New World Notes

Animal Crossing: Looking Back on a Virtual World Series Where Life Is Good And Debt Is Harmless

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

You arrive in town. You're new and you're homeless; you have nothing but a couple hundred dollars and the clothes on your back. Fortunately (or not) the local shopkeeper moonlights as a loan shark. He takes you under his wing, puts a roof over your head... But how will you ever afford to pay him back? You'll work, of course.

It might sound like I'm just playing Cart Life again, but this loan shark is named Tom Nook, and he's not a shark at all -- rather, he's a raccoon. I won't be paying him back by running a paper stand or a food cart, but by picking fruit, gathering seashells, catching bugs and fish, and running errands for the locals (who are also animals.) This has been the meat and potatoes of the Animal Crossing franchise for over a decade.

Next week Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be coming out for the Nintendo 3DS. I don't have a 3DS, but I'm making it a point to get one just for this game. Now, you might be wondering what's so appealing about a mortgage-simulator (even if it's full of adorable animals). In anticipation of New Leaf I've been revisiting the previous Animal Crossing games, so let me try to explain what it is that makes this series such a gem:

Downton Abbey meets The Sims 3, Snowflake Day Special Part 2: It Takes Two to Igloo

Iris Ophelia's ongoing effort to simulate Downton Abbey in The Sims 3

Winter has been bleak and unforgiving at Sim Downton Abbey. The family is nearly destitute, and the biggest holiday of the year, Snowflake Day, is just around the corner. It wouldn't be Snowflake Day without a gift-giving party, but parties aren't cheap -- the cost of a proper holiday tree or even a few modest plates of cookies would put the family in the red.

But where there there's a will, there's a way... No series-appropriate pun intended.

New MMO Marvel Heroes Has Its Fair Share of Problems (And Nearly None of Them Were Caused by Dr. Doom)

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Last weekend I had the chance to play Marvel Heroes, an MMO that combines Diablo-esque play with a litany of characters from the Marvel universe. It'll be free-to-play right from its June 4th launch, complete with an in-game store bursting at the seams with premium content like extra characters, costumes, and powerups.

I really enjoyed playing Marvel Heroes at first, but unfortunately it didn't take long for the veneer to fade. Fans of Marvel comics (even just the movies to be honest) may be thrilled to play what's been described as a much improved version of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but for poseurs like me who merely have vague and/or nostalgic interest in the characters this game leaves a lot to be desired. For instance...

Upcoming Puzzle Game Road Not Taken Might Look (And Sound) Familiar to Fans of Defunct Virtual World Glitch

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Spry Fox, the indie publisher behind the addictive multi-platform puzzle/strategy game Triple Town, has been working with two Tiny Speck alums to put together Road Not Taken, a puzzle game inspired by Robert Frost coming later this year. If the aesthetic style in the image above looks familiar, it's because the game's art has been in the hands of Spry Fox's art director Kukubee (a.k.a. Meowza), who also helped realize the distinct and darling visuals of browser-based MMO Glitch.

It's not just the art that should inspire nostalgia in the hearts of Glitch-lovers, though...

Dear Internet: If You Must, Harass me for What I'm Doing -- Not for What I Am

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a charity streamathon, an event where people essentially play games for an online audience to raise money. I was playing and watching others play alongside a slew of outstanding guests. We raised a hell of a lot of money for an incredibly worthy cause, and the whole thing was a resounding (if exhausting) success. I'm not going to name the event here -- though it's not hard to figure out -- because this post isn't about the streamathon. We contributed to something amazing, and nothing can or should change that.

This post is about the creeps and the jerks; the ones who donate under names like "JanineMakeMeHot", who look for any opportunity to embarrass a woman no matter what the context, who may even think they're being flattering. The people who left their bitter little marks on an otherwise amazing event.

For all I know, this post may be about you.

There's a Lot to Hate About Ultra-Trashy Sci-Fi MMO Scarlet Blade, So Why Don't I Actually Hate It?

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Today I want to write about something I've been wrestling with for a few weeks, a new MMO for mature audiences that makes me feel very... conflicted. I'm not quite sure where I stand when it comes to Aeria Games' Scarlet Blade. So far most of the coverage of this game has either focussed on how appalling the avatars are or how awesome they are, but few people have tried to engage with it beyond that. The avatars certainly are... something else... but they're barely the tip of the iceberg.

I played Scarlet Blade for the first time a few weeks ago, and since then I've been struggling to form a solid opinion about it. I feel almost guilty about my continued ambivalence. There are a lot of reasons to hate Scarlet Blade... So why don't I? (NSFW)

Downton Abbey Meets The Sims 3, Part 9: The Pre-Christmas Special Recap Extravaganza

Iris Ophelia's ongoing effort to simulate Downton Abbey in The Sims 3

Fall has drawn to a close and winter is creeping into Sim Downton Abbey. With this series approaching episode 10, it seems like a good time to do something special... A special episode, if you will. Something like a Sim Downton Abbey Christmas -- wait, sorry, a "Snowflake Day" -- Special. Given that the Christmas specials have become a tradition with the show itself, it seems fitting to celebrate part 10 of Sim Downton with one.

But before we can do that, we need to get caught up. Plenty has happened since the last series recap, so let's see what exactly everyone's been up to...

Don't Starve Released on Steam Today, And Only an 'Act of Dapperness' Can Save You From Its Spooky Charms

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you're looking for a new release to play around with this week, do I have the title for you. Don't Starve is a tremendously engaging (and super stylized) indie survival adventure game, pitting the player against every conceivable threat -- from hunger to horrible, horrible monsters. It's not Minecraft, it's not Terraria, but it definitely has something in it for adventurous fans of either.

Made by Klei Entertainment (the team responsible for Mark of the Ninja) the game has been in a buy-in beta since late 2012, and I even wrote about it back in December. Don't Starve's development was still incredibly active during the beta period, so there's been a surprising amount of new content and features added since I last sat down with it. For example...

Strangelings Debuts on Web and iOS: A Perfect Game For Breedables Fanatics... Just Not For Me

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

if you're a fan of Second Life "breedable" pets, this bit of casual gaming news might just make your day: Strangelings, a free fantasy pet breeding game with an impressive pedigree (har har) is now available and playable both in your browser and on iOS.

If you have any experience avidly raising virtual frogs, chickens, bunnies, cats, horses, dragons and beyond, most of what Strangelings has to offer will feel very natural to you. If not... Well, like me you might be a bit underwhelmed. Here's what I mean:

Downton Abbey Meets The Sims 3, Part 8: There's Love In The Air (or Something In The Water)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing effort to simulate Downton Abbey in The Sims 3

The recent costume party at Downton seems to have sparked a flurry of romance. The girls are getting date offers left and right (well, most of the girls) and even Cora is developing a reputation. Of course not every date can go perfectly, and not every romance is meant to be...