Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 509

More Gran Turismo 7 in VR, I've just bought the 1988 Mclaren F1 car so I need to build up some credits.

Also playing Final Fantasy VIII remastered, just in Dollet at the moment about to be chased to the shore by that big robot, a scene I'm very familiar with as my original PS1 copy always got stuck on the cutscene at the end. To this day its still my personal favourite in the series

I think I’m close to the end of my female protagonist play through of persona 3 portable. So I’ll probably finish that this weekend. If there’s time I might also play some Resident Evil 4 remake.

Resi 4 VR mostly and, later, likely FFX in bed now I have the portal (I had it on my VITA a long time ago, but playing via the portal is just so much more comfortable for longer periods due to the controller, plus the screen is bigger and more impressive even than the old VITA OLED). I am finding I’m playing my PS5 for many more hours now I have the Portal. Well played Sony, well played.

I'm 88 hours deep into Baldur's Gate 3. Currently in the shadowlands trying to put an end to this wretched curse. Amazing game.

I’m playing Elden Ring and when I don’t feel like dying so much - switching to Cat Quest II. Both fun games!

Continuing my platinum play-through of god of war ragnarok on ps4…… I had forgotten how long the game is as I’m 26hours in and still have loads to do 🫣

@Zuljaras are you going for platinum in sekiro? The last trophy for maxing out all the skills is a real grind

@Zuljaras yeah it’s a completely different game to all Fromsoft games, took me a while to master it. I waited to play it on my PS5 for the smooth 60fps rather than the uneven unlocked frame rate on the PS4pro

My wife got me Alan Wake 2 for Christmas. Absolutely loving it so far. Got a wedding to go to today but will try n get on this gem before it and tomorrow.

If can't play AW2 due to kids being around I'll play Jusant

Finally finished my 2nd playthrough of BG3. Astarion and Shadowheart sure were dark this time!

Made a start on RE4 remake but I’m off to Thailand on 2nd Jan so that will be put on hold for a while.

Finishing off Remnant 2, in general, loving it. I’m eying up Lords of the Fallen and/or Lies of P next, but I might take a break and finally get HZD or GOW2 since they’re both on sale until 5th Jan. Have a good weekend and New Year folks!

God of Ragnarok and The Pathless on PS5.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line and No More Heroes on Switch.

PSVR2: GT7 and Resident evil Village. Village starts really slow but after that it really opens up.

Switch: Mario party with the misses. Next weeks maybe not a lot of gaming since I’m becoming a dad again😊

I have spent the holidays playing Lies Of P. Im now on Chapter 11 60 hours played. Fantastic Soulslike

This weekend I am mostly playing Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Power Washer Simulator so just chilled games really. Have a great gaming weekend everyone!

I've been mostly playing Trails From Zero over the Christmas holidays, which I've now finished. I went straight into Trails To Azure, already finished the prologue. I will ramp down a bit now and play some other games to avoid burnout, though with Trails burnout is starting to feel impossible - it's that good!

As for other games, I've been playing Lies of P which I got for Christmas. I'm normally a bit sceptical about Soulslike games, as they're often pale imitations, but Lies of P totally nails it. It makes me tempted to try out Lords of the Fallen too.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Getting close with just a couple Hunting Grounds, Corrupted Zones, and Side Quests left. I do need to make progress on the main storyline though.

It's proven to be a very enjoyable experience. I really like the vast assortment of bow ammunition at your disposal, and the variety on offer of machines to figure out how to kill or convert. The cauldrons and main story provide neat little glimpses of how the world went to hell.

Looking forward to the Frozen Wilds DLC and, of course, its sequel.

Playing through TLOU part 1, slowly, in prep for part 2 remaster. Also Lies of P, it clicked immediately, cannot say the same for lords of the fallen.
And then AC odyssey. I think I finally get how to play. I am a character in a world, not the character in the world where everything revolves around me. I am just trying to figure out what happened to my family. This does not mean I have to complete every mission, kill every mercenary or area leader, fight every battle, clear every outpost. I exist in this world and I have options. Depending on my mood i may do different things. The game does not expect me to do everything. But if i want, I can.

