Busy Gamer Nation

Free Stuff Friday - Modern Warfare 3 Bluetooth Headset

2012-04-06T07:47:28Z

Not at PAX East? Neither are we. But if you're an online gamer or even a heavy phone user, this could still be your lucky month. We have one Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Bluetooth Headset complete with charging cradle and even a code for downloadable avatar item on Xbox 360.

This prize, still sealed in the box, retails for $70. Despite the heavy Xbox 360 branding on the package, it should work fine with any Bluetooth-capable device including mobile phones and even PS3s (we've seen reports on the Internet to corroborate this). All we ask is that you use it responsibly!

Here's how to enter and boost your odds one or both prizes (up to 4 chances to win!):

Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do.
Tweet the following on Twitter: Win a Modern Warfare 3 Bluetooth Headset ($70 value) at BusyGamerNews.com! RT + Enter here: http://bit.ly/I3vBsf #bgnfsf
Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes.
Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits!

If you do 2, 3 and/or 4, you do need to let us know your Twitter/iTunes name(s) in your comment so we can find, verify and include your bonus entries in the drawing and match them up to contact you if one of them wins.

If we can't confirm the bonus entry and easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified. If you tweet vigorously (more than 5 times a day on average), include the direct link to your tweet and don't delete it!

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible:

]]> Simply post a comment on this page. (You can do the other things listed above if you want to earn some extra chances to win.) Say whatever is on your mind as long as it's not an ad or profane. Be sure to read the Sweepstakes Rules to ensure you are eligible to win and don't get disqualified by double-posting or forgetting to provide an e-mail address.

NOTE: If you play for extra chances on Twitter or by posting podcast reviews on iTunes, you still have to enter here AND let us know your Twitter and/or iTunes names so we can match you up. iTunes ratings alone do not count since we can't see who posted them, so add a comment! If you already posted an iTunes review, you can update your review once a week for a bonus entry in each week's giveaway. Just log in to iTunes and click Write a Review; it should load your existing review and let you modify it. Make a change (even a small one) and then check to ensure that it appears on top with the new date or it won't count!

You may also want to white list this domain; we've had MANY would-be winners lose out because they never responded to their prize notification! If you use TypeKey/TypePad, be sure your e-mail address will be shared. No e-mail address, no prize. (Don't worry, no one else will see it - and we'll only use it to contact you if you win.)

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. It will go into a queue for me to approve, which I'll do several times a day (except the first weekend, where comments may not be approved until sometime late on Sunday). Do NOT double-post. We'll extend the entry period for this until 8:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday, April 30 to ensure you have plenty of time to enter and verify your entry was posted.

We also sometimes give away unannounced Instant Win prizes and podcast extras (we have some great codes coming soon!). Here are a few tips since this can happen at any time. 1) Follow Gamewatcher on Twitter. Before we post the next Instant Win, we'll give you a fair warning tweet. 2) Subscribe to our RSS feed and set it to check for updates frequently.

We continue to stock up on cool goodies for Free Stuff Friday - and we will keep doing so as long as there's enough response. So tell your friends about this! Hey, if we get bigger, so will the prizes that YOU could win! While you're at it, post comments wherever you see something interesting. Also, if you get a game code you don't need or have some other cool game-related prize you want to donate, we'd be very grateful (we pay for much of this stuff ourselves!).

Busy Gamer Review - The Great Urban Race

2011-09-01T02:28:00Z

I've been a fan of The Amazing Race for years; stalking Phil Keoghan on the global mat is on my personal bucket list. But first, I need a travel partner. Our 8-year-old, The Pikachu Fan, started watching the show with me last year and is ready to grab his passport and hit the road. Alas, we're at least a decade away from presenting Phil with a Travelocity Gnome due to age restrictions. That's a long time to wonder how well we'd do as a team.

In mid-August, we found out.

Pikachu Fan, Gamewatcher and I participated in The Great Urban Race, a one-day, single-city scavenger hunt in the same vein as The Amazing Race. The Great Urban Race sponsors events in major cities throughout the US. You won't get rich running the Great Urban Race - at best, first place winners earn back their entry fees and a little extra - but that's not the point. The Great Urban Race is about having fun, doing ridiculous tasks and finding out just how much (or little) you really know about your city.

Team Busy Gamer

We discovered the race a few years ago by accident. We were eating at a favorite spot downtown when several pairs of identically dressed people jogged by and ducked into a nearby sports bar. Not all that unusual for summer around here. Then the cow and the milkmaid ran by. Even in Seattle, that caught our eye. A quick search revealed that the Great Urban Race was in town, and the sports bar was the beginning/end point. I read a bit about it while we waited for our food. Pikachu Fan's eyes got bigger by the second as I described each delicious detail of the race. He almost exploded with glee when I discovered that in the summer of 2011, he would be old enough to participate in the family division with us. When the food arrived, he had just one question.

"So, what are we going to dress as?"

While ambitious costuming ideas danced in my head ("Pika" and the "chus"! Mario, Luigi and Lara Croft!), Gamewatcher wisely suggested we go simple: Team Busy Gamer. We had tees made up with our logo on the front and our gamer names on the back. Add shorts and comfy shoes and voila! Instant team uniforms. (Side note: Temperatures were in the high 80s on race day. I'd like to thank Gamewatcher for talking me out of that whole theme costume thing.)

The night before the race, I had the bright idea to read some personal accounts of the race. Within 15 minutes, I knew we were going shopping. (Nothing like being prepared...)

The pre-game checklist:

City map
Water/snacks
Backpack
Smart phone
Notepad with pens
Portable cell phone charger
Camera (most clues follow the "Pictures or it didn't happen" rule)
GPS (we used our iPhones; Android and Windows Phone 7s should work too)
Bus passes
Cash

Packed and ready, we made our way to the starting point: the Pyramid Brewery in SODO (the southern end of downtown) near the baseball stadium. Game on!

The opening of an envelope

Clue envelopes were handed out shortly before noon. The clue burned in our hands as we listened to the rules: We must complete at least 11 of the 12 clues correctly to get full credit. A half-hour penalty will be given for each additional skipped (or incorrect) clue. No private transportation, including skates or scooters. Open your envelopes!

We ripped open our clue packet, booted our iPhones and set to work. Gamewatcher immediately identified a visual clue: a Totem Pole in nearby Pioneer Square. I got a little too excited when I realized we were going to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the waterfront. A few of the clues had addresses, including one in Capitol Hill - enough of a hike to justify getting on the bus. (Yay for bus passes!)

Then it got ugly. We knew at least one clue would be about sports - we were just steps from the stadiums, afterall - and there it was. "What's an itch-er-oo, Mommy?" "Ichiro, honey, he's a baseball player." "Oh." We finally got that one solved, only to hit this thing:

The clue indicated this was the logo of a local store.

We had to find the store, draw two random movie quotes and turn it into a wedding proposal. I latched onto the image, convinced it was a logo of a lighting store in the Belltown neighborhood downtown. Gamewatcher fixated on the word "movies." We were both stumped. I posted it to Facebook and Twitter to see if any locals might have a clue.

]]> And they're off!

Eventually, we decided we should, you know, leave the starting line. There were a couple teams left, but most had already taken off. We decided to start by finding the Seattle Pinball Museum in the International District, which is a short hike from the starting line. That's when we realized... we weren't sure exactly which direction to go. Fortunately, there was a Silver Cloud Inn across the street. My family had stayed there just weeks before - otherwise, I don't know that it would have occurred to me to go in. An extremely patient desk clerk marked the destination on a tourist map for us, and we were off!

As we walked by Safeco Field (where the Mariners play), we started looking for other opportunities to knock out clues. There was a tic-tac-toe option that required us to find strangers who would pose for photos in various configurations. Our first hit: a pair of tourists who gamely (and nervously) agreed to do the Village People YMCA pose with Gamewatcher and Pikachu Fan - good for the center square!

Less than a minute later, we spotted a police officer standing near the stadium. We needed someone to high-five a person in uniform, and figured this would fit the bill. As I approached nervously, I squeaked out, "Hi, we're..." and his hand went in the air for a high five. Pikachu Fan landed it, and we got our second tic-tac-toe square. We were on FIRE!

