Fuel the Rebellion

Winter is Coming. It is Known. Also, could we maybe cool it a little on the rape scenes?

2011-08-31T00:08:00.001-04:00

TigerBeat has a fantastic Beatdown of George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice (here's another primer, if you aren't familiar with the series, and beware, as this post contains SPOILERS!)

I loved the books as well as the HBO series based on them (Peter Dinklage's Tyrion is brilliant), but I also enjoyed the Beatdown because the author pens a fun, snarky read, and many of her points are right on.

As a woman, the first several chapters of Martin's epic fantasy series were very disturbing to me; the violence against women made me nearly put the books down.

I'm glad I didn't, and I'll explain why, but first, responding to her take on Tyrion's story:

When Tyrion married Tysha, he was 13 years old. He believed she was a prostitute who never loved him because his father, the authority figure over him, and his brother Jaime, whom he trusted, told him so. And so his father tells Tyrion to watch while she she has sex with all the soldiers for money, and then demands Tyrion rape her as well, and give her a gold coin because Lannisters are considered to be worth more than soldiers.

I used the words "has sex" because although of course it is rape, at that point Tyrion believes the girl is a prostitute who has no problem with having sex with all the soldiers for money, as each one is paying her. He doesn't realize that she is just as much a victim as he is, at this point.

If a girl is coerced into doing something sexually by an authority figure in control of her, that's rape. The young women in this story, who are 13, 14, etc., are considered by the society in which they live to be "of age" at this time, but we obviously agree that is not okay today (I feel that Martin is making that point, actually, to show us how barbaric that kind of thinking was.)

I'm sure you agree that when a 13 year old child is coerced into sex by an authority figure, it doesn't matter whether the child is a boy or girl--it's rape either way. So I feel that we should give the same respect to Tyrion and accept that he is also a victim here.

Now, why I kept reading: many of the women in the series show strength, resourcefulness and really grow as characters, especially Danaerys. I disagree, also, that she has to release the slaves because she is a white woman and they are not, and therefore she knows better. Dani was made a slave herself, and sold, and that's why she empathizes with them. She doesn't feel superior to them. Dani has actually learned much from listening and respecting other cultures and races, something her brother did not do (which is why she is a survivor and he is not) and she is "the blood of the dragon," not her brother. She is a complex character trying to do the right thing in a world that George R. R. Martin has deliberately made the opposite of good vs evil. In that world, pragmatists and strategists live while the naive and trusting die.

And this is where I talk about that world of the series, because it is really significant to note that, while a fantasy world, it is modeled on Europe during the Wars of the Roses and the families fighting for the throne at the time. The patriarchal society, arranged marriages, plotting and treason exist because the historical background upon which the fictional work is based included all those elements and they are necessary for the factions to make sense. So arguing that Martin could have had the women in charge, etc., doesn't work in that setting. Yet he still has women play pivotal roles, and in the other countries in the book there are strong women.

The women of the wildlings are not mentioned, I notice, nor is Asha Greyjoy, all strong women who control their own destinies.

I disagree that Cersei is punished for her sexuality, also. Everyone suffers in this book, and I don't see a lot of moral posturing here that indicates Martin himself has a problem with sexually assertive women--he makes that point through Cersei, who tries to use her sister-in-law's sexuality to punish her, and instead ends up a victim of her own machinations. Cersei is undone because she does not think far enough ahead strategically; this is a weakness that the character has always had through the entire series of books. She solves immediate problems while creating long-range ones because she does not see the big picture. Cersei's pattern has always been to manipulate Jaime, who loves her, into solving those problems she creates, but he stops going along with her when he realizes she has been using him all along.

Tyrion does well because, as in chess, he sees the whole board and thinks several moves ahead. He learned, very young, the most important lesson of survival: naivete and innocence lead to suffering in this harsh world.

~Viv

Screw the Heroes, Give Me the Villains

2011-08-25T01:12:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Fright Night.
For Real.

Never underestimate the power of a great villain to really make the movie.

Case in point: I watched the original, classic version of Fright Night last night with my 16 year-old, since we're planning to go see the new version this weekend.

Hi, I'm 27 and trying to play 17. I totally
cannot pull this role off! Put a ribbon in my
hair and maybe no one will notice.

I had forgotten how, well, yeah, *forgettable* the lead and his girlfriend were (Amanda Beards was about an inch short of homely--were they *trying* to make Amy look plain?).
But Chris Sarandon always stood out for me. My teenage son agreed that his performance is what really sold the movie. The suave, sartorial vampire biting into an apple as he sauntered down the stairs reeled us in, and by the seduction scene in the club we were both rooting for him over the vampire killer.

Yes, I always dress this well. Vampires have the best tailors.

Of course, there's no doubt that Roddy McDowell makes an inspired Peter Vincent, but where does he do his best work? Opposite Sarandon, or the over-the-top Evil Eddie ("The Master will kill you for this! But not quickly. Slowly...oh. so. Slowly!"). The dying wolf, with its piteous cries of pain, changing into a man as McDowell's eyes grow soft and teary? That's the good stuff, right there.

Inevitably, when I look at the best fantasy/sci-fi/horror films, the consistent factor in all of them is a well-cast villain, from John Lithgow way back in Blowout to Bill Nighy in the Underworld movies, to Geoffrey Rush in the first Pirates.

I know what you're thinking, "Well, but the leads have to be good, too, right? Look at Johnny Depp in those Pirates movies!"

To which I say: Bollocks. Johnny Depp rules my heart, but the last Pirates movie was still pathetic, and his bizarro Willy Wonka couldn't hold a candle to Gene Wilder's lovable eccentric version.

And that's not all. Remember the spitting, acne-covered Baron Harkonnen spinning up to the ceiling in Dune? Yeah, he sucked. Even Sting, Kyle McLachlan and Brad Dourif couldn't save that movie (though Dourif later shone as Grima Wormtongue in LOTR. Again, great villain!).

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was meh largely because Blackbeard was just not physically intimidating enough. The real Blackbeard was a giant of a man. And the Spiderman franchise, which started out so well with Willem Dafoe as the maniacal Green Goblin, went and put a very nice, somewhat overweight actor in the role of Doc Oc and screwed it all up.

The very first of the many, many Batman movies isn't a classic because of Michael Keaton. It's Jack Nicholson's Joker (with a little help from sexy Kim Basinger) that made it both dark and fun ("Where does he get those wonderful toys?!"). When Director Christopher Nolan breathed new life into the franchise, Heath Ledger came along and acted circles around Christian Bale, re-creating a role that would have intimidated lesser actors (would you want to step into Nicholson's shoes?!).

Hugh Jackman? Fine, no problem, I like him. But Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth made Wolverine worth watching. Chris Hemsworth is likable enough as the blond and suitably buff Thor, but Tom Hiddleston's Loki? Brilliant.

Ian Mckellan (and then Michael Fassbender) as Magneto.

Ricardo Montalban as "Kha-a-a-an!"

I could go on, but I think I've made my point.

So, if there are any producers, directors or casting people out there, keep that in mind, okay? It's the villain that makes the movie. And Colin Farrell, don't let me down in this new Fright Night remake. I'm counting on you!

King of Fighters XII: Why Bother?

2009-08-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

We're fans of fighting games. We like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, no question.

We respect the fact that sometimes, when it comes to fighting games, graphics can take a back seat, while the very idea of a plot line is laughable.

Let's face it, it's all about the action. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

So, King of Fighters XII comes out, and we take a look at some of the gameplay videos before we get our hands on the game, and we say to ourselves, "Well, the graphics aren't really impressive, but there's a devoted following for these King of Fighter dudes, and maybe they know something we don't."

There was also quite a lot of press surrounding the release of the game. That's par for the course; you spend money making games, you spend money publicizing the games so the fans will spend their money buying the games, right?

But there's only so far we are willing to go when it comes to shelling out $60 hard-earned dollars for a game.

And King of Fighters XII left us cold.

It's not just the problems with online and multiplayer gaming right from the get-go, requiring patches straight out the door, though they might have waited to release the game until they got the kinks worked out.

[Blizzard is one of the few franchises that get that right, btw. They've pushed back Strarcraft II more times than we can count, but at least we have faith that when Starfcraft II comes out it will be godly straight out of the box.]

No, there're so many things wrong with King of Fighters XII that we couldn't find many willing to take it on just to go through them all here. Hence the delay for this review. We don't like sticking it to the game people, but the King of Fighters XII that won some early awards in pre-release play somehow morphed into this lackluster, 2D sprite fighting game with few options and frustrating game play.

Twenty-two fighting characters, first off. Twenty-two. I don't know about you, but if I'm playing a fighting game, I want to scroll through hella more choices than that.

And then what's with the backgrounds? There's what, five different backgrounds? Again, you've gotta be kidding me. Double that, at least, is what I'm looking for in a good fighting game. Though in this case, that might actually be worse. Bright, colorful, but bizarre, they actually take away from the game by pointing out how dreary and dull the sprite fighters look against them.
What the hell is going on behind us?!

No final boss. You think I am fighting for my health, here? We're already short on all the unlockables we were hoping for. Maybe we're showing our age, but we expect some kind of reward for toughing out the matches.

Now, I know the King of Fighters franchise fanbois think we just.don't. get. it.

Maybe they're only 22 frickin' guys, but they're your guys. You love your KOF cast, right?

Oh, yeah? Well, not only are you missing a lot of your guys in this game, but some of them have been seriously re-worked. We're talking bulked up or--how do we say this?--sexed down. In other words, you can only chose between have these huge brawny fighting guys, or these metrosexual gender-neutral anime emo sprite dudes (dudettes?), pale shadows of the franchise heroes.
We'e confused about our sexuality. Let us duel to the death.

Which is why we ask, when it comes down to King of Fighters XII--why bother?

Army of Two: 40th Day Weapon Design Contest

2009-06-24T08:48:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, EA Montreal announced the return of the weapon design contest for ARMY OF TWO: THE 40th DAY.

From June 23, 2009 to July 12 2009, participants can submit their ultimate weapon at the game's official website for a chance to have it included in a future EA Game.

To enter the contest, gamers will need to submit an image of their weapon and a brief 200-word description. Please click on the game's official website to view the contest rules.

Once gamers submit their designs, the images will be posted to the site for the community to vote on. Starting on July 20, 2009 the top weapons will be reviewed by the development team who will then pick the two best designs.

Ubisoft (Cheap!) on Impulse

2009-06-16T08:54:00.003-04:00

Ubisoft titles are NOW available on Impulse . Additionally, all titles from Ubisoft on Impulse are 10 percent off!

Ubisoft Titles Available:

Far Cry 2 is the next-generation first-person shooter that takes you deep into the most beautiful but also most hostile environments in the world: Africa! More than just a visual and technological achievement, Far Cry 2, the true sequel to the award-winning PC game, will provide you with an unprecedented gaming experience. It is now available on Impulse for $19.99.

In Assassin’s Creed* it’s 1191 AD in Jerusalem. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You are an elite Assassin sent to stop the hostilities by suppressing the powers on both the Crusader and Saracen sides. But as you carry out your missions, a conspiracy begins to unfold. You find yourself tangled up in a conflict that threatens not only the Holy Land, but the entire world. Assassin’s Creed can be purchased for $19.99.

Also coming to the Impulse lineup is Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East. For the first time, play as the Orc faction and recruit heroes, build armies and manage cities as you explore and conquer legendary lands. Use tactics, skills and magic to outsmart fantasy armies while developing your heroes and unveiling the dark plot that threatens to tear the world of Ashan apart. This epic chapter can be purchased on Impulse for $19.99.

*Editor's Pick! We loved this title on Xbox 360! Must-have for your collection.

Call of Duty 4, Prototype on Impulse

2009-06-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

Stardock announced today that Activision's Prototype and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare are now available for download on Impulse .

With Impulse, users purchase their game and can then immediately download and install the game through the Impulse client which seamlessly manages updates, community features and more. Games become part of that user’s account such that when a user purchase a new machine, a user can simply re-download the Impulse client, logon to their account and re-download all their purchases, even years into the future.

Prototype lets gamers feel the power of being the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. You are the prototype: Alex Mercer – a genetically mutated man without memory, armed with amazing shape-shifting abilities, hunting your way to discover what created you and determined to make those responsible pay. As Alex, gamers tear through a densely populated contemporary New York City with Parkour-style agility, consuming anybody that gets in their way, assuming their physical identity, memories and abilities. Available for $49.99.

In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you are armed with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower and transported to treacherous hotspots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world. As both a U.S Marine and British S.A.S. soldier fighting through an unfolding story full of twists and turns, players use sophisticated technology, superior firepower and coordinated land and air strikes on a battlefield where speed, accuracy and communication are essential to victory. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable gameplay. Available for $39.99.