I had this whole backlog in mind from December on but just can’t get enough of Gran Turismo 7! Right after release I sold it because of the lack of single player content and now it’s just packed. I spend over 50 hours already and am nowhere near halfway through. They did such a great job.

If I can distance myself for a while I’ll continue Alan Wake (first game).

Finally got round to playing Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut. Just completed Iki Island, so now back to the main story! I could wax lyrical for hours about what a fantastic game it is... Great story, and I love the use of nature to guide you towards goals, events and collectables. The visuals are frequently taking my breath away, and Jin Sakai is a great lead character. Happy gaming everyone.

Hoping to get FFXVI finished.
Probably play more of Sonic superstars.
Hopefully finish snake eater as well

@trymer89 I finished Zero Dawn this year and loved it, but the hunting ground trophies put me off doing the platinum. They seem pretty difficult right?
I plan on playing Forbidden West in 2024 so maybe I should give it another crack before I start that

Remnant 2 for me. Awesome looter shooter and I have wo long fallen dynasty whispering in my ear too. I can pick up avatar for under £40 via hit.com so I may splurge on that as well. Have a great final weekend of 2023,stay safe and I'll see you all on the other side 👍

I will be unleashing deadly headshots and clumsy stabbing onto the villagers of resident evil 4 remake VR mode on the 5. I will also be wishing for a remake of GTA 4 as i drive around liberty city in a blurry haze on the adbox subscription x

Little Witch Nobeta. Quite good from what I've played so far.

I finally finished Pikmin 4 on Switch last night,took me a whopping 55 hours compared to 15 for Pikmin 3.
I can finally go back to TOTK now which I was 155 hours into before getting distracted by the plant creatures.
On PS5 I'm 21 hours into Persona 5 Tactica which I have to say I love the gameplay but the story bores me and I admit I'm beginning to skip the cutscenes..
Enjoy your weekend all.

Dark Souls Remastered.
it's been a while since I visited Lordran; maybe 10 years. I had forgotten how terrible the weapon upgrade and equipment load were in this game. pretty much everything about this game feels old.
still an iconic and unforgettable game and much, much better than dark souls 2.

@Kyushutrail I can definitely comment on the Hunting Challenges, as they are what I am in the process of completing right now.

They can be.

I won't pretend that I got Blazing Suns on first crack for all of them; the Ravager Control (where you have to override two Ravagers and then kill a Thunderjaw in 2:40) and Tie Down (where you must ground and then keep grounded three Glinthawks with ropecasters before delivering a critical hit in 1:30) were a particular pain to get Gold on. For the Tie Down, there are Tramplers that I was unfortunate enough to down a hawk right in the middle of, and boy are they difficult to avoid while also trying to not let your prey get away. As for the Control, it was a matter of timing; I got 2:45 at best before opting to shoot the disc launcher off the Thunderjaw to use against it, at which point I got it in 2:10.

Ironically, having slacked off until I am now Level 43, the game put me (presumably based on my proximity to the nearest challenge) at the highest level Hunting Grounds first, so that I only have the two low levels left. Shrugs Here's hoping these will be easier.

@trymer89 Thanks, I’ll definitely give it a shot. Good luck to both of us! 😆

I think I will play Final Fantasy XVI, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. I don't have any plans to the New Year Eve, my december is going a little messy. At least my vacation starts in january, so I will do plenty of gaming, try to vent this tension I'm feeling often.

@TimeDelayedGamer I played it this year and decided it’s the second best game I played in 2023 (I made a tier list 😂). Absolutely fantastic

This weekend it'll be Street Fighter 6 and Blood and Wine in the Witcher. I may also play a few levels of Sonic Superstars and Mario Wonder. I gave up on Avatar in the end, it looks great but is a bit of a bore to play through.

@trymer89 I love this series. The games are so engaging, Aloy is a great character, the world is beautiful. The ending of HZD is sublime, the DLC is very strong too. And the sequel is even better. I got platinum in both games with pleasure!!

I’m taking a small break at the moment from Lacrimosa of Dana as I’ve just started my nightmare run and need a bit of a break. I’ve recently bought mail time which seems like a cute mushroom postie game, which seems lovely and light and perfect to wrap up the year.

