A couple of weeks ago, I played Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier. This was another type of Sims game but with a wild west touch to it. You play one of three characters trying to turn a patch of desert into a thriving western town. Despite failing miserably during my few first attempts at the game, I had way too much fun playing it. Combining the variety of challenges with the 'open sandbox' type of play, you can do just about anything you want to with your town. If you want to put your farm far apart from where the townspeople live, you can. Obviously you need to put your lumberjacks near trees and your gold mine on top of a gold vein but other than things like that, you are completely free to do what you want to. I think this makes the game a lot more fun than if they had laid everything out for you and you just have to complete what they tell you. I'll be buying this game in the near future!
Wii Fit
My husband puchased the Wii Fit the other night. We've only had it two days and it's already killing me! Yesterday morning, we set up our fitness sheets. It asks you how tall you are then it weighs you and asks you to do some balance exercises. Based on all of this, you are told your BMI (body mass index) and your "fitness age." You can also see your weight if you wish.
However, BMI is a very flawed system. It doesn't take into account how much muscle or what type of body you have. As a result, I was listed as "obese" when I am definitely not in that category. Overweight? Yes. Obese? No. It would be nice if there was a setting for body type at least.
Yesterday night, I started my official workout schedule. I did a bit of yoga, some aerobic exercises and some balance exercises. I did not do the strength section. My favorite exercise, by far, is the aerobic step section. It's almost like Dance Dance Revolution but on a stair! I also enjoyed the hula hoop aerobic exercise as well. In the end, my half hour left me a little sweaty but not out of breath.
Last night was night two of my workout schedule. I warmed up with the yoga stretches before moving onto strength exercises and finishing off with some light aerobics and balance. I could definitely feel my "core" muscles working. My back is a little sore today as a result. It's nothing terrible but I think the yoga exercises, which is supposed to work on your posture and balance, have forced my back muscles to work a little bit harder.
Overall, I am really enjoying using the Fit so far. I'm planning on doing at least a half hour workout every day. I'll try my best to keep all of you informed of my progress!
Game review: Flower Stand Tycoon
I used to enjoy playing Tycoon games. Yes, I purchased Monopoly Tycoon many years ago. Flower Stand Tycoon sounded like it might be a bit of fun. However, the game isn't like any Tycoon game I've ever played. You don't purchase new flowers. Heck, you don't even purchase the places where you sell flowers! Here you are a meager flower salesperson, traveling to various locations to try to beat your competitors. Every location where you have a higher rating than your competition, that area turns your color. The goal is to get as many squares to turn your color as possible. Oh, and you want to keep them your color.
I actually found this game quite boring. I guess I was looking for something a bit more exciting. It's difficult to steal your competitor's locations while making sure you visit your locations enough to keep them. You only get new flowers when you spend enough money "researching" them. Why should we need to research flowers? We should be able to just buy them! I think there was a possibility for a good game here but it definitely should not have been under the Tycoon name.
Game review: Hidden Mysteries: Civil War
Generally speaking, I like to keep my learning and my gaming separate. That is something I save for my daughter. However, I thought that Hidden Mysteries: Civil War sounded like it might be some fun. While it is a pretty standard hidden object game with the list of items for you to find, each list has one item that moves the "plotline" forward. The plotline here is the American Civil War. Each location is the historic location of a landmark battle. Each clue tells us a little bit more about some of the people that fought these battles. So it's a history lesson that has been made enjoyable - especially for those of us who aren't fond of historic things.
Music review: Mika Nakashima - RESISTANCE
Artist: Mika Nakashima
Album: Love
Release date: 11/6/03 (previously released as a single on 12/7/02)
Video link: Via YouTube
English translation: A while angel’s feathers are fluttering down and start to pile up Cry! In a faithless city, life is sacrificed Crushed down Give a KISS of grief...
If you sleep, morning will come the land of freedom is scary It’s just foolish kindness a fleeting road is all that remains
When this girl cannot sing she turns to search for a reason Along in a group, going into the darkness The murmur of voices is interrupted
The snow started to lead me for now, it illuminates a shape But it’s just my own beating heart
Looking through the gaps in my fingers The world is quickly narrowed towards the future Cry! Scorn this foolish love Spread your arms and give a KISS of grief...
My pulse keeps going up as I find the deceitful voice Those without all colors are left with just beauty
But like the snow eventually it’ll get dirty Unless you get away from this city you’ll live in a dream
A while angel’s feathers are fluttering down and start to pile up Cry! In a faithless city, life is sacrificed Crushed down the angel gives a KISS of grief...
Untill you arrive you will call out for the light you lost God’s voice, is just your throbbing heart
Looking through the gaps in my fingers The world is quickly narrowed towards the future Cry! Scorn this foolish love Spread your arms and give a KISS of grief... About the song: This is one of my absolutely favorite songs from Mika Nakashima. Her voice gives the song a sort of ethereal feeling despite the heavy drumline. It's the type of song that can help lift your spirits and just make you feel good about the world.
