July • 2010 .• Issue 1 - Nerd101

NyX Grrls, we are a female gaming group who love gaming. We’re a close-knit bunch who share common interests, break stereotypes, and generally kick a little booty. We are just looking to carve out our little piece in the world of gaming and have fun while doing it.

Game Reviews

FlashBack - Oldies but Goodies Game Reviews

Kill Of The Month

Gamer Interview

Nerd Gear

Heart Attack Of The Month

Save Your Pennies

Photo Contest Winner

Moto (Jen)CreativeWriter

THE CREWNara (Teri)Game Writer

DG (Zen)CreativeWriter

Opal (Cyndi)Interview Queen

Supa (Kelly)The Boss

Shadoe (Kim)Sniper Consultant

Freak (Maggie)UK Reporter

Mercury (Wednesday)Team Cheerleader

Rockit (Jocelyn)Netflix Expert

Game Reviews

Alan WakeXbox 3605/18/2010

Alan Wake is intense! Play it alone, in the dark, and with the surround sound on if you want the full experience. The plot and characters are well developed which immerses you into the story. It is full of bumps and scares that will make you shriek. I will admit that I jumped a lot during this game but I loved every second.

LIKES

• Great story• Causes involuntary jumps and yells• Graphics and sound are great

DISLIKES

• It can be very difficult at times• Game seemed too short• Sometimes feels repetitive

0 10

~Moto

Game Reviews

ModNation RacersPS3/psp5/25/2010

Move over Mario Kart and watch out Sonic!One of this years most anticipated Playstation titles is finally here! With thousands of customizable items for racers, karts & tracks, you’re free to make virtually anything you can think of! Progress through Career mode or meet new friends online!

LIKES

• Fully customizable • Ability to download user- created content • PSP version? Amazing for a handheld port!• Nearly endless replay value.

DISLIKES

• The load times are ridiculous.• More aesthetic mods and not nearly enough performance mods for the kart.• There are only 4 track themes.

0 10

Nara’s bottom line:I really like this game! I care less about the racing and more about creating the many racers & respective karts. I could spend hours going through the available mods.If you’re not sure if this is the game for you, create mods in the demo that’ll transfer tothe retail game.

~Nara

Flashback

Maximo: Ghosts to GloryPS22/12/2002

Take Maximo, heavily inspired by the classic Ghosts ‘n Goblins, a knight in search of his princess.When Achilles, an evil grim reaper, takes Maximo’s main squeeze, he must battle through 5 world hubs in order to retrieve her. A classic tale of peace and love, through zombies & demons.

~Nara

LIKES

• Fun and challenging.• Simple character customization with power ups, armor, weapons & special abilities.• Character voice and action talents are spot on. The enemies play their roles well and react accordingly upon recognition of gamer.• Amazing graphics and gameplay for its time. Truly taking advantage of the CG capabilities of the PS2.

DISLIKES

• Very noticeable difference between cutscene and gameplay CG.• Effects such as water & fire are poorly rendered and lack fluid movement.• Story is very standard. Evil guy kidnaps princess, knight is on a never-ending quest to save [his] girlfriend. “Get the reference?”• Saving is restricted to specific points.

0 10

Nara’s bottom line:Who doesn’t love a game where upon taking damage, the player loses articles of clothing,soon being stripped down to their boxers? Maximo pays homage to classic Capcom titles in a way that made VERY good useof the PS2’s graphic capabilities.

FlashBack

Test Drive UnlimitedXbox 3609/5/2006

The girls have heard me go on and on about this game. I’m normally a shoot’em up kinda girl, but I was addicted to this game for months. TDU takes place on the island of Oahu. The island is spotted with car/bike dealers, player objectives, homes to buy, paint shops, and much more. You win races, challenges, and tournaments to earn credits to purchase new cars, bikes, apparel, and houses. It’s far from being one of the best racing games, but if you love cars, then this game is for you. The collection of cars/bikes is one of the best line-ups I’ve seen. I love having the solo campaign and online gaming being seamless. With TDU2 on it’s way, I’m sure you can pick up a copy for pretty darn cheap.

