Alienware have been busy and Girlygeekdom had the privilege of being invited to the European launch of their new magical box, the X51. Upon first look, it reminds me of the XBox 360 S console with the almost monolithic yet sleek lines. However, this does not mean the insides are meager. On the contrary, it can pack an Intel i7-2600 CPU with an NVIDIA GTX 555 graphics card. Because of the compact size and the mini-ITX motherboard, you can’t have a SLi combination but it is highly unlikely that you will need this for every day gaming.

Several games were showcased on the X51, including the much awaited Mass Effect 3. I played the demo which includes the intro and the events that unfold during the beginning of the game. There was also an additional mission to play which involves saving a Krogan female. Without spoiling the plot for players who have avoided all contact with this, all I can say is that we’re in for a game of epic proportions. It is arguably the best of the three in the trilogy and I am pleased to report that it runs smoothly on the X51. Taking a peek at the graphics settings, there wasn’t much to change apart from the resolution which was set at 1920 x 1200. Perhaps additional graphic tweaking for the game could be made in the NVIDIA control panel.

Being an Alienware product, you will get the obligatory colour panel where you can change the colour of the X51′s case lights.There is a reason why people buy Alienware products; they want the bling and they certainly do stand out from the crowd.

Connectivity wise, there are eight USB ports, HDMI, coaxial and optical port for audio which is most welcome. I own a set of Logitech Z5500 speakers pumping out sound for multiple devices and optical has always been my preferred choice. For a small box, the Alienware team still managed to cram as much as possible at the back.

There are customisable options for the X51 depending on your budget; the main specs you can change are your CPU, RAM and graphics card options. The prices start from £699 but if you go on the Dell US site it is priced at $699. Yup, they have gone and flipped the currency symbol on us again and they expect this to go unnoticed. Unfortunately not and this does mean we are paying more than our American cousins.

As part of the fun, we were all invited to take part in a Street Fighter IV tournament, where I lost miserably in the first round. Now if a proper PC game was hosted such as StarCraft 2 then I may have had a chance but alas.

More fun was had with a talented caricature artist who expertly drew me as Cat Woman, meow. NVIDIA was also on hand to create 3D models of us via a face scanner, which I should later receive through the post once the models are created using a 3D printer. Let us not forget the greatness that was Team Dignitas who was casting the tournament for us; I follow some of their pro gamers very frequently, especially the StarCraft 2 tournaments, and it was a privilege to meet and talk to them in person.

So a special thanks to DignitasODEE and his TeamDignitas guys for being great on the night (especially Apollo who came all the way to perhaps cast an SC2 game but couldn’t) and Asim for once again hosting another fantastic Alienware event. Dell have done a great job in understanding the Alienware brand and it is good to see that they are developing the gaming community as a whole. Now all I ask is this, Intel Ivy Bridge in the X51 please?

I actually thought Mat Smith from Engadget had the tournament in the bag but alas...

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

It was that time again, another birthday for London Girl Geek Dinners and this time Mind Candy kindly hosted the event. Since the lovely Judith Lewis was the organiser, chocolate was involved. A lot, of, chocolate. Monty Bojangles was the highlight with some truffle action and a giant chocolate cake which I never actually got to taste. I was too busy raiding the Mind Candy beer fridge (my apologies).

It wasn’t all about the food however, as we got some interesting and inspiring talks from the Mind Candy staff about Mind Candy and the fun things for them on the horizon. They are doing some great things with the Moshi Monsters franchise and I’m sure it will continue to grow with some great ideas.

LJ Rich from BBC Click gave us some insightful tips on how to communicate an idea to others so that it becomes a reality. She also had a run in with an Angry Bird; this is what happens when you eat all the truffles (actually it was me /guilty).

The talks were followed by some nice light refreshments in the form of wine provided by Dinasto Vivanco, and of course more truffles and having a play with some of the Moshi Monsters dotted around the room. I have to say that Mind Candy seems like a really cool place to work!

The birthday party kicked off quite merrily and then I spotted several things. First I noticed the large projector used for the presentations, an amp and then a set of Rock Band drums. It didn’t take me long to find the PS3 hiding in a cupboard; unfortunately the XBox 360 was missing. A couple of button presses on the amp and Mortal Kombat was loading. You can’t hide these things from me… a lot of shouting and screaming was involved as other girl geeks joined in.

