War games and controversy. They go together like Peanut Butter and Bananas. It seems like every new war game that comes out is bathed in reports of "BAN THIS SICK FILTH!!!" 6 Days in Falluja, a title that was supposed to come this year, was dropped dead because of bad press. Who'd of thunk it. It's a bit of a ball buster to see videogames not being observed as a medium to be taken more seriously, but what can you do. The medium is still relatively young compared to others like music and movies. So now we see Medal of Honor gets the tried and true negative attention that all those give to something they don't understand.

In case you forgot or were uninformed, Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella has decided that AAFES (Army/Air Force Exchange Service) and Gamestops located on Army and Air Force bases will not sell Medal of Honor. I belong to the ladder, and therefore had to cancel my preorder conveniently located on base. No big deal right? Just move the preorder right? Well sure, I have taken those steps. The people over in Afghanistan (where AAFES is the only way to buy things) don't really have that luxury. They have to wait the weeks it takes for mail to get to them. The problem also lies in whether this violates free speech. So why exactly was the game removed from military installations?

In Medal of Honor's multiplayer, you could play as the Taliban. "BUT CALL OF DOODY DOES THE SAME THING, WHY WASN'T IT BANNED???" No it didn't. In the multiplayer, the enemy was named "OpFor", short for Opposition Force. In Medal of Honor, the enemy was explicitly named "The Taliban". How does this create a problem? Well, it can be seen as very disrespectful to current soldiers giving their lives not only for our protection here, but for those in the Middle East without rights. To play as the very real enemy that our forces are currently fighting is still a sticky situation.

Personally, I believe it was wrong for Danger Close and DICE to bring the Taliban in their game, but I also stand by the rights that the Constitution grants us and don't want the game banned because it's risque (thank you Dictionary.com word of the day).

Now, EA recently announced that the multiplayer has been changed, and will no longer feature the Taliban, being renamed to OpFor. Reflecting my statement above, I like this. I feel that it is still a little too soon, and with our current enemy still a major threat, this could have been used for propaganda for the baddies much like the Florida pastor Quran burning was. I'm still extremely excited for this game and can't wait to play. It just has to be a few minutes later than I wanted.



The attached image is a billboard conveniently located outside of the Air Force base I work at. Irony is hilarious.

I'm not sure if everyone's caught on to the Mighty Muggs explosion, but their popularity is growing very rapidly. So rapidly, that customs are the way to go. One such custom creator named F1SH does some amazing artwork. His site shows his works, and he sells his artwork. He even takes requests. Just let him know what you want and what you're willing to pay, and he'll most likely gladly supply your needs.

Some of his works include the following (I'm not going to name them, I'll let you see if you can guess.)













Again, his site can be found here, make sure to check out his other NVGR works.

Ok, this may be a little deja vu, but bear with me, this isn't a double post. I've created new content. I've finished works on both Viewtiful Joe, and Captain Blue, and I'm here with glorious results. I present Viewtiful Spore and Captain Creature!

















Here's the original post.

I have to say, I was most surprised with the ability to create the "capes", and the middle spikes on the "helmets" with the medal. Let me know what you think :)

I know, it seems a little low right? I mean, who doesn't have 9500 dollars to spend at a whim? I know I sure do.

Well, for those of you like me who have this kind of cash just laying around, ready to be spent at a moments notice, have I got a deal for you. Over there at them eBays, a seller has put up a mystical, magical copy of the legendary Nintendo World Championship. Now, although it is the gray cartridge, it's still quite a gem layin around to be sold on them tubes of inter and net.





Here's a link for those of you unwilling to matlock, and to those of you bidding, I'll have you know that I have much more than 9500 bucks to spend on an NES cartridge. [/sarcasm]

Herrrooooo......


So, it seems that Valve has announced a new update for some game called Team Fortress 2. I dunno, I hear it's part of some blue box or something. Anyways.

To my excitement,their blog shows the problems that are accompanied by these astounding updates and how the Valve guys tackle them. The dedication is amazing to see, and definitely worth the wait as awesome title after title is put forth into (my) hands. The wait is definitely worth taking, but these updates are really rolling out relativiley quickly (at least in Duke Nukem time)

So, how excited are you?

So I have this computer, and am looking for an upgrade. Am I late to join the contest? Yes. Do I care? No. Easy come, easy go right? Anyways, let's get to the pictures.



The specs:

Radeon 9800 XT...uhhh....

Yeah, I only know my graphics card. I have no idea what else is in my rig. I know that it has enough processing power to play The Orange Box, F.E.A.R., and Far Cry well enough, but it is time to advance my gaming 'puter's portfolio. Games like Crysis, Bioshock, and Gears of War won't run on this thing. I'm even pushing it with Half Life 2: Episode 2. And this computer isn't really mine. Sure, it's in my room, but my parents may take it back. I also forgot to mention I'm joining the Air Force, and my computer gaming needs will most likely not be met when I leave the nest. I'm looking for this as m saving grace...kinda. If not, I'll just drop some cash for a PS3. Yeah.