tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85630044992044681792024-03-21T21:44:00.143-07:00MovementVideo games, Frugality, and Japan!mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-20976879059272297192020-03-30T17:22:00.003-07:002020-03-30T17:22:56.777-07:00Frugality update: Quarantine edition<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirD91-LDbzS08G6Ha7EhGAKr59ZBJFxhYOrkLlubjf4Vgb5wdId3NeEQgjdG-PykwOf4i0CpBziSwBDjlvaTWvn8MppEwzJs-J5fssNWrXtz_8SdI2zdDs395xohP_bopLDFkbdcBxBmFU/s1600/14223354794_505bebeb7c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirD91-LDbzS08G6Ha7EhGAKr59ZBJFxhYOrkLlubjf4Vgb5wdId3NeEQgjdG-PykwOf4i0CpBziSwBDjlvaTWvn8MppEwzJs-J5fssNWrXtz_8SdI2zdDs395xohP_bopLDFkbdcBxBmFU/s320/14223354794_505bebeb7c_b.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Proooooobably needs an apostrophe</i></td></tr>
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I'm feeling a bit guilty as I write this for a multitude of reasons. The first is that I haven't posted about frugal stuff for almost a year. I haven't stopped my practices at all, it just felt like there wasn't a whole lot to say. Also is reading about all of the strangers and friends who are in a rough situation right now, and the fact that they just didn't have the same opportunities to save. I always thought of lifestyle and habit blogs like this as a 'take what you can' kinda situation. Sometimes I read advice from people I have nothing in common with, and part of my brain shuts off and I just can't learn from it. I hope that we can all, during this massive time of adjustment, emerge from the 2020 Covid Quarantine period smarter.<br />
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<b>First and foremost</b>: You cook. You cook your ass off, Trinity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_Bc0FwkhjwPYg81d3nSo2AboGRCywz8kBS1Zmmh8ydD4KZ4Szssmc9A9aEn1rBAq3JAlOquCNkyoxN9cikTPJWmUYisvLjz4hOM4ZQ34AGLevIbhKoEEZCsZgKsn0H6han4JZIATEa0X/s1600/14074682059_450fa13604_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_Bc0FwkhjwPYg81d3nSo2AboGRCywz8kBS1Zmmh8ydD4KZ4Szssmc9A9aEn1rBAq3JAlOquCNkyoxN9cikTPJWmUYisvLjz4hOM4ZQ34AGLevIbhKoEEZCsZgKsn0H6han4JZIATEa0X/s1600/14074682059_450fa13604_m.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crockpot chili, cheap and requires no skill.</i></td></tr>
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At some point in the past, I shared disappointment finding out that cooking at home isn't always massive savings compared to eating out. I bake cookies as a hobby, and that can be $3 to get a decent chocolate bar and eggs on a good day when I have the other dry ingredients stocked. I'll pass the $2 Oreos or Chips Ahoy and miss out on instant gratification AND no associated cleanup or packaging labor! I also find myself paying more to make tacos at home than getting them from taco buses in the area. Thankfully, these are exceptions to the rule. Now is a great time to try recipes, especially with certain product shortages. Everyone in the world is suggesting this, my only addition is to dust off some of those cans and boxes in your pantry or frozen vegetables and get to work! I've got about 20% of my freezer left before it gets empty, a goal I've had for a while but never could reach. We'll see how I do, but now's an easier time than ever to try and use all the food you've bought in the last year. The quarantine has hit restaurant employees particularly hard, but if you've read any of my posts before, you'll know that I wasn't supporting that a whole lot in the first place. Nothing against them, I just think I should be making <b>a lot more money</b> to afford to be waited on. No one deserves to lose their job, and not everyone has time to cook every meal for themselves, but this blog is aimed at folks looking to make financial improvements, and eating out a lot is one of those lifestyle choices that drains your wallet. Consider it, at least.<br />
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<b>Backlogs</b>:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Err...add 4 generations to this stack of N64 games</i></td></tr>
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The one and only release, which I preordered last summer, was Final Fantasy VII Remake. Other than that, I'm working on two backlogs. One is the growing digital mound of 100+ games, most of which were "free" through the totally paid PS+ membership. The second backlog is more recent physical games that still have a resell value, like all of my Switch titles. Once the quarantine is lifted and the games wiped down, it's time to eBay those suckers! Same thing goes for paper books. I enjoy the benefits of digital books, like reading one-handed, the long-press dictionary, and checking out books instantly at my library's website, but occasionally receive paper books as gifts. Well, now's the time to read them before I pass them on.<br />
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I'm also clearing out all the movies I want to watch on Disney+ so I can drop the subscription and switch back to Netflix. I miss the documentaries! <br />
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<b>Tasks around the house</b>: Some of these are quick enough to knock out during your breaks if you're working at home.<br />
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Being home more often means I have to look at all the extra junk I live with. I have leftover flooring, sound panels, and shelving from used lots I bought from Craigslist. Getting that centralized into a donate bag, box or closet means that once donations are accepted again, I can get it out of the house<i> </i>and dedicate the space to something else.<br />
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My wife cleaned the refrigerator racks. Not a glamorous task, but it's gotta be done.<br />
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I sanitized all the utensils in a bleach bath. Ditto to the window frames.<br />
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Caulking and touch up paint. There's a skill gap between when I first moved in 18 months ago and what I know now about some home projects. I'll be looking to redo some of the spackling where I didn't know to sand it down before painting. Leah from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/seejanedrill" target="_blank">SeeJaneDrill on Youtube</a> is a sage when it comes to that.<br />
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Clean those drive-thru receipts and food bags out of your car and don't forget to wipe down the inside of your windshield.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqZgYaj5mED8RmkpGpDth7dh-3dhnq8DK0itD1xyVSAbzlJmuNjMyYlfJds1vZVjFqr4sLnNbNDHzOHjSNwvdEDtS3ErmuCRWsFQlDlUZWfRSJSndH-kEqAoRrCkTaz9hEzKoOMNfuu4w/s1600/2470283258_a1c2074620_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqZgYaj5mED8RmkpGpDth7dh-3dhnq8DK0itD1xyVSAbzlJmuNjMyYlfJds1vZVjFqr4sLnNbNDHzOHjSNwvdEDtS3ErmuCRWsFQlDlUZWfRSJSndH-kEqAoRrCkTaz9hEzKoOMNfuu4w/s200/2470283258_a1c2074620_b.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
Check expiration dates and chuck stuff. Medicine, dry and canned foods. <b>Keep note what you're throwing out this way</b>. Maybe you didn't need that 5-pack of Dayquil if 2 are now purple and one is crusted over.<br />
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I gave all of my shoes a bath and air dried them. The better-made pair will get another 3 months out of this while the cheaper ones will get an extra month. Also, we're almost ready to hang-dry laundry outside! <br />
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Why is this stuff frugal? A cleaner and roomier house means you stay healthier and aren't paying for things you don't use. Some people rent EXTRA storage to hold things they don't need to use daily. If you're living without it, why do you still need it?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafW_TCdxgyajnJkS02xJ2Uy-I8zhve4G6EFAvtG60BtrBFKlUvW4AQL3WAAIXZ302WuZFqzRjNl1B8SRnRreQY18k-tCDLDLfppVx9FiOrEok5Jial6ErxHs2CqBP9UvrXU3QK1s3SKtc/s1600/khan25080014576_d1c605d13b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafW_TCdxgyajnJkS02xJ2Uy-I8zhve4G6EFAvtG60BtrBFKlUvW4AQL3WAAIXZ302WuZFqzRjNl1B8SRnRreQY18k-tCDLDLfppVx9FiOrEok5Jial6ErxHs2CqBP9UvrXU3QK1s3SKtc/s320/khan25080014576_d1c605d13b_b.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>Next is my own plug for khanacademy.org, where you can take courses for free. The courses are built under teacher supervision, and it's a great way to review what you already know or learn some new stuff! I wanted to see what universities were teaching as far as budgeting and personal finance. Personally, I think the biggest challenge to online learning like this is accountability.<br />
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Bonus financial crossroads food-for-thought: I bought a used car for cash a while back, and it doesn't do distances very well. My income guided me to a manageable mortgage...that happens to be an hour+ drive away from friends and family, so the rare visits have an additional layer of wondering whether my car is going to make it. The current debate is whether to save enough to buy a newer<b> </b>car, or <b>buy stock that's currently at a discount </b>as everyone shifts their investment priorities. One way to still get in my visits is to rent a car each time. It sounds silly until you realize that I only make that trip a few times a year, and the rentals should equate to $400 or less, versus saving $3-4000 on top of whatever I could get for selling the car. Granted, the 2020 Quarantine is doing the decision-making currently.<br />
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Alright folks, thanks for reading and don't spend all your stimulus checks in one place!<br />
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-89709422729043374192019-09-04T17:40:00.000-07:002019-09-05T09:50:05.868-07:00PAX 2019 was a hit!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I guess _I_ was enforced...</i></td></tr>
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This year, I Enforced and attended my third Penny Arcade Expo! My section was Classic Console Freeplay, which is one of the many things that sets this gaming convention aside from other 'gaming' conventions: actual gaming! To explain: Tokyo Game Show has a few dozen developers showing off their games, and if you're not in line to play a demo, then you're looking at booth babes, cosplay or gaming-related merchandise. I would say (ridiculously hot) cosplay is the main draw, and game demos and swag are tied seconds. <a href="https://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2015/02/tokaigi.html" target="_blank">Tokaigi</a>, held in the same space (Makuhari Messe in Chiba) as TGS, is a little more about actually playing games, with consoles, PC and handheld stations. I did a quick run-through of Seattle ComiCon, and saw a lot of gameplay with prizes (awesome!) and a shitload of cosplay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeBjjGfVOOciJSpJYCZg3NyJ8w_lRskP7gAi1LE6h6nMwnJwz9dcLBYlY5UA2s51Gqgqkq209gyBY3Rk7Nkf0aaMvaml2tBNgd6LpclnKi1vKAfo8mdd3AT6V7t9yBrvwZsbwwi7zIJ6j/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeBjjGfVOOciJSpJYCZg3NyJ8w_lRskP7gAi1LE6h6nMwnJwz9dcLBYlY5UA2s51Gqgqkq209gyBY3Rk7Nkf0aaMvaml2tBNgd6LpclnKi1vKAfo8mdd3AT6V7t9yBrvwZsbwwi7zIJ6j/s400/IMG_0016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Zagreus and Aphrodite (Hades) and Red (Transistor)</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm1tXqVcdYzJ0q4wmChp1R6E5axtSI0V7ljBVMWoB8H0D8rvZxB-1RBdIe9kCCbd_ehOtb66qJCe9RHvUrI373lEzz5wDq3OQo7P_m8D4KjdgVeoScE56B76uKjtvHIYsE_QnJIGOjwrY/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm1tXqVcdYzJ0q4wmChp1R6E5axtSI0V7ljBVMWoB8H0D8rvZxB-1RBdIe9kCCbd_ehOtb66qJCe9RHvUrI373lEzz5wDq3OQo7P_m8D4KjdgVeoScE56B76uKjtvHIYsE_QnJIGOjwrY/s320/IMG_0041.JPG" width="240" /></a>PAX, however, probably has all gaming conventions beat: there are giant rooms for tabletop games, a room of beanbags for handheld gaming orgies, an entire floor dedicated to the current 2 consoles, another floor of PCs, another 2 floors for console and PC tournaments, a floor for classic consoles (from NES to Wii/PS2/Xbox), gaming trivia all around downtown Seattle, pin collecting and swapping, digital slot machines that dispense prizes randomly to attendees, and scavenger hunts. There are even run-of-the-mill cardboard puzzles. Of course there's cosplay, anime, trinkets and discussion panels, but the amount of gaming here is next-level.<br />
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I was on the team that checked out games to attendees who would sit down at stations and play with friends. There were 32 stations, and most were in use the entire 4 days. Considering loans are 30-minutes at a time, that's a lot of activity! There were faces we saw all four days, as it's a great time killer for certain events. Sometimes, you just don't want to stand in line for 3 hours to play a 20-minute demo. In general, I worked my normal full-time job, and did PAX for the 3-day weekend, and now I'm lumbering through my normal workweek. Sleeping 8 hours took priority over attendance, so I only showed up a few hours early to tour the expo before my shift, and didn't hang around much after.<br />
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HOWEVER. I definitely saw some shit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR83tGyPy2BKHexe6WLqI7Qy2ztmjCmTVES1zLXaLIvCFX0k3ZqME318LXxK8l1MyeXDFMXu7alogc75J0GOye414-yUmTAUpNkACuKbSTnGtJbnSnHidF66NeNreihQ7o3AkD6WoriMBg/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR83tGyPy2BKHexe6WLqI7Qy2ztmjCmTVES1zLXaLIvCFX0k3ZqME318LXxK8l1MyeXDFMXu7alogc75J0GOye414-yUmTAUpNkACuKbSTnGtJbnSnHidF66NeNreihQ7o3AkD6WoriMBg/s320/IMG_0017.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lead voice actor Logan Cunningham!</i></td></tr>
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For me, PAX belonged to SuperGiant, the makers of <a href="https://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2015/10/2015fall.html" target="_blank">Bastion</a>, Transistor and Pyre (review <a href="https://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2017/08/pyre.html" target="_blank">here</a>). One day, the key dev team held a panel where they told their story of working on these games and how the team met teach other. I got to meet the lead voice actor but was too nervous to do more than tell him I was a fan and smile. I didn't tell him that in the 2 weeks of playing Bastion, I narrated everything I did around the house in a gravely voice. After my enforcer shift, SuperGiant's composer put on a concert with key tracks from those three games as well as their newest, Hades. There was also an orchestra and his other vocalist. During that sweet hour at the Paramount, we were treated to a light show, some anecdotes and almost every duet from their games. Chills the whole time. Getting so much exposure to this independent developer was an amazing experience. If Motion Twin (Dead Cells) ripped through PAX, I would have met my two favorite small developers and that would just be hard to top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zd4DEm_mGRiQGUcg8oDBy1rdZljnKjtLDgfVpNa4L4X7AOSFnFEONbb-8kht4fCnrlUwsk6BFQtRBuVxUlDpHmZSynUOewzNjiouy6IOMR5CGWKfqgS7DNfGygVEsQ-M0L5ggSeyE_4C/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zd4DEm_mGRiQGUcg8oDBy1rdZljnKjtLDgfVpNa4L4X7AOSFnFEONbb-8kht4fCnrlUwsk6BFQtRBuVxUlDpHmZSynUOewzNjiouy6IOMR5CGWKfqgS7DNfGygVEsQ-M0L5ggSeyE_4C/s320/IMG_0029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I also went to the Make-a-Strip panel, where Penny Arcade founders Jerry Holkins (Tycho) and Mike Krahulik (Gabe) drew a brand new comic and answered all kinds of questions from their e-nor-mous fan base. To think that these two average-looking dudes from Spokane started the 15-year-strong convention for almost 100,000 people from all walks of life to flock to Downtown Seattle by writing a comic about two <a href="https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/03/25" target="_blank">roommates playing videogames</a> and <a href="https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/04/01/all-teeth-accounted-for" target="_blank">talking shit</a>.<br />
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If you can make it to Seattle for the Labor Day weekend, then sign up to Enforce at PAX in May!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEql8wdsZ9m2AxO8d6ag2fkpwNA2Loz2Qn0A218osgk4J0XZexeXyacEscmI_OEu_4Aj2ks7bLI0xLX3u1iI5bR-4hyphenhyphenOYlXFLWRTVaurrjqSNMaQ90fRvUsRXAwkygcfnBSsQfdymhtht/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEql8wdsZ9m2AxO8d6ag2fkpwNA2Loz2Qn0A218osgk4J0XZexeXyacEscmI_OEu_4Aj2ks7bLI0xLX3u1iI5bR-4hyphenhyphenOYlXFLWRTVaurrjqSNMaQ90fRvUsRXAwkygcfnBSsQfdymhtht/s320/IMG_0043.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>SuperGiant composer Darren Korb</i></td></tr>
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-3928176820621126582019-08-26T16:04:00.000-07:002019-08-26T16:04:24.768-07:00June updateIt's been a while since I posted! Part of it is that I've gotten some new tasks at work and classwork is as engaging as ever. I'm studying adult learning theory and there's a load of stuff to learn...about learning.<br />
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I've also been up to various <a href="https://theoriginalmawz.wixsite.com/mzmu-1/home/house-before-after">house projects</a>! It's been so rewarding investing time instead of money into little projects. Then, something unfortunate happened with OfferUp. I switched out my SIM card to test it on another phone, and the app suddenly required me to verify my account through phone number. Well, you might know that I use Freedompop, a carrier that gives you a 200MB data limit and phone number free every month. The caveat is that the phone number isn't recognized by services like Uber and certain verification services like this one. After a week of exchanging emails with Offer Up's customer service and no helpful suggestions how to get back up and running, I had to close my account. So unless I want to lie about my phone number, I'm out of luck for Offer Up, one of the less-flaky FREE person-to-person selling methods.<br />
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Another reason I haven't posted is because of conflicting feelings. I'll come right out and say that I failed one of my major commitments of avoiding spending money on games. Almost monthly, at this point. Luckily, that's averaged out to about $25 per month, but I still feel conflicted about dispensing advice that I can't follow. Another thought was the responses to frugal decisions in eliminating joy from your life to save money that reaches vegan and crossfit levels of annoying. But I have to remember that this is a blog post and readers have chosen to come here. Also, the satisfaction I experience of doing what I can to put money elsewhere outweighs the 'little joys' brought by having an underpaid person prepare my coffee, food, or wearing the latest cheaply-made brand name clothing. So, take what you will from my frugal habits if you haven't already, and you might be surprised how easy some of this is to make into a habit.<br />
