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Wednesday 12 December 2012

Another Next-Gen Rumor

According to CVG the Xbox World magazine will reportedly use it’s penultimate issue to reveal the details about the next-gen Xbox console; which is expected to include Kinect 2.0, Blu-Ray discs and a much larger system. The magazines editor has reportedly told the site that the next-generation hardware will most likely be called ‘Xbox’ and no the coded ‘Xbox720’ as expected. It is likely to be shipped with 8GB of RAM and a quad-core processor which means it will harbour a far more explosive experience to anything currently on offer. The other details revealed are likely to be Kinect version 2, the use of Blu-ray discs, directional audio, the TV output type and the new ‘innovative’ controller. It has also been widely reported that there will be augmented-reality (AR) glasses for use after the initial release period. Although Microsoft has not officially confirmed the new console, the speculation surrounding the hardware has been circulating for some time. In June, a 56-page document allegedly from Microsoft themselves indicated that the plan was to launch the new Xbox in 2012 for around $299. This also listed a new version of the Kinect system as well as the AR glasses support that is likely to be added sometime after launch. The document has been removed by the Microsoft legal team but a patent for a new tech system for monitoring behavior has recently been filed by the company.
 The rumor mill has been pretty brisk lately but as I’ve mentioned above nothing concrete has surfaced. I would still expect that console to come out next year and likely in the Christmas build up period.



Halo 4 eSport


Online multiplayer combat is currently being dominated by title that enfold player in semi-realistic warfare combat. The action and the perks are pure fantasy but the settings are rooted in the real world with team action, base captures and destruction.

By contrast, Halo 4 is pure sci-fi fantasy with a range of vivid colours, strange weapons, gravity changes and crazy vehicle designs. Microsoft wants this new instalment to become another multi-billion-dollar franchise that sits at the heart of online shooters.

343 have arguably created the best Halo ever, and the multiplayer portion is up there with the best. It’s immaculate weapon design and strict balancing means players have to use all their skills to bring each other down and along with the well crafted battleground this really expands on what can be offered.

Certain Affinity were drafted in to help 343 out with the different modes, maps and Forge creation tool and have done a wonderful job of making this a real activity hub for players. The company was founded by Max Hoberman who previously spent a decade with Bungie and has one of the best Halo resumes on offer.

They have also been drafted in on the multiplayer sections of recent Call of Duty games and also the zombie FPS Left 4 Dead. Basically these guys are at the pinnacle of online gaming and have a long, intimate relationship with the Halo universe. It can truly be taken that this new experience has been crafted to be love by the fans while also becoming available to as many people as possible.

Mr. Hoberman has been quoted as saying ‘That was 343's approach across the board. How do we make this better by letting more people enjoy it? We started by smoothing off some of the rough edges on areas that could be great, but just weren't quite there for accessibility reasons. That can be really difficult, really challenging, especially when you're trying to develop something that has some inherent depth. How you balance depth and accessibility is always a challenge. But that has absolutely permeated all of our decision-making.”

Certain Affinity has worked on some of the older War Games modes too, by adding various tweaks to already well established models. My favourite being the Oddball game mode, a classic which sees teams winning points by holding onto a skull, the added twist is that you are now able to throw this to someone else. It’s a scaling game of ‘piggy in the middle’ with guns. Another enjoyable addition is in the Dominion mode. For those of you that don’t know, this mode sees team defending various bases but these now spawn defensive upgrades over time which and attacking team need to get passed in order to change the bases alignment.


The biggest difficulty facing Certain Affinity, and other developers that specialize in multiplayer gaming, is the relationship players have with the modes, maps and weapons. Unlike single-player games these are experienced many hundred, or even thousands of times, whereas singles player may only be player a few times before people get to know the designs too well. Multiplayer games are a live ground with people extorting specific areas, defensive positions and more until another breakthrough/tactic occurs to combat them.

The more online multiplayer takes place the increased knowledge people have obtained on the subject. People now understand the fundamentals of level design including sight blocks, cover positions and height advantages.

The big studios like Certain Affinity know the extent of their responsibility and that the content being created is likely to be the most used part of any game. They often play hours each day ironing out the creases and working out exactly how to finely balance the systems. The need to be fans of their own work and put the time in to experience what the consumer market will see.

Someone once said that single player is asymmetrical and designed primarily for the player, I mean they are right in that you don’t need to worry how the Covenant feel in Halo. In multiplayer however one person’s joy can be another’s distain.

