Gamer Chick

Save the Evans City Cemetery Chapel

2011-11-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

2010-12-22T14:00:00.001-08:00

From Gamehouse.com, the source for Online Games

Top 15 Most Influential Video Game Heroines

2010-11-22T23:49:00.001-08:00

Being a woman in the world of video games can often be a daunting and intimidating experience, but sometimes you have to send in a chick if you want the job done right. This list of Video Game Heroines covers the most influential and inspiring, female protagonists in the history of gaming. These ladies have an ongoing role in shaping the positive perspective of gals in games and I just happen to think that deserves some appreciation.

(#15) Kate Walker, Title: Syberia
Kate Walker is the main character in this PC puzzle/adventure game, released in 2002. The game boasts a stylish story, using elements of art nouveau and steampunk fiction. As a pure graphical adventure game it is impossible to die or fail at any moment in the game, leaving the user free to explore Syberia's universe freely and with no fear of mistakes. This visually superior and well written game had a sequel released in 2004. Plans for the third installment have become delayed and an updated release date is still a mystery due to negotiations with the games designer and a recent takeover by Anuman (initial release date was May of this year). With Microids asking fans to send emails of support for the game, we all hope that Syberia III will eventually make it to market and deliver an interesting continuation of an already creative story.

(#14) Sophitia Alexandra, Title: Soul Edge/Soul Blade (Soulcalibur Series)

The Soul series, consisting of 7 games including Soul Edge and several Soulcalibur releases, features many very different, but memorable characters. This multi-platform favorite has been praised for its interesting and well-thought out game play, in addition to its wickedly evil villain. Sophitia's story is interesting and honest, making it hard to see her as an antagonist later in the series when she is forced to choose between saving the world and saving her daughter. Besides Taki, another fierce, female character, Sophitia is the only female character that has been in every Soulcalibur release to date. While she may look dainty or fragile at first glance, after playing the game you will realize she is most certainly a force to be reckoned with.
(#13) Alice, Title: American McGee's Alice

This popular PC game has sold over 1.5 million copies and was EA's first M-rated game. The story follows Alice and takes place in an alternative universe parallel to that of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. With her parents dead and suicidal thoughts lingering, Alice has been institutionalized until she is once again summoned by the White Rabbit. This visually striking and imaginative game has a sequel due in 2011 that takes place 11 years after its predecessor. (Coincidently the same amount of time that's passed since the games release in 2000) Not only is Alice coming back to PC, she will also be making a platform jump to PS3, as well as XBOX360, setting up the continued success for this original take on a familiar character.
(#12) Jade, Title: Beyond Good and Evil
Jade, the main character in Beyond Good & Evil, is not only good looking, she is a smart and talented reporter trying to get to the bottom of a world-wide alien conspiracy. With flawless game effects and character animations, this multi-platform favorite will have a chance to reach even more audiences with a fully re-mastered, HD version, set for release in 2011. New achievements, trophies and online leader boards are planned to accompany the release, and though the original BG&E was not a commercial success, we hold out hope that this time around it will get the attention and praise it deserves, with better marketing and a larger audience.

(#11) Joanna Dark, Title: Perfect Dark

With record times and immaculate test scores, Joanna Dark has absolutely earned the nickname "Perfect Dark". An eager bounty hunter turned special agent, Joanna is recruited by the Carrington Institute for Industrial Espionage. This first-person shooter has received mostly positive reviews, and though the newest XBOX 360 installment "Perfect Dark Zero" didn't live up to some expectations, it sold over a million copies. Plans for Perfect Dark Zero 2 were announced in 2007, but by 2008 all plans had been cancelled. With her propensity for tight clothing and big guns it's a good possibility that Joanna Dark will keep us coming back for more.

(#10) Nariko, Title: Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword follows th e story of Nariko, a doomed heroine out to avenge her people. Prophecy tells of a Heavenly warrior that will lead the clan to a gl orious future, had she only been born a man. Pfft...Man-shman. The game has been praised for its graphics and combat system, while criticism has stemmed from the short length of the game and lack of online capabilities. Overall, the game maintains fairly high scores from publications such as GamePro, with 5 out of 5 and Editor's Choice Award and Game Informer, scoring 8.75 out of 10. Rumors of a Sequel have been shot down by developer Ninja Theory, even though original plans had included a trilogy. Hardcore fans will never say never, but just be happy that we got play as this fierce, red-headed warrior even if it was for just one title.

(#9) Faith Connors, Title: Mirror's Edge
Beautifully developed and with a refreshing new perspective, Mirror's Edge was easily one of the most interesting and original titles of 2008. This first person action-adventure game follows Faith, a free-running courier that is working for various revolutionary groups throughout the city. When her sister is framed for murder, Faith has to get behind the conspiracy and bring down the totalitarian regime backed by "Project Icarus". Although, it was tagged with a short campaign, inconsistent game play speed and other minor flaws, Mirror's Edge is definitely a game of its own. While not as financially profitable as anticipated, this unique title has the capability of being an absolute success with a sequel. "With some extra content and better shooting mechanics, a Mirror's Edge 2 could really ignite the industry as we know it." says Jonathan Leack from PlayStationLifestyle.net in an article earlier this month. "Here's to hoping the creative guys over at EA can take advantage of the potential"

(#8) Jill Valentine, Title: Resident Evil Series

Jill Valentine, a game character in the Resident Evil survival horror series, is a protagonist from the original Resident Evil. She's introduced as a member of the fictional U.S. police force Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) sent in to investigate strange murders in the Arklay Mountains. After becoming trapped in a mansion outside of Raccoon City they soon realize it's occupied by dangerous mutant zombies, giant spiders and the game's ultimate adversary known as the "Tyrant". With a successful series of novels, comics and most recently, films the Resident Evil series is here to stay. Jill will make a comeback and appear in the latest installment of the main series, Resident Evil: Revelations announced for the Nintendo 3DS. In total, according to Capcom, the original Resident Evil has sold almost 3 million units, over 5.3 million copies of RE5, and overall the series has sold almost 40 million games. Earlier this year she was found on Maina.com's list of the "13 Video Game Women That Kick Ass", commenting that, "You have to give her credit for surviving through the first game, beating Nemesis in RE3, returning in RE5, and being a zombie summoning, rocket launching, 2-D fighter in Marvel vs. Capcom 2."

