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Bulletstorm Xbox Live Demo Impressions

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Article by Travyse Edwards

Bulletstorm is Epic Games’ latest creation which will be released in a little less than a month. In honor of the upcoming release, a demo was released onto the Xbox Live marketplace for the gamers to critique and devour. Unsurprisingly, Bulletstorm is an amazingly capable first person shooter that manages to keep the overall style of Gears of War.

This game starts off in a beautiful, war torn, environment that flaunts the power of the Unreal Engine. The crisp high resolution textures and successful art direction should do enough to make your jaw drop a mere minute into the game. After finishing the admiration, you are thrown into action with your two teammates following closely.

The action resembles that of Gears of War 2 on hardcore difficulty, with the exception of the boosted artificial intelligence. The enemies take quite a lot of bullets before actually kicking the bucket, which is sure to turn off a lot of the Call of Duty crowd. I personally believe the reason for this is because Epic Games does not really want you to spend that much time running and gunning, they prefer you to find creative ways to defeat your enemies.

Early on into the demo, you are faced with such an opportunity. There is a metal plating on the ceiling that is holding up a mass of debris. The game requests that you press the LB button, after which your grabbing mechanism is put in use and the enemies are buried alive. Not only do you get more points for defeating them creatively, but it is probably more rewarding to the player to do so.

While the game is excellently crafted, I feel that it is one of those experiences that will get old very quickly. The first time I kicked an enemy into the jagged environment and watched him hang there, it was fairly pleasing. Doing it for a second time though, I lacked a reaction. This is a game that provides entertainment solely through it’s interesting gameplay mechanics coupled with great level design. For that reason, this demo will most likely be good for a single play before you are left bored or wanting more.

The demo is fairly short, seemingly to offer a mere glimpse into the direction that Bulletstorm is headed. It is, however, sufficient enough to know what to expect should you purchase the full game.

Bulletstorm is slated for release on February 22nd, 2011. It will ship with a beta access code to Gears of War 3, which is all the more reason to get it, even if you are not interested in the game itself.

I’m a freelance writer on my way to college. I my interests are heavily vested in video games and technology in general.

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Volunteering abroad: fitness first

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

A major concern for many volunteers abroad is that they may fail to keep fit while they are in a foreign country; a lot of concerns come into focus in a different environment, top of the list being climate change. Once a person is used to exercising and keeping fit in a new climate, it takes a while for a person to get acclimatized in a new place that has different weather patterns that they have gotten used to. With regard to the climate change, your best weapon is timing, coupled with starting your exercise routine in small/ shorter bits, this means if you come from a place where the weather is a bit cold, then the best time for you to exercise in a tropical area would be early in the morning, similarly the best time for someone from a tropical country to exercise would be in the late afternoon. With this in mind here are a couple of ideas that can help you keep fit while volunteering abroad.

 

The first and simplest way to keep fit is to take a short run or walk around your area of residence while you are volunteering, this can be a simple short 15 to 20 minute run or walk.

Be sure to talk to your host or any locals you are familiar with to help you with directions or a map if possible, also try and find out if there is a good and safe area around your residence where you can have your run without any risks.

 

Swimming regularly is another good way to keep fit. This helps in building endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. You can also use swimming simply as a warm up session before you get into your more rigorous exercises, this is one way but another good use of swimming can come After a land workout a few laps in the pool can help you cool-down, and it moves blood through your muscles to help them recover.

 

Research is your best tool when travelling abroad, if you like running, find out the best trails to do so, along the same line if you are used to keeping fit through aerobics, then you need to find out where the best fitness gyms are located in the area where you are residing during your volunteer experience, bear in mind that you may not necessarily find an aerobics routine that is the same as that you are used to at home, so it will help you to speak to the locals and any aerobics instructors you come into contact with to find an aerobics class that is most similar to what  you are used to, doing what your body is already familiar with is much easier than starting up with a whole new workout routine.

 

One thing you need to remember when going abroad for a period of time to be spent volunteering, is not to be afraid of carrying your workout gear, it may add a few pounds to your luggage but it is worth it, your body produces endorphins from a good work out, this will help you keep your stress levels down while at the same time making sure you are not worse off in fitness by the time you get back home

 

Finally, try and have fun as well with your work out, the point is to keep fit and stress free, so  you can invite your friends and some of the locals to join you, this will help keep you motivated and act as a way of staying with your work out to the end

 

 

 

Zablon Mukuba is the Director of Volunteer Capital Centre (VCC) the leading provider of quality and affordable volunteer abroad work programs and opportunities in third world countries. For more information and great deals on volunteering abroad visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org.

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First Wedding Speeches – Groom

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

This is the most important day of your life. A day that will change that will change the course and purpose of your existence. Nervous excitement has become a permanent fixture in your being. On top of all this you have to write a wedding speeches groom? Sounds intimidating for any groom. Here are some tips to help make wedding speeches grooms can master easily.

The wedding speeches for the groom are quite important. This is the only time that eyes are focused on you. The rest of the time the attention will be on your bride (rightfully so). So you have to deliver not only for everyone present but for yourself as well. Deliver a beautiful speech and you will become a legend whose praises will forever be sung by all the women present at the reception. So here goes.

First and foremost coordinate with your better half about the speeches. Decide on whether both of you will be giving speeches or if it’s just you.

If both of you are doing so then make sure the content is different. You don’t want to bore everyone present do you? Cover different topics or tell stories from different points of view so that it will be interesting. Once that is decided move on to the task of actually writing your speech.

Start off by talking about your relationship. How and where did you meet? What were your first impressions of each other? Adding a bit of humor will balance out the mushy stuff. Words about how your life has changed and been enhanced is always a safe option. Expressing your true emotions from the heart will definitely be appreciated.

Next move on to how you proposed and the feelings involved in this occasion. Expressing your happiness and gratitude to your bride for accepting to be your life partner is perfect.  Talk about her personality and how it made you fall in love with her every day. Do NOT talk about past relationships or engage in any kind of comparisons. Bad idea.  Focus only on your bride. She is now the center of your world. Keep it that way to ensure smooth sailing in the days to come.

Thank everyone that is present. You’ll score points by individually thanking the people who have played a significant part in your lives and the wedding. Your best man, maid of honor, your parents and in-laws and anyone else who was really helpful can be mentioned. You can’t mention everyone but a few important names should be enough. Anecdotes about your own family which leads to praise is always well received. This might be your day with your bride but thanking the other special people in your life will mean a lot to everyone.

Practice your speech before hand. The more you practice the more confident you will be. Imagine yourself at your wedding in front of all the guests. Then practice giving the speech in front of the mirror. This will be a great help. On the actual day you will be suave and natural thus winning over the hearts of everyone present. AVOID alcohol at least until you have given your speech. Try to get your audience involved in your speech. This is not a lecture but a toast. Always make eye contact to retain attention. End your speech by telling your bride how much you love her and a toast to your family and in laws.

 

Jonathan Brady is an international corporate and private event planner. He has written, critiqued and thousands of toasts and speeches. He loves how a great speech completes a special occasion. More tips at; GetFreeWeddingSpeeches.com.

Here’s some additional info you’ll appreciate:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzl1_giz7Ig

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