RLW Blogs

Happy Birthday to the Man Who Started It All

2010-05-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to take some to wish our founder a happy birthday. Walter Day turns 61 years young today.

Walter, you are competitive gaming's true pioneer. You have inspired me to take my favorite modern system (Wii) and some of it's games to levels not known to the "hardcore" crowd. You have paved the way for anyone who ever wanted to play for a World Record. Even if today's modern tournament crowd doesn't realize it, what you did for the last three decades opened the door for those players today.

Let us take this day to honor competitive gaming's first world champion. Happy Birthday, Walter.

Anime Castle Tournament

2010-05-03T13:25:00.004-04:00

I went to Anime Castle in Flushing to compete in my first Super Street Fighter IV tournament. Didn't do well. I felt there were some things that I should have done differently.

My mistakes:

1: Assuming my opponent play will they the rest of you competition does

While waiting for my match I was watching the other matches play through. I saw some not-so-spectacular players. When it was time for me to play I automatically thought my oppenent would be easy to be. Actually he played a better Zangief that I gave him credit for. Caught me off guard.

2: Not switching my character when I should have

During when I lost my first fight Zangief I stuck with Sakura, only to get knocked into losers. I think I could have saved myself by picking somebody with more tools against Zangief.

3: Not playing with my own arcade stick, or one like it.

The tournament was on a PlayStation 3, a system I don't have (I play on Xbpx 360). I played my matches on a loaner stick, a Hori Real Arcade Pro 3. In my second match against Juri I played pretty well on the first fight. Just when I was about to win it...accidental pause on my side. That took away my win and killed my well-needed momentum. I still fought hard to the end but my tournament life ended early.

The stick I use is the TE FightStick from Mad Catz. The Mad Catz sticks have their Start and Back buttons on the front side where the wire comes out while the HARPs have their Start and Back buttons on the face with the other buttons. I should have asked to borrow a Mad Catz stick. I highly doubt the pause would have happened if I played on one.

I have certainly learned from the errors I have made in Flushing tournament. Next tournament I will certainly come in more focused and better prepared.

WCG Ultimate Gamer 2 Auditions

2010-04-22T16:21:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday I auditioned for the WCG Ultimate Gamer 2. I did quite a bit preparations to get ready for the auditions. I picked out an outfit that made me stand out from everybody else. I thought it helped me stand out from the bunch. I would have bought a Wii shirt from the store but I wound up not getting that. I didn't really "train" for the audition because of my two jobs, but I already knew what games were gonna be there because of the Facebook posts from the LA auditons. They were Modern Warfare 2 and Street Fighter IV, which I already play and consider myself enough good not to worry about it, and Forza 3, for which I simply played the demo a few times and called it a day. I was so sure I was gonna make it far I sent for a rush delivered passport so I would have it in time for the show. I was thinking about certain questions casting might ask me and coming up with some answer so I don't trip up if somebody asks me a surprise question.

When I got to the Samsung Experience and stood in line. The casting staff insisted that they were looking for people with both personality. Fine by me. I felt that I could outplay most of the crowd no matter what game were in auditions. And when it comes to personality, I'm not exactly Caffeine Free Coke. They also recommend letting your personality out when you are playing by interacting, thrash-talking etc. Huh? For starters we were playing against the computer so it was pointless trash talking. And I would LOVE to see how one would interact with somebody who is not even in the same game as you. When I play in a tournament, or during a record attempt, I don't say pretty much. It doesn't mean I have no personality. I'm just trying to put full focus into my game.

Game 1: Forza 3

When I went up to the station, the car was pre-selected for me and I was told to just start the race. I did okay with the car that I had in the demo but the car I was made to use drives completely different. Turning was a disaster. I couldn't get a good finish so I settled for finishing in reverse to give the judges some to think about... and even reversing was a hassle. Later in the day I found out that the car used for auditions was a front wheel drive and has its engine in the rear. No wonder why that thing was hard to drive.

Game 2: Modern Warfare 2

He we played a Sec-op mission O Cristo Redentor on Hardened. Casting gave us a two minute and thirty second time limit, so we had to chose between rushing in and getting killed early and waiting for shots and use up time. I managed to beat 10 enemies under these conditions. I wish I could have played against a person, but whatever.

Game 3: Street Fighter IV

Nothing thing much to talk about. Beat one computer opponent on hard. Whoopee.

After I was done with that it was time for me to get interviewed. I told them about my self and what I have been doing in gaming. I showed -- not told -- showed them that I was in Guinness Gamers Edition for Soul Cailbur IV, season 1's final game. The interview ended with the casting director saying they would call me if the wanted me for tomorrow. I didn't get that call.

I thought about making this post a gigantic rant about I how I should be on the show over person A or Person B, but there is enough of that on the web already, and I'm trying to cut down on that personally. I played my best. I answered the questions the best I could. I supposed they didn't have a spot I could fill for UG2. I all can do is wish everyone who is still in the running well and prepare myself for season 3 auditions.

Guinness World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition

2010-01-09T11:12:00.003-05:00

I finally managed to find a copy of Guinness World Record 2010 Gamer's Edition. Some things about this year's book is quite different from 2009. First off, Brady Games, known for strategy guides, became is the publisher for the 2010 version of the book. The other: It's paperback. This may have lowered the price of the book from $21.95 to $15.95, but I would have gladly paid the former price if it meant not having to worry about ruining the pages or cracking the spine.

As for what's inside the book, it pretty much remains consistent with the previous Gamer's Editions with the usual updates on world records and games that came out throughout the year, and of course, the Twin Galaxies high score section.

As would anyone I looked through the book to see if any familiar names. I looked through the Twin Galaxies section and I saw that I'm in the section a second time in a row (this year for Soul Cailbur IV, Original Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort), my name actually made it into the Record-Breaking Fighting Games section for my score in Soul Calibur IV on the Xbox 360.

I also saw that EMP Triforce made it onto the TG leaderboard for Mario Bros. (GBA), The Superman arcade game (with another EMP Jeron), and Tetris DS. And they mentioned him in the Record Breaking Puzzle Games for his Tetris score and said how the was part of "The League of Legendary Gamers" with Billy Mitchell and Fatal1ty.

And both my name and Triforce's are in the INDEX! I never thought I would have my name in the index of any Guinness Book. It's sort of nice to see your own name there.

I'm still going through the book as we speak. I will probably be tweeting about more finds in the book.

WCG Holiday Heroes

2009-12-11T17:49:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I WILL be going to WCG Holiday Heroes tomorrow to compete in Street Fighter IV. Wish me luck.

John Doe Has Got to Go

2009-11-27T08:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday. SK Gaming posted an article written by an anonymous writer only known as John Doe. This the third article on sk-gaming.com that SK has allowed without revealing the said writer. And John Doe did not come to exactly the warmest welcome, and for good reason.

In the first John Doe article, posted in April after Game Services, the company that ran the ESWC, went bankrupt, the writer claims that this type of stuff is actually good for professional gaming. The article got mixed comments. Then life went on. No big deal.

A few days after the launch of the WWFOG's website, John Doe returns to give a token bashing to not just the WWFOG but American pro gaming as well. Doe pretty much praised Europe and Asia-based leagues for simply existing while listing American leagues as "FAIL". Among the "FAIL's" was the CPL. Although it did not have happy ending, the CPL is recognized in Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition as longest-running professional tournament organizer, running from 1997 and folding in 2008. Pretty much like saying that Michael Jordan was a failed athlete because his team did not make it to the playoffs in his final season. Doe conveniently omitted Major League Gaming, which has a vice grip competitive Halo and is now teamed up with EA Sports to run Madden tournaments.

And then yesterday the latest Doe article emerges. The piece about the so-called evolution of eSports sponsorship is poorly organized badly written to be in a column for any pro gaming site. My favorite phrase is "The official prize money changed from tons of beer to tons of money". Seriously? The prize money was once beer but is now money?

But the biggest eyesores in article 3 are the cheap swipes at American gaming journalists, even using a vulgar line from a bland cable TV show. The quote was "I won't go down in history, but I will go down on your sister." Fit for the news section, indeed.

