Marquez

I was 50 hours in and loving AC Shadows and then... Clair Obscur happened! But I will be back, and it's nice to see the game will have received improvements in the meantime.

@XanderTigerclaw It's crazy isn't it - even in the UK we suffer a small premium vs. the US but you're even further out the other side! Even is if cost Sony x amount more to run servers and other infrastructure down under, it surely wouldn't be 12-16% more and not all of it would have to be passed on to the consumer. But here we are.

@NeonTiger

Me (and most others it seems): This is up there for GOTY, incredible stuff. Story, music, gameplay, systems...

You: Yeah but the running animations are meh, and those flowers in the prologue look off.

Each to their own I guess, but after admitting you've managed a couple of hours only, I'm not sure you have the full picture on what is the most welcome gaming surprise of the year so far.

@Kraven I have no notes. I couldn't agree more - it's a generational game that paves the way for sure.

Clair Obscur for me, it’s a generational game. Play it whenever I can, think about it when I’m not. Can’t wait to see how the final act unfolds.

I can't get enough of this game and on that basis please make this happen Sandfall, you beautiful people.

@naruball It doesn’t help anyone but investors and potential investors I guess.

@AaronBayne I signed up with PS5 as my tech test platform, it will be interesting to see how it runs (I don't have a Pro...yet).

I just got invited to the tech test and your preview @AaronBayne means I'm excited to drop in and check it out!

@RBMango I was thinking exactly the same thing.

Still, what price GTA now launches on top of this

@naruball They're for shareholders, and shareholders only - expertly crafted with HR input to ensure the message is laced with justification for the layoffs.

I'll get to it at some point as I never played the original and I'm keen to correct that error, but it's all about Clair Obscur for the foreseeable future - the best RPG release for so so long.

BORE-derlands.

gets coat

@ApostateMage Good to hear you've found a workaround. While performance mode definitely improved my fortunes I am still not a parry master! I usually go for quality first to see just how nice a game can look, before switching to performance. I just left it too long in this case and it definitely affected my progress/enjoyment.

@ApostateMage I died a lot more on Clair Obscur until I switched to performance mode - it made timing parries so much easier. So if you're playing on quality, that switch might help.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

If anything beats this to my personal GOTY, I will be amazed.

A couple of hours or so in and, if the experience so far holds up until the end, this is a generational game. I love everything about it, particularly the quality of the acting, dialogue and music combined. And the combat is so engaging!

@LiamCroft Excellent review, thank you - I'll even forgive you listing the talent involved and missing out the Devil of Hell's Kitchen himself...!

Anyway, it's my birthday today and, thanks to your review, this just became my present to me.

Looks like I’m going back to finally play the Iki Island expansion after I’ve finished AC Shadows. With Yotei to follow and a trip to Japan (IRL) in the works for next year it may be a very welcome overload!

SkillUp lurking in the back there, I'll wait for his preview.

AC Shadows Finally unlocked Yasuke after getting distracted by map markers for over 30 hours and it’s so good walking straight into an enemy location and wading through combat like an absolute monster. It’s basically For Honor but open world, and a nice contrast to sneaky sneaky Naoe.

@Rob_230 That's a good little quest line and a lovely idea. Yasuke is definitely going to feel a lot more direct.

@Rob_230 30 hours in and still not got to Yasuke... my map clearing addiction is real.

I fell off Destiny after a decade post-Final Shape and I’m genuinely looking forward to Marathon, as I really miss Bungie’s best-in-class gunplay. Watching the gameplay reveal there are also some interesting commonalities with Destiny including the 3 person teams, set character classes with customisation, etc. More shared DNA than I expected, for sure.

Looking forward to beta testing when it’s available, and I really hope Bungie nail it. Apologies for being positive

‘ Fixed inconsistencies with the 'Throw a Kunai at the closest enemy after an assassination' perk when 'The Tool Master Gear' is equipped on Naoe.’

That’s all I needed - thanks, Ubisoft.

@Perturbator A Flame in the Flood has such a great atmosphere, and the music is excellent.

Grinding away at those crowns in MH Wilds for the platinum, as well as checking out the new content. Fought Mizutsune this morning and it was a fun fight - gear perks are a little niche though.

