Goafer

One thing I've learned so far is that it's more complicated than it first seems. I was originally just planning on getting a cheap suitcase style player for about £50, but apparently they're awful. Throw in stories of tracking force and ruined records and suddenly you're down a wormhole of which turntable/preamp/amp/speakers to buy. To say my original £50 budget has long passed would be an understatement. I went with the LP120, as it has an adjustable tonearm counterweight and comes with a built-in preamp, meaning I just needed some active speakers (which serve as an amp and speakers) and the whole thing is ready to go. You could probably get much more for your money if you're willing to go second hand and do a bit of research, but I just wanted a simple, plug and play solution that can be upgraded later with a new stylus etc as needed.

Really interesting history of Panzer Dragoon Saga (Even if he does pronounce Zwei and Azel completely wrong). The game really is incredible. It took me over 10 years and £150 to finally play the full game, but it was worth it.

Massive hipster moment incoming... I listen to music a lot, but I realised that I never really listen. It's always in the background or just something I've just thrown on. With things like my Alexa and Youtube, I can just listen to whatever track I want at a moment's notice, which is great, but it never makes me actually value the music I'm listening to. I want music to actually be something I actively listen to and enjoy. For that reason, I decided to get into vinyl. I'm still very much researching, but I've bought a turntable and a few records. The speakers are very much the weakest part of the setup currently, but I figured I'd just get a pair to start with and upgrade later if I get hooked. Using my phone with them currently (the turntable arrives later today) and they're actually pretty good, so should last a while. The turntable pops up in most of the top "affordable" lists, so I'm hoping that won't need upgrading any time soon, if ever. I figure the whole "ceremony" of getting the vinyl out, cleaning it (if I can be arsed), putting it on the table and dropping the needle will make me actually appreciate the music more. I don't buy into the whole "vinyl just sounds better" ethos, but I do like the idea of listening to music being an event, so I figure it'll be a good hobby. Audio Techinca LP120XUSB. In black, because of course I did: Majority D40 Speakers. No, I haven't heard of them either, but they had good reviews and actually seem really nice so far. Plus they have bluetooth and a headphone socket, meaning I don't have to get a separate headphone amp: And a few records to keep me occupied. Labyrinth, because it's my favourite soundtrack and will absolutely be the first thing I listen to when the turntable arrives. David Bowie - Legacy. Didn't mean to go double Bowie, but I had an Argos voucher and the only decent record they had in stock. I can't complain though, Bowie is awesome. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. The Chain is the best bass drop of all time and I'll fight anyone who disagrees. Next up I'd like to get some Daft Punk, but their records are at least £40 per album, so I think that can wait a while. I'll probably get a few cheaper ones first. I get the feeling this may become an expensive hobby...

I think it's interesting that Cyberpunk has actually been taken down, especially considering some of the utter toss currently on the PS Store (look up Hajwala for example). I recall Fallout 76 being just as broken, but that never got taken down. It's probably the right thing to do, just surprised they haven't done it in previous cases. This pretty much sums up my view on it:

Base XBox One and One S is even worse than base PS4 according to Digital Foundry. I think One X fares a bit better than PS4 Pro though from what I remember. I think the consensus is that base PS4/Xbox One is a no-go, whereas everything else is basically playable. I won't be playing it until I get a PS5, which is fine as I already have a backlog to get through.

Yup. From my own experience*, Sony are actually really good with refunds if you actually talk to them. *I basically bought the GOTY edition of Witcher 3 as a cheap way to get all the DLC, loaded the GOTY edition up and noticed my save wouldn't transfer over from the standard version. As I had loaded the game up, I wasn't entitled to a refund. Contacted Sony and was given an instant refund. Great service IMO.

From what I remember, it's tied to the voice and says that those will be your pronouns when you pick the voice.

Yeah, I just read up on some of it. I can't comment on the in game advert, as I've not seen it, but the pronouns being tied to voice isn't ideal, but the fact that it's not tied to body shape or genitals is a step in the right direction IMO. Like, they've at least tried. That's more than most character creators do. Character creators are never going to have every single option for every single thing in there, but the fact that they've made some progress towards allowing unusual gender options should at least be acknowledged. I can't make a character that's left handed, or has heterochromia or a cleft palate. Does that mean they hate those people too? Or is it that they just didn't think about it? I think people need to realise the difference between *insert thing here*phobia and an oversight.

I'm quite interested to see what the transphobic content is, as I've only played about 5 mins and I've already been impressed by the character creator's options for gender/sex. You can pick your voice (which also controls pronouns), body shape (masculine/feminine base) and genitals (including none). The fact that you can make any combination of those seems like a step forward to me, but I guess it depends what the other complaints are.

I've got this on preorder, but I'm playing Ghost of Tsushima currently, so I doubt I'll play it straight away. Hopefully it'll be more stable when I get round to playing it, but if not I'll just pretend it's a Bethesda game.

I don't really carry cash anymore and a normal wallet was a bit bulky for just a few cards. Pretty good so far. It's just a bit smaller than my phone and keeps the cards in securely. The only downside is that due to it being smaller, it feels like it might fall out of my pocket. Front pocket only from now on I guess.

Ghost of Tsushima is a bit special:

So I am now finding out that this is incredibly distracting to have on your work desk. I do have one question though: does anyone have any idea why the dot that goes around the clock screen randomly starts flashing? If the sound is on, the ticking also changes. It doesn't seem tied to any events that I've noticed.

