I started The Last of Us Part 1 on PC, with Part 2 to follow in time for Hallowe'en.
I abandoned AC Shadows after 30 hours. I'm not sure if it was a case of AC fatigue after 400 hours back to back Odyssey/Valhalla, or whether it just isn't as well crafted a game as the other two. It felt more like a chore than a joy. Beautiful to look at, but some of the mechanics were hugely annoying. I'd had enough of it anyway.
I have to say, I'm envious of all of you guys being able to play multiple games at once. I used to be able to do it, but as I get older I can only cope with one game at a time.
Currently still stuck on AC Shadows. I say stuck, as I keep feeling the urge to go back to the beginning and start all over again.
The combat is a bit trickier than other games in the series and I keep finding I miss the window for deflecting incoming blows. Like I said ... getting old.
We only ever own the license to play games. It has always been the same. All of you GPU players - do you think you 'own' games when you play them on GPU for a few months? Maybe you do.
Back in medieval times, I used to spend my teen evenings playing on something called an Amiga (you might need to google that, or ask your Mum/Dad).
The Amiga 500 was simply one of the best gaming systems ever. Back then, if you were flash you had an Amiga 1200 (or a 1200HD if your parents had money to burn).
One of the BEST gaming consoles ever created. You could say it was a home PC if you wanted to, it was that versatile.
You know what killed it? One word.
Piracy.
It was just too easy to copy the 1mb discs and share with friends, or sell in the playground (no 'tinternet back then).
The day I binned my beloved Amiga 1200HD was the last day I ever 'owned' a game. Since then I have only ever bought licenses to play them.
Started AC Shadows on PC in the week, but will be starting from scratch again this weekend, as I realized I was playing it all wrong.
Mrs Isca promises me that if I stop shouting at my monitor every time Naoe dies:
I can cook dinner (Free, but with ads on the kitchen radio)
She will cook dinner (Essential, but never fun for anybody)
We can order pizza delivery (Premium)
She will never cook dinner again (Ultimate)
Shadows is a beautiful game. Obvious similarities, but in some ways quite different from the last few main AC titles. It is taking a bit of time to get used to the different mechanics and controls. Assassinating the bad guys is a real pain, (but I'm desperately trying to learn it, and not to turn on 'Guaranteed Assassinations', which I know I can, but think is a bit of a cheat).
I unsubscribed from GPU about 15 months ago, largely because I could not see a reason for the arbitrary price hike at the time. Since then, I've been happy only buying games in the sales.
Glad I did.
There's absolutely no reason for this latest price increase, other than utter greed.
Without being dramatic - I think this is ridiculous, and might well be fatal for GPU and for MS Xbox.
Completed the superb AC Mirage this morning. Recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the early AC games, but has not tried it yet.
Very entertaining, although some tedious and annoying level design. The visuals, soundtrack and voice acting were superb, but by the end I had played enough, and just wanted to finish it. Luckily, it was only 32 hours in total to complete, and not a single glitch.
No questions from Odyssey or Valhalla answered, which was a little disappointing - only new questions...
Ah well - on towards Shadows tomorrow. By the time I complete that, (in a few weeks) I will be all AC'd out!
Apart from the pricing, the last time I played a game handheld resulted in me throwing and breaking an ipad, due to an unfair refereeing decision in Football Manager
If at any point I wanted to try a handheld again in the near future, I'd probably opt for a Switch 2, as it has games I have never played before and would like to (e.g. the Zelda games).
Given that Silent Hill (original on PS1) gave me nightmares for the past 25 years, and made me switch on the hall light when I need a late night pee, I'll give it a miss.
@Scrubchub - I could not agree more. I'm wondering if it should have been much better managed, with a cut off at a certain point in the story.
In fact, the 2 DLCs (along with a few side quests) could have been made into a new game, with a different character. IIRC, "Mirage" was originally intended as an expansion to Valhalla, although I can't remember where I read that. I guess I'll find out when I start playing that next week.
