Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 521

My copy of Dragon's Dogma 2 is arriving tomorrow so that's what I'll be playing.

I quit my “have to play all these games before PS Plus expires in July” mission and am instead focussing solely on Demon’s Souls. I tried it once before, but couldn’t get the hang of it and quit out of frustration of constantly dying.

Now, after I finished Elden Ring two years ago, suddenly everything clicks. I’m focussing on getting something out of a run (opening a door, gathering souls, upgrading a weapon etc) and see dying as part of it all. Makes it so much more fun. Great game!

Alone in the dark for me. Had some tech issues but I'm liking it. It's got a good atmosphere and story is interesting. It's not perfect and isn't scary but it's got me hooked so I'm not regretting the purchase. I'd probably recommend anyone who wasn't dying to play it to wait for it to be on a decent sale and have a few patches though

Hogwarts Legacy: It's been great fun exploring the castle and Hogsmeade, catching and breeding thestrals, unicorns, and hippogriffs, flying around on a broomstick, taking on goblins and assorted dark wizards, and getting immersed once again in the Wizarding World.

The story is just okay, but the environment and exploration are top-notch, making for a wondrous experience.

PS5 wise:
FFVII remake Rebirth
Returnal
MGS2
Sonic Superstars
Hopefully start Rise of the ronin

PS4 wise:
ESO
Tunic
GTA3
Dragons dogma dark arisen
Days gone

Still Final fantasy 7. 42 hours in and just started chapter 5. I'm too busy managing my business project so little time for gaming. And yeah, I tend to anchor myself at every minigame I find in the game...

Beside that I will continue to play Reveil with a friend of mine... and with a couple of beer. Not too scary but just in case.

Played an hour of dragons dogma 2 last night and it seems fun but also a little overwhelming. Looking forwards to a free afternoon/evening to really spend some time getting the hang of it today.

Also Helldivers 2 as usual

After almost losing my will to live playing Two Legs? Nowt To It! on the Piano in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth... I will continue to play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Heck I might even finish the game this weekend! And then I'll probably keep going because I want the shiny Platinum.

I’m playing Dragons Dogma 2. It was an incredibly rare Series X purchase due to slightly better performance and being able to play it Thursday by moving to New Zealand. I’m loving it so far. Yes there are frame rate dips and the odd bug but no worse than Jedi Survivor, Starfield or Elden Ring so far. I haven’t even noticed the shop that people are losing their minds over. If you go into it knowing and accepting it’s flaws you can have a damn good time with it.

Totally off-topic, but for those interested in PSVR2 - it’s 22% off at Amazon.nl as we speak (€ 468).

I think I’m going to platinum Pacific Drive before I play anything. Just love it, even resource runs are fun. Weirdly it reminds me of Returnal. Have a good weekend folks, and good luck with the exam @zuljaras!

I went for Rise Of The Ronin over Dragon's Dogma 2. Really enjoying the combat and mechanics so far. Yeah it doesn't look as good as Tsushima but gameplay is great. Might get Dogma down the line that framerate isn't the best

Infinite wealth. About to finish the final chapter, then premium adventure to tidy up and level a bit, then legendary playthrough towards the platinum completion.

That’s when the wife isn’t playing Helldivers2, which her work friend convinced her to get and she’s loving. Perhaps the pro might be helpful as it’s getting to the point she has enough PS5 games to warrant her own machine. Especially as new good Switch games are slowing down for her.

Back on RDR2...tsk... forever amazing, it's just sad, Rockstar has no competition. And usual will be playing ER and BB also. Yeah and continue some story arc in AC Valhalla, plus some Divinity OS2.

Still playing Control and Motorstorm Apocalypse. I finished Bastion last night, great game.

Still playing the Tomb Raider remasters. On 3 now (which was always my favourite) and the remasters look great. I've really enjoyed them all so far. I have mainly stuck to tank controls but I tried the updated modern controls and they seem pretty decent now. Have to say l'm not sure how I 100% them all back in the day without photo mode for scouting but it really helps now!

I was expecting to dive deep into DD2 and play Rise of the Ronin later down the line. I played both of them for an hour or two yesterday and much to my surprise, I'm enjoying Rise of the Ronin way more than I thought I would. Currently "struggling" to decide which to play first since I usually only play one game at a time. Good problem to have.

Almost forgot, I’m also going to play some Serious Sam collection. 24th anniversary a couple of days ago since the first on was released. I still remember playing the tech demo a verrrry long time ago

I’m down with a cold, the first in several years and it’s completely wiped me out. I have snacks and Persona 5 (original) thankfully, to keep me entertained, whilst I avoid all social interactions.

