PlayStation Plus Recap

The last time I wrote about PlayStation Plus was back in March. I would say it is hard to believe that I went three months without writing about the games available on PlayStation Plus, but this is me that we are talking about here. I'll focus a tad more on what's available this month, but let's begin with what was available in April and May.

April:

• Dead Star — PS4 ($19.99)
• ZOMBI — PS4 ($19.99)
• I Am Alive — PS3 ($14.99)
• Savage Moon — PS3 ($9.99)
• A Virus Named TOM — PS Vita ($9.99)
• Shutshimi — PS Vita ($9.99)

Total for April: $84.94

May:

• Tropico 5  — PS4 ($59.99)
• Table Top Racing: World Tour — PS4 ($19.99)
• Bionic Commondo Rearmed 2 — PS3 ($9.99)
• LocoRoco Cocoreccho! — PS3 ($6.99)
• God of War: Ghosts of Sparta — PS Vita ($14.99)
• Switch Galaxy Ultra — PS Vita ($11.99)

Total for May: $123.94

June:

• NBA 2K16 — PS4 ($59.99)
• Gone Home: Console Edition — PS4 ($19.99)
• Siren: Blood Curse Episodes 1-12 — PS4 ($19.99)
• echochrome — PS3 ($9.99)
• Little Deviants — PS Vita ($13.49)
• God of War: Chain of Olympus — PS Vita ($14.99)

Total for June: $138.44

In the first six months of 2016, a total of $670.64 has been saved for PlayStation Plus subscribers, assuming you didn't already own any of these games. Even then, it's easy to see that within a month or two you're already getting back what you paid for. Sure, not every game may be a game you want, but it's hard to deny great games such as Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Super Stardust HD, and Gone Home: Console Edition. These games alone make up for the yearly $49.99 subscription fee.

That being said, I'm interested to see what Sony gives us PlayStation Plus subscribers next month. Rumor has it that games such as The Evil Within and Resident Evil 6 may make their way to PlayStation Plus for the month of July. We'll have to wait until the PlayStation Blog says what's coming for July, but I wouldn't mind if we got either of those games, if not both. Resident Evil 7 has me wanting to play Resident Evil games or something similar, so if we got either of the aforementioned games that would be awesome. And these are just the rumors for the two PS4 games. Time to play the waiting game... Or just play video games. Yeah. That sounds much better.

What I've Been Playing—Oct 11 Edition

So... this is supposed to be a weekly post, but I messed up last week. I was in Utah with family and friends, so I didn't get on the computer at all. Much to my surprise, I only really played two games the previous two weeks, so did you really want me to write about those two games back to back?

The past two weeks I have been playing Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus on the PlayStation Vita. I did play some Madden NFL 15 on the PlayStation 4, and Senran Kagura Burst and Pokemon X on the Nintendo 3DS. Both Burst and Pokemon X are about a year old (Pokemon X is a year old tomorrow, I believe), but I have this desire to write reviews for both games.

I know I wrote a first impression post about Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, but I want to reiterate how good I think this game is. It is quite possibly one of the best games I have played on a handheld. Personally, I can't believe how good this game is. Like I said before, I liked PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale on the PS Vita, so I guess it is no surprise how much I like Smash Bros. on the 3DS. It's a fantastic game. I really can't wait for this game to come out on the Nintendo Wii U. Can November 21 be here already?

Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus is very fun. Levels do get a little repetitive, yet I enjoy the fast pace and the different special attacks that each character has to offer. I also like how many characters you can play as in this game. It will be nice finally being able to know what each character is saying. I pre-ordered my copy from Best Buy. I don't think it will get here on October 14, which kind of stinks, but that is what I get for taking so long to pre-order it. Oh, well. I still have the Japanese version to play anyway.

What have you been playing these past two weeks? Hit me up in the comments section of this post.

