Our Bastette-In-Training returns for an all-new episode!

This week the B3 crew looks at the week in sports, including a final wrap-up before Super Bowl Sunday (since this was recorded the Saturday before the game). The new movie Chronicle is reviewed, Saignement tries her hardest to forget Underworld: Awakening, and King Baby Duck gets riled up when the best movie of 2011 gets screwed over at this year's Oscar nominations. Finally the demos for Twisted Metal, Syndicate, Gotham City Impostors, Happy Action Theater, and Rhythm Heaven are looked at, and Saignement shares her initial thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Soul Calibur V.

A lot to discuss, and it all fits into place. It's Episode 127: "Don't Pay Attention To Us! We're Mormons!" (You'll have to see Chronicle to know the meaning behind today's title.)

The B3 crew was able to chill out and watch some awesome MMA action brought to you by Cage Titans. We want to say thanks to Michael Polvere and the rest of the crew from Cage Titans for another great event held down in Plymouth Memorial Hall. They sold out the venue, and rocked out the house with some live music and -- of course -- some pretty sweet fights.

We bumped into Northeast MMA with Old School, which is always good to see them. We also got to see Nick Newell, and congratulate him on getting our Fighter of the Year award!

Preliminary Fights:

Brian Squadrille Vs. George Nassar: Squadrille defeats Nassar at 1:03 of the third round after a stoppage from the referee.

Tony Direnzo Vs. Nick Muto: Muto defeats Direnzo due to judges' unanimous decision. The crowd went nuts after this fight.

David Espino Vs. Matt Cardarelli: Cardarelli defeats Espino due to judges' unanimous decision. Most of the match was fought on the ground. It was certainly a power struggle on the ground.

Brian Sparrow Vs. Philip Martins: Sparrow defeats Martins via tap out submission two minutes into the first round. Sparrow's height played to his advantage in this match.

Mike Rodriguez Vs. Stephan Kimball: Rodriguez defeats Kimball with a knockout fifteen seconds into the match. Rodriguez would win Knockout of the Night for his match.

Dan Lopez Vs. Jamie Courtney: Fight did not happen, sad to say.

Jessie Pires Vs Remo Cardarelli: Cardarelli defeats Pires due to judges' unanimous decision. This was a great stand up fight, ending up on the ground for some close call submission attempts. Remo's family celebrated loudly to see the father and son win both of their fights on the card.

Jeff Hsu Vs. Ethan Wagner: Hsu defeats Wagner due to judges' unanimous decision. The match seemed to be a two-second stand up fight then ended up on the ground. Not too much happened, as it seemed to be just a struggle to get the top position.

Brandon Flemming Vs. Shannon Soares: Flemming defeats Soares due to judges' unanimous decision. Flemming dominated the whole match.

Main Card:

Bobby Flynn Vs. Peter Barrett (155 lbs Amateur Title): Flynn defeats Barrett for the title with a arm bar submission within 22 seconds of the first round. The crowd was stunned by the match's results.

Kurt Chase-Patrick Vs. Rico Disciullo (135 lbs Amateur Title): Chase-Patrick defeats Disciullo for the title via ankle lock submission at 1:47 into the second round. Matt Doherty from Team Pradal Serey challenges Chase-Patrick for the title right after.

Lucas Cruz Vs. Jared Roy: Cruz defeats Roy via rear naked choke submission 30 seconds into the second round. His family was celebrating a bit too loud to really enjoy this match.

Johnny Kim Vs. Dat Tran: Tran defeats Kim via referee stopping the match at 2:30 due to multiple knee hits to body and head. Tran walked away from the fight with bloody knees.

"Sloppy" Joe Lamourex Vs. Shawn Baker: "Sloppy" Joe defeats Baker via submission 1:27 in the first round.

Barrington Douse Vs. Jimmy Davidson: Davidson defeats Douse via tapout submission at the 4:53 mark in the first round.

After a break, the Bastards regroup for an all-new episode.

This week the B3 crew look at the demos for UFC Undisputed 3, The Darkness 2, and Quarrel, and Blueonic shares his reasons why Call of Juarez: The Cartel is such an awful game! Anvil gives his weekly sports report, the Bastards give their Super Bowl picks, and reveal a special bet they have made with Toronto rockers Hunter Valentine on what happens if their Patriots win or lose. An Oh For Fuck's Sake about annoying people in the movie theater is thrown on the table, and Contraband and Haywire are both reviewed.

Don't tap out just yet! It's Episode 126: Thank You, Gina, May I Have Another?

While the press event for Cage Titans: Invasion was happening, Blueonic and Anvil decided to do some practice drills in the (former) Tapout Training Center's cage. But what happens when Cage Titans owner Michael Polvere wants in on the action?

The three Bastards and Bastette-In-Training rev one up filled with tangents and topics galore!

This week the B3 crew review Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Green Lantern, and Colombiana, and King Baby Duck gives a rundown of the demos Final Fantasy XIII-2, EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis 2, Asura's Wrath, Amy, and Choplifter HD. Anvil gives his weekly sports report, and a quick look at one of 2011's best albums from The Knux.

Buckle up your seatbelt! It's Episode 125: I'll Show You A Ghost Protocol!

The other half of our Best-Of 2011 show is here! And it's about video games, video games, and MORE VIDEO GAMES!!!

The Bastards King Baby Duck, Blueonic & Anvil, Pandalicious & Hamsterman2049 from ESH, and The Issues Program's Issues Guy & JC Sergeant meet up in another super deluxe episode where they discuss the best, the brightest, the most overlooked and the worst in video gaming for 2011. SKYRIM! BATMAN! ZELDA! BATTLEFIELD! JIMMY JOHNSON! Plus be shocked when you hear which game Pandalicious declared the worst of the year.

It's ribbed for your pleasure, but don't stick your penis in it. It's Episode 123: Blasting Bards Ablaze!

EDITOR'S NOTE: We were also going to cover music more in-depth, but we ran out of energy. Marathoning two episodes in a row drains you, so be sure to only pull stunts like that once a year.

It's been a wild ride in the first season of the Golden Globe-nominated Homeland. (WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!)

If you watched the video above it gives you an idea of the series. A Marine (played by Damian Lewis) is captured while over in Iraq, then sold to the Al Qaeda and held for eight long years. This reminded me of an actual incident that happened with an American Muslim that went and fought along side Al Qaeda, but with a twist. Somehow the Marine, named Sgt. Nicholas Brody, was not killed in the interrogation, but holds the scars from it. Because of this he was brought under the wing of the head terrorist Abu Nazir (Navid Negaban). He doesn't torture Brody, but rather has him teach his son how to speak English and learn other American-based things. However something goes really wrong when an American UAV drone drops a missile right on the compound, killing the son of Abu Nazir.

Sgt. Brody after being found in a compound. I know how it feels to wake up looking like that.

We then get introduced to the second main character Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a C.I.A. operative that was in the field who was talking with an Al Qaeda member on death row. The prisoner finally broke down at the last moment, and told her that an American soldier had been turned, and would be a part of another big attack on America. When the show starts off Carrie seems to be a plain girl that works as a great spy, but as you go along you start finding that there is something wrong. It's not really until the last three episodes of the season when viewers find out what is really wrong with her.

The next character that has a major part in the story is Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin), who is above Carrie in the C.I.A. She is usually the go-thru guy to the head member of the C.I.A. David Estes (David Harewood), while the director of the C.I.A. deals with the Vice-President William Walden (Jamey Sheridan). As you can see this is the chain of command, but it also is a crucial part that deals with America trying to fend off another attack. Saul is a great character, as his personality in the matter went from the person you want to work next to, then to the big giant asshole, and finally the guy who cares about you. Finding out that his wife is of Indian descent deals with the worst aspect of being part of the C.I.A. He can't always be with her, and you can see the frustration that he has to deal with both that aspect and the concept of saving the world. Believe me: with this character you will have a love/hate feeling towards him, with your feelings veering more towards love.

From left to right: Saul, David, and VP Walden

As the story unravels you'll find that some of the main characters hide one of the main reasons behind threat in the first place. It always seems when something serious happens someone has their finger on the big read button from the other side of the world. If you can't read between the lines, then your going to have to watch the show to figure out what the big deal is.

Homeland has done a great job catching my attention, and I hope it wins some of those Golden Globe nominations they have obtained. I also have to give it to Showtime for creating another great series, especially seeing they made Sleeper Cell, another favorite of mine that should've been brought back for another season. I can see this show going for at least three seasons if it's written right. They will need to keep the twists and turns coming, but at a not-so-predictable pace. Within the first 4 episodes I saw where they were going with the series, but they did lead me to believe that they were just going to end the show with one season (which would've been a big downfall). All in all Homeland is a damn good show, so if you got access to Showtime and its onDemand service you'll be able to watch the whole series. For those who don't have access to Showtime I suggest to waiting for it on DVD, and just watch it captivate you little by little.

Rating: 9.6 out of 10
Show: Homeland
Production: Showtime
Official Website

I can't believe it! I'm able to watch live streaming TV right on my Xbox 360!

With Microsoft putting in their new upgrades for the main menu, they have turned the Xbox setup into something that resembles our Droid phones or Apple iPads. I didn't think it would be possible to put apps on the Xbox, but they have accomplished this. The new setup is pretty great, as you don't have to keep flipping through everything like you did previously. They have definitely made this a bit more user friendly, especially for Kinect users. I believe that this is what Microsoft originally wanted for Kinect, where you literally walk in, tell your Xbox "Turn on, bitch!" and give me my movies and cable TV; but when I'm bored with that it gives me my damn games. Now the true potential of the FiOS is that besides watching TV shows they will probably be able to do the set up of watching the onDemand programming.

TV Channels for FiOS:

• CNN HD and CNN Headline News
• DIY TV
• MTV HD, MTV2 and VH1 HD
• Turner Classic Movies
• The Hallmark Channel
• Nick HD, TV Land  and Nick Jr.
• Cartoon Network and Boomerang
• TNT HD and TBS HD
• SPIKE HD
• ESPN HD
• Food Network HD
• Home & Garden TV HD,
• Travel Channel HD
• TruTV HD
• Comedy Central HD
• BET HD
• HBO HD, HBO2 HD and MAX HD.

Next to the FiOS app they have many more coming in such as UFC, MLB TV, and much more. I'm not sure when they're supposed to be going up, but I'm looking forward to it. Just make sure that you don't have a lower-end Xbox with the low memory built in; otherwise they will probably stop you from downloading a lot of these apps. So for all those with an Xbox and FiOS: Enjoy!

PROS:

• Synchs with FiOS without entering some special code
• Good selection of channels, some in HD

CONS:

• Not a cable box substitution
• Doesn't get all the basic channels or all the movie channels you pay for
• Noticed skipping, unintentional reversing of shows
• Lacks pause/rewind/forward controls

By the way: If you're wondering about the Comcast app, King Baby Duck will be able to follow up with that. (He has that for his cable provider.) Also I don't trust Comcast much.

P.S.: A scary thought is if they ever think of making a Chat Roulette app with the Kinect. Let's just say that would not be a good thing.

It's that time of year again: our two-part Best-Of 2011 show! WITH SPECIAL GUESTS!

In the first gigantic part of our 2011 wrap-up show members of B3, ElectricSistaHood, and The Issues Program meet up and pick out the best & worst movies of 2011. Plus Anvil and Issues Guy share their favorite highlights in the year of sports.

Here comes a super-sized line drive right out of left field! It's Episode 122: We Never Speak Of Zookeeper!

It's tough calling a winner in this battle between Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but keep reading and you'll see why...

First let's talk about the story aspect of Battlefield 3:

With Battlefield's backing of the awesome Frostbite 2 Engine (Video Below), the game was able to produce graphics and audio that really blew me away. They have done a phenomenal job on bringing one of the realest game to the audience. I find that when I'm getting these games it needs to have a well-written story in order to get to the point of playing online. With playing Battlefield 3 I was hooked right away into the storyline. It starts you right off in what seems to be a parkour scene where you hop onto a moving train and take down a series of terrorists. This is also where you meet the big bad wolf character of the game: Solomon!

After completing the first part of the mission your character Sgt. Henry Blackburn is being interrogated by a couple of CIA-type agents. They are trying to find out what happened in the situation, getting them to the point where they think that a Sergeant of the Marines is trying to save his own ass. What you will mostly be dealing with in this game is more of a representation of living the story through flashbacks -- coming back to the present where you are at being interrogated -- until the past catches up with the present and becomes the future! Half the time I was playing the game I thought I was living out a movie, which is a beautiful thing. I would like to the leave the story at that, as I feel that if I keep going I may unveil to much.

Multiplayer:

After beating the game I knew what I was in for when hoping to the multiplayer: a whole lot of ass kicking! The online play gives you a great amount of maps, along with different methods of play such as: Conquest, Rush, Team Death Match, Squad Death Match, and Squad Rush. Maps include Grand Bazaar, Damavand Peak, Operation FireStorm, Caspian Border, Seine Crossing, Kharg Island, Tehran Highway, Noshahr Canals, and Operation Metro.

Best maps:

Rush: Damavand Peak (Side note: be an attacker on this map in order to get through the first M-Coms, and a pleasant surprise of base jumping is in your future!)
Any Game Mode: Operation Metro
Conquest: Noshahr Canals

PROS:

• Great story and graphics!
• Able to blow up and level buildings
• Sick online!
• Nice weapons selection and attachments
• Infinite run, great parkour
• Knife kills!
• Love the concept of using tanks, Jeeps, helicopters, and planes

CONS:

• Assholes online, as usual
• Upgrades automatically get put onto your guns after you die (Not always the best options when you get used to your weapon)
• Flashlights and lasers can sometimes be a pain in the ass
• Infinite run sucks if you're a sniper
• Planes are harder to obtain in the multiplayer
• Main storyline is kinda short

FINAL GRADE (FOR BATTLEFIELD 3): 10 (out of ten)

Last, but not least:

After that trailer I really do think they should make a Call of Duty movie!

Story:

If you are the noob, and you just bought an Xbox 360 or PS3 to get into the game now, you'll be missing something from not playing the other games. I would really suggest that you go and buy Modern Warfare 1 and 2 before playing this. (Don't worry: they aren't ridiculous in price.) For all of you that are the vets mainlining all of the Call of Duty games into your system when ever you can, you probably already know everything about the game. (However I find a lot of people don't play the main campaign of the games and just go right to the multiplayer.)

