More Sim Racing - PS4 - T300 and Project CARS - Sold the Spitfire

So I am back at it.. (sim racing that is) with new equipment and a new title... but more importantly my father and I made the joint decision to sell the Team Sex Pistons Triumph Spitfire LeMons race car. It had been sitting in the garage untouched since December 2013 so it was time. A group of younger more enthusiastic guys bought it and I am glad it will continue to be abused and thrashed as we intended. Not going to get sentimental, but I was a bit sad. We had a lot of fun and that was the point.


Good Bye you awesome British hunk of tin scrap - it was fun while it lasted

With the Spitfire sold, there was some extra cash for sim racing stuff... I have a new wheel stand, a TH8a shifter, and new T3PA-Pro pedals on the way. Once they are all setup I will eventually take some pictures and write proper reviews. For now I have to say Project CARS with the T300 wheel is an absolute blast. It is the most realistic racing title to ever be on a console. - Quick clip of me trying to drive the Formula A (Formula 1) car on the famous Spa track..LINK TO VIDEO

Anyways.. life is good.


Wife and I in Sequoia

The rest of the funds normally spent on racing will go towards travel for my wife and I. We recently took a weekend up at the Sequoia National Park, will be going to visit friends in the Cali Bay Area soon, shortly after a trip to visit some family in Colorado, then a cruise to Alaska. All before October this year. Bonus note from Sequoia - we saw some bears and I took a pretty OK photo of one between freaking out..



More to come later!

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - New game (not a review)

It has been quite some time since I played a Call of Duty game (Black Ops 1), but before then I played them all. The game series just got stale, nothing got better or really different, and my interest was lost. Now on a new console, backed by positive reviews, I decided to throw my free Dell credit down (big spender) and order COD: Advanced Warfare.

So far so good - everything works well, there are new aspects to the game, and it is pretty (1080p 60FPS). Basically they took the old COD recipe and threw in an Exo suit to allow you to move faster, jump higher, carry a shield, go invisible, etc etc.. Hell, they even hired Kevin Spacey to play a main character in the story. Yeah, I actually am playing the single player part of a COD game, go figure.

Now if Destiny will just loosen it's grasp on my interest long enough for me to play the game, I can see what it is really all about then report back. Shit, I still have Metro Redux and some Assasin's Creed game laying around unfinished... Oh well forget them, that is the past and COD AW is now.

Is it 5'o clock yet? I want a beer or three....

Destiny - My review (now that I have completed the raid and I'm almost level 30)

Well honestly I had become completely addicted to this game. Since purchased, it is the only video game that has run on my PS4. I have a level 29 Warlock that has completed the raid on normal winning 2 pieces of raid armor, and a level 26 Titan. For those who don't play the game, that is about 4-5 days (96-120) of play time, or 130 hours at my pace. $60 for that much enjoyment is easily worth the cost 4 times over. This review is based on Destiny as of November 6th 2014, before any later patches or any DLC. It does not include video and only 2 screen shots of my characters because you can find that stuff all over the internet. Hell, I don't even know why I am writing this review as that same point could apply against even making this effort.. oh well here goes anyways.



Straight out lets get to the point, I give the game 9/10. It is awesome, kicks ass, shits rainbows, all of that jazz.. Considering there is no monthly fee for the game (PS+ is required but I had that anyway) there is no other game out there that has given me as much enjoyment for so little money other than Gran Turismo series. There is no reason to say the game isn't great or I would be some kind of video game masochist with over 120 hours of time put into it. The cross between PVE (playing with others against the game) and PVP (playing against other players) has been done so well in Destiny. Bungie, well done sirs... but nothing is perfect.

There are a few things I could say need improvement and they are the same from my original post about the game. Basically improve the community features. Note: this only really matters because otherwise the game is so good, if the game was bad no one would care.

1. Give us the option to use voice chat all over the game, not just in private fire teams.

2. Improve the clan features by showing a clan list in the game and allowing clans to communicate in the game via some sort of clan message board.

