Happy Holiday's and my thoughts on supporting game developers

I'd like to start off by wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year! I hope everyone has a great Holiday no matter what you believe. This time of year is always my favorite and there are always a ton of games that come out around the Holiday season and this year was no exception, with the biggie being Call Of Duty Black Ops. Next year looks even bigger with another Call Of Duty game, Gears Of War 3, Star Wars Kinect, Mass Effect 3, Oblivion 5 and more slated to come out right in the Holiday season rush. Now I have a sneaking suspicion that some of these games will be pushed back a bit, but I'm not here to share my thoughts on that at the moment.

I'd like to say that 2010 was the year I've bought the most games in my whole life, in general I've spent more this year on gaming then any other year as a whole as well. I got the new XBox 360 slim, Kinect, Mass Effect 2, Fable 3, Splinter Cell Conviction, Kinect Sports and many, many more titles. I'll be the first to say I usually buy games used, I'll buy a game I'm not sure of used for certain. That being said I now realize the total lack of inventiveness in most games out in the world today, things are cookie cutter and they pump out sequels to no end. Even though I love Gears and Halo and Call Of Duty and I buy those games new, I also feel the need to buy other ips new and show support in that way as well. It's the people's lack of support that causes us as consumers to be bogged down with lackluster titles and sequels.

Great titles like Metro 2033 and certainly Alan Wake, both which are XBox 360 exclusives were both well received by critics, however they lacked the selling power of other games that came out this year. Alan Wake was a game made by Remedy and was in development for about five years. The graphics are wonderful and the story itself is amazingly well done. However, they decided to release it the same day as Red Dead Redemption and we can guess what happened to Alan Wake. It's sold only around one million units. It should receive a slight bump because the game is being bundled with the Xbox 360 Holiday bundle, which is $299 and comes with Alan Wake and Forza 3.

People talk big talk when it comes to "exclusives" but then they don't buy them. I mean I too am weary of blowing $63 on a new ip that I'm not sure about. A good comparison would be the new Epic made game "Bulletstorm". Now this game looks pretty good, an over the top style shooter. I have it on my maybe list, I love most everything Epic has done, especially Gears, but when I heard you can get access to the Gears 3 beta by pre ordering the Epic edition of Bulletstorm I felt the urge to do so, but at the same time I felt the urge to hold off a bit. Next year is going to start off with a ton of great games and I'm looking forward to Dragon Age 2 which hit's early on. I don't want to spend $2000 a year on games and gaming again next year, so perhaps I wait, but then again what if Bulletstorm is really amazing and yet other people think like I'm thinking? Then the game goes the way of other top games like Transformers War For Cybertron, which was an amazing game made with the Call Of Duty engine. It was really fun. I played the demo online and it was an utter blast. Instead of getting the game though I got a sequel to another game. Now Activision isn't sure if they want to put money out to do a sequel for the game or not.

Looking back I wish I had bought the game. I know a lot of you buy used games and I do too, but I urge you to really support the makers of interesting and new games as well as your favorites and sequels to your favorites. In this cookie cutter world we need new ideas and new directions to go. We as people are turning into such sheep and conformists it sometimes sickens me. A few examples of this are Myspace and Facebook. I loved Myspace when it first came out, you could design it the way you wanted it. Add your own music, backgrounds ect... Then Facebook comes out and people flock to it, though everyones page is all the same. Cookie cutter at it's best. People are also so worried about keeping up with technology and things like 3-D that movies and games both are going to suffer greatly. Companies will slap 3-D on something that is mediocre and it will cause a ripple effect on other media.

Why let what others think about games or movies or anything influence the way we feel about it? I've never lived my life this way, I've always paved my own way. Sometimes I'll be on a single player game, say Viva Pinata or Kameo, both games made by Rare and are Xbox 360 exclusives. I love these games, they are colorful and bright and a lot of fun. Yet some people might be ashamed to play those games for fear of what a fellow clan member or friend would say. My advice is don't miss out on amazing games, movies or music because your afraid to not be a sheep.

My new years resolution is to better support game developers and new ips. Who knows the next Halo or Gears could actually be better then those games. Sometimes you need to take a risk to reap the benefits.

Good day to you all and Happy Holidays from Crapgamer and Team {MOH}

Just finished up Mass Effect 2

So admittedly I loved the first Mass Effect game on the XBox 360, I really, really wanted to play the sequel that came out earlier this year, however at the time there were lot's of other games, mostly online multiplayer games that were about to come out that I thought would be more worth the $60 since they would have the online aspects.

Well I finally picked the game up a few weeks ago and was casually playing through it, then this last week I really got into the story and the fact that my previous game was imported into this one made it all the better, all my choices were saved, all my decisions had relevance and everything I said or did had a "Mass Effect" on this story as it were.

To be honest I enjoyed this game more then any other game I've ever played, the epic proportions to story telling and the characters and character development were tremendous!

There is about fifty hours of gameplay, without Down Load content and there might be a little bit more then that if you want to do all the little side missions and quests.

I truly love what Bioware has been able to do and this is more of the same, but taken to a whole new level. I enjoyed the interaction with the people, crew and even the quests were well done and actually fun. I am a person who hates level grinding, which is why I prefer the Western style RPG's.

I wont give away any of the story but it picks up where the first Mass Effect left off, the story itself is much better then 95% of the stuff coming out of Hollywood right now.

The boss battle was epic and there were surprises even after that. I already want to go and do the whole game again, not only to get the gamerscore for beating the game again, but I also want to get the other ending. I beat the game, but sadly three of my crew died. I'd like to try to get all of them through the battle the next time.

Anyway, Mass Effect 2 is my Game Of The Year without a doubt, the most complete game I've ever played.

Check it out if you haven't yet. You can get it new for like $17.99 right now.

