Best. Unboxing. Ever

Since when is Shuhei Yoshida such a god damn bad ass? For us Australians who are waiting until the 29th November to get our grubby little hands on this beauty, this is only enhancing the agony.

Confirmed: Titanfall permanent exclusive for PC/360/X1

Finally the speculation can come to an end. Since being announced and generating a shitload of buzz, it has been assumed that Titanfall was a launch exclusive for the Xbox and PC platform and that it would come to PS4 eventually. Now all has been revealed by none other than Vince Zampella from Respawn in a series of Tweets.

These Tweets seem to suggest that Respawn had focused on Xbox One so as not to stretch themselves seeing as this is their first game, and that a PS4 version would be released eventually. In stepped Microsoft and a deal was done with EA for total exclusivity.

This sets a very interesting scene for the upcoming next-gen console/shooter war.

Firstly, there's the elephant in the room in Call of Duty. Despite being multiplat, it's essentially a defacto Xbox exclusive. However, it's next-gen buzz seems weak, and the gameplay footage being shown is very underwhelming. But how will Activision react if MS start pushing Titanfall as the next big thing on Xbox One? Not just because it's a rival to CoD, but also because of the bad blood between Zampella and Activision. Will this push CoD toward the PS platform? Already the early buzz is that the PS4 version of Ghosts is the better one, so it's possible. Or will Call of Duty fail to transfer it's fanbase to the next-gen and lose it's spot as the king of the hill?

The bigger issue however, is that whichever way you look at this, it seems like Respawn are being fucked over big time. EA has seemingly denied them the opportunity to build a big multiplat fan base for a new IP whilst pocketing a shitload of cash for themselves. Whether any of the exclusivity deal cash even goes to Respawn is not clear. Even if does, I'm sure Respawn would prefer the additional sales which would grow tenfold for the sequels. Now the fact that EA also have Battlefield 4 and are pushing it hard gives rise to a little conspiracy thinking. EA pocket huge cash from MS and keep Titanfall from competing with Battlefield 4 on PS4. Win win for EA and big time lose for Respawn. Didn't they leave Activision to get away from this?

Rumor: Call of Duty Ghosts 720p on X1, 1080p on PS4

IGN is now reporting on rumours that the Xbox One version of Call of Duty Ghosts will run at a native resolution of 720p and upscaled to 1080p, while the PS4 versions runs in 1080p native. Now, this may be true, and it certainly looks like it is, adding just another nail in the Xbox One coffin, when their de facto exclusive, as Michael Pachter put it, runs better on the competition. 

The saving grace here for Microsoft is that at least in the case of Ghosts, this looks to be more of a case of development issues rather than performance of the box. Having seem some footage of Ghosts and being wholly unimpressed, that is to say it looks terrible and with rumors of problems on the PS4 version as well,  it's clear this is more a combination of developers working on new hardware and rushed tools by console makers in order to meet deadline. So we can assume the next version of CoD will surely look as good on X1 as PS4. That is unless Activision decide to finally change up the engine which could put Xbox One on the backfoot again. 

Nevertheless, the real lesson here is that whereas on the last console launch Call of Duty 2 landed with a thump and continued to dominate the entire generation, the Call of Duty release for the next gen looks decidedly burnt out. The fact it runs a little worse on Xbox One is not the knockout blow Sony fans want.

PS4 Firmware reveal - More questions than answers

Since Sony announced the approximately 300MB day one patch for the PS4, there's been a lot of speculation and conjecture and not a lot of response from Sony. Is this a misfire for Sony? Having had all of the good press since the now infamous E3 day of press conferences, there's a few questions here and how Sony answer them will be crucial.

Let's take a look at some of the queries and their likelihood.

Will the patch be available for download on PC? I'm really not fazed by this one that much, in much the same I really wasn't that fazed about the whole Xbox One "always on" thing. My Internet isn't even that good, but I'm always on with all my devices. But will Sony force you to connect it to PSN to get the update will go a long way to showing Sony's approach to this generation. 9/10

When will other options be available for background music? - Music Unlimited only for background music? This looks like a huge greedy decision by Sony, and since they're trying to be the people's champ that is not a good thing. I'm guessing background music from local disk or network shares will come in a future update, surely Sony aren't that dumb. 9/10 (next patch)

Can you upload video footage to YouTube? Now this one looks the toughest to answer. There's a lot of speculation right now in this space apart from the PS4 perspective and since the answer from at least this firmware update says there's something going on. However, the wording on the patch notes at least leaves open the possibility that other services will be added in the future, so I'll remain cautiously optimistic this arrives in the next update. 5/10

Are entire game discs copied to the HDD? Recent screenshots point to approximately 50GB of disk space being needed for Call of Duty Ghosts and Killzone Shadofall. Does this mean the entire blu-ray disc is being copied to the hard drive? Again, I'm not bothered by this in and of itself, but when you think about it more, the PS4 having a 500GB hard drive, minus space lost to formatting, the OS and the apps, there's not a lot of room for games. Maybe they will allow adding external drives for additional storage. In any case, this ones looking true. 8/10

The fact there is a day one patch really is no bother for me, and it shouldn't be for anyone who's dedicated enough to get a launch console.. It's to be expected in this cycle where it really looks like a rush from both sides to be first out the door, and with the time delay from manufacturing the console to release day, why not work on an update. There are a few questions to be answered but I'm prepared to give Sony the benefit of the doubt for now. This update will be a good test of Sony's all new PSN, with a proverbial fuck load of gamers all pulling down the patch, Resogun and hammering the network in general. Hopefully it withstands the pressure and we all bask in the greatness of next-gen.

