Playstation 4 Review

The next generation of gaming is finally upon us and I decided to start it off with a brand new Playstation 4, developed by Sony.  The Playstation for takes the next big step in gaming evolution with its many new features and capabilities.  This powerful console tops its predecessor tenfold in almost every way possible from its sleek design, to its PC equivalent hardware.   I’ve had about two weeks with the system and I have yet to be let down.  I have been nothing but impressed since I took it out of the box.  The interface is clean and fast.  Everything is snappy and responsive.  And the best part is that it’s the go to system for hard core gamers. 

OVERVIEW AND SET UP:

Once you open the box to your new Playstation you will find that its contents include the new Dualshock 4 controller and a charger for it, a mono headset, a power cord, an HDMI cable, and a Playstation 4 system. 

At first glance the console is surprisingly small for the amount of hardware and power it has under the hood and still retains an internal power supply, I’m still boggled by how Sony managed to pull this off.  Setup is

literally as simple as counting to three.  You plug the power cord into a wall outlet, connects the HDMI to your TV, and turn the console on.  Once you boot up your PS4 you will be asked to create a username and a Playstation Network account.  If you already have an account on your PS3, you can easily convert it over to PS4.  Once you have done so, you can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.  After that’s done you are pretty much ready to start playing games, you can still continue to customize your profile but it is optional. 

SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS:

The PS4 is Sony's attempt at a gaming focused console, rather than one that tries to be a media center.  This played a big part in my decision between the Playstation 4 and its competitor, the Xbox One by Microsoft.  Sony states that the PS4 was created with gaming in mind and that it was essentially created by gamers, for gamers.  While Microsoft tried to go the all in one entertainment route with the Xbox One as opposed to gaming centered, they ended up losing my interest with this approach and because I consider myself a gamer, Sony caught my attention big time!   The Playstation 4 is a very powerful system, it is based on a supercharged PC architecture with an X86 processor, enhanced PC-style GPU, and 8GB of GDDR5 unified high-speed memory.  This is a tremendous benefit for game developers as for the time being they can simply focus on immersion and story rather than the limitations. 

USER INTERFACE:

The new UI or PS Home is a great improvement over its predecessor.  Everything is a quick as a snap and easy to access.  I never found myself getting lost in all the options, it took me very little time to figure out where everything is as it’s all conveniently paced for ease of use.  The UI keeps track of all your most recent activates such as games and apps.  It then lists them under our main bar for easy one click access.  There are

a wide range of apps and with returns form the PS3 such as Internet Explorer, Netflix, and Hulu with many more to come.  Thanks to the high RAM speed, you can instantly snap between PS Home and the game you’re playing without having to quick or even pause.  The new speed also allows for you to actually play games as they are downloading and installing.  You can even run multiple applications at once, and all is accessible through PS Home. 

DUALSHOCK 4:

The Dualshock for controller improves oppugn everything Dualshock 3 had going for it.  With changes that fans have been wanted for a while now such as concave thumbs sticks, out-curved triggers, and an improved D-Pad.  The controller is slightly bigger than before and feels much more solid and sturdy when holding it.  The select and start buttons have been scraped and replaced with the “Options” button.  There are also completely new features added such as a touch pad and the “Share” button.  The touch pad is in the center of the controller and behaves exactly like a mouse pad found on any laptop.  This adds for real cleaver and

interesting ideas for games.  For example, swiping the pad in certain direction can activates different abilities in Killzone: Shadow Fall.  Or you can use it to overview the world map faster in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.  The “Share” button is the most innovative feature on the controller.  By pressing the share button you can instantly upload clips, create a live stream, or take screenshots of the games you play.  The PS4 is always recording, so if you happen to nail that 360 degree no scope Call of Duty: Ghosts, you can immediately hit the share button and upload up to the last 15 minutes of gameplay, all fully editable.  Or let’s say you want to show off a game to a friend who don’t have it.  You can hit the share button and go live on Twitch or U-Stream and have your friend’s watch you play and comment.  All of this is possible thanks to that one button.  The Dualshock 4 brings the most innovation to a console controller to date. 

