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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Call of Duty: WWII - The War Machine in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019  
CO
Call of Duty: WWII - The War Machine
Shooter
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Video Game Rating
The second of four DLC packs for Call of Duty: WW2 has arrived for PC and Xbox One users and War Machine offers plenty of good things for fans of the series. The pack had been previously released for the PS4 and after 30 days becomes available to the other systems. The DLC set contains three new maps for multiplayer and a new War Map as well as a new chapter for the Zombie Mode saga.

The maps are available for various gameplay modes and I tried them in Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, and Team Deathmatch modes and found I really enjoyed them.

 

Dunkirk

The first map I played was a highly-detailed recreation of the famous beach and seaport. Playing in Hardpoint mode, the battle featured plenty of objects to take cover behind as well as buildings with multiple levels which Snipers used to pick off anyone who came their way. I found the open area of the beach required some skillful navigation but the Ferry Terminal and abundant cover soon became my best friend during protracted battles.

Egypt

Believe it or not this is the first time a Call of Duty map has been set in this fabled locale and it is a very beautiful map complete with monuments, temples, and battle debris. The shadows in buildings give enemies a great place to hide and strike from as do the tight tunnels. I played Team Deathmatch in this mode and found myself in a constant state of run and gun as stopping to admire the scenic beauty is not advised.

V2

A rocket launch facility provides plenty of cover for those who want to stay moving but also abundant tunnels and a launch tower where sharpshooters can ply their craft. Playing Kill Confirmed was a fast and exciting experience as stopping to collect tags was highly dangerous thanks to the vast field of view from the launch tower and the abundant places for enemies to emerge from.

For The War mode of the game, the new map is called Operation Husky and it details aspects of the Allied invasion of Sicily where Allied units must locate and retrieve three key pieces of information. The Axis players must of course stop them and Trip Wires and other traps go hand in hand with the firepower one would expect.

If you are lucky enough to complete this phase, then the obtained data must be transmitted to the bomber which if successful, puts players in the cockpit of a fighter plane.

I found the plane very hard to control as it did not respond the way that I had expected it to from past flight simulators, but the action was intense and I at least was able to get a few enemy planes in my sites and unleash some damage along the way.

Of course no set would be complete without a Zombie mode, and The Shadowed Throne brings the heroes to a desolate Berlin where they must battle the unending hordes of undead in a series of locale. From a movie theater, museum, above ground and below, the enemies are fast, deadly, and just keep coming at you. Naturally you can get new weapons, abilities, and tools to help stay alive but I can tell you even after a 1hr and 25 minute match with some very skilled players, you never have enough firepower to truly be safe.

The War Machine takes the best elements of Call of Duty: WW2 and gives fans plenty to enjoy. With two more DLC packs to come and the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII on October 12th, there are plenty of things coming to the series in the next few months.

http://sknr.net/2018/05/12/call-of-duty-ww2-the-war-machine-dlc-pack-2/
  
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Rachel King (13 KP) rated Cooking with Healthy Girl: Everyday Recipes Made Healthy in Books

Feb 11, 2019  
CW
Cooking with Healthy Girl: Everyday Recipes Made Healthy
Mandy Potter | 2010
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The cookbook opens with an introduction about the author and why she decided to write this book, along with an explanation of the nickname "Healthy Girl." What I like most about this is that Potter explains that by changing her lifestyle to be more healthy, she lost 85 pounds, a fantastic feat! Every recipe includes the nutritional data gathered from http://www.nutritiondata.com/ based on one serving, and the back of the book includes a list of staple ingredients that Potter used in all of her recipes, as well as four weeks of planned dinners complete with grocery lists. While flipping through the recipes, divided under the headings of Breakfast, Entrees, Sides, and Desserts, I discovered that most of the ingredients that she uses are things that I already have and use in my own kitchen. Many of the recipes are familiar, but a few new ones gaves me ideas on how to tweak my own recipes, such as Chocolate Oatmeal, that melts dark chocolate in with cooked oatmeal; the Garlic Burger, that uses english muffins in place of hamburger buns; or the recipe Mozzarella Meatballs over Pasta that stuffs cheese inside of meatballs. This is not your typical gourmet cookbook with strange, unpronounceable ingredients and methods that require devices not found in your typical kitchen. The only device that Potter really recommends having is a bread machine, for recipes such as Chocolate S'mores Rolls and Almond Stuffed Bread. Many recipes included canned and frozen ingredients, as well as prepared mixes, like brown gravy mix and biscuit mix, to shorten preparation time. I also found it interesting that even though this is supposed to be a "healthy" cookbook, Potter still uses less healthy ingredients like butter, full-fat cheese, and bacon, just in smaller quantities. Many common dishes are made healthier by replacing certain ingredients with healthier versions, such as white flour with whole wheat flour, whole milk with skim milk, and vegetable oil with olive oil and canola oil. Overall, I would recommend this cookbook for those who want to eat healthy without having to sacrifice on taste, budget, or time.
  
