The franchise has been around for to long producing the same beat-em up genre game since 1997. The most recent Next-Gen version called Dynasty Warriors 6 was fun and had better graphics but didn't live to my expectations.

Then I get a hold of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires for the 360 and I can say this is what I wanted from the franchise. Strategy, improved graphics, all the characters, create a character, and you choose the path of your character.

I know I'm weird for liking this game as much as I do but the game provides more to just beat'em up. Playing on Normal and Easy are very easy on all levels (the strategy, fighting and all around game play) but as you go into higher levels, they do get challenging as you keep playing.

The game is also has easy points for the 360 if anyone is willing to invest some time into it.

Would like to thanks Crimsonhead16 for showing me this game (he is on my friends list on XBL and I noticed that he was playing it). He and I do like the franchise alot.

I am not a normal PC user by a long shot since I use a Linux distro called Arch Linux. Since this is my main computer when at work and home, I have always used Firefox as the main browser to get around the web. The linux version of Firefox 3.0 was ok at times and had some opening/closing problems which were a headache but after downloading Firefox 3.5 today, I couldn't be happier with the progress Firefox is taking.

Some key features about Firefox 3.5 that are noteable:

• Support for the HTML5 and elements including native support for Ogg Theora encoded video and Vorbis encoded audio.
• Improved tools for controlling your private data, including a Private Browsing Mode.
• Improvements to the Gecko layout engine, including speculative parsing for faster content rendering.
• Much, Much More at: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/3.5/releasenotes/

Those are just some of the overall improvements of the browser itself but nothing compares to the Add-On's that you can install for this browser including Themes, Appearances, Download Management, and Feeds, News & Blogging to name a few. I would recommend Firefox to anyone who wants a browser to be their own. Download the newest version 3.5 today.

Download Firefox Today

If the title was long or nerdy enough for you, buying it as a console arcade game on the 360 could take the cake.

I was never a player of the game but did enjoy watching people play and of course, the pictures on the cards were really well done. I was one of those closet Magic: The Gathering types.

Now that this game came out for the 360 arcade, I couldn't resist buying it and filling that urge to learn.

The best thing about this game is fact that it caters to 'beginners' like myself with an easy tutorial mode, challenges to help with some advanced combinations of winning and a mode called 'Mentoring' which allows you play with some who should have a higher knowledge of the game to help you learn more.

The game isn't about graphics but is still sound enough to capture the gaming feel.

Playing card games on a console does sound 'unholy' at times but having this game has helped me understand a world that was seperate from my own. Now I can say I am now a computer and magic nerd!

I was looking down at my reviews and noticed that my newest review of Cross Edge is already at 0 of 4 users agree with the review. I don't mind that no one likes the review but I want to know more of 'why' it isn't helpful.

If anyone that reads my entries and have read my review of this game, could you write me a comment and say why it isn't a good review. Is it to long? Is it to descriptive? What can I do to improve that review so I can make better ones?

Thanks!

-Bryan
www.opinionunlocked.com

Just finished watching the Nintedo E3 Press Conference and I have to say I was like the crowd during the show, silent.

If you are a Mario fan and just love this multi-tasking plummer, this press conference was for you as there are a total of 4 new Mario games coming out for the Wii and DS(i) this year or 2010. This character is the face for Nintendo and do know how to work him into almost everything.

The biggest surprise to that conference was the Metroid: Other M developed by Team Ninja and Nintendo. Will be interesting to see how they made the game as it looks like a 3D platform like the original.

I'm still not impressed with what Nintendo is coming out with but this could be because I'm more hardcore gamer then casual.

Time will tell if the sales for Wii climb or decline.

- Bryan
www.opinionunlocked.com

I find myself not shocked by an article on Yahoo! Tech about a 22 year old college student in Dublin, Ireland who wanted to check if the media was giving solid news independent from what they hear on the World Wide Web.

Shane Fitzgerald learned about the death of Maurice Jarre, a famous French composer, happened on March 28, 2009 so he went onto his wikipedia page and added a false quote to the page to see the media reaction. After posting the quote, a few dozon U.S. Blogs picked up on the new quote and posted it as a real quote even though the quote didn't have reliable sources. Even wikipedia moderators commented on the low reliablity of the quote but media sites/journalists bit the big lie. The quote that was printed on the wikipedia page was:

"One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack.Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head that only I can hear."

Shane had to tell those media coperations about the real truth to the quote and not report it as real.

This comes to show you that news isn't always reliable just because you get it from the TV or Newspaper.

Yahoo! said it best when talking about Shane's test: "His report card: Wikipedia passed. Journalism flunked".