A++ all the way. Take my word for it.

Call Of Duty Black Ops Review

Call Of Duty Black Ops is an interesting game in the storied Call Of Duty Franchise. I must admit I was disheartened with Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 last year, I went to the midnight launch at Gamestop and played the game and I enjoyed it for all of two days, then I got hit with people duel wielding model 1880 shotguns from across the map, super tact knifed by people holding the care package smoke and it got worse as the day's and week's went on.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Black Ops, I tried not to get my hopes up, after all Treyarch was making Black Ops as opposed to Infinity Ward, who made Call Of Duty 2, COD4 and MW2. Treyarch made COD3 and COD WaW. Now I enjoyed WaW a bit, so I was hoping it would be somewhere between COD4 and WaW.

The campaign in Black ops is solid, I really enjoyed it, short as it was I still found it really fast paced and to the point, it wasn't drawn out or anything like some games try to make their campaigns. You play as different people throughout history, mostly Cold War Era, though a WWII map comes at you with a familiar face or two.

After you beat the campaign you unlock the Zombie mode, which was a fan favorite in WaW, it's still a fun secondary game mode, it gives you more bang for your buck. Also there is a little easter egg in the title screen, if you toggle the left and right bumpers you get up from the chair and you can walk over to the computer screen and type in DOA and play a arcade style zombie shooter, it's a lot like the Indie game I M4d3 a g4m3 w1th z0mbi3s in it. It's quite fun, there are also other things you can input, like Zork and a few others you can look up on the internet.

The real meat and potatoes on Black Ops is of course the online mutiplayer. The thing I noticed right away was no Stopping Power perk, which at first I wasn't too sure about, now I've grown to like this. You see such a variety of guns being used now, unlike MW2 or COD4 or even WaW, where it was all MP40's all the time.

The other thing I really like about Black Ops is the fact that their is no "Game ending" Killstreak, also Killstreaks don't count towards other higher killstreaks. I've played around forty online matches and nobody on the other team has gotten past a 5 killstreak on us. The camping that made MW2 horrid is nowhere to be found here.

Shotguns are back to being a primary weapon instead of a secondary, which is how it should be. while there is some pistols you can duel wield , it isn't nearly as overpowering as in MW2. The maps are tight, most just the right size, there are some that have corners that are easy to camp, but it's rare to actually find people camping thus far in Black Ops.

Teamwork is needed more so in Black Ops as well, a solid team that communicates well will do much better then a group of highly skilled team that lacks communication. Also I must admit I love the credit and wager system, It's nice that you can just purchase sights and attachments to the guns you love without having to do a million different challenges with said weapon. Custom logo's and cards are also a nice touch, I've never seen so many dirty pictures in my life.

Now on to the bad parts of Black Ops. The only complaints I have are the lobby system, I'm not sure about other versions of the game, but on the Xbox 360 it can take upwards of thirty minutes to find a match, I hear Treyarch is already working on a patch for this though. To be fair there are over 3 million people on Black Ops at a time on 360 and this could be some of the issue.

Also, when we are able to find matches the other team backs out halfway through the game and for some reason, even with all the people on the game, no new people come into the lobby, so unless we get into a lobby just by ourselves, nobody else will ever join, you'll just sit there and wait until you back out and try again.

The lag is the other thing that I have a problem with, it's not "host lag" it's game lag, WaW had this issue as well, for some reason no matter the host or connection there is lag, it's very frustrating to say the least. This is another thing treyarch is supposed to be patching "soon"

I held off on a review for a few day's because I feel you cant accurately judge a game with just a hour or so of game time, now I have around six hours of multiplayer time and I've beat the campaign and played zombie mode. I feel now I can honestly say it's a unique Call Of Duty and it's a lot of fun when you actually get the chance to play in a room. When Treyarch fixes the issues, it'll be the best or one of the best in the series.

For now I give Black Ops 4.5 T-Bags out of 5.

My Kinect Review

Let me start by saying that I decided to get Kinect as I watched this past E3. I was impressed, I knew right away it probably wouldn't be something a clan can get behind, but as a gamer I saw the possibilities and I was pretty excited for this. I wasn't sure how it would work, it's pretty futuristic, I mean voice commands are nothing new, but what is new is the fact that these voice commands actually work. The sensor itself is rather small, they sell stands that lock them to the top of your television or stands that sit on the floor like a tripod, what's cool about Kinect is, it doesn't have to be right in front of your television to work.

I'll start with the positives. The sensor is extremely accurate, if you have enough room, around six feet from the sensor it's pinpoint accurate, if you have less room, it's still accurate but not pinpoint. It has facial recognition, which blew me away, I was playing it with Hellhammer and when he jumps in for his turn it automatically recognizes him and changes the avatar over to his, same with when it's my turn.

The games look good, colorful and are a lot of fun! Try it and you'll want one. Hellhammer was skeptical as well, but he was having a blast in no time, you totally forget your making an ass out of yourself and just have fun. That's why I got it. Above all else I'm a gamer, I was gaming on the Atari back in the day and I've been gaming since before internet enabled gameplay, so I just enjoy gaming for fun. This is a lot of fun.

The games can give you a good workout, it's so fun though that you don't even realize it until the next day when your arms and legs are a bit sore from gaming. The variety is a big plus as well, right now there is a wide array of different games to choose with more "Core" titles due next year, I knew that Dance Central was going to be a big hit, though it's not my thing, I can see why it's so popular.

The Kinect sensor has motors on it, so it tracks you, the sensor itself moves up and down and left to right.

Every Kinect game is online. I love the Wii, but to me a huge failure on the Wii is the lack of quality online, Microsoft made the online more of a social thing, you can disable voice chat and it matches you up against someone, so it's just fun, no trash talking, no B.S.

