E3, MVPs, H-Hour, Chicago, PS4 so much going on

So it has been a crazy week for Urgent Fury with E3 and all but so much more is going on too… We recently posted a video recorded with NO_Fear and myself talking about what community meant to us, strolling down some Socom memory lanes, H-Hour and such:

E3 was by far one of the most exciting which should not be a surprise since it was in fact probably the biggest console releases in gaming history with XBox and PlayStation going head to head this year. We saw many games on all consoles and PC and played plenty as well. I know I can be labeled as a PlayStation fanboy time and time again, but that is my personal preference and has been thanks to Socom. To each his own.

Since there have been millions of posts about the console wars I won’t dive deep into it, and even as I finally write this, Microsoft has done a u-turn on some of their policies after the out crying of the gaming community and frankly horrid preorders. I really think they just approached the concept the wrong way and well PR was a complete disaster. I actually support getting control of the used game market and ensuring that publishers get their due from retailers. I do not support publishers going after Joe who sells his game to Johnny over like Craigslist or eBay, only businesses that make billions off of giving Joe $5 for a game and then turning around and selling it for $5 less than retail.

I did get my hands on some PS4 play with Blacklight Retribution and I am very happy with the Dualshock 4. It was very well thought out, comfortable and not an overwhelming change. I would say it is a natural evolution.

Blacklight Retribution, a F2P Shooter, was pretty cool. It will release with PS4 I believe from Zombie Studios.

Walking the floor there are several blockbusters coming to current and next gen consoles, so prepare to be broke this holiday season no matter what console you choose. Honestly between the meetings and such, I did not get to experience near enough games this year.

Of course you have seen us all over the announcement of H-Hour: World’s Elite’s KickStarter by SOF Studios. We really talk in the video above how much of an impact the early Socom Games had on all of us, and how David Sears is looking to bring back that style of gaming we have been looking for. Make sure you head over and support this project with a pledge http://bit.ly/ufsupportshhour

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We also announced that this Saturday, June 22nd we will be hosting a live Q & A with David Sears on our Twitch Channel, so get your questions ready… we will have the chat on a limiter to make sure that we are not getting spammed.

We can’t forget that we have added a PS4 Giveaway. To clear it up, we are giving an actual PS4 away, we are doing the pre order and will ship to the winner. This is limited to the US. Sign up now: http://bit.ly/winaps4

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Along with all of this going on at E3, in a PlayStation blog post today (where you can see my ugly mug) Kristine outlined our involvement as MVPs for PlayStation at E3. It was an amazing experience for all the MVPs, especially those that were at E3 for the first time. We had some very direct feedback sessions with PlayStation as well as some get sessions with several developers. This program provides engaged members of the PlayStation community direct access to the right people. With this access your voice can be heard through the MVPs.

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Now that we are done with E3 and all, we turn our attention back to the competitions at Urgent Fury. We have the Urgent Fury on Tour Chicago event coming right around the corner. Get your teams signed up, this is a guaranteed prize pool, so if only 8 teams sign up they are all going home cash in hand, if only one team shows up they are getting $7500 for doing almost nothing, we might make them play the staff lol. Remember there is a 64 team cap, we will not increase this, so it is first come first serve. We have now had a few teams register this week and expect to end up with a waiting list when it’s all said and done. Team Pre Registration is $280 and will be $320 at the door if there are any spots left.

 

 

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How Used Games Could Work Next Gen

With all the talk spawning from the XBox One reveal last week, one of the subjects that is sticking hard to gamers is DRM and getting a handle on the Used/Rental Game Market. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a big supporter of the Used market personally but I understand that it is there. As an IT professional we are trained in licensing and accept that you do not see a used software market. So is there a solution that can work for the industry? I think there is a fine line that could work.

Since XB1 has verified they are going to require game installs (that is a whole other subject with a 500gb drive) there is talk of how it could work that would make sense.

Scenario 1 Lending the Game to a Friend:

Johnny buys COD Ghosts new, and his friend Tommy wants to check it out. Johnny has already installed it on his system so when Tommy takes the game to his house it would deactivate Johhny’s install so Tommy can play. No Fee, just verifies which console the disk is at. When Tommy brings it back, Johnny puts the disc back in to activate at his house and Tommy’s console is now deactivated for the game.

