Destiny - An Xbox Comparison

   I've never done this before but I thought it would be really fun to compare the new game coming out this fall: Destiny.  Made by Bungie and Activision, I have high hopes of it being the next big thing.  It's supposed to have a ten year lifespan.  That's huge!

Here are some Xbox 360/Xbox One comparison shots that I took with my Elgato Game Capture.
 Note that some are gameplay and some are simply cinematics.  There is still a drastic difference no matter what you're looking at.  They aren't perfect, but it's my first try.

Character Creation (I didn't get the face tattoo the same color, oops)

In Game Lens Flare

Intro Cinematic

Intro Cinematic

In Game Ship Menu

In Game Map Menu

I hope you found this entertaining and, or informative!  I'll try to do a write up when the beta is over...if I find the time.  Until next time, Guardians.

- blueamcat

GTA5 Giveaway - Ends March 14th

Hello everyone!  I know a few of you have been waiting on this GTA5 giveaway for a while.  I originally wanted to give it away during a Twitch stream, but that won't happen for a while.  Instead I thought I would go ahead and do it this way.  This game is for the Xbox 360 and while it is a PAL version, it is supposed to be region free.  The DLC may not work correctly or at all with it, but its still a free game so enter if you wish.

To enter:

1. Follow me on Twitter
2. Follow me on Twitch.tv
3. RT this tweet: right here

A random winner from all eligible entries will be chosen on March 14th.  I will ship within the USA and Canada.  You must also prove that you are 18 yrs old, or get me parental approval if you win and are under 18.  I don't want to be going against parents here or getting in trouble with them.  I'm a parent too, and I'm only doing what I think is right.  Thank you!

I really appreciate all of the love from the gaming community and all of my friends I've come to know over the past two years.  This is kind of an appreciation giveaway, with more to come.  Thanks for sticking around, and here's to many more gaming nights!

- UPDATE -
The lucky winner of GTA5 was MADkillzOG from Twitter! Congrats again, and enjoy the game!

Review: Roxio Game Capture HD Pro

Using a capture card has been a lot of fun.  I had been wanting to get one for quite some time now.  Bago Games had a giveaway a few months back on Facebook.  To my huge surprise, I was the winner!  I must have some luck on my side.

Even though I had never used a capture card before, hooking everything up with the Game Capture HD Pro was really easy.  I currently only use it with my Xbox 360 so I needed to supply was two HDMI cables that I already had lying around.  If you plan on using it with a PS3 you will need to use component cables, which are also sold separately.  The hardware itself feels really durable and actually looks nice.  I haven't had a single hardware issue.

Software on the other hand is a slightly different story.  Right off the bat, the Roxio capture software the card comes with is a bit buggy at times.  I found myself restarting the program several times before getting it to work correctly.  Not every time, but enough to make it kind of annoying.  The included software states that it can stream directly to Twitch.tv, which isn't true.  It says you can link your Twitch account but in reality only lets you connect your Justin.tv account.  I wasn't about to make an account just to be able to stream from the included software.  Besides, Justin.tv isn't always a kid friendly place.  That and I intend on streaming mostly games, so Twitch takes care of me just fine.  I did contact Roxio on Twitter and through support to no avail.  They apparently have no plans to update the software to allow linking with Twitch.tv.

The recording/editing part of the Roxio software actually does a decent job.  I haven't used it a whole lot because I usually only use the card for streaming, but it is fairly user friendly even for someone new to the video editing scene such as myself.

The Game Capture HD Pro isn't supported by anything other than Xsplit for third party software for now.  And since it required a paid license to use, I didn't actually get to use it for streaming until a very generous friend supplied me with an Xsplit license.  (thanks again!)  Using the card with Xsplit is generally really painless and simple.  It picks up the card right away about 95% of the time.  The other 5% is usually due to my error.  Ha.

That concludes my review of the Roxio Game Capture HD Pro!  It's a great product for a great price.  As long as you are already using Xsplit and have other editing software available there's really no reason to avoid this capture card.  It works and is very durable.

I hope you enjoyed my short but sweet review.  If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to leave a comment!


If you want to purchase one for yourself, here's the Amazon link: http://amzn.com/B008YTAGGW

PC Build: 2013 (update)

My birthday is in just under two weeks and my amazing husband surprised me with a new PC!  He'd been secretly saving up some extra money so he could replace my 8 year old beast.  I made it when I had a ton of dispensable income back in the day.  I miss those days.

Anyway...here's what I have now.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352027
Processor/APU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113331
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128628&Tpk=gigabyte
RAM: 8GB DDR3
SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227811 (we bought this about a year ago, not new)
Video Card: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-11200-16-20G/dp/B0093172HQ

We got a few discounts and didn't need to buy everything as I had a power supply and a few other odds and ends.  I believe the total came out to just over $300.  Not bad at all.

I've always loved doing PC builds.  This was definitely an awesome birthday gift.  Hoping I can eventually use it for some streaming/making more YouTube videos as well.

See you in the gaming world. :D

Giveaway | Skylanders Figure

Welcome to my new blog! I hope you stick around. I'll be doing some giveaways here, as well as posting any gaming related reviews that I eventually get around to. I will either link to, or post the older ones I've done for another blog as well. Anyway, on to the topic you're probably here for...

First up I'll be giving away a Skylanders Trigger Happy figure!

This figure is brand new (though loose as it came with the LE console) and comes with its card, unused code and sticker. To enter, just leave a comment! Leave your Twitter name in the comment as well so I can contact you if you are the winner. (Make sure you follow to make it easier.)

Contest will be open until Sunday 6/23/13 at midnight CST. Good luck everyone!
If you have questions, please see the previous Giveaway FAQ post. ;)

UPDATE
The winner of the contest was Torchiest. The Skylanders (Trigger Happy and Green Gill Grunt) have reported that they are enjoying their new home. :]

Giveaway Rules and FAQ

| Types of Giveaways |
I'll be doing different kinds of giveaways, depending on the content.

RT Giveaways are simple, and will be hosted at my Twitter account. I will ask that you follow me, and RT to be entered to win! (@blueamcat)

Blog Giveaways are just as simple. I'll post the giveaway here on my blog and you'll have to leave a comment to be entered.

Code Giveaways are a fastest finger game. I will tweet Xbox/PSN and other random codes I might have and usually leave out a character and replace it with a '?'. The person who gets it first wins!

| FAQs |

Q: How are the winners chosen?

A: Unless otherwise specified, winners are chosen at random using random.org.

Q: How many times can I enter?

A: You can enter each contest only once. I'll disqualify multiple entires.

Q: Can I win more than one of your giveaways?

A: Sure! I don't mind.

Q: Do you ship outside of North America?

A: While I would LOVE to be able to ship around the world, I just can't afford it right now. Maybe in the future. :] (US and Canada only right now, unless otherwise specified.)