RiverGenie

Its ok and I get why folk are in to it but don't see myself being obsessed. Will keep it on my Xbox for those need to kill time moments.

On Series X I am on my second go at Avowed doing an unarmed pugilist run. I thought i did a pretty good job of finding all the hidden stuff in my first go around but it seems I did miss a bunch of stuff as i am still finding new stuff.

Also playing some Balatro & its an ok math puzzle wrapped up in poker (lite & tcg). I can see the appeal but its not something I am going to be obsessed with.

On PS5 i picked Solasta Lightbringer Edition (all dlc.) in current sale. Its a fun crpg and while its no Baldur's Gate 3 or even Pathfinder it does have its own charm, certainly engaging enough that i want to keep playing it.

@FatGuyInLilCoat it was always indifference to me. It doesn't matter to me in the slightest what platforms games release on & never has.

@HonestHick i am doing an unarmed pugilist run at the moment and not having any issues in combat.

Not sure what build you are doing but armour can & should be upgraded too. Break down anything you are not using inc. legendary weapons / armour. Sell gloves, boots, jewellry & gems to buy arda to upgrade quality (arda & lockpicks are all you should generally buy )

Kai can be set up to tank with a provoke that can help crowd control & later you have another companion that can be set up to heal. There are options in your own skill trees for CC, health return on hit & more health / stamina / essence or on call stealth if you need to break aggro.

Also don't neglect food & cooking in camp as you can get some quite long lasting buffs that help. If you eat food while at full health / essence you get a regen effect more you eat longer regen lasts so top up before a big fight for a steady health recoup.

Atomfall is my only real interest in March i just wished it released earlier in the month.

AC: Shadows is probably something i will play eventually but it will be in several months time once it hits the sales, assuming no major technical issues are present.

Too many folks worrying about gamepass future and not discussing the games, you know what this article is about. Its real simple enjoy gamepass while its good which it is right now for the most part and if that changes then reevaluate at that time.

I wasn't expecting much from this showcase but seeing Balatro on gamepass is excellent. Its one of the very few indie games I have an interest in and nearly purchased a couple of times.

Revenge of the Savage Planet will also be something to look forward to as well. Enjoyed the first one a lot & think its one of those hidden gems that folks might have overlooked

@themightyant Those folks don't care about games or gaming they do it for YouTube engagement & ad revenue. Bottom feeders the lot of them but folks still eat it up & parrot their bull 💩

Glad I purchased it personally and has been well worth it for me. I hope they will either release dlc or plan a follow up as its just such an interesting world & lore that they have created.

Enjoyed it enough that I am on my 2nd Avowed play through & am squeezing in fresh runs at both Pillars of Eternity games to refresh myself on the world lore and references that are in Avowed.

It looks nice but the game play gets very repetitive as you progress through the game.

It is fun to just explore though I guess.

WH40K Rogue Trader is worth your time if you have it to spare. Its not Baldur's Gate 3 level time investment but it can get up there if you throw in side quests. Still if you like a traditional stat based crpg it is a fun time.

Might take a look at F1 24 out of curiosity but I have fallen off F1 as a sport for various reasons.

@Aniscape I did lightning gun & grimoire with a sprinkling of grenades, a pistolero sorcerer. Yup being able to cover all the elements yourself save having to mess about with companions

@Prestige-worldwide you will see better graded weapon drops the further you go in the game but @Aniscape is correct that you will be breaking down stuff for upgrade parts & using those to improve your armour / weapons more often than not.

In my first play through I found a legendary lightning pistol I think in the second zone which stayed with me for the rest of the game. It remained relevant due to continued upgrades and finished up as a legendary grade legendary weapon.

Easy 9/10.

The companions are a little bit underwhelming but apart from that I like pretty much everything else the game offers.

I hope we see more of this world if not as dlc for Avowed in a future game with a similar play style.

@Steel76 1129 kr for premium edition but your country has a better standard of living / wage rate compared to US (and most other countries to be fair.) so I guess that balances out.

I just played the game mate and had fun.but your are welcome anyway 😉

@Steel76 @Kloppo it was £17.99 so about $23 on a direct conversion. Even if you got the full premium edition taking the cost of the game out of the price its still not $30 for the premium part.

Exaggeration cheapens the point or message you are trying to make, such as it is.

As for the beta test part from my own experiences on a Series X in performance mode i only encountered some cut scene stutters. Non of these fixes impacted my game.

So in short i paid for early access with money I earned so that I could play & enjoy this game specifically before you two. 👍🙄

@mac_da_man magic is the answer to everything.

