I am a life-long gamer, a strong Christian, a registered Republican and a lover of all things metal. Nice mix, I know.
If you know me, you know that I make friends very easy, I'm slow to anger, quick to forgive, and a kind and gentle fellow.
In the life of the real-world, I like to play basketball, read, write, socialize with friends (mostly online, but offline as well) and keep up with the latest in politics and the news in general.
My top 10 favorite games of all time include: Super Metroid, Resident Evil Remake, Final Fantasy X, Metroid, Final Fantasy IX, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Space MegaForce, Super Mario RPG, Zelda: Wind Waker and EarthBound. In no particular order.
I love the classics (as you can see) but play on all systems. You can always find me in front of the computer.... sad reality. :P
Let’s Play Kid Icarus: Uprising in the first installment of my “Through A Virgin’s Eyes” series! For my initial installment, Nintendo’s 3DS masterpiece, Kid Icarus: Uprising, is in the spotlight!
Kid Icarus: Uprising is Nintendo’s 2012 revival of a legendary 8bit masterpiece originally released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System; a game developed by Metroid-creator Gunpei Yokoi!
The game used many of the same elements as Metroid, but Kid Icarus was never nearly as popular as the first great female videogame character Samus Aran’s Metroid adventures. Regardless through Kid Icarus’ and it’s main character, the angel Pit, gained it’s own fan-following and the series got a sequel to the NES game for the Game Boy in 1991 with Kid Icarus: Of Myth and Monsters.
That game built on the original NES titles action, but fans were disappointed when Pit fell off the face of the earth, never to be seen again! He was finally revived by Nintendo with Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, a fighting game that pit (pun non intended) many of Nintendo’s most-popular characters against each other!
Through A Virgin’s Eyes – Kid Icarus Let’s Play Part 1
The sickest Demon Hunter logo ever made? I believe so! True Defiance launch's April 10th 2012, pre-order it and GET STOKED!
Demon Hunter’s True Defiance is nearly upon us! The release date of April 10th is drawing ever-closer! Did you pre-order True Defiance yet? If not definitely do so to help Demon Hunter in their quest to become THE dominant Christian metal band in the metal scene!
Demon Hunter, as any visitor to this site well knows, is my favorite band and has been pumping out heavy Christian metal for over a decade now. True Defiance is set to be their sixth full-length album, and I couldn’t be more excited! Be sure to check out my article of True Defiance Behind-the-Scenes Studio Blog videos!
In my quest to help promote the upcoming album, I have been posting various content from True Defiance, even though I have kept myself from as many spoilers as possible, refusing to even look at the tracklist!
Below you can check out the music videos from two tracks for True Defiance, enjoy!
Someone to Hate True Defiance Music Video from Demon Hunter
My Destiny True Defiance Music Video from Demon Hunter
If any more songs from True Defiance get music videos, I’ll post them here.
Aw heck, while I’m at it I’ll go ahead and include past Demon Hunter music videos, have fun!
Okay for past Demon Hunter music videos, I will work my way backwards from the most recent albums, to their very first music video “Infected” from their self-titled album.
Head to GameStop and pre-order Xenoblade Chronicles and get 50% additional trade-in credit! (For anygame!)
GameStop is offering gamers a FANTASTIC offer that will be hard to pass up! All this week and going until April 1st, 2012, you can get an additional 50% trade-in credit on any games you trade-in!
Additionally, if you are a Power-Up Rewards member (GameStop’s rewards program) you will qualify for an additional 10% trade-in credit on any game you trade-in, bringing your additional credit to a whopping 60%!
There is no better time to take advantage of this offer with tons of great games already released (Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mass Effect 3, Ninja Gaiden 3, Resident Evil: Revelations, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Soul Calibur V) and lots of FANTASTIC games coming soon, such as Xenoblade Chronicles (April 6th!) for Wii, Prototype 2 (April 24th), Max Payne 3 (May 15th), Dragon’s Dogma (May 22nd), Tera (Asian-MMO being released for USA), Devil May Cry Collection (April 3rd), The Witcher 2 for Xbox 360 (April 17th), Diablo III (May 15th), Kinect Star Wars (April 3rd), Game of Thrones (RPG based on the hit TV show, May 15th) and Darksiders 2 (June 26th).