Natsume Announces Lineup for 2009

2009-05-28T10:47:00.007-04:00

Here are the latest scheduled game releases, straight from Natsume:

Adventures To Go (PSP)
It's adventure served your way! In this hilarious and innovative
strategy RPG, players take control of Finn Courtland and his band of
misfits in their quest for fame and riches. Each dungeon is randomly
generated according to the player's specifications, so the game offers
endless replayability and a guarantee of new surprises every time
players pick it up. The grid-based battles challenge players to think
strategically and make the best use of each character's abilities.

Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition (Wii)
In Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition, players take on the role of a wildlife photographer exploring the exotic and diverse wildlife of Animal Island. Each day, they'll be given new photo assignments, such as taking pictures of particular animals, an animal herd, or an animal
in a particular pose. Players will see a variety of exotic wildlife on their expedition, including gazelles, gorillas, and elephants. Each animal is realistically detailed and behaves just like the real thing!

Afrika (PS3)
Explore the wildlife of Africa in this revolutionary safari game! Players will capture lifelike images of everything from lions and zebras to giraffes and cheetahs in this breathtaking PlayStation® 3
game that features photorealistic environments and animals that move and behave exactly like their real-world counterparts. Like real-life
photographers, players will need to be careful if they want to take photos of the animals without disturbing them, and make the best use
of their equipment in order to capture that perfect shot. The photography in the game is as meticulously modeled as the animals themselves; players will need to learn to compose their photographs with the eye of a professional photographer if they want to earn top dollar. Money can be used to purchase new licensed cameras and equipment, all of which behave just like their real-world counterparts.

Cheer We Go! (DS)
Take on the role of a cheerleader in this exciting rhythm adventure game! Use your stylus to guide your cheerleader through increasingly complex dances and cheerleading routines. The game's story mode takes players on an adventure through school as they try to work their way
up to star cheerleader! Players can completely customize theircharacter, enjoy a variety of mini-games, and may just find a little romance as they strive to become the best cheerleader in the school!

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade (Wii)
In Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, a divine tree which once stood in the middle of the Harvest Goddess' pond has begun to weaken, the creatures are beginning to leave the land, and the five bells have lost their power. Only the strength of the Harvest King can help revive the earth and bring the tree back to life. It's up to the player to ring the five bells, bring the Harvest King back to the island, and help revive the Goddess' tree and the land. Players will also help the ringmaster when the circus rolls into town. When the giraffe, hippo, and lion escape, players have to find them, befriend them, and bring them back to save the show! Players will find plenty of activities to experience in Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, including cultivating crops and caring for wild and exotic animals. Players can take their exotic pets out for walks, teach them tricks, and even ride them around town!

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming (DS)
Something strange is happening on Sunny Island. Crops are popping up everywhere and growing out of control! If something isn't done soon, the once-tranquil island will be buried in an avalanche of vegetables! It's up to the players to solve the mystery of this produce predicament as they try to tame the crops and gather as many
vegetables as they can. Set in the world of the recent DS hit Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming continues the
tale of the island and its residents. Players can choose from 12 playable characters, each with their own unique story. See how the mystery unfolds from each character's perspective, and who they meet along the way. The game features a variety of modes including Story Mode, the brain-teasing Mission Mode, and the action-puzzle excitement of Score Attack and Free Play Modes. Players can test their farming skills against their friends and family in multiplayer. Players can also unlock character art, music, and some special surprises in the Collection Room.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop (WiiWare)
Harvest Moon comes to WiiWare! You've just opened a shop in Clover Town. It's up to you to decide what items you're going to stock. Once you decide what to stock, you'll make the items in a series of fun and exciting minigames using the Wii Remote. Can you build a bustling business that will help Clover Town prosper?

Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands (DS)
The islands are in peril! Years ago, a powerful earthquake struck the Sunshine Islands. In Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands, it's up to the player to raise the sunken islands by finding the magical Sun Stones. By finding and collecting the Sun Stones, and using them to unlock the
islands, wild animals and crops, players can bring peace and prosperity to the Sunshine Islands and prevent such a disaster from ever striking again. Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands continues the story of Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness. Players will encounter all of the beloved characters from that game, as well as a number of newcharacters. Players will grow and harvest crops, care for animals, mine, fish, and compete in festival events in their quest to restore the Sunshine Islands to their former glory. With a little luck, they may even find true love and start a family along the way.

Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream (Wii)
Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream brings the most true-to-life fishing experience yet to the Nintendo Wii! Featuring a magnificent 3D fishing engine, lifelike fish, and soothing environmental sounds, Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream puts players on the banks of pristine lakes, raging rivers, and tropical oceans filled with the biggest, fiercest fish around. Players will be able to keep their best catches in aquariums, grow them, and then release back into the wild for an even bigger challenge. Get expert advice from the wise Fishing Master and learn how to fish like a pro. With a variety of realistic stages, tons of fresh and saltwater fish, and over 100 pieces of tackle, players can really make their fishing experience their own. Special Boss Fish will challenge even the most veteran anglers. Players can also take a more competitive approach to fishing with Versus Mode and compete with 1-4 other players. Players can try their hand at lure, bait, and fly fishing, using the WiiT Remote as a rod, and the Nunchuk as a reel. With all the sights, sounds, and action of real fishing, Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream is the closest you can get to the real-life fishing without putting on your waders!

Squishy Tank (DS)
Squishy Tank is a fun-filled puzzle adventure game! The gameplay challenges players to quickly match and destroy tiles before they run out of time. Wacky items and powerups keep the action fresh and exciting. The game also features a story mode that's sure to charm players of all ages with its whimsical characters and dialog.

Terminator Salvation--The Resistance Goes Live Tomorrow

2009-05-18T21:08:00.005-04:00

Now that you've played some version of the game on Facebook, iPhone and Twitter, we know you'll want to check out this Terminator Salvation launch trailer to get really psyched for tomorrow's console release!

Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena (Xbox 360)

2009-05-15T11:46:00.008-04:00

does this tattoo make me look fat?

We really wish we didn't have to post this review of the new Riddick game, because that means we have to stop playing it.

This is one addictive shooter. We have two Xbox 360's set up here for reviews, and we keep sneaking the game out and swapping it into whichever one has OUR saved progress on it.

We're all, "Oh, man, you HAVE to play this part!"

and

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!"

and

"Are you done yet? My turn. Dude? Dude! DUDE, my turn."

Awesome.

me so scary
Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena consists of a hi–definition re-imagined version of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and also adds on an entirely new chapter in the Riddick Saga.

And, on top of all that new hotness, for the first time, players can take part in intense online multiplayer combat.

The Chronicles of Riddick series of games takes the player deeper into the universe of Universal Pictures' films The Chronicles of Riddick and cult classic Pitch Black, which first introduced Vin Diesel as enigmatic anti-hero Riddick. In The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena the player takes the role of Riddick using stealth and action to overcome the merciless crew of the predatory Merc-ship Dark Athena which awaits its prey in the dark reaches of space. Cheating death through a series of spectacular battles and events, Riddick will fight for his life amid a storm of malevolence and horror. via

In the original (but now HD re-mastered) game, although darkness is your friend because of your stealthy ninja skills, you don't start out with the super eyes that glow, and so it's worth playing just to go through that whole metamorphosis when Riddick becomes godly.

Or schizophrenic. Dude hears voices.

As Riddick himself notes at the time his vision changes, "I thought it was the pain talking. But then, it always knew its place before..."

That's another great thing about the Dark Athena game, by the way: the voice talent. Vin Diesel again lends his voice to the role of Riddick, and I don't think anyone else could have given that same gritty intensity to the character. It's really pivotal to the game, that dry, ultimately chill tone of utter badass.

just chillin'

In the new Dark Athena chapter, you are once again the prime target for bounty hunters, who want to pick you up and lock you away for good, yada yada yada. When will they ever learn?

The Dark Athena prison is seriously rough, though. It's really a step abobe Butcher Bay in that regard.

You're down in the mines, there's cage fighting, it's typical cut-throat Riddick material.

As in Butcher Bay, you can't use the DNA-coded weapons--but there is a loophole in that prisoners have uncoded stun guns they wrestle from others. Getting one as soon as possible, as well as the iconic prison shiv, is a wise tactical move in the game.

A couple additional hints as you go along the game:

If you've never played the original Butcher Bay campaign:

Remember that not only are you at your best in the dark, sometimes you have to actively bring on the darkness to gain that extra advantage--shoot out lights and even look for light switches to turn them off in some levels.

In what seems counter-intuitive, the guards in the big robotic suits are NOT weakest in the tiny face mask. Think backpack.

For the new chapter, Assault on Dark Athena:

Yes, weapons are frowned upon in the cage fights. But since when have you worried about what people think? And shivs are easily concealed...

Good luck playing Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena. Obviously, the game is highly recommended, and we haven't even tapped into the online play yet.

Now we have to go back to kicking some Dark Athena ass.

Fuel the Rebellion is Konami Coded!

2009-05-07T18:27:00.003-04:00

Remember the old Konami code? Type it in while you're on Fuel the Rebellion, and see what happens!

More Konami Code Sites!

Thanks to Paul Irish for the Cornify coding secret, and to sciurus, who posted the Konami Code Sites to Metafilter, where we promptly stole the hell out of it.

Coming Soon--Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena Review

2009-04-30T17:02:00.005-04:00

Stay tuned for our review of the new Riddick shooter. In the meantime, play the game demo yourself on Xbox Live or the PS3 Marketplace or check out the videos below.

Terminator Salvation

2009-04-28T13:55:00.001-04:00

X-Men, Series 1 and 2, Now on DVD!

2009-04-28T13:41:00.001-04:00

Just in time for the movie release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine comes the DVD release of the animated television series, Marvel's X-Men.

The Engineer and I used to put these on when the kids were little, as much for us as for them, as we really enjoyed the series.

In addition to the fiercely independent Wolverine ("I go where I want to go"), the cast includes better-known characters Cyclone, Storm and Rogue, Professor Xavier and his protege, Jean Grey, plus Morph and (my personal favorites) Gambit and Beast.

In the first episode we are also introduced to young X-man-to-be Jubilee, a teen who wreaks havoc with electricity, who the other mutants refer to as "child" (or in the case of charming Cajun Gambit, "petite").

The series allows us the chance to get to know each of the X-Men better than the movie franchise has.

Storm, for example, is prone to flamboyant gestures and over-the-top prose: "Storm, Mistress of the Elements, commands you to stop!"

Rogue, (a fiery redhead with a killer body in the animated series) doesn't so much drain other mutant's powers as she does their strength; like Storm, she has the ability to fly. She's prone to colloquial allusions like, "Nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs."

Gambit, who for reasons unknown never made it to the movies (a helluva shame, in my opinion), is a card-carrying Cajun who has the ability to transfer kinetic energy to inanimate objects (in other words, he charges up playing cards and shoots them, like exploding grenades, at enemies), while simultaneously charming all the ladies he meets. Watch for some heat between Gambit and Rogue later in the series.

Adorably blue Beast is fond of Shakespeare and the classics (in one rescue, he disparages a less-than-worthy opponent with, "A minor quote from a minor poet"), while also having the agility to bounce from wall to wall, swing 'round posts and hang from ceilings.

Cyclone, the leader of the group (though Wolverine flouts his authority at every possible opportunity), frets over his command decisions all the while he is shooting solar-powered beams from his behind his specially-designed visor.

And Morph, as the name suggests, changes his shape (and voice) at will to confound friends and enemies alike. His jarring, cackling laughter sounds more villainous than heroic.(Spoiler alert: he doesn't get the last laugh after the first episode).

Surprisingly, Morph is Wolverine's best friend...for a while. (Even bigger spoiler alert: don't count Morph out too soon).

Which brings us to the villains*. There's a whole host of great opponents, from human to mechanical to fellow mutants, for the amazing X-Men to dispatch. You've got Juggernaut, Siren and Magneto, just to name a few.

MARVEL'S X-MEN (Vol. 1 & 2), with 32 episodes in all, comes out today on DVD.

*I'd go into detail about Professor Xavier and Jean Grey, but to be honest, they always annoyed me in the cartoons. Patrick Stewart finally won me over in the movie, but I couldn't wait until Jean imploded into Phoenixey ashes (second movie and second season of the animated series).

Blue Dragon Plus (DS): RTS/RPG Strategy at its best

2009-03-11T13:42:00.005-04:00

We're big-time strategy fans, and it's nice to see a DS game that's as dedicated to those of us who enjoy a good RPG as Blue Dragon Plus is. One of the reasons for this little game's appeal is the work put into it by Final Fantasy vets Hironobu Sakaguchi (who wrote the storyline) and Nobuo Uematsu (who composed the music). They've stuffed 30 good solid hours of gameplay into a well-paced single-player campaign.

If you aren't familiar with the earlier Blue Dragon game (and we weren't), it's probably because the original didn't do so well in the North American market when it was released for the Xbox 360 in Fall of 2007. A quick search on Wikipedia brought this up:

Blue Dragon follows the story of five friends: Shu, Jiro, Kluke, Zola, and Marumaro, as they travel across the world to confront the evil King of the Grand Kingdom, Nene.