The whole AC narrative is a bit messy and confused, and in some respects Valhalla has now spoiled the utterly brilliant Odyssey, (especially with the side quest "Skye"). Can't say anything further without revealing a massive spoiler...
163 hours into AC Valhalla (+2 expansions), and hoping to finish it this weekend. I've never played the expansions before, despite owning them for 5 years
I have to say that the first expansion "Wrath of the druids" was hugely entertaining. Lots of new mechanics to complement the main game. Eire was beautiful to look at, and the soundscape was incredible. Quite tough terrain to get around, with some lethal drops from heights. Luckily, quite a few fast travel points (although for me, I prefer to run, summon the longship or ride my horse).
I'm prolly halfway through "Siege of Paris", and again, enjoying it. New mechanics again, and interesting side quests (although I'm now way too overpowered to let any enemy bother me for long).
I've really enjoyed my 100% attempt at Valhalla over the last few weeks. My only problem was with the "Skye" Side quest, which I took on between Druids and Paris. Complete and utter trash, immersion breaking, and a waste of 4 hours of my life. Wish I had not started it (although I had to for the 100%).
Right ... back to Paris, then hopefully starting "Mirage" (for the first time) by Monday....
I got "Shadows" in the sale last week - premium version for PC for £49, which is a bargain. Should be onto that by next weekend
In my dreams, I'd love for the Starfield dev team to work with Sean Murray's team at HG, to make something extra specially amazing. Prob would never happen. But if it did....
Made sweeter by the fact that I've solved the bug that causes armour to reset to it's base level, losing all upgrades/runes. That one was really annoying.
I have Mirage installed on PC, ready to play for the first time, after my next, and final run through of Valhalla on Series X (with expansions), which I plan to start later this week.
As mentioned in another post, I've just completed 100% of Odyssey, so I'm looking forward to doing the same with Valhalla, then Mirage, then Shadows (which I don't have yet, but will pick up in the Christmas sales )
Strangely, no word of the free Mirage expansion yet on Ubisoft Connect, although it is a bank holiday in the UK, so maybe the site will update later in the week. That makes it a bit of a scoop for PureXbox, I guess
My only worry is the amount of time I'm playing AC games. My Xbox tells me that I have already played 17 days of Valhalla in the past. Hope I don't get the bleeding effect....
I finally 100% completed AC Odyssey and its expansions, which I had not previously finished.
I have to say, I loved the 2 expansions (Legacy of the First Blade and Fate of Atlantis). The story (and series) makes so much more sense now.
Apart from wanting to milk the £ cow, and not wanting to make a game that takes over 200 hours to complete, I don't understand why the expansions were not part of the main game. In retrospect, it now feels half-cooked without them!
Both expansions were a lot of fun to play, and highly recommended if you have not tried them.
So sorry for the super-late response. You have nailed it, completely, so I've nothing to add.
As at 20/08/25, I'm currently 197 hours into my latest Odyssey .. finishing LOTFB and soon to go onto Atlantis. I've never been this deep, and always given up to play something else previously.
It is a beast of a game, but I am damned determined to finish it completely this time.
Valhalla awaits (again). Going to finish that and the DLC as well, finally...
Mirage after ... and then Shadows ... perhaps in the Xmas sales....
The really sad thing is, I can well imagine a room full of overpaid executives spending 4 hours discussing what to call Xbox PC, with intermittent breaks for coffee, salmon vol-au-vents and croissants.
Next month, they will reconvene to discuss whether to stick with Xbox, or should it be Xbox on Series X/S.
In the meantime, MS employees get AI redundancy letters.
Well, I suppose they have to justify all of those corporate meetings somehow....
@Master_Cthulhu70 Odyssey is not only the best AC game in the series, it is the best game of it's type, and seriously, one of the best games that I have ever played.
@XxEvilAshxX The whole sales cycle is most likely the sole reason we all have backlogs. Got to get those games at 50% off while they are in the sale, even though we don't want to immediately play them. The devs know it, the store fronts know it, and we know it.
Truth is, if you get those games and don't play them for a year or so, when you do finally get to start them, they are fully patched and working properly.