The game starts where it had left off in MW2, where you have Soap McTavish (played by Kevin McKidd) injured, and Captain Price (Billy Murray) bringing him to a doctor to get him fixed. Then it breaks off to another section of the story, where the Russian terrorist group has breached New York and is looking to take over America. As the story goes on from there, it just gets more and more intense. I feel that this game has brought the whole story full circle. I don't believe they will be able to squeeze another one out of the series for this.

Multiplayer:

It's chock full of goodness on the spectrum of varieties. It has for the normal play Team Deathmatch, TDM Kill Confirmed (where you must collect the tags of the ones you kill), Mercenary, Free for All, Domination, Ground War (for 12-18 players), Team Defender, Sabotage, Headquarters Pro, Search & Destroy, and Capture the Flag. For all you hardcore maniacs we have Team Tactical, Mosh Pit, Hardcore TDM, Hardcore Kill Confirmed, Hardcore Seach & Destroy, Hardcore Domination, Hardcore Team Tactical, and everyone favorite BARE BONES!!!

PROS:

• Damn good, long storyline
• Double scope usage for close and long ranges
• Can always call in air strikes on the kill streaks
• Brought back Special Ops

CONS:

• Teammate AI annoyingly likes to run in front of you while taking the shot
• No infinite run, lacks parkour set up like Battlefield 3
• No planes!
• Environments are still not interactive!

FINAL GRADE (FOR MODERN WARFARE 3): 10 (out of ten)

FINAL THOUGHTS:

While it's hard to pick a winner between both of these games, I know Modern Warfare 3 has definitely won on the sales aspect. Gameplay-wise it's just hard to say who really won. With me I like to bounce back and fourth between these two games since I have friends that are too stubborn to buy both titles. For the most part I feel that whatever your appetite is for FPS gaming, you will be satisfied with either game.

I know I gave both titles perfect scores, but these games are very dear to my heart. When I need to get some frustration out I pop in some of my music and go kick ass in online battles. These are really the only games that I can turn to. (Sorry Halo, but you're not that attractive to me anymore. We had our good times, but I'm breaking up with you.)

I can see Battlefield 3 coming out with another map pack somewhere in the near-future, but for right now they will most likely work on creating Bad Company 3 and get that out probably by Fall 2012, giving us another great game to play until they bring us maybe Battlefield 4. It seems that the concept of Battlefield always has more things to offer with their titles. (Personally I would like to see them bring Battlefield 2142 to the console.)

In regards to Call of Duty they might bring us into another Modern Warfare game, but I'm just not sure who the bad guy will be in that one. With the first couple Call of Duty games it was all about World War II, but then they brought in the first Modern Warfare, skipped back to World At War, bringing it forward to Modern Warfare 2, rewinding to the Korean/Vietnam/Cold War era in Black Ops, finally returning to Modern Warfare 3. I can probably suggest that they try to find a way to do a war with the Chinese/Russians or North Koreans, since the world's energy is coming to a shortage. (Think a mixture of Frontlines: Fuel of War and Homefront.)

However maybe this might be a way for the Call of Duty series to jump to another part of our history (i.e.: World War 1), even though people would probably get annoyed by that overdone concepts. What they could do is reach out and create a game to see what war would be like in the future. Next to that, with all the loose ends they tied off in Modern Warfare 3, it's going to be very hard to see what they will be able to create. (You lived through World War 3 in this game! How can they top that?!) We also have Tom Clancy working on yet another game where the people of America start a revolution after they get sick and tired of how the government is being run.

Sadly I'm not sure where Call of Duty will go next, but it looks like the Battlefield series will be able to provide a richer story the next time around. The one game that I wish could've been so much more was Medal of Honor. It was neck-and-neck with Call of Duty for a long time, then the latter was able to keep up and kick ass. Thankfully Battlefield came up in the flanks to give Call of Duty the sort of competition that Medal of Honor failed to bring.

Game: Battlefield 3
Company: EA, Dice
Engine: Frostbite 2
System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, IOS
Official Website

Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Company: Activision, Infiinity Ward, Sledghammer Games
Engine: MW3 Engine
System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Official Website

PS: Here's another reason why these stories could get turned into live-action films:

Follow King Baby Duck and Anvil as they take our viewers backstage to the recent Victory Promotions event held at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA.

Join the Bastards tonight for a very special live event!

Coming to you live from the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA, we present a special edition of the Boston Bastard Brigade, where the B3 crew will discuss their thoughts on tonight's fights happening at Victory Promotions: Clementi Vs. Rogers, as well as some very special interviews. To find out the actual time be sure to follow King Baby Duck on his Twitter account.

With Halloween over the Bastards use up the rest of their sugar rush energy on a brand-new episode.

This week the B3 crew look at the demos for Saints Row The Third, Deepak Chopra's Leela, Rabbids: Alive & Kicking and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. Plus Blueonic and King Baby Duck share their reasons why Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine just might be the best racer of 2011, the trailer for Grand Theft Auto V is dissected and another beta key for Defenders of Ardania is given away. Anvil gives his weekly sports report, and another Oh For Fuck's Sake! regarding the MBTA is put up for grabs.

It all happens right here on Episode 118: I've Got 99 Cookies 'Cause A Bitch Ate One!

When Pandalicious visits, you know tangents will be flying!!!

This week the Bastards give their thoughts on the World Series, the recent letting-go of Patriots player Lee Bodden and the recent happenings with their friends at Team Pradal Seray. The demos for Need For Speed: The Run, Kinect Sports: Season 2, Real Steel and Sonic Generations are on the table, and Pandalicious & King Baby Duck share their thoughts on the musical Spring Awakening. An Oh For Fuck's Sake! about a controversial (but recently taken down) Men's Fitness Article gets a wag of the finger, and Anvil reviews Never Back Down 2 and Paranormal Activity 3. Plus listen in on how you can get the first of many free beta codes for the PC game Defenders of Ardania.

It's all packed in here on Episode 117: It's The Bitch Of Gaming.

The folks from GamerReaction return to the Bastard realm for show that had its share of "technical difficulties."

This week Alex & Dianna guest-star as the B3 crew discuss the recent lawsuit regarding a woman less-pleased with the film Drive (with Dianna doing a not-so-subtile plug for MoviePass). The new video game Batman: Arkham City is placed under the microscope, and Anvil shares his take on the fiasco in the Red Sox bullpen. Busdriver's new collab work Flash Bang Grenada is looked at, and Dianna & King Baby Duck chat about the demo for Dance Central 2, a game that the other Bastards wouldn't touch with a 40-foot pole.

The Joker-like craziness can be found here on Episode 116: Two Babies In A Blanket.

Welcome back, Burnout series! I thought you were gone, but what has happened to thee? It seems that you have lost your awesome graphics, exchanging them for some cartoon shenanigans. Along with that the in-car to third-person view to this far-away bird's-eye view doesn't help whatsoever. However you were able to keep the crash into cars and create what seemed to be an unlimited amount of explosions.

You may need to go to the hospital for loss of sanity after watching this!

Sadly no, I did not play Burnout Crash! with the Kinect setup, as I don't have that for my Xbox (so no getting the fat body off the couch to play this one!). I'm all for the Kinect, though, seeing as they have more games now that get your ass off the couch and interact, since that could help with the American issue of fat bodies. After watching the Hasselhoff trailer for this game I just want to huddle in a corner and close the door for the rest of my life. (It was scary enough when I was forced to watch the the Spongebob movie, and that Hasselhoff had the characters holding on to his ass while he was in speedboat mode, with I don't know what to propel himself.)

Burnout Crash! isn't all that bad, but it's just one of those things where I think they could've been putting so much more strength back into the main Burnout game. (If you're wondering what I'm talking about I put a couple Burnout videos at the bottom of this article so you can see.) It seems that this is a very cutesy type game to probably play with your friends, or if you got younger siblings or nephew/nieces to distract them with. For me it's just not making the cut to make it a game to keep going back to. I will have to say to the makers of the Burnout series to please step up to the plate and put out the next Burnout installment that we deserve within the next year. I miss the big car crashes and the great graphics that you were able to give us, and the destruction that you could cause in the original titles was absolutely gorgeous, not to mention a great stress reliever for people that need to get out of their system.

Don't take my word for it: go and give this game a try on Xbox Live arcade and PSN so that you can play and see it for yourself.

FINAL GRADE: 7.4 (out of 10)

Burnout CRASH!
Console/Platform:  XBOX Live Arcade, PSN
Company: Criterion Games
Gameplay: Automotive

P.S This seriously needs the revamping, Criterion Games...DO IT!!!!

MMA takes center stage in another short episode from the Bastards.

This week the B3 crew discusses the upcoming events within the MMA realm, including the Cage Titans event and UFC main events. Then the trio reviews the movie Warrior, and end it with a dismal look at the Supremacy MMA demo. Plus the Bostonians look back at the event that changed America ten years ago.

The Bastards want a good clean fight! It's Episode 111: Rise of the Warrior.

Because they know you'd like to recover from the Labor Day weekend the Bastards present a new bite-sized episode for your consumption.

This week the B3 crew looks at the new TsuShiMaMiRe album Giving Blood, and explain why that particular group had a hand in creating the B3 realm in the first place. King Baby Duck and Blueonic give their thoughts on the demos for The Gunstringer, Rock of Ages, The Baconing and Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon, and Anvil dives into his sport segment with Patriots preseason, the downward spiral of the recent Red Sox games and his visit to the gym of Team Pradal Seray.

It's hot off the grill on Episode 110: Bloody Vengeance From A Rock.

The B3 crew punched Hurricane Irene in the face to bring you an all-new episode!

This week the Bastards chime in about why the Oakland Raiders have the worst fanbase on the planet, and wonder when Tim Wakefield is going to get his 200th win. The 2009 film Blood and Bone is on the table, as everyone wonders why Michael Jai White doesn't get the proper respect he's due. Anvil "reviews" the anime Tiger & Bunny, and the demos for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine and NHL 12 are examined.

It's all fresh out of the box here on Episode 109: Breaking Bones With Warhammers!

Music, anime, movies, games and sports! It's a big-assed smorgasbord on this new episode of the B3 show!

This week King Baby Duck gives props to the female bands on the Lady Killer Tour, promotes the local band The Battleships and looks at the recent album from Lady Killer Tour group Vanity Theft. The anime Baka & Test: Summon The Beasts is on the table, and the King is quickly reminded why he doesn't review anime without a second otaku in the room...

Blueonic and the King review the Grindhouse flick Hobo With A Shotgun, the demos for Bodycount and Fruit Ninja Kinect are looked closely at and Blueonic shares his reasons why Toy Soldiers: Cold War might be the best Xbox Live Arcade game of the year. Finally Anvil gives his weekly sports report, sharing his thoughts on what seems to be Tim Wakefield's never-ending quest for his 200th win, the Pats pre-season and the goings-on in the MMA world.

It's all here in a neat little package on Episode 108: Going Commando On The Cold War!

It's Podcast time again, with an episode filled to the brim with gaming, sports and recent movies!

This week King Baby Duck looks at the demo of Driver: San Francisco, comparing his experiences with the game both with this version and the one he played at E3. Blueonic reviews From Dust, revealing that even an atheist can have a god complex, and a roundtable discussion on how often companies should release sports-related games.

In the world of sports the Red Sox and Pats are once again on the table, along with the current ranks of the PGA Championship and the Arena Bowl Championship. Finally Mr. Cuse looks at the film 30 Minutes Or Less, Blueonic shares his thoughts on Captain America: The First Avenger and Anvil chimes in about a little-known film called D.O.A.

It happens right here on Episode 107: He Drops Back...He Passes...TOUCHDOWN!!!

Last week video games dominated the show; this week Anvil and Mr. Cuse get to hog up the Podcast with their sports talk!

On the table this week include the recent goings-on with the Red Sox, their recent trades and acquisitions, the 19 year-old golf prodigy from Japan and the recent matches from UFC and Strikeforce. Plus with the NFL Lockout over the Patriots have begun getting their team ready for the season, involving a few new players that may leave a bittersweet taste in fans' mouths.

All this and more in a souped-up Sports Edition of the Boston Bastard Brigade. It's Episode 106: I'm Gonna Ochocinco You In The Face!

What's better than have the Issues Program dudes show up to talk about the first half-year in gaming? How about having pro gamer, reviewer and model Raychul Moore joining the roundtable?

In a special episode the Bastards welcome Issues Guy, JC Sergeant and Raychul Moore to the program, as they dissect the current goings-on in the gaming world. Find out which games have already made it to their best-of 2011 list, and which upcoming titles they're looking forward to most. Plus the gang chimes in on the true nature and style of Duke Nukem Forever, and figure out if L.A. Noire is a title that deserves to be on the pedestal that other gaming sites seem to put them on.

It's all right here on this super-sized episode of the Boston Bastard Brigade. It's Episode 105: The Elite Gamers Of The Benevolent Press!

Get your hate mail letters ready...

This week the Bastards celebrate gay marriage in New York, spare no punches when one-hit wonder (song-wise) Amy Winehouse kicks the bucket, and the recent Cage The Elephant album Thank You, Happy Birthday is on the table. The demo for Xbox Live Arcade game Bastion is looked closely at, the most uneventful week in sports is covered by Anvil, the Duck reviews Horrible Bosses and a preview of some of the most hotly anticipated films is brought into the spotlight.

It all happens right here on Episode 104: The Winehouse Is On Fire!!!

Editor's Note: While we may not have been fans of Ms. Winehouse -- and make light of the situation -- it is a sad occasion when someone passes away, especially at such a young age. Comedian/actor Russell Brand recently posted a very well-worded eulogy regarding her, and personally I think it serves as a fine rebuttal to what we said in this episode. Take a moment and read it.

Everybody loves donuts, especially those who love blowing shit up!

This week the Anvil rants on the week of sports -- including the MLB All-Star game and the Roger Clemens mistrial -- and King Baby Duck & Blueonic looks at the heavily-underrated Jim Carrey flick I Love You Phillip Morris and the recent price hikes at Netflix. Plus the Bastards are split in regards to the new Limp Bizkit album Gold Cobra, the demos for Catherine and Ms. 'Splosion Man are put under the microscope and Blueonic reviews the new Annihilation pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

The fun begins now on Episode 103: Annihilation By 'Splosion!

After filling their bellies with tons of burgers 'n' dogs during the Fourth of July Week the Bastards get their composure together for an all-new Podcast episode.

This week the B3 crew share how the calendar photo shoot went with the people from Cage Titans and Contemporarily Out of Order, and then review the latest release from Seether. Blueonic tries to figure out what happened to all the bands he liked back from the 90s, and Anvil gives his weekly sports reports. Finally King Baby Duck looks at the demo for MLB Bobbleheads Pro, and he and Blueonic give their takes on Deadliest Warrior: Legends and Dead Block.

