J4MES OX4D

Completely agree. I think I just outgrew Call of Duty in general since the last gen and it happily coincided with the franchises downfall in general. Regardless though; I expected far better quality from the franchise in this gen considering the budget, longer development cycle and far better technology available but all the developers in their 3 year cycle have failed to deliver and with the series growing even more stale; it's pretty much added to the woes. Even Treyarch let me down with BO3 and they were my last hope in all honesty! I know a fair few users who haven't even tried Infinite Warfare after buying the legacy edition and most of them don't even play the remaster now since supply drops were introduced and the memories of COD 4 were shat upon with broken bottles and pink guns. It wouldn't surprise me if both games are completely dead but even so; I expect MW:R still to be outplaying IW 5/1 or so. I remember when you'd see 1m+ online back in the day but now I very much doubt either COD gets 50,000 on each system playing. There was no logical reason for them to remove the playlist player counts from Advanced Warfare onwards which happened after Ghosts saw dreadful numbers which included the game being outplayed by BO2 the very first weekend and there is certainly no logic for them to not include and then restrict leaderboards unless they want to hide something. The tragic thing now is even if by sheer miracle we did see a good Call of Duty get released; Activision would ruin it regardless!

For those that don't know; Infinite Warfare still doesn't have basic features such as leaderboards, a combat record or an emblem editor. The latter two are expected to arrive towards the end of February which is almost 4 months after the game was released. Leaderboards are supposed to be coming at the end of this month but the catch being that users will only be able to view the top 10,000 players and then the remaining players will be seen as a percentage. The only reasoning behind this and the fact that leaderboards were omitted from the start is surely censorship of the player counts and the top 10k only being visible supports this initial widespread suspicion. Leaderboards is a feature that have been in games since the 1980's and all Call of Duty titles so it's ludicrous that the feature has been absent especially on an MP game in this day and age. They've already removed the player counts in COD games and leaderboards seems to be the next thing they want to restrict just to hide the dying population. Combat records and emblem editors were present from Black Ops 1 onwards and whilst some IW games missed these features since; it's shambolic that neither portion was implemented before release. The few players that are left playing COD have been begging for such features not because they are essential but as they are just expected and it is pathetic that they are absent especially on a game that had a 3 year development cycle. Rumours are also rife that IW spent two years on the campaign and only around 6 months on MP and having played both; I'd say this is not too far from the truth based on the disparity between the quality of each aspect. The kick in the teeth is that Infinity Ward have been working like troopers on supply drop shit which says it all. I really couldn't give a toss about this game or Call of Duty now but it's pretty bad to see it in such mortifying shape. The new Infinity Ward are a total embarrassment and not only do they always try and grab credit for the old teams work; they are destroying everything that the original team produced. I'm shocked they haven't been disbanded in all honesty but oh well!

Good bundle on HB right now https://www.humblebundle.com/best-of-2016-bundle

Anyone getting this next week? I've been totally dismayed at what the Resident Evil series has become for years but this game looks like it's going to go back more to its horror roots and away from action. I played the Beginning Hour demo/teaser which was interesting and it looks like RE7 is going to work well in first person. Also looks like it's tailor made for VR but even without; it's likely to be a very atmospheric and shit your pants scary experience!

For me, I'm perhaps a bit burned out on FPS games in general but BF1 certainly doesn't have the staying power like BF4 did and the main catalyst for this is sheer content available I think. I departed BF4 when you had over 30 maps, tons of guns/attachments and lots of vehicle variety plus gadgets. With BF1; it was back to square one with just core maps, bog-standard vehicles and underwhelming weaponary. The lack of variety in the guns and other material just made everything seem a bit bland and with just a few maps available; you could see everything available in a short period of time. BF4 is still a complete package and gets a decent regular player count. I love the WW1 setting in BF1 but it doesn't have the scope or style of modern games like BF4. I do think Battlefield 1 is a good game and will improve down the line but it just doesn't appeal right now and I may skip the premium pass if I don't feel like going back - that being the only thing that can really turn it around. The mechanics are great, the combat is fine, the maps are brilliant and it's visually remarkable at times but it just doesn't feel enough for me right now and I'd say its a combo of FPS burnout and a lack of content. The other factor is that there is always something else I want to play. At least it's not pure garbage like Call of Duty is now where even the remastered is dead in the water.

Pretty much and with a bit of Just Cause thrown in. The one thing that makes this game stand out for me when compared to similar games in the genre is the 1st person ADS. Usually you have a shoulder cam for games like these but the third person movement and then 1st person combat is fairly unique and it seems to be cleanly implemented. Other than that; it's just another questionable Ubisoft sandbox but could be decent for a quiet time of the year.

This is gonna be an epic PS2 game and its made by Ubisoft who are a highly trusted company especially with games like these

You can register for the beta if you haven't done already on the official Ubisoft site. You'll be put on the waiting list if you haven't pre-ordered/purchased but everyone should get in regardless. Nicely done action trailer for the game too

I've kept my eyes on this game for over a year and it does seem promising but I'll probably remain on the fence until the reviews come in. It's one of these games which may not play as good as it looks or the concept suggests, plus long term trust in the devs and the possibility of endless microtransactions could be another major put-off for me. I don't think I'll get it unless it comes to Steam also just for the sake of a hassle free refund if the worst comes to the worst. Certainly looks better than shitty Survarium but very hard to tell if it's half decent even with all the gameplay I've watched. I saw FrankieonPC's video of this the other day and even he struggled to convey it so I'm just not sure right now.

