The negatives of drinking soda

One of my new year’s resolutions is to “drink soda only occasionally, if at all.”

Starting this week, I will begin to limit my consumption of soda. I do not drink soda every day, but I do drink it more than once a week which is definitely more often than I should. For the first month I will allow myself up to two sodas a week. The second month I will only allow myself up to one soda per week. The third month I will allow myself up to one soda every two weeks. The fourth month I will not allow myself any soda at all. After that month is over I will only have sodas on occasion, if at all.

To help myself adjust to this transition, I’ve put together a number of facts regarding the harmful effects of soda. The infographic above has some great facts and figures provided by Term Life Insurance. Below you can find some extra facts I was able to find independently.

• With a pH of about 2.5 (about the same as vinegar), soda is the most acidic beverage you can buy. Why does that matter? Acid oxidizes whatever it comes in contact with. For example, if you put soda or vinegar on metal it will rust it quickly. Think of the effect something like that would have on your body!
• The high levels of phosphorus contained in sodas can leach calcium from your system. Osteoporosis, tooth loss, periodontal disease and gingivitis can be problems associated with a high phosphorus intake.
• For those of you with a diet soda in your hands, the news isn’t any better, in fact it’s worse! One liter of an aspartame-sweetened beverage can produce about fifty-six milligrams of methanol. When several of these beverages are consumed in a short period of time as much as two hundred fifty milligrams of methanol are dumped into the bloodstream. Methanol is toxic to the human body.
• Then there’s the caffeine. Caffeine withdrawal can strike people who drink a single cup of strongly brewed coffee or drink caffeinated soft drinks regularly. Caffeine-withdrawal symptoms include not only headache, but also fatigue, mild depression, muscle pain and stiffness, flu-like feelings, nausea and vomiting.

I invite any of you to join me in this resolution. Soda, although tasty, is not beneficial to our bodies at all and can be removed from our diet with a little effort and support.

Happy 25th anniversary Final Fantasy!

The 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy, one of the greatest game series of all time, takes place today, December 18th.

The Final Fantasy series began with the launch of a single title bearing its name in Japan 1987. It has since spread into a variety of releases, both numbered and named, on a variety of platforms. Today the series has expanded the use of epic stories and character development, combined with gorgeous graphics and design, that continue to uniquely shape the genre.

Final Fantasy VI was my first exposure to the series and the role-playing genre as a whole. Many happy memories return when I think about this game.

My favorite Final Fantasy memory, actually my favorite video game memory ever, was when my friend Megan and I would play Final Fantasy VI together. We would trade off the controller, read and sing along with the characters. We would make frozen lemonade and popcorn, sipping and munching while we played. To both be so into the story and it’s characters, to still feel that attachment so strongly today is the type of magic the Final Fantasy series creates in our hearts.

What is your favorite Final Fantasy game and/or your favorite memory associated with one?

Below are the Final Fantasy games with numerical titles and their synopses.


FINAL FANTASY
The world lies shrouded in darkness. The winds die... The seas rage... The earth decays... But the people believe in a prophecy, patiently awaiting its fulfilment. "When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come..." After a long journey, four young travellers did at last appear...

...and in the hand of each was clutched a crystal.


FINAL FANTASY II
In the Kingdom of Fynn, a rebel army arises to combat a threat, but their castle falls to an all-out assault by the empire. Left with little choice, the rebels beat a hasty retreat to the remote town of Altair.

In the ensuing chaos, four youths orphaned by the empire are also forced to flee from Fynn...but they are soon to find that the empire is not so easily escaped.


FINAL FANTASY III
The Gulgan thus prophesied: "The earthquake was only the beginning. The great tremors that swallowed the crystals, the light of our world, only to spawn monsters from the depths of the scarred land, are nothing but harbingers of what has yet to come.

Something is coming...fathomless, ominous, and full of sorrow... But hope is not yet lost. Four souls will be blessed with light, and so it shall begin..."


FINAL FANTASY IV
Birthed from womb of Dragon's maw and borne unto the stars. By light and darkness cast aloft are dreamtide oaths resworn. Moon is swathed in ever-light Ne'er again to know eclipse Earth, with hallow'd bounty reconciled.

Former Captain of the Red Wings and Dark Knight for the Kingdom of Baron, Cecil embarks on a journey gathering allies to combat the powerful Golbez.


FINAL FANTASY V
Hope blesses the Earth Courage sets the Fire alight Kindness flows from the Water The Wind carries wisdom for the quest If people possess the four essences, light will be born.


