Loveshroom Necklace

Lately we’ve been talking a bit more about fashion for the female gamer on GamingAngels, showcasing some online stores and upcoming lines of clothing and accessories aimed towards those of us who are a bit older but still want to flaunt our love of gaming and geekery. Etsy is one of those great online destinations when you are looking to find unique items.

Glamasauraus opened on Etsy just over two years ago, but Andreanna has been crafting since… well, forever! A stay at home mom, she juggles taking care of her daughter as well as creating and running her Etsy store. Glamasaurus boasts an awesome 100% satisfaction rating and features an amazing variety of fashion accessories and hand-made figurines. I’ve already spotted a good $300 worth of things that I wish I had the money to splurge on right now, as well as seen a few items I wouldn’t mind customized.

Mario & 1Up Earring Set

As a gamer, my eyes went straight to anything and everything Mario Bros. The Loveshroom Necklace (pictured above), the I wanna be Super Mario or Get a Life cufflinks, even the Mario & 1Up earring set which I couldn’t wear because I don’t have pierced ears but considered re-piercing for a moment shortly after seeing them – all are great pieces for sprucing up our Spring wardrobes. There are more than just gaming goodies to be found. If you are a Hello Kitty fan, into gothic lolita, or you just like cute hand-made crafts, you will find definitely find a few items in Glamasaurus’ store that will make you wish you had more money in your wallet.

Well, you might get to start your collection sooner rather than later with a little help from Andreanna! From now until May 31st, simply leave a comment letting us know what you think of her shop or any pieces from her shop to be entered to win a $30 gift certificate towards any item from the Glamasaurus store. The contest is open to anyone who wants to enter and is limited to one entry per person. And if you can’t wait that long, Glamasaurus is currently offering free shipping until May 12th on orders over $30.

And now for a piece of Hello Kitty inspired bling because so many of you love Hello Kitty.

Angel Kitty Cameo

]]> http://www.gamingangels.com/2010/05/glam-up-your-style-with-glamasaurus/feed/ 71 http://www.gamingangels.com/2010/05/new-lost-planet-2-video-central-city/ http://www.gamingangels.com/2010/05/new-lost-planet-2-video-central-city/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 15:36:39 +0000 Yukino http://www.gamingangels.com/?p=32189 With Lost Planet 2 only a week away, we bring you another new video showcasing gameplay footage from Capcom’s upcoming release for the Xbox 360 and PS3. In this video we visit Central City and can see first hand how destructible the landscape is.

You can pre-order Lost Planet 2 for either the Xbox 360 (featuring cameos from Gears of War soldiers Marcus & Dom) or the Playstation 3 now, as well as the official strategy guide from Prima Games. (Click the links to visit Amazon.com)

Make sure you check out the official Lost Planet Community site, Like the Facebook Group, and follow Lost Planet on Twitter as well as checking out GamingAngels for more information and coverage of Lost Planet 2.

GamingAngels: Can you tell us a little more about how your career path turned towards game design? Was it something you saw yourself doing when you were younger or did fate conspire to bring you to where you are now?

000000;">Jennifer Canada: I started playing games in college and quickly became hooked, but even so it never occurred to me that creating games was a career. I finished my undergraduate degree with two unrelated majors, neither in fields I wanted to pursue. Then, it was in the months after I graduated and I was just kind of floating around that I heard about the SMU Guildhall. Immediately level design and game design felt like a perfect fit for me. I read constantly, so I’ve always been pretty invested in narrative and telling stories, and I also love to do crafty things, both in real life and on the computer. For instance, back in college I used to spend hours playing with architecture programs building houses, basically turning a DIY planning program into a game.

000000;">GA: What do you find most rewarding about being a game designer?

000000;">Jennifer: Making a steady stream of creative choices every day is really rewarding. As a designer, you aren’t always deciding how the game ends or what happens at this or that huge moment, but even when you are just deciding if the path should turn right versus left or this object should be moved 2m, it is constantly engaging and you are always putting your stamp on the game—both with your big decisions and your small ones.

000000;">GA: What are some of the games you’ve worked on that you enjoyed the most and what made working on them fun?

000000;">Jennifer: Some projects I worked on were harder than others either in terms of hours or stress levels, but I am grateful to have enjoyed every project I’ve worked on. My favourite project at Vicious Cycle was probably Flushed Away based on the Aardman movie of the same name. I loved getting to design levels based in such a fun and unique universe, and being in the exciting position of finding out about a blockbuster movie before it played in theatres was an added bonus. One funny thing that happened on that project was early on in development we decided to use the slugs as enemies in the game because in the rough draft of the script they harassed the main characters. But when the movie came out, the slugs had transformed into cute little guys who liked to sing songs, but in our game you were still killing them! And of course, my other favourite project is what I am working on now at Insomniac Games—but I can’t talk about that one!

000000;">GA: Can game studios can get away with putting graphics first, as opposed to writing a story and then making a game around it?

000000;">Jennifer: Well, honestly, yes. A lot of bad games sell based on their graphics and a lot of good games don’t sell because of bad graphics. But in a lot of ways I think graphics are given a bad rap, in terms of taking time away from gameplay. In my experience, how something looks and the visual feedback it gives to the player can be just as intrinsic to how a moment plays out as the design behind it. And certainly with most mainstream titles, designers are asking players to feel immersed and for many players, without good graphics, they’ll never feel grounded enough in the world to become fully invested in the game.