The reason the original was not so popular, from what we can gather, is that it was turn-based rather than a true RTS, an error that is corrected to good effect in Blue Dragon Plus.

Blue Dragon Plus, btw, is not (thank god) a card-swapping game, or a Pokemon clone, though it does have traditional Japanese anime characters. The gameplay is pretty straightforward if you are used to RTS strategy games (if not, you're going to want to use the tutorial to get the basics down). The game does a good job incorporating some really pretty cut scenes into the game to get you up to speed on the storyline, which goes something like this:

You are Shu, who apparently triumphed over Nene, that evil king sorceror guy who was causing trouble in the original, only now some new stuff is stirring up (there is a long cinematic intro to the game to give you that, "Wow, the world is in real trouble if we don't do something," feeling of foreboding). It seems that, just for starters, a huge, three-headed dragon has it in for you.

Luckily, you've got your gang hanging with you, ready to fight alongside with their "blue shadow monsters".

Blue Shadows

A lot of the early game is just pure fighting, without a lot of exploring or treasures or even puzzles to figure out until you get past the initial battles. When you do get the chance to explore, you'll want to take the loot you've earned and split it up among your characters. Besides just being common sense (you'll have a more balanced team), you will end up splitting into smaller groups before the game is done, so it is to your advantage to gear everybody up and balance out their abilities as best you can.

There is no spoken audio in the game, though you have narrative in the form of text cut-scenes, like the one pictured at the left).

Blue Dragon Plus run-down:

The Good Stuff

Cut scenes and cinematic artwork are first-rate. Gorgeous.

Each character is unique, with different skill sets.

RTS rather than turn turn-based play.

Lots of gameplay, including battles galore and tons of loot to re-distribute among your characters (approximately 30 hours).

The not-so-good Stuff:

There's a lot happening on-screen, which makes it hard to zero in with your stylus.

All the action on the little screen means that, despite their unique abilities, it's hard to discern which character is which, so that you can pick out the right one(s) to help you win your battles.

Blue Dragon Plus (DS) released on Feb. 24th, and it retails for $29.99. Right now, you can catch it at Amazon for 27.99.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

2009-03-05T18:07:00.006-05:00

We're looking ahead to Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, a new action-RPG which promises it's going to be unlike anything we’ve ever played before.

We're talking massive, hand-designed game world, hundreds of monsters, two distinct campaigns and six unique character classes. Sacred 2's immersive environment, "combines the best elements of hack ‘n slash gaming, roleplaying and an engrossing story about a magical world on next-generation consoles".

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is set to release March 24th for PC, PS3 and the XBOX 360 (Rated M for Mature, SRP 59.99).

Blue Dragon Plus (DS)

2009-02-24T10:31:00.003-05:00

Check out the latest RPG for the DS from RocketXL and Ignition Entertainment, officially releasing today: Blue Dragon Plus.

We'll be reviewing the game for you soon here at Fuel the Rebellion, but until then, check out the Blue Dragon Plus widget, below, to get a feel for the game yourself. And feel free to share--that's us, give give give.

MacGame Store Holiday Bundle: Definitely Decent (and cheap!)

2009-01-04T12:01:00.007-05:00

We're giving a score of "decent" for the recent Holiday Bundle offered to MacGameStore.com members (yeah, see, we DO TOO cover games for the Mac!). The price is cheap, and the games are a mixed bag.

For the low, low price of just 24.95 (seriously, that's like, what? less than half of a PS3 or Xbox 360 game? Ever tried playing half a game?), they offered up a total of 12 digital downloads, including the bonus, Jewel Quest III, because they went over some kind of minimum order requirement that we can't quite remember right now (too much eggnog over the holidays, you ask? Well, it may just be so).

Okay, so, what you get, broken down:

Some decent puzzle games, which come in two basic groups: narrative "storyline" scenarios and the "match three or more of the same colored things" games we've all seen before.

hey, you, get off of my cloud

The best of the bunch of the first kind is about an amnesiac who won the lottery and then was attacked. Though the resolution isn't really surprising (spoiler: the husband's a rotter), Hidden Secrets: The Nightmare is full of challenging gameplay.

First of all, you've got lots of "get the tools and then figure out how to use them" puzzles to solve, made more difficult because:

The animation is occasionally lacking ("what the hell IS that? A coin or a button?!").

They require a leap of logic akin to those old King's Quest days. Remember those games? If you did even one thing out of precise order you couldn't possibly finish the quest. Same deal here: you have to do everything in the order that the game designers thought made the most sense (even when it clearly doesn't).

Redeeming feature: this game includes a truly diabolical puzzle section with matchsticks that just boggles the mind. Really. At some points, the only thing stopping you from hurling your laptop out the window as you try to create less squares with more matchsticks is that elite Mac price tag, IFKWIM. AITYD. Oh, and it's timed.

Definitely worth the price tag for that game alone, if you ask us. But there's also Escape from the Museum, with a very similar concept (and yes, the same occasional blurry animation problems) but different puzzles to solve.

For example, there's loads of "find ten of these" screens, and some old-school puzzles reminiscent of that newspaper deal where you get two pictures and you have to figure out what's different between them. Solving puzzles in some rooms unlocks more rooms in the museum, which is frickin' huge by the time you're done. Another good value.

Then, there's the match 'em up puzzles, like Jewel Quest III, which is of course a fine game, and Deep Blue Sea, which is okay, mostly because it has mermaids in it.

Next, you got your "Rip Off The Game Show" type games, Wheel of Fortune Deluxe and Trivia Machine (Wow. Did we even play that second one? Don't think so. We'll have to give it a look).

Then, there's the "OMG, the customers are going to riot!" games that make you scurry around like a madman to satisfy your clientele, expertly preparing you for your future life in customer service. You know, like the classic Diner Dash series.

We have to admit, we're a sucker for those, which no one else around here seems to get at all. But judging from the popularity, we can't be on our own, can we?

The MacGameStore.com bundle offers up Fitness Frenzy and Burger Shop, and Burger Shop is by far the better of the two. Fitness Frenzy, which as it sounds takes place in a gym, gets boring and repetitive, which is always a risk with these types of games.

cowboys eat a lot of burgers

Refreshingly, Burger Shop introduces both psycho clowns and bacon-cheeseburger-eating aliens (yes, really) to keep the action lively. We had hours of fun with Burger Shop, trying to perfect the levels. If you're a Diner Dash fan, you will too. 'Nuther good value.

You've also got an eye-straining pixelated deal called Neon Tango, which even MacGameStore.com found hard to describe. Here's what they came up with:

Pixelated Warrior, Defender of the Bytes! Launch your cybership into battle against the forces of chaos across 50 stages of bitmapped treachery overflowing with glowing enemies and pulsating bosses. Conceived with a gorgeous minimalism, Neon Tango licks the shoot-em-up genre down to its chewy abstract center.

Gorgeous minimalism, that's a nice turn of phrase. We've got to give props on that description, but the game gave us all headaches.

Lessee, what else? Oh, there's Feeding Frenzy, which is just dismal. Not really worth the time.

What?

You want more of a description than that?

Fine.

A waste of good sushi

Here it is: fish eat little fish to get bigger, while avoiding fish that are bigger still.

That's it.

See? We warned you.

Lastly, there's Escape from Paradise. The name had us thinking (hoping) it was another of the puzzle games at first, but nope.

In EfromP, You're a survivor of a cruise ship that wrecked ('cause, oh yeah, that happens all the time), and you have to find a way off the island along with your other castaways, who for some reason are perfectly willing to do all the hard work you assign them, while you play fun minigames. Pretty standard fare all around, if a little repetitive.

So, summing up: Stick with the puzzle games, and the bundle is well worth the (meager) $24.95 price tag.

Oh, and definitely ditch Feeding Frenzy first chance you get.

Seriously.

Fa La La La Foo Fighters

2008-12-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, Dude, want to win Guitar Hero on Tour: Decades for the DS?

Get your Mom (heh, we said your Mom) to enter this contest over at one of our editor, Viv's, other blogs:

Gifts for Gamers!

Oh, and have her check out the whole review--it's full of stuff you know you want anyway.

That's what we're here for, to help you score more loot this X-Mas.

Warning: Lame Game

2008-12-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

Even little dudes want cool games for Christmas.

So, here's a heads-up: if you're looking for something for lil bro, keep looking.

According to our editor, Viv, you'll want to steer clear of the famous penguins' latest lame-duck effort. Read her review here:

Madagascar: Back 2 Africa

Short story: The movie had some laughs, and the animation stands up in the Wii version--but monotonous gameplay and less than intuitive controls makes this endeavor a frustrating failure.

Neopets Puzzle Adventure Demo!

2008-11-19T17:18:00.002-05:00

Removed by request (auto-playing audio). Our bad--this is an Entrecard no-no. Color us red with embarrassment.

Visit Capcom's site to play the Neopets Puzzle Adventure Demo instead.

Baddest of the Bands from Telltale Press

2008-10-27T13:31:00.001-04:00

Baddest of the Bands Demo!

Hot off the presses: Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ Goes Gold!

2008-10-21T13:11:00.000-04:00

Are You Ready for the Zombie Invasion?

Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ for Nintendo DS™ Goes Gold!

The armies of the undead are about to hit Fairy Tale Land! Destineer and publishing partner Gammick Entertainment are proud to announce that Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ for Nintendo DS™ has gone gold and is shambling into stores this Halloween!

It’s up to Little Red Riding Hood to defeat twisted versions of fairy tale characters in this fast-paced, action-packed shooter from developer Enjoy Up! Team up with legendary Japanese hero Momotaro to mow down hordes of the undead with a wicked arsenal and lethal Touch Screen controls! Can you save Fairy Tale Land or are you headed for an unhappy-ever-afterlife?

Features:

Fast-Paced Action: Defeat waves of zombies, ghosts, and more with simple Touch Screen controls! Move, shoot, bomb, duck and dodge, all with the Nintendo DS Stylus!

A Freaky Fairy Tale: Journey through twisted takes on classic fairy tale settings, from gingerbread houses to the Big Bad Wolf’s forest. Take on undead versions of the Three Little Pigs, Pinocchio, Santa Claus, and more!

Two Playable Characters: Choose from Little Red Riding Hood or legendary Japanese hero Momataro, each with unique special weapons!

Wicked Weapons: Red is no damsel in distress! Take down horrible creatures with machine guns, shotguns, bombs and more. Tackle your enemies in Story, Survival and Boss Attack Modes in three blistering difficulty levels!

Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ is scheduled for release on October 31 from Destineer and developer Enjoy Up!

Soul Calibur IV: This One's for Your Permanent Collection

2008-09-27T11:06:00.000-04:00

What's within your soul?

If you're a fan of the first three Soul Calibur versions (and who isn't?) and you're ready for another action-packed fighting game with glorious visuals, new attacks and customizable characters, you'll want to add this infinitely re-playable game to your collection. (You can, by the way, chose an easy or tough road through the bosses in single-mode play, so there is a campaign challenge for those who want it.)

For those familiar with the earlier versions of Soul Calibur, you won't be disappointed. New in this latest edition to the winning franchise: in addition to the standard I-fight-because-I-have-something-to-prove characters with their built-in storylines, you can also play, in the Xbox 360 version, as Yoda of Star Wars fame. Get the game for PS3, and instead of Yoda you'll fight as the Dark Lord himself, Darth Vader. Playing under arcade mode as either of the two lets you earn the right to unlock "The Apprentice," a sith-in-training who uses Force Lightning to shock his opponents in battle.

As fun as the fighting in the game in, let's face it, the best part of fighting games is facing off against online opponents and kicking some serious butt. Once you've worked your way through the bosses in Soul Calibur IV, you can start making your own guys (and girls), customizing their looks and choosing their style of attacks until at last you have created the perfect fighting machine, thus effectively smashing your enemies into a bloody pulp.

In theory.

In practice, it's not so easy to create one winning fighter. In online battle, it's not uncommon for a player who loses pathetically in one match to then find supreme victory in his very next fight. And more than one match is won by a judicious use of a grapple for a surprising Ring Out just when the battle seems lost.

In fact, that's where the real fun comes in. It's not all about brawn. Winning takes some brains, or at least some strategy. Designing your own army of characters with vastly different fighting tactics and then matching them appropriately to your opponent's fighter is the key to emerging triumphant in fight after fight.

Or you can be cheap, choose Cervantes or Algol and just teleport all over the place.

Your call.

Check this Out

2008-09-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen Spippo's deviantART Gallery, you'll want to give it a look.

We love his modded "My Little Ponies" like the one below.

Our faves?

"My Little Cthulhu" and "My Little Alien".

Pictured, obviously, "My Little Joker." Love the 'do.

Fuel the Rebellion Wordle Word Cloud

2008-09-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

PAX-The worst of times

2008-09-08T19:09:00.000-04:00

We here at Fuel the Rebellion touched briefly on the best of PAX.

