PlayStation Plus

People will always moan, no matter what. I get that. Gamers particularly enjoy having a moan. I'm not sure if Xbox or PlayStation gamers moan more, primarily because I'm PlayStation gamer myself.
But to see how much PlayStation gamers moan, you just need to have a look at any one of the official PlayStation blogs. (US: http://blog.us.playstation.com/ EU: http://blog.eu.playstation.com/ JP: http://commu.jp.playstation.com/blog/)

However it seems that no matter what games are part of the Instant Game Collection ("IGC"), no one seems to be happy. And now SCEE have given the masses more to complain about with the new "policy" regarding the time IGC will be available.

Starting in July, every title in the Instant Game Collection will be available the first Wednesday of the month, and will be free for that month, until the first Wednesday of the following month.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/05/29/playstation-plus-june-nba-2k14-dragons-crown-pixeljunk-2/

I can see why people are annoyed by that. But let's have a quick look at at three previous months and their timings, compared to timings from July:

March's entered on 5th March and left on 2nd April, making those games available for 28 days.
April's entered on 2nd April and left on 30th April, making those games available for 28 days.
May's entered on 30th April and are leaving today (30th May), making those games available for 30 days.

August's will enter on 6th August and leave on 3rd September, making these games available for 28 days.
September's will enter on 3rd September and leave on  1st October, making these games available for 28 days.

So looking at this, we won't "lose out" at all. However if you're like me and download all the games for the month. But don't play them until the following month, you're basically cheating the system! From memory I still have Remember Me, Metro: Last Light, Bioshock Infinite and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. So I would advise those who complain about the new timings to review how much space you have on your system, if there are any data you can delete and download the games as and when they're released. I know that's what I'm going to continue doing! So bring it on SCEE.

Another issue the people constantly bring into their moans is the price/quality of games/genres/whether you're actually getting the games for free.

My thoughts are: the price is worth it, the quality of games are decent to pretty damn decent, the genres are alright and you are getting the games for free. Let me now explain why I have those views of each point.

Starting with genres: I'm usually play FPS (who doesn't these days!) so having other genres in the IGC let's me experience what I might be missing out on. And yes, that has been the case. Where as I might have stuck to playing Battlefield or similar, I have had the chance to play games DmC: Devil May Cry or Puppeteer. Two games that are far cries from FPS! But ask yourself, what genre are most games these days?

Now onto quality of games: Looking at the previous six months, there has been a nice mix of quality. From games that have been highly rated by "critics" and gamers alike. To games that have felt a bit "meh". But again, imagine that PS Plus (or Xbox Gold, if you wish) didn't exist and you wanted to play the games that have been in the IGC. Then guess what? You would expect the same views! No one is making you subscribe to the services either. (Well... Unless you're a Xbox gamer or PS4 owner....)

And finally, two in one, the price and freeness of the games: The current price of PS Plus for a year is £39.99. Roughly the same as a newly released PS3 game... ;)

But if you wanted to purchase the games that been part of the IGC in the last six months, without a PS Plus subscription, it would have cost: PS4 - £88.53, PS3 - £278.88 & Vita - £203.38. Total - £570.79

Don't get me wrong, I see people's point when they say "but you don't get to keep the games once your subscription has expired." But let me say this, of course you don't! You're subscribing to a service! As far as I'm aware, you don't keep songs once your Spotify subscription has expired or you cannot watch videos once an Amazon Instant Prime subscription has expired. But here's the thing, you do get to keep them if you purchase them separately from the subscription.

Perhaps that's the detail gamers cannot comprehend.

PlayStation 4 - Games to look out for/obtain

Final list - at last!:

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Batman: Arkham Knight - Pre-ordered (07/03/2014)
Battlefield 4 - Already acquired
The Crew
Daylight
Driveclub
Dying Light
The Evil Within
Get Even
Knack
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - Pre-ordered (07/03/2014)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Pre-ordered (July, 2013)
Minecraft
Mirror's Edge 2
Need For Speed: Rivals
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
The Order: 1886
Tom Clancy's The Division
Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots
Watch_Dogs - Pre-ordered (07/03/2014)

PlayStation 3 - Games to track down

Following on from my lists of PlayStation One and PlayStation Two games - here's the list for PlayStation Three!

