Cassylvania's Miserable Little Pile of Platinums

[gruffiiti]

@Cassylvania - Philaderphia

[Darling Baphomet]

I've noticed you talking about PS Now and I just want to chime in! I just started the 7 day free trial and honestly, it seems worth it. Having just finished God of War (on the PS4), I'd like to go through the three prequel / spin-off GoW games, plus some other PS3 exclusives I missed. I'm in Hawaii and the streaming isn't nearly as bad (latency-wise) as I expected it to be.

And with the addition of PS4 games you can download, it seems like a steal. Kind of upset that Dirt 4 is on it, though, since I literally just bought it...

Edited January 12, 2019 by Darling Baphomet

[Cassylvania]

10 hours ago, Darling Baphomet said:

I've noticed you talking about PS Now and I just want to chime in! I just started the 7 day free trial and honestly, it seems worth it. Having just finished God of War (on the PS4), I'd like to go through the three prequel / spin-off GoW games, plus some other PS3 exclusives I missed. I'm in Hawaii and the streaming isn't nearly as bad (latency-wise) as I expected it to be.

And with the addition of PS4 games you can download, it seems like a steal. Kind of upset that Dirt 4 is on it, though, since I literally just bought it...

 

Do you notice a graphics problem? I tried playing a few games and the quality seemed pretty bad. XCOM 1 probably wasn't the best test subject, but I gave Spec Ops: The Line a shot too, and it looked blurrier than I remember. Maybe I should try using an ethernet cord instead of Wifi...

 

Either way, at least I know I can use PS Now.

 

The operation continues!

[AJ_Radio]

8 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 

Do you notice a graphics problem? I tried playing a few games and the quality seemed pretty bad. XCOM 1 probably wasn't the best test subject, but I gave Spec Ops: The Line a shot too, and it looked blurrier than I remember. Maybe I should try using an ethernet cord instead of Wifi...

 

Either way, at least I know I can use PS Now.

 

The operation continues!

 

That's because you're playing an older game.

 

It always gets me when people say a game looks worse than they remember. Like they'll say the first Dead Space doesn't look good but they forget the fact that it came out back in 2008. Same with Metal Gear Solid 4.

 

You can't compare games graphically from 2006 - 2008 to something like God of War 2018 or Marvel's Spider-Man.

 

I thought the PS2 era Grand Theft Auto games were all great and phenomenal. You look at them now, the graphics simply haven't aged well. Obviously they came out in 2001 - 2004, and you have to take into account the technology that was available at the time.

[Kent10201]

36 minutes ago, Spaz said:

 

That's because you're playing an older game.

It’s actually not. Games on PSNow tend to look worse for me as well. In fact I’ve tested it with a few games and can see a clear difference between the two. 

[AJ_Radio]

4 minutes ago, Kent10201 said:

It’s actually not. Games on PSNow tend to look worse for me as well. In fact I’ve tested it with a few games and can see a clear difference between the two. 

 

You generally need a robust connection to even play on PSNow.

 

But I'm just saying don't expect those games to look magnificent.

[Mesopithecus]

9 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 

Do you notice a graphics problem? I tried playing a few games and the quality seemed pretty bad. XCOM 1 probably wasn't the best test subject, but I gave Spec Ops: The Line a shot too, and it looked blurrier than I remember. Maybe I should try using an ethernet cord instead of Wifi...

 

Either way, at least I know I can use PS Now.

 

The operation continues!

 

Ethernet connection might help, we have pretty good Internet speeds but I always tend to favor ethernet for anything I do online.

 

From when I tried out PS Now in the past, I also noticed like you and @Kent10201that some games looked a bit blurry, especially so more action based games.  I don't even think it's an age thing because I still pretty actively play my PS3 and experience no issues there.  

[AJ_Radio]

1 hour ago, Mesopithecus said:

 

Ethernet connection might help, we have pretty good Internet speeds but I always tend to favor ethernet for anything I do online.