Halo is one of the longest standing eSport franchises in the United States at the moment, although it has declined in popularity recently, and Halo 4 looks set to bring it back to the top. Competitive Halo revolves around team-based combat and the developer support, community involvement and corporate funding means that it’s set to stay. The strong formula has proven to be the best format for shooters with deep gameplay options and fast-paced action. The theatre mode allows observers to see all the action but having multiple vantage points during the games. The smaller arenas allow players to jump straight back into the action and with the giant corporate backing from Microsoft we can expect Halo to be a premier shooter in years to come for both competitive matches and casual gamers.

It’s interesting to see how much Certain Affinity have also put into the Forge editor. This feature, a multiplayer map creator, has been around for a long time and although it’s produced some fantastic offerings it’s never been easier to use. The new features include and excellent item-lock and local effects editor called player-trait zones. It means that budding map designers now have even more freedom to toy with their creation.

Now is as good a time as any to join the Halo force and the depth of the online action means you don’t necessarily need to be interested in the Master Chief’s plight in order to enjoy this game. The whole experience is fresh and the amount of online content is phenomenal.


FIFA 13 Ultimate Team Money Guide


So Fifa 13 has been out a couple of months and seems to be another extremely popular addition to, what seems to be, the majority votes favourite Football game. This year gave birth to another round of the Ultimate Team game and web app and I’ve been assembling some good coin making ideas to keep you ahead of the game and also to stretch you to the difficult ‘85 million pound club’ achievement.

1)       Cheap Gold Players
The sure fire way of making money is to dip in an spend a really small amount on a gold player (300 coins is a good maximum). Try then selling them at a buy now for 500 coins and if they don’t sell then push them on the quick sell option and try again. As I said, this method is full proof as you will always make your money back. I tend to stick with a specific formation when running this method as you slowly get to know the prices players go for and how to undercut the competition.

2)       Dream Team Players
Another sure fire tactic is to pick up a dream team player for less then 10,000 coins. Their quick sale option is around the same so the loss is negligible if you cannot push them on for a slight profit. The same rules as the above apply here and should be used once you’ve built up enough of a money box to start playing about.

3)       Bronze Brazilian
One of the best tactics I have been using is to pick up cheap bronze Brazilian players. These often attract a lot of attention and can create a bit of a 59th minute auction. You need to search, if possible, for players with 4* skills, (checking Futwiz.com will help identify these) and you will surely be able to make a profit on these players and if not they make a great addition to your low level team for the quick win tournaments.

4)       Undercutting prices
A great option for making money, once you have some money behind you, is to find a player that only ever has a small number of sales available. Find the cheapest one and buy them, then slightly raise your price to that of the next cheapest and sell on. The margins are small but as you get into the 5* players this tactic can easily bag you a few thousand coins in per sale.

5)       Price Fixing
It is possible to artificially increase a players buy price but basically owning all of the players on the market. The best ones to use are cheap and fast or 5* skilled player as these usually generate a bit of interest amongst other users. If you’ve got a big enough pot you can do this with the superstars but I started with Maggio (the solid, speedy Italian right-winger) and grab about 10 cards for 3 or 4 thousand each. I then waited for an ideal opportunity to sell them on, basically when there weren’t a lot of purchase options on the market and booted them all in a 6.5k. After all had been sold I had around a 15000 profit. This is especially good to use while the game is in its early stages or when a player has a good game in real life. Look at Giroud – not a single sole wanted him two weeks ago but now you can knock him on at 2,500 at least – at the time of writing of course.

The real winning strategy though is to look often and have a little bit of luck. Patience really is a virtue as there are cheap players going every minute on the market, all you need to do it be there when the timer runs out. A quick win is for formation cards which can be picked up really cheap and sold on at a profit if someone specifically needs it for a player.

It’s great to hear how other people make money on the Fifa 13 Ultimate Team so let me know on Twitter or in the comments section below what you think or how you’ve made money in the past. If they’re good enough I’ll put them on this list with a credit to you….

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Having received some further money making skills this article has been updated to reflect the same…

Thanks to an anonymous user…. Please get in contact again for credit.

6)       Play to Gain
This involves harvesting the Bronze Starter pack you receive and playing as much as possible to raise some funds. If completed early on a bronze contract can still go for 200-250 coins when a bronze pack itself only costs 400 coins to buy. This is a great idea for creating a reasonable ‘funds package’ to start any of the above methods.


Halo 4 - The Best Maps

Every Halo game is remembered for it’s multiplayer maps, good or bad, this sets the pace on whether the games are classics or not. A mediocre batch can leave players with a bad taste due to their lack of replayability like Halo Reach or can turn them into true icons like Halo 2. After playing through Halo 4’s vast selection I have come up with 5 favourites.

