GTA V Update - Rockstar Editor on Consoles!

In all the excitement last week of The Taken King. I almost forgot that Rockstar released the latest GTA V update. The new update added Freemode events to GTA Online. These freemode events are activities you can just jump straight into with out having to enter tedious lobbies or matchmaking. I have not tried these out yet. This is because I have been to engrossed in the other edition to PS4 and Xbox One versions of GTA V, The Rockstar Editor.

Mad Max - First Gameplay Overview (with added Just Cause 3)

Announced at E3 2013, it seemed that Avalance Studios Mad MAx game had ended up in its own development wasteland. Fear not! The game is not only alive and well, it looks stonkingly brilliant too! With a new installment of director, George Miller's apocalptic vision coming to cinema this month, there could not be a better time to take the first look at what the game will look like. Thankfully, Avalanche have released a developer diary video that takes a deep look in to what to expect when the game launches this September.

Batman: Arkham Knight - "All Who Follow You" Trailer

With the release of Batman: Arkham Knight just two months away (56 Days to be precise!) I have realised that I have not added any content to the site relating to this game. Seeing as the Arkham series of games have been my favorite games of the last generation, this is unforgiveable on my part. I am here to rectify that right now, so lets delve into the final chaper of Rocksteady's Dark Knight epic.

Life is Strange - Episode One Available Now!

Meet Max, your typical teenage girl in high school in small town America. Life for Max is a constant juggling act of keeping up with project work, hanging with her friends, trying to fit in with the other kids and keeping out of the way of the jocks and the mean girls. Oh and she is having apocalyptic visions and she has just discovers she can rewind time. Like I said pretty normal!

Assassin's Creed Unity - Review (PS4)

I had it all sorted this Christmas. I asked for Dragon Age: Inquisition for Christmas,  knowing that it would be the perfect time for me to throw myself into a 50 hour game. So imagine my surprise a month later that I am still only 4 hours into it. The reason for this may shock you and I feel like I should be ashamed of it. I am playing Assassin's Creed Unity and I like it.

GTA V - Back to San Andreas... again!

It's hard to believe that just over a year ago I was happily living in the last generation. The PS4 and Xbox One were just about to launch, but I didn't care, I had GTA V on my PS3. GTA V was, for me, the light for those who couldn't jump on the next gen train straight away. The slice of San Andreas that Rockstar had given gamers in the twilight of the PS3 and Xbox 360, pushed the hardware to the limits. The world was the most vibrant and detailed world yet shown in a Grand Theft Auto game. I would spend hours just wandering around the streets taking in the sights and sounds. It was like being on holiday in my living room... with guns!

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor: Photo Mode Added

Shadow of Mordor recived a patch last night which added, out of nowhere, a Photo Mode. Now regular visitors weill know that I am a sucker for a good Photo mode and Monolith have added a feature packed one to their already stunning game.

Middle~Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Launch Trailer

This game has come out of nowhere for me. In the last few days the reviews have come in for Shadow of Mordor and they have been a lot better than I had expected them to be. Then I got to have some hands on time with the game at EGX this weekend and loved it! Next thing you know its pre-ordered, dispatched and on its way to me (thanks to The Game Collection).

Shadow of Mordor is a third person action adventure game with elements of Batman: Arkham series and Assassins Creed. What sets it apart is in the unique Nemesis system. This system actively monitors the rise and fall of Sauron's army, from the highest warchief to the lowliest grunt. What does that mean for the player? Well, in my brief go at EGX it meant that when I was killed by a Uruk foot soldier, he gained power and respect, which then meant he challenged a Captain to duel and won. He was then promoted to Captain and became even stronger. When I resurrected and tracked him down again, he tuanted me about how he killed me once and he would do it again. Its a cool feature and one that surely is going to change the way enemies are handled in games from now on.

