By Graham Osborne

On Tuesday, Microsoft called a press gathering to announce their new fighter in the console wars. The Xbox… One? I thought that was the first Xbox, what do I call that one now? Ah well, names aside; let’s move on to the rest of the machine.

We’ll start with the tech specs. The Xbox One is going to have an 8 core CPU and 8GB of RAM along with three operating systems. This is pretty standard for a gaming PC nowadays, so it makes sense, especially seeing as the PS4 is doing something very similar. It should also be mentioned that the three operating systems are to ensure a smooth running system; one system will play games, one will run Windows and Internet Explorer and the final system will link the two, so you can switch between them. This will all be voice activated, and you can play a game whilst it’s downloading. The Xbox will also feature a Blu-Ray drive, have wi-fi connectivity (unsurprisingly), and have a 500GB internal hard drive, though expect it to get an upgrade after it’s been out for a couple of years. The Xbox One will also have USB 3.0 and HDMI in and out ports. Finally, all Xbox Ones will come with Kinect 2.0, which has been upgraded to read your face and tell whether you’re smiling or frowning, and work out if you’re enjoying the game or not.

By Jamie Kennett

To quote the Dude, “new s*** has come to light!” With the three trailers Rockstar released last week, covered by yours truly here, and the number of articles that have begun springing up all over our rivals’ sites since then, I’ve managed to obtain a pretty good idea* of what GTA V itself is all about. This is no longer what we expect to be in the game; this is what we know is in the game. Let’s start with the map itself.

*I use those words lightly; I’m a walking encyclopaedia of GTA.

By Christopher Money

These are the words that light up the screen in great blue and pink glowing letters. There are few games that make me say “This is gonna be awesome,” before it’s even started properly. When you start from the main screen, you’re treated to a beautiful, awful cutscene lovingly rendered in 2D, replete with cheesy, over-acted voiceovers and tense, dramatic 80’s backing music. But the game itself is rendered in full next-gen graphics and the combination is brilliant.

By Christopher Money

We’re two days into May and already seeing some good releases on everyone’s favourite PC games platform. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon originally premiered on April 1st, leading everyone to believe it was a hoax. Shortly afterwards, though, we found out it wasn’t, and it was released May 1st.  Stunning game, full of neon, lasers and 80s pumping synthrock. May 1st also saw the much-awaited PC release of FEZ, the game about the small 2D gentleman in a fez who traverses a 3D plane solving mysteries.  2D characters in 3D environments have often been explored, but not at this level. The puzzles in FEZ range from simple to nothing short of maniacal; one required the combined forces of the internet to simply ‘brute force’ a solution through trying every possible combination of moves – though that might be better phrased as an obstruction than a puzzle. Still, worth looking into.

By Josh Crooks

At the tender age of eleven, the original Call of Duty (2003) was released to the general public and was widely regarded as the best of the WW2 genre, doing better in one game than Medal of Honour had done in several. Suffice to say I loved it, as being raised on the PlayStation I had suffered the worst (and the best) of the inferior series so it was interesting to see somebody finally get it right. Now it wasn't until very recently that I have been as blessed in the 'PC hardware' department as I was in 2003, so when Infinity Ward released Call of Duty 2 (2005) two years later the title passed me by. In fact, the only impact the series had on me between 2003 and 2007 was that of the knock off titles the company released for the X-Box, which I purchased in the hope of recapturing former glory. 

By Jamie Kennett

In my last update on GTA V, I said there would be “more to come [this] week”. Well, it turns out I was right; yesterday Rockstar Games released three trailers in one go! Each depicting one of the playable characters from the new instalment (Michael, Trevor, and Franklin), the trailers give us another massive insight into the world of GTA V-era Los Santos and a further taste of some of things we’ll be experiencing as the three protagonists. Now, some people don’t care about the characters themselves. For some people all they care about is whether or not they can drive 100mph down a busy sidewalk and not get blood all up the front of their shiny new Aston. For me, however, the characters come first. So if you’re like me, you’ll want to read on.