Sick gaming at 8bit Ego x Capcom: Batteries Not Included

  

you plug your stick at the front 

29^th April 02 Academy, Islington

With much excitement me and my gaming chicks entered another world, we had got tickets to a highly anticipated tournament in promotion of the new Streetfighter x Tekken game. 8bit Ego x Capcom: Batteries Not Included being my first tournament we walked into a tight knit community of hardcore beat em’ up fans with pure awe in our eyes.

one of the organisers and an artist at work

Streetfighter x Tekken is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom, placing Tekken characters in the Streetfighter 2D style of fighting with only the movement of forwards , backwards & jump. Like the recent Marvel vs Capcom you can play two characters  as well as have two players battling on the same team, one controlling each character, and face off in four player matches. Released 9th March 2012 on Playstation 3, Xbox 360. Also scheduled for release on 11th of May 2012 for Pc users on Steam.

I don’t use the term ‘hardcore’ loosely, everyone had their own gaming stick, no stick no play!  You also had to register and pay a fighting fee of £8, the spectators only paid £2.50 for handling of a free ticket (not really free then is it?). I have no qualms what-so-ever though as amongst the buzz of the gamers I did receive goody bag (sponsored by good ole’ Cyber candy and Capcom) - I even got free Dominoes Pizza ^^

Gaming what a load of pixels!

You had a bar to quench your thirst be it Red Bull or Gaymers (pun totally intended :D ) with ongoing artists drawing on stage, continuous group battling simultaneously and also a raffle for a crate load of Cybercandy goodies and your own Streetfighter x Tekken stick ! Also following the name we had a lot of 8 bit remixed music getting everyone into the mood, the beat dropping before fists started pounding.

me and my crew

After people’s stats were calculated the smalls groups surrounding the 4 split screens gradually moved to the main stage and everything was being filmed live onto the big screen, tension was building but the trash talk was a bare minimum if anyone was instigating it was me :D

Narrowed down to the final 8, who one of which won the arcade stick, it weedled down to the ultimate winner who received £500 which was the victorious Taaha Ibrahim!

Don’t let the rain deter you from having fun: a cheap day out, make new friends and get your game on!

The Avengers Assembled Big Time

Went to see Avengers Assemble, I can't believe how quickly time has passed since I saw the preview ad's online. This is one of the few times I walked into the cinema expecting an awesome movie, sadly we had to see 3D which really didn't make a difference, just made my purse lighter.

Much talk of the new Bruce Banner but I had low expectations as the previous Hulk movies were abominable, either boring or the actors didn't fit - no offense Ed you're not all that.

Of course Iron Man has already won us over, Thor is the ladies favourite with Home & Away lifeguard Chis Hemsworth. We finally get more Hawk & black Widow screen time as well as the mysterious Nick Fury.

Luckily I was not dissapointed! No spoilers so keep reading, it was action packed with a good level of detail and a straight forward plot, of course all you loyal comic book fans already know what's going on but you know!

I have to say Hulk shone the most in this movie, Thor only appears halfway, luckily Captain America does not overbear us with boring-ness and chivalry - if anything his poor attempts at trying to fit in and look cool to iron Man is quite endearing.I wish there was more banter but whatever was said got a chuckle from everyone in the cinema theater and this is one showing I did not hear high definition snogging in the background :p

The task of rounding all the superheroes up is amusing and the long fight sequences are well fought and the comradely showed a little bromance, a great family film whether you watch any of the movies it didn't matter as everything was summarised. Also another pleasant surprise was to see Scarlett Johanasson doing something useful in the movie :D

My only gripe is Gwyneth Paltrow, Did I really have to see your feet, I don't think any one was aroused honey. *face palm*

Ra.One: Gaming with proverbs

I finally got round to seeing Shurukh Khan's super hyped movie produced by his wifey, mum sky plus-ed it and I sat down with a open mind and some Toffe Butterkist popcorn.

This movie was heavily advertised, wherever Mr Khan could he media whored himself preformed the item song on every show, movie awards, apparently it didn't make as much money as Salman Khan's movie Dabung...

Great thing about sky plus is you can pause for bathroom breaks and forward past the corny songs and that what Indian movies pride themselves in cheesy songs with 20 costume changes. i have to say 30minutes went by with no songs !

