Games4US 2.0

The Dark Void Of Video Game Newswriting

2011-03-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

After about three to four years of dabbling in video game news writing, MMA blogging and local news writing it is time to share my experiences. As those who read my blog may know video game I am not always on top of things when it comes to my blog in fact I took nearly a full year hiatus from video game news writing to try my luck at MMA blogging and writing for my local student newspaper.
I have learned many things and here are some of them:

1. Video game news writing is something every gamer wants to do, as a result there are a loads of shitty websites looking for writers. These sites often advertise “paid positions in the future” or “a great way to improve your writing skills”. Both of those comments are often untrue, the site usually goes under and you can no longer reference it as writing experience and the connection with other writers is usually pretty stagnant.

2. “Video game news writers get free games,” this is part of the allure of the job and in my experience there is some truth behind it. I got my first free game writing for a site which specialized in reviewing independent video games and I was making about $7-$20 an article which was pretty good. But I soon learned those free games come at a cost. Upon receiving my fifth free game gave it a pretty harsh review, my editor told me I had to score it higher as the site had a deal with the developers. When I was told this I resigned from the site and started my hiatus from the industry.

3. A lot of video game news is the same.

4. Paid blogging sites are no fun when you are writing five articles a day.

5. MMA writing often pays better.

6. Student papers often pay better.

7. Local newspapers often pay better.

8. Some video game news sites I have worked for have claimed to have hired me but have had complex site structures and I never actually was able to post anything as a result.

9. Once you make it big your competition skyrockets so remember do cross your Q’s and dot your i’s.

10. It is a long hard road to travel to become a video game news writer and I am be no means an expert yet but I will keep plugging away because that is the only way to fix the injustice of the industry.

New Blog Different Content!

2011-03-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

So all my readers may be wondering where I have been the past year, well the answer is I have been dabbling in MMA news writing. Martial arts is a passion of mine which hasn’t got as much time in the limelight as my love for video games so today I am starting up an MMA fan/MA lifestyle blog and I am hoping to share some links to some of my newer articles in the future.

Also this site will be updated in the future.

E3 Watchin

2010-06-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Watchin coverage of E3, ubi press con. Guy playin video game with his hands.

Pac-Google

2010-05-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today is Pac-Mans 30th Birthday and google has helped celebrate by putting up a new google image. Also this google image is fully playable with kill-screen and all. I know I'll be playing until I hit the kill-screen or google shuts it down.

Cymbalta Commercial And Halo Music

2010-05-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

I just seen a crazy anti-depressant drug commercial. The drug is called cymbalta. Anyways what I found odd was the music in the commercial was very similar to that of the Halo theme song. More specifically, from the Halo 3 title menu. Anyways I just thought this was odd and Bungie should defanitly look into this for legal purposes.

TV Character That Probably Play Video Games: Bart Simpson

2010-05-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well I think Bart Simpson, iconic cartoon character playes video games. In fact in the series he does play video games but he is probably more of a gamer then they let the viewers believe. For Example in season 7, the episode called "Marge Be Not Proud" is all about Bart Simpson wanting to buy a violent video game called Bonestorm. Also in some episods Bart is seen playing a Punch out like game. He also visits the Noiseland Arcade often.

Hence, Bart Simpson is a gamer.

Will Fallout New Vegas be any good?

2010-05-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

I do not think it will be bad but it has a lot of hype to live up to after the success of Fallout 3.

Honestly I think Fallout New Vegas will be sort of like COD: World at War; it was a good game but you couldn't help but feel guilty due to the fact that Treyarch just reworked COD 4 which was made by a different company known as Infinity Ward. Anyways Fallout 3 was made by Bethesda while Fallout New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and from what we know the gameplay of New Vegas is just slightly modified the tiniest bit from Fallout 3.

However Obsidian has a good track record as far as video game development goes. Some of their games include KOTOR II and Neverwinter Nights 2 which are both good games. But they are both sequels and they both where a little bit buggy. Overall I think they can make a good Fallout game but I do not think it will get the same positive press as Fallout 3.

Now there is the new features to deal with. If Obsidian can make them work the game will be great. These features include new weapons, a new companion wheel feature, special attacks and a Hardcore Mode which increases difficulty along with the need to drink water in order to survive.

I think there is plenty of opportunity for Obsidian to mess up on the Hardcore Mode but if they can get it right I may have a post titled Fallout New Vegas is The Shit.

Lastly I must comment on the trailer. It looks very similar to Fallout 3's debut trailer and although it looks cool one can not critically take it apart and sum up their thoughts on the game.

