Terahawks Corner

I put up a video on the PS3 game Alien Rage : and made some throwaway comment about a search for what Sony thinks of PS+ What was about to follow was a lambasting of the PS+ service for PS3 owners - largely written in fact - but I started actually looking into it. Whilst Live Gold offers more value to me, I do owe both an Xbox 360 and an Xbox One, the later which I use for online gaming. So a lot of that I need to actually forget as without a PS4 I'm already missing out on a good chunk of available features. PS+ is 3 years or so older than the Games with Gold program and they were originally different beasts - PS+ was a follow-up to Sony's apology for the hacking issues when they offered Burnout: Paradise and a choice of 1 from 5 other games as an offering for the lack of service and lack of support at that point. It worked very well and Sony decided to offer a few games per month for an annual subscription. Multiplayer was still available for free on PS3. Meanwhile...

The first of two new videos on the Youtube channel: Tiny Troopers is a top down twin stick shooter - anyone who has played the Call of Duty Dead Ops games will grasp the controls - with the schtick being that you can have several soldiers under control at once. It's very reminiscent of the classic 16-bit game Cannon Fodder and has the same issue of not being able to control individual troopers but is more light-hearted and makes for a fairly enjoyable game, with 3 separate campaigns available. The other free PS3 game of the month - Hyper Void - is also harking back to a classic game; in this case Tempest . Like in that game, enemies come towards you and your ship is restricted to only being able to move in one plane. It gives 3 difference types of laser weapon but there doesn't seem to any particular reason to choice a particular type of laser on enemies, other than your personal choice. There are 30 or so levels according to the Trophy descriptions - I felt no ...

With May rolling around, that means new games available for download. For this month that means Sunset Overdrive on Xbox One: On Xbox 360 I think it's Grid 2 . As I'm a Burnout man at heart, this game is unlikely to be checked any time soon And finally on PS3, we have LocoRoco : And Bionic Commando 2: Rearmed [if you are reading this then I haven't yet uploaded the video] Rather than talk through the games in the blog (seeing as I do so on the videos), I'm instead going to sidestep (or strife if you like) and go into a mini-rant on technology, as I seem to do from time to time. The following is a first world problem. Depending on what point you read this, the chances are that there are three videos above. However, as I write this, there are only 2 video's and Bionic Commando is waiting. This is largely due to my internet connection which it can be easily guessed from those who watch the YT channel is not great. Ookla when we test it regularl...

This month's 1st First Time Play is Medal Of Honor: Warfighter , currently available for free for Playstation Plus subscribers for the month of January 2016. It starts badly for the game as it needs an update before it even starts. As I mention in the video, and have done previously, I do not understand why a digital download game requires post download patches. I've just purchased GTA V for my Xbox One and whilst that did require an update, it was also a physical disc - there's enough dlc for that game I understand why the disc isn't up to date. But for a game that I entirely download, which has been released for a period of time and which Sony will have decided ahead of time to release for PS+, there really doesn't seem to be any good reason. The opening level is shown in the video - the graphics are fine though not amazing but the sound effects are far too loud, a magnitude above games like Call of Duty or Halo which I also expect effects to be not...

In my last post I mentioned that I would shortly be able to be undertaking higher res recordings and also be able to start gaining HDD space. Anyone who's checked out ReprobateGamer on Youtube by this point will already have been able to guess the answer, as there is now a number of Xbox One captures up on the channel. Yep, finally joined the current gen of consoles with Microsoft's offering. The PS4 remains tempting but there aren't currently any games available on that system that I can't also get on Xbox One and I know more people on Xbox Gold to actually play with at the moment. The older consoles are still hooked up so there will be still recordings coming from them both (I haven't forgotten about the Gunslinger  playthrough that has been in abeyance since last summer) but I'm currently working on a Top Tips for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Zombies  newcomers which is definitely proving how much of a hassle MovieMaker is to use - predominantly that I hav...

So my last blog spot was a catalogue of woes regarding the October PS+ games. Sadly, November hasn't been much better. Positive news first: I have got a First Time Play for Dungeon Siege 3 up on the channel: Which does at least mean I've got it up whilst it's the November Games with Gold freebie for the Xbox Live Gold subscribers out there. So far better than Dirt 3 (for which I have no space on the console HDD to download), Walking Dead Episode 1 (downloaded and untouched) or Battlestation Pacific (video recorded but is unlikely to be uploaded now) However, for the PS3, I'm wondering if we'll manage to get any of this months games up and out. Let's see, we've got Beyond Good and Evil HD - which I have played previously so wouldn't technically be a First Time Play. I'm also not certain that the opening to that game would do it justice in a 20 min or so video. Then we have Invizimals on Vita and The Walking Dead Episode 2...

