The struggle of the small time blog

It's a tough world out there. Whether your currently unemployed or struggling to maintain your current job/business, in an effort to pay your bills, we are all in the same boat. In times like these people look for easy get rich quick opportunities or they just try to make something incredible and hope it catches on.

The same can be said for video game blog sites, which have enjoyed a nice influx thanks to sites like Wordpress and Blogger, to name a few. All these sites try to give gamers a different perspective on video game news, reviews, and previews but ultimately they all fall into the same pit that most other video game blogs and even some bigger named sites get into, which is the standard gaming news website with nothing new to offer the reader. While some have managed to grasp success (PlayStation Lifestyle, Hip Hop Gamer, Sarcastic Gamer, etc.) most other sites fail to get even past a thousand hits so they start to produce articles with misleading titles and console war oriented banter just to gain a small following (for as long as they can grab them). Most bloggers use sties like N4G, Digg and also go as far as to utilize Twitter to help promote themselves but they receive a lashing by the readers for putting up misinformed articles and false speculation, but is it really the writers fault? In a sense, yes it is, but if you analyze the circumstances what other choice do they have? Some people are relying on these blogs to nab them dream jobs in the industry and others are looking to turn their blog into a legitimate news source.

With the bigger sites like IGN, Kotaku, Joystiq, Gamespot, etc actually getting all the insider goods (after all they get paid for it) it's a tough field to compete in, similar to mom and pop video game stores going against the empire of GameStop. The one benefit that no one can deny is that these blogs offer something that the big boys don't; honest opinions. No opinion is truth, but when it comes from the heart it's honest and not swayed by a publisher or console manufacturer, sure, they are mostly fanboy opinions but you have to separate the good from the bad and give them credit for taking the time to write their thoughts and trying to produce news and articles that gamers can relate to.

In the end, all these sites/blogs can do is continue to write articles that create debates, no matter how harsh those debates may be, all in an attempt to grab your attention. It's not easy, but we all love to do it.

Thanks for reading.

Call of Duty 4 Nationals: MLG Anaheim

That's right folks MLG Anaheim is right around the corner and it looks to be the best stop on the Pro Circuit yet because we have the National Championships for Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six:Vegas 2!

With the top teams who qualified though the PCL ladders on Gamebattles.com attending the event it's going to be some of the toughest competition yet, and a great way to close out the season for Modern Warfare 2.



In this pot I will be focusing on the Call of Duty 4 aspect of Nationals and here is the list of teams hoping to take home the gold:



1. XtravaganT Icons 12300

DodgeRs-_________ 3400

rambounit ________ 3350

Whea7s __________3300

t3x _____________ 2250



2. BgR EnVy Us ___ 11990

iFoRePLayy _______ 3250

iStaiNViLLe _______ 3250

ofierceo15 ________ 2520

sidroc ___________ 2970



3. DpG FeaR ______ 11500

ASSASS1N. _______ 3500

MrFeaRMoho. ______ 3500

OuTCoLdKiLlA ______ 3000

FeaR_PuNisHeR ____ 1500



4. nK all Day ______ 9980

.ConCep7. _________ 3170

xNKxAs5a5sin _____ 2970

keem_da_don ______ 2350

Replays __________ 1490



5. Evil ____________ 9160 I

IReAzOnZII ________ 3000

EKLiP5E ___________ 2280

umt ______________ 2280

L_halifax_L ________ 1600



6. Lackluster Talent _ 8850

Doubtt ____________ 2250

lackofrespect _______ 2250

shooKya __________ 2250

xSiLLY ____________ 2100



7. Ascendancy _____ 8835

.CaL1BuR. _________ 2440

SirNameLeSs _______ 2320

SynthetiQ. _________ 2205

aXeeeL ___________ 1870



8. MoB GenesiS ____ 8660

tF-I-TriuMpH ________ 2960

XcLus1v3 __________ 2390

FelonieS-____________ 2105

NaDeSHo7-__________ 1205



Out of these 8 teams I will be looking for Team FeaR to take home the gold as they are coming fresh off of a PCL 3 victory over XtravaganT Icons. Then again, in the world of competitive gaming anything can happen!



MLG Anaheim will be streaming on November 6th-8th at mlgpro.com



Stay tuned for more news from the MLG Pro Circuit!

Did you pay $60 for a beta: Gears of War 2

Quick! Use your host powers on the turret!

When Gears of War 2 launched last year it deceived a lot of competitive gamers into thinking that it was the second coming of Halo: CE. In the end we all payed $60 for a Beta to an unfinished game.

Although they took out the rag doll effect after a smoke grenade went off, that problem didn't transfer to the LAN component which many competitive gamers rely heavily on for tournaments. Going a little further into the issue, the abysmal host connection hasn't changed at all, and if Unreal Tournament 3 is any indication, it won't be changing at all thanks to Unreal Engine 3. It also seems like Epic Games does not care about their Hardcore competitive community, and why should they? We only make up a meager 5-10 percent of the community. It's sad to see a developer shrug off their dedicated fan base to cater to more casual audience who can care less about the game, but what is hot at the moment.

