What to do, or not to do, when you turn 21!

Today is one of my friends' birthday, Sonik0731, and it's the big 21 today. So I decided to do a special post today!

What to do when you're 21:

Ah, to be 21, basically it means that you can now drink! So cheers to your new ability!
Feel free to drink in my advice!

Celebrate with your friends (who are also 21+):
When I turned 21, the way I spent my birthday was in a bar, with my mom and her friend. What I would've loved was to have spent it with my peers and colleagues. I probably would have had more fun.

Try many different types of alcohol:
There are so many kinds of drinks, and they're producing new ones all the time!
When you first start out, word of warning: do not mix your liquors. From a mother who was a bartender, this is really helpful. If choose wine, have wine for the rest of the night, maybe even a little vodka.
Otherwise you shall be worshiping the porcelain gods for the rest of the night. (that's 21 talk for the toilet)

Learn what type of 'drunk' you are:
Just like there are many different Smurfs, there are many diffrerent types of drunks. Here's a video to show just a few.

Get hungover at least once:
Do this so that you can have the experience of saying "I have no clue what the hell I did last night". Or even the "Shh, keep it down, I have a headache from too much tequila". I have yet to experience a major hangover. (Thanks Mom)
Depending on what, and how much, you drank you may notice:

Fatigue
Thirst
Headaches and muscle aches
Nausea, vomiting or stomach pain
Poor or decreased sleep
Increased sensitivity to light and sound
Dizziness or a sense of the room spinning
Rapid heartbeat
Red, bloodshot eyes
Shakiness
Decreased ability to concentrate
Mood disturbances, such as depression, anxiety and irritability

When not to drink:

Sometimes, it's best not to drink at all. Whether your family has a history of alcoholism, you have substance abuse problems, if you have problems with your liver, and many other health related reasons.
Remember, it's your personal responsibility to drink and keep yourself and others safe at all times.

Stay thirsty my friend!

Getting a little Steam-Punk'd

Okay, so a few days ago I saw a tweet from The Mary Sue, about a Steampunk Wedding!
Looking at the pictures, it really blew me away, I just had to share. It makes me want to have my own Steampunk themed wedding!
So the happy bride and groom, Sheyne and Glenn, did a Do-It-Yourself wedding, with the help of friends and family, I'd say this ceremony went off without a hitch.

Steampunk, from what I have gathered, can range from fashion to a lifestyle. I'm sure most people have at least heard of the word, but maybe not know the definition. Here's a more detailed definition from Urban Dictionary:

"Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan "What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner." It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes." - Urban dictionary

Awesome Wedding Invitations!

In the words of the Bride:

"Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Glenn and I are both members the Steampunk performance group, "The League of S.T.E.A.M." We are both costumers and performers who attend over-the-top costume balls and events in and around the Los Angeles area. We decided on "The Scientific Investigation of Love & Romance" as our theme. Bringing drama and a well-executed theme was very important to us."

One of the coolest pictures I saw was the robot butler, and of course the guy from Mythbusters makes it! So now it's 20% more cooler!

"We had a robot ring bearer built by our friend, Grant. He was named Heisenborg, and he delivered our wedding rings in a test tube and Erlennmeyer flask. Later in the evening, using the remote control, Grant had Heisenborg danced with a few friends on the dance floor." -Sheyne the Bride

 

Sometimes it's the small details all together that make up a great wedding. Like the key & bottle opener gifts. Steampunk, I think, is a lot about the visual appearance and the small details. The gears, the metal, the victorian/vintage look. It's all so appealing (not to mention sometimes very expensive).

The cutest of Octopi

Some may want to know, 'Why are there octopus in Steampunk?'. The Octopus is kind of the 'mascot' of Steampunk. Some say that it's more an association with the Kraken, a nasty beastie in most Steampunk Sci-fi fiction.

Who cares, the cake topper is cute! End of story.

Homebrew in Potion bottles!

Mad Scientist Candy Laboratory

Overall, this wedding was a great Do-It-Yourself'er! One thing I feel makes a great DIY is having and knowing about the theme, a lot of friends to help, planning and of course, having a lot of fun!
Congrats to the bride and groom!

