Have A Cuppa - Catch up with Diablo 4, Starfield, Dead As Disco, GTA6, Xbox and more !
Personally I am doing great, but I have found less opportunity to play games as frequently due to hanging out with friends, traveling more, spending more time with my girlfriend, and just in general wanting to go outside more often and touch some grass (no not the drug). This means that instead of being able to finish an epic rpg over two weeks or so, I take at least double the amount of time now which is the main reason I haven't posted lately, in all honesty in the last 5 months I finished one game... However I have always kept up to date with the news and reviews and will try to post about that more often in the future as well. I also like to personally write all these posts and not use AI as I feel it loses my personal touch of bad spelling and grammar that makes this blog me. I would rather wait till I feel ready to write instead of dribbling out some crap through an AI (not that I dislike AI as a tool but I dont want it running my blog).
So I thought this is a good opportunity to catch up on what I have played, what I am excited about and just my opinion about some video game news in general. So grab a nice brew, chuck on some lofi and lets catch up.
What I have played:
Yakuza Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
During the winter period I always enjoy picking up a big rpg to play and get really into. I did this in the past with Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 and loved every second of it. Witcher 3 especially was a special experience and one I still think fondly back on.
This year I decided to try a different style of RPG and went with Yakuza Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The game peaked my interest as the extremely famous Yakuza series is one I have always wanted to get into thanks to its crazy mini games and stories but have always been intimidated by the mass amount of games it has. I decided try like a dragon Infinite Wealth as I saw it followed a new storyline based o Ichiban and his adventures. I did mess up though as I thought Infinite Wealth was the first game...… it's the second but the game does a good job of telling you what happened in the first game and catching you up on the yakuza story as a whole (I did watch a YouTube Yakuza lore video as well though just to know the major story points).
Well after 80+ hours finishing the game including all side content I can say that I think it is now one of my favourite games of all time. Easily in my top five.
It has been a long time since I got so invested with a game's characters and the stories that come with them, the main plot was also a crazy fun ride with twist and turns, but the character stories ,especially with Ichiban and Kazuma, really made the game as special as it became for me. I went from laughing out loud one minute to trying not to cry the next as it deals from a range of topics from relationships and friendships to incredibly serious topics such as the impacts of when someone has a terminal illness and how it doesn't just affect the person but also the people around them. This is a topic I would never expect from a game that has you taking photos of perverts in ballerina outfits and special attacks involving crayfish but it blends the mixture of fun and seriousness so incredibly well that it feels like a natural progression.
Away from the story, the side quests and mini games are some of the best side content in any game I have played, I would say only Witcher 3 would compete with it thanks to Qwent. I spent the majority of my hours in this game racing around making fast food deliveries, fighting through dungeons, becoming a stunt man, becoming a Sujimon master (basically pokemon but with humans), running dondoko island (think animal crossing mixed with a holiday management sim) and of course singing karoke for hours on end. I especially was obsessed with the food delivery, Sujimon, and dondoko island with all three probably taking up around 30 hours of my gameplay time. It was the type of side content you get obsessed with and your time is rewarded with some great items or abilities after completion (The dondoko island special nuke attack was an absolute life saver during clutch boss fights).
Overall I think this is one of them special games that have fallen under the radar for most people, at least it has for me and my friends, but is one of the best games to have come out in the 2000s. I have recommended it to multiple people now and all come back saying how amazing it is, I would even recommend it to someone who wants to get into gaming as takes all the best ingredients from multiple genres and turns them into a Michelin star meal of a game. If you haven't played Yakuza Life A Dragon: Infinite Wealth then I would really recommend you give it a shot, especially now that it is on gamepass. Le'ale'a my friend!
What I am Playing:
Starfield
On paper Starfield should be an instant appeal for me, an epic Bethesda sci-fi rpg that takes you on a grand adventure. However when I first watched gameplay for it, I was put off from the constant menu shuffling and general Bethesda bugginess, so decided to put it on the back burner. Now however after its new expansion, massive 'Free Lanes' update, and constant praise from Greg Miller (Kinda Funny), I decided to pick up the complete edition and jump into the game. I'm now roughly 20 hours in and having a complete blast.
I don't want to go into too much detail because I would like to write a full review once I have completed the game but so far I can say it feels like the game is now finally the game it was meant to be when it first came out. It has that classic Bethesda charm of turning up to a solar system just for instant chaos to form and you ending up creating your own sub stories just from the world around you. Currently, for example, I am on an mission to find myself a stun weapon (as I have a bounty to capture a guy alive) in a universe that it is seemingly impossible to get one. I have tried multiple shops to no luck and ended up getting chased out of one system after an awkard dissagrement with one shop owner turned into a gun fight, so my hunt continues but I will admit I also get very much side tracked along the way.
