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What we are playing is a weekly column that appears each Sunday. Various staff members let the world know what games had them hooked the past week and which ones …
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Deadliest Warrior Legends will be releasing this Wednesday, July 6. The team at 345 Games has finally unveiled the entire roster of fighters that will be releasing with the game. At …
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Xona Games has had much success in the past with its XBLIG releases. They’re the minds behind the Decimation series as well as made Score Rush. They’ve won several …
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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Sun Tzu was born to a lesser noble family who earned his reputation as a mercenary. After publishing The Art of War he gained the attention of the king of Wu who invited him to court.
• The king asked if Sun could train anyone, even concubines. Sun said he could. When the women refused to obey his commands he had their leaders beheaded. After that, all of them performed flawlessly.
  
• Sun believed that it was his right as a commander to enforce his leadership by any means. However, he valued the bloodless victory over all else- the use of knowledge was more important than force.
  
• Sun Tzu’s treatise, The Art of War, put emphasis on using terrain,  spies, deception and breaking the enemy’s spirit so he has no will to fight. Keeping the enemy in a state of chaos was victory.
  
• The Art of War was written around 520 BC, and has been studied by Asian commanders continuously. It was not until the 20th century that a reliable translation was made for Western military commanders.
  
• Much of Sun Tzu’s life and death are a mystery. His enduring legacy as a military commander is his Art of War and its techniques, which he used to defeat the armies of Chu, Qin and Chi.
  

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Deadliest Warrior: Legends Quick Facts:

• Alexander inherited from his father the Kingdom of Macedonia, his armies, his treasury, his love of Classical Greek culture and his ambition to unite the world under a single leader.
• At age 17 Alexander marshaled his own army to put down an uprising by a northern tribe. At age 18 he led the cavalry charge that decided the final battle in the war that won his father all of Greece.
• By the time of his death at age 33 Alexander of Macedon had conquered the kingdom of Egypt, the Greek states, the Persian Empire and the rest of the known world.
• Alexander went from being healthy to dead in the span of three days. One theory is that Aristotle poisoned him because Alexander had begun executing people who disagreed with his decisions.
• Alexander’s tactics, strategies, leadership, application of force, use of surprise, and other methods of war are still studied today in military academies like West Point.
• Alexander’s companion cavalry was made of about 1800 horsemen. He would routinely ride into the thick of the enemy ranks– sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands.

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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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