Pretty patronising to say swapping "free-to-play" for another name will fool anyone. I also don't think it's true that everyone associates F2P with low production values or quality - look at Blacklight: Retribution, Team Fortress 2, Dota 2 etc... all F2P, all popular, all of comparable quality to premium AAAs.

I reckon that however tempted devs may get to offer F2P and microtransactions there will always be enough people willing to pay a one-off fee for a fully-featured premium game to keep that business model going (and I certainly hope so) - there's enough anecdotal evidence of that in the comments on this video.

Basically, I think this guy from Avalanche is wrong.

Kinda gutted about C&C but let's be honest the series has been in freefall since C&C3, and IMO there hasn't been a really good one that wasn't made by Westwood. Maybe it's for the best.

@hekifier Pretty extreme; this is nothing like an annualised CoD release with bimonthly DLC or map packs. What exactly is being forced on you and how?

@LordCrash88 I dunno, I agree some gamers who take a lot of pride in their hobby throw "casual" around like an insult, but when not being used divisively these terms capture helpful distinctions in gamers' tastes.

I have mates who basically only get the latest iterations of CoD and FIFA, whereas I'm happy to buy into new franchises, dip into the indie scene, keep up with gaming news and experiment with new genres. They're casual, I'm hardcore, and as categories those terms are useful to developers and marketers when determining their target audience.

Side note: hardcore players assuming CoD is trying to appeal to them explains why there's so much CoD-hate on message boards like this. I think IW are right when they say a ton of their customers are casual. This also explains why the series doesn't innovate (much).

@RedLegZeff @VR_Verdugo @rsj2 Yeah absolutely. It's also ironic if they think this confidence is good for their image, as if gamers are going to be convinced by their own self-belief. Instead it just makes them look either clueless or arrogant.

I should add that I say this not out of anti-MS sentiment, just out of concern that ALL the next-gen consoles should be as good as possible. I hope MS get it right.

Pretty bullish by MS thinking the Steam Machines won't be a threat. With Nintendo not contesting the hardcore console market as of the Wii, MS losing goodwill with the XB1 launch and Sony about to require PS Plus subscriptions for PS4 online play, I'm sure console gamers are disillusioned enough to at least look into an alternative. Even if that weren't the case, the controller looks interesting, the machines will come with specs and prices to suit all budgets, and the Steam ecosystem is great.

I'm not saying either PS4 or XB1 will suck (I plan on getting one of them), but I bet Steam Machines will take at least some of their customers away. Phil Harrison *should* feel threatened, as should Sony.

The biggest puzzler for me on this game is why some people think the combat is tedious and others think it's amazing - people really seem split down the middle, and Tom and Kevin's different reviews are representative of that.

I'm in the latter camp, by the way - I think the humdrum weapons and bullet sponge enemies are more than made up for by vigor combinations, different gear loadouts and skylines. Combat in Infinite is exciting and unique, and I say that as a shooter fan with a lot of experience.

Can someone who disagrees explain it to me?

I agree, and respect to David Cage, with all sincerity. That said, his problem is there are too many other games that appeal to me more than Beyond, curious as I am to see what he's done, so it just slips down my list of priorities. I doubt I'll get round to it.

Sad to say, but risk-takers will probably always struggle so long as there are AAA developers catering to established tastes. And I don't just mean annualised barely-innovative franchises like CoD and BF - I mean the semi-innovative ones like Titanfall and Watch Dogs that take familiar genres but mix them up with new ideas.

@dmastor I tried the PS4 controller at Eurogamer, it was actually brilliant. I know a lot of people thought the X360 controller was way better than the DualShock3, but the gap is closing next gen. This is great news.

@diskotheque I played the first two before feeling like I'd seen enough. It sounds like I was about right (though maybe Brotherhood is worth a go). Pick up one of the first three if you have some spare time and money, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Sweet avatar BTW. Stoked to hear there's a new Deus Ex coming.