Team Headshot has a new BFF in the band Echodrone. And when 2 groups love each other very much they like to express their love in the form of links and networking.

http://www.echodrone.com/

But they’re actually a shoegazer band based in San Francisco that’s really nifty and err…

Echodrone was birthed in summer 2005 from the miasma of Craigslist. Answering a call for like-minded musicians, Brandon and Mark F. joined Eugene and began Echodrone’s exploration of the intersection where Medicine, Ride, Stars of the Lid and Mogwai meet. Original drummer Kahlil Karn felt the call in June 2006 and provided a visual component to initial gigs, but parted ways with the band in June 2007. Another call out to Craigslist ensnared drummer/sonic maestro Mark Tarlton, who began contributing electronic touches to the mix. The final stage of Echodrone was set when Meredith Gibbons (ex-One Becomes One Hundred) replaced departing member Mark F.

The Echodrone recipe: combine Post-Rock textures, Ambient atmospherics, Dreampop harmonies and feedback-drenched classic Shoegaze into a mold shaped from the band’s musical exploration. The result: a cathartic mix of vivid musical colors and patterns that is greater than the sum of its parts. Echodrone is an indie band for those bored with the indie genre.

After first unleashing their barbaric yalp onto receptive audiences in September 2006, Echodrone has since played with such local luminaries as Sciflyer (Clairecords), Murder of Lilies, and Halcyon High. March 2007 saw the release of a debut 4-song EP, recorded at SoundPort Studios by Michael Padilla (Dora Flood) and released on the band’s own label, Isomer Records. This self-titled EP was a top-seller on shoegaze specialty retail site toneVENDOR and has received airplay locally on KALX, KSCU and KZSU, nationally on the respected online station Vertigo Radio, where opener “Here We Are” was voted 2 listener favorite in the first month of release, and internationally on Australia’s 3RRR station.

(thanks copy and paste)

Developed by: Infinity Ward
Published by: Activision
Score:85

I think back to the day when I first got Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. At first I was apprehensive at the thought of playing through a WW2 style FPS with M16s instead of Thompsons. However I was surprised to see all the advancements that were made simply by changing the locale. The same thrills and overall experience was still there in the single player. However, what kept me coming back to the game habitually was the multiplayer. So now let’s get back to the present where I am playing the PS3 version of Modern Warfare 2 (sans the Call of Duty apparently). What may have been the most hotly anticpated game of 2009 is now here and I’ve decided to review it…in a timely manner of course. So let me start out by saying…

I don’t care about the single player.

I really don’t.

So now you ask me why? Well it’s pretty simple, it’s nothing new. The Call of Duty explosions and Jerry Bruckheimerisms have gotten a bit stale. I’m bored just thinking about playing the single player mode again. Now is it bad? Of course not, it’s just not new. The story is supposed to pick up from the story of MW1

…wait what? I was supposed to pay attention to that? I mean I remember when that nuke went off and I had to crawl around a bit and all the Scottish novelties, but outside of that I didn’t give 2 shits about the story. But apparently this time around more shit in the international terrorism network is going down. This time it affects countries on a much larger scale. Rather than going the route of having the international community hold hands and hunt down scary people in the Middle East, there’s actually a fully fledged war between 2 countries. I think what makes this unique is that no one has really done this recently especially in the era of diplomacy we live in…also there’s a chance you might alienate the people of 1 or both, but IW won’t give 2 shits because they know this game will sell gangbusters without effort.

That’s enough about the story, so how’s the actually single player? It’s a good ride filled with sensationalistic gimmicks like killing off the person you’re playing as constantly. Many of the locales give you a chance to kill enemies of all sorts using a variety of weaponry. In essence the single player gives you target practice for the multiplayer. Of course if you’re entirely new to the game then it might be a more entertaining ride and you’ll probably get a lot more out of it. It can get a bit stale after a while, as you’ll be killing wave after wave of enemies, however all the new weapons and vehicles do add some new thrills to the ride.

Spec Ops is a new addition. It combines co-op and arcade elements for sections of the single player. You can go online or do a split screen and go on a rampage. It basically cuts off the story element and provides a direct route to the action.

The multiplayer is deeper than ever, but doesn’t have the same pitfalls that so many big time sequels with online modes do. Weapon balance issues are gone, especially when compared to MW1. One of my major kudos comes from IW being able to incorporate a slew of new weapons and gadgets but still not break the game or have the vast majority of them useless (I’m looking at you Halo 3). However, the only exception might be the sub-machine guns (SMGs). Whereas in MW1, there were some close up situations which called for the guns or you could make yourself a nice speedy stealth class. However, the assault rifles, LMGs and even pistols/knives can out do them. I think it’s simply because their damage has been turn down so much and the accuracy is so piss poor in comparison to a few shots off an assault rifle. Needless to say, few people use it as a regular class.

