The hunt for a hunter

Well recently - I've been pretty busy with the up and coming release of a new podcast brought to you by myself and the wonderful place that is PWNED.COM. Total Meltdown, is a weekly podcast starring G-Nitro and myself where videogames will be the main topic for discussion every episode (of course).

Will in all the preparation and chaos that's come about trying to pull everything together, I haven't had much time to update you all on everything else.

Recently I was interviewed by NuyoRiquena over at GameGirl.com and let me say - It was quite an honor. I really had alot of fun doing the interview, and I hope everyone enjoy(s/ed) reading it!

Secondly, I had arise as The CPL, one of the founding fathers of e-sports and owners of CAL, has been having some trouble recently and it looks as though they will be going under here soon. The founder, Angel Munoz has yet to admit defeat just yet, but with all the choas and the publicity their screw-ups have been getting, it's a wonder that CPL is still around at all. For those of you who many not know what I am talking about, you can read GGL's coverage of the event HERE

Moving on to some updates: STEAM has once again updated and a new map pack is available for all of you TF2 PC players out there :3 Along with the massive list of updates are a few on Source TV, for those of you who have complained and complained - Pyro's flames now show up on Source TV ;D

And finally - comes to what I'm most excited about :3
As some of you can probably guess, I'm a fan of all things morbid, dangerous and CUDDLY!! Yes you hear me correctly, cuddly!! Well along with the rest of their updates, VALVe has also updated their store. PLUSH Hunters from HL2:Episode 2 are now available. These cute and mostly accurate plushies stand 13'' tall and can be yours for only $39.99!!!!

Yes that's right - $40 :'(
So sadly enough, I myself cannot afford one. Which saddens me, because the Hunter's are my favorite. :(

So that's it for this weekends updates!!
Stay tuned for more awesome info.

<3

Valentines Day is ... STILL ALIVE! <3

So it's Valentine's Day. I figured I would spread some cheer around and make some simple video-game themed cards. My theme? PORTAL of course!!!!

I made a series of 6 Valentines!!! Save them. Send them. Share them!! Love 'em :3

but please don't host the image from my blog/Photobucket. - I don't have enough bandwidth to go around! ^___^;


Okies without further Adu... TADA:

#1 "Be my Companion!"

#2 "The cake may ba a lie..."

#3 "I'm GLaD You're Mine!"

#4 "I't hard to overstate..."

#5 "Your love is the Portal..."

#6 "I'm Making a note here...."


Again - Please save these to your computer and upload them via an image hosting website. I will be taking them down shortly after Valentines day - so if you really like them, I strongly encourage that you save them on your computer.

**Link back and let me know if you use these on your blog or website. I want to know my arts were appreciated! ** ^__^


-HAPPY vDAY EVERYONE!!
Thanks for being Mine :3
.

Old Music - New Games. My two cents on the issue.

If you've been watching television or keeping tabs on your favorite video games, odds are you've seen a commercial with some music that seems a bit out of place. Why have publishers decided to use older music to help advertise their games?

I personally think that it gives a sense of neutrality to the audience. Some people like rap and others like rock. So picking older music that neither probably listen to gives it a spin on things and at the same time excites those who may already know the tune.

I myself got rather excited when I heard "Beyond the Sea", a smash hit by the one and only Bobby Darin on a Bioshock Commercial. At least the song had some ties lyrically to the game itself. But sometimes commercials take the random approach And in there lies a problem. Some of the older music that I've seen is just so random that it really gets me asking the question - Why?

Lost Odyssey recently released a trailer featuring "White Rabbit" , a Woodstock hit by Jefferson Airplane, as their music for the trailer of their upcoming game. It's a wonderful song and full of power, meaning and soul. But what in the world does a song whose lyrics talk about psychedelic drugs and the adventures of Alice in Wonderland have anything to do with an MMO? I mean don't get me wrong, it's a great commercial and from what my good pall G-Nitro is telling me, it's going to be an amazing game. I'm just a bit curious about the song choice. Is one of the character's name Alice? Is it a spin on Wonderland? If the answer is no to either of these questions then I have to ask myself why pick a song about drugs to sell an MMO? If anything I believe that "Somebody to Love" would be a much better choice if they were looking for a Jefferson Airplane song to specifically be featured. But that's just my opinion.

So let me know what you think.
Older tunes - good or bad?
Any specifics you like or would like to see?

For more on this subject - Stay tuned.
I'm sure another developer will try it again soon ^__^

[YOUTUBE LINKS]
>>Lost Oddyssy Commercial
>>Bioshock Commercial
>>Alice and Wonderland take on "WHITE RABBIT"

Updates ABOUT me. lol

Ok, well with things going a bit crazy at home, and slow at "the office?" I decided to write a more personal blog today for all of those loyal readers who were hoping for an update.

Today was actually a pretty crappy day for me. Too much details. just ask if you really are wondering what happened.

Well I now work for Chastity (NuyoRiquena) and do all the graphic work for her and the Underground Gaming series. I've been working with them on some top secrete project already this year...and well. They're top secrete. check back for more info when im allowed to dish more details.

