Constructing A Competitive Team

Hey guys, Ghostatsuke here. Well Conduit 2 is coming out soon and many of you either already have your own teams, or your planning on starting one. With the playlists and all the other new features competition is sure to be fierce so I'm here to help you guys out with constructing a good team.

Understand there are many factors to look for and consider when putting together a team or as many of you may know it a clan. Gathering people is truthfully only part of the job and it can't just be anyone. You have to be able to work with these people you choose, and play off each others strengths and weaknesses. Here are the main things to think about:

Size - This is the start to all your success and all your complications as a team. Size is a major thing to think about. When creating a team, having the most people doesn't mean having the best chance of winning. A standard professional team in a league such as MLG or ECL (Major League Gaming + European Console League) is standardly 4 players large with the option of a team coach. Note that a majority of professional game types are played as a 4v4 setup. Nonetheless a team is not limited to so few players. Your welcome to have as many as you so wish but remember you will need to manage all of these people and give them a fair and equal amount of game time. So in all technicalities, the fewer people the better and the easier it is to work with.

Compatability - Think for a moment, you play games with plenty of people every day. How many of them can play the way you do?. Are they friends? Or are they just cool people you get along and play games with? Consider this cause everyone plays a different way. You want it to be balanced but you always want the play styles to compliment one another not conflict each other. As a team you have to be able to work together and persevere through some tough spots in matches. You all want to be able to get along and not be constantly arguing or having any bad blood. A team that plays well together, wins together.

Communication? - Communication is absolutely key in a team. It's one of the single most important thing you will need in order to move forward. How well you can communicate will almost directly determine how well you will do in a game. If you have a lone wolf in the group it's going to hurt your team since they may not be as much a team player as you and everyone else. When considering a free agent see how they play the game , and what tactics they use to communicate something, such as a weapon respawning or a location of another teammate that needs help. Remember that using callouts is BIG, so try and integrate it somewhere in a manner that everyone can pick it up and use it

to boost the communication level of the team overall. Every little push can make a difference.

Teamwork- Lastly, the most major thing is teamwork. This is where it all comes down to one thing; Can you all play as a team? Can you work together to setup a game winning push against the other team. Can you all communicate and play off of each others unique styles to shut down your competition. Are you all able to switch roles whenever needed and play either passively or aggressively when the time comes. This element ultimately relies on your teammates and should never be overlooked.

Well guys, that covers setting up the proper team. I hope this helps and pushes not just you but all your teams to an all new level and carry you farther than before. I'll be looking forward to seeing you all in competition when Conduit 2 drops in Q1 2011. If you have any questions just leave a comment below.

PDP Headbanger Headset Review

Hey people, well today I finally got my hands on the PDP Headbanger Headset for the Nintendo Wii and I'm here to review it for you guys today. The Headset is partly due to PDP's Headbanger Audio and is a very welcome edition to the Wi's peripherals. This device will be reviewed based on the categories of Design, Performance, and above all Value.

Design: The PDP Headbanger Headset comes in two colors. White, which is the color of the default headset, and black, which is the limited edition version for the upcoming Call of Duty Black Ops. Overall the headset looks very nice. It features a 10ft cord and a beautiful aesthetic design that matches whichever Wii version you get. The black however contains the Call of Duty logo on it for an added custom feel.

The ear clip on the mic is very comfortable however, it doesn't place a secure clip onto your ear so severe head movement will cause it to move about a little. Also, the mic itself cannot be bent but is adjustable to move higher or lower in order to divert usage when needed. Also there is a control piece for the volume output from the headset and the main button for the mute function is also where the logo piece is. The headset connects via USB and is also compatible with PC/Mac computers.

Performance: This headset features a noise canceling microphone, I stearo level speaker and the sound quality truthfully is off the charts. Once you manage to get the device comfortably on your ear and start chatting with people you can see that the quality is clear and it almost feels as if the person is there. The speaker while it's sound is relatively good, It's not too loud and its not flawless in terms of feedback. At times you'll get the occasional static like feedback but that's far from often.

Again I used this on Skype on found near perfect quality. All my friends could hear me perfectly and vise versa. Due to the noise canceling mic your voice comes through beautifully which will be huge for gaming when Black Ops hits store shelves this coming Tuesday. I'll have more info on the in game performance once I pick up the game. However from whit I've done the Headbanger Headset is a competitor much above Nintendo's own WiiSpeak.

Value: The Headbanger Headset has a stronger market value against that of the WiiSpeak peripheral. With this headset you have more private gaming session ability with better quality for roughly the same price. It also features a strong lasting appeal as Black Ops is not the only game to feature this device. For a decent price of $24.99 you can't turn down such a rewarding offer.

The headbanger is a device among Wii items that gamers have been craving. Now that it's here it is looking to push online gaming on the Wii to new heights and is definitely an item to pick up if you're a competitive gamer.

Final Verdict: 9.7 OUTSTANDING

The Future of My YouTube Channels

Hey everyone, It's been quite some time since I've written anything and I will be posting more throughout the week. Anyways I'm here to update all of you on a few things about the future of my YouTube channels.

