It's Moving Day!

Well, that day has finally come.....it's moving day! Starting today we will be hosting all of our great news, previews, reviews, and gaming culture articles at our BRAND NEW blog, www.levelupvideogames.net! There you will find all the same great people, writing the same great articles, but with a new and even better look. Oh, and did we mention that www.levelupvideogames.com is now an online store, for all your gaming needs? So what are you waiting for!? Go to www.levelupvideogames.net or www.levelupvideogames.com today! Right now. Stop reading this and GO. NOW!

A weekend of Devastation

If you're a competitive gamer and someone asks you to name a big video game tournament, Evo, Final Round and Seasons Beatings probably come to mind. These competitions draw in throngs of competitors from across the globe to test their skills, witness heart pounding battles, crushing victories and disastrous defeats. Victors often disappear within a mob of deafening cheers, raised arms and pumping fists, while the defeated wrap the cords around their game controllers and saunter home. Now, Devastation has risen up to join the echelons of well-respected gaming tournaments.

If you stepped through the Phoenix Convention Center third floor ballroom doors between Oct. 7 – 9, 2011, a large white banner that read “DEVASTATION” splattered in black lettering hung high above the registration table, greeted you. Items up for raffle, including tournament edition arcade fighting sticks, gaming keyboards, and Gears of War-themed headsets, waited to be claimed. Swirling spotlights focused on the center stage that would hold cosplay and Rock Paper Scissors contests. Dozens of glowing LCD TVs sat on long tables and flickered with life and arcade cabinets lined the side walls, all warbling their own electronic languages. The rumblings steadily grew louder as more and more competitors arrived – Devastation '11 had begun.

Like many things, Devastation started small. In 2005, the emergence of the Seventh Generation of consoles and online gaming threatened to snuff out arcades, confine gamers to their parents' basements and extinguish video game tournaments in Arizona forever. Robb Chiarini decided that he'd brave the naysayers and revive the fun, love and social atmosphere that once surrounded competitive gaming and started to organize his own video game tournament. Thus, Devastation was born.

“That very first year, I ran it out of my house. I had a game room set up and I built these gianormous arcade sticks,” Chiarini said. “I thought 'hey, this is fun!' even though we played for 24 hours straight, people were tired, and I overextended myself for a single-day tournament. I had a blast and I see where I did some things wrong but I think it was great fun for everybody.”

About 70 people came from Arizona, New Mexico, California, Colorado, and Texas during the first event, and as the years passed, Devastation steadily grew larger. The 2009 competition at the Phoenix Convention Center drew in just less than 1,000 attendees, snatched more than 160,000 online viewers spanning 80 countries, and clawed its way to becoming one of the largest and most reputable events of its kind in the world.

“I want people to have fun [at Devastation], have a good time and make them feel like they are a part of the event,” Chiarini said. “I've gone to other events where they basically just say, 'hey Number 133, go ahead, you're up on Stage 2. Once you're dead, then go away'.”

Devastation '11 boasted tournaments in a large variety of different games, including: Gears of War 3, Dance Central, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Tekken 6 to name a few.

All was not well, however, and Devastation '11 had its share of problems. The most apparent was the confusion among the organizers that stemmed from the variety of video game tournaments. Some tournament pools started much later than scheduled, which caused some competitors to drop out due to time constraints. Audio and video problems with the online streamed matches also popped up and some TVs blacked out during gameplay.

Jeremy “Black Mamba” Florence started seriously competing in video game tournaments after he won fifth place on Dead or Alive 4 at Evo 2006. He entered Devastation beginning in 2009 and was disappointed with the organizational issues that plagued this year's event. Despite his misgivings, Florence still considers Devastation to be one of the better tournaments he's been to.

“The venue is definitely one of the best venues you're going to get in a gaming tournament. It's big and spacious. They have a ton of games to play, so you're not going to be bored the whole time you're here,” Florence said.

