Game Review (Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Nintendo 3DS)

What's THIS? A review of something other than food for once? I guess it's about time. I've had my 3DS since Christmas of 2011, but I haven't gotten a game for it since January of 2012. I was kind of pissed that Animal Crossing took so long to come out for the 3DS, but I was willing to wait. I really only got my 3DS for a few games -- Mario Kart 7, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and the new Super Smash Bros. game. The inevitable question is, was New Leaf worth the wait?

I got the original Animal Crossing for the GameCube on a whim after seeing commercials for it over and over again. The idea of the game intrigued me, and I got it with birthday money one day after school in sixth grade... it quickly became one of my favorite games ever just because it was so unique to me: Play in real time while doing tasks for talking animals that move in and out of town, and experience events around the year, with changing seasons. It's a rare game in that it has no story, and it doesn't end. In Animal Crossing (all the ones up until this game), you're a human moving to a new town. The only real goal in the game is to pay off Tom Nook to get your house to its largest size, and collect as many items as you so desire. New Leaf has a slightly different twist, as you move to a town and become mayor, which actually changes the game quite a bit more than you might initially expect.

As the mayor in your town (beware, the name can only be 8 characters long...), it's on you to make the citizens of, in my case, Riverton happy. This is accomplished by creating a town flag and town tune, planting trees, posting on the town message board, donating to the museum, recycling garbage that you fish out of the water to Re-Tail, pulling weeds, doing tasks, visiting townspeoples' houses, and, maybe most importantly, do public work projects and pick an ordinance... among other things, believe it or not.

After you earn an approval rating of 100% in New Leaf (it shouldn't take you too long), you can finally really take the duties of mayor by, for instance, signing an ordinance. There are four ordinances to choose from, and only one can be used at any given time. You can change whenever you'd like, but it costs 20,000 Bells.

1.) Beautiful Town: This ordinance is great for people that take pride in a sexy looking town, and is the one that I picked. With this, flowers don't die, weeds are more rare, and villagers are more likely to plant and water flowers. Unfortunately, this doesn't prevent the dreaded Animal Crossing grass wear, but it saves you the hassle of running around town looking for and pulling weeds.

2.) Early Bird: This one simply opens all shops 3 hours earlier. This is probably an obvious choice for people that play the game early in the morning. Additionally, your neighbors will be more likely to wake up earlier in the day. On the flipside, everybody in town is more likely to hit the hay earlier, and the shops close sooner as well.

3.) Night Owl: The same thing as the Early Bird ordinance ... but the opposite.

4.) Wealthy Town: I don't understand this one personally, but it makes the town rich. Items sell for more, which is great, but they also cost more to buy -- this confuses me about this ordinance. If it changes the economy entirely, then wouldn't everything balance out? I think that it'd feel like no ordinance was in place at all.

Perhaps the biggest thing about being the mayor in New Leaf though is the ability to build public works projects. With these, you can build a bridge over a river in a heavily trafficked part of town, can put a bench down, can opt to put a fountain somewhere, and much, much more. This is all great because you can choose exactly where you want to put these things, but it's not without a fault. While Isabelle (your secretary at Town Hall) lets you know that neighbors can chip in to help build whatever you're building, they chip in a negligible amount of Bells, so you can expect to pay the brunt of the bill. So if having to pay Nook off for house upgrades wasn't enough, you have to deal with that! Incidentally, maybe that's why it seems so much easier to catch fish/insects that were more rare in previous games.

Another thing New Leaf boasted about was its multiplayer. After having spent quite a few hours mingling in peoples' towns online, I've decided that it's a decent, but flawed experience. It's fine and good, but there are some pretty big issues that I have:

1.) You can't do tasks for neighbors in a foreign town -- from what I can tell. You can talk all you want, and they gossip, give you tips, and ask about your own city, but they don't tell you to make deliveries, don't trade you items, etc. This may not be true, but in my few hours in others' towns, I haven't been asked once.

2.) The way of communicating is ancient. You can communicate through text, but you can't just use the D-pad to maneuver the keyboard and type. Instead, you need to press the individual little keys on your touch screen. If the D-pad could be used, it would be way, way improved.

3.) If you're in a friend's town, or if a friend is in your town, you are majorly limited on what you can do. You can't really talk to Isabelle at all, you can't move or pick up furniture if you have people in your house, and most annoyingly, you can't help a pal out my donating to his/her museum. What? Alright then, I guess all of the donations to my museum will just read "Alex" then.

4.) It's not related to online play, but the 3D in this game is pretty pointless to turn on in most situations. I've found that the best time to use it is when at the aquarium in the museum. When you're checking it out, zoom in with up on the D-pad, turn the 3D on, and look around the room. The 3D when just wandering around town is so very subtle that it's not worth draining your battery over -- and believe me, your battery will drain fast enough with it off when you're playing this game.

On the plus side, there is an island that you can visit either alone (lame...) or with (a) friend(s). At this island, there are mini games, and island-only bugs, fish, and items. It's not somewhere that you're likely to visit often, but it's an awesome option to have. The mini games aren't awful, but they're not as exciting as some publications would lead you to believe.

There are still dozens and dozens of things to mention about New Leaf, but this is its core. If you've played Animal Crossing at all or read up on it, you know most of what I haven't mentioned. As I'm sure you've read elsewhere, New Leaf is a game that anybody that's a fan of the series ought to buy. If you haven't played an Animal Crossing game before, but have an interest, definitely try it out. If you're burned out on the series, or are unsure whether or not you'd like it, you might want to pass on it. This game is essentially the same game as those before it, but with more content... the gameplay hasn't changed at all. Although I didn't play City Folk, New Leaf is definitely my favorite game in the series. As great as previous games were, this game expands on it in every way imaginable. If you own a 3DS, this is a must-buy, as far as I'm concerned.

