Faperture.net

The Walking Dead: Episode 1 “A New Day” Review [Xbox 360/PC]

Brandon — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:50:55 +0000

I’ll admit it, when I first heard Telltale Games was taking the first shot at making The Walking Dead game, as a fan, I was worried. I felt the game needed to be an adventure game, not just a point and click, like Telltale is known for. I’m happy to say that all my fears were put to rest when I finally got my hands on The Walking Dead: A New Day.

You take on the role of Lee, an Ex-University of Georgia Professor convicted of a crime he may, or may not have committed. As Lee is being transported to a prison outside of Atlanta, he crashes head first, into the walking dead. Right from the get go, I got the feeling I was reading the latest comic of the Walking Dead, familiar surroundings and people showed up to make it even more believable that this was in fact a Walking Dead game I was playing. With the beautiful cell-shaded art style, I knew I was in for a treat.

The most intriguing thing to me about The Walking Dead was the choices you’re given. In a world filled with danger at every turn, trust is more important than ever. The problem is getting people to trust you, this is where being careful in the conversations you have comes in. You can easily say the wrong thing and end up not being trusted by someone who could possibly have an impact in saving your life in a time of crisis. You’re also given the freedom to actually walk around and examine things, as well as have conversations with fellow survivors and get a little back story on them, or find out useful information that may come in handy in the future.

You also have to make the hard choices, in a sense at moments the game lets you play god. While both giving you a powerful decision that has to be made and also questioning whether you can you live with the guilt that comes along with letting someone else turn in to zombie food. In some situations, only one person can be saved, and these come when you least expect it. After I made my first difficult decision, I knew I had to play again to see how making opposite choices would change the future.

The Walking Dead: A New Day, is the perfect appetizer to get me excited for the next episode of The Walking Dead. I can’t wait to see how the choices I made in this episode affect the next. The game gives you that sense of fear and survival that every zombie fan is looking for in any zombie movie, game or comic. PC Gamers who enjoy using a controller will be happy to know The Walking Dead comes with controller support, which I found I enjoyed more than using a mouse and keyboard. For those of you interested in achievements, you’ll be happy to know they come quit easy and are all story based. My only issues with the first episode was the length, as you’ll only spend a few hours completing A New Day the first time. Of course if you’re like me, you’ll definitely want to jump back in for a second or third time and see how other choices you make affect the outcomes of different situations. For only $5 for the first episode on Xbox LIVE or $24.99 on Steam for the entire season, you can’t go wrong.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

*A copy of The Walking Dead Episode 1 was provided by the publisher for review.

Sunrise Surprise

Brandon — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:00:12 +0000

I walked out to grab something from my car at work the other morning and saw this amazing sunrise. Didn’t have my DSLR so I used my iPhone 4S with Camera+.

My Childhood Returns

Brandon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:53:21 +0000

Growing up, some of my fondest gaming memories were playing PC games, specifically Sierra’s point and click adventures; Kings Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry. I still remember for Christmas at 7 years old, receiving my first game, Kings Quest IV on PC.

Since the start of the Kickstarter craze, most of those games have been popping up left and right. First the remake of Leisure Suit Larry, then Wasteland 2, Tex Murphy and now I just caught wind of the Space Quest creators getting back together for a new Spaceventure. With my frustration for console games, this is a much needed breath of fresh air. The big question is, can they live up to the expectations of their long time fans and at the same time draw in this new generation of ‘entitled’ gamers? Only time will tell.

Butterfly Magic

Brandon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:24:15 +0000

One thing I find myself doing quite a bit when taking photos is chasing butterflies. They seem to be a bit camera shy, so I rarely find myself capturing a decent shot, at least until my trip to California Adventure this past weekend.

California Adventure Flowers

Brandon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:20:59 +0000

I recently picked up a new 50mm F1.4 lens for my Canon 7d, since the weather finally cooperated, I was finally able to get out and take some pictures. These were all taken in California Adventure.

The Kickstarter Craze

Brandon — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:29:41 +0000

I first heard of Kickstarter when one of my YouTube favorites, Freddie Wong started up a project to fund a webseries called Video Game High School, I had no clue what Kickstarter was, so I decided not to participate. It again popped up recently when Double Fine’s mastermind Tim Schafer decided to reach out to their fans to help create their next game. Once I heard about this, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of. So I popped my Kickstarter cherry and backed Double Fine, not knowing this would lead to my latest addiction.

