Faery’s Hopes & Goals for 2013 Gaming Adventures

 Epic Gamer Girls  No Responses »
Jan 082013
 

I am following up after the stunning @LadyAether posted her Gaming Resolutions last week. I too have hopes and goals for the new year.

Achievements that I would like to complete:

I have to be realistic here, I am not capable of getting all the achievements in my xbox library, but I know there are a few that I can master this year.

I would really like to get the rest of the achievements on my Fable 2 and Fable 3 game. It is a fun adventure that I can handle playing over and over again in order to get them.
I currently have 42/66 achievements for Fable 2 and 34/60 achievements for Fable 3.
Oh yea, and I can’t forget the lovely new Fable: The Journey. I would like to get all the achievements for that game too! I have 19/50 achievements for Fable: The Journey.

My beautiful Fable games! :D

All the LEGO games that I own. I know this will take me a really long time, but I think it will be fun and totally worth it. The games are meant to be played right? All the extras are there for a reason, so I may as well embrace them.

Lego Harry Potter: years 1-4. My current achievements are 11/36
Lego Harry Potter: years 5-7. My current achievements are 34/49
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. My current achievements are 7/40
Lego Lord of the Rings. My current achievements are 11/48
Lego Batman. My current achievements are 2/46

**Lego Rock Band. I have 39/49 achievements. It depends on what I’m missing and whether I can get 100% or not. I am a sucky guitarist and drummer.

My Lego games <3

Games I would like to finish: Achievements not mandatory.

I want to finish Braid. It’s frustratingly difficult but I know that I can wrap my brain around the puzzles and figure it out.

…and on a similar note, I would like to finish Limbo. I can’t get past this horrid place of rushing razors and moving platforms. I may need something to calm my brain while completing these games. I think I rage the most while playing it.

I would like to finish the story for Dead Island. I will need some online friends to team up with to get through the story. I can’t handle all those zombies by myself. Is anyone brave enough to stand alongside me during the Apocalypse!?

I will finish these!!

Skyrim would be a huge feat for me too. Not necessarily all the side quests, but completing the main storyline would be cool. I am a level 38 mage with a masters in destruction ;)

I enjoy playing the xbox arcade games, and I still haven’t finished Fez, Super Meat Boy, Alan Wake: American Nightmare, or Scott Pilgram. I would like to work through the challenges and story. I’m not too fussy about getting all the achievements for these games.

Gaming in Real Life:

Women in Games Vancouver. I want to attend all of the gaming meet-ups for women in games in Vancouver. I would also like to attend some gathering in Seattle (if there are any). I love meeting with women who are passionate about video games! Authentic girl gamers and creators are amazing.

Emerald City Comicon. I don’t know if I am hosting the Guitar Hero booth yet, but even if I just attend as Press, it is a must! Last year I was able to see the Weasley Brothers. I am the biggest Harry Potter fan and that was beyond cool. Plus all the awesome video game and comic book stuff ;) I would love to dress up this year. Do you have any fantastic cosplay ideas?

Emerald City Comicon

Vancouver Fan Expo. This is when the beautiful @firedragon1087 returns to the city for a visit of epic girly geekiness! I miss her so much already so knowing that I will see her in April for geekasmic fun is brilliant.

Vancouver Fan Expo

Geek Girl Con. I love getting together with fantastic women that embrace their geek! I will likely try to volunteer and go as press again. It offers huge insight into what happens behind the scenes to make an event such as this EPIC!

The lovely ladies from EA at Geek Girl Con. With me on the right :)

Pax. I will likely attend this con again. I will have to schedule my time differently as I want to experience more of the gaming adventures and not the parties. I know, I’m lame like that. I like gaming. Who knows, I might even try some tabletop gaming!!

Another PC game that I must get! I’m so happy that I was able to play FireFall at PAX! :)

I wonder if I am going to have enough time to do all this gaming! It’s quite a list. I have Monday’s off work, so I can dedicate that time to gaming. Plus, I can do co-op gaming on the weekend with Julz. This can be done! I know it can. It is afterall,

My 2013 Resolutions.

What’s yours?!

Rock Band Blitz

 Epic Gamer Girls, Game Reviews, XBOX 360  No Responses »
Aug 282012
 

Rock Band Blitz has finally been released!!!

This was my pre-played opinion of Rock Band Blitz:

I don’t know if I am more excited to have 25 new songs for Rock Band 3 or to play the new Blitz game. I am a huge fan of Rock Band, but honestly, Blitz looks like a fancy version of Rock Band Unplugged (PSP). I played Unplugged for many hours while commuting to/from work. It’s not a new concept to me. Switching between the instruments with the controller triggers and playing the music notes with the controller buttons (A, B, X, Y). Unless I’m missing some crucial gameplay element, I think that’s the basis of it.

