gravelmonkey

Indiana Jones. Defo my GOTY.

I’ve gone with Indy as my number one too. Highly polished - and not without its issues - but none of them detract much from the overall experience which is refined, immersive and properly Indy-esque.

I've just reached the airship and have to admit this is far better than expected. Incredibly thematic and cinematic, environments are stunning, puzzles are pretty good (and sometimes satisfying), scripting is great, voice work is excellent... and the gameplay is solid.

Stealth, combat and enemy AI have been talked about a lot, and they're a mix bag TBH. Thankfully they make the game easier if anything, which at least means progression isn't halted.

High production values for sure - proper Indy vibes throughout and fun to play. Possibly my GOTY.

Player 30 mins after release last night. Whilst it's too early to comment on the game per se, the first person vibe is far better than I expected - feels weighty but responsive (so far anyway).

I've been tempted to get the early access upgrade via CDKeys for £22 but TBH I've got too much other real world stuff to get done.

IIRC it's available in the UK from Sunday at midnight, so I might stay up late and see what all the fuss is about.

@Rangers420 I had no idea Veilguard had dropped that much. £39 for Xbox which is very tempting. Ta for the inadvertent PSA.

It really does look great on the walkthroughs and I'm starting to convince myself to pick up the premium upgrade for £22. Would like to know more about the Giants DLC first though - nothing really available online so far.

Games are subjective, and not everyone is going to feel the same vibes. I can see the reason for scoring it a 6-7 if the combat is clunky, the stealth is repetitive, unimaginative bosses, and the world becomes a slog to explore. I'd probably feel the same, especially as I have neither the time nor the patience to commit to that time of game. AC Valhalla? I loved the first 20 hours or so, but quit because I didn't want to do another 80 hours of the same stuff - even though IMO it was still a highly polished experience.

I watched some of RadBrad's playthrough this morning and it looks great. But I also think it'll be one of those games where I'll get bored once the honeymoon period is over, regardless of how fantastic and thematic it looks.

Luckily I'll be able to play it on GP, which for me is perfect because I'll probably put 10-20 hours in and call it a day.

I'll have to uninstall STALKER 2 first, which I can't say I'm unhappy about. Didn't do it for me.

Really hard to know what Indy is going to be like. Not going to pre-install it in case an equally big update/replacement comes out around launch day.

Trying to keep myself busy with BG3 whilst waiting for the reviews to kick in.

Please let the first-person POV work.

Got a bit tired last weekend with DA Inquisition becoming a bit repetitive, so I tried Stalker 2 but didn’t get on with it. Yesterday I went back to Baldurs Gate 3 (via GeForce Now on my M1 MBA) to pick up wheee I left off after 25 hours in Act 1. Really enjoying it again, and having to experiment with all the spells and cantrips to remind myself how they work.

Concerned with the 1st person view more than anything. Just played the Tainted Grail Fall of Avalon demo (same view) and found it too floaty and janky. I’m sure the budget and skill behind Indy will be far greater so hopefully that’ll demonstrate itself.

Going to dip back into STALKER 2 this afternoon to see if I’m feeling it more than before. If not then it’ll be back to DA Inquisition or Witcher 3 tomo night.

Was hoping to get access to Veilguard on EA Play Pro but found out yesterday that it’s only for PC users.

Bugs aside, STALKER 2 isn't going to be to everyone's liking. I'm not sure what to make of it from my own play time. I reckon it's likely I'll get frustrated and bored in a few more hours at most. The dialogue and storytelling isn't up to much, and the game mechanics are not what I would normally enjoy. I want to like it but don't think I will.

Not sure what to make of it thus far as it's a real mixed bag. Great atmosphere at times, but some of the design choices and bugs are taking me out of the game. The bloodsucker thing in the prologue was infuriating, plus some kind of stick drift or weird sliding around with no control, quest updates not updating or just being out of sync, markers not updating, getting attacked by invisible 'things', enemy walking alongside me not attacking, etc.

Obv the bug fixes will make a difference, but I just don't know if the game design is my kind of thing.

Feels like a game for hardcore STALKER fans and those who like hyper-real / tactical / survival games where you have to be patient, work things out, be prepared to fail (a lot).

I'll have another play over the weekend and see if it grabs me.

