They Bleed Pixels

They Bleed Pixels was released on Steam today for $7.99 (until September 5th).

I have been counting down the days until this game was released, although I will admit, I was a bit wary of it. The original excitement came from knowing that this was based on Lovecraft's work. If you know me at all, you know there are few things I love more than a good scare, and H.P. Lovecraft's stories never fail to set me on edge. I always enjoy seeing how people adapt his ideas into their games.

The only reason I was wary of it is because I read that it was a platformer/fighting game. I'm 100% okay with platformers. The issue is the second part. I am not good at fighting games. I could never get myself coordinated enough to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I think I'm fairly okay when it comes to video games in general, but when you start asking me to remember how to do combos, and then EXECUTE them...Well, that's where everything goes downhill. I can't do it.

Then there is this:

I naively thought I would be able to use my Logitech gamepad (the one that resembles a PS2/PS3 controller) to play this game. Hahaha, like I can ever catch a break. My gamepad was not recognized. I have no idea if this is an issue that can be resolved or if I really need a 360 gamepad. My heart broke a little when I realized I would have to use a keyboard to play a game I was already certain I would fail miserably at. (I'm generally not a PC gamer, I grew up on console games so I'm somewhat uncomfortable using a keyboard under pressure.)

Do you want to know what happened? I made it past the tutorial! (Don't congratulate me just yet...Or ever. I even managed to do the combos incorrectly there a few times.)

I was then prompted to choose the next chapter of the game.

Things didn't go very well after the opening cutscene. I did manage to make it to my first two checkpoints, but that is as far as I got.

I am not sure if there will be a review on this game considering how terrible I am at it already, but I am really going to practice and try my best to get through it. It seems interesting and I do not want to give up on it just because I lack the coordination to hold down z to jump and then let go of it to switch over to x so I can attack. Or remembering to hold down z to jump in the first place. I kept hitting x instead.

Under the jump will be screencaps of everything you learn in the tutorial stage. This is mostly for my benefit. If I study them long enough, maybe I will actually remember what I am supposed to do.

Talent-based reality TV shows

I’m still so disgusted with Joe’s behavior on Face Off the other night and I was thinking about it earlier…

I will never understand why people walk off of reality show competitions after working SO hard to earn a spot on them to begin with.

What I do understand is that the time constraints are stressful. It can’t be easy to work under so much pressure. And then to be critiqued and have every negative thing the judges say aired on TV for other people to hear…I’m sure that’s really hard. Maybe even embarrassing, depending on how you felt you did. (If you’re as deluded as Joe was, that last part doesn’t apply to you because you will never recognize that what you did wasn’t deserving of appearing on the show to begin with.)

Face Off is in its third season. Project Runway is in its tenth season.

You cannot tell me that the artists and designers have no knowledge of the way these shows work prior to filming. You WILL be forced to work in a high-stress environment. Your work WILL most likely be torn apart at some point. You know all of this when you sign up for it. If you don’t have thick skin, don’t audition. All you’re doing is taking away a spot from someone who really wants/will appreciate such a great opportunity.

Walking off is so ungrateful and immature. Especially with the way Joe did it. And Andrea (Project Runway). As a teacher, Andrea set a terrible example for her students. With Kooan…I don’t blame him as much because he seemed so sad when he left. It wasn’t a matter of shattered pride or a huge ego, he was broken. (And I’m sure Irena had a lot to do with it, I don’t even blame him for leaving after that. She has scared me since her own season.)

I’m rambling now. The point is…Joe’s attitude was disgraceful and even though I think it’s terrible that he walked out, I’m glad he’s gone.

2NE1 New Evolution - New Jersey

I went to 2NE1's concert in New Jersey last night!

I feel so fortunate to live in an area where so many events take place. I know a lot of fans in the middle of the country weren't able to attend their concert last night. It's definitely not something that I am taking for granted.

The concert was supposed to start at 8:00, with the doors opening at 7:00. That...Didn't happen. They didn't even let us inside until 8:30 and they never gave us a reason or an estimated time that we would be allowed in. It was overcast last night (it was supposed to storm) and it was really hot, so that made the entire situation worse.

None of that mattered once we were inside and 2NE1's videos were being projected onto screens in the arena while we waited for them to begin. It really set the mood for the rest of the night.

Look at all the confetti!

It was like being at a club once they started performing. Definitely the most upbeat, fun concert I've ever been to. And they're all flawless and amazing. Bom is adorable, Dara is sweet, Minzy is an amazing dancer, and CL has SO much energy when she performs. I didn't have a favorite before last night, but seeing how much CL loves what she's doing, she's my favorite now. They are all amazingly talented and I'm so grateful that I was able to attend this concert.

I uploaded a video of CL DJing, but Blogger isn't letting me post it, so here's a link (the video is NOT the best quality because I recorded it with my iPhone.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15EgHY8O-5U

They did NOT sell merchandise at the show, I was really disappointed because I wanted to buy one of their lightsticks. So if anyone going to the concert in California sees this, just keep that in mind.

Again, I felt grateful and honored to be there. They’re only stopping in two cities in America on this tour and I feel like it was (but hope it’s not) a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was so much fun, the atmosphere was amazing. They are so talented and it’s obvious that they put so much work and love into everything that they do. I’m really happy that I was there to experience it with so many other people who love and appreciate their music.