Gonzo_Me

I've dabbled with the Assassin's Creed series for many years, but aside from the Ancient Greek one, it's just not my jam.

This weekend I'll be spending most of my time on Xbox Series X playing through Life Is Strange: True Colors.

I actually purchased and completed Close To The Sun early in 2023, but it's still a nice addition to Game Pass nonetheless. The games I'm focused on this weekend are:

1. Submerged: Hidden Depths. Loved both games in this series, but still haven't fully finished this one.

2. Life Is Strange: Remastered Edition. Was midway through Episode Five when Starfield came out, so I think it's about time I finish up with this one as well.

What's so mind-boggling about this is, despite prior devastating misreading/misunderstanding their own customer blunders such as releasing an under-powered more expensive "does it all" console and losing an enormous amount of their gaming first customer base, they continue to make these sorts of decisions and blunders after working so hard to regain at least a modicum of respectability. The problem, I think, isn't Xbox, it is clearly the corporate geniuses at Microsoft making decisions that continue to indicate they know nothing, and have learned nothing, about their own customers who have loyally supported them even during the rough years. Now that they regained something of a fan-base, instead of keeping them happy, corporate oddly decides to pretty much put them to work for several hours a day as if they don't have jobs or lives other than playing their Xboxes for increasingly minimal returns. This latest decision may not be nearly as fatal as those made in the last generation, but if Microsoft thinks such decisions will keep their Xbox customer/fan-base loyal, they are going to be sadly mistaken.

@Phantom_Anima Yes, so much this!

The allure of Starfield and Hogwarts Legacy continues to hold me strongly within their unrelenting grip. However, a need to take a step back from these seems more than in order at the moment, so I'll be exploring What Remains of Edith Finch for a bit, and also Firewatch if I get the time.

Thank you Fraser, and everyone else here at Pure Xbox, for making this the go-to site for all things Xbox. Peace & Love & Happy Xboxmas, Always!

I resisted the patches for some time, but finally decided to give in, so this weekend will be all about Starfield. Sure hope they get the mods going sooner in 2024 rather than later otherwise I'll regret downloading the patches. I've always felt that the glitches/exploits were an integral aspect of what made Bethesda games so bloody awesome. Pity should they alter that marvelous legacy now. Still, Starfield is so much better than some would lead us to believe, but hey, to each their own. Peace & Love & Happy Xboxmas Everybody, Always!

1. Mineko's Night Market
2. Starfield
3. Dordogne
4. A Short Hike
5. Bramble: The Mountain King

When I went to claim the Sea of Thieves: Nightshine Parrot Pack perk, it said that I'd already claimed it, so I'm assuming this must have been offered once before. I don't remember it specifically, but I only play Sea of Thieves sporadically. Plus, at my age, the threat of dementia becomes more imminent daily, so it's quite possible that I've even previously written this exact comment and just haven't realized it yet. Apologies in advance if this turns out to be the case.

I have about 120 hours into it and loving every fantastic second. The level of pure unadulterated exploration is well beyond any other game (on console anyway) to date. Barely even scratched the surface of the main story. Since I finally got Hogwarts Legacy in a recent sale, it has drawn me away quite brilliantly, but with a game like Starfield, the sheer scope of it alone is enough to draw anybody that loves free-form run amok exploring every nook and cranny of the whole bloody universe for crying out loud back into it time and time again, nothing does it better.

@Hutchilawd Oh, don't get me wrong. I love Starfield too, and have probably close to 120 hours exploring it. Will definitely jump back in soon enough. I hadn't played Hogwarts until it went on sale recently, so I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as good as it turned out to be is all. Pleasant surprises are the best of all surprises really. Both Starfield and Hogwarts had their share of hype and criticism, but as far as I'm concerned, they are both fun and worthwhile to play.

I keep intending to get back to Starfield at some point, but Hogwarts Legacy just hasn't allowed that to happen. The so-called controversy surrounding the game due to Rowling's remarks about one thing or another don't concern me whatsoever, and I was never the biggest Harry Potter fan by any means, but the fact remains that Hogwarts Legacy is just an engaging and fun game to play.

