(Thanks be to sheepster for the Brainbuster banners) The Snake behind him, the last thing the Dead Man expected was to be confronted by a cockroach. It is not unheard of, a small man picking a fight with a man much larger than he, but surely Harvey Wippleman must have known that there was little good to come of provoking the Undertaker. But provoke, Harvey Wippleman would. Provoke and then immediately seek refuge behind his newest client, a simpleton who knew no better than to protect this small white man who brought him chickens. They called Kamala the “Ugandan Giant” with good reason. He was discovered in the jungles of Uganda, for one thing, and he stood six-feet, seven inches tall for another. Not to mention the fact that he weighed nearly four hundred pounds. He was rumored to … [Read more...]

(Thanks be to sheepster for the Brainbuster banners) His story began six feet under the ground—somewhere in Death Valley. He ascended suddenly—a cold November in 1990—straight from a Charles Dickens novel, mixed evenly with Poe and Hawthorne. Grey boots, grey gloves (no prints), grey-and-black tie, boxed like a funeral casket. Bobby Heenan called him "cold as ice." "Awesome" is all Gorilla Monsoon could think to say. Vince McMahon, "Creepy." Fans first meeting the Undertaker knew nothing of the legacy that lay before him, nor did they understand his past. For, unbeknownst to them, before the Undertaker placed his first boot on higher ground, he had already taken a life. About the time he first appeared in the World Wrestling Federation, NWA wrestler Mean Mark Callous—pale as he … [Read more...]

THQ today released the details of their Fan Axxess program for WWE '12, and it works exactly the same as it did for Smackdown vs. RAW 2011. I bought into the program then, and I'll be doing so again for WWE '12. The Fan Axxess program will be available on XBLA and PSN for 960 Microsoft Points or $11.99. This is essentially pre-ordering all of the DLC for the game. If you plan on buying every item for WWE '12, you'll save 25% by buying Fan Axxess as each piece of DLC will sale for $0.99/80MS Points. In addition to all of the DLC, buying Fan Axxess also includes the Attribute Customizer (which allows you to change the attributes of every WWE superstar, diva, and legend), and All Unlockables (which does what it says, unlocks everything in the game). Each of these items will also be sold … [Read more...]

WWE '12 hits stores on November 22nd, and it's first DLC pack was announced on Tuesday (and the DLC is also coming in November). Today, THQ announced the second DLC pack, and this one contains six divas: Trish Stratus, Kharma, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, and Vickie Guerrrero. The Diva's Pack will be available at some point in December. Each piece of content will be available separately for $0.99 (PSN) or 80 Microsoft Points. You can see the roster art for each of the six divas above. Alicia Fox is FREE DLC. I don't particularly use the Diva's too much, but Trish is one of my all-time favorites period, so she's a welcome addition. As is Kharma, who I may just build a good divas division around (along with Trish, Beth, and Natalya). Vickie Guerrero will make for a good … [Read more...]

The video game review process here at The Vortex Effect will soon change, and hopefully for the better. When we began the site, we were scoring games on a five star scale. After utilizing that system for about a month, we switched over to the 10 point scale and have used it ever since. Beginning soon, we will use a more simplified scoring system. Basically, we’re completely ditching the numerical scoring system. We call a 10 a “Masterpiece,” a 9 is “Outstanding,” and an 8 is “Great.” Is there a super big difference between those terms? I don’t think so, and the point system only invites comparison and attacks. Reviews are completely subjective opinion, and yet people take scores personal and call a review incorrect if they aren’t happy with the score a reviewer gives a … [Read more...]

WWE '12 drops on November 22nd for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, and if you're anything like me, you've anticipating this one since it was announced back in the Spring. THQ revealed the first batch of DLC today, and it's coming on day one. The first pack includes Shawn Michaels, Brodus Clay, Michael Cole, and Jim Ross. It also includes alternative attire for Hawk and Animal, as well as Edge and Christian. You can see HBK's entrance above, and his finisher and videos for Cole and Ross below. Also be sure and check out the gallery below all the videos for some screenshots. … [Read more...]

The above video from GameTrailers shows off some gameplay footage of Uncharted 3's co-op adventure mode, and it looks fantastic. You'll probably recognize some Uncharted 2 characters in there (as well as one from the first game), and the different adventure maps (one of which is also from the first game). I've been playing Uncharted 3's competitive multiplayer all month long, Team Objective, but co-op is what I'm looking forward to the most (besides the single player, obviously). During the June/July beta, I played co-op (adventure and arena) almost exclusively all the way up to level 30 something. Once I beat the single player, my time spent with Uncharted 3 online will be 95% spent on co-op. If you're going to be playing co-op in Uncharted 3 next week, feel free to add me on PSN. … [Read more...]