And a bit more AC Shadows if time allows - doing everything bar the main quest line due to my map clearance addiction.

@Rich33 That's a real shame to hear. Personally, I've always assumed it's possible there is variation in sensitivity to frame rates - within a certain range. I mean, billions of pairs of eyes don't operate identically, so no shade here from me! I guess the real downside of this for you is that frame rate limitations have locked (no pun intended) you out from playing some wonderful games.

@Rich33 Shame you don't get on with the 40fps mode, honestly it's my go-to in any game that has it - maybe it's my own personal sweet spot.

@Czar_Khastik The new Switch really is unrecognisable, compared to the old Switch.

I've been alternating between MH Wilds and AC Shadows for a little while now, honestly these two games have made the year so far a great one for me, video game wise.

Really enjoying the grind at HR, crowns are a bit of a pain but still going for the platinum. Looking forward to hammers getting buffed, in the meantime I'm rocking switch axe plus longsword - one for elemental and one for status effect, tailored to whatever hunt I'm on.

@VaultGuy415 I'm hoping not to be nerfed big time (also Switch Axe)

It hasn’t grabbed me in quite the same way that World did and still, I can’t stop playing Wilds. Looking forward to future content (and maybe a bit more challenge).

@ORO_ERICIUS Those monsters aren't going to turn themselves into new hats on their own, are they

I really want to finally start AC Shadows but, every time I boot up the PS5, Monster Hunter Wilds grabs me. Maybe finally this weekend...

Great timing - just starting to put together my first top tier high rank armour set only to... replace it with the new stuff! Classic Monster Hunter. I really love this game, nothing else is getting a look-in.

Atomfall has my attention.

Focussing on Monster Hunter Wilds this weekend, even though I've installed AC Shadows. Once I got away from the extreme handholding of the campaign MH became the game I expected it to be. I've enjoyed my first 20+ hours with it (admittedly, 5 in the character creator) and I'm looking forward to many more.

I managed to pick it up on physical yesterday for £51 and it arrived today, so it's ready to go; however I'm too into Monster Hunter at the moment, so it'll go next on the list.

I watched SkillUp’s preview of this earlier in the year and it looks fascinating.

Dave the Diver on Portal, it's a match made in heaven. And some more MH Wilds on the Portal's big brother.

@Mostik Mileage varies depending on each hotel's WiFi for sure, at worst it means I stick to less intensive games, and ones that don't require fast reactions. But for turn based RPGs as an example, I've had very few issues. Sometimes I also take my Vita though, that machine still scratches an itch!

I love it except for the white triggers - they'll be Dorito Orange in no time (other gaming snacks are available).

@Shepherd_Tallon 100% agree. I bought one at launch and, even though I sit squarely in the target market, the limited use case meant it was a 'nice to have' option when the TV was in use. Fast forward to now and the additional streaming functionality means I can't stop picking it up. As a way of maximising gaming time in a busy household, it's amazing.

With the addition of the Premium streaming option my Portal is now one of the first things I pack for work trips. And even with 2 TVs at home it gets its fair share of use, I have a wife and two teens hogging those!

This could be brilliant if used to bring life to your in-game companions - imagine being able to have extensive conversations with the crew of the Normandy for example, instead of relying on a multi-choice menu, to shape your in-game relationships.

I'm planning to finish the (very straightforward) campaign in Monster Hunter Wilds and then go all-in on theory-crafting my endgame armour and weapons, which is what MH is really all about. Enjoying it very much so far! Runs well enough for me on a base PS5 in balanced mode w/ uncapped frame rate, on a 4k telly with VRR.

Also downloaded DA Veilguard from PS Plus in case I need a change of scene. Willing to give it a full go, despite the discourse.

@Xbox_Dashboard I'm pretty sure the accountants at Capcom disagree! The lowest bar for entry in MH history means a wider audience. Expecting harder endgame content to follow ofc.

In fact, it was probably John in Accounts who had the idea...

I have hope for this one, especially if it is essentially 'Horizon Hunter'.

Some people are simply born ungrateful.

I’ll be giving DAV a fair go by actually playing it, instead of just riffing off third party ‘discourse’ - assuming I ever get out of the MH Wilds character creator 🤣