(#7) April Ryan, Title: The Longest Journey

Parallel universes, Arcadia and Stark, are as opposite as 2 different worlds could be. While Arcadia is a world of magic, Stark is a world of science and technology and it's up to you to bring the two back together. April Ryan, an 18 year-old art student living in Stark, discovers her ability as a Shifter, with the ability to walk between the two worlds. IGN and Gamespot both named the title Adventure Game of the Year, and it was later followed by the sequel Dreamfall which featured another female protagonist Zoe Castillo. With the combination of an interesting storyline and its high production values, the smart and edgy PC game was a perfect example of how a female lead could capture the attention of a diverse audience.
(#6) Tifa Lockhart, Title: Final Fantasy VII

Square Enix is no stranger to the world of video game success, but the favorite Square Co. vixen has to be Tifa Lockhart. IGN claims, "Tifa helped drive a tradition of tough, independent RPG heroines." If this list were more aesthetically focused, Tifa could have won on pure sex appeal. It's her unmatched personality and ass-kicking abilities that put her in at #6. Though we do appreciate the other female candidates from the Final Fantasy series, including Yuna, Lulu, Lightning and the other awesome fems, Tifa takes the cake. The newest chapter in the series, Final Fantasy XIV, is coming to PS3 March of next year, while the PC version was released last month and has already sold over half a million copies worldwide.

(#5) Chun-Li, Title: Street Fighter II
First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Chun-Li has been a playable character in nearly every Street Fighter release since. On a mission to avenge her father's death, Chun-Li must enter the fighting tournament as an undercover Interpol agent while investigating M. Bison's involvement. After fulfilling her revenge and winning her tournament story she returns to an ordinary life. She was brought back a few years later for Street Fighter Alpha (2 and 3 as well), several Marvel vs. Capcom games and has been confirmed as a playable character in the upcoming title Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. It has also been rumored she will appear with Ryu in the crossover fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken which would make them the only street fighter characters to appear in every Capcom crossover game. This "First Lady of Fighting Games" has been showing us for nearly two decades that there's always room for a chick in a man's world.
(#4) Samas Aran, Title: Metroid

When Metroid was first released in 1986 it was not actually revealed until the end of the game that Samus was a woman. Pretty good twist, right? In fact, before Metroid: Other M was released in 2010 she had never spoken in the entire Metroid series other than Metroid Fusion and an opening cut scene in Super Metroid. So how does a silent video game vixen gain notoriety? Well, having a battle suit comparable to that of Master Chief probably doesn't hurt. Although it's changed throughout the years, her current look is definitely the most feminine gamers have been treated to. This ex-marine, bounty hunter was one of the first dominant female characters in a game that certainly wasn't going to wait around for a man to rescue her. Samas Aran comes in on the list at #4 proving that even if we have to fool you into playing as a girl you'll eventually thank us.

(#3) Lara Croft, Title: Tomb Raider series

One of the most well-known female protagonists in video game history, Lara Croft is indisputably a badass female lead. Intelligent, athletic and definitely sexy, Lara Croft is not your average damsel in distress. This third person action-adventure follows archaeologist Lara Croft, through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. She's a video game and cultural icon, boasting such records as "most recognized female video game character" and "most official real life stand-ins". It probably doesn't hurt to have the live-action role played by Angelina Jolie. Lara Croft has helped redefine gender roles in video games by showing that anything boys can do girls can just as well, or in this case better.

(#2) Princess Peach, Title: Super Mario Bros. 2

Probably the most kind-hearted and well mannered lady in the countdown, Princess Peach has been evolving since 1985. Though she started out as a repeat kidnap victim in Super Mario Bros. she was quickly upgraded to a playable character with the release of Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1988. Nintendo has included her in many titles including Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and several of the Mario "sports" games. In 2007, she was found on Forbes Wealthiest Fictional People List, with an estimated fortune upwards of $1 billion. From her fragile beginnings as Bowser's kidnap victim, she has grown to become a strong and independent character on her own. This influential icon is a veteran of console gaming and will continue to develop with Nintendo. (Maybe with the help of a couple plumbers)

(#1) Ms. Pac-Man, Title: Ms. Pac-Man

The pioneer of females in gaming, Ms. Pac-Man has been rocking the arcades since 1981. Said to be one of the most popular video games of all time it has progressed into many platforms including several Atari, NES and Super NES versions. More recently, Ms. Pac-Man has even made an appearance in the Xbox live arcade, including online leader boards and 12 new achievements. In 2009, Game Informer put Ms. Pac-Man 10th on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that it "trumped [the original Pac-Man] in nearly every way." Who ya gonna call? She ain't afraid of no ghosts and topping the list, she takes the crown as the most influential female video game icon of all time.

Did I miss your favorite Heroine? Tell me about it, and comment!

Honorable mentions

Dixie Kong and Tiny Kong, Title: Donkey Kong Country
Bayonetta, Title: Bayonetta
Tyris Flare, Title: Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Alyx vance, Title: Half-Life 2
Lilith the Siren, Title: Borderlands
Cate Archer, Title: The Operative: No One Lives Forever
Mai Hasegawa codename: Konoko, Title: Oni
Eve, Title: Parasite Eve
Thyra the Valkyrie, Title: Gauntlet

Growing Female Market is Obvious

2010-11-18T01:29:00.000-08:00

With the release of Call of Duty Black Ops this week the advertising pretty much tells it all. It doesn't matter what your race, gender or profession is, you will want to play Black Ops.

