50-60

Remember Hulk: Ultimate Descrution? That is what you are getting with Prototype. It is a sandbox game set in New York City. Your character, Alex Mercer, can absorb people and become them, turn his arm into a huge blade, and can elbow drop tanks. He is looking around to recover his memory, but who cares. HE CAN ELBOW DROP TANKS.

Honorable Mentions:
1. Fight Night Round 4 (360, PS3) $60 - The next installment of the great boxing series.
2. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (360, PS3) $60 - Don't want the rehashed Marvel vs. Capcom 2? Try this for a breath of fresh air.

Steve Wiebe Falls Short Of Donkey Kong Record, Still Cooler Than Billy Mitchell

2009-06-02T20:59:00.007-04:00

All throughout the day, G4 had been broadcasting live (online and TV) Steve Wiebe trying to break Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong record score of 1,050,200 (achieved in 2007). Wiebe came close, ending his third and final try with a kill screen and a final score of 989,400. So close, yet so far away.

Still, it was exciting to watch and Wiebe kept us on our toes with his play. How those springs never got him, I will never know. I am pretty confident he will break the record again one day. In the meantime, if you haven't seen it yet, check out Wiebe's first journey for the record in The King Of Kong.

update: Just saw a commercial on G4 saying to watch him play tomorrow night. Don't know if it was an old commercial for today or if he is actually trying tomorrow (and each day left of E3). Will keep you posted.

update 2: No more Donkey Kong or Wiebe on G4. Was only for Tuesday. This is what it says on the G4 site.

E3 2009: Sony

2009-06-02T17:01:00.008-04:00

Out of the big three, Sony is the one that needs to step it up a notch to impress those that don't have a PlayStation 3 and give them a reason to purchase one. With no mention of a price drop, Sony is banking on God Of War III and a few other titles to persuade those without a PS3 to spend a huge chunk of change on their console.

(still being updated as videos become available)

-A live gameplay demo of Uncharted 2 was shown.

-MAG had a recorded demo video shown, which included 256 real players. So many players. Hopefully its performance holds up for retail. Lag is not fun.

-Sony is releasing a revised PSP called the PSP Go. It will retail for $249.99 and be released on October 1 of this year.

-There is another Metal Gear Solid gaming coming to the PSP. This time, it looks like you and up to four friends can enjoy the Snake goodness. The game is called Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

-All of that waiting through the Ubisoft disaster of a press conference and we didn't get any Assassin's Creed 2 gameplay. Thank Sony for giving us what we wanted. Assassin's Creed 2 will be out this holiday season.

-Microsoft tried to show up Nintendo with their own innovation called Project Natal. Sony also wanted to get in on the motion control goodness. Here is a tech demo of Sony's motion controller.

-The PlayStation 3's big daddy, God of War III. Sony showed a live gameplay demo and it was pretty much what you would expect from a God of War game. Enjoy the horse guts. The game will be out March 2010.

-Never Ending Story: The Game. No, I am kidding. This is The Last Guardian. It comes from the minds that brought us Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.

-I never got into the Gran Turismo series. I hated the idea of having to get a liscense just to play the races in the game. Gran Turismo 5 is coming out for the PlayStation 3. Enjoy this trailer.

-Love customization? You will love Modnation Racers. Customize your kart, your character, and your own tracks. Coming in 2010.

E3 2009: Nintendo

2009-06-02T11:00:00.012-04:00

After last year's E3 debacle, will Nintendo bring the heavy hitters this year or will they give us more of the same casual shtick? Well, don't get your hopes too high, but they did give us some games to make you not sell off your Wii just yet.

(still being updated as videos become available)

-Metroid: Other M looks to have a little bit of everything. There is some 2D side scrolling, as well as 3rd and 1st person action. Metroid: Other M will be out in 2010.

-Did you like Super Mario Galaxy? Well, here is the same game with Yoshi. Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be a 2010 release.

-Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story throws the lovable plumbers inside their nemesis, running around inside Bowser as his actions cause changes to the environment for the Mario brothers. Look for it this Fall on the DS.

-Remember that bleh Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: March Of The Minis game? It has a sequel. Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again. It will be released as a downloadable game on the DSi on June 8.

-Dead Space: Extraction takes place before the first game and is a 1st person shooter on rails.

-Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is for the DS. You play as Roxas.

-Facebook is everywhere now. Add the DSi to places where you can interact with Facebook.

-Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles is somewhat of a follow up to Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Another rail shooter in the Resident Evil universe.

-Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. That name isn't long enough. Coming to the Wii.

-MORE WII FIT! Wii Fit Plus.