000000;">In terms of whether a development team should start with graphics vs. story when making a new game, I’d say it’s often fairly detrimental to start with either of those focuses. In my opinion, most of the really great games out there started with a gameplay idea. It’s much easier to write a story that fits the theme of your gameplay and how you want a play experience to feel than to start with a story and try to pull gameplay out of it. That can be a recipe for either uninspired gameplay or a story and gameplay that never cohere because their themes fight each other. The graphics should probably be the final consideration in terms of planning, because they have to pull everything together in a way that, just by seeing a screenshot, players can sense how the game will play.

000000;">GA: What is your experience developing a game such as Ben 10 that spans across not just multiple consoles, but also handheld systems? Did your levels have to be completely redesigned to fit the PSP in comparison to the Nintendo Wii?

000000;">Jennifer: I was lucky in this regard, to have developed multi-platform titles at a company that is well known for its ability to release on multiple skus simultaneously. Which is not a coincidence—no levels or any assets at all had to be redone for the different platforms on Ben 10. The Vicious Engine, from Vicious Cycle Software, is browser-based so you are able to edit and play on your computer and, for the different platforms, there is a dropdown that lets you choose your platform and it converts everything behind the scenes and you’re ready to go. It’s really that easy. I am actually hoping to see more schools start using the Vicious Engine to train future developers. It’s really powerful and user-friendly and I greatly enjoyed working with it.

000000;">GA: You’ve talked a lot about making games a little more “pink”. What would you personally like to add to games to make them more “pink”?

000000;">Jennifer: I recently gave a talk at GDC and at the Triangle Game Conference called, “Paint-by-Gender: How to add ‘pink’ gameplay to your ‘blue’ title (and still keep all the boys happy)”. The content of this talk arose from my Master’s thesis for the SMU Guildhall on women’s gameplay preferences and its results. I made a level to test established theories on what game features women prefer when playing games, and what I found is that women did self-report greatly enjoying those features in my test level, but that the male players reported enjoying those features nearly as much.

000000;">Just to clarify, referring to these features as ‘pink’ in the title of my talk was my attempt at a catchy way to make it clear I was talking about girls’ preferences, but none of the features I tested actually involved making things pink! Here is a list of the features I tested:

1. 000000;">Detailed backstory
2. 000000;">Non-stereotypical female characters
3. 000000;">In-game relationships
4. 000000;">Emotional stimuli
5. 000000;">Moral complexity
6. 000000;">Non-violent action
7. 000000;">Gameplay flexibility
8. 000000;">Meaningful victory

000000;">It’s my hope and my opinion after conducting this research that developers can leverage these design features to make their games more appealing to men and women both. In the end, all of these features really come down to one idea—enabling players to connect more strongly with the overall game experience: the characters, the story, the world, and the player’s own actions in the game. Some players are satisfied with mindless action and there’s nothing wrong with that, but increasingly players are demanding a deeper connection and I think designers should try to give it to them.

000000;">If you want to read my full thesis, it’s available here: www.jennifern.net/thesis

000000;">And the slides for my Paint by Gender presentation can be found here: www.jennifern.net/PaintbyGender

000000;">GA: How might you “add a little pink” to the traditionally “blue” game genres like first-person shooters? Is it all in plot and setting, or would the actual gameplay have to change a little?

000000;">Jennifer: Well, I’m going to talk about a third person shooter here instead, because I think there is already a great example on the market of how to adapt the shooter genre into a game that everyone, men and women alike, love. Uncharted 2 is probably the least contentious Game of the Year ever. Everyone absolutely adores it. And it utilizes nearly all of the design features I tested in my level as features that appeal to women. I am not going to run through how for each example, because if you’ve played it you know how, and if you haven’t, I don’t want to spoil it. Notably though, the only feature it really misses is flexibility in terms of affecting the story/outcome since the game is so linear, but it actually does have a bit of flexibility in terms of gameplay strategy thanks to its stealth elements.

000000;">So to get back to FPS’s, I really can’t make any claims about what settings or plot specifics are likely to help make the genre female-friendly. It really comes down to creating the circumstances that help women to become invested in the game. For many women, that means they want to see some likable female characters—even if it isn’t the main character. They want a story that is emotionally engaging in a world they care about. And they want the ability to effect the direction of the game and how they play through it.

000000;">And in terms of gameplay flexibility, i.e. ‘how they play through it’, yes, the gameplay may need to change a little if it wants to be more inclusive. But I really consider this additive. I don’t think anyone out there expects dev teams to remove guns from their shooters. But they can add stealth elements, platforming, puzzles, or guns that reward a more strategic style of play. And I think adding flexibility is a good thing for guys too; no one is going to say, “I’d like less choice here, please.” So say you add a new strategic weapon type…well some people won’t use it, or they won’t care—this goes for guys and girls—but in the end those players aren’t going to be pissed that you gave them more options and the players who choose to use the new gun will get a lot out of that feature.

000000;">GA: What are your thoughts on marketing the traditionally “blue” games towards women? Why do you think companies seem unable to break away from these practices?

000000;">Jennifer: Speaking in terms of my impressions, it seems that sometimes even though developers might try to make an inclusive game that appeals to a broad market, sometimes marketers won’t advertise it that way. I definitely think there is an impression in marketing that the hardcore market is where the reliable sales are, so it can be easier (and more straightforward, because they’ve been doing it for so long) to market a game to that audience and ignore a game’s more female-friendly aspects. And while there are many examples of totally reasonable advertising out there, there is still a fair bit of game advertising that either ignores women completely or even worse, that actively alienates women. And these bad examples, even if they aren’t the bulk of it, are a big part of why some women out there think that games, all games, aren’t for them.