So the list goes on and on for what I've been doing with my work and art habits. But I'll spare you the boring details. ^__^ In other news, a friend and I came together and created out own CS:S clan DELICIOUSLY MOIST CAKE. Stupid name I know - but it's unique and I like it. I haven't had this much fun playing a game with friends in a long time and so my hopes are that we get picked up for a sponsorship and make it out to a few lans this year.

Anyway, so not much news. Just some updates about me and how things are going. I still have yet to do my interview yet. Conflicting schedules are a bi*ch, no? XD


Here's to a hopefully great weekend
<3>
(Something my friend Stan said on Aim today)
"xxxxxxx: games are meant to be played by all who find the time to enjoy them.
xxxxxxx: It's like Hide and seek except for in your hands.
xxxxxxx: and on a sexy tv."

hehe ^_^

MARVEL and EA terminate partnership

In 2004, Electronic Arts announced that it would team up with Marvel to produce games together. After a few years giving it a try, the two Nerd-worthy giants decided to call it quits. I doubt anyone will be mourning the team-up of these two groups. IMO, games such as this one --->
Were a huge let down to Marvel fans, who like myself, enjoyed the Marvel vs. Capcom series soooooo much better! :D

Now don't get me wrong!!!It sucks when partnerships have to end! But EA, tends to be Hit 'n Miss when it comes to games. And as I could tell by reading the news this afternoon, it seems to have been a mutual split-up btw the two.


<3

-Marvel and EA terminate development Deal

UPDATES!! UPDATES!! UPDATES!!

What could be more exciting than a Saturday filled with STEAM UPDATES? Updates with some meat behind them! The good folks at Valve have recently installed a Spanish audio option available for some of their games, as well as a new map for Team Fortress 2, CTF_Well. The Spanish audio is a free update through valve, and works with both Portal and HL2: ep2. The new TF2 updates will help improve your gaming experience and drastically reduce the bugs and crashes you may have been experiencing during your online play.

In other news, I now have two Wii games to look for in March. As alot of you are aware, Super Smash Brothers: BRAWL has once again been postponed another month. It's new release date is scheduled for Sunday, March 9th. However, if you really can't wait to see some Smash Brothers action, you can visit their website and view a decent collection of video and images of the game in action. So maybe it's taking them a bit longer (again) to get the game out. But I'd rather they fix everything before I fork out an arm and a leg for this game.


>>More information on the TF2 upgrades

>>Super Smash Bros Brawl Official site

<3

Left 4 dead

L ogging into my steam account this morning, I was pleasantly greeted with an update on LEFT4DEAD, Valve's newest project and only scheduled '08 release. Now if anyone has been reading closely or know me - they know that my two loves are Valve and Zombies. So put the two together and thats an orgasm in a box.

Left 4 dead is being made on the latest version of Valve's Source engine and will introduce Turtle Rock's 2nd version of their artificial intelligence technology. Two of Stack News' staff got to visit Valve and get a little preview of the game itself (I'm so F**king JEALOUS!!!). And I really liked what I read.

"Even with fellow editor Aaron Linde sitting right next to me and playing in the same session, when it came time for us to walk through a sprawling cornfield, it was honestly one of the scariest moments I've ever experienced in a video game."
-shacknews

"But I couldn't be completely sure that we would get ambushed, and that's mostly due to the game's internal director. In essence, the director randomizes zombie placement and ensures that no two playthroughs are alike. While we spent the first few minutes of the game exploring what turned out to be a zombie-free house, Faliszek pointed out spots where previous players had been ambushed."
-shacknews

I suppose I can't really write much more about the game without taking up an entire page, but I do highly encourage you to read this article! If you have any interest in zombies or just love a good source game, then this is the game to wait for in 2008!


Expect me to be camping outside of Gamestop for this one.

- SHACK NEW'S L4D Preview-Review
-Left 4 Dead: Official Site

>> FIRST SLICE and GIRLS! :D

Just a quick note - NVIDIA has released a free demo set to all Steam account owners who just so happen to have NVIDIA hardware on their computer. In celebration with their new partnership, Valve has put up 4 free games available for download, and trust me - one of them is worth the DL time. Portal: First Slice is an 11-level demo of my all-time favorite! The download pack also includes 2 more HL:2 mods and a copy of Peggle!
[get it here]

- - -

Now for a touch-up on some News - that isn't really new.

In 2006, Kotaku made note about how the gaming industry really doesn't understand how to market their games towards girls. The image below is in fact marketed toward little girls, but being a female gamer, the word "girl" tends to describe most all female gamers and with that in mind, I can see why many might find this offensive.

"NEEDS MORE PINK" Kotaku put it sarcastically, or so I hope. If those big companies can't get it through their little heads that women like to play games such as Halo, Gears of War, and Counter-Strike... well then they obviously need to revise their marketing strats.

2 years later, can we really see a difference in the way gamers, who so happen to be female, are seen in the gaming community? Sure we have the hardcore young ladies who game for media and are sponsored up the ***, but what about the rest of the 38%?

