Skippermonkey

@Juanalf “ They have contributed nothing, easily the worst acquisition of all time!”

Firewalk Studio: “Hold my beer.”

Loving it; can’t wait to get back in. Played for many hours, but haven’t yet taken any of the six down (after Snake). Still playing largely in the south, building my skills up, clearing camps and picking up bounties (there’s loads to do!). Had some really tricky fights, which I’ve had to attempt multiple times, but it’s really satisfying when you nail it. Definitely a test of my meagre skillset. Game looks lovely, loads to do, great variety, thoroughly engaging. Couldn’t ask for much more, really.

Glad to see this, both for physical releases and single-player games. Also, it makes a mockery of all the clickbait YouTube videos proclaiming it's dead, saying it's woke (for some reason I can't fathom) and calling it 'Ghost of Nobuy'. People will do and say anything to prostitute themselves on the alter of YouTube likes.

Turned up after lunch. Spent all afternoon installing snd downloading the patch. Then evening meal arrived. Now it’s Taskmaster, so wont be playing much tonight - and my other half is off tomorrow, stymying my TV hogging! Sigh.

Thoroughly enjoyed Tsushima, even though the difficulty level is all over the place, and it flattered to deceive: beneath the sumptuous graphics does lie a fairly rote open-world game, not that dissimilar to Assassin's Creed (as someone else mentioned above). The various little side-tasks/sub-games grew repetitive and it's shame that it's literally more of the same. Also, it's a bit worrying that the cooking aspect sounds totally irrelevant, as well as the inventory issues mentioned din the review. Not enough play-testing perhaps? Feels like another solid game hiding a missed opportunity to really push the genre forward.

Just one more reason to sell my Xbox Series X. If it wasn't for the Cyberpunk DLC (which I haven't got round to playing and regret spending £25 on) the box would have gone ages ago. Switch 2 and PS 5 Pro is all I need now.

But everyone hates EA and says they'll never buy another EA game ever again.

I'm going to say 'stuns' is a bit of a stretch.

Slightly disappointed there wasn't more innovation on show – felt like more of the same – and the stylised world still doesn't look better than AC: Shadows (the seasons and weather are amazing). But I'll pick it up for sure.

I can' image how it feels to have five, six, seven years of your life's work wiped out by the strike of an accountant's pen. I will never understand the financial imperative to cancel a game after thousands (potentially hundreds of thousands) of person-hours have been expended. My heart goes out to the developers affected.

Refreshing to see a medieval Chinese game not filled with supernatural demons. I'll wait for actually gameplay, but looks really interesting. I'm all about single player.

No. I don’t really know what they are, how you get them, or what you do with them.

@MrPeanutbutterz the only thing stopping me from trading in the Series X is the Cyberpunk DLC that I bought. Starfield isn’t finished and, frankly, I doubt it ever will be. With so much now on PS5, the Xbox seems surplus to requirements.

God, is there anything cheaper or less effort than ‘art cards’. We were giving them away on games mags in the ‘90s. Pennies to make.

Shadows is a cracking game, and by God it looks stunning on PS5 Pro. Absolutely sumptuous, especially during winter. I love Outlaws too. Must go back and finish it before my Switch 2 turns up.

Nah. Bounced off previous entries several times; found the gameplay loop a bit tedious to be honest. But if it's improved for VI I'll be happy to jump on board. It's obviously a masterpiece in terms of scale and visuals.

@VatoLoco47 I did! I spoke with my wallet and bought a Switch 2 and Donkey Kong and a Pro Controller. Uh, that's not what you meant is it?

I foolishly bought the digital version of Starfield for £100, enamoured by the promise of early play, an open world space adventure, and my love of Skyrim. Never again. The game is mediocre and I can't even resell to recoup some of that money. At least with expense physical version you can always hit eBay or CEX at a later date.

Really enjoying Shadows (I’ve managed to block out all the stupid hatred), and if anyone was on the fence about Outlaws, the fully patched version is also great. Not quite finished yet, but played for many hours and thoroughly recommend it. Especially at non-launch prices. Long may Ubi Soft continue.

Playing on PS5 Pro and, my God, this is a beautiful looking game. I’m maybe four hours in and not even got to my first proper in-game mission destination – it’s all been prologue and tutorial stuff, but all thoroughly engaging. I now have to sit through crappy evening TV my other half wants to watch when I should be hacking my through feudal Japan. Sigh.

