Comments 827

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 13-14)

RiverGenie

@Nightcrawler71 the combat does have a bit of a learning curve but its much more approachable than the original game and more consistent too. Its not Elden Ring level difficult but you can't just button mash so it does take a bit of effort.

Saving if i remember correctly was either using a saviour schnaps potion (easy enough to craft), sleeping in a bed or when you quit the game it saves. While its not a traditional save system its not as bad as it might sound & I don't recall any issues with it.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 13-14)

RiverGenie

Dropped everything I was playing to jump into the new Path of Exile 2 patch 0.4 with the big highlight being the new druid class. I am still early game levelling and having a smashing time (literally with druid bear form.)

Oh yeah PoE 2 currently has a free weekend running if you are interested in taking a peek at the new patch.

I did notice Diablo 4 dropped a new class the much requested Paladin. I am sure i will play it eventually but PoE 2 is just way more exciting to me right now.

Re: These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 8-12)

RiverGenie

Nothing for me in this list but I count that as a good thing given I barely have time for what I already have.

Still have new things to look forward to next week with a new Path of Exile 2 season with a new class, a shape shifting Druid (also another free weekend 12 - 15 Dec to coincide with that if folks are interested.)

Also a new season in Diablo 4 on the 11th and in isolation its doing good things with its seasonal changes but yeah nope. For me its certainly playing second fiddle on my excitement scale compared to PoE 2.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 6-7)

RiverGenie

Mostly continuing on with my Stalker 2 play through and enjoying it a lot. Three playthroughs and still finding new things is some insane depth of content.

I am considering doing another run of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora if i can find the time. I think I finished the main campaign but never did the first two dlc & with the third due soon it would be an ideal time to do this.

Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden On Xbox Game Pass?

RiverGenie

I haven't tried it on Xbox but gave it a try on PS5 but I just got a bit bored with it and had other games I was more excited to play. It wasn't a bad game and it might pick up story wise if a put more time into it but I just don't have any great excitement for it.

Might be one I will give a second chance if I am stuck for something to play. Right now though I have literally more games i am excited for than I have time to play

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 22-23)

RiverGenie

@Pigrotto Sacred 2 was always a bit wonky but that was part of its charm so I was prepared for that.

Crashes not so much & its not like they were niche cases either, talk to shop npc in 1st town- Crash, look at inventory - Crash with many other cases of just playing normally making it crash.

Its a shame because it genuinely looks much better, when its not crashing runs well & I was looking forward to playing it. Maybe if they patch it I might buy it in a future sale on a deep discount but yeah shouldn't have been released in this state.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 22-23)

RiverGenie

I am trying to figure out how to make trains run efficiently in Satisfactory and working on completing my current phase tasks.

I am also playing Sacred 2, the Xbox 360 version not the recently released Remaster (I tried it but it was so bad it became the first game I ever refunded on Xbox. Wonky I can put up with but constant crashes I wont tolerate.)

Speaking of wonky I am also considering restarting my current Stalker 2 play through so I can try to complete a full master difficulty run which was added in the 1.7 patch.

I think those 3 games will keep me busy well into the New Year.

Re: Talking Point: Do You Have Any Plans For Xbox 360's Big Birthday Weekend?

RiverGenie

I don't have a 360 but I am playing a game via backwards compatibility, Sacred 2.

I was all set and excited to play the Sacred 2 Remaster but they really shouldn't have released it. I can put up with a lot of wonky stuff with games if I have fun but having a game constantly crash is not one of those things I will tolerate.

So the Sacred 2 Remaster became the only game I have ever refunded on Xbox.

Luckily for me I do have the original 360 version of Sacred 2. One of the few I have purchased out of nostalgia of my time playing it on pc. You know what despite it's age I am still having a great time (& no crashes)

Re: The Crew Motorfest Races Onto Xbox Game Pass This Week, And You Don't Want To Miss It

RiverGenie

While I am not generally a fan of open world racing these days I have to say Motorfest isn't really competition to Forza Horizon 5.

Motorfest isn't as polished as FH5 , the ai is terrible and the way the cars drive just feels wrong to me. To its credit it does have a ton of content to plow through and in general looks pretty decent.