I will be continuing to enjoy my PSVR2, what a piece of kit, I have the 1st PSVR which was cool but this is such a step up! So much better in every way Currently enjoying Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, feels like I am 12 years old again!

Happy Gaming Everyone and all the best for 2024!!

I'm currently playing quite a few games and switching between them daily.

On PS5 i am playing Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, Star Ocean the Second Story R, Persona 5 Tactica and Nier Automata. Having a blast with them all but tbh Nier Automata is now becoming a slog to get through, completed the first playthrough and now got to do the whole game again but with 9S with some minor differences and on top of that the side quests are a chore due to travelling back and forth with no fast travel until end game.

On Nintendo Switch I will be continuing with the Pokémon Indigo Disk DLC, Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes and Ive not long started AI the Somnium Files which so far has been great.

@freddquadros I've a while yet to go before the sequel, but am very much looking forward to it! (Luckily, I bought both at the same time.😎)

I will be playing the wonderful days gone.deacon st john is one of my favorite protagonist ever.days gone got excellent graphics.cool boss fights.the gameplay is really good.the story is n.i.c.e.i will be still playing the excellent octopath traveler 2.and i will be still playing the incredible divinity original sin 2 definitive edition.i will be watching my boston Celtics 💚🖤 play.and my Pittsburgh Steelers 💛🖤 play.i will be watching legendary sitcoms tv 📺 comedy in Sanford and son.good times.and saved by the bell.word up son

@Shepherd_Tallon How is the Portal? Is there any lag at all when playing in the same house as the PS5? I've been meaning to get one but it's out of stock everywhere (UK) and apparently Sony are struggling to keep up with demand so my only option is to spend £260+ on ebay. Didn't expect it to be such a hit, daresay it's more in demand than the PSVR2 right now.

Anything not on my PS Plus account. Let it lapse for the first time in 12 years. I just can’t agree to the new pricing.

So instead it’ll be Baldur’s Gate 3, Last Faith and Lords of the Fallen. The first and last I’ve got 40 hours in and Last Faith is a nice trip down Castlevania lane.

Plowing on with BG3 here.

I started it when it came out, put it down for Spidey so decide over the Xmas break I was gonna have a proper run at it from the start.

Such a great game, can't remember how many hours in, still in act 1 just wandering the map and finding stuff to do.

@DrVenture69 lies of P is brilliant if you don’t mind mastering parry and dodge mechanics. LOTF is also great and feels like the Dark Souls 4 game everyone wanted, despite a few issues here and there. Just wanted to say Lies of P is more polished, but the other is more akin to what Souls fans crave.

@Kyushutrail I always make a year end tier list as well 😂 I haven't decided on the final order yet, but GoT is up there. Also played Psychonauts 2, Dead Space, and The Talos Principle this year, and they're all in contention.

That's the original Dead Space on PS3, by the way - my username was chosen for a reason 😁

@Fakeplastictree I think that’s true for most people about Lies of P vs LOTF. The former clicks while the latter has all the set dressing, but takes about 6-7 hours to really realize how wonderfully designed it all is despite some flaws (lock on system for example).

@ErrantRob , thanks! I think I’ll go for LOTR cause I’m in Souls mode at the moment, but I definitely want to check out Lies of P (I heard it’s a bit tough!)

More Avatar for me, nearing the end of the story but I dont want to be done just yet so Im doing sidequests and exploring. Damn they’ve created a fantastic world for us, cant get enough of it 🤩

I'm almost done with my 2nd play through in Bloodborne - I enjoyed it much more than around 3 years ago, I assume because it was my 1st experience with soulsbourne games back then. Since then I played Demon's Souls and Elden Ring on ps5 and got better slowly This time I spent more time by exploring some optional areas and bosses, upgraded my primary weapon to highest level, etc. It's simply a masterpiece! So right now stopped before big final and moved to Old Hunters DLC I never played before and gosh it is hard!

I probably take a break from BB now and will come back to Separate Ways where I only did the prologue just to mix it up a bit

Happy New Year and happy gaming, everyone!