Worrying brings on negativity. Stay away from that dark place.
“Worry is the dark room where negatives are developed.”
This is a really interesting quote and a good life lesson to live by. Worrying only leads you into a dark place of negativity, where it is hard to see the light and you only further develop additional negativity that brings you down.
Optimism brings you into the light. And this is a principle that’s Biblical as well. Remember to always stay away from negativity as often as possible. While that doesn’t mean you should be dancing in the street per say if something really bad happens, it does mean to always keep your mind focused on the positive. The Bible even says to thank God in all things. Remember that negativity is BAD. Any way you can avoid it will improve your life drastically. And all it takes sometimes is a slight shift in perspective to do so. Have a great day. :)
Six AR Cards included with Kid Icarus: Uprising, here is my Pit card.
My Kid Icarus: Uprising Unboxing video gives you an indepth look at what you can expect when you get the game in your hands.
Hopefully you pre-ordered Kid Icarus: Uprising, if so you also got your grubby little mitts on 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, a pre-order incentive that gives a new stereoscopic 3D coat of paint to the original NES game.
I’ve yet to dive into Kid Icarus: Uprising, but I will do so just after I post this article! In the video I even show off the entire instruction book that is included with Kid Icarus: Uprising. In addition to the full manual, you get to see the six AR Cards that were included with my copy of the game, and a look at the 3DS Stand that is included in the box, as well as the brochures it comes with (outside of the Club Nintendo code, of course. Which btw, the survey to complete your registration of Club Nintendo currently isn’t working for me and many others. Hopefully Nintendo gets it fixed pronto and gives those who pre-ordered the game their extra 10 Coins…).
Finally, after more than 20 years, Kid Icarus returns on the scene for an epic adventure! Most modern gamers will recognize Pit, the Angelic hero of Kid Icarus, from the Super Smash Bros. series where Nintendo originally revived the character after many requests that Pit be revived by the gaming press (like gaming magazine EGM) and retro Nintendo fans alike.
But this is the first time that the Kid Icarus series has been fully revived as a AAA, high-quality Nintendo title that reimagines the world and the characters in an intense single and multiplayer action shooter and creates what is being hailed as one of the best, most unique games that the 3DS has to offer!
Here is the launch trailer for Kid Icarus: Uprising!
Did you pick the game up?
I pre-ordered it at the last minute by trading in three previous 3DS titles at GameStop (Tetris: Axis, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Mario Kart 7) to buy the game (since I’m broke, it was the only way), and in order to help improve pre-order sales of the title as well as snag the exclusive 3D Classics: Kid Icarus pre-order bonus!
3D Classics: Kid Icarus is a free game only available to those who pre-ordered Kid Icarus: Uprising, which remasters the original 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System classic with full glasses-free stereoscopic 3D graphics! The 2D Side-scroller has never looked so good, and I can’t wait to jump in and finally beat the retro favorite. Since I never completed the NES version…. In fact I never got very far at all. FOR SHAME!
Look forward to much more coverage on Kid Icarus: Uprising as I tear into the main adventure and multiplayer, and look forward to my review of the game soon. Keep your eyes on Watch Us Play Games in the days ahead for much more, such as an unboxing video that’ll be up in a manner of minutes.
Another really cool promotion for Kid Icarus: Uprising was a tournament held today, on launch day, in New York City!
Here is a picture of the grand prize winner, Sam Buzby of Nesconset, NY, with his INCREDIBLY SWEET Kid Icarus: Uprising Pit trophy! Man I’d pay a high price to have that baby! He’s flanked by runners up Jay Demry of Oakland, CA (left) and Jacob Effertz of Orlando, FL (right) who got second and third place in the tournament at GameStop. The New York event concludes a nationwide tournament that also stopped in San Francisco, Orlando, Fla., and Los Angeles.
Sam Buzby wins the Kid Icarus: Uprising tournament, holding his trophy prize! On the left is 3rd place winner Jay Demry and the right 2nd place winner Jacob Effertz
Here various pictures taken from the Kid Icarus: Uprising New York City Tournament Event!