-New Super Mario Bros. is basically the DS game moved to the Wii. This time, there is 4-player co-op. Whoopie! You can play as Mario, Luigi, and two different colored Toads. Hopefully there are other characters to select. Coming out during holiday season 2009.

-Golden Sun makes its way onto the DS.

-The Conduit...another game I will not be purchasing for the Wii.

-Wii Sports Resort for the second E3 in a row. Good job, Nintendo.

E3 2009: Microsoft

2009-06-01T16:30:00.014-04:00

This year’s E3 started off with a bang, as Microsoft brought the awesomeness back to the show. No graphs. No charts. No numbers. Nothing but trailers, game announcements, and live demos. Here is a breakdown of Microsoft’s show at E3.

(still being updated as videos become available)

-Facebook and Twitter have teamed up with Microsoft to let you use both services on Xbox Live. We will also be able to watch Netflix with our friends, each being on a seperate console.

-The Beatles Rockband will be released on 9-9-09. The first DLC will be Abbey Road (full album). “All You Need Is Love” will be an exclusive Xbox Live DLC and proceeds go to Doctors without Borders.

-Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on November 17, 2009.

-Splinter Cell: Conviction gameplay and trailer.

-Final Fantasy XIII gameplay on the Xbox 360. Spring 2010 target release.

-Halo 3: ODST gameplay and debut trailer for Halo: Reach. Halo 3: ODST will be released 9-22-09. If you purchase Halo 3: ODST, you will get a code for the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta.

-Metal Gear Solid franchise is coming to the Xbox 360. Debut teaser for Metal Gear Rising.

-Forza Motorsport 3 is coming out October 27, 2009. Will have over 400 cars in the game. Will also allow users to create designs to throw on cars.

-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will have two map packs, both of which will be released on Xbox Live first.

-Crackdown 2 is coming.

-Alan Wake is still coming out. Here is some gameplay.

-Joyride is an XBLA game that integrates your avatars.

-Project Natal is Microsoft's answer to the Wii. The difference is that Project Natal doesn't use any controllers. YOU are the controller. Face and voice recognition plays a major role as well. You can log into your Xbox account just by looking at the sensor.

EGM To Be Resurrected?

2009-05-29T20:40:00.007-04:00

Recently deceased video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly is apparently not as dead as we thought. According to a press release from EGMnow.com,

Steve Harris, founder of “Electronic Gaming Monthly” magazine, announced today that he has entered into an agreement with Ziff Davis Media to re-acquire certain assets, including trademarks and publishing rights, with plans to re-launch EGM in the second half of 2009.

So, how many times have things we've loved left and then come back shittier than ever? Let's see...Bomberman: Act Zero, post-Genesis Sonic games, Devil May Cry 2, Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link. I could go on and on, but will end it there. Hopefully the new EGM will bring back what we loved about them, while adding in some new sections to breath some life into the mag. Good luck!

Thanks to former EGM/1UP employee Ryan O'Donnell for his tweet to inform all who follow him.

NHL 10 Trailer Misses The Hype Train

2009-05-29T13:46:00.012-04:00

I'm sorry. This trailer does nothing for me. I can understand the guys at EA being happy to give us a trailer, but all we got were two week old screenshots in action. And when is someone at EA going to realize that hockey players throw checks with their shoulders, not their sticks?

Here is what I noticed from that trailer:

Stutter step looks to be in to fool goalies. I predict a glitch goal coming.
Luongo was holding the cup, meaning you can maybe make goalies captains.
Is the one knee shot forced by being tripped or can you do it anytime?
I fear that facewashing is only there to be the reason a fight starts, not just a fun thing to do after plays. Won't know until the game is out.
During first person fights, the edges of the screen looked darkened. Why?
Board play looks great. This is what the EA NHL series has been lacking. It was the one thing 2K had on EA.
During that one knee shot, the diver loses his stick. Was that just a messed up animation or is he supposed to lose his stick there?
Like I said, hitting needs to be done with the shoulder, not with the stick.

Fire Pro: Kurt Angle & Psycho Sid

2009-05-22T20:17:00.005-04:00

This week you get two completely different edits. None of that two Alice shenanigans from last week. What do you get this week? Why you get an olympic hero and a psycho.

Kurt Angle and Psycho Sid are two completely different wrestlers, as promised. They are also guys that have two very different styles in the squared circle. While Angle has a real wrestling background, Sid is all power moves. Power moves and a crazy tan. Just make sure not to give your Sid edit any high flying turnbuckle moves.

Enjoy!

Fire Pro: 2x Alice

2009-05-15T21:57:00.003-04:00

Fire Pro Friday returns with a double dose of Resident Evil.