MW2 also features a slew of new weapons and arrangements. Akimbo basically allows you to dual wield SMGs, shotguns and other secondary weapons. One of the cheaper setups, dual shotguns, uses Akimbo. Guns also have a variety of attachments you can choose from such as classics like the Red dot sight and newcomers like the FMJ, which have increased bullet penetration. To be honest there are so many new things to the game that this review could go on forever talking about them and their application in the game. As I expressed earlier, they’re new and they all have their place and their uses. It’s truly a feat which more developers have to follow suit.

The gametypes are pretty much the same. The scoring is slightly different, but for the most part the staples are still there like team deathmatch, domination and headquarters. I won’t go into great detail as to what each encompasses because if you’ve ever played an online FPS before, then none of this is particularly ground breaking stuff. The maps are fairly well done. What’s new are the number of places you can hide behind and have only your gun and head sticking out. In addition the number of buildings and structures with more than 1 floor has increased leading to a significant increase in camping [bastards].

As for the lateness of the review, well, I’ve been a bit busy plus I wanted to get a better handle on the multiplayer since it is probably the integral part of the game and gives it its longevity. In summation, I want to say MW2 is a top notch FPS, but it does feel a bit overdone. I understand IW doesn’t want to fix what’s not broken, and to be honest I’m not sure what could be added on to this series, but that doesn’t change what it is. Multiplayer is refreshingly new and old at the same time and it truly well done. I guess in the end I wasn’t blown away by anything, but at the same time I wasn’t disappointed. Therefore we have a well done game which does its “lineage” proud.

C’mon now. Really? Reserving a game in January that won’t be here until August and that will be in more than abundant supply at launch. Good job being proactive Gamestop. I’ll plunk down $5 right away and then ask a blind man to perform open heart surgery on me using a rusty knife and fork.

Trying to play Modern Warfare 2 and I can’t. Why? Because it’s another god-awful and probably useless update for the PS3. Sony, please cut it out, no one gives 2 shits about improved photo features. Oh and by the way Sam, I hate you so much right now for making me get this version. PS3 updates are working their way into Dead to THS.

Developed by: Bungie
Published by: Microsoft Game Studios
Score: 75

3 years and 4 days ago Halo 3, the game touted as “The most anticipated game of all time” (until the next one, that is) was released. We at THS almost immediately viewed the game as a big disappointment and have since moved on to greener pastures, however many players have remained faithful to the once-revolutionary-yet-now-average franchise. Those faithful have now been rewarded with Halo ODST, a title which introduces a new story campaign and an extra multi-player disc that includes, er, all the maps they’ve already bought.

The campaign begins with you in the shoes of a rookie Orbital Drop Shock Trooper(most random non-japanese acronym ever) who lands along with your unit in the city of New Mombasa. The entire unit gets separated and you wake up 6 hours after the drop, unable to communicate with anyone. From then on you find clues as to your teammates’ whereabouts, assuming control of them as well through flashback segments that fill in the gaps of events that occurred in between the initial drop and the rookie’s awakening. To be honest that’s pretty much all I can tell you about the plot, and though I’ve always admired Bungie’s attempts to create a vivid sci-fi universe through imagery and storytelling, I never really gave a shit and only want to shoot stuff.

On the game play front, not much has changed. The only new addition of note is the new sub-machine gun (w/scope) which is the standard ODST weapon. This gun is horrible and should never be used. As an ODST you are not able to dual wield weapons either, because apparently only SPARTAN super-soldiers are strong enough to hold two pistols at the same time. Other than that, if you’ve played the previous Halo titles then you know what to expect here. You’ll fight the same Covenant using the same methods you always have, eventually take down a Scarab, have a thrilling high speed escape via Warthog in the end, and be treated to a few lame, anti-climactic cutscenes in the end as usual. The developers toyed with the concept of an open world setting, as the game revolves around the city of Mumbasa and you’re free to find the clues and play the levels in whatever order you wish. However this really isn’t freedom at all, you still have to complete all the missions in order to advance and you have to complete said missions the way the game wants you to(e.g. the game setting road barriers when it doesn’t want you to advance with the tank anymore). However despite the lack of anything new, I have to say I fairly enjoyed the campaign mode this time around. Maybe it’s because I didn’t buy into the hype this time, maybe it’s because it’s been 3 years since I’ve played a Halo title, or maybe it’s because I played it co-op on Legendary so it took twice as long as it probably should have, but I enjoyed the whole experience thoroughly and was left wanting more when it did end.