Gamers getting hands-on with Kid Icarus: Uprising and its multiplayer at the Kid Icarus: Uprising New York City tournament at GameStop
You couldn't miss the Kid Icarus: Uprising Tournament, as this guy proudly displays.
Attendees got to purchase Kid Icarus: Uprising food at the tournament via this Food Truck!
Fans got a unique experience playing Kid Icarus: Uprising at the tournament via these large screen displays! Don't you wish you had this in your house?
Give a round of applause to the Kid Icarus: Uprising Multiplayer Tournament Winner!
Oh Sleeper's videogame Stand Your Ground for the App Store by developer EMI Records Limited.
Oh Sleeper, the titanic Christian metal band from Solid State Records, has released a videogame based on their hit album “Children of Fire”! That’s right, A VIDEOGAME. Compelete with 8bit renditions of 10 Children of Fire songs!
“Stand Your Ground” is the first time Solid State has entered this new level of promotion, and hopefully creating videogames based on awesome albums will be the wave of the future! Children of Fire, the album, was released by Oh Sleeper on September 6, 2011 to rave reviews; many calling it the best Oh Sleeper album to date and one of the best metal albums of last year; with critics hailing that Children of Fire has elevated Oh Sleeper to the level of bands like UnderOath, August Burns Red, The Chariot and As I Lay Dying.
Here is the official trailer for Stand Your Ground! So far the game has garnered excellent reviews, with a five star rating and over 50 people giving it the highest rating on the App Store of Five Stars!
The release of Stand Your Ground marks a new foray into the fusion of music and gaming with a full-fledged and immersive side-scrolling arcade-style videogame based on the storyline of the band’s latest album, ‘Children of Fire.’ An album that continues the concept from the bands previous album “Son of the Morning” and takes place in the aftermath of the war between God and Satan. Which gives us some very interesting intellectual nuggets to chew on.
In the game players will battle through multiple levels of enemy forces, in classic beat-em up style, collecting power-ups that allow you to improve your conquering abilities and summoning allies to help you in your quest. Solid State insists that Stand Your Ground is not just a “promotional gimmick”, but is a fully-fldedged title that will appeal to gamers on all levels, who are looking for a rich action experience. Stand Your Ground will offer replay value for those who’ve completed the main quest, and it contains a rich storyline and unique cast of characters that players will grow to love. Fans of games like Golden Axe, Swords & Soldiers, Patapon or Plants vs Zombies are ensured to enjoy “Stand Your Ground”.
A gameplay screenshot for Oh Sleeper's Stand Your Ground game!
Here’s the official synopsis for Stand Your Ground:
“Send me all of hell and I’ll face them. I’ll face them one on one thousand.”
Pry your eyes and learn to swing in this high-intensity side-scrolling arcade fighter from Oh, Sleeper.You were born to fight. Gage Ryan, the new breed of warrior, sent by the Great Councilor to lead an army of the far-from-perfect. The tattered and bruised. The few. The only ones who remained true. Following in the footsteps of heroes, they came from the pile, from the fires of the victims, from the dead and dying. Children of fire. They’ve waited so long for the rescue.Anchored by glory, you’re a war machine moving fast to reclaim this pale grey landscape of savage darkness. It’s time to tear down and rebuild this world. With blistering heat, the enemy bursts through. Show no mercy when the gates swing. Just past the gold-stained bones, you’ll find the new sign of proof. Stand and believe that it’s true. You hold the voice to change the sea, so pick yourself up and fight. No truce or compromise. Grip your axe and swing until the cowards bleed.This kingdom’s end is written. Take it one on one thousand. Ignite the world and let it burn.
BE THE HERO YOU’VE ALWAYS DENIED
* Fight through multiple levels of ferocious enemy forces and strongholds
* Lead your unwavering army of allegiant fighters into battle
* Call in Oh, Sleeper sonic artillery in the assault on your savage foes
ALL-NEW ARCADE VERSIONS OF OH, SLEEPER SONGS
* Game includes retro-style renditions of new tracks and old favorites
Here’s a trailer for the album “Children of Fire” by Oh Sleeper!