Win/win in my book ( or in the words of Markos ... "everybody benefits" )
I've learned a little trick in the last few years. Get a year ahead of the sales, enjoy the backlog, stock up for the next 12 months when the sales hit, and enjoy the fully cooked games at leisure. Apart from MS arbitrarily putting up the cost of GPU, that's why I quit it last year. I'm done renting games. I know we never actually OWN games, but I only buy the license for games that are value for money.
Avowed - decided to leave it until the autumn update. Perhaps pick up at Christmas when it is fully cooked. Indiana Jones - not in the sale Atomfall - not in the sale Clair expedition 33 - not enough discount yet in this sale Star Wars Outlaws Tempted by the gold edition, but I still think it will go to 75% off before I pick it up. Don't want to spend too much on it, seeing as already own it on PC. AC Shadows - Again, will prob be more like 50%-75% by Christmas, so will leave for now.
Might still pick up Robocop. don't think it will improve on 90%
Tempted by FFXVI, but not certain I would like it.
With my £195 savings since I unsubscribed from GPU last July, I will be hoping for:
Avowed
Raiders of the lost Ark
Atomfall
Clair expedition 33
Star Wars Outlaws (which I have on PC, and had to uninstall because it keeps cooking my MB)
AC Shadows
A couple of minor others (e.g. Robocop)
No worries if not. I'll wait for the Christmas sales (by then, these games will likely have a better % discount, and I will have £60 more artillery in the savings )
Over on GOG, it is currently scoring 2.8/5 stars, with lots of comments that it is not a real improvement from the Complete Edition, other than improved graphics.
The problem with the camera angles doesn't look to have improved at the moment, unless the devs tweak that at some point.
Looks very interesting. The only thing that bothers me is reviews mentioning "strict failure conditions" with the stealth. Insta-fail on stealth usually drives me nuts!
There looks to be a demo releasing on EGS today, probably after 4pm (when the site does its daily update). Think I will check that out to see about the "strict" fails.
It looks to me to be a mouse kind of game, so if I get it, it will likely be on PC.
It is now 12 months since I unsubscribed from GPU, so haven't played the others on the list. Looking forward to picking some of them up in the summer (or winter) sales with the £180 saved on my sub so far
Pleased to see that it is fully licensed, (to kill ... sorry, couldn't resist) and has the classic theme music. Even has appropriate product placement! (Triumph, Landrover, Omega etc.).
Looks the real deal, and we know that technically, IO are brilliant at this type of genre.
I think the Hitman games, while technically very proficient, are a bit bland and too formulaic. Agent 47 isn't much fun a role to take on after a while, and although I always like starting a new game (especially in the last of the series), it gets tiring and dull quickly.
I think with some James Bond panache, some decent cut scenes to add a little flavour and a killer soundtrack, this could do really very well. I look forward to seeing what they do with it!
@OldGamer999 - Same for me. I stopped pre-purchasing games a long time ago (with the exception of Starfield, which I am still very much enjoying).
@Lup I think it will be a refreshing change to have a linear story lasting, say 15-20 hours. It might even leapfrog the backlog because of that (if it launches without problems). Perhaps that's reflected in the price tag.
Even better, I will prolly wait for a discount in sales. That'll likely make it an offer I can't refuse.... (sorry)
After 56+ hours, it has started to CTD frequently (twice yesterday evening, 4 times in the last few hours).
I was really enjoying it but will have to stop now to see if any more patches come out before continuing. Nothing worse than spending over an hour clearing a castle/dungeon to crash when you leave.
My fault, I guess for not saving, but hey, we're only human and can't remember every time.
Been playing all day (and most of last night) and am absolutely loving it. So much seems to have changed for the better.
Completely stable, other than those few stutters on transition. Something to do with auto save ?
My ONLY niggle is that the world map doesn’t seem to update, as in say Skyrim, so portals are still showing up when I have closed them. Caves/ castles etc don’t indicate that they are looted. Small point, again maybe they will see to it.
Stuck on backlog games ATM. Too embarrassed to say what I'm playing today
I did try Kingdom Come Deliverance with the aim of trying KCD2, but the head bobbing made me feel sick, so had to abort.