4.75/5

Food Review (Chicken and Bacon Premium McWrap from McDonalds)

Yes. Another damn food review ... it seems like it's all I bother doing at this point. Wanting another chicken McWrap, I decided to get a grilled chicken and bacon one to see how it would be. Naturally, McDonald's fucked up and gave me the crispy chicken. This is my review.

As it turns out, this picture's pretty deceiving. There was a ridiculous amount of lettuce in this particular McWrap, and the bottom wasn't folded correctly, resulting in a huge pile of lettuce, three pieces of chicken, and a tomato down there. The first one I had wasn't made this poorly, so I have to figure a mentally handicapped kid made this one. The chicken tasted a lot like the chicken that's in McDonald's Southwestern chicken sandwich, which is a plus. As I already mentioned, there was a shit ton of lettuce, and there were a good number of bites that were lettuce and bread, with no ranch (I didn't say that there was basically no ranch in this? Oops.). The bacon was pretty bad, but manageable ... just a quick look at it lets you know it was microwaved. The tiny bits of cheese that were in there were pointless, and didn't add anything. The tomato and shitload of lettuce seemed to be fresh, for what it's worth.

Overall, not as good as the sweet chili McWrap -- not so much because this one was made pretty badly, but because it doesn't taste quite as good. The premium McWraps are good, lunch-sized options, and are a meal within themself. Not the best thing I've had from McDonald's, but worthy of a buy... so long as the person making yours knows how to fold the goddamn bread.

+: Chicken. Price. Size.
-: High-school-drop-out folding job. Way too much lettuce. Pretty poor bacon.

3.5/5

Food Review (Grilled Chipotle Chicken Sandwich and Loaded Tater Tots from Burger King)

I don't usually do two food reviews in one, but what the hell... no one reads these damn things anyway! I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!!! Alright, so today for dinner, I kind of had a hankerin' for Burger King (unusual, I know) and remembered that they had some new things on the menu. Oh, Burger King... constantly adding shit to the menu while not caring about the quality of the product... ON WE GO!

First of all, this is the way Burger King describes their chipotle chicken sandwich:

Made with perfectly seasoned, premium white meat chicken, this twist on the popular TENDERCRISP^® Chicken Sandwich will thrill your taste buds thanks to the spicy chipotle mayo, sweet Caramelized style onions, thick-cut bacon, pepper jack cheese, ripe tomatoes and fresh-cut lettuce sandwiched between a warm, artisan-style bun. Also available as a wrap. 


The chipotle chicken sandwich wasn't at all what I thought it would be. Not just because the picture (as usual) was WAY off, but because it didn't taste chipotle-esque at all. In fact, I didn't notice any even on my sandwich. I opted for the grilled chicken just for the hell of it... the nutrition facts on it blew my mind. Most notably, over 3,000mg of sodium. Uh... what in the HELL!? Okay, okay... the taste. Burger King's chicken has always been some of my favorite at fast food restaurants (especially their Tendercrisp variety), so I knew what to expect. The bread was soft and had a slight sweetness to it. The chicken was hot and juicy (albeit salty... imagine that), the bacon was crispy and better than I thought it would be, and the melty cheese actually had flavor. The caramelized onions were bland though, the lettuce and tomato weren't exactly fresh (as usual), and, like I said, I didn't get any chipotle flavor. It tasted alright besides that, but it's still not something I'd get again. The sandwich was WAY smaller than I had anticipated, and the slippery chicken breast bastard kept sliding away every time I took a bite... definitely messy.

+: Chicken has good flavor; tasty bacon; cheese.
-: Seemingly zero chipotle mayo; 3,000mg of sodium, size, price.

3.25/5


And for the loaded tater tots:

A bite-sized snack that is sure to kick your meal up a notch! Enjoy warm fluffy potatoes filled with flavorful bacon and sweet onions on the inside, with a savory and crispy crumb coating on the outside. Available in eight, 10 or 12 piece servings. These LOADED TATER TOTS™ potatoes are great for sharing and are a savory complement to any meal.


And that's that. The important thing is the taste, as always. I opened up my little box of tots and they were fresh out of the fryer -- imagine that. Glistening with grease, and hot through the cardboard. I took a bite, and I liked it, unsurprisingly. It's nothing but a loaded baked potato in form of a tater tot, so it's hard to go wrong with that. They're not mind blowing, but still worth a purchase and another and another. There's not much else to say about them, other than that they should probably have a permanent spot on Burger King's menu.

+: Hot; fair value; don't even really need ketchup.
-: Limited time item.

4.25/5

Food Review (Arby's King's Hawaiian Roast Beef and Swiss)

For the love of God, Arby's, make this a permanent menu item. That's pretty much it. The Hawaiian roll is sweet, soft, and just a lot better than the run-of-the-mill sesame seed bun. Also, it's a bit bigger, so the sandwich is more filling. This sandwich wins due to its wide amount of flavors and textures. The sweet, soft bread, salty roast beef, crunchy and sour pickles, and slightly spicy dijon mustard. Add a packet of Arby's sauce, and it's perfect. The one thing that I pretty much forgot about is the Swiss cheese. The only reason I knew it was there was because I saw it. A single slice of cheese against all of the other flavors was pointless, and only added calories. A second slice of cheese may have helped it.

This is one of the best things that I've ever had from Arby's. The sandwich itself is about $4, which I guess is a fairly reasonable price, given its size and the average cost of fast food now. If you like Arby's regular roast beef sandwich, then this is something you absolutely need to try... but only if you like pickles. And mustard. If you don't like either of those, then, in the words of Gordon Ramsay, "Piss off, yeah?"