A raffle was held with some cookery prizes and yes there was a bar of chocolate in them. By sheer luck the Girl Geek Dinners founder got something! A big thanks goes to Judith for giving up her time to make LGGD a success, the helpers, all the sponsors on the day, the speakers and last but not least Sarah Blow Lamb for starting the Girl Geek Dinners phenomenon in the first place… all those years ago. Roll on 7!

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

When you are cruising at 37,000 feet, boredom sets in. And here I am, writing this. Earlier, I decided to load up my laptop to see what entertainment I can provide myself with for the flight. A quick gander on Steam gives me a miriad of games, such as Team Fortress 2, Portal 2, Civilization V, StarCraft 2 and a rather quirky Minecraft come platformer Terraria. What do all these games have in common? Absolutely nothing. But here I am, a female gamer, loving every one of these.

The problem with software publishers is that they want to get more women to play their games. They are trying so hard, that they will subject us to things such as pink DVD packaging or some kind of Barbie game. Come on, are you kidding me? You want to know what will make us play your creations? Make them good. Make them interesting and engaging. Give us something to lose ourselves in. If they did research and used real metrics, there are more female gamers than they realise without even trying.

To target or not to target

Games should not be gender specific, yes sure Call of Duty has the whole macho feel but that doesn’t mean I won’t play it. It’s all about personal preference not gender. There is something to be said about Child of Eden; a perfect example of having a female protagonist and yet both sides of the Venus and Mars coin can play this quite happily. It doesn’t target men or women, in fact there is no target audience as such. Except perhaps maybe one, an audience that want to feel accomplishment and yet go through a dynamic action-packed shooting experience. To say that only men would enjoy such a thing would be extremely narrow minded.

Breaking the stereotype

If you really want to put some kind of stereotype to all this, then women gamers are more likely to buy an RPG game such as Dragon Age than say the next FIFA game. That is not to say that sports games are not liked by women, it’s just the number would not be as great because they simply don’t want to play football. The thing is, I really need that engaging element. For me, I love RTS games such as the Total War series or if I wanted a deep storyline with action thrown in, I would go for the upcoming Deus Ex: Human Revolution. However, I can tell you now we DO NOT all like to play Barbie.

As a developer, If you think a game is going to be cool to play, we will come. Trying too hard to “figure us out” will do the complete opposite to what you are trying to accomplish. It made me angry when someone approached me and said “You play StarCraft 2? Why don’t you go back to playing The Sims.” Is that so? What made you come to that conclusion exactly? And I have actually played The Sims and enjoyed it but shoehorning me into that single category is asking for trouble.

There are many female gaming communites the world over, covering everything from aforementioned StarCraft 2 with the Female ESL league to Counter-Strike girl clan. So keep the games coming, concentrate on the content instead of trying to break the gender barrier.
Written by Motoko. Started gaming at the age of 10 on the Commodore 64 and through the console generations such as Famicom, SNES, Sega Megadrive, N64, XBox, Wii and beyond. Experienced two decades of PC gaming evolution; reminiscing the past, loving the present and excited for the future.

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

I was invited along to an Alienware event, promoting their new range of gaming laptops. Without even touching one of these yet, I knew they were going to be awesome. You cannot avoid the flashing neon lights and the distinct shape of the chassis. Each one looks the business. The hardware inside is nothing to be sniffed at either, we are looking at Intel i7 cores of course and for full wack, you can have the latest ATI AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards running in CrossFireX/SLi mode. With a potential 16GB of RAM (if you want top specifications), you are looking at a beast.

All this power does come at a price though, literally. For the 18inch model you are looking at over £2,000, not to mention the weight. Calling the 18inch version a laptop is stretching it somewhat; yes you can lift it up and move it but you may break your spine in the process. The best compromise with specifications and portability is either the 15inch model or the cute 11inch one. I personally would go for the smallest; it will do everything you need plus fit nicely in a large women’s handbag. “I’m just going shopping at Tesco dear, oh and I’m also going to frag some people while I wait in the queue.”

It looks pretty doesn’t it?