Was toying with the idea of Eternal Strands, but don't know enough to buy it (at 25% discount on Epic). I don't really like Souls-like games, and I didn't get on with Fenyx Rising - anyone got any tips on whether I should try it?
Is it a bit too cheaty boss heavy? Does it have lots of mindless 'move the blocks around' minigames?
Comments 107
Re: It's Official, Rockstar Games Has Delayed GTA 6 To November 2026
@Fiendish-Beaver Good call.
I'm also guessing late 2027. Good for them. Release it when it is ready.
It really needs to live up to the hype, or they will spend years putting it right (I'm looking at you, HELLO games and CD Projekt Red).
Probably won't ever play it anyway
Re: Random: This Custom Xbox Series X Looks Amazing, And Fits Right In For Halloween
Looks amazing, but would only result in increased trips to the potty, so no thanks.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 18-19)
I started The Last of Us Part 1 on PC, with Part 2 to follow in time for Hallowe'en.
I abandoned AC Shadows after 30 hours. I'm not sure if it was a case of AC fatigue after 400 hours back to back Odyssey/Valhalla, or whether it just isn't as well crafted a game as the other two. It felt more like a chore than a joy. Beautiful to look at, but some of the mechanics were hugely annoying. I'd had enough of it anyway.
Enjoy a bit of Sunday gaming
Re: Assassin's Creed Franchise Lead Quits Ubisoft As New 'Vantage Studios' Label Takes Shape
I will never forgive ANYBODY for the climactic assassination in AC3. One of the worst gaming moments of my life.
Syndicate, however wasn't that bad.
Interesting news.
I know that one day, I will have to play all AC games again from the very start, if I live that long.
AC 3 is the one I am most dreading, even after the last "remaster"....
Re: Survival FPS 'Beneath' Launches This Month, A 'Throwback To The Golden Era Of Xbox 360 Classics'
Thanks for the heads up.
Looks a bit like Doom 3 - that's not a bad thing
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 11-12)
I have to say, I'm envious of all of you guys being able to play multiple games at once. I used to be able to do it, but as I get older I can only cope with one game at a time.
Currently still stuck on AC Shadows. I say stuck, as I keep feeling the urge to go back to the beginning and start all over again.
The combat is a bit trickier than other games in the series and I keep finding I miss the window for deflecting incoming blows. Like I said ... getting old.
Re: New Silent Hill F Xbox Advertisement Makes It Clear You're Only Buying A 'License'
We only ever own the license to play games. It has always been the same. All of you GPU players - do you think you 'own' games when you play them on GPU for a few months? Maybe you do.
Back in medieval times, I used to spend my teen evenings playing on something called an Amiga (you might need to google that, or ask your Mum/Dad).
The Amiga 500 was simply one of the best gaming systems ever. Back then, if you were flash you had an Amiga 1200 (or a 1200HD if your parents had money to burn).
One of the BEST gaming consoles ever created. You could say it was a home PC if you wanted to, it was that versatile.
You know what killed it? One word.
Piracy.
It was just too easy to copy the 1mb discs and share with friends, or sell in the playground (no 'tinternet back then).
The day I binned my beloved Amiga 1200HD was the last day I ever 'owned' a game. Since then I have only ever bought licenses to play them.
Be careful what you wish for.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 4-5)
Started AC Shadows on PC in the week, but will be starting from scratch again this weekend, as I realized I was playing it all wrong.
Mrs Isca promises me that if I stop shouting at my monitor every time Naoe dies:
Shadows is a beautiful game. Obvious similarities, but in some ways quite different from the last few main AC titles. It is taking a bit of time to get used to the different mechanics and controls. Assassinating the bad guys is a real pain, (but I'm desperately trying to learn it, and not to turn on 'Guaranteed Assassinations', which I know I can, but think is a bit of a cheat).
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
I unsubscribed from GPU about 15 months ago, largely because I could not see a reason for the arbitrary price hike at the time. Since then, I've been happy only buying games in the sales.
