Middle Bower

Best Games and Movies of 2000 - 2009

2010-02-09T10:41:00.002-05:00

So it's a new decade, eh?

It's 2010 now, baby, and the past 10 years have given us a wide variety of memorable cinematic and gaming moments: exploding Halo rings, the killing of Bill, a war against the gods and the history of violence. In the theater we saw the best superhero movies of all time. On the couch we played the greatest shooters ever created.

Yeah, there've been plenty of choice movies and games released since the year 2000 launched us into the new millennium. And the IGN team has been working for months (actually weeks... well, really days) to compile this list of the greatest movies and games of the decade. We started with the 10 best films and games of each year, as you'll see, and then took the resulting 10 number ones and ranked them to determine the best game and movie of the past decade.

Enjoy disagreeing with all of our picks!

GAMES

10. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

9. Battlefield 1942

8. Okami

7. Fallout 3

6. Counter-Strike

5. Super Mario Galaxy

4. Grand Theft Auto III

3. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

2. Shadow of the Colossus

1. Half Life 2

MOVIES

10. Spider-Man

9. 300

8. Almost Famous

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

6. Batman Begins

5. Avatar

4. Spider-Man 2

3. James Bond 007: Casino Royale

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

1. The Dark Knight

-IGN.com

Black History Month

2010-02-05T14:14:00.001-05:00

Fallout: New Vegas

2010-02-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

More Fallout: New Vegas News & Previews

Weight Limit Needed

2010-02-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

mid week passage

2010-02-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

Psalm 59:16

¹⁶But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

What the Cluck

2010-01-29T16:27:00.000-05:00

New York City's transit agency is investigating a video posted online that shows a man kissing and snuggling a live chicken aboard a subway.

The subway rider who took the video said Thursday that it was one of those New York moments she felt compelled to record.

Kylie Kaiser, a 27-year-old architect from Brooklyn, and two friends boarded the uptown No. 6 train at the 33rd Street station at around 7 p.m. Tuesday."He was on his back, rolling from side to side, kissing, hugging and lifting the chicken up in the air," she said.

She said the man was oblivious to everything around him and didn't respond to onlookers.

"It was definitely an only-in-New-York situation," said Kaiser, who moved to the city about three years ago from Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Kaiser said the man looked like he was homeless because he had a shopping cart next to him full of cans and was wearing a shirt with an MTA patch that "looked like he had found it somewhere."

NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said no passengers reported the incident. He said only service animals and those in containers are permitted in the subway system.

Kaiser took video and photos with her Blackberry, got off at the 68th Street stop with the man still on the train and later posted video and photos on her blog. The post was picked up by Gothamist, a local blog network, and others.

"I knew it would be a story people would want to hear," she said.

-MSNBC

IGN: Final Fantasy XIII: English Voice Localization: Snow and Co.

2010-01-28T10:41:00.001-05:00

Final Fantasy XIII: English Voice Localization: Snow and Co.

Game over: Inmate can't play Dungeons & Dragons

2010-01-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

A man serving life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide lost his legal battle Monday to play Dungeons & Dragons behind bars.

Kevin T. Singer filed a federal lawsuit against officials at Wisconsin's Waupun prison, arguing that a policy banning all Dungeons & Dragons material violated his free speech and due process rights.

Prison officials instigated the Dungeons & Dragons ban among concerns that playing the game promoted gang-related activity and was a threat to security. Singer challenged the ban but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld it as a reasonable policy.

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures, often working together as a group, with the help of complicated rules.

Singer, 33, has been a devoted player of the fantasy role-playing game since he was a child, according to the court ruling. After the ban went into effect, prison officials confiscated dozens of Dungeons & Dragons books and magazines in his cell as well as a 96-page manuscript he had written detailing a potential scenario for the game that players could act out.

Prison officials enacted the ban in 2004 after an inmate sent an anonymous letter expressing concern about Singer and three other inmates forming a "gang" focused around playing the game.

Singer was told by prison officials that he could not keep the materials because Dungeons & Dragons "promotes fantasy role playing, competitive hostility, violence, addictive escape behaviors, and possible gambling," according to the ruling. The prison later developed a more comprehensive policy against all types of fantasy games, the court said.

The appeals court said the prison's policy was reasonable and did not violate Singer's rights.

"After all, punishment is a fundamental aspect of imprisonment, and prisons may choose to punish inmates by preventing them from participating in some of their favorite recreations," the court said.

Singer was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 after being found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the killing of his sister's boyfriend. The man was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer.

Department of Corrections spokesman John Dipko said the department was pleased with the decision and will continue to enforce rules that are designed to maintain a safe environment.

Singer's court-appointed attorney, W.C. Turner Herbert of North Carolina, also did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

-MSNBC

mid week passage

2010-01-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 6:12-13

¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Suspect ‘coughs up’ during police questioning

2010-01-26T13:46:00.001-05:00

Police routinely attempt to convince suspects to come clean and "cough" to committing a crime. And one man, accused of receiving a stolen diamond ring, did just that — literally.

Pictures of the two-carat diamond ring, worth about $20,000, were sent to jewelers in the Joplin area, Missouri, after it was reported stolen when someone took the owner's purse from her car Thursday.

The Joplin Globe reported that the owner of Newton's Jewelry recognized the ring when a man and woman came to his store a few hours after the theft and said they wanted to sell it. L.T. Newton and his staff stalled them and called police.

Police said the man swallowed the ring when officers arrived but, while being questioned, he began to cough uncontrollably.

Eventually the ring emerged and the man and woman have since been charged with receiving stolen property.

GT: Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2010

2010-01-22T12:37:00.001-05:00

Video Games | GT Countdown | Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2010

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Zelda WII Info Rumor

2010-01-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

The game will be vary from the dungeon field dungeon method we are accustomed too (nothing new, Eiji Aonuma confirmed that last year).
You will be able to select right or left handed at the start, and Link will be left or right handed based on your selection
The gameplay and basic mechanics are complete.
They are currently polishing up the story and Characters.
One of the characters they are working on is a innkeeper in Link's home village who has a son that looks up to Link.
The girl in the art is not the Master Sword, and it appears the Master Sword will not be in the game.
The girls name from the painting could possibly be Adelle, Adella, or Aderu.
She is not with you throughout the game like Ezlo and Midna.
The face in the painting of her is not her real face. It's not fully elaborated on much, but it does say that it was a place holder concept art piece.(assuming the entire art itself was just concept work)
Link's sword is highly unique in this game, and will have several unlockable abilities. Adelle (or whatever her final name becomes) communicates with you through this sword.
There will be horseback combat. Epona will avoid obstacles automatically.
The models for 3 significant characters in the game have been touched up, but no they are not Zelda or Ganondorf. (google translate gives rough names of Link, Gorons, and Epona, but our translator said it's not specifically mentioned)
The idea of this version of Link also being The Hero of Time has been highly considered, and may already be implemented.
Time travel plays a roll in the game.
The game takes place in more then just Hyrule, and may possibly not be Hyrule at all.

-Zelda informer

mid week passage

2010-01-19T19:58:00.000-05:00

Matthew 7:12

¹²Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Kris Versteeg vs Patrick Eaves

2010-01-17T14:48:00.001-05:00

2009 IGN game of the year

2010-01-15T19:19:00.001-05:00

Sheep gives birth to human-faced lamb

2010-01-14T13:56:00.001-05:00

Erhan Elibol, a vet, performed Cesarean section on the animal to take the lamb out, but was horrified to see that the features of the lamb's snout bore a striking resemblance to a human face.

