J4MES OX4D

Pretty much. The smoothness is a bit of a deception and netcode quality is kind of masked among things like the armor and general pace of the combat. Until you dissect the technical data; we don't get a clear picture of how it truly runs. It's also fairly noticeable on PC because there is no aim assist as a further handicap so accuracy is essential.

Pretty surprising considering how smooth the game feels. The combat does feel a bit off at times but I originally put that down to the pace, opponents armour and my bad aim but it's nice to see the game thoroughly tested and the netcode issues laid out. Unlike Blackout, I don't think we've been deliberately shafted with cheap low quality servers but Apex does need a lot of improvements especially when there already so many other factors at play that affect combat.

It's a disappointing sadly - basically a linear experience with a generic character (nicely rendered arse though) where you try and survive walking through a map to the end. If you die, it's game over. It's great that it's free but honestly, it's fairly low quality that if I paid, I'd be very disappointed. It is a tough experience though and there's things to unlock but in the ten minutes it takes, it's pretty bland.

3 lane maps are great but I'd also want a variety of maps like we had in BO, MW2, MW3, COD4, WAW etc. Favela had multiple routes, elevation and excellent long sightlines. Sub base had the same plus a lot of outer action and Afghan offered multiple ways to play and significant flanking opportunities. Now days it's start the match and go either left, right or center and maybe chuck a nade or get ready to fire straight ahead. The MW2 maps weren't forced 3 lane maps; they were just well-designed and varied. Even SnD has become a bit of a redundant mode in recent COD's because the maps just don't offer versatility. Traditional sniping has also been thrown out of the window and replaced entirely by quickscoping. I can't remember the last time we actually had a COD game with an iconic map. Nowadays they seem to be very symmetrical, either small or small-to-medium or just long and narrow. A lot of these modern COD maps are built with eSports in mind where the action is pushed into 3 lanes which diminishes different gameplay styles and brings aggressive sweaty gunplay to the fore.

Finally unlocked Mirage for 12,000 tokens at level 23. Haven't had a chance to play as much as the first week but this one has been tougher because people are learning the game more, becoming more sweaty and some god awful Fornite players have entered the game and they are fucking useless and I have been lumbered with them.

800 staff laid off in total. That is a lot.

I don't think they'll ever be able to produce such an iconic game like the old MW ones again. Too much has changed in gaming from shitty business practices to how people want sweaty competitive g-fueled gameplay fought on 3 lane maps in eSport fashion despite the brand being 99% casual. I often revisit the old COD's and they just ooze so much enjoyment and varied gameplay and none of the ones from this generation can get close to. Using real weapons in real life locations with credible characters cannot be beaten. The good news is that a few key staff from Respawn have gone back to IW to specifically work on this game and hopefully they can try and capture the brilliance of past titles but the way Activision and the the way gaming has changed; I don't know if they'll ever be able match what they did a decade ago. I am dying for a proper military shooter again like a modern COD or Battlefield - hard to believe towards the end of last gen these games were saturated but I'm sick of all this futuristic fantasy bullshit now.

I haven't found a gun I truly like but I tend to always avoid the burst ones. Here's a good video of most things on offer

I don't think he will because Respawn seem to do their own thing and EA takes a back seat but I can see the latter sticking their noses in somewhere along the lines especially if it continues to thrive. Vince doesn't seem up the publishers arses either so it shouldn't turn into a game for shareholders first rather than gamers themselves. So far everything is spot-on - no P2W or horrible aesthetic cosmetics plus everything can be earned in-game. If EA continue on the sidelines and accepts the business model as is, it will continue to succeed on all fronts. Once the season starts in March, we may get a better idea of how this will play out long-term.

Exactly. I don't think The Division 2 looks a bad game at all but it just doesn't make the strides I would be expecting especially from Ubisoft who have proven in recent years how ambitious and strong their technology is. To see a game play itself so safe using the old formula is a little disappointing. I can tell a lot about games from just watching videos - I've probably watched over 25 hours of gameplay and information videos in recent months and a lot of people who have had unrestricted access across multiple branches have raised similar concerns that leave me on the fence. I'm looking forward to giving the open beta a go nevertheless but something that irks me in gaming is wasted opportunities and games that should be better than what they offer.

This is another excellent video on the current situation

This is the big talking point though especially when it's supposedly a new game and a £50 one at that too. The Division was great but hamstrung by technical restrictions, poorly implemented features, horrendous story, forgettable characters and a flawed concept especially compared to what they originally envisaged. Three years on from the original and they've essentially made the same core game again. There is no reason why a sequel cannot make substantial strides and this game doesn't seem to quite do it. I think a lot of people's expectations are a bit higher than that of just a plain old sequel especially with how ambitious and technically laden Ubisoft are these days. More of a step sideways than a step forward. The atmosphere of the original game was absolutely unreal. I'd never forget the first time I ventured into New York with the eerie silence, gun sounds echoing off buildings and the wonderful snow effects when walking. This game seems to lose all of that and I'm not too keen on all the greenery either. The audio comparisons are particularly disappointing and areas seem a bit bare. I hope the rest of the map is more varied and interesting. Fixed😎

Open beta was mentioned in the livestream over the weekend so I'm gonna wait to try it then. Bit of a mixed bag from critics and the PC version has a couple of iffy bugs that should be quashed by then but I'll definitely be giving it a try. Certainly looks way better than Anthem.

