411 Games Rumor Down-Lo 03.11.03
411 Games Quote of The Week
A novel innovation in survival gaming that offers you no reason to own it, Disaster Report is an entertaining romp while it lasts.
— Rantmaster Mark (PlayStation2 Review: Disaster Report)
(411 DOWN-LO ONLINE 03-11-03: BEGIN TRANSMISSION…)
Hi, I’m Bebito Jackson, and in a world full of copycats, this is the original.
What an absolutely crazy week it’s been. I probably came THIS close to getting fired from 411 Mania for real last week. What happened? Well sit back, relax, slap your girlfriend on the booty as she gets you a Heineken, and enjoy yourself another edition of
Bebito’s Retarded Life
Avid readers of the Down-Lo may remember that a couple of week’s back our own Ron Yip pointed out something he found which in his words, “looks suspiciously like your column.” Skeptical, I made my way to the article over at TVG.com, and found a column cutely named DB’s Rumor Round-Up that could be considered the Down-Lo’s Siamese twin (or at least fraternal). Finding it funny, as did several of the 411 Mania staff that anyone would copy my sucky column, I posted as such at the bottom of his article laughing at the guy’s supposed lack of originality. (Other co-workers and readers did the same.) In retrospect, I probably should have just left well enough alone and been flattered that someone thought so highly of my work. But of course… I can NEVER just leave well enough alone. The following week I made mention of it in the Down-Lo providing a link to the article in question and figuring I was done with it.
Then I get this little gem in my inbox:
From: Stone9Cold@aol.com
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 19:07:51 EST
Subject: TVG Email
To: bobeblaze@yahoo.com
Did you email some site called TVG threatening legal action from 411?!?!
-Ashish
WHOA! Who, where, when, why, what happened?! I didn’t threaten anyone. Maybe bruised an ego or two but uh-uh, no threaten. No legal action. After reading that email I was scared crappless because I knew Ashish was heated. Notice the abundance of question marks and exclamation points at the end of his sentence there. Not two, not three, but four punctuation marks! That’s two exclamation points away from raving lunatic territory. Bebito was screwed for sure. So after preparing the words for the send-off of what would surely be my final Down-Lo, I came out and told big boss man Ashish the whole thing,.
From:bobeblaze@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 16:31:29 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: TVG Email
To: Stone9Cold@aol.com
WHAT?! NO!
TVG? Is that totalvideogames.com? Ron gave me the link to a new rumor segment at that site, which had a column that looked very similar to mine. So I visited it. Read it. And at the bottom of the column I posted something similar to this:
“Hahahah! Wow! I wonder where you got the idea for that? Could it be here: 411mania.com/games?”
That was it. In my next column, I wrote about the link, and how similar it was to what I currently do. And I put that link in the column so others could see the site. At no point did I threaten legal action from 411. I know better than that. Why? What happened?
-Bebito
P.S. PLEASE DON’T FIRE ME!!
By now, I was more curious than worried. What exactly happened here? Was the guy concerned that I’d eventually take legal action against him for supposedly stealing my column’s premise? Was TVG taking offence to my ragging on them? Was I going to be the one responsible for 411 Mania ending up with a giant lawsuit? And would I regret giving Ashish my home address? Only one way to find out:
From: Stone9Cold@aol.com
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 20:12:00 EST
Subject: Re: TVG Email
To: bobeblaze@yahoo.com
Apparently some guy pretending to be your lawyer emailed them threatening legal action. Must be some idiot who read your post on the forum and wanted to cause trouble. Don’t worry about it.
-Ashish
Hahahahahaha! Is THAT what happened?! That’s awesome! My readers are crazy! Who would have thought someone would have the testicular fortitude to even try something like that? One of the nicest pranks I’ve ever had pulled on me for sure. All I have to say to that guy is this…
Don’t ever do it again.
Seriously.
Ok, it was kinda funny. But really… no.