“I’ve seen mutations with cows and sheep before. I’ve seen a one-eyed calf, a two-headed calf, a five-legged calf. But when I saw this youngster I could not believe my eyes. His mother could not deliver him so I had to help the animal,” the 29-year-old veterinary said.

The lamb’s head had human features on – the eyes, the nose and the mouth – only the ears were those of a sheep.

Veterinarians said that the rare mutation most likely occurred as a result of improper nutrition since the fodder for the lamb’s mother was abundant with vitamin A, CNNTurk.com reports.

A goat from Zimbabwe gave birth to a similar youngster in September 2009. The mutant baby born with a human-like head stayed alive for several hours until the frightened village residents killed him.

The governor of the province where the ugly goat was born said that the little goat was the fruit of unnatural relationship between the female goat and a man.

"This incident is very shocking. It is my first time to see such an evil thing. It is really embarrassing," he reportedly said. "The head belongs to a man while the body is that of a goat. This is evident that an adult human being was responsible. Evil powers caused this person to lose self control. We often hear cases of human beings who commit bestiality but this is the first time for such an act to produce a product with human features," he added.

The mutant creature was hairless. Local residents said that even dogs were afraid to approach the bizarre animal.

The locals burnt the body of the little goat, and biologists had no chance to study the rare mutation.

News.com.au

mid week passage

2010-01-13T19:25:00.000-05:00

2 Corinthians 5:19-20

¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Final Fantasy XIII International Trailer

2010-01-13T19:23:00.002-05:00

Video Games | Final Fantasy XIII | International Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Boy, 12, robs store with a toy gun

2010-01-12T20:48:00.001-05:00

A 12-year-old boy was arrested after pointing what turned out to be a toy gun at a convenience store clerk in northern Florida, authorities said.

The Walton County Sheriff's Office said that the boy walked into the store Thursday, pointed a wood-barreled, long gun at the clerk and demanded money from the cash register. After handing him an undisclosed amount of money, the clerk told deputies the boy said thank you and left.

A deputy on patrol saw the boy walking on a highway. The boy attempted to run before being stopped.

Authorities said they found the money and toy weapon. The boy was first transported to the Walton County Jail, and later transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Crestview.

NJ Legislature Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

2010-01-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

The Legislature on Monday approved a bill that would make the state the 14th to allow chronically ill patients access to marijuana for medical reasons.

Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine supports the legislation and could sign it before leaving office next week, making it law.

The bill allows patients with ailments such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to buy up to 2 ounces of marijuana a month at state-monitored dispensaries.

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Trenton Democrat, was a co-sponsor of the bill and pushed for it for years. He said medical marijuana can alleviate suffering and there's no evidence it increases overall drug use.

"I don't think we should make criminals out of our very sick and terminally ill," he said.

Incoming Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor, said he supported the concept of the bill but remained concerned that a loophole could lead to abuses.

A compromise bill was worked out after some other lawmakers expressed similar concerns. For example, a provision allowing patients to grow marijuana was removed.

Driving while high would continue to be against the law.

The other states that permit medical use of marijuana are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

New Jersey's legislation authorizes the Department of Health to issue to patients with "debilitating medical conditions" registry ID cards that allow them to use marijuana. Patients with specified diseases such as cancer and glaucoma must also demonstrate severe or chronic pain, nausea, seizures, muscle spasms or wasting syndrome to qualify.

Patients with registry cards would be immune from arrest or prosecution for the medical use of marijuana.

Gusciora said the legislation, titled the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, would be the nation's strictest such law.

Lawmakers said they wanted to make sure New Jersey didn't duplicate California's liberal marijuana laws, which they said border on decriminalization of the drug.

"We have learned from the mistakes of other states," Senate co-sponsor Nick Scutari, a Democrat from Linden, said after the vote.

The Senate vote was 25-13; the Senate previously approved a less restrictive version. The earlier Assembly vote was 48-14.

Advocates and patients, who had waited for hours for the final vote, cheered the outcome.

Nancy Fedder, a 62-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer who lives in Hillsborough, gets around in a scooter and said she has used marijuana for years to reduce pain.

"I'm in heaven," she said after the Senate vote. "It means I am no longer a criminal in the state of New Jersey."

Roseanne Scotti, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey, an organization that says it's dedicated to making the state a leader in drug policy reform, thanked lawmakers for voting their consciences.

"We are absolutely thrilled," she said. "This really was a triumph of compassion."

-ABCnews

Arenas suspended indefinitely

2010-01-06T18:42:00.002-05:00

Gilbert Arenas was suspended without pay Wednesday by NBA commissioner David Stern, who determined the player's behavior made him "not currently fit to take the court."

A day after the Washington Wizards guard was photographed before a game in Philadelphia pointing his index fingers, as if they were guns, at his teammates, Stern warned the former All-Star that his conduct will "ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse."

Arenas is under investigation by federal and local authorities after admittedly bringing guns to the locker room. Stern originally planned to wait to take action, but he tired of Arenas' behavior.

Arenas met with law enforcement officials Monday and said the next day that he feared Stern more than the authorities because the commissioner was "mean."

"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game," Stern said in a statement. "Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."

With each game he misses, Arenas, who turned 28 on Wednesday, will lose about $147,200 of the $16.2 million he will earn this season in the second of a six-year, $111 million contract. As of Wednesday he had $9,429,505.41 remaining for this season. However, if the suspension lasts more than 12 games it can be appealed and heard by an independent arbitrator.

A Wizards spokesman said Arenas left the team, which is playing in Cleveland, earlier Wednesday but didn't know where he was going.

"It's sad," Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson said. "You don't want to see a player go down like that. We're a family, and it hurts."

The Wizards supported Stern's decision in a statement attributed to president Ernie Grunfeld and the Pollin family, which owns the team. The late Abe Pollin changed the team's name from the Bullets because of the violent connotation.

"Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable," the statement said. "Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin's leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so."

A lawyer who has been representing Arenas in the gun matter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Arenas does not have a traditional player agent.

Since the firearms language was strengthened in the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement, NBA players are subject to discipline if they bring guns to the arena or practice facility, or even an offsite promotional appearance.

Arenas originally said he brought four guns to the Verizon Center because he wanted them out of his house after his daughter was born. But two officials within the league who have been briefed on the investigation have told The Associated Press that the incident stemmed from a dispute over card-playing gambling debts and a heated discussion in the locker room with teammate Javaris Crittenton. The New York Post, however, reported that the two teammates drew weapons on each other.

In a statement he released after meeting with authorities Monday, Arenas said he took unloaded guns from his locker in a "misguided effort to play a joke" on a teammate.

"Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong," Arenas said. "I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place, and I now realize that there's no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns -- even if unloaded."

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that some of Arenas' closest friends have urged him in recent days to curtail his excessive use of Twitter and his ongoing nonchalant commentary about the incident.

But Arenas resisted those pleas, saying over and over that relying on humor was the only way he knows how to deal with crisis.

Stern said members of the Wizards organization are still being interviewed by law enforcement authorities.

"Some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident," Stern said.

-ESPN

mid week passage

2010-01-06T18:38:00.000-05:00

1 Peter 1:13

¹³Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Twins born in 2009 and 2010

2010-01-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

A Hillsborough County family owns the honor of having the last baby of 2009 in the Bay area . . . and the first baby of 2010.

The twins were born a minute apart at Tampa General Hospital.

Dr. Katherine Lynch performed an emergency C-section to save the babies, who were born 10 weeks early.

