Game 1: Slayer on Standoff
Bread and butter. Run it by the numbers. Slayer on Standoff all day long. After the customary lag check, the match began. The Red Storm opening salvo rolled over the 5G ‘hog, causing them to scramble in disarray. A quick mounting of the Red Storm offense pushed them back into and behind their base. IRON Hojimoto and IRON Kyesiff had an impressive run in the ‘hog laying down vehicular domination. Red Storm foot mobiles led by IRON Terps mopped up the rest of the Five Guys as they hovered in and around camo tree and their rock line.
Result: Victory for team Red Storm

Game 2: One Flag on Valhalla
With adrenaline pumping from the victory on Standoff, the Red Storm team flew headlong out of man cannons toward their opponents at beach base on Valhalla. As soon as the game began, we realized the intensity had been upped from the last game. Both sides fought hard for control over center hill and laser during each round. Neither team gave an inch. BennyJ GBG brought a solid defensive game, making some key plays to preserve and return our flag to base.
Result: Draw

Game 3: One Bomb on Last Resort
Determined to bring home the win and give Red Storm its first true clan match victory, team Red Storm mounted the catwalks of Last Resort as the Five Guys team rushed headlong into the base. Once again the same fierce gridlock ensued. Back and forth the battle raged, the Five Guys making solid attempts to plant the bomb. Each time, they were turned aside by the Red Storm guardians. A last minute blitz by the Five Guys crew in round 4 sealed the deal giving them one point which let them win the round.
Result: Victory for the Five Guys, tying up the series

Game 4 (Tie Breaker): Capture the Flag on The Pit
The opening rush for Rockets began. While Spartans clashed for the rockets, other Spartans clashed for Overshield, resulting in an early advantage for the Five Guys. They quickly moved in and grabbed the flag, returning it to their base for a quick score. Several flag grab attempts were put forth by Red Storm, but they were stopped quickly at every turn by shotgun blasts and well-placed grenades. The Five Guys put up two more flag captures to bring the clanmatch to a close.
Result: Victory for the Five Guys

End Result: Five Guys defeat Red Storm 2-1-1 to take the clan match.

A solid series of games for both teams, Five Guys Playing Halo take the bragging rights back to their campfires. Good games gentlemen! Until next time, check out the highlight reel by our very own SlickWillyQ!

It is a french game so there is strong language and some nudity.

5 stars for originality and a great story.

Heavy Rain – A WillyQ Review

Games:

• Assassin’s Creed 2
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Borderlands

DVD/Blu-ray:

• FRINGE
• HEROES
• LOST
• the office
• Terminator Salvation
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Electronics:

• 1080p Monitor
• 1080p Television
• Amazon Kindle DX
• Apple Mac Mini
• Astro A40 Audio System
• Canon Lenses
• Call of Duty:  Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360
• Gears of War 2 Limited Edition Zune
• JBL Creature III Speakers
• Powermat iPhone Case
• Samsung Blu-Ray Player
• Solid State Hard Drive
• Xbox 360 Accessories

Other Goods:

• Architecture Books
• Architecture posters/frames
• Astro travel bags
• Carry Conceal License (CCL)
• Collegiate Apparel
• Halo Encyclopedia
• Heating Oil (500 gal.)
• Laptop/Camera bag
• Masterpiece Starscream / Optimus Prime
• Springfield .40 XDM
• Sumo Comfy computer/gaming chair
• ⌘Z necklace (Undo command)

Giftcards:

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• GameFly
• Walmart
• $$$$

The freshly minted Red Storm answered the call of battle and set a squad of eight against the oncoming apocalypse. Who would come out the victor?

Game 1: Multi-Flag on Standoff
Grenades rained across from both sides in the traditional opening salvo. The IGC Warthog survived the initial rush, but was taken out shortly thereafter by a massive push by the Horsemen. In disarray, Red Storm was unable to capture the laser and the Horsemen took the initial advantage. Red Storm was able to hold the rock line and maintain a solid defense but there was a large amount of give and take. Back and forth the battle raged with both flags being out on the field at several points. IRON BoomStick was able to get several good flag pickups, but nary a capture. TFH Carnage, TFH Demolition, and TFH Armageddon were all able to execute flag captures, sealing the victory of Game 1 for the Horsemen.

Game 2: Neutral Bomb on Avalanche
With Standoff a fading memory, the icy wastes of Avalanche awaited. The initial rush for the bomb began, with both teams meeting at the horseshoe. The Horsemen gained the advantage with the initial bomb pickup. IRON Terps stood guard at upper keyhole, keeping the opposition at bay. Strong use of teamwork and vehicle support once again gave the Horsemen the advantage and two successful bomb plants. A late game invis pickup and bomb pickup resulted in a successful bomb arming for the Red Storm, but no detonation. The Horsemen then brought the bomb back around for another attempt to score, but they were held off. The game ended with the Horsemen having two bomb plants to the Red Storm’s zero.

