The evening Inbox looks forward to more Command & Conquer, as one reader recommends PlayStation VR even without a PS4 Pro.
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Tortoise and hare
Played my first games of Blackout last night and wow! Its the most fun Ive had with a Call Of Duty game in a long time. This is everything PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds should have been.
Beautiful graphics with no waiting for textures, no drop out, and super tight gunplay. It may not be the first Battle Royale game but at least it has been done right. Amazing!
Saints Stickman (gamertag)
Back in the game
What struck me immediately after playing Black Ops 4 just after midnight (sad I know, but a digital download – I didnt queue!) is how refined the gunplay is. I would argue it is nigh on perfection. Call Of Duty has always been the standard bearer for first person shooter controls (okay, Halo was first) but honestly, I dont know how Treyarch have done it, but somehow it feels tighter.
Bearing in mind I didnt participate in the beta, and I am using an Xbox Elite controller, but still, the difference is notable from last years entry. The modern weapons help of course, and the much improved sound design – which is now at Battlefield level. I am very impressed, and pleasantly surprised.
I was reluctant to purchase the game after the removal of the campaign and some highly dubious practices to entice more money from their customers, such as the season pass bundle. But footage of Blackout is what swayed a last minute pre-order. So glad I did, for the reasons Ive mentioned. I guess the focus upon multiplayer has paid dividends in other areas, I just didnt anticipate by how much. After Astro Bot, and now this, can gaming get any better? Oh, wait, Red Dead Redemption II…
Anon
Free energy
In response to Chris and his digital over physical argument regarding the environmental damage. I pondered this question a while ago regarding whether there would be any less impact on the environment. Yes, the amount of plastic would be greatly reduced but then you have to figure in the amount of massive server farms running 24/7, burning fossil fuels and then the amount of cooling that is needed burning even more electric.
Copper and silicon mining would be increased, adding to the environmental destruction. There are probably a dozen more factors from going streaming only but I think my point is made that there is no clear way to save the planet easily just by going digital. It would move the problem rather than fix it.
Also, I dont know if I dreamed this or it was on the news but I saw a report that there has been an enzyme developed that will eat plastics so if that was a real thing then the plastic issue might get sorted in the next lot of years. I just hope the enzyme doesnt evolve then escape and eat all our stuff.
bobwallett
PS: Ive finished God Of War (ish) and wondered what to do next. NieR or Horizon Zero Dawn? I have both on the shelf and will be tackling one after Dead Rising 4.
GC: Well, wed skip Dead Rising 4 for a start, its nowhere in the same class as the other two.
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Half magic
Just saw the news that EA is exploring remasters of Command & Conquer as part of the series anniversary…. it must have been gazberottens Inbox magic working a treat!
I must say Id definitely be interested in Red Alert and Tiberian Sun, which I have very fond memories of playing both the campaign and skirmish on my PC at the time. Look forward to hearing more!
Zederic
GC: We seem to remember he wanted them for consoles, but its pretty close.
Generational leap
Just in reply to Steves letter in the Inbox this morning, about being interested in Astro Bot but not wanting to upgrade from his PlayStation 4 to a PS4 Pro.
I have a standard PlayStation 4, not the Pro model, and I purchased the PlayStation VR a few months ago. I wasnt sure how good it would be and I was thinking maybe I should get a Pro myself but I decided against it and continued with my standard PlayStation 4 and I have thoroughly enjoyed many games using VR. I dont think the Pro model is an essential purchase for anyone wanting to use VR. Games look and work perfectly well.
Dont let the fact you dont have a Pro hold you back from experiencing VR, I have to say I was truly amazed when I first started playing on it. Its like the first time I saw Sonic running on the Mega Drive or Ridge Racer running on the PS1. These types of generational leaps in graphics dont come around too often. My advice to anyone with a standard PlayStation 4 sitting on the fence is to go get yourself a PlayStation VR with a couple of games and just enjoy yourself.
You only live once!
Notoriouschucky (PSN ID)
Extra pass
I would just like to praise Microsofts customer services. My 14-day Game Pass trial ended on Wednesday and I just wanted to use the 1-month trial next that I got in my Xbox One S bundle pack. However, I wasnt aware I couldnt use this due to already registering, so I was talking to a very friendly Microsoft telephony agent who not only explained everything to me very clearly but he talked me through everything too!
He told me to close down my original account then reactivate a brand new account so I was able to activate my 1 month free Game Pass trial straight away after redeeming the code. It gets even better though, the 1 month free trial ended up being a two months free trial so I dont have to pay anything now until 10th December. The kind agent also completely took all my bank account details off the Xbox One S too for me! Which I didnt even know was possible.
Now after my Game Pass trials run out I will be paying the £7.99 subscription fee each month. But my question is if you had several valid redeemable codes, say for example for Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass, surely you couldnt keep closing and re-opening brand new accounts on your Xbox One every time. How would Microsoft make any money (not that they havent got enough)? I mean I know every time you close and reopen a brand new account you lose everything like saved data, DLC, etc. you start each time from zero again.
But if you were genuinely strapped for cash could you possibly keep doing this or would Microsoft eventually clock whats going on and give you some kind of a warning or something? I didnt even know it was possible to do all this until I actually talked to Microsoft themselves so its not exactly illegal or anything. Especially when youre getting the official help/advice straight from the horses mouth regarding using another promotion code to continue getting something for free!
JAH
Edgy opinion
Well, I have been avoiding as much information and videos about Red Dead Redemption II as possible to avoid spoilers. But I am a subscriber to Edge and received the latest issue today and not only is Red Dead on the cover but there is a 15-page article about it inside as they have played the first six hours! I have avoided that section and will read that section after I have completed Red Dead.
Andrew J.
PS: I want to get the latest Tomb Raider after Game Centrals review, they definitely didnt like it in Edge though going by their review score in the latest issue.
Just completed: Life Is Strange: Episode 1 (PS4)
Currently playing: Gorogoa (PC)
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Face turn
After playing WWE 2K19 for the last couple of days I think its a definite improvement over last years effort.
The MyCareer story has plenty of variety with a proper story and voice-acting for most of it, compared to last year. The 2K Towers is a nice addition with the variety of matches in each tower apart from the odd one (big head mode).
The gameplay has also improved from last year and you feel as if youre in the match. You can be easily beating the computer only for them to use payback and for them to win the match. And although theres a few bugs its the best WWE game 2K have done in a while.
The Conkster17 (PSN ID)
GC: Were having trouble finding anyone to review it, so if you wanted to do a readers feature on the game that would be useful.
Inbox also-rans
Not too long to go until the release of the PlayStation Classic mini console. Is there any further news regarding the complete list of 20 games?! An announcement from Sony must be due soon; they are leaving it late. I might pre-order it, but not before I know the full list.
Paul C.
GC: Theres been nothing since the annoucement, which we agree is leaving it a bit late.
Ubisoft have got a cheek with that dig at Battlefront II. I dont trust them any more than EA so I dont know why theyre trying to be clever like that.
Dokodon
This weeks Hot Topic
The subject for this weekends Inbox was suggested by reader Ishi, who asks what is your favourite video game soundtrack?
The game can be from any era or format but were interested in which game had the best overall soundtrack, not just one good song. What is it you like so much about your favourite soundtrack and how well does it work together with the game? How much difference do you think a good soundtrack makes to a game and have any been ruined by a bad one?
Do you own the soundtrack separately and if so how often do you listen to it and other video game music on its own?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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The small print
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