Since Fallout 3 has been out for a while and I’ve had ample time to reflect upon my feelings of the game. I thought it was time I finally published a full on review for it.
The memorable Fallout 3 introductory cinematic paints a grim portrait for the apocalyptic future the player is intended to investigate. The gritty, “War never changes” preface, which has since long ago become a Fallout staple conveys the significance to the player that they are not being thrust into a gracious world, but a universe that, given the chance, is always trying to kill them. Opening with the birth of the player-controller character in Vault 101 the game immediately sets the player to work customizing the character. As you grow older, you are introduced to other residents of the Vault prior to your father escaping, which inevitably spurs your character to desire departing as well to endeavor into the Capital Wasteland. A main quest line, side quests as well as unmarked or repeatable quests see to it that the player will be significantly busy for sometime. Moreover, the player can leave the main quest at any given time and pursue alternate objectives, leaving a vast, open world that invites exploration. While the narrative of the main quest is strong enough to stand on its own, the side quests do at times feel arduous. However, during the course of exploring I noticed I was completing objectives for quests I had not even accepted yet. The main mission remained solid throughout and several of the side quests were enough of a pleasure that the prospect of downloadable content to expand upon Fallout 3 even further is enticing enough to aspire for playing through the title a second time.
The introduction level of the title, being in Vault 101 was remarkably well done by Bethesda. Allocating points to various traits by reading a children’s book, telling the player how special they are or taking a test to determine what job they’re destined for in the vault are just a couple of ways the immersion takes hold. Additionally, starting the game through the eyes of a child, whose birth causes your mother to lose her life and being raised by your father James (Impeccably voiced by Liam Neeson), impresses a connection to the character. As you grow up and are given the chance to wander the vault, the sterile environment feels both eerie and welcoming at the same time. However, this is before the player has ever set foot in the wasteland. Eventually, James makes his escape for reasons unknown and when the answers you receive are not enough, you leave as well. Prior to doing so, the game affords the player one final opportunity to change any specification about their character before opening the door leading into the bright, hostile world. As the player takes their first steps into the world, the pivotal moment is defined by the characters eyes seeing sunlight for the first time as the player’s screen fills with lens flare. Checking your Pip-Boy 3000, you realize as a player that you really have no idea where to go, and ultimately head towards the first settlement you see.
Upon entering Megaton, you’re faced with the opportunity to experience the first of many relative moral choices. Ambiguous or not, you are either tasked with destroying the city via the unexploded atomic weapon at the center of town, disarming it or simply ignoring it. Each choice sways the karmic standing of the player’s character towards the good, neutral or bad. Karma, in essence, relates what kind of person you are to the rest of the world and serving as a prime factor in whether you can activate certain perks, group with certain followers or how certain wastelanders acknowledge your presence. Furthermore, karma choices ultimately are illustrated during the final cutscene and contribute towards what ending the player obtains. While at times, it may seem beneficial to lean towards moral ambiguity, sometimes it’s just better to play through and be the good guy.
Moving from Megaton to Rivet City, and on to Arefu and The Brotherhood of Steel Citadel built inside what remains of the Pentagon, the entirety of the Capital Wasteland is worth exploring. Before I do that though, I will caution that this title is not for everyone, and I’ve stated that before. However, Bethesda is notorious for being adaptable at creating immersive games that have overall been fun to play and Fallout 3 is no exception. While taking the reins of the Fallout series, there have been mixed feelings in regards to the reception. Where Fallout was traditionally a dungeon crawler series, Fallout 3 has taken a page out of Oblivion and it shows. Being able to play the game from first or third person in addition to being able to shoot in either V.A.T.S utilizing action points or shooting without any assistance and hoping for the best, this is just scratching the surface. What really kept me playing though were the various narratives. The main quest was interesting, however, the side quests kept me coming back for more as they took a life of their own, giving the game a distinct Pulp Fiction feeling as all the stories in one way or another tie together giving way to a satisfying conclusion. But with the massive amount of downloadable content made available by Bethesda, the game doesn’t end there. Five different episodes, each capable of four to five hours of additional gameplay see to it that Fallout 3 maintains its longevity and keeps the players who really love the game coming back. Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta all offer up a different unique flavor relative to the universe in which they exist, and I can’t wait to explore them.
