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Halo: Helljumper Live Action Series

Trevor Roppolo — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:36:00 GMT

The pilot episode of the fan made Halo: Helljumper series hit YouTube last week. If you didn’t know, Helljumper is a short series of films that follows the life of one human ODST from his enlistment in the UNSC before the Human-Covenant War to around the Fall of Reach. The series, which is a spin-off of the Tobias Brickell Halo: Evolutions – Essential Tales of the Halo Universe short story “Dirt” was teased late in 2011 to a very captivated Halo audience.

In the first episode, main character Gage Yevgenny has just been saved from a losing firefight by a rookie soldier on the colony of New Jerusalem. Instead of letting the Rookie complete his rescue, Yevgenny forces him to listen to his story of the war, so that hopefully he doesn’t repeat the same mistakes. This prompts a series of flashes into Yevgenny’s past that’s littered with cool special effects, an evoking musical score and some rather awkward acting and dialogue—“You coming on to me, Soldier?” and “Excuse me, miss, do you happen to have a map… ‘cause I’m lost in your eyes” are a couple of my personal favorites.

Bad acting aside, it’s a cool concept that represents the highest form of video game love.

The next episode is due out on February 15^th.

No new console from Microsoft, Sony planned for E3

Trevor Roppolo — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:21:00 GMT

It may be old news by now, but there will be no next generation Xbox or PlayStation unveiled at this year’s E3. I have hesitated to talk about this because by tomorrow we’ll likely hear more news that contradicts what we know today—but for now, that’s the story coming from Microsoft and Sony representatives.

Rumors up until a couple days ago have been pretty clear that both new consoles would make some sort of appearance at E3—not as clear, perhaps, as what was said by Microsoft France’s marketing director, Cedrick Delmax to Le Point.fr.

"We're in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories. I am not convinced things will happen this year.”

"Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don't see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What's certain is that there'll be nothing new in 2012."

That last part is pretty clear.

In an interview on the same site, Playstation France’s CEO, Philippe Cardone also made it clear that Sony wouldn't be rushing its next generation console release.

"Wii is pressed for time because it's in decline. In our case, we have a lot less pressure. We were the last to release PS3, and we will probably be the last to announce something."

Virgin Gaming Hits the 1M Members Mark

Trevor Roppolo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:21:00 GMT

Competitive gaming tournament site, Virgin Gaming, recently announced that they have surpassed the one-million registered users mark. Since the service launched in June of 2010, over $7 million in prizes has been awarded to gamers.

This is great for the world of competitive gaming!

If you are not one of the 1M people in-the-know, Virgin Gaming offers free registration with the option of depositing a $20 minimum to compete in matches for cash. Currently, you can compete in 13 different games, ranging from FIFA 12 to Battlefield 3, on both Xbox 360 and PlayStaion 3 consoles.

Microsoft to phase out Microsoft Points

Trevor Roppolo — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:29:00 GMT

According to recent rumors and Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft has plans to discontinue their virtual currency system, Microsoft Points, by the end of this year.

This is good news, as MS Points have been a source of disgust for many gamers since they were introduced alongside the XBL Marketplace in 2005. Besides the deceptive Points to real-world currency ratio and the perpetual need to buy more Points than necessary for a purchase (damn you leftover points!), the system is dated and out of line with current standards.

Microsoft isn’t talking, of course, but reports suggest a cash-based system in line with PSN, Apple and Android marketplaces will replace the existing system. This change will not only affect Xbox Live, but the Zune Marketplace and Windows Phone Marketplace as well.

Let’s cross our fingers that this rumor turns out to be true.

What’s the Most Anticipated Game of 2012?

Trevor Roppolo — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:08:00 GMT

Yesterday we asked FreekNation to vote: What game are you most looking forward to this year?

Some of your answers were disturbing (Hello Kitty Online), intriguing (Kinect Porno) and just plain racist (I am a Muslim). Rising to the top were most of the games you’d expect to see—but in an order that was somewhat surprising.

Here are the top 5 most anticipated games according to you:

Grand Theft Auto 5 – 266 votes
Halo 4 – 81 votes
Next Call of Duty – 65 votes
Diablo III – 47 votes
Mass Effect 3 – 41 votes

This poll was given via our Facebook page, revealing the most anticipated game for 2012 is Grand Theft Auto 5. And I would have to personally agree. Rockstar Games’ premiere franchise is always something to get excited about. What surprised me, though, was the order of the next two.

Knowing you guys like I do, I surely thought the next Call of Duty would have beaten out Halo 4. I clearly misjudged you and I’d like to know why. Is it because a new CoD comes out every year and you’re finally getting sick of it? Is it because MW3 hasn’t been out very long and it’s still “new enough” for you? Is it because it’s been so long since you’ve seen your beloved Master Chief and can’t wait to kill Covees correctly? What is it? Leave a comment and let me know before I question even more about myself.

Freek Review: Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror

Trevor Roppolo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:44:00 GMT

“Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror” is a long and confusing name for a controller. Nowhere in the four-word-title is there anything alluding to the fact that it’s a sweet multiplatform gaming controller. So, just to make sure we’re clear: It’s a controller. It’s sweet. And you can use it for the PS3 and PC. We’ll get back to the gaming thing in a bit.