4.5/5

+: Tasty as all hell.
-: $4 for a sandwich wouldn't be all bad, but the bread, as good as it is, is there more than the roast beef is -- 1/3 more roast beef my ass!

Food Review (Sweet Chili Chicken Premium McWrap from McDonalds)

     Yesterday I decided to get McDonalds, and I decided to try a McWrap -- a Sweet Chili McWrap, to be exact. To be more exact, I opted for the grilled chicken, because... what the hell. This is my first time posting a picture on this blog, but that right there is what you get.

     Coming in at just 360 calories, this McWrap manages to be relatively healthy ... unsurprisingly though, there's a shit ton of sodium (1030mg/43%). The taste of this McWrap is decent, but it's not because of the chicken. The grilled chicken is all moist and whatever, but it really doesn't have much flavor, which makes the four decently-sized strips of chicken per wrap relatively pointless. It took a few bites for me to get any of the sweet chili sauce, as gravity had to force that shit to the bottom. Additionally, despite the good amount of chicken, the last quarter or so of my McWrap was basically a salad, since the chicken wasn't evenly distributed. I'd recommend jiggling the McWrap around a little bit to get some of it to settle. Who cares how retarded you look, it'll make the whole thing consistent.

     Given the reasonable price of these McWraps, it's impossible to not recommend. While I'm sure the crispy chicken would taste better (what a SHOCK that would be), this wasn't bad at all, considering the value. I haven't had the chicken and ranch or chicken and bacon McWraps, but I'd have no doubts that those would be "okay" at worst. Hard not to recommend this particular McWrap, at least.

4/5

+: Great value. Kind of sort of healthy. Sweet chili sauce is as good as ever. Whatever ranch that's in there actually works well with the sweet chili sauce.

-: Chicken's damn bland. Had to wait at the window for awhile for some stupid ass reason.

?: If this is considered a "premium" McWrap, what do they consider the OTHER McWraps?

Game Review (Call of Duty: Black Ops II Uprising)

It's been out for a little while now, but I never got around to reviewing it. I wasn't as excited for Uprising as I was for Revolution simply because I've recently lost some interest in Black Ops II and just haven't played it all that much the past two months or so. Just like in the last review, I won't bother reviewing the Zombie map -- in this case, Mob of the Dead. I realize that's, for a lot of people, the biggest part of these map packs, but I tend to never get around to play Zombies. I've heard some great things about Mob of the Dead, and all signs seem to say that it's the best Zombie map in the game. Anyway, on to my interest, the multiplayer maps.

---

Encore: This map takes place in England, and is set primarily around a stage. Encore, for the most part, offers many medium-range firefights, but there are a couple close-quarters areas on the map. I don't think Encore is the most interesting looking map, but it's laid out decently. Without a doubt, the center of the map is the main attraction here for gun battles -- imagine that! If you're a sniper, this wouldn't be a mad map choice to whip one out and see what you can do. The map size itself is about medium, but a sniper would not be an awful choice. On the other hand, I wouldn't really recommend a shotgun or an SMG, but to each their own. A respectable map -- I'd like to play it more to form a better opinion, but for now it gets a 3.75/5

Magma: Another map with an environmental hazard ... if you're too stupid to guess what it is, it's magma. This is a pretty interesting map, but I can't decide if I really like it or not. I'm not sure if it's the spawns or the map design or what, but I find myself running around the map quite often without seeing (m)any guys. Magma, I don't think, is a very big map, but it plays like one because there's a lot of "downtime". It looks good, but I'm not completely sold on it yet. Overall, a pretty average map. I should also add that I didn't find the magma to factor into the gameplay at all in the matches I played. 3.5/5

Studio: I didn't realize it until just before researching the map before playing it that Studio is a remodeled version of Firing Range from the original Black Ops, which proved to be one of the most popular maps in that game. While I liked Firing Range a good bit, I figured it would be just as overplayed in Black Ops II as it was in the first game... and I was right. Nothing against the map, but it ALWAYS gets chosen over the other three maps in this pack, it seems. Essentially, the map is transferred from a Firing Range to, you probably guessed it, a studio set in California. While it's not very war-like, I think it looks awesome. A castle? An alien set? A Western set? It makes calling out enemies much easier, and makes the map more interesting. 4.25/5

Vertigo: The map I knew the least about, Vertigo immediately think, "Damn. That's a bland looking map." Vertigo takes place on a rooftop, and it's really a map with nothing but whites and greys. While I was thinking it'd be a "meh" map that would involve randomly scurrying around on one level of a rooftop, I soon noticed that there was an inside section to the map that I thought automatically made the map a notch above what I thought it would be. Vertigo has medium-short sightlines, so an SMG would be optimal on this map, though I've seen plenty of people do pretty well with a shotgun on this map (especially in the middle of the map), and I also enjoy using assault rifles. Doesn't look too great, but it plays pretty well. 4/5

---

If I was a bigger fan of Zombies and had people to play with, I'm sure I'd absolutely love this map pack. As I got the Season Pass for the multiplayer maps, I'm satisfied. While there are really only three *NEW* maps, I don't have anything to complain about here. As it turns out, the Firing Range remake, Studio, is probably my favorite map of the four -- despite the fact that it will be voted for until I vomit. I think the maps in Revolution were probably more interesting and fun to play as a whole, but this is a solid offering. The one thing I'm disappointed in is the lack of a gun in this pack, for one reason... if Treyarch had the plan of only releasing one gun as DLC, they should have "gone out with a bang" by releasing it as a part of the final map pack. I'm not knocking down my rating of Uprising for that reason, but it's a bummer. If you like Black Ops II and its multiplayer, you shouldn't need me to tell you to get Uprising. Better yet, if you don't have it yet, get the fucking Season Pass and download Revolution right along with it.

