So you might've noticed not too many updates last week, well that was because we here at Killer Betties was attending our first Game Developers Conference out in San Francisco so we can bring you some excellent news and previews. It would've come earlier, but well, Wi-Fi sucked out there. So to kickoff coverage let's start with a look back at the show and some of our favorites in this The Best of GDC Awards as determined by Killer Betties.

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Over the last few years, a new type of game has appeared—the casino genre. Rising to the top of its genre, as well as the family entertainment category, according to NPD Entertainment November industry statistics, is a dark horse from Phantom EFX....Reel Deal Slots: Mystic Forest. Apparently Mystic Forest has become the favored game of thousands of players according to a list headed by the #1 game of all videogames...you guessed it, World of Warcraft. Being a slots game and named 8th for all videogames in October (according to PC Gamer) in the same list as WoW is an almost-unheard-of achievement in the gaming world.

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A little bit of news for the Firefly fans out there.

Wired News recently posted an article stating:

Multiverse, maker of a free MMO-creation platform, plans to announce Friday morning that it's struck a deal with Fox Licensing to turn the show into an MMORPG in the fashion of Star Wars Galaxies or Eve Online. (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72263-0.html?tw=rss.index)

I find myself to be simultaneously flailing in excitement and anticipation as well as sinking into a deep, inescapable depression. My reasons for excitement should be clear. Firefly is some of the best science fiction ever made and I've often daydreamed in the hours before sleep of being an adorable yet very competent mechanic of a Firefly class transport ship. Or possibly living on the rim, searching for smugglers to eat alive and hang from the ceiling with chains and hooks. I do play horde in WoW after all.

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

It’s no secret that the PSP is not doing as well on the market as it’s competitor, the Nintendo DS. Sure it’s a system that is focused on being a multiple entertainment system with the ability to play music, watch movies, and of course, play games, but it appears that it’s just not doing enough for some members of the gaming public. I mean they have resorted to a number of “new marking” gimmicks such as the letting them come in Pink, Blue and Sliver. (I would like to state for the record that the Pink PSP is UGLY), and have dropped the price, but still no bitters. But I think they finally got something.

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

Hello, my name is Staci and I'm an XBox 360 achievement addict.

This, on the surface, doesn't sound like a real problem right? Well, it wouldn't be, except that once I've got the achievements on the game, I never return to it again, even if I love it, like say Uno or Jewel Quest. I'll also play some games I truly hate just to get the achievements, spending time making myself miserable (OBLIVION!) just for that little note on the bottom of the screen that says 'Achievement unlocked!' That little note is almost as good as seeing a shiny question mark in EverQuest 2.

Which brings me to my other addiction, the shiny question marks in EverQuest 2. I love EverQuest 2 and here's why. The quest journal and the collections. I feel such a huge sense of accomplishment every time I complete a quest and I love the shiny question marks. I can't even explain how excited I get when I see a little sparkle on the landscape, and as I sit and wait to see what the shiny question mark turns out to be, the anticipation builds. Sometimes, it's something I have already. But sometimes, it's something I've never seen before, a new collection to start, or that one item I need to finish my collection.

read more | kbadmin's blog | 2 comments

A lot of WoW players are annoyed about the Warrior changes that are expected with the Burning Crusade expansion, but someone (Myxilydian of Burning Blade, according to WoW Insider)decided to start an ingame protest. He asked everyone who's not so pleased about the Warrior changes to create a level 1 Gnome Warrior on the Thunderlord server, meet up and then march naked from Ironforge to the gates of Stormwind.

I've done some beer runs on the PvP servers, and I've spent more time than I'd like to admit emote flirting. I really like semi-character events, and the naked gnome march is goofy for a good cause.

read more | Meg's blog | 2 comments

The scene. An unnamed but popular mall in Anytown USA

It’s countdown to the PS3 launch. The atmosphere is pretty festive. Grandparents in lounge chairs want to be the “greatest grandparents in the world” and camped out three days earlier just to have a good chance at one of the systems. Gamers take days off work, some with no pay, just to have a shot. GBAs, DVD players, radios and iPods are scattered among the gathering crowd. Even with Sony’s history of first-generation console glitchiness, and the top news story about the PS3s not being backwards compatible (temporarily), people are still optimistic, As the time gets closer, things start to change. And when the doors open, it’s a madhouse, People get honked off. Grandma gets trampled. Gamers get disappointed, and angry. And leave in ambulances.

read more | AyaJJ's blog | 1 comment

It's Halloween in Paragon and in the Rogue Isles too and the feature of the month is Trick or Treat. Players can knock on doors in level appropriate areas and hope for either a treat (an in-game buff or a temporary power) or a trick (an ambush of witches, werewolves, ghosts). Giant Pumpkin guys and other Ugly guys that defy description will run rampant through the streets, creating hate and discontent, and heroes will band together to minimize the carnage. And for the next two weeks, regular, faithful players get to see something unusual: a plethora of level 50s wandering and waiting to team up to trick or treat. I myself will be camping out on Triumph with all my folks, not because I want a temporary power, not for xp, but for one reason alone.

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People hate waiting in lines. Lines for the DMV. Lines at the drive through restaurant. So why is it that PS3 and Wii pre-buys, which are nothing more than a representation of a virtual line, such hot commodities nowadays? We are talking about sheets of paper here flatter than a NES Mario adventure, not highly advanced next-gen systems. So why is so much emphasis being placed on owning these sheets of paper. Fear the mighty paper cut!