The games are cheaper then standard games, $49 is pretty fair, there is a lot of content and gamerscore to be had. I'm excited to see when some titles come available used.

Even though it's controller free, there are already some add on's.

Though the boat add on doesn't interest me, I'd love to see a Light saber add on down the road, maybe for that Star Wars Kinect game that is due out next year.

As for the negatives, I'd really say the price to some people $149 is a bit negative, but when you consider you need nothing else and it's capable to do multiplayer right out of the box and it comes with a game (Kinect Adventures) it's worth it. The best deal for Kinect would be to get the 360s Arcade bundled with Kinect for $299, you save $50 that way. That would be best for those new to the 360 and wanting to try Kinect.

If you have an older Xbox 360 you need to use a separate power cable that comes with Kinect as well as a USB cable that also comes with it, if you have a 360s, it hooks up into a USB hub in the new 360 and thats all you need, so it's very little to set up.

I'd also say if your strictly a "Core" or online shooter person you probably wont find much use for Kinect, though being able to use voice commands on the dash and control media this way is pretty nice on it's own.

If you get the chance though, try it. It's a lot of fun, you'll lose yourself just having a good time gaming, which is what it's all about right?

I'll give it 5 T-Bags out of 5. I wasn't prepared for it to work as well as it actually does, it's impressive to say the least.

I admit it, I'm a Xbox 360 fanboy

I guess it happened gradually over time. I really did try to be objective. In the past I've always enjoyed multiple gaming consoles, then again in the past I was able to actually have fun with the games themselves.
I recently bought the new Xbox 360 slim and I fell in love with it instantly, it's so small, quiet and efficient. I also paid for Kinect in full, which comes out November 4th, 2010. It was something I got more for myself then for clan gaming applications. Also I pre ordered Call Of Duty Black Ops. Now while that is a multi-platform game, I have started to consider those as 360 games. My reasoning is they are meant to run on the superior Xbox Live, more people buy multi-platform games on 360. I mean by a rather large margin, now there are a few exceptions, but games with online components always sell better on 360.
I also recently found myself buying up every and any 360 exclusive title, I didn't realize the sheer amount of quality games, Rare has mad some very enjoyable games for the Xbox 360 over the last few years. I also just bought all of the Halo games, so now I own Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo ODST, Halo Wars and recently at launch Halo Reach. I admit it, I'm a Halo fanboy as well. I enjoy the customization, community and game modes.
I was informed of an interesting fact the other day, Doom 1 on XBox Live arcade has more online users then the Playstation 3 title Killzone 2. A game from the 1990's has more players then the most hyped game of last year. That in itself is the problem I've found myself having with Sony and the PS3. There exclusive titles and even the Multi-platform games don't have a lasting community. I like competition, not running into the same people over and over again. It's like there are more people on Halo Reach at a time then all of PSN.
Rather then turning this into flame bait, I'll just say it's a lot of little things that made me such a fanboy of Microsoft and their console. Rather then hate because they are a quality company like so many seem to do. I realize the quality of the products they offer and they tend to cater more towards the American market, which makes me like them all the more. I used to use my PS3 to stream movies or play Blu Ray, but since I got my new slim I totally unhooked my PS3, using the HDMI cable on the slim and stream movies, Netflix right to my new 360. It has so many applications I cant help but use it everyday.
One of the biggest and best features I loved about XBox Live was the voice chat and Party chat, well with the new Dashboard update they improved the voice codecs and system even more! I am in the beta for it and the new voice chat sounds better then phone quality, better then Skype, it's simply amazing.
To me XBox Live is worth every red cent they get, people aren't stupid they know value and quality when they see it. PSN stopped being fun for me a long time ago, I guess I slowly started leaning more and more towards the 360, even though I tried not to be biased. I don't think I'm one of the crazy, hardcore fanboys, I just prefer the 360, the games on it, the communities, the competition and the little extra's.
To each their own, but in a way this is me coming clean finally about my love for the Microsoft brand.
Good day to you.

Halo Reach Blog Review!

The biggest game of 2010 was released recently. Halo Reach! This Xbox 360 exclusive is the 4th release in the huge flagship series on the Microsoft consoles. The original Halo was the first "Killer App" on the original Xbox console. Bringing the FPS genre to the forefront in a way it had never really been done before. Usually FPS games were only on P.C. Halo changed all of that.

I must admit that I wasn't really a FPS fan, though I did enjoy the original Halo and Halo 2 even more then the first. Online was a different story, I was used to 3rd person shooters and the look and feel of an FPS was a bit challenging at first. I enjoyed Halo 3, mostly the custom games and the campaign was amazing. Reach however wasn't a sequel but rather a prequel.

Prequels are all the rage these days, it seems people like to start there stories out at the midway point instead of the beginning! (Thanks George Lucas!) Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect from Reach, I knew the online multiplayer would be tight and it certainly is, I'll get to that a bit more in a minute. Where Reach really shines is the campaign.

The story is set on the doomed planet of Reach, those in the know, know exactly what's about to go down and it isn't going to be pretty. The voice acting and cut scenes are some of the best I've ever seen in a video game. You actually care about your teammates and that's something long missing from the Halo series. There are new weapons and new vehicles and a bigger emphasis on squad based combat. The battles are plentiful and the sheer amount of enemies on the screen at the same time is impressive. Bungie went and wrote a whole new engine for Halo Reach, went back to the basics and it shows. The models look better then ever, especially the Elites and the Grunts. Elites are once again menacing and tough to bring down. There are eleven levels in the campaign and my favorite was the space combat levels, they are well done and amazing to look at and take part in. It is slightly like the space combat from Star Wars Battlefront 2, but done on a much grander scale and with the graphics amped up to level ten.

