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End of Summer Reviews!
4
Blog Entry
Published on August 14, 2025 12:26 AM - 6 minute read

Summer is winding down, so let’s have one big last bash with game reviews I’ve recently written over at GamerDad.com.  Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.  OK let’s begin!

My Hero
My Hero
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Review Rewind
Published on August 16, 2022 12:30 PM - 7 minute read
The Hapless Hero

In 1986, Sega introduced the Sega Card for their Master System home console in the US. It represented the Master System’s ability to play games on small cartridges about the size of a credit card via the card expansion slot on the original system models. Sega wasted no time creating a lineup of games that would be best suited for bite-sized play sessions. My Hero was one of those games. Being released in the arcade about a year before its home console release, the game is a scrolling brawler that had the honor (or disgrace) of being one of the first guinea pigs for Sega’s gamble.

Retro Review: Math Blaster
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Blog Entry
Published on March 13, 2021 2:10 PM - 5 minute read

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Forgotten Gaming Mascots #23: Blinx
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Blog Entry
Published on February 26, 2021 12:16 PM - 2 minute read

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Captain N's Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #27
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Blog Entry
Published on February 4, 2021 4:57 AM - 8 minute read

Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #27/Blog a Day #4

Personal Media Favorites from 2000
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Blog Entry
Published on August 4, 2020 10:46 PM - 5 minute read

2000 was the year I started playing some live shows with my band in Philly and several other states. I had to upgrade all my gear for this and it cost me a pretty penny. I did some music on my own as well with a four track and a drum machine. It was music all the time that year, except when I saw, played or read the following.  

Not a BaD Decade - Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
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Blog Entry
Published on February 9, 2020 3:45 PM - 2 minute read

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Five Games
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Blog Entry
Published on November 13, 2019 2:40 AM - 4 minute read

I played four games before getting hooked on the fifth.

Quick review because I'm bored: Pooyan
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Blog Entry
Published on June 14, 2019 7:23 PM - 4 minute read

Hamster's most recent release of its Arcade Archives this week is a 1982 game called Pooyan, by Konami. 

Forza Groove Cause 4
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Blog Entry
Published on March 28, 2019 3:37 AM - 2 minute read

Yes um. . . played me some Forza Horizon 4, Wargroove and Just Cause 4. All were very nice. Details. . .

Minecraft Herding
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Blog Entry
Published on January 3, 2019 2:49 AM - 1 minute read

I built a very large pen and filled it with every type of animal; well, not pandas, or dogs, or turtles - not that I didn't want those too. Mainly it was pigs, cows, sheep, chickens and horses. I kept breeding them until I had to build a bigger pen, then a bigger one. At one point I watched Mark try and breed some in the pen and it created a stampede. If you hold out wheat, you get cows and sheep rushing you to be fed. It was funny.

Minecraft Horses
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Blog Entry
Published on December 28, 2018 2:12 AM - 2 minute read

I've rediscovered the joy of riding horses in Minecraft. All that tedious walking is instantly left behind with a good horse. 

Quantum Conundrum, Sea of Thieves and Letter Quest
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Blog Entry
Published on March 23, 2018 3:02 AM - 5 minute read

Today I packed up Gamefly's Just Cause 3 and joined Game Pass. I started the download for Sea of Thieves and, while I waited, played about 35% of Quantum Condundrum in tandem with Mark. Then I played Sea of Theives for a long while, and then I played Letter Quest the rest of the time. Details below. 

BaD 2004: Green Day, The World Series, & Belief
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Blog Entry
Published on February 15, 2018 9:29 PM - 9 minute read

2004 was a rough year for me. This was my freshman year of high school and the promise of change was quickly and repeatedly met with disappointment. I still count it as one of the worse years for me, personally, along with 2013 and 2016. 

Knocked 3 More Down in Minecraft
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Blog Entry
Published on December 1, 2017 2:11 AM - 3 minute read

Three more achievements aquired. I was well satisfied with myself that I got the two I set out to do and another one in the bargain. 