It's all right here on Episode 102: Jeter the Deadliest Bobblehead!

The Duke of the Nuke has returned with Duke Nukem Forever, tracking the good, the bad and the fugly with it. Were all those years of work worth the wait? Let's break it down into the proper three categories.

THE GOOD:

Duke Nukem Forever was true to its word about being able to play as old-school Duke Nukem. They brought back some of the classic guns, such as the very sexy Colt 1911, freeze ray, pump-action shotgun with fore grip, the Ripper machine gun, rail gun, rocket launcher, shrink ray, Devastator and few other guns. The folks at Gearbox Software redesigned a lot of the characters and graphics, and while they could've been a tad better still managed to keep the spirit of the original game and taking heed of the current-gen appearances. They left off this game where Duke Nukem 3D ended, which makes me very happy because that was one thing they really could of messed up on. The strip club is awesome, but the only issue I see is you never get back into the strip club as (spoiler alert!) it's a dreamscape sequence. The executions are pretty sick, where if you're able to shoot up the aliens to the point where they drop down to their knees you can give them a big uppercut, curb stomp, or -- if it's a pig -- you can basically tear his head off.

One of the best levels in the game is where you blow up the Hoover Dam. You travel through the landmark, taking on the monsters trying to shut off the power. You can't shut it down, so you get some serious explosives and have the underwater mission begin. Once you get through the explosions it has a great part where you get tossed out the exhaust port of the Hoover Dam while you watch the whole thing explode.

THE BAD:

I can see now why a lot of people are upset about Duke Nukem Forever. I'm still pissed that it took as many years for them to go through this process to make the freaking game! Someone had told me that there was supposed to be 25 hours of gameplay, but that was a lie seeing that the load times are wicked long!!! Next to that you are only able to carry two guns in the whole game. Come on, it's Duke Fucking Nukem! If he can bench press 600 pounds he can carry at least three guns. It's a pain in the ass sometimes running around killing the main aliens, and once you've spent all your bullets laying to waste aliens, you got to rock fists with steroids to kill the aliens faster.

Some of the levels have messed up on me, in which I had to reload the last checkpoints where it seemed to take FOREVER! The crane level where you take on the giant Octa-King was a pain, as you had to do a massive amount of button-mashing on parts where you knock down the bosses, run up to them, press the button to hop on top of them, then finally button-mash what ever button is on the screen. If you do it wrong the big asshole alien gets back up and knocks you down, having to restart the whole process again.

The worst level in Duke Nukem Forever was probably the starting point, where you're trying to get through the mansion after beating the mini-game in the start. When I had a friend over they got bored saying they want to kick ass and take names against the aliens. It seemed very dry considering how much time they had to make this game, and I think having the title switch hands back-and-forth between companies made the game what it is in some of its areas.

The online play is kind of spotty, as some of the people you end up playing with have crap for Internet connections. I ended up getting lucky with maybe a couple rounds of play, and then all of a sudden I got kicked off. It doesn't have a setup so you can play with the same level of people if you suck, so prepare to get your ass whipped if you don't know the levels or where the guns are. (I'm not saying I had a problem, as I kick ass and take names like always.) Then you have the set up where you battle online so you earn stuff for your place. That's where the babes come in, along with all the nice stuff. (Not sure I can comment more on what happens because I haven't gotten that far as of yet.)

THE FUGLY:

YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO SAVE THE BABES!!! Yes, you get to see the naked girls, but the issue is you can't save them after seeing them caught by the pregnator aliens. To add insult to injury you have kill the babes before they explode with the aliens.

THE BALLS OF STEEL EDITION:

The Balls of Steel edition gives you two poker chips (meh), dice (good), and a small deck of cards, which is disappointing as there should've been naked ladies from the game, damn it! It also comes with a statue bust of Duke, which could've been a hell of lot bigger. The post cards are all right, as was the Duke Nukem sticker, though I wish it was a magnet. The cool parts of the package were the comic book and the 100-page hardcover book The History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault.

RATING:

I waited on for Duke Nukem Forever to come out for a long time, from back when I started playing the 1996 Duke Nukem 3D game. I even got the special pack where I was able to play the original Duke Nukem games. It was awesome to see them play some of the old game footage in the extras you opened once you beat the game. One of the big issues I had was that it seemed that they showed the old E3 videos which had a lot of the gameplay from back when Duke Nukem Forever was in the early stages. They seemed to have taken out a lot of the video game that 3D Realms had originally thought of putting into the game.

As a whole Duke Nukem Forever is -- at its best -- an 8.0 out of 10. This game is not for everyone. If you've got a lot of time to kill, it's going to take a lot of time to finish the game with how they designed it. For the most part it's around 6 to 10 hours of gameplay, depending on how many times you mess up and have to wait on the load time. I suggest either playing a friend's copy or rent the game before you buy it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I feel that they should've taken this version of Duke Nukem Forever and put it on the back burner. I know it would've been an even longer wait, but I feel what they should have done is instead of just dropping the original Duke Nukem 3D game for you to play on Xbox Live Arcade they should've actually refurbished that title (which then would've looked like this Duke Nukem Forever game). This would've helped them figure out what they were doing wrong, and then they could've made Duke Nukem Forever what it was suppose to be. I have been hearing constantly about mess-ups between loading screens, along with actual in-game issues where people get stuck and have to restart from the last checkpoint. I hope that Duke Nukem Forever is a learning experience for everyone at Gearbox Software, and that they come back with an even better Duke Nukem game after this.

Game: Duke Nukem Forever
System: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Rating: 8.0 (out of 10)
Official Website

Not even giant robots can stop the Bastards from recording their weekly show!

This week King Baby Duck and Mr. Cuse share with dismay their viewpoints on the latest film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Blueonic reviews Bad Teacher and Anvil gives a second opinion on True Grit. King Baby Duck goes hands-on with the Uncharted 3 beta, Blueonic gives a 21-gun salute to Trenched and the demos for Sonic Generations and Lucha Fury are given a close look at. Then Anvil and Mr. Cuse give their weekly sports report, King Baby Duck gives a thumb's up to Matt and Kim's live show (but a thumb's down to the rowdy crowd), and he and Blueonic look at the debut album from Foster the People. (Plus a little movie news and a small "Oh For Fuck's Sake!" is tacked on at the end for good measure.)

It's all right here in Episode 101: 101 Problems But A Bitch Ain't One!

The funniest cartoon ever!

100 episodes! Time to start making up the syndication rights!

This week King Baby Duck, Blueonic and Anvil look back at their childhood for their most precious moments in cartoons, movies, video games, music and sports. The POGs, the blue hedgehogs, Ninja Turtles, Huey Lewis, Nolan Ryan and much more make up who the Bastards are today!

It's all in this milestone program! Episode 100: Cowabunga Nostalgia!!! (Listen after the end theme for an extra smile and a half.)

Bruins, Bruins, Bruins!!!

The Stanley Cup is ours, and Vancouver doesn't take it so well. Hear King Baby Duck and Anvil's take on the celebratory parade, as well as the rest of the weekly sports report from him and Mr. Cuse. King Baby Duck shares why Kung Fu Panda 2 is a worthy sequel, and Mr. Cuse give his take on Super 8. Anvil also looks at the films Sniper: Reloaded and No Strings Attached. King Baby Duck and Anvil review the demos for Eat Them! and MotorStorm: Apocalypse, and Blueonic hails to the original king with his first-thoughts on Duke Nukem Forever!

Sing along with the King & Anvil in the beginning! It's Episode 99: In Thomas We Trust!

Can Blueonic go one episode without dropping the f-bomb? He tries...

This week the B3 crew go off nostalgically regarding old commercials, pizza and POGs, and King Baby Duck and Anvil share their thoughts on the new Fucked Up album David Comes To Life. Plus Anvil introduces an up-and-coming band from the local area called Scare Don't Fear. The Bastards show their excitement regarding the Bruins entering the Stanley Cup Finals, and Mr. Cuse reports on the now-first place Red Sox and NBA Finals. Finally everyone gives their two cents on what to expect at this year's E3.

It's all right here on Episode 97: Horton Comes To Life! (Warning: This episode may cause Sweaty Ball Syndrome)

PS: Congratulations to Angela Grant from Framingham, the winner of our Widow Sunday meet-and-greet contest!

Ooooooh yeah, don't you dare miss this all-new episode of the Boston Bastard Brigade, or else someone's gonna put the hurt on ya!

This week the Bastards take their hats off to pay tribute to the late "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as well as recover from two bad games in the Boston sports world. King Baby Duck tells you why you need to see Guitar Wolf live, and Blueonic shares his experiences with the recent Deftones concert. King Baby Duck reviews Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and he and Anvil give their reasons why Bridesmaids is one comedy you can't miss. Finally find out why the demo for Sega Rally Online Arcade disappoints.

It's all right here in Episode 96: Raise Your Slim Jims To The Sky!

The Bastards welcome a couple guests, who in return bring them into their world.

This week Anvil & Mr. Cuse give their weekly sports report, including their feelings on the playoff losses of both the Celtics and Bruins. Then special guests Locke and Adie of The Vagabonds take the B3 crew on a strange trip through the world of steampunk. Hear their thoughts regarding the recent International Steampunk City in Waltham, a semi-review of Sucker Punch (with spoilers!) and various other films, games and TV series that feature steampunk predominantly, and give their thoughts on why steampunk isn't "the new goth."

It's all right here in Episode 95: Leave It To Steampunk; a tuition-free, lesson-filled show that will give you the 411 on one hell of a genre!

The Videocast:

The Bastards this week spend zero time paying tribute to their mothers, and instead pull back in a comrade that hasn't been around much.

This week the B3 crew share their thoughts on the death of Osama Bin Laden, as everyone else seems to be. King Baby Duck goes hands-on with the Gears of War 3 beta, and looks at the demo for LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game. He and Blueonic review the demo for Red Faction: Armageddon, Blueonic gives his reasons why the Call of Duty: Black Ops - Escalation pack is a must-own and Shades Blackflame leaves first impressions of Portal 2.

Anvil, Mr. Cuse and King Baby Duck share their reasons why Thor is a must-see, and Blueonic tells the listeners to stay away from the direct-to-DVD S.W.A.T.: Firefight. Finally Anvil and Mr. Cuse look at the week in sports, and what they expect of the Bruins during the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It's all right here in Episode 94: Mother's Day Extravaganza (Not-So) Special!

After taking a week off the Bastards are back to get into the swing of things...in their pants!

This week King Baby Duck & Blueonic review the movie Middle Men, the 2010 film starring Luke Wilson. Anvil & Mr. Cuse conduct their weekly sports report, and give their thoughts on the NFL Draft Picks. The new web-series Mortal Kombat: Legacy is on the table, and the B3 crew give their thoughts on both the new Nintendo system and the PSN fiasco.

It's all right here in Episode 93: That's What Your Mouth's For!

Oh paintball, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. I recently got some news on a new paintball marker/gun that's coming out from the evil geniuses of  Modern Combat Manufactured. From the umbrella of RAP4 comes the MCM K1 BullPup Marker.

Meet the MCM K1: the first BullPup marker

You're probably thinking, "What's so great about this paintball gun?" I've seen Bullpup markers before, yes, but the only issue is that they usually had to do some serious customizations to the gun to make it into this system. This paintball gun, however, is ready and rearing to go as a Bullpup system right out of the box. Now you're probably wondering what a Bullpup system is. It is the moving parts and clip/magazine behind the trigger, giving it the capability of a longer barrel within the gun, with it still keeping the gun small and accurate both in practice and theory.

As you can see from the video I found the MCM K1 paintball marker looks pretty sexy. If I had the chance to get my hands on it I would love to add my scopes, flash lights, and any other fun attachments I can to perfect it. I could take on anyone on the paintball field with a marker like this, thanks to its 43 paintball round-capacity and .68 caliber). There is also talks of a 144 round-capacity mag that will give you more rounds for your shot. The magazine will putt the paintballs into the open chamber system, so it's always ready to fire without the chopping of paint nor dry firing.

The BullPup P-90, the paintball gun replicated for the MCM K1 paintball marker

The next sweet part of the MCM K1 paintball marker is that it will have the air tank able to fit inside the paintball gun. It will be 8 cubic inches, which isn't much but will be able to fire 150 shots with the 144 mag. Don't think of that as discouraging aspect to the marker, but if you have the remote air tank system for your pack you'll be able to rock the 144 round mags all day long. Another sexy thing about this gun is not only does it have the capabilities of using a Tippmann threaded barrel to inter change with the gun, it also has the rotating switch with the three-fire mode system on the paintball gun: semi-auto, burst (most likely three-shot) and full automatic. They haven't specified an electronics board system on the paintball gun as of yet, but in the details from the picture below it looks like it will need batteries (but it can also recharge).

This very sexy,  sleek, and did I forget to mention ambidextrous (shoots for righties and lefties) paintball gun from Modern Combat Manufactured should be on the shelves this Summer. I hope this paintball gun really makes the difference when it comes to playing on the field. If the MCM K1 BullPup Marker goes as well as I think it will, I suggest they start making a version for the Kriss Super V gun (see below).

Links:
Rap4 Official Site (Not just for MCM K1, but for other sexy scenario paintball guns)

Modern Combat Manufactured (This website should be up and running before the paintball gun comes out, so keep checking)

Afterthought:
A paintball gun that came to mind that looks like something from out of Halo is the E-volt Paintball marker (below). This was supposed to come out back in 2005, but somehow didn't make the cut. Sad to say, I thought it was a smart idea to have a battery system that you could've built into the stock with it's own compressor built in. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and the E-volt never had a chance to touch the shelves for sale.

The Bastards say "Good riddance to bad Ramirez!" in an all-new episode.

This week the B3 crew discuss why they tend to avoid certain movies for obviously good reasons, and why they go too far in some cases. Anvil and Mr. Cuse say adios to the crybaby known as Mannie Ramirez, Mr. Cuse reports on the PGA Masters, Anvil gives his NFL Draft Picks and much more in the sports segment. Then the guys give their thoughts on UFC Personal Trainer, the new Twisted Metal and Sonic Generations, and King Baby Duck and Blueonic review the demos for Red Faction: Battlegrounds and The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile. Finally Mr. Cuse takes a look at the artist Eric Hutchinson and the others give their opinion of the new album from m-flo/Teriyaki Boyz member VERBAL.

It all happens here on Episode 91: Three Men & A King Baby Duck!

