I was going throught pass E3 stuff, and remembered the first time they showed off Coded Arms: Assault. I also looked it up, to see what became of it. It is a real shame that they let this one go. http://ps3.qj.net/Konami-finally-confirms-Coded-Arms-Assault-canceled/pg/49/aid/120470

E3 2008 is almost upon us and the industry is getting ready to dump a maelstrom of information at our door steps. However, before we all get to excited, lets reflex on so of the rumours lending up to the press conferences.

Mainly Microsoft rumours

Leaks, rumours and speculation on what Microsoft is doing with there hardware has got me a tad worried. Everything from Lips to Motion control is really starting to grinds my gears. The only thing that I can savage from this is the hope for a new dashboard. So, for the befit of you (and me,) I have compiled of a handy list of things I personal really do not want to hear announced at this years Microsoft Press Conference:

Motion Controller- Will all respects to the PS3 and Wii for implementing this feature (with varying degrees of success,) it is one of those features that really is not needed on the 360. I can think of no application that can elevate this above a gimmick, and am certainly not forking over extra cash so I can operate a new dashboard.

Avatar system- Considering that I'm one of those suckers that occasionally buys a picture pack, if this is to be replaced with an avatar system, I would lose it... which is something I do not general do often. It is not just because of the absurdity of the idea, it is because it renders all the money I spent on various pack N/A. It is the Microsoft's version of a punch to the crotch to their customer, which they have done before (I use Windows Vista.)

Anything that does not include Europe- Europe always gets the shorter end of the stick when it comes to on demand services. We still do not have any shows or half the movie range that the Americas do, but I can live with that. However, next time it would be nice to include Europe in these announcements

All is not lost! The fact that I am moving into a University in September means I have to purchase another console. At this point a PS3 is looking attempting offer, however a £300 plus pounds, it is over double what you pay for it in America. I just have to cross my fingers and pray Microsoft does not do something stupid.

My last entry ranted on over a few problems that I had with the demo, and like an idiot I complained about the lag. The lag has now been resolved and I have a few days with completely lag free play. However, the more you play it, the more things you notice. Do not get me wrong, I still like the demo; however I still wish it was in Beta.

Let me clarify that. I hope they listen to the feedback and act on it. They are still some surprising things that are lacking in the game, whether through bad design or just plain not putting it in. Here is a list I have constructed that makes me sound like a whiney *female dog*:

Squads: Some many people have been completing about squads, and I am inclined to agree. I am not too fussed about the four player cap, however where is the ability to change squads or create a squad, or even talk outside the squad. I got stuck with a non-English speaking team, which did not work at all. Another complaint is that teams created in the lobby, get spilt up, sometimes into different teams.

Stats: When you want your stats, you usually are able to find them easily (and in get detail.) That has been a staple of Battlefield games from the very beginning, and it sounds like they are going to implement an online service, similar to Halo 3s. However, when you have a menu option that said state, you do not expect the only option to be a leaderboard.

Ranking issues: This is just a minor one, however when I ranked up to level 3, I did not get a credit. I did not mind too much for the demo, however if there is 25 unlocks and 25 level, missing a unlock is not going to go out well at all.

Spiriting: Infinity spiriting is just a pain. Trying to knife someone is almost damn imposable; if they are run, as they do not stop.

Vehicle controls: Please give me a few more options. The default controls feel awfully weird.

I could go on, however that would just be idiot. I do not usually express such concern over a game, however it does so much right, and these faults are glaring. I do not mind bad game design. I am one of those suckers that like Assassin's Creed. However, when the design flaw is the difference between win and losing, it starts to grind a bit. DICE has been very good about patching battlefield games in the past, lets see if they do it again.

Feel free to post this on the EA demo feedback board. I would, however my EA account is not working for some reason.

Let us get this straight, Battlefield 2 is one of my all time most played games, I think people are morons for dismissing EA just for being EA and I think more games should have more destructible... everything!

That being said, it should come as no great shock that I enjoyed the Battlefield: Bad Company demo a lot. It is a game littered with great design decisions, such as respawning (as apposed to restarting,) your AI buddy not being as thick as concrete and now they instantly appear in the vehicle when you get in. The multiplayer is also a blast, with trees falling over, desperate runs through smoky ruins and an excellent rank system.

However there are some features that DICE has not included, so of which are quite glaring. The squad system seems to be crazy in assuming that you need one. Not only does it seem to auto assign you into one, i cannot seem to be able to control who with. Maybe I missed something; however I thought half the fun of these games was you getting a bunch of friends that work well together, and have fun. Maybe I have missed this somewhere (in a menu system,) however the d-pad doesn't do anything. Why not uses that for controlling squads?

This, unfortunately, is not the biggest problem of the moment. The demo suffers from incredible latency issues which, in the most extreme case, make the game almost unplayable. It has also lend be to have some connection problems as well.

On the flip side, this was the first day of the demo, and I hear it was just fine for pre-order demoers, so I'm putting off any judgement about how ineffective that damn assault rifle is until these issues are ironed out.

This issues aside, Battlefield: Bad Company get so many things right that it never stops being enjoy to play. Graphically, the game is awesome, with some great set pieces. The front interface is clean and smooth, with some very appropriate music. The humour and characters, whilst sometimes stiff, make for some fun stuff. And the control set up is great (for shooting, not for vehicles... o no,) even if crouching with the right analogue does feel weird.

As you can tell, I'm finding the demo to be fun. Hopefully issues with subside, and that squad thing should be address (even though I have a feeling I'm stuck with it.) Beneath all this, there is a great game. I would ask that for people to remember that it is DICE developing this, not EA. EA may have acquitted them however this is still a DICE development team. Let's remember to hold developers accountable for mess ups, not the publishers/ owners. So, for those who wish to join me in the demo: 'Welcome to the Sandbox'

It has been decided that a purchase of Rock Band is necessary. People in America may see this as old news; however it has only just come out in Britain. I'm not happy about that insane price tag; however playing a demo in my local Virgin Megastore (or whatever it is called now) changed my mind on the deal.

Plus, I'm hopefully going to University soon, so it should prove me a bit popular... right?

P.S. Finished GTA. No deal ending: I heard it is the less harsh of the two, however what a slap to the face.

Tor very kindly read out my e-mail. It all about how GTA will kill you went you aren't looking at it. It around 54 mintues in, you wouldn't miss it! Cheers Tor!