I don’t care myself, but Ashish could, scratch that, CAN seriously do some damage to you if he wanted to.
I’m not kidding.
His team of ninja monkeys may be hunting you down as I speak.
In any case, it all was a big mess with the end result being that TVG.com completely removed the article from their website. Left in it’s place at the column’s former URL is a message that says “Don’t Hack Formats”. As in hacking my format for the Down-Lo? Who knows? What it comes down to is that I would like to apologize to the guys at TVG.com for any problems this may have caused. Sadly, I underestimated the idiocy of my reader base.
Anyway, be sure to keep an eye out for TVG’s great original new columns RetroRating, The Gamer’s Cognizance, and The Weekend Clean-Up!
I’m just terrible…
Behold the “Legal Troubles” edition of the Down-Lo. We all know the drill by now: The higher the DOWN-LO RATING the higher the odds of the story coming true (scale 1-10). As always these are just rumors (which is why you read me in the first place), so don’t take this stuff as gospel. Enjoy. I do.
This is the Down-Lo.
COMPETITION FORCES NINTENDO’S HAND?
Spong.com reports that ‘Nintendo has confirmed that a successor to the Game Boy Advance is in the research and development stage at headquarters, following the news that the next home console is also underway quite nicely. The revelation was made by Nintendo America vice president Perrin Kaplin while talking to American press’ not long ago.
We all knew it was coming, but hopefully it won’t be as soon this go around. The release time between the GBA and GBA SP was shockingly short. We can probably chock that situation up to complaints about the system not having a built-in light, but something tells me however, that this next successor to the GBA will be coming down the pike just as if not sooner. Why? It’s speculated that this announcement may be to ward off Microsoft and Sony as they are both known to be developing their own handheld platforms. ‘Senior Nintendo executives, including Jim Merrick, have confirmed that they know about such plans. “Of course Sony will be releasing a [portable] machine, and the fact they haven’t done it yet is somewhat surprising. I have friends at Sony who tell me that there is something going on, and they’re all like, ‘Where is it, man?”‘
So when do we get to find out everything? Be prepared for this sentence to become the Down-Lo clichE during the next few weeks: ‘Expect to see some exciting handheld happenings at E3 in Los Angeles this May.’
DOWN-LO RATING: 8
FORGET THE JET SET
Hold on a minute. You mean to tell me that there’s a videogame publication that is NOT owned by Ziff Davis? No kidding…
GameInformer, the non-Ziff Davis owned magazine (I’m still in shock), is a sweet little gaming production. Inside they have (like all good gaming mags should) a gossip section by the name of Loose Talk and some interesting information is contained within. One sad piece of info, caught my attention in particular. It seems that ‘after two promising but ultimately disappointing titles, they’ve heard that Sega’s Jet Grind/Set Radio series is done for good.’
What a shame. That series had so much potential. The first one for Dreamcast was definitely a bright point for the system, while the sequel for the Xbox turned out to be quite the letdown with a much dumbed down tagging system, un-flowing hard to follow gameplay, and a soundtrack that was immensely inferior to its predecessor. Maybe it’s a good thing that is cutting the dead weight. Hopefully this won’t stop them from producing more innovative titles like this in the future.
Let us all have a moment of silence for Jet Set Radio…
DOWN-LO RATING: 8
JUMPING THE GUN
Here’s a tidbit for ya. IGN.com reports that ‘various Internet message boards today have been active with discussion on the possibility of another Resident Evil game to follow the upcoming GameCube-exclusive Resident Evil 4 title. Astute RE fans have noticed that Capcom U.S.A. has already secured the rights to the Internet domain residentevil5.com back in October of 2002.’
The site is quick to state that this ‘does not confirm the existence of an RE 5 title in development, as Capcom could be simply keeping its options open for future titles by jumping on the domain name early. Resident Evil 4 for GameCube isn’t scheduled to arrive until 2004 at the earliest, so a fifth title in the series could be many years off, especially considering that other RE projects are currently in the works, such as the PlayStation 2-exclusive Resident Evil Online.’
