The GH 5 Breakdown

Only the people who have talked to me in person know this, but I wholly believe that World Tour was pretty much it for the Guitar Hero franchise. As the following setlist, which is the full list for GH:5’s on disc songs, leaves a lot to be desired. Honestly, you may not know a few songs on Rock Band’s normal disc offerings, but at least they register after you’ve heard them.  Hit the break for the full track list and Rock Band crossovers, as well as my thoughts.

I despise Gamestop. It seems whenever I wind up with some extra cash the magic of the “Buy Two Get One Free” Sale shows up and they get their grimy hands on another $60 of my hard earned cash. This time, I went and grabbed a few games that I thought would be fun, and one I have a long, love-hate relationship with.

The three games I picked up this weekend for some recreation were Damnation, Stoked and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, all for a total price of $59.00. Usually, I’d pick one of these and give it a good month-long playthrough, but to be honest, I’ve got some issues with these and they’re headed back to the store tomorrow while I’m running some errands. Well, two of them at least. Let’s start with the snowboards in Stoked. So I only got through the first hour of each of these, which is pretty important.  

First: http://www.mmascraps.net/2009/06/fighters-to-forever-be-banned-from-ufc.html

TL;DR: Rumor is that any fighter that participates in the upcomming EA Sports MMA will recieve a lifetime ban from the UFC as far as contracting goes. Found at mmascraps.net

Also: http://mmapayout.com/2009/06/hayabusa-fight-wear-added-to-ufc-banned-list/

TL;DR: Hayabusa Sportswear, AkA Gramps' favorite brand of MMA clothing/only one he'd probably ever wear if he could pony up the cash, is banned from the UFC.

 

Well, I promised them, and it’s finally over: one month of playing UFC Undisputed 2009, and I’m ready to render my verdict as to whether or not all my thinking and head-scratching was really worth the game.

To outline, I like looking at three components I think are key in the Next-Gen world: Gameplay, Online, and Replay.

Spelling it out, Gameplay is essentially the nuts and bolts of the game. If the game doesn’t play well, it doesn’t matter how pretty it looks. Farcry 2, which I pretty much hate because it’s too realistic, falls on the low end of this scale, while Super Mario Galaxy falls on the high end, because its’ controls and use of game mechanics pretty much created one of my favorite Next-Gen experiences so far. I’m not going to bother to go into detail about the game’s mechanics. No reason to, unless it really annoys me. Plus, I’m waiting a month to review a game. Get off your ass and go play the game before I review it!

Online is pretty much the replacement for Multiplayer, but also includes the hard-hitting category of DLC, which is important, as well as server performance and availability of matches for online multiplayer after the peak period of two weeks after release. DLC, naturally, keeps expanding the game. A great example of Online is Left4Dead, which has essentially lag free gaming as well as the excellent Survival mode expansion, whereas Two Worlds, even though I adore the core gameplay, has shitty multiplayer and horrible DLC that not even the upcoming overhaul could possibly fix (Also, the best maps were online-only for it. What gives!?)

Finally, my most important factor in a game is the Replay value. How long is this game going to keep spinning in my drive? What outside factors (Like communities and modding) will keep me interested after release? I point to the Rock Band franchise as a great example. Even though after a full school year of weekly Rock Band meet ups, every September brings a new, fresh library to my band at the dorms which keeps them coming back for more. It’s multiple communities also help keep it alive. A horrible replay game is Bioshock. As much as I think that is one of the best games ever, replaying it simply isn’t worth it. Once you know the story, there’s not much left but scrounging for more background info you can just go find online.

I believe that there is only two accurate ways to rate a game. 1-10 doesn’t mean crap. The real value of a game is how long it stays around. So, I give each game two time-based ratings. The first is how long I think I’ll keep the game before reselling it, which is the fate that befalls all of my games at some point. On average, I keep a game for about 3-6 months, with Rock Band 2 holding top honors at almost a full year of play.

Bit of a pet peeve of mine over the past few weeks has been everyone's bitching. I think a lot of this has to do with the general hope at the end of last November, whole "Obama-Change" expectation and all, but dammit, it's just annoying at this point!

