Nightcrawler71

@VisitingComet1 yeah I avoid soulslike games or anything by FromSoftware like the plague 😂 and CD doesn’t have any difficulty options either. But like you said, you can come back later when you’re more powerful.

I’m undecided on whether to buy it. A lot of reviewers say the open world is great to explore - just the sort of thing I love. But I’m put off by 1) some of the bosses are incredibly hard. Can you just avoid them? 🤔 also, 2) combat is overly complicated. One reviewer said that some moves can be 3 button inputs, where 1 would have sufficed.
I could probably get plenty of mileage out of the game from just exploring the open world, so may end up getting it.

Typical…I just bought Absolum last week on PS5 🙄 knew I should have waited lol.

I haven’t preordered Crimson Desert, but am very interested in how it will turn out. If it gets good or even glowing reviews then I’ll definitely buy it. Also may get Dragonkin The Banished. Only stumbled upon this game yesterday whilst browsing the Xbox store, and it looks like my cup of tea. Will wait for reviews on both of these games.

@Scrubchub One thing that really helped me with early combat encounters, is a potion called Aqua Vitalis, which drastically reduces damage taken, especially if you can brew the “Henry” version of it. You don’t even need to buy the recipe - or any recipe for that matter - as long as you have the ingredients and how to make it (google!) once you’ve brewed it once it will automatically be added to your recipe book.

Great news! I really hope we get a resolution bump as well, because Unity was one of the best looking AC games in the series. I still remember the launch fiasco when the game’s ambitious graphics were tanking the frame rate on the consoles at the time (PS4 / Xbox One). Admittedly it all got patched eventually, but now it will shine even more on today’s hardware.

I urge people to give KCD2 a go, even if you think it’s not your cup of tea. I was the same, and slept on the game for most of 2025. Then in December I gambled and bought it in a sale…and I’ve played it almost every day since!

@Cherip-the-Ripper yeah, the lack of console gameplay prior to release has me concerned. It looks great, but will definitely wait for reviews first.

Kingdom Come Deliverace 2 (XSX) Still chipping away at this great game. I’ve started the “Legacy of the forge” DLC, which I’m doing alongside the main story. Have the repaired the roof, but not much else so far due to lack of funds lol.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition (S2) The only Xenoblade game I’d played previously was X3, so this is completely new to me. Only around 3 hours in, and am so far enjoying it. Just taking my time with it though, as I’ve heard it’s quite a deep game with many systems and mechanics, so don't want to get overwhelmed.
TMNT Splintered fate (XSX). Bought this during the week, and hope to start it over the weekend.

Gamepass price hikes (with more coming this year?), Xbox exclusives going multi-platform, the next Xbox rumoured to be super expensive…I definitely have concerns.

I played this when it was a game preview. Only played for a short while then moved on, though I really liked the graphics. Will give the 1.0 release a go to see if its improved since I last played it.

I just hope there’s more to do for single players, which I think the series has been lacking somewhat since FH3.

@Elbow Good to know, thanks 👍 may buy it at its current price.

@Elbow Can it be played solo?

@Fiendish-Beaver I don’t think so, I think there’s only one save file for the “save and quit” option, but I’m not 100% on this. The game does do automatic saves after an important story beat, and as said previously you can always use a saviour schnapps if you want. I’ve used the S&Q option 99% of the time and never had an issue. I often use it if I think a fight is coming up 😂

@Fiendish-Beaver I can’t speak for the first game, but yes in KCD2 you can brew/drink a potion called saviour schnapps to save your game, BUT in my 100+ hours spent (so far) in KCD2 I have hardly used this method. I simply pause the game and select “Save and quit” then select “continue” to jump back in. With the speed of the SSD I’d say this option only takes about 10 seconds and saves you using your potions.

I’m surprised KCD2 is coming so soon after the first game joined. Nevertheless it’s a big win for Gamepass. I recommend people give at least one of the KCD games a go. Admittedly I haven’t yet played the first game, but am thoroughly enjoying the second and I didn’t think it would be my type of game. Just be patient learning the game’s mechanics and combat, and you’ll be hugely rewarded with one of the best RPGs in years.

I’m currently playing KCD2, despite not having played the first game. Will probably play it afterwards though, especially if it gets the rumoured remaster. Have already downloaded High on life 2 so will give that a go later today.

I played the first game but never finished it. I have GPU so may as well give this a go. Glad to see it’s reviewing reasonably well.

I had this message yesterday too, and they’ve been bombarding me with emails for months about age verification. I just ignore them all. I don’t play online anyway. Until I have to prove my age I shall just carry on regardless 😂

@tho_mi true, but if they keep putting up the price of Gamepass, and if the next Xbox is expensive as rumoured, they will be haemorrhaging customers.

Considering the huge price hike last year I can’t believe they’d even consider another price hike. And surely they’re not going to add even more tiers?!? Why can’t they just leave things alone.

Civ 6?!? It’s not even the latest one 🙄

Ubisoft haters gonna say poll is rigged 😂

I might Pirate Yakuza a go, but tbh I bounced off Infinite wealth pretty hard. There were just too many cutscenes, some of which were really long. I’m guessing Pirate is the same? 🤔

I might pick up DQ7 reimagined. I enjoyed the demo and love the graphical style.