At the back of the ballroom, dozens of chairs sat, facing a movie theater-sized screen where spectators could observe web streamed matches. David “UltraDavid” Graham, along with several guest commentators, described every heart-stopping round and bone crunching strike. Some high-caliber gamers, including WCG Ultimate Gamer Season 2 champion, Kat “Mystik” Gunn, showed to compete at the event. Other big names in the competitive gaming scene, such as Alex Valle, Mike Ross, Justin Wong, Ricky Ortiz, Peter “ComboFiend” Rosas, Abdullatif "Latif" Alhmili, and Ryan "Filipino Champ" Ramirez, came to wage war on the digital battlefield.

So, you say that you can stomp all your friends at Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, have the highest Gears of War 3 kill streak on Xbox Live, and dominate every opponent on Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, at all your local video game tournaments? Great job! Does this mean you're ready to take on and defeat professional gamers like Justin Wong at events such as Devastation? Pro gamers can sometimes spend up to 60 hours a week honing their combo execution, headshots and kill streaks.

Tons of practice and fast reflexes are only part of the equation, however. Competition's equally mental and physical. Do you think that your nerves will hold up to the pressure when the spotlight's on you, everyone's watching and tension saturates the air?

Gunn's no stranger to such challenges that come with the territory of being both a female and competitive gamer. Girl gamers often face animosity and hostility when playing online and video game tournaments are typically male-dominated events. Undeterred by these obstacles, however, Gunn began her competitive gaming career with in 2006, participating through Major League Gaming and emerged as one of the top dozen U.S. Halo players. She's also a national Dead or Alive 4 champion and went on to win the second season of the video game reality show, WCG Ultimate Gamer Season 2.

Since winning Ultimate Gamer, Gunn's been focusing more on creating and training pro gaming teams through her company, Antelope Valley Gamers. Regardless of your level of experience, she believes that when it comes to showing up in that moment and your tournament life's on the line, it's vital to not forget to enjoy yourself.

“I try to remember to have fun. I think that's the biggest problem is that when you get so serious about a game, it takes out a lot of the fun.” Gunn said. “If you lose, it's hard to get over it, because you lost, somebody was better than you. That's pretty devastating to your ego. I think you just got to remember, 'OK, remember what I did wrong, try to improve and just try to move on as hard as it is and focus on having fun.'”

Despite its hiccups, one thing Devastation '11 definitely didn't skimp on was fun. Whether you're just starting out competing, a tournament veteran, male, female or just wanted to get the highest score on Pac-man, Devastation had something for everyone. Well worth the lack of sleep and mounds of empty energy drink cans. Now, go crack open another bottle of Mountain Dew and get back to training!

This Week in Famitsu

WEEKLY FAMITSU #1191

Cover Story

I'm sure you recognize the costume Famitsu's mascot is wearing on the cover, which should give you a hint as to this week's cover story: Super Mario 3D Land! Mario's first appearance on the 3DS looks like it should be a blast when it arrives this November 13th in the States. Japan gets it just a touch early, on November 3^rd.

Unlike old-school Mario games, Super Mario 3D Land is forgoing the 2D route, with a game-play style that seems to resemble Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii more than anything. However, that does not mean that this new Mario is going to shun its roots. On the contrary, it seems to be paying more homage to it than many other recent titles by the inclusion of one very important, incredibly beloved, nostalgic power-up: the tanuki suit. That's right, the raccoon looking animal suit is back, albeit with some minor changes. The suit no longer seems to let you fly a ridiculously long time; instead, it appears to be more of a super-jump power-up than a flying ability. Also, you are not the only one who gets the benefits of the tanuki leaf: certain enemies can now receive the tanuki suit power-up as well. The goombas have tanuki tails now.... beware!

In addition to the tanuki suit, there are many stages that seem to be re-hashes of classic Mario levels, but don't let that concern you; there's plenty of new material too. New worlds, new enemies, and a new type of block called the 'propeller block' (which flies you up to new areas by means of the little propeller on its head) should keep this game exciting to even the most seasoned Mario aficionado. Beyond that, well, it's a new Super Mario Land game. We all know you're going to buy it, and it's going to be awesome. Now all we have to do is wait another month before we can rock our tanuki tails, and rock them we will.