Third time is the charm. Three strikes and you're out. However you phrase it, John Doe's third article was the straw that broke the camels back. How could SK post such poorly written articles without identifying the writer? Aren't they even remotely worried how this would look to their readers? More important what would the sponsors think about this. I can't read minds, but if I saw this type of stuff posted on a website run by a company I gave sponsorship money to. I would think twice before writing them another check.

I'm not losing sleep over these articles but I do feel they need to stop. If you feel the same way don't just post finger-wagging comment on SK's site. That is clearly not working. Instead direct your outrage to the sponsors. That should get us better results.

Wii Sports Resort Skydiving Walkthrough

2009-11-18T11:43:00.004-05:00

This guide will hopefully help you boost up you score for the Skydiving game in Wii Sports Resort. Now please don't assume that reading this will make you able to pull off 200-point games instantly. Practice along with knowing what to do is key.

Game Objective:

The game is not too complicated. Once you jump out the plane you star grouping with skydivers, grabbing fellow divers and posing for a pictures. You get bonus points for each smile you catch. If your diver catches four others you the TWO photo ops, the regular one where you are to catch the smiles your screen and the second one where the diver smile for the photographer. When you fall a certain distance you will go into form up phase. You will see three rings below you. When you go through each ring your formation gets more people. After that is one last photo op.

Controls:

The controls are pretty much straightforward. The Wii Remote will represent your diver. Tilt forward to move forward, back to move back, and so on. Be careful because tilting all the way will make you fall faster.

The Plan:

The key tactic for skydiving is to go for perfect catches, doubling your photo ops. For the regular picture make sure all the divers' smiling faces are shown are your screen, and when the photographer shows up make sure you have everyone face her. The first few formations are the easiest since there are falling and the same level. But with some groups the some divers will be higher than others. Go for the highest most FIRST then work your way down. It's not easy trying to catch somebody above you.

Form Up!

When it's time to form up you will three rings. Go through all three of them in order to get the full formation. During the final photo op flip the Wii Remote buttons down to make everybody smile at the camera. Game complete.
That sums up the walkthrough for Wii Sports Resort Skydiving. Good luck on your scores.

Star Fox: What Went Wrong?

2009-11-04T08:41:00.003-05:00

In an interview with MTV Multiplayer Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto said that he was a big fan of the Star Fox series, and enjoyed making Star Fox games. He did also say, however that he was disappointed in the lack of sales the series had conjured up during its lifetime. Star Fox 64 has very impressive sales numbers but the three games after that one did not fare so well in copies sold. Why did the franchise fall so low on titles released after SF64? Was it because people were simply tired of the brand? Or was it something that Nintendo themselves could have avoided themselves? Maybe the reasons for low number are a bit more complex than that. Let's try to see.

Star Fox (SNES)
Realease Year: 1993
GameStats Score: 8.5

This space shooter is the first game where you see Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy. Star Fox's cartridge utilized a SuperFX chip, boasting 3D graphics that set it apart from common 2D Super Nintendo games. There a several different levels but you couldn't play them all by playing in one sitting. It was well accepted by critics and gamers alike. An ideal start a video game franchise can get. There was an SNES sequel in development called Star Fox 2 but it was cancelled in the favor of...

Star Fox 64 (N64)
Release Year: 1997
GameStats Score: 9.0

Ah... This is where Star Fox has some of its best moments. It takes what was good about the SNES version and made it even better. It made good use of the Nintendo 64's power, not only getting visual facelift and some tank and submarine missions, but you also get to HEAR the characters say memorable lines such as "Do a barrel roll!" "Can't let you do that, Star Fox". A few new characters get introduced, making a potentially deeper story than the SNES version. SF64 also came with the Rumble Pak, which soon led to future consoles to having force feedback built in to their controllers. And there was even a Vs. Mode where up to four Arwings can battle. Needless to say, this was by far Star Fox's biggest game to date. And I'm pretty sure that nobody at Nintendo was disappointed at the sales for this title.

Star Fox Adventures (GCN)
Release Year: 2002
GameStats score: 8.2

This game is pretty much like no other Star Fox game. Actually the game wasn't a Star Fox game to begin with. (Super Mario Bros. 2, anyone?) Rare was working on an adventure game called Dinosaur Planet on the Nintendo 64, having nothing to do with the Star Fox franchise whatsoever. The game got delayed and eventually canceled so Rare could work on a GameCube version with Star Fox characters added. I wouldn't call this a bad game. But besides a few token Arwing missions, this didn't feel like a Star Fox game. It's more like an adventure game with Star Fox characters. The disappointment from those who expect a sequel to a 3D flight shooter to be a 3D flight shooter is understandable.

Star Fox Assault (GCN)
Release Year: 2005
GameStats score: 7.8

This game brings Star Fox back to its space-shooter roots. Not only it has the classic space shooter missions there are some missions where you fight on foot on your blaster (FINALLY!) or wage damage with your Landmaster tank. Not only this some sizzle to the Star Fox story but it also brings back some Star Fox Adventure character, confirming Fox's mission on Dinosaur Planet (known in Assault as Sauria) as official canon. The controls were okay controlling the Landmaster was a little off, and the on-foot controls are awkward when compared to other shooters. Aside from the setback in controls it's my favorite post-64 Star Fox game. I'm surprised that the game didn't do well in sales. I don't know if that is because it was on a lower-selling system or it was overwhelmed by competing title on other platforms. Not matter how many theories I come up with none of them can't erase the fact that the game was not as well received when it came out.

Star Fox Command (NDS)
Release Year: 2006
GameStats score: 7.8

Star Fox Command is franchise's first handheld title. It is also the first title to have online play via Nintendo Wi-Fi. The game retains the 3D flight scheme and throws in a game board where you have to direct your ship(s) towards the enemy before you get to fight them. There are multiple versions of the main story (and even multiple endings) which can be determined by which path you take in single player. This game you get to pilot different ships (almost each fighter gets their own ship). That's a plus for me. But one setback for Command was that it that there is no spoken dialogue, which was part of what got me into franchise to start with. Also there is no solid canonical story behind wonder what truly happens, leaving a cluster of what ifs. The multi-player is not where it should be. The biggest complaint is that if you kill shoot down an enemy, you have to collect the star it leave behind or someone else steals your point. Also you can't select the ship you want use in multiplayer. That's quite a letdown when your get tease with the ability to play different ships on the single player missions. It's nice to play Star Fox on the go but Command is not even close to the potential blockbuster it could have been.

The Next Star Fox: What they need to do

Nintendo needs to put out a Star Fox title for the Wii. I'm pretty sure it has been a topic in the Nintendo offices, but I guess you could have said the same thing for a Metroid game on the Nintendo 64. If such a Star Fox game were in the works, it would pay off to make use of the Wii Motion plus. And that is not saying that it should not use the option for a Classic Controller or GameCube controller. The main focus for development should be getting the air/space gameplay down pat, and then add a few foot, tank, and submarine missions into the mix. Online play would be nice if they add it but I would be happy if you can choose your ship in multiplayer. And last but certain not least, they should make sure the game's story blows gamers way. If the developers do these things alone, they would be already making in bringing Star Fox brand back to its former greatness.

Do Your Part. Use Bombs Wisely

2009-10-07T19:54:00.000-04:00

Star Fox 64 is my favorite game on the Nintendo 64. I spent hours getting all the medals on both normal and hard. You it was big joy for me to see CollegeHumor.com make a vid parodying that game.

In this video a fighter pilot gets some advice from a well-known veteran.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

NYAF/WCG

2009-09-30T09:08:00.003-04:00

I was at the New York Anime Festival on Saturday in order to check out the WCG. I must admit that it was a last-moment decision so I didn't really get to take too much advantage of the event as I should have.

When I walked the first thing I noticed was the Sega booth. I played a demo of Beyonetta. It was a nice demo. I might buy it once it comes out.

I spent a good amount of time at the WCG booth checking out a match now and then. The WCG Ultimate Game cast members that were at the US Invitationals plus one more (Dante) showed were also there. I played some casual matches. The Street Fighter IV line was packed so I didn't get too many matches in. But I did get to play some Gears and Halo.

