Broken Sword 4 : The Angel of Death - 1DVD
System requirements
Pentium 4 1.4 GHz, 256 MB RAM,
Pentium 4 1.4 GHz, 256 MB RAM,
2.6 GB available hard drive space,
2X DVD-ROM Drive,
128 MB Shader model 1.1 compatible video card,
Windows XP
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Recent Articles on Women in Games: Female Characters, Feminism in FF, and the Lara Croft Reboot
It's funny, when I first started this blog I really thought I'd have a hard time coming up with things to write about, but now I'm finding the exact opposite to be true! I have so much I want to write about that it's actually quite hard for me to decide what I want to cover from post to post. I guess that's a good thing!
Before I get started on the "meat" of this post, I'd like to mention that my most recent article is up at Total Retro Gaming (formerly Norwich Retro Gaming) and is on the PS1 2D shooter, Einhander. Take a look and let me know what you think! (Note: Unfortunately the site isn't working correctly for me at the moment, so for the time being I'll have to direct you to the main page and ask that you click on "news" in order to see my Einhander piece)
So, as many of you who already know me are well aware, I often contemplate the role of women in the gaming community and representations of female characters in the games we play. I'll also be the first to tell you that I consider myself a feminist, even though that term seems to have so many negative connotations these days (no, I am not a femi-nazi, I do not hate men, and yes I changed my last name when I got married). I consider myself to be a reasonable human being who doesn't advocate for the advancement of women over men, but equality for men and women in all facets of life. On that note, I believe overly sexist or stereotyped portrayals of both men and women in any type of media, be it video games, film, or literature, to be worth considering. Ok, no more ranting, I just wanted you all to have your facts straight before I dive in.
To get things started, Jen over at Video Game Writers has just published a very interesting piece titled "Where have all the strong female character gone?" that I strongly suggest giving a read. Here are a couple of excerpts:
"As of late, there has been an emergence of what I call 'Brittany Spears Feminism.' This is the idea that states 'I dress like a stripper because I’m empowered!' Because of this, there is now a turn to justify latex costumes and triple-D bust lines by claiming they are empowering. I draw your attention to Bayonetta. Large tits? Check. Skin tight outfit? Check. Sexy attitude on par with a soft core porn star? Double check. But wait! She has intellectual glasses! She’s empowering to female gamers! No, she is a vamped up tart who you are trying to market to me as a strong female figure, when in reality she is little more than eye candy for boys. I’m just not buying it — that is not how it works." [emphasis by the author]
"Now is the time to make a very important point: wielding a giant sword, and reminding all the chauvinistic males in the game that the character is a woman, and will totally kick some dude’s ass, does not a strong female make. It makes for an angry girl stereotype."
I find myself agreeing with many of the points Jen makes, but at times her article suggests that rather than having physically strong female characters, she would prefer to see weaker women who are physically agile. I think that the idea that women can't be as strong as men is also a stereotype, and I personally have no problems with a strong female character who can wield a giant sword and kick ass, as long as she has emotional depth. Let me think of an example... Hm, well, I don't think I can, but if you do, leave it in the comments!
I don't want to spend too much time on any one thing, since I have a couple of other pieces I'd like to cover, so I'll move on to the next article for now. I recently was informed by the awesome blog What can I do with a BA in Japanese Studies? (which covers all sorts of things related to scholarship on Japan and is definitely worth a look if you're interested in studying the language or literature) of another blog by a current graduate student in the East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department at the University of Pennsylvania who focuses on contemporary Japanese literature and culture. She has done a lovely 5 part piece on Feminism in Final Fantasy and I highly suggest giving it a read, as it is really well written. I'd love to say more on the topic, but I'll let the article speak for itself and move on to the last piece I would like to draw your attention to today.
Brad over at Drinking CoffeeCola mentioned an article in his most recent post that discusses the Lara Croft reboot and the possible implications of focusing on a young, more anatomically correct Lara who has so far only been shown as a beat-up, bloody mess. I definitely agree with him that this portrayal of her is sightly disturbing, and though it may be too early to tell how this will play out in the game as a whole. For now I think it's safe to say that I am not very happy how, in an attempt to make Lara more "real," the advertising team feel it is necessary to focus so heavily on her weakened state in the promotional images.
Really, that second image is just disturbing. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the game plays out, though I'm not much of a Tomb Raider fan as it is, so I probably won't be picking it up regardless.
