RENT

I picked up Generator Rex: Agent of Providence with the thought that despite it being for the 10-12 year old set, my five year old son might find it entertaining. I should caveat the rest of this review with the fact that we do not watch the show and had never heard of the series, but I am always up for a new game.

If you, like me, were unaware of the cartoon, here is the general idea: Nanites have infected everything and everyone on the planet, and they randomly mutate creatures. Some creatures manage to deal with the mutations and use them (such as Rex), but most go insane and become monsters. Rex can control his mutations and use them to neutralize the monsters and their mutations. He works for an organization called Providence, and they fight against the E.V.O.s (Exponentially Variegated Organisms). The main enemy is a bad guy named Van Kleiss.

The game is a basic hack and slash with a side scroll. You learn how to use all kinds of different mutations for different monsters and scenarios, such as jumping high or smashing through barriers. As you progress through the levels, you unlock new mutations you can use. When you kill monsters or break objects, you collect nanites that you can use to upgrade your weapons. Most level are a series of mobs followed one after another with an ending boss. There were two levels that did not follow that format: one was a motorcycle ride with a monkey E.V.O. and another that involved a ride on rock tablets through a tunnel while being chased by a huge boulder.

And that is when I quit the game. First, a boulder chasing you? Maybe a 10-12 year old would not understand why I found that irritating, but I am old enough to consider it a bit of a rip off. Second, the level was nigh unplayable for me. It involved a lot of timed jumps, and these are not my strong suit. I kept dying, and my frustration level kept going up. My husband took about five attempts to get through the FIRST section, but neither of us managed to get through the next one. Third, after an initial sense of awe and wonder, my five year old grew quickly bored with the game. He likes jumping and racing, so it had little to no appeal to him (although he did like me killing the monsters and perhaps I should rethink what a good idea this was). He would beg me to play, but he would wander off more quickly each time. Fourth, maybe it was just the DS controls, but I found myself relying on only one or two different weapons (I do not think I even unlocked them all) because switching back and forth required not only the buttons but the stylus and touchscreen. It was overly complicated for what should have been a fun, simple game.

FINAL FANTASY Mascots Accessory Case
Square Enix Official Online Shop
$24.99

This tokidoki inspired accessory bag would be perfect for the nerd chic gamer in your life. It features the four iconic Final Fantasy mascots; Chocobo, Moogle, Cactuar and PuPu. Would be ideal as a makeup bag, or for school or art supplies.

https://ssl.square-enix-shop.com/SqEx/us/ShowDetail.action?productId=1173

FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN Folding Fan (Sephiroth)
Square Enix Official Online Shop
$29.99

This lovely fan features the colors and symbol of Final Fantasy VII’s villain, Sephiroth. It would be a lovely piece of wall decor, and a welcome, yet subtle alternative to the wall scrolls most anime and gaming fans find their decor confined to.

https://ssl.square-enix-shop.com/SqEx/us/ShowDetail.action?productId=1127&sid=1323120348946r2cJ6sClcf

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Trading Arts vol.2
Square Enix Official Online Shop
$39.99

This lovely, blister boxed set of figures features some of my personal favorite character from the series; Olivier and Alphonse, in addition to fan favorites, Roy Mustang and Envy. Square has gone above and beyond in both their Play Arts and Trading Arts, and this set of figures is no exception.

https://ssl.square-enix-shop.com/SqEx/us/ShowDetail.action?productId=693&sid=1323120886123ScvJB8sYJB

FINAL FANTASY XIV Stuffed Moogle -Kuplu Kopo-
Square Enix Official Online Shop
$24.99

Although Final Fantasy XIV as a game might not be where it should, it does little to diminish the adorableness of this plush Moogle. Little Kuplu Kopo would be a wonderful present to find under the tree for Final Fantasy fans of any age.

https://ssl.square-enix-shop.com/SqEx/us/ShowDetail.action?productId=1041&sid=1323120886123ScvJB8sYJB

Spice and Wolf: Season One [Blu-ray]
Amazon.com
$17.49

Lawrence, a traveling merchant searching for profit, finds girl with the ears and tail of a wolf asleep in his cart. Her name is Holo – a harvest goddess with an untamed beast lurking inside who longs to return to her beloved northern home. These two very different traveling companions begin a journey through the wild countryside. Along their path, the riches of happiness shall be reaped, even as the bankruptcy which dwells in the human heart is exposed.

