I met Victoria Young a little over a year ago in working on the social media and digital campaigns for King of Fighters XII and Muramasa. I was quickly impressed by her ability to create order out of chaos, and soak up information like a sponge. I don’t think there was one conference regarding Social Media in the Los Angeles area that she missed out on, or one article that slid by without her reading it.
I hope that Victoria represents a new type of marketer, especially for the video game industry. One that truly tries to understand her customers, and realizes the power that Social Media wields, and when it’s NOT the best tool to use as well.
Ryan: What was your experience like at Disney Interactive Studios?
Victoria Young: It’s always interesting to work for the Goliaths of the world because you get a lot of insight into how a company that big functions. Disney Interactive has so many components that all fit together like clockwork to put out all the products for each quarter. You get to see the level of attention to detail that Disney has for the branding of its products, the messaging, and quality control. For instance, the shade of blue has to be a specific shade for the front of box of a game or it can’t go to print. The artists, brand managers, and PR people have to really be aware of all branding guidelines and craft all messaging very carefully. They are conservative for a reason and the time and money that goes into each of the products is clear when you see it on the shelf next to some other products.
Hit the title/read more to continue reading the interview with Victoria Young...
Boba Fett meets with Vader and an unlikely new hero does something that Anakin never could; Shun the dark side
Since the new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 was debuted at E3, fans have been craving more information the back story of the unlikely new hero, Starkiller.
In the Force Unleashed 2, Starkiller is the secret apprentice to Darth Vader but when Darth Vader has no need for him any longer, he is ordered to be killed.
In the game, Starkiller's mental state is comparable to Anakin Skywalker before he fully committed to the dark side. After being betrayed, he sort of comes to a "self awakening" and realizes he's better than what he has been doing and decides to "make things right" by killing an entire fleet of enemies using his superb lightsaber skills. Works for me!
What's best about Starkiller is the re-imagined use of the force. Instead of merely moving objects with this hands, he can literally crush any time of machinery and throw it into a building or power up the force to take out any nearby enemies.
Hit the title/read more to see both new videos released at Comic-Con for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2...
Looks like Jak and Daxter on steroids and we kinda like it Enslaved dazzled at this year's E3 and with the release date looming in October, many expected to see more game footage and Comic Con has delivered.
The new gameplay footage is almost 3 minutes in length and shows a fighting stick that doubles as a cannon and battling with robots. With God of War-esqe slow-motion fight moves with an environment that has a feel of Ratchet & Clank, this looks like a game that you actually have fun playing it for hours.
The North American release date for Enslaved hasn't been confirmed but should be Oct 5th due to a confirmed UK release date of Oct 8th.
By David Rogers Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade series already has a major hit
Xbox’s Summer of Arcade event has officially been kicked off with developer Playdead’s anticipated Xbox Live Arcade title, Limbo. Limbo is a sidescroller meets platformer, meets puzzler. Highly addicting, creepy, eerie, deadly, disturbing, and extremely enjoyable. If you like to rack your brain with challenging puzzles or simply enjoy a good sidescroller showcasing modern 2D art, than Limbo is for you!
Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters the world of which is no cheesy dance at a party but rather the edge of hell. This is not a nice world for a young boy to be exploring just to find his missing sister! Limbo comes from the Latin root limbus, the edge or boundary, referring to the “edge” of Hell. I’m frightened already and I’ve survived the horrors of Alan Wake.
Hit the title/read more to continue reading on an already successful new game on XBL…
GOW Exec Producer rewards Twitter followers after successful mission
When I first started playing Gears of War, little did I know that I would instantly fall in love and there would be no turning back as I became it turned me into a console gamer. The next step was to buy Xbox Live immediately to compete with players from around the country and play GOW’s co-op campaign. Gears of War 2 had some problems coming out of launch, most of which were in the Match Making and True Skill system. The ranking system underwent some changes, giving players 100 levels to rank up. To get to rank 100 the legit way a player must accumulate nearly seven million experience points in the online multiplayer. This is no easy feat to accomplish, especially considering there are tons of games releasing every year that will no doubt take your attention away from getting to this 100 level mark.
Realizing the difficulty in reaching that high of a mark, Epic Games has made the 100 rank more accessible by giving players permanent double experience and experience points in Horde Mode, Custom Matches, and Social Matches, as well as Ranked Matches. The halfway point to rank 100 is rank 81, yep, by the time you get into your 80s; you’re only halfway there. Occasionally, Epic Games, will give an increased multiplier in their XP system during special weeks or weekends, like the recent 6x XP during the week of E3, and the 8x XP event during the July 4, weekend.
Last weekend, Executive Producer of the Gears of War franchise Rod Ferguson, gave his Twitter followers a mission. This mission was to get him more Twitter followers before the San Diego Comic-Con. The terms of the mission was to get to over 4,000 followers, and he would divide his followers by 500, and give Gears of War 2 players anywhere from 8x-10x XP. Little did Rod Fergie, know he created a monster in his North Carolina home.
