R(ob)’s Comments (group member since Jun 21, 2021)

R(ob)’s comments from the The Video Game Forum group.

Glassmoon - The Benny Hill of Plats wrote: "R(ob) wrote: "Yea I really enjoyed DI and loved the setting. Played it both Solo and CO-OP and enjoyed it both ways. Never played Dying Light - looks good though but campaign length is always a fac..."

Yea probably me too. Daytime only. I do get spooked by games sometimes. Probably one for the wish list if I ever get around to it.

Yea Mass Effect 1 is my favourite too and so plan to replay it soon - maybe after FC6. Not sure about ME2 and ME3 - I'll see how hungry I am after ME1 for more ME. I've played them all before but I have very fond memories of the first.

Yea I really enjoyed DI and loved the setting. Played it both Solo and CO-OP and enjoyed it both ways. Never played Dying Light - looks good though but campaign length is always a factor for me in choosing games to play. Why I chose to play Valhalla knowing it was a long game - lesson learned. Think 40 hours maximum is my absolute limit for straight lining a campaign.

Glassmoon - The Benny Hill of Plats wrote: "R(ob) wrote: "I read yesterday that Dying Light 2 will have 500 hours of game play to fully complete and 100 hours of campaign. Honestly I can't be bothered with games that long. I only have so muc..."

Even if it's somewhere close still too long for me.

I remember really enjoying Dead Island but it was definitely a bit janky and marmite.

I read yesterday that Dying Light 2 will have 500 hours of game play to fully complete and 100 hours of campaign. Honestly I can't be bothered with games that long. I only have so much time and I don't want to dedicate it to just one game.

More Far Cry 6 for me over the weekend. I've completed two story lines now and onto the third - around 20 hours of game play. I think there are four main story lines to recruit factions. Looks like I'm around 2/3rds of the way through the campaign. Still enjoying it. FC6 is very much more of the same but I really like the setting and the absence of strange spiritual ghost/psychedelic missions - I've never been a fan. The game engine is showing its age - looking a bit last gen now especially with character models and buildings but the "jungle" areas still look very nice (seems to do that better graphically). Only things grating a little is that one mission requires it to be done at night and there is no way to fast forward time by sleeping for example so that's a pain. And the running mechanics are annoying - he seems to run for 5 meters and then he's out of breath. Great sandbox though for fun though. 8/10 so far.

I've tried to get back into Valhalla but it won't click with me. It was good to begin with but after 30 hours, and seemingly not even half way through the campaign, I got tired of it. Seemed to be rinse and repeat the same missions and even same storyline. Which is OK but not for me for such a long game. I really enjoyed Origins, the previous AC game I played, and that was only 30 hours long which seemed to be a much more suitable length for an AC game to me. Far Cry 6 I'm enjoying a lot more but has the same approach to story and campaign but after 16 hours I'm already half-way through and still enjoying it - if it was a 60 hour campaign I probably wouldn't complete it. I think only fully fledged RPGs (with deep and varied stories, missions, characters etc) can be really lengthy say like Fallout, Skyrim - Valhalla is just too repetitive in everything that it does.

Yea Mass Effect Legency edition! Will line it up after I complete Far Cry 6 and Alan Wake Remaster.

Don't think there is a huge amount for me early this year new release wise which I'm OK with as I have a wish list to work through. The only possible is Horizon Forbidden West but to be honest the first didn't float my boat - although I completed it, I got half-way through and felt burnt out by the game play. It's one of the games where the fighting seems relentless after a while, a bit like I experience with Borderlands.

I think people have their preferences. I'd prefer a controller I can throw a rechargable battery pack in rather than have an enclosed battery which may deplete its efficiency over time. Thinking back to PS4/3 gen when you were lucky to get 7-10 hours play time and then it diminish further over time to the point it becomes a real problem. I don't know about PS5 as I don't own one. I'm quite happy to throw £20 at a rechargeable battery pack that I know will last 40 hours between charges but I guess that's me. I have an Elite 2 controller which has a built in battery but I prefer if it had one I could swap out as those controllers are not cheap and if the battery life reduces I'm stuck now. I see you can get a rechargeable battery pack specifically for Series S/X as low as £12.99 on Amazon if you chose that route - no need to buy one use batteries if you don't want to.

I think controller firmware you have to update seperately to the console firmware. Not 100% sure but last time I did it it picked up a controller update.

The only other thing to try is update the controller firmware which is done through the controller app on the console.


Navigate to Profile & system > Settings > Devices & connections > Accessories.

DeckardCain's Sandals wrote: "Time for my first moan of the year.... the battery life of the Series S controller is shockingly bad. Got the console late on the Wednesday so it was only used for set up, yet by the Saturday morni..."

The battery issue doesn't sound right to me. They usually last for a long period of time - usually 30-40 hours on one battery. Unless you've gamed so much that you didn't realise you played for 30-40 hours. Not heard anything about battery life issues. Are you sure your controller is shutting off when you turn the console off? Or perhaps you have a dud controller. I prefer the replaceable batteries as prefer to be able to put rechargable batteries in (official battery pack for me), which usually have a higher MaH capacity than inbuilt batteries, and I get a good 40 hours and then if the batteries ever start to lose charge due to age I can replace the battery back rather than the whole controller.