October 2017 Recap
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Blog Entry
Published on November 9, 2017 2:09 AM - 3 minute read

Games Beaten

Loose Me in the Mines with Diamonds
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Blog Entry
Published on July 11, 2016 4:36 AM - 4 minute read

More Minecraft this weekend. I ticked off two more achievements with six to go. Mark's got more left to do but he'll catch up really quickly when he wants to. Right now he's winning the diamond hunt. He digs down to bedrock and clears out gigantic areas. I have a different method. I dig channels about every three blocks. That way I don't have to mine out every single block. It can get tedious doing every block. Now that we both have diamond pickaxes enchanted to the max, though, it's a lot faster. Not only that, but we discovered that the enchantment "fortune" on a pickaxe increases the yield for certain mineral types. The most important one is diamond, of course. Use a Fortune II or Fortune III enhanced pickaxe on a block of diamond and you'll usually get twice the normal amount of gems from it. In this way we've been able to get plenty of diamonds for equipment. Mark has gotten so many that he made a full suit of diamond armor. I'm close to that, but not really. 

Catch up blog #2 - Adventures of a noob farmsitter
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Blog Entry
Published on May 31, 2016 6:27 PM - 13 minute read

I'd just gotten back from Florida and I got a message from some friends wanting to know if I'd be interested in taking care of their farm for a week and a half. They'd pay me and I could help myself to whatever was in the pantry and freezers, as well as to as many eggs as I wanted. There's a three and a half week wait between when I start at the park and when the first paycheck comes in, so the answer was an emphatic "YES!".

What is Your Most Arresting Gaming Experience of the Past Five Years?
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Blog Entry
Published on October 30, 2015 1:27 PM - 3 minute read

Great art is personal, rather than universal. We find the things that relate to ourselves and cultivate them. When I think back on the transformative experiences I've had with art, I find myself terribly alone. But I should not feel alone: there is a connection between myself and the artist that is the purpose of all art.  I might not have experienced what he or she intentioned, but I was still touched.  And that matters.  I've had more than a few sublime experiences with video games, and I think back to taking my first steps into Hyrule Field, or flying through the air as Knuckles in Sonic Adventure, or getting off the train in Half-Life 2. Games have provided me with some wonderful moments -- in the past.  

Be wary of home improvement scams
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Blog Entry
Published on July 21, 2015 5:13 AM - 4 minute read

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

Giving a PSN "friend" the boot in an awkward way.
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Blog Entry
Published on April 25, 2015 5:10 PM - 3 minute read

As I continue my Far Cry 4 obsession (in which I tend to spend one of my days off playing it for hours on end) I found myself blocking a PSN friend after a disastrous co-op attempt last night. 

Random update 3-10-15
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Blog Entry
Published on March 10, 2015 4:13 PM - 6 minute read

The weather has improved dramatically this month. We've had over a week of no snow storms, and the weather has made it to freezing or just above for the last couple of days. Woohoo! And I will be starting back at the park in 19 days. YAY! Not much going on for excitement, other than Bandit being firmly convinced that the field is a puppy-swallowing wasteland and not to be trusted. I've packed down a trail going out to the trails in the woods behind the house with my snowshoes, but he keeps stepping off the packed-down part and then flounders around in the deep snow and panics. He then heads back for the porch and looks at me like I'm trying to get him killed. Silly dog.

Cary's Top PlayStation Games!
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Blog Entry
Published on February 26, 2015 9:44 AM - 21 minute read

Sorry I didn’t participate in BaD this year.  With game reviews to write over at GamerDad.com, plus my regular job, one extra blog here a week is all I have time for.  But as we wrap up the BaD month, I wanted to go out with a bang with this blog.  So I hope you read and enjoy it!  It’s the 20th Anniversary of the original PlayStation!  Well, technically 2014 was, since it was released in Japan in 1994.  BUT, I’m counting the US release, which was 20 year ago.  So in honor of that, here is a list of my favorite original PlayStation games!  Keep in mind that list this isn’t in any particular order, though.  All right, let’s begin!

Random Update 1-22-15
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Blog Entry
Published on January 22, 2015 2:58 PM - 6 minute read

Good morning, Pixlbit Nation! How is everyone this lovely Thursday? I am fantastic, after being so poor I couldn't afford coffee for the last two weeks, my first unemployment check came in yesterday and I went food shopping. My larder is no longer bare, and I am once again caffeinated. Life is good.

Notes to Self, Pg. 8
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Blog Entry
Published on November 26, 2014 9:24 PM - 6 minute read

Greeting again video gamers! More notes as I read Brett Weiss' The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987.