In my opinion, I just don't think that many of the girls out there realize the number of woman who play is more than a tiny fraction. Ask me a few years back when I played CS 1.5 if I thought girls played and my answer would have been "not many". Today, I know that wasn't true.

So if you're a video game company and looking to reach that 38%. Quit treating us like we only want to play with Barbies, Bratz and kittens (though kittens ROCK!). We like casting a few spells, rocking the guitar, fragging with our AK's and saving the world from destruction!!!

Oh - and kicking guys butts..... that's our all time favorite ;)

<3

>> NEW MODS for Half-Life 2

Just a tid-bit of info for those of you who don't get spammed regularly by Filepanet.com :

Fileplanet had just released a few Half-Life 2 Multi Player Mods available to download for all Fileplanet members. Whether you are info Zombies, Pirates, Vikings or just another familiar FPS Combat theme, these mods are sure to keep you busy for at least a while.
So far I've only downloaded the Zombie mod.


...And if these all still seem like something you're not into - May I remind you all of the infamous Garry's Mod :D

<3

p.s. My Aperture Science goodies finally came in. Expect pictures soonish. :3

>> Wiiiiiiiiiii!!!! Katamari & Zombies

Ok so for today, I figured I would write a few game reviews for games in which I have yet to experience in full bloom.
"WANT" is something that is already out that I really want but are unable to get. (i.e. I don't own the console or my computer is too noob to run it cough*crysis*cough)
"NEED" is something I will definitely get that is not yet available to the public.

Anyway, so with 2008 Just now starting there is a huge list of games coming out. I predict that this will finally be the year the Wii hits big. More games and more big hits are set to come out the first half of this year and Nintendo is said to be increasing the amount of consoles finally being released (good news for all those crazed parents trying to please their kids)

For any parent with about $600 to spare, Gamestop.com us offering a MEGA Wii Bundle extravaganza and selling 2 different bundle sets, each with a different variety(5) of popular Wii games from 2007, a Charger station, an additional Wii Nunchuck Controller and a 1GB Wii Memory SD card. Quite the deal if you plan on going all out for a special someone(s). It's a Pre-release you can only purchase online via Gamestop's website and it's set to ship on the 31st of this month.

WANT:
For the past year or so, I have constantly been eye-balling and drooling over certain games for the XBOX 360. However, constant news of my friends experiencing the dreaded 3 rings of death have kept me from splurging the some $400 it would have cost me to acquire the basics for owning a 360 and then however much more $$ it would cost me to obtain the delectable exclusives in which I yearn to play so much! That was until Beautiful Katamari, an exclusive for the Xbox 360, came into existence.

A huge fan of the originals, I have speant countless hours gazing into the colorful world of Katamari (which actually takes place on Earth, but who is counting, right?) rolling around my little ball and having fun adventures with Prince and his cousins. Although shorter than the other two games, Beautiful Katamari really lives up to it's name with smooth, colorful and High Definition graphics. Beautiful Katamari makes up for it's treason against SONY with the new Online Multi player feature. This enables users with Xbox Live to play one another in challenge modes and makes the game enjoyable to play past the basic game itself. It really is a fun experience, and even if you don't own a 360, the Demos in the Super Walmart and Target will keep you busy enough until your Parents/Spouse drag you away. ^__^"

NEED:
Of all of the Wii releases scheduled to come out this year, one by far has me jumping up and down in my seat. House of the Dead 2 and 3 Returns is finally being converted for an amazing at-home you've probably endured yet for your Wii. The game itself will feature the original walk-though experience!! (yay!). No more wasting quarters, however you may have to waste some time until it comes out. The game, finally with a release date, will ship to stores on 3/18/08... though, I am going to put my money on Nintendo pushing it's release date back to April at least. Let's hope not ^_^'

Anyway, so there you have it!
A little bit of news.
2 awesome games.
One kinda NEW...and one coming soon. ^__^

For more reviews, opinions, findings and other random crap
I feel like posting, check back every day!

<3

>> LOVE IS OVER - Time for a new Beginning

With 2007 out of the way and 2008 just starting, everyone is running around making resolutions, commitments and changes in their life. I myself just look at the facts and have come to terms with what I need to change. No crazy diets for me. No wish lists for success.

Plain and simple, I have decided to cut the nice girl act and stick up for myself.

2007 was a heartbreaking year for me. I joined a clan and got hurt. Left and then got banned from returning. I then joined together with another gamer in the hopes of creating something big - but our friendship was slowly smothered by her desire to be in control and this last week it hit sh*t creek. So I have decided that this year will be all about myself.

For those of you who may seem lost, I have this tendency to do favors for people and take on so much. I never had any time for anything and eventually I stopped making everyone happy. When so many people expect so much in so many ways - it became really stressful and I broke down. So I cut loose any one who may have been dragging me down and I pulled my friends closer instead. To help cope with the void left behind, I created this blog - a semi, less demanding version of what I was doing already. I hope that everyone who reads my blog enjoys it. I encourage you to comment and share your opinions as well.


:D