The last slot required us to find four people wearing Mariners jerseys. Being right next to Safeco Field, we assumed this was a no brainer. And we did find several people wearing team uniforms there and throughout the day - unfortunately, they were all Seahawks fans. We found someone better, however: a bus driver walking to the mass transit parking lot. He told us which buses to take to Capitol Hill, and where to catch them. Score!

We finally found the Pinball Museum and took the requisite picture. A little over an hour in, and we finally had one clue finished. We decided to head to Pioneer Square. Several clues were clustered between Pioneer Square, the Waterfront and the Pike Place Market - about 10 minutes apart from each other. We sampled some original flavors at Dry Soda, handed my camera nervously to a stranger to take a group photo in front of the totem pole and then headed to the Waterfront to pose with a pair of mummies at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.

We grabbed some lunch on the waterfront and checked in on our Facebook/Twitter accounts. Two people had responded to our mystery clue with "it looks like a jewelry store." We ignored them and continued searching the web for electricity/movie stores in downtown and Capitol Hill while we ate.

My city by the (Elliott) bay

After lunch, we headed to the Waterfront Climb, which goes straight up to the Pike Place Market - and our next clue destination. Faced with climbing approximately 10,452 stairs or taking the elevator that goes one inch per hour, we opted for the elevator. When we finally got to street level, we made a beeline for Market Spice, a small store that is unfortunately located right behind the Guys Who Throw the Fish™. Getting through the hordes of tourists proved to be a bigger challenge than the official one, identifying spices by smell. (Well, the multiple choice helped.)

While we were at the Market, we stopped at DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine to pick up the requisite two items to donate to Northwest Harvest, a regional food bank. We had to backtrack a few blocks to find the donation truck, but it was worth it. This was one task we were not going to skip.

Who's on First (and Pine)

Our next destination was to be Capitol Hill. We briefly debated walking, but based on distance and our already aching feet, we decided to use our bus passes. A couple other teams were waiting for the same bus when we arrived at the stop. I took a shot in the dark and asked if they had figured out the logo clue that had been vexing us all afternoon. They did.

It was a jewelry store.

Specifically, a "fancy" jewelry store located somewhere near another task we had not yet done. We left the bus stop in search of this "fancy" jewelry store, cursing ourselves for not listening to the ever-growing list of friends and relatives who correctly identified the picture. We knew our next destination, the Milagros hair salon. We passed a bookstore with the doors wide open on the way to the salon. I ran in and asked the startled clerk if she recognized the jewelry store logo. This exchange actually happened:

Me: "I'm looking for a ‘fancy' jewelry store in this neighborhood that has this logo. Do you happen to know it?
Clerk: "Fancy?"

Me: "Yes, a fancy jewelry store."

Clerk: "Exactly."
Me: "Huh?"

Clerk: "You're looking for the Fancy jewelry store."

Me: "Yes, do you know what it is?"

Clerk:" Fancy."

Me: "No, really..."

Our Abbott & Costello routine continued 30 more seconds before I finally clued in: It wasn't a fancy jewelry store; it was Fancy, a jewelry store. The other team had technically given us the answer while also screwing with us. Nicely played.

Gamewatcher found the store address online while I styled a mannequin's head at the salon. Next, it was on to Fancy, the single hardest jewelry store in the world to find. (For the record, it's downhill from the Moore Theatre.) At the store, I pulled a quote from two separate bags. One was a long, thoughtful, mushy quote from My Best Friend's Wedding. The other was "ET phone home." I incorporated both into a heart-felt proposal to Gamewatcher. Pikachu Fan almost died laughing.

After Fancy, we finally caught our bus to Capitol Hill. We enjoyed a nice respite at Cupcake Royale, where Gamewatcher and Pikachu Fan bit into some mandatory cupcakes. We then worked off the calories at Velocity Dance Center, and made our way to a specific address only to discover - a boarded up area where our destination was supposed to be.

More progress in our city

Here's where it gets weird, but poignant. Our clue, which gave a specific address, had told us to look at three records and identify the artists from a selected list. Coincidentally, there were a number of artists on the wall exactly where the address would be. All were affected by the AIDS crisis. We stood for several minutes absorbing a massive timeline of the AIDS crisis, including artists who were both personally affecting and have taken steps to help. It was oddly sobering and touching.

After studying the wall for several minutes with a few other teams, we ducked into a nearby American Apparel and asked if the clerk knew what happened. She figured out they had meant to send us to Everyday Music, which had moved a few blocks away due to the light rail construction. Gamewatcher took the novel approach of calling the store and getting directions, which we shared with several other perplexed teams.

The record challenge was easy for me - my dad was in the music industry, and I was very familiar with artists and album art. I was able to make up some time, but it didn't make much difference - we were still stuck waiting for a bus back to the finish line!

All's well that ends well

And yes, we did make it to the finish, with a time of just over 4 hours. We came in 199th place, making my goal of finishing in the top 200. Given that we didn't listen to our friends, took a long lunch, walked a lot more than we should have and generally did everything wrong, I think we did pretty well. But best of all, we accomplished our main goal: we had a fantastic time.

It might have been the Great Urban Race, but for us, it was truly amazing.

Tips and tricks

Knowing what I do now, here's what I would tell future racers:

Research. Read all the blogs you can find (like this one!) that have personal accounts of past races. It really does help to prepare you for the day.
Pack light, but smart. Knowing what I do now, my pack list would include everything I mentioned above, plus sunblock (reapply!) and a tourist map of the city. That was the single most valuable item of the day.
Dress smart. You're going to be walking/running/taking buses all day. If you go for a costume, make sure you aren't going to die of heat stroke - and can get on the bus!
Figure out the most far-flung neighborhood and head there first. Everything we did was in two general areas: The stretch between the Market and SODO, and Capitol Hill. We had one clue that specifically said "Capitol Hill." The second we saw that, we should have left for the bus stop. We could have maximized our time by working on clues at the bus stop and on the bus, and then hitting the rest of the locations on the way back to the finish.
Listen to your friends. When several people say "I think it's a jewelry store," it probably is.
Don't use your cell phone as a camera. You will have to hand your camera to strangers at some point. Better to lose a digital camera than your iPhone. (We didn't, but there is a risk, obviously!)
Ask other teams for help - and offer. We never would have gotten the jewelry clue if we hadn't talked to another team that was generous with information. We paid it back by helping teams searching for the missing record store.
Listen to your teammates - and correct them if needed. For some reason, I referred to the Moore Theatre as the 5th Avenue Theatre three times while trying to help other teams. Fortunately, Gamewatcher heard me - and corrected the info. I was mortified. I was also exhausted and not thinking clearly (obviously).

Free Stuff Friday - Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 and Humble Indie Bundle 3

2011-08-19T07:04:54Z

This week, we're going back to the beach with Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. We actually gave this title away once before, back in March 2009. But only one of you won, and there are so many more active members in the busy gamer community these days. So here's another chance!

Sure, it's a game you'd probably never buy for yourself, but consider the facts: It has a pretty tough but fun volleyball game in it, there are jetski races, mini-games (including the "butt bump battle"), dating sim dynamics involving a large number of bikinis and a fully-stocked casino with DOA-themed slots, roulette and card games.

If you don't have an Xbox 360 and/or just want to play for something different, we picked up an extra gift code for the recently ended Humble Indie Bundle 3.

This bundle gives one winner licenses to the PC, Mac and Linux versions of And Yet It Moves, Atom Zombie Smasher, Braid, Cogs, Cortex Command, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Hammerfight, Machinarium, Osmos, Revenge of the Titans, Steel Storm and VVVVVV (with direct download and codes for Steam and Desura).

Plus we made donations on your behalf to Child's Play and EFF.

Here's how to enter and boost your odds with up to 4 chances to win one or both prizes:

Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do.
Tweet the following on Twitter: Win DOA Xtreme 2 and Humble Indie Bundle 3 at BusyGamerNews.com, home of Busy Gamer Podcast: RT + Enter here: http://bit.ly/qiKofF #bgnfsf
Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes.
Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits!

