Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - I'm about two-thirds of the way through the game but will probably put it down for a bit now and pick up where I left off in Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - I've just completed the third chapter and will try to push through and complete it in the next day or two so I can start on Diablo IV.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch) - finally finished this. Way to much grinding for my taste and the final chapter didn't really respect my time with hundreds of repetitive combat encounters and fighting the final boss through multiple stages. I also found the combat, systems, and story overly convoluted. Happy to close the chapter on this one.
Half-Life (Steam) - have just got a Steam Deck and am catching up on classics I haven't played when I'm not losing my life in Balatro.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - have just completed the Suthsexe arc and all the collectables in the region. About to start heading north.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - have completed the second chapter with the flying things that get burned by light. Awesome stuff.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch) - have now finished the sixth chapter and still am totally confused by the plot. Think I'm nearing the home stretch.
Balatro (Steam) - the other games are suffering as I sink more time into this. Have won with the red and blue decks but still trying to win with yellow.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - am nearing the end of the Suthexe arc. Because I'm cleaning up every marker on the map as I go, I'm ridiculously over-levelled for the area.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - have never played a Gears game before and am enjoying this immensely.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (Switch) - completed the timeline yesterday. Really good historical retrospective but I'm not sure I'll return to many of the games. Will now move back to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 which I parked in Chapter 6.
Balatro (Steam) - playing a fair bit of this time suck.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - have just finished the Jotunheim story arc and am back in England.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - finished the first chapter.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection (Switch) - the games are showing their age but the presentation and overall package is excellent.
Balatro (Steam) - have won my first run after a half a dozen attempts with a "two pair" strategy built around the Spare Trousers joker which I levelled up to a 100x multiplier. This game is insane.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS5): Just played a few hours and have reached Yokohama. Really digging Ichiban as the new protagonist and don't mind the turn-based combat.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX): Have never played a Gears game so I thought I'd rectify that. Have just finished the first chapter.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection (Switch): Just about to enter the PC era.
PS5 - Mafia: Definitive Edition. Have never played the series but have both 1 and 2 as PS Plus games. Enjoying it as a smaller GTA like experience. Will probably get around to playing 2 sometime in the future. Have heard Mafia 3 is a bit disappointing though.
XSX - Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Have never played Gears either. Started the 360 version on Game Pass and then found out the newer version exists so have restarted on that.
Switch - Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. Rounds out the games I'm playing with colons. Moving through the chronological timeline and have reached the mid-80s.
I didn't mind the format. Indy was the highlight for me. Liked the look of Aras but I'm a console gamer. I think Hellblade is a bit overrated - the orginal was a good game but not strong enough build a brand around which they're trying too hard to do. Avowed looked a bit meh with Starfield levels of dialog. Not really interested in the Square Enix game.
Bought D:OS 1 and 2 for Xbox on sale a couple of months ago thinking as soon as I pull the trigger they'll be announced for Game Pass. Made the right decision for once.
PS5: still plowing through the OCD hell that is Power Wash Simulator.
XSX: stuck on the big robot early boss in Divinity: Original Sin. Guess I need to grind a bit and level up as the remote control thingy doesn't seem to be working for me.
Switch: picked up where I left up a few weeks ago in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I haven't played the earlier games and the combat system is doing my head in.
Also knocked off Doki Doki Literature Club on Steam during the week.
Love them. Platinumed Origins and Odyssey and am about 120 hours into Valhalla ticking off every checkbox. Having said that, the newer games are so huge that I have no desire to play any of the DLC. Can't believe that Valhalla has 3 large DLC expanding it to Ireland, France, and more Asgard content given the enormity of the base game.
@Edwirichuu AC Valhalla is a great game but it's absolutely massive. It's more of a Viking simulator than a typical AC game but it's great at what it does. I think it's fine to jump in here if you haven't played any of the other games in the series, in fact it's probably one of the better ones if you don't mind dropping 100+ hours on a game.
C for me. The game I enjoyed the most was Ghostwire: Tokyo which was originally released as a timed exclusive on PS. Hi-Fi Rush was OK. Starfield was boring. Didn't play Redfall or Forza.
Some great games you're playing there @RaZieLDaNtE. In addition to AC Valhalla on PS5, I'm playing Divinity: Original Sin on Xbox and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Switch and don't regret dropping Starfield for any of them. IMO, they're all vastly superior RPGs.
I found the Starfield universe and NPC's story arcs pretty bland and their ability to read the room during combat comical. I'd literally be in a firefight to the death with terrormorphs and my companion would come up to me and want to have some deep and meaningful conversation about some unresolved psychological issues from their childhood. Absolutely no comparison to the fantastically realised story arc of an NPC like Ivarr from AC Valhalla.
