What's Playing Now

I've been trying to get some more gaming in lately so I figured that I would keep track of what I'm working my through or for fighters trying to get back up to speed on.  Currently all of my time is being spent on the 360, but when time allows I'll definitely power up another console.  I just wrapped up AC: Brotherhood, I'm not sure I will jump right back into the AC universe with AC: Revelations though  (AC:IV is out, but as usual I'm in no hurry rush through the games).  I am pretty sure I'll resist the overwhelming urge to play through the Mass Effect trilogy again, Bioshock is a good contender though and I'll always find time for several fighters.  It's probably sort of odd to have a gaming goal, but I'm going to try keep a "modern" title, fighter(s), and retro game in rotation when I can.  Anyways, the current list below and I'm always open to suggestions or going a few rounds as well.

• Bioshock or Assassin's Creed: Revelations - 360
• SSFIVAE/UMvC3/3rd Strike - 360
• Phantasy Star II - 360

Three of a Kind

I'm still playing catch up from my blogging hiatus and something else that happened during that period was that we added my third Subaru to our stable.  Sadly Subaru #3 is not the Satin White Pearl BRZ Limited that I wanted, it's a 2013 Ice Silver Metallic Tribeca Limited.  With little one number three on the way the BRZ was never going to cut it.  Honestly, the Tribeca was not our first choice in the crowded crossover field.  We considered the Pilot, Highlander, Pathfinder, Explorer, and Tribeca.  the Highlander and Explorer were quickly dismissed; with a new Highlander on the way buying the old model didn't make sense and the Explorer just felt bad (the highlight of our test drive was the black headliner, that's not a good sign).  We wanted to like the Pilot and all of its practical boxiness, but the price for an EX-L 4WD was a little too steep.  We had decided that the new Mallfinder errr Pathfinder was the best choice, it has easy access to the third row seats for oldest child and another passenger while also providing a nice level of wife approved amenities.  However, when it came time to close the deal the dealership we were working with decide to play games, if any dealer does this I strongly advise anyone to walk away and that was what we did. We had test driven the Tribeca earlier and even had a decent offer, after a little searching we found an even better deal and that's how Subaru's little known and often unloved crossover found a space in our garage next to my Legacy GT.

Despite what the automotive press says about the Tribeca (I'm looking at you Edmunds), it is not horribly vehicle.  It definitely isn't perfect but what car is.  I find the time I've spent with our Tribeca to be a relatively pleasant experience.  Subaru's 3.6L flat six (EZ36D) produces enough power and torque to allow the Tribeca to get out of its own way with relative ease, with a surprisingly pleasant exhaust note.  I also find the handling to be better than all of the other crossovers we tried as well, likely due more to the 255 wide tires than lower center of gravity a boxer engine provides.  The Tribeca falls short in two glaring areas, mileage and third row space.  Even though it burns regular the Tribeca only gets about 20mpg on the highway and also has a smallish tank for its class.  In regards to the third row, it's really only fit for small children and people you don't like.  Though our little likes it back there and my 5'3" sister-in-law (that I like mind you) completed a 4+ hour road trip without issue or complaint sitting back there.  Our Tribeca is certainly a comfortable and capable family carrier and highway cruiser.  However, as an enthusiast I really want to do something to our new Subaru, but support for the slow selling Tribeca is slim to none.  That hasn't stopped me from looking though, I've already found a shop willing to tackle a custom axle or cat-back exhaust and 3.6 powered Subarus are tunable via Ecutek (though I really just want better mileage, but a little more power can't hurt).  The suspension is a lot trickier to tackle and honestly lighter wheels and stickier rubber may just be the way to go.

All of this is up in the air though, I already have a closest full of Legacy parts and an Impreza refresh project to tackle.  Also, with Subaru pulling the plug on the Tribeca after MY14 (and announcing an eventual return to the 7-seater market) it may be best to just leave the family truckster alone and replace it with what should be a more spacious and fuel efficient successor once it becomes available.  In the meanwhile though I'll just enjoy the time I spend with our new Subaru.

