WIP @ Gamefest 2011!

In celebration of reaching over 1000 hits on this blog (thanks folks!), we here at WIP would like to take this opportunity to announce our coverage of Gamefest 2011!

http://events.game.co.uk/gamefest/

For those of you that don't know what Gamefest is, it's a video games expo, very much in the same vien as E3 (only not as big... and in Birmingham.) WIP acted quickly, and managed to get tickets before the Saturday sold out! After much debate (and arguing) we've decided on what games we'll be covering for the weekend;

Astra (who will make her debut apperance soon) will be covering Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Mario and Sonic at the 2012 London Olympic games, Zelda: Skyward Sword and she'll be getting her groove on at the Just Dance 3 booth. Meanwhile, Auros will be also covering Uncharted, as well as Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed: Revelations and will be exploring the alien world of Prey 2. Dare, if he can make it to the event, will get his hands on the much anticipated Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and will be flying around and blowing stuff up in Ace Combat: Assualt Horizon. If he can't make it to Gamefest, then we'll just hand over the responsibility to someone else (hopefully me!) Everyone's favourite DM will try out Rayman Origins, Silent Hill: Downpour, and will test his artistic skills on uDraw. Konrad will help coverage of Prey 2 and will be playing Kid: Icarus: Uprising and will test his driving skills in Mario Kart. Finally, I will get to grips with Gears of War 3, Saints Row The Third and will be going on a zombie kill spree in Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City.

Hopefully, these games will only be the tip of the iceberg, as we get coverage over the Saturday and Sunday of the event. After the event, we'll be posting our views on these titles and, with any luck, we may have a few interviews (but we're not promising anything on that front.)

If you're at the event, see you there!

4G out.

1001 views!!

That's right people, Work In Progress has hit a mini mile stone as of 7.26pm.

Literally just over 1000 views, no doubt the entirety of WIP HQ is celebrating.

... Somehwere... maybe.

But nonetheless when you're starting out this is an achievement (5 gamer points)!

As DM I'd like to thank you all for viewing our site and award yourselves with 1001 exp!

I will also take this opportunity to say that we are going to Gamefest in a few weeks (the West Midlands answer to E3) and hope to be bring you some coverage as we download it on to whoever's computer is nearest...

This is the DM feeling the need to sculpt something in order to mark the occasion, but what? Hmmmmmm...

Space Marine Demo Impressions - Part 2

Space Marine Demo Impressions - Part 1

Auros and the DM give their first impressions on the Space Marine demo. FOR THE EMPEROR!!!

Welcome, Pandora!

          This is Pandora. A short intro may be in order: I am a gamer geek who also happens to be a girl - we exist, honest! I play RPGs, table top games and console games and I take all of them very seriously. By seriously I mean I have a large collection of XBox games, I have characters for several RPGs and I have a fair few Warhammer and Warhammer 40K armies and a Warmachine army. Which is the point of the first piece that I am doing. I would like to point out that I know this isn't the case all of the time, with all people - this is based on some of my experiences and some experiences I know other girls have had.

          First of all, back off into the mists of time, when I was still in college, my group of friends would often go to the local LAN arena to play. Normally this would mean a first person shooter, mainly Call of Duty, Day of Defeat, Battlefield Vietnam or Halo; and although I am not usually a PC gamer - preferring consoles for the lack of having to upgrade once a week to be able to run new releases. I became very good at them - note the DM and 4G can back this up, and I'm not just bragging. For example, holding off in a 2 vs. 1 scenario on Battlefield Vietnam for an hour and a half, and the other team having to napalm me out in the end. Now most of the people I played with did take me seriously, but I did get the occasional comment of "You're good … for a girl." This is the most rage inducing statement that anyone could make to me. I don't see why that should affect my ability to play computer games.

          Ah, I hear you say that was then and this is now. Well this also goes into the game retail industry, and is still ongoing to this day. For example, imagine the total annoyance of this scenario: you are out shopping and find something you want to buy, but whilst you are trying to pay for said item the person serving is talking past you to the person you are with. This has happened to me on more than one occasion buying games, but only ever when the person I am shopping with is a guy. This has even happened when the person I am with has explained the game is for me and I am the one who is going to play it, but they still talked past me to them. This kind of leads me onto another point: this has only happened when I am buying FPS or combat/fighting games. Where as if I am buying an RPG or especially a JRPG I have never had that happen. Is there some sort of unwritten law that its fine for girls to be into some game types and not others? If so, why? I am good at FPS games, and beat 'em up games, though I still can't beat Auros at Soul Calibur - as well as RPGs. This happened recently enough for the game I was buying to be Red Dead Redemption.

          I have to say I have been lucky with pen and paper RPGing, the group I play with, when I get chance, are totally cool with the idea that I am perfectly capable of playing, coming up with plans and kicking ass in most RPG scenarios. Table top war gaming, however, is a different matter. For example I have been told that for Warhammer and 40K that I have "typical girl armies." Again, another rage inducing statement. My armies are chosen because I like the models, background fluff and abilities of said army. For example, the first army I collected was the Sisters of Battle; not because it was a "girl's army" but because I like the idea of battle nuns. I liked the models and thought I could build and play well with them. My choice was that simple. It would be the same incentive guys use to buy their armies; Space Marines, for example, is a typical "guy army."

          So there is my rant, I have tried not to get too wound up. I am sure there are a few girls out there who have similar, or worse experiences, and there are lots of people who take girl gamers seriously. It just seems the industry at large doesn't - games aimed at a female audience is a totally separate rant that I won't start now.