NEWS: Call of Duty Ghosts - PS4 Patch Released

Problems experienced on the PS4 version of Ghosts will hopefully be fixed with the newly released patch.

Since it's launch, people have been reporting numerous problems in Call of Duty Ghosts, such as spawn-killing exploits in the game's multiplayer, as well as performance issues. 

A patch released today should fix any of the mentioned problems, other updates include a XP reward increase in Operations as well as numerous weapon challenges. 

Leaderboards for the Search & Destroy gametype have now been implemented along with increased XP, and collision bugs which promote cheating are now fixed.

NEWS: VGX 2013 Awards Nominees Revealed

A complete list and categories have been published on Spike in preparation for the event held December 7.

Unsurprisingly, Grand Theft Auto V has made its way into numerous categories including 'Game of the Year', 'Best Xbox Game', and 'Best PS3 Game', whilst 'Studio of the Year' includes Naughty Dog who were responsible for The Last Of Us, which has also been included in highly-sought categories. Check out the full list below.

Game of the Year

BioShock Infinite

Grand Theft Auto 5

Super Mario 3D World

The Last of Us

Tomb Raider

Studio of the Year

Irrational Games

Naughty Dog

Rockstar North

The Fullbright Company

Best Shooter

Battlefield 4

BioShock Infinite

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Metro: Last Light

Best Action Adventure Game

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

Grand Theft Auto 5

The Last of Us

Tomb Raider

Best Sports Game

FIFA 14

MLB 13: The Show

NBA 2K14

NHL 14

Best Independent Game

Gone Home

Kentucky Route Zero

Papers, Please

The Stanley Parable

Best RPG

Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Pokemon X/Y

Best Fighting Game

Divekick

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Killer Instinct

Tekken Revolution

Best Driving Game

F1 2013

Grid 2

Forza Motorsport 5

Need for Speed Rivals

Best DLC

Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Mass Effect 3: Citadel

Best Xbox Game

BioShock Infinite

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Grand Theft Auto 5

Tomb Raider

Best PlayStation Game

Grand Theft Auto 5

Rayman Legends

The Last of Us

Tomb Raider

Best Nintendo Game

Pikmin 3

Rayman Legends

Super Mario 3D World

The Wonderful 101

Best PC Game

Battlefield 4

Gone Home

Papers, Please

The Stanley Parable

Best Handheld Game

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Pokemon X/Y

Tearaway

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Best Casual Game

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Disney Infinity

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time

Skylanders Swap Force

Best Voice Actor

Troy Baker as Joel in The Last of Us

Troy Baker as Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite

Steven Ogg as Trevor Philips in Grand Theft Auto 5

Willem Dafoe as Nathan Dawkins in Beyond: Two Souls

Best Voice Actress

Ashely Johnson as Ellie in The Last of Us

Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth in BioShock Infinite

Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider

Ellen Page as Jodie Holmes in Beyond: Two Souls

Best Soundtrack

BioShock Infinite

Grand Theft Auto 5

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

The Last of Us

Best Song in a Game

"ADHD" by Kendrick Lamar (Grand Theft Auto 5)

"Sleepwalking" by The Chain Gang of 1974 (Grand Theft Auto 5)

"Survival" by Eminem (Call of Duty: Ghosts)

"Will the Circle be Unbroken" by Courtnee Draper & Troy Baker (BioShock Infinite)

Most Anticipated Game

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Destiny

Watch Dogs

Titanfall

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Watch the event as it streams live via the official Spike TV website. Are there games that you believe should be on this list that haven't made it? Leave your comments below.

GIVEAWAY: Call of Duty Ghosts In-Game Reward Codes This Week!

Something a little different - all this week I'll be giving out redeemable codes for in-game rewards for the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghosts. To enter, you can do any of the following:

FACEBOOK - 'LIKE' & SHARE
TWITTER - RETWEET
COMMENT BELOW

The days codes are given away will be as follows:

Monday 4th November
Wednesday 6th November
Friday 8th November
Saturday 9th November

Good luck!

NEWS: Call of Duty: Ghosts - All Perks Revealed

A new perk system is taking over CoD: Ghosts, offering an "incredible level of customization."

Activision are changing the way perks are used in Ghosts, enabling for a huge amount of customization - there will now be in categories with different perks in each - every perk will have a point value attatched, and the player will use their points to assign the particular perks they wish to utilize. 

The official CoD website describes the new system in further detail:

"Each of the 35 available Perks is weighted with a point value of 1 through 5. Your loadouts naturally have a pool of 8 points to spend on Perks, up to a total of 12 depending on your loadout choices.