 

From when I tried out PS Now in the past, I also noticed like you and @Kent10201that some games looked a bit blurry, especially so more action based games.  I don't even think it's an age thing because I still pretty actively play my PS3 and experience no issues there.  

 

Well you are livestreaming the games as you play.

 

If someone has a bad connection then don't bother with PS Now. Not everything I want is on the service, which is stupid because Sony has been cherry picking just exactly what games go on there.

[Darling Baphomet]

13 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 

Do you notice a graphics problem? I tried playing a few games and the quality seemed pretty bad. XCOM 1 probably wasn't the best test subject, but I gave Spec Ops: The Line a shot too, and it looked blurrier than I remember. Maybe I should try using an ethernet cord instead of Wifi...

 

Either way, at least I know I can use PS Now.

 

The operation continues!

 

Yeahhh, the graphics are sub-optimal. It looks like 720p, but I get the feeling they're compressing the video a lot to save bandwidth. Still worth it for me IMO just to be able to play through my backlog of to-play PS3 games without needing a new console.

[Jens]

[...]

Edited September 30, 2019 by Jens

[Cassylvania]

Hm. Seems I'm not alone.

 

I'll have to play with it a little more, but I'm pretty much convinced that my internet just can't handle PS Now. I'm also pretty sure that my internet connection is worse with an ethernet cord. I didn't even know that was possible.

 

Given the circumstances, I think I'm back to having to track down a used PS3 if I want to play those older games. In the long run, it's probably cheaper than PS Now anyway, since a year's subscription of that would more than pay for a console and a small handful of games. The question is, where do I find a reliable PS3?

 

11 hours ago, Jens said:

Oh boy it is. It's not absolutely ridiculous because of its length (I think I took about 120 hours or so, can't remember), but doing the same annoying challenges over and over and over again was exhausting. You don't want to play this game on its own because those medals might give you a headache. I still liked it, but I wouldn't plat it all over again... Definitely prepare something to play on the side to keep your mental health in check  

 

Fantastic. I sure do love needless grinds.

 

Well, it's not at the top of my list anyway. For now, I just started playing (um, or rather, started playing and finished?) Hidden Agenda, as the only peripheral-based game that looked interesting. It's a really short game, and was probably made even shorter by the fact that we failed at everything we were supposed to do. I guess it's similar to Heavy Rain, in that the game just kinda...ends, if everybody is dead. I mean, I guess if there's nothing else to show, you might as well cut to the end credits. (Sure wish they had done that with the Chargers/Patriots game today.)

 

We also have a glitched trophy in Shitties: Crylines. Apparently, there's...actually no way to get this one. Not until a patch comes out anyway. That's mildly annoying.

 

Oh, and did I mention I'm out of plugs in my bedroom? Yeah, long story short, I have nine things that need plugged in, but only six sockets. That's only going to be exacerbated if I ever get my hands on a PS3.

 

I think...we're going to need a bigger boat.

[Darling Baphomet]

6 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

Hm. Seems I'm not alone.

 

I'll have to play with it a little more, but I'm pretty much convinced that my internet just can't handle PS Now. I'm also pretty sure that my internet connection is worse with an ethernet cord. I didn't even know that was possible.

 

Given the circumstances, I think I'm back to having to track down a used PS3 if I want to play those older games. In the long run, it's probably cheaper than PS Now anyway, since a year's subscription of that would more than pay for a console and a small handful of games. The question is, where do I find a reliable PS3?

 

Possibly Gamestop? I bought a PS4 pre-owned from them and it lasted me like 2-3 years. I kind of want to get a PS3 myself to have better streaming quality, but IMO it's just not worth it since I've already overspent on my games budget for the next few months, and buying each individual PS3 game I want to play would probably get into the 300+ range pretty quick.

 

7 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

We also have a glitched trophy in Shitties: Crylines. Apparently, there's...actually no way to get this one. Not until a patch comes out anyway. That's mildly annoying.

 

Shitties: Crylines, huh? I'm guessing your opinion of the game has divebombed, lol. Which trophy is glitched?

