FredEffinChopin

What are you referring to, Dean? Was there supposed to be some sort of keyboard-style input on the controller? While I'm not very skilled at using it yet (since I do it so infrequently), I do think that the keyboard that they have in BPM is a really good one. If they implemented some better prediction features it could really be something fit for mild conversation, even. I so want that fucking controller though, just as it is. I don't really think I can swing it at this moment, and I should be happy to wait until lots of people get their hands on it and give some feedback first, but I'm really dying to use that thing and see what can be accomplished with it. Even if it's not all that much. I'm very appreciative of the effort, even if it's less-than perfect.

For anyone who abandoned their PS3 when upgrading to a PS4, it's probably a relief to know that they'll be able to revisit these games in the future. Especially those who want a refresher before UC4. This is also a great chance for people who missed the PS3 altogether to get those games under their belts. I'll most likely pass though, as I've got way too much stuff on my PS3 that needs playing, and so won't be getting rid of the machine any time soon. I suppose it's possible that the remastering could be so impressive that it makes me buy it again, but I don't anticipate that. The games aren't all that old. Overall it's a no-brainer of a release though. Everyone wins.

Yeah, that's the natural plan. What I was getting at though, is that there were some unforeseen issues the times that I had done that on the PS3, such that had I known they would arise ahead of time, I would have plucked very select data from the drive, thrown the new one in without any backing up or restoring, re-downloaded the games, and saves several hours. I just wanted to avoid anything like that that anyone might be aware of that is involved in a PS4 HDD (SSD/SHDD) upgrade. Seems not though, so I'm going to keep every single thing on there and go for a full copy. The drive just got here today, so I'll probably give it a shot this weekend.

So I used the gift credit from my PS4 purchase to snag this SSHD, which should be arriving at some point next week. I was just wondering if anyone else who has upgraded the HDD has any heads-ups in any regards. For example, after spending lots of time trimming the data in preparation for a PS3 HDD transfer, the process ended up taking up about the same long-ass time for it. Also a lot of stuff didn't seem to transfer correctly, and I had to re-download it anyway. If anyone knows of any such pitfalls, or anything else that might save me some time or frustration, I would really appreciate it. I love this fucking console btw. Game/app suspension (and the ability to have 1 of each of those open simultaneously) works so beautifully, and is one of my favorite parts of the experience. The store integration is actually not as obnoxious as I expected, and makes the store experience worlds beyond what it was on the PS3. I didn't even want to play anything at first. All I needed was store trophies and I would have spent even more time just browsing it for the pleasure of the improved speed and navigability. Remote downloading via browser works much better as well. While it's really obnoxious not to be able to store media on the drive, the ability to play background music at pretty much any time almost if not completely makes up for it. Especially since there are workarounds for video play. What there aren't workarounds for: There is still no official media remote (universal or otherwise) for this thing? What's up with that? Even the 3rd-party ones are complete ass, especially compared to the stuff like this that is available for the PS3. Without some other way to control this thing than a DS4, the PS3 stands to hold a place in my house for a much longer time than it would have otherwise. There are a couple of other little gripes I have as well, such as the inability to limit concurrent downloads, the deliberate difficulty they've tacked on for anyone who likes to log in and out quickly and frequently, and the locked-down wallpaper (exacerbated by the pathetic selection of paid, dynamic background - I don't think I would pay for a non-dynamic regardless of the quality). For the most part though, I'm pretty smitten with my new toy.

This is why I get so annoyed when people ejaculate over the occasional principled, strong position that he holds. As is going on right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to take those from him, it's just that I get irritated when I start seeing the "stand with Rand" talk begin. I think what bugs me is that I know he's way smarter than that batshit insane quote that you just posted. That's a seriously dishonest line of bullshit as well as a flagrant fucking insult to peoples' intelligence.

Haha thanks for the advice, but that ship already sailed a couple of days ago. Not only that, but Mr. Conservative here went and bought the full pack. It had to do with the fact that I remembered that I had a 20% off coupon, and rarely buy anything expensive at all on the PSN. I figured I could maximize the discount, especially since I picked up a couple of flash sale items. The way I looked at it, if I decided I want to buy only 1 DLC pack down the line, I'd be paying about as much, if not more. And it would be down the line. I coincidentally had acquired Diablo just a few days before that too. Just figured I'd mention it. I'm enjoying both so far, but I've only had a little bit of time to play Destiny. The nature of the game seems to require more time in a block, as it can't be paused/suspended for hours and picked up at the exact same point. I don't want to speak with confidence about too much regarding Destiny though, because frankly I can't make heads or tails of what's going on in there sometimes. I might hop on tonight, but I really hope to get some quality time in with it this Saturday. Hopefully along with my buddy who hates online games and is a controller novice. I like a challenge.

