Sunday, March 31, 2013

XBOX 360 KINECT Nike Training Review

Was up guys, my name is Lj McCray and I am doing this guest post for my classmate/ teammate Rambo Covey. My blog consists of workouts, diets, and motivation that I give to my followers in hope of helping them change their lives. I love working out, also I like to play video games in my free time and I thought it would be fun to do a review on Xbox Kinect Nike training because it is a video game that allows you to workout and monitor your calories burned.


 
This is the perfect game for gamers who also like to stay fit! One of the best games I have ever played and very creative to have mixed exercise with video games. The game has different stages as well as, many different exercises that all make you sweat and work hard. Here is a small example of what part of the game consists of.
 
 



The experience of the actual workout is like an exercise class. The instructor demonstrates a move, then you repeat it for a set number of reps. Your avatar allows you to check your form as you go.  The instructor offers encouragement and you watch your reps grow.  At the end of a workout, you get a fitness score that can be graphed over time. And the game makes smart selections from a library of exercises to tailor a workout regimen to your schedule.
 
Overall this is a great game and I recommend this to anyone interested because it can really help and is a great way to stay motivated. Below is a link to the actual video for the game showing you everything that one needs to know about the game. Hope You enjoy.

 
 
 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Katamaris ARE Forever

Hey everyone! I'm Anthony, fellow blogger and creator of the Hidden Gamer Blog, and I am happy to be a guest writer here on The Gaming Athlete!

Like Tyler, I too also like to talk about games both well-known and not so well known, so I'm pretty open when it comes to discussing different games and what not.

Today I'll be talking about game that probably a few of you guys may know about, but if not, then'll here it is!

Title: Katamari Forever
Genre: Third Person Action-Puzzle
Developer: Namco Bandai
Publisher: Namco Bandai
System: Playstation 3
Release Date: September 22nd, 2009

The phrase "let the good times roll" would be a good choice of words to say about any game in the Katamari series, especially with Katamari Forever.

Generally in the series, the King of All Cosmos (shown in the bottom center of the box art) does something that messes up something in space, and it's up to you (as The Prince and his cousins) in order to fix it by rolling up objects with a ball called a katamari and restoring them to their former glory.

However, in Katamari Forever, the phrase "like father, like son" can also come into play.

The main plot of the game is that one day the King of all Cosmos decides to show the Prince his jumping ability (with the Prince Hop being the newest ability for the Prince and his cousins), but he suddenly hits his head on a falling star, causing him to fall into a coma.

The Prince decides to call up all of his cousins and decides to be a robotic version of the king, however, the RoboKing, after being activated with a katamari as his reactor core goes haywire, destroying all of the stars and planets in space, and sending all of the cousins into many different areas on Earth. So now it's up to Prince to get his cousins (all 57 of them) back, restore space to normal, and restore his father's memories.

The Prince serves as both the main character and the first character you play as in all of the Katamari games. His cousins, who are scattered throughout many different levels are also playable as well.

In Japan, the game is called "Katamari Damacy Tribute", which means the game uses a majority of levels and music (which is remixed) from previous Katamari games, as well as celebrating the series' 5th anniversary.

The game consists of 34 levels, 31 of which are from previous games, and 3 are original to Katamari Forever, which is split into two sections: The King's Cosmos, and RoboKing's Cosmos.

In the King's Cosmos, your job is to roll up Katamaris in order to help the King restore his memories and awaken him from his coma. In RoboKing's Cosmos, your job is to roll Katamaris in order to create new stars and planets.

You'll be using both analog sticks in order to move the Katamari around as well as changing direction. The new move, Prince Hop can be used by either raising your PS3 controller up or by pushing the R2 button.

Levels tend to differ in terms of goals. Some levels require you to reach a certain height in a set amount of time, others may require you to stop at a certain height or when you get enough/a certain object(s) requested.

Even though the game mostly contains levels and music from past games, there are some new things they've added. Players can choose different graphical filters such as cel-shaded, colored pencil and wood grain graphics as well as play additional modes such as "Eternal Mode" which allows players to roll with no time limit, and "Classic Katamari" mode, which forces players to roll without the use of the Prince Hop or hint hearts.

Katamari Forever, is something like all previous games of the series are like. Humorous, fun, and all the more exciting when you roll things up and make your Katamari huge, along with seeing the different cousins who have their own unique styles and personalities, which makes the series unique in comparison to other games out there.

Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed my writings and what not, and hope to guest blog some other time. Until then, later guys!

-Anthony-


Sunday, March 24, 2013

This isn't your parents' Lara Croft . . .

If you do not own the new Tomb Raider, you've been wasting your time doing anything else.

The new reboot for the series, developer Crystal Dynamics has taken the franchise and made it into a more dramatic, emotionally-driven thrill ride while keeping it action-packed.  The best part of all this is that neither interferes with the other so that the game is too one-sided.

Move over, Mr. Jones, you've got competition.

A big thing for the Tomb Raider franchise since its beginnings has been the massive amount of action that was stuffed into each game.  After all, what's a good adventure tale without dangerous animals, booby traps, and deadly tribes?  Action is something that the franchise has always harped on and capitalized on, but this reboot has brought about some change to that aspect.

In the past, Lara Croft had been a hard-nosed adventurer who stared into the face of danger without flinching from the get-go.  She punished anyone who got her way of an objective! . . . This isn't that same Lara.  The rebooted Croft starts off as a vulnerable young woman who is shipwrecked on a remote island after your ship is wrecked during a violent sea storm.