3. Give us a better way to find groups for the harder events, Bungie and Activision were completely lazy with this and the player community had to create their own ways. So I have to go on a forum or social media site to communicate. There should be some way to easily find others looking to do the harder parts of the game, in the actual game.

There are also a lot of complaints about the story but meh, it is not really something much of a concern for me, this is one thing I don't mind having to read about using the grimoire cards on the bungie website or cell phone app. Some of it being a mystery is also fun to me. Knowing the full story right away would kinda kill it.

So there you have it... Destiny rules. Hopefully when the DLC comes out in December it will continue and only improve.

Laters, I'm out!

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.

Exciting F1 race in Hungary and I got a PS4...

Getting ahead of myself - I found a deal on a PS4 console that came with a controller, a game, 3 months PSN, and a $100 gift card for $450. Which is basically a savings of $115. Since I was going to get one before the end of the year anyways, I decided to take advantage of this deal. The game that came with it was MLB 14 - The Show, but I have no interest in baseball games so I traded it in for Killzone: Shadow Fall and a $10 gift card. Sadly there are no racing sims out for this console yet nor quality wheels that are fully supported. The first force feedback PS4 supported wheel (Thrustmaster T300 RS) is coming soon, and the first racing sim (Project CARS) is coming in November. In spite of the lacking conent, I have had a lot of fun over the past few days playing on the PS4 with the free to play games, the PS+ free games, and Killzone: Shadow Fall. One of the best features of this system is the ability to remote into the system using my PS Vita handheld console. So when my wife is watching TV, I can still game on the PS4 using the handheld screen which Sony calls remote play.

And onto the F1 race... I have to say 'Wow what a race!' The last 10 laps were what racing is all about. Three different teams battling it out for the top positions, a huge fight to the podium from starting in the pits by Hamilton... Daniel Ricciardo's second win, and even some rain.. Sure I am currently favoring Williams but I will always rather have a race like that over having my favorites do well. The people who say open wheel racing is boring need to watch that race and rethink their ideas of what open wheel circuit racing can be like. For the official F1 race report go HERE. As for now, F1 is on their summer break and won't return until August 22-24 at Spa. Hopefully we will see some more great racing and some better results from Williams.

And for me... I will have to continue getting my racing fix on the old ps3 with Grid Autosport, WRC 4, and Gran Turismo 6.. that is, if I don't keep turning on the PS4.

Playstation Gold Wireless Headset - Review (help racing games sound better)

So with a majority of my time playing racing games occurring during late night hours or early morning before work, I am required to wear headphones. With the lack of a headphone port on our TV, I was left rigging something up to get sound from my PS3 to a pair of headpones. The set up I have been using for quite awhile now has been OK at best.



These ragged old headphones powered by a $10 headphone amp (that lacks EQ adjustments)connected to the RCA audio out on the ps3, has served me well. Sadly I knew the flat neutral sound achieved from this setup was always lacking bass and trebble. Having used the headphones for music through my MAC I knew they could sound better and that the configuration was the problem. I also was left without a way to voice chat with other online racers... Sure I had the old ps3 camera that has a mic, but it picks up every little sound in the room, leading others understandably to mute me.



Then while searching online for PS4 console deals (will be upgrading soon to a PS4 and looking forward to ProjectCars) I came across a sale on the Playstation Gold Wireless Headset. Normally priced at $99, they were going for $69 on Groupon... so I figured it was worth a shot. Once they finally arrived and I got them charged up, I was really glad I made the purchase.

The most important part - The sound quality - it is really good for gaming. There is plenty of bass and everything comes in clear. The sounds in Grid Autosport are so much more intense. Deep throaty motors, wheels screaming, and blasting backfires... really all the sound for me is improved. I am also currently playing the Destiny Beta and it also sounds great. I tried messing with the different sound profiles you can load through the ps3/ps4 companion app (to do so you must directly connect the headset to the console with the USB cable - which the instructions fail to mention), but I found using the plain "Bass Boost" profile worked best. When trying to set the EQ myself I over did the bass and could hear distortion, and really the other sound profiles did not sound any better to me. There is a basic switch for off, 1 (flat standard EQ), and 2 (bass boost by default or the profile you uploaded from the app). There is also a built in virtual surround sound (VSS), which is on by default, but I suggest you turn it off because the sound looses depth and bass. Unless you are playing an online shooter where you want the exaggerated highs to hear the location of other players around you the sound quality diminishes with VSS on in my opinion. Give it a shot though, you may like it, and VSS is easily turned on and off by simply holding a button down on the headset for a couple seconds.

