gravelmonkey

Sherlock Holmes bundle (Chapter One, Crimes and Punishment, and Devil’s Daughter) for £5. No idea when I’ll get round to playing at least one of them, nor if I’ll like it.

Tried Evil West a few months ago and wanted to like it, but found the control/movement really clunky. Will probably try it again one day, but not for me right now.

AW2 (Deluxe) also the first deal I added to my wish list. £20 seems too good a deal to pass on.

Recently bought it on Switch for about £11. Liked HP 20 years ago but ambivalent towards it now, and that’s probably how I feel about the game. It has a cosy feel and I can see a lot of HP fans loving it, but it didn’t grab me.

Wow. Pretty much doubling the price of Ultimate in the space of a few months by bundling in something that a lot of people don’t want (or occasionally opt to pay separately) is just plain stupid and arrogant. It’ll lose them a lot of top end subs.

I liked DL2. Some of the night time attacks were properly intense.

This new one’s not on my radar for now though. Too much other stuff to focus on.

Might be able to squeeze in a bit of Cyberpunk 2077 this weekend. 40 hrs so far and starting to feel a bit repetitive. The story was never the hook for me - it’s been the gameplay.

Curious about KCD2 now the latest DLC with QOL improvements has dropped.

Hopefully get a bit of time to crack on with Phantom Liberty having not been home much for the last month. Completed the linear beginning and been told to do some side jobs.

Am now away on hols so no Xbox for me this week - did pack the Switch though.

Have been cracking on with Cyberpunk 2077 over the last fortnight. 30hrs in, level 35ish and hanging out with Panam. Fantastic game and vibe. First game I’ve played since TLOU that I genuinely want to complete.

@Tdx being a huge DS3 fan, I held off on getting Elden Ring because I thought it would take up all my playing time. Picked it up half price in Dec and didn’t enjoy it for similar reasons to you. Combat still crunchy but the world was just boring, too open and vague. I get why people like it or even obsess over it, but it’s not for me. DS3 OTH is one of my fav games ever.

Loved the Mirage vibe and appreciated the lack of bloat. Also loved Valhalla but it’s just so damn big. Want to continue both of them at some time.

Picked up Phantom Liberty from the sale a few days ago but haven’t yet progressed far enough in Cyberpunk to experience it.

Was thinking about Alan Wake 2 but then I saw Banishers GONE on CDKeys for £20, down from £50. That’s got to be worth picking up methinks.

Took a break last week from Death Stranding to take another, more patient, look at Cyberpunk 2077 (now on update 2.3?). Wow, this is hitting me on every level. Night City is so alive and begs to be explored. Bought PL in the sale but think I’m going to take my time getting to it.

A very enjoyable AC game IMO, but I only got to spend a little time with Yasuke before picking up something else - so many great releases this year.

Will definitely go back to it.

@ScalenePowers One of the best game ever IMO. I've been playing it on and off over 3 years because it's one of those games that I can pick up, figure out where I'm at, complete a few quests then put down for several months. I feel like I can take my time and just hang out, take in some vistas and do all kinds of stuff.

Just gone back to playing Cyberpunk 2077 (from the start) after a 2 year hiatus. Taking it slow this time to familiarise myself with the mechanics ie combat, cyberware, upgrades etc. So much to see and do - and of course NC is incredibly immersive the moment you set foot in it.

For that reason I might pick up PL for £17.

Close to wrapping up Episode 3 in the original Death Stranding. Really liking the progression in the sense that different upgrades, gear, vehicles etc can really broaden your options in how you want to play, similar to @Kraven with DS2 above.

Different challenges also switch up the experience, eg crevices, Mule ambushes, timed missions, etc.

18hrs in and I can see how people bounce of the first episode due to weirdness, difficulty etc. The latter reminds me of KCD in that you’re crap at most things to begin with and have to put the effort into upskillin, navigation (and memory muscle with the menus 😜 ).

