My plans to bring my PS Vita on my European travels this week appeared to have been dealt a blow at the weekend when I tried to upgrade to the latest firmware. The end result of which was a Vita that would only display a backlit blank screen when switched on. “Uh oh”, thought I.
After much fiddling I managed to get it into Safe Mode with the three-finger salute (hold R1+PS+Power until cramp sets in). The success was only momentary though as the menu proved unresponsive so I couldn’t select the device-saving options.
Switching it off before multiple further attempts to get it into Safe Mode just led to many more appearances of the blank screen. By now I was stuck in two minds: does it go out the window or get dropped on the floor and kicked under the sofa?
In desperation I settled for the third option which you’ll be pleased to hear did not involve nuclear weapons and plugged it into my PS3. I have no idea why but that helped. I got straight into Safe Mode, picked the Restore from PS3 option and retired to the kitchen to fetch myself a cuppa while I waited.
As a result it is travelling through Europe with me this week. And what have been playing on it? Just a few curious games of How-Good’s-The-Local-Wi-Fi, the litmus test being can I get a Remote Play connection back to my PS4. The answer is, surprisingly often, though I’m not sure if that says more about the robustness of scattered European Wi-Fi networks or the PS4’s Remote Play.
Fortunately for the content of this article the others having been up to some real gaming this week. Aran’s still playing NBA 2K14 and has played a bit of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 ReMix and Puppeteer but nothing’s really holding his attention. Except for the series Person Of Interest, which he recommends.
If you’ve been paying attention to the site this week you may well have already read Blair’s fevered rantings which resulted from far too much Mario Kart 8 multiplayer at the weekend. Over the course of some 30 hours it single-handedly sapped his gaming reserves so nothing else has got a look in.
For his obsession this week Stefan has become determined to achieve S Rank all the levels in Stealth Inc. on his PS Vita, hitting a few of the games top ten time leaderboards along the way. He’s avoided gaming exclusivity though by also playing “the rather soothing Space Invaders-inspired Titan Attacks!“.
That last also appears on Tuffcub’s list of button-mashing, stick-twiddling distractions this week alongside the ever-present Killzone and with some Stick It To The Man, DC Universe Online and Assassin’s Creed Liberation thrown in for good measure.
Dom is still claiming Final Fantasy XIV to be a “therapeutic pastime” contrasting it with Trials Fusion which he thinks “if given half a chance would turn me into a bearded hermit, long fingernails curled around my DualShock”.
Beyond that it’s a family affair as he’s playing The LEGO Movie with his son and has just started The Last Of Us with his wife. Looking into the future he may be about to double Nintendo’s annual sales of the Wii U by buying one for Mario Kart 8.
People thinking about maybe buying a Wii U must be some kind of positive, much like how I sometimes think about maybe switching mine on before being distracted by something with a Sony badge on it or some dirt under my fingernails that needs removing.
Finally this week we find DanToo FPSing his little heart out.
I’ve been playing Call Of Duty Ghosts, which I’m absolutely loving. After Battlefield 3 and 4 filling my FPS void for the last few iterations it’s refreshing to go back to Call Of Duty. The online I think is as good as Modern Warfare 2’s which I know is a bold statement. The campaign is great so far too; some lovely set pieces, especially the Gravity-esque start!
When not shooting people in the face and carrying around dogs that seem to have suddenly forgotten how to enter the Konami code for invincibility he’s been “pleasantly surprised” by the first few hours of Bound by Flame.
Not so pleasantly surprising were the first few moments of Outlast’s Whistleblower DLC: “It’s horrible, already made me jump quite a few times. I’ll be back soon though. Maybe this time I won’t be decapitated by a crazed patient with a chainsaw.”
He doesn’t note whether that crazed patient looked anything like Blair after a monster Mario Kart multiplayer marathon with a Peter-powered voice-over but that does sound like a frightening encounter that could occur in the nether regions of TSA Towers.
Has gaming helped or hindered your own sanity this week?
Pixel_nme
Well I’ve been playing loads of Amazing Spiderman 2 since release day and just got the Platinum for my first on this account :), the maxing out of the 13 suits was the only real pain in the arse as it takes ages and is so tedious,also played tiny bits of Plants vs Zombies COD and Titanfall,speaking of titan picked up Titan Attacks last night and had a quick dabble also picked up Steamworld Dig but not played yet Oh and also bought Pinball Arcade while out and played a few tables now to order Watchdogs.
DividSmythe
I’ve been pushing PES 2014 closer to plat. Also having some fun on south park stick of truth and finally started my inFamous ss extreme playthrough.