4/5

Food Review (Mighty Minis from Arby's)

After seeing a few advertisements for these things, I was immediately intrigued ... while Arby's could have easily done the gimmick of releasing just plain roast beef on slider buns, they actually added new things to two of them! (Actually four... there are six Mighty Minis total: Roast beef/turkey, spicy roast beef/turkey, and crispy onion roast beef/turkey)

Alright, so basically these minis are two slider buns that are still connected with roast beef (or turkey) and whatever other toppings, depending on which you got. The problem with this is that they lay the roast beef across both buns, so it's hard to rip them apart cleanly. More impractical is trying to eat both while they're still together, as if it's a mini sub. Either way you do it, it'll be sort of messy... I'd have rather Arby's just released a full-sized sandwich instead of trying to make the minis.

Crispy Onion: This one's pretty uninteresting, but it's not awful. Simply, it's roast beef with crispy onions on top. Not fresh ones, but rather ones that are out of a bag or can. They don't taste bad, but it's basically like those French's onions that come outta the can... just a little bit better. The sauce they put on is apparently "Au jus spread", but I really didn't find that it added much different flavor that wasn't already there from the combination of the roast beef and the onions. Not bad at all, but rather average. 3.5/5

Spicy: Saving the better one for last, this one was pretty tasty and more interesting. This one has roast beef (or turkey, whichever you choose) with pepper jack cheese and roasted red jalapeno ranch sauce. Sound better? It should, because it is. Personally, I'd've only liked this more if they put the crispy onions from the other one on here. The ranch sauce that they use is actually surprisingly good, and has a decent amount of heat -- it won't make your nose run or your eyes water, but it's noticeable. Would get again. 4.25/5

As I said, there's also a plain roast beef or turkey Mighty Minis selection, but that's no fun. The only difference between those and their big brother sizes is that the bread used for the Mighty Minis is different. It doesn't taste different, but it definitely has a chewier texture. The Mighty Minis from Arby's are pretty yummy (the spicy one in particular), but they're difficult to eat without being messy. Either you somehow rip them in half (not an easy task without having the meat slip out), or try eating it like an elongated roast beef sandwich. If you have a knife, use it ... it'll make your life easier, and cleaner. I hope Arby's considers keeping them around.

4/5

Food Review (Wendy's Asiago Ranch Flatbread)

Wendy's "new"est release is of the flatbread ... which seems to be a fairly popular thing now by a lot of fast food places. The Wendy's Asiago Ranch is ... ... good.

The problem with it is that it's not really new, outside of the bread that they use, and it's nothing new or spectacular. I guess Wendy's is trying to give an image that they're getting healthy, but a quick glance at the nutrition facts for these flatbreads will show just how "healthy" they truly are. Lots of fat, tons of sodium. This Asiago Ranch Flatbread is simply the Asiago Ranch chicken sandwich reassembled into a whole-grain flatbread. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but it is what it is.

The chicken is pictures as being a few slices of chicken, but I just got half of a grilled chicken filet thrown inside. I don't normally have grilled chicken at fast food places, but this was actually pretty tasty. The Asiago Ranch sauce (which I've had before) is as good as ever, even if it's a bit salty. The highlight is the bacon -- Wendy's has always had some of the best bacon in fast food, in my opinion.

Should you try it? Absolutely -- especially if you've never had the Asiago Ranch chicken sandwich. The contents slip and slide around when trying to eat it, so it's not something to eat while driving or something like that, but I still recommend it.

4/5

Food Review (Cool Ranch DLT (Doritos Locos Taco) from Taco Bell)

It's not officially out until tomorrow, but they were still selling them today, so I got one. To be more specific, I got a Cool Ranch DLT Supreme. Like the original Doritos Locos Taco, this one comes on its own or as a Supreme, which has sour cream and tomatoes. Both DLTs (Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch) cost $1.29 for the regular taco, and $1.69 for the Supreme... though I'm sure it varies by location.

I wasn't a huge fan of the original Doritos Locos Taco, but I didn't dislike it, either. Since I prefer Cool Ranch Doritos to the Nacho Cheese ones, I figured I'd like this one a lot more. The truth is, it's not much better. Like the Nacho Cheese DLT, you really can't taste the Doritos seasoning all that much with the meat, lettuce, cheese, and (if you add it) sauce. It's like a regular taco, with a saltier shell and a very slight ranch flavoring. I actually found that the Nacho Cheese DLT had more flavor (and tasted saltier). Despite that, I think I actually like this Cool Ranch one a little bit more. The seasoning's subtle as hell, and just one of these tacos wouldn't fill the stomach of a baby sloth, but it's still pretty tasty. The biggest problem I have with both Doritos Locos Tacos is the price... why the hell does it cost $1.69 for a Supreme? It should be 99 cents for a regular and then $1.29 or something for the Supreme.

Despite the, in my opinion, relatively unfair price of the DLTs, both of them are pretty decent... though not nearly as great as a lot of other bloggers will have you believe.

3.5/5

Game Review (MLB 2K13 - 360)

Since I know there aren't (m)any reviews out there, I've decided to type this review up. Generally I wait a few days after a game releases to post a review, but I've already played for about 7 hours today, embarrassingly enough.

Graphics: 3.5/5 You'll be seeing me saying phrases like this a lot in this review, but... same as last year, from what I can tell. If you've played MLB 2K at all for the past three or so years, then you've seen 2K13. Wonky animations, some horrendous player faces, and an overall "blah" look to the game. They aren't God awful, but they're barely average. Additionally, the menus are exactly the same as MLB 2K12's, just with the 2K13 logo instead.