A good amount of what I'll be detailing is in my recent upload A Message From Me Ghostatsuke +Halo Reach Gameplay Included!!! If you haven't seen it, or would like to view it again here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tduWlhmu7N8

Well as many of you know, I have been posting many videos on YouTube including gameplays from Call of Duty, and The Conduit. In addition to this I also have been featuring a multitude of these videos on my channels. Well a few things are changing around this year. and in the future. I'll still be posting videos but much more things are coming from me in the future.

With school being a priority of mine I haven't been too able to post and upload videos like I did during the summer. However, I will be keeping up wih things as best as I can. Currently I'm running 3 main channels and those curently are GhostatsukeFTW, SIGhostr3aper, and my latest more focused main GhostatsukesCorner.I plan to update these channels regularly, but the one that will be seeing the most improvement is GhostatsukesCorner. Originally when I started that channel it was just to post some of my old gameplays and leftovers and give the community a little insight as to how I play. Since Conduit 2 has grown and the hype to the game is substantial I've decided to go ahead and dedicate the channel to both Conduit and Conduit 2. Basically instead of just leftover clips and gameplays, I plan to post more recent footage along with much more, including some gameplays from Halo Reach.

Some things you can expect to see would include matches with my team Sudden Impact, any really good gameplay I may have, commentaries and a number of small video series I will be starting once my new Dazzle arrives, montages and more. Some of the video series are the Clutchtacular Top Ten Conduit 2 Plays, and Pro Level Play, which is a series where I'll be reviewing gameplays from players via commentary.

What I'm interested in is what would you guys like to see me post on my channel? What kind of videos would you like to see and also if you have any questions just PM or comment me. I am already taking Pro Level Play submissions and Clutchtacular will start shortly after the release of C2 with a special episode dedicated to the games launch week. Hope you all enjoy what's to come!

Well that really covers what's changing. As far as GhostatsukeFTW and C2GhosT goes, I will be still posting the same content for both running them pretty much the same way just adding Conduit 2 to the volume of uploads as well. SIGhostr3aper will be moving on to Cal of Duty Black Ops, once I pick it up later this year. So thats all for me guys, have a great day!

Relationships Are Filled With Contracts

You may not realize it but when you decide to put yourself in a relationship, you are signing your name on an agreement contract that is sure to fuck your life over every time. Here is a llist of the 5 most common relationships and their contracts.

1. Marrige: Let's be real here, marrige is the most obvious contract but apparently we men don't prepare for this and sign anyway. the "Till death do we part" actually means that. Once you sleep with her sister, mom, cousin or whoever you're going to wish you were dead because you're going to be on the street once she takes all your money and stuff. Maybe she'll kill you and save time.

2. Pregnancy: Yes ladies we do have contracts for you too. When we get your sweet sweet selves pregnant that's our way of saying "I'd like to see you leave me now bitch." Basically you have a part of us with you forever now and there's nothing you can do about it. What the hell you going to do with our kid anyways? Abortion? Hell no. Adoption? Out of the question. We are insecure and we are going to make damn sure you can't leave us.

3. Boyfriend/Girlfriend: This might as well be a marrige. This is oh yeah I like you so I'm going to claim you as my own, so if you go and mess around with someone you're as dead as Fanny's Fried Chicken. I really don't care what you really want, cause I own you so I'm in control here. Sorry fellas, no ooky for you...

4. Friends With Benefits: Fuckbuddy, Smash partner, FWB, or whatever you call it is a hidden contract. Simply put in plain English it goes you look good, we are great friends but i have no interest in dating you. So lets have sex and and still be friends. Where's the contract right? Here's the catch you missed when you agreed to sleep with her. Oh you can only sleep with me I better not hear your banging other chicks.

5. The Hook-Up: This is too easy. The infamous hookup. The hey you're sexy, we are going to chill at my house, have sex, and then you are going to get the hell out of here got it? That's it get your fix and it's over. Oh and if you're lucky I might make you a regular...

How To Put Cinematography In A Conduit Montage

Now I've been viewing alot of Conduit montages and I've even reviewed a good amount of them. One thing I really look for in a montage is originality and I understand the well can run dry in that respect with you being forced merely show gameplay. This hinders editing in a big way as there is no cinematography in the least. Most people who play Conduit figure without save films or some form of recording that cinematography in a conduit montage is impossible however this is not so.

In hopes that some people would figure this out by now with a little creativity I kept the curtain on how to put cinema in a Condut tage. Since apparently only one montage ever figured this (NWE's Python and his tages) I've decided to help you all and reveal the reletively easy secret on how to put cinematography in a Conduit montage and make it even better then some of the great ones already out there. Yes, it CAN be done.

Now this is no Halo perfection status editing and cinema here but its very very good and it will get the job done. I can safely garuntee that. Here is what you will need

1. Online Connectivity
2. A Good Friend
3. Video Capturing tools (e.g Capture card, dazzle, etc.)
4. The Conduit
5. Patience

Now to do cinemetography you and your friend must be in the same match. Both of you can record or if you just are going to do the cinema portions than only your trusty cameraman needs to record, but i recommend you both do it. Now here's what your cameraman needs to do:

Go to the Opyions menu and select "Control Options
Go to "Control Sensitivity" and change your turning speed to 70 and your Horizontal view to 1
Then go to Camera Styles. Here you have to options you can use

-Option 1: Select the Drudge Camera Style (Recommended for basic Cinema Capturing)
-Option 2: Select Custom then modify your settings so that you have Nunchuck Turning, and Either set it to look X and Y always or Look X crouched and look Y always (This is recommended for more advanced capturing such as mid air snipes or other ideas which we need you to look up or down for better angles.)

