Friday, December 17, 2010

Incase you missed it.. My Fable III review



This segment originally aired 1/13/10 on STN AfterParty.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Semester 1 Photography





Some of my semester 1 photography work is now posted on Flickr. Check it out if you get the chance. I'd love to hear what you think! Click here for my photostream!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

First Ali's Got Game segment of the semester aired this Saturday!



STN After Party is an entertainment show that airs on the UHart Hawks Television station. What actually began as a casual section of the show, Ali's Got Game has now become a weekly segment where I dish out gaming industry news, reviews as well as providing unique game play footage. All scripted content is also produced by yours truly. Check it out! My section begins at 7:50.

Friday, October 1, 2010

NYC Halo Reach Event photos are now up!

Hanging with the Halo Reach Dev. Team

Thursday, September 30, 2010

PAX Prime 2010

PAX is a convention, an experience that can only be described as indescribable. One word: amazeballs. It blows my mind to think that I worked it. It’s one thing to be surrounded by video game culture: demos of all your favorite games that haven’t even been released yet, people walking around in costumes, epic SWAG- but I think the most incredible thing about PAX has got to be the people. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was in my element: truly at home amongst other amazing women and men who all shared the same common interest and love for this industry.

As soon as I arrived in Seattle, I could feel the energy. While I was there, I had the pleasure of meeting of a few the amazing people who make up this business. Some of these people, I already had a fairly decent report with due to the marvelousness in social networking called Twitter, but meeting each one of you in person has been such a treat. If there’s anything in that I’ve learned, it is that each person, big or small, plays an important role in the community: everyone has something new, exciting, different to bring to the table, and it’s that general enthusiasm, spark, that truly brings everyone together at these events. When it all comes down to it, at the end of the day, business is business, but after attending my first PAX I can say that there is no other industry I’d rather work in.

Now, as an employee of GameStop, I consider myself fortunate enough to be able to work away while chatting about videogames for the majority of my shift: never gets old. My co-workers often catch my Star Wars references and Resident Evil 1 jokes, and like any other retail job, I don’t mind explaining how things work to a customer, recommending “a good third person shooter”, or entertaining them with my opinion as to why I think Fallout 3 was one of the best RPGs of all time. After attending PAX, it became clear to me that everywhere I turned, people ‘got me’. My nerdisms, love for internet memes, movie quotes- most of the things that people in the everyday world don’t even catch- all understood. There’s just so much awesomeness to go around, especially within the Frag Doll community. I remember a year ago when I met one of my best friends, Quinn, working at GameStop. I nearly had an aneurism- I was so excited that I had another girl to play games with! Now, here I am, part of an amazing sisterhood of women who are just like me. It really is incredible, and I feel lucky to know each and everyone of you!


As a Frag Doll Cadette, I got to demo Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Just Dance 2, and Kinect Motion Sports at the Ubisoft booth along with other PAX attendees. I also had some roam time as well, which included lots of running from booth to booth, collecting SWAG of course and playing games like Dead Space II, DUKE NUKEM FOREVER, Dragon Age II. It was a rush that I will never forget.

With my first PAX under my belt (+30 to stamina), I can promise you that this won’t be my last event. The future looks bright and I’m working hard at school this year towards some exciting internships this summer. I’m planning on attending NYCC in the upcoming few weeks as well so I’m certainly looking forward to that.

I must say though, that out of all of the things that I am particularly grateful for, I am most pleased with what this experience has done for my parent’s interest in my career. For the past 3 years, ever since I made a commitment to myself to work towards a profession that focuses primarily in entertainment and gaming, my parents have taken me everything but seriously. As a matter of fact, since my early high school years, my mother had a particular undying hatred for my love for PC games, seeing as she was so convinced that “playing video games won’t get you anywhere in life” (needless to say, I beg to differ). For the first time in my life, after years of trying to explain to my parents that this is a billion dollar industry and growing rapidly, seeing me put together my resume this summer, getting up and flying to Seattle for PAX on my own, working along the Frag Dolls -- This was the proof they needed to see to know that the conviction I have towards fulfilling my dream is real.

Though I haven’t had much time to update my blog this semester, there will be many more advances. I'm working on using my Flickr account to post all my event photos from PAX Prime and the NYCC Reach Event. So keep checking back I promise you will not be disappointed. It’s all happening right now.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

I Pooped My Pants

The Bioshock Infinite Trailer was released yesterday, and I, along with many others, squealed like a baby seal.



After watching this I had so many questions:

1.) A Bioshock game NOT underwater? What the eff?
Until now, we've grown to known the Bioshock games as an underwater franchise. Although the change isn't all too sudden, given where they left us at the end of the last game, I think it will be interesting to see what will be carried over from the first two titles.

2.) Will there be little sisters?
I certainly hope so, because some of the things they say are so darned cute, and after the chapter where we got a chance to see the world through their eyes in Bioshock 2, it would be great to observe them once again in another aspect. At the very least I hope they maintain the good vs. evil element - for example, where your achievements and game ending were directly affected by choosing to save or harvest the sisters.