It could be beyond Epic! …anything is possible, right?

————————————————————

I was fortunate enough to play Rock Band Blitz before it was released so I’ve experienced what the game has to offer.

First off: It’s ROCK BAND!

Okay, if that doesn’t make it awesome by itself …let’s look at some of the perks and downfalls.

 

Game Play:

Rock Band Blitz is similar to Unplugged. You have instrument tracks to alternate between and there are only 2 notes on each track (instead of 4). The way to get points is to use your Blitz Power and Power-Ups to your advantage. It doesn’t matter if you hit all the notes or not, you just need to keep your instruments leveled up so they collect power.

New & Exciting Additions:

There are a lot of Power Ups to unlock throughout the game. I am not going to spoil it by telling you all of them, but my favourites so far are “Pinball”, “Band Mate”, and “Super Drums”. If you hit the glowing notes or purple notes you will activate these powers. Plus, if you have Super Drums selected, you will automatically get more points for drums!

The Score Wars that you can initiate on Rock Band Blitz are fun! Make sure you select your Power Ups so you can get the best score possible. Everyone that has even a small competitive streak will enjoy this feature! All of your battles are stored in your Message section. You can see how many times it’s taken to beat your competition or in my case, how much you are failing.

Blitz emphasizes the Rock Band community and supports team building and of course healthy take-downs! In Blitz you can work together to accomplish Goals and you can battle against others.

Load Time for Blitz vs. RB3

The first load for Rock Band Blitz took forever! I have around 1850 Rock Band 3 songs so I figured it would a while. It was about 30 minutes …BUT that only happened once. The load time now is way quicker than RB3. For a morning quickie, Rock Band Blitz will be a top pick!

Rock Band World:

I heard about this Rock Band World on Twitter. I had no idea what it was until I played Blitz. Basically, you get to connect your Blitz experience with your friends on Facebook. This is where you can connect with people who are currently playing Rock Band! You have “Goals”, “Songs”, and “Score Wars”. You don’t have to connect Rock Band Blitz to Facebook but it’s there as an extra feature.

Rock Band World connects your Blitz experience to your Facebook world!

You can see how you rank next to your Facebook & Xbox friends and decide if they are worth a Score War or a friend removal ;) Your Score Wars are also visible on RBW and you can see how many are in progress, won, or lost!

On Rock Band World, you can also complete Goals and be rewarded with extra coins to use in Rock Band Blitz. You can do solo goals, team up with friends, and work as a larger community to achieve that shiny gold!

I just finished the Solo Metal Goal

It would be cool if you clicked on “Visit Rock Band World” in the Messages section of the game and you were automatically connected to Facebook. Maybe that’s something the wonderful people at Harmonix are working on.

Problems with RBW and Score Wars.

I’ve timed out on a couple Score Wars because I didn’t know they were there. Pay attention to your “Messages” section to know when you’ve been invited to battle against your friends!

Overall

Not only is Rock Band Blitz $15 for a whole new game, 25 songs playable on both Rock Band Blitz and Rock Band 3 …but you can also connect and battle through Facebook’s Rock Band World.

 

Mooorrrr Brainzzz

 Epic Gamer Girls, Game Reviews  2 Responses »
Aug 202012
 

The epic battle continues with PLANTS VS ZOMBIES 2!!!

Every zombie loves to have a little nibble of the gooey brainzzz that awaits them across the lawn. It’s your job to protect those precious jewels! Get your sunflowers ready and set up the barracks!

Are you prepared!?

Don’t get too excited yet! The new and improved Plants vs. Zombies 2 isn’t released until the Spring of 2013. Wait …what am I talking about!? Mark your calendars and get ready to stop those buggers from eating your brainzzz!!

Computers, Video’s, and Rockage!

 Midnite Faery, Rock Band  1 Response »
Jul 232012
 

It’s been a few months since I’ve had a working PC. It was a sad day when my dinosaur died, but it has recently been replaced with an even older (but working) dinosaur! This means that I can capture videos again!! I’ve managed to capture a few but I have to tweak the audio and video a bit still.

I attempted to set up a Twitch account and stream, but apparently my upload speed sucks so I won’t be able to live stream until I contact Shaw (my internet service provider) and request some fancier internet on my account. Can you tell I’m still extremely new at this!? I did install the XSplit program, so it seems I could capture the gameplay and ME playing the game at the same time! Now wouldn’t that be fun!?

Until I am able to live stream, I will be able to upload awesome gaming videos on YouTube.