The Playstation 4 is an amazing gaming experience that should not be passed up.  It has improved upon everything the PS3 did successfully and went even further.  It has literally took gaming evolution to the next level!  And this is just the beginning of the generation, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this system.  And at a price point of $399 and Sony’s full customer support, you can’t beat it!  I recommend this to anybody who enjoys videos games.  The Playstation 4 truly is “The Future of Gaming”.  

Amnesia: The Dark Descent Review

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an adventure horror game by Frictional games, makers of the Penumbra series.  Now when I say “horror”, I don’t say that lightly.  This game is scary and it only takes one glance at the game to get why.  The combination of mechanics, artwork, and sound the make this game, and how it gives the player its unique scenes of horror.   I myself was never a fan of horror games until after I played its, a new appreciation was established.  Sadly though, not many other horror games out there can even come close to Amnesia’s level.  

Story and Setting

The game takes place in the year 1839 in a German kingdom called Prussia.  You play as Daniel, a young man from London who wakes up in the old Brennenburg Castle.  Daniel, as you may have guessed from the title, has amnesia and you have no idea where you are or what’s going on.  Throughout the game you find

pages from your journal, each page gradually reveals more and more of the story and what is happening.  It is a simple story that, trust me, gets much more deep and sickening as the game progresses.  But that’s not all, Daniel soon discovers that he is being hunted by an unworldly being known as the Shadow.  The Shadow has no concrete physical form but it is every bit as dangerous as the many horrific monsters that roam the castle.   The Shadow is powerful, quick, and is spreading throughout the castle, leaving fleshy growths.   As Daniel moves through the castle and uncovers his past he slowly begins to realize what his purpose for being there is. 

Gameplay and Visuals

For a lower budget game, the visuals are not amazing but they are also not bad.  During certain parts of the game I found that it handled the theme very well.  For example, I could be making my way through the wine cellar and searching the dark dank rooms with cob webs and mold growing on the walls and having some creature searching for me on top of that and all I would be thinking is “How the hell do I get out of here!”  But the visuals are not where this game shines, it’s the gameplay and its mechanics.  Most horror games rely on jump scares to get the players.  Amnesia does not do this, its horror lies in the games atmosphere and its sense of immersion.  There are no weapons in the game, you are only armed with a lantern to light your path and even that can be risky.  No, if you’re in a pickle then you only have two options, run or hide.  But there is a counter to everything.  In Amnesia you have a sanity meter which drops when you stare at enemies or stay in the darkness two long.  If a monster is searching for you and you hide in the dark so that you are not seen, your sanity will drop.  As it drops, your vision starts to become distorted and you hallucinate.  The lower it drops the more distorted your vision becomes and the louder Daniel breaths in panic to the point of alerting the monster.  If you turn your lantern on to give yourself light then you also risk being spotted that way.  This sense of helplessness is the most important factor for this game when it comes to horror.  And like the Penumbra games you will be tasked with collection items and solving verious puzzles along the way.  It is a very good pase changer especially after one of the many events that happen within the game.  When I first played this game I went all out.  I waited until late at night and turned off all the lights and put headphones on.  Bad idea, there were multiple times when my nerves were so wound up that I had to stop playing for a while.  The developers really know what strings to tug at.  This is without a doubt the scariest game I had ever played. 

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to this game is actually one of my favorite parts, the game is filled with very moody and dark pieces that really give you the sense of fear and loneliness you have while playing this all the way up to the fast and scary chase music that make you feel like your screwed if you don’t get that door open.  All of it comes together with the gameplay and atmosphere to create a very fulfilling horror game that knows what makes a person afraid. 

If you are a fan of horror movies and horror games then you would be a fool to pass this up.  This game takes everything that makes a person genuinely scared and throws you right into it.  And the reason I used headphones and turned the lights off is because the game actually prompts you to do so in the menu screen in order for you to get the full experience.  And they weren’t kidding!  This game when played the right way will have your nerves just as high as your heartbeat.  Not recommended for those who have trouble handling that.  But if you’re up for it then you won’t be disappointed, this is a very good game and accomplishes what many others of its genre have failed. 