The keyboard is amazing, which can be split into segments so that you can change the lighting on each. All laptop variations look the similar, the only thing that changes are the innards and the chassis size. So to give you some details on these, the top of the range will be the M18x model which to be quite honest is the only machine you will need in the house or anywhere. This is basically a desktop replacement, hence the weight. Some models in between will be the M17x, M14x, and the adorable M11x. As you have probably guessed, the numbers indicate the screen size. I absolutely love the M11x, I am quite tempted to buy one myself. The base price for this is £899 which might be costly for some but you get what you pay for. Comparing this to tbe uber M18x at £1698.99, the smaller models are much friendlier on the wallet.

The future of gaming

The theme for the night was the Future of Gaming. What exactly will we be playing on in the next few years? Well it seems 3D gaming is the future with the help of NVIDIA. Being a die hard PC gamer, I’m not sure if this is going to work well. I was willing to give it a go though, so I put on my 3D glasses and… I see red. The whole screen displaying Call of Duty in 3D was in green, or blue and then back to red. Something is not quite right here obviously, nice idea perhaps but the concept is still rough around the edges. Technical hitches do tend to happen when you least expect them, so the jury is still out.

Competition time!

To spice things up, they held a gaming competition to win one of these beauties. I failed miserably however in the first round; the first game was Call of Duty: Black Ops. I’ve never played this one and the mouse sensitivity was atrociously low, not to mention the German keyboard layout (sorry Alienware, but in the next gaming event you need to fix this!). The second round was StarCraft 2 which I was extremely gutted about, I would have had a much better chance then if that was round one! In this, you had to beat the pro-gamers; whoever lasts the longest wins and went through to the final.

The pros from Team Dignitas were playing Zerg, obviously for the 6-Pool rush (which by the way was extremely fast). If you are a StarCraft 2 newbie, 6-Pool means only having 6 Zerg drones to gather enough minerals to build a Spawning Pool to then make Zerglings. This is the quickest way to gather Zerglings for your rush. To counter this, the best thing is to detect early. This means using one of your drones or workers as a scout at the very beginning. Count the enemy Zerg drones and if you see a 6-pool, immediately wall off your base in preparation and churn out marines etc. I have to say, watching Team Dignitas macro on the keyboard was pretty cool. His APM (Actions per Minute) must have been sky high.

I did feel sorry for the Terran player who lifted off his Command Center to try and save it, and then to later watch it burn out. This is inevitable in that situation. The Zerg vs Zerg match was quite interesting, and the guy managed to last 7 minutes; a lifetime in Zerg rush terms.

The final two players went back to Call of Duty again, best out of 5. I had my bets on the guy in the red hoodie, a gamer himself and stood a good chance. It can be pot luck sometimes with games like this, but he did come out on top. Congratulations on a job well done!

So will I buy one of these Alienware beauties… this is a tough call. You have to think of what laptop you can buy for the same price if not less. Yes you do pay extra for the Alienware bling, but in terms of pure power and cost the MSI GX780 is definitely worth a look. Alienware is not alone in the gaming hardware universe… let the battle commence! A big thank you goes to Alienware and Asim for creating such a great event, I had a lot of fun and hope to attend more gaming nights in the near future!

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

Sarah and I had the privilege to attend the press launch event for Child of Eden, a Kinect game for the Xbox 360 (and also available on the PS3). I have held off buying a Kinect for sometime; the current games just didn’t grab me as something worth purchasing. That is all about to change however, as I will definitely be getting one after seeing Child of Eden in action.

Upon first look, it is very reminiscent of Asteroids in that you have to shoot your way through a miriad of flying enemies whizzing on the screen. But there is just so much more to this than meets the eye. Because this is a Kinect game, all controls are done with your hands. It takes a few moments to get used to how much movement is required to control the on screen cursor, but it does not take much at all. There is no need to thrash your arms about madly, in fact it is much more efficient to gracefully wave your hand with smooth, well timed movements. Your left hand brings up the shooting cursor, while the right hand gives you the option to select and “cleanse” your targets. Targeting is done automatically by waving your cursor over the viruses you see, and a quick flick of your hand will cleanse them.

