When Animal Crossing came out I was obsessed and it was a nice escape from the world around me. What I’ve found in the last week though is I put my Switch in the drawer and stopped playing. I’d developed a habit of once I’d gone for my early walk I’d play animal crossing for an hour before starting my work day. It was becoming a grind for me and almost a habit, I’d actually stopped enjoying playing it. I’d mindlessly walk around my island picking fruit and flowers then selling them to make bells to pay off my mortgage!

I’d stopped playing and being creative but it turned into something that felt a chore.

I’m glad to see Nintendo are bringing in the option to go diving and I’ll probably dip (sorry) back in to check this out but for the most part I think I’m done.

Don’t get me wrong I very much enjoyed my time and it was a great distraction from the state of the world in 2020 but I won’t be hooked in every day grinding away.

Wow, this thing looks wild. I’ve been a fan of PlayStation since the original and always loved the design (yes, even the PS3) but this is something else. Love the white and black contrast and that controller looks great. Good to see the relaunch of the media controller and the digital only release alongside is a smart move. I could see it being a bit fragile with those thin edges but we’ll just have to wait and see on that one.

Check out the video here.

I’m totally hooked on Animal Crossing and once I’d gotten to the point of having a clothes store I could download other users custom designs.

Currently rocking some Obi Wan robes as you can see above.

Here’s the subreddit you need.

I’d never played an Animal Crossing game before until last week and I have to say with everything going on right now it’s been a great distraction. I’m going at my own pace and building slowly. Checking in a few times a day and completing a little routine of collecting and exploring. It’s been good to have something to look forward to going into each morning and whilst I’m not outside it does help me feel like I’m taking a break from something. If you have a switch and not picked it up yet then I’d highly recommend giving it a go.

I’m slowly but surely becoming addicted to Animal Crossing, especially with everything going on it’s a nice distraction. If you want to get serious about crafting you’ll need the flimsy axe to start chopping at trees and rocks.

To get it you’ll need to be the main player (if you are playing with more than one person on the same console) and have the net or fishing rod.

You’ll want to catch butterflies and give Tom Nook in the green tent at least 2. If you go up to him and tell him you have found an animal. He’ll need to two to give you the recipe to be able to craft one.

Wow, it’s full on and anxiety inducing as usual. I’ve been a fan of DOOM all the way back to the original and the latest instalment is one of my favourites. Same chaotic action, ludicrous weapons and amazing music.

I’m only about 2 hours in and loving it, although can only play for 30 min stints right now.

If you’re into DOOM then this is a must buy. If you’re not then wait for the inevitable sale.

I’ve been playing Battlefront 2 for ages now but only just discovered the best mode to use to level up quickly and also get in some practise.

This is coop, a 4 player online team vs the AI. You join a team from any of the eras you select and then go up against wave after wave of computer controlled opponents. I’m seeing that on average in galactic assault I’ll maybe average 6000 points per game, with coop I’ll get on average 20,000. I’ll also get a lot more hits so levelling up weapons and gaining challenges is a lot easier.

It’s also quite a lot of fun, especially levelling up the Ewoks and your hero or villain of choice.

GT is one of my favourite game franchises of all time and whilst I’ve had it for a while it wasn’t until I invested in a wheel and pedal setup that I’ve gone all in and play it pretty much exclusively these days. It’s a bit of a steep learning curve going from single player campaign modes to playing online. The races are pre planned so most spend their time practising before the actual races, it’s very competitive.

I have to honest I’m still languishing at the back of the pack but there’s a couple of things that I’ve noticed.

• Use a manual gearbox, you just won't have the speed if you don't
• Turn off assists, only use some ABS if you need it (I do)
• Feel free to use corner makers etc to help you know your braking points but these are conservative and you'll need to break later to get quicker lap times

I’m starting to relearn driving with no assists to give me some hope of competing.

I’d recommend doing the daily races and leaving the other championships until you can compete or it’ll be a waste of your time.

The one area I’m still struggling to understand is where there is a single manufacturer race and the rest of the field have better straight line speed, this has me a bit lost at the moment (let me know if you know why).

I’ll update more as I play more of the game but I’m very much enjoying pushing myself on this one.

