Just send us an email by December 3 on what makes Squids (the animal or game) so awesome and you could win!  If you don’t win, you can still get Squids for $1.99 from the iTunes store here – Squids!

Here are the updates including optimization for iPad!

• Universal App: The original SQUIDS is now a Universal App. Play it on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch (or all three!) for the same low price of $1.99.
• Horror in 3D: A 3D anaglyph version of the recent Halloween map. Go old-school with your red/blue glasses to see the Squid heroes and their cranky crustacean rivals in all three dimensions. Crazy.
• New localizations: Japanese, simplified Chinese, and Russian languages join the game’s pre-existing English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish localizations.
• Music support: Listen to your own music while playing.Screen rotation: Turn your device and the game screen turns with it!
• Plus various and sundry bug fixes and interface tweaks to make playing SQUIDS even more enjoyable. :)

To be honest I groan a little inside when I hear this question. The reason is because DCUO is not WoW. Not even close. Yes it’s an MMO, but for me it is an entirely different experience. When I think of WoW, I think of a slower paced game where questing, professions, grinding levels and raiding can easily suck away 12 hours of my day if I let it. With DCUO it’s a much more intense, fast paced action game that still has familiar elements of WoW (or any MMO really), but also something a bit different. After playing and loving Batman: Arkham Asylum, I was really excited to get my hands on DCUO. Batman: AA was truly the first superhero game that I not only liked, but loved. My thought was if DCUO could capture some the things I loved most about AA, then I should really enjoy DCUO. Well so far so good, between the quick quests, the collectible lore & gear, & the mini dungeons where you fight along side of a iconic superhero/villain, I’m hooked (I haven’t even had a chance to try the PVP yet, but I hear it’s great!). Sure there are some parts where the voice acting is a bit cheesy (and other voices that I’m blown away by) but at the heart of this game it makes me feel like I’m fighting for justice right a long side my childhood hero, Wonder Woman or creating mayhem with The Joker. So just like Batman: AA, it’s the comic book lore that has hooked me. I’ve never been a DC fangirl and honestly my only exposure to DC has been through TV, movies & now games, but this game makes me want to create toons on both sides and mentor every single hero & villain so I can go through all of the stories and quests (guess what, it’s actually an obtainable goal!) Currently there are 8 heroes and 7 villains to be inspired by (listed below) and if you take everyone of them to 30 it could mean an ton of great gaming & lore.

So what are some of my complaints? Well for one, if I do decide to create 15 toons the starting area for all of these characters is going to get old….quick. Unlike WoW where every race has a unique starting area, the heroes in DCUO do not. I’ve gone through the starting area 5 times so far (3 times in beta) and if you are a hero your guide is the Oracle and if you’re a villain it’s Calculator, other than that small difference everything else is the same. Granted the starting area is easy to go through (max 10-20 min) but I’d still like to have some variety. Maybe it’s not possible right now, but hopefully the developers will create multiple starting areas, heck just put me on a different Brainiac ship. My next issue would be the player interaction/communication: I’m sure this isn’t so bad on the PC but on the PS3 it’s downright painful. There is voice enabled in the game, but I’ve never really been one to just start chatting with random people in a game. There is text windows and the process just to create a tell is rather cumbersome. My solution will be to try and work out creating a vent channel in our existing WoW guild for those that would like to play DCUO, in addition to digging out my USB/Bluetooth Keyboard. I’ve also been seeing complaints about bugs, specifically one where you would fall through the world. I have yet to experience any bugs and from what I understand SOE put out a hotfix 2 out days after launch correcting a number of report bugs. There are aspects of the game that I find smooth and responsive (flying for instance) and others not so much (the menu & targeting system on the PS3). In the end, it’s more than I expected for a launch of a MMO.

What I’m really trying to do with DCUO (something I wasn’t able to do with Aion or Champions Online) is to hold the game on it’s own merits and what I find enjoyable. For someone that has played WoW for the last 5 years, who honestly wished at the time there was a MMO on a console, this is what I’ve been waiting for. Don’t get me wrong I still love WoW and will continue to play, but even with the release of Cataclysm, I’m simply looking for a different type of game to play. And because of it’s fast pace & easy stop & start play style, I actually do feel like I have a spot for both WoW & DCUO in my gaming lineup. Now I just have to decide does my wallet.

Still trying to decide if you want to play. Here are some questions I’ve received & things to consider.