Jimmy Kimmel and Kobe Bryant have also brought more attention to the commercial than usual. "In the commercial, men and women of various races and professions are shown tossing grenades and taking down helicopters in a realistic war scenario. The aim is to show that the game appeals to people from all walks of life." Jezebel reports. Trying to appeal to the female market the commercial features several women wielding automatic weapons. It has also recently been dubbed the most "disappointing game-related ad". So why the harsh review?

So far the commercial hasn't received much attention for its inclusiveness, and on The Atlantic's website, Sam Machkovech complains about the campaign, calling it "twisted." He writes:

"I couldn't have asked for a more disappointing game-related ad. These aren't the video games I play. Even at their highest levels of action and violence, video games play like sophisticated games of Cops & Robbers. They're silly; they require colorful, funny-shaped controllers; they stay decidedly in the domain of detached fiction."

"This ad equips people with real guns and simulates real-life, no-CGI combat. The thud of recoil, the screams of rockets, the dust of explosions... and the look of exasperation on that little, shotgun-wielding girl. The only things missing are the dead bodies on the receiving ends of each bullet and blast."

What's your opinion?

Personally, I love this ad. Being acknowledged as an actual market is a big step for us women gamers. And we are starting to get a lot more attention. Last week while being interviewed, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski noted that the critically praised PS3 title Heavy Rain missed out on a golden opportunity: marketing to women. "Because women love true crime! I don't know what it is. I've said it before – they love two things in life: queso dip and true crime," Bleszinski commented. Man this guy is a doucher…

What does Cliffy B know about advertising to women? Well his 3rd installment of Gears of War, due out next year, has reported at least one playable female character. (the number of females actually playing as that character will most certainly be less than the number of teenage boys) I will be interested to see if he takes his own advice and cashes in on the female market.

Bleszinski may well be right, but Quantic Dream's highly-regarded adventure sold pretty well just to the male half of the world's gaming population. Earlier this year creator David Cage announced it had moved 1.5 million units to date, but how many more units could have been sold to us women?

One thing is for sure, with advertisements and video game hot shots giving us the "honorable mention" the industry is starting to realize that we are a large and diverse group. And it doesn't take a man to appreciate a good explosion, even if it isn't pink.

2010-11-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Configuring A Room For Kinect: A Tale of Two Homes

Kinect needs a lot of room, more room than any video game control device before it. But where there's a will to move furniture or rotate TVs, there is a way. This is how we made room in two homes.

From Stephen Totilo, deputy editor, based in Brooklyn: Space is tight in my Brooklyn condo. The living room is long and narrow, with the TV and game consoles just far enough from my couch to allow me to play a game, seated, using a controller wired to a game console under my TV.

I was able to play some Kinect games, like the single-player in racing game Kinect Joy Ride or everything in the fun Kinectimals, standing in front of my couch. That set-up, which required no moving of furniture had me standing under seven feet from the Kinect. At this range, though, I was barely at an acceptable distance for Kinect Sports, which spat back a sort of shrugged-shoulders message saying I might enjoy the game more if I was further away. Sorry, Kinect Sports, not if I have to stand on my couch!

That range didn't leave me enough room to play two-person, same-room games on Kinect nor to try more heart-racing experiences like the workout game Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. For that, initially with reluctance, I had to swivel my TV and move my Kinect. I needed at least eight feet to be in Your Shape's sweet spot.

Thankfully the Kinect sensor is smart and recalibrates automatically once it is moved. I don't love the idea of having to turn my TV for multiplayer — it's certainly more hassle than is needed if I have three friends over to play four-player Wii Sports (like that ever happens anymore -sniff-), but it's not the end of the world. I just want to warn people living in non-palace housing that you probably will need to make adjustments.

From Brian Crecente, editor-in-chief, based in Denver: I've got wide open spaces here in Colorado. The room where I have my video game consoles set up was designed for this space and it's pretty big. The couch is about 9-feet from the edge of the built-in entertainment center where my television sits. But there is also a huge coffee table in front of the couch.

I was able to use the non-gaming features of Kinect without having to move the couch, though I ended up needing to sit up in the couch to get the camera to recognize me. Playing between the coffee table and the couch was problematic for most games, not because of the distance, but because there wasn't a lot of room to move back there and the camera couldn't see below my calves.

I thought that once I moved the coffee table out of the way I'd have plenty of space, but it turns out that the front of my couch is only about 8 1/2 feet from the television. That may sound like a lot of space, it certainly looks like a lot of space, but Kinect wasn't always thrilled with what it had to work with. For instance, Kinect Sports grid put me in the front third of the play space when I stood eight feet from the TV.

Fortunately, I was able to make that big square of empty space work for all of the games, including Dance Central, which really does need a lot of room to move around in. Unfortunately, I rarely if ever move that coffee table, so the future of Kinect gaming in the Crecente household looks bleak.

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@kotaku.com

Gears of War 3 Demo - E3 2010 Microsoft Conference

2010-06-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

XBOX banned? really?

2009-11-07T17:58:00.001-08:00

Okay....I am still not in a frame of mind to be speaking openly to the public but I am livid to the point of a mild heart attack at this moment and I need to vent. I understand the importance of keeping the XBOX live community free of evil-doers. Piracy is a big problem and should be met with harsh consequences. But why is it that they decide to screw a good portion of there customers that did absolutely nothing wrong?!? I recently bought a used console, yes I know, shame on me I should buy new. But all the accesories I purchsed to go along with that made up for it times 10. Including a year long subscription to XBOX live that is now useless with this console. I do not mod consoles, I do not even know how to open a console other than dropping it from a building but that can be counter-productive. I also do not play pirated games, I have no need to when I can rent them just as easily and know that I will not get banned. (since I have heard the stories) The only thing that I can come up with is my console was modded in some way to play pirated games, which sucks monkey balls! I had 3 glorious days of online play only to have it ripped away! So I get it, cheaters should be banned, but calling up XBOX and being told there is absolutely no way that anyone, anywhere can do ANYTHING about it is heart breaking. I was even willing to send the XBOX in and pay to have the devils removed from the system but was quickly told that no banned consoles would be accepted for repair. So, alas, I am stuck selling this hunk-o-junk on ebay for a fraction of what I paid, hoping that I can scrounge up enough to buy an arcade to use with all of the accessories I just bought. I don't know whether to break something or cry, but I've done both at this point. Major Nelson, you son of a bitch, I hope PS3 outsells XBOX this holiday season. Oh thats right, I said it.