The beginning echoed similarities from devil May cry and well general game type dialogues and well you the save the bird and beat the bad guy right? Sanjay Dutt as guest appearance bad guy was amusing and appreciated. I liked the intro set the scene for the main protagonist, the kid likes villains because they are powerful and 'kick ass' so his poor bumbling idiot of a father with an awful perm creates a new game with a powerful villain (Ra.one is Hindi is the name of an evil god Raavan, the Hero is called G.One which means Life in Hindi, I liked the thought went into the names and concept of the fake game :)

Shit happens and the villain leaves the game and goes after the kid only knowing his gaming alias 'Lucifer', daddy dies and so do a range of comical characters including Jackie Chan (Akashi being Chinese is always refereed to as Jackie Chan - stereotype or racism? Don't know don't care!). i preferred Sharukh's robotic acting frankly, Kareena was so so, I guess it was all about the story and Arjun Rampal's Abs.

Akon made a guest appearance as he did most of the songs on the soundtrack, did you know he can speak 7 languages fluently? I thought he was a gimmick but 'Chamak Chalo' is actually a really catchy song and I'd dance to it at a wedding!

I'm not sure if I was watching a bit of Tron, the Terminator, Ironman or even unstoppable (yes there is a runaway train people!!!!) but I was entertained and was pleased with the movie, it was not the big pile of crap I expected it to be, I hope they make a sequel! Watch this movie if you like games, intense action and Shurukh!

Retro Review Bloopers: Final Fantasy 9

So animepicks.co.uk did a poll on the next RPG games to review and i thought 'hey I like those games, why don't I review them?' Emailed the editor however it was someone else's idea (booo) but since they were busy do other articles, she told me to go on ahead - yaaay, while I have free time,  may as-well keep myself busy till I get back to the rat race.

While I refreshed my head on the character names and other interesting facts came across some nostalgic and funny screen caps, enjoy my bloopers folks :D

It's just a Bromance

It's a Bro-mance, download the song on itunes (oh yess indeed!)

Life hasn't been the same since I saw this video, it's given a new meaning to the word Bromance.

I have witnessed full frontal Bromances these last couple of weeks, to the extent of being almost shoved off the sofa:

"Get out of the way I want to hug Allan >:( your ruining the moment."

True story XD

Streetfighter x Tekken Event at 02 Islington

 brand new gaming event to hit the 02 Academy2,
sponsored by Dominos Pizza & Madcatz.

My friend Bevster from Rock n' Ramen invited me to this event because of my recent proclamation of Tekken being the superior fighting game (fact).


It's being held at O2 Academy 2 Islington on Sunday 29th April 2012


Doors opening : 12.00pm
Show time: TBC
Finish: 6pm


8bit Ego and Capcom present 'Batteries Not Included', a brand new gaming event to hit the 02 Academy2. 


With a 64 man Street Fighter x Tekken competition, live DJs, live artwork, giveaways, live streaming and more. Spectator tickets are free and entry to the competition is £8 per person - for a chance to win a first prize of £500.00 & runners up prizes.


Under 21s require ID to purchase alcohol
Competitors should arrive no later than Midday for registration
Over 16s only


☆64 man Street Fighter x Tekken competition.
★£500 winners prize and runner up prizes.
☆Exclusive beatbox routine from Faith SFX.
★Live DJ set from Ego Thieves.
☆Live artwork from JC Adams & JSummana.
★Huge raffle giveaway on the day.
☆Recorded for a live stream.
★Casual play & lots more.

Competition entree tickets £8.
Spectator tickets are free but limited edition.
**PLEASE NOTE: Free tickets include a small booking fee.**

Competitors should arrive no later than Midday for registration. Please note all competition entrees will be sent a registration form after ticket confirmation.


Buy tickets here.


Lol just another excuse to bust out the Anna Williams outfit and maybe kick a little Arse where possible ~

Brighton, Bdays & no blankets

photos courtesy of Anty Quinn

 Ah I complete believe it I managed to round up a bunch of the Anime society for Sean's Birthday party! (trust me this is no easy feat, it's like catching free range hens). After some evil plotting the suprise back fired and all was revealed to Sean as well he thought no one was coming and the bf got annoyed at me and many blah blahs later (and a much happier Otter ^^) I refused to tell him who was actually turning up - I will have ONE element of suprise God dammit!

Tip no 1 - always bring cards & snacks.

Dave's Comics great place for discounted manga

It kept everyone entertained playing blackjack  apart from the the gamers comparing their PSP Vitas booo you anti social poos I mean tell me next time so I could be anti social WITH you. After enjoy two of my squished egg sandwiches we were there and ready to hit the chilly streets, did I mention we went a day after the glorious weather and ended up soaking the salt air and cloudy skies - no rain so i was ecstatic. At this point I had said 5 times that no matter what we were going to have fun, despite the monsoon or a renegade badger devouring our bbq.