@DrVenture69 @ErrantRob
Im right at the end of Lies Of P definitely my favourite Soulslike. After I intend to return to Remnant 2 put about 8 hours in so far. LOTF looks decent might have to get that

This weekend I’m playing Remnant 2. I know word of mouth has been incredibly positive, and a couple of my coworkers were discussing it a couple of days ago which sold me on it. For some reason I wasn’t sure what to expect from this game — I thought it was more of a rougelike, or similar to Returnal, or even a live service game, but I was wrong. It’s essentially Dark Souls but with guns, and it is awesome.

I’m only a few hours in and I’m enjoying it thoroughly. In case others don’t know, everyone’s experience is different — your starting location may be different than mine. I was put into Seeker’s Rest. So far, I’ve beaten three bosses, a side dungeon, and currently killed a world boss to progress the main campaign. All solo, by the way. It’s great fun.

I’m also still playing Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning. I fizzled out on it after 60+ odd hours, so I needed a break. I’m roughly 60% through the main campaign and I’ve hardly touched the faction quests. More than likely I’ll jump back into the game fully head on in about a week or two. I love the game, and it hits all the right notes for me in terms of a fantasy RPG. My goal is to get the Platinum trophy for it before The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered releases.

Cyberpunk 2077

About to roll the credits on my second playthrough of the main game. Ran out of time last night and had to save it during the ending. After that I'll start up Phantom Liberty. Been looking forward to that for a while now.

Klonoa 2 & Super Mario Bros. Wonder

@Shepherd_Tallon That's great to hear, I will mainly be playing it when the misses is either watching TV, playing the Switch or some times when I'm playing a game but she doesn't want to see any spoilers because she wants to play the same game as well lol. So yeah it will mainly be used in the same room as our router and we have 100mps Internet so surely that should be enough for good streaming.

Definitely picking one up at the end of January in time for Granblue Fantasy Relink and Persona 3 Reloaded.

@Tsushima , I really liked Remnant 2 but I couldn’t face any more end boss nonsense today (tried for about an hour). Just downloading LOTF, but I might get LoP if it’s on offer.

I might try out Sonic Super Stars. Get in that old school Sonic. Plus I want to play a bit of Final Fantasy VII Remake to get ready for Rebirth.

Hoping to finish off SMT V by tomorrow. And if I do it'll be Dead Space remake next

Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA) - Some family are still with us until the new year, so I'm spending time with one of my favourite racers of all time.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - I'm still ticking away slowly on this. Only made it to chapter 4 so far.

Plants vs. Zombies (Windows Phone) - Still playing hard levels.

I'm digging deep into my backlog this weekend. Hopefully I can complete a couple of these older games.

Xbox - call of duty modern Warfare II (2022)
Playstation - trover saves the universe (psvr1)
Nintendo - Kirby return to dreamland
Pc- prince of persia 2008, gta San andreas

Playing some PSVR2 GT7, it is fantastic in VR with a Wheel. Vanishing of Ethan Carter on the side and finishing up the DLC of the Ascent. Happy gaming everyone.

Robocop Rogue City. As a child of the 80s and 90s, it is impossible to overstate how much fun I am having with this game. It is by no means a perfect game, but they got Robocop and this universe exactly right. I know this has gotten positive reviews, but even so I am shocked by how thoroughly the developers nailed what they set out to do.

Currently playing a few right now. Still (purposely) slowly getting through Final Fantasy XVI. Just loving this game so much. Then also going through Resogun on Veteran difficultly which is an experience in itself. Hard but gratifying gameplay. Then when I need to relax I am about 80% done with the Omno platinum. Which i hope to get before New Year! Happy gaming all

@Kyushutrail I love the contrast here. So many great games out there of every kind. Have fun!

I'm going to ring in the new year the same way I always do; by getting drunk and playing Journey.

Asterigos: Curse of the Stars, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin and get in a couple matches of EA FC.

@DrVenture69 I got exactly the same end boss nonsense on Lies Of P. Enjoy LOTF

Still going through Starfield, with FF16 sitting impatiently on the shelf... along with a DualSense controller that desperately needs a charge.

Enjoy the weekend!

