Lesbian Gamers's blog

This past week was E3, the biggest week in the video gaming calendar and we've got the rundown for you right here at AfterEllen.com.

Microsoft held a smart press conference that wasn't without its dig at Sony. The conference pretty much started with them saying they were going to concentrate on the games and not the facts and figures — and that's exactly what they did.

The biggest announcement from the Microsoft camp came to us in the form of "Project Natal" (said Natal as in the hot Russian spy name Natalia, not the baby popping "pre-natal"), a new motion sensing controller that seems to promise everything from full 3D motion sensing to doing your laundry.

Geek girl cutie Felecia Day was on hand to inform us about social network sites Twitter and Facebook both coming to Xbox Live. This is a cool addition for addicted tweeps and their peeps. This should be out in the Fall.

A surprise announcement regarding the "Metal Gear Solid" franchise was cleverly integrated with "Metal Gear Solid: Rising" being announced. The title won't feature "Solid Snake," who remains within Sony's grasp for the time being it seems, given they too had a MGS announcement themselves.

Here we are folks — it's GDC (Game Developers Conference) at the moment, so there's a fair bit of gaming news to be had. For this reason, we'll cover them in more bite-sized chunks for your careful consumption.

"Noby Noby Boy" heading to iPhone
Seems like the iPhone is swiftly becoming the place to be if you're a handheld game. "Katamari Damacy" creator Keita Takahashi is presently putting together "Noby Noby Boy" for the iPhone. The game, which has been a bit of a hit on the Playstation Network, is expected to hit the iPhone platform in the not-too-distant future.

"Ratchet & Clank" back on PS3 this year
That is assuming there's no massive slippage. Yes, Sony has announced the intrepid duo will finally be back in a PS3 outing. "Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time" will see Ratchet out to save his sidekick Clank from the evil Dr. Nefarious. It's expected to feature new weapons, new jokes and even space battles.

We're back with your gaming news roundup for the past week or two, and there's been a fair bit going on so let's get to the stories that stood out.

"Halo Wars" sells in excess of 1 million
According to Microsoft, the RTS (Real Time Strategy) title "Halo Wars" has become the most successful console RTS on the present generation of machines. Sadly for the development team, their studio closed around the time the game was released.

"MySims Racing" announced
Those cute little "MySims" will be racing onto Wii and DS later this year in the form of the aptly titled "MySims Racing." The game will enter players in a driving school where they'll learn all the skills needed to take on rival racers on some of the "trickiest tracks in the land."

There will be kart customization, power-ups and gadgets for winning races. You'll be able to create and customize your MySim character and design your own kart. "MySims Racing" will also feature a standard four-player mode.

We've all heard stories of one person's crusade becoming a full-blown war, and it looks like the gay and lesbian community has found their war against Microsoft. Last week, news emerged of a gamer named Teresa who frequented Xbox Live. Teresa was allegedly banned from the service because she identified as a lesbian in her profile. Needless to say, she wasn't happy about this and took the ban public, no doubt with little knowledge that the entire thing would force Microsoft into a very embarrassing and public apology over its woeful Xbox Live Policy.

The issue is that Microsoft claims its policy is there to prevent homophobic slurs on XBL, a sort of gaming "don't ask, don't tell." MS does state it’s against "ALL types of orientation," because Microsoft doesn’t want anyone outlining their sexual preferences on Live. The issue, however, is that there is a huge problem with context while using text analysis technology to pick up on this (which is allegedly what MS uses), and many words are simply not being picked up by the system.

In a brief investigation carried out by LesbianGamers.com, the following gamer tags were shown to be in existence (at some point): IamStraight, hetero, HeteroLifeMates, poofterh8r, Gaybaishnig, Lesbiankilr, Queerkillah and Dyksmasher. Clearly the issue with these Gamer tags isn't just that they refer to sexual preference, but that they actively incite hate against particular groups. It is only logical then that Microsoft immediately act on this pitiful system to ensure that context is considered when it comes to Gamer tags.