000000;">In terms of why these marketing practices stick around, I feel like maybe there is a big of stagnation in the marketing world for games. For every ‘I love bees’ ARG marketing campaign, there are about a thousand marketing images of a main character glowering. For game development, innovation is essential, we are always trying to anticipate the next trend and have the latest graphics, but for marketing, maybe there is so much fixation on trying to guarantee sales that they are only willing to try approaches that feel tried and true, even if some of those approaches are alienating to women.

000000;">I really think the important thing going forward is for women in development studios and in marketing houses to speak up. If you think content is alienating towards women or any group, just say something. Even if you get overruled, at least you got the issue on the table and someone else might think about it next time. So I guess my hope for marketing and for game development too in terms of moving forward is, even though it’s easier, don’t be the person—girl or guy—who stands there silently.

000000;">GA: As a woman in the industry, have you ever run into the “boys’ club” mentality? How did you deal with it? And do you have any advice for women who do come across this?

000000;">Jennifer: I have occasionally, but more in small ways than big ones, and I feel like it barely affects my day to day work at all. Most of the guys I’ve worked with have either enjoyed having women on their team or not cared one way or another—at least I hope so! I think for a woman in the industry, you just have to be willing to try a little harder and put yourself out there a little more. For instance, if the guys are going out for lunch, invite yourself along or invite them out to lunch the next day. And if you have something to contribute in a meeting, speak up. If you let the culture of a studio move forward without you, you are setting yourself up to be on the outside looking in.

000000;">The other thing I would say is, if you do have a bad experience, realize that it isn’t the norm and most men in the industry are welcoming and do want you to be there. And then just keep doing your best every day.

000000;">GA: We couldn’t help but notice you like anime. Given the chance to bring one anime series to life as a video game, which one would you be interested in working on?

000000;">Jennifer: I admit it, I do love anime! I just finished watching Book of Bantorra, am in the middle of Katanagatari, and I will watch anything by Gainax, which is currently Hanamaru Youchien. To turn a series into a game probably the easiest thing to do is to pick a series with lots of combat and genki characters, like two of my personal favourites Soul Eater and Die Buster.

000000;">But if I really got to choose the series and pick the direction of the game—this is crucial—I think would go for Mushi-shi and make a game that lets mushi spirits float through the natural world (inspired by the game Flower) and let the main character perform complex actions to rebalance infestations of mushi, such as baiting a spirit dragon back to his mountain or collecting mushi to reinvigorate a forest or recolor a rainbow. Wow, if you haven’t seen the show, I probably sound like a crazy person! But that is the game I would want to make.

000000;">GA: What advice can you offer to young women interested in making games as a career?

000000;">Jennifer: The best advice I can give is really applicable for everyone, women and men. Try to constantly improve your skills. Most people improve fairly slowly or not at all if they rely on osmosis. It’s too passive and lacks self-awareness. You have to go out there and chase improvement down and you need to be aware of your own weaknesses so you can target those as areas to focus on. Harness your passion for game development into the desire to become a better game developer and success will follow.

Women in Gaming Weekends is an interview series with women working in various positions throughout the video game industry. These interviews are to help answer questions that female gamers interested in pursuing a career in gaming might be looking to have answered, provide helpful information and inspire healthy debate.

In this video, we can see how E.D.N. III has changed due to the terraforming process that started 10 years ago when we first arrived and battled the Akrids. The perma-freeze has ended, giving way to lush forests and humid deserts. This video showcases the Amaruba Jungle area of E.D.N. III, giving you a sneak peek at what lies ahead for gamers making the return trip.

You can pre-order Lost Planet 2 for either the Xbox 360 (featuring cameos from Gears of War soldiers Marcus & Dom) or the Playstation 3 now, as well as the official strategy guide from Prima Games. (Click the links to visit Amazon.com)

Make sure you check out the official Lost Planet Community site, Like the Facebook Group, and follow Lost Planet on Twitter as well as checking out GamingAngels for more information and coverage of Lost Planet 2.

I don’t quite recall how I discovered the Riiflex dumbbells. Odds are it was something I saw locally seeing as they are an Atlanta based company. I had been looking around the Walmarts and the Targets and had found weighted boxing gloves, however I am not a boxing person and they had no use for myself away from a Wii workout. Dumbbells, however, can be picked up randomly throughout the day and seemed like the best choice for me.

Each dumbbell weighs 2lbs (1 Kilo for Metric countries of the globe), features comfort grip padding and allows for easy pop in, pop out with the Wii remote and nunchuk. Each controller slides naturally into place, staying nice and snug during my workouts. The bottom sections of each dumbbell are open to accommodate having either the corded or wireless attachments, and there is a window on the top of the remote dumbbell which allows the sensor to interact flawlessly with the sensor bar.

Using the dumbbells with EA Active this past week, I have come to the conclusion that making sure I am using them with each and every exercise I have more than likely tripled my intensity level. For exercises such as Lateral Raises, Bent Over Rows, and Shoulder Presses, using dumbbells is exactly what you would be doing at a gym, which I personally prefer over a resistance band. With the boxing, tennis, baseball and volleyball exercises, adding the dumbbells made me utilize muscles in my arms that I normally wouldn’t be working and brought much-needed resistance to each activity. Even using just one of these accessories with the Side Lunges with Toe Touch and Standing Knee Crunches brings a new challenge to the exercise program. Targets and Heavy Bag with the dumbbells? Been there, done that, arms felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets, but man was it good!