FINAL FANTASY VI
Many centuries have passed since the war. Civilisations have been rebuilt with iron, machines and technology. For years the Espers have existed only in ancient legends. Now an Esper has been discovered and the forces of magic are beginning to return. The risk of another, more devastating war is about to surface. The story focuses on Terra Branford escaping the control of Imperial forces from the south as she learns more about her origins.


FINAL FANTASY VII
I Midgar, a city controlled by the megaconglomerate Shinra. Inc., the No. 1 Mako Reactor has been blown up by a rebel group, AVALANCHE.

AVALANCHE was secretly formed to wage a rebellion against Shinra. Inc., an organization which is absorbing Mako energy, destroying the natural resources of the planet. Cloud, a former member of Shinra's elite combat force, SOLDIER, was involved with the bombing of the Mako Reactor.

Can Cloud and AVALANCHE protect the planet from the huge, formidable enemy, Shinra. Inc.?


FINAL FANTASY VIII
At the forefront of a rising tide of violence brought on by Galbadia's war declaration is a SeeD cadet named Squall Leonhart. Serious to a fault, Squall is thought of as being very much a lone wolf.

An encounter with the freespirited Rinoa Heartilly turns his universe upside down. Squall finds Rinoa's carefree attitude fascinating but has no time to ponder these thoughts, for the job of dealing with the sorceress behind Galbadia's hostility has fallen to SeeD and Squall.


FINAL FANTASY IX
Queen Brahne of Alexandria has begun using highly-advanced magical weapons to terrorize neighboring kingdoms. Her daughter, Princess Garnet, runs away from the castle and befriends a group of good-hearted bandits lead by a skilled thief, Zidane, who intends to end the evil queen's desire to dominate the world. Soon after embarking on their quest, they discover that the queen's threats merely cover a far more sinister plot. For the sake of mankind, Zidane and his friends must put an end to the Queen's reign before she and the evil forces that accompany her can carry out the deadly plan..


FINAL FANTASY X
The magical world of Spira is under threat from Sin - an evil entity that unleashes havoc, terror and destruction. Join Tidus, a heroic blitzball superstar, and Yuna, a courageous girl skilled in the ancient art of summoning, as they embark on an epic quest to defeat Spira's deadliest enemy.


FINAL FANTASY X-2
In the sequel, two years have passed since Sin was destroyed. Since defeating Sin and becoming high summoner, Yuna has returned to her childhood home of Besaid Island. Yuna senses something is missing... One day, she is shown a movie sphere. Of him. Or is it? No matter what the truth may be, the answers she finds will change her life forever, and a new journey starts.


FINAL FANTASY XI
The world of Vana-diel stands at the brink of war. Three powerful nations, united in their plight against the beastmen forces, look to their last hope - brave adventurers like you!


FINAL FANTASY XII
As war looms on the horizon, the mighty Archadian Empire begins a campaign to subjugate its neighbours. The small kingdom of Dalmasca shares their fate.

Our story follows Ashe, Vaan and his friend Penelo, the sky pirate Balthier, and his partner Fran. Accompanying them is Basch, a captain of the Dalmascan army who turned traitor and slew his king.

Join them on an adventure spanning Ivalice that traces the mysteries behind the Archadian Empire's invasion.


FINAL FANTASY XIII
As a deepening crisis threatens to plunge the floating world of Cocoon into chaos, a band of unsuspecting strangers finds themselves branded enemies of the state. With the panicking population baying for their blood, and the military all too happy to oblige, they have no choice but to run for their lives. Join them on a desperate quest to challenge the forces controlling their fate, and prevent untold destruction.


FINAL FANTASY XIII-2
In the sequel, they all believed she was gone forever, never to return. Everyone, that is, except Serah Farron. She clung to a different truth. Lightning! Could she be alive? Could her beloved sister really be in that world of chaos and death, fighting to save a dying goddess? It does not take long for Serah to make the fateful decision. She accepts the weapon that Lightning has gifted her, and resolves to follow this stranger into the future...


FINAL FANTASY XIV
The story of Final Fantasy XIV focuses on the player’s adventure in the continent of Eorzea as they party with friends to defend their home against the invading Garlean Empire.

2013 New Year's resolutions

2013. I have this wonderful feeling it will be a great year.

I believe in making resolutions; they give you the focus to complete certain tasks. Resolutions can be made any time of the year, and should be in some cases, but it’s traditional to make them for the fresh start of a new year and it’s all in good fun!

This year I have created 13 resolutions to complete before next New Year’s Day. Some of them I have already begun to work on and I’m feeling really positive about getting everything accomplished!

