Bonks

Mouth-breathing....A serious XBL threat (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-10-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

I swear to you I can feel the hot cheeto scented breath blowing into my ear. It creates a shutter down my spine and a sudden urge for a q-tip doused in hydrogen peroxide. It's fuckin' disgusting..

TAKE THE MIC AWAY FROM YOUR FACE YOU ASTHMATIC EAR VIOLATOR!!!!

We can't just mute these people anymore, they need to be told. You don't have to be rude, you can even send them a private message. It will be like telling someone their fly is open, just give 'em the 'ol "dude, ur mic is too close to your face." We wouldn't have a world where people just walked around with their pants unzipped would we? We need to start a movement to end this abuse of my comfort levels. Problem is when I speak up in a lobby or game the next question is "how big are you boobs?" asks the mouth breather.

Now I understand some of you have a condition

And I'm not discriminating against you, just asking for a favor.

As for the rest of you without this condition, you are all nasty ear violators and you will be told. So let's make sure we can establish this movement across the globe. Provided below is a translation for "pull the microphone away from your face" in several languages.

Spanish- "Tire del micrófono lejos de su cara"

French- "Tirez le microphone à partir de votre visage"

Japanese (You Otakus should know this one)- "あなたの表面からのマイクロフォンを引っ張りなさい"

Klingon- " nuj SuS!"

Elvish- "anto suula!"

Are we clear? Fabulous.

My Gaming is Not a Political Statement (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-08-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

A little history about myself, I started political work when I was very young. I was doing books for the Democratic Party of Evanston when I was twelve. My father was their treasurer and needed a little extra help. As time went on I was doing data entry in the office listening to every sort of social debate. In all honesty it became exhausting listening to these tiresome debates. Video gaming became a great escape from all this politically correct banter.

Female gaming has captured the attention of not just those in the gaming community. There are a lot of outside parties that are curious. One community in particular that I recently came into contact with is those involved in women's studies. Before I go any further, let me make my feminist or woman beliefs clear right meow:

I believe a woman can do whatever the hell she wants. If she wants to make more money than any man, she can do it. If there's something women want for themselves, just go do it. Our "Sugar Momma" is living proof of that.

Keisha "Sugar Momma" Howard, Sugar Gamer Founder and my personal super hero.

She was willing to make great sacrifices to found Sugar Gamers. Continuing to write books or just bitch about ways society pulls women down solves nothing. I don't think young girls need to hear about everything that is working against us. Let them grow up believing that they can do whatever they want, that way there will be no doubt or hesitation, they'll just go.

I just love it when they start superhero work at tender ages.

The problem I have with women's studies delving into our world is that it automatically becomes a feminist conversation. The women I recently came into contact with hadn't even played any sort of video game. How on Earth could these women hope to understand our fascination and passion if they themselves won't even sample the goods? These women were very hellbent on creating a political picture. If they had put a few gaming hours in, they might have been able to understand that there is nothing political about gaming. It is an escape from all of this unnecessary dissection of life . IT'S ENTERTAINMENT!!! Yes, female video game characters are notoriously big breasted and wearing napkins. But you know what's so awesome about that? They are in a world where that doesn't matter as they continue to kick ass and defeat the bad guys while wearing what apparently makes them feel good. Maybe that's too much thought process for a bunch of pixels but it's the way I've always looked at it. Sorry but I refuse to turn my leisure activity into a political statement.

Did You Know? "Bad Kids Go to Hell" (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-08-14T17:04:00.001-07:00

Crank up the anxt meter up to 11 and prepare yourself for some nasty "accidents." Priviledged and troubled high school seniors get their upcommins in this short horror series. The book has been said to be Breakfast Club gone Evil Dead.

The mix is certainly interesting. I wasn't attached to any of these characters which made it more fun to watch 'em bite the dust (and boy howdy do they!). Gore factor is satisfactory for me. You've got all the typical prep school characters you'd find in a "Cruel Intention" like movie. Complete with cocaine and awkward girls gone bad or in this case, uber naughty bad. Admittedly the story is a little tough to follow but the bubbling style makes for a very easy read, allowing the dialog to be very conversational and fluid. There is a great vintage style plot twist at the end that I can really appreciate.

This book is a real looker, the art is truly stellar, mega props to Vargas and Allen. There's a whole ton of hot chicks in incredibly unrealisticly skankified school uniforms. I have to say this image is a little tired, well a lot tired but the artists were able to play around and make a little bit less generic. I have no problem with tits and ass, but I feel like at this point in the game, you gotta come original with how you incorporate it. However it does properly fit basic criteria you need for anything horror, a few pairs of sweet jugs that can jumble around as the bodies attached to them flee.

Overall I could definately taste that Evil Dead flavor as well as the modern twists. An extra fun fact about this book, it has a great written-in soundtrack, and if you're familiar with Black Sabbath as well as the other great artists referenced, it makes all the difference in allowing the authors to create an atmosphere. So are you ready for the big news? This story will be hitting the silver screen! I suggest making your way over to Wizard World Chicago as you'll find some of the book's creators along with more information about the movie at the Stephens Center.

Find out more details at www.badkidsgotohell.com

"Bad Kids Go to Hell"

Publisher- Antarctic Press

Story by Matt Spradlin & Barry Wernick

Art By Anthony Vargas & Chris Allen

Brainstorm Celebrates X-Men (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-07-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Take a great shop like Brainstorm, add a few fun local artists and you get a wonderful afternoon.

X-men has been nothing but hectic with "Second Coming" and the highly anticipated restaffing of " X-Factor" not to mentions Liu's X-23 to come out in September. Brainstorm hosted some great local artists such as Dave Lossso, Ryan Browne, Nino Mesarina along with his talented son 'Lil Nino, and Alejandro Rosado.

Our own Sugar Momma splurged on a few books, from purchasing Slott's (Hi Dan!) "Initiative," to Losso's Sandwich Detective and Browne's "God Hates Astronauts." She even gifted me a Rosado style Wolverine sketch which is cute as a button and now hanging up in my kitchen.

The staff at Brainstorm are great, knowledgeable but not to a fault and really looking to help enrich one's collection. You truly get a full experience with Brainstorm. This was a great event and we wanna remind all our comic book reading friends to get a little sun and fresh air and support events like this to keep your local spots thriving.

Thanks guys, stay cool.

HTC Premiers its Hottest Devices in Style (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-07-09T09:40:00.001-07:00

New York, L.A, and our own Chicago all served as showcases for HTC's lattest phones. The Aria, the HD2 and the 4G device putting Sprint back in the game, the EVO. HTC set up shop at Chicago's Enclave complete with a decent DJ and Guitar Hero.

There were three lucky winners who took home phones from the raffle, the last winner had to dance for it (not advisable for a party full of tech geeks).

AT&T made a brilliant move picking up the Aria, considering the latest iPhone has hit a few speed bumps already. Meanwhile T-Mobile snapped up the the HD2 showing once again T-Mobile understands the public demand for hot phones. But the star was no doubt the EVO. Sprint will be giving everyone a run for their money with this incredibly capable phone.

All three are compact with big beautiful screens and a decent amount of durability. Sleek display and touch screens for all. HTC not only makes handsome phones, but makes them very accessible with reasonable pricing. The event was staffed with more than enough reps and PR to answer any and all questions, I consider their job pretty light as the party was mainly tech fans and these phones had practically sold themselves. However the staff were helpful and clearly passionate about their product. The night was conducted very much more like a celebration than a sales pitch which is why the event a great success. Thank you HTC for a lovely evening.

2010-07-02T22:54:00.001-07:00

Geek Chic Lifestyle #7 Shopping, Courtesy of Akira (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

There's a reason we chose Akira for an event and no you nerdy birds its not just because of the name, although it is pretty awesome. Akira has prices ranging from the luxurious to the more affordable. The staff is helpful and friendly. This is the kind of place where anyone can find something. I love the excuse some of you geeky chics like to give me "I hate shopping." I have learned over time that what this really means is something like the following:

1. I'm afraid nothing will fit me.

2. The sales people will be mean.

3. I don't like people around when I try things on.

4. I'm a stubborn buttface who hates human contact.

Blah blah blah blah you girls could on for days. Sorry punkins, online shopping is not nearly as gratifying, plus you can skip the shipping charge. Trying things on is vital, it's the best way to know that you're going to purchase something you'll really wear and feel good in. You'd be amazed how well sales people can quickly evaluate your body type and pick some real winners, even ones you didn't think you'd like. Case in point, check out our Sugar Gamer Jamillia, Akira staff slapped this little number on her and dare I say she looks smashing while being well taken care of. Although she wasn't initially in love with it, by the end of the night the dress was coming home with her.

Or take a look at Amira, she too was convinced nothing would fit, yeah well look at her meow. Sporting some of Akira's awesome leggings looking fresh and feelin' good.

Good shopping tip, TAKE A FRIEND! As you can see we were all friends here and having a kick ass time. Another good reason for a partner is there can be so many things to look through you're gonna want some back up. Do a little homework for me "I hate to" shoppers, save a little cash, grab a friend and find yourself a store in your budget and style. If a sales person asks if they can help you, give it a shot. Trust me, they wanna sell stuff and will more than likely find you some real treasures. Yes they will pull a lot but as much as they'd like you to buy it all, they know you won't so don't feel pressured. Just try to relax and keep an open mind. It wouldn't surprise me if you and your pal walked out with big "I just bought some cute shit" smiles on your faces. Observe below for examples:

Classic "I just bought some cute shit" smile

Stage 2 "Hell yeah I just bought some cute shit!" smile

Did I mention Akira let us set up an Xbox at the party to play some Soul Claibur and Rockband?

For my Chicago based readers you can find Akira at the following locations:

1849 West North Avenue

2357 North Clark Street

Water Tower Mall, 835 N Michigan Ave

Akira has a ton of locations beyond these three. Check it out online for more locations

http://shop.akirachicago.com/

Thank you for a great time Akira we'll see you soon!

Geek Chic Special: Vic, Take This Man Home (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-22T22:51:00.001-07:00

Okay geeky ladies, time to learn how to spot a keeper. Here is the bare basic checklist:

1. Person has a steady source of income

2. Bathes regularly

3. Communicates, aka calls you back, doesn't disappear randomly

And that's just the basics. I love giving you gals a physical example so here's an example of a good guy (and he happens to be single). And you can put a check next to all the things on my bare basics checklist for him.

Look I'm not here to take a chunk out of any of these online dating sites,but Vic embodies what I like to see in geeky men. He is living the Male Geek Chic Lifestyle if you will.

Sugar Gamers run into nice guys all the time, Vic happens to be one of them and he's single, which is unacceptable. If we can find Vic a woman I will continue to post up good catches for my dear readers. He showers regularly, that's a mega plus in geek land. He's genuinely a nice guy, almost to a fault. He's no slacker, he works, a lot and sure as hell doesn't look like he's 28, but he is.

He's on super geek gangster status as the department head of press for ACEN for four years now. Not afraid to Cos Play Vic is a geeky girls dream come true.

And as you can see he has no beef takin' a few pictures. Did I mention he's one of the few straight men who won't mind going shopping? He has a creative streak and is really fun company. Vic enjoys a drink or two but is not the guy blacked out in the bathroom. And if you are buying his drinks, make 'em fruity with lots of color. He has a great sense of humor and will make you laugh even when he's not trying to.

Alright, Here are the rules:

1. Let it be known right now, Vic is looking for something serious, I don't mind goofy or even a little immature, but there should be a grown ass woman somewhere under there.

2. Snuggling is a must.

3. Understand that Vic is a workin' man, his schedule can get a little crazy, this means he won't be home to dote on you 24/7 although he'd like to.

He also works as a security patrol officer for a security company, that's right ladies! Man in uniform!

4. Vic is disease free so I expect that from all applicants.

5. Age range we're looking for is 21-32 and Vic lives in Zion, IL

6. Vic is a great friend, has a lot of male and FEMALE FRIENDS, no jealous types you got me ladies? On this point I am not F**kin' around.

Here's some words from the bachelor himself:

"I like video production, editing, directing, I love gadgets, making video/ audio cables is actually a bit of a hobby. I like writing with the intent to direct or produce. I like camping, fishing, hiking, bicycling. Its weird, that as much as i like tech, I like the outdoors just as much. It's my world away from my world away from my world."