Marcello Velasco was born in the last few seconds of 2009.

"As we started getting ready to do the Caesarian section we looked at the clock and said, 'Oh, my God, it's almost midnight,'" Lynch said.

Then Stephano came into the world.

"Just as we pulled the feet out and the arms out and the head came we were a couple seconds after midnight," Lynch said.

The boys' father, Juan Velasco, said the boys will have different birthday parties.

-baynews

First Winter Classic Fight

2010-01-02T17:04:00.000-05:00

AT&T cuts connection with Woods

2009-12-31T12:05:00.002-05:00

AT&T Inc. said Thursday it would no longer sponsor Tiger Woods, joining Accenture in dropping support for the world's top golfer, who's taking a break from the sport to focus on his marriage after his admitted infidelity.

The phone company hasn't used Woods' image extensively in advertising, but its logo appeared on his golf bag. That deal had been billed as a "multiyear" agreement when it was signed early in 2009, after Buick ended its endorsement one year early because of its financial woes.

Woods has also been the host of the AT&T National PGA Tour event since it started in 2007. Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said that since Woods is on indefinite leave from professional golf, he will not serve as host for the 2010 event. However, his Tiger Woods Foundation will continue to be the beneficiary of the AT&T National, under a contract that runs through 2014, Votaw said.

AT&T said it would continue to sponsor the event.

Woods won the 2009 AT&T National in July at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. The AT&T National is moving to Aronomick Country Club outside Philadelphia the next two years as Congressional prepares to host the 2011 U.S. Open.

AT&T has also been the presenting sponsor of the annual Tiger Jam concert event in Las Vegas.

AT&T, which is based in Dallas, did not comment on its reasons for dropping Woods, or how much the relationship was worth.

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, had no comment on AT&T's decision.

Consulting firm Accenture dropped the athlete two weeks ago, saying he was "no longer the right representative" of the company's values.

Gillette, a unit of the Procter & Gamble Co., also has said it won't air ads for its razors that include Woods or include him in public appearances.

Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer, a unit of luxury goods empire LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, also said that it would "downscale" its use of golfer Tiger Woods' image in its advertising campaigns for the foreseeable future.

Electronic Arts Inc., which puts out the "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" series of golf video games, has not said what its plans are for the franchise. The company did not immediately return requests for comment Thursday.

-ESPN

IGN Ranking the Final Fantasy Series

2009-12-30T21:19:00.002-05:00

12. Final Fantasy XI
11. Final Fantasy II
10. Final Fantasy III
9. Final Fantasy XII
8. Final Fantasy I
7. Final Fantasy IX
6. Final Fantasy V
5. Final Fantasy VII
4. Final Fantasy X
3. Final Fantasy IV
2. Final Fantasy VII
1. Final Fantasy VI
-IGN

mid week passage

2009-12-30T21:13:00.000-05:00

John 16:33

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Middle Bower Game of the Year

2009-12-29T13:17:00.002-05:00

Help police my husband wont eat my food

2009-12-29T13:15:00.001-05:00

Prosecutors planned to review the case of a woman authorities claim has called 911 30 times over six months for non-emergency reasons, including a call to complain that her husband refused to eat his dinner.

Last Friday, the woman allegedly made a pair of calls to 911, including a hang-up and another where a woman was heard screaming.

Police were dispatched to the residence and officer Paul Gonzales said she told police that "her husband did not want to eat his supper." A police report said the 53-year-old woman was also yelling "about things that happened two weeks ago."

The woman now faces charges of 911 abuse.

-MSNBC

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

2009-12-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

According to TorrentFreak, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been downloaded illegally nearly 4,100,000 times for PC in 2009, topping the list after only releasing just two months ago.

Provided these numbers are indeed accurate, Activision has potentially lost more than $245 million in sales on the PC version alone.

The Sims 3, Prototype, Need for Speed Shift, and Street Fighter IV help round off the top five for the year, all of which appeared on the PC platform.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the highest downloaded Wii title with 1,150,000 downloads.

The report notes the total download figures for this year double that of last year's numbers, and that PC remains to be the target for torrent downloads, with more than three times that of the Wii and Xbox 360.

-IGN

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

mid week passage

2009-12-23T16:47:00.000-05:00

Luke 2:11-14

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Beer-buzzed boy, 4, wanted to visit jailed dad

2009-12-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

Tennessee investigators say a 4-year-old boy was found roaming his neighborhood in the night, drinking beer and wearing a little girl's dress taken from under a neighbor's Christmas tree.

The child's mother, 21-year-old April Wright, told WTVC-TV that the boy "wants to go to jail because that's where his daddy is."

Wright said she and the boy's father are going though a divorce.

The boy, found outside his house in Chattanooga on Tuesday, was taken to a hospital and treated for alcohol consumption.

Hamilton County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Janice Atkinson said the incident is being investigated but the department declined to release the report.

The boy's mother said she met with child protective services and was told she will get to keep custody of her son.

-MSNBC

Final Fantasy XIII Causes PS3 Sales Surge in Japan

2009-12-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

As reported last week, Final Fantasy XIII instantly became the PS3's top selling game over in Japan. Instantly, as in on the day of its release.

An even better indication of the game's success came today from Enterbrain, which provided first week sales data for the game. For the four days covering the 17th through the 20th, FFXIII sold 1,516,532 units. This figure includes both standalone and PS3 hardware bundle versions.

To put this in perspective, the system's previous best selling game was Metal Gear Solid 4, with just over 700,000 units sold life to date. The PS3 hardware itself only recently reached the 4 million mark, meaning FFXIII was bought by more than 33% of its userbase.

Enterbrain also reports a surge in PS3 hardware sales, presumably due to FFXIII. Last week, PS3 sales jumped to 245,406 units. This is the new high mark in weekly sales for the system, easily outclassing the 150,000 that sony sold when the PS3 slim saw release in September.

Final Fantasy sales tend to be front loaded, dropping off quickly after a huge initial few weeks. But the timing of FFXIII's release makes it a prime candidate for the New Years gift season. Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada previously said that he was aiming to reach the 2 million mark with the game. This looks like a definite possibility.
-IGN

Borderlands Passes 2 Million Sold Worldwide

2009-12-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

2K parent company Take-Two released its fiscal fourth-quarter 2009 results today, highlighting impressive sales figures from its game library.

Among them is GearBox-developed Borderlands, which is now becoming one of the company's top franchises.

"Borderlands from 2K Games has now sold over 2 million units worldwide and has established itself as a key franchise for Take-Two, for which the Company has long-term publishing rights," the release said.

Fans should probably expect a sequel or two.

-IGN

mid week passage

2009-12-16T23:38:00.000-05:00

Luke 1:46-47

⁴⁶And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Flashing teen found guilty after being hit by car

2009-12-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

A New Zealand teen who was flashing her breasts at passing cars has been found guilty of disorderly behavior for the prank, which ended with her in a hospital after a distracted driver ran into her. Cherelle May Dudfield, 18, pleaded guilty to the charge when she appeared in Invercargill District Court, the Southland Times newspaper reported Wednesday.

Dudfield, egged on by her friends, was flashing passing motorists from a traffic island in the middle of a four-lane road in the southern city of Invercargill on Sept. 27.

The alcohol-fueled prank went awry when one of the vehicles crashed into her as she tried to run to the side of the road, police Inspector Olaf Jensen said.