To celebrate the launch of the game, WB Games have released the launch trailer. This trailer goes into the story of the game and ranger that you play. The trailer dives into the story behind the award-winning action game set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Talion, a Ranger of the Black Gates, is slaughtered alongside his family and is resurrected by the powerful Wraith, Celebrimbor. The two will face the might of Sauron’s Army and Black Captains with the aid of unexpected allies, ultimately confronting The Dark Lord himself.

Take a look below...



Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™ is available from Friday 3rd October for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Reaction: The day Microsoft stole Lara

If you haven't already heard the big news from today's Microsoft conference, brace yourself.

The next Tomb Raider game is an Xbox One exclusive!

This news made me go through a range of emotions from disgust to anger, but eventually I settled for disappointed. You see I have played Tomb Raider on PlayStation for many years. Even the latest reboot I played on PS3. To know that my PS4 is not going to see where the reboot goes next is sad.

It's no surprise that Microsoft have gone down this route. They need something to go head to head with Uncharted 4, particularly when they could both be heading for Holiday 2015 release dates. Sony have had a strong start and Microsoft are feeling backed into a corner and they have taken aggressive action to try and boost their console. It's a gamble that will hopefully pay off for them.

I had really hoped that this new generation of consoles would see an end to these kind of tactics from the big boys. Sony have showed the merits of their console through first party exclusive titles like Infamous Second Son, The Last of Us Remastered and the myriad of Sony funded indie titles. Microsoft have pooled all of their internal resources into Halo, Forza and Gears of War. They need something else and this move makes sense for them.

While this is going to be a sore point for many PlayStation owners for a while. The Sony conference later in the day certainly put the wind back in my gaming sails.

DayZ on PS4! Hell yeah! Thanks Sony, you win me over again.

Watch_Dogs - Video Highlights

Watch_Dogs has been out for almost a week and somehow I have managed to find the time to play the game, record some footage and edit it all together for your enjoyment. As per usual when a big title I have been anticipating finally comes out, real-life steps in and does its best to keep me away from my console.

This video just shows off some of the games features in action like hacking and how that works in various scenarios, combat and driving. Also, I found a little Easter Egg in a shop that I have put at the end. It's worth the wait

Why I Love Watch_Dogs

Two years after its stunning unveiling at E3 2012 ushered the first glimpse of the next generation of gaming. Ubisoft's cyber crime open world game, Watch_dogs was released this week. I was there at my local branch of Game at midnight, ready to embrace this on my new shiny Next Gen platform, the PS4. There is a part of me that can't believe that I am actually getting to play this on Next Gen kit. I had expected to still be rocking the PS3 when this came out.

Breaking News: Xbox One to be sold without Kinect

Today is the day that we were all expecting to happen at some point. The Xbox One will be available to buy without the much maligned Kinect 2.0, this Autumn. This allows the price for the Xbox One to drop to a much more reasonable £349 and puts them in line with rival Sony.

This must coma as surprise to some, as Microsoft have stated in the past that the Kinect could not be taken up of the system as it was integral to the system and it's operation. Mind you, these days the Executives at Microsoft must be permanently dizzy from the amount of U-turning the company has done in recent months.

As well as this excellent news for the future of the Xbox One, MS unveiled the Games with Gold is coming to Xbox One in June. Starting with Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Halo: Spartan Assault. There will be the usual two Xbox 360 titles available, which are Dark Souls and Charlie Murder, and bonus game, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition.

So, finally the Xbox One gets down to a price that is tempting and also comes without all of the frightening surveillance technology. Titanfall anyone?

**Update** Retailers are now listing the new Xbox One pack with a release of the 9th June. Click to look at the listing on Game.co.uk

STOP THE PRESS! WHO IS THAT?

Lets play a game of good news, bad news. Ready?

Good News: There is going to be a new Batman: Arkham game this year!

Bad News: It won't be until the end of the year.

Good News: It will be the first Next Gen Batman game!

Bad News: It will only be available on Next Gen consoles and PC.

Good News: The Batmobile will be a drivable vehicle!

