Wish list games

Okay, this blog is going to be relatively short... and mostly, not written by me.

My birthday is coming up. So, what games do you suggest I either ask for or buy?

Keep in mind my taste in games... Sims, Animal Crossing, Just Dance (and basically most dance games), Katamari and Call of Duty.

I know... girly, cutsie and a shooter... go figure.

I have been considering giving LittleBigPlanet a whirl... but for the most part I don't like games with a "story line". For instance, I've only played Call of Duty online in team death match mode and I only made it to about level 5 on Mario Brothers before I gave up.

Suggestions on games? E-mail me!

Let's talk portable gaming.

I have the DS... which my husband has stolen. (When the salesman asked me if I wanted the pink one, I nearly hit him.) I had the original gameboy, and I've always kind of wanted to get a PSP, but thought it was too expensive... that and I don't really have anywhere to go that I could play it, except for the occasional longer car ride, when I'm not driving.
But, I'm anxious about the 3DS. Not just because it will neat to see how they've accomplished 3D without the use of glasses, but also because this will cause the whole industry to go into competition mode.
Sony announced their updated version of a PSP, the yet-to-be released NGP. That will have a touch screen, a camera on front and back and a correction to the PSP, two thumb sticks.
There are a handful of games they have announced will be available for the NGP, uncharted, Call of Duty, Killzone, Little Big Planet and others.
Something Sony has finally done that I have been expecting.. they are putting games on in a whole new... yet familiar format- flash memory!
I started wondering a while ago when they would be doing this, and now they have.
One MAJOR down fall to this format-- children. Many of the kids that have DS's or PSPs is that they tend to lose things. Especially things with small pieces. (Which is why I suspect Polly Pocket made so much money.. lets make something with a billion small pieces so the kids will lose the piece and have to buy new... GENIUS!)
So, unless they make each game with a clicker remote that beeps for when you lose them... they're going to make a ton from kids who lose games and have to buy the same ones over and over.
But, I have to imagine that flash memory is also so easy to put together, the cost has to relatively inexpensive comparatively. You would think the same thing for cd's.. but they still cost $50 a game!
Either way, I'm excited to see where the industry is going. Small, inexpensive, lots more memory... and 3D!

The most addicting online game?

I play A LOT of online games. You can see the gaming sites I use a lot on my links page. Most really good games get a sequel, but there is one game I have played that has gotten re-made about 4 times... It's Adult Swim's Robot Unicorn.
I think the original is still the best, though. The you are a robot unicorn and you have to break through giant stars and grab small fairy things. Each star is 100 points, each fairy is 10. All you do is jump (arrow up button) and speed up (right arrow button), that's it!
But, the longer you go, the faster you run and the harder it is to see what's coming up ahead of you.
The game ends when you hit a rock or a wall. But... you get three chances. I dare you not to get addicted to this game! (ahh the joys of working weekends.)
Some of my co-workers and e-mail each other back and forth, keeping in mind who has the highest score amongst us and then mock the others when they fail to break our "high score". When we first started playing, the high score was broken just about every day. Now it's broken about once a month, if that. The score gets higher and harder to break.
So, this brings me my question. Have you become addicted to any certain game online? If so, where is and what's your high score? I'll try to break it and let you know what I think of it.
I've found that simple games seem to be the most entertaining and addicting.

The Sims 3 out for consoles

So, I have not bought the game... this is true. However I've been a SIMLOVER since I discovered (the original) SimCity when my dad got it for Christmas one year. Even when the original was an above head view looking down only, I loved the challenge of the game. Building a city, making it prosperous and grow, building roads and then of course the ultimate disaster would strike.. my favorite of course was when Godzilla showed up... who didn't love that?
But, when The Sims came out, I got it for my birthday when I was in high school and have had every addition-- including Sims for DS-- ever since.
I've had at least 4 or 5 expansion packs and watched my old games become obsolete when I upgraded computers, sadly. And then I learned cheats... which I never would have known about had it not been for my husband. I LOVE *MOTHERLODE*! I used it all the time!
Now, I have the Sims3 on our family desktop, but I rarely play it. I love making my character and then making characters of any guy who's ever broken my heart, having him fall in love with me (but not me with him), and then putting him in a pool with no latter to get out or building him into a room with no doors and he dies in there. Which is better than what he would have gotten in real life. Everybody does that right?
But, I don't think I'll be getting Sims3 for the console. It's not because the graphics or bad... I can't comment on them because I haven't seen them. It's because the game has become mundane, at least since the early days of SimCity. There's no surprise in it... they do as I tell them too... or click and instruct them too. There's no surprise monsters, earthquakes or floods. Heck, in the version I have it doesn't even rain or snow. How am I supposed to have a romantic fireside evening with my husband if it doesn't snow?!
EA, don't make it so easy... put some kind of challenge in there! Do you have a suggestion for the creators of the Sims? How would you change it?

National Geographic Game?

I never thought I'd see the day when National Geographic got into video games, but they have!

The game which will be available for both the Wii and PS3, is a kind of quiz game to test you and your family's knowledge on wildlife. There is video footage of animals and offers a chance to families to play and learn together.

Three different ways to play, including a solo player experience called Quest Mode. The game features trivia questions, puzzles and graphics from animals from around the world.