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - Already acquired

Alice: Madness Returns
Aliens Vs Predator  - Already acquired
Alone In The Dark: Inferno
Armored Core 4
Armored Core: For Answer
Armored Core V
Armored Core: Verdict Day
Army of Two
Army of Two: The 40th Day
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed II
Assassin's Creed III
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Asura's Wrath
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Beyond: Two Souls
Borderlands - Already acquired
Call of Duty: Black Ops  - Already acquired
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Already acquired
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Already acquired
Colin McRae Dirt 2 - Already acquired
Crysis
Crysis 2
Crysis 3
Deadpool
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Already acquired
Eyepet  - Already acquired
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 3
F.3.A.R. - Already acquired
Final Fantasy XIII  - Already acquired
Heavy Rain
Hitman: Absolution
inFamous
inFamous 2
Just Cause 2
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Killzone 2  - Already acquired
L.A. Noir
The Last of Us
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Max Payne 3
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Mirror's Edge
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Need For Speed: The Run
Need For Speed: Shift
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Rage
Saints Row 2
Saints Row: The Third - Already acquired
Saints Row IV
Shadows of the Damned
Silent Hill: Downpour
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Siren: Blood Curse
Tekken 6
Time Crisis: Razing Storm  - Already acquired
Tom Clancy's EndWar
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Turok
Until Dawn
WWE '12
WWE '13

PlayStation 2 - Games to track down

Following on from my list of PlayStation One games - here's the list for PlayStation Two!

Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies/Distant Thunder

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War

Alien Versus Predator: Extinction

Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

Armored Core 2

Armored Core 2: Another Age

Armored Core 3

Armored Core 3: Silent Line

Armored Core: Formula Front

Armored Core: Last Raven

Armored Core: Nexus

Armored Core: Nine Breaker
Beyond Good & Evil
Capcom Classics Collection Volume 1 - Already acquired

Colin McRae Rally 4

Big Mutha Truckers

Big Mutha Truckers 2

Black

Bully

Burnout

Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Burnout 3: Takedown

Burnout Revenge

Burnout Dominator

Cold Fear

Cold Winter

Colin McRae Rally 3

Colin McRae Rally 2005

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex

Crazy Taxi

Dead To Rights

Dead To Rights II

Deus Ex: The Conspiracy

Fahrenheit

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Already acquired 

Hitman: Blood Money

Hitman: Contracts

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Jade Cocoon 2

Just Cause

Legacy of Kain: Defiance

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

Manhunt

Manhunt 2

Max Payne

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2

Need for Speed: Underground

Need for Speed: Underground 2

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Need for Speed: Carbon

Need for Speed: ProStreet

Need for Speed: Undercover

Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time - Already acquired 

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

The Punisher

Rollercoaster World

R-Type Final

Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 3

Silent Hill 4: The Room

Silent Hill: Origins

Silent Hill: Origins

Siren

Siren 2

Spyro: A Hero's Tail

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

SSX

SSX 3

SSX on Tour

SSX Tricky

The Suffering

The Suffering: Ties That Bind

Sonic Mega Collections Plus - Already acquired 

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain

Taito Legends 2 - Already acquired

Tekken 4

Tekken 5

Tenchu: Fatal Shadows

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven

The Thing

Theme Park World

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

Tomb Raider: Legend

Tomb Raider: Underworld

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

Tutok: Evolution

V-Rally 3

WRC: Rally Evolved

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain

WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It

PlayStation 1 - Games to track down

So I wrote this on Twitter a couple of weeks ago....

What a crazy idea that was, not tracking them, but listing them is a crazy idea!! Needless to say, here is goes:

*Updated on 20/10/2015

40 Winks - 29/03/2015*
A Bug's Life
Ace Combat 2
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
Air Combat - Already acquired
Alien: Resurrection - 12/08/2015*
Alien Trilogy - 12/08/2015*
Alone in the Dark: One-Eyed Jack's Revenge
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Ape Escape
Apocalypse
Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1
Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2
Arcade's Greatest Hits: Midway Collection 2
Armored Core
Armored Core: Master of Arena
Armored Core: Project Phantasma
Asteroids - Already acquired

Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.

Black Dawn
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Bloody Roar
Bloody Roar 2
C-12: Final Resistance - Already acquired
Chessy
Colin McRae Rally - Already acquired

Colin McRae Rally 2.0
Command & Conquer
Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Already acquired
Command & Conquer Red Alert: Retaliation
Cool Boarders
Cool Boarders 2 - 31/01/2015*
Cool Boarders 3
Cool Boarders 4
Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos
Croc 2
Destruction Derby
Destruction Derby 2
Die Hard Trilogy
Dino Crisis
Dino Crisis 2
Disney's Tarzan
Doom
ECW Anarcy Rulz
ECW Hardcore Revolution
Exhumed
The Fifth Element
Fighting Force
Fighting Force 2
Future Cop: LAPD
G-Police
G-Police: Weapons of Justice
Galaga: Destination Earth - Already acquired
Gex
Gex: Enter the Gecko
Gex: Deep Cover Gecko
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969
Heart of Darkness
Hogs of War
Hugo
In Cold Blood
Incredible Crisis
Independence Day
International Track & Field
International Track & Field 2
Jade Cocoon - Already acquired
The Lost World: Jurassic Park