"She was extremely lucky as the vehicle had slowed because of her behavior," he told The Associated Press. "She rolled up onto the bonnet (hood) and cracked the windscreen before she came down with some minor injuries and was taken to hospital."

The prank occurred in the city center, where a ban on alcohol use is in force, he noted.

Dudfield was fined $198.

-MSNBC

Sony: PlayStation 3 Slim Could Have Been Smaller

2009-12-14T19:25:00.001-05:00

The PlayStation 3 Slim could have been even slimmer.

Speaking to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, executive VP of technology Masayuki Chatani discussed the process of shrinking the original PlayStation 3 behemoth into its sleeker design we have today.

"It was pretty tough to squeeze a power-hungry piece of equipment like the PS3, drawing up to 250W, into a case this small, complete with power supply," he said in an interview. "I think it's a very advanced design, and am really proud of the engineers who achieved it. True, the case could have been made even smaller if we'd left the power supply on the outside, but that would have imposed restrictions on transport and use, making it harder to use freely. "

Chatani also noted the inclusion of a harddrive made redesigning the console a bit tougher, adding that remote network storage was considered instead of an internal storage.

"One of the reasons we were able to really shrink the PS2 down from the first design is because we did away with internal HDD support," Chatani added. "We don't have any intention of doing that in the PS3 at this time, though. One of the best features of the PS3 is that people can download games to the internal local storage unit and play comfortably."

"It is also possible to use Flash memory, or network storage, for example, instead of the HDD. We considered both options, but felt that the price would be too high for the amount of storage capacity the PS3 needs," he added.

-IGN

Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 Exclusive Debut Trailer

2009-12-14T19:15:00.001-05:00

Video Games | Spike TV VGAs 2009 | Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 Exclusive Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Tiger Woods taking 'indefinite break' from golf

2009-12-11T19:48:00.002-05:00

Tiger Woods says he's taking "an indefinite break" from professional golf, according to a statement on his Web site Friday.

"I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children," Woods said in the statement. "I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."

The 33-year-old golfer, who tops the sport's world rankings, has been mired in controversy since he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion late last month. The crash prompted authorities to cite him for careless driving and fine him $164.

Woods was not required to talk to police about the wreck, and declined to talk with investigators on several occasions.
In the week following the crash, Woods apologized for "transgressions" that let his family down. The same day, US Weekly magazine published a report alleging that Woods, who is married to Elin Nordegren, had an affair with a 24-year-old cocktail waitress named Jaimee Grubbs.

-CNN

Triple Dog Dare

2009-12-09T20:08:00.001-05:00

It's become an annual winter tale: A young boy gets his tongue stuck to a metal pole, perhaps as the result of a dare.

This year, the scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story" unfolded Tuesday morning in Boise with a boy of about 10. Boise firefighters used a glass of warm water to free the unidentified boy from the metal fence pole.

Fire Capt. Bill Tinsley says the boy's tongue was bleeding a little, but he was OK and allowed to continue walking to school. Firefighters estimate the boy was 10 years old.

Rescue workers responded after a woman driving by saw the boy and called 911.

Last year, the unlucky boy was a 10-year-old from Hammond, Ind., especially apt, since the 1983 movie is set in a fictional city based on Hammond.

Apparently, experimenting with frozen flag poles isn't that unusual, especially this time of year.

A similar drama unfolded in Spokane, Wa., on Monday when a 13-year-old girl stuck her tongue on a flag pole outside a school. The temperature was a frigid 10 degrees and a friend called 911 when the discomfort became too much.

Firefighters poured water on the pole to help remove the tongue.

-MSNBC

mid week passage

2009-12-09T18:51:00.000-05:00

John 15:5
⁵I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Remember Pearl Harbor

2009-12-07T17:29:00.001-05:00

George Washington letter sells for $3.2M

2009-12-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

A letter penned by George Washington praising the new Constitution sold for $3.2 million at an auction, the highest price for a letter by America's first president.

The four-page letter in Washington's slanting penmanship was written to his nephew Bushrod Washington in November 1787, according to Christie's, the company that auctioned it.

It was in the possession of an unidentified British descendant of his family, Christie's said.

Washington led the Philadelphia Convention, at which the Constitution was drafted in 1787. After the Constitution was produced, a nationwide debate ensued on whether to ratify it.

In the letter written from Washington's Virginia estate, Mount Vernon, he endorses the Constitution and highlights the benefits of compromise and of states merging into one nation.

"The central issues must be consolidated -- and local views as far as the general good will admit, must be attended to," he says in the letter, according to Christie's.

The company said the president confided in his nephew.

"Washington professed neutrality in public, but to Bushrod expressed his unequivocal conviction that the new Constitution must be ratified, in spite of opposition from many special-interest groups," Christie's said.

The buyer was not identified.

Christie's had earlier estimated that the letter would fetch $1.5 million to $2.5 million at Friday's auction.

Washington served from 1789 to 1797, then died of a throat infection two years later. He died at his beloved Mount Vernon at age 67, plunging the nation into months of mourning.

Last year, a 1864 letter in which President Abraham Lincoln replies to the abolitionist pleas of youth sold for $3.4 million.

-CNN

Batters Up

2009-12-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

IGN: The PS3 Perspective: Achievements Suck and Trophies Rock

2009-12-04T16:15:00.001-05:00

I couldn't care less about my Xbox Gamerscore. When I hear about GameSpy's Will Tuttle staying up until 2 a.m. to beat a kid's game for his next 1,000 points, I scoff, and when I review a multiplatform game on the 360, I'll gladly play on someone else's hard drive to net them the numbers that mean so little to me. However, when IGN Guide Guru Colin Moriarty tells me he's closing in on my Trophy count, my heart stops beating. When I hear that Hannah Montana only takes four hours to Platinum, I dedicate my weekend to it. When I read about some system clock or patch problem that results in cheap Trophies, I'm doing it.

I'm Greg Miller, and I'm a Trophy Whore. Now, many would ask me why I'm so dedicated to a system that's so much like another system that's been out longer… another system that's more popular and generally makes more sense.

The answer is that Achievement points suck because they are too fair.
Confused? I'll regale you with a tale to explain my point a bit. When the Xbox 360 came out, I saw no point in getting it. At the time, I didn't have an HD TV nor did I have an Internet connection at home. By the time I got my butt in gear and did get a system, I was still primarily playing PS2 games so the Microsoft machine didn't see that much use. When I moved to San Francisco and was entrenched in an office packed with 360s and kids talking about their Gamerscores, I quickly discovered that it would be nearly impossible for me to hunker down and catch the 10,000-point people I play with.

Basically, a year into the 360's lifecycle, I was dead in the water when it came to Achievements.

See, the Achievement system is one of math. Everyone starts at zero points and has to claw their way up to a respectable score. You're going to be a noob for a long, long time. You've already missed the easy Madden and King Kong Achievements. If you want to double back for those, the other kids with nothing to do are still going to be thundering ahead and racking up point after point. People will see you with your 300 points and laugh you out of the village.

Trophies aren't like that. I was already a member of the IGN PlayStation Team when Trophies debuted last year, so I knew I was going to be raking these things in, but I would've chased them regardless. However, Sony threw a curveball that people either love or hate.

Trophies kind of grade on a curve.

When you start playing PS3 games and earning Trophies, you start earning the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum trinkets I love oh so much. These awards have some behind the scenes value that plays into how much they're worth in your PSN Level. That's right, your level like in an RPG. When you start playing and earning bronzes and what not, you'll see the progress bar fill quite quickly and your level start increasing like mad. It's great; it's addictive. Trouble is, the higher your level gets, the more Trophies it takes to increase your level.