“We are so pumped to release this project to the masses,” explains OH, SLEEPER frontman Micah Kinard. “This adventure allows the gamer to step into the boots of a
warrior, pick up his axe, and traverse through the storyline of our latest album, Children of Fire. We are always looking for ways to allow our listeners to delve deeper into our concepts and we think ‘Stand Your Ground’ is the perfect way to do this. Plus, who doesn’t love video games!?”
Children of Fire itself has been a force to be reckoned with, debuting at #142 on the Billboard 200 and, more importantly, hitting #1 on the iTunes metal charts and maintaining that position in the Top 10 for months. The album got lots of praise from critics and fans alike, who called it their best work yet.
Oh, Sleeper has built a dedicated international fanbase on tours with Bring Me The Horizon, Underoath, Every Time I Die, Demon Hunter, Silverstein, Finch and more. Their “broken pentagram” symbol has become synonymous with breaking from societal norms, uplifting spirits and merging melody with might.
Here is the song “In the Wake of Pigs” off of Children of Fire by Oh Sleeper! It’s a song with a powerful message!
The Armored March EP announced the arrival of Oh, Sleeper upon the heavy music scene with intense raw power. Their debut full-length album, When I Am God, sold over 30,000 copies based on the strength of its songs, the group’s live show and the music video for “Vices Like Vipers,” which remains a staple of the group’s setlist.
The broken pentagram symbol made its first appearance on the bold cover for Son of the Morning, the Sophomore effort and second album from Oh Sleeper. The graphic quite literally subverts and “evil” symbol of the pentagram by breaking off the top points that represent the horns, in direct reference to the line “I’ll cut off your horns!” which Kinard screams while posturing as the voice of God against the devil in the title song “Son of the Morning vs The Finisher”. Many fans have connected with the purpose associated with this new symbol and have tattooed it upon their bodies in droves, and it’s become a new staple of the “White Metal” scene that represents positive, Christian metal.
Here is the 2012 Oh Sleeper tour schedule. They are currently on tour with The Devil Wears Prada, Every Time I Die and Letlive.
Mar 20 – Austin TX @ Emo’s East
Mar 21 – Tulsa OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
Mar 22 – Springfield MO @ Transformation Gallery
Mar 23 – Nashville TN @ Rocketown
Mar 24 – Myrtle Beach SC @ House of BluesMar 25 – Raleight NC @ Lincoln Theater
Mar 26 – Harrisonburg VA @ The Blue Nile
Mar 27 – Norfolk VA @ The Norva
Mar 28 – Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
Mar 29 – Nutley NJ @ Radient
Mar 30 – Providence RI @ Lupo’s Hearbreak Hotel
Mar 31 – Buffalo NY @ The Town Ballroom
Apr 1 – Indianapolis IN @ Egyptian Room at Murat Center
Additional Tour Dates:
Apr 6 – Tlaxcala, Mexico @ Exodo Fest
Jun 21 – Wilmore KY @ Ichthus Fest
Jun 27 – Shirleysburg PA @ Creation Festival
Jul 14 – Willmar MN @ Sonshine Festival
Sep 15 – Shippensburg PA @ Uprise Festiva
Fanmade artwork for Demon Hunter's THE WIND single off of Tooth & Nail's "Happy Christmas Volume 5" album from December 2011
The Wind from Demon Hunter, lyrics included below, is Demon Hunter’s first Christmas song Single, released as part of Tooth & Nail’s “Happy Christmas Volume 5″ annual compilation, made up of songs from the entire Tooth & Nail/Solid State family. Other artists who appeared on the album included Hawk Nelson, Thousand Foot Krutch, August Burns Red, Bon Voyage, Queens Club, FM Static, Surrogate, Neon Horse, Family Force 5, Sent By Ravens, Ivoryline, Emery and Copeland. Quite the lineup! The album was released at the tail-end of 2011 last year, to celebrate Christmas.