So yes, RE5 is coming, but this is one rumor that I won’t be saying look for something at this year’s E3. Maybe next year’s E3… or the year after that. But let’s not hold our breathes on this one just yet.
DOWN-LO RATING: 6
MIYAMOTO NEEDS IMMODUIM
Miyamoto just won’t shut up! He’s been having the verbal of equivalent diarrhea lately. Big old Nintendo, normally the fortress of all videogame information, is just spilling the beans and the reason why eludes me. Perhaps all the talk of their supposed financial troubles is prompting them to let everyone know that they are alive, kicking, and the games won’t be stopping any time soon. Hey, sounds good to me. Bring on the juiciness!
MagicBox lets on that Miyamoto’s loose lips are at it again. He was allegedly overheard saying that he ‘is considering bringing a port of Star Fox 2 to GameBoy Advance. Huh? There’s no such game you say? Ah… how quickly we forget. SF2 was a game under development for quite some time, but ‘was canceled for the 16-bit SNES system.’ Now they’re contemplating putting the finishing touches on it and releasing it on the GBA. Of course, I’m all for that.
(Insert generic revelation at E3 comment here.)
DOWN-LO RATING: 4
UPDATE: KINGDOM HEARTS RUMOR
Sherman: Whaddaya got there Mr. Peabody?
Mr. Peabody: Sherman, this is the latest edition of the 411 Games Rumor Down-Lo.
Sherman: A Humorless Clown Hoe? It looks like a piece of paper to me!
Mr. Peabody: No, Sherman, I said this is the RUMOR DOWN-LO. It is a piece of writing, an article, a column written by Bebito Jackson for the entertainment of readers at 411 Mania.com. It is written on paper in this example, and hence you are correct, but today it could just as easily be stored on some alternate data medium.
Sherman: Mr. Peabody, are you saying that people actually read this garbage?
Mr. Peabody: Yes Sherman, that is EXACTLY what I am saying. And this sort of thing has been going on for some time now, dating all the way back to October of last year.
Sherman: Is that where we’re going today, Mr. Peabody? Back to 2002?
Mr. Peabody: Precisely. Sherman, set the WAYBACK machine to October 21st, 2002.
Sherman: But what are we gonna DO there, Mr. Peabody?
Mr. Peabody: You’ll see, Sherman, now just set the WAYBACK.
Voiceover (Mr. Peabody): Obediently, the brave boy did as he was told, and quicker than you can say “Bebito Sucks,” we were transported back to Monday, October 21st. What Sherman did not know was that earlier I had found Bebito Jackson standing outside a local arcade where after a short leisurely conversation I proceeded to maim the young man to within an inch of his life and stuff him in the back trunk of the WAYBACK machine bound and gagged to accompany us for our journey. Once back to our destination, we proceeded to the closest Library that would allow animals in, and after waiting two hours for an open computer, logged onto 411mania.com/games, clicked on the very first edition of the 411 Games Rumor Down-Lo, and scrolled down to the read the corny yet amusingly entitled rumor:
MICKEY & TIDUS WORK WELL TOGETHER; MINNIE GETS JEALOUS
For those of you who have played Kingdom Hearts *pat on the back* good for you! Odds are you probably liked it. If you didn’t notice, Square put quite a bit of production value into that baby of theirs (even more than usual). Big name stars abounded playing the lead characters’ roles with almost all of the Disney characters’ voices being done by their original voice actors (with a few notable exceptions) and it certainly pushed up the quality. Why so much loving care? Because this is Square’s next Final Fantasy ladies and gentlemen and they want it to succeed. Looking at the sales charts since its release seems to indicate that it did. And ya know what that means? Sequels and lots of em’. Nope this isn’t a one shot deal, and we can look forward to seeing the beginnings of something as early as Summer 2003. Great news if, like me, you loved the game (yes I love a Disney game… so there).