If you do 2, 3 and/or 4 (and why wouldn't you?), you do need to let us know your Twitter/iTunes name(s) in your comment so we can find, verify and include your bonus entries in the drawing and match them up to contact you if one of them wins.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible:

]]> Simply post a comment on this page and SAY WHICH PRIZE(S) YOU ARE PLAYING FOR. (You can do the other things listed above if you want to earn some extra chances to win.) Say whatever is on your mind as long as it's not an ad or profane. Be sure to read the Sweepstakes Rules to ensure you are eligible to win and don't get disqualified by double-posting or forgetting to provide an e-mail address.

NOTE: If you play for extra chances on Twitter or by posting podcast reviews on iTunes, you still have to enter here AND let us know your Twitter and/or iTunes names so we can match you up. iTunes ratings alone do not count since we can't see who posted them, so add a comment! If you already posted an iTunes review, you can still update your review once a week for a bonus entry in each week's giveaway. Just log in to iTunes and click Write a Review; it should load your existing review and let you modify it. Make a change (even a small one) and then check to ensure that it appears on top with the new date or it won't count!

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. It will go into a queue for me to approve, which I'll do several times a day (except the first weekend, where comments may not be approved until sometime late on Sunday). Do NOT double-post. We'll extend the entry period for this until 8:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, August 24 to ensure you have plenty of time to enter and verify your entry was posted.

We also sometimes give away unannounced Instant Win prizes and podcast extras. Here are a few tips since this can happen at any time (and we've got several backed up; we'll post them once we get a little less busy!). 1) Follow Gamewatcher on Twitter. Before we post the next Instant Win, we'll give you a fair warning tweet. 2) Subscribe to our RSS feed and set it to check for updates frequently.

The Busy Gamer Guide to PAX (Updated for 2011!)

2011-08-17T07:32:03Z

Welcome to the Busy Gamer Guide to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). Although we are completely unaffiliated with PAX, we feel that the large amounts of time and dough we've put into every single one qualifies us to share our opinions and guidance. Meydenbauer 2004 peeps – holla!

Seriously, we've been at this rodeo SEVEN times before, plus we live in Seattle. So trust us when we say... no one can give you all the info you need. But we can give you enough to help you make the most of your opportunities.

But first you have some decisions to make.

Start a mission

To enter PAX, you must possess a pass or ticket. Alas, if you waited this long, you're pretty much out of luck since all badges are SOLD OUT. There is a new hope, however. The PAX team NPCs have established an optional quest, “Sell your badge the legit way,” online. Visit the online forums to sell and/or attempt to purchase a badge. Avoid the rogue traders who lurk outside PAX – there is a healthy counterfeit business happening these days, and that is no joke.

You can also bookmark PAXSITE.com and try again next year at PAX East in Boston in the spring or PAX Prime in Seattle next fall. (You might get lucky winning a badge on Twitter but the odds are against you.)

If you pre-ordered a pass, it should have arrived in the mail by now. (If you haven't received it, contact pax_questions@paxsite.com.) Report to the mission start point (Washington State Convention & Trade Center or the main theater at Benaroya Hall) on Aug. 26 with your badge.

Peruse the schedule and decide which quest lines interest you. There are core gamer, casual gamer, MMO gamer, tabletop gamer, game industry wannabe and geek culture quest lines. In addition, some players simply pack up their gaming PCs and spend the whole event leveling up on "Multiplayer LAN Party." The choice is yours, though it is a good idea to enter with a game plan.

Choose an alignment

PAX 2007: Wil Wheaton says,
'Don't be a dick!'

PAX is a real-time, real-world, free-will game that permits you to choose either a positive or negative alignment. Like other alignment-based games, choosing the negative alignment ("Dick") may result in visible physical changes (Quest lines: "Black Eye," "Bruises," "Broken Bones") that will remain with you for the entire game. It is also more likely to result in early resolution of the main quest (Quest line: "Thrown Out of PAX by a Burly Yet Amicable Enforcer.")

If you are determined to enhance your negative alignment, select the "Grab a Strange Woman's Ass" quest line. Yes, this actually happens but will most likely result in immediate facial enhancement (Quest line: "Boyfriend Beat Down") and abruptly end your main quest.

PAX 2008: Girls at PAX - look but don't touch!

Selecting a positive alignment offers the opportunity to acquire loot ("SWAG"), expand your guild, get invited to parties and generally enhance your overall PAX experience.
As legendary guest speaker and leveled-up PAX attendee Wil Wheaton says, "Don't be a dick." (If you don't know who Wil is, then your first quest line has already begun!. Also look up founders Jerry Holkins (aka Tycho) and Mike Krahulik (Gabe) plus bonus points for knowing musicians Jonathan Coulton and MC Frontalot - you will hear their names A LOT at PAX.

Tips for enhancing your positive alignment:

Respect the lines: Yes, you've been waiting forever. So have we.
If someone asks you to save their place, do so. Eventually, you will need to pee, too.
If you want to take someone's pic (say, a bodacious cosplayer), ask – she'll probably turn around and smile and everything!
Don't be a SWAG hog. Or if you must, wait until late on Sunday. Vendors would rather give you multiple key chains and posters than schlep them home.
Turn your cell phone ringer off. We really don't care which song you chose just for your mom. (If you fail to do this, why not try one of our fun Busy Gamer Podcast ringtones - at least you'll be distinctive!)
Bathe. Daily. With soap.
If you plan to attend side-quest “Concert,” take a break mid-afternoon to bathe. Yes, again.

]]> Manage your inventory
Inventory bags will be available during the side quest "Exhibition Hall" (see "Select a quest line" below), but we recommend bringing your own inventory bag to the main quest - ideally one that is large and heavily reinforced. Backpacks are popular. The following items should be in your inventory slots before beginning a quest:

(I'm just sayin') Purell. At PAX Prime 2009, we geeks at PAX were introduced to infectious diseases, namely the H1N1 virus (aka "swine flu"). Bring a bottle of hand sanitizer and use it before and after every gaming session that requires you to touch something or someone - basically, everything except for Kinect games! If someone you meet doesn't want to shake hands with you, they're not being rude - just prudent. Perhaps now would be a good time to devise your own cunning salute!
Map. You will be provided with a mission map (aka program/schedule) at the beginning of the main quest. Retain this in your inventory at all times. Some venues have been added, notably the Main Theater is now The Paramount Theater for keynotes and other big sessions and the Pegasus and Kraken theaters are at the Sheraton. Search your smartphone app store for "PAX" to find apps with maps, exhibitor info and schedule (there's one for the iPhone you can get download free right now).
Nintendo DS, PSP, iPhone or other portable gaming device. Because you'll be standing in line. A lot. And you might find a buddy to play an ad hoc multiplayer game with. Side note: If you have an iPhone, don't count on AT&T 3G. In fact, you may want to set it to airplane mode so your battery isn't sucked down in the first hour. Make sure to bring charging cables and backup batteries. There are places you can plug in to restore your juice.
Bottled water and snacks. Buy ahead of time and bring them with you, either at a local store or Starbucks. It will still cost less than at the Convention Center. (Tip: There is a little used Starbucks a few blocks away in Pacific Place. Enter at ground level off of 6th Avenue. It will be less crowded than the more obvious one up the street.)
Cash. Yes, many merchants will accept your credit. Some will not. To avoid the side mission "ATM hunt," bring sufficient gold with you to cover incidentals and acquisitions. You will want to buy stuff, so set a budget and expect to bust it.
Camera. Photo ops abound. People in outlandish costumes, Internet celebrities, games that haven't been released yet, items you can't afford to buy but want to remember longingly.
Cell phone. If you have texting (more reliable than Twitter or any other 3G-dependent app if you have AT&T service), use it to communicate with friends. You won't be able to hear them on the floor, and you will have your quest ended if you take a call during a session. If you don't text, you can try to use Facebook, Twitter or phone messages to communicate - word is that only AT&T's 3G network is traditionally taken down (try turning of 3G to save battery and access Edge!). If you have another service provider you may be OK. Also, you will rarely be able to hear your phone during side quest "Exhibition Hall."
Costumes (optional). While PAX isn't all about the cosplay, there is a lot of it about and you're welcome to join in the fun! GrrlGotGame attended in costume last year. If this topic interests you, you may want to take this side quest for some tips and techniques: Operation Little Sister. You can also find the Operation Little Sister audio diaries in our Best of Busy Gamer Podcast.

