Latest blog is up at www.INASECTV.com

It's a sneak peek at Sony's hit MLB franchise. 2K Games is going to have their hands full with this monster on the horizon, and I just don't think Million Dollar perfect game is going to be enough. Hope you guys enjoy. Later I'll be posting my top five sports games of all-time. Will be interested to see your take on it. Take Care Fellow Gamers!

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I won't waste the time explaining how impactful a video game trailer could be in getting you into purchase mode. These were the top 5 trailers that had the most effect on me...and are just flat-out enjoyable.

10) The Darkness



9) Mortal Kombat II



8) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow



7) Team Fortress 2 (Part of the Orange Box)



6) The Old Republic



5) God of War III



4) Gears of War



3) Killzone 2



2) Dragon Age: Origins



1) Mass Effect 2 (TV Spot)

I'm certainly enjoying my time posting blogs here on www.Destructoid.com It's been a great way to communicate with fellow gamers on various aspects of the world of gaming. It has also served as a way to gain some exposure as well in the field of journalism. While I will continue to post blogs here, I will also be posting links to my blogs on www.INASECTV.com

My blogs there will be specifically for the sports gaming world. Since it is a website/webcast based in the sports world. I will be reviewing sports titles retro and new, as well as giving in depth previews of sports games on the horizon.

The first of my retro reviews is the classic NES baseball game, and in my opinion, still the best baseball game I ever played...Baseball Stars.

There is a link below to the Blog. Sign Up to keep updated and of course to leave feedback. It's been one of the many things I've enjoyed most about blogging here and would love to see it carry over to this great site as well. Hope you all enjoy, and look forward to hearing from you. Thanks Ahead of Time. :)

Andy

http://inasectv.com/blog.retro-rewind-1-baseball-stars-nes.232

In recent years Mixed Martial Arts has seen a boom. It has ultimately become the ultimate combat sport. Boxing's lackluster heavyweight division and fading stars are taking a back seat to the rising stars of MMA, stars like Anderson "Spider" Silva, Forrest Griffin, and Brock Lesnar.

Dana White and the UFC is leading the charge, with it's sister company WEC following closely behind, as well as Strikeforce. With the exception of a few fighters, boxing is seeing it's "sweet science" being eclipsed by a more visceral chess match which takes place in the octagon.

MMA is looking to get sanctioned this year in New York, and it has been rumored that the UFC would make their New York debut event at Madison Square Garden. Which, if you wanted to make a proper comparison, would be like the Red Sox calling Yankee Stadium home and selling out.

With such a potential big event, and two new MMA games coming our way 2010 looks to be a very good year for MMA fans everywhere. The interesting part between the two upcoming games is the storyline which has taken place behind the scenes.

EA Sports is set to release MMA 2010, which is headlined by appearances by Fedor Emelianenko and Nick Diaz. EA is certainly no stranger to the sports world...but their sudden interest in MMA certainly struck a nerve with the man at the helm of UFC, the always out-spoken Dana White.

"EA Sports told us, 'You're not a real sport,'" White said. "'We wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this.' "

White also went as far as issuing and ultimatum to MMA fighters who are looking to break into the UFC somewhere down the road, that appear in EA's upcoming title. "You won't be in the UFC," White said.

"You know what the difference is," White asks. "I'm in the mixed martial arts business. EA isn't.

"EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear."

Aside from a monster line up of premier fights coming our way for the spring, UFC is also preparing for their sequel to the THQ game, UFC: Undisputed.

UFC: Undisputed 2010 looks to refine the grappling dynamic which was implemented in the first game, as well as improve the ground and submission controls.

Both MMA games look promising in the early trailers but EA will have a lot of pressure to try and show up the company they believed to be more "disgusting" and "not a real sport", according to White.

Personally, EA has a lot more to prove. To snub what has become the premier combat sport organization only to try and make a game of your own, in a sport you didn't take seriously, with a less star-studded all-star lineup...it'll be an understatement to say the pressure is on EA to make a high quality MMA game.

The submission and grappling was a little cumbersome for THQ's first attempt at an MMA game, if they managed to flesh out all the tweaks that seemed to be needed, UFC: Undisputed 2010 will have my pick for the MMA crown in 2010.

