J4MES OX4D

Don't speak to soon

Group of death in England terminology is getting drawn against the likes of Costa Rica and Iceland these days.

Dreamcast died because of a distinct lack of software that Sega promised. The machine itself was excellent at the time and by far the most powerful on offer. Sega convinced backers to invest based on the companies they could potentially acquire rather than what was already on their books and they distinctly did it on the cheap. From what I remember they even alienated EA who opted against supporting the platform - a company that Sega absolutely assured backers they would secure. So instead of users playing FIFA 99 as expected; they were left with UEFA Striker. Bad decisions and bad PR can still affect EA today regardless of how much they are bankrolling. I'm familiar with all those companies also. I probably have every Westwood strategy game ever made and also a big box sealed edition of Blade Runner mint which is worth four figures today. EA have already murdered studios to the extent they are really running out of developers and I very much doubt DICE are happy seeing their BF2 creation get torn apart by forced features. If shareholders still want to back EA after their antics this year then good luck to them and it just sums up the state of the indstry now.

Sega weren't just hardware - they were software and it was the software side that sank them. Not the point though - they made billions and less than a decade later they were losing money to that tune because they weren't getting the backing for continued support going forward and many backers turned to rivals such as Sony despite their console being a third as powerful as Sega's at the time. If companies don't have the continued financial support; things can go south out of nowhere regardless of what they gross from sales. I'm going to take a guess that those were the first companies that popped up on a Google search for bankrupt videogame companies over the years or something. Anyway I'm not saying that EA are going to go bankrupt overnight or whether something like this will affect them gravely but it's nice to see them having some bad press and any impact shouldn't be underestimated especially when shareholders can walk to rivals and get a better deal without as much aggro.

I remember when Sega were the biggest electronics brand on the planet and people said they would dominate the indsutry for decades to come. One bad console year and the next minute they are a small-time publisher now living off DLC sales for growth after almost hitting the wall. Even having to whore out their beloved Sonic to arch rivals which nobody in the 90's would have ever envisaged. You never know in this indsutry - the bigger they are the harder they can fall. The chain reaction could be significant if budgets get squeezed and shareholders decide to take their money before the shit really hits the media fan. This period is also supposed to be EA's biggest earner so if they get hit hard now into the quiet time and with sod all games pencilled in for next year; it could impact them worse than people think. EA have received much criticism in the past but nothing on this level which really does question their ethics, morals and business practices. It may not make a difference to the ever-declining quality of the AAA industry and if people want to waste money on it their fair enough but it's nice to see a company not being entirely untouchable and being held to some account before things get really out of hand.

I think they may have some difficulty with growth going forward now as they've been shamed in the media globally that many investors wont want to be associated with them. If regulation is brought in or the concept of gambling is scaled back to avoid major scrutiny; that will certainly blow a chunk of their future earnings. The negative exposure alone is pretty priceless though and their shitty PR is just making it worse for them.

I watched eveything, learned everything and completed the first mission where I was left to it. The next 3 missions I discovered on the map (!) were kill capatain and loot tresure fillers so I could bolser my XP to level 5 so I could participate in the next main mission. I do not like this structure for open world games - I prefer a free-flowing story to compliment the crafted world rather than a backdrop with serveral shallow narrative instances plastered over it. Not even Watch Dogs 2 had to rely on this format. I remember when side missions were an optional extra rather than a necessity and an off the bat stumbling block of progression. I had to make a decision within 2 hours so I was entitled to a refund and after my experience of Shadow of War; I wasn't in the mood for another one of these grind-eligibility games. I couldn't care if Origins then became the best game ever after that; my initial impression wasn't great despite the wonderful backdrop and after reading in the community forums how the game is going forward; I opted to obtain a refund instead as I don't think my experience would have drastically improved. The combat as well was a major turn-off. The Witcher 3 hooked me from the get-go. From the opening sequence, the wonderful script, stunning backdrop and great opening missions; it is in a different league. That game is the benchmark that titles like Origins should aspire to especially considering the price and its budget. There's plenty of reviews out there that are positive and my opinion isn't there to deter people who may be interested. I just don't fancy wasting £40 on a game that I may not enjoy just because I decided to give it another half hour. As soon as I saw the screen with 6 targets as my set missions and all the !!!!!!! dotted around the map which are pre-made missions so I can participate in the main ones before moving on to the next area to do it all again; I felt very underwhelmed and just didn't feel like committing to the game.

LOL https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/28/eas-day-of-reckoning-is-here-after-star-wars-game-uproar.html

What a year Nintendo have had! Not sure how many if any have the console on here but this gem of a machine has impressed me massively in its first year. With AAA gaming sinking to horrible new lows with loot boxes, shady publishers and more shitty games; Nintendo have continued to do what they do best; make great games without the bullshit. Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyseey are the two top contenders for GOTY in the media plus with many more top exclusive titles on their books in the opening year; it's a very encouraging start for the unique console. It's been 20 years since I got my N64 which was a godlike console and with Nintendo back to their best; it's so tempting to do it all again. If I can grab a £300 bundle with Mario and Zelda this Christmas that would be a fantastic deal.