• Attend a game convention.
• Be acknowledged by my role models in gaming journalism (Jesse Cox, Dodger, and WoWcrendor to name a few).
• Complete 31 Days to a Better Blog.
• Create and adhere to a beauty regimen.
• Determine my style and begin rebuilding my wardrobe.
• Donate/Recycle/Sell/Trash unwanted possessions.
• Drink soda only occasionally, if at all.
• Eat fast food only once a week, if at all.
• Reach 200 subscribers on my blog.
• Reach 1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel.
• Read 20 novels and/or graphic novels.
• Reinvent my look.
• Tone my body.

Final Fantasy VI Anniversary Livestream - An interview with Jesse Cox

The 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy, one of the greatest game series of all time, takes place on December 18th. Word around town is Jesse Cox and his friends have planned something special to celebrate.

If you are unfamiliar with Jesse Cox, I am pleased to introduce you to a great comedian, voice actor, gamer and all around good guy. I started following Jesse on YouTube late in the summer of 2010 (two years wow!). I stumbled upon his beta footage from the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion and have been hooked ever since. Where as some channels were deadly serious about the games they play, Jesse has always approached his gaming with the relaxed attitude of “games are meant to be enjoyed.”

When I discovered Final Fantasy VI was one of Jesse’s favorite games of all time, I began pestering him to do a playthrough. A month or so ago I wrote him an email and told him about the 25^th anniversary of Final Fantasy. He thanked me for the reminder and a week or so after that he announced he’d be streaming FFVI live sometime around the 18^th! I asked him if we could arrange an interview focusing on the event and he agreed!

The 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy, one of the greatest game series of all time, takes place on December 18th. Word around town is you have planned something special. What are your plans to celebrate the creation of such a monumental series?

This weekend, on Friday the 14th myself and a whole slew of others will be live streaming Final Fantasy 6 in it's entirety.  Just as sort of a "thank you" to the amazing team who created Final Fantasy. It'll start at 4pm PST, but if you aren't on the west coast the best way to view the time is: http://static.shaboozey.com/ffvi/

Where will we be able to view this livestream?

You can view it on twitch.tv - yes, the actual main channel. We'll be on the front page.

Who else will be involved in this event and how will they participate?

It's sort of like a party atmosphere, so just a whole bunch of my friends having fun.

Appearances by Shofu, Muzzafuzza, Ivyleaguepunk, Nakedhalo, Dodger, Husky and Ro, the Warp Zone, Indiestatik, the Completionist and more. 

Will you be the only one playing FFVI? Or will you be relaying between other players?

I'll start it off I think, but I'll be real honest - I intend on having other people grind the levels :P

Will you and the other participants be interacting with viewers during the event?

Yep, we'll have chat up and field questions as well as have giveaways. I don't know what we have yet, as Square (Square Enix) is providing the prizes, but when we get them you can bet they'll be awesome.

Have you played all of the Final Fantasy games? If not, how many have you played? Why did you choose FFVI?

I have played them all, except FFXIII-2...because no one should have to suffer through a Final Fantasy XIII like game ever again. I chose 6 because it's the best Final Fantasy, the best RPG, and possibly the best game ever made. End of story.

Who is your favorite character in FFVI?

Oh man... so MAAAAANY good ones. But for me it's a tie between Locke or Edgar. Either a thief who refuses to admit he's a thief or a king who's a womanizer with 0 skill when it comes to picking up women. Both are great.

From a more technical standpoint what is your favorite character based on their combat abilities?

Well the good thing about FFVI is that all the characters can get all the magic, but if it comes to skills...

I would say I like Shadow's ability to take weapons in the inventory and throw them at enemies - some do INSANE damage.

What is your favorite grouping of characters to adventure with?

Usually by the end it's Terra, Edgar, Locke, and Celes. 

What is your favorite esper?

Love me that Shiva!

Will you be doing voices for the game's many characters? (Looking forward to it!)

If I do, you can bet it'll be done poorly :P

More importantly, will you be singing the opera? (If you do I and many others would probably combust with happiness)

Oh man, this may have to happen.

Is there anything you'd like to share with my readers?

I can't wait to see everyone there, in the chat. I will do my damnedest to make this a lasting memory.

~End

Thank you so much for this interview Jesse. I for one will be watching and I guarantee it will be a lasting memory for myself and all of your subscribers who love the Final Fantasy series. Readers, I hope you all check out Jesse's livestream of Final Fantasy VI on December 14th through 15th, it's going to be a blast!

For now, I hope you'll enjoy the Final Fantasy VI soundtrack while you wait.