The was a lot of stuff at the con. DVD sellers, autograph booths, Artists selling their work and drawing on the premise. I saw an interesting DVD for $5.00 but didn't buy it. I later found out that they it sell for over $20.00. Just perfect. I also saw redesigned Wii Classic Controller. I know the sellers store so I kept that in mind. I learned a big lesson. If you go to a convention with intention of holding on to your money. You won't really enjoy it as much as you should.

The NYAF was okay but I felt I should have enjoyed it more. I learned a few thing about attending conventions though:

Never go to a convention broke. (Golden Rule)
Know all the events going on beforehand such as contests, tournaments, autograph signings, etc.
Try to attend all the days of the convention.
Bring a buddy with you.
Don't be shy to take pictures.

For the kids (originally written on Feb of 2008)

2009-09-28T11:47:00.003-04:00

Blogger's Note: This was originally a blog post I written February of 2009. But I (unwisely) scrapped the entire blog in order start fresh. I decided to add this post on after coming across my notes for it. Enjoy. - Lance

I was asked by Triforce to join in an EMP group visit to The Children's Hospital at Montefiore to spend some time with the kids for A Gamer's Valentine 3. It was an offer I could not refuse.

The day started with a meetup at Game Express. I made the journey to the Bronx the winter rain armed only with Wii-stuffed duffel bag and a malfunctioning umbrella. When I showed up I noticed that the New Smash Bros. was playing in the shop courtesy Justin's Japanese Wii. I also noticed that Ms. Nightmare was there as well. Haven't seen her in months. Legaia, David, and DA's Dire were also there for the trip. After last minute preps, we made our way to the hospital later to be joined Daisy and Comp.

When we reached the hospital the staff greeted us and gave us a quick rundown about the facility. Since there were two rec rooms we agreed on splitting up the groups. Justin, Legaia, David, and Comp made up the group that would present Brawl to one room while I partnered with Daisy, Nightmare, Dire and Triforce to entertain the second room with Mario/Sonic Olympic Games and Mario Party with a switch so both rooms would get a chance to play Smash Brawl.

When the kids saw the Wii in the room their eyes lit up with joy. They took turns on the Wii and DS games and the competition got a little fierce at times. Two kids competed in a Sonic/Shadow 100m dash!

With the day of fun nears to an end, Triforce, showman that he is, treated the young ones to a Star Fox run.

Well it was good day for me. I helped brightened the children's Valentine's Day. It feels good doin' good.

The Fastest Perfect Pac-Man

2009-09-19T20:46:00.002-04:00

Twin Galaxies has verified another perfect Pac-Man run performed by David Race from Beavert Creek, Ohio. He also has done so in the fastest official time.

Only six players had ever submitted perfect Pac-Man scores, the first being Billy Mitchell in 1999.

For more information about this feat go to http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=19&id=1849

Ryu Tutorial Vids

2009-09-09T20:22:00.003-04:00

Several Months ago I saw a Ryu Tutorial posted by player Mickey D in SRK Forums. It was pretty much straightforward. He demonstrated Ryu's bread and butter combos and explained the Ryu mindset one must have compared to that of Ken or Akuma. Later on Mickey D would continue with more useful information for any aspiring Ryu.

Part 2 shows some more Ryu combos and verbally explains more of what one should be thinking as a Ryu player. It's pretty much an extension of part 1.

Part 3 dwells into Ryu's Focus Attack and why it is important implement in your gameplan in both defense and offense. Catching projectile, setting up your opponent for a combo, lots of stuff.

Part 4 is my most favorite part of Mickey D's tutorial, followed by part 3. You get to see what makes Ryu shine above most characters: his zoning strategy revolved around his Hadouken. He divides the stage into zones and tells us what attakcks work where and why. If you only watch one of the four videos please watch part 4.

If you like Mickey D's work on these video you can view his blog or PM him on SRK.

Jinx Commercials

2009-09-03T19:09:00.010-04:00

In Jinx's latest "glog", they post a couple of commercials on there, one of which features Empire Arcadia members Justin, Prod1gy, and TriForce. The other stars Zadi Diaz of Epic Fu.

If you want to get the gear seen in the ads, or just want to see what else they have, be sure to visit www.jinx.com.

TG's Wii Sports Resorts Scores Posted on Kotaku

2009-09-03T18:31:00.003-04:00

This morning and I found out that Kotaku had posted Wii Sports Resort scores. That was something I didn't did not expect to see. Seeing my name among those listed was also nice to see.

I'm glad to see a well know blog like Kotaku taking notice of the score posted on Twin Galaxies. Hopefully this will be a trend and not a fad.

Not so good

2009-09-01T21:22:00.002-04:00

The last few days just had not gone my way at all. Not to sound to misirable but they were quite bad.

For starters my phone died. It was washed with the laundry. I pretty much NEED my cell phone so it was quite a frustration to loose it.

Also, my arcade stick for Street Fighter IV went broke. A wire snapped when I was changing the screws. I managed to salvage the Sanwa parts but I can't get any good practice at home. So I'm have to settle for whatever outside practice I can get.

I supposed all this bad momentum was what did me in in Battlefield Arcadia 3. I played Ken and lost to two straight boxers. My trademark jittery reflexes left me open to too much in both matches.

On top of doing bad in the tournament, I played lousy in my exhibition match against fellow Empire member Noel. When I lost a game and changed my character, Noel changed his. Winner players changing characters for the next game was not something I agreed upon. I knew he was screwin' with me. I managed to win one game but I lost in game 4. Triforce told me I though I was gonna bring it to a fith match at the end. I pretty much agreed.

The results of the tournament can be found on http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=206522. Some of the matches will be on youtube as well. Will link to that a bit later when some more gets posted.

I'm pretty much taking a break from SF4 until I can get a replacement arcade stick. Might take me a while though, but I think I can take the losses and correct my play to do better next time around and hopefully I will be in a better mood.

Video Game Hall of Fame Launch a Success

2009-08-16T07:59:00.005-04:00

The Video Game Hall of Fame launch party happened yesterday. It drew an even bigger crowd than expected. Over 3000 people attended! It had noted gamers from both past an present.

The event was covered by Kotaku In addition to local coverage.

I'm glad that the even was a great success. Now I really feel bad I couldn't go.

Competitive Gaming takes the next step, Best Buy takes a step on GameStep, and I'm taking some baby step becuase I have to take it easy.

2009-08-11T21:00:00.004-04:00

Have a few things I want to comment on today. Gonna make it quick(ish).

The Video Game Hall of Fame launch party happens this Tursday in Ottumwa. A lot of well known gamers will be there. Sucks that I can't make it but I'm still glad that Ottumwa is getting noticed for starting organized gaming. I hope to be a Hall of Fame inductee someday.

I read something about Best Buy offering their unused games for the price of GameSpot's unused games. It's not a big deal to me since I often see GameStop charge $60.00 for new game and $55.00 for a used copy of that same game. I know GameStop has its faults but wanting Best Buy to run over GameStop is like wanting Wal-Mart to run 7 Eleven out of business. Maybe it's just me, though, but I doubt it.

I mailed off my tape for Wii Sports Resort to Twin Galaxies. I have to admit that I was still learning the ins and outs of the title and I still have much room for improvement. I see games differently from the average person and sometimes I sacrifice early results but often harvests better crops later on. I may (or may not) be behind how but I'm sure to separate my degree of Wii skills from my competition.

I have been submitting all my scores to Twin Galaxies by videotape. I want to switch the DVD to help curb the cost of submitting. But I first have to buy the proper equipment (Computer, capture card, etc.). But my income is anything but disposable right now. The good news is that I the crappy economy has taught me to cut down the things I don't really need such as Blockbuster Online. Shoot, I might dust off my old Arctic Zone and start taking sandwiches to work again. Buy VHS tapes is WAY too much money when you compare it to the cost of DVD's.

