Furry Friendlies: Remember The Puppies!

Wandering the post apocalyptic wasteland can be a miserable and lonely experience. Walking for miles upon miles, everyone you meet wants to pull a gun on you, and everyone that doesn't, wants to rob you blind. You can meander around for miles with nothing to sustain you but the occasional fetch quest, the impromptu bandit attacks oh... and the MINDLESS KILLING!

“As you can see I didn't escape the nuclear wastes completely unscathed. My sanity is questionable, my morals even more so. All I have in the world is a sniper rifle and a necklace of human ears. If only I had a companion! One that is kind and protective, one that wont try and steal my last Stim pack from my back pocket, one that wont shoot me accidentally-on-purpose when I give them “Baby's First SMG” (I'M STILL ANGRY ABOUT THAT, IAN!) oh where will I find my one companion, the one that makes all the others seem like stepping stones to this meeting?! Wait! What's that dodging gracefully through the minefield?!” - From Sgt Mooby's Fallout 3 diary

War, war never changes

Fallout 3 has a whole mass of characters that you can befriend and have follow you on your journey through the “Capital Wasteland”. But I don't think that there is a companion that we will ever love more, than Dog Meat. Our faithful four legged friend (and my personal favourite) has captured the hearts and minds of many Fallout 3 players. Being utterly fearless in his pursuit to keep you alive, he is more than a match for any bandit or raider that you may stumble across as you continue your quest to find your Liam Neeson voiced father.

You will find him, but you won't kill him

Companions in games can make the difference between a good game and a great game. Take Daxter for example, without his chipper attitude, his witty one liners and his larger than life insanity, Jak and Daxter would have been a game full of teenage moodiness and little else. Daxter provides the much needed comic relief compared to the gruff seriousness of Jak.

The same can be seen in Ratchet and Clank, although not an animal, Clank provides the smart, smooth and sophisticated half of the Lombax/Robot tag team. Without Clank's witty input and calculated seriousness. The Ratchet & Clank games wouldn't be anywhere  near as satisfying or endearing. 

The names, Clank...Just Clank.

I've barely scratched the surface on how important companions can be to video games, we find it tough enough to care about one character that has all the social proficiency and psychopathic tendencies as Murray the demonic talking skull, so a little comical timing can go along way.

 Yes they may shoot us in the back from time to time, or block us in doorways that leave us screaming at our T.Vs to move out the sodding way, but that's what makes them so endearing. Its also what makes us well up at the tragic moment when they take a bullet/laser pulse/tomahawk/spirit bomb etc to save our hero from replaying the cut-scene all over again. I hope you enjoyed this one folks, may your adventures be glitch free and murder filled...I really need to see a doctor...

Matt Eakins is a freelance gaming journalist, with the ability to turn a phrase and spin a line at the drop of a hat. Find more from him on Twitter @SgtMooby or at http://gamergripesandgrooves.blogspot.co.uk/

Gaming Couples: The Myth of the Gamr Gurl

DISCLAMER - As heterosexual male, I will be writing this from the point of view of a heterosexual male, this article is in no way shape or for, meant to belittle, demean, undermine, insult, attack or humiliate those that are not heterosexual males - DISCLAMER

We has human beings have an uncontrollable desire to be loved, wanted, understood and respected. For some gamers it might not be as effortless to attract members of the opposite sex. Some of us however have found a partner that we want to share things with. Passions, dreams, hobbies, Animé collections ect..

In my adventures in to the dating world I have had some fair maidens, dismiss my love of video games, calling it a “Childish Pursuit”. Saying that I’m “Too old” to be playing video games. Those women rarely made it far in to my heart or my mind. I am about to reveal to you something that some of you may have never realised before...ready? Women do actually play video games! I know that some of you may find this hard to believe, but they honestly do! Its not an elaborate lie that the internet has concocted to keep you glued to your screens in an effort to find one of these “Mystical Creatures”.

"Here we have, the Gamer Girl, in her natural environment"

Yes they may be few and far between, but a lot of (if not all of) the time, they are well worth the wait. I have found gamers of the fairer sex to be just as if not more, passionate and creative than the non gaming variety. Which in turn allows you to share your favourite past time, with potentially the girl of your dreams. For those of you that have get to find your “Gamr Gurl” but have found yourself a fair maiden (why am I typing like its the Middle Ages?) introducing her to your world can seem a daunting task. But we got in to this hobby because we enjoy it and are passionate about it, right?