Really though, for most people the campaign mode will be an afterthought. The main course for the majority of the Halo community is the multi-player, and from what I understand the game includes all the previous map pack content plus a few new maps. There’s a new mode called Firefight, which is exactly like the Horde mode in Gears of War 2(kill all enemies, advance to next round, repeat until dead) and will probably be seen in every other big name FPS to come as well. Unfortunately my Xbox is FUCKING BROKEN AGAIN and I only played the game’s campaign via my brother-in-law’s console, so I really can’t tell you anything at all about the multi-player. Just assume it’s as good as it’s ever been, and if they really did add one of the best maps from Halo 2(Mid-fucking-ship) in it without fucking it up, add two points to my(pretty much meaningless) score.

Oh yeah, I guess I have to talk about the graphics. Once again, if you played Halo 3 then you know what to expect here, as everything looks like it did there(yeah well shit I don’t get paid for writing these, so fuck going into meaningless detail about polygon counts and stuff). The character faces are surprisingly low-res though, and their faces are all about as detailed as the generic NPCs from Halo 2. I guess this is fitting in a way, since the ODST unit is comprised of the most generic rag tag group of military stereotypes ever. Everything else looks good though, and all the alien stuff shimmers and looks all alien-y(again, I don’t get paid for this).

All in all, ODST stays true to the formula that has made Bungie millions of dollars, yet still remains fun throughout. If you’re not a hardcore Halo fan I would recommend it as a rental, as the campaign mode can be finished in a weekend and let’s face it, if you haven’t been playing the multi-player since the beginning you’re just gonna get your ass kicked. If you’re a die hard Halo fan you’ve already had this on pre-order since last year and have played it nonstop since its release and are probably not even reading this or any review anyway. However if you are, hear me out: PLEASE stop buying up everything simply because it has the Halo branding on it and let Bungie know that we would like something NEW and SIGNIFICANT for Halo:Reach. Thanks.

I recently picked it up. So far I feel myself already going through the Final Fantasy motions. Y’know the one where I care, don’t care, care some more, hit the bottle hard and then finally get around to finishing it. The dialogue as expected is boring as all hell. Light and dark bullshit has run its course. It’s like it’s the simplest reason to have people in the SqaureEnix universe beat the shit out of each other. I imagine that it’s sort of like flashing Crips and Bloods gang signs in Compton (is Compton still cool these days?). The dialogue is so damn boring. Y’know in any other universe, a collection of heroes and villains would usually attract a clash or personalities that would create excellent conflicts, but for the FF universe, no. They’re all terrible. Villains usually go into 2 groups, the ones that act “cool and smooth” or the ones that are power crazy and always going on about stupid shit about “you rely on your friends and-” aw fuck, it sucks. Maybe it’s just that until now, I’ve realized it’s terrible. Maybe, it’s been this same garbage that I’ve been hearing since VII, but was forgivable given the cutscenes. NOT ANYMORE. And that’s because aside from the awesome opening cinematic, the cutscenes boil down to this back and forthing or one-upping fest that is the dialogue.

…I’m sorry if that went on a little long, but for the love of God, when you start skipping at the second or third cutscene, then something has gone terribly wrong.

Oh and I guess I should mention the gameplay and visuals. They’re pretty good so far. If you love particle effects, then your pants might already be wet. Between the flashy fights and intuitive controls, all those fights you watched as CGIs can finally be played out in real time instead of navigating a series of menus.

A review will be up soon for it.

Published by: Capcom
Developed by: Backbone Entertainment
Score: 85

For what seems to be an eternity of “if only”s, the plethora of calls for an online Marvel vs Capcom 2 has finally been heard. Released for the 360 right now and soon for PSN, the game that welcomes all sorts of fighting game fans is finally online. So how well does it fare today in our BlazBlue world?

Oh and by the way, hi welcome back :)

The game is fairly simple to explain if you’ve heard of any previous versus games (Xmen vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs Capcom, etc.). Three characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes are selected to go into 3 on 3 tag battles. What separates it from other fighting games, and at times alienates fighting gamers, is the ease at which the game can be played. Super attacks can be done in one motion and usually aren’t hard to perform. Combos going into the 40 and over hit range are common which can at times cause those who are accustomed to Street Fighter or King of Fighters to cringe. The six button scheme which consists of a weak and strong punch, a weak and strong kick, and two assist buttons makes the game more easily accessible. Pressing either of the weak buttons twice in a row will turn that second attack into a medium kick or punch.