London Racer

London Racer II
Kula World
Kurushi - Already acquired
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Medal of Honour - 29/03/2015*
Medal of Honour: Underground
MediEvil
MediEvil 2
Metal Gear Solid - Already acquired
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions - Already acquired
Mission: Impossible
MotorHead
The Mummy
Music - Already acquired
Music 2000 - Already acquired
Nuclear Strike
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
One
Overboard!
Pandemonium
Pandemonium 2
PaRappa the Rapper
Populous: The Beginning
Porsche Challenge - 31/05/2015*
R-Types
R-Type Delta
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
Rival Schools
Rollcage
Rollcage Stage II
S.C.A.R.S.
Silent Hill
Soviet Strike - Already acquired
Space Jam
Spyro The Dragon
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!
Spyro: Year of the Dragon
Syphon Filter
Syphon Filter 2
Syphon Filter 3
T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger
Tekken
Tekken 2
Tekken 3
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins
Theme Hospital
Theme Park
Theme Park World
TOCA Touring Car Championship - Already acquired 

TOCA 2 Touring Cars

TOCA World Touring Cars
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - Already acquired
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lone Wolf
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear - Already acquired
Tomb Raider- Already acquired
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft - 27/06/2015*
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider Chronicles
Tombi!
Tombi! 2
Urban Crisis
V-Rally
V-Rally 2 - Already acquired
V2000
WCW Backstage Assault
WCW Mayhem
WCW Nitro
WCW/nWo Thunder
Wild 9 - 29/03/2015*
World's Scariest Police Chases - Already acquired
Worms
Worms Armageddon - 31/01/2015*
WWF Attitude
WWF In Your House
WWF SmackDown!
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role
WWF Warzone

My problem with GAME.

I have a problem with GAME (aka Game Retail Limited).

Now I may be the only person with this problem and I'm probably just being a grumpy old git. Or there may well be others who will agree with me.

But the problem that I have with GAME is the sales people who work in the stores. Yes, I know they are just doing their job to ensure they bring in as much profit as possible. (Or we might have another Blockbuster on our hands....) But to me they need to either actually be gamers themselves or, if they are, tone down on the sales front now and again.
What's prompted this? I have visited my local GAME several times over the last few months in preparation of getting a PS4 and every time I have had to deal with sales talk.

I am not heavy gamer as per say. I'm more of a weekend/casual gamer. But when I visit GAME I want to have conversations about games etc that are due out or latest news in the gaming world and not to be disregarded and be moulded into a sheep.

Example

Me: "So what bundles are you offering for the PS4?"
Sales person (let's call him Chris): "Well we have the value bundle for £389.99, Killzone bundle for £429.99...."
Me: "I'll go for the value bundle with Battlefield 4 please."
Chris: ". . . . . So you don't want the Killzone bundle? I mean, it may be more than the value bundle. But you get all these extra things at a discounted rate."
Me: "Nah, I'm alright thanks. I played Killzone 3 and didn't particularly enjoy it."
Chris: "You're judging experience on a previous game? Don't let that effect your decision..."
Me: "I've read the reviews on IGN etc and I'll pass on it."
Chris: "Well regardless BF4 is a good game. It's your choice after all. I mean, you have downloadable content that last for two years."

Me: "Yeah, there was an article on IGN where the developers of Battlefield were basically dissing the developers of Call of Duty. And I was thinking, "Are they just gonna let them talk trash?"

Chris: "Umm.. I'm personally not sure. But I'll update your deposit."

Yes, you could say that he was busy or whatever. But he wasn't! He was just wondering around the store beforehand and he was called over to talk to me!

Anyway.. There's a second example, which shows they're more sales people than gamers.

Me: "Hi, I'm here to pay of my PS4 deposit."

*Hands over*

Sales person (Let's call this one... Mary): "Alright, I'll just bring it up on the system here. That's £389.99, but before I process that there are several things I need to go over first."

Me: "Okay..."

Mary: "First there's cover we're offering at £*insert whatever amount it was*"

Me: "I'll be alright thanks."

Mary: "Urm, well only if you're sure. It does cost £*insert amount* to replace the *insert part*."

My wife: "Hmm you sure you don't want it, Deer?"

Me: "Nah, we'll be alright. Just have to teach * insert name of son* not to touch it and stuff."

Mary: "Right, secondly have you got PSPlus? As we're offering a discount off if you buy it today."

Me: "I don't particularly enjoy playing online. I prefer paying campaign modes etc."

Mary: "Well with the PS4 you do need PSPlus regardless of playing online or not."

Boom. There we have. No knowledge about the product being sold. Or perhaps she thought that I would give into impulse/panic buying.

So there we have it, my problems with Game. No doubt I'll have further problems when I pre-order a few games I've got my eyes on. Or . could just pre-order directly from the website or buy games from elsewhere...

But they'll be talked about on my Twitter @iamdark1988.