Shout out for the Ukrainian voice work. Sounds great, but it does mean you have to pay attention to the subtitles, ie that's one more thing to process when you're in a gunfight etc.

EDIT: on the flip side, this does feel like the devs have created a real labour of love. I hope they patch the bugs (and maybe listen to feedback from all types of players)... because for some people this will be an incredibly immersive experience and their personal choice for GOTY.

All the PC reviews on YT are saying the same ie bugs and glitches etc. General gist is that the game has potential to be a great survival RPG, and whilst it is playable, it's better to wait for a while.

Like others have said already, would love a Black Flag 60FPS remaster or remake.

Put a fair few hours into Syndicate on my PS4 Pro a few years back. Loved the Victorian vibe. Not sure I could start again on my SXS for the sake of 60FPS, but it’s certainly one to add to the ever-growing backlog.

Heading off to Skellige in Witcher 3, alongside gaining some side quest power points to start Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts in DA Inquisition.

Did have a go at Origins a few days ago after hearing so much positivity around its storytelling etc. Doesn’t do it for me unfortunately - dialogue feels stilted, combat is clunky and the overall experience IMO is very 2010s.

Am curious about dipping into Veilguard via EA Play Pro, even if only to experience the combat and environments. Keep telling myself to invest more in Witcher 3 and Inquisition first though.

I picked up AC Origins Gold for £10 and Mass Effect LE for £5. Have some others in the wish list but not in any hurry.

Glad you guys are bigging up Veilguard. I’m still put off by the more childish/lightweight tone, dialogue and handholding. It looks great in many ways, especially the combat. I may well drop the £50 or so at some point - I can always sell it on if it’s not for me.

Hoping to put another couple of hours into Witcher 3. Doing some side quests and monster hunts to escape the Novigrad stuff. Hoping to get to Skellige soon.

Have fun everyone

I have Veilguard pre-installed but none of the reviews or playthroughs are convincing me to part with £60. Will wait a while. Have gone back to Witcher 3 - still an incredible experience even after all these years.

Hmm, this is receiving incredibly Marmite reviews so far. I like your take on it and I have it pre-installed, but I'm going to wait for a few other peeps to do their walkthroughs and feedback before I make a decision.
I'm still working through DAI and part of me wants to return to DD2. I also know that if the vibe around Veilguard is genuinely up there as a 2024 banger, then I'll probably drop the cash and jump in.

@Retrokingdan Mirage is a very tightly put together AC game IMO. Baghdad and surrounding desert areas are incredibly atmospheric. Parkour is sticky - in a good way - a lot of the time (just hold down one of the buttons IIR). Quest markers and knowing what to look for can be a PITA, and frustrated me the most.

Hopefully a couple more hours of DAI - I think I’ve wrapped up Western Approach.

Dipped into Fallout 4 last night. Mechanics haven’t aged well compared to similar games of that time. I kind of like it but don’t know how much more I’ll invest in it.

Hopefully wrapping up Crestwood in DAI and continuing with the main quest.

Bought this a few months ago but it wouldn't install properly. Can't remember exactly what happened, but the game wouldn't launch. Seems to be a known issue that can't be fixed for everyone.

Installing it now and keeping an open mind. Not sure the cartoony visuals are doing it any favours, but I’m prepared to dismiss that if other elements are strong.

Currently putting a few hours into DAI for tue first time and there’s a lot to like about it.

Squeezed in some AC Mirage before everyone else got up this morning. Really liking the pace and vibe.

Thinking about dipping into Dragon Age Inquisition when I’m next free. I know it’s a behemoth but I’ve listened to some podcasts around the quests and am curious.

Continuing with Jedi Survivor. Really liking the pace of it, and combat is excellent.

Also having a go at AC Mirage whilst I have a few days left of Ubi+. Liking the vibe so far, really feels like a throwback to the days of not only AC, but also Splinter Cell. Too early to say whether I’ll get bored of sneaking around, but it’s got me for now.

Fired up Star Wars: Jedi Survivor yesterday for the first time. Very enjoyable so far. Cool environments, excellent combat and chilled out fun. This might be my pick up n play for a while.

About 4hrs into Star Wars Outlaws via Ubi+. Lots to like about it - certainly has the right vibe, the environments look great, and Nix is an okay sidekick. Yes, the AI is awful a lot of the time, the stealth resets can be infuriating and the overall fluidity and UX is janky. But there's an excellent game in there somewhere, so I'm going to hang in a while longer.