Ok, now that your camera man is all set up, all he has to do is follow you and capture your prized moments using their capture card or dazzle. During this you can capture the actual gameplay from your perspective. Please note this better done in Private matches because then you can let everyone know not to shoot your cameraman. Its also important for the cameraman to make sure to point his reticule all the way off screen to the bottom right (Drudge Camera) or all the way to the right (Custom Camera) When using the Custom camera you can move it up or down while aiming as fa off as possible to get different angles.

There you have it once all the clips are captured, have your cameraman send it to you and then you can cut and edit everything how you like to how you want it in your montage and then you will have some cinematography in your Conduit tage. Hope to see some sick new montages guys!

"Dedicated to al the people who hate on Conduit, its players and the montages made by those players"

Why I Think Conduit 2 Will Be Like Call of Duty

If you read my previous blog on this subject, My Impressions of Conduit 2 So Far then what I'm about to say may not seem to knew to you but I assure you there's alot to this. So if you haven't check out that blog post.

Before any of the flaming begins, understand I play both Conduit and Call of Duty (which I am not too big a fan of) and I've logged 800+ hours in for both games. So no, I'm not a fanboy exactly.

Ok, so recently HVS pulled the curtain back on their big sequal Conduit 2 and its campaign/multiplayer at this years E3. We all got to see some off screen gameplay of both and I talked a lot about the pros and cons of this game. If you remember I have called this a Call of Duty playstyle as opposed to C1's halo feel. I liked Conduit because of that feel it felt like what the definitive Wii game would be. The only real flaws in Conduit was glitching and hacking, lag, and bugs in the matchmaking. But after seeing C2 I can say a lot of this is going to change.

Conduit 2 has been remade and in that it kept some of it's amazing "definitive" and halo-ish traits, however overall this game is a direct comparison of CoD. Here are 5 well explained reasons why I say this, in order:

1. ADS or "Iron Sights": This was just plain wrong in my opinion. Why would you take the biggest trait to a war game like CoD and Battlefield, and Medal of Honor, then throw it into a game that nowhere meets this feel. Yes, the success rates of those games are high but for good reason, the mechenics fit the gameplay. Conduit and iron sights is a very unnatural thing. Also, if any CoD fanboy is reading this I'm about to point out the biggest flaw of the game, "clipping". This is famous in Call of Duty because when someone is shooting behind cover they can still hit you while all you see is their head. Meaning the aim is set above the characters line of sight which is ridiculous. Some people have brought up retarded arguments against lock on in Conduit which all it does is allign you to an enemy no skill is damaged through lock on. Iron sights will probably be the biggest thing to ruin this game as it moves to a CoD feel away from the game we loved before.

2. Custom Loadouts: Now, this honestly would not have been a problem if they were not used how they were. This is how this works. You, much like you would in Call of Duty, will pick your own primary and secondary weapon to use. Whats wrong with this? If you remember correctly Call of Duty suffered from pure skilless bombing with grenade launchers, rockets, c4's and claymores to the point of no return. Skill in the game seemed effortless. (as we all know rank proves nothing) This was all due to custom loadouts. This extends farther as u can edit the classes in game. Meaning rocket whores will prowess over us all. It goes on as HVS has told us the weapons are balanced but lets face facts. Rockets will do significant damage no matter how balanced you make things.

3. and 4. Perks/Suit Upgrades: I couldn't decide which piece would go where so I paired them together. This goes as far as customizing your character. -Warning Rant Alert- Now instead of just personalizing yourself and dealing with the n00b community, you get to suffer some raping from those noobs. For example if you choose a stealthy suit piece you will be invisible on radar (UAV jammer anyone?) So now you get INVISIBLE rocket whores. Great right? But I'm not trying to trash the game, I love it and not all the perks are bad. Anyways back to the comparison, perks include faster reloading longer/unlimited sprint, the ability to carry two heavier primary weapons (at the cost of your mobility) more health and more. This is alot like call of duty's perks which I'm sure you can figure on your own. It goes without saying that health/sheild bar you had before is gone and now when you take damage the screen darkens and fades in. Does this sound familiar yet. I feel like perks could have been done better like REACH's loadout/Suit ability system

5. Mechanics: Ok Call of Duty doesn't use a reticule like how Conduit and Halo did, but thats different in C2. Now its a crosshair instead of our good old headshot loving circle of death. I'm certain the minimal reticule bloom has returned however it wont matter very much anyways. Alot of the weapons have changed. If you liked the scar before guess what? It's BR status is gone and is now the equivalent of your basic assault rifle. Again weapons have been more balanced, looks likes shotgun lost power and other weapons are taking hits too. Your mobility now is dependant on the weapons you carry so certain weapons will slow you down. They threw in sprint but your jumping is still shot a bit. (I wanted slightly higher jumping to deal with spam jumping issue) Thankfully ADS isn't required and lock on is still in the game. Here's the BIG problem, which of course I try my hardest to make known to HVS. Weapons DO NOT spawn on maps. No more strike rifle or rocket spawn. unless you start with it or you kill someone who did, Your not getting it. You only get 1-2 nades if im not mistaken and its 3 with a perk (limiting ish?) Theres none on the maps for you to pick up either so once your out of ammo thats basically it for you.