Demon Hunter jumped on the bandwagon and offered up a really unique song called, quite simply, “The Wind”. Given that this song is a single and was not released on any previous album, many fans have never heard the song. The song could be classified as rock, and is a slow piece that lacks in any growling. However Ryan Clark’s deep voice shines on this piece and you’ll likely be very satisfied. I love the church bells at the beginning. Be sure to have the volume low at the start because the instrumental in the opening is hard to hear, so you’ll be tempted to turn it up, but then it kicks in with a really loud opening vocal compared to the quiet that comes before it.
The Wind Lyrics:
These city lights illuminate your BREATH…
As you tell of all the ways that you feel DEAD
December left you COLD and ALONE
I’M SORRY but I have enough to fear on my OWN…..
Dying to care…
I’m searching for some SOLACE in this AIR…
But THE WIND
It cuts to my bone
THE WIND
This hollow breath of COLD
The snowflakes fall like ASHES into DIRT
Like every hope that ROSE and dissolved into HURT…
Dying to care
I’m searching for some SOLACE in this AIR…
But THE WIND
It cuts to my bone
THE WIND
This hollow breath of COLD
THE WIND
It cuts to my bone
THE WIND
In WINTER’S ARMS I feel AT HOME
And I won’t LET GO
But I will take you with ME
Right to THE END
But the wind
It cuts to my bone
The wind
This hollow breath of cold….
THE WIND
It cuts to my BONE
THE WIND
This hollow breath of cold….
THE WIND
It cuts to my BONE
THE WIND
In WINTER’S ARMS I feel at HOME
This is one of those “beyond true” hilarious pics.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could bottle up that teenage energy of “know-it-all-ness” and apply it to other areas of their life. There would be nothing they couldn’t!
This is one of those pics you’ve likely seen on Facebook, but it’s a good one nonetheless. :)
Icon for Hire and their girl singer, with her awesome pink/purple hair! :D
Icon For Hire is a girl-fronted band formed in 2007 and signed to Tooth & Nail Records! If you like Flyleaf or Paramore, then you’re sure to enjoy the heavy rock sound and female-powered vocals of this new group.
The following music video is for their song “Get Well” off of their debut album, “Scripted”.
The music video is quite interesting and really well shot, with cool scenes of the lead singer trapped in a room and slow-motion effects that really give it a cinematic quality. You also gotta love the passion that the lead singer, named Ariel, brings to the song. The four-piece also features Shawn Jump on Guitar, Josh Kincheloe on Bass and Adam Kronshagen on Drums. All of them coalesce to bring the house down! I also gotta love those feet-shots… Damn this clean-feet girl foot fetish of mine! :P
Ahem.
Lyrics for Get Well by Icon For Hire:
We throw tantrums like parties
We’re not happy ’til everyone knows we’re sick…
And that’s just how we like it
We’ve hurt bad enough
Right? We’ve earned it
Don’t tell the others but it’s all getting old
I mean, how many more times must our stories be told?
And being lonely’s only fun in a group…
It sorta loses it’s charm when it’s true
I meant it when I said
“I wanna get well, I wanna get well”
Are the rest of you so content?
Then stay where you are, but it hurts like HELP
And I’m sure it’s fun at first…
Test your pulse and check your vitals
If it’s only a game, you lost me
I quit it with the suicidal recital
So now you know all my secrets…
I want out
I know I don’t need THIS
Can you find me friends that don’t rank me on what I’ve been through?
The more our battle scars
The more attention it gets YOU
Don’t tell the others but it’s all getting old
I mean, how many more times must our stories be told?
And being lonely’s only fun in a group…
It sorta loses it’s charm when it’s true
I meant it when I said
“I wanna get well, I wanna get well”
Are the rest of you so content?
Then stay where you are, but it hurts like HELP
And I’m sure it’s fun at first…
Test your pulse and check your vitals
If it’s only a game, you lost me
I quit it with the suicidal recital
Yeah, we should’ve known it would end this way…
What did you expect, pretend it all the way?
And all we got left is a sorry pile of hearts…
I’m getting out, gonna write myself a new start
C’mon, dry your eyes, meet me on the other side
Run as fast as you can and we’ll make it out alive
We know better now, we don’t have to it live like this
Go tell ‘em all we don’t have to live like THIS!
