Author Bio
Christian McLeodHome Town: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Sports: Baseball, Hockey, College Football, Basketball
Games: NHL 94, MVP Baseball 05, Punch Out, Excitebike
Teams: Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and Pistons, Michigan State Spartans
OS Username: Bumble14
Tags: Xbox Live: Bumble14
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
02:38 PM - December 22, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
It's that most wonderful time of the year once again, and that also means it's time for my annual last minute Holiday gift guide. This year we were graced with one of the best sports gaming lineups in recent history, which means there were many high quality titles that were overlooked. So if you're feverishly searching for a perfect gift for that sports gamer on your list, look no further.
Read More - Five Last MInute Ideas for Your Sports Gamer
Thursday, December 17, 2009
05:09 PM - December 17, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
After an exciting start, the college basketball season is hitting it's stride as we near the Holidays. With Tournament time still months away, I thought it would be an interesting idea to run 2010 season simulations using both the newly released NCAA Basketball 10 and the 2 year old College Hoops 2k8 with an updated 09/10 roster set. Not only was I interested in respective simulation results between both games, I was also curious to see come March which game produced the most realistic results. Call it a grudge match of the simulation engines if you will.
Read More - College Basketball Season Simulation: College Hoops 2K8
Friday, November 20, 2009
01:12 PM - November 20, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
No franchise was more in need of a makeover last fall than EA's (formerly known as) March Madness series. The crescendo of the franchise's downfall came with March Madness 08, which turned out to be the equivalent of a number 16 seed after the first day of the NCAA Tournament -- routed by a vastly superior opponent and lucky to even have been invited to the big dance. Thankfully, EA listened to the criticism leveled at the March Madness series and decided to start from scratch. The result was NCAA Basketball 09. NCAA Basketball 09 corrected many of the nagging issues from the March Madness series and implemented a core experience that could be built upon in future iterations of the series. While the game was ultimately crippled by some annoying bugs (for example, playing zone against the CPU would force an ungodly amount of turnovers) and a lackluster dynasty mode, the overall game was a very solid Freshman effort by EA. 2008 marked the year that the developers at EA once again made their college basketball offering relevant.
And now with the first week of college basketball upon us, it is only natural that EA has released NCAA Basketball 10. Touting revolutionary television presentation, an all-new motion offense mechanic and yearly team and player "dynamic" updates, NCAA Basketball 10 is ready to up the tempo and try to run all other 2009 hoops competition out of the gym.
So is the game ready to ascend to the level of a UNC, UCLA and Michigan State, or is NCAA 10's bubble going to burst well before March?
Read More - NCAA Basketball 10 Review
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
04:14 PM - November 11, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
NCAA Football 10 was a disappointment. While new additions like Team Builder and Season Showdown initially impressed gamers, faulty gameplay mechanics coupled with a lack of collegiate presentation and atmosphere, ultimately doomed the game in many consumers' eyes (myself included). So as college football gears up for its final month before the beginning of bowl season, I thought it would be a good time to look at some things I want to see included in NCAA Football 11. As a start, I will be outlining the five most important changes that the series needs to make if it is to ever going to become as relevant as it once was on the Playstation 2 and Xbox gaming consoles.
Read More - Five Essential for NCAA Football 11
Monday, September 21, 2009
01:35 PM - September 21, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
September is in full swing, which can mean only one thing for many hockey fans: EA's newest NHL title has hit store shelves. NHL 10 marks the 19-year anniversary for the series, a feat that can only be challenged by the Madden series in terms of sports-gaming longevity. Even if you are not a fan of the series, it is difficult to deny the importance of the franchise to the sports-gaming landscape. NHL Hockey (released in '91) set a new precedent for how hockey games would forever be played, and the series quickly became the gold standard that the competition would strive to match.And since NHL 10 was just recently released, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and rank the top five EA NHL games of all time. Read on to see if your favorites made the cut.
Read More - Top Five EA NHL Games of All Time
Saturday, September 12, 2009
11:03 AM - September 12, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Christian McLeod
The AFC West was arguably one of the NFL’s worst divisions during the 2008 season. This fact alone led to one of the most wild offseasons in division history. The Chargers re-signed Sproles, the Raiders brought in an impact receiver, the Chiefs made a huge splash at QB, and the Broncos fired a legendary coach and ran their franchise quarterback out of town.Will these wholesale changes be enough to make the AFC West relevant come playoff time, or will 2009 be another year of infamy for fans of this once great division?
