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Confirmed: Girls and booze at Tecmo TGS party
Tecmo's John Inada took the stage, welcoming video game journalists who had made the long journey to Tokyo Game Show. He was obviously a little intoxicated, spilling a bit of wine from his glass as he swayed around. TGS was over, he told us, wanting us to take a break and relax with some free food.The evening was filled with a number of strange "jokes" about the troubled state of Tecmo, which includes its former star developer, Itagaki, initiating a lawsuit against it. One of the most awkward moments of the evening came from Inada's comment about over-the-top gifts made by publishers to journalists. "If you don't know who I am," he said, "then you probably haven't accepted one of my gifts, as they're called by some guy named after something I put on my stinky feet."That joke left the room a little silent. But that silence wasn't meant to last long. Shortly afterward, Tecmo's Yoh Watanabe took the stage to once and for all put an end to the rumors of Tecmo's outlandishness. "Tecmo has been accused of plying the media with booze and girls," he said. "Well, it's true!"
Yakuza 3 promises a 'more advanced' cabaret system
The upcoming "real" Yakuza 3 will expand upon one of the franchises key selling points: girls. "GAL Magazine" will feature seven top Japanese fashion models: Sayaka Araki, Eri Touka, Rina Sakurai, Shizuka Mutou, Riho Nishiyama, Rina Aikawa, and Nemu. These girls will be featured in a more "advanced" cabaret system in the upcoming game. The game will properly render the fashion and speaking styles of the fashionable girls ... something we're sure many players will be paying attention to. Check IGN for all the girls. [Thanks, Gambit07!]
Overheard@E3: "Check out all these girls playing games!"
When the doors of the E3 showfloor first opened, herds of eager game industry denizens rushed inside to set up stations at kiosks to try their hands at the new wares. One small gaggle of gaming journalists from a world where women must not exist gawped and said "Check out all these girls playing games!" Keep in mind, this was after seeing two women playing games at one console.Two girls, one console. Yes, apparently women play games.
EA announces girl-friendly Boogie SuperStar for Wii
Electronic Arts has slipped on a pair of bootie shorts and shaked its groove thang all the way back to the well, announcing Boogie SuperStar exclusively for the Wii. A follow up to last year's family-friendly rhythm game, Boogie, the game is the latest to be counted among EA's casual brand, and is being targeted specifically at girls – though how exactly the game will favor the fairer sex remains to be seen.Once again being developed by EA Montreal, information about the game was first leaked last month, at that time indicating that Boogie SuperStar would have players dancing on the Wii Balance Board, though EA's official announcement makes note of no such functionality. What we do know is that Boogie SuperStar will allow up to four gals to keep rhythm, customize characters, and cut rugs using the Wii remote, all while being judged by the game on their road to win it big in the game's 'Boogie Star Show.' The sequel will also feature more than 40 different licensed tracks from groups and singers such as Maroon 5, Britney Spears, and Kanye West, though EA bills the music as being 'made popular by' these artists, so cheap imitations will likely be the order of the day when Boogie SuperStar ships in both North America and Europe this October.
THQ questions value of 'girly games'
Should mobile phone games cater to the gender lines? Not according to THQ Wireless marketing director James Scalpello, who believes developing mobile games for girls is a "lost cause."Speaking to CasualGaming.biz, Scalpello explains his logic across two points. He believes that games targeted to female players are patronizing to the female gaming audience, while also stating that gaming's not a priority to most girls. Claiming that gaming's more important to male audiences, Scalpello states that "girls [believe they have] better things to do. If you say so, James.[Via CVG]
Fallen Earth video showcases lots of gameplay
We've been following Fallen Earth for a while now, so it's very nice to finally see a new official video after waiting patiently for several months since the last. Everything looks like it's running incredibly smoothly too, which is a relief given the nature of the combat system in the game. Speaking of that, the combat looks pretty solid to us, but don't be fooled by the run-and-gun gameplay. Fallen Earth's MMO qualities are littered about in-between all the blazing guns you see in the footage. We do love those details. For instance, if you listen closely to the scene with the sniper scope you'll hear a nice clicking sound as the sharpshooter zooms in slightly.Beyond the guns, girls and giant mutants in the video, you'll also be seeing some footage of players riding their very own mounts. It's some sort of buggy from what we can gather, some might even consider it to be puma-like. Here's hoping for some mounted gun upgrades so our friends can have something to do while we drive them around the wastelands!
