Leaderboard

So this one was announced and released during the xbox developers event yesterday. Made by the studio responsible for The Evil Within series, It's also a Day one Game Pass release too, so I downloaded it and gave it a go this evening. It's a very bright and colorful graphical style, but the gameplay is a mash-up between a DMC type action, and a rhythm based game. The whole world runs to a beat of a tune, and all attacks, dodges, jumps, and movement is in synch with the beat. Timing button presses to the beat gives a damage output bonus too, and even the enemies attacks adhere to the same rules, so predicting attacks can be fairly easy to judge. It's been a fun little game so far. Check it out if you've got game pass.

Like I said before, I think sometimes we are sitting only on one side of the fence and thinking 'they just held it back so they could deliver it as new content' which I don't think is exactly true. Sometimes we have to at least try and put ourselves in other people's shoes to try and understand decisions and thought processes (crazy, I know, thinking of others rather than ourselves). My logical reasoning would be that they created a brand new gamemode Tier 1, and needed to test it in the water with a large playerbase. They knew that if it went out straight off the bat against Hardcore mode, most people would go to their comfort zone and ignore Tier 1. This is literally one of the main reasons loads of games have rotational playlists so all content is being played at some point which gives them valuable feedback in what players like and dislike - they can then pull it out and rework it where possible or even just leave it out if players hate it that much. Now they have the unanimous feedback so far on Tier 1 that it hasn't quite worked, we're now seeing HC back. I'm cool with that and don't be surprised if Tier 1 gets a little rework in the future because its something new and they now have some feedback on the mode from more constructive players rather than the large majority moaning about just wanted HC back. I don't think they've done a fanfare about HC returning. They haven't said 'New mode incoming which is HC!'. The tweet above just says, HC is back and thats it.

That's like saying they should have made some changes to TeDiuM or just removed it completely. There was no need to remove HC from the game. It's got a solid player base. And they managed to lose some of those players by removing it.

Like I said previously, the demo didn't feel that great IMO. I'll wait until this either goes on a big sale, becomes a PS Plus game, is gifted to me in some form or obtained in a police auction of some minor criminals estate. I'm glad you're enjoying it though @Luseth Keep the updates coming. 🤘🏻

One of my mates plays the 01/02 season still 🙂

Never thought i'd see the day of being able to play CM3 on a PC these days....but I now can and its glorious! 😎 This was one part of my childhood that I really do miss and the earlier Football Manager games really hit the spot, after the MS-DOS days but before later managing games added far too much detail and dials to tinker with. CM3 was the 98/99 season with 15 leagues you could actually load up at the start and move to other countries if you felt like a job overseas mid-game. Also was the days of the Foreign player restriction rule which meant you could only have 3 players classed as foreign to that league in the team at any one time. I know a few people love these types of games and its probably within reach for some if you have the following elements: A CD version of Championship Manager 3 A CD disc reader (ofc!) A patch (v3.04e) to be downloaded from here Windows 10 I found some great advice from another website that told me to download the patch otherwise you get a compatibility error when it tries to run. Once the patch is downloaded, unzip the file and run the Setup.exe file in there. It will do what it needs to do and remove some quick files which leaves you to finally just right click the shortcut on CM3 and enter the Properties. Once in there, select the Compatibility below for this game and click Apply. Then run the game to sit back and listen to that crowd noise at the start and cheer along with them! A few pics below of the game and installing! Can't beat some nostalgia...and Marcelo Salas on the Home Screen 😄

Ok, let's make this easy, you get to choose one of the following options to moan about but they are mutually exclusive so you can't pick both Option 1 - Actual new content is added to the game but you don't get to pick what it is. So this could be new maps which you're so hung up on or it could be new guns or something else entirely like, I dunno, in a totally hypothetical scenario maybe add a new or slightly altered game mode that gets added to the game and is open to be changed based on community feedback instead never being in the game. Or Option 2 - All content added is only content from old CoD's. I'm not saying you can't criticise CoD just don't be contradict yourself in the span of about 5 posts.

I still can't get my head around that it's £20 more than Elden Ring!