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By: Rickey Perez, Staff Writer

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is a game currently in development by Sigil Games Online. The story of Vanguard takes place in a world called Telon. Like our world, it is populated by both males and females. Usually, the males of high fantasy worlds get a lot of attention. However, the women of Telon are just as important as the men and therefore, I have decided to bring to light the role of women in Vanguard.

Everything you would ever need to know is found within the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of a game's official website. I decided to make my way towards Vanguard's FAQ section.

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Exploring Communities, Questions and Concerns of Lesbian Video Gamers
By Bonnie Ruberg

If women gamers are a minority in the video game world, then lesbian gamers are a minority among women gamers. Alienated from "normal", male-oriented, heterosexual gaming culture by both their gender and their sexual-orientation, these female underdogs face many of the same trying issues as other girl gamers, but with some considerable complications. Even though their voices are rarely heard in mainstream media, they too are fighting for equal representation and respect in America's narrow-minded video game industry. They face magnified concerns about community acceptance, in-game avatars, safe space, and discrimination. Women, as members of a larger video game society, are often considered peripheral; if so, lesbians are the periphery of this periphery. As such, theirs is an even steeper uphill battle, a struggle against stereotypes not just about femininity, but about being gay. Yet they continue to play, if sometimes in the shadows - caught in a complex gaming culture that, in objectifying and over-sexualizing women, calls into conflict their feminist concerns and the interests of their desires.

One of the larger questions surrounding lesbian gamers, and women gamers alike, is whether they need their own separate space. Can lesbians feel comfortable in gaming communities designed for gays of both sexes? For women of all sexual orientations? What about for gamers as a whole? Some believe that gay males and lesbians have little in common, while a group of purely lesbian gamers can bond over their shared interests. Others, like Chris Vizzini, head of Gaymer.org, think that homosexual gamers of both genders should stick together. "Lesbian and gay male gamers mesh quite well," says Chris. "I think it's important for us as gay people to remain intact as a community." As for the necessity of a gay gaming site, Gaymer's manifesto states things clearly enough: "The truth is, in the gaming community, there are some pretty staunchly homophobic players... Gaymer.org is about having fun without hearing the bashing." Though some may doubt the importance of a gay-oriented space, Chris remarks, "I hear constantly from the members of the site how much they like being at ease in a setting where they can talk about their lives without possibly being ridiculed." Some lesbians, however, feel more welcome at girl gamer sites than homosexual ones. Sarah Warn, Editor of AfterEllen.com, notes, "Female-dominated gaming communities tend to be more open-minded and inclusive," and Tracy Whitelaw, the PR Administrator for a female-oriented, lesbian-friendly publication called Thumb Bandits, says lesbians are definitely welcome, even encouraged, at her site. "I think it's important that lesbian gamers have their own space in the larger gaming community," but warns Tracy, "I'm always wary of exclusivity as I think it can really hamper progress and development." Sarah too feels "in the long-term, it's important that mainstream gaming sites become more inclusive of... lesbian gamers." Sharon Hadrian, freelance writer and lesbian gamer, says the real goal isn't cozy segregation, it's "for gay gamers to 'come out' and be noticed in gaming communities."

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Editor's Note: This story was originally published at the launch of World of Warcraft.

What is it about role-playing that developers forget in creating an MMO?

Ever hear about the greatest game on earth? Ever thought you were playing the greatest game on earth? There are likely several "greatest game" answers for every gamer on the planet, but for the subset of gamers who like to call themselves role-players, the greatest game has yet to be made.

"What's a role-player?" you ask? A role-player is someone who allows the character on the screen before them to take on a life that is apart from their own. To some this just means that their toon is a digital representation of something they could never be,and that's role-playing. To others, that toon is just a conduit for their own thoughts and emotions to show themselves in the game. But to a growing minority of players, role-playing means a whole lot more.

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This year marks the first E3 in four years I won't be making the trek across country to the sunny, concrete-filled land known as Los Angeles. Unfortunately, my newest pride and joy, Nicholas, isn't quite old enough to be without me -- nor is he old enough to gain admittance to E3. (He's 5 months old in case anyone was wondering.) As such, I'll be staying home while everyone else I know is frolicking the hours away at that mad, chaotic, often-times hellish gaming event known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Despite my obvious distaste for the show, I'm incredibly sad I'm not going. I both love and hate E3. Last year, I decided to try to 'enjoy' the show, making only a very select few appointments and deciding to play it by ear the rest of the time. BIG mistake. There was a ridiculous amount of white badges last year (more than any other) -- the type of badge stamped on it reading Exhibitor Only. I'd say they outnumbered every other type of badge 10 to 1. Why does that matter? Well, after wading through a sea of white badges and standing in line behind them for 2 hours, I finally got up to play the game I'd been wanting to play - Nintendogs. After about 4 minutes of actually playing, I was shooed along. Teach me not to make appointments.

read more | kbadmin's blog | 5 comments

Last night, after I had finished a review of CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder for IGN, I decided to read through some of the other reviews that have been done on that title. Something bothered me in doing so. I rarely agree with other industry professionals in my adventure game reviews.

I started thinking about why that might be. I genuinely enjoyed the newest CSI game. Yes, it brought almost nothing new to the table and even took away a couple things I did like from previous games, but it was fun. My score reflects how much fun I had with it (scoring systems are a whole different blog entry, so I won't go there now).

read more | kbadmin's blog | 1 comment

For some odd reason, gamers aren't generally satisfied with the simple fact that they just played a great game, because the idea of the "High Score" is still as prevalent today (with such next-generation console ideas as the Xbox 360's Gamer Achievements) as it was when arcades flourished in malls across the world, but why are these things such a big deal to people?

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