Chiming In (August 1, 2009)

2009-08-01T18:37:00.003-04:00

Personal life has been not so this year. Gone worse just recently. No specifics, but it has cut into my time Twin Galaxies, Empire Arcadia, etc. My practice time -- and execution -- for certain games has suffered also. I can't get back into full gear until I get to some stuff sorted personally. Hopefully that is sooner or later.

I was looking to go to an MLG this season to play Fight Night Round 4 but I'm too broke right now. Hopefully they will be holding them when I get back on my feet.

I have received a comment for my ECA blog from ECA's Brett Schenker, himself. I appreciate the response but I stand by what I have posted. I don't believe the President said anything requiring "action" thus far. If I don't question the ECA's motives in this action campaign, even more harsher critics will.

Wii Sports Resort came out so I picked that game up. The Wii Motion Plus did wonders the the Wii Sports follow-up. As usually I will see how far I can go in that game.

I found out from a Tweet that Triforce, Justin Wong, and Prod1gy picture from the Jinx shoot made it into Play magazine. I'm proud of them. They have been in the gaming scene for years and have earned it.

Well that's pretty much it. Cya next post.

- RLW

My Take on ECA Vs. Obama

2009-07-28T20:19:00.004-04:00

On July 27th, The ECA started a letter-writing campaign to show President Barack Obama their disapproval of his so-called anti-video game statements. Necessary? I think not.

ECA-run GamePolitics opened their announcement of the for, letter by saying this:

If you're a regular GamePolitics reader, you know that President Barack Obama often refers to video games as something to be set aside in favor of presumably more worthwhile pursuits. In the most recent example, Obama, speaking at the NAACP's 100th anniversary dinner, counseled African-American parents to put away the Xbox.

What are the pursuits that are "presumably" more worthwhile than playing a video you ask? Let's go to Obama's NAACP 100th Anniversary speech, the same speech from which ECA quoted the "put away the Xbox" statement. He gives us a few examples of what goal young blacks should shoot for.

They might think they’ve got a pretty good jump shot or a pretty good flow, but our kids can’t all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. I want them aspiring to be President of the United States.

In short The ECA is shunning President Obama for suggesting black parents to cut down their kids' time on video games in order to study in hopes to be doctor, teacher, politician. I'm sorry ECA, but those are not "presumably worthwhile goals", they are worthwhile goals period. Don't get it twisted. I love playing video games, but I see no problem in sacrificing leisure time for more time studying for a top-notch education.

ECA Online Advocacy Manager Brett Schenker writes about this "action campaign", stating:

We know video games can promote fitness. We know games can educate, because we've experienced that first hand.

There are certain video games that do promote education and/or fitness. But with like most forms of media they are in the minority. The majority of today's entertainment, be it video games, film, music, etc., is just simply entertainment.

And finally you get to send President Obama your disaproval of him suggesting to parent to moderate the kids gaming time. You can personalize the letter to say whatever you want or you can use the message already in the text box:

...I think that you’ll find that the video game community is quite vibrant and active...

Just ignore the people who curse you out in the forums and Xbox Live. They don't count.

With the recent launch of the Nintendo Wii...

Recent? Something that happened three years ago is recent?

...We have taken the next step in physical immersion in video games. Nintendo has made it a part of their system and known to the masses that video games allow us to be physically active and no longer tethered to our couches.

Except for a few games such as Wii Fit and EA Sports Active, most Wii games can be played SITTING DOWN. I think they are overselling the issue, but, whatever.

I hope this letter will allow you to think about video games and the gaming community in a new light and that you’ll rethink their inclusion in future speeches.

Yes...yes... Maybe in his next speech he will say, "Parents, make sure your kids play video games until they fall asleep on top of their controllers, then, if time permits do a little bit of homework and study." Would that satisfy you, ECA?

I think people are making too big a deal out a three-second sentence from a 30 minute speech. The ECA should find better stuff to do than make a big deal over a few one-sentence "statements" about video games.

If you want to hear the President's full speech you can find it here.

EA Sports Challenge

2009-07-21T18:11:00.003-04:00

Just yesterday MLG announced that they partnered with Electronic Arts to bring to the masses the EA Sports Challenge Series. Judging from the promotional stuff, the game list will include Madden NFL, NBA Live, and Fight Night. Nothing announced officially though.

I would like to enter for Fight Night but they say it will be PS3 only. If the only way to qualify is online and no store qualifiers than I will be in trouble. No PS3. If there were store qualifiers I wouldn't mind the PS3 controller. But if the only way to qualify is through PSN then it will be a major problem trying to qualify.

"Only On PlayStation" stuff aside, I think it's good to see good MLG supporting competition on EA titles. I personally hope EA Sports Challenge becomes a success.

Didn't Win Fight Night

2009-07-19T17:34:00.002-04:00

I didn't do well. In the district round for Fight Night yesterday. On my first match I play in in-your-face Ali against my Foreman. I was doing okay at the beginning. Well at least I thought was until I got KO's 1st round. 2nd Round I managed to win but third I got knocked down a second time. Third round I took another knockdown. Then forth round I took a finally got put down. I got outplayed. I have faded most poor passive Alis online and I simply didn't know how to play a more active Ali.

Well I''m officially done with the GameStop tournament. Gotta get back to doing Twin Galaxies stuff. I may apply to ProGamingTraining.Com as an "Elite" player, which mainly means non-pro. Hopefully there will be more Fight Night tournaments. The World Series of Video Games once hosted Round 3. Maybe a league will host Fight Night in future.

Evo Starts Tomorrow!

2009-07-16T10:16:00.002-04:00

Just want to make sure everyone know that Evo begins tomorrow. It's probably the world's best know fighting game tournament. If you want to find out what happens go to www.evo2k.com.

Ready! Box!

2009-07-14T21:44:00.004-04:00

Well I made survived round 1 of the GameStop Fight Night tournament. Only one the person showed up. And yes I did win. The person wanted to pick Manny Pacquiao, who is to light to fight a heavyweight in this game. I decided to pick Roy Jones, Jr. to avoid an agument. I was nervous big time. That its until my Light Heavyweight destroyed destroyed his Welterweight. I know you guys wanted to hear about me going through a crowd of 32 people or so but this was the hand I was dealt. I'm not sugar-coating it. Hopefully more people will show up in the furter round and I will get to really show my stuff. Got all week to prepare.

Speaking of which. I'm really seeing online play for what it is. Thing such as perfect blocking and coutnering and skillfull evading occasionally falls to aimless thumbstick flicking. This lag crap is making people think they good. One fight some guy was talking shit during the fight. Ironically, I knocked him out AND I was leading in the scorecards. Makes me yearn for real face to face comepetion.

Since we are on the topic of boxing, I was found out that Nintendo released an add-on to Punch-Out!! called Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! The downside? Only plaitinum Club Nintendo can get it. It lools like Doc wasn't kidding when he said to join. I'm gonna see if there is any other way Nintendo will offer this.

Okay. Gotta get back to practicing for the round 2 Saturday. Wish me luck!

Fight Night Tournament Tomorrow!

2009-07-10T18:14:00.003-04:00

I have been training hard for the last few months for this. Tomorrow is round 1. If I do well I will get to compete in round 2 and hopefully 3. If I win 3 I will get to go to Vegas to play for $5,000 plus a championship.

Since I can't can't compete with the actual people so I have to settle for online play. It has helped me improve but it's has come to the point where I the bulk of my fight are easy wins. I wish I had tougher opponents to train with. I just hope I don't come across the training first tomorrow afternoon.

... I wonder if anyone had practicing on the player 2 side. EA should have set it up where you can chose to play on that side online. I played on player 2 side against the CPU so I wouldn't get too thrown off if I'm forced to play P2.

If you guys want to play in the Fight Night tournament go www.gamestop.com/fightnight and find the a hosting store that's close to you.

Wish me luck!

Been Busy

2009-07-02T23:29:00.002-04:00

I know I have been lagging in the blog posts but that is not because of laziness. In fact I have been so busy an the next several week will pretty much be the same way.

