Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 467

Well, I'm happy to say that I'm enjoying 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 far more than I was last week.

The story's really hit it's stride now and, honestly, some of the substories are the best I've played!

Chasing a giant naked,overly well endowed,septuagenarian virgin through the streets of Tokyo.....

Really, is there any other gaming series that would cause you to type a sentence that ludicrous?

The combat has tightened up too,as I've unlocked more skills.

Only real complaint is the annoying constant tutorial pop ups that can't be turned off!

Enjoy both your weekend and your gaming!

I've just finished Alien isolation and really enjoyed it! Onto Resi 5...

Me: Looks at huge backlog.

My Brain: Let's replay The Outer Worlds

Me: I'm on it

I played these games. 🙂
1. Animal Crossing New Horizons
2. Adam's Venture Origins PS4

Maintenance in Animal Crossing New Horizons as usual.

I have reached chapter 10 for Adam's Venture Origins. I like some of Mathematics puzzle during the gameplay.

I'd play more PSVR2 games but I have decided to wait for my precription lenses which should arrive next week. It's fine with glasses but I'd rather not take the risk of scratching anything until they're here.

So, I am currently replaying some PS3 goodness: I've replayed Resistance Fall of Man this week and just started the second. God, I miss this series and I'd love to see it again on PS some day.

On PS5 i will be continuing with Hogwarts Legacy and Octopath Traveler 2. I've also bought an horror game called Someday I'll Return which looks interesting.

On switch I will be playing some Pokémon Violet as im about to do the Elite 4, I will also be continuing with Metroid Prime Remastered.

Isn't it interesting being at work thinking about a game from 2015, a game you've already beat like 3 times and platted 6 years ago? So yeah I thought I could fight the sale but no, ended up buying...Bloodborne...again. I just miss that music in the Hunter's Dream. Hunter's attire as detailed as RDR2's. I miss the whole artistry, everything! Playing ER same time too, I don't think I like one better than the other but it's facts ER is content heaviest. Meanwhile I haven't yet finished GoT, Valhalla and Origins...just great!

Dead Cells Castlevania and Rough Landing Sniper Elite 5 DLC.

I’ll be playing Trails to Azure during the daytime and project zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse in the evening.

Going to jump into some BF2042 and more Hogwarts

Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch. On Ps5 Like A Dragon Ishin and Resident Evil Village again before 4 comes out. Series X Atomic Heart and Wo Long which I kinda hit a road block on one of the bosses

Octopath Travler II this weekend. Game is a massive improvement in almost every way to the first game

I'm all in on finishing the last Assassin's Creed Syndicate DLC, but I will find time for more Ace Combat 7 and Dragon Quest XI S. And check the Resi 4 demo too!! Let's go weekend!

Will be continuing with Elden Ring, however I've hit a bit of a wall with Starscourge Radahn which has slowed things down a bit.

I’m having a laidback weekend with some Disney dreamlight valley, to chop away at some very annoying trophies . Apart from that I have might head back into Guardians of the galaxy to chase down some final trophies.

Mainly the new season of Fortnite. I really enjoyed last season but this season is even better. Loving the new POI, Mega City, and the Japanese neo-Tokyo theme. Now would be the perfect time to add the iconic yellow jumpsuit skin from Kill Bill Vol.1 pleeeeease 🙏

After D/l and playing the trial for Disney Dreamlight Valley it hooked me in enough to buy the full game so will be spending a lot of time helping the Disney gang.
Also Octopath Travellor 2 which is absolutely still brilliant and Hogwarts .

Hogwarts legacy but i also made the mistake of booting up steelrising to have a quick look and 3 hours later i had to turn it off because its a really good game but i need to finish hogwarts first..have a good weekend everybody 👍

Trying resident evil 4 remake chainsaw demo, the demo is great

I'm playing code vein and I was expecting a poundland souls game, honestly, but it's more of an aldi own brand. Not quite as good as the real thing but it'll do.

I will be finishing off Atomic Heart, great game terribly trophy tracking which is a shame as I would have gone for the plat! I might save the hard play through until it's patched and come back to get it.
More Metroid Prime and possibly the RE4 demo but I am torn as I don't want to ruin my first play through having missed it first time around 😮

Happy gaming everyone!!

Im playing the amazing days gone.the wonderful yakuza like a dragon.the fantastic star war jedi fallen order.and the excellent vanquish.im watching my boston Celtics💚🖤 play 🏀.and im watching legendary sitcoms comedy 📺 tv shows in good times.saved by the bell.and the wayans brothers.word up son

More PSVR 2 goodness for me, absolutely love it! Beat the assault course in Horizon which was fun and also a bit of a workout 😅

And Hogwarts, love that game!