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I've still been economically and ecologically sustainable in my normal ways:<br />
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Cooking for myself. Sundays, I put 3 cans of beans, tomatoes, spices and whatever cut of meat in a crockpot all day, and by the night I can freeze at least 4 days of lunch. I've been eating this chili 4-5 days a week for about 6 months. Food variety comes for the other two daily meals and on the weekends. I order pizza (carryout!) and eat out twice a month. There is room for improvement, here!<br />
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With the exception of screws, a new bathroom motor and cover ($30 total), all of my home improvement has been through secondhand methods. Through OfferUp, I bought some tools for about what they'd cost to rent as well as some custom-ordered cellular blinds that turned out to be the wrong size for the seller, but the right size for me. I basically got 4 for the price of one.<br />
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House parties with friends. You get control over the drink selection, and there's no need to shout over air horns!<br />
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Hang-drying laundry. This works out to about $10/month in savings, but the smaller eco-footprint is where it's at. Clothes last longer and it's easier to follow up with proper organization than just loading everything into a basket and forgetting about it.<br />
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Live on bus lines. I walk 10 minutes to a bus stop that drops me off 10 minutes from work. 350 sqft studios downtown are $1050 per month. My mortgage and HOA dues are roughly the same for a unit twice as big. I'm building equity, too. When I was looking at the place, the bus route was a qualifying criterion for my move. One look out the window on any given day at the daily car accidents remind me that I don't miss driving.<br />
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Don't compromise if you have time! I'm writing to my supervisor about why we shouldn't use certain business accounts for office supplies. The argument against me is that they save money on some things and spend more on others in a giant compromise. The problem is that I'm looking at data that we still come out spending 40% more than necessary. You can either spend time working to pay for things, or spend time saving money. This applies to me for groceries: I know what's worth it at Costco vs other stores, and visit 3 different places to get the best prices. Then again, I have the time to do so, and get to torment my wife along the way with fart sounds and car sound effects and everything.<br />
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-50106069831170212442019-03-12T15:39:00.003-07:002019-03-12T15:39:40.011-07:00March Ballin<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfooWki5pB8AjCI_tr3NYdPqeq2xsXLxNZCO0SaX-pbex8NMORaVoNIrluASYZMsjvDXV3saCcVGY3InGT_l6XXbF_SA-XsD8FR66AVZEcjZuopYWoDRA6cUVPTKuN7gIG40drLh6JqYk/s1600/Wall_Street_is_seeing_money-a3cc5c64ed029c8e51cd9f06e05594d3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfooWki5pB8AjCI_tr3NYdPqeq2xsXLxNZCO0SaX-pbex8NMORaVoNIrluASYZMsjvDXV3saCcVGY3InGT_l6XXbF_SA-XsD8FR66AVZEcjZuopYWoDRA6cUVPTKuN7gIG40drLh6JqYk/s320/Wall_Street_is_seeing_money-a3cc5c64ed029c8e51cd9f06e05594d3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had to invent my own theme song for how paid I'mma be this month. This is a PSA that if you got paid Friday March 1st and you're on a bi-weekly pay schedule, you will get THREE checks this month and one other month in 2019. I also filed taxes this last weekend and am expecting another paycheck and a half. Our orange leader's tax reform shafted a lot of people who were planning on their usual tax return numbers, but us frugal folks aren't too roughed up. Disappointed, but not in financial crisis, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTgwVnsohSzp7d7nhWPngLAgJXE57Fw5OKYnSCTQZOANFmOoeN7S6YzObt_D17OiQXIPKoApz6nOEPRSQiLLDjmk6aScz2bOdyNxU9q6Bs7E70W1_rN7VhPTCB3tCexGfW8c2y275_Sot/s1600/tax-refund.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTgwVnsohSzp7d7nhWPngLAgJXE57Fw5OKYnSCTQZOANFmOoeN7S6YzObt_D17OiQXIPKoApz6nOEPRSQiLLDjmk6aScz2bOdyNxU9q6Bs7E70W1_rN7VhPTCB3tCexGfW8c2y275_Sot/s1600/tax-refund.jpg" /></a></div>
I have two thoughts on tax refunds. One is that a refund means you overpaid taxes the whole year, and the federal government got an interest-free loan from you. If you have unlocked the key to the universe and know exactly how much in taxes to have withheld over the year to end up at $0, then investing that money is better. In my case, if I knew the secret, my $1800 refund would be $1980 if I had invested every cent into my Vanguard account at 10% in 2018. The other thought is that I respect people who take the more convenient option of having extra deductions during the year and do impactful things with their yearly refunds. Well, more impactful than our blinged-out Moet-pourer at the top of the post.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEm8dUoQcEXCrSbw2KG3hrfi0dPOHBTYJSZRuGjT1MEwzSL3aX3UcFFojZF-BeSN1CFSJUNHJb5HkPUdchDbREqqwR5H8Uy6nyqFwJrXP0L3P6jbwVrFrk5YgWCoxIaDws49wtcPwdrHh/s1600/10284401101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="420" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEm8dUoQcEXCrSbw2KG3hrfi0dPOHBTYJSZRuGjT1MEwzSL3aX3UcFFojZF-BeSN1CFSJUNHJb5HkPUdchDbREqqwR5H8Uy6nyqFwJrXP0L3P6jbwVrFrk5YgWCoxIaDws49wtcPwdrHh/s320/10284401101.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>image from johnlund.com</i></td></tr>
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If my refund is what the software said it would be, half of it is going to an extra mortgage payment. The remaining money will go towards upgrading the house. The fan was $30, but labor to install it could be $400. I just paid $100 for over $1500 worth of eco-friendly cork flooring for my whole living room, including gas to pick it up. If I'm patient with OfferUp and Craigslist, I can get better blinds for the two windows in my unit for < $100. So far, all of these pursuits are investments and will add value to the home. You may be rolling your eyes at my corny dedication to investment with the windfall, but I also spent a large chunk on something <b>super frivolous</b>: a PS4 Pro. My current system works fine, and this new one won't allow me to play new games or anything; it's a graphical upgrade and runs quieter.mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-13501748227485586542019-03-06T11:10:00.002-08:002019-03-06T11:10:40.453-08:00Keep raising the wage floor!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1OuuMc5W1zQdB7Bpr3Od-WwmomoOQUWThDAEIHSTKkpOj1iumwF8OkEiUWkR28xX3HrqC8uaxrtrWAm7MGVLdYYuvnNrp6-2PDbL41ApXIRKPoTE1e744WWrP1bzb8o45QfbSHyxU0k7/s1600/whole-foods-is-totally-just-trolling-us-now-175390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="610" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1OuuMc5W1zQdB7Bpr3Od-WwmomoOQUWThDAEIHSTKkpOj1iumwF8OkEiUWkR28xX3HrqC8uaxrtrWAm7MGVLdYYuvnNrp6-2PDbL41ApXIRKPoTE1e744WWrP1bzb8o45QfbSHyxU0k7/s320/whole-foods-is-totally-just-trolling-us-now-175390.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Products with integrity...</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/06/whole-foods-amazon-cuts-minimum-wage-workers-hours-changes">According to TheGuardian</a>, Amazon raised the minimum wage across warehouses and Whole Foods stores to $15. One of the main arguments against raising wages is always that hours will be cut. So, Whole Foods cut working hours to compensate. All of this is predictable behavior, but at the same time, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-taxes-zero-180337770.html">Yahoo Finance</a> says, "Thanks to the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Amazon’s federal tax responsibility is 21% (down from 35% in previous years). But with the help of tax breaks, according to corporate filings, Amazon won’t be paying a dime to Uncle Sam despite <u>posting more than $11.2 billion in profits in 2018</u>."<br />
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So, Whole Foods, a store whose workers can't realistically afford to buy their own goods, will cut hours, meaning their (generally high-earning) patrons will be waiting longer for service. One user mentioned having to make room for employee shoppers who are gathering goods for home delivery orders. The long-con here is that customers with time constraints will then switch to Prime Fresh and get Whole Foods delivered to them. I won't be surprised if Amazon beats $11.2B this year, but no one is doing anything useful with those profits. I think the argument against raising wages comes with the complete acceptance that companies will behave this way, but the largest ones really don't have to, not with such huge coffers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GgMdW_htKbemup7kSKR_xnPgxL6uNB750wNNPTknguzjx82Volc-eVJVDZuJl2DfnaCX6nl1YCcyRUcrUQpCyOo5mLZdY-jOunSvRKRZzptngFe61wrIMWsctCqI2bHOMKSLGJXbI1kl/s1600/IMG_0367-1024x683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GgMdW_htKbemup7kSKR_xnPgxL6uNB750wNNPTknguzjx82Volc-eVJVDZuJl2DfnaCX6nl1YCcyRUcrUQpCyOo5mLZdY-jOunSvRKRZzptngFe61wrIMWsctCqI2bHOMKSLGJXbI1kl/s320/IMG_0367-1024x683.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Shout out to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-employees-love-working-at-trader-joes-2017-9">Trader Joes for having happy</a> employees who, while not millionaires by any stretch, can at least afford to shop at their own stores. In the same way you can't leave Costco without muffins, I can't leave TJs without lava cakes.mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-42206813846759848052019-01-31T14:17:00.000-08:002019-01-31T14:17:01.949-08:00January 2019 = VRHoly moley Angelina Jolie in a kimono no obi! I recently finished up <span style="color: #990000;">Horizon: Zero Dawn</span>, which required me to sprint through a ~5 hour main quest line on Ultra Hard New Game +. It was nice to get the story all at once instead of spacing it out over dozens of machine-hunting and sidequests.<br />
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Finishing a AAA title always gives me satisfaction and the most first world problem dilemma: what do I play next? This usually results in a week of avid tv or movie streaming while I mull over what game I'm going to complete next. This time while I do that, I get to spend time with my latest acquisition: PS VR. This system is better than I could have imagined. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm gonna getcha!</i></td></tr>
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Virtual Reality is one of those things where doing something mundane like throwing a tennis ball between your hands provides much more entertainment than the real thing. I usually think about the physics and programming involved to do these everyday things realistically and it sends my mind spinning. Growing up, we saw wireframes and random geometric objects that were usually supposed to convey hacking in 3d or a war simulator. Most recently, in Black Panther, that Vibranium-sand that opened the movie with a legend that turned out to be a real Wakandan invention. Err, I guess that was AR (augmented reality), but it was an interactive digital model, so nyah. Anyway, the real VR product is loads better. It's really hard to convey in words and 2d pictures the thrill of solving puzzles by physically moving your body to get a better vantage point, or dodging attacks or even tilting virtual objects and moving your face closer to see details. The gameplay doesn't need to be complex to be enjoyable in VR if you're like me and are wowed by the tech itself.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rp7Q49MvAgibgSDEuPg-VXb1BEGRXklzKdx1FKd4EvZIRv8B7x3IxxY6IdWgwOsyc4zNV0ZoFEXItSNjnHIkO9eWs7Ou46-vvLIx60WD2G2AgejwjXbzeiwgda7i4O2K4Y0bbxdkcfrb/s1600/jackal-vr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1170" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rp7Q49MvAgibgSDEuPg-VXb1BEGRXklzKdx1FKd4EvZIRv8B7x3IxxY6IdWgwOsyc4zNV0ZoFEXItSNjnHIkO9eWs7Ou46-vvLIx60WD2G2AgejwjXbzeiwgda7i4O2K4Y0bbxdkcfrb/s320/jackal-vr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>CoD: Jackal Assault doesn't even let you <br />do pilot controls...F MINUS</i></td></tr>
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There are at least 200 PS VR titles of varying quality. I don't do horror, so that cuts out half of the selection, and <i>that</i> leaves puzzle games with almost no art direction. Low polygon count and tech specs don't necessarily mean the game has to look ugly; an art director coordinates that stuff. Then there are the must have VR titles: Astrobot: Rescue Mission, The Playroom and Beat Saber.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Playroom VR</span> is free to download and comes with a set of multiplayer games and even has a trophy list! In one of the titles, the VR headset player is a monster who is stomping through town (the player headbuts obstacles) while up to 4 controller players run for their lives across the city. The tables turn when they get to a platform and huck items at the monster's face. In another title, the VR player is supposed to aim their flashlight on ghosts to scare them away while whoever's looking at the TV can describe where the ghosts are. And that's another thing: all of the titles I've played have a TV display at the same time the VR person is in the headset, which enables multiplayer and gives observers more to watch than a fool with a glowing face.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL5uTF1nJaMf88uqSq-rq1QiOMrEQh5U4Sq8i01CNZOgG-F6UF8PWsg9AjfiYZtDNYu-torXAccTnxgr4ayKLYocPjRbVZ0s0ox79Mq-n64CIq3NJ1k-jB000Kryl0vUe7cBKum1AJ9mJ/s1600/ASTRO+BOT+Rescue+Mission_20190123204037.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL5uTF1nJaMf88uqSq-rq1QiOMrEQh5U4Sq8i01CNZOgG-F6UF8PWsg9AjfiYZtDNYu-torXAccTnxgr4ayKLYocPjRbVZ0s0ox79Mq-n64CIq3NJ1k-jB000Kryl0vUe7cBKum1AJ9mJ/s320/ASTRO+BOT+Rescue+Mission_20190123204037.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Then we get to <span style="color: #990000;">Astrobot: Rescue Mission</span>, which sets the standard for VR. JapanStudio has created a family-friendly cute Mario alternative. This game plays like any of the 3d Mario games, except with VR enhancements like perspective puzzles and hidden items that will have to constantly looking around. The graphics are solid, the colors are bright, the music is good, and the game is stable. I haven't seen any glitches and the game is incredibly user-friendly. This game has really, REALLY cool boss fights and my wife and I are trying to space out our sessions so that we can savor the experience.</div>
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I bought this rig after playing <span style="color: #990000;">Beat Saber</span>, which is the other killer app for PSVR. In the headset, you are dodging walls and slicing boxes with dual light sabers to cool electronic beats. Anyone watching you will see that you're dancing, and it's quite amazing to see two genres that emerge from the same actions, depending on perspective. It's like a horror movie that's a comedy if narrated from a different character's perspective.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhEvyrSwEyNTDRT8Km20UNCSi1NyyEVFdIV1c__V9AvjNY4eqmTIEc-fR7TNc63wqfjiCOuj49UmNitAd09oyadGJ4QjHTiT7G2vcE-3kAgJvLyKTvjLtTmYSV9B1uyqGCGPTXOlzUp07/s1600/ONRUSH%25E2%2584%25A2_20190126150059.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhEvyrSwEyNTDRT8Km20UNCSi1NyyEVFdIV1c__V9AvjNY4eqmTIEc-fR7TNc63wqfjiCOuj49UmNitAd09oyadGJ4QjHTiT7G2vcE-3kAgJvLyKTvjLtTmYSV9B1uyqGCGPTXOlzUp07/s320/ONRUSH%25E2%2584%25A2_20190126150059.png" width="320" /></a><br />
Other than VR, I wrapped up a few smaller developer title and started playing a game that's been missing for 10 years: <span style="color: #990000;">Onrush</span>. Onrush is the new Burnout. This is a car game that forgoes racing and instead encourages you to destroy other drivers to win. OnRush captures the sense of speed really well, and there is no racing in it: instead, there are objectives like hitting targets to prolong a countdown, keep speed inside a zone while fending off attackers, or knocking opponents into traffic and other wholesome ideas. Onrush was one of the free PS+ games in December 2018, and is fun as hell!<br />
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-3011946610346841482019-01-17T10:29:00.002-08:002019-01-31T14:16:50.690-08:00Winter break Pt 2 ft superhero movies <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://okd4920azv8447b782ksdni1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Sinemia-Pricing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="800" height="173" src="https://okd4920azv8447b782ksdni1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Sinemia-Pricing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avengers promo? They have promos all the time. <br />The listed regular price of $22.99 never happens.</i></td></tr>
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So, I got a Sinemia membership, which is one of those subscriptions where you can see x movies for x dollars per year. You go to Fandango and check your theater for seats, sign into the Sinemia app and manually enter the movie showtime, upon which a credit card number is generated, which you go back and enter on Fandango to get your tickets. At this point, you are charged about $3 and Sinemia pays for the rest. When you show your confirmation email to get in at the theater, you also sign into the movie through the Sinemia app. It's a bit convoluted, but even with the not-really-hidden surcharges, you're shelling out ~$6 for a primetime showing. Not a bad deal with some patience and reading.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBcMqGODbLE7tPiqd_077qyHeXPYwbycEUGqXFKF7JsY5ZcuJFRKCQZHVkAnjtkJowVb50p46nQFjGzAwiAFbpjSiloHh3R5460xCLthJzucPJlbIZYDyh7LXdbwSWy_r8WYdj8rGdxaN/s1600/intro-1544792455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="780" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBcMqGODbLE7tPiqd_077qyHeXPYwbycEUGqXFKF7JsY5ZcuJFRKCQZHVkAnjtkJowVb50p46nQFjGzAwiAFbpjSiloHh3R5460xCLthJzucPJlbIZYDyh7LXdbwSWy_r8WYdj8rGdxaN/s200/intro-1544792455.jpg" width="200" /></a>Anyway, my first experience got me into a showing of Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, which was a great way to round out Black 2018. Like (my previous review of) Dragon Quest XI, the movie was a living, breathing comic book. After coming off JRPG stories of insisting that darkness is bad and light is good without really explaining why, Spiderman deals with sympathetic villains and twisted 'good guys,' and my brain was almost stuck in the mire of Japanese character writing. This movie hits quick and good, and knows its place in its own world as well as the real world. It does a recap of Spiderman's existence, and kind of eye rolls its way through a 1-minute backstory. Isn't this like the 5th retelling of Spiderman in the last 15 years? 2 of the 5 lyrics in the 90s cartoon tell you all you need to know about Peter Parker: 'radioactive Spider-man.' Anyhow, I don't want to spoil the movie, but one thing I appreciated was that while 15 year old Miles Morales had awkward moments, that wasn't the entirety of his character. It's nice to acknowledge that teenagers are complex human beings, too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dolph Lundgren as an advisor? Sure.</i></td></tr>