First off I was at Wiimbledon last weekend and it was vicious. Consistent power serves and insane returns were the norm. Don't let the costumes fool you. The first place finisher wore a Cobra Kai uniform. I lasted three matches. The organized definitely needed a laptop with TIO because they don't know how to make a bracket.

Of course the Twin Galaxies takes quite a bit of my time. I get tape sent to me periodically. There is no a huge pile but I will knock them down before the bin gets huge.

I signed up for the Fight Night tournament at GameStop so all that is left is the training. I don't have anyone to play against in the Rockaway so I'm forced to practice online. The competion is rediculously soft. I have had LOTS of quick knockdowns win and LOTS of them disconnected when I was winning. The kinda can work against because you tend to slouch on you gameplay, something you can't afford to do when facing somebody good.

I finally finished my first draft of the article I plant to submit to 1-Up Zine. I plan to polish tomorrow. Hopefull it will be on issue 4.

That's pretty much it for this post. But before I sign off let me share a video I saw today. It's Michael Jackson tribute video made by MarzGurl with a song her mother wrote. Enjoy.

Mario Strikers Charged: Now with a bigger score!

2009-06-20T21:21:00.003-04:00

Remember in my previous video when I said that I had a higher score than the one I was had in that vid? Well here is the higher score.

E3 2009 Thoughts

2009-06-15T22:11:00.001-04:00

Like I promised I will give my take on some of the stuff shown on E3. I wasn't there for E3 so I can't really do a full fledged review or recap. But I can at least go from what I have read about what was shown at E3. And yes I have read up what went on at E3.

Motion Controls on all systems - Microsoft and Sony saw Nintendo's success with the Wii motion and come up with their own answer. In the meantime Nintendo improves.

Project Natal seems to have some promise. The game tracking your body movements as well and facial expression all without a gamepad is pretty damn impressive. Sony wand controller seems okay but I think Natal is steps beyond Sony's motion control. Nintendo Wii already have motion control but Wii motion plus will make it even better so they should be phased out instantly.

One advantage Nintendo has is that the with Wii customers will not have to pay too much for the Motion Plus but I can't imagine 360 and PS3 users can't won't be that lucky. The PS wand needs the eye camera just to work. Xbox 360 was originally not made for motion control meaning that all the motion control guts will be inside that Natal device. Not gonna be cheap.

Fight Night Round 4 has made Best of E3 Winner for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and overall sports categories. I have been waiting for this game and I will certainly enjoy the hell out of it. I downloaded the free demo and played a few matches. I like what they did with the controls and what know. The knockdown recover will take some getting used to. I will definitely look forward to this game.

I played the first Red Steel it was nothing worth doin cartwheels over. But seeing the video and reading brief reviews, Red Steel 2 improves in virtually every way possible. And yes, this game does have Wii Motion Plus.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 is making a comeback via Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. It will be nice to relive the glory days. It's direct decendant Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, the game many thought would never see a realease outside of Japan will finally hit the US late 2009. It'll be great ladies and gentlemen.

Metroid M was announced. It's gonna be made by Team Ninja. That calls for a lot of hype. But one thing people are forgetting is that key person Tomonobu Itagaki is not in the company. In fact, a lot of the people who were staffed with Tomonobu Itagaki bounced. Don't get me wrong, I hope this becomes a good game, but it's impossible for me to see this game as another Star Fox Assault but with an E3 Trailer.

There have been many game introduced during E3 so. Madden 10 as in (2010), Bayonetta, Halo 3 ODST, Mordern Warfare 2, Wii Sports Resort, God of War 3, Milo. Lots of them. If I wrote about each game this post would never end.

Hopefully I can actually go to E3 for myself and give a proper review of everything that happened.

Busy for the last few day

2009-06-08T19:49:00.002-04:00

I was planning to give my take on some of the stuff on E3 and what not but I was too side tracked, I suppose. But I will get to some of the stuff introduced in due time.

Lance Wolfen and Super Mario Strikers Charged

2009-06-05T21:31:00.003-04:00

I was playing Mario Strikers Charged during Funspot weekend and this clip made it on YouTube. By the way my personal best against the computer is over 90 plus goal shutout against the computer (to be verified).

Funspot 11

2009-06-02T18:17:00.002-04:00

Triforce invited me to go with him to Funspot 11 and it was the offer I couldn't refuse. This was my second Funspot tournament and I was ready to live retain the reputation I have earned last year.

On Thursday night I met up with Triforce and Kubuu. In the morning we left to pick up Wes and Justin and then we were officially off.(We got a van for this year. Last year we too the Greyhound. I rode shotgun and stayed awake for most of the ride. The hilarious punchlines from Justin, Wes, and Triforce.

Once we got to NH first thing we did was take a look at the condo were were staying at. It more like an apartment-like condo compared to the cottage-type area we stayed in. We didn't take long too to check the place out because we only had two days to do our scores.

The moment I walked into the arcade I felt much different than my first Funspot visit last year. I was less starstruck now. There were people who knew who I was. And I would get asked to sign Twin Galaxies books. I liked the new feeling.

I walked around to play the different games. I didn't have much pressure to set a new record since I already have one that stood up for last year. I did try to go for the NBA JAM TE blowout record, though. I was on pace to actually beat it but the computer wanted to be started being a poopy head and closed the lead. I decided to save my quarters to play something else.

We touched base with Rudy Chavez, whom first met Empire Arcadia at last year's E For All. He helped Triforce with some of the few trouble area in Mercs. Both players maxed out the game and then later teamed up with Graham Ogilvie to post up a team score.

When the arcade closed we headed back to our "condo" and we to rest up and Rudy Chavez tagged along. I immediately got out my Wii to play some Punch-Out to work on some Punch-Out times. The "Ohio Refs", Dennis, Russel, J.D., and Dan, gave us a visit to play some games with us. They watched me deliver super quick Von Kaiser (contender) KO which was just over 29 seconds. Which became the official Twin Galaxies record. I also got to play Williams Pinball, and Mario Strikers Charged. It was good moment.

At the start of the next day I received some bad news that my time for First Kaiser was beaten by Russel. Can't do much about it now. So I went on to the machines. I was later asked by Stephen Nichols to watch him play a game called Leprechaun. He posted a top 4 score. Very impressive. Wes and Kubuu were working on some Smash Bros. Scores. In between Smash games Wes tried to go for today's mystery game Spectar, or "Pac-Man with a gun", as how Wes described it. He got 50,000 points, which is quite good. I suggested he officially submitted the score but I don't know if he did.

Another score I helped watch was Gorf. I don't know the guy's name but he scored in the 700,000's, beating Todd's golden age score. I'm glad I was summoned to view a portion of his score.

After the Gorf score was set Walter Day gathered us referees for a group photo. After that I got invited to dinner at a restaurant with Mappy record holder Greg Bond and the Crams. During the meal we talked about various topics such as video games, weather climate, and break dancing (Greg's hidden talent). I enjoyed the dinner. I'm glad I came along.

After dinner I rejoined the rest of Empire back at the arcade for the last hour of arcade time. Since we couldn't stay for Sunday, I decided to use my last tokens on Tetris with gaming queen Christian Cram watching. When the arcade closed for the night we headed back to the condo. I went straight back to playing Punch-Out!! while the rest of the crew picked up food. I later got a visit from...shot, a whole lot of people. I let them in and went on with working on getting my First Kaiser record. I had a few close ones but I finally squeezed in a 28 second time with milliseconds separating me and Russell. Triforce and the rest of EMP came back with the food and I told them the good news. After the brief celebration, a full blown session commenced. Of course Justin, Triforce, and I held up the Empire name while Kubuu and Wes slept through it all. :-/

On Sunday, after a shower and a breakfast of leftover pizza, I left the condo with the rest of the group and stopped by the arcade to say goodbye to everyone. (That was when I found out I lost the Kaiser record again!) After that we made hopped in the van and headed back home.

The trip to Funspot 11 was fun and I enjoyed chilling with familiar faces and competing. I'm glad I got to play this year.

WCG Weekend

2009-05-21T22:03:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Samsung Experience hosted the WCG Ultimate Gamer Q & A and the WCG Invitational. I was there for all three day, minus the few hour I was in Rockerfeller Center for the Punch-Out launch which happened that Saturday.

