The End

I finally plucked up enough money to let myself buy the new Penny Arcade game, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One. This game, with it's RPG-style, is usually not my bag of cats, but I decided to give it a whirl because I enjoy Penny Arcade's blog/ web comic, and I've seen nothing but pretty good reviews for it. Instantly I loved the feel of it, the narrators dark and dramatic voice, the comic-esque graphics and cut-scenes, and the ever-present ironic and goofy Penny Arcade humor.
The game starts off with your character's creation, and goes from there, incorporating a giant robot, the two Penny Arcade guys (Tycho and Gabe, for those who aren't familiar with PA), lots of stuff to smash, mimes, clowns, and hobos, among other things. You must complete a series of objectives in order to progress through the game, and should you need hints you are given the option of looking through your case book. By-standers, I discovered, are also good at keeping you going in the right direction. You have a cast of friends that help you in your time of need, including an awesome bright pink robot, which I LOVED. Oh, and a cat, which endeared me to the game as well, although his super secret power had me in fits of giggles, though it was generally not so useful.
I bought and downloaded the game from a reliable gaming source that decided my debit/credit card was A-OK with them (Greenhouse denied me!), and began playing immediately, just to get an overall feel for it. Bad Idea. I immediately became addicted, and played for three hours straight, before my lower back couldn't take it anymore and other duties called. Later today, I came home from work and played for another two, before taking a much needed nap, and then I traveled up to my hometown and played for another three hours resulting in my Pwnage of the game. Yes, eight hours of playing and now my gaming is done.
All I really want to add: they better come out with Episode Two, ASAP.

Myst on What?!

Nintendo is coming out with . . . get ready! MYST! I played this game when I was younger, and it really fostered in me a love for adventure games, not to mention appreciation for well rendered graphics and loving details inside a gaming environment. This appreciation is evident when I peruse any game, whether it be adventure or first person shooter. Graphics are a big decider for me. (You can see just how beautiful the graphics are in Myst in the picture to the right. This is not a publicity shot; it is really part of the inside world of Myst.)
At first, however, I was a little wary of how well it would play on a hand held, not to mention how good the graphics would be because, in my opinion, a huge part of the appeal for Myst was its amazing worlds. After speaking to a fellow geek (who happened to have the girliest looking DS I have ever laid eyes on. Baby blue? No thanks), I was informed that the graphics are prerendered, which means that they should do just fine on a hand held. As far as the point-and-click aspect of it, since DS has a nifty stylus for its touch screen, it should work out beautifully. The only problem, I think, is that smaller details will be lost on a smaller screen, since Myst was originally meant to be played on a computer monitor. I suppose only time will tell . . .

Little Addictions

As a geek, I harbor many little addictions that would not surprise other, fellow geeks. But just what are these addictions, you may wonder? Prepared to be awed as one Geek Girl puts it all out there for others to slowly shake their heads at and tsk.

1. Dr. Pepper - I'm a southern Geek Girl, and geeks everywhere know that you have to have a convenient, sugar-y, caffeine-laden drink nearby so that you can play games with one hand and remain awake and hydrated with the other.
   
2. DreamFall: The Longest Journey - My newest game. Rich worlds, characters, and story lines keep me glued to my laptop for hours. Literally. This is where those Dr. Peppers come in handy!
3. Sci-Fi/Fantasy/ Fiction - I've always been addicted to books of all kinds. Of course I have preferred genres, but I'm open for any and all suggestions, as long as they seem interesting.
4. Geeksugar.com - A site dedicated to Geek Girls everywhere? Say no more! I love this site. It keeps me up-to-date on all things tech and gadget, and it gives me a fix when I desperately need a little geek sugar. It's definitely a site worth visiting.
5. My Cellphone - Ok, so my cellphone is total crap. In fact, I'm hoping and praying that my paycheck will be miraculously huge this time around so that I can purchase the newest upcoming iPhone (hey, miracles happen!). But I have my cellphone with me AT ALL TIMES. It is my lifeline. It may be an oldie, but it hasn't let me down yet (except when it drops my calls . . . or dies.)
6. My Laptop - I have it with me almost everywhere. I cannot go on a trip without it. And I'm usually on it for most of the day. I love it, and I don't know what I'd do without it.
   

Ok, so those are my addictions. The few that I could think of at the moment. They're hardly gossip-worthy, but I can bet that geeks everywhere will be nodding there heads and agreeing that all of the above mentioned addictions are necessary to make us geek-happy.

Adventure Games: My Click of the Mouse

So, today I bought a new book along with a new game at my local Half-Priced Book Store. More on the book when I actually get to reading it, but the game is Dream Fall: The Longest Journey. It has been rated as the best adventure game of its year, and I remember the time when I could not wait to try my mouse on it. It sounded so awesome, but something prevented me from actually buying it until now (lack of funds, perhaps?). At a price of a little over seven bucks, which I was more than happy to shell out, I went home and immediately installed it. This took awhile. I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems that software installs slower on Windows Vista than it originally did on Windows ME 2000 or Windows XP (and to think, I complained about ME). I've been able to play quite a bit (ok, I have to admit: I can play the thing for, literally, hours), and I'm really liking it. The graphics are beautiful, if you keep in mind that it is a couple of years old, and the worlds seem so rich and full of depth. The characters are interesting, and there is a mysterious storyline that opens up at just the right pace. Currently, I'm stuck, which will happen if you're going to play any game that is worth it's salt. I'm not so great at sneaking around. I'm more of a shove-the-door-open-and-throw-in-a-grenade kinda girl, but sneaking is necessary in this adventure. This is my first real foray outside of First Person Shooters, so the amount of dialogue is different, but I'm enjoying it. It's almost like an interactive book! Plus, it has 6 frigging disks! That should keep me occupied for quite some time (if I can get past THIS. ONE. PART!)

Ah, the Joys of a First Blog

I know that blogging is all the rage now, but to be honest, I just wanted a place where I could put my opinions out there, as well as ranting about my days. The chances of someone actually finding this obscure little blog are miniscule, but I maintain hope. You'll find, as you continue reading, that I have a dry sense of humor, little patience for idiots, and that I am, in fact, a geek.

I didn't always take pride in this fact (OK, I liked being smarter than the people around me, I admit), but the whole "being - considered - weird - because - I - had - my - nose - in - a - book" or "being - considered - strange - because - I - like - to - play - computer/video games - where - I - can - shoot - things - and - blow - stuff - up" does get a bit tiring. Even my friends and SO have mentioned that I'm not like other girls. However, I take this as a compliment, judging by the "normal" girls I've met. And I take great pride in all of this geekiness now. Nothing makes me happier than to own at Halo 3, or CofD4. Books make me happy, and don't even get me started on all the goodies and gadgets that are out now that throw me into a frenzy of "if I save this, and wait for my next pay check, and am OK with not having groceries for a month, save ramen noodles, I can afford that!" I can't wait until technology really takes off, and what's in the works is suddenly in the stores.

OK, so I think I've made it very clear that I am a geek. I am also a female, which makes me a bit of an oddity. A geek girl? Heck, yes. Prepare to be owned! :P