Category: XOne

Replaced

Today in first world problems, my XOne X died a few months ago. I figured I can rant about something tedious and boring for a change instead of the crisis crisises we are all facing right now. So grab your joe and let’s go!

The hard drive was failing and it finally crashed. I tried replacing it and everything went smoothly until the reinstallation. For whatever reason the damn OS would not reinstall no matter how hard I tried. I finally gave up and re-signed myself to wait for the Series X. That didn’t work out so well. Lol

Originally, I opted to drop it off for repair. Unfortunately, MS (Microsoft) repair was closed due to the pandemic so I couldn’t even offer to ship it in. Of course, the warranty was expired years prior. After MS was finally open and able to offer shipping, the cheapest estimate for repair was around $275 without shipping costs. Screw that! I was like, “I’ll just do it myself!“

I did all the troubleshooting. I read the sites, watched the videos, and consulted some of the gurus. They all said it would work. I got the instructions, the scripts, and the troubleshooting tips….and of course it failed. Lol And it is probably some minor thing MS did to the OS variant installation I had. It could also be I was a beta tester, dunno. Knowing my luck it was some minor glitch in codes matching up or whatever. Ain’t that how it always goes?

I was rather proud of myself actually. I consider myself a techie and know my way around hardware but it’s been a while. The familiarity had waned a bit. So I paid extra attention to the discussions on how to do it. I ordered a new drive that was the same as the existing one. The script I found to format the drive partitions worked perfectly. Taking the console apart was a bit of a bitch but once open swapping out the drives was painless. Then came the offline reinstallation of the OS. I followed MS’s guidelines to the letter. No matter how many variations I tried the damn OS wouldn’t reinstall so I finally gave up. Leave it to MS to f*CK up the easy part.

Fast forward a few months and I’m desperately missing it. [1]Like I said, first world problems. Perspective Playing on my PS4 is fine but my go-to console has been the Xbox since the 360. To me, games just play better on the Xbox and I love the elite controller. It fits my hands and the weight makes it comfortable. Anyway, I’d put out feelers for a used XOneX but everyone wanted $300+ even for a used one. We are fortunate to have decent finances, but I was hard set on not spending more than a couple hundred bucks tops for a console I’ll be replacing in just a few months anyway.

After exhausting Craigslist and other sites for used consoles I’d sort of given up on finding a used one. On a whim, I checked FB Marketplace. Lo and behold! I found a guy here in SF just over the hill from me. He clearly worked in tech. He had an XOne S. It’s a slight downgrade from the XOne X but close enough. He’d actually gotten it before he got married and afterwards never got to play it so decide to get rid of it. [2]He did not seemed amused about the lack of playing part. Lolol We exchanged info, met up, he booted it up to show me it worked fine. Sold! I venmo’ed him the money and split. And yes we did social distance. We all had masks on. I watched from a distance while he booted it up.

It’s setup now and running and I am tickled pink. It was money well spent. For such a small thing, it reminded me how blessed I am during this madness. I’m certainly appreciative. It is weird how such a tedious thing put me in better spirits. The whole day yesterday I just felt less depressed. And considering the shit show that is our daily news, that is saying something. I guess maybe having something to enjoy can ease the frustration.

So there ya have it. My boring story about getting a used Xbox. Hopefully, it was a tedious but pleasant distraction.

References

References
↑1 Like I said, first world problems. Perspective
↑2 He did not seemed amused about the lack of playing part. Lolol

D2 v2.0

Ok so I’m still playing Destiny. lol  The new DLC got some pretty good reviews and the news was they were changing some of the things I hated most about the disc 2.

Well turns out, they did. Several of the awful changes have been reversed. And the new DLC is pretty good. A new twist on some of the existing bad guys with a hint of a mega merger of bad guys in the future. (The Scorn and the Taken.)

I know, you’re just dying at the news, right?!  I’m clearly too buys gaming to blog so ….

Anyway, I’m still at it. If you play in PS4 (or xbox) friend me under gamertag ibod8x5.  If you send a message I will most likely respond sooner. I tend to let unknown friend requests sit for ages. 

