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| EA SPORTS Active: Gary Feels the Burn; Nancy Breezes Through |
| April 29, 2009 at 1:45 pm |
Gary stares into a vortex of pure evil
and human suffering, otherwise known as the Jump Lunge.
Long before recorded history, an entity of pure evil manifested itself.
Born of malevolence and darkness, its only purpose was to bring pain and suffering.
This evil has a name. And that name is the Jump Lunge. At least that's what
I discovered as I continued
my test of the EA SPORTS Active 30-Day Challenge.
Sure, it sounds simple enough. All you have to do is get in a lunge position with your left leg forward, then jump up and switch to the same position with
your right leg forward. But that's where it gets you. After performing several of these, I felt a great disturbance in my quads, as if millions of muscle cells suddenly cried
out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
I can still feel the soreness when I'm walking up a flight of stairs, but that's just a reminder that it's working. I never expected a virtual fitness video
game to virtually kick my butt, but we're only a quarter of the way through. Goodness must prevail. I will defeat the Evil Jump Lunge. I will not rest
until my personal-trainer-in-a-box tells me that I am giving the mathematically impossible 110 percent.
It hasn't all been pain and suffering. Each workout consists of
about a dozen or so different exercises. So in between the torture,
I get to play tennis, spar with boxing targets or perform bicep curls with the resistance
band. Of course, my wife Nancy is still breezing through, although
she did admit the Jump Lunges gave her a bit of trouble, as well.
She said she's looking forward to the workouts getting even harder
as she progresses. Although I find that one trait about my otherwise
perfect wife extremely annoying, I am willing to overlook it
because I get to enjoy the benefits. I'm already starting to notice that she is beginning to tone
up, and she's even talking about buying a new bathing suit this
summer.
She said she enjoys the convenience of being able
to have an interactive workout without having to travel to the gym.
She also said she can't remember the last time she worked out five times
in one week. I can remember the last time I worked out five times in
one week. It was in November of 1982, the week before the big
football game, which we would have most assuredly won if the coach
had only put me in. Even I have to admit that it's nice to discover
that some of my vintage 80s muscles that were hiding under a drought-and-famine-resistant layer of fat are starting to show again. And I'm
also enjoying the convenience of having a personal trainer at my
beck and call whenever I can find a half-hour to turn on the Wii.
Finding that half-hour a day is starting to pay off. Like
Nancy, I have admit that I am looking forward to
my next workout — not because I like the barely audible sound of my quads weeping, but because
I am already enjoying the effects of newfound energy and the thought
of not needing to buy a man-bra. So we'll stay the course, and we'll
see if this 30-Day Challenge develops into a lifelong habit. EA SPORTS Active releases May
19. Look for another update on our progress next week. — Gary |
| Join the Pyramid Scheme for Maximum
Octagon Rewards |
| April 24, 2009 at 11:00am |
You don't need a pyramid to know that
the guy on the bottom is in deep trouble. Click the picture above
to see the video on GameStop Cinema.
Because we don't want you to be spitting
teeth as soon as you begin to play UFC 2009 Undisputed,
our friends at THQ are helping us with this weekly guide to prepare
you for the game's release May 19. Last week, we covered the
Stand-Up Game, from which a fighter will perform most of his
strikes, kicks and counters. However, if you rely strictly on the Stand-Up Game, you won't be standing very long. You'll have to master other techniques, one of the most important being the Ground Game, where most matches are decided.
We're told that understanding the Ground Game in the Octagon is easier if you think
of it as a pyramid. And by mentioning a pyramid within an octagon, we are not referring to the lost secrets of
hyper-dimensional physics which helped the ancient Egyptians build
the pyramids or which helped Edward Leedskalnin build the mysterious
Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida. We're merely referring to a
winning combination of guards and mounts built on a solid
foundation.
Much like the Food Pyramid helps you to remember
which portions of which foods to eat for a healthy body, the Ground
Game Pyramid helps you to remember how to keep your body healthy and how to
make your opponent's body as unhealthy as possible in a short amount
of time. You'll need generous helpings of each facet of the Ground
Game for maximum Octagon health. The higher up the pyramid fighters
go, the more the advantage is skewed toward the offensive fighter,
and the defensive fighter will have a harder time getting out of the
situation.
At the bottom of the pyramid, forming the foundation are have the Open Guards, in which the offensive fighter only has a marginal level of advantage over the defender.