DOWN-LO RATING: 8
Sherman: But what does all this mean, Mr. Peabody?
Mr. Peabody: You’ll see, Sherman, follow me.
Voiceover (Mr. Peabody): But we didn’t get far. As we were about to about to make our way back to the WAYBACK machine, Bebito himself came running like a madman into the library, apparently having managed to free himself from his bondages and escape from the trunk. Briskly, yet calmly, I pulled out a remote control from underneath my flea collar, and gave the red button placed on the direct center of it a long firm push. Bebito went flying to the ground in agony due to the electric ankle bracelet that I had sawdered onto his leg just in case of this sort of occurrence, sending shockwaves throughout his body. Sherman was upset with me for this but I snarled at him and he minded me.
Bebito: *groaning* What… what, do you want from me??
Mr. Peabody: Repeat that rumor you were telling me earlier.
Bebito: What? *pant* Rumor? Uh. It… it… it was about Kingdom Hearts.
Mr. Peabody: Tell it just the way you did outside the arcade.
Bebito: Ok… *writhing in pain*, but please let me go after this? Please God… According to IGN.com, Japanese videogame site Quiter is now ‘reporting that it has been confirmed by an internal (and anonymous source) at Square Japan that Kingdom Hearts 2 is well underway. While no additional information has been revealed about the game (returning characters, release dates, or for that matter, an official confirmation), Quiter is adamant that its story is true.’ I had reported on this a long time ago in the very first column I’ve ever done for 411 Games. And I was going to put it in this week’s Down-Lo as an update. *crying* Now please… PLEASE let me go!
Sherman: Mr. Peabody, what’s the meaning of all this? First you take us back in time to read an article that could have just as easily been read in the present by looking at the column’s archives! Then you kidnap the author, torture him, and make him recite RUMORS?! This is crazy, Mr. Peabody!
Mr. Peabody: Yes Sherman, this IS crazy. That is because Bebito is now having an unpleasant dream, a nightmare to exact. The reason for the weird, nonsensical nature of it, is due to Bebito himself being a complete tool. The poor twit can not even have a normal nightmare.
Voiceover (Mr. Peabody): At this point, I again began gleefully pressing the button several times in succession…
Bebito: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!
What?! Huh?! Who? What happened? It was all a dream??! Just a dream? Man… crazy. *looks at TV* That’s the last time I’m falling asleep playing Xenosaga. *looks at watch* It’s pretty late. I’ll finish the Down-Lo later. I should probably wash up and get to bed. Gotta pee anyway.
Voiceover (Mr. Peabody): Little did the simple minded young man know that I was anticipating his arrival to the bathroom, conveniently hidden inside his toilet awaiting my chance to take a bite out of a little midnight snack…
DOWN-LO RATING: NONE FOR UPDATES
And that’s the Down-Lo. My contemporaries here from the News Reports section have already reported some of the rumors planned to appear in the Down-Lo this week. Contrary to popular belief it doesn’t really bother me. I’m used to people stealing stuff from me at this point. *rolls eyes* And it makes my job easier. From now on all rumors that my fellow writers report on because they’re too lazy to dig up more official news of their own, will be printed here in the After Down-Lo Mint. That’s right… I’m taking other people’s work and turning it into a segment. Thanks guys! Enjoy. I did.
This is the After Down-Lo Mint.
THE RUMOR BEBITO FORGOT
Credit goes to a dead Jason Masters, who informed me of this rumor from beyond the grave.
During the D.I.C.E. summit roundtable last week, Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto was asked to clarify who was developing the upcoming Gamecube title, Wario World. Miyamoto replied:
“I don’t know if I can say this. Tell you what; Wario World is being developed by Nintendo in conjunction with a second party that we’ve worked with in the past.”
