J4MES OX4D

So much for Newcastle fans stadium boycott today - only 2,500 empty seats. Not quite the 25,000 they were expecting...not to turn up! Rodgers becomes the first manager since 1952 that hasn't won a trophy in 3 seasons for Liverpool - he's a cert for the chop no I reckon...

Star Wars Battlefront Q&A With DICE’s Niklas Fegraeus Q: Is there only 4 planets[?] – ‏@Jack_Holeo424 A: We have 4 iconic planets & on those many maps to play on. We’re going to take you places you’ve never been before. Q: map size? – @Bozisaur A: We have varying map sizes, from large to small, to cater to different experiences and different modes Q: 2 maps per planet: 8 multiplayer maps at launch[?] – @BFBulletin A: There will be more maps than 8, and more than two per planet at launch. Q: Will there be some sort of instant action mode with bots? – @piggy5990 A: We have a feature called Missions that allow you to play solo or cooperatively with bots on or offline Q: will two people be able to play on the same console? – @tman 34611 A: Yes, you can play our Mission feature in local splitscreen on your console, or online coop Q: Will you be able to play split-screen while playing online with friends? –@grantrichardi A: Split-screen is for local play only, so it is for when you play Missions with a friend Q: Will we be able to pilot/drive AT-ST’s? – @WynnePope A: You will be able to pilot AT-STs, as well as many more iconic vehicles, like X-wings and Tie fighters Q: options for 1st and 3rd person view? – @TheoDangerous A: When playing as a soldier, you can freely choose between 1st and 3rd person views whenever you want Q: are we going to be able to participate in space battles? – @Biggzy96 A: You will be able to take to the skies over our planets and dogfight with squadrons of starfighters Q: I don’t like the idea of day 1 dlc – @nforgrav A: The battle of Jakku is not a day one dlc, it is free content we want you all to have as soon as it is done Q: Were those graphics shown in the trailer in-game? – @Segmatron73 A: Yes, the trailer was filmed in engine, using our in-game models Q: why no prequels? – @Bumi_Bandias A: I love everything Star Wars, but for Battlefront, we have focused on the original trilogy Q: apart from graphics and online how is this different from the original games? –@dreeewmay A: It is both different and similar in many ways. This is why we have done a reboot instead of calling it Battlefront 3 Q: How to play Darth Vader, Boba Fett and co’ ? – @SangraL_ A: Heroes depend heavily on the game mode. We will tell you more about heroes at a later date Q: in the game can we play like jedi and sith? – @montiel115 A: You can play more than that, but so far we have only revealed Vader and Boba Fett. More will come. Q: in the trailer we saw a deployable shield used, is there other new equipment like this? – @qtguyswag9000 A: Yes, the shield is a Battlefront powerup, and we have many more to reveal in the future Q: What character customization will be available in game? Surely there will be character/load out choices? – @TheChromeKing A: You will have great freedom in customizing your own playstyle, essentially creating your own playstyle Q: will there be a sort of progression system to level up and unlock new guns/upgrades? – @kersp3dy A: Yes, there will be plenty of things to unlock, achieve and collect. More on this will be revealed at a later date!

Star Wars Battlefront launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 17. The Battle of Jakku DLC launches on December 1 for those who’ve pre-ordered any edition the game and December 8 for those who haven’t. Two editions are now available for pre-order through the official website,Origin, or Amazon. Digital Deluxe Edition – $69.99 USD Immerse Yourself in Your Star Wars™ Battle Fantasies! Battle on planets like Hoth, Endor, Tatooine, and a previously unexplored planet, Sullust. Pilot nimble speeder bikes, massive AT-ATs, the Millennium Falcon, X-wings, TIE fighters. Play as memorable characters including Darth Vader, Boba Fett and more. Also encounter other beloved characters such as C-3PO and R2-D2. Get Instant Access to 5 in-game items: DL44 blaster – as made famous by Han Solo Ion Grenade Ion Torpedo Ion Shock (exclusive emote) Victory (exclusive emote) Standard Edition – $59.99 USD Immerse Yourself in Your Star Wars™ Battle Fantasies! Battle on planets like Hoth, Endor, Tatooine, and a previously unexplored planet, Sullust. Pilot nimble speeder bikes, massive AT-ATs, the Millennium Falcon, X-wings, TIE fighters, and more. Play as memorable characters including Darth Vader, Boba Fett and more. Also encounter beloved C-3PO and R2-D2. Made for Jedi and Padawans Alike – battle alongside your friends online or in offline split-screen Co-op mode. Seamlessly swap between 1st person and 3rd person views.

Glad to hear it Phil! I'm gonna get shot of my PS4 version and get it on PC soon to join the fun. Rockstar seems to be addressing the key issues early which is great to see.

Really looking forward to this. Just hope EA/DICE don't fuck it up. Cannot wait to see more of this at E3 and hopefully we'll have some gameplay to admire before then too!