Codemasters is once again bringing on the Dirt. These guys are always on top when it comes to racing games, especially with the fact that they have brought us nothing but the most sexiest of graphics, along with the most badass racing styles to the table. After what I've seen so far in the third installment I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

It's scary how realistic the graphics are in Dirt 3. If you're confused, you might have to watch the video a couple times to realize that it's actual game footage. Codemasters have done such a great job with the graphics, and they keep upping the ante each time in the Dirt series. Believe me: I have to refrain from telling specific companies to take a look at what Codemasters have done, especially in the gaming aspect of how it feels to race the car between controller and keyboard alike. With the feeling of going from driving my truck to sitting down on my couch with either racing wheel/controller in hand the feel is just absolutely awesome. I'm all about the getting in adrenaline rush, and Codemasters have provided that in their racing games.  The other great thing about playing the Dirt series is the reality they put in the views of racing, with the set up of the usual behind-the-vehicle angle, along with the view from the front seat, giving it a feel like you're actually in the car.

My words can only do so much justice, so you'll really have to go out and get the first two Dirt games to experience the reality it showcases, then wait patiently until the end of May to play the third one. If you get the chance to stop by your local gaming store it wouldn't be a bad idea to slap down a couple bucks on this beautiful game known as Dirt 3 that will be coming out May 24th, 2011!

If you got the $240 put it down for the sweet little Ken Block Gymkhana RC Car Bundle!

Dirt 3
Developer: Codemasters
Console: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: May 24th, 2011

Dirt 3 Official Site
Dirt 3 Youtube

P.S.: To Codemasters, if you can, bring back Grid!

The next installment of Death Race went straight-to-DVD. What can you do? With a film that could be expanded in so many ways in a sequel, they had to do the second one as a prequel, focusing on a character you watched in the first Death Race movie.

Gotta love how they make the trailers look badass!

Death Race 2 has a damn good cast set up, but with a poorly derived storyline. The main character is Carl Luckas, played by Luke Goss (who's been seen in such bad guy roles as Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Blade 2). It's sad to see Goss placed into the second movies, or roles that are generally the bad guy, but here he seemed to be the the good guy forced into being the bad guy. He is the bank robber's professional wheelman, whose boss is Markus Kane (Sean Bean).

Here is a better look at the Ford Mustang.

Carl is supposed to be the wheelman for this bank job, yet something goes wrong when the police show up unexpectedly and screws up all the plans.  They do an awesome little getaway scene, but Carl can't stand that he had killed someone. He lets the other bank robbers go, and distracts the police and get captured.

There is the Shelby GT 500 Super Snake, a sexy car whose only problem is it's a Ford!

Carl ends up on Terminal Island, where they have a setup like the gladiators in which prison inmates battle it out in a caged area with different weapons. Two men enter, and only one leaves.The problems they have with this is that the head of the prison system is a corporation that decides to put the fights on the TV to make money. The story gets interesting, as Kane thinks that Carl is going to talk, so he wants him killed. The upper people find out about this, and want him to fight in the death match. Carl refuses, but they force him anyways. Along with that he finally gets his jail duty: taking apart cars and other things. He finds a Ford Mustang laying around, and starts up the idea of the Death Race.

The other big name in Death Race 2 is Danny Trejo, who plays Goldberg (AKA the Mexican Jew) the coach on the racing team. (It seems funny that Trejo has been hanging around with the great Eli Roth recently, who played a character in Inglorious Basterds by the name of the Bear Jew.) Sadly I don't think they used Trejo to his maximum capabilities of acting. They more or less just had him hang around explaining some stuff, with the occasional sitting back and looking pretty scenes.

14k rocking the Porsche!

Among one of the actors that transferred from the Death Race movie is none other than Robin Shou, who plays 14K. You might remember him as Liu Kang from the first and second Mortal Kombat films. It was great to see him in this role again, but I still feel that it wasn't enough. Shou is one of those actors that deserves more of the spotlight, but doesn't get the proper respect. He does play a major role in Death Race 2 for the most part, but I feel bad because in the original film he just gets blown up.

Love the Dodge Ram, but don't care too much for the driver.

With that said this movie is pretty damn good considering, but I can see why it wasn't strong enough to be put in theaters. That's how a lot of these film have been going: they don't pass Go, don't collect $200 and find themselves straight-to-DVD. I liked the actors and characters, but the storyline isn't as strong as could've been. However it does get the point across about the man behind the mask from the original movie, seeing as they needed to explain that with him only being in the original for the first 5 minutes.

The first look of Frankenstein!

Death Race 2 gets a rating of 3.9 out of 5. It's a good film, but I think it could've been so much better. There is a way to create a third Death Race movie, so I wouldn't be surprised if they pull it off somehow. It might just just go straight-to-DVD, which would not make me a happy camper. If you can rent this movie before you buy it. I don't count this as a film to hang up on my wall, but I'll do so just so I have the continuance of the series. Just be glad it's not the older series. Otherwise that might just be as bad as the original Death Race 2000 (see trailer below...may David Carradine R.I.P.).

Final Grade: 3.9 out of 5

Official Death Race 2 Site

Mr. Cuse returns from Costa Rica, and realizes why he should've stayed put in paradise!

This week the Bastards chime in on the news of L.A. Noire premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, and how Rockstar Games could expand on the detective genre on the future. Blueonic shares his thoughts on the 3DS's release, and King Baby Duck looks at the demo for Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot. Blueonic previews Greg Hasting's Paintball 2, Anvil and Mr. Cuse give their weekly sports report, and King Baby Duck reviews the recent Boston/Cambridge shows of Queens of the Stone Age, The Dough Rollers and Hunter Valentine. Finally Anvil wraps it up with a quick review of the movie Hall Pass. Oh yeah, and more bitching about the MBTA.

It all happens here on Episode 90: X-Patriots of Liberty!

Be on the lookout for any horrible musicians who slur their lyrics! They might get undeserved critical praise.

This week the Bastards give an Oh For Fuck's Sake! to a certain recording artist that is gaining some good press despite his God awful singing. King Baby Duck reviews the English dub for Black Butler, followed by Anvil's weekly sports report. The bands This Will Destroy You and (a returning) Widow Sunday are on the table, and Blueonic follows up on his review of Homefront. Finally the demos for WWE All-Stars and Swarm are examined. We can't forget to mention that our favorite cat girl returns to the table.

It happens right here on Episode 89: Mmm...Korean Barbecue!!!

Damn right home is where the war is. I got my hands on Homefront, and I have to say that it's got some awesome gameplay!

Got your attention now? If not, have you checked to make sure you still have a pulse? You might want to do that, or consult your physician.

The idea of this game is the future "what-if" style games. Like many of the games that I own this title is one that deals with an economy similar to the one that we are experiencing now and tries to depict what might happen in the next 10 to 20 years. As another example of this type of game, let's look at another title from my collection: Frontlines: Fuel of War. I always thought Frontlines was an awesome game that just never "took off" or had mainstream commercial success in the way I thought it could or would have if I'm honest. The set up of the game is fairly simple: the fuel supply has gotten deadly low and Russia and China form an alliance to get the rest of the oil in the Middle East. In Frontlines you see the war up close and personal.

In Homefront it's as if America failed at everything they ever tried and a little-old-North Korea was able to turn into some kind of superpower, gain control over South Korea and some how take over Japan. While this is happening, America doesn't have the resources (and what not) to take on the country because America basically runs on Oil. Ultimately, the battle gets to the point where the Koreans have occupied America after pulling a fast one on the world (satellite of peace, my ass!) and the fight is on.

When this part happened in the game, my jaw dropped. White Phosphorous Mortar  B.B.Q.!!!

The writers of Red Dawn, and Apocalypse Now now bring you another kick ass story. I shouldn't have expected anything less. I notice more and more new game titles now are coming from novel or feature film screenwriters - writers who can easily bring to life a world that really only exists in their minds in such a vivid way that it seems kindergarten simple for a game designer to bring to the world through nothing more than pixels and light (dots on the screen) but present a world for the player to experience and see the realities of war without enlisting. Sure, life isn't about running around just shooting each other... but that's what multiplayer is for.

I highly suggest to anyone jumping on this title that it's smarter to play through the story mode of the game first - learning the control setup and getting comfortable with character movements instead of just barreling straight into the multiplayer and potentially messing up for your kill/death ratio score.

Gameplay

For a game that was designed and assembled from scratch, the gameplay is relatively smooth. There are a few rough edges, but they could be smoothed out, and I'm specifically thinking about the fluidity of character movement in the game. Imagine you are leisurely walking though a patch of enemy AI, the character movements seem rough and ridged and generally off to me. (How do you leisurely walk standing up straight and tall and stiff as a board?) I'm sorry, but I don't think a person who has been through the hell that is war and survived would return home afterwards and walk around like that.

Along with the walking, the running was kind of a joke. When running it seems like characters weren't moving fast enough, so the player loses the capabilities of effective "duck and cover" mechanics. The guns are great, but there just aren't enough of them. The game has 12 guns available with multiple set ups of red dot/scope systems you can put on the gun.

That's just a beautiful thing...wait a second, that's the Korean enemy! Run away!!!

The story it self starts you off sleeping in a crappy apartment, everything looks like it's been chewed up and spit out at least 10 times. Upon waking up you hear the radio and it's feeding you Korean propaganda, which kinda interesting to listen to actually. (Like the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto) Then there is knock at the door, someone asking for your characters name, and before you can open the door the K.P.A. (Korean Peoples Army) is already through it and beating you up. They interrogate you and tossing your ass down the stairs, toss that same ass onto a bus and we're off to the labor camps. Amazingly enough on the way to your laborious final destination, a Mack Truck from "The Revolution" comes smashing into the scene to rescue you.

The first level is pretty intense. Lots of running, and lots of shooting. Later on in the story you get to use the Unmanned Land Vehicle named Goliath! All I can say is once that that thing ends up being issued for real modern combat, I'm so joining the military. This U.L.V is what will save your ass when out fighting against the K.P.A. It comes with a special little scope, so when ever a tank/Humvee/helicopter/soldier comes up to attack it all you have to do is sight it on the scope and then "Bang! Boom!" your problems are all gone.

OH HELL YEA!! That's Goliath!!!

The only thing that makes me sad about Homefront is that the game play was very short. Playing on Normal difficulty, I was able to beat it in about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, but the awesome battle at the end on the Golden Gate Bridge was pretty epic and redeeming. I did feel like they (the developers) could of gone a bit further -- maybe allowing the player to push the Koreans all the way back into the Pacific Ocean -- but they stopped progress shortly after beating back the K.P.A. over the Golden Gate Bridge. I was kind of in that place of, "WTF?! Another game I spent the usual 60 bucks on short shifted me again and only gave me three hours of play?" However, a friend of mind made a great point that more and more developers are putting less effort into the actual story mode of action and FPS games to better focus their attention to the multiplayer piece, hanging their hopes on multiplayer to be the ultimate experience for the player to enjoy.

They did a lot of product placement! I mean, come on! Lumber Liquidators, Tiger Direct, Rain X!

In conclusion the gameplay is good, but it's not great. You have seven levels in the game: Why We Fight, Freedom, Fire Sale, The Wall, Heartland, Overwatch, and Golden Gate. It has a few rough edges which I hope KAOS Studios and THQ are able to patch up with an add-on or two.

So for the story mode I give it a 9.2 out of 10.

Goddamn product placement again! I'm really sorry folks!

Multiplayer

The Multiplayer is really good...when you can actually play online.

I was told this when I bought Homefront, that there had been some issues with the game servers, yet it says on the website that they are working around the clock to weed out all known issues. So I say within the next week or two things on the online aspect will be better. I do have to say that if you are buying a used copy of this game, and the code that comes with it has been used for that person multiplayer, get ready to shell out a couple bucks in order to play on the server.

Perfect harmony: an A.P.C., a soldier running towards the battle and a helicopter kicking ass!

The multiplayer has 6 different versions of basically the same gameplay type: Ground Control, Team Deathmatch, Skirmish, Battle Comander (GC), Battle Commander (TDM) and BC Skirmish. If you're not confused yet, they have it set up as you might expect in your typical FPS games (think classic domination map with a twist.) They take the setup of three points you have to capture in order to move on to the next three points, almost like in Frontlines: Fuel of War. Team Death Match: If you don't know what that is, and you have been playing Call of Duty or something along those lines for too long, you need a dunce cap. Go sit in the corner, enough said. Skirmish: Takes the Team Death Match/Ground Control modes and switches between the two on the cycles of the maps so your not bored playing the same thing repeatedly. Now for the little bit of the difference from most of these modern/futuristic combat styles they created something called Battle Commander: You are able to hunt after certain enemies who have killed more (think kill streaks). It's a very interesting mechanic to toss on top of either the Ground Control or the Team Death Match modes.

Homefront's online play is pretty fair considering all the problems they are having with the servers, but I warn you again if you think your going to walk on to the field of battle on this game whooping ass with out playing through the actual story mode of the game, think again. You will get turned inside out by every enemy on the field before you can blink an eye. You'll be like the guy in the picture above that got turned into B.B.Q from white Phosphorous Mortar shell.

For the Multiplayer (all problems aside) I give the online a 9.6, although THQ does need to step up some more of the different games on the play list.

Homefront
Console/Platform: PC (Steam), PS3, Xbox 360
Company: THQ, Kaos Studios
Gameplay Style: First-Person Shooter
Gameplay Rating: 9.2 out of 10
Multiplayer Rating: 9.6 out of 10
Final Rating: 9.4 out of 10

HomeFront Official Site

HomeFront Youtube Channel

Here are some more of the videos for Homefront!

I went to work recently thinking that nothing could be any different. I was wrong, and while at work I was told to do the camerawork for the speaker that was coming in. I have sat through a lot of these in my time for my media service work, and none of them effected me as much as this guy did. His name is Omekongo Dibinga, and that's not even his full name (that's just what could fit on his license)!

If you're not knocked on your ass, then you need to wake up to what Dibinga says!

Omekongo Dibinga has done so much in so little time, and has lived through the good and the bad, yet he is able to kick ass and take names in his own way. The way he does it is by word of mouth free-flow poetry, doing so with his knowledge and his three language skills.

His official bio:

"Les Brown Platinum Motivational Speaker Omékongo Luhaka wa Dibinga was born Cambridge, Massachusetts. His parents, Drs. Dibinga wa Said & Ngolela wa Kabongo were Congolese (ex-Zaire) refugees, who fled the Congo because of their role in aiding in its liberation of the Congo. As a first generation Congolese-American, Omékongo grew up in an environment that led him to experience what he calls "the best and worst of both African and African-American societies"; having grown up in a strict African household in an African-American community in Roxbury, MA. He grew up as the 7th of 9 children who were taught to remember their African roots regardless of where they resided, which is why he embraces the term "It's not where you're from, it's where you're at."

