Making the Switch

So I think I'm going to buy a Nintendo Switch.

I've held off for a couple years, and that's mostly because a.) I still have a system with a stack of yet-to-be-beaten titles to work through, and b.) I don't have time to play the systems I already own.

That being said, I think I'm going to buy a Nintendo Switch.

I haven't really spent a whole hell of a lot of time playing video games over the last couple years, sure, what with Adulting and everything, but friends (and students) of mine are continuously singing the Switch's praises.  Being an original NES fan from the Golden Age of Gaming, I've grown up with Nintendo's various flagship titles throughout the formative years of my life.  Older generations might not understand the rationale behind a grown man playing video games, and younger generations probably think it's weird.  But for we Generation Y'ers - those born after the Gen X'ers but before the Millenials - we were the first to grow up with story-based video games, and those titles had a profound impact on our generation.

The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker

I view franchises like The Legend of Zelda (my favorite) the same as I do my favorite books, movies and LPs.  They're an indistinguishable part of a generation that really hit its stride following the fading of Atari, and grew into puberty while simultaneously saving Hyrule.

Of course I sprung for this version.

Back in 2014, our Wii stopped reading discs and instead of purchasing a new one, I decided upgrade to the newly-released Wii U, which could play all my existing Wii titles with improved graphics and a tablet controller (I explained all this before, if you'll recall.)  This system has held up insanely well over the years, despite the negative press it has thrown at it, and it's still the main system our family utilizes today.  The girls have grown up with it, and with its off-TV, separate screen-play mode, Yours Truly can play video games while the girls watch whatever bullshit they're currently into on Netflix.

So now that the Switch is out, I find myself having to finally address all the Wii U games that I bought over the years and never completed.  Many of these games I haven't gotten around to starting yet, others I started and never finished.  I'm reluctant to pull the trigger on a brand new gaming system until I get some degree of closure with these remaining titles:  I have dozens of Wii games that I shelved without playing more than a couple times, having set them on the backburner when I upgraded to the Wii U.  I don't want to do the same thing when I upgrade to the Switch.

Homeboy's going to feel that in the morning.

With that in mind, I've recently - like, since Christmas Vacation, thereabouts - started to readdress these neglected Wii U titles, and put in serious time towards beating them.  After years of on-again, off-again quasi-playing, I finally beat Windwaker, back in December.  The girls were home with me and watched the ending unfold over the course of a couple hours (towards the end of some of these longer adventure games, the cut-scenes and cinematics get pretty lengthy.)  I'm not going to lie:  it's really awesome having a cheering section on hand when you finally drive the Master Sword into Ganon's skull.

Pirates in LoZ.  I don't get it, either.

And this heroic victory of mine inspired Abby to start her own game save in Windwaker - as an old school gamer, it's pretty rad seeing your offspring take up the torch.  Setting off into the sun with a bunch of pirates.

You meet your daughter at the end of the game.  Which is random.

Speaking of pirates, I also beat Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag last month.  This one, too, was an on-again/off-again love affair, and one that I poured hours of gameplay into the summer I bought it (that summer, down in Florida, was basically devoted to playing Black Flag and floating in my pool working on my tan - I love paid summers off.)  Anyway, it had been sitting on a shelf, about 80% finished, when I finally decided to check it off the to-do list.

Drinks with the guys. Hornigold, Vane, Tew, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack.

Like Legend of Zelda and any other game I pick up, I like to think of myself as a completionist.  I buy the player's guide, I collect every last item and uncover every last secret in a game, I beat every side mission, every miscellaneous quest, everything before I head to the last level, boss, whatever.  It's the Hough OCD in me, I guess.  Anyway, while it's immensely satisfying, it's also insanely time-consuming, and that's why it's taken me years to beat some of these games.

My trusty shuttle, the Normandy.

But, last month I did.  And then I moved on to a third long-neglected gem:  Mass Effect 3.  This one was also pretty in-depth, but didn't require nearly as many hours to get through - the side content wasn't as extensive, but it was still a rip-roarin' ride, fighting alien assholes throughout the galaxy.  It was more combat-centric, but with an emphasis on conversations throughout the game that steer the narrative of the story, so the element of diplomacy and strategy was a welcome change.  Beating that one was a punch in the gut.

A few people died.

At present, I've got about three old Wii U titles (well, old in the since they're from 2014 - 2016) that I'd like to work through before I ultimately pull the trigger on the Switch.  Assassin's Creed III (which takes place during the American Revolution, which is totally badass), Watchdogs (think Grand Theft Auto), and Xenoblade: Chronicles (a sci-fi RPG that's incredibly open-world.)  Since I'm only half-way through one of them at the moment, I think it's safe to say that's more than enough content to get me through the rest of the school year, for sure.

I wouldn't want to lunge in to Breath of the Wild (the Switch's debut Zelda title) until Summer anyway - from what I hear, you can lose hundreds of hours playing that one.

And, as you guys know now, I'm somewhat of a completionist.

- Brian

Kris Outlives Alexander the Great, Jesus, and a Slew of Dead Rock Stars

I don't bake.

Alexander the Great, John Bonham, Chris Farley, John Belushi and some guy named Jesus all have one thing in common with Kris.

They all reached 33.

Of course, around here, we're hoping Kris doesn't die this year.

We didn't do much for Kris' birthday - I bought her a cheesecake 'cause I can't bake for shit, the kids decorated leftover cupcakes from my birthday that've been in the freezer, and we snapped a few pictures.

PIRATES

Besides her birthday, nothing new has been going on around here lately.  Kris and I have been shopping like crazy for the upcoming school year - our whole family needs new school/work clothes, supplies, etc. - and I've been starting to organize all the files and lessons on my school laptop (though it's hard, seeing how my administrators haven't bothered to tell me what I'll be teaching this year. . . which is just as awesome as it sounds.)  I haven't been logging any more hours in Assassin's Creed lately, due to the amount of work-related panic I've been hilt-deep in. . . but it's probably good I'm giving the Wii U a chance to breathe after this summer's nerd fest.

