Hungry & Fit Gamecast: Launched on YouTube

This is an exciting moment for Team H&F and the Nerdy Neanderthal for taking the lead in creating and hosting the Gamecast. Just as the blog was a work in progress in the beginning (and it still is) this podcast will also see significant changes and improvements over time. We’ve introduced Scott, known as the Nerdy Neanderthal, before but here is a re-introduction. You better get used to him, since you’ll be hearing a lot more from him!

The Gamecast will be a little on the nerdy side, discussing various types of gaming, but we will let you know what the topics discussed are so you know if you want to listen. These are a great way to pass time during commutes, long sessions on cardio equipment, or wherever you fancy. The best part is… they’re free! We’ll have guests, different speakers, will invite our followers (YOU) to participate remotely so this will be a blast. They will be posted on our YouTube channel for now, until they are more developed. At that time, we’ll deliver them to you through downloadable files, on iTunes and such. (Still free, always!)

Here is the first one, a little sample, mostly for testing purposes but full of amazing information and discussion about gaming in 2015. Alana and Chris aren’t in this one but please give Scott your attention. Here are some fun cards to get a better idea about who you’ll be listening to. Credit for these amazing character sheets goes to Nerdy Neanderthal, all this was his hard and high quality work, as an important member of the team!

Jun082015

The #2 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We are down to the SECOND greatest video game of all time! I can’t believe we only have two games to review left! There are some really spectacular games in this list and each of you should consider playing all of them if you haven’t already! It’s funny that all the top games are RPGs, but hey, we’re kind of awesome so it’s to be expected. If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, and #3. Enough talking…check these awesome games out!

#2 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai- Half-Life series – Half-Life changed everything. It took the Quake engine and created an entire universe out of it. No longer were you moving level to level, killing everything in sight. Instead the entire experience is a seamless journey through the life of a scientist in a top-secret lab the day everything goes wrong. In fact, the first 30 minutes of Half-Life involve no violence whatsoever. It was the first FPS to succeed at immersing you fully in an alternate reality.

Not only that, but Half-Life also was extremely friendly to the modding community, producing the world-famous mod Counterstrike, as well as Day of Defeat and many others. Its lifetime was extended many times over by such mods, as well as several expansion packs exploring the story from other’s perspectives.

When Half-Life 2 was released it again revolutionized FPSs. It continued the trend of a seamless artificial world (this time a futuristic and alien Earth). It also had an amazing physics engine and multiple mini-sequels (“episodes”) which extended the story. I have no hope for a Half-Life 3, but the originals still stand up due to the quality writing, gameplay, and professional voice acting.

Image source

Jun052015

The #3 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We have now come to the top THREE greatest video games of all time! Can you feel the heat? I don’t want to blab too much in the introduction so we can get right down to the fun stuff! If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, and #4.

Kai – Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri – Alpha Centauri is my favorite strategy game of all time. It does a fantastic job combining strategic depth and science fiction theme. It takes place in the near-future, after a colony ship from Earth is sent to Alpha Centauri. During the journey, the colonists lose contact with Earth, the captain is murdered, and the colonists break into 7 ideological factions. The game does an amazing job conveying the transition from small compound in an alien wilderness to a planet-wide technological utopia.

In terms of gameplay, it was an enhanced version of the earlier Civilization games. Its biggest addition was customizable units (a base body with added components/weapons/armor). It still suffers from the Stack of Doom mechanic of the earlier Civ games, but the other elements definitely make up for it.

Firaxis created a pseudo-sequel with Beyond Earth, but it’s more of a mod than a real standalone game. If you feel the need to spend a weekend colonizing an alien planet, Alpha Centauri is your game.

Image source

May262015

The #4 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We are now at our #4 Greatest Video Game of All Time. Two people have the same game today! We are getting down to the nitty gritty. If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, and #5.

Kai – Mass Effect 2 – As I’ve said before in these posts, I love science fiction, especially grand space opera. No game has made me felt more like I was living in a space opera than Mass Effect 2. It’s an action RPG with an epic story, detailed worlds/locations, and interesting characters. The settings and writing alone make it worth playing as an interactive novel, but the combat and characters make it even more fun without getting in the way of the story.

