Marquez

@NEStalgia Oh it’s still a restrictive price point, that’s for sure. I know, because I’m now trying to save towards it! I reckon I’m no better than 50/50 on actually getting it when February rolls around.

@NEStalgia Except you don't have to pay today, you only pay in February when the headset ships... like it says in the article. So you can secure one with a preorder now and back out at no cost if you change your mind/have other financial considerations nearer the time.

Mainly watching the snow outside and the football inside this weekend.

90 minutes into the Forsaken demo and the combat, once you work out the flow of it, is really engaging. World feels a bit empty but some fun locations with mini-bosses. Gear and crafting/upgrading looks deeper than I expected. Including the nails...

Beyond that, the DS2 trailer got me so hyped I think a fresh playthrough of Death Stranding is in order.

Really useful that a demo is coming - I'm on the fence about Forspoken like many, despite how beautiful it looks. Very keen to understand how well the open world links together, density and repetition of activities etc.

Best New Character category and no Thrud. What a travesty.

Season of Plunder (the one live until yesterday) saw me drop off really hard for the first time in D2 - but I'll still jump in and give this a go. I'm lucky enough to be in a great clan so they'll get me back up to speed!

@sanderson72 I have a soft spot for the design of my tower of lard, though I think I'm finally going to cave after two years and get some black faceplates to slim it down a touch!

What's even more baffling about NFS' physical sales' performance is that it's typically £55 at retailers compared to £70 digitally. So if you have the pregnant PS5, that's an easy choice imho.

Since I finished Ragnarok ten days ago I've barely picked up a controller, it's left me feeling really indecisive about what's next - including jumping back into it for the Platinum. That's probably the answer - back to the Nine Realms I go!

SkillUp's preview contained serious concerns about the interminable relationship building while highly praising the combat and given his review thumbnail says he recommends 'half of Marvel's Midnight Suns' I'm guessing that hasn't changed! Looking forward to seeing what PushSquare thinks.

At a bit of a gaming crossroads - now I've finished the (incredible) GoWR story, do I push on for the platinum? Or do I go back to Tales of Arise, which I paused to play GoWR when around two thirds through that story? Maybe I start something new, a shorter game as a palate cleanser. Guaranteed procrastination incoming... my bet is I stare at my 70 game backlog and boot up nothing.

Fell off Elden Ring at the Fire Giant after putting in serious hours, could not wait to keep playing GoWR. Personally I don't get it, but I understand... Stray as PlayStation GOTY though?! Now that is weird...

I just picked up this quest this afternoon and I look forward to completing it in tribute. What a brilliant inclusion in the game.

@Starkei Let's just say I am incredibly spoiler averse to the extent that when my son has been playing the game I've gone upstairs and waited for his session to finish...

@Athrum I think you may have inadvertently compounded my problem...

TIL Heimdall is in Ragnarok, before I met him in Ragnarok, thanks to an article about... Spider-Man 2. FML.

Got in early through my invite, Horizon bundle 'secured'! Happy with that.

My money is on Elden Ring to win the 'Best Narrative With The Support of 100 Hours of YouTube Explanation' award. What a baffling nomination that is... 'lore' does not equal 'narrative'.

I'm going to finally play Ghost Recon: Breakpoint to see what all the hoo-hah was about.

Dad of Boy II: The Teenage Years, like everyone else. About ten hours in and loving it - what an epic this is already. Really like the expanded weapon and armour configurations too.

9 hours in, which has been approximately 540 consecutive minutes of wonder. What a game so far.

The target this weekend has to be to finish the story in Tales of Arise, so I am ready for Ragnarok. The platinum will have to wait!

They’re already planning to show season 2 in the UK on Sky Sports Golf.

This is why I preordered it for my MacBook Air, which is the antithesis of a gaming machine. I knew this was too good to be true!

I have been holding off on buying an Edge controller as that would have to come out of any PSVR2 pot of gold I have to one side. Think I might push the button on the controller and worry about this later. Or hit up that credit card…

Nice to see another thread affirming my decision to block Ion Magi - stop giving their trolling oxygen by responding ppl!

Some more time with Tales of Arise which is... ticking along nicely? I'm not blown away but it's a really well crafted game. FM23 beta continues... time sink and a half.

Kena, Sword of Spirits. That's the best I have, it's early.