Clean all the things!

Okay, so I had this craving to clean all the things! Mostly the bathroom...
I decided to create my own cleaners than to buy icky smelling chemicals. Grabbing the recipes from here.
So off to the local Walmarts I went. My overall total, if you include bottles, was about $14.

Tub and Tile cleaner:
Fill a spray bottle with:

• 1 1/3 cup Baking soda
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp Vinegar

(shake before using)
Apply with cloth or sponge and rinse well

I used this and it worked pretty well! I would recommend you get a really good spray bottle though, mine clogged up and stopped working at some point. I just dumped a little bit on my sponge as I went along. You have to rinse well, otherwise you are going to have dry patches of powder.
I also used this on the floor, I think it meant tiles that are on bathroom walls. Not laminate floor tiles. My floors didn't seem to shine after rinsing.

Glass Cleaner:

• 1/4 Vinegar
• 4 cups warm water

This works as well as Windex and so much cheaper! No streaks of any kind. The vinegar smells stronger after the water cools. Unless you hate vinegar, I'd recommend doing this.

Scouring Powder:

• 1 cup Baking Soda
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Kosher Salt

Sprinkle on desired spots, wipe with sponge and rinse.

It works well on tough stains. I used this on the floors, it took the stains off without much problem. Let is soak for a minute or so.

Overall my cleaning excursion was fun! I may do another one of these when I clean other areas of the house using other green products.

Do you use any 'green' or 'do-it-yourself' cleaning products?
Comment below!

Movie sequels: Yay or nay?

Movie Sequels: Yay or Nay?

I don't know about you, but I feel that movie sequels are often at times unnecessary.
Here's my thing. If the first movie was good, why make a second or third?
Just to make money, is probably the most underlying, common answer. Perhaps, to elongate the story, see what happened after 'The End'. Maybe to have a spin off movie of one of the lesser supportive characters.
Whatever reason, there are many movies that have 'add ons' to them that may or may not be needed.

So, let's look at an example:
Shrek, that lovable ogre, as much as I love the first movie I feel that the others were a little unneeded. Let's recap through the whole series:
Shrek: An ogre finds his true love and finds his happily ever after.
Shrek 2: Shrek meets Fiona's family to try to gain their approval while, after a magical mishap, decides whether or not to stay in human form.
Shrek 3: Shrek overcomes the fears of being a father, while finding the next heir to the kingdom of Far Far Away.
Finally in Shrek 4: Shrek ends up in an alternate timeline where he doesn't exist, only to go back to his normal timeline where he still has his happily ever after.
Let's not forget the other spin offs, Shrek's Christmas, Puss in Boots and it's mini movie The Three Diablos.

Here's a few (million) more movies with sequels:

• (Most) Super Hero movies
• Land Before Time
• Lethal Weapon
• Back to the Future
• Borne Series
• James Bond Series
• Die Hard
• Mad Max
• X-Men (Especially Wolverine)
• Fast and Furious
• Saw Series
• Species
• Scream
• Final Destination
• Police Academy
• The Karate Kid
• Legally Blonde
• The Godfather
• Star Trek
• Star Wars
• Lord of the Rings
• Jaws
• Chucky series
• Friday the 13th
• Smurfs

(and so on...)

So which is it?

Yay, Sequels!: It elongates the story. Spin offs happen here. We learn more about the characters. It's a great series!

Nay, Firsts!: It's what made us love the movie in the first place. It's completely original. It's pure! First movies are best movies. It's not dull and repetitive.

Mini Yay or Nay: Movie from a book?
I love books, sometimes I love the movies more, but movies can make or break a book.
Isn't it funny how sometimes the books will be read after the movie is made. Then you think "the book was better".
We forgo the pleasures of reading a book and instead watch the movie because many of us don't have time. Or so they say.... There is always time, no matter how small, to read books.
Since we're talking about books being turned into movies, *cough*HarryPotter*cough*, movies should have the most important elements in the story, or at least a summary.