Scenario 2 Rental Services:

Now this situation would work pretty much the same way as lending a game to a friend, but the renter will benefit from the time it takes to send back to the rental company and how ever long it takes for the game to be installed by a next renter. Just as before no fees are needed but once the game reaches another console, it will deactivate the previous install.

Option to Buy:

With the two above scenarios, it is easy to see an option to buy the game to reactivate it via the online store giving the publisher their normal profits and a cut to the console. For the Rental Service, they could have a means of selling an activation code as well letting them get the cut instead of the console online store. This is a win win for everyone and almost how it works now for the Rental Services.

Scenario 3: Used Game Store

gamestop-streaming-611x350Ok so this is where it gets a little more complicated. The key to a Used Game market is buying the game for $X and Selling the game for $Y with the difference equaling a profit. Currently the average difference is about $15 to $30.

For this to work, Johnny would bring his game to the GameStore, and would get $X. The GameStore would then turn around and need to sell the game for $Y but would need to include a reactivation license. Now it would be up to the GameStore to work a deal with the publishers so that at the end of the day the difference between $X and $Y equals enough profit to stay a viable business model and include the required activation codes. But by doing this, the publishers/devs now get their dues from the sale of the game.

At the end of the day that is what the big argument about used game sales have been based on. The current system cuts out the publisher/dev from their part of the sales of their hard work. Now we are not sure how it is going to work with the PS4 yet, but if this solution was adopted I think everyone could accept the process.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know below.

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Being Quadriplegic Will Not Hold me Back

trellisWith the announcement of the UF on Tour Black Ops 2 Tournament in Chicago this summer, we have fielded questions ranging from permissions for minors to hotels, but one question never prepared us for this inspiring gamer.

We receive a simple question from Trellis, aka iDeoxide, asking if we could accommodate him for the event as he is a Quadriplegic. After a few back and forth emails to better understand his situation it was not hard to say of course. Now this sort of threw us off, why would he even need to ask other than maybe to give us a simple heads up that he was coming to the event and would need a set up that he can use.

But after talking more with iDeoxide it came to light that he has tried several times to go and compete in these events with no success. No one would take the time to understand his needs and make the necessary setup he needed. Check out this interview his local station he did this weekend, below is his own YouTube video explaining how he plays.

Now nothing could prepare us for how good he was either, last weekend he joined us for a little Black Ops play and I have to tell you, he made me look worse than I already am! He is spot on when it comes to gun play, knife play and overall Call of Duty play.

We have helped Trellis set up a GoFund me program to help raise funds to make the trip up to Chicago from Mississippi. Though he is quite agile, he does need assistance with some of his daily tasks which in turn having someone travel with him to the event. You can help fund him via the widget below or go to the fundraiser page.

He is an inspiration to gamers and to Urgent Fury, we look forward to seeing Trellis at the Chicago event this summer. Be on the look out in a few weeks when Trellis joins Doc to tell us his story.

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Military Gamers Cannot use the XBox One in the Field

So in an interview with Aaron Greenburg on GamerTag Radio  the question was posed about the XBox One on a Navy Ship where the typical sailor does not have internet access.

At the 31 minute mark is where Danny (host) brings up the scenario for a gamer at sea. Aaron responds at the 32 minute mark with the comparison of the XBox One to a Tivo device that is always connected going on further to say that those that do not have an internet connection or are going to be gaming in the middle of the ocean, they should stick with the XBox 360.

odgcarrierAaron goes on further to explain that they feel this only a small population of gamers affected, but I would say that this is a bigger population than they are thinking.

Now do not get me wrong I understand that the XBox One’s entertainment functions need you to be connected to take advantage of those new features, but at the end of the day isn’t this a Game Console for playing games? What I took away from this particular part of the interview was that no, it is not a game console. The XBox One is an entertainment device.

This is a shame for all the active duty military that take their gaming system out into the field with them… What are your feelings on this? Are you in the military or a veteran that has been deployed to areas that do not have internet?

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Doc on The Box, Well the XBox One That Is

xboxoneAfter a less than extraordinary showing Microsoft revealed today what their new system is. Naming their system the Xbox One almost giving it a retro feel they’ve also given the retro to the unit itself which is more reminiscent of the original first line of VHS that hit the market back in the late 80’s.

