Bobfoc

This year's servers were always poor, but at least they were moderately stable at times. Since they released a patch in late December, they've been virtually inaccessible. Don't bet on another patch being released to fix them either, given that Microsoft charges $40,000 per additional update beyond the first one, which is free. I don't know if that applies to Sony, but considering most developers' unwillingness to churn out the typically massive, cumbersome updates through the PSN at the best of times, don't expect the PS3 version to be addressed either.

They should be, but the servers have been atrocious for months now. It's difficult to download even the smallest of files without being kicked back to the main menu, and that's if you can even access the list of created content in the first place.

If the major publishers would release their games at lower prices, perhaps the whole used game/trade-in issue would be lessened slightly, but it doesn't look as though they'll do that, so the problem is likely to persist. Regular online sales and lower recommended retail prices for pretty much everything except Call of Duty have softened the blow for PC players, who have had to put up with a virtually non-existent trade-in market for years now, but with Microsoft in particular showing little in the way of a desire to attempt to follow suit, they've ensured that those who need to trade in their games to fund their subsequent gaming purchases will become increasingly alienated.

Sony's first-party titles usually tend to edge towards reasonable when it comes to pricing. It's usually the third-party publishers (EA being the particular culprit here) who are responsible for the near-£60 price tags on digital games. Other than digitial pricing, Sony needs to work on getting their digital pre-orders up on the servers at midnight on their respective release dates. Being able to play a game when it's around 50% downloaded is nice, but it's considerably less appealing when the download isn't available until the early evening, as is the case here in Europe.

I have some too, actually. I'd be happy to offload them to anyone who wants one.

You could argue that Valve could have charged hugely inflated prices through Steam and "pocket the extra profit", but they haven't. Since launching the service, Valve is now an exceptionally wealthy company, and Gabe Newell has said many times that their regular discount sales end up being vastly more profitable than any other time of the year for the majority of developers. I'm quite sure Sony could still make a sizeable profit on each game sale if their digital prices were lower, and they'd quite possibly end up making considerably more money if they managed to cultivate a digital distribution platform renowned for offering games at affordable prices. At the moment, Sony allows major publishers to regulate their own PSN prices, which is probably why the likes of Dead Space 3 and FIFA 13 cost £59.99 when they were first released. I'd be baffled that anyone would pay that much for a game they could pick up for around £20 less at a high street shop or through an online retailer.

It's fake, but well put together nevertheless.

I really like them both, personally, but I approached them with a certain degree of scepticism, given that they're often cited as masterpieces by a fairly small, but vocal fanbase. Both have their frustrations, particularly Ico, and it seems as though they tend to have been forgotten about in some circles, but the big moments in both games made up for it, at least for me. Falling off a Colossus and into a stretch of water several times over can be a real pain, and it's quite clear to me why it would put some people off, but when you're scaling a giant beast, clinging on for dear life as it frantically shakes you in every which direction, there's very little that matches the hectic dynamism in any game. Again, it's all a matter of personal taste, but I'm glad that more players will be able to at least give these games a look without going out of their way to drop extra cash on them at the local high street retailer or whatnot.

I think EU Plus members should be more eagerly anticipating the prospect of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in next month's update.

Maxis have confirmed that The Sims 4 won't require a constant online connection.

He's actually two short of Davis right now. He'll be one short if he wins this final.

I can agree that the combat isn't stellar, and I don't begrudge anyone's right to dislike certain parts of the game because of it. What's most irritating, though, is when people who don't love highly lauded games feel the need to bellow their disagreement with what the perceive to be the general consensus from the rooftops. If a game isn't particularly well known or receives a handful of fairly average reviews, nobody really cares, but when these people don't like a popular game, they make sure to tell the whole world about their edgy, non-conformist opinions at every opportunity they get. As I said before, though, the same thing happens in every form of popular media. Unfortunately, it's in the gaming community that it seems to be the most prevalent.

I expect part of that negativity stems from the kind of backlash almost every highly regarded game receives after a while. With everyone being told how good the game apparently is, there will inevitably be a pocket of vociferous players who feel the need to condemn it as an inferior version of whatever obscure game they prefer if they aren't completely blown away by said acclaimed title. Good reviews tend to turn games into bigger targets for negative reviews, much like in every other medium. I'll readily acknowledge that Bioshock: Infinite isn't perfect, but it's such a memorable and engaging overall package that none of its minor flaws bothered me. For others, though, these same flaws will form the crux of their argument as to why the game is some kind of abomination that only unseasoned Philistines can enjoy.

