Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 444

I’m approaching 30 hours into Yakuza 0.
I’ve waited a long time to finally try the series and it is not disappointing. After a slow start time now melts away and you have to remember to actually progress the story.

On my ps5 I'm playing Spiderman Miles Morales through ps plus extra. Love the open world web swinging. And it's different enough from regular Spiderman to feel like a different game. I might also try the valkyrie elysium demo out.

On my Xbox im playing Alice madness returns creepy 3d platformer which I'm enjoying and normally I'm not the biggest platforming fan, the creepy atmosphere helps a lot. I also made a start on Ni No Kuni which I hadn't played yet. Looks very cool so hope I'll like it.

GTAV - haven’t played it for ages (since way before I ever considered going for plats) but it’s been a good laugh getting back into it. I’m gonna enjoy mopping up this trophy list.

Trails in the Sky the 3rd on PC, Slay the Spire (so horribly addictive), and I've just started Assassin's Creed Origins after the Ubisoft Forward. Cutting edge stuff 😆

Guardians of the Galaxy played a few hours over the last week in the evenings, and I'm loving it. One of those games where you're excited to play more, but don't want to rush through it. So it's perfect for some casual night time gaming. I knew the dialogue and characters were supposed to be well done, but they are **really** well done. It looks absolutely stunning too, using Ray Tracing mode on an OLED.

Mafia 3 I have one DLC and a few districts left. I'm sure I'll play it at some point this weekend if I get a chance.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty although I don't think the game is for me, it is quite fun watching other people try to overcome bosses, surprisingly so. I think this will be a Twitch/YouTube/streaming smash, even if I can't be bothered to learn the game myself 😬

I may have a go on the demo, but it doesn't have the world and appeal of Elden Ring, to me, so I'm not going to be pre ordering and putting 100's of hours into this one myself

On PS5 I'm halfway through TLoU2, which now looks inferior to Part 1 courtesy of the remake. Still an amazing game.
On XSX I'm playing Prey and Grid Legends. Prey is the System Shock in space I didn't know I needed and Grid Legends is the best Grid since the original one. I even like the cheesy story haha.
On Vita: God of War. It's incredible being able to play this game on a handheld. Still remember my 1st playthrough on PS2...
Have a good one folks!

Age of Empires: Castle Siege (Android) - Coming back to finish this off finally.

World At War (Windows Phone) - Enjoying this so far.

Temple Run 2 (Windows Phone) - Still enjoying playing this in bursts.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Jesus Christ be praised.

On PS5 i will continue with Soul Hackers 2 but I have to admit I'm getting quite bored now, to point where I've abandoned the axis dungeon and just focussing on the story. I have just had my copy of Soulstice arrive so I will be playing that at some point.

On the Switch I will be giving Xenoblade chronicles 3 a rest so that I don't finish it before the next dlc pack comes out in October, got to get that new character and those all important swimsuits 😜, so instead I will be playing Pikmin 3 Deluxe which will be my first ever Pikmin game, time see what the fuss is about.

And on Series S I will be playing Yakuza 0, I've played an hour this morning and I like it so far, failed miserably at the karaoke mini game but I'm not 100% with the xbox controller yet, still forget where the XYBA buttons are when things get hectic.

I completed The Last of Us Part 1 (Remastered). Really enjoyed revisiting this masterpiece of a game. I didn’t really appreciate how good the Remaster looked until I watched a ‘making of’ video in the extras menu and saw gameplay from the original PS3 release. The difference between the PS3 release and the PS5 Remaster is huge. If we didn’t already have the PS4 Remaster (and the price was lower), I think this game would have been much better received.

And having completed the game again (for the 8th-9th time) I’m still of the opinion that Joel was completely justified in doing what he did at the hospital. Justice for Joel! 😁

Working towards the platinum trophy on the Quarry. It’s a good game but locked 30fps on PS5 is a head scratcher. Then on to Alan Wake and Shenmue 3.

