Guides

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Shaka was the illegitimate son of the Zulu chief, his mother exiled to hide the fact of his birth. He joined the Mthethwa  army and proved a fierce warrior, and immediately began to change warfare.
• Shaka disliked the flimsy throwing spear, and developed the stout thrusting spear. He forced his warriors to walk barefoot on thorny bushes, instead of wear sandals. He also made their shields larger.
• Shaka made his case for leadership of the Zulus when his father died in 1816. The Mthethwa chief supported Shaka, and the apparent heir was eliminated. Thus Shaka became chief of the Zulus.
• The Zulu’s antagonistic neighbors, the Ndwandwe attacked Shaka’s 4000 troops with as many as 10000. Using the terrain, new fighting style, and weapons the Zulus sent the invaders fleeing.
• The Zulus continued to add to their empire by absorbing tribes. Often they absorbed fighting-age men into their army and preferred to leave the chief in place- sometimes this was not possible.
• By 1824 Shaka had secured his empire by defeating the Ndwandwe. The reasons why are still debated, but  in 1828 his half-brothers assassinated him along with a member of another tribe.

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Hernan Cortes’ legacy is that of the destroyer of the Aztec Empire. He came looking for gold, brought modern weapons and European germs, and set the stage for the end of a civilization.
• In Cuba, Cortes became interested in gold, and amassed a fortune on the backs of his slaves. Expeditions returned from Mexico with tales of vast gold reserves. Cortes had to find out.
• Cortes sailed as a trader, but he was prepared for war. In addition to swords and armor, Conquistaors brought arquebuses, and small cannon. The Aztecs fought with weapons of wood and bone.
• The Aztecs believed Cortes was the return of one of their gods. To display his power, Cortes had his cavalry ride in formation while the cannon and arquebuses rang out. The Aztecs were petrified.
• Cortes told the Aztecs that his king had a disease that could only be cured by gold. Montezuma was willing to satisfy the need, but soon said there was no more gold and told Cortes to leave.
• Incensed at the refusal for more gold, Cortes began a campaign of fear and destruction. The Spanish wreaked  havoc on the Aztecs. Within two years the entire Aztec civilization was destroyed.

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Genghis was born to a powerful family. Not long after this father was killed he was taken captive by a warring tribe. He made his escape and began building a reputation as a fearsome warrior.
• By the age of 25 Genghis had united all of the Mongol tribes under his banner (or put them to the sword). He then began to organize his army for defense of their territory, and to invade new lands.
• Genghis had no infantry, only heavy and light cavalry.  Each of the heavy cavalry had extra horses to carry gear for long campaigns. This allowed his army to be far more mobile than any he would face.
• Khan’s army adapted to the enemy, adding siege weapons and enlisting specialists as needed. By 1215 he had breached the Great Wall, adding China to his empire- Korea followed in 1218.
• In 1219 the Turks got Genghis’ attention by murdering Mongol traders. He brought his armies against Iran, Iraq and Turkey- the region’s population count did not recover until the mid-20th century.
• In 1222 Genghis added Russia to his empire. By 1226 it stretched from Poland to Korea, and India to the Arctic Sea. After his mysterious death at 60, his son Kublai continued to expand his empire.

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Attila became king of the Huns at age twenty-one. It was prophesized that he would become the “Fear of the World,” destroyer of cities and armies, but he would die shortly after marrying.
• In 443 AD, Attila invaded the territories to the west of his kingdom when Rome failed to pay their tribute. He was given part of Hungary as part of the terms of peace.
• Attila invaded the southern Roman Empire through Greece in 447 AD. His armies were held at Thermopylae and he sued for peace. In 451 AD he joined with his allies, and attacked the western Empire.
• During his western campaign Attila came to the city of Orleans, France. Orleans was frequently attacked by raiders, so it had high and thick walls. The siege gave the Roman army time to catch Attila.
• Atilla’s first defeat came during the siege of Orleans, France. The king of Rome’s Visigoth allies was killed and his son took command, making a hard charge. Atilla was forced to flee the battle.
  
