Well, this didn't take long, did it?

Already, the Madden community has discovered an insane glitch that can create grand opportunities for scoring in "Madden 09."

I doubt there will be an "Allow" discussion because, in most cases, when a glitch is discovered in Madden, it is taken out of tournament play (Randy Moss' jumping ability doesn't count. He was just that good in Madden 08).

This is worst than the Vick RB glitch in Madden 07 PS2; that was a similar fake-out, but at the most, a player would only get about 10 yards because the psych would last about one second before Vick was highlighted with the ball. Exploiters would only use it in goal-to-go situations.

If you look at the picture to the right, you can probably guess what type of glitch this is.

Anyway, from what I'm being told, this is the glitch: The wide receiver magically gets the ball when the play is snapped. No, the wide receiver does not run back under center like a Wing-T style play, the receiver suddenly HAS the ball.

So imagine seeing the center feeling the ball, ready to give to the quarterback. And on "Hike!" the wide receiver, nowhere near the exchange, magically has it and starts running. The wide receiver would have one, maybe two guys to beat on the way to the end zone.

Here's a video.



That's not good.

It might sound funny right now, but this has to be an obvious no-no for tournament play, and it could get ugly if it is allowed. Word is spreading quickly, so let's see if the local events, which are not tied to the community, know about the glitch.

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Labels: madden, tournament strategies

"But I want to use doubles to practice for singles."

= = =

I remember the Powerstation Extreme Tour finals in 2003; it was announced that the performance finals was going to be first, followed by the technical competition. And it created mixed reviews, because in the five years of DDR tournament play, it had almost always been technical first, performance second. If it was performance then technical, it was likely that the tournament organizer didn't know what he or she was doing.

The only reason the Powerstation move worked was because there were 16 performers and 12 technical players. The change wasn't going to be as prevalent as compared to a normal DDR tournament back in the day, where you would have 20 to 30 technical players and about 10 performers.

DDR technical competitions almost always drew more people in. By having it first, then more time could be devoted to the competition that had more players.

And that's why tournament organizers with Axis Gaming are making the right move.

If I'm looking at a 200-person Brawl tournament, I don't want to start singles at 4 or 5 p.m., no matter how many televisions I have. Yes, it is an extended weekend for many of us (not me), but this is a one-day tournament.

Plus, Axis Gaming planned for a singles tournament, not a team tournament, which came in only after a fan vote. They should accommodate for the singles tournament.

Let's say the team tournament is first. What if some catastrophe happens where everyone is kicked out midway through the singles event? Sure, the team competition happened, but did everyone go to compete in teams?

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Labels: super smash bros brawl, tournament experiences

This commercial for "Madden 09" was shown during the Maddenpalooza event at the Rose Bowl on Monday night.

Very hilarious, and a lot of people at the venue were laughing at the various jokes in the commercial.

I thought it was exclusive to the event, but I found it on YouTube, so here you go.

Labels: madden

Here's something else I wanted to note regarding shoutcasting.

I'm watching some of the Olympic games through the Web cast located on NBC's Olympic Web site. There's no play-by-play person. Pretty much, it's everything you'd get in a telecast EXCEPT a play-by-play duo.

I've watched two events so far: table tennis and basketball.

There is a text box with commentary on the bottom, but it's hardly a substitute for a Marv Albert or Kevin Harland, or even a Gus Johnson.

I'm currently watching the replay of the U.S.A vs. Greece contest, and it stays true to form; everything except a play-by-play person. And it just feels ... weird.

I would like someone to get on the mic and get into the game. In the first quarter you had Sofoklis Schortsanitis get a rebound off his own shot from the free throw and try to charge like a bull toward the basket. And Schortsanitis is built almost like a smaller Shaquille O'Neal (which is why he's called "The Greek Baby Shaq" in some places), so when you see this beast of a man going full board toward the basket, it makes you start wondering and wanting to learn more.

If there was a play-by-play person, I would get to know a little bit about Schortsanitis' history while watching the broadcast. Plus, I'd figure out how to say his name, which I have no idea; some people just call him "Sofo."

Instead, I had to look it up, and my eyes were diverted from the game. Yes, I know it was a blowout, so I didn't miss much, except for the impromptu slam dunk competition.

That's what a play-by-play person can bring to a competition, and that's what I hope for at Axis Gaming's Brawl tournament later this month. Yes, we're talking a world basketball competition compared to a video game tournament. Still, there's similarities.

(photo from Yahoo Sports and Reuters)

UPDATED: The previous Gus Johnson video went the way of the Hall-CPU video (outta here) so I linked to a different video of the great play-by-play guy.

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Labels: shoutcasting, super smash bros brawl, tournament experiences

The people at Axis Gaming have graciously given Get Your Tournament the rights to tape the "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" matches at their Aug. 30 tournament in Emeryville.

And with that, I am asking for people in the community to help out with shoutcasting.

It seems that most other fighting game communities know about shoutcasting, but the Smash civilization is still in the dark.

