James Lyon

Turns out I did have to do it all again. Still, I didn't mind. I quite liked the car once I'd upgraded the engine and things. Just did the Colossus a couple of times as I hadn't completed it yet.

No, I don't think so. It actually put me back to the speed zone challenge when I first loaded in. But I went out and back in and it had reset to the start of the 100 mile one. Hopefully a new patch is on the way.

50 miles one on the clock for the Bentley challenge before going to bed. Put it on this morning and it's gone and reset itself.

Great minds think alike. Got it in two as well.

I'm also saving for an Xbox. That said, it's kind of annoying that you get way more points by owning an Xbox than not when you're after one! And no invite to the PC beta either!

The Horizon Tour challenge has automatically completed and given me the points as soon as the last few seasons started. I guess not all bugs are bad.

I quite like the DS3, at least as much as 1 and 2. Not exactly the worst, but I was a bit disappointed with the DS4. I deliberated over whether I should get that or a XB1 pad for PC use and chose the DS4. Except it never felt quite right to me. And, before I could get used to it, the micro USB socket broke, which seems to be a common problem, being so small. That was a bad piece of design and I couldn't get my money back because I lost the receipt for the shop. Also the serial number on the back rubbed off suspiciously quickly so I couldn't go to Sony either. Not that I'm sure they designed it that way... Anyway, I must fix it one day or get a charging dock, but I went back to using the DS3.

Anybody try to make anything in the Event Lab for the playlist? It was pretty fun spending a couple of hours to put something together. Only until I found that you can't actually edit your track once you've saved it, as far as I can tell, so you can't go back and tweak it. Here's my terrible effort. It was meant to be solo but I could only make it a race unless I started all over again. I would have put in more props, too. Next time. 929 109 304

First game of the year. I took a break from endless Forza Horizon accolade chasing when I saw this had been added to Game Pass. It's hard to explain in words, but you're effectively moving around and zooming in and out of a set of four graphic novel type panels to connect elements of the pictures together. Like something that makes up one part of a picture can be joined to something similar in another panel to make a new path. The game can be as befuddling as that explanation at times but I found it soon clicked. It's a fascinating feat with some neat visual tricks and worth a couple of plays through to get how it all works once you know the puzzles. Conveniently there are achievements to provide incentive for that including one where you have to complete the game in under 30 minutes, appropriately called But Why. Naturally, I did it and enjoyed it all. Seriously, there's nothing like it out there. You've 'Gorogoa' play this game (geddit!?).

I was wondering if people saw the same drivatars or not. Sounds familiar. I'm seeing someone called Blastagoon all the time. He's rather ubiquitous to me.

Whoever said Encanto didn't have memorable songs wasn't listening enough to have Surface Pressure in their head all day.

Among Sieves.

I've had a few things I've completed that I've never gotten round to adding to this thread for various reasons. So here's a quick round-up. It's all Game Pass stuff, more or less, the service that keeps on giving. And taking away as a few of these were ones I played when I heard they were going to be removed. A good incentive to get something completed. Anyway, in no order: Myst (the new version) - I've got a bit of a soft spot for it despite it being critically derided. That said, the updated 3D in this really shows up the limitations of the puzzles and exploration. Looks nice, though. Broforce - good pixelated action platformer starring parodies of nearly every action hero from the 70s to the 00s. The variety and the destruction are fun but it needed a bit more polish in the level structure, I thought. Sometimes it was a bit too mindless. Psychonauts - the first one still holds up with some great writing and fantastic ideas for levels. The platforming is a bit iffy these days, and the collecting things is off the chart. Not enough to stop me 100%-ing it, though. Psychonauts 2 - I was surprised how much this sticks to the structure of the first game. More collecting and platforming which was mostly the same, but worth it for the story and some funny lines. There wasn't really one level that made me say 'wow', though. However, it consistently presented good ideas throughout. Eastshade - pleasant 3D adventure game in the style of Oblivion without the combat. Quests were varied and the world pretty enough to explore while compact enough to be over in a few days. I don't want to jump into a big RPG just yet so this was a good stopgap. Omno - another non-combat game, this one a 3D action puzzle thing in an alien world. None too tricky. A nice solid between meals type of game. The Gardens Between - clever use of scrubbing time back and forth to change the level. It did as much as it could with that idea without outstaying its welcome. Nice. Carto - Another puzzle adventure, this time where you rotate map pieces to change things in the real world. Again, it made the most out of a simple concept, although I thought it went on a bit too long. The pleasantly benign story ensures it's not annoying, though. Twelve Minutes - I quite enjoyed figuring out the time loop and trying out the variations in the routine to eke out the next revelation. I guess I had more of a tolerance for the repetition and was intriguing to work out what was happening. That said, the big reveal is terrible and really sours the ending. I guess the developer thought this was mature storytelling, but...nah. What Remains of Edith Finch - more than an experience than a game. Exploring the house and seeing the breadth of mini games on offer was enjoyable. I think I'll go through this again at some point to see how it all holds together. Boyfriend Dungeon - average dungeon combat is surpassed by joyful dating of swords. Quirky to the extreme but all the better for it. That's it for this year. I've completed a lot more than I usually do and a lot newer things, too, thanks to Game Pass. Long may it continue. I'm deep into Forza Horizon 5 now, so I'm hoping I'll at least get the single player story stuff done for early next year. I've also nearly got Sable and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood done and I've got an itching to play Evil Within, so they're my hot tips for next year.

I'm not sure if they've picked that one at random. I've played a few Event Lab and Super 7 entries that have been quite fun. I think there's a few good ideas for abstract challenges and silly set pieces. Trouble is, there's a lot of rubbish, too, and a lot of having to drive a fast car in a straight line to win. If you can weed them out, there's a bit of entertainment to be had.

You're right. That thing's a beast. I tried it out on one of the seasonal championships and it just steamrollers over everything into first place.