Zombie, run! 5k Review

Early 2007, I think. Yeah, early 2007; the last time I did any real cardio and the last time I was in P.E class. To say I was fit then would be stretching the truth as far as possible. Sure, I dabbled with the gym in my first year of University and yeah, there have been occasions where I had to run, but try as I might I have not managed to make myself “fit” despite multiple attempts.

I’m pleased to announce to my unfit body and BigMac filled arteries that I have found my saving grace; a fitness plan, a compelling story and a game rolled into one: Zombie, Run! 5k.

Background

Zombie, run! was originally released after a successful kickstarter campaign as an app offering a story between your lady gaga songs, with the ability to build up a base using supplies you collected on your run avoiding zombies. Whilst it is claimed you can utilize this app without any running experience, the developers Six to Start released Zombie, run! 5k as a “couch to 5k” trainer for those in need of a little guidance.

The Facts

The app requires a few additional items to make it useful. Don’t sweat (yet), you just need some music stored on your phone (Android users can’t use Google Play Music or Spotify, likewise Apple can’t use Spotify either) and some headphones. The phone can make use of either the accelometer or GPS in order to determine your speed, so treadmill junkies are accommodated, but as an added bonus for GPS users, your runs are tracked and mapped according to the route you took.

As you imagine, this app is designed to build you to the point of been able to run 5k, so to progress you must complete workouts in a linear fashion.  After selecting the run, you are prompting to choose your music playlist to listen to and what method of tracking you want to use. After this simple step, you’re ready to go. Characters from the game-world introduce themselves and prompt you as to when to do your drills and when not to. The exercises were created by professionals, so you’re not following some randoms rubbish workout, and delivered to you with the idea of being completed 3 times a week. As the run takes place, your music is faded out for the delivery of instructions and story; you are also notified as to when the run is completed. However, if you feel like you have extra to give, you can carry on the run and it will be tracked.

After completing a run, it is logged on your phone as completed and the next run is made available. You are given the option of registering on the Zombie, run! website to use their run tracker. Here, you can view your route, day of completion, calories and other interesting information such as average pace and when/where you completed a section of the story. You can enable sharing of these runs, so your friends can give you a kick in the arse if you don’t do a run or share their congratulations with you when you do a good run.

The Opinion

As I mentioned in the blurb at the beginning, I was an unfit and unmotivated individual who couldn’t get fit. Zombie, Run! 5k interested me greatly as it combined a few elements that, in my brain anyway, seems like a fantastic idea; a story, a game and a way of getting fit. I’m so pleased to say that, as of writing, I have just completed my 1^st workout in Week 3 of the programme. Before undertaking the run, I commented to my significant other that the run looked half impossible and I’d struggle. 5.8Kms in 46 minutes later and I was tired but feeling fantastic; not once did I feel like giving up and I was majorly surprised at my new found stamina…at week 3!

To back up slightly, my first run extremely difficult. It was actually not part of the workout regimen, rather the introductory story-driven episode from the main app, ported over to give the user a bit of understanding of the game-world. I tried to run as much as I could during this, but the story was delivered after the music and my choices of 8 minute songs were…to say the least…foolish. The next day was hell; aches and pains in muscles I didn’t know existed as well as the inability to stand. But once the regime kicked in, the problems from my first run didn’t occur again. The delivery of instructions within music is fantastic, as one can just run and not worry about the length of song.

The story makes you smile or, when they suggest a zombie is behind you, does actually give you a bit of motivation to crack on a bit. The characters are interesting and you can sense there is a real story behind the people you meet that I can’t wait to flesh out once I’m finished with the regiment. A slight complaint would be that sometimes the voices are a bit quiet, but that could (and probably is) down to the quality of my headphones).

In terms of functionality, the app has worked brilliantly. Using GPS, it has successfully tracked all but one of my runs, with that run mapped wrongly. Co-incidentally, that occurred when I actually paused my run, so I suppose that was the culprit. The app has never crashed on me, and all my progress has been successfully saved. I have had trouble uploading my runs to the website, but it is fixed by just logging out and re-logging in. The app is very simple to use as well, which is always a plus! There is no base building in this app which is a big downer for me, as I’m a sucker for this sort of stuff, but as it is training you to actually do missions for the base, I can see why this was done. Heck, more motivation to use the main app!

