Free PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus is Sony's premium subscription service for the PlayStation Network, otherwise known as PSN. Membership benefits for PlayStation Plus subscribers include:

• Free Games
• Huge Discounts
• Fantastic Exclusives.

A PlayStation Plus membership will provide you with huge savings each year and the method described below will enable you to benefit from a free subscription. I have followed these simple instructions since PlayStation plus launched back in June 2010 and have benefited from over a year's Free PlayStation plus subscription! This is a completely safe and foolproof method.

How do I get a Free PlayStation Plus code or free PSN voucher codes?
Simply enroll at http://www.gifts4points.com/ and complete the surveys. On completion you bank either cash or points for each survey that you successfully complete. You can then cash out your money or trade your points for a PlayStation Network voucher which can then be redeemed for a free PlayStation Plus code!

Why get a PlayStation Plus Subscription?

Each month there is plenty of free downloadable content to PlayStation Plus members. Members get huge discounts of between 20% and 70% off game titles in addition to cool Free Dynamic Themes and cool Free Avatars. Further more, subscribers are able to store game saves in the cloud, currently 150MB of storage is freely available. PlayStation plus members also benefit from Automatic Downloads including game updates, and even system updates!

For hardcore gamers, PlayStation Plus brings some of the most anticipated Betas & Demos to the store for immediate download throughout the year as well as Full Game Trials. There are plenty of titles to choose from and trials enable you to experience the game for one hour, furthermore all those trophies earned during the trial play are migrated to your account when you buy the game.

Simply follow these steps to get your FREE PlayStation Plus code today!

1. Enroll at Gifts4points.com
2. Complete the surveys
3. Collect points and/or make money
4. Trade in your points or cash at Gifts4points.com http://www.gifts4points.com/home?refid=158947 for your PSN voucher 
5. Login to the PlayStation store and redeem your PSN voucher for a Free PlayStation Plus code
6. ENJOY your free Free PlayStation Plus subscription for up to one year!
7. Don't forget to add a comment to assist other gamers

Modern Warfare 3 Sucks

Modern Warfare 3 sucks. I never did sign up for Modern Warfare 3 or as I like to call it, 'Modern Borefare'. The third installment failed to excite me. However for several years it did, it was only the promise of similar gaming mechanics, similar 'rat in a cage' dynamics and a cheeky Elite System to make me part with even more of my cash that prevented me from serving my country. Modern Warfare 3 will surely appeal to some gamers and if you have never played Modern Warfare before (what exactly have you been doing?) then the third installment may well be a great starting point given that the game improves on the earlier releases. But if like me you are a Modern Warfare veteran this latest release may not be exactly what you are looking for, best off heading over to Battlefield 3! Already got Modern Warfare 3? What are your thoughts?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Official Gameplay Trailer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Official Gameplay Trailer! Funny how trailers always kick 'major' ass! The World is under Siege. This is War! Go shoot some in the next eagerly anticipated military shooter from Activision/Infinity Ward.

Modern Warfare 3 : Launch date

Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) launches on all platforms on 8th November 2011.

Gun firing, rocket propelling, shrapnel wounding, death defying combat kill-streaks returns once again with the world's greatest first-person shooter video game Modern Warfare series. Developed by Infinity Ward with assistance from Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software it is the third installment in the Modern Warfare series.

To celebrate the imminent launch of Modern Warfare 3 I will be posting blogs about Modern Warfare 3 so be sure to follow this blog for updates on Modern Warfare 3 before it is launched on 8th November 2011.

Anonymous hackers hack Sony PlayStation Network (PSN) ?

I want to write about games. Hacking was never on the agenda. But, the uninspiring message: 'PSN is undergoing maintenance' displayed each time I try and use an online feature is starting to... well you know!

Last night Sony confessed that an 'external intrusion' caused the company to take-down the PlayStation Network and also Sony's Qrioshity service in an effort "to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward".

Sony are not sharing any other information nor are they providing a time scale as to when gamers will be able to resume playing online not to mention the ability to download exciting demos like Infamous 2 Beta and Blockbuster movies!

Sounds like an 'Anonymous' user either related to the Anonymous group or otherwise has slipped in through the backdoor and has been busy setting up several payloads.

Sony had better do a very good job of cleaning this mess up, else things could get a lot worse. I do not need to mention in great detail that if you have ever used your credit card to purchase a game or movie, your credit card details are stored online (albeit encrypted). These may have already fallen into the wrong hands. Cah-ching!

Today, Saturday April 23rd, 2011 the UK PlayStation 3 site remains offline along with the European PlayStation store. The entire PlayStation online gaming service (PSN) is still down too. Boo!

This is a major inconvenience for all. However...

Anonymous have more razor sharp points than a set of Gordon Ramsay's knives.

It all started when Anonymous kindly promised Sony,

"You have now received the undivided attention of Anonymous. Your recent legal action against our fellow hackers, GeoHot and Graf_Chokolo, has not alarmed us, it has been deemed wholly unforgivable.

Now you will experience the wrath of Anonymous.

You saw a hornets’ nest, and stuck your penises in it.

You must face the consequences of your actions.

Anonymous style."

BIG WORDS! Words so big, they have taken Sony off-line since Wednesday 20th April 2011. In financial terms especially with the UK holidays this may have lost Sony hundreds of thousands if not millions.