They are actually very comfortable and wireless!... once I got them fitted over my large ears, I was able to play for hours with no comfort issues. I must have played for at least 3 hours strait. They are also much better for the organisation of our entertainment center. No longer do I have the headphones, the amp, and the extra RCA cables connected to the console. The only cable needed is for charging which I hook up to the back of our Wii console. The whole setup is much cleaner looking with less clutter.

The battery life is long enough for me.. Considering I used them for multiple hours and the charge meter still showed 1/2 full, I would say that the battery lasts plenty long. Just make sure after each use you hook them up to a charging source. I have read they can also be used while charging, but I would rather not have to figure a way to do that. Thankfully the Wii always has power to it's USB ports even while off, which I have been using to charge my PS3 controllers already anyway. I am sure any generic cell phone wall adapter would work as well considering most are in the 500-1200ma range.

The mic quality is good so far..No one has said anything about the sound of my voice being weird, and that used to happen all the time when I used the USB camera/mic. When I tested my voice using the console accessory settings, it sounded fine to me. Also there is a control to adjust the volume of game sounds vs chat. So if you are not very concerned with hearing everything spoken you can fade the chat out a little, or if playing in a team based game (like Destiny) you can have the chat sound level come in a bit louder so you never miss a word. Another mic related feature of this headset is Sidetone which allows you to hear yourself talk. This works by taking sound from the mic and directly playing it back to the headset in real time so you don't naturally start talking loud to hear yourself. The idea is to recover the lost sound of your voice caused by heaving your ears covered by the headphones. I found it effective and a welcome feature but it does introduce a slight static noise. So when you are not chatting just hit the mute button and the static will be gone.

Compatibility...The Playstation Gold Wireless Headset works on PS3, PS4, (and with a driver install) MAC and PC. So these can be purchased to use on your computer as well for video chatting and gaming there. Bonus for me, they are compatible with PS4 so I will be set when I upgrade. One thing is, you will need a PS3 or PS4 if you want to change the EQ or load a sound profile as the app has not been released for MAC or Windows.

A few minor complaints...
Having to use the USB dongle.. this is more a complaint about the PS3 and PS4 consoles, the newest ones only have 2 USB ports.. so space is limited. When using items like headphones and wheels, you do not want to split off too many USB ports as the signal quality can be compromised. Though there are good USB hubs out there that could handle it no problem, I would just rather not bother. Plus if you lose the dongle, the headset becomes almost worthless, so I just keep it plugged into my console.

The profiles in the companion app don't explain much.. they don't show you what their EQ setting is, otherwise you could use them as a starting point and adjust from there. They also do not reference the VSS and if the profile is intended to be used with it. With VSS on, the EQ settings should be different, at least I would think so. Like I said before, with VSS on there is less bass with exaggerated treble and that could be because I am using the wrong profile perhaps? After about 3 different profiles and 1 failed attempt at a custom setting, I uploaded the bass boost standard that was the default for position 2 on the switch. So if you don't want to play with the companion app, you can just set the switch to 2, turn off VSS, and forget it.

The included USB cable is, for the lack of better words, stupid short! This was the first thing I changed out.. even to use it for a charge cable you must have the headset right next to the USB port. Not sure how such a short cable really saved Sony any money.. but this is not a major problem as micro USB cables can be found cheap and likely, if you have been using android phones, you have an extra one lying around.

Overall, Sony has produced a good quality headset at a competitive price point. Soon there will be more sound profiles for games and custom side plates to change the look if you so desire. So if you are looking for a new headset for your PS3 or PS4 be sure to take a look at the Playstation Gold Wireless Headset.