Bad News: No mention of a playable Bat-Boat.

Good News: Rocksteady are back behind the development!

Bad News: This is the finale of the Arkham series!

Breaking News - Microsoft cut the price of Xbox One!

Yes you read that right. Just three month after the launch of Microsoft's next generation box of tricks and they have announced today the Xbox One will be available to buy at £399.99 from 28th February. Currently the console retails at £429.99.

On top of that, they have also announced a special Titanfall edition of the Xbox One. This pack will include the Xbox One console complete with Kinect 2 , a wireless controller, a headset, one month Xbox Live Gold membership and a digital copy of Titanfall. The kick in the teeth is that all of this will also retail at £399.99.

Titanfall is the most anticipated exclusive title coming on the Xbox One and this announcement will surely upset quite a few "Day One" early adopters of the new console. Pre-orders for the Titanfall bundle are live now pretty much everywhere.

NBA 2K14 Next-Gen: OMG Trailer

Its been a funny week for the Next Generation of games consoles. It has been a week which has seen the delay of one of the flagship titles on both Xbox One and PS4 in Watch_Dogs. Added later in the week by the delay of PS4 exclusive #DRIVECLUB until Spring 2014. Some have started to lose faith in the next generation. I have several tweets this week from people cancelling pre orders and stating that they simply aren't bothered with next gen right now

Thankfully, the next generation is not about to take this lying down and the release of NBA2K14 Next-Gen OMG trailer does not disappoint. Take a look for yourself...



Whilst I am not a big sports game player, I have always looked at sports games as a judge of how good the latest gaming hardware really is. By this trailer, the Next-Gen is something I am now really excited about. That new console may be coming to stay with me a bit sooner than I had planned!

NBA2K14 is available on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on their respective launch dates.

Eurogamer Expo 2013 - Next Gen or Current Gen?

This year I am lucky enough to be going to Eurogamer Expo not once, but twice! Just as well, because after my first day there there is loads left to see. Mind you, my first day has seen me get my grubby mitts on some of the biggest and best upcoming games on both current gen and next gen consoles.

Capcom reveal the return of Strider!

There are a few games from my childhood that when I think about them , I instantly feel happy. The original Strider is one of those. I played the game in the arcades, the awful US Gold home computer version. It was when I got my Megadrive though when I fell in love with the game. I never completed it, I wasn't really any good at it, but the was one thing that kept me coming back.

Mad Max Gameplay Reveal Trailer -- Soul of a Man

Hope is lost and only the savage survive. In a world where the roads are paved to nowhere, what choices will you make to stay alive?

Check out the World Premiere of the "Official Mad Max Gameplay Reveal Trailer -- Soul of a Man" now, released today by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Avalanche Studios.

Xbox One - Microsoft come to their senses

Well I am gobsmacked! Against all the odds Microsoft have listened to the gamers reaction to the Xbox One and its restrictive practices and backed down completely!

Don Mattick, Head of Xbox, published this statement via the Xbox Wire blog earlier tonight. It reads as follows:

"Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future. 

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. 

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

• An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

• Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions. 

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray. 

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year."

This is huge and clearly puts Xbox One back in the fight. With this staggering announcement, is it only a matter of time before they announce a Xbox One that comes without the Kinect 2.0 bundled for £80 cheaper and removing the necessity to have a Kinect connected for the Xbox One to work?

I think its safe to say that the console war is definitely back on!

E3 - Tom Clancy's The Division

Ubisoft seem to make a habit of stealing the limelight at E3. Last year it was Watch_Dogs and this year they have done it again with a new Tom Clancy title out of the blue. The Division is set in a post pandemic New York City, 3 weeks after a lethal virus was released. The President has initiatedPresidential Directive 51, and The Division, a top-secret unit of self-supporting tactical agents, is activated.These agents lead normal lives, but are trained specifically for this kind of crisis situation. Have a look at the breakdown trailer to understand  more of the situation in the game.