Since Double Fine, other games have started to pop up, games like the sequel to Wasteland, the game that inspired the Fallout series, or a remake of one of my childhood favorites, Leisure Suit Larry. Now another one of my favorites is heading to Kickstarter for funding, Tex Murphy.

After backing Double Fine and hearing about Wasteland 2, I started checking out other projects, like this cool idea for an iPhone stabilizer called the Slingshot, or this paracord survival gear. For me, Kickstarter gives me a chance to be a part of making someone’s dreams come true, thus the appeal. Plus getting something for donating is always a bonus.

Here are a few others I’ve backed and plan on backing as well:

Dillon Hodges Debut Album
CREATURE ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS
Shadowrun Returns
Trigger Happy Camera Remote
Smart Controllers

Since I just started backing projects, I haven’t watched any succeed yet, so there’s always the chance that someone might take the money and run. Lets hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon and my Kickstarter addiction can continue.

Laguna Beach Flowers

Brandon — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:59:32 +0000

I find that I enjoy photographing flowers more than anything. There’s just something about natures natural beauty that intrigues me. Taken using a Canon EOS 7D.

Laguna Beach Spring Trip

Brandon — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:52:08 +0000

A visit to Laguna Beach a few weeks ago produced these images. We walked around the tide pools and along the beach. Taken using my Canon EOS 7D.

My 3 Day Juice Fast

Brandon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:03:48 +0000

First off, let me get this out of the way: I’m not a doctor, nor am I an expert on juicing. I don’t know your medical history, so what worked for me may or may not work for you. I’m only here to share what I’ve tried and what worked for me.

If you’re just looking for recipes and step by step instructions, skip to the bottom.

If you need proof or motivation that juice fasting works, I suggest you watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead if you have Netflix. It’s available on instant streaming. This movie was what motivated me to do a juice fast. I originally had planned to do a 10 day fast, but quickly changed it to 3 after I realized how difficult it was. I do plan on going for 10 days eventually, just not at this time.I’ve juiced before, but only as an addition to my meals; I’d never tried juice alone. First thing I’d like to point out: This fast is extremely difficult and requires a lot of will-power. The first 2 days of the fast, you’ll crave coffee, food, snacks, alcohol — whatever your vice may be. I don’t know if crave is even strong enough of a word for the feelings I felt. I wanted nothing more than to eat something, anything. I even had dreams of food. Be assured that I’m not trying to scare you away from this fast by any means, because the end results are well worth it.

My results:
I quit drinking coffee and alcohol, cut way back on meat and lost 13 lbs. At the beginning of the second day I noticed a huge change in my head, everything seemed much clearer — that fog that was usually with me at all times was gone. I didn’t feel groggy or negative anymore. I also noticed I had more energy than I’ve ever had. This was a great jump-start to getting my life back on track.

Before you decide to jump into juice fasting here are a few tips:

Try different juice recipes and see which ones you enjoy.
Try juicing more vegetables than fruit, so you’re not drinking all that sugar. The goal here is to pump your body full of vitamins and nutrients, not sugar crash yourself.
10 days before the fast, start to wean yourself off of coffee, alcohol, and meats. This way your body doesn’t freak out and wonder what’s going on.
Before the fast, try substituting a meal for a glass of juice this will also prepare you to give up 9 meals in the next 3 days.
I’ve read several times, that you should consult your doctor before beginning one of these fasts just to make sure you’re not posing any health risks.
Be prepared for gas, your stomach is going to make all kinds of noises during the fast, not to mention the ones coming out of your backside as well. Try not to hold it in, as you don’t want to end up constipated. It’s hard enough dealing with not eating.
Pregnant or nursing women or children shouldn’t try a juice fast.
People with diabetes, low blood sugar, eating disorders, kidney disease, liver disease, malnutrition, addictions, underweight, anemia, impaired immune function, infection, nutritional deficiency, low blood pressure, ulcerative colitis, cancer, terminal illness, epilepsy, or other chronic conditions shouldn’t try a juice fast or should do so only under strict medical supervision.
People shouldn’t try a juice fast before or after surgical procedures.