And as mentioned above I really hope we can get a revival of Resistance!

@RogerRoger Sadly still suffering from labyrinthititis, a viral ear infection that makes you feel pretty rotten. Thanks for asking tho ' appreciate it.

But, yes judgement has finally clicked with me!

I'm playing Outriders on PS++, it is surprisingly good.

@dschons A Resistance trilogy on PSVR2 (& flat) would be great. Imagine ducking from the land mines, or popping behind a shield and the awesomeness of the X-ray gun. So good and I can't believe they haven't done it as it would surely sell well, I do wonder at Sony sometimes.
Also do Killzone and Motorstorm while they are at it.

Mostly playing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, but I should have time to start something else. Might continue with the classic Hitman games and start Hitman: Contracts.

Ghost of Tsushima, playing the PS5 version, have completed Act 1, jumping into Iki island expansion now, never played any of the dlc on PS4.

Got Forspoken midweek. You know what... it's quite good. It's flawed and it's outdated in some aspects but it's fun. I like it

Decided to pick up Project Zero (Fatal Frame): Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, was going to wait for a sale, but I'd wanted to play this game on the Wii, and of course it never left Japan officially (though I know there was fan translation patch). I played the first two back on the original Xbox and thought the 2nd game was outstanding within the genre. Though I dont think the later games with the over the shoulder camera are as good overall, I'm glad to finally play this entry in the series.

Also redownloaded Streets of Rage 4 to try the new patch, and maybe some Metroid: Fusion on Switch, as they added it to NSO.

@CaptD I'd love that. However, I think Resistance wasn't continued because it didn't sell as well although there were plans for a sequel but they ditched it. Such a shame because I think the series is so underappreciated. I seriously consider 2 and 3 among the best first person singleplayer shooters.
Insomniac keeps posting pictures from the series on social media and my hope was that this might be a good sign for the future but they recently answered someone that there are no plans whatsoever at the moment.
As for Killzone: They had a VR game in development at Supermassive for PSVR but it got canceled in the midst of development as well. Shame.

Hunting down lightwardens in FFXIV's ridiculously good Shadowbringers.

I beat Theatrhythm Final Bar Line last week on the Switch and I’m currently playing Hogwarts Legacy on the ps5. Not enjoying HL as much as I would’ve hoped TBH.

Probably gonna start Metroid Prime Remastered later today and finally play the only Forza Horizon game I’ve never played now that I found a physical copy of Forza Horizon 2 on the Xbox One.

Just finished the plat for CotM and got Cave Digger 2. Highly recommended! A really addictive gameplay loop, nice atmosphere, satisfying gunplay…I have only done a few runs so haven’t even scratched the service of the story or upgrades but can see myself spending a lot of time in these caves!

Like a dragon yakuza like a dragon and dead space 2008

@dschons
Yeah, I told myself that too, but I just can’t stop myself. The idea of playing a flat game, even though I have a million in my backlog, just can’t excite me at the moment. I figure I’ve got the glasses thing sorted by now. Beside, I’m still at the “preparing your order” stage.

@ZoSo Me too! Judgment is my main gane at the moment, and it's a fantastic experience, but I've yet to get this side activity :0

Aside from the madness of some quests, there's random moments of emotion thrown in to side case too (the divorce case for example was pretty moving with the child's perspective of everything) then you have dating activities with Sana Mihama shouting THANKYOUSOMUCH every 2 minutes, which cracks me up 😁 and the weird text scrolling with the odd audible word, if I'm being cynical seems like they were rushing to get the game out (even Kaito-san in some main story doesn't speak) but I love it. written text "Sana, ever play darts?" Audio response "OKAY!!!!!"

And the chapters themselves get better and more complex and intertwined as you go. Sometimes I do think Yagami is a little bit naive, and his reasoning moves from "believe everything you see" to "question everything you see" a bit randomly, but it's still very good. And the story is kind of like a classic where you kind of know what's going on, but there's little tweaks and twists to keep it interesting, and sometimes you will realise what's coming, but it's done in such a way as you're reaction is "uh oh, it's happening, it's happening, it happened!!!" and I like that. The end of Chapter 4 for example. It seems to make the right storytelling decisions at the right times to pull you in to the next chapter.

