I was too sleepy and the rain was too delicious pattering on my roof to stay awake to watch ‘LOST’ last night, but please by all means discuss and dissect to your heart’s content.

Here is my PAX East video again for your viewing pleasure! I hate to preface something – it starts you off on the wrong foot – but this was a pure Amber effort save for the questions I asked ‘X-PLAY’ host Adam Sessler. I taped the whole thing on my Flip Mino, which worked splendidly, and spend most of Saturday editing and adding the music track – which, btw, I’m not sure I’m allowed to do in the strictest sense, but oh well. And, I was chewing gum. I *know* -- totally sorry.

Now, enjoy :-) PS – Adam, call me if you want to do a DnD segment, k? :-)

So, as far as highlights from the show, I totally loved the new ‘Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands’ game. I’m always the navigator to Husband’s Xbox heroics, and there is something about the ‘Prince of Persia’ stories that makes sitting on the couch as an observer really come to life. And, when a game’s mechanics and action sequences make you gasp … well you just know it’s going to be awesome.

This time around, they’ve added the idea of the prince having control over different elements – earth, air, fire and water – which then manifests into your character’s ability to freeze spurts of water coming off the walls to zing across them, or freeze waterfalls to wall-run across them, then unfreeze a curtain of ice to jump onto a ledge hiding behind it … Just really cool stuff to look at, and a different dynamic than I’ve seen before.

Also, there is this power called ‘crowd control’ where the prince can call out a whirlwind-type destruction blast by planting the little sword/knife thing into the ground (great descriptions, right? very professional … geez). The swirling wind kills all the minions attacking you and leaves you free to kill the ‘spawner’ guy in the corner who’s making all the minions.

See, this is why I don’t do video game reviews :-) hehehe Anyways, it’s totally cool and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Now it’s just a waiting game -- and, had Husband not lost a bet to his friend, I’d already be enjoying ‘BioShock 2.’ Sigh.

Moving on from PAX, I’ve got some fun stuff lined up for you all in the coming weeks, including a review of GelaSkins – they’re like protective covers for your electronic gadgets but they’re much nicer-looking – and the wrap-up of our ‘Superherione’ Bracket …

... Speaking of which, let’s check in on the Femme Fatale round to see who came out on top! (BTW, cast your votes by emailing me at ByteSized@Captivate.com – like, now.) We’re down to four wicked cool ladies and tempers are set to ‘fierce’! I feel like I need Tyra to ref this one as the battles start raging …

Samus was no match for bubbly Harley Quinn, who bounced around and giggled her way to a shut-out victory. Meanwhile, Rogue sapped all Wonder Woman’s wonder and walked away with a TKO.

Round 3 Preview: They say everybody loves a joke but no one loves a fool – can Rogue overpower Harley and her overwhelming cuteness?

---------------------------------------------

Lesson learned: Never underestimate the bitchiness of a cat. Batgirl did and she was batted out of the air by Catwoman too many times to count. And speaking of underestimation, Teela must not get a lot of kick-ass females in Eternia, because she got her staff handed to her by gun-toting bad girl Lara Croft.

Round 3 Preview: Precocious felines will turn a playful companion to tatters – think of what they can do to their enemies. Lara Croft sure shows a lot of skin. Can she keep Miss Kitty and her claws at arm’s length?

Remember, send me your votes to ByteSized@Captivate.com! We’ll be back Friday with a preview of the weekend’s ‘Double Trouble’ matchup between the best two ladies standing. See ya then!

Labels: Adam Sessler, march madness bracket, PAX East 2010, superheroines

Tah-dah! Without any ado, here is my video coverage from PAX East 2010! It's about 10 minutes long and includes my interview with G4's Adam Sessler from 'X-Play' -- plus some great music tracks!

OK, so a few things to keep in mind: I was there by myself. I was the camera girl. The place was massive. I edited the video myself.

So, I was a little starstruck meeting Adam ... but he was just so nice :) And, I love that I'm, like, the face of Captivate now for the G4 crew as they make their way up the elevators. Cracks me up :) I'll have more coverage of PAX East in a few days after I gather my thoughts a little more and download my camera pictures ... Oh, and thank you all for your great questions!

Now, onto The Superheroines/Villainesses Bracket!

As promise, if you want to follow along at home, here is a .PDF download of the weekend's action!

In the Sugar and Spice Round:

Harley Quinn out-sassed Mystique with a few well placed explosives before back-flipping her way back to 'Mista Jay!' Meanwhile, Samus and her cannons proved too much for Princess Allura. Sans the rest of her multi-limbed robot, though, she didn't really stand a chance.

Round 2 Preview: Harley is a wicked little clown but she'd better watch her back against this robotic chick. Overall, this is the battle for the spotlight -- Harley has her self-image issues, but there is something about a bodysuit of metal armor that just screams 'Look at me!'

She-Ra was smack-talking Rogue's premature gray, but this X-Man flattened the crowned beauty and her bountiful gold hair. Across the pond, this was a close one -- neck and neck most of the bout -- but Wonder Woman's fierce whip cracked one time too many for psychic Jean Grey.