Now here's the worst, without question:

Waiting in the interminable lines.

And there were miles of 'em.

First, there was the long long long long long (did we mention long?) line to get into the Expo hall at the beginning of the day on Friday. As members of the media, we were allowed in two hours early to conduct interviews, but we still stopped by to talk to some of you who were waiting in line to get your thoughts on the huge "waiting area". Milling about in long queues, with chained-off lines running about the length of a football field, some gamers couldn't help but make the comparison to a herd unwittingly on its way to the slaughter ("You see people coming in, but you never really see anyone coming out." "They can fit more in there if they grind them up real small...").

We asked one gamer, camped out on the floor near the front of the line for the Expo hall and playing board games with friends while passing the time, why he chose to get to the Expo so early, well before the Expo hall was open, and wait in line for hours just for the moment he could walk through the door.

His response, simply: "I've never been here before, and my friends said this is the way to do it."

Though arguably some events were worth the wait, some who spent as much as an hour in line still didn't make it into major events, like the keynote address on Friday, the Fallout 3 play-through, or the discussion on Sex in Videogames. Note to PAX organizers: why was this last in a tiny conference room? Did you seriously think that SEX IN VIDEOGAMES wasn't going to get any comers? (excuse the pun).

To their credit, even those who waited patiently and still didn't make it into the above talks didn't whine and complain much. Other than an understandable, "I waited here when I could have been playing something inside!", the gamers we talked to not only took it in stride but were very positive about the entire PAX experience. Gamers, quick to become enraged and decapitate an opponent over the merest slight in the virtual world, are an amazingly gracious bunch in real life.

In fact, the only time I ever heard anyone even threaten violence was when one little weasel in a pony-tail (you know who you are!) snaked his way up towards the front of the line, butting in front of several patiently waiting gamers, who were heard to remark to one another, "I will give you good money to yank him back here by that pony tail."

The easy-going nature and acceptance of the gamers (many of whom were younger and not yet hardened into jaded cynicism like yours truly) may have lulled the organizers of PAX into keeping the status quo.

But we hope not.

So, PAX guys, thoughts for making PAX even better next year:

Consider having more than one showing of the talks you just know are going to be most popular. For that matter, why not have monitors set up in the waiting area so that people who couldn't make it into the room could still watch the show on the screens?

This is PAX, after all.

Surely* we have the technology.

*Yeah, yeah, we know, don't call you Shirley.

PAX Highlights: Costumes!

2008-09-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

Resistance 2 Release Date! Straight from Insomniac Games

2008-09-04T20:05:00.000-04:00

Here's the notice as it came to us: Insomniac has announced a release date for Resistance!

Mark your calendars: November 4th is Resistance 2 day!

Pre-order it from Gamestop and join in the online beta later this month, or choose a special skin when you get the game from Amazon. Circuit City will give you a ten dollar giftcard with pre-order.

The Collector's Edition, complete with mini Chimeran, will run you $79.99 and is loaded with extras, including artwork and an additional "making of" DVD.

PAX Highlights: Videos

2008-09-01T20:10:00.002-04:00

Rayman Dance Video

They were doing this for the chance to win a prize, given out by the fabulous Frag Dolls, so we award these guys major points for courage for their improv dance routine.

Gears of War II Gameplay

PAX 2008: It Was the Best of Times...

2008-08-31T21:22:00.004-04:00

We're recovering from two full days of PAX 2008, and now that we've safely secured our loot in a Secret Hidden Location away from the mad crowds, we'll take a moment to give you a quick, overall impressions of the Big Bash, with specifics to follow once we've had time to decompress. We need to chew on it, ruminate a bit, digest and then...regurgitate all that stuff back up. Frankly, we're just not ready to re-enter the real world yet.

So, without further ado, here's our take on the Best, and the Worst, PAX had to offer this year.
We'll start out with the highlights.

THE BEST

Best Exhibit in the Expo Hall: Hands down, Bethesda Softworks Fallout 3 booth wins this one. From the shiny happy family milling contentedly around the old camping trailer to the twisted, desiccated ruin it becomes and the Protectron robot guarding its charred remains, this booth was the one to beat. Swag available at the booth included a vault-dwellers guide complete with helpful tips from Vault Guy, pure retro genius.

Best Forum:
Again, and we don't mean to sound sycophantic and obsequious (thought a little smarminess is certainly in keeping), the guys from Bethesda rocked PAX with their highlight play-through of Fallout 3.

Though we weren't allowed to film it, here are some of the features worth mentioning from the Fallout 3 Play-Through:

Malcolm McDowell lends his voice to the character of the US President, while Cole Porter's music was licensed to create that authentic 40's ambiance.
Many many many character customization options, including lots o' hair styles, even facial hairstyles with eerily appropriate though out-of-the-ordinary names, courtesy of three-in-the-morning-crazy-exhaustion-genius (Emperor Chen muttonstache, anyone?).
Drugs make you smarter! Note: Fallout 3 is no longer banned in Australia.
VAX system lets you pause time, isolate body parts and demolish your enimies, though it takes a serious toll in action points.
Focus on deeper, richer, more three-dimensional NPC's makes you at least a little sorry when you inevitably screw them over.
Water, though thirst-quenching and healing in the short-term, will eventually cause radiation sickness, which is deadly (though meds are available to slow its progress).
Slick weapons now include pneumatic gloves to pulverize your opponent's face, or rail guns that rip through his heart and may even pin it to the wall behind him.
Vault Protectron robots, once activated, make helpful assistants. Sometimes.
Take on stealth mode and pick locks or pockets to take other character's loot. Or, for extra-special evilness, try leaving a live frag grenade behind.

In addition to the fun play-by-play, the Fallout 3 guys came through on a promise to present lots of swag for the PAX crowd.

Cards were distributed with various attributes: intelligence, stamina, endurance, etc., with corresponding swag for each attribute. Intelligence, for example, earned the recipient a nifty Vault Guy hand puppet. One (there can be only one) lucky attendee with the corresponding Luck attribute card was awarded, *in addition* to a t-shirt, hand puppet, signed poster and "viewmaster" style player loaded with Fallout 3 screenshots (all the other swag combined): 5 years of Xbox Live Gold membership, the Survivor's Edition of Fallout 3 (including the metal lunchbox, artbook, Vault Boy bobblehead and Pip Boy 3000 alarm clock), and 16,000 Xbox Marketplace points. Oh, yeah, and an Xbox Elite.

Nice.

Left 4 Dead was SO crowded we never even got close to playing the game, but word at the convention was that it is rivalling Starcraft 2 and Fallout 3 as one of the top most-anticipated games by those that DID get a chance at it.

Raffles offered PAX attendees who didn't make it in to the keynote or the Fallout 3 play-through or other EXTREMELY popular venues (check out our WORST report for more on that) a chance to win uber-cool stuff like hard drives and gaming headphones (or, more likely, a Prince of Persia t-shirt).

Gunnar optical wear for gamers, designers and developers are going to be HUGE. Designed to cut down on ambient glare from your monitor, keep your eyes from drying out and reduce eye strain, they let even those who work on computers all day long come home to a night of gaming free of headaches and overload. These guys are going to make millions. You heard it here first.

Tennis, Anyone?

2008-08-23T18:40:00.000-04:00

We're Stoked for Destineer's Latest Offering

2008-08-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

If your dream is to become the world's next Snowboarding phenom, thne Destineer's got you covered this fall with their latest offering for the Xbox 360, Stoked, and open-world dynamic snowboarding title that promises lots of bang for your buck.

Destineer set out to do Stoked right, partnering with developer Bongfish and snowboarding movie creator Absinthe Films in an effort to really capture the maverick spirit of the pro backcountry boarders, with always changing, never predictable dynamic backcountry backdrops. Says Patrick ("Brusti") Ambruster, co-founder of Absinthe, "Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we’ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project."

And just who are these "luminaries? The sport's top professional snowboarders, including Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines.

And that's not all, Stoked has also lined up 30 of the sport's authentic sponsors, familiar names like Burton, Dragon, Arcus, Von Zipper, Eleven, 686, Billabong, DaKine, Electric, LibTech, Nitro, Northwave, Oakley, Quiksilver, Ride, Hart, Rome, Salomon, TechNine, Vans, Volcom, and more.

Stoked promises a game that relies "more on style and finesse" than button mashing, allowing you to customize your own style while riding five famous mountains and ove4 45 square miles of open terrain in each location. You can discover new drop points by helicopter, be challenged by ever-evolving weather conditions, and track conditions tha suit your own individual taste.

Team up with friends for cooperative and competitive plays, then head to Xbox LIVE to face other riders in sponsored events to boost your fame. Own trick spots, show up rivals, and build your reputation. Take pictures of friends and capture video of your best moves to win the kind of attention that lands you on the cover of a snowboarding magazine.

With all that Stoked has to offer, the attention to detail, key names in the industry and dynamic backcountry environment, Destineer's latest offering, expected on shelves in November, promises to be a hell of a ride.

Trailer Released for Natsume's New Princess Debut!

2008-08-20T11:08:00.001-04:00

Natsume, the group who brought you Harvest Moon, have released the trailer to their latest endeavor, Princess Debut, for the Nintendo DS. You can find the trailer here in Quicktime format.

Princess Debut is like an anime version of Cinderella: players (naturally, the game is geared towards young girls) have 30 days to prepare for the big ball where they will meet not one but six handsome Princes (this is apparently a multi-nation ball) and win him over. Because of course that is the dream of every young girl, right?

How to 'prepare for the ball'? Master your dance moves, of course! You can practice for the dance and, "meet and woo the princes through the game's large, branching storyline and exciting event system." So, no one-size-fits-only-the-perfect-girl glass slipper required, and fortunately you don't have to slave away for a cruel stepmother and stepsisters while you are waiting.

Once the player convinces a prince to be their dancing partner (this is a family game, so I'm assuming there's no hanky-panky involved), it's time to go out on the dance floor!

This is a really neat feature of the game: utilizing the Touch Screen on the DS lets you guide your character gracefully across the dance floor in time with their partner's rhythm. And the dance moves are real, taken from moves the professional dancers use. According to Natsume, this makes the game as much fun to watch as it is to play, like watching your friends trying to keep up with Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

And there are 18 dance styles to choose from (including Tango, Latin, Waltz, etc.) as well as a myriad of costume choices for your aspiring Princess.

Princess Debut is scheduled for release sometime this fall.

New Game Announcements

2008-08-14T19:21:00.002-04:00

More details on the upcoming PC first-person shooter Crysis Warhead, including the release date and multiplayer options.

The stand-alone Crysis Warhead, a first-person shooter from EA and Crytek, ships to stores September 16 in the US (Euros will get a September 12 release). The game retails for just 29.99. Pre-Order online through EA and you will pay only $24.99. The latest version of Crysis will include a new multiplayer mode , "TeamInstantAction." Also included are 21 maps, 6 of which feature InstantAction/TeamInstantAction play, and a new PowerStruggle map.

PC strategy game publisher Paradox Interactive announces, "Elven Legacy," a new Fantasy Strategy game scheduled for release during the first quarter of 2009.

From the press release, "Elven Legacy delivers a world filled with magic...a thrilling nonlinear storyline... Through an epic quest to restore the former glory of the Elven race, this fantasy strategy game offers both depth and scope, all in colorful and inspirational settings."

Players can choose between an elf or human character in the two primary campaigns, while
bonus missions include gameplay as Orcs. Players can also use the accompanying tools to create their own missions and campaigns and then share them through multiplayer play.
Technorati Tags: PC First Person Shooter, Crysis Warhead, Elven Legacy, Game Releases, New PC Games, EA games, Paradox Interactive

Play ball! Madden NFL '09 is Out

2008-08-12T19:47:00.000-04:00

The long wait is over. Maden NFL '09 hits the shelves today.

That's right, Brett Favre is back, dominating the field like a general commanding his troops in battle.

Except, you know, without the hacked-off limbs and decapitated heads.

Unless of course you wanna really play Madden-style football.

And you know what's really cool about EA? How quickly they reacted to the whole Favre situation. Because although you can still play as Favre with the Packers if you want, or download EA's extra content to put him in his new Jets uniform.

Madden NFL '09 is out on the shelves today, and here are some of the innovations that make this version even better than its predecessors:

Play in online leagues with up to 31 of your closest friends (sucks to be you, player #33)
Create winning strategies with new combination plays
Play against AI opponents that learn adapt to your strengths and weaknesses

Madden NFL '09 is available for (deep breath): Xbox 36o, PSP, PS2, PS3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

Coming soon: A special 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Xbox 360 and PS3 only).

It's HERE!

2008-07-29T21:22:00.001-04:00

TOPSPIN 3

2008-07-15T18:30:00.000-04:00

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Worldwide Call of Duty 5 Reveal Trailer!

2008-06-26T19:35:00.000-04:00

Check out this awesome Reveal Trailer for Call of Duty 5!

