So after a wee bit of shipping troubles my launch PS4 arrived yesterday, Monday November 18. Not counting handhelds, this is my 12th console, but only the 5th I picked up at launch (GC, PS2, PS3, 360). I'm a big, big lover of the launch - no, I don't need any software to justify my purchase. Since I've been gaming in 1990 I really can't remember very many years that didn't see the release of some games I enjoyed, so the soft-launches have never been a bummer.

Still, I almost got dragged down by the cynicism surrounding these launches and I think I had a bit of an epiphany - I've decided to give up reading most other websites. At this point I just don't care for this new so-called criticism. I want to go to sites that are a celebration of gaming. So while I was at work Monday, with my PS4 in a box behind me, I started to ask myself: was it the right decision?

And then, as soon as I got home and cleaned out the home theatre area, when I put the machine in its new place for the next ~8 years - and, duders, when I touched that controller...

Fuck yes

it was the right decision.

Set Up Woes & Crashes!

The boot-up process is super fast and easy - no complaints here. But once that was said and done, I noticed, uh, a notice about the downloading of the 1.5 patch (which you need to get to the store, multiplayer, etc). It said I wasn't connected to the internet (contradicting what the system had just told me a moment ago!). So I redid the connection test. Then it downloaded the update! Yay. Or not.

After the update downloaded the system went into an eternal "preparing to install" phase. If this happens to you, try this:

Click on Store, it'll tell you (again) that you need to update, and then will download the update all over again (2 minutes, so not a big deal really). I didn't leave the screen this time and the download and installation completed very quickly. Then the system restarts.

Finally, all was well.

Or was it?

I downloaded Resogun, Contrast and Warframe. Resogun downloaded so fast I didn't even get a chance to see how big it was. Warframe, which is about 4000MB, took 30 minutes. Contrast, unfortunately, didn't download. It just got stuck halfway through, then said "couldn't download".

After installing and launching Warframe, it began downloading a patch (in-game). I thought it now would be a good moment to test the UI ability to jump in and out of a game, go to the store, etc. So I started jumping in and out, went to the store, thought I might try to download Contrast again, but after clicking download, all the UI disappeared and the system just froze. :( Oh noes! Since there's no hard off switch, and the regular one wasn't responding, I had to pull the plug.

I haven't had any problems since then, though I haven't tried redownloading Contrast yet. Other than these small bumps I'm actually really impressed by the UI. It's really fast and made sense to me quickly. The store loads so quickly compared to the PS3 it's hard to overstate how much a breath of fresh air it is. I like the way it shows the download progress for each game on its thumbnail, and the layout itself is really cool plus the way the art pops up when you select a game is a nice touch.

Controller

I know lots of people have already said "hey the controller is great" but - duders - it's really, really great. I literally said Wow (to myself, in an empty room) like 5 times over as I held it for first time. It's night and day from the last Dualshock, it no longer feels like cheap plastic, and it's much, much wider now (wider than the 360 controller even). I can't say enough how much I love this new controller, though yeah, the bright light during a movie can be a little inconvenient. It's such an in-your-face problem I'm sure they'll patch it and give us an Off option. For now I just put the controller under the couch if I'm watching a pitch black film. I also have the advantage of being in Canada, and since it's -25 now (that's -13 for you Americanos) I'm gaming under blankets most of the time anyways.

You do need to get used to the positions of the Options and Share buttons. It's pretty easy to end up clicking the touch pad itself. In some ways that's actually very smart. You don't want to be hitting Options and Share accidentally, so they put them high enough around the circles that they're quite high and not in the way of when you actually want to hit the touch pad. But yeah, you gotta get used to it. And you know, there is something psychologically weird about it not being Start & Select. Start I kind of miss, Select never made sense anyways. I like the controller so much I think I might buy one of those custom painted ones AND I'VE NEVER HAD A THOUGHT LIKE THAT IN MY LIFE.

The touch pad itself - it's very easy to see this become the default map button/controller, or how it can be used for abilities like in Warframe. But it's also very obvious that, well, it depends on the abilities themselves how natural the touchpad feels (see below section of Warframe for more).

