Destiny - The Game - PS4

OK so I lied, one more post before my race.. I picked up a copy of Destiny for the PS4 and it is lots of fun.. stayed up late last night with a few beers and played until I realized I had to be at work in 8 hours. Yes I like it and highly recommend it. I won't do a full review of this game other than a few points because the only way to understand is to play it. Besides, there is way more info out on the interwebs than you need to make up your mind if you will buy it. If you game, more than likely someone you know is playing it right now, so you could also ask them.



My first character is a Exo Warlock because I enjoyed the warlock class the most in the beta. I picked the Exo race because well.. the humans and aliens just look too emo and prissy for my liking (no options for beards WTF?)



The graphics look great and the controls are well designed.. the world(s) are fun to explore. Bungie made this game available on last gen (PS3 & Xbox 360) and current gen (PS4 and Xbox One) consoles. Also if you get the digital copy on last gens console, you have the option to upgrade your copy of Destiny to the same company's current gen console for free. Your account, characters created, and loot all carries over. So don't wait if you are saving up for the new console, get it on the one you have and upgrade later when you get a chance.



If you have not heard about this game then likely A. you are not a gamer (or only play a tight niche on PC) B. you live under a rock, or C. -I am too tired to think of another reason-. You likely have seen an advertisement for this game somewhere and not known what it was. This is based on the fact that $500M was spent by Bungie & Activision on this game, a majority of which was on marketing. Seems well spent as there were so many people talking about it, the hype was huge, and now so many people are playing it.



My only complaints so far: I don't have enough time right now to play as much as I would like, and the in-game communication and community features are lacking. The only way to communicate with people in game is to use the PSN/XBL network messaging system which requires you to switch over the the console interface, be in a private party (also provided by the console's network), or to join in a fireteam (group) with other players in-game so you can use voice chat to talk to them. There are no text chat or area voice chat options provided by the game itself. As for the in game community features, you can join a clan (but that requires going on a computer and using a website) but you can't even see an active clan list in game to join up with your clan mates. You have to use the console's network and add them as a friend anyways.. So all the clan gives you basically is a label. Hopefully Bungie will improve on those limiting features. None of this keeps me from enjoying the game though.

Now back to the cubicle .. (would rather be playing Destiny)

inFAMOUS: Second Son - Review

To start out - I finished my first play through using evil karma with 100% completion and the game is very entertaining. Sucker Punch designed a great game again and this is my short review; good controls, good story, good game, now go play it. You happy?

Oh you want more info.. OK.. Now for the big issue, the gripe, what irritated me through the whole game.. the DAMN main character, Delsin Rowe, is an annoying hipster douche. If the writers intended him to come off that way then bravo! So to go along with that, I could not help myself when I found the "SWAG" store and took a screenshot, very fitting. Now onto the good stuff...









THE POWERS!! they are as fun as the last two inFAMOUS games and now with the higher specs of the PS4 they look even better. Sucker Punch has thrown in a photo mode to compliment the Playstation share function so you can enjoy every part and show it off. Blow stuff up, move fast, run up walls, snipe out yellow umbrellas.. there is so much to enjoy.









The recipe for Second Son has not changed much from the past two inFAMOUS games. Collect shards to increase your powers which you then use to get around and battle a military style group who is constantly after you. Gain new powers, collect shards to improve them, fight more enemies, rinse, wash, and repeat. This all works very well though.. just as you get comfortable with a power you can gain a new one and continue to enjoy.





There are also other side missions to keep you busy, the example above is tagging or street art missions. You find them, clear the enemies from the area, then use your controller to paint in the stencil. Basic but the artwork can be amusing. Other side missions include (but are not limited to) chasing down secret agents, destroying hidden cameras, handling protesters, and district showdowns. None of which are needed to complete the game, but they are part of the experience and I highly recommend doing them all.







Sucker Punch has turned the city of Seattle into an absolutely stunning playground, and tells you a pretty decent story to go along with all your evil doing.. (or if you choose Good Karma, your heroic acts). They have really set a high standard for what people should expect from the latest consoles and games in general. Yes, I said I would take videos.. I did.. and meh.. there are so many out there, I figured it not worth my time, just go to youtube. Maybe I will make one for my next review, but no promises. Besides, I do my best to not include any spoilers and videos can quickly ruin that.



If you own a Playstation 4 and haven't played this game then go get it. The discounted used prices you can pick it up for make it an absolute bargain for the number of hours of entertainment, more so if you play through twice to complete both good and evil karma. If you don't own a PS4 then sorry you wont be able to experience this game.. so switch to cheaper beer or stop eating out so much, because you need one so you can go grab a six pack and play this game.

Picked up Metro Redux for PS4

So another HD remaster of a past game (for this example two games), but is it worth the $50 price tag? That has been the main question for those who already have played these titles. As for myself, having not played Metro: 2033 and only just starting Metro: Last Light on PS3, this will be a new experience. 4A games has done a graphical revamp of both Metro games so they run at 1080p 60fps on Playstation 4 and are said to hold their own visually against any modern shooter available today.