Been playing Mafia 1 on Plus and really enjoying it!
Also I finished Saints Row campaign but I'm still doing the side activitys of which there are hundreds!
I think I'm finally near the end of Ys Monstrum Nox now so as much as I've loved it I feel like it's starting to drag so it's good it's near its end.
On the Switch I've just finished the Harvestella demo (which was great) and now back to Xenoblade.

Just finished Guardians of the Galaxy. Thought it was amazing. Just started Death Stranding. Had high hopes but 15 minutes in and already thinking about quitting. Unable to turn off the music. Absolutely ridiculous.

Currently lying on a sun lounger in Gran Canaria with the Kishi and phone playing Retroarch plus on android, mostly bomb jack lol i love it.😀 Missing my ps5 but looking forward to Prodeus next week.

Football. First game of the season.

Out to the golf course today and then i think i'm going to play some final fantasy 7 on the ps5..installed it ages ago but got sucked into valhalla and elden ring..have a good weekend folks👍

Guardians of the galaxy from extra. Played couple of hours, quite liking it so far and I didn't really like the films.
I like extra quite a lot it has to be said.

Playing Voice of Cards Beasts of Burden, main game seems even easier than the first one, the game parlour mini game is a lot harder, spent hours trying to get the trophy's. Will also play some more Little Hope, really enjoyed my first play though, might even buy the next one which is House of Ashes.

@PenguinLtd I disliked the song. I really disliked not having the choice of whether I want to listen to it or not.
And, knowing it's a loooong game, I've taken the decision I'd rather miss out on the experience than be forced to listen to more songs like it.
I've already deleted it and am now deciding what to play next.

I'm taking a couple weeks off due to a shoulder surgery (repairing an unfun "SLAP" tear), but I hope to resume playing Season of Plunder in Destiny 2 and re-play God of War (2018) in preparation of Ragnarök!

For now, I'll watch seasons 3 and 4 of Overlord on Crunchyroll.

Ghost of Tsushima for me. Great game!

Finished Guardians of the Galaxy a while ago but to all those playing the first time round, it's really really good, glad you're enjoying it!

@Gloamin I haven't played the other Alice game yet though but I think it's included in the version of Alice that's on gamepass. So I'll try that one after I finished Alice.

And yeah Nino Kuni has such a wonderful charm about it, like the studio ghibly art style. And it looks very relaxing in a lot of ways. I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it.

Also enjoy Shadow of War, such a brilliant game, especially the nemesis system is so well done, wished more games had a system like that

Still dividing my time between Disney dreamlight Valley and Cult of the lamb. Currently thinking of heading back to God of War before Ragnarök comes out.

Yakuza 4 Remastered. Still early in but it’s started much, much stronger than Y3.
Also really like Akiyama reminds me of Sanji from fighting style to mannerism.

My first new PS5 game in months: Final Fantasy Origins Stranger of Paradise.
I'm having a blast!
It's dumb, but in a good way. Jack is a very soothing character! Lol
I love the different classes and will possibly finish it this weekend. If I do, I'll do a second Scarlet Nexus playthrough.
And maybe next week... buy The Last of Us part 1? I shouldn't, right? Right?

Trying to pull myself away from Destiny so probably continue with my playthrough of the last of up part 1 I’m just on the outskirts of Bills town

Jumping back and forth between Steelrising & Ni No Kuni: Curse of the White Witch Remastered (PS4).

Genshin and maybe start 13 sentinels

@GuttyYZ I am not playing it for the first time round, it is the digital edition, and it has no shape.

😁

Finally finished Kena: Bridge of spirits on my PS5, and might try out Wo Long demo I downloaded tomorrow.
Moved on to Trek to Yomi on XSS in meantime (cleaning backlog).

I'm continuing on with Soul Hackers 2. I've really warmed to the game after accepting it for what it is. Whilst it misses that special something the SMT and Persona games have, it still features a lot of the elements which make the games great. Yes, the dungeon designs are unbelievably boring but the combat and demons are still great. Originally I thought I wouldn't finish it but I suspect I will now.

I have also been playing The Last Of Us Part 1 on and off. First time playing the game. It's good but hasn't exactly sucked me in.