Should I get the game on the PS3 or PC? For me this game shines on the PS3. Can you play it on the PC, of course but if I had to choose I’d pick PS3 every time. If PC is your only option & you are finding the flying a bit clunky, try and get your hands on a wired Xbox 360 controller. I’ve heard it works great with the game.

How much does it cost?
Honestly I’m not going to type out the cost because it is quite possible it might change. In fact I’m really holding out hope that SOE will do something special with the Playstation Plus members and give a discount or even free subscription (hey a girl can wish right?) For the most up-to-date information on the monthly fees for the game I’m going to direct you to DCUO’s website. It will be very interesting to see what happens on 2/11 when everyone’s free month will expire. I can tell you right now that I really want to mentor all of the heroes and villains so I will be renewing for at least 1 more month. Where the real test will be is with the expansions and additional content, will DCUO continue to add new mentors? I can only hope.

How many servers are there & what are the names? All server names are based on DC Comics story arcs
PS3 Servers (as of 1/14/11)
Blood Will Run (PVP)
No Mans Land (PVP)
The Killing Joke (PVP)
Countdown (PVE)
Crisis (PVE)
Birthright (PVE)
Redemption (PVE)
Justice (PVE)

PC Servers (as of 1/14/11)
Cry for Blood (PVP)
Brave New World (PVE)
Darkness Falls (PVE)
Death & Glory (PVP)
New Frontier (PVE)
Public Enemies (PVP)
Virtue and Vice (PVE)
Zero Hour (PVE)

Updated: Thanks NerdMan :)
Who are the mentors?
Hero Mentors
Batman
Superman
Wonder Woman

Additional Inspired By
The Flash
Beast Boy
Green Arrow
Steel
Martian Manhunter

Villain Mentors
The Joker
Circe
Lex Luthor

Additional Inspired By
DeathStroke
Bane
Mr. Freeze
Catwoman

What are the “classes”?
Your Powers
Nature & Sorcery = Healing (Healer)
Mental & Gadget = Control
Fire & Ice = Defense (Tank)

What happens when you “die”?
Well you’re a superhero/villain so really you never die. You can get knocked out though and it is at this point someone can rescue you or you can wait till the countdown is over so you can flee to the nearest respawn point.

How do mobs work?
This is one of my favorite things in DCUO. Unlike WoW when you are trying to get a quest drop and some warlock tags it before you can even get near, in DCUO as long as you hit the mob at any time you will get credit for your quest. I found on a number of occasions that my competitiveness for mobs in WoW caused me to get a big angry at someone for ‘taking’ my kill only to find out that we both go the kill. After I realized this, I found myself waiting for other players to get a shot in so we would all get credit. Kind of makes you a nicer player if you ask me :)

Update: I found a great interview on Eurogamer with John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment if your looking for more details of the future and the reasons behind some of the choices made in DCUO.

There is also a pretty big TWiT / Sword and Laser crossover meetup that’s in the works for Saturday the 4th, from 6pm-8pm, at the Westin’s Sun Dial Bar. The ladies will be attending this fun event as well! To help get a better idea of how many people might be going there, you can RSVP over on Goodreads.

As we know more about events I’ll be updating this post! Safe travels to everyone & we are looking forward to a great Dragon*Con!

Yesterday something wonderful happened…the DLC for DeathSpank was announced! DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, will be the follow-up to the delightfully twisted and fiendishly addictive action RPG, DeathSpank. Featuring the trademark humor found in the original, Thongs of Virtue centers on DeathSpank’s journey through a massive war-torn land; explore the North Pole and the high seas to locate six mystical thongs to bring peace and harmony to the universe. DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue (T.O.V.) will be available for download on PlayStation®Network on September 21, 2010 for $14.99 and Xbox LIVE® Arcade on September 22, 2010 for 1200 Microsoft Points.

DeathSpank: T.O.V. puts players in the mighty boots of DeathSpank, the “Dispenser of Justice”, “Vanquisher of Evil” and “Hero to the Downtrodden.” A long time ago, nine mystical thongs were planned to bring balance and harmony to the universe, but when marketing got in the way, only six thongs were produced, and the result was disastrous. Granting great power to those who wear them, the thongs corrupted all those they touched–except DeathSpank. DeathSpank must find all six thongs and destroy them once and for all. Thongs of Virtue includes local co-op mode, allowing a second player to choose one of two hilarious sidekicks to help save the world. Players will enjoy unleashing magical skills, playing as Sparkles the Wizard, or laugh at the ninjatastic Kung Fu moves of DeathSpank’s new partner in crime, Steve.