I’d love to see a patch for AC Unity. I know it already runs at 60fps through the Xbox FPS boost feature, but it needs a resolution bump as well. Fingers crossed Ubisoft will do it 🤞

@Old_Man_Harper Yes, have been doing that, and am pretty stocked up on “Henry’s” bane poison lol. Couldn’t use it in my fight with Istvan as I didn’t have my gear, but still managed to beat him. I have all my gear back now so am happy 😀

@Old_Man_Harper I’ve just killed I*****, so hope to be in Kuttenberg soon. I left a few side quests in Trosky, but otherwise have pretty much rinsed the area lol. Also Kuttenberg is apparently even bigger so wanted to get cracking on it asap. I’m actually enjoying the combat now, which is something I didn’t think I’d say at the start of the game! Perks - especially ones that improve stamina - and potions have all helped, but I’ve also just improved generally.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. I’m now on the main story quest “Storm”, which I believe is the last one before you move onto the second map of Kuttenberg. Having put in around 85 hours (!) on the opening area of Trosky, I think I’m ready!
Other games I’m playing are Echoes of the End, F1 2025, and EA FC 26.

I’ve been guilty of occasionally buying premium upgrade bundles, especially if the early access coincides with a week off work lol, but there’s absolutely NO WAY I’m paying £60 for it. This is outrageous. Microsoft can go and do one.

@Hern4ndeZzz Same. I love racing games, but am not a big fan of drifting.

I’ve already played Death Stranding and Roadcraft, but will definitely give Ninja Gaiden Ragebound a go.

@kelomaniack Ubisoft haters gonna hate 🙄

@Old_Man_Harper Yes the wedding was good fun, as was the following events in the castle. Mind you, after all the sneaking around in the castle it was good to get back out into the open world afterwards!

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Have now racked up 75 hours, and I’m still in the first region of Trosky! Have now attended the wedding, and done the castle stuff afterwards (no spoilers here!). I’m actually getting quite good at combat now, with a little help from potions and perks lol. I think I’ll be entering the second map, Kuttenberg, soon. I friggin’ love this game!
Echoes of the End Bought this in the current Xbox sale. Never played the launch version, but what’s here now in the “enhanced edition” is pretty good. Nothing groundbreaking, but it has solid gameplay and some nice graphics.

@Bobobiwan I played it at launch and really enjoyed it. As you said, the game is in even better shape now after numerous updates, so will probably do a second playthrough at some point.

@Old_Man_Harper I ended up buying the KCD2 expansion pass this week as it’s currently reduced, so look forward to doing this Legacy of the forge DLC at some point in the future.

@kanedase7en This is what I did once the price went up. On Shopto it’s something like £34 for a 3 month GPU sub, so I’m subbed until December 2026.

10 years?!? Where tf did that go? 😳

@Old_Man_Harper I finally beat Tomcat in a duel and learnt the Master strike! And yeah, I better start getting on with the main story lol.

@Old_Man_Harper thanks for the tips! I’ve got some potions that may help as well, like Artemisia, bucks blood, and aqua vitalis.

@Old_Man_Harper I did do a lesson with Tomcat, where I learnt some combos. Apparently I have to win a duel with him to learn the Master strike. I think I’ve only challenged him once so far and failed, but that was a while ago, so will give it another go over the weekend and see if I have more luck this time.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record lol, but still Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. I’ve now played for around 55 hours, I’m still in the first map (apparently 2nd map is even bigger 😳) and I haven’t even touched the main story in weeks! Just keep doing side quests (some of which are quite long), brewing potions (which I’m now pretty good at), and trying to avoid combat where possible lol. Tbh I have got a bit better at combat, but still struggle if outnumbered.
If I can pull myself away from KCD2, I bought Echoes of the end this week in the sale, so hope to give that a go.

I’ve downloaded the demo, but won’t play it until the game is out. That way, if I like the demo then I don’t have to wait to play the full game. Tbh I do that with all demos.

Echoes of the end was on my wishlist, so have now bought it. I’ve heard they made numerous improvements with the “enhanced edition”, and for around £16 I couldn’t resist.

Star Wars outlaws and Lost in Random the eternal die are both great additions. I’ve bought and played both, and can recommend them.

Kingdom come deliverance 2, which is consuming all my time (in a good way 😂). I’ve played around 35 hours so far, but have barely touched the main quest as I keep getting sidetracked. This week I’ve painted a bull (yes, the animal lol), helped settle a land dispute, and rescued a drunk man’s horse from some poachers! I’ve not been this immersed in a game since RDR2. I also love the drip feed of perks in KCD2, of which there are a whopping 276! I can’t believe I slept on this game for most of 2025, but I’m making up for it now.

@Old_Man_Harper Thanks for the tip. I don’t have any lock picks right now, but will definitely try this next time I get some.

My main go-to game is still Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. I've played around 18 hours so far and still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m now getting better at things like brewing potions/recipes, smithing, and the dice game. I’ve had one go at lock picking and was terrible, needless to say I broke the lock pick. Definitely need to level up some stats before I attempt again 😂 I’ve managed to avoid most combat so far. I did try and raid a bandit camp, but that didn’t end well 🤣 I need to find a fella by the name of Tomcat to improve my combat skills. I’ve just arrived at a small town/village called Semine, and finally have a horse (Pebbles!) I’m just taking my time with KCD2, as most others have said, it’s a long term time investment. Oh yeah, and the game looks gorgeous 😍 even on performance mode (playing on Series X).

Avowed was great. There was a lot of versatility in your build - I spent most of the game with an axe in one hand and a wand in the other. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and once they add NG+ in the new year I’ll dive back in.

As I said on the “What are you playing over the weekend” article, I recently bought Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, which should keep me busy over Christmas and well into the new year!