"And I'm not huge of PDA. But at the same time, I'm a huge Romantic."

So if you want a passionate farm boy with a little Dread Pirate courage, Vic could be for you. (Yes his favorite movie is Princess Bride) Email me at bonks@sugargamers.com with a little info about yourself including age and where you live.

E3 Special: Showed up for the Gig, Partied with the Rockband (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

In the middle of the Expo floor in the West Hall was what appeared to be some sort of awesome rock bar on the strip. Dingy lighting, a big bouncer dude with tats standing by the velvet rope, hot chicks all over the place. The booth belonged to GIG, a new music game trying to give Rockband a run for its money. The boss and I sat down and played a song. Her on guitar, me on drums, we looked pretty good.

The guitar controller had strings and you do play with a pick. The drum set was interesting. A solid piece with sticks, the drum circles respond to to the lasers in the drum sticks. I have to say this was pretty fun and easy. I really enjoyed the range of motion I had. Meanwhile Sugar Momma was having a blast on the guitar just plucking away. So I left Gig thinking "it could give Rockband a little competition." I mean everything was just more compact and sleek.

Next day, South Hall, standing in line outside the Rockband concert hall booth, I'm looking at two very awesome guitar controllers. One was a real guitar, and then there was the mustang with keys for the frets and strings at the base, can we say rockstar status?

So we take a seat in the little theater and some Rockband press stuff comes on a big TV, complete with Cartman's performance of Poker Face. Then the curtain opens, we're suddenly viewing a seven man White Snake extravaganza, complete with keyboard. Holy cow. They were all development staff for the game and they were working that stage. (We'll be posting that video in our featured section soon)

After our delightful show we were bombarded with a zillion awesome and jaw dropping facts. Wanna know some of 'em?

- There is now a Keyboard controller. It can also be used for base and or guitar. Also, if you have a keyboard with a midi output you can just plug that bad boy in and go for a Magic Carpet Ride. MadCatz made an awesome wireless keyboard controller that's small and really let's you work on your stage presence as one of the performers demonstrated (he was amazing).

- As mentioned before you can now use a real guitar.

'Nuff said.

- Drop in or out anytime and it won't cause any agony or band breakups.

- The whole "nobody push any buttons!" dilemma has been fixed.

-Change your difficulty in mid-play.

- There's a challenge mode which allows you to unlock achievements and for the first time ever, you can win Rockband (I don't think it will be as South Park predicted)

- Create your own set lists on Rockband.com and they're waiting for you on your console.

- 2000 songs available for this game.

The title has really expanded its reach from the very casual gamer to the hardcore Rockband tourney contenders. I'll admit I was one of those people saying "music games are fizzling out." Yeah...not at all, this game will be a must at all the Hollywood parties. *DING* *DING* *DING* Sorry Gig but we have a winner. Congratulations Rockband, you honestly outdid yourself.

E3 Speical: Gears of War Threeway (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Where do you want me to start? Any requests? Are you tired of me asking an obnoxious amount of questions in my articles when I already have the answers? Me too, so you'll never guess who's back for part three, Berzerker! Yes it will give you a hard time but it's good to see old friends again right? Such a shame the Locust aren't at the top of the food chain anymore. Looks like they have a little bug problem of their own. The parasite mutates our little locust friends into even uglier and crazier buggers that are lovingly nicknamed "Savage Locust."

This is a whole new kind of nightmare we're up against. All new enemy abilities make this game very surprised filled, certainly not the same song and dance. Naturally this game is still based on taking cover but you'll have much more range and options.

As always the environments look incredible. Be prepared to see a little pop of color in some the stages. By the by the Lancer comes with a purdy little bayonet for the stabbing. This game really looks f**king amazing, typical Gears fashion everything around you is rich with shadow and deep pigments.

Oh yes, don't let me forget. There's two Cogs I'd like you to meet. Sugar Gamers, brace yourselves, we've got some lady Cogs on our hands.

For those who read the books this is no surprise but she looks good in pixels don't you think?

If you're anything like me you wanna know what's going on with horde. Yeah well tough luck sisters their mouths were sealed shut on that one. As always, I'm gonna hope this is a good thing. The presentation was kept a little short, fun fact, George Lopez and his entourage totally budged ahead of our appointment! FTP. So yeah, from the short time we had, I'm gonna have to have this one.

E3 Special: The 'Ol Halo Reach Around (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

I needed a cigarette after this appointment, it was that good. My mouth was literally agape the whole time. I didn't think it was possible for me to be more geeked for Reach after the beta. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THEY DID TO FIREFIGHT?! DO YOU?! You can customize your firefight! Customize each wave by choosing what you're fighting and how. "What do you mean 'how' Bonks?" Dude, you can customize skulls and even create your own! Imagine wave after wave of grunts with birthday hats on.

It's all possible. Now, once you've created your customized game you can upload it to your fileshare. That's right, Bungie wants it's community to create some sick firefight games that they can use. It's pretty much like Forge for Firefight. Speaking of Forge, they would not breathe a word which is a sign of good things to come in my opinion.

You wanna hear some more cool shit?! Cuz I've got more! Let's talk campaign. First thing I noticed, the soundtrack is wicked you know it's Halo music but you also know they took it up a notch. Of course it's a real beauty to look at, wait 'til you see this cutaway I got to stare at Tex Avery style. Marines don't just stand around in awe of your Spartaness anymore, they've got their own shit going on. There is so much going on around you, the game let's you know, you're at war and it's time to Spartan stomp some bitches.

So now you're working with a team as Noble, the new guy and or girl. Oh yes ladies, Lady Spartans actually look like chicks! We have been blessed with a sleek and sexy silhouette, finally! Can I get an AMEN ladies?! Woooooooo!

Alright, so we know there's gonna be some hot new weapons, I got a chance to see the new concussion rifle in action; fear the business end of that motherf**ker. Now I want you to remember this term, "Drop Shield." For those of you who played Halo Wars you'll know what this is. The Drop Shield radiates health for you and anyone fortunate enough to be around, needless to say that's pretty handy. Another Halo Wars reference, you will be able to call in some air strikes. One last fun thing I wanna lay on you guys, your customized will not only follow you into multiplayer combat but also the campaign.

Go ahead and wipe the drool off your keyboard.

E3 Special: Bethesda, In the Hood Rollin' Hard (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Toe to toe with the big boys now, Bethesda made a statement this year. Winner of an Electric Playground award they put on quite a display. But it wasn't just about looks, they had heavy hitting titles to back it up. Fallout 3, Hunted, Rage and Brink, I was seriously over stimulated.

I didn't get a whole lot of face time with Hunted, but there were some things I saw that I liked. It's pretty and it's very intense. There's some good writing in here, you know I'm a total dialog snob and hate the choppy stuff. This game proved that Betehesda knows a thing or two about variety, sticking to a formula of epic storyline and deep character development I feel fantasy lovers will want a piece.

Rage has a lot of promise. Get ready for unpredictable enemies and unique weapons. Although the story isn't fully rounded the gameplay has an addictive nature to it. It's not all hack n' slash the ugly critters, but they are super ugly and deserved to be slashed (Although it would appear I'm cozying up to one).

I could tell they were trying to create something new within the genre and I feel it will work in their favor. There may be a few stumbles for this first game but I can already smell sequel because there's a great foundation here.

Brink is one I've been keeping my eye on. Now this game has done something truly novel with FPS. Brink takes teamwork communication to a new heights. Weapons borderline bizarre in appearance and ability. The environment is dank and splashed with acid like color which gives it a real deliberate look. It's a little more cartoony than I prefer but it makes the title stand out, and the story more than compensates.

You guys may not know this but there's this game series out there called "Fallout." Ever heard of it?

Role like a regular Robert De Niro in New Vegas. Casinos and Creatures and a hot new interface Oh My! Fallout 3 is on a mission to deliver and it most certainly does. A fun new interface with a sense of humor takes out a lot of the unwanted dialog. Traversing the landscape is nice and smooth and a lot of the "where do I go?" guess work has been subtracted from the equation. And of course and quite literally hot weapons. The game maintains all the great features that we know and love with a Vegas twist. Play some slots, maybe a little blackjack, or go set a Fire Gecko on fire (those things are frickin' adorable by the by). I feel like I don't have to say too much because most of you planned on buying this anyway.

You always have to watch out for the new guy on the block, sleep with one eye open Bethesda, I think they're onto you.

E3 Special: Nexon, Let Freeware Ring (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Dungeon Fighter has one very impressive number of players. Try 200 Million on for size. the classic 2-D scrolling MMORPG is ready to make a dent into the American demographic. the embodies everything that is colorful and imaginative in arcade fighting action. the developers themselves are fans of the classic 2-D fighters and were able to seamlessly incorporate that aspect into the game. Certain levels are so high in difficulty it's practically demands you work with a team. I personally can't get too enamored with old school graphics. Luckily, Nexon knows how to mix it with the brutally elegant Vindictus.

Vindictus is right up my alley. I have three words for you: Demons, Armor, Blood. Oh, and this doesn't look like your momma's freeware game. The graphics are gorgeous. this hack n' slash beauty comes with some great features. Customizing your character goes to all new depths. Not only are you slapping on some super pimp status armor, you'll wanna pick out some snazzy "under armor" aka panties. Why? All armor in the game is destructible which means there's a good chance you'll be running around in your delicates.

Some interesting weapons of note:

- Bombs ('Nuff said, we all like whatever goes boom)

- Chains (Strap down an enemy and you and your friends can monkeystomp that chump)

- Spear (When holding the spear you go into a FPS like view to make your throw more accurate)

The environment is highly interactive. Destroy almost anything but the ground beneath you. Smash it up to destroy enemies but make sure your pals are clear because they will get hurt.

The game prides itself on realism and creating a dark and brooding atmosphere. I say this is a great opportunity for a freeware virgin to hop in.

Nexon also embraces the light and whimsical fantasy lovers with Dragon Nest. Spells, creatures and epic quests and all of it more on the PG side. I'll admit I'm not much for the kiddie stuff but there are some things that impressed me. For one the graphics are fun and bright, very cartoony. It has a great set of classes and characters.

nexon Classified these three games as cousins. They're free and they all have a great pack of dedicated and talented developers behind them. I see a bigger E3 booth in Nexon's future.

E3 Special: Go Go Awesome Gadgets! (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'll be getting to the games soon enough, right now I wanna talk about two fabulous gadgets on display this year at E3. These were the two gadgets I saw that had great prices and even greater value. Both made by trusted names in my book I wanted to make sure you guys got a good look at these .

First up, the Casio Green Slim Projector. This is a lamp free projector so no changing of anything. It's design is clean, slim and very easy to operate. With a wieght of only five pounds it makes for very easy mounting and traveling. I can tell you first hand that the picture is superb. The projector is compatible with all consoles as it has HDMI plus Composite inputs. The screen sizes go from 15 to 300 inches. The price point is around 1,000$ which is rather reasonable considering they warranty the proctor for three years.

Now I'd like to take a moment to talk about Nox Audio. Nox was displaying a handsome headset this year that offered theater like sound quality. It's comfortable, it's light and it comes in several colors. Easy to connect to any controller and not too bulky, you will hear your games in a whole new way. The head set is very durable, comes with a case and has a price of 80$ I say this is one you should really try to score.

I've got lot more E3 coverage for you but right now I gotta get on my plane and head back home where pizza is good and the water ain't salty.

E3 Pre-Game, Drink It In (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-06-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

We're here and we're on a mission.

On a mission to bring you all the craziness from E3 right here to sugargamers.com. All the heavy hitters have their booths up and rip raring to go. We'll be saying hi to some old friends like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Natsume, EA (I could go on for days). We'll also meet up with some familiar faces like Earl and Nate of Allegedly Speaking. Top that off with Leonard Nimoy and I'd say we're good to go. I've got a ton of requests and here's a checklist of the things most requested:

- Halo Reach (Der!)

- COD Black Ops (Double Der!)

Rockband 3 (A request close to Sugar Momma's heart)

Gears 3 (Double Affirmative)

Sugar Momma already made her stop at Top Cow Comics and now we have a ton of reading to do thanks to their generosity. We'll be posting video and pics as we go along and of course get as much dirt as possible for you guys. Feel free to keep giving me requests and we'll do our best.