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The next night, I saw Awkwardman, which had all the teenage awkwardness and bland morality to be expected of a movie with a high budget. King. Kill king. Get power. Power good. Jokes. The score reminded me of Man of Steel in the sense that the one-song soundtrack was great...but it felt like one continuous song. It manifests itself when whoever is Black Manta decides to be Black Manta, which I thought would be his theme. (Dude! Sick!) And then, you hear the three-note theme when he's preparing to do something sinister. (G'hee! Awesome!) And then he disappears for an hour of the long-ass film to some inter-kingdom squabble, and you hear the theme again. At that point, it's just a rogue theme that plays whenever the hell it feels like it. Rupert Gregson-Williams, who previously kicked our asses with the Wonder Woman soundtrack, just wasn't utilized here. I know that the effects will look great in 4k, but at my showing, the actors' heads floated on bodies that weren't theirs, and there were loads of awkward effects like putting the trident up to his face. What the fuck? <i>Point it at someone</i>, it's a weapon! Lastly, the giant sea creature that gave that awkward-ass roar when Arthur...ehh...wins at the end and makes a generic-ass speech. I laughed a lot during Aquaman, and definitely enjoyed the experience. I'll be watching it again, but it was awkward as I've ever seen!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlMebAJSEyvk3ZdzDopbxpE-ucne5CyDqwI92RKwhd1H5KZpN96RzfKxbOvdZCHhxmYQ16Q1gUTcL_gVndUfs6qWLgUS40tKIBKlElcrKige5nYPjGyTliM7bhNQVLWvlaeRyHcnD9XKO/s1600/Horizon+Zero+Dawn_+Complete+Edition_20181229192013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlMebAJSEyvk3ZdzDopbxpE-ucne5CyDqwI92RKwhd1H5KZpN96RzfKxbOvdZCHhxmYQ16Q1gUTcL_gVndUfs6qWLgUS40tKIBKlElcrKige5nYPjGyTliM7bhNQVLWvlaeRyHcnD9XKO/s320/Horizon+Zero+Dawn_+Complete+Edition_20181229192013.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Liam Neeson approves!</i></td></tr>
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In gaming news, I started <span style="color: #990000;">Horizon Zero Dawn</span>, and boy am I glad I waited. In spring in 2017, I had reached a divergence of this game, Far Cry Primal and Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I was pretty sure they'd be similar experiences, and ultimately chose to be disappointed by BotW and pleasantly surprised by FC Primal. Horizon Zero Dawn is pretty much Far Cry: Primal, though, and that's not a bad thing. The hunting and gathering are pretty minimalized and you spend more time fighting the dino-machines and conversing than preparing for your journey. Crafting is pretty quick and you can bypass it with money, but that requires more stopping to fight on the way to your mission destination. I paused through the main story and have been doing side quests and stuff and got back to the main story after a week or so of other stuff. Just when I was about to make fun of the story for having a really predictable twist, the scenes start to elaborate and this is where it's really shining. The world was destroyed by human greed and overambition, sure. The plan to save humanity is where the writing in HZD establishes itself and I'd encourage everyone to play it.<br />
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Other than that, I have been really thoughtless about frugal gaming. While HZD was only $10, I had an instant love affair with PS VR and splurged on a used bundle. Going forward, I'm going to challenge myself to go as long as I can without spending money on games this year. Foot, prepare to meet Mouth at a later date!mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-39046220523460154752019-01-01T17:59:00.000-08:002019-01-01T17:59:36.621-08:00Thanksgaming + Winter controller break<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyO5b9VXbAkUqLvt93Z2n2Pws9ZL75oYU64BeI7mnGQ7qPgvyyarKSPdKd8uHfVEBcm0nN8APIti4b4kpdIQ72R1wJ7SLh8CVdq6MyXgKU9Z7EtZMEd10fec6PbTu1mgmnMggjE4ZrRDx/s1600/FINAL+FANTASY+TYPE-0+HD_20181118211838.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyO5b9VXbAkUqLvt93Z2n2Pws9ZL75oYU64BeI7mnGQ7qPgvyyarKSPdKd8uHfVEBcm0nN8APIti4b4kpdIQ72R1wJ7SLh8CVdq6MyXgKU9Z7EtZMEd10fec6PbTu1mgmnMggjE4ZrRDx/s400/FINAL+FANTASY+TYPE-0+HD_20181118211838.png" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #990000;">Final Fantasy Type-0 HD</span> was on sale for $10, and I have almost no experience with fringe FF games. It's definitely a relic of its time, with cutscenes upon cutscenes of emotionless dolls that pepper little bits of action. The game was originally a PSP title and is structured for short play sessions. I might be used to new games that tell you everything about where to go and what to do, but I keep getting lost in the middle of missions because I have a short attention span, and this game is just not sucking me in. There's a main cast of 13 characters, all named after poker cards, and you can swap them in and out in groups of three. I might eventually develop a taste for this, but there are more pressing games to complete.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLH9Vg34KYU0xlDkJ2uRDTIKNz6S_lgZBxH76qeGlZK9FHu0j99Xgoq-OXM0gDny__ArtYYe7bSOlfxHdHnU0E3iGMyTJastvD2Z7XPgUwcKLIG6W9YOheeyvXyvBA_jjZIJDLy_6GsHc/s1600/KINGDOM+HEARTS+HD+1_5%252B2_5+ReMIX.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLH9Vg34KYU0xlDkJ2uRDTIKNz6S_lgZBxH76qeGlZK9FHu0j99Xgoq-OXM0gDny__ArtYYe7bSOlfxHdHnU0E3iGMyTJastvD2Z7XPgUwcKLIG6W9YOheeyvXyvBA_jjZIJDLy_6GsHc/s320/KINGDOM+HEARTS+HD+1_5%252B2_5+ReMIX.png" width="320" /></a>My wife has been plugging away at the <span style="color: #990000;">Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far</span>, which is a 9-game anthology. She's beaten two of nine so far: Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, which has shuffled cards into the action RPG mechanics. Weird. She's now onto KH 2. This one has lots of Disney IP including Tron, Pirates of the Caribbean, and 1950's Mickey Mouse Land (or whatever you call it) . The characters have more variety to the sounds they make during combat, so hearing Wifey play while I do other things is a lot less annoying.<br />
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I have slowed down a bit on my favorite smaller-developer game of the year: <span style="color: #990000;">Dead Cells</span>. I'm not sure yet if the hardest trophy is the no-hit boss trophies, or beating the game on the hardest difficulty. I'm trying to do as many as I can because the game is about to have an overhaul patch that will make profound changes to gameplay. UPDATE: you can quit out in the middle of boss fights and the game will save, so I cheesed 3 of the 4 no-hit boss kills. I can definitely say that the harder difficulties are the harder trophies.<br />
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Dead Cells also came to the Switch, along with no other original titles. I think I'm mostly underwhelmed by the Switch because I have the Wii U and PS4. I think someone who missed out on the last 5 years of games has every reason in the world to get one. Me? Call me when Metroid Prime 4 rears it's gorgeous blonde head. No, really. I emailed a distress beacon to Samus Aran. One of my coworkers brought her Switch and Smash Bros Ultimate to the holiday party, and it was off the chain, so there's that!<br />
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Moving on, I started <span style="color: #990000;">Gravity Rush 2</span>, which has quite an amazing color palette. I don't know what to call it, but it uses magenta as its reference point and it's gorgeous. The game's maps used to feature several connected cities that you could fly/fall through, and in this sequel, they've added another axis. The result is that cities are now in different levels of the atmosphere, and it makes exploration vertical and horizontal.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yall couldna added a brotha in this?</i></td></tr>
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December was pretty much the month of <span style="color: #990000;">Dragon Quest XI</span>, which is the epitome of a JRPG. Silent protagonist to save the world plot, eventually ending up at a boss in space that takes up more than the whole screen? Check. Overcoming battles via brute force grinding? Darkness as the protagonist without explaining what's so bad about darkness? No black characters? Triple check.<br />
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JRPG/anime tropes aside, the game delivered on everything I wanted with one exception: the music is sub par. Instead of recorded orchestra with a proper punch and full range, you're treated to some corny synthesized trumpets and boring percussion that all has a childish feel to it, and it's all super repetitive over this 100-hour journey. Most games have the decency to have a few regular battle themes, a sub-boss theme and a boss theme, at the very least. This game has that count, but it's also almost three times as long as your average, and the boss music is bad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Even nuns gotta get loose in Lonalulu</i></td></tr>
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There's some variety in the towns, which are each based on a real-world culture. The beachtown, Lonalulu, has a kahuna and NPCs greet you with <i>mahalo</i>. Hotto, at the foot of Mt Huji, has citizens that all speak in haiku. Citizens of Gondolia all speak broken English that is peppered with <i>ma bella</i>, <i>ciao</i> and <i>bene</i>. Also, characters drink and are drunk, including nuns, and there are some side stories of loss and grief that are well done.<br />
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Visually, DQ XI is playing in a living, breathing anime world designed and colored by Akira Toriyama. It is absolutely gorgeous, and both this and Dragon Ball Fighterz are two strong entries for best art direction of 2018, both from the same original artist. Toriyama likes to put characters' eyes close together, and I'm not sure what the intended effect is, but it's hard to take the game's more mature plots seriously. All the men look like their names are Cody, and I'm sorry but a cross-eyed dragon isn't scary. The women in this game, however, are all ridiculously hot. Like, problematically gorgeous. There's something in the water in the world of Erdrea. There's a subquest to 'get puff-puff' in every town from a beautiful woman, and one of your characters gets multiple suits of questionably-effective bikini-style armor. I think the cherry on top was that to get the game's true ending, you beat a dungeon and are granted a choice of boons, one of which is to marry your best friend. Like...a genie has to make that happen?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD_vWRKOOohHEZIBTnP-nlT0gJI_xR3oPpgv6tik2wLUNYw_m7bDpMPH3v7KDatIDHRZ3tH-QbFXQp_didCGITCm17rIpkA2O44v4arV5JYtNzuTGi5bOq7Hh0Lymq0pR6B8ilOIydr9F/s1600/DRAGON+QUEST+XI_+Echoes+of+an+Elusive+Age_20181209143126.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD_vWRKOOohHEZIBTnP-nlT0gJI_xR3oPpgv6tik2wLUNYw_m7bDpMPH3v7KDatIDHRZ3tH-QbFXQp_didCGITCm17rIpkA2O44v4arV5JYtNzuTGi5bOq7Hh0Lymq0pR6B8ilOIydr9F/s320/DRAGON+QUEST+XI_+Echoes+of+an+Elusive+Age_20181209143126.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Krystalinda, cast your spell on me!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To its credit, DQ XI doesn't waste your time with clumsy romance, and there are at least as many...dudesels...as there are damsels in distress. Also, the two top damage dealers in your party are women, so there's that.<br />
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-28074558545301149982018-11-17T18:14:00.001-08:002018-11-17T18:17:12.967-08:00Games Since October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBgICPFW1-4-tJ3y7CD6mjAKiNhQDPAXoqgFHJkXYCzx12arGr-uJlxJLCv3FcAIbiBrMGF19dzPcxqOEelDeG5W_Hgq96nBa7XIAC1YBQRaWV8nKZvurT9MA_QY9699fCpl5z7PlGjsW/s1600/Burly+Men+At+Sea_20181106194010.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBgICPFW1-4-tJ3y7CD6mjAKiNhQDPAXoqgFHJkXYCzx12arGr-uJlxJLCv3FcAIbiBrMGF19dzPcxqOEelDeG5W_Hgq96nBa7XIAC1YBQRaWV8nKZvurT9MA_QY9699fCpl5z7PlGjsW/s320/Burly+Men+At+Sea_20181106194010.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwTrUH-rqP7rME-BM-n2Qu8f6ddujY8gufUvLEK44erYY3ATDU0MkNW0M83FmI0EoisWpU5IUMiAfTa4fOXhgtag_w4GE6W_iscvbBQZ3iVFlCz4VT3w6nVZCCDXPE6ikIJ8OsESmLn4E/s1600/Burly+Men+At+Sea_20181110095607.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwTrUH-rqP7rME-BM-n2Qu8f6ddujY8gufUvLEK44erYY3ATDU0MkNW0M83FmI0EoisWpU5IUMiAfTa4fOXhgtag_w4GE6W_iscvbBQZ3iVFlCz4VT3w6nVZCCDXPE6ikIJ8OsESmLn4E/s320/Burly+Men+At+Sea_20181110095607.png" width="320" /></a></div>
One of the free November games is called <span style="color: #990000;">Burly Men At Sea</span>, which features a branching story with 4 major choices that can be be completed in about 20 minutes per cycle. There isn't really much to do besides read how the story changes. I'm guessing it's based on Nordic folktales, but the presentation is minimal, unique and overall pleasant. Even the audio effects are some dude making sounds into the mic. 3-hour Platinum GET!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPW7TWBLLCyPckvnDfRXu5VWBStAF9LYzyT7A-3WwI1Y_LFQ_0veNVepGKdw-MUgiD4T2eHN7HV_QWecm2Su8FA0kB2f8sskLa3_CJyOOcQsQKWPwBqeyJrPzxjYSL9sk0Vqh-Gd9pwsgH/s1600/LUMINES+REMASTERED_20181026201727.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPW7TWBLLCyPckvnDfRXu5VWBStAF9LYzyT7A-3WwI1Y_LFQ_0veNVepGKdw-MUgiD4T2eHN7HV_QWecm2Su8FA0kB2f8sskLa3_CJyOOcQsQKWPwBqeyJrPzxjYSL9sk0Vqh-Gd9pwsgH/s320/LUMINES+REMASTERED_20181026201727.png" width="320" /></a></div>
While we're outside my usual genres, I got my hands on an old favorite: <span style="color: #990000;">Lumines Remastered</span>. In this game you match tiles to the rhythm of a flow of levels. Each level has its own music and rhythm of the sweep that clears your blocks. It's visually and aurally amazing, and one of those games where the music will put you in a trance and muscle memory and quick reactions will keep your sessions longer than you might have planned.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4EFxaQZjGFfNK74wv8vGaGkJfPBMBa5K9lSHS9I3UiFEhmKpVZgVWw8wFvdp7mh2iMhGxWFfHIspiRUN6SWRpC8tpo-jX4IQTWEKjWnp1rPR35dQ030VJLBCwXBpHSbZGR5Ndm2-_hir/s1600/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181111085546.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4EFxaQZjGFfNK74wv8vGaGkJfPBMBa5K9lSHS9I3UiFEhmKpVZgVWw8wFvdp7mh2iMhGxWFfHIspiRUN6SWRpC8tpo-jX4IQTWEKjWnp1rPR35dQ030VJLBCwXBpHSbZGR5Ndm2-_hir/s640/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181111085546.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb2tHmKRu4EROyZDkK3de_okatsZoKJfTFsVeubSzXhVKhVrjKvLe7ZYIGc-0ogfRE_F2ALD3SRjQwkNLekwx3lCJopZbVztm4r9wHj7NoZDsDxNiCJMDiQcPUHveCFhjyVhBkKvimcBH/s1600/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181111164907.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb2tHmKRu4EROyZDkK3de_okatsZoKJfTFsVeubSzXhVKhVrjKvLe7ZYIGc-0ogfRE_F2ALD3SRjQwkNLekwx3lCJopZbVztm4r9wHj7NoZDsDxNiCJMDiQcPUHveCFhjyVhBkKvimcBH/s320/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181111164907.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Picture Mode was fun!</i></td></tr>