Cut off 50% of the book, but still tell a good story? Great!
But you are missing a lot of the book itself, so read the book!

But you don't have time to read the book... Then make time!

Oh, or watch the movie!...

but it doesn't look like how it was when you read it in your head...

oh well...

Yay, Movies!: It saves time, it gives you a reference when you actually read the book (if you actually read it) 

Nay, Books!: You're stuck with the characters on the big screen as a reference *cough*twillight*cough*. You miss half of the book, or see things that weren't even in the book.

What did you think? Are sequels that bad? Are movies made from books better than the original book itself?

Comment below!

Til next post

Nerd Fitness: It's for the Nerds

"Level up your life, every single day"

I'm a geek, and I am creating a healthier lifestyle for myself. One of my best resources I go to, and highly recommend, is Nerd Fitness.

Meet Steve Kamb, creator of Nerd Fitness, fellow geek, and inspiration to all geeks and nerd who want to change their life for the better. He talks a lot about fitness such as the beginner body weight workout, also what to do after you injure yourself, he even has a definitive guide to Bacon! Other more nerdy posts, like Role-play gaming in real life and Angry-Birds Workout, keep the geeks in us happy and fit! The first post I ever read was beginner's guide to Paleo, and I've been hooked on his posts ever since.

There are a ton of resources to help many fellow geeks. There are free resouces and workouts, apps, and gear. He's even created a couple of fitness guides, which I would recommend for anyone who was as 'lost' as I was.

A good way to get connected with fellow geeks and athletes is to join the Nerd Fitness Forums, be sure to read the rules of the rebellion. We share our stories, take on challenges, write about our daily battles, and support one another. You will not find another awesome, and nerdy, community like this one. I don't know what I would have done without these awesome bunch of people.

There are a ton of inspirational stories and transformations, first there was Joe, the amazing Nerd Fitness transformer (and he still being awesome). Some of my other favorites are power-lifting super mom, Robin, the Scout who lost over 100 pounds, and Anne, the cosplayer. These people always inspire me to become better. I always think 'if they can do it, I can do it'

So come join the rebellion!

The geek shall inherit the barbell.

Let's do the time-warp!: Things I would tell my younger self

Time warp instructions

Sometimes there's just something you wish you had told yourself back then, that would've saved you weeks, months, or even years of frustration, anger, grief and all those other nasty emotions we all dislike.
Here are a few things I would fix:

"Find an active activity you like, eat less to no breads and sugars, go paleo if needed":
Currently, I am a good... 80 pounds overweight. Losing weight is an obstacle and I when can't get the scale to budge, it feels like I'm wrong for trying to lose weight. 'If I'd only just been better to my body when I was younger, it wouldn't be this bad'.
I have been overweight pretty much all my life. Even if I had been more active, like in high-school, I would still be slightly overweight. It would have been so great to have found an activity I would have liked, like Larping or parkour when I was younger.

"Stop wearing black, read up on fashion, get a hair straightener and get some bangs":
Because I am so pasty white and have red hair, I prefer darker colors. It would have done me a great service to have added more color and had more 'style'. I just really needed some sort of style that wasn't just jeans and a T-shirt.
Also, my hair is thick and coarse, so straightening is a godsend. I always wore it in a ponytail. It would have looked so much better loose, and with bangs, like I wear it now.

"Find a few people you can become close friends with, and hang-out often":
Like in my previous post about friendship, I made the mistake in school to have a lot of acquaintances. If I gave myself this advice I hopefully would have had a close knit group of friends in high school that would hopefully last for a long time.

"Don't go looking for a relationship, please wait, become yourself, and love will come.":
I have a confession to make. My first serious relationship was secretly planned by me.
When I graduated high school, still being a single virgin, I decided to force my way to have a relationship. I found a guy, semi-stalked, found out his name, and PM'ed him on Facebook. We then proceeded to date, become a couple, lost virginity, etc...
He wasn't the type of guy I should have been with to begin with, he was messy, a know-it-all, and somewhat of a jerk. When I finally ended up letting my walls come down and start to fall in love, he dumped me because he fell out of love with me. Leaving me with a broken heart, it hurt like hell, but it was going to happen eventually.
It would have been better to have become more "me", let guys come after me, and court me the natural way. I would've been happier, had more options, and less heartbreak.