I still can't get my head around tiger stance, it seems a bit more limited even in one on ones, and I can't execute the combos as well, maybe I missed the tutorial explaining the differences in combos. Tips welcome, anyone 😁

Oh, and as a side, I'm watching the BBC series Tokyo Vice alongside this, it compliments the game very well. The setting and themes are perfectly matched. And it also makes me want more Japanese crime drama in the UK, other than Giri/Haji, also very good, there's not seemingly a lot available. Any recommendations from anyone also welcome (full Japanese productions with English subtitles would be fine)

@thefourfoldroot1 same honestly. I can't wait to dive back in hardcore once the lenses are here. I'm just extremely paranoid although there's probably no need to because I've been extremely careful and made sure there's always enough space between my glasses and the lenses. But it would be typical for me if I accidentally scratched them the day before my prescription lenses are being delivered, lol.

Still playing the PS5 version of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and still loving it. Admittingly the pool is much smaller than it should be, but this is one of my favorite JRPGs now.

My PSVR2 arrived yesterday so playing around with that as much as I can thus weekend.
Never had VR before. It’s different that’s for sure!

I’m still deeply into Octopath Traveler II (Nintendo Switch). I’ve completed everyone’s second chapter, acquired all secondary jobs, purchased an expensive ship, and have beat a few “Crossed Paths” missions.

Right now, I’m very invested in Castti’s (The Apothecary) storyline. There’s a lot of mystery and intrigue around the one they call “Bonemender”. Also, I have Osvald’s (The Scholar) secondary class as a Warrior, and let me tell you—he’s OP.

Ultimately, I’m enamored with the game and yet to experience burnout, which is a testament to how brilliant I think the game is. Personally, I consider it one of the best JRPGs ever made, and I can’t pull myself away from the game even after 40+ hours. I’m looking forward to seeing where all of these character stories end up, and I have a feeling by the time it’s all said and done my playtime will be between 80-100+ hours.

The next game(s) on my list to play next are: Wo Long Fallen Dynasty, Dead Space Remake, Metroid Fusion, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, and Resident Evil 4 Remake when it releases.

Ni No Kuni 2, I've needed one trophy to earn the platinum for years now so its about time I did it, after that I'll make a start on the DLC. Have a good weekend all!

Spend the day yesterday playing Wild Hearts and getting bodied by Mighty Lavaback 😒. That monster needs a balance patch specifically for it.
But otherwise had a good time! Cleaning up trophies in Ragnorok still. Gonna try to play a bit tonight with the lads.

In between clearing snow, I'll be continuing with AC Black Flag, my ship isn't quite up to full power yet, but it's getting there

I got the Platinum for GoW Ragnorok this week, and I've just reinstalled Hitman ready to give Freelancer mode a go

For me it’s all about a poorly received but excellent little gem called Wanted Dead. I think knowing how to properly play the game goes a long way for it, and accepting that it’s Japanese style storytelling is a mix of 80s action movies and Japanese humor. I’m loving.
I’ll also continue Wo Long as I’m almost at the most infamous boss in the game and about to judge him for myself.

Some Hog Leg if I have time too. 12 hours in and I’m still waiting for the story to really pick up.

@Northern_munkey Steelrising was one of my top games last year. The aesthetic is great and the weapons were awesome. I still go back to it for a level here and there.

RE4 demo, Destiny 2 Lightfall Vexcalibur run.

I FINALLY upgraded to PS+ Extra so I downloaded Stray, Horizon Forbidden West and The Surge 2. I’m starting with Stray which I’m halfway through right now. It’s an interesting curiosity of a game for sure.

Im just about recovered from a gnarly eye infection i caught from my little boy this week, but it means ive had to keep away from the PSVR2 as its really straining for my condition. Hopefuly next week im good to dive back into RE8. Instead its all about:

PC Game Pass
Persona 5 Royal
Just finished the second Palace and love it. It truly improves on the base formula in ways i didnt imagine. The dungeons are much more intresting to explore and complete, the heist element is fun, and the fast travel and network options really trim off the fat P3 and P4 carried. Have a while to go, but am fully hooked...

Finishing up my first playthrough of Until Dawn, and having a lot of fun playing the new Pinball FX!

@Ravix oh I can help you with J-Crime dramas!

Try :

Ushijima The Loan Shark ( 3 movies, highly recommended!)

Shinjuku Swan 1 & 2 ( Both Movies. HUGE Kamarucho vibe)

The Blood of Wolves. Modern take on the old school Yakuza movies of the 70s

The "Outrage" trilogy. Seriously good Yakuza drama.