One of the best things about Halo has always been the Co-Op campaign option and so that's what I jumped in with, 4 player online Co-Op. I'm surprised more games don't offer this, I'm happy to see newer games are starting to step up and offer something Halo has been doing for years and years now. Myself, Icecreamman, Hellhammer and Striker jumped into the Reach campaign on Legendary and had an absolute blast! it's the best campaign in the Halo series and you'll need your teammates every step of the way. I wont spoil the plot or anything, but this is what gaming is all about, playing through some games with your buddies in a Xbox live party chat. It just doesn't get any better then that. The campaign we beat over a two day period and probably took us about 10 hours to complete, keep in mind that was on Legendary. I will say, stick around until after the ending credits for a little playable Easter Egg.

Now on to the multiplayer. There are so many options here it's unbelievable! seventeen multiplayer maps, including the new "Firefight" mode. New weapons like the grenade launcher, plasma launcher and more. The Needler is back and is once again effective. They have done away with duel wielding weapons. They give you class based options now as well. You can choose to have either Sprint, Jetpack, Hologram, cloak with scrambler. I really enjoy Sprint, it makes it more like some other FPS games, but it's sprint on a limited basis, so it's more realistic then even on Call OF Duty.

You can totally customize your character and spend Credits you earn from completing challenges and getting kills and finishing maps. You can rank up as well. You can even purchase firefight mode voices. Everything is totally customizable. The new game modes are a lot of fun, I enjoy Swat. Which is pretty much a "hardcore" mode. If you get a headshot, the other player dies instantly. Simply put, it's a game mode with no shields and no frags. In a lot of ways, this is more realistic then Call Of Duty as well. There is enough content to keep you busy for years and years to come.

This in my opinion is the best Halo game to come out. It's the most complete both online and offline. The party system is redone and is really working well. The servers are supporting well over one million players at the same time! Halo Reach has already broken records for sales, over two hundred Million in sales day one! It's the flagship series at it's best. If you like FPS games or if you've casually enjoyed any of the Halo games then this is the game you've been waiting for.
It get's five fucking T-Bags out of five.

The lone negative thing I can say isn't really even negative. I will say this game takes skill and there is a learning curve. If you are expecting to hop on the game like you can on a Call Of Duty game and go positive and make an impact for your team you might be a bit disappointed. This is a skill game, finesse and strategy. Thats what I enjoy about it. You might not. This is a must have for any and all XBox 360 owners though.

*5* out of *5*
--Crapgamer

Woe to all ye trash talkers

This blog was brought to you by ICM's generosity.

Well I was playing Modern Warfare 2 last night, as usual, when suddenly I am being trash talked, as usual. This just flat out gets me that half the people that play online games do it while trying to insult others. Sure it doesn't ever get under my skin, I can always yell back "TOGGLE MUTE!" (Clan joke). Regardless, I just don't understand the logic of both the insulters and the insulted.

For instance, I'll be playing maybe search and destroy. I completely wreck the other team with a sniper rifle, only to be greeted with "Hard-scoping NooB!", "Wow thermal!", ect. For one, I don't understand whats so bad about using a sniper rifle as intended. I'd feel bad for the kid's family when he goes off into the marines as a sniper going, "LOL watch dis guys, Imma quick scope him in the face." Followed by him breaking an arm, giving off his position, and dieing. Thermal scopes on the other hand, it's in the game, go complain to Infinity Ward.

The comment on thermal brings me to another point, I have literally heard someone say, "Wow red dot sight!" after dieing. Is it really that bad to die from me that you have to find SOMETHING wrong with my weapons? I'll never understand it. Also, what is the deal with lately half the guns in the game being called a noob weapon following the name caller's own demise from that said weapon? The whole game is noob, more so the people who die a lot in it.

Now I also tend to get the complete trash talkers who comment on things outside of the game. My all time favorite is being called a 30 year old virgin who lives in my mom's basement by some Alvin and the Chipmunks' new cast member. Its funny for several reasons:
1. I live in Florida, ah how basements and flooding don't mix.
2. I'm not even 30 and would love to still be gaming at 30.
3. The people saying this couldn't even walk into a game store browsing Modern Warfare 2 before a clerk tells him to get his parent.

There is also the infamous mother jokes, but we will just skip those and move onto the get a job and or life insults. For one, I have never ever ever ever ever understood the insult, "Get a life." Perhaps a better insult would be, "Get some recreational activities and or hobbies besides playing the game." That wouldn't sound as cool would it!? I also like the get a job one, seeing as I am paying for my own Live, bought my own Xbox and Modern Warfare 2. Yet the kids telling me this most likely couldn't even get hired as bag boy at their local Publix.

Lastly, lets discuss the different comebacks and ways to combat trash talking. In all my time I have seen all too many people get terribly upset about insults. The #1 way to combat these still remains to ignore the trash talkers, yet most feed them. Every once in a while I'll insult them back and make this whole block look hypocritical. Though I never use the above methods of trash talk and tend to just tell them to "GTFO." Just laugh with them if you can't ignore it, try to understand their ways of thinking, or just get completely pissed and threaten to fly to their state and settle it. Whatever works for you!

All in all I just find it funny and sad that the Modern Warfare community is like this, I'm sure many other games are too. What kind of world have we come to that small children go around insulting people twice their age or near it with little to no consequences. Perhaps that leads to a bigger question, where is the parents?

Cant win them all

So last night we did a GameBattles match on the Xbox 360 for Modern Warfare 2 and we lost. Sometimes when this happens I often feel like I have to put on my cheerleading face and tell people it's not as dire as it seems, it's only a loss and nobody can win them all. When you put up match finders you never know who will accept them and with all the hacks and glitches going on now, you never know if you do lose, if it's even a legitimate loss.

