Game review: Farm Mania

I was told about Farm Mania at the beginning of this month. However, I really wanted to play the game for awhile before I talked about it. After all, this seemed like a game that could go either way. Well, I've now played the game for around two weeks and I think I'm ready to open up.

At first, I was very hesitant to play Farm Mania. I have so much love for Farm Frenzy that I was afraid this would ruin the whole farming time management genre for me. Luckily, my fears were unwarranted. Reallore Studios has a hit on their hands.

You play Anna, a girl trying to help get her grandparents' farm back on its feet. Throughout the game, you will plant crops, raise animals and sell a variety of goods while trying to keep crows and rabbits from destroying your work. Both of your grandparents help out so you aren't totally left on your own to tend the farm.

I am still having tons of fun playing this. Granted, it gets harder to juggle everything as you get into the higher levels but, to be honest, that is what keeps the game fun - deciding what pieces are really important to keep up with and what pieces can be ignored for a little while. Definitely give this one a try. You won't regret it!

Green Day - Castaway

I have been a big fan of Green Day for a long time. Of their entire discography, the Warning CD is my least favorite. "Castaway" appears on this disc.

The song is one of their more 'pop' songs and it sounds like they wrote it because some studio exec thought it would sound 'cool.' So we end up with a rather bland tune. Even the semi-catchy parts of the song come across as bored. There is very little energy here and, unfortunately, that feeling takes up most of the album.

Game review: Sunshine Acres

It seems that farming games have become pretty popular lately. Sunshine Acres is one of the new time management games based on raising crops. It is not a difficult game but it does get a little tedious after awhile since it is the same motions over and over. Due to this, it's hard for me to judge how fun the game is. I enjoyed the one hour demo but I can see it getting boring in higher levels. This is one you'll just have to try out for yourself.

Game review: Diner Dash: Seasonal Snack Pack

I've always been a big fan of the Diner Dash series. It pretty much started the whole time management genre and it still managed to stay interesting after all this time. However, the Seasonal Snack Pack version is much too difficult. As a matter of fact, it's so difficult that I stopped playing around the third level. I keep going back to try to beat it but, no matter how hard I try, I just can't do it. The main problem lies in the table organization, which you cannot change. You are given one or two four-seat tables and three or four two-seat tables. A majority of the customers that come in are four-person parties, which means you cannot seat them until one of the few four-seat tables opens up. Then the customers get pissed off having to wait. Since it takes so long to do the "Make the waiting customers happy" thing, there isn't really a way to keep them from walking off. Well, there is, but it's difficult. Either way, the level is still too hard for the game. I can't imagine what the higher levels are like.

An update

I'm sorry I haven't written much lately. A cold has taken over my body and made it very difficult for me to think. If all goes well, I'll be able to post a couple of things today and I'll be all better by the end of the week. I'll post whatever I can in the meantime.

TV Review: My Own Worst Enemy

When I was younger, I had a huge crush on Christian Slater. I would even sit through a terrible movie just because he was in it. When I heard that he was starring in a new television show, there were many fangirl moments. Luckily, my husband was intrigued by the show's premise and wanted to watch it as well. My Own Worst Enemy is about a secret agent named Edward Albright. Edward does all the spy things: sniping someone from an empty building, having sex with the hot female enemy and having lots of secrets. One of his secrets is that he is also Henry Spivy, a normal working man with a wife and two kids. Henry does not know about Edward. Henry is Edward's undercover personality. Somehow, the organization has figured out a way to force a person into a split personality. When Edward "goes to sleep," Henry "wakes up." When Henry is woken via a computer program, the computer also implants false memories to explain the time away from his family. (He travels a lot for work.)

First - Christian Slater is still hot. Second - the show was pretty interesting. The debut episode dealt with the problems that arose when Henry suddenly wakes up in the middle of one of Edward's missions. Since Henry was not aware that he is a split personality, it came as quite a shock to him. He seems to have dealt with it in a very rational manner and I'm curious to see where the writers will go from here.

I also have to curse NBC for putting all their interesting shows on Monday nights. Spread the love out across the whole week man!

We can be heroes

Since our daughter was staying at her grandparents' house this weekend, my husband and I jumped at the opportunity to pick up City of Heroes again. Well, this time we're playing City of Villains but it's the same game. We've been playing with a few of his World of Warcraft guildmates and it's been tons of fun. I hope that I don't get too addicted to it again! (Don't worry, I still take care of my daughter. It's the mundane things like washing dishes that get pushed to the side.) I forgot just how fun the game was!

Looking for recipes

I generally don't do the cooking around the house. My husband handles that. It's not that I can't cook, I just don't enjoy it. In a little over a week, he'll be traveling out of state for business. He'll be gone for a little less than a week. That means I've been trolling for recipes that are yummy yet easy to make. I need something that will take an hour or less and that my daughter will eat. If you have any suggestions, I'm open!