Starting playing Death Stranding a few days ago (£15 on CDKeys) after becoming intrigued by the sequel, which was unexpected in itself because I was never interested in the original. Can see absolutely why it's a Marmite game. I'm loving it so far, possibly because I'm a mountain biker so I get the feeling of hitting the trails, finding the right lines, and just exploring. On a deeper level, it's kind of grabbed hold of me and put me in the shoes of Sam with all his responsibilities etc. Am close to wrapping up episode 2 so I'm about 6-7 hours in and looking forward to episode 3 and the world opening up.

Can't say if I'll still be playing in after a few more hours, but for now it's got my attention.

A bit of Witcher 3 alongside a return to DA Veilguard. We’ve all got ideas of what the latter “could have been” but I’m just trekking around, taking in the sights and having fun with the combat (rogue build).

Hanging out in Skellige in Witcher 3. The landscapes, sense of adventure and a few of the story beats keep drawing me back.

Still hovering over the Buy It button for Tainted Grail, but I fear I'll get bored of the sombre mood/palette even though I dig dark fantasy.

Still holding off on getting Tainted Grail until they patch it up (mostly for regions 2 and 3). Can't believe nobody has posted about playing it here since release.

Continuing to explore Skellige in Witcher 3 whilst revisiting Avowed to check out some Uniques and scratch that party combat itch.

Have been itching to get Tainted Grail but can see it being the sort of game that I’ll want to sink way too much time into… and Act 2 onwards could do with some big patches.

Picked up Witcher 3 again (which I do from time to time) and am heading to Skellige. Still crazy to see a 10 year old game giving us a city like Novigrad full of different people shouting out random things and going about their business.

I reinstalled the demo this week and it seems different - and better - to the one I played months ago. There’s still some jank, floaty controls and many of the visuals eg animations, gore, textures are a bit Xbox 360, but the dark vibe and world building are brave and compelling.

My backlist is always growing but I do fancy picking this one up.

Really wanted to like this from day one but couldn’t get on with it for several reasons. Judging by some of today’s YT videos the devs have made real tangible improvements with this update. Will reinstall it one day and hopefully have a much better time with it.

I got it on sale about 3 years ago and didn't get on with it due to the controller sensitivity so I put it down. Went back to it last year and discovered I could tweak a couple of settings. Suddenly it was super smooth and my adventures with Geralt began. Played it on and off over a few months up to leaving Novigrad.

Genuinely one of the best games ever made. Still stunning to look at with a great story and lots of cool characters.

One day I'll go back to it. Too many other games want my attention.

Get it (or the DLC version).

EDIT: someone mentioned the combat being underwhelming... it's a 10 year old game but you can mix up melee, range and magic, plus bombs and potions etc. Just put some time into the latter to get your head around it.

Played an hour this morning. Feels slick, has great visuals and is mindlessly violent = a modern day Doom.

Lots going on at times so it's easy to select the wrong attack and get frustrated, especially with the gauntlet.

Feels like the kind of game to pick up and play in-between others. In my case, I'll focus on CE 33 and pop into the Dark Ages now and then.

Got tired of Oblivion Remastered’s monotonous dungeons and irritating dialogue last week, so I started on Skyrim (with some graphic mods). There’s something alluring about it even though it’s nearly 15 years old. Easy to pick up and get involved in a few quests, and can see it being fun for a while, but for me it’s not the GOAT that some people invest 100s of hours into.

Hoping to put another couple of hours into Oblivion but the repetitive dungeon design and muddy palette are becoming a bit tiring. I never played the original and am keen to see what makes this such a fan favourite, but don’t think that’s going to happen.

Didn’t get round to playing the original because I wasn’t gaming in the mid-late 2000s, but I can see how close it feels to the original. Heard yesterday that the devs kept some of the jank because it was part of the charm. Personally I would have preferred they clean up those elements, along with the combat - particularly melee - and some QOL menu improvements.