I need to dust off the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade DLC. Then I’ll probably get back into Immortals Fenyx Rising and maybe give Avengers a try, by virtue of being on the PS+ Extra library. Then on the side I’ll be doing some post-game content for Gran Turismo 7 now that I completed all the mainline menus.

GT7 grinding and some Sniper Elite 2

Recently finished SP The Fractured but Whole and Lost Words, both good games on Extra. Part way through Ghost of Tshushima but just can’t get motivated to play it. Feels a bit too Ubisoft for me. Might continue Saints Row 3 which, I guess while similar in structure, just has a far more fun atmosphere. God I wish SR5 wasn’t so bloody terrible.

Alternatively I could start Ys VIII, but I’ve always been a bit put out by it’s stupid level scaling system…

Switch Sale got me again, so replaying the original RE Revelations on the OLED, well suited to portable play.

I played PS4 games in the morning. 🙂
1. Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles
2. Youtubers Life 2

In the afternoon, I played Switch games.
1. Animal Crossing New Horizons
2. Paper Mario: The Origami King

Playing Morbid: The Seven Acolytes, a top-down soulslike action game. It's got a few problems, but the great art and atmosphere keeps me going.

Nioh 2 with all the dlcs.amazing game.and one of the best games ever made.the graphics looks good on my ps4 pro.the story is cool.the gameplay is one of the best in video games history.i play valkyrie Elysium demo.i like it a lot it was fun.but the diofield chronicles is really good.im definitely getting both games.finishing watching the texas chainsaw massacre movie.its been a good movie so far.watching my Pittsburgh 💛 Steelers 🖤 play. 🏈watching legendary 📺 tv sitcoms. In living color.familly matters.sanford and sons.the Jeffersons.saved by the bell.and martin.word life.word is bond.word to your mother.word to god.word up son

Nintendo Switch - Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, just finishing off some builds before the TU2 drops at the end of this month. I've finished all the A5 Anomaly Quests and managed to attain Anomaly Research Lv100, which is the current cap (to increase - - > 120 upon TU2 release). Then from Monday I plan to sit this aside and begin the new Monkey Island!

PS5 - Took a break from Bloodborne to play Thymesia, a Sekiro/Souls clone by an indie developer. A pleasant surprise, with a really great combat system. A short length also, and I plan to push for the platinum. Just hit a wall with a particularly rough boss ('Urd') but am pushing through! Also want to try out the Wu Long demo. My last platinum was Nioh1, and I'm a huge fan of Team Ninja... hoping for good things!

After the greatest week of gaming news of all time I have picked up Yakuza 4, 5 and 6 for my birthday and plan to dive into Yakuza 4 remastered going for all achievements which I’ve read that 4 is one of the easiest out of the series. So far my opinion on each RGG game I’ve got the play for is:

Yakuza Zero- longest and most difficult all around (requires 100% completion and took about 150 hours)

Yakuza Kiwami- Has the most difficult legendary difficulty playthrough, namely the car chase shooting section that basically requires perfection and the fact that you have to get through an entire battle section that takes about 10 minutes before you can even attempt the shootout adds to the brutal nature of that segment.

Yakuza Kiwami 2- Is the easiest out of the lot

Yakuza 3 Remastered- has the hardest mini games being pool that requires you beating the expert cpu which requires extreme luck and a ruler as I had to put one over my screen to perfectly line up my shots as this mini game requires perfection. Side note to anyone reading, don’t play this game on hard for 1st play through as they should have renamed the game to Blokuza 3 as even basic enemies block as much as bosses in other games.

Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise: Literally the most Grindy game in the series, skip it unless you are a diehard fan of the studio or a mega fan of the anime.

So wish me luck as when I decide to play one of these games I dive in until I get that juicy platinum, Yakuza Zero was the game that changed everything for me with being a completionist, made me love writing notes on my games and made me to love mahjong which tends to be the first thing I check off the list for a new Yakuza game.