These are the whole grains, or the Lucky Charms with the
marshmallows picked out, of your Ground Game. They're easily
attainable, but of all the Ground Positions, the offensive fighter does the least amount of damage from here.
To gain a better advantage against your opponent, you'll have to
work your way up the pyramid, working in those fruits and veggies of
the Ground Game. As you use transitions to work your way up the
pyramid, moving through Half Guards, Side Controls and more, you'll gain more powerful strikes and submissions,
ultimately ending up in Mount Up, the most advantageous of all Ground Positions.
From here, the defensive fighter is virtually powerless to fight back. If
you can maneuver into this position, victory is almost assured. If
you find yourself on the bottom, you must attempt to perform transitions of
your own, which may help you move further down the pyramid, return your opponent to the Standing Position,
or perhaps even
completely reverse the situation and put you in the Offensive Position.
In other fighting games, when one fighter gains an advantage, control of your character
will become "locked up" until certain game animations are played out.
You can find yourself watching helplessly as your opponent beats you
senseless. With UFC's Ultimate Fighting Control, you have 100% control of your fighter all the time.
Basically this means that you have the ability to strike, defend or
transition, regardless of what your opponent is doing or the
position in which you may find yourself. It ain't over till it's
over. That may give you an opportunity to catch your opponent off
guard and turn the tables.
Ultimately, it's easier to explain the Ground Game by showing you.
Click here to watch a tutorial video on our GameStop Cinema page.
You'll also find it on our product pages for UFC 2009 Undisputed,
where you can reserve your copy before its May 19 release. We'll
bring you more tips next week. |
| EA SPORTS Active: The Whole Family
Gets in on the Action |
| April 21, 2009 at 9:45 am |
The mysterious black blur in our video
turned out to be our faithful friend, Toby the Wonder Dog.
Last week, I told you how my wife Nancy and I
were getting ready to try out EA SPORTS Active
before it releases May 19. We officially kicked off the 30-Day Challenge
this weekend, and we're looking forward to reporting on our progress
for you.
When we began the 30 days on Saturday, there was no fanfare or opening torch-lighting ceremony. We found ourselves in the midst of a typical busy Saturday — cleaning the house, ferrying the kids to softball practice and birthday parties,
etc. We found ourselves with a window of only about an hour to spare for our workouts. That's where virtual fitness comes in handy. EA SPORTS Active's Trainer-in-a-Box doesn't care how we look. So there was no time wasted in making ourselves “presentable.” For Nancy that means putting on make-up. For
me that means putting on pants. Plus, there's no drive time to and from the gym. We just popped EA SPORTS Active into the Wii, and within moments we were at it.
After our introduction to EA Sports Active a couple of weeks ago, Nancy immediately began to make subtle changes to her lifestyle. She chose grilled chicken over fried, she ate extra helpings of veggies, she even helped our daughter Morgan train for a mile-run test at school. I, on the other hand, decided to wait until the official 30-Day Challenge kick-off on April 18, so that the results of my 30 days wouldn't be skewed in any way. So it was purely in the interest of science that my son Carter and I took it upon ourselves to rid the house of all of the leftover Easter candy. It was hard work, but we were willing to make that sacrifice. If you're going to make an omelet, you have to break a few Cadbury Creme Eggs, right?
So, needless to say, my first virtual fitness workout in two weeks caught me by surprise. The inline skating portion of the workout was especially brutal. In order to gain speed you have to maintain a squatting position. Then you have to jump up at just the right time to perform tricks on the approaching ramps. On Sunday, the reverse lunges were particularly challenging. I'm still feeling it in my legs every time I go to sit down. But in a weird way, it feels good to be sore because I know that's a sign that my muscles are rebuilding. Whatever doesn't kill me makes a funny story later.
Nancy, who is already in better shape than I, had to rub it in by
changing her workout's intensity level on the second day from medium
to high. She loves the challenge of a high-intensity workout, and
she must have done about 100 lunges. She's feeling the ache, as
well, but she told me she was pleased to see that EA SPORTS Active
could be customized to meet her needs. Although I love the challenge
of a high-intensity crossword puzzle, we still make a great pair.