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Next up was a rental of my second favorite <span style="color: #990000;">Uncharted </span>after the second game: <span style="color: #990000;">The Lost Legacy</span>. This episode features Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, one treasure hunter and mercenary who kick ass and take names. The game has your signature Uncharted stuff: gorgeous scenery, lifelike characters, ridiculous climbing physics, and some anthropology and history along the way. You meet Chloe in the second Uncharted game, a <strike>good bad </strike>good thief who works her charms on Nathan Drake, and this game flushes her character out as a physically capable badass. You get to find out that she's mixed Indian and English, and that ends up playing into the storyline, as the antagonist makes a point about the prized artifact being for 'pure' bloods only. This of course blows up in his face cause racism sucks, but Chloe wasn't gonna let him get away with that shit anyway!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpctssus4yLlaysyJ3lsL88htF3yhubjBn5B7_sRGd12DEsRC9pXEbzXNlSf_Tpd9MtRG8f8nwCo1CAyuY3cOs886BCu0IkWym4xXYHTPGJOCWqJiX5RxTVdeEOomhSXDX7cd2XvlGViL/s1600/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181110110410.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpctssus4yLlaysyJ3lsL88htF3yhubjBn5B7_sRGd12DEsRC9pXEbzXNlSf_Tpd9MtRG8f8nwCo1CAyuY3cOs886BCu0IkWym4xXYHTPGJOCWqJiX5RxTVdeEOomhSXDX7cd2XvlGViL/s320/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181110110410.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Nadine is from Uncharted 4, where she beats the snot out of Nate in a few fistfights before Sully buddies everyone up. The path to platinum is a little more than half as long as a usual Uncharted game, but I thought that was a good thing. As the 5th game in the series, I was ready for something short but sweet, since they're not about to drastically change the gameplay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj991ocHAoVTEJY3SLf_YCKQIqpgvPW2XvUoHRH5RsoN2r8HEu8JG1mfbqSBScPxf3Lzd0iFGOPWFgOGzhaAqyUABiuhfls9KwK_SwLQDcePYBQ81Pezu1GwYTdDVM2MCquhtShRc_JdQXp/s1600/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181110102250.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj991ocHAoVTEJY3SLf_YCKQIqpgvPW2XvUoHRH5RsoN2r8HEu8JG1mfbqSBScPxf3Lzd0iFGOPWFgOGzhaAqyUABiuhfls9KwK_SwLQDcePYBQ81Pezu1GwYTdDVM2MCquhtShRc_JdQXp/s320/Uncharted_+The+Lost+Legacy%25E2%2584%25A2_20181110102250.png" width="320" /></a>Also, shoutout to Naughty Dog (developer) for the accessibility options in this game. I'm a fan of turning button presses to hold for the quick-time events.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAH0ukjMBpmubPhyhiqbJErIF5I9baEu63Vblg8Ib0yIP9d9q_6DBSZrvlOolVPXlkSfkHE3YTh_vv84r5umA6A6qfmHXPzsRDUQ-mG5rLR7QNjr9IXaeEDgVGhOMX3de1iWslFN5D3bP/s1600/Dead+Cells_20181104135308.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAH0ukjMBpmubPhyhiqbJErIF5I9baEu63Vblg8Ib0yIP9d9q_6DBSZrvlOolVPXlkSfkHE3YTh_vv84r5umA6A6qfmHXPzsRDUQ-mG5rLR7QNjr9IXaeEDgVGhOMX3de1iWslFN5D3bP/s320/Dead+Cells_20181104135308.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Last but not least is a game that was gnawing at me for the last few weeks since I'd returned the rental: <span style="color: #990000;">Dead Cells</span>. The longing got the best of me and I ended up buying it. It's one of those games with procedurally-generated levels and progress is made by unlocking access to certain items spawning and certain permanent abilities unlocking each run. One life can last a few minutes, or if you git gud, one life can take you through to the end boss in about an hour. But you will die. So. Much. The gameplay is fast-paced, and you can strategize your approach: throughout the levels you find scrolls that upgrade 1 of 3 stats that affect: melee damage, ranged damage, or defense. The level of each stat makes that weapon do more damage, and you get a % of health with each scroll found, but the enemies also get more difficult. There are a few no-damage trophies as well as beating this game on the hardest difficulty, which would make this game probably a 9 or 10/10 for difficulty, but it's so fun to try.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQG0KM6rpmYDjzVxoC05Jr_WNm4IrxsCd4s2YiYHQt-lNNMmvH33chpy8CgXmBqFGLgC8cx6vrLKoVoFQJvjWj8MyGES9MMOhofIjWSq-RoLTsLja2JijgQhgfLs5kO6o-hkMjpst7umP/s1600/Dead+Cells_20181104091904.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQG0KM6rpmYDjzVxoC05Jr_WNm4IrxsCd4s2YiYHQt-lNNMmvH33chpy8CgXmBqFGLgC8cx6vrLKoVoFQJvjWj8MyGES9MMOhofIjWSq-RoLTsLja2JijgQhgfLs5kO6o-hkMjpst7umP/s400/Dead+Cells_20181104091904.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Also, until <b>Thanksgiving is a quietly huge sale on most of Square Enix's titles from the last 5 years</b> on the Platstation Store. If you like RPGs, head over and get you some! The sale is for everyone, not just PS+ members.mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-10931868220647310352018-11-09T10:58:00.000-08:002018-11-09T10:58:04.115-08:00Spend less green, BE more green!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7CTZPpBalnxuUOVndYg5J2NQLyz8utNWF5l2br0ojC5oAXDHRqFCJWsCLQHrGbl_mMPZyhMqdlg9H8j2m65lk9nH0LKoYBDEuq0D2RAOYTysF6-mQ75pEl1kSsoehKUuptNinp6nwdMC/s1600/eco-friendly-uni-515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="515" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7CTZPpBalnxuUOVndYg5J2NQLyz8utNWF5l2br0ojC5oAXDHRqFCJWsCLQHrGbl_mMPZyhMqdlg9H8j2m65lk9nH0LKoYBDEuq0D2RAOYTysF6-mQ75pEl1kSsoehKUuptNinp6nwdMC/s400/eco-friendly-uni-515.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you're outside of Washington State, you might not know that we had a carbon fee initiative that failed to pass on Election Day 2018. Regardless of how you vote(d), I think being environmentally friendly is something most people can get behind. This is where some frugality practices can help you minimize your carbon footprint. I'm going to limit these suggestions to my own habits that I currently practice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqDHHZDk715zWqSdgzeoPl3LPZFWHj6xa8ajpWxamtAeauQ33daV_eOlW90_dvKlcrEoBJTTWw9lYXy_aXpmU8w12XfxDvQnYoI4H-ftX_GBLnkteFNNIL-3ETsmQSzFfkCkt9q3Q7MAc/s1600/6009138669_2f7cdf2724_o_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqDHHZDk715zWqSdgzeoPl3LPZFWHj6xa8ajpWxamtAeauQ33daV_eOlW90_dvKlcrEoBJTTWw9lYXy_aXpmU8w12XfxDvQnYoI4H-ftX_GBLnkteFNNIL-3ETsmQSzFfkCkt9q3Q7MAc/s320/6009138669_2f7cdf2724_o_d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(By Kevin Schoenmakers) This lady figured it out!</i></td></tr>
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Let's start with a seasonal favorite: hot beverages. They double as hand warmers! If you've been here before, you'll know what's coming. Make. That. Shit. Yourself! Hot beverages are super easy to make. They're <a href="https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2005/12/19/Food-temperature-affects-taste-reveal-scientists">tastier than cold beverages</a> by default because they're not dulling your tongue! Milk, some kind of sweetener (honey, sugar, maple syrup), and a flavoring (cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, vanilla). I get the hand warmer part, but folks are going to that place with the green mermaid/Statue-of-Liberty-ripoff and spending $4 a pop! You can raid your pantry for the makings of a hot beverage. For $.50 a cup, you can drink some of the finest coffee available to the middle class if you make it yourself. I alternate between LaVazza (more like $0.20 a cup) and Kirkland Signature (which is Starbucks, minus the label. $0.11 per cup).<br />
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A trip to the cafe or McDonalds means you've commissioned TWO people to do the work of one, albeit amazingly efficiently. However that wad of napkins and fistful of sauce packets you throw away every spring is just plain irresponsible. Sit-down restaurant? The host, the waiter, the cook and the busser. I completely understand the convenience of having an expert prepare your food, but another way to shrink your carbon footprint is to cook for yourself. Or invest in some great pre-assembled entrees. Either way, you're going to create less waste, spend less green and likely eat healthier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ2dI3NcQloUXeyMS75mZAvA5mQs54oJ2tCXwogJpcaRAUMPWCxvj5Eh0vy1oPY-f-hVNfo9eJFc4i4R3f8JFjGkFSUmoU_XIbBswovKn_5zLaZ2Tmd8X2fDUsJbvo6jgOIops_7-MPwh/s1600/easy-crock-pot-vegetable-soup-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ2dI3NcQloUXeyMS75mZAvA5mQs54oJ2tCXwogJpcaRAUMPWCxvj5Eh0vy1oPY-f-hVNfo9eJFc4i4R3f8JFjGkFSUmoU_XIbBswovKn_5zLaZ2Tmd8X2fDUsJbvo6jgOIops_7-MPwh/s200/easy-crock-pot-vegetable-soup-1.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No recipe needed. Seriously.</i></td></tr>
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In addition to cooking for yourself, eat <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/why-your-humble-bowl-of-oatmeal-could-help-feed-a-growing-planet/2017/05/18/47c460ee-3a72-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html?utm_term=.52bf5ecdbbe1">oats</a> and <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20032018/beef-climate-impact-cows-carbon-footprint-methane-greenhouse-gas-emissions-diet-data">vegetables</a>! Actually, for the last month, I've added 3 cans of different beans, some dry lentils and sausages into a crockpot. For about $4 of ingredients, I get lunch for 4 days. A friend of mine who has a high-paying job as a software engineer still lives frugally. Once a month he buys two big ass bags of rice and lentils that works out to something ridiculous like $0.10 per meal, except on those decadent days where he adds an egg, skyrocketing the cost to $0.40 per meal. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/heres-how-much-giving-up-beef-helps--or-doesnt-help--the-planet/2017/07/20/03bb5ba2-6d60-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html?utm_term=.a1e41a2a6869">Washington Post</a> gives a chart on just how much of a reduction of greenhouse gases you make if you choose veggies over beef! Of course, frugal people like ourselves opt for chicken, pork and tofu anyway.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03Tdu40ftj54133a_psWJrv01CcErPLqiOYJdNiAkv1iu6oPI5wvghTuwrqtLagnYss_damSW4ADJNExettjsqjiX-NLuw2Dagm8-QvvBuf1BXQ4Ope6M73xK8OPI2wmxMwJE5BRY8tFu/s1600/o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03Tdu40ftj54133a_psWJrv01CcErPLqiOYJdNiAkv1iu6oPI5wvghTuwrqtLagnYss_damSW4ADJNExettjsqjiX-NLuw2Dagm8-QvvBuf1BXQ4Ope6M73xK8OPI2wmxMwJE5BRY8tFu/s200/o.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It hurts to dryyyyy...</i></td></tr>
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I am one of those weirdos who uses his dishwasher as a drying rack and hand washes everything. Green. I also air-dry my laundry. In addition to living in Asia where that's till normal, a 25-year-old me once saw a friend's gorgeous blue dress that I thought was brand new. Turns out she'd had it for 10 years and just doesn't use a dryer. The only drawback of hang drying is crusty towels that don't get fluffed by the dryer. There are also weeks where it's just too damn cold and humid so I concede to the machine.<br />
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Public transportation. Use it. Be green. Airport run? Take the light rail. Read a borrowed book from the library or read this blog on your phone instead of being accident-fodder!<br />
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One of the stats is that skipping beef once a week is equivalent to switching 12 incandescent light bulbs to LED, which is the first thing I did when I moved in August. If you live in Washington State, LED bulbs are subsidized and you can get ~20 bright-as-day bulbs for $15 at your hardware stores (significantly cheaper than buying online, where the store likely can't pass along the discount.)<br />
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Recycling is pretty obvious, and buying secondhand accomplishes a few things: it generally avoids wasteful packaging, it proves the item itself is durable enough to survive the first owner, and you aren't economically supporting the manufacturer (if you have ethical issues with them.) Full disclosure: I struggle with this because as much as I love to save money, my favorite game developers miss out on my cash when I buy their games used.<br />
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Just because the law doesn't (yet) push you to be green doesn't mean you can't be green yourselves! All of these require more time than simply paying for the various services that most others use everyday. One thing that shocks me is how much time I spend washing dishes for just me and my wife. We clear the sink after every meal and still spend a good 20 minutes on weekend days cleaning dishes. Air drying laundry means your skivvies won't be ready for up to 2 days. Making your own coffee robs you of 2 precious minutes, but the way I see it, you can do these things yourself, or you could earn the income to pay someone else to do it: you're investing time and energy regardless.<br />
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-49882784516455448762018-10-19T11:38:00.000-07:002018-10-19T11:38:47.430-07:00October opus: Sonic Mania Plus...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sonic the Hedgehog is 28 years old this year but has lived more than half his life in shitty games. Our blue friend had a home in 5 great speedy platform games in the early 90s. Then, some bigger changes in technology and some <i>really</i> <b>terrible</b> direction lead SEGA to produce poop for the next 20-odd years. Nintendo has always taken new tech in stride and implemented it in the titles quite well. Think of each system's new Mario or Zelda game and how well it uses its console's gimmick: Mario's movement in Super Mario 64, Z-targeting in Ocarina of Time, Link's Master Sword moving 1:1 in Skyward Sword via the Wiimote Accelerometer, and more recently, using the Wii U's touchpad to sketch blocks in New Super Mario Bros - <i>nTh</i> iteration.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And still better with the 2d D-pad.</i></td></tr>
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Sonic...hasn't received the same treatment. The SEGA Saturn title used an isometric view and analog controller for Sonic 3d Blast to go with the new CD-quality audio. The music worked; the rest was awkward. Then while Mario was messing around on Sunshine Island (Gamecube), SEGA decided Sonic needed vocals and we were treated to unskippable, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HvicwC6Icc">poorly-acted</a>, awkwardly paced and stupidly long cutscenes in a game with only a good first level. This trend of underwhelming Sonic games with only good first levels repeated for years. But even with the music, there's been a prominence of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6yz2L4a2SM">guitar-heavy rock music with lyrics</a> in most of the titles since Sonic Adventure that were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC0hV3dea9g">hit</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eZp__5Za8M">miss</a>.<br />
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THEN, a few years ago, a fan updated/remade a few Genesis-era Sonic games. This all culminated into Sonic Mania, a return to roots with a blend of the only 5 Sonic games that matter: Sonic 1-3, & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. <span style="color: #990000;">Sonic Mania</span> blends these so thoroughly into a great shiny package and hits on almost everything great about the series. For example, two desert levels Oil Ocean (S2) and Sandopolis (S3) have been conceptually blended. In the original Sandopolis, you were inside of a pyramid that consistently got darker until you activated light switches throughout the level. In Sonic Mania, you're running through an oil extraction site that gets hazy until you activate fans to blog away the smog. The blends manifest themselves in the music, aesthetics and functions like the haze mechanic I mentioned. There are so many stages that <strike>Eggman</strike> Dr. Robotnik has gone the way of Bowser and recruited the Hard-boiled Heavies to harangue the heroes in different boss forms.<br />
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The devs balanced speed and running really really well. The levels are loaded with springs and sequences that don't screw up momentum with obstacles. There are even those parts in the game where you're running so fast that Sonic <i>almost </i>moves out of the frame, and they're used sparingly enough for you to really appreciate them. Past titles have suffered from poor camera controls, camera tracking, or the simple fact that touching the controls during the speed sequences could kill Sonic. A lot of the titles may have only had one of these sins, but Sonic Mania doesn't commit any.<br />
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Sonic Mania is the most fun I've had in a while. The game is gorgeously colorful, the remixed soundtrack is amazing, and I'm considering buying it for the appeal of a playable soundtrack. Have any of you played a game again for its soundtrack?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hang on, Geddy! Ohh wait-shoot em!</i></td></tr>
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I actually started the month with a title called <span style="color: #990000;">Owlboy</span>, which is heavily inspired by Kid Icarus from the original NES. The game has a neat aesthetic and in true sci-fi nature takes its world of sentient owls, stick bugs, penguins and spiders as established; there's no irony there. The story has to deal with capture and pirates and stuff...and I was just playing the game to experience vertical platforming. I really liked the music and artwork. Even towards the end of my 14-hour journey to the platinum, I forgot controls occasionally since they were just a bit awkward.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ohh my! Yes, yes. Quite riveting!</i></td></tr>
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After Owlboy, I was waiting for Sonic Mania to arrive in the mail and discovered just how awesome one of the previous free PS+ games was. The game is called <span style="color: #990000;">Foul Play</span>, and the title card is a theatre curtain. I figured it would be some murder mystery or otherwise dialogue-heavy slow-paced game. It turns out that this is a beat-em-up game where you play actors in a series of Vaudeville plays, beating the snot out of baddies for the audience's enjoyment. Get combos, dodge, pop the fist-fodder into the air, whack, sock, evade and chuck enemies into stage objects to applause and a great soundtrack. One fact is that October has seen three fast and fun titles with great music and unique aesthetics.mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-59291967389899472422018-10-12T12:04:00.001-07:002018-10-12T12:08:20.849-07:00Katamari Forever: a profile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am one of those people that uses the word <b>perfect</b> subjectively. I think something is perfect if it does what it's intended to do and nails all the details along the way. I abhor smoking but can tell you cigarettes are a perfect product. The addictive factor has been refined through decades of testing despite the obvious signs of damage to health. Cigarettes are <i>so good</i> that skipping 5-10 minutes of work every hour or two is socially acceptable, as long as you're harming your health. Try that shit with a 5-10 minute break to read a book or blend some smoothies in the break room and report back to me. Anyhoo, cigarettes are a perfect product to me, and the <span style="color: #990000;">Katamari Damacy</span> series is also perfect.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This guy is hilarious, annoying, the most important entity <br />in the Katamari universe...and that bulge is amazing!</i></td></tr>
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If you haven't heard of Katamari Damacy [~Clump Soul], the story goes that your father, The King of Cosmos, [got drunk one night and] accidentally destroyed the planets, and it's your job to roll up enough items to form new ones. This story is told through surreal 10-second animations which were just as random in original Japanese. Also, to reach back to the title, it doesn't make sense in Japanese either, and the creator said it randomly popped into his head. This is a relief to me, as there are some really stupid anime titles that had to have been conceived similarly. Bubblegum Crisis and Cowboy Bebop come to mind, but I digress. Anyway, the bizarre opening sets the tone for the whole experience.</div>
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The game has a bright, cartoony palette and features everyday objects that the Prince of the Cosmos collects into a ball as he rolls through living rooms, backyards, train stations, and eventually the Solar System. This can be explained with a picture. What can't be explained is how the game <i>sounds</i>.<br />
