TimG13

I wonder if Maiden is going to be the equivalent of Resi VII's Beginning Hour demo, and be updated at various points in the future?

I do not envy the team trying to remake this. Resi 4 is such an important, seminal and damn near perfect videogame that the only way I can see a remake working is a Bluepoint-style graphical overhaul rather than a reimagining. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

That said, if they wanted to take it in a more horror direction, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and see what the results look like.

Definitely getting some Resi 4 vibes from this, which is a good thing. Not sure if May's the best time to be playing Resi, though. I'd rather be playing it in the darker months, with the lights off and the sound up.

Even though I now have a PS5, I'll wait until I get a Series X for this one, partly because of the 4K60, and partly because I have the prior two games on Xbox and can import the saves.

It would be good if they can fix those rare frame-rate drops, though. DRS would probably sort it out like John and Tom suggest, or even the option to lower the resolution like the last games.

I'm lucky to get 4 hours a week of screen time, let alone 40.

While I disagree with printing him in a newspaper and admittedly these are unprecedented times, let's not forget 40 hours is the equivalent of a full-time job. As already said above, addiction can take many forms, and while this can all be attributed to the pandemic, it could also mean something else entirely.

I'm afraid Itagaki's name doesn't carry as much weight as it used to. He needs to prove himself before anyone considers signing him up.

I have to say I think he's got a point, and even for those who do know the difference it can still be all too easy to slip up and say "One S/One X" instead of "Series S/Series X" and vice versa.

Looks like Todd's been taking cues from Phil.

53 years old! Isn't it about time he got a real job?

Only joking. Many happy returns, Phil.

I'm not sure how much more I can take, what with Bond and Indy getting new games. Makes me wonder what big movie franchise is next in line to get the gaming treatment?

I guess this will be Xbox's answer to Uncharted then, assuming it is exclusive. I do hope MachineGames have got Wolfenstein III in the works as well, though.

Hmm... While I'd say the first one is the better horror game, I think the second is superior overall. More polished and refined, better pacing, and more variety. I also think it got the balance of action and horror spot-on, better than any game since Resi 4. There was still a strong horror atmosphere and you still had to manage your resources carefully, much like the original, only this time there were some great action beats thrown into the mix which to me never detracted from the overall Survival-Horror experience. I've always likened it to Alien and Aliens.

Given how well Capcom has reinvigorated Resi over the last few years, and the resurgence of the Survival-Horror genre in general, surely there's been no better time for EA to bring back Dead Space? Be it Dead Space 4 or a reboot, I'd love to see the franchise make a comeback.

Very interested to see what specifically the "technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements" are. I've been wanting to replay GTA V for a while now (haven't touched it since 2013 despite owning the PS4 version), so I guess I can wait a little longer. I'd also like to know if this comes as a free upgrade to existing players.

@gollumb82 I can't see them remaking RDR1 personally - if Rockstar were interested in remakes we'd surely have had a new Vice City by now - but I can see them bringing RDR2 over to current-gen.

Alien: Isolation and Dead Space would probably be my top picks - quite possibly the standout Survival-Horrors of their respective generations. Resi 7 is also great, but does lose its way in the final act.

I think I played more on my 360 than I did my Xbox One over the last generation. There are too many good games that I either haven't played or want to replay which aren't BC yet.

Still haven't got round to playing the two most recent Hitman games yet, so I'll have to go with Blood Money.

I'm surprised to see Absolution leading the votes at the time of writing. I was a defender of it back on release, but, especially now having recently revisited it (as well as Blood Money), I can see why fans weren't as enamoured. It is a more linear and directed jaunt than usual, and I think that was down to the state of the market back in 2012. I stand by my original opinion that it's a fun and solid stealth game in its own right, but it's not the definitive Hitman.

Very much looking forward to Hitman III, though. I just need to hurry up and play the first two.

I think there's enough demand for Banjo-Kazooie to return that it's surely going to happen sooner or later, and, even with the upcoming Psychonauts 2, Xbox's catalogue of exclusives could benefit with another platformer.

My wild prediction is that Microsoft will hand development duties over to Sumo Digital (assuming Rare are put of the picture). They're a generally reliable outfit who usually do a decent job in handling existing IPs. Sony entrusted them with LittleBigPlanet 3 and Sackboy, and Sega with Sonic Racing, so why not Microsoft with Banjo?

Would really love Titanfall 3, but whatever they're working on is almost certainly bound to be good.

The original Dead Rising all the way. Not only is it by far the series' best in my eyes, but also one of my all-time favourite games. Frank West is a hugely likable lead, and the supporting cast are great too. Meanwhile, Willamette Mall is a perfectly realised setting, just right in size and varied enough to feel like a real shopping mall. And I think it's a better piece of writing than it gets credit for. On my first serious playthrough to completion, having levelled up on the prior runs, I really got hooked by the story, and the timer, as divisive as it is, just elevated the tension.

For me, the sequels got progressively worse, opting for bigger but blander worlds and a cast of characters with little personality or likable traits. And while DR4 brought back both Frank and Willamette, it wasn't the real Frank.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War. I always save COD for Christmas, and while I've never regarded the Black Ops series as highly as others, I have to say I've been thoroughly impressed with Raven's campaign thus far. For my money, this is easily the best Black Ops campaign yet, exceeding Treyarch's always entertaining but slightly off previous efforts, and I don't think I've enjoyed a COD campaign this much since Modern Warfare 3 (excluding the MW 1 and 2 remasters, of course). No, it's not a patch on playing COD4 on Christmas day 2007, but I've had a blast all the same.

Considering TLOUPII is the only new game I've played and finished this year (not got round to DOOM Eternal, Ori and the like yet), it is by default also my GOTY.