For more information on DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, visit www.deathspank.com or follow the development team on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/deathspank.

http://blahcreations.com/20Questions/

As mentioned in Episode 23 of LoL we received a great individual review from robodude666 about the new service OnLive. Instead of trying to cram his review into the show I felt it would be nice to create it as a separate post for those interested in the service.

– The Review –

After signing up, OnLive is downloaded as a small ~30MB application which gives you the ability to login, and it’s where virtually everything happens. The interface is a very console-like with 9 rectangular buttons aligned in a grid. They give you the ability to browse games, view other people play, view recently played games, profiles, change your settings, etc. The game list is just a huge list of games, and actually isn’t all that huge. There are about 10-15 titles, though there are a few big titles like Assassin’s Creed II, Mass Effect II, Splinter Cell, Dragon Age, etc. I tested the service using Assassin’s Creed II and Splinter Cell. Mass Effect II wasn’t available on the Mac OS X OnLive client (lame!), though I would have happily tried it as well.

Everyone is probably wondering, how is the visual quality? Horrible. You’re basically playing pixelated pirated/flash-like quality video that has interactive controls. In fact, it seems that the games on OnLive are all special builds as none of them have a Video or Graphics section in the settings. I played Assassin’s Creed I on my gaming PC when it was released with a fairly high-end DirectX 10 card and it looked stunning. Playing Assassin’s Creed II on OnLive was like watching a YouTube video 2 or 3 years ago. The lag made timing jumps very difficult sometimes, and if the lag was too severe OnLive would simply disconnect you without giving you a chance to save.

I tested the service with a pretty decent 15Mbps down, 3Mbps up cable connection and live in NYC. I can stream HD video from hulu, the olympics, and youtube without much problem. OnLive, however often said my connection was not good enough and locked me out of the service until my connection improved. During these occurrences (normally after 5PM), SpeedTest.net said I was getting about 8-10Mbps down. Logging in and Playing at 8AM to 1PM was no problem. So, if you’re on a so-so connection you may find trouble logging in if your ISP’s network is saturated by other clients.

Now, while the service is not all that beautiful, the demo system is very well through out. You can demo virtually any game and get 30-35 minutes of play time — from the start of the ACTUAL game. This is actually quite cool as most PC games don’t ship a demo out, or when they do have a demo released the demo only covers one cool actiony sequence that might have been the only fun part of the game. So, because you don’t have to download gigabytes of demo like you traditionally would this works out very well. You can try a game before buying it (though I recommend buying it outside of OnLive).

Games can be played by purchasing a “Pass” for them. Passes can include a lifetime pass, or a short period aka rental pass. These can range from nearly full retail price to only a few bucks for a few days of access, which is quite cool. Some games aren’t worth owning, but being able to play them for a day or two is great.

The Bottom Line? OnLive needs some more work. A subscription-based model for crappy Flash-like pixelated quality video is not worth it — especially as you have to also BUY the game. In closing, OnLive can be a great GameFly-like service for PC gamers, who can’t afford a console or aren’t comfortable with Analog Controls. It’s just not there yet. If you can get a hold of a 1-year free account OnLive is offering, it’s definitely worth checking out. Even if you don’t fall in love with the service, it’s a good way of demoing games or playing the full game for a day or two instantly. I wouldn’t use it as a primary way of gaming though. Consoles and decent gaming PC hardware is affordable these days, plus the release of Steam for the Mac solves that issue.

Again thanks Robodude for sharing your experiences with all of us!!!

I do have one funny story though I thought I would share on this subject.

My son, who was about 14 at the time, had just hooked up his new XBox 360 camera and was playing Uno online with some random people.  I went up to his room to play because he told me how cool it was.  As soon as I got on camera, the other 14-16 yr old boys started asking me to take my shirt off.  Not only did I sufficiently make them feel ashamed that they would ask girls to do this, but I also beat their butts in Uno!

Do you have any stories you want to share?

Through this group, we became even closer.  We shared sickness, death, marriage and births.  We excitedly supported one of the Babes during her son’s wedding which we attended in spirit.  We posted to each other what we were wearing, the music playing as we danced, and how wonderful everyone looked.  We had a wonderful time.  We danced, drank and were happy together.  Pictures were posted and when we saw them, yep, we were there.

Big Fish has actually invited this group to come in and be pseudo “alpha” testers and bounce ideas off of them.

