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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Boss Guide
PlayStation 3
Boss Guide by Dauragon C Mikado88
Version: 2.01 | Updated: 07/09/08
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Version 2.01
By Travis Rappa (Dauragon C Mikado88)
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Version 1.00
Started the FAQ. All boss strategies have been added. Fun Tactics
will come in later updates.
Version 1.01
-Corrected Rex's Rear Laser charge (Level 3 -> Level 5)
-Added the abbreviation to quickly get to the Liquid fight.
Version 1.10
-Changed 'Fun Tactics' to 'Additional Tactics'
-Added many user submitted strategies.
-Added MGO ID for a new contact method.
Version 1.20
-Added more Additional Tactics from people who contributed
-Adjusted my own strategies for Octopus and Raven and Wolf.
-Added recommended weaponry for all bosses, including lethal and non-lethal.
-Received a lot of Crying Wolf strategies about hiding on the truck. I posted
a few of them but not all for obvious reasons. Sorry if yours did not get
Version 2.00
-A ton of new user submitted strategies.
-A few adjustments to my own strategies.
-Added a Lethal VS Non-Lethal Section
-Removed 'Difficulty' of bosses.
-Added a prettier looking header and Updates title.
Version 2.01
-Minor corrections. Added DSR-1 as a useful weapon for Crying Wolf.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction (INTRO)
II. General Tips (GENTIP)
III. Lethal VS Non-Lethal (LEVNO)
IV. Bosses
1. Laughing Octopus (LOCT)
2. Raging Raven (RRAV)
3. Crying Wolf (CWOL)
4. Vamp (VAMP)
5. Metal Gear Ray (MGRAY)
6. Screaming Mantis (SMAN)
7. Liquid Ocelot (LOCE)
V. Additional Tactics (USER)
VI. Contact Info
VII. Credits/Copyright
To navigate to a Boss quickly, use the Find function on your browser
and type in the abbreviations in the parenthesis.
I. Introduction (INTRO)
Metal Gear Solid 4 is finally here and it was well worth the wait!
The Metal Gear series is known for its clever and thought-invoking
boss fights, and MGS4 is no exception. Many of the bosses are very
challenging this time around and considering how many of the bosses
possess superhuman abilities and suits, many of the bosses take many
hits before going down. However with the right strategy, each boss
can be taken down. Well that's what you're here for anyway, right?
II. General Tips (GENTIP)
1. Use your Octocamo - Just because it's a boss fight doesn't mean
stealth isn't important. Bosses that become confused and unaware to
your presence will allow an easy shot.
2. Pay close attention to your psyche. - The psyche gauge is just
below Snake's health bar. The higher the bar is, the greater Snake's
psyche is, and thus, better performance. High amounts of stress in
combat will cause his psyche to deplete gradually; this occurs
frequently during bosses and will drop your aim considerably. Eating
noodles, drinking Regain, smoking a cigarette, resting, reading a
magazine and the syringe you receive later on all help keep the
psyche meter high.
3. Take cover often and rest. - If you take a lot of damage and don't
have much recovery items left, find safe cover and have Snake rest
idly as long as possible. Snake's health will gradually restore
itself. The higher Snake's psyche gauge, the quicker it will restore.
The higher Snake's psyche gauge, the quicker it will restore.
III. Lethal VS Non-Lethal (LEVNO)
I get e-mailed and asked about this quite a few times, with people telling me
what counts as a kill, and what doesn't. So instead of reposting what
everyone is saying I will make a new section here.
Reasons to Non-Lethal Kill Beast Forms:
- Only one reason here and that is to get statues and unlock the Solar Gun.
There is 5 statues total, 4 for each of the B&B units, and one for
tranquilizing all the FROGS during the fight in Act 1. The Solar Gun is very
useful for second playthroughs, especially during Big Boss Emblem runs. I
would recommend non-lethal killing all bosses, all forms your first time.
Reasons to Lethal Kill Beast Forms:
- Does not count as an actual kill.
- Allows you to kill bosses much faster; useful once you already obtained the
Solar Gun and are going for a BBE run.
Reasons to Non-Lethal Kill Beauty Forms:
- Necessary for a no-kill run.
- You will receive their face camo if it is your first time.
Reasons to Lethal Kill Beauty Forms:
- Pretty much no reason unless it's a pure speed run. It will count as a kill
if you lethally defeat the beauty form. Keep that in mind.
IV. Bosses
1. Laughing Octopus (LOCT)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal) - M870 Custom (Buck or Slug)
Recommended Weaponry (Non-Lethal) - Mosin Nagant, Stun Grenades, M870 Custom
(Vortex Rings)
The first boss you fight, it seems like quite awhile before you even
fought one. Unlike most first bosses in the series, Laughing Octopus
is not a push around and can deal some serious damage if you don't
think on your feet.
Octopus will rely on the same technology - Octocamo as well as
facecamo which allows her to take on the face or even shape of
another object or person. Because of this, it's important to keep
note of your surroundings and any changes.
If you are going for a tranq kill, Stun Grenades work well here, as she will
usually deflect your MK bullets with her tentacles. Fighting her upfront as
she is approaching you is usually useless in this sense. If you have a
shotgun, then vortex ring shots will do the most damage. You can actually
find some ammo for it under one of the desks during the fight. The MK is
nearly useless due to her tentacle reflect and overall weak damage. If you
purchased the Mosin Nagant, this works best, just be sure to aim at her head
when she is camoflagued.
She will primarily attempt to fool you by using disguises and blending into
the environment. Using your night vision on the Solid Eye is a good tactic
for discovering where she is. Pay close attention to the radar as well, she
will frequently yell and give out her location. She will not move from her
position until you shoot her out of it. Make good use of this advantage and
rest to recover health when needed.
Occasionally, Octopus will send out these small floating red orbs
that will attach themselves to you if they touch you. You can either
shoot them in the air or roll if they attach to you. They will
explode after some time if you run away from them as well.
Be careful to maintain distance from her as well, her tentacle attack
has range and can deal a large bit of damage. Be especially careful
of her rolling attack which can catch you extremely quickly and deals
massive damage if you are hit. Find a crate to go up on if you see
this coming.
Normal weaponry will take awhile to bring her down with, any heavy
assault weapons will bring her down faster. If you are just going for
the facecamo, you can lethal kill the beast. The shotgun also works very well
here, as she cannot block a close shot, and it will even knock her over.
After you kill Laughing Octopus, she will shed her protective armor
and enter human form: Laughing Beauty. I don't really consider this
its own boss fight so I am including it here. All you must do is keep
shooting her as she slowly walks to you. There is no reason to get
hit at all, and if you do she will try to choke you, in which you can
easily shake her off. I recommend stamina killing her for her
facecamo. You will eventually land shots and bring her down
regardless of her dodging.
Congratulations! You have beaten the first boss.
2. Raging Raven (RRAV)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal) - SVD, RPG-7
Recommended Weaponry (Non-Lethal) - Mosin Nagant
Another fairly long, but not too difficult boss fight. Raging Raven
possesses other unmanned flyers which fire missiles at Snake, making
the fight a bit more of a headache. Unlike your fight with Octopus,
you are given a much larger battlefield to maneuver in. Personally I
fought this battle on the roof, but it is possible to win it on the
lower levels, I just feel it is harder to win it there.
So with that being said, begin the fight by making your way to the
top of the tower. You will encounter a large amount of the unmanned
flyers here; take them all out with an assault rifle, which will
force Raven to make her appearance. She will usually stay in one
position for a few moments before flying to the next one, allowing
you to hit her with your best weaponry. Be careful however, she will
fire missiles at you while you are shooting; hit-and-run shooting is
the way to go. If you are hit with the missile Snake will go flying,
and can even fly off the roof (instant death). Luckily, it does not
deal a large amount of damage.
If you have the RPG-7 and have well aiming you can deal heavy damage
to her if it lands. Handguns and assault rifles will make this LONG
fight. You can also attempt to snipe her head if you can aim well.
Either way, this fight tests your ability to aim quickly, as the
unmanned gliders are also difficult to shoot down at times.
Occasionally, Raven will overheat and throw a Stun Grenade at you.
Quickly equip the Box or the Drum Can to resist the flash once you
hear her say she is overheating. This will give you a few seconds to
shoot her some more. She will then fly over to one of the far roofs
and rest for a moment. You will notice many flyers around her as
well. This is a perfect time to snipe her or fire a missile at her
for easy damage.
If you wish to rest and recover naturally, go back down into the
tower and go down the first set of stairs, but rest at the wall that
is there before the next set of stairs. I never got hit here once,
even with Raven shooting missiles at me.
If using non-lethal methods this will be a long fight, the shotgun with
v.rings will not be as effective as with octopus since you cannot get close.
The MK is still weak, which leaves you with the Mosin Nagant for best damage.
Good aiming is essential here, especially if playing on The Boss Extreme and
cannot replenish ammo. Aiming at her head will cause the most damage, but it
is easier said than done.
Once you deal with Raging Raven you will fight her human form, Raging
Beauty. This is the exact same battle as when you fought Laughing
Beauty. Tranq her if you want her facecamo, otherwise you can kill
her quickly with the RPG-7.
3. Crying Wolf (CWOL)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal) - M14EBR (or DSR-1), FIM-92A
Recommended Weaponry (Non-Lethal) - Mosin Nagant
Similar to Raging Raven, you will also have to deal with FROGS during
this fight. Make good use of your Octocamo here and pick them off
one-by-one. I recommend equipping a suppressor to whatever gun you
use so you don't get an alert.
Solid Eye with Night Vision is ESSENTIAL to make this fight easier.
You will be able to track Wolf's unique prints in the snow, and track
her down when she moves positions. It will also allow you to see
through the intense blizzard. Projectile missiles are also essential
to deal good damage to her. Sometimes she will appear out of her
protective wolf armor, in which you could snipe her, but she can
detect you from far away and will send her own missiles at you.
Sometimes she will charge at you and will jump on you. If you want
too long it becomes unavoidable, it will deal massive damage to your
health AND your psyche gauge. Stay moving at all times if she is
running to you. You can also attempt to shoot a missile at her if you
are quick enough, but it is risky.