I also want to compliment the photo mode that also allows your screenshots to appear on loading screens, it is such a good idea which they really should include in more games. I am a photo mode freak and love to make screen shots in every game I play so this really is icing on the cake for me.
I feel like the main appeal for Starfield is if you want a game that just lets you get lost in it's universe then this is a the game for you. Yes you will end up in weird situations that involve buggy locations or ships, yes you will end up getting chased out of galaxies as you accidentally kill a random shop owner due to a persuasion error which apparently everyone adored, yes you will catch your parents taking drugs in the nightlife city of Neon, yes you will be laughing your arse off the entire time while causing chaos throughout the whole Universe. That's Starfield.
Diablo 4: Lord Of Hatred
Diablo 4 is probably the only game I have played where I have a constant itch to jump back into. Not only does it hold thousands of hours of fun, it is also a game where I can just sit back and put my feet up and anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. It's the perfect game to play no matter if I want an intense experience (thanks to hardcore mode) or just want to play something while I am in a discord chat with my sister or friends. The game is so understanding that not all of it's players can dedicate multiple hours a day to it and instead aims to makes even a 30 minute gaming session feel rewarding thanks to it's generous levelling and reward system. This is something I feel needs to become more common in games as players can't be as active due to work, family, and socialising commitments. Diablo 4 isn't trying to take over your life, it's trying to integrate with it.
I really love the game and I will create a review of it once my completely fresh Paladin run is complete (I also might run a Hardcore character through the entire story as well before reviewing). While I do prefer some features from the original Diablo 4 (I don't enjoy the new skill tree), I can easily say Diablo 4 is now the best it has ever been thanks to an incredible story (maybe the best in any ARPG), great combat, beautiful cutscenes and voiceacting, and the constant feeling of progression no matter the playtime, so if your looking for a game that understands that you are a busy person, I would highly recommend Diablo 4.
Games I'm Excited For:
Dead As Disco
The offical early access release for Dead As Disco is finally here and to say that I am hyped for this game is putting it lightly. I first heard of Dead As Disco around 2 years ago thanks to Gamescom and immediatly installed the demo for it. I now have around 7 hours of gameplay on the demo alone and I really think this could be one of my favourite games of 2026.
Dead As Disco is a rythm combat game that times your attacks with the beat of the music. This creates some of the most satisfying and entertaining combat sequences that has ever been achieved in a video game. Just picture a game that has the great combat of the Batman Arkham Series and perfectly syncs each attack to songs such as a high energy cover of the song Maniac... yeah it really is as good as it sounds. I highly recommend it for people who miss the classic arcade style combat or who adored rythm games like guitar hero with its unique rythm game style. All of this is mixed with a crazy story with multiple villians, beautiful arenas, and an absolute banging soundtrack (which I believe you can add your own music too) makes Dead As Disco something really unique.
I have been hyped for this game for a long time and am currently trying to decide if I should jump into early access or wait till the full release. Either way I will buying it digitally for my MSI Claw and physically for my PS5. So if you don't miss out on what could be the underground hit of 2026, then give Dead As Disco a try. You won't regret it.
Forza Horizon 6
We are so back. Forza Horizon 6 will finally be drifting onto our Xboxs/PCs on the 19th May (You can get early access on 15th May if you buy the premium edition for 119,99€ but that's a bit too rich for my blood). I personally can't wait to be driving around the stunning location of Japan with my sister and some friends hunting for new cars and racing through the streets of Tokyo.
I always see Forza horizon as a seperate genre compare to its competition, it being more of an open world car adventure game than a racing game. This idea fits perfectly for me and especially for my sister who enjoys just driving around instead of actually racing. The gameplay looks amazing and I love the additional of the home bases that you can customise and store your vehicles, I'm excited as well to see the over the top, true Hollywood boss style races that we have come to love with Forza Horizon (The halo one was a particular highlight). I also can't wait to see all the different cars and what designs the community makes from them.
Forza horizon has always been mine and my sister favourite game to play together. Now with Forza horizon 6 we are already making plans to drive all over Japan playing a game of tag or go hunting for cars through races or barn finds, and while I am sure the music will be as epic as always, I will be constantly playing the fast and furious Tokyo Drift soundtrack.
Fable
It was painful when it was announced end of last year that Fable will be delayed till 2026 (I had predicted that it would be a GOTY winner here). However I would rather them take their time and make a great game instead of it been rushed out and I really believe it will be a great game.