I cringe when I hear the stories on the news or even people at gatherings talking about gamers as anti-social and hiding behind their avatars.  While this may be true for some, groups like this prove that on-line gaming provides a conduit for people to explore friendships outside of their geographic area.  I have made many friends through games such as World of Warcraft whom I consider “real” friends and they are just as important to me as my friends I have met through work, school or other areas of my life.  I hope everyone out their has a chance to connect with the people you play with on-line.  Who knows, they may become a life long friend!

Congratulations to Renee Crocker Valentine our winner of the StarCraft 2 beta key!!!! (and pretty sweet sweatbands ;) I also found my goody bag from Blizzcon ’08, so I’m including a few pieces of awesome as an extra surprise!

Renee’s lucky number 276 was picked out of the 398 members registered on our facebook page using random.org (398 members was the total number of fans on March 5th at 11am MNT)

Kim, Stephanie & I want to thank to everyone that entered!

What will you do while the network is down?

http://mashable.com/2010/02/28/psn-down-8001050f/

Yep you heard right. I have an extra beta key from the BlizzCon 2008 card (mount code was used) so I’m giving it out to a lucky listener of LoL! Not to mention some sweet SC 2 sweat bands!

So what do you have to do? It’s simple really, just sign up as a fan of Ladies of Leet on Facebook and you’ll be automatically entered. I’ll pick a random fan (using random.org) and will send you the code and sweat bands. You have until March 5th to sign up.

Good luck!!

Rating – E for Everybody
Price – $20 if you own the Wii Fit original, $99 for first time users
Genre – Fitness
Publisher – Nintendo
Date Released – October 4, 2009

Wii Fit Plus is the expansion pack that builds upon the original Wii Fit from Nintendo.  This new and improved version adds some of the features that were glaringly missing in Wii Fit.  Namely, the absence of a way to string together exercises.  In the new package, you can choose from preset Wii Fit Plus Routines that target specific needs or use the My Routine feature to build your own yoga and strength routines.

In the Favorites menu, the user can choose the top 10 from 3 different lists: Frequently, Recently and Rarely.  Wii Fit plus has added some simple tracking for calories, MET’s and fit credits. To make the most out of the balance board, Nintendo has added 15 new balance games.  Another fun addition, but not integral to exercise, is the option to add your pet or child to the body test section.

In this series of reviews for the Wii Fitness games, I will use the following 3 criteria:
Ease of use – Is a user able to jump right into using the program?
Engageability – Is this a program that a user can stick with?  Is there enough variety in the routines to combat boredom?
The Schwarzenegger factor – How fit can you actually get with this routine?

Ease of Use -
Wii Fit Plus steps a user through the entire process using the cute little animated Wii Balance Board who vaguely reminds me of Clippy.   I almost expect him to ask me if I need help writing a letter.

The menus are well laid out and intuitive.  The large colorful buttons are easy to navigate with the Wiimote.  Just like in the Wii Fit, the exercises are slowly revealed to the user after the user passes certain milestones. This helps prevent a new user from getting overwhelmed in the beginning and lets them ease into exercises as well as the program.

Engageability -
The most engaging exercises in the Wii Fit Plus are the balance games.  With 15 new games, there are plenty of ways to keep a user honing their balance skills.  The Segway Circuit is a fun jaunt on the beach on a Segway where the user has to lean on the balance board and steer with the Wiimote.  There is a skateboard arena, cycling course and obstacle courses as well as snowball fights and rhythm kungfu. Of course, the yoga and strength are still available to do individually, but they are best used in the routines.  While the routines are a vast improvement over the original Wii Fit, the flow is still broken by the trainer talks and the scoring at the end of each exercise.  This not only breaks the flow, but makes the whole exercise routine longer.

Since I have always had a problem sticking with an exercise routine, I thought playing games would be a good way to do it.  I enjoy playing the balance and cardio games.  But as an exercise platform, the Wii Fit Plus just couldn’t keep my attention long enough.  I had no motivation to continue the routines, due mostly to the breaks in flow and the same routines each day.

The Schwarzenegger factor –
So is winning Mr. or Miss Universe in your future by using just he Wii Fit Plus?  Well if you added a bunch of weights and some steroids, possibly, but doing this exercise regime alone probably won’t do it.  The cardio and balance exercises can actually help you lose weight and if you can stomach the endless interruptions, the yoga and strength workouts are pretty good.

Overall – This is what Wii Fit should have been in the first place.  Although the addition of new balance games and the ability to create routines is a big plus, the time it takes to actually transitions from one exercise to another is a big let down.  I felt like I could never really get into a rhythm because I had to stop, wait for my score, wait for the trainer to praise me and if needed, add or remove the nunchuck.  I think this is a great game to get people started or let them have fun while getting some exercise and losing weight.  I don’t think it is for a serious athlete wanting a different type of workout.

