I just got back from an amazing E3. Now that the madness is finally over it’s time to recuperate, but before I do I wanted to share with you some of my highlights of E3 that made this exhaustion well worth it.

Besides meeting some mainstream celebrities such as Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Jon Heder, and Richard Branson, the real celebrities in my eyes were the developers behind the magic of Ubisoft’s video games.

Here’s an interview I did with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood producer, Vincent Pontbriand. He shares with us all the details about Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and the new multiplayer system that has been added to the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Every time a new game releases with a leading lady, it sort of makes me squeal inside.

So perhaps you can understand my unbounded glee with Final Fantasy XIII. And this isn’t purely based on the main character’s gender, though that has something to do with it.

First off, for those of you who have never played Final Fantasy, this is a nice place to start. Since the stories are non-linear, there is no need to worry about the previous twelve installments. I can sum them up as “you’re good, defeat evil, save the world”. The battle system is easy to learn, exploration areas are pretty straightforward and the story seems to move along smoothly. Thus far anyway, there’s only so much you can do in two days, especially while chasing around the kiddo.

Lightning as a protagonist is everything you’d expect from a JRPG – conflicted, strong, and determined. But she’s something very similar to the sort of leader we found in another major release this year – Mass Effect 2. When choosing to play as a female Shepard, players were granted a woman with focus on a survival beyond her own. As Lightning sets forth with a soldier’s efficiency, she sees no possible deviation from fulfilling her goal.

But what makes her separate from every other badass female on the scene? Because besides all that bravado and sword fighting, there is a human element – something that occasionally has a hard time sneaking in between cheeky one-liners. Lightning doesn’t start barroom brawls or cause trouble for the sake of it. Her mission is clear and her objectives obvious. But who commands this able soldier? Does she heed to a great government power, a wise king, or a jealous prince?

Lightning heeds her own orders, and her own demands. She must save her sister, regardless of the risk or futility. However, she maintains a severe sense of duty when things become more difficult. This solitary element is what makes Lightning so attractive as a role model.

When people infuriate her, does she stomp her feet, shout, cry, or behave in other inexplicable ways? Most of her conflicts are resolved with a series of severe slugs to the face. But does she spout emotions at every turn and work for your sympathy?

Instead, Square-Enix is portraying a strong woman in an impossible circumstance battling with the loss of both her family and entire way of life. She hides her insecurities in her strength. And manages to remain decently covered for a gender otherwise known for their lack as such.

Not only am I pleased with the game as a whole - the visuals are obviously amazing in their own. But I’m more impressed with the depth of a protagonist I can relate to, a woman barely into her adulthood and struggling to hold herself together despite all else. While others run or hide, she keeps forging one foot ahead of the next, concerned with stopping evil not out of ego but rationality. The fear of the enemy isn’t due to an overarching evil nature, but more of an irrational fear of that which is different.

Though I respect the countless other female figures in gaming who have spawned hours of debate over the years such as Lara Croft, Bayonetta and Samus Aran to name a few headliners, there’s an element to Lightning that feels more familiar and less contrived, despite the Fantasy tag. She reacts as I would expect any soldier without method to and protects herself as most actual girls do – through denial.

I think Final Fantasy raises some interesting elements worth discussing about society and culture, especially in the choice of Lightning to lead the way. In a series dominated with embattled male protagonists all these years it’s fun to see another perspective.

And all things considered, she’s still pretty badass! 

Welcome to the first Podcast of 2010! For our first podcast of the new year, my sidekick, Epidemic and I interview the #1 Modern Warfare 2 player, Brandon aka Fear Punisher! He shares with us his history as a gamer and his secrets to staying on top! Not only was Punisher a top 5 CoD4 player, he has continued to dominate the CoD world by going straight to the top on MW2. Punishers next competition will take place February 19th-21st in San Francisco for the Gamestop 1v1 Finals where he is among 15 other finalists for a chance to win $5,000! So pull up a chair, sit back, relax and enjoy the podcast.
*You can download the podcast HERE

Fear Punisher’s Achievements on CoD4
MLG A Champ-$750
MLG B Champ-$150
NxG Pro Ladder Champ-$300
NxG Steelseries Champ
CombatArenas Champ-$100
Cevo2 Champ-$125
MLG PCL2 Champ-1000
Gamebattles Season 1 Champ
Gamebattles Season 2 Champ
OldSpice Swager Series Champ-$1250
PCL3 2nd place-$500
Gamersaloon-$700
MLG Vegas-$450
MLG PCL3 09 Champ-$300
Dr Pepper 2v2 Champ-$1500
MLG Anaheim-$700
Cevo3-$175

Fear Punisher’s Achievements on MW2
Winter Classic4v4
MLG Holiday League 2v2 AR SND
WCG 2nd
Gamestop 4v4 3rd
Gamestop 1v1 Finalist (finalists get all expense paid trip to San Francisco on Feb 19th-21st)