Now now @J4MES OX4D you know better than to criticize call of duty 🤣🤣

I've been focusing on Golds for LMGs so I can at least have a crack at one Platinum Camo soon. I think I've just got the RAPP-H to do on the Gold challenges and then the Sakin needs silencer kills before the Gold challenge. Getting closer to the stage where I need to have some ready made loadouts for specific gamemodes now though as when you get stuck in a rut mid-game its good to switch to something you know will work well for you to get you back in the game.

Tier 1 has 50 health, health regen and no HUD whatsoever which means no kill-feed or hitmarkers.

I'll be happy if I don't get AI enemies that can see my through a concrete wall and shoot me from 200m with a shotgun. Same with them being able to throw a molotov at me when I am at the top of a communication tower uploading a hardrive after I climbed it with dead silence. The rest of the game is pretty enjoyable to me. I whish the had a better squad system. I get rather tired of the doofus that rush into a stronghold without a gun and a single plate vest when I am trying to squad up with a decent team to get some of the harder missions done

It does look decent from what I've seen, but yeah doubtful I'll pick it up, maybe it'll appear in Gamepass at some point, or a 2025 bumble bundle 🙂

Because you’re basically saying they shouldn’t have made any changes so have brought Hardcore back without any changes then moaning about them bring back an old map. Both gamemodes and maps are content and re-using either is re-using content. Just because, I assume, you liked Hardcore and don’t like Tier 1 doesn’t make it any less hypocritical to moan about one and not the other.

@GazzaGarratt @Greboth @James5497 @LordBaguette 🤣🤣

Some very strong reviews going up which is great news! Currently 89% on Meta and still many to go. Probably won’t get it at full price but certainly down the line. Looks like they did a very good job on this almost to the standard of how Capcom have rebooted the classic RE titles.

There is a huge difference in bringing back old map content they have reused countless times before on a game that is absolutely starved of it, than delivering an inferior and pointless alternate to a staple mode with changes that detract from its very definition. In both cases, it’s bad for the community so I’m really not sure why or where you are drumming up this argument? Doesn’t make sense. That’s like them replacing kill confirmed with the same mode renamed, except that it doesn’t have denies as part of its format. It would be completely illogical and a step back with a needless change. It was a valid complaint in this instance in which IW have fully agreed with the community. This move should also not detract from completely different aspects of the game needing improvements and content too.

I tried to watch Worthabuy's video on this game but wasn't a good use of my time as he clearly went into looking to hate on it. Not very balanced and not very helpful. But he is bit of a miserable old cunt sometimes 🙈 I don't care about the context, or the character's dialogue, I'm getting old and I understand these games aren't made for my demographic. However, from what I've seen it looks a bit janky gameplay-wise so I'll be interested in the thoughts of @Luseth and @Riff Machine if they both play it.

I watched the demo from start to finish that has been out for over a month now plus the game was widely ridiculed for its vulgar and unnecessary expletives leading up to release which was even provided in the promotional material. This all after its woeful early marketing which questioned the games bizarre wayward tone and inconsistent maturity. A likable character for me is essential and I'm just not a fan of ones that have to be 'edgy' for no reason. Which ones are those then? Their more popular 'fringe' titles are actually ones the simply publish of behalf of developers to fill their void. Games like Babylons Fall which they had an active role in its creative development failed shamefully. They sold Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Thief for a pittance and mitigated that with local quantity which they have absolutely no input in other than planting it in their store. Sure they have safe brands which they don't have an active input in like Nier but what they do touch either fails miserably or is of highly inferior quality. They are also putting in a large amount of money in Disney titles and have failed to return a profit on every single title so far. Marvel Avengers has just been shut down after selling less than 3.5m copies after a budget of over $100m. There is just no creativity left in the company and no business brains either it seems. Another major AAA publisher that had so much potenial and deep pockets and just like Ubisoft, they make some awful decisions that are tone deaf and totally out of touch.

I thought it could be a nice idea to collect some DMZ tips in the same space. Please post your DMZ tips below!! I'll start. After dying when starting a fresh deployment never take your insured gun in with you. You have no gear so you have nothing to lose take a basic contraband gun if you have to but wait until you have at least a 2 plate vest to take your insured gun into the game.

What's everyones thoughts on Season 2 for DMZ?