Shoutcasting is the eSports term for broadcasting matches with an edge. I've explained it before on Smash sites in hopes that a few people start to understand. Think of it, in the video game realm, of Marv Albert commenting on a Vince Carter thunderous dunk, or when John Sterling calls the final out of a New York Yankees win.

In other communities, it's almost secondary to have a shoutcaster covering the games. The obvious is the two popular "Counter-Strike" versions. There's also shoutcasting for World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and even FIFA.

But there's also the fighting game community.

I've said before that I did not like shoutcasting during my playing days (2000-06) but that was because there wasn't anyone entertaining that I had heard of. Also, the games I played competitively (retro, DDR, Mario Kart) weren't suited for shoutcasting.

The people that turned me onto shoutcasting were the people at EVO. They were great at the 2006 tournament. And then I heard the likes of ReDeYe and djWHEAT.

But for the Axis Gaming tournament, I'm not hoping for a remake of djWHEAT or ReDeYe. I don't think anyone in the Smash community can be as great as those two guys with just 17 days notice.

What I am looking for is someone who can provide some sort of entertainment to go with the matches. Be excited when a great play happens. Don't bore the crowd with technical speak.

Here's one example of shoutcasting. I enjoyed this match.



I'm hoping that two people can help out with shoutcasting the matches. I will do a lot of the contests, but while I'm performing other tasks that involve Get Your Tournament, I'll leave the duty to other performers.

This is just a one-day, volunteer help.

If you are interested, please e-mail me at getyourtournament@yahoo.com. It would be preferred if you have something for me to listen to, so I get an idea of who you are.

Labels: shoutcasting, super smash bros brawl, tournament experiences

Someone has leaked footage of the match between Hall and CPU which took place Sunday at EVO.

For the record, it was not an elimination match. It was a quarterfinal (winners semifinal) contest.

I don't know whether to be amazed, upset, happy, sad, you name it.

Personally, I try to watch all matches without having to think of outside influences. Let me see a football game without knowing that so-and-so was jailed or had an affair or went gambling last night.

So here's how I watched it: items and final smashes were in play. I kept telling myself, "View it as a competition under these rules. Don't go in with this aura of negativity."

OK, with that in mind ... you have to give it up for both competitors. They tried to battle. But WAY TOO MUCH was going on. It was like New Jack bringing out the shopping cart and immediately taking out a random weapon to bash another wrestler with. You're not wondering what New Jack does, you're wondering what weapon will be used.

And instead of "Natural Born Killers" as the music, it's "K.K. Slider" and the "Ridley" theme songs.

Aside from items just being this un-natural wild card, it became THE match. It wasn't about the competitors. Round 1 wasn't about how CPU nearly 3-stocked Hall, it was about how CPU nailed the smash ball with a laser at 1:25 (I've got to admit, that was cool), and how the smash ball played a part in two KOs.

There was way too much going on. The match wasn't about CPU winning or Hall losing, and that needs to be the focus in any tournament.

UPDATE: There's no link to the video because the match got taken off of YouTube, as expected.

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ESPN did a live blog from last night's Maddenpalooza event at the Rose Bowl. You can read it right here.

Check out the Madden-styled shoes. Problem is, the field was damp, so I'm surprised at how it stayed green-free.

If you head back to the main page and read the main story about Madden 09, you'll see what ESPN analyst Aaron Boulding had to say.

"This is what we've been waiting for since the (Xbox) 360 came out."

I didn't talk to Boulding until about 8:50 p.m., which was about an hour after I played the game. When he said that, I nodded my head in agreement, because when I was playing the game, I said virtually the same thing.

The look and feel of the game made me wonder why it took three years for the community to get this version.

The one thing I noticed right away was that you have to be smart in how you go about your offense and defensive schemes. If the CPU can sniff out any tricks you're trying to pull, imagine the ballers throughout the nation. The CPU banks on its strengths. If you have an Adrian Peterson, you WILL use him. If you're Peyton Manning, you WILL pass. The game will mimic the teams almost to a T. When the second roster update comes along, expect a major transaction to affect a team in a major way.

I was also told that risk taking will be punished. I learned that right away, on the kickoff of my first game. I stripped the ball from the runner, grabbed the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.

The touchdown was called back because of a 15-yard (FIFTEEN!!) face mask penalty. I also did a few commits to the running back on defense and was burned. Like I said, the game will figure you out.

After talking to Peter Moore, he seemed very happy, not because it's a new season. I believe he thinks he finally has a winner. All those years of people complaining about how the game was unrealistic, I think he and his team finally have something that will capture everyone. Remember, the game does not have a traditional difficulty setting; the game alters its play based on your own ability. You will be challenged, but you can succeed.

What Moore told me during the interview: "It's all about the adaptability of the game. My son is a far better Madden player than me, but the way the game is set up to be played, it makes me feel like I'm a good Madden player."

I'll have A LOT of goodies to give to you tomorrow (Tuesday), as we celebrate the release of Madden! Interviews with Rod Woodson, "Problem" and "Reality" are forthcoming, plus a MASSIVE picture gallery.

