J4MES OX4D

AAA development costs have certainly risen but I don't think that's a satisfactory excuse for companies to use especially considering some of the profits they still make. I just don't want it weeding its way into a variety of franchises the same way season passes have become the norm and I don't want to see gameplay being built around trying to entice users to spend extra money. It's only become a real issue this year and it could very easily alienate people and ruin perfectly stable series like how Square Enix ruined Deus Ex after succssfully rebooting it a few years previous. Decisions like this are made from the top though and its not the developers fault. If they have to accomodate microtransactions at the expense of the gameplay structure then it has to be done the right way. I think some publishers may be in for some rude awakenings though as decisions like this could drastically impact sales of a game and purchases of microtransactions may not come close to mitigating that lost revenue. There's so many quality AAA titles that didn't need this business model to succeed and even with scaling costs; I don't think microtransactions are the best way to offset any reduced income against cosumer satisfaction and trust. Hopefully this is just a phase from corporate clowns and if it does succeed and becomes a fixture in all future games; I hold the players responsible for their stupidity in feeding it!

Patrice Evra kicks one of his own fans and gets sent off before the game even starts

I simply don't think they should be in any single player game regardless. I do think SOW has a painfully repetitive structure in place and the fact they offer microtransactions to reduce the 'grind' rather than play the game in its entireity fuels this. WB have never needed to do this in their other games such as SOM and the Batman series and those were executed perfectly in terms of a design structure and overall length. From an ethical standpoint; microtransactions in SP games to buy progression is not something I want to see in future titles whether they are bought or not and it casts suspicion over the publishers and the games design if such things are in place.

I'm picking it up end of this month. Could be an 11th hour surprise contender for GOTY. Watch Dogs 2 was surprisingly excellent last year and this could be another great game for me to play over the Christmas period.

I started SOW a few days ago and got fed up with it after a few hours. Although the microtransactions aren't as essential as a lot of people are trying to make out; it's clear the way the game is designed that it's just an uninspired grind which would entice some users to pay to progress quicker. Microtransactions in a single player game is inexcusible when it's progression-oriented in a game that stifles progression in the first place. The whole game structure is basically just side mission. Scout an Ork captain, find his weaknesses, kill his buddies and him and move on to the next one rinse and repeat. There is a 'campaign' but it's pretty poor but the core of the game is just Batman-esque combat against thousands of enemies. In three hours I did 4% of the first location and there are 5 in total. Shadow of Mordor did it so much better as the game wasn't strung out and everything was well-balanced right to the finale.

Ubisoft botting fake reviews....?

This looks bad, this looks really bad. I know a 2D video of the VR game only conveys part of the experience but the game seems to have lost all it's key elements of fast paced, frantic and pulsating gameplay. VR just doesn't work with a game like this. Hopefully Fallout 4 and Skyrim VR will be more suitable to the technology.

You know PSG are decent when even their left-back can net a hat-trick. First time in CL history a defender has netted a treble in a match.

Apparently even the campaign wont work until the day one patch is applied. Many people got copies early but none of them can actually play it. They seem desperate to keep everything under wraps leading up to release.

The worrying trend that has arisen in 2017 games is a bit different to your typcial grind games we've seen previous as these titles that now have loot boxes to 'assist'/speed up progression seem to have deliberately stifled progression systems in place that literally force you to buy your way forward rather than actually grinding. I recently started Shadow of War and within the first few hours I could tell that the developers deliberately desiged the game in such a way that the only option was to at least spend money on speeding up the game rather than get bored to tears doing the most mundane filler tasks which are in the game to string it out in painful fashion. Any game where you can buy progress should be held with the utmost suspicion IMO. The Witcher 3 for instance offers the most stunning and absorbing campaign imaginable with a huge selection of varied side missions. These can be done at your leisure and can happily be ignored and are all of substantial quality regardless. Assassin's Creed Origins also has a strong campaign where you can only really participate in missions if you meet the level requirement. This is fair enough and a common system where users are forced to play side missions to level up but to get the XP required for play a main mission; you have to either participate in the most mind-numbingly repetitive side missions doing them over and over to gain the required XP or simply buy the XP through the online store and save the headache. If the side missions complimented the main story that you could interwine between, it could be a grand experience but many users are reporting that the level system is rigged heavily towards having to do samey side missions without fail or by buying your way out of them to continue the main story. This hasn't been an issue in sister games like Far Cry, Watch Dogs 2, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Batman Arkham Knight, and Shadow of Mordor so for this to happen just this year; it makes me very weary indeed.

A lot has changed in gaming in recent years particuarly in the current generation. The PS3/360 era was so simple and much more enjoyable. Nowadays, you have to worry about thinks like performance, patches, DLC, microtransactions, gambling, loot boxes, pay to win and other negative elements gravely impacting even single player experiences as well as MP components. It's such a headache and the amount of distrust in the industry from a consumer standpoint is very significant now especially as the above practices are appearing in many varied titles now. Activision have taken it further with their matchmaking manipulating algorithms and now the likes of WB, Ubisoft, 2K are making their story-based campaigns so grindy; players are more enticed to pay for progress rather than play the game. I think people's expectations are very high still and there has not been many games released in this gen that would rank as some of the best of all time. The Witcher 3 is the only game that has probably showcased the standard people wanted. Games like Watch Dogs, The Division and Destiny promised so much but really missed the mark. I just want to play games without the bullshit that plague certain brands today. Divinity Original Sin 2 is probably the only title in 2017 that is 100% transparent and honest.