Easy As Pie

During my hiatus from blogging I did manage to get quite a bit of baking done.  Specifically I was on a pie baking streak.  During the summer I baked two peach pies and now wife is believer in what I swear is without a doubt the best summer pie one can ever enjoy.  Last month finally got around to making my first pumpkin pie.  It was alright, but I can think of better uses for a jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter though.  However, for those that really enjoy pumpkin pie I would definitely say give it a go, the recipe is below:

PUMPKIN PIE

• 1 9–inch pie shell, unbaked (I make my own using this recipe)
• 3 extra large eggs
• 1 jar Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter
• 1½ cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450° F Beat eggs until blended then stir in Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter and cream. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° F and bake for an additional 40 minutes or until center is just set. (A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.) Serve at room temperature. Serves 8.

With Thanksgiving about 4-weeks away there will certainly be some more pies coming out of my oven.  I'm pretty sure there will be at least one sweet potato pie, but a nice apple pie could certainly work as well.

It's Been A While...

Well it has been a serious minute since I've made a new blog post, I don't even have a witty post title for this one.  After a very busy summer between work and family (finding out I'm going to be a dad again while also losing my own) it feels good to see things sort of slowing down again.  I've certainly been doing some baking and also making my way back into gaming and trying to keep up all things automotive.  I'm going to do my best to get things back up to speed posting wise through the remainder of fall and into winter, it should be an interesting time.

Game On: The One

Well May 21st has come and gone and Microsoft has revealed their next generation plans and it is called the Xbox One.  The presentation in my opinion, like Sony's, left quite a bit to be desired since other than Forza 5 it seemed a bit light on the games.  This presentation simply wasn't for the gamers, NFL tie ins, live action Halo television series, and Star Trek trailers?   Those things have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with gaming.  I'm not quite sure where to start with Kinect 2.0, I think it's great that it has been improved and I can even understand why it will be bundled with every system.  However, I find the fact that it is required for the system to operate annoying.  I'm relatively sure that not everyone wants to swipe and gesture their way through their menus.  Then there's the fact that Microsoft stated that it's always listening, I'm trying not be paranoid about that since it is supposedly only listening for "Xbox On" to power on the console.

On to the hardware, the specs of the Xbox One seem very similar to the PS4.  With a custom designed AMD x86 8-core APU, 8GB of RAM, and blu-ray drive it's really seems like Sony and Microsoft have been shopping at the same store.  There are some differences though, for one the PS4 is using faster RAM where as the Xbox One has  32MB ESRAM onboard its processor.  Time will tell which design is better though.  Thus far my only issue with the hardware is that the 500GB hard drive is not upgradeable, but game installs will be mandatory.  It seems a bit odd to me, how difficult would it have been to include a user upgradable hard drive?

The real elephant in the room though has nothing to do with hardware specs or non-gaming functionality, but the way that Microsoft has stated how used games will be handled on the Xbox One.  Apparently there will be fees involved, while don't purchase used games this also means games can't be borrowed  or loaned out (something I do).  That really sounds like a headache to me since the fees would still apply if you wanted to play the game.  Actually, putting this post together it makes me wonder what this will mean for GameFly?  Who really wants to pay to rent a game and then pay again to play it?  I plan on eventually owning all three next gen consoles, but from what I've seen so far I'll likely delay a Xbox One purchase.  However, with E3 just around the corner and Microsoft promising 15 Xbox One exclusives, 8 of which is are new IPs that very well could change.  If it doesn't though I thankfully still have a decent library of games to keep me busy for a while.

DITC Vol #2 - Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

I've been back in my crates again and with a Castle of Illusion HD remake announced for this Summer on XBLA, PSN, and the Wii U this seemed like a great choice for my Digging In The Crates series.  I popped this into my Genesis (yep it's still hooked up) and it's just as I remember it.  Castle of Illusion is solid 2D platforming goodness, it is almost difficult to believe that a game that's 23-years old still plays, looks, and sounds this good.  From bopping around the flip flopping toyland to exploring the library, Castle of Illusion is still a whole lot of fun and that's what gaming imho is all about.  Castle of Illusion is even an excellent game to introduce a new generation to gaming and the classics.  My little guy had a lot of fun with Castle of Illusion when he gave it a go.  I hope that the remake does the original some justice, if not though at least I still own the original.

There's No Place Like Home: Hanging Around

Nothing too exciting to add (though it has been a minute since I've made a new post), we received our window panel hardware from Crate & Barrel earlier this month.  So we have the window panels/drapes and now the hardware, but nothing is going up until we get some new paint on the walls.  I guess these things take time, but progress is progress.