Having said that, people are putting hundreds of hours into this game so there's obviously depth there, but it's just not for me. May come back to it at some point in the future when Bethesda have had a chance to develop it further.
Played about 40 hours and fell off it and can't see myself going back anytime soon. Pretty bland game and the writing is abysmal. People criticise Ubisoft for their open world games but I'm currently playing AC Valhalla and it's miles better than Starfield.
Finished Like A Dragon: Gaiden and am about to start Cocoon. Also bought Divinity OS 1 and 2 in the Black Friday sales to play over the Christmas break as a warm up for BG3.
Got bored with Starfield after 40+ hours and have dropped it to play Like A Dragon Gaiden instead. Also just started the original Castlevania after picking up the Anniversary Collection for a few dollars on Black Friday. The closest I've ever gotten to playing a Castlevania game is Vampire Survivors so this is a new experience for me.
The writing and characters are flatter than a pancake. I'm playing AC Valhalla at the same time and for a franchise that's been overexposed to death the writing and characters are 10 times better and more interesting than Starfield.
Still ploughing through the UC quest line in Starfield. The dialogue in this game is facile and immersion breaking. I don't really want to have deep and meaningful conversions about my companion's feelings in the middle of a firefight with Terrormorphs.
Starfield - have decided to forego base building and system exploration and surveying and instead concentrate on main and faction quests. I don't think I want to play this for 100 hours so will concentrate on the missions.
PS5: Disco Elysium. Bought it last week on sale and have only just started. Have heard great things about the game.
XSX: Starfield. Enjoying it so far. Have completed the first 5 main missions to get to the point where the story opens up. Have yet to touch base or ship building.
Switch: Metroid Prime Remastered. I've been 80-85% complete for a few weeks now. May try to push through and finish it off as I bought Xenoblade Chronicles 3 a few months ago and am itching to get to it.
Comments 149
Re: Which Activision Blizzard Game Do You Want Next On Xbox Game Pass?
Pitfall.
(some additional words to get around the minimum word limit)
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 30-31)
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - I'm about two-thirds of the way through the game but will probably put it down for a bit now and pick up where I left off in Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - I've just completed the third chapter and will try to push through and complete it in the next day or two so I can start on Diablo IV.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch) - finally finished this. Way to much grinding for my taste and the final chapter didn't really respect my time with hundreds of repetitive combat encounters and fighting the final boss through multiple stages. I also found the combat, systems, and story overly convoluted. Happy to close the chapter on this one.
Half-Life (Steam) - have just got a Steam Deck and am catching up on classics I haven't played when I'm not losing my life in Balatro.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 23-24)
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - have just completed the Suthsexe arc and all the collectables in the region. About to start heading north.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - have completed the second chapter with the flying things that get burned by light. Awesome stuff.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch) - have now finished the sixth chapter and still am totally confused by the plot. Think I'm nearing the home stretch.
Balatro (Steam) - the other games are suffering as I sink more time into this. Have won with the red and blue decks but still trying to win with yellow.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 16-17)
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - am nearing the end of the Suthexe arc. Because I'm cleaning up every marker on the map as I go, I'm ridiculously over-levelled for the area.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - have never played a Gears game before and am enjoying this immensely.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (Switch) - completed the timeline yesterday. Really good historical retrospective but I'm not sure I'll return to many of the games. Will now move back to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 which I parked in Chapter 6.
Balatro (Steam) - playing a fair bit of this time suck.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 9-10)
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - have just finished the Jotunheim story arc and am back in England.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - finished the first chapter.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection (Switch) - the games are showing their age but the presentation and overall package is excellent.
Balatro (Steam) - have won my first run after a half a dozen attempts with a "two pair" strategy built around the Spare Trousers joker which I levelled up to a 100x multiplier. This game is insane.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 2-3)
Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS5): Just played a few hours and have reached Yokohama. Really digging Ichiban as the new protagonist and don't mind the turn-based combat.
Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX): Have never played a Gears game so I thought I'd rectify that. Have just finished the first chapter.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection (Switch): Just about to enter the PC era.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 10-11)
PS5 - Mafia: Definitive Edition. Have never played the series but have both 1 and 2 as PS Plus games. Enjoying it as a smaller GTA like experience. Will probably get around to playing 2 sometime in the future. Have heard Mafia 3 is a bit disappointing though.