So your two options here are to snipe her or use a missile launcher at her.
For sniping I recommend the M14EBR or the DSR-1. You can attach a suppressor
and laser sight to the M14 making it a good weapon to snipe out the FROGS as
well. The DSR-1 is very powerful against Crying Wolf but due to its bolt
action you can only fire one shot before she moves. You also cannot modify
this gun to equip a suppressor. Use the FIM-92A if you try the missile launcher
Eventually, if you take too long to kill her after you dispatch the initial
wave of FROGS, she can summon more which will restart the process all over
After you beat her, she will become Crying Beauty. Same deal as all
the others. Either tranq for facecamo or kill lethally however you
4. Vamp (VAMP)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal) - M4 Custom
Recommended Weaponry (Non-Lethal) - MK 22, M870 (V.Ring), Solar Gun
Vamp is a pretty straight forward fight, attack him with an assault
rifle at his head, and gradually bring him down. He will mostly jump
around places, but will sometimes make a large leap at Snake. Use a
side roll to avoid it. He may throw knives at you as well; you can
either take the damage or run away from them. They do not do that
Once you bring his health down to zero the fight seems over. After
about 5 seconds he will get up again and the fight will resume with
him at full health. This can continue forever if you do not stop his
To beat him, get behind him once he falls to the ground after you
defeat him. Make sure you have the syringe equipped. Once he is up,
quickly hold down R1 near him and you will grab him in a CQC hold.
Make sure you have a handgun, knife or no weapon equipped so you can
grab him. Assault rifles do not work properly. Once you have him
held, press the action button (triangle) and you will inject him with
the syringe. The fight will then be over.
Yes I am aware the Solar Gun can kill Vamp extremely quickly. If you
collected all five non-lethal statues (FROGS fight and the 4 B&B units) and
are on other playthroughs, a charged Solar Gun shot will bring Vamp down
almost instantly on all modes.
5. Metal Gear Ray (MGRAY)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal) - Rear Laser, Homing Missiles
Could you ever imagine such an epic battle...? Metal Gear REX vs Metal
Gear RAY. Ray was designed to eliminate all other Metal Gears, but
this fight is actually quite easy, as long as you are aware of Rex's
abilities. You can change which weapon you use from the weapons menu.
You can employ each of Rex's weapons used against you in MGS. This
includes the gatling gun, the homing missiles and the rear laser.
The rear laser must be charged before it can be used. You must hold
down the aiming button to charge it. You can actually charge it all
the way to level 5, which takes some time, however it has the best
damage you can deal to Ray, I would recommend using it often.
All three of the weapons will overheat if you use them too much, so
switch to another weapon when this happens, fortunately they cool
down quickly. Use the missiles as a good alternative to the laser;
just make sure you have a clear shot to fire. I recommend switching
between the laser and the missiles; the gatling gun is not worth it.
Ray's attacks are all similar to the ones used against Raiden in MGS,
including the missiles and the 'water cutter' attack that it used to
escape the tanker. The water cutter attack is very powerful, stay
moving frequently to dodge it. Ray will also attempt to tackle Rex,
and jump on it for a large amount of damage. Use the X button and
dodge to the left or the right to avoid this. After you have done
that, get close to Ray and wait for a signal for the action button to
come up. Rex will then grapple Ray in its mouth and hit it with the
rear laser to deal a large amount of damage, very cool to see.
Overall this fight is quite easy, and I find REX actually has the
advantage over Ray here. Focus on using the laser and missiles as
your primary attack, and use the sidesteps to dodge when needed.
6. Screaming Mantis (SMAN)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal/Non-Lethal) - Assault Rifle, Mantis Doll (to
This fight is extremely nostalgic to Psycho Mantis, and you will soon
find out why. You must protect yourself, as well as Meryl's own life
from Mantis' control.
Begin the fight by immediately injecting yourself with the syringe,
the actual fight will begin once you do that. If you look carefully,
you will notice two dolls to the left and right of Mantis. A Psycho
Mantis doll and a The Sorrow doll. You must shoot these, not Mantis
herself. Be careful of the floating FROG corpses, they can shoot you
or stab you if you get too close. Once you shoot either doll a few
times, Mantis will begin to manipulate Meryl more and have her attack
Take cover behind one of the pillars at the top of the stairs, and
Meryl will leap over to you. Grab her using a CQC attack (remember
only handguns, knives or unarmed for a grab), make sure the syringe
is equipped, and then press the action button when she is grabbed to
inject her with the syringe. Basically this is the exact same thing
you did to Vamp. It will instantly knock her out.
Once Meryl is knocked out, continue to fire on Mantis' dolls. After
another few more hits, Mantis will raise Meryl once again, and put
the gun to her head this time. Quickly go down to the center of the
battlefield and grab Meryl in another CQC hold and inject her again
with the syringe. The FROGS corpses will most likely be near you and
will attempt to stop you. Keep trying to hit her with the syringe if
they land a hit on you.
Once you deal with Meryl again, you will finally be able to kill
Mantis freely. Continue to work on whatever doll you were shooting at
the time, you will notice it gradually fall from her side. After
about 10 hits or so it will fall from her side and fall to the ground
nearby. Quickly run to where the doll fell and pick it up before she
does herself.
Repeat this for the second doll. Be careful of her warping and slash
attack, she will scream "SNAAAAAKE" before she warps to you, giving
you plenty of time to run away. Once the second doll falls, you can
now kill Mantis. Equip the Mantis doll and fire off the projectile at her.
If it lands, you will be able to string her up like she did to the others.
Hold L1 and keep moving the Sixaxis back and forth between you and the screen,
this will shake her and inflict damage to her. You can kill her in one go
with this, quickly ending the fight. Note that both her stamina and health
gauge will deplete together.
*To end this fight quickly you only need to bring down the Mantis doll and
use it against her. The Sorrow doll is not needed to win, however if it is
your first time playing shoot both dolls so you can acquire both for future
You know the drill now, either tranq or lethal kill Screaming Beauty
to win.
7. Liquid Ocelot (LOCE)
Recommended Weaponry (Lethal/Non-Lethal) - Only a fool trusts his life to a
The fight you've been waiting so long for is finally here...Snake VS
Liquid Ocelot, and boy is it an epic fight.
There are four stages to his fight, the last one being very straight
forward. Each stage represents a progression from MGS1 to MGS4, each
to music from the respective games, very nostalgic.
Each form of Ocelot has his own unique move set, some easy, some more
difficult. You will first begin to MGS1 music and fighting a very
similar style Liquid. Press Select to bring up the controls for Snake
if needed.
Sidesteps are a good way to avoid blows and get a combo on Liquid,
you can also block his attacks and counter with your own. He can use
the running head butt attack similar from MGS1, it can be blocked but
it will break your guard. Keep dodging, blocking and delivering
combos and eventually you will come to...
MGS2 Liquid Ocelot, the alert music from the tanker will now play. I
find this form most easy to beat; Liquid will focus primarily on
using a powerful lunge fist which will deal a massive amount of
damage if it lands. Sidestepping will work best here to counter, but
even blocking gets the job done. Once you dodge the attack, you can
either try to get a combo on Liquid or do dash punches (Forward + X
combined with R1). Playing defensive and dodging is the way to go on
this form.
Eventually Liquid will change fighting styles once again, to reflect
on Ocelot from MGS3. Snake's name will change to 'Naked Snake' and
Liquid's to 'Ocelot'. The theme for Snake Eater will now play as
well. Ocelot will focus on short-range CQC attacks. Do not use the
dash punch now or it will most always miss. Being aggressive with
combos helps more, as well as the occasional ducking and
sidestepping. If you are caught in a hold, hit the action button
quickly when it is displayed and you can break the hold. If he gets
you in a chokehold, rotate the left analog stick as quickly as you
can to break free.
Once you deal with Liquid a third time, the music will change to 'Old
Snake' from MGS4, and both fighters will move very sluggishly towards
one another. You will only be able to swing using R1 now, make sure
you are close to Liquid before pressing R1. Keep mashing the button
to keep striking Liquid consecutively, if you wait too long then
Liquid will strike back. You can actually die on this part if you let
Liquid continue to counterattack, then you'll have to start all over
if you do. Keep this up, and eventually the fight will end.
Congratulations, you have beaten the Final Boss in MGS4. Enjoy the
lengthy but enriching ending!
V. Additional Tactics (USER)
Here I will post strategies and tips sent to me by e-mail. If you want to
submit your own just e-mail me at my contact info below. Please note that I
have unedited what people have sent to me, so please do not e-mail me
spelling and/or grammar corrections to their work.
Laughing Octopus
While I was fighting the Laughing Octopus, I've found that the survival knife
is a good way to do some decent damage and save ammunition. Here are a couple
of examples, one-when she first uses her camouflage and stands against the
wall (I am quite sure you know what I'm talking about), I usually run up to
her and pull off a knife combo, afterwards, she would still be standing there
and so I would pull off two to three more hits before she would fall to the
ground. This did alot more damage than I expected by the way. Other examples
are very similar, and this when she either hides on the wall over the
painting, hiding in a box, lying on the floor as a FROG, disguising as one of
those human figures, or lying on the floor with her face disguised as Naomi.
The technique applies to All the examples. Also, I want to point out that
when she does disguise her face as Naomi, you can still slice and dice her
even as she is spewing out that ink. if Laughing Octopus is lying on the
floor disguised as someone else, be sure to attack her in First Person mode
while crouching to hit her. This is only if you don't have the auto aim
function enabled.
-Submitted by Jonathan S.
This is an interesting bug I found when fighting laughing octopus. There
should be a room where 2 boxes stacked on each other. Get on the highest box
and wait there while facing the door. She will continually walk past the door
and shoot at you. Since there's a wall, her bullets will not go
through. But if you shoot at her while she's shooting at you, you can still
damage her. This mostly work when she's at 50% life/psyche, and she will
eventually move away to hide. If so, just go ahead and leave the spot, shoot
her, and run back on the top of the box.