What started off as a good thing became a nightmare for some, and it looks like it won't be changing anytime soon. In the end Gears of War 2 could end up being one of the only games to have been on the Pro Circuit for a year and taken out, due to Modern Warfare 2 lurking on the horizon why would you keep a game like this on the circuit?

Now this may not be the case (I don't work for MLG) but it is a known fact that team passes do not sell as well for Gears 2 then they do for Halo 3. This could also be the case because of the poor payout but would it really make a difference at this point? The players have spoken and they don't want to waste their time with Gears of War 2 anymore, even some of the more prolific players are moving to other games.

Even though I sold my copy of Gears of War 2 recently (along with World at War for Brutal Legend), it didn't matter anymore because Epic already took my hard earned cash and laughed in my face while I played Gears of Beta 2. Which is sad considering how much potential the game has from a competitive stand point.

Now it's time to see how Gears of War 3 turns out.

New Direction

Video Game journalism is a tough field. Not only are there hundreds of people trying to pursue the same stories and exclusives, but the credibility of these websites have dwindled to nothing more then Fanboy driven opinion articles.

I have no aspiration of following in those footsteps. With that said, I have decided to focus my blog and potential website on my number one passion: Competitive Video Gaming. Having been apart of the scene for close to five years, I have a vast knowledge of the scene and what will potentially be coming from it. If you noticed I have been putting up articles from MLG and I will continue to do so. I will also work on getting in contact with top teams and AM teams from various games played at a professional level, as well as putting up articles for my team as well!

So as of this point I am done with the Fanboy Wars and will be dedicating my time to the NEW American Pastime, COMPETITIVE GAMING!

Side Note: I will be changing the name of the blog or just moving it altogether to stay tuned for more information.

Contoller add-ons: FPS FREEK Review

Having been apart of the competitive gaming community I always see people peddle some useless product to gamer thinking it will "step their game up" well I managed to get my hands on some Kontrol Freeks and I must say they are the most useless item a person could purchase. Yes they do help with your aim but if you're like me and have been gaming for years with no assistance (and still owning) then these add-ons will do nothing but annoy you.

Don't get me wrong though I am all for what the company does but I feel it's mainly for those desperate enough into thinking they will be the next Snipedown with them. I also want to point out that these FPS Freek add-ons don't really work for a game like Halo or Gears of War if anything they will get in your way. To be honest they really only work for Call of Duty 4 and World at War because of the insane amount of aim-assist your given already, so of course you think your stepping up your game (but your really not). I know I sound like I am being ultra harsh on the product but I am glad that people are trying to innovate and help out competitive gamers any way they can. After all the product is only $9.99 so it's not like your losing a leg to buy them

This product will get a lasting score of "TRY" from me because I feel you should try before you buy if you have a friend who invested a few dollars into it.

Here is the link to their website

Ucnahrted 2 Mini Review

So I don't like to do full blown out reviews because I don't like to spoil anything for the reader. I am basically reviewing the SP game briefly and then diving into the MP portion so enjoy.

OK folks so I have spent a lot of time playing Uncharted 2 (all betas and the Demo as well) and I won't bore you if you have ADD and just tell you to go out and buy this game now!

For those that actually like to read here is a little review for you:

First we start with the single player which was an incredible experience in Uncharted: Drakes Fortune but is way more fleshed out in this one. I won't spoil anything for you but it is pretty much like watching a movie and then realizing you have to actually play it!

Now on to the most important thing here which is, the Multiplayer. Uncharted 2 is the best MP game I have played since SR, period. Not only is it challenging but Naughty Dog practically got everything right out of the box which is unheard of for most developers. It's as if they dissected every successful FPS/TPS and took the best elements from them to craft an experience not found on consoles. Yes, there are "perks" called boosters but none of them create an imbalance and give the player unnecessary assists like Stopping power and juggernaut. If I had one grip for the game it's the spawn system which can range from mediocre to plain terrible. Although the spawn system isn't great it doesn't break the game at all, in some cases you can see why ND did this (to prevent spawn camping) so it makes sense... in a way.

Will this game be popular online? I would have to say yes because it is in fact Uncharted and it's Sony's biggest exclusive coming this year. As for the people that say that this should be on 360, all I have to say is thank god it isn't. The 360 can not accept a challenging experience like this (i.e. Shadowrun) and the experience might not have been the same had it been Multi Platform or 360 exclusive.

So I end with this statement: If you do not own a PS3 or plan to get one soon, do so because this game is worth every penny! From the Single player to the Co-Op and then the addictive MP experience, this is seriously one of the best games of the year, if not the generation, and trust me I am not the only one who feels this way (a 97 on Metacritic can't lie). Enjoy the game but more importantly enjoy the experience.

MLG: Timeout with Ghostayame

So yesterday MLG posted their next portion of the Timeout series, but this time with Classics Ghostayame. While I love the team name (seriously it's an awesome name), seeing Ghost on the roster is a little weird. I know he is an incredible player and a good person, so what the hell happened with him and Instinct?

They touch up a little on it during the interview but not enough to answer some of the obvious questions like; why this was done? Of course I didn't expect MLG to do this (they don't want to seem like angry journalist now do they) but some light could have been shed on the issue.