I submit to you, fair reader, that this vague system is actually awesome.

I'm Level 13 on the PSN. That doesn't sound that high, right? If you just picked up your PS3 Slim, popped in a few games, and compared your Level 3 to my Level 13, you'd think you'd have a chance at catching me, but it's a trick. You're going to have to work your ass off to catch me. It's like the slot machines in Vegas that people play for hours because they're sure the next coin will win them the million.

My level translates to 1,157 Trophies – 909 Bronzes, 191 Silvers, 51 Golds, and 6 Platinums. I was level 12 for a couple of months because Golds were barely giving me 1 percentage point. Colin's on my ass (Level 12 – 997 Trophies), but he's still going to need to nab a bunch of golds and maybe even another Platinum (the kid's got seven already) to catch me. My goal is to catch up and surpass Podcast Beyond contributor Sam Bishop again. I got caught up in the review season and Sam has increased the gap between us significantly. Currently he's 23 percent from Level 14 to my 88 percent to Level 14.
This is a sickness! Are you reading this? I'm breaking down percentage points without knowing how many percentage points a bronze is even worth at my current level. I'm breaking this down like I'm trying to pick Super Bowl winners. This system is anarchy, and with God as my witness, I love it. You never know what's going to happen, there are kids who are crazy dedicated to it, and – most importantly -- you can start off in it right now and feel like you have a chance to succeed.

That's what Xbox is missing. Right now, my Gamerscore is an insignificant 10,674. If I abandoned my PS3, I'd have a chance at catching IGN's Kristine Steimer and her 15,359. If I quit work and never left the house, I could get close to IGN Editor in Chief Hilary Goldstein and his 43,227. But there's no way I'm going to match Tuttle's 75,227.

I feel out of this digital pissing contest before it has even begun.

Yes, Achievements are fairer and make more sense, but they put anyone just starting out or just casually playing their Xbox at a disadvantage. If you only own a PS3 for Uncharted, you can get a respectable level without any real work. If you care about chasing mystery percents like I do, Trophies are there for you and boast a reward.

In the end, Achievement and Trophies are pointless. These are meaningless numbers and digital trinkets that give us nothing, cost us hours of our lives, and might not even carry over to the next wave of consoles. Plus, the one you're going to care about – the one that actually is the best reward system -- comes down to the console you prefer playing.

Still, Achievements suck and Trophies rule.
-IGN

'Elf' jailed over dynamite hoax on mall Santa

2009-12-04T16:09:00.000-05:00

A man dressed as an elf was jailed after he told a mall Santa that he was carrying dynamite, police said.

Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta was evacuated but no explosives were found.

Police in Morrow, Ga., arrested 45-year-old William Caldwell, who was being held without bond Thursday in the Clayton County jail. He was not part of the mall's Christmas staff.

Police say Caldwell got in line Wednesday evening to have his picture taken with Santa Claus.

Police say when Caldwell reached the front of the line, he told Santa he had dynamite in his bag. Santa called mall security and Caldwell was arrested.

Caldwell faces several charges, including having hoax devices and making terroristic threats.

-MSNBC

mid week passage

2009-12-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

Hebrews 1:1-2

¹God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

²Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Is a video needed?

2009-11-26T01:34:00.001-05:00

The Evolution of Gore

2009-11-25T23:50:00.000-05:00

More God of War Collection Info

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T22:53:00.001-05:00

mid week passage

2009-11-25T17:15:00.001-05:00

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

4 In a Row

2009-11-22T19:32:00.003-05:00

Jimmie Johnson never let up in pursuit of a NASCAR record fourth consecutive championship.

This was no easy Sunday drive for the most dominant driver of this decade, even though Johnson needed only a 25th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway to hold off teammate Mark Martin in the race for the Sprint Cup title.

Instead, Johnson raced hard for 400 miles and even threatened to try to run down the leaders to better his eventual fifth-place finish.

"History, boys!" he shouted as he crossed the finish line. "How about some history!"

Johnson gave team owner Rick Hendrick his own record, a 12th NASCAR championship, on a day that saw mighty Hendrick Motorsports take the top three spots in the final standings. Martin wound up with his fifth runner-up finish in the standings, while Jeff Gordon was third.

"I feel really, really blessed to have had a chance," Martin said.

Upon leaving his car in Victory Lane, Johnson thanked the fans, tears sparkling in his eyes.

"Man, it's going to take a while to sink in," he said.

It was a sometimes-testy drive into history for Johnson, who was at times annoyed at rival drivers and even Gordon, the mentor and teammate who helped him land his job with Hendrick Motorsports.

Nobody gave Johnson anything, either. The other drivers raced hard around him all day, making Johnson earn every point in a race won by Denny Hamlin, who established himself as the driver to watch in 2010.

-Nascar.com

Krys Barch vs. Brad May

2009-11-18T21:43:00.001-05:00

Henrik Andersén's goal celebration goes wrong

2009-11-18T21:15:00.001-05:00

mid week passage

2009-11-18T20:26:00.000-05:00

John 17:17

¹⁷Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Man vs. Printer

2009-11-14T19:51:00.001-05:00

Final Fantasy Announcement

2009-11-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

Man arrested for calling 911, asking for sex

2009-11-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

Florida police say a man arrested for repeatedly calling 911 looking for sex claimed it was the only number he could dial after running out of cell phone minutes.

Tampa police said 29-year-old Joshua Basso made sexual comments to the 911 dispatcher and asked if he could come to her house. Investigators say she hung up, but he called back four more times.

He was arrested about 15 minutes later at his home late Wednesday and charged with making a false 911 call. Basso reportedly told officers that he didn't think he would get in trouble for calling 911.

Tampa jail records show Basso is being held without bond but don't indicate whether he has an attorney. He is listed as unemployed with arrests for theft and other crimes dating back to 2001.

-MSNBC

GameStop Survival Guide by GameSpy

2009-11-11T10:40:00.001-05:00

mid week passage

2009-11-11T10:31:00.001-05:00

1 John 2:15-16

¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Thank you Veterans

2009-11-11T10:28:00.001-05:00

Woman passes driver's test on 950th try

2009-11-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver's license with near-daily attempts since April 2005 has finally succeeded on her 950th time.

The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.

Cha Sa-soon, 68, finally passed the written exam with a score of 60 on Wednesday, said Choi Young-chul, a police official at the drivers' license agency in Jeonju, 130 miles (210 kilometers) south of Seoul.Police said Cha took the test hundreds of times, but had no specific total. Local media said she took the test 950 times.

Now she must pass a driving test before getting her license, Choi said.

Repeated calls to Cha seeking comment went unanswered. She told the Korea Times newspaper she needed the license for her vegetable-selling business.

-MSNBC

Feature Comparison CoD4 vs MW2 PC Multiplayer

2009-11-09T17:05:00.002-05:00

Lid Lifter can solve your mouse problems

2009-11-09T10:40:00.000-05:00

20 Years without the Wall

2009-11-09T10:30:00.002-05:00

Driver calls 911 to report herself as drunk

2009-11-07T15:30:00.001-05:00

The call came into the 911 dispatcher: "I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm drunk." And with that, Mary Strey, 49, of Granton, reported herself as a drunken driver about three miles northeast of Neilsville in central Wisconsin.

Clark County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Backus said Monday that Strey's call on Oct. 24 led deputies to cite her for misdemeanor drunken driving with a blood-alcohol level double the legal limit to drive. She makes her first court appearance Dec. 10.

