Have you seen the gameplay videos from Gamescom? The game looks even quicker than previous FIFAs, which I'm not convinced is a good thing. The off the ball movement from the AI players looks vastly improved though, it looks quite impressive in that regard now. There are a couple of videos on youtube with pretty decent players and the moves they come up with are different every time due to the variety of passing option they have.

The passing and finishing also seems a lot, lot better. In just a few minutes of video you see flicks with the outside of the feet, toe pokes when being closed down and dinked finishes. The Messi-esque chip seems to feature a lot. The first touch can look impressive as well, players rolling defenders or holding it up etc. But it seems there are instances where the attacker can virtually move through the defender as the animation plays through it's cycle.

Lol, who buys FIFA for £40? It's always about £27 in supermarkets on release day.

This happens EVERY year. Six months later the same stuff is said. They'll never get it perfect, but it's always about image, about how it looks and about how they claim it makes things better. Its improvement has been fairly limited for years, the game play and general 'flow' of the game has never changed, it plays the same regardless of what they change. If they have the perfect engine, then they came come out and talk about how things look and how they're perfecting it, but there are holes in almost every single area of the game.

PES is the better game graphically now, EA haven't improved FIFA's visuals for about 3 or 4 years. The bits I've noted aren't the sound bites they are using to promote the game either, it's just what I've noticed. Visually it looks identical, but there does seem to have been a few improvements in the areas people moan about most. But you are right there will be no life changing improvements, but that's because there is no competition.

People don't want FIFA to change, it's FIFA. It's the highest rated and by far the most popular football game there is. They would be absolutely insane to change how it feels, given how popular that feel is. It's liked by everyone, reviewers, serious football game fans (Who left PES when the PS2 died) and lads back from the pub.

It's important PES turns up on the next generation, after having a Downing-esque mare on this generation. A decent PES for once, or another franchise turning up, would force them into improving it again.

You are aware that FIFA (and EA games in general) are given good reviews because EA are constantly doing favours for the big review sites in return? Putting Chobot from IGN in Mass Effect 3 is one example of it.

When I say 'how it looks', I'm not talking about the game's graphics, I'm talking about the game play and how it looks better but plays no different. What use is changing the first touch if the defender is still stupidly dominant and successful in the challenge? What use is changing the look of the finishing of the chip or the finesse shot, when it requires the same thing (decent power estimate, aim towards goal) to put it in the back of the net? Nothing actually changes, things just change in appearance. The defending was a good example, apparently it was to stop people pressuring you off the pitch, to make games flow more and encourage possession. Play a game on FIFA online now and it will play the exact same way as it did in '09, 10 and 11. I don't read reviews or bother with other people's opinion too much, I make my mind up off what I see and FIFA is such an average game, there are great aspects to it that win it the great review scores, but the flaws are so bad and are often ignored in favour of its strengths.

I always buy FIFA to try it but ultimately I go back to PES. I like the edit options with PES in that I don't have to play with the same kits every season through my career mode and can build and edit stadia. Buy one of the many update gigs from Ebay and you can play with real team names and strips and it looks and feels a lot better than FIFA.

Granted this is a PC edit and I'm yet to find one this good on the XBOX but I'd rather play here than at 'Priory Lane'

Anybody got hands-on experience with Sleeping Dogs yet? That may be my next purchase although I am determined to clear some of the other games on my shelf first.

Had a go on the Tony Hawk HD demo the other day, I'd forgotten how addictive that game was/is. What PS/Xbox era games would people like to see polished up? I loved Black for the Xbox, be good to see that polished and re-released.

Nonsense

EA's games get poor scores where appropriate and whilst I'm sure there is an element of big franchise favouritism within the official magazines, there is nothing stopping most reviewers being honest. If it were as simple as that, surely Konami would do that same thing?

Never mind FIFA; NHL 13 demo out this week. Now that's a proper sports sim.

I've played it for about an hour. Impressed so far, well worth £35.

You are either 13 or an ea fanboy because FIFA is no where near the levels of pes. Next you will be telling me the "go here, shoot this" franchise of gta is better than saints row

I'm neither. That argument, as I've said before, is at least 5 or 6 years out of date. There is no way anyone could argue that the current PES is significantly better than FIFA. It's simply not, it's not as good as FIFA and it's own developers admit that. The review scores and disenchantment of the PES fans tells you that as well.

