I was sucked in (hehehe) The Gunk. It starts off as a sweet adventure with some discovery, but does eventually throw a bit of challenge in. Finished it and enjoyed my time with it. Love the musical score as well.
Tried ArchVale and while this is a game I will end up stuck in because a boss will be too challenging for me, it plays like a charm. Great little game.
And ended the weekend with another online coop session of It Takes Two. Original, wonderful, joyful.
FH5 is something I truly wanted to experience with friends, and I anticipated it so long... to find out it was riddled with online connection issues. It kind of lost the momentum, and FH5 isn't the online games with friends it should have been.
Yes, Hades plays like a charm, but unlike so many of those review state, it doesn't make me love roguelikes or roguelites. I loathe the lazy game design, I loathe repeating everything again and again - and Hades doesn't change that.
From the PureXbox GOTY poll a few days ago, I see I'm not the only one with this opinion. It's a runner-up at best on this site.
I loved the playthrough of the frist two chapters last night. It has this beautiful, compact world with just enough sense of exploration - filled with nice interaction between the two main characters and lovely laidback action that controls great.
It needs to come with the option to select and replay chapters, and I expect it will to make playthroughs doable. It could also mean collecting all the audio logs and extras will be more convenient in coop.
I'll be trying The Gunk, maybe even Race with Ryan, and Lake. If the latter is any good will depend heavily on the writing... it can either be a total drag or super emotional.
It's hard to fully 100% support one game to be the best, as I think all of them have some meh-things about them. Forza has too many online connectivity problems, and as satisfying as Halo Infinite plays, it misses a bit of creativity. So my top 5 would be:
1. It Takes Two 2. Halo Infinite 3. Forza Horizon 5 4. Psychonauts 2 5. Twelve Minutes
I too recommend Firewatch to anyone who likes story-driven games, and if you haven't played What Remains of Edith Finch, please do - it's brilliant.
I will be trying out The Gunk and Lake - even though it may be a little too slow for me. Lodoss War isn't my cup of tea and must be one of the worst gaming titles ever, but looks like a very well executed Castlevania-like!
Oh and one more thing: Race for Ryan looks better than the new Hot Wheels game.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite looks interesting for sure, hope I can gather some friends to play this with - I only could make one of them interested in Back 4 Blood.
@Magabro Hmm, maybe, although I haven't seen many separate scores for the multiplayer, perhaps becuase it was 'soft-launched' with a kind of beta-vibe.
I don't even remember TimeSplitters 2 having a single-player mode and from what I can see, I've never played it. The splitscreen multiplayer modes made this game - brilliant fun!
Good, but this is merely a sideline for me. Where's the Team Slayer playlist online? I really only want to play modes like Capture the Flag with friends - not with random players.
I love Forza Horizon 5, and I think I learnt to play it much better and much more efficient than Forza Horizon 4. I think I bought about 30 cars from the Car show and Market, but I already have 180 cars in the 28 hours I played it.
I feel like I almost finished the game in these 28 hours; opposed to 200 hours in Forza Horizon 4.
Xbox is doing a phenomenal job on compatibility. Not just backwards, but also when it comes to cloud gaming and supporting both current and next-gen platforms.
Mortal Shell looks incredible, much cleaner than the Souls games. It won't be for me I'm sure, as I'm too easily stressed out from hard games, but let's give it a try...
LEGO's Builder's Journey looks great too, by the way, but I found the game to be very boring on Apple Arcade. Placing bricks to get from one point to another is just a bit... cumbersome.
The worst part is in the stories, like the Vocho story for instance. They. Just. Take. So. Long.
There's another weird thing with the stories by the way; in half of the challenges, you can just take a totally random route and get there on time minutes ahead of the target.
I get that they want to make players really invested in getting rewards and the Battle Pass program, but it feels too much for me. The door is open to a blatant cash grab.
Can I vote for Forza Horizon 5 multiple times? I'm putting so many hours into it, it hardly compares to other Xbox and Game Pass games.
Level 79 now, 108 cars, entered the Horizon Hall of Fame, finished all road races, almost all roads driven and boards smashed... yeah, I'm enjoying myself quite a bit.