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Each game features a peppy, poppy and eclectic soundtrack that stands well on its own. The music is good and the composer knows it. The PS3 title that I'm currently playing, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIfkAJ-iqx8">Katamari Forever</a>, is a blend of the first and second title, with a story to link all the chaos. The entire soundtrack is a remix of these two games as well. From the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katamari_Damacy">Katamari Wiki</a>: "Miyake employed the help of over 20 other Japanese artists and remixers to help the soundtrack, which was designed to act as part of a "musical trilogy" with the soundtrack to Katamari Damacy and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntd4FPQJX1w&t=1s">We Love Katamari</a>. This was accomplished by choosing tracks from those games that were either fan or staff favorites and having them remixed by both Japanese and non-Japanese artists, though Miyake notes that the majority of the artists were Japanese as he did not know many non-Japanese musicians, the same problem that kept non-Japanese artists out of the first two soundtracks of the "trilogy".</div>
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I'd argue the most popular song of the series is not the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMH49ieL4es">main theme</a>, but <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_QydNXI_ok">Lonely Rolling Star</a>. The first gets its own version in each game, and the second gets a dubstep remix in the PSP title. One of my favorite tracks from the first game, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3FkappfRsQ">Cherry Blossom Color Season</a>, is a very poignant track about a summer memory with school kids doing vocals while a boy takes the lead. In Katamari Forever, it's done by a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKiR7ASuldE">peppy 80s soft rock female vocalist</a>. Both versions nail the sense of nostalgia, even without knowing what the lyrics mean. The remix that most blew me away in the same game was the second game's J-POPpiest song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cvZeVpFSv4">Everlasting Love</a> being both mashed up with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR8AsFBC0LI">You Are Smart</a> and translated to English (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmrkf842eQI">Everlasting Love + You</a>).</div>
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For sound effects, objects are picked up with a plop or plunk that gets deeper with larger things. You start out picking up thumbtacks and batteries and once you get to animals and people, they let out screams and other strange noises.<br />
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The aesthetic, sounds and music combine to create an amazing experience, and the controls fit perfectly. Your rolling is controlled by both thumbsticks and little vibrations tell you when you pick stuff up. Although titles in the series are on other platforms, the controls make the most sense on the Dualshock controllers, as the sticks are side by side. The latest titles are on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh1ROVJunWo">Android </a>and iOS which makes me wonder what they did to the controls. There's a remake of the first Katamari Damacy coming to the Switch at the end of the year, which fits the theme of the Switch being a GREATEST PORTS platform with almost no original titles. Either way, the Katamari Damacy series is highly recommended and you should give it a roll!</div>
mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-20483959340670514652018-09-27T16:23:00.000-07:002018-09-27T16:30:51.809-07:00Where the hell have I been?It turns out working full time, wrapping up a graduate degree, owning a house and doing marriage paperwork takes a lot of time.<br />
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School: I'm currently in a class about how to choose, create and make the most of materials for ESL learners. Basically, true/false and multiple-choice questions are dogshit for actually learning language, but garbage sells. It's a lot easier to sell shit that's easy to grade to the non-teachers who are in charge of curriculum and budgets, so inefficient and superficial language learning prevails!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqRAO4uKGo4_RBIriP57_LZADxe7klGFkY2-IuSo1AV8jEr8LEys98reYFRvcEec6N8IZ87P5KbYgfbDx0v91I6AcakhzN5KK3oDRdLjsgT1MgM9p9f9ZvZoGE27dzYP6PmbgPsegyFhm/s1600/FUCTLW2H8W1VC6D.LARGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqRAO4uKGo4_RBIriP57_LZADxe7klGFkY2-IuSo1AV8jEr8LEys98reYFRvcEec6N8IZ87P5KbYgfbDx0v91I6AcakhzN5KK3oDRdLjsgT1MgM9p9f9ZvZoGE27dzYP6PmbgPsegyFhm/s320/FUCTLW2H8W1VC6D.LARGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Even Abe is sad I can't buy stock...</i></td></tr>
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House: mid-August to now has been me coming home from work with some kind of project to address: replacing the kitchen faucet, garbage disposal, installing the bidet, making a noise-and-temperature window insert, and exploring my new neighborhood. Traffic is pretty loud and I still hate motorcyclists. What are they revving their engines for in a 30 mph zone, anyway? My new neighbors, on the other hand, understand the concept of not being noisy at night, parking where they should park, and training their animals not to be douchebags. This is a massive improvement to my quality of life for an amount I can afford with some concessions...LIKE INVESTING *dramatic crying*. No more monthly deposits into Vanguard for the time being. It sucks, but building equity is like investing...just gotta cut through that thick block of interest first.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLXVFdSNkYsTsw1a7Fw6ExpN1qcEc3p18Mg1C2yzOXtavZkKGhrd7E3bL5zcG7Jbv4aJ8mM-wWiA4niulpIlUm1IgNOLjyaD3TPlxPvB1kvX2XtuEmzp6VkQgMbg5o5QF64xDPc3YVfgK/s1600/God+of+War%25C2%25AE+III+Remastered_20180916085152.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLXVFdSNkYsTsw1a7Fw6ExpN1qcEc3p18Mg1C2yzOXtavZkKGhrd7E3bL5zcG7Jbv4aJ8mM-wWiA4niulpIlUm1IgNOLjyaD3TPlxPvB1kvX2XtuEmzp6VkQgMbg5o5QF64xDPc3YVfgK/s320/God+of+War%25C2%25AE+III+Remastered_20180916085152.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Spoiler: not the <b>last</b> time. This is at the beginning of the game</i></td></tr>
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With all that, it's not like I wasn't gaming at all. Sep<b>temper</b> PS+ owners got <span style="color: #cc0000;">God of War 3</span>, a game where you play as a complete asshole. Like, wow. Kratos spares nobody. In terms of trophy hunting, this game is pretty quick and easy. This game still keeps the fluid and responsive fight controls, though platforming requiring double jumping and gliding sucks. This game has your signature smooth combat with lots of blood, a protagonist who doesn't have a whole lot of motivation in this title, and the occasional boob!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV7bJvMR2BF7Pm_OX-1l_dQrbXME1N5qbOYR-fSFO5xq7yR5yeVZijdtUJcfPn0rNp6Lt-m4LbCEGLGkUZDz0DhxZ3aWPiXHduD4z5MAN6sqcK6gkjb9rKl3aCtBDwJQc5mfTsrcI5ZnR/s1600/Cosmic+Star+Heroine_20180903134543.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV7bJvMR2BF7Pm_OX-1l_dQrbXME1N5qbOYR-fSFO5xq7yR5yeVZijdtUJcfPn0rNp6Lt-m4LbCEGLGkUZDz0DhxZ3aWPiXHduD4z5MAN6sqcK6gkjb9rKl3aCtBDwJQc5mfTsrcI5ZnR/s320/Cosmic+Star+Heroine_20180903134543.png" width="320" /></a><br />
Before that, I had the express pleasure of <span style="color: #cc0000;">Cosmic Star Heroine</span>, a 16-bit-ish action RPG that is heavily inspired by Chrono Trigger. You can see and avoid battles, there are battle abilities that resemble single / dual techs, and the soundtrack is quite awesome. Also, the game is hilarious and has some personality. Even if the plot is so-so, the characters are pretty entertaining, and the NPCs even more so. I scooped it up on sale for <$10 and it was a sweet playthrough and worth it! Go, small developers!<br />
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Other than these two Platinums, I have been logging the other half of playtime plugging away at Overwatch, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and <span style="color: #cc0000;">Guitar Hero Live</span>. I just shacked up with Gamefly for their $10 promotion for a single disc rental for 2 months and my first crack will be <span style="color: #cc0000;">OwlBoy</span>.<br />
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-69649333915740751292018-09-17T14:01:00.001-07:002018-09-17T14:01:24.759-07:00Gaming in August 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rt-SfugsZT-cqSV4MI92pYnJd8cRA5nAnaU_AKUjhm7xjtK4omXLjQNLNAzuoXkvMT7iYZbrip_2gccJ0EVWV6j3lYtBhPLCnVn_IG-DNuBo4OHSd-Bv5UlwkQjpc9Ur-H9o_FEhPmYG/s1600/il_570xN.1562355671_arto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="570" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rt-SfugsZT-cqSV4MI92pYnJd8cRA5nAnaU_AKUjhm7xjtK4omXLjQNLNAzuoXkvMT7iYZbrip_2gccJ0EVWV6j3lYtBhPLCnVn_IG-DNuBo4OHSd-Bv5UlwkQjpc9Ur-H9o_FEhPmYG/s320/il_570xN.1562355671_arto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hey Folks, nothin much going on but the rent. PSYCH! I got married on the first of August and started a mortgage two weeks later. So, 'ain't nothin going on but the mortgage.' Now begins the paperwork to get a work permit for my beautiful wife. Once we let her loose on the American work force, she's going to be the breadwinner by far. I'd like to think that this means I'll have more time to play video games, but that'll likely mean more housework!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmB0m8uPTpF-YBdL75nBJdcd3d99ZhvUf10s_dPZjzzS9agS7lUTbh-3JT7z7eTrG9dOmRQhp0a51s53HWMf-1pL6Q06M5YzbZik-5xnM57-_CxLzZts0Qktn9iIdGLSbB3Unm5aJdbKr/s1600/SMWdie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmB0m8uPTpF-YBdL75nBJdcd3d99ZhvUf10s_dPZjzzS9agS7lUTbh-3JT7z7eTrG9dOmRQhp0a51s53HWMf-1pL6Q06M5YzbZik-5xnM57-_CxLzZts0Qktn9iIdGLSbB3Unm5aJdbKr/s320/SMWdie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The death music in this game still triggers me</i></td></tr>
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Speaking of video games and my wife, while between quarters and waiting the on paperwork, she found herself with an abundance of free time. Earlier this year, I'd gotten an SNES Mini and the game she chose to start with was Super Mario World. Now, I've had 30 years of experience with the franchise, which has barely changed its controls. Folks, I watched her walk right into enemies or right off of pits over and over and realized that I am a really terrible backseat gamer. At least there are short cords on the controllers, meaning her ability to rightfully huck the controller at me is limited. Turns out SMW is a pretty hard choice to be your break-in to game. Progress is slow, but man is she persistent!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBavLIJAGZZcFWuy9eXqim0E0IKBP7SukO3DbX8mUSk3PLbOm1Amk4W412blpatdVil1Tckni6PdFQFoRwac1722J2NqQxKU2A426OguQkZfHc2vsbp-P76f3Ws9oHn7cBOeSVvjArcUr/s1600/10-image013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBavLIJAGZZcFWuy9eXqim0E0IKBP7SukO3DbX8mUSk3PLbOm1Amk4W412blpatdVil1Tckni6PdFQFoRwac1722J2NqQxKU2A426OguQkZfHc2vsbp-P76f3Ws9oHn7cBOeSVvjArcUr/s200/10-image013.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This fight took a couple attempts</i></td></tr>
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In June, she started Chrono Trigger after seeing how excited I was to add the ROM to the system. She absolutely loved CT and saw at least 3 endings. Next was Final Fantasy IV. It was pretty awesome to hear the soundtrack as I did whatever I do around the house that isn't playing video games while she hauled arse. In August, she completed A Link to the Past. Her biggest challenge was a room in the final dungeon with a collapsing floor and 4 torches to light. It came down to the coordination of an action button + a direction. I don't know if she should burn through all the classics or start getting into some of the less-polished games. She's not a fan of current-gen controllers with 20+ buttons, so we'll likely stick to the SNES mini.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLO0UWvs9bFvTN6S14S_OeqtheTe9DcBHP9eVhwsc9Y7bm5acTF2eSjqdQ5cBUJAh0h6HIlAa1j3ozzm69IuzBbJH16QvugMaod1BsOa3sCm8UnhAKSVOkoImJ8s5XfrVws84V8WLzbuG/s1600/Ff6roulette.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="479" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLO0UWvs9bFvTN6S14S_OeqtheTe9DcBHP9eVhwsc9Y7bm5acTF2eSjqdQ5cBUJAh0h6HIlAa1j3ozzm69IuzBbJH16QvugMaod1BsOa3sCm8UnhAKSVOkoImJ8s5XfrVws84V8WLzbuG/s320/Ff6roulette.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pissed off bantha</i></td></tr>
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It has been great seeing her enjoy something she used to just think was for 'boys.' Since she mostly plays when I'm asleep or at work, I get to hear her new experiences of games I've known well. I don't think she'll be playing Overwatch and cursing Hanzo alongside me any time soon, but in 2018, she's played 4 of the best games ever made and doesn't show any signs of slowing down--now she's playing Final Fantasy VI.mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-23415879551535644772018-07-23T17:52:00.000-07:002018-07-23T17:54:58.335-07:00Fireworks on muh screen!How was your 4th, folks? I got to hang out with friends and watch The Rock's San Andreas and the new Tomb Raider. The former was a neutered "action" film that unraveled the moment you thought about how callous it is to make a movie with hundreds of thousands of people dying on and off screen while following a divorced couple's rekindled relationship. Ohh, and screw you, new husband, for making this divorcee happy! Tomb Raider was kinda boring but had some cool sound effects, and properly beat the shit out of Lara Croft, per mandate of the new game series.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bJwz_0-gVKzMghfw9BcSteibkBRREGpMC-uptQ-zutG9Lbs0UECEyqmRelptHesj8fUpYChw1iOWMq36obCQP6L_oV4bNiem6t8OesgD0EWeoGfOlRFLXWUn27xWEj6RR-0H7YdfbBcF/s1600/Gravity+Rush%25E2%2584%25A2+Remastered_20180708132808.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bJwz_0-gVKzMghfw9BcSteibkBRREGpMC-uptQ-zutG9Lbs0UECEyqmRelptHesj8fUpYChw1iOWMq36obCQP6L_oV4bNiem6t8OesgD0EWeoGfOlRFLXWUn27xWEj6RR-0H7YdfbBcF/s320/Gravity+Rush%25E2%2584%25A2+Remastered_20180708132808.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hell yeah she is!</i></td></tr>
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In a much more efficient use of media funding, <span style="color: #990000;">Gravity Rush</span> has stolen my heart. I've wanted to play this PS4 remaster since even before January 2018, my <a href="http://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2018/01/ladies-month-update.html">Ladies' Month</a>, and spent 30 disorienting minutes figuring out the (thankfully) simplified controls. The game involves a spunky heroine named Kat whose cat can decide which surfaces are up and down. You do this by floating, aiming at the surface you wish to stand on, and flying into it. This is all done with one button, and the camera will help you out most of the time. I'm having a blast playing this game, and I hope the story is brisk enough that the gameplay doesn't wear out its welcome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1BNHe6D-tYmG28-LKPp_3pREmukIlgaNxi0QzK80IF4Xg1A6TcNt3SGCAvKAcYXbo2sgCPT1Uy6j-g7Q_VcT7_byW2Qpv3ad6MOSKqg-lDENO1KhLcLSFGwQkah7aUyeSQoqoakk8-UZ/s1600/Gravity+Rush%25E2%2584%25A2+Remastered_20180709214122.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1BNHe6D-tYmG28-LKPp_3pREmukIlgaNxi0QzK80IF4Xg1A6TcNt3SGCAvKAcYXbo2sgCPT1Uy6j-g7Q_VcT7_byW2Qpv3ad6MOSKqg-lDENO1KhLcLSFGwQkah7aUyeSQoqoakk8-UZ/s320/Gravity+Rush%25E2%2584%25A2+Remastered_20180709214122.png" width="320" /></a>Update: Since starting this post a week ago, I've gotten the platinum. I probably put 16 hours into the base game and all expansions, and was excited to play the whole time. The most challenging mission in the game has a perfect run of 3min30sec and took me about 20 minutes overall to ace through research and repeated attempts.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Overwatch</span>. I've been playing the new Symmetra and a great deal of FFA deathmatch. After 2.5 years of <i><b>naively trusting strangers to group up in balanced teams</b></i>, there is now a create-a-group feature where you can assign roles. While it takes an extra minute to fill up, you can finally avoid the K:D ratio bros that will fill your last team slot with Genji (instead of a needed healer or tank). The problem is that the system isn't <i>quite </i>intuitive, and there is no usual info box with an explanation. How...cantankerous!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMu6eJV5jHQIlmZDWDQxfvqhET6dKslebtX2DpQKeHRWfvq1GF-4tPEU0G-fwROaOXKlHdw1aa_E9k3e2mlE8aGdkLTYW7EN_ZwpnFUPk7KUG5ePUO7bYl1PldXt0z5V4KZhmx8qHdgHEP/s1600/Rayman+Legends_20180630211911.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMu6eJV5jHQIlmZDWDQxfvqhET6dKslebtX2DpQKeHRWfvq1GF-4tPEU0G-fwROaOXKlHdw1aa_E9k3e2mlE8aGdkLTYW7EN_ZwpnFUPk7KUG5ePUO7bYl1PldXt0z5V4KZhmx8qHdgHEP/s320/Rayman+Legends_20180630211911.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>More like "<b>Turn</b>-<b>i</b>t-u<b>p</b>!" Ah...that was lame.</i></td></tr>
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I started <span style="color: #990000;">Rayman Legends</span>, which is a really huge game. This Ubisoft platformer series has a great aesthetic that reminds me of Nickelodeon cartoons and certainly doesn't take itself seriously. It's one of those games with slightly floaty controls, but the levels mercifully aren't designed for precision. Rayman was a franchise I overlooked pretty much since the first game in 1995. Legends is pretty fun and not frustratingly challenging so far. I dig it!<br />
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-28396826801184534472018-06-29T10:09:00.001-07:002018-07-12T12:18:16.012-07:00Shape-up your security, folks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2BD_4KdJy2qhtTSNQBmyopcetXQx8JoRkPVYPSB0i6jj_23BT04g7M2kKLTVn9ROHH_hQzsYZd7-tIT-XGUfKCWGxh4fbQJj_A1ISj6btKHTsq1v_noGUm-IemGssOus2bxd4_s_SFt1/s1600/1508CoverImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="500" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2BD_4KdJy2qhtTSNQBmyopcetXQx8JoRkPVYPSB0i6jj_23BT04g7M2kKLTVn9ROHH_hQzsYZd7-tIT-XGUfKCWGxh4fbQJj_A1ISj6btKHTsq1v_noGUm-IemGssOus2bxd4_s_SFt1/s200/1508CoverImage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Part of frugality and financial fitness is more than smart spending, folks. I shrug off horror stories all the time about suckers who got got by blatantly poor decisions or planning. I feel like I am above it all. This viewpoint, however, is ignorant as hell, and someone out there will be laughing hard when I land in hubris hot water. However, <i>some </i>of my confidence is well-founded because I take steps to <u>protect myself the best I can</u>. Here is what works for me:<br />
