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What do girls want in a game? | What's new with Game Goddesses? |
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FINAL
FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN Review It has finally arrived - the Final Fantasy Movie: The Spirits Within. If you've read the reviews of the movie thus far, you've probably caught two sides: 1)The movie was complicated and the characters didn't replace real actors and 2) Great special effects. My opinion: both of these views are completely missing the point. Yes, the special effects were amazing, but there is much more to the FF movie than that. True, the characters didn't replace real actors...but that wasn't the intention. I believe the intention was to provide fans with characters that fit well within the backgrounds, making us feel as if we were watching one amazing FMV sequence. We've all seen movies based on video games where real actors were thrown into a role to 'replace' our favorite digital characters. Strange? Yes, it's strange. So why not make a movie with the true spirit of video gaming in mind? This is what FF does. The story holds the spirit of great anime (yes, the ending can be seen as depressing to some but if you think of it on a larger scale, it is enlightening). The plot didn't have as many twists and turns as I expected, but it was still good story-telling. I don't know how critics can claim to be confused by the plot. FF7 was much more confusing and yet, was one of the greatest loved RPG's of all time. What didn't I like about this film? The fact that I was so engrossed, I waited in the theater with my friends until the credits were over to see if there was more. Guess I was stuck on the idea that I was 'playing' a video game. Yes, I was disappointed to find no secret addition to the ending...as were some other die-hard fans who waited as well. Message to Square Pictures: REMEMBER THE DVD RELEASE NEEDS SPECIAL FEATURES AND EXTRA FOOTAGE! Was the $8 I spent to see this movie worth it? No question. Go see it. :-) Just make sure you don't load up on candy and end up paying close to $6 for about 20 gummy worms that are only worth about 99 cents.
Check out the interactive "gizmo" below to learn more about the film, browse through character profiles, and even download a screen saver!
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WHAT
DO GIRLS WANT IN A GAME?
I received an e-mail the other day asking a question. So the question is "what do girls want?" - a famous question. ;-) Well, let's see if I can attempt to answer "what do girls want in a video game?" I can't answer for every girl of course, but I can tell you my opinion. I enjoy most genres and don't think any one particular genre is the best or the worst for girl gamers in particular. What I can say is more appealing is a game with both male and female main characters. Why should I be forced to play a guy character? Likewise, why should a guy be forced to play a girl character? It's all about choices. I don't see a problem with making the female characters look good, but rude sexual comments should be avoided (like "what did you eat to make your breasts so large" - a line in Reisleid for PS2). For some odd reason (yes, a hint of sarcasm) lines like that don't settle well in the minds of female gamers. Guys like to see good looking girls in video games, right? Well, girls like to see good looking guys in video games as well. I've lost count of the number of girls who think "Squall is so cute". Many great games have had both male and female playable characters: Diablo, Baldur's Gate, The Sims, Resident Evil...and the list goes on. Truth is, we like the same games guys do. Sure, we still play games where only male main characters are offered and enjoy the games. My advice? Try to keep sexism out of it and provide character choices. -M.A.R. |
WHAT'S
NEW WITH "GAME GODDESSES"?
The new Member Area has opened, containing AIM icons and Game Goddess backgrounds (soon to accommodate both 800x600 and 1024 x 768 screen resolutions). The message boards can be accessed through the member area now as well. Chat rooms have been shut down due to lack of use. The site has received its third face-lift. Hopefully, through this change, ease of navigation will improve. You can now see where you are within the site (courtesy of navigation triangles) and navigate through reviews and previews frame-free. We are still looking for reviewers (and are always looking for members)! If you are interested, please join! Thanks all! -M.A.R.
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