Welcome to "The Pitt" in "Fallout 3"
Post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh never looked so good. If you're looking for a little more "Fallout 3" action (where the heck do you find the time?), then "The Pitt" DLC is due out next month and will feature new weaponry — in the form of a spinning "AutoAxe" — and a new scenario. It’s expected to cost $800 MSP for the Xbox 360 version, although it will also be released for PC gamers.

Time trials for "Mirror's Edge" arrive
Heads up, parkour fans: There's new DLC (downloadable content) for "Mirror's Edge" on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in the form of new time trials. Players will be challenged to achieve the fastest times possible on nine races across seven all-new and totally redesigned Time Trial maps. No guns, no cops and no city: These are true aesthetics, agility and flow that will challenge any runner. This special DLC pack is available for $800 MSP. Happy leaping.

"World of Warcraft" character customization includes sex change
"World of Warcraft" is a game of plenty, and players utilizing the North American servers just got even more cool stuff. Players can now re-customize their characters to change their gender, skin tone, name, hair style and facial features.

The service will set you back a cool 15 bucks. No word on when the rest of the globe will get the feature or how much it's going to sting them, but Blizzard seem to be suggesting some time early in the new year.

Knothole Island DLC for "Fable II" now December 22
It seems the official Xbox site was in error when it posted the Knothole Island release date as Dec. 12, as it was actually meant to be Dec. 22. Lionhead has stated the new content will definitely arrive on the 22nd, so not long to wait.

MS releases first lot of 360 Avatar clothing
The first lot of avatar clothing has just been released and it’s free. If you like snowboarding, then you're probably going to love this set, given its a snow coat, gloves, boots and hat.

Microsoft has said they will release avatar clothing updates fairly regularly. We would expect some form of "holiday season" outfits to be released in the coming weeks, though nothing has been officially announced.

Activision releases some choice titles for 2009
Games journalists have been at it this week talking up some of the titles Activision will release in 2009 and one of them sounds pretty interesting. Activision has yet to confirm these, but rumor has it we'll see more "Guitar Hero," "Call of Duty," "James Bond" and "Tony Hawk" next year.

It's the "Tony Hawk" title that has us interested. An Activision exec said, "You're not going to be playing this game with a controller in your hands." We would therefore assume we can expect a bespoke skateboard controller for the game when it releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii late next year. Not sure if it's related, but Q-Motions was working on a skateboard controller earlier in the year, but all has gone quiet.

Fastest-selling PC game ever — "Wrath of the Lich King"
Blizzard Entertainment is once again laughing all the way to the bank as the new expansion of the "World of Warcraft" universe smashes sales records. The second expansion in the series, "Wrath of the Lich King," has sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time (according to internal company records and reports).

The record was previously held by Blizzard, when the first "World of Warcraft" expansion, "The Burning Crusade," sold around 2.4 million copies in a 24-hour period. It seems Blizzard can do little wrong with this cash cow.

"GTA IV" episodic content announced
Xbox 360 owners with a penchant for Liberty City, this post is for you. Rockstar has announced the first downloadable content pack for GTA IV, in the form of "The Lost and Damned." Hero of the piece (because, let's face it, a virtual gaming environment this macho has no place for a female hero) is Johnny Klebitz, a member of the Liberty City biker gang, The Lost. Apparently Niko will make an appearance, but merely as a peripheral character.

Pieces Interactive brings "Puzzlegeddon" to PC
We haven't played this one yet, but we do think it has some nice assets, and we thought you might like to know about it if you don't already. "Puzzlegeddon" is a "puzzle brawler" in which you "Puzzle, collect resources and defeat opponents — by combining an inventive puzzle mode with frantic party-game action and the added twists of the universe. Players are in for a ... great early Christmas gift this November," says Johan Hellberg, CEO of Pieces Interactive.

Well of course he'd say that! We'll reserve judgment, but it certainly does look interesting. You can check it out here.

