Melissa

Stacking Microreview

Stacking Microreview – 16/20!

Stacking is a casual adventure puzzle video game developed and published by Double Fine Productions.

The player controls, Charlie Blackmore, the smallest doll in a family of matryoshka dolls who have fallen into misfortune after their father agrees to work for an evil industrialist known as the Baron. Charlie’s size enables him to stack and unstack into larger dolls to use their unique abilities to solve puzzles and allow him to free his older siblings from the Baron’s control. Each puzzle has multiple solutions and some include additional puzzles and challenges that allow the player to explore outside of the main story.

I found this game to be charming with its vintage aesthetic and unique concept of using the stacking matryoshka dolls with different traits and abilities to progress the story. Now I am a gaming optimist and I try to see the good in all games. I understand that each game is someone(s) time and effort, their pride and joy and therefore I take great care when judging them. That being said, I had to mark this game down one point in each category (fun factor, game play, sound and visual style) because it just wasn’t quite there.

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Dialing down Caffeine

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Nearly a year ago I wrote this:

Growing up, I remember when fast food was a treat we were bought every other week or so and I remember when I wasn’t allowed to drink any soda with caffeine in it, not to mention energy drinks. If I was allowed soda at all, it had to be something caffeine free.

As I grew up I was given more allowances and I was allowed to start making my own decisions. I was introduced to caffeinated soda and still maintained a healthy distance.

As an adult I’ve started an office job that is relatively stressful, but not painfully so. I started buying caffeinated sodas and eventually graduated to energy drinks to “treat” or “reward” myself during the work day, but it’s become too frequent. I can feel the negative effects of the sugar and caffeine in these drinks on my mind and body, but I still crave them anyway! As we plan on starting a family I think it’s time to find some healthier “treat” or “reward” options and get back to my healthier habits. As of last Friday, I’ve stopped drinking sodas and energy drinks. It’s definitely rough while my body is figuring out how to cope without all the sugar and caffeine, but it’ll pass!

This didn’t last long, and before I knew it I was up to consuming one sugar filled energy drink or soda every day. I’m not kidding, every day. I knew they were bad for me, I’ve known it for a long time (hence my writing of the post above), but I wouldn’t break the habit; I needed my sweet treat.

The 10 day smoothie cleanse I imposed on myself last month really helped snap me out of those bad habits and carried me through the withdrawal period. I won’t say I will never have an energy drink or soda again, that would be a bald-faced lie, but I feel like I have a better handle on my willpower than I ever did before.

Lesson learned: There is no magic trick to make you stop drinking or eating the things that are bad for you. You need to decide when enough is enough and have the willpower to steer yourself away from that vice. If you need to use a 10 day cleanse to get you started, then use it, but you are the ultimate factor.

The Cave Microreview

The Cave Microreview – 19/20!

The cognizant Cave, voiced by Stephen Stanton, is a magical labyrinthine of tunnels that lures individuals within to explore their darker personalities. Seven unique strangers, each harboring their own dark secret, have been drawn to the Cave from across time and space to learn the truth about themselves and gain insight of who they may become.

The player initially selects three different characters from a cast of seven stereotypical figures to explore the Cave: The Adventurer, the Hillbilly, the Knight, the Monk, the Scientist, the Time-traveller, and the Twins (acting as one character). Once chosen, these three characters will be your explorers for the remainder of the game; players can restart a new game to select a different trio of characters.

The majority of this game’s puzzles require the three characters to work in coordination to complete, the player switching between them to activate multiple parts of a puzzle; an example of this would be opening a door by maneuvering two characters into holding levers, while the third character passes through the open door to pull another lever, permanently opening the door and allowing the other characters to pass through. Each character also has a unique ability to aid in navigating the cave tunnels; for example, the adventurer is able to swing herself across gaps with a rope, while the time traveller can phase shift a short distance to pass through barriers. Some puzzles are specific to the unique abilities of a character, leaving some areas inaccessible if the appropriate characters aren’t chosen at the start; the Cave can only be fully explored through at least three replays, if not more.

In addition, some areas of the Cave are accessible only if one a specific characters is in your party; such as the knight finding a castle or the adventurer discovering a tomb, these areas represent the deep desires and dark aspects of a character that lured him or her to the Cave in the first place. Throughout the game there there are iconographs emblazoned on the walls of the cave for each of the three characters, which the player will need to get near to activate; these provide one of several still art images that reveal the character’s (usually morbid) back-story.

