The Ultimate Gamer Work-Out Machine that's Dirt Cheap!

I've taken a bit of a hiatus from posting and that's due to some events in life that finally happened (don't worry nothing bad at all) and all that means is that I have a little less time now to write.

In reference to an earlier article I wrote about how to stay fit and 733T, I mentioned that raising your heart rate a bit and doing it for long periods of time is a great way to burn calories.  I also said that an eliptical or stationary bike is a great way to put that theory into practice.  Then I realized that not everyone can just go pickup an exercise machine on a whim.  I did a little bit of research and this is a solution that I came up with.

Dig, Explore, Create... Survive [Minecraft]

I've hit this kick with discovering indie games lately.  One that has rocked the independent community as of late, and one that has caused bags under my eyes already, is called Minecraft.

The game is currently still under heavy development but you can purchase it now for a discounted price (9.99 euros to be exact... don't know how to make a euro symbol) and you get a lifetime of free updates and access to the most interesting "Alpha" mode.  The premise of the alpha game is literally this: you spawn in a random place, ready go.  With no tutorial or warning the day/night cycle begins immediately and you are free to do as you wish.  You can explore the world, begin harvesting materials, climb some mountains, whatever you want.  However, once the sun sets on the first day you suddenly realize that this adorable, blocky, pixelated world is downright deadly.  Zombies, skeletons, spiders, and creepers will begin hunting you as soon as the sun fades away.  Hopefully by now you've at least discovered how to craft a pick-axe and a sword otherwise you'll be holding the "W" for a full night of running away.

Minecraft is one of those rarities that still give me hope for eventually having a high-production, truly sandbox experience.  This game blew up once it was released and made its developer quite happy with the revenue it generated so hopefully this idea will catch on.

Pictures and video of my own experience with the game to follow.

Final Fantasy Dissidia 012: Duodecim

Warm up those gamer muscles because Dissidia's big brother is coming down the pipe.  Check out the trailer from Gamesradar.com!  Why did they name it in order to give us a counting lesson, what does dudecim mean... I don't know, ask Microsoft how the hell they name their products and you'll probably find the answer.  Looks like "assist" attacks can happen in this game, a la Marvel vs. Capcom.  Prepare for epicness...

The challenge of being a fit gamer

This article is meant to motivate you a little bit.  Here are some work-out ideas for gamers who may not know where/how to get started for healthier living while still playing their favorite titles.

The source of this information I'm using for this entry I'm mainly pulling off of this Marine Corps Times article but also from my experience from various PE classes, nutritionalists, and guys who know a lot more about fitness than I do.  Definitely give the article a read through.

Vindictus Preview

Thanks to the charitable nature of Youtube user MySuckyLife (a pleathora of thanks be shone apon you), I was able to obtain an early access beta key for Nexon's new submission in North America's free-to-play realm... Vindictus.  Known in other parts of the world as Mabinogi: Heroes, this game takes place in the Mabinogi universe although it is a prequil to the original Mabinogi game.

Now typically when you hear "free to play" or "Nexon" or "Aunt Gertrude is only staying for a little while," you think "....meh."  However, I'm here to say, I was absolutely blown away by the game's introduction and... wait for it... graphics!  Being a free to play game, you aren't expecting great production values but Vindictus is different.  It is driven by the Steam engine and easily played on low spec systems but it is absolutely gorgeous on higher spec rigs.