By the way, tip for everyone: select Auto Lock-Off in the Difficulty settings for more realistic breaking and much more difference in between the handling of cars. Big boost for me!
I checked if the full add-on bundle would grant me early access and when I saw it did, I immediately bought it. Like Forza Horizon 4, I just know I will spend a ton of time in the game and I know it will be well worth the money. And yeah, it is a blast!
Did have some severe connection issues on Saturday though, including one where I lost quite a bit of progress. So when I came back, I had to buy a house again, lost a couple of cars and had to unlock a festival site again. Does anyone else experience this?
Amazing review, thank you. I haven't played it myself yet (of course), but it does write about some of the fears I have with FH5, after spending tons of hours into the fourth game.
Comments 545
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 18-19)
I was sucked in (hehehe) The Gunk. It starts off as a sweet adventure with some discovery, but does eventually throw a bit of challenge in. Finished it and enjoyed my time with it. Love the musical score as well.
Tried ArchVale and while this is a game I will end up stuck in because a boss will be too challenging for me, it plays like a charm. Great little game.
And ended the weekend with another online coop session of It Takes Two. Original, wonderful, joyful.
Re: Forza Horizon 5 Wins GOTY Award, Gives Away Free Wheelspins To Celebrate
FH5 is something I truly wanted to experience with friends, and I anticipated it so long... to find out it was riddled with online connection issues. It kind of lost the momentum, and FH5 isn't the online games with friends it should have been.
Still had three full days of fun with it though.
Re: Hades Is Metacritic's Xbox Game Of The Year For 2021
Yes, Hades plays like a charm, but unlike so many of those review state, it doesn't make me love roguelikes or roguelites. I loathe the lazy game design, I loathe repeating everything again and again - and Hades doesn't change that.
From the PureXbox GOTY poll a few days ago, I see I'm not the only one with this opinion. It's a runner-up at best on this site.
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Critics Are Saying About The Gunk
I loved the playthrough of the frist two chapters last night. It has this beautiful, compact world with just enough sense of exploration - filled with nice interaction between the two main characters and lovely laidback action that controls great.
Re: Halo Infinite Players Find A Way To Glitch Into Campaign Co-Op
I WANT IT SO BAD!
It needs to come with the option to select and replay chapters, and I expect it will to make playthroughs doable. It could also mean collecting all the audio logs and extras will be more convenient in coop.
Re: Ten Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 16)
@Kienda 'Finish him' gave me a chuckle.
I'll be trying The Gunk, maybe even Race with Ryan, and Lake. If the latter is any good will depend heavily on the writing... it can either be a total drag or super emotional.
Re: Forza Horizon 5 Gets A New Hotfix, Including Online Improvements
Traffic and multiplayer convoy issues fixes? Alright, let's give it a new try. Again.
Re: Poll: What Is Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2021?
It's hard to fully 100% support one game to be the best, as I think all of them have some meh-things about them. Forza has too many online connectivity problems, and as satisfying as Halo Infinite plays, it misses a bit of creativity. So my top 5 would be:
1. It Takes Two
2. Halo Infinite
3. Forza Horizon 5
4. Psychonauts 2
5. Twelve Minutes
Re: Ten More Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass This Thursday
I too recommend Firewatch to anyone who likes story-driven games, and if you haven't played What Remains of Edith Finch, please do - it's brilliant.
I will be trying out The Gunk and Lake - even though it may be a little too slow for me. Lodoss War isn't my cup of tea and must be one of the worst gaming titles ever, but looks like a very well executed Castlevania-like!
Oh and one more thing: Race for Ryan looks better than the new Hot Wheels game.
Re: Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 14)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite looks interesting for sure, hope I can gather some friends to play this with - I only could make one of them interested in Back 4 Blood.
Re: Random: There's A Rock Shaped Like Craig The Brute In Halo Infinite
Elsewhere in the game there's posters of him giving a musical performance. Must be... rock.
Re: Don't Use Quick Resume With Halo Infinite For Now, Advises 343
This really is an advice for every game, isn't it? I lost millions, a house and a couple of cars in Forza Horizon 5 after a quick resume as well...