-Submitted by Long Phan
I suspects that many people know this but the best weapon to use against the
beast form is the M4 Custom with the grenade launcher equipped and the Rail
Gun. The trick is to use the grenade launcher to hit the Laughing Octopus so
that she goes down and release the black smoke. Usually, after she release
the floating bombs (Use the M4 to clear the bombs), she will be hiding
somewhere, use the radar to find her. Hit her with the railgun while she is
After her health deplete to about 1/4, she will no longer hide and will
engaged you instead. At this stage, keep using the grenade launcher to hit
her, she should go down in around 5 hits.
In my game, I does the following things (with a 90% similiarities):
After the cut scene:
1) Immediately moved back and use the grenade launcher at her.
2) She goes down and release floating bombs, destroyed it and use the railgun
while she is hiding. (This part could happen twice)
3) She pretend to be the human thingy (Muscle tissues and so on...not sure
what is that called), shoot her with the rail gun again.
4) She pretend to be a fallen FROGS, shoot her again with the railgun.
5) She will now break out of the window, use the grenade against her, this
time she will release black smoke but does not disappear, she will pretend to
be Naomi (Use the rail gun)
6) Keep hitting her with the Grenade and M4
-Submitted by rachziwei
Raging Raven
If you have already beaten the game, then when you fight Raven, you should
have the Rail Gun. If you hit raven with the Rail Gun while she is flying
around it will do tons of damage. On The Boss Extreme difficulty level, it
took away over 2/3 of her health bar in one shot. However, this tactic only
works if she is flying around the building. If she is stopped to shoot
grenades, or is in the middle of a strafing run, the damage is just the
normal amount. Also, this tactic only works once, as successive shots will
only do the normal amount. After you have gotten rid of most of her health,
I recommend the M82A2 (the .50 cal sniper rifle) to finish her off as it only
takes two more shots, although any gun will take her down pretty quickly at
this point.
-Submitted by Thomas Taylor
Crying Wolf
Get under the tank, and equip Night Vis. Preferable weapon is sniper, for
when she runs into the woods, because she opens her armour and you can crack
off a great shot that'll significantly lower her health. The worst that can
happen is that she attacks the tank and you lose about 1/5 of health (if
that...) which recovers quickly either. Whilst she's running around it's fun
to pick off the FROG's too ^_^.
-Submitted by Bo17
After the cutscene ends and you regain control of Snake, duck under the
parked near you. From there, by using the Face and OctoCamo, you'll be 99%
invisible. The soldiers looking for you will search the area, and it is broad
enough that you can snipe them with head shots. I used the M1 because it has
a good scope without having to customize it, and you'll just need 1 shot to
take out the soldiers, as well as being silent. Its range is great, too. The
best bet is to snipe them in open areas where others can see the body.
They'll go towards the fallen comrade and kneel to check their status
(perfect baiting technique). Once you dispatch them, it's one-on-one against
Wolf. Stay where you are and wait until she comes into an area you can see
her. Once she pops her head out to scan for you with the rail gun, shoot her
in the head, wait for her head to recoil, shoot a 2nd time, wait again, shoot
a third time. She'll get back into the machine and run off. Rinse and repeat.
Every 3 head shots took a quarter of her life, so I did this 4 times and
finished her easily, but not quickly. It's a sniper showdown, so if you're
patient, you'll get the best of her. The second half of the battle when she's
Crying Beauty is the same as the others. I've only beat her with lethal
means; I have not attempted this with the Mosin Nagant or the Mk22.
-Submitted by Fireagle (MGO ID)
If you climb up the tower you can see all around the field. Eliminate the
guards on the tower then blend in on the top floor and wait for alert to be
over. Equip your night vision and wait for wolf to appear, if you wait a
minute or two she will start browsing the snow looking for you, and will open
up her shell and expose her self. use this opportunity to pop off a few
headshots with the M1 and she will fall over, switch to the grenade launcher
and fire off a round while she is down to take out almost half her health.
she will then run off, wait for her to come back and repeat a second time and
the fight will be yours.
-Submitted by VpStylee
When fighting Crying Wolf, you'll notice that when she's walking around she's
hard to see in night vision mode. There is, however, a small patch on each
side of her mechanical body that does glow. Those are her grenades that she
drops when she mobs you. If you're accurate enough, you can actually shoot
those and set them off. It seems to take a couple hits to do it with a
Dragunov, and there's a slight delay. When they do go off they knock her
over and do pretty good damage.
-Submitted by civsnake
non lethal
(must have mark 2 pistol and stun knife equipped)
If your going for the non lethal victory, equip your mark 2 pistol. Shoot
him when he jumps around on the debris. It is pretty easy to dodge his knive
throws as long as run to the side. Now, the fun part. When he is at the
ground and running towards you, equip your stun knife. He will try to do his
double roundhouse kickmove. dive to the side right before he starts the
manuever, if timed correctly (not that hard) he will miss. This is when you
run up to him and use your stun knife to shock him (L1 + R2). You have to be
fast. The knife shock will take a pretty decent amount out of his stamina bar.
Repeat this for the rest of the match. When you finish him, have your
syringe equipped. C.Q.C. him (hold R1), and press triangle. The battle is now
-Submitted by STRiKER45
Metal Gear Ray
Alternate strategy - " 'Metal Gear GUNDAM', or 'O.T.A.Con.' (Otacon's True
Anime Convention)", by v_di_g.
Revolves around the codec tip Otacon gives you - close the distance and use
melee. This has given me a flawless battle against Ray on Big Boss Hard, and
destroys Ray very quickly. I think it is comparable, if not superior to
REX's laser. Definitely more fun to watch for onlookers.
1 - While strafing left and/or right at a distance of about 1 1/2 to 2 Metal
Gears away from Ray, use the gatling on Ray.
2 - When Ray puts his arms up in defence, dash and/or quickly walk forward to
close range.
3 - Immediately use a melee combo of 3 kicks. Tap R1 repeatedly for the
blows. This will do very good damage. Stay in close.
4 - As soon as Ray is floored, the special command is ready. Hit triangle
when prompted. Enjoy the display(s) of raw power.
5 - Retreat to step 1's mid-close to mid range and find cover. When Ray is
up and visible, repeat step 1. If he jumps into the water, go to 6.
6 - Strafe while you wait for Ray to re-emerge on the battle floor, then go
to 1. Observe the warnings above your head below. If Ray runs out of health,
go to 7.
! - If at anytime you lose sight of Ray, DO NOT STAND STILL.
! - If he reappears right beside you, quickly go straight to 3 and melee.
! - If he is jumping AT you, or dashes at you because you got too close, dash
left or right to dodge, go to 3 and melee.
! - If he jumped back to land, but you can't find him, go to Bridge. Should
only happen once.
Bridge - Just be careful about Ray jumping onto a raised platform. Again, do
not stand still. During this point, duck for cover, charge your GUNDAM-like
laser, then strafe out and hit Ray when you locate it. Ray will return to
the floor for more physical combos in due time, if not immediately
thereafter. Go to step 1.
7 - Wonder in astonishment at Snake's newly acquired wounds as the act draws
to a close.
Looks like Otacon's original otaku nature turns out to be useful after
all. Now, someone give that man an orbital frame.
If you don't press L1 to aim whatever weapon you have equipped and press R1,
Rex will start swinging his legs around in a short but deadly melee combo. If
you can get close enough to Ray to hit him with the first part of the
combo (not hard at all considering you can move in on Ray while firing
the gatling gun at him to stun him for a few seconds or destroy the missles
coming at you) it will stun Ray and knock him to the ground. Then, you can
press the action button which will inititate that aforementioned stomping
laser combo animation that will take a huge chunk out of Ray's health. I did
this about 4 or 5 times in quick succession (on Normal Difficulty) and Ray
was toast! Also, I got an alternate animation when Ray was up against the
corner facing the ocean; Rex slammed Ray into the wall repeatedly, but
besides the cool animation I can't confirm whether or not it's different from
the regular one (in terms of damage). All in all I found moving in on Ray and
slapping him silly proved to be a very effective strategy. Just either shoot
down or ignore the missles and make sure you side-step the water cutter, and
you can close in on him quickly and effectively.
-Submitted by Jason Caron
Screaming Mantis
I found using a shot gun with the non-lethal bullets was the easiest way to
both beat Screaming Mantis's doll things as well as take care of Meryl as
well as the FROGs.
It takes 1 shot to down each FROG, and 1 or 2 to knock out Meryl.
This also works with the Grenade Launcher and Stun Grenades.
After all or most of the FROGs, make sure you down the FROGs first, and Meryl
is down, reload and shoot once at Screaming Mantis, if you hit her she will
warp towards you a few times and try to hit you with her knife.
While she's doing this, aim at her lower left or right and keep backing up
while firing. Each time you should be able to take out one of the dolls.
If you do it this way she will not try to re-control the FROGs or Meryl
If you can't hit them that way, just simply run up to her and blast the dolls,
but while running at her she may fire off some of the controly deelys, and if
she does you should know what to do if they hit you or what not.
-Submitted by The Lawn
Liquid Ocelot
I found out of a tactic that works pretty well.
MGS1 Fight:
Go for the Big punch here. Punch him on so he is near the edge and continue
with the big punch. Be sure to press the punch button two or three times
since he will nearly fall of the edge the first time. When he rises continue
to punch him and you'll take him down easily.
MGS2 Fight:
As you mentioned, he will focus on the powerful hit. Just step aside when he
is about to hit you and the Big punch him or combo him down. CQC and grab him
works well too.
MGS3 Fight:
I did go for the same tactics here as Ocelot did. CQC and choke him to
deplete his stamina bar wich will deplete his life bara when his stamina is
down to zero.
-Submitted by Bjvrn Andersson
A slight bug I discovered which works effectively for all stages of the
battle except the MGS4 fight. Basically, move Snake to the edge of the
platform on which him and Liquid Ocelot are fighting on and Snake will try to
stop him self from falling, waving his arms in the air a bit. During this,
and for about a second after, Snake is invincible. So while Ocelot seems to
have you pinned to the edge of the platform, whenever he lands a hit after
trying to go over the edge, none of his hits will do any damage whatsoever.