I suppose you could have fun but for me it just doesn't hit the spot with more negatives than positive so its not something i will be rushing to play.

Re: Xbox Dev Obsidian Says It Hasn't Used Generative AI 'At All' So Far

RiverGenie

Folks like to dog pile on this stuff and in a lot of cases its because someone on the socials told them to.

I am with @themightyant in that its not a simple ai good or ai bad. You have to evaluate how its used on a game by game basis & if it helps or hinders the game creation process.

Its easy to see bad use but I would bet there has been many more instances that AI has been used to speed up certain aspects of the creation process. These uses are either well integrated in the final product so you can't tell or has been used at a conceptual stage to help finalise plans for the finished game.

Personally if something cuts development time without affecting the quality of the final product then I am all for it.

Re: Reaction: As Gran Turismo 7 Gets A Major 2025 Expansion, Forza Motorsport Deserved More

RiverGenie

GT7 is pretty much the reason i got a PS5 and I dont regret it one bit. I am interested in the dlc they announced as well as the free spec III update too. Fun times ahead.

I enjoyed Forza Motorsport and it was sad to see it go down the way it did. It seemed to me folks were starting to be positive about FM after the most recent updates then Microsoft took it for a walk behind the shed while holding a shotgun.

I hope we see them try again with the franchise but I doubt that it will be for many many years.

Re: Epic Games CEO Comments On ARC Raiders And Its Use Of AI Voice Generation

RiverGenie

AI is just a tool that can help productivity and it all depends on how each individual dev team uses said tool whether that is good or not for the creative process. To say its just out right bad regardless of how its used is a poor position to take in my opinion.

Its like saying all shovels are bad and shouldn't be used no matter how appropriate they are for a job because someone hit someone with a shovel & killed them.

Re: Fallout 4: Anniversary Upgrade Launches For $40, 'Creations Bundle' Also Available For $20

RiverGenie

@BleedingDreamer The creations bundle i believe. Personally i am not going the bother as i am not seeing anything in the creation club content that is adding much i am interested in.

List of included creation content can be found on this page > https://bethesda.net/en/article/3IN7gxAs893fv09b7ZJ3I0/fallout-4-anniversary-edition-now-available#:~:text=The%20following%20%E2%80%9CBethesda%20Themed%E2%80%9D%20Creation,and%20the%20Fantasy%20Hero%20Set.

Re: Poll: How Much Are You Enjoying Ninja Gaiden 4 On Xbox Game Pass?

RiverGenie

I have no history with this franchise & I played maybe a couple of hours NG4. It wasn't bad though not really something I would ever buy but a servicable gamepass offering.

The problem it has is I have many many other games that I would rather play and are way more enjoyable to me. Put it this way if no other games were ever made from this point forward it would still be years before I even thought of trying to complete Ninja Gaiden 4.

Re: Xbox Store Accidentally Leaks November Release Date For Silent Hill 2

RiverGenie

Silent Hill is one of those franchises that I just can't get into and find it more boring than scary.

I recently gave the SH2 remaster a go on PS5 via plus and it didn't change my mind on the franchise. I think my main problem is I don't care about the characters so the story lost me and its all but done for me at that point as the game play wasn't all that engaging for me either.

I hope folks who are into this franchise more than me enjoy this release but yeah nope not for me.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 8-9)

RiverGenie

Too many games & not enough time.

I really wish I didn't buy Satisfactory not because its a bad game but it seems to have come with a built in time machine that transports you to 2-3 am.

The game is essentially a huge puzzle in a factory wrapper that keeps adding to the puzzle complexity while giving you more & more tools to solve things. Its really making me think, prioritise & trouble shoot problems but its still been a lot of fun at the same time.

When I haven't been time travelling I am continuing on with my second run of The Outer Worlds 2 which is still fun & I am still finding new things i missed the first go around.

Also trying to find some time to look at Voidtrain & also hop into Minecraft to check some new vibrant visuals stuff.

Re: The Timing Of Xbox's 25th Anniversary Just Got A Lot More Awkward

RiverGenie

I haven't even watched the GTA6 trailer at this point & I am not convinced the new date won't be pushed back again. An anniversary event for a brand isn't something I would care about either.

