Terahawks Corner

this weekend, I've so far sunk 8 hours into the open beta for Tom Clancy's The Division . and I suspect that I'll sink a few more hours into it before it closes. First impressions are very good - it's basically a RPG with a 3rd person cover based shooter approach set in a virus ravaged New York City. I caught one forum comment liken it to Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, which is actually a very apt summation of it's strengths and weakness's. It plays well, and it is a realistic vision of a city that is under siege from within - it's the trappings of video games that go towards breaking this (bullet sponge bad guys, for instance). As with ME3  multiplayer, it plays better if you have friends to go to town with and I like that the base of operations is instanced for each player. The Dark Zone area with it's PvPvE set-up works very well - though I wonder if it's a little easy to go rogue. That said, making it easy to go rogue was very satisfying when I ...

This month I was reminded that when updating software, you need to check the settings before using it in anger. So, new month means new subscription games. The first one that I pick was  Hand Of Fate on Xbox One: The game itself works well and I recommend it to anyone looking for a pick up and play RPG. However, when setting up to record it, my GameCapture informed me that version 3.whatever was available up from 2.2.some number. Ran the update, then went straight into the capture. I noted the updated GUI but didn't look any further, particularly as my set tags were there. It wasn't until I'd done the capture and moved it into MovieMaker that I noticed the commentary track was missing from the folder. Checking the raw files I also didn't find it there then realised that the commentary was embedded into the video - and as I didn't alter the audio settings when I started playing, the commentary was all but inaudible. However, because I have the audio ...

So, a little after the fact but there is a First Time Play up for the game Zheros. A side scrolling beat 'em up IN SPACE! The concept reads a little like Double Dragon in a Ratchet and Clank universe - the execution is a little more lacklustre sadly. Graphics are good but not great, audio does the job but is not outstanding, it does allow for co-op gameplay but with stereotypical characters but the worse part is that it's just somewhat clunky - something which is not that much of a desirable factor in any game, never mind a beat 'em up. There doesn't seem to be much going for this game, as you notice in my video: However, one thing it does have going for it seems to be an extraordinarily huge TrueAchievement score. For this 1,000 Gamerscore game, you could get potentially 25,194 points. To note though, at the time of writing, of the 26,200 members of True Achievements not one has completed it. A challenge perhaps for someone out there ... or an indication t...

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:

So, there I am in the process of setting up a Plants Versus Zombies walkthrough on the Youtube channel. I've captured part 4 (to be uploaded soon!) and was lined up to get part 5 recorded in turn ... ... when my little monster, looking for a change from Kinect based games, and having seen PvZ on the Android tablets is interested. Her and myself are now in what would have been part 8 and she is proving to be not too bad at slowing zombies down. That walkthrough series may be a little delayed until I can work out the most convenient method to restart from the beginning, ideally on a different storage device so I don't lose the progress that she and me have made. The series starts here: On the plus side, it also means that I can look to do the Nom Nom Nom acheivement on the first available level. Bless her cotton socks, I not certain that was her intent ...

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 ...)

Another week, another Youtube update. This time around it's a first play on the PS3 as I take The Unfinished Swan out for a waddle: This follows on from last weeks First Play where I ride out on Call of Juarez: Gunslinger : Not decided on my next video update but as I'm very likely to be in Los Santos with the upcoming DLC, it may well end up being GTA V related. There plenty of games to pick though so watch this space (actually watch the youtube space but you get the idea)

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...

My mission to update on Borderlands 2 and GTAV has hit a snag - hard to update on games that I'm not currently playing ... Some of this is that real life thing again intruding - but when I do switch on the PS3 (and the X360 hasn't been on much the last few weeks), then I'm on my normal couch co-op with Mrs Zombie Killer. We've been working on our completion score in Resident Evil 6 . After finding our first run-throughs on the new PS3 didn't leave us with much ammo, we had dropped to Amateur skill for the zombie killing equivalent of a kick-about. After a chapter on that, we found that we were having to leave ammo behind so we switched up to Veteran. Mrs ZK has up'ed her game with the increase in difficulty and we've hit the stage where we now grumble about 'only' getting an A rank -my nearest miss being 0.1% of an accuracy score. I've also given Agent Hunt a try for the first time - more times than not I'm not able to connect to a ses...

Well, I'm meant to be reporting on updates on Borderlands 2 . Sadly, Axton remains exactly where we last left him.  Partly because of real life and partly because the other two games mentioned last time have been slightly more consuming than expected. Chris and Piers got to the end of the their Resident Evil 6 adventure and now Jake and Sherry are not far from theirs. I've been having a little more fun this time with a hand combat focussed build for Jake (Melee, J'avo Killer and Combat Gauge Boost) - which has meant stockpiling amo has been easier. I customarily have breakout on, but haven't really noticed it on this run - except when fighting the Ogremon when its lack was very apparent. Meanwhile in Los Santos, Michael has just in the process of prepping for his first heist. I'm just now trying to decide if I want to go straight into the heist, or deviate for a few hours to bump up stats, money and weaponary ahead of the story missions. Which, let's be ho...

So, Two weeks into 2015 and second post has gone live. That's definitely an improvement from the last few years. Game updates - Up to level 12 now in Borderlands 2 and two more points gone into Guerilla - next level will see me max out Sentry and probably move onto Willing. Ticked off a few more side missions in Sanctuary and have left the story mission to assassinate assassins (missed the boss rush rank), chase mad doctors (and perforated by his hi-tech gun because of a rubbish turret deployment) and look inquisitively at the motel (decided to actually sleep than visit there just yet) Mrs Zombie Killer and myself have also brought Leon and Helena through their Resident Evil 6 campaign and are now back in China hunting B.O.W. with Chris and Piers. I'll note that I really don't like Chris's thank you calls in this particular mission - doesn't encourage saying thanks. The starting ammo also seems a little sparse considering that they are part of a armed response...

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...