RIP Mariah Carey's career. It was already on its last legs but it finally died today. Such a tragedy as she had such a nice arse and rack *Warning - distressing footage of the moment itself

67% off Deus Ex Mankind Divided right now plus the 22nd is the Winter Sale start.

Seems really quiet in the BF1 forum now and I haven't played the game for about 7 weeks now. Not sure why I departed so soon but I've just been enjoying a variety of other games instead and had no desire to return. Don't even feel like forcing myself to play it either yet I don't think it's a bad game in the slightest. I did have a long break on BF4 though after release and returned when the game was fixed and new maps came out so that could indeed happen again but for now; there's just too much else out there to play.

Supply Drops are here! It was inevitable but it's just that little bit more painful now it's happened. Completely tainted what tiny bit of brilliance the remaster had left and now it looks like total trash. I suspect both games will be dead now. Fucking Activision just couldn't leave it alone - after all the talk about keeping true to the original; they have to destroy it this disgusting way. Wonder if they would have ultimately taken this route if it weren't for Infinite Shitefare's shitty sales... Next month; the P2W weapons will all be revealed including the tacky melee ones which will probably be dildos and baseball bats.

It's pretty much the same complaints as it used to be but back then things like 'balance' didn't really exist or matter but now the games failings really stand out. It was iconic back in the day and still one of the most innovative games ever but the negatives they worked out of the franchise over man games that followed are hard to ignore.

Pretty fluid in terms of on foot although the melee and gun combat isn't quite as polished as the first surprisingly. The driving has been vastly improved although still not on par with the likes of GTA but far better than the original. I'm about 25 hours in and enjoyed every second of it to my surprise so it's well worth considering sometime down the line especially if you can grab it cheaper than the usual RRP.

One word; desperation! I bet they finally implement the 'coming soon' leaderboards once this free trial period is finished to make the game appear like it has a massive population plus they'll probably count these as active players also.

I picked this up tonight and in my first game I managed to get to the dark zone, grab the anti-virals but then I got creamed on big time by the NPC's. I lasted about 75 minutes and just like you Phil; I always managed to find something at last knockings to keep me going. It does seem a fun mode to play now and then and I really need to do some homework on how to extract successfully as I came so close after some hard work just getting into the dark zone but fell at the final hurdle. Only 4 players left too but the NPC's were the biggest threat in the end but I swerved many of them most of the time. I played at a good pace too - I usually get impatient against the urgency of such situations but I was pretty calm and controlled and it seemed a few players jumped the gun and died early. It'll be interesting to see how I fare tomorrow. Fair play to Ubisoft though - seems they've turned the game around against the odds.

Funny slip of the tongue from one of Warframe's developers at the Game Awards 2016

It's a full blown game from start to finish where you are in control the whole time but it also has some epic cut scenes also. One of the most polished titles I've ever played for sure and you should try and pick it up dirt cheap!

Announced today http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-announced-with-first-trailer/1100-6445951/ The original is one of the best games I've ever played and cannot wait for this. Naughty Dog are in a different league of developers and this should be another monumental masterpiece.

I think Activision were just desperately dishing out 'free' keys wherever possible as it doesn't cost them a penny plus there's hope for them that users invest in supply drops that may do decide to try it out. Another distinct possibility for this action is that Infinite Warfare still doesn't have leaderboards implemented despite a 3 year development cycle and a huge budget. Every other COD game had this at launch and it's almost laughable to think that it wouldn't be included in the game. It just says 'Coming Soon' in the menu. Just like how since Advanced Warfare where the playlist player counts were removed; I think the leaderboards were omitted as they would advertise the global population who have participated in MP at least once and I bet it is hilariously low. They're probably throwing out the keys hoping people will play the game once and then they may implement the leaderboards when the figure grows substantially.

I wasn't planning on getting this game at all especially as the preview builds look like a boring, bland, empty and rather dated sandbox and that's not even taking into account the tarnished reputation that the name and developers have after the immensely disappointing original. After seeing plenty of positive reviews of the sequel from the console release two weeks ago and the PC version a couple of days previous; I decided to grab the game on PC knowing a refund option was there to bail me out if the game was as poor as I'd expected long before launch. Actually the game to my bemusement it's actually not all that bad. Actually; the game is absolutely brilliant! My expectations were still reasonably high and this game exceeds them on many levels. Visually; the game looks fantastic and far better in the final build than in the previews which is unheard of from Ubisoft as their games are usually 'downgraded' and not seemingly upgraded. San Francisco has great detail, colour and whilst not overwhelmingly packed full of NPC's; there is certainly an amazing vibe with plenty of cars and people - a lot more than seen in the barren preview build. There are so many interactive and unique AI characters and some of their interactions with each other is unbelievably lifelike. There are even dogs you can pet! It is a wonderful setting and superbly detailed and vibrant. The story is lighthearted, cheesy and cliche but that's not a bad thing - it's more in-line with GTA's level of humour and it doesn't do a bad job. The characters aren't all that bad either and are very appropriately written and presented. There are some hilarious moments and dialogue too and it really fits with the stereotypical 'hacker' scene that's current. There is also plenty of things to hack and interactive features which can aid you through missions or simply lead to some barmy scenarios. A few minor gripes is the car handling is still a bit ropey at times especially in some vehicles and the AI is also wobbly as hell but overall; it's been a truly fantastic experience so far and far better than the original. I think Ubisoft being brought down to earth with how they produce and market games like this has really helped them produce a great game that isn't trying too hard to be good or mislead people. Worth considering if you're after one final game this year.

I caught Men in Black the other day for the first time in years and I forgot how brilliant that film was and still is.