I have updated my profile with the new PSN ID I created last night.

PSN ID = ruffedgz

Glad it was available

- Bryan
www.opinionunlocked.com

I caved in today to purchase a 160 GB PS3 from Amazon.

More details about it HERE.

It set me back some money but it's an investment that I'm willing to spend for Opinion Unlocked.

- Bryan
www.opinionunlocked.com

This entry is to let others know that I and Brad (Gamakarmica) are running a site now:

www.opinionunlocked.com

I will be making changes to the actual template I hope soon (with work and real life, its hard to just sit down and just enjoy gaming and be a part of the podcast/website).

New emails for Brad and I can be found here: http://opinionunlocked.com/contact-us/

Will be posting on both as much as I can but will be mantaining the site more. Lets see how this goes

- Bryan
bryan@opinioonunlocked.com

Once April 1st came around, I thought it was a joke to see The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai on the XBL arcade section because no real release date was given. I took the opportunity to buy this game (800 MSP) and give it a go.

Ever since 2007 when I played this game during the XBOX 360 Dream, Build, Play competition, I thought this game was just entertaining and had potential. Two years later, I buy the game and really enjoy what it has become.

I would have to say that this game is worth a demo play and if you enjoyed the demo, you will probably enjoy the game. Check out my review of the game to understand it a bit more.

On a side note, I have been around but working on a side project with my friend Brad (aka Gamakarmica) that I will be sharing with everyone when it is done

Cheers!

I have 3 brackets filled in (just for fun) on Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. Here are the predictions I have for all 3:

Bracket Name: Pick or Go Home
Final Four: 1. Louisville, 2. Memphis, 1. Pittsburgh, 1. North Carolina
Championship: 1. Louisville - 1. North Carolina
Champions: 1. North Carolina

Bracket Name: North Dakota State for the Win
Final Four: Final Four: 1. Louisville, 1. UConn, 1. Pittsburgh, 1. North Carolina
Championship: 1. Louisville - 1. North Carolina
Champions: 1. North Carolina

Bracket Name: The Ways of Bracketology
Final Four: 1. Louisville, 2. Memphis, 1. Pittsburgh, 1. North Carolina
Championship: 2. Memphis - 1. Pittsburgh
Champions: 2. Memphis

Who do you have will win this year? Any Cinderella teams making the final four?

Opinion Unlocked - 25

Opinion Unlocked comes at you without any enhancement drugs in our systems. Major League Baseball games have been released and we share our opinons about what makes MLB 2k9 and MLB09: The Show tick. Discussions on why other companies like Amazon and Best Buy want a piece of the 'used game' market. Budgetary Reflux comes at you and another riveting NPC banter.

Please shoot us an email anytime at: opinion.unlocked@gmail.com
Our blog an be found here: http://opinionunlocked.blogspot.com

Time: A Lot of minutes

RSS Feed: Track Us HERE

It's March 15th which means only one thing for me...

I'm getting older

Cheers!

Opinion Unlocked - 22/23/24

A backlog of episodes comes your way this week as I try to keep everyone caught up in these three episodes of Opinion Unlocked.

Episode 22 discusses the Street Fighter history along side SFIV review of the game as well. Brad and I reveal another "What you've been playing", discuss our investments in "Budgetary Reflux" and a Rival Code more laws being enforced on gaming.

Episode 23 talks about the new release of 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand (every white boy's guilty pleasure game. Don't lie to yourself, you know you want it). EA has an epiphany about the gaming market and Brad tries his second most embarrassing talent, rap.

Episode 24 reviews both Star Ocean: The Last Hope and Killzone 2 in depth. We introduce a new segment called "Head Cases" which gives Brad and I more reason to start playing more Phoenix Wright games to get ourselves pumped for trail.

Please shoot us an email anytime at: opinion.unlocked@gmail.com
Our blog an be found here: http://opinionunlocked.blogspot.com

Time: A Lot of minutes

RSS Feed: Track Us HERE

Tonight at 12:01am, doors will be opening for the geek orgasmic showing of The Watchmen.

I will not be going for that show but I do have tickets for the IMAX showing of this movie tomorrow night at 6:15pm. I don't think this movie will disappoint but I'm still crossing my fingers so my nerdy little heart doesn't get broken.

Anyone else going to see it or just excited for the movie?

Video games (like many other types of games) are supposed to be challenging. If they weren't, not many people will keep playing them for long periods of time. That being said, Street Fighter IV has made their game challenging but almost to the point were you want to hurt someone that doesn't deserve it.