Anyways check out the trailer. Will Fallout New Vegas be Good or Bad?

Epic Weapons makes Epic Swords

2010-05-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

The replica sword designers, Epic Weapons, are selling Dragon Age Origins inspired Letter Openers. These newly announced products are a must have for fans as they are on a limited run of 2,500 units and will be sold over the next three years.

The products cost anywhere from $3.00-$17.00 (taxes, shipping and handling not included).

Anyways of you are a fan of Dragon age who gets a lot of leters you must check out this product.

WTF Cat Playing DS?

2010-05-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Breaking News!

A cats can play video games.

but it is always awsome to see the video game industry exploiting animals for marketing purposes and cats are cute.

All that is left to be said is: Go DS Cat!!

An Overview Of The First Canadian Video Game Awards

2010-05-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Best Audio Winner:

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn Of War 2

-I have never been a fan of Warhammer and will probably never play a warhammer game so only the niche that plays this game can vouch for this.

Best Tech, Art, Game Design and Console Game:

Winner: Assasin's Creed 2

Draw(Best Tech): Prototype + Assasin's Creed 2

-All I can say here is AC 2 overkill. Come on people AC 2 was a good game but by no means spectacular. Also What is up with the draw?

Best Writing Winner: Dragon Age Origins

-This game was Canadian?

Best Downloadable Game Winner: Critter Crunch

-Really original game. If you have not gave it a shot yet you should. Great Pic.

Best Handheld Game Winner: Heros Of Might And Magic: Clash of Heros

-Ewww... Good game, not great.

Most Promising Video Game Winner: Mod Nation Racers

-This game is Canadian? Naw I knew that already but honestly this is a good pic I have heard a lot about this game.

Best In-Game Cinematics Winner: Ghostbusters The Game

-One Word: Epic!!

Game Of The Year Winner: Dragon Age Origins

-I voted for this one so I'm not arguing. Great Pic!!!

Overall Thoughts:

-It was a good show but the demographic of voters needs to increase for next year. I have a lot of French Canadian friends from Montreal and I believe most of the votes came from Montreal as the winners all seem to be similar: RPGs set in a medieval like setting.

Anyways that is my 2cents on the Canadian Video Game Awards.

Flash Games Always Suck :O

2010-05-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

So I was playing Deadly Premonition on my buddies 360 the other day and I couldn't get over how much this game sucked. However it was such a bad game that I had this warm feeling of nostalgic charm. Honestly if there is a bad game that works it is Deadly Premonition.

Then I got thinking about Flash Games. As awsome as it is that they are free, they are nothing compared to games that cost money. I mean in a way Deadly Premonition is a shitty game, there is just no other way to put it but compared to repetitive Flash Games like Dino Run or Jetman it is a great game. This is because as the gameing industry grows so do the games we buy and Flash Games nowadays are just so small they can't compete

So in a way Flash Games suck but not really.

Games4US 2.0

2010-05-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a long time since I posted anything.

Anyways RL has been busy.

So in order to keep my blog going forward I am brining it back to its roots and my specalty which is gaming.

Anyways I expect to put my blog through a major overhaul so readers can expect some major updates along with some more original material on gaming.

Better Than Steroids and Legal?

2010-01-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

So anyways before the new year I told readers there was a supplement out there that was as powerful as steroids and was legal. In fact this supplement is a simple household commodity.

What is it? The answer is plane baking soda (sodium bicarb).

Since the product is a basic it neutralizes lactic acid in your body. This can help for a number of reasons. First it may increase your lactic threshold. Second it can help muscle recovery which in turn enhances overall muscle growth.

Basically in order to take sodium bicarb as a supplement you add a teaspoon of it to water and drink it. Do this twice a day, once in the morning and again at night.

Another positive to using baking soda as a supplement is that it is relatively cheap. However there are numerous negatives too; sodium bicarb is known to sap essential nutrients from the body and it is high in sodium. Hence I cannot recommend this supplement in its current state.

Since I am not a certified personal trainer I will start sourcing my fitness information.

Source: http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2008/08/bicarb-for-the.html

Odiogo Enabled

2010-01-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

Hey fans, sorry for the lack of new content. I have been very busy. Anyways I would just like to announce that Odiogo has been enabled in my site. This allows my posts to have an audio counterpart which is nice for those who have hearing problems.

Also you can now subscribe to my site via my Odiogo page found:

http://podcasts.odiogo.com/games4us-gaming-life-lean-fitness/podcasts-html.php

Thanks for your time.

Twitter Me This

2009-12-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

Should I or Shouldn't I make a twitter account.