I neglected to post this a few days ago: Some info about the "gig" structure of the campaign, which basically sounds like setlists with things to do between songs, such as vote on the next tune, engage in stage banter (.......), and I don't know. The article is there. I honestly haven't been impressed with most of what's been talked about so far, but I'm trying to remain optimistic. Really though, as long as they just give me a way to play my purchased shit on the PS4, along with a bunch of new songs, I'll be happy. Which brings me to the newer news: a reveal of six of the songs that will appear on-disc: Avenged Sevenfold – Hail to the King Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun Jack White – Lazaretto The Killers – Somebody Told Me Spin Doctors – Little Miss Can't Be Wrong The Who – The Seeker So someone loves that, someone hates it, and someone thinks it's ok. Most people still don't care haha

Thanks, it was a very helpful post, especially the last paragraph. I'll consult with my buddy and we'll figure it out. I might just snag the vanilla either way, actually, and leave it at that.

So I'm correct in understanding that the standalone is somewhat deficient, right? A buddy (who also just got his PS4) and I are looking for a console exclusive to fuck around with, and I've been thinking about this game again since it's gotten cheaper. I'm wondering if I'm better off snagging a pack with the new DLC to make it feel like a full game though, or, better yet, not supporting a game at all that (reportedly) releases with lots of hype, sparse content, and with a solid DLC plan for the future.

This PSN flash sale has got some really nice deals in it. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/05/15/flash-sale-now-deals-under-5/ Anyone who has yet to play Ni No Kuni can now jump on it for $4.80, and they should

To be fair, many of those Google numbers are likely wildly inflated due to their methods. Many of those are people with old youtube accounts, and who just want to upload a new video, for example.

Google : "Ok cool, but people will still add you to their circles, aight?"

It's not what I wanted, it's what said I think seems like a more sensible alternative to the default overdrive activation than semi-random & specific fills. You're right, that mode does exist, and I even tried it once, though I forget at the moment what it is that wasn't sitting right about it with me. That reminder makes the new addition seem even stranger to me. As I said though, it's probably harmless as long as they don't make it its own challenge to complete to add to your score. I like overdrive the way it is, where activating it is little more than a matter of choosing a strategic spot that can maximize your score. I have to go back and try that other mode some time though, and see if I've warmed up to it any more. As far as being thrown off goes, it's not a huge problem for me given the way I treat OD sections much of the time, but I do know what people are talking about. I experience it myself, though not all the time. It has to do with the delay in the drum audio that comes out in those little freestyle OD activation sections. I'm sure it doesn't effect most people at all, but it drove me nuts for a long time.There were times I wished I could just shut the freestyle drum audio off altogether. Like I said though, I'm largely over it. I usually just throw a few random hits in there and then listen to the song and come in w/ the green cymbal. The concern that I have with the countoff (aside from loving to bang drums for the full minute until I come in in songs that have long intros that are drumless) is the songs in which the in-game countdown already sounds silly; usually the same ones in which I like to bang around for a bit, aka songs with long-ass drumless intros. And generally songs that wouldn't likely be counted off when a real band plays them, and where it just wouldn't make sense, such as Roundabout by Yes. It makes sense to have the clicking countdown in all songs as a marker for when the track starts, but trying to make it a part of the song itself will only work some of the time. Maybe most of the time, to be fair. It seems like it will be awkward some of the time too though. I'll try to remain optimistic. They're a great team at Harmonix. I'm just worried that they might be in search of a change where it isn't necessary so as to justify a new release. No matter what though, they've got my preorder when those begin.