On another note, it's kind of weird to see these old school Pros shifting around like gamebattles online warriors, but such is the way things are with Halo 3. For those who didn't catch it here is the link:

Timeout with Ghostayame

P.S. I think the story of how he obtained his name is ironic in a way.

Editorial: Call of Duty kills competitive gaming

I like Call of Duty, in a sense, it's a fun and fast paced game. Sadly, it isn't competitive at all. If it isn't the ridiculous perks system that rewards people for sucking (see "Deathstreaks") or the heinous magnetism that you experience when firing your gun this game offers no challenge to the player. Of course this is all well and fine when you are just going out there to have fun but the fact that gaming leagues like Gamebattles/MLG actually like and promote Call of Duty 4 (and World at War) as a "competitive" game makes me throw up in my mouth.

Of course no one will agree with my opinion because they are too blind to see that the game offers nothing original to the genre and if anything takes leaps backwards in areas that games like Goldeneye, Counter Strike, and even Halo have strive to innovate in. As you can tell I am a huge fan of competitive gaming and I wish to see the "scene" grow but to see Call of Duty be the reason for it makes me wish this wasn't the case.

The reason I wrote this article is due to a little forum thread on the Official PS Forums where a poster stated:

yea I already have a team set up there although once MW2 hits shelves don't
expect the UC2 ladder to be around too much longer - CHAOTIC-

This thread was pertaining to Uncharted 2 players signing up for Gamebattles ladder for the game. It kind of brought to light everything that I see wrong with competitive gaming right now and I hope that a game like Uncharted 2 can prove to developers that if you do make a game that is actually good (and competitive out of the box) people will buy it.

Like I stated before I enjoy playing the Call of Duty games but to see this game being considered "competitive" makes me question what does competition really mean anymore.

Uncharted 2 got Multiplayer right

Having played in each of the Uncharted 2 beta sessions I felt like the game grew with me. At first it was a little odd playing a game like Uncharted but with 9 other people, it just felt weird to me. Having spent so much time with the game and seeing the final product; it really did blow my mind away. Just the amount of things that Naughty Dog managed to accomplish with this game is astounding but they also pulled making a multi player that is competitive and new-user friendly. Of course Naughty Dog didn't reinvent the wheel but they did take the best pieces of the most successful games MP modes and turned into Death match goodness.

Here is a breakdown of what the borrowed and made better:

Call of Duty's "Perk" system: This is the most obvious feature because it really does add to the experience and makes you want to play more. What they did manage to take out were the cheap "we need help perks" like Stopping power and Juggernaut. Although they left "Martyrdom" and changed the name to Revenge even then you don't just magically grow a grenade out of your ass, you have to actually be in possession of the grenade in order to drop it.

Gears of War cover system: Naughty Dog may have borrowed it from Epic (who in turned borrowed it from Kill.Switch) but the Dogs made it ten times better. Not only do you have the option to stay on the ground and head to cover but you can also climb up ledges and even use those for cover from enemies on higher ground it is a system that simply works and Epic should be taking some notes. (they also should have done a beta too but that's another story)

Halo, UT, Quake, and any other shooter that had you pick up stuff: Yeah that's a long one, but it seems like this generation of gamers have lost the concept of fighting for a weapon. It seems like the ease of CoD4 made everyone used to having the "uber pwnage" gun spawn with them. Now you actually have to move from your bush if you actually want more ammo for your favorite gun (granted it hasn't been taken already). It's a breath of fresh air and a welcomed one at that.

Now I am not saying that the MP in Uncharted 2 is perfect because the spawn system could use some work but beyond that there is nothing else wrong with the game! I know I am going to love playing some matches on Gamebattles and I hope to see you all there!

Midnight launches and why they rule!

MGS4 Midnight Launch at the Virgin Megastore (NYC)

Tonight I am going to a midnight launch for Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend, courtesy of GameStop. Yes, I will be buying both games, and yes I will enjoy the living crap out of them. Although this article is about those two games it's more about the midnight launch I will be attending.

The joy of the line:
I have been to 2 midnight launches for Halo 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. While both were enjoyable, MGS4 being downtown provided the most excitement. Having joined a group of folks from the PS Forums I found myself sharing in an experience with some rather cool people. If I had a choice I would do it all again. Not only was I in the best spot on the line (corner of the block) I was also right in front of the giant billboard showing the MGS4 trailer so I had a bunch of folks coming up to me and asking me "What is this line for?"After responding with Hello Kitty Island Adventure 3 I would then tell them that it's MGS4 for the PS3. Although they didn't know what the game was (some of them did) they all seemed interested and liked our dedication to the franchise. As for the Halo 2 launch I was smack in the middle of the ghetto (where I lived at the time) so it was more about survival then enjoyment!

In the end it's all about the games:
With all midnight launches they all end with one thing; a game in your hand. The feeling of knowing you stood on a line in the blistering cold (or sweltering heat) and endured the elements, all for the joy of going home and popping in that disc and enjoying your game. There is nothing better then that, trust me

So if your going to the midnight launch for Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend, just make sure you enjoy yourself. It's worth every second.