I know, everyone hates the Resident Evil movies. To each their own. Personally, I liked them because I am a freak for anything Resident Evil. As for the whole psychic person in the Resident Evil universe? I say meh. It isn't like the movies had any influence on the games.

Anyway, now you can play as two different versions of Alice (the main character from the movies). One version is from the first movie, while the other is from the third installment, Resident Evil: Extinction. Enjoy!

Follow Production On NHL 10

2009-05-13T14:36:00.007-04:00

For those of you who play NHL 09 for fun, aka don't use cheese goals, you will be happy to know that EA is working on plenty of fixes for next years game. Besides fixing cheese goals, Producer David Littman says they are also taking another look at improving dynasty mode.

If you have a Twitter, you can stay up to date on NHL 10 production here. Also be sure to check out the EA blog for some behind the scenes videos.

NHL 10 Producer Blog - Part One
NHL 10 Producer Blog - Part Two

NHL 10 Gameplay Fixes

I Spruced Up My Room

2009-05-09T16:35:00.002-04:00

The room from which I type this is probably the size of the closet nearest you. There is just enough room in here for a bed, a desk, and a TV. Add in a clothes dresser and I have just enough room to breathe. Well, I had it with that damn dresser.

Said clothes dresser is downstairs now. That means that every time I need a t-shirt, I have to travel up and down the basement stairs. Nothing like a little exercise to pick out a t-shirt. So now that that behemoth of a dresser is downstairs, I brought up a little entertainment center thingy and hung a few posters/prints. Head here to see before and after pictures.

Fire Pro: Chris Sabin & Rhino

2009-05-09T00:50:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am back. Today's edits come late due to getting back from our cruise on Monday and then wanting to rearrange my room better for the Summer Of Cody (which will start on Monday, May 11). Let's get straight to it.

I give you the man-beast, Rhino, and Chris Sabin. I have nothing clever or informative to go along with this. Stop reading. Annnd go!

Fire Pro Friday Returns In Two Weeks

2009-04-24T07:16:00.005-04:00

Due to me going on vacation until May 4, there will be no new Fire Pro edits being released today or next Friday (May 1).

Right now, I am using $12.95 Internet. What hotel charges for this? I mean, really. Stupid Marriott. I guess they knew I wanted to find a live stream of the Flyers game last night since they don't have Versus anywhere in this hotel.

Anyway, if you have been following my Twitter, you got a nice look at my trip so far. I'll have a few more twitpics today since the texts won't cost a thousand dollars. After that, I will be updating Twitter from the computer, so no more pictures until I upload some to Flickr after the trip. Off to breakfast I go.

Whoops! Go Fix Your Crosby Edit.

2009-04-20T16:17:00.004-04:00

Just a quick little fix for any of you that made my Sidney Crosby edit. For some reason I didn't add the stripe on his hockey pants. The only thing you have to change is in the "Thigh" section. It should now be this:

Thigh
Base: Male L
Layer 1: Leather
(0,0,0) (1,1,1) (4,4,4) (6,6,6)
(16,15,7) (23,21,9) (27,24,12) (27,25,16)

Fire Pro: C.M. Punk & Taz

2009-04-17T13:32:00.002-04:00

Since I am heading out in a short while, I had to post the Fire Pro Friday update early. Lucky you.

Tattoos are a tough thing to pull off properly in Fire Pro, so both of today's edits took some work to create. C.M. Punk and Taz were both a part of ECW at some point in time. One was a part of the real ECW, while the other was a part of the abomination that it is today. Enjoy!

P.S. I am going to be on vacation for a week starting next Thursday. I plan on doing a Fire Pro update on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Fire Pro: Mike Richards & Sidney Crosby

2009-04-10T23:52:00.003-04:00

I am getting later and later with these Fire Pro releases. We might have to change the name of it to Fire Pro Saturday...or...Fire Pro Weekends...or...well, I could just type out everything earlier than I do. At least I am sticking to the schedule of Friday releases, right?

So, the NHL playoffs are going to be starting pretty soon and I figured Fire Pro could use some hockey talents. I give you Mike Richards (Philadelphia Flyers) and Sidney ~~Crybaby~~ Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins). Yes, I am a homer for the Flyers, but Crosby has to stop his bitching or Ilya Kovalchuk just might have some more pwnage to dish out.

Fire Pro: The Rock & Christian Cage

2009-04-03T17:08:00.003-04:00

It's Friday and that means it is time for another Fire Pro release party. The party is taking place in the Smackdown Hotel this week. All of my peeps are invited. And now, welcome The Rock and Christian Cage to the Fire Pro family here at The Watering Hole.