Sound: 4.5/5 As many people would likely say, the sound in 2K13 is fantastic, and much better than The Show's. If it weren't for the commentary in the 2K series, the games would be FAR less enjoyable, in my opinion. The conversations between Philips, Thorn, and Kruk seems to come naturally and realistically, and lines aren't repeated ad nauseum, with the exception of: "Let's take a look at how the Tigers stacked up against the league last year", yada yada yada. That kind of crap happens four or five times a game, and it got old a couple years ago. Not only is the commentary (mostly) outstanding, but the MLB 2K13 soundtrack isn't too bad either:

"Faster Babe" by 2AM Club

"Take Me Away" by Blue Oyster Cult

"City in Silhouettes" by Funeral Party

"Natural" by Infusion

"Club Foot" by Kasabian

"Peeled Apples" by Manic Street Preachers

"Little Secrets" by Passion Pit

"Take a Walk" by Passion Pit

"Don't Let Them (Cool Off)" by Peter Bjorn and John

"Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John

"Fire Burning" by Sean Kingston

"No Hope" by The Vaccines

In my opinion, 2K13 has a solid setlist, and I believe it's better than last years. "Club Foot" is a popular song that many people have probably heard before, and "Take a Walk" by Passion Pit is a song that was most recently played in Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Taco commercial.

Fun: 3.75/5 Despite the fact that this game is, from what I can tell, a perfect port from 2K12 (minus the online leagues, I noticed. Yes, you read that correctly -- no only leagues in 2K13), it remains a decent enough game. If you can get passed the fact that the guys at 2K got paid to do nothing but add the Astro's new uniforms and switch them to the American League this season, then you'll enjoy it. The jersey colors haven't been corrected (Powder blue Yankee caps and brightly contrasted purple on the Rockies road unnies), a lot of players don't have updated pictures, and the scoreboard that was changed prior to the 2012 season at Comerica Park in Detroit hasn't been renovated in this game. Some of these issues are inexcusable, but the fact is, this is the only baseball game on the Xbox 360. MLB 2K13 isn't at all a bad game, but it doesn't mean 2K shouldn't be ashamed of themselves for making such minute changes to this game. Let's be honest, I'm giving this quite the generous review score.

3.5/5

+ The commentary is the highlight as always; The soundtrack is enjoyable; Games play quite well when using custom sliders (I recommend checking OperationSports.com and downloading MKHash's); At least the Astros are in the AL West with their unattractive new uniforms.

- The game still has horrendously unrealistic animations; Most of the player models creep me out; The commentary mentions statistics far too often; No online leagues; The colorblind guys that are responsible for jersey colors are apparently still hired; General laziness by the entire 2K baseball team.

Game Review (Call of Duty: Black Ops II Revolution)

The Revolution pack has been out for Black Ops II for a couple weeks now, but I just decided to cave and get the Season Pass. I had gotten ELiTE Premium for Modern Warfare 3, a game that I don't think is as good as this one, so I figured I may as well try it out. Besides, the four new maps piqued my interest, and I had picked a dead dude's Peacekeeper off the ground several times and enjoyed using it. (Note: I will be excluding Zombies from my review due to the fact that I haven't played Die Rise or the new Zombie game mode, I'm not sure WHEN I'll play it, and I don't know if I ever even WILL play it.)

Downhill: Oh thank God, Treyarch has given us a snow map. In the original Black Ops, I believe a quarter of the 16 disc maps were snowy. My assumption is that a lot of people got bored of the mostly white maps, but I missed the fact that Treyarch negated the option of putting at least one on the Black Ops 2 disc. Fortunately, they brought one in as DLC, and it's a lot of fun. Downhill takes place at a ski resort. Knowing that bit of information, you could assume that there would be a good number of hills and buildings -- and there are both of those things. The map is approximately medium in size, and is ideal for an SMG or maybe even assault rifle, though there are a couple prime spots for snipers to house up in. There's something that Treyarch added to this map that will likely frustrate a lot of players -- the killer lifts (I forget the real name for them) that will splatter you at a lightning velocity of approximately 1.5mph! While these are somewhat annoying, they move so slowly that it would really be pathetic if you were to die from one of them, in my opinion. I think it would be cooler if they traveled a bit faster and people could ride them in a circle around the map (while of course having some blind spots). I enjoy this map a lot. 4.25/5

Grind: Here's an interesting map... Grind takes place at a skate park in California. In Treyarch's preview video for Revolution, they claimed that Grind removes corners... and that's just a lie. Sure, there are a good number of ramps and pipes that eliminate corners, but there's also the building in the middle that has plenty of  close quarters combat with corners galore. Regardless, I like it. The main problem I have with Grind though is that no matter where I go, I feel extremely vulnerable. The building in the middle has a lot of rooms and corners and it's hard to determine which is safe to go in -- it's really a guessing game. Grind looks great and plays pretty well, but I'll have to play it some more to really decide if I enjoy it or not. For now though, it gets a 4/5

Hydro: This one takes place at a foreign dam. This is a smaller, mostly symmetrical map with medium sight lines at best, and two levels of action. Of course, the most notable thing about Hydro is the bottom level that spews water out and kills anything in its path. Fortunately though, there's a bit of a warning to let you know that you'll get destroyed if you don't get out in a timely fashion. Some may complain that this is some sort of a stupid gimmick, but I like it more than the bullet train on Express. I could see this being a very popular map among competitive and casual gamers alike. Relatively simply designed, but quite a blast to play in spite of that. 4.25/5

Mirage: Here we have a map that takes place in a desert in China. This seems to be a map that people seem to love or hate. Even before playing these maps and having only seen the Treyarch preview video, I had forgotten about this map. After playing it, I know why. First of all, it feels and looks like it should be in World at War, not Black Ops 2. Second, the way that it's designed is just, overall, frustrating. It has potential, but this map seems to encourage camping much more than the others in the pack. It's a decent, medium sized map, but it just doesn't do a lot for me in terms of how it looks or feels. It remains better than some other Call of Duty maps I've played in the past. 3.5/5