D2

I’m still playing Destiny 2. I keep threatening to give it up as they really botched this game disc by getting greedy. It seems common sense (or the expanding community backlash) has prevailed to a degree and they are bringing back some of the core functions in the upcoming DLC (DownLoadable Content)) they left out from disc 1. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame Bungie for trying to squeeze dollars out of the game but they went way overboard and people in general were pissed. Daily users dropped dramatically and haven’t really picked back up anywhere near the levels they were in D1.

This week, they released a sort of free mini to everyone that has me scratching my head as well. If you’ve never played, the game is setup so they can randomly add special challenges based on holidays, special occasions or the like. They usually run several months. This one only runs from this week until roughly the end of August. (The new DLC drops September 4th.) This by itself wouldn’t be a problem except the challenges require a lot of grinding (like a lot). So much so, I probably won’t even bother. If I’m lucky, I can squeeze in about 6-8 hours a week, including weekends. It seems counter productive to release a new series of challenges to complete for gear to raise your light level that you’ll never see because you won’t have time to finish even half of them. That or they’ll be obsolete when the new DLC hits as your maximum light levels will go up again. (Light level is basically how strong your player is. The higher the light level, the stronger the player)

I had planned to skip the new DLC a few months ago. This would have pretty much meant the end of the game for me. My interest in the game has drifted off and I barely complete the weekly goals as it is. However, the new DLC got rave reviews, even from some of the harshest critics, and after reading up on it, I buckled and pre-ordered it. We’ll see how it goes. I’m cautiously optimistic. There are so many little things I miss about the mechanics from D1, I’m hoping it revives my love for the game. If not, I’ve got a shit ton of games in my queue to get to. I’m also currently working on Far Cry 5, Fallout 4, and replaying Destroy all Humans. [1]Corny old school PS3 game ported to PS4 recently.  A bitch has things to do so Bungie better get their act together. heehee

 

References

References
↑1 Corny old school PS3 game ported to PS4 recently.

Boring

I wish I could say my life has been extremely busy lately, which would account for my lack of blogging. Nope. Just the usual boring stuff. Daily life revolves around work, dog, gym, video games, sleep, and repeat.  Exciting huh?

Let me delve into the excitement further since you are just dying to know more, right? lol [1]I have several readers who live afar who yell at me when I go too long without blogging. Work is work. I STILL struggle with my schedule. I have just resigned myself to it though, even though I hate it. I hate working 10 hour days. I usually waste the 3rd day off as Shawn works. I often nap and video game the day away. Beyond that, I stay pretty busy at work so there is often no dead spots to blog. We are still incredibly short staffed. Our director has been hiring out the wazoo, but it’s only staved off attrition so far. I am confident the new staffing will make a dent eventually. Beyond that, same sh#t, different day. I joined a 2nd committee with the Union I belong to. Lawd, what was I thinking? Drama to the max.

Dog. Cooper is fine for the most part. He is getting older now. He’ll be 8 in May which is old age for bullies. He had some scares this past year but has been fine since then. I’ve had him on a diet and he is down to a slim 57 lbs. heehee  The goal is to hit 55. He hasn’t had any limps or unusual flare ups with discomfort so hopefully, the drop in weight is helping. He has developed this lovely groaning noise out of the blue. When he stretches, hops up quickly, or rolls around too much he’ll let out a sort of audible groan. It isn’t something he consciously does. It’s kinda cute. If I hadn’t just had him tested for cancer a few months ago I’d be freaked out. I just chalk it up to his ever lovely personality. He doesn’t like to do walks as much as he used to. I make up for by taking him for a ride in a zipcar anytime I have to run errands. He loves it.

Gym. Gym is progressing nicely. I’m back in the swing of things and have been for a while now. I’m liking the new routine I designed for myself. It works with my longer work schedule, even though I still end up rebelling when it comes to bedtime some nights.  I’ve put on a few lbs of muscle [2]sadly, it’s just gaining back what I lost before but I’ll take it and lost a few lbs of fat. I’m almost to the peak range I like to be in. I don’t kill myself dieting, which is why the fat loss is going slow. I happy overall with where I am so I don’t feel compelled to put myself on a super strict regimen. I am trying to cut back on eating out as much. Some weeks I succeed, others I fail miserably. I’m still a bit heavier than I want to be so I continue to trim away at it. My belly is the biggest area needing work. I miss the days when my ass got fat. It all goes to my belly now.

