TallGuyCalif's Computer Gaming and Entertainment Site

Tag: Playstation 4

  • Very Disappointed with PSN’s Pre-loading of GTA V on PS4

    I pre-ordered Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 4 for via the PlayStation Store weeks ago with the promise that it would pre-load on my machine. Well, that didn’t actually happen. Though I’d had my PS4 in “rest” mode (which means it is wasting only 100 watts of power ALL THE TIME) all weekend, no preload started. I checked the PSN store’s download queue yesterday morning and saw that GTA V was queued, so I called my wife to have her wake the PS4 and then put it back into rest mode in the hopes that it would start the download. It did download the Destiny update, but didn’t touch GTA V.

    When I got home last night, I checked that GTA V wasn’t loaded, so I chose to manually download it. Well , that looked like it worked, but it only pulled down about 2GB worth of program and update file then declared it was done. The machine was in rest mode for a couple hours then I used it to play Destiny, so there was plenty of time to download at least a fair chunk of the nearly 50GB download.

    Then, just before bed, I launched GTA V, which them promptly declared that it was only 7% downloaded and installed and that I should just leave the machine on and walk away. Well that’s BS of huge magnitude! So much for the vaunted pre-loading. Instead, the damn game wanted to download itself on my time! Screw that! So I put the PS4 back in rest mode, and if the game is written at all well, the download will have continued. I didn’t check it this morning to know whether I’d been thwarted again, because I had to get to work, but I am very disappointed in the way this pre-load failed so miserably.

  • The Problem with Digital Download Games

    I’ve been buying more games recently as digital downloads rather than physical media for many reasons, including convenience, not having the disc spinning and vibrating in the drive, and simply not having to keep track of the disc media. When things are working, it is great, but sometimes the system breaks down, and then we consumers are screwed.

    Recently, I’ve had a few problems with games bought through the PlayStation Network (PSN). When PSN is down, these games lose their ability to be played on my second PS4, which is the one I use, as opposed to my “main” PS4 that my wife uses. So last night, as I was playing Destiny (yes, my last post was a bit of exaggeration, and I still play Destiny sometimes), PSN went down for (all too frequent) maintenance. Then the system told me that I would be kicked in 15 minutes because the PS4 couldn’t verify my permission to use the game. Of course, I was in the middle of a Nightfall strike at the time, so I was quite concerned. Luckily, we finished the strike, but I was booted a few minutes later and remained unable to play. Of course, when I fired up my other PS4, PSN was down, so I couldn’t log in and play from there either. It wasn’t a Destiny server problem, but PSN was preventing me from playing. So I played LOTRO on my trusty PC.

    So the problem is that Sony has draconian anti-piracy measures in place that punish their own customers when Sony breaks its own network. I can’t recall ever having a problem with Steam preventing me from playing a game, nor even Origin doing so, but Sony has done this to me a few times (Columbus day, for example – thanks Sony). Do I believe that Steam and Origin have better, more clever network engineers than Sony? Well, Steam for sure does, but given that Origin is EA and Origin has other stupid problems, perhaps the Origin folks are only a little better than Sony’s.

    So what’s the solution? First, Sony should NOT enforce the crazy 15 minute license expiry when they caused the problem by taking PSN down. If the PS4 is verifiably on the internet and yet PSN is down, extend that timeline to 12 hours or so. That will give Sony time to fix PSN yet not inconvenience customers. Seriously, Sony, patch that into the next OS update! It is more important than fancy themes.