I am not a fan of the twitter revolution; anyone has access to the stuff you post and Google even has a mini twitter search engine now. I have to say my blog has really expanded my journalism experience and I realize that Twitter could do the same. But twitter is like the infamous antagonist the Joker.

Speaking of the Joker; after watching Spike TV's Video game awards it looks like there will be a new Batman video game in 2010.

It looks awesome.

Check out the main site here:

http://arkhamhasmoved.com/us/

Anyways I will probably do a followup article if I decide to use twitter.

In the meantime fitness fans of my site:

What supplement is as powerful as steroids, legal and a common household item?

This question will be answered in a post sometime this week

Sidenote: Free Films

2009-12-11T01:02:00.000-08:00

I am a fan of films. When I am not gaming, working out, practising martial arts or drinking; I am watching films. As a University student I do not have piles of cash; thus, I often resort to watching the stuff on youtube instead of going to the cinema.

Youtube has lead me to an abundance of free web series and short films. Now a lot of these are crap but some bring out the best in peoples creative talent.

The people behind Independent Online Cinema deliver plenty of free short films that are defiantly worth the watch. So far, the company is responsible for two unofficial spin-offs to the Lord of The Rings films called The Hunt For Gollum and Born of Hope. As a fan of the series I would have to say the do an excellent job. With only a $5,000 budget, they have pulled off something which would lay any “B” movie to rest.

Now Independent Online Cinema is working on a totally original Sci-Fi/Horror film called RESIDUE.

RESIDUE Offical Trailer:

Human Residue Trailer
by residuemovie

Independent Online Cinema Official Site:

http://www.independentonlinecinema.com/

Official Residue Site:

http://www.residue-movie.com/

Check out The Hunt For Gollum here:

http://www.thehuntforgollum.com/updates.htm

Check out Born of Hope here:
http://www.bornofhope.com/

Late Lean Movie Mondays: Hard Work Leads To Results

2009-12-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hey so this week I am posting a video which follows the training of former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk; a man known for his hard work in and outside of the gym.

Now a lot of people complicate weight loss and muscle gain. However in the end of the day or week or month; if you have worked hard and stuck with a good diet you will succeed.

Sean Sherk is a man who always seems to work hard no matter what his current physical condition is. He is a solid role model to most Mixed Martial Arts fans and pretty much anyone who sees him train.

Im a fan so here is a little inspiration for those who need it.

Good luck; work hard!

Lean Movie Mondays: Why High Intensity Interval Intensity Training Sucks

2009-11-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

So I was checking out the weekly adonis lifestyle podcast and realized it came with a movie. Basically Brad Howard and John Barban pick apart the faults of the primary resource behind High Intensity Interval Training or HIT. Basically HIT is a popular new method of training for fat loss. Anyways this video is like “The Inconvenient Truth” of the fitness industry; really cool facts are exposed.

If you have an hour check out this video:

http://www.adoniseffect.com/interval-training-vs-steady-state

If you don't have to long to watch this video you can download the podcast version to your I Pod here:

http://blog.adonislifestyle.com/interval-training-vs-steady-state-cardio-for-fat-loss-on-trial/

Also the guys at the Adonis Lifestyle blog have plenty of controversial health and fitness segments available free of charge which I highly recommend anyone. check it out here:

http://blog.adonislifestyle.com/

Lean Movie Mondays: Cardio Doesn't Exist

2009-11-16T12:00:00.001-08:00

Today I am posting a fairly controversial video on the subject of why cardio is non-existent. It may or may not be true as there is speculation more scientific information needs to be obtained but it is interesting, nonetheless.

Get Fit Anywear

2009-10-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

Nowadays people seem to be lacking the time to stay fit. You see there is this assumption out there in the general people that you need to go to a gym and use weighted exercise to stay fit and healthy.

However who here remembers high school gym class with all the sprints, pushups ect. What you may have noticed is something has happened and as people grow older they forget that their body is as effective tool to lose weight and stay healthy as any piece of gym equipment.

Essentially we get the idea that gym equipment has more quality than our own body and honestly in most contexts that statement can be false.

Several sites have thrown out the importance of body weight exercises and yet it seems as if the fullness of its ability's have not been reached by mainstream audiences. Honestly I was sceptical for a long time on the subject until going to university. Basically my workout time has been crunched or skewed and then so I started doing the odd pushups, situps ect., in my dorm room and since I started university in September I have lost five more pounds.

So basically I may have spent about 2-3 days in the gym max plus the odd body weight exercise here and there and I have seen a fair loss in body fat. By the way university's are notorious for there “poor” choice of food and I can't say I have been eating as “clean” as I usual so the results of body weight astounded me.