Referring back to uploading of the runs to the website, it is a great feature that has had me looking at my runs and picking out points where I can pick up the pace. It also lets you see your average pace which is very nifty. I have made use of sharing my runs with selected people and it’s a very nice feature and another motivator.

The Final Verdict

A common word I've used is “motivator”. And if this lazy writer is using that word, then it must be a damn good motivator. I’m not ready to run marathons, or even 5km, but with this app I have the best chance to. The biggest piece of praise I can give is that I wish I had found this app earlier in life; I really feel that it is going to improve my health, fitness and make it enjoyable. I’m only on week 3, but even getting to that stage is a fantastic testament to this app and I really hope that anyone who needs to get fit will give this a chance.

As a side note, I am considering blogging about my running experience, so for those on the bench about buying this app, I might convince you yet!

Zombie, Run! 5K is available on Android 4.0 & iOS. 

Football Manager 2014: 5 additions to make it amazing

I type this blog post as the most successful manager Inter Milan has ever had. No really, 5 Champions League trophies, 7 Seire A and bucket loads of meaningless trophies were brought to the Giuseppe Meazza under my guidance. It is with this fantastic and utterly ridiculous record as the manager of the Nerazzurri that got me thinking; what is it that Sports Interactive need to add to FM 14 to get me to put down money for their next title and not have me manage Inter until I'm 90. Henceforth, my brains output:

1. Improved Media Interaction

How many people go to every Press Conference that is thrown at them? I actually go to the majority, and the lack of variation in the questions along with the restrict answers you can give really do suck. Indeed, you can add additional comments, but unfortunately me calling Conte a Cunt never seems to be picked up by the gathering of vultures. It is obviously difficult to encode a level of interaction beyond what SI have already done, but I feel that leaving the Media Interaction as it is would be a terrible mistake. It's currently bland, unimportant and a chore. 

Ways to improve, you ask? Well, Sports Interactive seem to enjoy integrating Twitter and Facebook to FM, how about your players Tweeting things they shouldn't, perhaps with the option of allowing these tweets to appear organically through your connected account. That would be quite a novel feature. Having players speak out a bit more, with these going to your news feed with the option to comment on what they are saying would be great; gives them some personality! Finally, how about the game can make some logical deductions about the words your putting in the additional comment section. Surely, the game can pick out "Conte" and refer it to the manager, and "Cunt" as a swear word and have the media shocked by my horrific language? 

2. Managerial Progression

New game, pick past experience and club; boom. Off you go. It's lovely that you can do this, and heck, you can choose to be unemployed and Joe Public and see if you can't end up managing Manchester United one day. However, you are always restricted to managing the first team. How about we spice things up and allow you to learn the ropes as a Youth Team or Reserve manager. Hear me out.

So you make a new game and choose your past experience. No club. Your greeted with the job screen and Swansea have a vacancy going in their U19s as the Manager. You apply and get greeted with a response saying you've been offered the job. Bravo! Now, this is where it gets interesting. Your managerial stats are poor, and you can be sent off for your coaching degrees. Whilst you are earning them, you are given the objective of winning the U19 league. Alongside this, you can recommend players from your youth team to the manager, as well as players you play against, to help you progress through the club. A couple of coaching degrees with a good finish in the U19 League could see you moving to another club, or progressing up to Assistant Manager of the main team. Same job, but you also manage the reserves and could perhaps suggest  formations/pick the teams of the main squad. And when he gets the sack...win a couple of matches as the care taker boss and get the main job. Or drop down a league and finally get your managerial hands wet. 

I think that would be awesome.

3. Job Interviews

Yep. No more applying and getting told you got the job of laughed at. The idea occurred to me when I read that Brenden Rodgers produced some massive dossier outlining his plan for Liverpool. Now, I'm not asking for the player to write a 200 page report on how hes going to be the one Chelsea manager that lasts longer then 2 years. Here is what I'm thinking.

