Playstation 4

After so many years of waiting, of waiting for the bugs to be worked out of the system and then waiting for the Playstation 4.5 (officially called "Playstation 4 Pro"), the wait is almost over.  Almost.  I've only a couple more days to go on this, as it releases on November 10.

So why did I wait?  Why didn't I just jump on the current Playstation 4 and save myself $100?  A massively expanded hard drive...  1TB.  Quicker and improved graphics processing.  4K visual output.  Forward compatibility to the virtual reality expansion.

I should say that thr 4K graphics really doesn't mean much unless you have a 4K television.  I do have that, out of sheer luck (last item / clearance sale).  And I do know that overall, the difference between high def and 4k really doesn't amount to much.  So then, the biggest draw for me with the Pro was the expanded hard drive.  Since I will squeeze out as much life out of a system as I can (I still play the PS2, fer gawd's sake), that extra memory will come in handy... plus the VR ready system may be pertinent later on down the road when it becomes viable.  I'm not planning on VR now, I just like the forward thinking of it.

So anyway, today I strolled over to Gamestop.  Had the usual badgering of the worker before I cut him off.  Walked out with five games that have been on my ever increasing get list.  I am going to make list of games here just in case anyone wants to borrow them.  Why buy before you try, right?

1.  Minecraft, PS4 Edition - Why the hell did I get this when I already have it on the PS3?  Simple, really: the PS4 worlds are 36 times bigger.  Ooooooo. Is it a marked improvement over the PS3 version? Yes! While gameplay and controls are the same, the overall visuals are vastly improved (not to mention the expanded landscape and area of fog.

2.  No Man's Sky - Yes, I know the majority of the reviews have been mediocre, but the good reviews are what I've been paying attention to.  I know the game has faults, but as I am not a hardcore gamer who expects the world from a game, I think I'll enjoy it.  I've been wanting this since day one, one of my friend's has it and has nothing but praise, so who knows. The world I am on is massive. Holy crap! And everything takes place in real time: if your scanner says 2 hours to destination, then yes, it will take you two hours to get there. Immediate suggestion: FLY. I've only been playing the sandbox mode, so can't really say anything about the game; wanting to get a feel of things before I dive right in.

3.  inFAMOUS Second Son - C'mon, does this even need explaining?  It's inFAMOUS!

4.  Fallout 4 - again, do I really need to explain the why or the appeal? It's Fallout, what more is there to say?But now you get to build bases, and furniture!

5.  Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - previews looked good, and while I thought the prior game was okay, it seems to me that this one should be better.

6. Watchdogs

7. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zero / Phantom Pain duel pack

The PS4 Pro arrived yesterday, and in preparation I went online to check out reviews.

They were not good.

Seems there were some compatibility issues between the Pro and most televisions; they didn't recognize each other, or would transmit in 4K, didn't have the color range, or or or.  So let's just say that I was a little peeved... but not too much, as apparently the X Box S had the same issues, and that was fixed with a simple firmware update.  With the Pro, Sony is blaming the TV manufacturers, and the manufacturers are blaming Sony.

When I got home, I checked my television's firmware (currently up-to-date).  Hooked everything up as recommended, crossed my fingers, and went to the input which the PS4 was attached.

...

The Playstation logo came on!  No black screen, no lack of signal messages.  Waited a few moments later, and I was successfully able to set up my device.  Yay!  I haven't played with the settings at all, but this console is leaps and bounds over the PS3, both visually and in function.  Oh my goodness.  I am not a techie kind of person, but I'm even a little impressed with what is offered.

Don't know if anyone has gotten the 4 yet, but I was able to remember my PS3 login information... my Playstation account is still under the same name: necrovour.

I do like that, when I'm logged onto the PS4, I can see everyone's PS3 account information. Maybe because the 3 and 4 have so many shared games?

8. 7 Days to Die. This has mixed reviews that seem to lean heavily towards the bad; bad or outdated graphics, glitches. We've all played games that were heavily glitched to the point of being unplayable (*cough* Skyrim *cough*), and I don't care about graphics as long as the story is good. Being an open sandbox survival game, there isn't a story anyway, but I like the premise. And hell, I love the game Alpha Protocol, and that rated just as bad for graphics and glitches, so I'm going to give this a shot.

