So what is happening out there?
Well, not a lot to be honest.
The most popular game for the Hussars at the moment is still Battlefield 3, although some have drifted off in favour of other games, including the meme-generating epic Skyrim and the latest harder than hardcore flight sim from DCS – A-10.

Mostly we appear to be in a “slow news” period -
We are still waiting for DICE’s “huge patch” for BF3, which was originally supposed to be released by now but seems to include a vast number of welcome tweaks and changes.

We are still waiting for DICE/EA’s announcement about the next BF3 content.

We are STILL waiting for Relic/THQ to make an announcement about the next Company of Heroes game.

From a single player point of view we are waiting for Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3 and (finally after two years) the PC version of  Alan Wake.

Still, as I still haven’t managed to get Skyrim I can’t really complain.

Hopefully this year we can get some solid multiplayer gaming time as well.

Starting on a sombre note, today (3rd January) is also the day we remember the untimely death of XDC’s Mugworth, an avid driver in the Hussars Cup Challenge. XDC have proposed a mark if respect in their BF3 server tonight, with a minute of silence for the lost clan mate.

Anyway, wherever you are and however you are celebrating the festivities, have a great time and keep in touch with your families, whether close, extended or virtual.

It is also a good time to remember the real Hussars and other soldiers and sailors currently serving in postings away from their families. Raise a glass for them and wish them a safe and speedy return to their loved ones.

Huzzah!

All times are UK (GMT):
19:50 – SPACE MARINE: – Gathering in a private server for screenshots and chainswords at dawn
20:45 – BAD COMPANY 2 – Hussars Big Friendly Gerbil BBC2 server for a last blast (passworded).
21:30 – RACE07 – “Cat & Mouse” at Monaco - Monaco Cat and Mouse server (passworded).
22:20 – BATTLEFIELD 3 – Hussars Big Friendly Duck BF3 server (passworded) for some Hussars style gaming blunders and vehicle races.

For password details, please see our forum or join us on Teamspeak.

If there is one thing that makes no sense and encourages piracy, it is having different release dates for entertainment media in different countries. Whether films, videos games or music, it makes no sense to stagger the release dates.

Traditionally the retail industry is cited as being the cause (in the case of video games), so that in America, games are released on a Tuesday, whereas in the U.K. they are released on a Friday. That is all very well except there are two things that show this to be obfuscation, particularly in the case of Battlefield 3 (SHAME ON YOU EA):

1. It clearly has nothing to do with retail distribution. Look at the countries involved on the first release day (25th October): South America, West Indies, most of Asia, Russia and her neighbours, the far east – oh yes and the U.S.A. and Canada.  Then a two day gap after which Australasia, Antarctica(?), most of Europe and the Middle East are added. Then on Friday, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom finally stagger in, with Japan trailing last next Wednesday. Huh?

2. Even if there is a logical reason for this staggered distribution, WHY DOES SOMEONE WHO PURCHASES A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD STILL HAVE TO WAIT?

Pah. Anyway, just two more days before those of us in the U.K. are allowed to start catching up.

Having played it a fair amount now, I have to say it is fantastic and certainly brings back memories of earlier Battlefield games. The frantic pushes to the command points, even more frantic defences of the same and the constant noise of aircraft buzzing through the skies really stirs up the old memories.

Interestingly, this map was released to test the performance with 64-player servers and so far that seems to be rather poor – many RSPs have dropped the servers back to 32 players because the game is far too laggy otherwise.

Yes, grab yourself a download of that annoying Origin thingy and fire up the single BF3 map available.

Sadly, in a nod to the CoD and BC2 crowd, they are showcasing the beta with a Rush map (and not a huge one) called Operation Metro. Although this is a good map (once you get past the choke point of the tunnel entrance) it doesn’t really show off the potential of BF3 – which is large scale conquest with vehicles.

Still, it is a good taster for what BF3 will feel like and personally I really like it.

What I like less is the layered applications they have used to let you get to the game – Origin itself which is an online store, game library/validator and in-game overlay (like Steam); battlog (or battleface as we have taken to calling this combination of server browser and facebook functionality), which requires a different friends list to Origin and manages the game lobby, stats pages and server browser, then finally there is the game itself.

Online is a blast (if you’ll excuse the pun) but is also incredibly unforgiving – starting off as a fledgling player and immediately being pitted against players of level 30-41 can be off-putting, although the ability to copy (replicate) the load-out of the person who just killed you does help in some regards as it allows you to access weapons and perks before you have unlocked them.
Still, expect to die a lot before you start getting the hang for what works and what doesn’t.

The Hussars have already started playing with the customisation tools and we are getting settled on a Hussars Chapter look.

But not only that, it looks to be an expensive month or so because of the number of very interesting PC games, many of which could be very big from a Clan multi-player perspective. Want a reminder? Here goes:

RECENT RELEASES:
Deus Ex Human Revolution (single player)
Crysis 2 (reduced price)
The Witcher 2 (single player)

Coming in September
[ 9th] Warhammer 40K: Space Marine
[ 9th] Dead Island
[16th] Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
[16th] Men of War: Vietnam
[30th] Driver: San Francisco

Coming in October
[ 7th] RAGE
[21st] Batman: Arkham City (single player)
[28th] Battlefield 3

.

MW3 promises lots of things that look flashier, more action packed and containing more explosions than the latest Transformers movie. But just like that same film, you have to look back at its predecessors and shake your head sadly at what could have been and what it became.

With extremely stiff competition from the PC-focused Battlefield 3, will PC gamers chance their arm once again on a franchise that is clearly console-focused?
Will the new campaign settings of England, France and Germany be enough to hook us?

Something to ponder anyway.