Bobfoc

Unless they start adding the occasional big day one release, I can't see much value in it. With this generation's standard game price increase of £10/$10, which is only the cost of entry when you factor in DLC, microtransactions and tiered collector editions. Meanwhile, publishers are making record profits. The cost of developing games may have increased, at least if you want to put in fancy graphics and motion capture, but so too has the audience size, all while wages are remaining stagnant.

Playstation Plus prices are about to rise significantly. We're looking at an extra £10 for Essential, £16 for Extra and £20 for Premium every year.

I wish I had the same experience with the story, but none of it surprised me at all. Spec Ops: The Line already did the same sort of thing about ten years previously, and that had the sense to duck out after four hours because the point was made. The Last of Us 2 kept drilling home the same message over and over again, only to then have a final section that was rushed and underdeveloped.

All the British players won their first round matches. That's rather encouraging.

I'll play it on Game Pass, but I'm not caught up in the hype yet. The footage they showed in June didn't wow me, but it didn't completely put me off either. The social media fanboy wars surrounding the game certainly are silly. Xbox die-hards are insisting that it's going to be the best game of the generation, while Sony devotees are adamant that it will be utterly dreadful. It's not helped by the fact that pundits have latched onto the "last chance" fallacy that Microsoft will never recover if the game is anything less than an all-time classic. I'd be happy with a fun space game and the kind of enjoyable side content Bethesda has put together in the past. If I don't enjoy it, there are plenty of other recent Game Pass games to play. The review embargo lifts this Thursday, so we will hopefully get a better idea about the game then.

That's an unfortunate spelling error.

The Saints Row reboot has apparently been leaked as one of next month's Playstation Plus games.

He was never a big name over here, but his WWE appearance was a lot of fun. I had no idea he would have been in his mid-80s back then, such was his energy and showmanship.

It's ridiculous how imbalanced the Rugby World Cup draw is. New Zealand, South Africa, France and Ireland are in the top half, while England, Wales and Australia are in the bottom half. If Scotland had been drawn in the bottom half, they'd probably fancy their chances of reaching the final. As it is, they'll do well to get out of a group that included South Africa and Ireland. I'm not a gambler, but I'd say you could do a lot worse than putting money on Argentina reaching the final from that side of the draw.

I agree with some of this.

I think Whitesnake were at their best during the formative years, which would have been when Marsden was still in the band. I prefer the original Here I Go Again to the two re-recorded versions, and it's a shame that it's so rarely played nowadays.

And online co-op will presumably still be there anyway.

I know it's IGN, but their streams at least don't require you to log in.

It's a well thought-out, syllabically accurate replacement for "gooble-gobble".

I agree with the puzzle analogy, but you still need the reflexes to execute your strategy effectively. I know what I'm supposed to do in Tony Hawk games, for example, but I just can't get my fingers to do what my brain tells them to quickly enough. Just like how some people have to think intensely about each note when playing a musical instrument, I struggle to get into the zone and let muscle memory take over. It's why I gravitate more towards strategy games. Advance Wars and Fire Emblem missions usually have the same unit layout and essentially require you to solve a puzzle, but you have as much time as you like to think about what to do and carry out your plan.

From what I've seen, it works well enough on Steam Deck, which is less powerful than the PS5. Keyboard and mouse controls will be preferable, but the game is perfectly playable with a controller.

I appreciate what you're saying here and am glad that Elden Ring fills that void for you, but there's an extent to which you're speaking from a place of privilege, if that's even the right word. Many of us can never find hard modes easy, and I'm someone who is often challenged by easy modes. Having the option to customise your own "wall" is something that I think would change the game from something I like to something I love. To be clear, I'm not accusing you of being an elitist. I'm just saying that offering people different entry points to find that sweet spot would let a bigger audience enjoy a game that has more than just difficulty going for it.

I've been slowly chipping away at Elden Ring for over a year. I've been grinding to kingdom come and looking up overpowered builds because that's the only way I can get anywhere. I still think I'd prefer it if it had an easier difficulty setting or slider. A big part of these games might be overcoming challenges, but what constitutes a challenge will differ drastically according to the reflexes and skill level of the player. I don't see why allowing people to tailor the difficulty to their own preferences should be such a taboo. Besides, challenge isn't the only thing Elden Ring has going for it. What I enjoy most is the scope it has for exploration and discovery - the knowledge that you can wander off in any direction and quickly find something to do. It's a shame that such a well developed open world is inaccessible to anyone without the gaming proficiency (or time to grind) it requires.

They've surely got enough Mario noises recorded in past games that they can just reuse forever.

Geoff Keighley's Gamescom Opening Night Live show is tomorrow. He has said that most of the reveals will be for already announced games, so keep expectations at the appropriate level.

It always seemed as though his primary motivation was to get Rob and Ryan on his Youtube channel.

People will probably look back at this period as a golden age for English football. For all the noise England fans tend to make, the World Cup victory in 1966 was something of an anomaly. Three major finals in three calendar years is unprecedented.

I'm guessing they're expecting to sell Johnson and will use one of them in a more attacking role. Williams can play on the wing, although I wouldn't think he would scare most Premier League defences. From what I can tell this summer, they've been after a lot of players, but are offering low amounts of money for them. As it stands currently, the squad ought to be just about good enough to stay up, but a few more injuries could really mess things up. Central defence is still a glaring weak spot, especially with Felipe on the sidelines.

I've found conflicting reports about Montiel. Some say he has been charged with sexual assault and others say the charges were pressed against someone he's close with.