Another week, another upload to the Youtube channel: Kung Fu Rabbit is this weeks lucky winner. I had planned to get all the PS+ subscribers October games up but suffered from a couple of technical hitches this time about. First was Kick Beat where the audio commentary ended up a couple of minutes longer than the visual and there is no sync betwixt them (ironic for a rhythm action game). Then I tried Chariot but forgot to change the title from Kick Beat , recorded it with the wrong name then mistakenly deleted it when starting to edit Kick Beat (right before finding the synchronisation issue. Finally started to record Unmechanical and middle of recording ran out of HDD space. Not my week all in all - 1 video uploaded out of 4 isn't a great result. But I do still have the footage from KickBeat so I just need to re-record the commentary and I can possibly even get two separate videos from it. And the little monster has taken a shine to Chariot so maybe there...

Following on from my previous post, I've finally managed to get the Twisted Metal first play up on the youtube channel: I end up being a little hard on this game - but actually it doesn't help itself. The graphics are not outstanding. It's possible that following immediately on from Crysis 3 may affect my view on this but then, I've also been playing Lego Pirates and Littlebigplanet 2 with my little monster and Twisted Metal is just a little rough around the edges visually compared to them also. The music is all guitar rock and heavy metal - which I don't have a problem with, but I heard Sweet Tooths theme so often just recording this video I was getting very bored of it. Especially as it's the music that plays (just once) from the XMB when it's the highlighted selection. There are also inconstancies within the game. As an example, towards the end of the mission played, I get a message to say that I've killed Sweet Tooth. But I'm ...

Next video upload onto the Youtube Channel. This time around, it's the turn of Crysis 3 . I manage the achievement for completing the tutorial level but miss the arrow in the knee achievement  The game seems enjoyable so far but I did spend a couple of minutes wondering around the port in the opening level as there did not seem to be any kind of objective marker and I missed the NPC as he headed off in the rain. The joys of video editing mean that that aimless wondering at least is not for public viewing (other than a few seconds with a life bouy ...) Link below Got this monthly free game out but missed getting a video for Pacific Battlestation before it came down from Games from Gold. On the Playstation side, I got Teslagrad uploaded and I've recorded one for Twisted Metal Online (which is the only other PS3 game on PS+ this month) - but I need to edit that video still so it'll only be a few days up before the next batch. Teslagrad vid below:

Next video is up on Youtube. First time playing the game Rain is now live at this link: https://youtu.be/Osr9NUdKkcw A first play of Mousecraft will follow - I'm just going through a technical difficulties patch with the video either not uploading, or the internet connection not working, or trying to upload with too much data traffic on the connection, or ... E2A: And here's the Mousecraft video, a day late but not a dollar short

The next video upload is (or at least should be) live once you read this. The next in my monthly First Time Play series, I take a quick look at the first level of Entwined . https://youtu.be/-sQw-LSKSIA It's a quick look as it's a quick first level - I've breezed through the next two levels in about as quick. Cant tell if it's an easy Trophy claim or if the 'story' mode is simple as the challenge mode is the meat of the game The graphics are lovely but seem quite derivative of Rez , Child of Eden , Amplitude , Insert similar game title here ... Can't decide yet if I'll take the time to continue with this one or not. I doubt I would have bothered with it if not for PSN Plus (much like Race the Sun last month really) Think it's becoming clear that Sony are putting PS3 onto the back burner and gearing up on PS4 (they just recognise that there are still a lot of players on PS3 ...)

Well, it's been a few months since the last update - my day job and family life conspire to minimise my time to update - though watching Achievement Hunter and Yogscast videos also doesn't help ... However, I recently took the plunge into game capture and now have a Youtube channel all of my little own. Reprobate Gamer Youtube Channel Still finding my way but I'm starting with First Play videos - the aim being 10 - 20 mins of my first time with a game and I'm picking games that are available via PSN Plus or Xbox Gold Live. There are a few videos live already and the latest is Just Cause 2 Still tweaking my settings - certainly my audio levels need some balancing on the capture (there's not much can be done in post if the audio isn't there to start with) as my commentary seems to drop out in a couple of places and the game audio was certainly too loud  I'm aiming to release a video a week at least for now - as well as the First Play...

So, pretty much three years ago, a lone blogger went incommunicado from the blogosphere Now he's back, additional family members in tow, newer PS3 after the prolonged death throes of the previous orginal model and an internet connection that has fewer limits. I've looked to re-start the blog a couple of times in the years of having it and never really managed to get back into it once the family started to arrive. This time around, rather than just listing games and hinting at other posts that just have never appeared, I'm going to focus on my progress on one or two games and hope to maintain momentum (and a semi-regular posting schedule). My starting games is ... Borderlands 2 Picked it up as part of the PS Plus games and never really got around to it until now. Tempting as phase locking or cloaking was, the ability to have a turret on call was just too tempting and I'm currently Axton, having just hit level 10 in my first playthrough and in Three Horns looking ...

Blimey Where does the time go? I'm aware of just how long it has been since I last posted and while I haven't given up gaming (far from it) it is a little perturbing how little appears to have changed since my last post. Lets see, the Wii is almost exactly where it was a year ago. Wii Fit did see a few months of use but my daughters later bed time and her insistance on 'helping' by standing on the board means that the Wii has seen very little usage over the entirety of 2011 The DS is also very quiet. Ghost Trick is a very good game and is certainly something to purchase if you have any interest in any kind of puzzlers - it kept me engrossed throughout with a wonderful twist at the end though what it's replay value is I can't say. Haven't picked up any other games since and the commute home is now just for reading. The 3DS is tempting (as is Vita) but I think the better value these days is a tablet (I've currently got my eyes on Asus' transformer ran...