Rebirth. Costa Del Sol really did a good job of killing the vibe and forward momentum. Ugly swimsuits, stupid side quests, terrible compulsory mini games book ended by a great bit of story and a good boss fight. Also Hojo scares me.

I’ve been replaying days gone and I must of been desperate for the last of us part 2 to come out to platinum this back in the day. Playing it now it shows how badly this was made constant black loading screens and forced walk of ride sections, the gameplay is great fun when it lets you play. I wish I could mainline the story but can’t as it forces you to do constant tedious side quests to progress the story. I gave this a solid 7 back in the day but it’s a 5 at best now.

A sure thing is Tales of Arise. After a 2 weeks absence, I will return to Dahna to continue the fight for freedom!! Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok (another freedom fight!) is on the cards, and maybe some Yakuza 3 or The Witcher 3... The urge to play a new game is increasing, but I must clear some of the present ones first. Happy gaming weekend lads.

Just got back from visiting mum in hospital and my copy of dragons dogma 2 was on the doormat so I'll be getting stuck into that for a few hours before I trek back to the hospital. Have a great weekend folks 👍

I am playing Sonic Origins: Plus later & the Turtles Cowabunga Collection - going retro lol

I was going to start rise of the ronin but I decided to try to finish ff7 rebirthmake first. Other than that I will be wildly swinging my arms about in cyube vr and I may attempt to finish horizon call of the mountain to free up some hard drive space.

Playing through the Tomb Raider Remastered collection. Still only on the first one, being a father and full-time employee sucks, lol. I'm thoroughly impressed how rock solid it is after all this time, and the improved visuals and smoother gameplay just makes it all better than ever. Tank control gameplay that I once thought of as a bit awkward I now think of as very precise and technical. If you make a mistake in this collection, it's on you.

And good to know the game can still make me jump out of my skin when some random wild animal or other creature comes leaping out at Lara from nowhere 😅

Have a great weekend all.

Bought that bogus Star Wars Battlefront classics. What a let down. So my buddy's and I bought Hell Divers 2. That's the game I should have bought in the first place. That's what I'll be playing.

Im playing the excellent code vein with all the dlcs.the art style is excellent.really good graphics. and the gameplay.the boss fights.the story is excellent.its a souls like game.which i enjoy.im also playing the excellent strange brigade with all the dlcs.im playing as Winston bey.hes a amazing protagonist.the graphics is awsome.the gameplay is excellent.the narrator is one of the best i ever seen in a video games.the boss fights and the story is excellent.im also playing the amazing titanfall 2.jack cooper is a excellent protagonist.the graphics is excellent.the story and the boss fights is amazing.the gameplay is awsome.and im playing the incredible yakuza like a dragon.ichiban kasuga is a excellent protagonist.the graphics is excellent.the gameplay is incredible.the boss fights and the story is amazing.i will be watching my boston Celtics 💚🖤 play.i will be watching legendary sitcoms TV 📺 comedy shows in good times.sanford and son.the jeffersons.martin.and saved by the bell.word life.word is bond.word to god.word to your mother.word up son

I'm about halfway through Prey and Its a fantastic game. This is what Starfield should have been and Prey was released on May 04, 2017

@Ernimus_Prime Is it that bad?, I have it in my wishlist

@kirkn is it true Prey has a problem playing on PS5?

I'm continuing with Gran turismo 7 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. I also just installed Dragon's Dogma 2 so that may take up all my gaming time but we'll see.

Throwing fools on Dragon's Dogma II

It's one of those "s***, is that the time?!" games. Incredibly immersive 😄

Football today but once I am home later will be firing up Dragons Dogma 2, put in a few hours last night, this morning and it is hooking me in already.

I will be jumping in between Ghosts of Tsushima and Dragons Dogma 2. As well as also coop gaming with my son on some Lego games of his choice and Shredders Revenge. Happy Gaming all!

After several days off work, a break from gaming, and a relaxing vacation with my wife, I’m back to playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I didn’t think I’d have much to say since I’ve spoken about the game for the past two weeks, but alas, I do.

According to my PS5 clock, I have 80 hours logged into this game and I have no desire to slow down. I’m currently on chapter 11. Rebirth seems to hits its prime starting in chapter 9 and onward, from gameplay, map design, and story perspective. It’s as if there was a newfound confidence in the development where they discovered the perfect balance between juggling open world activities and the main story.