Re: Two More Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 7)
Space Organ rigth after Mind Scanners?
I think some games actually ARE too weird for me.
Re: These 15+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (December 6-10)
Whoah, Transient looks pretty good. And so does Wytchwood.
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Halo Infinite
@Magabro Hmm, maybe, although I haven't seen many separate scores for the multiplayer, perhaps becuase it was 'soft-launched' with a kind of beta-vibe.
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Halo Infinite
@Magabro By pulling the online multiplayer loose in a separate F2P entry, I don't think the multiplayer scores count here...
Re: Review: Halo Infinite - Master Chief's Latest Outing Was Worth The Wait
Glad to read! Very curious how it will perform on Xbox One.
Re: Halo Infinite Dev Issues Lengthy, Passionate Response To Multiplayer Criticism
A Team Slayer playlist would already be so valuable to me, that I don't really care about the rest.
Re: Forza Horizon 5's Latest Update Targets Multiplayer Fixes, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@Phostachio Yes, Arcade is so hard! You can't finish the third part, if you complete the second one already, that is.
I've had multiple problems with the online multiplayer - hope to gather some friends and seen if they're fixed this evening!
Re: Pick One: Which Is Your Favourite TimeSplitters Game?
I don't even remember TimeSplitters 2 having a single-player mode and from what I can see, I've never played it. The splitscreen multiplayer modes made this game - brilliant fun!
Re: Three More Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 30)
Back 4 Blood, Alien Fireteam and now Generation Zero! I wish I had more friends into coop online shooters - great stuff!
Re: Aliens: Fireteam Elite Is Heading To Xbox Game Pass This December
This looks a fantastic online coop game.
Re: Video: Here It Is, Halo Infinite's Official Launch Trailer Has Arrived
@Microbius Oh that's good to know, time to save some GB's.
Re: Halo Infinite's Multiplayer Is Getting A Quick Fix XP Update
Good, but this is merely a sideline for me. Where's the Team Slayer playlist online? I really only want to play modes like Capture the Flag with friends - not with random players.
Re: Mind Scanners Brings 'Retro-Futuristic Psychiatry' To Xbox Game Pass Next Week
Interesting. Liked Yes, Your Grace, so will definitely fire this up.
Re: Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In December 2021
Shame I didn't get to finish Morkredd. Maybe I shouldn't have fired up It Takes Two the last time, that pushed this sweet little coop game away.
If you haven't done so, I wholeheartedly recommend playing Call of the Sea. It's brilliant.
Re: Deals: The Best Bargains In The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2021
Kingdom Come Deliverance is a unique deal now. That could be worth picking up.
Re: Some Forza Fans Say They're Getting 'Bored' With Horizon 5 Already
I love Forza Horizon 5, and I think I learnt to play it much better and much more efficient than Forza Horizon 4. I think I bought about 30 cars from the Car show and Market, but I already have 180 cars in the 28 hours I played it.
I feel like I almost finished the game in these 28 hours; opposed to 200 hours in Forza Horizon 4.
Re: Disney Classic Games Collection Now Live On Xbox, Also Available As DLC
Oof, these games were so hard. So hard.
Re: Roundup: Here's What's Coming To Xbox In December 2021
Totally justified to put The Gunk in the spotlight. Looks nice!
Re: Xbox Worked On Recent Batch Of Backwards Compatible Titles For 'Years'
Xbox is doing a phenomenal job on compatibility. Not just backwards, but also when it comes to cloud gaming and supporting both current and next-gen platforms.
Re: These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (November 22-26)
Mortal Shell looks incredible, much cleaner than the Souls games. It won't be for me I'm sure, as I'm too easily stressed out from hard games, but let's give it a try...
LEGO's Builder's Journey looks great too, by the way, but I found the game to be very boring on Apple Arcade. Placing bricks to get from one point to another is just a bit... cumbersome.
Re: Forza Horizon 5 Players Are Finding The Game's Dialogue A Little Grating
@Medic_Alert Yes! Well, and add some extra lines then. The Bass Arena dude eating his food he ordered during the Skill Song... over and over again.