I guess coming from a game like Star Wars Battlefront 2, which was such a small community, maybe eight hundred to one thousand players all time and probably less then seventy five clans all time you get a little spoiled. We lost all of one times on that game. If you look at Gamebattles teams, rarely do you actually see a "Clan" like on Star Wars Battlefront. Usually it's just players teaming up trying to be perfect and disbanding after a loss. We never disband and I guess don't care as much about losing with so much competition, it'd be foolish to think you could win all your matches all of the time.

It always mystified me when a team would have hundreds of wins in a season on GameBattles, then lose one or two matches, then disband. Where is the logic behind this? I know competition on the Xbox 360 can be ferocious but some people tend to take it too seriously. Losses come with the territory. I remember a season on COD4 where we lost every single GB in a season. Granted it was only like eight or ten that season, but still. You don't pack it in and you don't give up.

There are even some clans that came out of Star Wars Battlefront 2 afraid to move on because they will probably lose some matches and don't want to ruin the mystique. There is no such thing as perfection, there is always someone better and there is always a bigger fish so to speak.
Game for fun, game for whatever reason you want, but the minute you start to take it too seriously or a loss is something you lose sleep over, then gaming probably isn't for you. Personally I can get very competitive and I want to win, but I don't sweat a loss.

I guess what I'm saying is losing comes with any competition, you cant win them all and just because you cant and wont win them all, doesn't mean you shouldn't compete. Try your best and see what happens. Just don't take it too hard on the chin if you get knocked down, cause it's always more important how many times you get back up.

The start of a game developing company

So while I don't make my private life public, it isn't a secret I work with animals and own my own Dog training company. Have for some time. Being in that industry I tend to see some thing's I'd wish I hadn't.
Gaming has always been an outlet for me, a way to have some fun, a hobby.
Well lately It's been a bit more then a hobby and so as I close in on the big 30, which is still a couple years away, I began to think about changing some things in my life. Now I doubt I ever cut animals out of my life completely, I'll volunteer and still work and train dogs here and there, especially at first, nothing much will change.

What is all this getting at? Well going back to school to design, develop video games. My brother (Hellhammer/William) is getting his certifications and has been doing tech and design for years already. Also in College for graphics and game desgin.
So we have decided to try to come out with our own game developing company. I know it sounds far fetched to some people, but Hellhammer has actual been making games for years, mostly on P.C. and mostly classic style side scrolling platform games.

It's definitely not a joke, gaming is an industry not in danger of going anywhere, it gains annually and is a fun environment to work in and around. Microsoft makes it very easy as well. you can get there dev kits for indie Arcade style games easily and it's $100 for a game to go up for a year on XBox Live. Now you can only charge $1 to $3 for your game, but it's a start.
The goal is to have two arcade titles out before the end of 2011. By then we will both have finished school and hopefully be able to start our own Game company. It will be small at first, but I would love to mold it in the style of Bioware, with an emphasis on good games, doesn't really matter they type. I love Shooters so if we work on one of those it will be done right, I think the fact that we are clan gamers we know what's good and what doesn't work. Sometimes I get the feeling game developers don't have any idea what the people actually want.

I also love retro gaming and 2-D platform games are something that has always interested me. Throw in the mix the Western style RPG's much like what Bioware offers and that will combine my love for writing and gaming.

Of course for the foreseeable future we have to keep the day jobs, but it's a nice thing to get involved in. Probably going to start with a small group, like maybe four to six people, hopefully we can catch on. Some of the Xbox Live indie games have really caught on and I am hoping we can do the same.

We will be coming up with a name and unveil it soon, something catchy and maybe with "Mercenary" or "Nomad" in the titles somewhere.

Why would I change my career now you ask? Well I tend to think when you have done something a long time, sometimes a change is needed. I have actually been in the animal industry for about twelve years already. I mean everyone evolves and everything changes. Sometimes it's good to get a jump on the change instead of just sitting back and getting smacked in the face by it.

Gamer hypocrites, What makes them tick?

Okay so with E3 so close I was thinking a bit about some thing's I've heard over the years.
One was from Sony fans. I think close to 100% of them have said at one time or another "I will never pay for online gaming". Now we see that PSN is about to offer up a Paid service, much like XBL and all of a sudden the PS3 fans are all over it. It seems so odd to me.

One of the other hypocrisy's is when people call Microsoft's Natal a "Ripoff of The Eyetoy". Yet, they don't see any similarities with the Move and the Wii Mote? Or take note that a Paid PSN service is a direct ripoff of XBL? Or Trophies being a direct answer and ripoff to the Achievement system on XBL?
It goes even deeper, I mean Sony is talking about Satellite radio, cross party chat and both of those have been on XBL a while now.

There is yet even more hypocrisy. We hear about how well the PS3 did when a slim version came out and it's true, it sold well for the first few months, then leveled off, but Sony got a nice little push nonetheless. Now for some strange reason, Sony fans don't think or neglect to admit that a slim Xbox 360 could very well see the same increase. I am not sure why though? I mean it's obvious a redesign would sell well, calm fears of Red Ring and bring in new Xbox 360 owners as well as old ones who are looking for for a newer version of the system.

Hypocrisy doesn't just end with the the Sony fans, but with Sony themselves. In 2006 at their E3 event they clearly said "We are certainly not interested in gimmicks" and basically berated Nintendo for using motion controls and "Gimmicks" yet now we see them copying Nintendo right down to the controller and they are pushing 3-D which has historically been a fad and comes and goes throughout history. What is 3-D if not a attempt at a gimmick?

So I guess I wonder what makes people act this way? I mean people especially on this site take their console so seriously and I mean, sure I prefer the Xbox 360 and get a laugh out of how hardcore some of these fans are, but often it borders on fanatical.

