Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Rating: 4/5
Main ingredients: Chicken, and Potatoes. Although the website doesn’t seem to boast that it features potatoes in a “Chicken and Potatoes” dish.
Thoughts: Not much to say about this, actually. It tastes good, which is about it. The potatoes have saved themselves from turning into that terrible jelly consistency these type of potatoes typically get to, and the chicken is pretty yummy too. Sodium is at 560mg, less than the previous entrée.

Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Rating: 2/5
Main ingredients: Beef, Cheese, and Pasta. And “meat sauce,” presumably.
Thoughts: I really disliked this one. The “meat sauce” was watery, the pasta tasteless, and entire thing had that “jelly”-ness to it with a Hot Pocket “how long do I cook this without setting my tongue on fire?” appeal. How disappointing. On the plus side, only 380mg of sodium.

Fettuccini Alfredo Bake
Rating: What on earth is that in my Alfredo? (IE 2/5)
Main ingredients: Cheese and Pasta. And some weird bread things semi crushed up.
Thoughts: I had high hopes for this entrée, and was fairly let down. This type of cuisine is always my favorite, so maybe I’m a little prejudiced here. The pasta was semi tasteless; maybe they are like that with all of their pasta. The sauce certainly redeems the pasta, but could use more seasoning. The broccoli is not too bad, still maintaining most (most…) of its “snap.”

Four Cheese Ziti Marinara
Rating: 4/5
Main ingredients: Cheese, and Pasta.
Thoughts: Ah, ending on a good note! This tasted a lot better than most ziti’s, the pasta seemed well flavorful and the sauces pretty good. The tomato sauce still seemed a little watery, but not nearly as bad as before. There was a good amount of seasoning in it, but could have used some more.

I recently had an elderly neighbor call me over to put games on his brand new computer, which for whatever reason did not have the games anywhere in plain sight. No folder in the start menu, and not even a folder in the program files. Enabling the games was easy enough, but once the games were started they were met with an unfortunate "Executable for -this- Windows games has stopped." I couldn't find any explanation for why this was happening on the internet, so here I will explain what I had to do to get the games working.

First off, to get the games to even appear, follow the instructions here.
Hit the start button, go to the control panel, and type "Windows Features" in the text box.

A new window will appear and from this find a "Games" folder and either check the box next to it or the specific games you want to enable.
It will then take a moment to load as it applies your settings, go make a sandwich or walk the dog.
From there the games will appear under the "Games" folder on your start menu or under Program Files/Microsoft Games.
Restart your computer. Or don't, if you're a rebel.

Once I attempted to start the game, however, it instantly locked up and the game refused to load. I figured "I'll just put the game into compatibility mode!" but soon realized that because these default games were part of the Windows 7 installation, they were not able to be put into compatibility mode.

Fortunately enough, this was a fairly quick solve. All that had to be done on my part was to copy the entire Microsoft Games folder (or the game of choice) and paste it somewhere else - preferably the same location. If you are running a 64-bit or 86-bit OS then put the folder in your (64) or (86) program files folder.

What this did was because the copy was not a tied down installation but rather a simple copy, I could then force the game into compatibility mode. I put the games in question to run as if on a Vista OS, but if you are experiencing this problem on Vista you can likely choose any OS you want such as XP. The games then ran without a hitch.

I hope this is able to help anyone having trouble! Zicam® Rapid Melts® and Healthy Choice® Baked Entrées reviews (both including a video!) will be up in the next few weeks. I have just recently purchased a really nice looking Merona Watch from Target, so expect a review of that too very soon.

From my review of The Secret World, I was graciously given a prize from the Funcom team!

Congratulations! We’re excited to inform you that you’ve been selected as a prizewinner for your The Secret World party report. Since your party report was so well done, you’ll be receiving a The Secret World dog tag representing the secret society of your choice! Both Crowdtap and The Secret World appreciate your participation in the party, and we hope you enjoy this thank you gift.

I decided to pick the blue Illuminati dog tag! But that's not all... a couple days later I received another email.

NOTE: This is a copy of the posting from my previous blog. Formatting may view differently, all reviews will now be featured on this blogger address instead of the other. To view the original blog posting go to http://santanaphotos.blogspot.com/

First off, a great big shout out to Crowdtap.com! Through Crowdtap and Funcom I was given The Secret World to review for one month and host a party inviting friends to come over and play The Secret World after I had learned the ropes and could show them all the awesome and amazing things in the game. Here is my review of the game and  recap of the party! Originally I was just going to piece together all of the blogs I created about TSW but it was easier to simply write anew.

The Secret World is a dark fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing PC game set in the "modern day real world" with over 500 areas to explore. When you start up the game, you will get the choice of one of three factions: the Templars, Illuminati, or Dragon. Factions will have their own intro video for you to watch and help persuade you toward their faction. I think the intro videos are really interesting and a much better step up from the simple text description of differences between factions.