Honestly, everyone freaks when their opposition gets the upper hand! I overhear Glenn Beck a lot. Then I turn around and listen to Liberal pundits (Who all like to freak out equally, by the way!) Everyone wants to bitch about how everything is going to hell, but they can't, or in some cases, won't, do anything to fix the problems they're talking about, or they'll inflate a small problem into something so large it no longer is what it was.

On a more local, personal level, I'm getting sick of everyone lamenting about the economy. Local Amtgarders that read this, you know who you are: Those bitching about their college choices, the lack of jobs, the state of rules, yadayadayada, ect.

The fact is, the age of American Entitlement is over. Get off your gorram high horse and get to it! We cannot change a thing with words, you have to get up and do something about your state of being and just do it. We are no longer in a place or state where we get everything because we won at economics. We have to work now, and get back to that top spot, and nothing changes with a lot of people bitching.

You have to lower your standards. I want to point to a pretty epic quote from Firefly to inspire everyone out of a job right now:

"I reckon a man who can't find work ain't lookin' hard enough"

C'mon guys, I got a job. It took me two months, and copious amounts of World of Warcraft aside, I still got one. That's better than people who it took a year or so to find it. All it takes is getting up and getting out there. I'll tell you one thing: If you tell yourself you have to get to the place you're applying at every day until they give you a job, you'll eventually either get the job, or a firm no that will let you get moving on other prospects.

Better yet, here's a quick list of places you can work that are usually always hiring:

1.) Temp Agencies. You'd better believe a place that hires people to work for other people is always hiring. Google it. You'll find the offices in your area, and you only have to stop in there to get interviewed, right before the job to get orientation and schedule, and after the job to turn in your timecard. You can even set up direct deposit if you need to. Look for a Kelley Services office. Though they do mark you as a rehire for eventually not taking jobs, they treat their people well and make sure they're matched with a good job. Better yet, they sometimes permanently hire people out and give them to the other job, which can give you a solid place to work for longer than a few days.

2.) McDonalds/Fast Food. Everyone's favorite crap food needs people to make it. Though they don't exactly always hold up their end of the bargain, they'll work you till you can't stand the holding cabinet's beeping for decent pay. It's not that bad! I promise, I used to work at one.

3.) Wal-Mart. I haven't worked at one, but usually they require 50+ people, have a pretty open hiring schedule, and always need people. I've also heard tell that you have to watch your availability to make sure you're open for stuff you want to do. I.E. Amtgard. But, they offer pretty good benefits if you can get a job at a Sam's Club, and decent hours at the Wal-Mart end of things. Just do it! Trick is to call and ask for their Personnell department to get a good connection going, and be persistent.

My last category of people who need to stop bitching, one that I frequently belong to myself: People who complain because they can't do something, won't do something, or won't learn something because they're too busy to realize how easy it is. The big annoyance to me right now is people in the UOC who can't seem to figure out submissions. FRIGGIN' LEARN HOW TO MASH BUTTONS. It's not that hard, and neither is the system itself. Just keep at it, and start working a single position, and building up. It also helps to run through Career Mode again with a Jiu Jitsu fighter, just to get used to doing it during Jiu Jitsu camps. You can learn this system, and I promise that it doesn't suck as much as you think.

Now the reason I fall into this group is because I am in the "can't/won't do something" group. Mostly, this pertains to my love/hate relationship with MMA training. I train on/off for MMA, and as much as I say I want to do it, I usually find a way to worm myself out of it. Right now that's bugging me because I live near a pretty good gym that puts out good fighters and I won't go and train with them. GAAH! It bugs me that I won't, even though I want to!

So, because i have the whole of the internet watching, I am going to do it. Flat out. Because after putting this much bitching up online about people bitching, I have to do it so I don't look like a complete pundit.

It's a come from behind victory for Jake "The Brick" Wells in UOC 1's Welterweight Undercard fights.

"Man, I thought I was going down that first round," Wells said to our reporter in the locker room post-fight. "I mean, dude has those punches that just kept coming, and he'd practically cruise-missile me in the face every chance he got! That's the only way to put it--He'd back up and come diving in with these huge punches!"

Wells took a serious beating in the first round, which the judges scored unanimously in his opponent's favor. Though Wells displayed an amazing takedown offense dropping the fight to the ground several times, almost all resulting in kimura attempts from his opponents, the fight remained standing for the most part.

"About the only thing that kept me up in this fight was being in good shape," he commented. "Eric's just as fast as me and man that's new. Never been against someone that fast before."