After watching the two of us work out, our kids couldn't resist, and
they joined in for a quick challenge against each other. After a few
minutes, our daughter started complaining that she was sweating, to which
Nancy replied, “You're supposed to sweat; it's a workout!” We
decided to capture a bit of video of the kids enjoying the game, and when
we played it back, we were surprised to see a black blur streaking
back and forth in the background. At first we thought we had our own
version of the Patterson Bigfoot film, but after we paused the
playback, we discovered that the black blur was Toby, our
Sheltie-wiener-dog mix, trying to get in on the action. Maybe I'll
figure out a way to strap the Wii Nunchuk to him when I need a
break.
So the whole family, including the family
dog, passed a Sunday evening by running, jumping, punching and being active,
instead of sitting around watching TV. And the
weird thing is… no one even noticed. EA SPORTS Active releases May
19. Until then, I'll keep you posted on our progress. — Gary |
| Hone Your Stand-Up Game to Dominate
UFC 2009 Undisputed |
| April 17, 2009 at 1:45pm |
Master the strikes and defenses of you
Stand-Up Game to dominate your opponent. Click the picture above
to see the video on GameStop Cinema.
To help you be ready for action as soon as
you take UFC 2009 Undisputed out of the box May 19, we have the
opportunity to bring you some tips and sneak-peeks for the next few
weeks. Because UFC 2009 Undisputed features the moves of more than
80 top names in UFC competition, you're not going to get far just by
mashing buttons. You need to learn the subtleties of each fighting
style, as well as each fighting position.
When we heard that the first tips we were going to receive were
about the Stand-Up Game, we thought it sounded pretty easy. After
all, we've been standing since we were toddlers. However, it's much
harder to stand when someone is trying to pummel you in the face.
Plus, we later learned that it actually refers to the offensive and
defensive moves a fighter performs from a standing boxer's stance.
Taking the time to understand the science behind the Stand-Up Game
could be the difference between earning a championship belt or
covering up the sponsor's mat logo with your own blood. To master your stand up game, you need to consider offense, range
and defense.
Offense
Few things are more satisfying in UFC 2009 Undisputed than landing the
perfect left hook that sends a mouthpiece flying before your
opponent crumples to the Octagon mat, but that can't be the only
tool in your arsenal. You'll need a steady stream of "weaker"
strikes and jabs to keep your opponent off-balance. That opens the
door for the power shots, like a kickboxer's head kick or a boxer's ducking hook, but missing
one of those leaves you open to your opponent's counters.
Range
Different strike and defense options are available, depending on how
far away you are from your opponent. Understanding range is the key
to developing your Stand-Up Game. Within Inside-Clinch Range, you won't have room to
get full extension on punches or kicks. So you'll have to rely on knees, elbows and
short, crisp uppercuts to break down your opponent. Striking Range is the sweet spot
for strikers, allowing punches and kicks to extend fully for maximum impact. Don't forget
that you're vulnerable in this range, as well. And although
Probing Range sounds like an extremely, perhaps uncomfortably,
close distance, it's actually a safe distance at which you try to
bait your opponent into rushing in recklessly, perhaps giving you the
opportunity to end the match with a quick dashing strike, such as a flying knee or a spinning backfist.
Defense
Again, if you just rush in and start mashing buttons, you're going to quickly find yourself in trouble.
The old adage that a good defense is the best offense certainly
applies in UFC 2009 Undisputed. While you will be able to cover up
to block shots to your face, body or legs, a well-timed counter
strike can reap tremendous rewards. A successful counter is much more advantageous
than a successful block, but a failed counter means taking the brunt
of whatever attack was levied.
To become a well-rounded stand-up fighter in UFC 2009 Undisputed, you'll need to
master all three of these techniques: a powerful, varied offense; an iron-clad
defense; and the knowledge to understand from what range to utilize the best aspects of both.
Click here to watch a tutorial video on our GameStop Cinema page.
And don't forget to reserve your copy of UFC 2009 Undisputed. Join
us next week, when we talk about the Ground Game. |
| EA SPORTS Active: The Pre-Game Show
Before the Big Kick-Off |
| April 14, 2008 at 9:45 |
Nancy and I with fellow LOST
fan Alison Sweeney. I'm the tall one, Nancy's the brunette, and
Alison is the one who looks like TV star Alison Sweeney.