Miyamoto’s comment is interesting because it was heavily speculated last year that Treasure (of Gunstar Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, and Ikaruga fame) was developing the game. Why isn’t Nintendo up-front about the identity of Wario World’s second party developer? After all, we knew Retro Studios was handling Metroid Prime before the first line of code was written.
It’s very possible that Nintendo does not want to reveal yet that it has signed an exclusivity deal to Treasure, and perhaps even buying a stake in the company. If this is true, then Nintendo has done an excellent job of filling in the hole left by Rare’s departure after it was purchased by Microsoft. Treasure is regarded as one of the best developers in the world, and its addition to Nintendo’s family of second parties would be a big boost to the Gamecube’s paltry line-up.
And before you send a question to Ask 411 Games Pocket Color, the games Nintendo and Treasure worked on in the past were Mischief Makers and the import-only Sin & Punishment, both for the Nintendo 64.
(Weekend Wipe-Up 03.08.03) – Joseph Stanley
MORE SECRET CHARACTERS IN SOUL CALIBUR 2?
Rumors coming out of Japan are saying that Namco is planning more secret characters then the ones already announced (Heihachi for the PS2, Link for the Gamecube and Spawn for the Xbox). The other secret characters are said to be for all platforms not console specific the ones mentioned before. The latest edition of EGM has already announced Necrid who’s a huge green badass that takes the fighting style of the other fighters but there are said to be even more.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Credit: TVG
(SimColumn News Report 03.10.03) – Ron Yip
Thanks Joseph and Ron. That was quite a refreshing After Down-Lo Mint.
THE DOWN-LO TOP 10
Here I present to you my Top 10 favorites on a variety of subjects. Some gaming related, others not. First I give you the criteria and then I give you the picks. It’s as simple as that. Enjoy as always.
(TOP 10 – 411GAMES COLUMNS OF ALL-TIME)
Ok that “of all-time,” line is a little pretentious. But within this site’s short history some truly amazing pieces of writing have been composed. Of course I have my own personal favorites but you *points at reader*, yes YOU are the driving force behind 411 Mania. Thus it’s only fitting that this list be completely decided by how popular you thousands of readers have made these articles of ours. So going in ascending order, these are the most read columns in 411 Games history.
*****
# 10 411 Games News Report 11.01.02 – Chris Pankonin
Tagline: Vice City Mania, Sony kicking ass, Nintendo Online, Microsoft likes beer, College dorms hate online gaming, Smackdown roster, and merciless plugs!
Why You Liked It: Chris has always been what I call a straight reporter on things. Just news, and straight to the point. Refreshingly, he shares some of his life with us this time, explaining his plight concerning getting online at his college dorm. This was back when our fearless reader actually time to write a News Report that he could be proud of here in the Games Zone. Now he has so many responsibilities it boggles the mind how he even writes anything every Friday at all. In addition to his column for Games, he writes the Sunday Night Heat TV Report, the Monday News Report for the Wrestling Zone (although he may finally be done with that), AND he handles all of the postings for everyone else’s columns in the Games Zone. Amazing.
# 9 Super Gaming News Alpha 3 11.21.02 – Eric Williams
Tagline: The Xbox doesn’t make you cool, the Super Nintendo is rereleased, no one buys Sega games, seriously, no one buys Sega games, and I link to the rest of 411games in the most flavorful manner possible.
Why You Liked It: You read this because Eric Williams is funny. Period. If you look at the teaser, there wasn’t really any news to get excited about. Yet and still his reputation made you want to read, because his sense of humor and opinions were just so interesting and entertaining. One of the most talented guys I’ve seen here, this column is still worth a look just to see how bad he bashes Sega. A must read for anyone who got here after the Mania, and has never heard of our beloved yet lazy friend of Jason Masters, Eric Williams. On a side note, why is that guys who are friends with our also dearly departed Jason Masters can all write so exceptionally well? First Eric Williams, and now Joseph Stanley. Maybe that explains why Jason and I never got too close.