"Just because you're intimate with a guy, doesn't mean he's looking for a relationship":
This would have given me back about a year of heartache. There was this other guy, (there's always this one guy, right?). I immediately liked him from first sight, he seemed to have this magnetic pull about him. However, he wasn't into a relationship. Somehow, I became intimate with him, and things just continued that way.
He wouldn't call me, I'd have to call him or message him on AIM. When we did hang out, we'd always become intimate, but it frustrated me to no end why we weren't in a relationship.
In my head my head I had this equation [Sex = Relationship] (or I really, really like you enough to want to mush bodies together and share my life with you...).
I kept breaking my own heart, over-thinking about possibilities and under-thinking when I was with him.
Had I been smarter, that whole incident would've been avoided from the start.

"You're more beautiful when you smile":
One day when walking by a mirror, smiling about something I was thinking about, when I noticed my reflection while passing. I stopped, looked back at my face and thought "You really are more beautiful when you smile". I immediately posted that quote on Facebook and Twitter to remind myself of that day.
When I was younger I was moody, fat-ish, and didn't smile or felt pretty. I really felt like I didn't deserve to be happy, because I never was.
It would have been a great help had I smiled more and took better care of my body.

"Find a way to go back in time!":
No, not really. Of course, if those things were to have been erased, newer events similar to these would have happened anyway. It's good to know that we're all continuously learning, because I don't want to make the same mistakes over and over again. I have my experiences that I learned from and give the same advice to others.

What would you tell yourself in the past if you had the chance?

Products and services I use and recommend

Products and services I use:

Phone Service: Straight Talk

Straight Talk is the best, just pay $45 a month and have unlimited talk and text. You could save money buying the yearly card (at the high cost of $495). Almost everyone in my area uses this service. The coverage is great and I can cancel anytime. Not that I will be canceling anytime soon.

Internet Browser: Firefox/Google Chrome

It's a tie between Firefox and Chrome. I've switched to Chrome, because I heard it was faster, with all these apps and games I could download, and the integrated address/search-bar makes searching easier. But I've had Firefox for many years, it's been like a good friend to me. Firefox is super customization, plus it doesn't watch what you search, unlike Google. For now, they tie, having a special place in my desktop.

Email: Gmail

Before I swapped to Chrome, I had Mozilla Thunderbird as my mail client. It easily took my Verizon email address, plus I could create filters and folder, much like any other email service.

E-Reader: Kindle (w/ Keyboard)

I'm an Amazon girl, when I shop online, I go there. So naturally when E-readers came out I wasn't sure which one to get. Nook or Kindle? After researching, I chose Kindle for the fact that it's based with Amazon. Two for one deal!

Laptop: Acer One

Technically this is a netbook, due to the fact that it doesn't have a CD drive. I mainly bought this laptop for school. Since the semester is over I've been using this one for my main internet usage. It took a few weeks to get use to the screen size. Now, I need to adjust to larger screens.
My other computers are a Dell, which I use for my art, and a crash-happy desktop. Besides crashing, I also don't use my desktop because it's currently residing in my my brothers' bio-hazard of a room. I try not to venture there if I don't have to.

Game Console: Xbox 360

If I were to have to choose on one console, I would have to choose my Xbox. I also own a Wii, PS2 and SNES. Out of all of them I use the Xbox the most.
Runner up: Nintendo DS
For handheld gaming I mainly use my phone or DS. Since a phone isn't technically a gaming console, the DS wins.

Facial Lotion: Aveeno positively radiant moisturizer

Since I have pale, sensitive skin, not many products can go on my face without irritation. I have found that Aveeno are one of those products that are perfect for my skin type. Even though it's a little expensive. I love how this lotion makes my skin smooth and has spf 15! It has a little pump, perfect for portioning out lotion.