"Halo 3 Recon" will only be three to six hours in length
This seems like a bit of a letdown, until you realize they're going to have the length reflected in the price — it will be cheaper — and that "Halo 3" took around six hours to finish and was full-price.

We're still holding out hope the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper you play in this can be female, and we've been perusing numerous interviews about it, so we think you will get that option. Bungie is consistently playing the gender pronoun game with this one, as mentioned a few episodes back on Gay Girls Who Game.

"EVE Online" gets some boost
Quite a few lesbians like "EVE Online," the Sci-Fi MMORPG by CCP Games, so with that in mind, here's a little update: Developer CCP is presently working on an addition to the premium version of the game because they feel some of it is showing its age. The new addition to the game will probably come next year in the shape of another expansion, with further updates to take place after that. Expected to change with the update will be better-rendered environments and particle effects.

Also announced recently were EVE server upgrades allowing an estimated 1,000-player space battles. Wow!

Retro fans heads-up — "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection" for 360 and PS3
A new compilation just announced by SEGA will feature loads of golden oldies from the back catalogue. The "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection" for the Xbox 360 and PS3 will feature the best first-party games from SEGA's respected 16-bit Mega Drive years, as well as bonus content from its 8-bit Master System and 1980s arcade-era games library. Expected to appear are over 40 celebrated SEGA classics in one package, including: "Sonic the Hedgehog" 1, 2 and 3, "Columns," "Alien Storm," "Ecco the Dolphin," "Space Harrier," and the cult classic "Streets of Rage" 1, 2 and 3.

Happy Halloween, gamesters! Yes, it's that time of year again and, with that in mind, we've got a couple of spooky gaming news bites for you, along with all the regular stuff.

"Fable II" lesbians and why no fuss?
It's a strange thing how sometimes the press leaps upon a game for a specific aspect and pulls it through the mill. "Mass Effect" for the Xbox 360 (and later PC) garnered more than its fair share of negative attention regarding its "lesbian" love scene. The game was even banned for a time in Singapore.

Now, "Fable II" has finally released on the Xbox 360 and features lesbians, lesbian marriages, gay guys and bisexuals, but not a word has been uttered. Lesbian Gamers will be looking into this oddity in the coming week as well as collating all the characters’ sexuality types.

"Dead Space" is a Halloween treat
A review of "Dead Space" will appear on the next episode of "Gay Girls Who Game," but given it's Halloween week, we thought we'd include a little bit of info here too. "Dead Space" is creepy; there are creepy sounds, creepy shadows, loud musical interludes and, of course, monsters.

Xbox gets bad press after boy disappears
It's funny how if anything bad even remotely involves gaming it will hit the headlines in a big way. The latest in a long line of adverse gaming press is a really sad story about a boy in Ontario, Canada. Brandon Crisp left his Ontario home after a dispute with his parents over "excessive use of his Xbox" and he hasn't been seen since. More than 400 police are now searching for the boy after a jacket, tent and crackers were found Friday. Here's hoping they find him and he's OK.

"Wii Music" gets mixed reviews
We haven't played "Wii Music" yet because it's not released in the Antipodes until the middle of November, but we have been following its progress for months. "Wii Music" is a new game that utilizes the standard Wii controls to play various instruments (rather than adding to your already full room of plastic guitars!). Instruments include piano, guitar, drums and loads more, but sadly a lot of reviews are suggesting the title is more about improvisation — because you can add your own style of play &mdsah; than full-on fun.

It won't be for everyone apparently, but if you fancy playing "Frere Jaqua," this will be one to watch. We'll review it ourselves when the time comes.

"Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009" releases
If you don't watch NBC's The Biggest Loser, you might not know who Jillian Michaels is. She is of course the hot yet scary trainer who screams lovingly in the contestants faces.