Video Games. I’ve almost completely lost interest in Destiny 2. It has been a let-down of sorts. It doesn’t hold my attention like disc 1 did. It’s hard to explain. It isn’t one big thing but many smaller things that just make it less fun. I picked up Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain. I played the short version they originally released it it was ok. This one is a solid game, albeit an oddly chaotic and confusing story line. Since the game has bounce around on Nintendo, Sony, and now Xbox, you would probably be in the minority if you knew the entire story-line. I finished the campaign and have been going back thru leveling up thru side missions and extra hard main missions. I’ve been at it for months now so I’m slowly wearing out on it. I discovered last month they finally ported one of my all time favorite games to the XOne, The Darkness II.  Sadly, no port of game one. However, even with the old cheesy graphics its been fun playing again. The story is simplistic enough but it manages to pull you in and you get hooked. I still enjoy playing it. I have a few new game sin the queue that need some attention. I expect to get to them shortly.

Shawn is still loving his new job. He is settling into a routine and has yet to come home upset over anything. It’s been nice. hehehe

So you see, I’ve been very busy not being busy.

References

References
↑1 I have several readers who live afar who yell at me when I go too long without blogging.
↑2 sadly, it’s just gaining back what I lost before but I’ll take it

Zelda and the Switch

That nerd of a hubby of mine has gotten me addicted to Zelda, the game. He surprised me with my very own Nintendo Switch. When he pre-ordered his, he ordered me one too. Oh he is a sneaky one! hehehe

So, I was kinda so-so on it. I’ve never been much of a Nintendo fan after the 64. It just felt cheap and childish. I know, those are fighting words for some. haha  As Sony & Microsoft seem to be trying their best to out-do each other in processing power and graphics, Nintendo seemed to be obsessed with portability. And while in the beginning, that meant cheesy graphics and retro style games, I have to give them credit. As a device the Switch is pretty polished for a portable console. 

The gimmick is you can dock it at home to play on your tv and just pick up the console and walk away and keep playing. And you can! It is virtually seamless. If your mid-game, it automatically pauses and you can pick up where ever you are. It’s light, clean display, and easy to carry around. All good things in the portable world. That isn’t to say it doesn’t have it’s drawbacks. There are more than a few, but not necessarily deal-breakers. First, the online environment is virtually non-existent; no chats, not even messaging. Adding someone as a friend is a bit laborious. You have to give them your friend code outside of the console. You can only do it from the console if you are connected to the same wifi network. Your left posting by email, chat, social media, etc to gain friends. It doesn’t appear to have bluetooth; however, the consoles connect wirelessly to controllers so either it’s bluetooth or wifi direct. [1]To be fair, this could be changed with a software patch.  And don’t get me wrong, you can play other players online. Depending on the game, you can play with friends or find random people. But besides their eStore, there isn’t much else. Apparently, Nintendo is planning to open up and expand an online option. Shawn says it’s been in the works for awhile and appears to be coming to fruition soon. Of course, the simplicity of it isn’t such a bad thing. Simple means less clutter and less distractions. I kinda looked down on Nintendo for this but it isn’t really that bad. If they added a better option to find friends, it would be a win for them IMO. 

The new part is the controllers come off the main console. You can play with both controllers or share one with a friend to play multi-player. This is the ingenious part. It truly makes the game portable. The only down side to this is if you want to connect to another tv,you have to have your dock with you or they have to have one. Apparently, there isn’t a cord adapter…yet. Playing multi-player on a small screen isn’t the best option so this will need to happen if they want it to really succeed here. You can also buy a full size controller (much like a Xone or PS4 one) as well. It’s a bit of a sticker-shock but it works. But, they include an adapter to attach both of the console controllers to that makes it feel like a full size one. It’s really quite ingenious. So if you don’t want to spend the bucks, this will still work fine. I use both or either and adjusting to the feel and grip is pretty simple. You can ‘share’ to social media so the idea is basically the same in connecting to find friends. 

Shawn started playing the new Zelda game and after watching him for a bit, I was intrigued enough to play on my own. To my surprise I like it. Actually, I love it. And the game play is phenomenal. I’ve already put in about 90 hours and I’m only half way thru the game. That’s stellar for any console. My biggest annoyance is the need to stop and read story-lines. It kills motion and rhythm. And while it still annoys me, it isn’t overly bad. You get plenty of action and movement without interruption when you’re not trying to interact with denizens of the game. Shawn has almost beat his now. I’m still doing all the side quests. It’s surprisingly addictive. 