Game review: Magical Forest
Once in awhile, I get an urge to play a Sims type of game. It doesn't happen to often but it does happen. This time I got the urge, I decided to try Magical Forest. It's a game where you raise magical sprites. There are different types of sprite and each one gives different coins. You use these coins to buy food or upgrade your caretakers or buy new sprites. I honestly thought this game was going to be a lot like Insaniquarium over at Pop Cap Games. In a way, it is. You are basically feeding a critter and trying to get them to level up. However, in this game, there are a ton more upgrades to your weapons and you can obtain spells to help you defeat your enemies faster. There are also more types of sprites, which you can buy and resell as you wish.
Surprisingly, I had a lot of fun playing this. I'm not sure why I enjoyed it, I just did. It's one of those unexplainable things in life. Give it a try, it's very fun.
Music review: REM - Losing My Religion
Artist: R.E.M.
Members: Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Bill Berry
Album: Out of Time
Release date: 3/12/91
Video link: Via YouTube
Lyrics: Life is bigger It's bigger than you And you are not me The lengths that I will go to The distance in your eyes Oh no I've said too much I set it up
That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no I've said too much I haven't said enough I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
Every whisper Of every waking hour I'm Choosing my confessions Trying to keep an eye on you Like a hurt lost and blinded fool Oh no I've said too much I set it up
Consider this The hint of the century Consider this The slip that brought me To my knees failed What if all these fantasies Come flailing around Now I've said too much I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream That was just a dream About the song: I'm sure everyone has their opinions about what this song is about. It's not as religious as most people think it is. 'Losing my religion' is a phrase that means something along the lines of 'end of my rope' or 'running out of patience.' In the context of this song, it's basically the singer following/stalking the subject to the point that it drives him a bit crazy. He's looking for a sign that the subject will accept or love him but it just isn't happening.
Musically, it's an interesting song. Instead of a lead guitar, the main instrument here is a mandolin. It gives the song a bit of a 'crazy' feeling to it. As if the strings will suddenly break and drive Michael Stipe insane. It's also interesting that this is considered one of REM's biggest hits. After all, how many pop songs have mandolins?
Game review: Build-a-lot 2: Town of the Year
Last year, I really loved playing Build-A-Lot so I had really high expectations for the sequel. Luckily, the game not only met my expectations but exceeded them! The gameplay is pretty much the same from the first game. You are given a variety of tasks and you need to get the materials and workers to complete them within the time limit. This time around, there are new buildings for you such as a playground. These buildings will effect the buildings around them. For example, if you build a playground between two houses, those houses will each get an extra "happiness" rating. However, if you build a factory near the houses, they will receive negative "happiness" points. This actually makes the game a bit more fun because now you have to figure out how to rearrange your development to make everyone as happy as possible.
This will probably be my favorite game of the entire year.
Game review: Cooking Quest
I have played a lot of hidden object games but none of them have been as weird as Cooking Quest. It actually mixes a hidden object game with a tiny bit of time management in an attempt to make it interesting. As with most hidden object games, you are given a level and a list of objects to find. In each list, there is at least one object that you need to make the food item you picked. Once you gather all the items in each level, you need to cook the food and serve it. However, they don't tell you which objects go together and which go to which cooking device. So you may, for example, have a knife, some onions and some carrots. The knife will only work on one of those and it doesn't tell you which. The same goes for the cooking devices. You might have a steak, an oven and a pan on a stovetop but it won't tell you which device needs to be used to cook the steak. It makes that part of the game annoying.
In the hidden object part, the items are difficult to find. Some of the items are hidden behind other ones so you might only see the tip of an item you need. I'm not sure why these games have started leaning toward this trend but it's not fun. It's annoying when you need to use a hint because you can't find an object only to find that's because it's hidden behind something else! Put them all out in the open. Make the game fair.
I can't say I'll play this game again. There are way too many other hidden object games that are a lot better.
Music review: Cats - Journey to the Heaviside Layer
Artist: The cast of CatsAlbum: Cats soundtrack (1982 Broadway Cast) Release date: 10/82 Video link: Via YouTube
Lyrics: Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer
Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer
Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer
Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer About the song: A lot of people think Cats doesn't have a storyline. That's untrue. Cats is about a group of cats getting together to decide which of them will be reborn into a new life. A majority of the songs are simply introductions to the various cats who are in the running for the big rebirth.
Journey to the Heaviside Layer is the big piece for the play. Yes, Memory is the most famous song but Heaviside Layer has the biggest production value. The choice has been made and now that cat (I won't give spoilers!) is basically going to heaven. In most productions, this song has a lot of smoke and white lights coming from the ceiling as Old Deuteronomy and the chosen cat are lifted to the ceiling. It's a quiet song. There aren't a lot of lyrics and the singing is very hushed. This is a religious experience for the cats. As such, the song is set as a sort of hymn. Sadly, this is not the ending song for the musical. In my opinion, it should be but I wasn't consulted when the play was written.