When Ocelot is trying to land hits on you, you're invincible, so it's even
easier to counter him. Once you land some hits, dash over to the edge again
and repeat. I found that this bug worked wonders on the MGS1 and 2 fights,
after taking barely any damage at all, however, it is pretty much useless on
the MGS4 fight, seeing as it's hard to move around quickly anyway.
-Submitted by Matt Archdale (Matt0rz)
Stage 1
In stage one I usually keep him on his toes, and to do this I like to
straight away move in and keep blocking. If he breaks guard with the headbutt
I don't worry too much, just sidestep. The aim here is to get him to do a ppk
combo on you, and when he does he usually finishes with a big elbow that
knocks you over. Block him until he pauses to do that elbow, then launch into
the full combo yourself. If you are unlucky, you will do the full combo and
kick him over. you may be saying 'how is that a bad thing?' but it actually
is! What you want to happen is for liquid to BLOCK the final kick, and when
he does QUICKLY hit L1 and you will block HIS spin kick, allowing you to
launch into your own ppk combo once again! Then simply let him block the last
kick, block his kick, start again and eventually you will deplete his health
to stage to state with minimal health loss. Thats my strategy, not really as
good as some others but I thought I'd share anyway.
Stage 2
In stage two I kinda leave Liquid Ocelot the hell alone :P I sidestep almost
constantly until he tries his big 'take this' punch and then do a dash punch,
followed by another dash punch and if he is still standing, the strong punch.
His ppk combo will sometimes go like the mini cutscenes (e.g. when you both
punch each other and stop momentarily) so I usually just try to nail him with
the END of the combo, spin kicking him away while keeping him a fair distance
from Snake
Stage 3
I dont know why, but this one gave me the most trouble. I kind of just
improvise here, ppk combo and strong punch as needed. I read some people use
CQC a lot but I'm not a fan of it for this part personally.
-Submitted by Gray_Jaeger
VI. Contact Info
E-mail: email@example.com
MGO ID: Crisis
As of now, I will only take some new strategies for Raging Raven and
Screaming Mantis. Only if the strategy is vastly differently and effective
from other strategies will it be posted. If you see your strategy did not get
posted then chances are it was too similar to mine or too similar to one
already posted.
If you absolutely need help with a boss or are confused with a
certain strategy listed you may also e-mail me. I would recommend
using the MGS4 board at GameFAQs if you are having trouble past my
You can also send me corrections to the guide if they are needed.
Lastly, you can contact on me MGO if I am on. I also run a knife/CQC clan
called Aurora. Feel free to apply if you love it as much as I do.
VII. Credits/Copyright
I would like to thank the amazing team of Kojima Productions for
putting out such an amazing MGS game. It was a very long wait, but
well worth it.
I would also like to express thanks to GameFAQs as well as other sites that
have allowed and requested to host this guide.
The information expressed in this guide is copyright to me, Travis
Rappa (Dauragon C Mikado88). By no means are you permitted to call
this guide or information within this guide your own. You are not
allowed to illegally host this file on your website without
permission of myself first. Please contact me first if you wish to
host this file, or use this information elsewhere.
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text:
Dictum Mortuum
Hello, I am Dictum Mortuum, an on line persona which was created around 2005 on the 339 forums. I've been writing guides and articles on d&d character optimization since 2007, to help roleplayers improve their D&D experience.
A Little Bit of History
"339" refers to the pre-Gleemax Character Optimization forums, because of the number in the board's URL. I wasn't really active there as a handbook writer (or even a poster - I mostly was lurking) until 2007. Most of the handbooks on 339 where mostly old and for widely used classes, like Wizard, Druid, Cleric. I was playing a lot of D&D during that time and had many character ideas that involved underused classes like Hexblade. I had a build that was able to reduce my opponents' saves by a large amount, which was devastating coupled with a primary spellcaster using disabling spells. I wasn't completely satisfied with my build, so I opened a thread asking for help, but that, too, wasn't enough for me. So I started a handbook, exploring the Hexblade class and focusing heavily on debuffing and disabling. After that, I opened several handbook threads, with varying success or usefulness (probably the highlights where the "guide to writing guides" and "the basketweaver's handbook").
After the forums moved to Gleemax, because of several problems, most 339 optimizers moved to another forum, brilliantgameologists.com, a much better environment for handbook writers: handbooks and guides were on a separate forum, moderators where a lot easier to contact and the code used in the posts was not changing every six months (which required heavy editing of the posts, especially with stuff like [sup][/sup] tags). I moved there most important guides (based on number of posts and views) and left back on the 339 forums the rest. My brilliantmageologists days where not as busy as I was back on the 339, but there are several guides I wrote exclusively for that site.
Athens, Greece
Member for 7 years, 9 months
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Last seen Nov 26 '18 at 19:42
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
As one of Hollywood's most recognizable faces, Larry Miller has appeared in over a hundred film and television shows. He began his career in the blockbuster film, "Pretty Woman" and has since gone on to unforgettable roles in such films as "The Princess Diaries," "The Nutty Professor," "Bee Movie" and "Ten Things I Hate About You." He is also a proud member of Christopher Guest's ensemble cast in the films "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind," and "For Your Consideration."
Larry has made dozens of appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Late Show with David Letterman," and "Real Time with Bill Maher." He has also starred in his own HBO comedy specials and on Broadway in Neil Simon's play, "The Dinner Party." His other television credits include "Desperate Housewives," "Medium," "Burn Notice," "Law & Order," "Boston Legal," and "Seinfeld." This year, Miller will make appearances on the HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Garry Marshall film, "New Year's Eve." Larry is also the author of the best-selling book "Spoiled Rotten America."
Currently, Larry is touring the country in his one-man show "Cocktails with Larry Miller: Little League, Adultery and Other Bad Ideas." On Saturday, February 5, Larry will be bringing his show to Queens Theatre at 5pm and 8pm (14 United Nations Avenue South Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368). Click here for tickets!
For additional tour dates, to read his daily blog, and more information on Larry be sure to visit http://www.larrymillerhumor.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter!
1. Who or what inspired you to become a comedian/actor/author? I think the overall inspiration for all things from my childhood to even today is Bill Cosby. As a kid, I had all his comedy albums memorized, and howled at them, and was completely enchanted with how one man with one voice could paint so many pictures with just words and skill and inflection. Later, I was thrilled to see how someone like that could translate that talent into acting in movies and TV. Still later, I loved seeing that this same man could be an author. Acting, standup and writing have always been my three goals, and I love doing them.
2. Who haven't you worked with that you would like to? I'd love to work with so many different people, but I think maybe Quentin Tarentino tops the list. He's wickedly funny and gripping and dramatic and moving, and his story-telling is thrilling. And I think he might just dig a guy like me…
3. How did you come up with the concept and content for "Cocktails with Larry Miller: Little League, Adultery, and Other Bad Ideas"? What do you hope audiences come away with after seeing the show? The first part is easy. I didn't come up with the topics and directions of "Cocktails." Life already did that for me. Everything we all do, every day, is fodder. The greatest pleasure is seeing and feeling audiences think, "Omigod, this guy must have been in the car with us tonight!" That's also the second part. I'd love audiences to come away thinking, "I love that I could laugh so much without hearing one curse, and I love that this guy is noticing the same things I do!"
4. What excites you about performing at Queens Theatre? Every part of New York City is exciting to me and always has been. I was born in Doctors Hospital in Manhattan (no longer there), I was raised a few years in an apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and grew up in Valley Stream, Long Island. Then I moved into Manhattan on the Upper West Side to get into comedy after school. So I know that every part of every borough of New York is different and interesting. I can't wait to get to know Corona.
5. What is your favorite part of the creative process in putting a show together? I love all parts of creativity. There's a certain purity to sitting down and writing: The world is completely open, and anything can happen. There's a very satisfying craft aspect to working and testing and rewriting and memorizing. But, surely, the most gratifying is to be able to do what I was born for: Take in around America and show them the finished product.
6. What made you want to write "Spoiled Rotten America"? Where is your favorite place to write? I love the essay and the comic essay as a form, and I'm a born story-teller, so it was easy to want to write "Spoiled Rotten." Then, of course, you actually have to sit down and do it. My favorite place to write has always been the same: a cell-like office with nothing on the walls and laptop. I had an office at Universal for nine years, and one day I got there early, and a guy was delivering potted plants. He was putting one in my office, and I said, "Do I have to have that?" And he said, "Well, everyone is getting one." And I said, "I'm a writer, and the only living thing I need in that office is me. If you notice, I don't even have pictures on the desk." And he said, "What do you want me to do with it?" And I said, "Can you give someone else two?" And he shrugged and said, "Sure. I guess." No plants, no posters, no paintings, no shelves. Just a couch for napping and a laptop.
7. What has been the best part about opening for Jerry Seinfeld? What have you learned from working with him? Jerry always takes a friend out with him to work, and it's a treat. The perfect way to see an old friend again, doing what you both do best, having a chance to stroll and chat. And that boy can sell some tickets!
8. What have you learned about yourself from being a comedian/actor/author? I've learned two important lessons from performing. One, there will always be something special about live performing. We all love our screens and our phones, and our DVD's and our TV's. But audiences love to see a live show – every bit as much as the Greeks and Romans did 2500 years ago. The other thing I've learned is that this is exactly what I was made to do. If someone offered me a billion dollars and everything I could think of, but part of the deal was that I could never perform again, I would – without question – turn it down, and keep plugging away on the road. It's what I was made for.
9. What's the best advice you've ever received? The best advice I've ever received is the advice I hope I've passed on to other: Keep plugging away, and don't worry about a thing. Life will take care of itself, one way or the other. And don't be afraid of failing. My motto is: "At the end of life, do you want to be wearing the clean uniform, or the one with the blood and the dirt on it? I'll take the one with the blood and the dirt."