I had an Argos voucher and figured I could do with a clock for my work desk. May get a stand from Rose Coloured Gaming for it as well at some point.

Was just browsing Amazon and the app went haywire. Now that I've noticed the time, I understand why...

I heard that if you say Playstation three times in a mirror, a certain board member shows up behind you, calls the PS5 an eyesore and complains about battery life.

Burning Rangers I was always impressed by how fun it was, but it was limited by the Saturn's capabilities and plagued with awful translation (The first piece of writing in the intro has a typo in it FFS) and bugs. I'd love to see how the movement and style could be improved on a modern console. Split/Second Not really a case of me wanting to see it remade, but more that I'd like to see more games like it. It was a powerup/weapon style racer, but the powerups weren't weapons, they were triggers for traps/setpieces within the track itself. Once you'd learned the tracks, you knew where the traps were and a good driver could avoid them. The fun came from not knowing when someone would set off the traps and always being prepared for the worst. It was basically a kart style game, but without any of the bullshit random elements normally associated with powerup racers.

One thing that always bothered me about my current job is the job title. I'm down as a Graphic Design Assistant, but my actual role is a Graphic Designer that also assists with marketing/social media. It's never really bothered me, as I know it's basically "Graphic Design + Assistant", but it does look a bit weird on my CV to go from Graphic Designer in previous jobs down to Graphic Design Assistant. I requested a change a while back and now that I've passed my marketing apprenticeship, I'm now "Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator". Much better. More importantly, it's an actual promotion, which comes with a pay rise. Not a huge one, but enough to make a noticeable difference every month.

My trusty PS4 headset has seen better days and is just about ready to snap, so a replacement is due. I had a set of comparable Sennheisers before and found them to be amazing, so I opted for a set of HD280 Pros: They don't have a mic, so I do lose that functionality, but the PS4 headset was mainly used as headphones whilst I use my Snowball mic anyway, so it's not really an issue. They're studio monitoring headphones, so I'll at least look the part when recording/editing my podcast.

I actually prefer the PS4s approach to the store to the Xbox one. It feels like a lot of my dashboard is taken up with adverts in the One, whereas the only time I see anything like that on the PS4 is when there's a new sale (which can just be deleted and never seen again) I feel like the One (and Microsoft in general, if Forza is anything to go by) is always badgering me to spend more money.

I don't consider many games as proper "standout moments", but here's my list of games I consider to be truly memorable games of the generation, divided up into genres. Action/Adventure Nier: Automata - An absolute gem of a game. I've never been one for this sort of game, but it was just an absolute joy to play. Openworld Red Dead Redemption 2 - One of the best games of the generation IMO. Everything a AAA game should be: engaging, fun and a beautifully crafted world and story. I don't think it will be topped for a long time. RPG Persona 5 - Hands down the most stylish game I've ever played. Awesome visuals, really catchy music and a deep, interesting story. Witcher 3 - The first game I got for the PS4 and one of the best. A great set of characters and a whole bunch of deep stories. Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Everything a remake should be: easily identifiable, but infinitely better. Loved every moment of the story. Racing Forza Horizon 4 - It's like it was crafted just for me. The handling is perfect and there are tonnes of cars to collect and modify. Literally everything I want from a racing game. I've gone back through the earlier Horizon games and they've been great from day 1, with 4 being the peak of the series so far. Moment of the Generation Shenmue 3 - Genuinely got a bit emotional when it was announced. A game I had been waiting an eternity for, that I'd basically given up all hope of seeing, just came from nowhere (at least to me). VR - It's always been a thing, but I think this generation has been the first time it's been a viable thing. The PSVR made a fantastic step towards making it affordable and easy to access, and that's still being improved on with things like the Oculus Quest and the more casual headsets. I think we've still got a way to go before it becomes truly mainstream, but the leaps made during this generation has been fantastic.

Whenever I go visit my family, they mention how my face looks thinner, so I thought I'd take a photo and compare as I haven't noticed a difference. I think the focal distance of the 2 photos are exaggerating things a bit, but I can definitely see a difference in my cheeks: And then did a full photo, because I'm curious (and vain). Although I don't think focal length is effecting this comparison as much, I do think either the mirror or my phone is doing something to the current photo. It looks a bit like it's been altered to me. One bonus is that I was never able to fit into the shirt in the second photo, so I put it aside for when I'd lost weight. Fits nicely now (although it is apparently see through): One thing is obvious though, being thinner is apparently making me a miserable fucker, at least if the photos are to be believed.

After what feels like a lifetime with 1lb to go, I've finally lost my 4th stone since the start of lockdown. I think it's going to get a lot harder to lose weight now that it's too dark in the evenings to cycle, so if I can maintain this weight over winter, I'll be happy.

Just had a thought on this. If it does download a copy of the game and just uses the disc for verification, like the XBox currently does, what will it mean for games with licenced music or other content (cars, teams etc)? Surely if the licence doesn't get renewed, they can't offer a new download of it, even if the player already owns the disc? Would the download count as a new, digital copy or an extension of the disc version?

Should probably post an update on this. We've now uploaded all our character intros and we're 3 episodes deep. We release a new episode every Wednesday. We're also lucky enough to have a talented artist and musician on board, so we have some awesome artwork over on our Twitter and Instagram, as well as every episode featuring a musical recap of the previous episode. I'm biased, but I'm super proud of what we've done so far, plus we've had some great feedback from listeners, especially non-D&D players.