Beyond Zelda, there aren’t many other games that interest me so far. Being new, that isn’t unusual at all. Much like the latest versions from Sony/Microsoft, the Switch isn’t backwards compatible. However, the new style controller gives rise to all kinds of fun ways to play. Better than Microsoft’s gimmicky Kinect add-on. [2]We unplugged ours. Shawn was creeped out that it always welcomed him when he would walk by the tv while I’m gaming. heehee  Hopefully, a few other games will grab my attention. I definitely like the mobility of it. 

Of course, Destiny Disc 2 is dropping soon. It will completely steal me away from the Switch for awhile. hehehe  If you can afford it (and can find one in stock) it’s worth a buy if you’re already a Nintendo fan. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. If you’re not, find a friend and try theirs. You might end up being a convert like me. 

References

References
↑1 To be fair, this could be changed with a software patch.
↑2 We unplugged ours. Shawn was creeped out that it always welcomed him when he would walk by the tv while I’m gaming. heehee

Games

People are losing their shit over the Pokemon game! OHMEGURD! Seriously.

Most seem to be in two camps. One camp is in love with the game and going happily insane playing. The other camp is overly grumpy that a game has overtaken all their social media platforms. The latter seem to imply that being adult means not liking games. Whatevs.  Overlooking the random sheer stupidity of people not paying attention, gaming is fun and more power to them. I’ve never been a Pokemon fan, but loving many video games I support my fellow nerds.

And if you seriously think deriding someone for playing a game makes you somehow more of an adult, well bless your heart is all I have to say to you.

And speaking of games, I’ve finally put down Destiny for two seconds. I’m replaying Darksiders II (The definitive edition) on XOne. The game is a bit buggy for the Xone version but I seem to be getting into it more. I don’t remember why but I hated the 2nd one when it first came out. I think it was some of the odd or flawed game mechanics. Anyway, I reordered it thru GameFly and I’m having much more fun with it this time. My queue was sitting for so long I’m sure GameFly thought I must have died. hehehe  I think we had the same 3 games out for almost 6 months. [1]Hint, we weren’t playing them, they were sitting on the coffee table gathering dust  Well, I also had the new Ratchet & Clank that distracted me for awhile too. I finished it a couple times. Not a fan of the hoverboard racing but loved the rest of the game.

And speaking of Destiny, the last DLC for this disc comes out soon. I’m eagerly awaiting it.

Till then, game on nerds!

References

References
↑1 Hint, we weren’t playing them, they were sitting on the coffee table gathering dust

Games

image
Ratchet & Clank

I was all set to ramble on about Destiny the game eating up on my attention in gaming until I came home last night to a surprise from Shawn. He got me the new Ratchet & Clank! I didn’t even know it was out yet! What can I say? He gets me!

R&C is one of my all time favorite games. So far the new one is a mixture of new content and homages to the original story line. It’s quite funny and enjoyable to play. It doesn’t seem overly difficult but it could just be I’ve steadily been playing Destiny so my skills are still ‘up’. I had to force myself to go to bed last night otherwise,I’d still be playing it. heehee

I’m sure you are just dying to know my game habits. Yes, I’m still playing Destiny. I stopped for awhile but it pulled me back in. I’ve exhausted all the content but for some reason I still enjoy the Strikes , the POE [1]Prison of Elders and even the occasional side mission. There is one more DLC [2]Downloadable Content due out this year before Game 2 drops in 2017. Game 2 is expected to be a whole new group of planets with all new content. I switched back to the XOne for most of my game play. (I have it on both consoles, don’t ask! lol) Many of my buds play are on PS4 but I just seem to enjoy the XOne version better.

