Thursday, April 25, 2013

Game On: 2D Old and New, the Next Gen, and a Classic


Despite a relatively slow period for gaming right now and me having more games than time; there have been quite a few gaming announcements that make the pic above particularly appropriate.  Let's take a look.

First up is some news I'm a little late on since it was announced at PAX East.  Capcom will be bringing both of their classic Dungeons & Dragons arcade side scrolling beat 'em ups to Xbox Live, PSN, and even the Wii U in one HD package Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara.  I'm pretty sure a lot of gamers missed these games so it's great to see them get a re-release.  I spent a bit of time in college playing both in the arcade and even own the Saturn import, needless to say I'll be grabbing this when it shows up this summer.

Next up a game obviously inspired by Capcom's classic D&D games is the Atlus published Vanillaware title, Dragon's Crown.  This looks to be more 2D goodness from the developers behind the excellent Odin Sphere and Muramasa.  If Vanillaware's previous titles are any indication this PS3 exclusive will be a winner, though as noted in Penny Arcade's latest comic some may find the art direction a little questionable.

Also of note is that Konami announced Metal Gear Solid Legacy, a very nice compilation of the MGS titles for people like me who missed a good part of this series.  There isn't much to say about this one, six excellent games in one convenient package is full of win.  Even with the PS4 on the way, I think solid exclusives like MGS Legacy and Dragon's Crown will keep the PS3 rotation for many gamers for a while longer.

Well this one isn't a game, but as a fan of Extra Credits I figured it's about time I passed this one on to my fellow gamers. Found on Penny Arcade TV, Extra Credits is web show covering various topics in gaming, some of my favorite episodes are the Games You Might Not Have Tried.  Games You Might Not Have Tried 5 is the 5th installment and with suggestions like Mark of the Ninja, The Unfinished Swan and Thomas Was Alone it's a good one.  Also, since I don't believe good games have expiration dates, links to the first four Games You Might Not Have Tried are below, enjoy:

For many this week Microsoft's announcement of the Next Xbox Announcement event on May 21 was the highlight this week.  I am certainly looking forward to it though I'm not quite sure what to expect, but if Microsoft shows some promising games (first and third party), explains how Live will work on the new system, and if the console will be always on or not.  Sony's PS4 press event was pretty average to me so Microsoft doesn't have to do much too much in my opinion to have a better event.  If it is as boring as Sony's, I guess E3 will be where all the good stuff will be shown.

On the topic of E3, it appears that Nintendo will not be holding a large press event this year, instead holding two smaller events.  One for the media and one for the distributors, without any new hardware to show this makes sense to me.  I'm thinking it's likely less expensive as well, with the kind of financial issues Nintendo has had as of late this is a good idea.  With the announcement of Earthbound for the Wii U Virtual Console Nintendo finally seems to be making sensible moves again.  I wonder if their E3 showing later this year will keep the ball rolling.

A Better Daily: New Shoes


It seems like forever since I placed my order with The Tire Rack on Feb 4th, but after a little more than 8-weeks my new wheels and tires were delivered last Tuesday.  Since the 5th gen Legacy has large wheel wells and flared fenders to fill I decided to go with a +1 fitment.  A set of Enkei GTC-01 wheels in 19x8 with a +45 offset will replace the stock wheels.  The GTC-01s are wrapped in Continental Extreme Contact DWs in 245/40-19, the widest tire you can fit on an 8" wheel.  Wider stickier tires and better looking wheels are always a plus, but what is even better is weight reduction.  The factory wheels and tires weighed in at 51.4lbs (25.4lbs/wheel and 26lbs/tire) per corner, the Enkei and Conti combo are 46lbs (22lbs/wheel and 24lbs/tire) per corner.  That's a 5.4lb per corner reduction of unsprung weight, not bad if you ask me.

Although winter has been over in the DMV for a little while now, I won't be putting the new wheels on until I get my suspension straight.  In my opinion, there just isn't much point in adding new wheels and tires while I'm stuck with the soft stock suspension.  After the Racecomp Engineering Bilsteins finally arrive, hopefully by June, I can take a look at getting these on the Legacy.  I guess Rome really wasn't built in a day.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

There's No Place Like Home: Introduction

Well I'm starting another series, this one will be about making our new house a home and putting our personal touches on it as we continue settling into the DMV.  Having been in our new place almost a year now it is time to get rid of the builder grade white that is currently on the walls.  We have colors selected and have decided on window treatments as well.  There isn't much we're doing now other than prep and well that's never very interesting so I suppose that's about it for now.  The real fun starts in May.

NYIAS 2013: New and Notable

Well this is one is a bit late, about two weeks or so over due.  Nevertheless, I have to post some impressions of the NYIAS 2013 (even though I didn't make it to the show this year) as it is a major show and there were some very interesting cars shown.  Well onto my impressions:


Audi A3 Sedan
Like Mercedes with the CLA, Audi has stepped into the growing compact luxury sedan market.  With three initial engine choices (two gas and one diesel), available Quattro AWD and a hotter 300hp S3 showing up later I think Audi likely has a winner here.  Sadly a manual transmission will not be offered on any model and the versatile A3 Hatchback will return later as a plugin hybrid.  With the ILX, CLA, and now the A3 sedan, the compact luxury segment is becoming very interesting.