I love games pass - a lot of new (or relatively new) stuff goes on it. Back 4 Blood, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Psyhchonauts 2, The Ascent (which I loved), Control, latest Doom, Mortal Shell, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Metro Exodus to name a few, plus all the MS games. Didn't need to pay a penny (at least I didn't with MS Points) and never seem to be short of something decent to play. I guess it all depends on what you want to play.

Yea I’m the same on saving money on gaming. Gaming hasn’t been cheap in the past for me but with Games Pass/Ultimate it’s much cheaper now. I’m happy not owning games as I rarely replay them. Plus due to collecting Microsoft Points I get games pass ultimate for free. And I really want to scale back gaming when I give up work. I want to avoid the possible situation of basically gaming most of the day most days.

No worries. I think you’re right anyway as armour piercing seems like the best default ammo type. I have an ammo type of each in my load-out but tend to use armour piercing and go for head shots as it tends to down enemies in one shot.

Yea I’m planning it too. Hopefully only got 3-5 years all going well. The earlier the better with 3 years being the earliest possible.

Hi AlienGirl. I can’t seem to change ammo type in the weapon wheel. Was this something you unlocked? All I can change is fire mode.

If you buy/own halo Infinite you won’t need gold or ultimate to download and play the campaign. I’ve played it through Ultimate but I might buy the game further down the line in a sale.

When do you retire by the way, do have you planned a date? I bet you can’t wait.

Firewatch is a cracking experience. I really enjoyed it.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. As usual I drank and ate too much, still am.

Anyway, Completed Halo Infinite. Really enjoyed it. A return to form. The campaign is very much like the older Halos on the whole. The atmosphere, aesthetics, music, level design all very Halo 1-3. The campaign is mainly, albeit not always, a linear experience. The open world part though added a new dimension. Being able to go anywhere with the grapple hook, and as the game progresses fly anywhere too. Plus the grapple is a really good fight mechanic addition. The ammo stations add a new dimension to it, freeing up weapon choice a bit more. Really worth investigating every Spartan Core as you really explore some great areas hidden away. Loved it. Probably my game of the year. And some really good boss fights.

Since I’ve moved onto Far Cry 6. Played probably 8 hours but really enjoying it. So good to be back on a tropical island as opposed to the boring map of Far Cry 5. Graphics are good on Series X, well the outdoor jungle-type areas. The map is massive. Anyway good Far Cry fun so far. The only thing I don’t like is the need for different ammo types. Takes away from the fun having to think about what ammo to use, which you can’t change on the fly so you’re stuck with your choice until you get to a work bench.

Yes I forget you're a retro gamer :)

I guess this is GOTY for games released this year rather than games you've played this year?

I see Sniper Elite 5 has been announced for release next year. Sniper Elite is my guilty pleasure - one of my favourite game series. What with SE5 and Alan Wake 2 a lot of my gaming wishes have been answered. All we need now is Resistance and Killzone back - not so hopeful on these.

You can always have two X boxes or sell your S Glass ;-)

I spent quite a bit of time on Infinite over the weekend. On the sixth campaign mission (think there are 15 campaign missions overall). I spent most of my time however exploring ignoring the campaign and getting lost in the world. I've pretty much fully explored two maps - think there look to be 4/5 maps in total - and the maps aren't disconnected they just open up as you progress the campaign. So really it's one big map with islands you can hop between over bridges. TBH the open world aspect is nothing new - you have Forward Operating Bases, Strongholds to clear and they are good fun because the core game play FPS action is superb. The best thing of the open world is the fact you can go pretty much anywhere. If you see a mountain on the map and think it looks inaccessible - think again, you can get up with your grapple hook, explore, find unlocks, enemy to fight, and easter eggs. The infiinte map is one of the most explorable maps I've played. Plus you'll find for some collectables it will take you inside caves where you have to earn the unlock. The open world is really well done if nothing new - the ability to explore anywhere is the best part for me. The campaign is good too - the campaign tends to be a little more linear (typical Halo) but some parts are in the open world too - a good mix. The bosses are a good challenge but on normal doable if sometimes a little tricky. Really enjoying it overall. Probably my game of the year - tight between this and Forza Horizon 5.

It’s been receiving generally very good reviews so I’m hoping I’m not going to think differently. I do think the introduction of the grapple hook is superb - really adds a new and very strategic element to the game which actually fits and doesn’t feel bolted on. The triple threat of gun, grenade, melee where any combination of the three is needed in any one moment, in a game where shields play a big part on both master chief and enemies, is really enhanced well by the grapple hook.

I'm playing Halo Infinite. Just got to the openworld section but not explored much. What came before it was good though - typical indoor linear Halo, very reminisent of the older (1, 2, 3) Halos. So far so good. I did clear the landing zone in the openworld just as you step out into it and was very good. And even on normal difficulty not a walk in the park - you really have to plan your attack, and take care.

Oh and I see Alan Wake 2 has been confirmed. That is really good news for me. Alan Wake is one of my favourite games - I have the remastered version ready to play after Halo, or perhaps after Far Cry 6, whichever I play first after Halo.