The idea is to rid the world of these viruses. Each level has a theme, such as flowers, oceanic animals, birds and so on. They might be viruses, but they are also very beautiful on the screen. The graphics are simply breathtaking with very smooth frame rates. Alongside the graphics is the fantastic music score you can really dance to. Your actions dictate how the music can change, after playing for awhile you will learn how to control and change the music. It will never sound exactly the same, even if you play the same levels again. This kind of dynamic interaction really gives the game a lot of depth. The central protagonist is a girl called Lumi. As you progress, you also progress with her. Images of her will flash on the screen, with her striking voice singing in unison to the music.

The immersion was amazing, you can easily lose yourself as time ticks by. What we noticed was that there were more men than women at the launch event. To be truthful, this is quite a feminine game with a female central character, and yet it seems to appeal to men as well. The combination of a shooter as well as the interactions seems to appeal to both sides and reduces the gender gap. In fact, it does not target men or women, or any age group. Ubisoft wanted to make a game that would appeal to all and I think they have succeeded here; the creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi has definitely made something very special indeed.

When it comes to games, I am a difficult person to please… but I can wholeheartedly say that dropping your hard earned cash on this is a worthy investment. The killer app for the Kinect has finally arrived. I feel the only downside is there are not enough hours in the day to play. Child of Eden is released in the UK on 17th June 2011. If you cannot wait that long, the Child of Eden Experience pop-up shop is open for the next two weeks at 34-35 Dean Street, London. It looks very cool inside, go and try the awesomeness for yourself!

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

First of all, a big THANK YOU to Alienware for providing us with complimentary tickets to the show. It was a lot of fun and absolutely jam packed with gadgets galore. I cannot stress this enough; there were an insane amount of gadgetry toys on show that when Sarah and I got there, it was difficult to know where to start!

The show was spread across several areas within the Birmingham NEC; I can see why they needed so much floor space. Categories ranged from gaming, to home improvements and consumer electronics. Not only could you see and play with the gadgets, but you could also buy them from many of the stands. We showed much restraint in not purchasing any of the wonders on display, but believe me we wanted to walk home with everything.

Unfortunately, we did not get to see the presenters from The Gadget Show (sadness), but we did see Jason Bradbury for his book signing (woot!). It was great to see him take time out in between to talk to the children waiting in line. A welcome break I’m sure, as the crew had been working hard all week.

Nostalgia

One of my favourite stands was the 1980s; a warp back in time when the Commodore vs. Spectrum wars began. It brought back a flood of memories from my childhood, and to see my beloved Commodore 64 on display, fully functional, was a joy. It was amazing to see how far technology has become, and to think it all began here… the first Sony Walkman, the first Apple Mac, the ancient television set. Without these innovations, we would not be where we are today.

And now, The Gadgets!

As painfully difficult as it was for me, I decided pick the top gadgets we saw at the show. My considerations include, design, usability, and of course the coolness factor. Without further ado, drum roll please…

Futuristic bathroom. I love this, so much. Not only does it look the part, but the entire bathroom suite can be controlled via an iPhone app. That’s right, you can call for champagne, switch the taps on or off, turn on the built-in TV… everything. Controllable bathroom sinks were also on show. This is the future!

Desk Pets. These little critters come with a small remote control to dictate their movements. An iPhone and Android app is in the works and these electronic pets will make a great addition to any office or home. Your productivity in the workplace may nosedive however…

Child of Eden. This Kinect game from Microsoft has been in the pipeline for sometime. Stuck in development hell, it has finally surfaced and it does not disappoint. It looks lovely; a cross between shooter and RPG elements. I haven’t really seen any outstanding Kinect games yet but I think this might just be it.

BFB 3D Printer. The hobbyist’s dream come true. See your creations come to life with this 3D printer. It doesn’t come cheap at around £2000 but the possibilities for model making are endless. A reel of resin is about £20 which isn’t too bad and the plastic used to form the models are surprisingly tough.

Doctor Who PC Case. This was on the Scan.co.uk stand (which by the way I now have lifetime free delivery from signing up, woot!). It looks awesome, I assume it will take a smaller motherboard form factor inside such as mini-ITX etc. as I don’t think a full ATX will fit inside. On my wish list.