Oh XBOX....

2009-09-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

I am an avid supporter of Microsoft and XBOX, but recently it seems instead of standing my ground firm and proud I spend most of my time defending their greed and lack of progress. This stemming from their recent announcement that a new and improved Wifi adapter featuring 2 antenna and the ability to stream up to 1080p videos via XBOX live at the same price as the current adapter. Reading on you see that there will finally be a price drop in the old technology. Great! Wait....$80? $80!?! Technology that is over 2 years old, has a much better version available and something that is already included with the 2 other leading consoles is getting a measly $20 reduction?

I really thought we were making progress here XBOX. The price drop of the Elite was music to my ears, especially seeing as I'm in the market for a new one. The $50 rebate that is available through your website was marketing genius, truly. The leaps and bounds made by XBOX live to the community of gaming has been second to none and yet you still have to screw your customers at every turn. Why XBOX, why!?! Will your profits from Halo ODST and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 not fill your pockets to capacity this holiday season? Not to mention the fact that you still charge players for online play. Is it asking to much that you give us something to work with? How about a year of gold membership with the purchase of a Wifi adapter. It makes sense you know, seeing as the adapter would be soley used to gain access to the live community. I feel you are starting to lose touch with your customer base which is exactly what Playstation and Nintendo are waiting for.
I understand that online gaming remains best when directly wired, if I had that option I would use it, trust me. (no one hates lag more than me) With this new advancement with Wifi there should be a huge opportunity to get current Wifi users to upgrade. To have a better gaming experience. In fact, the thought of a trade in promotion sounds amazing, yet I sense you would be less than enthusiastic at the possible loss in profit.
Here's the deal XBOX, this is your last chance. Shape up or ship out. You can only screw your customers for so long before they move on to bigger and better things. Do I need to mention the PS3 at the new low and amazing price of $299? Oh, and that already includes a Wifi adapter built in to the system that allows access to their FREE, yes free online community PSN. This will be the season that determines the winner of the consoles, Wii and PS3 have stepped up to the plate, will you strike out this year XBOX?

Project Natal

2009-06-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

Voice and facial recognition, full body movement sensing and the ability to play just about any game without the use of your typical controller. In fact, with no controller at all. The future of gaming has been announced as XBOX previews it's "Project Natal". Much buzz has been swirling around since it's unveiling at E3 with none other than Steven Spielberg. With a 'controller' that "not only recognizes your thumbs and fingers, but your entire body." said spielberg. With it, we'd be able to wrap our fingers around imaginary steering wheels, leap onto imaginary skateboards, or judo-duel with imaginary enemies, seeing all our free movements reflected on-screen, in real time.

Motion sensing technology has been in the works for some time now. We had even seen
creative director Kudo Tsunoda flipping through dashboard menus with simple waves of his hands. But on stage at E3, Kudo stepped in front of the camera and was instantly recognized and logged into his Xbox Live profile. His avatar matched his every movement (if a little jerkily), and he proceeded to play 3D breakout with his body as the paddle.

As exciting as this newest announcement is it is no where near ready for public consumption, so to take our minds off of that fact Microsoft had a few other announcements. Full 1080p streaming support for all it's movies and tv shows (streaming not downloads) with it's new "Instant-on 1080p HD". They've also partnered with 3 other companies: the UK's Sky TV to bring live video to the console, and Facebook and Twitter to integrate social networking into your dashboard.

There are a couple vids out there of Project Natal but I figured I would leave you with the clip from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Cause if they can use it there must be hope lol

We are the future....are we prepared for the Zombie Apocolypse?

2009-03-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

Are Violent Video Games Preparing Kids For The Apocalypse?

Killzone 2

2009-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Demo available for this Thursday at PSN. When the first Killzone was released on the PS2 back in 2004, it failed to make much of a splash in the first-person shooter genre, despite being considered somewhat of a cult hit. The game was originally hyped up to be a "Halo-killer," which didn't help the critical response it received when it turned out to be nothing more than a mediocre console FPS hardly capable of squashing games like Turok or Red Faction, much less the 800-pound gorilla, Halo. The biggest reason some gamers, myself included, loved the original Killzone was for its deeply satisfying multiplayer, but you can't sell half a game right?

Thankfully, the Amsterdam-based team behind Killzone didn't just learn from the shortcomings of their first game, they started from the ground up with Killzone 2, salvaging only the essentials from the first game (though, they did leave out a couple of my favorite weapons like the PUP grenade pistol). Few developers put as much obvious much blood, sweat and tears into crafting their multiplayer and single-player modes as Guerrilla did with Killzone 2 can. While the first game only delivered a solid multiplayer experience with a somewhat half-assed campaign mode attached to it, Killzone 2 is almost two games in one with equally fulfilling single and multiplayer modes.

*Full story by Patrick Shaw available at GamePro.com

Cardinals Suck! Movie Previews Rock!

2009-02-02T11:24:00.001-08:00

So I can't say that I was pleased with the performance of the Cardinals yesterday. And up until there was a minute and a half left I thought they might make me proud! But no, the Steelers needed that 6th trophy....damn it. Anywho! There were some good movie trailers that came out of it, oh, and did anyone else enjoy MacGruber as much as I did? lol

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen - Click here for funny video clips

Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters Vs. Aliens Trailer (feat. Ginormica's Secret Origin!) - Watch the top videos of the week here

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Trailer - The most amazing bloopers are here

MacGruber Pepsi Spot

SNL: MacGruber Pepsi Skit #1 - The most amazing home videos are here
*I in no way endorse Pepsi or Pepsi products but Richard Dean Anderson and the MacGuyver series have a very special place in my heart* psst, Rich, call me *wave*

Speak of the Devil

2009-02-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Was I not just mentioning Diablo III? I think I was, and the highly anticipated hack-n-slash RPG from Blizzard is becoming more of a reality today! An interview from Lead World Designer Leonard Boyarsky is available here at omgRPG.com. Have a looksy and prepare to be...waiting some more! Enjoy.