Check out the newest Paramore video “The Only Exception”

{A huge thank you to The Gaming Vault for rewarding me with the Paramore DLC Pack… you guys rock!}

-Midnite Faery

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7

 Epic Gamer Girls, Game Reviews, Harry Potter  No Responses »
Jun 242012
 

When you get a game, do you play it all the way through? Sometimes I get distracted and a great game ends up on my shelf. Has that happened to you? …if not, I want your life! On too many occasions I have left games half-way completed. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 was subject to that fate. In November 2011 I received it as a birthday gift. After a couple hours of blowing stuff up, I got distracted with Skyrim and LEGO HP made its way to the shelf.

I came across this game again while organizing my game shelf. I actually had to check my achievements to see if I completed it already. I’ve played through all the other Harry Potter games (LEGO and not), so they often become meshed together. The story is the same after all! Turns out that I had made it through Year 5. Hmmm…that meant there was a few good years left to complete.

If you’ve played any LEGO game, you know the basic principle: blow up everything! You can shoot, roll, hit, and jump into almost anything to make it explode with studs! That’s what makes the LEGO games excellent for children. It’s instantly gratifying! Honestly, that’s one of the things I love about LEGO games as well!

When you start HP: Years 5-7, you pretty much continue where the 4th year left off. Harry Potter is alongside Dudley, his arch-nemesis from the muggle world. They are at the playground and have to find their way home. There’s no way they can avoid being stopped by dementors along the way!

A few cute LEGO cutscenes and a lot of magic will be a part of your adventure. I’m not one to give away the story …but if you’re read the books or watched the films, you will find the game covers all the key moments! You will go to Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place, the Ministry of Magic and Godric’s Hollow.

There are a few things that you can’t do in each level unless you have the right character. Which extends the length of gameplay. There are glistening black and red objects that only dark wizards can open. There are Weasley boxes that only a Weasley can open. There are huge silver locks and statues that require knowledge of advanced spells. Only Harry speaks parceltongue, so he needs to talk to the snakes to open certain doors and move forward in the game. Hermione is the only character that can interact with the bookshelves. Some of the characters can transform into animals, which is needed when climbing through tubes and digging up items. The game requires you to unlock characters and purchase them with your hard earned studs so you can find all the extras.

I still haven’t managed to find all the pieces for a House Crest or all the Gold Bricks. I will likely play through the levels on quickplay a few more times. Until I have the huge amount of studs needed to purchase Voldemort. Who wouldn’t want to run through 3 years at Hogwarts as the notorious dark lord?!? The key to collecting studs is: unlocking the Red Boxes! There are score multipliers that will increase your stud intake!

My overall experience of LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 is brilliant! I love LEGO games and Harry Potter so I get a kick out of everything that the game includes. Being the cheeseball that I am, there are a couple quirky moments that made the game topnotch! I couldn’t stop laughing when a skeleton started dancing like Michael Jackson

…or when Professor Snape takes a quick coffee break!

…and of course seeing the whole crew of Dumbledore’s Army after slaughtering the notorious Voldemort.

The controls for Years 5-7 are smoother than Years 1-4. Your magic is easier to control and you can shoot at objects faster. The graphics are a bit crisper, but don’t expect it to look like Skyrim …it is LEGO!

I would highly recommend playing this game because it’s a lot of fun and it’s quickly rewarding with studs and achievements! If it’s collecting dust on your game shelf …give it a quick wipe and go! If you haven’t bought it yet …go to Best Buy and pick it up because it’s only $20 and totally worth it! :D

Zombiepocalypse 2012. Are You Prepared?

 Epic Gamer Girls, Game Reviews, KarmaVixen  5 Responses »
Jun 242012
 

With all the encroaching tales of zombie sightings and mauling in the news lately, it only leaves one question: Are you prepared? Probably not AS much as you would like to be, right? Good thing you stopped by, because I want you to be prepared by engaging in my personal favorite games for xbox LIVE.

The Left 4 Dead series is all about surviving the zombie brigades. Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 are the two games in this franchise, and both center around 4 survivors trying to make their way to CEDA while encountering the never-ceasing hordes of zombies, special infected, and boss zombies.

In regards to game play, you have the option to play campaign with up to 3 other players, versus mode in a team of 4 versus 4, Scavenge, Survival, and Special Mutation. As survivors in all of these modes, you begin in a safe room/area where you have an array of small arms weapons, melee weapons, and a health kit. Some variations include your choice of power weapons, pipe bomb, Molotov, boomer bile, pills, or adrenaline shots. The objective in most of these game modes, with the exception of Scavenge, is to work with your team in warding off hordes of zombies in order to make it to the next safe room. On the way, you will encounter some form of special infected (pictured above right). Interspersed throughout the campaign and versus modes, you will encounter the boss zombies. These include the Tank or the Witch. The Tank is super powerful and best taken down faster with fire or grenade launcher. Careful to turn your flashlight off and step lightly around the crying Witch, or you will soon be downed and mauled as her victim!