@BolkaRover Same with people arguing the Pro is terrible value for money or not worth it for the meagre visual upgrade. People have paid their money; stop trying to piss on everyone’s parade. Get a grip!

My copy is on its way. Having played every major AC instalment I’m keen to get back in the animus and carry on creeding. I love open worlds, and this one looks like a gorgeous land to get lost in and forget all the ***** going on in the real world. Happy days.

People don’t understand how computationally expensive ray tracing is. The fact we have any at all in real time boggles my mind.

I’ll be playing AC:S tomorrow on PS5 Pro (after the day one patch of course). And really looking forward to it. The only downside being that the weather forecast looks good, so I might have to spend a bit of time soaking up some rays on the patio!

@RoomWithaMoose Okay, thanks. Don't really think it's my kind of game, although this version seems easier to beat than previous entries. There are other games I'll play first.

Never played one, no idea what it is. Is it like Horizon Zero Dawn or more like Elden Ring? I don’t have the skills or patience for a Soulslike.

I am gutted it is like it is. I really wanted to play it, but having bounced of relatively pain-free games like Witcher 3, I know how this would end! And at £60-£70 a pop., I can't afford to just sample these huge games before selling on eBay a week later.

Nah, sounds like hard work to me.

@ButterySmooth30FPS Nice work!

People keep banging on about the £700 price. I sold my original PS5 and a couple of games to a mate for for £320 I think it was. PS5 Pro therefore cost me £380 (plus another £100 for a rip-off disc drive).

If you're on the fence, I'd suggest reading a few other reviews. They have revealed some elements of the game mechanics that makes me give this a hard pass – sadly. I was quite intrigued, but I know deep down this is way too expansive and fiddly for my meagre attention span.

@Stale-Bread Yep, its popularity bemuses me too. Bounced off the previous games, found them quite dull (lots of running and taxiing people about) so not in any hurry to get this – despite the fact that a 30fps frame rate bothers me not one jot.

Biggest mistake was paying £100 for the digital download of Starfield just to play it early. What a boring game – and I can't even trade it in! Not finished it and doubt I ever will.

Star Wars: Outlaws is brilliant. Such a shame it was ruined by a rushed launch followed by the obligatory destruction by miffed gamers spewing bile online.

Makes you wonder how many AAA single-player games they could have made with the money pissed away on this GaaS nonsense. Games that would probably have at least broken even or made good profits – and also pushed the brand forwards. Sony is crazy at the moment

Days Gone 2 in a decayed city and surrounding countryside would be fabulous. Take six to eight years to make, mind...

At one end of the spectrum: Concord. A bloated, ugly, unloved GaaS cancelled within a 'fortnite' (ahem) (budget $400 million). At the other end: Astro Bot. Charming, single-player platforming, beloved by the gaming world (budget $50-$75 million est.) ***** me Sony, could the message be any clearer?

I like buying discs because of resale value. If downloads were significantly cheaper I'd go digital. Simple.

I was so excited by the potential of Starfield that I bought the super-expensive digital edition. I put in a fair amount of play time but it now lingers on my hard drive, unfinished, gathering virtual dust. So Bethesda can take as long as it likes; I don’t really care.

I love Astro Bot, but doesn't this really signify there are too many awards?

I've bounced off the previous GTAs and will probably only buy this after reviews, patches, and when it's cheap enough for me to bounce off it again. Oh well, plenty of other games for me to get once my backlog (currently nine unfinished games) has gone down a bit!

Fine by me. Started playing and was complete engrossed and addicted until the end. A lovely throwback to 8- and 16-bit platformers, with loads of fun mechanics and sumptuous graphics. Big thumbs up here.

I’m going to finished Dragonage: The Veilguard, then start Dragon’s Dogma II. I’ve got W40K Space Marine 2 on the shelf, and Star Wars: Outlaws coming as a present (all on PS5 Pro) and still not played Cyberpunk’s DLC or finished The Last of Us Part One or A Plague Tale 2. And I’ve got my eye on loads of titles for 2025 starting with Indy and The Great Circle, so, yeah, I have lots to be getting on with. Next year is going to be full on!