So, to wrap things up, feel free to let me know what you think of these various articles (if you decide to check them out) in the comments! For those of you who have had enough just reading through my post, how about sharing your favorite female video game characters? My husband and I are quite fond of Beatrix from Final Fantasy IX, and I'm partial to Freya from FFIX, as well.
My next post will be something a little different: A book review!
Before I get started on the "meat" of this post, I'd like to mention that my most recent article is up at Total Retro Gaming (formerly Norwich Retro Gaming) and is on the PS1 2D shooter, Einhander. Take a look and let me know what you think! (Note: Unfortunately the site isn't working correctly for me at the moment, so for the time being I'll have to direct you to the main page and ask that you click on "news" in order to see my Einhander piece)
So, as many of you who already know me are well aware, I often contemplate the role of women in the gaming community and representations of female characters in the games we play. I'll also be the first to tell you that I consider myself a feminist, even though that term seems to have so many negative connotations these days (no, I am not a femi-nazi, I do not hate men, and yes I changed my last name when I got married). I consider myself to be a reasonable human being who doesn't advocate for the advancement of women over men, but equality for men and women in all facets of life. On that note, I believe overly sexist or stereotyped portrayals of both men and women in any type of media, be it video games, film, or literature, to be worth considering. Ok, no more ranting, I just wanted you all to have your facts straight before I dive in.
 |
| Yes, I would buy this |
"As of late, there has been an emergence of what I call 'Brittany Spears Feminism.' This is the idea that states 'I dress like a stripper because I’m empowered!' Because of this, there is now a turn to justify latex costumes and triple-D bust lines by claiming they are empowering. I draw your attention to Bayonetta. Large tits? Check. Skin tight outfit? Check. Sexy attitude on par with a soft core porn star? Double check. But wait! She has intellectual glasses! She’s empowering to female gamers! No, she is a vamped up tart who you are trying to market to me as a strong female figure, when in reality she is little more than eye candy for boys. I’m just not buying it — that is not how it works." [emphasis by the author]
"Now is the time to make a very important point: wielding a giant sword, and reminding all the chauvinistic males in the game that the character is a woman, and will totally kick some dude’s ass, does not a strong female make. It makes for an angry girl stereotype."
I find myself agreeing with many of the points Jen makes, but at times her article suggests that rather than having physically strong female characters, she would prefer to see weaker women who are physically agile. I think that the idea that women can't be as strong as men is also a stereotype, and I personally have no problems with a strong female character who can wield a giant sword and kick ass, as long as she has emotional depth. Let me think of an example... Hm, well, I don't think I can, but if you do, leave it in the comments!
 |
| Rydia from Final Fantasy IV |
Brad over at Drinking CoffeeCola mentioned an article in his most recent post that discusses the Lara Croft reboot and the possible implications of focusing on a young, more anatomically correct Lara who has so far only been shown as a beat-up, bloody mess. I definitely agree with him that this portrayal of her is sightly disturbing, and though it may be too early to tell how this will play out in the game as a whole. For now I think it's safe to say that I am not very happy how, in an attempt to make Lara more "real," the advertising team feel it is necessary to focus so heavily on her weakened state in the promotional images.
 |
| From this... |
 |
| To this? |
So, to wrap things up, feel free to let me know what you think of these various articles (if you decide to check them out) in the comments! For those of you who have had enough just reading through my post, how about sharing your favorite female video game characters? My husband and I are quite fond of Beatrix from Final Fantasy IX, and I'm partial to Freya from FFIX, as well.
My next post will be something a little different: A book review!