At 3:24 in the second round, Wells dropped his opponent into a flying armbar and secured victory. "Seriously, I wasn't expecting to get him or anything. I just thought what the hell? and went for it, just to show off," Wells said, pushing at the cut under his right eye, "Seriously, few more of those punches and I'd have been out."

 

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Sort of encouraging the undercover roleplay that happens in the UOC (www.undisputedonline.net). It's funny cause nobody will admit to roleplaying there. I however, am completely unabashed in that regard. I like little blips like this cause they're fun and get my mind running.

Now Available for your reading pleasure under the "Paintball" Tag are 12 articles from back in the day regarding Commander skills and abilities for paintball teams. They're fun and were my first "Breakout" Hits as far as articles go. Enjoy!

                In UFC 2009, a lot of credit goes towards the Skills for determining the outcome of a fight, but a few blips of discussion has shown up about how the attributes come into play, and mention eventually came up that in the 70 point range during Career mode, your fighter can no longer push one attribute higher without hurting the other two. So, which will you pick?

                There are three major attributes in UFC 2009, Strength, Speed and Cardio, and each plays in differently with the six styles and how they go about their business, and of course, one in each standing and ground is tied to each.

                As far as attributes go, it is probably worth it at the level of 60 to start specializing. Obviously at that point of development, you’ll prefer certain skills over others, and it makes sense to start preferring those skills, though you won’t want to neglect any skill, as that can lead to a glaring and annoying weaknesses. As a general rule, pick one Attribute that best compliments your style, and when you’re not developing Skills, move that attribute higher.

Strength

                This is arguably the most important for strikers of all types, and if you’re standing up, this is the stat for you. Obviously, Strength governs the strength of your strikes and more than likely your takedown success, but it may have a little affect on certain submissions.  Think of this as your raw offensive power stat.

                The styles most affected by strength are Muay Thai, to maintain the clinch and deliver the famously crushing clinch moves, and Wrestling, in order to brute force your way through transitions. Though this isn’t always the case for both, they are mostly affected by the strength of the fighter.

                It almost goes without saying that all Striking and Kicking Offense skills benefit from having a high strength, but it’s worth saying anyway to prove a point: this isn’t always the case. You’ll find that a skilled fighter with lower attributes but higher skills can still mop the floor with a better athlete. I make this distinction again quoting the Shogun/Liddell demo fight, where Chuck Liddell has better overall Attributes, but Rua’s widely developed skills give him an edge overall.

                The direct benefit of strength is the striking power that a fighter gains, but the thing that suffers in the fighter the most is their staying power. A high Strength fighter will have to trade their ability to last past the second round and hand speed in exchange for absolute cannons for arms. With Strength as your highest Attribute, you’ll absolutely have to seek a dominant position in the first round of the fight in order to either end the fight there with a Flash KO or TKO, or at least damage your opponent enough to where they will not be as effective against you in subsequent rounds.

                Strength fighters will more than likely have the advantage against fighters with low Cardio, as striking directly affects energy levels. So, wearing a low Cardio fighter down is much easier than chasing down a faster, though weaker fighter.

Speed

                Sometimes, it’s better to just get out of the way, and that’s what a high Speed fighter is all about, that, and quick combinations that make up for his lacking Strength score. I speak generally, of course, because sometimes that scrawny guy will be around and in shape for much longer than you thought he could be, or be hiding good strength behind those punches.  This represents a bit of both of your raw Damage and Defense.

                Speed benefits Kick boxers and Judokas more than other fighters, as the dynamic, opportunistic nature of these styles leads to a need to get the punch or takedown there, right when you need it to be. The other benefit of speed is the potential to change how much time you have to react to changes in the fight. A faster fighter can respond faster and is almost twitchier than a slower one, and this  could benefit Grapple,  Takedown and Clinch Defense, as well as the entirety of the Submission skill pair (Think about taking advantages of moments of weakness).

                Again, fighting with speed is all about opportunities. Flash KO’s, and submissions to an extent, rely on timing and countering, and a speedy fighter can accomplish just that in many situations. Focusing on speed is a balancing act, You won’t have the strength or the staying power, which can lead to problems against other fighters that specialize in a different area. You’ll want to master the Step (Flick LS <-/->) as a way of avoiding damage and bad situations.