And by the way, I'm being told that the early Madden Challenge winners will have the advantage, unlike last year. More on that as well.

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Yes, that's right.

Who is this guy that won the EVO Brawl tournament on Sunday?

I've checked on several networks and found a young teenager from Illinois. And the same profile kept coming up on several sites.

But now, I'm being told that CPU is a person from Chino Hills, which makes this situation even weirder, or more compelling depending on your point of view.

You're probably wondering why this is so intriguing. This guy wins a tournament with hundreds of people watching, and barely anyone knows who he is.

Who is this guy? Where is he from? Did he play Melee, or is he a guy that came in when Brawl was released?

If he really is from Chino Hills, how could the Smash community, one of the most active in the West, not know who he is? He's minutes away from Shuffle and Cut, where tournaments happen weekly. There's Nexus, which took place in San Bernardino. And this guy falls under the radar? It's amazing ... if he really is from Chino Hills.

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Ken Hoang -- or simply Ken -- might not be the best Smash player and he might not be the most popular. But he sure is the most known. People in other gaming communities know him. He's as polarizing as any actual athlete who gets face time on sports networks and blogs. You've either cheered for him to the point your vocal chords go out, or you've rooted your heart out against him.

Sunday, Ken was once again in the spotlight, competing in EVO's Championship Sunday, the most important day in the fighting game community. Championship Sunday is reserved only for those who have survived the grueling preliminaries in EVO's fighting game events. Championship Sunday is what everyone in the fighting game community plays for.

But for some reason, Sunday had a lot more meaning, and it shouldn't have.

The Brawl tournament has been heavily documented for its alternate set of rules. Items were in play. Smash balls were in play. Stages not used in the community were allowed. A different counterpick system was in place. As noted repeatedly, the community was against the ruleset, and many players did not go (out of the 30 players currently in the Southern California or San Diego power rankings, only two went).

Fast forward to Championship Sunday, with the Smash and fighting game communities all trying to follow the progress of the tournament. Could Ken win even though items were in play? Some observers cheered him on, some didn't; that's the life of a tournament competitor.

And then came one of the most ludicrous statements I've ever seen.

Some players that had supported EVO's ruleset were under the belief that Ken was the key to the future of Smash. What he did at Championship Sunday would determine the fate of future EVO Smash tournaments (if there are any) and Smash tournaments in general.

To those players, it came down to this:

* -- If Ken won, then it proves that items in tournament play, and the counterpick system set by the EVO tournament organizers works. The reasoning is because, if "the best player ever" can win under those circumstances, then anyone can; items don't change the game as people had thought.
* -- If Ken did not win, then it proves that items in tournament play, and the counterpick system set by the EVO tournament organizers does not work. Plain and simple, the ruleset messed up "the best player ever."

Why this was placed on Ken and only Ken, I have no idea. It is absolutely stupid for anyone to believe this.

These people that believed in this insane line of reasoning had little knowledge of Ken's Brawl tournament history. He had competed in only a handful of tournaments prior to this past weekend. It's not like in the past, where he was a frequent visitor to competitions nationally and locally.

For some people to put the fate of Smash civilization in the hands of Ken was absolutely unbelievable. Any one of the 109 other players could get messed over by a smash ball or an overpowering item and we can turn our eyes away from it. But if it happens to Ken, do we then and only then have to take note? That's dumb thinking.

Ken finishing second has no bearing on the future of Smash tournaments anywhere, and it shouldn't.

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Elamite Warrior posted a new entry in his M.L.G online journal regarding Str8 Rippin and the tense past couple of weeks.

You can view the entry right here.

If you remember what Tsquared said in his journal, he mentioned how Gilbert Arenas was a motivating factor in how Neighbor left Str8 Rippin.

And now, we see a dollar figure mentioned in Elamite Warrior's journal entry.

I'm trying not to look at the money issue; that, we can talk about at another time. What Elamite Warrior brought up late in the entry is what I'm trying to think about.

This is when I decided that I want Mason off the team, regardless of what he ultimately decided to do. I called Ogre 2 when I realized they are just looking for the best player they could get, and in my eyes doing addition by subtraction. Not only were they looking to pick up an amazing player, but they were looking to weaken the competition.

As much as I know about M.L.G (not as much as the mass followers), it seems to be a top-heavy league. And I've been through that before.

In my hometown area, many of the high school sports are top-heavy, meaning that if you picked a sport, the same two or three teams will be in the hunt for the title every year. Sure, there will be an up-and-coming team that will make a run once in a while, but bet money on those established programs.

For a few years, it got so bad that players were transferring to rival schools in hopes that the strong got stronger. That was stopped when the area commissioner put in an injunction to prevent students from transferring whenever the wind changed directions.

Elamite Warrior is right; Neighbor going to Final Boss is supposed to have two different effects; it helps the new team and hurts the former.

But you're probably thinking, "Isn't it like that in any sport?" Not really. If you take, for instance, baseball, the good team, about 90 percent of the time, does a transaction with a really bad team. So in this case, the good team stays good, and the bad team stays bad.