Sony NEX VG10 Camcorder. We were quite impressed with this. It is very compact and the lenses are interchangeable. The LCD display is sharp and clear, recording in full HD on SDHC cards (yay to SD thank you Sony). The video quality was amazing, but you get what you pay for at around £1800.

NVIDIA TEGRA mobile graphics chip. NVIDIA are really pushing the envelope with their grapics technology, seizing an opportunity with the growing mobile devices market. The TEGRA will blow your mind; Crysis 2 on your phone anyone? Well maybe not now but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Husqvarna robotic lawnmower. I had a conversation with my better half about this. Apparently I don’t do enough mowing to warrant buying this, but who cares I still want it! If you modify the top and bolt a drinks holder, it can even be a portable waiter while you sunbathe in the garden!

LG EL9500 OLED TV. The wonders of OLED technology. This TV is ridiculously thin, and it would make a perfect electronic photo album showing holiday snaps when idle. I cannot express in words the crystal clarity this screen brings. However the price needs to come down drastically from £1500.

Yamaha Waverunner Jet Ski. This crazy jet ski packs a 1052cc, 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC engine and tops in at around 50 MPH. Also included is a glovebox with dual cup holders, just perfect for those thirsty moments while riding those waves!

A guy from E-Lite doing a Portal pose for me. Time to go and play!

Coming back from the show, I realised I need a much much bigger payrise. Below is my Flickr gallery of all the pictures I took at the show, I hope you enjoy them. And that’s a wrap!

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

My new addiction has arrived; it has been a long time coming but now the sequel to the superlative Total War: Shogun is here! With Shogun 2, the influence of the military treatise The Art of War by Sun Tzu (freely obtainable via Project Gutenberg) is prevalent here. Thought, foresight and observation will be your allies.

The Total War series

The long line of Total War games created by The Creative Assembly stems from their first game, Shogun. Set in feudal Japan, your aim is to battle against other warlords with vast armies and reign supreme to conquer the entire map. Certain elements of diplomacy and calculation are required to win. The game mechanics are the same in Shogun 2 and are twofold.

Campaign map and Real-time combat

First there is the campaign map, an overview of the land you must conquer or have already conquered. This part of the game is turn based and strategic upgrades and army placements is key. For example, you do not want to engage an opponent if you are in enemy territory and it is winter. The game is seasonal and armies can take damage depending on weather conditions such as cold during winter time. Second, once you have initiated a battle or a siege on the campaign map, you will be taken into the real-time combat itself. This is where the action begins.

Before the attack, you are given time to prepare your soldiers and place them where appropriate within the starting zone. Taking note of your environment is important; hills are useful for your bowman and forests can be used to hide your spearmen until the time is right. The direction from where the enemy approaches you will determine how you place your units. You will not be able to see them until you hit the Start gong, but you can guess where, from the position of the enemy on the campaign map prior to battle initiation. Unlike other RTS games, you do not control individual men; a unit of Yari Ashigaru for example consists of over 100 men. Clicking on one unit controls all of them at the same time, whereby you can change the formation and so on. This enables you to have full scale battles reaching in the thousands.

Units

This is very much a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” approach. The main units you will encounter include:

Bow Ashigaru – These are your main archers. With upgrades, they can be deadly with fire arrows. Increasing their ammunition supply via an upgrade can help sway the tide during a fort siege.

Yari Ashigaru - Your front line spearman. They can charge down bowmen and also are important in fort defence during a siege. Line them up along the walls to stop incoming enemy units from climbing and breaching.

Ninjas, Metsuke and Monks - Ninjas are excellent saboteurs and assassins; they can breach fort gates prior to a siege, assassinate key Generals and have long movement range for scouting. They are susceptible to Metsuke police and may be persuaded to defect if an encounter arises. Monks are good for army morale and have boosting capabilities for armies and towns.

Cavalry – Being on horseback gives you the advantage at reaching your opponent with speed. You can also use them to charge down routing units and are especially effective at demolishing Bow Ashigaru.

Katana Samurai - Samurais are extremely dangerous, especially so if they are high in rank. For one group of Katana Samurai, you will need at least 2 Yari Ashigaru groups to counter them. As strong as they are, they do not come cheaply.

Naval ships - Yes there are naval battles! Ships will come equipped with arrows as standard and they have the ability to board other ships during combat.