Select a quest line

PAX offers a variety of quest lines to meet every interest and need. Experienced players know that planning what you want to see and do is just the beginning. There are several factors to consider, including locations, timing and event popularity. Some events will require long wait times: Evaluate your situation on an ongoing basis, and adjust accordingly. A willingness to adapt and, in some cases, abandon a quest line will help you reduce frustration and increase satisfaction with your overall main quest progress.

PAX 2009: There will be lines!

Tips for new players:

Review the panel descriptions online well in advance. Choose your must-sees and make a note of where and when they are scheduled. You may have to leave one quest (session) early to make it to another one on time!
Certain quests are guaranteed to fill up. So if you wish to add the keynote, Penny Arcade, Wil Wheaton, Rooster Teeth (Red vs. Blue) or major developer sessions such as Bungie or Harmonix to your quest line, arrive early and get in line. This is no longer a small event where admittance to anything you might want to do is even remotely guaranteed. You will have to make sacrifices, so prioritize your quests before you arrive!
No more wristbands for concerts. You just need to get in line early, probably 90 minutes or more before the scheduled start!
Save a couple of hours to complete side quest "Exhibition Hall." Part sales floor, part game demo, all fun. Lots to see and buy ranging from developers you've never heard of to the Big Three – many of whom will let you play a game if you're willing to wait. This is also where you'll find the most loot. As a bonus, old school games can be found in remote corners by players willing to explore.

NEWBIE TIP: Feeling overwhelmed? Pick 3 things that you really want to do that aren't too close together on the time schedule. You'll probably get to more, but you'll have both achievable objectives and free roam time. Don't worry, you'll have fun!

Attend with a guild

PAX is a social game offering the chance for brief interactions ("Chatting in Line"), party quests ("Meeting up with Friends") and Escort missions ("Insert Own Joke Here"). Attending PAX with one or more members of your guild will enable you to cover more ground and potentially see or at least hear about more sessions. Keep in mind that there is a fine line between clever and obnoxious. To avoid accruing negative alignment points, follow these guidelines during guild quests:

Don't wait until the last second to join your guild mates. It is acceptable to send a scout ahead of time to get in line – just don't wait until session time to appear. It artificially inflates the line and aggravates those who have been waiting longer.
Don’t assume you can join your guild mates in the major lines. In the spirit of game leveling, Enforcers now routinely count players in the most popular lines. Once the maximum capacity number is reached, they will close off the corresponding map point (“end of line.”) Guilds are not allowed to save places in these lines. If you are in line, pay careful attention to the gatekeepers (“Enforcers.”) They will keep you apprised of your in-game status.
Perform biological side quests before getting in line. Note that I personally witnessed a player leave to perform a side quest (“Coffee kicked in”) who was then refused reentry to the Wil Wheaton Queue room.
When the session leader says the doors are closed, release any saved seats. This can, and will, happen. When you hear that no one else is getting in, assume your friend missed out – and move your inventory bag. (Also, see previous bullet.)
Don't assume your cell phone will work. You won't be able to hear it ringing on the show floor, and forget about hearing anyone trying to talk to you. Use text-based messages and clearly state when/where/how you will attempt to communicate again. Again, avoid 3G if you use AT&T. (Yeah, we hate them - especially at PAX - but love our iPhones.) PRO TIP: Set a time/location to meet up and check in so you don't have to depend on technology.
Want to know what people are buzzing about during the show? If you can get to the Internet, point your favorite Twitter client at #PAXPRime. Share your own tips and useful observations there as well! Also, be sure to follow PAX LINES and official_PAX just in case you can access Twitter during the show (or at least when walking between venues and other excursions to regenerate health).

PRO TIP: If you are a single player, you may wish to add a new member to your party during PAX. To increase the odds of a successful speech challenge with another player, we recommend completing the side mission "Shower" on a daily basis.

Regenerate health

There are a handful of health stations located throughout the main PAX map. Choices include "Taco Del Mar," "Subway," "Tully's" and "generic exhibition hall pizza" map points. Creative players may select the add-on maps that open up new areas including "Pacific Place," "Westlake Center," "Pike Place Market," "Starbucks," "Ruth's Chris Steak House" and other nearby health restoration points.

PAX 2008: Cosplay is encouraged,
but know when to take a break!"

Cheat codes are available to help unlock map locations quickly and easily. We recommend:

Urbanspoon for dining recommendations; available as an iPhone app.
Open Table to make reservations at some of the classier joints; iPhone app also available.

PRO TIP: The Seattle Monorail picks up at "Westlake Center," a few blocks from the main quest area. You can take the Monorail to "Seattle Center," which opens up both a variety of new restaurant map and tourism opportunities: Fast food available in the Seattle Center or, really getting off the main quest line, look up "Belltown" in Urbanspoon. As a bonus, the Monorail ride also opens up an optional and wholly geek-worthy side quest, "EMP/SFM."

2011 ADDENDUM: They are ripping apart the Seattle Center House (where the food lives), and only a few options remain there. Expect longer lines for fewer food options. If you go on Friday or Saturday, exit the Monorail and travel toward the Space Needle. Follow the Space Needle base around until you reach the round driveway (checkpoint: “Valet drop-off.”) From here, walk straight across the street to Fisher Plaza, also known as “the hospital from Grey’s Anatomy.” (Look for the KOMO sign.) Here you will find a small coffee shop, great Greek Food, and the most wonderful cheese shop at which you can procure sandwiches, cheese, gelato and wine.

Don’t rely on old FAQs for guidance

The PAX world has grown exponentially from year one, and continues to grow year to year. Quest locations have changed from previous years. In some cases, quest locations may change during the game. Use the current game guide provided by PAX, check your twitter streams and when all else fails, arrive early to confirm your desired quest is available. Just don’t rely on past game experiences or old FAQs for guidance. There's a good chance they will be wrong.

For example: Many people are now advising questers to arrive early and acquire the “concert bracelet” loot to unlock side quest: "Concert." While this has been true of past PAX games, it is not true this year. This year, the only prerequisite for entering the concert is to get in line early enough to make it into the performance area. And taking a shower. That’s pretty much required, too.

Save your game

It is important to save your game often in order to maintain stamina for late afternoon quests. You may save your game at any time by sitting down and drinking water, vegging out on the array of provided bean bags or returning to your hotel. Stealth save points are available by ducking into sessions. You might accidentally learn something, too.

Complete the main quest

You may choose to end the main quest line at any time. Keep in mind that the game itself expires at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, when the final session is scheduled to end. The Exhibition Hall quest is likely to end earlier, so get in last minute shopping and looting earlier in the afternoon.

We hope you have found this guide both entertaining and enlightening. There is much to see and do, and no doubt you will find a quest that was not touched upon here. Good luck, have fun and last but not least, don't be a dick.

See you at PAX! We're planning a tweetup and have some cool prizes to giveaway, so follow us if you want to say "Hi" and maybe grab a pin, shirt or maybe even a game!

--GrrlGotGame and Gamewatcher

A Busy Gamer Manifesto

2011-08-10T22:07:28Z

I sometimes get asked what exactly the "Busy Gamer Movement" is. We don't mention it much on the Busy Gamer News site, but it's referenced in my Twitter profile. It's not a constant crusade, though it does underscore everything we do here. So I can see why you might be curious.

It seems a (fittingly) brief Busy Gamer Manifesto is in order.

A brief history

Busy Gamer News was founded in 2003 as Gamestay and later renamed to better reflect the primary mission of the site. At the time, it was a creative outlet for me as I tried to keep my finger on the pulse of the game industry, which I have since joined in various roles: product manager, community manager, copywriter and now consultant (aka "gun for hire").

"Punishing games for people with fast reflexes who live in the land of liquid time and disposable income? There's a seemingly endless supply of those."

The common denominator in all these roles has been customer focus. I find that seeing things through the customers' eyes leads to more "win-win" solutions. You (the customer) get what you want or need while the business achieves its goals - but with an added bonus: customer satisfaction and the potential for real long-term loyalty.

But back to 2003. Even then in the frontier days of gaming journalism, there were lots of sites that tracked seemingly crushing quantities of gaming minutiae. And most of it bored me to tears. Screenshots don't say much about how fun a game will be to play. Videos only give a little taste and so often deliver prerendered non-gameplay visuals, NOT what you'll get if you buy it (hint: if it lacks health bars and/or a HUD, it's probably promotional). And news such as miniscule game delays and backend partner deals affected my day-to-day life as a gamer very little.