However, as the game progresses, you see Lara step more and more out of her shell, becoming not only a strong-willed individual, but the adventurous and death-defying Lara that we have come to know and love from the past.  Crystal Dynamics does an absolutely fantastic job of giving you the feel like you're actually in the game and experiencing the story unfold as if you're actually there.

Which brings up the next point: this might just be one of the biggest and best stories told in recent memory.  Lara's development into an adventurer over the course of the game is something to truly behold, the environment in which she operates is breathtaking, and enemies will test you to use all the resources at your disposal, making for one heart-racing, adrenaline-inducing moment after another.  The multiplayer is forgettable but trust me, you won't care once you dive into story mode.

This is just one of many great moments Tomb Raider produces.

In my opinion, the rebooted Tomb Raider is an absolute masterpiece.  Lara Croft has never looked better or been brought to us like this, going from a vulnerable, outmatched girl to a skillful and deadly young woman.  Her environment and enemies should be praised, and although the multiplayer isn't anything to write home about, the story makes up for any little deficiencies this title may have.  Tomb Raider needs to be yours, and it needs to be yours NOW!

Tomb Raider is now out for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

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Like what you read?  Leave a comment on your thoughts and like this post and don't forget to read other posts from before for more gaming madness!  Also you can follow me on Twitter at @RamboCovey58!

Deuces for now bros!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Not your average #1 hyperactive, knucklehead ninja game!

Although Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations was a letdown to many across the globe, there was much optimism when Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 was announced last year.

The Ultimate Ninja Storm series has possibly been the best of the Naruto gaming series despite the setback that Generations was.  The blend of fighting segments and adventure sequences have made for some great experiences and encounters in the past and Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 only capitalizes on those pints and makes them stronger.

Stunning visuals and battle rule Ultimate Ninja Storm 3.

One of Ultimate Ninja Storm 3's major strengths is its presentation and the way in which it carries itself.  Naruto overall has always been a series that has handled itself beautifully, whether it be the manga, TV series or recently in the gaming world, and that doesn't change this time around.  Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 does a magnificent job of handling Naruto's continuing story as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village.  As a matter of fact, there are some moments in the game where it may have some more defining scenes than the manga or TV series!

Battles are also a blast to play and are easy to grasp from the get-go.  Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is a pick-up-and-play game if you're looking for an easy to understand battle system.  The controls don't ask you to hold down so many buttons at once to perform jutsu, which is quite pleasant compared to some other fighters out there.  The adventure portions of the single-player mode are also fun but you'll be itching to fight other shinobi, or ninjas, that you'll wish there were less of these.



The only great downside to the game is that you have to follow Naruto to understand what's going on and who the characters are and how they've developed.  Going through the single-player story mode without knowing anything about the series would be a living hell to understand.  With that being said, this is the only negative against the game that I can find.

All in all, you need this game if you're a Naruto fan or you're a fighting-game kind of person.  The art is great, the gameplay is seamless and easy to get, and it offers some terrific moments from the anime and manga.  This is a MUST-HAVE for all gamers looking for the greatest Naruto experience to date!!

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is out now on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
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Like what you read?  Leave a comment on your thoughts and like this post and don't forget to read other posts from before for more gaming madness!  Also you can follow me on Twitter at @RamboCovey58!

Deuces for now bros!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Jurassic Life: A game TOO MANY years in the making

Hello everyone!  It's been a while but we are back and ready to go!!

Well over the past few weeks where I have gone M.I.A., I have stumbled upon some very exciting and encouraging news in the world of gaming.  As many of you may know, Universal is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original Jurassic Park film by re-releasing it in 3D on April 5.  I am personally an enormous fan of the Jurassic Park franchise but it hasn't been on par with what it could be as of late.

Since the original film has released in 1993, the quality of the franchise has steadily gone down, especially from a gaming standpoint.  The latest release, Telltale Games's Jurassic Park: The Game, had much hype like most of the other JP titles before it, only to fall well short of that hype and expectations.

Who wouldn't want to relive something like this?

I own that game and while it was an interesting concept since it was entirely played using button sequences, it's not the right direction for the franchise to take.  One of the elements that makes Jurassic Park great is the amount of stress, tension and suspense the films provided.  Watching characters struggle to escape a pack of velociraptors never seems to get old or any less exciting.

Another element is exploration.  In order for a game like this to work, freedom needs to be available to the players.  I for one have always wondered what the rest of Isla Nublar looks like and what secrets it might hold.  Fortunately, after all this time, there is a group of individuals and JP fans who are taking those elements and many others and molding them into the game the franchise so rightfully deserves.


Here's a look at how the game is progressing.

Jurassic Life has been under development for years since the guys making it are creating it as a side job.  Their project has caught the attention of IGN and other big game informers, but a release date hasn't been given, only them saying that it will be ready to play "when it's done."

Based off of what I've seen so far, this title has a legitimate shot at becoming the game that could finally set the gaming side of the franchise on the right track.  After all these years, it appears that someone is finally about to get Jurassic Park right.
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Like what you read?  Leave a comment on your thoughts and like this post and don't forget to read other posts from before for more gaming madness!  Also you can follow me on Twitter at @RamboCovey58!

Deuces for now bros!