 

[AJ_Radio]

On 1/12/2019 at 9:00 PM, Darling Baphomet said:

 

Yeahhh, the graphics are sub-optimal. It looks like 720p, but I get the feeling they're compressing the video a lot to save bandwidth. Still worth it for me IMO just to be able to play through my backlog of to-play PS3 games without needing a new console.

 

720p was the best you got.

 

I understand it's hard for a lot of people to go back to 720p after they experienced 4K and 1080p respectively.

 

I bought my Playstation 3 in 2012 and it still works after seven years. I don't need PS Now, partly because I have a big enough backlog as is.

 

Why can't they just put more PS3 games on the actual PS4 without having to live stream them? Problem is, the PS3 was hard to program and code for. So we're left with all these shameless remasters and a cherry picking of PS3 games on the PS Now service. If I want to play some PS3 games without a PS3, I'm out of luck.

 

4 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Oh, and did I mention I'm out of plugs in my bedroom? Yeah, long story short, I have nine things that need plugged in, but only six sockets. That's only going to be exacerbated if I ever get my hands on a PS3.

 

I think...we're going to need a bigger boat.

 

I have numerous power strips in my room. Unless you already have a bunch of power strips, of which I can't help you.

 

4 hours ago, Darling Baphomet said:

Possibly Gamestop? I bought a PS4 pre-owned from them and it lasted me like 2-3 years. I kind of want to get a PS3 myself to have better streaming quality, but IMO it's just not worth it since I've already overspent on my games budget for the next few months, and buying each individual PS3 game I want to play would probably get into the 300+ range pretty quick.

 

PS Now is your only real option then.

 

I bought my Playstation 3 when it was still current gen. I'm not selling it simply because it will be a pain in the ass to buy it back used, which aren't always reliable. There's a lot of games that aren't on PS Now, which pisses me off considering there's been no new PS3 games added to the service in quite some time.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Spaz

[Darling Baphomet]

43 minutes ago, Spaz said:

 

720p was the best you got.

 

I understand it's hard for a lot of people to go back to 720p after they experienced 4K and 1080p respectively.

 

I'm not complaining about 720p. 720p is fine when it's *clear*. The problem is that you're not getting 'straight to TV' quality, where no compression is used and you're seeing the image unaltered - you're gettiing a video, with video levels of compression. You can tell because there's jpeg reminiscent compression about edges on occasions, and especially in dark / single-colored areas, you'll notice blockiness that comes from video compression.

 

And it's not my internet - my download is somewhere around 25-30 mbps, which is 5x the minimum.

[AJ_Radio]

1 minute ago, Darling Baphomet said:

 

I'm not complaining about 720p. 720p is fine when it's *clear*. The problem is that you're not getting 'straight to TV' quality, where no compression is used and you're seeing the image unaltered - you're gettiing a video, with video levels of compression. You can tell because there's jpeg reminiscent compression about edges on occasions, and especially in dark / single-colored areas, you'll notice blockiness that comes from video compression.

 

And it's not my internet - my download is somewhere around 25-30 mbps, which is 5x the minimum.

 

That's with an ethernet cable plugged in your PS4?

 

I'm glad I'm not using PS Now then...

[Darling Baphomet]

2 minutes ago, Spaz said:

 

That's with an ethernet cable plugged in your PS4?

 

I'm glad I'm not using PS Now then...

Unfortunately not, but I do have really fast download speeds on wi-fi, so it shouldn't be a problem, unless PS Now uses a different sort of connection than regular downloads, but that seems unlikely. I imagine it wouldn't be cost effective to have to stream uncompressed video to hundreds of thousands of people at once...

 

So, yeah, PS Now is iffy if you already have a PS3. But if you don't, it's 20$ a month for a huge library of games.

[Jens]

[...]

Edited September 30, 2019 by Jens

[Cassylvania]

9 hours ago, Darling Baphomet said:

Possibly Gamestop? I bought a PS4 pre-owned from them and it lasted me like 2-3 years. I kind of want to get a PS3 myself to have better streaming quality, but IMO it's just not worth it since I've already overspent on my games budget for the next few months, and buying each individual PS3 game I want to play would probably get into the 300+ range pretty quick.

