The idiocy of fanboysm

The phenomenon of fanboysm has always been a reality in the consoles/games world since the times of Spectrum vs Commodore 64.
We then had Amiga vs Atari, Nintendo vs Sega and Nintendo vs Sony and now it's the time of Sony vs Microsoft with Nintendo somehow on a different level.

Fanboysm is a term with a derogatory nuance in my perception (at least nowadays). When you tell someone that s/he is a fanboy (or fangirl!) you're not really making a compliment, you're not just recognizing them as supporters or fan of something.
I've been called a fanboy once (yeah, fangirl is not yet a "common" world) because I was trying to show the good side of a PS3 to a XBOX360 fanboy (well, he started our conversation with such a sentence: "the XBOX360 is a great machine while the PS3 sucks" so that's what I define a fanboy and what I perceive the term stands for).


While having preferences is obviously a natural and good thing (the world is great because it's varied): everyone has got their tastes, their experiences, their memory linked to special moments and objects; people should also try to have an objective view over subjects and recognize the good and bad aspects of everything/everyone even though they like or dislike it on a general level.

Personally I both have a 360 and a PS3 and my console of choice is PS3 for various reasons.
That said though, for example, I tend to think that Sony sucks as far as marketing is concerned while I really appreciate the fact that MS delivers the same games, same add-ons, same data and services and so on worldwide at the same time (no exclusive content or bundles for Japan or USA or Europe only and so on or at least not so much as Sony does - will EU and USA ever see a white PS3?!?).

**********

What I find really idiot about today Sony vs Microsoft fanboysm (that is PS3 vs XBOX360 since no one seems interested into "insulting" the PS2 or the PSP) is not the enthusiasm or appreciation for one part but the hatred for the opposite part.
Too many times I've read messages, posts or signatures of people stating they would like to see Sony/Sony PS3 to fail. Of course similar messages can also be found on the other side of the fence although Sony PS3 hatred seems a much more rife phenomenon.

Well, obviously these people (hopefully kids even though such hatred from kids would be a painful thing) don't even realize that there are hundreds of families that live on such projects (developers, clerks, manufacturers and so on) and that we should all wish companies to thrive in today's troubled economy rather than the opposite but they probably see the thing more like a navy-battle game rather than something that would have a serious impact on the lives of hundreds of people.


From a pure gamer point of view though what it's really stupid is to not understand that: competition is good for any market. Furthemore Competition is NEEDED on every market because it brings innovation, advancement, investments, development and so on.
Just think about the PC market: while THERE IS competition on the hardware level (think about the AMD vs Intel or GeForce vs ATI duos for example) there is no true competition on the OS one. If there was a REAL alternative to Windows I'm sure it would be a far better and advanced system (if there was no Firefox would the latest IE be so advanced and include so many features?).


That works for the console/game market as well.
Moreover the successful innovations/ideas introduced by one competitor are usually "copied" by the other part, sometimes with improvements (see achievements/trophies), thus generating general improvements and development.

Just to "play/speculate on the subject":
If there was no 360:
- PS3 would probably have been released with even more delay
- we would have much less games (Microsoft has a large budget to invest)
- we wouldn't have the trophy system (because the 360 introduced it with the achievements)
- Sony would probably have kept an higher price for longer
- the list goes on...

if there was no PS3:
- there would be much less innovation in the field (by and large Sony IS a company that brings innovation and PS3 is no exception, perhaps even too much innovative :))
- there would be less games (Sony invests a lot too)
- there would be less innovation on games (think about Little Big Planet or Killzone, both rely on PS3 powerful hardware)
- 360 price would probably be higher (just think about the Wii, it's got no really completition on the casual market and Nintendo does not need to cut the price).
- the list goes on...


On the other hand I'm not saying that people should not complain about things not working or that could be improved, that's fair and it's also fine to point out something done better by the competitors (see the online service from MS at the beginning or console reliability from Sony) so that companies will have to equal the competitor.
We should just try to remain polite and respectful and base our comments and complaints on facts presented in meaningful way.

My conclusion is that as gamers we should support (at least figuratively) every company (be them manufacturers or game developers) playing in the market/field because competition is GOOD for the end-user and the failure of any of the parts would really bring nothing good to us as videogames enthusiasts.
Spend less time flaming and more time gaming!