Friday feature - Gourmet Gaming

Gourmet Gaming recreates foods from your favorite video games. What's even better is Daniella (the cook behind Gourmet Gaming) will post the recipe so you can experiment in making your own!

Some examples of the recipes you will see (she normally posts a new one each Wednesday) are displayed below. Make sure to check out her website for more great recipes!

Dishonored - Apricot Tartlet
Dragon Age - Found Cake
Bastion - Leechade
World of Warcraft - Graccu's Mince Meat Fruitcake

Bastion review and contest winner!

Bastion is an isometric style action role-playing video game produced by independent developer Super Giant Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Bastion takes place in the wake of the apocalyptic “Calamity”, a catastrophic event that has fractured the game’s world into many floating pieces, disrupting its ecology and reducing its people to ash. The player controls “the Kid”, a silent protagonist who awakens unharmed the morning after the Calamity and sets out to find the Bastion, a sanctuary where citizens of Caelondia are supposed to meet in case of trouble. The only survivor he meets there is an elderly man named Rucks, who also happens to be the game's narrator. Rucks instructs the Kid to collect the crystalline Cores that had powered Caelondia. Once collected, a device in the Bastion can use the power of the cores to create landmasses and structures, as well as enable the Kid to travel farther via "skyways" that propel him through the air. Once the Bastion is restored, the player can choose to reset the world to a time before the Calamity or leave Caelondia as it is and start anew.

The cores are spread throughout different fragmented levels. The levels contain many different environment types, including cities, forests, and bogs. They are filled with enemies of various types, which attempt to harm the Kid. Occasionally, the level begins to disintegrate once the Kid takes the core, forcing him to hastily retreat.


As the player progresses through the levels, Rucks narrates their actions. This narration gives scripted plot information as well as dynamic comments, such as on the player's skill with a weapon or performance while fighting enemies. The narrator was added early in the game's development as a way to provide background details and depth to the world without requiring the player to read long strings of text or wait through cutscenes. To avoid slowing the pace of the action-oriented gameplay, the team had the narrator mainly speak in short, expressive phrases, with long pauses between speaking parts.

Between levels, the Kid visits the Bastion, where the player can use fragments (the game's form of currency) that they have accrued on their journey to buy materials and upgrade weapons. With each core the player collects, they can add one of six structures to the Bastion: a lost and found, a shrine, an armory, a forge, a distillery, and memorial. Each structure serves a different purpose; for example, the distillery lets the player select upgrades, and the shrine allows the player to choose idols of the gods to invoke, causing the enemies to become stronger and giving the player increased experience points and currency. Experience points are used to determine the Kid's ability level; higher values give the player more health and increase the number of upgrades they can select.

The Kid carries two weapons, a ranged and a melee, which may be selected from the choices available to the player at specific locations called arsenals. My favorite weapon to use is the classic bow. The Kid also has the ability to perform a special attack. Weapons and special attacks must be acquired before they can be used. There are a limited number of special attacks that the player can perform at any time, represented by "black tonics" that can be found in the levels or dropped from enemies. The Kid's health is represented by a health bar, which can be replenished with "health tonics". Like black tonics, the Kid can only carry a certain number of health potions at a time, and can replenish them by finding more in the levels.

During his quest, the Kid meets two more survivors: Zulf, an ambassador from the Ura people, a group with whom Caelondia was once at war, and Zia, an Ura girl who was raised in Caelondia. Both of them return to the Bastion. Additionally, the Kid can fight waves of enemies while the narrator tells Zulf or Zia’s backstory by using different items within the Bastion and journeying to “Who Knows Where".


Whenever the player leaves the Bastion, they can choose between one or two regular levels to play. In addition to these levels, however, the Kid can engage in challenge courses designed to test the player's skills with the weapons the player has found. The challenges differ depending on the weapon, such as destroying a certain number of objects within a given time or breaking targets in the fewest shots possible. The player earns fragments and experience for each completed wave. After the game is completed, the player can choose to begin a "new game+" mode, where the player replays through the game while keeping the experience points, fragments, and weapons that they have gained. This mode also offers more options in the buildings, as well as two more journeys to "Who Knows Where".

Another great element of Bastion is it’s stellar soundtrack produced and composed by Darren Korb, a songwriter and composer. Bastion was the first video game that Korb had scored. He was brought onto the team in the beginning stages of the project, and several of the pieces he developed were created prior to the final design of the levels with which they were associated. The musical style of the soundtrack has been described by Korb as "acoustic frontier trip hop". It was intended to evoke both the American frontier and an exotic fantasy world. The songs combine "heavily sampled beats in layers, along with acoustic elements", and he determined that he wanted to create the soundtrack in that style as it was different than video game soundtracks that he had heard before.