Finally, the SMG that's included in the pack, the Peacekeeper. I was told by a number of people that the Peacekeeper was a very good gun... and it is. The best way to describe the Peacekeeper is that it's an SMG/AR hybrid. That is to say, the Peacekeeper has a fire rate similar to an SMG, but almost with the range of an assault rifle. Another added benefit of the Peacekeeper is that it feels like the stock attachment is on it even when it's not when you look down your sights due to the fact that it's an SMG. I haven't used it too much (I've maybe gotten 150 kills with it), but I've enjoyed it quite a lot so far. I find that it's an extremely useful gun for most of the maps in this game (ones that are medium in size) for several reasons: It's mobile, so it is easier to move around, the fire rate helps at close range, and enemies can be taken out at a distance with a reasonable number of rounds fired into their bellies and/or heads.

Knowing that there will be four map packs, I feel like it's safe to assume that there will likely be a single downloadable gun in each pack (and perhaps two in one of the packs). This time around we got an SMG, so next up will likely be an assault rifle, shotgun, LMG, or sniper. I'd like to get more guns than just five, but who am I to complain? I've been wanting DLC guns for a couple years now, and now I've finally gotten my wish.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops II Revolution DLC is an expansion that's hard to not recommend. From what I've heard, Die Rise is an excellent Zombies map (though it's a bit drab in my opinion... why can't there be a less depressing Zombies map?), and I haven't even touched it. If you buy Revolution just for the Zombies map, I'd guess that you'd be disappointed, as it's just one level for a price of $15. If you buy it for just the multiplayer maps, you four maps at a price of $3.50 a piece (I say that because I figure the Peacekeeper would be worth $1 to the average player). And, naturally, if you buy Revolution to play all of it, you get 1.86GB of good, Call of Duty fun. No matter what you decide to primarily play if/when you get Revolution, I don't think there's any doubt that this pack is of the best value of any Call of Duty pack, and I don't think that there's any arguing that you'll actually get quite a lot for your money if you decide to get the Season Pass for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. For those two reasons, it gets the rating that I'm giving it.

4.5/5

+ All four maps are above average -- especially Downhill and Hydro.
+ At last... a downloadable gun!
+ For once, $15 for a Call of Duty pack, and I can say it's a good deal.

Game Review (NHL 13 - 360)

Having purchased NHL 11, 12, and now 13, I've been hoping that with each purchase, the game would get better... unfortunately, I've been left disappointed just about every time.

Graphics: 4/5 The graphics, I think, look a bit better than a year or two ago, but the wonky looking collisions are still there, and there are more God awful faces than good ones.. there's also no emotion on any of the faces either.

Sound: 3.5/5 Seemingly the same exact commentary as the past couple years, which isn't too bad, but the soundtrack's more miss than hit, and that's unfortunate. The fans, hits, and sound of saves/the puck hitting the boards is as good as ever, and only made better with a headset (Turtlebeach or something).

Control: 3.25/5 Nothing but frustrating ... the puck has a mind of its own way too often, and the AI is just stupid. Also, the whole "realistic physics" and "explosive skating" things are fine and good, but it almost literally takes 2 hours and 15 minutes for you to turn around and get a puck that's five feet behind you.

Fun: 3.25/5 It's really not much different than the past two years, but I've just had enough of the bull. The game's presented very well, it looks good, and it can be fun when it doesn't feel like the rubberband AI is deliberately working against you (Three of your own teammates on one guy in a corner, he comes out with the puck and scores on what should be an easy save). There are also countless other problems that I have with it. To name a few:
   
     1.) I will often have a handful of breakaways and 25-30 in one game, and the opposing goalie -- regardless of rating -- will often make a Jesus Christ save every single time. The other team will then get about two goals with their first three shots on goal, resulting in a power down of my 360.
     2.) Often times I'll throw my player's body on the ice to block a pass or shot, but I'll go to a replay and clearly see the puck pass through my body.
     3.) While passing across the ice, the puck seems to magically hit a skate or stick almost half the time.
     4.) The AI in Be a GM will constantly offer trades with the same player over-and-over again, despite declining the trade once, twice, thrice, etc.
     5.) Players like Datsyuk can take down Wookiees without an issue.
     6.) User-controlled player is often left alone with the puck on attack while the team decides it's the right time for a line change ... even if it's just a few moments after a faceoff.
     7.) Overall, the AI is pretty awful. The box is full of shit in claiming that it's better than ever, or something along those lines.

Thankfully, I only paid $22 for this game ($40 on sale, $20 gift card). It's not an unplayable game, but it's nothing more than a glorified version of rock, paper, scissors. Getting a goal is as rewarding as ever, but it doesn't really matter when the opposing team can get an easy wrist shot goal from just inside the blue line as often as they do.

3.5/5

DVD Review (Friends: Season 10)

This review's pointless and out of nowhere, but I realized that I reviewed Friends seasons 1-9, but neglected to do the final season. Season ten, I think, is a season that shouldn't have even had happened. It's not terrible, but it's mostly unnecessary. Its only purpose to me is to make loose ends meet. While most shows would have tried doing this in a season and have it fall flat on its face, Friends makes it work. There are a lot of average and somewhat forgettable episodes throughout this season, but the ending is great and memorable enough to make me give the series ending season a pretty decent rating.

4/5

While that seems to be well above average, season ten's a little bit of a letdown in Friends' standards.

Food Review (Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger from McDonalds)

McDonald's unfortunately did away with their CBO, and seemingly have replaced it with something somewhat similar ... it's a CBO, minus the bacon, and without the sauce that was on it. Regardless, I wanted to try the Grilled Onion Cheddar because it was only a buck, and I expected it to taste like a slider.