Ultimately though, as with any game, what it boils down to is whether or not the title was fun. I can assure you, that the game was fun and at times you’ll forget why because you are having so much fun. Ideally, it’s the exploration, combat and narrative that at the very basic level continued to intrigue me throughout the entire title, never making me feel like any of my fifty hours of gameplay were being wasted. The controls were tight and solid as I only found myself very occasionally fumbling with the controller enough where I would be forced to reload a save as a result of my error. The graphics are spot on, with very minute glitching, also easily fixed by loading a save. Sounds were ambient and created an atmosphere that put me in the Capital Wasteland and didn’t let go, while the overall playability offered a title that would welcome many gamers, but would be slightly off putting to any newcomers to the genre. Finally, with the ability to play through the game as good, evil and neutral and still not having explored every single location on my Pip Boy’s world map, I’m convinced that Fallout 3’s replay value is assured.
In the meantime, I would suggest anyone curious to checking out the original Fallout and Fallout 2 and see just how interesting these predecessors are in addition to the current iteration because while “War never changes”, exceptional games do to adapt to the times and I’m satisfied to keep Fallout 3 in my collection for a very long time to come.
So Section 8 is coming out tomorrow and after playing the demo a few times I have some thoughts I would like to share. To kick things off, it is one of those multiplayer titles that feels like Unreal Tournament or Team Fortress. Actually, to be honest, it feels a bit like the two of them had a twisted screaming child together, had it taken away from them by birth and raised by Robert Heinlein who actively encouraged it to play with others. I think that sums it up relatively well. Granted, it was only a demo, but there were several things the little slice of the game did really great and a piece or two that felt like a spoiled pumpkin pie to the stomach.
Enough of these food allegories though, let's get down to business.
Section 8 takes place several hundred years in the future where mankind has set out to colonize the stars. However, when one of those planets rebel in the form of the Arm of Orion, mankind once again sets out from Earth to kick ass and take names. Deriving their name from the old US Army term for soldiers who are mentally unfit for duty due to the reasoning that they are essentially crazy, Section 8 gives off the same vibe at times, but it never feels like madness in the Eternal Darkness kind of way. And that's good, because it isn't what I want. Once the main cinematic rolls and the title screen appears, you're given the choice for a few options. You can begin an instant action round, which much like Unreal Tournament throws you into a match with bots, and you can literally jump right into combat. Corde's Story follows Alex Corde, a member of Section 8. Story mode sounds like it will basically be a series of Instant Actions that have cinematics spliced between levels in which you've kicked sufficient amounts of ass and taken the amount of names deemed necessary by your commanding officer. Finally, you can take the game online for some carnage against something that is being controlled by a player with a pulse. Multiple gameplay options and maps, many of which were unavailable in the demo only serve to drive my curiousity forward.
Once you've chosen a gameplay mode, be it instant action, online or story, you're presented with a screen that allows you to choose a loadout. This is where the Team Fortress feeling came into play because there are multiple character classes, none of which will feel daunting to anyone who has played a team-centric shooter in the past. There is standard Infantry, Engineer, Guardian, which functions in the same manner as heavy support, Medic, Recon, etc and each of these can have their individual loadouts modified. Therefore, no matter what class you want to play as they can customized and tailored to your particular style of play before dropping into the combat zone, which I confess is one of the coolest spawn features I have ever seen in a video game.
Prior to spawning, you will be presented with a map of the currently engaged combat area. There are red icons, signifying the enemy, as well as blue icons, which identify allies. Additionally, there are blue and red circles on the map that extend a certain radius from the bases that are currently in control of whichever side, these are the range of the AA guns. Now, dropping from the sky is hazardous enough, but when Anti-air guns come into play, it become particularly dicey. Should you choose to drop in range of AA guns, you can make it to the ground, however you're shields and possibly armor will have suffered damage and you'll have little to no breaking time before you hit the ground if you want to survive, making you easy pickings for any opponents defending their base. This won't always work though and should you drop too deep into AA gun range, you'll be getting ready to respawn even before you hit the ground. But as I said, this single unique play mechanic may be the deciding factor in what drives me to pick up Section 8.