This is the Hollywood version of The Rock. As you can see, he has his large arm tattoo. Maybe I should create a Hurricane edit so he and Rock can talk smack to each other in Fire Pro. And the Christian Cage edit is actually an old edit I posted on my previous blog. I might just give you all another edit as a bonus for that re-post.

Resident Evil Comic Has No Familiar Faces

2009-03-29T16:26:00.013-04:00

A Resident Evil comic that has no dealings with already existing characters in the series. Something every Resident Evil fan wants to read, right? What if the characters were BSAA Special Operation Agents Holiday Sugarman and Mina Gere? Yes. Holiday Sugarman.

Over on the Capcom blog, they posted an interview with Ricardo Sanchez, writer for the new Resident Evil comic.

"The comic was initially planned as a prequel to the game, but as we developed the story, the comic evolved into a new set of characters that would exist within the Resident Evil universe." -Ricardo Sanchez, writer

The scariest part of the comic? People spending money on something that might suck out loud. I am one of those people. The first issue hits in May.

Night Trap's Cousin, The Outbreak

2009-03-28T19:36:00.006-04:00

It's no Night Trap, but The Outbreak* looks to bring the fun of live action gaming to the Internet.

The Outbreak takes place during a zombie apocalypse and puts you in charge of deciding what the characters will do. Choose the right path, they live. Choose the wrong path, well, nom nom nom. Will you take the car keys and get leave the house or will you stay put and hope they let you kill that annoying lady at some point? You have to play to find out.

The only downside is that the game is short. What makes it even shorter is letting you skip right back to your previous success and choose a different path. We need something like this, but as a full fledged game. We need Night Trap 2: Zombie Invasion.

*This game is NSFW due to language and zombie noming.

Video Blowout: Rachet & Clank: A Crack In Time, Battlefield:BC2, and more!

2009-03-28T16:56:00.011-04:00

While Postal III might not be the pinnacle of gaming, it seems they are at least doing something fresh. They are making use of segways. No, they aren't learning to go from one cut scene to the next. They are using segways as a form of travel. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but this is the first time I have seen this in a game (at least a game without a PC mod).

Hit the jump for a trailers and walkthroughs of a few different games, including Postal III.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Postal III

Rachet & Clank: A Crack In Time

Terminator: Salvation

G.I.Joe: The Rise Of Cobra

Batman: Arkham Asylum walkthrough

Gears of War 2: Snowblind Map Pack walkthrough

Modern Warfare 2

Fire Pro: Stone Cold Steve Austin & Owen Hart

2009-03-27T23:54:00.004-04:00

I know Friday is almost over, but it was still Friday when I started this blog post. So, here is your Fire Pro Friday release. I bring you Stone Cold Steve Austin and Owen Hart. What a two pack, huh?

Stone Cold and Owen Hart had a nice little rivalry with the I.C. title back in their WWF days. Owen is actually responsible for Austin's neck problems when he did a reverse tombstone piledriver. Austin laid on the mat for quite some time until they just had him roll up Owen to capture to I.C. title. Was a lame ending, but at least Austin lived through that horrible injury.

Animal Crossing is For Everyone, Not Just Kids

2009-03-25T17:59:00.004-04:00

I tend to get a little upset when I see mainstream media talking down about videogames. The two obvious examples are the Mass Effect sex simulator accusations and Resident Evil 5 being a racist game. You can now add Animal Crossing: City Folk to the laundry list of ridiculous videogame stories you will hear on the news. KMIZ ABC 17 News appears to have done no research on AC:CF, stating that Mayor Tortimer, a computer controlled turtle, could potentially be a child molester.

They try to scare parents into thinking that if their kids play AC:CF, they will be contacted by complete strangers from across the country. It somehow slipped their minds to tell parents about having to exchange a 16 digit friend code and your town's name with said stranger before you even turn on your Wii. From the sounds of it, KMIZ should just be blaming parents for sucking at parenting. Try supervising your children and see what they look at when they go online.

Read my full article here (TheGameReviews.com).

Fire Pro: Nemesis & Tyrant

2009-03-20T13:02:00.004-04:00

I guess we can call this the unofficial return of Fire Pro Fridays. I promise to stick to a schedule for releases. Might be Fridays now. Who knows? Anyway, on to the edits.

They are no Chris and Sheva, but I think if Nemesis and the Tyrant from the first Resident Evil had a co-op game created I would be the first to pre-order. Think about it. The Resident Evil series is becoming more action packed with each new installment. How much more action packed can you get when one guy has a rocket launcher and a palm of doom. The other one literally wears his heart on his sleeve and a huge claw for a hand. Add some explosions and I will hand over my $60 right now.

League Standings & Transactions Updated; Stats Removed

2009-03-16T14:54:00.005-04:00

I just updated the PAH: The League standings and transactions. The playoffs are right around the corner. We are just waiting on a few people with four or less games left.