Glad I did.
There's absolutely no reason for this latest price increase, other than utter greed.
Without being dramatic - I think this is ridiculous, and might well be fatal for GPU and for MS Xbox.
Insane.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 27-28)
Completed the superb AC Mirage this morning. Recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the early AC games, but has not tried it yet.
Very entertaining, although some tedious and annoying level design. The visuals, soundtrack and voice acting were superb, but by the end I had played enough, and just wanted to finish it. Luckily, it was only 32 hours in total to complete, and not a single glitch.
No questions from Odyssey or Valhalla answered, which was a little disappointing - only new questions...
Ah well - on towards Shadows tomorrow. By the time I complete that, (in a few weeks) I will be all AC'd out!
Re: ROG Xbox Ally Prices Finally Revealed, Pre-Orders Now Live
No - not for me. I'm not their target audience.
Apart from the pricing, the last time I played a game handheld resulted in me throwing and breaking an ipad, due to an unfair refereeing decision in Football Manager
If at any point I wanted to try a handheld again in the near future, I'd probably opt for a Switch 2, as it has games I have never played before and would like to (e.g. the Zelda games).
Re: Review: Silent Hill F (Xbox) - A New Front For Konami As Silent Hill Makes Its Return
I'd absolutely love to, but...
Given that Silent Hill (original on PS1) gave me nightmares for the past 25 years, and made me switch on the hall light when I need a late night pee, I'll give it a miss.
Too old, too scary....
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 20-21)
@Scrubchub - I could not agree more. I'm wondering if it should have been much better managed, with a cut off at a certain point in the story.
In fact, the 2 DLCs (along with a few side quests) could have been made into a new game, with a different character. IIRC, "Mirage" was originally intended as an expansion to Valhalla, although I can't remember where I read that. I guess I'll find out when I start playing that next week.
The whole AC narrative is a bit messy and confused, and in some respects Valhalla has now spoiled the utterly brilliant Odyssey, (especially with the side quest "Skye"). Can't say anything further without revealing a massive spoiler...
Break over - back to Paris
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 20-21)
163 hours into AC Valhalla (+2 expansions), and hoping to finish it this weekend. I've never played the expansions before, despite owning them for 5 years
I have to say that the first expansion "Wrath of the druids" was hugely entertaining. Lots of new mechanics to complement the main game. Eire was beautiful to look at, and the soundscape was incredible. Quite tough terrain to get around, with some lethal drops from heights. Luckily, quite a few fast travel points (although for me, I prefer to run, summon the longship or ride my horse).
I'm prolly halfway through "Siege of Paris", and again, enjoying it. New mechanics again, and interesting side quests (although I'm now way too overpowered to let any enemy bother me for long).
I've really enjoyed my 100% attempt at Valhalla over the last few weeks. My only problem was with the "Skye" Side quest, which I took on between Druids and Paris. Complete and utter trash, immersion breaking, and a waste of 4 hours of my life. Wish I had not started it (although I had to for the 100%).
Right ... back to Paris, then hopefully starting "Mirage" (for the first time) by Monday....
I got "Shadows" in the sale last week - premium version for PC for £49, which is a bargain. Should be onto that by next weekend
Have a fab weekend whatever you're playing!
Re: Talking Point: As Bethesda Teases Starfield DLC, What Do You Want From The Xbox RPG In Year 3?
In my dreams, I'd love for the Starfield dev team to work with Sean Murray's team at HG, to make something extra specially amazing. Prob would never happen. But if it did....
For the gamers!! (tee hee).
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 6-7)
73 hours into Valhalla
Made sweeter by the fact that I've solved the bug that causes armour to reset to it's base level, losing all upgrades/runes. That one was really annoying.
Re: Pure Xbox Reader Survey 2025
Done, thanks.
Made me feel old....
Re: Poll: Are You Buying Borderlands 4 Next Week?
No.
Not 4, 5 or 6.
Just no.
Didn't enjoy the first three. Not for me.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 30-31)
@Nightcrawler71 Stick with NM'S past the tutorial, if you can get there - worth it!