I may have to re-install this at some point. I departed and went on to play the standalone DayZ for a while but the progress there is still a bit iffy it seems so I may have to return to the mod as that's feature packed and more stable. I'll have to learn the bindings again though - all the keys are different from DayZ and Arma III which is a pain

GG race organisers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA-84SIFnSo

^great video Joe! I've read there's been a few cock ups with the launch and refunds are being accepted

Video Editor confirmed http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/04/13/rockstar-editor-announced-for-gta-5-on-pc

I'm toying whether to upgrade too. My rig is pretty beasty anyway but I need to maintain my prowess in the master race. Here's my super specs to make you peasants jealous:- Intel Pentium III 75mhz 16mb RAM 500mb HD Amstrad Soundcard Windows 95 Hewlett Packard black and white printer (once featured on the Antiques Roadshow) Minesweeper I can even run Actua Soccer on medium settings. Beat that bitches I'm desperate to move into 4K this year but I may have to sacrifice my summer to do so I'm keeping my eyes fixed firmly on the market regarding the prices to see when the best time is to pounce. Cannot wait for 4K to become mainstream but I still think it's about 2 years off.

Pellegrini sacked tonight I reckon

Chelsea score with their first shot on target after 87 minutes. What a fucking surprise!

Could be good fun! EA out on the 21st

Another futuristic game it seems

Hope you eventually get in Joe - I can't believe I got access as I only have two games on record on my uPlay account along with records of angry emails about not being able to connect to the service Yep, especially when even the company owners publicly lambaste their development staff It's a tough one Jonny - I love Rainbow 6 and Siege has potential to rejuvenate the genre and bring tactical MP gaming into this generation but some of the design decisions could be unforgivable especially in the long run. It just feels so dumbed-down in its current state; the game could get stale far too quickly. In just 1 hour and about 5 matches yesterday; I'd done absolutely everything you could possibly do and it all got a bit samey. If they did away with the 'user-friendly/noob' features; it could make a massive difference but the game is just so handicapped that it is more arcadey than tactical and that's a disappointment I can't ignore. HC mode would do wonders but if they're hell-bent on the current format; I think the game could get tedious and repetitive with not much satisfaction.

Updated the OP - Official Reveal April 26th

7 discs for the physical edition Quality screenshots

I've just played about an hour of Siege and it's seems pretty decent although there is a real clash of concept. It comes across as a hardcore tactical shooter but there are inclusions that leave me baffled and make the game seemingly dumbed-down to appeal to everyone. There is no mini-map which is great but then they shoot themselves in the foot by highlighting your team mates with a ghostly glow at all times and there is no friendly fire either. By being able to see your team mates through walls and even on the other side of the map; you can see exactly where they are, where they get shot, how they die and where the enemy is placed. It's such a glaring design issue that renders communication redundant in some instances as you can see everything unfolding with visual aids including likely enemy placement. You also have the ability to reload at any given time and retain all your unused ammo which mimics that of an arcade shooter like COD. You don't need to worry about conserving your ammo or when to reload. The worst addition by far is the ability to revive your team mates. It only takes a few seconds to get them back on their feet and reminds me of the painful old COD days with Final Stand and Second Chance. This is sheer stupidity from Ubisoft on a ludicrous level and I cannot understand why they think this idea would be welcome or why they've even considered it putting it in the game. The fact a fellow SWAT team member who's a sharpshooter can suddenly perform miracle surgery in a live situation in 3 seconds just beggars belief. I played on two maps; one was a house and the other way an airplane. Both look like they will be good fun but I am fearful that there isn't much variety in this game. The defenders can barricade windows, doorways and other entrances and the attack team can blow up certain areas to breach but the options after just a few games and the tactical variations just become limited. It's like playing Search and Destroy on Nuketown - there is only so much stuff you can do before you repeat the move over and over. Both teams at the start have a 'prepare' phase which is also limited - the attack team has RC Cars to scope out the premises and 99% of the time; it's exactly the same setup from the defence as the last round and the defenders can do their barricade prep which involves just covering up the same doors and entrances over and over. Just seems so limited. The alpha is somewhat lacking in visual and animation textures which is expected but it certainly will appear polished on release I'm sure. Characters and weapons can show through walls, doors and equipment and some of the character movements are cringeworthy. The menu interfaces and in-game HUD are also very ugly. The bullet detection is a bit iffy also. I think this game could be decent but it needs a lot of work and desperately needs a hardcore type mode because what is on offer so far is just so basic and user-friendly; it kind of destroys the game type it's trying to be. If they don't have a dramatic rethink on certain aspects; it could get very boring, very quickly. I'm not really surprised this game has such significant design flaws as Ubisoft are notorious for hideous gameplay execution on many titles but I'm almost mortified at some of the features this game has. There is certainly potential here but the developers need to make sweeping changes/additions before the beta.

I've got access to the closed alpha today and am currently downloading... Will have a look after my dinner. If there's one sight of a radio tower, I'm fucking uninstalling. Anyone else been granted access to the alpha today on PC?

I'm same as Phil; finished HR on the 360 and bought the DC version on Steam. It is pretty bad Joe - the game seems to be running on a very old and ropey engine and the combat is less than user-friendly. Best thing to do is spend the Praxis Points on augmentations that stabilize your aim and the recoil in weapons. Even then it's not perfect but it does make a difference.