Here is the thing I tried to design my body weight workout around a 10+ rep, 3+ set system which isn't really ideal for weight loss. And here is the catch if you stuck with body weight exercises and did a circuit program I can almost assure your fat loss results would be more then ideal.

Now for those not familiar with circuit it is sort of like interval training with weights in that basically it is short and intense periods of some intend form of exercise followed by a short break and the process is repeated until you hit anywhere from the 3 to 30 minute point.

So all you may potentially need to do is 3 min, 3 times a week of body weight exercise in circuit form to lose weight.

However most circuit workouts are done 3 times a week and average 15 min. But in some cases you will read about someone who does them 4+ times a week.

If you still have questions about circuit workouts or would like more information please visit the following link:

-http://fitnessblackbook.com/workout-routines/body-weight-circuits-are-kickin-my-butt/

I suggest looking into googling Turbulence Training, a very effective body weight circuit program, which has plenty of free stuff including good videos and some stuff you will have to pay for if you would like to know it. However paying for an ebook is a lot better than a years gym membership which will put you back hundreds of dollars a year.

If you want a quick solution to losing weight, staying fit and mastering your body I suggest you give some form of body weight circuit a try because of its efficiency and lack of costs.

Lean Movie Mondays: Getting lean in 12 Min a week

2009-10-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

check out this video to learn how to get in great shape with a very little time spent working out. Note: you do not need to buy his book their should be other links to his videos in youtube check you can check them out to get a better understanding of the material although it is explained preatty well.

Fitness Links To Check Out:

2009-10-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

Blogs:

-http://fitnessblackbook.com/

-http://johnbarban.com/

-http://blog.adonislifestyle.com/category/featured-articles/

-http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/

-http://zentofitness.com/

-http://gohealthygofit.com/

Forums:

-http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/

-http://forums.lylemcdonald.com/

-http://stronglifts.com/forum/

Social Network:

-http://www.fitconnect.com/

Bodybuilding:

-http://www.musclehack.com/

Shift In The Site:

2009-10-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all I would like to make this site a lot more user friendly by broadening its horizon. Now I have a passion for the fitness industry and would like to add a little slice of fitness to the site. I will add a 1-3 solid blog posts a week of about 500+ words on health and fitness and maybe a little something on video games.
I will also have Lean Movie Mondays which are videos I will post from around the net based on health and fitness.

Dragon Age Origins Release Date Postponed

2009-08-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

The upcoming RPG by Bioware is getting some negative feedback from fans. This isn't due to the any actual in-game problems it's due to the fact that there is strong rumour the game will not be released until November. Forums from multiple sites confirm this but their is no official news on the topic.

However this honestly dose not sound to bad since it isn't being held back until 2010.

August 1st Infamous On Little Big Planet

2009-07-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

On August 1 players of little Big Planet Will be able to downlode the good and evil versions of a costume from the game Infamous.

Sacred Seasons down

2009-07-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

the mmo sacred seasons crashed today from a server malfunction.

Bundle Of The Week: Watchmen The End Is Nigh Complete Experience

2009-07-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

If your looking for a steal of a deal of a game bundle and own a PS3 mature players should check this set out. You get Watchmen the End Is Nigh Parts 1&2 along with the directors cut of the Watchmen film.
The game retails for a max of about $50 which is great because you get two games for less than $20 and a movie.
Now if I where to review part 1 I'd give it a 7/10 and part to a 3/10 so really you get a 10/10 game with a movie for less then the average video game.

PS3 owners check it out.

Everone Loves Free stuff so get soome!

2009-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

1 UP made a list of 2009's top 100 free PC games, with links and all you should check it out here:

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3174065

And

For all you mac users check out the following site for free games and demos:

http://sillysoft.net/games/macosx/

New Releases This week

2009-07-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Name: System:

Wii Sports Resort Wii

Bionic Commando PC

East India Company PC

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Xbox Live Arcade

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger PS3/Xbox 360

Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection Xbox 360

Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Part 2 PC/PS3

The Humans DS

Memento Mori PC

Aliens in the Attic PC

Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal Wii

Fat Princess PS3

Space Bust A Move DS

Rockin' Pretty DS

The Three Musketeers: One for All! Wii

Parabellum for PS3

2009-07-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Now I was just watching EP weekly and found when they announced the game on the show they claimed it will be avalible for the PS3. Anyways this free to play MMOFPS being developed by Acony. But whats great about this game is it's in closed beta and the screenshots look crisp, I mean really crisp, so crisp you wouldn't expect it to run on consols. However there is no new word on their website as to weather or not this game will make it to the PS3

No worries for Xbox 360 and PC users as this game is slated for release apon completion in the near future.