Throughout the day I find myself picking up the Riiflex dumbbells for a quick set of squats or jumping jacks, usually after a bout of writing and needing to stretch my legs. It’s nice to have the freedom to use a gaming accessory without having to be plugged in all the time.

If you are looking for a great way to increase your Wii workout intensity and have something handy around the house for a mini-workout, then I recommend and give the Riiflex dumbbells five shiny gold stars. They are $29.99 for a pair and are sold via PowerPlay’s Amazon store. (And yes, they do qualify for free shipping.)

To learn more about PowerPlay and their goal to bring high quality peripherals to all gaming consoles, visit their website today.

Review product was provided by PowerPlay, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

ESRB: E for Everyone
Genre: Interactive Cookbook
Number of Players: One 
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: March 28, 2010

Buy

Buy it now from Amazon

Spending time in the kitchen is something I both love and dread. Love because I enjoy making good food for my friends and family. Dread due to the inevitable piles of dishes that will be left to clean up, and I’m usually the one doing that, too. There is an entire row of cookbooks in our home covering a wide range of cuisines. We leave shopping lists stuck to our refrigerator and our kitchen table doubles as a prep table and cookbook stand. The kitchen in our apartment is rather small, not much counter space is available, which means its hard for two people to work together.

Enter America’s Test Kitchen the “game”. Not exactly a game but used on the Nintendo DS family of systems, America’s Test Kitchen is an interactive cookbook and kitchen helper, enabling you to make healthy dinners for yourself and your loved ones, with and without their help. It boasts 300 recipes from appetizers to desserts, features video tutorials and walks you step by step through creating each one.

America’s Test Kitchen features a very comprehensive glossary as well. In Cooking A-Z you can learn more about cuts of meat, how to tell when fruits and veggies are ripe, and even which utensils you should have in your arsenal. And if you aren’t sure how to trim asparagus or seed tomatoes, well you can find out how to do that here, too.

Let’s Get Cooking takes you straight to the meat and potatoes of this software. If you have food allergies or just don’t like certain foods, I recommend starting out here with the Excluded Ingredients option. Marking which ingredients you don’t want to use will put Xs on the recipes containing them so you know which ones to avoid. I have a mushroom allergy which I found was super helpful in narrowing down my options early on. Now you are ready to browse through all recipes that meet your dining requirements.

Now, you can’t review the software if you don’t make something from the recipe index. I decided to make Chicken Picata, primarily because I was craving it, but it was also a dish that was easy enough to do in my tiny apartment kitchen. Before starting, I used the ingredient list to see what I needed to pick up from the store, and got out the utensils I would be using for preparation.

The best thing about America’s Test Kitchen is also the only gripe I had while making my entree. You can continue or return to the previous step by speaking clearly enough into the DS microphone. This is great for when your hands are covered in goop and you want to wash your hands while listening to the next step. The downside is that the game kept thinking that I was talking to it, even when I was just closing the fridge door. It would skip ahead on me and keep asking me to repeat myself when I said nothing. It also registered my husband talking to me as receiving commands. So whenever my hands where clean I would listen to the next step then close the DS lid. I can foresee that being a major issue if you were to have a group in the kitchen you or using two systems to make your meal.

Once I completed making the Chicken Picata I was given the chance to stamp my efforts with either a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal. Based on how the dish turned out and the ease of cooking I rated it with a Bronze “Made It!” stamp. I was also able to make a note for the recipe at this point, where I decided to write “Use less lemon juice” in case I made it again.

Even though I ran into issues with the voice commands with America’s Test Kitchen, I will use it again. There are some delicious looking recipes that I want to try out, and when I have a larger kitchen to work with I plan on using the “Send It” function to have my husband help me make meals.

*Edit – Target has a deal on the DSi original from May 2nd until May 8th. You’ll receive a free copy of Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story with the purchase of a DSi system (retailing at $169.99).*

The DSi XL

The DSi XL (shown on right)

Maybe your mom doesn’t have the DS yet or she’s been sharing with someone else. On March 28th, Nintendo released a larger version of the DSi called the DSi XL. This system is much larger than the DSi, boasting a 93% bigger screen which I know a lot of older gamers have expressed interest in from my days of slinging games for a certain retail chain. The DSi XL is available in two colours at launch, Burgundy and Bronze. It has all of the same features as the DSi (camera, SD card memory, DSi Shop and internet access, music, etc) and comes pre-loaded with three DSi Ware titles: Photo Clock and Brain Ages Math and Arts & Letters.

The system retails at $189.99. You can purchase the Burgundy or Bronze systems through Amazon.com or at a local retailer, such as Walmart, Target, GameStop/EB Games, Play N Trade, etc.

Games for Mom

Depending on your Mom, and only you know your Mom, there are a wide variety of games to choose from on the DS. From casual titles she might already play on Facebook to more mature titles akin to crime dramas you see on TV, the following suggestions are here to help you make sure you can get her started on the right foot. (Click on the covers to purchase through Amazon.)

Brain/Puzzle Games

Brain Age series: The Brain Age games bring math, word, and hand and eye challenges to the DS touch screen to exercise your brain. Both games will help stimulate your brain, and include a vast amount of Sudoku puzzles to help keep your brain going once you finish your daily training. Both games can be found for less than $20 and your daily brain workout normally takes less than 15 minutes.

Big Brain Academy: Similar to the Brain Age titles in that you want to exercise that brain of yours, Big Brain Academy focuses on filling your brain and making it heavy with knowledge. There are five focuses in Big Brain, each with three games: computing, memorizing, thinking, analyzing and identifying. The level of difficulty varies, so while it might start out seeming easy, it will soon start to really test your skills.