In terms of new content as far as maps go there has been nothing so far in addition since launch. The game has been out for like 2 and a half months. Just because the game is a 2 year cycle, doesn't mean they have to drip feed the content even more sparsely. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most of what the game has to offer. Saying that I only play MP, the resources are all getting used up on other side modes or ideas. I don't have to play them which is fine, but I feel the MP content is lacking atm. Just a few more maps would be nice. Game modes are sometimes worth experimenting with sure. It's nice to attempt something different I guess. However Tier 1 was a butchering of the highest order. I'm glad they are going to bring back the original Hardcore. At least they have realised how well Tier 1 didn't do and are rectifying the problem. That I can commend them on, actually listening to the community and taking things on board and using the information proactively. I feel they gave themselves more work by changing or doing certain things that enraged the fan base. E.g the Tier 1 version of HC, a terrible UI and of course an underwhelming and utterly shite perk system. Nobody asked for those 3 shockers, but they gave them anyway and now have to invest time fixing them. People do however ask for new maps all the time, did we get any? So when Season 2 drops we will be treated to at least A new map I presume? 3 months deep to get a new map. 3 months to give us normal Hardcore, a decent UI and maybe a rework of the perks? Shame on you Activision........ BTW my post isn't aimed at anyone or anything in particular. Just sharing my thoughts and ramblings on our current Cod.

I'm really excited for Season 2! It seems that its very likely that a full wipe is happening. Contraband, Keys, Faction Missions and Insured Slots and honestly it makes sense and I'm all up for it! getting brand new missions from Tier 1 will be great. If they were to add additional Tiers to the existing missions this would feel like an impossible task for many players. I'm on Tier 3 missions so I would be stuck with these into Season 2 until I completed them. I'm looking forward to having a new set of missions to get stuck into! However I have changed my current goals. I was going for Tier 3 across all factions to get that second insured slot but now I am focusing on Tier 3 and Tier 4 of the Black Mous faction as I really want to unlock the Relentless Skin for Roze! lets hope that I can get this done before season 2 drops!

From what they have told us so far I’m not too sure they are making many changes, I’d expect it to mostly look the same with a couple of key areas being optimised

I'm pretty sure Infinity Ward are more than capable of releasing a basic quantity of maps. My level of expectation is at least 16 original maps at launch with at least 4 per season and if they want to throw in a rehash as a bonus then that's a reasonable return. It's not like they have to concern themselves with Warzone or DMZ either. Instead they are busy fixing basic shite like the interface and pissing around with game modes. Really isn't too much to ask for £60 - even Vanguard managed to deliver a pretty respectable amount so fair play to Sledgehammer. If they can do it then why can't the highly experienced and massively funded IW do it? But releasing the same old maps over and over and over is not? 🤣 How the hell are you still comparing maps to modes - everyone is happy to play the staple modes - this was the case 10+ years ago and it'll be the same in 10 years time. Kill Confirmed is the only post COD4 mode that has stuck so people don't really give a monkey's toss on all the other failed attempts. Most new modes don't even last the duration and are never seen again. If a developer is to explore a new mode then it has to be something original and not some watered-down or illogical twist on an existing one to make it look like you're trying to innovate or produce original material. Praise for what? There is not one single positive the mode offers and people right from the get-go were very disappointed at its implementation. It's not like Infinity Ward completely overhauled the mode with justifiable means and created new skill-sets and gameplay styles - all they've done is make the most needless and unjustifiable changes imaginable. So? At least it's new content. If you don't like 3 of the launch maps then you don't like 33% of the maps available. New maps, more quantity is welcome even if the quality varies. You're basically saying 'don't release new maps because if they are bad people might complain'😂 That is complete and utter bollocks and I cannot fathom where or how you are coming to these conclusions. If they release poor maps then they can release new maps after which will hopefully be better. We've had bad maps before many times and we've also had failed modes which have been removed altogether. If you fuck up a mainline mode then you can alienate a huge portion of your playerbase and in this case, they've had to revert back to the familiar fan favouite format because it's perfect as it is and cannot be improved upon by design. It can only be worsened through negligent changes and this has been the case. I really don't even know where the argument has come from - it really isn't hard to expect more original content by now and failed modes should be replaced by proven concepts as they have done countless times previous anyway. There's probably upwards of 15 modes in 11 years that have been taken out the game or replaced so it's nothing new or offensive to the developers. I'd be full of praise for IW if they actually tried with Tier1 and justified their changes but just like the perk system, they haven't provided conclusive reasoning for their decision. People crying out for new modes has never really been a thing either. New maps however..

