PS4

YNAB, Zelda, Horizon and More

stargrace March 21, 2017 0Comment

I don’t use a lot of programs on steam, most of my “stuff” is games (pretty understandable). One I do use though is called You Need a Budget (YNAB) and it is absolutely amazing. If you’ve ever had money problems but have no idea where your money is actually going, this is the program for you. It’s incredibly worth it, though I do suggest waiting until it goes on sale if you’re purchasing the steam version. In all of February and March I managed to stay on budget, tuck some aside into savings, and I still had enough left over to splurge on both Zelda and Horizon which is pretty amazing considering I’ve owned my PS4 for a while now and have maybe three games total.

I haven’t had a lot of time to sink into Horizon yet, but I absolutely love the game and everything about it. The world is beautiful, the story easy to sink into. Staying away from spoilers.

I just got Zelda yesterday (it was sold out for the WiiU) so I haven’t actually played it yet, but I’ve seen lots of twitch streamers playing it. Another beautiful world (if a bit washed out by my standards) with a pretty good story. I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into it. I wasn’t interested in buying a Nintendo Switch since I don’t do a lot (if any) mobile gaming, and my WiiU works just fine. I’m also thinking of buying Just Dance. Guilty pleasure of mine, what can I say.

It’s another great year to be a gamer, and there seems to be something for almost everyone. I’m still hoping that an Animal Crossing type game comes out for my WiiU but I’m not going to hold my breath.

In between console gaming I’m still playing both RimWorld and Wurm Unlimited. The Sklotopolis server saw a huge influx of new players as 1.3 was released, and things have been really busy. I’m still crafting colossus for 15 silver, and trying to make money this way and that. I now own two deeds, Quail Ridge, and Dwarf Fortress. The second deed is completely underground with houses and all. I’ve built it below the steppe, and don’t plan on doing any terraforming above ground, leaving the area in its natural state. Below ground is another story. I’m also debating what I want to do to Quail Ridge, there’s a huge section that was just flattened, and I think tall iron fences may be incoming. I haven’t set my mind though.

RimWorld. What an amazingly addictive game. I LOVE the mods that people have come out with! I’ve added a bunch to my favourites, a few I don’t think I could live without. This game.. I just have nothing but good to say about it, and it’s still in early access.

I’ve also been buying the cheaper humble bundle deals so that I can add to my steam collection. I wonder if my kid is too young at 6 months to have an account set up for him, lol.

The little guy has been keeping me pretty busy and I’ve been taking a back seat to social media (and gaming) and I’ve realized just how isolating becoming a new parent is. You’re out of the loop on so many things, distant from friends and family, and you’re lost in your own little world that consists of sleep depraved nights, diaper changes, and milestones. I wanted to remind everyone that I’m still here, despite the fact that it may seem rare. If anyone needs to talk to me about something I’m still easy to get a hold of, and love to help out as much as I can. So, big hugs to everyone out there!

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Gaming

Getting into Horizon: Zero Dawn

stargrace March 7, 2017 2Comments

It has been ages since I plugged in my PS4 – in fact last time I did, I was planning on selling it, and it was before my son was born. I ended up not selling it and I’m glad that I kept it (even if it has been neglected). Last week I saw people playing Horizon: Zero Dawn and I started watching a bit of it on Twitch – then decided that the game was just so beautiful and entertaining that I wanted to get a chance to play it myself and I didn’t want to spoil the story, so I stopped watching and swapped over to watching Zelda (which a lot of people have also been streaming, what a great time to be a gamer).

I decided to splurge and picked up the game from Amazon where my prime membership meant I would get a 20% discount. That saved me a whooping $15 (not sarcasm) – a big deal when it comes to console games. They’re typically around $80 Canadian when purchased new.

I set the PS4 back up, patched, logged into the PSN (I think I’m Stargrace if you want to add me) and added random friends who have purchased a console over the years. I only own a handful of games which seems quite pathetic. There’s Pinball (which I happen to play the most), Diablo 3, FFXIV (which I’m not even playing since it requires a subscription and I simply don’t have the time), and Little Big Planet 3 (I think this game is free atm if you have a PS+ subscription). Horizon showed up at my door two days later (yay) and required only a small little patch so I was up and playing within minutes. Ah, technology.

The game is absolutely stunning. PS4 share means I can show it off to everyone on social media, or save it for myself to view or make into a desktop. I will admit, one of the more appealing aspects of the game is that I don’t have to play a male character. I know, males play female characters all the time in video games when they have the choice (let face it, that choice isn’t around as often as it should) but I just relate more to playing a female character. You play Aloy, an Outcast. I don’t want to give things away, but lets just say that an absolutely gorgeous world combined with a strong female lead, and incredible mechanical beasts makes for a game that I won’t be bored of any time soon. There’s questing, adventuring, crafting, and just so much to do. I’ve barely scraped the surface because I keep stopping and pausing the game in photo mode and taking screenshots.

It is taking me a bit to get used to the controls – not because there’s anything wrong with them or it’s difficult in any way, but because I’ve always been a strict PC gamer, and controllers are still “new” to me. Eventually intuition takes over and I won’t have to keep looking down at the controller to see what buttons are where.

If you own a PS4 (or a PS4 Pro, or whatever they’ve come out with these days) I HIGHLY recommend picking up this game. There’s just too much good to say about it. In fact, I suppose I’ll get back to playing.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

PS4

YNAB, Zelda, Horizon and More

Getting into Horizon: Zero Dawn

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