3.) Is it just me, or do 2K Games hate land?
After the death of Andrew Ryan I'm not sure about how I feel about all this "anti-land" business. He was the mastermind. Rapture was his world; his vision! Srsly? Floating in the air? What's next? A game that takes place in the core of a volcano? Plateaus - that's where it's at.

Now, I enjoyed Bioshock 2 but in my opinion it wasn't really a stand alone title. If anything it only added to the back story of the first game. So in that sense it's nice to see that they're trying to steer the franchise in a different direction, and reinvent it a little. Man, I remember when the first Bioshock trailer was released. I had it bookmarked and I watched it 3 to 4 times every week until the day it came out. *swoon*

Alright, I'm ready for bedtime Mr. B.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Alan Wake DLC "The Signal" - My Review

Trying to decide whether or not to purchase the Alan Wake DLC "The Signal"? Not to worry, I've got you covered with some gameplay footage as well as an in depth review.


What games or add ons would you like to see me review next? Leave me your feedback in the comments below!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Don't browse the XBL Marketplace when you're tired.

Yesterday, whilst sitting in The Batcave waiting for my friend to call, trying desperately to stay awake after two days of minimal sleep I decided to browse the Xbox Live Marketplace. With 400 Microsoft Points in the bank I came to the conclusion that I needed to know how much the Jill Valentine gettup cost, because I wanted it.

Every now I and then when I get a chance, I like to see what's new in the Game Styles section.. but this time it was different. I was determined to get the Jill Valentine outfit. After locating it, I realized I had just enough. It was 320 MS Points. I was good to go. But, like a preteen at an Abercrombie store, I kept switching back and forth between outfits, previewing to see what it would look like.. Big mistake.

In my lack of alertness, I went to the beginning of the Resident Evil 5 merch section and hit the back button, which for some reason brought me to a payment screen. I quickly hit the back button again, only to realize that I had been pressing the A button and that I had now spent 240 of my Microsoft Points, on a fucking crank. A CRANK! What the hell am I going to do with a crank Microsoft? And now I don't even have enough for the stupid outfit!


So kids, the lesson of the day is don't consider buying things when you're tired, drunk, or incoherent in any way. You might end up with... A CRANK.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

New Wii, Dead Space, and site update.

Hey all, hope everyone is having a killer summer. Things have been crazy this past month and I'm quite happy to announce that I will be giving the website a makeover sometime in the next few weeks. I am also in the process of writing and producing several YouTube videos, which I plan to post simultaneously.

In other news, I just recently got a Wii, in black! And, in a dire attempt to deplete my college savings (not really), I'm already on the hunt to collect all of the Resident Evil games on the GameCube.. as well as a few of the Mario titles, though I must say I am quite disappointed that they are so gosh darn expensive! I did manage to pick up the Metroid Prime Trilogy though, as well as some Wii guns for when I get House of the Dead: Overkill. Duel wield.. it's gonna be EPIC.

If you follow me on twitter you might have noticed that I'm currently balls deep into Dead Space. Now, let me tell you something, a secret if you will.. I don't normally scare easily. Bioshock, Resident Evil.. they didn't do it for me in the scare department. Creepy? Yes, of course, but they lacked the "jump up in fright and play it off like you're about to dance" factor. This game- it does wonderful things to my brain, while evoking the warm fuzzy memories I still have from playing DOOM. Also, I can definitely say that being an Event Horizon fan makes it hard for me not to enjoy myself. I'm not too far into it yet (I just encountered mutant babies.. which, might I add, WAS AWESOME) so I'm sure I'll have more to add once I get further in and beat it.. which is probably never, because I decided to play it on hard my first time. Go big or go home?

I'm also taking summer courses at the moment, which, normally would be kind of lame. However, considering we're half way through the term and I've already convinced my teacher to let us watch Spaceballs, I'd say it's going pretty good so far.

LONG LIVE SUMMER!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Ninja Cat owns your soul.


A co-worker showed this video to me at work today. I couldn't keep it to myself.. It's just too damn amazing.

Friday, July 9, 2010

It whispers sweet sweet nothings to me.

Yesterday was the best day ever. I traded in my old Arcade 360 system for the sleek new Xbox 360, which I had preordered. Considering I was pushing the two year mark with my Arcade I think I made a good investment. It really is such a beautiful piece of technology. I love how quiet it is, and the sexy noises it makes when I turn it on or eject a disc. That sounded dirty didn't it? Crap.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Carpe Diem

Find something that motivates you and push yourself to the limit. Challenge yourself. That which doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Nothing is predetermined. We all have the ability to create our own fate.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

1Up's Win a Trip to E3 2010 Contest


So I may not have won a trip to E3 this year, but I did receive honorable mention, as well as Twitter recognition for David Jaffe and Cliff Bleszinski. Here's the entry, which also offers a bit of my background as well as my love for video games as a child: Why I'm Your Girl for E3 2010.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Fallout 3 Achievements: Perfected!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Dragon Age Checklist


In case you weren't already aware, BioWare managed to achieve excellence yet again when they released Dragon Age Orgins earlier this year. As far as old school hack and slash RPGs go, Dragon Age is as good as it gets. With an ample amount of character customization, great depth of both story and character backgrounds and all around fun and excitable game play that both hardcore and casual gamers can appreciate, the game has just about everything.