I have only scratched the surface of the game, but already I am highly impressed with the graphics, solid controls (once adjusted), and game play of 2033 Redux. You are given the option to choose different levels of difficulty and play style, and even though I chose the non-hardcore spartan route, the game is still difficult and I have died a few times. Combined with a constant feeling of fear brought on by the dark eerie environment and music, the difficulty helps with the games immersion into a dark world the original author of Metro 2033 likely intended.





There are moments when you can see old textures and can tell you are playing a remastered game (somewhat noticeable in the next two screenshots), but it really doesn't take away much.





Most of the graphics are well done with the smooth 60FPS game play that blows you away with deep environments, detailed character models, and sophisticated lighting seen bellow.





Hopefully the game holds my attention and will be money well spent. If the beginning is any indication of how both full games are, then that should not be a problem. If you are interested, head over to a Best Buy (or go online) as they will include a $10 gift card free with the purchase of Metro Redux. That brings the cost from $50 down to $40, assuming you make good use of the gift card. Best Buy is also holding a 50% bonus for game trade ins so if you have any games laying around you don't play it maybe a good time to take advantage. These deals end in a few days on 08/30/2014.



If I finish each of the Metro Redux games I will give them a proper review, but this could be awhile. I am currently in the middle of inFAMOUS: Second Son and the hugely anticipated title Destiny is just around the corner. So many games, so little time....

Picked up inFAMOUS: Second Son

Recently got myself a used copy of the popular Playstation 4 game inFAMOUS: Second Son and so far the game is a blast (get it?). A used copy of this game works fine as there is no online pass or any other benefit for buying it new that I know of. So thanks to Walmart for selling used games now and supplying me a copy for only $32.



With such great graphics, it has sparked my interest in the screenshot & video share function available on the PS4. The screenshot above was taken and uploaded with the press of a button while playing. Too bad they only allow direct upload sharing to Facebook and Twitter as I would like to directly upload to google+.



Having already played inFAMOUS 1 & 2 on PS3, getting used to the controls took no time at all and the powers already obtained in just a short period of time are pretty amazing.

Will collect screenshots and video and write up a proper review once I have completed my first play through.. if you played an inFAMOUS game before you know it is best played twice, once with evil karma and once with good karma. I started with evil so my review will be based on that.... now back to the cubicle....

Killzone: Shadow Fall - A quick and dirty review.

I recently picked up Killzone: Shadow Fall which is a First Person Shooter (FPS) for the Playstation 4. The story continues a few decades after Killzone 3 with the ISA (Humans) allowing the Helghast (Human descendant alien types) to live on their planet now that theirs is no longer habitable. This leads to a cold war and you follow the two main characters of the opposing races as they face escalation and possible annihilation. The campaign is roughly 10 hours long (for me anyways) on the normal difficulty, and never drags or becomes frustrating. A more avid FPS fan should play it on hard to get the most from it but I am not that dedicated and lean a bit casual with FPS games so normal gave me the right amount of challenge.

Basics - you shoot and kill humanoids, blow stuff up, and try not to die. The feature that make this game a little bit different is the addition of a multi use flying drone which shoots, shocks/stuns, hacks, provides a mobile zip-line, creates temporary cover, and can revive you. A nice element that adds a little more depth to the already crowded FPS genre.

I did not buy any of the extra content, but have and continue to still play a bit of the multiplayer which is also fun and adds value to the purchase. There are plenty of different modes and enough character customization to please almost all multiplayer shooter fans.

This game has been out for about 9 months.. so yeah this review is a bit late but is is still a good buy. You can find it well under the release price of $59.99. Lucky for me a friend told me when Best Buy had dropped the price to $20 new which was a no-brainer purchase for my first PS4 game.

Killzone: Shadow Fall is a great looking, well designed, and most importantly a fun to play first person shooter for PS4. So if you have not played it yet trade in some games, sell some blood, or do whatever it is you do to raise video game and beer money.. then buy it, grab some of your favorite beer (or cheap beer), and enjoy.

"Firs" official Gran Turismo App is released but not for Android...

Oh Polyphony Digital, why must you continue this way? "Firs" of all, you have a larger fan base that owns Android devices than iOS, yet you officially stated an android version is not in the making in the notes section on the bottom of your web page. "There is currently no plan to release an Android version of the app" (Source Gran-Turismo.com ). Second, you advertise this Apple App on Facebook with a banner containing an obvious spelling error, twice. Did anyone even look at the image before it was posted the first time let alone the second?

You continue to put out huge patches and updates to GT6 that mostly contain HD videos that hardly anyone cares about and would rather just watch on a stream online and not waste their PS3 hard drive space with. Important features advertised when the game was released nearly 8 months ago are still missing. Also one of the most entertaining, not to mention popular, online modes from GT5 you did not even bother to include in GT6 (Shuffle).

GT7 is already in the works, but you have not proven you deserve any positive attention..