I loved and platinum’d Odyssey, enjoyed the English setting of and platinum’d Valhalla - before I played Origins (don’t ask).

It was so refreshing to play a game more compact and direct than the other two tbh. A straight line story, smaller skill tree, fewer distractions… loved it. And yes, platinum.

@get2sammyb I think the comments section may have unearthed some of the 'vocal few' mentioned in the article... consider me unsurprised.

Picked up the deluxe edition of Tales of Arise a couple of weeks back for £23 off the store and loving it so far.

I don't know if I'll get near my PS5 this weekend because 1) my son is obsessed with his first FF VII Remake playthrough and 2) Football Manager 23's beta is now live and it's the ultimate time sink!

But if I do, Tales of Arise and Toem - which I should have started last weekend, but finishing off the AC Origins plat got in the way.

I'd love one, but I can't justify spending over £200. Good luck to those who can!

@stvevan And that's precisely what I suggested! My point is, these kinds of controllers are niche, expensive items - regardless of manufacturer. I don't agree that, because an item is expensive for some, it is therefore 'anti-consumer'.

@Microbius Just because something is expensive or you can't justify the cost personally, doesn't make it 'anti-consumer greed'. For reference, the nearest equivalent SCUF is £10 more in a range of 'pro' controllers that goes from £180 to... £250! Maybe we should all head to their forums with our pitchforks.

I don't know what you're all complaining about, that's only two thirds the cost of my monthly energy bill here in the financial dumpster fire that is the UK cost of living crisis.

Oh, hang on...

@ErrantRob Exactly what I need to break the open world fatigue, good to hear!

Tales of Arise is at the ridiculous price of £22.73 (deluxe edition) in the current sale - so I could not resist. I need a new long game to break up the monotony of grinding out the AC Origins plat and this should hit the spot.

Alongside this I'm going to give Toem a go - heard great things.

Need to revisit and complete the original - it struck an uncomfortable tone during lockdown that I couldn’t handle. But now we have impending nuclear conflict? It’s time!

To echo plenty of comments already made, DQ11 is a fantastic game. If it wasn’t for the sheer grind of all outfits/ultimate weapon my 92% trophy completion would be a plat by now.

The mucking about required to party up in MH World is the only negative experience I had in the game - so this game has definitely piqued my interest, with a supposedly 'seamless' alternative.

I couldn't work out why an article about a trophy list had 101 comments... until I dived in. Top quality Sunday night entertainment.

Personally on the fence having seen a few preview vids (complaints about combat feeling lightweight, mainly) but I genuinely hope this game lands well.

@Shepherd_Tallon +1, exactly this. The upheaval the world has seen in the last few years and the ripple effects that continue, the change in strategy is entirely understandable.

On a separate note I can see, judging by the responses to their thankfully invisible posts, that blocking IonMagi remains a win.

The Flame In The Flood from Molasses Flood is an underrated PS4 gem - I didn't notice they were acquired by CDPR. It'll be really interesting to see what they do in the Witcher universe.

Still hooked on AC Origins. Having platinum'd Odyssey and Valhalla first with all their sprawl, bloat and overlapping systems Origins feels much more compact and streamlined despite the map size. Definitely going to platinum this too.

Potential of a nice little loop here for me, as I only buy digital games on sale and typically indie titles (I'm old, and still like having that pile of physical AAA titles under the TV).

Play, earn trophies, accumulate what will likely be small amounts of points at a time - but enough to grab the odd indie on sale every now and then. And all I have to do is sign up.

After 150 hours and achieving the platinum in the main game, the fatigue was real - I tapped out partway through the Ireland expansion. Not sure I can ever jump back in, but I enjoyed my time overall.

The itch is now being scratched by AC Origins, which I skipped on release and, even though the map is huge, the stripped back skill tree alone makes it feel like a more compact experience to which I hope the recent announcements return.

A tough decision this year now, buy it on laptop or on my main gaming device. A good problem to have.

@Futureshark Go to his profile and knock yourself out

@get2sammyb I’d like to thank you and others with their replies for reminding me why I muted IonMagi.

Fell off Elden Ring (again) just before the Fire Giant, really enjoying the mindless map clearing of AC Origins with its fresh coat of PS5 paint. It also has a better story than I expected, so win/win. Might grab the final two trophies on Stray for the platinum too.