In addition to the initial 8 points, a single Perk point is tied to the Primary Weapon slot, Secondary Weapon slot, Lethal and Tactical. Take away any of these items for an additional Perk point, allowing a maximum of 12 points to spend. If you're a Perk fanatic, you're welcome to forego all the weapons equipment, starting each spawn with only a knife in hand and 12 points worth of Perks. It's your choice."

Essentially, perks with higher point values are often much more useful, but will take up a lot of your points to spend - so you could equip the highest perk under the speed category, and take advantage of what's to offer, or you could buy low-costing perks to make yourself an all-rounder; there really is room for lots of customization here. A look at the perks taken from the site can be seen below.

Speed

Outrun and outmaneuver enemy players. Speed Perks are all about getting the lead and staying ahead. Examples include:

• Sleight of Hand: Faster reloading.
• Stalker: Move faster while aiming.

Handling

Dexterity and control drives the Handling Perks, improving actions and accuracy. Examples include:

• On the Go: Reload while sprinting.
• Steady Aim: Increased hip fire accuracy.

Stealth

Stealth Perks aid you in staying out of sight, maintaining a low profile and engaging on your terms. Examples include:

• Takedown: Kill enemies without revealing their death locations.
• Incog: Resistance to targeting systems including: Recon, Thermal Scope, Tracker Sight and Motion Sensor. No name or red crosshairs when targeted.

Awareness

Keep in tune with your surroundings. Awareness Perks help you survey the environment and detect enemy players. Examples include:

• SitRep: Detect enemy explosives and tactical equipment.
• WireTap: Utilize all active enemy and friendly SAT COMs on the field.

Resistance

A hardened endurance reduces the effects of fatigue. Resistance Perks keep you going through tough engagements. Examples include:

• Focus: Reduced weapon sway when aiming down sights and reduced flinch when hit.
• Blast Shield: Increased resistance to explosive damage.

Equipment

Tacticians swear by their gear, and Equipment Perks ensure you have the best tools on hand. Examples include:

• Extra Tactical: Additional Tactical equipment.
• Extra Attachment: Extra attachment for your weapons.

Elite

Elite Perks offer special abilities that affect your loadouts in a variety of ways. Examples include:

• Gambler: Spawn with a random Perk.
• Ping: Activate a sonar ping upon killing an enemy, revealing nearby hostiles.

PREVIEW: Call of Duty: Ghosts - 'Extinction' Trailer

A newly released trailer confirms the Extinction mode will in fact be a part of the upcoming CoD: Ghosts

Activision has released a new trailer showing off the new mode; Extinction - sort of like zombies from previous games, only this time you'll be fighting off aliens. Judging from the video, it looks to be very fast paced, providing hectic and exciting gameplay.

It's described as "Co-op survivial madness, with aliens.", according to the official Facebook page - further details can be read in the description on the video:

"Call of Duty: Ghosts introduces Extinction - an all-new 1-4 player cooperative game mode featuring a unique blend of fast-paced survival action, FPS base defense, scavenging and class leveling."

The video initially shows a squad member setting up a drill in order to destroy alien hives, which look a lot like the eggs from Alien. 

Obviously, it's not as simple as that as the aliens make their closer at a very rapid speed, we see an array of weapons being used against them including the standard chaingun right up to a rocket rain from the sky above.

Check out the trailer below - would you have preferred another zombies mode? Or is this a good direction to go?

NEWS: PS4 - More Digital Game Pre-Orders

Some of the most wanted games are available to pre-order as digital releases.

Pierre Gravereau, Director of Digital Distribution for Sony has announced that a further four titles are now available to pre-order, of course these are the digital versions of the games, but you'll get instant access on day one.

Pre-order bonuses will accompany each game, which can be seen below.

Killzone Shadow Fall - The Shadow Pack

Call of Duty: Ghosts - Free Fall Map

Call of Duty: Ghosts Digital Hardened Edition - Free Fall Map

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag - Exclusive Aveline Figurehead

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Gold Edition - Exclusive Aveline Figurehead

Battlefield 4 - China Rising Expansion

Gravereau goes on to say:

"Also, if you purchase a season pass for the PS3 version of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, or Battlefield 4, you’ll be able to download the PS4 version for free. You’ll need to purchase the season passes for the PS3 versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts and Assassin’s Creed IV by May 31st, 2014, in order to take advantage of this deal."

Essentially, if you happen to want both the PS3 and PS4 versions, you can download the PS4 version for free as long as you have a season pass and download by the end of May 31, 2014.