Microsoft did not show a lengthy title of games to come only that they would be providing new titles to the franchise. The idea of mixing games and Internet browsing is nothing substantially new to the gaming ecosphere, Apple has done this for some time with their airplay feature and games. Their controller seems nothing set apart from what they are ready have established and the new camera does not seem anything substantially next generation.

Let’s be honest as people throw out the words “next-generation console” the way technology is bounding we are headed for the future video games in more like a hollow deck experience from Star Trek or the danger room from the X-Men.

So this time is crucial to be a standout in the gaming field as a leader of innovation and not a revamped tool which is what Microsoft has done with their new camera which was based on their old camera which was originally done on PlayStation 2 with the Eye Toy. If anything from this, Microsoft showing they have shown how to watch TV which we have already knew about and make our gameplay that much more annoying by incoming Internet explorer alerts or Skype messages.

I know I am not alone in this thinking. the market itself reflects what consumers are thinking and in which way they’re shifting as Sony had a stock jump of 9.1% after the Microsoft press conference.

As I sat back and watched with a fellow gamer, shortly after he started to send me memes and parody videos that started to flood the web less than minutes after the completion of the conference.

This all of course reflects the overall attitudes the gamers already have about Microsoft’s next-generation system. On June 10th gamers will really see what the next generation of gaming has to offer. I guarantee that nightfall on June 10th will really show who has the foothold in the current next-generation gaming console war.

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Doc Drills down on Injustice’s Lobo Now Available as DLC

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Before Injustice: Gods Among Us was released, NetherRealm studios announced that they would be adding several new characters to the roster over a few months following launch. While not announcing who these new fighters would you were given a choice of either season pass, which has become the normal or purchase of the up coming characters individually. The season pass being roughly the cost three characters individually.

Since Injustice’s release, the first character is now available. Lobo, otherwise known as The Main Man, is a relatively unknown in his origin, but popular character that has been featured in many comic books since his creation in the 1980′s. He originally manifested in the Green Lantern universe.

A standout of this game is the mass amount of single player content and seamless integration of story and arcade battles. Injustices also has 250 S.T.A.R Labs missions but if you were hoping that Lobo’s addition would include any more single player content prepare for disappoint.

While Lobo does include a short ending for completing Classic Battle, and he is added to the opponents you will face in Battle Mode, there are no additional S.T.A.R Labs missions, no extra story content and, surprisingly, not even a second costume or a character model in the Archives.

As for the character himself, Lobo is a strong grappler that has the added bonus of long-ranged attacks in the form of his shotgun and chain. This makes him dangerous both up close and at a distance. Every character in the game has a special ability, activated by pressing the circle button the Flash is granted super speed, Superman super strength and so on – Lobo’s special ability is a super charged shotgun blast which, while not being as impressive as other powers out there, deals a severe amount of damage.

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Lobo is a solid character and the team at NetherRealm have clearly put a lot of love into bringing him to life. His move-set  voice acting and overall character design are all completely authentic to the character and as such he will appeal to hardcore fans of the comics.

In tandem with the release of Lobo, a compatibility pack has been released that enables all players to play online together, even if they don’t have Lobo. As an added incentive to download the pack is comed with costumes based on the DC Comics miniseries Flashpoint.

injusticecharactersIncluded are Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Deathstroke. Based in an alternate reality, Flashpoint featured familiar characters in an unfamiliar setting, including a devastating war between Aquaman’s Atlanteans and Wonder Woman’s Themyscirans and Thomas Wayne becoming Batman following the death of his son Bruce.

injusticebatgirlNetherRealm has also announced that Batgirl will be added to the roster but at an undisclosed time and had hinted at the release of General Zod to coincide with the release of the new Superman movie.

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Are Games Becoming the Scape Goat for Tragedy

As the media have started to analyze what lead up to this horrific event, the blame game has already began. National Media are already honing in on the gaming habits of the man behind the shooting.

How do you feel about this? Do you think games are in the crossfires for the wrong reasons?

First of all our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s, families and the Newtown, CT community in the wake of events that happened yesterday morning.

As the media have started to analyze what lead up to this horrific event, the blame game has already began. National Media are already honing in on the gaming habits of the man behind the shooting. While I am no expert, I can tell you as an avid gamer I am not going around planning on how to destroy a classroom of helpless children because I spend 20 to 30 hours a week playing games such as Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and Monopoly.