The new Gears of War is out very soon. I played the beta, which was focused on multi-player. The graphics were stellar as always. Then there is the new version of Doom finally being released after what feels like an eternity of promises. Again, the beta focused exclusively on the multi-player. It’s getting really frustrating that many of my favorite games are all shifting away from single player or campaign modes to multi-player. I get it, there is more money in multi-player but don’t forget the players that made you famous in the first place. Many of the top developers are practically falling all over each other to churn out the multi-player versions of their respective games. They end up being the same story with different graphics. Ugh. Don’t get me wrong, I like multi-player games, but I don’t play for ego or competition. I play for fun and don’t mind a little competition. I think Destiny holds my attention so much because it captures the best of both.

Anyway, Ratchet & clank is calling my name so gotta go. . .

References

References
↑1 Prison of Elders
↑2 Downloadable Content

Destiny

I’m totally hooked on this game. Ugh! It has been over a year and I still play

Destiny, The Game
Destiny, The Game

it at least once a week. Bungie’s goal was to create a game that would be a francize for up to 10 years. I think they might have succeeded. The game is continually updated every 3-6 months with new DLC (downloadable content) to expand its maps. It also incorporates online play, alone or with others.

I’ve always been a gamer who plays for fun. While I am competitive, I prefer to do so with fun in mind. I have never been someone who focused solely on winning. The developers have managed to capture aspects of both types of game play, competitive and fun, to reach a very broad range of players. If you are a competitive player, you have to reach a certain level thru the campaigns, but once you do you can be as competitive as you like. There are whole segments that deal solely with competing. You can play in a group of friends against the game or against other players. If you’re like me and you enjoy campaign modes, there is plenty to keep you busy.

I judge my games by 1) if I finish it, 2) how many times I finish or continue to play it. The game by its nature is designed to never end. Well, not anytime soon anyway. hahaha  New content expands the breadth of the game all while tying into what you already know. I have to say the developers did a good job of building a game that will indeed last for a decade.

If you’re reading this and are a more hardcore gamer, you’re probably familiar with much of the drama that has unfolded in social media and Bungie’s own forums. Frankly, I find it a bit childish and counter-productive. First and foremost, developers rarely give the level of interaction and feedback to players that Bungie has with this game. Maybe they’ve given too much because many have taken to acting all butt-hurt and entitled because the game didn’t live up to some of the promises put forward before the game was released. One, the game wasn’t designed solely for the  hardcore player. It was designed to appeal to all manner of players. Two, if the game was such a disappointment, don’t play it.

Anyhoo, I’m still addicted to it. It has captured my attention like no game before it. Even more than the original Prototype and the Dead Space series. I eagerly await the next set of expansions.

Game

A very kind reader of my blog sent me a free download to the Destiny game. I thought that was very sweet considering the game is not cheap. Said person didn’t use any emails that have previously been associated with my blog [1]I looked! lol so they truly are anonymous. dang it! lol Since I can’t figure out who you are, dear anonymous benefactor, thank you very much for such a kind gift.

I’ve lamented since Shawn and I started playing that I wish I could transfer my game play from PS4 to XOne. The game came bundled with the PS4 so it didn’t make sense to buy it again. The game is not cross-platform so I stuck with playing it on the PS4. I’m already back up to level 29.

When Shawn and I played the demo, it was on the One. When I popped the game in the server apparently remembered and gave me a free legendary heavy weapon right off the bat. Said weapon couldn’t be used until I got back to at least level 20 but it was a nice surprise. The games are pretty much identical in game play, as they should be. I’ve noticed slight differences in the shading but beyond that visually it seems the same. I will say the game seems smoother and slightly faster on the One. The load times are slightly faster and the response from the controls seems a little more fluid. Otherwise, there is very little difference.

If you play, I’m not big on the Vault of Glass (VOG) battle but always like Strike missions. I help or don’t mind being helped on strike missions and/or daily/weekly missions. My handle on both One and PS4 is ibod8x5. [2]As it is pretty much anywhere online. Remind me to tell you the story about my coworkers discovering my online handle. heehee If you want to join a game or me to join you and are not on my friend list, please message me first. I ignore random game/friend invites from people I don’t recognize. This is primarily to avoid much of the juvenile behavior from a lot of online gamers. Since VOG requires 6 players, you’ll also get flooded with requests once you hit level 29 or 30.

So thanks again dear anonymous. As you can tell, your gift is not going to waste.

References

References
↑1 I looked! lol
↑2 As it is pretty much anywhere online. Remind me to tell you the story about my coworkers discovering my online handle. heehee