Omékongo was always influenced to write and learn. Education was highly valued in his household, with his parents setting the standard holding 9 collegiate degrees between them including 3 PhDs from Harvard and the Sorbonne. As a child, his parents would buy him encyclopedias instead of toys for his birthdays. He says he gets his creativity from his mother, a seamstress on the side, and his oratory skills from his father, a reverend. Omékongo actually began participating in oratory competitions while in secondary school.

His desire to educate also comes from his parents, both former university professors and school founders."
Click Here for more of his Bio.

Omekongo has been around the world, even with him saying that he's afraid of flying. Yet he over comes that fear and steps on the plane to continue spreading his poetry. Along with that he's got his own publishing company called Free Your Mind Publishing. He has a marketplace on his website you can go to buy his books, CDs and shirts.

Omekongo has done so much that it's hard to just put it all into perspective, but it's amazing that such an incredible person has come out of the Boston area. If you're feeling down and out, or  you need to free your mind, I would turn you to Omekongo Dibinga. His recent book G.R.O.W. Toward your Greatness is a great read for everyone in need of feeling better about life. The G.R.O.W. Model stands for Give, Release, Overcome and Win, a concept that he stated at his speech. I don't want to explain it because you just have to hear it from the man himself.

Find out the next time Omekongo Dibinga is around your neck of the woods -- or even contact him on his websites from the links I put at the bottom of this article -- so he can come to you to do his motivational speaking, along with displaying his amazing poetry.

He also has a great concept of where the rap industry has gone in the wrong direction, which I have to agree with him entirely. Whenever I change it to the rap radio station, I'm sick and tired of hearing about bitches, hoes and negative stereotype B.S. Omekongo wants to bring the hip hop genre into a positive light, waking up the masses from all the negative stuff that the music industry pushes.

Omekongo's Official Site

Facebook

MySpace

YouTube Channel

Free Music Downloads from Omekongo

After a week off the Bastards return to the roundtable! It most pleases the Busey.

This week King Baby Duck wraps up his coverage of PAX East, and the trio share their thoughts on the demos for Mortal Kombat and Tiger Woods PGA Masters 12. Anvil gives his weekly sports report, Blueonic reviews the movie Battle: LA and King Baby Duck says why Prometheus Bound is the first great new musical of the decade. Finally thoughts are thrown around about the new Dropkick Murphys album Going Out In Style, and Blueonic wraps it up with an Oh For Fuck's Sake! dealing with the rise of the minimum wage.

It's all right here in Episode 88: And Starring Gary Busey As Stryker!

The Bastards bring you another fun-filled episode that is sure to turn your frown upside-down.

This week King Baby Duck looks at the demos for Rage of the Gladiator, Dragon Age 2 and Marvel Pinball, and he & Blueonic give opposite viewpoints on the sports demos Major League Baseball 2K11 and Top Spin 4. Plus Blueonic shares his excitement about Mortal Kombat and the ultimate edition of Duke Nukem Forever, and his dismay over the fact that he has to miss out on the fun at PAX East this year. Next Anvil & Mr. Cuse share the sports duties, covering the biggest news from this past week.

Anvil reviews I Am Number Four, Blueonic gives his thoughts on Where In The World is Osama Bin Laden and the B3 crew compare their Oscar picks with their winners. Mr. Cuse shares his opinion on the funk album Inner City Sounds, and the gang end it all with a couple of Oh For Fuck's Sakes!, one dealing with the MBTA (again!) and the other with filthy protesters.

So what are you waiting for? Click on the link here for Episode 87: If It Walks Like An Asshole, And It Talks Like An Asshole, Then It Must Be Phil Collins!

Yet again I stumbled upon another great Bostonian with a lot of talent. Meet Mat the Wad by Matthew Ducharme, a little cartoon series of different scenarios that is deals with the daily life of us all.

The funny thing is I can relate with the video above, especially with the fact that the weather in New England does change so rapidly that you can't keep up with it. It's an instant classic in my book because of the fact that it didn't need words to explain, rather it used 8-bit video game sound effects.

I know the feeling of having to shovel snow all my life that, and I have also dealt with tossing snow and getting it right back in my face; or stepping out onto the snow and thinking, "Okay, I should be fine," only to slip, fall and break my ass on a patch of ice. I've even gone so far as stepping on the snow, thinking it's going to be perfect, when it suddenly crushes and traps your foot.

This one kills me because the way the character looks in the morning is how I feel every day, waking up moping around wondering why I am awake. Although I am not a coffee drinker I have done the energy drinks, and boy do they feel good, until you crash. The design of the characters are just classic, especially in the video below, where he takes one of Nine Inch Nails' songs. It shows that he can put a dark and serious side to his cartoons.

Of course this was just a side project, and isn't part of the happy-go-lucky cartoons that make up the Mat the Wad series. Yet it's very creative towards the music, and I hope Matthew will do more videos like this in the near-future!

Mat the Wad comes from the company Designed With Charm, a little family-owned company that specializes in 2D animation in any style such as flash, comic strips and much more. So if your looking for someone to animate that idea in your head, then this is the place to go to. To find out more information about Design with Charm, click here.

This Bastard gives Mat the Wad and the folks at Design five out of five stars, and two thumbs way up for their amazing art and cartoons designs.

Links to Design with Charm/Mat the Wad:

Official Design With Charm Website

Official Facebook Page

YouTube Channel

Official Merchandise Page

The Bastards are all about "The Power of Love."

This week the B3 crew share their thoughts on this year's Grammy winners, King Baby Duck talks about Fistful of Mercy and Mr. Cuse gives a hip hop recommendation in the form of Madcon. Blueonic brings his opinion on the new demo for Moto GP 10/11, and King Baby Duck looks at the demos for LIT, Chronos Twins DX, Chick Chick Boom, Killzone 3, Back To The Future: Episode One and Hard Corps: Uprising. Finally Anvil and Mr. Cuse share sports duties.

The videocast:

A new Bastard joins the crew...

This week the B3 crew welcome Mr. Cuse to the team, as they chat about the massive week in sports, share their thoughts on the Super Bowl and the crazy week on the Bruins' rink. Plus King Baby Duck & Anvil share their thoughts on the recent album by Far East Movement, and Anvil tells you why you should run to see Widow Sunday, Tight Rope and Absence, but avoid Treachery, Smite the Fight and Martyrs & Madmen like the plague. Mr. Cuse give his opinion on the game Kinect sports, and King Baby Duck and Blueonic say bye-bye to three gaming franchises and one beloved company.

The videocast:

The Bastards gear up for the Super Bowl, even though their beloved Pats are not playing in it.

This week the B3 crew reviews the latest album from Cake, mourn the loss of the White Stripes but praise the revival of Death From Above 1979, as well as share why some musicians should stay on the pipe. Blueonic gives his thoughts on the films What Doesn't Kill You, Frozen and The Secret Agent. Anvil has his sports moment, and King Baby Duck reviews the demos for EA Sports Fight Night Champion, Breach, A World of Keflings, Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 and Trinity: Souls of Zill O'Li.

And if he were nominated, he'd make sure he'd sweep the ceremonies...with his roundhouse kick!

This week the Bastards do everything they can to piss off Glee creator Ryan Murphy, siding with Kings of Leon on why he's such a bitch. King Baby Duck reviews the demos for the WiiWare games Furry Legends and Fish 'Em All, he and Blueonic share their thoughts on the Crysis 2 multiplayer demo, and the Duck goes gaga over the demo for Bulletstorm and somewhat shrugs off the PS3 remake of Dead Space: Extraction. Anvil and Nenya give their take on the world of sports, Anvil takes a look at The Mechanic and the B3 crew give their picks for this year's Oscar Nominations.

After recovering from the bad case of the common cold Blueonic returns for a brand-new episode.

This week the Bastards tackle what happened in the world of sports, and Blueonic chats about the new Sparticus series. King Baby Duck gives a second opinion on Black Swan, Blueonic reviews the movie Knucklehead, King Baby Duck praises the Banksy film Exit Through The Gift Shop, and then both look at the film Operation: Endgame.

The B3 crew share their excitement about the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever game, give their opinions on the demos for Zeit², Spare Parts and Modern Combat: Domination, and Blueonic reviews the games Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam and Naval Assault: The Killing Tide. Angry Birds also gets a mention...

I got some great music from an awesome up-and-comer by the name of Sky Stevins. If you like techno and trance, then this will get your fix. These melodies are something that can get the crowd going, especially for some sexy time. Sky Stevins is not just pop, he's pop erotica.

This video was done last year, but as you can see he's got some good music coming at you. I talked to Stevins recently, and he sent me a couple songs to give to you guys to listen to. He also has another new song on his MySpace page that will be on his upcoming album, which should be released in the next couple months. Check out the links, and enjoy the sounds of Sky Stevins!

Sky Stevins's MySpace Profile!

Autumn Fire (new song)

Here are the other songs to check out and download for your own listening pleasure:

Drop It Down

Caught Up

Blueonic is back in a brand-new episode!

This week the B3 crew discuss the week in sports and so many game demos that we can't list them all! (Okay, we'll try: Robox, Max & The Magic Marker, Dead Space 2, Alien Breed 2: Impact, Risk Factions, LittleBigPlanet 2, Blokus, Microbot AND Ricochet HD! Holy fuck, that is a lot!) Also Blueonic reviews Little Fockers, King Baby Duck gives his thoughts on True Grit and Anvil explains why he thought Black Swan sucked.

The webcast:

The Bastards are quite joyful this week, and it has nothing to do with the holidays. (That episode's in two weeks.)

This week the B3 crew excitedly chat about the live return of two of their favorite bands, and one of King Baby Duck's favorite anime series is hitting the big screen. Anvil shares his thoughts on sports, and the trio talk about the movie The Warrior's Way. The video game nail'd is discussed more, and K.B.D. gives his two cents on the demos The Undergarden and Funky Lab Rat, Blueonic reviews the game Reload, previews the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam and he and K.B.D. look at the demo for Unbound Saga.

With our video game realm filled to the brim with ATV racing titles such as Pure and the MX vs. ATV series it's getting tougher to find a breath of fresh air in the off-road world. Coming up in the ranks this week is the new title from developers Techland nail'd. Does it change the rules of ATV gaming, or is it just another run-of-the-mill racing title? King Baby Duck and Blueonic share their thoughts and opinions.

King Baby Duck: Coming into the world of nail'd I was a bit worried whether or not I'd be able to easily play it, much less get into it. I had issue with the control scheme in Pure, which took me out of the gaming experience numerous times while driving the ATVs. What I like about nail'd is that it offers a good, easy-to-use control arrangement that lets players jump into the world of this game with no problem whatsoever. One button to accelerate, one to brake and reverse, one to boost and the left stick to steer. You'll be able to learn how to do this in the tutorial; a tutorial that will have your eyes popping out of your head.

nail'd contains three sections of gameplay: Tournament, Go Off-Road and Multiplayer. You control either an ATV or an MX bike and have it compete in various levels and races in various locations such as Greece and Yosemite National Park. These races range from simple three-lap runs to stunt challenges, in which the highest score of the race wins. When it comes to the actual racing in nail'd gamers will drive neck-and-neck while smashing and bashing your way through the terrain. To compare the feeling of playing nail'd would be the equivalent of someone describing a roller coaster ride: lots of quick corners, big drops and high risers and heart-pounding excitement. You might find yourself hooting and hollering at your TV screen as your ATV plunges down to the ground for that perfect landing, or screaming as you collide with other players, sending them flying off-course. You might even find time slowing down around you as you play this, but in a breaking-the-sound-barrier cool sort of way.

Not all gaming modes were exciting, as I had a problem with Stunt Challenge, due to the fact that there weren't any real stunts to perform in this game. (The only "stunts" I could find were wheelies and ones involving flying through flaming hoops while airborne.) If they had added more stunts to it and utilized the D-pad and other control stick to perform said stunts it would've been a more fun mode to the game. Instead it just feels like another race mode, only tougher to come in first place. It's a gaming moment like this that makes a shiny title like nail'd look a tad rusty.

Multiplayer online mode adds more fun to the game, with players being capable of competing online with friends and other gamers all over the world. There was no lag to be found while online gaming, but an issue arose when you crash. In other racing modes when you smash your vehicle it takes a second-and-a-half to reset your position. In online mode you might find yourself waiting four seconds before you reappear on the track, thereby costing you the race. Case in point I was in first place playing with Blueonic and one of the administrators from the German video game review site Gamezone, and suddenly I crashed into a tree. It took me almost five seconds to return to the game, and because of that I wound up in last place. Perhaps it's a bug, or maybe it's punishment for not racing carefully. Whatever it is, though, it caused me some frustration. The lack of split-screen multiplayer mode might also turn some gamers off.

The folks at Techland did an astounding job with the graphics, as the levels are amazing to look at. You may find yourself lost just looking at your surroundings, which could cost you a couple places in the long run of the race. Its original soundtrack featuring members of Deftones and Static-X -- topped off with licensed songs by Slipknot and Queens of the Stone Age -- create the perfect musical atmosphere needed for an exciting title like this. Having said that they could've added maybe a couple more tracks to the song list, as it slowly gets repetitive. In regards to the sound effects, everything revs and smashes in perfect synch with what's going on onscreen.

With its fast-paced racing style and great online multiplayer nail'd manages to be a new top dog in the ATV/MX racing world. Yes they could've added more to the stunt segments, but that's what the next round might be for. Here's hoping that nail'd is the start of a beautiful racing franchise.

Blueonic: If you're looking for a racing game that can give you a great adrenaline rush, then nail'd will do the job justly. The graphics are absolutely amazing, especially with the race tracks, vehicles and riders.  Techland created a great game with a vast amount of racing games, providing between each of the Tournament sections with about six races for the first four levels, concluding with the cup tourney where they take all the levels you raced in and put them in one big setup. The music for nail'd is pretty damn good, as it does help you get into the game, especially when they put together their own tracks along with some favorite artists of  mine. It really does the game justice.

Online play is absolutely fun, but I hope they create a patch so you can actually change the track while you're playing and others join your race. For some reason I was having an issue getting to change the tracks without having to get the hell out of the hosted game and create a new one. With the actual online racing I didn't really find an issue with their server. There didn't seem to be any lag, seeing that we were playing with a fellow reviewer from Germany (which was awesome). nail'd has a seriously sweet deal with their online racing, and I just can't wait till this comes out in stores so I can take on a lot more people online.