Once on the ground, there are various locations on the map as well as different objectives that can be activated at any time. There are computer centers from which players can hack their way into controlling a facility, and taking a note from several multiplayer titles, the more players in the vicinity the faster it seems to come under the assaulting teams control. There are armories and indoor areas, but these merely serve to change up the scenery and don't really give the map I was able to play any further life. As far as objectives, there are convoys, intel and vip missions that occur at random times on the map all within the same game round, so it is always changing up. This felt confusing at first, but the more I listened to the in-game announcements, the easier it got to know when they would occur. Moreover, the combat felt very fluid and really didn't feel clunky, but it did take some getting used to at first.
After all, any title, especially shooters have a slight learning curve. Section 8 has a curve, but it didn't take that long to get the hang of it. The shooting feels a bit odd at first, but zooming in and even locking on become second nature after a round or so. Melee feels smooth as does the ability to go into a dead run before activating jump jets to do some shooting mid-air. While I was initially cynical that this would merely be a game wrapped around the sole gimmick of the drop, having grown up reading Starship Troopers, I was happy to see that wasn't the case. Overall, this does feel above average as a shooter, but I am loathe to admit that without playing against other people it could grow repetitive.
Ultimately, as with other titles, it is the little things that set them apart. Team Fortress had the team dynamic. Every class supporting the other created a stronger whole and won games, which is what make TF so much damn fun to play even to this day. Unreal Tournament is frantic arena combat that keeps on going until the score limit is reached. I would like to think that combined with the drop spawn, this could very well serve as a potential best of both worlds. However, only time and the final product, which I decided part of the way through this to follow through on and pick up. Here's hoping fortune favors innovation.
--Andrew
now how do i land on someone and kill them.
Be it backwards compatibility or stuffed somewhere in the Games on Demand service via Xbox Live, these are titles that shouldn’t be missed, regardless of being on the Xbox or not. So, sit back, relax and get ready for a brief lesson in what exactly a classic is and why you should spend some hard earned points and time investing in them. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
10. Manhunt - Carcer City was a terrible place as it was, throw waking up there with “The Director” in your head and being tasked with snuffing out the hunters before they get you, and that just made it a downright nightmare. Coined as a third-person stealth action title, Manhunt allowed you to do what Solid Snake couldn’t, snuff people out in some of the most gruesome ways possible. Visceral in its design and utterly terrifying for the main character, a former-death row prison inmate trying to rescue his family, the game is easily discernible as a Rockstar title. Increasingly immersive was the ability for gamers to distract those hunting the main character by speaking into the Xbox microphone on the headset, effectively reminding players to pause before sneezing. Despite being somewhat eclipsed by the unwarranted controversy its sequel garnered, Manhunt is still immeasurably fun to play and shouldn’t be missed.
9. Mortal Kombat: Deception - The last great Mortal Kombat title before Midway truly started going downhill; Deception distinguished itself in the realm of replayability as few of its predecessors could ever hope to do so. Konquest mode, which follows the quest of Shujinko, gave an epic feel to the entire Mortal Kombat universe. While it was criticized for poor voice acting, the overall action and fleshed out storyline of Konquest gave single players an alternate option from Arcade Mode. Furthermore praised by several publications for its tight controls and concise stringing of combos together, Deception easily captured several “best fighting game” awards. In addition to amount of playable characters and the ability to select between various fighting styles made the game really damn fun and in comparison to some later iteration of the series, still stands up very well.
8. Jet Set Radio Future (JSRF) - Some years ago there was a game called Jet Grind Radio on the Dreamcast and this is as close as you’re ever going to get to it if you want to play it on a 360. Set in a future where free expression has been outlawed, playing as a skater who goes around town tagging, tripping up guards and generally causing mayhem is a lot more fun than I originally thought it could be. But it is, and it really doesn’t get old, even after the credits roll. The music is great, the art style is spectacular and the gameplay is something that I could put next to Tony Hawk’s Ride and still walk away playing JSRF.