Currently 32 hours into my 100% AC Valhalla. Mrs Isca is quite cross that I nearly missed tea yesterday!
Re: Ubisoft Announces Surprise Free DLC For Assassin's Creed Mirage On Xbox Game Pass
Thanks for this, Ben.
I have Mirage installed on PC, ready to play for the first time, after my next, and final run through of Valhalla on Series X (with expansions), which I plan to start later this week.
As mentioned in another post, I've just completed 100% of Odyssey, so I'm looking forward to doing the same with Valhalla, then Mirage, then Shadows (which I don't have yet, but will pick up in the Christmas sales )
Strangely, no word of the free Mirage expansion yet on Ubisoft Connect, although it is a bank holiday in the UK, so maybe the site will update later in the week. That makes it a bit of a scoop for PureXbox, I guess
My only worry is the amount of time I'm playing AC games. My Xbox tells me that I have already played 17 days of Valhalla in the past. Hope I don't get the bleeding effect....
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 23-24)
I finally 100% completed AC Odyssey and its expansions, which I had not previously finished.
I have to say, I loved the 2 expansions (Legacy of the First Blade and Fate of Atlantis). The story (and series) makes so much more sense now.
Apart from wanting to milk the £ cow, and not wanting to make a game that takes over 200 hours to complete, I don't understand why the expansions were not part of the main game. In retrospect, it now feels half-cooked without them!
Both expansions were a lot of fun to play, and highly recommended if you have not tried them.
Onwards to 100% Valhalla (and its expansions)....
Re: Microsoft Explains Target Audiences For ROG Xbox Ally And ROG Xbox Ally X
@Medic_alert
My life at the moment =
Eat
Sleep
Poo
Work
Finish AC Odyssey and all DLC ... completely:)
Re: Talking Point: As A Game Pass Subscriber, Do You Still Spend Money In Xbox Sales?
@Master_Cthulhu70
So sorry for the super-late response. You have nailed it, completely, so I've nothing to add.
As at 20/08/25, I'm currently 197 hours into my latest Odyssey .. finishing LOTFB and soon to go onto Atlantis. I've never been this deep, and always given up to play something else previously.
It is a beast of a game, but I am damned determined to finish it completely this time.
Valhalla awaits (again). Going to finish that and the DLC as well, finally...
Mirage after ... and then Shadows ... perhaps in the Xmas sales....
Best to you
Re: Microsoft Explains Target Audiences For ROG Xbox Ally And ROG Xbox Ally X
Thanks, Ben.
Too many ROGs, Allys, Xs, Xboxs for me to read this.
God, I miss the old days.
TLDR: I'm getting too old for this. (Currently on a 157 hour save on AC Odyssey, and haven't even started GOA yet!))
Re: 'Xbox PC' Gets Renamed Again As Microsoft Tries To Figure Out The Perfect Branding
The really sad thing is, I can well imagine a room full of overpaid executives spending 4 hours discussing what to call Xbox PC, with intermittent breaks for coffee, salmon vol-au-vents and croissants.
Next month, they will reconvene to discuss whether to stick with Xbox, or should it be Xbox on Series X/S.
In the meantime, MS employees get AI redundancy letters.
Well, I suppose they have to justify all of those corporate meetings somehow....
Re: Talking Point: As A Game Pass Subscriber, Do You Still Spend Money In Xbox Sales?
@Master_Cthulhu70 Odyssey is not only the best AC game in the series, it is the best game of it's type, and seriously, one of the best games that I have ever played.
@XxEvilAshxX The whole sales cycle is most likely the sole reason we all have backlogs. Got to get those games at 50% off while they are in the sale, even though we don't want to immediately play them. The devs know it, the store fronts know it, and we know it.
Truth is, if you get those games and don't play them for a year or so, when you do finally get to start them, they are fully patched and working properly.
Win/win in my book ( or in the words of Markos ... "everybody benefits" )
I've learned a little trick in the last few years. Get a year ahead of the sales, enjoy the backlog, stock up for the next 12 months when the sales hit, and enjoy the fully cooked games at leisure. Apart from MS arbitrarily putting up the cost of GPU, that's why I quit it last year. I'm done renting games. I know we never actually OWN games, but I only buy the license for games that are value for money.
