Welcome! 11 January 2010

The “About” section gives a couple details, but we figured we could post some real information about our interests as individuals here. We’ve known each other for a couple years, both have a love for video games, and are creative people (Shawn being the writer, Charis being the artist) . We figured what better way to do something we love for a living than to write about it everyday?

About Shawn

I’ve been playing games since the age of two, when my Nana and I used to sit down and play Bubble Bobble together. Being born in 1987 gave me the benefit of being brought up on the original Nintendo, which I think gives me a much better outlook on how far games have come. I really have been hooked ever since I first put my hands on a controller. My first system to call my own was the Sega Genesis, which I got as a birthday gift when I was six… and yes, I still remember Sega Channel, and wish things like it still existed today. Since then I’ve owned every system and I’ve done my best to play everything I could get my hands on. I knew I wanted a career that had to do with games, but I felt like programming them would take the fun out of it. I also have a love for writing, so I decided it was the best path I could take. I’ve been writing game reviews for about a year now, and used to feature it on my blog on Blogspot. I eventually started writing for the site XDAOProject.com. This gave me my first taste at having a large number of people read my writing, and it was a huge step forward for me. POWRDUP was originally created in December of 2008, but due to various conflicts, it didn’t surface until now. All that matters is that it’s finally here, and I can’t wait to finally do what I’ve always wanted to do – write about games in a new and interesting way that captures every audience possible. Hopefully I can reach that. If not, at least I tried!

My Favorite Games of All Time (in no particular order):
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Shadow of the Colossus, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Kart, Pokemon Red/Blue, Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones, Mega Man, Mega Man 2, Mega Man 9, Pikmin, Final Fantasy 1, Chrono Trigger, Golden Sun 1/2, Wild ARMs, Bubble Bobble, RC Pro Am, Sonic the Hedgehog 2/3, Diddy Kong Racing, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, God of War, Katamari Damacy, Kingdom Hearts 1/2, Metroid Prime, Timesplitters 2, Mirror’s Edge, Gears of War, Assassin’s Creed 1, Lost Odyssey, NHL 2010.

Favorite Online Games:
GRAW 1/2, Gears of War 1/2, NHL 2010, Battlefield: Bad Company, Killzone 2

This might be too many to list, but it gives you the best idea of what kind of gamer I am. Anything else you want to know, just ask.

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About Charis

I remember growing up and having a neighbor a little older than me with a NES.  Being probably two or three at the time, and him being a rowdy five year old, you could only imagine how many times I got the “girls can’t play video games, so no, you can watch, don’t touch” line from him.  Sure it annoyed me, until the Christmas that I got my own SNES and my first game, Super Mario World.  I remember sitting there with my mom and my uncle being so excited.  My gaming habits changed over time though, as my little brother and sister showed up and most of what I played became multiplayer based.  It was frustrating to have to sit and wait to take turns, which unfortunately made me miss out on a lot of single player titles that I should have played back then (but that has and is continuing to change!).  Having my own Xbox 360 finally helped not having to wait my turn, but it definitely brought changes to my multiplayer experience, especially being a girl.  Chances are you ARE the only female in the lobby, and no that does not mean you want to deal with the harassment that comes with it.  It means you have to step up and represent and show those guys that you are just as good as the rest.  With POWRDUP I want to make it clear that there really is no gender barrier, we all just have one passion, and that passion is gaming.

My Favorite Games of All Time
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pokemon Blue, Super Mario World, Pokemon Silver, Mario 64, Super Smash Bros, Pokemon Sapphire, Luigi’s Mansion, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon Diamond, Gears of War, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Mirror’s Edge.

Favorite Online Games:
Gears of War 1&2, Battlefield: Bad Company

 Welcome! 11 January 2010

Welcome to POWRDUP.com! As our first post, we wanted to give you a quick update on what exactly to look for on the site, feature wise. Any other information you wanted you’ll be able to find in the “About” section at the top.

- We want to make it clear that this isn’t a news site. We may have some news updates on the site, but if we do, it will have to be something important. We won’t be posting new screenshots, fan videos, or anything of that nature. We only post things directly relating to a game like debut videos, announcements, release dates, and so on. Too many news sites are cluttered with posts that have no direct relevance to the game they are about. It’s no secret that this is done just to have constant updates, and we don’t want to put quality to the side to have a higher quantity of posts.

- Our biggest feature is going to be called “Turn Based”. It’s the name for the review system that we’ve come up with, where both of us will review almost every game in a more conversation type manner. We’ll still talk about all the features in the game, the pros and cons, but it’s going to be done in a new way that can hit every viewpoint possible. Too many reviewers are biased for certain series and genres, so what better way to avoid that then to have more than one person review it? Sometimes we’ll even have it from the viewpoint of someone who watched someone play, or didn’t complete the game, just to give every type of look we can

- As for other features, we’re going to try to approach them in an original way. We’ll have updates on games we’re playing before reviewing them for quick reference and opinion. We’re also going to be talking about older games. Some of us still buy games that came out a couple years ago and want to talk about them. Even look for stuff about the NES and SNES. We have a bunch of other stuff planned so keep looking.

- We’re also going to have a section for art, mostly stuff that we draw from games we write about. All of the art will be purchasable, and look for us in the Artist Alley at Anime Boston!

- Honestly, we just want to post stuff that we think is neat and think others may as well. This isn’t a place for just one group of people, it’s for everyone… so enjoy it!