Backus said drunken drivers reporting themselves is rare.

In the 911 call, Strey said she wanted to report a drunken driver and the dispatcher asked if she was behind the suspect vehicle. "I am them," Strey said. She then followed the dispatcher's advice to pull over and turn on her flashers, telling him she had been "drinking all night long."

-MSNBC

mid week passage

2009-11-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

Romans 13:1

¹Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Twelve Great Things About New Super Mario Bros. Wii

2009-11-03T20:05:00.003-05:00

With less than two weeks to go until Nintendo unleashes New Super Mario. Wii upon unsuspecting Americans, your excitement should be building to a fever pitch. After all, this is the old-school Mario game you always wanted to play in 1990: Classic Mario, but for four players. Rather than simply give you a blow-by-blow hands-on preview, though, we've decided to focus on a dozen little details that have caught our attention as we've played through the game.
-1up

No. 1 -- It's relentlessly cheerful.

No. 2 -- It's full of small, unexpected details.

No. 3 -- Mario has lots of new options

No. 4 -- Its whimsy manages to be incredibly compelling.

No. 5 -- It takes its cues from the best parts of the older Mario games

No. 6 -- It has airships.

No. 7 -- It makes Bowser Jr. seem actually kind of... cool.

No. 8 -- It's not just a lot of recycled content.

No. 9-- The new material is carefully designed to work with any number of players.

No. 10 -- It makes tastefully restrained use of motion controls.

No. 11 -- It has tons of hidden secrets.

No. 12 -- It's seriously tough.

Colton Orr vs George Parros: Let us finish

2009-11-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

McPrank: 4 teens cited for McDonald’s rap

2009-11-02T19:21:00.001-05:00

A rap by four teenagers at a McDonald's has gotten them a bad rap in one Utah city.

The teens were cited by American Fork police earlier this week for disorderly conduct after they rapped their order at a McDonald's drive-through.

The teens said they were imitating a popular video on YouTube. They rapped their order, which begins with, "I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce ..." once quickly before repeating it more slowly.

Spenser Dauwalder said employees at the restaurant told him and his friends they were holding up the line and needed to order or leave.

The 18-year-old said nobody was in line. He and his three 17-year-old friends left without buying anything.

American Fork Police Sgt. Gregg Ludlow says a manager wrote down the car's license plate number and called police. The teens were later cited by officers at a high school parking lot outside a volleyball match.

"We thought, you know, just teenagers out having fun," Dauwalder told KSL Newsradio. "We didn't think it would escalate to that."

Disorderly conduct citations are issued when someone does something to cause annoyance or alarm, Ludlow said. The citation is an infraction similar to a speeding ticket, Ludlow said.

"It was not just that they were rapping, they continued to hold things up," Ludlow said.

Ludlow said the teens were asked several times to speak plainly and that ultimately the manager came outside.

The owner-operator of the McDonald's said in a statement that the issue was about employees' safety at the restaurant in American Fork, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City.

"The employee in question felt that her safety was at risk as a result of the alleged actions of these individuals in the drive-thru, not as a result of them rapping their order," franchisee Conny Kramer said in the statement. "As such, she contacted the local authorities."

But Sharon Dauwalder, Spenser's mother, said they will fight it nonetheless.

"We have to," she told The Associated Press on Thursday. "The citation is there."

-MSNBC

Payback time for Notre Dame’s $29,000 tip

2009-11-02T19:18:00.000-05:00

A woman mistakenly tipped $29,000 by the University of Notre Dame in her catering paycheck will return more than half of the money in $50 monthly payments over the next 28 years.

Notre Dame sued Sara Gaspar of Granger, Ind. to return the money because she should have been paid only $29.87 but a clerical error resulted in a check for $29,387 in April.

Under a settlement filed in St. Joseph Circuit Court, Gaspar agrees to pay back nearly $17,000 in the monthly increments. She put up as collateral a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta she bought with the money. Gaspar also agreed to pay Notre Dame's attorney fees.

Gaspar has said she tried three times to tell Notre Dame about the overpayment but university staffers didn't return her calls.

-MSNBC

Big Crash and Ending 11-1-09

2009-11-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Big One Ryan Newman 11-1-09

2009-11-02T11:05:00.001-05:00

The New DSiLL

2009-10-31T19:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T19:23:00.001-04:00

God of War Collection Trophies

2009-10-29T09:51:00.000-04:00

God of War

Bronze

1.21 Gigawatts - Acquire Poseidon's Rage

Rocking Out - Acquire Medusa's Gaze

Bolt Action - Acquire Zeus' Fury

Sword Man - Acquire Blade of Artemis

Soul Search - Acquire Army of Hades

Matador - Win the first Minotaur fight

Scape Goat - Win the first Satyr fight

Roll Over … and Die - Win the first Cerberus fight

Don't They Ever Shut Up! - Defeat the Desert Sirens

Beat a Dead Horse - Complete the Centaur sacrifice to Hades

Kickboxer - Complete the Spike Room Box Puzzle

Rockin' the Boat - Complete the Sex Mini-Game

Don't Leave Her Hanging - Rescue the Oracle with 10 seconds to spare

Get the Ball Rolling - Complete the Challenge of Atlas

Totally Baked - Complete the Human sacrifice

Splash - Kiss the Nyad

Get Me a Beer Kid - Free yourself from the depths of Hades

Zero Health = Bronze Trophy - Open a Health Chest when your health meter is already full