Bastion is definitely one of the best independent games I have had the pleasure of playing. The beautiful handpainted isometric style and unique game map mechanics drew me in and the music completely immersed me in the beautiful world Super Giant Games created. I look forward to future works released by this team. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great unique game.

Check out "The First 60 Minutes of Bastion"



And now the moment you've all been waiting for!

The winner of my Bastion giveaway is escribner86 from YouTube!

Please message me with your Steam name so I may gift you your prize! Congratulations!

For those who entered and didn't win a prize, stay tuned! I will be doing another giveaway at the end of December!

Christmas movies and specials

Last Christmas, Cameron and I made a list of all the Christmas movies and specials we could think of that we love and have loved watching during the holidays. Here is the list so that we will never leave something out, or that others may benefit. Let us know if we left out any of your favorites!

I've put "for adults only" next to movies that are for an older audience, parental discretion is advised!

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
A Christmas Carol (2009)
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Garfield Christmas Special (1987)
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Bad Santa (2003) - For adults only
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Christmas with the Cranks (2004)
Die Hard (1988) - For adults only
Die Hard 2 (1990) - For adults only
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Elf (2003)
Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas (1977)
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Fred Claus (2007)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Funny Farm (1988)
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (2000)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’sStone (2001)
Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Ice Harvest (2005) - For adults only
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jingle All the Way (1996)
Lethal Weapon (1987) - For adults only
Love Actually (2003) - For adults only
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)
Reindeer Games (2000) - For adults only
Rudolph, the Rednosed Reindeer (1964)
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970)
Scrooged (1988)
Serendipity (2001)
Small One (1978)
The Cricket in Times Square (1973)
The Holiday (2006)
The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Polar Express (2004)
The Ref (1994)
The Santa Claus (1994)
The Santa Claus 2 (2002)
The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
The Year Without a Santa Clause (1974)
Trapped in Paradise (1994) - For adults only
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
White Christmas (1954)

Our first Christmas tree!

Cameron and I purchased our first Christmas tree together this past weekend. Decorated with care, it has a mismatched collection of ornaments that we've inherited from our folks and grandfolks over the years.

On any given year, my family selects a tree from a local tree farm. The kind of farm where you venture out into a field with a saw, pick your own tree and bring it home. This year we purchased from a local hardware store and it is a pretty beautiful tree, a noble fir to be exact.

We light it all the time. Well, not all of the time we do turn it off when it's light outside or when we are away, but for the most part it remains lit in our living room. A comforting, sparkling glow. A reminder of the season.

Thank you for being here to share in this moment!

Bastion giveaway!

It is the season of giving and I am giving away a free copy of the video game Bastion.

The rules are simple:

A.) You must have the free Steam client installed. Bastion was purchased on Steam and I will be gifting it through them.

B.) You must be subscribed to my blog. If you subscribe via rss or email you will need to tell me, I can see when the numbers change but not who is or isn't subscribing.

C.) You must be subscribed to my YouTube channel. Visit my page and at the top there will be a subscribe button!

D.) After you are done installing Steam and subscribing, comment on this blog and tell me that you have subscribed to both my blog and YouTube channel and that you would like Bastion.

Winners will be drawn and announced next Tuesday December 4th, 2012.

Good luck!

Jinx clothing

I am now a Jinx clothing affiliate!

If you follow the link to Jinx from the top right-hand side of my website or the link below and purchase something after you follow through with that link, I will get rewarded! Yay!

This is just in time for Christmas so if you’re looking for some gamer/geeky apparel for yourself or that special someone. Please support me by purchasing through my link. It would mean the world to me!

Happy Thanksgiving

Here in North America, Thanksgiving day is a national annual holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, marked by religious services and a traditional meal including a turkey or ham. Of course each family is different, some may not attend religious services and some may not eat turkey or ham, that’s not the point. I’ve always felt the main focus is to be together with the people you love and eat a meal together, thankful for all you have.

After all the definition of the word Thanksgiving is the expression of gratitude.

This is a special day where we all express our love and gratitude for the special people, circumstances and objects of our lives. A lot of people, including myself, lose sight of how wonderful aspects of our life really are.

I’ve created a list of the things I am thankful for in my life right now and I hope that I can remember, on more than just this day, what makes my life special.

I am thankful for…

My family
My husband
My new in-law family
My friends
My cats
My turtle
My (relatively) good health
My apartment
My job
My possessions

A letter to my stomach

Dear stomach,

Please note that although there will be a delicious looking banquet of food unfolded before you tomorrow, on Thanksgiving day, you are to exercise moderation. Know that this is not a race to see how fast you can finish the plate and not a contest to see how much you can fit within; there will be leftovers.