Of course you can compare game modes and maps - we buy the game and have a certain level of expectation of what we are getting for that money. If the game launched with 100 multiplayer maps yet all the textures were shitty low res do you think people would be praising the number of maps or complaining about the textures? You may not implicitly buy the textures, they just form part of the whole as maps and game modes do too. You're getting caught up in the details though, I'm not, and have not, praised Tier 1 itself; with most people preferring core I haven't played enough of it to really have much of an opinion. But if they just release the same TDM, Domination, FFA etc. for the next 10 years but with new maps you aren't buying a new game you're buying a £60 map pack. Which is exactly the criticism CoD took a lot of flak for not so long ago. So what I'm willing to praise Tier1 for is that they tried something different, not that they succeeded, or that they shouldn't revert back to regular HC, but simply that they tried to give us something more than a map pack. In the same vain as adding Warzone and, more recently, DMZ. They have play testers but there isn't really any guaranteed way to know if something is going to be a success (Warzome, DMZ), or will alienate the community (Tier1), until it's launched to the wider community. Now again, me saying that doesn't mean I agree with the small number of maps or them re-using old maps as new content - I don't. However if they add actual new maps and you don't like one or all of them you are going to complain about the quality of them, as would I. But your criticism of Tier1, that it's needless and pointless change that they shouldn’t have done, is more equivalent to saying because the map(s) are rubbish they shouldn't release any new maps again. Which is nothing but rubbish and flies in the face of you spouting off wanting new content. Clearly the solution is you should go work for Activision so they can make sure any future changes are James approved.

I played the Championship Manager series religiously from CM2 all the way until it split into FM/. CM04/05 was my last and I never really got into FM partly because of burnout and although it was made by the same people, it just felt a bit off. Haven't played one since. 01/02 was king because it was CM3 perfected after years of work and experience. CM4 was a bit of a change in terms of interface and the introduction of the 3D map but I quite liked it in the end. Cannot beat seeing your players with 20's all over their stats. My mate from school once played 144 seasons and ended up blowing his hard drive after going on an insane grind - ended up in the Hungarian league with Phil Scholes, Robbie Giggs and Thierry Harry as the algorithm was stretched to the max trying to generate new players. I didn't see him for the first 5 weeks of the holiday and I don't think he had a bath in that time either🤣 CM2 was a great introduction for me and I was often mesmerised by the background pictures. You can get the games from *cough *myabandonware for ease - I still think I have all mine boxed in storage.

Tier1 radically changes every aspect of the mode which is why it's proven so unpopular. It's literally turned into a blind sandbox and for no logical reason. You cannot praise something so fundamentally flawed by design that has literally alienated the community and driven them to even do a dramatic u-turn. There is not one key benefit, innovation or positive change they have made with Tier1. Like everybody else, I expect certain core and hardcore game modes as a franchise staple. Don't fix something if it ain't broken. What I don't expect is for one COD game to have 21 original maps on release and then another one having 7. Comparing COD game modes to map is an absurd viewpoint - that's like you expecting every COD game to have 12 new modes. When a game is released I expect it to have TDM, DOM, HC, KC, HP and HC and I expect every single Call of Duty for the next 10 years to have this standarised playlist. What I don't expect is having Nuketown and Shipment given every other year at the expense of other content on a game that has 9 maps at launch. It takes no skill or innovation to rehash modes so that is where the original content lies in terms of the maps and that is what should be fresh and original for every £60 release. I don't mind paying for the same old modes because it's ingrained in the franchise and has been for nearly two decades.

30 I believe.

And HC has how much health? Felt I died just as quick in T1 than HC. But then again, its been ages since I played COD.

What an inane anology, that would completely change how TDM would be played. Tier1 is HC with less HUD and a little more health - changes? yes, but not fundamental, or stupid, changes like your suggesting. However I think you're missing my point. You don't see any contradiction between saying they should have launched with the same game modes as previous CoD's instead of trying to tweak things and saying you don't want re-hashed content? They tried something new and that should be praised even if, as it seems, the general consensus is the change isn't actually for the better. But how could you know it wasn't for the better without them launching the game with Tier1 instead of HC?