REVIEW: inFAMOUS First Light

One of the biggest reasons I wanted a PlayStation 4 was to be able to play inFAMOUS Second Son. I really liked inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2 on the PlayStation 3, so knowing that there was another inFAMOUS game in the works made me excited. By far, inFAMOUS Second Son had the best gameplay, but I felt underwhelmed by its story. inFAMOUS 2 definitely had the better story (even though I really liked Delsin's personality). In my opinion, it still does, but inFAMOUS First Light is no pushover in the story development.

inFAMOUS First Light has us witness events prior to Delsin's adventure in Seattle. In First Light, we play as Fetch, a support character to Delsin in Second Son. Personally, I had a hard time connecting with Fetch. I wasn't too fond of any of the supporting cast besides Reggie and Augustine. That is, until I played First Light. Being able to hear Fetch's story really piqued my interest in the neon gifted conduit.

Much like inFAMOUS Second Son, inFAMOUS First Light looks amazing. My favorite powers in Second Son were the neon powers. It was flashy, bright, and the powers also made you zip through town like no other power in the game. The motion capturing in the game shows just how much of a difference it can make in body language and facial expressions. It brings more life to the game. Fetch's movements felt fluid while running around through Seattle. It was easy to stop flying through town one way and start going another way. That is an improvement I saw in this game.

Although you only get to visit half of the map that was made available in Second Son, I felt that it was enough for me. Even though we are only given on power in this game, Sucker Punch made sure to hold no punches when it came to Fetch's powers. At times, I felt overpowered, which I absolutely loved. You have to build up to feeling that way, but the more powers I unlocked, the more I fell in love with Fetch's unique neon powers.

Since First Light focuses on Fetch's backstory, it was interesting to see what role Augustine had in molding Fetch into the conduit we meet in Second Son. It also made me think about how Augustine attempted to manipulate the other conduits in her possession. The interaction between Fetch and Augustine was one of my favorite moments in First Light.

I personally enjoyed the story in First Light more than what we were given in Second Son. I felt there was a purpose behind the story. It was more engaging and emotional when it needed to be. The game doesn't last long, but it makes good use of the time it was allotted. And to be honest, I think I would have liked a full-fledged inFAMOUS game starring Fetch instead of Delsin.

Despite liking the upgrades found in this game, I did find it get progressively easier as I progressed through the game. That seemed to be the case in Second Son, which was kind of a shame since I was hoping for more of a challenge.

As far as gameplay is concerned, First Light isn't only one fourth the fun that Second Son was. I think I had just as much fun with First Light even though we were given one power to use. The controls are just as tight as they were in Second Son. The amount of powers in your control are great for a game that is only $14.99.

I really liked playing inFAMOUS First Light. I don't know if I will find myself playing through the game again anytime soon because I feel it is a one time experience. There are challenges in this game to complete if you're looking for some replayability. They aren't too difficult, but they do provide a nice challenge for those looking for something beyond the story. I think I managed to get most of them throughout the single player campaign, but there were some that did provide some frustration.

Lastly, if you have a completed save file of Second Son, you can play through challenges as Delsin Rowe. I thought that it was neat to include him into the game. If you like inFAMOUS, you should definitely get this standalone DLC.

OVERALL SCORE:

8.1/10

REVIEW: Elgato Game Capture HD

I have wanted to be able to record the video games I play onto my computer for the longest time. I love playing video games, and I enjoy writing about the games I have played. I was always under the impression that you needed a certain video capture card placed inside your computer, but since I currently have a laptop, there was only so much modifications I could do to it.

After coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to fulfill that desire, I gave up looking for alternatives, assuming that the video capture card was the only method. When The Last of Us arrived on PlayStation 3, I encountered a tweet with a picture attached to the tweet of a person getting ready to record gameplay on their MacBook Pro. I was vastly confused, considering how little customization one has after purchasing a MacBook Pro. I then noticed the hashtag "#Elgato."

I began searching for what an Elgato was. To my amazement/excitement, I finally found what I had been looking for all this time. It was pure coincidence that I even found out about this device.