Who has time for all of that noise? I just wanted the stuff I could use right now, plus enough interesting buzz to be able to contribute at the watercooler.

But I'd wade through it anyway, and figured I'd share any news that I found actually useful or at least compelling with anyone else who wanted to keep up with thus stuff. Rather than just quote back what others had reported, I put my daily newspaper journalism training to work: researching the details that were absent from the press release and deciphering any complex and confusing instructions to make them as complete and clear as possible.

Along the way, GrrlGotGame joined the party. We actually met on a newspaper, married and have an 8-year-old son ("Pikachu Fan"; you can hear him occasionally in our Busy Gamer Podcast). We realized that busy gamers like us were being mostly ignored by the game industry, so we started advocating for this not-so-vocal majority.

Punishing games for people with fast reflexes who live in the land of liquid time and disposable income? There's a seemingly endless supply of those. But how many games take into account the needs of the working stiffs with limited gaming budgets and increasingly constrained time to play? Not nearly enough for our taste. You could say we usually get the fuzzy end of the lollipop after core gamers have had their way with the sweet, flavorful part.

"We believe games are good for you. They offer benefits such as mental acuity, stress relief and skill development."

Busy gamers are...

We're not casual gamers, though we play casual games. More and more, we're playing games on our phones though we're not strictly mobile gamers either. We enjoy games on consoles, PCs, Macs and portables when there's time - though family, work and life often limit our opportunity here.

We believe games are good for you. They offer a variety of benefits such as mental acuity, stress relief and even real-world skill development. GrrlGotGame credits videogames with giving her a sense of direction. She had a hard time with directions and maps until she started running missions for the Mob in Grand Theft Auto 3. Now she rarely gets lost even when driving without a GPS.

Busy gamers need...

We don't want to be pests, but we’d greatly appreciate it if the game industry recognizes our point of view when developing games and game systems. We don't want games to be dumbed down or lowest common denominator, just accessible to us as an audience.

Here are a few areas where game designers can help accommodate busy gamers:

Save points. The best save system is "save anywhere." When the baby wakes up from nap or you hit that middle of the night exhaustion wall and need to be at work early and refreshed, you don't want to have to ditch your hard-earned progress. Life's too short to have to replay boss battles or tricky timed jumping puzzles just because the designer thought you should have the mad skillz to go 30 minutes and 10 difficult encounters between save points. If save anywhere won't work for some reason (such aqs technical limits or game balance), at least offer frequent checkpoints. Game designers are starting to segment in intelligent ways with innovations such as limited save slots only at higher difficulties. That's a great solution: Increased challenge for those who want it, but it's optional.

Portable game designers may think they get a pass since you can typically shut the lid or flip a switch to suspend your game, but we don't want to be locked into keeping your game in the device for days or weeks on end as we struggle to finish it. And, yeah, we sometimes forget to plug our portable in. Many mobile game designers have learned to save anywhere to accommodate unplanned interruptions such as incoming phone calls. Peggle for iOS can resume your game midshot! Why can't all games move to this?

Consistent, easy-to-pick up controls. Every time we need to learn a new control scheme, it adds to the learning curve. And if we can't learn a game quickly (or jump back in after a taking a break for a few weeks or even months), we're probably going to ditch your game. At least let us remap the keys/buttons so we can select a control layout that works for us. And include full control details and help in the game so we don't have to root around in the dark for the manual when trying to remember how to play (I'm looking at you, Dead Space!). Bonus points if you let us optionally re-enable the in-game tutorial prompts!

Limited updates. I know that jailbreaking mobile devices and homebrew on consoles and portables is a big deal to companies like Apple and Sony (especially Apple and Sony, it seems, though everyone seems to be playing a variation of this game now). But, on the whole, everyday gamers could care less. All we know is that every time we go to buy a game or watch a movie on Netflix, it seems we have to download another patch or accept a new Terms of Service. We frankly don't have time for this sort of thing, so please limit these forced activities to truly critical updates - not just something someone in your Legal department thought was a good idea to cover their behinds.

Also, play through the customer experience before launching a patch. Is there a way to streamline things so we don't have to, say, wade through 15 screens before watching a movie? The customer you save may be your own. I recently had a terrible experience trying to recover my HBO Go profile, and now I don't even want to look at the app. I'm sure I'll just lose my watchlist and movie/show progress yet again. Why bother going through it when Netflix has more instant play content and fewer problems?

Multiple profiles/save slots. Just assume that the whole family wants to play every game you make, or at least 2-3 members of it. Games that lack profiles or have only a single save slot limit your game's appeal. The same is true for co-op games that don't offer a splitscreen option. There are very few games that we'll buy multiple copies of. Yours probably isn't one of them. You certainly shouldn't base your marketing plan on this idea. Instead, make us feel like we get good value out of your games. Then we'll not only be more inclined to buy that second copy if we really want it, we'll watch out for your next game.

"We want games and consoles and portables and phones that do amazing things, and when the price is right and we're feeling good about the product, we'll buy it."

Don't market to us, sell to us. It's amazing how many people fall into the 99 cent trap. $9.99 is closer to $10 but I see people frequently round down to $9. That's 99 times the one penny it would take to round up. The way this age-old scam works is that the mind tricks you into believing something really is a dollar or sometimes $10 or $100 less, which is why we always round up in our news reports.

I recently got into an argument with someone who said, "It's only a $1, does it really make that much difference?" By that logic, all 99-cent items are essentially free, no matter how many of them you buy. Those dollars really do add up. Look at it this way: Are you rich enough that you'd pass by a dollar lying on the ground, or would you pick it up? Thought so.

The fact is: We want games and consoles and portables and phones that do amazing things, and when the price is right and we're feeling good about the product, we'll buy it. All game designers and marketers need to do is make sure we're clear on the cost, the benefits and that we'll have a good time playing, whether it's for 8+ hours or only 15 minutes per gaming session.

We'll evaluate the deal on its real merits and, if everything checks out, we'll buy it. Don't try to trick us or conceal the true cost through points or credits. That just makes us have to do extra math in our head, and if we get confused or feel like we're being tricked or scammed, we'll walk away.

The busy gamer bottom line

For whatever reason we play, we're gamers. We want to try your game. We want to have a great, life-altering experience with it. But if it becomes too much work, we're out of there. We already have jobs. We have families that need us. And we do need to sleep a bit more than we used to.

Oh, we'll still play games - with or without you. So why not include us in your plans. We think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement: You make a hit game, and we'll help make it a hit.

Free Stuff Friday - Guides to Grand Theft Auto III, Rock Band and Myst plus Street Fighter: The Complete History

2011-08-05T07:04:36Z

It's been awhile since we gave away some gaming literature! Here's what you're playing for this week:

Grand Theft Auto III Official Strategy Guide contains Liberty City maps, secrets and walkthroughs to the original breakthrough sandbox game.
Rock Band Official Game Guide offers strategies for beating all of the game's songs for guitar, bass, drums and vocals. It's a very interesting read for fans who want to improve their playing style.
Myst Player's Guide includes hints and walkthroughs for one of the definitive puzzle adventure titles, now finding new life as mobile apps.
Street Fighter: The Complete History is a beautifully illustrated art book with history of Capcom, the popular fighting game series and its characters. There's even an article on how to make your hair stand up like Guile and cosplay as Chun-Li!

Here's how to enter for the PC version and boost your odds with up to 4 chances to win one or more of these great prizes:

Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do.
Tweet the following on Twitter: Win Street Fighter: History & other guides at BusyGamerNews.com, home of Busy Gamer Podcast: RT + Enter here: http://bit.ly/oKSRop #bgnfsf
Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes.
Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits!

If we can't confirm the bonus entry and easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible:

]]> Simply post a comment on this page. DO SAY WHICH PRIZE(S) YOU ARE PLAYING FOR. (You can do the other things listed above if you want to earn some extra chances to win.) Say whatever is on your mind as long as it's not an ad or profane. Be sure to read the Sweepstakes Rules to ensure you are eligible to win and don't get disqualified by double-posting or forgetting to provide an e-mail address.