Let There be Tyrannis! (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

The resource war is about to begin in the Eve Online universe. So, what does this mean for players? Tyrannis offers a whole new set of functions that allow you to
mine and conquer planets. There are countless planets in Eve that are ripe with valuable resources. It may also be all about the location, or a planet might just serve as a corporate clubhouse. Not all planets are the nicest of neighborhoods if you know what I mean, be weary of pirates! Taking these planets for oneself is no "care bear" task. This is an open invitation for space war mayhem.

What's even more exciting is that the addition is the first step forward to Dust 514, the console based game that promises to create influence on the Eve Online PC universe. Dust players will be mercenaries for hire to fight for and conquer these planets. And finally, my husband and I will be joined in gaming matrimony. Dust would bridge my love for FPS with my husband's obsession with the Eve Online universe. CCP won't breathe a word about Dust until Fanfest in March, ouch, looks like I'll have to book a flight. With Huxley as an example of what not to do, I feel confident that CCP will pull through with bridging the two gaming universes.

Mining and conquering come with all new command panels as seen below. You can start to see the start of the RTS portion of what will be required for Dust.

The Scorpion is a fan favorite ship despite it's age. So, as an extra nod to the hardcore players, Tyrannis also came with a new, sleek version of the ship and I have to say it looks smashing.

Player response to Tyrannis looks good thus far. Tyrannis came with a few other functions that allow players to schedule skill training without actually being logged in as well a calendar and other features that make it easier to be a dedicated player. Alright Eve players, let the games begin and make sure you've got plenty of clones stashed away.

Prince of Persia/ Airbender Race Relations: (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-25T19:47:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness, please don't start picketing folks. So, Airbender and Perisa have both cast whiteys for characters who are Persian and Asian. If you guys haven't seen the comments floating out there, this thing is amazing. I love that white guilt is so 2006. You've got minorities calling bullshit on the casting meanwhile whiteys are saying "I am soooo tired of the f**king race card." Well, at least we have an open dialog going, that's progress. Seriously, you guys should reddit this stuff there are some hysterical comments out there.

I love that this quickly went from questionable casting decisions to a full out race war. I personally find it a little tragic at how much spray tan they had to slap on Gyllenhal to get him to look the part. Look, my protest with Jake getting the part is I don't personally find him hot enough. There were cos players at ACEN that looked wayyyy hotter in that outfit, they even waxed! As for Airbender, I really couldn't give a shit, I have no intention of seeing it, but it is kind of amazing they couldn't find a little Asian kid to kick some ass.

Nerds should be totally used to this. Patrick Stewart was supposed to be Jean Luc Picard, a Frenchman (Calm down everyone, I am pro Picard, but I also took French for 13 years). Who then later made fun of Sean Connery in "Men in Tights" for playing King Richard with a blatant Scottish accent. Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane, a character well known for her bust which Dunst just does not have. Hallie Barry would have made an a great Cat Woman if not for the shitty writing of that gawd awful suckfest. Sam Jackson is Nick Fury now, and it's awkward at best but no tears shed. It's all part of the movie magic guys! Pass me some Swedish Fish would ya?

ACEN Special: Oh Hai Yoshiko (By Rebecca “Bonks” Rothschild)

2010-05-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

This whole thing was absolutely crazy, in a good way. We got word from the press office that someone major would be stopping by ACEN and to keep some time open. Then I we got word it was Yoshiko of X Japan, and he would be skyping with us. Skype my ass, the man appeared in the flesh and everyone went wild. There were even tears. This guy has everything I love, incredible talent, a fierce sense of style and great personality.

When asked “when did you realize your were famous?’ Yoshiko gave a big grin, shrugged his shoulders and answered with “I dunno……now?” Again the ACEN crowd roared. Originally the press was going to have a closed session with Yoshiko, but he insisted on the session being open for everyone. This was a rather brilliant move as X Japan will be performing at Lollapalooza this year which will be his first stateside performance. Yoshiko said he was “honored” to be performing with the heavy hitting line up. He also added “I always wanted to come to Chicago, you have nice pizza right?” And with that, Yoshiko seduced the entire nerd population of the Windy City.

Although it was a short visit we did find out his favorite instrument to play is the drums and he can’t see himself doing anything but music. When asked how he likes Anime Central he replied with “So far so good.” All in all it was a great combination of mystery, intrigue and down right fabulousness.

ACEN Special: Vic Mignogna, The One Man Con (By Rebecca “Bonks” Rothschild)

2010-05-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Where wasn’t Vic this year? Between panels, press sessions and Captain Kirk uniforms Vic managed to be everywhere at once and singing to himself the whole time. Mignogna, commonly recognized as the voice of Ed on FMA, has had a big year with FMA: Brotherhood and his new remix CD. His You Tube debut of his childhood Star Trek episodes only encouraged the Vic fever this year.

He is also showcasing his acting in the new Star Trek web series “New Voyages,” where he plays a Klingon, his Trekkie dreams are coming true. And of course he still has a lot of voice work ahead of him. He will be returning as Broly in Dragon Ball and he also mentioned some more video game work. The big voice job coming up for Vic is he will be playing Zero as well as Zero’s twin brother in Vampire Knight. This guy is bananas, does he know taking a break feels like?

During one panel session, Vic discussed with the audience possible casts for a live action film of FMA. We decided on Keanu Reeves for Colonel Mustang, at which point Vic did a great impression and it was hysterical. Other fun facts we learned in the panel, Vic was a Cop! I know! Later on at his press session I asked him if he brings any of his antics into the recording booth to break the ice. He said he walks into the studio saying “Do you want outtakes/” He even mentioned he likes to play tricks on the latest cast member Maxi Whithead who he adores. He also added that Aaron no longer sounds like Al due to puberty and the recast had to be done and there’s nothing but good feelings about the change.

One final fun note: This was Sugar Momma’s first ACEN as well as her first contact with Vic. So what did she do upon meeting him? Told him his butt looked great in his jeans. Well…it was true and he appreciated the compliment.

ACEN Special: Steve Downes, Class Act (By Rebecca “Bonks’ Rothschild)

2010-05-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Mr. Downes was perhaps the person I was looking forward to the most this year. No stranger to Chicago, you can hear Downes on 97.1 The Drive, where he displays his vast knowledge and respect for rock music. For those unaware, Steve Downes is the voice of Master Chief of Halo, so he’s forever immortal. He also has a ton of commercial experience, you’d be amazed where you might hear his voice if you really listen.

He walked into the room, sun glasses on and sporting a leather jacket. After introducing himself he asked “So what do you guys do?” To which I replied jokingly without missing a beat “stalk you.” He gave a little smile and the session began.

Some upcoming projects include some voice work for a PC game. It’s been known that Downes has a background in music. As he stated, he was a “frustrated drummer” and eventually the band broke up. I asked him how he adjusted to the transition from music fans to geek fans. He replied with “it was an education.” The most interesting thing to me is that he didn’t start doing cons until after the release of Halo 3. His first convention was three years ago in Miami during Halloween, that was probably a little jarring to say the least. He credited Vic Mignogna with helping him understand what role he has at these events. This cracks me up as the two couldn’t be more opposite in personality. When asked if he identifies with Spartan John 117 Downes said “I don’t carry him around,” also adding that he didn’t think it would be psychologically healthy to do so.

Well, good to see you Mr. Downes, I'll be excited to running back into Master Chief this fall.

Bonks's HRB Diary Day 8 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Day 8, 05/10/2010

23:01 Hours

Dear HRB Diary,

I HAD A FOUR WAY!!!!!!

That's just nasty.

Bonks's HRB Diary Day 7 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Day 7, 05/09/2010

23:03 Hours

Dear HRB Diary,

Why are my teammates shooting me? Oh yeah, douche nozzles are forever present in the Halo universe.

Seriously, can't we do things a little different this time? Maybe we could not teamkill and maybe only the closest of my friends can but their cyber nuts on my helmet. Nix the lagging and glitching. No more sexist, racial, anti-Semitic comments, if I get told one more time to go in the kitchen I'll start hacking man bits off at random, not good for the husband. But I know this is a tall order. Still, I'd like to start a movement before this game releases. Make a protest in game play against the douche baggery. Penny for your thoughts.

Bonks's HRB Diary Day 6 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Day 6, 05/08/2010

16:00 Hours

Dear HRB Diary:

I decided to communicate my progress in screen shots today. Keep an eye on my medals as you look at these. Attempting to kill the Juggernaut is awful but once you are the Juggernaut....it's practically an orgasm.

Bonks's HRB Diary Day 5 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

Day 5, 05/07/2010

22:55 Hours

Dear HRB Diary,

Invasion has hit the beta and I'm a little iffy right now. I feel like the objective may be a little over complicated. However, it does make you use your brain and you MUST work with your team. As your team dominates positions you get more load outs and eventually vehicles. The spawn system is a little sketchy. You have to pick your spawn spot which is sort of annoying to always see the red reminder that your teammate is trying to spawn on your location. In all it was a little glitchy today but that's to be expected. I'm not really an uber team player, I typically wonder off and just shoot, but I'm trying to change my ways.

Bonks's HRB Diary Day 4 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Day 4, 05/06/2010

22:31 Hours

Dear HRB Diary:

Stockpile has become less of an annoyance, thanks to a little strategy given to me by my good friend Mr. Penguin. I spent a lot of time on the team hoppers. A little more glitchy and the party keeps falling apart. I hate being separated from my gaming buddies. And sometimes friends look like enemies so I hate to put on my COD vision to recognize the baddies.

The team stuff is pretty much the same. There's nothing better than destroying another team with your pals.

Hot topic gripes are the supposed over powered grenades. I don't find this to be the case, I personally have managed to side step frag and sticky alike with little difficulty. I do however miss the spike grenade but not to the point where I feel the need to bitch and moan about all day long on the Bungie forums. Fun fact I just learned way too late, the Needle rifle is fully automatic, hooray! I have to say, for an electric pink weapon, the needle weapons look far more menacing in Reach.

OMG, there are so many frickin' whiners! And they're just whinning like little crybabies over their mics. But I must be doing something right as I finally got someone to belt out a "Catch U Next Tuesday" gripe as I bitch-smacked him for the umteenth time. HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOURSELF! WHEN A GIRL PUNCHES YOU YOU DON'T RUB IT! Shove some french cries in it loser.

Bonk's HRB Diary Day 3 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Day 3: 05/05/2010

12:51 hours

Games Won: 10

Dear HRB Diary:

Man, it's rough out there today. First I went to give my feedback to Bungie and the forums are stuffed with obnoxious troll comments. Yes I suppose there are some subtle COD similarities but so what!? COD is a rockin' game too so whatever. I think people are afraid of change when it comes to their favorite game franchises. The truth is video games need to evolve and I find these changes to be subtle and really fun. Don't know if I can make another trip to the feedback forums without getting seriously irritated.

So then I hop into to some free for all and I had a few issues. So I decided to take a little breather and enjoy the sun...

After my little sun tanning session I found my stride again...

And then I got a little carried away...

So yeah, productive day for sure. I did manage to swing a classic slayer win. There were only a few hiccups such as load outs would stop working and of course a few blackscreens but otherwise pretty smooth. Matchmaking speed is still solid.

Bonks's HRB Diary Day 2 (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

May 4th, 23:55 hours

Day 2

Games Won: 7

Dear HRB Diary,

Guess what's back.....back again....T-bagging's back....never ends

Yeah that's a whole a lot of fun. Anywhoo, I have mastered the sticky grenade launcher. Looooove sticking one dude with all four grenades. Had my first Covy Slayer which is Slayer as an elite, they growl a lot. Finally got into the groove and got some killing sprees, grav hammer helped with that.

All of the sudden I see the bulltrue medal so maybe I was wrong about that, no more sad face. Much smoother today by the way, looks like Bungie got some more server space, finding a match is much easier.

Our Newest Member, Vera the Zibit Bot (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-05-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Say hello to Vera.

She can't be more than 3 inches tall but she packs a real punch. I LOVE THIS THING! Courtesy of Senario comes Zibits, these adorable RC controlled robots that retail for just 10 bones. What I love best is how these things appeal to kids and adults and cats alike. There are twelve bots in all and they hail from different "scenes" such as junk, tech, or urban bots.

I think they should be named the cubicle accessory of the year.