PES as people used to know and love died on PS2, it's never made the step up to this generation. FIFA is better and has been for years. Read some of the interviews with Jon Murphy (PES developer) and his comments tell the story. He moans about EA copying PES back in the day and them having the mountains of money to not only copy them, but then take the ideas further. He also admits PES has stagnated for so long that the buying public now just assume FIFA is better, so it'll be hard for them to ever recover the market share they once had. He also talks about how he hopes the next PES will have an impact engine and realistic physics as they've had to animate everything FIFA does naturally through it's engine.

But enough with the PES/FIFA argument, I'm really looking forward to the FIFA demo. The gameplay videos look really good. It's still FIFA of course, but the improvements this year look like they will make the game so much slicker and easier to control. The recent videos of the skill challenges look really impressive, especially the dribbling around cones. I cannot fathom how they would be possible.

Dark Souls... c'est difficile

But is it actually any good? It got great review scores and a lot of appreciation in the gaming press. I got it and must admit I wasn't at all impressed. It's very difficult and the way other players can leave you messages to warn/trick you is a cracking idea, but the gameplay? It's horrific, the combat is terrible, even the basics of walking about are glitchy. I didn't get very far into the game as replaying the same section endless times, not because it has good AI, but because the combat is so horrible to control didn't really encourage me to continue playing it.

When is the demo out for FIFA 13?

I think it's decent yeah, not better than that. The combat is ok, admittedly there are times when you 'swing and miss', leaving you wide open to a stab in the back (and the loss of half or more of your health). I really want to persist with it... but it is getting mighty annoying now to be honest, i'm roughly 5 hours playtime and got barely anywhere.

11th September.

FIFA vs Pro Evo debate is dull.

I'm now about 2/3rds of the way through Sleeping Dogs and I have to say its grown on me. I thought it lacked the humour of GTA and Saints Row and it didn't really grab me. But as I've played it I've got hooked. The graphics are good (not outstanding), and Hong Kong is very well designed. The martial arts combat takes some getting used to but is brutal once you get the hang of it.

There's plenty of stuff to do apart from the main story so I haven't really got bored. The extra time in development was a great idea by the developers, I wish more games would do the same.

9/10.

I love Dark Souls, it's one of the best games of this gen imo. I played it to death on the ps3 and now I'm working through it again on the pc.
It's a very unforgiving game, but that's half of the enjoyment. Dark Souls is a game for those people who are sick of being spoon fed and carried through the casual games that are flooding the market these days.

The combat will take some getting used to, but it is anything but broken. It works perfectly once you know how to approach a fight. Don't just go in there swinging, watch your opponent's attack patterns, use your rolls to avoid attacks and just pick them off slowly.

Once you get the hang of it you will be hooked. It is a tough game, but the feeling of finally beating a tough boss or opening up a new area is totally worth the effort.

Been watching plenty of clips on YouTube of Black Ops 2. After ages of saying I wasn't going to purchase it, but after watching multiple clips of the multiplayer. All I can say is it looks, brilliant.
Arguably the most exciting change they've brought to the multiplayer is the 'ten point system'. Instead of allowing you to place two attachments to your weapon and choose 1 perk from three classes. You can now decide wether you want 1,2 or 3 attachments for your weapon and 3 perks etc. You could possibly decide to go with no weapon attachments and 6 perks and an extra lethal grenade. There's so many options you can now choose from for your class. Also a wildcard which costs you 1 point to basically buy and then will cost you another point to buy from that selection. ie if you have a perk from class 1,2 and 3 but you would also like another perk from class 2 for example you get the option for have that 4th perk. Therefor 4 perks all together.

Hopefully I've explained that well enough, if not and you actually care. Look on YouTube, type in black ops 2 multiplayer perks. I'm sure you'll find it easy enough.

New Pes demo is out for those interested.

I've given the Tour de France game a go

not bad y'know!

So quickly? Is it any better?



How do you control it? Is it hammering buttons like the Olympics game but for hours?

Now THIS is why i decided to give it a go. Unfortunately there's a difference between a challenge and bleeding ridiculous. Seriously, i'd have ended up spending my entire week off work on one or two areas of 1 game... not for me thanks. Worse part is that i got 4 achievements from it, now the whole world can see i wussed out

Following on from the 'challenging' point, i finally completed a Halo game on legendary, Halo reach, and it only took just over a day. I don't know whether to make this my 'proudest achievement' on XBOX360achievements site or leave it as 'Mile High Club' from COD4