(I meant it when I said, “I wanna get well”…)
I meant it when I said
“I wanna get well, I wanna get well”
Are the rest of you so content?
Then stay where you are, but it hurts like HELP
And I’m sure it’s fun at first
Test your pulse and check your vitals
If it’s only a game, you lost me
I quit it with the suicidal recital
If it’s only a game, you lost me
I quit it with the suicidal recital
——————-
Icon For Hire and the super hot lead singer Ariel and her amazing hair! Awesome outfit too. :P
Icon For Hire have certainly got my attention! I really need to check out this album. It’s now on my wishlist! Been quite a while since I listened to a female-fronted band of this style. I’m a big Flyleaf fan. But I’m itching for something new!
Icon For Hire is currently touring with Emery on the “Emery and Friends” tour; which also features fellow labelmates Sent By Ravens and I Am Empire. That tour is wrapping up soon and will end on March 25th. Then the band is going on a HUGE tour with Red, P.O.D. and Brian “Head” Welch (formerly of Korn)! Talk about an amazing lineup! I’d give anything to see that show!
Icon For Hire Tour Dates:
Mar 21 THE 7 VENUE w/ Emery, Sent By Ravens, and I Am Empire Douglasville, GA
Mar 22 DALLAS BAY BAPTIST w/ Emery, Sent By Ravens, and I Am Empire Rossville, GA
Mar 24 GOODTIME CHARLIES w/ Emery, Sent By Ravens, and I Am Empire Tupelo, MS
Mar 25 THE OUTLAND BALLROOM w/ Emery, Sent By Ravens, and I Am Empire Springfield, MO
Apr 13 Stonehouse Park Earlville, IL
Apr 20 The Whosoevers Conference Los Angeles, CA
Apr 30 Soul Kitchen w/ P.O.D. Mobile, AL
May 01 The Center Stage Theater w/ P.O.D. Atlanta, GA
May 03 The Altar Bar w/ P.O.D., Pittsburgh, PA
May 06 Rams Head Live w/ P.O.D., Red Farmington, NH
May 08 Chameleon Club w/ P.O.D., Red Lancaster, PA
May 09 The Chance Theater w/ P.O.D., Red Poughkeepsie, NY
May 10 Tink’s Rock House Marion, OH
May 11 Ground Zero w/ P.O.D., Red Traverse City, MI
May 12 Austin’s Fuel Room w/ P.O.D., Red Libertyville, IL
May 16 The Rave w/ P.O.D., Red Milwaukee, WI
May 17 The Machine Shop w/ P.O.D., Red Flint, MI
May 18 Another Hole In The Wall w/ P.O.D., Red Steger, IL
May 22 The Orange Peel w/ P.O.D., Red Asheville, NC
May 23 Cannery Ballroom w/ P.O.D., Red. Nashville, TN
May 24 New Daisy Theatre w/ P.O.D., Red Memphis, TN
Jun 15 Atlanta Fest Stone Mountain, GA
Jun 16 KC Fest Kokomo, IN
Jun 19 Creation Festival Enumclaw, WA
Jun 22 Alive Fest Mineral City, OH
Jun 23 ICHTHUS FESTIVAL Wilmore, KY
Jun 28 Kings Island Kings Mills, OH
Jun 29 Creation Fest Shirleysburg, PA
Jun 30 Kings Fest Doswell, VA
Jul 21 Memorial Park Rapid City, SD
Jul 28 Heaven Fest Loveland, CO
Aug 02 Rock the Desert 2012 Midland, TX
Aug 03 Rock the Desert 2012 Midland, TX
Aug 07 Darien Lake Theme Park Resort Darien Center, NY
Check out Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir: http://t.co/OubtV1KT via Club Nintendo. This game looks INTERESTING! Fatal Frame spinoff! 2 days ago
Check out Xenoblade Chronicles: http://t.co/zKEul6dM via Club Nintendo. PRE-ORDER IT at GameStop & get a free artbook. Buy this amazing RPG! 2 days ago