NOTE: If you play for extra chances on Twitter or by posting podcast reviews on iTunes, you still have to enter here AND let us know your Twitter and/or iTunes names so we can match you up. iTunes ratings alone do not count since we can't see who posted them, so add a comment! If you already posted an iTunes review, you can still update your review once a week for a bonus entry in each week's giveaway. Just log in to iTunes and click Write a Review; it should load your existing review and let you modify it. Make a change (even a small one) and then check to ensure that it appears on top with the new date or it won't count!

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. It will go into a queue for me to approve, which I'll do several times a day (except the first weekend, where comments may not be approved until sometime late on Sunday). Do NOT double-post. We'll extend the entry period for this until 8:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, August 10 to ensure you have plenty of time to enter and verify your entry was posted.

We also sometimes give away unannounced Instant Win prizes and podcast extras. Here are a few tips since this can happen at any time (and we've got several backed up!). 1) Follow Gamewatcher on Twitter. Before we post the next Instant Win, we'll give you a fair warning tweet. 2) Subscribe to our RSS feed and set it to check for updates frequently.

Do Some Good - Humble Indie Bundle 3

2011-07-27T17:11:54Z

The iconic bookshelf is back! If you love indie games and/or helping charities like Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, here's a deal for you: pay what you can for five games, an assist to great charities and support for independent game development.

This time around, you get And Yet It Moves, Cogs, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Hammerfight and VVVVVV. That's $50 worth of games for whatever donation you can muster (we suggest at least $10, the price of just one game). Right now, only one day into the offer, the average donation is $4.75 with Linux users giving around $11 for it and Windows users less than $4.

Whatever you do, be sure to make your play at humblebundle.com before this expires on Tuesday, August 9...

Busy Gamer Podcast 63 - Astro A40s, Portal 2 and Hulu Plus

2011-05-29T17:56:37Z

A short but sweet episode packed with reviews:

The Astro A40 gaming headset (we even recorded this segment with its noise-cancelling boom microphone so you can hear what it sounds like!)
Our spoiler-free review of Portal 2 with just enough flavor of the game that you can decide whether it's for you
Hulu Plus: What we loved (foreign flicks, "cheesecake" and funny clips), what we hated (ads and limited selection) plus what would make it worth $8 per month to us

All of that podcast goodness is delivered in a tight package - about 12 minutes - which you can enjoy during even short commutes!

Please share your thoughts and comments about the podcast here and on iTunes. Or just let us know you're listening!

Download the podcast here, get it from Stitcher, find it on Zune Marketplace or if you can, subscribe at iTunes - and please rate us there too.

Free Games - GagaVille and Duke Nudem

2011-05-19T02:06:08Z

Technically, GagaVille isn't a game. It's a marketing overlay on top of Zynga's Farmville game on Facebook. Most notably: There's Lady Gaga's far out farm you can visit, complete with a rocket-powered metallic cow and leather-clad purple-maned horse.

Performing tasks in Farmville will unlock Lady Gaga music to listen to in the game (for a limited time) and you may even win prizes. You can also buy Gaga-themed clothes for your avatar with in-game currency, if you're into that, and there's a tie-in to get a digital copy of the new album if you purchase a $25 Zynga card.

On the other end of the marketing spectrum is Duke Nudem, a tie-in Web game promoting Duke Nukem Forever - which may actually launch next month, at least to gamers not taken up by the Rapture. But then, they probably woudln't qualify for a heavenly lift if they had any interest in this title. And certainly not if they play this Flash game, which has you competing with a scantily clad hottie to shoot targets with your mouse - and if you win, you can get a Not Safe For Work treat (aka nudity). You can even unlock naughty wallpaper to save, if you perservere.

The game comes in SFW and NSFW versions, but who are they kidding - nothing about this game is SFW...

Free Stuff Friday - Massive Comics Giveaway 2 including signed Nonplayer, Mass Effect Evolution and Dead Space Extraction

2011-05-13T07:24:00Z

Last year, we picked up comics at Free Comic Day to give away, and augmented them with some of our own. This year, we continue this tradition - but with a few awesome bonuses.

First, we have a SIGNED first printing of the acclaimed and currently out-of-print Nonplayer #1 with a signed poster to go with it. These just came out and were an instant hit with gamers and comic fans alike, and we were lucky enough to meet the author, Nate Simpson, at our local comic shop.

We also have a fine selection of Mass Effect Evolution and We Will Bury You comics. Well, just look at the list (see more pictures in our gallery):

Nonplayer #1 and poster (both signed!)
The Darkness II: Confession (one-shot)
Dead Space Extraction (one-shot)
Mass Effect Evolution #2, 3 and 4
Magic The Gathering: Path of the Planeswalker II (preview)
We Will Bury You #1, 2, 3 and 4
The Amazing Spider-Man
Green Lantern Special Edition
The Mighty Thor Saga
Captain America and Thor
The Adventures of Sly Cooper #2
Sonic Universe: The Silver Saga #27
Artifacts #0
Radical sampler featuring Driver for the Dead, The Rising, After Dark and Time Bomb
Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2011
The Mis-Adventures of Adam West backed with Walter Koenig's Things to Come

Worth playing for? You bet! As usual, we ask that you share the wealth - if there are comics you don't want or need, please note it in your comments so they can be awarded to a runner up if you're drawn first.

Here's how to enter and boost your odds with up to 4 chances to win:

Enter a comment here, as usual. BE SURE TO SAY WHICH COMICS YOU ARE PLAYING FOR (e.g., "All except..."). That's all you really NEED to do.
Tweet the following on Twitter: Win 21 comics incl. signed Nonplayer at BusyGamerNews.com, home of the Busy Gamer Podcast: RT + Enter here: http://bit.ly/kPeSrX #bgnfsf
Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes.
Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits!

If we can't confirm the bonus entry and easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible:

]]> Simply post a comment on this page, and say which comic(s) you'd want - or don't need! - if your number comes up. (You can do the other things listed above if you want to earn some extra chances to win.) Say whatever is on your mind as long as it's not an ad or profane. Be sure to read the Sweepstakes Rules to ensure you are eligible to win and don't get disqualified by double-posting or forgetting to provide an e-mail address.

NOTE: If you play for extra chances on Twitter or by posting podcast reviews on iTunes, you still have to enter here AND let us know your Twitter and/or iTunes names so we can match you up. iTunes ratings alone do not count since we can't see who posted them, so add or update a comment! If you already posted an iTunes review, you can still update your review once a week for a bonus entry in each week's giveaway. Just log in to iTunes and click Write a Review; it should load your existing review and let you modify it. Make a change (even a small one) and then check to ensure that it appears on top with the new date or it won't count!

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. It will go into a queue for me to approve, which I'll do several times a day (except the first weekend, where comments may not be approved until sometime late on Sunday). Do NOT double-post. We'll extend the entry period for this until 8:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, May 18 to ensure you have plenty of time to enter and verify your entry was posted.

We also sometimes give away unannounced Instant Win prizes and podcast extras. Here are a few tips since this can happen at any time. 1) Follow Gamewatcher on Twitter. Before we post the next Instant Win, we'll give you a fair warning tweet. 2) Subscribe to our RSS feed and set it to check for updates frequently.

We continue to stock up on cool goodies for Free Stuff Friday - and we will keep doing so as long as there's enough response, even if we continue to lose money on this site. So tell your friends about this! Hey, if we get bigger, so will the prizes that YOU could win! While you're at it, post comments wherever you see something interesting. Also, if you get a game code you don't need or have some other cool game-related prize you want to donate, we'd be very grateful (we pay for much of this stuff ourselves!).

Free Game - Angry Birds for Chrome

2011-05-11T21:21:22Z

If you've been putting off downloading Google's Chrome Web browser (as we have), this might be enough to push you over the edge: a free Angry Birds app.

Even if you've played it before, there are 7 Web-exclusive levels in the Chrome version in addition to the 63 in the Poached Eggs chapter you've probably beaten in one or more other versions of the game by now.

To download Angry Birds for Chrome, you will first need to install Chrome (if you don't have it already). And Mac users may need to upgrade to the newest dev version of Chrome for the game to load properly.

