I really like farm management games, which is odd since I can’t keep a real plant alive, but after playing Harvest Moon, FarmCraft, Farm Frenzy and so many others, I wasn’t sure there was any room left for new farming games. I didn’t know if Funky Farm 2 by SortaSoft could bring anything new that other farm sims hadn’t already done.

read more | Meg's blog | login or register to post comments

There's been a fan event that has been sorely lacking in our industry. We have Penny Arcade expo which is a great general gaming event and there's Comic-con, which covers a portion of the gaming industry. GenCon also has a side show for gaming, but nothing really focuses on the special needs of the MMO player. A lot of games hold their individual events, but just because a person plays one game doesn't mean they wouldn't like to socialize with others playing other games, right?

read more | Rosethorn's blog | 2 comments

I'm not a child of the 60's, but I'm a Beatles fan. I've been one for as long as I can remember. The first album I bought was an original copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The first song I learned to play on the guitar was "Here, There and Everywhere." I have them loaded on my Ipod. So you can imagine how happy I was when I learned Rock Band: The Beatles was coming out...

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I know it's been a heck of a long time since I've personally done any meaningful updates. I was waylayed by another job that took all the time I had in my life, including time I should have spent with my family. Thank goodness that's over and I can breathe again!

So we're in the process (the family and I) of moving to the great state of Texas! All you Texas out there, holla! We're very excited about the move and the opportunities it represents. But this also means I'm going to have time to devote again to my baby, Killer Betties.

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I've been playing Lost in Blue

read more | Meg's blog | login or register to post comments

FusionFall was recently released. Here are some comments on the beta and on the new game:

read more | Meg's blog | login or register to post comments

A review of the new Princess Bride Game (yay!) from Simpson's Paradox:

Although I was super excited to get my review copy of the Princess Bride game, I wasn’t sure whether I would automatically like this game because it’s based on the Princess Bride, or hate it because it’s based on the Princess Bride but different. (see also: why I dislike movies based on books I liked)

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I got to check out the upcoming Wizard 101, here are some of my thoughts from my own blog:

I was predisposed to like the new Wizard 101 game. It’s not exactly a secret that I love Harry Potter, and the game promises to be a wizard school MMOPRG. The game is adorable from the first loading screen. They’ve got a Wizard 101 gallery on the website, but it doesn’t do justice to the fantastic sketch drawings and handwritten notes, or the cheery game characters.

read more | Meg's blog | login or register to post comments

There's a little applet on Facebook called PackRat that I just adore! It appeals to all my collector instincts, and I have many. I am an admitted Facebook addict anyway, I just love reading everyone's daily updates and seeing the pictures people put up and playing co-op on PackRat with Katie Postma! The nice thing is that when you need a little break from your daily grind, there it is, waiting for you to waste 15 minutes.

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So I've been up to a couple of fun things lately. One is Age of Conan and someday I'll get around to writing about my experiences in that game. The other thing I've been messing around with is Wii Fit.

I'm in terrible shape. I'm a wee bit overweight, but nothing that I'm desperate to lose. But I am by no means fit. So when Wii Fit finally came out in the states (those in Europe got it first for a change!), I went down to my local Toys R Us first thing in the morning and grabbed me a copy.

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It's true, perhaps I should focus more on Killer Betties. It's a great site with a great idea and I want it to succeed. It appears that my last partner has taken to the sky without even letting me know! (Ouch) So it took me this long to even notice (doh!)

But after a lot of thought, I've decided I'm not just going to let the site die. As a result, I'm in dire need of anyone who can help, with reviews (we do lots of casual game reviews, so it's quick and easy to do those as well as the more hardcore gamer games), news and blogging.

read more | Rosethorn's blog | 1 comment

The May 2008 issue is out! This issue's theme is Getting Noticed In Gaming. It's also Cerise's first anniversary, and we have a successful year to look back on

We're currently looking for submissions for our June issue. Here's the call for submissions:

Submission deadline: May 20
Theme: Heroines and Villainesses

Male heroes and villains seem to dominate gaming storylines, but there are plenty of fascinating female hero(in)es and villain(esse)s, too. This issue aims to celebrate and discuss our favorite (and least favorite) female characters, both protagonists and antagonists.

Who are your all-time favorite heroines and villainesses, and why are they so great? What makes a video game heroine heroic? What’s it like to role-play as a villainess? What are some of the typical ways in which female heroes and villains differ from their male counterparts – and is that okay? If these questions intrigue you, be sure to submit your work for this issue.

read more | tekanji's blog | login or register to post comments

I just found out there's a World Of WarCraft dating site, www.datecraft.com, where WoW gamers can meet other players for off-line amusements. The site's pretty new, still in beta, but already has quite a few users. User profiles tell their faction, race, level and in-game professions, as well as the usual location/job/maritial status info.

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The Life and Times of a Video Game Design Student is a new blog that I've started that revolves around my foray into the study of game planning and design.

From the About page:

This blog is a chronicle of the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of Andrea Rubenstein relating to her studies at HAL, a technical school in Japan. The articles here range from academic critiques to personal entries, including everything from her thoughts on the educational process to analyzing the aspects of the gaming industry that she is exposed to.

It won't really kick into gear until April, which is when school starts, but in the meantime I'm in the process of getting up articles about my experiences up to now.

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Due to recent experiences (and my waiting for the summer to be over so I can play Bioshock) , I would like to post a few rules in regards to pick up groups (PuGs) in WoW. Violation of any of these rules will result in immediate termination of my role in the group as well as my putting the offending player on my "to mock list" whereupon said player will be hazed at every opportunity.

1. Thou shalt play the class you indicated you would play.

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