Another example is Sony fans thinking the "Move" is going to be for hardcore gamers while "Natal" will be for casual gamers. I mean really? Clearly both are trying to go after the Nintendo casual market, I am sure there will be some hardcore games on both, but it wont be the norm for either. Clearly.

Next we come to pricing on these items. If you go by the rumors. "Move" is going to be $99 and Natal $149. What Sony fans fail to admit is, you only need one Natal for everyone in the same house to play it together. While you need to buy additional controllers if you want more then one person to play the "Move". Which means it would actually cost more in the long run with Move.

Ignorance, while can be found on both sides, is really evident on the Sony side. I mean in every article on N4G that has Microsoft or Natal in it are usually hung up in limbo waiting to get approved, while Sony fans try to find fault with the articles.

I'm not saying 360 fans are better or Nintendo fans, but especially on this site, the ignorance and hypocrisy is some of the worst I've ever seen.

It's like, How excited should people get over a gaming console? Especially a last place one that previously dominated the market the last two generations?

SO I guess I would suggest that some of you need to relax a bit and not take thing's too seriously. I mean I've been gaming since the 1980's and there is always fanboys, but instead of getting mad, try getting a laugh. I sometimes will post something just to get a laugh or whatever.
Relax.

Reality versus perception for a gamer

As a gamer in my 20's I often here how I'm a no life for playing or liking video games, never mind the fact that the average gamers age is actually 35. I guess people think once you hit 18 or become an adult your supposed to stop the thing's you enjoyed when you were growing up? Well I don't think so, in fact I feel and think and believe in the same thing's I did when I was 16, 17, 18 years old as I do now.

I actually use online gaming as a nice release, my job tends to see a lot of suffering and abused animals and to be honest I've dealt with a ton of really, really cold hearted people. Animal abusers and such. I pretty much like to think of the outlandish way I act online is just that an act.
It's a fun and entertaining way for me to blow off some steam. Take Howard Stern for example, does anyone still think he is like the person he portrays on the radio? I don't think so.

Does that mean I take crap from people in real life? Hell no! I absolutely don't take crap from anyone, I don't care who they are. Not to brag but I've never lost a fight and anyone with a brain wouldn't want one with me. I am a big guy and there is no shame in my game, my pictures up everywhere, I played High School and College Football, currently I own my own successful Dog training business, but I spend a lot of time volunteering, mostly helping to rehabilitate abused animals.

Success is measured in different ways, I mean I own a business, house, cars, nice things, electronics and I am in school learning how to design Video games and working on computer graphics as well as programing. I am learning these thing's just to expand my knowledge and to get a little change of pace, sometimes dealing with abused animals can be tough, it would be nice to work in a cleaner environment without the harshness that I often see.

I like to think of my clan as being the classic villain, the one with the mustache who is over the top and annoying, the more buttons we can push the better I like it. Not because I'm a bad guy, but because it's all fun and games. If anyone takes what my clan or I say seriously then you need to get some thicker skin.

The perception I here most often is as follows:
1.I'm a no life
2.I live in my moms basement
3.I'm a little punk kid who would get my ass kicked
4.I'm an asshole who must not have a girlfriend or friends in real life

The Reality is:
1."No Life" is all relative, I own and run a business, have a nice personal life, have time to volunteer and go to school and the people who call me a no life because I'm better then them at a video game are on said video game at the same exact time as I am. WTF???
2.I live in Florida, sorry no Basements here. Fact is I have lived on my own since I was 17 years old. I do well for myself and have owned my own house for years.
3.I'm in my 20's and I'm 6'5" and about 330 pounds, I don't take crap from anyone.
4.In real life I'm far from an asshole, I help out whoever I can as often as I can, Animals people, anyone in need. I trained dogs for Domestic violence victims as well as seeing eye dogs for the blind.


Am I competitive? Hell yes! No matter what I'm doing I want to win and be the best I can be. Am I the best at everything? Nope! Not even close. I wont admit it often though. I don't care if it's bowling, fishing, video games, football, cards, pool....It don't matter.

If I were a terrible person or a bad leader I doubt I'd be able to inspire the greatness from my clan over the last 3 years. 100's of members and over a 700% winning percentage.
Are we cocky? Hell Yes! then again I don't claim all these things and spout off that were "humble" I don't apologize for anything over the internet or games.


So in closing, don't take the person at the other end of the voice chat or chat box seriously. Most likely they aren't being themselves, most people feel powerful online because there are no consequences. So just ignore it or have fun back, but remember if your calling someone a "no life" but on the same game at the same time, your an "Idiot" or possibly "Canadian" Just chill and go with it. the internet is where we are freest to do and say what we want. We kill Nazi zombies, Locust hordes and stop terrorists in their tracks! I like to hear colorful people over the mic, so like I said don't take it seriously, don't get mad, just go with it and have some fun.

Why Sony and the PS3 have failed this generation.

Remember the 1990's and early 2000's? WHen you thought of a Sony gaming console what comes to mind? Fun, great selection, affordable. It's not too bold to say that Sony owned the Console market then.

The Playstaion 1 was so great, it had a ton of fantastic titles and a controller that was revolutionary. Then the PS2 came out and was the biggest console EVER! It was everywhere and introduced DVD players into everyone's Home.

The game selections, the online service, while raw, was still there. The exclusive titles. Sony had a foot hold on the gaming community and it didn't look like they would ever give it up.

Then came the next generation of consoles. Microsoft took notes on what Sony did before. They offered an affordable console, great exclusives and the best online you could have. See the Original Xbox had the best graphics and the best technology the previous generation, but the PS2 still won because, even with less tech it had games and was fun. People don't care as much about Graphics and people tend to think.

So Microsoft does the right thing, what does Sony do?