 

I'm not the biggest fan of GameStop, but it does seem like the best option. I need some sort of guarantee that I can return the PS3 if I have problems, which I don't think is possible with eBay and maybe Amazon, depending on who I buy it from. But I've also heard horror stories about returning stuff to GS, so maybe it's a losing situation all around.

 

9 hours ago, Darling Baphomet said:

Shitties: Crylines, huh? I'm guessing your opinion of the game has divebombed, lol. Which trophy is glitched?

 

Oh, it's fine. Some of the unlocks are just annoying. Like, there's one trophy that requires having every city building, but at least one of the buildings requires having a seaway, which I don't have in Philaderphia (despite the gigantic rivers surrounding the area). This forces me to build yet another city, and to bring in enough people that I can unlock all of the buildings again.

 

But that's okay. The motto of my new city is, "A Japanese garden on every corner!" You can never have enough Japanese gardens.

 

4 hours ago, Spaz said:

I have numerous power strips in my room. Unless you already have a bunch of power strips, of which I can't help you.

 

I'm going to need one with more sockets than what I currently have. But I like the one I have because it sits flush against the wall instead of lying on the floor, which saves me space.

 

1 hour ago, Jens said:

Did they break it afterwards or what's the problem? With no trophy at 0% it seems like it was possible at some point.

 

It's called Frenetic Player, which requires clicking on a police building 50 times in a row (yes, the developers actually thought this was worth programming as an in-game achievement). For whatever reason, this doesn't seem to work if you have the DLC installed, and I don't have the option of uninstalling the DLC. People are still getting the trophy, but I'm pretty sure they just have the base game, or a physical copy.

 

I'm also not sure how to get Happy Town, which requires having 95% city happiness for 5 years. I had no problem getting the one for having everybody hate me (actually, that one was pretty easy), but these ingrates won't love me! DO JAPANESE GARDENS MEAN NOTHING TO YOU PEOPLE!?

[Briste]

On 1/10/2019 at 3:38 PM, Cassylvania said:

GameFly has sent me the first of ten games we'll be completing for TTIHAG! It's a short one (I hope), so maybe we'll knock it out this weekend, if my brother doesn't break the TV after the Cowboys lose.

Did he break the TV? It was a pretty brutal game and the Cowboys didn't get a lot done on offense. In fact every game except the Saints vs Eagles was pretty boring. As a Pats fan, I can live with that kind of boring though...It's an awesome slate of games coming up this weekend. I wasn't feeling good about the Pats on the road, however they looked really good yesterday so now they have my hopes up.

 

On 1/11/2019 at 5:43 PM, Cassylvania said:

You know, I thought about showing this in cinematic view, but I don't think you'd truly be able to appreciate just how good of a mayor I am without seeing all the happy little pop-ups that are filling my screen. Clearly, these are signs that my citizens love me and are in good health.

 

You never mentioned you were overseeing a Pirate city! Considering all of the Pirate flags hoisted, you are clearly a very popular Captain.

 

Quote

 

Oh, and did I mention I'm out of plugs in my bedroom? Yeah, long story short, I have nine things that need plugged in, but only six sockets. That's only going to be exacerbated if I ever get my hands on a PS3.

 

I think...we're going to need a bigger boat.

 

Just channel your inner Clark Griswold...his setup always struck me as a safe way to handle electricity. Also...is Jaws the only good shark movie to come out? I mean actually good, not Sharknado it's so bad it's good. I didn't see The Meg, but I didn't hear good things. I watched Jaws recently again and it really has stood the test of time.

 

Quote

The question is, where do I find a reliable PS3?

I've got no ideas for you. I'm still using my original that I bought at Best Buy back in 2011. I know that buying used electronics can be a crapshoot...I'd probably try Amazon thought since their return policy is freaking awesome (at least in my experience). 