Thanks for reading and I hope my passion for the series shows, but I must warn anyone thinking about going for the platinum for any of these games is that they are “very” time consuming before committing to it. I’d say if you don’t want to you should try to at least go for all sub stories as there are recurring characters that are in multiple games of the series, even in Fist of the North Star. Anyways I’m rambling on for too long about my favourite series just because I am so excited for the future of now the “Like a Dragon” franchise, happy gaming and have a good week😋

Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Last one of the maingames I need to beat, after that I only have dead souls left for the spin offs (counting judgment, lost judgment and Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise).

Besides that fortnite should have a end of season event this weekend so probably that too.

After those are done I might pick Life is Strange 2 back up or I might start with Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins

Just did everything in the Valkyrie Elysium demo (or at least I think so, there doesn't seem to be any indication that there's nothing more to do but... there also doesn't seem anything else to do).
Tomorrow I'll try the Wo Long thing

Decided to have another run through Dark Souls III. The idea was to go caestus, but I seem to have drifted towards a pair of scimitars. I'm trying to switch between weapons as I go and not just fall back on standard sword & shield.

Also planning to check out that Wo Long demo if I can.

Playing Yakuza Kiwami 2, I really love the Yakuza games.

It's that thing again when I'm hooked on to Mafia 3 and can't stop playing, continuing my 3rd or is it 4th playthrough from 2016. The atmosphere is great and it's the only chance we have at old school cars open world. Plus Far Cry 5, RDR2 and anything else.

Continuing my playthrough of Wasteland 3 with a sprinkling of eFootball 23 thrown in now and again.

I’m on a huge PS3 binge and neglecting the PS4/5 at the moment. Just finished the original Dead Island tonight! Have the DLC and Riptide ahead of me now before the sequel lands in Feb next year. Over the moon that it’s still coming out! Have bought the Definitive edition on the PS4 in the recent sale but don’t know when I’ll get round to it haha.

I read Army of Two servers are closing down next month so I want to try out the online for 40th Day and Devil’s Cartel while I have the chance. My backlog on my PS3 is huge and the order in which I play games had largely been dictated by announcements that the servers for certain games are being switched off!

Finish up Xenoblade Chronicles on my Switch. I believe I'm finally near the end, so I should be done with that this weekend. Then I will try to the Valkyrie Elysium demo, and then probably move on to Bayonetta on my Switch again to start getting ready for Bayonetta 3.

@gollumb82 so you got around to playing Prey? Let me know how you find it 😃

This weekend I'll probably just go with Splatoon 3 since there's the first Splatfest! Hype!
Someday I'll also manage to finish Elden Ring, but it might be next year if I keep up this pace lol

@Perturbator that's a game I hadn't actually heard of before but sounded interesting enough for me to do a little googling. Seems decent... and on a deep sale on the PSN store currently. Think I'm gonna pick this up 👊

Made the trip to San Antonio with my switch (Evil Tonight). Going to Rammstein concert tonight. Have a good weekend all!

Assassin's Creed Rogue. There are lots of lore info scatered among the colectibles, and the story is quite interesting!! I will play more Ghost of Tsushima too, and maybe get a 3rd ending on Cyberpunk 2077. On TV side, I will see the last 3 episodes of Cobra Kai, and the final of Tales of The Walking Dead. A good weekend for all of you!!

After getting the platinum trophy for The Last of Us Part 1 (my all time favorite game), I’ve been at a loss as to what to play. I’ve been bouncing around various games, but then I decided to read - and watch - reviews for Steelrising. The game received quite a solid reception, so I decided to buy it on a whim. I’m so glad I did, and this will tide me over until Deathloop arrives on Game Pass.

Steelrising is quite the gem. Is it graphically impressive? No. Is it technically and mechanically fluid? No. And yet, the game oozes charm despite it being janky, especially for a Souls-like game. I find the combat satisfying, and there are tons of weapons, armor, and other equipment to really create a fun build, which is something I’ve never cared much for in games similar to this. Typically, once I find a weapon I like, I stick with it; however, in this game I experiment a lot because all of the weapons are a blast to use.

Moreover, I love its linearity - something I wish more games would harken back to instead of a gigantic open world. And while the game is linear, there are moments to explore off the beaten path and it is always rewarding to do so. Speaking of, I also find the level design to be quite spectacular. Similar to the Soulsborne genre, there are locked gates throughout the world that can eventually be unlocked that will connect back to other parts of the map.