Here is the best description of the factions I've seen but I strongly recommend also watching the videos!

TEMPLARS; The old guard; suave and sophisticated, but fiercely brutal and uncompromising in their crusade against darkness. The Temp lars are the lions of the modern world. When they roar, everyone listens. Headquartered in London, hailing from a royal lineage, Templars are a loyal network of strong-headed warriors.

ILLUMINATI; Invisible puppet-masters and corporate manipulators, Illuminati crave power and wealth by any means necessary. Deep beneath the streets of Brooklyn, NY, they ruthlessly plot for the New World Order. Their arsenal is the ambition of a new media startup, the rhetoric of a congressman and a mogul’s business sense. Working hard, playing hard and fighting dirty.

DRAGON; Amorphous instigators of change and breeders of chaos. To an outsider, Dragon’s strategies are mysterious, incomprehensible, and patternless. From a nameless district of Seoul, Korea, they silently plant seeds of change and apply acupuncture to a paralysed planet. Chaos brings change, and we need change.

When you choose the faction, you get to choose your name and design your character. The character naming is a bit annoying, I had to try about 10-15 different combinations for a nickname (mandatory) before I could play – How is this going to fare in the future when there are so many more players and taken nicknames? The character design is very in depth, but not quite at first. When you first design your character you are given rather basic choices, it’s not quite to Saints Row 3 in depth, but much more detailed than most games. You can buy extra clothes and items later on and as you play.



Characters are extremely in depth from what I have witnessed and have their own quirks and “special” things about them. Each character is widely different, from the “crazy scientist” to the small town cop, each one has his or her own backstory and emotion in the story that is able to draw you in and entertain you.



While at first you will only have basic questions to ask people you meet, they still have a large amount of dialog options. This really shows that Funcom has put a good bit of effort into their characters instead of slapping the general “who are you” and “what is this place?” options commonly found in games.


If you are new to MMO’s, like I was before I first played this game, you should not fret! The game has tutorial videos on pretty much every possible thing. From constructing items, character building and abilities, to everything in-between, I feel as if the Secret World could be related to Apple and say “there’s a video for that.”




The story of The Secret World is based upon “magic, myths, conspiracies and dark horrors,” and the developers have made it quite clear, as shown in the following video, that they have put a great deal of research into their game. From zombies, mummies, to indescribable creatures, each and every one has a story or research of some sort.


Although I have not played an MMO before, the gameplay mechanics feel like a general MMO or RPGgame. If I had to relate it to anything, I would say it is similar to the PC version of Mass Effect, where you have your abilities and such at the bottom of the screen. There are hundreds of abilities – both passive and active, that drastically change how your character performs in the game. Some will give you an instant boost if you are hit with a certain condition, and others will blast away enemies with AOE attacks.



The leveling system in TSW is a bad choice of words, as you do not actually “level.”  As you gain XP you are granted AP and SP points, both of which go toward advancing your character. AP points are used for purchasing skills and abilities, while SP points advance what your character can do such as equipping new weapons and items.



An unfortunate thing of the gameplay is what I call “backtracking,” not to be confused with having to go back to previous locations where you have already been, but the act of attacking an enemy and then simply holding the key to go backwards while you fire at them. This is reduced greatly when you have multiple people attacking an enemy, but when you are starting out or if you decide to play alone, this is an incredibly annoying event that happens with every enemy you decide to go after. When you have a party with you it is no big deal, but when you are by yourself this can – and often will, turn ugly, trapping you in the corner of a room or against a wall to die a horrible and inescapable death.




This brings me to a gripe that really bugs me about the unfortunate but inevitable event known as dying: “Anima wells,” also known as respawn points. These things come about occasionally and provide a “close” area for you to spawn at when you die.  (But only when you have discovered them already.)



When you die, you get to choose one of the spawn points that you have discovered and when you spawn at an Anima well you have the choice of indeed spawning there or running off like an idiot. As you can likely tell from my choice of words, I have chosen the “running off like an idiot” option at least once. While entertaining, and giving you an interesting view of the world (you cannot die when you do this, but also cannot attack) you also cannot do anything else. When or if you decide to run off, the only way to get back into the game is to find wherever in the giant earth your spawn point was. You can also quit and go back into the game, but when I tried to do this… I could not quit! I had to tab out of my game and end TSW just to exit my game. Minus ten points to Gryffindor!



The map is actually very useful and can show you where places, people, and objectives are anywhere in the world you are in. Since, you know, that is what maps typically do.




There is no doubt you will need to use the map at some point, although in some areas the map is as useful as James Sunderland’s crayon drawings.



Yup. That is super useful.

Moving on, dungeons and general areas where you need to be “sneaky” are actually interesting. They are not exactly difficult, but quite a bit different from everywhere else. For a moment, it felt like I was playing a weird Metal Gear Solid as I was avoiding motion detector lights. In fact, I would not be surprised if they got their inspiration for these parts from the MGS games.