While I am a bit dissapointed the good and evil system is no longer in the game, and especially that your character wont grow devil horns the more evil they become, everything else I see and hear about this game I am extremely excited for.
I think this game will bring the fun side of fantasy we haven't seen since Shrek and … well Fable has last graced our screens. The classic English humour seems to be coming back with a bang thanks to the likes of Richard Ayoade and Matt King being involved, and the world itself seems so full of life and beautiful landscapes that I honestly am bubbling with excitement thinking about it. If the game also includes an epic Skyrim level soundtrack then I think this will be GOTY, even with the release of GTA6.
GTA6
Yes of course I am excited for GTA6, do I think it will be the best game ever made…. no but I do think it will be a GOTY contender. I generally believe it will be an incredible game but I just don't know what they can bring that is completely fresh compared to GTA5. Don't see that as a complaint as well, GTA5 is one of the best games to come out in recent years and I will thoroughly enjoy playing a new GTA that is relatively similar but with great new characters and amazing next gen graphics. I just think some people will be left dissapointed because the expectations of something new is too high, for me however I am super excited for it and if they make a better golfing mini game than GTA5 then I will completely hooked.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
Out of all the Mass Effect style games planning to be released (including the new mass effect game) The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is the one I am most excited for. I absolutely love the TV series and think it probably is my favourite modern sci-fi show, I also started reading the book series as well which to be honest is even more epic. So when I saw that a mass effect style game based in the expanse world is being made, my interest was completely peaked.
The game is not aimed for release until 2027 but a beta of the first chapter was released for people who pre-purchased the miller pack or collectors edition. I personally am extremely tempted with the collectors edition but am hiding my wallet for the moment until I hear a bit more about the game. From what I have seen so far though, I am extremely excited for this game and can't wait to actually explore the universe of the Expanse myself.
The game is being created by AA studio Owlcat Games (Pathfinder Kingmaker, Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader) who have quite the pedigree for a relatively young studio to make some great games and stories. I am really looking forward to see what they will do with the Expanse universe, for me this is one of the games I am most hyped for in 2027 and can't wait to see more.
Gaming News:
New Xbox CEO
I think we all spat out our cereal the morning it was suddenly announced that Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond has left Xbox and was replaced by a seemingly new name in the gaming community, Asha Sharma. I also think we all was a little bit nervous and groaned when we realised Asha Sharma use to be the head of Microsoft CoreAI division and was terrified with the idea AI would take over Xbox. However after the first few months it seems she is doing a fantastic job.
Xbox seemed to be lost at the end of Phil Spencer reign as it desperately wanted to be more of a cloud platform and game distributor than an actual console maker. With moves such as making everything an xbox and moving games like Halo to playstation xbox seemed to lose part of its identity.
Now with Asha at the helm of the ship, she seemed to have told the crew to go full sails and is sending us on a grand adventure. Firstly she has reduced the prices for gamepass, it is still not as affordably as it use to be but it is definetly better than the amount Phil orginially put in place, which I really believed caused his downfall. Secondly she has rebranded Microsoft Gaming back to Xbox Gaming with a new logo and style which I am honestly buzzing about. It feels like the peak years of xbox is finally back, especially after changing the logo back to that awesome green we have come to love. Finally not only has she launched Project Helix which commits xbox to human crafted games and rules out low quality, AI generated content but she also has put console production at the Center of the Xbox ecosystem. bye bye everything is an xbox and hello an xbox is a bloody xbox.
I have a PC, PC Handheld, Xbox, and PS5 (and probably a Switch 2 soon) so I don't have favourites when it comes to gaming companies (and am very grateful that the console wars are over and everything is now cross platform multiplayer) but I do miss the old ways of Xbox. It really felt like they lost themselves over the last few years and while I hugely appreciate Phil Spencer and all what he has done for Xbox (I think GamePass and Buy Once, Play Anywhere is the best gaming resources out there) I do feel like he just got way to lost with cloud gaming in the end, and this is coming from someone who has a shadow pc and cloud games a lot. Now with Asha Sharma running Xbox it does feel like a weight has been lifted from the company and a breath of fresh air has flowed through the place. She has a long way to go to reach the levels that Phil was at when he was his best, but for the moment I believe she is definetly moving in the right direction. Full sails ahead captain Sharma.
Well that was a great catch up with you all! Honestly it's been a long time coming but glad to be back writing again. Let me know what you have been playing, what games you are excited about, and what you think about the Xbox changes. Till the next post all, be well and game hard!
Cuppa
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