The game still features amazing graphics, a split screen 4 player multiplayer and an online co-op called Team Invasion, which is similar to ODST's firefight. In addition to this some of the weapons and other things fit like it would in a Halo title. It's even using Nintendo's new headset from PDP, bless the online gods! Even though alot of Conduit has been tossed to Call of Duty's gamestyle I still think this will be the best Wii shooter and hopefully HVS will fix these mistakes and keep that good old original feel and Halo playstyle. One more good note is that the HUD display is simply beautiful this time :)

I'll be reviewing C2 when it drops Winter 2010 be on the lookout for that.

So you want to play with me on Nintendo WFC

Before you contact me on YouTube or something wanting to play with me on WFC I would like to say that I am NOT the one playing in ANY of the montages on my channel (so far). If you still wanna play me my gamertag is Ghostatsuke and my Wii Console nickname is Ghoster21. The Friend Code is 4393 :: 4676 :: 8685 :: 7638, My buddy list is filling up pretty quickly so I would add my good friends Crash123 or Ne0. Since chances are I'm playing with one of them.

Here is a little something to know about me and WFC. I usually play in the afternoons throughout the week especially on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Friday I spend most of my time playing Conduit with my friends on one of their hosts or I'm in a public, BUT due to distances and timezones etc Wifi connection varies. So if you can not join our party then it is probably a Wifi issue, of which we cannot fix. We have attempted but to no avail.

Also, I'm not a god at Conduit. I took a long break before and lost alot of my skill during the hiatus. I'm still pretty good, but because of the loss in my abilities I'm usually in private Team Reaper skimmishes or FFA publics. I do enjoy skill intensive gametypes like Reaper Pro and Team Snipers, and other pro customs. If you're looking for someone to get you instantly better than the best in any gametype, I am NOT the person you are looking for.

The Story Behind My Youtube Username

Okay after a while of being on youtube and running my accounts, I ran into a beautiful piece of hate mail ever that read: Ghost you suck and your name is stupid. Now I gave the following statement which sometimes is a more common ordeal sometimes.

"You're defining me based on what? The fact that I am posting montages for others entertainment? Or on the basis, that your not the brightest of people and felt the need to make a dumb remark."

Of course there was no more conversation after this. Now, to answer this and anyone else who is curious as to what my channel name is about

I become an avid follower of MLG back in'07. Shortly after watching a few games of Tsquared and another one of my favorites Ghostayame. Then around the time of therelease for The Conduit I had decided to edit the name I played under. It was always Ghost but I wanted to add to it and an old clan name I was tossing around before i decided on Sudden Impact seemed to fit nicely. So I mearly combined the two and I came up with Ghostatsuke. Then in the course of creating my personal accounts to broadcast Conduit videos i decided to add FTW (for the win) to the name and thus the account was born.

What I Look For In Montages

When I'm reviewing a Conduit montage these are the qualities I look and pay most attention to, arraned in order of importance.

For the record, when I say montage i don't mean funtage/chilltage/loltage/bloopertage/or dancetage.

1. Gameplay - To me this is the backbone of any montage and thereore by far, is the most important factor in a video. If you have good gameplayer you already have beaten mst people and I will most likely upload it to my channel. You wanna be sure to have a clip that stands out and that you stay consistant throughout your tage.

2. Originality (of course right?) - When I first thought of doing this, I was going to make it 3rd on my list. After some deep thinking for a few moments I opted for second, simply because the truth is seeing the same old sme old recycled stuff is just plain boring, no matter how AMAZING the feat is. If all your montage consisted of was killfests on the same map and in the same gametype, even if al the kills were on the best players ever, it would be incredibly boring. If you want to impress someone (and me) you want to do something that has never been done before. Also, if your loooking to stand out either use an entirely new music genre or one that hasn't really been touched before. Better yet just use a different song most people wouldn't try to use. Remember, it doesn't matter what song, what matters is how well the editing goes with it.

3. Editing and Cinematography - Now before you go whining, I know this is hard to get in a Conduit montage, but it is possible. This is the third major factor on in montages and for good reason.Remember that a good editor enhances clips and doesn't distort them with fancy over the top effects. The number 1 thing I look for in terms of editing is SYNCING. Good syncing is probably the most effective and efficient way to enhance gameplay in a montage, which is probably why I love Gkarter's editing so much. The use of camera angles is another thing I look for. (Its possible if you have compliant partners) It's a great tool everyone should try to incorporate.

4. Quality - Crisp clear quality is always pretty and therefore a big plus. Good quality highlights points and keeps the viewer entertained and decreases the strain you put on people''s eyes when they are viewing the video.

Crawling Review

If you haven't seen Crawling or would like to watch it again heres the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DVwe6DUzOA&feature=player_embedded

Gameplay: A
The gameplay in his montage does not dissapoint and fully delivers on the pro skills you would expect from Gkarter. He picks up amazing sniper doubles and an amazing shotgun overkill. He even goes all the way to pick up a 8 killstreak nearly showcasing a beautiful killfest. Throughout Crawling are varying clips of amazing snipes, charged deatomizer kills and a number of kills on big names like Tricky and Kaiser. There's so much to love about the fast paced flow of the gameplay that only intensifies as it goes on.