Professor Layton series: By far my favourite of all the brain puzzle based DS titles, Professor Layton combines wonderful story telling, mystery, and a wide variety of new and familiar puzzles which will keep you entertained for hours. And even once you have finished the game, you can go back and attempt puzzles you missed or were stumped on, as well as obtain new weekly puzzles free to download. I recommend starting with the Curious Village, the first game in the series, before attempting the Diabolical Box.

PopCap games: I think almost all moms know of PopCap to some degree, even if its just that jewel matching game on her cell phone. You can play either the download & play or Facebook renditions (Bejeweled Blitz is hard!!) of popular titles, and even get them on your iPhone. For those moms who don’t want to be tied down to an iPhone, you can pick up several of their games on the DS. BookWorm, Peggle, Zuma, Amazing Adventures and Mystery PI are all available for the DS now and value priced at $19.99, same as if you were to buy most straight from the website for your computer.

Mystery Case Files MillionHeir: MillionHeir was my first DS hidden object game. The story was enjoyable, featuring vibrant characters all suspects in a murder mystery, and it really tested my observational skills. Mystery Case Files is a popular hidden object and puzzle series from Big Fish Games with six installments available on the PC. MillionHeir is exclusive to the DS, so if your mom has has checked out the PC versions, she’ll love a new adventure on the DS.

Time Management Games

Diner Dash/Cake Mania games: Time management games are great pick up and play games, perfect for killing time in the waiting room at the doctor’s office or while sitting under the heat at the salon. Diner Dash and Cake Mania both feature women who start up their own food businesses, giving you a time limit and upgradeable kitchen equipment in order to fill as many orders and make as many satisfied customers as you can. These games are great on the DS system as the touch screen and stylus combo gives you the same sort of feel as the point & click computer versions.

Cooking Mama series: A different style of management game, the Cooking Mama team brings you into the kitchen and “teaches” you how to make dishes from all over the world. Each dish is broken down into different steps and given a time limit in which to complete the task at hand. You are rated on each step and given a final score once you complete all the steps for each dish. The only disappointment I had with these games is that they don’t give you the actual recipes so you can try them at home. Gardening Mama plays the same way, except that you are outside growing flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Role Playing & Adventure Games

New Super Mario Bros: If your mom remembers playing Mario back on the NES or SNES and isn’t much for overly complicated 3D shenanigans, then New Super Mario Bros is a perfect Mother’s Day choice. NSMB brings that classic side-scrolling, brick smashing, Goomba bopping play to the portable scene, including the hidden warp whistles and the handy World Map. Just talking about it makes me want to watch The Wizard and take on the Hammer Bros.

Henry Hatsworth: This dashing adventure game combines the classic side scrolling adventure with the added twist of a Bejeweled-like puzzler. Making sure you pay attention to both screens to unlock power-ups, defeat enemies and obtain the pieces of the fabled golden suit, Henry Hatsworth features five worlds and over 30 levels of puzzling adventure. Collect jewels dropped by baddies and turn them into upgraded weapons or healing items to help get through tougher levels.

Zelda series: One of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy adventure games throughout the world, Link’s adventures to save Princess Zelda have gone portable. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are the most recent installments in the long running series, offering new story and new puzzles for players both new and familiar to the franchise.

Final Fantasy series: Square Enix loves putting classic games from my youth on the DS, and I am not complaining. Final Fantasy III had never been published outside of Japan until the remake for the DS (the chronology of the Final Fantasy franchise is a bit messed up over here) and when that proved to be successful, Square decided to remake Final Fantasy IV as well. Both are classic titles, and while not perfect games, they are enjoyable.

Chrono Trigger: Another port of a classic Super Nintendo game, our hero Chrono must travel back and forth and forward some more to rescue a girl who vanishes when an experiment goes horribly awry. There are seven playable characters, and the DS version includes 2 scenarios not in the original version of the game. Chrono Trigger also boasts a revised Active Time Battle system, which makes the timing of your battle moves imperative. A wonderful RPG that proves it still captures audiences 15 years later.

Strategy Games

Ninjatown: Simply one of the best tower defense style games I have ever played (you can check out my review here), Ninjatown brings to life those cute and cuddly Wee Ninja creations from Shawnimals. When their village comes under attack, it is up to you to build your defenses and save them from Mr. Demon and his minions. As with most tower defense games, each level gets progressively harder and can always be replayed for a better score should you so desire.

Civilization Revolution: If your mother is more of an Age of Empires/Civilization fan, Civ Revolution DS is a lighter version of the PC/console title, making it perfect for sneaking in a quick game during her lunch hour. There are sixteen different world leaders available, some with special troupes and with four different ways to win, no two matches will be exactly alike.

Learning Aid & Language Games

America’s Test Kitchen: Based on a hit television series, America’s Test Kitchen makes cooking an interactive experience for the entire family. It’s an interactive cookbook, allowing you to work alone or together and put delicious meals on the table. You can search for recipes by ingredient, see calorie counts and delegate cooking tasks. America’s Test Kitchen also has video lessons showing you techniques and has a handy shopping list feature. A Nintendo DS system takes up way less counter space than lugging your laptop into the kitchen when you want to make a meal.

My Coach Language Games: There are books on CD to help you learn a new language, so why not make it a little more interactive? The My Coach language games get rid of having to listen to a CD and scribble in a workbook and are a great study aid. Learn new words, practice grammar and sentence structure, and even use the DS microphone to compare pronunciation against the tutor. Of the four language games, My French Coach is the most difficult to find and now seems to be out of print, but there are some people selling it used via Amazon and eBay.