I do have to mention that we have a reader that reported she really likes the Wii Fit and lost 50 lbs after her baby.  It does work.  There are also many forums and groups, like The Wii Mommies, that help with motivation and tips and tricks.

First for the ladies
Hardcore PS3 fan? Show your love with some amazing detailed PS3 controller earrings! I simply love what this artist does with clay & video games and she has a ton of other nerdy items in her Etsy store

Of course a keychain can be for either a man or a woman, but because I want this next item I’m putting it for the ladies. World of Warcraft is by far my favorite game of all time, so what a cute idea to have a hearthstone as a keychain. I just wish I could just click it and instantly be home :)

There is just something fun about the Horde symbol. It seems to work so well on most items, unlike the alliance lion head symbol :) So for those women horde fans out there, check out these sexy Horde earrings. I became aware of this artist from her Hearthstone earrings before the holidays, so I’m excited to see her adding to her collection.

Do you love Little Big Planet and missed out on the free sackboy with LBP for the PSP (yes I did too :) No worries you can still get your very own cute crocheted sackboy. He’s so cute!!!!!


Trying to grow your bangs out and need a cute hair clip? Let Mario, Yoshi & others help keep the hair out of your eyes.


Are you a PC gamer and have trouble keeping your hands warm as you play? Check out these super cute Ms. Pacman & Ghost fingerless gloves. And while your at it keep your head warm with this Toadstool hat and Dracula Pinball scarf! :D

Are you a pen & paper gamer? Check out this stylish D8 or D12 necklace & earring set. They come in a variety of colors and the artist will let you choose from either D8 or D12 dice. DnD not your thing? You can also try out a necklace with a Tetris or Mario theme.

For the men
The same artist that created the PS3 earrings didn’t forget the men out there. She has a large collection of cuff-links including Xbox, PS3, Nintendo & various games. I know if I had to wear cuff-links I would totally stock-up my collection with these :D

Does your man like Warcraft and hard liquor? Then kill 2 birds with 1 stone and check out this Horde Shotglass :) I didn’t see an alliance shot glass, but that’s ok since we know they can’t hold their liquor (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a drunk alliance dwarf telling me to look at his bum). However the artist does have a few other video game related shotglasses, so check em out if your into that kind of thing.

Is your man bored of plain soap when he showers? Or maybe he’s not using it at all! Try giving him some fun video game soap :) There are tons of options: soap in the shape of a PS3 controller, Nintendo Controller, Space Invaders & Pac Man.

I know that I suggested cuff-links above but when I found these I just had to add them. These are made from using original Namco gaming tokens and I already have at least 1 friend who I know would love these! I hope he’s not reading :)

Really this could be for a man or woman, but I’m running out of things for guys :) Have you ever wanted to take your favorite character from a video game and have a custom figure created? Sure if you play Warcraft there is FigurePrints, but I would encourage you to check out the work from this artist. She’s amazingly talented and some of her Real Person figures are jaw dropping.

Now if all of these gifts fail for your guy, there is always my tried and true standby…a funny t-shirt and over at Etsy there are hundreds of custom video game shirts sure to please your gamer guy.

Now with AC2, I reluctantly started playing thinking I would get a similar experience and really the first part of the game is very similar to the first game (a lot of walking slowly and hiding). However I think when I got the main character (the Italian Stallion, Ezio) to his Villa, the game started to compel me to play more. The game has a main storyline which takes Ezio thought a long line of quests to avenge his family. As you are working on the main quest line, you also have a number of other quests you can do; including looking for hidden pieces of The Truth (a story line that is bigger than the one you are playing through Ezio), searching for treasure, collecting feathers, doing sim like renovations to your main Villa to increase it’s value and bring in more money for you to use, purchasing art work, armor and weapons to increase the value of your Villa, and finally 6 puzzle quests to obtain the armor of Altair. I think all of these side quests really kept me interested & invested in the game, since I could really play the game however I was feeling or had time too. For example, I had about 20 minutes before dinner was done so I quickly hoped on and did a quick assassination quest, something that is not required to do in the game to finish but a great option to have if your wanting to play.