If you can't find the app after installing it, click the + to create a new tab in Chrome and you should see all of your apps there.

The Chrome levels are not unlocked at the start, so you'll have to play through at least some of the regular levels to get to the new stuff. It's not clear whether this is will remain a fully free game or whether future updates will cost you...

UPDATE: Apparently the game also works in Internet Explorer and Firefox with the Chrome Frame plug-in. After you load it, try the Angry Birds app. No promises that it will work, but worth a try if you just don't want to install the Chrome browser.

If you don't like Sucker Punch, you're watching it wrong

2011-04-20T07:15:17Z

Multiple personality disorder isn't normally this pretty. But that's one of the keys to this misunderstood art/action film.

We've waded through a lot of hateful reviews of Sucker Punch, both on Twitter and from established film critics. And we have to admit that - thanks to misguided marketing - it really wasn't the movie we thought we were going to see.

In many ways, it was much better. That's not to say it was particularly fun to watch. It provoked intense emotional distress and disgust. But, ultimately, we connected with its message - something that most people seem to have missed amidst all of the bursts of machine gun fire and panty flashes.

"If you're going to hate Sucker Punch, hate it because it's a pretentious art film - not a hollow action movie. Hate it for the right reasons."

If you left the theater scratching your head, you were probably not in the right mindset to comprehend what was really going on. It took us some time and a couple of viewings to work it all out. And, honestly, we don't care if you love the movie as much as we've come to, appreciate it on its merits or continue to revile it. But if you're going to hate Sucker Punch, hate it because it's a pretentious art film - not a hollow action movie. Hate it for the right reasons.

And if you are going to give it a fair shot, don't go in with the expectation that it's a special effects thrill ride full of hot chicks doing racy stuff to make you and your paramour get all hot and happy. This is not a sexy date night film, or even a slinky action flick. You will not enjoy it because there is no real joy in it. It's an artistic statement - a deep, dark and visually stunning diatribe if you will - about abuse and its effects on women. See it if you want to have meaningful discussions afterward, but don't expect it to induce a wild night of romance.

Consider this your guide to "getting" Sucker Punch. I'll keep the plot spoilers to the bare minimum while providing the context to understand and appreciate the message of the film and removing any biases you might have going in.

]]> First off, the title Sucker Punch is deliberately ambiguous and really refers to how director/co-writer Zack Snyder wants you to feel after viewing the film. If you comprehend its full meaning as we did, you'll feel like you've been slammed in the solar plexus, which - at best - might leave you feeling intellectually stimulated (if not a little nauseous) as you grapple with its layers of connotation and message.

Many of the people who shared our most recent screening walked out discussing their love of the "awesome battles with zombie steampunk Nazis" or how "the action sequences were banal." You'll note the very polarized reactions, but the common denominator? Neither party in this discussion seemed to have a clue about what was really happening. Likewise, many reviewers have mistaken the fantasy action quests as a statement on female empowerment. This misses the point entirely.

"Babydoll's view of the grungy hospital reminded us of BioShock 2, where a key character sees Rapture in a very idealized manner rather than the gruesome reality."

Babydoll is a schizophrenic. Years of abuse by her stepfather have caused the 20-year-old woman to lose her grasp on reality. She goes to other places when reliving horrible, sometimes humiliating memories during public therapy sessions on stage at the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane. Our take is that the men are riveted to graphic descriptions of the stepfather's rape of her - just as they might be to an erotic dance, which is how Babydoll imagines it in her stylized bordello fantasy. This emotionally honest visualization gives her the necessary distance to share these painful moments in the real world of the asylum, just as these types of escapes may have helped her survive the acts themselves. Babydoll's stylized view of the grungy hospital reminded us of a similar sequence in BioShock 2, where a key character is shown to see the world of Rapture in a very idealized manner ("Look, an angel, Daddy!") rather than the gruesome reality.

In Babydoll's case, she views the patients' objectification for what it is: prostitution. People pay the orderly to have sex with the girls there, probably while they are heavily medicated. Shortly after her arrival, Babydoll envisions the asylum in slightly more palatable terms simply by seeing the truth of the place. While ostensibly there to help the girls, it's devolved through abuse of power and corruption to become essentially a brothel. As the doctor/Madam says to the orderly/Blue in Babydoll's fantasy, "I teach them to survive you."

But Babydoll isn't merely escaping. If you look at the clues planted in the beginning scenes, it's clear that years of abuse have driven her mad and then her deadly mistake pushed her over the edge, right into a psychotic break from reality. The pain of her memories is too much for her to face directly, so she slips off to another level where she battles her demons with all of the fragments of her personality on a journey to escape the pain of her existence.

That's right, I said Babydoll does all of the fighting. Sweet Pea, Rocket, Amber and Blondie, all of the girls who assist her in her fantastical escapades? They are all the same girl. They're all Babydoll.

Obviously, the movie is open to interpretation, but that's our take on it - and the only one that really makes sense after the big denouement. All four girls who join Babydoll in both levels of her escapist realms are based on real people at the asylum. But they are not involved in her real world actions, though one does benefit if you take the doctor's word as truth at the end. Inside both the bordello and the battle scenes, the four ladies represent different aspects of Babydoll - her inner strength, her weakness, her protectiveness of her sister - and she uses them to work through her internal struggles as she acts out in the real world. Ever wonder how Blondie got her nickname when she's not even blonde? It's starting to make sense now, isn't it.

"The talismans Babydoll collects to attain her freedom each symbolize a stage in the Kübler-Ross grief cycle."

And here's the real key to the whole thing. The talismans Babydoll collects to attain her freedom each symbolize a stage in the Kübler-Ross grief cycle:

Denial (Map)
Anger (Fire)
Bargaining (Knife)
Depression (Key)
Acceptance ("mystery item")

The Wise Man (played by Scott Glenn) lays it all out: "You will need 5 items for this journey... The fifth thing is a mystery, it is the reason, it is the goal. It will be a deep sacrifice and a perfect victory. Only you can find it, and if you do, it will set you free."

Oh, and if you're wondering, we believe The Wise Man represents a favorite uncle who no doubt spouted all sorts of little clichéd wisdoms at each holiday visit, such as this chestnut: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

Director Zack Snyder has said that the movie was nearly taken away from him by Warner Brothers, and that he recut it himself to preserve what he could of its integrity while creating an edit that met the studio's criteria for release. This includes the more marketable PG-13 rating, though honestly even the current cut of the film should be an R. We saw a number of parents taking their very young kids to see Sucker Punch, probably expecting something more along the lines of Dragonheart than Hard Candy. To be fair, most of the movie's subtext sailed right over the heads of the adults in the audience, so it's doubtful the kids picked up on it. Still, the movie is intense and gruesome in places. I saw one child clutching his head and looking shell-shocked during a particularly difficult scene.

"It's not pretty. It's not fun. You may not even like it. But that's not what Sucker Punch was meant to be."

No doubt, all of these compromises designed to broaden Sucker Punch's audience muddled the movie and delivered poor word of mouth and ultimately a strong bias against the film by those who did decide to give it a try. Our hope is that the promised director's cut DVD - along with viewing on smaller screens, which will make it less immersive and easier to keep some analytical distance - may improve Sucker Punch's comprehensibility and help it find an audience that grasps its true purpose.

Our own second time with Sucker Punch was much more interesting because we were actively engaged in discerning its depths and meaning. But, again, it's not meant to be a fun film. Rather, it's perfect for late-night debates on the finer points of its interpretation and how it comments on the role of women in what remains a male-dominated, media-fueled, highly sexualized society.

Yeah, it's not pretty. It's not fun. You may not even like it. It's certainly not enjoyable. But that's not what Sucker Punch was meant to be. It's intended to hold a mirror to the ugliness that is abuse. In its compromised state it may not fully succeed, but it's still an interesting mess that you might find compelling. If you look at it right.

Do Some Good - Humble Frozenbyte Bundle

2011-04-14T00:49:40Z

Remember the Humble Indie Bundle and the Humble Indie Bunde 2?

Now there's a new games fundraiser, the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle - named after the developers who've donated their hit game Trine and other titles including Shadowgrounds, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, Splot and Jack Claw. Games (except Splot, which is still in development) are all available for PC with Mac and Linux versions either available or promised to arrive soon. The Frozenbyte FAQ details what's required, Steam availability, limitations and future plans.