10. If you could dream about anyone while you sleep, who would it be? Who would I like to dream of? That's easy. My parents passed on in the nineties, and every so often one or both of them come into my dreams, and I get to see them again, and I love it. I believe they're alive forever, and I'll see them again – forever. But it makes me feel great to see them in my dreams.
Now: If you're talking about a sex dream? Who would I like to see in a sex dream? Well, I'm afraid that answer would take up far more space than we have.
11. Favorite way to spend your day off? Favorite way to spend the day off: Easy. Home with the family, watching a football game or old movie, or taking a stroll – or the best thing: Taking everyone to the market to shop. Sounds silly, but I love it.
12. Boxers or Briefs? Boxers. Briefs aren't even on the list. Freedom!
13. Favorite website? My website, of course, www.larrymillerhumor.com!
14. Superman or Wonder Woman? Superman…AND Wonder Woman! I love the story of Superman and the impact and the culture of so many generations. But Wonder Woman? Speaking of dreams…


text:
image from gunsnroses-confessions.tumblr.com
In the late '80s, the music world hailed the return of raunchy rock with the rise of Guns N' Roses. Ironically, though, it wasn't a down and dirty account of drugs or depravity that launched the band, but a sentimental love song written for the daughter of musical icon Don Everly.
GNR frontman Axl Rose was dating Erin Everly when he penned what he called, "the first positive love song I've ever written." BR1 Axl's screech may not seem a natural fit for a romantic ballad, but it is "as eloquent – if not as 'poetic' – as anything Joni Mitchell ever wrote" MA and "conveys an aching passion in a way that a smooth, polished performance simply couldn't." AMG
Sweet Child O' Mine
Of course, it doesn't hurt to back it up with "one of the most memorable guitar intros in the history of rock & roll." AMG Slash, the band's guitarist, came up with the riff when he was just fiddling around. He dismissed it as silly SF and the band wasn't impressed either. RS500 Bassist Duff McKagan said, "It was written in five minutes...It was kinda like a joke because we thought, ...It's gonna be nothin', it'll be filler on the record.'" WK
However, when Rose heard Slash and Izzy Stradlin, the band's other guitarist, working on the tune, a poem popped into his head which he'd shelved when it hit a dead end. BR1 The song proved to be much more than filler.
A third verse was cut from when producer Mike Clink voiced concern over the song's running time. At his suggestion, though, the band did add the final "Where do we go? Where do we go now?" breakdown. The lines came about when Axl pondered the question aloud of exactly how they would end the song. WK
Resources and Related Links:
- DMDB page for "Sweet Child O' Mine"
- DMDB page for Appetite for Destruction
- Guns N' Roses' DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry
- AMG All Music Guide
- BR1 Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). New York, NY: Billboard Books. Page 707.
- MA Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New York, NY; New American Library. Page 256.
- RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
- SF Songfacts.com
- WK Wikipedia.org


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East Providence, R.I. (courtesy JWU sports information) -- The Johnson & Wales University baseball team defeated Brandeis, 7-5 in a non-conference contest at Pierce Field on Thursday afternoon.
Johnson & Wales took an early lead with three runs in the bottom of the second, including a two-run double by freshman Mike Saia (Bridgeport, Conn.) for the 3-0 lead. Brandeis answered in the top of the third with three unearned runs and knotted the game at 3-3 on an RBI single by rookie 3B Tom McCarthy (Yonkers, N.Y./Fieldston School).
In the bottom of the sixth, junior Pete Rosa (Ambler, Pa.) hit a one-out double and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by freshman Shawn Haugh (Tampa, Fla.) to give the Wildcats the 4-3 advantage. In the top of the seventh, the visiting Judges tied the game at 4-4 on an RBI triple by senior Kenny Destremps (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee). Destremps then scored on a wild pitch for the 5-4 advantage. JWU responded in the bottom of the seventh when senior Sean Radu (Fords, N.J.) reached on a single to left and scored on an RBI single by freshman Rob Bocchetti (East Meadow, N.Y.) to tie the game at 5-5.
The Wildcats took the 6-5 lead when Bocchetti scored on an RBI single by Rosa. JWU added an insurance run as sophomore Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, N.Y.) walked and later crossed the plate on a run scoring fielder's choice by sophomore Tyler Pacheco (East Hampstead, N.H.). The Wildcats then held on for the 7-5 victory.
Radu went 4-for-5 with a run scored in the win for JWU while Saia was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI for the Wildcats. Graduate student Pat Nicholson (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the loss for Brandeis.
Sophomore Remy Cohen (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) picked up his first win of the season, giving up two runs on two hits in an inning of relief while freshman John Burns (Hillsdale, N.J.) recorded his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth. Brandeis got a fine relief appearance from sophomore Brian Ing (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich),who allowed just three hits over four innings with two strikeouts. Rookie Elio Fernandez (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) suffered the loss, falling to 0-2 on the campaign.
With the JWU improves to 19-10 while Brandeis falls to 6-26 on the year. The Judges are off until next Tuesday when they host Amherst at 3:30 p.m.


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|System: X360, PS3, PC
|Review Rating Legend
|Dev: Volition
|1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
|4.0 - 4.4 = Great
|Pub: THQ
|2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
|4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
|Release: Oct. 14, 2008
|2.5 - 2.9 = Average
|5.0 = The Best
|Players: 1-2
|3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
|ESRB Rating: Mature
|3.5 - 3.9 = Good
July 21, 2008 - Currently in the closing stages of development, there are a lot of high expectations for the sequel to this pretty successful GTA clone that hits store shelves this October. THQ and developers Volition have announced a number of new features and improvements to the series that they're betting will help them compete with the mega-blockbuster GTA IV. They definitely have some big shoes to fill, but with a strong concentration on its multiplayer capabilities and other features that made the original a hit, some aspects of Saints Row 2 certainly look promising.
The sequel takes place five years after the first game, when the 3rd Street Saints gang has disbanded and the main character has since been thrown into prison. At the beginning of the game, your character will break out of prison with a fellow inmate and get off the Alcatraz-styled island, using a speedboat to get back to Stilwater. It will be a bloody battle, as you have to kill your nurse and blast your way through prison guards, and once you get to Stilwater, things definitely won't be the way they were when you left. The city has since been run by three rival gangs and has seen many changes in the five years your character has been rotting in jail. After learning that your good friend Johnny is on death row, you will then embark on a mission to break him out of court along with your new fugitive buddy. With a new crew of people behind you, the Saints are back in action with a mission to stop the Brotherhood of Stilwater, Ronin, and Sons of Samedi (rival gangs who are all tied to the evil Ultor Unlimited Corporation running Stilwater).
Though THQ and developers Volition have long announced that the game will have multiplayer capabilities within story mode, the companies have recently announced that Saints Row 2 will allow users to play through the entire story mode with a friend. Right from the beginning, you will be thrust into missions that involve another character helping you, and though many of them are well-suited for two-player action, Volition has announced all missions work just as well when played solo. However, playing with a friend will allow missions to be approached differently. When two players hop into a vehicle together, one will take on driving duties while the other can hang out the passenger side window with a weapon of choice to perform cooperative drive-bys and wreak havoc. When ambushing opposing gang hideouts, you can use twice the gunfire to take them all out and cooperatively sneak in through different entrances. While playing with a friend, the game will have friendly fire settings, which can be adjusted to your liking. So, you can make yourselves completely invincible to each other's gunshots or increase the percentage of damage to ensure a more realistic experience in the midst of battle. Where the last game only allowed certain multiplayer capabilities, Volition plans to offer unparalleled open-world multiplayer that will set Saints Row 2 far apart from its prequel as well as its target competitor, GTA IV.
Multiplayer aside, one of the first notable improvements of the game is that, though it will be taking place in the same city of Stilwater, the map has gotten considerably larger and the city has seen many changes in the years gone past. The crime-ridden city has gone through a rejuvenation process heralded by Ultor to clean up some of the most dilapidated neighborhoods and build new neighborhoods located on the west end of the city. With the new developments, the map has gotten approximately 50% larger including new landmarks such as a nuclear power plant, marina, trailer park, and university. Volition has worked hard to improve the environments enough to make Stilwater feel like a new city in some areas, while still keeping the same ambience as in the first game. Developers have also created over 100 buildings, which you can enter and roam around in, including at least nine gang houses, which you can occupy to make your own. There will also be somewhere around 70 different shops, which you can purchase to gain funds. Once you purchase an entire chain of shops, you will start to notice billboards around the city with your face on them. Additionally, where the first Saints Row introduced detailed character creation to its GTA-styled concepts, Saints Row 2 will feature an all-new crib customization as well. Gang houses will still be used to store game data and change cars and clothes, but you'll be able to pimp out run-down houses as you gain funds and deck the place out with home theatres, new furniture, and different styled decors. Improving the look of your crib does more than make your hangout look cool, however. It will increase the amount of respect that you earn as well as help inspire fellow gang members to fight harder along with you. In your crib, you can modify your gang as well with different gang signs, tags, and overall style from '80s to gangster, sport, or prep-hop.
The character customization was a big hit with Saints Row, and the developers have given it a tweak this time a round to expand on what you can create. Where you could previously only play as a male character, Saints Row 2 will allow you to customize a female as well with the ability to mold your character however you want. Because the feature uses a sliding scale technique, you can slide between levels of gender, age, skin tone, facial features, and fitness level for extremely detailed and accurate character creation. In addition to physical attributes, you'll also be able to customize movements and mannerisms to your liking as well as how your character holds his or her weapon. You'll be able to select from a variety of walking styles, voices, and fighting styles, which are unlocked after defeating rival gangs in story mode. You'll be able to choose different taunts including the middle finger, a chest bump, spit n' flick, a tea bag, and more, which will probably come in handy during a multiplayer session. And with the amount of taunts to aggravate others roaming Stilwater, you can also select from a variety of compliments including a thumbs up, a salute, and many more creative and humorous actions.
