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@Xiovanni The games voted for are all on game pass so you don't really need to 'pick up' anything (as long as you have game pass obviously).

@Xiovanni I think AC Unity is possibly the last game that has the older style gameplay before they switched it to RPG. I've played the first and the Ezio trilogy and they're not RPGs, but currently playing AC Odyssey and it most definitely is an RPG.

Probably Chuckie Egg or Frogger on the Dragon 32

@Spaceman-Spiff If you don't mind using sites that sell codes rather than the official store it can bought a bit cheaper (even more so if you are comfortable buying/redeeming from other regions). It was less than £10 a few weeks ago IIRC

40+ hours and costing over £30 - at what point does DLC/an expansion become a full game?

Looks good, but still got a few older AC titles to get through first - only about 20 hours into Odyssey so far and still have Unity, Black Flag and Origins in the backlog.

@Qphlat27 It is...that's why I have the digital version on PS3😂

@Banjo- I've seem them mentioned plenty in Hidden Gems type video/articles for Playstation, GBA, Wii etc. I do have one of the PS1 games, but never actually got around to playing it yet - will probably pick up the new ones on Xbox or Switch now though

@S1ayeR74 Yeah, it's definitely a very generous policy, especially compared with what I've experienced with Nintendo. We'll have to agree to disagree on your clothing analogy though - in my mind as soon as you start the game you're 'taking the labels off'. The trailer, screenshots and reviews on the product page are the 'trying on' equivalent. I've no problem with folk getting a refund for something they've never played though - that's essentially the same as taking a sealed copy back to a store for a refund.

As far as I'm aware, apart from the distance selling regs, you actually have no rights to return a product unless it's faulty - it's just that most stores individual policies do allow it if the item is unused and returned within a certain time. I've no idea what the threshold for a faulty game is though - a game not starting or constantly crashing is a no-brainer, but with framerate or resolution etc it's more subjective. I think this is why the refund option is there - so you can get a refund if you think the performance isn't up to scratch - rather than treating it as a demo service. I guess if the policy allows it then fair enough, but to me it doesn't seem right.

Edit: just to add, when you request a refund and you're asked for a reason, there is no option for "tried it, but didn't like it" or similar, so I'd say definitely not in the spirit of the policy to try-before-you-buy.

@S1ayeR74 Its not really the same as trying on a pair of jeans and deciding they don't suit you though - it's more like wearing them for a week and then deciding you don't like them. I could be mistaken, but I don't think the distance selling regs apply to software bought digitally - Nintendo have a statement next to the 'buy' button that basically says if you click buy you're not entitled to a refund. In any case, the UK distance selling regs say that the items can be returned 'unused' for a refund, so doesn't apply here.

People actually request refunds for bad games? I don't mean broken or buggy games, but just stuff they played a little and didn't like?
I've only ever requested a refund on once when a game I bought went on sale a couple of days later and bought it again at the lower price, and even that made me feel a little uneasy.
From the comments it seems like folk are using the store as a demo service and just refunding anything they don't like - someone above even requested a refund because the game didn't have achievements 🙄

@Banjo- yes, but it is on PS4 so not exclusive

@Banjo- Psychonauts 2 isn't exclusive - it's on PlayStation

My Game Pass Sub just expired this week so decided to finally dig into the backlog - first game I decided to play? Hitman 🤦‍♂️

@Tasuki Quick web search suggests it left at the end of June last year, so looks like it's coming back

Was Outer Wilds on GP previously? I'm sure I remember thinking I was going to try it before it left but never got around to it...

Can I buy that pink controller though (without using design lab)?

Last chance sale.....until the next one 😂

@Shigurui Maybe wasn't the monthly bonus, but there was definitely something recently that popped when I was playing a 360 game despite the description saying it was for One/Series. I remember wondering what game I could play for easy achievements, but they'd already completed so didn't need to pick something.

Even though they usually state Xbone and Series achievements they do sometimes work with 360 games too. Can't remember if it was last month's monthly bonus or another punch card with achievements, but was surprised when it popped while playing Dante's Inferno.

Never got around to playing any of the Yakuza games. At least they get pretty decent sales, so will likely just plonk them on the wishlist and wait rather than try to rush through them before they leave.

PES is the big one for me though - my most played game apparently. Doesn't look like you can actual buy that one anymore so will be forced into either that eFootball abomination that replaced it or FIFA - oh dear. Guess I'll just finish up the rest of the season and call it a day.

This list just shows me I haven't really played any new games this year.

Played a bit of Psychonauts 2 as part of Game Pass Club, but didn't really like it so abandoned it pretty quickly and another 6 or 7 I've loaded up just to get reward points. Got a few in the backlog, some on the Wishlist and more on my Game Pass play later list, but likely be sometime in 2025 that I'll be able to tell anyone what my game of 2021 is 😂

@Bluerangervegeta And? I mean, it was pretty clear from the context of the article and the comments that I meant Nintendo exclusives weren't on other platforms.

Those games are mobile apps and are not even on Nintendo consoles, never mind others - but it's the internet, so I guess it's a requirement to try and be a smart-arse 🙄

@BlueOcean I'm not sure PS is more closed than Nintendo - at least some of their exclusives are going to PC. Can't say I expect to ever see Nintendo IPs on PC or any other platform.

Deku Deals recently added Xbox and PS to their already excellent Switch deals website. Handy if you are comparing prices over different platforms.

I guess Game Pass makes sales numbers a bit skewed now, but I always take these "Number of Players" figures with a pinch of salt. I mean, I assume they count players that try it once on Game Pass and never touch it again, and folk like me who had no intention of actually playing it other than for the Rewards Punch Card and Monthly Quest points.