For a dollar, I can't complain. The cheese doesn't add much, but the caramelized onions give the burger an almost bitter sweet taste. The burger patty is pretty small, but again, it's about what should be expected from a dollar menu. There's not much to say about this burger positively or negatively because it is what it is ... a simple and cheap burger. I figure this'll be a good way to get money back on the money they lose for each McDouble that they make ... plus I think it tastes better. Definitely a burger for people that love onions, because there are a lot of them.

4.25/5

+: Caramelized onions give the Grilled Onion Cheddar a slider flavor; Only costs $1.
-: Not as good as the CBO.

DVD Review (The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteenth Season)

It took a year, but season fifteen of The Simpsons is finally on DVD and, for whatever reason, Blu-Ray. This season there are 22 episodes, commentary on every episode (as usual), sketches, a couple commercials, and deleted scenes.

Unlike many other Simpsons seasons, there aren't really any complete duds in this season. Not only that, but there aren't any extremely memorable episodes either. Rather, season fifteen basically contains 22 slightly above average and entertaining episodes. I found myself rating mostly every episode in my head between a 3.5 to a 4.25 out of 5. My personal favorite of the season I suppose would have to be "Margical History Tour" because it's Treehouse of Horror-esque, and well written with some good jokes. Most of the other 21 episodes included aren't too far behind.

The extras included seem to be far less than some other seasons. For instance, even in season thirteen and fourteen they had a "Best of Ralph" and "Best of Treehouse of Horror" section, respectively. I was hoping and thinking that this set would have a "Best of Otto" compilation, but I was wrong ... that, or I just haven't found it.

The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteen Season is a must-buy for fans of the show, and a "get it eventually" buy for fair weather fans. Every episode is either average or a notch above, so there's nothing you have to see. Still, I feel that this is an underrated season, and I don't think it's nearly as bad as a lot of people make it out to be.

4/5

Food Review (Loaded Grillers from Taco Bell)

Beefy Nacho Griller: This one, to me, is the least interesting of the three (not to say any of them are really original). Beef, nacho cheese, and crunchy red strips. Taco Bell's just taunting all of us with this thing. It's almost a Beefy Nacho Burrito, but it has the flavorless red tortilla strips instead of the cheese ones. I dislike this one mostly because the strips are nothing but a soggy mess once the bread gets grilled. Why even bother with them? Unless you literally eat your Griller instantly or in the restaurant at Taco Bell, it'll be mush by the time you get home. Still tasty and of a good value, but nothing new here. 3.75/5

Loaded Potato Griller: Yikes. It scares me to see that a lot of people like this one best. The potatoes at Taco Bell are pretty decent (I get their taco or the side of potatoes time-to-time), but this burrito is nothing but a salty mess to me. It's potatoes, nacho cheese, sour cream (I always get minus sour cream in burritos.), and bacon. Oh. Bacon. That should be good. Nope. In the past Taco Bell has tried putting bacon in/on things, but their bacon is awful. It's bacon bits straight out of a container and they're unappetizing... they add almost nothing but salt to an already salty Griller. This could be a tasty one if Taco Bell used "real" bacon. Not sure I'd have this one again. 3/5

Spicy Chicken Griller: Chicken, sour cream (not for me), and Lava sauce. It's a simple little concoction, but it's awesome. The chicken has a citrus flavor, and the Lava sauce brings a good heat. The first time I tried it I didn't think it was so hot, but the second time I felt a good burn. It also seems like this Griller tends to have more weight to it than the other two, so you get more for your money. 4/5

A pretty good promotion from Taco Bell, but I'm still waiting on the damn bastards to make the Beefy Crunch Burrito (or even the Beefy Nacho Burrito, I guess...) a PERMANENT MENU ITEM. I'll be going to Taco Bell quite a bit to take advantage of these cheap 99 cent Grillers.

9 Ways to Get Good (or Better) at Black Ops 2

So, you're a noob. If you aren't a noob, you're a good player that's looking to maybe get a little bit of an edge in Black Ops 2. Whatever the reason is, you're likely here because you want to play better at the game. I'm here to suggest some things that ought to help you improve your game dramatically within a short amount of time. The list of these tips aren't in order of importance, so don't worry about that.

1.) Play with friends and communicate. This one should be an absolute no-brainer. If you're just going out and playing any game mode other than a Party Game or Free-for-All by yourself, you're likely to lose many games and end up frustrated. If you want to see your win/loss ratio climb (and even your K/D can if you have a communicative team), then you'd better get a group of at least 4 people in each match you play. I understand that most game modes are 6v6, but a group of 4 and 2 randoms will beat a group of 6 randoms just about any time.

2.) Use smaller Scorestreaks. What I mean by this is, don't bother trying to get the K9 Unit or the Swarm ... chances are that you'll never get those once. Instead, use things like the UAV/Hunter Killer/CUAV/Care Package/Lightning Strike. My personal combination tends to be UAV/Hunter Killer/Lightning Strike because I find it most effective overall, but to each their own. These Scorestreaks are easily attainable in any game mode -- assuming you go for the objective -- and you'll have a streak almost at all times.

3.) Use guns appropriate to the map. With these Black Ops 2 disc maps being as small as they are, an SMG will be perfect on nearly every map... even a shot gun can be super effective on a number of them. On maps with some longer sight lines (and there aren't many of them), and assault rifle will work a bit better. Overall though, an SMG is probably the type of gun to use right now in Black Ops 2 until Treyarch either nerfs them a tad, or releases larger maps as DLC.