The owner of the cup used magic to stop shady types stealing it. Weapons are taken into the Beyond if its the weapons time so its soul can travel through The Wheel and be put in new weapons a blacksmith makes. Arrows are replenished magically, obviously! You are on your own with the clouds though😉

You can over think stuff sometimes, its a fantasy not a sim so it doesn't need to be realistic. Just roll with the fantasy or play Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 if you want a more grounded sim like gaming experience. 🙂

I tried the demo and didn't last 30 minutes before uninstalling it.

Yakuza games and their spin offs are the marmite of gaming and like marmite this isn't for me.

@Titntin I would say the companions are probably the weakest part of the game. Still fun can be had & I had a few laugh out loud conversations with them over the course of my play through.

WH40K Rogue Trader is an excellent crpg by the folks who did the two Pathfinder games. Well worth your time if you like a more "traditional" rpg experience.

@Titntin in the main quest your choices will influence how others see you as you progress through the game, change some quite serious story plot points & the final ending itself. I think you would need multiple play throughs to cover all the choices available.

The side quests will also change who will help you in the main story climax. Its not a deep story as such but it was interesting enough to keep me engaged.

The companions are a bit one dimensional but there is still fun to be had by engaging with them. One i found to be pretty funny but she is the last one you meet up with.

@Kaloudz It was a fairly relaxed play through & you could probably shave a few hours off the total time if you don't do as much exploring to uncover areas.

I am pretty sure I got most of the side quests & bounties but did skip on a couple of find & fetch quests in the last couple of area as i didn't need what they provided for my character. In terms of achievements I still have a load of things I could go for but I rarely chase achievements these days in any game (finished 16 / 50.)

Hope folks have as much fun as I did with Avowed.

Just for reference it took me just shy of 40 hours to complete the main story. I did skip a few fetch quest things in the last couple of zones to focus the main story.

Only issues I had using performance mode on Series X were some cut scene stutters when a particular character was in them. Other than that I didn't notice anything that impacted my gaming.

Will be doing another play through for sure but I am kind of wanting to play the first two Pillars of Eternity games before I go back to Avowed.

@Ricky-Spanish will you be playing fable / gta 6 before or after your poultry punting practice period?

I will handle the situation by playing them when ever they release & I have the time for them. If they clash well its not like they are going to delist them any time in the next few years so i can wait for one or the other if necessary.

My hobby is to play the games that look fun to me not fret over marketing strategy, financials & sales.

So excited for Atomfall so if that is all they have i'm good.

Avowed all day & night 🥱

I love games that reward exploration when you just do it to explore (non quest related exploration.) & this game has a lot to discover off the beaten path. It also has a lot of quest to get stuck into and while they are nothing really deep so far they are compelling enough to keep me interested.

My mage who uses a flintlock pistol, grenades and a spell book is kicking ass & taking names. Once i realised that you aren't tied to a single skill tree but can mix & match from all of them to suit your play style thing really took off. It helps that you can respec at any point so you can fine tune things as you level up & open up more options.

Running in performance mode on Series X I haven't had any issues and the game still looks great.

I am so glad I took a chance on this one as I am having a fantastic time.

I am intrigued so far and want to see where the story goes which is always a good sign. Still early days but looking good so far.

Running in performance mode and it's not had any issues as far as I can tell on Series X

(I got the premium upgrade after preordering the standard edition. Actually slightly cheaper than buying premium edition outright as you get gamepass discount on the upgrade.)

I gave it 7. It's more of the same which is good because it's still fun to shoot digital nazi nuts.

I do hope they are least move to a new location in the next one the Pacific might be interesting. If they want to continue the resistance theme somewhere like Norway would also interesting contrast with a snowy environment.

@themightyant people complain when devs dont update stuff and even more confusing to me when they do updates.

In Stalker 2's case would you rather have played the version that PureXbox reviewed with all the issues they highlighted or the day 1 version were many of those issues just didn't exist. Though it still had problems without that download it would have been a lot worse.

I wouldn't be a game dev folk just complain no matter what you do.

This is one I will get eventually but I just don't really have time for it now. I have watched a couple of YouTube vids & i am still a bit concerned about combat being clunky which is what stopped me in the original kcd.

Still folks seem to be enjoying so I will give it a chance at some point.

Shooting nazi testicles (& other body parts occasionally by accident 😉) in Sniper Elite: Resistance. It is more of the same but that isn't a bad thing in this case.

Usual Minecraft stuff & assuming the Playstation network stops ***** the bed some GT7, hopefully.

@Isolte sigh .... I repeat Its not my job nor is it any part of my hobby to hold the gaming industry accountable for everything they do nor police other peoples spending habits.