Vera makes an excellent office assistant. She never looks back, only moving forward ahead (the remote has two moves, forward and 360 spin). And as you can see she's incredibly photogenic. You have to love the simplicity, it's not some needy virtual pet or starving Barbie. This is has all the basics I need, it's cute as a button, easy to use and it's a frickin' robot! Hooray! Thanks Senario, your research was correct, I am amused and will be for a while. You can grab these little guys at Amazon.com, Etoys.com and Toys "R" Us.

Bonks’s HRB (Halo Reach Beta) Diary #1 (By Rebecca “ Bonks” Rothschild)

2010-05-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Day 1: 05/03/2010

20:42 hours (8:42 pm)

Current Rank: Corporal

Games Won: 1

Dear HRB Diary,

ZOMG the beta is up! Holly crap it takes a long frickin’ time to get into a game. However, this is not uncommon with betas. Bungie said the more the merrier, but there doesn’t seem to be enough server space, although again, this is common with betas. Actually that one was at times common with Halo 3 game play so no surprise there. Basically, once I’m in I stay in, even if I can’t feel my thumbs anymore, I know, I’m super gamer gangster.

So, what did I learn today?

*Armor looks amazing, much like the ODST customization but prettier.

*It’s fun to buy yourself some sexy armor with your credits.

* The gave us a little sample of the game soundtrack, meh, but it’s only the beta.

* New weapons are, fun I loves them all. The ones I rely on most are the needler, AR and DMR. Still getting used to needle rifle. Sticky grenade launcher is a little tricky, you gotta charge it up a little bit but it does home in on targets to a point. Oh, and I’m very happy to the scope being back on the pistol.

* The matchmaking system has features that make it smarter because you can put in preferences.

* The kits are cool, I like scout and stalker the most, because I am a ninja. Guardian is a great kit but I think it will have more effect against the vehicles rather than people.

* There’s no lady Spartans, that damn well better change for the final product.

* Your emblem is not on your armor. Speaking of emblems, there’s some new stuff but not too much, hopefully there will be lots of new additions in the final product.

* It’s wayyyyy too hard to kill the Juggernaut, they might wanna take another crack at that.

* I still hate all things flag and Oddball but Headhunter is super fun, I won one of those.

* There’s no bulltrue, sad face.

* Maps are good thus far. I've only played on Powerhouse and Sword but they're not too big or too small.

* Call outs will be much easier as every area on the map is labled on your HUD for example “Rock Garden” or “Dirt Patch“.

* "Opportunis" is my new favorite medal, it smiles.

* Some of the medals I scored today

- Double Kill

- Stuck

- First Strike

- Headshot

- Pummel

- Vengeance

- Opportunist

- From the Grave (always get lots of these)

Singularity Reminder (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-04-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

The brainchild of Raven-Software and Activision is almost here. Singularity releases this summer in June.

There was a lot of hype about the innovative FPS a while back but then disappeared. To my knowledge there haven't been any official statements for the delayed release date. Although if I were Raven-Software I may have wanted to have a second look at the contracts after the whole Infinity Ward fiasco.

Development directed a lot of focus on an elaborate story for the game. Raven's Brian Raffel is a mega 1950's Sci-Fi fan and applied what he loved about those stories to the game's plot. It all starts back in the 1950's when the U.S.S.R and the U.S.A were looking for anything to tip the scales during the Cold War. Uncovered was a time altering technology by manipulating the powerful E99 compound. The Soviets were able to create powerful machines that produced enormous amounts energy and had supernatural like powers on an isolated island. But the technology was deemed far too destructive and was wrapped up and classified by both the U.S and Russia. Due to the fact that during the experiments, there was a devastating explosion that had bizarre and tragic consequences.

Perhaps the most bizarre is that the island suffers from time waves that bring the island back to the 1950's and then forward again. Nate Renko is an American recon pilot ordered to fly over the uncharted island. As he flies over he is shot down by an unknown source. Renko is now stranded on this island which has strange and deadly inhabitants. Not only are there there Russians hunting you, there are also strange, insect like creatures that seem to be out for blood, not to mention old Soviet ghosts who are trapped reliving the day of the accident. Renko discovers an amazing time altering device that he uses to navigate his way around this insane island. And it will only get crazier once a time wave strolls through booting Renko back to the Cold War.

The time altering device is small enough for Nate to fasten it to his left hand. But don't let the size fool you, this is thing has some crazy abilities.

1. Age- You can hurl your enemies forward in time turning them into nothing but bones. Age also works on the environment around you. For example if you want to block the path of your enemies you might age a perfectly good bridge so they can't cross.

2. Revert- opposite of Age, so using our bridge as an example you can restore a rusted, broken bridge to brand spanking new. Now the effect this has on humans is rather interesting, and no you will not be killing babies. Instead you will revert your human enemies to "placental reverts" that live a short, intolerable existence.

3. Stasis- This ability pulls an object out of time itself freezing it's personal timeline.

4. Impulse- Violently pushes objects away from you.

So obviously if you combine Stasis and Impulse together you have "the force." But hey that's a fun power to have.

Now, a time altering device is awesome, but I'm a shooter, and luckily there's guns. Most likely you'll be wielding SMG's, Pistols, and Shotguns. I have no arguments there, all of those are good killin' weapons.

Now let's hope Raven and Activision can pull off this complex mixture of story and play.

BlazBlue Continuum Shift (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-04-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

2-D fighting fans rejoice, Aksys Games has the wheel of fate turning once again with BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. BlazBlue happens to be a Sugar Gamers favorite, and our ladies can seriously dominate. Bright colors, several characters resembling some of your favorite anime stars, it’s all there plus a few extras this round.

The biggest and most talked about addition is the new characters, three new characters to be exact. Starting with an elusive performer by the name of Hazama has stepped onto the scene.

?-12 is a big ball of surprise and mystery and then there’s the new lady knight Tsubaki, no doubt she’ll be a cos play favorite sporting her beautiful armor. In all honesty I was expecting a few more characters but there is always the unknown of the unlockables and of course secret achievements.

Continuum Shift also comes with a vast list of new moves, and not just for the new characters. There was also the implementation of the Tutorial and Beginner Modes. This will enable noobs to throw down super mega combos in no time. The challenge mode offers player specific missions and combos. Legion Mode is the one I am most interested in. You can take over the map by defeating and recruiting enemies, I’m excited to see if they can pull this off and if fans will enjoy it. Online play will also available with match making and party chat, as well as the ability to observe matches.

The game will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer.

C2E2 Special! Iron Man 2 The Game

2010-04-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Iron Man 2 is on it's way and to compliment the movie will be the video game, courtesy of Sega.

The game will not feature the storyline of the movie. The story line was written exclusively for the game. It takes place in the universe that the movie has created and they even managed to snag a few famous voices such as Sam Jackson and Don Cheadle. RDJ was not available to lend his voice but they did manage to get a decent replacement.

Hot features for the game include the the ability to play as Stark or War Machine. You're battling mainly mechanical foes which you can shoot or beat to death. The melee actions are very similar to Master Chief beating the crap out of tanks in Halo, plenty of fun. And of course there is the flight feature.

The game is available on the big three consoles, as well as handhelds such as the DS and PSP. And for any of those wondering, there is nothing too incredibly fun or special about controlling your flight on the Wii.

Okay, so I got all the facts in there right? So, Sega was displaying the game at C2E2 on the Wii and the Xbox, I got a chance to fool around with both. Wanna know what I think? Are you sure? Don't read beyond this point if you're not interested in my ranting...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME SEGA?! REALLY?! The gameplay graphics alone are an insult, especially on the Xbox. Tony Stark would never let a lackluster thing like this be released with his name on it. Look, I get it, movie video games are a quick cash cow, I can't blame you for loving money but I personally can't give you a thumbs up on this one. Sorry to rant like that but I just don't see a whole lot of TLC in the development of this game, I think it was rushed which is a shame because it really did have potential.

C2E2 Special! Marvel X-Men Updates!

2010-04-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Marvel put on a great X-Men panel at C2E2 this year. The panel included notorious artist Camo, Peter David, plus two ravishing and very talented ladies Marjorie Liu and Jeanine Schaefer.

So where to begin with all the juicy news. I'd like to start with X-23, Marjorie Liu will be writing a new book for X-23 who will be striking out on her own and will no longer just be weapon. From the sounds of it she will be attempting to find a little identity and of course run into a few obstacles along the way and there will be some NYX appearances for those who are curious. I'm personally excited to see her become something more than just a hot bod with some claws.

Okay next up is our old friend Wolverine who is going to hell while something else inhabits his body on the other side. Well, it sounds better than Frankencastle, yes I'm still a little miffed about that one. Although the interaction with his father may be interesting enough for me to take a quick look but also because I know for a fact the art will be show stopping with a top secret artist in the mix.

Also on the docket for Wolverine is X-Force which has taken over and plans on completely restaffing, hooray! However, the X-Men are not entirely thrilled with X-Forces presence and so let the games begin as they are targeted by Mutant Response. But I have a feeling X-Force won't care too much as they have to deal with something way worse than an X-Men hissy fit. APOCALYPSE! That's right! X-force will be working hard to take him down, I wonder if perhaps X-Men will take a chill pill and help out.

Next up, X-Factor, the Mutant detective agency who will take on any job, and that includes villains as long as they can throw down the cash. The panel clued us in by telling us a notorious "femme fatal" lady villain will hire them for a search and recovery mission. Now, be weary of a last page shocker in #207, as a matter of fact Peter David strongly recommended reserving a copy with your local retailer now.

And now I'm gonna go over a few quick news blurbs:

1. Good news if you're lovin' X-Men Legacy prepare for more

2. Bad news if you loved Dark X-Men, there is no reunion in sight.

3. There is more Ice Man to come

Okay, Second Coming was practically the buttress of the entire panel, almost every other question was answered with "Read Second Coming." So I'm gonna do another list.

1. Second Coming will set the stage for a new direction for the X-Men. A direction that promises to integrate the X-Men more fluidly into the Marvel Universe, this makes me happy.

2. Layla Miller returns from her holiday with Dr. Doom. Obviously a lot of the team members are suspicious of her and do not welcome her with open arms. However, she really doesn't give a shit. As Peter David put it "So? I'm Layla Miller and I know things." And there may be more making out with Jamie if you play your cards right.

3. For those of you who desperately miss Night Crawler, he will be back in action and actually has a heavy handed role in Second Coming.

4. Bitch alert! Scarlet Witch is back!

5. Not everyone will make it out alive.

Basically it all comes down to Hope, you'll find out how she fits into this whole crazy thing.

I would like to end this article by saying to Mr. Steve Wacker that I'm glad you love our city and and don't hate the Cubs 'cuz they're beautiful.

Ultimate Gear Heads: Interview with Drew Seldin of Triforce (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-04-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Drew Seldin, Vice President of Triforce. His company makes drop gorgeous, accurate replicas of Gears of War characters and weapons. Feast your eyes upon these...

Good lookin' right? Here's the chat I had with Drew.

Bonks: How old is Triforce? Could you describe it's conception?

Drew: TRIFORCE WAS OFFICALLY LAUNCHED IN APRIL 2008. A COUPLE OF REALLY HUGE GEARS FANS GOT TOGETHER AND STARTED TO MAKE PRODUCTS WE AS FANS WOULD WANT TO HAVE.

Bonks: Has anyone ever told you there are better things you could do with

your time or talent?

Drew: HA! I HAVE NO TALENT BUT I CAN RECOGNIZE IT IN OTHERS AND THE INCREDIBLE TALENTS OF OUR ART TEAM ARE NOT HARD TO SEE. WHEN YOU COMBINE THE SKILLED HANDS OF OUR ART DIRECTOR AND LEAD SCULPTOR EXTROIDNAIRE ERICK SOSA WITH OUR PAINTERS PAUL KOMODA AND JORDU SCHELL THE END RESULT IS A PIECE THAT IS REALLY BROUGHT TO LIFE! ONE THING WE REALLY STRIVE TO ACHIEVE IS TO ACCURATLEY CREATE THAT WHICH HAS ONLY EVER BEEN SEEN IN A VIDEOGAME ON YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN!

Bonks: How do you decide what you want to replicate?

Drew: WE LOOK AT THE GEARS UNIVERSE AND DECIDE WHAT WE AS HARDCORE FANS WANT FOR OURSELVES AND GO FROM THERE. THERE ARE SO MANY CHARACTERS AND WEAPONS WE LOVE SOMETIMES WE FEEL CHOOSING WHO OR WHAT TO CREATE NEXT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE JOB!