http://www.amazon.com/Spice-Wolf-Season-One-Blu-ray/dp/B0050UEVNC/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1323122381&sr=8-13

Game Characters Collection Mini Princess Crown & Odin Sphere Trading Figure
Play-Asia.com
$7.00

These miniature figures feature characters from a little known favorite PS2 game of mine, Odin Sphere. (Which is also available on Playstation Network.) Characters are chosen randomly, and one would certainly hope to get one of the three heroines of Odin Sphere; Gwendolyn, Velvet or Mercedes.

http://www.play-asia.com/Game_Characters_Collection_Mini_Princess_Crown_Odin_Sphere_PrePa/paOS-13-71-92-49-en-70-48oq.html

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Shanoa Messenger Bag
EKnightMedia.com
$27.39

This awesome messenger bag is something I personally own, and would make a fantastic gift for any Castlevania fan. It’s quite large and would be great for a laptop carrying case as well. It features a monochrome of Ecclesia’s bad ass heroine, Shanoa.

http://www.eknightmedia.com/bag-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-shanoa-messenger.html

Code Geass Wallet – LeLouch
EKnightMedia.com
$15.92

A more practical gift for the anime fan in your life. This dark brown anime wallet features compartments for credit card, cash, etc, with a metal Geass logo insignia, and a chain for your belt as well.

http://www.eknightmedia.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?p=4&q=code+geass

Here at Gaming Angels, we all wish you a happy and healthy Holiday season. And most of all, a frugal yet generous shopping experience for the rest of the month! Try to retain your sanity!

How to save money this week on Games

This week is the godfather of all sales. It’s the best week to be drawn in by good deals, but you should make sure you don’t spend over your budget. Below is the initial list of deals, but we’ll also bring you any Black Friday deals we hear of on Wednesday and Cyber Monday deals over the weekend. So put that turkey aside and get ready to shop!

New Games out this week:
Heavy Fire Afghanistan (Wii, PS3)
Carnival Games Wild West 3D (Wii)
Hole in the Wall (360)
Sonic Generations (3DS)
Get up and Dance (Wii)
Karaoke Revolution Glee 3 (Wii)
Jaws Ultimate Predator (Wii, 3DS)
Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine (Wii)
Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure (360)
TEKKEN Hybrid Limited Edition (PS3)
WWE ’12 (Wii,360, PS3)
The King of Fighters XIII (PS3,360)
WWE All-Stars (3DS)
Power Rangers Samurai (Wii, 3DS)

Here are the deals:
Toys R Us
Buy 1 Get 1 40% off all DS and 3DS games
30% off board games
360 Kinect Sensor $124.99
$20 off all Skylander kits
Save up to $25 on the following Kinect games:
Wipeout
Motionsports Adrenaline
The Black Eye Peas experience
Minute to Win it
Hulk Hogans Main Event
Once Upon a Monster
Twister Mania
Free $10 gift card with Zelda Skyward Sword

Best Buy
Free $10 gift card with purchase of Zelda Skyward Sword
Hulk Main Event $29.99
Twister Mainia $39.99
Kinectimals $39.99
The following PSP games are $9.99
Twisted Metal
God of War Ghost of Sparta
Kingdom Hearts Birth by sleep
Little Big Planet
Gran Turismo
Dissidia 012
Toy Story Mania $9.99
Pirates of the Caribbean $29.99

Target
PSP 3000 $99.99
Nintendo 3DS $149.99
Following titles are $47
NCAA football
NHL 12
FIFA Soccer
NBA 2K12
Batman Arkham City

Black Friday is looming and Target is beating the competition by producing a huge list of sales before Thanksgiving. Get your wallet ready because Target’s sales are so good you are going to want to get something for yourself! Here is a list of sale items. Please let us know if you have any question about any of the games listed below!