Normally, I would complain about arter's use of recycled clips but this time it's actually a very interesting thing. Even though it in some ways takes away from the freshness of the montage it also adds to the ambience of this progression and it cools pacing down while keeping that same intensity level. I'm sure it was unintentional but its definately noteworthy. A lot of the kills stood out to me especially the snipe on Sanctum and the two headshots on Streets.

Karter is a brilliant player and his gameplay is some of the most highly regarded and I recommend it to be viewed by anyone. The level of skill he displays in his montages only seems to improve. Even with the few recycled clips the gameplay is still fantastic.

Editing: A+
Crawling is simply this emotional rollercoaster. As it may mark a long hiatus from Conduit, Gkarter wasted know tim in putting some of the best editin I've seen. One of the biggest notes is the intro with the beautifully synced headshot acroos closed street. But even beyond that the brilliant uses of effects and blur transitions makes this montage easy to follow. There's a few cuts and fades (seen in mst montages nowadays) but overall transitions are smooth with effects keeping the pacing we all expect from one of karter's videos. It goes without saying that the effects are progressing the gameplay further keeping interest high throughout the video with every kill.

Once again the music choice is on point. The intro starts with a linkin park mix (For the record I'm a huge Linkin Park fan) and this was a great way to start the tage off. Then an emotional more core epic orchestrated soundtrack was used glorifying alot of the smaller clips like the deatomizer Streets scene. Music timed very well with the gameplay and a vast majority of the music was synced to the gameplay and some of it's holy sh*** kills. A couple of the blurs did feel a bit heavy but thats hardly a complaint here. Not much here really needs to be said other than the editing is outstanding.

Anything that was lacking in gameplay is more than made up for in the editing added a bit of theatricalness to everything that might not have existed otherwise and in that this montage once again sets a bar for editing in Conduit montages.

Additional Thoughts:
-720p Hi Def presentation
-Opening tracks didnt seem to fit as well with the overall music choice.
-Some clips could have gone a little farther.

Overall Grade: A
This tage by Gkarter is definately worth downloading to your hard drive and is something you can appreciate each time you watch it. In the slew of montages out there Crawling really sets itself apart with an excellent soundtrack, near perfect editin, and emotional feel pushed through both the gameplay and the editing this truly feels like a true work in the series of Conduit montages.

My Impressions of Conduit 2 So Far

I love Conduit and I have played it extensively (As it reminds me of Halo and Goldeneye) and I personally have high hopes for the game. I have heard of changes and I got small peak at the multiplayer today. So here's my list of pros and cons for C2 so far.

Pros:
-Refined graphics and overall look and feel seems better. Maps look brighter and much larger than the slender and small maps of Conduit
- Modular Armor System will be great giving that Halo style customization we wanted to see before.
-Local and online multiplayer that should ensure some long nights with co-op, local 4 player, and online multiplayer.
- 5 new maps and 5 new weapons to hit with the game and a possibility for DLC.(Thats always a good thing right?)
- Supporting PDP's recently announced headset in its partnership with Nintendo (finally they do something right.)

Cons:
- Game is loosing originality by moving to a more Modern Warfare style of play with its addition of iron sights or ADS.
-Perks feel too limiting, For example I can't hold the SCAR with a Sniper(WTF) and I can only carry 3 grenades with a perk.
-Weapons affect my mobility which sucks cause i loved being able to move at the speed i had now if im holding rockets I'm just asking to be a prime target.
-Control style will have to change to fit gameplay mnechanics and I liked my H3 style it got me to my pro status.
-Matchmaking doesn't look all too refined, you'd think thy would up the look a bit more. (Then again i only had a glimpse so this is likely to change.)

Microsoft Media Breifing Analysis

Well today marked the first day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in beautiful San Francisco. Microsoft's media breifing was the big thing on everyones mind. The big question? What was next for Xbox 360 fans everywhere. The question was answered and it has left alot of us with confused looks and awe at some of the releases. Overall this event was trully a mixed bag.

The conference started off with a massive hype inducing trailer from Activision and Treyarch's newest spin at one of Microsoft's biggest titles, Call of Duty Black Ops. After the trailer aired one of Treyarch's developers walked out on stage and took us into the world of deniable black ops with a demo of the game. We saw what probably was an early mission in the campaign where you will travel through an underground tunnel and run into an enemy hostile who makes quick work of one of your allies. From there the game cuts to a later part in the mission where you reach an enemy base and after clearing it out man the chopper and use it to aid in the fight, taking out bridges, enemy helicopters, and more. It was a wonderful start to the conference and it definately got me into what was to come.

Microsoft's vice presidant stepped on the stage and talked about how they plan to "transform" the way we play games, much like Nintendo did in 2006. There biggest focus throughout this conference was Kinect, which is Microsoft's motion control offering to gamers. It's totally hands free and this time appears to play much more fluidly. Before I talk about that though let's talk about the games we really want to hear about.