I’ve been a paying member of Apple Arcade for a month but in the end we decided to cancel it. Turns out I’m more of a console gamer (something I always knew to be honest but wanted to give Arcade a go) and spent my time on PS4 or Switch instead. Even with the new additions in Apple Arcade over the weeks we ended up sticking with a few favourites like Sneaky Sasquatch and What the Golf but I couldn’t justify paying a subscription just to keep playing those couple of games.

We’re having too much fun with the consoles and don’t play mobile enough to warrant the subscription. I may come back when we go on trips maybe and want some different games to play but for now I’m out.

As I’ve already shared my iPad is going on a repair trip so I went over to my Switch as my consumption device. What I’ve found is that it makes a pretty good little TV.

First off I can only use YouTube and you can get it from the Nintendo store on the Switch itself.

The screen is good enough to enjoy your subscription but where it fell down was audio. The speakers are really quiet and I’m often on full blast to hear it. The speakers are on the back, not an ideal placement.

First thing I’d like to see on Switch V2 is front facing bigger speakers.

Navigation is fine using a mixture of the buttons and taps. If you tap the video it brings up the controls available, such as B to go back to the video list. I found in scrolling with my finger I was accidentally tapping and loading videos. You need to use the left stick to navigate the app really then A to load your video.

So overall you can use the Switch to watch YouTube pretty easily and it’ll do me fine until the iPad comes back.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had a Switch and thought I’d share how its holding up.

Overall it’s still in great shape, it’s been taken with me on holiday and work trips and when at home lives in the dock under the TV most of the time. The screen has had a protector on it given its plastic not glass and after recently taking it off is scratch free.

From this image you can see some signs of wear, which is what I have in various places on it.

The kick stand is still intact although has fallen off a couple of times. You can also see the wear around the screw hole.

The back shows some wear exactly where your fingers sit when holding.

I’d read stories about the top plastic components breaking off or cracking, mine are completely fine.

So overall it’s in great shape, in fact it’s held up better than my Apple gear has over the last couple of years.

I love this device and hoping Nintendo are bringing us a Mark II with a glass screen and some more performance to allow for more high end ports, such as Star Wars Battlefront II and maybe bigger joy con options but I’ll keep these thoughts for another day.

I’ve tested a few different screen protectors for the Switch but after recently needing to change it I found my favourite.

Why use a screen protector on the Switch?

I really don’t like screen protectors on my iOS devices but on the Switch I thought it was necessary. The screen itself is plastic so it’ll pick up scratches easily. This added to the fact you could scratch it just getting it into and out of the dock forced me to make the decision to get one.

The screen protectors

So I started off with a cheap plastic screen protector which lasted me about 6 months before changing it. I was clear for the most part but picked up scratches really easily.

Second was still plastic but a little more expensive and it held up until a week ago.

None of this matters now I’ve found my favourite. The Orzly Premium Tempered Glass Screen Protector.

I found it easy to apply, it comes with two in case you mess it up and looks good.

In the pack you get a cleaning cloth and also a sticker to get the dust off your screen before applying.

I did have to lift it off once to get rid of a little dust but thankfully it went back down ok so only used one protector.

Here’s the Amazon link.

I’ve always liked the Spider-Man suit from the Sam Raimi movies and yesterday it was added (for free) to the PS4 Spider-Man game.

I love this game and after completing I’m still doing side missions and collecting stuff.

I’ve been playing for years, it’s not had an update in forever but Plants vs Zombies is still my favourite game on iOS.

Bye buddy, right on Red Dead 2 day I’m sending my PS4 Pro to Amazon. When I bought it back in 2016 I picked up their Amazon Protect product. It would appear that the WiFi in my PS4 is having connection problems so I called it in.

The process is simple so far. Call the support number, explain the issue and DPD come with a box that you put the console, controllers and cables into.

Make sure you re-initialise it though before you send it to protect your privacy. As I pay for PSN it’s all saved in the cloud along with my games.

Wandering down the street greeting passers by is great in Spider-Man and one of the little details that makes this game so great.

When walking simply press square and you’ll pull off one of 5 different greetings.

Only had a chance to play 10 minutes but wow this is a stunning looking game.