Both GeoHot and Graf_Chokolo are geniuses! I am not going to go in to what these guys achieved, your best bet is to head over to wikipedia for George Hotz and PS3hax.net where GeoHot talks about Graf Chokolo for further information as their sites are just shells of a yesteryear explaining that their efforts for the good of all mankind have had to cease as Sony threw its solid 24K gold legal fists around in true rocky fashion.

However, interestingly enough, Anonymous stated "PSN Outage April 22 - For Once We Didn't Do It!"

They go on to say,

"While it could be the case that other 'Anons' have acted by themselves AnonOps was not related to this incident and does not take responsibility for whatever has happened. A more likely explanation is that Sony is taking advantage of Anonymous' previous ill-will towards the company to distract users from the fact that the outage is actually an internal problem with the company's servers."

You can keep up to date with 'Anonymous' here unless their server becomes subject of a DoS attack.

If Anonymous admitted that they were behind the latest PSN outage, their efforts are unlikely to be supported by the majority of gamers. To me sounds like a double-bluff. I think Anonymous are behind this attack and their message is being heard loud and clear regardless of whether they publicly acknowledge their involvement.

On a closing note, I know how upset many gamers will be, but let us not get too angry with Anonymous' actions. Their actions are well considered and serve a genuine purpose. Sony's stance on who owns what affects all of us both in the short term and long term. If we buy a product we should be entitled to use it as we see fit. Currently even though we have shelled out hundreds of pounds, Sony only want us to 'rent' the technology.

A modded platform does not lead all gamers down the road of piracy and even if someone were tempted that priacy never killed the PS1 or PS2. It also goes without saying that innovation only leads to greater advancements.

Don't punish your consumers Sony in an effort to control everything.

For those readers who want to know what all this about, tune in here.

LOST Play TV Disc - Can I Get Another One?

I was excited to see a PlayTV Premium Upgrade on the PlayStation Network.

Then I remembered I hadn't actually used PlayTV.com for a long time, well ever since I lost my Play TV disc. I have since watched TV via the integrated BBC iPlayer, I've no idea what's going on all the other channels!

After having shelled out about £60.00 for the hardware, I couldn't justify purchasing it again just to get the software - that would be complete madness.

Having researched online, it would seem that a lot of other Play TV users are experiencing the same problem. Some very nice folks are willing to lend their disk, nice offer indeed, but it's only a temporary solution to a permanent problem.

There are two things that need to happen here:

1. Sony need to create a new 'Software' section on the PlayStation Network that enables users to download the most recent version of any installation software. There are two benefits to this;
   
   i) Users that misplace their hardware installation disc aren't locked out
   ii) Users that have their disc but have (for example) done a fresh install, rather than installing the disc and then patching the application they simply download the most recent version! Simple, quick and erm, modern!
   
   
2. Alternatively the manufacturers need to provide the software on their site where users can download the software, load the file(s) on to USB and then transfer to their PS3
   

Simple solutions to an ever-increasing problem.

Meanwhile folks that have either lost or even damaged their Play TV installation disc can choose to:

• Borrow a buddies
• Search online to find someone trusting and willing enough to share their precious copy with you
• Have a look on Amazon, eBay or CEX to find second hand copies of the disc.
  

CEX currently have a few in stock at about a fiver, take a look!

I'm sure the above breaks PlayTVs license terms and conditions, but what's a gamer to do when they need to change gears and opt for some quality 'TV Time'?!

Have you lost your PlayTV disc? Let me know what you're going to do about it!

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Photo Competition

Gentlemen (and 'Gentleladies') start your engines!

Many don't need an introduction to the Need for Speed series but for those that do think fast cars, exotic locations and pulsating sonic soundscapes.

Produced by Criterion games of Burnout Paradise fame their latest release is the best NFS release "EV-AH!" having received outstanding reviews from industry leaders such as Gamesradar, Joysiq and PlayStation: The Official Magazine. What's more it gets the official 'Killed-Bill' seal of approval so now you know for sure!

The new 'autolog' feature is a superb concept and makes racing more competitive; it's like facebook but for the world of NFS driving nuts, where the times of racers, comments, photos etc. are posted to 'the wall'.

There is currently a photo competition to win a gaming console. It is open until November 22nd @ 5PM PST 4 so get your virtual cameras out!

Direct from EA's HQ:

"Take an in-game photo of your favorite part of Seacrest County, go to the Autolog Photo section on hotpursuit.needforspeed.com, and post it as a twitpic! Rules: 1. @needforspeed and #AutologPhotos must be in your tweet 2. One submission per person (so make it a good picture!) 3. Contest ends , November 22nd @ 5PM PST 4. Be creative and have fun with it!"

As of today I have created about 25 photos (and trying to find the time to take more). I have yet to decide which photo I will submit, please help me decide by leaving some comments on my wall.

When playing, you can either take photos on the fly by pressing R3 (but the photo will not be High Definition) or you can enter 'Photo Mode' which I recommend.

Visual enhancement features are similar to the excellent wipeout photo tools. You can change the Depth of Field (DOF) and Focal Length, brightness, contrast and motion blur to name but a few. I'm a photographer in real life and being able to take photographs of such beautiful cars in virtual but beautiful locations is outstanding, having some 'Basic Photoshop Tools' opens up further creative possibilities.

You can see my photos and how my career is progressing here:
http://hotpursuit.needforspeed.com/autolog/career/KILLED-BILL

Would be great to hear from you all.

Meanwhile just on the off chance EA team read this, Kudos to the development team for having developed some an exceptional title!