On-foot combat has been given an upgrade in Saints Row 2 as well. There are lots of new moves and weapons that have been added to the game such as stun guns, katanas, chainsaws, flamethrowers, and satchel charges to stick to objects and detonate when you're out of proximity. You'll also be able to fire off two handguns or submachine guns at once with new shooting mechanics. You'll also have the ability to take people hostage and hold them in front of your body to use them as a human shield. On the same token, your enemies will be able to do the same - sometimes with people you will need to keep alive. This is where the all-new, over-the-shoulder aiming view will come in handy for more precise targeting.
A bunch of new vehicles have been added to the game as well to allow for more ways to travel through the city on land, water, and through the air. Probably the biggest news is that players will have the ability to pilot helicopters and planes over Stilwater, which will also be equipped with parachutes, though Volition hasn't released many details on exactly what you'll be able to do with them. Boats and jet-skis now allow players to travel on water, which you will have to do early in the game to escape from prison. On land, motorcycles have been added to allow quick but fragile transportation through the city as well as more creative additions such as monster trucks, moon buggies, and skateboards. Vehicle customization has been upgraded as well, allowing users to pimp their rides even further and tweak performance functions to create the ultimate getaway car.
While Volition is making steps towards competing with GTA 4, a title many gamers consider to be the greatest thus far for current-gen consoles, it seems they are doing all they can to improve on things GTA 4 may have been missing since its release this October. The inclusion of different multiplayer capabilities is certain to leave some gamers intrigued, though the development team definitely has its work cut out for them if they wish to surpass what GTA IV has to offer.
Pete Richards
CCC Freelance Writer
Game Features:


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1161 Hillcrest Drive
Daytona Beach, Florida, 32114
Commute to Downtown Daytona Beach
Most errands require a car.
About your score
1161 Hillcrest Drive has a Walk Score of 46 out of 100. This location is a Car-Dependent neighborhood so most errands require a car.
This location is in Daytona Beach. Nearby parks include Memorial Stadium, Nova Community Park and Cypress Park.
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text:
Bakers Union Costs 300 St. Louisans Their Jobs **UPDATE**
**UPDATE** Union Declares Victory As Hostess Goes Out of Business. No more Ho Hos. ** Unions destroy themselves like pathetic drunks, dragging down everyone around them.
In a fine example of anti-strategic thinking and un-game theory, the Bakers Union put 637 of its members out of work yesterday.
Hostess—makers of Twinkies—is bankrupt. Part of the bankruptcy involved rewriting union contracts to allow the company to stay in business.
Instead of taking one for the team and helping their company crawl out of its fiscal hole, the Bakers went on strike. Here's one of the geniuses in his own words:
We're fighting for our pensions, we're fighting for health care, we're fighting for our wages, we're fighting for our way of life, (Source: Philly.com)
So sayeth Barry Fields, president and business manager of Local 6.
So your "way of life" is unemployment?
The strike forced Hostess to shut down bakeries in St. Louis, Seattle, and Cincinnati, adding 365 St. Louis bakers to the burgeoning unemployment rosters.
I'll bet Barry the union business manger isn't losing his job, is he? He gets to go into work tomorrow and collect his paycheck like every other day—a paycheck funded by the very men and women the union bosses just dumped in the street.
Teamsters accepted Hostess's renegotiated contract. The Teamsters apparently want their jobs. I guess the Bakers would rather live off the fat of their neighbors.
The corrupt union bosses now are screaming foul, of course. They say it's not their fault that 637 of their rank and file are unemployed.
Look at union membership in the the United States in the past 30 years. It's fallen in half! From 23% in 1980 to 12.4% today. The union is disappearing, union wages are falling. Workers are leaving unions for the same reason that families leave drunks.
You know, these union bosses just re-elected Barack Obama. Maybe they figured Uncle Barry (the President, not the union business manager) will support their cast-offs now. Give them some of that cradle-to-grave government love Obama voters want.
The Hostess layoffs are just one of 14 US layoffs announced today—one week after Obama's election to a second term. Here's the whole list, complements of DailJobCuts.com:
- Xerox Corp. - 2,500
- Citigroup Inc. - 100 in Long Island NY
- Atlantic City's Casinos - Workers Face Layoffs After Sandy
- Glens Falls Hospital NY - 29
- Bayou Cane Louisiana - 7 FD Layoffs Likely
- San Diego Hospice - Possible Violations may = Layoffs
- Publishing Firm Lulu in Raleigh - 9
- Iron Range nonprofit Minn. - Layoffs Pending
- Hostess - 3 Plant Closing = 627 Jobs Lost
- Hamilton FD Ohio - Possible 2 Closing - 17 Layoffs
- NBCUniversal - 500
- Dana Corporation - Warns Employees of Poss. Layoffs
- Mississippi County Arkansas - About 12 Layoffs
That's 3,901 people (at least) tossed out today alone.
Last week, Energizer of St. Louis announced 1,500 people are losing their jobs. It never ends.
Congratulation, unions. You've made America the place where unemployment is better than a good union job.


text:
y 1800 New York was America's busiest harbor, but navigating it was difficult and dangerous. Among other hazards, a series of shifting sandbars, some only 24 feet below the level of the water at low tide, extended across the entrance to the harbor. As maritime traffic and shipping increased during the 19th century, the number of shipwrecks also rose. In response to the losses of lives and cargo, the federal government began to build lighthouses, fog horns, and other structures to warn mariners of obstacles and hazards and to help them find safe harbors. Lighthouses are probably the best known of these "aids to navigation." Some of these towers, with lights that could be seen for miles, were located on land. Others were built out in the open water.
Navesink is an excellent example of an onshore lighthouse. Robbins Reef is a good example of an offshore tower. Navesink is in Highlands, New Jersey; Robbins Reef is officially in New Jersey, but physically closer to the northern tip of Staten Island in New York. These two historic lighthouses illustrate the impact of building materials, construction techniques, and technological advancements. They also testify to the importance of maritime safety, especially during the period when water transportation of both cargo and passengers was at its height.
Many people still refer to Robbins Reef as "Kate's Light" because of its connection to Kate Walker, principal keeper at the isolated lighthouse from 1894 to 1919. She served as principal keeper in spite of the fact that government regulations did not allow women to be in charge of an offshore lighthouse. When she retired after 19 years of service, she was asked about her difficult, isolated, and dangerous life. Her modest reply was "It isn't much of a story. Just keep the light burning and the fog-bell wound up and the siren ready all the time. That's all."
About This Lesson
Getting Started: Inquiry Question
Setting the Stage: Historical Context
Locating the Site: Maps
Determining the Facts: Readings Visual Evidence: Images
Putting It All Together: Activities
Visual Evidence: Images
Putting It All Together: Activities
Putting It All Together: Activities
How the National Register
The lesson is based on the Navesink Light Station and the Robbins Reef Light Station, two of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


text:
Bittersweet Game Admina
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hi. you already know everything but i'm just putting this on the record. i had nothing to do with it, it was all morgoth's doing. he forced me to do it. i'm innocent. pls dun punish me.
That profile picture is Chaosbringer fanservice
In fact they took the Bloody Queen from Elsword: elwiki.net/w/Bloody_Queen
Nova Imperator is king though
Bring pusheen back please.
Sad pusheen is so cute !
my nostale account in Us server USTMECHDOG has just accidentially sell the 5s shining divine glove to a npc (malcolm mix). May I get it back please? I just got it today Sorry for causing your inconvenience. I really hope that I can get the equippment back :((
Will you ever do another live quiz?
I need help! I stayed up for a long time grinding my SP3 quest and just when I finished the last quest and was about to receive my SP, and I CLICKED CANCEL! I WANT TO KILL MYSELF! IS THERE ANY WAY TO REVERT THE QUEST PLEASE I DONT WANNA GO THROUGH THAT HELL AGAIN
hi i have a problem i do a mision kovolt general strike and i do what is tell me but wen i kill toxic danter and tell me to colect danter seed and i colect but dont put to misoin and i need 15 and i have 1/15 and dont put more danter seed what i colect to misoin pls help me i kent do noting ... mi id game is buje20 pls hellpp meee
Hello i'm having this random DC problem ever since the latest patch or recently come on and my country is at Malaysia and it's not only me that having this problem. Even my friend in same country also having this problem. Can you please find a solution?
Firebender1423please help me i just got scammed for my gladiator bushi i have screenshots but i dont know where to find them he had two accounts so he is running something that allowed him to have 2 accs on at once he said its called sandbox or something i dont know please help me i will send screenshots but i dont no how his 2 acc names are Red-Viper and Allexander please ban him or get my bushi back
TakayukiNach meiner Erfahrung sind die Diskussionen und Sharings in Foren deitulch qualifizierter als im social media. Ganz zu schweigen von der dcbersichtlichkeit.Leider finde ich in meinem Hauptarbeitsreich leider kaum gute Foren zu CoachingCoaching, Training, WeiterbildungWenn da mal einer nen Tipp hat, we4re nice.Auch die Forensuchmaschine hilft da nicht weiter, zumal die eh etwas nichtssagend ist.
Maybelok 3 class are :1. Dancer like buffer in L2 with nice intteomrnsal wepon2. Gunner if u check out B&S u will see same class there. he use 2 pistols or one shotgun3. Kamel -Will be like L2 cuz i saw small trailer with him , he suck souls from falle enemy and rise wings/balaur stuff and make power blast (wep maby GS sword and blunt)all of my prodiction ar on base of what i saw in clips and what NC soft do in new 3 games in last 1 eyar *(B&S ,Lineage 2 ,Aion) nsibjtsxgzh.com [url=http://niakuqxnu.com]niakuqxnu[/url] [link=http://jtubpbgd.com]jtubpbgd[/link]
AlekseyBonjour,Meame si l'ide9e n'est pas mauvaise, je pense avoir re9pondu en gnrdae partie e0 cette suggestion, voir ci-dessus.Surtout que nous n'avons malheureusement plus la joie d'avoir plusieurs admins Ce qui nous permet pas de faire des folies J'espe8re que la situation s'ame9liorera et que nous pourrons de nouveau vous pre9senter plus de nouveaute9s
CRayzI do think we should give Tera more of a try than just 3 motnhs. Most MMO's just don't build in the first few motnhs. And the content is not what I think they lack most. I still believe that it is just too easy to play, with a much too steep curve on the crafting/enchanting. The balance is just a bit off. Although I would be interested in your findings of GW2. So leave a comment on what you think about that game. 0 likes
WishUponMei like to ask you about a concern i have about a super game master that works with nostale both maturely
jiunanhow1999[font='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'][size=12]my account has been hack by ppl [/size][/font]
[font='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'][size=12]its profile name is jiunan a swordsman lvl 39[/size][/font]
[font='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'][size=12]its has a santa bushtail EX and young rudolph bushtail[/size][/font]
[font='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'][size=12]plz help me [/size][/font]
[font='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'][size=12]i you find it plz send to my email address[/size][/font]
[font='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'][size=12]email@example.com[/size][/font]
BoehmiBist du nicht [GM]~Bittersweet~ vom deutschen NosTale? oô
Wulverieich war auch hier!