5 – Solace
This symmetrical level gives us the opportunity for lots of aerial combat – my favourite kind – with it’s low walls and giant anti gravity beam you always need to pay attention to your motion tracker. You can literally give the jump on unsuspecting players and precise teamwork will always prevail. Perfect for small scale battles this one is worth the investment time, it’s easy to learn but difficult to master.


4 - Exile
One of the best sandbox multiplayer levels on offer this, high speed vehicle fest is great for anyone looking for their Scorpion tank fix. Basically a giant donut loop this map enables full speed chases and high octane rounds as you fly around the open exterior. The cave systems also allow walking players to rush about quickly and the green spaces make it all feel decidedly ‘Halo’. The trenches also make a welcome addition to the action with enough room to hide but also the right height that a well placed DMR/Battle Rifle shot will bring you down exceptionally quickly. This is great for basically any game type.


3 - Settler
Blood Gulch is one of my favourite maps ever and although it’s been remastered many times before. The Settler map is another attempt at a similar formula but is a spiritual successor and the results are brilliantly crafted together. Smaller than Gulch, the map is divided into three district connections from each base. The mountain path, the central area and the cliff-side walk are all excellent for walking patrols but the bases are all given a familiar Warthog and a Ghost for quick movement. A great update to one of Halo’s most classic maps this can be also be used for any of the game types and is great in the new Dominion mode.


2 - Ragnarok
This popular classic is a return of Valhalla from Halo 3 but comes over to us virtually untouched due to its perfect intensity. The big addition here is the Mantis mech vehicles that can be found at each of the bases. These strong walkers manoeuvre nicely in the open battlefields and can be used very successfully in the hands of a skilled player. The open spaces add a good dynamic for snipers and also give players enough of an area to take down the vehicles while on foot too – having a Mantis isn’t a massive advantage for any team but does enough to force players to strategise properly. The other vehicles on the map – Warthogs, Ghosts and Banshees make this one of the best vehicle maps ever.


1 - Haven
This small, symmetrical map is very straightforward to learn but difficult to master. The action happens over two floors and the gaps in the walkways allow players the chance to drop in and out of the action with ease. There are also two player launchers that propel people up to the centre area, which is made excellently with the structure in the centre – meaning you have to strife around it and not over it. It’s great to see a new map getting the top spot and this one really shows that 343 have through about what players like and how to create something to effortlessly. Watch your back on this one as there are plenty of attack points. Haven is my personal favourite map so far and ensures that players must work as a team in order to win these affairs.


What are you favourite Halo 4 maps? Do you have any comments for my top 5? If so sound off in the comments below.

Grand Theft Auto V


The new GameInformer cover story has lead to tons of details about Rockstar’s highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5.

Most strikingly, GTA 5 allows the play to seamlessly switch between three characters during set points in the missions are at any time when in free roam.

The playable cast is comprised of the following:

·         Michael is a retired bank robber in his early 40s who lives in a posh Rockford Hill estate (think Beverley Hills) with his two kids and his obnoxious trophy wife. He is on a witness protection program but still leads a luxurious life due to his FIB connections. Unfortunately his wife is running his bank account dry and this leads him back to a life of crime.
·         Trevor is a junkie and an ex-military pilot suffering from fits of rage. He resides in an area full of biker gangs and meth heads. He’s an old friend of Michael and joins up with his pal for ‘one last heist’.
·         Franklin is a young hustler in his mid 20s that originally comes into contact with Michael after targeting him for a con job. He lives in Vespucci Beach (see-Venice Beach) and is looking to move up in the world. Franklin currently works for an Armenian car dealership where he plays the role of a thuggish repo man.

The article explains that one mission see the group extracting a target from an interrogation. Trevor flies the helicopter while Michael rappels down the side of the building. Franklin meanwhile acts as a sniper from the rooftop across the way. Although the player initially takes on the role of Michael, he/she will at this point get a choice on whether to snipe from afar or to continue through the building with a human shield.

During the getaway a helicopter chase ensures the players are given yet another choice on whether to pilot the fleeing vehicle or to act as one of the gunners.

The only thing with having three characters is that some of the previous systems would become overcomplicated and therefore they have been dropped. No more romancing or weight gaining will be available as this could cause a lot of system issues.

The article also quotes that cars will feel less 'boatlike' than in GTA 4 and give off the feeling of a racing game instead.