                Speedy fighters carry an advantage against Stronger fighters, as they can quickly move out of the way of their lumbering strikes and come back with a quick combination or takedown. They however, run the risk of being dropped if they miss with their footwork.

                Against high Cardio fighters, the speed fighter has to bank on the fact that there’s less of a chance of knockout, but that they’ll have to use the speed to land enough strikes to level the playing field when it comes to Stamina.

Cardio

                The UFC occasionally sees a fight through to its’ completion, and the fighters that make it a full three rounds in the Octagon usually become well known for their Cardio strength, and the fact that they just won’t go down. Cardio is UFC 2009’s most direct relative to a Defense Attribute, and governs all things. Regardless of anything else, you’ll want a high Cardio, no matter what else you do. This is your “Money in the Bank” stat, and lets you keep on keeping on.

                Strangely enough, Boxers benefit mostly from Cardio, as do Jiu Jitsu fighters, both who will stand and take beatings while improving their positions.  The stat benefits Boxers by supporting their combination skills that are directly influence by their remaining Stamina. It also lets them get in close and keep taking punches while maintaining a high stamina level. (I’m beginning to believe that Cardio is linked to the Flash KO’s.)  Jiu Jitsu fighters can use a high Cardio to burn their opponent’s stamina by blocking transitions and waiting for the perfect moment to strike a submission attempt on a weakened, tired opponent.

                Though I can’t say with certainty what is affected by Cardio in terms of skills, more than likely, each Defense stat is tied to the Cardio rating, as Developers have confirmed the nature of remaining Stamina being linked to success of all actions.

                The advantage that Cardio fighters have is survival. By the time the end of the second round rolls around, a high Cardio fighter stands the chance of being in substantially better condition than his opponent, and able to control the fight because the other fighter won’t be able to keep out of the gassed state for long enough to fight them off.

                The downside is that there’s no other advantage to cardio but the guarantee that you’ll be dominant later in a fight that may not last past the first round. You have no real advantage against a Speed or Strength heavy fighter, except that they’ll be done well before you are. You simply must wait, and that’s what you’re good at.

 

                What this all comes down to is, again, a balancing act. Yes, becoming known for one stat over another has its advantages, as nobody wants to slug it out with Liddell or Rampage, but you can’t always hold to that, and keeping the balance is great. So, yes, specialize, but temper that with Skills to keep yourself from being completely overwhelmed.

Surprise kids, Green Day is at it again with another politically charged, but substantially more hopeful, 8th album called “21st Century Breakdown.” Personally, I feel that this CD is upbeat, but still carries a deep thread about two characters, Christian and Gloria, as they live in the present day.

If you can’t find a full copy of this somewhere, go shoot yourself. I suggest going to mtv.com and digging into The Leak where you can find a full version of the album ready for streaming goodness, or, be lazy and click here (http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/green_day/21st_century_breakdown/).

A cursory search also brings up the lyrics, which I found handy because Billie Joe, the lead singer, sort of screeches and warbles his way through the songs, sometimes almost unintelligibly.

The album is broken into three acts, with the first track “Song of the Century” not being a real part of any of the acts.

Back again are the interesting fade-in/fade-outs of the songs with radio static and other such effects, and a lot of crashes between the songs happen. I’m still sorting through the mess of the album, but I’d like to focus on “Horseshoes and Handgrenades,” a catchy little number about not fucking around.

Hmm… I suppose that now would be a great time to mention that this is a “PG-13” blog? Yeah. It is.

Anyway, here’s another lazy link for you for the Lyrics (http://www.metrolyrics.com/horseshoes-and-handgrenades-lyrics-green-day.html)

So the song is a pretty standard punk ballad, but the whole song had me kind of headbanging around the entire time. It’s rather toe tapping. It follows the songs “Restless Heart Syndrome” and “Static Age” lyrics, which both scream to the forced conformity of both modern medication and media, respectively.

“Horseshoes” sounds like a break from those ideas. Trying to be free from the deathly cold of the new media age and its side effects as we try to control our broken attention spans as the world keeps spinning faster and we become more and more infused with information as technology spreads.

I’ll admit a problem about thinking deeply into “Horseshoes” is that it’s rather short. It is what it is, and is happy with that. Not to mention that it’s rather infectious. It’s definitely going to be bopping around my iPod for quite some time now.