4.) Don't use random perks. If you're playing most objective game modes, you're going to want to play smart. I personally love to run a class that has Ghost AND Flak Jacket in the first slot, Cold Blooded in the second slot just because, and then Tactical Mask in third. These perks (especially Ghost, Flak Jacket, and Tactical Mask) work wonders in objective matches for too many reasons to count. Ghost allows you to flank (Don't stop moving with Ghost, otherwise you'll show up on the radar), Flak Jacket will take the brunt of explosives, and Tactical Mask renders all tactical grenades other than EMPs useless. In game modes like Headquarters and Hardpoint, I feel like those perks are essential.

5.) Likewise, don't use random equipment. And to add to that, don't bother wasting a Pick 10 slot on a grenade if you never toss them. Like the perks I listed above, I find that things like Shock Charges and Bouncing Betties work fantastically when defending objectives. If you don't get a kill, you at least get a hit marker that'll let you know where to look and possibly get the kill.

6.) Switch button layout to Tactical. I decided to do this soon after starting to play Black Ops 2, and I haven't looked back. What this does is switch the "panic knife" button with the crouch button, making it easier to drop shot. Drop shotting tends to be useful when someone unexpectedly comes around the corner, or when you're getting shot in the back and need to duck down quickly. Many people consider(ed) this a "douchebag" tactic (including me), but I decided, if you can't beat them, join them. I don't drop shot too often, but it seems to work a good bit when I do decide to do it.

7.) Learn the maps. Another basic strategy. Running around on Hijacked with a sniper is a terrible idea ... for the most part. I've seen people do it and get a good K/D, but a K/D doesn't mean a thing in an objective mode. If I die from a sniper in this game, I tend to feel pretty good about my chances for winning, since that player is way more than likely not helping his team. Also, you'll want to learn key choke points, and also some nooks and crannies to "camp" in when an objective is nearby. You should definitely look around for headglitching locations. It shouldn't be too difficult -- Treyarch has seemingly put them everywhere on just about every map.

8.) Try League Play. It's there for a reason. Whether you consider yourself a "serious" Black Ops 2 player or someone that plays pretty much exclusively for shiggles, League Play is there for you. Granted most people playing it will be playing to win, you'll be paired up with people of similar skill levels, so you don't have to worry about getting "pubstomped" when playing in random matches.

9.) Finally, experiment with classes. Don't bother asking what a friend uses as his primary, secondary, equipment, or anything else ... he/she may not have the same play style as you do. So rather than do that, mix and match with the Pick Ten and figure out what guns/perks/equipment suits you.

These 9 ways to improve in Black Ops 2 are just a few of many. If you want to ask for more tips or maybe want to play Black Ops 2 with me, send me a message on Xbox LIVE (OrdealByFire). My friend list will be full, so yeah. Send a message first.

Food Review (Bacon Portabella Melt from Wendy's)

I'm not sure of this burger's state as I had it a couple weeks ago now, but I'm pretty sure it's a limited time item. The Bacon Portabella Melt throws a Wendy's burger patty on a bun with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese sauce.

The first thing I noticed about this burger was just how pathetically tiny it was. I'm used to fast food restaurants giving smaller portions by the year, but this looked junior sized. I haven't gotten a burger from Wendy's for awhile, so maybe they shrank again, but this was pitiful.

Luckily, it tasted good. Wendy's hamburgers admittedly aren't my favorite, but this is a burger I'd get again. Wendy's bacon is above average as far as fast food bacons go, but its the combination of that artificial cheese sauce and the mushrooms that make this worth getting.

3.75/5

+ Bacon! ... albeit average bacon. The mushrooms -- they're the highlight.
- The size - or LACK of size - of the sandwich.

Food Review (Grilled Chicken Parmesan Sandwich from Burger King)

This is a late review seeing as how the limited time offer is over with now, but I'll be reviewing it regardless.

I read a few reviews here and there and I saw a lot of people displeased with this sandwich, so I figured I'd offer my own opinion. Basically, I chose to get the sandwich grilled because I figured the breading on the chicken would just all soggified with the marinara on it.

First of all, I think Burger King probably has the best fast food grilled chicken. Many places have their grilled chicken seasoned with nothing but salt, but Burger King's has a distinct grilled taste to it, so that helps this sandwich a lot. The marinara sauce is obviously not of the best quality (it tastes like it was out of a can), but it's tolerable. The only issue I have with this sandwich is the parmesan shavings that add absolutely nothing but calories and a waxy texture.

I'm actually sort of disappointed this was a limited time item. I had a couple sandwiches, and I'd probably get more now and then if they were still available.

3.5/5

+ Burger King's chicken.
- Waxy, flavorless cheese.

Food Review (XXL Steak Nachos from Taco Bell)

Back in May, I remember reading that XXL Nachos were "coming soon", and they're finally out. I'm not a huge fan of getting nachos at Taco Bell, but decided to get the 1 pound steak nachos for $6.

True to the name, this is a big plate of nachos, and it's loaded. The chips are topped with steak, melted cheese, nacho cheese, guacamole, beans, pico de gallo, and sour cream. After opening the box, I was somewhat pleased with what I saw. It had a good bit of heft to it, but I wasn't too happy with typical Taco Bell's fashion of putting all of the toppings right in the middle. This resulted in a soggy mess between the time they made it and the short ride home. The steak is very "meh", and I didn't get very much at all. The huge globs of sour cream, guacamole, and cheese in the middle blended together and made a warm, not-so-appealing goo. Due to its sheer size, the last quarter or so of the nachos were cold by the time I was finishing.

The XXL Nachos aren't awful, but I'd rather get a mix of things for $6 at Taco Bell than settle with this. Taco Bell, I'm STILL waiting on the Beefy Crunch Burrito -- or at least the Beefy Nacho Burrito.

3.25/5

+ Certainly XXL.

- Half soggy chips, half crispy chips. Probably not worth $6, despite its size. Nothing new.