Daimyo - This is the illustrious leader for your clan, you must protect him at all cost and keep him back during fights.. but not too far or else your army will lose morale.

My thoughts

This brings back so many memories of when I first played Shogun, and my love for this game is rekindled once again in the sequel. What I love about this is, there are so many permutations of the end result, that even in dire situations you can still be victorious. The Japanese landscape is a beautiful backdrop and wonderfully reproduced, in contrast to what is happening on the screen.

Determining which tactics to use can be challenging; a fine balance between strategy and combat that keeps you engaged. The ability to play with friends from all over the world is a welcome addition (unlike StarCraft 2, damn you Blizzard). Playing with friends in a cooperative campaign is a lot of fun; you can spectate your friend’s battles and even help them as you can share your units for them to assist. This is very useful for carrying out flanking strategies when timing is critical. However, this does bring me to the downside of the game in terms of multiplayer.

There are many reports of desync issues, whereby you or your friend will drop out of the game. You can fix this by sending them the game file, but it is most frustrating at times. It is well known that you will get this problem at turn 30 and beyond. For my friend and I, it has happened 4 times starting at turn 30. I hope that Creative Assembly fixes this soon.

The Total War series revolutionised war games in the Real-Time Strategy genre, and this continues to be another great title that carries on the same vein. Below are some screenshots and a video I made of a 13 minute battle. I was defending my fort against an army 4 times my size. There were some frantic moments as I was being breached from the front and rear, and my one lone Bow Ashigaru man stood against 400 or so enemy Bow Ashigaru, it has to be seen to be believed! But that one man changed everything, as the enemy expended their arrows and forced them to approach.

We started this cooperative campaign 2 weeks ago and still counting.

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

Since it is Red Nose Day, how about some red bloody violence to kick off our weekend? I have been playing a lot of Team Fortress 2 and StarCraft 2 lately, so here is my mashup. I recorded all my game play footage using FRAPS, which works very well. For those unfamiliar with the two games, here’s a quick summary.

Team Fortress 2
This sequel to Team Fortress Classic was released by Valve in 2007. It is one of my favourite games of all time, and one that I am comfortable in coming back to time and time again. As the name suggest, it is a multiplayer team based game. There are different classes to choose from; the one I stick with is Demoman. It is one of the hardest classes to play, as Demo uses the grenade launcher which is a trajectory weapon. A lot of the time, you are leading  your target or you don’t see your target at all. After awhile, it becomes second nature. The key classes required include Engineers for defence and offence strategies, and Medics for healing the team. CP (Capture Point) is my favourite mode of play and my favourite map is Lazytown.

StarCraft 2
If you have not heard of this game, then you must have been living under a rock for awhile. It took 14 years for Blizzard to release the sequel to StarCraft, and boy was it worth the wait. I generally play as Zerg; they have very fleshy and squishy units so you can’t go charging in without any thought. I generally play 4v4 matches with friends, but the Terran campaign was also very good to play through. My favourite unit is the Baneling; if you follow my Twitter feed, you will see I talk about them a lot with some of my friends. They are just so, deadly. Banelings en masse can be absolutely devastating and they can breach blockades if your opponent is walled in. The story continues with the upcoming expansion pack Heart of the Swarm, which follows the Kerrigan storyline and her involvement with the Zerg Overmind.

And now, the video!
Just to give you some advanced warning, Team Fortress 2 is rated 15, so will not be suitable for young children or hemophobes. I don’t want anyone passing out at their desks… Enjoy!

If you liked this post please donate to Comic Relief here!

About Motoko

First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K

Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)

There are only two weeks to go until the launch of the Nintendo 3DS and it has just been announced that HMV will be doing some special midnight openings & a special launch party!

The official launch will be at HMV’s London flagship store at 150 Oxford Street and will include the first official customer purchase at 00:01am on 25th March 2011. There will be 100 HMV stores open at midnight to celebrate the launch – hmv.com/hmvweb/navigate.do?pPageID=5289

The Oxford Street store will be host to all manner of celebratory goodness, including special commemorative launch-night packs containing numerous Nintendo rewards, including a space blanket to keep them warm whilst queuing, a limited edition launch t-shirt and an exclusive Nintendo 3DS launch edition of Official Nintendo Magazine (whilst stocks last). Attendees may also be able to take to the stage to demonstrate their skills on Street Fighter IV and Pro Evolution Soccer in live head-to-head battles, which will form part of the fantastic instore entertainment on the night.