HI bittersweet i was told to message you to unbanned my account (KisssMyDagger) my brother scammed a cc on his account we used the same ip but i didint do anything i told my brother to give back the cc and then from my account i gave 10million gold for the dammage my brother has done so unbanned KisssMyDagger and keep my brother accounts banned
[url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0hFvnNSL84&feature=related']Bittersweet Romance[/url] :3
-Cowboy.[quote='TerraLuna','index.php?page=UserGuestbook&userID=17911&entryID=23#entry23']Ich auch! <3[/quote]
Hmmmm... Ich auch? :'o
Sykana[color=#9999ff][size=8]Now I was here :3 ![/size][/color]
JessiieeKuroshitsuji ftw hi 5!
My son just had a card carrier stolen from him about 30 minutes ago by the character named Edzis-Lv at the spawn point on Mount Krem.
It took him along time to make and save the gold for it.It is unfair that the person get away with it.
Please do something about it.
Thank You
ShirokuroHi my account was stolen idk how i woke up this morning and i couldnt get on. My account is [color=#ff00ff]**censored**[/color] i went to my email and it said that some1 had change the contact email address. i made another account to see if some1 was using my account and yes they were they had set up shop in market place under the name NoTe OfFeRs and sellin my stuff. On my account i had a lvl 76 sword name kuroryuuji and in HistugayaSaint Fam with a war+8 Blade+5 sader+5 zerk+5 and jaja+5 Also on the account is a lv 21 archer named Kyudo with a +5 ranger, and another archer lvl 22 named NasaNoYouchi. the name on my other account is dougrich with character name kuro**** i would be happy if u just banned the account so he does have a free ride on my hard work and time i spent on it. i have witness to the theft u can ask Izaac, LeoSlash, PrincessYuna, ThuThu.


text: Johann David Wyss (March 4, 1743 - January 11, 1818) is best remembered for his book The Swiss Family Robinson. It is said that he was inspired by Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, but wanted to write a story from which his own children would learn, as the father in the story taught important lessons to his children. The Swiss Family Robinson was first published in 1812 and translated into English two years… (more)


text:
In a world where mediocre Texas Rangers shortstops from the late 1990s are now doing national car commercials, we bring you the NFL Power Rankings for Week 3.
Yes, we saw Royce Clayton and his family extolling the virtues of their Ford Flex on Monday night. Clayton hung around baseball for 17 seasons with 11 different teams. While Felix Jones and Jerricho Cotchery -- the weapons Ben Roethlisberger is playing with -- aren't quite as well-traveled yet, it feels like they are. Le'Veon Bell and Heath Miller can't make it back fast enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who clearly need more punch offensively. Otherwise, Mike Tomlin might have to do his best coaching job just to reach .500.
Meanwhile, our new No. 1 this week doesn't seem to need an offense, not with the way its defense is playing. And our No. 2 doesn't seem to need a defense, not with the way its offense is playing.
@Harrison_NFL Seattle and Denver are the clear top 2 teams in the NFL, #3-32 is up of grabsâ Neal Gulati (@theraiderfan16) September 16, 2013
Funny, that's exactly how I felt when staring at No. 1, No. 2 ... and a big, blank Word document. That's OK, though, Neal; Seattle and Denver have earned it. As for the rest? Take a look below. All of you are welcome to bring it with your opinions ... @Harrison_NFL is the place. I read 'em all.
Now, let the dissension commence!
(Note: Arrows reflect change in standings from last week's Power Rankings.)
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason
The Seattle Seahawks finally proved it Sunday night. Seahawks fans have lambasted the Power Rankings for failing to put their team on top. But the Seahawks have not gotten out of the divisional round in the Pete Carroll era, and they were missing two of their best pass rushers in Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin. So this "Power Ranker" had been patiently keeping them at third. That said, they have now dominated the San Francisco 49ers in back-to-back games -- and, had their receivers caught anything the last time the team traveled to San Francisco, Sunday's victory might have been their third in a row over their Bay Area rivals. While it's scary to think that this defense will still be adding Clemons and Irvin, the Richard Sherman-led secondary is so doggone good, I'm not sure their absence even matters.
Say what you want about the guy, but Knowshon Moreno has given this football team a lift since getting involved in the offense late last November, having rushed for 631 yards over his past eight regular-season games. The 93 yards he gained against the New York Giants provided an already formidable attack with that prehistoric rarity in pro football: balance. Oh, by the way, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning are brothers.
Colin Kaepernick can't be the entire offense. That the San Francisco 49ers flat-out could not run the football versus Seattle is disconcerting, to say the least. The offense is best when Frank Gore is productive on the early downs, but on Sunday night, the interior of the line repeatedly was stifled at the point of the attack, ultimately turning a competitive game into a laugher. Some of you left in the third quarter to watch "The Golden Girls." Wise.
OK, so this blurb isn't really intended for those Green Bay Packers fans who had their noses to the blowout in Lambeau, whether they were at the stadium, at Mom's Bar in Santa Monica, Calif., at Vernon's Grille in Addison, Texas, or at one of the seemingly seven billion Packers bars spread throughout the 50 states. If you missed Aaron Rodgers' performance, here's a quick recap: unstoppable. How does 34-of-42 passing for 480 yards and four touchdowns sound? And that's with Green Bay taking its foot off the gas pedal late. Good grief. How 'bout them Washington Redskins defensive backs?
DeAndre Hopkins played some ball on Sunday. Though he's just a babe, Hopkins showed up like a veteran after Andre Johnson left the matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Hopkins fought for the ball along the right sideline on the first drive of overtime to give Houston an opportunity to win it right away. Three plays later, he made a beautiful catch on a back-shoulder fade to seal the deal. This isn't a "run the football and play dominating defense" kind of team anymore. Both sides of the ball are more opportunistic, with Hopkins serving as an additional athletic asset for Matt Schaub opposite AJ.
What an ugly showing at home. Everyone has been talking about Tom Brady's body language on the sideline, how perhaps he was being too hard on Aaron Dobson. Uh ... why? Dobson might be in his first year, but he had the duration of organized team activities, minicamps, training camp, preseason and one regular-season game to figure out what he was doing out there. Dropping a bomb that was thrown right into his hands does not count as a "rookie mistake." It's a drop.
Talk about
a great escape. The
have to play better, but at the end of the day,
Jay Cutler made things happen when necessary, like
tossing the game winner to Martellus Bennett. What's most encouraging is the way Chicago used
Matt Forte, who caught 11 balls and had 30 touches overall for 161 yards on Sunday. Through two weeks, Forte has 53 touches; if he can hold up, he'll eclipse 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
On the subject of running backs, I saw that former Bears great Rick Casares passed away. A big, Eddie George-like back at 6-foot-2, Casares led the NFL with 1,126 yards rushing in 1956 -- when the season was just 12 games long.
New Orleans Saints were
bailed out in every way possible in Tampa. Have to say, though: New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan deserves a ton of credit. Sure, New Orleans let
Vincent Jackson run wild, and the
Saints had some trouble stopping
Doug Martin late. But here's something we all must get used to in the 2013 version of the NFL: Situational defense is where it's at. Get the stop when your team
needs it.
Achieving critical stops in outcome-determinant situations is more feasible and apropos than playing suffocating defense, à la the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. After all, few teams have the personnel to do much more than that. (The Saints are no exception, having lost many players to injury.) Given the current state of the rules, defensive backs can't get too down after giving up big plays; they just have to focus on stopping the next one. On Sunday, that's what New Orleans did when it had to, and -- with a little help from a Rian Lindell hook shot -- won the game.
There's some hand-wringing going on over Steven Jackson's health right now; the Atlanta Falcons will roll with Jason Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers in the interim. The real issue for this team will be keeping Matt Ryan -- who took just two sacks on Sunday, but was hit numerous times -- upright. Mike Smith's club did a nice job regaining control after letting the St. Louis Rams climb back into it. Still, you can't yet win much in the NFL running 16 times for just 36 yards.
Seriously ... how fast did Giovani Bernard look on that third-quarter touchdown reception Monday night? Wow. Seriously, how slow does the Law Firm look on runs to the edge? You get my point.
Nice road win in Indianapolis. More importantly, the
Miami Dolphins are 2-0 with 25 percent of their road schedule in the bag. That's big.
Next up: a home date with the Falcons, who just had some trouble protecting their quarterback against the Rams. This is the type of contest in which the Dolphins can a) showcase the pass rush led by new toy Dion Jordan and old reliable Cameron Wake, and b) show they're for real by beating one of the better teams in the league.