XSX - Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Have never played Gears either. Started the 360 version on Game Pass and then found out the newer version exists so have restarted on that.
Switch - Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. Rounds out the games I'm playing with colons. Moving through the chronological timeline and have reached the mid-80s.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Expect To See From Microsoft's Update On The Future Of Xbox?
Phil's bookshelf will have a DualSense on it.
Re: Microsoft Cuts 1,900 Jobs Across Xbox, Bethesda And Activision Blizzard Teams
At $100K per person they could've paid $68B instead of $69B for the acquisition and kept everyone for another 5 years.
Re: Reaction: Xbox Developer Direct 2024 Proved That Microsoft's New Format Really Works
I didn't mind the format. Indy was the highlight for me. Liked the look of Aras but I'm a console gamer. I think Hellblade is a bit overrated - the orginal was a good game but not strong enough build a brand around which they're trying too hard to do. Avowed looked a bit meh with Starfield levels of dialog. Not really interested in the Square Enix game.
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Dev Reveals Concerns With Xbox Game Pass-Style Subscriptions
Bought D:OS 1 and 2 for Xbox on sale a couple of months ago thinking as soon as I pull the trigger they'll be announced for Game Pass. Made the right decision for once.
Re: Talking Point: 10 Years Later, What Do You Think Of 'The Master Chief Collection' In 2024?
I got my first Xbox (a Series X) a couple of years ago and played through all of the games in the MCC as single player campaigns. It was great.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 13-14)
PS5: still plowing through the OCD hell that is Power Wash Simulator.
XSX: stuck on the big robot early boss in Divinity: Original Sin. Guess I need to grind a bit and level up as the remote control thingy doesn't seem to be working for me.
Switch: picked up where I left up a few weeks ago in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I haven't played the earlier games and the combat system is doing my head in.
Also knocked off Doki Doki Literature Club on Steam during the week.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Like The 'Modern' Assassin's Creed Games?
Love them. Platinumed Origins and Odyssey and am about 120 hours into Valhalla ticking off every checkbox. Having said that, the newer games are so huge that I have no desire to play any of the DLC. Can't believe that Valhalla has 3 large DLC expanding it to Ireland, France, and more Asgard content given the enormity of the base game.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 6-7)
Finished Cocoon. Great game. Next stop is Divinity: Original Sin.
Re: These Seven Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (January 4-16)
@Edwirichuu AC Valhalla is a great game but it's absolutely massive. It's more of a Viking simulator than a typical AC game but it's great at what it does. I think it's fine to jump in here if you haven't played any of the other games in the series, in fact it's probably one of the better ones if you don't mind dropping 100+ hours on a game.
Re: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2023: The Results You Didn't See
So this is essentially an award for the game most people played rather than the best game. Ok.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 30-31)
Taking a break from Divinity: Original Sin to play Cocoon. About 80% of the way through so hoping to finish it in a day to two.
Re: In The End, Are You Happy With Xbox's First-Party Lineup For 2023?
C for me. The game I enjoyed the most was Ghostwire: Tokyo which was originally released as a timed exclusive on PS. Hi-Fi Rush was OK. Starfield was boring. Didn't play Redfall or Forza.
Re: Feature: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2023
Starfield? Really?
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 23-24)
About halfway through Cocoon and have just started Divinity: Original Sin.
Re: Poll: Four Months Later, Are You Still Playing Starfield?
Some great games you're playing there @RaZieLDaNtE. In addition to AC Valhalla on PS5, I'm playing Divinity: Original Sin on Xbox and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Switch and don't regret dropping Starfield for any of them. IMO, they're all vastly superior RPGs.
I found the Starfield universe and NPC's story arcs pretty bland and their ability to read the room during combat comical. I'd literally be in a firefight to the death with terrormorphs and my companion would come up to me and want to have some deep and meaningful conversation about some unresolved psychological issues from their childhood. Absolutely no comparison to the fantastically realised story arc of an NPC like Ivarr from AC Valhalla.
Having said that, people are putting hundreds of hours into this game so there's obviously depth there, but it's just not for me. May come back to it at some point in the future when Bethesda have had a chance to develop it further.
Re: Poll: Four Months Later, Are You Still Playing Starfield?
Played about 40 hours and fell off it and can't see myself going back anytime soon. Pretty bland game and the writing is abysmal. People criticise Ubisoft for their open world games but I'm currently playing AC Valhalla and it's miles better than Starfield.
Re: Poll: How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought In 2023?
Three, all digital. D:OS 1 & 2 and the Castlevania Collection.
Re: Poll: What Is Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2023?