    The long term solution is for Sony to stop thinking of PSN as a monolithic entity that is either “up” or “down.” The login and licensing servers should be separate and VERY stable, basically never going down for more than a few minutes at a time. Then, player communications should also be a separate service that is very reliable. Things like trophy handling and inspecting other player can be less reliable, because they aren’t as critical. The PSN store is only critical to Sony and its revenue, so it is in their best interest to keep it working, but if it is down for maintenance, it shouldn’t affect other things. Yes, I’m suggest re-architecting PSN so maintenance on one service doesn’t wipe out everyone. It’ll be a challenge, but your customers will be more satisfied and think more highly of you. This is an area where Sony has trailed Microsoft in the past, but Sony needs to take the lead now since they have the most popular console! Time to fix your network problems, Sony. And maybe then, we could try that Drive Club thing you’ve been teasing for a year…

  • Done with Destiny

    After embarrassing myself in Destiny’s Crucible last night and playing a “daily heroic” mission that was quite a challenge for my level 21 Hunter, I finally came to agree with all the critics that Destiny kinda sucks. The story is crap, the gunplay is good, the missions are okay, but there are too few. The Crucible is clearly not for me, so what’s left? Oh, the same old missions, just at punishing difficulty. What will I get if I do that? Some XP and maybe RNGesus will grant you a nice loot drop, but no really great rewards.

    Well screw that. I’m going to go back to games that provide story and fun. I haven’t decided whether to actually delete Destiny from my PS2 hard drive, but I have unsubscribed from the Destiny subreddit and will try to avoid going back. Sometime when I’m feeling really good about myself and need to be brought down a peg or two, maybe I’ll venture back into the punishing worldlet of Destiny. I’m glad I didn’t pre-order the DLC…

  • Destiny is KILLING me!

    Destiny has been out for a few weeks, and while the critics kind of hate it and the shine is wearing off because of all the grinding, it still has me in its clutches. Whereas LOTRO or Star Trek Online used to be my “comfort games,” now Destiny fills that role. I always felt like playing LOTRO or STO, even if I just has a little while. I could blow off steam, accomplish something, and complete a mission or two. I didn’t touch either LOTRO or STO this weekend, but opted for Destiny in every moment I could spare. I’m a little sad about this. I have a lifetime subscription to STO, so I’m not wasting money by not playing it, but there are still places to see and aliens to kill. I do pay yearly for LOTRO, so if I’m not playing it, I’m wasting money. Besides, I still haven’t even finished the new story that came with the latest update. So I feel guilt over my choice in how to waste my time.

    Destiny, on the other hand, has a very short story that I’ve finished. Everything else PvE is just replaying the same things over and over, with the exception of the Raid, which I won’t be able to tackle maybe ever. But the gameplay mechanics are so comfortable and natural and satisfying (note that I didn’t say “rewarding” – more later) that it is easy to jump in and do a couple patrol missions or even a short story mission when I have a few minutes available. If the infernal and interminable loading could be reduced or eliminated, the game would be even better and less annoying.

    The game isn’t very rewarding, however. Most missions give no reward or perhaps some random crappy reward. The Queen’s Wrath missions are a great way to get good gear, but they are very hard and often give the same damn helmet over and over! Random loot drops are all we can hope for, and I got very lucky yesterday when my first and only Legendary Engram turned into an Exotic sniper rifle. Yay!

    And then I went into the Crucible (PvP) and got my ass handed to me.

  • Finished Destiny’s Story Missions

    I finished the “story missions” in Destiny last night after nearly 18 hours of play. So all the people that claimed the Destiny world is small (myself included in previous posts) are both right and wrong. It turns out that we only get a small region to explore on each of the game worlds (Earth, Moon, Mars, Venus), but those areas are pretty big, detailed, and complex. Also, if you think about it, 18 hours is a lot longer than it takes to finish most games other than RPGs and MMOs these days. It’s way longer than The Last of Us and Tomb Raider, to name a couple.

    So now that I’ve finished the story missions and reached the level cap (20), what’s next? Well, now the game takes on a new life. I haven’t even touched the PvP Crucible, nor have I put much effort into maxing out my reputation with any of the various factions. I’ve only played one Strike mission (twice, though). I’m not even high enough level to play the current raid nor some of the harder mission difficulties. The game changes into a lot more grinding, which could be bad if it weren’t for the good game mechanics and nearly perfect feel of the action. There is a lot more to do, much more to explore, and more fun to be had. Places to go, things to see, baddies to kill…

    I haven’t even tried out all three character classes (only the Warlock so far). In addition, each class has two different skill trees that are apparently quite different, but I haven’t touched the 2nd Warlock skill tree.