Microsoft decided to show their big 3 titles which are Call of Duty, Halo, and Gears of War. Now I have no complaint about this but as you'll see later I do have a couple complaints. After Call of Duty's showcase, one of the biggest game suprises last year returns as Hideo Kojima came out to debut a trailer for Metal Gear Solid Rising. Seeing Raiden take out that cyborg beast in the trailer had me jumping out of my chair like when Zelda Twilight Princess Debuted. The games focus and cutting up everything in sight you can't help but love the game. Then a crowd favorite Cliff Blezinski took the stage and demoed a wet dream of alot of gamers, Gears 3. The game featured a much improved frame rate and the gameplay was phenomenal showing off the lampent and the two new female additions to the Gears team. Cliff also mentioned at the end of a new Beast mode they were revealing. Then Bungie finally took the stage and delivered what I personally was questioning, the Halo Reach campaign. Debuting today was a darker side to the Halo story featuring brutal elites that know no fear, speak in their own tounge, and were prepared to battle to the death. The demo ended with you taking control of a aircraft and battling in the skies. It was simply outstanding.

After all this, Microsoft went father talking of the history of Xbox and how things have been changed in this transformation of the console and its online. Then they showed that when technology is out of the way connecting with friends and family is easy and natural. In Kinects demo I liked how you could say what you wanted to access or move it with your hands. It's a very nice way to do things and it does help deal with that frustrating search for your controller or TV remote. These aspects of the device are great and new and i find it to be a nice luxuary to have.

However, as the conference continued with Kinect I found alot of the games to be a little too casual. A lot of them felt like early Nintendo releases like Excite Truck and Wii Sports. It's all great but it really only appeals to people who may not have played games or are just looking for a casual experience. On the other hand though a lot of the games do look fun to play like the Star Wars game for Kinect. Also I found the video chat very interesting and smooth. A few other games like Your Shape Evolution and Kinect Sports, get you more involved and out your seat for the game. One of the biggest announcements for Kinect was Forza's take on the device and how not only can you drive but actually take a more in depth look at your favorite cars. It was all very innovative and I wonder how other developers will use Kinect.

Now if all this didn't cause a heart attack then this more than likely will; Microsoft in a huge suprise attack unveiled a brand new Xbox 360, complete with all new sleeker design, built in Wifi 802 11n, glossy black exterior, and a whopping 250 GB hard drive. That's not all the Xbox is being shipped today and will hit store shelves later this week. If you would like some in depth specks of the console you can head on over to xbox.ign.com

So what does this all mean? Well, it looks like Microsoft is going for a more casual approach this E3. The core games like Gears and Halo didn't dissapoint and Kinect did show a few interesting features. However it looks like the family game was more appealed to making Microsoft's conference an ok one really. Aside from the new Xbox and MGS Rising, and Halo Reach and Gears, nothing too major was announced or really shown. All in all it's just a mixed bag.

My Impression of Halo Reach So Far

I'm enjoying it a hell of alot more than ever. I think Bungie is making an excelent jump at this attempt (I loved Halo 1 and Halo 2 and I'm not the biggest fan of Halo 3) So here are my thoughts on Halo Reach so far.

Halo is the franchise that reveloutionized the first person shooter, and it's probably what got many people into the world of online multiplayer. Recently Bungie had reeleased a public beta giving everyone a taste of Halo REACH's amazing multiplayer. The new loadouts, armor abilities and overall feel brought new tactics and a newfound appreciation for what strives to be the "definitive" Halo experience. I sat down and played the beta and I must say i loved it. The gameplay was so fluid and the Arena modes brought back memeries of Halo 2's Team Hardcore. Overall the multiplayer is something new and its a great turn on the Halo franchise.

Today however, at E3, there were lots of amazing announcements and demos. Of course all of these meant nothing since the majority of it was Kinect games. Luckily for us though that shining glimmer of Epic Studios and Treyarch kept us going. But something else shined for us today, it was the debut of Halo Reach's campaign which I must say was the most breathtaking demo I had seen the whole conference. If you would like to see the trailer heres the link: http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14276699/halo-reach/videos/e32010_reach_trl_campaigntrailer_61410.html

The campaign is very cinematic and beautifuly tells the piece of Halo's story that so many of us have questioned. The elites are more brutal than ever and Noble team is armed to the teeth to battle them. The covenant have their native toung and also another great thing is the look of the game. Graphically it is more stunning than the original beta and the updates are a nice little touch to a growingly popular tital.

I can't wait to see more on Halo REACH comes closer to it's release. So far I can see this is a Halo we are all going to remember for a long, long time.

Current YouTube Channels.

This blog is meant mainly to let people know that I am indeed Ghostatsuke and that am who I say I am. In addition to this for those of you that do not know me and want a little more insight to what I do on youtube then this blog will be beneficial to you.

I'm a huge gamer as many of you can probably already tell and I am fairly well known amongst the Nintendo gaming community. Anyway I have 4 youtube channels and another I am affiliated with. I play different games for Wii and have made channels for each. I have a channel for those of you that play Call of Duty Modern Warfare Reflex. I also have a channel for conduit gameplays and montages that will bring the best Conduit footage to gamers.

My other two channels are slightly different. One is a backup to my original conduit montage channel which also serves as my main channel. And recently I created a new channel simply for my personal gameplays from Conduit. A lot of those clips are probably going to be leftovers and such nut I will try to keep it updated with new clips and a gameplay here and there.