# 8 Final Continue News Report 11.20.02 – Jason Masters
Tagline: Super Gameboy Advance, Classic NES Quotes, Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth, you were conned into buying GTA: Vice City, and I try to finish the column before playing Metroid…
Why You Liked It: And speak of the devil. Jason had an incredible idea at one point. He took totally ridiculous quotes from classic and not so classic videogames and displayed them for our reading amusement. It was so popular (and hilarious) that for his very next column the hits almost doubled. Chris Pankonin nearly wet himself over this, because he finally figured out that we were “catching on”. Too bad Jason’s gone. We would have been completely and utterly unstoppable with him. Now we’re merely utterly unstoppable.
# 7 411 Games Rumor Down-Lo 12.17.02 – Bebito Jackson
Tagline: I’ve got details on the next WWE SmackDown! game. GTA and Splinter Cell rumors. Plus we’ll find out how much of a gaming fanatic the “General Manager of TheSmarks.com” is, when The Scotsman joins me in the Spotlight.
Why You Liked It: I attribute this column’s popularity to the first breaking details I obtained about the new SmackDown! and having The Scotsman as my special guest star. The interview I had with old Scotty still stands as one of my favorites due to him revealing all of the behind-the-scenes happenings at the now defunct TheSmarks.com and telling all about his former feud with our very own Jay Bower in the Wrestling Zone. Notable rumors that came true from this one were ones about Splinter Cell getting extra levels for download from Xbox Live, and the extremely accurate details about the fifth installment of the SmackDown! series, well before anyone else caught wind of them.
# 6 411 Games Rumor Down-Lo 12.31.02 – Bebito Jackson
Tagline: Metal Gear Solid rumors. Jet Set Radio without the Future. Syphon Filter. Console Compatibility Quiz Results. And find out how this whole 411 thing got started when Ashish, the owner of 411mania, guest stars the Spotlight.
Why You Liked It: Metal Gear Solid and the Ashish Spotlight probably drew everyone in here. Also, I was the ONLY one at 411 Games to turn in any sort of column that week, so that may have strengthened its popularity. I’ll most likely come close to getting fired again for saying it, but Ashish was the most BORING Down-Lo Spotlight I’ve ever done. Either my interview skills sucked (which may be true because… well I suck) or Ashish wasn’t feeling talkative that day. He did tell about how he got started with 411 so that saves it at least. Notable rumors from this one had to do with Hideo Kojima alluding to there being a Metal Gear Solid Online in 2003, info on the Sonic sequel for GameCube (not Sonic Adventure: DX either), and a new Shinobi in development. I also did my first Down-Lo Top 10 here, with my favorite 10 RPGs of all time. Nice read.
# 5 SimColumn News Report 12.16.02 – Ron Yip
Tagline: Huge Vice City glitch, AKI’s new wrestling game, quick reviews, what else can you expect from me? Read on to find out!
Why You Liked It: By now you’ve noticed a theme here. Many of the most popular columns involved news and or commentary about Grand Theft Auto and WWE SmackDown! games. Good old Ron Yip knew you guys craved Vice City news, so that’s what he gave you… twice. This is the second time he wrote about the now infamous GTA: Vice City glitch. So many of you had questions from the first time he wrote the article, that he decided to do another one for those previously missing out. Gotta love this because Ron was doing us all a public service. Still don’t know the glitch? Click the link!
# 4 411 Games Rumor Down-Lo 12.10.02 – Bebito Jackson
Tagline: The non-credit-giving rumor-stealer is back! I’ve got rumors that Activision is set to buy the whole game industry. Virtua Fighter 4 going multi-platform. And Lionel Bohbot from 411 Music is in the Spotlight.