New this week, available Sunday on Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario 3D Land for $39.99.
Save on this week’s new releases for the whole family, available Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Pick up Assassin’s Creed Revelations (Xbox 360 and PS3 $59.99, and PC $49.99).
Snag Saints Row: The Third (Xbox 360 and PS3 $59.99, and PC $49.99).
Grab Need for Speed the Run (Xbox 360 and PS3 $59.99, and Wii $49.99).
Pick up Rayman Origins (Xbox 360 and PS3 $59.99, and Wii $49.99).
Other titles releasing: Kinect Disneyland Adventures for Xbox Kinect, $49.99 and Zumba Fitness 2, $39.99

Video Game Savings

Receive a free $20 Target GiftCard with the purchase of two games from the Tuesday new releases above and below:
Elder Scrolls Skyrim (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC), $59.99.
Batman Arkham City (Xbox 360 and PS3 $59.99, and PC $49.99).
Lego Harry Potter (Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 $49.99, 3DS $39.99, DS and PC $29.99).
Just Dance 3 (Wii and Kinect), $39.99.
Black Eyed Peas Experience (Wii and Kinect), $49.99.
Disney Universe (Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3), $49.99.
Go Vacation (Wii), $39.99.
Uncharted 3 (PS3), $59.99.
GoldenEye Reloaded (Xbox 360 and PS3), $59.99.
Rage (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC), $59.99.
Dead Island (Xbox 360 and PS3), $59.99.
Ratchet and Clank All 4 One (PS3), $59.99.
Little Big Planet 2 (PS3), $59.99.
Receive a free $50 Target GiftCard with purchase of a PS3 Uncharted 3 Bundle featuring the 320GB PS3 game system, the Uncharted 3 game and one wireless controller, $299.99.
Receive a free $20 Target GiftCard with purchase of a Nintendo 3DS game system.
Receive a free $50 Target GiftCard with purchase of a 4GB Xbox Kinect Bundle for $299.99, which includes the Kinect Adventures game, 4GB Xbox 360 game system, Kinect sensor and one wireless controller.

Gadget deals for everyone to enjoy.

Receive a free $40 Target GiftCard with purchase of the Sonos PLAY:5 HiFi system.
Grab a free $20 Target GiftCard with purchase of a 32GB iPod touch.
Save $100 on a Nikon D3100 DSLR and 55-200mm lens.
Save $100 on the purchase of Canon T3 DSLR and 75-300mm lens.
Purchase a Canon T2i or T3i DSLR and Canon 55-250mm lens and save $150.
Save $150 with the purchase of an Olympus E-PM1 Camera and Olympus m40-150mm lens.

First we were shown some new images from the game and a trailer to give us a taste of the game.  After we were given the choice to pick the roles we’d like to do the boss encounter with. I chose the archer since it’s a class I’m most familiar with. Our Editor-in-Chief, @Cherithe, was with me and she sat in to play the Mage.  Once everyone was ready to go, we started off this mini-dungeon. After a Leroy Jenkins type trash pull, we started in on the boss. And let me say, doing a boss fight with two developers on your team can make for pretty good party banter.

Now the boss fight itself was actually pretty interesting. Since Tera is all about the action part, no matter what role you have, you’re gonna be moving. Even the healer was moving around a lot more than I’m used to seeing. In general though I did enjoy the fight. I felt like I was mostly button mashing with the skills since I didn’t have much of a chance to really see what they all did, but for the most part i was able to get the hang of the archer. My one complaint though is that while running to avoid attacks the archer does not auto-shoot.

About the mages (a note from @Cherithe): Since we were thrust into the battle without a lot of explanation about the many, many abilities of our leveled up characters, other than their basic classes, it took me some time to get my mind to catch up with what my mage was capable of.  See, I play a lot of mage characters, and I’m very used to standing in the back, like any ranged dps, and spending my spells as the cooldowns let me.  But here, I got to be upclose and personal with the boss we fought, and several of my spells both did damage to the enemy and kicked me away from them, to keep out of reach between spells.  This was pretty handy, even if I was slow to catch on that’s what was happening.  It’s an interesting change from traditional mages, and it definitely makes it feel like the mage action is a little faster and more on par with what other character classes experience.