Like a zombie or a Hollywood attention span, I bring this blog creakily back to life. Apologises for the extended gap between postings - Mrs Zombie Killer and I now have a little terror of our own - still a little young yet to take part. Couple this with an anti-social job, a long protracted house move and an extended commute time ... I'll cover how parenthood has altered my gaming habits another time, lets get back to the gaming. Our long suffering DS is getting a little more attention now that I have a couple of hours of travel time each working day. And thus, I've finally found the Golden Apple! Yep the first Professor Layton has been completed (116 puzzles found and solved) and only one puzzle is still eluding detection. Can't get all the weekly downloads as the WEP encryption isn't good enough for our WPA enable network. So, the next couple of Layton games are waving their arms; New Super Mario Bros is also getting me interested and I've also added Ghost Tri...

The monthly update - a month or so late ... Meh, I'm sure you all will forgive me I have been noticing recently the things around gaming on the consoles that would make things easier. If PS3 could enable much more background loading, that would be nice. If it could also provide a better breakdown of the contents of the hard drive, that would be another welcome addition for an update. While the Xbox 360 allows me to see exactly how much room is taken up by games, videos, demos, etc at once, the PS3 only allows for 'all the memory' or item by item, which is very dull. And I remember news stories back when Home was first introduced about being able to have your trophies onshow for friends to wander through and look at. How much longer will that take? I kinda like the idea of having a gallery of my trophies that I can walk through and examine in detail. Some point soon, Home team? Talking of Home, I am liking that companies are bringing out Second Life style mini areas for game...

So what's the latest this month. Well, as usual, I have far more games on the go than I ever get time to play. Lunar Knights on the DS is still ongoing - I believe that I'm coming to the end, though that isn't near completion. Probably a good thing though as Chrono Trigger hasn't been fired up since checking it worked a couple of months back. Valkyria Chronicles was the last game of choice on the PS3, one which I'm taking slowly but one that has really fired the strategy bug in me (oh god, another genre to want stuff from ...). Still haven't picked up any of the DLC though I probably should as the price increases have quietly started ( Age of Booty which I swear was released at £6.19 is now £7.99 - I'm really going to have to clear the decks before adding that one). And having worked our way through Lego Indiana Jones , I managed to track down a copy of Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga. This hasn't seemed as much fun, partly as I've still got the fi...

Firstly, eagle eyed viewers will note the new Trophy card - design is by xxDune. I've finally been able to add a few more trophies to the collection recently - on games I've actually wanted rather than buying games just to add numbers to the trophy collection. The games themselves will surprise no-one - Dead Space is the disc currently keeping the PS3 warm at nights. It's amazing how much more enjoyable a game is when I can move while shooting ... something I suspect me and Resident Evil 5 are going to fall out over. As a note, if you'd tried the Dead Space demo and got bloodily wiped out, the game itself is a little more forgiving. Or at least, you've had a little more time to warm up and work out what's going on when you get to that bit. Prince of Persia is awaiting my return to it, which if the wife gets the next Resident Evil could be a while. We all know how she likes her zombies - and it was her like of survival horror that ended up with Alone In The ...

Following on from my mention of trophies in the last post, I've updated the blog to include a gamercard linked to my PS3 profile. Seeing as I haven't even loaded up UT2004 since Christmas, it's a little strange to keep the Xfire profile up. So that's gone and now I broadcast my (lack of) trophies to the world. Credit to the design goes to Deathvein. Though Sony mentioned way back when that trophies would be a part of Home, I had totally forgotted about the idea of trophies until the V2.4 upgrade for PS3 (And by the way, updating the system on PS3 is a little annoying - anyone want to tell me just why it can't be done in the background ... the download at least ... sigh) I don't know how many sites online are built to discuss trophies. When I set out hunting for more information, Google sent me to www.ps3trophies.co.uk . It's a fairly new community but there's a good vibe going so I'm keen to support them. The UK bias helps but it's fully inclusiv...

Yes, I know - it's been forever since I lasted posted. That big huge rant on backwards compatibility then nothing for nine months So, what's going on in my world of game? Well, on Christmas Day a shiny white Wii took up residence next to the TV. Initial response was pretty good - we managed to get both mine and my wife's parents up and playing on Wii Sports and Resident Evil Chronicles was enjoyable (hey, you knew we'd have bought that). The niggles have slowly crept up on us. The Virtual Console is good and the fact that you can use old Gamecube controllers on most games has saved me buying yet another controller - but the whole Wii points thing is a little unwieldy - particularly if you are trying to transfer Stars from old Nintendo accounts - It took me from december to early August to get all my Stars transferred (and I only had a few thousand). Nintendo have this rubbish idea that you can only purchase one Wii points card a day online and that they only have a ...