GeekSugar

Gears of War 2 Review: My Boyfriend Loves It

GeekSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:01:45 -0800

As I'm writing this, my boyfriend is playing Gears of War 2 with a buddy via online co-op play. He is also wearing an Xbox Headset so that they can communicate and strategize their mission.

So to say that my boyfriend loves GOW2 is a bit of an understatement. Besides the fact that there was a permanent butt imprint in our last couch when the first installment of the series hit the shelves, it seems that in some weird way the game re-establishes a sense of manliness that is lost from days of working in customer service, IT support, or just bending to the wants and needs of others. It brings an aura of brotherhood as you battle the "Locusts" together, lending a hand with your chainsaw to amputate the enemy that chokes your brother-in-arms. It's a phenomenon I'll never be able to explain.

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I can't say that I've had much time to play Gears of War 2 myself - you know, since there are always at least four guys on my couch taking turns high-fiving each other for destroying the "horde" - but I can give you some observations I've made over the past few days. To find out what they are, just read more.

There's much more story involved in this game than in the first Gears installment.
Online co-op play is the preferred way to "Gear Up."
You can literally play for hours and not get bored.
Graphics are good, and blowing things up is awesome.
The Locusts' voices are pretty creepy.
This would be the ultimate Christmas gift for a guy in need of some male bonding.
You'll have plenty of time to do your nails/shop/workout/play your DS without your BF bothering you about it.

I don't know if any of these insights will help you decide whether or not to actually purchase Gears of War 2 for yourself, but hey, if I'm going by my boyfriend's enthusiasm, it's like the greatest game ever.

Gears of War 2 is available now for $60 on your Xbox 360.

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What Video Game Should Become More Girl-Friendly?

GeekSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 04:30:55 -0700

The designer of Gears of War 2 recently told Wired that the sequel to Gears of War would be more "girlfriend-friendly," namely, by making the female avatars' breasts smaller and having them not be "bad stereotypes." My knee-jerk sensitive reaction is with him using the term "girlfriend-friendly" - let's be clear - girl gamers do buy and play their own games and don't need to be classified generally as girlfriends (talk about bad stereotypes). The term girl-friendly is just fine.

In any case, I do appreciate that video game makers are recognizing that girls are playing these games and that some tweaks should be made to certain games to make them unisex. I know a lot of you girls will play a game whether you feel represented or not, but I know that the addition of less-polarizing features will make some girls pick up that controller, even if it's something as mild as adding an even number of female avatars.

It would be nice to see other video games follow suit too - wouldn't it be great to have a girl play as much of a starring role as Nico or Vlad in GTA IV?! On that note, what video games do you think could stand to be a little more girl-friendly?

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Gears of War 2

GeekSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:30:20 -0800

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Geeks We Love: Kevin Hall of Dvice

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:25:24 -0800

I check in daily with Dvice, not only because of its gadget coverage, but also because of its sweet sci-fi influence. So just in case you aren't familiar (and if not, why?), let me introduce you to one of Dvice's endearingly geeky contributors - and one of this year's Geeks We Love - Kevin Hall. Recent Brooklyn transplant, this geek hottie has traveled the world, seen (almost) everything, and can still say that robots are his favorite thing . . . ever.

GS: Pretend I'm a total stranger (and let's be honest, I pretty much am), and tell me a little about yourself.
KH: Well, I'm a 24-year-old freelancer living in Brooklyn, NY. I'm a transplant, though - I was born in La Jolla, CA, and have lived in Indonesia, Pennsylvania, London, and Texas. After graduating from college, I knew I wanted to write and heard NYC is the place to do it, so I moved here. I was lucky enough to get a shot at blogging for Gizmodo, then started writing for DVICE, and editing a SCI-FI channel blog called Visions For Tomorrow. That's all rather boring stuff, I suppose. What else? My favorite color is orange, I love eating at all of New York's fine burger spots, and I'm probably more into robots than anyone made of flesh should be. Seriously, if technology made it possible to implant my brain into a robotic shell, I'd totally do it.

To see how Kevin appreciates old(er) school technology, what gadget is on his hot list, and why I'd go on a Valentine's date with him any day of the week, just read more.