You get told you have an interview. When you go in, you have a little bit of information about the chairman/board. What kind of Willingness, Commitment to the Club etc. Think the agents rating for their stuff, but apply it to fundamental concepts of club ownership. So, they ask you about how things went at previous jobs. What you did when a player got sent off. Things like that. They also say where they think the club is, and you can choose options agreeing of saying they are too optimistic/pessimistic. You can say you can take them further. Win the League in 2 seasons. When they interview is over, you sit on your toes and wait and see. If you don't get it, they tell you why but if you get it, and you promised the league, it tides over... 

4. Improve the match engine

I'm sick and tired of my defenders passing around to each other and the poacher pops in and scores. Or the 10 crosses 10 goals crap.

5. Steam Workshop Integration

Nothing against the sites that offer fantastic mods. I feel that, with Steam being compulsory, SI could take the system for adding modifications to the game that Steam offers and add it to FM14. For the user, it means no longer googling for the correct names, kits etc and having it all one click away in the Workshop. Whilst is is by no means critical, this little touch would probably improve quite a few FM players lives.

Conclusion

So there you have it. 5 things I have thought of that, if added to FM14, would really improve the base game for me and probably make it so I lose my job, GF and life. I don't think they are too optimistic of ideas, and hopefully I'm not going into too much of a simulation mode here, but the level of immersion would be fantastic. Leave a comment or pop a PM on CM forums if you got anything to say and thanks for reading!

The Curious Case of John Terry

John Terry retired from England duty on Sunday, overall I feel this is a good thing and I'm going to try and explain why.

Firstly, Terry was a great defender for England. He was also a great leader for England. The keywords in these two sentences are "was". Throughout his 8 year international career he has performed honourably whilst wearing the "Three Lions", he has performed with a passion that very few have shown over the past few years. He has been a leader for a team that has lacked leadership both on the field and off it; although sometimes, like everything he done off the field, he crossed a line. Terry's defensive abilities also shone on the field, along with his willingness to put himself where others wouldn't, and his defensive leadership have helped out England to achieve more than they should have. Terry formed a great defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand that continued on from Rio's pairing with Sol Campbell. The two's individual attributes complimented each other, and for the past 8 years it would hard to argue against selecting them as the first choice pairing for England. For all of Terry's positives, there were negatives. His biggest flaw (on the pitch) was his lack of pace, and now as he cruises past the age of 31 it's going to be shown up even more at international level.

Age is a key factor in why I believe him retiring is a good thing. England have a talent group of defenders coming through and I believe Terry (and Rio Ferdinand) are now surplus to requirement. After the disasters of previous World Cup and European Championship campaigns, it is time for England to slowly remove the old "golden generation" and allow the younger players to take over. With Joleon Lescott, England have an experienced defender with no past history who can steady the ship for the likes of Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Steven Caulker to take over. I also believe this process needs to happen across the rest of the team, with Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard making way for their younger counterparts, however this is a story for another time.

Now, let's get on to the dirty off field shenanigans of Terry, the reasons why Terry shouldn't be part of the England set-up outside his declining ability.

Terry has been twice stripped of the England captaincy. That, to me, is enough to show that he shouldn't be part of the team any longer. The reasons behind him losing the captaincy are fair enough, and are something that the England captain should not be involved in. Sleeping with an ex-teammates ex-girlfriend and making racist comments towards another footballer on the pitch are not the behaviour of a role model. The fact he's trying to make himself look like the victim is also disgusting. The magistrates court and the FA are two different entities. It's only right that he is getting punished by the FA despite being found not guilty at court, in a trial that should have never been considered. A large fine and a several match ban, plus put on a "black list" for England selection where he wouldn't have been called up for 6 months or so, would have been enough for me. However, this won't happen... it's logical and the FA doesn't do logic.

In the end Terry has made himself look like a victim and people have bought it. It's a disgusting way to end his England career, but good riddance to you. The England team will be better for his loss, despite what people will try and claim.

Best XI - A Different Take

These "Best XI" teams pop up all the time, usually they contain the same players who are proclaimed to be the "best" players in the world. I thought I'd create one, and have challenged Herby to do the same, made entirely of our favourite English Premier League players from the past 10 years, so from the 2002/03 season onwards. This is going to be quite difficult.

The Team

I'm setting my team out in a simple 4-4-2 formation; I may be using some sort of loophole for some of my picks, but as I said, it's a team made of my favourite players. So it'll pass, right?