The only real negative I feel about the game is I really had no idea they would end it – to be continued. I guess had I know I was only playing part 2 of the story I might have not rushed to the end (you’ll put in easily 20-30 hours into this game); come to think of it I might not have finished it at all. But now I’m hooked on what happens next, so when Assassin’s Creed III comes out I’ll picking that game up too…jerks ;)

First we’ll start with deals that can only be had in store. Please keep in mind that each store has their own policies and may only carry a minimum number of products at this price (lame I know)

Best Buy
Online Flyer
Game Systems
PlayStation 3 (120GB) with Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time and LittleBigPlanet Minimum 21 per store. Limit 1 per customer. – $299
Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Bundle w/Four Pack Game Set – $299.99
Video Games
Madden NFL 10 – Xbox 360/PS3 – $34.99
Brütal Legend – Xbox 360/PS3 – $34.99
Dragon Age: Origins – Xbox 360/PS3 – $34.99
Left 4 Dead 2 – Xbox 360 – $34.99
World Of Warcraft (PC Game) – $4.99

KMart
Game Systems
Nintendo DSi Bundle w/5 Pre-Installed Games – $169.99
$25 Nintendo Gaming Coupon w/Any DS System Purchase
Video Games
Dragon Age For PS3 – $39.99

RadioShack
Game Systems
DualShock 3 PS3 Wireless Controler – $29.99

Target
$10 Gift Card With Select Video Game Purchases
$20 Gift Card With Any DSi System Purchase
$50 Gift Card With Any Call Of Duty Super Elite XBOX 360 System Bundle
$50 Gift Card With Any XBOX 360 120GB Elite Game System Bundle Purchase

Toys R Us
PreThanksgiving sale – all Nintendo DS and PSP games are buy one get one half off

Walmart (note: many of these are doorbusters)
Game Systems
Nintendo DS Lite – $98.00
Nintendo DS Lite Starter Kit – $10.00
Playstation 3 Console w/Infamous & Batman Arkham Asylum Games + Dark Knight Blu-ray – $299.00
Video Games
Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare (PS3) – $25.00
Rock Band Special Edition (PS3) – $50.00
Rock Band Special Edition (XBox 360) – $50.00
The Sims 3 (PC/Mac) – $25.00

GameStop
Video Games
Buy 2 Get 1 Free On All Pre-Owned Games and Accessories – B2G1 Free

Now lets take a look at some of the deals you can get from online stores (personally I like these better since I don’t have to get up at 5am to stand in a line ;)

Direct2Drive
Sim3 – $29.99
Dragon Age – $39.99
Resident Evil 5 – $24.95

Steam – 36 hours only!

Champion Online – $19.99
Batman: Arkham Asylum – $24.99

ThinkGeek.com
1-Up mushroom – Great stocking stuffer – $6.99 on sale from $9.99

WalMart.com
Video Games
A mix of 2 games for $20/$30! online only
Game System
Game System Bundle Kits
Nintendo Wii with New Super Mario Bro Value Bundle – $249 (saving $30)
Xbox 360 Value Bundle with Call of Duty MW2 – $249
Playstation 3 with Blu-Ray Remote & Uncharted 2 Value Bundle – $349
Nintendo Wii Value Bundle With Console, Remote, Nunchuck, 2 Games And An Extra Set Of Nyko Controllers – $249.00

Amazon.com
Guitar Hero Metallica - $29.95 (Regularly $59.99) Great Deal!!
EA Sports Active – $44 (Regularly $59.99)
The Quest Trio (DS) – $11.95 ($19.95)
Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (DS) – $29.99 (Regularly $34.99)
EA Sports Active (Wii) – $39.99 (Regularly $59.99)
ExciteBots: Trick Racing (Wii) – $29.99 (Regularly $39.99)
Madden NFL 10 PS3 - $44 (Regularly $59.99)
Plantronic GameCom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset – $62.87 (Regularly $109.95) *note this is a Pre-Black Friday sale item

6pm.com
Skullcandy electronics 60% off – earbuds & headphones
Some ps3 games – 19.99
Video Games- PS3 only – $19.95
Video Games- PSP only – $11.95
Wii Games – $19.95
XBOX Games – $19.95

The comic is NPC Comic and this is one of my favorite strips below – something I can totally relate to! http://www.npccomic.com/2009/02/19/lies/

Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_85716851_2?docId=1000436751

$6.99 through the iTunes store

Excuse me, can you two leave so I can get back to fishing?

The Sims and I go way back. If you’re not familiar with the game’s concept it’s essentially like playing with a virtual Barbie dolls. You control a Sim and help them navigate through the world by helping them conquer everything from eating, sleeping and basic hygiene to climbing a career ladder and finding true happiness with another Sim. Or multiple Sims!

