We're Changing!!!

Hey guys!
As you know we've been with Blogger for an age now, but we're moving onto new horizons.
You can get to the new site at girlgamers.com.au, which is our old URL, unless you accessed and bookmarked the blogger URL, which is why we're posting about it here.

If you've got a comment, make sure you leave it at the new site and not here at the blogger site as this is just an old archive now and all new news and posts will go up at GirlGamers.com.au

ENJOY!

My Little Baby DS by CDV

Ugh, CDV Software Entertainment USA are getting in on the Baby Game thing Ubisoft seem to enjoy battering us with as a species! CDV has announced their newest Nintendo DS title -- My Little Baby. A "family-friendly" - and by that we think they mean little girls - game, My Little Baby gives players the opportunity to raise and care for a baby – all without the real-world messes, sleepless nights, or “terrible two’s.”

Cool kind of like Nintendogs, but with a human, Neato!! Just what we girl gamers wanted!! Players start by choosing virtual parents’ traits – eye color, hair color, skin tone, etc. – that determine the baby’s physical features. Once the baby arrives, it’s up to the player to care for it – cradling, feeding, cleaning, entertaining and dressing the baby. As the baby grows through four distinct developmental stages, it will learn to crawl, then walk, and through interactions with the player via the microphone, can even learn to talk!

A helpful virtual nanny offers feedback and useful tips for raising the baby; while an easy-to-use menu system helps players navigate the world of raising a newborn – from shopping for unlockable food, toys, furniture and clothing to changing diapers. Many of the day-to-day tasks are presented through enjoyable and intuitive mini-games, with mastery praised and rewarded. Doting parents can also take photos of their beautiful new baby for the scrap book, or enter them into an in-game beauty contest! My Little Baby is slated to ship to North American retail Spring 2009.

Well better a virtual baby for young girls than a real one... still these games just leave us with one word in our heads and that word is "Meh!". On the upsode at least their presser wasn't specifically aiming the title at girls, not that that makes much difference.

Gears of War 2 double entendre achievement list

Girl gamers get a mention in machofest Gears of War 2, wow who'd a thunk it. Well it's not all good, in fact some of the names for the achievements made us wonder if Gears of War 2 is gay (you know lots of people have mentioned this before, what with all those sweaty men and no women), or they just like using double entendre names for achievements in the OTT macho game for a laugh.

You've got things like "Escort Service", well we know what an escort service really is don't we. Then there's "Girl About Town", really GIRL about town, are you serious?. "One-Night Stand", for a moment there I thought Marcus and Dom were getting funky. "Open Relationship", yeah Dom probably is in one, makes all those lonely nights with Marcus all the sweeter. "Friends with Benefits", we don't have to say anything do we, since we know what that saying means. "Once More, With Feeling", umm yeah. "Takes a Licking" O-o, "Beat the Meatflag"... my word. "Dirty, Dirty Horde" yeah that is a 'D'.

Dead Space thoughts

Dead Space is a cross format title - 360, PS3, PC - coming out in October and we got a sneak peek at how it's coming along and thought we'd share our thoughts with you. We were dubious about this title because it seemed whereas it could have been a creep fest, it appeared it was going to be just another monster shooter and to a degree that factor does remain true, however, Dead Space may well be more polished than we thought.

Dead Space has some really nice touches, not least of all is the lack of an onscreen HUD system. The HUD is integrated into the character in a clever way, so it's not a distracting feature on the screen whilst playing. Inventory too is a sort of holographic projection seen in real time by you and the protagonist (Isaac). Weapon upgrades in game are done by Isaac on a work bench and this is a neat touch, kind of like in BioShock when you're making things.

For the female gamer Isaac is obviously a guy (as usual don't all yawn at once), but there is Kendra (sadly not Shaw as that would have been awesome! - BSG fans know what we mean), she serves as your helper, though usually by voice only giving you updates etc.

Still not sure about that weird mining suit, but hey, this game overall is looking VERY nice indeed. We can't wait to get our hands on it for review.

Sexist gaming courtesy Ubisoft?

Are Ubisoft perpetuating gender issues within gaming and does this cause problems for the female gamer or actually help. It's a long convoluted question, but a very relevant one given the recent spate of Ubisoft developed and published titles that are specifically aimed at a gender specific market.

As female gamers it raises hackles to see another 'Raises a Baby' title, a bit like hearing a male gamer say 'get back in the kitchen bitch', because titles with such engendered negativity piss us off. That said it could also be argued - to play devils advocate a moment - that these titles actually aid the female gamer by introducing a new age group of female gamers that will be playing more mature titles in another 6 to 10 years.

Perhaps that's the thing, perhaps these lame ass titles Ubisoft are releasing of late will indeed hook in a new generation of female gamers, but to what end? When a gaming schedule release list has titles like: "Imagine: Baby club" and "Imagine: Dream Wedding" listed specifically under "Girl's Sim" and titles like: "Jake Power Fireman" and "Jake Power Policeman" listed specifically under "Boy's Sim" it's really not that difficult to see the problems this can perpetuate. The assumption would be that girls do not become fire fighters or policemen, they merely are only interested in marriage and popping out babies.

One wonders whether girl sim "Imagine: Wife" and boys sim "Imagine Bread Winner" are also in the pipeline. How ironic that these titles should be labeled the "Games For Everyone" series.

Some other examples sure to get the feminists blood boiling: For the girls.... Imagine Babies, Imagine Happy Cooking, Imagine Fashion Designer (though on the upside there is Imagine Pet Vet, so at least this is more academic in nature). Maybe this explains why Ubisoft appear to have no interest in supporting the female gamer demographic?

My Baby DS - Just like a REAL baby!!

Want to know what it's like to care for a REAL baby, no problem, you can have that very experience on your Nintendo DS. According to the press release for My Baby on Nitendo DS:

"My Baby is a game that simulates life for baby care with as much affection and tenderness as a real parent. Watch them grow, change form and develop from 0 to 14 months by using all the functionalities of your portable console (breath, voice, stylus, etc.)."

Wow just like a real parent!! Probably best you avoid this title given it will keep you awake all hours of the night, spew on you, dirty itself every time you feed it and cost you the rest of your life as you save to put it through college.

The only upside to the press release was it wasn't aimed specifically at female gamers, which is in itself a miracle!!

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise card image released

Looking forward to Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise? Well Rare has released images of the first official 'Viva Piñata Vision Card' for use in Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise.

You'll be able to use the cards via the vision camera on the Xbox 360 and they'll give you in game extras / effects. You'll be able to get the cards via download, so at least you're not shelling out loads of cash for them.

Oh dear I can see where this is heading, folders of silly cards that seemed a great idea when you got them, then utterly useless moment's later. I still have a crate of Animal Crossing E-Reader cards I wish I'd never bought.

Wonder how long it will be before someone makes an Viva Pinata iPhone Application that shows the cards.