GK - Kelvin Davis
Sunderland (2005/06), Southampton (2012/13)

I haven't picked Davis on his merits playing for Sunderland and Southampton in the EPL, but for the 2 years he had in Ipswich. He was brilliant for us, easily our best keeper since a young Richard Wright picked up his ears and left for the bright lights of cup games for Arsenal.

He joined us in 2003 and won the 'Championship Goalkeeper of the Year' award while helping us achieve the play-offs where we would lose to West Ham. Things went downhill for us from there, and he left after one more season and has struggled to be replaced ever since. Thanks for the good times, Kelvin. Good luck in avoiding relegation this year with Southampton, you're a class keeper.


RB - Danny Mills
Leeds United (1999-2003), Middlesbrough (2003/04), Manchester City (2004-07)

This may be a strange selection to some, but "Sir" Danny Mills has a special place in my heart thanks to a certain videogame.

Spending hours playing 'Pro Evolution Soccer' on the PS2 after school with my mate, we always had the problem of having Gary Neville being the first choice right back for England. One day we decided to risk it and go with Mills instead, what a brilliant decision that turned out to be. He was there making tackles, winning the ball, causing trouble for everyone. After such a Man of the Match performance he was first choice in every team I ever played with on PES. Only right that he's first choice in this team.

CB - Sol Campbell
Tottenham Hotspur (1992-2001), Arsenal (2001-06, 2009-10), Portsmouth (2006-09), Newcastle (2010-11)

He was a class defender for England for years, robbed of his first goal for his country on a couple of occasions. His reaction everytime he thought he had scored wreaked of passion, something that current England players seem to lack.

He was class for Tottenham and for Arsenal. He had the ability to back up his passion, determination and leadership. One of the best English centre-backs of all time, probably one of my favourite defenders of all-time.

CB - Hermann Hreidarsson
Ipswich Town (2000-02), Charlton Athletic (2003-07), Portsmouth (2007-10)

Your typical Scandinavian defender.

Large, stronger, awesome.

He was great for Ipswich, he was loved by everyone. It was a shame to see him move on after our relegation and subsequent failure to get back to the big league. Whenever he scores for my team he can jump in the crowd, I'll even cover the fine he'll get for it.



LB - John Arne Riise
Liverpool (2001-08), Fulham (2011-13)

Left back was a difficult position to fill, as there haven't been many ones that I've liked over the years.

Ashley Cole was an option to start, despite him being a censored, his performances for England over the years have been great.

Riise, though. Another Scandinavian being awesome. Amazing left foot, runs all day, amazing left foot, pretty competent defender, amazing left foot. That just about sums it up. He'll form a great partnership with Hermann, I shall call them the "Awesome left-footed Scandinavians", or something a bit more catchier.

RM - David Beckham
Manchester United (1994-2003)

This was one of the easier selections I had to make.

Whenever I played football with friends when I was growing up, we always pretended we were a player. Something I'm sure a lot of you done. Beckham was close to top of the list for me. Sure he messed up a lot and played for Manchester United, but I don't hold that against him. Easily one of the best players I've had the luck of seeing play, on TV and in real life. He had to be first choice to fill this right midfield role, no doubt about that.

CM - Xabi Alonso
Liverpool (2004-09)

He is so damn sexy.

Also, he's a great footballer.

But... look at him.




CM - Jimmy Bullard
Wigan Athletic (2004-06), Fulham (2006-09), Hull City (2009-10)

A quick YouTube search will give you the real reason I've put Bullard in this team. It's always a great sight to see a player out there on the pitch enjoying themselves and having a laugh.

A side reason for his addition would be the loan spell he had at Ipswich at the end of the 2011 season. He was so great that he won the Player of the Year award for us, his subsequent permanent move didn't work out so well, but those 6 months were great. Shame injury plighted such a good footballer's career.

LM - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Arsenal (2011-13)

This might be a strange choice to many of you, given how little time "The Ox" has spent in the EPL. Let me explain myself.

When he broke into the Arsenal team in the middle of last season, I was more than impressed. He possess all the attributes a great footballer needs. He's strong, quick, has a great touch and great technique; he's also at probably the best place to be developed into a top quality footballer. I'm going to enjoy watching him progress for Arsenal and England, there's a lot more to come from him.