Greets,
Ivy

Gadgets Freak

This certainly isn't a chick prerogative however I'm a real Gadgets Freak.

I'd say that lately VG producers have found out that the special editions including gadgets may be a good source of extra money, extra hype and extra loyalty too. I mean, when you use your GOW2 mug every day you're not going to forget the game/brand, same story for the Mirror's Edge bag.

There are a few problems for us gadgets freaks though:
- special editions aren't the same worldwide*.
Anyway, in this case my personal policy is: "well, I'll keep my money for something else" :P.
But for those that cannot miss something there's always e-bay although you're probably going to pay gadgets a lot more than they are worth (remember the infamous 77777 Crisis Core PSP?)!

* Well, the most recent case is for the forthcoming Resident Evil 5 *RANT ON*. While they have announced cool collector's Editions for both USA (action figure + necklace+ bag) and Japan (USB pen) and just a metal case for Europe (after all Europe is such a small market: only 8 million PS3 compared to the 7,5 of USA and 2,8 of Japan according to VG Charts, see link: HERE) which obviously is the less worthy market to Sony.

- different chains are offering different pre-order or even non pre-order gadgets: which means you have to check out them all (GameStop, Amazon, BlockBuster, FNAC, play.com) to find out which one is offering what. While I don't usually buy games from such chain stores (it's easy to find better offers outside of them) when there are sweet deals of gadgets I temporary change my mind if I feel the exclusive gadget is worth it: like GOW2 Mugs from BlockBuster (and they also had the game at a special lanuch price low than average) and Mirror's Edge runner's bag from GameStop.


- there are no "chicks" gadgets: if you spot a lovely LBP planet shirt rest assured is a damn large size of a plain male shape, obviously. Unfortunately there are not enough girl yet to have gadgets such as shirts for girl too and the ones for males are usually very large too!


- missing gadgets: some characters, concepts etc. just seems done to generate loads of gadgets, yet, there are none. An example? Little Big Planet.
They really have to explain me why there are no gadgets for LBP, I mean, they could even make a complete and awesome toy line with the concept, something like the LEGO packages and constructions but much more beautiful and advanced; c'mon you didn't even make a sackboy for the public even though lots of people cried out for the gadget!?!?!

release me!

Greets!
Ivy

Games to play with your fiancé

While the opposite is certainly not true it is very likely that a girl gamer has got a gamer boyfriend, fiancé or husband so what's better than playing games with your beloved one?


Little Big Planet (PS3): This would probably be my 2008 GOTY with Gears of War 2.
It's an awesome game/platform to play with your fiancé and up to other two players, just in case. Playing it on your own is very fun but co-op is probably funnier. Cooperation is good in that you can help each other overcome obstacles, reach prizes and points (bubbles) and so on. There are also a few parts that can be only

Gears of War 2 (XBOX360): Gears is addictive. Its style, the story, the characters, everything pushes you to go on and on. By playing co-op one is Marcus while the other plays Dom. It's very good per se and really fun to play with your mate!
Once the main story is over the Horde is another addictive game play, it's definitely one of those games with a very long life, you don't just play it and you're done.
We haven't explored the other features yet, Horde wave 20 at hard mode is not easy to overcome! Challenging, fun and addictive!

Bionic Commando (PSN): this is a lot of fun and very well done, the peculiar game play makes is definitely worth it and it's nice to play co-op. My only complain is that the final level (and it's hard to get to it) is totally insane!!!

Castle Crasher (XBLA): well this is an easy one but really it's fun. The graphic is lovely, very well done, levels are well built and it keeps being challenging. We finished it 3 times to unlock "cuter" characters!

Grand Turismo: Prologue (PS3): this is a great game to play with your fiancé and actually the whole family (my dad loves it!) and you can challenge all the others to see who gets the best lap record.
Of cours arm yourself with a wheel: it makes it 10 times the fun and it's much more playable by those not accusomed to the pad too!

Rainbox Six (PC): While the latest installment, Vegas 2, let us a bit down (a bit too buggy, I also completely lost my character in mid game), this is a co-op classic and the very first shooter me and my fiancé played together.

Warhammer 40.000 Dawn of War (PC): this is great in co-op because you can either collaborate against the computer (what's funniest than seeing Chaos & Space Marines collaborate against the AI?) or you can play against each other with your own techniques and tactics to overcome each other!