Fun was on the menu! So was a Chinese ^^ The food was a little bland, the guy opposite me ate his sushi which looked that of the Tesco value range :s The *Bubble tea i got excited tasted like Nesquik and the balls, ohh the balls they were small and way to soft :( My first bad bubble teas moment. luckily I order calamari which was fresh and sizzling - i can't comment on the others meals but a lot of bubble teas were left un drunk and hunger lingered. Damn shame but after a long walk through the town our spirits lifted on entering the comic book stores!

kitsch clothes in Brighton

*Bubble tea is a new trendy drink which can be made of fruit juice or milk flavourdness with a tea base and tapioca (vegetable) balls at the bottom, it's a lot nicer than it sounds.

Stopped off at Sainsbury's for a booze and snack run and then the party began ~

ultimate geek pad <3

Who wants to play Street Fighter?  or should i say

Shitty Fighter? Got your attention now >:)
Lol not my game but I played, I lost, I moaned ! Ha ha I preferred the Star Show game where I just moved around and shot stuff and picked up cash and VCR's XD Needless to say everyone got competitive on Supermario Bros and Donkey Kong - I stayed outta that war. All I wanted was a bed, no blankets or pillows but lots of towels, I had a towel pile on me at one point kept me nice and toasty ^^

Gaming brings ppl together...in carnage

Happy Easter: Now bring on the eggs Jesus XD

Yeah it's that time of year when we thing Jesus, chocolate eggs, fried chicks and bank holidays !

So here is some cuteness provided by Princess Melus Crafts, she sent me a handmade card - it has me with bunny ears what's not to like?!

Check out her other fantastic stuff 

Also here's some randomness from a friend. He uploaded chick photos, the feathered kind, a guy with chicks :D ? Really?

Turns out his parents moved to a rural part of the country and decided to adopt some chicks, to produce eggs. Now how can you do that without you know a cockerel? Apparently chickens produce normal eating eggs (un fertilized) without the need for a cockerel. Yeah that's science for ya.

Aww say hello to Sage & Onion

Now what you've all been really waiting for EGGS ~

Now go binge eat..some alien eggs!

PSP Vita Rocking the Social Network & Remote Play

Bad Boy PSP Vita

Everyone is going  wild at the moment for the next generation hand consoles, summer is coming and we all want to game in the sun J

The Playstation portable Vita (PSP Vita) was released in Europe February 2012 and had shops in a lockdown with pre orders, with rumours of long life battery to with stand the non use for a fwew days without having to charge all over again aswell as enabling augmented reality gaming and social connectivity, along with the "Near" and "Party" services similar to the Nintendo DS.

The ‘Near’ feature uses GPS to locate like-minded gamers to beat/taunt in the vicinity, and messaging make the console more sociable. The motion sensors are great for us retro gamers who twist and turn normal remotes and get nowhere!

Well my friend happened to get one as well as win the newer PSP Vita with 3G and in built 3D graphics. So I took the chance to see what all the hype was about and borrow one. To my amazement it was bigger than my PSP Lite but overall comfortable to use. Not being a fan of the touch screen took me a while to get accustomed to turning the pages but once I did I loved messing with the home screen options let alone playing any games.

Quality of the PSP vita camera in my garden

You have a camera, which isn’t bad and something to rival your iphone or Blackberry camera,, remote play is awesome, so if you have a PS3 you can link it up and transfer game downloads from the PS Store from your PS3 to your Vita (as long as it’s compatible).

Unfortunately if you do turn it off and not play it for a few days the battery does die so you need to re charge, boo ! Another thing I disliked was the lack of icons on the actual console, couldn’t figure out where the meory card slot was without reading the manual and almost using a nail file to open the darn compartment.

The Vita is backwards compatible only with PSP downloadable games, any old UMD discs won’t work folks nor will your SD memory cards.  Out with the old, in with the new

Free Anime Screening or April Fools Joke? Anna Pacquin voicing a Manchurian, that must a joke

Overall a great experience! The cinema itself was hidden away in some seedy alleyway passed some funky industrial estate and dodgey graffiti but after realising the owner was late to open the premises rather than it being an April Fools prank. We all enjoyed wondering around the Cinema.

A friend came across a free anime screening near Loughbourgh Junction station!I have no idea where it is and due to the victoria line being closed and South Eastern trains being non-exsistant but thanks to a friend and her kind dad I got a lift there today and got to enjoy a great anime movie called Steam boy.

The story was a little confusing but loved the basis of it being in London and the awful Manchurian accents. Patrick Stewat did us proud! Liked the silly British humour added in too.

Amongst people mingling, playing on DS’s and drinking at the bar, you even had card games, free popcorn and a raffle (no i didn’t win :( epic fail)

The only thing I didn’t like about this event was Anna Paquin’s voice acting and that ain’t Mayamada’s fault XD There next event will be a picnic in Hyde Park, check out their blog for more details but dodge ball in cosplay sounds good to me. For more photos of this event check out my tumblr!