ST - Dennis Bergkamp
Arsenal (1995-2006)

He may have only scored 131 goals in his 11 years spent in England, but every single one of them was awesome.

I dreamed of being a player like he was, that touch, that technique, that being afraid of flying.

His goal against Newcastle would be my favourite goal of all-time if it wasn't for his goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.

The best foreign player to grace the Premier League? For me, no doubt about it. Not even my final choice surpasses him.

ST - Thierry Henry
Arsenal (1999-2007, 2012)

I once found out that somebody had uploaded every single of Henry's Arsenal goals up to YouTube. Needless to say I spent 40 minutes watching them all. There were some special goals amongst them.

Thierry Henry only ever scored special goals.

In his prime there was not a better goal scorer on the planet. Despite being French, one of my favourite players ever.

Substitutes

GK - Brad Friedel 
Liverpool (1997-2000), Blackburn (2001-08), Aston Villa (2008-11), Tottenham Hotspur (2011-13)

There is a law that states to be an American goalkeeper you have to be bald. Brad Friedel does this very well. He also does the goalkeeping stuff very well too. He also does the not missing a league game thing very, very well too. If I was to create a team in 10 years time, I'm sure Friedel would still be playing every game and still be hopeful of selection.

D  - Thomas Vermaelen
Arsenal (2009-13)

He may not be the best defender in the world, but I enjoy watching him play. The way he bombs forward, he 's a useful force attacking as well. Hope to see him lead Arsenal for many more years.

D  - Ashley Cole
Arsenal (1999-2006), Chelsea (2006-13)

As I said, him being a censored ruled him out of starting, but he still makes the bench for his performances for both club and country. Shame about the personality.

M  - Jack Wilshere
Arsenal (2008-13)

Another young English player in amongst my favourites? Wilshere is going to be a class act though, you could see it in his first full season at Arsenal. High hopes for him.

M  - Juninho Paulista
Middlesbrough (1999-2000, 2002-05)

He just sneaks into the guidelines, but he's worthy of a place. The Teeside Twinkle Toes was a joy to watch in his brief spell in the North-East.

ST -  Gianfranco Zola
Chelsea (1996-2003)

Sticking with the short players who just make it past the guidelines, we have this man. Zola was such a pleasure to watch, and so was that goal against Norwich.

ST - Marcus Stewart
Ipswich Town (2000-02), Sunderland (2002-03)

This is another homer pick, and it's for the 2001-02 season, which falls outside our guidelines but he makes them because he played for a couple more years afterwards. In the 01-02 season, Stewart ended the year being the highest English goalscorer in the league. Ipswich finished 5th thanks to his efforts. He deserves this place based on that alone.



So there we have it. A team made up of my favourite players who have played in the Premier League in the past 10 years.

BF3 Ultimate Squad - Part 2

This is the second in a series of five blog posts specifying, what I believe to be, the best combination of classes for a four man squad. Whilst the Battlefield is most certainly a fluid, living system requiring at certain points direct modification of behaviour to counter a specific threat, it is my belief that the following squad can counter most – if not all – threats. Click here to view myfirst blog.

My second pick for the ultimate squad is the Engineer class.

Title: Anti-Tank Engineer

Weapon: Carbine

Side Arm: Silenced

Gadget 1: RPG/SMAW

Gadget 2: Mines

Squad Perk: Explosives

Reason: I believe, apart from Metro, every map in BF3 has some form of Armoured Vehicle. It should come as no surprise then that for a squad to be successful and self-sufficient that an Engineer is needed with Anti-Tank capabilities. RPG/SMAW, when utilised effectively, are superior to the Javelin and the Carbine is almost, if not equally effective as an assault rifle. All together it makes the most single handedly destructive soldier and henceforth I'll break down the mentality/abilities.

As with all classes, PDW/Shotguns can be used with this class alongside the exclusive weapons of the class – in this case Carbines. In reality, you would pick your favourite gun from the list available to the Engineer, as you need to be comfortable engaging infantry. Utilising a suppressor is an option, however, the firepower of the Carbines alongside a Recon already favouring Stealth means that it isn't a necessity. The player should travel with the rest of the squad and provide backup when needed.