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While I do agree that the rating system has flaws, just as it is in all entertainment, it is the parents that are responsible for following these ratings. And to be honest the parents really are not telling their kids no when it comes to a title rated M for mature such as Call of Duty. Even while at our local GameStop event here in West Texas, there were plenty of kids under 17 picking up their games with parents and guardians.

Now Call of Duty sold over 500,000 copies in the first week of sales, but do we see a half million players causing a tragedy such as this? No, tragic events are not the fault of games being released, they are at the fault of the person that is holding the guns. Could there be some factors from a game that contribute to the state of mind of this person, sure it is possible.

Events like this trigger a gut reaction such as Gun Control, Removing Games from Shelves, etc. It is exactly that a gut reaction. Are there changes that should be made in the aftermath of a tragedy like this? Of course, we always learn from these events and make improvements to prevent events such as these.

At the end of the day as an owner and member of a Gaming Community that is heavily involved with games rated M for Mature, our community is built around a motto of “Win with Honor, Lose with Dignity” instilling sportsmanship and respect in gaming.

I learned my gun skills in the Boy Scouts and US Navy, not playing a game. How do you feel about this? Do you think games are in the crossfires for the wrong reasons?

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Hitman: Absolution – A Test of Faith

I’ll never forget the first time I was introduced to Agent 47.  I had just received my copy of The Official PlayStation Magazine with its monthly disc packed with previews and game demos.  There on the disc was a demo for a game titled Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.  I saw the stylishly dressed bald guy dual-wielding a pair of hand cannons and I was immediately intrigued.  The prospect of sneaking in to a highly guarded mansion, taking down a mob boss while rescuing a priest had me giddy with excitement.

Then I tried to play the demo.

Emphasis on “tried.”  It was a total mess.  The controls were not only WAY more complex than anything I was use to playing, the AI was absolutely brutal.  I knew right away that I was in way over my head and that there was absolutely no way I was getting over the learning curve.  I ejected the disc and went on to other things.

Or at least I attempted to.

The fact was that even though I was terrible at the demo, I found the concept fascinating.  This was the character I had been waiting to play for a long time.  So I went back, and I was still terrible.  But I went back again and this time, even though I was still terrible, I actually made it into the kitchen disguised as a delivery guy.  Then, I promptly took 2 steps in the wrong direction and all hell broke loose.  This scenario played out dozens of times and each time I got just the tiniest bit better. Long before the first time I made it through the level with the coveted Silent Assassin ranking I was hooked, and I knew that this was a series I would follow for as long as it was around.

Fast forward 10 years to the first release of info on the fifth game in the series.  I couldn’t be more excited.  Finally! A Hitman game on “next-gen” consoles.

Then I watched the trailer.

This is NOT Hitman! It’s way too action heavy!  Instinct mode?  Are you joking?  This looks like Splinter Cell: Conviction (which I enjoyed, but it wasn’t Hitman).  I/O Interactive, you broke my heart.  I suffered waiting through not one, but TWO, garbage Kane & Lynch games.  And for what?  For you to rip the very soul out of  the franchise that I love?  For you to bastardise a series so you can  dumb it down for the masses of mouth-breathing Call of Duty “bro” gamers?  To hell with this, I quit.

Or at least I attempted to.

I’d obviously been betrayed along with all the rest of the die-hard fans, but I just couldn’t believe it.  I searched every article I could find in hopes that I was wrong, but everything I read just sounded like the devs doing a song and dance to distract us from the atrocities they had committed against their fans.  I had all but given up hope and written the game off.  Then a friend told me about a sniper challenge mini-game that you could download if you pre-ordered the game. I figured “Why not?” I’d pre-order the game to get the code and then go back and then move the money to Borderlands 2.

Then I played it.

I figured that I’d try it once and then maybe watch some tv.  Two and a half hours later, I had to force myself to go to bed.   The Agent 47 that I hadn’t seen since 2006 was back and better than ever.  The defining moment came when I shot an elevator control box to open the doors and then made a member of the main target’s security force disappear down the elevator shaft. After dozens of replays I finally achieved Silent Assassin rank, but with the addition of a friends leaderboard, Silent Assassin is just the beginning.

I know that the latest trailer has sparked plenty of uproar, and people are jumping to all kinds of conclusions and continuing to rage about “the absence of stealth” and “too much action” but now I just shake my head and smile.  I’m confident that when the game launches it will be the naysayers, and not the devs, who will be seeking “Absolution.”