Trailer for MMA 2010


UFC: Undisputed 2010


( Excerpts taken from Dana White interview on http://www.throwthembows.com/ea-sports-mma-game-vs-ufc-undisputed-2009 )

I loved my Sega Dreamcast...I still love it in fact. I still find myself being drawn to it more so than most of my other next-gen systems. Why you ask? Well it's not because of big name franchises like Sonic, or obscure masterpieces like Jet Grind Radio. No...it's for the imports. One import in particular actually.



Fire Pro Wrestling, to me, is the greatest wrestling game franchise of all-time. It's simple 2D graphics mask the complexities that dwell beneath. Like watching wrestling in japan, or old-school tapes of the AWA days, the art of wrestling in the Fire Pro series is a sweet science.

Ultimately, it's an advanced game of rocks,papers,scissors. That's the easiest and best way to describe it. I first got my taste of the series with my Sega Saturn, where I got a hold of Fire Pro Wrestling: 6-Man Scramble.

The features for my young mind were mind blowing. Faction creations, wrestler creations, move list creations, referee creations, belt and ring creations. 6-man battle royals where the only way to win is by pinfall or submission.

It was a masterpiece that couldn't have been made any better...or so I thought. This is where Fire Pro Wrestling D came in. All features were retained, just made better. Others, like the exploding deathmatch, were added as sheer icing on the cake.

Where to start...first, the absolute endless supply of wrestlers from all over the world, from every federation known to man. Want Hayabusa vs. Rob Van Damn vs. The Rock vs. Vader? Go right ahead. Want Stan Hanson vs. Tazz vs. Terry Funk? Be my guest. Wrestlers from WCW,WWE,ECW, and various other Japanese and Mexican federations all bundled into this one disc of wrestling goodness. Not to mention a plethora of slots for your own created wrestlers.



Next, the A.I. I have yet to encounter AI in any smackdown game that matches that which is found here. You will feel like you were in a real pro wrestling match after you are done. After I say this, people ask me if the game is hard. I always say no, it isn't hard. It's exciting. It's everything a wrestling match should be.

Near falls, last minute counters, finishers pulled out of nowhere...the game is as exciting to watch as it is to play. That's not an exaggeration. You will be sweating and cheering until you hear that 3 count. One thing I will guarantee, you won't be upset or feel cheated if you lose a fight. It's one of those rare games, that are just so much fun to watch and play that you just simply tip your cap to the computer for a fight well fought and than just come back for seconds.

As far as features go, there is no story mode ala Smackdown vs Raw. Honestly, this game doesn't need it. If the Smackdown vs. Raw series ditched the story mode to adopt Fire Pro Wrestling D's gameplay, I could live with that...in fact I'd prefer it.

I don't care about cheesey stories, with terrible voice work. Give me exciting, splash mountain off the top rope matches filled with counters, near falls, and high risk moves that'll make Jeff Hardy blush.

Instead of terrible story modes, Fire Pro Wrestling gives you 4 titles to fight for. Cruiserweight, Heavyweight, Tag-Team, and 6-Man Tag Team belts.

There is also the battle royal mode which has been upped to 8-man battle royals, as compared to the previous 6-man in prior versions.

Also included is the exploding, electrified steel cage mages, and the barbed-wire exploding table matches. There is no shortage of blood in these brutal matches. In fact, at any given time you could just start bleeding in any match. There's no greater feeling than being in an 8-man battle royal and getting cut early in the fight only to outlast everyone and be the last, bloodied and exhausted wrestler in the ring.



That's another thing, there's no health bar or momentum meter, or even a finisher icon. You have to work for every finishing move or powerful move you want to land. The toll the match takes on your wrestler is visible by watching your wrestler or opponent. If you work on the legs the wrestler will limp, neck and he'll grasp his neck in agony and roll around the ring with the next DDT or piledriver you perform. Exhausted? He'll start gasping for air and take longer to get up to his feet after performing a move.
So spammers need nod apply to this game.

The graphics, while simple in both texture and animation play second fiddle. This game is all about the gameplay and no other wrestling game on the planet does it better. Til this day I'm still discovering moves I never knew existed. Every single wrestler in this game has their own distinctive move set.

No other wrestling game matches its gameplay, I don't care how pretty they make the graphics or dumb bra and panty gimmicks they add. The greatest wrestling game of all-time has been out for quite a while, and if you are a hardcore wrestling fan I'd suggest doing everything you can to get it. If you own a Sega Dreamcast already...than you're halfway there.

Every now and then, during our gaming journey we find moments which are etched into our memory. Moments that for some reason or another, make us literally call out "Holy Sh*t!!!"