Hitman - Get a 100 Hits Combo

Getting My Ass Kicked - Die enough times to get offered Easy Mode

Silver

Kratos' Marble Collection - Collect all the Gorgon Eyes

Stick it in Your Cap! - Collect all the Phoenix Feathers

It's the HUGE One - Retrieve the Captain's Key

Take the Bull by the Horns - Defeat Pandora's Guardian

God Killer - Kill Ares

Head Hunter - Obtain the head of the Architect's wife

The Power to Kill a God - Retrieve Pandora's Box

Hitman 2 - Get a 200 Hits Combo

Legend of the Twins - Watch the 'Birth of the Beast' Treasure

Seeing Red - Max out all Weapons and Magic

Gold

Prepare to be a God - Beat the Game on any Difficulty

You Got the Touch! - Climb the Spiked Column in Hades without taking damage

I'll Take the Physical Challenge - Complete the Challenge of the Gods

Speed of Jason McDonald - Beat the game in under 5 hours on any Difficulty

Key to Success - Collect all of the Muse Keys

Platinum

Trophy of Zeus - Unlock all God of War Trophies

God of War II

Bronze

Breaking Wind - Acquire Typhon's Bane

Big, Tuff, Buff and Rough - Acquire Rage of the Titans

Blue Balls - Acquire Cronos' Rage

Shiner - Acquire the Golden Fleece

Rock their World - Acquire the Head of Euryale

Learning to Fly - Acquire the Icarus Wings

Shaky Ground - Acquire Atlas Quake

Death from Above 2009 - Defeat the Dark Rider for the first time

Resurrection - Climb from the pit of Hades

Rock Hard - Defeat the Titan Minotaur inside Atlas

Pick'n on the Little Guy - Win the battle outside of the Palace of the Fates

Watcha Got on the Hot Plate? - Solve the riddle of the Fire Phoenix Statue

Whip it Good - Whip the Steeds of Time

Lift with Your Knees - Topple the Temple in the Bog of the Forgotten

Swinger - Cross the collapsing Grapple Bridge

Stoner - Stone and Shatter 30 Enemies

Super Sized - Get a 500 Hits Combo

Hitting Your Stride - Power up any item

Silver

Eye Can't Believe it - Collect all the Gorgon Eyes

Go Make a Pillow! - Collect all the Phoenix Feathers

Eye Sore - Collect 20 Cyclops Eyes

Boss Batch 1 - Kill the Colossus of Rhodes, the Dark Rider, and Theseus

Boss Batch 2 - Kill the Barbarian King, Euryale, and Perseus

Boss Batch 3 - Kill the Kraken and all three Sisters of Fate

Daddy Issues - Defeat Zeus

Rise and SHINE - Awaken the Phoenix

Spread 'Em - Open the wings of the Temple of the Fates

Shine King - Open the door to the Temple of Euryale

Blowin' Your Wad - Max out all Weapons and Magic

Gold

The End Begins - Beat the Game on any Difficulty

Feel the Urn - Collect and use at least 2 Urns of Power

Bleeding Thumbs - Beat the Challenge of the Titans

15 Min Fight Scene - Battle your way to the Loom Chamber in under 10 minutes

You Know the Germans Make Good Stuff… - Collect all Uber Chests

Platinum

Trophy of Gaia - Unlock all God of War II Trophies

mid week passage

2009-10-28T14:33:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:24-25

²⁴For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

²⁵But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

911 dating service

2009-10-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

Mitchell Levels Toews

2009-10-26T13:22:00.001-04:00

Puck Podcast Fight of the Week

2009-10-26T12:33:00.000-04:00

The Legend of Link's Distractions

2009-10-26T12:22:00.003-04:00

mid week passage

2009-10-21T14:10:00.000-04:00

Psalm 40:8

⁸I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

New Super Mario WII Koopalings

2009-10-21T14:05:00.002-04:00

Borderlands is for Real Gamers (IGN Originals)

2009-10-20T13:26:00.001-04:00

Colton Orr vs David Koci

2009-10-19T14:07:00.001-04:00

Give that bear a beer

2009-10-18T17:48:00.000-04:00

Shoppers in a Wisconsin grocery store got an unexpected surprise when a 125-pound black bear wandered inside and headed straight for the beer cooler.

The bear stopped Friday night at Marketplace Foods in Hayward, about 140 miles northeast of Minneapolis, sauntering through the automatic doors and heading straight for the liquor department, WEAU-TV reported.

It calmly climbed up 12 feet onto a shelf in the beer cooler where it sat for about an hour while employees helped evacuate customers and summoned wildlife officials.Officials from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tranquilized the animal and took it out of the store. Store workers say the bear seemed content in the cooler and did not consume any alcohol.

-msnbc

Best part is she drives away

2009-10-18T14:45:00.000-04:00

Drunk driver crashes into his own house

2009-10-18T11:53:00.000-04:00

Police said a Dayton man has more to worry about than just the hole in his house. A hole that happened when he slammed his SUV into his own home October 15, 2009.

Police said the driver didn't stop at the intersection of Wyoming Street and Steve Whalen Boulevard and drove up two flights of steps and a porch before crashing through the wall of his house.

"I don't think I've ever seen one climb two flights of steps and a porch," said Sgt. Kelly Hamilton. "But I guess if you're determined to make it home no matter what your shape, you'll do it, and he did it."

Police said the man was uncooperative as they tried to sit him down so medics could check him over before being taken to Miami Valley Hospital for minor injuries.

Police say his next stop will be the jail where he'll face drunk driving charges.

A dog was inside the home at the time. It was not injured and was taken by animal control.

-CNN

Mario and Princess Sex Tape

2009-10-18T11:50:00.001-04:00

All-male college cracks down on cross-dressing

2009-10-18T11:42:00.001-04:00

An all-male college in Atlanta, Georgia, has banned the wearing of women's clothes, makeup, high heels and purses as part of a new crackdown on what the institution calls inappropriate attire.

No dress-wearing is part of a larger dress code launched this week that Morehouse College is calling its "Appropriate Attire Policy."

The policy also bans wearing hats in buildings, pajamas in public, do-rags, sagging pants, sunglasses in class and walking barefoot on campus.

However, it is the ban on cross-dressing that has brought national attention to the small historically African-American college.

The dress-wearing ban is aimed at a small part of the private college's 2,700-member student body, said Dr. William Bynum, vice president for Student Services.

"We are talking about five students who are living a gay lifestyle that is leading them to dress a way we do not expect in Morehouse men," he said.

Before the school released the policy, Bynum said, he met with Morehouse Safe Space, the campus' gay organization.

"We talked about it and then they took a vote," he said. "Of the 27 people in the room, only three were against it."

There has been a positive response along with some criticism throughout the campus, he said.

Senior Devon Watson said he disagrees with parts of the new policy, especially those that tell students what they should wear in free time outside of the classroom.

"I feel that there will be a lot of resentment and backlash," Watson said. "It infringes on the student's freedom of expression. I matriculated successfully for three-and-half years dressing so how is this a problem?"

Senior Tyrone McGowan said he has mixed feelings about parts of the policy.

"But I have been inspired by the conversation it has created," he said. "We have to find a way to create diverse leaders from this college. I don't want this to place all of us in one box."

Those breaking the policy will not be allowed to go to class unless they change. Chronic dress-code offenders could be suspended from the college.

Bynum said the policy comes from the vision of the college's president, who wants the institution to create leaders like notable graduates Martin Luther King Jr., actor Samuel Jackson and film director Spike Lee.

Senior Cameron Titus applauds the change.

"The policy is just saying that you have to show more respect in how you dress and there are things that are just not acceptable at
-CNN

Xbox 360 Failure Rate Reaches 54%

2009-08-18T14:19:00.000-04:00

Console failure rate

Xbox 360 – 54.2%
Playstation 3 – 10.6%
Wii – 6.8%

Percentage of console owners who suffered a second hardware failure after the original repair.

Xbox 360 – 41.2%
Playstation 3 – 14.7%
Wii – 11%

Percentage of people who rate their customer service experience "very helpful"

Nintendo – 56.1%
Sony – 51.1%
Microsoft – 37.7%

Percentage of respondents whose friends have had console hardware failures.

Xbox 360 – 69.9%
Playstation 3 – 12.4%
Wii – 6%

10-Year-Old Girl Busted For Lacking Lemonade Stand Permit

2009-08-17T15:09:00.000-04:00

A 10-year-old girl in Riverside Park was slapped with a fine for setting up a lemonade stand without a permit Saturday. Opening a lemonade stand has been Clementine Lee's dream since last year. She decided to take advantage of the day's nice weather to finally set up shop with her 49-year-old father, Richard. "It was such a hot day I figured people would want a cold drink," Lee told the New York Post. The stand was set up on West 73rd Street and Riverside Drive, and for the first 20 minutes, business was booming--they two sold 10 glasses of lemonade for 50 cents each, along with the dozen chocolate chip cookies they baked. However, a damper was put on Lee's success when they were approached by agents demanding to see her permit at around 3 p.m. Recalled Richard, "They approached us nonchalantly but then surrounded us. They were very hostilesaying 'Where's your permit?" Several onlookers came to the pair's defense, arguing that the Lees had every right to exercise their civil rights. However, their efforts were futile as the father and daughter packed up their things and went home. "Don't these agents have anything better to do?" said Richard. "There are better ways to raise money for the Parks Department then busting 10-year-olds." A shaken Clementine assented, saying, "I think they should let people sell lemonade out here. We weren't hurting anyone." The Post contacted the department after the incident. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the ticket will be revoked. Benepe said the agent used "poor judgment" in fining Lee and her father. The agent will be re-trained on rules and regulations and will be reassigned.