Assists are essential to the game and are basically special attacks that can be initiated by simple hitting one of the two assist buttons which correspond to the other two remaining fighters on a team. Having an assist that can disrupt enemy combos or aid in creating your own are very important. The game’s versatility gives rise to a number of strategies which you match to fit your own style. If you like to “turtle”, you can pick out a Sentinel, Storm and Doom combo. There are tons of possibilities. However, I feel it fair to note that there are balance issues. There’s the old saying that a good player with the worst characters can beat a weak player with the strongest and “cheapest” characters, but that gets thrown out the window. A team like Sentinel, Cable and Blackheart will beat a team of Roll, Servbot and Dan every single time because of some of the exploits and general “bullshitery” that can happen. The solution? Stick to the higher tier of characters or become an expert in lesser characters. I won’t say it’s impossible, but after getting beat down enough times, it may be time to change your strategy.

Online is obviously the newest and most attractive feature of the game. As with all fighting games, network speed and connections are the most crucial factor in determining if this section is a success or a failure. JPG and I played a few games, with a timezone between us and found a reliable connection. The only hint of lag was in the character selection screen which on more than one occasion caused me to pick a character I didn’t want. Of course this can be easily remedied by going a little slower, but it is nonetheless a chink in the armor. However, my biggest complaint by far is the lack of modes, there are only the obligatory ranked and unranked match modes, but that is about it. Player or unranked matches give you the option to create a room in which you can watch 2 players fight it out while you watch until your turn, nothing new. And that’s just it. No tournament modes or anything like that. It’s bare bones, but it gets the job done.

I said earlier that the game isn’t always accepted by the most avid of the fighting game community, but the reality is that the any fighting game competition, the crowd is always around the MvC2 machines. The reason? The fast paced, over-the-top gameplay, no matter how unbalanced it is, is just too fun to look away from. We all know it’s broken and we all know that half of the roster is useless, but nonetheless, what remains is still entertaining. With any type of fighting game, there’s that initial beat down phase, where any and all attempts to win consistently are constantly thwarted, but it comes after this phase that a player can get to the next level. I don’t claim to be some sort of Messiah for the game, but I still have fun even if I am flat out destroyed because it’s finding how to beat a variety of strategies and coming up with your own that is truly fun and what makes this a great game.

I bet Kojima gets some sort of sick, sexual thrill out of seeing MGS fans spaz out over a mere countdown timer. In fact, I don’t bet on it, I gurantee it, but it’s with good reason. Kojima Productions always makes high quality games, so sufice it to say, I’m willing to let the orgy of speculation and bullshit just pass by. What do I think? Well, I think it’s a video game. Looks like I might have to give some sort of monetary based object in exchange for whatever good Kojima is offering. Aside from that I really don’t know. The big ‘5′ in the middle is causing some to conclude MGS5 is on the way. It seems a bit premature, but it would certainly not be a stretch. Of course at the time of this post, some sort of announcement is about 3 days away, so I’m sure we’ll find something out. Or maybe not. Either way, it’s interesting to note the sky-high expectations with something that looks like a desktop wallpaper.

Well it’s about fucking time. I mean this news is great and all, but seriously Capcom why so long. And don’t give me your “Marvel license” legal matters, blah blah bullshit. However, it does relieve me to see some new features added. Even if they’re not that great. All we ever really needed was an online mode. Though I’m sure I’ll get wins against the Ken/Akuma/Ryu fags who will undoubtedly give up in about a week, I dread the day when I’m forced to go up against a Mag/Sent/Storm combo which usually indicates Oz-style rape. I may have to wait until the summer for this to come out, but rather than having to complain about it not being here, I can safely say that it’s coming and for right now that’s good enough.

One of Kojima’s podcasts with his studio Kojima Productions (I know you had a better name than that, but that’s fine) indicated that they could push Zone of the Enders 3 up on the KP priority list. However they need gamer input to get that ball moving along. Really? It’s like you’re asking people not to let you make the game. I’m not sure the mainstream knows what the hell Zone of the Enders is, and probably all the bright colors just confused the fuck out of most people, but still, the series has been solid and should be continued. I’m happy to see that Kojima genuinely seems to want to move on from Metal Gear Solid to another solid series and I truly hope they get this going. Therefore, I need people to assemble on the Kojima Productions message board and let my your voice be heard.