Overall, the game isn’t perfect, but it’s damn fun. I’m really happy I decided to buy the game. I can’t wait to see what developer Spiders will make next. Their future is bright, I believe.

@Ravix very good!

XCOM 2 on PS4, finally making progress.

Yakuza 0 on Game Pass.

@clvr
Yup! Was intrigued when you mentioned it and I can already say it ticks all the boxes for any System Shock/Bioshock fan 🙂 I'm not too far in (just got my first pistol) but I'l really liking it so far.

@freddquadros

I loved Rogue! Underrated AC. Cool main character and one of the few games that isn't black and white.

The Wo Long demo for me. Maybe some Steelrising and then of course back to Yakuza LAD. Otherwise on Switch I want to do more Triangle Strategy.

Series S might see some backlogged GP games played this weekend. Wild West being one

@astro911
Good for you! 🙂 I've got my PS3 hooked up and I'm slowly buying the games I enjoyed on it back in the day. Got Resistance, Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword and GTA IV Complete Edition so far. Trouble is finding the time to play it all haha.

@gollumb82 nice, glad you're enjoying it! 😃

@Lup Oh yeah, having a great time!! The game is like a fusion of AC III and IV, taking the best of both!! It's really interesting seeing the repercussions of the events of IV and how this game is leading to the state of things III presents!! Everything with the very different perspective of the Templars. This game should be more valued by the players.

@colonelkilgore If it's deeply discounted I would recommend it.

It's got some weird design decisions, but it nails the art and exploration. Difficulty-wise its rather easy for a soulslike, except for one boss that can be infuriating to say the least.

It's about 10 hours long if you hurry, or about 15+ if you explore a lot like me.

@freddquadros

I wasn't a big fan of IV (unpopular opinion, I know) but III was one of my favorites (even more unpopular, I know haha) and I think Rogue fixes many of the things I didn't like about IV (mainly the tone and protagonist). So Rogue actually became one of my favorites too. I even got the Platinum!
Glad you are enjoying it!

COD Modern Warfare 2 Beta and so far I’m not too impressed.

@JoeDiddley You're making me wanna jump in! Never played a Yakuza game before

I would love to spend some more time with Ellie and Joel, but my professional life is extremely hectic at the moment. Looking forward to November & December. Good games + more free time = hurrah!

Finally got my PS5 back off my daughter so catching up on Forbidden West!

@Ristar24 I picked up Revelations this week too. It's well suited to the switch.

1. Wo Long Demo (PS5)
2. Valkyrie Elysium Demo (PS5)
3. SteelRising (PC)

Also spend some time flushing and swapping the pump in my water loop... Tinkering with my PC is part of the gaming hobby fun 😊🔧

Nothing too much on the PlayStation side of things. Probably just King of Fighters 15.

Outriders and ALIENS: Fireteam Elite. I’ve completed both games recent DLC releases but I’ve really enjoyed jumping back into both games so I’ll be switching between those two.

@LN78 I believe mad max is on sale digitally

@playstation1995 normally I’d reply to your post with some Browns fandom but Deshaun Watson has ruined football for me.

Last of Us Part 2 (I don’t love it but still chasing the plat because I’m a crazy person), River City Girls, and Splatoon 3 with my son.

@liljazzy2. Haha.its all about the 💛Pittsburgh Steelers🖤.word up son

@playstation1995 dude you've been watching that Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie for 3 weeks !!??!! How can you not do it in one sitting ? Get it watched already lol

@Bobarino Really is, I've not played since the 3DS, so good to revisit the game.

@KingPev. Because i didn't have time to watch all the movie.i had other things to do dog🤔😏.haha.word up son

@playstation1995 fair enough ..word up son.

It's going to be a long one for sure with this new bank holiday on Monday, I'm just going to be diving into my backlog to thin it out a little I thinks

@BlackMayge Nice to hear Steelrising getting some love...