Friday was the the Q & A for the final 6 (Chelsea, Amy, Swoozie, Jamal, Robert, and Mark) plus Geoff, who got an invite to play Starcraft that weekend. Ultimate Gamer Host Joel Gourdin moderated the session. We got some good insight on what happened during the making of the show. I even got a few production "secrets" from the session. I won't mention what so I don't spoil whatever goes on TV. Afterward I got to chill with the cast, played some video game, and took pictures.

On Saturday it was official WCG competition with Vitua Fighter 5, FIFA 09, CounterStrike, and Guitar Hero World Tour. Plus Robert/Prod1gy X was going for a Guinness World Record for Rock Band 2. I was walking screen by screen to check out all the action. I even took in a bit of side play of course. Not only did Rob get the record, another teammate of mine Denkai won the VF5 event. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0MZV7MGjgI). At the end of the day Mark was rewarded his $100,000 check for winning Ultimate Gamer and Robert got his plaque for setting his World Record.

On Sunday it was Gears of War 2, Starcraft and Warcraft III. And there was also one last guest who got to New York. Mrs Violence! (Played Gears with her a few times. Good player.) She came just in time to see her closest castmate Geoff win the Starcraft event.

WCG Invitational was a good event. Can't wait for when WCG does another event in New York.

The Push for a Video Game Hall of Fame

2009-05-06T07:27:00.002-04:00

The video game capital of the world is in ... Iowa?

There are many gamers, event the so-called "hardcore" ones, who don't know that Ottumwa, Iowa is the birthplace of organized competitive video gaming. But that became so when the original Twin Galaxies Arcade was established in the early 1880's and founder Walter Day started tracking high scores. Although the arcade itself is no longer standing, TwinGalaxies.com continues to follow score from games both classic and modern.

With video game history so deeply rooted in this small town, there is currently a push for a video game museum and a hall of fame to be built there.

Please find below the a few links about this very good cause. Please make sure you pass this off to your friends and spread the word.

Random fact: Ottumwa was the host of the first televised video game world championship, which was filmed by the TV show "That's Incredible."

Links

Facebook Group: Bring Twin Galaxies and Ottumwa the credit it deserves
MSNBC: Ottumwa, video game capital of the world?
Heartland Connection/KTVO3: Ottumwa: Video Game Capital of the World
Empire Arcadia: Forgotten Worlds
Twin Galaxies: Video Game Hall of Fame Movement Momentum

WCG Fighter Club

2009-04-28T16:18:00.002-04:00

I was there for the entire WCG Fighter Club event. I have competed in all 4 game but didn't do well. I guess it was not my time. But trust me my time will come soon. It was nice to meet some gamers for CGS and/or Ultimate Gamer. It was a great experience.

Here are some links to some coverage and/or results.

SF4 Results
VF5 Results
SC4 Results
DOA4 Results

Empire Arcadia's Coverage of Fighter Club

WCG Fighter Club on YouTube

Figher Mania!

2009-04-23T14:44:00.007-04:00

The last few days have been been quite hectic when it comes to fighting games, Street Fighter IV to be more specific. And the following days will only add on to the pandemonium.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Justin Wong won the GameStop Nationals this past Saturday. On that same day he had won exhibition matches against Pungko and Iyo but lost to his rival Daigo Umehara.

A few days ago WCG Ultimate Gamer contestant Ciji "StarSlay3r" Thorton announced in her blog that she would retiring from her specialty of rythim games to focus more on Street Fighter IV. She even became the newest apprentice of Bar Fights founder Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez. best of luck.

Today, both Justin Wong and Gootecks will speak to Slasher on Live On Three tonight at 7:00. Go to DJWheat.tv to tune in.

And of course, this weekend is gonna be big for NYC fighting game scene. WCG is hosting an event called Fighter Club at Samsung Experience. I would say a bit more but why when I can sow you this:

And yes, I will be competing in all four games.

A new big Wii game?

2009-04-22T08:03:00.005-04:00

It looks like Nintendo is gonna working on something major for the Wii game. IGN says that GameStop was told to keep some shelf space open. I'm not sure of the last time game makers requested stores to reserve shelf space but it sounds like something monster.

I think the game will be from from one of three franchises in particular: Star Fox, Earthbound, or Kid Icarus. There hasn't been much of a Star Fox blockbuster since the one on Nintendo 64, but the characters could still be seen in Super Smash Bros. and the occasional sequel. There has only been one Kid Icarus game and it would be nice to see a comeback title. EarthBound is the only MOTHER game to reach the US (Japan has seen quite a few). Maybe that will change with this new game.

We will probably find out at E3. Until then, your guess is as good as mine.

Street Fighter IV Championship Mode

2009-04-19T21:04:00.002-04:00

Let me introduce to you the best free video game update ever.

This Friday the Street Fighter IV Championship Mode will be available for both PS3 and Xbox 360. The most notable parts of the update are the online tournaments and the ability to upload matches between the top players. (Sorry red Kens, that doesn't include you. :P)

There are some differences between the updates each console it getting. The PlayStation owners can vote matches in certain categories while the Xbox users will actually get to download replay data to further analyze what the pros do.

Read some more about the updates at Capcom-Unity.com.

SFIV National Championship

2009-04-19T19:33:00.004-04:00

This weekend GameStop held the finals for their Final for the Street Fighter IV National Championships. The winner: (surprise, surprise) Justin Wong. His skillfully played Rufus overcame a field of 16 regional champions.

But it does not stop there! After Justin won the national title he fought in a round robin with special guests Poongko, Iyo, and Daigo (yes, that Daigo). Justin and Daigo both have the best record for the round robin and would fight for the world title.

Justin tried hard to put down his rival but Daigo managed to taked down the Rufus that gave everybody a hard time.

For coverage of the event including pictures and videos you can go to http://www.kineda.com/justin-wong-wins-sfiv-national-tournament-and-daigo-wins-international-title/. I'm sure you will find out more info about what happened on Capcom Unity.

Another Guitar Hero?

2009-04-10T17:26:00.002-04:00

When how many are they gonna make this year? Sheesh!

IGN.com - Guitar Hero: Smash Hits Trailer

Sock Puppets!

2009-04-04T17:19:00.002-04:00

I would like to share this. If you saw the show, you would find it hilarious!

I'm now in 2nd place

2009-03-31T13:42:00.004-04:00

I have found out on Twin Galaxies that my Wii Sports Home Run Derby score got beaten. By only fifteen feet. (http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&pi=70&gi=6468&vi=24044)

My score had been number one for over a year. I must admit that I thought that it would stay up there until I'm ready to record a 6000 foot run. I guess I have to cut the off time and get back to work.

Don't worry. Jeffrey Widzinski may have the score for now but it will be mine at the end.

WGC Ultimate Gamer Show & Forum

2009-03-16T19:20:00.004-04:00

I know I'm a week late but it's been quite a week for me.

I watched WCG Ultimate Gamer. I must say that I haven't thought much about it when it was on TV but it grew on me thanks to the forums and the web exclusives. Seeing it again on YouTube helped me analyzed what happened on the first episode.

The the extras on for the show were entertaining to watch. I think the funniest was The Dante Hair System so far. Prod1gy's commentary for his elimination round with J.D. was good to listen to. I will be looking forward to the new stuff in later weeks.

The Ultimate Gamer forum is thriving well right now. Not only fans but some of the contestants are posting as well. Much of it was praise but there have been some bad talk among a few posters. Fortunately, cooler heads and higher class prevailed. I posted this one thread where I attempt to go into contestant Swoozie's mind on why he picked J.D. to go against Prod1gy in elimination. I think that's my best post yet.

A new episode is coming up tomorrow and I will most certainly not miss that.

Probably the funniest Legend of Chun-Li review ever.

2009-03-12T12:03:00.003-04:00

Seriously how can you not laugh while seeing this?

RLW Blogs Update (March 8, 2009)

2009-03-08T14:48:00.006-04:00

The last few day have been interesting on a few point. Did a few thing. Found out about a few things.

