The first Socal Level | Up Series Tournament on Saturday, February 27 provided an impressive showing of top gamers and tournament organizers. The Level | Up team, lead by Alex Valle and Jimmy Nguyen, organized a remarkable competition at the Dave and Busters at the Block in Orange to begin a new series of Level | Up Tournaments. Street Fighter IV and Tekken 6 players traveled from all over California and neighboring states to battle it out against other top competitors.

The Street Fighter IV competition was won by Justin “Marvelous” Wong, who beat out “Combofiend” to take home the first place cash award and other valuable prizes. You can view all of the pre-recorded live action from the Level | Up Tournament on Alex Valle’s Wednesday Night Fights.

Results:

Street Fighter IV
1st Place Winner: Justin Wong  $798 ,Choice of Madcatz TE stick, $200 Triumvir Shopping spree
2. Combofiend  $228, Choice of Madcatz TE stick
3. Ricky O $114, Choice of Madatz TE stick

Tekken 6
1st Place Winner: Mr. Naps $798, Choice of Madcatz TE stick
2. Aris $228, Choice of Madcatz TE stick
3. Chetchetty $114, Choice of Madcatz TE stick

Beat-A-Pro Competitions

Test your video game skills against world famous gamers

The tournament also featured the first Beat-A-Pro Competition hosted by Galaxy4Gamers.com.  Street Fighter IV king Alex “CaliPower” Valle took on any challengers who dared to test his skills. Brave fighters lined up to reserve their spot, just like the old arcade days.

Congratulations to Richard Nguyen and Juicebox for their impressive performances, each taking down CaliPower, and winning $100 each for their victories. Check out the Beat-A-Pro page here.

You can now test your skills against the best every week in Galaxy4Gamers Online Beat-the-Pro Competitions. We have an incredible lineup of the best pros at their respective games.

Current Beat the Pro Schedule

• Mondays: 8-10 pm  – Guitar Hero 5 – Robert “Prod1gyX” Paz       CHALLENGE

• Tuesdays 8-10 pm – Street Fighter IV – Alex “CaliPower” Valle     CHALLENGE

• Wednesdays 8-10 pm – Street Fighter IV – Justin “Marvelous” Wong     CHALLENGE

• Coming Soon – Guitar Hero – Ciji “Starslay3r” Thornton (in April)

More Beat-A-Pro gamers to be announced.

Gamers can relive the old arcade days and line up to challenge world famous gamers on a variety of titles each week. Not only does instant fame await anyone who can beat our professional gamers, but huge jackpots will also be rewarded to anyone who can take them down via G4G’s progressive jackpot tournament payout structure.

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By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer

NEW YORK – When Apple introduced the iPhone, it shook up the cell phone business but it also changed the way people play video games. About a quarter of the 100,000 applications that you can download to the iPhone are games, ranging from the simple “Doodle Jump” to a version of “Grand Theft Auto.”

Now, with the looming launch of a tablet-style computer — already nicknamed the “iPhone on steroids,” with a bigger screen that might have a place in the living room — Apple could pose an even tougher challenge to established players in the video game business.

Apple Ipad akd Apple Tablet

That assumes, however, that potential buyers aren’t scared off by a price that might be more than the cost of a Wii, a PlayStation 3 and an Xbox 360 combined. Apple isn’t commenting on its unveiling Wednesday.

Apple’s iPhone and the similar iPod Touch brought a new look to games because they have an accelerometer inside that lets people control the action by turning or tilting the device. With a touch screen and the computing horsepower for high-quality graphics, the iPhone lends itself to pared-down versions of console games like “Assassin’s Creed” and “The Sims 3.” Its size, meanwhile, makes it easy to consume addictive puzzles in 5-minute increments while waiting for the dentist or riding the subway.

Now the iPhone, which costs $99, $199 or $299 plus a monthly service plan, rivals gadgets such as the Nintendo DS ($130-$170) or PlayStation Portable ($170-$250), known as the PSP, which were created solely for playing games on the go. It’s unclear whether Apple has taken substantial market share away, but the iPhone likely introduced people to mobile games who wouldn’t have played otherwise.

“We’ve seen the iPhone and iPod Touch as kind of a starter kit for video games,” says John Koller, director of hardware marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America. “When those customers are ready to graduate into a deeper experience, the PSP is there for them.”