All in all however Tera has intrigued the both of us, and it’s definitely going to be on the list of MMOs to check out once it is finally released in 2012. The graphics are well done and the environments look stunning. Most controls feel rather standard for an MMO, and relatively easy to pick up on. The story has piqued my interest and it’s something I’d like to see what it develops into. It was great to be able to go to En Masse and get a great first look at Tera, a big thanks to the developers that sat with us through the demo.

What was your job at Xfire?
I started at Xfire as the first person to support the sales team, which was 2 people at that time. This included handling contract details, testing ads, creating new advertising programs, implementing ad server technology, and of course, tracking revenue. I basically did everything that wasn’t involved in the actual selling of the ads. Once we were acquired by MTV, I helped grow the team and integrate with their systems. I have to give a lot of credit for my personal career success to the people at Xfire. I had a fantastic boss and a great CEO, who’ve both given me some very useful advice for Team Robot.

Are there game titles which you have worked on that our readers would recognize?
Sort of! Xfire supported pretty much every game on the market. We didn’t make games, we supported them… which is similar to Team Robot’s approach. I also worked at Slide, the makers of SuperPoke Pets on Facebook.

What types of courses have you taught to kids about building websites?
The first course I taught was at the University of Illinois, about online advertising. They didn’t have an online advertising course at the time, even though they were the top advertising program in the country. So I paired up with a seasoned professor and we designed and taught the course together. I wish I kept the course plan… we reviewed the revenue models of weatherbug, search engines, and punch-the-monkey banner ads. It’s old news now! I also taught a web course at an after school program for high school students. The kids were fantastic! And several of them ran circles around me when it came to CSS and so on, so I learned a few things from them!

What does “monetize” mean?
It’s a fancy way of saying, “let’s make money.” It seems simple, but I’ve seen too many startups focus solely on their users, with no revenue model in mind. By the time they figure out how to make money years later, it’s often too late. I also run into a lot of individuals and small teams running modest websites that just don’t know where to begin when it comes to making money. Since they’ve often never been exposed to that side of the business, they struggle to identify various options to make money, how much revenue they should expect or what levers to pull to increase revenue. I enjoy helping those small website owners learn the ropes.

Do you think that ads should appear in games?
Yes, but not in the traditional sense that most people think about. First, we need to get one thing straight… advertisers provide a service. In exchange for your attention, they give you something at a lower cost, or even free. This is how network TV and websites operate… it’s a very valuable and fair service. However, the lines are getting blurry and I think that’s a mistake. For example, product placements in movies and the ads before movies are fine, as long as I receive some value for that. Is my ticket price at the box office lower because I watched the previews? It should be. Now back to answering your question… advertisers can provide a lot of value and have fun with it in games. Give me 10 gold in Warcraft for every day that I wear a Mountain Dew tabard. Let me tweet about Nike to earn rewards for in-game pets. League of Legends sells skins for your favorite heroes, what if I could get an 80’s skin, for free, to promote the upcoming Footloose remake? This type of value-trade is the direction I think the advertising and game industry should go. It helps the brands, and it gives users get something fun in return, for free.

Were you always planning to work in the games industry?
I actually always wanted to be in the advertising industry… which was well before Mad Men made it seem so fun and sexy. I realized the ad agencies were pretty far behind the times when it came to online advertising, just like every corporation and even the Universities. So, I moved to silicon valley, where the innovation happens, and set my sights on Xfire. I got the job, and the rest is history.

You have said that you love helping geeks figure out how to make money on the web, so give us your top three tips?
1. Step 1: Make a short list of viable revenue options. Start by jotting down every creative way you can make money with your web project. Advertising, pay for premium services, subscriptions, etc, then narrow it down. To help with this exercise, have a beer, then make a list of websites you’ve given money to and those who’ve had a pay-service that make you scoff in disbelief. Then identify what made you take those actions, and apply the same logic to options on your list.
2. Step 2: Focus on the customer. Don’t stress about making a lot of money yet, instead build out the web project so your customers have a great experience and keep coming back. You won’t make any money if your customers don’t like your site. Test out your top revenue idea on the customer base, even if it’s small, and measure conversion.
3. Step 3: Iterate. Iterate. Iterate. Keep your site fresh with new ideas, always testing features to grow your customer base and their satisfaction. And continue to iterate on your revenue model. Changing things up doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it’s quite the opposite. It shows a level of flexibility that most people don’t have, and that flexibility often leads to success. Team Robot started out with 1 revenue model and we’re testing an alternate model later this year, and I expect several more iterations.
And above all else, always practice fair business. You’ll find people along the way that will suggest things like once you get subscribers, make it hard for them to cancel. Sure, if you mislead people on purpose, you will get extra revenue, but only in the short-term. If you let them cancel, it will hurt, but you’ll start to learn why they want to cancel. Knowing that piece of information is incredibly important for iterating on your product and eventually making it successful. You’ll find a lot of people strongly disagree with this advice, but you will always find me running my businesses this way. The decision is up to you.

