Fight Night Round 4 Review of some sorts

I believe words must be conquered, lived, and that the apparent publicity they receive from the dictionary is a falsehood. Nobody should dare to write "outskirts" without having spent hours pacing their high sidewalks; without having desired and suffered as if they were a lover; without having felt their walls, their lots, their moons just around the corner from the general store, like a cornucopia...

-JL Borges 1926

There is only one sport near and dear to my heart I love, none other "the beautiful game." No on can agree on who coined soccer (other parts of the world, football) as "the beautiful game" however, everyone agrees soccer is special to the world. Playing roughly all of my adolescence on those green fields chasing a peppered ball to only place it in white net, and in college cheering wildly for our favorite national or club team with teammates. The beautiful game did not start with the "stars", but with the youth playing on grassy, dirt, and asphalt fields chasing a ball made of hope and dreams. A game is not won on statistics alone, but by securing goals. The English play with tactics, Germans with efficiency, Brazilians with flair and Americans with grit. Soccer by definition is a world sport.

Boxing is rarely about beauty, it pits two beasts, pummeling each other with jabs, uppercuts, and haymakers in 12 rounds that last 3 minutes long. Death is not a rare occurrence in the ring. The crowd present and at home want the drama of a knockout. We root for the challenger, and despise the champion. We hate the pretty boy, and marvel at the history of cuts and bruises of the old timer. Fighters win and primadonnas hit the canvas. A fight is won by knockout or by out punching your opponent, statistics matter. Boxing by definition is a mans' sport.

From Untitled Album

I never understood boxing before 1992, that is, until I saw my first Pay Per View championship fight. Julio Cesar Chavez, the Lion of Culiacan, defending his WBC Lightweight belt against the speedy challenger Hector "Macho" Camacho in September 1992. For me, Camacho had a few things going against him, he had too much flair, very pompous, and not Mexican, were the easiest of features only a 12 year old boy could dislike on a boxer. In my eyes, Chavez was the darling, the Champion, 81-0 record, a Mexican folk hero and a legend in the making. With Mariachi music as he entered the ring, all of us were in awe.

Being part of a youth traveling soccer team, weekends were spent in hotel rooms, prepping for a tournament of games in Sacramento, Fresno, Davis, Los Angeles and San Diego was never out of the ordinary. One particular weekend, the fathers could not imagine of missing a highly anticipated fight. After our second game of the day was over, we rushed to the hotel to shower, sped to a nearby eatery, and hauled ourselves back to the room to watch the Chavez v Camacho fight.

The fight is considered legendary, cat vs mouse, the stronger Chavez punishing the fleeing Camacho, as a cat toying with its prey. By the seventh round, Chavez was in total control of the fight, Camacho failed to throw in the towel as his ringside suggested, the challenger would last five more rounds surviving a bloody pulp assault to his face and figure.

It was probably the best fight a 12 year old boy could of witness as his first. There are a few first memories men will cherish, their first fist fight in the school yard (a bully named Ryan), first crush on a pinup (Cindy Crawford), their first soccer goal (five years old in AYSO game) and their first PPV Title Match.

I will always remember JC Chavez the way I did in 1992. A Champion, Pound for Pound best fighter in the world, and a folk hero Mexican. The scandals, the losses, the women, the ad campaigns over time would dent JC Chavez credibility in my eyes and countless of others, I hear he even has a junior who wants to fight PACMAN Pacquiao.

A couple of nights ago, memories began to fill my eyes with tears of remembered youth, as I knocked out Sugar Shane Mosley in the seventh round of a Welterweight title match in EA's Fight Night Round 4. Mosley leaned into a haymaker uppercut, Mosley falls, referee counts to ten, fight over.

From Untitled Album

Brazil's playmaker Kaka to leave AC Milan for Real Madrid

In an effort to stay relevant in football, Real Madrid is poised to sign AC Milan and Braizilian playmaker extraordinaire Kaka for a hefty sum of £56 Million. If the reports turn out true, Real Madrid is restarting their bid to European domination by buying these Galaticos, players who are considered to the elite of football players of the world. Our only question at Latinogamer, who is next to go to los blancos?

Terra.com is reporting that the deal is done...

Eriksson address Mexican Press and Fans; World Cup or bust, presents his assistants

Sven Goran Eriksson presented his group of assistant coach and medical staff in a conference addressing the media and ultimately the fans of the Mexican National Team. The Swede and former England coach has his first match on August 20th against Honduras, a team known for upsetting Brazil in Copa America 2001, believes Mexico is the better team. Eriksson explains, "I think that qualifying for the World Cup is an obligation for Mexico, without doubt," but with only three days for prep, "It's not ideal, but it's reality, we have to do it that way and that's the end of it."

There was no answer in regards to using Mexican nationalized foreigners for the national team, the Swede is not even sure what format they will take field with, or with what style, until he has spoken to the players.

"I feel that Mexico have a strong team and we won't have trouble adapting." There may be Big Trouble in Mexico City if the Mexican National team continues to play poorly. Only time will tell if the European direction via Eriksson will influence the Mexican players.

FIFA Player of the Year, why Kaka should not win

Poo Poo had a wonderful 6 months but since august and not playing Copa America, has shown that Poo Poo success has waned the last 6 months. If AC Milan wins the Club World Cup in Japan and Pu Pu performs well, yes the award should go to him.

Totti may think that Messi should be player of the year, but the young striker did not win any trophies this year. Barca floundered at the end of season, having oppurtunities to clinch the La Liga and losing emberessingly in the Kings Cup. Messi performed well all year around, but giving an award without any brass in the trophy room seems ridonkolous...(Messi may have renacted two of Maradona’s famous goals but the comparision only happens because they are both Argentinian. Ronaldo has taken 6, 7 players during his time with Barca, and was never compared to the Diego.)