I'm have been playing Gears of War 2 for a month now. I'm not claiming to be an expert but I do think I have improved fairly considering my experience. When somebody asked why didn't my rank have yet to improve. Personally I don't really believe in online ranking systems but whatever.

I went to Brooklyn for to play Street Fighter IV and Soul Calibur IV. I spent some time in training more to practice Ryu's Shoryuken then EX Focus Dash into Ultra Combo. I keep trying it but my left hand keeps on messing up on the fireball motions. I kept on doing Dragon Punch -> EX Focus Dash Cancel -> EX Fireball... Dragon Punch -> EX Focus Dash Cancel -> EX Dragon Punch... The closest I got was a finish with a Super Combo, something that can't be done in a real SF4 game because the EX focus cancel empties two stock of super. I just wish I had a good arcade stick at home so I can practice.

I have posted a Capcom-Unity blog about people who jack up the prices of arcade sticks on ebay. It got a comment from Sven the mod and stated that new shipments of Mad Catz FightSticks will be coming soon. At least somebody listened to me.

I found out that the WCG US team will be holding online qualifiers staring April. I really want to qualify for Virtua Fighter 5 but I still don't have the arcade stick I need. I hope I can find one decently made decently price stick by next month.

They have put up the bio's and audition videos for all the contestants in WCG Ultimate Gamer, including Prod1gy X and on of the newest VOA Mrs Violence. Prod1gy mentioned Empire Arcadia in his audition video. Good job in representing in the show and the show hadn't even started yet. I signed up at the Ultimate Gamer forum at SciFi.com hopefully more people will give the show the push it needs.

I went to Chinatown to play Street Fighter IV. I first started out with Ryu but then I gave Balrog a try. I hadn't really played with Balrog but I think I can do good with him. I think I will pick him up.

I have a few things I need to attend to this coming week so we'll see how those go.

- Lance

2009-03-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

Since virtuall every store has been sold out of the Mad Catz Street Fighter IV FightSticks shortly after they all came out, I decided to give eBay a to see if I could find it there. You usuall find stuff the for close to the same price in retail. Sometimes even less than that!

But not this time.

When I searched for Mad Catz FightStick I couldn't find a single one that was even close to the retail price. One Tournament Edition FightStick is going for $380! And looking for as Standard FightStick is just as bad. Those are going as high as $130 plus! That almost as much as the suggested retail price for the Tournament Edition!

I know the economy is bad but nothing condones buying a product at retail price and selling it for more than double that what it's really worth. Let the people who actually want to use it buy the Joystick for the proper price. Let's not repeat the whole PlayStation 3 crap all over again.

WCG Ultimate Gamer: 7 Days Away!

2009-03-03T15:54:00.002-05:00

In case anyone missed the memo. WCG Ultimate Gamer will premier one week from tonight. It's kinda a big deal considering this is the first reality game show to be based around video games.

In Ultimate Gamer, 12 contestants will all share one house and combat real-life challenges based on certain video games such as Rock Band, Halo 3, a other popular titles. And yes the actual games will be implemented into the competition. The winner of the show will get $100,000 and a Samsung prize package. He/she would also be the face of World Cyber Games.

The show is hosted by Hanah Simone and Joel Gourdin.

The show premiers next Tuesday, March 10 at 10:00 Eastern and 9:00 Central on SciFi, right after WWE Wrestling.

The find out more about WCG Ultimate Gamer got to www.wcgultimategamer.com and www.scifi.com

GameStop Tournament: Wolfen Gets Put Down

2009-03-02T09:00:00.004-05:00

Saturday after last I qualified in a Street Fighter IV tournament at GameStop and was invited to go to Valley Stream for the next round.

I went there, only to play badly. Got eliminated early.

I must admit that I haven't been playing my best. I wasn't connecting my supers and Ultras like I was in the first round. And I was failed to block many attacks I should have blocked easliy. I must admit that although I have been playing Street Fighter all my life, I'm still green in competitive Street Fighter.

Now I'm officially done with the GameStop tournament, I can take care of some personal matters and shop for the proper arcade stick I need to compete. I may attend round 3 as a spectator but that's it.

I feel like I disappointed EMP in not qualifying for the third round. But I'm a quick learner and the Wolf will emerge from this only bettter.

Street Fighter IV: The Femmes Fatales

2009-02-25T22:43:00.002-05:00

This Week The Femme Fatale costume pack is out this week for US. This add-on has alternate costumes for all the female characters in Street Fighter IV.

With this add-on Chun-Li wears a Chinese dress. Cammy gets a lons-sleeve sweater type thing. C. Viper has a midriff baring version of he origional gear. Rose looks even more of a psychic with her new costume. And for the first time Sakura sports some shoto gear to go with her moves.

I found a YouTube video that shows the alternate outfits. Enjoy, everyone!

May Gaming Progress: Feb. 25, 2009

2009-02-25T22:06:00.001-05:00

I started playing ranked matches in Street Fighter IV today despite having no arcade controller. Gotta say it's a different ballpark then player (unranked) matches. You actually have to put effort to get in your wins.

I'm learning the patience I need to help me in the higher level play. I still wind up blowing it when the opponent is at little help. Not having the right joystick is part of it but waiting for an opening is still an important skill in SF.

Will all the time playing Street Fighter I have had not so much time for Soul Calibur IV and Virtua Fighter 5. I haven't forgotten about them completely. One I get some personal affairs in order I'll balance out my session between the three for sure. I wanna at least be considered good in all three. I know I have a long way to go but that won't deter me.

Yes! I made it!

2009-02-22T10:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I qualified for the in one of the two GameStop tournaments in Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn, New York. I'm up to play Round 2 in Valley Steam. Wish me luck.

Lance Blogs About Street Fighter IV

2009-02-20T22:40:00.001-05:00

Street Fighter IV and I couldn't be much happier. SF fans waited impatiently but that wait was well worth it.

SF4 is a new take on a great classic. That statemen is not to say it is a repackaged version of a vintage game, something Capcom has been guilty of in recent years. SF's latest installment is a damn good game in it's own right. It has all the traits that made the franchise shine with some new goodies to look forward to.

The first thing one will notice about this SF4 is that all 12 characters in Street Fighter II The World Warrior are all selectable off the bat, bosses included, along with four newcomers. All the fighters benefit from 7th-Gen technology, for you see them rendered in stunning 3D, reediming Capcom from the so-so Street Fighter EX.

Now for the gameplay. The verteran SF player will be very happy to know that SF4 stays true to it's 2D fighter roots despite having 3d graphics. Your returning characters can the same moves pretty much the same way they did in their nostalgic days. The Hadokens. The combo links. Shoot you can even do the cross-ups! To those who are playing SF for the first time, be warned: This is not a fighting game where you simply mash buttons and see instant results. You will get buried by the more skilled players. And you will actually need to get a decent arcade controller just to take your SF game to the next level.

There are new additions the Street Fighter IV. One of them is the Focus Attack, which is done by holding medium punch and mediul kick. You can use it to prevent an hitstun form one hit of an oppenent's attack and/or set up an attack of your own. The other is the Revenge Meter, which is much like a Super Meter but the Revenge Meter fills up only when you take damage. When the Revenge Meter fills to a certain point you can do an Ultra Combo to return the misery to that special someone.

The home version of SF4 has some several modes to keep you busy such as time trails, survival, not forgetting the Vs, online and Arcade Mode. There is also a feature where you can make it so that people can "join-in" while you are playing Arcade Mode and challenge you to an online fight. I turned it on by accident and it can be very annoying when you are trying to unlock characters. I would suggest keeping this feature off untill you unlock everything.

The call for sanctioned competitive play can be heard no matter what part of gaming you follow. Some spot will eventually prefer to host tournaments on the Xbox 360 while others will host on the PlayStation 3. This may force serious players to buy arcade sticks for boths systems, which could get VERY pricey. But if you get some good controllers the first time you should be fine.

With akk that said, Street Fighter IV is a must-have for anyone who has love for the franchise, even from afar. No matter which systyem you have you will get the best Street Fighter experience in years if not the best ever.