On top of all this, the first 500 to purchase the console will each be able to claim a free 3DS game of their choice.

But where is the party? As part of the special launch night celebrations Nintendo will also stage an exclusive VIP event at London’s Old Billingsgate for 2,000 guests, which will be hosted by comedian Russell Kane and will feature live performances from BRITs winner Plan B, rock band Hadouken, dance act ‘DJ Yoda’ and girl band ‘Parade’.

Tickets for the VIP event at Old Billingsgate will be released to all UK ‘Club Nintendo’ members via e-mail from today (9th March) – by responding to that e-mail, ‘Club Nintendo’ members are then entered into a draw to win tickets. Entrants have until the 11th March to respond to the ‘Club Nintendo’ e-mail and register their interest and winners will be notified by 14th March if they have been lucky enough to win tickets. Tickets will also be available through competitions on XFM radio station and in the Metro newspaper from 14th March. Fifty pairs of tickets will additionally be available to members of HMV’s purehmv loyalty programme – details will be posted on the purehmv arena site at www.hmv.com/arena. Those lucky enough to win tickets to the VIP event at Old Billingsgate will also have the opportunity to purchase a Nintendo 3DS on the night via HMV’s pop up shop.

“Nintendo 3DS allows everyone to experience true 3D entertainment by bringing portability, affordability and glasses-free technology together for the first time anywhere in the world”, says David Yarnton, General Manager, Nintendo UK. “In the way Wii brought families together, Nintendo 3DS will bring people together, and we’re delighted to be working alongside HMV to make this our biggest launch ever in the UK.”

HMV’s Head of Games, Tim Ellis, adds: “We’ve already been seeing huge interest for the 3DS through pre-orders instore and online at hmv.com, and on release we expect many thousands more gamers to turn up to midnight events around the country, not least at our Oxford Street flagship and our LiverpoolOne superstore, which I’m absolutely thrilled have been selected to host the official UK launch.  Like the Wii before it, I feel sure Nintendo’s 3DS will not only take gaming to a new level – further changing the way that we consume games content, but will play a major role in helping to popularise 3D as a growing entertainment format.”

(Details brought to you via http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2011/03/3ds-launch-celebrations/ )

About Sarah Lamb

Sarah is the founder of the Girl Geek Dinners & GirlyGeekdom. She is a lover of gadgets, geeky things and sport! Find out more about her on her website.

Web | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | More Posts (288)

You – you are a busy bee. You are a woman of multi-tasking, to-do lists and complex priorities. You have no time for frivolous childish games, especially on your smartphone. You are certainly not a gamer because, last you checked, you were not a spotty bedroom-dwelling teenage boy. Obviously, BrickBreaker doesn’t count as a real game – does it?

Say hello to a new generation of casual games for your smartphone. These games, which you can dip in an out of and play at your leisure, promise to change the way you view gaming from now on. Due to popular demand, the Lady Geeks brings you Angry Birds, with new levels and on new devices, including the Nokia N8. Words with Friends is the popular social word game with its roots in Scrabble but its eye firmly on playing with friends. Both games will have you leaving your to-do list languishing – for 3 minutes, anyway.

The Lady Geek App of the Week this week is the X-Factor App, exclusively for Nokia, which brings you the latest and best content from the shows and extras, including videos, photos and news. You’ll never miss another gloriously terrible audition again!

Get in touch before 6 pm on Tuesday 21 September and you can win a gorgeous Nokia X6. All you need to do is share the show on Facebook. You can do this by visiting our page at www.facebook.com/ladygeektv , clicking ‘Like’ to follow us and then sharing the show on your Facebook page and using “@Lady Geek TV” to tag us in the status. You can also subscribe via iTunes.

The Lady Geeks look forward to hearing from you.

About Belinda Parmar

Lady Geek brings you research and Lady Geek TV gadget app news! You'll find more about it all over on http://ladygeek.org.uk

Web | More Posts (27)