Source for last 3 tips.

Very Important: Drink an equal amount of water! This I cannot stress enough, you can easily get dehydrated during your juice fast. So make sure you’re drinking enough water!

The strategy I followed was very basic: 24 ounces of juice for breakfast. 24 for lunch and 24 for dinner. These are recipes I’ve come to use and enjoy over the past few years of juicing.

Breakfast/Lunch Blend
Kale – 4 Leaves
Cucumber – 1
Celery – 1 Head
Cabbage – 1/4
Apples – 6 Apples
Spinach – 1/2 bunch
Mint – Handful

Dinner Blend
Tomatoes – 3
Celery – Head
Beet – 1/2
Orange – 2

V8 Juice
Tomatoes – 3 Large
Celery – 1 Head
Carrots – 5
Beet – 1
Cabbage – 1/4
Red Bell Pepper – 1 Large
Spinach – 1 Bunch
Kale 3 Leaves
Sweet Onion – 1/4

Sweet Treat
2 Apples
1 Sweet Potato

Mean Green from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
6 Kale Leaves
1 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lemon
1 piece of ginger

The juicer I use:
Breville Juice Fountain Elite

Breaking your juice fast:

When I broke my fast, I started off with a small fruit salad. You’ll be surprised at just how full you’ll feel from just eating a couple pieces of fruit. For lunch I upgraded to a light salad and a little larger salad for dinner. My goal was to stay off of meat for a few days, so I’m still running this same cycle of fruit salad for breakfast, small salad for lunch and dinner and almonds to snack on in between.

If you make it through 3 days of a juice fast, you will love the results. If you have any questions about the fast, please let me know.

An obsession with Belgian Ale: Chimay

Brandon — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:23:56 +0000

Up until recently, I casually enjoyed the taste of an ice cold Corona on a hot day. Now I know Corona isn’t the greatest of beers, but it tasted fine to me… that is until I was introduced to a Belgian Ale brewed by Trappist Monks called, Chimay. There are 4 different flavors of Chimay, which are easiest identified by simple colors of the labels; red, white, blue, and golden.

I’ll use content from Wikipedia to describe each one.

Chimay Rouge (Red) – 7% abv. In the 75 cl bottle, it is known as Première. It is a dark brown colour and has a sweet, fruity aroma.

Chimay Bleue (Blue) – 9% abv darker ale. In the 75 cl bottle, it is known as Grande Réserve. This copper-brown beer has a light creamy head and a slightly bitter taste. Considered to be the “classic” Chimay ale, it exhibits a considerable depth of fruity, peppery character.

Chimay Blanche (White), or Chimay Triple, 8% abv golden tripel. In the 75 cl bottle, it is known as Cinq Cents. This crisp beer bears a light orange colour, and is the most hopped and driest of the three.

Chimay Dorée (Golden), 4.8% abv ale, brewed from very similar ingredients as the Red, but paler and spiced differently. It is a patersbier, intended only to be drunk at the abbey or at the nearby inn Auberge de Poteaupré, which is associated with the abbey. The monks themselves drink this variety rather than the stronger three. The Dorée is not sold commercially and the rare bottles which make their way out are through unofficial sources. Even the brewery’s own web site makes no mention of this variety.

(Source)

My personal favorite is the white, but I have yet to try the golden. During the holidays, they had a gift pack available that contained a bottle of each flavor as well as a commemorative Chimay glass. This was my first introduction to the white label, which immediately became my favorite.

In smaller areas, Chimay proves somewhat difficult to find, and if you do happen to find, it can be quite expensive. Ranging anywhere from $10 to $15 a bottle for the white label and a few dollars more for the red and blue, this expensive, but delicious Belgian ale is well worth the price.

I also tried Brasserie Dubisson Cuvee Troll, which was actually quite good as well. Description: Trolls is Dubisson’s fastest growing beer. Made with all blond malts & a touch of orange peel, Trolls is a hazy blond, with a lovely, doughy, fresh malt aroma. Finishes clean.

I definitely have plans to try more imports in the future, but for now Chimay is my drink of choice.