Nightcrawler71

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!

As I’ve said before on here, I have both games, but I’ve put in way more time on Forza Motorsport. The first year or so when they were regularly releasing new tracks for the game was great. Such a shame that now the game will be just left to die 😟

@Old_Man_Harper Yeah, from what I’ve heard the more you put into it the more you’ll get out. There’s no big new games coming out for a while, so I can devote my time to it. Will also be watching plenty of YouTube guides as well 😂

@Old_Man_Harper Thanks for the tips! I’ve just brewed my first potion. It was a little overwhelming, but the old girl was there to guide me. Definitely need to take my time with this game - baby steps and all that 😂

I finally caved earlier this week and bought Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 in the Xbox sale. I played a few hours last night and am so far enjoying it. I’m up to where you wake up (after a fall) in an old lady’s home, and am about to dispose of the dead body outside. I’m cautiously optimistic about the game as I know it’s not really for casual gamers so I may end up not liking it. Then again it may be the best thing I’ve played this year! 😂
Merry Christmas everyone 😀🎄

@RiverGenie Thanks for the tips! 👍

@RiverGenie I don’t mind sinking my teeth into a long term game, especially as there’s nothing coming out in the near future, I’m more worried about how “accessible” the game is. Things like learning the combat systems, and even saving your game isn’t just a case of hitting the save button (apparently).

The Outer Worlds 2. Still in the Golden Ridge area. Haven’t played it as much as I want to because work has kept me busy, but I enjoy playing it when I get the chance.
F1 2025. Bought it in a recent Black Friday sale. It’s enjoyable and a solid racing game, but glad I didn’t pay full price for it.
I’m thinking of buying Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, which is currently on sale (£30) on the Xbox store. Have heard lots of good things about it, but not sure I’ll have the patience for it 🤔

In the same week we are told Friends (owned by WB) will leave UK Netflix at the end of the year, we are also now told that Netflix is buying WB…?

@themightyant thanks 👍 will probably give this a go once I finish The Outer worlds 2.

Definitely in my top 3 games of the year. Am a bit gutted about the delay as I was looking forward to diving into NG+, nevertheless I’m looking forward to the big update in February.

What shape is the game in now, December 2025? Is it worth me downloading? Didn’t it have a subscription attached at one point? Can it be played entirely solo?

No GP drops for the second half of December? 🤔

@Echtzeit well that kinda sucks 😡

Do you still get the free upgrade if you own the physical Xbox 360 disc? Your article says if you own it digitally 🤔

Think I’ll wait until it’s on Gamepass or PS+ 😂

Probably only Metroid Prime 4…oh wait, wrong site 😉

@TuscanUK marking out of a 100 is no different to the examples you gave - scores of 7.8 and 7.9 are the same as 78 and 79 out of a 100. I think they should just do scores out of 5 or 10 but no decimal places!

Even though I have a PS5 I never bought/played SH2, but 50% off straight away is very tempting…

They are already laying down the groundwork for their next console 👍

Forza Motorsport is a flagship brand for Xbox and needs to be treated with the respect it deserves.

Both of these look interesting in their own way. Both seem a perfect fit for Gamepass, as I probably wouldn’t have played them otherwise. Winter burrow has me intrigued - you wouldn’t usually find the words cozy and survival in the same sentence 😂

Places like Shopto are still selling 3 months of Ultimate for about £34, so I’m paid up until December 2026. There’s some big games dropping next year so wanted to remain on GPU. After Dec ‘26 I’m not sure what I’ll do 🤔

I loved Avowed and is definitely in my top 5 games of 2025. I’m hyped for a sequel, as I am for NG+ for the first game.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we now get remasters of RDR2 and/or GTA 4, just to keep us happy in the meantime.

I only started playing it yesterday, so not long enough yet to give a score. Saying that, my first impressions are positive. It already seems more polished than the first game, which I admit I never finished. Looking forward to sinking a lot more time into it over the coming weeks and months.

Ghost of Yōtei Seriously good game, and very probably my GOTY. I’m around 45 hours in, and have still only killed one of the Yōtei six lol. The game is absolutely gorgeous too.
Borderlands 4 I’m just about to enter the central part of the map for the first time - Dominion city. My character (Vex) is level 32, and have been having a lot of fun with this game. They have definitely improved performance since launch, which is good to see.
I’m tempted to try ARC Raiders 🤔 I don’t usually play multiplayer, but I’ve heard good things about the solo play, where the game will usually match you with other solo players. And from what I’ve seen in videos the game looks stunning.

I was browsing Gamepass late last night and saw Pacific Drive, and thought “I don’t remember that being announced for GP…nice!” Downloaded it straight away, and will give it a go over the weekend.

PushSquare applying the old Xbox tax I see 😂

So they hike the price of Gamepass ultimate and still make you pay more for “early access”, even though the game is ready for release 🤦🏻‍♂️

I’m definitely in the mood for a new racing game! Getting bored with Forza Motorsport, especially with the lack of any updates recently. Not really into drifting racing games, but fingers crossed Project motor racing turns out well 🤞

Very intrigued by this game, even though I hardly know anything about it! I’m already using the dynamic background on my Series X. Look forward to playing it later today 😀

Even though I generally like racing games, I’m not a fan of ovals, which I believe make up a lot of the NASCAR calendar. Even in games like Forza Motorsport or GT7 I find oval racing boring 🥱

I’m using the Keeper one, which looks pretty damn cool 😎 looking forward to the actual game too!

Pretty much the same 3 games I’ve been playing for a few weeks now - Borderlands 4, Ghost of Yōtei, and Hades 2. I finally got around to buying the Batman double pack - Return to Arkham - for only £3.99 in the current Xbox sale. I played the original versions but couldn’t refuse the remastered twin pack for under a fiver.

There’s been plenty of games that I’ve enjoyed or am still enjoying, including Avowed, AC Shadows, Borderlands 4, Death stranding 2, and Ghost of Yōtei, but no outright winner. Overall though it’s been a really good year for games.