Minecraft Review

Minecraft is a game that is quickly taking over the world, and pretty soon we will all be bowing down to our new dominant overload of pure awesomeness.  Minecraft is a game that many people pass up at first glance only to later give it another look, play it, and instantly become addicted.  I was actually one of those people.   I remember getting on my computer one day and joining my friends Skype session only to be greeted to the sound of eight different people blabbering about how amazing this Minecraft game is.  At this time I had heard of it, but never knew what it was.  They strongly insisted that I go and check it out and literally my first thoughts when I did were “What the hell is this, a joke?” and quickly pushed it aside.  A few months later I began to see videos of Minecraft popping up all over Youtube, and I realized that the game had to be something worth checking out if it’s THIS popular!  So I finally purchased the game and started playing it and four hours flew right out the window before I even noticed.  If there is one thing I can say about this game, it’s that “It takes creativity to a whole new level!”

Story and Setting

There is absolutely no story to speak of when it comes to this game.  In fact there isn’t really even a setting either.  The game simply plops you into this randomly and infinitely generated word made entirely of blocks, leaving you confused and unsure of what to do.  The lack of a tutorial is one of the game’s biggest flaws, fortunately the later released Xbox 360 version came with one.  But if you’re playing on PC then you may want to visit the Minecraft wiki to get a rundown on how the game works.  Once you spend a few minutes reading up on the starting basics then you quickly begin to realize the magic behind Minecraft.  The lack of story actually inspires the player to come up with their own and create their own path in the world. 

Gameplay and Visuals

The visuals are “NOT” and I repeat, “NOT” the games strong point.  At first glance this game looks like it belongs on a Nintendo 64 system.  But just like the lack of story, the lack of up to date visuals somehow adds to the games magic.  Minecraft is a perfect example of how a game does not have to look pretty to be

fun and amazing.  Despite the games bad graphics, the game mechanics actually seem to be quite advanced and unique.  Each time you load up a new game it will generate a completely random world, you will never encounter the same world twice.  This drastically increases the playability.  And as you explore the world, it will continue to generate more terrain making the map size infinite (On the PC).  Remember how I said the world was made entirely of blocks?  Well I wasn’t kidding, the world is composed of billions upon billions of
blocks and every block is destructible and can be removed. 

Now I’ll bet your wondering why the call the game “Minecraft”.  Well the title says it all, you mine and craft stuff.  For example, when you start off the game your first task should be to collect wood from any nearby trees.  Once you do so, you use the wood to create a crafting bench, and you use the crafting bench to crate tools with the remaining wood.  Then you use those tools to cut down trees

faster, dig, and eventually mine minerals such as Stone, Iron, Coal, and eventually Diamond.  Almost everything in the world can be used to your benefit.  Once you have things going then you can move on to bigger things such as building a house and crafting weapons.  These are important because once night falls, the mobs (monsters) come out to play and you will need shelter and something to fight with.  Pretty much from here on out you are just expanding.  Improving your house, mining more minerals, crafting more advanced items, venturing farther out into the world, and hunting animals for food.  Yes, there is hunger meter in this game and if you don’t eat, you die.  Fortunately there are animals everywhere for you to hunt, cook, and then eat.  You can even eventually start a farm and grow your own food.  The game literally lets your go as long and as far as you’re want and it’s even more fun when you’re doing it with friends.  The game features a multiplayer system that lets you team up with your friends and survive and build together.  Me and for other friends got together and started off with nothing and about a week later we had a giant castle built full of rooms and decorations.  The sky is literally the limit with this game!  And this is only the Survival Mode, the game also comes with Creative Mode.  This game mode gives the player unlimited health and an unlimited supply of every block type in the game, allowing you to really get crazy with your creativity!

Soundtrack

Just like the story and visuals, the soundtrack in this game is not its strongest part.  It features mostly soft background piano music that I found myself just turning completely off most of the time when I played.  The soundtrack is literally nothing special or worth paying attention too.  This game is all about the gameplay! 

So as you can tell, gameplay and player creativity is where this game grabs ahold of you.  Sure it can be hard to look at and confusing at first.  But once you get past that, you are in for a real treat.  This is by far one of the most “unexpected” games I have ever played and chances are with how popular it is, you have heard of it at one point or another.  If you ever get a chance, check this game out and give it a chance.  I recommend the PC version, you can get it on the Xbox 360 and tablets such as iPad but they are limited due their hardware.  PC offers the more complete version of Minecraft.