Hitler Gets Banned (His Ultimate Downfall)

2008-01-15T19:06:00.001-05:00

No more Xbox Live for Hitler!

The Ultimate Game of "What if?"

2007-10-25T11:41:00.000-04:00

What if ...

The reign of the Nazis spread across Europe, unchallenged, until 1950?

What if ...

The Nazis decided they wanted a piece of the U.S. next?

What if ...

In a horrific example of deja vu to the nth degree, they sent their air forces into New York
City, toppling skyscrapers into rubble amid clouds of dust and debris?

And What if ...

You were Dan Carson, 1950's New York City construction worker and just this regular guy, y'know what I mean, buddy?

Well, that wouldn't stop you from taking on the Nazis single-handedly in Codemaster's Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, a grippingly realistic alternate-reality post-WWII game set for release January '08.

This is one of those slap-your-forehead why-didn't-I-think-of-this brilliant concepts that seems destined for success.

Ya got yer bad guys, ya got yer good guy, and ya got yer stunning cinematics to bring the whole shebang together into one amazing killfest, amirite?

And, at preview, it seems that the game will live up to the hype.

The only (small) criticisms we have for the game here at Fuel the Rebellion are the rollback of the release date from the primo Holiday November 07 season to sometime-in-Januaryish and the over-the-top way a 'regular joe' like the protagonist Dan Carson takes out Nazis.

Really, the man gleefully chews through skilled enemy combatants like a rat through swiss cheese (and leaves them just as full of holes). He even throws in the occasional martial-arts kick (because all construction workers in 1950 are skilled in karate, natch).

Still, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty looks like a winner. We'll keep you posted.

Halo 3 2-CD Soundtrack Announced!

2007-10-18T17:48:00.000-04:00

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., has just announced that The Halo 3 Original Soundtrack featuring the game’s original music score and much, much more is scheduled for release on November 20th. We've been waiting for this one. If the past Halo soundtracks are anything to go on, the Halo 3 edition is going right into our Ipod playlists. Looks like the team over at Sumthing Else Music Works (www.sumthing.com) thought of that too, because on November 20th The Halo 3 Original Soundtrack will also be available via digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com.

The 2 CD set features new symphonic compositions by the award-winning composers behind the best-selling Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 Volume One and Halo 2 Volume Two soundtracks, Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori. The Halo 3 Original Soundtrack is packed full of musical goodness, with new original tracks written for the Halo 3 video game as well as new arrangements of the game’s musical themes recorded with a full live orchestra and chorus by Martin O’Donnell, Bungie’s audio director and composer. The 2-CD set amounts to two hours of original music from Halo 3 !

Hello-o-o, Mistress Chief!

2007-10-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

Look what's up for auction over at ebay.

That's right, that's not exactly the Master Chief. No, it's Master Chief's girl, and this sexy clay figurine is up for grabs to the highest bidder.

And the best part? The money goes to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer awareness (you DID know that October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, right?).

So, head on over and bid. 'Cause, you know, it's for charity.

Yeah, right.

What if WWII was an MMORPG?

2007-10-09T11:22:00.000-04:00

4 Guys From Viewpoint came up with the concept, and it's simply brilliant. Here's an excerpt:

Hitler[AoE]: cool, i start with panzer tanks!
paTTon: lol more like panzy tanks
T0J0: lol
Roosevelt: o this fockin sucks i got a depression!
benny-tow: haha america sux
Stalin: hey hitler you dont fight me i dont fight u, cool?
Hitler[AoE]: sure whatever
Stalin: cool

Check it out here: If WWII was an MMORPG

This concept, of course, fits in nicely with Godwin's Law (wikipedia explanation below):

Godwin's Law (also known as Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies) is an adage formulated by Mike Godwin in 1990. The law states:

As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.

Prizes are Sexy

2007-10-01T19:50:00.000-04:00

The Geeks Are Sexy (GAS) blog is giving away a ton of prizes for the technophile, and the contest runs all through this month. Winners will be announced the first week of November; the prizes are incredible (see below). If you have a blog, you'll especially like this: all you have to do to enter is write a "how to" post about something suitably geeky--gaming, hacking (of course we don't want you to do anything illegal! That would be wrong. So very, very wrong), solving quadratic equations, running away from girls, etc.

Here's the awesome prizes we're drooling over here at Fuel the Rebellion:

First-place prize:

$271.82 from Chitika, a leading merchandising network for bloggers
$250.00 from GFI Software
$70.00 from [GAS] Technology News
One 1GB Mimobot USB key of your choice from Mimoco ($59.95 value)
One-year subscription to the PMetrics stats engine from Performancing.com ($49.99 value)

Second-place prize:

$150 Amazon.com gift certificate from [GAS] Technology News
A six-month sponsorship of a BlogCatalog category ($60-$90 value) from BlogCatalog
One 1GB Mimobot USB key of your choice from Mimoco ($59.95 value)
One-year subscription to the PMetrics stats engine from Performancing.com ($49.99 value)

Third-place prize:

$50 via PayPal from [GAS] Technology News
One 1GB Mimobot USB key of your choice from Mimoco ($59.95 value)
One-year subscription to the PMetrics stats engine from Performancing.com ($49.99 value)

Fourth- and fifth-place prizes:

One-year subscription to the PMetrics stats engine from Performancing.com ($49.99 value)

Additional prize:

$50 via PayPal to a randomly selected blogger who posts about the contest on their site.

So, head on over to Geeks Are Sexy and check it out. We'll be here when you come back, working on our own "How To" post. ; )

Do I look....Different?!

2007-10-01T13:38:00.000-04:00

Anyone else notice these similarities between Halo 3 and other recent popular video games?

Resistance Fall of Man for PS: I know some of you are diehard Xbox 360 fans, while others wouldn't even look at an Xbox while PS 3 is available, but the new Bubble Shield in H3 more than just resembles the Backlash Grenades in RFOM.

Gears of War: The new Laser in H3 has the same basic premise as The Hammer of Dawn, sans sunlight.

Bioshock 3: The fantastic water effects we first saw in Bioshock rule, but the world as seen through the Bubble shield has the same familiar distortion. Who know why the H3 team chose not to make your character see so well underwater when you accidentally fall in (yeah, like you haven't done it).

Halo 3 Tips, Tricks, etc.

2007-10-01T13:03:00.000-04:00

So, what do YOU think of the new Hammer?! Rocks, doesn't it?

We also like the new ATVs, and the ability to move bases via the huge, slow-as-molasses Elephants.

And how about the moonwalking, ass-kicking jumping ability of H3's Master Chief? Fly lately?

Try this:

Ride an ATV through a teleporter! Ideally, ramp to the teleporter first to get up speed. You'll find some great maps allow you to do this.

Tips:

Learn the new icons for pick-ups like the shield regenerator, flare, etc. Last thing you want to do is blind yourself when you think you are creating a bubble shield, and the difference is as simple as recognizing the difference between a blue daisy or a blue cross.

Beware. Winning an Energy Sword duel isn't as simple as lunging any more. It takes several serious swipes to beat down your enemy.

Friendly icons, along with the traditional "double kill!" add some fun to the game. End a friend's killing spree to pick up "killjoy" and you'll see what we mean.

New Jobs for Game Testers, Designers, Developers!

2007-09-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

New jobs have posted over at our Job-A-Matic website for Game Testers, Designers and Developers! You can always click on the link on the sidebar for the Fuel the Rebellion job site.

FREE to job seekers!

You can read about what it takes to become a game tester here.

Employers, post your jobs on the Fuel the Rebellion job site for $5/2 wks.

pic from here.

Midnight Madness: Halo 3 is FINALLY here!

2007-09-24T11:37:00.000-04:00

I picked up the phone over the weekend and heard this, "Hello, this is Gamespot..."

It was a recording reminding me to pay the balance on my reserved copy of Halo 3. For any of you with attention deficit, remember you can pick up those reserved copies at MIDNIGHT tonight.

And if you didn't reserve a copy, WTF were you thinking?! This is Halo 3, moron!

Seriously, the game is looking good, and we'll have a review posted here in a few days once I've thoroughly vetted the game along with resident gamers Fuzzy Truffle (his name kills me) and Edible Sofa, who has recently started calling himself God (as his gamertag, he's thought he was God for a while. heh)

Simply the Best Game Trailer Ever

2007-09-21T10:39:00.000-04:00

PS3 Little Big Planet - GDC 07 Online Co-op Trailer

2007-09-14T11:59:00.001-04:00

Coming soon--Now, does this look like a Nintendo game to you, too? Anyway, Little Big Planet is scheduled for release at the beginning of 2008.

Is Sony looking to launch playstation phone? Madcatz takes over Take-Two divison

2007-09-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

Rumors abound that Sony Ericsson is upping the mobile phone competition, recently brought to a head by Apple's successful launch of the iphone, by introducing a playstation-themed gaming phone.

According to PocketGamer.com, spokesman Peter Ahnegard from Sony Ericsson hedged, “It’s obviously something that we’re looking at but right now I can’t really comment. Before Christmas, certainly … but exactly which Christmas I can’t confirm”.

Projected launch date for the playstation-themed phone from Sony is prior to February of next year.

.....

In other news, on Friday Take-Two announced it was selling off its videogame accessories division, Joytech, to Mad Catz, known for their third-party accessories and console controllers.

Take-Two is the publisher of the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV and the just-released contender for Game of the Year, BioShock.

What Kind of Gamer are You?

2007-09-07T14:32:00.000-04:00

Via Destructoid.com: Find out what profile fits your gaming style, or analyze your friends for fun and profit with this Guide to Recognizing Your Gamers:

Chapter One, The Backseat Gamer and The Closet Gamer

Chapter Two, The Chav Gamer

Chapter Three, The Fluffy Gamer and The PC Snob

Chapter Four, The Technical Gamer and The Japanophile

Chapter Five, The Aggressive Gamer and The Ghost

Chapter Six, The One-Game Gamer

Chapter Seven, The Collecting Gamer

Chapter Eight, The Defeatist Gamer

Chapter Nine, The Tragically Unfortunate Gamer

Bioshock Review

2007-08-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

Update on Bioshock's awesomeness! Our affiliate site, GameZone, has a new review up, and they're saying it's easily the game of the year! They've even given the game an Outstanding Award.

Halo 3 Preview Event

2007-08-22T13:24:00.000-04:00

Seattle hosted an exclusive Halo 3 IMAX Preview last night, and the folks over at CyberRoach were lucky enough to attend. We may not be geographically gifted over here at Fuel the Rebellion, but we've got connections for you.

Check out CyberRoach's rave here.

Bioshock: Is It TOO Good?

2007-08-22T12:46:00.000-04:00

PC game players report that Bioshock's awesomeness results in crashes.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

You know what THAT means?

You gotta get the game on XBox 360!

Because, really, how can you pass up a game that's so damn good your computer can't keep up?

Flight Of The Conchords - The Humans Are Dead

2007-08-21T22:44:00.001-04:00

After the zombies took over and we reported it, the robots demanded equal time. So, here it is, the robots' perspective on the future.

We Are the Host With the Most at Fuel the Rebellion!

2007-08-16T17:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the August 17, 2007 edition of the My Favorite Things Carnival! This is our special "Back to School" edition.

Thanks to Fuel the Rebellion for agreeing to host the Carnival for us!

First, Sam presents MMORPG Addicting Online Games, posted at Surfer Sam and Friends. This post should be of special interest to those faithful Fuel the Rebellion regulars!

Mr. Sat follows, with a masterpiece of TV geekery, The Free TV List: 100 Places to Watch Television Online posted at TV Geekery.

For those of you playing the Harry Potter games, and the few who actually finished all 7 books (we know how it ends, bitches!), Scott H presents Harry Potter's Guide to the People You Meet in College posted at College and Finance, saying, "Going back to school with a Harry Potter book in hand is always fantastic. Observing how people in college resemble Harry Potter characters is even better!"

In a similar vein, Cheryl Snyder Taragin presents Adam Sandler Pounds Potter at the Weekend Box Office posted at her deliciously oddly named blog, The Spewker.

And, for all of you readers that are sick of hearing about Harry Potter, Leticia Velasquez offers alternative reading with Nothing makes a homeschool mom happier than a box of books! over at cause of our joy.

Michelle Mitchell prefers reading Letters from My Son , which you can find at her great blog all about Motherhood in Alaska, scribbit.

Aspeth, however, is looking forward to more hedonistic pleasures. With tongue firmly in cheek, she calls her vintage post, Getting Past the Color Barrier . It's posted at Twelve Years Of Being Annoyed By Chloe Sevigny. Aspeth explains, "When the mercury starts to soar, my favorite shift occurs in my palate as the season ushers in the bacchanalian goodness of white wines!"

Finally, Rickey Henderson rocks the carnival with a rousing finale, Introducing our Newest Feature: Musical Accompaniment! posted over at his kick-ass site, Riding with Rickey.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the My Favorite Things Carnival! using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

my favorite things carnival!, blog carnival.