@ErrantRob. Much appreciated, and good to know. I appreciate what the devs gave us, and their post launch dedication! i just need to give it time to breathe i suppose.
Recommended starting class? I’ve always played FROM melee first, then follow up with sorcerer builds on subsequent play through.
Edit: fixed syntax

I'm working slowly, so so slowly, through Pillars of Eternity II with occasional breaks for the frame-rate plagued Lichdom: Battle Mage

I've started prepping my NG+ Elden Ring save for the expansion, which boils down to me being a menace in The Lands Between.

I'm also enjoying being a big blue cat person in Avatar FoP

Aaaaaand I got talked into Warframe!

@DrVenture69 its tough for the first fight or two, gives you room to breathe and then the last two areas ramp it up again.

@Fakeplastictree for LOTF I am doing a Radiance build. Once you get a certain sword that scales with that you’ll really slice through enemies. My secondary stat is strength because there are some good weapons that stack with that and Radiance for an unga bunga magic build lol

@Tsushima we really got spoiled this year for Souls style games.

Wow a year ago I wasn’t even really on this site and now a year later here I am participating in the last WAYP of the year. Well I’m happy to do it. Been a good week of getting games even if we haven’t beat very many of them hahaha. Between Christmas and other things I picked up copies of Assassins Creed Mirage, Fate/Samurai Remnant, Armored Core VI Flames of Rubicon, Dave the Diver (finally), and the big game, my first game on switch of 2024 and the game I picked for the poll Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince. It’s that last game I think I’ll focus on in the new year too. My December/early January game. It won’t technically be my first game of the year that’ll be Fate Samurai/Remnant. The Type Moon guys take New Years seriously so will I. But of course that’s the holiday what about this weekend? Well this weekend didn’t have much gaming outside of some Armored Core but that’s because I was doing something personally much more important. I had a excellent time with a amazing friend at a local mall. And honestly like most times with them it was simply amazing. The gifts they got me I’ll treasure and love for a long long long time. Maybe forever but that’s too big for me to think hahahah. Agent Gap is now a member of Operation Strix. They’ll see this so they’ll get the reference hehehe. I’ve said it before to yall but there really are some things more important than gaming. As for the rest of the weekend and week ahead ima focus on getting my Top 10 Lists in order and really just minding my business and working until the first big releases of 2024. For me those will be Another Code Recollection and Tekken 8. As for anime of the week it was a lot of finales and honestly all the finales I watched stuck the landing. My Inexperienced Love Story, Girlfriend, Girlfriend, Frieren, Spy X Family, 16 Bit Sensation, Eminence in Shadow, and Jujutsu Kaisen. Add in Ron Kaminohashi which I’m trying to finish today and you probably have my fall picks when it comes to anime. As for podcasts of course we’re full of GOTY Installments from all of them which makes me really happy I love those sorts of episodes. So you know the usual: Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Minnmax, Remap Radio, Nextlander, Fire Escape, RPGsites Tetracast, Weapon Wheel and of course my two newcomers Windbreaker and Firelink from the Second Wind Media guys. Also of course a big shoutout to my stoner retro catgirl friend at twitch.tv/akibread. Here’s hoping through these small shoutouts we can make 2024 their year. Overall yall it’s been a great year with everyone on this site from contributors to fellows commenters. It’s been one of the greatest years in gaming with one of the strongest start to the next year that I think I have ever seen. To my buddies who read this every week like my buddy Gaddy, Agent Gap, Az, Spence, Sib and so so so many more that I could write a entire article about thank you so so much from the bottom of my heart. And I look forward to a terrrifc, happy and healthy new year with all of you and all of you commenters and contributors. As always have a excellent, happy, safe and healthy weekend and Happy Gaming. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

This weekend I’m trying to get throh Immortals of Aveum. I’m really enjoying it. I don’t understand the hate and lack of sales. It’s exactly the kind of fun refreshing new IP that this gen has been missing. I also picked up Alan Wake 2 on sale. I will jump into that when I’m done with Immortals. Have a great weekend!!

GTA San Andreaa for me. First time playing it and I gotta say, what a game.

Oops, I meant San Andreas 🤦🏻‍♂️

@xeofate
SF6, the grind is real for me too. That and I've finally started Sea Of Stars, loving it so far.