The reason I didn't get the original Destiny was because the 'social shooter' had no matchmaking for the likes of Raids. I said at the time this would come back to bite them and harm the community and 3 years on they disclosed during the E3 presentation that only 50% of players participated in a Raid which now saw 'Guided Games' implemented which should've been a no-brainer in the first place. Not everyone had time to try and concot getting a team together especailly on game that is supposed to be socially-focused. In Destiny 2, we have 6 man Fireteams but for those to go into PvP; 2 have to be ommitted with the 4v4 limit. Bravo Bungie once again for simply stupid or bizarre game design decisions. I don't know whether it's down to technical limitations or simply awful design forsight but the social side of this brand is actually weak, flawed and heavily restricted. It's not too different to Ubisoft's The Crew. I like how Destiny 2 is seemless but at its core its very limited. Activision dick riders dare not say anything bad about their brands at the risk of losing their pampered event invites of free hotels and the chance to play stuff early. There's nothing worse than a Activision franchise cocksucker.

I did hear that this game lost 78% of players in 6 weeks according to a foolproof API tracker. that not even the masters of player count masking and manipulation; Activison could cover up or tamper with. I have not finished the game yet but I can already feel the repetitive strain of the threadbare basegame and from what I heard; the original was 'fixed' through DLC expansions. It really does make you wonder if the base game is deliberately starved of material to force people to buy the DLC. This coming from the same arseholes that now have a patent for multiplayer matchfixing and microtransaction manipulation.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-curse-of-osiris-dlc-release-date-details/1100-6454473/

I know quite a few Everton fans and a few of their players that have played for Oxford so it's always good banter with them

Big improvement from Everton today - they only lost 2-0 this time

That's me

Nessus is great and has plenty of adventures to do although it reminds me of the No Man's Sky Aesthetics. The banter between the Failsafe and Cayde is superb also and it's a shame that the other parts of the game weren't this well written or engaging. Titan is very atmospheric but there isn't too much to do on there sadly. The EDZ is very nice also with a pretty backdrop. That's as far as I've got and by the sounds of it, I've seen the best of it!

Played the game a few hours this week and found it to be great fun albeit a bit of a mixed bag in some respects. Firstly, the game looks astonishing on PC maxed out at 1080p with a solid, consistent framerate and zero performance issues which includes the servers. The visuals are staggering in places and this is one of the best ports imaginable. They've done a superb job with these aspects. Also the movement and gun mechanics are both absolutely flawless and it feels brilliant. The format which is basically the same as The Division, isn't as well-designed as the presentation. It feels like the game is trying to keep up the pretence that it's some sort of MMO which exonerates it from having a solid standalone experience. The supported campaign is not great in all honesty, and whilst the adventures and activities add some extra entertainment on the side; everything feels a bit lackluster and underwhelming at times. Compare this to Halo which did everything Destiny does minus raids and having to be always online; that brand offered a compelling narrative in all its games with long and deeply challenging missions plus extra strike-type missions on the side that could be enjoyed off or online. The farm is a bit of a threadbare social space with little to do and each world so far has taken me little time to sift through. Each area looks remarkable with some staggering interiors and areas within but some of the gameplay overlaid in either story or adventure missions doesn't reflect the sheer quality of the presentation. I did two adventures back to back on Titan both in virtually the same areas and one mission too 7 minutes and the next took 9. I'm now wondering if there will be a new adventure lasting maybe 8 minutes in the same place next time. It's neither open world or linear locations and having to recyle mission locations regardless of how stunning they look; it feels a bit desperate in the end. The guns are great though and despite the loot system being a bit generous in terms of how you earn gear; it's always satisfying trying something new or improving your build. I just wish that improving Power wasn't so easy as this can easily outweigh the mission recommendations meaning you can sail through most without dying or getting hurt. Still it's terrific fun just blasting a load of enemies with a variety of weapons. Overall; it's a bit of a tough one and this game showcases the disparity of departments in Bungie just like The Division did with their art team compared with the game design side. The staff behind the engine and crafting the world did a staggering job on this project but it's been let down by poor gameplay direction and format design. It feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity and what makes it disappointing is that this is the sequel and lessons have still not been learned. I will definitely get my money's worth out of it but I am a bit concerned about the staying power and if I'll get bored but from a technical and visual standpoint; it's a remarkable achievement.

Naughty Dog literally put every other developer apart from CD Projekt Red and Rockstar North to absolute shame. TLOU was the best game on the PS3, its the best game on the PS4 and it'll probably be the best game on the PS5 The level of production quality is just astonishing in this game.

This is the bonus stadium in the game. 1,000,000 all-seater Champions League ground!

Looks great fun

I think the Steam Halloween sale starts later today