7. Panzer Dragoon Orta - Panzer Dragoon was always an amazing series and regardless of the nostalgia factor in its favor, any self-respecting gamer has to play this game at least once. One of the best rail shooters I have ever played, the game follows Orta, a young girl who rides a dragon that can fire homing missile. Yes, the dragon can fire homing missiles. It can be expounded upon, but the basics are now covered. The mechanics are well done, allowing players to shoot to their hearts content, boss battles make the player feel a bit cramped but are overall well done. Received relatively well, there is no reason why this game should be forgotten.
6. Fable - While not the title that Peter Molyneux promised it would be, the game is still of great quality in its own right and now with Fable III on the horizon it would be interesting to go back and see where it all started. Stepping into the boots of an orphan rescued by a hero after your village is destroyed by bandits it’s clear to see that Fable doesn’t have the most original of introductions. However, what it does possess are some amazing moments and a really great time. The karma system for good and evil doesn’t exactly leave too much wiggle room on the moral gray areas, but the gameplay fills in the blanks pretty appropriates. More often than not I wasn’t concerned with being nice or not, just how many things I could kill with my lighting at once.
5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - More than just another Star Wars game, Bioware took this role-playing game and made something special out of it. Taking place 4,000 years before any of the events that have situated themselves into our pop culture in regards to Star Wars, you play a character who starts the game waking up on a Republic ship amidst a Sith attack. If this isn’t enough you get to add people to your party as you progress and the branching dialogue trees, which helped sway your alignment between light and dark, were pretty well done for the time. Combined with incredible storytelling and chained to the Star Wars universe in the best way possible, short of not enjoying rpgs, this game is vastly difficult to not enjoy.
4. Phantom Crash - Easily overshadowed by Mechassault, which unfortunately isn’t backwards compatible or available via Xbox Live, Phantom Crash was still exceptional in its own right. Comparable to a Forza except with mechs and instead of being like Armored Core was actually fun, there was little that couldn’t be had in Phantom Crash. Able to assume views from 3rd or 1st person were incredible given the detail and everything to be seen in game. The combat was fast while still satisfying along with the customization that shined in comparison to other titles at the time. Genki hit a home run with this title and I sincerely wish they would do a next-gen version.
3. Psychonauts - Nothing I can really say will do this game the justice it deserves. Tim Schafer knows how to make a fun video game. This will probably sum it up.
2. Crimson Skies - What if the United States not coming out of the Great Depression caused something really cool to occur, like say, the rise of sky pirates? Not just regular pirates, but freakin’ sky pirates. Crimson Skies pretty much nailed what a fun flight experience should be. Flying through missions, being able to land and man gun turrets on the fly, causes this game to be my number two selection if for no other reason than being one of the greatest lengths of fun I have ever had clutching an Xbox controller. Still in my collection to this day, I’ll occasionally find myself playing through the single player again at some dead hour of the evening. The storyline is something I would expect to coincide with Indiana Jones, the voice acting is spot on and the game mechanics are some of the most solid I have ever encountered. If FASA had been more spot on, they may have very well been able to collapse the universe in fun.
1. Halo / Halo 2 - Once upon a time there was a small company in Chicago named Bungie. They made a game that was so amazing that Microsoft bought them, moved them to Redmond and eventually constructed them as the main support structure of their entire Xbox experience. While Halo felt, at times, repetitive and was by no means perfect, it single-handedly gave Microsoft the legs to stand and fight in the console wars. Halo 2 added the multiplayer aspect, unforgettable and capable of staying power, even today years after even its sequel has released. But let’s face it; Bungie owed us an ending after Halo 2. Ultimately, being of the mind that there are no perfect games, there are few competitors to the paramount these two games are combined.
Bonus Round – The game Microsoft should port: Mechassault - Anyone who has played it will never forget it. Mechassault was the quintessential Xbox Live title. Yes, eventually Halo 2 would seize that spot and remain fixed as the Xbox Live game to play, but when Live was young and there weren’t as many games as there are now, you could always find a quick match in Mechassault. And yes, they were matter of the quick and dead. You either knew what you were doing or you didn’t and the single-player, while fun, was an introduction to give the player the skills to survive on live. Dear Microsoft, if you can hear me, bring this game over to Games on Demand. It wouldn’t be that difficult and I guarantee there is at least one person who would buy it.