Google and Viacom Fight to the Death

2007-08-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

...would be a much more interesting story, but this one, from Fark, is still pretty good.

Seems that Viacom, the huge conglomerate that owns both The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, is suing Google for $1 billion dollars. That's right, billion, with a b.

Why?

Because, as part of its Ultimate Plan for World Domination, Google bought out YouTube, and Viacom says that Google and YouTube encourage others to pirate copyrighted material.

So, in their defense, YouTube wants to depose Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who both work for Viacom, in addition to about 30 other people, to prove that, well, hey, if we are doing it, you are doing it, too.

Which seems like an excellent rebuttal, actually, considering Stephen Colbert's stunt last year with a light saber and a green screen, where he encouraged viewers to create their own viral videos of him.

Before Viacom ordered clips from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report taken down, those clips were some of the most popular downloads on YouTube.

Makes you wonder: did any Viacom employees download them?

This lawsuit could get sticky.

Bush Vs. Zombies

2007-08-10T14:25:00.001-04:00

At last, a war we can agree on! President Bush knows a zombie when he sees one.

Top 100 Games of All-Time

2007-08-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

Amazon 's new ranking tool, Unspun, says THESE are the:

Vote your faves up! Smack down the losers!

Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

2007-08-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen the first two Bourne movies, you might not get what's happening in the third one. Of course, even if you did, that's no guarantee you can follow the twists and turns in The Bourne Ultimatum.

Still, bet you have fun watching them all.

You do have to pay attention with these films, loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novels. Action-packed, with a complex story line built upon the flashbacks of semi-amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne, the films take viewers to London, Berlin, Moscow and India, just for starters, following vague conspiracy theories that get fleshed out (mostly) during the course of the Bourne trilogy.

Though some complain about Paul Greengrass's deliberately shaky camera work, which throws you right into the action ("Can't he afford a steadycam with all the money he's making off these movies?" is one question actor Matt Damon says he hears repeatedly), and others wonder if the continued sucess raises the possibility of yet another installment (Re-Bourne? Bourne Again?), The Bourne Ultimatum is riding high with number one at the box office this week.

Greengrass is already having to defend the latest Bourne movie against conspiracy theorists of his own. Some believe his sinister CIA axeman, played by David Straithairn, is modeled after Vice-President Dick Cheney. Greengrass counters with a categorical, “It’s not a political soapbox for me or anybody else."

Matt Damon, who joked recently on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that, "in my quieter moments, I remind myself of Schwarzeneggar," is perfectly cast as Jason Bourne, an assassin who refuses to be controlled by the people who created him. Damon's low-key, quiet persona as Bourne throughout much of the movie provides the perfect counterpoint to the ruthless killing machine that emerges the moment Bourne is threatened.

That contrast underlies the movie's central theme: will Bourne find the answers he needs to get on with his life? And if he does, will the assassin in him take over? Or can he reclaim the person he was, the man he has forgotten, once he has found those answers?

We could tell you, but then, you know, we'd have to kill you.

Must Watch Video

2007-08-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

From the Onion: Man Crashes the Internet. We especially like the crawler underneath with headlines like, "JCPenney announces gay-sex only bathrooms in all of its stores." How would we survive without the blogosphere to sustain us all? Dear God, the humanity!

This is just one of the "Top 50 Must-Watch Video Clips"on the web, via Britain's best news source, the Telegraph.co.uk.

300 video hits the streets

2007-08-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

If you saw Fuel the Rebellion's review of 300, you know it had us gushing, with its stunning visual intensity and viscerally graphic action scenes. We're hoping 300 sets the trend for more graphic novels moving to the screen with high-quality renditions like this one.

Based on Frank Miller's highly fictionalized account, 300 dramatically re-enacts the Battle of Thermopylae, When 300 Spartan soldiers fought to the last man, strategically defending a narrow mountain pass from Emperor Xerxes and his huge assaulting Persian army. Though ridiculously outnumbered, the small band of highly-trained Spartans used the terrain and their superior fighting skills to devastate the Persians, who suffered so many losses that they had to fall back and regroup, enabling the Greeks time to mount a full-scale naval assault upon the advancing Persian fleet.

Historically, The Spartans then returned full-force to head a pan-Greek army against the Persians, and in the decisive Battle of Plataea, they routed Xerxes and the advance of the Persians completely, ending the Greco-Persian war and the expanson of the Persian Empire into Europe for good.

And in Frank Miller's fictionalized version? Xerxes is about 8 feet tall, golden and godlike, seductively persuasive and utterly corrupt.

Also, the intimidating Imperial body guard "immortals" have scary masks and jump like ninjas.

And don't even get us started on giant claw-handed lobster guy.

And now 300 is out on DVD, HD and Blueray.

We picked up a copy on Blueray yesterday, armed ourselves with popcorn and Sourpatch Kids and screened it on the PS3. In a word? Outrageous. We were giddy as school kids on Christmas morning.

Total ass-kicking action, up-close and personal, complete with incredibly detailed slow-motion decapitations.

You just can't ask for more than that.
DVD Blueray

HALO 3! New stuff

2007-07-28T12:41:00.000-04:00

If you've been waiting for Halo 3--which means all of you who have ever owned an Xbox or Xbox 360--you need to sign up for the Halo 3 for 3 contest over at Xbox website. There's three rounds of giveaways, and in the first round alone, you can run away with:

Grand Prize Winner (1)
Halo 3 Legendary Edition game
Xbox LIVE 12-Month Gold Subscription
1600 Microsoft Points

First Place Winners (2)
Halo 3 Legendary Edition game
1600 Microsoft Points

Second Place Winners (3)
Halo 3 Limited Edition game

Third Place Winners (10)
Halo 3 Standard Edition game

While you're at the site, check out the latest HIDEF HALO 3 trailer from E3 '07!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix--What Does the latest book do for this movie's success?

2007-07-25T11:41:00.000-04:00

The fifth Harry Potter movie has been out for a while, but what happens in the seventh book will seriously impact the success of this movie, not to mention the entire Harry Potter franchise.

Now, if you've read the seventh book, you are sitting back smugly in your comfy chair (we can see you!), and you know whether this whole Harry Potter merchandising bonanza will continue. Really, there's only one question to be answered which decides the whole thing: does Harry die in the seventh book?

If Harry dies, it could be argued that any future movies are not only iffy to begin with, but in serious danger of "coming straight to DVD" fare. Fans interest in the franchise will die out just as surely as their hero did.

If Harry survives, the movies can only continue to enjoy their success at the box office, fueled by the books' current fans and future readers.

It doesn't take a marketing genius to know that it's best for Harry to survive in that last book, does it?

So, what's happened to the movie now that the seventh book is out? It came out strong, with over 32.2 million dollars, a real blockbuster in the box office. So, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the shelves, Is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix holding its own?

Surprisingly, it's now losing ground to "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."

I say surprisingly because anyone who has watched any review of the movie on any morning or late-night interview show already knows "Chuck and Larry" SUCKS. It's a shame, because Adam Sandler and Kevin James are likable, but even they couldn't save this homophobic train wreck from crashing and burning.

And yet, it beat out Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a movie with a great storyline, fantastic special effects and the adoration of millions of fans around the world. Granted, the movie has been out for a few weeks now, and the popularity was bound to wane.

And it could be that the Harry Potter fans are so busy reading out there that they simply don't have time for the movie. Or maybe J.K. Rowlings decided to buck the whole marketing industry and kill Harry Potter off after all.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

We've read the book. We KNOW what happens. Do you?

Oh, yeah, and the games are out for the fifth movie, too.

Guest Post: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Review

2007-07-22T21:24:00.000-04:00

This post contains no spoilers

I want to reassure you all here that I am not the type to just up and post all the best and worst specifics in the books and spoil it for the rest of you. I know you all want to read what happens to Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the cast of characters for yourselves. I also know that posting spoilers, true or not, changes everything for the reader. You can't go into a book objectively once you've read the rumors, not knowing whether they are true or not. You look at each character in a different way--is he or she going to make it through this book? Will this character be in the last novel? What happens between this couple, or this group? Where does the action take place, and does it matter, and what mysteries evolve, only to be solved or left as cliffhangers as the book nears completion?

So I won't spoil the adventure for you. Instead, let me just say that in this last installment of the Harry Potter septology (thanks to Jon Stewart for the term), J. K. Rowlings delivers to her fans in a big way.

Naturally, it isn't a short book, but there's good reason for it. Rowlings has dealt with all the important, unanswered questions her fans have. She's plotted adventures and twists you can't imagine, magical duels and harrowing adventures, terrific new characters and creatures and the very best from those old characters she chooses to re-visit. (Vague enough for you?)

In this book, much of the plotting that has gone into the first six is revealed as part of a much vaster chain of events, which just goes to show, as her devoted fans have known all along, that Rowlings' phenomenal success is not the result of simple luck or formulaic writing. Hopefully, critics will back off a little and accept that her work is here with us to stay. Rowlings' series is not popular because it is the latest "in" thing among tweens but because it is a classic in its own right, a magical world that comes to life between the covers of each of the seven books, finally culminating in a resounding finale worthy of the author at her best.

Now, go out, get the book, sit down and read it.

Guest Poster: Thanks to Viv from Cool Moms Rule! allowing us to use her review

I am Murloc

2007-07-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

I am Murloc

Simply the best WoW video ever.

My Hands Are Bananas

2007-07-17T12:09:00.001-04:00

It's not new. But it's still...special.

Bewaaaaare the Milky Pirate!

So, I had a little free time...

2007-07-16T17:46:00.001-04:00

We don't know what this Youtuber does for a living, but this is an excellent dance montage from WoW. (Bonus: Seriously hot French chick dancing in little black outfit.)

Smart Choice

2007-07-15T20:15:00.000-04:00

So, went to see the latest Harry Potter movie (SPOILERZ: Harry kisses a real live girl!), and I was blown away. No, not by the movie, by the previews.

They're making Get Smart into a movie, and for once the Hollywood casting geniuses have it right. For all of you too young to remember, comic genius Don Adams, also known as the voice of Tennessee Tuxedo, starred in the original Get Smart series, in the title role of lovably inept Maxwell Smart. Smart, a covert agent for Control (think CIA without the humongous budget), battled evil in the form of the obviously intellectually superior, but sadly unlucky evil agents of KAOS, led by Smart's nemesis, the sinister Siegfried. Unfortunately, though cutting a snappy figure in a tux, Maxwell Smart was neither suave nor smooth, but painfully klutzy and not very bright. Smart's ultimate success was largely attributable to his beautiful partner, Agent 99, played by Barbara Feldman.

Without Don Adams, making a movie out of this classically campy series would seem disastrous, were it not for some inspired casting: Steve Carrell as Maxwell Smart. At least, that's what all of us sitting in the audience thought, as we watched the preview. Lots of excited murmurs, and "I used to love that show!" peppered with, "perfect choice, really," which is good news for all Carrell fans after the (less than stellar) Evan Almighty performance this summer. In addition, lovely Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) plays Agent 99.

Special treat for fans of the original series: look for Bill Murray as the perpetually unlucky Agent 13.

Get Smart, the movie, is due out next year. You can catch the original 1965 series with Don Adams on DVD over at Amazon.

(Oh, and if you're wondering, more movie reviews are on the way, including the latest Harry Potter.)

Happy Fourth of July from Fuel the Rebellion!

2007-07-04T12:20:00.000-04:00

Fireworks - Detonate the colorful rockets

Fuel the Rebellion!

2007-07-03T11:15:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to cast those votes for Fuel the Rebellion over at Fuel My Blog! Keep 'em coming!
Remember, there's a free logo t-shirt in it for one lucky reader! Plus, we just want to win. A lot.
Now go vote!

Bloxorz!

2007-07-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

If you haven't tried Bloxorz, you must go and do it NOW, if only so that you can feel the frustration and agony we have gone through to get to the end.

The game has 32 levels, each one more challenging, and though the goal is laughingly simple: "put the block in the hole," doing the dirty deed is wickedly difficult.

We'll make it easy for you to get started, at least, and give you the link to Bloxorz. Give us your comments if and when you beat the game!

Fuel the Rebellion Fuels Fuel My Blog

2007-06-27T13:50:00.000-04:00

Fuel My Blog has a contest going on right now, and the winning blog gets fame, recognition and stuff.

Naturally, we want to be that blog here at Fuel the Rebellion. Our name even sounds like their name. It's like it's our Destiny, dudes. We're, like, the Chosen One. Chosen Blog. Whatever.

All you have to do is click the button below and vote for Fuel the Rebellion, and we'll win. Simple as that. Do it now. Really. You can vote for us once every day!

You didn't do it, did you? Snap! We know what you're thinking, "What's in it for me?"
Well, there's our undying gratitude, for starters!

What, you want more?!

How about this: a free Fuel the Rebellion Logo Tee, usually available exclusively through Gamer's Outlet.