Rhianna Pratchett scripting new "Overlord" games
Terry Pratchett's daughter, Rhianna, is one busy lady with all these video game franchises she's working on, and she's just added more notches to her gaming belt. Rhianna has been signed to pen scripts for "Overlord II" — the PS3 and Xbox 360 sequel to "Overlord." She'll also be penning scripts for "Overlord: Dark Legend" — Wii and "Overlord: Minions" — DS, coming sometime next year.

"Halo 3 Recon" announced for Xbox 360
A new "Halo" campaign and multiplayer maps are heading to the Xbox 360 mid-2009. The title "Halo 3 Recon" features the tagline "New hero, new campaign," and you don't play Master Chief. The title features an all-new "Halo 3" prequel campaign and multiplayer maps, so "Halo" fans will no doubt be elated. We'd be more elated if the "new hero" turned out to be a woman, as a playable female "Halo" character would be awesome. It's hard to tell under that Shock Troop armor, but one would assume same old, same old.

New Xbox Experience (dashboard update) slated for Nov. 19
And the crowds go wild! Yes, that flashy new Xbox Experience dash update is only mere weeks away, as it was announced at TGS that it will hit Nov. 19. The update will change the entire look of the Xbox Live experience   and it will add all those cute little avatars to the mix. Soon there will be all manner of cute lesbian avatars all over the service, and we imagine lots of little micro packs of clothes and things you'll be charged MS points for to jazz up your avatar.

"Tekken 6" announced for Xbox 360 and PS3
"Tekken 6" will feature a roster of more than 40 characters and will feature online play and a new rage system. It's set for a fall 2009 release. Bet Nina Williams looks awesome on the 360 and PS3.

The Tokyo Gameshow got underway this week and that long rumored new Nintendo DSi was officially announced. The new DS keeps the same overall aesthetic as the DS Lite, for the most part, but features a slightly bigger screen (three and a quarter inches as opposed to three inches), two built in cameras, an SD card slot, no GBA slot and it's also a bit thinner than its predecessor (by about 12%).

The Nintendo DSi launches in Japan Nov. 1, but won't be available in other regions until "well into next year." Looks like there will be quite a lot of importing going on. A couple of thoughts that flew through my tiny brain when I saw the specs: An SD card slot sounds a little like a homebrewer and pirates dream come true. If there's no GBA slot, what about things like the cool "Guitar Hero on Tour" peripheral and rumble pack, where are they going to go? The addition of the "DSi Store" with its 'apps,' as numerous news sources are calling them, sounds a little like Nintendo like what the iPhone is doing.

And here we were thinking "Wii Speak" was all about "Animal Crossing: City Folk" (or "Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City!" as its named here in the land of kangaroos). Apparently not. US gamers will be able to purchase the "Wii Speak" microphone for 30 bucks Nov. 16. They'll be able to chat with up to three friends and be represented by Mii's onscreen who will apparently mimic their talking.

Remember "Banjo-Kazooie" on the N64? If you loved that title and own an Xbox 360, we've got some great news for you: In November "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" makes its exclusive debut and you'll be able to download the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the original game for free.

"Banjo-Kazooie" will feature graphical improvements and full support of gamer scores and achievements, and will be available for 1200 Microsoft points when it launches this November.

If you want even more "BK" goodness, "Banjo-Tooie" is also heading to Xbox LIVE Arcade in early 2009, making the Xbox 360 the new home of the beloved franchise.

Bungie loves dangling the carrot. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's just annoying. With the most recent "Halo" teaser, it seems most gamers feel a bit let down as they expected something more. The "big announcement" Bungie teased us with is a trailer for a new "Halo 3" project. The teaser footage showed pods from the sky crashing into a city. It seems like players will be taking on the role of a soldier in the city (now ruined) to fight whatever was in the many pods. Sounds like some fresh new campaign for "Halo 3" fans, but still no one is clear on what it actually is — not that it matters; it's "Halo" so it will sell bucket-loads.