If you haven't noticed lately, the definitive good guy is seemingly being slowly shifted out of the gaming pop culture as we know it. Gone are the days of Link, Mario and the heroes we knew were definitely good, the white knights that would always do the right thing, even if it meant something terrible in store for them simply for a belief. They've been replaced with the anti-hero, the character that does what they have to do, because they know they have to do it. They don't do it for the sake of being good. They do it for peace, revenge or by sheer moral ambiguity, they do what they wish.
From a narrative perspective, maybe video game characters are just too good to be considered evil or just too bad to be considered saints. John Milton said in his tale Paradise Lost, "Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven" so are we to infer that being good is equitable to servitude? Take Captain Price from Call of Duty 4, an SAS operative and life-long soldier. His character is ingratiated with the knowledge that sometimes bad things have to happen and overall he possesses the qualities we would expect from any hero. He is brave, succinct in word and deed, and able to go above and beyond the call of duty (excuse the pun). But when he has to rough up a prisoner or ultimately execute them in what some would call cold blood, he isn't exactly hesitant about it. Perhaps in his years of military service, he has come into the understanding that his enemies wouldn't hesitate to do the same to him. Therefore, it can be argued that Price, as with many characters influenced by military backgrounds, isn't out to rule the darkest pits of Hell nor is he a white knight by any stretch of the imagination
Solid Snake is another prime example of this mentality. Being genetically derived from Big Boss the 'Greatest Soldier to have ever Lived' Solid Snake prescribes to the same military beliefs and traditions such as honor and courage. However, there is a small difference. When the Metal Gear, a walking tank capable of launching nuclear strikes from anywhere on the planet, is introduced into the equation Snake has a change of heart. In a world where every soldier is apart of a greater Paramilitary Corporation, Solid Snake stands alone to stop the Metal Gears to ultimately safeguard the world from nuclear annihilation. Through every shred of espionage and tactical combat, Snake believes and excels in hand to hand fighting as well as small arms, but differs on the use of nuclear armaments. So while not completely evil, as Liquid Snake is, but not completely good in the sense of playing all sides to achieve a goal, Snake stands as yet another anti-hero.
Why then do players accept a role where their objectives are not clearly defined as good or evil and are to play, in a sense almost forced, to make difficult moral choices for their characters? Because moral ambiguity and ultimately the anti-heroes are best left undefined until players come along to define them. The main character in Bioshock, for instance, was faced with the choice of harvesting little girls to become more powerful or helping them. The possibility seems trivial at first as helping the Little Sisters could mean being underpowered later in the game, but this is what set Bioshock apart from other titles, the ability to decide what to do with that character.
Choice.
Some heroes such as Kratos, of God of War, may not have a choice. Bargaining with Ares to spare his life, he becomes a slave to evil, so to speak, and in his rage not only decimates his village, but kills his wife and child as well. Thus, Kratos begins a quest to slay Ares as vengeance consumes him as the way to atone for his sins. Maybe under different circumstances, Kratos would have returned home after being all slaughtered out. However, since he continued his conquest, his fate was sealed before the player even presses the start button.
Touching on Infamous and Prototype, both open world titles that have stood comparably well side to side offer the same prospects, despite the narrative of either title, both characters have the choice of ultimately using their powers for good or evil and that is truly the basis of the anti-hero. Very much like Batman was portrayed in the Dark Knight, it has become trendy for developers to create a hero that isn't quite good, isn't quite evil, but all around badass and I think that is what gamers want. They don't want to be enslaved to saving the princess, rescuing orphans and getting the kitty out of the tree. They want the chance to kidnap that princess, punch those orphans in the face and cut the tree down while laughing with glee about the cat. I'm not saying gamers are inherently good or evil, but the same could be said of these anti-heroes. In order for gamers to feel like Alex Mercer, who really just wants to know what exactly has been done to him and what he is becoming, they have to feel disoriented and given a clean slate for their choices to have some impact. If you give players a sandbox that already has sand castles built in them, they can then choose to work around them, build more castles or lay waste to the entire neighborhood. This exists in parallel with Cole McGrath’s world of Infamous, where the player is face with multiple choices and avenues to go about being good or evil as they see fit.
