DreadPirate75's Blog - 2old2play

Happy Birthday Marines.

On November 1st. 1921, John A. Lejeune, 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, directed that a reminder of the Corps be published by every command, to all Marines throughout the globe, on the birthday of the Corps. Since the day, Marines have continued to distinguish themselves on many battlefields and foreign shores, in war and peace. On this birthday of the Corps, therefore, in compliance with the will of the 13th Commandant, Article 38 United States Marine Corps Manual, Edition of 1921, is published as follows:

General John A. Lejeune's original birthday message:

"On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date many thousands of men have borne that name Marine. In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

The record of our Corps is one which bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world's history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation's foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argome, Marines have won foremost honors in war and in the long era of tranquility at home generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres, and in every corner of the seven seas so that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.

In every battle and skirmish since the Birth of the Corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term "Marine" has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.

This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the Corps. With it we also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation and has long been the distinguishing mark of Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the me of our nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps."

Current Commandant of the Marine Corps General Conway's birthday message:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRHODO2frs0

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Hot Zombie Chick Car Wash

This is seriously awesome. If you can get past the electro music, this vid is the embodiement of AWESOME!

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAQez6n48u0

Seriously. There is something wrong with me for enjoying this vid so much.

But I don't care.

Post thoughts to comments.

[3 Comments]

1 day Left

1 day left before the big event. Please scroll down to my previous blog for details.

Apologies for the lame blog, but I am heading out the door and wanted the morning bloggers to check out the previous blog. Thanks and have a great weekend!

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Fundraiser

I need your help.

On Saturday, Sep 27th I will be doing a CrossFit joint charity event for The Wounded Warrior Project and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. I am linking my donations page for anyone interested in contributing to the causes. This money goes straight to the charities, I don't see one penny. ( I know some people are skeptical of alot of charities) If you can spare a buck or two please send a donation, any amount would be supremely appreciated. I will post a video/picture diary of the event on Saturday evening.

Info on the event:

The Rules

The Workout

The CrossFit workout will be ‘Fight Gone Bad’. In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. This event calls for 3 rounds. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of ‘rotate,’ the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point. The stations are:

Wall-ball, 8 ft target (Reps)
Deadlift high-pull (Reps)
Box jump (Reps)
Push-press (Reps)
Row (Calories)

Click here to see the workout in action.

Again, anything helps. If you can't donate, just pray I don't die from the workout!!

Thanks, you guys rock.

This event is not endorsed or sponsored in anyway by the 2old2play website, its administrators, or sponsors. (Thought you might appeciate that Doodi)

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Overload!

Fable 2

Fallout 3

Dead Space

Saint Row 2

Left 4 Dead

Gears 2

Silent Hill: Homecoming

Mortal Combat vs. DC Universe

Need For speed: Undercover

Prince of Persia

Tomb Raider: Underworld

And that is just Oct-Nov releases! Seriously...this is truly like dying and going to gamer heaven. I have no idea where to even begin in the prioritization of all these amazing titles about to be unleashed upon us. This list covers it all, action, rpg, fps, casual, and knee deep diaper wearing feed bag strapping on total immersion game types. I can't remember a release wave like this ever! Is anyone else seriously excited about the next 2 1/2 months? What games are top contenders for your library? I need to know. Leave a comment about it.

On a personal note, I survived day 1 of CrossFit Gymnastics certification training today. It was awesome! Learned so many amazing new techniques and applications for things like pull-ups, ring work, core conditioning, L-sits (bars and rings), bar drills, warm-up, and stretch routines. My body is so smoked right now and my hands feel like hamburger from all the bar and ring work. Day 2 starts in the early AM tomorrow and promises to hold more of the same and some advanced stuff. I'll probably blog a little about it tomorrow and post some cool pics, even though it doesnt really have anything to do about video games. Next weekend is another CrossFit certification I am attending. If you can't tell..I've become a huge fan of this program. So much so I am looking into opening up my own CrossFit gym after I retire out of the Corps in 4 1/2 years. Gotta do something!

Thanks for reading!

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Gotta watch this video

Here is a link to the CrossFit Camp Pendleton blog site.

It's where we post the daily workouts and post our results, comments, and smack talk to each other. I post the daily blogs and another Marine I work with takes the rest days and post great articles and more in depth blogging stuff related to crossfit.

Why do I want you to check it out, you ask? Well...watch the video that is linked on todays workout...it's titled Nasty Girls. You will see one of the many reasons that Crossfit has become a part of my life just as much as video games. Plus I thought it would be nice to share the AWESOME HOTNESS on that vid. My handle on that site is "Gunny H".

