Nerd Mecca

As (maybe) most know E3 is starting. Today I had the opportunity to watch the Xbox press conference and despite the references to getting more “kinnect’d” to your games I managed to keep from vomiting on myself. Traditionally there is a huge divide between those who own a PS3 and those who own an Xbox 360 and though I am partial to Sony branding I own both and will try to remain a neutral party (which usually means being overly critical of both).

                I am on the fence about Xbox’s offerings this year. The games being announced are sequels of sequels of something that was already used as an idea five years ago. Now I realize that most people are excited about the same old-as-a-white-dog-turd ideas but I wish we could branch out. The fact that we keep buying their still warm offal is the problem. Most gamers don’t WANT new, I guess. They want comfortable they want familiar and if they are going to lay down 60 bucks they want the same familiar 6 hour sack of crap. Then they bitch about the length but can barely contain their boner when Gears of War 3 is announced. I mean come on they are having a “new” trilogy which is starting with Halo 4. New is no the word for it. Recycled garbage to con people into buying our shit is more the words.

                That being said there were some cool things. Despite my inherent distrust of the kinnect and its shitty offering so far (Check out Fruit Ninja if you think that they were making any sort of effort to change my mind). The most impressive thing I saw coming for kinnect, and I will grudgingly admit that it was actually really impressive, is the ability in “Ghost Recon: Future Warriors” to gunsmith. You can now take apart the whole weapon and customize not only the outside but the inside parts as well. That is more of the use of kinnect that I think Gamers are looking for. Gamers who want to play something and not just swing their arms randomly around and be impressed that the camera can recognize such a small object as the ENTIRE HUMAN BODY.  I also think that “Fable: The Journey” also looks good with the ability to use reigns and magic with no controller. I am more reserved here because Peter Molyneux is a lying piece of shit and the game will probably be released with an even bigger version of an Xbox controller you have to use in order for it to be “hands free”.  Lamest? Totally useless voice recognition in Mass Effect 3. Really? It takes your lazy ass less time to flick the movement stick up and hit select, you fat turd.

                Also Disney is releasing some horse garbage for the Xbox. It’s a toss-up as to who wins the worst actor award, the two kids playing peter pan shouting “wee” and “fist pound!” or the two idiots playing kinnect sports and pretending to lose so they could show more features. The real winner her is obviously anyone who was watching and enjoying the awkwardness the announcer is forced to feel.

                I’m most excited for the reboot of Lara Craft in the new Tomb Raider. It’s a rehashing of her beginnings and she starts out on an island with a maniac who apparently will kill anyone who comes to the island. Even from the beginning it looks explosive and great. You know you want it. Hardcore Lara is much sexier than big boobs Lara.  I will post more after the other conferences. Prepare to be disappointed! (We’re all looking at you Nintendo)

I'm Back Baby!

            I apologize for my long absence. It started as illness but then I got out of my groove. I’m a bad mama jama. Anyway, read on all seven of you, read on!

It has been awhile since I have watched an anime that is currently popular with Otaku. For good reason, Otaku are usually foaming at the mouth about the current flavor of the month that is usually some kind of ultra-shit.  I’m not saying everything that is popular is bad it’s just that the otaku community tends to glorify all that is Japanese animation. It ain’t all good, honey. That being said, I am watching and thoroughly enjoying a series that is currently popular.

            Enter my new favorite past time: Toradora! Rarely have I been as enchanted by an anime series as I am by this little gem. At the center of Toradora are two students Ryuuji Takasu, who looks like a delinquent but is actually helpful and mild-mannered, and Taiga Aisaka, who is cute and small but ferocious (earning her the nickname Palm-top Tiger *love*). Ryuuji comes to find out that Taiga has a crush on his friend Kitamura but has no idea how to express herself. He agrees to help her if she in turn will help Ryuuji with his crush on HER best friend Kushieda. Oh so, so complicated sounding.

            While this he loves her, she loves him but he doesn’t know it, love this, love that super-love story is somewhat typical of the Japanese shoujo genre, Toradora manages to keep it interesting with deep characters who the viewer really believes in and cares about. I actually really like cheesy romance manga, anime and j-drama. I have no clue why, usually that stuff makes me barf in my mouth. Toradora makes me feel like I’m getting sweet butterfly kisses in animation form. You should watch it and I’ll tell you why! Because you can do it for free and legally! Here’s how:

Recently a lot of companies have been releasing their anime on the internet either in its entirety or as a sample. You can currently watch the first six episodes of Toradora and the rest if you want to pay for the premium subscriptions (to which I say pish posh) at animenewsnetwork.com if you search under Toradora! Do it. Do it now! Butterfly kisssesss!

Support Japan

As we are all aware Japan witnessed a terrible tragedy recently. I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy for all those in Japan and all those outside Japan who are affected by this horrible event.

I just wanted to post here a few links to a few of the ways we can off our support to the people of Japan.