Both of these things are not something I care about at the moment. That may change for GTA6 nearer the time but right now meh!

@FraserG when did the 360 first release?

Re: Two New Games Are Available Today Across Xbox & PC Game Pass (November 6)

RiverGenie

@Fiendish-Beaver from what i understand of the development of this game its more a small iterative progress rather than dlc. A quick google tells me there is 80-150 hours of game play which for 35 quid seem good value to me.

I will say the game won't be for everyone and I imagine some folks will get frustrated by it. Still i am enjoying puzzling through the game and figuring out how stuff works together even if I am not always sure why I am doing things. Kind of reminds me of No Mans Sky story & progress in that you get set tasks to complete but its often a bit vague on the why as you do them.

Still I can understand wanting to wait till you have time to give it a good look. I am about on my limit right now with the various games I have on the go and don't expect to start anything else for a couple of weeks.

Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think Xbox's Release Schedule Looks Like For 2026?

RiverGenie

Can you even call it a schedule at this point? In the other article only two of the games had confirmed dates and only one of those was an xbox game with everything else marked as TBD.

Until confirmed release dates are given I am not thinking about any of these games. Even then I try not to be hyped until a month or so before said date.

Too many missed release dates and delays in the past for me to not learn my lesson.

Re: Obsidian Aware Of Demand For Fallout: New Vegas 2, But Own IP Has Taken Priority In 2025

RiverGenie

I would enjoy a New Vegas remake as much as anyone else but if its not something the dev team is passionate or enthusiastic about doing that will reflect in the final quality. I would much prefer it done well & with respect to the original than it being half arsed so the opportunity is wasted.

Obsidian the hardest working dev team Xbox have so I say let them cook. I mean Avowed & The Outer Worlds 2 are among my favourite games of the current gen with the Grounded franchise being well received by a lot of folks too.

(They are even beta testing a new update for the original Pillars of Eternity at the moment.)

Re: World Of Warcraft Dev Still Not 'Actively Working' Towards Native Xbox Console Version

RiverGenie

I don't think I would play it even if it was released on to series consoles.

It's old news at this point and WoW just doesn't have the pull it used to (there is a good reason Blizzard stopped reporting player numbers years ago.) That is without taking into account it's a subscription based game.

Yeah I burned that bridge a long time ago and have no desire to rebuild it on any platform.

Re: 'Satisfactory' Brings Its Ultra-Popular Open World Co-Op Game To Xbox This Week

RiverGenie

@Jenkinss cross play is a thing between consoles so xbox & playstation players can play together but pc will remain its own thing (for now).

Mods are one of the reasons and it would apparently need a lot of back end infrastructure work that would delay other feature releases for the game.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/SatisfactoryGame/comments/1nx2pgr/we_answered_the_most_common_questions_about/

Re: Poll: What Are Your Initial Impressions Of The Outer Worlds 2 On Xbox Game Pass?

RiverGenie

@GeeEssEff I assume you are checking for ammo recipes at vendor machines / vendors? Most basic ammo is fairly easy to craft as you need at a workbench more so with using certain traits to increase craft yields. There is also a flaw called wasteful that will make all killed enemies drop ammo (but it also increases vendor prices.)

Two handed melee weapons are good early on first planet without any skill investment to save ammo for boss fights. Will obviously need skill point investment to keep using on other planets.

Re: All New Games Coming To Xbox In November 2025

RiverGenie

Satisfactory is looking good but I am waiting on reviews. Its a game that can make a decent pc beg for mercy so I want to be sure about its performance on series x.

The other big game for me this month is Project Motor Racing. Really excited for this for the multiplayer mostly but I have been quite impressed with what I have seen of the solo campaign

Basically you get some starter cash, pick a starter car and then everything you do after that will depend on your race results & winnings. So all car repairs costs, upgrades costs, new cars & so on need to be earned which should add some depth as well as tension to the races.

(Also like the look of Rennsport but I think that will be a future sale purchase.)

Non of the gamepass releases look very interesting to me.