Enjoy and tell me what you think! Leave a comment and bookmark!

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Too Human Review

Sorry it took so long to get this review up. I have just been too busy playing the game! I'll keep this review short and sweet.

Graphics: Good. Not great, not bad, but good. Silicon Knights had to resort to an in-house engine after scrapping the old one, so i am not surprised the graphics aren't blowing people away. The main thing I am impressed with is how the framerate does not falter one bit when you have a hundred enemies swarming you on screen.

Sound: Also just good. I dont notice alot of surround sound coolness like I do in alot of other games, but things get moving so fast in that game you dont really have time to get dazzled over the sounds.

Gameplay: Amazing. If Diablo, Devil May Cry, and the World of Warcraft loot system had a test tube baby, this would be the result. Good fast action a la DMC, solid dungeon crawling feel a la Diablo, and the loot-tastic goodness of WoW complete with tiered loot sets (greens (common), blues (un-common), purples (rare), oranges (very rare), and reds (elite tier) give this game replay value and spur you to keep coming back for more. The melee system is just like Geometry Wars in that left stick moves your char and the right stick attacks in the direction you move it. The ranged targeting suffers, but once you get used to it it doesn't impede your ranged attacks with pistols, rifles, or cannons.

Story: I love it. It got alot of crap on other review sites for being a bit weird and lacking of teh "epic storyline", but I love how they gave the Norse mythology a complete modernized update. The whole cyberspace thing is awesome too, its alot like The Matrix. You can go into this "alternate reality" at certain points and the actions you do in cyberspace refelct directly on the real world when you return. (ex unlocking doors, opening up secret areas, clearing paths to move onward, etc.)

Multiplayer: Solid. Just as fun as the single player. I was really concerned with the whole multiplayer being reduced to 2 vice 4 people, but it works out nicely. Little if any lag and the absolute fun of having another player to enjoy the game with. Some cons, if you are a lower level character than your partner, the enemies are scaled to the highest level player and can make things a bit difficult.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a good hack n slash with customizable characters, online multi-player, and you enjoy grabbing fat loot and gear, definately check this out. This is a game I was craving for a long time and didn't even know it.

If you are playing this game send a friends request to my AAA 2O2P2HUMAN gamertag via XBox Live. It's already building up nicely for your multiplayer enjoyment without having to jam up your friends list.

Heres a vid of Too Human gameplay:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJW8rN43jN4

Soul Caliber IV Create A Character Fun

As i await Unwashed Mass' rocket launch I decided to fool around with SCIV's create a character some more. This is just too fun. I thought I would share some of the more interesting ones. These are modeled as closely as possible to their actual characters. Some of the armor and items gave me some limited choices, so some artistic license was needed. Enjoy and leave me a comment on what you think!

DreadPirate (of course!)

And here we have the Defender of the Universe...VOLTRON!

Next up is a Storm Trooper.

Now for the Man of Steel. Superman.

And of course the ever awesome Wonder Woman.

I swear this is too much fun. If you are craving an awesome fighting game..get SCIV now. It's simply amazing!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Leave a comment and bookmark me.

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San Diego Comic-Con 08

Been there, done that! Had a blast with the Pirate Queen and my daughter. (This was their first Comic-Con experience)

Highlights:

- DC Universe Online MMO was awesome. Got to check out the most recent build and play a mission. Holy crap! This is going to be AMAZING when it is released.

- Star Wars: Force Unleased looked and played up to the hype it is spinning.

- CROWDED! Most crowded Comic-Con EVER!

- Street Fighter IV playable demo looked absolutely brilliant.

- Got my daughter some Twilight schwag. She is a huge fan of the series. Me...not so much. But she was so happy.

- Met Peter Mayhew. (If you don't know who he is...I'll give you a hint, he played a character that rhymes with Schmewbacca)

- Met Greg Hildebrandt. He is an awesome artist that I have been a fan of since I was 11. Probably one of the nicest and coolest people I met at any con ever. He invited me in his booth to bullshit with him and his wife for a while.

- Lame ass booth chicks. Wonder Woman was hot, Ahsoka Tano was hot, and there was an anorexic looking Black Widow that I considered buying a hot dog for.

Check it out:

San Diego Comic-Con 08 Slide Show!

Regular Pics (Non-Slide show)

Let me know what you think!

Video Games Live San Diego - Jul 24 2008

Where to even begin...If you haven't heard of Video Games Live check out www.videogameslive.com to see what it is all about. I took Kathey (the Pirate Queen) and my 13 year old daughter for a night out on the San Diego harbor to see this awesome spectacle of both music talent and video game presentations. I'll use bullets and for the review and try to keep the comments brief and poignant.