That ought to give you a good few days of viewing. All subtitles only tho so I hope you like reading!

Most of these are available to purchase or rent on Prime. A couple you might need to get "creative" to find 😏

The biggest tip I can give for combat is for the wall strike attacks and it's not explained at all in the tutorial.

When you run at a wall,prior to selecting square, circle, triangle or X to initiate a attack, totally release the left stick as you kick off the wall.

That way your attack will auto lock on to the nearest target.

IE Run, hit wall, let go of stick, hit triangle = wall kick on nearest target

Oh and always go into challenging fights with your drunk meter at 8 if you have the drunken power attack unlocked.

Trust me it's worth it just for the cutscene!

@KilloWertz what do you mean by the pool that is smaller?

@dschons where did u order the lens from? Im curious to try but am looking for a reasonable price and goid reviews.

BTW Resistance 1 is one of my favs too. Graphically it aint much (even back then) but gameplay is king, plus my favorite weapons selection from any Insomniac game to this day.

Wanted to start Wo Long but that Dead Cells DLC (Return to Castlevania) is amazing. The music is top notch.

The new Elden Ring playthrough just keeps on giving. I've taken to chucking a massive anchor about, which is absolutely wiping the floor with a lot of the enemies.

I decided to start Legend of Dragoon since it already got patched. If there was any game that needed a remaster/remake, it's this one. The translation is one of the worst I've ever seen my whole life lol. I can't deny it's a little hard to take the story seriously when the dialogue is written so poorly but the game itself is really fun. I love transforming mid battle and using some really cool dragoon abilities. I think I'm close to disc 2, so I look forward to continuing that

Still playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake. On chapter 11 about to fight a ghoul I believe.

@ThorsHammer I've ordered from VR Optician for two reasons. They are manufacturing in Germany where I live, so I don't have to wait very long when it comes to shipping. Plus, I've used their lenses on my PSVR1 and can't stress enough what a flawless experience it was. That said, I'm sure you can achieve similar or equal results with brands like HonsVR as well. They seem to be the cheapest option. Pricing is also dependent on your specific values.

As for Resistance: Absolutely dated but man, it's just so fun. Can't wait to play the other 2 games as well.

@PenguinLtd are you going to make a run through DS2?

I caved and double-dipped Elden Ring on ps5….worth it. Playing through The Quarry on PS Plus too. It’s pretty alright. I think having played Dark Pictures’ Little Hope and House of Ashes recently might have a bit to do w/ me not being too jazzed about it. Those are better imo.

@PenguinLtd No doubt, troubled development and all that.
However….it’s still a Dark Souls game and if judged on its own merits it’s still a really good game. IMO it’s got the best DLC of any of the Souls games, though last time I played through it it was tough finding summons for the boss fights.
If you ever want to run through it I’d be happy to help through any trouble areas!
Oh and that Soul Memory mechanic….yeah that one sucks.

I finished Dead Space Remake a few nights ago. Not sure what I'll start next with RE4 Remake being so close.

Hogwarts Legacy and Psychonauts for me

This weekend I’m finally finishing up Horizon Forbidden West after almost a year. Also playing the Resident Evil 4 Remake demo. Looks and plays brilliantly! I can’t wait jump into that game went finally Releases. Have a great weekend everyone!

@Adol_Xin I meant I have played far less JRPGs than I should have over the years, completely ignoring the genre for a long time, so I have a lot less games to choose from when mentally ranking games from the genre. Ys VIII would probably be ranked really high regardless though.

Octopath Traveler 2 on Switch, and I kinda got the itch for an old favorite, so Dark Cloud 2 on PS5.

@KilloWertz ah check
And as you can see from my username and avatar, I concur

@ErrantRob it is surprisingly good even though the visuals are quite average considering its ps5 only. But it plays well which is the main thing and it reminds me of bloodborne crossed with the surge series..its next on my list to play..

Can’t believe no one’s said they’re playing GT7 in VR. absolutely love the experience and in sport mode it’s been such a rush. I’m not a big online player particularly but racing games online (with some kind of behaviour system) are a different level, so much better than AI. The whole package in VR just blows me away. Worth the cost of the VR alone. I’m sure on a £/hour I’ll more than get my value out of it over the next 5 years.

@Northern_munkey yea graphically I’m content with it. The playing well, the enemies and the ridiculous use of historical figures was enough to count me in.

@RogerRoger
Well, island maintenance on ACNH I meant was say hello to my villagers, checking the seasonal items from Supermarket, weeding the weeds, getting more materials, selling the crops to get more money, etc.