I recently took a punt on Thymesia, another recent Souls-Clone - and have genuinely been really pleasantly surprised. I'm really enjoying its linearity and short play-time (circa ~10-12hrs) and am now going to push for the platinum on this. It plays very similar to Sekiro and the combat is remarkably tight and well orchestrated. Level design and enemy variety are quite poor, but the combat mechanics and boss battles are pretty decent. I picked it up for 20 £GBP, and would recommend anyone interested puts in on their wish list. It is bound to be discounted soon, and would be a steal for 10-15 GBP.

Souls-clones are very much in trend at the moment, and it is difficult to discern which are worth the time and which are not... based on your SR comments I might keep an eye out for it on sale

Gonna try out the new season in Fortnite, play a little bit of 2k23 and maybe even Cyberpunk2077/Last of Us Part1/Call of Duty MW2
It's gonna be a long weekend....

playing God of War 1 for my Playstation 3

@gollumb82 Cheers mate! That's a great set of games to start again with. There are so many gems in the PS3 catalogue waiting to be played, but like you it's a matter of finding the time to play them!

@XandertheWise Nice! I played it for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. Have to get around to playing the second game on of these days...

Dark Souls 2. love it.

This week and this weekend its been Ollie Ollie world. I loved the first two and played them to death. Its fun to jump back into those mechanics. I also downloaded Dead Cells off PS+. I had a really long run with that game on Switch. But this time I’ll get to grab some torohies along the way. And when I need a break from those, I’ll hop back into GT7 for some grinding and podcast listening. Have a great weekend!

@XandertheWise such a great game! Have fun with that one, wheather its your first time or the sixth its always amaizing.

Playing Horizon Forbidden West and I’m really not getting why some people disliked it. It’s so much better than the first. Plus, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I’m in love with my first playthrough if it.

@KingPev And he's been playing "Nioh 2 and all its dlcs" for the past 100 years 😂😂 @playstation1995 word up son!!

@JoeDiddley I vividly remember being 70 hours in and only just finishing chapter 5. Going for the platinum for this game was life changing as a gamer for me. It’s now my favourite game of all time and turned me into a trophy hunter. I hope more people catch on and realise this is one of the greatest games of the last decade.

Finishing off Ratchet and Clank, been in and out of it over the last few months. The advent of steam deck remote play has heightened my appetite to mop up some of my backlog. Also a bit of AEW infused WWE 2k22 which always cleanses the pallet. Started with the first hour of Horizon Forbidden West on Friday too, early part feels more like Uncharted than Horizon to be honest, it's so beautiful and slick to play though. Looking forward to exploring it more.

@TheArt. 😄 haha.thats right playa.word up son

Continuing my trek through Sekiro this weekend, the only "souls-genre" game made by From Software that I didn't finish until now.
I'm pretty deep into the game (quite literally speaking actually, I'm in Mibu Village right now) and it kept me interested so far, so I'll keep going at it until the end.
Bloodborne remains my uncontested no. 1 From IP, even after Elden Ring, but Sekiro is a good game too.
Started playing it a few years ago, but gave up because I didn't really like the setting of all things (for me it's a huge part of the reason I decide to play a game).
Anyway, that changed after I recently finished Ghost of Tsushima and it's DLC. It seems I enjoyed playing them a bit more than I initially thought I did... It took a while to sink in, but it finally resulted in wanting to give Sekiro another try...
So here I am now, katana in hand, prosthetic arm at the ready, breaking postures and dealing death blows.
It certainly is different than the usual Souls-Borne formula, but it's a good kind of "different", worth at least a playthrough.

No gaming this weekend,had a 7 day break from all games just for to give my eyes a rest and mentally to switch off from it,although having said that ,I sit here writing this and I'm tempted to play some rdr2 and to chill with Arthur Morgan by the campfire ,that's what I love about rdr2 ,you can take such a long time over this amazing experience and do everything at yr own pace ,Rockstar nailed it with rdr2 and I'm still early on in the story but the fact you can go and just wander around and fish or just explore brings home to me just how very far we've come with gaming over the last years ,gaming still has its issues certainly but the positives of gaming as a hobby far outway the negatives,all good