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Freeze your credit! Employment, house loans and (don't do it unless necessary!) car loans require a good credit history. Freezing your credit means telling Equifax, TransUnion and Experian not to open a new credit card or loan account without your consent to lift the freeze. This was another one of those things that I laughed off, thinking it would never happen to me. It still hasn't, but this extra layer of protection can be done in just a few minutes. Wells Fargo got busted for <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/24/news/companies/wells-fargo-timeline-shareholders/index.html">creating fake accounts</a> (and subsequently spent millions of dollars asking for our forgiveness via commercials--the audacity of those crooks!) In February, Seattle ICE was caught in <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/seattle-ice-lawyer-facing-prison-time-for-stealing-identities-of-would-be-immigrants/">identity fraud</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRqjp170gTnvMgjBa78rfpp6JXBIEmGII410UqkGiX04ibp20n_U2IZLyHh7l5OCb9uBpEmroH8pJ26P877Q1vcHF7lx8EzG4SDqkCO9CbyydOnHBxQyI54g9goGrBmudC68-ElZa8Na0/s1600/senior-living-blog-seniors-freezing-credit-reports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="599" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRqjp170gTnvMgjBa78rfpp6JXBIEmGII410UqkGiX04ibp20n_U2IZLyHh7l5OCb9uBpEmroH8pJ26P877Q1vcHF7lx8EzG4SDqkCO9CbyydOnHBxQyI54g9goGrBmudC68-ElZa8Na0/s320/senior-living-blog-seniors-freezing-credit-reports.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't have luck with TransUnion's website, so I called 888.909.8872 and it was an automated call. Same with Equifax; <span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;">800.685.1111, option 3 or say "freeze." It's free in Washington currently and at least 7 other states. Experian was the only website that actually worked for me, though their number is </span><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;">888.397.3742.</span></span><br />
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If you have a fraudulent transaction, don't forget to <b>tell your credit card company and let them do the leg work of investigation</b>. I experienced some drama with Frontier Communications (may the company lose all business and collapse into nothingness!) over a bill that was $150 more than expected. I ended up waiting 5 months for it to be corrected (it wasn't) and ended up calling again when I was reported to collections. I should have paid the whole thing with my credit card and sicced my credit card company on them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPej-sPnr9YkmcDTAF4745wJ_Tu8cge71s0p9FSX1OOrB1fkaPldTlLAHLZ0Mt-2SwXBFuZCCEQ2mQsl-DCNhnh41qW_WFGpxzt_qVSpqWGbC7f9giN9eq2-xFNXhpZu97Cdt_vBzW2Xdr/s1600/the_rent_is_too_damn_high_by_dougdougmann-d31b7ws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="729" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPej-sPnr9YkmcDTAF4745wJ_Tu8cge71s0p9FSX1OOrB1fkaPldTlLAHLZ0Mt-2SwXBFuZCCEQ2mQsl-DCNhnh41qW_WFGpxzt_qVSpqWGbC7f9giN9eq2-xFNXhpZu97Cdt_vBzW2Xdr/s320/the_rent_is_too_damn_high_by_dougdougmann-d31b7ws.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/dougdougmann/gallery/">dougdougmann@deviantart</a></td></tr>
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This credit report security is especially important because I've been shopping for condos this summer. At first glance, you'd be right to question my frugality in addition to my longing to live overseas again. However, once I can sweet talk a bank into a loan, <b>the monthly payment towards a condo</b> loan (unit+HOA dues) is $100 or more <b>less than rent</b> in the area! You have to go in with a good down payment and good credit, but we're all masters of wise financial decisions, so this is no problem! This doesn't apply everywhere, and I'm leaving out the massive detail that I'm currently in an apartment with sliding scale rent. However, the going rent in Lynnwood is currently $600 for a room in someone's house, $1000 for a 1 bedroom, and $1200+ for a 2 bedroom. One of the banks I asked offered me just over $1100 monthly on a 2br condo. Consider it, folks! To keep with security, a condo means that you can't be suddenly evicted!<br />
<br />
Also, as a person who doesn't use cash, it's amazing how more than 99% of my income is digital. That said, to limit liability, I suggest paying your cards and accounts <b>from your bank account</b>. The alternative is to login to Chase, Capital One and Citibank and link your bank account to each individually, creating 4 vulnerabilities instead of one. However, this is a lot of important information to have all in one place, so make sure your password isn't worthless. <b>Make </b>those hackers <b>work </b>to rip you off!<br />
<br />
You'll want to put some thought into your password, but not too much that you can't remember. I like to use <b>catchphrases with numbers instead of letters</b>. "Hasta la vista, Baby!" from Terminator 2 is long, but memorable as #4st4l4v1st4b4by. I guarantee you know 10 lines or their approximates that would work very well as passwords.<br />
<br />
Two Reddit accounts. One for NSFW, one for general browsing that leaves comments.<br />
<br />
That's all I have for now, folks. These are all steps that take a minimum of time and energy.<br />
<br />
<u>Update</u>: It's only poetic justice that I get <u>fraudulent charges on my account</u> a week after posting this! It seems some rapscallion used my card via Uber Eats, which you know I'm too frugal to pay for a) a phone that would be able to run the app and b) someone to deliver food I could make or go get myself! It's all good, though. I called credit card customer service, who connected me to their fraud department, and the entire phone call took 3 minutes and I'm not liable for anything. This is a great example of why I <b>use credit card over debit cards</b>, as the week it takes to replace your credit card is a lot less traumatic than having your bank account locked.<br />
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-5618386309521601652018-06-21T17:51:00.001-07:002018-06-25T12:54:27.884-07:00Gaming and GraduationHoly moly, folks! 2018 is hummin along, with my most recent viewing of a seizure-beckoning Incredibles 2, and a significant reduction in gaming time. I just finished up a graduate-level grammar class and Washington heated up a bit, educating me on just how much warmer a TV makes the room. Back to Incredibles 2, the movie was quite awesome save for the one poor choice of a scene involving a really intense strobe light. I don't have photo-sensitivity, but I closed my eyes for sure. Don't let that keep you from seeing it, though I can't really say that it's a big screen movie, since the action is really well directed and you pretty much always know what's going on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv1zxWu5rZ23gg7D_YsLnLLiIrSQnX6buN4ultKSkErTWPR7AkSrsfnOI_R_hLopE70F9qXrljC1GINZ9A175c9o_Zb7K7fz_Uv4IpuRduoNN_Jt3nnD8DD3u1xtBU0Vnfmb_yVYumRtf/s1600/Children+of+Zodiarcs_20180612000701.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv1zxWu5rZ23gg7D_YsLnLLiIrSQnX6buN4ultKSkErTWPR7AkSrsfnOI_R_hLopE70F9qXrljC1GINZ9A175c9o_Zb7K7fz_Uv4IpuRduoNN_Jt3nnD8DD3u1xtBU0Vnfmb_yVYumRtf/s320/Children+of+Zodiarcs_20180612000701.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It def gets dicey in this game</i></td></tr>
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Games! I finally platinumed <span style="color: #990000;">Children of the Zodiarcs</span>, which is an entertaining and beautifully drawn tactics RPG. You're a bunch of orphans making your way through seedy neighborhoods, killing those who need to be killed. My only complaint is that the soundtrack is very minimal, so about half of my gameplay was without sound. If you want a play style that feels like a board game but has the convenience of digital interaction, this game is for you. Also, plus points for having a black female lead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgSuu_7Z3V-hB58gOX2mSpkiYXmkqIfFv6va0_FkjalJ_051Er2p9nXbHQvuSYgyCGCFrxDGZ9fvghAKtgD9oDrOgBSnVSGKfwuKIMajx63kvZTWXDjZjvnchOCQQqf2DzX1iPgl2g4x0/s1600/God+of+War_20180606225903.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgSuu_7Z3V-hB58gOX2mSpkiYXmkqIfFv6va0_FkjalJ_051Er2p9nXbHQvuSYgyCGCFrxDGZ9fvghAKtgD9oDrOgBSnVSGKfwuKIMajx63kvZTWXDjZjvnchOCQQqf2DzX1iPgl2g4x0/s320/God+of+War_20180606225903.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Art direction +1 Lookit dem colors!</i></td></tr>
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Also finished up everything in <span style="color: #990000;">God of War</span>. My biggest shame for being frugal is that really good games like God of War that have a shorter path to platinum usually end up getting borrowed, and the dev never sees my money. At the same time, I gotta look after Number One, and I can't be spending emotions on businesses either.<br />
<br />
I spent a good deal of time playing <span style="color: #990000;">Overwatch </span>during the anniversary event, where they unlocked all the skins and even game modes for almost all of June. The game that keeps on giving.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.gamer-network.net/2018/usgamer/Ghost-of-Tsushima-E3-2018-Shot-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://cdn.gamer-network.net/2018/usgamer/Ghost-of-Tsushima-E3-2018-Shot-02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Omae ga mattaku shinisoudaze!</i></td></tr>
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In game-related news, E3's finally shown me more than a buncha zombie survival games, and <i><span style="color: #990000;">Ghost of Tsushima</span></i> is one title I'm very excited for. Sony musta bribed the devil with all the great exclusives coming to the PS4. <span style="color: #990000;"><i>Assassin's Creed Odyssey</i></span> looks great, though I haven't played any titles since AC II. <i><span style="color: #990000;">Cyberpunk 2077</span></i> might be the most compelling of the batch, and I'll know not to rush into it. I screwed up my Witcher experience (same developer) by starting my first play on HARD. I gave up on that playthrough, but might give the game another go before Cyberpunk comes out.<br />
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What got you most pumped at E3?mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-42544740205104764242018-06-20T11:05:00.001-07:002018-06-20T11:05:50.163-07:00Grow up...sheesh<div dir="ltr">
Salad bowl brain blast incoming! I am a pretty negative person, and that may not always come through in my posts, here. That's the benefit of writing over saying something: you have time to control your ideas. Any jackass who tweets jackass things probably doesn't realize that tweeting is writing, and those people have the <b>boon of time</b> to...maybe not say racist things and lose a bunch of work for a bunch of people *cough Roseanne cough*. So, without further ado, it is TIME TO RANT.<br />
<br />
<u>Gaming trends</u></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Fallout 4. Ark. Daylight. Fortnite. PUBG. Terraria. Breath of the Wild. State of Decay 2.<br />
What do all of these have in common? Crafting and survival. Trends have the potential for creators to take familiar routes and hopefully break left when everyone else broke right and make something new. Developers usually rest that divergence on narrative, characters and/or aesthetics. However, if you're like me and really don't value the resources-and-survival genre, it's easy to feel like there's no new content. I personally feel like the developer stopped making the game and left me purchasing their full-priced dev kit. Minecraft looks like LEGO and gets credit for being a big deal early on (though I'm not sure if it was the first.) But the fact that so much of modern releases are now these glorified physics engines is getting obnoxious. Oddly enough, I highly favor RTS games, which have a lot in common with this list of games I started with. Maybe the player perspective is what I don't like about these?<br />
<br />
Solution: give me a narrative!<br />
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<u>Playstation Network</u><br />
<br />
Speaking of gaming trends: smaller developers have been my lifeblood, especially in the last year. It's incredibly frustrating how rudimentary marketing tactics prevent games that aren't trendy from seeing more money. <b>I'm going to pick on SONY for having a poorly-executed Playstation marketplace for more than a decade</b>. A better system helps everyone! If you're a AAA title, you get your own page: the 5000 people who weren't already going to buy Destiny 2 were treated to a menu option in the store with a huge banner and a neat little video. However, <u>maybe you want to play a game that isn't a shooter</u> or maybe you've grown sick of Bethesda games and <u>want to try one of the thousands of games</u> that don't fit these two overdone categories of games.<br />
<br />
I usually go to the sale pages, and filter GAMES out of the ADD-ON, BUNDLE, (dashboard) THEMES or DEMOS. There's a GENRE filter as well, but not on the main storefront page. You have to know what you're looking for: the browsing is so limited, and there's no way to know just how many games are available on the PSN. Also, searching is atrocious. You search, one letter at a time, from a shrinking choice of options. You can't just search by keyword. The ratings should be more robust than a star system. Perhaps with more detailed feedback options, gamers might be willing to spend more money. They could stick with the 5-star system and break it down into categories: Gameplay, Difficulty, Controls, Visuals/Audio and Pace. <b>I'm sure someone who works for the company and gets paid for ideas could come up with something better than me</b>, but the store they've had since even the PS3 days has been garbage. A better system helps everyone. Also, on a technical note, the store <i>crashes all the time</i> from not being able to keep up with loading preview media of games. Also, the video still plays despite skipping over it and trying to go to pictures. This has gone on since the PS4's launch. The volume of movie clips is so much louder than whatever you're playing that it's quite jarring, and I just don't watch their stupid previews unless the remote is within reach. A better system helps everyone: fix your shit, SONY.<br />
<br />
<u>Movies</u><br />
<br />
When Avengers: Infinity Wars came out, I was still winding down from Black Panther being the big deal it was, with it's showcasing Black Excellence, compelling villain and strong women. Then, Avengers kicked my ass all over the place with Thanos being THE ultimate badass. And now, some idiot or <b>collection of idiots decided to release a Star Wars movie barely after Avengers</b>, and half a year after The Last Jedi. I really liked Solo. It had my favorite musical score of the movies, other than a few choice tracks from the saga, of course. The movie was really enjoyable and the dude who played Han was as much of a rascal as he should have been. I did my best to ignore the secondhand warnings I got from people who read and value professional critics' declarations of disapproval and saw the movie in a reserved-seating theater with reclining chairs. That is my first gripe with this movie: the critics got to see the movie first and ruined it with their crappy opinions. I realize the irony of this, considering that I primarily review games on this blog. But seriously, between unimpressed critics who only revere old movies and "fans" who were still burned from The Last Jedi not perpetuating some outdated elitist belief that every advantage is hereditary, this movie didn't get a fair chance to shoot first...Also, the idiot studio not waiting until December to release it lost that movie millions of dollars of revenue. These things are external as hell, but they still did affect the experience of seeing Solo. My only gripe with the movie is the trope of absolutely needing to unmask characters that wear masks. Screw that, keep the mask: retain the mystery.<br />
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<u>Math</u><br />
<br />
Yeah! I'm on a roll, here. So far I've talked about entertainment stuff, which is easy to argue that I should let it go because we're lucky enough to have access to it in the first place. Grab your Maslov Pyramid for a moment, cause I'm gonna rant on something that has REAL WORLD FUNCTION!<br />
At some point in my early education, I was two years ahead in math. This means that I took algebra and geometry in middle school, and I can see the value of basic formulas and measuring space as life skills. However, high school further explored Algebra and then I studied Calculus, which was completely useless to me, who became an ESL teacher. Calculus is useful in the world, and probably to scientists who don't have calculators or internet connections.<br />
<br />
<b>Solution:</b><br />
However, finances, debt management and credit should be priorities in (middle and) high school. Every. Single. Person. Uses. Money. My point here is that the Math Directive needs to teach students about money and credit before rates and advanced formulas.<br />
<br />
<u>Republican Party economics</u><br />
<br />
There isn't one person who is both competent and not evil in that group. How can you possibly believe that Republicans "create jobs" when they slash funding for social programs that...help people work? Planned Parenthood helps people decide whether or not to have kids and...work! Slashing that funding means a bunch of social workers lose their jobs, as well as the parents who were on the fence about working now have to either balance baby life and work life. Whether working more or less, the result is a family that suffers quality of time and life. Same thing for healthcare, except now you've got sick and dead people's debts. Who do they expect to pay for this?<br />
<br />
Then there's this nonsense about economic trickle down. Squash. That. Noise. I live outside of Seattle but work downtown. I don't work at Amazon; their AI decided my resume didn't have enough keywords and boom, no job. That's fine, but the only evidence of trickle down with Amazon that I see is that it's now okay for salads to cost $14, and a 400 sq ft studio is $1600 per month. The surrounding neighborhoods are super gentrified and homelessness has skyrocketed. Go trickle-down!<br />
<br />
If you're not from here, the recent politics are that the City of Seattle wanted to charge a special tax to large corporations and use it to address homelessness. Obviously they pushed back and said the City should get better at financial planning (true) and the spineless council caved. I personally think that if Amazon left, smaller businesses would have more of a fighting chance, rent would go down, and so would the ridiculous cost of eating. Also, smaller businesses will likely pay taxes instead of keeping their money in Ireland. Amazon is both online and global, so it's not like I can't use their business if they move away from here. I really don't feel like there's any trickle down besides those gorgeous globes they built in the middle of the city.<br />