 

On 1/9/2019 at 2:58 PM, Cassylvania said:

I signed up for a trial version of PS Now, but they just laughed at my internet speed. Going to try something this weekend to hopefully solve this problem once and for all. After that, hm... We'll need to look into those trophies. And then you'll need to stop me from playing XCOM 1 instead...

No worries, I had bought the game around Christmas time so I'll be ready whenever...and I would never stop anyone from playing XCOM 1 lol

 

On 1/9/2019 at 2:58 PM, Cassylvania said:

I personally thought Angie was the worst character in the story. Kai and Raz are probably my favorites, which is weird since they're not the main characters (even though their storyline is more fleshed out), but...yeah. I didn't like the twist either. I'm not sure how far you are, but the one mission where you have to reach a certain point with Riley within three turns is the hardest one.

Yeah, I'm with you on Angie...and Kai and Raz are by far the most interesting characters. They went through the most growth and challenges. I don't think Riley or Claude did much growing and stayed pretty much the same throughout. I just finished up the last story mission yesterday and overall it was pretty satisfying...I still like the last one's story better, but the game play on this was equally as good with some improvements. I like that it didn't take two CP to move a tank, I like the SP addition, Grenadiers kinda made the game broken with the "Find the Weakness" command. I was able to beat the last level in three turns with basically two Grenadiers, the APC and a sniper. I should have it all wrapped up this week I hope and it is a solid choice for my 75th platinum. Up next will be a few shorter games to knock out some event categories and then my Kingdom Hearts journey will begin!

Edited January 14, 2019 by Briste

[Kent10201]

@Cassylvania I got my PS3 used from GameStop around two and a half years ago for $120 and it works great. They check everything before they put it up for sale so it should be in good shape. 

 

Theyre not terrible with returning stuff that doesn’t work, it’s more so trying to exchange a game for credit where they’re committing highway robbery. 

 

I’d say from personal experience that they’re definitely your best bet. 

[AJ_Radio]

9 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

I'm going to need one with more sockets than what I currently have. But I like the one I have because it sits flush against the wall instead of lying on the floor, which saves me space.

 

I have one with 10 sockets. That's more than enough for me to hook up my flatscreen and my three Playstation consoles onto one outlet.

 

Use Amazon. Their return policy is unmatched. Don't bother with GameStop unless you have a gift card lying around, in which case I have $20 on mine. Probably time for me to fish for a good used game.

 

4 hours ago, Briste said:

I've got no ideas for you. I'm still using my original that I bought at Best Buy back in 2011. I know that buying used electronics can be a crapshoot...I'd probably try Amazon thought since their return policy is freaking awesome (at least in my experience).

 

Is it the original fat model that only holds 60 GBs of memory?

 

I bought mine in 2012 which came with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. It is the Super Slim model.

 

 

The one you probably have is this:

 

 

The original was being sold back in 2006 - 2009. That model isn't all too easy to find nowadays since they're all used. 60 GBs is practically nothing anymore, considering the fact that one game these days can take up to 80 - 100 GBs alone.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Spaz

[Cassylvania]

7 hours ago, Briste said:

Did he break the TV? It was a pretty brutal game and the Cowboys didn't get a lot done on offense. In fact every game except the Saints vs Eagles was pretty boring. As a Pats fan, I can live with that kind of boring though...It's an awesome slate of games coming up this weekend. I wasn't feeling good about the Pats on the road, however they looked really good yesterday so now they have my hopes up.

 

I think he's okay, now that the Eagles are out of it. And I can finally rest easy, knowing they're no longer the defending Super Bowl champions. Can't defend a title if you're no longer in the race!

 

Final four teams were pretty predictable this year. I think we all could've called this back in November. I'll be cheering for whoever represents the AFC in the big game, but I think Patriots/Saints is the most likely, and would probably be the most enjoyable. I don't know if the Rams can hang with the big boys, and I fail every time I associate KC with the Super Bowl, so...

 

7 hours ago, Briste said:

Just channel your inner Clark Griswold...his setup always struck me as a safe way to handle electricity. Also...is Jaws the only good shark movie to come out? I mean actually good, not Sharknado it's so bad it's good. I didn't see The Meg, but I didn't hear good things. I watched Jaws recently again and it really has stood the test of time.