On that note, I'd like to apologise to the players I was on with the other day - I was playing via cloud on my (non gaming) PC and I've since noticed my controller is actually drifting on the right stick and also the right trigger sticks. With that and the cloud lag I was truly awful! Despite that I might actually give the game a proper try at some point as it seemed alright.

Do not watch it with the English dub, it's awful. I got about 15 minutes into the first episode before I changed it to subs and it is so much better.

Hmmm. Rewards app on console isn't working correctly for me tonight. Took ages to actually start and then didn't track either my daily achievement or the achievement for the top 10 despite activating the punch card - There are about 6 or 7 fairly easy ones in Art of Rally.
Managed to complete the regular weekly set, but it didn't track on the monthly bonus. Hopefully it'll sort itself out on the next day or so.

Wasn't there a rumour of some kind of announcement involving Nintendo in the autumn? It was probably just speculation based on the Switch on Phil's shelf though...

Pretty sure when I updated the Xbox app on PC last week it automatically downloaded the Solitaire Collection - spent way longer that I should've playing a simple card game!

I've got this in my Switch backlog. Pity the Cross Save feature between Switch & PC doesn't extend to other consoles as well as I'd love to be able to seamlessly go from playing on the big screen on Xbox to handheld on Switch.

Just 2. White that came with the Series S and a Cheap 3rd party wired one that I've used for a while on PC.

My son actually has 2 as well despite never having owned an XBox or used them for Gaming. He actually use one as a Mouse replacement with Joy2Key software on his laptop due to mobility issues (and has a spare for when he inevitably knocks it off the desk and breaks it) .

@Tyryps looks like they are listed incorrectly in the article as the Amazon links show the black (long) is the more expensive.

I was going to pick this up as I've been wanting to try it for a while, but if I'm honest I'm not likely to play it any time soon, and by the time I do get around to it, 8 will probably be on Game Pass anyway, so I think I'll pass.

Reading some of the comments here suggests that it wasn't the best entry in the series anyway, but still a few weeks to try it before it leaves Game Pass I suppose I could try it anyway.

Not much on my wishlist that was in the sale TBH, but picked up the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate edition now that they're done with DLC and Split/Second as it was cheap. Konami Anniversary Arcade Collection for a few £s bumped it over the £30 for the reward points.

Briefly played a bit (the prologue and then stole a few cars) to get the recent Game Pass Quest and enjoyed it enough to want to play through the whole game at some point - guess that'll have to wait now as I'm unlikely to have time before it leaves. Maybe just wait for the Series upgrade now...

I've played the last couple of FIFA games and the latest PES via Game Pass and to me PES is miles better in terms of gameplay. I always feel FIFA seems less natural - like a sanitised version almost where every pass seemed perfect and shots were always on target. PES has a little bit of randomness to it - where a players' touch would sometimes be a bit off or a pass would go astray if they are off balance or rushed. It just seems more realistic to me.

The overall presentation and graphics of FIFA are a lot better though - some of those player models in the career cut-scenes are nightmare fuel on PES, they just don't seem to be able to do mouths properly!

@ralphdibny Thanks for that, was just about to ask if anyone has any recommendations for which level to jump into on Ryse - haven't played since the beginning of the year on Game Pass Club so couldn't remember which were combat-heavy.

I do love a cloud-enabled "Start the Game" quest. Got the Halo one yesterday at work through the web browser. It even let me launch the game despite warning about a lack of controller.

Anyone else having problems with For Honor on Cloud? Window pops up with the info that I need to be logged into a Ubisoft account and when I press OK it throws a fit and tells me I can't open the MS store while playing remotely.

@barneygumble So there's no offline/single player mode at all?

Shantae games are supposed to be pretty good, so picked up Pirates Curse. I was going to get The Crew 2 as well, but seems like it's forever in sale so will probably wait until I actually want to play it rather than just adding it to the backlog.

The Japanese do seem to love handheld/mobile devices for gaming though, so would be interesting to see how GP subs compare to XB console sales over there.

@Cherip-the-Ripper I've not really seen much info on it TBH, but from the little I have seen it seems to be geared towards online multiplayer which is not really my thing. Hopefully it'll have a decent single player mode too - I'll have to check out the reviews one it's released.

Must resist trying Football Manager. I was a big fan of Championship Manager back in the days before I had any responsibilities and must've sunk 1000s of hours into those games. Goodbye to family, job, life etc. if I started playing now

@Cherip-the-Ripper Thanks for the recommendation, but I doubt I'll go back to it any time soon. I think I played enough to know it's just not for me. I am glad I tried it though.

you never know, it might start at 2042 left on the countdown..

I had just been redeeming when they hit the £5 threshold, but recently been saving them up. Not saving for anything in particular, but maybe an expansion card at some point (not needed one so far) or a headset or something. Or more likely, something will come up in the next sale and I'll spend the whole lot on more games I'll never have time to play

@Cherip-the-Ripper That's fair enough, must've missed that on the loading screens! To me I think it's the procedurally generated tracks that's the issue. With no way to go back and get more familiar with them and learn where you can squeeze in a trick or two where you'd previously hadn't it just seems like grinding 'Reputation' points for no real purpose - sure you get better kit etc but for what? To grind more points it seems. I guess this one's just not for me.

I played this a few days ago as part of the Game Pass Quests, but wasn't that impressed. Looked decent enough but the gameplay didn't really click. It wasn't really clear what the point was to be honest - single player didn't really work for me as the tracks are procedurally generated there was no way to go back and improve times/learn the tracks so there was no depth. Maybe online is the way to go, but by the time I'd played a bit of the single player and had a ride around the hub area I'd pretty much lost interest.

I've noticed a few of the guides state that no achievements are unlocked. Is that significant, or do people just not want a single achievement for a game they are only playing for the rewards?

Assetto Corsa didn't stay on for very long. I'm sure it's only been on there about 6mths.