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With Starhawk just days away, Fans are rewarded with all kinds of epicness

Here we are, the last weekend before Starhawk releases on Tuesday May 8th, and it has been an exciting ride for sure. We have met a great community. But don’t fret there is still plenty of exciting things to do before release day.

Starhawk exclusively on PlayStation 3

It started with the much-anticipated Top 14 Questions compiled by HawkStarJay after the beta completed in late March. Of course the rabid fans would not let up about the video, and just like they promised, not only did Dylan deliver, he knocked it out of the park by providing more details than we could ever ask for.

Now this is a long video as we decided to take the video and post it in the full version, so it is about 30 minutes long. Let me break down the questions for you with a time stamp to help you out.

1. 01:32 – Can the speed of the melee “Drama Kill” animation be increased?
2. 02:18 – Will the strength of the air combat be increased?
3. 05:18 – Will the power of the Flak Gun be adjusted?
4. 07:43 – Will there be an additional map variety in the release versions of Starhawk?
5. 10:29 – Will any maps contain pre-built structures?
6. 12:29 – Can the flight ceiling be raised?
7. 14:13 – Can the speed of the vehicles be increased?
8. 15:19 – Will the rift energy economy be adjusted for the release version of Starhawk?
9. 17:52 – Will the strength of Torpedoes vs. Bubble Shields be adjusted?
10. 19:47 – Can the building cap of 32 be increased?
11. 23:00 – How will base camping be prevented?
12. 24:57 – How will the idea of “Turret Spam” be addressed?
13. 26:00 – Why is there no vehicle Health Bar?
14. 27.16 – Can you provide more information on load outs?

BONUS. 22:22 – Zones Bonus Topic – Dylan Expands on some changes to Zones Mode

Saturday evening we got the next punch as Lightbox got the gang together to show off some Multiplayer Game footage live via their UStream Channel, it was quite intense and was the first live look at many of the maps and modes that we will all experience on Tuesday. We were soothed by the commentary by Rico (IT Manager and QA Lead for Lightbox Interactive) which turned into some Q &A and then the “Pete Request Line”. They did great and everyone in the live chat had a blast getting Pete to drive off cliffs, show off different guns and tools as well as give an epic Dog Fight Match to end the evenings Gameplay.

Not only that it was broadcast live to PlayStation Home users in theater 6, here is some footage from the theater.

Now it’s not over yet, so tomorrow between 5pm – 8pm Pacific Time (0000 – 0300 GMT) you can once again head over to UStream and check it out as the head honcho himself, Dylan Jobe, who will be co-hosting and providing you with guided previews of our Single Player, Co-Op, and Multiplayer modes in the game. There will also be some prizes and a special announcement…

Sign up for Urgent Fury Dust today only on PlayStation 3

Of course don’t forget that Urgent Fury is hosting one of the first Tournaments for Starhawk right out of the gate beginning on May 14th. Many of you are asking why so quickly, well we know there are many established Warhawk Clans that will be headed over to Starhawk and they don’t need a month to get their team together. The first two deployments are especially for you guys, head over to Urgent Fury to get the scoop on Urgent Fury Dust and get your teams signed up. We will close up registration and rosters on the 13th.

We will then open up Registrations for Deployments Three and Four on May 16th.

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UFreqTV launches a fundraiser to help improve show quality and attend more events.

As you will see in the video, Jack gives everyone a behind the scenes look and explains why UFreqTV is running a fundraiser. Think of UFreqTV like PBS, we do it all for free, on top of that we are not able to sell advertising for the show in Home, so we get by with what we have. Though we still think the show looks like $1 Million bucks anyway.

Well it has been a little over a year since the launch of UFreqTV in PlayStation Home and we have been more than impressed by the Media Team stepping up to the plate to make UFreqTV one of the Top Shows in the Community Theater.

But the gang wants to do better, as you will see in the video below, Jack gives everyone a behind the scenes look and explains why UFreqTV is running a fundraiser.

Think of UFreqTV like PBS, we do it all for free, on top of that we are not able to sell advertising for the show in Home, so we get by with what we have. Though we still think the show looks like $1 Million bucks anyway.

If you have any spare change lying around, head over to http://bit.ly/helpufreqtv and ChipIn a little to help us reach our goal. Share this link with your friends, family and fans alike. Help Jack, Matt and Patrick take UFreqTV to the next level!

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