I felt Mass Effect 2 stood out specifically for its darker story and improved combat (although I really enjoyed all three games). If you’re looking to spend a month or two living on a starship and saving the galaxy with a crew of friends, I can’t recommend anything other than the Mass Effect series.

Image source

May052015

The #7 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Number 7. Hungry and Fit’s favorite number! This is a big one for the Greatest Video Game of All Time countdown. If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25, #24,#23,#22,#21,#20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, and #8.

#7 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – One of my favorite RPGs ever, KOTOR and KOTOR II are two of the finest Star Wars games. They capture the core of Star Wars, making you feel like you’re really living in the space opera’s universe.

It’s a fairly linear RPG, with most of the exposition happening in dialogue and resolved in combat (with force powers, sabers, and blasters). There’s also card games, pod races, and space travel. You pick up all kinds of interesting allies along the way who serve as the party members on your adventures.

Perhaps the most innovative component to KOTOR is the dark side/light side aspect. As you play, the choices you make affect your character’s force attunement, changing how people treat you and the types of force powers you can use. I never managed to be much of a Sith, but there are real moral choices to be made.

If you’re looking to live in the Star Wars universe for a week, I can’t recommend anything other than KOTOR and KOTOR II. Their graphics may not be quite up to par, but the story and characters are well-written and well-acted, so it still really holds up today.

Image source

Apr202015

#9 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Striving into the top 10–we arrive at #9! If you have no clue what this post is about, please read here. And if you missed the other on our countdown, please check them out: #25, #24,#23, #22, #21,#20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, and #10. This list was created by the video game brain trust–please enjoy!

#9 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai – Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight – Coming out in 1997, Jedi Knight was a revolutionary shooter that took the Dark Forces world and applied the lessons that Quake had brought to the FPS scene. It created a real world within the Star Wars universe with evil Sith, hapless stormtroopers, and lots of drama. Mysteries of the Sith (an expansion) came along and really filled in the detail, with extraordinary level design.

Even better than that, it had great multiplayer (played on the Internet Gaming Zone, Microsoft’s foray into online gaming). Only 4 players could play at a time and there were lots of hackers, but it was my formative online gaming experience, and was really a lot of fun.

The game has not aged well and there are few benefits of playing it today (other than seeing the laughable live action cutscenes). If you want to play similar game today, I’d recommend the sequel Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.

Image source

Mar092015

#13 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Look at us, we’re on a roll! One week back to back already! Let’s see if we can keep this up. As a refresher, this is the video game brain trust’s list of the top 25 greatest video games of all time and we are now down to #13! These are the ones you’ve missed so far: #25, #24,#23, #22, #21, #20 #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, and #14. Let’s hit it.

Kai – Goldeneye 007 – The only game on this list that I never actually owned (no N64), Goldeneye is an amazing game that I played at every one of my friends’ houses. It’s a first-person shooter based on the Bond movie and is one of the best movie to game conversions ever made.

The single-player is really well done, with complex level design and objectives that scale with difficulty. As good as that was, the multiplayer was even better, with insane tension and battles. I’ve never played more splitscreen multiplayer of anything, even Mario Kart. My friends and I would always load up license to kill (one-shot kills) and proximity mines. It truly revolutionized multiplayer shooters going forward and is still a lot of fun.

Image source

Jan272015

YouTube Top 5 – Male Fitness Personalities

A little background… I get asked every day by males (14 to 40 years old) about reliable sources of fitness information on the internet. Most of the questions pertain to males on YouTube that discuss exercise, nutrition, and similar topics. Since there are so many channels, it’s extremely time-consuming to keep up with all of them and often, their opinions aren’t the same. This confuses a lot of beginners (and even intermediates) so this list will make your life easier. If you’re going to look to YouTube for some advice, subscribe to these.

