Well, it took a little longer than I expected, but it's all done.

789shadow has taken over NDU RISK, and is doing a great job.

Iron 'Shop was a hit. Congrats again to LegendofNerd, and thanks to everyone that participated. Willy would be proud.

I got to 10,000 posts and level 40, marking the first time I paid any attention to either.

Ladies and gentlemen, my work here is finished.

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Later, y'all.

Well, it's been a fun and occasionally dramatic three years, but it looks like I'm finally going to have to log off for good soon. I simply don't have the free time I used to, and to be honest, System Wars is absolutely dull now. It's been dull for a while, but not to this level of complete and utter boredom. There are many theories as to why the board has become so lifeless, and a lot of finger pointing in many different directions. I think it's just a lack of personality. SW is like a TV series that killed off all its likeable characters and ended all the compelling storylines.

I was thinking about writing a controversial resignation speech in a System Wars Monthly article, just to spice it up a bit (and I thought it would be fitting to go out with some drama), but it's not like this is really news. I could hardly be considered an SW regular anymore; I haven't even been following the board enough to write the Monthly Weather Report. I figure I'll help finish up the Iron 'Shop project, write one more SWM article, help the guys at NDU find someone else to manage the RISK thread, and then I'm out. And maybe, if I feel like it, I'll write a controversial resignation speech, for old times' sake. ;)

While cleaning out my room a couple days ago, I found that old CD from Nintendo Power that featured live orchestrated music from SSB Melee. It's some great stuff, and it made me wonder what else could be found in the depths of this ancient ruin known as my room. So I continued my expedition, and I found a bunch of games, including Fable, a game I've never had any interest in and I don't believe I've ever played. So how did it get there? The world may never know.

So what have we learned from this adventure? Aside from the fact that I live in complete filth, I've learned that...

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.....Actually, that's really all I've learned. :?

This is Ike.

This is not Ike.

Ike is a powerful mofo in the right hands. Ike is a spammy, predictable mofo in the wrong hands.

OMG BORKEN

I have heard complaints from many players about Ike's ungodly godness. However, most of them seem to be having trouble with the latter, far-less-godly spammy Ikes. In this blog I am going to educate my fellow Brawlers about Ike. I will give tips to the struggling players on how to beat Ike, and I will offer to the spammers ways to improve.

5 Tips On Beating Ike: Because You'll Get No Sympathy From Me

5: Marth It Up. Are you really having problems with Ike? Pick up Marth. Ike HATES Marth. Something about a better air game, a better defensive game, and an easy time gimping Ike makes this a frustrating match-up for the Son of Greil.

4: Projectiles Am Good. This should be obvious. Ike lacks projectiles. If you don't lack projectiles, use 'em and keep him away. Projectiles beat Quick Draw, leaving Ike to approach the old-fashioned way.

3: Keep Your Distance. Even without projectiles, the best place to be when fighting Ike is mid-range, a bit outside his Fsmash range. This may seem counterintuitive seeing as Ike's got very good range, but anything he can hit you with out there is pretty easy to see coming, and you avoid his beastly jab.

2: An Opening! Ike's kill moves generally leave him open. If you're expecting his kill move, take advantage and strike. If you're not expecting his kill move, WTF are you doing?

1: The DEAD ZOOOOONE!!! Listen up y'all, this may be Ike's biggest weakness.

Aether is very good at recovering vertically. Quick Draw can only recover horizontally. Therefore, if Ike is somewhere lower than the stage and just far enough away from it (and he lacks a jump), a normally easy recovery zone becomes impossible. It's easier than it sounds to get Ike into this position. Wario does it very well, for example.

And those are my 5 tips on beating Ike. Some of 'em may seem obvious, but I've fought plenty of players who are simply clueless against Ike.

Now as for those spammers...Yes, I know, the Fsmash is epic and you can beat people online with it, but that isn't going to work forever. Someday you're going to meet someone who knows your game, and you're going to roll over.

See, Ike has a bad reputation in casual circles because of the spammers. But Ike also has a bad reputation among competitive players, mostly because he lacks advanced techniques, there isn't many good Ikes, and they're sick of hearing the casual group say he's all that.

Poor Ike.

But Ike doesn't want no sympathy from you, no, he wants you to improve! And so do I. So to the Ikes of the world, here are some tips.

5 Tips on Better Ikes and Gardens: Because I Fight For My Friends

5: You're Ike. Most of you don't have a problem with this, but sometimes you don't think about the easy kill at 50%, or the "I don't have to use the Fsmash to kill at 80%" factor. You're Ike. Use this wisely.

4: The B Button Is Nice. Some quick facts about Ike's B moves: You can't stun Ike as he's releasing Eruption, meaning it can be used as a Counter that kills in the higher percents.

If you use Quick Draw on land and don't hit the opponent, iit will end without lag, meaning you can go right into a jab or a Counter. In fact, you should never actually hit with QD if you can help it.

Aether-spamming while on the ledge can get stupid fast, but don't hesitate to use it to get the opponent away from the edge.

Lastly, Ike's Counter is slower than Marth's, so don't use it like Marth's.

3: The Defensive Ike. Counter isn't Ike's only defensive move. Try jumping back while using a forward air, or Quick Draw-ing away as a surprise maneuver. A defensive Ike can get the opponent to overextend, and you know what that means. (NOW you should use that Fsmash)

2: Ike Owns The Air. Ike's air game is a lot better than it first looks. The neutral air has very little landing lag and can combo into the jab, the forward air has great range and can kill, the up air is great at killing at low percents by timing it past an airdodge, the back air is just crazy fast and is a great killer, and the down air can spike and it's got range. Use the air!