IGN interviewed a couple of Harmonix people and got details on some changes/additions in RB4. In summary: Drums: A new fill-based approach to activating overdrive, where instead of letting you play whatever in a small window, which used to throw some people off, they are are injecting fills from a group of genre-specific fills that are loaded into the game. I'm not sure how I feel about this. If you can't ruin your streak with it, and if you don't have to nail it to activate the overdrive, then I suppose it's harmless. For that though, why not just let the actual drums track remain, only with a final green cymbal hit to activate? They're also making you count off the songs by hitting the green cymbal. It's cool if they do it where it makes sense, but if the drummer has to do it at the beginning of every song it's going to be really annoying. Especially if it means that drummers are no longer allowed to bang away with impunity as up until the drum track begins in earnest. Vocals: Fan-made harmonies! Seriously, a bunch of fans added harmonies to every appropriate RB track and just handed it over to Harmonix. That's how you get shit done. So that's happening to all your old tracks. Also this ill-defined sort of vocal freedom that I'll quote the description of: So there is that. And then some other vague stuff, and assurance of support for the "stage kit", which I never even knew existed until now.

Too soon, MBM, too soon. I generally prefer to engage sensitive topics anonymously. Not that people are any less narrow minded, brutal, or disingenuous under that cover (their behavior can often be worse), but at least you can have a disagreement with someone without it leading to bad blood when people discover that casual acquaintances hold some pretty repugnant views. I also like that people can feel free to be completely honest, ugly as that might be at times. That being said, I don't feel the need to have any semi public conversations on Facebook at all, and am generally opposed to giving them my traffic if I can avoid it, so I guess my position is sort of worthless in this context. But yeah, shit has gotten ugly and it doesn't seem like anyone is going to change their general stance on the topic any time soon, not through discourse or demonstration. Hopefully legislation of some sort can go for the knees and just change the dynamic in the street. I have high hopes for body cameras, personally.

Well, so much for the Batman bundle. I just went in on a PS4 Bundle from Dell that includes one of those Playstation Silver headsets, The Last of Us, and $100 Dell gift card (to be delivered in the next couple of weeks) for $399. I'm not sure if I'm going to use some of that on a Batman preorder or not, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to jump on MLB The Show 15 for $40 if it's still at that price when I get my gift card. I have to credit IGN with the find, as well as some other noteworthy ones including: Shadows of Mordor $20 (PS4) (backordered, but available to claim), Mass Effect Trilogy $10 (PC), and Final Fantasy Type-0 (PS4). There is a bunch of other stuff worth checking out in there as well.

Thanks! Bloodborne might have been nice, but I actually have yet to complete Dark Souls 2, so maybe it's best that I missed out on that. Those TLoU bundles are still around, and I've been tempted by them, but I think I'd rather my first game on the console be a new one the more I think about it. Besides, a buddy of mine is going to get it on PS4, and I feel like I should take advantage of the last disc-based console generation and borrow it from him. Batman it is then. Definitely not a bad game to come in with.

I've been very, very out of touch with general gaming news lately, and especially with game releases. Does anyone know of or anticipate any bundles other than the Arkham bundle that is coming out this summer? I'm trying to plan my PS4 purchase, and I just want to make sure that I'm not missing out on something more suitable if I pre-order that Batman bundle.

Ah damn. Well, it's still good to have a crew, as it's R*-wide. It's not impossible that I might have the PS4 version at some point either, though it's unlikely anyone will still be playing by that time haha. Same went for the PC version anyway though, so no biggie.

I don't know when I'll have GTAV on PC, and my PS3 copy has been out of my possession for some time. That being said, good call on the group (both Eleven and Nexus). I just sent my request (PristineSneakers). Hopefully I'll get a chance to join you all at some point.

Ugh. I brought it up in here earlier, I know, but its so obnoxious that I have to bring up the fucking graffiti again. Alien: Isolation is a great game that does a lot of things right, including cultivating a great atmosphere... but it's only despite these eye-rollingly corny and cliche works of graffiti all over the place. It's just so fucking lame already. And the styles and content are so numerous and varied... The amount of painting tools, paint colors, and clever ideas for wall placement and design are not lacking at all on Sevastopol. As soon as these people knew it was all over, they also knew that it was vital that they take to the walls and unleash a torrent of non-overlapping street art on the ship while dodging Aliens, androids, and human scavengers. It looks like the old Fun Factory in there. Can we just accept that not everyplace gets to be Rapture? Let it go.

Oh yeah, and it has a micro usb port for charging, rather than the mini. I personally find it nice to have one less device that's still making me keep those around.