Yeah, now we've got your attention. Greedy pigs.

So here's how it works: vote for us! Post a comment with your email in it saying, "Hey, I voted for you." Do this every day you vote. The more you vote, the more chances you have to win! We'll go to Fuel My Blog to verify (that's our policy: Trust, But Verify).

Then we'll pick an email from our comments to win the Fuel the Rebellion Logo Tee. Each time you vote and send us a comment, you get another entry! You can vote every day!
It's that easy!

Now, go vote! (Oh, and thanks for supporting Fuel the Rebellion!)

Evan Almighty Review

2007-06-26T17:53:00.000-04:00

Evan Almighty has some stiff competition to live up to. Way back in the day, John Denver's Oh, God series of movies were incredibly popular with the right-wing, family values crowd (and the rest of us, though we were too cool to mention it at the time). More recently, Jim Carrey took the stage with Bruce Almighty, with the kind of success that makes movie producers drool, and croon "sequel" under their breath. Which is probably how Evan Almighty came about to begin with, sans its star.

Enter Steve Carrell, the newest hot comic on the movie block. Carrell, though, despite his meteoric rise to fame over the last few years, has only one mega-movie lead credit to his name with The 40-Year-Old Virgin--is that really enough Hollywood clout to bring in viewers to see Evan Almighty?

The answer is yes. Plenty of fans opted to see the film on its opening day last Friday. Unfortunately for the viewers, though, once they got through the door, they weren't quite getting what they were hoping for.

It's not that Evan Almighty is a *bad* movie. Media rumor suggests it cost a whole shitload of cash to make, and we all know that heaps of money thrown at a film help prop it up to at least "okay" status. There's even cute animals to add to its appeal to the younger viewers. And as family film fodder goes, you can't do better than a Biblical parable-cum-slapstick-comedy storyline.

Unfortunately, the film doesn't do enough to attract the demographic it should be courting: urban young professionals, to whom Steve Carrell, veteran of both the Daily Show and The Office, has always held the greatest appeal.

Instead, the movie flounders somewhere between family film and so-so comedy, never really achieving the cult classic level that 40-Year-Old Virgin did. Steve Carrell, to his credit, delivers the comic lines (such as they are) with perfect timing, performs the prat falls and physical humor admirably, and comes across the screen as an engaging, likeable leading man. And the animals in the film are cute as a button, as are the film's child stars.

But where Carrell has always shone is in that edgy, slightly off-color humor, the kind of comedy that makes us cringe a little inside even while we are laughing, and this movie is just not the appropriate vehicle for that kind of humor.

As a family film, it is up there with the original Oh, God series, complete with a morally-satisfying ecologically sound storyline.

But for Carrell fans, Evan Almighty is just...Evan All Right.

Funky Fur Flying over at MeFi and YouTube

2007-06-23T14:51:00.000-04:00

Don't know where it started, don't know why, but over at Youtube, pianists (and even a couple guitarists) are fighting over the title for Funkiest Fur Elise Rendition.

Claims to be Funky, but doesn't know what the word means (sorry, Dude, it's impressively played for a nine-year-old anyway.

First Funky Fur Elise requirement: Shades

Fairly Funky Duet:

This Fur Elise Funk war has even made it over to Matt Haughey's Community Weblog, Metafilter.com, earning its own thread with the regular pundits judging the various levels of Funk mastery. If you're wondering about their funk credentials over there at Metafilter, check out just about any tune posted by a guy named Cortex and prepare to bow down to the Master.

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It's Quiet Now...Too Quiet

2007-06-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

We boarded up the windows with the plywood we used to use when the big storms threatened. Funny how we used to think that was our biggest worry. The

younger kids have been polishing up on their skills, hitting the Xbox 360 in turns while the rest of us kept guard at the windows, peeking through the sunlit splits where the wood doesn't quite line up. We think we're safe for now--they seem to prefer the night for their attacks--but it's only a matter of time before the pizza and Twizzlers run out, and someone will have to go for a food run.

By unspoken consent, we've avoided the Walmarts where they congregate, and hit the small mom-and-pop operations for the staples--soda for the caffeine buzz to keep us going, zippo lighters (fire still scares the hell out of 'em, but we're not sure how long that will last; with each successive raid, they seem to grow more cunning), any potential weapons we can lay our hands on. Billy and Dimitri came up with some kind of improvised flame-thrower we load up with Aqua-net Hairspray and let fly--you should have seen their little faces light up when the undead turned crispy.

Makes me hopeful for the next generation, when we finally get out of this.

If we ever get out of this.

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Pirates 3: At The World's End

2007-05-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

We were going to review Pirates 3 today, and we would have done a badass job of it, too. But really, after Phill Ryu's full-on Pirates 3 rave, which is rockin' off the charts over at digg.com, what else is there to say? Bravo.

Welcome, All You Cinema Carnies!

2007-05-19T20:40:00.000-04:00

Or something like that! If you've been attending the Carnival of Cinema, thanks for stopping by Fuel the Rebellion to check out my Spiderman 3 review. If you missed my earlier review of the movie 300, you can find that here.

STARCRAFT II OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED!

2007-05-19T12:14:00.000-04:00

As the official Blizzard site says, "Hell, it took long enough."

Per the Press release:

SEOUL, South Korea – May 19, 2007 – Blizzard Entertainment® today unveiled StarCraft® II, the sequel to its award-winning real-time strategy game StarCraft, at the 2007 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event in Seoul, South Korea. The announcement took place inside the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, in front of thousands of attendees, who received a presentation that included a StarCraft II cinematic trailer and a gameplay demonstration by the development team.

Designed to be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game, StarCraft II will feature the return of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races, overhauled and re-imagined with Blizzard's signature approach to game balance. Each race will be further distinguished from the others, with several new units and new gameplay mechanics, as well as new abilities for some of the classic StarCraft units that will be making a reappearance in the game. StarCraft II will also feature a custom 3D-graphics engine with realistic physics and the ability to render several large, highly detailed units and massive armies on-screen simultaneously.

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A Gem from xkcd.com

2007-05-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

The Perfect Gift for a Gaming Mom (plus, it's FREE!)

2007-05-12T16:39:00.000-04:00

You know that tomorrow's Mother's Day, but you've been procrastinating, haven't you? There's only so many hours in the day, and so many games left to be played. So many levels you have to gain and bosses you have to conquer.

In other words, you don't have a present for Mom yet.

Never fear. Like a superhero soaring above the skies in primary-hued tights and a flashy cape, Fuel the Rebellion comes to the rescue!

With a little help from our old friends PopCap Games, that is.

Right now, you can get PopCap Games classic, original Bejeweled game absolutely FREE for Mom! All you have to do is click "BUY NOW" on the Bejeweled Game Page, and enter in the coupon code: "FREE4MOMS."

You're welcome. Now go kick some more zombie ass.

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Tenacious D Feat. Andy Serkis (GOLLUM) LIVE

2007-05-11T14:12:00.001-04:00

Spiderman 3 Review

2007-05-06T15:17:00.000-04:00

I won't waste your time re-capping the first two Spidermans; if you haven't seen them already I can't think why you would go see this.

There are four, that's right, FOUR basic plot lines in Spiderman 3.

First, of course, is Peter Parker's on-going romance with Mary Jane Watson, or MJ, whom he has loved since he was a kid and who finally decided to give him a shot at the end of the last movie. Naturally, the course of true love does not run smoothly, and the fact that Spiderman is enjoying some popularity at last just as MJ's career nosedives doesn't help matters.

Along comes Harry Osborne, the wealthiest kid since Richie Rich, who has been struggling with issues of abandonment ever since Spiderman killed his Dad (he thinks) and, wouldn't you know it, it turns out Spiderman is actually Peter Parker, his former best friend in the world. Talk about betrayal. (He conveniently forgets that he sniped Peter's girl, MJ, in a vulnerable moment, and went out with her until his Dad basically called her a gold-digging slut.) The knee-jerk reaction when you find out your best friend is a Dad-killing Superhero is apparently to go ballistic with pumpkin bombs and flying surfboards inherited from Dear Old Dad, aka the Green Goblin. This is a shame because there are some surprisingly touching moments recounting the two men's friendship. Of course, It's hard to believe that Peter and Harry were ever friends in the first place when you see how Harry lives compared to Peter. In fact, how Harry ever managed to end up a basically decent guy living such a spoiled life is beyond belief.

Topher Grace makes his entrance in the third film playing Eddie Brock in plot line 3, and he does a great job over-coming the "That 70's Show" Eric Foreman geekiness. Of course, next to Toby McGuire, Ryan Seacrest looks butch, but Topher actually would make a great salesman based on this performance. He has all the mannerisms and sucking-up down pat. Eddie is a rival photographer that threatens Peter's tenuous position with Jonah Jameson's newspaper, and frankly I would give him the job. He has great people skills, ass-kissing par excellence, and he has a hot girlfriend, Gwen. But Topher is slated to turn into pure evil personified--Venom. Venom rocks in the comic strips, and he's cool here, but I'm thinking they actually chose Topher because he was one of the few people who could fit into the infected black Spiderman suit. I mean, he and Toby McGuire are the same basic body type.

And lastly, we have the convict-Dad-with-the-dying-daughter Sandman, a surprisingly sympathetic character played by, of all people, Lowell from the old Wings series. I kept expecting him to break out with a toolbox and a wrench. The Sandman, incidentally, is a lot more impressive than I thought he would be. I was looking forward to Venom far more, and the Sandman actually steals the show.

So, four plot lines, culiminating in a big bad finale with Spiderman pitted against all the bad guys. Bet you can guess what happens in the big finale scene? No? Sure you have actually watched the other two films? Come on, it's easy.

Here it is: The Bad Guys Kidnap MJ! I bet you are kicking yourself right now. I mean, that's what they ALWAYS do, right?

The big question in the finale fight scene boils down to this: will Harry overcome his feelings of betrayal and help Spiderman save the girl, or will he join Venom and Sandman in their evil quest to...well, basically, to piss Spiderman off. They don't seem to have a plan after that.

Now, I could give you some spoilers here and tell you how it all turns out. But, really, if I have to tell you what Harry chooses to do, you probably also think MJ actually could die, or the kidnappers really could triumph.

That's really not the point of the whole film, though, the suspense of wondering what happens. It's more of an homage to Spiderman/Peter Parker as the quintessential good guy, and an action-packed tip of the hat to some of the best villains in the Marvel Spiderman series.

On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I would probably give it a 4, based on what the movie tries to do. The action is great, even if the romance with MJ takes up quite a bit of film space, the villains completely rock the movie, and Spiderman finally gets some credit.

Go get 'em, Spidey.

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Virtual Terrorists Strike Second Life

2007-05-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

According to Raw Story, the terrorists may be winning. At least in the virtual world of Second Life:

People controlling animated avatar members of a self-proclaimed Second Life Liberation Army (SLLA) have set off computer-code versions of atomic bombs at virtual world stores in the past six months -- with their own manifesto.

"As Linden Labs is functioning as an authoritarian government the only appropriate response is to fight," the SLLA said in a message on its website at http://secondlla.googlepages.com...

Creative dissent is welcomed in Second Life as long as it doesn't interfere with the ability of other residents to enjoy the virtual world, according to San Francisco-based Linden.

Second Life said it stopped charging a tax on items created by residents after avatars fashioned in the images of American revolutionaries recreated the Boston Tea Party in the virtual world about three years ago.

No word on what the Bush Administration intends to do about all this.

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"DEAD RISING" SHOPPING MALL RULES ('CEPT FOR THE ZOMBIES)

2007-05-03T12:18:00.000-04:00

I've been playing a lot of Dead Rising lately, and I have to say the mall in this game is just incredible. Now, I know this isn't a "new" game, but it's eminently replayable, and I have some tips for you if you can just keep patiently reading along, but first I just want to say: why aren't more malls like this?

Sans undead, naturally.

This mall has a "leisure park," complete with lakes and bridges, right smack-dab in the middle. It's got a gym with LOTS of weights and barbells (okay, in a real gym I would like some more actual workout equipment, but you can't have everything). It has restaurants of all kinds in a Western-style food court (where you can mix interesting things up in a blender, btw. Like what, you ask? I'm getting to that).

There's even a kid's play area with a cool rocket shuttle monorail ride and neat blocks (and a crazy clown with two chainsaws, which I would leave out of the blueprints).

Little rivers of water with cascading waterfalls run along the sides of corridors (and make excellent short-cuts through the crowds of undead). Potted plants, heck, even trees inside the mall add to the scenery.

There's not one, but several bookstores, toy stores, clothes stores and sporting goods stores with everything from skateboards to bowling balls.

In short, it's an awesome mall.

The only problem is: how are they going to top this in Dead Rising, II? The game's popularity has guaranteed there will be a sequel. How can they possibly create another setting that can compare with this inter-active Utopia? That's really had me worried for a while.