I don’t know what you’ve been lead to believe, but this will not be the last food you will ever see, no. No, we can even make some of these dishes throughout the year, rather than wait for one day to use the excuse to eat as much of each dish as we can.

Know that, I the mind, will do my best to restrain your temptations, but please for the sake of abdomen, butt and thighs, keep yourself under control. We have a high school reunion to prepare for my friend.

Signed,

The management.

Batman: Arkham Asylum review

The Batmobile races through the dark and murky streets of Gotham transporting the (once-again) captured Joker back to Arkham Asylum, Gotham's home for the criminally insane. When Batman arrives at the facility with his prisoner something doesn’t feel quite right. The Joker was too easy to catch, almost like he wanted to be brought back into the Asylum and after a “mysterious” fire at nearby prison, the facility has been stocked with hundreds of the Joker's goons. As a wary Batman escorts his prisoner deeper into the Asylum, the Joker breaks free, with the help of Harley Quinn, and his carefully formulated hostile take over begins.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a third-person action video game that places players in the role of the Dark Knight himself, Batman. With the help of a few of Batman’s notoriously hi tech goodies and special training, the player must navigate the isolated Arkham Asylum island: saving the innocents and defeating the villains. All in the effort to stop the Joker from releasing an army of mutated human monsters on the people of Gotham City.

Now, this might sound like your typical Batman story -- and it kind of is -- but it's important to take note that this is a fairly adult title. Arkham itself is a dark and gothic place that has just been completely torn apart by every psychopath housed there as they were set free. Dead guards are laid out and debris is strewn about. The facilities have seen better days.

Gameplay in this game breaks down into three main portions – exploring, fist fighting and stealth.

There are six main buildings on the island and each is one is fairly large: filled with cells, laboratories, libraries, and more. Explore! The driving motivation behind a detailed exploration of each location are the 240 Riddler challenges. Every so often, Edward Nigma chirps a riddle into Batman's earpiece that pertains to the room the Caped Crusader is in. It is up to you to locate the answer and scan it with your analysis tool. Beyond these worded riddles, the Riddler's challenges include trophies he's tucked away in the asylum, visual puzzles you can only solve through Detective Mode, villains’ patient interviews, and more. Most of areas that house these items will take your gadgets to find, so it's up to you to crawl through grates, use your cryptographic sequencer to hack security panels, use explosive gel to knock down walls and so on to get where you’re going.

As you move through the facility you're going to run into the baddies. Several confrontations await you, whether the Joker springs a trap with handfuls of guys ready to kill you or you find a crew of goons milling about; this is when you'll make use of your straight hand-to-hand moves. Batman's training allows him to move faster than his enemies and engage them in 360 degrees. Aim Batman towards whatever enemy you want to attack and he will follow through. Through four commands-- strike, reverse, jump, and stun -- you'll unleash the Bat’s fury on the scum of the Earth. You can just mash the strike button and take down the bad guys with a healthy set of animations -- dropkicks, elbows, punches, and more are peppered in -- and counter when you see the icon pop-up, but there's a sweet science to this madness if you use the right sequence of attacks. I felt empowered as I knocked these goons down, grabbed their bats and slammed them back into the attackers.

My favorite part of the game is taking out your opponents via stealth. While there are going to be those times where Joker's men ambush you, there are also the moments where you must be invisible, attacking from the shadows. These scenarios are enticing because they forced me to plan my movements instead of rushing in like an action star. I’d perch on a gargoyle and use an inverted takedown to snatch up my foes, then continue to pick them off one by one.


Some of the folks from Batman: The Animated Series are back to reprise their roles: Mark Hamill is the Joker, Kevin Conroy is Batman, and Arleen Sorkin is Harley Quinn. Mark Hamill is excellent in this game -- his inflection, his timing, and everything else is just spot-on. Thing is, he's not the exception to the rule -- Batman, Poison Ivy, the Riddler all sound excellent. Sure, some of the guards are hit or miss, but the characters you care about nail it. Add in the fact that you have an orchestral score that fits the dark, brooding mood of the game, and you have a title that is everything a Batman game's supposed to be in terms of mood.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the greatest comic book video games of all time. This is an adult Dark Knight story that is well-told, packs some truly fun gameplay elements, has topnotch voice talent, and feels like it's truly of the Batman caliber.

I am Batman.

Check out "The First 60 Minutes of Batman: Arkham Asylum"


Check out my playthrough of Batman: Arkham Asylum on YouTube.