The bad girls (and good girls) of Warcraft
I love this -- miladyhikara is working on a series of sketches featuring "Bad Girls of Warcraft," and the beginnings of the pieces are now up over on her deviantART page. They look fantastic -- I especially think this Shivarra looks good, but she's also got a female Naga, a Succubus, and Lady Barov herself. She says she's working on color palettes for most of them, so we'll have to wait to see the finished product -- if the sketches are any indication, they should look amazing.She's also still asking for suggestions apparently -- who else would go in the "Bad Girls of Warcraft" series? Sylvanas? (is she really bad?) Onyxia for sure (in both forms). And she's also thinking about doing a "Good Girls of Warcraft" series, too -- hello Jaina, Tyrande and Fandral Staghelm. Wait, he's not a girl? Then why's he wearing that dress?
Guildwatch: She fulfilled my everyone fantasy
Only in the best situations do you have great documentation of great drama, and only in the best of the best do you have actual screenshots of it as it happens. But then again, that might just be more evidence that they're just messing around -- it's hard to believe that this really happened and was captured so perfectly.But as always with Guildwatch, you be the judge. For all the drama, downed, and recruiting news you can handle (most of it probably true... probably), click the link below. And don't forget to send us your own tips (anonymous or otherwise) at wowguildwatch@gmail.com.
Ubisoft announces unimaginative 'Imagine Rock Star'
Say what you will about Ubisoft's Imagine line of games (targeted at girls aged 6 to 14), they're generally pretty original. There are precious few game makers trying to tap into the figure skating, fashion designing, and animal healing segments of the burgeoning DS game market. Unfortunately, the same can't really be said for Ubisoft's latest Imagine game announcement, Imagine Rock Star.Not to focus on the negative, but when Imagine Rock Star comes out in June, it will bump up against a veritable cornucopia of competing DS rhythm games, including a couple that have a very similar premise of multiplayer, "join a band" action. We don't want to sell it short before we see it, but we find it hard to "imagine" (ha!) that this game will bring something new to a genre that's already getting a bit overcrowded. Especially when the "ability to customize the look of each band mate in order to become the most stylish rockers" is a major selling point. Then again, we aren't girls aged 6 to 14, so what do we know?
Science says: Men's brains get more 'reward' from gaming
Developers and executives that are struggling to develop games that appeal to women now have a new excuse to fall back on if and when they fail. According to a study by Stanford University's Alan Reiss, men are hard wired to feel more "rewarded" playing games than women.The study, which looked at 11 men and 11 women, asked participants to play a simple territorial point-and-click game while hooked up to an fMRI machine. The men in the study showed much great activity in the brain's "mesocorticolimbic center," which is associated with reward and addiction.Interestingly, the amount of activity for men went up as they did better at the game, while the amount of activity for women stayed roughly constant, regardless of achievement. "The females 'got' the game... they appeared motivated to succeed at the game," Reiss said. "The males were just a lot more motivated to succeed." Yeah, yeah ... tell it to the Frag Dolls.
All-girl PS2 fighter Arcana Heart coming to North America
When it comes to the PlayStation 2, publisher Atlus USA is certainly not afraid to point out where its loyalties lie. The company indicated as much when we spoke to them last month, as Atlus PR front man Aram Jabbari called Sony's venerable console "a viable platform," adding that "there is no reason to abandon a veteran system just because it isn't the newest thing around." What this translates to is that players can expect to continue to see Atlus' unique brand of niche Japanese titles coming stateside for some time. The latest to be confirmed of which is Examu's all-female fighting game Arcana Heart, which promises PS2 owners all the girl-on-girl 2D action they can handle when the game drops in North America on April 8. With 11 different customizable gals and a budget price of $29.99, Arcana Heart certainly has all the markings of a game worth picking up, though given Atlus' history, we expect that it will become near impossible to find at retail just hours after it's released.