• When Attila marched into Italy he was stopped by Rome’s defenses. Pope Leo negotiated the peace treaty, ending Atilla’s siege. Attila died in his sleep on his way home- the day after his wedding.
  

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Vlad the Impaler ruled the Transylvanian princedom of Wallachia during the time that the Ottoman Empire was trying to expand into Eastern Europe. His reign was bloody and treacherous.
• At age 11 Vlad and his brother Radu were taken captive by the Ottoman Turks. They were used as leverage to prevent their father from warring against the expanding Ottoman Empire.
• While held captive, Vlad was instructed in the ways of Ottoman warfare. This included being forced to poke out the eyes of another prisoner who had sent unfavorable letters to his home country.
• Vlad is most famous for his forests of impaled foes. He stopped a revolt by impaling its leader and later took revenge on families who plotted to kill his father by working them to death as slaves.
• Vlad’s anti-crime measures included placing a gold cup atop a fountain, then impaling hundreds of suspected criminals when it went missing. It was returned the next night and stayed there unguarded.
• Vlad lost the throne when his generals refused to support him. He regained his crown for a short time, but died fighting the expanding Ottoman Empire. The details of his death remain a mystery.

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Hannibal was the commander of the Carthaginian army, a neighbor of the expanding Roman Empire.  He most famously led war elephants over the Alps into northern Italy to oppose Rome.
• Hannibal’s father lost Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica to Rome during the First Punic War. At age 9 Hannibal was made to swear an oath that he would forever hate Rome and seek revenge for the defeat.
• At Trebia, Hannibal’s elephants scared off Rome’s allies. The legions forded the near frozen river, and found Hannibal’s brother at their rear while Hannibal’s army stayed warm by their fires.
• At Lake Trasimene Hannibal made his camp look open, and hid his troops on either side of the only road in. The Roman commander led a disorganized charge and Hannibal’s army cut the legions to pieces.
• After the alps crossing Hannibal’s army was only 23000 infantry and 17 elephants (of 37 at the start of the crossing). At Canae, he lured the Roman army into a trap and defeated their army of 80000.
• Hannibal’s only defeat occurred at Zama, about 5 miles from Carthage. Scared elephants, veterans refusing to fight and a Roman general who declined to negotiate all contributed to Hannibal’s downfall.

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• William Wallace is known as Scotland’s liberator having spent his adult life in guerilla war against the English. His outlaw career began when he killed an English constable’s son in a street fight.
• Wallace was found while secretly visiting his bride and new child, forcing a bloody escape. The sheriff executed his wife as retribution. Wallace returned that night killing every Englishman in town.
• At Stirling Bridge Wallace’s band waited for the English army to cross the narrow span. The Scots attacked, the English couldn’t mount a defense on the marshy ground, and were killed nearly to a man.
• After the victory at Stirling, Wallace spent the Autumn raiding and pillaging. Early the following year (1298)  he was knighted and named the Guardian of Scotland. He now led all of Scotland’s armies.
• In July, 1298 he met the English armies at Falkirk. Wallace’s spear walls held, but his horsemen deserted, leaving his archers open to attack by the English cavalry. Wallace’s losses were near total.
• Wallace never rebuilt his army, spending several years as an outlaw. He was captured in 1305, and was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered in a trial that lasted less than a day.

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Wait, this trench has legs?  That’s CRAZY!! Unlock Method: Awarded for completing the tutorial. Why walk when you can run?  With these legs equipped, press and hold the A button …
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Joe Danger: Special Edition is a game of spills and thrills, and believe it or not there’s a method to Joe’s madness. There are many things to look out …
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The simple answer is that it is an acronym that stands for Xbox Live Arcade. But that answer in itself just brings the inevitable question of what is Xbox Live Arcade? I’ve always known that XBLA was a niche sector of the games market, and numerous friends and family members had never heard of it until we started this site just over a year ago. The constant prodding by our team to our friends asking them to like us on facebook, brought an abundance of questions and a hunger to learn more we couldn’t satiate fast enough. And it was for them I initially intended to write this post. However, believe it or not over the past week while at E3, numerous industry professionals have asked me these same two questions. They too are unaware of the hundreds of quality titles under the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) platform.

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