As a bonus, Trine, Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds: Survivor all include the soundtrack MP3s, while Jack Claw offers an editor with assets and source code.

As usual, you can donate as much (or as little) as you can to benefit Child's Play and/or the EFF (your choice or split between the two) as well as cash to support the games' developer and the Humble Bundle folks who made it all happen. Settle up with PayPal, Amazon payments or Google Checkout.

Only a day in, and it's already raised nearly $500,000 with the average donation at $5.15. Linux users are the most generous, averaging nearly $12 per bundle.

Unless extended, this offer ends on or about April 26 - so do some good, and get some great games!

Free Stuff Friday - ECCC Game Comics and Posters Goodie Bag

2011-03-18T07:02:53Z

Every year that we've attended Emerald City Comicon, we pick up some extra comics for our community friends - except this year. Alas, by the time we made it to the booths that typically offer up the free books, they were cleaned out.

So GrrlGotGame cleared out her comics box and is sharing some of the best recent gaming-themed comics with one lucky winner! And we bought a brand new one that seemed appropriate.

We also managed to snag a pair of awesome posters and some other goodies at ECCC, rounding out a sweet prize pack (click either picture for a gallery with close ups showing what's included):

Emerald City Comicon program
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online beta code
The Guild: Tink comic (just came out this week; we bought it for you special!)
The Guild: Tink poster
Sucker Punch movie poster
Halo: Helljumper #2, #3, #4 and #5
Street Fighter Legends #1 (2 different covers!)
Resident Evil #1 and #2
Tomb Raider: End Game #1
Tomb Raider: Journeys #1
Minor Acts of Heroism glossy art cards
Cannibal: The Musical stage production promo card
Kracklefest promo card
Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition promo

Here's how to enter and boost your odds with up to 4 chances to win:

Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do.
Tweet the following on Twitter: Win #ECCC Game Comics & Poster Pack at BusyGamerNews.com, home of the Busy Gamer Podcast: RT + Enter here: http://bit.ly/hj38OY #bgnfsf
Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes.
Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits!

If we can't confirm the bonus entry and easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible:

NOTE: If you play for extra chances on Twitter or by posting podcast reviews on iTunes, you still have to enter here AND let us know your Twitter and/or iTunes names so we can match you up. iTunes ratings alone do not count since we can't see who posted them, so add or update a comment! If you already posted an iTunes review, you can still update your review once a week for a bonus entry in each week's giveaway. Just log in to iTunes and click Write a Review; it should load your existing review and let you modify it. Check to ensure that it appears on top with the new date or it won't count!

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. It will go into a queue for me to approve, which I'll do several times a day (except the first weekend, where comments may not be approved until sometime late on Sunday). Do NOT double-post. We'll extend the entry period for this until 8:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 23 to ensure you have plenty of time to enter and verify your entry was posted.

We also sometimes give away unannounced Instant Win prizes and podcast extras. Here are a few tips since this can happen at any time (and we're waaaay overdue!). 1) Follow Gamewatcher on Twitter. Before we post the next Instant Win, we'll give you a fair warning tweet. 2) Subscribe to our RSS feed and set it to check for updates frequently.

Free Stuff Friday - A World of Keflings and Humble Indie Bundle 2

2010-12-31T08:42:41Z

To ring in the New Year, we have two great prizes for our community of busy gamers:

A World of Keflings for Xbox 360: Resource management game where your giant avatar interacts with miniature Keflings and fulfills goals for them, like building them a castle. The Keflings are like your minions and you can assign then to break rocks, build or carry things for you. Funny story: I won this code moments AFTER I broke down and bought the game for myself. My pain could be your gain!
The Humble Indie Bundle 2: If you missed out on this amazing opportunity, here's one last chance to get 11 games for Mac, PC and Linux. Don't worry, we made an above average donation on your behalf (and even bought our own copy as well!). Included are keys so many of the games can be downloaded via Steam, Desure and/or OnLive, and there are soundtracks included for four of them. The games are Braid, Cortex Command, Machinarium (+soundtrack) Osmos (+soundtrack) and Revenge of the Titans (+soundtrack) plus from the original bundle (also included!) Aquaria, Gish, Luguru HD, Penumbra, Samorost 2 (+soundtrack) and World of Goo

Here's how to enter and boost your odds to win one or both prizes:

Enter a comment here, as usual. That's all you really NEED to do. INCLUDE WHICH PRIZE(S) YOU'RE PLAYING FOR!
Tweet the following on Twitter: Win World of Keflings and Humble Indie Bundle 2 (11 games) at BusyGamerNews.com, home of Busy Gamer Podcast: http://bit.ly/fdibnh #bgnfsf
Review (or re-review) our Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes.
Review (or re-review) the Best of Busy Gamer Podcast on iTunes. This is a short audio highlights feed with our reviews, audio tours and other timeless bits!

If we can't confirm the bonus entry and easily tell who you are on Twitter and/or iTunes, the bonus entry is disqualified.

You DO have to enter a comment here and follow the other rules to be eligible:

]]> Simply post a comment on this page. DO SAY WHICH PRIZE(S) YOU ARE PLAYING FOR! (You can do the other things listed above if you want to earn some extra chances to win.) Say whatever is on your mind as long as it's not an ad or profane. Be sure to read the Sweepstakes Rules to ensure you are eligible to win and don't get disqualified by double-posting or forgetting to provide an e-mail address.

NOTE: If you play for extra chances on Twitter or by posting podcast reviews on iTunes, you still have to enter here AND let us know your Twitter and/or iTunes names so we can match you up. iTunes ratings alone do not count since we can't see who posted them, so add or update a comment! If you already posted an iTunes review, you can still update your review once a week for a bonus entry in each week's giveaway. Just log in to iTunes and click Write a Review; it should load your existing review and let you modify it. Check to ensure that it appears on top with the new date or it won't count!

Note that unless you're an authenticated poster who has been active on the site and marked as trusted, your comment will NOT appear immediately. It will go into a queue for me to approve, which I'll do several times a day (except the first weekend, where comments may not be approved until sometime late on Sunday). Do NOT double-post. We'll extend the entry period for this until 5:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, January 5 to ensure you have plenty of time to enter and verify your entry was posted.

We also sometimes give away unannounced Instant Win prizes and podcast extras. Here are a few tips since this can happen at any time. 1) Follow Gamewatcher on Twitter. Before we post the next Free Stuff Bonus - Instant Win, we'll give you a fair warning tweet. 2) Subscribe to our RSS feed and set it to check for updates frequently.

Busy Gamer Nation

Free Stuff Friday - Modern Warfare 3 Bluetooth Headset

Busy Gamer Review - The Great Urban Race

Free Stuff Friday - Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 and Humble Indie Bundle 3

The Busy Gamer Guide to PAX (Updated for 2011!)

Welcome to the Busy Gamer Guide to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). Although we are completely unaffiliated with PAX, we feel that the large amounts of time and dough we've put into every single one qualifies us to share our opinions and guidance. Meydenbauer 2004 peeps – holla!

A Busy Gamer Manifesto

Free Stuff Friday - Guides to Grand Theft Auto III, Rock Band and Myst plus Street Fighter: The Complete History

Do Some Good - Humble Indie Bundle 3

Busy Gamer Podcast 63 - Astro A40s, Portal 2 and Hulu Plus

The Astro A40 gaming headset (we even recorded this segment with its noise-cancelling boom microphone so you can hear what it sounds like!)

Our spoiler-free review of Portal 2 with just enough flavor of the game that you can decide whether it's for you

Hulu Plus: What we loved (foreign flicks, "cheesecake" and funny clips), what we hated (ads and limited selection) plus what would make it worth $8 per month to us

Free Games - GagaVille and Duke Nudem

Free Stuff Friday - Massive Comics Giveaway 2 including signed Nonplayer, Mass Effect Evolution and Dead Space Extraction

Free Game - Angry Birds for Chrome

If you don't like Sucker Punch, you're watching it wrong

Do Some Good - Humble Frozenbyte Bundle

Free Stuff Friday - ECCC Game Comics and Posters Goodie Bag

Free Stuff Friday - A World of Keflings and Humble Indie Bundle 2