I’ve gotten back into No Man’s Sky since the 1.5 update and all I’ve found myself doing is base building. I’ve found myself completely immersed in it in this game. I’ve spent hours finding a cool planet to setup shop on. I’ve created a few bases to get used to the mechanics of it and here is my latest. This planet is a little desolate for my liking so I’m moving on but thought I’d share it.

It’s beautiful…

I’ve jumped in again to explore this huge galaxy and do some building. It’s actually pretty relaxing…

If you get one of these, do not click on the link. I’ve started to receive spam pretending to be from Epic. Most likely due to the popularity of Fortnite, spammers have found a new way to try to get your details.

Be safe out there.

Nintendo

If you follow me you’ll know I love my Nintendo Switch, here’s a new teaser site for an experience coming to the platform. It’s aimed at kids and kids at heart, like me.

Keep an eye out for it tonight.

Thought I’d share some of my favourite things from 2017. No particular categories just anything that gave me some joy this year.

• Thor Ragnarok : Up there with The Last Jedi as my favourite film of the year and along with Guardians of the Galaxy one of my favourite Marvel films so far.
• Star Wars, The Last Jedi : Very polarising film based on public opinion but on second watching it cemented it as one of my favourite Star Wars films. It plays with some of the rules of the universe, has lots of shocking moments and takes old characters in interesting new ways.
• Stranger Things Season 2 : One of the most original, compelling and well acted TV series of the last 10 years in my opinion. Season 1 was amazing, season 2 took up it up a notch.
• Nintendo Switch : My gadget of the year, goes everywhere with me. Bought on day 1 of release and played almost every day since. Just wish the older games were out so that I could relive the NES and SNES days.
• Zelda Breath of the Wild : What can I say, not been this drawn into a game like this since the original uncharted. It feels like being inside something like middle earth and I think I put almost 100 hours into it. I don't think I've ever been this obsessed with a game in my life.
• GT Sport : Always been a fan of Gran Turismo since the original PlayStation. This new 4K HDR version feels like I've come back home. Loads of cars, loads of single player challenges and a cracking online option.
• Lego BB-8 : Hands down my favourite bit of Lego I've done all year and a must for any Star Wars fan.
• Sphero R2-D2 : If you can pick this up for under £100 then it's a must, again if you are a Star Wars fan.
• iPad Pro 10.5" : Apple have made some good hardware this year but my pick has to be the new iPad Pro. Paired with the Smart Keyboard cover and Pencil it is easily my favourite "computer " Apple has ever made. As with my Nintendo Switch it goes everywhere with me.
• LG B7 OLED : Dropping our Sony with Android and grabbing this webOS enabled LG is one of the best decisions I've made all year. The quality of OLED blows me away every time I watch it and HDR adds a 3D quality you have to see rather than me try to describe.
• Apple AirPods: I know they technically didn't come out this year but that's when I've been using them. Easy to set up, use across devices and design to easily make them my favourite headphones of all time. I still think they look a little funny but I'll take it over wires dangling and getting caught on things.

So here’s some of my favourite things this year, what are some of yours?

I’ve owned the PSVR since launch and now we are over 9 months on I wanted to share my thoughts on whether it was a good purchase and if it’s worth investing in yourself.

Spoiler: it’s not worth the investment.

When it launched and for quite a few weeks afterwards I was loving playing job simulator and demoing it to visitors. I then started to notice very little being added to the catalog with VR support.

With the exception of Resident Evil there wasn’t anything worth buying. Loading the store and trying to find VR games got a little demoralising and now PSVR has dropped in importance on the front page.

This coupled with the feeling that no games makers are embracing the platform has me worrying for its future.

The only game on the horizon that makes me excited is Ace Combat but I’ll get motion sickness. I’ve found slower paced VR games sit better with me .

I’m left with a device that’s sole purpose is to play job simulator.

Sony haven’t invested the time and money it takes to get game developers on board and take it seriously. Unfortunately like a lot of Sony projects I feel this is destined for the scrap heap.

Ambitious and a groundbreaking price for the technology but I feel strongly that it’s not living up to it’s promise and one to avoid.

I may look back on this post with embarrassment in a few years but I’m confident in saying VR just isn’t mainstream enough.