The Cave is witty and quite fun to play through at least once, if not more. The first time I played, I selected the Adventurer, the Knight and the Time-traveller and I couldn’t have asked for a greater combination. Their storylines were morbid, yet entertaining and between their unique abilities, I was able to explore a great deal of the Cave’s tunnels. I did start over with three new characters, but I soon realized a great deal of the cave was redundant and I had no true desire to replay the whole game again just to discover other characters’ backstories.

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Broken Age Microreview

Broken Age Microreview – 20/20!

Beautiful aesthetics and a very fun point-and-click adventure! I could only imagine the frustration players must have felt if the played Act 1 and waited in agony for over a year for Act II!

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Introduction to my Photography

It took me far too long to realize that I have been sitting on all of my Horticultural photography without organizing or showcasing it! You may have seen some of my older work posted on an old Flickr account that I no longer have access to, but since I no longer have access to that account I’ve decided to start a new Flickr account with that old work and my new work.

Once upon a time, I attended Brooks Institute of Photography and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Journalism. After graduating, I toiled away a year in a pet shop doing absolutely nothing I had gone to college to learn. I just felt….uninspired. There’s only so much you can teach an artist about technique and form, then you need to let their unique sense of creativity bring something new to the table. Brooks was very good at teaching technique and form, however when a student tried to bring something new to the table, often times the own personal taste of a professor would give them a less than admirable grade. I saw many students, frustrated in their own loss of unique style, quit Brooks without that sought after degree. I adapted and graduated but I didn’t feel passionate about art anymore for years.

For almost ten years now I’ve worked as an Office Assistant/Photographer for an Author/Professor/Nursery Owner who is a self taught photographer himself and I feel extremely lucky to have a job relating to my degree. Along with my office duties, I photograph plants for the nursery and clients’ purposes. My work consists mostly of close ups of the flora we grow and landscapes, but I branch out into other fields as they present themselves.

I’m excited to get back out there again and stop by my Flickr and show some love!

Severed Microreview

Severed Microreview – 19/20!

Severed is an action-adventure platform video game developed and published by Drinkbox Studios.

Set in a mysterious nightmare world, Sasha, an ordinary woman-turned-warrior must conquer her fears and come to grips with the unknown fates of her family. Like Guacamelee! I am crazy about the colors used which are a bold and beautiful palette, but I found much of the subject matter disturbing. While this game is rife with meaningful lessons about life and loss, the outcome of the game is sad and frustrating which led me to remove a point in the “fun factor” category.

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Mother’s Day Inspiration

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It’s almost that special time of the year when we honor the mothers in our lives for being there to love and support us through it all. Any mother would be happy just to know that her child/children love her and grateful for everything she’s done, but whether you want to show your appreciation through actions or give her a gift sometimes its hard to choose.

Now I know no one knows your mom like you know your mom, but I’ve made a list of ideas to spark your imagination and inspire you to do something good for you mom.

Clean something without being asked: Take note of what may be dirty or messy in or around the house and take some of the pressure off your mom by cleaning it up for her. You could also give her “coupons” for different chores that can be done over time, when she needs them most, so follow through!

Get crafty and make her a masterpiece: Play to your strengths and make her something that you’re good at making. It doesn’t matter what that may be, as long as you have your mother in mind when you’re creating it.

Give her something she’s interested in: Think of her hobbies and get her something that compliments those hobbies. Get her the next book in that series she’s been reading, buy her supplies for that craft she’s really into, everyone has something they love doing.

Make her a meal or meals so she doesn’t have to cook for herself: Breakfast in bed, lunch in the sun, and/or dinner. If cooking isn’t your thing you could always buy her a meal or meals instead, no judgement!

Make her something for her sweet tooth: Whip her up some chocolate or bake her something nice like a cake, cupcakes or brownies. Again you could always buy her some sweets if baking isn’t your thing!

Guacamelee! Microreview

Guacamelee! Microreview – 20/20!

Guacamelee! is an action platform video game developed and published by Drinkbox Studios.

Inspired by traditional Mexican culture and folklore; the plot and aesthetics of this game are vivacious and vibrant, with a soundtrack to match. I am crazy about the colors used which are a bold and beautiful palette that compliment the Mexican inspiration. The plot integrated elements of traditional Mexico, a classic damsel in distress story, as well as more modern references to video game culture.

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May Seasonal Produce

May

April Seasonal Produce

April