After devoting a few days of my life to the game, I've discovered secrets that will help you perfect your game play without wasting countless hours of your precious time, although I highly suggest that you do anyway..

1. Almost always try and see if you can make a deal with a demon.
Unlike Fable 2, choosing to be evil in Dragon Age: Origins doesn't necessarily paint you as a baby killing, produce stealing villain, and for those of you who like looking fresh, it does not alter your appearance either. Not only is the reward typically awesome, but most of the time, if your Coercion is high enough, you can lie your way out of the deal after the payoff. WIN!

2. Blood magic is the shit.
Despite what ever your "moral" party members will try and have you believe, blood magic is the shit. Ever wonder why your parents would always tell you not to play with fire? I'll tell you why: because it's awesome. Sure you can play with fire as a mage in the game, but this is the big leagues, and sacrifices must be made. Trust me when I say you won't regret it. Blood magic spells pack a powerful punch. So next time Wynne tries to give you an old woman's lesson in "what's good and bad", remember, you're the one killing 90% of the enemies you come across with a single spell.

3. Feisty English accents are the best.
Ah yes, nothing beats a English accent, and chances are you don't even need to play Dragon Age to figure this one out. Just about everyone in this game has some sort of accent, but Alistair and Morrigan's take the cake. Yeah, so she might say a few things that are questionable, and her way of thinking is a bit, jarring, but if you're guy, you probably think Morrigan is the bomb. Why? It's the accent. Yeah, sure her grungy attire with just enough cleavage is probably enjoyable, but it's that all around feisty attitude and killer accent that's got you second guessing your well thought out decisions. And when it comes to the ladies, well, don't even get me started with Alistair. So he may be a little prudish, but we think it's cute. With just a tad of innocence, hunky appearance and cheesy pick up lines, all topped off with a hot accent, it's no surprise that Bioware came out with an I Love Alistair shirt.

4. Your ability to sleep around will be rewarded.
If you know anything about me you probably know that I love achievements. Well, in this game, unlike in real life, being a sloregoth will win you some gamer points/trophies. Take advantage of this. It's fairly easy to do. Just play your cards right, and you can win over just about any of your companions. Lucky for you, Leliana and Zevran swing both ways. The only real issue if you're trying to perfect your achievements in the game is trying to get with Morrigan or Alistair, considering that they are both straight and the only way you will be able to achieve this is by making an opposite sex character.

That about raps it up, for now at least. Seeing as I've just gotten around to playing the expansion, Dragon Age: Awakening, keep a look out for most tips and tricks on here. ;)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Activision Gets Served - My 'Kneel Before Pod' Debut!


For many of you who are probably unaware, I made my debut on Kneel Before Pod this Sunday as Carl, Ryan and I talked about Activision/Infinity Ward and ultimately how it's affecting the Call of Duty franchise. Check it out here.

My Pokemans. Let me show you them.

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver were released for the Nintendo DS this Sunday, March 14th, and of course I had to have it. Although I'll never be as excited as I was in middle school about Pokemon I've gotta say this game is pretty cool. The game comes with a little Pokeball clip on called a Pokewalker. It counts your steps and you can use it to take your Pokemon for walks when you're on the go. You are also able find items and catch other Pokemon when you're out on your walk. Cute!

My only complaint about the games is that they still lack the character customization that I crave from RPGs. Why can't my Pokemon trainer be blonde Nintendo? Why?! Most people would rather make their own character than choose between the prudish Ethan and Lyra. Ick.

One of the coolest things about the game is that all 493 Pokémon in are capable of following the main character, similar to Pikachu in Pokemon Yellow if you recall. You can interact with the first Pokemon in your team by hitting A and every now and then they will do a little dance for you if you make them happy enough. Shininess is also retainable and shows up as well so get your Action Replays ready folks!

Unfortunately, I just don't have the time I used to to devote my time to Pokemans, but as a fan of the Pokemon franchise I can definitely say that the new line of original Pokemon games that have been rereleased for the DS have come a long way, and I can only hope that by the time I have a kid they're still coming out with new content and titles.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Incase you missed it...

Monday, March 8, 2010

Food Inc.

Watching Food Inc with my roommate. This movie is ridiculous. It's amazing how much food companies are keeping from us. Did you know that a pound of broccoli is more expensive than a double cheeseburger? AND that 1 in 3 children born after 2000 will be diagnosed with an early onset of diabetes? WTF. This is so disturbing.

I haz something to say.

First blogger post. Very exciting. Doing laundry and trying to figure out how to use the interface, this should be quite interesting..
--
And the layout is done. It's only temporary as I will be working on a nicer one during spring break. ;)