Well they cram a bunch of high tech and a lot of useless stuff in the PS3, 2 proscessors, 4 USB ports, All kinds of different flash drive ports, backwards compatability, Wi-Fi, Blu Tooth, Blu Ray and a whole list of other stuff that most people didn't have a need for. All of this could be yours for the low low price of $600 + tax.

See, while Microsoft was busy taking notes, Sony was not paying attention to what people actually wanted.

The high powered graphics, which really aren't much better then the 360, but cost much, much more to make, weren't that important to people as a whole. If Sony had just made a next generation console that was affordable and then had some of those add-on's for the people that needed them. Personally, I don't need Wi-Fi or 4 usb ports or 4 flash drives or Blu tooth on a GAMING CONSOLE.

If they had just gone back and done what they did with the PS2 and PS1 then they would be owning this generation too. The mass amounts of people who owned a PS2 (130+ million units sold) were all waiting and willing and wanting the next Sony Console. Then Sony went and alienated there fanbase.

Sony needed to make the PS3 competitive, affordable and easy to use. Keep it simple, but most of all, they should have saw how well the original Xbox' Superior online service was doing and tried to improve on there own online service.

Instead of good online on the PS3, we get a laggy, uninspired, Mess. Now only did PS3 people have to wait almost three years for a decent game to play, they had to pay $600 for the console itself. Then had to buy High Def cables and a headset for online. That's before you even have a game.

Another failure for Sony this round is the PSP, while I actually kind of liked the PSP, I bought one, then quickly realized there are no good games for it, so I sold it. Then what does Sony do? Makes a PsP Go and sells it for $250, and it only offers "Download only games" plus any PSP games you already had, you had to re-purchase for the PSP Go.

That thing flopped big time.

I know there are hard core PS3 and Sony fans, but the numbers don't lie. The PS3 could have and should have the market this generation. If you go by the numbers, the PS2 was out-selling the PS3 for the first year and people with PS3's were buying more PS2 games and playing them on there PS3's, which is a big reason they stopped the backwards compatability feature in PS3's.

It was Sony's Generation to lose and they sure lost it.

I was one of the suckers to buy into some of the hype, wish I hadn't. Sony needs to go simple next cycle. Simple, affordable console, with great online and great online features. Like Better voice chat and headsets.

I think we are stuck with the PS3 for the next few years at least with the recession, and with the PSP Go Flop, I doubt Sony rushes to make a new console or handheld system anytime soon.

Microsoft took nots and expanded on what had worked previosly, there console only sold 25 million, but 20+ million had sined up for there paid online service. So they expanded on that and now have the best online service around.

Sony, likes to point out that their online service is free, but you tend to get what you pay for. Also, anyone who paid $600 for their PS3 did pay for online, it was built in to the cost of the machine.

See Sony didn't give their customers a choice really, they thought people would follow them into Hell, but people were smarter this time around.

If you just wanted a bare bones gaming machince you could pick up a Xbox 360 for less then $200, there was no option like that for PS3.

I was a fan of Sony, now I see it was all about the money. They didn't even lower the price on the PS3 until game developers threatened to stop support for there console.

Sony, you have failed this generation, the numbers don't lie. How people can claim otherwise is a mystery to me.

Clearly going from 1st place to last place and from selling 130+ million consoles to under 35 million should tell you something about the product your shoveling.

We don't want 3-D Sony, we don't want expensive, we don't want a million flash drives, USB drives, Blu tooth drives etc... We want affordable, easy to use and good online.

Better luck next time.

What I expect at E3 this year and what you can expect

As we close in on another E3 I have an optomistic outlook on what's coming up, I am waiting on a few big announcements and most are from Microsoft. However I am certainly hoping for certain games to be announced as well.

Microsoft:

1.Slim Xbox 360---They are going to rebrand themselves and help this console cycle last longer

2.Project Natal---I am loving this new tech, MS hasn't shown their hand with this yet, unlike Sony's "Move"

3.The Xbox 360 Slim bundled with Project Natal, The biggest rumor is bundled together for $250 or $299

4.3-D gaming and movies--I am not a fan of this new 3-D fad, but I know something is in the works for MS.

5.Gears Of War 3---The first two Gears games sold more then 12 million units, I want to hear details, so far I like the idea of the Double barrel shotguns and dedicated servers

6.Halo Reach--The biggest game of the year is going to be Halo Reach, I want some new details

7.Microsoft Portable---This could very well be the biggest surprise at E3, a handheld system from MS

8.Fable 3---I love the Fable series and I am very interested in seeing what this new chapter holds

9.Natal Games, now most people are writing Natal off (or MS haters anyway) as a "Mini game" or "Casual gamer" device, but with "Rare" "Konami" "microsoft Studios" "Lionhead Studios" "EA" all working on projects to use with Natal, I suspect it will have a lot more applications then just casual stuff. Rumor has it a Metal Gear Solid game, Ghost Recon, Fable 3 we know will work with it. So I am excited.

10.Crackdown 2---This underrated game could be a sleeper hit, the stylish graphics and sandbox gameplay are addicting

11.Dead or Alive game--This rumor is running crazy these days

12.Killer Instinct 3---Another Rumor, but weould be amazing to see

13.Ninja Gaiden----This is almost a certainty at this point, new Ninja Gaiden game, whats not to love?

14.Forza 4--Could Microsoft really get 3 Forza games out before Sony get's GT out? Yes!

15.Lost Odyssey 2--This will most likely happen and be announced

16.Blue Dragon 2---A great RPG series and a sequel I've been looking forward to for a long time.

17.Final Fantasy Versus will be announced as being no longer a Sony Exclusive.

Now on to

Nintendo:

1. The 3-DS--Word is it's a portable gamecube with 3-D, 3-D without wearing glasses. There is a switch to turn it off though, So I am very interested to see where this is going.