I don't game on any console other than Xbox Series X.
1390 Hours
218 Total Games
642 Total Achievements
Top Gameplay Month: June

Top Genres Played:
1. Role playing 64%
2. Action/Adventure 18%
3. Sports 11%
4. Other 5%
5. Simulation 2%

Top Played Games:
1. Oblivion 399 hours
2. Skyrim 211 hours
3. Lists Oblivion again, so just a weird glitch I suppose. I know I have like 120 hours in Starfield, and I'm probably around 100 hours in Hogwarts Legacy, so perhaps they will update the maths soon...

Top 5% for Hours Played
Top 5% for Gamerscore
Top 5% for Achievements Unlocked

I've been a huge rpg fan for decades, but as I found both Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 disappointingly mediocre entries into the rpg category, I'm just not ready to jump on the Baldur's Gate 3 bandwagon at this time. Will I try it at some point to give it a fair assessment myself? Absolutely. You know, long after the loud bandwagon hoopla parade passes by and the crowds move on to whatever the next hype as high as an elephant's eye game happens to be, and the price drops to twenty bucks or less. In the meantime, I'll be quietly enjoying SpirTTea this weekend. Cheers!

This weekend is all about Mineko's Night Market for me! Another superb example of a game that, if it weren't for Game Pass, I would never have tried otherwise. Really digging the whole cozy game genre lately.

I've played it some and it's a lovely little game so far. Will be playing even more over holiday break in a few days. Cozy games like this have pretty much become my jam lately. Hope Game Pass gets many more.

I'm with Fraser on Hogwarts Legacy. Haven't played yet due to concerns it would be too difficult (I'm an older gamer who now prefers gaming to relax rather than raise my already increasing blood pressure) and because I was waiting for a decent sale. At the current Black Friday discount, I decided now is the time. The decision was sound because the game supports a Story Mode perfect for a gamer like me, and I've found a wonderful game that I'll clearly be spending considerable time in, even beyond the all-too-short weekend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm settling in with a nice cup of Yorkshire Tea and will be exploring Hogwarts for the next several hours - days - weeks... Cheers!

Checking out hidden and under the radar games was my favorite aspect of Games With Gold. Big recognizable titles are easy enough to come by, but so many smaller lesser-known titles get lost in the shuffle and disappear into the mists of time. The ability to discover games I wouldn't have played or otherwise known about was a brilliant perk, and now that it's been removed, it is sorely missed...

This game looks absolutely lovely! Will definitely be giving it a spin after work today.

@Aniscape This has been happening to me as well. Figured it was from me having refused any updates/patches so far because, you know, Bethesda being all about player freedom and all.

@InvaderFromSpace I enjoyed both Costume Quest games so much! Sure hope Double Fine develops a third. Haven't finished Hidden Depths yet, but a third in that series would be most welcome as well. I agree about recent games. So many are all stress and combat and competition. There needs to be more games that are chill and just fun to play. I'm only just discovering such games, so I don't mind if they came out quite a while ago.

Finishing up with the wonderful Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery this weekend. Once completed, I will move on to Submerged: Hidden Depths. The first Submerged remains one of my favorite games of all time, so I'm looking forward to this game.

@Markatron84 Yep. Well, I mean he pretty much lost me at "Cop" but maybe that's just me.

Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery. Nothing even comes close to the awesomeness of this game. Although, to be fair, Jusant looks quite good too, but I probably won't get around to giving it a spin until next week - busy old fellow that I am and all...

Never cared for the series back in the day, but I will take a look-see at Dead Space, merely out of this generation remake curiosity mind you. However, I already fired up Frog Detective earlier today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mineko's Night Market looks lovely and I look forward to having a go at it tomorrow.

Spirit of the North Two looks bloody marvelous! Loved the first one, so, at least for me, this announcement was the highlight of the entire event.

I'm still enjoying TOEM from July, but I did have a walkabout or two in A Short Hike in August before returning to TOEM.

I had all the main gaming consoles back in the 1980's-1990s when consoles were much more affordable than they are now, but I did get the OG Xbox in the early 2000s to try out Morrowind. That style of gameplay was a revelation at the time, and after that I bought the 360 to be able to play Oblivion which was still an Xbox exclusive in those days.

@ymo1965 Same age as you. Bloody marvelous to find out I'm not the only one still gaming at our age. Cheers!

@IronMan30 I did too. This is the way.

It reminds me of Journey to the Savage Planet somewhat.