5 - Ghostwire: Tokyo
4 - Like A Dragon: Gaiden
3 - Cocoon
2 - HiFi Rush
1 - Starfield
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 9-10)
Finished Like A Dragon: Gaiden and am about to start Cocoon. Also bought Divinity OS 1 and 2 in the Black Friday sales to play over the Christmas break as a warm up for BG3.
Re: Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In December 2023
Far Cry 6, woohoo!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 2-3)
Got bored with Starfield after 40+ hours and have dropped it to play Like A Dragon Gaiden instead. Also just started the original Castlevania after picking up the Anniversary Collection for a few dollars on Black Friday. The closest I've ever gotten to playing a Castlevania game is Vampire Survivors so this is a new experience for me.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 25-26)
Like A Dragon Gaiden while trying to stay out of hostess bars.
Re: Bethesda's Starfield Drops To 'Mixed' User Reviews On Steam
The writing and characters are flatter than a pancake. I'm playing AC Valhalla at the same time and for a franchise that's been overexposed to death the writing and characters are 10 times better and more interesting than Starfield.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 18-19)
Have just started Like A Dragon Gaiden while playing Starfield in the background.
Re: Starfield Fails To Make Shortlist For 'Game Of The Year' At The Game Awards 2023
I'm about a third of the way through Starfield and am starting to fall off. Not surprised it's not nominated for GOTY.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 11-12)
Finished the UC quest line in Starfield and will probably put it on the back burner to play Like A Dragon Gaiden.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 4-5)
@The-Grezzly-Bear - might try the game pass picker thing as well to change things up a bit.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 4-5)
Still ploughing through the UC quest line in Starfield. The dialogue in this game is facile and immersion breaking. I don't really want to have deep and meaningful conversions about my companion's feelings in the middle of a firefight with Terrormorphs.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 28-29)
Starfield - working my way through the UC faction missions and have just got my UC citizenship. Woohoo.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 21-22)
Starfield - have decided to forego base building and system exploration and surveying and instead concentrate on main and faction quests. I don't think I want to play this for 100 hours so will concentrate on the missions.
Re: Talking Point: Assassin's Creed Fans, Where Does Mirage Rank For You?
Haven't played Mirage yet, but I'm more of a fan of the newer-style games. Of those I've played:
1. Odyssey
2. Valhalla (currently playing, so not final rating)
3. Origins
4. AC 2
5. Unity
6. Syndicate
7. AC 4
8. AC 1
Re: Six Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In November So Far
Pretty good month with P5T and LAD Gaiden.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 14-15)
Starfield. Going to switch from exploring and surveying everything to mainlining the story quests.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 7-8)
Current
PS5: AC Valhalla
XSX: Starfield
Switch: Metroid Prime Remastered
Next
PS5: Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
XSX: Titanfall 2
Switch: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 23-24)
Current
PS5 - Disco Elysium
XSX - Starfield
Switch - Metroid Prime Remastered
Next
PS5 - Assassin's Creed Valhalla
XSX - Titanfall 2
Switch - Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Re: Eight Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Late September 2023
Finished Weird West a few weeks ago so timed that well.
@Spider-Kev I'm pretty sure it's been on GamePass for at least a year.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 16-17)
PS5: Disco Elysium. Bought it last week on sale and have only just started. Have heard great things about the game.
XSX: Starfield. Enjoying it so far. Have completed the first 5 main missions to get to the point where the story opens up. Have yet to touch base or ship building.
Switch: Metroid Prime Remastered. I've been 80-85% complete for a few weeks now. May try to push through and finish it off as I bought Xenoblade Chronicles 3 a few months ago and am itching to get to it.
Re: Gallery: Here's A Closer Look At The New & Old Graphics In Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered
I remember spending forever finishing TR3 and the sheer relief every time I found a save game crystal.
Re: Starfield 'Children Of The Sky' Music Video Is Here, And It's Giving Us The Chills
Sounds like a Eurovision song.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 19-20)
XSX - just finished Weird West and now waiting for Starfield.
Switch - pushing through to complete Metroid Prime Remastered. Reckon I'm about 75% done.
PS5 - need to get back to HFW which has been on hold for a few weeks.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 5-6)
Weird West (XSX) - have finished the first of five character arcs. It's giving me OG Fallout vibes.
Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch) - about two thirds of the way through. Took me a while to get in to it but now really enjoying it.
Horizon: Forbidden West (PS5) - I'm at the point where the world really opens up and need to start giving it some more attention.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 1-2)
PS5: HFW
XSX: Chained Echoes
Switch: Metroid Prime Remastered