 

Hm. Finding Nemo is good, but I'm not sure that counts as a shark movie. Shark Tale...not so much. I didn't see The Meg either, and I thought Sharknado was surprisingly not that bad. Bad, sure, but I've seen worse. Like Devil Fish.

 

7 hours ago, Kent10201 said:

I got my PS3 used from GameStop around two and a half years ago for $120 and it works great. They check everything before they put it up for sale so it should be in good shape. 

 

Theyre not terrible with returning stuff that doesn’t work, it’s more so trying to exchange a game for credit where they’re committing highway robbery. 

 

I’d say from personal experience that they’re definitely your best bet. 

 

Yeah, you might be right. My issue with Amazon is that you're likely buying from a third-party seller, so I don't know what kind of assurance I'd really get. With GameStop, I can always return the PS3 in person if something goes wrong -- and if they give me grief about it, I'll have my own horror story to tell. That alone could be worth it.

 

3 hours ago, Spaz said:

I have one with 10 sockets. That's more than enough for me to hook up my flatscreen and my three Playstation consoles onto one outlet.

 

I found a surge protector with seven sockets that I apparently had lying around. That's...still one short if I get a PS3, and two short if I want to hook up my surround sound. Poor Alexa is going to have to sit on the shelf with my Scooby Doo Funko pop. Ruh oh, Arexa!

 

Note to self: stop talking to and in the voices of Funko pops. Your neighbors are starting to ask questions.

[AJ_Radio]

1 minute ago, Cassylvania said:

I found a surge protector with seven sockets that I apparently had lying around. That's...still one short if I get a PS3, and two short if I want to hook up my surround sound. Poor Alexa is going to have to sit on the shelf with my Scooby Doo Funko pop. Ruh oh, Arexa!

 

Note to self: stop talking to and in the voices of Funko pops. Your neighbors are starting to ask questions.

 

Do you want me to link you the surge protector?

[Briste]

14 hours ago, Spaz said:

The original was being sold back in 2006 - 2009. That model isn't all too easy to find nowadays since they're all used. 60 GBs is practically nothing anymore, considering the fact that one game these days can take up to 80 - 100 GBs alone.

That is the one I have...mine has more dust though. I generally buy discs for my PS3 so the HD space has never really been an issue. With the PS4 I have a lot more digital games. Am I the only person that doesn't stand these vertical? 

 

10 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Final four teams were pretty predictable this year. I think we all could've called this back in November. I'll be cheering for whoever represents the AFC in the big game, but I think Patriots/Saints is the most likely, and would probably be the most enjoyable. I don't know if the Rams can hang with the big boys, and I fail every time I associate KC with the Super Bowl, so...

Yeah I wasn't too surprised either that the chalk is our final four. I agree with your thinking on the Rams...I don't trust Goff in a big spot and I think they'll melt under the pressure so I think the Saints will walk away with the W this weekend. I'm really interested (obviously) in the KC vs NE game. Early forecasts say this could be the coldest game ever played at Arrowhead, which would add another dimension. I really like Mahomes and I wonder if his natural ability will be able to override Reid's game/clock management shortcomings in the playoffs. I also like that NE is an underdog...it gives them an extra chip on their shoulders. Based on how NE played on the road during the regular season, I wouldn't be surprised if they get run out of the building...but Sunday was their best game of the year and all they need is their defense to come up with a few stops and I think they will come out on top. Either way, I'm getting a Buffalo Chicken pizza for the game!

 

10 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Hm. Finding Nemo is good, but I'm not sure that counts as a shark movie. Shark Tale...not so much. I didn't see The Meg either, and I thought Sharknado was surprisingly not that bad. Bad, sure, but I've seen worse. Like Devil Fish.