Accessories For Mom

DSi XL Goodies

DSi XL Power Pack (adapter not shown)

DSi XL Show N Go Kit (DS not included!)

There are two carrying cases for the DSi XL that are coming soon from one of my favourite Nintendo authorized accessory companies. The first is the DSi XL Power Pack, a sleek hand clutch design to slip your system into which has pockets for 3 DS cards, and space for both a small stylus as well as the larger one. The Power Pack also comes with a card adapter so you can charge on the go.

If you are looking for something with a touch more style, the Show N Go Folio wraps around your DSi XL giving it more of a wallet-like appearance when closed. The exterior is a mock crocodile skin look and can hold up to 6 DS cards and the larger stylus. The Show N Go Folio can be found in Wine or Brown for $14.99.

DSi & DSLite Goodies

The DSi/DSLite Fashion Folio (Spicy Lime)

Fans of Disney might be interested in sprucing up their DSi with a skin of either Mickey or Minnie. Both of these are a protective silicone sleeve which helps keep the exterior of the system free from scratches.

If you want something with storage capacity, the Fashion Folio wraps snugly around your DSi or DSLite and allows for an extra stylus and up to three games. Predominately black, there are five different colours you can choose from: Aqua Blue, Spicy Lime, Fresh Nectarine, Purple Spice, and Elegant Pink. For $9.99, a case is a wise investment.

Hi! I’m Megan Sawyer, an environment artist for Bethesda Softworks. I create various environment pieces from shrubs to small clutter items, and in the past have done everything from tapestries that hang on the walls to tires that sit in the dirt, to houses and their interiors. I’d like to think that’s why they’ve let me stay for so long without calling security.

000000;">GA: When did you start gaming and can you recall your first game/gaming system?

MS: I believe I was 3 or 4 – my dad bought me and my twin sister a PC Jr., and he loaded up King’s Quest for us. The King’s Quest and Space Quest series were my first games, and remain some of my favorite games today.

While not my first gaming system, I do have to credit the Dreamcast for getting me into console gaming. Jet Grind Radio was some of the most awesome awesomeness.

GA: At what point did you decide that pursuing a career in this industry was the right thing for you?

MS: Oh, I was quite oblivious to the entire idea. My parents were the ones who thought of it – I played games my whole life, and had graduated college with a bachelor of fine arts, specializing in 3D/video art, but it wasn’t until my parents surprised me with an Xbox console for research purposes and said “Go make game art!” that I actually realized it could be a career for me. Go parents!

GA: What inspires you? Who have you learned from and how have they helped you better your career?

MS: I find inspiration in everything, from board games to movies to random photos I come across on flickr. I’ve learned a lot from my coworkers, and people are always sharing new tips and techniques with each other.

GA: For anyone interested in creating gaming environments, are there any programs, study aides or classes that you would recommend they look into?

MS: It can be difficult to find environment specific courses as most seem to be aimed at character artists. In general you can’t go wrong with a combination of fine art classes and technical art classes.

Also, it might sound strange, but if you get the opportunity, theater and film classes can be very useful. Learning to set up a physical stage with props really gives you a feel for setting up scenes in an editor for games. I use more things from my film and theater classes than I do from most other non-art class I took in college.

GA: Females are more common in art departments than most other development roles in game studios. What do you think is the largest obstacle for women trying to break into the creative side of gaming (any of the development departments) instead of going into human resources or public relations?

MS: One of the bigger obstacles is learning that we exist. Knowing is half the battle! Seriously though, I didn’t even know there was such a career as environment artist. The only reason I knew women were even involved with video games was because of Roberta William’s picture on the back of King’s Quest 4. I think it’s important to let young girls know about the entire gamut of careers in entertainment technology, from concept art to programming.

GA: As an environment artist, you get to work on all of the beautiful scenery we see when we play games. How do you decide what items stay or go for the player to see in the final build for a level/area?

MS: I work for both an Art Director and an Environment Lead, as well as our producers, and ultimately it’s up to them to decide what goes in the game, and how it will look. Once that’s decided, it’s handed off to an artist like myself, and I work on creating it, checking in frequently to make sure that my work is what they had in mind.

GA: What do you find is the most challenging aspect of working on gaming environments?

MS: Probably the technical limitations. While the limitations become less restrictive with each iteration of game consoles, we’re always trying to push it to the next level.

GA: Can you share with us what your average day is like?

MS: Get in, grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, check my work email, and load up all of the files I’m working on. I work for several hours, and then go and grab lunch with coworkers. I come back and continue whatever project I’m on, checking in frequently with my leads. Once a week we’ll have a meeting to look at our stuff in a group. But, for the most part it’s putting in many hours behind a computer, interspersed with conversations with coworkers.

GA: What would you say is the best part about working at Bethesda?

MS: The people, hands down. We have so many completely amazing people here. There’s something about this industry that seems to attract an inordinate amount of people who can hold entire conversations only using Simpsons quotes. We got to meet a bunch of our new id brethren at our holiday bash and it was like meeting our long lost, hysterically funny and awesome cousins.

GA: Everyone needs a break from gaming once in a while. What do you do that helps you refocus and relax?

MS: I love watching science fiction TV shows with my husband. I also enjoy watching horror movies, and going to concerts. My husband and I go to a ridiculous amount of concerts.

GA: Do you have any advice to share with our readers who are interested in video games as a career?

MS: Don’t give up and don’t get discouraged. It’s not the easiest career path but it can be very rewarding.

