Dang ol' Jimmy Gibbs, man [L4D2 Impressions]

Cool. Found my way out of the mall.

KLAK! [Tekken 6 Technical, Online]

Got the Shanksshivving patch installed. This has smoothed out Tekken 6's online quite a bit. It's always nice to see a company being responsive and effective in this sort of situation. Parameters for Ranked Matches can now be adjusted, allowing one to prioritize by connection quality or rank. It's best to fight opponents of a similar rank to rank up, but you can get a lot more 4 (green) and 5 (aqua) connection matches with the connection quality option.

I knocked out Scenario Campaign yesterday, which ended up being a little cooler than I thought. I kind of wish I had gone through with Lars, so that I could have avoided the peculiarity that is playing as one character and appearing in cutscenes as another. At least I got a ton of items for Sergei and Alisa, and five or six million dollars to boot. The Comic Effect items are unlocked by finishing this mode, which adds the 'Bam!' or 'Klak!' bubbles to spark animations. I had been wondering wtf that was.

I've been working my ass of to try and keep Sergei competitive against Legoman. I'm getting really good at piling on damage once I ground an opponent or run them into a wall. Right now the set up du jour is the 4,1 Karnov kickspin which on hit or block sets up the f,f+1+2 Blizzard Rush grab, after which I've been connecting like 95% of the time with the 3,1,2 string either as a pickup/okizeme or catching the opponent back-turned.

Lars is intriguing me, but my initial dabbling has not gone well. Fought a Yoshimitsu online. I had heard that Yoshimitsu had been tweaked into an expert only character; don't know if this individual was an expert or not, but he sure as fuck beat me like one...

Plus Four [SSFIV Roster Reveal]

Scans of the new Famitsu confirm four new challengers in SSFIV. Adon, Cody, and Guy are all shown, and the third image shows Guy blocking a Kunai, Ibuki's projectile.

In my last post on the subject, I was pretty dead on in following popular predictions. I'm glad to see Ibuki, and pretty meh for the Alpha trio. Right now the roster additions look like: T. Hawk, Dee Jay, Juri, Cody, Guy, Adon, Ibuki, and most likely Hakan.

Still no sightings of Hakan, but it looks like this'll be what we're getting. Still the possibility of some extra new characters, DLC characters, and a new secret boss.

Stay tuned as uzh.

Don't Shoot the Messenger [Seasonal Flavor Exodus]

Drive Thru Attendant: "I'm sorry, sir, we no longer have the Pumpkin Latte."

Killa: "OH MOTHERFUCKER!! FUCK THIS FUCKING SEASONAL BULLSHIT!! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT, GIVE ME A REGULAR LARGE HOT LATTE!!! WITH SPLENDA!!... FOR FREE!!!!!!!"

Ghost Ride [Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Crash]

You can get the details from a reputable news source, but, essentially, one tour bus transporting part of the Miley Cyrus concert crew went off the road and flipped, killing the driver. The reports I've looked at have indicated that neither speed nor weather were factors. The investigation is ongoing, but my first reaction is that the accident was likely due to fatigue.

The concert business is rife with long hours. Very often times a tightly routed tour schedule will entail an 8:00 PM concert concluding at 11:00 PM, strike and load-out until 2:00 AM, and then travel immediately to the next stop on the tour for an 8:00 AM load-in. Depending on the clout of and demand for the act, and, of course, demographic and logistical factors, a tour schedule may vary widely from this, but two to three days like this followed by one day off is pretty normal. Touring production pays per diems to and for lodging for every crew member for every day of the tour, so more time between stops increases cost without generating any additional revenue.

At my venue, exhaustion is a constant concern. While a number of us enjoy a Monster energy drink before a load-out, if I pick one up for my Union Steward, he usually will save it for his ride home, a 90 mile commute from Northwest DC to Winchester, Virginia. In cases of back-to-back shows (or recently back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back shows) the practical option is to stay at the venue, if for no other reason, just to accomodate more sleep hours.

I received a call about a week ago from an associate from a local performing arts high school. He was inquiring as to policies in place here, at my professional venue, in regard to scheduling events and time off for working personnel. His organization's management was in the process of reviewing their own policies after a colleague died in a single car crash on his way home during an extremely busy period at their own venue. Unfortunately, the answers I had for him boiled down to money. Stagehands want to make as much money as possible (this is a business after all) and this is often accomplished by working long and odd hours subject to lucrative overtime rates and penalties, as well as working on consecutive gigs, especially compensating for slow periods when there is little work. On my side of things as a house guy, my ability to schedule staff is limited by the size of my team. With six people, and only three of whom are intimately familiar with the operational details of an event, there is little flexibility to allow for mandatory rest periods. Though, in all honesty, my own driving while fatigued is mostly due to greed, or an unwillingness to compromise.

