Lose Weight with a Video Game?

For months I have read status after status on Facebook about people going to the gym to workout or status about people wanting to lose weight. It sucks paying for a gym membership and personally I don't want to use equipment that someone just sweat all over.  Also, working out at a gym can be incredibly boring.  Instead of going that route, why not pick up Dance Central for the Xbox 360 Kinect?

I know, if you don't have Kinect or an Xbox 360, it is a bit pricey but Microsoft has made the cheaper model of the console available for $299.99 with Kinect (it's even cheaper on Amazon).  When I look to exercise, I want to have a good time and a fresh experience.  I've found that with Dance Central.  I got the game on Christmas 2010.  I sure that it was great, since it was developed by Harmonix, but I didn't feel that dancing was my thing.  At that point, I weighed about 312 pounds so when I finally did decide to start playing it, it was a struggle.  I started on Easy and kept working at it but college started back up so I stopped playing.  

After Super Bowl XLV, I came down with the flu.  Evidently, my mom then got from me which eventually caused her to develop pneumonia.  She started having a lot stomach problems on top of that which kept her in the hospital for close to three months.  My mom is a diabetic that went through bariatric surgery in 2005 and has had complications since.  I was on my own for at least 75% of her hospitalization.  It was at that point that I decided that I needed to lose weight so I wouldn't end in the same condition as my mom.  

After class one day, I turned my Xbox on and put Dance Central in.  I exercised using game every night for about an hour.  By the end of March, I dropped 20 pounds.  When my mom came in May and when I got a job as a cart pusher at Walmart in July, I did stop using it for a while.  I then picked it back up in December, which I started using second edition of the game, feeling that using the software would continue to help drop weight.  A year ago I weighed 312 pounds and now because of the experience I gained from that software I weight 269 pounds.  Because of work, I don't have as much time as I did last year but everyday I don't work, I exercise using Dance Central.  It's a fantastic piece of software and I encourage anyone looking to lose weight or get a decent workout to purchase this.  My goal is to drop at least another 20 pounds before the end of the semester putting me back at my high school weight.

THE NAPPACHIEF ASKS:

Have any of you found a successful workout without going to a gym?  If so, reply in the comment section below.

Super Mario 3D Land Review

It's taken almost a full year for Nintendo's latest handheld, Nintendo 3DS, to take off.  Many people were skeptical towards the system feeling that it was just another DS handheld.  Though the system had some strong titles, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D, none of them utilized the handheld's capabilities (mainly the 3D function).  It was hard to say that the handheld had any games that defined it; that was until Nintendo released their latest platforming game, Super Mario 3D Land.

PRESENTATION

The game has a basic system menu that works well for the game; players use the touch screen, or circle pad, to navigate the menu.  The game uses a level select design reminiscent of New Super Mario Bros. for Wii and DS.  Navigation is smooth and simple so it's easy to get in the game.  

The level select menu is easy to navigate, but it's nothing new.

The game uses the StreetPass function, wireless connection between multiple 3DS systems, to trade items and mystery boxes, used to collect Star Medals; I find myself on daily basis passing people and collecting mystery boxes.  It does suck that you're only limited to three at a time.  If you pass six people that played the game, the game will only register three of them.  It's annoying but it doesn't impede one's ability to play the game.

The music is decent for a Mario game but I wish that they would have some orchestral sounds like they did with the Super Mario Galaxy titles.  It works well for the game, but none of the music is memorable.  The sound effects are nothing special, but that's not why people play Mario games.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay is a mix of Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) and Super Mario Bros. (NES).  The objective is to reach the flagpole before the timer runs out.  New to the game is the ability to increase the amount of time available by collecting clocks in certain stages; blue clocks add 10 seconds to the timer while green clocks add 100 seconds.  They're optional for the first half of the game, but later on there are sections that require it because it starts you out with 30 seconds.  

Star Medals are crucial to the completion of the game.  Just like in the recent Mario entries  on Nintendo's home consoles, Star Medals are required to gains access to certain levels and bosses.  There are three hidden in each stage and it's not required to get all of them.  You only need enough to enter the stages.  

The 3D effect in the game is fantastic.  While you can get around most of the stages without 3D, there sections that require it.  For example, you see two clouds and they look like they're at the same height.  Without the 3D, you wouldn't know that one cloud is actually higher than the other which can lead to Mario falling off the edge.  This game is great example of how 3D can affect the gameplay; it is harder without it.

Luigi is also playable in the game but his moves are exactly likes Mario's.  In previous games Luigi could jump higher than Mario but in this, it's the height.  The gameplay doesn't change between the two brothers so it all depends on which brother you like more: Mario or Luigi.

The only way to play as Luigi is to save him...again.

The game's difficulty is low (until you reach the special stages) and the levels are short which is disappointing for a retail game selling at $39.99.  It's possible to beat the game in couple hours but the replay value lies in StreetPass and collecting all the Star Medals.

GRAPHICS

The graphics are nice and simple.  They're not as crisp as Super Mario Galaxy's but they still look nice.  The enemy and character animations are smooth and the frame rate rarely dips.  The 3D can make the image look a little blurry but that tends be in every 3DS game since the resolution is split in half to send two separate images to each eye.  

VERDICT

Super Mario 3D Land is a fantastic entry to the franchise.  It's not perfect, but it is a fun game and well worth the purchase for any 3DS owner.  The 3D works well and gameplay is satisfying.  The music could be better but this is a quality game.

SCORE: 9 / 10

Get to Know the NappaChief!

Hey everyone! I am the NappaChief but to make things simple, call me Mike; NappaChief is my username for various services, like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. I felt it would appropriate to allow my readers to learn a little about me.

I am a Professional Writing Major at Kutztown University planning to achieve a job in journalism. Mass communication has been an influential part of my life since I was child starting with video games.  I've been playing video games since I was five starting with Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).  From that game I began playing more video games mainly on the Gameboy.  When I was a kid, nothing was better than a great game of PokéMon or The Legend of Zelda.

I never thought of doing anything media-related until my freshman year high school; I did want to design video games but my math grades sucked and I was a pretty bad artist.  During my freshman year I found a video online mixing the song "Goodbye" by SR-71 with one my favorite animes, Naruto.

                                     Almost seven years later and it's still a fantastic video that influenced
                                                          many of my creations (video: "Toushi" by Majin Kenshin).


I was amazed by the quality of the video based on, not only the anime and music, the editing.  From that point I decided that I wanted to edit videos like that.  I started using Windows Movie Maker, a basic video editing program, and used clips from other videos using the same format; these videos are known as AMVs (anime music videos).  As time progressed I got better at editing and found myself working with the Sony Vegas editing software.  I began to end my AMV line of videos to create more original content;  this led to me getting involved with my high school's media program.  I kept working on videos throughout high school, but I stopped editing after I graduated.

                                  This was the last video I released in almost three years. To this day,
                                              I consider this my best video using the Super Smash Bros. Brawl video 
                                                                               game to design it.


I started losing interest video editing but never truly realized it until my first year at Kutztown Univeristy; I started college at Reading Area Community College as a Communications Major.  


I started at KU as an Electronic Media Major, with a minor in Professional Writing, but after half of a semester of Audio Production, I found that the program was not for me.  That led to me finding that I actually have talent as a writer and I enjoy it.  I've achieved excellent grades in most of my writing classes so I'm confident about my writing.  I especially enjoy writing short stories to allow my creativity to flow without boundaries.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me through my e-mail, mikex913@gmail.com, or post a comment below.