My vote, would either go to Riquelme or Van Nistelrooy, both lead their team to trophies. Riquelme came back from international retirement (to show how much he is worth of course) and led Argentina to a second place finish in Copa America. Each Copa America game for Argentina, Riquelme played beautifully and was the main playmaker up until the final. Goes back to Boca Juniors, singlehandedly destroys Gremio in the Copa Libetadores Final, cementing himself as a demigod to Boca fans.

Van Nistelrooy, being shoo shoo away from Man U for their younger strikers and being kicked off the Dutch team and then reconcile with Van Basten, scoring two important goals during Euro 08 qualifying matches. Lead Real Madrid in scoring to secure La Liga (saving Beckham's legacy in Real) wins the Spanish scoring title even netting seven games in a row, (Ruud has won the scoring titles from Dutch Eredivisie, Premiership and La Liga.)


I do not consider the hand of god goals to be cheating, since the ref does not see, and there are other underhanded techniques used on the field. If FIFA and UEFA want to include instant replay, then the goals should be anulled, but the two federations are very opposed to instant replay. The whole Zidane-Matterazzi incident serves a great example of cheating. What Zidane did was wrong and rightfully deserved the red card, but what Matterazzi did and is known for baiting players is considered cheating but he has never ever been punished for any of it. The attitude has not change, just a couple of weeks ago, Tevez fell victim to the same “cheating” tactics in the Argentina-Colombia match, but no one makes a big deal out of it.

FIFA 08 Review

FIFA has arrived, I have to give apologies to a series that I have ignore for its weak gameplay, and shameless licensing tactics. Having played FIFA 08 for two weeks now, my attitude has change for the better. The series that brought soccer to sportgamers, EA's football King has returned. Over thirteen years of multiplatform releases, FIFA 08 scores first and has the features to win the cup this year. The FIFA franchise has always been a cash cow for EA, what other videogame sport can handle three versions in a year every four years? EA dominated the soccer field in the 2d era, but always seem to behind a Beckham curve with Konami's Pro Evo/W11 3d dominance. FIFA's changes from previous installments create a simulated type of experience that makes FIFA 08 a go to player.

The most notable difference is the use of tactics, ie wall passing, through balls, and timed crosses helps FIFA 08 become more of a simulation sports game ala Fight Night than Konami's PES/W11 series. By slowing down the gameplay, FIFA 08 feels more authentic, plays like a real soccer game, takes tactics, smart passes, patience, all qualities found when playing soccer in real life, to succeed. One can learn how to play soccer by playing FIFA 08 on a game console.


Scoring has become harder, takes time, your passes accurate and well timed. Playing as countering team, one touch passes accurate through balls and crosses help your scoring chances as in real soccer. FIFA has removed the Maradona like gameplay of taking more than 6 players at once.

The be a pro feature is playable unlike other sports games. An immersive gameplay mechanic, be a pro, has bright spots but will need better AI. Favorite online feature, is the ability to save replays. Check out this awesome Eto GOOOAL.

FIFA 08 does need improvements in various areas. South american teams and tourneys need to be added, as well as, authentic chants, ref, and fans. The FIFA series can now start to delve into deeper tactics, by adding different through runs, such as; j runs, cut runs, and check in runs. With the slower gameplay, Pro Evo veterans will have a longer learning curve, but it is worth every second.

The beautiful game has arrived to your home game consoles, a must buy for any footie fan.

9.5/10

EA and Konami Red Carded

EA and Konami match suspension, why do these developers drop the ball and how can they get a 10 on their jerseys.



Ever since I first played GOAL!!!!! for the NES and I always imagined ways to improve the game, and have the same immersive feeling as live games. Here are my thoughts and rants on how FIFA and PES can make a comeback.


Since the name Fifa incoporates the word international, why does it seem the only "good" teams, national and club, are the european ones. The African and Latin American teams, who play a tu a tu (man to man), with any team in the world should not be ranked as low. Even the teams ranked by Fifa, For Fifa's Official Rankings Click Here, play musical chairs going up and down in rank. Ghana and Nigeria have been playing really well in the olympic and youth levels, so why the low rankings?

Thirty club leagues is good and all but when the leagues are second/third division teams in europe, and are ranked higher than Latin American and MLS club teams, shows EA's biased towards Europe. When one of the top leagues in South America is omitted (Argentina), then other Latin American clubs team will never make the cut. Including only River Plate and Boca Juniors, who by the way are two of the best club teams in South America, we miss the great teams of Colo Colo, Olimpia, Nacional and Once Caldas. Brazil did make the cut, for EA's Fifa 08, but the Five Time champions are not the only footballing nation in South America. Adding insult to injury, Boca Juniors, Copa Libertadores Campeones, are ranked lower than their UEFA counterparts. Foul play is involved, and should be banned from the game. EA and Konami need to add world futbol fans who do not have a bias towards Europe.



The music may be awesome in the loading screens and all, but what makes football so great is the fan chants. EA should put their attention to fan club sites and incoporate their team chants into the game. Cheering and jeering the home and away teams is good and all, but in the video game world of immersive atmosphere (Bioshock) lets add layers to the beautiful game.


Fifa and PES will never get a ten in my book, it lacks teams, especially from Latin America, authentic chants, and accurate rankings of the national and club teams. Omitting Ghana, who are one higher ranked African teams, missing from the line is a blemish to EA. Fifa and PES are a top sellers in Latin America, why not give them same treatment as Europe gets?