Anyway.  That's that.

How's your day?

- Brian

Grandma's Summer Visit '14

Grandparental visits run like clockwork with us.  Dad and Cindy come down in October and May, Mom (and John, when his work load allows) comes in the Summer.  It's been like that for years, with a few change-ups here and there, but having consistency with the visits is definitely helpful with the kids.

Summer means Grandma.

Here's some pics from Mom's recent week-long stay at Casa de Hougho:

Got this in the mail the other day.  Apparently the Republicans value my opinion.  Gods knows why.

Abby's has a permanent hankerin' for string cheese.

The Cannonball showcases her newly-acquired violin skills for Grandma. . .

Yet another grandparent has their hair tended to by Abby the Stylist.  I guess she has a thing for grey hair.

Bedtime stories (sort of - Abby can't read.)

No, that's not a worm slithering down our hallway. . .

Not sure how a baby snake got into the kid's room.  Hopefully I don't end up on the new by ignoring this.

Every year on my birthday, Kris asks me what I want to do for my birthday.  It's basically the only carte blanche day I get throughout the year, and I'm not a hard man to please by any means.  I forego parties and evenings out at restaurants for something much, much simpler. . .

Boarding a British frigate from the comfort of one's living room couch?  God bless technology.

A day to myself where I can just sit around unshowered and play videogames.

That might sound like nothing, but when you're an adult with a job and a mortgage, and have three chicks living under the same roof as you, you'd be surprised how little time you have to yourself.  Especially for 'unimportant' things like video games.

As I mentioned earlier, I bought a Wii U some months back, and ever since then I've been steadily buying games for it that I never have the time to play during the school year.  One of these shelf-warmers was Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.  The best-selling franchise is incredibly popular and a critically-acclaimed juggernaut, and with this most recent installment the story takes place during the Golden Age of Piracy, smack in the midst of the roaring Caribbean islands.

(You may or may not recall that I'm somewhat fond of pirates.)

One of the coolest features of this game is that it's completely open-ended - you can go anywhere you want throughout the Caribbean islands at any time, and the game's designers (who must've spent years developing all the little details) obviously did their homework when making sure everything was historically accurate.  As a history nerd - an pirate aficionado - I was thoroughly impressed.

The Gamepad features on this games are amazing. . .

So anyway, even though I also own Assassin's Creed III (which takes place during the American Revolutionary War), I opted to start Black Flag this summer instead.  Mainly due to the piratical setting.

This is one of those in-depth games that takes hours in a sitting in order to accomplish anything worthwhile, so it was near impossible to play during the school year.  Consequently, when Kris and Mom offered to take the girls shopping out of the house, I relished in the freedom of an empty house, and promptly killed several hours in front of the living room TV, boarding ships, drinking rum, and otherwise getting shit done.

Not the worst birthday I've celebrated, that's for sure.

During my pillaging of the Caribbean, Mom and Kris took the kids to the mall to play around in its indoor playground and do some shopping. . .

Later that evening, as I was somewhat strong-armed into putting down the Gamepad and rejoining my family, the girls all started decorating cupcakes and what-not for my birthday (not that any of us adults wanted cupcakes, but the kids obviously enjoy that sort of thing.)

Our kids enjoy sugar a great deal.

Abby usually applies a 'decorate one, eat two' mentality when it comes to decorating cupcakes. . .

This is how Abby rolls, folks.

Man, kid jokes are HILARIOUS.

Fairy weirdness ensues on the back of the couch. . .

Abby just kind of ad libs her own stories.  The story's usually a lot weirder than the author intended.

Updating Alayna's summer reading log. . .

Mom attempts to fix Kris' antique sewing machine. . .

This summer we decided it'd probably be a good idea to paint a few rooms of the house, as the walls definitely needed it back when we moved in a few years ago, and they've been forced to endure children and dogs ever since.

Teaching the Cannonball how to play Solitaire (which proved to be futile.)

God, I hate this game. . .

After the kitchen walls, the play room was next. . .

Catching a nap whenever possible - these frickin' kids never sleep.

Arts and crafts time with Grandma

Making 'pizzas'

Cooling off in our backyard pool (which is somewhat smaller than previous summers' pools. . . but, as stated before, we opted to utilize Aquatica this summer instead of setting up a large pool in the backyard)

The agreed-upon 'nice' picture with Grandma - we usually get a couple out of the girls first. . .

. . . so that they can get a dozen 'silly' pictures on the back-end.

(It's been awhile since I took some pictures of the backyard)

Abby channels her inner Macaulay Caulkin (or however you spell that washed-up child actor's name.)

More pics of the backyard. . .

Our neighbor's tree spilleth over into our yard (I don't care, though - looks kinda cool.)

I recently took all the metal shelving out of the shed and reassembled it in the garage for storage use, which I kinda wish I had done a long time ago - that shelving is awesome.

This shed has definitely spoiled me - I don't think I could ever own a home without one now. . .

This year I put birthday money and some funds I had set aside towards a new spin bike I had picked up on Amazon.  It was high-rated, and gave me an opportunity to get some cardio in after a summer of basically sitting around on my ass doing nothing.  I have a weight bench, and use it occasionally, but I wanted something that provided a workout to get my heart rate up.  The bonus here, of course, is that I can work out and watch TV at the same time (anything to distract me from the fact that I'm exercising. . . I hate exercising.)

More violin.

Watson

Posing on the newly-assembled spin bike

One last go-round of arts and crafts with Grandma before she flies back to Michigan

- Brian