I’m absorbed in the characters and world. I’ve completed all possible tasks per each region. The best thing about these side quests and activities is that if you do them, such as finding the protorelics or play Queen’s Blood, you’ll obtain rich backstories that really expand on your party members. I’m compelled to invest my time because the game respects it. There are a plethora of intimate moments between all of your characters. It’s truly remarkable how much depth is in this game. And it never stops being mogical, ahem, I mean magical

That’s not to say there aren’t faults in the game — there certainly is. In later regions traversal can be infuriating because it forces you to use the chocobo to reach differing locations that are mandatory. It doesn’t feel organic. I appreciate how the game incorporates fresh ways to explore via chocobo, so there is always a new mechanic to keep you engaged.

The regions themselves are gorgeous and fun to explore, however. Each location feels genuinely distinct from one another, and this is strengthened by its exemplary soundtrack that feels compatible with the environment. It’s easily one of the best OSTs for a Final Fantasy game I’ve ever heard.

Another criticism I have is the bloat. There is an over abundance of activities and mini-games to do. Some of the content could be trimmed, but thankfully the majority of it is optional. But less is more. Later in the game when you get to explore the Nibelheim region, my feelings is that it has the perfect amount of content. The map isn’t too large and everything is condensed in a small package. With all that said, these flaws don’t diminish the genius of this game. I’d rather have too much of Final Fantasy 7 than not enough, and the bloat isn’t a mandatory component.

I haven’t even scratched the surface of what I’d like to discuss about this game—story, materia builds, combat, and the little nuances—but my write-up is already long enough so I’ll end it here for now. Perhaps I should start up my own website to have deeper discussions without a character limit. Nevertheless, I will say this: Rebirth is just that — a game favored by nostalgia, but can stand on its own as a brand new experience that, to me, outshines the original in many ways.

When i get time to play it will be back to Rebirth. Chapter 10 now. I did manage to snag a copy of Robocop for £30 tho but atm its all about FF. Im determined not to get sidetracked with anything else. Well, maybe some Helldivers 2.

FF7 Rebirth and Balatro for now. Some F1 races if I have time.

I really want Dragon’s Dogma 2 but I am trying to not push Rebirth into the backlog!

@Ephexis83 I'm 20 hours into Prey so far on my PS5 and it plays perfectly fine.

Cyber Punk for me. Only started it for the first time this week. It took me a while to warm to it has a tonne of stuff is thrown at you from the start, some of which aren't well explained. However I'm really starting to get into it now

Taking down those flying pests for Super Earth ✊

Happy gaming everyone

Im playing rise the of ronin and dragons dogma 2. Im gonna be honest dragons dogma 2 isn’t really anything special at moment. Personally I’m enjoying rise the of ronin more than DD2 at this moment maybe things will change when I get further into both games .

Still haven't finished FF7 Rebirth and got Unicorn Overlord and Rise of the Ronin staring at me. I did try Rise of the Ronin briefly, can see what some of the reviews meant but need to give in more time first and see if it picks up beyond the opening

Helldivers 2 and Dragons Dogma 2

After watching a couple of YouTube videos I decided to bite the bullet and grab Rise of the Ronin. It’s only downloaded the first part of the game so I’ve been taking my time with the character creator and tutorial. Looking forward to playing it more tomorrow!

The deluxe edition of Returnal is currently on sale on the PSN store so I decided to finally grab it. I last played it about a year ago when I was subscribed to PS Plus Premium and still had the game installed on my PS5. Much to my delight (and horror!) it immediately booted up to my last previously saved loop - I have completely forgotten the controls and am no doubt going to die very soon haha. I also forgot just how good the sound design is in this game, which is now even better thanks to the new Pulse Elite headphones! Happy gaming everyone.

Street Fighter 6 ranked matches and Yakuza 0. This is my 1st Yakuza game and it is off to a great start!

@Kanbei Oh my friend get ready for a unforgettable journey!! Yakuza 0 is one of the most thrilling and surprising games I ever played!!

I started Ghost of Tsushima again, I played it before and just stopped at one point. There is a lot to like about this game. Also, at times it feels very repetitive.

Unicorn Overlord Demo was also very good, I am very tempted by that game.

On the side I start Final Fantasy 3 Pixel Remaster. I will play through the whole series of FF games ( MMO excluded). There are a few games in the series I never played before. Curious if FF 6 will remain the pinnacle for me.

As always, enjoy your weekend and don’t get to worked up over the small things.

PS5: Took a chance on Helldivers 2 and I am absolutely hooked! I plan on playing it until Stellar Blade comes out.
Switch: Nothing
Series X: Nothing

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - That is alot of gold right there...

