GeekSugar

Left 4 Dead Sneak Peek

GeekSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:01:14 PDT

As one of my top five picks for this year's scariest games, I jumped at the chance to get an early look at the zombie shooter Left 4 Dead at a recent preview party here in San Francisco. Coming next month to your Xbox 360 and PC, I already knew the plot would have you trying to find your way out of a zombie-filled city with you and your three pals. But what I didn't know was that players will also get the chance to play as the zombies, trying to stop the humans from escaping (and eventually becoming dinner). There are four different "mutant" zombies, all with a unique attack style, which made it fun to switch between the characters and see who could cause the most damage.

Although Left 4 Dead is fun to play, I do have a few gripes about it. To see my thoughts on this early preview, and to check out a gameplay video (containing violence toward zombies aka blood and guns), just

My early impressions of the game were good - fun co-op play and an easy objective (stay alive as long as possible) - but there were a few glaring concerns. While playing with three of your friends on a game night would be totally fun, playing alone might leave something to be desired. If you do play Left 4 Dead solo, you'll be stuck with three AI buddies, and although I didn't get a chance to play the solo mode, I would imagine it to be kinda boring.

Additionally, there were so many things to remember controlwise. At times even I got confused about which button did what - and I own a Xbox 360! I'm sure after more playing, it would become second nature, but still, not too easy for beginners or those of you who are picking up a 360 controller for the first time. For those of you who like a shooter and are really into killing zombies, check out my gameplay video below. It's short and sweet, yet you'll instantly get the point of the game!

What do you think - will you play Left 4 Dead?

"Feeling Stuck Between Genders"

Tres Community — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This week's confession comes from our anonymous Confession Booth group in the TrèsSugar Community. Weigh in with your advice below.

I'm not entirely sure how to explain this, but I really feel the need to try and hopefully I will get some positive feedback from the community.

First I gotta give a little history. I was born male, but when I was 2 or so (can't remember exactly when) my father had a stroke that left him with a severe mental disability. It left him with physical and mental handicaps that made it so his presence in my life almost non-existent. He wasn't able to be that "Father" figure in my life (not his fault) but because we was still IN my life in some way, I never really found any other father figure either. He became a placeholder, in a sense. He was there, taking up that spot in my life as I grew up, but at the same time completely unable to fulfill that role because of his disability.

Because of this, my mother became sort of the "father" figure for me, and I grew up more like a daughter than a son, in terms of the things I learned in both how I act and what I was interested in. I was sensitive and emotional as I grew up, and never felt uncomfortable around girls. By the time I reached high school I had never really developed any strong relationships with guys, the few I made not being much deeper then a shared interest or pastime. Girls, on the other hand, I had a lot of very strong relationships with and more often than not I was "one of the girls" when it came to talks about things like periods, clothes, and their personal issues, and I was always willing to listen and help whenever I could.

Keep reading for the rest of this reader's dilemma and to offer your advice.

5 Ways To Leave Your Lover

YourTango — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:00:06 PST

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

An accomplished, smart and beautiful woman sits across from me in my office. She tells me about her relationship; the one she appears to be in but her boyfriend doesn't. She has tried to leave him, she assures me (and herself), but every time she manages to walk out that door, he gets to her. She turns around and walks right back in again. Once she's back, he acts like a jerk. Again. Leave. Get sucked back in. Repeat.

Who can't relate to this scenario? God knows, I've been there. Before meeting my husband-to-be, I was in a relationship with a guy who would only show interest in me after I decided to break up with him. To get me back into his orbit he would swear I was the love of his life. As soon as I returned, he would go cold as a dead snake on an iceberg.

What made me take him back more times than was healthy for anyone's tender self-esteem?

We give ourselves a lot of reasons, but the bottom line is that when we allow a guy to treat us as less important than we really are, our self-esteem is critically injured. Once our self-worth is low it is too easy for the ex to come over the wall of our good defenses and pillage what's left of our confidence.

4 Steps to Silence Your Self-Critic, Improve Self-Esteem, & Free Yourself From Guilt & Shame
What remains is fear. Fear that this jerky guy is as good as it gets. Fear of never finding love again. Fear of being alone with a dozen hungry cats for the rest of your life. This fear is so awful we make excuses (cognitive distortions) to stay in a bad or even a 'not good enough' relationship. After all, he's a known entity...right?

Result? The discomfort of sticking with him is not nearly as scary as what your distorted thinking is imagining life without him is like. So you stay put. What's a girl to do? Fight back those nasty, distorted, self-esteem abusing thoughts with empowering, righteous, healthy goddess thoughts, of course!

Here are some typical distorted thoughts with which we lie to ourselves and suggestions for strong self-esteem building self-talk to combat them:

Instead of, "I'm afraid of being alone." Tell yourself, "I am not alone. I'm with Me. I am good company. If I get lonely, I can check out meetup.com or connect with friends I haven't seen in ages. Most importantly, this time is an opportunity to dive into the world of Me and, for a change, listen to my heart first rather than someone else's!"
Instead of, "But the sex is so good!": Tell yourself, "Sweetie, it's time to grow up. The toxic effect he has on my self-esteem when we're not in bed is not worth the price. If I am that horny, I might just explore the exotic, erotic world of self-stimulation. A lot of people say their best orgasms are experienced alone!"

Get the other ideas when you finish reading the rest of the story on YourTango: 5 Ways To Leave Your Lover

Written by Dr. Elvira Aletta for YourTango.

6 Moves to Say Goodbye to Lower-Back Pain

Self — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:37:54 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

We know planks and dead-lifts are great, but the real question is, how can they help relieve your aching back?

Back pain affects about 8 out of 10 people, according to the National Institutes of Health, and is one of the most common medical problems. It's costly too - in 2004, a team from Duke University found that treatment for back pain was estimated to cost nearly $26 billion annually.

A recent study from the University of Nevada found that those would walked backwards on the treadmill for 15 minutes three times a week reported less low back pain. But walking on the treadmill isn't the only option for relief; I asked Ian Hart, CSCS, co-creator of Back Pain Relief4Life and owner of EarthFIT fitness studio for simple at-home exercises that will strengthen the lower back, ease pain and help prevent injury in the long run.

Find out Ian's recommendation's after the break.