Burnout Paradise (PS3): well, it definitely is fun and also funnier if you race with your beloved one! One can host a game for up to 8 players or you can just play and race just you two challenging each other to see who's the faster or who's the smarter in choosing the best streets or shortcuts and so on!

Army of Two (PS3/XBOX360): while this wasn't such a big game it still was moderately fun to play with my fiancé. Well, the story is not one that you will never forget and so the characters but still a few entertaining hours of gameplay. It's not at the top of the list but if you're in a "low" moment of co-op games can still fill the gap ;).

Brain Training (PSP): not a "true" game with capital G but still it's nice to challenge your mate on the various subjects, while he may be better in maths you may amaze him with your fantastic reflexes (and training yourself half an hour everyday to give your best for the challenges it's not cheating, it's being competitive!).

HOME (PS3): well, lets' face it, HOME is cool and it is cool that you can meet there up with your partner and share the experience. You can play together several games: chess, checker, billiard, bowling and more to come!
Moreover you can also have fun re-creating yourselves as HOME avatars!

Young Chick gamers need smaller pads!

The other day my 9 years old niece came to our house, it'd been a while since last time she came so I had not yet had a chance to let her try LBP.
Obviously after an hour or more of level playing she simply wanted more!
She loved the game, was laughing out loud, was hysterically shaking at some points: to sum up she was having fun, a lot of fun.

There was also only little problem, it was a bit hard for her to use the X and R1 buttons together not because she wasn't able but because her hands are quite small, you can imagine that.

So I wonder... why Sony and MS don't create a slightly smaller pad that can better fit kid's hands?
That would really make playing games more enjoyable for kids and perhaps even to some girls since I do have a couple of girl friends with very small hands, almost child-like.
Maybe such smaller pads could be bundled with games that specifically target children: something like the pokemon series or stuff like that (Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E and anything that is primary created for kids).


But to tell the truth they could even go a step further: while smaller pads for kids would be great some adults also have very large hands so creating 3 pad sizes would be perfect: standard, small and large.
I can understand maybe the additional sizes couldn't feature all the coloursdecorations available and so on (*irony on* well, not much of a problem at least in Europe as far as PS3 pad colours are concerned *irony off*) but still they would be a great feature to propose and show the public, wouldn't them?

Ivy

Console Glamour

Well, simply put style matters and for chicks it matters even more, or, at least, we notice it more and, by and large, are more intrigued by fashion and stylish stuff.

When I unwrapped my pink PSP I was in awe. It's just so PINK! And believe, I'm not much of a PINK lover, I mean, I rarely wear something that it's not black, but pink gadgets are stylish and glamor, that's it. Pink is a way of "being": it means you're active, fun, love having fun, cheerful and so on!


Talking about style PS3 and XBOX360 are pretty different in concept. Sony always try to go the stylish route, that must be said, while MS is probably more "solid" in their design (design only though, I'm not talking about hardware yet).
That said I found the first basic incarnation of the 360 to be a bit ugly, especially the colour while I find the black Elite quite glamorous, the shape is still a bit toy-like but the material and colour add a LOT to the final appearance.

When the first PS3 was shown someone compared it to a xxxx. While maybe the design could be better it still is pretty sober and looks good and quite tech as all the shining black stuff is.

When I first saw a PS3 on screen I immediately like the crossbar, after all it's just like the PSP one and I was already used to it.
What I do like is the many functions there are, plus it's fully customizable, there are lot of available, very different and nice styles and one can create their own.
To me PS3 crossbar it's all about style and it gets a thumbs up!
The icons are well done: essentially stylish and you can do a lot with it, not just playing. To me the PS3 is primary and foremost a gaming device but the additional functions make it even more intriguing to use.

When I first saw a 360 (a Pro one) at work I was shoked at how ugly the dashboard was!
It looked like something quickly done in Photoshop and so basic it was almost embarassing. To me it screemed something like "it's game time kids"! a couple of 360 lovers I know insist that its simplicity was its forte because one can easily access all the functions/features there are. That is probably true... but let glamour and style apart, whoever designed that interface really wasn't worried about them!
Well, thankfully the day I turned my Elite on was the day MS updated the 360 dashboard to introduce a completely new interface and the Avatar: THANKS! The new interface is much nicer and ten times more stylish.
I know people are supposed to mostly play games when either a PS3 or a 360 are on but as we all know appearance also matters and to a chick's eye it probably matters even more.