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<b>Solution: </b>Never, ever believe in trickle down. It forces you to pay taxes that corporations should be paying.<br />
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-46424361140287068262018-05-23T11:09:00.000-07:002018-05-23T11:09:01.340-07:00May Gaming: Dad of War<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZPEFvwkueRXcaneiBcrVQrPPAax1k1BfGFcsL-E05t2ZEGBSLOUCMEql4wCZIpjZ_4RnfLmeEA4CbtTMstskaPDSefXCJwmtN8UjLQDqsNuGpb0v_BhWaEmhqbIXOLQAZSo6yJ8-oZ5X/s1600/God+of+War_20180520221233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZPEFvwkueRXcaneiBcrVQrPPAax1k1BfGFcsL-E05t2ZEGBSLOUCMEql4wCZIpjZ_4RnfLmeEA4CbtTMstskaPDSefXCJwmtN8UjLQDqsNuGpb0v_BhWaEmhqbIXOLQAZSo6yJ8-oZ5X/s400/God+of+War_20180520221233.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This game is awesome, <b>Boy</b>.</i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8UrX6n6VvIzVbFmI5TP5rp4BLZYqbOJU_y-JyYhOoaZzMQR3cqODrconNjHQNOtAhuwQLR8jkRK95pMzeG6Y73nRwIo3YpZb5NABwLUwVF8P4I2feFbBbuQGprdysQAp4DOfam1H8B3c/s1600/Children+of+Zodiarcs_20180513172733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8UrX6n6VvIzVbFmI5TP5rp4BLZYqbOJU_y-JyYhOoaZzMQR3cqODrconNjHQNOtAhuwQLR8jkRK95pMzeG6Y73nRwIo3YpZb5NABwLUwVF8P4I2feFbBbuQGprdysQAp4DOfam1H8B3c/s320/Children+of+Zodiarcs_20180513172733.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Whaddup, Nahmi.</i></td></tr>
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Deadpool is going to have to wait, folks. The lead up to this weekend involved an indie (Cardboard Utopia, Canadian) title called <span style="color: #990000;">Children of the Zodiarcs</span>, which is a tactics RPG with dice-rolling to remind you that RNG reigns supreme in these kinds of games. Between battles, there is deck building and dice crafting, and <i>Children</i> brings all the best parts of a combat-based tabletop game without the feeling of being locked into a 6-hour game that just. Won't. End...*cough*. The battles last from 5-20 minutes and that's all you need to commit. Mechanics aside, the playable characters are brown in majority, and the dialogue is funny and mercifully skippable if you have to replay a level because your character died :). The music is not a strength, and you might need to grind to your own soundtrack, but the game was also $10, so I can't complain. The aesthetic is neat, the drawn portraits are beautiful, and the change of pace to tactical RPG combat is a relief to balance the shooters I'm playing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmrWc0XVn_Aloo_eiGorOuwMsXlBECeANGMPrXYIkOUc3NSSCqoii_L1Pi-GujcFPfubl8V2xkWbZIoRht8uFK4QWANkc0ZP7V4Lc7Q0vf0Yi7NYFtwVX9baEwVIXDJV7l1MZ8MorF-fj/s1600/Children+of+Zodiarcs_20180518225448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmrWc0XVn_Aloo_eiGorOuwMsXlBECeANGMPrXYIkOUc3NSSCqoii_L1Pi-GujcFPfubl8V2xkWbZIoRht8uFK4QWANkc0ZP7V4Lc7Q0vf0Yi7NYFtwVX9baEwVIXDJV7l1MZ8MorF-fj/s400/Children+of+Zodiarcs_20180518225448.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ohh snap! We in trouble!</i></td></tr>
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<br />
Speaking of shooters, I started <span style="color: #990000;">Wolfenstein 2</span> and got a solid 2 hours in before I got hopelessly lost, losing my interest in the game, too. There is a map in this game with mission objectives and everything, so it's hilarious that I spent 30 minutes walking in circles, but I just wasn't connecting the dots. Ohh well, I'll try again later! There are priorities...<br />
<br />
My friend Aaron broke some wonderful news to me that he'd completed <span style="color: #990000;">God of War</span> and was ready to loan it to me. After 6 other titles of revenge-driven, violent hatred of those-who-are-bigger-and-meaner, this game's director took a slower pace. I remember God of War 3 ended with a minigame where you repeatedly <a href="https://youtu.be/59ijRpWjAcI?t=21m49s">mash a button to mash Zeus's face</a>, bloodying up the screen until you could only hear the meaty bashing. Don't get me wrong, Zeus was an asshole, and the multi-stage boss battle is pretty engaging and a raging climax for the angry series.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The <u>new</u> <span style="color: #990000;">God of War</span> follows an old gruff Kratos, who becomes a widower left with his somewhat-estranged son, <strike>Boy</strike> Atreus. The game starts with the two going about the death rituals of Kratos' wife Faye, and the last thing they need to do is place her ashes at the top of a mountain. On the first mission of training Atreus how to hunt, Kratos is terse with his son as they feel out each others' combat prowess and personalities. Assuming that the other God of War titles are canon, it's understandable that he's not the warmest father figure. He was tricked into killing his wife and daughter long ago, got his revenge, and then again on the dubious gods as the situation was escalated. Between God of War 3 and this one, Kratos settled down again, just to lose his new wife. I am only a few hours into the story, so I'm not sure if the previous titles are canon, nor how exactly Faye died.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnXY5l41AxPbQ3WV-0LF2VJgkE4_32U3RyodBATNEzQNjNfkvcfylnxwXVRjkVjmwQl60JvlBdH22IGSdgZeyzEkavJKEnfmj5pcmis4RURLmLufVVA6xJ7cSqKTbunjLyGwmClVmfQni/s1600/God+of+War_20180520214638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnXY5l41AxPbQ3WV-0LF2VJgkE4_32U3RyodBATNEzQNjNfkvcfylnxwXVRjkVjmwQl60JvlBdH22IGSdgZeyzEkavJKEnfmj5pcmis4RURLmLufVVA6xJ7cSqKTbunjLyGwmClVmfQni/s320/God+of+War_20180520214638.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That looks...painful.</i></td></tr>
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Either way, as you go about trying to place her ashes on the top of a mountain, the seemingly bleak father-son banter of the excited youth being reminded to control his feelings and mind his surroundings gives way to the characters sharing their grief and eventually bonding. There are plenty of stories that start at a low or sad point that provides the catalyst for plot to get moving, and God of War is no exception. The narrative succeeds by having the memory of a character act as a passive third character who shapes the story every bit as much as the main two characters who are alive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EVraZd8afv0u1yD3HYqCCkEhtX5VQwJK42fAohUSqo1H4TIgp9ueJ0MfDVT0_IpnSBP1bCoD7OftqPEVB2Zzs-f70Z39j7Hc5XGAL8kdGZHMZZ5rEorMJwREC8eYmbuDT39b3YTFWF88/s1600/God+of+War_20180521212703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EVraZd8afv0u1yD3HYqCCkEhtX5VQwJK42fAohUSqo1H4TIgp9ueJ0MfDVT0_IpnSBP1bCoD7OftqPEVB2Zzs-f70Z39j7Hc5XGAL8kdGZHMZZ5rEorMJwREC8eYmbuDT39b3YTFWF88/s320/God+of+War_20180521212703.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gently down the stream, <b>Boy.</b></i></td></tr>
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The game feels a lot like a cross between Last of Us and Uncharted in terms of gameplay and production design. There is not one cheap texture in the game, all the characters look solid, Atreus' AI is intelligent enough to feel like a real partner. It's also obvious that the characters' relationship takes over the plot in the same way that Naughty Dog games do so often and so well. There is also some researched lore on Norse Mythology that amounts to more than e<i>veryone is naked and the gods are selfish</i> that previous titles featured. While exploring, the characters tell stories to each other that are interrupted as soon as you get to an action point, and continued when things calm down. I first saw this in Uncharted 4 and it's a great way to enrich the mundane parts of the game. The combat is a little slower and quieter than the previous God of War games, but has a lot more variance to the attacks and is still really fun. So far, the violence is less visceral than ripping a (demi-)god's head off through a quicktime event as the music pounds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21WLaaifMpT0X6Lt5T_ZYyrdRCZytS_MCyRzD9EEGUBb2XRSPhE-9QxROL80KUpJvCWIY_3swfbEoSD-Iv3zO5Xjf4tZuJAI2N8vDlwLVxGcImfI82Osz3Dj862shYA0JJwXmfPOCAf1_/s1600/God+of+War_20180520120937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21WLaaifMpT0X6Lt5T_ZYyrdRCZytS_MCyRzD9EEGUBb2XRSPhE-9QxROL80KUpJvCWIY_3swfbEoSD-Iv3zO5Xjf4tZuJAI2N8vDlwLVxGcImfI82Osz3Dj862shYA0JJwXmfPOCAf1_/s320/God+of+War_20180520120937.jpg" width="320" /></a>The newest God of War is such a good experience. While there's no shortage of games powered on male fantasy, the grieving demigod hacking and slashing his way through realms to save the world is augmented by bonding with his son and being a protective father. It's an exciting, immersive experience and this major change to the series is as good as it gets.<br />
<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-38100917767555087922018-05-07T12:30:00.000-07:002018-05-07T12:30:06.102-07:00May Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG6IOcNXntnTkfdnvsqsOT1Q98rCSGdjLbXD2fj-EWIF4tjFQpwtuWWgUB02HidcJQTvi6Jjx9GjsK4QqiTT3W8wm87MxnnkXAB61ciQubr2HB4doGc821_-WQp8NfwV70DoTcnBHTNu6/s1600/_0a49413e-4553-11e8-a5d3-1ef93e3dfeed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG6IOcNXntnTkfdnvsqsOT1Q98rCSGdjLbXD2fj-EWIF4tjFQpwtuWWgUB02HidcJQTvi6Jjx9GjsK4QqiTT3W8wm87MxnnkXAB61ciQubr2HB4doGc821_-WQp8NfwV70DoTcnBHTNu6/s320/_0a49413e-4553-11e8-a5d3-1ef93e3dfeed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnDpjb2f3OYrCVZVraoC0caID6tV72Bl8LjLyvpmoFJVe8hc-1SukUm0OTthyphenhyphent2A_SKyJi5qe9uuUwJsA92YCQ_Okbi9fXw3bJAKknQcx3mVcGAsoC7QWEsz40YS1jMkw0HJ19W6XJtGx/s1600/il_570xN.1405856312_f2wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="570" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnDpjb2f3OYrCVZVraoC0caID6tV72Bl8LjLyvpmoFJVe8hc-1SukUm0OTthyphenhyphent2A_SKyJi5qe9uuUwJsA92YCQ_Okbi9fXw3bJAKknQcx3mVcGAsoC7QWEsz40YS1jMkw0HJ19W6XJtGx/s200/il_570xN.1405856312_f2wm.jpg" width="150" /></a>Readers! It's been a busy couple weeks, seeing and then reading Ready Player One, and changing my freakin life with the viewing of Avengers: Infinity War. I'm not going to spoil it more than the fact that I really enjoy good villains, and Thanos was able to capture my attention away from the two dozen personalities that are trying to beat him. Black Panther was uncomfortable because you don't really feel good about the opposing force not winning, just as watching some of the protagonists "succeed" in Breaking Bad isn't necessarily a good thing. Good writing and acting can do that. I'm trying to say that I only just realized in the last few years that just because I'm reading/watching a point of view doesn't mean I have to cheer for them. That said, I cheered for Thanos because I like to sympathize with a good villain. Thanos isn't particularly complicated, but he's strong (and thus cool) and opens the movie with a badass speech. I was hooked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvEAT0TJ4yNBDvKgxobiYBXM2W6-HWnHZ-s2zrsaSwf64iQUvkuxQyMIRorKzM94lP7CigQbVZBJz6aVsIBu8m_Fqk8grrLbkcYZ2BMXvXf4lfq_yVeU1mxqshkrjP_mGC3aPW2W65JsD/s1600/img_63622-e1489353325381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="624" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvEAT0TJ4yNBDvKgxobiYBXM2W6-HWnHZ-s2zrsaSwf64iQUvkuxQyMIRorKzM94lP7CigQbVZBJz6aVsIBu8m_Fqk8grrLbkcYZ2BMXvXf4lfq_yVeU1mxqshkrjP_mGC3aPW2W65JsD/s200/img_63622-e1489353325381.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Totally taken from https://ourviolentchild.wordpress.com/</i></td></tr>
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I saw it again this weekend and was once again shocked by how insanely violent this movie is. There are tons of kids in that audience watching people get tortured, impaled, slammed, smashed, blown up and simply annihilated, and their parents are more riveted than they are. But we didn't see a titty or hear, "Fuck!" so it's all good for the scores of 5-year-olds that saw that movie, right?<br />
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Anyhow, going back to narrative, I'm reminded of how the story unfolds in <span style="color: #990000;">Metroid Prime</span>, which I finished over the weekend. As you collect the story in fragments through scanning and downloading your oppressors' computer, the narrative turns tone as the Space Pirates react to Samus. As she beats bosses and gains abilities, Samus graduates from a nuisance to a threat to a superior force that the colonizing Space Pirates have to prioritize. This gets to the point of their scientists conducting risky experiments on organisms and throwing the ones that didn't die in some horrible failure at you. I spent the majority of April revisiting this classic, as well as <span style="color: #990000;">Nex Machina</span> (twin-stick shooter) and <span style="color: #990000;">Overwatch</span>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeFoR1DABaDiOzuzGb2JBhx57Oebr9HZGunhn7T3-i0wVRaik05HGAt3hC9ZeLs3sH7WxbHcVX6JlVpxwKu5NXSBWfxWkvJ6NONuP-YyhTm7ebVMP6nztSk6xm09AP_mg4lncrvXxEtln/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeFoR1DABaDiOzuzGb2JBhx57Oebr9HZGunhn7T3-i0wVRaik05HGAt3hC9ZeLs3sH7WxbHcVX6JlVpxwKu5NXSBWfxWkvJ6NONuP-YyhTm7ebVMP6nztSk6xm09AP_mg4lncrvXxEtln/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I don't own this photo.</i></td></tr>
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Also, in celebration of May the 4th and Revenge of the Fifth, <span style="color: #990000;">Star Wars Battlefront 2</span> did a double xp weekend. This is a huge deal because you actually earn 2.5-3x. I say this because the game is poorly optimized. If you're playing half the amount of games, that's a LOT less time waiting for players to fill the queue, as well as the post-battle tally screen and level loading transition. I understand that managing all the resources for the awesome graphics and sound requires loading time and that's fine. However, the game is built so that you constantly have to return to the main menu to upgrade heroes after they gain levels, and this main screen takes over a minute to load. It's like if every domestic flight in the US were required to pass through LAX, despite being Seattle to New York or something.<br />
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There isn't much else to say. I hope set up another themed gaming month in 2018, but there is some non-trophy-hunting I want to do like replay the Final Fantasy XIII games. I've always struggled with story coherence in those games, and would really like to play through without side missions and collectibles and just focus on experiencing the story, the same way I did with FFVI last month. What classics are you revisiting?<br />
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-80953619898620956982018-04-17T16:19:00.003-07:002018-04-17T16:19:36.888-07:00Tax Day frugal updateFiling taxes presented two challenges this year. The first was finding a service that would do them for free, which required some in-depth searching. The complication for me was that during last year's hard times, I'd sold some of my investments and most of the free services think that this extra form calls for an upgrade to their $40-70(!) premium services. Luckily, FreeTaxUSA stayed faithful to its moniker, unlike the other dopey sites.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKXXWNt0QBpEjiLgUVxP_zzfJT8CtjF6dZz7t3I4h4sh1Q-URxTpDf4SXTujVcMHXnBXSH1G50Bwqoy0fhDbpa8sFTAm7XSVgV0P1ZTG4Ck0VpxTR8bOxHLLelULOTG3gG_itHvuF-zHh/s1600/irs-seizures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKXXWNt0QBpEjiLgUVxP_zzfJT8CtjF6dZz7t3I4h4sh1Q-URxTpDf4SXTujVcMHXnBXSH1G50Bwqoy0fhDbpa8sFTAm7XSVgV0P1ZTG4Ck0VpxTR8bOxHLLelULOTG3gG_itHvuF-zHh/s200/irs-seizures.jpg" width="160" /></a>The other challenge to paying taxes this year is where that money is going right now. At the city level, when my car was vandalized last year and the thief left blood and a knife at the scene (in an apartment complex with children), the Lynnwood PD took a look, told me that they rarely catch the suspects in these cases, and promptly left. Also, calling the public works department was fruitless in asking if I should be concerned about my orange bathwater. At the state level, the governor punched Comcast in the face with a super-strict net neutrality law, so that's a bonus. Also, Washington state healthcare benefits when I was unemployed were awesome to have and easy to sign up for, so no grudges there. Taxes at the federal level? That was the biggest barrier to not filing an extension or just mailing the IRS a recycled envelope with a photocopy of my middle finger (black and white, of course, it's cheaper.) I <b>don't recommend running from the IRS</b>, but it's hard not to ignore the fact that the highest office in the land won't release taxes (because he didn't pay them,) and big douchebag companies like <a href="https://youtu.be/RKjk0ECXjiQ?t=7m6s">Apple and Google haven't paid a cent in corporate taxes for years</a>. I'm going to stop there because this blog is supposed to be about frugality, Japan and video games. I'm also simplifying something I don't understand and I want to keep some integrity in this blog.<br />
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Back to the update: I have socked away $2150 of the year's $8000 goal so far. That is about $500 behind schedule, but if I put most of my tax refund into the market, that will sync things up again.<br />
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<u>Frugal steps taken in 2018, in no particular order:</u><br />
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I have only spent money in a cafe once, using a gift card. The balance is that I spend about $30 per month on my favorite coffee from LaVazza and Costco espresso beans.<br />
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Comcast emails me a few weeks before my actual billing, and I noticed that my premium was going to jump from the usual $60 to $80. They restructured their speed tiers and were about to charge me more for the same level of service. I spent my first work break clearing that shit up. By the way, the speed boost is a silver-plated crock of shit, I have speed test screenshots to prove that this company is lying and tried to take my money. Anyway, stay on top of those subscriptions, folks!<br />
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I've been using <a href="http://moviepass.com/" rel="nofollow">Movie Pass</a>, a service that's $10 per month and lets you see movies in theaters. Big flicks, multiple viewings of Black Panther, get you one!<br />
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I've been cooking dinner at home, having 10-cent oatmeal for breakfast on weekdays, and mostly brought lunch. I'm not completely boring and joyless - I've broken down and bought lunch at work less than 10 times this year. It's that...there's just...there's an Indian buffet 3 minutes away!<br />