Soon a tablet may be there for them, too. A touch-screen gadget that is bigger than an iPhone could provide a larger playing field for gamers and give game developers a new way to push the limits of their creativity.

“Any game where there are multiple moving objects on the screen, or a map to explore, will especially be a better experience,” says Ian Lynch Smith, the president of Freeverse, a developer of iPhone and Mac games. “Also the more high end, cinematic games will benefit directly from the more immersive screen size.”

Apple profits from games because it takes a cut of apps that are sold on the iPhone, where games generally cost between 99 cents and $9.99. Last year the company hired Graeme Devine, a developer with 25 years of experience and games such as “Halo Wars” and “Quake 3″ under his belt, to work on “iPhone gaming technologies.”

Of course, the tablet is likely to be about much more than gaming, but the same increasingly can be said about video game consoles. Makers of home video game systems are trying to sell their products as all-in-one entertainment devices.

Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 (starting at $200) and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 (starting at $300) both offer streaming movies from Netflix, for example, and Nintendo Co.’s Wii ($200) is set to start in the spring. Sony markets the PS3 as the “most fully loaded console,” one that “only does everything,” including Blu-ray movies, Facebook updates or Web browsing.

Given that Apple will have to persuade people they need another gadget in their lives, the company is also likely to bill the tablet as a do-everything device, a way for people to manage music, video, games, communication and Web browsing. And while it will be portable in a way game consoles are not, “it makes sense that it would be connected to the TV eventually,” says Peter Relan, chairman of Aurora Feint, the developer of a large social game network for the iPhone.

Smith thinks hard-core gamers will still own a console and use it as the primary gaming platform at home “for some years to come.”

“But I can see the tablet taking almost all of the casual to moderate gamer market,” he says.

The challenge for console makers will be to respond with innovation. One avenue could be in increasingly sophisticated motion controls, such as Microsoft’s upcoming “Project Natal,” which lets people manipulate on-screen avatars using their bodies. Natal is set to debut on the Xbox this holiday season.

“Games have become the killer pursuit on all new devices,” says Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga, the company behind popular Facebook games such as “FarmVille” and “Mafia Wars.” “They are the reason people buy major new hardware from the Xbox to the iPhone.”

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Galaxy4Gamers would sincerely like to wish you all a great start to the new year. We started the year off with a Call of Duty Tourney and The Half provided us with some awesome music. We began the tourney at 8pm EST and after a few hundred entries, a couple hundred games, a few too many tequila shots and our Grand Prize winner was G4G member, KnightRider. He won $1500 for 4 hours of intense gaming. Our lovely KittyKat ended up in 2nd, but she still walked away with $500. We know that our big cash tourney’s go quick and the turnout was awesome, so check in daily to see if they are available. No joke, this gaming stuff pays. The best part of the night was when The Half was playing and some female spectator must have thought she was at a Bon Jovi concert. She tossed her bra up on the stage, but ended up shooting it like a rubber band. The bra strap nailed the lead singer in the face and he started to hold his eye. Basically, it stopped the music, she was topless and everyone was starring. Talk about a moment of awkwardness. If you guys have any NYE stories worth a good laugh, please email them to us and we will post them!

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With the end of the year approaching, everybody manages to come up with the best or worst of lists. Well, we are not coming up with any new lists. We just want to give you the facts. Here are the games that were voted the best for 2009.

Xbox 360 – Assassins Creed II
PS3 – Uncharted 2
Wii – New Super Mario Bros
PC – Dragon Age: Origins

While sports, fighting and driving enthusiasts may have different picks, the games of the year are definitely off the chart. These aren’t the only games that made an impact. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Madden 10 and Street Fighter 4 were definitely worth an honorable mention, but beauty lies in the eyes beholder. One thing that we all can agree on, the games are getting better and more intense. Unfortunately (and it is not necessarily a bad thing), 2010 may be the last year we see PS3 and Xbox 360. I heard that Xbox 720 and PS4 are arriving 2011. We’ll wait to see. With that being said. Happy New Year and be safe.