    Now that I’ve reached this milestone, however, I will try to obsess over Destiny a little less and get back to LOTRO, STO, Diablo III, and more. But Destiny certainly offers more compelling future fun than Titanfall does, in my opinion, yet the costs the same (at release).

  • Glitches in the Destiny matrix

    I played the first 4 missions of Destiny last night and enjoyed them, even though they were exactly like the beta, as far as I could tell. I got the slight impression that thing were a little harder than the beta, but that may just have been my lack of practice. But I did notice some glitching that wasn’t in the beta: Some enemies were glitching between a couple of different spots, much like laggy play in other multiplayer shooters. Except these were computer controlled enemies, not players, so it wasn’t due to someone’s crappy internet connection. These were also very low level enemies (level 2), so it wasn’t some special ability – it was a glitch. It wasn’t a terrible problem, but it sure messed up my aim as I tried to kill them. It also messed them up, too, so at least the disadvantage went both ways.

    Other than that glitch, all seemed just as good as the beta, and it was good fun. I played the 4th mission with a friend (who was much better than I am), so that was great fun.

    One of the things I like about Destiny is that the enemies are not omniscient. They can be surprised if you sneak up on them, and some of them can even be a little cowardly if you knock down their shields. Overall, the feel of the game is great, so I’m looking forward to playing more.

  • Fellow Guardians, I did buy Destiny for PS4

    Despite my previous plans not to buy Destiny, I did pre-order it at the last hour, so now my PS4 surely has it all downloaded so I can play tonight.

    I didn’t succumb to the hype, but I bought it because some of my friends pre-ordered it, and I decided that if I wanted to play with them, I’d better get the game. As with so many games (Titanfall, anyone), my friends and I have a burst of playing, then the interest fades. Since I’m not a big multiplayer shooter player, I have skipped all the Battlefields and CODs, but because I enjoyed the Destiny Alpha and Beta, I knew I would enjoy playing the game to some extent. Let’s hope my $60 was well spent…

  • I’m not enjoying The Last of Us

    I recently started playing The Last of Us on PlayStation 4, and I’m not enjoying it. I’m captivated by it and it gives me sleepless nights and I can’t wait to see how it ends, but I’m not enjoying it.

    The Last of Us is pretty grim, much like Tomb Raider is, but it is all of humanity that is screwed, not just Lara Croft and her wacky band of buddies. While Tomb Raider started out pretty grim, before long, Lara had lots of weapons and skills and was an ass kicking machine. In The Last of Us, there are no scenarios that I’ve found where I felt completely confident and able to control the situation.

    The writing is extremely well done, and the plot twists and turns make certain the player is never quite sure what’s coming next. The Last of Us is a very linear game, but they’ve done an amazing job of making you unaware of it. There are often multiple choices of where to go, but they all put you exactly where you need to go without making you feel that you’re forced to go that way. The areas are masterfully done and often creepy as hell. Walking through the science building at the fictitious University of Eastern Colorado is as tense a time as any other part of the game so far.

    There are a number of plot holes in the game, but they’re easy enough to ignore. For example, the infected are quite stupid, so they should have all died out of starvation or in the cold of winter, since they can’t light fires to warm themselves. But that would have made a boring game, so the infected are present in places like Colorado where one winter should have taken them out. And the amazing coincidence of bad guys showing up every time you reach a plot point and need to move on is a little tedious, but again, needed to make sure the game doesn’t turn into just a movie with little interaction.