Well, I try....
Re: Xbox Summer Sale 2025 Now Live, 1000+ Games Discounted
@Scrubchub Thanks - good plan. I'll give it a go
Re: Xbox Summer Sale 2025 Now Live, 1000+ Games Discounted
Avowed - decided to leave it until the autumn update. Perhaps pick up at Christmas when it is fully cooked.
Indiana Jones - not in the sale
Atomfall - not in the sale
Clair expedition 33 - not enough discount yet in this sale
Star Wars Outlaws Tempted by the gold edition, but I still think it will go to 75% off before I pick it up. Don't want to spend too much on it, seeing as already own it on PC.
AC Shadows - Again, will prob be more like 50%-75% by Christmas, so will leave for now.
Might still pick up Robocop. don't think it will improve on 90%
Tempted by FFXVI, but not certain I would like it.
Back to the backlog
Re: Talking Point: The Xbox Summer Sale 2025 Is Upon Us, So What Are You Hoping To See?
With my £195 savings since I unsubscribed from GPU last July, I will be hoping for:
Avowed
Raiders of the lost Ark
Atomfall
Clair expedition 33
Star Wars Outlaws (which I have on PC, and had to uninstall because it keeps cooking my MB)
AC Shadows
A couple of minor others (e.g. Robocop)
No worries if not. I'll wait for the Christmas sales (by then, these games will likely have a better % discount, and I will have £60 more artillery in the savings )
Re: Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition Is Out Now On Xbox, Early Reviews Are Quite 'Mixed'
Over on GOG, it is currently scoring 2.8/5 stars, with lots of comments that it is not a real improvement from the Complete Edition, other than improved graphics.
The problem with the camera angles doesn't look to have improved at the moment, unless the devs tweak that at some point.
Re: Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Brings Its Stealth Adventure To Xbox This Week
Looks very interesting. The only thing that bothers me is reviews mentioning "strict failure conditions" with the stealth. Insta-fail on stealth usually drives me nuts!
There looks to be a demo releasing on EGS today, probably after 4pm (when the site does its daily update). Think I will check that out to see about the "strict" fails.
It looks to me to be a mouse kind of game, so if I get it, it will likely be on PC.
Re: Talking Point: After Almost Two Years, How Do You Feel About Xbox's Starfield In 2025?
Still loving it here. Packed full of awesomeness.
In fact, thanks for reminding me. I might start another playthrough this weekend
And it's gonna be a long, long time....
Re: Amazon Prime Day 2025 - Best Deals On Xbox Games, SSD Expansion Cards, 4K TVs, Accessories, Game Pass And More
I can vouch for the HyperX Cloud Alpha cans. Great price too! I might buy a spare pair before the end of the sale.
I've been using them for years. Best all round gaming/movie/music headphones I've ever had the pleasure of using!
Like the old Sony headphones, when they used to have excellent bass (can't remember the model number, but they don't make them anymore).
Re: Talking Point: To Celebrate Bungie Day, What's Your Favourite Halo Memory Of All Time?
Storming the beach in Halo CE. One of my fav ever gaming moments
Re: Talking Point: What's Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2025 So Far?
I went for Oblivion.
It is now 12 months since I unsubscribed from GPU, so haven't played the others on the list. Looking forward to picking some of them up in the summer (or winter) sales with the £180 saved on my sub so far
Re: Rematch Is 'Driving Me Crazy' Because Of Selfish Teammates, Say Frustrated Players
@Simu001
You can't win anything with kids....
Re: 007 First Light Gameplay Looks Absolutely Epic, And It Comes To Xbox Next Year
Hmmm, interesting.
Pleased to see that it is fully licensed, (to kill ... sorry, couldn't resist) and has the classic theme music. Even has appropriate product placement! (Triumph, Landrover, Omega etc.).
Looks the real deal, and we know that technically, IO are brilliant at this type of genre.