Keep on diggin! The Day Before developers now say the launch delay was planned before the Steam takedown | PC Gamer WWW.PCGAMER.COM Fntastic initially blamed the eight month delay of The Day Before on a trademark dispute.

No, the overwhelming majority of the community including me are saying they don't want Hardcore in its current form (which IW accepts) and we are also not very tolerant of being issued with old rehashed maps on top of being starved of original content for our £60 purchase especially when compared to older titles and even Vanguard last year. You can't cherrypick two unrelated instances to form some sort of argument like this. Staple game modes dictate the framework of the game and is expected by the community as a minimum. Hardcore has a huge community and its own skillset and their Tier 1 interation was an needless and illogical change of a proven formula. This change is crucial to the game's sustainability going forward as is new original map content to bolster retention. Imagine if they changed TDM into a mode called 'Shooty Shooter Shoot' and instead of kills, you were given gold starts and the mimi map was removed along with perks. You can't then complain at users for wanting it reverted back and then further wanting new content to support the game because it's literally two different things.

What is the difference between HC and Tier1?

I don't think its fair to hate on them for Tier 1 I actually admire them for trying something different with Tier 1, OK so it didn't work and they are bring back Hardcore but if you don't try these things you'll never know they will work right?

So if I've got this correct, they shouldn't be bringing back old content but how dare they make changes to a game mode instead of bringing back a carbon copy of the old mode?

That looks cool as hell. I'm definitely getting this one as I've loved the movies but its great to see it has its own storyline topped up with great graphics....and that combat in the first video you shared James looks pretty sick, ngl. Lets hope these Quests have good depth to them too as on first looks they seem pretty solid.

They say good intentions pave the road to hell, I'd say assumptions are right up there with that 😁

If is that good a cod, no one is spending time reading.

He's just about old enough to get you banned for sending him abusive messages 🙈😭😅

Ftfy 🤣 Bet he doesn't cap flags, the dumb fuck.

Lots of very positive feedback so far - not sure if it's my cuppa tea as I'm not a Harry Potter fan but it looks like they've done a very good job. If it scores well then I very well may grab it regardless Some great environment and detail gameplay

Having spent a good few hours on it today I found that I enjoyed it more than the reviews would suggest I should have. I have also just realised it is a bigger review than I had intended so apologies and dont worry if you dont fancy reading it all 🙂 To respond to James’ last post first, watching a demo is never going to be the same experience as playing the demo or full game experience. I have never understood how anyone can really appreciate a game by watching someone else’s playthrough :S I will agree there are a few flew expletives but when you play through the actual story you begin to see why as it stems from the characters background growing up. It’s not as clear cut as being edgy for the sake of it but trying to create a character. My thoughts on the game so far (will break down into categories) - Characters - The main protagonist is not going to be memorable. She does a job but she is never going to be a Cloud or a Sora. She just fills a role. 5/10 for the lead character, there are some side characters though that I think are better. Gameplay - For me this is seemingly more of a let down than I thought it would be. The world traversal is great, the combat seems a little clunky though. You can see the souls like game influence on this with some of the bosses which is quite cool and some of the monsters are pretty creative. 6.5/10 Plot - When I said there are souls like elements this does apply to some of the lore as well, there are a lot of items to pick up that then give you a bit of info to read on the world. I have never been keen on that sort of thing as I like to just get on and play the game. The storyline I think I can already fathom where its going, I hope there are some twists, there are some elements that have been done before but I do think the storyline has potential so a 7/10 there with the potential for it to finish higher. Reading a couple of reviews earlier today the storyline does not get rated highly but considering the review keys came out so late I don’t know how anyone would have completed the game to really say for certain. Sound - I picked up a new headset the other day and I am glad I did because the audio is pretty great 🙂 They seem to hit the right notes and it feels a bit Final Fantasy esque for it. So would give it 8/10 Visuals - This for me was always my main focus for this game, I wanted to see what the ps5 could be capable graphically. On this I think it delivers, the game looks fantastic, the beasts look great and one thing I had noticed is the draw distance seems to be huge (and may be one of the reasons there is so much demand on the machine with the pc version. I would give it a 9/10 (I feel like there is a bit more in the ps5 yet to come. The world - This again seems to have reviewed badly by a lot of reviewers. But this strikes me as a reviewer not paying attention to the game and story as they race through the opening few hours (which is a bit slow mind). The world is lifeless in that there are not towns or cities or people walking about but when you pay attention to the story there is a reason for it. The world itself has a main central hub (populated city) and the world itself is then full of enemies of various varieties. It has a feeling of emptiness but as I say, I feel like its intended rather than they did not complete the game for example. Overall my first impressions are more positive than negative and the game certainly does not deserve the flak it has been receiving (especially from people who have not played it or never intend to, though that seems to be commonplace today which I don’t quite understand. For me its a solid enough game, does it justify the high price tag? Not quite from first experiences. It’s a solid game and I would give it a 7.5/10 thus far. As I say though I am only a handful of hours in (I feel like I am at the point where a lot of reviewers felt they knew enough about the game without really paying attention to what was happening within the game. I.e it has taken me 4 hours but took them 2). Will I enjoy it enough to play through? I suspect so.