So are the characters really the anti-heroes or have we as gamers simply grown tired of being the savior that everyone looks to for rescue when the world comes crashing down? As previously stated, soldiers get called upon to face the grim realities of war. However, sticking to the pillars of courage and honor are ultimately what separate them from their actions and principles. Even the noblest soldiers, such as Captain Price, can be called upon to do the worst of deeds. Likewise, Vengeance is another factor that drives the anti-hero forward, to atone for a horrible deed that can never be forgiven as Kratos has done and will continue to do right into God of War III. Conversely, some characters such as the main character of Bioshock and Alex Mercer of Prototype merely want to know what has happened to them, why they are there and how will they survive. But truly, it comes down to choice for us as players. If we choose to make that character commit an evil act or stand by while evil occurs that is our choice as much as if we decide to level a city block. So, who then is the real anti-hero, us or them?
--Andrew
‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’
– Edmund Burke
Alright Blizzard, we gotta have a little chat. I was doing okay until you started this whole, "let's take LAN out of Starcraft 2" because ultimately, as long as I got a finished product in hand, I was going to be pretty okay with it. Then, I get out of WoW after hitting level 70 with my Death Knight and having a few mid-sixty characters. That was okay because I needed to get outside since I was forgetting exactly what color the sky and that big glowing orb that floated there was. But now with Cataclysm, Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 next year, you never want me to go outside ever again, do you?
Don't you realize I have a family?
You knew I would want to play as a Goblin, I know you did. The leveling experience is just fine, but now that you've given me the incentive to shoot for the moon and move through until I hit level 85, well that's just cruel. Okay fine, I bet the starting area's are going to be shoddy for the two new rac...they won't? Hold on a second. What's this whole reshaping the face of Azeroth? What do you mean that several territories will be changing hands? The Barrens is getting split in half? The Horde is getting Southshore? I know these are a lot of questions Blizz, but all of this information is staggering.
I admit, that I didn't have the desire to have a flying mount because, why fly if I can't fly in Azeroth. It wasn't rewarding enough for me to just be able to do it in Northrend or Outland and oh, I see, I can do that now too. Well haven't you just thought of everything. I was happy when I got out Blizzard, but being able to play as a Goblin or Worgen and the supposedly streamlined experience from 1-60, I'm going to come back. But you'd know I would come back, because nobody gets away from Blizzard, do they?
I admit that the overall proposal here is rich and worthwhile, and yes Blizzard, I admit that I've missed you sometimes when I'm on Xbox Live alone, but this is madness I can't come back to Azeroth. I'm already going to be playing Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 and unless you can make a time machine a pre-order bonus or pack it in with the collector's edition, where am I going to find the time. Granted, once the world ends, I don't think my generator will have enough power to keep my computer going and the floodlights that'll keep the legions of the undead at bay.
But we'll see what happens I guess.
In the meantime, I'll say it straight that Blizzcon 2009 looked to be something amazing this year and hopefully, as always, next year will be the same. But this year will be a hard act to follow. It would be like me going on stage after Trent Reznor, and all I had was an accordion. Somehow I get the feeling the audience might be a little disappointed.
In an unusual deviation from my regular posts, I felt this was necessary. It isn't exactly an open letter to Blizzard. More or less, its a lamenting for the time I know I'm going to lose next year to these games. I'll place the bare details at the bottom of the post for what you absolutely should know that came out of Blizzcon, but I will say this for my sake, I'm really pulling for that time machine.
WoW - Cataclysm Expansion announced for 2010.
* Two New Playable Races: Adventure as one of two new races—the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
* Level Cap Increased to 85: Earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to improve characters.
* Classic Zones Remade: Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been altered forever and updated with new content, from the devastated Badlands to the broken Barrens, which has been sundered in two.
* New High-Level Zones: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great Sunken City of Vashj'ir beneath the sea.
* More Raid Content than Ever Before: Enjoy more high-level raid content than previous expansions, with optional more challenging versions of all encounters.
* New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.
* Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
* New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
* Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
* Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms like never before.