Batman: Arkham Asylum was on my list of "older" games I wanted to experience.

Friday feature - Silk generative art

My friend shared this site with me, titled "Silk - Interactive generative art".

Using the mouse you can create your own inkblot-esque designs with blue smoke-like wisps. Depending on what setting you're on, you can either have vertical symmetry, four way symmetry or no symmetry at all. Relax to the soothing music and create artwork you can share. Pictured above and below are two of my creations.

Check them out! Relax and enjoy.

Do the mashed potatoes!

I will be spending Thanksgiving with my husband’s (and now my) family and I am happy to be contributing to the meal!

When I found my husband was contributing a pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin soup, I felt the need to share something I could make as well…mashed potatoes!

Mashed potatoes are incredibly simple to make.

• You start with potatoes, what type is your preference, I normally use russet.
• Peel each potato using a potato peeler or knife.
• Cut each potato into bite size pieces and rinse one final time in the sink to get any extra dirt off.
• Place the potatoes in a pan of water large and full enough for the water to cover all the potatoes.
• Boil potatoes until soft. You can test this by sticking a fork into a piece and pushing it against the side of the pot.
• Drain the water and mash up the potatoes. You can use a utensil or hand mixer.
• If potatoes are too dry you can add a little bit of liquid. Water, milk or broth (by preference).
• Add butter and whichever seasoning you would like, it’s your potatoes!

I’m usually a huge fan of recipes with exact measurements, but really, mashed potatoes are all about personal preference. You take a core food and build on it.

How do you like your mashed potatoes?

Share the holidays

One of the key ingredients to a Marriage is compromise.

Cameron and I were married in June of this year and with the arrival of the two major holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are figuring out how to fairly divide our time with each family.

After much discussion amongst ourselves, we’ve come to the conclusion that this year we are spending Thanksgiving with his family and Christmas day with mine. Christmas eve will be divided between both families. Next year we will switch days, spending Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas day with his.

Since this is our first time doing this there may be some alterations, especially in the future when we have children to take into consideration. For now this will probably be the fairest way to distribute time so that we see everyone without having to drive back and forth too much.

There have been couples I know or have known where one of the individuals takes over every holiday and makes their family the priority. In certain situations this might be ok, but is important to talk about it and see how your significant other is feeling. Remember this is not just you and yours in this relationship, but they and theirs as well. Think of their feelings as well as that of their parents, siblings, grandparents and so forth.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is free to play

Star Wars: The Old Republic will feature a free-to-play option as of November 15th, 2012, that's this Thursday!

I was overjoyed when I purchased this game last December, fully intending to play it through, but life got in the way and I had to suspend my account. At the time I had horrible Internet and reached a stalemate in the storyline I could not pass with the lag I was experiencing. When we moved into our new apartment the Internet turned amazing, but my funds did not. I am currently subscribed to World of Warcraft for a year in return for a “free” copy of Diablo III. Paying $14.99 a month for one game is doable, but I cannot pay for two right now.

I can hardly wait to start playing again when the game switches over. I will most likely re-create my Jedi Consular since I enjoyed playing her the most. I’ll give you all the details when the time arrives so we can play together.

As I mentioned before I already own the game, which I re-installed last night. If you don’t already own the game, you can download it from the SWTOR website, or find it at a local retailer. As of right now the standard version is $14.99, but that may change.

Free to play will have full access to class storylines level 1 thru 50, but there will be some limitations on other game features. You can view the differences between subscription and free-to-play accounts on the SW:TOR website.

Take a look at the videos below.

Tomb Raider - Keeping an eye on Lara Croft

“Find though she be but little, she is fierce” – Shakespeare

Tomb Raider explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a frightened young woman to a hardened survivor. Armed only with raw instincts and the ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance, Lara must fight to unravel the dark history of a forgotten island to escape its relentless hold.

On March 5th, 2013 Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix release a new installment of the Tomb Raider series, aptly named Tomb Raider, that will completely refresh and revitalize the series. This particular game will be a prologue, leading into future releases within the same universe and following the same storyline.

Words alone cannot express the excitement and anticipation I feel for this game. Lara Croft is a strong and intelligent female heroine; women want to be her and men want to be with her.


At the beginning of this story, we experience Lara embarking on her first job after graduating from a University. She shows fear in the face of danger, initially lacking confidence in her own abilities and judgment. Still, we can see the seeds of what Lara will eventually become. She possesses a powerful sense of moral courage. She is clever, resourceful and determined.