Re: Hitman Dev Reveals Name Of James Bond Game, Full Reveal Set For This Week
@-taco @Kaloudz - agree
I think the Hitman games, while technically very proficient, are a bit bland and too formulaic. Agent 47 isn't much fun a role to take on after a while, and although I always like starting a new game (especially in the last of the series), it gets tiring and dull quickly.
I think with some James Bond panache, some decent cut scenes to add a little flavour and a killer soundtrack, this could do really very well. I look forward to seeing what they do with it!
Re: Metro Fans Are 'In For Quite The Ride' As 4A Games Provides Update On Exodus Sequel
One of the few games on the horizon that will be an instabuy.
Re: Be Quick! Metro 2033 Redux Is Now Free To Claim On Xbox
Got it - thanks, Fraser.
I have all 3 on PC, but haven't played for years, and defo not since I got my snazzy super-dooper monitor.
Gotta love a freebie
Re: Mafia: The Old Country First Gameplay Revealed Ahead Of August Release On Xbox
@OldGamer999 - Same for me. I stopped pre-purchasing games a long time ago (with the exception of Starfield, which I am still very much enjoying).
@Lup I think it will be a refreshing change to have a linear story lasting, say 15-20 hours. It might even leapfrog the backlog because of that (if it launches without problems). Perhaps that's reflected in the price tag.
Even better, I will prolly wait for a discount in sales. That'll likely make it an offer I can't refuse.... (sorry)
Re: Digital Foundry Impressed With Oblivion Remastered, But Xbox Series S 'Takes A Hit'
@Romans12
Sadly, yes. I gave it another try, but it crashed to the home screen after about 20 mins (after doing a power cycle).
I guess there are issues to iron out, whether it is XSX or XSS.
Off to play something else now
Re: Digital Foundry Impressed With Oblivion Remastered, But Xbox Series S 'Takes A Hit'
I'm playing on XSX.
After 56+ hours, it has started to CTD frequently (twice yesterday evening, 4 times in the last few hours).
I was really enjoying it but will have to stop now to see if any more patches come out before continuing. Nothing worse than spending over an hour clearing a castle/dungeon to crash when you leave.
My fault, I guess for not saving, but hey, we're only human and can't remember every time.
Shame.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 26-27)
Star Wars Outlaws is on pause - playing Oblivion all weekend (when Mrs Isca lets me )
Re: Poll: What Are Your First Impressions Of Oblivion Remastered?
Been playing all day (and most of last night) and am absolutely loving it. So much seems to have changed for the better.
Completely stable, other than those few stutters on transition. Something to do with auto save ?
My ONLY niggle is that the world map doesn’t seem to update, as in say Skyrim, so portals are still showing up when I have closed them. Caves/ castles etc don’t indicate that they are looted. Small point, again maybe they will see to it.
Cheers, Fetchers
Re: Poll: What Are Your First Impressions Of Oblivion Remastered?
I'm gobsmacked with it. What an amazing job - it feels brand new. Beautiful to look at on XSX and 4K and so far playing really well.
Like others, I've had a few stutters here and there, especially transitioning to a new area. No doubt that will get fixed.
Bye bye life for the next few days
Re: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Is Now Available On Xbox Game Pass
I will not buy this. I will not buy this. I will not buy this...
Oh damn. I accidentally just bought it....
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 12-13)
Must ... play .. Star Wars Outlaws ... next. I'm putting 194% tariff on all other backlogged games....
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 12-13)
@Ricky-Spanish
Europa Universalis IV on PC
Prob my best run ever
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 12-13)
Stuck on backlog games ATM. Too embarrassed to say what I'm playing today
I did try Kingdom Come Deliverance with the aim of trying KCD2, but the head bobbing made me feel sick, so had to abort.
Was toying with the idea of Eternal Strands, but don't know enough to buy it (at 25% discount on Epic). I don't really like Souls-like games, and I didn't get on with Fenyx Rising - anyone got any tips on whether I should try it?
Is it a bit too cheaty boss heavy? Does it have lots of mindless 'move the blocks around' minigames?