1: Use Ike's Best Move. That's right, it's the JAB. The neutral A, the basic combo, whatever you want to call it. Use it to get Ike out of tight spots, use it to rack up damage, but most importantly, use it by pressing down to crouch right after the second hit, canceling the lag and allowing to follow up with whatever you want. (Like, maybe the Fsmash?)

That's all for today folks. Until next time, when it comes to Ike, prepare yourself.

* - Give or take a month or so

So, SSBB. I'm still playing it, you're still playing it (and if you're not, you should be), and we'll probably be playing it for a long time. The casual fanbase and tournament scene is still very active, and the game is still evolving, both in competitive play and in free-for-all parties.

But the question, some may ask, is why are we still playing? Then they come to their own conclusions and figure they have enough material to start a Wii hate thread, if you frequent SW. But for non-delusional reasons, I've come up with 5 good ones.

Five Reasons Why We're Still Playing:

5: The...Online? No, I'm not talking about the clunky excuse for a matchmaking system, I'm talking about With Friends (and here's where I've lost most of SW). Say what you want about the online, most of it I'll agree with. But it adds a lot of replay value, especially when you can find someone who's equally skilled and on a lag-less connection. Sadly, the former remains a problem for me. :P

4: The Massive Amounts of Content. You do not beat Brawl, Brawl beats you. If you think you've done all there is to do in the game, you're wrong, and if you have done all there is to do in the game, then you're me 27 years in the future. Hi there!

3: The Depth. Brawl is a competitive fighting game. Tournaments are played. Money is won. End of. Depth is a big part of replayability, especially for me, and it's why similar games like Power Stone simply do not compare.

Consider this: I've been practicing ROB's glide toss (at the very start of a roll, throw an item in any direction and you'll slide a good distance) and various things to do with it. From Fthrow combos to Upthrow retreats to a move I like to call "Ninja ROB" where you Dthrow and slide past the opponent. I found out about the technique a long time ago, and I still don't think I've found everything that can be done. And that's one technique using one move (Down + B) for one character. I've barely scratched the surface of the potential of his Up + B, his Up Air or his Side + B.

2: The Variety. Brawl is often criticized by people who've never played it as a casual party brawler. Then it's criticized by people who desperately want to hate it for needing to "change the core of the game" (remove all items and some levels) too much to be a competitive fighter. Here's the thing: It's both a competitive fighter and a party brawler. The "core of the game" is whichever we want to play. And that variety adds greatly to...

1: The Replayability. It's simple, but that's the answer. We've kept on playing for a reason. It's just one of those games that has such a formula that you can play pretty much forever, provided you've got someone to play with (uh oh, lost SW again).

Undoubtebly, SSBB is the Wii's Halo. And like Halo, the game gets a ton of hatred and envy from rival fanboy groups in SW. See, as a certified Brawl fan, I don't mind. In fact, I like defending the game, 'cause it's just pathetically easy.

So since I haven't blogged in a long time, I've been thinking of starting a weekly blog again. Mostly for Brawl-related Top 5 lists. (You gotta love lists, human nature and all.) The question is, would anyone read them?

It's back.

And this time, it's personal.

*intro music, Blackbond gif*

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So yeah, it just arrived at my door. Hooked it up, played Brawl for the first time in over a month. Sorry guys, I've still got it. You have no chance. 8)

So, Willy, DSS, what time should I be there on Saturday?

It's sooooo UGLYYYYY!!!!!!!

*barfs, vomits, throws up, pukes, and hurls all in one combo*

BLEEHHHHHH!!!! UUUUUHHHHH!!!!! GAAAAAAHHHHH!!

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*looks at forums again*

AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

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I'm done now. :P

Seeing as I can't play Brawl ATM, and my new Wii game choices are a tad...limited, right now, I finally got my 360 fixed. I was craving some GTA, and it'll be nice to get back to Halo.

I don't really see any new 360 games that I'm interested in, so expect to see me playing Halo, GTA, and the occasional guilty-pleasure that is Dynasty Warriors. Maybe Soul Calibur 4. Man, for all the moaning about our lineup, the lemmings don't have much better.

This is how you weather a drought, folks. Not by going on SW and whining incessantly about how you were betrayed.

Man, the hype process is getting old.

"Itll never flop everz!!!1!!"

"But wat if it doez!!1!!"

"OMG SW wuld explodez!!!1!!!"

--Pretty much every thread in SW until LBP is reviewed. Then they'll move on to Gears 2, repeat process, etc.

Something's gotta flop here soon so that the newbies shut up. :x If LBP gets the expected-by-just-about-everyone 9.0, I predict another SW depression where there's just nothing to talk about.

All this LBP talk has been pretty bad for SW overall. No one actually listens to the sticky, and pretty much every thread turns into an LBP thread somehow, which then turns into the example above. I don't hate the game, but pretty much no matter what it gets now, it's overrated.

But this isn't the first time cows have taken one game and blown it up to colossal proportions. In fact, they tend to do that with every game they hype. So why is this one taking...so...long...to....DIE?!

*leaves SW for 10 days*

*dislikes unnecessary changes that make things confusing, difficult to navigate, and just plain ugly*

All I can say is....don't let this abomination anywhere NEAR the forums and I'll live.