- I had awesome seats. It was actually a table in fron t of the stage. They had the tables nicely spaced out and was more of a picnic atmosphere than that of a symphony orchestral performance. The pricing was a bit much ($61 a pop) but it was well worth it for the great seats and the ability to eat while we watched the show. There was less spaced table seating available a little farther back ($41 bucks a pop) and they had stadium seating in the back and lawn spots on the rear corners of the stadium area. I had a perfect view of the stage, video screens, and on stage performers.

- Opens up with a brief welcome and right into the first part. Hosted by Tommy Tallarico who did an great job throughout the whole performance. On the video screens appears the game Pong. The orchestra plucking as the ball hits off the bumpers and walls, it was pretty funny and awesome at the same time. Then the symphony kicks off a montage of classic video game soundtracks with the clips playing on the screens. Space Invaders, Joust, Elevator Action, Ghosts n Goblins, Dragon's Lair...pretty much everything arcade from start till the console revolution. Nintendo and Sega games start to flash on screen with their accompanied themes and songs being played by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Every soundtrack played along with the videp clips gave me a good dozen or so instant flashbacks of playing each and every one of those games...made me remember waking up at the crack of dawn to play Robotron on the Atari before school would start, revitalized the feeling of raiding the house for quarters to hit up Street Fighter at the video store, and the downright enthrallment of playing The Legend of Zelda for hours on end and trying to explain to my mom what the heck it was all about.

- Final Fantasy montage. They had this pianist dude that made stir with a whole bunch of videos of himself playing Super Mario themes on youtube.com come out and play a medley of themes from Final Fantasy. All I can say is this guy was AWESOME and the music he played was spot on. Aerith's Theme was played as well as a snippet of One Winged Angel and of course the victory chime! Too cool.

- Metal Gear Montage. This was incredible. Started out with the ever recognizable ringing of the communicator. (Some dude in the crowd yells "Hit Select!" and receives a good dose of appreciative laughter) Then Solid Snake's voice comes over the speakers to introduce the bit. Sounds cheesey, but it was pretty damn awesome. The symphony played a lengthy medley spanning all the MG:S games. I had goosebumps the whole time. I have them now as a type this out thinking about it! There was a live action bad guy on the stage patrolling and as he gets mid stage a cardboard box starts to creep up. The box freezes when the bad guy turns, resumes when he isnt looking, etc. It was a riot to see what we have done in the game so many times played out live action with the symphony orchestra playing the music score in the back. The bad guy gets wise to the box, a big exclamation point that was rigged to his back pops up, and the music changes to the fast and furious alert music! Totally cool. The timer expires, and the alert is called off and they finish the set with the cardboard box making it to the end of the stage. AWESOME!

- Live Action Space Invaders. They picked some dude from the audience to play a live action Space Invaders Game. He was the ship and his movements were tracked. As he moved side to side on stage the ship on the screen moved along with him. He carried a big button to shoot his missile. They gave him two minutes to clear stage 1. He almost made it, but choked during the last 20 seconds...he walked away with some cool consolation schwag. It was amusing to say the least

- Zelda montage. This was where my daughter really got into it. My daughter is a HUGE Zelda fan. And while the Classic montage and the MG:S montage didnt overly enthrall her, this got her hooked big time. The same as the others, the orchestra played scores from all the Zelda games with the clips flashing on the screens. She was laughing and I could tell she was having a good time recalling her triumphs over Gannon and the Tri-Force to the awesome sounds of the symphony.

- Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. During the pre-show there was a Guitar Hero competition that I missed. The winner of the pre-show comp got to play onstage and was given the challenge of completing Sweet Emotions on hard with at least 200,000 points to win a crap load of stuff from the shows sponsors. How cool is that! The contestant boosts it up to expert with the crowds enthusiastic approval. The dude rocked it out, got the 200,000pts and the prizes. The audience was going apeshit for this dude to win. It was seriously like a rock concert...except it was being played on Guitar Hero! HAHA

- StarCraft II. They introduced some folks from Blizzard and played a bunch of StarCraft music while showing previews of SC:II on the screen. Very impressive and exciting to get a preview glimpse, watch some gameplay footage, and development shots.

-World of Warcraft. Words cannot describe how awesome this was. You will just have to go yourself. WOW has one of the most amazing music tracks in gaming to date. To hear it played live was almost overwhelming. From the Log On music to the different cities music and some recognizable tunes from the different "zones" in game was absolutely mesmerizing. I felt like I was grinding all over again! Shouts of "For The Horde!" and "Pallys Suck!" could be heard around the crowd.