One issue I had with playing this game was the fact that I wasn't able to preload the shocks on the vehicle to launch. I do give it to them for the fact that if you pull back on the stick you get more air under the vehicle to get more distance. If you want to get out of the height just push up on the stick and you'll go down like a lawn dart. Another issue was that you can only do simple tricks in the game, similar to that of ATV Offroad Fury. When I look for ATV/MX tricks I'm turned onto the crazy-ass metal militia stuff that current games have. It brings me back to the game Freakstyle, an amazing title made awhile back where they basically turned SSX Tricky into a motocross game. It was one badass setup, mainly because you would get some serious height and when you built up the right amount of power you could literally have the character break dance on the bike. (The other game that really has me is Disney Interactive's Pure, where they created an adrenaline-packed game that has amazing graphics and awesome tricks.)

With that said I still do like nail'd. I'm definitely hooked on this title because they finally designed an ATV/motocross game that is strictly racing but with killer graphics. The realism of the game may be a bit farfetched, but it's still a great game you'll have a lot of fun. I urge Deep Silver and Techland to go ahead and work on the sequel, but (and I do mean BUT) toss in a dash of insane stunt tricks in the game with some even more kick-ass music. Hopefully then you will have a truly awesome game. Until then nail'd has been Blueonic tested, and Blueonic approved.

By the way: if you're a parent nail'd is a perfect title for the kids to play. It's not too violent (except when they crash doing those crazy jumps), and it's easy for the kiddies to play for a long time to keep them quiet. Believe me: I let my nephews try it out, and they were just amazed by what they were seeing.

PROS:

• Amazing graphics and soundtrack
• Gameplay will leave your jaw gaping and on the edge of your seat
• Easy control scheme lets racing newbies easily jump in

CONS:

• Lack of real stunts/tricks in "Stunt Challenge"
• Crashing online might cost you the win
• Can't preload shocks for higher jumps

GRADES: 9.1 (King Baby Duck), 9.3 (Blueonic)
FINAL AVERAGE GRADE: 9.2 (out of ten)

nail'd
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Genre: ATV/MX racing
US Release Date: November 30, 2010
Price: $49.99 ($39.99 for PC)

After taking the week off the Bastards return refreshed and anew. Plus a lost member returns...

This week the B3 crew review the demos for Saw II: Flesh & Bone, And Yet It Moves, ThruSpace, Bit.Trip Fate and Jett Rocket. The guys take a look at the new movie Faster, and Shades Blackflame gives his opinion on the film Entangled. Finally Anvil delivers a big hunk of sports for all our jocks out there.

The videocast:

The Bastards manage to pull themselves away from the Black Ops to bring you another fun episode.

This week the B3 crew gripes about Christmas coming too early, as well as the BS study that texting can lead to sex, drugs and alcohol. Plus they review the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops, and King Baby Duck shares his feelings about the new CSI: Fatal Conspiracy demo. Anvil gives his weekly sports report, and finish it all up with a few looks at Megamind, Grown-Ups and Jonah Hex.

Wahoo, it's finally here! I got Call of Duty: Black Ops, but the only thing that sucks is my Xbox died before I got a chance to try it. It's a situation where it's "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink." For your enjoyment, however, I present a video dealing with the un-boxing of the Prestige Edition.

Part One

Part Two

I have to say that the RC car included with the Prestige Edition is a fun little gift, especially for the person who loves Call of Duty. I suggest that if you have a certain someone -- whether it be a friend, a loved one or significant other -- to buy this for them so they can play around with the cool little RC car, along with getting the zombie maps and the cool little Avatar setup. Also since making these video's I was able to go to King Baby Duck's castle to play the new game on the Xbox. I've only been able to play the in-game, but I'm really impressed with the graphics. So far the storyline has been pretty crazy, so I can't wait to finish it up and give my full report on the game A.S.A.P.

So if you have any questions or comments about Call of Duty, or just about the RC car, please do at the bottom of this article.

The Bastards may not be traveling to L.A., but they've got Hollywood on their minds.

This week the B3 crew takes a look at the film Due Date, followed by Anvil's reviews of Paranormal Activity 2, Leap Year and Legendary. King Baby Duck shares his thoughts on the Dresden Dolls reunion tour, and he and Blueonic stand at opposite ends regarding Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band. Anvil gives his weekly sports report, and K.B.D. and Blueonic try to figure out why it's so damn hard to control the games Apache: Air Assault and F1 2010.

With the opening of a new LoveSac store at the Burlington Mall King Baby Duck, Anvil and I had a chance to check out the different couches & sacs to review their comfort levels. In short: this is how a couch should be!

We have to thank Chris Stringham from LoveSac for inviting us to another one of  their events in the Boston area. The new store gives you an awesome idea of how to setup one of their couches to have in your living room, and the sacs forthe TV rooms to plop down in after a long day. Whenever I get the chance I'm buying one of these suckers to review, as it would aid me with getting more people to come on over to my Bomb Shelter to either watch the big sports events or just have some awesome parties.

I have to say that the Anvil fell in love with the couches and the sacs they had. "After doing cage fighting or working out," said Anvil, "this would be great to fall into to relax." The best thing about this couch is that people wouldn't have to fight for seats (although they might have to for the sacs). Those things are so damn comfortable that it would be great to cuddle up with a pretty lady with. However I can say that you need a couple of those; otherwise people will be fighting one another for that awesome Sactional.

What was also great was that we spent a good hour or two just hanging out at the front of the store, and we even managed to get some people walking by to come check out the furniture. It was funny to get people to come in since they are always weary of new things. As soon as some of them sat down they were amazed by its comfort level. Its design was nice, and they were happy to be able to check out the couch. With that all I can say for the Boston Bastard Brigade is that we look forward to seeing what else LoveSac manages to conjure up.

The Burlington Mall Map. The store is near the side of Sears.

The new LoveSac store is located at the Burlington Mall, 75 Middlesex Turnpike, Suite 1017B, Burlington, MA 01803. Click Here to go to the LoveSac website to find a store near you, or check out their Facebook page here.

P.S.: This is the couch I want for my setup... Muhahaahahaaaa.

Photos by King Baby Duck, Blueonic & Anvil

The Bastards want you to play a game. It's called POGs!

This week the B3 crew give a more thorough view on the Lovesac furniture, and review the recent demos for Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Dream Chronicles, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, Costume Quest, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 and Super Meat Boy. The trio share their thoughts on the recent Blood Red Shoes concert, the week in sports and reveal why Saw 3D might be one of the worst movies of the year.

Those looking for the next big band should conclude their search; the Bastards have found them. Meet Blood Red Shoes, an up-and-coming UK band that's already taken most of the world by storm.

Recorded at Great Scott in Allston, MA last Sunday the B3 crew sit down with Blood Red Shoes as they are embarking on their first U.S. tour to support their latest album Fire Like This. First up is drummer/vocalist Steven Ansell, who discusses the band's origins, the story behind the music video for "Heartsink," how they beat the pirates to the punch and meeting Edgar Wright.

Then guitarist/vocalist Laura-Mary Carter sits down to share her feelings on the current tour, her Boston roots, the one-of-a-kind guitar known as "Springtime" and how she had to battle the flu in the beginning of the American tour. Plus the duo share their inspirations, which country has awestruck them the most and tell us which three albums they'd take with them if they were stuck on a deserted island.

Photos by King Baby Duck & Blueonic

Special thanks to the folks at Tell All Your Friends for helping us schedule this interview.

Held at the Showcase Live in Foxboro, MA (next to the beautiful Gillette Stadium) the 2010 LoveSac Speedrun Classic was a night filled with gaming, music, tasty food 'n' drinks and all-out relaxation. King Baby Duck & Blueonic were invited to take in the festivities, and were able to experience the fun and excitement that filled the air at the small, private gathering.

King Baby Duck: This year's finals had twelve combatants battling it out against one another in four classic NES games: Battletoads, Mega Man 2, Super Mario Bros. and Contra. Here, instead of the usual point system, players had to beat a specific part of the video game as quickly as possible, leaving room for the competitors to either mess up with their timing, or quickly find some shortcuts that will help them finish each level. Once the final three players are chosen for the championship they must play the first two levels of Super Mario Bros. 3, kind of like in that movie The Wizard.

Before the Finals commenced the players had a chance to fiddle with the four main games, and as they tried figuring out the right paths to take it became apparent which competitors were there for a good time, and which ones were there to be victorious. The sounds of laughter came from those that were there for fun; the sounds of silence -- accompanied by the stares of determination -- belonged to those who wanted to win. However it would be a mixture of both fun and perseverance that would bring triumph within the confines of Showcase Live. Prizes would go to the top three gamers, but only one would get the Powerglove trophy.

Gamers played the five classic titles on the sponsor's NES-styled furniture. We spoke with LoveSac's Boston Market Manager Chris Stringham, who showed us how the furniture can be organized. What's great about their couch system is that you can buy each "Sactional" separately as time goes by, and then in the "Adult Lego" process put together the Lovesac pieces in various ways to your liking. Not only were the cushions comfortable, but they were machine-washable; just zip off the covering and throw it into the washer, perfect for pet-owners and messy eaters. On display as well were LoveSac's Pwnage PillowSac Ultimate Gamer beanbag-styled chairs, whose comfort level even rivaled the Sumo Lounge bean bag chairs used all over this past year's PAX East. (Though the online price tag of $495 may seem steep the fact that it can be used as a cozy sleeper -- thanks to its 54" X 75" size -- makes it a good price in the end.) In short: if you're a gamer looking to give your pad a comfy old-school look, then LoveSac might just be the furniture you've been looking for.

Blueonic: Getting invited to this competition was a great chance to hang with awesome people, play some video games, and sit in some damn comfortable seats. It was an awesome time that the company LoveSac had put together for this competition, where people come together play some classic games, have some drinks at the bar, and eat delicious food that was provided by Patriot Place. Showcase Live was the perfect size, seeing as they have some pretty amazing concerts held at this area. Speaking of which we won four tickets to go and see the Bronson Arroyo Band. We were wicked happy about that, and as soon as we found about getting the tickets we called up Anvil, him being such a sports fan. Once he heard we won those tickets he was going "Wahoo!!!" on the other side of the phone. If he could accomplish a back flip he would've done it right then and there.

Photos by King Baby Duck & Blueonic

It was awesome to meet all the finalist that came in, gamers that just tried out at the local stores/colleges, along with the people who just game on a daily-to-weekly basis. The age group was great, ranging from young kids to college students. I have to give it to LoveSac for their brilliance of creating this event, and having people come together play some great classic video games; not to mention enjoy their awesome LoveSac Sactional furniture. Everyone who came to hang out had a great time. No one lost, as everyone was a winner in some shape or form. From the giveaways they were doing -- ranging from gift cards for the LoveSac website to the awesome concert tickets -- to just chilling out and chatting with the other gamers, it was just an awesome time all-together. Thanks again LoveSac for a great competition, and I look forward to the store opening: Burlington Mall, Massachusetts October 29th. You've got to love the grand openings, what with the sweet deals they always give.

Congratulations to the winner of the 2010 LoveSac Speedrun Classic Power Glove Trophy: Bryan Turcotte!

Click Here to go to LoveSac official website.

About LoveSac's 69 Sactional Positions:

These are the levels the gamers had to face:

The Final Three had to play this for the Championship:

The Bastards know how to take the pain, too.

This week the B3 crew discuss their thoughts on this year's Lovesac Speedrun Classic, as well as the new album from Serj Tankian. Anvil gives his weekly sports report, and the guys review the film Circle of Pain and the anime Desert Punk.

The video version:

Move over ATV vs MX, because you might get nail'd by this competition. Another kick-ass racing game is on the horizon, remixed in a fashion where you take the game PURE and -- one of my old favorites -- Freekstyle and turn it into something completely out there.

Yes it's another racing game, but you've just got to love it. I get my thrills and spills from these types of games. This one especially caught my eye from the graphics they were showing from the trailer, but not only that the tracks they have compiled for this game look amazing.

They got a helicopter holding up a ramp! How badass is that?!

From what the nail'd website provides it shows they have four major places they race: the Andees, Greece, Arizona and Yosemite. As provide by the website it shows they have two round tracks for the Andees, two round & peak-to-peak tracks for Greece, three round & one peak-to-peak tracks for Arizona and one round & three point-to-point tracks for Yosemite. From the images provided on the official website the tracks are looking really badass; along with that I look forward to the adrenaline rush they say you'll get from playing these levels.

Look at the detail in this game. It's pretty sexy!!!

The racing vehicles that you'll be getting deals with the ATV and the Motocross bike. With that said the work that Techland and Deep Silver have done with nail'd looks pretty damn good. Once we get our hands on it, we will get the full-on review out to you as soon as your eyes can see it. (I have provided a couple more of their videos below, so check those out as well.)

nail'd
Console/Platform:  Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Company: Techland, Deep Silver
Genre: Racing
Official Website (Click it!)

Also check out this website if you tend to suffer from white knuckle syndrome during gameplay.

They have a few more videos provided on the website, so stop reading and go check it out already!!!

The Bastards believe thoroughly that it's better to be R.E.D. than dead.

This week the B3 crew discuss the rescue of the Chilean miners (seriously, they do!), and an Oh For Fuck's Sake! about alcohol. Next the trio review the new movie Red, and Blueonic & Anvil look at the recent films Couple's Retreat and The Stranger. Video games are on the table with reviews of the demos Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, Dead Space Ignition and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, along with a full-on look at the game CSI: Deadly Intent. Finally Anvil gives his weekly take on sports.

The video version:

The Bastards bring you another cure for the daily blues.

This week the B3 crew give a couple Oh For Fuck's Sakes about ticket scalpers, officers under attack and the rise in suicides in teens. The guys review the new film It's Kind Of A Funny Story, and Anvil gives his take on the new Karate Kid remake. The week in sports is covered, and Blueonic & King Baby Duck look at the demos for Comic Jumper, Castlevania: Lord of Shadows, Alien Breed: Impact, Hydrophobia and Topatoi.

The Bastards are visited by a slightly intoxicated Panda in this extended episode!

This week the B3 crew (with guest Pandalicious) give their 2nd annual report on the Topsfield Fair, sharing the pros and cons of the goings-on at the grounds. Blueonic gives his view on the new Arcade Fire album The Suburbs, and King Baby Duck & Anvil discuss Roger Waters performing The Wall at the TD Garden.

Anvil presents his take on the week in sports, and the B3 crew take a look at the demos for EA Sports MMA, Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light, Enslaved: Odyssey To The West and ArcaniA - Gothic 4. Finally Pandalicious reviews The Social Network, Anvil takes a look at Abandoned (giving away the entire ending) and the guys wrap it all up with the movie Beatdown.