Round 2 Preview: Rogue has the magic touch and is heavily favored, but Wonder Woman's reach-2 could give her the edge. The girl power is overwhelming on both sides. Will a dose of anger and a box of black hair dye give our flag-pantied femme the 'fatale' to move on?

There were claws and balls of fur flying everywhere, but Catwoman prevailed over Black Cat in the end and celebrated with a much-deserved bath. Up in the air, Batgirl's nimble acrobatics caused Supergirl to foul out early in the third quarter -- tough break and tough call by the refs, but she deserved it.

Round 2 Preview: It's the cat vs. the bat -- and honestly your guess is as good as mine. The feline is slinkier and smoother, but blue eyes, pointy ears and a cape? Come on now! It's too close to call but definitely one not to miss.

Hawk Girl swooped but bobbled her shield-like mask, giving Teela and her staff an opening to break through. In the other match-up, I wish I could say it was close ... but it wasn't. Lara Croft was in and out and done before Zelda could straighten her skirts and finish texting Link.

Round 2 Preview: Will it be as easy this time around for our 'Tomb Raider' against the wickedest bikini-clad bad girl ever to come out of Eternia? Tune in on Wednesday and find out!

(Again, if you want to play along, here's the PDF download!)

Labels: Adam Sessler, alternative bracket, G4's X-Play, PAX East 2010, superheroines

Yawn … happy Monday morning everyone. My weekend was full of ‘Art,’ delicious food and gardening. But, my arms now feel like rubber hoses reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Prof. Lockhart debacle, so typing is about all I can manage at the moment.

Let’s take a look at the day’s headlines before my fingers wear out, too.

PS – I totally crit all the useless, ugly plants from in front of my house, so at least it was a ‘mission accomplished’ kind of effort.

--I’m absolutely bouncing off the jigsaw-puzzle walls of my cubicle this week in preparation for PAX EAST! Please keep those questions coming for G4’s Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, and I’ll try to ask as many as possible. ByteSized@Captivate.com

--Looking to enjoy March Madness on something more massive than your silly little 42” wall-mounted LCD? Try these TVs on for size.

--Speaking of which, Captivate has a gallery of the best March Madness photos up live now!

--Apple has had it’s issues over the years – here’s a nostalgic look back. Why? I don’t know, blame CNet.

--Let’s get ready to rumble: In one corner, Kindle! In the other, Nook! Ding ding ding!

--OK, I know I’m totally supposed to fill out my Census form. I get that. But I also don’t see why they need more information than the ages of number of the people living in my house. Everything seems completely unnecessary, and I’m glad some people agree.

K, now my fingers are getting tired, too, so I’m going to go massage them and rest up so I’m in top form this Friday! Talk to you all laters!

Labels: Amazon.com's Kindle, eBook; Barnes and Noble; nook;, March Madness, PAX East 2010

OK, so today I've got a lot to tell you guys!

Have you been feeling this undeniable pull toward Boston lately? You know, like a dawning sun get brighter and brighter? That would be PAX EAST 2010 -- the biggest gaming conference to greet the east coast in ... well, I don't really care how long, only that it's hitting my side of town next week and I'll be there!

From the site's FAQ (and for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about ...) : 'PAX East is a three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. We call it a festival because in addition to dedicated tournaments and freeplay areas we've got nerdcore concerts, panel discussions, and an exhibitor hall filled with booths displaying the latest from top game publishers and developers. Even with all this amazing content the best part of PAX East is hanging out with other people who know their shit when it comes to games.'

Will Wheaton (bazinga) will keynote the event guaranteed to be resplendent in geeks of all shapes, sizes, RPG- and console-preferences. I feel like the mother ship is calling me home. Anyway, here is a list of the scheduled panels and events. I'll be at as many as I can fit into a day (and possibly a few), and Gamer's Edge blogger Jim Dumas will be joining me for a joint-blog report on the coolest news, trends, celebrities, dice colors, funny t-shirts ... you name it, we'll be soaking everything in!

Could I be geeking out more over this? Oh, I haven't even gotten to the cool part yet.

On tap (and impetus) for the weekend is a special treat: Details are in the works to get some face-time with G4's Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb from the network's 'X-Play'! I'm so psyched to bone-up on all the need-to-knows before I meet these gaming rock stars for a two-on-two interview directly form the show floor!

(PS-- I can neither confirm nor deny that I have the total hots for Sessler. Were I putting my money down on a side, I'd go with 'confirm,' though. Wowzers... This should be interesting.)

Got some great ideas on what questions we should ask Sessler and Webb? Which panel should I be sure not to miss? Email your ideas to me NOW at ByteSized@Captivate.com so I can be sure to cover what you guys want to know!

OK... whew, so that's my big news :) I am physically incapable of thinking about anything else other than PAX EAST 2010 at the moment, so I'm foregoing headlines today with the hope you all will fill my inbox with ideas and requests and fun stuff and ... gah!

Have a wonderful weekend, and rest assured assured that I'm stressing out over which of my gaming t-shirts I should wear, and what I should talk about with two obvious experts, and how I should corner a Wizards of the Coast rep and snag myself a job editing the DnD 'Players Handbook 4' -- wait WHAT?! :) Nevermind, I didn't say that ...

LOLz -- see you Monday!

Labels: PAX East 2010