About Adam's Venture PS4, I found that game when I was browsing games catalogue from SOEDESCO and I found adventure game with realistic looking peoples but still safe for kids.
The game was really like PS3 style with pretty terrible graphic as you will see some textures changes when you walk through the places, the voice acting was quite terrible as the speaking volume was pretty quiet even I have set on maximum, but the gameplay was pretty chills, mostly like walking simulator with Math puzzles to continue the game.
I think I can finish Adam's Venture in 3 - 4 days.

Also, the Math puzzle from Adam's Venture PS4 I can apply for my Math Club extra curricular as the puzzle level was not too hard for grade 2 or 3 to solve. It was about counting the numbers and logical patterns.

Just finished Hogwarts Legacy. Went back to play Kaito Files on Lost Judgment (which I accidentally purchased because I was buying another game and it was in my cart.) So far, so good. I know it will be short, which is good because I'm waiting patiently on Trails to Azure.

Twisted Metal: Head-On (PSP) - Been dying to try out another installment after completing the second one.

Hitman GO (Windows Phone) - Still very much enjoying playing through these levels. Completed the first two worlds already.

@Adol_Xin I'm not sure which one was more of a dead giveaway.

It was a bit of a rocky start for me, with parts of the game feeling gated off until I was able to figure out how to bust through and start figuring out how to reach certain places. I was wasting a decent amount of time going around the map as much as I could, then things obviously really started to click. It didn't help that I had no idea how to move passed the giant frogs (I was under the impression they were just blocking things to force you to go around) or get rid of the big spiked insect nests. I'm really glad I did of course.

@Zuljaras

Faxanadu was one of the first video games I ever played. At a young age it seemed very unique and “serious” compared to Mario and the like.

Not Diablo 4.. can’t wait til next weekend!

Having just got home from an absolutely wonderful couple of days spent with my partner at their place I'm currently trying to shake off a hangover with Scott 4 and a coffee before turning on the ps5.

Once that happens I'll continue the slog through Horizon Forbidden West. It's stunning to look at but between Aloy's interminable internal monologue and the endless mashing of triangle to pick up loot I'm really not getting the hype.

I went back to Returnal after putting it down for several months. The time away has worked because I was really slamming my head against the wall my first brush with the game and have quickly dispatched Phryke and Ixiom - the latter of which on my first try.

I think this is my favorite PS5 game by a mile so far, with Deathloop being a notable but distant second.

Somehow got sucked into BGIII again...tough game, honestly..but a great story. They really don't have a problem killing off potential squadmates for you or starting unnecessary fights if you pick the wrong response during a convo lol. Truly learning when to hit the save button lol.

A bit of a lot of them - RE4 demo, GOW:R, last levels of Midnight Suns, Plague Requiem and Halo Infinite and Atomic Heart on game pass

The Quarry. First playthrough was fun but after the third ending, replaying chapters with no skippable cutscenes is stupid.

A whole load of Wo Long for me, I'm about 3/4 done with NG and I've heard rumblings of NG+ introducing new gear sets/set bonuses/wonder if they'll call it Graces in this one... Although I may just finish up NG and then wait to see what the season pass/ complete edition bring to the table.

Playing with my 2 years old son

Almost finished No Man’s Sky, playing through Octopath, and trying to finish the RE4 demo. That game ain’t messing’ around! Looks grossly gorgeous, think it’s going to be a day one purchase just in time for two weeks off

I am nuts. I am playing the PS4/EU and PS5 stacks of Battlefield 2042 for the Plats on both, and I took out a month of PS Plus Essential on my American dummy account to then also play the PS4/NA stack. Doing stuff three times over.

@mastrz
Probably because everyone with access is welded to the game. I’ll be surprised if many talk to their spouses this weekend, let alone randoms online, lol.

@ZoSo cheers for the recommendations, I'll make a note of them on my phone or something.

As for combat, I think it's just tiger style. It just feels awkward as hell to me, and Yagami does not like hitting combos in it, and the one where you hold down square or triangle seems very hit or miss for triggering. So I will probably just resort to jumping over single enemies heads and mixing up square, circle and EX finisher, as that is better than trying to start a combo before getting stun locked 😅

It's not that I find fights difficult as such, just it feels so much more awkward and less enjoyable to use than Crane style. Which means I was trying to avoid tiger as much as possible, but then decided to force myself to use it to not miss out, but it's just meh.

@thefourfoldroot1 so true 😂