Another day, another prayer for Audley's retirement, followed perhaps by the announcement that he's giving it "one more go". He's pretty much a real-life version of Glass Joe.

He's certainly a character. It's a genuine shame that he looks as though he'll be going out this round.

I went to the Crucible to see Mark Davis beat John Higgins. Both players were poor, and Davis will have to step up his game considerably if he wants to reach the final stages of the tournament. That said, his next opponent will be either Stuart Bingham or Sam Baird, so we'll be seeing a surprise quarter-finalist regardless of what happens. As much as I don't like the man, I can't really see past Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the title. I think his sabbatical has left him much more refreshed than the guys who have been playing on the global circuit all year round, especially with the increasingly packed annual schedule now in force. He's a player who thrives on momentum too, so I'd say it's a case of stopping him early on or not at all. With that in mind, if he beats Carter in the next round, he'll be very, very difficult to beat when the longer matches come around.

That's right. I suppose you could call it more of a political simulation than a bona fide city builder, but construction certainly plays a part in the game. You might also want to look at Anno 2070. It's shares a number of SimCity's construction elements, but there's also a key focus on economic management, and there are several campaign missions to have a go at.

SimCity 4 would probably be the best bet if you're unwilling to go through the "always online" process. Alternatively, if you have a more vindictive side, the Tropico series is well worth a look too.

How exactly does one work that out? The figure was based on a user who analysed the data packets that were being sent from his phone in relation to those being sent from the game's server, and then worked out an average. Even if it's an accurate calculation (and there doesn't seem to be a great amount of evidence besides a blog post on CVG), it doesn't take into account the fact that Peter Molyneux and 22 Cans could remove some of the cube's 'layers' and end it whenever they wanted to.

It's still going. In January, someone managed to work out that only around 12% of the cube had been chipped, meaning that the prize would probably revealed by around the end of 2013. If I remember correctly, the game had some very bad server problems when it launched, resulting in an appeal for donations through the game's official website. Apparently, it's much more stable now, but it'll probably be a while before anyone finds out what the grand prize ends up being.

I'd like to see download keys/codes being sold by all the regular retailers, much like you see with PC games. A significant number of games activate through Steam these days, but that doesn't stop other outlets selling them, and it also means that competitive pricing within the PC market has remained intact. As it stands right now, Microsoft and Sony commonly over-charge for major releases through their online stores, and this will have to change if they're going establish themselves as major forces in the digital distribution scene. As long as there are other options for customers as far as digital downloads are concerned, I can see things going well, but if the only avenues for customers are the bespoke stores themselves, digital sales aren't likely to make major inroads into the current retail model.

That sounds about right. I doubt I'll be willing to shell out that kind of money, so I'll probably be waiting for a price drop, or at least a nice bundle deal. Either way, getting both the new Xbox and the PS4 won't be a viable option for me, so value for money will be a very important factor.

We also don't know its price, and that's something that will be a decisive factor for many potential buyers. I'd like to think that Sony has learnt its lesson from its overpriced PS3 launch models, and the Vita seemed to be a step in the right direction, at least as far as the console pricing itself is concerned. Of course, that's forgetting the Vita's ridiculously expensive memory cards, which probably constitutes the "two steps back" part of the old idiom. E3 is only a couple of months away now, and I'd be surprised if we didn't know the standard retail prices of at least one of the two upcoming systems. There's a fair chance that Sony might hold off on that front until the Tokyo Game Show or Gamescom, but I'd guess that Microsoft will have pretty much everything out on the table by the time their E3 press conference is over.

I must say that I often disagreed with the opinions he expressed in both his written and televised reviews, but I enjoyed reading and listening to them because they were entertaining. A lot of current reviewers could take a leaf out of Ebert's book when it comes to producing articles that don't follow the formulaic tedium we see all too often right now. I do find solace in Ebert's own words relating to his illness, though. Here's a famous excerpt from one of his books: Considering what he went through during the last few years of his life, those are powerful words indeed.

If it's anything like Castle Crashers, it will probably be on sale at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but not before. Even then, I imagine it would only go down to 800 Microsoft Points.