Justin Franklin

I love stealth. I love shooters. I love mystery. I love intrigue. I am 45, my "real" life, stems from one of Military. Joined the British Military in 97, Sniper, PWRR then attachment Sniper too 2Para. I served for over 15 years then in too the personal security sector. Now I say this, as my work was my passion, and also gaming was and is my passion. So with my background, naturally my go too games are Military shooters, Tactical shooters and such like. Now the MG series, I never really played if I'm honest. I tried the PS1 game, actually on base, and it was...... interesting, lol. Certainly not my sort of thing, and many on base found it boring. There were other entries that released, but at the time they were out, due out etc.... my life was one of Iraq, Afghan, Belize etc. If I wasn't on operations, I was in other countries training. But no matter where I was, family and friends would send out video game magazines and I kept up with what was new via the magazines. Now the Metal Gear series, I admit, after my disappointment of experiencing the first game, I was reading magazines of new Metal Gear games coming out, then the birth of YouTube and video previews, reviews of game, Metal Gear was one of the franchises that I promised myself, when I leave all my Military life behind, I'm gonna buy myself a bloody good gaming setup and play all the games in the series, whenever that might be. Well here we are in 2025.... My life is different, no more Military, no more personal security, I work from home, love gaming, have my gaming setup, and I have too say, Metal Gear games are among the biggest disappointments in my gaming life. They're slow, cumbersome, ridiculously cut scene heavy, too the point they make the Yakuza series look cut scene light. The game play is constant stop start. When I played Phantom Pain, although it does look fantastic, it's just so open, and so repetitive in terms of, you never really feel you're getting anywhere, and when you are in a rhythm, you're suddenly bombarded with yet another heavy cut scene. I so want too love these games, but they're just too mundane, especially when you consider other Military style, stealth, Tactical games on Console and PC.

It's funny when I read some reviews, and they say things like "I don't really get the lore of 40K or the game". Well if you don't get the lore, why buy the game? It isn't like there isn't a plethora of 40K books and online material to read and review. You're a space marine, a massive, bulky, slow, violent, angry, space marine. Your job, is too kill, and enjoy it. You're not gonna run around a massive open world, power sliding, dolphin diving, John Woo style, killing people. You are big, slow, angry and violent.... with massive weapons in a confined space, facing an enemy that are ruthless. The game is hard, the game is based on Space Hulk. Space Hulk was originally a fantastic table top game, with corridors, doors, objective points and enemies. Then they did the game Space Crusade on the Amiga 500, which was pretty much the same thing as the table top game. On early PC's and the PS1, that had the game Space Hulk, which was a first person view, and the game was hard as nails! It battered you!!!! But it was amazing, atmospheric, you needed to place your boys in overwatch because ANYTHING could come round the corner at ANY TIME, and tear your head off and you couldn't just mindlessly wander down a corridor and hope for the best, you needed to use your points, too think ahead of what might happen. Now Deathwing is just that! Claustrophobic, atmospheric, slow, corridors, objectives, killing..... in that order. It just shows that people buy games these days and they do not research, because people that are disappointed with this game, are people that thought it was something else, otherwise, if you knew what you were buying, you would not be disappointed, as its an engrossing, engaging and difficult game that delivers on its promise. The PS4/PS5 and SeriesX/S versions, are good, but they do have their performance issues at times. PC is the better way too experience it, it isn't flawless, but it's the best platform out the lot for this particular title. Also on Steam at the moment for a ridiculously cheap price.

Ahhhh this movie.... a time when you picked a movie in a video store based in its VHS cover. Great movie, great nostalgia.

At the moment, there are a lot of early access games out, GZW, AB, Arma Reforger, though its been out a while, its still early access. But gamers DON'T research, they buy games then moan that they're buggy, unfinished, not optimised. Now this game, is again.... a work in progress, early access..... But its GOOD! £14.99 here in the UK, and it is apparently PvP but mainly PvE, and I am good with that. The map, surroundings are great to explore and visually pleasing, the combat is gritty and engaging and its a slower paced but more full on experience than the others I mentioned. For the current state of the game and the very small £14.99 they ask, this is a no brainer, especially if you're a fan of military style games. GZW is a good game, it has potential, but it is TOO SLOW, even for a slower paced milsim..... the Bots in Gray Zone are either useless idiots that stand there and let you slot them, or they're suddenly elite troops that head shot you with an AR from half a mile away. GZW needs a lot of work, and for me..... there is no better way too pass the time than playing Incursion. I've just come off the back of a mission, where I had to infiltrate a compound, silently, get intel on another area, and I could have gone in all guns blazing, but it would have been suicide. Looking at the map, going up a hill, down the ravine, creating a distraction, slotting two guys silently, getting the Intel and then getting out of there, really felt good! And kept me wanting more. Well worth your time and money.

Technology.... or gaming Technology. It's a funny old thing. It seems that years ago, on less powerful hardware, we had games that were atmospheric, enjoyable, deep, great story, and we used too all think back then.... "Imagine how games will be in the future? They'll be amazing". Yet, what it seems like now, is though there are some rare new gems that are stand out games. On the whole, we have the PS5, SX, PC's of differing power and some with unbelievable specs, yet the games that are new are lacklustre, empty, shallow and just aren't worth your time. You see more and more people going back too older games or new games that are of the older style. For me, on a PC that's worth well over a grand, what am i playing? Star Trek Bridge commander (old) Broken Sword 2 and 3 (old) And Arx Fatalis..... says it all in 2024. Great game.

I'm sorry.... but just no. The whole ethos of the original road house, was you don't have too be huge too be a good fighter. Only fight when absolutely necessary. This film, though the fighting set pieces were good, was the total opposite of what the original was about. I'm 44, served over 10 years in the British Military from 97 to 07. Served 8 years working in the private security sector and done Martial Arts my entire life. Some of the best people I've worked with, ex Paras, ex 22Reg, were these small, "grey man" guys, that look like your average guy, but are trained to a level where it makes no difference of your size, they'll end you in seconds..... And Connors acting! Please. 3 stars for the fights.

This is just another classic example of Bandwagon hopping. The Outlast games.... the original. Did you people play that? I mean really? Because the original premise of Outlast and the way the game played, was genuinely eerie, genuinely uncomfortable. This is just not scary, it is not in any way a game that makes you think "what is round the corner", because EVERYTHING in it, telegraph's what is coming next. To make a game or movie scary, you need an atmosphere, a setting then the film or game too be running along at scare level 1..... then out of nowhere crank it up to 10 then back down again, keeping the audience and player on a roller coaster. But when you instantly start off at 10.... and the entire thing stays that way, it becomes the norm and not at all scary. Is it a bad game? No. But is it a 5 star must play scare fest? NO! Not at all. If people are playing this and genuinely getting scared, then you must have grown up watching very poor horror movies or poor horror games. Because what is here is well done..... but we've seen it all before. It's like on the level of Saw but in gaming terms. Fun, but by no means scary.