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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Toy Story 3 (2010) in Movies

Feb 2, 2018  
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
2010 | Animation, Comedy, Family
10
8.4 (80 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Just Plain Awesome
The gang is back in full form for Toy Story 3 as Andy heads off to college and they head to daycare. If you didn't know, this won't be the last installment. Yes, they are making a Toy Story 4. I used to think that was preposterous. Then it hit me that this franchise is probably one of the best trilogies done. Ever. Of all time. I can imagine the creative minds of Pixar sitting in a room and one of them pulls a Danny Ocean: "You think we need one more? You think we need one more. Alright...we'll get one more."

I can't think of many negatives around the film but I sure can praise it to kingdom come. The creativity that goes into this franchise is amazing and the third installment is no exception. One of my favorite scenes includes a private hideaway in the top of a snack machine where some of the toys are playing poker. These moments of great imagination are not only clever but also evoked my emotions as a viewer. Some moments were funny, others heartwrenching. Meanwhile that scene were the 3-year-olds demolish the toy room for the first time was just plain terrifying.

Toy Story 3 grabs your attention immediately as it gets off to an exciting start. A strong part of what keeps the film interesting is the emotional connection between kids and toys. When we're toddlers, we destroy everything in our paths toys included. As we get older, not only do we learn to appreciate those toys and what they do for us, we start to treat them more intimately, almost if they were friends. Eventually that love fades to mere memories and it's not long before toys are once again seen as mere objects. It's touching to watch the trouble the toys go through in the beginning to regain Andy's attention. Andy's moved on, but the toys can't accept it.

There is a scene where Woody is escaping from a bathroom. Right before he reaches up to grab the toilet seat, he puts some tissue down. It's the small touches like these that propel this movie to greatness. I give Toy Story 3 a 97.
  
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Alex Kapranos recommended Something Else by The Kinks in Music (curated)

 
Something Else by The Kinks
Something Else by The Kinks
1967 | Rock
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It’s a record that always puts me in a good mood whenever I play it. Loved The Kinks when I was a kid and I learnt how to play guitar by learning from a Kinks songbook. I think if you are learning to play acoustic guitar, then The Kinks are a great place to start. Ray Davies makes the songs sound deceptively simple. There’s elements that are coming from blues or music hall or whatever, but he tends to modulate the chord progressions in really weird, unpredictable ways that are so fresh on the ears when you hear them even now all these years later you think, ""How did you come up with that?"", but at the same time they also had these pure pop melodies over the top as well. He didn’t sound like he was a smart-arse, he sounds like he has a very lateral imagination and also quite unconsidered as well in the way he must have written those songs. You can imagine him sitting there thinking, “I’m going to try this one now”. You can explain it in terms of music theory and it would sound complex, but he was “Why don’t I try this?” Dave Davies is also a total star of this record: there’s a couple of really good songs like 'Death Of A Clown' is on this record too. 'Waterloo Sunset' is on here, as is 'David Watts' and so you have those classic Ray Davies songs about social observation, but my favourite song on the album is 'Two Sisters', and it’s about two sisters, one who has this mundane life who is jealous of the other one who has this carefree existence, and I might be reading too much into it but I sometimes wonder if it was ""Raymond looking in his washing machine"". I don’t know these guys, but I get the sense that Dave was a bit wild and Ray had a family at that time, and that the two sisters were in fact two brothers. It also has this heartbreaking melancholia running through it which I think The Kinks capture so well, like very few bands can. It’s saturated with a sweet melancholia, and I think that song captures it."

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