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Hosting friends instead of going out. Putting that big ass TV and uncomfortable furniture to good use!<br />
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I live 20 miles from work and take the express bus instead of driving. People really wrinkle their nose at taking the bus, but the commuter ones are really comfortable, plus I can goof off, read or just look for hot drivers of other cars. The last time I put gas in the car, frat boys and sorority girls were puking green beer in celebration of a dude who got rid of snakes!<br />
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To tack onto living so far away from work: Seattle rent sucks, the apartments are old and small, and it's loud as hell. Sure, there's a 10-minute walk on both sides of the trip, and the rent is a lot more affordable, $800 for a 700 sq ft apartment. In the city are $1000 150 sq ft micro studios without kitchens! Lots of people are gearing up to move: factor transportation into your rent and see if the next neighborhood away could ease your financial burden.<br />
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2.50 per month for <a href="http://www.freedompop.com/" rel="nofollow">my phone</a>. I read books and listen to music in my spare time outside of home, neither of which need a $40 data plan.<br />
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I sound like a broken record because these are habits 4 years in the making. Anyone can do it, especially if you start with one change at a time. Start with cutting out the Starbucks and making your own drinks...those people <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20560359">don't pay their taxes</a>, anyway!<br />
<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-81772977130476664102018-04-17T11:04:00.001-07:002018-04-17T11:32:50.229-07:00Gaming in Ape-ril: DKC and other titlesIt's been a while, Folks! Working, studying and attending one of my closest friends' wedding were all priorities over the last 5 weeks. I also saw Ready Player One and am now halfway through the book. It's nice to see one of the shallowest things about the movie get addressed in the first 10 pages of the book, and I like that both formats give an awesome context for the pop culture miasma. See it, read it!<br />
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You can bet that I put in some work on the SNES mini, putting 40 hours into completing <span style="color: #990000;">Final Fantasy 6</span>. My memory of the game had as many stories as playable characters, and going through it again showed me that the story still spends more than half its time with Terra, the human-Esper hybrid and the fate of a world that tries to suppress magic for the good of humanity. I skipped a few sidequests, and completed the game around level 60, only having put about 6 hours into endgame grinding. The old me would have maxed everyone out and spent 80 hours completing the game from memory, but time is more valuable these days.<br />
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Besides, as this entry is titled, I had a hankering to play <span style="color: #990000;">Donkey Kong Country</span>. The first handful of levels are super fun, bouncing around and being shot out of barrels and then the difficulty hits like a freight train. There's a mine cart level that's not really about reflexes so much as memorizing enemy patterns, and that's about when I started to check out. It might take a week to scrape off some salt and try again, but boy did it suck for all the fun to stop so quickly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yep...</i></td></tr>
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Ohh well, at least I have 20 days to enjoy another bullshit <span style="color: #990000;">Overwatch </span>limited event. I call BS just because the loot usually gets locked away for an entire year before you get another chance at it. The events themselves are usually decently thought out, in all fairness. </div>
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I mostly scratched the FPS itch via <span style="color: #990000;">StarWars Battlefront 2</span>, which revamped their progression system yet again. This iteration, where the classes and characters you use level up as you use them, and you can choose which skills to upgrade, is how the game should have worked from the get-go. They added some heroes and levels, and the only complaint is that the CTF mode where you have jetpacks is awful on Bespin. Bespin, a city in the clouds, has lots of places to fall off the map, and this is terrible because there's no air control with said jetpack. There are also issues with the flag spawning, and not being marked properly, so when it's picked up, the icon stays in the center of the map. I already hate this map, but it doesn't even work properly to boot! The result is that this map takes easily triple the amount of time to finish, and this is not a good thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkvxeSQwxiHqtqnGVKBJejHM3TvVShzcdyZs9wyf9y38ZHTt6r99mzj45Hm89TMbZSG45yf9pE5TQgE8eDC_5a1L3sYjeQPnBW04tnrbGWnfq_sVrcXczSgsZ5o4F5d3PJXGmeBIeJd8F/s1600/mprime_wii_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkvxeSQwxiHqtqnGVKBJejHM3TvVShzcdyZs9wyf9y38ZHTt6r99mzj45Hm89TMbZSG45yf9pE5TQgE8eDC_5a1L3sYjeQPnBW04tnrbGWnfq_sVrcXczSgsZ5o4F5d3PJXGmeBIeJd8F/s400/mprime_wii_08.jpg" width="400" /></a>Griping aside, I started playing the mother of all FPS games: <span style="color: #990000;">Metroid Prime</span>. This is the first time the game went 3D, and Nintendo and Retro Studios handled it gracefully. The graphics at the time were great, the soundtrack is incredible with just the right amount of remixes, and the environmental design is perfect. Moreover, Metroid Prime is an action game with a clever collectible system. You'll spend 20% of the game in a scan visor that allows you to glean combat strategies, read up on the game's lore, and most importantly allows you to explore the story at your own pace. When using your scan visor, your targets are orange and red. Red targets are vital information and switches, while orange are the background info and narrative, which is about anything from the native population's reaction to being invaded, the colonizer's difficulties with a mysterious (<b>badass</b>) bounty hunter, and their screwed up experiments with alien technology. My only drawback is the controls, which force you to use the Wiimote and nunchuck. This would be much better if the physical bar could mount my TV and stay in place. The controller itself mimics Samus' right-hand cannon and adds to the experience of the most immersive game I've ever enjoyed. However, nothing breaks this like this stupid device falling off your TV and Samus reacting by spinning in a circle while you cuss the engineers for using porous plastic and expecting tape to stick to it.<br />
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-56055018638165456962018-03-21T15:47:00.002-07:002018-04-17T11:33:05.138-07:00Mid-March update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkdnfM2LJ6RBQ0z6sEFDin_EdaVH8a_CMshHG7LdcoydEJgtl73J-MCdfVNzti5Out0w-aRuoWRrOkQC9_xTQQlWRbMKjzwXtcbR8y-5dV9wJEXdsV-EVOfouMJNmpQ9Q1Udo77-yG3hE/s1600/Mortal+Kombat+XL_20180313163955.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkdnfM2LJ6RBQ0z6sEFDin_EdaVH8a_CMshHG7LdcoydEJgtl73J-MCdfVNzti5Out0w-aRuoWRrOkQC9_xTQQlWRbMKjzwXtcbR8y-5dV9wJEXdsV-EVOfouMJNmpQ9Q1Udo77-yG3hE/s400/Mortal+Kombat+XL_20180313163955.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Well that dispute is settled.</i></td></tr>
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I had Jones to be rewarded with violence for stringing together some button presses, and the PSN had <span style="color: #990000;">Moral Kombat XL</span> on sale. I remember getting grossed out by this game a few years back, but maybe my recent playthrough of <span style="color: #990000;">Doom </span>hardened my resolve. Either way, the developer has spent the last 3 titles building a legitimately good fighting system. In addition to the animators and modelers who have PhDs in anatomy, the jumpy battles are komplete with quick flips, snappy kombos, and <strike>k</strike>certain moves have a great sense of impact. To hear the kreator Ed Boon talk in his Midwestern accent and witness friendly demeanor, you'd be hard pressed to imagine a guy like that signing off on Jax's fatality where he <i>shoves your extended arms into your body, rips your head in half and ashes his cigar on your tongue.</i> The roster is huge, and the horror franchise guest stars Predator, Leatherface, Jason Voorhees, and the Xenomorph from Alien feel right at home in this expanded title.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrTSn1GAlv1NXGAKlb3ezU0FO_FjiXbaT5m0CqA0CFHWUQ1Bhf5Ntoueh3Z6YLJMqn8D5jtGzYSdbSUnJCfP7GnMLZh7OR8G3I8GAEAKBZsnyVmImQYzay7UH8axuWKeDWb6UMtGR-Zta/s1600/Broken+Age_20180312220225.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrTSn1GAlv1NXGAKlb3ezU0FO_FjiXbaT5m0CqA0CFHWUQ1Bhf5Ntoueh3Z6YLJMqn8D5jtGzYSdbSUnJCfP7GnMLZh7OR8G3I8GAEAKBZsnyVmImQYzay7UH8axuWKeDWb6UMtGR-Zta/s320/Broken+Age_20180312220225.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I started <span style="color: #990000;">Broken Age</span>, a strange point-and-click adventure about two characters whose destinies intertwine. I started as Vella, who is the only girl with any sense in a village that sacrifices maidens to appease some obscure god. During the first part when you're trying to escape the ritual, Vella makes quips and komm--err, not talking about Mortal Kombat anymore--comments about complacency with ridiculous and unfair traditions. In short: Vella is <i>woke</i>.<br />
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The other half of the story is Shay, who despite being at least a teenager, is stuck aboard a space ship where all his comforts are met, but everything on the ship panders to him as if he were a toddler. For example, you're wandering space in your ship, "rescuing lost aliens" in what turns out to be a crane grabber machine that's collecting stuffed animals. It's all pretty dang cute, but the point is to break the fantasy and <i>get woke</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwSXnf4QVCLdJCYshTuFqgaA4TRK9XUZ2GtrfyJoj7HS_PLUz5l66Aq6ROLjoctsLWwUw3AAURBCT-x4DWDaVpil3QZkcvKu3KsKLxU9mu5vTL5dnPtVNjyN9-NnfwPvoFX8RcqA3PoHE/s1600/Frozen+Free+Fall_+Snowball+Fight_20180219183545.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwSXnf4QVCLdJCYshTuFqgaA4TRK9XUZ2GtrfyJoj7HS_PLUz5l66Aq6ROLjoctsLWwUw3AAURBCT-x4DWDaVpil3QZkcvKu3KsKLxU9mu5vTL5dnPtVNjyN9-NnfwPvoFX8RcqA3PoHE/s320/Frozen+Free+Fall_+Snowball+Fight_20180219183545.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Milking people out of money for <br />mobile games is a business chra-di-shin!</i></td></tr>
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I am also playing <span style="color: #990000;">Frozen Free Fall</span>, a gem-matching mobile game that was ported to consoles. There are 400 levels, and you get 5-8 lives at a time before you have to wait 15 minutes to get more lives. There is one repetitive music track, and this game has no shame about coming from the awful business practices that are associated with mobile games. Frugal me, of course is simply planning on getting all the trophies over the next 6 months - year instead of ponying up the dough. That'll teach em!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYxpDIRiciiE2dT3BEv3BhpuEGvqOcbwqF0zZ7W1X8x7CxO3B12YFojwd4IAN9-HtcvcO_5eVrWkaUw826yQ0jrhPdZRV4yzlv2GJe871VKA51AJqUpSPjCIPBgDgK8BEb9p-lEDLjMJN/s1600/IMG_20180304_100826530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYxpDIRiciiE2dT3BEv3BhpuEGvqOcbwqF0zZ7W1X8x7CxO3B12YFojwd4IAN9-HtcvcO_5eVrWkaUw826yQ0jrhPdZRV4yzlv2GJe871VKA51AJqUpSPjCIPBgDgK8BEb9p-lEDLjMJN/s320/IMG_20180304_100826530.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I've been making progress through <span style="color: #990000;">Final Fantasy 6</span>, which spends at least 50% of the story focused on Terra, an magic using demi-goddess. Now that I'm playing it this month, I think it qualifies as a female-lead game, despite the multiple narratives and story branching. I'm about 20 hours into the game, and the world as I know it is about to be destroyed. If any of you remember the Floating Continent, you'll remember that the battles jump significantly in difficulty. You may also recall the music there, too. If not, Youtube it!<br />
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Finally, I started <span style="color: #990000;">Nex Machina</span>. This is a twin stick shooter by the dev team Housemarque, the folks who made <span style="color: #990000;">Super Stardust HD</span> and <span style="color: #990000;">Resogun</span>. That means dope electronic music, flashy effects and hard-but-fun boss fights. Nex Machina is a little different in standard twin stick shooter level design. It features a bunch of smaller maps that you navigate through instead of the usual area that you're bound inside of as wave after wave chases you. I'd better make up the rest of March with more girl games, cause this certainly doesn't have anything there. It's still dope and addictive, dho.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHG8p25_Q3gUCe7aV0g3psnDm-qSpbOG2B6gLLqkjE6p_ANt7jMWNi6b3pxq0thyphenhyphenYvg4VGYkwLcq04LsxP_M5nzW6D3f6eeEOhcJEaUpe7Z7F5rjhXIr1x-RL2O0BARwOJbA1MtTP0uHh/s1600/Nex+Machina_20180304125450.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHG8p25_Q3gUCe7aV0g3psnDm-qSpbOG2B6gLLqkjE6p_ANt7jMWNi6b3pxq0thyphenhyphenYvg4VGYkwLcq04LsxP_M5nzW6D3f6eeEOhcJEaUpe7Z7F5rjhXIr1x-RL2O0BARwOJbA1MtTP0uHh/s400/Nex+Machina_20180304125450.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-11652167712547393602018-03-09T09:51:00.003-08:002018-10-22T12:17:32.693-07:00Still Cheap in March<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Qpv71729gNnx-VCoGUgEjns3a5YM27Q6WR-zYRolpvI0jCdB6rb6EgZ8krB81B097XPSMYTZr7uycxquYp3xVcWM5LlDDKVexWEE97Qd_EW2m0Ep22AhPfW9j1NOljSx99dM3BKydYBD/s1600/20150921__0922stocks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="645" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Qpv71729gNnx-VCoGUgEjns3a5YM27Q6WR-zYRolpvI0jCdB6rb6EgZ8krB81B097XPSMYTZr7uycxquYp3xVcWM5LlDDKVexWEE97Qd_EW2m0Ep22AhPfW9j1NOljSx99dM3BKydYBD/s320/20150921__0922stocks1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>K-Mart Jimmy Smits reacting to Loudmouth 45 <br />(mercurynews.com)</i></td></tr>
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For those of you in warmer climates, Seattle is still scooching along with 40F/4C degree days that are deceptively sunny. For those of you who recently invested, you might have gotten a recent shock when our illustrious president flapped his mouth about the economy and trade deals, and confused his Koreas. The news, as usual, blew the falling stock market out of proportion, and, while the cowards panicked and withdrew, the steadfast survived the...week that it took to recover. The more opportune <b>took that window of vulnerability to buy some stock at a discount</b>! Then everyone woke up and realized that when it comes to Wall Street quakes, people like us who don't need their investments until decades later should completely ignore the newsfolk who speculate on a hiccup in the market. I'm not calling it fake news, mind you. All of that shit is irrelevant until you need to draw on your investments.</div>
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Weakness!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My man here has the right idea<br />(ngopulse.org)</i></td></tr>
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How have I stayed frugal lately? Same old story: keeping on top of subscriptions, <a href="http://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2017/11/grey-friday-know-your-brands.html">knowing good alternative brands</a>, cooking for myself, <a href="http://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2017/12/cold-hard-cash-saving.html">making my own coffee</a>, and inviting friends over instead of going out. Same old story, right? Well, I've been putting in more time with friends and driving more as well as changing snacking habits to nuts, which are much more expensive than sugary stuff from the overstock grocery store. I also went hog-wild with the latest PSN sale, spending a whopping $60 on games to stock my Women's Games Months (<a href="http://substituteesl.blogspot.com/2017/12/january-ladies-first.html">Jan </a>and March). All of this is overshadowed by $100 heating bills for the last 5 months, and that can shake the faith in frugality a bit. </div>
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The point? Just like cheat days on diets being necessary to go longer, you're going to have periods where you feel like you're hemorrhaging money. If you're already pretty good at saving, don't feel too bad; just try and limit it. I was raving all about triple-paycheck months, and these are definitely the best times to have a little fun. This might run a bit contradictory to a previous post, but the point here is that you should also have fun adding some of that "extra" cash to your investments, too. Just don't blow the whole check on silly shit.</div>
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Fill your belly in the house and heat that home!</div>
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mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563004499204468179.post-21627674985605246762018-03-05T17:48:00.001-08:002018-04-17T11:33:26.815-07:00Gaming Marches on...Whoosh! In the last few days of <span style="color: #351c75;">Black History February</span>, I ran across an article that mentioned March being <span style="color: #38761d;">Women's History Month</span>. That fact had whooshed right by me for all my time on this planet! This comes as a relief because I spent most of February reading and whittling away at trophies on games I'd already started. Luckily, there are quire a few games with leading femmes left in my library that I never got to. While there are certainly a list of reasons to play these titles independent of playing as an underrepresented badass, it's just the perfect month to repeat January's theme! This time, I'll do my best to start <span style="color: #990000;">Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice</span> and <span style="color: #990000;">Broken Age</span>. Finishing 2016's <span style="color: #990000;">Doom </span>for the second time also reminded me how much I need to play <span style="color: #990000;">Metroid Prime</span>, which is also on my plate in March.<br />
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I'm also taking a single graduate-level course that is more homework than I've ever had, so let me just hide behind that as my recent drain on free time. It's for the better, as is calling attention to games with girls! Play on!mawzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832222925508847665noreply@blogger.com0