The channel I'm affiliated with is IGC. This channel is originally known as the International Gamer Community but is likely to change to International Gamer Circuit (Decided on by my good friend Mez, and myself) That channel will feature gaming news, and info brought in from other gamers. In addition competitions will also be posted to show our hardcore gamers at work.

If you would like to view any of these channels here are the links:
http://youtube.com/user/GhostatsukeFTW
http://youtube.com/user/GhostatsukesCorner
http://youtube.com/user/SIGhostr3aper

Here is the IGC official Channel:
http://youtube.com/user/IGCmedianetwork

Well that will do it for me, Peace.

Never Surrender Review

Hey everybody, I'm back with another review and this time around I chose one of my favorite Conduit montages, from Gkarter which is probably without a doubt the best montage for Conduit ever, Never Surrender.

Heres a link to the montage if you have not seen it or would like to see it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I43suecjfyo&feature=player_embedded

Gameplay A
The gameplay in Never Surrender is simply breathtaking. Every moment is filled with precise, near perfected kills. It's filled with plenty of snipes, going beyond doubles and triples, to overkills, to even masacres. I love the opening on Streets where he is battling it out with a pistol against Deatomizers and pistols. It truly put the title of the montage into perspective as he didn't quit and managed to get an amazing massacre then going the extra mile to pick up the 6 kills streak. Beyond this the headshots are simply phenomenal racking up amazing consecutives (check out the amazing Infirmy clip). The best part is the clips are mixed from pro matches and socials showcasing the amazing skilled kills on names like Mexman.

Despite all this I did have a rather minor gripe with the montage. This may get me a kick in the ass later but fact still remains this montage was recorded using a still camera as opposed to something like a capture card or a dazzle. Now its nothing too serious like i said but it does kind of take away from the gameplay a bit especially with the style and story it tries to tell. Hopefully this will be fixed later on but again its a minor issue.

The gameplay in Never Surrender is simply incredible. throughout the entire video, every moment leads you through the war that is left inside each clip. Every kill is almost worth mentioning in itself. It's some of the best ever put together and it's truly something you can appreciate.

Editing: A+
The editing in this montage is nothing short of outstanding. From the beautifully orchestrated music and song choice, to all the amazing editing effects the editing in Never Surrender could never disappoint. One of the most noteworthy things is the use of transitions. Most montages will just use a cut or fade to the next piece of gameplay. Now we do get that here and there in the montage but throughout the theatrical switches from flashes to slow downs to dynamic sound and the timing for each is so well done. (Fade to Sanctum scene). The editing is truly something

The music sets the epic tone of this montage dropping you in an ongoing battlefield where one soilder is left to fight. The syncing in this monage is just well executed. Even though more parts could have been synced, the parts that are synced just go so beautifully with the overall flow of the montage. This montage is very fast paced and very theatrical in its own way. It reminds me of Dualtality from Fragtality and Sticktality on Halo 3. Throughout this many effects are added where gameplay couldnt sync to keep the montage going and i must say it is a sight to see.

I will say the editing is a little heavy and in some parts may be slightly distracting but it is all there for good reason as this montage is meant to have a lasting appeal and tell a story as well show off his skill as a Conduit Pro. When watching this you can really see all the effort Gkarter put into making this one of his greatest montages ever. This montage is truly memorable and is well worth viewing.

Extra Thoughts:
-Video In HD 720p
-Second song could have been better
-Beautiful footage but needs better capturing

Overall Grade: A+
Never Surrender has in my opinion, revolutionized what makes a Conduit montage and has truly set the standards for these montages in general. Beneath the clutch kills, no scopes, overkills, and massacres, and amazing detailed editing. is a story of what every pro gamer has somewhere in their minds and that is to Never Surrender. I can call this with no exaggeration a true work of art.

I dedicate this blog to my two great friends Hellsing, and Gkarter. Even though I only met them on Conduit and the Portal they have been great friends to have and big helps to my own skill improvement. Thanks guys for everything and all the fun games.

A Beast at Heart Analysis and Review

Hey guys, this will be my first of many upcoming montage reviews. Montages will be graded in 2 categories, gameplay and editing. There will also be some "extra thoughts" after these 2 categories which also affect the montage's overall grade. Anyways, I've decided to start off with one of the top Conduit montages so far, A Beast At Heart

Here's a link to A Beast At Heart if you haven't seen it or simply would like to watch it once more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0lhyjh4Jo

Gameplay B+
From the start of the montage you can easily see that Mexman (Crash123) is a very good player. Throughout this montage the clips are filled with plenty of great shots and kills. Let's start with the upsides to the gameplay. This is a social gameplay montage featuring plenty of public matches all with some great clips. There's plenty variety and some really good clips like the shotgun double kill on streets and the strike rifle double on Pentagon. Another great thing about the gameplay was that there were some incredibly clutch kills. One thing that really sttod out to me, was the fact that Mexman included his deaths in the montage. That's never something you usually see because montages mainly show kills but it showed Mexman doesn't think he's the best but he knows he's very good. He eaven got a few names in the clips like the Sanctum kill on Magster but even with all this the gameplay has its flaws. The montage was great but a lot of the kills weren't too major. Most of them were merely doubles and headshots not really showing off any sprees or "amazing" moments in the gameplay.