Free Games! Ok, only part of them....

2009-02-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Demos are a great way to promote an upcoming title. They tend to be more scarce these days due to rising costs and piracy, but F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil 5, Too Human and Legendary are a few that have been released recently. All of which I have been extremely impressed with.

Left 4 Dead was one of the first major demos released in late 2008. Allowing 4 player online co-op (in the demo as well) which makes it a great game to play with your friends. It's a fast paced FPS, the graphics are decent and the game play and controls are nice. Not the game of the year by any means and without the release of the demo it probably wouldn't have done as well as it did. Definitely download the demo, rent or borrow it and see if you think it's worth owning. I would not scream from the rooftops that you must own this game, but I enjoyed it and everyone I've talked to has said the same thing.

Project Origin is the perfect follow-up to the critically acclaimed, yet paranormally insane F.E.A.R. From the demo you can tell there is going to be more gore, more violence and much more Alma. Just the way I like it. Controls are pretty much the same. You can only hold 3 health packs, but you do get 4 weapons (yay). Might I suggest the sniper rifle? One shot kill done in slow-mo will sell you on this game no question. No time limit on the damn headlamp this time. Graphics look amazing. Very scary. It's going to be a must have game this year, possibly one of my top picks for 2009. Early for this yes, but my loyalty to this game is serious. Oh, and did I mention the ability to use the Elite Powered Armor (EPA) in online combat? No? Yes! Play the demo. I'm not asking.

Resident Evil 5 from Capcom, is the latest entry in the popular horror franchise. For those who have not played much of this series you will have a hard time getting used to the controls. Someone like me who is used to GOW will curse this game, but believe me, getting used to them will be worth your time. The co-op mode is an awesome addition and you WILL need each other. It also has an inventory system that utilizes this as well making it possible to share ammo, weapons and health. A couple things that bothered me was being unable to move when aiming and no ability to blind fire so that you can move when firing. When you are surrounded by zombies moving a bit comes highly recommended. There is also no melee action. Instead it is replaced with a knife that works for a few enemies at a time. I have been informed that these issues with the aiming have been noted and will possibly be fixed by the release date of March 13. We shall see my friends. Overall though, after the initial frustration of the controls this game really is worth the time to download. The demo allows you to play with someone from your friends list which makes it even better. If you beat the boss with a chainsaw on the first try you are my new hero. Seriously....

Too Human was released back in August and was an amazingly beautiful action RPG exclusively for XBOX. Many compare it to Diablo, and most say that it does it justice. (We'll see what they are saying when Diablo III comes out... if Blizzard would give us a friggin release date already!) It has multiple camera angles to choose from, which was a concern back in 2006 when it was first debuted at E3. It has a unique control scheme, and even let's you aim at two different enemies with your dual pistols. There are five character classes to choose from depending on your type of gameplay. (I like the Berserker class, smashy things fun) It runs at a consistent framerate in 720p with 4x anti-aliasing and up to 50 enemies onscreen, no load times except in the beginning of the game and an auto-salvage feature for the low-class items of your inventory. It's just pretty! An exceptional game and it comes highly recommended by me so you know that means something!

Legendary was released in November of last year and I believe it was a title that was highly overlooked. A beautiful FPS with intelligent A.I.. Yes, I said intelligent. This game has been slammed for it's glitches, aged design philosophies, clunky shooting,and linearity, and I can't honestly say that I disagree with all of that. Legendary has it's flaws but what games don't? The story was engaging, the graphics were above average, I personally didn't have any trouble with the quality of my gunfire or glitches and the experience wasn't negative for me at all. The download is still available through XBOX live and why the hell wouldn't you download it for free? Form an opinion dammit!

Demos are released regularly on XBOX live and you should check it every couple of weeks for new additions. If it's a big title you know you will hear about it from me. Until then, game on yo, you got some downloading to do.

F.E.A.R. 2 Interview

2009-01-21T14:21:00.001-08:00

You know how excited I get when I hear Project Origin. Here's a link to the new Interview at GamePro.com with F.E.A.R. 2's Art Lead Dave Mathews

Gears of War 2 Update Available NOW!

2009-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

O-M-G! Can I say that without sounding...off? Oh wait, I'm a chick, I can say that. OH MY EFFINF GOSH the new update is here. I've only had to listen to the bitching for oh, 2 months now and I had faith in you Epic. "They will come out with an update soon enough people!" "Be Patient" Ya right, that's like telling a fat kid to wait for cake. But looky, oh looky at what they've done. Here is the official post from the Epic Website:

Gears 2 Title Update 2 Available Now

Earlier today, the Gears team released Title Update 2 for Gears of War 2. The update is available now, and contains a number of improvements and fixes to exploits, some of which are listed below:

* Exploit Fixes: Crabwalking, invisibility, weapon-slide, melee through walls, unlimited ammo.
* General Fixes: Shotgun and Boomshot updates, meatshield chainsawing updates, team communication, Insane gamer pic award.
* Balancing: Planted proximity grenade updates, increased quitting penalties, spawn protection, flamethrower stopping power.
* Improvements: Annex uses execution rules, achievement progression in the War Journal, added 7 DLC-based achievements worth 175 gamerscore.

And there’s more where that came from. For a detailed list of the changes made in Title Update 2, check out Rod Fergusson’s post at the official forums.

What are you still reading for? Go drop Gears 2 in the tray, download the title update, and start kicking some ass! Remember to keep checking gearsofwar.com for the latest Gears 2 news.

No weapon sliding? No Crabwalking? No melee through walls? This is a whole new and improved ball game my friends. I will be testing this update myself later this evening or tomorrow but initial response is positive from my crew. This is a good sign. Now if they would only make those combustible maps free....don't make me a liar Epic....

Current News

2009-01-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

MadWorld ships with no content changes
Sega's upcoming brawler MadWorld passed through ratings groups ESRB and BBFC (U.K.) with flying colors recently, and gamers can now rest assured that no changes have been made to the content. Easily the most controversially violent title to be released on the Wii, developer Platinum Games worked closely with the ESRB and BBFC to ensure that their stylistic gore would undergo zero changes before hitting store shelves.

MadWorld's deluge of gore ships this March. YAY!

Resident Evil 5 demo hits January 26th
Resident Evil 5, Capcom's fifth chapter in their renowned zombie-slaying survival horror franchise and first Resident Evil game on Xbox 360 and PS3, releases on March 13, 2009, but you don't have to wait two months to play the game.

Get ready to play the hell out of the RE5 demo... SOON!
A playable Resident Evil 5 demo will be available for download on Monday, January 26 on Xbox Live and about a week later on PSN. The exact date of the RE5 demo on the PlayStation 3 is unknown, but it's promised to be around February 5 when a new PSN update is scheduled to go up.

Two levels from Resident Evil 5's story mode will be included in the free demo which can be played either online or offline in the game's cooperative mode where players massacre parasitic hordes as series hero Chris Redfield and female newcomer Sheva Alomar.

Sale: Amazon drops Xbox Live price to $30
Make what you will of Sony's embryonic PlayStation Home, the PS3's online matchmaking service ultimately costs nothing, while Microsoft's Xbox Live equivalent reaches into your wallet and extracts $50 annually.

Shouldn't online multiplayer be free?
It's all a bit strange, really, considering the Xbox's Windows-based sibling, Games For Windows Live, made the transition to "on the house" this summer.

Now Amazon's thrown a $20 curveball at the issue by discounting their Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Gold Card plus 1 Month Bonus card, making the new price just $29.97 -- a 40% markdown.

Temporary one-off vendor sale? Or harbinger of an official Microsoft price drop?

No FFXIII for U.S. until 2010?!?
Every now and then, I wonder: does Square Enix hate America?

On a completely unrelated note, if you're waiting for Final Fantasy XIII to hit U.S. shores any time soon, get ready for one long wait.

British-based Reuters recently held an interview with Square Enix President Yoichi Wada, where he more or less stated that FFXIII wasn't going to get its American coat of polish and localization finished until freakin' April. Of 2010. Since it was a Reuters article, the rest of the article had the usual stuff about Square's expected millions and BAJILLIONS of expected profits in Dragon Quest IX.

Sony: There's no way Xbox 360 will win in the end
SCEA chairman Kaz Hirai claims that there's no chance the Xbox 360 will reach a higher install base than the PS3 at the end of their life cycles and also bashes the Wii as not being a true competitor. Those is fightin words bro...

**Full stories available at GamePro.com**

Game Descriptions for Upcoming Titles

2009-01-20T16:07:00.001-08:00

Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is based on the popular manga and anime series. As with the anime series, the title character is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson and features a cel-shaded animation style. Though it is a hack-n-and slash game, the "fighting is a bit more strategic" as the player can block and use combos.

Afro Samurai Video Game Trailer *sneak Peek* - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

X-Blades
X-Blades for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC features a combination of cinematic style, animation, and high-speed gameplay. You assume the role of Ayumi, a stunningly seductive yet tenacious heroine who battles enemies with her pistol blades, acrobatic ability, and magic spells. With full anime-style cut scenes, the story unfolds revealing demonic hordes and spectacular landscapes, all ripe for exploration and frenetic supernatural battling.

X-Blades Official Trailer - The top video clips of the week are here

Damnation
The human race is under the threat of a powerful arms dealer, whose only goal is world domination. Damnation is a shooter that emphasizes fast, edge-of-your-seat action, with new gameplay mechanics never seen before in a shooter. The insane vehicle mechanics and mind-boggling acrobatics will give players an experience they've never had before.

Damnation!: New Game Trailer - More free videos are here

Heist
Players will be able to pull off jobs, rob banks, knock off bars, make the getaway and escape the police with the goods in inXile Entertainment's Heist.

Hei$t (Heist) - Full Game Trailer - XBOX 360, PS3 - More amazing video clips are a click away

Rogue Warrior
Rogue Warrior is a story-driven shooter that provides team-based tactical combat set in massive, contiguous levels using Unreal 3 streaming technology. Your journey will take you through a variety of never-before-seen environments inside of North Korea, including submarine pens, shipbreaker yards, prison camps, and more. It's based off the popular book series by Richard Marcinko based on his experiences leading SEAL teams and anti-terrorist units.
(I'll post a trailer when it becomes available)

Sacred 2:Fallen Angel
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, the follow-up to the action RPG that's big on graphics and action oriented gameplay, features a seamless world of detailed environments and adaptive gameplay. Play cooperatively or without assistance in a dynamic world of monsters that adjust its difficult based on your playing-style. Collect items to enhance your fighting abilities and attributes to advance further into heroism.

Sacred 2 Trailer (English) - Watch more funny videos here

Burn Zombie Burn
Burn Zombie Burn for the PS3 on PSN is a third-person shoot-em-up in the classic coin-op tradition set across six classic American horror movie inspired levels. The aim of the game couldn't be simpler; shoot, burn and blow up as many brain munching zombies as possible using a variety of classic zombie killing weapons before they overwhelm you. Use fire to build up your multiplier and then destroy zombies en masse with explosives to increase that oh-so-important leaderboard high score. Be careful: A burning zombie is a faster zombie; burn too many and they'll burn you.

Burn Zombie Burn! Teaser Trailer - For more funny videos, click here

Velvet Assassin
Replay Studios' Velvet Assassin (formerly known as Sabotage) puts you in the boots of Violette Summer (based on the historic heroine Violette Szabo), an MI6 secret agent who goes behind German lines and takes the fight straight to the enemy. The game features stealth gameplay and artistic, stylized graphics as you play through the subconscious of this WWII heroine.

Velvet Assassin Exclusive Shadows Trailers HD - For more amazing video clips, click here

Just Cause 2
Rico Rodriquez is back, this time with a new destination, the South East Asian islands of Panau. Packed with even more stunts, weapons, and high intensity moments, Just Cause 2 takes every thing from the first game and improves on it. With 1,000 sq km of playground to explore, gamers have an action feast to look forward to.

Just Cause 2 World Exclusive Interview by Gamereactor - Amazing videos are here

The Conduit
The Wii isn't exactly a graphical powerhouse, but if The Conduit has its way, you'll be seeing visuals that are nearly on-par with the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. In this futuristic first-person shooter, you'll play a secret agent charged with fending off an impending alien invasion by a mysterious race called The Drudge. Conduit is set in a post-apocalyptic / alien invasion-type of world, which sounds like a mash up of FPS clich?s but works well for gameplay purposes. You've got Killzone-esque army dudes and Resistance-style crawlies to kill with alien guns reminiscent of Halo. And like all those games, Conduit should have a robust suite of online modes. Well, robust for the Wii, anyway.

Splatterhouse
Based on the 1988 arcade game, Namco Bandai gives Splatterhouse an updated look with a combat system that's sure to result in much blood and gore. The creators of the game are well known for their involvment with the Mark of Kri and Rise of the Kasai games. Splatterhouse is currently in development by BottleRocket, slated for release in mid-2009 on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Fuel
Fuel is set in an alternate present in which whole swathes of the globe have been ravaged by the effects of climate change brought on by decades of environmental abuse. Oil prices have rocketed and yet a new breed of racing junkie takes to the wastelands, pitting their grungy home-tuned vehicles against each other in an all-new extreme sport as they compete to win fuel supplies. Explore this massive world and compete in hundreds of multiplayer challenges.

Fuel: Latest Screenshots/CGI Trailer - The best bloopers are a click away

Red Faction: Guerrilla
Red Faction is back with its third entry in the series. Set 50 years after the events of the first game, you will, yet again, trek across Mars and fight against the Earth Defense Force. Unlike the previous Red Faction games, Red Faction: Guerrilla will be a third-person shooter, as opposed to a first person shooter like the original Red Faction and Red Faction II. The change in perspective allows for the destructive and changing environments created with the game's engine, Geo-Mod 2.0, to be easily navigated, where a first person perspective would cause problems.

Red Faction Guerrilla Teaser Vid - Click here for more blooper videos

Upcoming Titles

2009-01-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

January 21
-Skate 2 (PS3 and XBOX) (Demo avail on XBOX)

January 27
-Afro Samurai (?)

February 2
-Borderlands*
-Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Conviction

February 10
-Bionic Commando*
-F.E.A.R. 2:Project Origin*
-The House of the Dead:Overkill (Wii) (?)
-XBlades (?)

February 17
-Streetfighter IV
-GTA IV:The Lost and the Damned (XBOX)

February 24
-Dead Rising:Chop ti you Drop (Wii)

February 27
-Killzone 2*

March 1
-Indiana Jones

March 2
-Damnation (?)
-Heist (?)
-Rogue Warrior (?)

March 3
-Tom Clancys H.A.W.X.

March 13
-Resident Evil 5

March 24
-Sacred 2:Fallen Angel (?)
-Wanted:Weapons of Fate

March 29
-Guitar Hero:Metallica

March 30
-Burn Zombie Burn (PS3) (?)

March 31
-Velvet Assassin (XBOX and PC) (?)

April 1
-Prototype*
-Just Cause 2

April 28
-Splatterhouse*

May 1
-Fuel (?)

May 19
-The Conduit (Wii) (?)

May 22
-UFC 2009 Undisputed (XBOX) (PS3 avail 5/24)

June 2
-Red Faction: Guerrilla

June 16
-Ghostbusters (ALL platforms incl DS and PS2)

* = Future Exclusive
(?) = More Info to Come

To lag or not to lag....

2009-01-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

That is the question. And one that you seriously have to consider with todays XBOX live community. For those noobs not aware of a stand-by or "lag" switch it is a mechanism installed on a home network that allows you to insert delays into the flow of local traffic to the Internet. Lag switches are normally used by unscrupulous players wanting to cheat at online video games. Lag switches are unrelated to normal network switches.
When the switch is activated, the device is designed to function for a few seconds on a timer, effectively blocking all network traffic between the local game device and the Internet temporarily. Used during gameplay, the device causes the person using a lag switch to appear to opponents as frozen or running into walls while in fact they are still able to play locally and gain advantages in the game. When the lag switch timer expires (or is switched back on), the local game device will resynchronize with the online game that appears to opponents in a sudden burst. It usually ends with you being dead and the lagger being alive.
So what to do? I won't be telling you how to make a lag swith here. There are plenty of internet vids available to tell you how. I will however tell you that I have made one and most of my "regulars" have one as well. Besides using the lag switch to do glitches during gameplay it can also be used to ensure that your team leader gets host. This is what we do, and that is all I will do. I don't feel the need to glitch during gameplay and have taken losses on my teams host. All I am ensuring is that the other team doesn't acquire the advantage and abuse it.
There is nothing worse than being the victim of stand-by and anyone who plays GoW2 knows that there are plenty of people out there willing to go "invisible" on you rather than challenge you face to face. My suggestion is to dabble in the art of lag, but not to abuse it. If you have a decent connection and know your way around an ethernet cord the $.99 to buy the other tools needed is worth it. Who wants to be stressed out during an intense game of Execution? But let me tell you, if abused you will be reported rather quickly and the 10 reports of abuse needed to ban your account will most certainly rack up over the period of a few glitched matches.

Zero Punctuation

2009-01-15T15:48:00.001-08:00

If you think I am a harsh critic then give this guy a listen. His other clips for many other games can be found on TheEscapist.com. Very much worth checking out yo.

F.E.A.R

2009-01-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

So in honor of the new F.E.A.R. 2:Project Origin I am reviewing the first of the series. And to be honest I just got this game so if it seems harsh it's only because I haven't been exposed to many first generation XBOX 360 games. Let me first say I love this game. I plan on buying the F.E.A.R. files and I will be reserving a copy of the 2nd one as well. But that doesn't mean that this game doesn't come without any flaws. First, for a game titled F.E.A.R. it is lacking in that department. Startling...yes. Unnerving...yes. Scary? Not so much, and that's ok, not many things can scare todays video gaming community. It was a valiant effort none the less.
One major benefit of being the spawn of a devil child is the ability to slow-mo. When I first started playing the game I wasn't really "aware" of this feature. I knew it was there but I was still getting used to the controls. Once you realize that you can use it it becomes a major offensive, as well as defensive mechanism. Limited duration stops any abuse of the power which I think is a good idea, but once you discover that you are an invincible super-man type the game really loses that little bit of scariness it had going. I did not however enjoy the limited juice on your headlamp. I didn't really see the point. Either make it light enough to see or let us keep our headlight on. No sense in stopping in the middle of the hallway to let your light recharge, it just didn't seem to add anything to the gameplay. And if it's not adding anything, it's taking away. To be honest that light would have come in handy if it had a compass or a map attatched to it. I did find myself going in circles because of some inconspicuous crawlspace that I was supposed to crawl through to move on, or a guardrail that I am supposed to hop over, or some hidden ladder. But I guess once you found your way after 20 minutes of roaming and cursing Alma it was worth it.
Achievements in this game mostly center around multi-player mode, and the achievements available for campaign are somewhat inconcievable. Finish Campaign without dying, not that hard but I will tell you that one of the secret unlockables is killing yourself 5 times...which I have already earned. Another is completing campaign without using slo-mo. I attempted this my first go around and by the time I got about an hour into it I noticed another flaw. The saving system in this game sucks yo. I had gotten to a certain point in the game, I had no health packs and 25 health. I had just finished a level so I figured they would drop me off in a nice padded area where I could nurse my wounds and stock up on med-kits. Instead I was dropped off on the roof-o-death where I continued to die over and over until I threw my XBOX controller and pouted a bit. So I decided that I would just start at the previous chapter and go on from there, which is fine but the next day when I rebooted my system I noticed that even though I had moved past the roof-top scene my save point was still there. With the same problem I was facing before. I also noticed boosters and certain guns weren't present either. So my advice is to play it once and play it right. No second chances with this one folks.
The weapons in F.E.A.R. are the highlight of the game, although there was never one besides the dual SMG's that had enough ammo around to keep at all times. The Penetrator (giggle) was an awesome weapon and hitting a soldier jumping off a platform, nailing him to the wall by his neck was always so much fun. The plasma gun is my favorite for obvious reasons. Nice scope, excellent range and a one shot kill for most soldiers. Limited ammo makes it an obvious special weapon and unless you can get more than 10 rounds it's not worth taking up the space of one of your 3 weapons. My choices were usually the SMG's (dual, very nice), Vollmer VK-12 Combat Shotgun 12g and the Armacham 10mm HV Penetrator (Nail Gun) or Armacham Type-7 Particle Weapon (Plasma Gun) when ammo was available. I usually just cycle out the third gun for whatever specialty weapon is lying around. I would have loved to carry more but I like that they set a limit to be more "realistic"....I guess.
There are lots of things that I wrote in my notes but none that deserve a whole paragraph so here it goes: Ammo and health are either in over-abundance to the point of tripping over it or no where to be seen (usually when you need it the most), missions tend to get repetitive (how many times can you "activate" the button?), the activate button itself tends to be a little touchy(I'm looking at the GD ladder!!), left trigger for grenades can get a little messy being so close to the slow-mo button(literally) big lack of character development (I can't even remember my characters name yo), the cut scenes were scary but then you jumped straight in to gun battles (it needs a better storyline flow to keep the creepy vibe going) and the movements of the soldiers are very unnatural (whether intended for creepy effect or just poor graphics, idk?)
Overall I give this game 4 outta 5, I would recommend a rental at the very least, and I will be seeing you next month on XBOX live to test out F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Later on ya'll.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin - "Alma Returns" Trailer (HD) - Click here for more amazing videos

Last House on the Left

2009-01-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

As a gamer girl I tend to stay on top of up and coming titles. Not only in the gaming community, but also in the entire entertainment community. Horror being one of my all time favorite genres. Although now-a-days it is hard to find anything but pop-star poop-fests. Just found this on OMGHorror.com. One of my all time favorite horror flicks and I'm still on the fence. Nothing like the original which is fine by me because they probably would have just eff'd it up even more. Here is the new trailer for Last House on the Left due out sometime this year.

Welcome Ya'll

2009-01-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

First post of the week. Welcome to the new Gamer Chick Blogspot. Every week I, with the help of my gamer dude friends, will be reviewing the latest released games as well as upcoming titles to look forward to...or not look forward too. I will also take suggestions for topics from my...zero readers, but I suspect there will be readers soon. I can be contacted on XBOX Live gamertag: IIICHICKIII also at my email Sweet_lo_Lita@yahoo.com. I'm usually on XBOX schoolin' fools in Gears of War 2. Anyone else excited about the oh-so-mysterious update coming out soon? Let's hope it's the cure all they are making it out to be, we deserve it don't we? I can't go back to CoD, too much time invested in GoW2! Once the update is released the game will be reviewed in full. Until then I'll just deal with chainsaws and laggers. *heavy sigh* Upcoming blogs will be covering F.E.A.R 2:Project Origin, sneak peeks at the new Wii title MadWorld, Bionic Commando and the new Resident Evil 5. Stay tuned...