Women in Gaming Weekends is an interview series with women working in various positions throughout the video game industry. These interviews are to help answer questions that female gamers interested in pursuing a career in gaming might be looking to have answered, provide helpful information and inspire healthy debate.

ESRB: T for Teen
Genre: Interactive Crime Novel
Number of Players: One
Publisher: Tecmo Games
Release Date: March 30, 2010

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Buy it now from Amazon

I love losing myself in a good book. Sometimes nothing is better than reading a finely spun story and putting yourself in the shoes of the lead character while snuggled up in your favourite spot on the couch and savoring a pot of tea. Playing an interactive novel game is a real treat for bookworms, as it combines intriguing storyline with various puzzle elements and exercises your brain putting your reasoning skills to work.

Again is the second interactive novel experience from Cing Inc, who also brought Hotel Dusk to the Nintendo DS. In this story, you slip into the shoes of FBI Agent Jonathan Weaver who is investigating a string of serial murders mirroring a similar chain of events as the Providence killings from 19 years earlier. Agent Weaver has special “visions” – flashbacks of the past – which have been bringing new evidence to light as you and your partner Kate Hathaway retrace and re-investigate the original crimes.

Hugo Watt is a journalist following the recent murders

Being an interactive novel adventure, Again is very reliant on the story-telling and dialogue. It is important that you exhaust all options in order to gain the most knowledge to help you in solving the case. Talking with one witness can unlock new text for another, which in turn might have you bothering the first witness once more. For the more interactive parts of dialogue, you will notice questions are presented in orange text and answers in white. For questioning people, select which lead you want to pursue until you have run through all of the available choices. Sometimes one set of questions will be replaced with a new one, depending on the answers received from the witness. When it comes to having Agent Weaver answer questions, you want to select the correct choice from the white text replies. If you choose the wrong answer it’s not a huge deal. After a brief comment from the person you are speaking with you can select another answer.

Looks like you might want to knock the lamp onto the floor

Once you have access to new crime scenes you will get to experience Past Visions and the Psyche Gauge. In these Past Visions, one screen of your DS turns into a past version of the room you are in. The touch screen side remains the current version of the room, and using this screen you will move about the room and compare the differences in each scene. You need to find the variances and make the present scene the same as your Past Vision. This usually entails looking for items that are out of place, searching the room for clues on opening hidden safes, maybe even just turning on a tap. The Psyche Gauge will drain if you Focus on an area or item that does not trigger a Past memory. Once you have drained the gauge, you’ll get a Game Over screen. You can Retry from this point, taking you back into the room. Just be sure to remember what you have failed to flash on so you can avoid draining too much from the meter.

Move around Clockford to talk to witnesses or visit crime scenes

There will be times when you will have to leave the crime scene without finding all of the segments needed to complete the Past Vision. Don’t be afraid to exit the area and head back out to visit witnesses in order to gain more knowledge or retrieve an item needed to recreate a memory. You will be able to return to the scene until you have uncovered all there is to know. I learned this the hard way while stuck on the second Providence murder, which stumped me for a good couple of hours. Also use some time away from the game to think about the clues or the room you are searching. Not only is it good to give your eyes a break, but stepping away can also make you see things differently when you go back. I recommend having a note pad near by so you can try to solve puzzles that aren’t as simple as others.

Not all icons are always available

The only complaint I have with Again is in the “acting”. On the non-touch screen side of the DS you get to see the person who is speaking, and the cast is made of of real actors which is great. However, their movements are a series of photos mashed together in stop motion animation. My guess is for the lead characters about 15-20 poses exist, and much fewer for the lesser cast. My biggest pet peeve of all is with a blind character’s portrayal in the game. Blind people do not walk around with their eyes closed. I really wish that someone would have caught that before the game came out and had it corrected.

As I sit here and write up this review, my DS is charging as I have drained the battery a couple of times already during my quest for the truth. I’ve been sleuthing in the car, at GameStop, eating dinner, and the story has not let me down. Just when I think I might have figured something out, a new twist is thrown at me. However, as I get closer to the end of the adventure, there are things I am almost 100% sure are for certain. But like any good crime novel, I know there will be (or should be) a giant “Holy Carps!” moment sprung on me soon.

Currently I am on Day 8 of the investigation and sitting at 12 real time hours of game play. By the time this review goes live, I hope to have solved the case, which puts my estimate for the actual run time of the game somewhere around 15 hours. That of course depends on just how big of a last hurrah the game throws at me. Fifteen hours is very comparable to the time you might put into reading the latest Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson or Janet Evanovich hardcover. Add in the fact that you’ll get a little more out of Again based on the fact you actually do the detective work, and the $30 it costs to pick up Again is well worth it.

Review product was provided by Tecmo Koei, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

ESRB: M for Mature
Genre: Relationship Simulation
Number of Players: One
Developer: Tecmo Koei
Release Date: March 30, 2010 (UMD), April 1, 2010 (Digital)

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Everything you’ve heard about the Dead or Alive Volleyball games is true, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been fun. Sure the girls have flawlessly perfect bodies, and yes, DOA breasts seem to have a special gravity field (or maybe lack thereof), but the relaxing vacation experience is really just as much fun for the girl gamers as it is for the guys. We just don’t take the game in a perverted manner, instead appreciating it for what it is, flaws and all.

At its heart, DOA Paradise is a portable version of Dead or Alive Xtreme Volleyball 2 with some tweaking. Select your favourite DOA girl and enjoy a two week vacation on New Zack Island chilling by the pool, kicking up sand at the beach, meeting up at the volleyball courts, getting a bit wet during a friendly pool hop competition, and gambling at the casino. There are no jet skis this trip, but that’s fine by me since I wasn’t a big fan of them in the first place.

