dwarf

And red messages on the ground reveal winning strategies that should always be followed.

Oh I wouldn't worry. It only takes a few minutes to master the essential skills, and bosses are fairly forgiving in that they're never able to kill you in a couple of hits. The systems/mechanics are made 100% transparent from the get-go too, and the games never punish you for small, sloppy errors. You'll be fine.

I'd heard their 'fuckin' cunt' segment before but CHRIST! This is fucking brilliant. I was creasing at a several points.

Announcement for people with taste: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (series 3) returns tonight on BBC2 at 10.00, with Chris Morris replacing Armando Iannucci in the role of twatty producer. Watch it.

It sounds like they're ripping people off. If I'm to buy this I think I'll wait for the inevitable complete edition that comes with everything that should be on one disc anyway.

Yeah the backstab has always been buggy. By the sounds of it it seems the game will have a hybrid structure - partly Demon's Souls in that you can return to a world whenever you want and try to chip away at it (you can warp to any bonfire in DS2 from the start, similar to the portal entries in Demon's), but it also keeps the overworld of Dark Souls so you have that greater sense of exploration. Part of Dark Souls' charm was that you could only take shortcuts to other bonfires/areas through physical means, which meant you had to remember the layout of the world for efficient exploration. However, missing a shortcut (like a switch, or a lift) was easily done and a right pain in the arse, and I remember the relief of gaining the means to warp.

I just read some of this (poorly written, granted) : http://joystuck.co.uk/features/4796-first-impressions-dark-souls-ii Not sure whether I'm glad about that or not. I hardly ever parried in the previous two Souls games because it was so difficult to time correctly, and you could never be certain which attacks could be parried. At the same time, that also made successful parries really satisfying.

They can complain because it was free on the PS3. Plus is mandatory on the PS4 and so if the games are poor then people are entitled to moan. I'm sure it will still be a good deal in the long run anyway, but the fact that Xbox has always charged for online doesn't make Sony exempt from criticism simply because they've softened the blow. I feared the PS4 Plus would suffer due to there being a reduced incentive for Sony to release quality games on the service, but to judge it this early would obviously be stupid considering the small library of games available right now. It is pretty incredible that one subscription covers 3 platforms though, so I tip my hat to them for that.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/video/2014/feb/25/peter-serafinowicz-dark-souls-ii-game-video?CMP=twt_gu Funny interview about Peter Serafinowicz's role on the game. ( @ReZourceman aka the most tagged man on the forum aka the man who seems to only deal in love/hate relationships with people and toys) I wasn't really too excited about this before but I think enough time has passed since the original. Plus, I should be able to snag a free copy if I review it for my university newspaper. BARE TIME INVESTMENT THO.

I don't understand why critics made such a fuss over Gone Home. The moment I realised the game might not be as good as everyone was making out was when I stumbled across a book called 'How to Make Friends', with a note from a father to his daughter reading 'this might help.' Oh, could this allude to a broken family perhaps? How subtle!

My opinion shouldn't have any bearing on yours, but the way you get sensitive to negativity makes me think it does affect you. I could say you're being overly optimistic and that you're too ready to shower the game in praise, but I'd be wrong to do so because I'd be calling you a liar. I don't think anyone here has lied. You can have both sides of the debate. To me the game showed promise after the initial teaser trailer, but to delay gameplay footage for so long only to show off that uninspired cover-based corridor shoot-out, it does raise some doubts.

It's called opinion buddy. I don't understand what makes this 'next-gen' other than the graphics, which don't appear to be the best on the system anyhow. I'm a bit of a gaming grump these days I suppose, it takes something a bit more interesting to make me sit up and pay attention, and I think people are well within their rights to say this looks a touch generic. I do want to be impressed by the PS4, honest I do! That I can't muster excitement right now doesn't mean I think the future is dim.

It doesn't look very smooth to play either.

You can get a free 14 day trial of Plus should you need any convincing.

I think Dead Nation was a give-away when PSN got hacked. Might have to give TR a whirl.

Second Son will likely have a comic-book sequence at the start to fill you in, as the series has done already. The city looks a bit too... clinical. I've mentioned it before but something's still slightly amiss, to me. It'll almost certainly be fine when it comes to playing it I'm sure.

12 Years A Slave Late to the party but wow, can't remember a film that looked so beautiful. Hyperreal colours, powerful contrast of stunning scenery and abhorrent violence. Moving performances too, especially from Lupita Nyong'o. My only minor criticisms would be that Zimmer's score was a bit too catalogue in the sad moments, there were one or two too many 'stars', and for a film with the title of '12 years' you don't really get a true sense of time passing. Everyone should watch it, though.

He was amazing in Synecdoche and The Master, very similar to Jack Nicholson in the sense that his performances were always very volatile and interesting just to look at. Crushing blow for film.

I bought this recently and have been hooked enough to get all of the Teensies from the Legends stages, some of the level design is fantastic. The Origins stages on the other hand... I can't be bothered with them, they're so flat and lifeless in comparison. Would almost rather they weren't there.

Om Nom NOM

I think Infinite did more for games than The Last of Us. Both strong in different areas.

MGS V: The Wallet Drain

Now that's planning.

( ) Dat Goron.