GTA 5 is much larger than any of Rockstars more recent outings and the art director, Aaron Garbutt, explains that it’s so big that you can even grab some scuba diving gear and explore the ocean floor. Los Angeles, which the new game is based on, is the largest city in the world and the studio decided that the game should feel the same way. The game will span several diverse regions what give the whole experience an immersive feeling with dry deserts and rural styled geography outside of the city streets.

Rockstar also confirmed a multiplayer element although they are keeping tight lipped on what this will actually entail. The report noted that the multiplayer option was located just under the character switching selection in the menus suggesting a form of co-op.


A Decade of Xbox Live


Last week marked the 10 year anniversary of Xbox Live and sprouted various articles about the effect it has had on the industry today and how this has strengthened the consoles we use.

When the original Xbox released 10 years ago no-one could really foresee the effect it would have on the industry and how it would push other hardware to the edge. It released against an already successful platform in the shape of the PlayStation 2 but given the online capabilities of Live the hardware still managed to establish itself as a premiere service without much competition to grade itself against. It was a risky move for Microsoft, not just because of the established console competition, but also because the broadband industry was being used by less than 5% of UK residents. Its biggest selling point aside from its games was its online functionality and in most respects this was far ahead of the curve.

As the generation was exhausted Microsoft sent out its 360 console ahead of the competition in order to grow its coverage and utilise the expanding online services being taken up by the general public. As the Live community grew the word of mouth advertising pushed even more people over to the console, by the time Sony brought out its new hardware, this made Microsoft the behemoth of the industry. The push for online functionalities meant that Sony aggressively forced themselves into the same market, creating the PlayStation Network being used today.


While it is widely know that the PlayStation Network isn’t as robust as the Xbox service, the origin of the services is in whole due to the success of Microsoft’s product. As Sony watch Microsoft push ahead to extend their online services a few years ago, the Japanese hardware specialist decided to attempt to follow suite. They both added a host of new features with the idea that an online service on a gaming console extended beyond the ability to just play games. Sony added the online social hub, Home, with a free friends system and Microsoft guided down the pay monthly route.

With Microsoft's paid subscription option they have once again raised the bar - and the fee for using this only allows them to pump more money into their growing ecosystem. Sony just don’t have the level of experience or the infrastructure to compete, even now.

The addition of Achievements back at the beginning of the 360 lifecycle gave people even more reason to stay with the console. The more purchases you made online and the more achievement you racked up the more you became invested in the path of Microsoft. Once again Sony found themselves itching to keep people playing on their system and out came the Trophy service. Again no innovation from the competition, Sony delivered a product idea almost exactly the same as the one offered by the Microsoft hardware. The XBLA players are likely to have gaming friends who he/she will want to play with and therefore pester them into getting on board with the same system.

The genius of Xbox Live, and the core reason why Microsoft have overtaken Sony in the worldwide market is their innovation and their excellent ideas when improving their online services. Halo 2 pushed the boundaries of the multiplayer content back on the original system and Halo 3 did the same on the 360. They also push the COD series and although Sony tried to replicate that success they never quite had the killer results they would have liked.

The questions now is with this console generation drawing to a close are Sony able to push their offerings and overtake Microsoft again? The line is pretty close and the user-bases on both systems is in an almost negligible difference now.

A more digital era is upon us and the changes in hardware will mean that players have less physical ties to the services they currently use. As everyone moves over to cloud based content, the propositions for physical content will be slimmer and the new attachments create with the hardware will be even higher.

The biggest benefit for Microsoft’s next hardware will be the biggest selling point for Sony’s online services currently, XBL is paid and the PSN is a free service. When the services become more and more entwined with the cloud offerings the services will have to be on a subscription and Xbox users are already accustomed to the bill. Sony will now need to target how they will get the market of consumers paying for a service that they currently get for free.

Microsoft bank around a billion every year simply from these subscriptions and the groundwork means that people will be even less willing to jump ship when they know how much they’ve invested. Sony users are looking towards their implementation of the PlayStation Plus but lets face it – and this isn’t fanboy beliefs, the facts are there – Microsoft’s ideas have always been ahead of the curve and Sony seem to follow suit. I can’t see that changing anytime soon and no matter who is released by with Windows manufacturer it makes sense to think that it’ll be the same route taken by Sony and not the other way around. Don’t get my wrong though the PlayStation Plus is a great way to onboard subscribers and should build a decent following over time.

Either way online gaming has become the go to place for content offerings and with its exceptional benefits it really does show that Xbox Live has given us the landscape we see and use today both on Sony and Microsoft hardware.

Are you currently an XBL gold member? If so, how long have you been with them? If both Sony and Microsoft charged for their service, whose service would you choose? Let us know in the comments, or by tweeting me at the usual place.