You probably have - I posted this over 3 years ago😂😎

I got an invite but I forgot to play it😎

Hundreds set to lose their jobs https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/report-activision-will-be-hit-with-substantial-layoffs-next-week/ They are making cutbacks but the first thing they did when they hired a new CFO was pay him $15m for simply accepting the job.

I can't find that information anywhere.

I hear Vonderhaar hasn't even been working on the MP and it's shown really. I don't think he's cut out for the BR mode but MP is certainly missing his input and presence in the community. Now he seems to be a battle royale punchbag on social media. It wouldn't surprise me if they pull a MW Remastered and make it standalone around April but charge something like £25/$30 for it. Looking at Blackout last night; I don't think there's enough quality in the economy for it to make decent money being free to play.

Some Twitch Streamer got perma banned last night attributing to her comment saying that there was only two genders. Twitch banned the streamer for 'hate speech' against the transgender community. It's sad to see someone stating a scientific fact having their livelihood taken down because of social fury. Being transgender doesn't highlight someone's gender precisely from either the one they were to the one they transitioned to, so why aren't people who have made the change wanting to identify to the one they have changed to and not some generic process to make the change? Anyhow, this is more about Twitch and how you can't say even unarguable fact without being destroyed these days. Free speech is on thin ice as it is already in the social digital world but this is a step too far. Funny how non-gamers can go topless on there for some e-softcore but Twitch deems that perfectly fine content...

Whilst other similar games have weekly updates and a clear strategy moving forward, Blackout is still fumbling around with basic patches consisting of fixes and tweaks. I've even seen a lot of the influencers aka COD cocksuckers like Prestige and Pamaj vent their dismay at the lack or progression the game is making with only the black market seemingly being regularly developed. Many others have stopped playing and the game is clearly struggling on Twitch. With the release of Apex Legends, I think Treyarch should be very worried. The base game of BO4 doesn't even have league play still and Blackout has made no strides in the eSport arena either despite huge plans. The game is essentially going nowhere and we're only 1/3 of the way through its cycle. Another post-xmas dead COD game pretty much with absolutely no forward planning or events to keep people enticed. Just dreadful for a product on a 3 year cycle especially when compared to other smaller games and even F2P titles. I can't see the game making much more revenue from base game sales and seeing that it's basically built on a F2P economy as it is; they'd probably be better off just making a F2P version of Blackout or some shitty standalone starter edition. I assume that with another COD due later this year, Blackout was only supposed to be good for a year anyway and Activision wouldn't want Blackout to detract away from the new COD game which may also have its own BR mode. Although I stopped playing when they flipped the greed switch, I cannot believe the shitshow I've seen since from the monetization standpoint and the development perspective or lack there of. Games like these are supposed to grow and remain refreshed to ensure they keep generating interest and money but if Treyarch thinks a few shitty emotes, sprays, skins and empty battle pass tiers is good enough to keep people interested, they are absolutely deluded. I used to admire Treyarch as one of the most innovative and creative developers in the FPS genre. Their work on two year cycles with WaW, BO1 and Bo2 was a remarkable achievement with deserved success. Now they look totally out of their depth trying to build games for the current generation of gamers whilst also accommodating Activision's horrendous and overly-aggressive microtransaction economy. I already have my suspicions that BO4 isn't the game they originally penciled and it's clearly not something that took 3 years to make and now the post-launch mess or fundamental issues along with a complete disregard for growth and long-term engagement leaves me wondering if they should just release it for free. It wont improve the game but at least it may generate more interest and could even give Activision a new huge line of income.

$890 balaclava A lot of people are saying this is racist but I'm just thinking what a fucking ripoff and who'd wear this shit?

I think this game is better than Blackout. It is certainly more enjoyable and accessible. There is also less BS and Respawn really do know what they are doing whilst David Vonderhaar and Treyarch are still debating on what to do with 9-bangs months later with their painfully pitiful update schedule and understanding of feedback. The general pace and the way matches play out is also spot on whereas Blackout games have a lively start, boring mid-game and then a campy finale. In this game you can move around the map at a solid pace and there's always stuff to be looted and people to find even with just 60 players. I don't think the map is as good as Blackout's but it does the job based on the gameplay on offer and doesn't have location/loot hotspots which can leave the action lopsided. The legends also add something rather than just bland character skins. There's plenty to grind and unlock and if people want to put money into this game then I wouldn't blame them as it's a proper F2P format. In Black Ops 4 and Blackout, after you've bought the game, you're expected to want to spend £250-1000 for a character skin you can't even see, emotes you wont use and rubber duck sprays. If Apex Legends can deliver an interesting battle pass, it'll make some good money and keep people engaged. It would be another middle finger to COD with their shameful and pathetic attempt at a battle pass which you paid £1 for empty tiers which was less rewarding than 3 dud supply drops. Nice to see the game doing so well on Twitch growing too. Streamer influence could be key here so I hope they don't go running back to Forknife when Epic bribes them.

I just watched the half time show on YouTube which almost has 800k dislikes and it's quite possibly the weakest musical performance I have ever seen. I really don't know why Maroon 5 are famous when Adam Levine clearly can't sing.