Featured Game

Mario Kart 7 (3DS): With a planned release of December 1^st here in Japan, a scant month after Super Mario 3D Land, it's apparent that Nintendo is rolling out their big guns for this holiday season. While the basic premise of the Mario Kart series is bound to be the same (race against other Mario characters in crazy go-carts with crazy weapons), this iteration promises new courses, new carts, and new features to keep hardcore fans entertained. There's even a new character in the form of Metal Mario! Will there be others? Hmmm.... we can only wonder. Beyond the new character, however, the coolest thing about Mario Kart 7 is the ability to customize your cart. You can change the wheels, the body frame, and various other things. Speaking of your carts, did I mention they fly in this one? That's right, there's a pop-out propeller for underwater portions of the race, and a pop-out hang-glider for those super long jumps! Mario Kart 7 will also be playable online, much like Mario Kart DS. While Mario Kart is, and always will be, Mario Kart, that doesn't mean that this new version won't be just as fun as all the games that have come before it. Hopefully, with all the new additions, it'll even surpass its legacy.

Hardware Sales: Week of 9/12-9/18

• 3DS – 62,245 units
• PS3 – 37,477 units
• PSP – 24,106 units
• Wii – 15,146 units
• NDS – 3,187 units
• PS2 – 830 units
• 360 – 788 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 9/12-9/18

• Dragon Quest 25^th Anniversary Collection: Nintendo and Super Nintendo Dragon Quest I, II, and III (Wii) – 264,760 units
• Tales of Xillia (PS3) – 55,323 units
• Resident Evil Revival Selection (PS3) – 24,238 units
• Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 15,014 units
• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 14,412 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 9/15-9/21

• Final Fantasy: Type-O/Agito (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
• Dragon Quest X Online (Wii)
• Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
• Monster Hunter 3/Tri G (3DS)

So, I have two things to apologize for. First, this week's Famitsu is unfortunately on the short side, as most of the articles were about stuff that we've covered before. The biggest chunk of the magazine was an in-depth wrap-up of this year's Tokyo Game Show, but as there was no new information, and many of the most promising games we've already featured in previous week's issues, we decided to leave it out. The second thing I have to apologize for is that I promised last week that this Famitsu would be released along with the new version of our website layout. I kinda lied. While this issue is late mostly due to hoping we could get the website up and running in time, it seems to not quite be ready yet. So, while I am also currently posting this on our new website as well, it's not quite ready for public consumption, so I'm posting this on this blog too, which will soon be the old blog.... hopefully. Good things come to those who wait, right? As soon as the new website is up, we'll be posting a notice here for it. We have lots of exciting content waiting for it, so look forward to it!

Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell

Console Maintenance Tips from a Pro

Taking a break from our usual discussion about games, we thought we'd take a few moments to focus on the machines that play them. Here's a few helpful hints from a Gaming Expert on how to keep your consoles running at maximum efficiency!

Xbox 360- This one has quite a few idiosyncrasies to keep track of, first of which is to ALWAYS lay your console on its side. This allows for the hot air building up inside the system to escape the easiest. Since heat rises, if you have your console standing straight up the hard drive on top does not allow heat to escape, possibly leading to the system overheating and causing the 'Red Rings of Death'. Also, make sure you never put your system directly onto carpet, as that will also prevent proper ventilation from occurring. If you have something you can put under the system to elevate it a little ways off the floor, that's even better.

Second tip is to NEVER touch your console while it's playing, as this can lead to ringed discs. What happens is that when the console is moved or tilted while a game is being played, the disc gets knocked into the laser itself as it's reading the game. This is why these particular scratches are perfect circular rings, as well. While this type of scratch is repairable, it's difficult and there is not a 100% success rate, so it's best to take preventative measures!

Last tip for the 360: if you have an Intercooler or some other external cooling system on your Xbox, make sure that it has an external power source. Ones that draw power directly from the 360 itself have been known to possibly cause 'Red Rings' as well! Keep in mind that all of these tips are for the original 360's and Elites; it doesn't apply to the new slim models, as they are designed slightly differently. Although, it couldn't hurt to use these practices on the slim, just in case.