Read More - OS Madden 10 Preview: AFC West - Written by: Christian McLeod
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
12:10 PM - August 25, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
This past hockey season was a tough one for me since my beloved Red Wings choked away a chance at back to back Stanley Cups. In addition to that unfortunate moment in history, one of my all-time favorite sports-gaming franchises, NHL 2K9, was still struggling to find its way. But with a full development cycle under their belt, the developers at Visual Concepts will hopefully deliver an impressive game in 2009. All right, now let's get to it.Read More - NHL 2K10: What's Hot and What's Not
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
01:03 PM - August 5, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
To many hardcore sports gamers, the 2006 release of Wii Sports was a bit of a disappointment. While the game provided some realistic motion controls, not to mention the greatest bowling simulation ever, it was difficult to shake off the notion that the game was nothing more than a glorified tech demo for Nintendo's new system. Outside of bowling, the game offered up barely enough content to keep even the most devout Wii supporter busy for a couple of hours -- let alone a devout sim-style gamer.It's hard to believe that it has been almost three years since the Wii first found its way to the States, but those years have not been kind to sports gamers. But recent releases such as Tiger Woods 10, EA Sports Active and Punch-Out Wii have begun to sway things back in the positive direction. And if you are one of the lucky devoted sports gamers out there that did not sell your Wii, Nintendo is now rewarding you with the recently released Wii Sports Resort, also known as Wii Sports 2.
Read More - Wii Sports Resort Review
Thursday, July 9, 2009
03:55 PM - July 9, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
As NCAA Football 10’s release date rapidly approaches, I could think of no better way to pass the time than to rank the five most dominant teams in NCAA Football history. Since the NCAA Football series dates back to Bill Walsh College Football, compiling a top-five list was no easy task. In the end, only the most dominant programs survived, and with no BCS computer to bail them out, four teams had to go home empty handed.Read More - Top Five Teams in EA Sports NCAA Football History
Thursday, June 25, 2009
01:18 PM - June 25, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
This week we tackle the dreaded World Circuit in the official OS Punch-Out strategy guide (Minor Circuit, Major Circuit). This circuit will not only test your reflexes but also your patience. So if you want to keep your record unscathed, then be sure to spend plenty of time sparring against the holographic representations of your World Circuit foes.Read More - Punch-Out World Circuit Guide
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
08:33 PM - June 16, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
Last week we took a look at how to tackle the cream puffs of Punch-Out’s Minor Circuit. This week we crank up the difficulty level and examine how to beat each one of the Major Circuit opponents. But if you are still having trouble with anyone on the Minor Circuit, be warned: You may want to perfect your moves before stepping up to the next level.Read More - Punch-Out! Major Circuit Guide
Friday, June 12, 2009
10:30 PM - June 12, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
For the past three years, the Tiger Woods series on the Wii has been widely regarded as the system's best sports title. Utilizing slick motion controls, deep character customization and addictive party game modes, the Wii version of the Tiger franchise has even become the version of choice for hardcore Tiger fans, myself included. But as solid as the series has been on the Wii, a lack of innovation, bland graphics and a distinct bias towards arcade gameplay have plagued the series since it first debuted in 2006.
With the announcement of Wii MotionPlus in 2008, Tiger fans and those looking for a more simulation style of virtual golf were excited about the promise of the peripheral's true one-to-one motion control and what it could mean for EA's golf franchise. Now the promise is a part of reality.
Read More - Tiger Woods 10 (Wii) Review
Monday, June 8, 2009
12:30 PM - June 8, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
Welcome to week one of Operation Sports official Punch-Out strategy guide. This week we examine the game’s Minor Circuit. With its collection of washed up "has beens" -- Glass Joe constitutes as a "never was" -- the Minor Circuit is a fairly easy task for veterans of the series. If you have never played Punch-Out before, or are a veteran looking for some tips on how to score quick knockouts and snag star unlocks, look no further.Read More - Punch-Out! Minor Circuit Guide
Friday, May 22, 2009
11:11 AM - May 22, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
There is no denying the significance of the Punch-Out franchise in video game history. First released on the NES in 1987, the original Punch-Out blew gamers away with its colorful cast of characters, addictive gameplay and challenging pattern recognition.Sadly, since the release of Super Punch-Out in 1994, Little Mac and the entire Punch-Out gang have been missing in action. Some thought Mac had retired from the sport for good, while others held out hope that they would once again see the scrappy pugilist rise to the top. In October of 2008, Punch-Out fans everywhere let out a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that a Wii version of the series would be releasing in 2009.
It has been 15 long years since anyone has had the opportunity to strap the gloves on and step into the ring as Little Mac, and I’m happy to report that Punch-Out Wii was well worth the wait.
Read More - Punch-Out!! Wii Review
Thursday, May 14, 2009
06:15 PM - May 14, 2009. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
When EA announced that Tiger Woods 10 (TW10) would be shipping in early June, golf fans everywhere rejoiced. And fans of the Nintendo Wii are even more excited since this year's game marks the debut of the Wii MotionPlus peripheral.The looming launch of the MotionPlus peripheral has created a lot of buzz for the latest Tiger Woods game. So could TW10 finally be the simulation sports Wii title that dazzles the "hardcore" sports crowd? We will have an answer to that question in a couple weeks. In the meantime, let's take a look at some of the hype surrounding the game.
Read More - Tiger Woods 10 Preview: What's Hot and What's Not
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