So my award for Style definitely goes to Sony PS3 and... let's say the truth: BlueRay is more tech than DVD so that means it's more stylish too!

Ivy

ps.: just a final note for pink lovers: a year or so back I bought a slim pink PS2 for my niece. It's so lovely: pink slim console, 2 pink pads, pink memory cards, pink cables... just perfect in its pinkness... how long before Sony and MS take their female audience into consideration again with some stylish pink gadgets?!?

(Introductory) Games for Chicks!

Hi every-one ;),
Since I've committed to speak with the perspective of a girl gamer I've thought this subject could be perfect for the first article.

Actually I do not believe there are games for boys and games for girls but it certainly is true that the world of computer and console gaming is usually more alien to girls than boys.
This is why I've decided to make a short and certainly not comprehensive list of games that can be useful to introduce girls (a girlfriend, a sister, a niece or a daughter) or woman (a mother, an aunt or just a friend) to videogames.
Of course this list is based of my experience and preferences and you'll notice I don't mention any MMO or MMORPG since it's not the kind of games I play and enjoy. While they may be a good introduction to games I won't speak about something I have not experienced myself and will rather stuck with the platform I have experience of (PC, playstation 2 & 3, XBOX360 and PSP).

What would appeal to a girl/woman? Well, certainly cute and nice things. Games that are maybe challenging in the long run but easy to get the hang of at the beginning.
No one, at least slightly interested in being introduced to games, could resist Little Big Planet, Loco Roco, Patapon, World of Goo, or the older Kuri Kuri Mix (one of the first games I played). All these games are nice, can be played by girls of any age, from 3 to 80 (I "tested" them all on my 8 years old niece successfully ;)), are pretty easy to play (don't require too much skills with the control) and have an undeniable style and appeal.
Brain Training can also be a good introductory game and a nice way to spend some time challenging each other.

What else? Ease of "use" would also play an important role for someone just starting to play games. Point and click adventures would be a great starting point especially if they have nice stories to tell. Just to mention of a few among my favourite: Still Life (I'm anxiously awaiting second chapter), Secret Files: Tunguska, Siberia I & II (all with a female main character), Runaway 1&2. Also the various Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes ones.

If we want to go a step further we can certainly also introduce classic (japan) RPG games, something like Odin's Sphere or maybe Eternal Sonata and certainly Final Fantasy X2.
The Sims are quite a classic and a Prince of Persia can certainly appeal a chick gamer just starting this hobby with its wonderful mood and the fighting part that is not too difficult nor prominent.
A safe bet could also be the Lego series, be it Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Star Wars or Lego Batman. Gaming is fun and not too difficult and since it's co-op it's just perfect as a start for someone that needs to "take the hang" of video games and start with some fun!


I would definitely advice against proposing Spore as a starting game (unless we're talking about kids) because that would make the girl/woman think that games are something trivial and with no real scope (and a bit boring too)!
OK, I didn't like it at all and I really believe someone completely "ignorant" about games would get a negative approach through this game.



As far as I'm concerned I like any kind of games as long as the game is well done and appealing, I have no particular bias against any genre.
It's very difficult to choose a few favourites however if I have to look back at the last few month of playing I can certainly pic a few: Little Big Planet, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Eden, King's Bounty the Legend, Castle Crasher.

Thanks for the attention and happy gaming!
Ivy

The Chick Gamer's New blog

Hi everyone, as first post I want to quickly introduce myself.

The reasons behind this blog are mostly obscure to me actually but I'd say this blog is meant to represent that side of gaming that's hardly represented: the female one!

By no means I pretend to be the average "Joan" female player but I certainly do have a chick's perspective on things and would like to share it. It may be useful to someone, who knows.

I should also mention that I'm not a self-thaught chick gamer.
Although I remember playing arcanoid on a friend of mine's computer (Commodore? Atari?) the truth is I started playing games seriously only lately, thanks to my fiance' which is quite an hard core gamer.
I played some co-op games on the Play 2 (and also several on the PC!) but my very own console was a PSP to play Loco Roco 1, then came the PS3 and also an XBOX360 Elite :).
So now I can consider myself a gamer.

Ivy

p.s.: English is not my mother tongue so you may find some errors or mistakes in my posts, you can either bear with them and ignore them or let me know and I'll correct them :)! Thanks!