If you’ve played the regular version computer version of The Sims you know how graphics intensive it is. Everything is fully 3D rendered, able to be manipulated and/or altered. It’s a huge game with a heavy draw time so I was dubious about how it would work on the iPhone.

To my surprise, it’s actually quite nimble. The designers have done a good job giving detail to what you want to see and scaling back on what is not necessary for close up detail. For example, when your Sim walks through the town, your icon is reduced to a small blue figure against a 2D background. This helps with navigation and load times.

Game Play

As with any of these types of games, the first step is the creation of your Sim. You pick the gender, hairstyle, clothes and personality. Be careful about the styles you pick here because unlike the full version of the game, you cannot change these later. You’ll be stuck with that outfit the whole game!

The basic needs of your Sim are displayed for you in the bottom left of the screen. Touch the green bar and you’ll be shown the current status of each need. Hungry? Tired? Bored? Lonely? It’s up to you to take care of your Sim! Interaction with objects is very intuitive. Touch the bed and select the option to sleep. Click on the TV to watch and get some good wholesome entertainment.

A Career and Money

Once you’ve mastered the basics of caring for your Sim you’ll find you have another need – money! You need a job! You can find a job by picking up the phone or going into town. I started out in the restaurant as a cook. Don’t be afraid to wandering around and see what appeals to you. Once you’ve got your job, make sure you note the days of the week you work and what hours. You don’t want to be late!

Gameplay Tips:

Getting around quickly – You can’t go to work until 30 minutes before your start time. But once it’s time, the quickest way to get to work is to use the Diamond button in the lower right hand corner. Click on the Diamond and then the button that looks like a desk. This will take you to work instantly. This also works for getting home quickly by selecting the button that looks like a house.

Cooking – Interested in improving your cooking skills? Go the restaurant in town and purchase a recipe or two. Click on the Diamond icon and scroll to the inventory page. Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see your recipes! You’ll also see if you have the ingredients to make that meal! Need breed and cheese for the grilled cheese sandwich? Head to the Quickmart! Once you have all the ingredients you need to cook the recipe head home and click on the stove. Choose the recipe you want to cook and a minigame starts. Pots on a stove must be picked up and shaken as they start to glow red to help them cool down. You must shake your iPhone or iTouch to shake the pots. You must then touch the next pot to shake and cool it.

Fishing – Once you’ve purchased a fishing rod from the Hobby store you can head to the Lake and start fishing. The fish will appear in the water and you’ll need to tilt the device gently to get the line in front of the fish. Eventually the fish will be hooked and a green fish hook icon will appear in the water. Quick jerk the iPhone or iTouch to catch the fish and reel it in.

Money, money, money – There are lots of ways to make money in the game besides your job!

-Be sure to meet everyone in the town because many have ‘quests’ that will earn you good money. Walter would like a trout. Kia needs a catfish. Marcelle pays for an egg.

- Fishing in the lake is an amazingly easy way to earn money. Catch the fish and then sell them back to the Quickmart.

- Find out who your boss is (Diamond icon and then scroll to your job panel) and make friends with them. Eventually you’ll get the option to ask them for a raise!

- Once you’ve upgraded your home you’ll get a backyard garden! Grown seeds purchased at the Hobby store and sell the extras back to the Quickmart.

Woohoo – If you want your Sim to be intimate with another Sim you need to choose the Romantic options when talking. It starts with a flirt, then a pick up line, a tender embrace and then a hot smooch. But where’s the woohoo? Scroll up the options and it should be the last option in the Romance – if your Sim is into you!

What’s good?

The gameplay is snappy and the graphics are very smooth and beautiful. The ambient sound was pleasant and soothing. I enjoyed exploring the town, meeting the different Sims and improving my Sim’s life. It’s strangely addictive, just like the full version of Sims.

What’s bad?

The original version spoils you with the amount of choices allowed. Because of the limitations of the iPhone/iTouch sacrifices had to be made. No changing hairstyles, no changing clothes, furniture upgrades are limited, and no real interaction with other Sims that changes you. By that I mean you can’t move in with your spouse, can’t have children nor do you age.

Overall

I had a lot of fun playing this game and I’m going to keep playing it. If you’re a fan of the original Sims I think you’ll enjoy this scaled down version. It’s beautifully rendered and there’s a lot of fun to be had with this game. I look forward to their next offerings!