Also, I got rid of the stats section for season 2 since it is pretty much dominated by one team. I figure if people in the league want their stats, they can go into the league menu and get them.

PAH The League: Season 2 standings

PAH The League: Season 2 transactions

Look What I Found! Part 2

2009-03-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

The second installment of Look What I Found has arrived. This time, I have some comics and figures to show you. There is mostly Street Fighter in this update, with a little bit of Mario. Plus, some TMNT bonuses. Keep reading for some images and a link to the LWIF! album.

Chun-Li's thighs aren't THAT bad in the comic. They do give us a nice crotch shot though.

Vega and Ryu do not approve of creepy looking Blanka.

Mario giving life lessons.

Random old TMNT comics!

For more images, head over to my Flickr page and look for the set called "Look What I Found!"

Poll Results: SFIV Fans Have Spoken. Want Bison As My Main.

2009-03-06T18:32:00.000-05:00

After losing in the first round of the second GameStop Street Fighter IV tournament, I took some time off from the game. I guess I just needed time to reevaluate my Guile and if I should change my main character. So, for fun, I put up a poll to see which character people would suggest I main. Here are the results.

Started: Monday, March 2, 2009 @ 2:50 AM
Finished: Friday, March 6, 2009 @ 6:30 PM

49 Votes
5 votes (10%) – Bison

4 votes (8%) – Dhalsim
4 votes (8%) – Balrog
4 votes (8%) – Gen
4 votes (8%) – Rose

3 votes (6%) – E. Honda
3 votes (6%) – Blanka
3 votes (6%) – Dan

2 votes (4%) – Ryu
2 votes (4%) – Chun-Li
2 votes (4%) – C. Viper
2 votes (4%) – Rufus
2 votes (4%) – El Fuerte
2 votes (4%) – Sakura

1 vote (2%) – Vega
1 vote (2%) – Sagat
1 vote (2%) – Abel
1 vote (2%) – Seth
1 vote (2%) – Gouken
1 vote (2%) – Cammy
1 vote (2%) – stick with Guile

0 votes (0%) – Ken
0 votes (0%) – Zangief
0 votes (0%) – Akuma
0 votes (0%) – Fei-Long

Fire Pro: Rorschach & Dr. Manhattan

2009-03-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

I am back to releasing formulas for Fire Pro Wrestling Returns. Every time I add a new edit to my Fire Pro directory, I will make a blog post about it. So, if you want to be notified when I release new formulas, either check back with this blog from time to time (subscribe on the right) or follow me on Twitter (TwitterFox is your friend). Now, on to the edits.

Watchmen, coming out this Friday, is probably going to be one of the top movies of the year. To celebrate its theatrical release, I am releasing my formula for two of these heroes. The badass Rorschach and the naked blue man himself, Dr. Manhattan, have entered the Fire Pro realm. Enjoy!

Look What I Found! Part 1

2009-02-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

I was on a cleaning spree all this past week and came across quite a few nifty video game related items. I feel it is my duty as a video game enthusiast to show off some of the nostalgic items I found under the ~~Mushroom Kingdom~~ piles of junk in this house.

So, without further delay, I give you the first item in my LWIF! segment: a Super Mario Bros. Sticker Fun book. Stickers are always fun. Too bad this book thinks that stamps are stickers. I don't think I will be licking these little toads any time soon. Hit the jump for some pictures and a link to the album.

Make your own cards? Yes!

Boy, I can't wait to have to lick the back of the paper and then past it on a book page to only have to cut the damn cards out.

Wait. So, the Mushroom Kingdom is run by the Burger King?

For more images, head over to my Flickr page and look for the set called "Look What I Found!"

A New Challenger Approaches!

2009-02-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

I just got back from picking up my copy of Street Fighter IV (360) and my Chun-Li FightPad (360). I will have my impressions of the FightPad and the game a little later, but let me just tell you that the d-pad on the FightPad feels so nice and the buttons press easily. Hopefully it works great in-game. Also, don't forget about the Gamestop Street Fighter IV Tournaments going on all over the place this Saturday. Time to go and be a family man.

Hotsteppers Hitsteppers Set Team High In Hits for one Game

2009-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

(video is not of talked about game)
Pouches 12, Schide, Mad Eye Moody, and myself (Redfield85) have undoubtedly set a Hotsteppers record for hits in a game (NHL09-EASHL). After winning our first two games of the night, we went on a hitting frenzy, having 100 hits after just two periods of play. The game ended with us getting 71 hits in the third, finishing with a total of 171 hits. See who had the most hits after the jump.

edit: In the following game, we reached 100 hits.