Game 3: Big Team Slayer on Valhalla
Having brought home the victory, game three was played for pure fun. The lush fields of Valhalla awaited. Early on, the Horsemen established control of the hill and the laser. Red Storm set up shop at leaning rock, three rocks, and snow cave, picking off weak enemies here and there. The same intense series of give and take ensued as center hill changed hands multiple times throughout the course of the game. Ultimately, superior use of Warthogs, map/resource control,  and team shooting on the part of the Horsemen gave them a solid victory over the Red Storm 100 to 42.

End Result
Victory for The Fifth Horsemen, and a great series of games for both teams.

To our new friends at The Fifth Horsemen, we enjoyed it and learned much about ourselves and where we need to improve. We’re already looking forward to our next encounter and a chance to even up the series. Great games guys!

Game-play goes strictly from any RTS game.  Cities produce people, people gather resources, resources build infantry, and infantry invade and conquer others.  Each player starts with a city in 3500BC and has until 3000AD to win the game.  The years goes by quickly until the mid 1950’s.  There are four ways to conquer:  Domination is the hardest and requires a massive to capture 4 capital cities.  Economic victory occurs when the player earns 20,000 gold units and builds a World Bank.  Culture victory requires a very diverse city and earns 20 or more unique people to live in their town.  At that point, the player may build the United Nation to unify the world.  The last victory is very cinematic.  By evolving your technology to the space age, players can build a section a space station and travel to Alpha Centari to colonize the planet.   The game features a turn based system.  This allows players to move their armies around the map, but limits how many place each unit may move.  Also building construction is measured in the number of turns before completion.  If your city has the gold to do it, these buildings and units may be rushed, but it will cost you.  After all moves have been made, the turn ends and your opponents units move around the map.  Some may be engaged in combat with others, some may even be attacking you.  Years advance by the 100s until 0AD, 50s until 1000AD, 25s until 1900AD, 5s until 2000AD, and then its every two years.

Players have many choices along the way to achieve these victories, whether research as much science or mine for gold, while maintaining security for your borders.  Each match has 4 other countries with their own hopes of conquest.  How a player reacts to each culture is entirely your own method, but peace has its advantages.  Players will be able to exchange technology for either more rounds of peace or a for more advance science.  But be careful, each science allows your peaceful ally one step closer to destroying your city.  Different science options will allow players to advance in different directions.  University studies will advance science by 4, it will decrease gold production.  At this point, obtaining another city will become very important.  Settlers can be built in the city to build other cities or your army may just want to attack a near by city to conquer it.  With multiply cities, players will be able to focus science at one and gold production at another. 

War will happen no matter route you decide to go towards.  So a good defense of your cities will let you focus your time on other advancements.  As the years drift by, your army will become more powerful.  Since the starting year is 3500BC, weapons are nonexistent.  Researching certain science fields will give players distinct advantages to victory.  Warrior groups will begin with basic swordsmen and archers.  These soldiers can be upgraded to knights, pikemen, riflemen, and eventually, tanks and troops armed with machine guns.  Army units will advance themselves through combat.  Every 3 victories grants that unit a perk.  Perks range from an extra move per turn to extra defense during battles.  However, land based troops aren’t the only concern.  Airplanes, dive bombers, and battleships can turn the tide of battle sharply in one’s favor when the technology is researched.  Not all countries start on the same land mass, so transporting your army from island to island to hunt down your enemy will create problems if your troops aren’t protected.  With three different fields of combat, defense proves to be an excellent offense. 

Building up your cities is quite important no matter which victory path you plan on winning.  Cities offer growth of the population that obey your request.  The more you have, the faster you will be able to conquest.  There are 5 types of basic buildings:  Science, gold, culture, Food, and production.  Science buildings consist of libraries and universities.  Gold buildings are markets, banks, and trading posts.  Culture is very important.  While your people will obey your wishes, happy workers work better.  Plus with more culture, players have a better chance to gain unique people.  Production buildings are workshops and factories that speed of the creation of other buildings.  Food builds increase your population turnover.  These consist of harbors and courthouses.  Besides the basic buildings, players may also choose to build Wonders.  Wonders are massive structures from the many years of civilizations.  They can include Leonardo’s Workshop to the Internet to eventually the Manhattan Project, giving the player a nuclear warhead in which to dispose of his enemies with a touch of a button.  These wonders can drastically improve the quality of life and production for whichever city they are built in.

Overall, players can expect to play between 1 to 2 hours per match depending on the difficulty of the game.  Advancing your technology the quickest will provide the best defensive base in which to secure your victory.  The game itself can be found online mostly from the games on-demand for download from the marketplace.  If your lucky, you may find a used copy at your local Gamestop for 24.99.  For those for thrive on gamer points, spending 4 or 5 days on this will net you a nice 800 more points without being to invested in it.  For those on the edge, download the demo on the marketplace for a quick sample.  The demo stops at 1250AD, but leaves the player wanting more.  Both myself and Godlywayz SBG have the game, so hit us up if you want a quick game.

