Nightcrawler71

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.

So if I refuse to prove my age what exactly will I be locked out of on Xbox? Is it just social features, because I never play online. Will I be unable to play 18 rated games? Also, Microsoft have my payment details on file - isn’t this enough?

One of the reasons a lot of people play on Xbox is because of Gamepass. With the recent massive price hike on Ultimate I can’t help feeling the next Xbox console will really struggle as many people abandon Gamepass.

Ghost of Yōtei, PS5. Only played a couple of hours, but am so far loving it, and the graphics are gorgeous.
Hades 2, Switch 2. I finally beat Hecate today, thus clearing the first region, Erebus. Now onto Oceanus.
Borderlands 4 Series X. Currently exploring the Carcadia region. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Borderlands games, but inventory management is always a nightmare. You always have more guns/grenades/shields etc than you know what to do with 😂 at least they’ve added some QoL touches in B4, like being able to send stuff to your bank directly from your inventory screen.

I ended up buying some 3 months GPU subs on Shopto for around £33 each, so I’m now subbed until September 2026 😂

If anyone is interested (UK) sites like CDKeys/Loaded and Shopto are selling 3 month GPU subscription for around £33 (compared with £23 per month) Be warned though, they are selling like hot cakes for obvious reasons.

I’ve had Gamepass/ultimate since its inception, but this is just too much of a price hike. What on earth were they thinking?!? I’m subbed until December, but after that I’m going to let my subscription lapse and just buy the games I want, preferably in sales. Thanks for the memories Gamepass, but I’m out.

Idgaf about Fortnite 😡 I’d rather go without and pay a few pounds less.

Absolutely still loving Borderlands 4, playing on Series X. I switched quite early on from Amon to Vex, and will probably stick with her now. I just defeated the first regional boss - Idolator Sol - who if I’m being completely honest was a bit of a tedious battle. Not had the chance to play the game since this week’s big patch dropped, so am looking forward to seeing if performance has improved.
My other big game is Hades 2, on Switch 2. Only played an hour or so on Thursday, and I was ill yesterday 🤒 so I have missed gaming time to make up 😂
I can’t believe that 3 of my most eagerly awaited games of 2025 are all out within a few weeks of each other - Borderlands 4, Hades 2, and - next week - Ghost of Yōtei, which is already installed and ready to go! 😀

@lechugajr Same! Mario kart world got boring surprisingly quickly. Donkey kong Bananza turned out to be one of the rare games that gives me motion sickness 🤢 but I knew Hades 2 would be a Switch exclusive for a while, and is one of the reasons I bought the Switch 2. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Releasing a new roguelike in the same week as Hades 2 is a brave move!

@RiverGenie Thanks for the tips! 😀 I’ve now got Vex up to level 11. I’m definitely dying less than I was with Amon. I usually find myself mix and matching with regards to reapers and specters, depending on enemy types (ground, flying etc). I will experiment around with her build and may even respec at some point. Thanks again 👍

@RiverGenie Any tips or general feedback on using Vex for your play through? I switched from Amon to Vex, and currently have Vex on level 9. Have mostly been using her Dead Ringer action skill, as her minions can be pretty handy on the battlefield.

My main focus this weekend will be Borderlands 4, and picking a character (aka vault hunter) I’m happy with. I started off with Amon and got him to level 13, but kept dying a lot 😂 so have now started another save slot with Vex, as her minions can help me on the battlefield. I may even give the other 2 characters a go. Luckily you can skip the (boring) prologue once you’ve done it. And it goes without saying, most of the guns are very satisfying to use.

I’m a sucker for these VS/bullet heaven/auto battler type games. Right now I’m playing Yet another Zomibe survivors and Greedland (both are great) but I have Deep rock galactic survivor downloaded and will give it a go over the weekend.

Hades is the GOAT of roguelike/lites. Can’t believe it’s 5 years old already 😱 Really looking forward to the sequel next week!

I highly recommend Hades to anyone that hasn’t yet played it. Great game. Can’t wait for the sequel.

I’ll probably get it at some point, but not at launch. I’m currently playing Borderlands 4, Hades 2 drops next week, and Ghost of Yotei the following week. No time for The Beast I’m afraid!

@stefan771 exactly. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

@RiverGenie yeah I’ve been dying quite a lot too. Glad it’s not just me 😂 Amon is great fun, and I enjoy throwing axes at enemies! Feels a little like God of War, only the axes don’t come back 😂 I’m thinking of starting a simultaneous playthrough with Harlowe, and then just go with which one I prefer out of her and Amon.

Borderlands 4. It’s early days, but am so far enjoying it. I was torn between picking Amon or Harlowe as my vault hunter, and went with Amon in the end. I liked the idea of throwing fire/frost axes!
I’m also playing a handful of amazing indie games right now. These include Deadzone rogue, Yet another Zombie survivors, and Greedland.

@Lup thanks for the feedback 👍 I’ll probably buy it at some point , but I already have 2 VS type games on the go right now - Greedland and Yet another zombie survivors, both of which are excellent.

I really hope we get a sequel to Bad north someday.

Has it been delayed? No sign of it today on the Xbox store 🤔

I’m quite interested in Jotunnslayer, but many of the reviews on the Xbox store mention players losing progress. Guess I’ll wait till it’s been fixed.

Not a game I’d usually pay for, but will give it a go if it does drop on Gamepass.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this for ages! I played the demo back at the start of the year and loved it. Definitely buying this. I’m Currently playing another VS type game - Greedland - which is also excellent.

Wow, that is cheap. Shame we don’t have Best buy in the UK.

Anyone bought it digitally from CDKeys/Loaded? Just wondering if you get the code now so you can pre-install it?

Hell yeah! I’m in the mood for a new FPS. I enjoyed the previous Borderlands games, including Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.

I probably played it for like 5-10 hours, but ultimately it wasn’t for me. There was far more stealth than I was expecting. But at least with Gamepass I was able to try it out, which I wouldn’t have done otherwise.

@Isca yeah some of the recent updates to NMS make it look awesome, and I love the idea of exploring, but the opening hour(s) with the tutorial are just so boring. I’ll try again and try to persevere! I can’t believe NMS is now 9 years old! 😮

I’m currently installing No man’s Sky…again! I always have trouble getting past the tutorial area. Will give it another go and see if it clicks.
I bought a couple of games this week - Shinobi Art of Vengeance, which is great. Also bought a vampire survivors type game called Greedland, which is also great and oozes that “one more go” feeling!

Think I’ll wait for a few patches and a sale before I pick this up.

I’m in something of a gaming rut at the moment - nothing I play holds my interest. Will give this a go, and hope it snaps me out of it.

I’ve used rechargeables in mine for a few years now. I get much more play time from one charge than I do from a fully charged PS5 controller.

As much as I applaud Ubisoft for their post launch support for The Division 2, I’d rather just have D3 now.

@FraserG that’s a shame. Thanks anyway.

Is the demo still available?

I played it a year or so ago, and enjoyed it more than expected. Also, Baghdad looks absolutely gorgeous. I encourage people to at least give it a go whilst it’s on Gamepass.