I ordered my Elgato device on Amazon. It was only $159.95 ($20 less than its original price), and goes by the name "Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010)" in case you want to search for it on Amazon.

Although the name of the device states "PlayStation 3/Xbox 360," you aren't limited to just recording from a PS3 or an Xbox 360. The Elgato Game Capture HD is also capable of recording from an Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. These are the devices I have, but here's a list of what the Elgato Game Capture HD can record:

• Atari Jaguar,
• Microsoft Xbox
• Nintendo Wii U
• Nintendo Wii
• Nintendo GameCube
• Nintendo 64
• Super Nintendo
• Nintendo Entertainment System
• >Sega Dreamcast
• Sega Saturn
• Sega Genesis
• Sega Master System
• Sony PlayStation 2
• Sony PlayStation 1

(I got the list from Elgato Systems Technical Support forum.)

I mostly use my Elgato Game Capture HD for capturing gameplay from the games I play on my PlayStation 3. I plan to do more with it (such as record gameplay from the Xbox 360 we have back home in Oregon), but I really like what I am able to do with my PS3.

The PS3 does present a bit of a problem as far as recording is concerned. The Xbox 360 presents no problems at all, as all you need to do is connect an HDMI cable from the television to the Elgato device and then another HDMI cable from the Elgato device to the Xbox 360. Using the HDMI port on the PlayStation 3 is impossible due to HDCP (high definition copy protocol), so using an HDMI cable is out of the question. If you want to connect your PS3 to the Elgato Game Capture HD, you will need the PS3 cable that comes included with the PS3. I left mine back home since I never thought I would be in need of it. Fortunately, included in the box was a PlayStation 3 cable, so I was able to connect my PS3 to the Elgato Game Capture HD box without any issues. You can still use an HDMI cable for the television.

Since I've already mentioned what also came in the box, I will go onto mention what else is included. The other items included with the Elgato Game Capture HD and PS3 cable are: Quick Start Guide, USB cable, HDMI cable, and Component adapter. Elgato has you covered in case you're missing any of these cables, which is a huge plus to me.

The USB cable is very important, as you need it to hook up your computer of choice with the Elgato Game Capture HD in order to record video. The videos are then stored onto your computer to do as you please. You can record your voice while you record or you can do so afterwards when you've edited your video. Videos can be edited from the Elgato software or you can use your own video editor of choice to make any changes you deem necessary. The software is free to download from www.elgato.com.

One of the best things about the Elgato Game Capture HD is how simple it is to use it. There really is no learning curve at all. Just connect the device to your computer, television, and the console (or other electronic device) you wish to record from and press the big red circle to begin capturing what is on the screen. Once you're done, you have a couple of choices. You can upload the video onto YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter. You can even send the video via email to someone.

Other features include changing the video format to be able to play it on an iPhone or iPad. There's even a feature to be able to play it on an Apple TV. There's a lot you can do with this device, and I love it.

Not only can you upload videos onto YouTube, you can also stream videos live on YouTube or Twitch. If you have a fanbase, you can have them follow you playing a game live, which I think is really cool. When I bought the Elgato Game Capture HD, I couldn't stream videos live on YouTube. A recent update allows you to do so. This goes to show just how supportive Elgato is of their game capture machine, and I am super grateful for that. With PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, videos can be recorded in 1080p as well, which is awesome. Other devices may not record in 1080p depending on how old they are (such as the PS2).

Be aware, though, that you need to know how much storage you have left on your hard drive. Videos can take a lot of room on your computer if you're recording in 1080p, so it is always good to know how many GB is left on the hard drive.

I love how many things you can record using the Elgato Game Capture HD. I was only intending to use it for my PS3, but since I can use it to record on other consoles and machines I plan to do so. This device is so simple to use and everything you need to record comes in the box. This is what I was looking for, and I hope it is of great service to you as well if you're in need of something like the Elgato Game Capture HD.

OVERALL SCORE:

9/10