Bonks: Are you a gamer? What do you like to play?

Drew: I AM A GAMER AND OBVIOULSY LOVE GEARS OF WAR! I THOUGHT THAT THE RECENTLY RELEASED BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM WAS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE BEST GAMES I HAVE EVER PLAYED. POWERED BY THE UNREAL ENGINE OF COURSE, SORRY HAD TO PLUG EPIC AND GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DESERVED! I REALLY LOVED THE LOOK OF ARKHAM, THE CONTROLS, AND THE STORY. IT IS THE DEFINITIVE BATMAN GAME! AT THE MOMENT I AM WORKING HARD AT SLAYING ALL OF THE GODS OF OLYMPUS IN GOD OF WAR 3!

Bonks: Any other geeky vices such as comic books or anime?

Drew: I AM A HUGE SUPERHERO FAN...SUPERMAN IS MY FAVORITE! I DON'T READ COMICS BUT LOVE SMALLVILLE! I ALSO GREW UP ON STAR WARS AND COULD SIT AND WATCH THOSE MOVIES AT ANYTIME.

Bonks: What do you think makes your products worth the investment?

Drew: BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING AND WANT IT THEN IT BECOMES WORTH IT TO YOU. MY MOM ALWAYS USED TO SAY TO ME, "BEFORE YOU BUY SOMETHING ASK YOURSELF IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO HAVE IT. IF THE ANSWER IS YES, THEN IT IS WORTH IT." ALL THE HARDWORK AND PAINSTACKING DETAILS THAT WE POUR INTO EACH PIECE MAKES THEM AS ACCURATE AS CAN BE AND I HOPE THAT REALLY SHINES THROUGH IN THE FINAL PRODUCT! PERFECTION IS IN THE DETAILS AND I MUST SAY WE LOVE US SOME DETAILS!

Bonks: Any shout outs or events coming up you wanna plug? Now would be

the time :)

Drew: WE JUST RETURNED FROM A TRIP TO EPIC GAMES! THEY SHOWED OUR PRODUCTS LOTS OF LOVE AND IT HAS GOTTEN EVERYONE IN THE TEAM PUMPED UP TO WORK ON NEW AND EXCITING PRODUCTS! THEY ARE AN AWESOME GROUP OF PEOPLE AND ARE SUPER SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE WITH OUR PRODUCTS. OUR MARCUS FENIX PIECE IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AT SOME POINT IN MID-MAY OR EARLY JUNE SO BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR THE FATHER OF ALL BAD ASSERY!

AS A TREAT FOR YOUR LOYAL READERS WE WANT TO EXTEND AN OFFER TO THEM WITH THIS 30% DISCOUNT CODE Sugar Drone OFF OF OUR LOCUST DRONE DESIGN MAQUETTE AVAILABLE AT WWW.PROJECTTRIFORCE.COM. THIS CODE IS GOOD THROUGH APRIL 30. THE DRONES ARE READY TO SHIP AND THE LANCER IS EXPECTED TO SHIP IN JUNE.

Thank you Drew Seldin for letting me pick your brain and a double thank you for the generous discount. We heart you and we heart Triforce.

Geek Chic Lifestyle Exclusive: Stephanie Sack of Vive La Femme (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-04-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Vive La Femme is a deliciously kitch Bucktown boutique specializing in what I like to call curvalicious women, aka sizes 12-24. Stephanie Sack is the owner with a great sense of style and personality. She has been so kind to let me bug with her with questions. I'll tell you right now, she is a prime example of how to live the geek chic lifestyle so pay attention. Here are some of the adorable and flirty looks courtesy of Vive La Femme:

Bonks: Can you describe for me how Vive La Femme came to be?

Stephanie: "Vive la femme's concept came to me in totality when I was 18. I was very frustrated as I was shopping for clothes to take to college and wanted the ease of a store with plus sizes but the glamourous experience of a chic boutique. Even at that age, I could not understand why that was such a radical combination and decided right then and there that one day I would do it myself. Over the next few years I worked at boutiques for smaller gals and learned how to work with customers, create a sense of fun and frivolity, and some general aspects to running a boutique. Ten years later, I was jobless and sick of working for other people, so I decided to take a chance and go fot it! Entreprenerialsm is in my blood -- my mother and both grandfathers worked for themselves so I had great examples and lots of encouragement. I knew the shop had to be in swanky neighborhood, so I lucked into a small space in Bucktown and that was that!"

Bonks: What is your personal, favorite part about Vive La Femme?

Stephanie: "My absolute favorite part of vive la femme is the fact that we positively affect so many women! I have met literally thousands of gorgeous, sexy, kickass women and I am proud to say my staff is the most gorgeous, most sexy, and most kickass of them all! We empower women of size to actualize into the movement, embrace where they are and who they are RIGHT NOW, and to honor themselves through curve-friendly and confident adornment. We have dressed women for interviews, vacations, weddings, and dates; we have become part of their lives as they live in the world. The next best part is the CLOTHES! We have fabulous clothes and I get first crack at them all!"

Bonks: What is your history with Chicago?

Stephanie: "Chicago is my hometown and playground! I grew up in Lakeview, was educated in Old Town and Evanston, lived in Andersonville, Wicker Park, and Humboldlt Park, opened a business in Bucktown, got engaged in Logan Square, was married at the Chicago Cultural center, and currently reside in Lincoln Square. My folks are on the Gold Coast and my sister is in the West Loop. A few years ago I decided to become more engaged and active in my city, and have since explored the many cutural opportunities at which Chicago excels, including cinema, cuisine, art, music, performance, nightlife, and commerce. I LOVE Chicago and am a diehard Chicagoan!"

Bonks: Do you have goals for Vive La Femme yet to be achieved?

Stephanie: I would love for vive la femme to expand into a range of products and options for stylish women of size! I am currently working on a new concept that will be an excellent counterpart to vive la femme, and can see the vive la femme lifestyle translating to a number of other opportunities. Nothing makes me happier than working with plus-size women, so it's something I plan to do for a long time!

Bonks: So, can I get some nerd credentials?

Stephanie: "NERD CREDENTIALS! LOL!!! I love it! Hmmmm....as a child I wanted to be kidnapped by UFOs so I wrote "Take Me" on a sheet of paper and taped it to the top if my head...I rang handbells in junior high and high school which was a ticket to total teenage geekdom...was and still am a rabid Twin Peaks fan......major theatre nerd as a teenager....diehard X-Phile...I once went to buy a new pair of glasses and told the salesgal to "show me the nerdiest pair of black frames you have"...went to opening night of Interview with the Vampire...was a practicing Gothgirl for fifteen years and exclusively wore all-black, black hair, combat boots, the whole bit...I know all sorts of weird trivia about Elvis...I went to Burning Man a few years ago...how's that for you?

See what I mean?! How can you not love this woman?! You guys should check out what this lady has in stock at Vive La Femme. Check it out at www.vivelafemme.com or stop for a visit at 2048 N Damen. Again big thanks to Stephanie Sack, our newest honorary Sugar Gamer.

Geek Chic Lifestyle #6 Makeup (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-03-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

Oh you thought I forgot about this one? HELL NO! Look, I have no problem with you all wanting to express yourselves or look a certain way. By all means go ahead and do whatever you want. Go ahead and do the sparkles and 300 billion colors on your eyelids to go to the grocery store, I will not judge you, BUT there may be some ramifications. For example, if you want to be taken seriously as an adult by someone who doesn't know you personally, you'll have a hard time with electric blue, eye shadow mousse caked on like frosting. Mainly because they'll be too busy staring at your eyes to really pay attention to anything you're saying.

Remember this look? Sure she had a job, but that was T.V. No one in their right mind would hire anyone walking into an interview looking like this unless they had one insanely impressive resume, I mean untouchable resume. Keep this image in mind as exactly what not to do.

So, tip number one for this segement: TONE IT DOWN!!! There is a right place and a right time to go bat shit insane with your makeup, work, thanksgiving and first dates are not really ideal times. Now let's break this down.

Foundation, the name says it all. It lays down the foundation for your look, evens the skin and helps hold eye shadow and blush in place. Rules I will not let you break are as follows:

1. FOUNDATION MUST MATCH YOUR SKIN TONE!!! IF YOU CAN'T FIND A MATCH, YOU'RE NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH. Use the underside of your wrist as a guide to help you find a good match. If you put the foundation on your wrist, it should blend really well, that's how you know you have a winner.

2. YOU ARE NOT A CAKE! How many layers of foundation do you ladies think you need? Piling it on does not cover more flaws, it's makes them more noticeable.

* For those who have the dark circles and require concealer, I strongly recommend going to see a professional about how to apply it. It can get a little technical and typically requires some practice.

Blush, oh boy, there are so many ways ladies go wrong with this one.

Let's start off with what I like to call clown cheeks. If you have applied the blush in a why that gives you two little rose colored circles, you need to spread it around a little. If you look like you've got a sunburn, you've put on too much.

Always apply blush with a brush, that should be easy enough to remember, blush with a brush, blush with a brush. Say that three times fast. Yes, there should be no hands for initial applications, you can use your hand to blend a little bit and that's it. Also, there shouldn't be clumps of blush in the brush when you go to apply it. If you see them, just tap the brush a little bit to get rid of them before applying to your face. Start at the apples of your cheeks then spread and blend upward a little bit toward your hairline.

There are many shades to choose from. Well, let me put it this way; Work and Thanksgiving, you'll want that color to be more subtle, stick to the more pastel lookin' stuff. If you've got a hot date or wanna hit the clubs, you can put something on with more punch to it.

Oh yes, those are some seriously awesome looking eyes, great for the club and cosplay, NOT for the everyday. These kind of looks take a lot of time and effort, you don't have to do it everyday. I know you geeky ladies love your eyeshadows and glitter and everything in between, and when the occasion calls for it, go nuts! But this is something that should not be seen at most work places for sure. All you'd be saying to your employer is, "I spend way too much time to make myself look this garish, maybe my priorities are out of whack." I think you'd be amazed how much time you'll save just by going with something more simple, I guarantee you'll still look great.

*Mascara note: Yes, mascara comes in really fun colors now like electric blue and magenta, again, great for the clubs. When it comes to more practical stuff stick to black or brown please.

*Quick note on eye liner, the raccoon eyes is such a tired look. There's a new set of trick out there to try, wow me.

I know there are a ton of you out there saying, "I don't care what people think, I don't care if they judge me, this is how I want to look." And that's fine, more than fine, that's your right. I'd still love you no matter what, I put this out there for those who might want to make themselves more professional or more approachable. There have been a ton of surveys and studies done to determine people's reaction to heavy or very flamboyant makeup. Here are some of things to keep in mind.

1. Lots of men stated it puts them off, to some it even makes you appear deceiving or materialistic. Men also feel it makes you like immature and childish and even crazy.

2. Having so much makeup on all day everyday does not allow the skin to breathe, skin needs to breathe, period.

3. Women say it is a clear cry for attention and smaller groups say it makes you look like you have low self-esteem.

Well, whatever the masses say, I love all my geeky sisters, even the ones with the liquid paper faces.

MOS (Myouterspace.com) (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-03-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Nerdy mac daddy himself, William Shatner has a new brainchild on the loose. No more spoken word albums for this Sci-Fi stud. Say hello to myouterspace.com:

Shatner said he wanted to create a social network for those passionate about the arts, sci-fi, horror and more. He is also paying special attention to writers and directors. I personally took the time to register Sugar Gamers for the site, how could I not? The site appears to still be in it's early stages as the term "beta" is underneath the header on the homepage. Groups are represented as planets, for example, Sugar Gamers is a member of the planet Sirius which is all about gaming. Could you just die? How deliciously geeky!

Some of the other features include the standards such as:

-Twitter feeds

-RSS

-Chat

-Blog

Very easy to use, post up all your photos and videos with little hassle and discuss any and all nerdy topics on the boards. I imagine all hardcore Shatner fans will sign up with out a second thought. I personally think it's fantastic to have a networking site specifically for the Sci-Fi inclined. Mr. Shatner has also vowed to monitor all projects. And of course there's always room for video messages from the "Adminral" himself. I say this is way better than a wine label or energy drink, well done Billy boy, stay fabulous.