Hair Straightner: Instyler

I have a massive head of hair, so having something like the Instyler is a lifesaver! It cuts down my straightening time in half. It's basically a rotating flat iron, it has three settings, I tend to use it to the highest setting. Be warned, it is very, very hot. I have burnt myself once and I had a pretty good burn for a few weeks. It comes with a burning shield that I seem to often discard and misplace. Overall, I love this! It normally costs just under $100.

Headphones/Microphone: Fatal1ty Creative

A friend gave these to me because they didn't fit him, they feel perfect for my ears. They go right over and are so comfy I almost forget I am wearing them. Plus, they have a detachable microphone! As much as I like the earbuds of smaller headphones, they sometimes hurt my ears.

What type of products and services do you use and why? Do you recommend something else? Let me know in the comments below!

Why I've chosen writing.

I've decided to start writing recently because I don't want to hide anymore. I want others to be a part of my life again. For too long I've been hiding myself, afraid of what others would do if they knew certain things about me. Using that knowledge against me and rendering me powerless. I know now that only I have the ability to give my power.

I have this dream of becoming a writer and writing a few fictional books. One day I had this strong urge to write and share my stories. You could say that I am practicing my writing through this blog. Just with this blog, I am realizing the time and dedication I would need to have my dream be accomplished. I feel that every dream needs work in order for it to become a reality. My writing could inspire others, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself...

This wasn't a rather large post, sometimes you don't need a whole lot of words to say something meaningful. Everyone has something to share, so I would like to share my own experiences, thoughts and dreams, hoping that others are willing to listen.

I hope you all enjoy whatever content the future of this blog will have.
Until then, stay posted!

Gamers Rebellion: How to not get sucked in

Gaming Consoles: Will we ever agree?

With the PS4 and the Xbox One on their way, I'm starting to think about giving up the gamer lifestyle. I'm a 90's girl, I was around when video games were just about starting out. I remember my first console was a Super Nintendo (SNES), which I still own to this day.

I understand that technology is rapidly evolving, but do we have to have new consoles almost every year? I mean, first I buy a console, then a few games come out, then there's another new console coming out! Since the older games now can't be played by the new console and are becoming outdated, now you have to buy the new console if you want those newer games anyway.

So you either have to collect and hoard the old games or make yourself poor with the newer ones. We can never win can we? An article from Screw Attack says it very well here:

"[...]It's all to force people to re-buy games they already had. These corporate overlords don't want people being able to use the same copy of a game generation after generation. They want to repackage the same thing instead of innovating. This is a major issue.
All it would take is one operating system dedicated to keeping formats playable and simply adding new formats alongside the old ones. This is something PC developers haven't quite figured out yet, either that or they pull the same bull[*Bleep!*] the game corporations do." 

Screw attack - Why do we even have consoles? 

Gamer Rebellion! How to not get sucked into buying:

Computer games:
For your computer, there are tons of options, some of them even free, provided you have a computer.

Steam:
I particularly haven't used this one yet. But perhaps when I have time to game, and a good gaming computer, I can give this a shot. Steam basically is the iTunes equivalent to gaming. You buy games online (get your credit cards handy!) and download the games, whenever, to your computer. The advantage of downloading is that you always have a backup, you can always re-download and re-install off of Steam without a need to carry around a disc. It ties games permanently to your account, which sounds a lot like how iTunes works.

Google Chrome:
I recently found Google Chrome and am able to download games, free. There are not as many options as I had hoped, and there are even some knock-offs of popular ones, but they're still free games to play. Currently, I am addicted to playing Kingdom Rush.

Ouya:
It's pronounced (Oh-yeah). I found this about a year ago, and almost completely forgotten about it. Based off of Android, this is great. It's a console, costing $99, where you get to play free games! Currently there are 210 games free to try. Games like Minecraft, Vector, and other awesome games.

