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Tuesday 13 September 2016

Project Cars

The last car-based game I played was Burnout, but before that it was Driv3r so it's safe to say that Project Cars is the most modern racing game I've played- this is mainly down to a lack of a PS4 rather than a dislike of the genre.



So, when I was given the opportunity to try out Project Cars for myself, I picked up a Dualshock 4 controller and began a race. Or, I would have if it weren't for the excruciatingly long loading times.

The first thing I noticed was that you have literally zero control over the car as you exit the pit, which I feel could have been a good area in which to get the player familiar with the controls. As soon as the AI was no longer controlling the car, I came to a grinding halt as I tried to figure out the controls. Once I had worked out the controls, I drove along the straight part of the track but the car seemed to want to veer to the right. I continued around the track and kept crashing, because the car handled like a cow. So, I reset all the settings and chose a different car but seemed to have the same problem. In the interest of fairness to the game, I switched to a different PS4 and reset all the settings and managed to do a handbrake turn by accelerating and not using the analogue stick at all.

I like racing games, but I also like being able to actually race in them, So although Project Cars is pretty and has a wide selection of cars to choose from, it won't be on the list of "games I need when I get around to acquiring a PS4". (Nor will I be buying it on Steam)

Saturday 27 August 2016

Samsung Galaxy S7

I got me a shiny new phone. In fact, that is what I'm typing this on!

Camera

The main reason I got the s7 was for a better camera. I previously had an s6 so it wasn't a massive leap in technology. The camera is good, but I definitely need to adjust some settings because it seems a bit overexposed but that could just be the lighting in life.



Features

It's an android phone. Not a lot has changed since my 1st android way back when they first became a thing, but the s7 has brought back the clock on sleep which I actually find kinda annoying. They've also brought back the ability to expand the 16gb of storage with a micro sd, which may be something I use or it may be something I completely forget about.

Ergonomics

In width and height, the s7 is identical to its predecessor. It's ever so slightly deeper, but the back has been curved a little more so it actually sits in your hand (or hands, if you're like me and have toddler hands) quite nicely without feeling uncomfortable.

Would I have upgraded if I hadn't broken my s6?

The second reason I upgraded from the s6 was that the top speaker had blown. There was minimal sound coming from it even when I had it turned wayyyy up. The s7 top speaker is possibly the loudest thing in the known universe, so I definitely no longer have the same issue but the real question is: would I have got this phone if my s6 was fully functional.

The answer is yes. I mean, had I been able to have my perfectly functioning s6 I may not have thought about upgrading so soon, but I have been considering upgrading for a little while because I like to have nice things and I guess the speaker blowing out just gave me an excuse to do so!
So overall, I like the s7. If you're looking to upgrade then go for it!

Tuesday 9 August 2016

Pokemon Go: One month later

I know, I know. Everyone's just about sick of hearing about Pokemon Go. "It's buggy"- yes "It's a waste of time"- No, no it is not. You see, although Pokemon Go is by no means the perfect app, it certainly has a lot going for it. I mean, it's Pokemon but in real life and, as with actual Pokemon, it doesn't like to behave well.

 Do you remember the episode of Pokemon where Ash couldn't even catch a Pidgey? Because I sure do! Pokemon Go is a combination of nostalgia and modernity- and I honestly cannot think of an IP that Nintendo could have used to make a mobile game that isn't Pokemon. Let's get reviewing!

In the beginning

The hype was real. Everyone was downloading the APK for the game (at least, everyone outside of those countries deemed worthy enough to possess Pokemon Go) and playing. People who had previously had little to no interest in the Pokemon series started playing, taking over gyms, spinning Pokestops and catching Pokemon. Then they picked teams- Mystic, Valor or Instinct. These teams were given personality.

Then the servers crashed because too many people were playing the game.

The servers came back, people played more. The sales of external battery packs for mobile phones tripled (probably). The tracking system was working, people were going outside. Some guy quit his job to go find Pokemon (no, really). Everyone was having fun.

Then the servers were hacked. When they came up, the tracking system was broken. But still, people played. People of all ages, all backgrounds, all levels of nerdiness- no matter who they were, they were playing Pokemon Go.

And now

People are still playing, even though it's kinda broken. It is a good mobile game that encourages people to go outside!

My actual and literal thoughts

So I like Pokemon Go, but I think it needs a few tweaks. I don't think Niantic thought it would be as popular as it has been and that's probably why it has had a few teething issues. But, once it's back to tip top shape (or, y'know, the PokeTracker is working again) then I'd certainly give it a shot.

Plus it's FREE (with microtransactions)

Check out my "look at" here:


Monday 8 August 2016

Bioshock infinite

https://youtu.be/HIKeATcKo-4

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Wednesday 1 June 2016

BBCs Versailles- ep 1

Ok so i just finished watching the first episode of BBCs Versailles and I rather enjoyed it. It caters to my history needs, my drama needs and there are boobs which is great.

First things first- that hair! OMG they had literally perfect hair. Not gonna lie, i am jealous of the hair. It was GORGEOUS, though the men had better hair than the women.

The plot was a little higgledy-piggledy but it caught itself up at the end... not gonna spoil it here but it was a shocker (though I did call it because I thought it'd be hilarious).

There was A LOT of sex. And a very minor rape scene (they showed about 2 minutes of it) and to be honest, I don't think it was entirely necessary to put it in- though maybe it'll be explained next episode?

In terms of rivalling GoT, i feel like it has a way to go BUT it was only the first episode, so we'll see how it goes from here. See y'all next time for my thoughts!