God of War Preview @ Gamestop (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-03-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Once again, Gamestop was kind enough to allow us in for an exclusive look at the latest God of War installment. As always, I would like to extend my gratitude.

GOW was really taken to new levels in this game without straying away from the fan favorite formula of hack n' slash, blood n' guts, and a dash of drama. Meanwhile Kratos is back looking more fierce than ever with a dive attitude to boot. Stomping around in his new threads like he already owns Olympus.

This may sound a bit rude, but it is a compliment. Upon my first look at the screen, the first thought to cross my mind was, "this does not look like a PS3 game." Meaning the graphics are stellar. The shading and light play are seamless, and the textures are distinct.

Controls are familiar and without any complaint from me or anyone else in the room. The game utilizes the trendy technique of navigating your way through a cut away battle scene with the push of a singular button to trigger an action to continue. And the action tends to take you by surprise keeping you on your toes and engaged. You won't go too long looking for where to go next either.

If you've never picked up a God of War game before, now would be the time. If you're a fan of the mythology behind it as I am, I would strongly recommend it. Considering the tumultuous relationship the Olympians have with each other as well as the the titans and their predecessors the storyline fits very well. Development of each character was clearly taken very seriously, the essence of each god or creature is captured with a great sense of imagination as well adherence to legend.

The battles, in typical God of War fashion are out of control epic. You will never see more crazy creatures going at it this wild at once. Pulling hair, kicking in teeth, calling each other all sorts of nasty names. If you insist on a certain level of brutality and blood, have no fear, the levels or more than par for all tastes.

Now normally I like to bitch and moan about cheesy dialog, but for this game, it fits perfectly. Nothing choppy or cheesy sounding. That's one of the joys of doing a game in this mythical time period, you can big, have your characters say overly obvious, declarative statements, and it's just bad ass.

So here's where I tip my hat to PS3 and say welcome back to the game. *Good luck.

Infinity Ward vs. Activision: What a Clusterf**k (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

March 1st, Vince Zampella and Jason West, co-heads of Infinity Ward for eight years are terminated. For those unaware, these two are responsible for Call of Duty Modern Warfare and it's ravishing, cash cow follow up, CODMW2. Fun fact about the termination: Activision was a week away from paying Infinity Ward substantial royalties when the two were fired. So, the two have filed suit for several claims including breach of contract.

Apprently there has been friction between the two for a while now. Claims were made that Activision did not want COD to go modern, instead they were opting for more WWII. At first it seemed like mere creative differences, but with the recent success of COD it would now appear to be a hostile takeover. The COD franchise has generated something to the tune of three billion dollars, I can't help but feel like the core of this battle is nothing more than money. However at the press release after the suit was filed attorney Robert Schwartz had the following to say about the claims:

"Activision hired lawyers to conduct a pretextual 'investigation' into unstated and unsubstantiated charges of insubordination and breach of fiduciary duty, which became the grounds for their termination on Monday, March 1st."

Okay, so that's a fancy way of saying "we hired attorneys to quietly investigate Infinity Ward for a reason to fire them." Doesn't speak well of Activision, their attorney is a moron and was better off not saying shit.

Now I've done my best to dig for crucial statements from both sides and have turned up with very little from the Activision side of the fence. So far I've heard what the moron lawyer has had to say. Activision only continues to boast about the new direction and genres and plans it has for the COD 'brand.' So, I've laid out what I've found and now I get to say my parting words and in typical "Bonks" fashion, it's gonna be a list.

1. Get a new attorney.

2. Video gamers are not simple minded, uninformed dead beats. Stoners, layabouts...yeah okay, there are a few but we love the internet and the internet loves to inform us. You f*ck with two very accomplished developers who have shown nothing but passion for their craft and we will revolt.

3. You have brought your bullshit, CEO, money grubbing politics into our gaming world. Not that is hasn't been there before but now because of your greed you're going to ruin a brilliant franchise, so that makes it OUR business. And when you f*ck with thousands of nerds who have great taste and high expectations for their video games, we will f*ck you right back, where it hurts, your f*cking wallets. Bad move, you better pray you find someone damn near immortal to develop your next game.

4. Man up and pay up.

Geek Chic Lifestyle #5 Accessories (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-24T21:01:00.001-08:00

*On a side note: who's ready for spring? I know I am. Okay, back to the matter at hand.

Oooooooh weeeee you geeky gals can pile on the extras on your outfits. Let's take a hint from Coco Chanel who brilliantly said "Before you leave the house, take something off." Less is always more when it comes to accessories. So let's do this.

Bracelets:

Even Bollywood doesn't go this overkill. Try again.

Now that's how you flash a little gold. Doesn't need anything else because it makes a big enough statement on its own. Even with the thin bangles, they should not being up to your elbows, that's a lot of jingling noise.

Necklaces:

Geeky girls are notorious for fashioning jewelery to make a counter culture statement. Please refer to the below example.

Now this is fabulous, I can't help but love. But if you're looking for something more work appropriate or just something a little more clandestine perhaps we could try something more like the following.

Oh yes, yes, yes. How chic is this!? Play your cards right and you can rock that at the club.

Rings:

Does this look familiar? Don't shake your head at me liar! You know damn well there's a good portion of you out there with hands decked out like this that could overload a metal detector. Knock this mess off! Are you planning on punching someone in the face and leaving funny markings on their forehead? Because if that's the case I'll allow it, but once the job is finished, those things need to come off.

Now aren't these adorable? Not only do they make a subtle, geeky statement, but it's also just enough. You'd be amazed how much more of an impact you can make when you don't lather on so much. You don't want to bury those cute little things under a ton of loud ass rings do you?

Belts:

As promised from my last installment, I will tell you how to use your more flamboyant belts in grown person fashion but first I need to show you an example of what needs to be thrown out by the time you're 20.

These things scream "I'm 15!" Not to mention you cannot get that glitter off of you to save your life!

I for one am in love with the comic belt, and I see a lot of you ladies with 'em which is wonderful. HOWEVER, when you rock these belts with loud tees and all the damn bracelets and rings you like to put on, the belt gets buried. Again, you can make a larger statement with less. Keep the shirt you wear with this more on the neutral side and rock a good pair of jeans that fit like we talked about last time and it's all good.

I would also like to make a quick note on belt buckles:

Okay, this is a great set to make my point. First off, no nerdy belt buckle works for work, unless you have one of those awesome jobs we talked about. Okay ladies, quiz time, which buckle is the one I'll let you wear?

The answer is the Transformer piece in the middle. Why? Because it's clearly a belt buckle and not something that looks like it's been welded to your pants. And ladies, I do not under any circumstances want to see Vader near your lady business, he can't do anything for you, he's wearing a helmet. Note the size of the controller, it's pretty big. Boys are allowed to rock larger buckles because a good portion of them need to over compensate. Just kidding, it's just a subtle form of male peacocking that I happily tolerate. So ladies, do you really want to draw that much attention to your crotch region? I'd much rather have 'em talking to my rack personally. If they're looking down there, that's just uncomfortable.

I'm not going to cover hats, sunglasses or watches because I can honestly say my geeky girlfriends do just fine when it comes to those three. So good job sub culture! We win one! Love you guys, see you soon.

XBL Pro: Just Doing His Job

2010-02-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

Do not get it twisted, the "Pro that abuses his power" is no abuser, and that was a terrible editing job. I've seen all the videos and there are a few things I would like to see happen.

1. Parents: PAY ATTENTION! Do you hear the way these CHILDREN (not old enough to play these games) and the way they speak!? I for one am tired of listening to these nasty mouthed little punks when it's past their bedtime. They say the most ignorant, disgusting shit and ruins my gaming experience. It's on your credit card, just cut 'em off!

2. I am very happy that Microsoft has made it clear that this "PRO" was merely following procedure. I hope this will put a little fear into the modders and cheaters, the ban hammer does exist and honestly, I was beginning to doubt it.

Especially when I see shit like this popping up all over the web. Get a f**king life.

3. I hope Microsoft will cover the therapy costs that the Pro will need by the time he's done dealing with these gremlins.

The fact is, these little monsters were CHEATING aka BEING ASS HOLES aka DESERVED TO BE BANNED! END OF STORY. Glad we could have this talk. Considering that Sugar Gamers takes offense to cheaters, we salute you Pro man and are big fans of your work.

Brink: FPS Revolution? We Shall See (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

Splash Damage has made some heavy promises with it's latest FPS project Brink.

On a planet that has been flooded (I'm really hoping there's no global warming reference here, that would be minus points), there stands a haven, heavily guarded by security who often come to blows with outside refugees. There are many different sides to the story as to who is the villain. A factor in game play is you can jump around to any mission and complete them in any order and not get lost in the plot.

Supposedly, you will have endless customization options with your characters. You'll choose from heavy to light body frames, this will help determine what kind of weapons you'll be able to use. SD has also claimed it will take classes to a new level. There several classes to choose, far more than I'm used to seeing which may very well be a good sign and of course will add campaign replay value.

The game will feature 24 weapons to unlock, for some reason this is a number I feel comfortable with. Too little is boring and often too many weapons become somewhat redundant. There are also perks and capabilities to unlock. Perhaps the biggest news to come out of this project so far is the SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain)function during game play. Apprently this function will allow you to climb or traverse difficult terrain faster. Some have criticized this as way to bring in less experienced FPS gamers. Usually the turn off for non FPS players is getting shot mercilessly over and over, I don't see how easier travelling would fix that unless it lets you run away. However I love a moving target and so do snipers, so I'm gonna hope that wasn't the intention.

My biggest anticipation is the muliplayer system. I haven't heard any specific game types yet, but there is a featured function I am very curious about. There will be an objective wheel that has certain commands that allow your teammates to know your intentions or alert them to a situation that needs to be taken care of. Basically it's supposed to eliminate the pointless call outs you and your friends try to make during game while talking over one another. It should also make even the most selfish pricks want to help their out their team to gain some XP. If you select an object that is high priority, you'll gain more XP. If this works out ,that would be great, I'm terrible with call outs, I'm too busy in gaming space to remember to call them out, and then I tell my teammates something after they're dead, which they don't appreciate.

Splash Damage has developed almost everything on their own. This includes the dynamic objective system, and the character customization. Brink is set to release this fall for PC, PS3, and Xbox360. If they can deliver on these promises, SD might be my new bff, I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed. We'll keep you updated.

Mass Effect 2: Just Squint a Little (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

If you're not working with a high definition television, more than likely you can't read the text in Mass Effect 2 making the game unplayable.

Now I'm trying to be as sympathetic as possible. Even though this effects a rather small portion of gamers, it's still a hefty number. And I know I'd be pissed. I do feel for those left out. It would appear the only option is to get with the program.

Well, some things go together. iPOD and iTunes, chips and dip and awesome newly released video games and HD TV's. A statement was issued that it was a design decision made by the company. I don't think one could call it a costly decision, but not everyone can afford a new TV right now. However, the truth is, gaming has become a pass time for the technologically advanced. I'm not making the rules here, I'm just being captain obvious.

If you can throw down for your xbox, and all the hot games, you can probably scrounge together enough money for a 30" HD from WalMart. Just consider it as a long term gaming investment. And Mass Effect 2 is awesome and I would completely condone the purchase of a new TV to play it. Actually that puts in the Hardcore category of gamers. It's all about how many meals you'll sacrifice to get your game on.

Halo 2 We Will Miss You (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

"Dual wielding ass hole!"

"Damn it, f**king needlers!"

"I love this sword!!! Ahahahah!"

Any of these sound familiar? They should, these words were commonplace back when Halo 3 was still in it's infancy and we were all hooked on killing each other in Halo 2. Halo 2 was not about length, it was the gift that kept giving with it's multi-player mayhem. Well, get your game on while you can on this FPS classic because Xbox will soon no longer support original Xbox multi-player.

You've got roughly a week left to enjoy this oldie but goodie. I will be hosting lobbies every night until it's removed. Enjoy the Shotgun, the snipe, and the joy of needling the shit out of some one with dual wielded needlers. It may be a little somber, but we must move on, to bigger and better things. As gamers we know we have to embrace the changes but we will never forget.

Geek Chic Lifestyle # 4 Tee-Shirt & Jeans, There's a right way to do it (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, miss me? Who wouldn't right? Okay, tee-shirt and jeans, is this really an issue? YES! Omg I love you guys but some of ya'll have managed to mess up this simple look. I for one am a major fan of T&J's, it's practically my uniform. So, let's work from the ground up.