Dead or Alive Paradise features all nine familiar faces from DOAXVB2, and introduces a new playable character: Rio, the black jack dealer from the casino. A Guide to the Girls has been made readily available throughout the game for your referral needs. Pay special attention to it, as it contains hints as to who is easier to recruit as a friend for your special lady, as well as clues to favourite colours, food and beverages.

The most important aspect of the game is still your interaction with the other girls on the island. You don’t want to be alienated during your fortnight of frolicking, so just make sure you spend your money wisely and earn it when you need it. Spending money on your intended girlfriend should be your #1 priority. Make sure you know what your girlfriend’s favourite colour or food is so you don’t get her the wrong thing and ruin a budding relationship and wrap it up nice and pretty. Is your partner into flashy, skimpy bikinis, or does she prefer a slightly more modest look? The selection is the Sports Shop changes on a regular basis.

There are three ways to earn Zack Dollars: Pool Hopping, Beach Volleyball, and Casino games. Volleyball is by far my favourite way, as I am flawless with the perfect serves (worth an extra 3000ZD each time) and the killer spikes (5000ZD). That way, even if I lose the match, I still walk away with enough money in my pocket to buy some accessories, treats or new balls. The Casino is fun, and if you are good at Poker and Blackjack, you might want to visit nightly. Slot Machines are provided as well but those are too much of a risk for my liking.

Once you have a decent bit of savings, you’ll want to hit up the Sports Shop to purchase bikinis and volleyballs. All of the classic looks are back and waiting for you to collect. I’ve barely made a dent in Lei Fang and Lisa’s closets at this point, and I know that probably a hundred hours will be needed in order to acquire a good portion. But that’s part of the fun of Dead or Alive Paradise. There is so much replay value and so many items to unlock in order to obtain the 100% character completions. Zack of All Trades has all of the random goodies like food and collectibles. And if you’re looking for some sunglasses or a flower for your hair, a quick trip to the Accessory Shop will help rejuvenate your look.

Dead or Alive Paradise features Venus Clips, glamour videos of the DOA girls dancing in the side, sitting poolside and sipping on drinks, sunbathing and several others. Each girl has over 150 videos for you to unlock. During Venus Clips, hitting the Right Bumper gives you access to your camera. Your camera allows you to take snapshots of your character or her partner and save directly onto your memory stick. On average, the pictures run between 100-150kb, so if you want to take several photos, make sure you have enough room. After you complete your first 2 week stay on the Island, Private Paradise becomes available. Here you can string together your favourite Venus Clips and create a Paradise Flick for your personal pleasure. Snapshots taken and saved on your memory stick or hard drive are saved in a SCREENSHOT folder and can easily be copied over to your computer for uploading. Now all my favourite shots of Lei Fang and Kokoro can be combined to create a super awesome desktop background!!

One of the best features from the previous volleyball games is the Radio Station and having the ability to import your own music. DOA Paradise also offers this function, and any music you have in your MUSIC folder (excluding subfolders) is automatically added to the playlist. Since there are only seven tracks included with the game, I highly recommend adding some music to your memory; the playlist starts to annoy quickly if you don’t.

So after reading through all of this you are probably wanting to know what I think of the game? Does it offend me as a female gamer? Is it really as creepy as they say it is?

If you follow me on Twitter or have been on GamingAngels long enough, odds are you will have seen me speak about my love of the DOA franchise. Dead or Alive is my guilty pleasure and I will never apologize for my love of the people behind the fighting and volleyball incarnations. So yes, I enjoyed the game. Having a portable version that I can take on take on trips or play while my husband is using the TV is great. Each vacation can run between 2-4 hours depending on how you run through it and what you are trying to achieve each time. And since I play for the completion, I’m sure this will be another 80 hours and up addition to my sorely lacking PSP library.

Now let’s get down to the “creepy voyeurism” accusations. Due to flack from certain gaming sites, Tecmo Koei decided to run with an advertising campaign insinuating what certain types of gamers might intend to do with a portable game such as this. Let’s face it, this isn’t new news, and every Dead or Alive game has been criticized for the unnatural boob physics and the hotness of the girls. There have been rumoured cheats that allow for the girls to be naked in the Volleyball titles, a line of real bikinis for your girlfriend inspired by the closet of DOAXB, and giant body pillows you can cuddle up to at night. So yes, why not capitalize on all the pre-conceived notions to sell your game? I still don’t find this creepy. Instead I feel sorry for those gamers who will be playing this because they are socially awkward and have issues talking to real women.

However, there is another market that plays the game for what it is: virtual Barbie dolls. Its all about playing dress up and getting your virtual DOA dolls to like each other. Most girls (including myself, even though I have been a tomboy forever) have had Barbies or fashion dolls as children. We wouldn’t be caught dead doing that now, so Dead or Alive fills the space in gaming for big girls who want to collect and swap outfits in the digital realm.

To my sisters in the DOA sorority, Paradise is well worth the $30 for our on-the-go entertainment. We are no longer tied down to having to play in the privacy of our homes. We are free to show our DOA love by plane, train, bus, dogsled, camel, horse, or whichever means of transportation suits you best. Let’s collect every possible bathing suit, attempt to get Ayane and Kasumi to partner up (yeah, we know it’s impossible, but as females we won’t ever stop trying!) and post our favourite screenshots for all the world to see.

To the male readers of this review, please use DOA Paradise responsibly!

“Review product was provided by Tecmo Koei and does not affect the outcome of this review.”