For those wondering, “Should I buy this game for my kids?” the answer is a wholeheartedly NO. PLEASE DO NOT, NO. This game is rated M for a reason! While there is no nudity (that I have seen,) there is a LARGE amount of sexual content (including gay scenes for those especially bothered by such), religious innuendo, drug and alcohol use, and death/suicide. If you are okay with your kid seeing all this, why even ask?

The sexual content is not overwhelming – you can certainly play this game in a room with other adults, but if there are parents or children around I strongly err on the side of caution when playing this. There is a multitude of skimpy outfits you and others can wear and a great deal of sexual talk and suggestive poses.




As for religious innuendo, there are multiple locations in TSW with churches and pamphlets for religious sanctions. There are also persons that give “readings,” such as fortune telling. If the thought of you or your kids being persuaded by fake digital religious readings easily offend you, continue on.



Drug and alcohol use is in abundance in some areas, but it really is not a big deal. References to drugs are more common and you will occasionally see a user smoking “something funny” or drinking alcohol.




To conclude this “warning” I will talk about the deaths and suicides in this game, which really should not need to be mentioned. You cannot be a pacifist in this game! You must kill enemies - whether they are zombies, mummies, vampires, disfigured creatures, or other members, you do not have the option of “letting them live.” Suicide is also present in the game but more subtle, in the case of Kingsmouth, you are met with some persons who have decided the zombie apocalypse has become too much to handle and have bit the bullet. If suicide bothers you then you may want to avoid these missions.



If you ever decide your character is looking a little dull, give him or her a makeover! There is a nearly unlimited amount of styling options you can give your characters through the in game character wardrobe or through buying items with Funcom points (explained next!)



Funcom points are points that can be used to buy special items using real money. The items you can buy can be pets, clothes, accessories, or titles that can wildly change how your character appears in the game. Funcom points start at 600 points for $5.00.



Now, I must admit that I am a very frugal person and I find Funcom points to be much like Microsoft points that “trick” you into not knowing how much you are spending when you purchase an item. When you purchase, and I’ll use an actual example from the Funcom store, the “bare thigh leather pants” for 600 points, you are effectively paying $5.00 to add only one visual item to your character.



All items purchased in the Funcom store are also character limited, meaning that if you buy your clothes for one character, it is impossible to then change characters in the future and bring your items along with you. Now, because I do not want to derail this review I will simply say that I find charging your customers so much for a visual item bad, but when you cannot even move the items between characters is even worse.


Once you get in the game, it looks absolutely amazing which actually surprised me a great deal. I was expecting ugly graphics, thinking an MMO would be the least likely place to have good graphics, but was pleasantly surprised.



However I will admit there are indeed some areas that look bad, but nearly all of these areas are in the cutscenes. Not only do the cutscenes look bad in quality, but also on a widescreen monitor as they end up with a giant black bar at the top and bottom of the video.




The friends and foes of the game also look really well made, even if they are sometimes a giant fat sewer monster.




Pros:

• Game looks really good during gameplay
• Good, extremely deep character dialog most of the time
• Character customization is extremely customizable
• An overabundance of missions – with more and more being added all the time
• Maps are full of players to interact with
• Play at your own pace
• Countless types of enemies and areas to explore

Cons:

• Game looks bad during cutscenes, being stretched out and in general not very pleasing
• No cutscene subtitles. Sorry deaf people!  I realize this may not be an important thing for the developers, but for those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing this can really influence how much we play a game
• No options to sort inventory by type (weapon, consumable) would be fantastic
• No multi faction cabals – if you want to join a cabal, you’re going to have to be in the same faction
• If you are planning to play this game by yourself you may run into difficulties

Suggestions:

• Add subtitle support 
• Add "time said" for chat - like any chat program
• Single player parties have more effect on enemies
• Multi faction cabals (we can all work together in some cases!)
• Perhaps change spawn points to be more like Battlefield where you select them from a map?

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. However, this does not mean I will stop playing the game! This review has only scratched the surface of The Secret World, as I continue to play I will also continue to talk about it and post more.

In our party, as always, we had cookies! To make them The Secret World inspired I put TSW on each of the cookies with the color of each faction. (Blue, red, and green)


The party was awesome and I'm sure that everybody who came to play is going to buy the game in the near future! We all got to play around with the game, mainly exploring but also doing a few quests and mindless zombie killing. This review was created in collaboration with everybody that came to the party, we all talked about the positives and negatives of the game along with what was fun and what wasn't. In the end everybody really enjoyed the game and everybody who wasn't already a fan of playing MMO type games are now really interested in them. I made sure to mention that TSW is on sale at the moment... so I'm sure I'll see some friendly faces in the game very soon!

Everybody got to play but not everybody was around when we did the Two Minute Zombie Challenge, but everybody basically got half an hour each to play however they wanted during the party. I've also got a couple guests that want to come back at a later date and play some more. :)




If you would like to know more about The Secret World, check out http://www.thesecretworld.com/!