I read about the next patch and longer-term plans, eg improving stealth, reducing difficulty spikes, making QoL tweaks and adding DLCs, etc... which makes me feel that we might see something like a Cyberpunk 2077 redemption in a few months. If they can fix the things that are obviously and universally broken, improve the QoL and add more content then it could absolutely smash it.

Just signed up to Ubisoft+ and downloading Star Wars Outlaws. Seems like one of those games where you can watch a bunch of negative YT reviews and agree with them, then watch a bunch of positive ones and agree with those too. As a big SW fan, I figure throwing £15 and a 3-4 hrs at it is worthwhile to see if I take to it.

I've heard that a lot (all?) of the stealth objectives can't be circumnavigated with other tactics, hence the frustration people are having. Be interested to see how often this isn't the case. I don't have the time nor patience to play full on stealth these days. Loved Splinter Cell back in the day, but AC games like Valhalla work better for me now because I can mix up stealth/hacking etc.

If broken stealth is a big part of SWO then I think that's a big mistake on Ubisoft's behalf.

I remember playing the original on my work laptop 20 odd years ago. Loved it. Don't have time for this type of game these days, but my son like a bit of RTS now and then so I think we'll pair up on this one.

I want to play this but am hearing bad things about the instafail on stealth missions, ie mess up and you go right back to the beginning. Is it that bad? Surely Ubisoft know what people want from a stealth engine given their history?

I cancelled GP a few months back to concentrate on Valhalla and The Order 1886. Really fancy some Mafia action - especially in a tighter world than GTA - so I might sign up for a month or just bite the bullet and get the trilogy for £12 at CD keys.

Not had to time to play anything for a month or more now. Was working through Order 1886 and might be able to squeeze some
In later.

Have fun everyone

Hopefully a bit of Order 1886 when I get back tonight. Can’t believe how visually stunning it is even on a PS4 Pro.

Haven’t played anything for over 2 weeks, and prior to that I was averaging 2hrs/week on AC Valhalla. Realising now that I need something else to give me a quick fix so I’ve just picked up Order 1886 for my PS4 Pro. Also fancy getting back into Days Gone.

After putting 70+hrs into DS3 - and being unable to progress - I've purposely avoided ER since release. I can see myself putting in a ton of hours that I just don't have and getting stuck again.

One day... maybe...

Busy weekend as usual but might be able to squeeze in a couple of hours in AC Valhalla.

Managed to squeeze in a couple of hours on AC Valhalla last night. Think I'm going to focus on the main story and avoid the side bloat.

Managed a couple of hours of AC Valhalla on Saturday afternoon but we’ve been super busy all weekend. Any ‘spare’ time I’ve had has gone into helping my 13yr old maintain momentum with learning how to code Roblox games. He’s really into it right now but I have to learn lots of stuff alongside him so we can write/debug together. Its far more capable than I thought and learn to code after a 30yr hiatus is actually pretty cool.

My mates had PS2s and I had a Dreamcast. Xbox came along with Halo, MSR etc. It looked amazing so I picked one up shortly after launch - I got the bundle that included 6 games (and an extra controller?) and Halo. Loved it. Got into things like Splinter Cell, Timespllitters (2?). KOTOR, Half Life 2 and lots more. Happy days. Settled down again and barely played any games for a few years. Eventually got SXS 2 years ago.

Don’t think I’ll have time this w/e and we’re going away tomorrow to sort some stuff out. Plan on taking the XSX with me and continue with AC Valhalla.

AC Valhalla. Only a few hours into conquering the first English county, and loving everything about it. I skip cut scenes on 9/10 games but I’m paying attention to these because I feel genuinely invested. Picked up all the DLCs for £25 too but it’ll be a while before I start any of those.

Only 3-4 hours into AC Valhalla and really digging it. Visually stunning, bit of hack n slash, bit of stealth, interesting story. One thing I've not heard many reviewers talk of is the ability to climb almost anywhere, ie mountain passes. Makes the game feel more explorative.

Picked up AC Valhalla physical for a fiver this week. Only played an hour or so but debating whether to get the Complete Ed (with the main DLCs etc) for £30.

Paused DD2 to continue with AC Black Flag. Really getting the itch for Origins and Valhalla.