Hit Totals:
Schide - 58
Pouches 12 - 42
Redfield85 - 26
Computer players - 23
Mad Eye Moody - 22

Fire Pro Teaser: Who Watches The WatchElks?

2009-01-17T16:24:00.001-05:00

I know I am pretty random on when I update the site with new Fire Pro formulas, so here is a teaser picture on what I was working on just last night. Didn't seem to take me long to throw them together.

I just finished reading Watchmen and really enjoyed it. Finishing the graphic novel got me pretty excited for the movie (which WILL be coming out). So I watched the trailer once or twice and got to thinking that I could maybe create the characters in Fire Pro. A little while later, these guys showed up on my screen. I am not promising when I will post them, but hopefully soon. I want to create more than two of them before posting the formulas. Stay tuned!

RE 5 Collector's Edition Packed With Shwag

2009-01-16T18:15:00.000-05:00

How bought is this? SO bought. Granted tons of people will be getting this game (as I'm sure most of you are), Capcom has put together quite a gift basket for those willing to dish out the extra dough ($89.99 to be exact).

The collector's edition of Resident Evil 5 "will include a Tricell messenger bag, Chris Redfield figurine, BSAA patch and Kijuju-inspired pendant." It also comes with a nice metal case (ala Gears of War 2) for the game and bonus disc ("making-of featurette, a digital art gallery and a trailer for Resident Evil Degeneration"). Resident Evil 5 comes out March 13.

See You Next Season, I'm Off To The Links

2009-01-14T16:07:00.001-05:00

Well, I (St. Louis Blues) have officially been eliminated from the Penny Arcade NHL09 Season 1 Playoffs. I came in as the sixth seed and lost to the third seeded Detroit Red Wings (who just happen to be owned by my real life friend, Frank). While it wasn't a surprise to be booted in the first round, it was pretty disappointing to give up a 1-0 lead in the third period of game 6. Oh well, there is always next season.

Speaking of next season, we currently have 20 teams. If you are at all interested in being in the Penny Arcade NHL09 Season 2, join the Penny Arcade Forums and post in the thread. We are looking for people that are going to be active in the league and play at least 3-5 games a week or play 2-3 times a week.

Me? I am leaving St. Louis for Philadelphia, my home team. I have already traded away some top guys for players I have on my ESPN Fantasy Hockey team, had on my season 1 team, and that are just my favorites. As for my bet on who will win the first ever Lord Tycho's Cup? I am going with Detroit. I want to see Paul Kariya prosper since I traded him for Henrik Zetterberg.

LavaElks.com Levels Up

2008-12-30T04:46:00.000-05:00

I finally updated the site, although it still looks like it was created in the 90s. Here is a list of most of the updates:

-Right column on homepage has personal updates (twitter, twitpic, and flickr)
-Link to LavaElks.com YouTube channel has been added to the homepage
-Cut out a whole page of useless Fire Pro stuff
-Contact button goes right to your default e-mail
-Fire Pro main page lists number of edits in each organization under org. image
-Newest edits links have been added to Fire Pro main page and each organization page

Monthly Overview: September 08

2008-09-06T20:26:00.000-04:00

September, Spore, Star Wars, and Samba. It is the month of the 'S' apparently. On the other hand I could say Hockey, Horstachio, and Homicide. But if I said that you might think a hockey player committed homicide while riding a horse, so let’s stick with the S’s. Either way, this month is providing the gaming public with quite a few worthy-of-your-money titles. Hit the jump for the main three you should be playing all of September (plus some honorable mentions).

1. NHL 09 ($59.99 – Xbox360/PS3 – Sept. 11^th)

If you somehow read my article in The Keystone last year you got a chance to read about how I told everyone to trust EA for once. Just like last year, trust EA again. If you happened to play the NHL 09 demo you might think we are getting more of the same. You have to look a little harder to see the differences, but they are there.

For one, the hitting is completely revamped, defensemen have a few new weapons for their arsenal (updated pokecheck and all new stick lift), and forwards can play dump and chase with the puck, as well as do a one-handed deke. The star of the show is the Be A Pro mode, which can be played online like an MMO (a first in the sports world). Yet again, EA’s NHL series looks to be the sports game of the year.

2. Spore (Galactic Edition - $79.99, Regular Edition - $49.99 – PC – Sept. 5^th)
Spore looks to recreate the wheel. Well, more like recreate civilization. You build a creature and start out in the cell phase, working your way up to walking on land, building a civilization, and eventually traveling through and taking over the whole galaxy.