Another thing that really got to me in the gameplay was a lot of the clips just seemed thrown in. There were some great kills but some of them felt like they could've been done without. Aside from a few great shotgun kills and snipes and a bit of Scar beauty, some of this montage just felt unfinished. Personally I think just a few extra clips going all the way up to a massacre or killfest would be great additions.

Aside from the few lackluster clips a lot of this montage shows great gameplay with amazing kills and truly shows Mexman as a player. The clips are nice and plenty are easily memorable at points throughout. So if your looking for a montage with great social kills and headshots then this montage will keep you entertained.

Editing: B
The editing in A Beast At Heart isn't exactly the most amazing or engaging, but it does compliment the gameplay in the video very well. In the first half of the montage you don't get much except for some mild zooms here and there like in the Warehouse clips. However this is not the same for the second half of the montage. There the editing definitely picks up with better used zoom effects and a nice flash that synced well with the song choice. The song choice mimicked that of the Str8 tage not making it the most original but definitely a great choice. The color effects at the end definitely was a nice touch as well.

Now in terms of the song choice I only have two problems; It didn't seem to fit the gameplay feel and overall mood, and the gameplay didn't sync as well until the second half of the montage. Music in your montage can tell a lot about what your montage will be. Whether its laid back, epic, or just hardcore. I feel that the gameplay fit more of a laid back feel since there weren't too many insanely memorable moments. Given the time frame tho the generic rock songs chosen that did so well in Str8's tage wasn't too bad of an idea I just think more insane clips should have been added to better flow with the music.

Despite that tho my other gripe is just with the syncing i feel like the first song was just thrown in to play in the background not really fitting at all (like most Conduit montages). This led me to not be as into the first have as many would be in say the No Scopers tage. Now where it all came together for me was in the second half with Shinedown where all the syncing came in like the flash before the across the map snipe on Streets. The music better flowed with the gameplay and Mexman's editing shined through there. with the transition to the second half. It almost betters the first half by suggesting that the beginning was just a lead up to the stellar kills followed in the second half. It in a way told a story of Mexman's evolution as a player and that stood out to me after watching it a few times.

Extra Thoughts:
-Video is in beautiful 720p HD
- Gameplay is mixed nicely giving clean variety
- Song choice isn't most original

Overall Grade: B
A Beast At Heart is an interesting montage. While it's not the most amazing it does show Mexman as a player and through the second half you can say he is a beast at heart. I didn't quite understand until i watched it a few times but the montage itself shows the evolution of one of Conduits better known players. It sticks to basics and simplicity but still shows some amazing footage and is definitely worth the look.

Who am I? (A Message to Conduit Players Everywhere)

I've lived on both ends of the competative hardcore and the casual gamer realms for some time, but i think It's time I let everyone know my beliefs and who I am through my story as a Conduit player.

Well it all truthfully started with my best friend Josh. He used to always talk about Halo on Xbox and how it was such an amazing game. He would tell me about moments he had and one day I came arond to having him over and we play against each other. Now at the time it was my first FPS and I wasn't all that used to aiming and of course I sucked and lost those games only racking up maybe 5 to his 10 kills. Eventually I grew interested in the game and I played more learning things like camping and camo whoring. I also learned how to snipe and use the Battle Rifle, my new favorite weapon pretty well and I became a very formiddable opponent online. Those were some good times.


Now towards early to mid 2007 I was on YouTube, where I came across an interesting clip of some Halo gameplay and it was phenomenal. The double kills and overkills were jaw dropping and it sparked a fire for me to game. Later that day I learned what I watched earlier via a TV special called True Life: Im A Professional Gamer. That was my first look into the world of MLG and I wanted in. Things shifted for me when I saw that I could play Super Sash Bros. for MLG and I quickly jumped to that. It wasn't that I didn't like Halo, I loved the game but I was never an over the top Xbox fan like I was for Nintendo. So I quickly got on. As I explored the competitive side of gaming I was simply breathtaken by the huge uproar it could cause it was such an amazing atmosphere.


Then came the release of The Conduit, High Voltage Software's answer to the core market in the form of a sci-fi FPS that many consider to be the Halo of Nintendo. I was, much like everyone else eager and hyped for the game but like most of them over time I found my pros and cons with the game. No matter which way you looked at it the game just couldn't match the intensity of Halo.


Still it was an amazing offering. It left me with two options from that point; Matchmaking or Competetive Private Matchmaking of which I played both, blowing up my friends with rockets and finding weapon locations and jumps to better get the jump on people and now I balance myself between playing the game for fun and just enjoying it and playing with that competetive fire that reminds me why gaming is as great as it is sometimes.


So, in the end, who exactly am I? Well I'm a Conduit player who just overall enjoys the game. I enjoy going +40 in matchmaking and hitting jumps to get power weapons early, and still going back to Halo and Smash Bros. to do all those old tricks (I learned the Halo 2 super jump and the banshee trick. Thanks Jimbo) I'm a Conduit player who loves the SCAR and calls it the equivalent to the Battle Rifle and has the utmost respect for all the gamers who like myself take Conduit to the next level making sure every shot fired, every callout, every executed action, is called with incredible passion, precision, and planning. I am a Conduit player who's enjoyed both sides of the feild and knows when your playing to win and when your just playing to have a good time with some buddies. I'm a Conduit player who just wants us all to enjoy the game together. In peace.