RPG/SMAW is chosen over the Javelin for a few good reasons. The most obvious one is that Tanks/IFVs can utilise smoke, rendering the Javelin all but useless. Of course, not every Tank/IFV will run smoke, but it is of my belief that any player using an Armoured Vehicle should run Smoke, so it would be against logic to advise Javelins for their disposal. I have verified it myself that it takes 2 in the rear, 4 from the side to destroy a Tank, with a similar amount for IFVs. Utilising these facts for disposing of Tanks/IFVs will leave you with rockets to spare and will be just as effective as a Javelin. Another reason to go against Javelin using is the sad fact that SOLFAMs are not common place on the Battlefield and that smart tank drivers can use buildings as cover.

When an armoured vehicle appears, every effort should be taken to flank said vehicle in order to maximise damage. Moving with another member of the squad, preferably with a suppressed gun, the 2 man team should move to the rear of the vehicle before engaging. Once the initial shot is fired, assessment of the situation should be made so as to engage the vehicle again from the rear or side. With support from the second soldier, it should be possible to remove the vehicle with minimal team losses.

I have picked Mines for Gadget 2. Clever, concealed mines can hugely benefit the team and help rid the Battlefield of enemy vehicles. Since mines don't disappear after death, the Engineer can place and forget. It is of my opinion that mines should be placed in areas that are hard to see when driving, such as a slope or inside a crater, as a mine in the open will easily be seen by many vehicle drivers.

Finally, the squad perk I have chosen is Explosion, for obvious reasons. Double the amount of RPGs/Mines seriously benefits yourself and allows you to be less dependent on ammo resupplies. 

In conclusion, the Anti-Tank engineer has a well earned position inside the ultimate squad. Providing Anti-Tank capabilities, the player can engage and destroy enemy armour whilst the rest of the squad provides backup/diversions. Mines allow a place-and-forget attitude to destroying armour elsewhere on the map and finally, the firepower of the Carbines allow engaging of infantry.

Visit again next week for discussion on the 3rd member of the ultimate squad.

Steams Big Picture; 2 Worlds Collide

When I blogged about my changing attitude to computers, I touched upon the fact that Steam were releasing Big Picture mode; a UI that turns the black and white difference between console and computer experience into a nice shade of grey. If you can get a nice shade of grey, I suppose. A few days ago, Big Picture was released into beta, with those who opt into Steams Beta option given the first public test of the feature. As one of those beta boys, I've played around with the experience and I hope to give you an insight as to how important this interface is.

Firstly, one might ask, is what's so interesting about a UI? Well, Steams Big Picture interface is optimised for television. What does that mean? Consider the regular Steam UI. Small text, drop down menus and a fairly cold experience – an interface you wouldn't put on your TV as you most likely wouldn't be able to read the text. Big Picture replaces the small text, drop down menu interface with chunky, square boxes more akin to Xbox360s interface; a solution far better adapted to the TV.

I'm going to take a stab in the dark here. You, the reader, might be thinking this; Why make a User Interface that is optimised for TV when I sit here, on my computer, looking at a monitor and play games with a mouse and keyboard? If that is what your thinking, then Steam has thought it too – the answer is that the Interface isn't just for Mouse and Keyboard – it's been designed for controllers.

More specifically, the Xbox360 controller. PS3 fans, don't worry,there is a way to get your controller to work with the interface. Connecting your controller to the computer while in Big Picture instantly replaces the keyboard instructions with controller buttons. The black and white picture is turning greyer. Big Picture, optimised for TV and navigated by console controller; almost like your on a console, no? Furthermore, many of the multiplatform games, that is games that appear on the 360 and PS3 alongside the PC, have controller support native to said game. Time to take this all for a test.

Once I got my PS3 controller paired to Windows, I plugged my heaterImeanlaptop into the TV by HDMI. With Steam loaded up and the window in front of me, I pressed the PS button. For a lack of a better word, boom! Steams new intro pops in (albeit, on may laptop, jittering). Rather instinctively, I navigate to my games collection and scroll past FM, Company of Heroes and such to the Limbo Demo; a game that was time-exclusive to the 360 and designed more-so with consoles in mind. Couple taps of X and Limbo loads up – no rectangle telling me its launching or pop up which would appear foreign in this interface. With Limbo loaded up, my controller is still working and operating the game. I hit the PS button once more, and I'm greeted with the Big Picture UI layered on Limbo. Back to the game, I sink 20 minutes into the demo before deciding to quit out. Right back to the Big Picture UI.