Jeans aka Denim, aka every girls least favorite thing to shop for. Here are some golden rules for Jeans.

1. The ruffed up vintage look is cute, BUT keep the holes to a minimum and very small. NO ONE SHOULD SEE YOUR SPIDER MAN UNDERPANTS!!

Save those for the lucky nerd who bags you.

2. You know those rubbed out light spots on the ass and thighs that you sometimes see? That is the most evil, stupid, ugly thing any designer has ever done to denim. It highlights areas most real women don't want highlighted and on our more slender girls, it just looks like your washing machine hates you. Just go ahead and skip those.

3. Simple fact, darker washes are slimming, lighter washes are not. The darker the jean, the slimmer you'll look.

4. Fit. Yeah I know, "jeans are supposed to fit?" Yes you silly geeky gooses, they're to supposed to FIT! What do I mean by fit? No matter the cut, jeans should give some definition to the buns buns. You should be able to sport a pair of jeans without a belt being a must to hold them up. On the other end of this argument, you should be able to BREATHE! You know, taking in oxygen so that you can function? Yeah, you have to be able to do that. You're allowed to expend a little energy putting on jeans but it shouldn't be WWIII, you got me? Zipping 'em up should take little effort.

Now that's a good fit. Notice that you can see the buns buns but she's not gasping for air.

5. Belts are good, they add a little polish. Of course, big girl belts add polish. Belts with bottle caps, ten tons of glitter or anything of the sort just make you look like you're trying to be twelve. (Now, I'm not telling you to dump your frilly belts, wait for the next installment of this blog and I'll show how to make those work in grown up fashion.)

Okay, Tee-shirts. We are geeks, we are die hard fans and we like to show it via the tee. And I love that we like to show it. But now I'm gonna give you some tips on how to make it fashion forward.

1. Again with fit, you guys really drive me crazy with this one. If you could only find that anime tee-shirt in the XXX men's size and you're swimming in it, guess what? That one is gonna have to stay in your pajama section, sorry. A good tee covers, the tummy and bust while giving definition but not squeezing you.

2. I'm gonna go ahead and say, as long as it fits as I have described above, you can buy any sort of geeky graphic you want. Although I will say, the more subtle, the easier it is to work with.

3. Vests, vests work wonders on making geeky tees look more grown up. Not just any vests. No puffys, and no bright colors. I want neutrals, that way they can be used with lots of outfits and tone down the tee. Below are some good examples that are easy to work with:

2. Scarves. Easy to put on, you don't need to wash them that often and are typically very affordable. Again, we're trying to tone down the kid vibe, but this one allows a lot more fun. I promise, just remember that if the tee has a lot of color, you'll probably want the scarf to be more on the neutral side or stick to solid colors. Otherwise you can make a boring geek tee into something more interesting with color or patterns. Below are some really fun and great examples that should work with even the busiest tees:

3. Jacket. I'm not talking about outdoor jackets, I'm talking about blazers and casual jackets. This is a great weapon to make a geeky tee look really sophisticated. I'm gonna with the same rules as the vests, keep 'em simple and neutral, I'll allow some prints and maybe a splash f color. Lemme show you some examples:

There are tons of jackets in all sizes that are very flattering. For my fellow curvier women I am going to tell you to be careful of the cropped jackets that cut off just under the bust, these don't really work for women like us.

Well look at you know, the T&J crisis has been averted, hooray! I always love our chats here. Thanks for reading and understanding my tough love, I do it because I love you, never forget that.

Heavy Rain: Sneak Preview Thanks to Game Stop (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-06T16:14:00.001-08:00

On a cold February evening, Game Stop was kind enough to open it's doors to Sugar Momma and I for an exclusive look at "Heavy Rain," PS3's hot project.

So, what makes "Heavy Rain" such a big hype machine? For one, there's a lot of highly sensative motion controls. You can't just throw the controller around like a Wii controller while playing Mario Party. You gotta treat it like a lady. You can also interact with almost anything, and of course, all actions come with consequences. You make a lot of decisions, from little ones to big ones not knowing how big the ripple effect will be. I can already tell there will no doubt be great replay factor with the sheer size of decisions and directions you can take.

The graphics are good, now I wasn't looking at a finished product so I won't make my final call on looks until this baby is born. Same goes for somewhat choppy dialog. The only thing I'm pretty certain won't change is the "Origami Killer" title. Oh geez, I gotta tell ya, it just sounds kinda cheesy, but I'll leave it alone. You never know, Halo Recon became ODST in a flash so maybe there's still a chance for a change, but I'm not counting on it.

The game is trying to build an atmosphere that will soon come crashing down. You do get somewhat pulled in, but I personally have the attention span of a fish and couldn't stay put for long. There's a very light, lala land kind of intro with bright light filters which turns into gritty grays after the murders occur. It's was very much like playing through an

atmospheric suspense movie.

I won't lie, I hope the hype can be maintained at a decent level. Sometimes too much talk can kill games like this. again, I was not looking at a finished product so none of my thoughts here are final.

Our own Sugar Momma, Ms. Keisha Howard was actually able to get her hands on the controller to experience the game demo first hand. Look for her follow up piece on her experiences coming soon.

Mass Effect: Dominating my Game Time (By Rebecca "Bonks" Rothschild)

2010-02-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Holy shit! Mass Effect is back and Bioware pulled out all the stops. You ever hear your online friends when they're playing? No you don't, the are long gone, swept up in a great story, damn decent graphics and fluid controls. Sitting there completely enthralled, and more than likely drooling.

I don't like to give too much away when I post up these alerts, but allow me to say a few things. At the very least, I'm going to have to demand that you either rent this, or steal it from a friend.

Looks: It's a sleek, spacey beauty. Smooth, dark filter with juicy hues. On another note, the faces on these characters look good in all lights. No weird deformed looks due to poor shading. Even the ugliest of team members look downright sexy.

The Wheel: Controls are good, they do certainly have a Gears like feel which suits me fine. There's a wheel to select your moves from. I have heard that some think there's too many shooter similarities. I respectfully cannot agree. You can't treat this game like shooter, the action expands way beyond that. The only thing about gameplay that might drive you kinda nuts is how long some of these cut aways are.

The Gang: Oh you'll come to love 'em all. A rag tag team of freaks, killers and clowns. Some character development will overshadow others. Some of the more colorful characters do fall short in development which is probably why they get more of those snappy one liners. Truth be told, there's almost too many cool guys. How's about one mellow dude who really doesn't do much but make the cool guys look cooler. I feel like everyone is competing cool game character of the year.

The Story: It makes sense, you won't get lost, but if you watch Sy Fy, you may have seen this plot before.

Replay Value: You can play through as several characters and behave in all sorts of ways. I gotta say, more often than not, it pays to be bad, but that's just me. This may be the one section where I gotta pump the breaks on the hype. After one time through you DO realize that all decisions make an impact. HOWEVER, after round two it becomes very predictable. Similar to KOTOR, I was soon able to figure out how to work the system which takes away a pretty big chunk of the fun.

All In all I'm gonna give a 8.5/10 sugar cubes. And that's more than enough to sweeten your coffee, go ahead and check this one out.

The Losers Movie?!

2010-02-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

How did I not know they were doing a "Losers" movie 'til right now?! Dude, I loves the Losers, have you guys read this?! From the looks of the trailer I'd say it has a good chance of being pretty dead on to the storyline, but of course that's always a coin toss. Oh and Zoe Saldana was a great cast for her role. Do yourself a solid and look up the trailer, this is a hell yeah for me.

For those of you who haven't stuck their nose into this series, it is a great modern comic series with an anti hero twist from Vertigo. A pack of characters from the deadliest American agencies have fallen off the reservation and are looking for a little payback. Ever wonder what would happen if a bunch of government rejects decided to declare war on the C.I.A? Well, "The Losers" can give you at least one scenario. Written by Andy Diggle, and signature, gritty art by Jock. A few words to give an idea of what to expect: guns, explosions, witty banter, and just downright sexy.

Bayonetta, The Good, The Could be Better, and The Curves

2010-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

The hottest new video game vixen has been unleashed. The Bayonetta costume will no doubt be a popular one at all the cons this year. With the the glasses and witchy street cred, she has hypnotized all the emo, nerdy, and gothic chicks that lay eyes on her. Since Sugar Gamers is making an appearance at ACEN I think I'll do an article dedicated to the best Bayonetta costumes I see and hopefully get some tips. I have to admit she has great appeal, good sense of humor, witty, full of attitude and a bagin' bod. She's kinda like a female Dante (Devil May Cry) for me.

Game play is highly stylistic, somewhat similar to Devil May Cry and the controls are very fluid. There's a good variety of movements and attacks. Scenery and enemies are ripe with juicy color and shading, it's a very handsome set of graphics. Plot works for me, it's just complicated enough to keep me interested while keeping things simple. At the end of the day, you really just want to get to the hack and slashing. Music is a great compliment to the game and deserves an honorable mention.

Sometimes it can get a little frustrating, checkpoints can be a little far apart, but I suppose that adds replay value. The cut away scenes: Some of the writing while funny, is a bit cheesy. And I know, it's a video game, they're not looking for an Emmy. Still, I personally like to keep the cheese to a minimum. If you go too cheesy with a sexually charged game like this, it can come off like porn banter.

Speaking of sexually charged: I don't care how much nudity is in the game, I wouldn't care if she was running around naked the whole time she could probably get away with it. Some argue that she's just another slutty character to sell games. PUH- lease! She's just putting it all on the table folks. Let's face facts, ladies and gentlemen alike, you mean to tell you've never had naughty thoughts about your favorite video game character with the sweet body? Don't answer that, you'll probably lie to me. Even if she is a little slutty, I'd still hang out with her, she seems like a blast! To her credit, she's got a great ass for a bunch of pixels, sometimes these designers don't get the ass right, usually it ends up looking flat so props to them for that one.

HELLO!! YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!!!! Well done on your coming out Bayonetta, I have no doubt you'll make a splash and I KNOW there will be another game, with even more fabulous costumes.

Here's to Bungie's Hero movement

2010-01-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

I know everyone has something to say about Bungie but I do have to tip my hat to them for their "Be a Hero" Halo event. I won't lie, there are days I curse Bungie for being unable to ban all the hackers, knowing full well that's just a bad game of cat and mouse. But Bungie has really made an impressive effort that makes me feel good about investing A LOT of my cash into their products and this event was like the icing on a cake.

For those unaware, Bungie encouraged Halo players to rock a red heart emblem on their Spartans and Elites, in return, for every 1000 participants who sport the emblem they would donate 100$ to the Haiti cause. Some say they did it just to bump up their numbers and pull people back from COD, but I can't agree. SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST WANT TO HELP! KNOCK IT OFF YOU WEB TROLLS! I've been playing the past two days and have seen nothing but red hearts wall to wall, it's pretty moving.

Gamers are often considered apathetic, and emotionless drones. Seeing so many hearts says that despite one's judgement, there are a ton of gamers out there who give a shit. Now I know that not all gamers are incredibly informed or generous but the shear number of hearts makes me think that even those who normally wouldn't care, made a decision to do something proactive. Of course the act of changing one's emblem is not difficult, but it made being charitable very accessible. Just being able to get people to do something, no matter how small I feel is a step in the right direction. Bungie has a vast following from the more mature to the youngsters so I think it's good that these young gamers see someone like Bungie setting a great example. As you know, Sugar Gamers has declared a crusade against gamer stereotypes so I had no choice but to bring to light the amazing response from our gaming friends. I hope to see a lot of copy cat movements similar to this one and I hope that anyone who owns Halo3 or ODST will make sure to pop on and play for the cause.

Geek Chic Lifestyle Tip #3 (We need to talk hair)

2010-01-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hello again foxy ladies, time to talk about hair. I won't lie, I might be a little harsh on this one. Just know, I'm not trying to turn into some cookie cutter betty, there's just a few rules I strongly recommend following.

1. I know you guys know this, but there's a few friends of mine who try to bend this one because of their lack of social interaction. All hair needs to be washed regularly. For some textures it's daily for others there may be a couple days in between. Rule of thumb is your hair should NOT be oily or clumping, that's gonna make your face break out. So you need to wash before it gets to that point. And when washing it's very important to message the scalp. And for most hair textures, you gotta, gotta blow dry. Most hair textures look dull and almost like you didn't wash it all if you let it air dry.