So, I have this problem, you see. I usually choose the worst weeks possible to start things. It seems that on the occasion when I do make a resolution of some kind, the stars, moon, sun and planets all align and like the quacking of a duck on the other side of a planet causes Swine Flu on a continent, so too does my starting new things cause the Earth to haphazardly shift. But it never hurts to adapt, overcome and well, do what has to be done, right?
Below I have organized the data to the best of my ability for the first week of Wii Fit use. Overtime, you will notice that I may or may not change the formatting depending on how well it is received by the gaming community. Conversely, I may alter the information based on how well I deem it conveys the scientific data I believe it should, based on my original hypothesis. As I stated, I would be recounting the foods I consumed, along with any outside exercise garnered in addition to my time with the Wii Fit. Noteworthy though, as I stated above in regards to natural disasters, I did hurt my back and neck this week while moving furniture - it was a pleasant reminder that I am not He-Man and I shouldn't be bucking for a shot a Skeletor quite yet - so for the past few days I didn't push too hard, relied on Advil and of course, left Castle Grayskull undefended. So, having a slightly improved outlook on next week helps keep me warm and fuzzy, but so would a soda, which I haven't had all week. Damn.
Day 1 - August 17, 2009
Morning: 1 cup oat bran cereal, 1 cup organic fat free milk, 40 oz water
Lunch: 20 oz water, 1 bag Act II Light Butter Popcorn
Dinner: 1 cup chopped potatoes (grilled), 1 cup green beans, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 cup cooked ground beef, 48 oz water.
Exercises:
Torso Twist: - 2 min
Push-up / Side Plank - 2 min
Deep Breathing - 2 min
Half - Moon - 2 min
Warrior Stance - 2 min
Soccer Heading - 4 min
Basic Step - 12 min
Hula Hoop - 2 min
Ski Jump - 1 min
Ski Slalom - 1 min
Outside activity: Walked 2.6 miles
Notes: I'm fairly convinced that while I unlocked some pretty cool games, I'm rediscovering muscles I forgot I had.
August 18th was the date I injured myself because I was trying to be a help move a piece of furniture and it didn't turn out too well.
Breakfast: 30 oz water (Propel), blueberry bagel (plain)
Lunch: 16 oz water, lowfat shrimp spaghetti
Dinner: 1 cup of ground beef (sloppy joe) on wheat bread
Outside activity: Walked 2.6 miles
August 19th stayed home from work, lounged around in pain.
Breakfast: Bagel (plain), 20 oz water
Lunch: Asleep
Dinner: 2 cups pasta, 2 tablespoons ground Parmesan cheese. 30 oz water (Propel)
August 20th
Breakfast: Wheat toast, plain. Fat free organic milk 16 oz.
Lunch: None - swamped with work
Dinner: 1 grilled chicken breast, 2 cups green beans, 30 oz water (Propel)
Exercises:
Warrior Stance - 10 min
Soccer Heading - 7 min
Basic Step - 9 min
Hula Hoop - 4 min
Outside activity: Walked 2.6 miles
August 21st
Breakfast: Bagel, plain. 16 oz orange juice
Outside activity: Walked 1.3 miles
And I won't be playing Wii Fit until late tonight. So, while I'm not totally satisfied with my first week out of the gate I'll grant myself extenuating circumstances in this case because I was stupid enough to injure myself. In the meantime, I'm feeling mediocre out of the fact that I really haven't worked out aside from my commute walking through the city of Chicago. However, I think that altering my diet is a step in the right direction, but I feel like I'm going to shift my diet to five smaller meals a day as opposed to the traditional three. Taking a page out of body for life couldn't hurt. And of course, taking vitamins is always a plus unless you do it wrong, in which case that's some expensive urine you just expelled.
Overall though, progress in any direction except back is progress all the same and I'm not going to belittle what little I've made. I should be able to garner more time next week and this weekend as my back improves more and more. Although it does still hurt at times, I'm stretching and getting the kinks out as any old man should.
Video games can shape our way of thinking. Video games can tell us a story. They can make us laugh, cry, and believe. They have the power to shape our world as any piece of art can.
Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press living the dream since March 16, 2006
AndrewG009's blog
follow this blog
subscribe via RSS
send message
invite to meetup+play