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If you ever thought the writers of the movie, “Blood Sport,” with Jean Claude Van Dam based it on Frank Dux’s entering the Kumite, you have been fed a bag of lies. The real truth is it was based upon my life and my unbeatable skills. Back then, my gaming style was too new and too hardcore for the general audience. So the writers changed it to fighting so it would be more acceptable and because of the success of Rocky. Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds like I am giving you a load of crap, but there is a real tradition that exists in the underground streets of the video game world. This tradition caused my departure.
Rather than a glorious tale of magic, witchcraft, and dragons; I feel I owe an explanation to our G4G Members why I was gone. In order to understand my hiatus, you must first understand the perilous side of our gaming traditions. There are several principles that define our hidden culture and existence. Most important, we adhere to them at all costs. 1) Never say no to a video game challenge 2) Never say yes to candy from a grown man with no pants 3) You must game to the death. Yeah, rule #1 seems kind of crazy especially when you read rule #3. Let me ask you, Have you ever played Guitar Hero? Have you ever been hit with a Ninja star while playing Guitar Hero? Big Difference! Besides that, rule #2, I was like woe – where did that come from? Who says no to candy?
So the story goes, my old Master Ata Ri at the Nin Ten Dojo was killed in a gaming duel by my arch nemesis, Master Chae Ting. Ting is very resourceful: uses glitches, disconnects his router, and powers down right when he is about to lose. Apparently he used a smoke attack and Master Ata Ri became light headed and had a insatiable need for funyons and a pudding pop and was unable to focus. All of a sudden, Master Ri fell down in a coughing attack and choked on a funyon. So I flew back to avenge his death.
The duel: I challenged Ting to Modern Warfare 2. The game was new and I figured he wouldn’t have too many tricks up his sleeve. We went to my old Nin Ten Dojo and during the first round, I hit him with a flash bang that I got from Tiajuana. No joke, a real flash bang, He sounded like Tattoo from Fantasy Island and was like, “ahhh, The pain, the pain.” I was like, “should have been wearing sunglasses b**ch, now f*** yo’ couch!” Then from nowhere, the power goes out and there was dead silence. When the light come back on, he was gone. Master Chae Ting is a sneaky, but we will meet again and I will be prepared for his tricks next time.

Sincerely,
Master GaeMing

As always…Quit Playing With Yourself!
And start playing with other G4G members for cash and prizes!

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Check out young Jacob’s reaction when he’s told it’s time to turn off a game of his Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox. For us gamers, there is nothing more important than playing our brand new video game with our friends. How could anyone be so cruel? Don’t they know its dangerous to disrespect a skilled sniper?!

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More on the Modern Warfare 2 Debate

John Biggs of Crunchgear.com recounts the Fox News discussion and provides a nice analyisis about violence in video games today.

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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 News & Reviews: Keep Away from the Children!
GamePro Review by Tae K. Kim
Joystiq Review by Kevin Kelly
IGN Review by Mark Bozon
1Up.com Review by David Ellis
Kotaku Review by Michael McWhertor
X-Play/G4TV Review by Matt Keil
AP Review by Lou Keston

Modern Warfare 2 launches with the first ever West End premier for a video game. Appearing at the video game release party in Leicester Square, London were Bill Murray and Kevin McKidd from Grey’s Anatomy. Check out some footage of the premier.

Modern Warfare 2 sparks a battle in British Parliament.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 smashes UK sales record.

Mike Snider of USA Today writes Modern Warfare 2 challenges what is acceptable in video games.

Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.)
Coinciding with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision/Blizzard announces the establishment of a million-dollar foundation aimed at helping returning soldiers find employment.

X-Play Senior Producer Matt Keil and the Great Adam Sessler Sit Down and Talk Modern Warfare 2

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The link between the video game industry and Hollywood continues to grow. Yahoo games compares your favorite video game characters with their Hollywood look-a-likes. Unfortunately, they are a bit off with their choices. In this pic, Duke Nukem looks more like Bruce Willis with Arnold’s body rather than just the Terminator himself. Yippee ki-yay Mother $%cker! Snake Pliskin looks more like Donald Sutherland! And Little Sister is dead ringer for Christina Ricci. C’mon Yahoo. What do you think of the comparisons? Do you have any friends that looks like  Street Fighter 4 character? Who do you look like?

Courtesy 20th Century Fox

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If you don’t have the hand-eye coordination to play Guitar Hero, use your feet!

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