Dungeon design obv in keeping with the style of the day, ie lots of tunnels and corridors. Sure they look better now, but the repetition starts to grind after a while.

I think some people are going overboard with their praise - possibly caught up in the sentimentality. I’ve no beef with that - each to their own… plus it makes a change to hear so many positive vibes around a launch instead of the click bait toxicity that’s been taking over lately.

Overall I’m enjoying the game but without the emotional tie I reckon I’ll get bored soon.

I liked the story but didn’t get on with the gameplay nor combat. All these elements are subjective for sure, and they seem very Marmite to many people.

I’d like to see the devs given greater investment and scope to do something bigger and ‘better’.

Not enjoying it TBH despite there being many things to like about the game, eg story/theme, setting and environmental visuals. Movement is clunky - in an early 2000s type of way - and combat is both dull and annoying, especially with multiple enemies hitting you from off-screen.

I’m glad people are really getting into it. Not my cup of tea sadly.

@Westernwolf4 Cheers for your reply. Sounds close to my expectations… and one of those games you have to play to get the feel of it. I’m liking AC Shadows a lot at the moment, but like all of the bigger AC games, I’ll soon tire of doing the same thing and need to switch to something else.

How are people finding the movement and melee combat? I’ve heard the former can be clunky, especially when manoeuvring in a fight.

And does the free form exploration/investigative element work only if you have a lot of patience?

Like others have said already, I want to continue with AC Shadows before having a go at Atomfall. That’s mainly because I’ve subbed to Ubi+ and paused GP. I also think Shadows deserves my attention because the visceral combat and stunning environment in particular are really drawing me in.

Away on a rugby tour this weekend but managed to put a few hours into AC Shadows on Friday morning. Visually stunning and the combat is slick and fun. Lots of other positives and a few quirky bits that might grind over time.

Will probably end up being another of those big games that I enjoy up to the 20 hour mark then feel like I’ve seen/experienced enough of it.

Judging by the YT reviews thus far, it’s looking like another Marmite game. Was thinking of trying it via Ubisoft+ but not sure I’m feeling it right now. Recently stepped back into Black Flag so that might keep my focus for a while… or it may not…

I bounced off of Avowed big time on release day - disliked the feel of both 1st and 3rd person POVs, found combat uninspiring, along with various other issues. Decided to give it another go the day after and it started hooking me in after 4-5 hours. I figured the world looked pretty cool and wanted to explore it, so I began adapting to the 1st person POV whilst experimenting with different forms of combat.

But I think the real reasons I’m vibing with it are because of little quality-of-life elements;

• exploration is fast paced, ie you can sprint around forever without any stamina penalty
• fast travel tends to drop you 30 seconds to 2 mins from your quest destination
• quest/bosses are skull-marked for difficulty
• inventory management and upgrades/enchantment are pretty simple
• upgrade requirements are listed
• incumberance is rarely an issue

Basically, you can pick up and play for as little as a few minutes or commit to a full on session without having to spend time strategising or faffing around with micro-management. That’s why Avowed works for me. It’s a pretty cool place to explore, and - once I’d got over the initial bounce - it makes it easy to progress and continue doing so.

Wanted to like it but can’t get on with it.

Biggest gripe is the floaty controls/movement - feels like it’s an early prototype built by devs to demonstrate the basic gameplay to senior bods. Both 1st and 3rd person are equally awful.

Combat feels more basic and clunky than games from 20 years ago. Magic is dull and uninspiring.

Characters, dialogue and voice work aren’t doing it for me either.

All in all it’s completely meh.

I hoped this would get me away from Veilguard with its exploration and allegedly best in class combat, but instead I’m going to uninstall it. Veilguard has its shortcomings, but it feels and plays with real fluidity that encourages immersion. Avowed feels awful in comparison.