THE VIDEOCAST:

Repo Men was a pretty badass movie, but I believe it could've had a couple more badass moments.

The concept of this movie is beautiful, but the ending was a little iffy for me. I do like the actors they lined up in this film, though, such as Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Alice Braga and Lieve Schreiber. Jude Law is the main character in this setup, with his sophisticated brilliance used very well. In the beginning of Repo Men Law is trying to provide people with the ethics of a future that's pretty screwed up.

Jude Law (Left)

Jude Law's character Remy works for the company called The Union, where it's capitalism at its best.  It's a company that is built on the fact that people who have suffered either serious accidents or other medical issues can go and obtain the assistance to keep themselves alive. However they are like the bank, and if the person gets an organ and they miss the payments after a certain time "The Union" can go and take it back. This is where Remy comes into play, who used to be in the military at one point and was able to land the job as a repo man. The job entails him to use a special scanner that tells him if people have any overdue products in their bodies. His wife Carol, though, has issues with him being a repo man, and wants him to go to sales.

Forest Whitaker doing the dirty work

Of course Remy is trying to please Carol, and tells his partner Jake, played by Forest Whitaker. Jake doesn't take this too well, as he used to bully Remy back in school. They were also in the military together, and now they are paired up as repo men. While at a cookout Jake gets a call from one of his informant taxi drivers that he's got one guy that has a six month overdue organ. Remy doesn't want him to do it, but the money offer is too good to be true. He takes the job, but while he's doing the dirty deed Carol watches him take out the organ. Carol leaves Remy, and he tries to go to work as a marketer; but before he does that he goes for one more job. He goes to take out the heart of a famous musican that has lost it all, played by the RZA.

When Remy goes on this last job he has to use the defibrillator in order to stop the person's heart so he can take it out. For some reason the defibrillator backfires, launching him across the room. (It's pretty funny to discover how he's been knocked out.)

Things turn to shit for Remy, who discovers that the defected defibrillator destroyed his heart. The boss tells him to buy the mechanical heart, or he'll die. Naturally he takes the deal, and as soon as he is healthy he goes back to work selling the products. Unfortunately his new life doesn't work very well, as he suffers depression due in part to his wife leaving him and his mechanical heart. Remy tries to go back to do repo work, yet he fails epically.

Now Remy can't even pay for his own heart, so he starts to worry if his fellow repo men are going to come and get his organ back. With him trying to get back into the swing of things to be the repo man that he used to be Remy tries to go on another hunt, but gets knocked out again. He wakes up and hears singing. Come to find out it's Beth, the woman that he heard singing at the bar a month or two beforehand (played by Alice Braga). Beth is a drug addict, and has had a bunch of surgeries that she went through in order to be the person she now is.

Remy and Beth become lovers in the long run, as he tries to help her out by getting their organs and equipment put in the computer so they can run away, avoiding any kind of death from the hands of The Union. So they go through the fun run in the movie. In a certain scene, though, it seems that Remy ends up getting knocked out. He wakes up, takes on the whole company and gets to the happy ending...or does it?

Soon you wake up to what really happened. Remy got messed up by Jake, and The Union put him on this neurological net thing where he's in a vegetative state.

Repo Men was really well put together, but it just feels like it could've been so much more. Perhaps they should've done a different ending where he actually takes The Union down, or at the very least takes it over and runs it the way it's suppose to be. I guess you can't get the movie the way you want it.

Repo Men
Company: Universal Pictures
Length: 111 minutes
Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-fi, Thriller
Released: 2010
**** ½ (out of five)

]]> http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/09/repo-men-is-a-tough-job-but-someones-gotta-do-it/feed/ 0 http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/09/episode-lxv-how-easy-was-that-a/ http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/09/episode-lxv-how-easy-was-that-a/#comments Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:00:55 +0000 King Baby Duck http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/?p=2766

The Bastards are in no need of being saved. They've got enough protection as is!

This week the B3 crew discuss the new film Easy A, and why or why not it's a chick flick. King Baby Duck and Blueonic cover the full games and demos of Worms 2: Armageddon, NBA Elite 11, Dead Rising: Case 0, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Blade Kitten, MySims Sky Heroes, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and Blueonic and Anvil give their two cents on the arcade game Terminator Salvation. Plus Anvil reports on the week of sports, accuses a Blue Jay of steroid abuse and speaks his mind on the subject of degenerative brain disease.

The videocast:

Yes, another movie from Netflix, since I didn't get to see in the theaters. For the best, as it was worth more watching The Fourth Kind in my home, rather than watching in a theater full of nimrods who scare easily. After watching this movie I slept better that night than I did in a long time.

This is one of those movies that is supposedly based on a true story. Although I wish I could say this movie looked true it seems that it was a fact/fiction mixture thing. The concept that they are going to try to get through to you is that there's actual video footage from the real incidents, but then spliced in with the video footage they recreated. The issue "watching" what was going on was that you could only hear the audio aspect, since a lot of the video was getting screwed up. The other funny thing is that they blank out the real main characters' faces that are in the trailer, but when you watch the movie you can actually see the person (Dr. Abigale Tyler). However the "real" Abigale Tyler is played by another actress (Charlotte Milliard), with the actual video footage of the doctor only shown talking at the end.

Milla Jovovich (Isn't she sexy?)

The Fourth Kind starts off with the beautiful Milla Jovovich saying that the movie you're about to see has real footage. They also say they had to recreate some of the footage because they were trying to protect the real people from the original footage, so it's really hard to say when it is the actual archive footage or when it isn't.

The real Tommy Fisher (left), Corey Johnson (playing Tommy Fisher)

The film takes place in Nome, Alaska. Apparently the F.B.I. has taken a look at this place about 2000 times, due in part to all the missing people reports and murders. The Fourth Kind takes the archived videos and places it against the actor's video recreation, which is crazy how spot-on they were with making the same movements and speech. This poor fucker above gets put under hypnosis and explains what he has been seeing at night in his subconscious. Fisher explains about this owl that looks in on him, saying that the door then opens and he is attacked. The moment makes Fisher scream and flip out. When he awakes he leaves, feeling freaked out. (This guy's family suffers the consequences of this.)

The way they show the Fisher family murder scene is a standoff (see picture above) where he's on the phone with the police and Dr. Abby, who try to tell him what happened in his dream wasn't real. He doesn't believe them, so he kills his wife and son. His final words goes along the lines of, "They aren't going to bother me anymore," shooting his wife, kid and then himself. As you can see that they set up the real video at the bottom of the screen, then the rest were the film's recreations. They did blank out where Fisher shot his wife in the real video, but when you go to the DVD extras they show everything (though it's hard to tell due to the crappy resolution of the police cam).

Will Patton (as Sheriff August)

The town sheriff August is played by another amazing actor: Will Patton, who was in another movie that seemed to give people the creeps (The Mothman Prophecies). Although they didn't really give a description of how the actual sheriff acted, Will Patton always does a great job portraying him. (I wish I could see him in more movies.) Sheriff August is portrayed as a douchebag with his head stuffed up his ass, where he seems to be headstrong on the fact that people are dying.

Supposed video archive footage

The picture I have provided you with above is where they put one of the other people who've been talking about the owl under hypnosis. He wakes up in a scream, creating a distortion from the aliens that are talking through him. (They talk in ancient Sumerian, if you were wondering.) After he stop floating off the bed, the guy suffers a broken neck and becomes a quadriplegic. (Now that would be hard to explain why you ended up in the wheel chair. It's not saying you were in an accident of sorts. No, this poor fucker has to say that something took over his body so hard that it broke his freakin' neck.)

Dr. Abbey then has her child taken away, so she goes to the extreme of putting herself under. The video gets screwed up once again, and you can only see certain things (i.e.: moving back and forth as if she's having a conversation, screaming loudly at the aliens). The alien thing apparently has a God complex as well, as you can see what was translated from the aftermath in the audio. (I wonder, though, if today's cameras would have messed up as much, seeing that have such great visual qualities.)

After she is done screaming her face looks like a mac truck just rammed into it. (Me wanting to be a jerk would've asked, "Why the long face?") So more or less she just got her jaw unhinged by the damn alien bastards. Something weird goes on when they get close to her, like some sort of static comes in her mouth. All of a sudden the camera flips over and they suddenly disappear, a scary thought within the idea of getting some alien that likes to do some weird probing on you; it just doesn't sound like a good time to me. All in all this movie is pretty good in my book, but if you're at home and watching this in the dark it will most likely mess with your mind. I suggest getting your girlfriend or boyfriend to watch it with you, as it seems like it's a good reason to claw in to each other when you're afraid.

The Fourth Kind
Company: Universal Pictures
Length: 98 minutes
Genre: Mystery, Sci-fi, Thriller, Horror
Released: 2009
**** (out of five)

]]> http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/09/hypnosis-caused-by-the-fourth-kind/feed/ 0 http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/09/episode-lxiv-knockin-over-bostons-cathedral/ http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/09/episode-lxiv-knockin-over-bostons-cathedral/#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:00:05 +0000 King Baby Duck http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/?p=2707

The Bastards are men about town in this episode!

This week the B3 crew discuss the week in the sports, the new movie The Town and give their two cents on the recent demos for Quantum Theory, NBA 2K11, TerRover, Legend of the Guardians and FIFA 11. Plus they tackle an Oh For Fuck's Sake! dealing with the anti-smoking campaign at Salem State University.

Videocast below (with bonus Oh For Fuck's Sake!):

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Im Boston Saukerl Mannschaft, au Brigade Bâtard Boston, to Boston Bastard Brigade!

This week the B3 crew takes a second look at A.R.T.'s production of Cabaret, as well as the recent concert from the_Stampede and friends. Plus the guys look at the new film Resident Evil: Afterlife, and give their two cents on the video games and demos for DJ Hero 2, Moto GP 09/10, Plants VS Zombies and R.U.S.E. Anvil gives his take on the week in sports, and D-Rock brings to the table a game of Three Album Island.

The unedited videocast:

YouTube Version:

Blueonic & King Baby Duck present a cross-exmaination of both versions of the new downloadable game Shank.

King Baby Duck: Checking Shank out at PAX East was one of the highlights at the gaming convention. Dozens of people were gathered around the Klei Entertainment booth to get a chance to play a level of this animated side-scroller. Needless to say a lot of buzz was generated for this title, but was the wait worth it? Eh, somewhat.

Players control Shank, a man seeking vengeance for the murder of his girlfriend. With a massive foray of weapons (from knives and guns to grenades and chainsaws) Shank mows down his enemies, running towards his goal of killing all those who betrayed him. He also uses various strategies to conquer bosses, battling them down until they are a bloody pulp. Will Shank massacre those who murdered the woman of his life?

Like Scott Pilgrim VS The World this game is a button-masher. The faster you push the buttons the better the chance you'll be given of surviving the level. For the most part the control scheme is easy, but from time-to-time I had an issue with grenade-throwing. Maybe it's because of where the button is located, or perhaps Shank has a response error, but it's resulted me in getting killed...a lot.

The cartoonish graphics really set the mood for Shank, giving it a sort of Venture Brothers texture to the game. Yes, our hero is a lot like Brock Sampson, but unlike him Shank has villains that can easily kill him if he doesn't take action. The soundtrack also sets the mood, bringing an El Mariachi/Machete charm to the world of Shank. In fact this might be the closest we get to a real Machete video game.

Now for the downside of Shank: the game length. It took Blueonic and I just a week to beat it. (It would've been even quicker if we had marathon it.) And for a price tag of $14.99 on the PSN it's a bit pricey. Granted there is the co-op mode, which Pink Taco and D-Rawk seemed to really enjoy, but there are some people who don't have the luxury of friends being able to come over and play this mode, which adds on to the griping that there isn't an online mode in Shank.

Despite the short length Shank is a pretty good game, but I have to recommend waiting for it to either drop in price or to keep an eye out for any special deals regarding it.

Blueonic: This has to be one of the most interesting side-scroller games that has come out in a while. The design of this awesome game -- with it shading effects and cartoon-style gaming -- made this even more amazing. I felt like I was playing the male version of Kill Bill, what the plot line dealing with the good guys vs bad guys. The game follows Shank, who lived the criminal life, but had a girlfriend on the side and got her pregnant. However the big boss Caesar sent Shank to go and kill her to show loyalty to the family. Shank finds out about his girl being pregnant, and see's the big picture. Yet before he could turn around to do anything about it the other bigwigs of the crime family come bursting through the doors to see Shank complete his mission.

He doesn't, of course, so they kill off Shank's woman, and then have him beaten up and left in a fire they set to the house. (You don't really figure this out until you play through the game, however. That is where the storyline gets interesting.) While I have given you the main plot of the story I didn't give really anything away, as you will need to find out the rest hack 'n' slash game.

This game is short, but if you want the long aspect of the game I say play the hard portion of it. The game really is longer that way because you have to beat each level with out dying. I felt that they should of designed it so if you got halfway or 3/4 of the way there'd be a save spot. This game can be really hard on the aspect of performing the killings for the specific bad guys. Expect to die a lot in the game, and I suggest learning how to pounce on the other guys. Along with that make sure you have an awesome controller so you're able to be fast on the hacking and slashing when the bigger characters come around. You'll need to jump at the right time, or else you'll find yourself getting killed off faster.

It's great to have a friend to play the second part of the game where you can do the prequel section of the game, although I think they should of had it set up so you could play it online with other friends. They could have had you play it alone, but the only thing is that you would probably get stuck with a stupid counterpart. I think there could've been an Army of Two option where you could play alone, but sometimes have the other character go off and do something on their own.

All in all I think it's a great game, but I feel that the game could have been longer. The graphics and the cartoonist art was absolutely beautiful. I would say wait for the game to go down in price before you go and purchase it on either one of the systems, but if you really need your hack 'n' slash gaming look no further drop the money down on Shank and enjoy. I really do believe that dealing with the online capabilities of downloadable games will make going to the store to buy the plastic stuff a thing of the past, yet we have a little way to wait for that to happen.

PROS:

• Awesome Visuals
• Easy control scheme
• Lots of blood, guns, weapons
• Fills the need of kicking ass and taking names
• Pouncing is fun for endlessly hacking, stabbing, chainsawing the person to death
• Fun achievements

CONS:

• Controls sometimes don't respond fast enough
• Too much gang-banging (you'll see)
• Hard mode is, well, too hard
• You will die...A LOT!!!
• Some achievements need help from a friend

Play: Light/Medium

Shank is available now.