The Beginning

The story starts out in Mushroom Kingdom. There is a mysterious illness, called the blurbs, ravaging the poor little villagers. We find ourselves in Princess Peach’s chambers discussing the situation, when Bowser decides to stick his big ugly nose into the situation. After Peach banishes Bowser, he eats some bad mushrooms, as he does sometimes. Who is behind the “vacuum” mushroom? Fawful (from the Superstar Saga and Partners in Time) has reappeared in this series to cause mayhem at every turn. Bowser uses his new “vacuum” skill to suck up everything in the room, into his body, including Peach, Mario, Luigi and the mushroom villagers.

Game Play

The mechanics of the game are pretty much the same as the other stories in the series. However, the game designers have gone a step further and use the top screen, being Bowser and the bottom screen, being Mario and Luigi, to their full advantage. I felt like there were two complete fighting venues and it didn’t feel like they forced it in. There are fights where you actually use Bowser and then swap to the inside the body to fight with Mario and Luigi. As the story progresses, the designers build upon the battle moves you have already learned and makes it possible for Mario and Luigi to team up with Bowser to fight the baddies. The addition of this mechanic adds a great dimension that was missing in Partners in Time.

Now I am a little squeamish sometimes, so being inside of Bowser is a little icky. Instead of lava, they have stomach acid and the “save” blocks are called “emoglobins”. Mario and Luigi is referred to as O’s, like we are blood. So yeah, um…gross! The little mushroom villagers even went as far as building stores inside of Bowser.

The Good:
It’s a fun Mario game, with controls that if you have played the previous games you’ll know, with new fighting tactics using Bowser in the upper screen. The story and dialog are really fun and I am thoroughly enjoying playing it.

The Bad:
The inside of a body would not have been my first choice of venues.

Overall, I would recommend this game if you like Mario. It doesn’t disappoint and the story is fun. This is one of those games I just didn’t want to end.

Playstation 3 120GB System – This is the Playstation slim for $299
Playstation 3 80GB System – This is the original for $299
Limited Edition Playstation 3 160GB – This is the original that includes a larger hard drive and a copy of Uncharted: Drakes Fortune Bundle

So, for those of you that have PS3′s, how much of the hard drive do you use? Is it worth it to get the larger one? I am also confused why would anyone buy the original one, with the 80GB hard drive, when you can get the slim with more room for the same price. I looked at the stats on these and look exactly the same except for the size of the console it self.

Any recommendations on which system to buy or your experiences would be a huge help! Can’t wait to play with everyone!

The Diabolical Box keeps the same unique art style as the original game.  It is a mix of old-time feeling European cartoons mixed with a little anime.  The cut scenes feel very rich and really add a sense of “cozy mystery” to the game.

The game play reminds me of the Penny Press and Dell variety puzzle magazines I used to pick up when I was younger that had everything from crosswords and find a word to logic puzzles.  Unlike the other Nintendo DS “brain booster games”, Professor Layton mixes brain exercising with a wonderful and engaging story line and intriguing puzzles that will keep you hooked until you solve the mystery.

Once you solve the mystery, there are extra puzzles, as well as daily downloads, available via WiFi. There are some silly ways that Professor Layton will present the puzzles to you, like remembering a puzzle from his childhood when you click on a jug. However, these are far overshadowed by the quaintness of the art and story lines as well as the sheer number of different types of puzzles.

If you like puzzle games, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is a must buy, even if you haven’t played the previous game.

I was recently playing Pirates of the Caribbean Online with my husband and decided that I would have some fun with him.  We are the only 2 in our guild and wrote some “embarrassing” although benign things. When I looked over on his screen, that line did not show up, so I tried it again, several times.  I finally figured out that it must be a violation of their chat rules.

Today, I got an email from Disney:
Dear kimmi8992,

Our records indicate that there may have been a violation of our Terms
of Use connected to your account, outlined in the chat log below:
18:29:01 : dude, I want your pants off
18:29:04 : I want your pants off
18:30:01 : I want you to take off your pants
18:30:03 : pants off
18:30:03 : pants
18:30:03 : off
18:30:03 : now

Please be aware that violations of the Disney Online Terms of Use and/or House Rules can
lead to disciplinary action, such as a hold being placed on your account.
Remember that anything that might be frowned upon while at a Walt Disney Theme Park would
also be frowned upon in our games and sites. Keep it clean and be sure not
to share personal information online. For more information on internet safety and manners,
please visit our netiquette page at http://home.disney.go.com/guestservices/netiquette.
Thank you,

As an officer in the largest guild in World of Warcraft, I couldn't imagine how helpful this would be!

~Kim

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