What intrigues me about this game is Lara’s vulnerability. She’s not the already perfect badass that everyone already recognizes her to be. She’s young, inexperienced and naïve the way most of us would be in her situation. She’s just beginning her journey and we are beginning it with her and as we identify with her experiences we are becoming tough and battle-hardened survivors along with her. Understanding her much more than ever before.

The original Tomb Raider game made its debut in 1996. Set in an early example of the 3D genre, the game presents a series of tombs and other locations through which the player must guide Lara. Using an over the shoulder third-person shooter mechanics, Lara must defeat dangerous creatures and humans while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to the ultimate prize, a powerful artifact.

In previous games the storyline was usually driven by the quest for aforementioned powerful artifact, pitting Lara in a race against a sinister shadow league who want to obtain the relic for their own purposes. These artifacts usually possess mystical powers and may be of supernatural, or even alien, origin. Often in the series, the antagonist uses the artifact or pieces of it to create terrifying mystical monsters, creatures, and mutants which Lara must defeat throughout the journey.

The new Tomb Raider explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a frightened and naive young woman, to a hardened survivor. Setting out on a voyage to make her mark on the world Lara's ship, the Endurance, is hit by a violent storm and split in two and she finds herself stranded on an isolated tropical island in the Dragon's Triangle. Lara has to find food and water to survive, fighting off the more dangerous animal inhabitants and trying to trace any other survivors. But a darker threat awaits as she is forced to face a group of malevolent mercenaries who seek to kill her and her companions.


As we draw nearer to the release of Tomb Raider I will keep you posted on any new news or details. When the game releases I will be doing a playthrough on my YouTube channel.

You can preorder Tomb Raider at the following stores.

Grainger Games
GameStop
Best Buy

The Tomb Raider website has confirmed that the game will be available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox360. As of right now it looks like the stores are only offering PlayStation 3 and Xbox360, but that could change shortly so stay tuned!

World of Warcraft - elemental shaman leveling rotation 61-90

Welcome fledgling shamans!

If you are a fan of visual guides then you’ve come to the right place. Here you will find visual aids of elemental rotations by level using the current icons for those abilities. Whether you are aiming to raid or prefer to experience all PvE content has to offer (this is not a guide for PvP), it’s best to start good habits early!

Keep in mind there may be some abilities not shown here that are circumstantial, but important. Spells like these are not used in an average rotation so we will cover them at a later time. In the meantime, read the description of each new spell you receive and apply it when needed. If you have any specific elemental questions let me know! I am here to help!

Elemental Shaman rotations levels 61 through 90 (See bottom of the post for other levels).


At level 61 your rotation should be as follows: Buff yourself with Lightning Shield and Flametongue Weapon. After checking your buffs, place Searing Totem, Flame Shock, then Lava Burst. While Lava Burst is on cool down, spam Lightning Bolt and Earth Shock when there are 7 charges on Lightning Shield.


Circumstantial! At level 66 you receive the Fire ElementalTotem. This can be used in longer fights to boost your dps.


Circumstantial! At level 70 you receive Bloodlust/Heroism. This can be used in longer and/or harder fights to boost you and your raid party’s casting speed by 30% for 40 seconds. If you are in a raid, do not cast this in a fight until your raid leader asks you to! Keep in mind once this is cast it has a cooldown of 10 minutes.


Circumstantial! At level 72 you receive Bind Elemental. This can be used for crowd control situations to restrain a hostile elemental for up to 50 sec.


Circumstantial! At level 75 you receive Hex. This can be used to turn most humanoids and beasts into a frog for up to 1 min. This is very helpful in higher levels when you need to take care of one mob at a time.


At level 81 you receive Unleash Elements. This can be used to really bump up the damage on your Lava Burst Spell. Alter your rotation. Buff yourself with Lightning Shield and Flametongue Weapon. After checking your buffs, place Searing Totem, Flame Shock, UnleashElements, then Lava Burst. While Lava Burst is on cool down, spam Lightning Bolt and Earth Shock when there are 7 charges on Lightning Shield.


Circumstantial! At level 85 you receive Spiritwalker’sGrace. You can use this to move while casting any non-instant spells. Which would be very useful specific situations.


At level 87 you receive Ascendance. Alter your rotation. Buff yourself with Lightning Shield and Flametongue Weapon. After checking your buffs, place Searing Totem. Cast Flame Shock, Unleash Elements, Ascendance and then Lava Burst to your heart's content. Once Ascendance has worn off and while that and Lava Burst are on cool down, spam Lightning Bolt and Earth Shock when there are 7 charges on Lightning Shield.

Levels 1-30
Levels 31-60

Stay tuned for insight on talent trees and glyphs!