GS: Are you strictly a gadget type of guy, or are you also a sci-fi nerd and/or gaming geek?
KH: All three, I'd say, though mostly a sci-fi and gaming geek. I love gadgets, but I don't camp in lines for the latest thing. In fact, I've got a fat, old Samsung clamshell for a cell that's maybe 4- or 5-years-old now, and the same 3.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot that I had in high school. And when it comes to science fiction, all of my favorite shows have come and gone - Star Trek: TNG, Space Above and Beyond, Cowboy Bebop, Futurama, and Firefly. I do enjoy the new Battlestar Galactica, of course, and I still love Star Wars, despite my love of Star Trek. If it's in space, I'll probably love it. I read more sci-fi than I watch.

Oh, how I love video games. I'd say the titles that define my tastes would be Deus Ex, Myth, Shadow of the Colossus, Halo, Tribes, Guardian Heroes (for the Saturn), Everquest, Anarchy Online, EVE - now that I've started, I really could go on forever. The last game I played was Gears of Wars 2, and that was about 20 minutes ago. And now it's five a.m., so yeah, you can see how I enjoy my gaming!

GS: Do you remember your very first gadget? Mine was a pager. No, really.
KH: I think my first gadget was probably a Game Boy. Growing up overseas, most of the games we had access to were pirated cartridges titled something like "99 games in one," but each one would just have maybe five or 10 ripoffs of Mario and Pac Man and stuff like that. I think I've actually owned almost every iteration of the Game Boy, from the old beloved brick to the niche-y Micro. I guess I'm slowing down in my old age, though, as I didn't run out to replace my first-gen DS with a Lite.

GS: What gadget are you lusting over right now?
KH: Boring answer, I know, but the iPhone. I'm really impressed by it, especially now that the App Store has been blown wide open. I'm not hardcore enough to want a Blackberry, and I hate cellphones too much to be interested by anything else on the market. The iPhone seems to be a good blend of functional phone and handheld computer, and that really appeals to me.

GS: Dvice is a Sci-Fi owned blog, so you must get cool insider scoops, right? You know how Battlestar Galactica ends, don't you?! Tell me! Tell me now!
KH: We get our tie-ins and exclusive content, sure, but I can't say much more than that. The last thing I want is one of the Sci-Fi Channel's Terminators to return from the future and kill me in the middle of this interview.

GS: What would a geeky-cool guy like you want to do for your lady friend on Valentine's Day? Take us through your perfect date.
KH: Well, we'd start out by taking a newly constructed hover train from New York to Germany (yeah, doesn't exist, just roll with it - I love trains), and hit up this restaurant called Baggers, which has fully automated service. Then we'd fly over to Russia and hitch a ride up to the International Space Station for a flashlight-lit (I imagine candles would be dangerous) dessert in zero-gee and some stargazing. I think the brilliance of the Earth from orbit would make a pretty romantic backdrop, so we'd probably ride around for a full orbit, uh, "playing video games," and then it's back to Earth for us. Or - for a creepy alternate ending - she could reveal that she's actually a robot from an alien world and I'd follow her home. Or we could just go to Tokyo - it's my favorite place to visit and it's about as close as you can get to living in the future.

What Is Your Favorite New Video Game of 2008?

GeekSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:00:21 -0800

I've definitely had my fill of gaming this year, so it's going to be especially hard for me to take this particular Best of 2008 poll. Picking just one game out of all the awesomeness that hit our consoles this year? It seems like an impossible task. There were the incredible visuals in Little Big Planet, the engaging and totally addictive Fable II, the evolutionary and revolutionary Spore, and of course, the interactive and healthy Wii Fit. But if you ask my boyfriend, hands down it was the combat-driven Gears of War 2 that takes the top spot this year. Which new release is your favorite in 2008?

Get the Hottest Games on Release Day Without Leaving Home

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:02:10 -0700

The release of highly anticipated video games usually conjures up thoughts of long lines, depressing sold-out signs on store fronts, and waiting – oh painful waiting – those extra few days for your preorder to arrive while all your pals brag about how they've already made it to the final level. Booo!

Thankfully, Amazon has come to rescue you from your game-day troubles with its Release-Date Delivery service. For a mere $5.95, you can have a selection of hot games including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Fable 2, and Gears of War 2 delivered to your door the day they're released to the hungry masses. And let's be honest, $5.95 is a pretty cheap price to pay to keep you from standing in line with a bunch of Dew'd-up gaming geeks. Plus, if you're an Amazon Prime member, you'll get release-date delivery for free! Tell that to all the suckers that will be waiting in line overnight for Fable II!

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