The rules are simple…

1. Register by submitting your GamerTag via the button below
2. Play in any RANKED Play List
3. Aim and throw!
4. Player to accumulate the most Grenade Stick! medals during the month of October wins.

Key Points

• Registration is open until 10/24/2009
• All Prizes to be announced later
• As always, attempts to cheat will handled appropriately

So there you go… Stick It!!

THE GAME:
This years tournament takes place on Saturday October 31st and on Sunday November 1st. There will be two Halo3 gametypes played: Zombies and “Halloween”. (aka Michael Myers)

Zombies: Last man standing will be the 1st place winner and receive the grand prize, there will be second and third place prizes as well.

Halloween:Last man found will win the grand prize. (this is like a “hide and seek” game) Prizes will be the traditional Trick-or-Treat bag filled with goodies and Swag. We will be more specific soon, but there are some SWEET things coming our way!

Registration will be up soon and the donation minimum to participate will be 5$ per gamer, and 5$ per gametype. (If you choose to play both then your donations would be $10 minimum)


THE CAUSE:
This year we are playing for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of Spencer Boyer. Every dollar raised will go directly to the Be the Match Foundation, which is a registry for Bone Marrow donors and gives a second chance at life for patients with Leukemia.

Each year in the United States about 30,000 new cases of leukemia are diagnosed. It accounts for about one-third of all cancers in children younger than 15. Leukemia causes an estimated 22,000 deaths each year. It is the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths among men and the seventh leading cause of cancer deaths among women.

You can help fight this disease by participating in HALOween and also by registering to the Be The Match Foundation and either donate marrow or donate money to help patients who are donating. Leukemia can be beat!

The registration page will be up soon. For more information visit the PG Tournament forum.

As my primary unit “red-ringed” last night, I was irritated, but not overly so, as this past year, we picked up a second Xbox console for our upstairs, allowing me to, albeit adding some new connections to my TV schema, connect the original launch console refurb in place of my Falcon unit.  This is the third time I’ve sent a console in for repair since first purchasing a 360 in July of 2006; twice for the Red Ring of Death (RROD), and once for a disc drive that kept sticking.  As before, I placed my call to 1-800-4MY-XBOX, and talked to a foreign call center worker.  He processed my repair efficiently, and stated that if I logged on to Xbox.com/repair, I would be able to print out my UPS label for shipment to the repair facility.  I grilled him as to why they no longer send out pre-paid labels with boxes, but he had no answer for me, other than “It’s no longer policy.”  After reflecting upon this, I was able to ship my unit off for repair the next day, as opposed to waiting for the box to come in the mail, so I suppose there is an upside to the new policy.  I was pleased to find out that I could’ve done all this myself through the automated system at Xbox.com without going through the hassle of calling the support center, simply by registering my console on the site, and hitting the submit repair button.

After getting my repair submitted, and my label printed out, I headed to the local UPS Store to have my unit packed and sent off.  The clerk was very friendly, and once he saw what was in my hand, he knew what to do without me even having to explain.  He pulled out a quick reference scan chart for the register, scanned it, and stated that they process so many Xbox repair orders, that they stock the specific box and packing that Microsoft uses to ship your unit back to you when it’s repaired.  Curious, I asked him how many repairs he ships out; he stated five or six…per day!  I couldn’t believe it, I thought this issue was under control!  No wonder we now have to pay for our own packing materials ($11.50 plus tax to be exact).  Today is October 3rd, let’s see if the slated two to three week repair period rings true.  It used to take up to four weeks, so at least they’re getting more efficient.

I’ll update as I watch the repair process on Xbox.com (also a new feature).

UPDATE:  Post repair thoughts

Apologies for neglecting to give an update as soon as the repair process was complete; I honestly expected my console to be out of service a lot longer, thus having time to blog about it being gone.  The online repair area at Xbox.com is very slick, and allows you to avoid those irritaing calls to foreign customer service representatives.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see my total down time come out to be about only two weeks (13 days actually):  one week shipping time, a weekend of repair time, and about 4 days to get back to me.  I still was given a one month Xbox Live card to compensate for my repair time, so that is one nice feature that Microsoft has had for a while now that helps to soothe the irritation of the whole ordeal.  In summary, it sucks to have a console go down on you, but the repair process has improved ten fold since the last time I had to get involed with it.

The Good Game Network is an affiliation of many of the major clans in the Halo nation (and represent strongly in Call of Duty, Gears, and other FPSs and games.) We’re dedicated to sharing fun, good times, and emphasize friendship as well as mature and respectful gaming.

We’re both happy and honored to be a part of this union and call them Comrades.

Be sure to check out our Comrades page for more details on the GGN and how you and your community can learn more.

Just walked off stage. Crowd was amazing, went insane chanting “pick it up!” when I stumbled over Dual-wield Deagles. lol – Akimbo confirmed

Will this be a huge change to the game?   Or will it simply be added candy to what promises to be a stellar experience?

Robert’s Twitter (fourzerotwo)

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