How to be a gaming rebel:

'[...] we, as the consumers, shouldn't have to put up with these "dedicated" machines when we could have easy and unlimited customization at our fingertips. We should no longer have to put up with having three billion devices plugged into our TVs [...]. Technology is at a point where we can literally do with one device per television which is capable of handling all of the media. Hell, that device could even be the television.'
Screw attack - Why do we even have consoles?

Stick with older games:
Maybe, like me, you find a console you like and you can supply yourself with a whole bunch of favorite games to stick with. Sure, there may not be any new ones, but guess who's got a new game for $20 or less?

Friendly swap:
Perhaps you have an Xbox, your other friend has a PS3. Well, how about after you are done with a few games, you and your friend swap consoles and games. Usually, you should only do this with a friend that you trust that won't sell your games or console while you're busy trying to beat the final boss.

Read a book:
It's not a game, but you still can experience a good story. All games are essentially some sort of story with objectives, right? Plus you won't get bogged down with things like achievements.
Oh, look you got one just now by reading this blog!

How a purple unicorn taught me lessons about friendship

Now that I'm in college, I expected myself to have made a ton of friends by now. Isn't college supposed to be a place where you find your BFFs? Perhaps I didn't go to the right building.

Connecting with others seems to be a skill I haven't quite mastered. On my days off I prefer to be a hermit and bury myself in studying, playing video-games, and browsing the internet. That was, until I found the Magic of Friendship.

Okay, I lied, I still do all of those things, but I have made more friends after watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic...

To quote from Wikipedia to help me explain this show better than I ever could:

"The show follows a studious unicorn pony named Twilight Sparkle. Her mentor, Princess Celestia, guides her to learn about friendship in the town of Ponyville. Twilight becomes close friends with five other ponies: [...] Each representing a different facet of friendship, [...], The ponies share adventures and help out other residents of Ponyville, while working out the troublesome moments in their own friendships."

I love how there are characters that you just watch and go "Oh my god this is so totally me!". Twilight is considered highly-logical, rational and even-tempered. In the first episode this studious, purple unicorn was reluctant to make friends, even after her mentor told her to do so. I immediately resonated with her characteristics and fell in love with the show ever since.

Throughout High school I was a loner. Often, I'd jump from group to group never really sticking around long enough to make any true friends. If I had done so, I didn't realize it, and didn't use much effort to keep them close. I felt awkward in social situations, not knowing the proper protocols, so I never made any effort to socialize.

After watching all 3 seasons, I've learned a few lessons from the show. Like with Twilight, having that close knit group is important. In High school, I made the mistake of spreading myself too thinly across multiple groups. Trying to please everyone by blending in whenever needed, I never was 100% myself at any time. Now I know it's best to have a few very close friends where you can always be yourself.

Rarity: find your passion

Sometimes you find your best friends when you have a mutual hobby. For me, it's a lot of geeky, nerdy things. Rarity has a passion for her work that I slightly envy. She has found her niche that she works well in, even going so far as creating a successful business in the small town of Ponyville. I hope to become as successful and as happy in a career I enjoy as her.

Apple Jack: Ask for help

In one particular episode, Applejack became stubborn and worked herself into an extreme fatigue before she finally gave in and asked her friends for help. This lesson can be hard one for me to follow through with. Often, I am there to help someone else without giving it a second thought. However, I tend to go at it alone when it comes to my own problems. I know that no one should ever have to do everything by themselves, that's why you should always have a good handful of friends to help you through your hard times as well as share your good ones as well.

Fluttershy: Keep calm and be kind

Fluttershy at her best is generous and sweet. She's sometimes a little too trusting but always eager to help. It's always best to be kind towards your friends and always give them the benefit of the doubt. However, never be a pushover. I tended to give in to others, especially when it came to conflict. Now I know that it's okay to stand up for yourself, even when you might disagree with others, stay kind and understanding and there won't be any real problem.

Pinkie Pie: Have fun!

Having friends around should be a fun experience. In her own eccentric way, Pinkie Pie will go out of her way to make any of her friends smile. If you have friends that you don't have fun with and don't enjoy being around, it's okay to break ties with negative people.

