MattKendrick.com

One word “Exhausted.” It best describes how I’m feeling right now. Last night was the first night of The Bigggest Loser Wii Game at our place. I started a new profile on the game labeled “Matt” and input my age, height and weight. Then I chose my trainer (Jillian), I think she’s very tough on the contestants. Then I selected a four week training plan as a beginner. In this time period I’m aiming to lose at least 10 pounds. Little goals at first and then I’ll work my way up.

After I got my profile out of the way, I decided to do the warm-up. The warm-up did a great job of preparing me for exercise. It’s basically a six minute series of stretching and loosening exercises. At first I wasn’t going to do it. But then I remembered the importance of stretching from high school PE class. Most of the stuff I did during this phase was very basic. It reminded me a lot of what was taught in high school PE and health class. I was very glad that I did the warm-up. Because nothing else could have prepared me better for the next thirty minutes.

Moving on to the main exercise. At first I was like “Yea, this isn’t much different than Wii Fit.” Then I realized it was nothing like Wii Fit. The exercises are completely planned out in circuits. My character on the screen worked outwith me, right along side Jillian. They showed me everything for a few brief seconds and then kicked up. Literally. Each circuit began with marches to get your heart rate up. Then we did squats with kicks exercises. Not to mention round-house kicks. The hardest for me, were the floor exercises. They were very simple, lay on your back and lift your butt up. Some of the exercises reminded me much of Tae Bo, mainly the kicking and squats. I would start to slow down, only to get harassed by Jillian (just like the show). Near the end, my lower back kept hurting. But the short breaks between circuits helped out.

After the 30 minute main exercise, I moved on to the cool down stage. Again at first I didn’t think it was that important. I just wanted to go sit down on the couch and just crash. But I found the post-exercise stretching incredible. Some of my aches and pains went away. It really did cool me down. I was sweating like I’ve sweat before. Ok, I know that sounds gross. But you get the picture.

I enjoy the constant feedback from the game. I like how Virtual Jillan and Bob provide feedback the whole way. Based off your inputs through the Wii controls, it has a sense if you’re doing it right or not. It’s almost like they’re playing bad cop/good cop. One minute Jillian will knock ya down and then Bob will pick ya up. They encourage you to drink water during your breaks. I thought was very informative. A lot of people forget to drink water while exercises. It’s very easy to get caught up in working out, forget to drink water and then get dehydrated. The plans are customizable. But I’ve decided to see how the basic program works first. Keep in mind, I have little workout training experience beyond Wii Fit, walking, jogging and running for exercise. So you could say, I’m learning as I go. I’ll post up more in later posts and keep you informed on how it’s going.

This year, Matt and I have pledged to each other that we will both be losing weight. We are both in need of losing some hefty pounds, and are going about this in several ways. If you watch The Biggest Loser at all, you’ll know that tonight was the season premiere. Although we haven’t actually been able to watch an entire season together so far, we plan to this season. And while watching, we are also participating! Matt and I will be working out using the Wii Fit program, Wii Fit Plus, The Biggest Loser Wii Game, and when it warms up a bit, we will be walking and jogging as well (working up to the jogging, of course!) We will also be dieting, and trying out the recipes on www.biggestloser.com as well as on the game!

While watching the season premiere of The Biggest Loser, we were also made aware of a great community outreach program, called the Pound for Pound Challenge. This is a great program where people pledge to lose weight, and for each pound they pledge, one pound of food will be donated to their local community food shelter. In our case, the God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington, KY!

In addition, I will also be working out at my workplace, the Curves for Women here in Richmond. We hope to start this year getting healthier, and we encourage all of our readers to do the same!

My arms are tired. I guess that pretty much sums up my review of Wii Sports Resort. Goodnight. Got ya! Last night my friend Dave Poff and I tried out the new Wii Sports Resort game. A very nice gift from his sister-in-law Margie! Resort makes use of the new add on (MotionPlus) for the Wii remote. The extra sensors built into the add-on allows for more accurate motion tracking. It does make for a more natural feel to the Wii gaming experience. If you’re not sure how to snap on the extra piece of hardware, don’t worry. There is a 3 minute instructional video accessible from the game menu. I found that a little humorous. The video reminds you of the a flight attendant alerting you as to where the emergency exits are.

After you’ve got your MotionPlus attachment enabled and calibrated, you’re ready to play. There are a total of 12 mini games that make up the whole resort package. There’s canoeing, cycling, basketball, bowling (enhanced), and archery to name a few. Each game has multiple modes of play with multilayer options as well. Dave and I stuck to the beginner levels. We started out with canoeing.

Dave and I found ourselves in a two-person canoeing trying to out run a family of ducks. However the first few races we couldn’t keep up with the little quackers. I wanted to beat them my boat paddle. We teamed together and got in sync. Each race gets a little longer. By the end of the third or forth race our arms were about the give out. Love the end of race statues “Matt: Iron Arms” or “Dave: Oarsmen”. Not to mention when you about pass out and it says “Dave: Along for the ride”. After canoeing we decided to try archery.