Download the mp3 here.

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Enemies come in waves monsters with swords and axes come at you on all sides. The character is difficult to move and the control stick does not work as fluidly as I am used to from other games with virtual joystick. Frequently he is being jumped from behind because of sluggish controls and an inability to automatically turn to face the attackers. You have two basic type of attacks on tap for the right hand. A quick attack and a heavy attack. Beneath the health bar is a heat meter, and when it is filled a greater attack power can be summoned. He sort of grunts and squats and force waves emanate off him as though he needs a dose of Gas-X.

The backgrounds and the hordes that you have to clear all all a barrage of garish colors all smashed together. You’ll see fuchsia lady bug swarms, heaps of poison spiting green ooze and tall purple crystals dripping with the turquoise waters of fountains. It has a funny over the top art style interpretation that has great resolution.

As each wave comes at you it gets bigger. Thankfully the areas expand too. There are various rewards. Some are straight forward treasure chests. You can keep doing battle until your inventory runs out of power ups and health potions.

You accumulate three types of medium of exchange, you have your experience points. And coins and gems. Killing gleans the experiences points and another factor which is soul remains. The soul remains are a multiplyer you earn by surviving successive waves. Soul remains are transformed at a ‘hearth’ into coins. Coins are used at the shop on new items. Experience points level you up.

Gems are the currency used the freemium currency. Those are earned when clicking ads, watching videos or by in App store purchase. They try to entice you with the better gear armor and weapons, buffs for your character and other bonus deals. Gems can be converted into coin but not vice-versa.

Like other Glu games it keeps annoyingly asking me to log into to Facebook. I don’t want to. I wish it would stop asking me every time. My scores for this game aren’t that important that I want to post them. I’m not likely to want to invite anyone to play through Facebook either, but if someone wanted to, it is more than available. You can play with a friend, or take their character with you on a mission. What I found even more irritating about this aspect of the game is that they repeatedly show a female barbarian warrior avatar with robust cleavage imploring you to add friends. I am wondering if she is playable in the multiplayer? I haven’t found it said anyplace that she is playable though.

Eternity Warriors is a good mindless diversion. It is brightly lit and you don’t have to do much except for tapping the attack buttons. It is a good one for taking up your time while you are doing something else or waiting around and you want something that doesn’t require your full attention. Eternity Warriors best asset is that it is free.

Geek Woman: What was it that inspired you to start making furniture for gamers?

Brenda Holzknecht: Well, being gamers, it was originally all about making furniture for ourselves. We gamers are a “can do” bunch. We can design and make our own furniture, but we realized sometimes it’s nice not to spend your time making the furniture as much as playing with the furniture. Wanting to spend your off time in a pleasant environment, gaming with a group of your friends is what it is all about. Not spending your off time designing, making and in many cases educating yourself on furniture building and manufacturing…a skill that many will never use again once the original goal is accomplished. We also wanted furniture that would live where we live, not relegated to hide in the basement.

How many marriages have you saved with the comic book and collectible card storage systems?

It’s not about saving marriages, its about strengthening them. Nothing strengthens a marriage like beautiful, rock solid hardwood…not quite as hard as

Your prices are astronomical, it is hard to believe that people have that kind of money for a game table. What kind of jobs do these high rollers have?

Astronomical prices? I would sat that is all about perspective. We decided to make furniture that would last, so our tables are actually economically priced for made to order, heirloom quality (AKA your grandkids will fight over it) furniture that enhances not only your game, but your lifestyle. (We have been told if the Amish were geek gamers this is the furniture they would make, only they’s double the price!) If you compare our tables to those of similar quality, they are a bargain. When you purchase from us, you are purchasing from the manufacturer, not a middle man. You save that additional cost on our furniture as well.