PS3- The PS3 is almost the exact polar opposite from the 360 in terms of proper maintenance. In order to get proper heat dispersion and ventilation, it should be standing up on its side, because the internal fans disperse most of the heat through the top of the system. Also, if you accidentally bump your system while it's playing, you don't have to scream in agony and prepare for a ringed disc; blu-ray discs are more resilient than DVDs, and are rather difficult to scratch. The internal drive of the PS3 is also set up differently, so the laser can't bump into the disc like it can in the 360.

While the PS3 doesn't ring discs, there is something important to keep in mind about the disc drive: when putting discs into the system, it's important not to force them in. Gently ease the disc in, and wait for the mechanism to grab it and pull it in on its own. Forcing the discs in and breaking the automatic feeding mechanism is the leading cause of disc drive failures, and the most common problem with the PS3.

It's also important to blow the dust out of the system on a regular basis, using an air compressor or canned air. You can also suck out dust with a hose vacuum gently placed on the side vents, if the dust bunnies have become dust elephants. Again, with the exception of the disc drive feeder, these practices are for the original models, and don't apply to the slim models, but again, it couldn't hurt.

While absolutely preventing all problems from ever happening is impossible with electronics, practicing these methods will greatly reduce the risk of a broken system. Remember though, that if for any reason you do end up having a problem with your system, whether it be a ringed disc or a broken feeding mechanism on a disc drive, we here at Level Up Video Games can fix it for you. However, while we are here for you, it's always better not to have to spend extra money. Hopefully, following these simple preventative measures will save you some cash!

Submitted by: Tom Ferko (Employee)

Get ready for some devastation

In less than one week, Devastation 2011, Arizona's largest gaming event, will take Phoenix by storm. From Oct. 7 - 9, the desert will rumble as competitors from all over will face off in various games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur 4, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Gears of War 3, Halo: Reach, FIFA Soccer 12, and Rock Band 3, to name a few.

Registration is still open and it's not too late if you wish to partake in the event. If you can't make it up to Phoenix this weekend, you can still check out the action via streamed broadcasts by Level Up Series, Beyond Gaming, and Team hAZmat at the following channels: TwitchTV/DEVEVENT, TwitchTV/DEVASTATIONEVENT, and TwitchTV/BeyondGaming. Keep an eye out for the broadcast schedules to be released soon.

Also, stay tuned after the event for a report on all of the action of the weekend.

This Week in Famitsu

WEEKLY FAMITSU #1190

Cover Story

The cover story this week, as you can obviously see, is Gears of War 3. That's great for Japan, as it just came out on the 22^nd of September here for them, a scant two days after the North American release. We hope that the general population of Japan enjoys the game as much as the reviewers of Famitsu seemed to have; Gears of War 3 scored a 39 out of 40, with three out of the four reviewers giving it a perfect 10. Perfect 40 scores from Famitsu are incredibly rare, with only a handful of games ever receiving such a high score, most of them classics of gaming; the original version of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a good example of this. Being only one point off from a perfect score is less rare, but is still a worthy accomplishment, especially as Gears of War 3 is a 'Western' game, which traditionally aren't as well-received as the domestic ones here.

While this is great news for Japan, it's unfortunately not great news for us, or for you; Gears of War 3 is already out, and we assume that most of you are already furiously working on defeating the Locusts and Lambent. As such, that means that we don't really have much of a cover story this month, as you all already know all about it. Hopefully the shorter 'This Week in Famitsu' today will give you more time to play it.