2.Zelda, a new Zelda game is going to be announced this E3 and I am looking forward to it.

3.Super Mario Galexy 2--Nuff said

4.Mario Kart racing 2--The first one was amazing and I really cant wait for this

5.Metroid, other M--This game has had me drooling since last year

6.Mad World 2---The First one was amazing, too bad it didn't sell too well, but an amazing game

7.Resident Evil game---We know ones coming out

8.New colors? Here's hoping for all the flashy colors Nintendo Promised us years ago

Now on to

Sony:

1.Resistance 3-Will be announced

2.Killzone 3--*Sigh*

3.Infamous 2---We wont see much on it, and it wont be out this year, but expect to see something on it

4.Playstation Wiimote...err I mean "Move"--- Party games anyone? Wii HD anyone?

5.Little Big Planet 2--Even though they said they wouldn't make a sequel because it would alienate the fans

6.Gran Turismo 5? Maybe.......

The other big thing I am hoping for is.....

The announcement of STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 3!!!!!!

Star Wars Battlefront 2 was my first online game and how I got into clan gaming, it's been 5 years and nothing has come out for next generation consoles yet. Production has been halted due to studios closing, thanks to terrible games (Haze, Lord of The Rings Conquest, Socom Confrontation) When we saw the leaked video of what was going to be SWBF3, it was amazing. I am looking forward to this very much.

All in all it's Microsoft's year to lose, they sat back and weathered the storm from Sony last year and now they get to make their move, slim 360, Natal, games almost every month. possible handheld....It's not there time to shine.

A Blog About us {MOH} (Mercenaries Of Honor)

What is {MOH}? Well {MOH} is Mercenaries Of Honor, we are a gaming clan and gaming community. Gathering many, many members the clan has swelled to over one hundred members on numerous occasions. We have seen many up's and very few down's in our time gaming competitively. Founded in 2007 by Crapgamer, Mercenaries OF Honor was successful right away, compiling a winning percentage of 80%.
Starting out on a PS2 game called Star Wars Battlefront 2, {MOH} Compiled a 53-1 record all time and a spot in the top 5 clans of all time. Racking up 170 map wins and only a meager 15 map losses. Soon after domination SWBF2, {MOH} moved on to Battlefield 2 Modern Combat on the PS2, Compiling a impressive 10-0 record with wins over rivals {SOR} and Rx2, forcing both off that game altogether.
With the next generation of gaming consoles starting to pick up steam {MOH} gave up on the PS2 side of things. Switching to the XBox 360 and Halo 3. Quickly compiling a 12-4 record on a very difficult game and challenging ladder on Gamebattles. Some people in the clan loved the game while others didn't exactly make a smooth transition from traditional combat games to the more arcade style that is prevalent in Halo 3.
COD4 is where {MOH} really picked up steam, on both the XBox 360 and PS3, {MOH} on it's first season on the XBox 360 for COD4 compiled an impressive 38-14 record on Gamebattles. Overall on the Xbox 360 {MOH} compiled a 162-34 record on COD4 on Gamebattles, having the best season be the Summer of 2009 where {MOH}finished in 29th place out of 10,000 teams while compiling a 79-9 record and an equally impressive 62 game winning streak, making the playoffs for the first time.
Over on the PS3 side, {MOH} got out to a impressive 22-1 record, making the top 15 before the team was "Phished" and then deleted. The PS3 COD waw team was equally off to a good start, getting into the top 40 on gamebattles before the same thing happend. "Phishing" is where someone directs you to a page like Gamebattles "log in" page but instead of it being a real "Log in" page it's a fake, designed to get your password information. Once someone has it, then they can kick the members from your team and there is no way to get it back.
Back to the Xbox 360 side of things, {MOH} decided to go in a less traditional game and tried their hand at Left 4 Dead, Garnering a 5-1 record while defeated the 2nd ranked team to propel ourselves into 48th place for that game. Also playing COD waw, {MOH} compiled a 48-5 record on that game on the Xbox 360 as well. Having a most impressive 39-3 Rookie campaign.
Finally COD MW2 was another {MOH} success story, compiling almost 40 wins and a mere 16 losses in the inaugural Gamebattles season for the game. Beating 5 top 25 teams and in the playoff hunt until scheduling conflicts forced many of the team to not be available for matches. Even so, it didn't dampen the clans spirits in the least. We will continue to be most active in the Summer and Spring time.
Many people think the clan is cocky, and we are, we have managed to do the best out of every clan that started on SWBF2. We show people to their seat and that's just the way we are. We tea-bag, we trash talk, we back it up. People may not like it, but they cant deny the talent and the winning %. THE BEST CLAN TO COME OUT OF STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 2, hand's down, no question about it. {MOH} has had a lot of success with minimal practices and minimal strats . Aside from SWBF2 and COD4 in our 79-9 playoff season, we rarely practice, even so, we managed to get sponsored by Turtle Beach, Influential gaming and other outlets.
Mercenaries Of Honor has seen the top, never seen the bottom and never will, the clan will continue to be a haven of second chances. Ego's aren't a problem, trash talking is welcomed, we hold our own because we bust each others chops more then anyone else ever could, so we already have a thick skin. Even though we might hate on each other at times, we always have each others back. People may question the seniority rules, but they work. If you've been in the clan longer, your going to get picked up to play in a pub over a newer recruit.
People can find fault with crapgamers leadership and with the clan as a whole, but bottom line is, NOBODY, NOBODY can question the talent and what the clan has done. We don't regret anything, we have haters and admirers. If you hate us it's because you probably were slapped around by us or beaten and berated by us.That's the way it goes. Slap, Slap, Slap, Slap, Slap.
-{MOH} We Die Hard
-{MOH} We Regulate
-{MOH} Get at Us
-{MOH} You cant do what we do