PREVIEW: Call of Duty Ghosts Launch Trailer

Activision has released the official Call of Duty: Ghosts launch trailer, showcasing the single-player campaign.

It's almost November, you know what that means - a new Call of Duty game, it seems to have become a tradition in past years.

Activision today released the official launch trailer showing off what the single-player has to offer, including lots of explosions and fighting in space.

The game will release on PS3 and Xbox 360 November 5, whilst the PS4 version will release November 15 in North America and November 29 throughout Europe. Finally, the Xbox One will get the game November 22.

NEWS: GAME Reveals Midnight Launches of Battlefield 4, CoD: Ghosts, and Assassin's Creed IV

GAME to host various midnight launches for highly anticipated games.

 

 

UK retailer GAME will be offering its customers a chance to get their hands on three of the most sought after games this year.

November 1 marks the release of both Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 4 - GAME establishments throughout the UK will open its doors at midnight to those who want to get the game as soon as possible, leaving customers with the following statement:

"Two of today’s biggest franchises will release their newest instalment on the same day. Battlefield 4 and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag both launch on November 1st – and GAME stores nationwide will be opening their doors at midnight (or first thing!) to give you the chance to grab either or both of these fantastic titles before anyone else!"

Most stores will also open especially early for those who can't make it to the midnight launch for whatever reason.

Just a few days later (November 5), Call of Duty: Ghosts will hit the shelves, and will also be taking part in the midnight launch scheme - the same applies as above; both midnight and early openings will take place. GAME had this to say about the game:

"The Ghosts are real… and they can really be yours – first! – as over 300 GAME stores will be playing (g)host to Midnight Launches acrsoss the country for the latest entry into the legendary shooter series. Check out the list of stores below to see whether you can grab your copy at the Midnight or early-morning opening, and we look forward to seeing you there!"

Don't miss out on your chance to play the Xbox One at the GAME lock-ins taking place October 14 - November 20.

Are you going to any of the midnight launches or the Xbox One lock-in? Comment below.

FEATURE: Resistance 3 - Another Victim of Bad Matchmaking?

With so many games incorporating online multiplayer, will we ever get a matchmaking system that truly works?

Fall of Man had a fantastic matchmaking system when it was released,
 which was fair and consistent.

I've been playing the Resistance series online now and again since Fall of Man was released as a PS3 launch title and I had a lot of fun playing online - there was always a sense that I was playing against players with the same skill level as me, and if players weren't interested in serious competitive play, there was a separate way of finding matches to suit your play-style and favoured game-types. Resistance 2 followed in these footsteps, there was a ranked matchmaking system and an unranked, which made the game far more enjoyable for me and I imagine a lot of other players out there, a ranked matchmaking system allows for players of all skill levels to shoot it out against players of the same level as them, which can make competitive multiplayer a thoroughly fun experience.

Call of Duty has the same matchmaking problem as Resistance 3 -
 go into matchmaking and simply hope you play against
 players like yourself...which is unlikely most of the time.

As I write this, I have literally just come back from an online session of Resistance 3 and managed to rack up 32 kills and 4 deaths against extremely low-level players, I am currently a level 29 and I was pitched against level 5-15's, which seems insanely unfair to me. Yes, I know, I took advantage of them to get easy kills and experience.....but that's besides the point - I have also been on the other end of the stick many times, leading to general frustration and a bad kill/death ratio at the end of the match, I am always up for a challenge but it's a bit extreme when you find yourself against max-ranked players during your first match ever (This happened to me a lot the first day I got Resistance 3). It's not just  Resistance 3 that has this problem - every Call of Duty game i've played online has had the same issue; I want to go into matchmaking and face off against players of the same skill but somehow manage to find myself against max-rank prestige players, tell me - how does that work? There needs to be some barriers within matchmaking in online games, for example, the Halo series has always had a clever matchmaking system - you go into a ranked playlist of your choice and the game will put you against players of the same level or very close, which is fantastic, more games should do this, it would make playing them online a greater experience for everyone.

More developers should take note of how
 Bungie went about matchmaking

I'm aware that Halo Reach' matchmaking system is drastically different to previous instalments  but after a year and over worth of playing the game, I find myself playing against people who are similar to my skill level, regardless of the departure of the levelling system previous titles had - my point is, Bungie/343 Industries know exactly how to match up players of equal skill levels and experience, sure Reach isn't perfect, but it's a lot more better than Call of Duty and Resistance 3, so why can't other games have a fair ranking system? Evidently, Call of Duty players don't seem to care that they could be playing against extremely low level players or extremely high level players because it's the best-selling FPS ever. It's a personal thing for me - it's not nice being a bunny facing a lion. Feature1