With the MotionPlus enabled Wii Remote and Nunchuck archery is amazing. Holding the two together you mimic the motions of using a real bow and arrow. Very easy game to pick up. Point and shoot. Until the distances get longer and longer. You also have to keep in account for the wind direction and speed. Each round it tracks your points. Not completely sure, but it didn’t seem like any extra points were awarded for a perfect bulls-eye. Glad there are not smarty remarks for this one. Like the dog from Duck Hunt.

We finished up the night with a little bit of sword fighting. Dave loves swords (“shiny pointy objects” as he calls them) and was ready to fight. However he was no match for yours truly. I knocked him off the large pedestal several times. He didn’t see me coming. But I’m sure he’ll get his revenge. The pedestal reminds me of the American Gladiators event where you use the large q-tips to knock your opponent off. I think they should have included that as an option in the game. Never the less it was fun to use the foam swords to take each other out. This game with the MotionPlus register movement a lot better then the earlier Wii Sports boxing game did.

Well that pretty much wraps up night one of Wii Sports Resort. I’ll have more to add as we go. Till then, keep your Wii remote strap firmly locked on!

We’re all looking for ways to save money. My wife and I have decided it’s time to reduce our entertainment expenses at home. Looking at what we spend on home entertainment (books,movies,tv, etc) there didn’t seem to be much we could live without. However after looking at our cable bill it seemed to be apparent that we’re spending $50 bucks a month for extended basic cable.

With as much video content available on the web today, why pay for cable? Most of the major networks (ABC,CBS,etc) are putting their shows online. Shows aired the previous evening are online for viewing the next day. Simply shift your viewing schedule a night ahead and you’re still keeping track of your favorite shows. The best part is you’re in control of when you watch.

Services such as Hulu and Joost have made it extremely easy to find content. Hulu just recently launched a desktop application for Windows and Mac. Hulu Desktop gives you the look and feel of using a DVR. You can find, watch, pause, rewind and fast forward through content. Boxee is another option we’re testing. Boxee allows you to access content on Hulu and other sites as well. Boxee can also play media files stored on your machine. Both pieces of software are sleek and easy to use. Best of all, “Free!”

Our final step was to decide how to get the content on our tv. Luckily our home computer is right next to our tv. With a video card with TV-OUT you can easily pipe video into your tv. You can also channel the audio from your sound card to complete the audio/video experience. What about a remote control? Well you could go out and buy a Media Center remote and use that. However we’re on a budget. We already own a Wii. As you may not know, the Wii Remote uses Bluetooth technology.

Using a Bluetooth adapter on my PC we were able to get the Wii Remote to communicate with it. An application called GlovePIE allowed us to map the buttons however we pleased. Now we can control Hulu Desktop and Boxee with the Wii Remote from the confort of my couch. We can even play emulated games using our Wii peripherals.

Now you have it. We’ve found a sound alternative to paying for cable tv. A total yearly savings of $600 without missing out on our favorite shows. Are you ready to cut the cord?

Whooo ya gonna call? Ghostbusters of course! 25 years ago Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis showed audiences how to battle ghost in New York City. Now’s your chance to take on some super natural forces in the new Ghostbusters video game.

The plot of the game takes place two years after the second movie. Basically it’s Ghostbusters 3. However, to see the whole story unfold you will have to play the game. But what could be cooler then strapping on a proton back, hitching a ride in the Echo, and kicking some ghost butt? The Wii version should have some interesting methods of game play. However, players on the Wii and DS will not get the same graphic level experience. The graphics for the Wii and DS look much like characters from Valve’s Team Fortress 2.

I haven’t made up my mind if I’m going to buy this one. My wife asked me if I wanted it as an anniversary present. Since I don’t have a XBOX 360 or play games of this genre on PC, I opted out for the Sims 3 instead. I know I’m a trader. However my friend Dave Poff and I have plans to rent and complete the game sometime soon. Possibly rent and complete again on the Wii! Till then, remember “Don’t cross the streams!”

Well it’s a official this week. My wife Heather, has beat Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii! Lego studs/coins rained from the sky and there was a lot of cheering. Well I didn’t get to witness this. But she said it was great. I’ve gotten to play a little myself. I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as Lego Batman, but I do.

In the game you can relive all of the first three movies. Just as every other Lego game there are over a 100 characters you can unlock and use. Most characters have special abilities/attributes. For example Indy is afraid of snakes and will not go near them. In scenes where snakes are present you must switch off with a different character. What’s even more interesting is how every now and then you’ll unlock a Lego Star Wars character.

Not to mention you can also run around and smash stuff. Never know what your going to find. Objects, hidden passages etc. Also a good way to collect studs. You’ll need as many studs as you can find to earn the “True Adventurer” status.

There is one frustrating thing about the game. For example if you get to a point where you need a tool and don’t have it. You will need to go back and find it. Chances are you’re going to be looking for it. But that’s not a bad thing. It wouldn’t be fun if you could just produce the object you need out of your butt (ex. The Sims, rockets…).

As you play you can collect objects to unlock things. I like this model, because it gives the game a little extra replay value. However one piece of advice we pass on about Lego Indiana Jones is play through the game and have fun. Then you can go back and unlock stuff. Heather has completely unlocked every character, mini-kit, postal box, etc. Sure it may take twice as long, but its twice as fun. Have a little extra fun and play with a friend!

So whats next? Not sure but my wife rocks the house at video games.