It's great PR to butter people up prior to the first 'expansion' but I can't see it being signifcant enough to keep me interested. I see a lot of 'better, improved and changed' points but I doubt it will translate to anything substantial. Certainly wont bolster the mediocre foundation that is already in place. This could be a good get out of jail for Bungie as a few people will likely overlook the games damning faults now and see these updates and DLC as the second coming of christ with their wallets and pants zippers wide open.

Activision clearly wants as many players as possible to see each other opening supply drops so they will be enticed to buy them too.

It's a solid console but doesn't have anywhere near enough games. The Xbox One S is a far more attractive proposition and you'll be able to pick that up for sub £200 with a couple of games bundled it. Rumours suggest Microsoft are planning a new generation of console in two years time anyway so I'm really not sure how viable it will be going forward. If you have that money to burn; may as well save up a little more and get a mid-range gaming PC which offers so much more. Seeing that you can play many XB1 games on PC through the Windows store anyway, it's even more pointless.

I had no choice to get out when I did so I was entitled to a refund but after doing 3 side quests killing captains just to level up my character; that was enough for me to duck out. Simply not a fan of this format as I prefer a flowing story rather than it scattered among filller. I am coming from Divinity Original Sin 2 though so perhaps my expectations were a bit high.

Wayne Rooney scores from inside his own half against West Ham once again! Everton have had a bad season so far but West Ham are really in deep shit especially with Moyes in the crows nest.

Started the game today and had enough of it already. It looks stunning but the characters are dreadful, the writing is abysmal, the combat is iffy and the design is basically Shadow of War. After doing the first mission; the next one was 4 levels too much for me to do so to level up, I have to do side missions and the first was to kill a captain and the next one was exactly the same. As if Ubisoft's open world sandboxes weren't barren enough with weak ass content sploged on top; this filler design of 'killing captains' I just absoutely loathe. It's so fucking cheap and underwhelming. I hate shallow open world games and sadly more and more developers are reliant on this shitty design. There didn't seem to be any logic behind these side missions either - I've just hit the town and suddenly there's these random missions where I have to kill somebody in a location. The developers couldn't even be fucked to tell us why to mask the fact this was simply to level up. I praise the art teams at the studio and think Ubisoft have some stunning technology backing them but the people who write, direct and design these games are fucking morons. Dunno if The Witcher 3 has impacted my judgement but that is how games should be done especially ones that are on par budget-wise.

Wow, that's pretty lame having to hide behind your blog to avoid any media scrutiny. The game is in a very fragile state right now at a very crucial time and things like this don't bode well.

Have fun with Phil's joystick

Softcore?

Here's my Destiny heatmap

I had a brief look and it's quite good. I like how they've given objectives which helps - Treyarch made Black Ops 3 so complicated to the extent, you needed 4 people in sync doing fucking handstands whilst signing the national anthem in a ritual just to open a bloody door. If you didn't watch it on YouTube or follow the lore to its smallest detail; you were screwed. WW2 seems more simple and enjoyable than Treyarch's overly-complex iteration now. I uninstalled the game so wont be playing it again but zombies will probably be the only worthwhile thing about it for many people.

Too bad it's only for COD Online in China and doesn't look very good but hopefully this will come into future games before it's too late and be bigger than just 18 players. Seems like it's been made in a rush to jump on the massive Chinese PUBG bandwagon and Activision want a piece of it.

The current system is consistent XP earned but the progress bar getting bigger the more you play in a session or repeat the same events. Their reworked plan is to lower the XP rates across the board but have a numerical display of how much is required to fill the bar so people can work out how much is needed and what events they like to run. Doesn't appear to be much of a solution - just a change of transparency really. To be honest; the statement looks like something EA and DICE would have concocted.

Bungie have fixed this 'problem'....... but only after they got caught https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/11/25/destiny-2-has-been-secretly-reducing-xp-gains-and-is-stopping-after-fans-caught-on/

Very impressed with Siege and how well it's been maintained and supported. It's amazing how well Ubisoft can do when they keep things simple instead of creating these overly-ambitious open world online sandboxes with weak-ass features and mediocre gameplay elements. I can actually see Siege lasting a very long time especially with the welcoming price point and booming community.

Much improved display from Everton today only losing 4-1 to Southampton. After losing 1-5 to Atalanta on Thursday and having no manager; some people were concerned that the £140,000,000 they spent in the summer was wasted. After today; there's clearly signs that they are slowly improving