Second Life Adventure

After seeing my little brothers play World of Warcraft, I have always been curious to create an avatar and escape to a virtual world. Second Life allowed me to do that. The only difference is that Second Life is as closest to real life as a virtual portal could ever be. The first place I visited is Muddy's Music Cafe where they were playing Usher's "DJ's Got Us Falling in Love Again." I did my best to work some dance moves, however, it ended up looking awkward and uncoordinated. I noticed nobody on the dance floor had that problem. I then proceeded to teleport to a place called France Pittoresque which I'm guessing is some type of beach in France. I liked this place. It seemed relax and easy going. There was also Bob Marley playing in the background and found a group of people just hanging out around a bonfire.

The next few places I visited were other countries. I decided to teleport to my hometown the Philippines and then visited Dublin, Ireland. Walking around the Philippines and the first thing I noticed was a church which is pretty common. The Philippines is a widely religious and Catholic churches can be found almost everywhere. I also visited two U.S. places. I went to New York City and the Washington D.C. I even got to set foot inside the Oval Office!

Overall it was a fun and interesting journey. The settings were vivid and detailed. It's pretty easy to move the avatar around and there's enough interaction to keep you engaged. I definitely can see why people would get addicted to it. You can get carried away in a virtual world just by having everything in the tip of your hands. But as much fun I had exploring, I was ready to get back to reality.

Check out some of my photos:

This is me attempting to dance at Muddy's Music Cafe

Here I am at some beach in France. Probably one of my favorite places since it seemed very relaxing and the scenery is beautiful

I'm in my hometown in the Philippines. You can see the Philippine flag in the corner. I'm inside a Music Lounge.

Here I am inside a plant store in NYC. I was a little disappointed in what I saw when I was on the streets. Not the NYC I remember.

Here I am in Dublin, Ireland. This was pretty cool.

And I got to visit the Oval Office and even sit at the President's desk

Game Review: Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D is an interactive, user-friendly game that is downloadable to a device like the iPhone. For those familiar with Crash Bandicoot probably remembers playing the character on a PlayStation back in the mid-90s. This popular character has made its way back to the scene with a different concept: Racing. Old fans of the original Crash Bandicoot games are used to playing him through challenges that require special powers such as his infamous spinning move. However, that won't be used in this game. This game will not have Crash on foot, but in a race car instead.

The race is pretty simple. You are racing against traditional characters that are featured in Crash Bandicoot like Dr. Neo Cortex, Coco and Dingodile. It's very easy to control as you can move your phone as if you were playing a controller on a game console. The movement you make with the phone controls the direction of the car.

There's also familiar props to the game that can be seen in the original Crash Bandicoot like the question mark boxes that can grant you weapons to use. In the picture, Crash Bandicoot acquired a shield after hitting the box. This shield protects him from all harm in a certain amount of time.

If a new user is trying out the game for the first time, the best option is to choose the "Quick Race" which is a single race that doesn't measure points to count for or against you, or the "Tutorial" which features tips below the screen. For those want to be a little more daring and jump in, there is the "Cup" option which does award points based on what the user placed in the race. If the user gathers more points than all the other racers, a trophy is awarded for being in first place.

The "Cup" option comes in two different levels: To Easy for Grandma and Difficulty is Rising. There is a third level, but it has to be unlocked by placing first in both levels. Each level has four laps and also lets the user choose their own character. If a user would rather not go through all four laps, there is the option of choosing the "Story" feature of the game. This part is divided into missions and a character is assigned for the user. The mission is revealed before the race starts by Aku Aku. When the race ends, you are told whether you passed or failed your mission.

This game was a decent game overall. It's about average I would say. It's kept true to the Crash Bandicoot theme with the characters and the props of the game, but the levels could have been more creative. It's one of those games that you could get tired of after playing for a week. Unlike Angry Birds, there's not a strategy that can be picked up in each level. Every level seems the same and once you have mastered it, it doesn't leave you craving for more. However, it's user friendly and doesn't complicate you to the point where you get frustrated. It's simple and sweet.