Well this is the side you have to show to your girl, show her the fun, social side of it instead of the “stay-up-till-4am-drinking-redbull” side that she has already seen and detests about your favourite past time. Show her that together you can overcome puzzles in games such as “Portal 2” or help her get out her frustrations in a friendly game of FFA in “Call Of Duty” (use this wisely, things can get ugly). Show her the town planning potential you have with “Sim City” or the tactician side of you with “Command & Conquer”. Gaming is supposed to be fun, so why not show her why you are so invested in it?

Atlas & Peabody: The perfect co-op couple.

Why all these things may help to get your woman be more accepting of your hobby. Don't try and change her, it wont work and she will probably end up resenting you for it, which could then end up in an unhappy relationship. Which would then end up with a very unhappy gamer! There is a reason why you are with her in the first place, don't risk losing that whilst you try to make her in to your perfect woman.

For the record, I don’t believe that there are such things as “girl gamers”. My opinion on the matter is, there are women, who ENJOY video games, geek culture, Animé and the such like. But to label someone over their personal preference in what they enjoy doing in their free time is stupid, silly and disrespectful. Some women openly call themselves Gamer Girls, and I take my hat off to them. They have chosen an identity, and they are happy with it! Why people have to attack them or hit on them for simply being a female in the community I will never know, I could go on a rant for a full feature about how women are belittled and shunned from the gaming community or the comic book community, but I won't...for now at least.

What many of us seek, but few of us ever find.

To finish this post, Gaming with your other half can be a great bonding exercise, it can strengthen your bond as a couple and you get her involved in your passion, so many wins!

Introducing her to your world can be an exciting time as a couple, during the hours you spend gaming, you may find out things that will shock and surprise you, or find out things that you find endearing about her and make you cherish and like her even more. Happy hunting guys and girls! And remember, just because you haven't met the gaming partner of your dreams yet, they may be just around the next spawn point. 

This article is dedicated to Cuddliicakes, For giving me the inspiration behind this piece, and for being awesome.

Matt Eakins is a freelance gaming journalist, with the ability to turn a phrase and spin a line at the drop of a hat. Find more from him on Twitter @SgtMooby or at http://gamergripesandgrooves.blogspot.co.uk/

Open World Blues - and how to overcome them.

As gamers, we all have that one genre of game that we find ourselves getting totally lost in. The game that we can play for hours on end and not get bored or frustrated with. From FPS to MMO, every game has its own unique story to tell, be it a war to end all wars against some foreign super power. To defending an entire planet from an ancient threat that has reared its ugly head once more, apparently not learning its lesson from the last time it got its head caved in with a jagged rock.

What do you mean I have one shot?!

For me, open world games are my kryptonite. Getting lost in a world full of spectacle and wonder, with enough quests or missions to last me till The Rapture. With every venture in to the deep sprawling wilds, yielding a new adventure. But these games are a double edged blade, with all the adventuring and exploration that can be done, comes exasperating travel times, these have been know to drive me to the limit. Not wanting to travel through the deepest darkest forest to get to a new exciting quest has me annoyed enough to save the game and play something else.

 

Of course I'll come and get you!...What do you mean you're on a mountain!?

I know that with games such as Skyrim or the GTA franchise, exploration = reward, and I love having to work for my rewards, but sometimes I just want to slay, loot, maim, behead and generally go on a, full on, all out, rampage. This is why I love open world so much, if you REALLY want to...you can! A quick save, and a turn off of the auto save and away you go. Laughing manically as you behead a horse and teabag the rider in to oblivion. Or punching the air in triumph as you snipe a guard in the head from the other side of a dimly lit room with your favourite crossbow. We have an infinite number of possibilities for us to have fun in the best way we know how. And that way is to destroy anything and everything that we can in any way we can imagine!

Just a short one for you today, ladies and gents. The next time you feel "The Open World Blues" just remember...GO MENTAL! And then laugh all the way to the jail cell, plead insanity...then they cant give you the chair... And be sure to tune in next time for more Gamer Gripes and Grooves!



Matt Eakins is a freelance gaming journalist, with the ability to turn a phrase and spin a line at the drop of a hat. Find more from him on Twitter @SgtMooby or at http://gamergripesandgrooves.blogspot.co.uk/