Optimism: Pass It On

2009-02-15T09:35:00.004-05:00

http://www.forbetterlife.org/be-inspired/tv.asp?id=3204

I saw this one last night and it's the best spot from the Pass It On campaign I have seen thus far. I know it's not video game-related but I think everyone will benefit from it.

5 WCG Games Announced

2009-02-07T09:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I went the World Cyber Games website and found out they made an announcement for some of the games for 2009. The games they have so far are Counter-Strike 1.6, StarCraft: Brood War, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne, Guitar Hero World Tour, and Virtua Fighter 5.

I'm thinking about going for at least one of the events, specifically Virtua Fighter 5. I haven't played the RTS's in ages but I would like to brush up on at least one of them. If I'm not mistaken, there hasn't been anyone who had place top 3 for multiple titles in a single WCG World. I'm not saying I'd be the one who'd do it but it would be nice to see somebody do that.

In March WCG will announce the rest of the titles for this year. I'll make sure I stay tuned for that a relay the info here.

Just some thoughts

2009-02-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

There will be a series of tournaments in Philadelphia called Winter Brawl the 28th. I plan on going to play Street Fighter IV and Soul Calibur IV. I might also enter the Dead Or Alive 4 and Virtua Fighter 5 just to pass the time. Either way, it's good experience before I go to something even bigger. I just need to figure out how to get to the place...

It looks like GameStop is selling video game clothing. I kinda expected them to start doing that. There haven't been too many national reatailers who sell video game apparel. I have seen some of these items sold locally and I'm glad the whole country will get to buy them.

Today I read about a family who lost their house in a fire and lost their pets and their enitire Nintendo collection which included over five hundred games and even a Game Boy Light, which is a rare model. The son told their story to Nintendo and and Nintendo offered to replace the damaged Wii and Gameboy SP. What happened to the family was awful but I'm glad Nintendo was willing to help them out.

EVO 2009 games announced. And I want to go.

2009-02-03T18:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the games for Evo 2009 were revealed. The games for this year are Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter III Third Strike, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, and Soul Calibur IV. Evo '09 will be in the Rio in Vegas.

I really want to go to Evo for a change for SC4, SF4, and HD Remix. This would be my very first Evo if I do manage to go. I have accomplished a good deal in video games but Evo would be my biggest challenge to date. I would be kidding if said I'm doing to prove myself to others. It would be nice to be a little something more than just the Wii guy.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition: My Take

2009-02-01T20:53:00.000-05:00

I have finally hot my copy of Guinness World Recors Gaming Edition 2009. I must say it's a good follow-up to last year. Nothing has radically changed, but it has enough stuff for it not to be just a copy of the 2008 edition.

One of the most noticable addition is the section for Guinness World Records: The Video Game. Anyone who obtained a world record in that game and submiting it via Wi-Fi, were actually acknowleds as Guinness World Record holders. A nice addition to the book.

The pro gaming section was alright. At least it acknowleged that that pro gamin originated in the 80's. They even managed to cover pro gaming in Asia, which the first book was lacking.
The top arcade games of all time got replaced by the to console games of all time. I guess we can expect a top PC games list for 2010.

The Twin Galaxies Record Breakers is back for this year. I have the same complaints as last year: Guinness didn't seem to take a strong consideration to which score would get put into the book. (My name is among the list of record breakers but my opinions remain the same.)

Gamer's Edition 2009 is a good follow up. If you already have the book but like to have the updated version you will have no problem with this book. To those who haven't read either book at all 2009 is a good place to start.

Interesting Weekend

2009-01-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

Crazy Weekend.

Friday I played Soul Calibur all night with some the game's NY community. To give the short version of it, we started at around 9:00ish, played until the sun was about to come up, slept until 1:00 P.M. a woke up to grab a bagel and went back to playing.

During my matches I continue to work on my Xianghua. I seem to do okay at the beginning but when it comes to clinching the win. I even find my self losing matches where I has slightly more health than my oppenent and all I had to do was run the clock. It's like I have some kind of mental block that almost no other player has. I wish I had some coach or something that can tell me what I have been doing wrong. I do get some advice and watch videos but I still blow matches.

I also some Hilde matches during the sessions and I can see why many people hate fighting her. She has inane combos and strong ringout game. It has got me thinking if I should switch my main character to Hilde. I like playing with Xianghua but her best moves can't really compare to what Hilde can do. This is gonna be a hard choice, my favorite or the favorite.

The C Gray Fox crew for the EMP projects visited the on Sunday. Todd Rogers also visited for the same reasons. I thought what the heck and stopped by to chill for a bit. It was ultra busy because of the film crew so I didn't really get much talk time with Triforce as usual but at least I get to chill with Todd during his short stay in NY.

Sanford and Prodigy were there. Sandford was still upset when he lost to a Hilde in the SC4 qualifiers last weekend. He's even gone as selecting her exclusively as his target in training mode. I played him in some SC4 matches. Like always I manage to struggle on reading Sanford's moves.

Prodigy has some strange stick button settings for SC. I could tell he was quite new. Most SC4 stick players use this setup:

ABK
G

Prodigy, however uses this setup.

KAB
G

Doesn't really matter, though. Still owned him free.

After We were done at the ARC we headed out for Barcade. I was honestly sleepy as sleepy by the time we went over there. I played the vintage game Lady Bug for the first time. When the film crew got the foottage we called it a day and headed for home.

Still haven't got the word whether Hori will replay my broken Fighting Stick. This is not good service.

I found out the my Guinness book was supposedly delivered Saturday but I had found no such thing. :(

Well I gonna have a few busy days but I some I wish to share happens I'll post it here.

- RLW

Just a recap for the week

2009-01-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

There is nothing much just a few updates and stuff.

This past weekend I was entered qualifier for the Soul Calibur IV nationals with Blood Red and Sanford. I didn't do well and I wasn't feeling so happy so I decided to go home early Red and Sanford stayed overnight. When I talked with Red back at the ARC later in the week he told me how much I missed. He and Sanford chilled with people from the SC communtiy and learned a bit more. I must not be bummed out about losing and learn from my defeats.

I'm am still trying the get the broken Hori Soul Cailibur Stick (Xbox 360) exchanged. They told me to take it to the store to get a new one. The problem is that the store I got it from have a strict return policy. Basically screwing me over. So have no choice but to save up for a suitable replacement. The Arcade-in-a-Box looks okay. The MadCatz Street Fighter Tournament Stick looks like but I dont feel like shelling out that kind of money. (It's $170 a stick and I'd have to get both the PS and Xbox version for the sake of competion.) I don't consider the Arcade-in-a-Box a money-saver, but getting a 2-in-one is more convinient and I'd save a hundred easy.

Amazon has some early copies of Guinness Gamer's Edition 2009. A few of the TG community have alread got their copy. I heard that some of my Metal Slug Anthology (Wii) scores are on there. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I would rater my Wii Sports record in that book that Metal Slug. I originally went after them as inagural scores in effort to become a ref. When Scott Patterson and Will Willemstyn beat them I pushed to get them back. My ultimate goal is to set a record with a completed game on the Wii version and eventually moving on to the Arcade version of those games. Metal Slug goals aside, I am in a Guinness book and that's something I can brag to my realatives.

I have been reading about YouTube suspending game reviewers accounts at the request of a few video game publishers. I would understand if the user put a full movie or music album on their account. But mere reviews for a game, most of which don't last longer than 10 minutes? I feel any user can be allowed to at the very least MENTION the name of what they are reviewing with retributin, but that's just me.

I'm currently reading a book written by Bret Hart entitled "Hitman" Bret covers his whole pro wrestling career. It mentions stuff I did not think Bret would ever admit to. I won't spoil anything right now. I might review the book when I finish it.
That's it for this post. I got stuff to do. Really, I do.

Take Two...And...ACTION

2009-01-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

I have been neglecting the blog on blogpot and sticking the MySpace blog. The myspace blogs have been giving me problems lately so I figure to blog here again. Hopefully I'll commit more to Blogspot.