Scavenge mode is my favorite mode of game play. You and your team are playing against another team of 4 infected, and the objective is to get as many gas cans as you can into the generator. These gas cans are spread out over a smaller portion of one of the maps, and each map has 16 gas cans. You can earn a special achievement for collecting all 16!

As an infected player in Versus and Scavenge mode, you will cycle through a potential of 7 special infected, with the Tank in versus mode only. I will briefly explain each. Smoker: Your long tongue reels a survivor in and suffocates them with your putrid zombie smoke. Hunter: You pounce on a survivor and maul them for lots of points. Boomer: You spew your boomer bile (vomit) all over as many survivors as you can, which attracts common zombies to them and helps take them down. Spitter: My personal favorite! From a discreet vantage point, you expectorate your acidic mouth juices to either trap survivors or cause major damage in a tight enclosure. Charger: You must have been a lopsided body-builder before converting to Zombie-ism because your very well-developed arm assists you in charging through the survivors, grabbing one, and smashing the living balls out of them. Jockey: You run and jump on a survivors head, taking them for a ride and separating them from the group to down them. The last is the Tank, who you may get to play in versus mode. You will have the ability to throw major objects at survivors, swat at them to down them quickly, and smash them when they are down. It is best to work with your team to help separate survivors, whilst throwing objects at the survivors to down them.

Look, gals & other folk, you just have to play this game if you want to ensure you are prepared for Zombiepocalypse 2012. This game can be repetitive, but you can always work on your attack strategies as infected, and your short cuts and attack methods as survivors.

I really love these games and have perfect gamer scores in both. You should, too. How else are you going to cut a bitch should a zombie appear? You have to be prepared! So get these games and start practicing. Like, now.

I’m Back! :) …or at least I’m recording again!

 Midnite Faery, Rock Band, Videos  No Responses »
Aug 072011
 

It’s been ages since I’ve posted and it seems that every post starts with that. So it should just be known, my blog is neglected and requires time, love, energy, and well…less time living life O.o

Anywho… I’ve decided to upload something from my capture card since I have yet to do that, and I bought it in May!

Hope you enjoy and I will try to post more videos soon!

 

The Dilemma of Alice: Buy or Rent?

 Alice: Madness Returns, IRL, Midnite Faery, XBOX 360  1 Response »
Jun 242011
 

Earlier this week I popped into Future Shop to look at games. I do that fairly often. Search for the next “sweet-deal”. Usually on games that I will never play, but its still fun to collect them.

Anyways… this time, I saw the new Alice: Madness Returns game.

It was $59.99. I hadn’t heard much about it, other than a few people on twitter announcing they were playing it. So I sent out a tweet asking if it was worth $60. The response was split. People thought it was a fun game but the bugs were overwhelming and frustrating enough to make it worth only a rental.

I left the packaging on the game. Two days later, I debated again whether I should open it. After taxes, I paid $67. I could return it and buy the RockBand keyboard for $10 more. Hmmm… I asked again on twitter and Facebook whether its worth opening. One of my girly friends @yuki_hime had just finished it. She said it was fun and if I rented it and made it past cahpter 2, I should open it. I decided to return the game.

I went back to Future Shop and returned the game. The boy, Kira, kept asking if I was sure. I told him that there’s no re-play value and its really buggy so I would just rent it and buy it again later if I wanted it.

He was so sweet and drove me to Rogers to rent the game. It was already out. I asked them to call the other Rogers (close by), and it was out there too! Dammit. Now I had no Alice game and the boy was laughing at me. He suggested we go back and buy it again. I’m super stubborn so I refused to go back to Future Shop. He suggested EB games at the mall. I had a $15 gift card because I returned LEGO Batman (it wouldn’t play…too scratched). I phoned the EB Games at the mall to ask if they had any “new” copies. I didn’t want to buy a “new” game that someone else opened. They didn’t have any sealed copies. Dammit again!

The was another stand alone EB Games/Gamestop nearby. Well, a 20 minute drive through peak rush hour. I called them and sure enough, they had sealed copies! I sat in the car with the boy trying to find a copy of the game nearby so we could go home and chill. I was in a bit of a pickle as I really did want the game, but I had already returned it! I had to convince the boy to drive me there cause he will not take the bus with me. About 15 minutes later (and after a trip to the bucks) we were going to buy my Alice: Madness Returns game!

I totally brought the day on myself, but at least it makes for an interesting experience ;)

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