The different ways to play allow kids to play by themselves and explore nature or to play with parents and learn from them.

Pretty cool and especially nice for families looking for an educational tool while having fun at the same time!

Plants Vs. Zombies

Plants vs. Zombies, made by Popcap can keep you entertained for hours! I know, because it has kept me entertained for nearly 100!
My husband downloaded the full version about a year and a half ago and we both played the whole game until we beat it.
Have you beaten it? If not, you need to because the music video at the end is TOTALLY worth it!
This week PvZ came out for the DS and my husband got it for his birthday.
Pros: it is very similar to the actual game.
Cons: since the screen is so small, it's harder to see.
I played through the first two levels and I am happy to say, you unlock everything in the same order and the Zombies stumble no faster than they did before.
I just can't wait for PvZ2! However, I have yet to find a release date for it. I have seen they said "between 2010 and 2011". So here we are, in 2011 and I have yet to see a PvZ2 yet!
But trust me when I say, I'm going to play it and beat it and report back to you!
For now, it's a girl's world, you gamers are just livin' in it!

Playing while you pee?

When you're in the bathroom you're probably no usually concentrating on getting a high score... well.. most of us aren't.
But a Japanese company has created a game made specifically for urinals. Men can stand at a urinal, select the type of game they want to play and aim their stream at the target.
Instead of a joystick... the guy gets to use his own. And instead of a tv screen, you aim at a bulls eye-esc goal in the urinal. The goal is hooked up to a monitor which shows you how well you are doing and the game ends when you're ammo is gone.
There are a few games you can chose from. In one, your "ammo" plays the part of the wind, trying to blow the dress off of a girl. In another, it is milk coming out of your character's nose and you compete against other people who have used the game you have.
Sad for guys though... these are only in a handful of places in Japan right now and they have not said anything about bring them to the United States.
I have to say, this reminds me of something I read a few years ago where a restaurant owner was putting stickers that looked like flies in the bottom of the urinals... which was keeping the bathrooms cleaner because the guys were focusing on shooting the fly and not getting their urine everywhere.
But, I guarantee you'll never see these in a lady's room! And girls... if you're ever at a place where these games may be, don't take it personal if your man gets up to use the bathroom every 10 minutes, he's trying to beat the high score.

Have you heard Owl City?

Have you heard Owl City? Check them out here Owl City. Yes, the name is weird, but they have good music.
It vaguely reminds me of poetry I'd write in 7th & 8th grades.. it's cute, but doesn't make a ton of sense. It's also light, airy and fun to sing along to. (I put on concerts in my car... no you're not invited.)
Owl City is actually one guy, Adam Young, who writes and sings the songs himself. Which is really cool when you hear the music. Also, take a look at his blog... funny, odd and interesting all at the same time.
Owl City has been featured in "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole." And in a car commercial more recently.
If you haven't heard them you need to... relaxing and fun. I promise it will not disappoint on a rainy day!

My intro to shooters: Modern Warfare

Let me start by saying, I don't play shooters.  Before Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare, I had never played a shooter. When I was in college, my younger brothers were playing Modern Warfare and I asked them if I could play... their response?  "You're a girl, you can't play." 
   Years later, in the summer of 2010, my husband got C.O.D, in the mail from Gamefly.  This was my chance!
  He let me play and I was horrible.  However, I loved it... it was like a REALLY mean version of tag. You shoot someone and then run away and they try to find you and shoot you back.  As Stewie Griffin would say "how delightfully evil"!
  My husband had already played through the game and all I wanted to do was "shoot bitches", as it has become known in our house.
  So, I played the team death match online.  I have found one of my new favorite pastimes!
I've discovered after playing a game for so long you find certain things that just make you enjoy the game even more... and some things that make you hate it at the same time...  I've found not only a great way to remedy this, I've also found a way to combine both my favorite and least favorite parts of the game.
 My favorite part? Stickies.  My least favorite part? riot shields.
  I found a trick while playing one day-- a guy who had already killed me twice was coming at me with a riot shield... in reaction, I stuck a sticky to his shield.


   I must admit, I am one of those a$$holes that you hate- I'm a camper.  More because I'm not very quick, so I'd rather the enemy walk by me and shoot them, rather than run around trying to find them.
   The more I play and more confident I get, the more I get up and run around, instead of camping.  But I find there are still some maps where I prefer to camp anyway.  Either I've got a really good camping spot, or they're just harder for me to navigate.
    My favorite map in Modern Warfare by far is Skidrow.  Skidrow is an abandoned, beat up city, similar to the streets of Chicago, if I had to put a name with the map.  There's a playground in the middle of a parking lot-esc area and on one side is what seems to be a small apartment.
  There's a corner in there, where I can fit between the wall and a washer/dryer. If you turn to the left and aim out the open wall, you can shoot your opponent either right in the face or in the back. Hardly anyone looks in that corner when they run through the room, so you can shoot them in the back, or catch them off guard as they try to run through and shoot them in the face.

  I do have a bone to pick with the makers of all Call Of Duty games, though...  How come I can ONLY be a  WHITE MAN?!  What is up with that?!  You should be able to customize your avitar to be a girl!

    I'll follow this up with a blog about Black Ops in more detail later.
For now, it's a girl's world.. you gamers are just livin' in it!