Why You Liked It: This is as high as I get on this list and while that’s a little disappointing, I’m on here more times than any other columnist, hence I’ll stop my crying. Besides, considering that there have been over 550 columns since 411 Game’s inception, topping off at number 4 ain’t bad. Lionel Bohbot, that week’s Spotlight interview, was actually from 411 Movies. I made a typo. It hardly matters though, because he doesn’t work here anymore. Which is a shame, because he was a great reporter. Rumors of interest are that Takara is looking into making a Transformers game and also the ludicrously unforgettable story that Nintendo had actually planed to reveal that in fact they Nintendo, not Sony, were the ones who owned the PlayStation brand. Needless to say if the DOWN-LO RATING could have gone below 1 on that one, it would have.
# 3 SimColumn News Report 11.11.02 – Ron Yip
Tagline: Dangerous GTA: Vice City glitch, details inside. Plus Shenmue, and continuing for last week’s ignorant bastard…
Why You Liked It: I told you he did two. This is the first time Ron revealed the Vice City glitch and all of his readers flocked to it like flies to a bug zapper. Also, Mr. Yip is at his best when he’s pissed off and this column is a great example of why. He totally flames this guy for putting down Marvel’s idea of making Captain America black. Later he comes to a resolution with the gentlemen, but while he was pissed off at him it was just awesome. Between that and the glitch makes this Ron Yip’s most popular column ever. Moreover, putting “ignorant bastard” in the teaser is sure to attract interest.
# 2 RetroGrading 12.21.03 – Alex Lucard
Tagline: Top Ten RPG’s that make Final Fantasy look like the overrated pile of fecal matter it really is.
Why You Liked It: Alex deserved every hit he got with this one. Debatably the best column ever written at 411 Games, Mr. Lucard breaks you off proper here with an insightful commentary that says everything we’ve always been thinking. This one column boosted the whole site’s credibility and garnered much critical acclaim. Not only did 411 Games’ fans embrace Alex’s slightly off-kilter ramblings, but also his peers and actual game companies alike. I hear he still gets a letter or two about this article. Every RPG fan needs to read this definitive list at least once. Excellent.
# 1 Special Column: Toukon Retsuden Vs. WWE SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth – Jeremy Peeples
Tagline: Yukes made them both, only one is released in the United States, read a very detailed comparison between Smackdown and its overseas counterpart…
Why You Liked It: Jeremy Peeples knows his audience. He also knows his stuff. Most of you clicked on this because it was an entire column centered on wrestling games. And before the MANIA started this was primarily a wrestling site. But to attribute that alone to this column’s success would be an injustice. What made all of you continue reading this lengthy article was the intelligent and incredibly detailed way the intricacies of each game are explained and compared. I had no idea that Yukes changed so much from the Toukon Retsuden series when it was made into SmackDown! and just how superior the former game was against the latter. A highly informative piece that shows off Jeremy’s talent in such a way that you wish this wasn’t simply a one shot deal, but rather a springboard for him to do a weekly column series. Must read.
*****
There you have it. Odds are that you’ve read these already but if you haven’t I HIGHLY recommend going through most if not all of the previously mentioned articles. All are excellent in their own right, and give you glimpses of the 411 Games staff at their absolute best.
No seriously, go check them out. I’ll wait.
Did you read all of them? No really… Go back and check them out!
THE DLV OF THE WEEK
This week’s Down-Lo Video is of Soul Calibur II for all systems. Too hot for words:
(DLV OF THE WEEK: Soul Calibur II)
Tomorrow we’ve finally found someone to take over the Wednesday News Report! Be sure to check out the grand unveiling of Lee Baxley, as he makes his way out from the depths of the PS2 Reviews section, and on up here with the rest of the news crew. It’s going to be the most spectacular debut since… well, since BEBITO JACKSON came here!!
Ok, no… not really. I can’t back that up. But read him anyway. And I’ll be back next week with more rumors, and the much beloved Down-Lo Spotlight. Until then peace, I’m out.
(411 DOWN-LO OFFLINE: END TRANSMISSION…)