Shank
Console/Platform:  PSN, Xbox Live Arcade
Company: Klei Entertainment
Genre: Shooter, Hack 'n' Slash, 2D Side-Scroller
Official Site
klei-Entertainment
King Baby Duck: 7.0 (out of 10)
Blueonic: 8.0 (out of 10)

The Bastards kill the bad guys dead!

This week the B3 Crew (and special guest Pandalicious) attempt their first live webstream of the Podcast show using some sweet Blue Microphones. On the table this week are new music from Disturbed & Limp Bizkit, the week in sports, demo reviews of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 and VANQUISH, PAX Prime news and a look at the films Machete and The American. And a little fan interaction, too.

First things first: I loved the first Mafia game. Second I have been waiting a long time for this sequel to come out (I believe I found out about it back in 2007, so I was wondering why it took so long to get to this point.) But it's finally here, yet it seemed that 2K Games wasn't giving people the chance to really play the game before its release date. When the King and I were at the PAX East we were lucky to play the game, but of course we got screwed because it was at the end of the day of the convention, so we got kicked out before we could finish the demo.

(I love this video! It will make you laugh, unless your a vegan, then sucks to be you!)

The Mafia 2 demo is set up so you can run around for a little bit to check out the area. The graphics are a hell of a lot better then the first game from the look of the demo. The movements are pretty good, but sometimes it does take a little bit to get used to how to maneuver the character around in third-person mode. It seems that the driving is very touchy, but I did have fun slamming those old big-assed cars into one another. I also pissed off the cops really easily, which is good because it shows that the police in Mafia 2 are a little bit smarter in the A.I. field.

The issue I felt with this demo was that 2K went a little to far of keeping things Secret Squirrel. It's like when the King and I were there their staff had us wait in an unofficial line waiting to see the Mafia 2 game, along with a sneak peek at Civilization V (another game that looked amazing, but couldn't get any pictures or recordings of that game due to them being so secretive.)

So besides all the shenanigans the Mafia 2 demo was pretty good, but it was too short for my taste. Although they didn't really give you the capability of roaming around, it still made me want to play more of the game. So if you're looking for a title where you can run around and shoot 'em up gangster style, then Mafia 2 might be up your alley.

Mafia II
Console/Platform:  Xbox 360, Ps3, PC
Company: 2k games
Gameplay: Action/Crime
Website
**** (out of five)

The Bastards break the world record for "Most A.D.D. Moments In A Podcast Episode."

This week the B3 crew welcome D-Rock to their crew, and discuss the new movie Takers and the new album from Apocalyptica (as well as their concert at the Royale). Next the King and D-Rock review the Flaming Lips cover album of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and Pink Taco rants about her love for Mumford & Sons. Anvil and the rest of the crew choose their picks for UFC 118, and talk other various sports. Finally the crew puts their two-cents in on the video game Shank, and Blueonic looks back at the XBOX 360 game Darkest of Days.

Apologies in advance for the audio quality. Our current microphone does not work with the Mac, so hopefully by the next episode we'll have one.

Well here we go again with the crazed assholes that you hate to love.

All righty then, Kane & Lynch are just a couple of people that have dealt with fucked up lives. If you haven't gotten to play the first one, and you jump into Dog Days you might be very confused. (It's a good idea to either rent, borrow, or buy the game. It should be wicked cheap now seeing that it's been out of for a while.) But the one thing I'm wondering is what kind of setup they are going to put you in, seeing how the first game ended two ways depending on how you played it. If you watch the video you can see a crazy thing that goes on with Kane in what seems to be either a bank robbery or an escape from someone. Then you see the most fucked up of the characters: Lynch. When he's sitting down with lunch you can see him looking at his pills. (Believe me: if you haven't seen the first game, he really needs them. I think that he has a psycho/schizophrenic personality disorder, which makes him go from his normal mood to a homicidal-raging douchebag.)

Lynch with a shotgun

In the demo, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days starts out with the actual video from above that plays into Lynch calling up a meeting time with someone. You then end up in a Chinese restaurant sitting with Kane & Lynch kind of hunched over their soup bowls, reminiscing all the messed up things that happened before. Before they can really start talking or complete a sentence, Kane screams out, "Holy shit, get down!" The duo ducks to the ground, and you start controlling Lynch in the demo. Playing it was kind of pissing me off, though. The actual third-person shooting isn't one of my strong points of gaming, unless it's like Gears of War 2. What I was feeling with this game was that it was hard to control the character. I played it a couple more times, however, and was getting better with the handling of the game. It really is a short demo, which is kind of a shitty deal.

I have to say the picture looks right. Playing as Lynch in the demo I got knocked down a lot, trying to figure out how to properly hide behind objects so that you don't get lit the fuck up. That said it seems like the demo was based around Lynch, considering that the first game dealt with choosing who you would like to actually play. It's something that has to wait for the full review once I get my hands on the game. Another issue dealing with Dogs Days is the running of the character. If you know how to run in real life, your run at a vertical angle in a straight method, but in this game it seems that you run at almost a 45-degree angle with a shitty camera to boot. (When you get to try out the demo you'll see what I'm talking about.)

As for the multi-player, I wasn't able to actually play it. I guess I got the demo at a bad time because no one was online to play against. However the online game seems like a great idea, but the only problem is that unless you're playing with friends, you won't know where these gamers live (so if they decide to back-stab you can go and kick their asses personally). It might be a long shot to actually find people that would be willing to help you and be considered a good back-up in your game.

Final Thoughts and Suggestions:

Well to give the Kane & Lynch 2 demo a rating for now I do have to say it is a very interesting gaming. The graphics they did in the videos are awesome, but the in-game graphics aren't too great. The movement of the characters are also a little jumpy and weird. They did create a good game with in-depth characters in the storyline, but if I was talking to the guys who created that game I don't want them to tell me they made this game messed up like this to put out to the masses. Along with that, Hollywood, if you do make this into a movie and you fuck it up, I will personally come after you because this is one of those games you can't mess with.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is available now.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Console/Platform:  PC, PS3, and Xbox 360
Company: Square Enix, IO Interactive
Genre: Shooter
Official Site
**** (out of five)

]]> http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/08/kane-and-lynch-2-dog-days-demo-review/feed/ 0 http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/08/clarissa-explains-it-all-in-nine-dead/ http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2010/08/clarissa-explains-it-all-in-nine-dead/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:00:35 +0000 blueonic http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/?p=1950

Holy crap, Clarissa has gone CRAZY! (WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!)

Most of us remember the lovely actress and girl of my dreams back when I was young boy from watching Nickelodeon's Clarissa Explains It All. I was always wondering what ever happened after the show dropped off.  Turns out Melissa Joan Hart has been a busy girl. (To see what she has done click here.) She has done so major things and not so major things, such as Sabrina The Teenage Bitch.... I mean Witch.  That very popular show that was always mind numbing to me. Then she was on the show Law and Order: Special Victims Unit for an episode, as well as Robot Chicken. But nothing since Sabrina have I seen her in where the role actually made her the main character.

So here we go with the actual review of Nine Dead. If you are to check on the IMDB rating board the film isn't doing so hot (5.2 star rating out of 10). Usually that means it's bad, and the thing about that is I didn't check that before I watched this movie. I'm glad I didn't, otherwise it would of screwed the pooch on how the movie actually was. Sometimes you just got to go out on a whim and try to watch a movie and see how it goes (and I do have to say thanks Netflix for giving me the capability of watching these movies live stream, with no product placement intended). With that out of the way, the movie really had a weird feel to it. It didn't go right into explaining what was going on, yet it was fun to watch the masked villain going from place to place picking the nine people up in the fashion he did. He used methods such as mace, taser, guns, and various blunt objects.

Daniel Baldwin (Left)  and William Lee Scott (Right)

One thing that made me laugh was the fact that it said in the starting credits that Danial Baldwin was in the movie. I personally think that was a waste to even put his name on the picture. The reason for that is he got maced, and his friend that was with him was the one who got tased and dragged into the car. So throughout the movie I sat there wondering when the fuck Daniel Baldwin was coming back into this. Believe me: I was thinking where the angry detective that would be on the outside of the situation was pulling strings pissing and moaning trying to find his partner. But no! He never came back into Nine Dead, not even as a flashback. Talk about a waste of a cameo, if you can call it that.

The Room

So after all that fun running around tasing and macing people it finally brings it to the room they all ended up in. They have nine poles that they are handcuffed to, and the objective is that the masked man gives them 10 minutes per person that he picks at random order to shoot. Yet the main thing is that they have to find what all their connections are and why they have ended up in this room together, and if they don't they all die one by one. Now you might be saying "Hmmm...why does this sound familiar?" Well I got the answer: it's another version of Saw, except there are no crazy-ass death traps for each individual. I wish they did do it in the Saw fashion, since it would've been cool to have a Domino Rally setup of the machines killing the people instead of the guy coming in and executing all of them.

The masked killer (gotta admit: that's a cool mask)

So after the masked killer leaves the room they have a special timer in the room that keeps ticking away for the ten minutes. The characters that pertain to the story deals with an insurance person, a Chinese woman, a police officer, a priest, a district attorney, a child molester/rapist, a loan shark, a small time crook and an illegal gun trafficker. (Sounds like one of those type of jokes where all you need to do is end it with "walk into a bar," and it would be all over.)

With the story going on it seems that the characters like to piss off one another, but then it finally gets to the point where they finally start figuring out little tid bits of why the hell they were in the room. Personally I feel Nine Dead is a must-see. I want to say that the ending is a pretty big shocker in my opinion. I liked how the movie presented itself, and it seemed like if it had more backing of money it wouldn't have had gone to the straight-to-DVD setup (but that's just me). If you got an hour and-a-half to kill Nine Dead would be well worth it.

NINE DEAD
Company: HartBreak Films
Length: 93 minutes
Movie Type: Psychological Thriller
Released: 2010
**** ½ (out of five)

P.S. Maybe the title of this article should of been:

Don't worry: you're safe from any evil ex-boyfriends when the Bastards are around.

This week the B3 crew discuss the film The Expendables (followed by a comparison between The Losers and The A-Team) and the week in sports. Also on the table is a three-course Scott Pilgrim meal as King Baby Duck, Blueonic and Anvil talk about the movie Scott Pilgrim VS The World, the movie's soundtrack and the new PSN (and soon-to-be XBOX Live Arcade) video game based on the film and graphic novel series.

Oh hell yeah, it can be Monday Night Combat at any time. The wait is finally over to play this sexy-ass game. It's fast-paced, brutal and all of the above if you can think of anything more gorgeous!

Monday Night Combat is something that I have been waiting for since I found out about it before PAX East. Getting to see the game in action at PAX was just incredible. Only problem, however, is with all the running around we had to do for interviews and other such things I didn't get time to sit down and officially play this game. Now if you're wondering how many points this is for Xbox Live, you are going to have to pay out 1200. But having said that it's definitely worth every point. The game gives you regular play so you can get your skills up and learn how to move each individual character. (The characters all have their own methods for killing.)

Love to keep killing and cook up my bacon all at the same time! A guy like me can get hungry when there is so much killing.

The game is based on like how Monday Night Football should really be, with people running around killing one another and bots to earn as much money as possible. Also you get to have fun blasting the shit out of that damn mascot with the damn shit-eating grin on his face. (What the mascot really is is a fan that has voluntarily put themselves in the line of fire, running around the field and getting blasted by the heroes of the game.) They also have the Pit Girl, who helps you up grade turrets and fixes things up. (Great eye candy, too, by the way.)

With the controls on the game, it works pretty good considering. For those who don't like advanced controls, this is a perfect game for you. Advanced players, though, can make the game seems impossible hard, especially with the sponsorship power-ups they designed for the game. You have to pay close attention to what you are doing during game play, otherwise you can end up being attacked on all sides. It's good to play the Blitz games first in order to get really good at the online setup. Don't worry if you can't play online as well, as it doesn't affect you that bad. In fact it actually goes towards you moneymaking and skills, so it's all good!

Main combatants in the game

The game features many types of characters to play around with. You've got Gunner, who is a big-ass mean son-of-a-bitch with a kick-ass Gatling gun. When fully upgraded he will lay waste to everything once the character goes to create some serious cover fire. Next is the support guy, a medic who helps heal everyone in the game. He also has some pretty cool weapons to help kick ass and take names. The Assassin is a lovely little lady that likes to run around supporting daggers, throwing stars, swords, etc. You want to take her out from afar, because she can be deadly up close. This Assassin kills in style, so watch out for her.

Assault is basically the leader, good for making big plays, has an awesome rifle and is definitely a good character to start out with. The Sniper is one fucking awesome character, whose sniper rifle is practically unbeatable when it's upgraded. (His machine gun pistol also helps him be quite the powerhouse.) Last but not least is the other big guy of the map: the TANK. This character is big and slow, but he makes up for it with his ass-kicking powerful guns (i.e. laser rail gun, jet gun). He's a strong character, and a must-have on the team to help win your rounds. (Click here to get the bios from the website.)

All I have to say to this game is it's ALL GOOD!!!! Monday Night Combat takes the cake, and it sure beats the pants off Team Fortress 2. It is going to be a game that I won't get enough of. All I can ask for the people who designed this game is to keep up the good work, and if you got any more downloadable stuff to add on to the game to please do it soon!

Now if you're wondering where the Assassin and some of the other characters got their sexy moves, I'd have you watch the video above. I want to be like Azo, not fucking Michael Jordan.

Monday Night Combat
Console/Platform:  Xbox Live Arcade
Company: Uber Entertainment
Game play: Third-Person Shooter.
WEBSITE RIGHT HERE!!!
***** (out of five)

For us at the Boston Bastard Brigade this is a long-awaited event. On August 28th the UFC will finally be doing a show here in Boston. Not only are they bringing UFC 118 and a great fight card to Boston, but they are also bringing the UFC Fan Expo on August 27th & 28th to the Hynes Convention Center. The B3 Crew hopes to be able to cover this event for you, as it is a historic occasion for all of Massachusetts. Here's what you have to look forward to at UFC 118:

Frankie Edgar  VS BJ Penn

"THE ANSWER"  NICKNAME "THE PRODIGY"

12-1-0      RECORD 15-6-1

5' 6"        HEIGHT 5' 9"

155         WEIGHT 155

Anvil: Frankie Edgar won the title from BJ Penn at UFC 112 by a unanimous decision with scoring 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47 all in his favor. Edgar is trained in the disciplines of wrestling, boxing and Brazillian Jujitsu. Penn is trained in the disciplines of Brazilian Jujitsu and boxing. I would give the advantage to Penn because, in my belief, he i