9.  Destiny: The Collection.  Contains Destiny, Expansions 1 and 2, The Taken King, and "new adventure Rise of Iron.  Being a Playstation exclusive, it also comes with two exotic weapons and legendary armor sets. I was going to say I don't know if I like this or not, but then I realized I wasted an entire day playing it.

I've put Minecraft on the back burner for a bit, as I'm exploring No Man's Sky.  But I really can't wait to get into this.

Instead of making entirely new posts, I'm going back to the game purchases and adding a quick "initial thoughts" portion. This isn't meant to be a review, just the initial opinion on things. If others get involved in those games, then certainly reviews or individual threads could be created.

10.  The Talos Principle.  "A philosophical first-person puzzle game."Pretty good so far; I've only started level 4, but the interaction with the computers, the storyline, and the things seen so far are making this an interesting and fun game.

11.  Dishonored 2: Definitive Edition.  This addition comes with a free digital download copy of the first Dishonored.

12. The Division.

Oh dear gawd, the first time I put any game into the PS4, there is hours worth of downloading to do. Something about updating online play or whatever. Most of the games allow you to play offline while the download is occurring... most. Not The Division though, oh no. The menu options allow it, but the game menu won't let you start a new game without the update. Ugh.

This just gave me the chance to try the PS4's power saver function: still remains connected to the internet to download / upload things, but turns off everything else (there re other options, but that's what I'm running). That's pretty nice! It even turns off the signal going to the TV, turns off the connected USB devices... a definite plus!

Since I had to wait for The Division download, I went ahead and started to download Star Trek Online. Give that a try, figure why not, it's free. Going to download World of Tanks and Hawken as well, as those are free, too.

Purchased Horizon: Zero Dawn yesterday, and popped it in while playing Neverwinter, thinking it would take the usual 10 hours to download updates and install. Much to my surprise, it was only a fifteen minute download, so I didn't get too much Neverwinter in (just enough to get my professionals some work and a mission or two). Fired up Horizon, and...

And was immediately blown away. The graphics are amazing, the dust particles beautiful. And I can't say for everyone who has played this, but unlike a lot of games where there isn't much emotional connection to the character, or is slowly develops later in the game, in Horizon, the connection is created from the very start. There's a curiosity in the infant setting, both towards the world and to the character; later, in the child phase of things, you can feel yourself... not connecting to, but... I don't know... towards the character. There is definitely a bond forming, you do care about the character and what is going on.

I haven't gotten to actual gameplay yet, performing the tutorial portion of things. I've just become an adult, and that's where I saved it. But so far, things are looking good.

I don't know why... maybe it's a need for self abuse, maybe I wanted to see if perhaps things have changed, or maybe... just maybe... it's the promise of mods, but today I purchased the special edition of Skyrim for the PS4. Sure, I have it for the PS3, and that one wasn't too bad (with the minor exception of my wife walking around the house backwards), but to see it on the PS4 with improved graphics and mods (and the hope that the game is finally polished and without glithes)!

Also picked up Prey, an open world first person shooter that takes place on an alien infested space station; is this to be a repeat of Dead Space? And I also grabbed Mass Effect: Andromeda; rather interested to see where this branch in the story takes things.

As much as I want to fire up Prey or Andromeda, I know it's going to take some time to download patches and fixes, as both were plagued with release day issues. So, I'm hoping Skyrim will install quicker... that way, I can get to the bear, but myself into sneak mode, and let it run for the night. And honestly, cannot wait to see what the underground cavern looks like, what with all the luminescent mushrooms and whatnot.

Skyrim, the mods

Going through Bethesda's library of available mods for the PS4 (no nudes or firearms), found six that sound pretty good... going to install them tonight, see what happens. I'm including links to where you can read the descriptions.

1. Better dressed NPCs, Version 2 - https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/4014281

2. Immersive Patrols - https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/3299308

3. Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul - https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/3006609

4. Lanterns of Skyrim - https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/3007043

Looked at a few home mods as well, thought this looked interesting. The description says it doesn't allow spouses or children, but we'll see what happens. Plenty of storage though!

Volgon Estate - https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/3054591

Lastly, my only cheat mod. I figured why not, I've already played the game, so this would be just for the heck of it.

Helgen Starter Chest - https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/3012061