Resogun - "Hm, so you're as good as they said."

The first 3 seconds of Resogun, I was feeling Ehhhh I dunno about this - then BAM it clicked. Narrowly avoiding objects could be a genre unto itself (well it is, I guess) though I'm not sure Resogun is technically a Bullet Hell game, but it sure feels like it. Watching the level crumble into millions of tiny little pieces is super cool but beyond all the "hey man we can do particles now!!" effects the gameplay is just really, really solid. The fact that there are multiple ships is icing on the cake. It's definitely a short game but by the same token it's also infinitely long - like so many Arcade Classics I really think this is one we'll be firing up all the time just to take turns with friends and try and get a higher score. Very, very cool. I would certainly reccomend fans of Geometry Wars of Everyday Shooter pick it up. PS+ folks get it free, so, if you still need a reason to get sign up for PS+, maybe this will be it..

I could easily have played this for hours but that pesky girlfriend showed up! DAMN LIFE.

Warframe

This was the surprise. Now, I had played Warframe a long time ago, when it first launched (before the Quick Look aired on GB) and it was a pretty different game. I popped in and out as they updated but it's been 6 months since I put real time into it.

Duders - Warframe is a fucking awesome game. It's weird it has a metacritic score - I imagine it's based on the early beta like a year ago? The PS4 score right (in Store) is ultra high, and I have to say I'd rate it 5/5 based on what I've played.

The only thing you need to know about Warframe is that it has a mobility learning curve. Many buttons like crouch and jump have contextual uses that change based on which move preceded/followed it, whether your jumping/sprinting, whether you hold it down/click it, whether you are running along a wall or already are on a wall, etc - so there's a lot to grasp. The other thing you need to know is that there is an Options Menu. And it has so many awesome options! Since when can you adjust shit like Bloom and Motion Blur in console games? Very, very cool stuff here. But what I really wanted to point to are the options which 1) control Aim Sensitivity, and 2) which force your moves to lign up with how the camera is facing. Play with these and you'll really nail the feeling you want.

Aesthetically, this is far and away the coolest F2P shooter I can think of. Space Ninjas. Those two words say it all. Sprinting down a corridor, doing a leaping roll through gunfire and then cutting a space marine in two actually never gets old. Running along a wall, jumping down with a karate kick that auto-animates into a landing slide that you can continue to shoot from - also never gets old.

The touchpad is used in Warframe to activate your abilities. The best example is Excalibur's (that's the name of the Warframe) Slash Dash. You swipe up on the pad to do it, and the move itself takes the Warframe in the same direction - you slide forward about 30-40 feet. Because the move takes about 1.5-2.5 seconds and you can't do anything while it's happening, you have time to move your thumb back, or do another slide on the touchpad in a different direction. I'm using this as an example because, if, for instance, the touchpad was used to do something more twitchy it would feel too far. You also have to pay attention which thumb you use. Because Slash Dash follows where you are aiming, you can technically curve it a little bit by adjusting your aim in those few seconds. So, obviously in this case you want to use your left thumb on the pad, and keep your right thumb on the aiming stick. I think because the motions are so close with Slash Dash and upward slide, it works really well - maybe this obvious, but I just wanted to say I think the touchpad can be cool, but it really, really depends on the specific move you are doing rather than its inherent functionality.

The best part about Warframe is that you can play so much of it for free and if you won't feel gross spending 5-10 bucks on it. Yes, it always, always sucks to see that 150 dollar package but that's really just for the super hardcore. There's also a limited number of revives per day (or you can buy some with a ressource you can find/buy). This won't be a problem unless you are trying to do Solo play, which can require very perfect execution. Definitely stick with the default and play online. Like Mass Effect 3 multiplayer this pure co-op, and I found that the people I was playing with were always willing to run back and revive me or just to stick together. This is especially true at very low and very high levels where you kind of have to stick together.

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That's all for now! If anyone has questions I can try and answer them, though I know there are a number of these blogs/threads already.