While I love Bruce and Chum, I wouldn't call Nemo a shark movie  Shark Tale was god awful, but it is very colorful and my kids love it so I've seen it more times than I would like. I saw Open Water in the theater, and it was very uncomfortable but I didn't really like that either. I saw Deep Blue Sea in the theater also and I wouldn't exactly call that a cinematic masterpiece either. Jaws and Jaws II were both pretty awesome though. Never saw Devil Fish...sounds like that is a good thing.

 

10 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Yeah, you might be right. My issue with Amazon is that you're likely buying from a third-party seller, so I don't know what kind of assurance I'd really get.

Some of them are really good. For Halloween, I was the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man and I bought a costume on Amazon that was from a third party seller. The Q&A said that it would fit a 6'2" and 250 lbs man so I bought it. I'm only 6' and the costume was too short for me so I returned it. I actually paid for expedited delivery since I waited until the last minute to get my costume. Not only did the company I buy from refund me for the costume, they refunded me the expedited shipping (which shocked me). I personally have never had a bad experience with a return from Amazon, but I do understand the piece of mind that comes with being able to take it to a store.

[Cassylvania]

19 hours ago, Spaz said:

Do you want me to link you the surge protector?

 

Nah, it's okay. I know there are options out there for more sockets -- I just want to pimp out my setup without spending any more money.

 

8 hours ago, Briste said:

That is the one I have...mine has more dust though. I generally buy discs for my PS3 so the HD space has never really been an issue. With the PS4 I have a lot more digital games. Am I the only person that doesn't stand these vertical? 

 

I don't even have the option to stand them vertically. I would think that'd make them more unstable anyway...

 

8 hours ago, Briste said:

Some of them are really good. For Halloween, I was the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man and I bought a costume on Amazon that was from a third party seller. The Q&A said that it would fit a 6'2" and 250 lbs man so I bought it. I'm only 6' and the costume was too short for me so I returned it. I actually paid for expedited delivery since I waited until the last minute to get my costume. Not only did the company I buy from refund me for the costume, they refunded me the expedited shipping (which shocked me). I personally have never had a bad experience with a return from Amazon, but I do understand the piece of mind that comes with being able to take it to a store.

 

Yeah, I use Amazon for almost everything, but I'm a little leery when it comes to high-end electronics. Especially of the pre-owned variety.

 

Anyway, I'll give it some thought. There are a few GameStops in the area, and I'd probably need to go there to pick up a couple of games anyway... We'll see what they have.

 

Also...

 

Platinum #152 - Hidden Agenda

 

Well, that knocks the peripheral-based game off both TTIHAG and Bingo. I certainly could've done worse (probably could've done better too, if I had considered one of the Skylanders games on the PS3). I compared this game to Heavy Rain before, and...yeah, I think that's what they were going for. Unfortunately, while Heavy Rain was a polished game with excellent pacing (except for Boobs, who was completely unnecessary), Hidden Agenda never quite felt like a finished product. Don't get me wrong -- it has an okay story, the VA is good, and there aren't nearly as many plot holes as in Heavy Rain -- but the transitions are jarring, and the pacing is whack.

 

See, Heavy Rain did this thing where you didn't have to look up a guide to know how to get the "good" ending(s). It was generally pretty clear at the time whether you had did something that would advance the story or hinder it. With Hidden Agenda, I never got that. Yeah, there are characters that can die (not a spoiler -- it's a crime thriller), and I suppose you could infer that having blood on your hands is probably not a good thing, but I don't know how much it really affects the end-game. For example, to get what I assume is the "best" ending, I MURDERED AN INNOCENT PERSON simply because that was the quickest way to advance to the next scene. You would think there'd be some kind of repercussions. Nope. Sorry for you, platinum for me, here's your happy ending.

 

It's frustrating not being able to go into more detail, but I know some of you are in the same events and might be considering this one for your peripheral-based game, so I'll leave it there. It's an okay game, but not the great cinematic experience you might be expecting. I recommend playing it through first with a friend on Competitive Mode (make sure at least ONE of you completes an Endgame Agenda), and then do the trophy clean-up on your own time. Even with backup saves, you'll be playing through these scenes several times.