Re: These Ten Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 16-30)
Not much for me this time, but ey, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite are still on.
Re: Forza Horizon 5 Players Are Finding The Game's Dialogue A Little Grating
@gollumb82 And yes, this too. I've already heard all the songs on all different radio stations too many times!
Re: Forza Horizon 5 Players Are Finding The Game's Dialogue A Little Grating
The worst part is in the stories, like the Vocho story for instance. They. Just. Take. So. Long.
There's another weird thing with the stories by the way; in half of the challenges, you can just take a totally random route and get there on time minutes ahead of the target.
Re: Call Of Duty: Vanguard Is Having A Free Multiplayer Weekend On Xbox
This is a tough proposition in between COD Warzone and... well... Halo Infinite.
Re: Halo Infinite Gets Off To 'Amazing' Start, But There Are Concerns With Battle Pass Progression
I get that they want to make players really invested in getting rewards and the Battle Pass program, but it feels too much for me. The door is open to a blatant cash grab.
Re: Xbox 20th Anniversary: The Best Xbox Launch Games
I think it's safe to say that with Halo and Project Gotham Racing, the original Xbox still has the best launch lineup of all. :-X
Also really digged Call of Duty 2 - still the best splitscreen multiplayer shooter on the 360 in my book.
Re: Xbox Is 20 Years Old Today! What Are Your Favourite Xbox Memories?
The first and still very best memory of Xbox is getting together with 4 to 8 friends every freaking Saturday. Two Xbox consoles, two tv's, two teams.
Hours and hours of Halo Capture the Flag on Blood Gulch, 4 vs 4 via System Link. So tactical, so ever-surprising, so tense, so much fun.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 13-14)
Can I vote for Forza Horizon 5 multiple times? I'm putting so many hours into it, it hardly compares to other Xbox and Game Pass games.
Level 79 now, 108 cars, entered the Horizon Hall of Fame, finished all road races, almost all roads driven and boards smashed... yeah, I'm enjoying myself quite a bit.
Re: Talking Point: What's On Your Forza Horizon 5 Number Plate?
Just my nickname. SCARBIR. There you go.
Re: Forza Horizon 5 Barn Finds: All Locations (With Map Images)
I love the Anna function when you're looking for barns. Anna will suggest to ask 'Do you know a bar nearby?'
I've already had nearby players pointing out the route to the barn for me, showing me the way. A super nice little interaction with other players.
Re: Poll: Did You Buy The Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-Ons Bundle?
By the way, tip for everyone: select Auto Lock-Off in the Difficulty settings for more realistic breaking and much more difference in between the handling of cars. Big boost for me!
Re: Poll: Did You Buy The Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-Ons Bundle?
I checked if the full add-on bundle would grant me early access and when I saw it did, I immediately bought it. Like Forza Horizon 4, I just know I will spend a ton of time in the game and I know it will be well worth the money. And yeah, it is a blast!
Did have some severe connection issues on Saturday though, including one where I lost quite a bit of progress. So when I came back, I had to buy a house again, lost a couple of cars and had to unlock a festival site again. Does anyone else experience this?
Re: Review: Forza Horizon 5 - An Amazing Game, But One That's A Little Too Familiar
@antstephenson Yes please! A Blur-like power-up addition would make a fantastic second expansion!
Re: Review: Forza Horizon 5 - An Amazing Game, But One That's A Little Too Familiar
Amazing review, thank you. I haven't played it myself yet (of course), but it does write about some of the fears I have with FH5, after spending tons of hours into the fourth game.
Re: Psychonauts 2 Update Adds A Wave Of Quality Of Life Improvements
Love to see you so enthousiastic about the game after finishing it, even with these previous flaws. Will really have to start it sometime soon.
Re: These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 2-11)
Amazing. I would imagine myself spending some time with Football Manager...
... but not in a month when It Takes Two and Forza Horizon 5 launch. Awesome!
Re: Pixel Art RPG UnDungeon Is Launching With Xbox Game Pass This November
I have a big tv now, but can already see the text is too small and will cause a headache.