At its very core, the “Conqueror” (that’s what I’m unofficially, officially renaming it to) is a wireless keyboard/mouse combo. The USB AIR dongle—which stores within the controller body quite awesomely—just plugs into your PS3 or PC for easy setup and use. The full QWERTY keyboard, complete with function keys and everything else you’ll ever need, works great for web browsing and other light-to-medium typing duties. The motion sensing gyro mouse also works really well and completes a perfect setup for those with HTPC’s or those who like to kick back on the couch while browsing.

For gaming, the Conqueror worked better than expected. Playing through some of the more casual games in my Steam library, like Beat Hazard and Super Meat Boy, the dual analog stick controls, d-pad and face buttons all seemed responsive and even let me beat a few times in SMB—not saying it was the controller, but it surely didn’t hurt me. Not wanting to solely base my review on casual games, I switched over to my PS3 to try out some Battlefield.

You’ll all be very excited to learn (as I was) that the Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror is compatible with KontrolFreek’s entire range of gaming products. This is good news, of course, and it’s been added to our controller compatibility guide which makes it official.

Things on the Battlefield went well. I was doing my thing and the controller didn’t miss a beat. The build quality and battery life is excellent and it feels really good in the hands. My only (minor) complaint is that the triggers aren’t perfectly positioned—but hey, neither are the DualShock3’s triggers and no one seems to care about that. I didn’t expect it to necessarily be a “performance” controller anyway; so I was pleasantly surprised it performed as well as it did.

For $99.99 the price of the Conqueror may induce some sticker shock at first—but once you take in to account that it’s replacing a mouse, keyboard and video game controller for PC and PS3, it all of the sudden doesn’t seem so high. Combine that with the fact that you can use your existing collection of FPS Freeks, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Mass Suicide Threat at Xbox 360 Plant

Trevor Roppolo — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:08:00 GMT

A dispute over pay and working conditions resulted in about 300 workers climbing to the roof of one of the buildings at Foxconn Technology Park in China early last week. The incident began when employees asked their bosses for a raise but were denied. Employees were told either to quit with compensation or to keep their jobs with no additional payment. Many employees took the former, but the company decided to terminate the agreement anyway and not pay the promised compensation. The workers protested the action by threatening to jump to their deaths.

The standoff eventually came to an end when the mayor of Wuhan showed up and literally talked the former employees off the ledge.

These particular employees were responsible for manufacturing parts for Xbox 360 consoles and production had actually come to a halt for several hours during the protest.

Microsoft had this to say:

"Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue," a spokesperson told the Huffington Post UK.

"We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge.

"Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy."

Foxconn factories in China were already under examination because of several suicides by employees in the past five years—actually forcing the company to install anti-suicide nets at some of their facilities. In addition to Xbox 360 components, Foxconn also manufactures products for Apple, Sony, Nintendo and many other Fortune 500 companies.

BF3 Finale + vVv Gaming

Trevor Roppolo — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:57:00 GMT

JANUARY 2012 EDITION

View this online

Hi,

Happy New Year! Whatever good stuff this year may bring—new car, graduation, weight loss, travel, KD ratio increases—we wish all of you great success in 2012! To start the year off right, why don’t you “Like” us on Facebook? We’ll be giving away something MW3 related in a couple weeks and we’d hate for you to miss it…

vVv Gaming

As a competitive gamer, you've probably heard of vVv Gaming. What you might not know is that right now is the perfect time to sharpen your skills—as vVv Gaming will be opening applications on Jan 19th looking for talented and passionate gamers. As the most accomplished console organization in the world, vVv Gaming has Top 4 finishes in more than a dozen titles on four continents. Check out their video to see what they’re all about.

The Controller: Battlefield 3 Finale

Three teams are left standing and $50,000 is up for grabs. This time the noobs have a little help in the Battlezone. Watch who takes the cake in the Finale of The Controller: Battlefield 3.

*Spoiler Alert* Other competitors won’t let pro player, Proofy, use his FPS Freeks. What happens after that is unbelievable… Bet you didn’t see that one coming!

Cody

via Twitter

“Love my new Freeks! I can't even play NHL or Skyrim without 'em! You guys deserve some sort of prize. Nobel Peace Prize? Yes.”

Christmas and Gaming: Enjoy it while you still can…

Trevor Roppolo — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:01:00 GMT

I remember being a kid on Christmas. It was badass. Waking up, running to the tree, unwrapping “filler” gifts like socks and clothes, just hoping that the video game or console I really wanted was under there somewhere. It usually was; and I’d then spend the rest of the day playing it with my little brother, friends and other prepubescent family members that were over for Christmas dinner. It was the best day ever, renewed annually.

Now things are different. Christmas sucks. What used to be a happy and carefree day has turned into a series of annoying obligations that gets between me and my video games—renewed annually. Between hopping from place to place, celebrating Christmas like a desperate nomad, and not receiving any video games as presents from my “loved ones”, the magic has pretty much expired. I know some of you guys with wives or kids know what I’m talking about. But, what can you do?

Well, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do… I’m going to take Christmas back! I just need to figure out a brilliant plan for next year and then execute. Maybe I’ll purposely get excommunicated from the Catholic Church, or become Jewish but celebrate Christmas in secret away from my family. I don’t know yet—but something needs to be done before I go on a rampage and stab my entire family with sharpened candy canes.

Merry Christmas.