Baltimore recovers, albeit in a tough, defensive AFC North battle . There was just one turnover and eight total penalties committed by the Browns and the Ravens in Baltimore's 14-6 win -- and that might be the best way for John Harbaugh's group to compete. Ray Rice is hurting, and the Ravens lack a big-time threat at wide receiver/tight end. They couldn't keep up during the season-opening track meet in Denver. The veterans on defense need to stay healthy, while the younger guys, like Matt Elam and Josh Bynes, have to be play smart. Meanwhile, if backup running back Bernard Pierce can provide the kind of pop he did late in 2012, Baltimore should be OK.
the monochrome look go out with
Z. Cavariccis?
Sunday's win over the Dallas Cowboys was ugly, but it was still a win. And hey, big kudos go to cornerback Brandon Flowers, who was beaten early and often by Dez Bryant, but proved that the best corners in this business are those who let the bad plays drift into oblivion (along with all of the cruddy dates and hooptie rides they've had). The Cowboys' passing game couldn't rekindle its first-half fire, and with Dontari Poe and Derrick Johnson clogging running lanes, the Kansas City Chiefs were in business. Hate to say it, but Andy Reid won his home opener playing some "Martyball."
If the
Dallas Cowboys are going to avoid a third straight 8-8 season,
Tony Romo and
Bill Callahan will have to call something besides none-yard outs and 2-yard ins. Too many times
at Arrowhead on Sunday, Romo responded to second/third-and-long situations by dinking his way to a long field-goal attempt or punt.
Of course, the Cowboys were in those long-yardage situations in the first place because they completely lacked a running game; DeMarco Murray carried the rock 12 times for 25 yards. Cowboys fans are getting accustomed to Dallas backs averaging 2 and 3 yards per carry.
Andrew Luck's protection broke down late Sunday, a fact that doesn't exactly shock Colts fans, who saw that happen plenty of times last season. The good news was the small lift the club got from a running game -- with help from Luck himself -- that racked up 133 yards versus the Miami Dolphins. Don't misread this situation; Ahmad Bradshaw is not "the new Edge." But another Edgerrin James isn't what the Colts need; rather, Indy can do with someone who provides enough of a threat to keep the entire deal from falling on the second-year quarterback's shoulders.
This season,
Philip Rivers has delivered a big "FU" -- as in,
five touchdown passes to
Eddie Royal -- to his detractors. All those who said Rivers' game was in decline and that the
Chargers wideout stunk had to eat it
on Sunday.
How's this for a stat line? Rivers was 36-of-47 passing for 419 yards and three scores. He even had a 12-yard run, which, for him, is like Tony Dorsett going for 99.
Chip Kelly revolutionizing the NFL in its 94th season lasted one week. At least now that the
Eagles are 1-1, people will tap the brakes when it comes to anointing them the second coming of "The Greatest Show on Turf (Er, Grass)."
Of course, the offense still put up a 30-spot in Sunday's loss. Philly's weak spot -- as we suspected would be the case two weeks ago -- proved to be the defense. Still, win or lose, this is an exciting team to watch.
The first 18-plus minutes of
Rams-Falcons went horribly wrong for
Jeff Fisher's crew. First, there was the opening scoring march by
Matt Ryan and Co., then the bomb tossed by Ryan to
Julio Jones, then
Osi Umenyiora -- how old is he, 60? -- taking a pick to the house.
So what changed as the game went on? The strength of this St. Louis Rams team -- the pass rush -- got going. Meanwhile, quarterback Sam Bradford spread it around, hitting four different receivers on the Rams' first touchdown drive and three receivers on the second -- he even called his own number on scrambles. If Bradford can lift his play without the urgency imposed by a 24-3 deficit, working in tandem with a defense that promises to punish the other guys' quarterbacks, we won't be typing such long blurbs after losses ...
While they might have barely escaped with their first win of the season, Bruce Arians' fellas showed a lot of heart versus the Detroit Lions. Megatron went off early, but then the secondary really tightened its belt. Throw in the outstanding play of some of the ancillary parts with Larry Fitzgerald on the sideline, add a huge blocked field goal attempt, and the Cardinals are 1-1, tied for second place in the NFC West, with a real quarterback. #justsayin'
Ugh. My heart goes out to
Lions fans, who must be so sick of stupid penalties,
Brandon Pettigrew dropping the ball in traffic, special teams miscues, handing the ball to opponents on the wrong side of the field and
Brandon Pettigrew dropping the ball on third down.
Detroit had no business losing in Arizona to a team whose best player was out of the mix in the second half. Golden opportunity missed.
Buddy Nix must be cackling at a Cracker Barrel somewhere down South. Is it fair to say the
Buffalo Bills have a quarterback in
EJ Manuel?
There was a lot to be impressed with in the kid's second career start. Ditto the passion with which Mario Williams was playing out there (notching 4.5 sacks). Fred Jackson contributed. Stevie Johnson made big plays (like getting the Carolina Panthers to commit a key pass-interference penalty late). The secondary barely gave Cam Newton any plays downfield. C.J. Spiller broke off a long gain. This was a team win. Frankly, it's nice to see organizational hope in Bills town.
Mike Munchak came
thisclose to starting 2-0 on the road this season. Most NFL observers consider the
Indianapolis Colts to be the
Houston Texans' primary threat in the AFC South, but Tennessee had
something to say about that down in Houston. Let's see what happens when
the Texans travel to Nashville on Dec. 29.
In the intervening weeks, the challenge for Titans offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is to find a passing game that threatens ... well ... anybody. Jake Locker couldn't even make it to 150 yards on 30 pass attempts. That won't cut it in the NFL. It's up to Loggains to give Locker protection while creating more downfield opportunities.
Wow, what a
painful 0-2. The last sequence of plays in
the loss in Buffalo particularly hurt. First, the best player on the team -- linebacker
Luke Kuechly -- was beaten badly by
Bills receiver Stevie Johnson, forcing Kuechly to commit pass interference, which set up Buffalo in the red zone. Then came a mix-up in coverage, as
D.J. Moore failed to take the inside receiver to the corner on a pick play at the end.
Game over.
The bright spots for Panthers fans continue to be a pretty solid defense overall and -- at least this week -- a commitment to running the football ... or running plays period. Carolina had over 70 offensive snaps after posting a league-low 50 in Week 1.
Another whuppin' handed to the Washington defense. To be clear, defensive coordinator
Jim Haslett knows what he's doing. It's just that
in Week 1, Haslett's unit was the unfortunate guinea pig for the run-it-suck-wind-and-run-it-again offense of
Chip Kelly. Then, in Week 2, the best quarterback in pro football decided to play like the best quarterback in pro football.
The Redskins couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers. They couldn't stop Jordy Nelson. They couldn't stop Randall Cobb. We mentioned in our Week 2 predictions column that this defense might have trouble recovering on a short week to stop the Packers ... and that's about what happened.
This is easily the lowest we've ever had the
New York Giants, but given the fact that they've coughed up 10 turnovers in two weeks, we had no alternative. Glad people were so fired up for the return of
Brandon Jacobs, who averaged less than 1 yard per carry.
Get excited.
Eli Manning and the passing game, meanwhile, kept
handing Denver the football on Sunday.
Aside from the giveaways, New York has stayed with its opponents. So thank goodness Jacobs didn't fumble in his first game back. By the way, can he play safety?
Tough to stomach an 0-2 start after a 10-win campaign.
Christian Ponder takes center stage again; after
a terrible season-opener versus the
Detroit Lions, Ponder got the wrong team on the board by
giving up a pick-six against
the Bears on Sunday. If not for their defense and special teams, the
Vikings wouldn't have even been
in the game.
Speaking of special teams, in case you missed it, first-round pick Cordarrelle Patterson took one to the house. And Vikings safety Harrison Smith picked Jay Cutler on a sweet read. Let's not forget how much young talent is on this football team.
Clyde Gates owes any
Jets fans who made the trek to Foxborough for
last Thursday's game a refund, or an autographed
Lance Alworth jersey. Why Alworth? Because if, like Gates, you're going to wear the same number (19) as
one of the greatest wide receivers to ever step into an NFL (or AFL) stadium, you had
better hold on to the football once ... or maybe three times.
Gates dropped a sure touchdown pass (among others) Thursday night; he also did nothing to break up a Geno Smith interception. The third-year receiver will improve, no doubt. Yet, his game highlights a painful problem for the Jets: How can Smith take any steps forward if his receivers consistently hold him back?
We had just written an awesome blurb about the improving Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but we forgot to put a period close enough to the end of the sentence, so it was called back.
Can't believe the
Pittsburgh Steelers are at No. 29. Un-
REAL. But given their 0-2 record, their 75 combined rushing yards through two contests and their continued trouble protecting the pocket, I have no choice but to slide them into this space. At this point, a 6-10 finish is very possible.
Now, there are a lot of prideful players on this squad -- Troy Polamalu, Brett Keisel, Ryan Clark, Ben Roethlisberger -- so a turnaround is possible. Still, right now, the Steelers are playing poorly, and that can't be ignored.
If there is a guy who is fun to watch when healthy, it's No. 20 in Oakland.
Darren McFadden reminds me of an Eric Dickerson/Marshall Faulk hybrid: a home-run hitter who moves like Dickerson with a one-cut-and-tear-ass mentality, but who also possesses a gait somewhat like Faulk's. Run-DMC can catch the ball like Faulk, as well.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, McFadden got some blocking, rushing for 129 yards while adding another 28 through the air. The Raiders' defense? Held the Jaguars to 248 yards while adding five sacks.
All of the hope that
Rob Chudzinski and
Norv Turner would develop the
Cleveland Browns' offense has dissipated fast. Eight points per game isn't going to win much in the NFL. Thankfully, the club will get receiver Josh Gordon back from suspension for Week 3's
matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. Of course, that won't cure the 11 sacks given up through two games.
Chudzinski says he's keeping his options open at quarterback, with starter Brandon Weeden banged up. Seems unfair to a defense that is holding up its end of the bargain.
It's getting more difficult to pen something positive about the
Jacksonville Jaguars, who have lost 14 of their last 15 games. Perhaps most disheartening is the fact that even
Maurice Jones-Drew couldn't get going (10 rushing attempts for 27 yards) against the
Raiders on Sunday. Receiver
Cecil Shorts (eight catches for 93 yards) continues to be a bright spot.
Coach Gus Bradley has to find more players who are willing to work as hard as Shorts and lay it on the line like MJD has so many times, because right now, no one can say this isn't the worst football team in the NFL. Some of us would like to see the Jags be competitive.
Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @Harrison_NFL.