Downloadable games from Xbox Live Arcade
TikGames has announced "Domino Master" is available for download via Xbox Live Arcade. The game was made by the team behind the top-selling "Texas Hold 'Em" video game. You'll be able to compete in classic dominos or four other variations, including All Threes, All Fives, Mexican Train and Bergen. "Domino Master" is priced at 800 Microsoft points and has been rated E for Everyone.

Also available for download is "Double D Dodgeball" and its content pack, "Get Bent." (One has to wonder who came up with the name.) The pack will set you back 100 Microsoft Points.

"LittleBigPlanet" gets a release date
Finally, "LittleBigPlanet" has a release dated carved in concrete! Yes, the new, groundbreaking PlayStation 3 title — combining an amazing platform adventure with a huge social community — will be on store shelves Oct. 24. There are places to explore, creative resources to collect and puzzles to solve — all requiring a combination of brains and teamwork.

The game is already garnering plaudits as one of the most hotly anticipated titles in video game history. We're certainly looking forward to this one.

"World of Goo" goes gold

We've had "World of Goo" on our "DRADIS" for some time now and it's finally gone gold — meaning it's off to the presses! "World of Goo" is an independent title by developers 2D Boy founded by Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both of whom worked at EA prior to starting their own studio. If you like your odd puzzle titles "World of Goo" could be for you. It's set to release on PC, Mac and WiiWare.

"SingStar" expands with "ABBA" and "Country" editions

You can never have too much "Singstar," it seems, as SCEA and SCEE announce "SingStar ABBA"and "SingStar Country," both of which should see the light of day in time for the holiday season (though the latter is only set for a U.S. release at time of writing).

The agreement comes as the music of ABBA enjoys a renewed surge of popularity worldwide, sparked by the huge success of the film, Mamma Mia. "SingStar Country" is expected to do well with the likes of Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Jessica Simpson, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Kellie Pickler, Faith Hill, Keith Urban and others taking part.

"The Legend of Kage 2" in October

Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, has announced "The Legend of Kage 2" will be available across all PAL territories in November 2008, exclusively for the Nintendo DS. The U.S. release is scheduled for early October.

Bluray has a limited lifespan

According to the director of consumer electronics at Samsung, the PS3 may well be around for a decade (though we would imagine a decade from inception and not a decade more), but Bluray as a format may only have a lifespan of another five years. Makes you wonder if it's worth replacing all those DVDs, doesn't it? That said, DVD was only fully launched in 1998, so that means it had a lifespan of a decade and VHS had around the same time span before a better format was released.

SackBoy toys from "LittleBigPlanet" are inbound thanks to Taito

I want one, you want one, too, don't you! SackBoy and Sackgirl are just adorable. They're the characters from Sony's upcoming PS3 title “LittleBigPlanet” and it looks like Sony is going to push them as the PS3 mascot. The toys will ship later this year and will be available in two sizes (10 cm and 25 cm). If you want one, you'll probably have to get these online unless you have a good indie game store that deals in cool gaming collectibles.

"Spore" hands on review

Yes, the game we've all been waiting for since it was first announced some time around 1983 (OK, not 1983, but it does feel like it). It's finally here and we've been playing it all week along with "Spore Creatures" on the DS. We'll be bringing you a full on "Spore" special in the next episode of Gay Girls Who Game, but for now we'll leave you with a few words to mow over: Addictive, fun, confusing, repetitive, fun, innovative, addictive, cute, fun, massive — you get the idea.

The strangeness of "Machinarium"
"Machinarium" is a quirky title set for release Q1 2009. It features some odd animation with a robot hero. Sadly, the story seems to revolve around the male hero robot rescuing the useless female robot and saving his hometown in the process. Despite these usual male heroics, "Machinarium" is looking really cool. Check out the trailer below.