I'm not going to lie, Naughty Dog are probably my favourite game developer. I get why some people aren't as keen on their games, but they've always clicked with me. I can see an argument for their games being average mechanically, but I've always found them to be more than the sum of their parts. In the case of both TLOU games, I don't think I've ever played a game that's made me as tense during gameplay, with their brutal combat, scant resources and flexible stealth, while also sweeping me up in the story, thanks to their deft pacing, brilliant writing and top performances, not to mention their cinematic presentation and technical prowess.

Yes, other games do some things better, no doubt, but Naughty Dog's games will always live long in my memory, which for me is a mark of their quality.

Looking forward to all the hate.

Hmm. I think cancelling the XO version would do more damage than good at this point. Considering the other studios assisting 343 in development, perhaps at least one of them could focus solely on optimising the last-gen version?

Very much hyped for this already. It's going to be a long wait...

While I'd say Control and Max Payne are Remedy's best, Alan Wake is my favourite. All those Stephen King vibes.

Was rather hoping for news of an admittedly unlikely next-gen upgrade. Oh well...

It wouldn't make sense for two Forzas competing for attention. Given the new Motorsport has already been revealed, I'd say Horizon 5 will come afterwards.

While I'd say Vice City is definitely the most iconic game in the series, GTA V is by far the best overall for me. Simply put, it does so much so well that it blows the previous games away, and has probably the greatest open world in gaming for my money.

On a slight tangent, it's a shame Chinatown Wars never came to XBLA like I thought it would. Perhaps more people would have played it if it did.

Surely these performance issues are nothing more than the expected teething troubles. I understand PS5 has been slightly easier to develop for, but give it a bit of time and the gap between will close.

Everything Or Nothing wins for me.

Honourable mention goes to Blood Stone, though. A basic blaster at best, but nevertheless a fun one which was sadly sent out to die by Activision. Given another year in development it might have been something special.

GoldenEye: Reloaded isn't half bad too, considering it's origins as a Wii game, which itself wasn't too shabby either.

IO is literally one of the developers I've always wanted to see a Bond game from. Not only can they do the high octane action sequences, but also, as Hitman proves, the quieter moments. Think back to Casino Royale and how Bond infiltrates the Ocean Club, or the opera house in Quantum Of Solace - distractions, costume changes and bit of good old-fashioned sneaking and eavesdropping. All very Hitman-esque if you ask me.

Consider me very excited, Mr Bond.

I guess I'll be lucky to get a Series X or PS5 by next Christmas at this rate. Oh well, at least I've got my health.

IO Interactive
CD Project Red

I'd be more surprised if he wasn't getting one. What self-respecting gamer would ever limit the number of games they could play? I've never understood the console wars, at least from a consumer standpoint.

I'm not sure how I feel about people complaining about late deliveries when many people - myself included - haven't even been able to order a Series X/S yet. Yes, it's frustrating to wait, but given the state of the world at the moment, I'd be over the moon knowing I'd get a shiny new console in time for Christmas.

Fingers crossed I can secure one of these this time. But since I'm still working while most of the country is on lockdown, I seriously doubt my chances.

Aliens: Colonial Marines still hurts to this day.

Better with time.

I'm definitely keen to give this another go. Until Forza Horizon came along, this was probably the best racer out there.

Can we get a proper handle on 4K before we even think about 8K first?

Reach is by far the Halo game I've enjoyed the least. I should probably mention I'm not a massive Halo fan, and I only ever played it once in single player rather than co-op, which to me sounds like the best way to play it. Even so, I never thought much of Reach as a setting, and you ever really get to know any member of Noble Team, which for me meant the ending fell rather flat.

Funnily enough, I was considering replaying it via the MCC recently to see if I was misremembering it. Perhaps I'll check it out sooner rather than later.

Possibly a big third party exclusive, like Splinter Cell 6 or Crysis 4?

Glad to finally see a price and release date for one of the consoles. The price is about what I expected, although I did think the launch date would be late November. The sooner the better, I guess.

Your move, Sony.

Bodes well for Gears 6.

Yep, I'll take some more Gears please.

It sounds like this has surpassed most peoples' expectations, mine included. I suppose we should have always had faith in Crystal Dynamics to at least deliver a decent campaign. I might have to pick this up in a Black Friday deal.

I can't imagine how many hours I lost to the Pro Skater games back in the day. I haven't touched a Hawk game since THUG2, so this seems like the perfect time to jump back in.

Asylum and City were both exceptional and seminal games, but for me City just about edges it. As well received as it was (and deservedly so), I don't think it quite got the credit for how well it balanced being more of the same and completely different back in the day. It was never a simple cash grab, but a genuine labour of love on Rocksteady's part, as were all of their games.

Honourable mention goes to the underrated Origins. Yes, it's the weakest of the lot, but in some respects - story and set pieces in particular - it tops Rocksteady's efforts.

Hmm... I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. It's definitely not the game I had in mind - I was rather hoping for a sequel of sorts to Arkham Origins with Batman proper - but I'm certainly not against it. The (admittedly expected) co-op aspect has me slightly concerned, and to my eyes it looks like they've dropped the Freeflow combat system, but overall I'm interested.

@Tasuki Do you not like sci-fi overall or just in COD, because Titanfall 2 was pretty good.

@KelticDevil Absolutely. COD4 was a game changer, boasting brilliant design and packed with more iconic moments than every COD combined since. I can't ever see it being surpassed as the series' pinnacle, which is why I'm always baffled when people proclaim Black Ops to be the best COD. To each their own, I guess.

Happy Birthday BioShock - one of the greatest games of all time.