Just out of curiosity James have you played the game? Or if not where did you get the idea that the dialogue is as bad as you are suggesting? I.e. were we able to see the script pre-release? The fact the keys were not issued to pc gamers is telling of the performance issues that are going to be there, though I do know a couple of people who are playing on pc and said so far they have not really had many major issues. I have this game to play actually so once I have got started with it will put in some views but the signs do suggest that the game is decent but somewhat incomplete may be a better way to put it. I.e. similar to no mans sky and fallout 76 when they first launched? The couple of people I know playing it said that the actual gameplay, traversing of the map and combat etc is actually quite good fun but didn't give much away about the story knowing that I will be playing it. I tend to ignore reviews these day's because they can be such a mixed bag and I can tend to enjoy games that they do not or find that games that reviewers tend to love, I just do not get on with. Couple of recent examples include elden ring (reviewed well and I did not enjoy), days gone (reviewed badly and I enjoyed), dying light (did not review well but was one of my most enjoyable games the past ten years. The NFT decision was a terrible move by square and I think I read something recently that they are still backing their decision? I may be wrong though. Final Fantasy saved them once but as much as I love that series it has mostly gone down the toilet in recent years (the exception being FF14 but it's not one I play). I think a lot of their problems come from poor management. Just as a note, a lot of their "crappy fringe brands" as you point out James are some of the best games they have created in years and tends to be where you find the best that Square has to offer, it is the big games that tend to do much worse and that's because they are trying to make Western style games with a Japanese touch to them, people don't want that from Square (we already have good Western games that then make these look bad). A lot of their greatest games in recent years are the smaller budget one's, I would love any of these to get the same sort of budget that FF or Forspoken has, they could easily be mind blowing games. Dragon Quest (Their last game rated incredibly high and was old school FF) The builders games were great fun too Nier (This has quite the cult following now) Kingdom Hearts certainly isn't going anywhere anytime soon (I thiunk this does get a big budget anyway?) Star Ocean - Yes the game before was bad but this latest one was heading back in the right direction Octopath Traveller is getting it's second game and is building into something and I suspect Triangle Strategy will go the same way Bravely Default is looking more and more likely to get it's next game too. The plus as well is that they do keep trying to bring new IP's to the market, whilst a lot of the Western studios we will just be playing call of duty, ffa (EA Sports FC), dark souls 27 in 20-30 years time. Even Sony's games are much of the same these days and often based on IP's they have had in the brand for quite some time and with Microsoft, have they released anything new since the og xbox? Don't get me wrong Square have made some bad decisions but they have made some good one's too.

Square Enix basically pissed away their entire portfolio so they could fund NFT’s last year. 3 days after they invested, the market collapsed by 90% and they literally have nothing left apart from FF and some crappy fringe brands like this. Literally sold their entire 30-odd year history and soul for something that wiped out their money in 72 hours. Forspoken seems to have a relentless identity crisis in terms of its design and the writing looks like it was done by some immature student - some of the dialogue is absolutely mortifying, unnecessary and utterly embarrassing. It’s basically Horizon Zero Dawn from Wish.