KontrolFreek Blog

We asked you to help us create a brand new FPS Freek inspired by Gears of War: Judgment and you answered in a big way! Unbelievably, we received over 500 GOW-inspired designs from the community and then had the difficult task of narrowing it down to only 4 so that KontrolFreek fans could vote for their favorite!  Ultimately, only 1 design could win and become the next FPS Freek. Which one is it? Keep reading to find out –and remember—if your design was chosen to be in the final four, you already won:

Second Prize:

• Three (3) of the new FPS Freek they helped to design (once available)
• One (1) Gears of War: Judgment game
• One (1) Xbox 360 wireless Gears of War controller

Third and Fourth Prize:

• Two (2) of the new FPS Freek they helped to design (once available)
• One (1) Gears of War: Judgment game

And the GRAND PRIZE winner is...

Randall with his “Justice” design! (We will be in touch soon so check your email.)

You won:

• Five (5) of the new FPS Freek YOU helped to design (once available)
• GAEMS G155 Sentry Personal Gaming Environment with Gears of War skin
• One (1) Gears of War: Judgment game
• One (1) Xbox 360 wireless Gears of War controller

Thanks to everyone who entered and definitely stay on the lookout for product announcements from us so you’ll be able to purchase Randall’s design once available. Facebook fans will be the first to know!

Our Noobz Epic Giveaway has ended and the winners have been chosen. These lucky fourteen individuals are about to get some really sweet signed gear from the new (and hilarious) movie Noobz along with DVDs, Gears of War merchandise and the most limited edition FPS Freek ever produced, the FPS Freek Epic that actually “starred” in the film!

The 10 honorable mentions are:

Craig Olson

James Snedden

Jonathan Lowman

Rob Coffey

Joel Garcia

Thomas Lee

James Fimognari

Heather Stryker

David Carroll

Jesse LaFrenier

The 3 runners-up are:

Jay Skyes

Kevin Brossa

Donovan Hambley

The GRAND PRIZE winner is:

Chase Elliot

We will be emailing you winners shortly. Congrats to all of you and thanks to everyone who entered!

I’ve always been fundamentally opposed to taking myself too seriously. It’s a trait that is as much of a curse as it is a “quality.” Those who don’t know me very well think I’m a pretty fun and quirky guy. Those that do know me wonder when I’m ever going to grow up (give it up, mom. It’s not happening).

The new indie movie, Noobz suffers from the same syndrome as I do, as it never takes itself too seriously either. It straddles the line between hilarious and insulting sometimes—perhaps depending on your level of involvement in competitive gaming.

For someone who’s merely a casual observer of the eSports scene, you’ll likely laugh without ever questioning the authenticity. But, if you’re someone who’s really serious about eSports and deeply sincere to the culture, you may think that the parody hits too close to home and/or doesn’t capture the sport appropriately. Either way, you’re offended.

A good friend of mine absolutely despises The Big Bang Theory. He despises it not because of the dry humor of one Sheldon Cooper, but because he’s insulted by the stereotyping of the group of which he’s a part of in real life—the nerds, geeks and freaks. I think the show is great regardless, but I can understand where he’s coming from.

Noobz is kind of like that. From a distance it can bring you a little closer to eSports as you laugh at the characters and at the gaming culture. Right up close, it could burn you if you let it. But, if you know how to laugh at yourself and at the culture you’re a part of, you’ll see that the movie isn’t poking fun at your expense; it’s just having a good time while allowing you to laugh right along with it.

Is the movie a spot-on representation of our hobby? No, it wasn’t meant to be. It’s a parody. And there’s some great material there that we as gamers can all relate to. You just need to lighten up and enjoy the ride.

Noobz hits select theaters January 25th and will be available on DVD January 29th. 

Tonight is the night! Starting at 9PM EST, we’re giving you the exclusive opportunity to spend some quality time with your friendly neighborhood Yeti, CrReam.

If you know anything about competitive gaming, chances are you’ve heard of pro gamer and TwitchTV legend Kenneth “CrReam” Lawson. A former MLG pro for Gears of War 1 and 2, CrReam has the skills to dominate the competition—and tonight you’ll have the chance to get in on the action LIVE!

To tune-in all you need to do is click here and watch.

If you’d like to join the conversation and ask CrReam a question—follow us on Twitter and Tweet your question to @KontrolFreek using the #KFLive hashtag. We’ll be filtering your questions and only asking him the best ones. If your question is used on the air you’ll be entered to win a prize—so make it good!

Optional: If you’d like to take the experience one step further you can use TweetGrid and set #KFLive as the hashtag and @KontrolFreek as the host.

See you tonight!

A couple of weeks before the release of Gears of War 3, Gears of War: The Board Game will hit store shelves. You see, it's a board game with all of the excitement of Gears of War the video game—except it's probably not even close to as exciting. Sadly, I still totally want it. Fantasy Flight Games makes a pretty good case with this trailer and, honestly, the little figurines would make a great addition to my ongoing army vs. Indians vs. firemen vs. cowboys war I have going on in my sandbox.

I got dibs on Cole Train!

According to Amazon.com, Gears of War: The Board Game releases on August 31^st for about $80.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a video is worth about a million more. If you were lucky enough to be in Los Angeles for E3, you may have caught a peek of the awesomeness that is “Horde 2.0.” If you weren’t at the show, it’s likely that you’ve at least read all about it, seen a bootleg video or possibly kidnapped Clifford Bleszinski yourself and made him play for you while you brushed his hair.

Now Epic Games has finally released an official “tutorial” video that lets you see officially that the Horde mode you know and love has been upgraded and is officially more awesome than ever… officially. Narrated by the tough and sexy Anya Stroud, this tutorial lets you see for yourself some of the evolved features like Fortifications, boss creatures and the new money feature. Check it out!