2. This ain't Home Depot. Do it yourself rarely works out when it comes to hair. I know your bangs are gettin' long and they're hangin' in your face, go ahead and sweep them to one side until you can get a pro on that. Your local hair stylist is your friend. Stylists won't do anything without your permission, but sometimes they have great suggestions so you might wanna listen. You don't have to throw down a ton of cash for a good cut either. Also, I wouldn't let more than three months go by between cuts.

3. The ethereal long hair look. Okay, Bonks loves ya, but here it goes. If you're gonna have this long hair you have to MAINTAIN that mane. That means washing, blow drying, straightening, and hair styling product. It's a lot of work, and if you're not up to it, I strongly recommend investing in a wig or extensions. There is nothing worse than seeing a perfectly beautiful young woman with frizzy, lifeless, limp hair down to her thighs. And no pulling it back into a ponytail and or enormous bun does not help, at all. I would also like state that no one should have their hair any longer than a couple inches past their bust, any length after that is near impossible to maintain. On another note, a ton of hair with a singular length for all strands doesn't have a whole lot of life to it. You may want to consider layers.

4. Color. Oh ladies I love color, and I'm going to say that you can have your hair any color you want but I do want you to be aware of a few things. A full head of dyed pink hair is no doubt a statement, but if you're not in high school, it might limit you. Finding a job might be harder as well as being taken seriously. I know, that blows, I wish I could tell you to dye on until you pass out from the chemical smells, but I care about you so I can't. Now, if you're in a professional situation where your radical dye jobs are embraced, work really hard cuz you've probably got an awesome gig. But for most professional situations, I'd hate to see any of you held back because you love purple so much that you had to cover your head with it. This would be a another situation where wigs can save the day. They come in all colors and cuts, you can save a ton of time and bad smells.

Okay, I'm glad we could have that talk. I love you guys and I'll check in with you soon.

Geek Chic Lifestyle #2 (Hittin' the Gym)

2009-12-30T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy new year geeky ladies! New games comin' out, DLC's, all sorts of goodies. But a healthy geek is a better player, and that's a fact. You cannot touch me on Halo after a good workout. Lots of people make the resolution to loose weight and hit the gym, geeks included. It's not a bad idea, unfortunately so many things go so wrong so fast with this kind of thing. First of all, speak with a DOCTOR, not your cousins bff, not the guy at the health food store. Gym trainers make me nervous, I personally have had horrible experiences, but also some good ones. A doctor can at least give you some guidelines that you can bring to the trainer. My main tip is to start slow and listen to your body.

I know a few girls, Sugar Gamers included, who have anxieties about going to the gym. "People will stare at me and judge me." "I don't belong there." Blah blah blah blah blah, come on now ladies we are geeks and we are chic! Truth be told, I thought all the same things. Then when I went I found out most people are in their own world when they're workin' out, most of them listening to ipods or even reading books. It's not like highschool where someone would walk up to you and say something mean, everyone respects everyone else's space. If it's really hard to shake your gym fear, go ahead and bring a friend. Although, for the friend thing to work out you both have to be committed. Maybe bring that friend that's just a little bit too motivated, you know, the one that complains that you sleep in too much. You can't feel uncool with a buddy and it's someone to be accountable to so that you stick with your exercise plan.

I've heard complaints that some of you don't know what to wear to the gym. Sweatpants, tee-shirt or tank top, and gym shoes. I don't consider your good pair of chucks to be gym shoes. I also strongly suggest a sports bra. Oh, lace and thong underwear are a bad idea, keep it simple in the pants. Whoops! Almost forgot, BRING A WATER BOTTLE!!! Towel is also suggested for heavy sweaters. And bring a lock for the locker.

Good eating really does compliment exercise. You don't have to go organic or anything, just use a little more caution and common sense. When you combine the two you'll notice that "healthy" feeling a lot sooner. That means more energy and focus, what else does a gaming lady need? Just remember, I believe in you and if some gym rat hates on you, I'll take care of them.

Characters I Hate #1

2009-12-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

I'll give you a hint, Halo Wars, snazzy little military uniform and always has to make a comment every time you give her an order.

Look Serina, I get it, you're A.I and you're really geeked about having a personality. But if you were a physical human, I think you'd have a lot of trouble landing a nice guy since you'd be a DATING NIGHTMARE. If it were me giving you orders, I'd expect you to 100% support me no matter the situation! By support I don't mean sputtering out little smartass comments under your giga breath!

Between fighting a war and having no time for video games, the last thing I'd want is attitude from the freakin computer who is incapable of having cellulite! Do as I say or I'll replace you with something that will. Let's take a moment and think what makes Cortana so user friendly. Let's say I gave both of you the same order like "Land the Ship in that unladable forest."

Cortana's response: "Got it, prepare for impact and cross your fingers we don't take too much damage."

Serina's response: "Of course, nothing like damaging your ship beyond repair leaving you stranded on a planet with flesh eating birds waiting to pluck your eyes out. I'll get right on that."

You see all those syllables between "of course" and "I'll get right on that?" That's the shit I'm talking about. Is there a way you could internalize that negative energy? Try some cyber kick boxing or something? Note how Cortana attempts to keep the outlook as posotive as possible, is it a lie? Yes, but when facing possible death IT'S COMMON FREAKIN' COURTESY, especially considering YOU won't feel a thing. Now look here sassy hot pants. Either you can change your attitude or I'll reprogram you with daisy dukes, a tube top and a menthol hangin' out your mouth. Yeah, you have trying to be taken seriously with denim halfway up your crack. Serina, you need to check yourself princess.

The Lag Switch Talk

2009-12-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

*For all my FPS home slices out there who are sick and tired of laggy losers hangin' around in multi-player hoppers, this one is for you.*

For those who haven't suffered this yet, I will explain the "Lag Switch." Commonly used if FPS game types, these punks basically make their Internet quit out when they're being shot so they become invincible for short periods of time making it annoyingly hard to kill. I have to take a few deep breaths before I continue, as this issue tends to make my blood boil. Okay lag folk, let's go through the list (Have you noticed yet? I heart lists):

1. Utilizing a lag switch is CHEATING. Just like console and controller mods (in case there was a moron who was wondering.) To try and make it out to be anything else makes you even more pathetic.

2. Being able to use a lag switch does not make you some sort of elite hacker. As the name suggests, you're just flippin' a switch...BFD. There's 10 year olds downloading the youtube lag switch instructional video right now.

3. Everyone hates you.

4. You are not allowed to get mad when people call you out on it, if you're going to be an ass, you might as well embrace it and reply with "Why yes, I used a lag switch because I have an insane amount of insecurities to the point that I can't handle dying in a video game." Or something to that affect.

You laggers should consider yourselves lucky I have a responsibility to keep my language clean or this post would be A LOT longer, and uglier. I'm not going to ask why, because I honestly don't care. I'm not even going to ask you to consider changing your ways, I'm just gonna tell you to get lost and report you punks whenever I have to suffer your lack of gaming skills. If you're goal is to piss people off then yes, you have won, I'm pissed off. So tell me oh spiteful one, what's your prize?

Geek Chic Lifestyle #1 (Social Graces)

2009-12-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

Geek Chic Lifestyle tips are for all the nerdy girls who want to find a healthy balance between nerdy chick and sophisticated woman. I want to cast all those stereotypes about geeky women to the wind. I don't want to take away from your personal style, I just want you to be confident and not underestimated or judged. There is nothing wrong with a healthy gaming, or sci fi obsession, but it doesn't mean we have to conform to certain lifestyle or appearance, geeks have the right to be chic.

Considering the holidays are here and face time with family and friends is necessary. I thought it would be a good time to talk about one's social interaction. So many of my geeky lady friends are very reclusive because of their social anxieties, they worry they're not dressed right or won't have anything in common with anyone. Even if both these things are true, you can still have a good time. Geeky women are notoriously intelligent and have vast ranges of interests which make them interesting. I know, cyberspace is great, you don't have to shower, and you can be naked if you want to while communicating, but face to face interaction is something a geek chic woman should conquer. So I've got a list of things you can do, to make social situations easier. All of these things are in reference to things I've seen myself and friends do when we're uncomfortable at social event.

1. Smile, I know it's cliche, but it really does work, it makes you approachable. When you don't make a conscious effort to smile, your nervous energy will show on your face. I'm not talkin' about flashing your teeth everywhere, just turn those corners of your mouth up a little bit. When you happen to make eye contact with someone, even if you don't know them, just go ahead and smile at them anyway maybe give a slight nod. You know, anime style.

2. Body language. NO HUGGING YOURSELF!!! With your arms wrapped around you like that you look terrfied and put people off. My trick, props. If your purse isn't enough to fiddle with, go ahead and grab a drink, it doesn't have to be alcoholic, it can be water for all I care, it just keeps your hands busy.

3. Wallflower syndrome. Leaning against a wall with a forlorn look on your face while texting on your phone is a great way to bring down the mood of an event while making time drag on forever. If you haven't found someone to socialize with yet there are a few things you can do. One, explore your surroundings a little, check out art on the walls or just take notice of the architecture. While doing this just listen for something you can somewhat relate to and go ahead and jump in. Don't hear anything that rings a bell? Then pull a basic, effective female maneuver, compliment another female's outfit or accessory.

4. Your geeky side is a great part of who you are, but when answering questions like "what are some of your interests?" or "So what do you do for fun?" You don't want to overwhelm them with an answer like "I love retro 80's anime like (insert obscure anime title)...." Remember that many of our interests are not in the mainstream, it's not like pilates or pottery. I know I've felt pretty stupid trying to explain to people what anime is to those who have no idea. Some of the things I've gotten away with:

Comic books = "I'm a comic book enthusiast, I really love these new modern stories."

Anime= "I love science fiction, especially the animated series."

Video Games= "I love technology" (Don't judge me)

These answers are often acknowledged and then we move on. Sometimes they are intrigued and ask me to elaborate. Should this happen to you, remember not to overwhelm people with information, keep it general.

5. Don't be someone else. You are you, no time like the present to embrace it. You'll get so caught up in your act that you'll get lost, no fun.

I'm so tired of my fellow geeks shying away because they feel they don't fit. Remember my dear geeky goddesses, everyone has to make face time sometime. And you have the potential to make things interesting, and most importantly, make it your own. Sorry to get mushy on you there, but it's true.

Gaming Zen Tip #1

2009-12-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

"The console controller is the bond between one's self and the gaming universe. To throw it in anger is to physically sever the bond."

Whether it be at the wall, TV, or the friend who just whipped your ass, chucking the controller rarely ends well. From the batteries popping out to giving your friend a handsome shiner they'll always treasure, we need to find an alternative to this reflex problem for so many. My number one and most sensible solution is to turn the game off before you get to this point, but that's not your style is it? Now of course the Wii has already somwhat countered this with that snazzy little wristband. If you plan on designing a wristband, a few things to keep in mind: no cutting off of circulartion, purple hands don't game very well. And make sure it's sturdy enough to withstand your highest level of gaming rage. I'm talkin', you walked into a fight with a boss with a ton of lives and all the items you needed and somehow you just got bitchsmacked back to your last checkpoint which was eons ago.

But maybe carpentry isn't your shtick. So let's get creative.

- Install a little air bag that can pop out so you can slam the controller on your forehead.

- Keep some walnuts and a hammer nearby (that's multi-tasking)

- Stab a pillow, watch the feathers fly it may amuse you to the point that you forget what pissed you off....... or if you're a neat freak it will make things worse

Look I just give the tips, you can go ahead and figure it out from there.

Welcome to Bonks....prepare yourself

2009-12-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

The name is Bonks, I'm the coordinating producer for Sugar Gamers. I enjoy partying with all of you at our awesome events where you know me as Becca. You reading this blog means you wish to bond with me further, I am blushing. My freak flag will fly high on this blog. A few fun things to look out for; Characters I heart, Characters I loathe, gaming zen tips, geek chic style tips and dating advice (warning! Bonks might be full of crap while giving dating advice, she may now be marries but she had a terrible dating record.) Well, thanks for stopping by, more fun is on the way.

2009-12-16T10:52:00.000-08:00