PixlBit

Hello Pixlbit! So I had another blog that was all finished and ready to be updated when I came across something yesterday, that was annoying, frustrating, and the Vita was being a burro, because I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. Let’s go back a bit

 

Yesterday I was playing some Lego Harry Potter when the screen froze, then the screen went black with the loading circle. While all of this was going on, the PS button was blinking. After checking my Google Machine, I found out that this was called the “Blue Light of Death” If you played with Windows, the Blue Screen of Death is annoying, but can be fixed, and I got my answer from YouTube.

 

Funny thing about the video I watched, it was made by a kid who I assumed was 12, and he kept talking about how his brother’s Vita was broken and how he fixed it. This was getting annoying because I just wanted answers

**quick side track moment: what I found annoying was that he kept talking about how he fixed his brother’s Vita, yet here I am writing a blog about how I went about fixing my Vita. Oh the irony.

 

So after holding the power and the right shoulder button for 20 sec or so the Vita rebooted into safe mode. It would have been nice if I read the book the Vita came with, because I would guess this value piece of information is in there.

After this little journey you can say I’m not too happy. The Vita works fine, but this dang thing is not even a year old, and this hiccup happens? I’m glad I was able to find the answer in a couple of minutes but can you imagine some soccer mom being presented a Vita with a flashing light by their child? She probably has no idea what’s going on and will probably have to call Sony. (I have an aunt who calls me with random questions about my cousins various pieces of tech when something happens to them) You spend a lot of money on a device; you want the dang thing to work. I don’t know, I’m probably just ranting at this point so I’ll change the subject.

 

 

So I bought this game to see how it stacks up to the Android version. Before I begin I have to say I am a fan of the Asphalt series. They are fun Android games that I started playing on my first smartphone, and if the new Nexus 7 can be compatible with the current Asphalt 7, I’ll be a happy camper.

 

The main menu is different but from first looks, the graphics look about the same. I wasn’t expecting this game to look like Gran Turismo, but a little more rendering/realistic look would have been nice.

 

I really liked this feature where you can customize your car. Everything from paint, to what goes on under the hood.

 

The graphics look similar to the Android version, which is fine, but again since it’s on the Vita and paid a hell of a lot more for this version, you would think more effort would have been put into this part of the game.

 

Now the best part of the game is the actual racing. It took a little getting used to not having to turn the handheld when trying to steer, but I did feel like I had more control over the vehicle. The star system, as well as the various types of races is still in the game, but I can’t remember if this was in the Android version but to earn extra stars you could drift a certain distance, and knock out a number of vehicles within a race. I’ll probably go back with a much better car.

 

One of my favorite parts of this game doesn’t even happen in the game.

 

When you exit the game but not close the game, Asphalt makes good use of the info screen where you can either continue, or swipe to close. They give you some info about the game instead of just having the continue screen in the middle. Good job of using this screen!

 

Another game I finished (by finished I mean I finished the Story Mode, and I played through the Create-A-Fighter Career Mode)

 

I’m not a boxing fan, but I do love boxing games, and this was a lot of fun. I found myself using a combination of the fight stick, and buttons when fighting. I ended my fighter’s career at 51-0 with 51KO’s. Not bad for my Mr. T look-a-like.

 

I finally broke the million-point barrier on the new Nexus 7. This happened while yelling Jeopardy! answers at the TV…I can guarantee if some of those answers were correct considering I was trying not to fall off a cliff in Temple Run 2.

 

 

If you like Trivia, this is a fun Android game. The game is broken down into 9 question sections where you have a set number of skips. You fill up a meter every time you give a correct answer

 

The game screen itself is colorful, simple and straight to the point. This game is perfect for quick hit gaming when waiting in line, or filling a couple of minutes. Who knows you might even learn a little fact or two.

 

So while browsing the PSN Store on the Vita I came across this

 

Really? 8 dollars for a game that is what $2.99 at most, on Android/iOS? You know what would be a good will gesture Sony, especially since the PS4 is coming out, make these Android/iOS games free.

Here is my reasoning: You have a new console that will probably not have a bunch of games on launch. You know casual gaming is increasing with every new smartphone, tablet, why not offer a game that many are familiar with. Think of it as a gateway drug. You give this and maybe an Angry Birds away free on the PS3/4, and Vita, offer trophies, and let people sync their scores/stats across all consoles/tablets/phones. This would appeal to the casual gamers who now can play their favorite casual games from a home system that also has Netflix, Hulu+ and the like.

 

GOODIES

 

Toys R Us is currently having a 3 for $30 sale on all games $19.99 or less. There were a handful of games I really wanted to try but I ended up with these three because they would get the most play-time from me

 

The one currently in the rotation on the PS3 is F1 Race Stars. Think Mario Kart, with F1 Drivers, with arcade style damage. I’ll blog about this one later on.

 

I picked this up last night while my cousin was pre-ordering which ever uber exclusive FPS game that is being released within the next month.

 

I found Uncharted 3 in the Buy 1 Get 1 free bin, and my freebie was Resident Evil. For those that don’t know, I’m not really a fan of Resident Evil, I tend to buy the games because everyone raves about how great they are, and hopefully one day it’ll hit me and I too see how great they are. Right now I see them as decent games, but nothing I get too excited over.

I wasn’t able to keep the regular cover of the game, but the GameStop employee offered the special edition case, which was cool, and threw in the manual from the regular case with my game. I bought a PSN card so I could buy Fight Night Round 3 on the PSP for my Vita (I’m in a boxing mood). I can’t tell you how many times I played that game on the PSP, but it was a must have for the Vita especially since there are no boxing games made for the Vita. Get your act together EA!

 

I wanted to share one of my better CD pickups. I went to the local thrift store that seems to raise the price on R&B albums (if you want to pay $6 bucks for Next, more power to you)

 

I picked these up for about $2 a disc, and I almost complete my U2 discography, added Titanic Soundtrack which replaces my copy I made from a friend’s copy, and I’m getting closer to finishing off Diana Krall’s discography.

 

I upgraded earbuds! As much as I like my Philips Citiscape earbuds, I wanted these Klipsch S4’s but couldn’t justify the $80 price tag. I found them at the same Radio Shack I bought my V-Moda Crossfade LP’s for super cheap a while back. I got these for $40, and I think they are a steal. I didn’t get the S4i, which were $3 more for the iPhone mic, because I don’t listen to music on my phone. Still burning them in, but I love the sound, and I can’t wait to use them at my local music store.

 

I didn’t buy this set but when was Darth Maul sent back to the past to kill John Connor?

 

Before I call it a blog, I saw on Operation Sports that the SEC, PAC-12, and B1G are pulling out of the next installment of NCAA Football. I think this is the beginning of something big. With all the talk of conference realignment, this could be the first step for the Gang of 5 pulling away and creating a new division of college football, where they (the conferences and teams) control who markets their products and split the revenue. I would guess that if this new division allowed players to have a stipend, the money earned from these products like their own branded video games, it would offset the costs of the stipend. Of course this theory is coming from a person with no inside knowledge, of what’s going on behind the scenes, just a theory is all.

 

Well that’s all for now, more later!

-Chris