Although in Beta, the whole experience makes you forget your operating a computer. Big Picture has it's own web browser optimised for the controller, as well as the friend list easily accessible for chating with your fellow gamers. Steam have got around the whole difficulty typing messages by including a new type of keyboard to use with the controller; the daisywheel. From my experience, it compares to the PSPs keyboard, although circular and generally more easy and fast to use. The store is also included in Big Picture, allowing you to browse for games and even purchase – all optimised in the new UI.

There are, at this stage, obviously a few bugs. I've had a little bit of trouble getting the search function to work and I've had a couple of times a sound bug. However, these bugs will be highlighted and fixed. There is no word how long the beta will last but I fully expect that when they remove the “Beta” tag this new interface will be ready to stand up to, and possibily beat, consoles interfaces.

A console experience, on your PC. Games optimised for controllers, being launched by controllers though the UI of the biggest game store on the PC. All that's required is a PC that can play said games (easily achievable for less then £300) and a HDMI cable. The colour is well and truly grey now.

BF3 Ultimate Squad - Part 1

This is the first in a series of five blog posts specifying, what I believe to be, the best combination of classes for a four man squad. Whilst the Battlefield is most certainly a fluid, living system requiring at certain points direct modification of behaviour to counter a specific threat, it is my belief that the following squad can counter most – if not all – threats.

Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon. The four available soldier classes. With the ability to choose unlocks, different perks and gadgets – what is the best class for the squad of four to pick?

My first pick for the ultimate squad is the Recon class.

Title: Stealth Recon, Squad Leader

Weapon: Silenced PDW (UMP-45 Recommended)

Side Arm: Silenced

Gadget 1: T-UGS/MAV

Gadget 2: Spawn Becon

Squad Perk: Grenade

Reason: The Recon class should always be an integral part of a squad; although I believe it isn't being used as it should. Firstly, although sniping is one of the main draws of playing the Recon class, it should not be the main one. For my ultimate squad, the Recon should have the job of Squad Leader and be played with the perspective of being an advanced, stealthed soldier.

To expand on the last point, the Recon player shouldn't, and can't, be the killing machine. Many, if not all, Battlefield maps allow the player to slip behind the frontline to attack from a different angle. As a Stealthed player, utilising the Suppressed gun allows the player to choose his battles. Too often players break from what they were originally doing to go grab a kill. This isn't how the Recon player should play. Even with a suppresor, a big skull on the enemies radar alerts everyone in the vicinity that a death occurred and draws attention to the reason. Choosing not to engage in conflict, unless it is absolutely necessary, allows the player to place a Beacon down behind, or aside, the objective. Having a fixed, advanced spawn point allows continued assault from the rest of the squad from a different point – stretching the enemy and more often then not securing whatever the objective is.

Gadget 1 is left open to the player and depends on the map, game type and circumstance. In general, having the T-UGS is most often the preferred choice. T-UGS gives the player an extremely powerful tool in the enemy showing up on the radar. Having the drop on the enemy greatly improves your chances in any circumstance. If on an exposed map, such as the first MCOMM on Operation Metro, the player can communicate and guide the rest of the squad to the objective – an extremely powerful and underestimated option. Describing, guiding and alerting negates the missing firepower from the fourth soldier. I have not recommended the SOLFAM in this analysis – this is mostly because I believe the ability to know where the enemy is on the Battlefield is superior to the additional damage done by the Javelin.

In closing summary – Stealth, Forward placing Spawn Beacon and T-UGS. This turns a class often used to sit 500+ meters away from the Battlefield and being any use to the squad into a game changing soldier. Playing solo, I am able to drag a team that is stuck in the same bit of the map killing each other in the same place into an interesting battle, capturing flags and blowing up MCOMMS before the enemy can realise what's happening. Together with clan mates, it often leads to victory after victory.

Next Monday, I will give my verdict to the next class that a squad member should utilise. Check back on the 17th!

For those interested in my BF3 stats, click here