Hit the title/read more to find out the surprise for all GOW players....
When I was a child, my first obsession with gaming did not come with the original Nintendo, but rather the Super Nintendo. With cartridges as tough as nails, most of collection has withstood the tests of time.
Since the 80's, a Nintendo fan has a plethora of nostalgia to choose from. From ice cubes to satellite dishes, Nintendo knows how to brand their products. But did you ever think you would see the day of a Super Nintendo bed? And the damn thing looks just like it!
Besides the price, the bed looks pretty cool but it looks terrible at actually being comfortable. But it does include iPad docks on both sides, 4 speakers and a 250-watt amp.
New features, better controls and a special cover for Alabama fans Earlier this week EA Spots released their perennial NCAA Football and with every year they have made improvements making the game more similar to the traditional college experiences like the FSU Tomahawk chop or the Florida Gator Chomp. This year however, EA Sports wanted to make NCAA Football feel even more like the college experience with the tunnel exits and pre-game pow-wows. Each school experiences their own tunnel exit that give a player that feeling of a collegian game day experience.
With cocktails from Zelda, Mario, Portal and Gears of War; You may never need to leave the house again.
When I think of long nights of gaming, I have never imagined infusing alcohol with it. In fact, the only time I would (or have) had a consumed alcohol is only after a particular long winded battle or intense boss beatdown in which I need to "calm my nerves".
But after the link that was shared to me by my friend Rachel, an avid gamer, I'm convinced that most of us have seriously been missing out on some awesome new cocktail ideas!
The Druken Moogul bodes itself as "devoted to what might be the best damn things this side of Hyrule: video games and booze". With a tag line like that, I'm already intrigued.
TDM is a site where gamers submit their gaming inspired cock tail recipes to be able to share with the masses. While most of the drinks are on the Final Fantasy side (never cared too much for the game but MANY people love the franchise) there are some gems out there like the following we discovered.
First drink up is to the right and is called the "1up Shot" which in the description itself has a disclaimer that "taking this shot will not extend your life".
The 1-Up Shot
1 part Melon Bols 1 part Vodka 1 part Milk Whipped cream Green frosting
Directions: Mix first three ingredients into shot glass. Place whipped cream tuft on top, then add dots of green frosting.
Hit the title/read more to see the rest of the gaming drinks...
Its good for the whole "self esteem" thing right? Imagine these scenarios:
The Tour de France participants are given mopeds to travel the country instead of riding a regular bike
Lewis and Clark used a plane to travel to the west coast instead of walking on foot and trusting some random Indian woman.
Legendary war hero Hannibal was given several predator drones instead of using elephants to cross the Alps for a battle
Every player who made it to the NHL playoffs automatically get their name engraved on the cup, regardless if they lose embarrassingly.
This was the idea when the guys over at College Humor to ask "What if we cut the hard stuff out of some of the greatest (and most difficult) games ever? What if everything in our lives was made a little easier? Would we be better off? Less stress and more fulfillment?
For God's sake NO! In the words of Tom Hanks from A League of Their Own: "its the hard that makes it great".
Playing and beating a hard video game is an achievement and you feel damn proud for playing that one level of Battle Toads 2,000 times until you nail it so perfect you want to high five yourself. Or searching for days in Zelda only to discover that what you needed was under a random rock in the middle of the dessert that you had passed by at least 27 times.
There is nothing better than a challenging game but sometimes, its fun to fantasize about it being a piece of cake too. Plus it could save in the amount of wall repairs I have to perform from slamming a controller into it.
Hit the title/read more to check out the video on video games with an added "Super Easy Mode"...
Is this the best Transformers game ever created? Our vote: YES!
After traveling to E3 and a couple minor computer issues, but I'm back with another review and this time on Transformers: War for Cybertron, a game where there’s more than just meets the eye. But before I begin I want to make it clear how much I really enjoy this game, and I feel sorry for my friends and anyone else who has not picked up this title yet. It’s enjoyable and really takes you back to what playing video games are really about, fun.
Autobots roll out . . .
High Moon Studios has created quite possibly the greatest Transformers game currently on the market. I guess it’s true that the third time is the charm. Activision returns with their third installment of the Transformers franchise, but this time with no ties to Michael Bay’s poor adaptation of Hasbro’s famous toy and animated series.
Here we have an open love letter to Transformers. Everything that you can think of to be in a good game is here. From the fun and engaging single player campaign, experiencing that same campaign with two other buddies or “randoms” and compete for points simply for bragging rights, facing wave after wave of increasingly harder transformers and the ever so phenomenal fast paced multiplayer experience.
Hit the title/read more to continue reading the review on Transformers: War for Cybertron...
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 