Back when I was still a young Killa, I had the unfortunate chance of waking up with an airbag hitting me in the face. I was not seriously harmed, and neither were the occupants of the vehicle I struck, but it was an alarming experience.

Currently, I tend to become drowsy very easily behind the wheel. I pay special attention to make sure I have coffee or an energy drink with me if this may be the case, both to stimulate my nervous system, but also to have the action of imbibing break up the monotony of highway driving. Is a steady stream of caffeine a real solution? No. But is the business going to suddenly change, cutting profits in the interest of better rested, safer travel? Very unlikely.

I don't have any real point to make here, I'm just talking about it. Between aggressive driving, drunk driving, texting while driving, and straight up bad driving, adding tired driving to the mix makes me wonder how anyone ever gets anywhere...

Killa's Keep

You know, days like today, I really earn my keep.

It's In Your Head [Borderlands DLC Hype]

Check this vid of upcoming Borderlands content available on the 24th.

Man, zombies are everywhere! You just can't get away from them. (Hence, the threat.)



Thanks, IGN.

Brown Panda [Sounds like Drugs]

Rare brown panda found in China.

Initial scrubbings suggest it is not "just dirty".


I swear to god I knew a guy who got busted with "brown panda".

Bangalangin' [L4D2 Demo Impressions]

The demo comprises two sections from The Parish level. Just like last time, you and three other survivors (whether they be CPU AI or online compatriots) blast your way through the infected horde towards some destination. Sometimes it's the simple pleasures, no?

I played the demo last time 'round, but never purchased the original Left 4 Dead. I remember it being one of the few attractions at PAX 2008 that I didn't find an opportunity to enjoy. Throughout the weekend the lines for L4D were significantly longer than anything I ran into at SeaTac.

With all the talk about sequelizing L4D in lieu of supporting and expanding it, I was a little hard pressed to observe these major improvements they spoke of. Then again, I'm not a hardcore fan nor the developer, so I'm not really suited to say what merits a full-fledged follow up. I will say it looks better, has more enticing modes of play, more unique infected varieties, and more weapons and items. But again, I didn't shell out for L4D(1), so what do I care if they jumped the sequel gun?

This demo is an absolute fucking blast.

This demo is an absolute fucking blast.

Just thought I'd make that doubly clear. Even if you have no intention of getting into a PC FPS and would never buy it, if you think your box can run it, get it. It's just a hell of a good time. It's a simple, fast-paced pick-up-and-play oft-hyphenated experience that feels like it's over far too soon, which is a good demo attribute.

The second area entails a segment wherein an alarm at the top of a tower is attracting the horde, and it seems to be a wise course of action to rush through the chainlink fence maze to get to the target ASAP. I ran ahead of my teammates to accomplish this, but as the maze snakes around, we got the opportunity to blast zombies attacking one another through the fences. Another neat way to use teamwork. I replayed the demo almost exclusively for this alarm tower event, because it is straight exhilarating.

First time through was single player, and my second go round was with internet peeps. One of the knuckle-draggers on my team just didn't understand getting into the safehouse at the end of the level. I tried to shoot around him to get his attention, and (somewhat) accidentally killed him with my rifle. I then grabbed my defib and brought him back, which seemed to stimulate the level ending centers of his brain, as he then complied with my suggestion.

Not sure if I'm going to jump on this immediately on Tuesday, as I've also got Assassin's Creed 2 to resist, and an extremely heavy schedule at work for the rest of the month. But, if this demo is any indication, L4D2 is the can't miss shooter of the holiday season. (Oh, unless you're a MW2 person...)

What Am I an Aggregator? II

Wow, that title is a throwback, son! Man, has this year flown by.

Here's a little best of Kotaku:

New School, Meet Old Skool

An old friend decries the decision to bring minigames back for Super Street Fighter IV.

Oh, and this essay by Guido Pellegrini, sounds like something I outlined to Big Sis Prinny about game antagonists being identified with game designers. Should've written that.

And a couple non-Kotaku items:

Deer got into the lion's den at the National Zoological park. Here's a clip via Hulu through the safe confines of Google Video. ALso, please enjoy 52 year old Guamanian Ann Curry being so stoic.

Oh, and I did some iPhone trolling over at Greater Debater.