These, are MY Top 10 Holy Sh*t!!! Moments

10) "Jackie's Girl Gets Whacked" (The Darkness)


The darkness is a (pun intended) Dark storyline. There's no way around that. However, one of the few tender moments in a game that you don't expect to have one, is when Jackie goes into his apartment and the player is introduced to his girlfriend, Jenny.

She surprises him with a birthday cake, they sit down and watch a movie, you are made to have a sense of warmth and security and it's played to perfection. Flash forward toward the end of the beginning of the game, where the darkness is beginning to take control and torment Jackie, and you are brought to one of the most disturbing and helpless moments in gaming. The darkness restrains Jackie and you are forced to watch as your uncle blows the brains out of the woman you love.

9) First Time Using the "BFG" (Doom)


Doom can be a very challenging game. It's a hell of a lot of fun...but it could still be a pain in the ass. Endless swarms of demons who increase in difficulty...an equalizer is needed. Meet the BFG. It's a god amongst weapons and the first time I fired it at a horde of Imps and Pinkies, you could not wipe that deviously satisfied smile off my face. There are no such things as odds as long as you have this bad boy loaded and ready to go.

8) Opening Moments (God of War)


Most games give you a gradual tutorial to get you into the swing of things. God of War figures the only way you'll get a feel for Kratos is to witness from the beginning what an utter badass he is. How to do that...by tracking down and defeating a 3-headed hydra. Watching the final moments of the battle, as you wrestle with the last hydra head until it finally impales right through its eyes...AND you travel in its mouth to remove a key from a man's neck as you kick him into the stomach...that's a stand out "Holy shit this is one badass motherf**er" moment.

7) Chainsaw=Who needs ammo? (Gears of War)


Ran out of ammo? Need to make a final push but no guns seem to be in range? Are you worried...? No. You laugh in the face of your enemies. Why? Sneak up on them and rip that unsuspecting shmuck to shreds with that lovely little device attached to your standard issue assault rifle. Few moments in gaming are as satisfying.

6) End Sequence (Mark of Kri)


Sword? Check. Axe? Check. Bow and Arrow? Check. Warpaint for your face? Check. In one of the most underrated games to be released for the PS2 The Mark of Kri itself has many holy sh*t moments. Whether you're impaling someone into the wall, or jamming the blade of your sword through someone's head as they wrestle and eventually lay helpless on the floor...brutal is a kind word to describe this game.

However, as brutal as this game is...nothing could prepare you for the end sequence. It alone solidified Kri as the most underrated badass in gaming for me. Just as you believe the villain would live to fight another day, assume your hero will take the righteous high road...Kri turns and launches his massive axe at the villain splitting his skull and impaling him into the back of his throan chair with a frozen look of horror etched in a sketch drawing. Credits rolled. Great moment indeed.

5) Killer 7


I'd love to say one moment stands out above all of the rest...but I'd simply be lying to you. This entire game had me saying "Holy sh*t!!!" for so many reasons I could not even fathom. Its a work of art and a disturbing trip into the human psyche. No one moment claims this spot. Its a holy sh*t moment in itself. Certainly a game you should try at least once, just to say you went down that rabbit hole.

4) Realizing You Could Go Absolutely Psycho (GTA 3)


GTA 3 introduced the sanbox-style game to us, and also reminded us how twisted we could be. Going psycho enough to summon the U.S. army? A truly satisfying holy sh*t moment.

3) Witnessing Your First Fatality (Mortal Kombat)


Parents said Holy Sh*t!!! because it offended them. Kids said Holy Sh*t!!! because it made their parents say Holy Sh*t!!!...and it was just awesome when you were finally able to pull it off.

2) The Nuke (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare)


One of your boys has gone down and its up to you to retrieve him and bring him home. Its an epic moment when you feel the rescue is complete...than in the distance you see the boom and a horrifying ride through a nuclear attack begins. You watch through the point of view of your dying soldier as he crawls out his crashed helicopter, hearing his last breaths before the horrific scene finally fades to black.

1) Death of an Angel (FFVII)


No moment in gaming shocked me more than the somber scene of Aeris' death in the RPG classic Final Fantasy VII. Its a sentiment shared by most gamers who had played through this tragic scene. Very few times has a game gotten me emotionally involved. I could count less than a handful of times, til this day this one remains the king of them all. A holy sh*t moment to rule them all.