Earthworm Jim HD (Windows Phone) - Forgot how difficult the touch controls are.

Lode Runner Classic (Windows Phone) - At the tail end of this now.

No idea. Whatever the kids fancy. Bracing myself for a weekend of Horizon Zero Dawn and watching DanTDM play Sea of Thieves with his mates.

More FF7 Rebirth. It's time to head to Cosmo Canyon but I'm probably gonna explore as much of Gongaga as it let's me before moving on. I think I'm at 70 hrs and have not grown tired of exploring any of the regions nor doing any of the side content. It's just fun

Unicorn Overlord for the most part. I’m so addicted to that game. Make time for WWE 2K24 as well.

I was hoping to be playing Rise of the Ronin but work got crazy this weekend and I haven’t gotten to the city to pick up my copy. Ah well, on with the excellent Unicorn Overload!

A bunch of Splatoon 3 due to the Splatfest

And I may hop into WoW and keep leveling my shaman.

Finished playing Rebirth last night, which was just astoundingly good. So I might take a two day break before diving into the next thing.

Just finishing up House of Ashes, pretty good even if a bit dark and less than likeable characters.
Also started Tales of Arise.

@Darude84 That is a great deal and I would have jumped at that but unfortunately I live in the U.K., thanks for posting though and I will wait for a similar deal over here....I'm in no rush though as I'm still enjoying PSVR1.

I'll be taking on a simple side quest then getting sidetracked for about 2 hours whilst on my way to do it in the very pretty looking Dragon's Dogma 2.

Having been gripped by Shogun, I was really tempted by Rise of the Ronin, but the reviews have put me off. So instead I've just started a new playthrough of Sekiro, this time on Steam Deck. I had forgotten how amazing that combat feels.

I also have Dragon's Dogma 2, but it hasn't quite gripped me yet. Early days though

Not really sure what I’m playing this weekend, actually. I just platinumed Helldivers 2 and don’t have anything in my backlog, so I’m looking for something new to play. Might go back and do the Spider-Man 2 NG+ trophy but …..?????🤷🏽🤷🏽🤷🏽

Really tempted to buy pacific drive ,does it run ok on ps5 does anyone know ,as I've read several gamers say it drops below 30fps sometimes or is that an overreaction ,if anyone on here has it could you please let me know if its quite playable still ,thanks

No new games for me at the moment. Almost have the platinum for Octopath Traveler 2 then its Star Ocean 2 time. Still playing Foamstars as well.

Enjoy the weekend folks!

Trying to rush “FFVII intermission” but even setting it on easy and automatic I could not stand the battle system (wich reminded me why I hated and grew bored of remake in the first place), I would love that they went full action (like FFXVI a battle system that I loved and really enjoyed) or the original Turn based one (a proven timeless classic, like DQ11). The music on the episode is awesome at least.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

This will be my answer for many weekends to come. 20-some hours in, loving it, and know I have dozen of hours left.

The Sinking City - I got this pretty cheap and it's decent. At first I wasn't sure but it grew on me and now I want to finish it. I like how you find locations by searching through the city archives instead of it beings handed to you. And discovering that loot respawns took away any ammo concerns.
Taxi Life - got patched a few days ago and those pauses that happened are gone and fewer cars are ramming into me, gonna get that Plat!
Lies of P - enjoying this more now that I've got other games to play when I get frustrated with a boss.

Still on Rebirth just about up to chapter 10 going to try and focus on the story now and get it finished so i can start something else. I'll also be playing some Helldivers 2 later and maybe some Dead Island 2. Was going to buy Rise of Ronin but I'll wait for a sale now.

I’m playing Jedi survivor, the yuffie dlc in remake. And tactics ogre

Rebel transmute 😎 decent game with metroid Fusion vibes if any one likes metroidvanias seems to have gone under radar this one but it's decent 🙂 also tales of arise

I've been spreading democracy every chance I get, while trying to to find time to chip away at Cyberpunk, which is taking me forever, despite how much I enjoy it.

And I just picked up a Quest 3, so I have become newly addicted to Pistol Whip.

PS5 - Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy XVI

Switch - Princess Peach: Showtime

About to finish my first playthrough of Alone in the Dark. I've been enjoying it, but I can see where people would have issues with it. I also bought DD2 and RotR, haven't decided which one I will start next.

Happy Gaming everyone

@Ephexis83 it is pretty crappy.

I´ll be playing Final Fantasy 16 (about 56% main story progress) - it´s great game and definitely want to buy also DLC´s...after FF16 I already plan to revisit Elden Ring and start preparing myself for Shadow of the Erdtree

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Just platted Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune on PS3

I earned my first ever trophy 23.8.2008 and it was from this game.