LIKES

• 150 cars/motorcycles • Online multiplayer • Seamless multi/solo gaming

DISLIKES

• Online communication • Objectives get old • Character models are a disappointment • Soundtrack (just mute it)

0 10

~DG

Photo of the Month

Halo Reach BetaXbox 360

The superstar of this month’s photo is NyX’s very own Supa. She’s normally a shy and kind-hearted girl, but you put an Xbox controller in this girl’s hands and she becomes a trash-talking killing machine!

~Supa

Hello My Name is

Lunachik526

When searching the different gaming communities we came across one cool female gamer named Lunachik.

Q: What is your occupation?A: I’m a writer and an owner of my own transcription company. Basically I’m just a jerk of all trades.

Q: What games have you been playing recently?A: Recently I got really addicted to Mass Effect 2. It was so bad that I actually had to force myself to take a break from it. While playing it, I was losing all track of time. I’d sit down and it would be like 7 hours later. Only good games can do that to you.

Q: What got you into gaming and how long have you been a gamer?A: The first time I picked up a joystick (yes I said joystick) had to be about 1982. There was this game for the Atari 2600 called Fast Food that I really loved because if the mouth ate a pickle, it would fart. After that it was going to the arcade and playing whatever they had until I got my Nintendo in 1985.

Q: What do you do with your time outside of gaming?A: One of my jobs outside of gaming is a music reviewer. So if I’m not playing a game, I’m usually at a concert or some dive bar checking out a couple of bands.

Q: What’s your all time favorite weapon in a game?A: I love the Lancer from Gears of War. That hacksaw on the end of it brings out this evil laugh from me whenever I use it. Other than that, I love unconventional weapons from different games like nailguns, baseball bats, plastic bags (Manhunt), etc.

Q: Favorite single player game?

A: Anything from the Grand Theft Auto series is always a favorite with me. I love the absolute mayhem and chaos you can cause.

Q: Favorite multiplayer game?

A: Any of the Left 4 Dead games because of the strategy you need to use especially in the Vs. matches.

Q: Favorite game overall and why?

A: Man, that’s a hard one. When I was a kid, it was definitely Mike Tyson’s Punchout and Super Mario Brothers. Now, I guess it would be Left 4 Dead because of how much fun I’ve had playing with it (and the sequel) with other people as well as on my own.

Q: Are there any games you’d like to play that have not yet been released?

A: I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in Mass Effect 3. There are some aspects of Mass Effect 2 I was bummed about, so I’m hoping ME3 will fix some of those issues. Most of them are storyline related and the occasional bug here and there, but I am anxious to see how the whole thing turns out. Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: If anything just remember to have fun because it is only a game. You can always hit reset and try again.

~Opal

Nerd Gear

Wand TV Remote$89.99www.thinkgeek.com

Star Wars iPhone Case$29.99www.thinkgeek.com

In Case of Zombie Attack or Bad Paper Cut$15.99 - $17.99www.thinkgeek.com

~DG

Heart Attack

I love to experiment and try new energy drinks. Usually, I choose them based on the packaging. So, I spend two bucks and end up with a cool-designed can only to have a drink that tastes horrible. Here at NyX we want to save you some money by reviewing energy drinks and letting you know which ones actually taste good while giving you an awesome jolt of caffeine.

Full Throttle is an energy drink brand that is produced by The Coca-Cola Company. This drink line has been around awhile but they have recently added some new flavors to their selection. Overall, the flavors that I have tried (Original-Citrus, Blue Agave, and Red Berry) actually taste good. I don’t like coffee (tea drinker) so I can’t vouch for the other two flavors. Also, I have found that the Citrus flavor works well with a little Absolut Citron mixed in!

Full Throttle – Blue Agave

LIKES

• Tastes enjoyable• Light and crisp• Pretty light blue color

DISLIKES

• Big can 16oz = lots of calories• Can be hard to find in stores

0 10Yummers!

~Moto

Save Your Pennies

Halo Reach Xbox 360Release Date: 9/14/2010

Little Big Planet 2PS3Release Date: 11/30/2010

Crackdown 2 Xbox 360Release Date: 7/6/2010

Review coming next issue!

Photo ContestAt NyX we only have a few weaknesses, but among those weaknesses are puppies, kittens, and in Nara’s case frogs. So choosing a winner for this months photo contest wasn’t an easy mission. After much deliberation, NyX votes are in and winner is April’s cute doggie. Thank you everyone for sharing your photos.

“Mom I only had one more kill till I had a Chopper Gunner. I hate noob tubers!!!!”