Emergency 2012
Emergency 2012 - 2DVD
System Requirements
Intel Processor - Core 2 Duo E4400 2.0GHz
AMD Processor - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+
Nvidia Graphics Card - GeForce 8600 GTS 512MB
ATI Graphics Card - Radeon X800 Pro
RAM (Memory) - 2 GB
Direct X - 9
Intel Processor - Core 2 Duo E4400 2.0GHz
AMD Processor - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+
Nvidia Graphics Card - GeForce 8600 GTS 512MB
ATI Graphics Card - Radeon X800 Pro
RAM (Memory) - 2 GB
Direct X - 9
Fallout New Vegas Honest Hearts
Fallout New Vegas Honest Hearts - 1DVD
System Requirements
Intel Processor - Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5GHz
AMD Processor - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5800+
Nvidia Graphics Card - GeForce GT 14
ATI Graphics Card - Radeon HD 3870
RAM (Memory) - 3 GB
Hard Disk Space - 1 GB
Direct X - 9
Intel Processor - Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5GHz
AMD Processor - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5800+
Nvidia Graphics Card - GeForce GT 14
ATI Graphics Card - Radeon HD 3870
RAM (Memory) - 3 GB
Hard Disk Space - 1 GB
Direct X - 9
They Are Alive
They Are Alive - 1DVD
Minimum System Requirements:
System: Windows XP (SP2) / Vista SP1
Processor: Pentium IV 2 GHz / AMD Athlon 2000 + (2,5 GGts/2500 + for Vista)
Memory: 512 MB (1 GB for Vista)
Video Card: GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon X1800
Sound Card: DirectX-compatible
Hard disk: 5 GB
System: Windows XP (SP2) / Vista SP1
Processor: Pentium IV 2 GHz / AMD Athlon 2000 + (2,5 GGts/2500 + for Vista)
Memory: 512 MB (1 GB for Vista)
Video Card: GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon X1800
Sound Card: DirectX-compatible
Hard disk: 5 GB
Dirt 3
Dirt 3 - 2DVD
Minimum System Requirements
o OS: Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
o CPU: AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 2.8GHz, Intel Pentium® D 2.8Ghz
o RAM: 2GB
o Hard Disk Space: 15GB
o GFX: AMD RadeonTM HD 2000 256MB, NVIDIA® GeForce® 8000 Series 256MB
o DirectX®: DirectX® 9
o Sound: DirectX® compatible soundcard
Dirt 3 Recommended System Requirements
Specifications: Enhanced for DirectX 11
o OS: Windows® 7
o CPU: AMD PhenomTM II X4 B50 or Intel® CoreTM i7-860
o RAM: 3GB
o Hard Disk Space: 15GB
o GFX: AMD RadeonTM HD 6930 Series / Nvidia GeForce GTX 280
o DirectX®: DirectX® 11
o Sound: DirectX® compatible soundcard
o OS: Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
o CPU: AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 2.8GHz, Intel Pentium® D 2.8Ghz
o RAM: 2GB
o Hard Disk Space: 15GB
o GFX: AMD RadeonTM HD 2000 256MB, NVIDIA® GeForce® 8000 Series 256MB
o DirectX®: DirectX® 9
o Sound: DirectX® compatible soundcard
Dirt 3 Recommended System Requirements
Specifications: Enhanced for DirectX 11
o OS: Windows® 7
o CPU: AMD PhenomTM II X4 B50 or Intel® CoreTM i7-860
o RAM: 3GB
o Hard Disk Space: 15GB
o GFX: AMD RadeonTM HD 6930 Series / Nvidia GeForce GTX 280
o DirectX®: DirectX® 11
o Sound: DirectX® compatible soundcard
The Sims 3 Generation (Exp)
The Sims 3 Generation (Exp) - 2DVD
Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.0 GHz / AMD Athlon XP 2000+
RAM: 1 GB
HDD: 6.3 GB free disk space
Graphics: 64 MB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9
Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.5 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
RAM: 2 GB
HDD: 6.3 GB free disk space
Graphics: 768 MB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9
Supported Graphics Cards:
Minimum – nVidia GeForce FX 5900 / ATI Radeon 9500
Recommended – nVidia GeForce GTX 260 / ATI Radeon HD 4850
OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.0 GHz / AMD Athlon XP 2000+
RAM: 1 GB
HDD: 6.3 GB free disk space
Graphics: 64 MB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9
Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.5 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
RAM: 2 GB
HDD: 6.3 GB free disk space
Graphics: 768 MB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9
Supported Graphics Cards:
Minimum – nVidia GeForce FX 5900 / ATI Radeon 9500
Recommended – nVidia GeForce GTX 260 / ATI Radeon HD 4850
Monday, May 30, 2011
Fable 3
Fable 3 - 2DVD
Fable III Minimum System Requirements:
OS: XP 32bit SP3, Vista 32 or 64 bit, Win 7 32 or 64 bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or AMD Athlon X2 4000+
RAM: 2GB
Hard Disk Space: 12 GB
GFX: NVidia 7600GT or ATI HD 2600 Pro
DX: 9.0c onward
Network: Multiplayer requires internet or LAN
Fable III Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Win 7
CPU: Intel 2.9Ghz Core 2 Duo or higher
RAM: 4GB
GFX: Nvidia 260GTX 896MB or ATI 5770 1GB or higher
OS: XP 32bit SP3, Vista 32 or 64 bit, Win 7 32 or 64 bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or AMD Athlon X2 4000+
RAM: 2GB
Hard Disk Space: 12 GB
GFX: NVidia 7600GT or ATI HD 2600 Pro
DX: 9.0c onward
Network: Multiplayer requires internet or LAN
Fable III Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Win 7
CPU: Intel 2.9Ghz Core 2 Duo or higher
RAM: 4GB
GFX: Nvidia 260GTX 896MB or ATI 5770 1GB or higher
PSN Back in Japan.Hallelujah!