If you want to take on the gaming industry, be a consumer champion or just be judgemental of others then have at it that's your choice to make.

I do not and will just continue to play the games that look fun to me or ignore those that don't, that's my choice. Look to save time I am just going to agree to disagree with you & get back to the much more important task of killing digital nazis in Sniper Elite: Resistance

@Isolte I just play games and I can only control what I do with regards to them. If a game does something I don't agree with I simply don't buy or play it and go play something else instead (as i was going to do with Avowed until they confirmed 60 fps.)

My actual worries are about things way more life changing than games. I play games to distract from those worries, fuel my imagination & simply to have fun.

Its not my job to hold the gaming industry accountable for everything they do nor police other peoples spending habits.

If folks want early access its up to them its their money to spend as they wish. Not going to be salty about something that is entirely optional with nothing lost by waiting a few days.

With 60 fps confirmed I have preordered the standard edition & I am looking forward to this a lot as i enjoyed both of the previous Pillars of Eternity games.

I was bitterly disappointed with the initial 30 fps announcement but Avowed is definitely back on the menu.

I am probably going to buy it now rather than just gamepass it specifically due to having 60 fps. There really isn't a valid excuse not to offer a 60 fps option these days, at least on Series X

Still waiting for a sale with this one.

I tapped out on the original as i couldn't cope with the janky & awkward controls. While the sequel seems a little more refined in places its still has a lot of the original game dna which makes me reluctant to pay full price for something i may not enjoy.

Also with stuff like Sniper Elite & soon maybe Avowed (as i understand its got a 60 fps mode now) I am in no rush to start a game like KCD 2 which needs a huge time commitment.

So yeah firmly on the sales list to play later in year or even next year.

@Fiendish-Beaver Agree its a great game that I imagine a lot of folks over look. While it is quite difficult it does have a great set of options so you can fine tune the difficulty to your personal preference. Something i wish other souls like games would adopt.

Will be keeping an eye on the progress of this game & hope we see it on console soonish once its out of early access.

Ironically I have had cleaner online racing in the first Wreckfest than I often experienced in online racing in Forza Motorsport!

This might be a future sale purchase for me. I am not really willing to pay full price for a game I am not entirely sure I will enjoy more so as it apparently needs a significant time investment too.

On Series X Mostly Minecraft I expect. I have downloaded Sniper Elite Resistance so I will have a look at the that too at some point.

On PS5 GT7 has a good track and car combo for one of its daily races so will be spending some time there too.

I hope the Playstation folks enjoy FH5. While I personally am a bit bored with open world racers in general this one is up there with the best and well worth your time if you like them.

It looks nice, captures the movie atmosphere but as a game I think it's a bit weak. At least from the bit I could play of it.

The AI is dumber than a pile of rocks, the puzzles are easy and the collect the stuff for reasons is just over done.

If folks had fun good for you and if you haven't finished it I hope you continue to do so. For me I think it was over hyped & it certainly underdelivered as a game.

I tried Alan Wake 2 using the PS5 free trial & was bored with it before the trial expired.

It's a story driven game and the story was uninspiring for me at least with nothing to back it up gameplay wise.

I suppose it might get better further in but I am not prepared to trudge through the boring bits to get to the potential good stuff later.

Would still suggest folks give it a try but it's just not a game for me.

It's an ancient mmo & while I enjoyed it at the time I don't want to play it any more.

Plus on console you would have the disadvantage of not being able to use mods (I expect) which are huge for WoW

@Isolte Bigger picture pft. If someone wants to spend money they earned on something that makes them happy & brings them some fun then I am not going to belittle their choice because its their choice to make.

No one is forcing this purchase on you and you can ignore it if its not your thing.

(For the record & full disclosure I am not buying it for Avowed as i doubt i will even play the game. I have purchased early access for Forza Horizon 5, Diablo 4 & Path of Exile 2 which for me were totally worth it.)

@PsBoxSwitchOwner people can spend their own money as they wish, that makes total sense.

Been enjoying season 7 of Diablo 4 & will continue on with my druid. Also picked up Robocop & Biomutant in the current sale so will make a start with one of those over the weekend.

For anyone interested in a Diablo style game without the always online nonsense Grim Dawn: Definitive Edition is well worth £15.99.

You get a lot of game for the price with plenty of interesting build options & fun play styles.

Nothing here is really for me so I gave it a C

Maybe Doom but there is nothing leaping out as a must for me personally. That's not to say the games shown aren't good or won't do well it's just non of them really float my boat.

I am still only really excited for Atomfall so far this year and not much else.