Soundwave Festival 2012 - Perth, Australia

Back in Perth for this year's Soundwave festival, and man was it hot! The sun was blistering, leaving many people to seek shade early on in the day. It was actually a bit sad to see some of the earlier bands on smaller stages playing to literally a handful of people. Later in the day however, the masses gathered in huge numbers for some of the bigger bands.

It was another great lineup this year, almost too good as there were so many bands spread out over all the stages that some tough decisions had to be made. For the hardcore fans it was a dream come true with Hatebreed, Biohazard and Cro-Mags all on the same bill but with the sheer amount of bands on offer I didn't get a chance to see any of them. A couple of other bands I missed regretfully were Paradise Lost, Cathedral and Kvelertak. Oh, and Limp Bizkit and Coal Chamber played too. Yay!

Firstly I managed to catch the tail end of Turisas, a folk/power/battle metal band out of Finland, and despite the searing heat they were playing to a decent crowd and putting on a great show. They were kitted out in war paint, full costume and kicking ass. Props to them.

After that I made my way to the metal stage to catch the second half of Gojira. Loud, heavy and sludgy, these guys were awesome. For their last song Devin Townsend made his way on stage for guest vocals and what a performance. These guys are amazing. I'm so sad I missed the start of their show. Please come back.

Next on the list were In Flames. Second time I've seen them at Soundwave and I have to say their last appearance was better. I guess it's pretty safe to say that the old In Flames are well and truly dead and buried, and have been for a long time. They are a band who have no interest in the past, and of course it's up to them but their newer material is just not that good. Certainly it comes across better live, bar the vocals, but overall I think I should have spent my time at another stage.

Next up were Lamb of God who I have also now seen at two Soundwaves. Now LoG are the exact opposite of In Flames. Pure metal, no pretense, and absolute crowd pleasers. No shame in going all the way back to As the Palaces Burn for these guys, they gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. In fact, it was almost surprising considering they've just put out a new album the amount of older stuff they played but it's obvious they know what a festival crowd wants and they gave it. These guys come across as so genuine and passionate, I'll see them every time they're here.

Excuse the terrible photos here because for some reason there was a fuck-ton of sand and dust flying everywhere while LoG were playing. I wasn't even that far away but it's so hard to see the band from the dust storm that erupted when they started playing. In fact, the entire venue was a bit of a let down. The stages were much too far apart and there was plenty of walking to be done in the heat. Plus the terrain was so uneven which sometimes made it hard to get a good view. The previous Perth venue was better, but I guess Soundwave has outgrown it so we're stuck with the Showgrounds.

After Lamb of God it was back to the stage next door for Mastodon. One of my all time favourite bands and my first time seeing them! I think it's fair to say that Mastodon are more of a studio band, and it's a shame because their stage show is awesome. No banter, just a bunch of electro filler between songs and their energy and enthusiasm is genuine. At times their sound seems to get lost in a wall of distortion and noise, the vocals were especially muddy, but once the blistering riffs and underlying melodies kicked in they came through nice and fuzzy. Blood and Thunder near the end really got the crowd going and overall it was a great set.

The day was getting on, the sun was going down and the weather was cooling. It was time to head down to the main stages to catch the headliners. 3rd last was Marilyn Manson. I think Mastodon went a bit over because I only caught 3 Manson songs, and I guess everything I read and heard was true. It was a very lackluster performance. Maybe it was the heat, but I think MM just isn't a festival performer. The music was ok, but Manson was lethargic, complaining about the heat, and then about the crowd as their reaction matched his apathy. His vocals were downright terrible, and instead of closing song Beautiful People being the end of an amazing set it ended abruptly and fittingly closed out a weak performance.

Now we come to the best performance of the night. The crowd swelled and were so tightly packed in as the stage was set for Slipknot. These guys showed just how good a festival performance could be when done right. Admittedly it was now dark and much cooler, but it would still have been damn hot in those suits. You wouldn't have known though as Slipknot performed all of the crowd favourites in an amazing, energetic performance. There were pyros, crowd surfing, a spinning, rotating drum kit, great crowd participation and interaction. Just an amazing show. Slipknot aren't even one of my favourite bands but I knew they would put on a killer show and I wasn't wrong. Say what you will about them, I have gained such a massive respect for them after this show. They are so enthusiastic and genuinely loved being here and playing for their fans. It was an amazing set.

It was almost a shame that Slipknot didn't end the night as it was such an incredible performance. However the final band for the night were System of a Down, and they didn't disappoint either. Certainly their show isn't on the same level as that of Slipknot, but they were in fine form, playing all the classics and they had a superb sound. There's nothing more you can say about SoaD than that. They were great, the crowd lapped it up and it was great to see them out here.

So there it is. Another Soundwave done and dusted. Weary, sunburnt and dehydrated, we exited the Showgrounds for the end of another Soundwave. Although for me nothing will ever top last year's Soundwave where I got to see Iron Maiden and Slayer, two metal legends, Soundwave still delivers the goods. The best festival in Australia keeps going from strength to strength and long may it continue.