Not All Gaming Moments Are Created Equally.

Some moments in gaming are so iconic that they become part of the cultural heritage, enriched by the verve of the participants who experienced it. It could be the death of a character, the defeat of an enemy or that hard fought victory you remember with distinct clarity. At times many of these pivotal instances are significantly personal, a subjective view and an attribution to you’re own individual preferences. Something benign, subtle or perhaps even marginalised by the conventions of more ostentatious moments. For you, despite the inert dynamics it imparts something more refined, more identifiable, more you. Nothing illustrates this point better than one of the less dramatic scenes in Uncharted 4. It’s not a relevant plot point, it doesn’t advance the story, it isn’t even that important. Hell it’s only an optional conversation that can easily be missed. But to me this innocuous scene of brotherly companionship is one of the more endearing moments of the game. It’s just two brothers taking a brief rest to reflect on what they’ve achieved, what they still have to accomplish and just how similar, yet different they are as siblings. Though the entirety of the conversation transpires in a long since absent tavern on a deserted, Utopian pirate island (yes I’ve just realised how absurd that sounds) the discussion they’re having is so disarming, so mundane that you could almost imagine it occurring in a pub garden on a tranquil Sunday afternoon or at the end of a family Barbecue. NaughtyDog realise the futility of generating repeated interference’s of hostility. That the continued escalation of danger can sometimes have the opposite effect on the player. They understand the limitations of the violent conduct perpetrated by the ensemble cast of murderous psychopaths can be offset by customary bouts of tranquillity, and that articulation can be just as potent as any deadly conflict. Of course that’s just my opinion. If you haven’t played Uncharted 4 (quite frankly I think it’s time you left if you haven’t?) then this short segment probably isn’t going to make much sense. But I guess you’re here now so you may as well take a look while I make you a drink. Is a beer OK?

Ratchet & Clank; A Fish Called Wanderer.

I like glitches. I admire the purity of them. Not the game breaking ones, more the extravagant demonstrations of ignorance from developers. The ones that have footballers colliding on the pitch, clasping one another in an uncomfortable embrace and kissing. The sort where Ethan yells “SHAUN”! inexplicably during conversations in Heavy Rain or a hockey player collapses onto an opposition player, sticking his arm up his butt and anally pounding him like Mike Tyson kneading bread! Seriously check that one out it’s hysterical! They don’t necessarily represent the overall quality of the product nor do they detract from the immersion; they are simply a gentle reminder that you are playing a game crafted by living, fallible people. It’s the unpredictable spontaneity associated with them that I like too. That at any moment, without warning a levitating fish will come hurtling towards you like a coked up student at a Doritos factory. It’s surprisingly difficult to anticipate instances such as these, so imagine my surprise when such an incident occurred?! Believe me, I’ll be much more cautious in everyday life now! Check out the clip below to see more.

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What is you’re favourite glitch? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

Trying To Play The Resident Evil 7 Demo.

Yes! I’ve finally salvaged enough time to play the “Resident Evil 7” Demo. Is it scary? Is it a return to form? Is it another example of Capcom prioritising commerce over craft? Is it just a demonstration of overt plagiarism? Is it as half-arsed as, well half an arse (or more commonly referred to as Resident Evil 6!). Could I actually figure out what the hell was supposed to be going on?! Well I recorded my exploits for your benefit and give you a vaguely defined idea of what to expect from this much lamented franchise. A word of caution; the game is dark and full of terrors (thank you Melisandre). Primarily consisting of dark, claustrophobic environments that even Marilyn Manson would consider a little too dismal. Seriously I had the brightness dimmed down so much that only Stevie Wonder blindfolded would have less visual perspective! Any girlish screams you hear during this video are purely coincidental. Actually-now that I’ve concocted a more imaginative lie-they were in fact my 3 month old daughter. She was born with a lot of testosterone. My girlfriend and I are deeply concerned. *cough*. With that firmly in mind I hope you enjoy part 1 of my Resident Evil 7 demo play-through. Cheers.

        

How Sony Have Ruined ShareFactory.

There are probably two reasons why you haven’t been making use of PlayStation’s video editing software.

1. You already have a more professional set-up.

2. You don’t bother with any of that nonsense when there are games to be played!

If it’s the latter then that’s fair enough, but you really should re-consider. Because the PS4 is always recording any exceptional instances you feel deserves recognition, you simply press the Share button, the video is saved and can be distributed onto Facebook or Twitter at any time. Alternatively you can apply a little more refinement to you’re activities and upload it to YouTube or DailyMotion via the software localised on your PS4. “ShareFactory” has made slight refinements to its video editing application over the past year, with its most notable advancement being the rather misguidedly titled “Time bender” feature which enables users to apply time lapse and slow motion into their videos. But the ability to trim and split clips has been greatly diminished by the removal of the “move” utility. This functionality allowed users to shuffle specifically spliced segments of their video, for instance a montage of your favourite kills and manoeuvre selected clips into an order you deemed was most cogent to the point you’re trying to make. This meant that you could accumulate all of your favourite clips in any order into one 15 minute long video and edit at your convenience, without having to extract singular recordings in advance.

Say for instance you’ve just assembled the various clips, of variable lengths that contain all the pertinent content you’ll require for you’re “Kills of the week” compilation. You edit out any surplus footage, filter out loading screens or embarrassing deaths and are left with streamlined segments that can be adjusted into one dynamic feature. You then cycle through the footage discriminating where each clip should go. “Hmm, I think that clip should go there. And if I move that knife kill at the end and bring it with these similar deaths over here then I’ll have continuity with the melee themes at the start.” But you can’t do that, and the only way to placate the issue is to manually find the video that the clip is derived from, add the video into the corresponding slot, cycle through to the part in the video you want and trim it……again. Exhausting, I know. You’re also relying on the hope that by the time you’ve composed your finished video that you don’t want to move a clip somewhere else! It’s a logistical cluster fu….uh……problem.

Evidently there were latency issues with clips that had been “moved” that affected the formatting quality of the videos that prompted its removal, at least according to Sony. But to not have its absence resolved with a suitable replacement seems careless. I’m not proficient in using every amenity available on ShareFactory but I possess a reasonable amount of understanding to construct a video, and know that it’s glaring omission hamstrings any conscientious editing you wish to implement on a video. In fact it makes things downright impossible! I could go on but its probably easier if I just show you….

Do you use Share Factory? If so what do you think of the “move” functions removal. Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

The Walking Dead And A Bizarre Glitch.

Rather than dispose of all of my residual resources on a forced article concerning some systemic arbitration afflicting some rudimentary aspect of the games industry, or a cynical jab at a series I abhor, with all the analytical charm of an itchy verruca I felt I’d use this time to relax a little. I’m mentally exhausted, trust me incessant discussions about appropriate prams and other related commodities of infant services will do that to you, so I have instead utilised this time to restore some much needed vitality through indolent repose. Don’t worry though as I have compiled a little video of a particular occurrence during my play-through of The Walking Dead that documents a rather curious incident, whereby 2 characters engage each other in a conversation using their……err……junk! You know their tiny Tim’s, kidney ticklers, meat scepters, snot rockets, womb brooms, Dora the Explorer’s…..I’ll, I’ll stop now. Enjoy the video which is in no way as depraved as my puerile and downright repulsive description on the male genitalia. Hee hee hee…..genitals.