The main draw is the creation mode, where you customize the creatures from the ground up. You can also import creatures that others have made and they will inhabit other planets throughout the game. I rarely, if ever, suggest the purchase of a PC game. Buy Spore.

3. TNA Impact! ($59.99 – Xbox360/PS3 – Sept. 9^th)

Just like in real life, WWE is finally seeing the rise of a competitor in the videogame market. TNA Impact! looks to bring the fast paced action from TNA wrestling to your Xbox 360 or PS3 with their first videogame release.

While it might not have all of the flashy features of a Smackdown Vs. Raw, Impact! looks to welcome back old wrestling fans with their old school control scheme Think of this game as No Mercy with updated graphics, the Ultimate X match, and the ability to bring your created character into storymode. It might not be the best wrestling game ever made, but it gives wrestling fans options besides the same old WWE game.

Honorable Mentions:
-Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ($59.99 – Xbox 360/PS3 – Sept. 16^th)
A Star Wars action adventure game where you play as the apprentice of Darth Vader and lets you throw Stormtroopers and Tie Fighters about with ease? Yes, please.

-Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise ($39.99 – Xbox 360 – Out Now)
The follow-up to the piñatafest that was Viva Pinata. More Pinatas, online co-op, and taking snapshots of your candy filled friends is what you can expect in this worthy sequel.

FPWR: Crash the wrestling ring

2008-08-25T23:11:00.000-04:00

This Wednesday will see the release of the best Xbox Live Arcade game to date with Castle Crashers. So to celebrate, I have posted four Castle Crasher edits for Fire Pro Wrestling Returns on my site. For those of you who have no clue what the hell Castle Crashers is (shame on you), below is a comparison picture between the knights from the game and the Fire Pro edits.

Castle Crasher knights

Fire Pro Crashers

E3 Nintendo: Animal Crossing: City Folk

2008-07-15T18:22:00.001-04:00

While the Nintendo press conference was quite disappointing, one decent thing we got out of it was a Wii Animal Crossing game. Better yet, it is coming out this year (Nov. 16th to be exact). Keep reading to see an interview with Animal Crossing creator, Katsuya Eguchi, gameplay footage, and learn about visiting the big city and looking like your Mii.

The city aspect of the game looks enjoyable even though it isn't a completely new feature since it houses some old shops from past Animal Crossing games. The addition of changing your characters head into that of your Mii is a nice touch. The thing is, it just seems like an "EA upgrade" to me. There isn't anything that catches my eye and makes me go, "Wow, I never thought they could add that into the game." It is only slight enhancements to what is already a stellar game series.

LINKS:

Gameplay (in town 1)
Gameplay (in town 2)
Gameplay (entering city)
AC at Nintendo press conference
Official Nintendo AC gameplay

E3 Microsoft: Resident Evil 5

2008-07-14T20:46:00.000-04:00

Being the large Resident Evil enthusiast that I am, it is surprising that it took me this long to make a post about the footage and information released about Resident Evil 5. Hit the jump for some screen caps, analysis, and links to co-op demo footage, an interview, and a new trailer.

The zombie is out of the bag. Resident Evil 5 will have co-op play both online and off. Everyone rejoice! From what the linked interview at the bottom of the page mentions, you can play co-op on or offline. Also, if you play by yourself, you won't be switching ala Resident Evil 0 between Chris Redfield and RE newcomer ~~Captain~~ Sheva Olimar. You play as Redfield the whole game, while Olimar ~~throws Pikmin~~ gives you health items, provides cover fire, and helps you reach unreachable places.

Sheva Olimar, your new best friend.

There will be times when Olimar helps you...

...and there will be times when you help Olimar.

A new chainsaw enemy.

Resident Evil 5 will see worldwide release on Friday, March 13th, 2009.

Link - Microsoft press conference walkthrough
Link - NEW Resident Evil 5 trailer
Link - Resident Evil 5 Interview, pt 1
Link - Resident Evil 5 Interview, pt 2

E3 Microsoft: Gears of War 2

2008-07-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

The gameplay showed off at the Microsoft press conference for Gears of War 2 was from the co-op campaign mode. The whole demo itself was short and sweet, as Microsoft didn't give much time for the big games (Fallout 3, Gears 2, Fable 2) to be demoed. Hit the jump to read about some new Locust enemies and see pictures of them.

(UPDATE: Gametrailers has a new gameplay montage up. Watch it now.)

A couple of new baddies (at least from what I know about Gears 2) showed up. One is a mace-wielding Locust with a shield (pictured below). It didn’t look like a tough battle, although it was basically two-on-one against the poor guy.

Afterward, Marcus picked up the Locust’s dropped shield and planted it into the ground to protect himself from a second new enemy, a huge spider-like transportation service (pictured below) for a single Locust (although I could be wrong and that is just one of those flying Locust enemies). From what was shown, it looked like only the Locust located on top of the spider monster could attack.