Jan122015

Song of the Sea Review

Have you ever seen Secret of Kells? It’s a wonderful story told through brilliant animation unfolding Irish mythology. Its animation, graphics, music draw you in like little other animations do. Its rich story is told through an enchanting way that makes you love the characters and simply get lost in the “scenery.” The creators of Secret of Kells recently came out with a new movie: Song of the Sea, another story concerning Irish mythology, this time of a selky. As soon as I saw that GKIDS (the movie company) was coming out with another movie, I jumped on the opportunity to see it. With the same rich animation, I knew it would be worth seeing on the big screen. Luckily we have the Nuart theatre who is playing the movie all week. We ate at the Red Tiger and went to the theatre early for good seats and some popcorn.

Our dinner and a movie!

For me, the entertainment value was high. The animation, again like in Secret of Kells, was magical and enchanting. The voice actors and actresses were spot on in capturing a small family in a remote part of Ireland. I particularly loved Saoirse, the little girl who the movie focuses on. Her sweetness and pure wonder makes the world blossom for you as it does for her. You didn’t get to know the characters very well, but that is also how Secret of Kells is. It doesn’t draw too much away from the movie, but it would be nice to have a morsel more of information. However, the characters all have their quirks that make you smile because they are simply them. I didn’t like it as much as Secret of Kells, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

This movie deserves some Oscars. The layers and depths of the animation in this movie is hard to wrap the mind around, let alone describe in words. As the journey unfolds, there are multiple patterns of animation going on all around the screen. The animators use the graphics and drawings to reveal more about the story and the world without using characters to tell it. I find it absolutely remarkable. It is transfixing and your breath catches when you watch it.

Image source

If there were two “X-Factors” of this movie, it would be the animation and the music. You know about the animation, seeing as I have gone on and on about it, but the music is also part of the enchantment. With the music and animation partnered hand-in-hand, you are transported into another world of mythology and wonder. The animation is incredibly unique in style. The music has roots in the Irish culture (which is already a winner for me). The music is full of song, melody, and rhythm. It sways you and brings you along for the journey.

Hungry and Fit gives this movie a big thumbs up. If you’re in the Los Angeles area or in an area playing this movie, go see it on the big screen. The music and animation are worth it enough. Get ready to be transported into a world of Irish mythology and a child’s journey to discovering who she truly is. Enjoy Song of the Sea and prepare to have your breath taken away. And as always, stay hungry and fit!

Image source

Dec292014

How Movies Inspire Us

Hungry and I are creative people. We use our creative juices and energy to create ideas, stories, concepts, and so on. With creativity, comes the need for inspiration. Lately, I haven’t been as creative as I’ve once been. I’m not writing much (besides blogging) and I don’t feel that pull to create, even though I know it would be wonderful once I start. Sometimes the best way to do it is just to start, period. However, there are other ways as well.

This past weekend, we FINALLY saw the last installment of The Hobbit movie series. We were a little late on seeing it because of conflicting busy schedules and whatnot. The Lord of the Rings trilogy on both paper and screen holds an incredibly special place in our hearts and minds. Even though The Hobbit movie series isn’t as good as the book (duh) or doesn’t come close to the Lord of the Rings movies, we still appreciate and enjoy Peter Jackson’s heart and humor. How pure Bilbo can be in the face of greed, danger, and death and how brave and understanding Gandalf can be after all things.

Image source

As I watched, I got a twang of inspiration from the whole thing as a picture. The backdrop, the setting, the story, the characters, the heart, the battles–everything. Someone had thought of all this, someone had created this entire world, this entire story. You become inspired by a hobbit’s willing to risk the worst in order to help others, to watch good triumph evil, to see what really lies beneath people’s actions. It was a wonderful stroke of inspiration that made me want to go create my own stories and my own characters.

We don’t just watch movies because we enjoy them. We don’t just go to the movies for the popcorn, candy, and drinks. We go to the movies because they inspire us. They make us appeal to greater things and strive higher to become who we want to be. This may not apply to Love Actually (though, love can be a wonderful muse) or comedies, but next time you’re at the movies, really think about it. Let yourself become open to the experience and try to draw some inspiration from the story, the characters, the setting and see what happens. And as always, stay hungry and fit!