Who you gonna call? Not "Ghostbusters"
Confusion of confusions: Just what is happening with the upcoming "Ghostbusters" game? After months of "will it be published, won't it be published?" talk, it seems Zuul may be working his evil and halting the title from seeing the light of day. GameStop seems to have removed the game from pre-order and informed staff that anyone who pre-ordered it is due a refund. Well, that can't be good. Maybe they're just stalling it to release next year to coincide with the movie's 25th anniversary — or maybe this title's been totally slimed.

With the Leipzig Games Convention on, it's a big week in gaming. We've got all the major stories coming out so far, all tied up in a shiny gaming bow.

Wonder Woman to appear in "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe"

Finally, the announcement some of us have longed for and expected: Wonder Woman will indeed appear in the upcoming "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" fighting game. Midway made the announcement this week.

Wireless keypad for PS3 unveiled

Never being one to not "borrow" great ideas from other consoles, Sony announced a wireless keypad for the PS3 Sixaxis and Dual Shock controllers. The keypad (seen below) will make messaging friends easier, and according to Sony, "could be used for game development in future."

New "Singstar" titles ahead, including Disney tracks

If you like Disney songs, you're going to love this! Sony announced "Disney Singstar" for the PS2. The game will include hits from The Little Mermaid (oh please let it be "Under the Sea"), The Lion King ("Hakunamatata"? What a wonderful phrase!), Cinderella, The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast ("Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!").

By making it possible for male and female characters to choose the same professions, the game won't be stunted like the previous "Diablo" setup where certain genders were certain character classes. Lead designer Jay Wilson said: "These [characters] are not people; they are so far above the normal civilians because that's the tone of the game."

Alison Carroll is the new Lara Croft model, taking the crown over from Karima Adebibe. Carroll is a 23-year-old trained gymnast, so she can cater to all those gymnastic moves Lara is so very capable of.

According to a recent poll run at gaming site What They Play, parents are more worried about video game exposure than they are about exposure to violence, alcohol and porn. On one of the polls — of 3,000 parents — 27 percent of them were most offended by two men kissing, in front of the 26 percent that found a graphically severed head unappealing. We're not sure who runs the site or who they polled, but doesn't it just fill your heart with love to know two guys kissing rates more offensive than a graphically severed head?

Here's your gaming news rundown for the week from LesbianGamers!

"GTA: IV" dated for PC

Fear not PC-only gamers: Soon you'll be able to pick up "ladies of the night" and run them down in your beat up car after dropping them off on a street corner. Yes, the bastion of all that is socially sardonic in gaming ("GTA: IV") is headed to PC November 21 in Europe and November 18 in US (expect other regions to fall in line with these dates).

Illuminated sticks for "Rock Band"

If you want to shed a little light on your "Rock Band" proceedings, look no further than the Illuminated Drumsticks from The Ant Commandos. They're available in two colors — flame red and electric blue — and are available at a suggested retail price of $19.99, which includes two drumsticks in each package (well yes, you would hope so wouldn't you?).

"Braid" for XBLA smashing reviews

You know we like to review games ourselves and give honest (non-industry pressured) opinions on Gay Girls Who Game. Every now and again, review scores from all sources are so high, you have to try something for yourself and "Braid" seems to be one such title on the XBLA download service. We may well review this in the next GGWG episode.

The cool female character in Resident Evil 5 (Sheva Alomar) is modeled by Australian actress Michelle Van Der Water (pictured). Van Der Water was brought up in Oz, but moved to LA a few years ago to become an actor. She's also a former model and, judging by her filmography, this may well be her biggest role to date. (Side note: another Australian actress Anna Torv who will play FBI agent Olivia in the upcoming Fox series Fringe, stars in the PS3 title Heavenly Sword. She also played a rather hot lesbian in the miniseries Mistresses.) That's some great female representation!

Don't go throwing away your Wii's yet — it could be in development for ages (and may be the new DS we'll cover further on). Iwata was quoted this week as saying ,"We are always preparing for the next hardware. We are under development,". He also said unlike Sony, there can be no definitive replacement date (i.e. a six year turn around), it should be replaced when developers can no longer innovate on the present system.