After the beast was brought down with the Hammer of Dawn, Marcus continued forward where he ran into what can only be described as those little crab monsters from Cloverfield. I swear they make the same exact noise as those little buggers from the film. The only difference here is that the Gears 2 version (pictured below) explodes.

At the end of the demo, Marcus and Dom take down a Locust that was driving the Brumak that was attacking them and Marcus makes mention that if the Locust can drive them why can't they. So, we now expect to be able to drive/ride Brumaks come November 7th.

Besides the release date being announced, Cliff Bleszinski (not Cliffy B. anymore) told us about a new game mode called "Horde." It consists of five players trying to survive as long as possible against a continuous swarm of Locust scum. Sounds delicious. This could potentially replace the deathmatch mode for some people, myself included. November 7th can't come soon enough.

E3 2008: Christmas in July

2008-07-14T15:55:00.000-04:00

E3 is off to an explosive start this year as Microsoft finished their press conference a little while ago. I know it can be hectic trying to keep up with all of the news, videos, and what nots, so here are some links for you to browse and keep updated with all of the happenings at this year's E3.

-G4
-IGN
-Gamespot
-Gametrailers
-Kotaku
-Joystiq

I will post my impressions of the Microsoft press conference later on.

The Finish Line: Portal (XBox 360)

2008-07-10T17:35:00.000-04:00

So, after months of sitting on the shelf, The Orange Box found its way back into my Xbox 360 and I beat Portal. I stopped playing Portal back in the fall, where I was apparently two or three levels away from finishing the game. Good job, me.

Anyway, I think I enjoyed playing those last few levels as much as I enjoyed the game back when I first started playing. Which was a lot. In-between the long period of not playing, I purchased a Weighted Companion Cube plush and listened to the game's send-off song, "Still Alive." There are still a few advanced levels to finish. I will eventually get to those.

Oh, you might be wondering why I pulled The Orange Box off my shelf. Well, I purchased Top Spin 3 and I couldn't get by the character select screen. It would freeze every time I tried to either advance or browse athletes. I sent Microsoft an e-mail, so hopefully I will be sending in my Xbox 360 pretty soon. I can't wait to be on 360 number four.

Good times with TNA

2008-06-25T17:19:00.000-04:00

I have been on quite the wrestling binge as of late. I have been playing Fire Pro Wrestling Returns like it's my job, I watched WWE Raw (live) for the first time in months, and I can't get enough of this video showcasing the new TNA impact! game being released this fall.

Samoa Joe and AJ Styles lend their expert commentary skills to this virtual match-up between the two (they aren't the ones playing). While Styles takes most of the beating in the ring, he dishes out some pretty funny comments throughout the exhibition.

Keep reading to see the video.

While this isn't an astonishingly realistic wrestling simulator, it just looks like a lot of fun and is a nice alternative to the yearly let's-update-like-EA Smackdown Vs. Raw series. Also, I wouldn't judge the game solely on this video. The people controlling the characters seem to use just a handful of moves. And is it me or does this game remind you of WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game?

Spore Creature Creator released, ridiculous amounts of fun

2008-06-17T23:50:00.000-04:00

Last night I downloaded the trial version of Spore Creature Creator and have had a blast messing around in it. Yes, I only have two creatures created, but I have been tweaking them like crazy. Also, the more I see other people's creatures, the more I am thinking this isn't such a kid's game. Tomorrow, I will be sure to pick up the full version of the creature creator. In the meantime, take a look at my two creatures after the jump.

Woozhim
A double-mouthed monster that waddles like a duck. It likes to play tug o' war with itself, leaving it with no friends but itself.

Lava Elk
Experimented on by scientists and badly burned while escaping an erupting volcano, the Lava Elk in impervious to any form of fire. It looks out for the other animals in the forest and acts as a superhero to us humans.

The Finish Line: God of War (PS2)

2008-06-08T17:29:00.000-04:00

Although I play a lot of games, I rarely finish them due to new ones coming out all the time. Back in the day I used to buy games, play them for about 15 minutes (if that), and throw them to the curb for either a new game or a steady favorite. So, as of right now, I am basking in the glory of beating God of War (only about three years late).

The ending left me a little disappointed. I mean I expected what happened, but the last scene just seemed anti-climatic.

Besides that, the story kept me intrigued during a few annoying sections of the game. One that comes to mind is the platforming before you head into The Architect's Tomb. For some reason I could not get a handle on my jumps, and I wound up being asked by the game if I wanted to try changing the difficulty to easy. Screw you, God of War.