That was a loooong wait. I think you suckers around the world got your PSN back about 10 days earlier that us folks living over here in the Land of the Rising Sun. I was suffering Metal Gear withdrawal symptoms so bad I had to go play Metal Gear Arcade instead down the local game center. I've come to realise the game sucks quite bad, the head&gun control system- which seemed kind of cool at first- are actually quite naff ways to move your character around and you don't get anywhere near the mobility you get in the PS3 version. Had enough of that one.
Few more screenies for the up&coming Rebuild 2.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows - 1DVD
Minimum System Requirements:
CPU: Intel Pentium® IV 1.5GHz (AMD Athlon XP™ equivalent)
RAM: 256MB System Memory
VGA: Graphics Card must support Pixel Shader 1.1!*
DX: DirectX 9
OS: Windows 2000/XP
HDD: 3GB free hard disc space
CPU: Intel Pentium® IV 1.5GHz (AMD Athlon XP™ equivalent)
RAM: 256MB System Memory
VGA: Graphics Card must support Pixel Shader 1.1!*
DX: DirectX 9
OS: Windows 2000/XP
HDD: 3GB free hard disc space
Software Portable XMedia Recode
Perangkat lunak buatan Jerman ini memiliki kemampuan dalam mengkonversi file audio-video favorit Anda ke berbagai format file audio-video populer yang dikehendaki.
Portable XMedia recode merupakan perangkat lunak gratis dan mudah digunakan untuk mengubah format file audio-video ke format file audio-video yang bisa dijalankan pada perangkat mobile kesayangan milik Anda.
Perangkat lunak
Software Ainvo Disk Cleaner
Inilah salah satu solusi mudah dan gratis yang bisa digunakan dalam membersihkan komputer kesayangan Anda dari berbagai file sampah yang tersimpan di komputer, sehingga mengakibatkan performa menurun.Ainvo Disk Cleaner adalah aplikasi yang didesain untuk membersihkan komputer dari berbagai file sampah (junk files). Meski gratis, fitur dan fungsi yang dimiliki aplikasi ini cukup lengkap
Software ImageConvert
Perangkat lunak yang gratis, ringan, dan intuitif untuk mendukung kegiatan Anda dalam mengecilkan ukuran dari gambar/foto dan menyimpannya dalam format yang Anda kehendaki.
ImageConvert adalah sebuah tool grafis yang cukup berguna, terutama bagi Anda yang menghendaki untuk mengubah ukuran atau format file gambar/foto. Aplikasi ini memiliki ukuran yang cukup kecil, sehingga tidak akan
Easy Card Creator
Bagi Anda yang memiliki usaha pembuatan atau pemula yang ingin belajar membuat kartu identitas (ID card), perangkat lunak ini bisa menjadi solusi yang menarik serta gratis.
Easy Card Creator Free adalah sebuah aplikasi yang menarik dan mudah dalam membuat sebuah kartu identitas, kartu nama, dan masih banyak lagi. Aplikasi ini sangat cocok buat personal atau usaha kecil yang memiliki usaha
Easy Card Creator Free adalah sebuah aplikasi yang menarik dan mudah dalam membuat sebuah kartu identitas, kartu nama, dan masih banyak lagi. Aplikasi ini sangat cocok buat personal atau usaha kecil yang memiliki usaha
Freemake Video Downloader
Aplikasi ini akan mempermudah Anda untuk mendownload klip video yang Anda kehendaki dari situs-situs berbagi video populer yang bertebaran di dunia maya.
Freemake Video Downloader adalah sebuah aplikasi yang cukup bermanfaat untuk memudahkan Anda dalam mendownload berbagai klip video yang terdapat di situs-situs berbagai video populer, seperti YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, MTV, ComedyCentral,
Freemake Video Downloader adalah sebuah aplikasi yang cukup bermanfaat untuk memudahkan Anda dalam mendownload berbagai klip video yang terdapat di situs-situs berbagai video populer, seperti YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, MTV, ComedyCentral,