WRX Concept
Subaru showed a preview of the upcoming WRX sedan and it looks utterly fantastic.  Subaru stated a while back that the Impreza and WRX would become separate lines and this concept seems to confirm that. I suspect that there is no way the massive brakes, stylized mirrors, and aggressive body work will make past the concept.  I expect that the FA20 DIT will be powering the production version and that a 6-speed manual will be the transmission offered.


Cadillac CTS
With the new ATS matched up against the 3-Series, Cadillac is now able to focus the once middling CTS squarely on the 5-series.  With the 2014 CTS that is exactly what Cadillac will be doing.  I think the new CTS looks great, well at least from the front and side, I prefer the rear styling of the current model.  Styling aside, the real excitement will be coming from the available engines, specifically the new 420hp twin turbo charged 3.6L V6 in the Vsport trim.  With the ATS, XTS, and now the CTS it is really nice to see Cadillac step things up.



Jaguar XJR
Those in the market for rapid executive transport will have a new option.  The 2014 XJR adds serious performance to what in my opinion is already a very nice luxury sedan.  With a supercharged 5.0L V8, this big cat should be seriously quick while still providing outstanding levels of luxury.  Certainly an excellent alternative to the S63 AMG, S8, or Alpina B7.





 VW GTI
The MKVII GTI made its North American debut at the NYIAS this year.  Odds are good that the next gen GTI will build on its existing strengths and continue to be a very good mix of performance, refinement, handling, and versatility.  I'm hoping that VW will offer a GTD variant this time.


Sunday, April 14, 2013

A Better Daily: One Year In


Well I've had my 2012 Legacy GT a little over a year now, so it's time I take a look at how my first year of turbocharged boxer all wheel driven ownership went.  As family transport I can't say I have real issues with the BM9 Legacy.  There's plenty of room in the back for both of my kids in their forward facing Recaros, without much fear of my wife or I getting kicked in the back.  Plus the trunk can hold our double stroller and about five bags of groceries or so, not bad for a mid-size sedan in my opinion.  Looking at the interior happenings where I spend all of my time in the car for the most part I'm relatively pleased.  The gauges are clear, the leather is decent quality, every dial/control that I may need to reach is easily accessible, and the stereo sounds better than any car I've owned (though I wouldn't say it's audiophile quality).  That being said there is certainly room for improvement; the front seats need more side bolstering, soft touch plastics and real aluminum would be very welcome, and that asinine economy gauge just needs to go (Subaru replaced this with a standard engine temp gauge on some MY13 cars).  The overall fit and finish inside and out isn't bad, I've learned to live faux aluminum but paint is the very definition of weak.  With only about 25,000-miles there are a few more chips than I care for.

On to performance and handling, in this regard I can't say that my Legacy has let me down.  It's quick and confident in both dry and wet conditions, even with some understeer while cornering there is still plenty of grip as well.  Bringing everything to a stop is also something the Legacy does well, though I'm not sure how fade resistant the stock brakes are.  Since my Legacy is still stock (something I'll be addressing and tracking as this series goes on) I'm not gong to focus too much areas of its performance that can be improved.  I will however mention my main gripe, mileage.  As an enthusiast mileage isn't usually high on my list, but averaging between 25-26mpg it is something I have noticed.  With fuel prices the way they are right now better mileage would definitely be appreciated.  Would I trade mileage for performance?  Honestly, probably not but I would be lying if I said it doesn't factor into my daily driving.   Besides, I keep telling myself the money saved over time by not hanging out in the fun gears can be used towards more parts or even something baking or gaming related.


2012 Legacy GT 1-Year Review TLDR:
+ Great acceleration
+ Good braking and handling
+ AWD grip
+ Excellent interior room

- Below average fuel mileage
- Hard plastics and faux carbon and aluminum
- Chip prone paint
- Under bolstered front seats

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

DITC Vol #1 - Street Fighter Alpha 3


As I've stated in some of my previous posts, I'm an avid gamer.  I have been gaming since about 1985 or so and actually started collecting games around 1989.  Well over 24-years one can collect quite a few games, 325 to be exact.  Like a DJ with lots of old vinyl, every once in a while I need to go Digging In The Crates (oh yeah, cool points for those that get the DITC reference) and take a classic title for a spin.  For the first installment of this series I'm taking a look at one of my favorite Capcom classics, Street Fighter Alpha 3.

I spent a lot of time playing fighting games in 2000 and although my local arcades didn't have Alpha 3 I logged many hours playing the game on my Dreamcast.  Well it's 2013 now and the question is has time been kind to Alpha 3?  Breaking out my trusty Agetec arcade stick and playing  Alpha 3 almost a decade later I have to say the game has aged very well.  Compared to AE 2012, Alpha 3 still feels tight and though it isn't as technical (though the three isms definitely add a bit of depth) it's still very enjoyable for fans of the genre.  Graphically the game does a look a little dated, but that certainly isn't an issue in my opinion.  The only real fault I can find with Alpha 3 is that there aren't any options for multi-player unless you can get some friends over to your place.  I was hoping that Alpha 3 would get a HD remake a la 3rd Strike or Super Turbo, but in light of the recent announcement from Capcom it looks like that won't happen.  Well as long as my Dreamcast keeps working I'll be able to get my Alpha 3 fix.