For the past 17 months or so, we've been
posting things here that we just can't seem to fit anywhere else on
the site, like previews of upcoming games, notices about cool bonus
items or pictures of our Halloween contest. We have written anonymously,
mainly to protect our identities so that we can continue to fight crime at night,
but also because it's always been about the games; it's not about
us. But it's time to pull back the curtain a bit here at the GameStop
Blog. This time it's about a game, and it's about me,
sort of. My name is Gary, and I have a story to tell.
Because I work for GameStop, it's not unusual for me to see advance copies of games from time to time. So when the good people at EA SPORTS asked me if I would be interested in taking the 30-Day Challenge for their upcoming virtual fitness game EA SPORTS Active, I said, “Sure, why not? I'm always looking for something to post on the GameStop Blog.” And when they asked me if I would like to travel to Santa Barbara, California for a few days to learn how to use the game, I weighed the options of hanging out by the beach versus sitting in my cubicle across from a guy whose best friend is a ventriloquist dummy. So that was a no-brainer. And when they asked me if I knew any women who might like to try EA SPORTS Active, I thought, “Cha-Ching! Free mini-vacation!” I suggested my wife Nancy, who loves to work out, but she has trouble finding the time. They bought it, and my lovely bride of 18 ½ years and I made plans to spend 3 days and nights rubbing elbows with the rich and famous in the warm California sun.
Around that time, I got the biggest wake-up call of my life, at least so far. Two cancerous tumors were found on my right kidney. To make a long story short, I had surgery about a month ago, the tumors were successfully removed,
and I'm on the mend. But the experience has caused Nancy and me to pause and think about our lifestyles. We've always thought of ourselves as healthy people. We rarely get sick. We eat lots of fruits and veggies, balanced out, of course, by a few pints of Ben & Jerry's now and then. Nancy loves to workout at the gym, but her job as a first-grade teacher keeps her busy during the school year. It's hard to get up for a 5:30 a.m. spin class when you're up grading papers until 1 a.m. I hit the gym about twice a year. I don't want to bulk up too much. Although our doctor assured us that there are many possible causes for kidney cancer, the diagnosis made us think twice about the foods we eat and the amount of physical activity in our lives.
So what began as part of my job
and an excuse for a free trip to California has evolved into an
opportunity for both Nancy and me to develop healthier lifestyles.
The EA SPORTS Active 30-Day Challenge kicks off for us on April 18
and ends right before the game launches on May 19. So the timing was
perfect for me to start rehabilitating from my surgery, which has
left me with a manly, impressive shark-bite surgery incision on my
right side that is slightly longer than a strawberry Twizzler, which I
once used as an impromptu measuring device. To get ready for the
challenge, we needed to meet the other challengers and learn how to
use the game. So we headed west to California.
In addition to trying out EA SPORTS Active, which felt more like
playing than working out with its assortment of short, varied
exercises, we also had the opportunity to meet fitness expert Bob
Greene and daytime TV and reality TV star Alison Sweeney, who also
happens to be taking the 30-Day Challenge. At first, we were afraid
that Bob would give us a long list of foods we weren't supposed to
eat, but he explained to us that we all already have a general idea
of what we should and shouldn't be eating. We tend to reach for
those unhealthy foods during times of stress. So developing a
healthy way to deal with that stress is better than constructing a "Do-Not-Eat"
list. I'll try to remember that the next time I'm polishing of a tube of cookie dough and worrying about what I'm going to write for the blog.
During lunch one day, Alison sat down right across from us, and because we're such big fans of her reality show, we were a bit star struck, and we found ourselves at a loss for words. But after Alison mentioned that she was a fan of the TV show
LOST, all bets were off. We were quickly put at ease as we shared our theories about time travel, the “others,” and what might happen next.
After our hosts peeled us away from Alison, we hurried back over for another round with the EA SPORTS Active game. This time Nancy and I decided to try out some of the custom workout options, allowing us to choose the activities we wanted and the duration of each one.
Once again, it did not feel like we were working out as I shot baskets and Nancy did “The Lasso” in the Dance-Off mode.
But our sore legs and arms reminded us the next morning that we
had, indeed, performed a vigorous workout.
Will it still feel like playing after 30 days? That remains to be seen. There is one thing of which we're certain. We want to rediscover that playful side of ourselves
that we enjoyed before we had kids and became responsible, productive members of society.
My cancer was a wake-up call, and we want to adopt a healthier
lifestyle for each
other and for our kids. Will EA SPORTS Active and the 30-Day Challenge help us get started? Stay tuned. |
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