Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Hey guys. You like games don't you? Of course you do! You're all over-sensitive geeks who put measure your self worth via mindless consumerism! So have some more shit to spend money on! 

In 1987, my dad got my mother yet another new computer: the Atari 130XE. And let me tell you, I spent a lot of weekends and weekday evenings over the next few years in the computer room.

 Hello, my name is Blake. Today, I have some information that I would like to convey to you. I wish to do so in a calm and polite manner - contrary to usual, I know.

Summer is a season with many advantages and disadvantages. The weather warms up and the flowers bloom. It’s a great time for outdoor activities. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when insects, rodents, and other pests come out to test your patience.

Like other unwanted pests, summer is also the season for home-improvement scammers. They go door-to-door, usually targeting the elderly offering services that range from roof repair work to driveway sealing and everything in between. They use high pressure sales tactics to get homeowners to sign bad contracts. Even worse they might take money and leave and do very little, if any work at all. Here are a few tips homeowners can follow to avoid these kinds of home improvement scams.

Initiate the search

Most professional, qualified contractors keep pretty busy handling projects they were hired to do. They don’t typically go out door-to-door looking for work. A good rule of thumb is to initiate the search for a contractor. If they’re coming to you telling you that you need to have certain work done, that’s a red flag.
Every now and then, during a slow period, a reputable business may send people door-to-door. Look for a company logo on their vehicle or clothing then check to see if they have a brick and mortar location and an established reputation in the community.

Research the contractor

You can always do a little investigative work on your own. Ask the contractor for references and check them out. Use online resources like Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau to see if they have a good track record. Verify that they are licensed to do the work and that they have insurance.

Never pay cash up front

Reputable contractors will never ask for 100% up-front payment. If a contractor insists on you paying up front, especially if they insist on cash, don’t agree to it. Typically, paying a third up front, another third during, and the final third upon satisfactory completion of the project is a good way to protect yourself. Pay with credit cards or checks rather than cash if possible.

Beware of contractor financing

If the work you’re having done does need to be financed, secure your own financing. Often, when contractors suggest a certain lender, it’s because they get some kind of kickback in return for getting you to borrow from them. There are usually better financing options than what the contractor recommends.

Insist on a written contract

Never settle for a handshake and a verbal agreement. Always get a contract in writing and look over it carefully before signing and agreeing to any work. Make sure that the contract details which materials will be used, when the project is set to begin and end, and what it’s expected to cost.

Interior Decorating and Remodeling News brought to you by ezbaseboardheatercovers.com
Source: islandpacket.com/2015/07/16/3839021/money-tips-be-on-the-lookout-for.html

Darksiders 2 is confirmed for being remastered for PS4 and most likely Xbone. It was first rumored when a listing on Amazon appeared stating it was on PS4 and going to be at the price point of 40$. Nordic Games has since come forward stating it is being remastered for the PS4 but it is not ready to reveal anything regarding it just yet. The price might not be a set thing but lot of remasters have recently been around 40$-50$ so Im hopeing it sticks to that price range.

Day 3: Who the hell is Calvin Tucker? What makes this dumb ass so deserving of his own redneck jamboree? Why he's a fictional character of course. And by Jamboree I mean 12 god awful mini games...well more like 11, but more on that after. I can't believe I'm going to review this game. For your enjoyment, I proudly present to you: Calvin Tucker's Redneck Jamboree....yay...

I thought that by organizing a list of games I was interested in playing would be a good way to experience them all in a timely manner but in hindsight, I think it was a bad idea over all. The good thing is that I was able to spend more time with each game than I normally would have, and discovered games I normally wouldnt play. The bad thing is that I didnt like a couple of games, triple A games, long games,  and I didn't enjoy the time I spent with them. I feel like I wasted my time actually. I had such a bad time in fact that I went back and started playing games I know I enjoyed. This backlog is what caused my desire to want to stop gaming and a reminder of why I just cannot trust mainstream game review sites. I've gone off on mainstream game reviewers in the past, so I wont do it anymore. I just find opinions from enthusiasts on forums, youtube and blogs to be more honest sometimes and just as valiable. I think it's time to let go of the game reviewer as god and accept more opinions from the community as well.

Good Friday Morning Pixlbit Nation! It is a gloomy Friday Morning here in Rainy Southern California. Yes, it is true Southern California doesn’t deal well with weather that isn’t triple digit hot, or in the 70s. Anything that falls out of the sky people tends to forget the rules of the road. I blame Hipsters. So I am typing this while listening to my “Not Heard Christmas Music” playlist and I have to say some of the songs people write for the holidays are not that great, along with some of the covers of songs that I like. It’s an odd thing but that’s just me. Anyways so it is Friday, and I need to make a few calls this morning (I’m waiting for a couple of businesses to open) and I have to run down to the Post Office to mail out my stuff for the baby cousins, so we need to get this edition of Quick Hits up and running!

First, I mention this at the end of the blog too, but if you could take this short survey, it sure would help myself and my fellow grad students out. It's only 17 questions and responses are kept anonymous. Please and thank you. https://jfe.qualtrics.com/form/SV_bE0s9GgNM1bpsmV 

A video Nsonic79 posted on his blog yesterday got me interested in visiting http://ssega.com and playing some classic horror video games I never heard of as a kid, but people raved about when I was older. 

I would be hard pressed to include a Castlevania title this year given how I did such last year with Castlevania Judgment. But given how the Wii U’s Virtual Console is getting a lot of Castlevania love this month with Castlevania: Dracula X, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, I thought this would be a good time to highlight a Castlevania title that might get overlooked by Wii U owners. I am hopeful that Wii U owners might be able to buy this WiiWare title that seems to have been long forgotten. I hardly hear anyone speak of this title, especially after the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. So hopefully you’re all in the mood to dust off your Nintendo Wii’s (or have the urge to enter your Wii U’s into Wii Mode to see if you can buy this little gem) for some retro gaming goodness with my number 9 pick for Octoberween 2014 – Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth.

HUNT Horrors of the Gilded Age (CRYTEK) makers of Darksiders

 upcoming free-to-play video game being developed by Crytek Frankfurt, to be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows in late-2014. Set in the 19th century, the game will be a co-operative third person shooter mixed with elements of survival horror and action RPGs. 

I hate giving up on a game when I just start them, but I rarley have regrets when I do. Some games I never finished that I think were good games were Resonance of Fate, and Valkyria Chronicles. With Resonance of Fate there were long sections where you had to survive before reaching the boss at the end, a dungeon if you will. Dying half way and having to restart was very frustrating, but probably meant that I didn't understand the combat well enough. This is more likely true. Valkyria Chronicles, which is like an anime XCOM had long campaigns where you could end your game after an hour over a dumb mistake. Again, it probably means I didn't understand the game mechanics well enough to keep going. They are both really good games in my opinion, but with so many games to play out there, I don't feel like investing time to learn new systems all the time. I need to cut down to one or two games a month, instead of every week. 

I just joked that I am in a draft of an article I'm writing for plus10damage, but really, am I?

How did we go from 4-2 in the second period to being beat 5-4 in OT? Well, we looked damn good out there otherwise, so here's to next season.