    The Last of Us is great and well worth playing, but there’s not much fun to be had, as far as I’ve seen. The banter between characters is good and sometimes amusing, but the overall mood is somber. The combat is satisfying, but not rewarding. When you finish a battle, you are relieved, not exhilarated. There is never enough ammo nor crafting materials to be found. And if your pack is full, events will come shortly that will make you use much of it. The game is a constant struggle, yet one that will keep you playing for just one more checkpoint even after you should have gone to bed. Then, when you go to bed, the game will filter into your dreams and give you stressful, restless nights. And then you can’t wait to get back to playing.

  • Enjoyed Destiny Beta, but the Moon mission blew it!

    I played the Destiny Beta on PS4 both solo and with friends and had quite a blast. My initial thought was that while I enjoyed the game, I wasn’t excited to buy it, because the co-op missions were a little too fast paced. What I mean is that as we would clear an area, members of the team quickly moved on, so I had to follow. I would have preferred to explore at my own pace, rather than be dragged from fight to fight. I felt the same way in the Isengard 3-man instances in LOTRO – it was all just running between fights.

    Then I played more games with friends and really enjoyed the interaction and the team play, so I was considering buying the game. In fact, I was convinced I would buy it and was even scoping out the GameStop version so I could get their pre-order exclusive. And I would get the $90 package instead of the $60 one, because it included the expansions that would cost $35 separately.

    Then, on Saturday at 2PM, during the server load test, they opened up the first Moon mission. I flew to the Moon, excited to see how the low gravity and no atmosphere would affect gameplay. It didn’t! The gravity was the same as Earth’s, so I couldn’t jump super far. And the roars of the baddies and gunfire and all the other sounds carried perfectly through what should be a nonexistent atmosphere. So the gameplay was exactly like on Earth, but with different scenery. I was and still am floored at this kind of mailing it in. Surely Bungie knows about the physical characteristics of the Moon, but didn’t want to take that into account for the game.

    Admittedly, this was a Beta test, so this could change before launch, but it certainly felt reasonably polished. If they were going to change the physics on the Moon, you’d think they’d want to have tested it to see how people compensated.

    So now my interest in buying the game has waned again, mostly because of the moon, but also because I’m hearing speculation that the game will contain not too much content. I can see that the game has lots of potential, but I’m not going to make a $90 bet on that potential.

  • Killzone Shadow Fall is pretty, but stupid

    Let’s say you just defeated your enemy by blowing up his planet. Then, apparently feeling guilt, you give the enemy refugees half your planet, because, hey, what could go wrong? I mean you have a (presumably small) population that hates you to the death and not just because you blew up their planet, so it’ll be okay if you give them half of yours, right? And rather than giving them some continent somewhere, you just put a wall up and they get one side and you get the other. Oh, and your citizens that lived there? They need to move, and your enemy may or may not cooperate in giving them safe passage.

    Does that sound like the stupidest, most contrived scenario for a game? It does to me, but that is the premise for Killzone Shadow Fall. Since I never finished Killzone 2 or 3, I don’t know if this is in keeping with spectacularly stupid plots or is a new achievement in stupidity for the series, but there you have it.

    Assuming you can muster up the effort to keep playing the game after that introduction, you’ll see a very attractive game that seems like it could be fun. You get dropped on the enemy side of the wall, yet for some reason, you don’t have any gear with you. You need to find all your stuff, including your personal helper robot, which is a nifty thing. Again, contrived and stupid. The video below shows me retrieving the ammo for my rifle with the help of the robot. I order it to go and kill the baddies then use it to make a zip line so I can get to the dropped supplies. I then explore a bit and find a downed allied aircraft. I stopped the video at that point, because I thought I was going to die, but I fought off the attackers and continued the mission.

    The main problem I have so far with Shadow Fall is, while it is pretty, the field of view is narrow enough that it is hard to see enemies until you’re being hit by their bullets. This is annoying. Surely if I can have flying robot helpers, I could have a HUD that outlines the enemies for me.

    In the short term, I have abandoned Shadow Fall and continued to enjoy Knack. Once Knack is done, I will consider what game I should play amidst playing LOTRO Helm’s Deep and Star Trek Online’s The Sphere.