Oh, and just for fun, this:

Note to Self [Sergei Item Move]

Sergei Dragunov
FDFA d+1+2,d+2
Tactical Goggles - 700,000

The Great Pumpkin Debate [Taokaka Jack-o-Lantern Controversy]

You know, Keif is not a big KB reader, but she did briefly see the Taokaka Jack-o-Lantern post from a little while ago. She said it looked weird, and possibly a Photoshot, but I assured her they also had a pre-lit image of the painted pumpkin. As you can see it is painted, and the only etched, as opposed to carved, area is the eyes, which give this Taokaka's eyes their glow.

Since this is the second post on the subject, I would like to thank Flickr account holder spera for the fodder.

M is for Mayhem [L4D2 Demo Hype]

Hey! The Left 4 Dead 2 Demo is out. Can't wait to get home and play through it. Hell, even Jcasa's new edition is excited; She clearly cannot control her HUNGER FOR (rabbit) BRAINS.


Anybody played it yet?

Bound [Tekken 6 Impressions]

We've had some more time with Tekken 6 now. Not much more, what with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and Borderlands (and requisite Smash) soaking up free time like a wad of gauze. I've beaten Azazel in Arcade mode, and dabbled ever so slightly in the Scenario Campaign, which is dreadful as far as I can tell.

Of course, the meat of any fighting game is facing off against other people, preferably in person. Rah Digga and Lego have been more than happy to oblige. How are things going?

Lego is rotating his old mains Ganryu, Wang Jinrei, Baek, and the highly revamped Law and mixing it up some with fat Bob. While he always been crafty, Lego's Law fights with a fury unseen. I'm not sure exactly how they've changed Law, but Lego is parrying attacks like it's 1999 (the year Third Strike was released, natch).

Rah Digga, much to her own delight, is having more success than ever with Christie Monteiro, the Nana to Eddy Gordo's Popo. A real pain so far, just as in T5:DR (just as in T5). Her ability to mix it up while staying below most attacks is infuriating to say the least, but, you know, can't knock the hustle.

As for myself, it's been going. Rah's tricky Monteiro is the biggest threat at the moment, as I can usually trade rematches with Lego. First I thought I'd be able to use Dragunov's new low reversal to shut down Christie's capoeira, but it turns out to be very difficult to anticipate a low attack from someone who is button mashing. I then thought trusty ol' Steve Fox would do teh trick with his Sonic Fang and stomp setups. Alas, not much luck. The only clean defeat (which was quickly followed by a losing rematch) was with Kazuya (in his new Daft Punk costume pictured below). Whereas I used to end his juggles with [df+4,4] I can now use [f+4] to bound and hit [f,n,df+4,1].

I'm also learning the ins and outs of Alisa Bosconovitch, but in the meantime, Lego doesn't know her ins and outs either, which makes for exciting rounds.

I know Dragunov's movelist better than anyone else's, so the differences have made a more profound impression on me.

[df+1,4]	A great mixup with Sergei's excellent [df+1]. This quick poke can now be followed up with a spin kick which combos on counterhit. I've been trying to use it 50/50 to punish someone trying to pressure after blocked [df+1].
[df+1+2]	Drag's new low reversal. Haven't got the hang of timing this yet, but it's got the potential to be game changing. One more tool to mix it up.
[4,1]	There are now a few followups to standing [4], but this is probably the best. It's a solid juggle substitute for [1,1] and it seems to be pretty close to neutral on block.
[FDFA, 1+2~1+2]	Sergei's Living Dead is a giacreepy way to rise from the Face Down Feet Away position, and now it can be cancelled into a tackle, which is another great way to deal damage. Careful, though, this can get really obvious if done regularly.

I need to run through Kazuya's movelist to find the changes, and probably a great number more times to absorb Alisa's massive arsenal. Stay tuned.

Ad Hack [Advertising on Killa Blog]

So, yeah. Ads on Killa Blog. What do you think?

It's been a mixed bag. Obedience school made sense after the KB-VG-K9 poll. The Tassimo beverage system touting its pumpkin spice lattes made sense after Seasons Drinkings. And in the last two days, I spotted spots for both Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds for yesterday's Virginia gubernatorial race. Chalk that one up to locale.

Then again, when I see ads for the official Tekken 6 site, Ratchet & Clank Future, GTA Chinatown Wars, or Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, I begin to think there may be a future for advertising on KB.

Now, the money is not the issue. I blog out of spite, after all, not greed. But a system wherein people can learn more about and even purchase products or services read about on Killa Blog, that has some potential. These Google Adsense shenanigans have been amusing, but it may be time for something more focused.

Thoughts?

I like it when you call me Big Droppa.

-Spilla