Anyways if you have heard about this game you know ths bloody MMOFPS has made some pretty big promises and if it is truly coming to the PS3 this would Help broaden the MMO scene

If you can check out the site here:

http://parabellum.xg1.net/

Comic-Con 2009 The Saboteur Live Panel

2009-07-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

-Parkour involved in gameplay

-world seems to be very living

-gameplay includes guns, tanks, race cars with diferent handeling, lots of stelth action and assasins creed style gameplay

Live from the floor

2009-07-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Games 4 US is bringing you news from the con, on its Mobile infiltration unit (aka the little bastard computer).

game spotlight: James Cameron's Avatar Wii

Well when i first saw this game I threw up a little inside my mouth. Truth be told this game doesn't look as sharp as the PS3 and 360 versions. However if you play the Wii you know the games for Nintendo's motions censored don't look very sharp so this game thrives in comparison.
Now to play the game you need the wiimote and nunchuk. Wii motion plus is also supported.
You play the game in the third person. Now from what I gather the game play relies on puzzle solving, combat and stealth.
Now if you are one of those Avatar obsessors scanning the internet to unlock the series storyline all I can say is I know as little know as a did prior to checking out this game for the Wii.
Bioshock 2 Booth

this booth gets updated daily so if your at the Con check it out.

NOOOOO!: Peter Jackson's Halo project is now dead Halo Chronicles not happening

Game Spotlight: Tapout clothing avalible in Tekken 6. As a UFC fan it will be sick to see Yoshimitsu in tapout gear.

World premier echochrome has a sequel: Echoshift

Its in 2D. Yep Echoshift takes the series backwards but adds far more depth to the puzzeler.

now I bet your wondering about the gamplay, what this game does is you have 20-30sec to complete a level and if you fail you reset it however an "echo" of your last play session is saved and you can follow it to the point of its death and then your on your own. It is confirmed that you can have at least nine "echo's" assist you at once. This game looks as interesting as the first and I'll keep you updated as the news floods in.

Halo Anime in the works:

This will be a miniseries presumably like Afro Samuri, I am looking forward to the way this game shapes up.

Note: there will be an exclusive preview in fall of 2009 over xbox live

Assassin's Creed Lineage prequil film coming holiday 2009. Lets hope Uwe Boll doesn't buy the rights to this film

Sam Raimi to Direct World of Warcraft Movie

Chaotic: Shadow Warriors debut trailer here:

http://games.softpedia.com/get/Trailer/Chaotic-Shadow-Warriors-Debut-Trailer.shtml

Metalocalypse: Dethgame annonced with a style like No More Heros, looks like good stuff

Well thats preatty much all the live stuff I dug up for the day, I'll have more tommorow and hopfully more info on some of this stuff.

Outta the DC un press conferancee

2009-07-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well i'm out of the DC universe panel and now i'm scouring the net for the latest from the Con, keep posted.

The Stories of the DC Universe Online Panel Live

2009-07-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

-You can be a hero or villan unlike champions online

-game spans all of DC comics history

-60 missions per page of the story

-game is about saving the world or destroying it

-the villans can win

-map for Metropolis made on the fly yikees!

-playes more like a consol action game than mmo says devolopers of the game

-you can keep your inital apperance or change it

-hinting at giving you the option to leave earth

-they say they won't let you run around the city randomely like city of heros

-talk about expansions

-you can creat sidekicks in the game

-guilds, legions and societies to join in game, kinda cool.

-semi-confeermed NPC= Superman Prime

-release date TBA

-breking news all DC characters to make cameos.

Well thats it I'll have a more detailed re-hash coming soon

Star Wars From the Con 09

2009-07-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

I don't have a twitter so i'm live blogging

-clone wars republic heros annonced

-star wars the old republic, re-hashed info since E3.

-Star Wars The Force Unleashed new DLC set in tatooine

-Star Wars The Force Unleashed ultimate sith edition with dlc annonced and special hoth level, avalible for MAC and PC Holiday 2009.

panel over not to much gaming, waste of a few hours.

Games4US Intro

2009-07-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

So this is a gaming blog for gamers, by gamers. If your not a gamer get out. News, reviews and other interesting stuff will be put on this site.

What makes this site different from other gaming locals on your Inner-netting. Well it is soon to be the magnum opus of gaming blogs, it lives and breaths and flows with the gaming industry.

So to get the gold we start this blog off with live coverage of the 2009 San Diego Comic Con. So sit back, enjoy and feel free to make some nasty comments on my typos.