Have become increasingly intrigued about this one since release. So many Marmite reviews and commentaries, eg

• story is too dialogue heavy and full of expo dumps vs just right
• quests are little more than fetch this, fetch that vs interesting
• art style is way too colourful vs aesthetically stunning
• characters are boring and generic vs passable
• levelling up is time consuming, grindy and requires you to do side quests to properly progress vs just play the main quest and you’ll be fine
• reactivity to decisions is almost non-existent and there is no jeopardy vs the world reacts to your choices
• enemy variety is poor and quickly gets boring vs lots of variations
• bosses are just bullet sponges with no new move sets vs good and challenging
• items and rewards are sparse and unoriginal vs cool and interesting
• combat is boring and repetitive vs the best 1st person combat ever
• replayability is non-existent due to boring story and enemies vs pick a different character and explore totally different decisions

And the list goes on.

I’ve pre-installed it so I’ll give it a go later. Only way to know is to play it - and that’s what GPU is for.

Watched a few YT reviews and it looks pretty Marmite so far; some love the combat, the story, the visuals etc, while others dislike them. Getting Veilguard vibes, not as in it’s the same type of game, more regarding how it’s being received.

Will probably pre-install it and give it a go on GP. Not sure I’m going to like it, but I felt the same about Veilguard and kind of enjoyed that more than expected.

I watched some playthroughs earlier and the animations looked very stilted/clunky. I wanted to like it but found it hard to watch TBH.

Somehow managed to set aside some time last night to do the prologue in KCD1 (which I bought months ago for about £3). Didn't connect with it at first but reminded myself to slow down and acknowledge it's a slow burn. Started to get it at the end of the prologue (those who've played it will know which scene I'm referring to), so I'm going to continue when I can and see how it goes. This seems the most logical approach rather than throwing £50 at KCD2 for now.

@gollumb82 I bought Ryse for a fiver a while back but the game wouldn’t install past the menu page. Hope you have better luck.

No time again this weekend for any game play. Have watched a few YT vids on KCD2 this week and I might be swayed to buy it soon. Have way too much life stuff to sort out first though.

Yep, I think there’s a particular audience for this and they’ll love it. The rest of us won’t have the time or the patience or the desire to invest the hours necessary to learn the ropes and get the most out of it.

Would happily play a demo as a taster, but I’m not forking out the RRP.

Kudos to Warhorse for achieving what they have and wish them every success.

Can't finish Indy until my 80yr old MIL comes round because she's so invested in it.

So, I'm continuing with Veilguard. Paying more attention to combat, ie primers and detonators, combos etc. Lots to like about the game and not going to dwell on the negatives for now. Reckon the gameplay might get boring after 20+ hours though.

Managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of Veilguard last night. Enjoying it more than expected. Really fluid feel (although combat can get a bit messy) and the ongoing chatter between your party makes it quite immersive. We know it’s not DA in the purest sense, so I’m approaching it from a more casual perspective.

Heading away now for a few days so no gaming for me. Have fun y’all.

@burntends She’s bonkers TBH. Enjoy your time with Indy and go at whatever pace works for you. I can’t invest the time I once had but sense the side quests are generally worth doing if you have the time and curiosity.

Hoping I can wrap up Indy having arrived at Ur on Christmas night. Been playing a few hours this week with my missus and 80 yr old MIL watching on and being completely immersed - both can’t get enough of it and have been staying up to 2am with me!

Most enjoyable game I’ve played in a long time, with each of the 3 main chapters ramping up the fun and cinematics - eg some real tension and jump moments in Siam once you’re past the cog stuff.

BTW: my MIL is not a normal 80 yr old 😜

IMO I feel Indy is more of an experience than a game, maybe a bit like Hellblade. Dialogue, scripting and cut scenes add to this and are absolutely next level. Plus the risk they took on going 1st person has really paid off.

Just started playing Elden Ring for the first time, and not liking it as much as I expected. DS3 is one of my favourite ever games so I figured an open world version would be on another level, but something about it isn’t clicking for me. It might be the open-ness of the world.

Will wrap up Indy over Xmas - that’s my GOTY.