Now, an airport has much of the same amenities, but people would just load onto the planes and take off to get the heck out of there when the zombies came around, so that wouldn't really be very realistic (obviously, I have no problem altering my reality to accept that scores of zombies are infesting the airport. But that people would stick around when there are planes available? Now THAT'S stretching it!).

Finally, though, I came up with the perfect setting. Yes, thank you, I am a genius. Ahem.

So here's what I thought of, and Capcom, you can thank me later: an amusement park! Told you it was genius. I'm just basking right now. Not convinced? Can't see the big picture? Let me cast some light on the black hole of your feeble brain.

In an amusement park, you can have rides, shops, carnival games (good place to insert a mini-game, Capcom!). You can even have animals if you make the amusement park a zoo. Add in show performers with flamboyant costumes (push B to change clothes! Yea!) and you have another winner. Plus, for those of us who haven't joined the legion of undead, there are ice cream stands, cotton candy machines (probably have to find sugar for those), and popcorn to eat. Junk food goodness galore.

Whew. That's a relief. I was really worried there for a while. Now I can sleep nights, knowing they have options for the sequel.

So, you stuck it out, huh? All right, here are my personal Dead Rising tips:

Mix orange juice with just about anything in a blender. Does the word "untouchable" sound good to you?

Hey, you know those people you have to save? You can give them weapons. Also food. And they get head-shot kills. Who knew?

Milk and something else in a blender is not a good combination, unless you LIKE being Zombait.

Try heating up a frying pan on the stove and THEN wielding it as a weapon.

When Frank dies, DON'T save status and quit, unless you like starting the game over every frickin' time. LOAD instead. This is an especially useful tip for those of us who saved money by buying the game used and freaked out at the ridiculous saving system before we (doh!) figured it out.

See you later (at UndeadWorld)!

---Viv

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CALL OF DUTY 4 TRAILER

2007-04-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

The big news of Saturday was the announcement of "Call of Duty 4", and we have the trailer for you!

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Just Another Reason Chuck Norris is Cooler Than You

2007-04-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

For those of you who haven't seen this yet (like maybe you live in a cave, or you have been in a full body cast for a year or two, or you are just plain old), Fuel the Rebellion proudly presents
The Ultimate Showdown to the Ultimate Destiny.

Still think you are as Cool as Chuck Norris? Don't delude yourself. Take our quiz and weep.

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SO YOU WANT TO BE A GAME TESTER? (3 Tips & the Right Links to Get You Started)

2007-04-24T11:36:00.000-04:00

Doh.

So many of us have expressed this interest at one time or another that the question seems down-right ridiculous.

But--and think carefully before you answer--do you really know what the job involves?

Testing a game requires you to play the game as the developers demand, find bugs and report them, have an eye for detail and some knowledge of the various genres. It does NOT mean you play your favorite shooter until you win.

Expect: to work long hours with little financial compensation and even less appreciation. Make no mistake, unless you are a professional game developer yourself, as a game tester you are the bottom man on the totem pole.

Expect: A short-term gig. You are there for one purpose and one purpose only, and once that has been completed, your job is done.

Don't expect: job security, a high standard of living while the testing is going on (or afterward, if the salary is typical of company standards) or to work in the comfort of your own home, with your own consoles. That's just not the way it's done.

But we know, even after all of the above, you are still reading this. You still want to do it, don't you?

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN:

1. Move.

If you don't live in a town where the huge gaming companies have a base, move now. They will not come to you. No matter how many levels you have beaten on how many games, they are not going to fly you in to test their games. Get real.

So where do you move to?

California
Seek out Newport Beach for Shiny Entertainment, creators of Earthworm Jim and Enter the Matrix. While you're in California, check out Agoura Hills-based THQ.

Washington
Don't like California? Fine. Redmond, Washington is even more of a hot spot for potential testers. That's where Nintendo looks for talent.

2. Work on Your Writing Skills

WTF? I have to know how to write, too? Yep. If you want to get ahead as a game tester, you have to be able to document bugs and phrase criticisms and critiques into well-formulated sentences in written reports. Don't believe us? Check this out:

if you actually become a tester you're going to be writing up bugs quite often. I imagine they would want to see someone who can write properly since your writing is going to be floating around the company databases...
CS
QA Tester
Big Huge Games

My QA application included a cover letter that detailed all of the things I look for and/or enjoy in the games that I play. It was essentially a personal essay, but took no more than a single printed page. It must have helped, as I have just celebrated my sixth anniversary with the company.
SW
QA Ninja
BioWare Corp.
"Where quality begins with QA!"

Quotes from IGDA forum.

3. Learn Another Language

Hey, it may sound extreme, but if you want to run with the big dogs, you gotta...well, you know what we mean. Gaming is a global enterprise now, and the big game developers actively seek translators to avoid any "all your base are belong to us" glitches. And they just don't get any bigger than Blizzard nowadays, do they?

Oh, wait! Maybe they do. Ever heard of these guys?

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A little FYI on FTR Editor

2007-04-21T15:15:00.000-04:00

Want to know a little more about our Fuel the Rebellion crew? Check out our editor's profile over at MyLot.com: myLot User Profile

Wii Wii Wii All the Way Home

2007-04-19T21:06:00.000-04:00

So, watch MTV's Pimp My Ride lately? No, us neither. But apparently in the UK the show's really popular (They have morons in the UK, too? Go figure).

Anyway, we figured the UK version of Pimp My Ride deserves some props (that's us, down with the homeys) because while normally bright purple cars with huge gold lettering across the back windshield leave us cold, there's another aspect of "pimping" we can definitely get on board with:

Obviously the interior of a small hatchback isn’t the ideal environment for the frantic wand-waving required by most Wii games, so the modders have done the sensible thing and installed the console in the boot. Pop the trunk and a 19-inch LCD jumps to attention, letting you stand behind the motor and jump around with the Wiimote to your heart’s content.

We'd give them our car and let them purple-it-up royally (porphyrogene?) for the chance at a 19-inch LCD hooked up to a Wii in the trunk. Niiice.

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Special Guest Post: Reflections on a National Tragedy

2007-04-18T11:49:00.000-04:00

The moment you hear the news, you feel pressure in your chest, like a lead weight pressing against your heart. Oh no, your mind registers numbly, it's happened again.

A wave of grief runs through you for the innocent victims caught up in something bigger and uglier than anyone could have anticipated, young lives cut tragically short by yet another gun-toting psychopath, families torn apart in a single afternoon.

And then--guiltily--you fervently give thanks that these weren't your children, that your family is intact.

In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, we will hear over and over again the same information: the methodical killer, shooting over and over again with a deadly calm as he stalks the campus, the shocked survivors somehow having the sense to "play possum" and go unnoticed in the midst of chaos, students barricading doors and tying make-shift tourniquets around bloody gun-shot wounds to save themselves.

Questions will be raised: did the police and campus security act quickly enough? Should there be sirens, alarms, an early warning system on college campuses? What about gun control? And the most disturbing query of all: What else could the professors who saw in this disturbed individual something frightening, some undefinable and yet somehow threatening quality, have done to keep all this from happening?

We need to ask all these questions. Not because we have a macabre curiousity about the minds of deranged killers, or because we are all sick voyeurs who need to experience vicariously the grief of the survivors and their families.

No, we ask these things to re-assure ourselves that we are immune, that we can't be touched by the same senseless tragedy. "It couldn't happen to me," we insist. "My family will never be threatened in this way. My children are safe."

But deep down inside we know the truth: it could happen to any of us.

We do the dead and injured, the suffering and the survivors a disservice when we suggest that had they simply done this or that, or if the police had just come sooner, or the teachers had just thrown this young man out of college, everything would have been all right.

The reality of the situation, no matter how hard it is to accept, is that we are dealing with a kind of madness here that none of us, not one of us, we who value life and love our families and treasure their lives and happiness above all else, can ever understand. There is no "why" that will explain it all to anyone's satisfaction, no reason that could possibly make sense in this senseless crime, no way to turn back the clock and make empty lives whole once more.

All we can really do is suffer along with those families, sending out to them our compassion and our fervent prayers that they will somehow make it through all this, all the while thanking god that we don't know, and hope we never find out, what it really is they are going through right now.

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Review of Super Paper Mario for Wii

2007-04-16T11:38:00.000-04:00

There's a great review over at the Games section of Geek.com of the latest side-scrolling Mario game for the Wii:

Super Paper Mario

For any of you classic Nintendo lovers, this game heralds back to the good old Mario days. Check it out!

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SPRING SPECIAL FOR FUEL THE REBELLION READERS!

2007-04-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ever tried DinoMite? Bejeweled? Zuma? NOW is the time to try out these top titles and download them CHEAPER THAN EVER BEFORE. How? With this EXCLUSIVE discount offer from Fuel the Rebellion. Now through May 10th, you can save on some of the most-downloaded games on the internet, including DinoMite, which we have played and enjoyed ourselves here at FTR. Unlike other simple puzzle games, DinoMite has the added bonus of a slingshot-style shooter for taking out the variously-colored "dinosaur eggs." You can earn bonuses by special moves like "Cambrian Combos" or slow down the hourglass by eliminating the right dino eggs. Each successive level grows harder--you know the drill.

Our Take: DinoMite is surprisingly addictive. We played it for weeks and with the added 5% discount our EXCLUSIVE coupon brings you, you can enjoy it more for even less (that makes sense, right?).

SPRING SPECIAL!

Fuel the Rebellion members enjoy an exclusive 5% discount on PopCap Games like Bejeweled and Zuma from now through May 10th when using the "Buy it Now" option! Click-through HERE for discount code and applicable games!

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Keith Richards Doesn't Know His Ash From a Hole in the Ground

2007-04-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

Keith Richards may be a rebel, but his spokesman denies his bizarre, (almost) lucid account of snorting his father's ashes:

"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared....It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

We at Fuel the Rebellion don't believe it for a minute, anyway. Keith is known for outrageous stories, like strychnine poisoning out-of-body experiences, falling out of palm trees...Those were at least entertaining. But this one is so creepy it--we can't resist ourselves--blows.

However, the folks at Disney aren't letting Keith publicize the latest "Pirates" movie, just in case the story is true. Apparently they are fine with a Keith-Richards-inspired Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) pretending to be dead, shooting a hole through a casket, and using the arm bones of a corpse as an oar, but actually snorting cremated ashes is a *little* too much.

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2007-04-08T13:36:00.000-04:00

HAPPY EASTER FROM FUEL THE REBELLION

Cute Bunny Case for Ipod Video From iattire:

Keep your iPod snuggled while you listen to your favorite tunes. Each Bunny has access to the headphone jack, and the sheer fabric lets you easily see the click-wheel to find your favorite sounds.

Bunny is made of fluffy pajama fleece. Comes with hand-made carrot.

Bunny, $19.99

Bloggerwave-A New Rebellion

2007-04-08T12:04:00.000-04:00

Fuel the Rebellion has just joined the Bloggerwave network of bloggers, and we're so excited, we have to share the news. Why are we excited? Because Bloggerwave helps quality blogs like Fuel the Rebellion keep up the good fight by actually paying us for the reviews we write for you, our faithful following.

Now, you all know that Fuel the Rebellion has a policy that we don't review anything we haven't tried, and you know you can trust us to give you the real scoop. Don't worry, that won't change. You aren't going to see anything given a great review here unless we personally think it's a quality product or service. The only difference is, we don't have to beg you guys for donations 'n' stuff to keep going.

Are you a blogger, too? Check out Bloggerwave for yourself. You'll thank us for it.

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Haven't I Heard That Somewhere Before?

2007-04-07T19:16:00.000-04:00

Hey, remember when we reported on the whole PS3 20g going bust thing HERE?
Looks like it is finally getting reported in the mainstream news.

Best Buy has dropped the 20 gig PS3 from its stores, citing that 80% of the sales were for the 60 GB model...

Let me be among the first to proclaim the 20 gig PS3 officially dead. When Best Buy stopped selling them it was one thing, but when Sony stops carrying them in their stores? I think that's pretty much the nail in the coffin.

I say good riddance, this multiple-tiered system for consoles confused consumers and really did them no favor.

Italics, ours. From about.com

Once again, Fuel the Rebellion ruins the curve for everyone else.

Yeah, we know. We rock. Feel free to comment on our greatness.

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Star Wars: Empire at War released

2007-04-07T11:34:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of MacGame Store.com:

Hot Release: Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War puts the power to command an entire war for the Star Wars galaxy in the hands of players, giving them the freedom to determine how they play the game within the completely scalable and accessible gameplay. Set a few years before the events of Episode IV: A New Hope, LucasArts’ Empire at War lets players wage war on the ground and in space, as well as experience the creation of the Rebel Alliance, the strengthening of the Empire and the beginnings of the Galactic Civil War.

Star Wars: Empire at War (boxed game)

Five Crystals of Doom. Play it. Tell Us What You Think (quit whining, cheapskates, it's free)

2007-04-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

Play Game

Make a Free Flash Game

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