@playstation1995 Titanfall 2 is the best FPS of the last 10 years. It sucks that EA screwed Respawn by releasing between Battlefield and COD at launch

I'm still on Cold Steel 2. I have a few days off this week, so might end up finishing it soon. Really tempted by Dragon's Dogma 2, though picking it up with break my "no new games until I've finished Trails" rule I've set. I've picked up a couple of things since I started but I'm so heavily invested I can only manage a few hours before Trails pulls me back!

@breakneck. Yeah titanfall 2 is a amazing game.word up son

Dragon's Dogma 2 of course.
It's by no means a masterpiece. There's some story in it, nothing fancy, but it gives you some context. And it has some weird combat mechanics, but you eventually get the hang of them, and they get the job done.
It has some of Elden Ring's "dangerous exploration" pull to it, if you're into Souls games you'll recognize it right away.

I'm already 5 hours in, and I want to play more - meaning it's a good game, at least for me.
As I understand it it has a 40 hour campaign, and much more than that if you get your "completionist" hat on - so it's worth playing it at least once.

Considered getting Horizon Forbidden West on PC too... but since DD2 got me playing it, I'll buy it in a couple of weeks, after I'm done (already finished it twice on PS5 anyway, so no rush).

Have a fun weekend everyone!

Well here we go with another WAYP. Been a busy week this week but I’ll lead with the big news of the week. Beat Granblue Fantasy Relink. Yeah there’s a post game it seems but seeing as credits rolled I’m gonna consider it finished for now. Weekend otherwise was filled with some Splatoon 3 for the Splatfest, Princess Peach Showtime which is a absolutely amazing game and I wanna do some Trails Into Reverie and crack into Dragons Dogma 2 for the rest of the weekend. Got two Amiibo coming in this weekend too: Young Link and Meta Knight. Really excited about them both and that leaves me with only 5 of the Smash Amiibo left to get. Kirby, Luigi, Pichu, King Dedede and Isabelle. As for the rest of the week well I do wanna stop at a GameStop with a whole record number of trades and get roughly $160 dollars out of them. That should cover a copy of Rise Of The Ronins, a preorder of FFXIV Dawntrail (JUNE 28TH BAYBEE), the FFXVI DLC The Rising Tide in April and the new Guilty Gear Strive character A.B.A and the stage she comes with. Speaking of looking forward to a nice hangout on Wednesday with a good friend chatting and learning her. (Shoutout Ouji_Senpai.) Now if GameStop gives me like way more for my trades? Well I wouldn’t know what to do with myself hahaha but probably a preorder on Stellar Blade and maybe a Switch copy of Apollo Justice Trilogy Ace Attorney. But I’m keeping safe and humble on that you know how GameStop can be. As for the games I’m planning on tackling those are pretty simple. Some Another Code, Mario Vs Donkey Kong, Splatoon 3 Side Order, Detective Pikachu Returns and maybe cracking into Penny’s Big Breakaway on Switch alongside the other games I’ve mentioned like Trails and Peach and over on PS5 some FFVII Rebirth, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload and maybe cracking into Helldivers 2 finally alongside the other games I’ve mentioned like Dragons Dogma 2 and Ronins. Anime of the week gotta go to Shangri La Frontier, Delusional Monthly Magazine, Delicious in Dungeon and Frieren. All absolutely excellent. Still trucking along on Shameless and that’s excellent too. Podcasts of the week of course gotta go to Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Into The Aether, RPGsites Tetracast, Remap Radio, Windbreaker, Firelink, Summon Sign and Nextlander. And of course another wonderful shoutout to my wonderful friend over at Twitch.tv/akibread for their absolutely amazing streams. As always y’all stay safe and be good to each other. Have a absolutely wonderful weekend and Happy Gaming.

Rise of the ronin for me reminds me alot of tenchu meets AC brotherhood. Two classics merged into one.

✝️

I’m working towards Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s platinum after taking a month break from it. Absolutely still adore this game so much

@JamieO No worries about a reply, you don’t have to respond at all! Haha.

Yeah, we have been getting some decent stuff over the last few years. Still a bunch of weird ones I haven’t heard about in years, That 90’s Racer was the reason I bought a Wii U. Still waiting. Haha.

Victory Heat Rally is another, I swear that was coming out years ago.

Played the SNES version of Top Gear the other day. Couldn’t believe I remembered the soundtrack like I only played it a day earlier. Classic stuff.