Of course there is the Red Cross which can help link people up with volunteering but also can take donations. 



http://www.redcross.org/

There are also some companies that are releasing some merchandise you can buy, profits from which will all go to Japan. This includes Itunes 38 song, multi-artists album available for 9.99 on Itunes called "Songs for Japan" and Playstation who is making dynamic themes available on the PS3 for donations of 10 through 50 dollars.

If you would still like to make a contribution but are short on  cash there is also the One Million Crane project as well as the Water Drive, information for both can found on Facebook.

Can I Handle the Madness?

It may not be common knowledge...ok, it's pretty common knowledge that I am a complete and total scardey-cat. I may sometimes be able to put up a tough act but if I'm at home alone and I hear a strange noise I'm out, my elbows feel tingly when I have to walk through a dark parking lot alone, and I will NEVER live near a graveyard for fear of zombie attacks. It goes without saying that I am not a survival horror enthusiast, so why do I feel the desire to play American McGee's Alice: Return to Madness?
    Return to Madness is the sequel to Alice the PC game. A morbid version of the classic tale in which  Alice bloodily hacks her way through Wonderland. When this game came out I was intrigued.  I personally love it when classic stories are taken and re-imagined. What I don't like is shitting my pants in fright. I'm not sure how to reconcile these emotions.
   On top of this debacle, I have an obsession. I can't jump on board something when it comes out because I MUST read/ play /watch from the beginning of the series. This opens a whole new can of worms for me. Alice, the original PC game, is hard to come by and goes for a staggering amount on Amazon. Am I willing to pay this price for a game I may be too creeped out to even play?
   The new game's graphics are really good. Plus, its coming to console which I love. There is a certain charge to it. Maybe I finally understand what people meant when they told me the reason they liked to go to scary movies was to feel the "thrill of fright". At the very least, if I'm too much of a wuss to do it myself, I hope I can get my boyfriend to play while I watch at a safe distance. Here is the teaser trailer for the new game. I picked the one I thought was the "least" creepy, but it's still a little out there so if you aren't a fan of the freaky factor then I would skip it, if not enjoy:

Ya...It's Weird 

Video credit is:

McGee, American. "YouTube - Alice Madness Returns - Trailer 3 (Official)." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Bourborne, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bugGdHrfVHo&feature=player_embedded>.

Vidja Games

I've been wanting to write a review for a video game for awhile. Since last week for instance. I wanted that to be my Friday post but I haven't had to the time to complete anything lately and when I have the time I am delving into Persona 3, which I won't be finished with for quite some time. So in lieu of a review post I am just going to discuss a certain portion of Persona 3 and come back to the review later.
   I am not sure how many of you have played any of the Shin Megami Tensei series but the Persona set is by far my favorite. It sounds lame but you go to school during the day and fight at night. I love it all but to be honestly lame, I like school the best. You get to earn Persona building skills through interaction with your friends. This of course encourages you to play the game through several times to see the different social outcomes. The outcome of social interactions between you and members of the opposite sex can result in a "relationship". This is where my complaint lies.
    In P3 I was investing my relationship time in Junpei. That means I passed up opportunity to hang out with others in order to get myself to a level where Junpei would be my video game boyfriend. Well what happens? Before I can reach maximum social link status with him he blows me off. What an asswipe. Now, I may be able to make him my B/F later in the game but I don't want to, I wasted too much time on him as it is! So now I have to build up a relationship with another person and I could have been spending that time productively if I would have known Junpei would be a total fart about the whole thing.
   I've also heard a rumor that in Persona 4, you can make your male protagonist have a relationship with another guy, my favorite character in the game: Kanji. I think its just a rumor though...but I wish it were true...

Added Note: it came to my attention after talking to a co-worker that this "relationship" thing might be confusing. Junpei is not a real person and is not controlled by a real person. It is like making two characters get into a relationship on Sims :). Teehee.

Reading up on Future Readings

I have been considering re-reading, or rather re-reading and finishing, The Chronicles of Narnia. I am not doing this purely for enjoyment and I sometimes wonder if I will enjoy them if I read them now. No friends, I am reading them in preparation for something I am highly anticipating this summer and that is the release of Lev Grossman's second book in The Magicians series: The Magician King.
            I picked up The Magicians on a whim when it came into my work. I had heard about it and the name stuck and I was pretty excited about the buzz about it being akin to Harry Potter. Of course, after reading it I found the only similarity to the Harry Potter books is that there is a school for magicians-there, that’s it nothing else is the same. The Magicians tell the story of Quentin. Who is dissatisfied with the real world and often escapes into a book series from his younger years called Fillory and Further. This series of books are reminiscent of real children’s fantasy: your Harry Potters and Chronicles (which is why I am reading them). His world is turned upside down when he stumbles upon his true reality. He is a magician and he will be going to school to learn how to wield his power.  However, what he finds there is not all that it seems and he will follow a destructive course of action that opens his eyes to something horrible.

                I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Grossman’s work is worded beautifully and well thought out. More than that it is an awesome examination of what high fantasy can do in a person’s life and how perception can be deceiving. I read it in a few days and passed I on to my brother who also read it quickly. I would recommend it not only to people who enjoy fantasy but also people who enjoy examinations of human emotion.