Zune HD Facts

2009-08-15T15:46:00.001-04:00

Built-in HD Radio Receiver
720p HD Output via HDMI
3.3-inch (480x272) OLED Touch Screen
Built-in Wi-Fi
NVVIDIA Tegra HD Processor
Five Different Color Variations, including Black and Titanium.
10 Available Custom Artist Engravings
16GB and 32GB Variations
Zune Video Marketplace Integration on Xbox Live
$219.99 and $289.99 Pricing
Windows CE OS Infrastructure
AV Dock Accessory for HD Output

mid week passage

2009-08-13T17:29:00.001-04:00

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

computers are racist

2009-08-12T20:24:00.002-04:00

Bleak for Women

2009-08-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

Mark Sanford Fails Again

2009-08-11T11:39:00.001-04:00

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford used state aircraft for personal and political trips, often bringing along his wife and children — contrary to state law regarding official use, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Records reviewed by the AP show that since he took office in 2003, the two-term Republican has taken trips on state aircraft to locations of his children's sporting events, hair and dentist appointments, political party gatherings and a birthday party for a campaign donor.

According to state budget law, "Any and all aircraft owned or operated by agencies of the State Government shall be used only for official business." On March 10, 2006, a state plane was sent to pick up Sanford in Myrtle Beach and return him to Columbia, the state capital, at a cost of $1,265 — when his calendar showed his only appointment in Columbia was "personal time" at his favorite discount hair salon. He had flown to Myrtle Beach on a private plane and attended a county GOP event.

The trip home on the state aircraft took off at 1:50 p.m. and arrived in Columbia at 2:35 p.m., enabling the governor to keep his plans for a 3 p.m. haircut across town. There were no other appointments on his official schedule that afternoon; the trip back to Columbia would have taken about three hours by car.

Also, on five of the last six Thanksgiving weekends, Sanford used a state plane to fly himself, his wife and their four sons from the family's plantation in Beaufort County to Columbia for the state Christmas tree lighting. The cost for those flights alone: $5,536, including $2,869 for flying the plane empty to pick them up.

Sanford, 49, has been under increased scrutiny since he admitted in June to having a mistress in Argentina. He's vowed to stay in office and says he is trying to reconcile with his wife, though she moved out of the governor's official residence on Friday with their sons and plans to spend the school year at the family's beach house. The governor has made a political career out of being outwardly thrifty — known to demand that state employees use both sides of Post-It notes. He has frequently railed against government spending, and attempted for months to block federal stimulus money for South Carolina schools.

Last month, the AP revealed how Sanford had flown first class and business class on commercial airlines at taxpayer expense, despite a law requiring lowest-cost travel.

On many occasions, records show, the governor mingled his non-official travels with official business. For example, on March 23, 2005, Sanford flew on a state plane from Columbia to Mount Pleasant, near the beach house, where the governor was scheduled for a 5 p.m. appointment with a dentist. Later that day, he had a TV interview before speaking at a Republican Party event for Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties along with U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint.

Such mingling also is problematic under South Carolina regulations. Aeronautics Division rules say that "under no circumstances shall aircraft owned and operated by" the division "be used for personal or politically partisan purposes." But there's no clear enforcement mechanism for such violations; the division says it simply lets citizens know that statements attesting to official use of the planes are open to public inspection.

Still, misuse of state resources arguably could subject Sanford to civil or criminal penalties under the state's ethics laws, which are enforced by the South Carolina Ethics Commission. Any public official found to have used state property for personal financial gain is subject to as much as a $5,000 fine and five years in prison. Only incidental use that does not result in additional public expense is exempt. On April 29, 2006, a state plane flew Sanford from Greenville, not far from where one of his sons was in a soccer tournament, to Charleston, so the governor could attend a National Republican Senatorial Committee meeting on Kiawah Island.

"That's personal use and political use. That's not what the state plane is for," said former Gov. Jim Hodges, a Democrat who said he occasionally mingled official state business with political and public events while using state aircraft, but only if the main purpose of the trip was official business.

Peggy Kerns, ethics director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said she knows of no state that allows its property to be used for personal or campaign purposes. "It's like a no-brainer," she said.

Government watchdogs said federal officials have to repay the cost of flying government planes for personal or campaign events and said they didn't know of a state that permitted planes to be used for such trips.

The AP review also raises questions about how South Carolina polices the use of its aircraft and reveals a system rife with shoddy record keeping and violations of laws that require the public be able to see documents. In South Carolina, governors are able to use aircraft run by different agencies: a King Air twin turboprop run by the Aeronautics Division that can seat nine passengers, and smaller, slower propeller-driven planes managed by the Department of Natural Resources. As governor, Sanford has flown 353 hours aboard the larger plane and an additional 73 hours on the smaller, propeller planes — a total cost of nearly $373,000, according to Sanford's office and other state records.

Sanford's children spent more time on the bigger state plane than the children of the past two governors, records show. At least one of Sanford's sons was aboard 43 flights during his first term alone. That compared with 11 during Hodges' single term and 12 during David Beasley's one term.

Overall, flights that included his children cost taxpayers more than $50,000, or about 14 percent of his total travel on state planes.

-MSNBC

IGN 25 PC Games of All Time

2009-08-07T12:49:00.002-04:00

It's been two years since we last visited this topic, which is just about enough time for the controversy over our previous selections to have just about died down. Since that last list was created, we've had some changes on the PC staff. First, Dan set sail for the Grey Havens so we asked Jason to come over from that other site. Then Charles revealed his treachery by moving to work on the 360 site so we rescued Jeff Haynes from the PS3 team and reacquainted him with the goodness that is PC gaming.

And Steve? Well, somehow, he's still Steve.

Nevertheless, the new additions to the PC staff prompted us to revisit our top 25 list to give us all a chance to make our own favorites known. We've added some games to the list, both recent hits and some beloved classics, and even reshuffled the order to better reflect our overall opinion.

With all the new additions, there just wasn't room for all of the great games we wanted to include. We mean, it's not like those console lists where you only have to consider what's come out in the last five years; with PC games we've had to reach back more than twenty-five years to grab at least one of these classics.

Just to put that into perspective, that's before Michael J. Fox and Huey Lewis took us back in time.

In other words, way back.

To determine what qualifies a game as one of the "best" in the long history of PC gaming, we took into account how much fun the game was when it was released, how much fun it is now and the extent to which it invented or refined the core concepts of its genre and gaming in general.

As with our previous list, it's a subjective list and we're sure that there will be many of you out there agree and disagree with some of our choices. Let us know what you think we got right and what we got wrong by leaving your comments below the article.

And now, on with the list!

-IGN

25. Falcon 4.0

24. Diablo

23. Doom

22. Unreal Tournament

21. Deus Ex

20. Grim Fandango

19. Fallout

18. System Shock 2

17. Crysis

16. StarCraft

15. Command & Conquer

14. Company of Heroes

13. The Sims

12. World of Warcraft

11. SimCity

10. CAll of Duty

9. MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat

8. Rome: Total War

7. Sid Meier's Pirates!

6. Half-Life

5. Battlefield 1942

4. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

3. Civilization IV

2. Star Wars TIE Fighter

1. X-COM: UFO Defense

mid week passage

2009-08-05T23:38:00.001-04:00

Psalm 119:130

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.