High rollers? Nope, most high rollers (lets say income of over 100k per year) look at our furniture and say, I need the right room to place that in. Now they are looking at a remodel, or the right house and they don’t look at the table as a piece by itself, but a whole project. Most of our customers are geeks like us who make reasonable salaries, may or may not have kids, and realize the investment in our furniture is for life. Not for the next 3-10 years like that computer you have to replace that frequently and costs just as much…again and again. Our furniture is an investment, but you buy once.

You say that the Black Walnut and Maple wood are from sustainable forests what does that mean?

We order lumber from companies who manage acreage in the US and Canada with real oversight. In lay terms this essentially means these companies farm the lumber. They have enough acreage to essentially harvest a crop of trees, replant after the harvest, tend the crop and come back to this field when the trees are big enough. The main difference is it takes longer for a crop to ripen, whereas food crops typically take only one season. So the companies we work with have large amounts of acreage they farm. Whereas using rainforest woods is like strip mining, usually the land is left to it’s own devices to attempt to heal itself, and not very successfully.

Wikipedia “black walnut” and you’ll get information from experts and scientists in the field of agriculture and forestry. There is in fact more black walnut than there used to be, because of farming. Farming lumber makes the overall cost of that lumber more expensive, sometimes twice as much as rainforest hardwoods that aren’t being farmed, but essentially poached. As soon as rainforest lumber becomes scarce, only then will attempts to farm it come into play, however in those environments we don’t even know if it is possible to do so.

And my Mah Jong table? For real Mah Jong, that seats four, not the lameo tile matching game. Did I just give you an inspiration?

Hello game sister! It is on our R&D list. (I have a Mah Jong bracelet by the way, and every once in a while someone recognizes it for what it is, nice to meet another player!) – Let me know if you are truly interested in one sooner than the later

I’ve also want a table for Tarot reading for years which seats two side by side. Do you make custom tables?

Yes we do. We call it our bespoke program. We can do everything from a custom Mah Jong table to installations of custom cabinetry into your gameroom.

Are you a gamer?

I sure is.

What games do you play?

I used to play RPG’s, TTG’s and CCG’s. Some more epic and long term stuff. Then I became a mom…and Eurogames (an hour of average game play), dexterity games and card games took front seat. My girls are getting bigger now and we are just starting to branch back out again. We currently have an ongoing game of Arabian Nights set up in our Emissary game vault. It’s refreshing when your kids ask “can we play some more of the game?” instead of “Can I watch something on the TV? The Emissary is also great for kids, because if you pull out one of those desk drawers, they are low enough that no booster seat is required. Kids under 12 especially love the special area it creates for them and the lowered surface is more comfortable for many types of projects, not just eating.

How difficult is it to travel to cons with such big products?

We repeatedly ask ourselves when setting up for conventions “Who’s idea was it to get into the furniture moving business?” It definitely adds a lot more work and financial strain on our part. But it’s worth it when people come up and touch, quite possibly the first real piece of heirloom quality hardwood furniture they have ever come in contact with, and realize it was made for them and their gamer lifestyle.

It also really makes me appreciate the owners decision to make our shipping program a customer service and not a financial center. Our team delivers, sets up the furniture and removes the reusable crating for one third to one quarter of the cost of using a commercial carrier. It’s not inexpensive, but it is an experience that is totally worth it.

Also, listen to find out how you can win a copy of RIFT. You know you want it.

Download the mp3 here.

As always, we encourage you to check out our partners in GamingAngels Presents: The Married Gamers, Game Dames and PrincessCast.

Be sure to take a listen to Blood Angels, our True Blood podcast.

If you want to see her, Elizabeth will be on a PAX Prime panel called “Infinite Respawn,” which examines gaming improving relationships. (It’s at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Just getting you ready early.)

If you want to contact us, you’ve got tons of options!

Twitter: @GamingAngels

Email: weeklyroundup@gamingangels.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gamingangels

You can also leave us a voicemail at (209) 874-6555.