Jeopardy...Rant?

Something that I love, love, love is “Jeopardy”. I love to see if I can answer the questions and I especially love it when I can answer faster than anyone in the room. Sadly, I am not always able to watch it because it is on at the worst time in the world, 3:30 PM. It seems only old people, the unemployed or night shift workers are able to watch it on a regular basis. I once had a co-worker tell me he had it on his DVR at which point I stared so jealously at him I’m surprised he didn’t catch fire.

            I managed to catch it this week though and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t Teen Week. Gaaablaargh. Why? In all these weeks I haven’t been able to watch it and I catch it during Teen Week. Sure I can’t always answer all the questions asked during regular Jeopardy but when I don’t know I can say “Eh, it’s Jeopardy. You have to be super smart to answer” If I can’t answer during Teen Week I have to turn away shamefully and wonder if what people have been saying about public school really was true.

            Really though, every time I get to catch Jeopardy the one thing on my mind is: why can’t super smart people tell a good story? They could be telling a story about how they discovered a cave filled with gold after fighting of an army of cyborg bears but they would “um” and “ah” it to death until everyone in the audience is left going “What? Is this a good story or am I having an aneurism?” I guess you win somes you lose somes. But I forgive it’s faults. I would forgive it anything as long as it keeps giving me the trivia I so crave.

Heroclix

I have to talk about a current obsession of mine: Heroclix. The game that combines collecting miniatures of your favorite comic book characters and gaming.          
Heroclix emerged on the tabletop gaming scene in 2002 and has been confusing players ever since. Just kidding. But with its rather wordy revised manual (24 8x11’s when I printed it out at Kinko’s) it still leaves something to be desired in its explanation of game play. From what I have gathered so far you have a character with a dial that explains its Defense, Attack, Movement, Damage and Range with special colors indicating powers that the character has on that particular “click” of the dial. Heroclix is fun but hard for me in many respects because a) it is my first tabletop game and b) I am too drawn by my favorite bright shinies than by pieces that might win me the game. Therefore, I usually end up with my Runaways set dead at the hands of my boyfriend’s War machine. This usually results in a tiny Nico Minoru getting thrown harmlessly into his face when I dissolve into hysteria at losing…again.

Regardless of my repeated losses it is still a fun game to play and if you have other friends who are into it you can invite them over for hours of excitingly excruciating tactical planning as you try desperately to kick their ass before they kick yours. But let’s get down to brass tax. One of the best parts of the game happens before you even start to play. It is the beautiful blind box. Most nerds are familiar with the siren song of the blind box. It promises you all it will never give. And at 12 dollars a pop the small adrenaline rush you get from opening repeat boxes of Heroclix can quickly break you and leave you whimpering in a back alley and wondering how many more will you have to buy before that red hulk DOES show up? Wizkids certainly knows what they are doing by adding those rare and super rares. They keep you looking. Here are some of my favorites:





Sorry about the quality everyone!

Any information I got, namely Heroclix starting date, I got from everyone's favorite academically frowned upon webiste: Wikipedia

"HeroClix." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroclix>.

Currently Reading: Honey Hunt

Currently Watching: South Park

Currently Playing: Stacking!

Saturday Night

Oh Saturday night bastion of all things partyish. How shall I worship you this week? People over? Loud music? Tequila? No, not this week. I am spending my Saturday trolling the internets for fun times. I have given over and have let the nerd take over the host. Not only that but check out this sweet view:



That's right. I'm not the only one around these parts. What you are witnessing here is a gen-uuu-ine LAN party. On big screens no less. Is there any more perfect sight? Maybe if one were actually involved in the LAN party it would be better, but I'll leave the boys to there COD. I gots some Japanese Dramas to pursue!

Current Reading: Writer's Guide 2010 (woooo!)
Currently Playing: Stacking!
Currently Watching: Seeking J-Drama

And so, it starts...

For what I am I blame my mother. Though, I would hesitate to call my mom a nerd she certainly read a lot of science fiction and really loved Quantum Leap. Naturally as a child I emulated her and so it seems I was doomed from an early age to be a nerd, even more so than my mom. As we all know girls in the nerd kingdom, though a growing population, are still considered rare, making life there a bit more interesting in those circles for a lady. There are those who think you are cooler than other girls, those who find you stranger than your male counterparts and those who think too much of you. Though some may think we are hard to find, we are out there and our opinions on nerd life should be heard.

            I want to join forces with the nerd girls already talking about their hobby. I want to explore what it means for a girl geek but most importantly just what it means to have a nerdy lifestyle . I have formed a love affair with all things geek. Reading, gaming, comics, anime and so much more, these are my hobbies and I want to discuss them with others. What’s more? I want to be nerdier. I want to find out more about the things I already like and find new things to enjoy. So I started this blog as a study of myself as a nerd and to chronicle my adventures in learning new nerdy things. I want to talk about being a nerd, about being a nerdy girl, with other nerdy girls and anyone else who is into these things. If you’re interested let’s get this journey started.

Currently Reading: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Currently Watching: Veronica Mars season 3

Currently Playing: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future