Rainbow Dash: Stay 20% cooler

I'm not much of a girly-girl and neither is Rainbow Dash. She's all spunk, coolness, loyalty, and all about being awesome. Just don't let it get to your head. Although she may come off as lazy, Rainbow Dash has confidence in her abilities to take care of her job, as well as her friends, whenever needed. I believe being loyal to your friends is one of the greatest characteristics anyone can have. I've had times where I felt betrayed by my friends, and it's not a nice feeling. So keep your head up, stick with your friends, and never let anyone else steal your thunder!

The best thing I've learned is that opening up and sharing your experiences with others may teach, help, and inspire others, but also it can show yourself just how far you've come.

So what do you think? Have you learned about friendship, or something else, through a movie or series? Do you enjoy watching My Little Pony? Let me know.

A Legend most Brutal

Rated M for Metal

Brutal Legend is one of those games I feel that this game isn't really known as well as I think it should be. It's an awesome game. It's tactical, comedic, and has Heavy-Metal music and influences throughout the game. What more could you ask for?

Even promoted by Dethklok!

"The game, a hybrid of the action-adventure and real-time strategy genres, includes Stage Battles in both the single-player and multiplayer mode, where the player must command troops to defeat their foes while defending their own stage." -Wikipedia

Gameplay:

"Everything in that general direction must die!"

You play as Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black), "one of the best roadies" for "one of the worst metal bands", who gets transported to another world where trees have exhaust pipes and BDSM-like demons have enslaved humans. (They also have a beer tree).

[...] Much of the game takes place in an unnamed world inspired by heavy metal music, created by, according to the game's mythology, Ormagöden" - wikipedia

Weapons:

You decapitate enemies with his axe "The Seperator", his Flying V guitar can cast magic spells, such as lightning bolts and melting faces, while riding a hot rod that Eddie builds called "The Druid Plow", a.k.a. "The Deuce".

I mainly preffered to battle enemies by either using the cars' upgrades, like the rocket launchers, Guitar solo's like Face Melter (it was one of my favorites), or just maxing the axe's strength and slicing away!

Wanna go for a ride?

Quests:

While not busy slicing enemies and running over porcupines with your hot rod, you can also complete side missions such as racing, helping out an ambush, turning your car into a ballista, and helping a cannon operator shoot targets. There are also these bound dragon statues you can release for more health points and other boosts. You can also perform jumps and look at important landmarks. All of these events help you gain Fire Tributes which are used to upgrade your weapons and armor.

 I found that exploring the world itself was fun, there are a lot of hidden references to Metal all throughout the game. These quests were a main part of my game-play, I always ended up dying for some reason, then I found out how to get more health from releasing bound dragons, so I ended up mostly roaming the map looking for the 100 dragons!

Don't mess with this kitty.

Stage Battles:

The tactical part of the game comes into play in the main story-line. Using real time strategy, you directly control Eddie to defend a giant stage where new allies spawn. Eddie is able to control the entire army to follow, attack, or defend a point, and can use specialized squads of specific units to perform certain task. Until a specific objective is completed, like destroying the enemy stage, you create an army by building merchandise booths on "fan geysers". Once enough fans are collected, you can summon different allies, each using a certain number of fans. Upgrading the stage to allows you to summon more powerful allies.

Before each major battle be sure to talk to each ally, you get to learn more about the characters and maybe have a good laugh.

Sequel?

Often, the best games are always the first ones, and as much as I love this game and hoped for a sequel, unfortunately I am saddened to read this news.

"Double Fine believed they were given the go-ahead to develop a sequel to Brütal Legend after the game's release, and had invested a great deal of development time towards this, but were later told by EA that it was cancelled.^{[52] [...][...]}As of 2013, Schafer is still interested in a sequel to Brütal Legend, but would require appropriate funding and resources to make it happen as an independent developer.^{[51]" - wikipedia}

Overall, the game is great to play for anyone who loves strategy-tactical games, the humor of Jack Black and/or Heavy Metal music. I feel this game needs to be played for it's awesomeness. So let me know what you think. Have you played this game, or want to play now? Leave a comment and follow my blog.
Til next post!