Girl Gamer magazine thinks it's still the 1950s
Attention female readers of DS Fanboy! You know how you're ALWAYS thinking about nothing else but pink things, cooking, and raising cute ickle babies? Well, Nintendo is, like, TOTALLY on your wavelength! The company has just teamed up with publisher Future to launch gaming magazine Girl Gamer in the UK, and it won't cost you a penny, meaning you can save for those divine shoes that you just have to have or you'll die.The 32-page magazine is being given away with the latest copies of Bliss and Mizz, two of the UK's most popular girl's titles, and is yet further evidence that Nintendo is completely in touch with female gamers. Just look at the cover: pink things? Check! Cooking? Check! Babies? Check![Via press release]
Study says girls prefer 'easier' 2D games
Here's an interesting little nugget we stumbled across: according to a recent study, girls prefer 2D over 3D when it comes to games.To reach this conclusion, author Tina Ziemek offered a pool of 34 13- and 14-year old students a selection of six Nintendo 64 titles (Yoshi's Story, Bust-A-Move, Mischief Makers, Banjo-Kazooie, Wetrix, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), and noted down which of the games each subject preferred to spend time with.As it happens, the females in the group opted to play Yoshi's Story most of the time, while the males chose Zelda. Ziemek also notes that a lot of the kids commented on the easiness and accessibility of the 2D games in interviews, and that the females "disliked the confusion in the 3D video games, whether it was unclear directions, objectives, camera perspectives, or not knowing how to control the character."Ziemek's final conclusion? That the majority of females would rather play games that are "easy," while the majority of males would rather play games that are "challenging." If Ziemek's findings are correct, this may partly explain why so many females pick up a DS -- after all, which other platform has such a delightful array of 2D software?[Via Kotaku]
Women in Games: Pinckard, Tory talk about industry, Jade Raymond
Continuing in her series on women working in the games industry (it began with her interview with Morgan Webb), MTV's Tracey John talks to Game Girl Advance creator Jane Pinckard and Assassin's Creed developer Elspeth Tory on their experiences, as well as addressing the controversy surrounding AC designer Jade Raymond. Their verdict on the industry is that it still has a lot of maturation to do, especially when it comes to the working environment. Both Pinckard and Tory share their own anecdotes that would be amusing if not a discouraging testament to how male-dominated the industry continues to be. In discussing Raymond, a designer whose intelligence and skills have been largely questioned because of her looks (we've read many comments that accuse her of merely being a "pretty figurehead" for the game), both decreed the issue frustrating. "She is genetically, accidentally blessed with a combination of smarts and ambition and looks that our culture happens to find attractive, and that's not her fault," said Pinckard.Read - Game Girl Advance's Jane Pinckard Talks Lara Croft, Male vs. Female GamersRead - 'Assassin's Creed''s Elspeth Tory on Jade Raymond and Entering the Boys' Club
Morgan Webb talks gaming's double standards
As the start of a week-long series on women in the game industry, MTV Multiplayer has a revealing Q&A with Morgan Webb, the curvier half of the hosting duo behind G4's X-Play. While the interview covers a lot of topics, perhaps the most persistent running theme is Webb's ambivalence about her status as a successful, visible female game journalist.On the one hand, Webb says, "it used to really bother me that men ... would assume that I don't really know what I'm talking about or would know less than a man on the topic." On the other hand, though, Webb acknowledges "I wouldn't be where I am if I were a man, to be honest. I wouldn't be on the show. I wouldn't be writing columns for FHM. I wouldn't be considered just like a rare and interesting... specimen or whatever, if I weren't a woman. So I am where I am because I'm a woman and that's just the way it is."While Webb is a big booster for the game industry, she says she doesn't necessarily see herself as a spokesperson for 'girl gaming.' "I don't think the world will necessarily be a better place if I get lots of young woman to play video games," she said. "If a woman wants to play video games, more power to her ... but I have a lot of girlfriends who couldn't care less about video games ... and I don't think their lives are missing anything for that."The lengthy full interview is packed with more of Webb's thoughts on forum trolls, posing for Maxim and the effects of being both one of gaming's most prominent women and a minor TV celebrity. Take a few minutes and give it a read.
