Gamer Grrlz

May 18

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May 17

My chick is getting decked out.

[video]

Looks like we got some Breaking Bad fans over at Blizzard.

May 16

[video]

Some Thoughts On Diablo III

As some of you may know, the release of Diablo III for me ends a decade long love affair with its predecessor, one that kept me going through a bout of post high school poverty, a bad breakup, and a litany of other things I still drink to forget. Diablo II was one of my first PC games and while my expertise by no means makes me the sole authority on the third, I do of course have some observations and thoughts, mostly of the knee jerk response variety:

• I think Blizzard made a mistake in taking the aesthetic into a wider palette, particularly with the menu system and the rather cartoon-ish icons. However, some of the environments are pretty and a bit of the original gothic atmosphere is retained with the dungeons I’ve visited thus far, so it isn’t all bad.
• I love that there’s a female option for each class.
• I think I prefer the new map system to the old, as it keeps the center of the screen clear and also identifies major icons and points of interest.
• I hate the chat window but it’s useful. In general the entire online system is much easier to use. During Diablo II I was never able to organize such a big group. The friend list is really helpful and makes the co-op system much easier to use.
• Crafting is okay, but how much use I’ll get out of it remains yet to be seen. Right now it’s just a big money dump. Good thing Gold is so much more abundant. Speaking of which…
• Being able to pick up Gold without clicking on it is refreshing.
• The story could have used some work. [SPOILERS] Deckard Cain’s death is a little predictable, and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard his niece’s “I have so much power but I don’t know how to control it!” spiel in every anime I’ve ever seen. And opening with a raid on the nearby village cemetery where loved ones are rising from their graves? Oh come on. [END SPOILERS]
• The storage system is much less chaotic now, with its uniform weapons and armor taking only one or two units per piece, but it could still use more. I also resent having to buy more storage in my Stash.
• The absence of Mana potions makes things a bit simpler but I’m still not sure how to feel about it.
• All the NPCs are entirely too chatty. The companion storylines, mostly conveyed through panned dialogue trees, feel a bit forced.
• I’ve yet to dye my armor, though the option somewhat interests me.
• I like the Massacres and their XP bonuses for killing multiple enemies in a row.
• As trivial as it may seem, the in-game clock is much appreciated.
• The cut scenes are as breath taking as it gets. I remember with Diablo II thinking “It can’t get much better than this. And if it doesn’t, I don’t care.” Having now seen Diablo III, I can confidently say fuck my past self, the future is awesome.
• The achievements are a nice incentive to keep moving forward and inspire a bit of competition between other players but I’d like to see them sync up on Raptr or some other tracker.
• All together it’s a lot easier than I expected but that may be due to my prior experience with the series as a whole. I’m sure I’ll hit a wall soon, we’ll see what I think then.

Related: The Ladies Of Diablo III || Diablo III (tag)

My best Diablo III screen shot so far.

May 15

I went with a female Witch Doctor, named her Reina Muerta (the “La” wouldn’t fit). I’m at a level 12 now, kinda taking my time going on and off today. Only been booted a few times.

[video]

Boomer!

Blizzard confirms what I already knew.

If you’d like to help remedy this, send me your BattleTag?

May 14

New Sims 3 Stuff Pack Suits Your Sims In Diesel

UNDERWEAR. I WILL BE BUYING THIS BECAUSE CUTE UNDERWEAR. EA has just announced the upcoming The Sims 3 Diesel Stuff, available in July. It adds three dozen wardrobe items for men and women, many from the Diesel spring/summer 2012 line, as well as home furnishings and decor items. You can pre-order the pack now for the standard $20.

[Destructoid]

Tomb Raider Reboot Delayed Til 2013

The Tomb Raider reboot (which you may remember, I’m somewhat a fan of) won’t be joining us this holiday season. In a statement on the official Eidos message board, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio Darrell Gallagher announced news of the delay, saying:

“Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013.

“We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve.”

As a means to perhaps stay the fury of the fans, Eidos also released the above screen shot. And it’s so blurry I’m tempted to think they gave us a crappy one just so we’d anticipate the game less, thus soothing our wrath.

[CVG]

DeviantART member and winner of Blizzcon’s 2010 costume contest, ZerinaX.

May 09

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare Coming To PC

On May 22, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (like Alan Wake before it) will be making the move from Xbox 360 to PC. Pre-order it on Steam now and get 10% off if you already own the original! I know I sure did. I pre-ordered the hell out of it.