As Seen On TV: The Commercialism Spammer

As Seen On TV: The Commercialism Spammer

I noticed the other day one of those 'Perfect Pancake' pans. I thought, 'Are people really that lazy to perfect something as simple as a pancake?'. I mean, yes, I would enjoy a perfectly stacked pile of pancakes, but they're going to be eaten within a matter of minutes! Truthfully, I would see this pan only really being used in an Ihop.

Personally, when I see As Seen On TV product, I approach it with a lot of skepticism. As much as I like my life to be easier, I don't think we need a whole lot of these contraptions. Is society really becoming so dependent upon production lines that will eventually no longer be self sufficient?

I agree that some of these inventions are ingenious, but do we really need them? To quote from an article I recently read from Thought Catalog.

"We’ve been led into a culture that has been engineered to leave us tired, hungry for indulgence, willing to pay a lot for convenience and entertainment, and most importantly, vaguely dissatisfied with our lives so that we continue wanting things we don’t have. We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing."

So to fill in the gap, we buy, buy, buy! One main reason As Seen On TV products are so appealing is that they promise to provide convenience.

Save a buck:

I find the As Seen On TV commercials extremely funny. That's probably why I consider their products a joke. Unless you want to laugh at your own expense, here are a few products I consider unnecessary:

The Stealth SSA:

This product is basically an amplifier, while making it look like you're wearing a Bluetooth headset. The thing is, would you really wear this everywhere you go? Like, for example sitting down at the table. If you did it would look pretty rude. Also, what if you have difficulty hearing in both ears? Now you're wearing two "Bluetooth headsets" and just look silly while doing so. I think hearing aids are a smarter step and just skip this product altogether.

Slushy Magic:

I've read a couple of reviews before actually commenting on this one. I assumed that the cubes were a one-use thing, rather, they are these gel ice-cubes that you reuse over and over again. I have a problem with the the constant shaking to getting your slushie. You'd end up with a cool drink and tired arms.
Get a slushie machine or just go and buy a slushie at your local super market, provided that they have any. Or to be super cheap, take ice-cubes and use a blender!

Old Brooklyn Style Lantern:

Lets face it, this product is just for show and nothing more. I really like this design and the old fashioned look, but you can get a similar LED lantern for about the same price or less in the camping section at Walmart.

Alternatives to As Seen on TV products:

Sometimes ASOTV products are great and should be bought, other times there are better alternatives. Here are a few products I felt should be reconsidered and/or swapped for something else:

Pillow Pets, Pillow Pet Dream Lights, Tummy Stuffers:

I agree that it's a unique idea for a stuffed animal to also be a pillow, backpack or nightlight, but these and other similar products are only out to get your money because of the Pillow Pet craze. Disney Pillow Pets anyone?
You can easily buy any other stuffed animal and I bet you that a kid somewhere will sleep on it like any other pillow. I have one friend who did just that when he was a kid.

Wuggle Pets

This is basically stuffing your own stuffed animal, that's it. If you wanted a real special experience for stuffing your own animal, there's Build-A-Bear Workshop, or even just sewing your own stuffed animal (for people who are old enough to play with needles, scissors, and sewing machines!).

Pocket Hose

For $20, you can buy a much longer hose for the price of this retractable one.
The only problem I see with this product is what this material is made out of. It looks and feels like it's some sort of fabric, and fabrics tear. If there's a rip, your hose won't be at its full potential.
Also, another flaw I possibly see is the expand/contract feature. If after so many uses, the hose doesn't retract? You're now stuck with a plain regular hose now. Think of it as an elastic band, it won't stretch back to its previous form after so many stretches.

Will you buy?:

Really weigh the pros and cons when buying ASOTV products. Ask yourself 'Will I be able to use this product in more ways than one?' 'Is there an alternative way to get this result without this product?' And most importantly, 'Do I really need this item?'

What do you think? Are As Seen On TV items a joke? Do you have any As Seen On TV items you love/hate?