Ubisoft 's double standard for awful game titles
Ubisoft's Imagine Babies is part of its Imagine series of presumably budget games for girls ages 6 to 14 years old. And what do little girls like? Cooking, clothes, and taking care of animals and babies, of course! As troublingly insulting as the thinking behind the Imagine series is, the execution of the products is even more so. Take the UK Imagine Babies boxart seen here (and everywhere from Play.com to NeoGAF), complete with iStockphoto watermarks still in place. Could less money or effort have been put into this? Your commitment to young female gamers is apparent, Ubisoft. Also, isn't this one of those cases in which playing with dolls might be better accomplished with actual dolls? After all, we expect there's a reason Nintendo debuted Nintendogs and not Nintenkids, teenage pregnancy rates and the horror of starving babies aside.
Shiny Shiny girl chooses PSP
The debate about whether or not PSP appeals to girls continues. Shiny Shiny, a popular gadgets website targeted towards girls, has an interesting take on the DS versus PSP debacle. Kimberly, a blogger on the site, admits to having a DS bias. Like one CNET editor stated, the stylus controls were attractive: "I liked the idea of the stylus and touchscreen." However, the honeymoon was over quite quickly: "[The DS] offered familiar, but interesting challenges ... for about a month."Why the sudden change of heart? Apparently, she got her hands on a PSP, and found using a more conventional control scheme with PSP made gaming much easier: "I found the PSP's games and controls to be much more intuitive than the Nintendo DS Lite." Kimberly had to constantly refer to the instruction manuals in DS games to understand the controls, while PSP offered a more familiar environment. Like we predicted, DS fans that actually give PSP a try will find that much of the bias against the system is unfounded."The PSP's ability to do more might account for its poor battery life compared to the DS Lite. In this episode of gadgetry smackdown, I concede the battle to my buddy/nemesis and will go get myself a PSP"
DS makeup game defies mockery with sales potential
We were all set to make fun of Cosmetic Paradise, but then we thought about it and realized that a makeup game on the DS will probably be something of a hit in Japan. Here's our reasoning: All people in Japan have at least one DS-- including little girls. This may be marketed as a "training" game for cosmetics, and the word "training" opens the sales floodgates. Using the stylus to apply makeup is probably a lot of fun for people who like dolls and stuff. We admit, then, that this game is a good idea, from a business perspective, at least. And it does seem to have some adventure game elements, which we support. What do you think? Are there any little DS fans in your family that would enjoy this kind of thing?
Powerpuff Girls adapted to anime, anime adapted to minigames
This news manages to be both supremely weird and completely banal at the same time. It's interesting conceptually, but mechanically, it's another licensed minigame set. Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z is the made-for-Japan adaptation of the Cartoon Network show, which was itself inspired by anime. And just like you would expect for any anime, or, for that matter, anything popular in Japan (see also: food and walking) Powerpuff Girls Z is getting its own DS game. This has to be the most derivative game ever in terms of source material-- just surpassing the game adaptation of Street Fighter: The Movie.
Girls don't go wild: Pocket Pool loses license
Pocket Pool is a hilarious game where porn stars and billiards collide. The game, which is rated M for "partial nudity" and "sexual themes," was originally supposed to feature the Girls Gone Wild license. Looks like it's no more. "While I can confirm that the Girls Gone Wild license was in consideration for Pocket Pool, an agreement was not formally signed," an Eidos representative told GameSpot.Surely, this is a monumental loss for the gaming community. Or not. I'm sure whoever wants to purchase this doesn't need a Girls Gone Wild license to pick it up.