I decided to keep playing this game with my normal controller to see if I could get better with it. I decide to try the "Arcade Mode" which has the story line, rivalry match and boss fight at the end. I started playing this game around 7:30pm that night. I finally got to the boss fight at 10:45pm. I finally beat 'Seth' (the boss) around 11:40pm.

This could mean two things. Either:

a) I'm really not that good and it doesn't matter how much time it took me to beat it because I should be happy to have beaten it.

Or

b) the game treads the thin line of being overly challenging that it causes more people to get so competitive and overly pissed that you go into a blind rage which could hurt others in the process.

I really don't know if I'm just that bad but other SFIV gamers will have to help me out with this one to see if they also have this frustration at times.

I think Ctrl-Alt-Del nailed it on the head with their latest comic (02/20/09).

Street Fighter IV

The Street Fighter series can be arguably one of the better series to come out for the fighting genre. Though they drove the series into the ground when it comes to the same game but with different 'things' added to it (new characters, added super abilities, etc...). The series seemed lost with no hope of returning after Street Fighter III came out.

When word of Street Fighter IV was circling around, I don't think anyone was expecting the game to be what it is now. The trailers and gameplay videos looked wonderful and the pictures just instilled good thoughts in player's minds. Now the day has come for gamers to actual see the gameplay for themselves.

The first thing that just needs to be said is the graphics are really, really nice. The mix of 3D graphics and playing in a 2D type environment works out well with this game. Certain moves will mix the two environments but not in a confusing way. You will always know were your character is at all time (if you are performing the move or not). The backgrounds look stellar and just add to the eye friendly feeling of this game.

The gameplay feels like an other Street Fighter game in the series. To perform moves are similar to previous versions of the game and the movement is also similar. Using a normal gamepad can be done but I have found it to be sometimes difficult at times as well (this opinion is only for the 360 version of the game). If you really want to perform the moves better, a arcade stick would be preferred (or a fighting game pad).

The type of gameplay to pick from is similar to other fighting games. They have a story mode, verses mode, Live mode (online), challenge mode and training mode. Each mode has its unique feel and should be able to keep gamers interested. The story mode goes through the story for street fighter as you get to battle your way through with the characters in the game to complete it. Verses mode is to battle friends/family on the local machine. Live mode lets you battle people online and keeps track of other players to see who is the better fighter for this installment. Challenge mode gives gamers a way to beat challenges that Capcom has set up like a time trail or survival match. Training just helps gamers who wish to practice moves/combos with a character without winning or losing involved.

The sounds were surprisingly good for the game and I really enjoyed the main theme of the game (Exile - The Next Door). Fighting sounds were basic but still accurate with each hit placed. The English voice acting was also not bad for a Japanese based game but you can unlock the Japanese voices for the game as you keep playing. The level music as well is enjoyable to listen to (if you take the time to actually listen) and keeps the game flow exciting.

The game itself is a wonderful standard for 2009 Fighting Game of the Year and anyone in this genre will have to find a way to beat out a legendary series like Street Fighter.

Opinion Unlocked - 21

As Opinion Unlocked get hammered on its 21st episode, Brad and I stay focus on the topics at hand. We first give insight on the games coming out in Q1 and Q2 of 2009 and express the games we are interested in. We talk about what we have been playing and give a small NPC banter which includes Jeff Gerstman and Adam Sessler. Rvial Code helps explain why achievements define the 21st century in a good but also bad way as well. This and much more on this episode of Opinion Unlocked.

Please shoot us an email anytime at: opinion.unlocked@gmail.com
Our blog an be found here: http://opinionunlocked.blogspot.com

Time: 69 minutes

RSS Feed: Track Us HERE

I love to watch Boston Legal even after its season finally in 2008. I DVR any old episodes to just get my fix of Alan Shore and Denny Crane. On on the recent recording I had this weekend, an episode called "Tea and Sympathy" was shown which makes reference to the university I went to.

Now this isn't a big deal but it's just funny to hear a real situation be referenced in a TV show to make a point.

The issue in question is about sororities.

Back in 2007, Delta Zeta national representatives came to their chapter at DePauw University to see if they could help with recruiting. Surveys were given to current members to help those representatives know who the current members were. It isn't clear if that was really the case but in the end, those representatives told a selected few to leave the house.This did not make the former members happy so they spoke up about it.

In the Boston Legal episode, they used the same kind of situation, changed the name of the sorority and tried to make a case out of it.

The episode didn't just use the situation for this episode but also made reference to DePauw University in the episode.

The actual situation wasn't talked about on the news for long (I think a week tops) and was pushed asside for something more important like Britney or something.

It's a small world we live in when some small news in Greencastle, Indiana becomes national news and also appears in a TV show