Featured Game

Dragon Quest X Online (Wii): Dragon Quest is huge here in Japan, bigger than Final Fantasy even. In fact, Dragon Quest games are only allowed to be released on weekends here, by law, as the releases were affecting productivity at offices around the country. As such, it should be no surprise that news of the next installment of this beloved franchise has been eagerly awaited. The fans have finally gotten that news, but it's probably not anything like what they were expecting: Dragon Quest X is going to be an online only MMORPG, like World of Warcraft for those unfamiliar with the term. This could turn out to be either a huge hit for Square Enix, or a huge flop. After all, Final Fantasy XI was an MMORPG, and it was quite successful for them, with them still making money off of it to this day. Final Fantasy XIV, however, which was also released as an online only MMORPG to replace XI, was a huge flop. Huge, as in they haven't even been able to charge a monthly fee to play it yet because it's so messed up, huge. As such, there are some valid concerns the community has about Dragon Quest X. It being exclusive to the Wii, and having graphics only slightly better than the PS2 Dragon Quest VIII, are some of them. Still, with six races to choose from (Human, Ogre, Pukupo, Weddie, Elf, and Dwarf), and a huge world to explore, Dragon Quest X could overcome the odds and be wildly successful... if for no other reason than the fact that Japanese gamers can't live without their Dragon Quest.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS): Kingdom Hearts games are plentiful, as the games have truly become a series in their own right, almost rivaling Final Fantasy in popularity here in Japan. Unfortunately, this series tends to suffer from re-telling, re-releases, and ports, which is why we're happy to report that Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is an entirely new game, with an all new story! Featuring both Sora and Riku as main, playable characters, this title promises not only a new story, but new worlds and new enemies as well! In addition to the normal Heartless, there are all new creatures called Dream Eaters. Well.... actually, the enemies are really called Nightmares, as Dream Eaters come in two varieties. The other kind, Spirits, are apparently good, and accompany and help Sora and Riku in their adventure. They are also kinda cute, which Square Enix seems to be aware of, as the game will have AR cards released with it that will allow you to play and interact with different types of Spirits, like some sort of fantasy Nintendog. Also hanging out in the game to help you out is an all-new character: Neku, from the World Ends With You, makes a cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts 3D. With the game also supporting the 3DS Expansion Slide Pad, we're sure that this will be a big seller for the sometimes embattled 3DS. We know we're excited for it.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy (3DS): There have been many debates on the internet recently over whether or not Japanese games are out of touch. Western developers are making bigger and better games, and Japan, which was once the undisputed leader of making any game worth anything, is now being questioned as to whether they can keep up with the times. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there is no question that Japan once ruled supreme at making games, especially RPGs, and regardless of what's going on currently, there are still fans of those games. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is for them. Famitsu's coverage on this brand new, original Square Enix RPG includes a short interview with the producer, who flat out admits that this game is for fans of Japanese RPGs. There's not a lot out about the game yet, beyond that you will play as a Warrior of Light trying to prevent the destruction of the world. Sounds.. incredibly stereotypical for a Square Enix game (old-school Final Fantasy games, anyone?), but there is something about this title that is catching everyone's attention: it will apparently use AR cards and the 'augmented reality' feature they utilize in the game. In fact, they used it already to promote it, by making an AR card that makes a girl appear in your room and plead with you to save her world. You can watch a video of the AR trailer below, and quite an interesting one it is. Famitsu included an AR card to be able to actually view the trailer in person, which I did. It was amazing how it actually was interacting in my room. Unfortunately, in order to watch the trailer, you also have to download a special app from the Japanese Virtual Console, otherwise we would've taken a picture of the AR card so all of you could have enjoyed it in person as well. Hopefully the video will suffice. Consider us intrigued at the possibilities AR cards could open up with the traditional Japanese RPG gameplay of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy.

Hardware Sales: Week of 9/5-9/11

• PS3 – 62,266 units
• 3DS – 49,191 units
• PSP – 23,352 units
• Wii – 9,130 units
• NDS – 2,748 units
• PS2 – 842 units
• 360 – 727 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 9/5-9/11

• Tales of Xillia (PS3) – 512,544 units
• Resident Evil Revival Selection (PS3) – 76,638 units
• Grand Knights History (PSP) – 19,996 units
• Resistance 3 (PS3) – 19,255 units
• Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd HD Version (PS3) – 19,190 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 9/8-9/14

• Final Fantasy: Type-O (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
• Dragon Quest X Online (Wii)
• Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
• Dragon's Dogma (PS3)

And it looks like the PS2 outsold the 360 here in Japan for a month straight now. Does the mercy rule kick in anytime soon? We hope you enjoyed this week's Famitsu, and by the time we post next week's, the new website should be all rolled out....assuming all goes to plan. Look forward to the new website, with more new content, and as always, another 'This Week in Famitsu'!

Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell