A to Z Challenge: Gamer Girl Tuesday: Value Gaming

Last week I talked about paying the premium for gaming (and how to decide when to spend your $60).  Today I'm talking about the flip side.  Here are some tips on Value gaming.

• Patrol your local gaming stores for used games.  If you're nervous about the idea of buying used, spend the extra few bucks for the extra warranties.  You'll still end up ahead.
• If you can wait a while for a game (usually a year), games will on average drop half their opening price.  Also keep an eye out for "greatest hit" games, which usually have a low price, because almost everyone already has a copy.
• Become a friend of Steam.  They always have a mid-week madness sale and amazing sales around the holidays.  But this will only work for pc games.  Sorry consoles.
• Watch for cyber Monday and holiday sales online.  You can get games for much cheaper and avoid the crowds!
• Don't be afraid to try out "budget games."  Usually not as hyped as the big names, there are still some hidden gems to be found. (Just make sure to try and find a couple of reviews)
• Borrow from friends.  There are lots of games that in all honesty you'll only play through once.  Swap games with friends to give them a play through and see if they're worth buying your own copy.

 Hope these tips help you save a few bucks!

A to Z Challenge: Gamer Girl Tuesday: Paying the price

One of the toughest things about gaming is the price tag that comes with playing games.  With games hitting the market with typically a $50-60 dollar price tag, and some games costing $15 dollars a month to play, if you're on a budget, it can be tough to decide what to buy.  Here's some things to keep in mind when trying to make that decision.

1. Don't buy a game without reading reviews from several sources.  Believe me, just because a game looks pretty, doesn't mean it's any good.  Reviews can point out make or break issues for a game.
2. Download a demo or borrow a copy from a friend before buying.  You'll get a feel for the game and see if it's something you'd want.
3. Decide if you have time for a new game, especially if it's a subscription game.  If you have lots of time to kill, you'll do fine.  But if you're really busy at work or in life, you'll find yourself cringing every time you get the bill for the subscription.
4. Don't buy an expensive game in a wildly different genre from what you play.  You might decide, too late that FPS isn't for you, or that RPGs leave you cold.  
5. Be cautious of "Revolutionary" games.  Typically these are interesting games, but usually deeply flawed, enough so that you'll feel cheated after you play them (see Heavy Rain, Mirror's Edge, Final Fantasy X2, or LoTR Online).

A to Z Challenge: Gamer Girl Tuesday: Just Right Games

Click here for more participants!

 One of the complaints that I hear from reluctant gamers is that they don't have time to play games.  So after a bit of thinking, I've come up with a short list of games that are Just right for that few spare minutes you might want to decompress.

Little Big Planet: A game built around short levels is always a safe bet.  LBP is a great game for novices and expert gamers alike.  Levels become more complex, and there's also a huge library of user created games.

Bejeweled: PopCap, the company that has brought casual gaming to a new level.  A fun and easy game that a lot of people have on their phones.  Just make sure you play the timed games, or you might be there a while.

DC Universe: I know, I know, you're getting tired of it.  But the short missions make for a streamlined game that is easy to stop.  A great choice for the more advanced gamer.

Wii Sports: Want to do something more active with your few minutes? Wii Sports is a great and fun alternative.  Play a quick game of baseball or try to beat your record at bowling.  Multiplayer options can also make it fun for the whole family.

A to Z Challenge: Gamer Girl Tuesday: E for Everyone

Click here for more participants

If you've walked into the game department of a store, then you've probably noticed that most games around are a bit...intense.  So for today's Gamer Girl Tuesday, I'm going to let you in on some of my favorite game franchises that Everyone can play.

Katamari franchise--These games surround a really simple premise: roll a ball and pick things up.  There's a definite quirkiness to the series, but the bright colors, simple controls, and cheerful music will keep the whole family entertained.




Mario Brothers--You can bet that anything with this little Italian plumber is ok for any of the family.  With the new games on the Wii, even those that may be scared of those crazy controllers with all the buttons can join in on the fun.  There's a reason this guy has been around for 27 years.

Lego Video Games--Did you know that those little plastic blocks have been digitized?  There are several different series: Indiana Jones, Batman, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.  Fast and easy to pick up, you'll find yourself enjoying the game and trying to puzzle out how to build the sets in real life.  After all, who doesn't love Legos?

Gamer Girl Tuesday: DC Universe Online

Finally a 100% happy review!  If you want to skip the fan girl drooling, just know that I recommend this game fully.  If you want to see how much I really can geek out, feel free to continue.

Plot:
It's always hard to nail down a plot for an MMO, but I'll give it a shot.  Lex Luthor from the future has come to Earth to warn the heroes of the JLA that Braniac is coming.

Exobytes have been released giving random people powers, and Braniac is right behind gathering them up.  You are one of those heroes/villains (depending on your temperament).  And now you're off to bring justice or chaos to the streets of Metropolis and Gotham.

Unique Details:
You get to be a superhero or villain.  No really.  If you've ever been a fan of comics (or comic book movies, or even remotely attracted to the idea of comics) you'll get a huge kick out of this game.  A lot of the creative designers work for DC itself (including the great Jim Lee), so it has the feel of the comics come to life. 

One of the things that I'm really loving about DC Universe is that your character's looks are completely customizable.  So you really feel that the character is yours, and not just a clone of a standard type.  You can control the details down to the colors and the type of belt you have.

There's also a wide range of customization when it comes to your powers and weapons.  There are six super power types and ten weapon types.  (I'll let someone with better math skills do the work to see how many possibilities there are.) 

Since it's a new MMO, there's not as much of the rigid "you're not doing it right" types of gameplay discussions as with other more established games *coughWorldofWarcraftcough*  It's also a very alt (a side character that you play periodically) friendly game, so you can always switch things up when you're getting bored.

The creators have already released some new content, and are saying that they plan to do this every month.  (Which is good, because hitting the level cap doesn't take very long).  So there's always something new waiting for you around the corner.

Gameplay and Controls (I'm playing the PC version. So I can't speak for the PS3 experience)
It's still a new game, so there are some buggy issues to work out.  I've already managed to fall through the map twice.  Don't ask, I have bad luck with that (I've even done it on WoW). The biggest bug I've run across is the auto-targeting system.  Sometimes it'll ignore the monster wailing away at you and have you focusing an a barrel across the street.  But if you pay attention, you'll learn to work around this bug.

Imagine a hack and slash type game like God of War meeting WoW and that's basically what you have.  You have super powers linked to key numbers, and your weapons combos are linked to your mouse.  One of the great things about the game is that you feel more active than in other MMOs.  Since there's not auto-attack and you have to keep frantically mashing buttons, it feels like you're actually doing something.

Overall:
 I really can't recommend this game enough.  I know that the subscription (about $15 a month) will keep some people away from it forever, but if you give it the free month, you'll be surprised by how much you enjoy it.

If you do want to give it a go, the husband and I play on the Brave New World server.  My main character's name is Emerald Destiny.  Doesn't she look bad-ass?

Oh yeah, and the guy beside me is Azario (my husband).  This is officially the only time I will ever be taller than him.

I have a sneaky suspicion you'll be hearing more about the game, soon.

Gamer Girl Tuesday: Braid

Review time again, boys and girls!  I need to stop listening to gaming hype, because more times than not I'm disappointed (see review for Heavy Rain for another instance).

Even though the game has been out since 2009, I had only heard about it in the last couple of months.  The buzz was that the simplicity of Braid hid underlying messages about love and the nature of time. That it wasn't simply a game: it was art! 

Well, when Steam put it on sale for $2.99 a few weeks ago, I thought I would give it a try.  Here's my breakdown.

Plot:
I won't say too much about plot here, because there are some twists that I don't want to ruin for you.  Really the plot is not in the game so much as in between levels.  At the beginning of each "chapter" you come across books that give you a loosely told story of Tim and his Princess.

 

Most of the people claiming that this game is art fall to the plot of the piece.  Let me warn you, as a writer, I found it interesting until the end.  There is a huge twist that turns the story of Time and his Princess on its ear in an attempt to make the story meaningful and deep. 

To me it fell as flat as a "and then I woke up and found it was a dream" ending.  As someone who is trying to perfect my skills at storytelling, I found it trying so hard to be deep that it came off like my former ninth grade students using the thesaurus to find large words, and then proceed to use them incorrectly.

Unique Features:
Each chapter of the game allows you to rewind time.  But each chapter also has something new added.  Some things are immune to your rewinds, sometimes there is a shadow version of yourself, and there is also a ring that slows time as well.

It was an interesting mechanic, but was also very frustrating. Against the advice of online reviewers, I used this walkthrough simply so I could know what knew monkey wrench was thrown in the mix (If you don't have a walkthrough, you have to find these things out through trial and error. Fun for some, I'm sure, but for me it was simply frustrating.)

Gameplay and Controls:
The controls were very simple for the PC version. Arrows and the shift button to control time.

If you're not very good at side scrollers, though, prepare to use the rewind button a lot. Many of the levels depend on precise timing.

Overall:
For me, I found that the striving to be something more than a "game" was a bit too heavy handed for me.

However, the game does have a painterly style that was beautiful in spots, and there were lots of nods to classic Nintendo games that I enjoyed.

Some of the levels were fun to play, while others...well let me just say that I could only play the game in about 15 minute spurts.

If you like puzzle games, or want to try something that's very different from most games out there, it's the game for you.

Gamer Girl Tuesday: Gaming terms for the uninitiated

Over the last few weeks of doing this feature, I realized that a fair amount of my audience may have no idea what I'm saying half of the time. 

So I thought every now and then I'd put together a little primer for those of you that aren't gamers.  It'll help you understand me more, and maybe surprise the teenagers in your life that you know the terms

(One of my biggest kicks as a teacher was being able to call kids on using slang.  They were always amazed that I knew what the terms meant!)

Today I'll be focusing on game genres.  This will let you speak knowledgeably (or at least enable you to bluff your way through a conversation).  It's also one of the most confusing because there are so many acronyms.  Keep in mind this is just a basic list, and is by no means exhaustive. 


FPS-First person shooter.  Think of all the military games that have flooded the market.



MMO-Massive multiplayer online. Any game that is played online with other people around the world. World of Warcraft (or WoW) is the biggest in the market right now.  However, it is really a MMORPG. (All the people you see running around in the video are actual people playing together from around the world).



RPG-Role playing game.  Usually fantasy based.  Any game that allows the player to make decisions or tries to immerse the player in the character's role.  Dragon Age is a current popular RPG. (Skip to about 3 minutes to see actual gameplay)



Turn based RPG-This is the older style of RPG, where literally characters take turns taking action.  You would often form a queue of actions and wait for the fight to end.  Earlier Final Fantasy games are great examples.



Sim-Short for simulation.  These can be anything from flight simulators, life simulators (such as Second Life or The Sims), or city-building experiments (Sim City).



Platformer-Classic style of video game, where you have to jump over, or duck under obstructions.  Can be simple like Mario or complex like Prince of Persia.



Side scroller-The most classic style of video game, a two dimensional game, where the player literally moves to the left and right of the screen. (The video is of a game called Braid. Look for a review soon!)



I've skipped a lot of game genres (like action, puzzle, survival horror), because the titles are pretty straightforward.  If there are any other genres you're confused about feel free to leave a comment.  If you have any other acronyms or gaming terms you'd like me to work on for another time let me know!

Gamer Girl Tuesday: What's in my wish list

I really haven't had much time to actually play games this week (I'm hoping to fix that over the weekend). So instead of a review or another ramble down Silent Hill way, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at some of the games I'm really looking forward to laying down money for.




DC Universe Online
If you've read any of my Wonder Woman posts, you might have figured out that I'm more of a DC girl than a Marvel fan (although you really can't get better than X-Men in many ways, not the movies, the comics).  So when I saw this teaser trailer, my head exploded a little.



Now, it is a cinematic trailer, but the gameplay clips and reviews I've seen are all really positive.  You create a completely original superhero (or villain) and then choose of the DC Trinity to train under.  It is an MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online), and I haven't researched enough about PVP (Person vs Person), so that has me a bit nervous, but I'm really looking forward to it.


Bulletstorm
Ok, I have to admit that generally, I hate FPS games (first person shooters). My reaction times suck, and so I usually end up dead. But this one looks so unique, funny, and different than the glut of games that are on the market that my interest is really peaked. (Warning: the game is for adults, so expect lots of violence and some language.)




Stacking
A great indie puzzle game that has some pretty beautiful graphics and a great game idea. You play as the center part of a Russian nesting doll. To find your way through the puzzles, you can jump inside other dolls and use their abilities. Sadly it's only available on the XBox and PS3 gaming systems, so you're out of luck if you don't have one.




Dead Island
I know nothing about this game other than it has zombies and has probably the best game trailer I've ever seen. But fair warning, there's a lot of blood and gore and the trailer has been making grown men cry all over the interwebs. Amazing storytelling, and I can't wait to see more about the game.

Gamer Girl Tuesday: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Time for my second review.  Sadly it's another hit or miss game.  Maybe eventually I'll find a game I can gush about (and if you're lucky it won't even be a Silent Hill title).

Plot:
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a "re-imagining" of the first Silent Hill game.  So expect some plot familiarity and some brief nods to the original.  But for the most part it's a game of its own.  You play as Harry Mason who wakes up after a car crash to find his daughter missing.  He begins to search the town of Silent Hill for her, but quickly finds that things are not what they seem. Expect typical twists in the story-line that we have come to expect from the franchise.

Unique details:
Each chapter of the game starts with a brief interview with a creepy psychiatrist.  In theory the choices you make in these sessions change the game a little, but they're really just mostly cosmetic changes.  You can apparently have one of a handful of endings, which are colored by the sessions.

Another creepy touch is the fact that this game has no combat.  At no point does Harry think to pick up a baseball bat or anything to defend himself.  You're literally running away from the monsters through the whole game.  I thought it was a neat mechanic, but the husband found it frustrating to watch me much less play it.

Gameplay and controls:
Throughout the game, you use the Wiimote to act as either a flashlight or cell phone. The game uses the speaker in the Wiimote for the cell phone, an added touch that I liked.

The controls are iffy, especially when performing fine tuned tasks, such as getting pills out of a bottle. You'll have to find your own system's sweet spot for the game and not move from it to really get good response.

While Silent Hill looks normal (well as normal as it ever does), you are safe to explore to your heart's content. There are no monsters. But once the screen ices over, the town becomes riddled with creatures that will literally sniff you out and try to kill you.

So run!

And run, and run. This was the downfall of the game for me. The ice sections are really just a maze that involves no real skill, just dumb luck for picking the correct direction to run in. You can use your cell phone gps during these sections, but you apparently can't run for your life while holding your cell phone. The third ice section was almost enough to make me quit the game completely I was so frustrated by it.

Overall:
Even though I am a devoted fan, this is a hard game for me to recommend. The puzzles are laughably easy at points, and the monster sections are maddening. However, the game still had the hallmark creepiness that all the games have had, and included a few nice touches. For instance, you can hunt for ghosts or objects full of psychic energy. When you find them, your cell phone will often ring and you'll get messages from beyond. (My favorite was a linked series of objects in the woods that traced the sad story of a girl who trusted her friends too much).

So if you find it on sale, or are dying to have all the games in the franchise, pick it up. Otherwise, give it a pass.

Gamer Girl Tuesday: In which the worlds collide

Before I get too far started, a plug: My husband, The Bear Monk, has started his own gaming blog about being an Elemental Shaman in WoW, Riding the Lightning.

I've always known that I was a nerd (or geek if you prefer the term), but I've always been a hard type to pin down.  I don't like fantasy novels in general, but love movies like Willow and Legend.  I love doing crafty, girlie projects, but really hate most romantic comedies.  I love playing games like Silent Hill, but don't have enough dexterity to really hit it big in gaming.

So my geeky universe is pretty disjointed to the point that different groups of friends feed my different eccentricities. 

Well today, I came across something that shatters the borders of two of my nerd zones: Doctor Who and Gaming.

Yes, dear online minions, that is in fact a Sonic Screwdriver Wii remote. It's currently only sold in England or as an import.

My only question now is: will it work in the US?

Things I've learned from Assassin's Creed

I've started playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood this week (when not hiding under the covers from the cold), and I'm not really far enough through to review it or something actually constructive like that.

So instead, I'm going to make a short list of things that I've learned about myself, gaming, or whatever I feel like from my time playing:

1. I will never be able to see/hear Kristen Bell without thinking of her as Elle and getting pissed at the writers of Heroes for throwing away the potential for a great character arc. (Sorry fans of Veronica Mars, I came across her on Heroes first)

2. I could never be an assassin in real life, because I have terrible instincts.  When running from the guards, I always run the way that lands me right in the middle of lots of other guards.

3. I love the name Desmond, but after these games and Lost, I could never name my son that.  Another name sacrificed at the altar of entertainment.

4. Speaking of Desmond, he makes me think of Sam Witwer (who incidentally is showing up in everything!  I can't escape him!  Could he be our generations Kevin Bacon?)

Now for the actual gaming content:

5. I'm still not sure how I feel about the free run ability.  When I am using it, I sometimes go in crazy directions I didn't mean to (jumping off a way too tall building because I leaned the L3 stick ever so slightly in the wrong direction), but if I don't use it, the running is slow and cumbersome in points.  I guess it's better to ere on the side of speed in a game like this, though.

6. I really don't like this whole long hold for one action and tap for another.  I'm used to games with much simpler control systems, so my brain is having a tough time keeping all the settings/motions in order.

7. Desmond's world sucks compared to Ezio's.  All of the "real world" side tasks are pretty boring (or at least they are as far as I've played).  I wonder if there are people that actually leave the animus and complete them?



A pretty short list, but I'm not that far into the game yet.  It's a new style of game than I'm used to, and half of my battle is getting used to the controls and the like (I'm also notoriously bad at platformers.  I blame my lack of developmental experience to Mario).

Do you have difficulty while switching game genres?  Do you ever explore other types of games?

Gamer Girl Tuesday: My Love Affair with Pyramid Head and Ghost Children

Warm and Fuzzy PH by arok318

When I started Gamer Girl Tuesday last week, I knew that Silent Hill would come up sooner or later.  I do have to say that I'm surprised that it came up this quickly.    But before I delve too much into the realm of gaming, I have to go back to what got me started.

I've briefly mentioned my fascination with Silent Hill before, but I wanted to go a little deeper this time.

You see, Silent Hill is what turned me on to gaming.  I'm still a casual player at best, but I never would have gotten into gaming at all if it wasn't for Silent Hill. 

You see, until I married my husband, the extent of my gaming experience was my Commodore 64 and a light sprinkling of arcade games.  But my husband has been steeped in gaming systems and has seen all the variants.

He was desperate to get me interested in his hobby, but honestly wasn't too interested in it after watching him play through a couple of Final Fantasy games (which may be wonderful to play, but are boring to watch).  He pointed me in the direction of games he thought I might like, but nothing really clicked.

At some point, I either saw an review or picked up a copy of Silent Hill 3.  It caught my attention because it was horror based and had a female main character (still, sadly a rarity).  I took it home and started playing it.

And was terrified. (I was playing it at night, by myself as my husband worked the graveyard shift an hour and a half away).

And loved every minute of it!

The franchise itself has had ups and downs, and in all honesty I've never had quite the same reaction as I did to 3, but it's still a franchise I'm loyal to and get excited about when I hear about a new game coming out.

I've realized that this is turning into a bit of a ramble, so before it goes on too long, here's the main reasons that I remain such a fan of the series (even the crappy ones like Shattered Memories):

1. Incredibly creepy graphics, soundtrack, and ambiance to the game.


2.Difficult and fun puzzles to continue playing (there were times I really felt like MacGuyver).

3. Some of the scariest monsters I've ever seen in movie, game, or imagination. (Pyramid head, the baby vulture things, the ghost dogs, the scissor people, and the nurses, dear god the nurses.)

4. Little touches that don't really move the game forward, but add to the creepy vibe (finding blood scribbled messages on the walls, children's drawings left behind, mysterious voices calling to you from the shadows.) 

5. The game relies on the fear of anticipation as much as actual jumps. (Please, please, don't make me follow the trail of blood into that room)


And mostly, the way that the game sticks with you. I could only play Silent Hill 3 for about an hour when my husband was at work. Then I would have to watch something happy and funny on TV to get the shivers out of my system.


And now for your palate cleanser.

Gamer Girl Tuesday: Heavy Rain

I've decided to institute something new on the blog.  Every Tuesday I plan on posting something (a review, a rant, cool screenshots, etc) about what games I've been playing lately.  Since I'm cheap, they'll all be older games (that I've probably bought used), so don't expect anything groundbreaking.

Over the weekend I played my first go-round with Heavy Rain.  If you're unfamiliar with it, HR plays more like an interactive movie, where you choose what (within limits) your character says and does.  It reminded me a lot of a better, sleeker version of Indigo Prophecy, a much ignored PS2 game (I'm actually the only person I know that's played it).

Looking at the link for Indigo Prophecy, I found out that both games were created by the same company Quantic Dream, so there's no surprise they're similar.

The plot is centered around finding and catching the origami killer, a serial killer that drowns little boys, before he kills his latest victim.  You play as four different characters (any and all of which could die at some/any point in the game).  The thing that caught my attention about the game was 1. it was supposed to have awesome storytelling, 2. it was supposed to be creepy as hell, and 3. it has about 20 something prologues that combine to create tons of different endings, based on your choices and actions during the game.

Here there be spoilers!!!! I'm keeping character names out of it, but you might be able to piece together things from what I say.

My major problem was that it doesn't matter how many times you play the game, the killer is always the same person.

And that person sucks.

It was the only person in the game I really liked.


After finishing the game, I really felt angry and betrayed by the sloppy storytelling.  There are red herrings that were needed (it'd be boring if we knew who it was the whole time), but completely from left field and left unexplained. If you troll message boards, you'll find angry people yelling you just don't get it, and it's ambiguous on purpose, and of course the killer followed the person around and waited for a blackout, led them to a specific street corner, and put things in their hand, because THAT'S WHAT KILLERS DO!

Or you'll hear people say that the creators did it on purpose to generate "discussion" about the game and the plot holes inconsistencies twists in the plot.

Don't listen to them, it was just lazy storytelling.

It also didn't help that you're actually in the killer's mind the whole time, but they keep thinking innocent thoughts (It's so sad the boy died, that killer's a terrible person, etc. and the like) and are intent on catching the bad guy.  But the character was completely aware of what he/she was doing, so the game has been lying to us the whole time.

I'm all for unreliable narrator, but it was clumsily handled.

But this was all in hindsight.  While I played the game, I was completely immersed, to the point of yelling loud enough to be heard upstairs and shaking the controller with such force that I hit myself in the head.  It's a beautiful game, with some really intense scenes, and a classic film noir feel with some modern touches (the ARI system the FBI agent has was an awesome idea that I wish had been fleshed out a bit more).

Overall, I really enjoyed it while I was playing, but will probably not play it obsessively to see all the endings.

Although, I think I might try an epic fail run of it...