- Halo. This was the part where Video Games Live kicked a hole in my soul with iron toed boots. There were parts of this performance where I was almost unable to breathe. Halo has a very distinct soundtrack. The themes were played out in awesome, staggering glory. Take the most awesome visuals in the series on the monitors and the haunting (yet beautiful) choral chanting, with the symphony playing, and you have a recipe for one supercharged emotional overload that lasted about 15 minutes. They played the score from the original, to evolved, and the last 5 minutes from Halo 3. Even if you arent a Halo-tard, you would have to be made of carbonite to not be touched by this performance.

- Final Fantsy - One Winged Angel (w/ Tallrico on electric guitar). Too awesome. Very powerful compilation. One of the most recognizable of the Final Fantasy themes. Took me right back to my living room in 1997 getting my ass whupped by Sephiroth.

- Castelvania closure. This was pretty wild. All the Castelvania series music played with visuals on screen AND a coordinated fireworks display over the harbor. Un-be-fucking-lievable! It was a perfect way to end a perfect night.

It was overall the best 2 1/2 hours I have spent out all year. This will become a new summer tradition with me and mine. If you stuck through this long and winded review I highly recommend you drop the coin, take the friends/family, and enjoy this amazing feat of talent, entertainment, and culture. It truly was a roller coaster ride of great video game memories.

If you haver a moment, go to youtube.com and do a Video Games Live search for some good visuals.

Over-Hyped Dark Knight

It was good.

In my opinion, I don't think it lived up to the hype.

Some of the main reasons why it was only "good":

Christian Bale talks like he is an asthmatic about to keel over when he is Batman. It made it almost painful listening to his dialog.

Too damn long.

Not overly impressed with Katie Holms' replacement as Rachel Dawes.

Should have saved at least one of the many plot lines for another sequel.

The thing with the cell phones...really???

PG-13 rating. So many little things would have been much better in an R movie. Like showing the shotgun blast to the face,and The Jokers penchant for blade disfiguration. Every time it cut the scene short, it just took me right out of the moment. (I do understand why they kept the PG-13 rating...and it was a good/smart decision)

The last hour where Batman/Wayne "soul" searches for the right thing to do. Seemed to make Batman look like Batgirl. Just go kick some ass already! ( I know Bruce Wayne is supposed to have his conscience bending moments...but IMO, it was a bit much.)

*SPOILER BELOW*

Two Face dies? He is one of the coolest villains and they kill him off after an hour???

Edit: I just read alot of internet gossip that says he might not be dead.

*END SPOILER*

It was a good movie and I did enjoy it. I just thought it did not live up to the expectations I had set for it.

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It Has Begun...

Ok, the inevitable zombie invasion has begun. After grabbing my gear and weapons from base, I will be holing up in Costco...

...maybe GameStop...

...but probably Costco.

Proof

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDEihNufss8

Still not convinced?

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R42TC_N81es

Irrefutable proof.

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06KObE7UbxY

Told you so!

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Viral Video + Spin Offs

I swear, there is more funny crap on the internets than on TV, DVD, Blu-Ray, and the theaters combined! I was told to check out the original video I'll be posting from a buddy of mine after working out. After watching it and laughing my ass off I noticed all the "spin off" videos made of it. Fuckin' priceless...(If you are from Jersey, Long Island, or around there you might not find the original funny...just typical)

Here is the Original:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JMOh-cul6M

Asian Version:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNfyBqrAaPk

Senior Citizen Version:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5JtdsWVjhs

Jewish Version:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W4DVubs9Z0

Mexican Edition:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxa6M5mkrYw

And to keep it gaming related:

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMlDgu7dnhY

Theres a bunch more...

...I love the interweb!

6min 4sec of Hilarity

And you thought CrossFit was tough? Check this out.

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPsDDr0n9AE

[1 Comments]

Unreal Tournament III (XBOX 360)

Thumbs up. Way up. This is what I have been missing in FPS shooters. The twitch factor. The no worries about leveling, or grinding kills for gun accesories, or even unlocking weapons and crap. Just jump in, pick up the nearest frag-tool and go at it. I really hope this game generates enough interest to get a solid group going on 2O2P. Please add me to your friends list if you have this game.

THE TRAILER

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O2dG6yIhDA

VIDEO REVIEW (IGN)

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwqy_3YLcI

MORE UTIII GOODNESS

Embedded YouTube Video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojh7I1yR8Zk

Hope to see you all in the arena.